Between your busy work schedule, taking care of the kids, running errands, and, oh, the hundred other things you have to do in a day, it's easy to forget the amount of stress you're actually under. But your body is well aware. All that tension could start a chain reaction of health problems.

"When you repeatedly get stressed, your nervous system stays keyed up, so even small amounts of stress can make you feel overwhelmed," says Henry Emmons, MD, author of The Chemistry of Calm.That's why it's so important to build in a relaxation routine for those times when life goes haywire. Learn how to cultivate calm with these simple suggestions.The rules: Keep it clean, and stay on the subject or we might delete your comment. If you see inappropriate language, e-mail us. An asterisk * indicates a required field.Copyright © 2011 Health Media Ventures, Inc. All rights reserved. [Read the full article]

Provided by AOLHealthIf sleep has plunged to the bottom of your to-do list, you're not alone. Although the National Sleep Foundation recommends getting seven to nine hours of sleep a night, the average American logs only six hours and 40 minutes. What gives? Blame crazy schedules and, of course, sleeping woes. Before you rush to the drugstore to buy an over-the-counter (OTC) sleep medication, try one of the following natural sleep remedies. "These are safer and have fewer side effects than OTC medications," says Jacob Teitelbaum, MD, author of From Fatigued to Fantastic and medical director of the national Fibromyalgia and Fatigue Centers. Many of these can not only help you fall asleep and stay asleep, but they may also promote muscle relaxation.The rules: Keep it clean, and stay on the subject or we might delete your comment. If you see inappropriate language, e-mail us. An asterisk * indicates a required field.Copyright © 2011 Health Media Ventures, Inc. [Read the full article]

The evidence is piling up that the answer is—yes, stress is bad for your ticker.There are studies to show that stress is comparable to other risk factors that we traditionally think of as major, like hypertension, poor diet, and lack of exercise, says Kathi Heffner, PhD, assistant professor of psychiatry at the Rochester Center for Mind-Body Research at the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York. Here are 12 steps you can take to fight stress and protect your heart.The rules: Keep it clean, and stay on the subject or we might delete your comment. If you see inappropriate language, e-mail us. An asterisk * indicates a required field.Copyright © 2011 Health Media Ventures, Inc. All rights reserved.The material in this site is intended to be of general informational use and is not intended to constitute medical advice, probable diagnosis, or recommended treatments. See the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy for more information. [Read the full article]

If you(TM)ve got rheumatoid arthritis, the single best way to fight the disease is with medication. Still, as effective as RA drugs are, they can(TM)t do everything.Several nondrug treatments out there can help you where medication can(TM)t. And exercise is at the top of the list, according to Sharon L. Kolasinski, MD, a professor of clinical medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia. Even though the prospect of exercising may seem painful, the right kind of activity can help prevent RA-related pain and disability. Here's a roundup of a few other therapies that may be worth a try.The rules: Keep it clean, and stay on the subject or we might delete your comment. If you see inappropriate language, e-mail us. An asterisk * indicates a required field.Copyright © 2011 Health Media Ventures, Inc. All rights reserved. [Read the full article]