Someone's suing Vibram, alleging the company made unfounded health claims about its barefoot-running shoes.
Well, dang. Five law firms have teamed up to file a class-action law suit against Vibram, maker of the popular FiveFingers shoes, alleging that the health-benefit claims the company makes about its shoes and barefoot running are deceptive.
As Footwear Business Update reports, the suit also posits that the barefoot-like shoes may increase injury risk in runners and that there are no well-designed scientific studies to back up Vibram’s claims.
Apparently, the warnings and cautions on the box are not enough:
The lawsuit also acknowledges Vibram FiveFingers hangtags advise first-time users to ease into running in the shoes and to visit their website for related natural running and training tips. It also notes that Vibram acknowledges that transitioning to running in its shoes might take some runners more than a year.
The plaintiffs are bringing claims exceeding $5 million. The 28-page complaint [PDF] was filed in a Massachusetts court on March 21st.
Tell us: Do you wear Vibrams or other barefoot running shoes? What’s been your experience with running in them?
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Unlike Trix, vaccines aren't just for kids. A local doc gave us the lowdown on adult vaccination.
 If your last vaccination ended with a nurse slapping a Barney Band-Aid on your arm and telling you “Great job, kiddo!,” you’re probably way overdue for some shots. Vaccines can be easy to forget about once you grow old enough to escape school requirements, but your body doesn’t suddenly become invincible with age. I chatted with Mario Maffei, residency program director and lead physician at Virtua Family Medicine Residency in South Jersey, to get the skinny on adult vaccination—why it’s important to stay up to date, which vaccines you should get, how often you should get them and more.
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Our intrepid executive editor embarks on his first week of a 10-week, get-fit-by-summer boot camp. He regrets it already.
 Don't I look positively thrilled? We'll call this the "before" picture. Up front, you need to know this: I hate the gym.
I mean it. Those of you “addicted” to Lithe or who feel shamed and guilt-laden at missing the 6 a.m. daily run are as mysterious to me as people who follow the Kardashians. A great meal at the bar with a crisp glass of wine, the allure of this is something I can wrap my head around. Looking forward to slogging through sweat, feeling pain, and enjoying the constant stench of damp gym socks remains a puzzle.
That said, I certainly understand why people do it. We all want to live longer, sure. But really, more than that we all want to wear nice clothes and not look like a house, or worse, be naked and look like a house. At the end of the day, people work out for one reason: Vanity.
This past winter may have been far more mild than most, but it was still long and dark, and it didn’t help that at the start of it I had major issues with my house while I also got swiftly and efficiently broken-up with. All of which means to explain how I spent several months packing on weight like it was on sale. We all have stress triggers, and we all have things we do to ameliorate those triggers. Some people drink; some people smoke; some people do recreational drugs. Alas, when I am stressed, I eat. A lot. In the words of the late Luther Vandross, “Mrs. Fields and I are on a first-name basis.”
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Our picks for what to do this weekend to stay healthy and fit
Friday
• Plan on hitting the club tonight? Check out the Yoga Rave at the Skybox instead.
Saturday
• I’m shocked to report that there appears to still be tickets to Saturday’s Happy Hour Yoga workshop at Yoga on the Ridge. The first session sold out so fast that they added this second go-round. Register ($25) while you still can!
Sunday
• The farm comes to the big city on Sunday at the Philly Farm & Food Fest at the Convention Center. Vendors will set up shop with lots of samples and goodies for sale.
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Plus—vegans are pissed at Starbucks, and you're sitting in a cloud of germs right now.
 • Is autism on the rise, or is it just being better identified and diagnosed? That’s the question experts are asking after new government data released yesterday shows a 23 percent increase in the autism rate in just two years. Whatever’s behind the uptick, it’s clear that autism is “common and needs to be effectively served,” said Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Thomas Frieden in this AFP article. But there’s a caveat: The CDC survey only looked at data from 14 states, so it’s not considered nationally representative. Assuming, however, that the trend holds true for the rest of the country, the new data would put us into double digits in terms of autism prevalence, from 1 in 110 kids previously to 1 in just 88.
• Vegans are not very happy with Starbucks right now. Why? Because the coffeehouse super-chain started using a beetle- (yes, beetle as in bug) based food coloring to tint its strawberry Frappuccinos pink. What irks me most about this article is the fact that the beetle-derived coloring is apparently very common, cropping up in everything from Pop-Tarts to yogurt. Ew.
• Check out this lede: “A person’s mere presence in a room can add 37 million bacteria to the air every hour, a new study finds.” Gah!
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Get your hair done and get a free hair and scalp service!
 If you read Be Well Philly regularly, you know we don’t weigh in on the beauty scene too often. So when we do, it has to be good, right?
We think Juju’s Rejujuvenating Spring Fling is so good, in fact, that it totally deserves a mention on the ol’ blog. On April 13th, schedule any hair service at Juju Salon and Organics and receive a free Yarok restorative hair and scalp treatment with Yarok’s lead stylist, Theadora Guzman. These treatments are designed to restore hair and scalp problems and make hair more manageable. The all-organic salon will also be offering complimentary chair massages, organic finger foods, wine, beer, tea and discounts on all of the salon products. To make an appointment, call 215-238-6080
Free with hair service, Friday, April 13, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., 713 S. Fourth Street, Bella Vista
>> Have a health or fitness event you’d like to share with Be Well Philly readers? Email eleaman@phillymag.com with details!
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You can be a do-gooder and get a workout. Mark your calendar for these upcoming charity races and walks.
April
Stroehmann Bakeries Walk and Run Against Hunger
Date: Saturday, April 14th, 8 a.m.
Charity: Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger
Location: Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2600 Benjamin Franklin Parkway.
Registration: $25 until April 12th, $30 day of event. Register and learn more here.
SPIN Possibilities in the Park 5K Run/Walk
Date: Saturday, April 14th, 8 a.m.
Charity: SPIN
Location: Industrial Park of Northeast Philadelphia, 10501 Drummond Road.
Registration: $25 ($30 day of the event) for adults, $10 ($15 day of the event) for children. Register and learn more here.
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Now four months in to her weight loss experiment, Robin is taking stock of what she's accomplished so far—and how many pounds she still has to go. Is it time to adjust her goals?
 Be honest with me, guys: On a scale of one to 10—10 being “so sick of you, I would punch you in the face if ever I met you in person”—how sick of me are you? For 16 weeks, I have been taking up space in the blogosphere. Wasting five, maybe ten, minutes of your precious time each Thursday. Trying, and sometimes succeeding, to find the humor in this whole weight-loss thing while reporting on recipes, classes and products that I’ve tried along the way. Smiling politely when, at one function or another where eating was involved (read: all functions I attend), someone looked at what I was eating and said “I’m sure THAT’S going to be in this week’s blog, right?” I even posted a fat picture of myself. Who does that?
All of this and I have lost … eight pounds.
Things you are currently thinking about posting/emailing to me after reading this (I know because I’ve said all of these things to friends trying to lose weight at one point or another; it’s what we do):
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 Walking is a great form of exercise that will help you burn more calories, and all you need is a good pair of sneakers.
For more on walking, other great health tips, and videos from Dr. Oz, visit Source4Women at www.uhc.com/source4women or connect with UHCTV at www.uhc.tv.
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Warning: what you are about to see is absolutely disgusting.
If a picture’s worth a thousand words, this video must be off the charts. I’ll warn you before you click play: In it, everybody’s favorite Clueless actress, Alicia Silverstone, chews her food, then spits it into her 11-month-old’s mouth. And by the way her son opens his mouth in anticipation, it’s clear this isn’t a one-time thing. Ok, here goes …
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