Personal Health & Wellness

Each year, millions of people attempt to slim down-and fail. If super-diets and weight-loss fads don't work, what does? This program presents ten science-based approaches to losing weight without starving as volunteers put the theories to the test. Experiments reveal the relationship between plate size and food consumption, why soup is the most filling of meals, how low-fat dairy products actually help the body eliminate fat, the long-term fat-burning potential of exercise, the counterintuitive fact that meal-skipping really doesn't facilitate weight loss, and more. Informative and entertaining. A BBC Production. (51 minutes)

Even though many experts recommend eight hours of sleep a night, getting that much rest often seems impossible. This program offers ten scientific ways to get quality sleep, and more of it. These techniques include sleep restriction programs for people with insomnia, explained by Professor Colin Espie of the University of Glasgow's Sleep Centre; fasting to beat jet lag, presented by Harvard's Dr. Patrick Fuller; and simple, full-body relaxation techniques, demonstrated by physiotherapist Sammy Margo. Features celebrities such as comedian Russell Kane, world-record-setting yachtswoman Dee Caffari, and British TV presenter Kate Silverton. A BBC Production. (50 minutes)

Health advocates continuously speak out on the need for physical fitness-but providing the skills to analyze and measure fitness isn't always part of the educational package. This program addresses that crucial dimension of fitness training, guiding viewers through the major components of testing strength, endurance, and other aspects of fitness. Distinguishing between health-related fitness and skill- or performance-related fitness, the video demonstrates key procedures that will benefit both amateur and professional athletes as well as ordinary physical education students. Analyzing fitness within the framework of a particular sport is another important topic. (26 minutes)

True wellness involves not only physical health, but mental, emotional, spiritual, social, and environmental well-being, too. An engaging blend of interviews and on-screen text and graphics, this stimulating eight-part series puts it all together. 8-part series, 29 minutes each.

No matter where you go and what you read, there are endless promises that someone or something can help you lose weight. There are places to go to lose weight (Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, NutriSystem), books and magazine articles to help you manage your diet, and people who say their way is best (Susan Powter, Richard Simmons). Furthermore, all the advertisements tell you that their product is the only one that works. How do you separate the fact from fiction? How do you decide what works for you, especially when you realize that most diets really don't work for the long term? This video looks at reasons why people overeat and factors that influence weight gain. It explores why people diet and reviews what is good and bad about some of the popular diets. It describes some of the dangers and problems with diets, such as yo-yo dieting, changes in metabolism, and disorders associated with dieting. Then it tells what really works with appropriate behavior changes to help most people lose weight, control weight gain, and maintain a comfortable, healthy weight. The video encourages use of accepted dietary guidelines, living an active lifestyle, following the Food Guide Pyramid, and practicing portion control. A Cambridge Educational Production. One 30-minute video.

Am I a vegetarian if I don't eat meat but I do eat fish? Can I still have milk and be a vegetarian? What about eggs? These are just some of the questions answered in this comprehensive video about a popular but often misunderstood subject. Terms like vegan, ovo-lacto vegetarian, and ovo vegetarian are clearly defined. Vegetarians offer firsthand information on which foods provide all the necessary vitamins, minerals, and other nutritional supplements to keep our bodies healthy. And we take a look at breakfast, lunch, dinner, and maybe a few snacks, from a vegetarian perspective. Sample menus are provided at the end of the program and in the viewer's guide. What a great way to educate your students on a healthy, alternative lifestyle. A Meridian Production.One 19-minute video.

In this ABC News special-produced in conjunction with Rodale Inc., publisher of Prevention and Men's Health magazines-nutritionists, psychologists, pediatricians, and other experts explore the causes of obesity, the physical and emotional damage it can do, and how parents and schools can team up to help kids improve their health. Also included is hidden-camera footage of a daring social experiment in which a slim teen, professionally made up to look obese, goes to school and experiences firsthand the abuse so often aimed at people who are overweight. A post-experiment discussion underscores the stigmatizing effect of intolerance while emphasizing the need for greater compassion. A viewable/printable instructor's guide is available online. Correlates to the National Health Education Standards from the Joint Committee on National Health Education Standards and Project 2061 Benchmarks for Science Literacy by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. (40 minutes)

