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Swim your way to Happiness

According to a new  study conducted by the  members of British Gas Swim Britain, a series of fun team swimming relays that take place across Britain every September, found that taking a regular dip at your local pool can make you feel happier as well as healthier, with participants reporting an increase of 35 percent in positivity during a four week study. The results have also shown that the low impact sport is a tonic for everyday life, increasing levels of sleep quality, energy levels and fitness levels during the course of the study. Just a few laps a week can have an almost immediate effect, with those donning their swimsuits seeing an increase of 20 in their overall levels of well-being after just one week. “Swimming is obviously close to my heart and it’s my goal to help the nation rediscover their love of the water, so this research is really good news for the sport, and something I’ve always known anyway,” said Olympic Swimmer, Becky Adlington. “The fact that it has significant benefits both in body and mind is a great reason to get back in the pool and that’s why I am a big fan of British Gas SwimBritain, a fun relay challenge taking place this summer, which is encouraging as many people as possible to give themselves a swimming goal and see the benefits for themselves,” added Adlington.  

Gluten Free Diet Fads

Eating  gluten-free dishes, like pasta made with rice and corn starches, pizzas has become a fad nowadays. Gluten free food is now the order of the day and it was only a decade ago, where only people with  celiac disease, a digestive condition, knew much about the health implications of gluten. But today gluten-free diets , means you are cutting down on gluten or eliminating it entirely from your diet. Diet fads come and go. But observers of nutrition and eating trends in the United States say this food regimen is likely to last longer and have more impact because it comes at a time when food allergies, digestive health, genetic modification of grain and other concerns about the American diet are at an all-time high and food itself is the current cultural currency. Gluten-free eating addresses it all. “We are in this period of cacophony with food, where people are more engaged and more confused,” said Amy Bentley, an associate professor in the department of nutrition, food studies and public health at New York University. “It’s touching on very complicated issues in the food system right now.” The number of people for whom eliminating gluten is a medical necessity is small. About 1 percent of the population has been found to have celiac disease, a disorder in which gluten — a protein in barley, rye and wheat — can damage the small intestine. But the diet itself is used by people who want to lose weight, reduce inflammation, curb fatigue and ease other conditions, or because it helps them avoid highly processed grain. Many simply say they feel better without it, though there is not yet much scientific evidence to back up the claims. A gluten-free diet is also unpopular for unexpected reasons. Some question it in light of the many biblical references to grain. In certain immigrant communities, eating the same, traditional food is a way of keeping the culture intact. Rejecting a roti or a flour tortilla can mean feeling like an outcast. In other circles, eating gluten-free is dismissed outright as a trend for the rich, the white and the political left. “There really isn’t much better dietary advice than eating your veggies, exercising and limiting calories,” she said. “People just seem to like making eating difficult for themselves.” Source:NY Times

Short spurts of exercise are the Best says Sarah

There’s no need to dedicate hours and hours to working out – short and sweet is fine too. “A lot of people don’t exercise because they think they need lots of free time,” says Sarah O'Neill,  a Personal Trainer & Nutritionist and freelance journalist. “But if you worked out for 10 minutes a day, and were a beginner, you would see results pretty quickly.”  It’s also too easy to procrastinate if you have more time for exercising. “A lot of people just spend an hour in the gym not doing very much. But if you’ve only got 10 minutes, you become more efficient and focused with your workout.” Don’t forget high-intensity interval training (HIIT) – including stretches and a thorough workout, you will be in and out of the door in 30 minutes. Another effective way is to plan your exercise regime for the week and think about your schedule and how you can include some exercise, says Sarah. Whether it’s a trip to the gym, or a brisk walk to the train station, make sure it’s noted in your diary. “Seeing it in black and white turns your plan into a firm commitment to yourself. Make sure you stick to it.”

