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Is Your Mood Adding Inches to Your Waistline?

admin — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 20:38:52 +0000

Most of us are all too well aware that overeating, eating junk food and not exercising are sure to expand our belt buckles another notch. But weight gain is not always so cut and dry. Oftentimes you may carefully watch what you eat, load your plate full of fruits and veggies, even exercise regularly … and still not win the battle of the bulge.

In this latter case, your weight gain may have nothing to do with the foods you eat or the exercise you do, but rather with your emotional health.

A new study published in BMJ analyzed data from four medical screenings of over 4,300 British civil servants aged 35 to 55, including screenings that assessed mental health and measurement of height and weight.

People with a common mental health disorder, such as anxiety or depression, at all three previous screenings were twice as likely to be obese at the final screening compared with those who had no mental health disorder symptoms. Further, the risk of weight gain and obesity was the greatest for those who had more incidences of a common mental health disorder.

“The connection between mental health and weight gain is not a new one.”
Said Dr. Mark Dedomenico, M.D. in an MSN Health & Fitness blog post:
“Depression, like anxiety, causes some release of cortisone from the adrenal glands. Cortisone will cause insulin resistance at the cellular level, making the delivery into the cells difficult. This in turn causes hunger and weight gain.”

Stress, Job Layoffs and Anxiety May All Impact Your Weight

Research has shown that more than 50 percent of Americans increase their food intake when feeling stressed out. In the past people would lose weight when faced with stressful situations, but the stress of the economy and fear of the unknown are causing people to put on weight.

In fact, the more anxious people get, the more they tend to turn to sugar, fat and salt to boost their mood, albeit temporarily. This explains why boredom, lots of free time at home and financial woes are three big factors that drive people to overeat.

Overeating aside, just being stressed out can cause you to gain weight in and of itself, according to the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation.

“Under stress, people conserve more fat, and we think that may be what’s going on here,” said psychologist and study co-author Tené Lewis of Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.

The study involved more than 2,000 women from their 40s through menopause, and the researchers asked them about unhappy events in their life over the past year. The results? Even after taking into account other factors that could affect weight gain (exercise habits, diet, smoking, etc.) it was found that the more bad things the women reported, the more weight they gained.

In other words, the greater the stress, the greater the women’s weight.

So the link between stress and weight gain is not just the tendency to overeat when stressed, but the fact that your body produces a hormone called cortisol in response to stress, and increased cortisol causes your body to store fat. So, even if you are watching your diet, stress can cause you to gain weight!

This is why getting into a positive state of mind and having proper relaxation are two of the most important keys to good health. They can help lower cortisol levels, effectively help you reduce stress and also contribute to weight loss at the same time.

Thank you for taking the time to read this blog at RivergateDentalCare.com, you can learn more about our dental services by reading our blogs. We have additional information concerning pregnancy and diabetes, pregnancy and gum disease, diabetes dentistry, cosmetic dental work such as lumineers and teeth whitening. Information on oral health, systemic connection with periodontal disease, tooth extractions, dentures, cosmetic dentistry, sedation dentistry and sedation solutions, gum disease, root canals, children’s dentist, family dentist, smile solutions. Rivergate Dental Care is located in Goodlettsville TN, Rivergate area and provides dental services to Nashville and the surrounding areas including Gallatin, Hendersonville, White House and Greenbrier. We have three doctors in our office: Dr. David Weaver, Dr John Friedmann and Dr Katie Ham (female dentist). We accept Blue Cross Blue Shield and also work with Delta Dental. Call today to schedule an appointment! We offer free exam and free x-rays to all new patients! 1 800 FIX MY TEETH (1 800 349 6983).

Is it Better to Exercise to Music?

admin — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 20:31:22 +0000

Synchronizing your exercise pace to the tempo of the music may increase your endurance up to 15 percent!

Exercise can help prevent heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer, plus it may:

Lower blood pressure
Promote healthy blood sugar levels
Boost the immune system
Increase levels of HDL (good) cholesterol
Improve your mood and lower your chances of depression
Promote healthy bone density

Yet despite knowing this, most Americans — seven out of 10 of us, in fact — do not exercise regularly.

If you are one of these 70 percent who are in need of a bit of extra motivation, working out with music may be just the ticket.

Exercising with music feels good intrinsically; it keeps you moving, takes your mind off your efforts and puts your mind in an energetic state. But there is even more to it than that.

Costas Karageorghis, a sports psychologist at Britain’s Brunel University, has been researching exercise and music for two decades and created a half marathon called “run to the Beat.” The event mixes the perfect blend of live bands for runners to listen to while they run, all based on Karageorghis’ research of human reaction to rhythm.

