Turning To Prayer May Help You Heal

A recent study involving researchers from Indiana University (IU) in Bloomington, looking into the effects of praying directly with someone for healing, came up with interesting findings. According to Candy Gunther Brown, an associate professor in the Department of Religious Studies at IU, the author of the study, what she calls as "proximal intercessory prayer" can indeed help to bring about healing. The study, which is part of a larger research project examining the power of spiritual healing to heal diseases, investigated two charismatic Christian groups known for healing prayer activities, one African and another South-American. Researchers noticed a "statistically significant" improvement in the hearing and vision capabilities of impaired people after they received proximal intercessory prayer. Brown pointed out that Christian subgroups practising proximal intercessory prayer are gaining fast acceptability worldwide due to the benefits received from attending their healing sessions. Looks like, in an uncertain world, people are longing to reach out to any religious or ritual practice that offers a touch of hope...

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Moderate Wine Consumption May Delay Cognitive Decline

A Norwegian study, which studied the drinking habits of 5,033 men and women, suggests drinking wine in moderation may bring down the risk of cognitive decline in some people and even protect against dementia. The seven-year study revealed wine drinkers performed better than teetotalers on a range of tests measuring cognitive functioning. The researchers found that nondrinking women scored significantly lower on tests involving reasoning and thinking ability. Women benefited from moderate wine consumption, while men from both beer and wine, in terms of improved cognitive functioning, the study revealed. However, study researcher Kjell Arne Arntzen, MD, of the University of Tromso in Norway, was positive that wine didn't make people brighter. In fact, why female abstainers scored lower than those given to low wine consumption could possibly be attributed to the protective effect of wine on cognitive decline. According to the researchers, the beneficial effects of drinking wine could be because of the presence of antioxidants and other micro elements. Well, looks like there’s no reason why you shouldn't go ahead and sip up...

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The Mysteriously Addictive Quality Of Love

Pause before pulling out all stops and going effusive over the euphoric qualities of love, which has held sway over the minds and hearts of countless millions since the dawn of mankind. Anthropologist Helen Fisher, author of "Why We Love," in her quest to understand how the brain processes romantic love, found that this passionate emotion is interpreted by the brain as a reward. The same areas of the brain get stimulated as when a person seeks any type of reward - whether it be chocolate, money or drugs. According to Fisher, romantic love can be interpreted as a drive – similar to thirst or hunger. Fisher teamed up with other researchers and studied 17 people who recently had been stung by love. Their findings, published last year in the Journal of Neurophysiology, strikingly revealed participants unflinchingly expressed their readiness to die for the sake of their love. Research showed the brain's stem region, the ventral tegmental area, as being responsible for processing the emotion of romantic love. However, there can be little doubt that the quality of love transcends any type of scientific analysis...

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Key Up Your Web Presence To Shed Weight

The Internet, it might well be admitted, inhibits our ordinary offline existence by means of its many-fangled enticements that keeps us glued to the computer, peering intently at the screen and mostly oblivious to the goings-on in the actual world. The rich quality of entertainment offered by cyberspace is persuasive enough to wean its followers away from healthy practices like spending time on exercise and eating non-packaged food. However, surprisingly, a new study, spanning more than two years, reveals the more often people logged on to a specially designed website, set up by researchers at the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research (KPCHR), the more likely they were to keep off obesity. The original KPCHR site, which is no longer live, was created with the singular aim of providing an online equivalent of a real-life weight loss program inclusive of personal counseling and group meetings. The study suggests social interaction, even if it be online, can be sufficiently effective for overweight introverts to feel good about themselves - a key requirement to shake off those extra pounds.

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Keeping Your Perfectionist Streak On Leash

Everything under the sun needn't be perfect - and that includes you. Although perfectionism isn't a behavioral aberration but a personality trait marked by difficulty in wading through the business of life, such exacting standards can mean a lot of life's simple pleasures lost out on for no especially good reason. It's much better to accept that being 'good' is enough and stopping short of aspiring towards 'best' can save you a whole lot of worries including ruined relationship, low self-esteem, eating disorders, depression, addictions, amongst others. Instead, it makes a whole lot better sense accepting the reality of human nature susceptible to faux pas, forgetfulness, indolence, exhaustion and other failings. Being good enough is all that it takes for a successful life - and that extra mile can be the straw that broke the camel's back. A way away from that consuming passion for idealism is to accept that all mortals have limits. Forgive yourself and those around you for slipping up now and then, unable to make it to the high standards you have visualized while ensconced in your stately but make-believe world. Give yourself that much-needed break; you need it...