Eat more protein for reducing risk stroke

Getting more protein in your diet, though not red meat, may reduce your risk for stroke, a review of studies found. Scientists reviewed seven prospective studies involving more than 250,000 people and found that after adjusting for various stroke risks and for other nutrients consumed, those who had the highest consumption of protein had a 20 percent decreased risk for stroke compared with those with the lowest. Each increase of 20 grams per day in protein — about the amount in a 3-ounce serving of chicken or fish or a cup of beans — was associated with a 26 percent decrease in risk, a dose-response relationship that further strengthens the association. The finding, published in Neurology Study, does not apply to red meat, which has been shown to increase the risk for stroke and was not evaluated in the studies reviewed. “Moderate dietary protein intake may lower the risk of stroke,” said the senior author, Dr. Xinfeng Liu, a neurologist at the Nanjing University School of Medicine in China. “This does not mean that people should avoid red meat entirely,” he added, but “increasing intake of fish or vegetables is recommended.” Some evidence suggested that animal protein was slightly more effective than vegetable protein, although there was not enough data on vegetable consumption to reach a definitive conclusion about the exact difference. Source:NyTimes  

Knee Replacement Surgery and Excercise

According to the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons, current artificial knees generally can be expected to last about 15 to 20 years before needing to be replaced again.One of the biggest concerns that someone should have after total or partial knee replacement surgery “is the longevity and health of the replacement,” said Dr. Freddie Fu, the chairman of the department of orthopedic surgery at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. But a patient’s health and habits can affect that time frame significantly. Obesity shortens the life span of replacement knees, so it’s advisable to remain active — or to start exercising — after surgery to avoid weight gain.   The best activities, Dr. Fu said, are low impact. “Biking and swimming are wonderful ways to get your heart pumping while protecting your replacement,” he said. Walking involves somewhat more pounding, but “generally is tolerated by both total and partial replacements,” Dr. Fu said. Similarly, most people can hike and cross-country ski after knee replacement, he said, but cautiously. Stick to flat, nonskid terrain, since moving up- and downhill or falling can strain the knees. As for running, there is little science about its long-term effects on knee replacements, but in Dr. Fu’s clinical experience, “an occasional low-mileage run on a soft surface is a safe activity for modern knee implants.” Intense distance training, on the other hand, is likely to hasten the deterioration of an artificial joint, he said, although different knees respond differently.   “Some patients continue to run for long distances after knee replacement without significant problems,” he said. Once you get the surgery done it is very important talk to your surgeon and Physiotherapist and discuss your exercise regime and how you should go about doing it. Depending on your age the effects of surgery can last from 5 to 20 years based on the patients will to recover faster and proper physio care. Source: NYTimes  

Visit the Doctor not Wikipedia when you are sick

There has been a rising number of cases where people when sick refer the Internet especially the Wikipedia for health queries and avoid going to the doctor.A recent study has shown that Wikipedia, the online encyclopaedia, contains errors in nine out of 10 of its health entries, and should be treated with caution. Scientists in the US compared entries about conditions such as heart disease, lung cancer, depression and diabetes with peer-reviewed medical research.They said most articles in Wikipedia contained "many errors". Wikimedia UK, its British arm, said it was "crucial" that people with health concerns spoke to their Doctor first.From a public health standpoint, patients should not use  as a primary resource because those articles do not go through the same peer-review process as medical journals” The open-access nature has "raised concern" among doctors about its reliability, as it is the sixth most popular site on the internet, the US authors of the research, published in the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association, said. Up to 70% of physicians and medical students use the tool, they say.The 10 researchers across America looked at online articles for 10 of the "most costly" conditions in the US, including osteoarthritis, back problems and asthma. They printed off the articles on 25 April 2012 to analyse, and discovered that 90% of the entries made statements that contradicted latest medical research. Wikipedia, like any encyclopaedia, should not take the place of a qualified medical practitioner”.Wikipedia also expressed concern at the small sample size used in the research, as it may not be representative.The study did not account for Wikipedia leaving out important information. So the next time you fall sick dont open the Internet and try self medication , visit the nearest doctor. BBC Health news

