Ayurveda is big fan of turmeric (Curcuma longa), the Indian spice and close relative of ginger that gives curry blends their yellow color. In herbal medicine, the names turmeric and curcumin, the yellow pigment that derives from turmeric, are often used interchangeably. A potent antioxidant that also has anti-inflammatory action, turmeric may help prevent heart disease, cancer, and stroke, while also reducing the pain and stiffness of arthritis. Two new studies bolster the case for turmeric even more.

A new study from Singapore, published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, shows that eating curry, which usually contains turmeric, improves cognitive function in the elderly. Researchers gave standard cognitive function tests to 1,010 elderly Asians and followed with an analysis of how much curry each participant consumed. Compared to those who rarely (or never) consumed curries, those who ate them occasionally, often, or very often performed better on the mental tests. This comes as no surprise. Turmeric is a potent antioxidant; perhaps it helps prevent the cell damage in the brain that leads to cognitive deterioration.

An investigation of nearly 1,000 brand-name sunscreen products finds that 4 out of 5 contain chemicals that may pose health hazards or don't adequately protect skin from the sun's damaging rays. Some of the worst offenders are leading brands like Coppertone, Banana Boat, and Neutrogena.

More than a million cases of skin cancer are diagnosed in the U.S. every year, but FDA still hasn't finalized sunscreen standards first announced 30 years ago. Meanwhile, companies are free to claim but not provide broad spectrum protection. Until FDA requires that all sunscreens be safe and effective, Environmental Working Group's comprehensive sunscreen guide-including a list of 143 products that offer very good sun protection-fills in the gaps.

For more information, visit the Environmental Working Group's website www.ewg.org

Americans spend more time. in the bathroom each year than on vacation, said Arthur J. Magida in the Baltimore Sun. "Compared with Europeans, Americans are vacation-phobes." The Italians unplug for an average of 42 days a year. The French get 37 vacation days, the Germans 35. "We Americans average 13 days, a full 50 percent less than our slacker neighbors to the north-those sloths, the Canadians." When we do take time off, it's in fits and starts. Only 14 percent of Americans take two weeks or more vacation at a time, according to the Family and Work Institute.

"Now, more than ever, we need to take a break-a real break, not just a long weekend-from our stressed--out lives," said Alina Tugend in The New York Times. "Vacations are not simply a luxury." For some, they're a necessity. Research has shown that men and women who forgo vacation have a significantly higher risk for heart disease and heart attacks. It's .not enough to just get on a plane or lie on a sandy beach. You need to get away both physically and mentally. " Checking your BlackBerry every few hours or rushing to the nearest Internet cafe doesn't cut it." So go ahead take a two week vacation!