According to Karageorghis, there are two “internal” factors that contribute to a song’s motivational qualities — rhythm response and musicality — and two “external” factors – cultural impact and association. Dan Peterson, LiveScience’s Sports Columnist, explained:

Rhythm response describes the beats per minute (bpm) of the song and how well it matches the cadence or the heartbeat of the runner.
Musicality refers to a song’s melody and harmony.
Cultural impact describes our own musical background and preferences
Association is what we associate with certain songs and artists

The Benefits of Working Out With the Right Music

You likely know which music best gets you up and moving, which songs will push you to keep going and which work best during your slower paced cool down. But what you may not know is just how much of an impact the right music can have on your workouts.

According to one study, exercisers who cycled in time to music (syncing beats per minute with an exercise pace) required 7 percent less oxygen to do so than when music was playing in the background. Research also shows that listening to music may offer you a 10 percent reduction in perceived effort while running on a treadmill, which means you’ll likely be able to keep running, longer.

A new study published in the Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, involved 30 exercises who synchronized their exercise pace to the tempo of the music. Those who listened to synchronized music had a 15 percent improvement in endurance compared to a no-music group.

“The synchronous application of music resulted in much higher endurance while the motivational qualities of the music impacted significantly on the interpretation of fatigue symptoms right up to the point of voluntary exhaustion,” Karageorghis told LiveScience.

Music With Your Workout May Even Make You Smarter

A 2004 study in the journal Heart & Lung found that people who listened to music while they exercised performed more than twice as well on a verbal fluency test than people who listened to no music. The test was designed to challenge the part of the brain that deals with planning and abstract thought.

Said the study’s lead author, Charles Emery, ” … Listening to music may influence cognitive function through different pathways in the brain. The combination of music and exercise may stimulate and increase cognitive arousal while helping to organize cognitive output.”

U.S. Life Expectancy Reaches a New High

admin — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 23:22:38 +0000

U.S. life expectancy has reached new heights of 78 years, according to a government report released by the National Center for Health Statistics, part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. These findings mean that U.S. life expectancy has increased by nearly 1.5 years over the past decade.

Researchers are attributing the increase to a drop in death rates in almost all of the categories of leading causes of death.

Topping the chart of U.S. fatalities are heart disease and cancer. Both showed a drop in death rates, heart disease falling by nearly 5 percent in 2007 and cancer deaths by nearly 2 percent. A decrease in diabetes-related deaths followed heart disease, dropping by 4 percent.

One of the biggest declines was in HIV death rates, which showed a drop of 10 percent. The one increase in death rates was Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers stated this may be due to the fact that people are living longer and therefore may be more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease and die from it.

15 Leading Causes of Death in 2006:

Heart Disease
Cancer
Cerebrovascular Disease (Stroke)
Chronic Lower Respiratory Diseases
Accidents (Unintentional Injuries)
Alzheimer’s Disease
Diabetes Mellitus
Influenza and Pneumonia
Nephritis (Kidney diseases)
Septicemia
Intentional Self-Harm (Suicide)
Chronic Liver Disease and Cirrhosis
Hypertension
Parkinson’s Disease
Homicide

Infant Life Expectancy Rises While Mortality Rates Increase

The report showed that babies who were born in 2007 had an average life expectancy almost three months greater than babies born in 2006. It also showed a slight rise in infant mortality rates to 6.77 infant deaths per 1,000 births in 2007.

10 Leading Causes of Death for Infants in 2006

Congenital malformations, deformations and chromosomal abnormalities
Disorders related to short gestation and low birth weight
Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)
Newborn affected by maternal complications of pregnancy (maternal complications)
Accidents (unintentional injuries)
Newborn affected by complications of placenta, cord and membranes (cord and placental complications)
Respiratory distress of newborn
Bacterial sepsis of newborn
Neonatal hemorrhage
Diseases of the circulatory system

According to the World Health Organization, the estimated lifespan in the United States continues to fall behind about 30 other countries — including Japan, which ranked as the leader in life expectancy, topping the charts with 83 years for children born in 2007.

Make a Commitment to be Kind to Your Body and Your Health

You can help to prevent diseases and start increasing your life expectancy today by making positive changes to your lifestyle.

Taking proactive steps toward prevention means dedicating yourself to adopting and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. This is your number one defense against developing these serious diseases and reducing common risk factors associated with them.

