With temperatures on the rise, it’s important to stay hydrated and replenish your electrolytes. Whether you exercise intensely or your child participates in an outdoor sport or you’re a construction worker with a physically demanding job, you’re at risk of dehydration and loss of electrolytes.

Many health complaints, inability to lose weight and underlying causes of disease, can be attributed to poor digestive health. The digestive system is responsible for breaking down the food we eat into tiny particles that can be used for energy, maintenance and repair. The digestive process also involves creating waste to be eliminated.
 

Over two-thirds of neurotransmitters are made in the gut. The gut is considered the second brain since the majority of serotonin, 90-95 percent, is made in the gut, not the brain. In addition to neurotransmitters, 80 percent of the immune system cells line the gastrointestinal tract, creating a protective, impermeable barrier.

The 94th annual Children’s Book Week, the national celebration of books for young people and the joy of reading, officially starts May 13, but youngsters can join activities sooner at Changing Hands Bookstore in Tempe:

Despite the bad rap that saturated fats have, there’s a lot of evidence indicating that saturated fat is essentially good for you. The real harmful and unhealthy fats include trans fats, hydrogenated fats and vegetable oils.

Take the fam out for a not-so-ordinary night at the ball park, where a host of celebs — including Darnell Dockett, Richard Sherman, Gary Payton, Marcel Reece, Louis Vito, Eddie House, Terrell Owens, Tia Alexander, Claudia Jordan, Lindsey Berg, and of course, Larry Fitzgerald — battle it out in a charity softball game, benefiting the National Breast Cancer Foundation, Big Brothers Big Sisters and the American Cancer Society, among others.

Students in Kevin Willis’ brief calculus class are learning more than just numbers this year.

Jake Connell gave up lacrosse and golf since moving here from New York State.

If your goal is to lose weight, look and feel your best and live a healthy, vibrant life, be aware of the damaging additives and synthetic chemicals in the foods you buy and eat. Seventy-five percent of the average American diet is from processed and packaged foods, which equates to approximately 10 pounds of additives eaten annually.

With just over a month left in the spring regular season in most sports, it is time to take a look at where local teams stand with hopes of making the postseason.

From the moment chocolate was discovered it was considered a valuable, divine and decadent treat. The first chocolate candies were invented in the 1860s by Cadbury, who was also the first to market them in a heart-shaped box for Valentine’s Day that same decade.

Born on Jan. 21, 1930 in Pemberville, Ohio, and passed away on Feb. 25 in Tempe, Beryl was a resident of Toledo, Ohio, for more than 60 years and a snowbird in Ahwatukee for the past 15 years.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the No. 1 cause of morbidity and mortality in the U.S. The top risk factors, hypertension, dyslipidemia, smoking, diabetes and obesity are poorly treated, often with toxic pharmaceutical drugs, and most patients never reach their goals. There are also more than 400 coronary heart disease (CHD) risk factors and mediators now proven.

Firebird was rescued from on the expressway. How she got there no one knows, but thankfully she was rescued in time. She demands love and adores being pet by her humans. Firebird seems to acclimate to most situations as far as home environment. She’s tested FELV/FIV negative, is up to date on vaccinations, and microchipped. She’s been waiting for a home since December.

We are all familiar with the fact that chemicals, particularly pesticides and herbicides, have negative side effects. The United States and international government agencies have acknowledged that different pesticides have been linked to a variety of health problems including hormonal disruption, skin, eye and lung irritation, birth defects, weight gain, nervous system toxicity and cancer. Many times, the negative effects of pesticides can take a long time to show, and by the time symptoms are clear, a lot of damage may have already been done.

‘The Last Stand’

After the holidays thousands of people make New Year’s resolutions. Included at the top of this list is getting healthier, fitter and losing weight. The majority of people who make New Year’s resolutions give up on their goals within four to six weeks.

PHOENIX - Coming to you live from Moon Valley.

Paula Owens seems to indicate that flu vaccines are “unnatural” and harmful in her Dec. 5 column (“Boost your immune system naturally,” AFN). Unfortunately, what is “natural” in our world is vaccine-preventable diseases killing many adults and children. I doubt that Ms. Owens has cared for children, pregnant women or elderly folks on a ventilator with the flu, or watched someone die from this preventable illness. A “natural” case of the flu carries a many times higher risk of Guillain Barre syndrome than taking the vaccine.

With flu season upon us, many people question whether or not they should get a flu shot. Instead of putting your health at great risk by getting a flu shot, a healthier option is to boost your immune system naturally and limit immune suppressors.

In her second book, Ahwatukee Foothills resident and fitness expert Paula Owens hopes to share the secret to permanent weight loss and a healthy lifestyle.