health

Dr. Frank Lipman's Remove Cleanse

Dr. Lipman Eleven Eleven Wellness Remove Kit

By: Ariston Anderson

I have to admit, I'm not one for fasting. I've tried it all: lemonade, green juices, Organic Avenue. They all just left me craving more of the foods I was trying to rid my diet of in the first place.

But when I came across Dr. Frank Lipman's Cleanse Program, I knew the kit created by a medical professional, seemed a step above the rest. My primary goal was to cut my sugar cravings, rather than multiply them. And many health fanatics from Kevin Bacon to Donna Karen have given this detox the gold star of approval for helping to reset their own systems.

The cleanse consists of three protein shakes a day, plus a lunch and dinner consisting of greens and protein. No booze, no sugar, no gluten for two weeks straight. A big bottle of glutamine capsules is included, known to help curb sugar cravings, as well as daily vitamins. And in just two weeks, it promises to boost your body's own ability to detox.

The program is designed to be taken on the go, with a blender bottle that easily mixes up shakes wherever you are. I decided to put it to the ultimate test and bring it with me to South by South West. The annual festival, held in Austin, Texax, is not only home to amazing interactive panels, show-stopping indie films and emerging rock acts, but also to liter-sized beer mugs and huge baskets of BBQ brisket. I knew if I could do it in Austin, I could do it anywhere.

The shakes ended up being great on the plane and kept me from indulging in processed snacks. The taste, a thick vanilla with a hint of lemon, wasn't bad, and I never dreaded making it a part of my daily routine. Once I arrived in Texas, I had the added convenience of two morning shakes, and not having to worry about where to find breakfast.

The festival became a breeze, and for the first time while traveling, I felt that I was actually getting healthier rather than destroying all the progress I had made back home. I did make the mistake of putting a shake in a water bottle for later, and having a colleague ask me if I was drinking cake batter. I since put it in opaque bottles when I was chugging in the open.

Did I cheat? A couple of times. You try and turn down a famous Austin fish taco. But overall, I stuck to it, and even with the few cheats managed to lose five pounds and flatten my stomach after the two weeks were over.

And the best part? My sugar cravings were gone. I was able to walk by the chocolate aisle without even glancing at it. The cleanse is a great thing to do annually to reset your system. And it's the perfect kit to take while traveling if you fear you're going to kill your diet and pack on a few pounds.

Tags: cleanse, detox, Dr. Frank Lipman, Eleven Eleven Wellness Remove, health

What Is Luxury Health Care? A Visit To Switzerland's Clinique La Prairie

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Spas, Lux Tips

Luxury health care? You don't hear the term very often. From a social perspective it is a bit of a tricky concept. To imply that some types of health care and medical treatments are 'excessive' and for the well-to-do only seems to contrast with the humanitarian concepts of treating the ill or injured. In fact, luxury heath care has been around for eons. The tonics a king would drinks, the ointments of an emperor. Things not necessarily meant to cure, but enhance or enliven.

Today luxury health care often falls under the category of "elective procedures." A rather tedious concept probably coined by insurance companies. It implies that you don't need it, or rather that the patient, versus the doctor is prescribing the treatment or procedure. We often look down upon things like cosmetic surgery publicly - although it is so much a common practice world wide. So back to the initial question - are such 'elective procedures' all that is encompassed under the umbrella of luxury health care? No. In fact luxury health care is probably what health care should be in an ideal world. Proper attention, good doctors, and the time taken to properly diagnose and treat, whatever the problem may be - whether it is necessary to sustain life, or elective to enhance it.

I travel to Switzerland and visit the Clinique La Prairie (CLP) to see if I can answer my question about luxury and health care. The Clinique is a rather famous (if you swing in the right circles) "wellness center" that has been around for about 80 years. Located right on Lake Geneva in Montreux Switzerland, CLP is nestled away in a small, but highly desirable location near France. The beginnings of the Clinique are rather retro sci-fi in concept. I will let CLP give you its full history, but a doctor had an interesting idea of injecting people with young organ cells collected from sheep. The theory was that these early organ cells would stimulate cellular rejuvenation and offer a series of "wellness" benefits meant to make you feel younger and stimulate the immune system. Sounds a bit mad scientist-ish, but people much more picky than I swear by it.