Your Six-Step Plan to Preventing the Most Life-Threatening Diseases

Kick your smoking habit: Smoking plays a lot of havoc on your heart’s functions, including decreasing oxygen flow to your heart, increasing blood pressure, heart rate and clotting and causing damage to cells lining your coronary arteries and blood vessels.
Make healthy food choices: The types of food you eat can affect risk factors within your control such as cholesterol, blood pressure, diabetes and obesity. Incorporate vegetables, fruit, whole-grain and high-fiber foods, fish, lean proteins and other nutrient-rich foods into your daily diet. Also strive to get your food from healthy sources, such as a local farmer’s market, where you can find organic produce foods and grass-fed meat.
Make exercise part of your daily regime: Devoting 30 minutes of each day to some type of exercise at least five days out of the week can greatly benefit your health by lowering your blood pressure and cholesterol, reducing your risk of diabetes by lowering your blood sugar and boosting your sensitivity to insulin. You will also want to include a form of physical activity that addresses your mind-body connection and can help you relieve stress at the same time.
Limit your alcohol intake: Excess alcohol consumption can lead to detrimental side effects on your heart such as raising your blood pressure and producing irregular heartbeats. It can also increase your risk of breast cancer.
Reduce your stress levels: Stress can raise your blood pressure levels, alter blood glucose levels and negatively impacts your overall immune system. The key is finding ways to controlling your stress levels through healthy lifestyle management techniques such as:
- Practice yoga. Studies have shown that yoga produces several heart health benefits such as lowering your blood pressure and heart rate and decreasing both cholesterol and triglyceride levels as well as elevating your immune system.
- Relax by listening to soothing music. The staff at Sixwise.com LOVES the Pure Relaxation CD for this.
Keep a healthy weight: Obesity automatically places you at risk for high cholesterol, high blood pressure and insulin resistance, all factors that heighten your risk of heart disease. Studies have proven that obesity is a major risk factor to developing coronary heart disease, which can lead to heart attack. Obesity can also induce diabetes and may increase your risk of cancer. In one study, overweight adults who lost 5 percent to 10 percent of their initial body weight decreased their risk of developing diabetes by 58 percent over a three-year time frame.

Positive Psychology: How to Feel Happy Even if You’re in a Gloomy Place in Life

admin — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 23:08:09 +0000

Job loss, layoffs, companies closing their doors, drops in the stock market and home foreclosures are now daily topics in the media, making it more and more difficult for Americans to uphold a positive attitude.

Surveys are showing that Americans are overwhelmed and uncertain and as a result, stress levels are on the rise. In one survey conducted by the American Psychological Association, nearly half of the 1,791 adults polled admitted to an increase in their stress levels over the past year. Additionally, more than half reported feelings of fatigue and lying awake at night due to stress and 60 percent reported feeling irritable and angry.

Another study by the American Psychological Association cited the current recession as the main stressor for eight of 10 Americans. The key to managing your stress levels while being flooded by constant reminders of a shaky economy and how it could impact your family is by applying positive psychology techniques.

An early glimpse of the benefits of following a positive lifestyle was presented in the book titled, Think and Grow Rich, written by Napoleon Hill. Since then many books have been published all focusing on the unlimited benefits of positive thinking and expanding the emergence of positive psychology.

The Growing Field of Positive Psychology

Positive psychology is the scientific study of the strengths and virtues that enable humans and communities to thrive at optimal functioning levels. The study of positive psychology has a strong emphasis on the benefits of optimism and having a positive outlook and draws attention to the root of psychological health going beyond disease and disorder.

According to the Positive Psychology Center, the area of positive psychology focuses on three areas: positive emotions, positive individual traits and positive institutions.

Three Main Areas of Positive Psychology

Positive emotions—study of contentment with the past and happiness in the present and future
Individual traits—study of individual strengths and virtues, such as the capacity for love and work, courage, compassion, resilience, creativity, curiosity, integrity, self-knowledge, moderation, self-control and wisdom.
Positive institutions—study of strengths that build better communities, such as justice, responsibility, civility, parenting, nurturance, work ethic, leadership, teamwork, purpose and tolerance.

Practicing a positive lifestyle not only decreases your stress level, but can also add years to your life. One study revealed that people with a pessimistic outlook on life had a nearly 20 percent higher risk of dying over a 30-year period than people who kept a positive outlook on life.

