FRUITS AND GREENS HOLD THE KEY

Healthy eating advice for the British is for a diet that provides five portions of fruit and vegetables a day - three to five of vegetables and two to five of fruit.




Dr Katherine Rice-Evans ways that supplementing the diet may be sensible for children and for people who lead busy lives.




Her advice ti people who decide to take supplements is to read the labels carefully and select brands that give 75mg of vitamin E, 100mg of vitamin C and 15mg  of beta-caratene.




She said yesterday the for protection against the big killers, cancer and heart disease, vitamin E, C  and beta-carotene were emerging from various research projects as important.





Vitamin E is found in nuts and seeds, including bread made with whole wheat, wheatgerm, almonds, walnuts, corn oil, margarines and sunflower seeds.




Vitamin C is found in citrus fruits, and a range of fruit and vegetables including potatoes, cabbage, kale, spinach, tomatoes and water cress.




Beta-carotene is found in green, yellow and orang fruit and vegetables including carrots, apricots, broccoli and lettuce.




Selenium is found in cabbage and broccoli and also in garlic, liver kidneys, milk, onions, whole grain foods and seafood - The Independent.

HOW WORRYING AFFECTS THE BODY

Are you an excessive worrier? Perhaps you subconsciously think that if you "worry enough," you can prevent bad things from happening. But the fact is, worrying can affect the body in ways that may surprise you. When worrying becomes excessive, it can lead to feelings of high anxiety and even cause you to be physically ill.

What Happens With Excessive Worrying?

Worrying is feeling uneasy or being overly concerned about a situation or problem. With excessive worrying, your mind and body go into overdrive as you constantly focus on "what might happen."

In the midst of excessive worrying, you may suffer with high anxiety -- even panic -- during waking hours. Many chronic worriers tell of feeling a sense of impending doom or unrealistic fears that only increase their worries. Ultra-sensitive to their environment and to the criticism of others, excessive worriers may see anything -- and anyone -- as a potential threat.

Chronic worrying affects your daily life so much that it interferes with your appetite, lifestyle habits, relationships, sleep, and job performance. Many people who worry excessively are so anxiety-ridden that they seek relief in harmful lifestyle habits such as overeating, cigarette smoking, or using alcohol and drugs.

What Is Anxiety?

Anxiety is a normal reaction to stress. Ongoing anxiety, though, may be the result of a disorder such as generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, or social anxiety. Anxiety disorders are commonplace in the U.S., affecting nearly 40 million adults. Anxiety manifests itself in multiple ways and does not discriminate by age, gender, or race.

Stressful events such as a test or a job interview can make anyone feel a bit anxious. And sometimes, a little worry or anxiety is helpful. It can help you get ready for an upcoming situation. For instance, if you’re preparing for a job interview, a little worry or anxiety may push you to find out more about the position. Then you can present yourself more professionally to the potential employer. Worrying about a test may help you study more and be more prepared on test day.

But excessive worriers react quickly and intensely to these stressful situations or triggers. Even thinking about the situation can cause chronic worriers great distress and disability. Excessive worry or ongoing fear or anxiety is harmful when it becomes so irrational that you can’t focus on reality or think clearly. People with high anxiety have difficulty shaking their worries. When that happens, they may experience actual physical symptoms.

Can Excessive Worry and Anxiety Cause a Stress Response?

Stress comes from the demands and pressures we experience each day. Long lines at the grocery store, rush hour traffic, a phone ringing nonstop, or a chronic illness are all examples of things that can cause stress on a daily basis. When worries and anxiety become excessive, chances are you’ll trigger the stress response.

There are two elements to the stress response. The first is the perception of the challenge. The second is an automatic physiological reaction called the "fight or flight" response that brings on a surge of adrenaline and sets your body on red alert. There was a time when the "fight or flight" response protected our ancestors from such dangers as wild animals that could easily make a meal out of them. Although today we don't ordinarily encounter wild animals, dangers still exist. They’re there in the form of a demanding coworker, a colicky baby, or a dispute with a loved one.

Can Excessive Worry Make Me Physically Ill?

Chronic worry and emotional stress can trigger a host of health problems. The problem occurs when fight or flight is triggered daily by excessive worrying and anxiety. The fight or flight response causes the body’s sympathetic nervous system to release stress hormones such as cortisol. These hormones can boost blood sugar levels and triglycerides (blood fats) that can be used by the body for fuel. The hormones also cause physical reactions such as:

• Difficulty swallowing
• Dizziness
• Dry mouth
• Fast heartbeat
• Fatigue
• Headaches
• Inability to concentrate
• Irritability
• Muscle aches
• Muscle tension
• Nausea
• Nervous energy
• Rapid breathing
• Shortness of breath
• Sweating
• Trembling and twitching

When the excessive fuel in the blood isn’t used for physical activities, the chronic anxiety and outpouring of stress hormones can have serious physical consequences, including:

• Suppression of the immune system
• Digestive disorders
• Muscle tension
• Short-term memory loss
• Premature coronary artery disease
• Heart attack

If excessive worrying and high anxiety go untreated, they can lead to depression and even suicidal thoughts.

