I never need an alarm clock. That's because I have a Jack Russell named Nipsey. Every morning at 5 a.m. he's up, ready for his morning walk. And because he likes to relax on weekends as much as my husband and I do, he lets us sleep in until 7 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.

There are very few people, let alone animals, I would get up for that early in the morning... but I do. Every day, rain or shine, sleet or hail, my hubby or I throw on his harness and leash and trudge up the street. Then we walk again in the afternoon and twice in the evening. Sometimes we stroll for a while, other times it's just for a quick jaunt, but he is the reason I get out and hit the pavement.

It's no secret that dogs can motivate us to get off the couch. In a recent study by the Bassett Research Institute in Cooperstown, New York, scientists investigated whether overweight people who have overweight dogs might be able to partner with their pets in a healthy program of diet and exercise in order to lose weight. The study followed volunteers both with and without canine companions. They all were provided with nutrition counseling and instruction on a regular walking program. The dogs were even given low-fat dog food. Researchers found, to no surprise, that both groups lost weight, but it was the walking group with pooch partners that kept the weight off after the diet was over. And even the four legged participants lost pounds.

So can Fido be a secret weapon to fight obesity? Many doctors say yes, because pets give owners, especially children, the opportunity to participate in some exercise they normally wouldn't get. A study from Wales looked at walkers both with and without furry friends and found that almost 41 percent of dog owners walk, on average, 18 minutes per week longer than people without dogs. Physicians have also found that walking with your pup can improve your overall health. When doctors from the University of Missouri Columbia gave dogs to inner city families who lead sedentary lifestyles, they found the new walkers bonded with their animals, improved their flexibility, balance, lost weight and felt better about themselves.

I know a dog can be a major commitment. In order to keep them healthy, they take time, a lot of care and especially love. But that's what makes it work....I walk with Nipsey, because I love him and that's why it's easier to exercise with my little guy, then it is to get on my treadmill in the basement.

Do you have a dog walking routine that works...or a passion that keeps you motivated to exercise? Let us know. We'd like to hear about it.

For more information on healthful living and the latest medical news, watch House Call with Dr. Sanjay Gupta Saturday and Sunday at 8:30 a.m. ET

On a stiflingly hot day late last month, a group of mourners celebrated a life well lived. "Martha was a fine woman," said the preacher. And she was. Miss Martha, as we are fond of saying in the South, was just good people. Never married, Martha dedicated her life to helping others. She helped set up one of the first homeless shelters in Atlanta. Martha made people feel special.

Even though Martha was 75, she seemed younger -- younger than some 30 year olds I know. As the preacher reminded us, Martha had taught classes on "positive aging" at a local retirement home. Driving home, I started thinking about attitude and aging. I did a little research and decided to call some experts. "Those who are under the most stress have higher mortality," says Dr. Brian Carpenter, who studies aging at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. "A positive attitude has been shown to lead to reduced stress hormones, hypertension and blood pressure. It's also beneficial to the immune system." Another study found that seniors with positive emotions are less likely to become frail.

But as my grandma is fond of saying, "Growing old is not for sissies." As our bodies break down, it can be hard to keep a positive attitude and look towards the future. "You need to be circumspect about things that can be changed and can't be changed," says Carpenter. "You want to have some control... but don't beat your head against the wall over the things you can't change."

While we can't control growing old, we can choose how we are going to live. One of the things I always admired about Martha was her passion for learning. She had the curiosity of a child. Martha also invested in the people around her. Keeping friendship networks strong as we age is extremely important, says Dr. Carpenter. Looking out at the congregation, I was struck by the diversity of friends Martha had made over the years. Some she had known since she was a schoolteacher in the 1950s; others were young women she met through her volunteer work.

I am grateful for the lessons of Martha's life. I will miss the twinkle in her eye. Martha indeed was a good woman. Do you have a "Martha" in your life? What do you think is the secret to staying happy as we grow older?

Today, on this sixth anniversary of 9/11, the country will mourn together. For most of the country, it will be a reminder, an anniversary, but for thousands of others it could be psychologically devastating. It could cause something known as PTSD or post traumatic stress disorder. The symptoms can be awful and the research shows us the reminders don't help.

We know on average 4 percent of the general American public suffers from PTSD, but one in eight 9/11 rescue and recovery workers had PTSD, even years after the attack, according to the World Trade Center Health Registry. We know firefighters developed PTSD at 2 times the rate of police officers, but both groups continue to suffer today. We also know that PTSD is an anxiety disorder that is marked by sudden and intense fear, along with feelings of desperation, hopelessness and outright horror. We know it can be difficult to treat.

During the last six years, there has been a growing body of research on PTSD, looking at the survivors of 9/11 and veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. For example, researchers are looking at propranolol, a blood pressure medication, as a possible treatment for PTSD. The idea is that this medication will block the adrenaline surge associated with a traumatic event. If you can block that release of adrenaline, the terrible memories may not be seared into the brain, and that might reduce the risk of future PTSD. There are some emergency rooms that now give the medication immediately after a traumatic event. There also is video game technology used for returning veterans. I tried it out myself and understood the premise that by exposing someone to previously traumatic events in a controlled setting with psychologists standing by, you could learn what is specifically traumatic, and deal with it. (Watch Video)

The triggers for PTSD aren't necessarily the images you will watch on television. They could be a sound, like bells ringing, or a certain smell. The best advice is to try and recognize if you are suffering and get help. Below is a list of resources that can provide some assistance. Take care of yourself, especially on this day.

If you have ever suffered from PTSD, or know someone who did, how did you deal with it? What worked best for you and what didn't work?

9/11 NYC health website


National Center for PTSD

I knew a lot of angry people when Apple decided to drop the price of the 8GB iPhone by $200 last Wednesday. Wouldn't you have been angry if you had paid $600 or a full 1/3 more than everybody else just for the privilege of owning an iPhone 3 months earlier?

This has got some people talking about a condition called the early adopter syndrome. "It's a lack of impulse control in the presence of new technologies," according to Tom Creeds of St. John's University.

So, who is an early adopter? I knew I had heard the term before. Were early adopters really just suckers who bought the latest gadgets at premium prices?

The term stems back to diffusion theory. It's a domino effect theory based on psychology and it beats in the heart of today’s marketing campaigns. Everett Rogers's "Diffusion of Innovations," published in 1995, is the textbook for diffusion theory. The idea is that early adopters set trends. Imagine a hill or a bell curve graph. Early adopters would be on the left, the big bulge in the middle is the majority in the middle or the mainstream and the laggards are all the way on the right.

Early adopters are the target audience for all marketers. They don't shy away from newness and uncertainty and they are happy to incorporate cutting edge innovations. They are the people who will bring a cool new product to the mainstream. They make up just 13.5% of the population. Here's the breakdown:

(1) Innovators - 2.5%
(2) Early adopters - 13.5%
(3) Early majority - 34%
(4) Late majority - 34%
(5) Laggards - 16%

Basically, early adopters shape opinions and influence their friends. We all know somebody who is always on the early edge of trends. The person who knows about a great band months before anybody else. The person who waited on line for the Nintendo Wii long before everyone else had one. Dr. Donald Berwick calls them "self-conscious experimenters," in a 2003 Journal of the American Medical Association article.

Many tech writers refer to what they call early adopter syndrome, or confess to being a technoholic, but all joking aside, you can get burned. Such as in the case with the iPhones. By the way, Apple is offering credits to appease iPhone's early adopters.

Buying new technology often means it's unproven and needs testing, but early adopters often forego the risk for the possible benefits.

Are you an early adopter? Do you know any early adopters? Do you think this theory of trend-setting makes sense?