Cheech and Chong are 'HIGH' on plans to reunite

In this June 26, 2008 file photo, Cheech Marin, left, and Tommy Chong pose together at Sunset Strip Music Festival opening night tribute event in Los Angeles. Now that their feud is up in smoke, Cheech and Chong are high on plans to reunite for their first comedy tour in more than 25 years. Cheech Marin told AP Radio that he and Tommy Chong 'looked at each other going, `If we're ever going to do something it has to be now because you're not getting any younger and neither am I.''

(AP Photo/Matt Sayles, files)

5 Healing Juice Drinks

Dr. Mao's Secrets of Longevity

A refreshing way to cool off in the summer, freshly made juice is also packed with nutrients and vitamins and can help you self-heal naturally. From preventing high blood pressure to helping you hear, juicing is an amazing way to bring nutrition and health to your life for many long years.

Just Juice It!
Be sure to make the juice fresh before drinking, as nutrients are lost the longer the juice sits around. Also, blenders do not separate the juice from the plant fibers, and this means that, aside from making the juice chunky, the fibers may lock some of the nutrients and prevent them from being absorbed by the body.

A juicer will separate the juice from the fiber, allowing the body to easily absorb the nutrients, as they have been released from the fibers. Of course, you should not miss out on the health benefits of juice just because you don't have a juicer. A blender will work in a bind. Also, these days, there are several health stores and cafes that can make any fresh juice you want while you wait.

1. Celery Juice to Lower High Blood Pressure
High blood pressure is often the root cause of stroke, heart disease, and kidney failure. A time-tested Chinese remedy for this condition is celery juice, which can be made with a blender or a juicer. Two to three 8 oz glasses a day for a month can help prevent high blood pressure or restore it to normal. Additionally, celery is known to prevent gout and other arthritic conditions. Studies have found that this stalk is packed with over a dozen anti-inflammatory agents, including apigenin, a cox2-inhibiting compound similar to some anti-inflammatory drugs. Get the benefits without the side effects!

2. Sunburn Soother
Sunburn can include symptoms of itching, painful blistering, redness, and swelling. When you are sunburned, it is incredibly important to rehydrate the body with fluids. Mix 12 ounces each of pineapple and black cherry juice together to help reduce inflammation and heat. Bromelain - found in pineapples - is a mixture of protein-digesting enzymes, which contain active substances that help reduce inflammation and aid in digestion.

The secret to the health benefits of cherry juice lies in the deep red skins. These skins contain the antioxidant compound called anthocyanins, which help the body relieve inflammation. As added bonuses, these compounds also protect you against heart disease and cancer and have been found to keep diabetics healthy. Drink two to three cups daily to soothe the burn.

3. A Juicy Hearing Aid
An ancient remedy for improving hearing is made from garlic and onions, carrots, and parsley. Put 2 oz of water in a blender with 1 medium-sized chopped onion, 2 chopped carrots, and a generous bunch of parsley. Take out the pulp and keep the juice. Press the raw garlic to get garlic oil, and add to the juice. The garlic will help to increase blood flow to the auditory nerve, and the carrots and parsley are rich in vitamin and C, and niacin, which naturally help improve your hearing function. Drink this juice on a daily basis for a month. If you prefer a more liquid juice, feel free to water this mixture down or add it to other juices.

4. Bright Eyesight Essence
An age-old Chinese folk remedy for clearing the vision is a blended juice made from celery, peppermint, and Chinese parsley. Research has caught up with this wisdom, and we know that luteolin, an antioxidant bioflavonoid found in many herbs and foods, included the three ingredients to this juice has been found to provide the best protection of cell DNA from radiation.

Evidence shows that luteolin helps protect the eye from UV radiation damage, as well as from glycation, a process in which sticky sugar molecules bind up protein, which can cause damage to the retina. Luteolin also promotes healthy blood sugar levels and regulates insulin sensitivity. Blend together celery, peppermint, and Chinese parsley in a blender with a little water or a juicer. Drink this fresh juice daily to see well into the future!

