Hi All,

2010 has just started, yet so much has already happened.  I believe the most marked event of 2010 so far is the terrible tragedy in Haiti.  Rather than focusing on the disaster itself, let’s take a moment to reflect upon the tremendous support, compassion and empathy demonstrated by people of the world to help the people of Haiti whose lives have been devastated.

I took time to ponder how past and current world events effect individuals like myself and groups of people as a whole. I realize that it can be easy not to focus on tragedies happening so far away from our everyday life.  It is also easy to think “that will not happen here” or “that will not happen to me”, but if a tragedy, oppression and/or an abomination has happened in our world, it does have an impact on each and every one of us.  The impact is not always apparent in our everyday lives, but it exists all the same.

What will it take to motivate someone to stand up for their beliefs and take action?  I believe the answer is different for every person, but one thing is for certain; If a direct connection between these terrible occurrences and one’s own life can be drawn, that person is more likely to take action to bring about positive change.  Are there things going on in this world that you think are wrong?  Is there something you can do to help?

For all of you who have stepped-up when you heard your calling, whether it be to give money, time or effort, I applaud you and encourage you to keep it up.   For those who have not yet found something worth fighting for and taken action, I encourage you to tune into your beliefs and purpose and listen for even the quietest of callings.

 Be the change you want to see in this world!

– Mahatma Gandhi

Be good to yourself, be good to others and share your abundance of love at every chance you get.

Thank you for all that you do everyday!

I hope that everyday is YOUR BEST DAY EVER and that you help others to experience the same.

Stern Chiropractic is Chicagoland’s Wellness Lifestyle resource and is here to help guide you and your family to an EXTRAODINARY LIFE of Love, Joy, Health and Happiness in 2010.

Call NOW to get your family started on their EXTRAORDINARY journey!

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The following is an article of interest I hope you will find helpful:

Lots of TV and Web harms kids’ health

Tue Dec 2, 2008

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Spending a lot of time watching TV, playing video games and surfing the Web makes children more prone to a range of health problems  including obesity and smoking, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday.

U.S. National Institutes of Health, Yale University and the  California Pacific Medical Center experts analyzed 173 studies done since 1980 in one of the most comprehensive assessments to date on how exposure to media sources impacts the  physical health of children and adolescents.

The studies, most conducted in the United States, largely focused on television, but some looked at video games, films, music, and computer and Internet use. Three quarters of them found that increased media viewing was  associated with negative health outcomes.

The studies offered strong evidence that children who get more media exposure are more  likely to become obese, start smoking and begin earlier sexual activity than those who spend less time in front of a screen, the researchers said.

Studies also indicated more media exposure also was linked to drug and alcohol
use and poorer school performance, while the evidence was less clear about an association with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, they added.

“I think we were pretty surprised by how overwhelming the number of studies was that showed this negative health impact,” NIH bioethicist Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, one of the researchers in the report released by the advocacy group Common Sense Media, said in a telephone interview.

“The fact that it was probably more a matter of quantity than actual content is also a concern. We have a media-saturated life right now in the 21st century. And reducing the number of hours of exposure is going to be a big issue.”

Experts for decades have worried about the impact on young viewers of the violence and sexual content in some TV programs, movies and video games. Another issue is that kids are spending time sitting on a couch watching TV or playing computer games when they could be running around outside.

One study cited in the report found that children who spent more than eight hours watching TV per week at age 3 were more likely to be obese at 7. And research shows that many U.S. children, even toddlers, watch far more.

Dr. Cary Gross of Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut, another of the researchers, said TV and other media content can have a profound impact on children’s attitudes and beliefs, most notably among teens.

He cited a U.S. study by the RAND research organization published in November that showed that adolescents who watched more programming with sexual themes had a higher risk of becoming pregnant or causing a pregnancy.

Thirteen of 14 studies that evaluated sexual behavior found an association between media exposure and earlier initiation of sexual behavior, the researchers said.