Tags: care, Clinique La Prairie, CLP, health, luxury, medical, review, swiss, switzerland

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Benedetto: A Chocolate a Dieter Could Love

by Ann Brenoff (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

One of the single-greatest undermining factor of most diets is the craving for sweets, chocolate in particular. While not marketing the Benedetto cacao and protein products as a diet food per se, the confections get close enough to doing the trick that they're worth a second bite.

The dark chocolate Cupola Mints come packaged as five bite-sized confections with a grand total of just 122 calories, and only 26 of them from fat. And, more importantly, they serve up a powerful energy protein wallop of 11.4 grams -- almost 25% of a 2,000 calorie diet's daily value.

The whey blend of proteins in the Cubetti (cube in Italian) raspberry confections, with 178 calories per five candies, provide 18.8 grams or 38% of the daily nutritional dose. Each flavored center is made of all-natural, pure why protein with no sugar or fat -- hence the relatively low calorie count.

Taste-wise, my palate wasn't fooled into thinking these were Godiva's by a long shot, but they nevertheless satisfied the 4 p.m urge to raid the kids' candy jar. The manufacturer describes the inside mint as pillowy. I would call them gelatinous, better served after some refrigeration than mushy as they were when the UPS driver delivered my samples from Utah.

The caramel-centered confections covered in gourmet dark chocolate (63% Cacao) were my favorite and did stave off a late afternoon munchies attack. The manufacturer says the products are suitable for any diet demanding the leanest proteins and are safe for diabetics' use.

Benedetto, a Park City-based company, is clearly striving to raise the bar for taste, texture, and nutrition in what is found in traditional protein bar supplements. On that level, they've succeeded.

The idea was hatched in a gym workout by friends in San Francisco in 2006, who reasoned that "protein bars taste bad" and candy bars with protein additives are "still junk food." After funding research and development for three years, they came up with these confections -- just in time to join the juvenile obesity drumbeat.

Three packs retail for $19.95.

Tags: benedetto, benedetto chocolates, chocolates, health, luxist reviews, mints, protein chocolates

Luxist Giveaway: Hershey's Dark Chocolate

by Lisa Palladino (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

February is Heart Health Month as well as National Chocolate Month, so there's no time like right this minute to start treating your body better. According to fitness and health expert and Bob Greene, you can stay on track to live your "Best Life" while still indulging in Hershey®'s Extra Dark Chocolate, the only chocolate to receive the Best Life Treat Seal of Approval.

Here's more good news -- there's no need to run to the store. Luxist is giving away, to one randomly selected winner, this selection of dark chocolate items:

1 bar/pouch combo of Hershey's Extra Dark Pure Dark Chocolate in one of the following flavors: Hershey's Extra Dark Pure Dark Chocolate; Hershey's Extra Dark Pure Dark Chocolate with Cranberries, Blueberries, and Almonds; Hershey's Extra Dark Pure Dark Chocolate infused with Raspberry flavor; or Hershey's Extra Dark Pure Dark Chocolate with Pomegranate flavor
2 box Hershey's Special Dark Mildly Sweet Bars with Almonds (24 bars in each box)
2 bags of Hershey's Miniatures Assortment - Dark Chocolate

To enter, follow the rules below:

* Leave a confirmed comment telling us which Best Life recipe you would like to try.
* The comment must be left and confirmed by February 26, 2010, at 5 p.m. Eastern Time.
* You may only enter once.
* One winner will be selected in a random drawing and notified by e-mail.
* One winner will receive the items noted above, valued at $50.
* Open to legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia.

See complete contest rules here. Good luck!

The contest has ended. The winner will be notified by e-mail on or before March 2, 2010. Thanks for participating!