5. Heartburn Helper
Juice one medium raw potato in a juicer or a blender, put through a strainer and mix the juice with a cup of warm water. Drink this on an empty stomach in the morning when you first wake up. It will coat and sooth your stomach, as well as reduce acid.

These juices are not meant to replace any medications that you may be taking for conditions. Rather, they can supplement treatments you are already receiving and generally keep you body in good working order.

I hope you find the ways to drink to your health! I invite you to visit often and share your own personal health and longevity tips with me.

May you live long, live strong, and live happy!

-Dr. Mao

Join SDS, and Win Change with Student Power!

Students for a Democratic Society

In two short years, SDS has become one of the largest and fastest growing student led organizations, with over 120 active and dynamite chapters around the country. Heroic thanks to all our student leaders who make it possible!

This summer, the National Convention and the Action Camps will again bring over 300 SDS student organizers together for training, movement building, and friendship. We need to work together and raise the money to provide stipends, food, housing, and support for our student organizers.

We are asking SDSer’s to make fundraising commitments to help our organization grow.

Everyone can get involved by making a chapter commitment, and a personal commitment to fundraise for SDS! The money we put into our convention and action camps (and other projects) directly empowers and trains grassroots organizers from around the nation. Here’s how to get involved in some of SDS’s most important work.

Surgery: Speed healing with nature's help

Big disclaimer: In this article, my intention is to help you weather surgery as successfully as my patients who have had to or chosen to undergo surgery have come out doing well. My patients on the following protocol have healed remarkably fast and well. However, the Food and Drug Administration, acting as a trade association and totalitarian strong arm of the drug industry, doesn't particularly like any freedom of speech that is used to impart information about the helpfulness of natural products. And they don't like very specific recommendations. So for their sake, I am forced to say that you do not have to follow any of these recommendations, that you should take all specific products and recommended doses with a grain of salt - not that it would improve the taste - and that even though I am a licensed physician, I am not supposed to diagnose and treat by way of the internet. With the last part I am in through agreement. There is of course no substitute for going to consult in person with your local naturopathic physician. The largest directory of naturopathic doctors in the United States is this one: www.naturopathic.org.

Although none of us go into it with enthusiasm, sometimes surgery is just unavoidable. Regardless of what part of the body will be operated on, you can approach your upcoming surgery with some natural strategies for preparing yourself both before surgery, as well as a stronger, faster recuperation afterward. This is particularly important for older people because of more delicate health and slow, difficult recuperation. But young people also can really go down hard from a surgery, and bounce back quickly with some of the strategies below, or take your chances with an otherwise laborious and slow recovery.

First, you will want to head into surgery with the strongest immune system possible. This is because microbes will have access to otherwise normally deep, protected tissues. And this is despite the absolute best and state-of-the-art sterilization procedures and techniques in contemporary surgical practice. Even with the best and best-intentioned precautions, there is some risk of infection resulting from any surgical access to deep and vulnerable areas of the body.

So before surgery you should build up your immune system with:

1. Vitamin C: Try to get not just Vitamin C tablets, but the packets of fizzing Vitamin C mixed in water such as Electrolyte Stamina or Emergen-C. Drink these right away after mixing with water so they don't oxidize before they benefit you. A packet should be taken three times a day. If these are not available look for a mineral-protected Vitamin C or an Ester-C or C or something with bioflavonoids, which will offer some protection against oxidation of the Vitamin C. The equivalent of 3000 mg a day is a good dose to aim for with adults, okay for kids too, and best in divided doses, because Vitamin C is water-soluble and doesn't hang around too long in the body at this dosing level.
2. Vitamin A: This is trickier to obtain in sufficient quantity to be helpful, but is massively helpful when you can get it. The problem is that vitamin A can be toxic to a fetus. This is why young ladies on the Retin-A prescription for acne are also given an Rx simultaneously for oral contraceptives, whether they are sexually active or not. Aside from all moral and political implications, vitamin A should definitely not be taken in large doses without this awareness of its abortive potential and the necessary dose precautions. For this reason, you are not going to find huge doses of Vitamin A in a health food store. A pregnant woman should not take more than 30,000 units a day for more than three days, and some rare pregnancies can tolerate even less. You have to consult your personal physician on this. But anyone else, any non-pregnant person can easily take 100,000 units per day for several days and get a significant boost to immune function. Beyond that dose for that time, anyone is subject to possible liver toxicity from build-up of this fat-soluble vitamin. It should be noted that there are individuals who have taken 1,000,000 (one million) units of Vitamin A for several years without any problem. Just make sure that you are also getting a variety of nutrients along with Vitamin A. Also, please be aware that beta-carotene is not the equivalent of Vitamin A. Actually, mixed carotenoids, (alpha, beta, gamma) are better for converting to Vitamin A. A physician can provide you with higher doses of Vitamin A than in a health food store. To find a naturopathic physician in your area please visit www.naturopathic.org.
3. Sleep: Sleep is an often forgotten component of good immune health. Try to allow enough time for sleep or at least equivalent time of bed rest during the several days prior to surgery.

