By Laine M. Rutherford
The lights are dim, sultry music plays in the background and the mood is mellow and sensual.
In another place, these elements might signal impending romance or a sexy show. At Esteem Fitness, however, the sights and sounds set the tone for an exercise studio equipped with 14 floor-to-ceiling brass poles where instructors teach beginning and advanced Pole Dance Aerobics classes.
The goal of the Birdneck Road studio is to Read the rest of this entry »

Henkel will show it’s support for the national women’s heart disease awareness movement by wearing red on Friday, February 6, 2009.
Henkel will show it’s support for the national women’s heart disease awareness movement by wearing red on Friday, February 6, 2009,. People nationwide will take women’s health to heart by wearing red to show their support for women’s heart disease awareness on National Wear Red Day Friday, February 6, 2009.
Henkel’s Read the rest of this entry »

HUNTINGTON — Sometimes just offering your two cents worth can be empowering.
That’s what a dozen local residents did Saturday at the Cabell County Public Library, spending about two hours discussing health care reform as part of President-elect Barack Obama’s plan to incorporate the public in the process.
Thousands of forums have been taking place throughout the nation since Dec. 15, and reports are being uploaded to
. According to the Web Read the rest of this entry »

AUGUSTA, Ga. – Health experts say it is important for children to be physically active, but for parents of children with disabilities, finding programs that can meet their kids’ needs can be tough.
The Family YMCA is the only fitness center in the Augusta area with a class designed especially for special need children. The class was started two years ago by Orlando Perez and Melido Mir.
The two instructors run the kids through various drills Read the rest of this entry »

As I write this article, the stock market continues its wild gyrations and the economic and other rampant stress of our times is beginning to take its toll on our health.
This is not just my opinion, it’s also been shown in a recent poll published by the American Psychological Association (APA).
Money and the economy topped the list of stressors for at least 80% of those surveyed. Finances now overshadow the more usual daily stressors of Read the rest of this entry »

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has provided $3.5 million to the University of South Florida’s College of Nursing to establish the VA Nursing Academy.
The funding will pay for five more faculty members, which in turn, allows more students to enroll in the nursing program and helps ease the state’s nurse shortage, a release from U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor’s office said.
The students will do clinical work at James A. Haley Read the rest of this entry »

The U.S. government has increasingly relied on state to handle food safety inspections, according to a report from the
. State inspectors were found to be more overburdened, less trained and under funded compared to
inspectors. Still, in 2007, states conducted more than half of the FDA food safety inspections in the United States compared to only one out of every four in ten years ago, but state budgets for inspections have not increased. FDA Read the rest of this entry »

Amy Winehouse has been admitted to hospital after an argument with husband Blake Fielder-Civil reportedly sparked a drink and drugs binge.
The troubled singer collapsed and was taken to a private clinic in London after allegedly ingesting a toxic cocktail of illegal substances and booze.
According to Britain’s The Sun newspaper, Winehouse became embroiled in a screaming match with Fielder-Civil on Sunday, just a day before he lost an appeal against Read the rest of this entry »

has come at a bigger price than mere points. The Citizens’ star striker
is a doubt for the UEFA Cup clash with FC Copenhagen on Thursday after limping out.
Robinho has a thigh problem and faces a fitness race ahead of the trip to Denmark for the last-32 first leg match.
City’s attacking pool is injury-plagued at present, with Craig Bellamy expected to shoulder much of the burden in the Danish capital.
Boss Mark Hughes told the club’s official Read the rest of this entry »

Life Center gets new gear, opens new medical center
ELGIN — The Life Center received “Baby Shim” for $29,000.
The ultrasound equipment that is named after the Shimadzu SDU-1100 sits in The Life Center’s newly remodeled portion of its 6,000-square-foot, 20-room building that has been converted into a new medical center.
The center supports women who are in crisis pregnancy situations by offering them materials and moral and spiritual guidance.
Read the rest of this entry »