Gallery: Luxist Giveaway: Hershey's Dark Chocolate

Tags: Best Life, BestLife, Bob Greene, BobGreene, chocolate, dark chocolate, DarkChocolate, free, giveaway, health, Hersheys

Spa Dangers You'd Never Suspect

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spas

Treating yourself to a day or week at the spa can be one of life's most relaxing and rejuvenating experiences -- good for both body and soul. A good spa should be staffed with knowledgeable and licensed staff that can answer all your questions and responsibly recommend treatments based on your individual needs, but it never hurts to educate yourself in advance and take charge of your own well being. In addition to understanding what some spas won't tell you, it's also important to understand how different spa treatments and therapies can affect your health.

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Tags: health, spa treatments, spas-pedia, SpaTreatments

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Reconnect with Resolutions at Miraval in Arizona

by Alison Wellner (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Spas

Okay, so we're into month two of the new year -- how are those resolutions doing? If you find yourself in need something of a jump start, think about booking a visit to Miraval, north of Tucson, Arizona.

Miraval is a little hard to find -- don't rely on your GPS, mine got confused -- but its location is part of its discretion, no doubt due to its roots as a drug rehab facility. But it's been a destination spa now for some time, and there are 16 new, eco-friendly rooms in which to luxuriate. These free-standing rooms were constructed out of truly local materials -- the walls are from rammed earth, the outdoor shower, from local clay, sand and straw, and the shower floor from river rocks. As you'd expect, the palette of the room echoes the exterior, so that when you're sitting on your patio, it's not jarring to shift your gaze from uninterrupted Sonoran Desert and the Catalina mountains back inside to, say, contemplate a nap on the big, soft bed.

Check out the rooms in the gallery below -- if you're wondering what the chain is near the front door, it's neither a security system nor a newfangled spa treatment, I'm told its for water drainage.

The spa itself is top notch, with the wide array of treatments that you'd expect, including several designed to rehydrate, which is an absolute must in the desert environment. The relaxation room offers a properly contemplative desert view before and after treatment, although I'd say that the changing rooms could use an update.

You can go just to bliss out and get massaged, or you can pump your adrenaline up on Miraval's ropes course, which offers the opportunity to do things like testing your balance 30 feet off the air, or leaping from a 25 foot pool or a 35 foot platform.

Gallery: Miraval in Tuscon Arizona

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Tags: arizona, health, spa

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Too Many Sweets Will Impair Your Immunity

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

It doesn't matter what time of year it is, sugar and sweets always seem to be in abundance. Cookies, cakes, pies, candy, ice cream -- it's a never-ending temptation that we all fight (and all too often lose) on a daily basis. But in this time of concern over illness and viruses like H1N1, you might want to rethink your sugar habit and get your sweet tooth under control.

Sugar is not necessarily evil, however. In small amounts sugars (in the form of carbohydrates) are necessary for life. The problem comes when refined, processed sugars are eaten in large quantities. Too much sugar can affect your weight, your mood, your energy level, and perhaps most worrying of all: your immunity.

According to Dr. Sears ingesting 8 tbsp of sugar (or the equivalent of just two and a half 12 oz sodas) can impair the effectiveness of your body's white blood cells by as much as 40%. Sadly, most of us probably do ingest that much sugar at least a few times a week (if not daily) in the form of a soda habit, donuts, chocolate, or eating too many non-sweet processed foods that have high fructose corn syrup hiding in them (like ketchup, peanut butter, and even wheat bread). All those little sugar doses add up.

So next time you're about to reach for another bear claw or find yourself heading to the vending machine for a Mt Dew stop and think: is it worth the risk of getting sick?

Tags: flu, germs, h1n1, health, immunity, sugar, sweets, sweets-pedia

The Sexy Brazilian Polo Player's Secret Weapon

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Gadgets, Celebrity Shopping, Sports

World class polo player / model Paula Chermont (right), who fields her own womens polo team in her native Brazil, has become a spokesmodel for D-MIX, the world's first all-in-one liquid power mix which looks more like a sleek space-age gadget than an energy booster.