Eliminating stress is crucial to good immune function. You may have noticed how often you or others have come down with a cold after a particularly stressful period. It is important to be able to separate external stressors (anything or any person driving you crazy) from your internal response to stress. The first we only have a certain amount of control over, and the second can be affected quite strongly. Two excellent books for this are: Deepak Chopra, Ageless Body, Timeless Mind, an old but good book, as well as one of his newer books, Power, Grace and Freedom. Both of these are great guides for releasing the stress that you feel. Another fascinating and more scientifically oriented approach to the same subject is Robert Sapolsky's excellent book, Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers. Sapolosky explains how and why we feel stressed, then shows the physical effects of that stress on the body.

After surgery you have a massive wound that you need to repair. Surgeons are often great, even heroic and life-saving at what they do. But after they sew you up they usually offer nothing to help you heal.

Here is what you need to help rebuild the cut edges of your internal and external wounds:

1. Arnica or Arnica Montana: This is a homeopathic remedy available at almost any health food store. Take 4 pillules under the tongue as soon as you are able to after surgery, then about three more times over the next 36 hours (more often if desired or in pain during the first two days). Arnica, like any homeopathic remedy, does not act directly on your body's needs so much as it alerts the hypothalamus in your brain that there is a problem, in this case a big wound and that healing has to begin right now. Homeopathy works completely differently than any conventional system of medicine. For an explanation of how it works, please see my discussion of it at http://www.naturopathyworks.com/pages/homeopathy.php.
2. Glutamine powder: This is sold in all health food stores and there are many different brands. Any one will do, but ignore the instructions on the jar. You will need to take 1 rounded tablespoon in water, 2-3 times per day for two weeks. Don't worry about the taste. It's bland, but somewhat chalky in texture. Then, if you're feeling 70-80% better in a couple weeks, reduce the dose to half that for another month. This will rebuild and re-knit your tissues faster than anything. This dosing is a general recommendation for the average person having most any kind of surgery. See your naturopathic physician for more specific dosing in your case. Please don't confuse glutamine with gluten, monosodium glutamate or glucose. It is none of those things. Glutamine is one of the most common amino acids in proteins, meaning that you already consume it everyday in healthy foods. But you have a huge repair job to do now, and you would have to eat mountains of food to get enough glutamine. So it will help you a lot more and be more efficient to get the Glutamine (also called L-glutamine) powder at the health food store. Don't get the capsules; you would have to swallow dozens.
3. "Muscle Milk": A product by the Cytosport Company that provides a way to rebuild torn muscles. Muscle fiber is almost always damaged by the surgeon's scalpel, cut across or even with its grain, and needing repair, even more than an athlete's muscles need repair. Although Muscle Milk is marketed to athletes, you need it more as you have more repair to accomplish. Muscle milk works by putting elements in the bloodstream that are similar to human mother's milk and muscle breakdown products, which nourish and keep muscle from further breaking down. The body likes "homeostasis," which means constant levels of its biochemicals, so this products works quite well in that regard. This is not a paid endorsement by the way. I don't do that, for the simple reason that most of the nutraceutical (nutritional supplement) companies have a lot of okay products and then a smaller number of really outstanding helpful products, so I want to be free to recommend the ones that seem to work best regardless of which company they are from, rather than recommend the whole product line of the companies who want me to sign some kind of exclusivity contract.
4. N Acetyl Cysteine: This is an amino acid, meaning it is a building block of a protein, and you have consumed it before, mostly in chicken. You will see it in any health food store as NAC or N-Acetyl Cysteine, and in 500 or 600 mg tablets or capsules. You should take two to four of those a day, with more dosing guidelines from your doctor of course, for about a week after surgery. Its role is to thin bile, which makes it easier for bile to do its job of rinsing your liver of stored toxins. This will help get the anesthesia and other pharmaceuticals out of your body. NAC is a wonderful detox for any of us living in a polluted environment, which is just about everybody. No need to stop after one week.
5. Bromelain: Last but not least, you don't want to over-react to the surgery with a build-up of scar tissue. Some of us are keloid formers and scar tissue formers, more so than others. Bromelain is a common enzyme that you have eaten in pineapple, and is in supplement form in the health food store. Another helpful item in this regard is the herb Gotu kola, especially if you have a known tendency to form keloids.