Although these effects are a response to stress, stress is simply the trigger. Whether or not you become ill depends on how you handle stress. Physical responses to stress involve your immune system, your heart and blood vessels, and how certain glands in your body secrete hormones. These hormones help to regulate various functions in your body, such as brain function and nerve impulses.

All of these systems interact and are profoundly influenced by your coping style and your psychological state. It isn’t the stress that makes you ill. Rather, it’s the effect responses such as excessive worrying and anxiety have on these various interacting systems that can bring on the physical illness. There are things you can do, though, including lifestyle changes, to alter the way you respond.

What Lifestyle Changes Might Help Excessive Worriers?

Although excessive worrying and high anxiety can cause an imbalance in your body, there are many options you have that can re-establish harmony of mind, body, and spirit.

• Talk to your doctor. Start by talking with your primary care physician. Get a thorough physical exam to make sure other health problems are not fueling your feelings of anxiety. Your doctor may prescribe medication such as anti-anxiety drugs or antidepressants to help you manage anxiety and excessive worry. 
• Exercise daily. With your doctor’s approval, begin a regular exercise program. Without question, the chemicals produced during moderate exercise can be extremely beneficial in terms of enhancing the function of the immune system. Regular aerobic and strengthening exercise is also a very effective way to train your body to deal with stress under controlled circumstances. 
• Eat a healthy, balanced diet. Stress and worrying provoke some people to eat too little, others too much, or to eat unhealthy foods. Keep your health in mind when worrying nudges you toward the fridge. 
• Drink caffeine in moderation. Caffeine stimulates the nervous system, which can trigger adrenaline and make you feel nervous and jittery. 
• Be conscious of your worries. Set aside 15 minutes each day where you allow yourself to focus on problems and fears -- and then vow to let them go after the 15 minutes is up. Some people wear a rubber band on their wrist and "pop" the rubber band if they find themselves going into their "worry mode." Do whatever you can to remind yourself to stop dwelling on worries. 
• Learn to relax. Relaxation techniques can trigger the relaxation response -- a physiological state characterized by a feeling of warmth and quiet mental alertness. This is the opposite of the "fight or flight" response. Relaxation techniques can offer a real potential to reduce anxiety and worries. They can also increase your ability to self-manage stress. With relaxation, blood flow to the brain increases and brain waves shift from an alert, beta rhythm to a relaxed, alpha rhythm. Practiced regularly, relaxation techniques can counteract the debilitating effects of stress. Common relaxation techniques include deep abdominal breathing, meditation, listening to calming music, and activities like yoga and tai chi. 
• Meditate. Daily meditation -- instead of worrying -- may help you move beyond negative thoughts and allow you to become "unstuck" from worries that keep your body on high alert. With meditation, you purposefully pay attention to what is happening at the present moment without thinking of the past or future. Meditation decreases hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline, which are released during the "fight or flight" or stress response.
• Have a strong social network. Loneliness may be as much a risk factor for disease as having high cholesterol or smoking cigarettes. People who are happily married and/or have large networks of friends not only have greater life expectancies compared with those people who do not, but they also have fewer incidences of just about all types of disease. 
• Talk to a professional therapist. Psychological counseling can help you develop appropriate coping strategies to deal with issues that trigger excessive worrying. Psychological intervention can give you coping methods that you can use either within or outside other treatment programs. The therapist will help you identify what types of thoughts and beliefs cause the anxiety and then work with you to reduce them. The therapist can help you by suggesting ways that may help you change. But you have to be the one to make the changes. Therapy is only successful if you work on getting better.

HANYA ALLAH TAHU

Manusia, Malaikat, Jin tidak mengetahui hal ghaib




CERMIN DIRI
by Idris Musa





UMUM manusia sifat suka kepada kelebihan dan kehebatan.  Masing-masing berusaha untuk mencapainya.  Namun, kadangkala manusia tersasar pada matlamat dan caa untuk mendapatkannya.





Salah matlamat apabila segala aspek itu bertujuan selain daipada Allah dan demi kepentingan diri semata-mata seperti untuk berbangga dan sombong, bahkan sampai ke peringkat menganiaya dan memperdaya orang lain.




Tersasar cara apabila orang itu menggunakan jalan yang tidak diredai Allah dan RasulNya.  Semuanya kerana ingin memperoleh segala dihajati, sehingga sanggup menolak ke tepi dosa dan pahala.  Mereka lebih mengutamakan kehendak diri, berbanding seruan Illahi.




Oleh keranan itu, ada yang terus mengintai peluang untuk mencuri dan merompak, menjadi tahi judi dan memakan riba.




Sekiranya diteliti pada satu sudut lain, ada pula sekelompok manusia menggunakan sihir, mengamalkan ilmu tertentu yang nyata kesesatannya menggunakan bantuan alam ghaib  seperti jin dan jembalang.





Dukacitalah bagi mereka yang terpalit dengan salah laku seperti itu kerana ia nyata dilarang dalam Islam.  Agama tidak pernah sekali-kali menganjurkan amalan seperti itu kerana ia nyata sesat lagi menyesatkan.  Bahkan memudaratkan diri dan  masyarakat.