The newly-debuted 1 oz. black capsules contain a patented powerful blend of essential vitamins, antioxidants and energy formula that can be dispensed as needed, lasting up to four days (or 30 servings). The design adds a much needed touch of luxury to a market filled with horrible looking diet supplements.

Available in three flavors – Coffee, Mint and Punch – D-MIX is designed to be taken independently or blended with other beverages in order to enhance their nutritional value. Other athletes who've gotten hooked include Jeremy Bloom of the Philadelphia Eagles and the Miami Dolphins' Brandon Frye.

Tags: athlete, Brazil, energy drinks, EnergyDrinks, health, Miami Dolphins, MiamiDolphins, Paula Chermont, PaulaChermont, polo, vitamins

Designer Hand Sanitizer. You Heard Right.

by Lisa Palladino (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Celebrity Design

Designer Hand Sanitizer. You Heard Right.

Even if Ed Hardy by Christian Augdigier isn't your style, chances are you've seen the T-shirts at least, most recently on reality show dad Jon Gosselin. But here's a new item from Ed Hardy Habit that got me wondering if the design world has lost it (I know this isn't the first silly "designer" item to come down the pike -- it just grabbed me this week as plain ridiculous): hand sanitizer. That's right, the alcohol-based gel we all carry to use at restaurants or after being on public transportation. The stuff that's pretty cheap. And comes in a plain plastic bottle because it doesn't need to have anything fancier.

Too pedestrian for you, though? Now you can carry around -- or keep at home or at your desk in a pump-style -- and show off to your friends, your designer hand sanitizer. Sure, it's still cheap (only $5 for 2 oz., and $13 for 9.3 oz. w/pump), but it's Ed Hardy Habit, and it comes in a jazzed-up bottle and has a coconut-bergamot scent. Also available: sanitizing pens and foaming hand sanitizer. Made by Habitual Solutions. And so popular it's on backorder as I write this. Guess I'm the one who needs to get with it.

Tags: beauty, christian audigier, ChristianAudigier, designer, Ed Hardy, EdHardy, hand sanitizer, hand sanitizers, HandSanitizer, HandSanitizers, health

Win Your Own Genome Map On eBay

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions

The mysteries of your complete genome can be yours if you win an auction currently on eBay. There aren't too many people in the world who have paid Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Knome their $99,500 fee for the sequencing of their complete genome (the price was $350,000 when we first heard about this in 2007). But this week in honor of DNA Day last Friday, Knome and the non-profit X Prize Foundation are auctioning a whole genome sequencing package on eBay starting at $68,000. Proceeds will go to the X Prize Foundation which gives out cash incentives to encourage innovation.

The winner receives personal whole genome sequencing and comprehensive interpretation of your genome as well as Knome's proprietary genome browser software to navigate and explore your own genome and two years of Knome's update service. A digital copy of your whole genome sequence will be put on Knome's security encrypted GenomeKey. According to the eBay listing if you win you will also take part in a "private, in-person roundtable discussion held at the Harvard Club of Boston with Knome's team of world-leading geneticists, clinicians and bioinformaticians to review your sequence data, present the results of your analysis, discuss the role of genetic variation in the development of disease and highlight the latest research and discoveries." The auction also includes a private dinner with Professor George Church, Co-Founder of Knome, Inc., a visit to Knome's headquarters to review Knome's sequencing protocols and four nights of accommodations at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Boston. So far there are no bids on the auction.

Someday everyone will likely have access to their own genome and it will be a major part of disease prevention and detection but for now, the few on the forefront will have to pay the big bucks.

