Blog Posts by genConnect.com

As temperatures reach triple digits, it's even more important to stay cool to prevent heatstroke.

It's a scorcher out there!

The National Weather Service issued an "excessive heat warning" for New York and all of northeast New Jersey starting at noon Thursday, and much of the rest of the country is suffering from sweltering temperatures, as well, including North Carolina, Massachusetts and Virginia. Parts of the Great Lakes, Ohio Valley and Northeast expect to see triple-digit heat on Friday.

The heat is particularly dangerous for the very young and very old. Here are some tips on staying cool and preventing heatstroke, which can be brought on by high environmental temperatures, strenuous physical activity or by other conditions:

• It may sound like common sense, but during conditions of extreme heat, spend time in locations with air-conditioning such as shopping malls, public libraries, or public health sponsored heat-relief shelters in your area.

• Drink cool,

Would you buy for your daughter or loved ones a doll that "breastfeeds"?

The doll, called "The Breast Milk Baby" and manufactured by Berjuan Toys, makes motions and sucking noises consistent with breastfeeding. And includes a special top that girls can wear while "breastfeeding" their baby. Berjuan Toys and its supporters say the goal is to encourage nurturing qualities in girls and to bring them up thinking breastfeeding is a healthy, natural way to feed one's baby.

Related: Breastfed Kids Behave Better, Study Finds

"The truth is that we've received overwhelming support online from all over the country. However, about 20 percent of the messages have been hateful and mean," said Berjuan Toys U.S. spokesman Dennis Lewis. "Churches all over the world are filled with images of Mary nursing baby Jesus, and yet we can't imagine letting our daughters learn how important breastfeeding is for our society?"

Lewis noted that even the World Health Organization recommends

By Dr. Marie Pasinski / genConnect.com

New research shows you may have more control than you think over whether you fall victim to Alzheimer's disease.

Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, found that about half of the risk factors for Alzheimer's are potentially changeable, which means a shift in your lifestyle could reduce your risk. Factors that increase one's risk for Alzheimer's that you have control to fix include: diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, smoking, sedentary behavior, depression and low educational level.

In the United States physical inactivity accounts for 21 percent of the risk for Alzheimer's, followed by depression and smoking. This may mean many Americans could reduce their risk on their own.

We reached out to Dr. Marie Pasinski, a world-class neurologist and author of Beautiful Brain, Beautiful You: Look Radiant From the Inside Out by Empowering Your Mind, to get her thoughts on this promising new research.

"This

By Julie Spira, Cyber Dating Expert/ genConnect.com

Marine Sgt. Scott Moore made headlines when he asked actress Mila Kunis to be his date to the Marine Corps Ball via YouTube. The actress said "yes" - after some prodding by "Friends With Benefits" co-star Justin Timberlake.

That YouTube proposal has caught wave... Fellow Marine Corporal Kelsey De Santis asked Timberlake out to the ball and set up a Facebook page dedicated to her cause (with 11,782 likes and counting!). Also this week, Sgt. Ray Lewis asked 90-year-old actress and comedienne Betty White to be his date to the November event also via YouTube.

Is highly publicized online date proposals a new trend for everyday people? And what do you do when you're asked out -- in front of millions - on the Internet!?

We reached out to Cyber Dating Expert Julie Spira for her tips on reacting in the moment:

Years ago, you might have seen a dramatic date request or marriage proposal on a billboard while driving by

By Dr. Gregory A. Buford / genConnect

The issue of how young is too young for plastic surgery has been around for years. And while there are proponents on both sides, clearly there is no easy answer. Like their adult counterparts, while not every teenager is a good candidate for surgery, some are and so the challenge is in determining not only which patients are appropriate but also which procedures should be performed in this age range.

Most people would agree that surgery to fix congenital defects (such as cleft lip and palette) has its place and is appropriate. But the question remains whether it is ethical to perform other procedures that are more cosmetic in nature at such an early age. In evaluating a teenager for surgery, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) suggests that the following conditions be met:

• The teenager initiates the request. Like an adult, the teenager him or herself should be the one person initiating the request for surgery and the

Got game? That is, are you on top of your networking game in the summer or a little lax, behind the 8-ball perhaps? Never fear. Even if you're not in job search mode, there's nothing better than summer socializing to keep your skills sharp and intact. And what's even better is for people who loathe to network or "don't know how," you may not even realize you're doing it! The summer provides a plethora of opportunities to simply "get out there" and in turn, by enjoying your summer you may add a few new important contacts along the way.

Here are 4 ways to keep your summer networking skills sharp.

1. Pursue activities you enjoy doing! For instance, I recently returned from tennis camp in upstate New York. The purpose was to play a ton of tennis and get world-class instruction while enjoying the camaraderie of my friends. You can imagine what happened next. During one of the meals at communal tables, you start talking to each other. Next thing you know, we're exchanging cards and

When it comes to dieting, many of us are at fault for going about it the wrong way. Unfortunately, many women - and men - are so consumed with trimming their waistline, they succumb to anorexia.

Anorexia is a condition in which a patient believes they are fat and deprives themselves of food; they may also exercise excessively.

While we know anorexia is harmful to one both physically and mentally, a new study now shows that a patient with anorexia has a five times greater chance of dying than someone without the eating disorder; in fact, one out of five deaths among anorexics were caused by suicide, while the rest were attributed to the effects the disorder had on the body over time - which can include heart disease or irregularities, dehydration and starvation, and anemia. People who suffer from bulimia or another non-specified eating disorder also are about twice as likely to die as people without those disorders, according to the study published in the Archives of General

A 32-year-old mom who was ordered by the driver to cover up while breastfeeding her two-week-old son on a Michigan bus is trying to send the message that nursing moms have to stand up for their rights, and is trying to raise awareness of the benefits of breastfeeding.

Afrykayn Moon was nursing her son, who was in a wrap against her body, when the bus driver came over and told her to cover up - although Moon says you couldn't see much of anything. The driver later called security guards to come escort the nursing mom off the bus. Although 45 states, the District of Columbia and the Virgin Islands have laws that specifically allow women to breastfeed in any public or private locations, some state lawmakers are introducing stronger legislation to further protect nursing moms. Moon helped stage a nurse-in at the bus facility Friday, and also made a 10-minute YouTube video, during which she tells her story:

"As a mother, I should have the right to feed my child, period. I should