Tidak salah ingin lebih haripada orang lain, tetapi  jika harta diperolehi itu  daripada pencurian, rompakkan, judi dan riba, nyata ia suatu kesalahan besar dan  dicela oleh Tuhan dan RasulNya.




Demikian juga untuk menjadi hebat, tidak salah sekiranya mempelajari ilmu pertahanan diri yang tidak bertentangan dengan anjuran agama.  Namun apabila beramal dengan ilmu tertentu sehingga tidak bersolat, ia menjadi suatu kesalahan besar.




Baru-baru ini, seorang lelaki dilaporkan tidak dapat bersolat kerana pantang larang ilmu diamalkanya untuk menjadi kebal.  Bukankah ia suatu yang nyata bertentangan dengan suruhan Allah.




Kemudian kita dilaporkan lagi dengan kes menelan bola besi, juga bagi menjadikan diri kebal ataupun luarbiasa daripada kebiasaan dan ia mengundang bahaya kepada pengamalnya.




Begitulah jadinya, apabila kita tidak meletakkan asas Islam iaitu al-Quran dan sunah sebagai panduan.  Kita boleh tersasar dalam mempertimbangkan sesuatu tindakan, sehingga tanpa sedar ia jauh menyimpang.




Sebenarnya banyak lagi salah laku membabitkan orang kita, cuma ia tidak digembar-gemburkan.  Beramal dengan ilmu pelik, memohon dengan makhluk halus serta percaya kepada tukang tilik dan tangkal.




Ini belum lagi mengambil kira segelintir mereka yang taasub kepada amalan tarekat dan ilmu hakikat tertentu sehingga lupa tanggungjawab zahir sebagai seorang Muslim.  Mereka lebih mengejar kepada hakikat ghaib, sedang mereka sendiri tidak memahaminya.



Orang yang mengamalkan ilmu pelik ini biasanya akan membacakan sesuatu  kalimah yang kerapkali tidak difahami.  Bunyinya seperti bahasa Arab, tetapi apabila diperiksa tiada dijumpai di dalam kamus.



Cara mengamalkan dan pantang larangnya juga aneh, seperti perlu dimulai pada waktu bulan mengambang, malam Selasa tidak boleh memakan jantung pisang dan tidak boleh melintasi bawah ampaian.



Satu kisah di awal 1990-an, seorang pelajar lelaki di sebuah sekolah menengah agama di Kota Bharu, Kelantan, tiba-tiba sahaja menepukkedua-dua tangannya seperti menepuk nyamuk ketika guru mengajar.



Perbuatannya secara spontan itu menarik perhatian seluruh rakan kelas Pembelajaran terganggu seketika.



Aneh dengan perbuatannya itu, terbukalah cerita mengatakan dia mengamalkan ilmu tertentu.  Seorang rakannya mengatakan dia ketika itu berkomunikasi dengan alam ghaibnya.  Mukanya pucat dan tidak seceria yang lain.




Oleh itu awaslah kita dengan ilmu tertentu.  Kita jangan mudah terpengaruh dan terus mengamalkannya kerana buruk padahnya.




Syeikh Abdullah Nasih Ulwan dalam kitabnya Tarbiyatul aulad fil Islam berkata "perkara ghaib memang tiada sesiapa yang mengetahuinya  melainkan Allah, malah tidak diperlihatkan oleh-Nya mengenai hal itu kepada seseorang kecuali yang diredhaiNya dari kalangan hambaNya seperti RasulNya.




FirmanNya dalam surah al-Jin, ayat 26 dan 27 bermaksud "Tuhan sahaja yang mengetahui segala yang ghaib, maka dia tidak memberitahu perkara ghaib yang diketahuinya  itu kepada sesiapa pun".




"Melainkan kepada sesiapa yang diredhaiNya dari RasulNya, maka dia mengadakan di hadapan dan di belakang mereka malaikat yang menjaganya".




Justeru, sesiapa yang mendakwa mengetahui  hal yang ghaib, dia itu seorang pendusta  ke atas Allah dan kebenaran, juga kepada manusia seluruhnya.




Manusia maupun Malaikat dan Jin semuanya tidak mengetahui mengenai hal yang ghaib, melainkan apa diberitahu oleh Allah sahaja.




FirmanNya dalam surah an-Naml, ayat 65 bermaksud: "Katakanlah lagi: Tiada sesiapa pun di langit dan di bumi yang mengetahui perkara yang ghaib melainkan Allah! Dan tiadalah mereka mneyedari  bilakah masing-masing akan dibangkitkan hidup semula"

Penulis ialah Penolong Pengarang Rencana,
Harian Metro

YOUR LIFE, NOT YOUR GENES, IS WHAT ADDS YEARS TO YOUR FACE

Your mother's wrinkles may not be the best predictor of how you'll age. A study involving identical twins suggests that despite genetic make-up, certain environmental factors can add years to a person's perceived age. Factors such as divorce or the use of antidepressants are the real culprits that cause facial aging.




Researchers obtained comprehensive questionnaires and digital images from nearly 200 pairs of identical twins. The images were reviewed by an independent panel, which recorded the perceived age difference between the siblings.




