Women in early pregnancy who drink a cup and a half of coffee every day - or even one Starbucks mocha or a couple of sodas - are at greater risk of miscarriage than those who stay away from caffeine, according to a Kaiser Permanente study out of Oakland.
The study, published today in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, is one of the largest to look at the connection between caffeine and miscarriage, and the first to interview women about their caffeine habits before they've actually suffered a miscarriage.
While there has been much research into caffeine and miscarriage - some of it dating back to the 1960s - no studies have been definitive, and the effect of caffeine, and coffee in particular, on miscarriage has been controversial.
But the Kaiser study, said doctors who were not involved in the research, makes a fairly solid case against drinking coffee, or any kind of caffeinated beverage, early in pregnancy.
"I would probably not even recommend a cup a day, based on this. It's not a huge risk, but it's a real effect," said Dr. Aaron Caughey, a perinatologist at UCSF.
Despite the new findings, Caughey said it's important to note that the majority of miscarriages - up to 80 percent - happen due to chromosomal abnormalities that have nothing to do with the mother's behavior. The last thing women who have had miscarriages need to do is blame themselves, he said.
Researchers interviewed 1,063 pregnant women; 16 percent of the women had miscarriages. Women who had 200 mg of caffeine a day - roughly equivalent to a cup and a half of coffee - were twice as likely to have a miscarriage as those who had less than 200 mg or those who had no caffeine at all.
The difference in risk was most noticeable in miscarriages that happened after eight weeks of pregnancy. The study did not look at the effects of caffeine on pregnancies past 20 weeks.
Even when researchers took into account age, alcohol consumption, smoking and other factors related to miscarriage, the risk remained.
"The data has been consistent, but the question has been whether this is a real effect or not," said De-Kun Li, a research scientist in Kaiser's Northern California division and an author of the paper. "Our study has addressed that issue. Hopefully that relationship is much more firmly established now."
Doctors have long theorized that caffeine is not healthy for fetuses - a dilemma for pregnant women who may be suffering from fatigue and hate to give up the energy boost from caffeine. But because it is considered unethical in most cases to do randomized studies of pregnant women, it's been difficult to research just how unhealthy caffeine is.
The theory is that caffeine passes easily from the mother through the placenta and into the fetus, which is unable to metabolize the drug in a healthy way. Some doctors think that later in the pregnancy, as the baby's metabolic system matures, caffeine is safe.
Even now, no one knows for sure how much caffeine is too much. The Kaiser study showed a small and statistically insignificant increase in risk for women who had less than 200 mg of caffeine every day. But that includes a wide group of caffeine drinkers, doctors noted, and it's possible the women who drink, say, a cup of coffee - with roughly 150 mg of caffeine - increase their risk of miscarriage while those who drink one soda - with 30 to 50 mg of caffeine - do not. "This is a little bit like the alcohol studies, where we are unable to say that any alcohol is safe," Caughey said.
Tammy Plotkin-Oren of El Cerrito suffered a miscarriage during her first pregnancy, even after she took every precaution she could think of to protect herself and her child, including quitting caffeine. She's since had three children and continued to cut out caffeine during all of her pregnancies, even if her doctor wasn't insisting on it.
"This isn't a willpower thing. It's not like saying you're going to exercise more. This is more the guilt. I know I have a baby growing inside me, so it's affecting someone other than myself," Plotkin-Oren said. "The mornings are the hardest, and midday, when you start to get tired. I drank a ton of herbal tea through my pregnancies."
What the study found

-- Women in early pregnancy who drank 200 mg or more of caffeine every day - the equivalent of about 1 1/2 cups of coffee - had roughly twice the risk of miscarriage as women who drank less caffeine or none at all.
-- The greatest risk from caffeine was in the second eight weeks of pregnancy.
-- Where the caffeine came from - coffee, tea, soda or some other beverage - did not make a difference in the risk.
E-mail Erin Allday at eallday@sfchronicle.com.

