Ensure your eyes remain healthy and beautiful, you may need to look more closely at the value of an annual exam.

Regular eye exams are not just about obtaining optimal vision through the right eyeglass or contact prescription but can also help detect early warning signs of disease that can affect your eye health and general health.

Since an eye examination can help detect many health problems, eye care practitioners often work in conjunction with internists and general practitioners to help empower individuals on their health and wellness journey.

Many doctors offer new technology, such as digital retinal eye scans, that are quick and comfortable and produce a computerized picture of blood vessels in action. This new technology effectively provides information on eye health and certain systemic health conditions, such as diabetes and glaucoma. Read more » »

Reuters - Actress Christina Applegate, famed for playing ditzy daughter Kelly Bundy on TV comedy “Married … With Children,” is fighting breast cancer, but expected to make a full recovery, her spokeswoman said on Saturday.

Applegate, 36, was diagnosed with cancer during a regular MRI, spokeswoman Ame Van Iden said in an email.

“Christina is following the recommended treatment of her doctors and will have a full recovery,” Van Iden said.

Applegate, whose mother battled both breast and cervical cancer, has been an advocate for breast cancer research.
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Ever wonder what the lady–who–lunches lifestyle would be like? Now you can act the part with a stay at the Mansion on Peachtree, a Rosewood Hotel. Rooms in this slim 42–story building, which towers over the upscale Buckhead neighborhood, are accented with velvet, silk, and black and white marble tiles and offer sweeping views of the city. The spa, created by 29 Cosmetics founder Lydia Mondavi, was inspired by Napa Valley.

What does this mean for you? Grapes. Lots of them. Choose from the grape seed antioxidant tea or signature wine before you hit the heated water beds in the treatment rooms.
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Make your reservations early for Downtown Atlanta Restaurant Week because they’re getting booked fast. Three-course $25 meals including appetizer, entree and dessert will be served at such longtime favorite spots as City Grill, Dailey’s, No Mas Cantina, Prime Meridian, Ray’s in the City, Max Lager’s, Luckie Food Lounge, Pittypat’s Porch and more. Among the newer places to check out are Stats, French American Brasserie, Maxim Prime, Room at Twelve and Thrive. The deal is offered from Monday through July 27. For a list of participants and availability, go to www.atlantadowntown.com.

•Just in case you need an excuse to down a few Sweetwater brews, here’s a really good one. On Saturday, the brewery at 195 Ottley Drive will host an evening of beer, tours, live music and more to support the Busted Hearts team of the Atlanta Two-Day Walk for Breast Cancer. The event runs from 8 to 11 p.m., and tickets are $20 in advance, $25 at the door. 404-691-2537; www.sweetwaterbrew.com. Read more » »

When the hot weather sets in, you’ll see all those transplants from the northern regions pining away for their summer cooler — a chilly cup of Italian water ice.

If the concept is foreign, drop by Rita’s Water Ice on Marietta’s west side today and see what it’s all about with a free regular-sized treat. Owners Leroy and Kimberly Breitsprecher are handing out freebies today only to introduce locals to the product that’s made with real fruit. Pick from more than 30 flavors, including lemon, mango, green apple, kiwi strawberry and cherry — the one sure to leave you with shockingly red tongue and lips. Medium and large cups sell for $1.99 and $2.49.

Rita’s also serves Italian cream ices (akin to ice cream but not as heavy) in flavors such as cappuccino cream, mint chocolate chip, fudge brownie, banana split and more. Sugar-free flavors are available. There’s also a selection of frozen custards, a “blendini” (cookie pieces, frozen custard and Italian ice) and shakes made from liquid custard and Italian ice.
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For the procedure, you are either given general anesthesia or a sedative through an intravenous line and local anesthesia to numb your skin. Next, the surgeon makes an incision that starts in the temple area and circles the ear. The skin is raised, and the muscle and tissue underneath is tightened. The surgeon may remove some fat and skin. The skin is then redraped over the face and the incision is sutured. The incision usually falls along the hairline or in a place where the skin would naturally crease so that it does not show after the surgery.

The surgery usually takes several hours. You may be able to go home that day, but people sometimes spend one night in the hospital, healthwise

Beg your pardon?

According to a recent study released by Energizer Battery, nearly half of all respondents feel that their marriage has suffered due to their partner’s hearing loss. And since more than 28 million Americans now suffer from some type of hearing impairment, this is an issue with which many couples are contending.

What’s so upsetting about hearing loss? Well, aside from the frustration (both of the speaker who is forced to constantly speak louder than comfortable, and the listener who is forced to constantly ask for things to be repeated), hearing loss can also be emotionally draining. Both partners begin to feel that their needs are not being understood as the miscommunications pile up around them.

Furthermore, the study also found that hearing loss is often accompanied by deliberate miscommunication at times. According to the survey, a husband might easily hear his wife preparing snacks in the kitchen and come running for a bite, but moments later when she asks him to take out the trash, he can’t hear her! This so-called “selective hearing” might be amusing to an outsider, but for the spouse who constantly has to repeat herself and beg for errands to be performed, it is certainly no laughing matter. Read more » »