Best wishes for an easy surgery and a comfortable recovery!

Earthship Enterprise: The Ultimate Eco-House

by Rob Sharp

They are eco-friendly, bizarre-looking bolt holes, and have earned the name “earth ships” for the simple reason that they appear to have landed from the future. But these homes are more than just wacky props. They are a blueprint for our future living habits.

The ziggurats - constructed from refuse such as beer cans - are the brainchild of Michael Reynolds, an eco-architect who has spent most of his professional life perfecting the concept, which derives its name from the earth-filled tyres that make up the walls. He built the first example in Taos, New Mexico, in 1988 and, 20 years later, still lives there.

Due to his hard work, there are more than 1,000 “earth ships” across New Mexico, and the word has spread; hundreds more are springing up in the US, in Scotland, Normandy, Spain and even Siberia, and in April 2007, permission was granted to build 16 in Brighton. Now, Reynolds’ life and work are celebrated in Garbage Warrior, a documentary screening in cinemas around the UK.

“Imagine a home that heats itself, that provides its own water, and grows its own food,” says Reynolds. “Imagine that it needs no expensive technology, it recycles its own waste, and it has its own power source. And now imagine that it can be built anywhere, by anyone, out of the things that society throws away.”

The documentary was the idea of Oliver Hodge, a Brighton-based director who met Reynolds in May 2003. The architect and his “crew” had come on a two-week visit to build a prototype earth ship in Brighton. “When I met Mike I was so inspired and I could see that he would be able to create a strong story. I realised that he had won and lost all these battles: that he is a frontline activist for social change.”

In November that year, the filmmaker took a team to Reynolds’ US base. Soon, he realised he had arrived “in the middle of something massive”, so spent the next three years jetting between the UK and New Mexico, following his man around. Reynolds was a perfect subject, says Hodge: “He would do anything for me. Sometimes I even got him up at five o’clock in the morning.”

The film is the latest chapter in Reynolds’ colourful life. He graduated from architecture school in 1968, and soon produced a house made from beer containers, which upset the national bricklayers’ union so much, he had to can it.

Inspired by the nascent green movement, Reynolds came up with a building that promoted several tenets: it should be “off-the-electricity-grid” (which could be achieved by solar power); it should be made from used car-tyres (common landfill material) and incorporate rainwater-recycling facilities, too.

To achieve this vision, he moved in the early Seventies to the desert near Taos, where tolerant planning laws and sympathetic local government enabled him to experiment: some houses looked like castles, others like pyramids. Over the next 25 years, he created an energy-independent community, but his flouting of regulations landed him in hot water: and, in 1997, his communities were shut down.