Pain is everywhere. Ten million Americans suffer from back pain, 8 million have fibromyalgia, and 40 million are living with chronic headaches-not to mention the millions who must cope every day with arthritis, restless leg syndrome, and aching muscles. This collection of 25 video clips features new drugs, procedures, and alternative therapies helping to fight the pain pandemic." With an average length of 90 seconds, each mini-case study functions as a visual aid for instructors as well as physicians or medical support staff who want to increase communication with patients. Video clips include... • Healing Chronic Pain: New research is finding alternative ways to help the 50 million Americans who suffer from chronic pain. This clip features methods like hypnosis, meditation, and exercise that can help. • Fast Back Pain Relief: Severe chronic back pain may be treatable with less drastic methods than major surgery. This clip showcases a minimally invasive technique called X-LIF, shown to help with back pain. • Acupuncture for Surgical Pain: Even emergency rooms are incorporating acupuncture into some procedures. This clip points out its use at Duke University Medical Center. • Unlikely Help for Fibroids: As many as 80 percent of women suffer from uterine fibroids, with often debilitating symptoms. This clip looks at a new treatment that is as easy as popping a pill. • Helping Knees Heal Themselves: Physically debilitating knee injuries can end or hugely impact an active lifestyle. This clip looks at a new knee-healing method developed by veterinarians and now approved for humans. • Total Ankle Replacement: Arthritis can seriously impair the use of a limb or joint, but help is improving. This clip looks at a new implant that can get people walking on arthritic ankles again. • Relieving Chronic Back and Leg Pain: About 65 million Americans live with chronic back and leg pain. This clip highlights a treatment for spinal stenosis called TFAS that appears highly preferable to spinal fusion. • Hot Sauce Numbs Knee Pain: Can a spicy condiment really soothe one of the body's most important joints? This clip shows how doctors are using an injection similar to hot sauce to treat knee pain. • Healing Heel Pain: Sufferers from heel pain have often faced surgery. This clip focuses on a new, far less invasive technique that uses radio frequency energy. • Sleep Apnea Surgery: Sleep apnea threatens some 12 million Americans. This clip focuses on a new surgical technique called a genial bone advancement trephine that can give apnea patients deep, restful sleep. • Turbo Booster for Leg Pain: Nagging pain in the thighs or calves could mean a serious cardiovascular disease. This clip looks at positive results from a laser procedure that vaporizes arterial plaque. • Old Remedy/New Help for Fibromyalgia: One in nine people are affected by fibromyalgia, a source of extreme joint pain. This clip features a new drug that reduces nerve cell activity. • New Knees that Fit: Conventional knee replacement surgery is elaborate and costly, but that is changing. This clip features the Advanced Stature implant, a state-of-the-art artificial knee. • Relieving that Pain in the Neck: Each year 200,000 Americans undergo spinal fusion surgery to confront neck pain. This clip highlights a minimally invasive implant procedure with far less complications for patients. • Snail Venom for Chronic Pain: Although deadly to its undersea prey, the sea snail secretes a substance with astonishing benefits for human pain sufferers. This clip presents a recently developed drug derived from the venom. • Easy Back Pain Fix: Medication, physical therapy, acupuncture-some patients try them all and still face ongoing back pain. This clip examines a minimally invasive spine implant that takes pressure off stressed vertebrae. • Back Pain Relief Without Surgery: Getting rid of back pain could be a matter of the right massage technique-in this case, using a small, sophisticated mechanical device that applies soothing pressure to vertebrae. • Stopping Back Pain: Until recently, only bone-removal surgery could treat lumbar spinal stenosis. This clip examines an implant called the X-Stop that effectively treats the condition. • Better, Safer Back Surgery: High-tech innovations are giving surgeons greater precision when they operate near the spinal cord. This clip highlights new endoscopic tools that take the guesswork out of back surgery. • Help for Neck Pain: Surgery for pinched nerves and herniated discs is often complicated and invasive. This clip presents an artificial disc implant with dramatically less impact on the spine. • Surgery-Free Back Treatment: While 90 percent of Americans face back pain at some point in their lives, the last thing they want is surgery. This clip spotlights new nonsurgical tools and therapies in development. • The Future of Back Pain: Is a world without back surgery possible? Perhaps not, but a spinal surgeon's primary tool may become the syringe rather than the scalpel. This clip shows how. • Help for Restless Legs: The cause of restless leg syndrome is unclear, but the tools to combat it are steadily improving. This clip looks at a topical therapy that is helping many patients. • Migraine Pain Relief: Pain, nausea, or disorientation can drive migraine sufferers to despair. This clip presents a new implant which may help through nerve stimulation. • Shocking Away Shoulder Pain: Can the application of electrical current help damaged shoulder tissues? This clip focuses on stimulation that not only relieves pain but helps strengthen muscles. (42 minutes)"