12 Ways to Lead a Happier Life

Keep a gratitude diary. By spending only five to 10 minutes writing down things you are grateful for you can increase your overall satisfaction with life and experience better physical health and increased energy levels. You can also write a gratitude letter to someone who did a kind thing for you or write about a recent accomplishment, treasured moment or special relationship that brings you joy.
Perform an act of kindness each day. Volunteer at the food bank, visit a nursing home, help a friend’s child with homework, mow an elderly neighbor’s lawn. Make a goal to do five kind acts a week. Volunteering and performing acts of kindness is a great happiness booster because it triggers a myriad of positive effects such as building a strong connection with others and receiving reciprocated acts of kindness in return. It also adds meaning to your life and gives you a sense of purpose.
Limit your news watching. Decide how much news you will watch or read each day and maintain the delicate balance between staying informed and being dragged down
Spend time with your friends and family. Be open to accepting help and support when needed from those close to you. Keeping strong personal relationships strengthens resilience and is key to regaining hope.
Savor the simple joys in life. Focus on the smile of child, the sunlight on your face, the leaves changing colors or the smell of the grass after a fresh rain. Some psychologists suggest “carrying” some special moments with you and replaying them in your mind during difficult times.
Give your body what it needs to function at its optimal level. Make a point of getting plenty of sleep, exercising daily, meditating, smiling and laughing a lot to create a more satisfying life.
Take the time to Stretch and Exercise each day. When stressed out people have the tendency to hold stress in certain parts of the body like the shoulders and the neck. The simple act of stretching each day can do wonders to releasing the tension in your mind and body. It takes just 15 to 20 minutes of stretching a day to experience the beneficial effects. You will also want to include a form of physical activity that addresses your mind-body connection. Regular exercise is a key way to stay mentally healthy, and to find total health and fulfillment that is life lasting. This can be achieved by creating harmony in body, mind and self.
Clear your mind of the day’s stressors and bring peace to the end of your day by listening to relaxing music. This will help you to embark on a practice for transforming your stress into life-enhancing experiences.
Visualize what you want in life. Write down about your ideal life in detail. Rather than dwelling on your fears in life, visualization allows you to create a hopeful outlook and at the same time reduce your daily stressors.
Replace negative self-talk with focus and statements on what you should have done and will do. THEN give yourself credit for your Achievements. Transform your internal voice into your personal cheerleader. When a negative thought crosses your mind, replace it with your desired outcome. Feed and nourish yourself with focus on the positive, as what you think and say is the reality you are creating for yourself. Keep previous achievements in your back pocket to pull out when you’re feeling insecure. Focus, manifest and project what you want life, love and relationships to become by replacing the focus on problems. Replace problems with solutions and desired realistic outcomes that you can and do take actions to achieve your desired outcomes. Share your vision with those who share your perspective and passion. Don’t waste time repeatedly trying to convince those who only seek to bring you down. Hear their concerns, express appreciation for their concerns, then identify ways to overcome the hurdles. Stay positive. Stay focused and passionate on all the ways your actions help, serve, and benefit others. Your happiness can easily become infectious by sharing your joy and expressing as much appreciation as possible to others for their being a part of the accomplishments! Internally release and forgive others you are challenged with so as to not harbor crippling paralyzing anger or fear. Replacing it with the focus on your present and future goals and joyful interests. Cherish and celebrate each moment as if it were your last.
Create mental pictures of these above points … in advance of challenging circumstances … in quiet meditating moments … before trying times that you know are approaching. Picture your ideal outcomes and release the things — with complete acceptance — that you have no ability to affect or change.
Preparation meets Opportunity! Focus & get into the best state of mind.

Want to Improve Your Immune System? Then Here’s What You Need to Know about Flavonoids

admin — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 22:54:56 +0000

For the first time ever, a study has proven that eating flavonoids, a type of antioxidant that’s especially concentrated in fruits and vegetables, may boost your immune system.

How did the researchers come to this realization? By watching birds.

Researchers from the University of Freiburg and the Max Plank Institute for Ornithology in Germany offered blackcaps a choice of two foods; they were identical except one contained more flavonoids. Sure enough, the birds chose to eat the foods that contained the extra antioxidants.

Next, they looked into what impact the flavonoids had on the birds’ health. Compared with birds not fed flavonoids, those that ate modest amounts of the healthy antioxidants for four weeks had stronger immune systems.

“We fed the birds an amount of flavonoids that they would obtain by eating 1-2 blackberries, bilberries or elderberries a day,” said the lead author of the study, Carlo Catoni of the University of Freiburg.

“We used this modest intake of flavonoids because high quantities are only available during the limited time of maximum berry abundance. Our study shows for the first time that flavonoids are beneficial compounds that can boost the immune system in a living organism,” he continued.