E –Cigarettes to help you quit smoking

A large study in England has found that smokers trying to quit were substantially more likely to succeed if they used electronic cigarettes than over-the-counter therapies such as nicotine patches or gum. These results offered encouraging but not definitive evidence in the contentious debate about the risks and benefits of these increasingly popular smoking devices.   Researchers interviewed almost 6,000 smokers who had tried to quit on their own without counseling from a health professional. About a fifth of those who said they were using e-cigarettes had stopped smoking at the time of the survey, compared with about a tenth of people who had used patches and gum. “This will not settle the e-cigarette issue by any means,” said Thomas J. Glynn, a researcher at the American Cancer Society, who was not part of the study, “but it is further evidence that, in a real-world context, e-cigarettes can be a useful, although not revolutionary, tool in helping some smokers to stop.” With little regulation, Oklahoma City has become an e-cigarette boom town where “vapers” flock to vapor shops to buy the smoking alternative products, which include nicotine liquids. The multibillion-dollar e-cigarette industry is not regulated, but the Food and Drug Administration is seeking to change that.F.D.A. Will Propose New Regulations for E-Cigarettes   The use of e-cigarettes has risen rapidly across Europe and the United States, and regulators are scrambling to figure out how to respond in the absence of hard evidence about their effects. The debate is particularly fierce in the United States, where some experts say the devices could lure children to start smoking, while others contend that they are the best hope in generations to get smokers to switch to something less dangerous than traditional cigarettes.They also said the study, one of the largest to date, offered valuable insights into the real world experiences of smokers. “The medical model is great for cancer drugs, but it doesn’t really work for this situation because there’s nothing to stop participants in the patches group from just going out and buying an e-cigarette,” Professor West said. He said the database used for the study was financed by Cancer Research UK, a nonprofit group; England’s Department of Health; and several large drug companies that make nicotine replacement therapy, including Pfizer, GlaxoSmithKline and Johnson & Johnson. NY Times

నవ్వితే చాలట...

