First off, I want to congratulate my friend and triathlon coach Cody Waite for finishing 39th at the Xterra Off-Road Triathlon World Championships Sunday (10/23) in Maui. Great Job Cody! Maybe next year I’ll be there (doing ART).

And speaking of congratulations, I hope you don’t mind if I congratulate my wife and myself on our 9th wedding anniversary. Hard to believe it was 9 years ago that we were saying our I-do’s on a beach in Hawaii. Next year will be #10. Maybe that is a good excuse to go to Maui.

Here’s this week’s brand new Health News For You:

Mental Attitude: Don’t Look At Me! Depressed people tend to avoid eye contact in social situations and in

experimental settings, whereas happy people actively seek eye contact. Sad people avoiding eye contact may lead to them

shunning certain social situations. Although this may reduce anxiety caused by the situation itself, it may actually increase social isolation and deepen their already depressed mood. British Journal of Psychology, Sept 2011

Health Alert: Hospital Staff Carry MRSA Superbug. 60% of doctors’ and 65% of nurses’ uniforms carry dangerous bacteria. In a 2009 report, rates of postoperative sepsis, or bloodstream infections, increased by 8%; postoperative catheter-associated urinary tract infections increased by 3.6%; and rates of selected infections due to medical care increased by 1.6%. 1 in 5 security cards carried by hospital doctors were contaminated with a variety of pathogenic bacteria, including the superbug MRSA, which kills thousands every year. Health and Human Services Department, 2009

Diet: Ginger Extract. Whole ginger extract has promising cancer-preventing activity in prostate cancer. Ginger extract had significant effects in stopping the growth of cancer cells, and inducing cell death in a spectrum of prostate cancer cells. Animal studies revealed the extract did not show significant toxicity to normal tissues, such as bone marrow. Research showed tumor regression up to 60%. Humans would have to consume about 3 1/2 ounces of whole ginger extract a day to get the benefits. British Journal of Nutrition, Aug 2011

Exercise: Good Reasons. Exercise reduces vulnerability to various cardiac dysrhythmias (abnormal heart rhythms), improves the likelihood of survival from a myocardial infarction (heart attack), and helps overcome jet lag. Surgeon General’s Report on Physical Activity and Health, 1996

Active Release: What A Headache. “Cervical migraine is the type of headache most frequently seen in general practice and also the most frequently misinterpreted. It is usually erroneously diagnosed as classical migraine, tension headache, [or] vascular headache. Such patients have usually received an inadequate treatment and have often become neurotic and drug-dependent.” Ragnar Frykholm, Neurosurgeon, 1972 (Note: Active Release, in our experience over the last 13 years, is very effective in patients with neck-related headaches.)

Wellness/Prevention: Fish Oil For A Healthy Mind. Researchers found positive associations between fish oil supplements and cognitive function, as well as differences in brain structure between users and non-users of fish oil supplements. The findings suggest possible benefits of fish oil supplements on brain health and aging.

International Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease

Quote: “A pessimist is one who makes difficulties of his opportunities and an optimist is one who makes opportunities of his difficulties.” ~ Harry S. Truman