What are Flavonoids?

Flavonoids are actually classified as plant pigments because they’re the substances that contribute to the red color in grapes, and countless other shades of yellow, orange and red in plants. In fact, there are over 6,000 types of flavonoids, and they’re found in virtually all plants.

In your body, flavonoids act as powerful antioxidants that neutralize damage from free radicals. They’re known to:

Help protect your blood vessels from rupture or leakage
Enhance the power of vitamin C
Protect your cells from oxygen damage
Prevent excessive inflammation in your body

They are also known to support a healthy immune system, which is why if you get a lot of colds or infections, your body may be lacking in these healthy compounds. Other signs that you’re not getting enough flavonoids include:

Bruising easily
Getting frequent nose bleeds
Excessive swelling after injury
Hemorrhoids

Are You Getting Enough Healthy Flavonoids?

Because flavonoids exist in nearly all fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices, it’s not difficult to get plenty of these antioxidants from your diet. However, if you don’t eat many fresh fruits and veggies, and instead rely on mostly processed food, you could be missing out — flavonoids are highly susceptible to damage from processing and cooking.

For example, boiling fresh spinach removes half of the total flavonoid content, and overcooking veggies is known to significantly reduce levels as well.

Keeping that in mind, some of the best sources of flavonoids include:

Apples
Apricots
Blueberries, raspberries and strawberries
Pears
Black beans and pinto beans
Cabbage
Onions
Parsley
Tomatoes

You can also get significant amounts of flavonoids by drinking red wine and green tea, which has about 1,000 mg per cup. For comparison, black raspberries contain about 100 mg per ounce, and clinical studies using flavonoids often use levels in the 500-3,000 mg range.

Stretching and Exercise: Is Stretching Before Exercise Dangerous? When Should You Stretch?

admin — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 22:47:49 +0000

Most everyone who exercises (even those among us who may not have exercised since our high school gym class) has heard the advice to stretch. Doing so before, after and during your workout, we were told, would help to prevent injuries, reduce sore muscles and help us get a better overall workout.

As it turns out, this advice is a bit outdated. It seems that the advice was being given before anyone really knew for sure if, and when, stretching was beneficial for exercisers. So here we’ve all been, stretching to our hearts’ content, and possibly causing more harm than good. If, that is, you’ve been stretching incorrectly.

Why it’s Important to Stretch When You Exercise

The notion that stretching is important for anyone who does aerobic or strength-training exercise (or even for those who don’t) still holds true. Stretching is enormously beneficial for your health. Among the benefits that stretching provides are:

Increased energy levels
Increased flexibility
Increased circulation of the blood to various parts of the body
Greater sense of well-being
Reduced muscle tension
Injury prevention
Enhanced muscular coordination

It takes just 15 to 20 minutes of stretching a day to experience these beneficial effects.

When Should You Stretch? Before or After Your Workout?

If you’re a regular exerciser (and if you’re not, here are some tips to help you become one), it makes grand sense to fit your stretching right in with your workout. But should you do it before or after?

Truth be told, the jury is still out on this one, largely because studies have found conflicting results. Case in point, a study in the British Medical Journal found that stretching before or after exercising does not confer protection from muscle soreness. Meanwhile, stretching before exercising, according to the study, “does not seem to confer a practically useful reduction in the risk of injury,” either.

Another review of exercise evidence, this one published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, found similar results.

“The use of stretching primarily as a way to prevent sports injury has been based on intuition and observation, rather than scientific evidence,” said lead researcher Stephen B. Thacker, M.D. “The best advice is to include a combination of warm-up, strength training, plyometrics and balance exercises to lessen injury risks.”

“We are not suggesting athletes discontinue flexibility training and stretching altogether,” Thacker pointed out, adding that warm-ups, balance training and other activities may enhance safety and performance.

What’s the bottom line? Most experts do NOT recommend stretching before exercise because your muscles are not properly warmed up yet. Instead, stretch right after your warm-up (such as walking briskly for five minutes or doing some jumping jacks) and after your workout.

At this time, your muscles are warm and more elastic, and stretching increases your flexibility and maximizes the range of motion around your joints. You should stretch all the major muscles groups that you used during your workout.

What about stretching during your exercise routine? The rule of thumb is, if you feel tight go ahead and do a gentle stretch, then get back to your workout.

And remember, stretching can be done any time of day, not just while you exercise, to help energize you, increase mental clarity and focus, and just to experience how good it feels!

