Who would've thought that the same company who gave rise to Super Mario Brothers would transform a generation into virtual athletes? And I know what you're thinking - don't even try to turn this video gaming habit into a banner health campaign. Hold the phone, sister. Read on and you'll see what Nintendo has done.

The calorie-carnage begins with a wireless remote -- like a piece of sporting equipment. In fact this wireless piece is your symbolic tennis racket, baseball bat or golf club. Players use the momentum of their body movements to engage a sensor placed on top of the television. The freebie games that come with Nintendo Wii are: tennis, golf, baseball, and even boxing. Of course the games to choose from are as far as the imagination can stretch. You can even pay to download the good old games like Super Mario Brothers and other hits from back in the day. The gaming actively involves movement of the biceps, shoulders, core and even the legs. All of this, of course, happens in the comfort and privacy of home, which means users of any age or skill level can hit the virtual court, diamond or links anytime.

In a study of 25 kids 8 to 12 years old, researcher Lorraine Lanningham-Foster at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, found that kids playing active video games (Sony's EyeToy and Konami's Dance Dance Revolution Ultramix 2) expended roughly double the energy of kids playing sedentary video games.

Wii has attracted a devoted following, including 26-year-old Mickey DeLorenzo, of South Philadelphia. The multimedia developer quickly attained cultural hero status by blogging the results of his 30-minute-a-day Wii exercise regimen. DeLorenzo, who lost 9 pounds between Dec. 3 and Jan. 15 just by playing Wii games.

If you're still curious what the game looks like in action take a moment to watch a crafty commercial Nintendo put together. The theme of the commercial is: Wii would like to play. Enjoy!

Researchers found that the type of body fat an individual has -- - white and brown-- may explain why one person gains weight easier than another.

White fat is the more familiar form of fat that accumulates in the abdomen, thighs, and buttocks. Brown fat burns energy and generates heat. White fat is deposited around internal organs and as visceral fat - the most harmful form of abdominal fat. Brown fat contains small lipid droplets tucked behind tiny energy factories called mitochondria. These cells are most prevalent in cute, little chubby babies, but tend to mostly disappear by adulthood. A 2005 Joslin study discovered genes that control the creation of the precursor cells that give rise to brown fat cells. This latest study shows that brown fat may not disappear in all adult animals and that little collections of brown fat may account for why some mice are protected from obesity and diabetes and others are not.

This study compared the difference in fat metabolism between the B6 mouse and the 129 mouse. The B6 mouse is one of the most commonly used strains in metabolic research and an established model for diet-induced obesity. When placed on a high-fat diet, the B6 mouse develops severe obesity, high blood glucose and insulin resistance with extremely high insulin levels. By contrast, the 129 mouse gains 30% to 50% less weight than the B6 mouse and is resistant to dietary induced obesity and glucose intolerance.

The only difference between the B6 and 129 mice is the type of body fat. The B6 mice had a majority of white fat cells, whereas the 129 mice had over 100 times the number of brown fat cells than the B6 mice. The mice with more white fat cells had a tendency to gain weight and develop diabetes on a high-fat diet. The study showed that the 129 mice had higher basal energy expenditure than the B6 mouse, resulting in a mitigated response to dietary effects. So I guess this begs the question -- how does one turn white fat into brown fat?

Before experiencing wounds or diabetic ulcers, patients affected by diabetic peripheral neuropathy suffer from loss of sensation, loss of balance, chronic pain, or loss of feeling in their extremities. An infrared therapy is showing promising results for the reduction of pain from peripheral neuropathy.

Anodyne Infrared Therapy is a treatment that uses light energy to exponentially increase (up to 400%) the circulation in peripheral areas (arms, legs). Light-emitting diodes are fitted into flexible pads that can be applied directly to the skin on any affected part of the body. The light energy helps increase blood flow by delivering nutrients to the injured site. Anodyne therapy consists of 10 to 12 sessions lasting 30 minutes each. During this time, energy is penetrating your tissues increasing circulation that results in reducing pain and rapid wound healing.

Light energy helps your body release a gas called Nitric Oxide from your own red blood cells. This powerful molecule plays a critical role in the health of your arteries. Anodyne Infrared Therapy can be used to intervene at the early stages of the disease in order to prevent the more serious complications. If you suffer from any condition distinguished by pain and inflammation or a condition characterized by poor circulation, Anodyne may be a painless, non - invasive treatment option for you.

The benefits of Anodyne Therapy extend as far-reaching as: arthritis, bursitis, tendonitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, sprains, temporal mandibular joint disorders ("TMJ"), slow healing wounds, and stress fractures. Let the light shed some promising results on your painful ailments. I'm curious to see how well it works. I called a local office and setup an appointment. If it works for me - you'll be the first to read about it. Stay tuned...