Study subjects who had been divorced appeared nearly two years older than their siblings who were married, single or even widowed. Antidepressant use was associated with a significantly older appearance, and researchers also found that major weight gain or loss played a major factor, too.




In sets of twins who were less than 40 years old, the heavier twin was perceived as being older, while in those groups over 40 years old, the heavier twin appeared younger.



The presence of stress could be one of the common denominators that caused facial aging. The researchers also suspected that continued relaxation of the facial muscles due to antidepressant use could account for sagging.

Interestingly, this article is published in the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), and the study’s author, Bahaman Guyuron, MD, is also one of their member surgeons, so the study may have some ulterior motives.




As Dr. Guyuron said, “Our findings put science behind the idea that volume replacement rejuvenates the face."




In other words, plastic surgeons can use the finding that fuller faces appeared younger after age 40 as “proof” that injectable filler plastic surgery procedures can make you look younger. Already, more than 1.5 million such procedures were performed in 2007, according to ASPS statistics.




But to me, the REALLY interesting part of this study has nothing to do with going out and having your face injected with fat in an attempt to look a few years younger. Instead, what struck me was the finding that your life experiences shape the look of your face as you age, far more  than your genes do.




People who had been through the stress of a divorce looked nearly two years older than their married, single or even widowed twin. Those who used antidepressants also appeared significantly older. The researchers attributed this to the drugs causing continued relaxation of the facial muscles, which led to sagging, but it could also be that those taking antidepressants were under some type of psychological stress.




For those of you who are regular readers, you’ll know that this lends further credence to the emerging and incredibly interesting field of epigenetics, which centers around the notion that environmental factors such as stress and your diet influence the expression of your genes.




And it is the expression of your genes -- NOT the genes themselves -- that dictates whether you develop certain diseases or age prematurely.




How Stress Shapes Your Genes




Parents often joke about how their grey hairs all magically appeared after their kids were born. Likewise, if you’ve ever watched someone go through a divorce or other emotionally trying time, they can seem to age 10 years in a matter of months.




Even if you’ve faced just a few stressful days in a row, you’ll often be able to see it written all over your face.




These are prime examples of the toll stress can take on you physically.




As proven through the massive genetic study, the Genome Project, each one of your genes can create up to 30,000 proteins, any and all of which can create a different outcome. So the fact that you may have a genetic “predisposition” for facial wrinkles, for example, does not mean that you are doomed to develop a face full of wrinkles during middle-age.




There is something that either activates or suppresses your genes, and research by Bruce Lipton, PhD., a forerunner in the field of epigenetics and The New Biology, has shown it is often related to your mind.




In other words, whether you are mentally stressed or able to maintain a more positive outlook can influence the expression of your genes, and thus directly impact how you age.




Consider a study done back in 2001, which assessed how quickly the skin of medical students could recover from having a piece of sticky tape applied to it. What they found was skin recovery seemed to be directly linked to stress levels -- with high stress during exams associated with a decreased ability of the aggravated skin to return to normal function.




They concluded that stress lessens your skin's ability to function properly, heal wounds and fight disease, and could put you at an increased risk of skin diseases like psoriasis or dermatitis.




Meanwhile, scientific data has revealed that extended exposure to psychological stress could speed up the aging process of your cellsand cause them to die at a faster rate than normal.




Taken as a whole, what this means is your body’s ability to resist and adapt appropriately to both internal and external stresses is essential for good health, and the hallmark of aging is your body’s inability to withstand stress, which then starts to degrade it.




The solution, therefore, to preventing premature aging and having a youthful appearance on the outside is to effectively deal with your stress, and teach your body how to best tolerate it. This is great news, as it means that you have the ability to directly influence the way you age, simply based on your mental outlook.





Top Tips for Effectively Dealing With Stress




The key is not getting rid of stress completely, as we all face stressful situations from time to time (even exercise is a form of stress), but rather adjusting your body’s ability to tolerate the stress. Here are my top tips for doing so:

• Release negative emotions with the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT). EFT, considered by many to be the ultimate stress-management tool, targets a person’s disrupted energy meridian system as the real driver behind heightened stress levels. This simple do-it-yourself acupressure technique balances your energy and eliminates your body and mind’s stress response.




• Exercise. Physical activity is an excellent way to relieve tension and ward off the physical consequences of stress. Studies have shown that during exercise, tranquilizing chemicals, endorphins, are released in your brain, making exercise a natural way to bring your body pleasurable relaxation and rejuvenation.




• Get plenty of sleep. Regularly catching only a few hours of sleep can hinder metabolism and hormone production in a way that is similar to the effects of aging and the early stages of diabetes. Plus, your body needs high-quality sleep to help it deal with stressful situations.




• Optimize your diet. Eating the right foods for your nutritional type can have a direct impact on your mood. It’s also important to get plenty of omega-3 fat, from fish oil or krill oil, as it can help to reduce psychological distress and depressive symptoms.




Omega-3 fats also help to normalize skin lipids and prevent dehydration in your cells. This keeps skin cells strong and full of moisture, which can help to decrease the appearance of fine lines.

What Else Can You do to Look Younger?