The documentary joins the architect soon after, and charts his long battle with planners. “In my opinion, the planet situation is so critical we need to be doing anything we can,” he explains. “My rationale is that any little roof leak or system glitch in one of my single family homes, compared to the alternatives, is nothing. To me it’s important to go for it and make a few mistakes.”

Frustrated by his lack of progress, in early 2005 Reynolds heads to the Nicobar Islands in the Indian Ocean, which had been devastated by the Asian tsunami. His hope? That the lack of infrastructure would render the “bureaucratic niceties” irrelevant. “We shoot from the hip,” Reynolds says of the excursion. “We are always out of our depth whenever we go abroad, which happens three or four times a year. It may not be to local codes or ready to sell to a millionaire, but it will be shelter which will keep people comfortable. We have a method.”

Now, back in Taos, the architect is focusing on his latest project, “the Phoenix”. He says it will house a family of four, will keep them alive in “every way”, with its sewage treatment facilities as well as sustainable water, electricity, and food supplies. “There’s no question that after you’ve gone down a trail you might find a better way of going down it,” he concludes. “I would make alterations in my path, but it wouldn’t be that much different. I don’t think it’s possible to do anything without getting into a little trouble.”

‘Garbage Warrior’ is showing now at selected cinemas; www.garbagewarrior.com

© 2008 The Independent

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The 20 Healthiest Foods for Under $1

The 20 Healthiest Foods for Under $1

By: Brie Cadman (View Profile)

Food prices are climbing, and some might be looking to fast foods and packaged foods for their cheap bites. But low cost doesn’t have to mean low quality. In fact, some of the most inexpensive things you can buy are the best things for you. At the grocery store, getting the most nutrition for the least amount of money means hanging out on the peripheries—near the fruits and veggies, the meat and dairy, and the bulk grains—while avoiding the expensive packaged interior. By doing so, not only will your kitchen be stocked with excellent foods, your wallet won’t be empty.

1. Oats
High in fiber and complex carbohydrates, oats have also been shown to lower cholesterol. And they sure are cheap—a dollar will buy you more than a week’s worth of hearty breakfasts.

Serving suggestions: Sprinkle with nuts and fruit in the morning, make oatmeal cookies for dessert.

2. Eggs
You can get about a half dozen of eggs for a dollar, making them one of the cheapest and most versatile sources of protein. They are also a good source of the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin, which may ward off age-related eye problems.

Serving suggestions: Huevos rancheros for breakfast, egg salad sandwiches for lunch, and frittatas for dinner.

3. Kale
This dark, leafy green is loaded with vitamin C, carotenoids, and calcium. Like most greens, it is usually a dollar a bunch.

Serving suggestions: Chop up some kale and add to your favorite stir-fry; try German-Style Kale or traditional Irish Colcannon.

4. Potatoes
Because we often see potatoes at their unhealthiest—as fries or chips—we don’t think of them as nutritious, but they definitely are. Eaten with the skin on, potatoes contain almost half a day’s worth of Vitamin C, and are a good source of potassium. If you opt for sweet potatoes or yams, you’ll also get a good wallop of beta carotene. Plus, they’re dirt cheap and have almost endless culinary possibilities.

Serving suggestions: In the a.m., try Easy Breakfast Potatoes; for lunch, make potato salad; for dinner, have them with sour cream and chives.

5. Apples
I’m fond of apples because they’re inexpensive, easy to find, come in portion-controlled packaging, and taste good. They are a good source of pectin—a fiber that may help reduce cholesterol—and they have the antioxidant Vitamin C, which keeps your blood vessels healthy.

Serving suggestions: Plain; as applesauce; or in baked goods like Pumpkin-Apple Breakfast Bread.

6. Nuts
Though nuts have a high fat content, they’re packed with the good-for-you fats—unsaturated and monounsaturated. They’re also good sources of essential fatty acids, Vitamin E, and protein. And because they’re so nutrient-dense, you only need to eat a little to get the nutritional benefits. Although some nuts, like pecans and macadamias, can be costly, peanuts, walnuts, and almonds, especially when bought in the shell, are low in cost.

Serving suggestions: Raw; roasted and salted; sprinkled in salads.

