Michaela McNutt, 11, and her mom, Maryann, recently appeared on Oprah to show how much their strict regimen of exercise and diet helped them achieve personal growth and shed excess weight, according to Tampa Bay Online. Maryann lost more than 100 pounds and Michaela lost 50 pounds.

"I'm able to play with my friends more and keep up when people run and we play soccer or play something," Michaela told Oprah.

The pair didn't originally have any plans to meet the most famous face on television. Maryann had first sent a letter with a video from a local news station of their weight loss stories, just asking for Oprah's autograph for Michaela, which she planned to give her daughter for Christmas.

However, Oprah apparently found the tale so inspirational that she whisked Maryann and Michaela to her Chicago studio. She gave them both new bicycles to celebrate their successes.

Michaela hopes that her experience will help other families who are battling child obesity, saying that persistence is the key to achieving the goal.

Exercise can not only help people lose weight, experts have found that it can be responsible for a variety of mental health benefits. Regular physical activity can lower stress levels, improve mood and help with concentration. 

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Ilchi Lee believes that health concerns can often be greatly helped through the use of holistic medicine, because the practices can work wonders for a patient's spirit. 

The New York Times reports that more healthcare professionals and hospitals are using reiki, an ancient Japanese art of healing. This involves the use of hands or reiki stones, which are applied to a patient's body to inspire a sense of relaxation.

Dementia patients appear to benefit from the technique. One reader, Sue Higgins, wrote to The New York Times detailing her own experience with reiki. She generally uses it on her mother, who is 81 and has Lewy Bodies dementia. Reiki appears to help keep her mom calmer, and aid her sleeping problems.

Additionally, Higgins' mother regularly undergoes acupuncture. "She wasn't able to speak coherent sentences before she began Acupuncture," Higgins writes. So, in this case, it seems that holistic healing practices had a very real effect on patients.

The Alzheimer's Association estimates that there are 5.4 million Americans who suffer from the condition and almost 15 million caregivers spend billions of hours each year attending to the needs of these patients.  

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When it comes to healthy and active living, a balanced and nutritious diet is key. Ilchi Lee believes that health is as much a physical state as it is a spiritual one – taking personal responsibility for food choices can lead to a better life.

A new study has found that those who choose to eat fish that contain high levels of omega-3 may actually be less prone to developing type 2 diabetes, despite other conditions, such as being overweight

Researchers found that the tribe of Yup'ik Eskimos in Alaska have a much higher concentration of fish in their diet, but the fatty content of this dish also leads to a prevalent obesity rate. However, while being overweight has been linked to type 2 diabetes, this was a rare condition among the Eskimos.

"It appeared that high intakes of omega-3-rich seafood protected Yup'ik Eskimos from some of the harmful effects of obesity," said researcher Zeina Makhoul.

The findings indicate that making a conscious effort to include more fish and omega-3 fatty acids in one's diet can help improve health and may curb diabetes. 

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