[via CNN]

Tags: health, human genome, HumanGenome, knome, medical

Large Glasses Of Wine Carry Cancer Risk

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

A glass of wine every day is supposed to reduce heart disease but it may also be hurting your liver. The World Cancer Research Fund in Britain says that a pint of beer or large glass of wine every day increases the risk of liver and bowel cancer by 20%. It's alarming news in Britain where as the Telegraph reports, the NHS released figures showing that middle class people over the age of 45 are the most frequent drinkers in Britain, consuming alcohol on five or more nights a week. This follows a report from the National Audit Office earlier this year which said that 10 million people in the country were drinking to "hazardous'' levels. It is believed that the alcohol damages a person's DNA, making them susceptible to the risk of cancer and even a relatively small amount can make a big difference. There is also evidence that drinking alcohol also increased the risk of breast cancer and cancers of the mouth, pharynx, larynx and esophagus. The World Cancer Research Fund hasn't advised avoiding alcohol but it did say that the limit per day should be two drinks for a man and one for a woman (one drink is the equivalent of half a pint of beer, less than an ounce of vodka or a little more than four ounces of wine). I'm beginning to pine for the days when a glass of wine was considered to be a healthy indulgence and articles were filled with talk of wine's polyphenols and antioxidants.

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Tags: cancer, health, wine

Healthy Child Healthy World, Charity of the Day

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Charity, Green, Charity of the Day

It couldn't be more true that in order to have a healthy world we have to have healthy children, and Healthy Child Healthy World is a non-profit organization that makes that principle their main aim by working to protect our youth from harmful environmental exposures. Working through education, laws, governmental agencies, advocacy, and spreading awareness of environmental issues this charity is a no brainer because not only are they helping kids but they're also helping the environment (something we could all be doing more of).

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Tags: charity, charity of the day, CharityOfTheDay, child, children, eco, environment, environmental, green, health, health child healthy world, HealthChildHealthyWorld, healthy, healthy child, healthy world, HealthyChild, HealthyWorld, kid, kids, world

YogaToes, the Antidote to Manolos and Jimmys

by Lisa Palladino (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Shoes

We at Luxist love Manolo and Jimmy and Stuart -- their shoes are to die for. And sometimes the pain from a beauty like this makes toes feel like dying too. Here's a solution: YogaToes. Basically YogaToes promises to give toes and feet a good stretch after they've been squashed in shoes all day and at the same time prevent icky and unattractive toe and bunion problems, something that's important at this time of year if feet are to be sandal-ready!

While I certainly wouldn't put this product in the luxury goods category, its seems like something every girl should have if she wants to keep wearing luxury shoes. But I do wonder if an inexpensive set of toes spacers, like used during a pedicure, would have a similar effect ... YogaToes come in small and medium, and in eight colors. $49.95; two pairs: $39.95 each; three pairs: $33 each.

Tags: feet, health, shoes, toes, yogatoes

Jewelry That Makes You Feel Good

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry

Jewelry that is not only stylish and beautiful but can also help you feel better and be healthier? Equilibrio is a line of jewelry born of a collaboration between Clarus Transphase Scientific (a technology company) and Federico de Alzaga (an Argentine designer) that promises just that. The 9 designs in the collection are each embedded with a mini resonating wafer that contains patented technology to enhance thinking, awareness, calmness, focus, and even sleep (among other things).

The collection is unisex and is inspired by the ancient Andean culture, including celestial influences of the sun, the moon, and the stars.

Gallery: Equilibrio

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Tags: energy, equilibrio, health, jewelry

Westin Hotels Put SuperFoods On The Menu

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Luxury Travel & Hotels

The Westin hotels have done a lot to promote the relaxing and healthful aspects of their hotels by creating special aromatherapy scents, workout rooms and special suites devoted to relaxation. Now they are creating SuperFoods focused menus for their guests. They have partnered up with the publishers of the SuperFoodsRx books to create a diet rich in antioxidants and phytonutrients. Offerings include banana oatmeal brulé, green-tea-infused salmon and molten dark chocolate cake. They key to the SuperFoodsRx philosophy is combining certain foods for maximum nutrition. The initiative is currently rolling out in 25 Westin hotels in the U.S. and Canada and will go global in 2008.

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Tags: health, hotels, menu, superfoods, westin

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