      ‘‘నవ్వులు నాలుగు విధాల చేటు’’ అనేది పాత సామెత. ‘‘నవ్వు అన్ని విధాల మేలు’’ అనేది నేడు నిరూపించబడ్డ విషయం. అయితే ఆ నవ్వులకే మనం దూరమైపోతున్నాం రోజురోజుకీ. రెండు నెలల పసిపాపగా వున్నప్పుడు రోజుకి 300 సార్లకి పైగా నవ్వుతాం మనం. కానీ, పెరిగేకొద్దీ ఆ నవ్వుల సంఖ్య కొంచెం కొంచెం తగ్గి.. పెళ్ళి, పిల్లలు, ఉద్యోగ బాద్యతల్లో పడ్డాక రోజుకి ఒక్కసారి మనస్పూర్తిగా నవ్వటం కూడా కష్టంగా మారిపోతుంది. దీంతో మనకి మనమే నష్టం చేసుకుంటున్నవాళ్ళం అవుతున్నాం. ఎందుకంటే, నవ్వటం వల్ల శరీరమంతా విశ్రాంతి పొందుతుంది. ఒకసారి మనసారా నవ్వితే కండరాలన్నీ సడలి, మానసిక ఒత్తిడి, శారీరక టెన్షన్ తగ్గిపోతాయి. ఒక్క నిమిషం మనసారా నవ్వినా చాలాు దాని ప్రభావం సుమారు 45 నిమిషాలదాకా మన శరీరంపై నిలుస్తుందట. మరిప్పుడు చెప్పండి. ‘నవ్వు’ తప్పనిసరా.. కాదా?     మీరు బాగా నవ్వి ఎన్ని రోజులైంది? పోనీ కాస్త నవ్వి ఎన్ని రోజులైంది? గుర్తుకు రావడం లేదు కదూ? మీరే కాదు.. ఈ ప్రశ్న ఎవర్ని అడిగినా ఎవరైనా సరే కాసేపు ఆలోచించాల్సిందే. ఎందుకంటే, మనందరం మన మన బాధ్యతల నిర్వహణలో బిజీగా మారిపోయి ఆ నవ్వుని ఎక్కడో జారవిడుచుకున్నాం. అమూల్యమమైన ఆ సంపద మన దగ్గరుంటే చాలు ప్రపంచంలో దేనినైనా సొంతం చేసుకోగలం మనం. కానీ, దానినే జారవిడుచుకుని, ‘ఎంత సంపాదించినా, ఏమి సాధించినా’ నిజమైన ఆనందం కలగటం లేదని వాపోతున్నాం. నిజానికి నవ్వుల్లో తేలిపోయే వ్యక్తి మనస్సు, శరీరం ఎంతో ఉత్తేజాన్ని పొందుతాయి. కష్టాలు, అసంతృప్తి వంటివి ఎదురైనప్పుడు కూడా స్థిరంగా ఉండగలం. జీవితం పట్ల ఆశావహ దృక్పథాన్ని కలిగి వుంటాం. ఇదంతా కేవలం ‘నవ్వు’ వల్ల సాధ్యమయ్యే అద్భుతం. నవ్వును మరచిపోయి జీవించటమే రోగాలకు మూలమంటున్నారు మానసిక విశ్లేషకులు. ఎందుకంటే, నవ్వటం వల్ల రోగనిరోధక శక్తి పెరుగుతుంది. ఒత్తిడి కలిగించే హార్మోన్లు తగ్గిపోతాయి. అలాగే నవ్వినప్పుడు ఆనందానికి కారణమైన సహజసిద్ధమైన రసాయనాలు ‘ఎండార్ఫిన్’ లాంటివి చక్కగా విడుదలవుతాయి. అప్పుడు శరీరం, మనస్సు తేలికయి సంతోషం కలుగుతుంది. అందుకే చూడండి... కడుపారా నవ్విన తరువాత అప్పటి వరకు వున్న బరువేదో దిగిపోయినట్టు అనిపిస్తుంది. సంతోషం ఉరకలు వేస్తుంది. అప్పటి వరకు మనల్ని చిరాకు పెట్టిన విషయాలు కూడా చిన్నవిగా తోస్తాయి. కోపం, విచారం దూరమవుతాయి. ఇదంతా కేవలం ఒక్క నవ్వు వల్లే సాధ్యం. వ్యాయామం చేసినా, చక్కగా నవ్వినా కలిగే ప్రభావం, ప్రయోజనం ఒకేటనట. మనస్పూర్తిగా నవ్వినప్పుడు మానసిక ఆనందం కలుగుతుంది. ముఖంలో, శరీరంమంతటా కండరాలు బాగా కదులుతాయి. నాడీ స్పందనలు అధికమవుతాయం. రక్త ప్రసరణ వేగవంతమవుతుంది. ఉచ్ఛ్వాస నిశ్వాసలు జరిగి కణజాలానాకి ఎక్కువగా ఆక్సిజన్ అందుతుందిట. శరీరమంతా ఆ నవ్వు ప్రభావం వుంటుంది. ఒకసారి నవ్వితే పదినిమిషాలు జాగింగ్ చేసిన దానితో సమానం అని తేలింది ఓ పరిశోధనలో. ఈ నవ్వుపై పరిశోధన చేసిన మేరీలాండ్ యూనివర్సిటీ పరిశోధకులు ‘నవ్వు ఉత్తమ ఔషధం అన్న మాట నిజమేనని, అది గుండెలను పదిలంగా వుంచుతుందని’ చెబుతున్నారు. ‘లాఫింగ్ థెరపీ’ అంటే ‘నవ్వు చికిత్స’. తనని భయంకరమైన కేన్సర్ వ్యాధి బారినుంచి కాపాడిందని చెప్పారు న్యూయార్క్ టైమ్స్ మాజీ సంపాదకుడు నార్మన్ కూజిన్స్. కాబట్టి నవ్వు నాలుగు విధాల కాదు.. నాలుగు వేల రకాలుగా మంచిదని నమ్మి తీరాలి. నవ్వటం మొదలుపెట్టాలి. మరి నవ్వటం మొదలుపెడతారు కదూ..! నవ్వడం కష్టమనకండి. ఆ కష్టం కరగాలంటే నవ్వాలి మరి. సో... మీ మనసుని, మెదడుని నవ్వుకి ట్యూన్ చేయండి. ఆరోగ్యంగా, ఆనందంగా వుండండి. సరేనా? కరెక్ట్.. లైఫ్ లాంగ్ అలా నవ్వుతూనే వుండండి.                                                                                                                                                                                                                       -రమ ఇరగవరపు

Cooking with Olive Oil- Faqs

With the advent of olive oil invading Indian kitchens there has always been the persistent doubt if the fruity oil can enhance Indian Cooking or not or whether olive oil is fit for Indian cooking, Presenting  a few FAQs about this Mediterranean oil and its uses. Is olive oil suitable for Indian foods? Any oil, unless it has a very strong flavour is suitable for Indian food. Olive oil doesn’t have any distinct flavour of its own, so it serves well as a cooking medium for all kinds of Indian foods. Isn’t Olive oil highly overrated in terms of health benefits? In terms of composition it is extremely healthy as it is low in saturated fats. As far as calling it overrated is concerned, it depends entirely on the perception of the people. Those who can afford it, find it highly beneficial. Isn’t it true that olive oil when heated loses its health benefits and Indian foods are cooked at high temperatures? This is not true of Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Contrary to the popular belief, it remains stable and gives best results with Indian foods. But it is said that deep frying in olive oil gives an undesirable taste? There is nothing like that, as it releases no smell as it has no distinct flavor of its own.The mindset also plays a great role in trying different oils and accepting new tastes. Which is better for cooking-Extra Virgin, Virgin or Pure olive oil? Extra Virgin Olive Oil is considered the best. Acidity level is the prime factor in determining its grade. The best oil has the lowest acidity. Extra virgin olive oil is valued for its perfect balance of flavour, aroma, colour, and acidity level. One reason extra virgin olive oil is valued so much is its high content of vitamins and nutrients. Also, it is pure and without any additives. The fruitiness of its taste adds to its appeal. Virgin Olive Oil also comes from the first pressing, and is also produced without refining. Its flavour intensity can vary and its taste is less mild than Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Pure Olive Oil actually has the same acidity level as Virgin Olive Oil, and for that reason it has good resistance to high temperatures. But it is lower nutrient content than Virgin Olive Oil and as a consequence it is less expensive. Pomace Oil is the lowest grade of Olive Oil. Pomace is that part of the olive that remains after all the oil and water in it has been removed. To make Pomace Oil palatable, the producer blends it with virgin olive oil. Like Pure Olive Oil, it is suitable for use only in high-heat cooking. What is the best way to store olive oil? Like walnut oil, chances of getting rancid are high with olive oil. It is best to store it in cold places away from sunlight. In fact it is best to buy small 1 or two litre bottles.  

Troubled Teens can affect Future Relationships

      Negative emotions people may have suffered as young adults can have a lasting grip on their couple relationships, well into middle age, research demonstrates. The study followed 341 people for 25 years, and found that negative emotions they may have suffered as young adults can have a lasting grip on their couple relationships, well into middle age. The fact that depression and anger experienced during the teen years clung to people, even through major life events such as child-rearing, marriages and careers was surprising, researchers note.   The study, published recently in the Journal of Family Psychology, by University of Alberta followed 341 people for 25 years, and found that negative emotions they may have suffered as young adults can have a lasting grip on their couple relationships, well into middle age. The fact that depression and anger experienced during the teen years clung to people, even through major life events such as child-rearing, marriages and careers was surprising, said University of Alberta researcher Matthew Johnson. "We assume or hope that high school experiences fade away and don't necessarily resonate 25 years later. The fact that symptoms of depression and expressions of anger can endure over many large events in life shows how important it is to deal with mental health early. Sometimes, problems don't just dissipate. How you grow and change over those early years becomes crucial to future happiness," said Johnson, an assistant professor of human ecology in the Faculty of Agricultural, Life and Environmental Sciences. The research, drawn from a larger study begun in 1985, surveyed 178 women and 163 men through their transition to adulthood from age 18 to 25, again on their perceived stress levels at age 32, and on the quality of their intimate relationships at age 43, to find out whether anger or depression they may have felt as young adults was still affecting those bonds. Findings point to the importance of recognizing that early mental health does influence couple relationships and that in turn, can have social costs later on, such as divorce and domestic violence. As individuals, people can help themselves by "recognizing the fact that where they are in their couple relationship now is likely shaped by earlier chapters in their lives," Johnson added. "It's not only your partner's current behaviour or your current behaviour shaping your relationship, but the story you bring with you." Source:University of Alberta

Right Balance Diet

Balance Diet and Food Tips: Watch Dr Padmaja Prasad, speak about the importance of a Balanced Diet and eating the right food every day. She gives important tips about how you can eat vegetables, legumes, leafy vegetables, milk products in the right portions to get the required protein, amino acids, calcium and vitamins required for the body.  

Kapila Yoga for Diabetics

Kapila Yoga For Diabetes (Madhumeham) By Dr. C.V. Rao: Diabetes off late has become more of a stress and lifestyle related disorder than a genetic one. Apart from medication, practicing Yoga has many benefits in averting it and also in stimulating the pancreas into producing insulin needed to reduce the blood sugar levels. In fact it has been scientifically proven in several research studies that Yoga can stimulate pancreas. Daily Practice of Yoga is known to reduce the intake of insulin levels & controlling the Sugar levels. Watch Dr CV Rao , Director Kapila Maharishi Yoga Center show few Yogasanas specifically for diabetes.    

Myths about Cholesterol & how to Control it

      Watch Dr Padmaja Prasad, Nutritionist who dispels the myths about Cholesterol and how people get carried away by the word Cholesterol used on the food and oil packetssold in the market. She gives a detailed explanation about the cholesterol content in various foods and how it is actually absorbed in the body. What can be eaten, how much can that particular food be eaten, how do we cook it and when should it be eaten is elaborated in this video.  

Ultrasound Technology for Kidney Stone removal

      Almost one in 10 people will someday experience a kidney stone, which creates what is described as the most intense pain imaginable. This increasingly common condition leads to hundreds of thousands of surgeries each year.   A new device developed at the University of Washington would let doctors use ultrasound to move kidney stones inside the body and help them pass by natural means. “Ultrasound is used today to break up large stones. That’s not what we’re doing,” said Michael Bailey, an engineer at the UW Applied Physics Laboratory. “We’ve developed low-power ultrasound that could move small stones to reduce pain, expense and treatment times.” A 15-patient trial using this technology is now under way at UW Medicine. The research is supported by the National Institutes of Health and the National Space Biomedical Research Institute, which is interested in the project because astronauts have an increased risk of developing kidney stones during space travel. The UW team showed a prototype last spring at the American Urological Association‘s annual meeting, and Bailey was invited to give a keynote presentation. He was the only presenter in that session who was not a medical doctor. Kidney stones are crystals that develop in the urine. Shock-wave ultrasound has been used to treat big kidney stones for 30 years. That technique, known as lithotripsy, sends short pulses of high-energy ultrasound to shatter large stones. While the technique is noninvasive it usually requires general anesthesia and a hospital visit. It also leaves behind fragments that can grow and require another trip to the hospital or emergency room. In the lab, Barbrina Dunmire, an engineer at the Applied Physics Laboratory who helped build the device, points an ultrasound probe at a stone inside a latex kidney. She activates the ultrasonic pulse and the stone immediately swings away through the clear liquid. A doctor would put the probe on a patient’s lower back, then use an onscreen ultrasound image to locate the stone and direct the ultrasonic pulse. Urologists and urology residents at UW Medicine tested three successive prototypes on artificial kidneys and pigs, and helped to design the touchscreen user interface. The current Seattle trial is the first time the system is being tested on humans. Besides guiding kidney stones to help them pass naturally, other applications could be to reposition a stone before or during surgery; to displace a large stone obstructing the ureter to relieve the patient’s pain and avoid emergency surgery; and perhaps someday to escort small stones right down the ureter. If clinical trials go well, researchers believe the device could be used in an urologist’s office or by trained emergency room staff, potentially saving medical expenses. Source:University of Washington News

Effects of Sleep Deprivation

      A sleepy person's brain works harder -- and accomplishes less. A study using real-time, state-of-the-art imaging shows that sleep deprivation has dramatic effects on the brain and how well it performs.   Researchers expected to find only sluggish activity in the brains of healthy young people who took a simple word test after staying awake for 35 hours. They found instead that while parts of the sleep-deprived brains churned with activity during the test, another part of the brain -- the language center -- shut down. "Sleep deprivation is bad for your brain when you are trying to do high-level [thinking] tasks," study co-author J. Christian Gillin, MD, says, "It may have serious consequences both on performance and on the way your brain functions." Gillin's team at the University of California, San Diego, and the San Diego VA Medical Center found that the brains of some sleep-deprived study participants tried to overcome the language-center shut-down by shifting activity to another part of the brain. These individuals performed better on the memory test than their sleep-deprived peers, but not as well as they did when rested. This shows that the brain can move a task from one area to the other when you are sleep deprived, or when you get old. Jim Horne, PhD, director of the sleep research laboratory at Loughborough University in England, notes in a commentary accompanying the study that the part of the brain that overworks in the sleep-deprived people normally is one of the most active areas of the brain. It is involved in complex functions such as updating working memory, planning, attention, sense of time, dealing with novel situations, and verbal fluency. "Some years ago, we suspected that if sleep offers some sort of recovery process, then the parts of the cortex that works hardest during wakefulness may be those that suffer the deprivation initially," he tells WebMD. "But what seems to be happening is that the functional part of the brain appears to be working even harder during compensation -- to no avail, because performance shows deterioration." However, Horne says that this part of the brain gets its rest during the earliest stages of sleep. "Not all of sleep is for recovery. A particular part of sleep occurring in the early part of sleep is most important for [brain] recovery, and the latter part is not so important in that regard," he says. "As we can eat more food than we require and drink more fluids than we require, we may sleep more than we require. Rather than trying to extend one's sleep ? So you could try taking  short naps instead. Source: San Diego Medical Center  

Taste and Health and with Dates

        The Mid eastern fruit may not be easy to munch and certainly not recommended for its sugar content –dates are also known to have certain health benefits. Here are some health benefits of dates.   1. Promoting Digestive Health, Relieving Constipation – Fiber is essential for promoting colon health and making for regular bowel movements. The insoluble and soluble fiber found in dates help to clean out the gastrointestinal system, allowing the colon to work at greater levels of efficiency. Some other benefits relating to fiber and colon health are reduced risks of colitis, colon cancer, and hemorrhoids. (Dates could even be coupled with other home remedies for hemorrhoids.) 2. Boosting Heart Health – In addition to promoting colon health, fiber is also known to boost heart health. 3. Anti-Inflammatory – Dates are rich in magnesium – a mineral known for its anti-inflammatory benefits. One study found that ”inflammatory indicators in the body such as CRP (C-reactive protein), TNF (tumor necrosis factor alpha), and IL6 (interleukin 6) were all reduced when magnesium intake was increased.” Further, inflammation in the arterial walls was also reduced with magnesium intake. Based on magnesium’s anti-inflammatory properties and the findings of this study, magnesium can effectively reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease, and other inflammation-related health ailments. 4. Reduced Blood Pressure – Magnesium has been shown to help lower blood pressure – and again, dates are full of the mineral. Additionally, potassium is another mineral in dates that has several functions within the body, aiding with the proper workings of the heart and helping to reduce blood pressure. 5. Reduced Stroke Risk – After evaluating 7 studies published over a 14 year time period, researchers found stroke risk was reduced by 9% for every every 100 milligrams of magnesium a person consumes per day. The research can be found in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 6. A Healthy Pregnancy and Delivery – Further adding to the health benefits of dates, one study performed by researchers at the University of Science and Technology set out to discover how the date fruit impacted labor parameters and delivery outcomes. After studying 69 women for a year and 1 month, the researchers found that “the consumption of date fruit in the last 4 weeks before labour significantly reduced the need for induction and augmentation of labour, and produced a more favourable, but non-significant, delivery outcome. The results warrant a randomised controlled trial.” Source: Natural Society