Focusing on the bright side of life is only one key way to keep a fresh, youthful appearance.

One of the most important strategies you can possibly do is to optimize your vitamin D levels by appropriate sun or safe tanning bed exposure. If this is not an option then taking an oral vitamin D supplement is the next best option. But if you take this route you must be sure and have your blood levels tested as there are simply too many factors to predict what the correct dose is unless you measure it.

Vitamin D controls about 2,000-3,000 of your genes and can radically improve every system in your body -- including your appearance. If you use the preferred UVB exposure to optimize your vitamin D levels you need to know that it is important not to overdo it. You only need enough exposure to turn your skin the slightest pink.

Additional exposure will not increase your vitamin D level but it will increase premature aging of your skin. So be careful and prudent out there.

As I said earlier, it is also helpful to pay attention to what you’re eating, and this one is so important it bears repeating. By consuming large amounts of whole, unprocessed, healthy raw foods that are loaded with antioxidants, you can help to slow down the speed at which signs of your real age show up.

In fact, one of the reasons I started vegetable juicing is that I would see 75-year-old women in my practice who looked like they were 40 years old with virtually no facial wrinkles. Most of them were doing large amounts of juicing and led healthy lifestyles.

Juicing is actually a great way to get more raw veggies into your diet, as long as you fine-tune your vegetable selections based on your nutritional type, and if at all possible, aim to buy organic, locally-grown vegetables that are in season.

It’s also important to cut back on sugar. Diets high in sugar increase free radicals and oxidative stress, and leads to signs of premature aging.

And the sooner you start to make these positive changes -- to your stress levels, mental outlook and your diet -- the better. Whether you’re young or old, this healthy lifestyle will help keep the signs of aging away, or at least slow them down considerably.

5 STEPS TO ATTRACT A GREAT PARTNER

BY JULIA FORD-CARTHER
JANUARY 30, 2014 3:13 AM EST

A common complaint among my friends is that they always find themselves in the same dating predicaments with different people. They say, “Why is this happening again? Why do I keep running into the same type of guy?”

If you’re tired of finding yourself in the same go-nowhere relationships, don’t worry. Here are five steps to figuring out why this is happening and how to change it, so you can start attracting better potential mates.

1. Acknowledge that you're part of this problem.

If you’re repeatedly attracting the same type of person in your romantic relationships, you must look at the common denominator in all of those situations: You.

Each person you attract acts as a mirror, reflecting back to you aspects of yourself. If you keep running into different people who demonstrate similar maddening behavior, these situations are an opportunity to discover what limiting beliefs or fears are blocking you from finding the right fit.

So, what pattern are all those dead-end dates trying to illuminate? Below are some questions to ask yourself. Look to one or two characteristics that create a common theme among the group.

• What about them feels familiar?
• What about them frustrates you so much?
• Are they all afraid of commitment?
• Do they all have a history of cheating?
• Do you meet them when they are already in relationships?
• Do they only love you conditionally?

They could be highlighting the fact that you’re shut off to love, emotionally unavailable, have trust issues, or don’t love yourself unconditionally.

2. Find the source of the original pain.

Look back and identify the very first significant relationship where you felt the quality you identified in step #1, above. Who caused that first experience of heartbreak, abandonment, deep betrayal, or loss? Was it a parent, first love, or ex-spouse?

Whatever the pain, whenever it happened, this is the original source. This is when you erected a self-protecting defense mechanism so that you would never be hurt like that again. But by trying to protect yourself from future emotional pain, you’re inadvertently keeping yourself protected from love. Instead, you’re attracting people who are equally as shut off to an intimate relationship as you are.

3. Forgive.

Part of the process of attracting better relationships and welcoming new ones into your life is letting go of the old behavioral patterns that are keeping you stuck. You can begin to clear these emotional blocks by exercising forgiveness.

Forgiveness is about letting go of your expectations of others and how you thought they “should” have treated you. Forgive the original source for hurting you—they were only doing the best they knew how. You don’t have to agree with what they did, just forgive.

And forgive yourself for any blame you’ve placed on yourself. For allowing yourself to be in that relationship. For not getting out sooner. For not speaking up. For shutting down afterwards.

Be grateful for the lessons you’ve learned from that experience, for all of the gorgeous growth you’ve gleaned. And keep forgiving—over and over, each day. With continued practice, forgiveness will become second nature.

4. Be open to love.

Forgiveness and releasing is only part of the recipe. The other requires you to once again become open to love. Throughout this process, that original wound will be triggered, reopened and needled. Being open to love requires that you’re open to the possibility of feeling this pain again. The trick is to face this fear of being hurt and push on anyway.

Being able and willing to risk what’s necessary in order to be in an intimate relationship includes being willing to risk your heart, be vulnerable, and put yourself out there no matter what the result. It could be painful, sure, but it could also lead to the most fulfilling love of your life.

5. Get happy. Love thrives in a high vibrational state.

In order to attract love into your life from the right people—people that love, respect and value your self-worth—you have to get happy.

Love yourself unabashedly. Do things that overwhelm you with joy. Set boundaries and care for yourself. Surround yourself with supportive friends and family who love you. The more you do this, the more love you’ll attract from potential partners who will treat you with as much love and respect as you do.