It sounds laughable to blame food manufacturers and fast food restaurants for children being unhealthily overweight. But Big Tobacco thought health-related lawsuits were a joke too-until they finally lost. In this ABC News program, correspondent John Donvan examines the food industry's marketing strategies to see if and to what extent they are responsible for America's epidemic of childhood obesity. Industry initiatives to make and offer healthier foods are also presented. Afterward, anchor Chris Bury speaks with Kelly Brownell, director of the Yale Center for Eating and Weight Disorders, and Gene Grabowski, of the Grocery Manufacturers of America. (23 minutes)

Does anyone really eat a sliver of a muffin or a fraction of a pickle? In this brief ABC News segment, John Stossel blasts counterintuitive food labels that calculate fat, carbs, sodium, and other essential nutritional information based on a serving size that is unrealistically smaller than the unit size. A surefire discussion-starter for any course involving nutrition. (5 minutes)

Why is it that involvement in physical activity for girls drops off more rapidly than for boys? This is a serious concern, as participation in school physical education programs has been shown to have a positive influence on a person's physical activity later in life. Do girls lose the attention of PE teachers who favor nurturing the physical development of boys, or do they make a conscious choice not to participate in the PE system? If so, are they aware of the harmful ramifications come adulthood? This program examines some of the reasons why girls lose interest in physical education, then focuses on a number of proven strategies to help teachers tackle the problem. (24 minutes)

Career issues, family crises, and medical problems can create an emotional overload. This collection of 25 video clips offers guidance, reassurance, and useful facts for busy women. With an average clip length of 90 seconds, the collection incorporates mini-case studies and commentary from experts—providing visual support for instructors and counselors who want to reach overworked, overscheduled learners. Topics cover health, parenting, business, and other areas. (52 minutes)

In certain communities around the world, life expectancy exceeds that of the average American by 10 or 20 years. Is there a secret characteristic-perhaps a dietary ingredient or a genetic factor-that makes longevity possible? This program searches for answers by crisscrossing the planet, observing and interviewing people extremely advanced in age-from a Sardinian family rife with centenarians to a sake-drinking Okinawa resident who has just celebrated her 103rd birthday to a bicycling Californian who remembers the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Viewers will learn about research that emphasizes behaviors and environments rather than focusing on a single longevity factor such as nutrition or DNA. A BBC Production. (50 minutes)

According to some environmental experts, the air inside our homes and offices could be more polluted than the outdoor air in the largest cities. Radon, mold, household cleaning products, and secondhand smoke are only a few elements that may pose health risks. This program examines the issue in detail and illustrates ways to improve indoor air quality. Case studies include a nonsmoker diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer whose basement was found to contain high levels of radon, and a woman whose exposure to household mold almost ended her life. In addition to commentary from Dallas Jones, Chairman of the American Radon Policy Coalition, the program also features two indoor air quality experts, Mark McGowan and Jeffrey Ayers. (25 minutes)

Sedentary jobs and pastimes. Foods high in sugar, fat, and cholesterol. A superabundance of labor-saving technologies. Is it any wonder that a recent study by the Mayo Clinic shows that more than sixty percent of all adult Americans are statistically overweight? This program describes the basic components of physical fitness and the numerous health benefits that derive from regular physical activity while explaining why exercise is helpful in reducing overall health risks. (29 minutes)