7. Bananas
At a local Trader Joe’s, I found bananas for about 19¢ apiece; a dollar gets you a banana a day for the workweek. High in potassium and fiber (9 grams for one), bananas are a no-brainer when it comes to eating your five a day quotient of fruits and veggies.

Serving suggestions: In smoothies, by themselves, in cereal and yogurt.

8. Garbanzo Beans
With beans, you’re getting your money’s worth and then some. Not only are they a great source of protein and fiber, but ’bonzos are also high in fiber, iron, folate, and manganese, and may help reduce cholesterol levels. And if you don’t like one type, try another—black, lima, lentils … the varieties are endless. Though they require soaking and cooking, the most inexpensive way to purchase these beans is in dried form; a precooked can will still only run you around a buck.

Serving suggestions: In salads, curries, and Orange Hummus.

9. Broccoli
Broccoli contains tons of nice nutrients—calcium, vitamins A and C, potassium, folate, and fiber. As if that isn’t enough, broccoli is also packed with phytonutrients, compounds that may help prevent heart disease, diabetes, and certain cancers. Plus, it’s low in calories and cost.

Serving suggestions: Throw it in salads, stir fries, or served as an accompaniment to meat in this Steamed Ginger Chicken with Asian Greens recipe.

10. Watermelon
Though you may not be able to buy an entire watermelon for a dollar, your per serving cost isn’t more than a few dimes. This summertime fruit is over 90 percent water, making it an easy way to hydrate, and gives a healthy does of Vitamin C, potassium, and lycopene, an antioxidant that may ward off cancer.

Serving suggestions: Freeze chunks for popsicles; eat straight from the rind; squeeze to make watermelon margaritas (may negate the hydrating effect!).

11. Wild Rice
It won’t cost you much more than white rice, but wild rice is much better for you. Low in fat and high in protein and fiber, this gluten-free rice is a great source of complex carbohydrates. It packs a powerful potassium punch and is loaded with B vitamins. Plus, it has a nutty, robust flavor.

Serving suggestions: Mix with nuts and veggies for a cold rice salad; blend with brown rice for a side dish.

12. Beets
Beets are my kind of vegetable—their natural sugars make them sweet to the palate while their rich flavor and color make them nutritious for the body. They’re powerhouses of folate, iron, and antioxidants.

Serving suggestions: Shred into salads, slice with goat cheese. If you buy your beets with the greens on, you can braise them in olive oil like you would other greens.

13. Butternut Squash
This beautiful gourd swings both ways: sometimes savory, sometimes sweet. However you prepare the butternut, it will not only add color and texture, but also five grams of fiber per half cup and chunks and chunks of Vitamin A and C. When in season, butternut squash and related gourds are usually less than a dollar a pound.

Serving suggestions: Try Pear and Squash Bruschetta; cook and dot with butter and salt.

14. Whole Grain Pasta
In the days of Atkins, pasta was wrongly convicted, for there is nothing harmful about a complex carbohydrate source that is high in protein and B vitamins. Plus, it’s one of the cheapest staples you can buy.

Serving suggestions: Mix clams and white wine with linguine; top orzo with tomatoes and garlic; eat cold Farfalle Salad on a picnic.

15. Sardines
As a kid, I used to hate it when my dad would order sardines on our communal pizzas, but since then I’ve acquired a taste for them. Because not everyone has, you can still get a can of sardines for relatively cheap. And the little fish come with big benefits: calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc, and B vitamins. And, because they’re low on the food chain, they don’t accumulate mercury.

Serving suggestions: Mash them with parsley, lemon juice, and olive oil for a spread; eat them plain on crackers; enjoy as a pizza topping (adults only).

16. Spinach
Spinach is perhaps one of the best green leafies out there—it has lots of Vitamin C, iron, and trace minerals. Plus, you can usually find it year round for less than a dollar.

Serving suggestions: Sautéed with eggs, as a salad, or a Spinach Frittata.