If you want to attract an open, honest, conscious, emotionally available partner who is ready for commitment, you also have to be that open, honest, conscious, emotionally available partner who is ready for commitment.

No one said it would be easy, and being open to love can be terrifying. But this fear doesn’t have to control your dating choices and deter you from doing what’s necessary to be in the intimate relationship you truly want.

Photo Credit: Stocksy.com

HOW WE LIVE TODAY MATTERS A LOT TO OUR BRAIN HEALTH TOMORROW

BY DR. DAVID PERLMUTTER

Can you believe that I have been so bold as to claim that lifestyle factors, over which we have control, may play a role in determining whether or not we develop Alzheimer’s disease?

I've read criticism from the skeptics and have elected not to fan the flames by commenting on their blogs. Some people cling to the idea that what we eat, how much exercise we get, whether we sleep enough, and even how we manage stress doesn't matter in terms of our brain function.

This is flawed on two counts. First, it relinquishes your cognitive fate to a (so far) nonexistent drug. Second, it's not in line with our most current and well-respected scientific journals. Nonetheless, some people tend to be down on what they're not up on.

Let’s take a look at what our thought leaders are telling us.

Dr. Deborah Barnes is a neuroscientist in San Francisco whose work gets published in some of our most highly regarded journals. She recently published some great science in Lancet Neurology in which she concluded that factors like obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure dramatically increase a person’s risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease.

Her work was written up by the University of California News, which stated that "over half of all Alzheimer’s disease cases could potentially be prevented through lifestyle changes and treatment or prevention of chronic medical conditions."

According to that same news report, Barnes found that in the United States, the biggest modifiable risk factors are:

• Physical inactivity
• Depression
• Smoking
• Mid-life hypertension
• Mid-life obesity
• Low education
• Diabetes

That same reported stated that, these risk factors "are associated with up to 54% of Alzheimer’s cases in the United States (2.9 million cases)."

This is powerful information! Sadly, it suggests that 54% of Alzheimer’s patients in America didn’t have to get this devastating diagnosis—if they had only known. Yet, somehow we are supposed to buy into the notion that we can live our lives however we choose and that soon there will be a cure for whatever malady befalls us.

As of this writing, there is no meaningful treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. Several months ago, to great fanfare, federal monies (to the tune of $33 million), were allocated to help pharmaceutical companies develop a drug to prevent Alzheimer’s, a disease affecting more than five million Americans.

As I've said before on this site, while the idea of creating a drug to prevent Alzheimer’s seems honorable, keep in mind that the development of such a drug means big business. Some financial experts predict that developing an efficacious drug treatment for the disease could generate $20 billion in annual sales. But the value of a drug to take before there is any evidence of dementia—a far larger treatment group compared to those already afflicted—would be staggering.

New York Times writer Pam Belluck reported that the goal of this grant would be to develop a preventive treatment using a strategy similar to what we already do for heart disease.

Is this really what we should be doing?

We already know that modifiable lifestyle factors profoundly influence Alzheimer’s risk, but, unfortunately, the underlying practice of medicine in America today seems focused on treating our symptoms with highly profitable remedies while ignoring the root causes of disease.

Watching our elected leaders debate the merits of funding a health-care plan designed to treat illnesses presents a poignant irony, as it has little to do with health and everything to do with illness. But it has become clear that both sides enthusiastically agree that Americans need their pills, and lots of them.

Just the simple act of getting regular exercise can dramatically lower Alzheimer’s risk, and this isn’t new information. In fact, exercising regularly has been demonstrated to actually improve memory in adults with memory impairment. Where would such an iconoclastic report have been published? It was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association way back in 2008!

So it’s time we accept the idea, with gratitude, that how we live our lives matters a whole lot in determining how we will function in the future. Dietary choices determine blood sugar levels, and even a mild elevation of blood sugar levels translates to a dramatically increased risk for dementia, as recently reported in The New England Journal of Medicine. Keep in mind that this study showed a marked increased risk for dementia even in individuals without diabetes or even pre-diabetes.

In fact, there's a direct relationship between fasting blood sugar and the rate of shrinkage of the hippocampus (the brain’s memory center), as demonstrated in a recent issue of the esteemed journal Neurology. When it comes to your brain’s memory center, size does matter.

As the authors of this study stated, even in the absence of diabetes, "monitoring and management of plasma glucose levels could have an impact on cerebral health."

And what should your first step be in terms of “management of plasma glucose?”

To dramatically reduce carbohydrate intake while increasing your consumption of healthful fats. This is a central theme of the Grain Brain program and is fundamentally supported by a recent publication by researchers at the Mayo Clinic in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.

They found that elderly individuals who ate a high carbohydrate diet experienced an increased risk for developing dementia of close to 90% while the dementia risk was decreased by 42% in those who ate the most fat.

I encourage you all to read these citations and embrace the empowerment that this knowledge provides in terms of changing your brain’s destiny.

ANDA HEBAT HUH?