There is a healthy, delicious alternative to the traditional popcorn eaten by many people-amaranth popcorn. Amaranth can be found in health food stores as a grain and in a variety of products ranging from flour, bread crumbs, starch, powder, snacks etc. People who eat a gluten-free, wheat-free, diary-free diets, or are just looking for a great way to create a well-rounded, nutritious diet should give amaranth a try. It is very high in dietary fiber, protein, iron, calcium, and has a large amount of the amino acid lysine.

Amaranth Popcorn:

From Seeds of Change: The Living Treasure

Heat a cast-iron skillet or wok for a couple of minutes. Pour in enough amaranth to cover the bottom of the skillet no more than 1/8 inch deep. Cover the pot, and within 10 seconds amaranth will start to pop. Move the pan to shake the grain, and stir to keep it from burning. Within a minute, all the amaranth should be popped. Quickly pour it off and repeat the process. If you should end up with any unpopped seeds, you can pour the whole mix through a strainer, and the unpopped seeds will fall through. You can then add butter and salt to taste if desired.

This is a wonderful nutty and nutritional breakfast food, excellent for camping or traveling. In South America, it is often mixed with molasses or honey and pressed to form a candy.

Popped Amaranth mixed into organic yogurt is one of the most simple but also very tasty recipis.


For more information on amaranth, it's detailed history and nutrition information, check the link below:
http://waltonfeed.com/self/amaranth.html

This company sells a wide variety of amaranth products:
http://www.nuworldamaranth.com/default.asp

Customize your chair
Your chair determines the posture of your back, arms, and legs, so finding one that fits your body size is essential. Office chairs run the gamut, from economical models with a few adjustable features to thousand-dollar seats that sport more levers and buttons than a 747’s cockpit. Here are some things to pay attention to, whether you’re buying a chair or customizing your current seat:
A. Back Support The seat’s back should be tall enough to support at least your lower and middle back, especially in the lumbar area (the lower part that curves inward). Also, make sure it tilts forward and backward. Adjust the back so that the angle between your trunk and legs is a bit more than 90 degrees.
B. Good Armrests Choose a chair with padded armrests. You should be able to rest your arms comfortably, without having to extend them too far or tuck them tightly against your body. Many chairs sport armrests that you can raise or lower so that you don’t end up shrugging or stooping your shoulders. If you can’t find a comfortable armrest position, remove them altogether or find another chair.
C. Solid Cushioning The chair should have a padded cushion that’s long enough from front to back to support your buttocks and thighs without touching the back of your knees. Look for a cushion that’s smoothly rounded in front to avoid putting pressure on the backs of your thighs.

Creating a healthy, ergonomically correct workspace doesn’t have to be expensive. Often, simply adjusting the equipment you already have is enough. You shouldn’t have to reach out or crane your neck to perform repetitive tasks.