Raw Food Recipes … Ideal for Anyone Committed to Health Who Still Wants Their Meals to TASTE Great

admin — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 22:39:25 +0000

The raw food movement has been gaining speed in America, spurred by its following of health-conscious eaters who strive to eat most or all of their food raw.

The philosophy is that raw foods offer superior nutrients, antioxidants, enzymes and life force energy to cooked foods, whose nutrients have been damaged by the cooking process. Eating a mostly raw food diet is said to help increase your energy, purify your body, improve your overall well-being and even fight diseases from chronic fatigue syndrome to cancer.

And while there isn’t much scientific evidence yet to back up these claims, the growing number of raw food devotees seems to speak for itself.

Preparing Delicious and Simple Raw Foods at Home

Raw food restaurants are popping up in big cities across the country, offering chic and now trendy alternatives for those wishing to eat raw.

But for those who don’t live near a raw food restaurant, or who want to prepare raw food meals at home, there are many raw food cookbooks with quick and easy recipes that take just a few minutes to prepare. With just a blender and a food processor, they show you how to prepare a raw foods feast including lasagna, apple pie, stuffed mushrooms, spaghetti marinara, broccoli in cheese sauce, chocolate shakes and much, much more!

As more of us strive to include more healthy foods in our diets, with lack the time to do it as often as we’d like, these will inspire you to create fresh and delicious meals for you and your family, and is sure to become a trusted companions in your healthy kitchen.

Garlic: The Five Top Health Benefits of The Delicious but Pungent Natural Miracle

admin — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 22:31:24 +0000

It’s the subject of countless festivals, ancient folklore and entire cookbooks, and is a flavor that people either love or hate. Garlic — the beloved small vegetable, or “stinking rose,” that’s been cultivated for over 5,000 years — is not only tasty, it’s incredibly good for you.

A Bit of Garlic Lore

Garlic has long been considered a food of strength. Ancient Egyptians put it in Pharaohs’ tombs and gave it to the slaves who built the pyramids. In ancient Greek and Roman cultures, athletes ate garlic before events and soldiers did so before going off to war.

Cultures in China and India are also known to have taken advantage of the therapeutic effects of garlic.

The Top Five Health Benefits of Garlic

Most likely, you’ve heard that garlic is good for you. You may, however, not know exactly why. Garlic, a member of the lily family, contains potent sulfur-containing compounds that are responsible for many of its healthy effects, along with its characteristic odor.

Aside from providing manganese, vitamin B6, vitamin C and selenium, garlic is known to offer the following healthy benefits.

Protect Your Heart:Eating garlic is known to benefit your blood pressure, lower LDL (bad) cholesterol, lower triglycerides, prevent atherosclerosis and reduce your risk of heart attack and stroke. These benefits are, at least in part, due to the sulfur compounds allicin and diallyl disulphide (DADS) (which are also found in onions, leeks and chives). These compounds help to induce the relaxation and enlargement of blood vessels, which improves blood flow throughout the body. In fact, eating from one-half to one clove of garlic a day may lower your cholesterol by up to 9 percent, according to the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC).
Reduce Inflammation in Your Body: Compounds in garlic inhibit key enzymes that generate inflammation in your body. By reducing inflammation, garlic may help to prevent severe asthma attacks and reduce the pain associated with osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
Prevent Cancer: According to a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, eating garlic is an excellent way to lower your risk of cancer. Compared to those who ate the least amount of garlic, those who ate the most garlic had a:

57% reduced risk for esophageal cancer

44% reduced risk for laryngeal cancer

39% reduced risk for cancer of the oral cavity and pharynx

31% reduced risk for renal cell cancer

26% reduced risk for colorectal cancer

22% reduced risk for ovarian cancer

19% reduced risk for prostate cancer

10% reduced risk for breast cancer

Fight Infectious Diseases: Garlic has powerful antibacterial and antiviral properties. Garlic is also a potent antibiotic, fighting a wide range of pathogens, and studies show it even appears to fight antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria. That, when combined with its vitamin C, kill harmful microbes and fight diseases including:
- Cold and flu
- Stomach viruses
- Candida yeast
- Tuberculosis
- Botulism

Prevent Weight Gain:Among animals fed a sugar-rich diet, those given allicin from garlic did not gain weight like those not given allicin, according to a study in the American Journal of Hypertension. The researchers concluded that allicin may be useful for weight control.

The TYPE of Garlic Matters

Most of the health benefits of garlic refer to it in fresh form, so it is ideal to always use fresh garlic in your cooking (not dried, jarred or paste forms).

