I never started paying much attention to nutritional supplements or vitamins until my doctor told me that I could be prone to early-onset osteopenia (bone density that's lower than normal peak) after seeing my X-ray results for a fractured ankle a few years ago. Given my strong family history of osteoporosis, my aversion to dairy, and body frame size, I knew I had to do something to reverse the silent disease that, left untreated, could be more of an eventuality than a speculation. The ankle break was a misfortune but the resultant "wake-up" call was certainly welcome news to me.

Many medical professionals are skeptical of the benefits of herbs and supplements. And, perhaps rightly so, as we should all try to incorporate well-balanced diets into our lifestyles that ensure we get all the daily recommended nutrients and vitamins instead of relying on supplements to replenish the deficit.

But when you can't always have that lunch break or get all the leafy greens into your system every day, many Complementary Alternative Medicine Doctors and Practitioners recommend supplements to ward of disease and maintain health.

When you're consistently overworked, run-down, achy, and cramped all over, it's time for an intervention. These current, flurrying times can create mental and physical congestion in the best of us, so that's why, more than ever, routine "body tune-ups" are a necessity rather than a luxury. Just like your car needs periodic oil changes, your body requires a reprieve from constant, repetitive activity and hard-to-break bad habits.

I've listed three options of bodywork or massage modalities (techniques) that can help you fend off any further damage:

People love to complain about, or even hate, Los Angeles. I guess it's easy to whine about its incessant, unrelenting, guaranteed traffic at almost all times of the day -- save the wee morning hours of a Sunday. Or the searing and menacing hot days of summer that hang you dry and transform you into a prune. I get it, LA can be occasionally overwhelming and burdensome, but I'm not a hater of this city. I have learned a lot from it and taken advantage of and grown from all of its diversity.

This brings me to the topic of food. I love me some well-made, creative, thoughtful vittles. I'm the type of person who dreams of my next meal. Finding satisfying and delicious dining experiences in LA as a pescetarian is easy. So if you're in LA and happen to be vegan, vegetarian, lacto-ovo vegetarian--or even carnivorous, check out this list (in no particular order) of fantastic eateries that serve up the best and freshest in healthy vegan and vegetarian fare:

To say that I'm obsessed with cosmetics would be an understatement of epic size and behemoth proportions. Any mention of "natural" or "organic" cosmetics nearly compels me to sit down and compose a rambling college thesis on the subject.

OK, so I'm enamored with beauty products--what girl isn't? There's something about the pop-py, pretty brilliance of color in eye makeup, as well as the loosely guaranteed but nonetheless well-intentioned assurances of age defiance in skincare products, which has me abusing my credit card. Fall is my favorite season, and it's finally here, so I can give myself an excuse to add some cool, smoky, even plucky colors to my face palette.

But, I also happen to be very conscious and extremely picky about the makeup I buy. That is, I'm a health freak and tend to be most attracted to makeup that have the words "natural" or "organic" in their clever marketing or packaging. Why? Because as I mentioned in a previous post, about 60% of what you put on your skin gets absorbed into your body. With this in mind, I try to be vigilant about checking the ingredients list on my favorite cosmetics and skincare lines and comparing it against the ratings of the Environmental Working Group Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database.

Last week Lindsay posted some affordable green cosmetic options she's discovered. Here's a list of healthy or environmentally-conscious beauty and skincare products in MY cabinet:

I love seeing adorable, itty-bitty, munchkin-sized ghosts and goblins making their annual rounds in neighborhoods for their dutiful collection of Halloween goodies. Office parties wouldn't be the same without those oh-so-yummy Fun Size Snickers and other hyper-sweetened candies strewn across every desk.

Let's face it, candy is a universal language. People of all nationalities and cultural backgrounds find amore in this comfort food. It adds a little sweetness to the daily lives of an ever-increasing sour world. OK, I'll admit it--candy makes my taste buds sing opera.

But, I haven't touched a lot of Halloween candy in a few years only because my overall cravings have changed. Also, I don't have tiny tykes to entertain and feed, either--but I know that a 100 Grand Bar will have you knocking on Diabetes door a lot quicker than a dull homemade Pretzel snack. But I'm here to change the common notion that homemade "healthier" versions of Halloween candy is nauseating, rated G, or just plain lackluster.

Halloween is a time for bonding with family, friends, and children, so be creative and lean toward the "Trick" instead of the "Treat" in the Halloween mantra. Here's a list of websites that feature affordable and healthy alternatives to traditional Halloween pleasures, as well as ideas for arts and crafts:

Gwyneth Paltrow loves the Master Cleanse, yogis love raw juice cleanses, and some hardcore Spartans just pray for survival during a week-long fast of nothing but lemon juice and water (which I so DON'T recommend!).

I did my first full body cleanse four years ago out of sheer naivety and blind curiosity. I had no comprehension of the commitment, dedication, and focus behind successfully finishing a week-long physical purification. Perhaps that was the stupidest or smartest way to approach a gut-transforming detoxification. All I knew was that--at that time in my life--I was feeling sluggish, sleep-deprived, and irritable. I needed to do some tidying up of my intestines.

It really doesn't matter what brings you face-to-face with your juicer; what does matter is your intention to clear your mind, body, and perhaps spirit. As a sensation junkie, vigorous and physically challenging types of yoga usually resonate with me, but even if you don't practice yoga and you do other physical activities, cleansing may help bring out a lighter and stronger fighting machine in you.

It's 3:00 in the afternoon and you're sitting behind your computer at work with a slight tension headache mounting and tight, sore shoulders screaming for release. Who hasn't felt this way sitting in the same position for long periods of time? You've hit the late afternoon wall.

What do you do?

If weekly chiropractic sessions or massages aren't in your budget, there are many good habits to adopt to alleviate that knot between your shoulders.

Here are some suggestions:

It takes a profound kind of modern-day alchemy to make it through the day in this shrinking post-industrial world. Every morning people wake up just to jump into their cars and rush barking mad to work, juggle raising families and tending to careers, or deal with the responsibilities of winning or losing the bread in this economy. And recent college graduates have to confront their disaffection toward their expensive education, with no apparent reward of a job.

No doubt, people's stress levels are on the rise and health levels are on the dive.

Making a giant lifestyle change to improve your health is sometimes a decision you make out of duress, nudging from family, or the numbers taunting you on the scale. Whatever the impetus, you own it and need to feel the most comfortable to make a change.

Last week I posted the top three ways to manage your own health care. Here are three more things you might want to consider when restructuring a lifestyle regimen:

Listening to the shouting and--in my opinion--utter nonsense being thrown around during town hall meetings discussing health care reform got me revisiting how inextricably interwoven money, politics, and health care have become.

If you lost your job recently, you may not have the great health benefits you once enjoyed and risk facing insurmountable bills should you fall ill. If you're a child with a life-threatening disease and your laid-off parents can't afford health insurance, you're probably receiving state aid to which we all ultimately contribute.

This crisis has an unrelenting ripple effect.

Then I got to thinking (after feeling incredibly helpless): Why can't we deconstruct this colossal beast and try to simplify a complicated, chaotically spiraling system? We can take action to improve and rehabilitate what we know best -- our OWN health. I can't nit-pick the granular here, but I can try to speak to those who want to make visits to their doctors as minimal as possible. Or to those who just want to embark on a healthier lifestyle where they can deal with barking-mad commutes with a bit more clarity.

Here are three simple steps toward a healthier lifestyle AND a healthier life: