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Facebook can Fight Stress and Stay Healthy?

November 21, 2010 By

Experts have told us countless times that spending too much time online chatting with virtual friends is bad for our health because it encourages isolation and leads to a lack of communication with our “real” friends. In this sense, Facebook has often been tagged as the biggest culprit, given its soaring popularity. Nevertheless, social networking is not all bad, as Glamour magazine points out, saying that it can actually help us relieve stress and, ultimately, stay in better health.

In this sense, Facebook is modern escapism that helps us “zap stress”. Chatting online can also make us feel like we’re not alone when we have a bad day. Given the huge number of users, we can surely find at least one person who can relate to whatever it is that we’re going through, which comes extremely in handy when we really have no one to talk to, or in those cases when we feel like nobody understands us, magazine author points out.

Facebook is also “good, clean fun,” because it encourages us to reconnect with people with whom we haven’t spoken in years, like our high school or childhood friends. Catching up with them and giving way to memories is not only fun, but it will also make us laugh – and what better way to unwind after a stressful day or to relax than laughing? Moreover, laughter is said to boost the immune system, while also fighting wrinkles. [Read more...]

Filed Under: healthy tips, information, thoughts and ideas, trivia

study shows ‘smoking prevents allergies’

November 20, 2010 By

As we all know, smoking is extremely damaging to the health of both the smoker and those around him or her. Still, even if smoking can cause lung cancer and pulmonary diseases, and decrease the response time of the immune system when dealing with infections, it can also prevent allergies, a new study comes to show, as quoted by Science Daily.

“A leading expert in the field of respiratory medicine demonstrates that cigarette smoke decreases the allergic response by inhibiting the activity of mast cells, the major players in the immune system’s response to allergens. Researchers at Utrecht University in the Netherlands found that treatment of mast cells with a cigarette smoke-infused solution prevented the release of inflammation-inducing proteins in response to allergens, without affecting other mast cell immune functions.” Science Daily writes on the subject of the new study.

Again, this research should not be used as an excuse to start smoking, the medical publication points out, but rather as a first step in the direction of understanding why the allergic response in smokers is lower than in non-smokers. Further studies will aim to establish this connection, but only after researchers prove that what they noticed in mice mast cells also applies to the human body when exposed to cigarette smoke.

Filed Under: healthy tips, information, LifeStyle, trivia

Infertility increases a man’s risk of prostate cancer

November 17, 2010 By

There is a new study suggests that infertility increases the risk that a man will develop the aggressive, potentially fatal form of prostate cancer. This new study avoided that bias by using a statewide database of prostate cancer cases maintained in California. The incidence of prostate cancer in that general population was compared with the incidence of prostate cancer in 22,562 men evaluated for infertility at 15 California centers between 1967 and 1998.

The overall incidence of prostate cancer in the two groups was about the same, the study found. But a difference emerged when the aggressiveness of the tumors was measured by the Gleason score, which looks for degree of abnormal organization of a prostate tumor. A higher Gleason score is an indicator of aggressive growth and the incidence of cancers with high Gleason scores was 2.6 times higher in the infertile men.

There are several possible explanations for the relationship, none of them as yet proven. There could be underlying genetic abnormalities on the male chromosome. Also, these men may have a deficit in their ability to repair DNA; there is some evidence that this may be the underlying cause. [Read more...]

Filed Under: healthy tips, information, thoughts and ideas, trivia

Pets reduce the use of meds?

October 22, 2010 By

Owning an animal is an even more powerful way to cultivate calm than previously thought, new research shows. An astonishing 82% of PTSD patients paired with a service dog reported a significant reduction in symptoms, and 40% were able to decrease their medications, in an ongoing study at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

The specially trained pooches can sense before their owners do when a panic attack is coming, and then give them a nudge to start some preemptive deep breathing. “While we don’t yet understand why, we know the dogs’ presence affects serotonin levels and the immune system,” says lead study researcher Craig Love, PhD. “The animals are so helpful, one soldier named her dog Paxil.”

Filed Under: healthy tips, information, trivia

tips for women in giving unsolicited advice to men

October 19, 2010 By

Unsolicited advice is hardly ever really welcome. As soon as man gives advice to a woman, the automatic instinct kicks in that drives a woman’s senses down, as she knows full well that while she might learn something from a male advice giver. She is also playing right into the hands of the age old viewpoint that women can’t do anything without a man’s opinion. Well, here are some tips for women in giving unsolicited advice to men:

  • Direct requests are better received than suggestions or advice.
  • When making a request use “would you” instead of “could you.” “Would you” is direct and implies trust in the abilities of your male co-worker.
  • State simple facts and use the least amount of words.
  • Don’t presume to know something he doesn’t.
  • Don’t presume that he needs help.
  • Don’t presume that he is asking for your opinion.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: thoughts and ideas, tips for all, trivia

What is Skin?

October 15, 2010 By

Basically, skin is made up of three layers – the epidermis, the dermis and subcutaneous fat. Each layer is responsible for governing different functions of the skin.

The epidermis is the outer part of the skin that you can see and actually consists of dead skin cells. Ninety-five percent of cells in the epidermis work to make new skin cells that take about two weeks to one month to move toward the top of the epidermis, leaving the dead skin cells at the surface. The older cells are strong and make a perfect protective covering for your body. Five percent of the cells in the epidermis make a substance known as melanin, which gives your skin its color.

The dermis cannot be seen because it is the next layer under the epidermis. The dermis contains nerve endings that work with your brain and nervous system to give you a sense of touch. It also contains tiny blood vessels that maintain the health of skin cells by transporting oxygen and nutrients to them and remove waste. Oil glands, formally known as sebaceous glands, also exist within the dermis and produce sebum. Sebum is the natural oil made by skin to lubricate and protect your skin, as well as render it waterproof to the elements. Finally, your sweat glands are also located in your dermis. Sweat is constantly released by tiny holes in the skin known as pores and serves to regulate the skin’s temperature and form a protective film on the skin. [Read more...]

Filed Under: healthy tips, information, trivia

Anaconda Snakes: Facts You May Never Want To Forget

September 24, 2010 By

Anaconda snakes extract similar responses from most of us, a response smeared by hatred, fear and probably revulsion. The image of this serpent that we carry in our mind is that of a creature that looks vile and is widely known to be monstrous. Apart from a few of the wealthy and the adventurous ones who want them as pets, most of us prefer to see anaconda snakes in TV and glossy travel magazines rather than in our homes and at the patio.

The natural habitat if these reptiles are the dense tropical forests in lovely South America. Found extensively in the Amazon River basin and also other tropical forests, this serpentine creature is worlds one of the largest snakes. These snakes are carnivores, and prey a range of aquatic as well as land based creatures. While fish, turtles, frogs, dogs, sheep and deer are its favorite preys, anaconda snakes are also known to have constricted and swallowed considerably bigger animals like fully grown deer and even jaguars. [Read more...]

Filed Under: trivia