According to Karen Collins, M.S., R.D., C.D.:

A study of children fed soy protein formula for more than six months showed no hormonal effects. A study of men in their 50s and 60s found that the men who ate soy foods twice a day for three months showed no change in testosterone levels, but had a 14 percent drop in levels of PSA (an indicator of prostate growth used in screening for prostate cancer).

She goes on to say that all the noise about the negative effects of soy on men is actually NOT based on sound scientific research. However, she also says that the idea that soy and other soy based products can prevent prostate cancer has NOT really been proven yet.

Another interesting thing that Collins points out is how different types of soy products can have different effects:

Fermentation may change how easily our bodies absorb isoflavones, which means that fermented soy foods (miso, tempeh, natto) may have a different effect on prostate cancer risk than non-fermented soy foods (soy milk, tofu and edamame). Some studies suggest that the effect of soy foods may depend on its interaction with other food compounds; the lycopene from tomatoes is one such interaction under study.

The bottom line is that you SHOULDN’T fear soy foods. If you like it, go ahead and eat it!

According to the Food Standards Agency of Britain, eating organic food does NOT provide additional health benefits. As shocking as it may seem, the FSA strongly stands by its statement. Early this month, the agency made the announcement that the nutritional differences between organic and conventional food are insignificant – practically amounting to zero. The study was conducted by Dr. Alan Dangour and his team at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM).

Naturally, this announcement sparked a debate all across the country. Organic food advocates got all riled up and the researchers have even received hate mail because of their work. In spite of all this, the British government says that the study is valid and scientific.

What does this mean for us? I suppose it simply is a matter of taking in the information and making our decisions based on it. Personally, I like the idea of organic food. Being practical, however, I realize that I do not have to spend tons of extra money on organic produce if I can get the same nutrients from conventionally produced food for a much lower price. After all, we should also look after our financial health as much as we take care of our physical well being.

Recently, though, I have been hearing a lot of rumors about Tylenol being dangerous for you. Mass e-mails about the FDA saying that acetaminophen (the active ingredient of Tylenol) can damage your liver beyond repair have been flooding my Inbox(es) – yes, all of my e-mail accounts have been bombarded. Friends and colleagues, who know of my affinity for this pill, have not been slow to inform me either.

Naturally, I had to do research of my own in order to get to the bottom of this issue once and for all. Thank goodness for Paula Kue, MD, who wrote an article about this exact thing in Yahoo. She said the magic words:

Well, STOP! Please, stop your worrying.

Acetaminophen is a truly safe medication for reducing fevers and treating pain. Unless you have a known liver disease like hepatitis, or are on medications that are themselves toxic to the liver or that already contain acetaminophen, the current dosing guidelines for Tylenol are very safe.

YAY! That’s all I can say. I don’t have hepatitis and as far as I know, I am not taking any medication that is toxic to the liver. So there!

Several months ago, our company had a project wherein all the employees were given free flu shots. No one had to pay (the company shouldered the expense) and you just had to sign up to get the shots. Interestingly enough, only about 50 percent of the employees took advantage of the offer.

Several months down the road, I decided to take a quick look into the numbers. How many people got the flu between getting the shots and now? How many of those who got sick got flu shots? How many of those who didn’t get flu shots got sick? You know what I found out? Most of those who got the flu had the shots several months back! And many people who didn’t get the shots – including yours truly – have not contracted the flu.

Is this concrete evidence that flu shots don’t work? I would not go as far as to say that but the numbers are leaning towards that conclusion, at least in my company. One thing that I found out is that flu shots differ from year to year. That is because the formula is changed depending on the previous year’s strain of the influenza virus. Perhaps, the strain that hit a lot of people recently is different from the strain that was used in last year’s formula? That would explain the high number of people who got sick.

Needless to say, it is still prudent to get flu shots and to do so on a regular basis.

The Wii Sports package is another story altogether. I love sports – I used to play soccer and basketball a lot. Now that I am living a rather sedentary lifestyle, sports on video games is the nearest I can get to playing. I have heard the hype about the Wii Sports package helping people lose weight but what do the experts have to say about this?