Mineral Water is Healthy & Safe

        A Montana State University professor and a team of students have found that drinking water with a high content of minerals might be beneficial to one's health.   MSU Health and Human Development professor Dan Heil and a team of graduate and undergraduate students conducted a study that found that individuals drinking mineral-based alkaline water, along with a water company's supplement, were better hydrated and had higher pH levels than those who consumed water without a high mineral content. The findings suggest that certain mineralized water may impart some health benefits, Heil said. In the early 2010 study, the research team split 38 young adult volunteers into a control group and an experimental group. Members of the control group drank only non-mineralized bottled water over the course of four weeks. Members of the experimental group drank alkaline water containing a naturally high mineral content, as well as a water company's supplement that is designed to stabilize pH and minerals, during the second and third weeks of the study. During the first and fourth weeks, experimental group members consumed non-mineralized bottled water in order to help measure results. The study participants received all of their water from the researchers and were not informed about which group they were in. Throughout the study, the research team collected blood and urine samples from each individual three times each week to measure blood and urine pH and osmolality, a measurement method of mineral concentration. They also measured each participant's total daily urine volume. Study participants kept records of the food and water they consumed and maintained regular levels of exercise. Part of why the research is important is because every chemical reaction in every part of the human body is highly sensitive to changes in both temperature and pH, Heil said. As a result, the body has tight control mechanisms in place to keep temperature and pH relatively constant. In general, pH is a measure of how acidic -- which equals a relatively low pH -- or alkaline -- which equals a relatively high pH -- a liquid or solution is. Human bodies work to maintain a fairly neutral pH, Heil said, because it is most conducive to chemical reactions that need to occur. "It was good to see how an in-depth research study worked," he said. "It reinforced what I had learned in classes about research design and why things were done in a certain way... it was nice to apply and understand why things have to happen the way they do."Even though more research needs to be done, Heil said the research results were unexpected and could be significant."They may show something more than a performance advantage," he said. "There may actually be a health advantage.

Special Fitness Work out by a US Navy Seal

      Training for U.S. Navy SEALs, the special operations force, follows a warrior tradition that harkens back to Samurais, but fitness experts say the tough regime is gaining popularity with entrepreneurs, corporate executives, lawyers and elite athletes.     “We look at training as being as important to our life as eating and sleeping,” said retired Navy SEAL commander and fitness instructor Mark Divine, the author of “8 Weeks to SEALFIT: a Navy Seal’s Guide to Unconventional Training for Physical and Mental Toughness.” SEALFIT draws on the varied, high-intensity interval training of CrossFit, Olympic weightlifting, plyometrics, powerlifting, gymnastics, calisthenics, strongman exercises, yoga, and martial arts. “CrossFit is baked into the SEALFIT model,” said Divine, “but our workouts are much longer: two hours if you go through the whole thing.” Divine believes if you lean into hard work it becomes enjoyable, even transformational, although he admits the rigorous type of training has become rare in modern society. Breathing exercises, concentration drills and visualization exercises are as crucial as physical prowess to Divine, who is trained in Ashtanga, a rigorous form of yoga, and in martial arts. Working in as well as working out, he said, cultivates the warrior spirit, or kokoro, a Japanese word he defines as the merging of heart and mind in action. A word of caution, this kind of a work out is only for those who can handle tough fitness regimes and is certainly not for the faint-hearted or those who have small weight loss goals to achieve! 8 Weeks to SEALFIT: A Navy Seal’s Guide to Unconventional Training for Physical and Mental Toughness.  

Non-invasive fat removal

      The latest in fat removal techniques and blessing for the overweight souls is the nonsurgical process of fat removal called Lipolysis. It is one of the safe and non invasive methods of fat removal from specific areas of the body and combating cellulite.   Now the science behind lipolysis is a topic in itself. It uses a fat-dissolving material called phosphatidyl choline injected into the targeted fat layer beneath the skin. But it is a proven technique to reduce cholesterol and improve the body’s metabolism’s its just not into removing fat but also into prevents the storage of fat and improves the fat burning capacity. Now who can get this done? It can be done for both men and women who have fat deposits in specific areas. They should be of sound health and people who have had heart problems, cancer, blood clotting history and serious medical conditions should not get this done. Results can be immediate to gradual depending on the age , skin type, weight and lifestyle. Since it is a non-invasive procedure, you can get back to normal work routine. Hot showers and baths should best be avoided for eight hours after treatment and also refrain from excessive exercising and massages for the first week after treatment. And the sessions can vary from 1 to 3 sittings for effective results. People who are committed to a healthy lifestyle of regular exercise and a balanced diet will see a long term improvement in their body.