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Cancer Can Indeed Be Skin Deep!

Watch this slideshow on precancerous skin lesions and skin cancer... The small, scaly patches from excessive sun exposure that break out on the head, neck, hands, or elsewhere may be taken as signs of early stage skin cancer. Actinic keratosis can strike usually after age 40, but even younger people may be victims. Most at risk are fair skinned, blond, or red-haired people with blue or green eyes and immediate medical treatment is recommended to stop progression to squamous cell skin cancer. Skin cancer already commands the dubious distinction of emerging as the #1 most diagnosed cancer in the past few decades, claiming about 10,600 lives in the US each year. Inordinate sun exposure and use of tanning beds, apart from other factors like increased exposure to UV light and ozone depletion, are mainly responsible for the incidence of this deadly condition, according to medical specialists. Fortunately, most early stage skin cancers are curable and the Skin Cancer Foundation recommends getting your skin is examined once a year by your doctor. Moreover, you should be getting right on preventive measures that help save your skin - literally...

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Sufficient Green Leafy Vegetables In Diet Can Slim Down Chances Of Type 2 Diabetes

Sufficient inclusion of green leafy vegetables in the diet can noticeably bring down the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to research appearing online in the British Medical Journal. The study, led by Patrice Carter at the University of Leicester, requires further investigation into the possible benefits of green leafy vegetables in controlling type 2 diabetes, the incidence of which has scaled dramatic proportions globally in the last two decades. Diets replete in fruit and vegetables are known to lessen the chances of both cancer and heart disease. However, how extra intake of fruit and vegetables may help contain diabetes isn't clear, according to the authors of the study. It is estimated that poor consumption of fruit and vegetables may have been responsible for 2.6 million deaths worldwide in 2000. The antioxidant content in these food items may be why fruit and vegetables can prevent chronic illnesses. The high magnesium content in green leafy vegetables like spinach could explain its ability to fight type 2 diabetes. Seems like plenty of reason to go green with your diet. Wouldn't you say?

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Making The Most Of Your Doctor's Visit

Many of us take pains to research the products we buy - prior to the actual purchase. Whether the product in question might be as insignificant as a toothbrush or as life changing as a new car. However, unfortunately, the same diligence is most often strikingly missing when going about one of life's most important purchases that needs to be pursued on a regular basis - a trip to the doctor's office. In order to make the most of your doctor's visit, say medical experts, you need to be prepared beforehand, as well. According to Arthur Levin, director of the nonprofit Center for Medical Consumers, your session with the physician is typically brief and it's necessary to be prepared with questions that you seek answers to. Further, keep in mind that the information provided by a patient to the doctor is 70% responsible for an accurate diagnosis. Don't neglect to inform your doctor of medical details like medicines you are currently taking or recent health concerns. Also, be sure to clear up any lingering doubts even if it means phoning your doctor back. Invest in your medical visit - invest in life...

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Slim Down With Exercise In Spite Of 'Fat Genes'

Blame it on your 'fat genes' by all means. But it doesn't mean you can't fight the tendency toward obesity, according to a new study reported in PLoS Medicine. Moderate exercise like a brisk walk can, in fact, counter your body's natural predisposition to gain weight. British researchers involved in the study investigated 12 genetic variants linked with obesity and tracked the physical activity levels of 20,430 people. The objective was to estimate a person's risk of obesity given his genetic profile and to determine if an active lifestyle could neutralize genetic influence. Findings indicated physical activity can indeed stymie the genetic slant toward obesity by as much as 40%. Senior researcher Ruth Loos, of Great Britain's Medical Research Council in Cambridge, remarks the findings challenge the widely accepted belief that obesity is inevitable if it runs in the family. She says even simple exercises like walking the dog or biking to work can pay off impressively. US experts agree the study reinforces previous evidence on the ability of behavioral factors to override genetic bias.

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Seven Hours Just Gets You Right On Sleep, Says Study

Have you found yourself skimping on sleep or oversleeping? A study conducted by researchers at West Virginia University's (WVU) faculty of medicine and published in the journal Sleep has found people sleeping more or less than seven hours a day, including naps, might be at increased risk of cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death in America. Adults below 60 who slept five hours or fewer at night were most at risk. Short sleep duration can bring on angina, while too little or too much sleep places an individual at greater risk of heart attack and stroke, according to the study. Although the authors of the WVU study could not determine the causal relationship between sleep duration and cardiovascular disease, they could determine that sleep duration impacts endocrine and metabolic functions, and lack of sleep can result in conditions like impaired glucose tolerance, reduced insulin sensitivity and elevated blood pressure, all of which can lead to hardening of arteries. Seems reason enough to give yourself those optimal seven hours of shut-eye at night in order get right with your body,,,