Work Smart

D. Height Adjustment Adjust the chair so that your forearms and wrists are about desktop height when your elbows are at 90 degrees. Your feet should be flat on the floor—if they dangle, use a footrest.
E. Rollability Chairs that are wobbly or don’t roll smoothly force you to bend or twist to reach your equipment. Look for a chair with five legs, and make sure that it rolls easily. If you work in a carpeted area, get a floor pad that won’t buckle as you move.
Adjust input devices
RSI problems are often compounded by poor hardware design, which forces you to use awkward positions and excessive force while typing or using your mouse. Fortunately, your setup can help minimize the risk of injury.
F. Trays and Wrist Rests Adjustable keyboard trays help on several levels. They keep your keyboard in a flat or slightly backward-tilted position, which is safer. They also help you tweak the height of your input devices so you don’t have to angle your wrists to reach them. Tray or no tray, try to avoid propping up your keyboard on its retractable feet. Although that makes it easier to see the keys, it also forces you to bend your wrists.
Also, beware of wrist rests: they help keep your wrists straight, but they put pressure on the nerves and tendons at the back of your wrist. Look for a wrist rest that’s smoothly contoured and padded, and only use it during rest periods, not when you’re typing.
G. Typing Technique Pounding on keys increases the impact on your fingers. Instead, try to keep your hands in a relaxed, natural position as you type, with your fingers arched smoothly, floating over the keys. If your keyboard requires that you press the keys extra hard to elicit a response, try a different one.
H. Mouse Position Situate the mouse as close to the keyboard as possible, so you don’t have to extend your arm and shoulder as you move between the two. If you use a keyboard tray, it should be large enough to accommodate both a keyboard and a mouse.
Move your monitor
The position of your LCD or CRT is crucial, as poorly placed monitors tend to put extra strain on your eyes and upper spine. Here’s what to consider:
I. Height and Angle Conventional wisdom says that the top of the monitor should be slightly below eye level, so you don’t have to glance up or crane your neck. While this advice works well for most people, some experts recommend an even lower position, so you’re actually looking down at the monitor. As for tilt, make sure the monitor is angled backward slightly so that the top of the screen is farther from your eyes.
Distance It’s less stressful for your eyes to focus on a distant visual target, so try to place your monitor 18 to 24 inches away, farther if there’s room. (If necessary, enlarge the on-screen text size to compensate.) If you wear glasses and spend more than a couple of hours a day at your Mac, consider getting lenses with a midrange focal zone that’s tailored for computer users—ask your optometrist about them.
Body Positioning Your body, monitor, and keyboard should form a straight line—you shouldn’t have to rotate your trunk or neck to type or to read your screen.
[Dr. Franklin N. Tessler is a radiologist in Birmingham, Alabama. He writes about ergonomics regularly for Macworld.]

greenyoga helps you to find ecological products like mats, greenyoga teachers teacher and studios.

So what is wrong with washing your salad yourself and cutting it. This actually might be a rewording and mind calming exercise.

• Sales of pre-cut salads hit the $4 billion mark in this country last year.
• Almost a quarter of all salads in America are made from bagged lettuce.

Most restaurant serve pre-cut salad. Please inspect the salad before you eat or order it or at least make sure that there are no obviously rotting leaves in the mix which how you will notice happens more often then one would like to think.

An interesting sidenote that might explain one of the reasons behind this problem: Dole requires bagged lettuce to be washed three times, including twice in chlorinated water.

Taking a trip to someplace warm in the middle of winter or lingering outside when spring arrives can be especially beneficial, with pleasant weather improving mood, memory and broadening cognitive style (openness to new information and creative thoughts) as time spent outside increased, researchers found.

Here's the kicker: Hotter weather during the summer lowered mood levels and the effect of pleasant weather was far less noticeable in other seasons.

A set of three studies involved more than 600 participants from throughout the United States. In one study conducted during the spring in Ann Arbor, participants who were randomly assigned to be outdoors during warm and sunny days showed improved mood and memory compared to those who were outside when the weather was not pleasant and others who spent the time inside.

The impact of weather on mood and cognition has been difficult to demonstrate because people in industrialized countries, on average, spend 93 percent of their time indoors, making them largely disconnected from the impact of changing weather outside.

Researchers also found the optimal temperature for mood for most Americans is 72 degrees (about room temperature), with mood decreasing if temperatures became significantly higher or lower. There were regional differences, however, with mood peaking at 65 degrees in Michigan and 86 degrees in considerably warmer Texas.

With temperatures slowly dropping here in the Midwest and the once wet morning dew chilling into an icy frost more often than not, it's a clear sign winter is approaching. Yet it's still a good idea for your own mental health to spend some time outdoors each day while you can.

