In the last post we reviewed a few of the top health breakthroughs of last year. Here, we’re continuing the series with more information about BDNF, Vitamin D, and 2009 New Year’s resolutions.

A Little More About BDNF

What is this mysterious acronym and what does it do for your body? This snazzy molecule in the body is a great find of the past year, because it is a key player in keeping nerve cells alive and helping stimulate the growth of new nerve cells. Nerves basically keep everything in your body circulating and moving, so you can imagine that their maintenance is a pretty high priority for the body.

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If you or a loved one has ever dealt with cancer, you know what a nightmare treatments can be. While they can work wonders in curing the disease itself, side effects like losing one’s hair, nausea, exhaustion and a laundry list of other symptoms can leave patients feeling drained and sometimes hopeless.

If you are one who believes in treatments beyond the norm, you may want to learn more about alternative forms of therapy. Some may be covered by your health insurance provider, while other simply reply on positive thought or just moving your body. Even if you are initially skeptical, opening your mind to alternative treatments may prove incredibly rewarding for your health and well being.

Take Control of Your Body: Biofeedback

Personally, I’m very intrigued by this form of therapy, as I feel it could be applied to so many things beyond dealing with cancer treatments. Biofeedback basically a form of therapy that strives to connect the body and mind. It’s designed to enable the patient to use thoughts and will to control the body. Biofeedback is based on the idea, confirmed by scientific studies, that people have the innate potential to influence with their minds many of the automatic, involuntary functions of their bodies.

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Think back to past holiday seasons. Are you the one at office Christmas parties telling drunken stories in the back corner, or perhaps sneaking off for a little fun in the copy room? Do you end up passing out drunk on the couch at your parents’ house? Do you end up coming away from the holiday season looking like a version of a inflated float from the Christmas Parade? There’s no doubt about it: the holidays can be a stressful time for many of us. Decorating, cooking, shopping, dealing with family and all of the obligatory company parties can leave us exhausted and looking to really cut loose when the opportunity presents itself. While having a glass or two of wine is one thing, getting repeatedly smashed and embarrassing yourself is quite another. Read on to find out how you can manage your alcohol consumption in the end of 2008, and enter the new year feeling fit, healthy and not like you want to crawl under a rock.

Consider Your Current Consumption and Health

Self-analysis is never easy. Sometimes there are things you just don’t want to cop to, to yourself or anyone else. But realizing that your drinking has led to problems in the past is a crucial first step to getting things under control. You first have to some to grips with the fact that you might have a problem with the way you treat alcohol.

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Specimen from malignant pleural effusion in metastatic breast cancer

Estrogen, that amazing female hormone, is one of the things that makes us uniquely and beautifully women. Unfortunately, if you are an older woman who is overweight, that very estrogen circulating in your body can increase your risk for breast cancer. A study conducted by Women Veterans’ Comprehensive Health Center at the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center looked at more than 287,000 post-menopausal women and came to the conclusion that a woman’s weight is directly related to her risk for breast cancer.

How Weight Affects Estrogen

Of the older women surveyed in this study, the ones who were considered overweight had a 10-35% increased risk of breast cancer than their thinner counterparts, and the risk just kept climbing related to the woman’s weight. The reason is that women who are above a healthy weight have more estrogen circulating in their bodies than women at a healthy weight, and these extra hormones are helping to promote tumor growth.

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Over the course of time, human beings have developed some wonderful medical advances and answers to some of science’s greatest mysteries. The medical practices that have been discovered and put into place have helped save hundreds of thousands of lives, but what about the theories that have proved unhelpful and downright crazy? Read on for some of the most off-the-wall and bizarre things that doctors and scientists have dreamed up.

Bizarre Medical Practice #1: Urine Therapy

You may be wishing you misread that title, but you haven’t. Urine therapy really did involve pee, and usually your own. This practice has been popular in multiple eras throughout time, including the Renaissance and in different cultures around the world like Rome, China, India and France. Urine supposedly aids in whitening teeth, protecting the skin, getting rid of acne, strep throat (can you imagine gargling with pee instead of a salt rinse?), and healing broken bones. I’m really not sure how that last one is supposed to work. Sometimes doctors have suggested that urine be ingested, and others have thought that a paste put directly onto the skin would help. This is one bizarre medical practice that actually hasn’t been debunked, as some cultures around the world really do believe that drinking your own pee can be good for you.

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It’s no secret that the environment in which you live has a significant impact on your health and well being. For instance, if you live in what could be considered an unhealthy city (one with lots of smokers or a high rate of obesity for example), you health might follow suit.

Natural Health Magazine recently released a study on the top “healthy” cities in the United States by looking at 49 metropolitan areas. The study was based on criteria like natural medicine practitioners, availability of exercise options, easy access to healthy foods, a solid public transportation system, clean air and water and a strong sense of community.

Healthy City #1: San Francisco, CA

Affectionately known as the City by the Bay, San Francisco is one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations. With its beautiful architecture, rolling fog and stunning views, it’s no wonder people flock from the world over just to visit. San Francisco also takes the cake (rice cake maybe?) as the healthiest city to live in. The city allocates nearly 20% of its land to park space, so despite the city being a thriving metropolitan area, there’s plenty of space in which to get out and stretch your legs. The temperate climate in the Bay Area certainly lends itself to outdoor activities as well, boasting 265 sunny days each year.

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