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Bouncing Back From Your Shut-Eye Blues

The increased demands of a hectic lifestyle can mean fewer hours spent sleeping. Skimping, off and on, on sleep can lead to a significant sleep debt by the weekend and you need to pay back that debt in order to keep reasonably functional, according to a study published recently in the journal Sleep. Sleeping off those missed hours, in fact, can help you recover from sleep deprivation and restore your vitality and mental acuity, because of the brain's in-built reflex that helps you sleep deeper and longer when you're sleep deprived. While some might be reluctant to admit they need to do some catching up on lost sleep, floating off into slumber in front of the TV or finding it difficult to stay awake at a meeting are surefire signs it's time to pay back your sleep debt. Sleep deprivation doesn't just mean fatigue; you stay out of sync in terms of memory, alertness, cognitive speed, and reaction time, as well. Sleep deprivation is also fertile ground for additional maladies like heart disease and diabetes and depleted immune system. How much extra shut-eye you need for recovery depends on the extent of your sleep debt, and how promptly you pay those lost hours back will determine how soon you bounce back - from dreamland...

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Junk Food Diet Can Invite Allergies In Children

A recent study revealed children allowed free access to junk food diets exposed themselves to higher risk of allergies as also obesity. Scientists involved in the study compared youngsters living in the rural African village of Boulon in Burkina Faso with another group living in Florence in Italy. The difference was breathtaking. The African children registered less of obesity-linked bacteria and a greater prevalence of fatty acids that offer protection against inflammation causing asthma, eczema and other allergic reactions. Their diet mainly consisted of cereals, beans, nuts and vegetables. However, the Italian kids were more into higher quantities of meat, fat and sugar. The human gut is home to trillions of microorganisms that play a major role in digesting food, protecting against disease-causing germs and limiting inflammation. Researchers point out that low-fiber, high-sugar 'Western' diets are conducive to reduced microbial richness that potentially increase vulnerability to allergic and inflammatory diseases.

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Staying Protected From Five Pervasive Toxic Substances

Continuing research is increasingly pointing to five chemicals, most commonly encountered in day-to-day life, which might be responsible for a large number of medical problems including cancer, sexual problems and behavioral aberrations. These substances pervade our mortal existence by way of their significant presence in articles of daily use like plastic bottles, food wrap, cookware, shower curtains, furniture and television sets, amongst others. It's almost impossible to envisage any household in America, or, for that matter, any place in the world, which does not make use of one or more of these items. It, therefore, seems only proper that one should be correctly informed on these toxic chemicals and how to limit exposure to them. These five chemicals are bisphenol A, or BPA; phthalates; PFOA; formaldehyde; and polybrominated diphenyl ethers, or PDBEs. Tests show most of us now carry these chemicals in our bodies. However, the important question is if they are putting people's, as well as their children's, lives on the line. Time to find out...

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A Brief Eating Spree Can Result In Long Term Weight Gain

It's time to monitor your nutritional discipline more carefully than ever. A recent study, appearing in BioMed Central's open access journal Nutrition & Metabolism discovered a short period of bingeing can have long term effects on body weight and fat storage even though the initial weight is lost. In fact, individuals participating in the study who were put through a four-week period of excess food consumption along with a diminished exercise regimen evidenced increased weight and fat mass more than two years later. The research suggests, intriguingly, that even a brief stint of overindulgence coupled with the absence of exercise during that session can potentially alter a person's physiological profile, making it tougher to lose weight. This sends out a clear message about the long term consequences on our body if we let go of our eating discipline - even if for a brief period. This is especially disastrous news for those trying desperately to shed weight and underlines the need for strict consistency in the way they respond to permissive occasions topped off with epicurean delights.

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Say No To Smoking Even If Diagnosed With Lung Cancer

Smokers already diagnosed with lung cancer may not find sufficient motivation to quit. However, a new report published online in BMJ suggests that smokers who quit after being diagnosed with early-stage lung cancer can, in fact, add a few more years to their life. Medical research shows that once a person gives up smoking, the body begins to repair the damage inflicted by toxic chemicals present in tobacco smoke. This is in contrast to those stricken with lung cancer and continue to smoke, which is because the cancer starts spreading in smokers refusing to quit. Admittedly, quitting smoking isn't an easy lifestyle choice, especially when death appears near at hand. Still, adding some more precious years to your life can make a huge difference to you and those you hold dear. Instead of puffing those years away, why not give yourself this last chance of spending some more fulfilling moments with family and friends. After all, the joy of living and spending quality time with loved ones deserves to take precedence over finishing off those last few cancer sticks, wouldn't you agree? Then again, your choice, after all...