In order to convert garlic’s phytonutrient alliin into beneficial allicin, the garlic must be chopped or crushed. So if you plan to eat a whole garlic clove for health benefits alone, you must chew it first.

To maximize garlic’s allicin content, wait a few minutes before you eat or cook the garlic.

Delicious Ways to Eat Garlic

Spanish Garlic Soup

Ingredients:
10 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
5 cups of beef broth
1 cup of dry sherry
1/4 cup of olive oil
French bread, sliced and toasted
Grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper

Method:

Sauté garlic in the olive oil until it turns golden. Heat the beef broth with sherry. When the broth reaches the boiling point, add garlic and the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste; then simmer for about 30 minutes. Strain out the garlic and reheat. Sprinkle toasted french bread slices generously with Parmesan cheese, then place them in a 425°F (220°C) oven for about 3-4 minutes. Put the hot toast in the bottom of soup dishes; then pour the soup over top.

Roasted Garlic

Ingredients:
4 heads of garlic
1/2 cup of chicken broth
2 tablespoons of butter
1/2 teaspoon of dried leaf thyme
1/4 teaspoon of ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon of salt

Method:
Remove the outer peel from the garlic. Place the garlic heads in a baking dish. Dab each head with butter. Sprinkle the garlic heads with thyme, pepper and salt. Pour the chicken broth into the dish. Cover the dish with foil and bake at 350°F (175°C) for one hour, basting frequently. Uncover the dish and bake at the same temperature for another 15 minutes. To serve, squeeze each clove and spread the soft garlic paste onto toasted French bread rounds.

The Intimate Lives of the Post-Reproductives: New Research Provides an Interesting Inside Peek

admin — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 22:12:17 +0000

An unprecedented survey of the intimate lives of seniors — defined as “post-reproductives” — has put a new spin on sex in your golden years.

As stereotypes would have it, many assume that intimacy slowly wanes as you age, leaving not much to talk about when it comes to the bedroom habits of the elderly. This is clearly misguided, according to the survey of over 3,000 57- to 75-year-olds, which was published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

“For most people, it’s a shock to hear that people are having sex in their 70s,” said Dr. Barbara Paris, director of geriatrics at Maimonides Medical Center in New York City in a Forbes article.

While it’s true that intimacy does decrease slightly when you reach your 70s and beyond, it does not disappear. In fact, the frequency of seniors’ sex lives is based on the same things as younger people’s — with lack of a partner or health issues among the two most prominent reasons for a slow down.

Everything You’ve Wondered (or Tried Not to Wonder) About Sex and Aging

Why study intimacy in your later years?

“It debunks some myths that sex and old age don’t go together, and it places this in the context of health and health problems,” says Marcia G. Ory, professor of social and behavioral health and director of the Aging and Health Promotion Program at Texas A&M Health Science Center School of Rural Public Health.

Not surprisingly, those who reported being healthy also reported having more intimacy (nearly double the amount) than those who reported fair or poor health. Diabetes, hypertension and other health issues can greatly impact sexual behavior, for instance.

“Sexual health, when it begins to deteriorate, may be an important warning sign, because it may be an early warning sign of more profound health problems,” said Edward Laumann, co-author of the study and the George Herbert Mead Distinguished Service Professor in Sociology at the University of Chicago.

The researchers hope the study will open up an avenue of communication about sexual and overall health for seniors, who are the fastest growing segment of the population.

“This subject has been taboo for so long that many older people haven’t even talked to their spouses about their sexual problems, let alone a physician,” said the lead author, Dr. Stacy Tesser Lindau, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology and of medicine-geriatrics at the University of Chicago.

The study involved two-hour, in-person interviews conducted in the participants’ homes. It revealed the following:

73 percent of those aged 57 to 64 had sex with a partner in the previous year
53 percent of those aged 64 to 75 had sex in the previous year
26 percent of those aged 75 to 85 had sex in the previous year
The most sexually active people did so two to three times a month or more
Men were more likely to be sexually active than women, perhaps because far more women were widowed and lacked partners
Sexual problems were reported in half of those having sex. For men, the most common problem was erection trouble, in women, low desire
Viagra had been used by one out of seven men to enhance their sex life
Most participants had not discussed sexual activity with a doctor since age 50 (only 22 percent of women and 38 percent of men in the survey had)

Ultimately, staying intimate for the long haul, as long as no health problems are at play, may be one of the best things you can do for your health and your relationship. Studies do, in fact, show that couples in happier marriages have sex more often, and intimacy is good for your body and soul.