17. Tofu
Not just for vegetarians anymore, tofu is an inexpensive protein source that can be used in both savory and sweet recipes. It’s high in B vitamins and iron, but low in fat and sodium, making it a healthful addition to many dishes.

Serving suggestions: Use silken varieties in Tofu Cheesecake; add to smoothies for a protein boost; cube and marinate for barbecue kebobs.

18. Lowfat Milk
Yes, the price of a gallon of milk is rising, but per serving, it’s still under a dollar; single serving milk products, like yogurt, are usually less than a dollar, too. Plus, you’ll get a lot of benefit for a small investment. Milk is rich in protein, vitamins A and D, potassium, and niacin, and is one of the easiest ways to get bone-strengthening calcium.

Serving suggestions: In smoothies, hot chocolate, or coffee; milk products like low fat cottage cheese and yogurt.

19. Pumpkin Seeds
When it’s time to carve your pumpkin this October, don’t shovel those seeds into the trash—they’re a goldmine of magnesium, protein, and trace minerals. Plus, they come free with the purchase of a pumpkin.

Serving suggestions: Salt, roast, and eat plain; toss in salads.

20. Coffee
The old cup-o-joe has been thrown on the stands for many a corporeal crime—heart disease, cancer, osteoporosis—but exonerated on all counts. In fact, coffee, which is derived from a bean, contains beneficial antioxidants that protect against free radicals and may actually help thwart heart disease and cancer. While it’s not going to fill you up like the other items on this list, it might make you a lot perkier. When made at home, coffee runs less than 50¢ cents a cup.

Serving suggestions: Just drink it.

Although that bag of 99¢ Cheetos may look like a bargain, knowing that you’re not getting much in the way of nutrition or sustenance makes it seem less like a deal and more like a dupe. Choosing one of these twenty items, or the countless number of similarly nutritious ones, might just stretch that dollar from a snack into a meal.

Back hurt? Walk, says surgeon and Sr Pescado...

Back pain? Most people reach for an aspirin or an Aleve, get a cortisone shot or a massage, take to bed or take a day off. Many turn to narcotic prescriptions.

But orthopedic surgeon and back expert Mark Brown says not to do any of the above. Instead: Get a sound diagnosis and then take a walk.

"Back pain is the most common reason for doctor visits today, and it is the most expensive disorder," he says. "Even though the cost of treating back pain has increased 65 percent, the results have decreased."

Dr. Brown is professor and chairman emeritus of the Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation at the University of Miami's Miller School of Medicine. After 35 years of practice, he has written Conquer Back and Neck Pain: Walk It Off (Sunrise River, $11.95), advice he takes himself. He walks four miles several mornings a week.

Dr. Brown clearly explains the structure of the spine, with its 33 vertebrae and cushioning discs. The center of the disc soaks up water like a sponge. As it ages, or because it is genetically programmed to do so, the center deteriorates, deflates and loses its ability to cushion. It can do several things then, but most cause pain, often extending into arms and legs. Sometimes, the flattened disc squashes into the outer rim, narrowing the spinal channel and nerves. This is called spinal stenosis, a common cause of neck and back pain, as well as leg and arm pain.

When things get really bad, the vertebra will form bone spurs in an attempt to defend itself against sprains and more damage, and eventually cause even greater pain.

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Dr. Brown's solution is to have patients figure out what kind of back pain they have (there are seven types, he says) to determine treatment and prevention. He includes a questionnaire that will help readers determine the type and a short guide to determine when to walk it off and when to call for help.

Basically, most back pain will go away, he believes. Pills, surgery, manipulation and other remedies can make the pain worse.

"The theme is to get a diagnosis by a qualified doctor ... then go to a specialist. If they prescribe something, make sure you know the up and downsides and the alternatives," he says.

From Dr. Brown's perspective, the best things you can do when you know what is causing back pain are to give up smoking, lose weight and walk, or participate in some kind of aerobic exercise, such as walking on a treadmill or swimming.

"Narcotics are horrible for people with back, bone and joint pain," he says. "They don't relieve the pain, and they actually worsen the quality of life and make them more sensitive to pain."