When it gets too cold and you can't afford to get away, however, you can compensate in a number of healthy ways:
• Exercise is known to boost people's moods and is good for depression
• Get to sleep at a normal hour
• Stay away for sugary or starchy foods

Two separate US studies, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, looked at the benefits for men and women.
The study of over 2,000 men over 71 found those who walked least had almost twice the risk of developing dementia than those who walked the most.
A second study of 18,000 women showed those who did more exercise scored better on mental agility tests.
Previous research has suggested that physical activity could be related to dementia risk, but it was not know if the association included low-intensity activity such as walking.
In the study of elderly men, a team from the University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, looked at how far they walked per day.
They were monitored from 1991 to 1993. Neurological assessments were carried out between 1994 and 1996, and 1997 to 1999 to see how many had developed dementia.
It was found that, after adjusting for age, men who walked the least, less than 0.25 miles per day, experienced a 1.8-fold increased risk of dementia compared with those who walked more than 2 miles a day.
The association remained after other factors, including the possibility that limited amounts of walking could be the result of a decline in physical function due to preclinical dementia, were accounted for.
Writing in JAMA, the researchers led by Dr Robert Abbott, said: "Although complex, this study and past evidence suggest that walking and active lifestyles in general are associated with a reduced risk of dementia," the researchers conclude.
But they said it was not yet clear why the association existed.
'Three years younger'
In the second study, researchers from Harvard Medical School studied 18,766 women aged 70 and over. They were all taking part in the Nurses' Health Study, a major piece of research which began in 1976.
The women were asked to complete questionnaires every two years, beginning in 1986.
They were then divided into five groups, depending on how much energy they expended.
The researchers found that higher levels of physical exercise were linked to better cognitive performance.
Those in the highest activity grouping also had a 20% lower risk of cognitive impairment than those women in the lowest.
Women who walked at an easy pace for at least 1.5 hours per week had higher cognitive scores than those who walked less than forty minutes per week.
Dr Jennifer Weuve and her colleagues, who carried out the study, said: "The apparent cognitive benefits of greater physical activity were similar in extent to being about three years younger in age and were associated with a 20% lower risk of cognitive impairment.
"The association was not restricted to women engaging in vigorous activities.
"In summary, higher levels of physical activity, including walking, are associated with better cognitive function and less cognitive decline."
Professor Clive Ballard, Director of Research for the UK's Alzheimer's Society, said:" This is potentially a very interesting study, but needs to be interpreted carefully as physical health problems that increase the risk of developing dementia may also reduce physical fitness and walking capacity.
"The authors do not suggest possible mechanisms, but it is certainly becoming increasingly evident that what is beneficial for the heart is also good for the brain, including exercise."
He added: "More speculatively, there is also evidence from some animal studies that exercise increases the number of active stem cells in the brain, which may possibly be relevant to brain protection.
"Although the mechanisms require further study, walking would be generally beneficial as part of a healthy lifestyle, and may also reduce the risk of developing dementia."

With praying hands I face the sun,
feeling love and joy in my heart.
I stretch up my hands
and let the sun fill me with warmth.
I bow before the sun's radiance
and place my face to the ground with humble respect.
I lift my face to the sun
and then remember, to achieve such heights,
I must be as the dust of the earth.
I stretch up towards its light
trying to reach the greatest heights and again surrender.
I stand tall as I remember the true sun is within me.
(Ancient Verse, Author Unknown)



Surya Namaskar, the Sun Salutation, is a series of 12 postures performed in a single, graceful flow. Each movement is coordinated with the breath. Often used as a warm up, the Sun Salutation builds strength and increases flexibility. A single round consists of two complete sequences, one for the right side of the body and the other for the left. One round a day is plenty if you're doing it as part of a longer routine, although some schools teach that you should do up to 12 rounds. On days when you think you have no time for yoga, try and do at least one or two rounds of the Sun Salutation. You'll feel the difference.

1. Tadasana (Mountain Pose)
2. Crescent Moon Arch (Standing Backbend)
3. Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bed)
4. Crescent Moon Lunge
5. Plank Pose (Upper Pushup)
6. Chatauranga Dandasana (Crocodile)
7. Urdva Mukha Svanasana (Upward Facing Dog)
8. Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog)
9. Crescent Moon Lunge
10. Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bed)
11. Crescent Moon Arch (Standing Backbend)
12. Tadasana (Mountain)