“A good sex life is an important part of an individual’s overall health,” says Mark Schoen, Ph.D., director of sex education for the Sinclair Intimacy Institute. “People who have a good sex life feel better [mentally and physically].”

Want to Live Longer? Be Wealthier? And Happier? Here is the One PROVEN Secret: Reading!

admin — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 22:05:21 +0000

Many people seek refuge from a hard day by curling up with a good book. Others use reading as a way to pass the time while traveling or waiting for an appointment, while still others read for the pure enjoyment of it.

No matter what your reason is for reading, research has shown that it’s good for more than just your imagination.

Stress Relief

Reading fiction, spiritual, self-help and other literary genres is an excellent way to calm your mind. Says Jill Brennan:

“Taking your mind off your own problems, even for a few minutes, can have a therapeutic effect and be a timely circuit breaker. This is so effective that the National Health System in the United Kingdom has introduced a “Reading and You Scheme.” The scheme encourages mental health patients to read more as part of their therapy for reducing stress and overcoming anxiety, depression and social isolation.”

Finding effective ways to relieve stress in your life is key to keeping healthy and living a long, disease-free life. Maybe reading is one of yours?

Be More Successful (and Wealthier)

According to a study by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), frequent reading is a huge factor in a student’s future success.

Researchers said, “Being more enthusiastic about reading and a frequent reader, was more of an advantage on its own than having well educated parents in good jobs.”

OECD’s Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) conducted the study to determine how well young adults in 31 countries were prepared to enter society at the end of compulsory schooling. Among 15 year olds, it was found that “children from the most deprived backgrounds performed better in tests than those from more affluent homes if they enjoyed reading books, newspapers and comics in their spare time.”

And according to an OECD report, “Finding ways to engage students in reading may be one of the most effective ways to leverage social change.”

Indeed, being better prepared for society’s challenges gives a person an advantage that could lead to a better education, a better career and even a better income later in life.

Support Your Own Mental Health

The National Health System (NHS) in the United Kingdom had so much faith in the power of reading that in 2000 it implemented a program called the Reading and You Scheme (RAYS).

In partnership with the Kirklees and Calderdale libraries, the program objectives included:

To promote the idea of reading (particularly fiction) as an alternative to drugs, in the achievement of mental and physical well-being.
To encourage greater use and awareness of the library services by all, but especially those suffering from social isolation.
To support and empower the individual to improve confidence and self-esteem and to improve learning and inter-personal skills by reading, discussing and debating in small informal groups.
To raise awareness amongst library staff and health professionals of the benefits of reading.
To continue to collect hard evidence and examples of the benefits of reading for general mental and physical well-being.

So far, the program has been a success. Here’s how it works: ‘Bibliotherapists’ work with health professionals, who ‘prescribe’ books and meetings with the bibliotherapists to patients in lieu of (or in combination with) other treatments. Together they promote the benefits of reading for:

Relaxation
Reducing stress, anxiety and depression
Social isolation

A similar program was also started in Wales by Professor Neil Frude, a consultant psychologist at Cardiff and Vale NHS Trust. He said:

“We launched the scheme in March 2003 in Cardiff, now it’s been copied in 45 areas across the UK. Ninety percent of mild to moderate psychological problems are treated in primary care. And the benefit of the scheme is that patients can be given similar treatments in a book that they would receive in counseling.”

Medical experts have compiled a list of 33 books that belong to the program and are available in libraries across Wales.

Looking for a Really Good Read?

The Observer compiled a list of the 100 greatest novels of all time. Inevitably it caused a fair amount of controversy. Here are the first 25:

Don Quixote Miguel De Cervantes
Pilgrim’s Progress John Bunyan
Robinson Crusoe Daniel Defoe
Gulliver’s Travels Jonathan Swift
Tom Jones Henry Fielding
Clarissa Samuel Richardson
Tristram Shandy Laurence Sterne
Dangerous Liaisons Pierre Choderlos De Laclos
Emma Jane Austen
Frankenstein Mary Shelley
Nightmare Abbey Thomas Love Peacock
The Black Sheep Honore De Balzac
The Charterhouse of Parma Stendhal
The Count of Monte Cristo Alexandre Dumas
Sybil Benjamin Disraeli
David Copperfield Charles Dickens
Wuthering Heights Emily Bronte
Jane Eyre Charlotte Bronte
Vanity Fair William Makepeace Thackeray
The Scarlet Letter Nathaniel Hawthorne
Moby-Dick Herman Melville
Madame Bovary Gustave Flaubert
The Woman in White Wilkie Collins
Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland Lewis Carroll
Little Women Louisa M. Alcot