Orang yang percaya diri di lingkungan sosial, belum tentu percaya diri di atas ranjang. Ada beberapa ciri yang terlihat oleh mata bahwa orang tersebut adalah sosok yang bisa memanjakan pasangannya dalam berhubungan intim.

Berikut ini adalah beberapa ciri-ciri orang yang punya gairah dan aksi seks hebat di atas ranjang.

1. Pintar Berdansa

Orang yang pintar berdansa dan menari biasanya juga memiliki jiwa dan pribadi yang lebih fleksibel. Selain menari di lantai dansa, mereka juga merupakan sosok yang bisa 'menari' di atas ranjang.

2. Pribadinya Tenang Menghanyutkan

Orang yang tenang tak selalu pendiam. Namun bisa menanggapi seseorang atau orang lain dengan baik, tanpa nervous dan tak membuat orang lain nervous. Mereka adalah pengendali yang baik saat berhubungan seks dan bisa memberikan Anda pengalaman seksual yang luar biasa.

3. Pendengar Yang Baik

Karena seks berhubungan dengan kemampuan untuk memahami, maka mereka yang mau mendengarkan orang lain biasanya juga mampu menjadi pendengar yang baik di atas ranjang. Tahu apa yang diinginkan dan dibutuhkan oleh pasangannya.

4. Bisa Memahami Sentuhan

Orang yang punya aksi hebat di ranjang biasanya tahu kapan harus menyentuh dengan lembut, kapan menepuk, kapan harus menggenggam dan kapan membelai. Mereka juga orang yang mudah tersentuh, tapi bukan sosok yang cengeng.

5. Menghargai Masa Lalu

Orang-orang seperti ini sangat menghargai momen dan menghargai masa lalu. Namun kebiasaan buruknya adalah kadang mereka jadi sering terjebak dengan mantan. Tapi tidak semua orang demikian. Yang jelas, mereka orang yang memaknai setiap hubungan yang spesial dengannya.

Apakah ciri-ciri di atas seperti Anda atau suami, Ladies?



source : vemale.com

THAT'S LIFE

PETUA KHAS UNTUK ANAK DARA

Dalam masyarakat tradisi Melayu,terdapat banyak petua-petua untuk perawan (anak dara) yang elok dilakukan agar sentiasa dipandang menarik, menawan dan cepat dipinang orang. Ini juga merupakan petua-petua yang boleh diamalkan terus oleh wanita yang telah berkahwin dan telah mempunyai anak. Petua-petua berikut adalah koleksi dari berbagai pengalaman dan tulisan.




1. Bangkit Bersambut



Apabila mahu tidur malam, duduk berlunjur dan rebahkan badan ketilam tanpa menongkatkan badan dengan tangan. Apabila mahu bangkit dan tidur, lunjurkan kaki dan bangunlah tanpa menongkatkan badan dengan tangan. Cecah ibu jari kaki dengan kedua tangan.




2. Wajah Suci



Apabila bangun pagi, jika membasuh muka, elakkan dari mencucinva menggunakan sebarang alat pencuci atau mengesat muka dengan sebarang pengesat. Biarkan air itu kering sendiri pada muka. Jika mengambil air sembahyang pun, usahlah dikesat air itu, biarkan ia kering sendiri. Ini berfaedah mengekalkan kecantikan asli wanita, dan rnenjadikan muka bercahaya dan segar kerana pelembap asli muka tidak dibuang.




3. Menyegarkan Payudara



Apabila mandi, terutamanya di awal pagi, cucurkan air pancuran atau air paip ke atas kedua-dua belah payudara agar payudara sentiasa subur dan segar, tidak mudah jatuh.




4. Taman Semerbak Mewangi



Amalkan makan makanan yang segar seperti ulam-ulam yang wangi baunya dan sayur-sayuran yang wangi sejak dari perawan. Amalkan sentiasa. Nafas dan badan juga akan menjadi wangi. Petua ini telah diketahui sejak beribu tahun yang lampau.




5. Lubang Jarum



Latih otot penahan kencing, seolah-olah seperti menahan dan hendak buang air kecil, kemutkan berulang-ulang. Kemudian kemutkan pula otot dubur seolah-olah mahu menahan dari buang air besar, berulang-ulang juga. Jika boleh jadikan ia amalan setiap hari.




6. Suara Perindu



Elakkan dari banyak memakan makanan yang pedas-pedas atau yang agak panas. SeIalu minum air asam jawa.Berlatih bercakap dengan mengawal nada suara, jangan dilepaskan suara sewenang-wenangnya. Dikatakan bahawa suara perawan adalah bagai bunyi seruling yang merdu.




7. Mengurut Pangkal Bunting Padi



Biasakan mengurut di pangkal betis, iaitu dengan cara menekan dan memicit kawasan antara urat keting dan buah betis.Lakukan selalu, kerana ini baik untuk mempertingkatkan prestasi kepekaan rasa apabila jima’ setelah berkahwin nanti.




8. Payudara Montok



Elakkan dari meniarap di atas lantai sama ada di waktu siang atau malam,kerana meniarap dilantai akan mengendurkan payudara anda.

SURE!

Happy Birthday Ain!