A personal trainer says:

The best game currently available on the Wii from a cardio fitness standpoint is Wii Boxing. When done properly it can utilize a significant portion of the body while keeping your heart rate elevated with little risk of injury (outside of accidentally punching your friends in the face.)

This sounds really good to me since my favorite game right now is Wii Boxing. My partner and I play it for a few minutes and we both end up really sweaty and gasping for breath – not to mention our aching arms.

Another encouraging thing I read is from WebMD:

Bryant says Wii Fit isn’t likely to replace regular trips to the gym — especially for those who are already fit.

“It’s great for the person who hasn’t been doing a whole lot,” he says. “But for individuals who exercise quite a bit, it isn’t going to be a huge challenge.”

Now I think I am going to spend more time boxing – albeit virtually.

Enter the Nintendo Wii. With their new product line – aptly dubbed the Wii Fit – Nintendo is posed to capture a new market, if they have not already. So what is the Wii Fit all about? Time shares:

This is the genius of Shigeru Miyamoto, the famed game designer and mastermind behind blockbusters like Legends of Zelda, Donkey Kong and the many Mario titles. He has managed to take an activity that many people dread — exercise — and actually make it feel like a game. “What is most interesting to me is helping people find something within themselves and then drawing it out,” says Miyamoto, 55.

Nintendo’s Wii Fit comes with a wireless “balance board” that you set on the floor in front of a TV hooked up to the Wii console. About two feet wide and half as deep, the board is essentially a fancy scale, which not only measures your weight, but also detects your equilibrium with startling precision. To play Wii Fit, you stand on the board and go through a series of exercises/games that fall into one of four categories: balance, strength, aerobics and yoga. You can box, snowboard or hula-hoop. You can practice your tree pose and lotus position. Or you can play a tilting game that uses careful body movements to maneuver balls across a shaky platter onscreen, as you try to sink them into various holes.

For those of us who shy away from the more traditional forms of exercise, the Wii Fit may be our savior. I can’t help but think though, can it really replace exercise? What do you think?

Melissa Dahl, health editor at MSNBC, bought herself a pair and has this to say:

What the experts say: The FitFlops and, of course, the MicroWobbleboard, actually do provide some great fitness benefits, says msnbc.com fitness contributor Jay Blahnik, a Laguna Beach, Calif.-based fitness trainer who has worked with celebrities, including Jane Fonda. It just doesn’t provide benefits anyone really wants. The wobbleboard makes walking a little harder for your feet, which normally don’t have to work very hard during workouts, when they’re stuffed in cushy athletic shoes, Blahnik says.

I guess the bottom line is this:

“The concept of strengthening your feet – that’s a great concept, but it’s not going to lead you to smaller thighs or a smaller butt,” Blahnik says. He thinks the FitFlops might also help improve your posture and balance, which aren’t often at the top of my reasons to hit the gym.

I am not saying that you shouldn’t go out and get yourself a pair. All I am saying is that do not use firmer muscles for an excuse to buy one. You know what I mean?

Myth: Over-the-counter scrubs and soaks for corns are safe and effective.
Fact: “At-home soaks or scrubs would just exfoliate, not remove corns,” Vlahovic said.
Diagnosis: A corn is a buildup of skin with a hard center. This often is caused by a hammertoe in which the toe knuckle rubs against the shoe. To permanently remove a corn, the hammertoe must be corrected so that it stops rubbing against the shoe. Or, just wear shoes with a wider toe box.

I don’t have corns – honest, I don’t! But I still buy those OTC scrubs and soaks just to melt the tiredness of my feet away sometimes. The explanation above makes sense, though, doesn’t it? It could also explain why I have no corns – I rarely wear shoes!

Myth: Feet don’t need sunscreen.
Fact: “Skin cancer on the legs and feet actually has a high mortality rate due to people forgetting to do skin checks on that area. It’s often caught too late,” Vlahovic said. “This is due in large part to the fact that many people simply forget to apply or reapply sunscreen to the lower extremities.”
Diagnosis: Apply sunscreen with an SPF of at least 15 and with both UVB and UVA protection every two to three hours to the feet. Apply more often if you’re going to be at the beach, in and out of the water, or sweating.

This is amazing, really. I never even gave a thought to this point. Have you?

Photo courtesy of chiodachic