diet coke with vitamins
LAWRENCE — It started as a hobby for Richard Payeur.
But his knack for arranging authentic-looking silk flower arrangements and renting them out for funerals has turned him into an entrepreneur.
Many overweight individuals try to lose those extra pounds on their own, instead of finding help that can teach them how to get and stay healthy. Interestingly, recent studies show that not only does the likelihood of being overweight increase among friends and family members, but also the opposite holds true.
The Andover Surgery Center recently spent more than $1 million renovating and doubling the size of its Doctors Park offices.
Caritas Holy Family Hospital in Methuen is spending millions to install a linear accelerator to more precisely treat cancerous tumors. Lawrence General Hospital is investing in the treatment of heart disease, stroke and breast cancer.
The first day of summer is June 20, which gives us less than two months to get in shape before a season of bathing-suit-centric parties.
Here are exercise activities suggested by the American Council on Fitness, which includes a worldwide network of trainers, group-fitness experts and lifestyle- and weight-management consultants.
The patient stares blankly at the ceiling, his chest rising and falling in rapid succession.
"Doc, I feel like I could die," he says. "I'm feeling very dizzy."
The voice sounds real and the breathing looks right.
Linda Molchan hopes for a day when the emergency room is empty. And as the trauma program manager and coordinator of sexual assault nurse examiners at Lawrence General Hospital, she's trying to make that happen.
There are those who extol the virtues of a runner's high, the intensity of weight lifting and the teamwork basketball inspires, but not everyone can participate in such high-impact exercise. The health benefits of swimming, however, can be experienced by nearly anyone no matter what their age or health condition.
AVON, Ind. — Katherine Ward believes she has found the answer to her stiff joints and aching muscles in a popular junk food — chocolate. But not just any chocolate, a "healthy chocolate" called Xocai (pronounced "show-sigh).
Healthy foods — or at least healthier versions of popular products — are big business these days.
Diet Coke Plus offers soda drinkers a "good source of vitamins B3, B6, and B12, and the minerals zinc and magnesium," according to press material. 7Up might not be all-natural, but it is made of — and marketed as — "100 percent natural flavors."
In a major milestone for Northern Essex Community College's health-care training program, an architect has been hired to design the school's new Allied Health and Technology Center at the site of the old Intown Mall on Essex Street in Lawrence.
At one time, laser eye surgery was only for the rich or famous. But today, the procedure has become almost as common as glasses, and more and more people are opting for surgery over corrective lenses.
Latitude Sports Clubs of Methuen has a new program designed to nip childhood obesity in the bud.
The fitness center at 116 Pleasant Valley St. caters to more than 6,000 members. Last month it launched a Kids Fit program designed for children ages 18 months to 13.
BECKLEY, W.Va. — It's little wonder that a single puzzle piece is used as the symbol by most organizations that deal with autism.
This disorder that now affects one in 150 children in this country involves a puzzling array of symptoms and behaviors. Medical research accepted by most physicians indicates there is still no known single cause or cure for autism.
LAWRENCE — Pay no attention to that woman behind the curtain.
She's Jackie Long-Goding, dean of health professions at Northern Essex Community College.
She can often be found behind a privacy screen in the college's mock hospital room, typing away on a laptop or speaking furtively into a microphone, much like the character in the "Wizard of Oz."
Homeowners and builders are going green to reduce heating and cooling costs and do their part to preserve the environment, and a growing cluster of Merrimack Valley companies is helping them do it.
One Lawrence firm builds devices that convert the sun's rays to useable electricity, while another makes extremely energy-efficient housing.
You would never peg him for it, but Salem, N.H., resident Phil Consentino is cutting-edge when it comes to spa treatments.
He decided to try the ionithermie body-shaping treatment as soon as nearby Visage Skin Care and Day Spa started offering it in February, hoping to reduce his slightly protruding abdominal area.
Bose is the Massachusetts success story everyone knows about but doesn' t know a lot about. That's no accident. In this age when most businesses aspire to go public, Framingham-based Bose remains privately held. Amar Bose, the former MIT professor who founded it, is still chairman and CEO, and the company is not obliged to report its finances to Wall Street or anyone else.
The SportsZone in Derry, N.H., is a buzz of activity. Its six basketball courts are packed with 12 teams — about 100 people, from high schoolers to men and women in their 40s.
"You should see the men's soccer league," said Dennis Reed, owner of SportsZone. "We have 72 teams now."
Diners looking for a change of pace from cookie-cutter chain restaurants can turn to small, independent, local eateries — often called boutique restaurants — that offer distinctive menus, often ethnic.
In seven hours, a group of professionals say, they can change a life.
The certified staff help clients find a goal and reach that goal — but they're not counselors, they're life coaches.
Life coaching began in California about 20 years ago, and it's slowly becoming an everyday word for New Englanders.
It's not just about swimming to the raft, arts and crafts, and sing-a-longs anymore.
Summer day camps around the region offer kids big and small everything including sea kayaking, tennis lessons, Web site development, horse rides and even tours of the county jail.
It used to be all about iguanas. These days, all people want are bearded dragons.
"They are a staple now," said Kevin McCurley, owner of Zo