AGE DEFYING FOODS

By Peter Jaret

You already know that eating the right foods helps keep you healthy. Here's more good news: A healthy diet can also make you look and feel young. It may even slow the aging process.



  

Eating foods such as fruit, vegetables, fish, nuts, and whole grains protects against many chronic conditions that could limit your life, including diabetes and heart disease. These foods help keep your blood vessels in top shape. That’s important for your heart -- and for every organ of your body. Certain foods can protect vision and hearing. Eating healthy foods may even help preserve memory and protect against Alzheimer's.

"Even your skin will stay younger looking if you eat right," says Allison T. Pontius, MD, an expert in anti-aging and regenerative medicine at Williams' Center of Excellence in Latham, N.Y

Help Yourself to These Age-Defying Foods

Colorful fruits and vegetables. The antioxidants in colorful vegetables and fruits, such as leafy greens, deep red tomatoes, blueberries, and carrots, help stop unstable molecules from damaging healthy cells. You cannot feel it when some cells are damaged or dying, but you can see it in the signs of aging, such as wrinkles. So at each meal, fill about half your plate with fruits and vegetables. Your goal is five to nine servings a day.

• Three particular antioxidants -- vitamin C, zinc, and beta-carotene -- help protect your vision from macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in adults 65 and older. If you already have macular degeneration, eating foods with these nutrients may slow its progress. Dark green leafy vegetables -- spinach, kale, collard, and mustard greens -- help the most. But you also help your eyes when you eat bright-colored produce, including corn, peppers, oranges, and cantaloupe.
• A powerful antioxidant in grapes and red wine, called resveratrol, helps reduce your risk of cancer, heart disease, and premature aging.
• Antioxidants like vitamin C can even keep your skin younger-looking. A 2010 study showed that eating lots of yellow and green vegetables was linked to fewer wrinkles.  

Whole grains. Eating whole grains rich in fiber -- oats, quinoa, barley, wheat, and brown rice -- lowers your chance of developing type 2 diabetes. A healthy diet that contains whole grains also keeps blood vessels in peak condition. Your goal is three servings of whole grains a day.

Fish. Omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil offer many anti-aging benefits. They protect your heart, reduce your risk of stroke, and may even lower your risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Help yourself to two servings a week of fatty fish such as salmon, lake trout, or tuna. If you typically get tuna from a can, choose albacore packed in water for the most omega-3s. If you don't eat fish, ask your doctor if you should take fish oil supplements.

Dairy. The calcium and fortified vitamin D in dairy foods are crucial to strong bones. They help prevent osteoporosis and keep you active into your golden years. Include 3 cups of low-fat milk, yogurt, or other dairy products a day to ensure strong bones for life. By choosing low-fat instead of regular dairy, you’ll help keep your cholesterol levels in check, making you less likely to get heart disease.

Nuts. The fatty acids in nuts are among the healthiest you can find. If you avoid nuts because you think they're high in fat, think again. In fact, one study showed that snacking on nuts reduced the risk of high blood pressure and high cholesterol by about 20%. You only need to eat 1/4 of an ounce a day to get the benefits -- that’s about 4 almonds.

Beans and lentils. These foods give you loads of plant-based protein, so they’re an age-protecting alternative to red meat with saturated fat, which is linked to heart disease and diabetes. Beans and lentils are inexpensive and easy to add to soups, casseroles, and side dishes.

Aging Foods to Avoid

For the best anti-aging diet, it’s important to limit foods that can harm your body. It’s easy if you follow these three guidelines.

• Go easy on high-fat meat, high-fat dairy, and bakery treats. The saturated fat found in these foods can clog your arteries, which can lead to heart problems.
• Limit sugar as much as possible. Eating too much sugar can send your blood sugar levels on a roller-coaster ride of ups and downs. Over time, excess calories may make you insulin resistant, which can lead to type 2 diabetes. Diabetes damages your blood vessels and often leads to heart disease. "The less sugar you eat, the healthier you'll be," Pontius says. 

• Spare the salt. Eating too much salt, a form of sodium, can raise your blood pressure. Over time, high blood pressure can damage many parts of your body, including your kidneys, your eyes, and your brain. Limit sodium to 2,400 milligrams -- about 1 teaspoon of table salt -- throughout your entire day. If you have high blood pressure, your doctor may suggest you eat even less, about 1,500 mg a day. Check labels for the sodium content in canned, frozen, and boxed foods. Packaged foods typically pack in a lot of salt -- you may be eating more than you realize.

Give Your Body the Fuel It Needs

Can you get the benefits of nutrients through supplements, instead of thinking so much about what you eat? Not really, says dietitian Manuel Villacorta, author of Eating Free.

You need calories from food to have the energy to do everything you want to do. For steady energy, Villacorta suggests you eat three modest-sized meals a day, and keep healthy snacks handy for between meals. Drink plenty of water. Becoming dehydrated can rob you of energy and cause your skin to dry out.

Also, research shows that nutrients in whole foods interact in complex ways to protect your body. Isolating a single nutrient in a supplement rarely offers the exact same benefit.

“It's smarter -- and easier -- to plan your diet around foods, not nutrients," Villacorta says. "What you eat makes a huge difference in how you age and how you feel."