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Snoring Woes: Cures And Remedies

Almost anyone can be held guilty, at one time or the other, for snoring. Although occasional instances of snoring may be innocuous, the more persistent kind can spell havoc for the quantity and quality of sleep. Which in turn leads to daytime fatigue, frayed tempers, and even health threats. Further, if your snoring unrelentingly scales the decibel ladder, you might end up evicted from the bedroom. This informative account identifies the different causes of snoring like obstructed nasal channels and incorrect sleep posture. Sometimes, snoring can be indicative of sleep apnea, a serious medical condition warranting immediate treatment. For those tied to wedlock, it might be a sensible option to not initiate heated exchanges with your partner or let resentment gain leeway because of a snoring problem. Before starting to think of ending your relationship, you could make a promising beginning by realizing that snoring is a physical problem. Plenty of cures exist, from lifestyle changes including consumption of certain food types and medicines, and throat exercises, to professional medical treatment, that can address your dilemma.

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Heart Matters: Abstain From Too Much Red Meat

Excessive consumption of red meat may actually drive up the risk of heart failure by 24 percent, finds a new American study. The study, the first of its kind to investigate the connection between red meat consumption and cardiac failure, comes as bad publicity for the meat industry, which is already reeling under negative attention from previous studies that confirm the link between the consumption of red meat and certain cancers. A possible cause for the adverse impact of red meat on cardiac health could be the presence of saturated fat and cholesterol content, which can increase the risks of hypertension and coronary heart disease. Although further confirmatory research is necessary to substantiate the claim, the study provides sufficient ground for those carnally inclined to consider other options. Not all of life's pleasures come without a cost; and where your heart is on the line, it pays to reduce your intake of red meat. Awareness of a certain risk is only half the story, the other half is definitive action to address the risk. The choice is yours as it always will be...

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Eating Chocolate Sparingly Means Better Cardiac Discipline

A new study, reported in Circulation: Heart Failure, which is a journal of the American Heart Association, shows that middle-aged and elderly Swedish women regularly eating a small amount of chocolate are less susceptible to cardiac failures. However, the quality of chocolate that these women ate came with higher density cocoa content, more like dark chocolate available in America. The study, spanning nine years and based on the participation of 31,823 middle-aged and elderly Swedish women, indicates, interestingly, that only women who consumed this high-quality chocolate in moderation benefited significantly. Others who were more indulgent didn't register as much improvement, possibly because of the extra calories gained from eating too much of these delicacies, according to Murray Mittleman, M.D., Dr.P.H., who led the study. It might be logically inferred that the higher cocoa content in Swedish chocolate is responsible for the improved cardiac health of these women. It may be noted in this context that, unfortunately, heart failure strikes about 1 percent of the American population aged over 65 and the threat hardly shows any signs of remission with each passing year...

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School Foods That Spell Health Disaster For Kids

Parents need to realize that proper care for their school going kids doesn't just mean providing blank notebooks, sharpened pencils, backpacks or a closetful of new clothes. What these children need as well is healthy and nutritious food made available for them while at school, according to Michael Roizen, MD, chief wellness officer and chair of the Wellness Institute at Cleveland Clinic. Hence, parents would do well to keep a watchful eye for junk food dished out to their dearies at school, keeping in mind that nothing much else qualifies as a better recipe for not only poor academic performance but also, more importantly, endangered health. Parents also should be aware of healthier alternatives that score better on the health as well as scholastic front. For instance, croissant breakfast sandwiches might be a convenient option for schools lacking kitchens. However, these prepackaged delicacies are more like a complete health disaster, considering that a single piece of croissant packs a 900 calorie punch and contains approximately 65 grams of saturated fat. Surely, your kids deserve better and only you can see that it happens...

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Anger Makes Way For Heart Problems

Are you susceptible to tempestuous tantrums? Well then - beware! Type A behavioral pattern creates fertile ground for heightened cardiac risk, including stroke, according to a new study published in Hypertension: Journal of the American Heart Association. Researchers working at the National Institute on Aging (NIA) in Baltimore, a division of the National Institutes of Health, uncovered that people given to anger and aggressiveness evidenced greater thickness of the carotid arteries in the neck, which is responsible in a major way for a heart attack or stroke, in comparison to more plain sailing individuals. The study underlines the need to determine personality traits while screening patients for cardiovascular disease, which is the leading cause of death in America, where heart attacks claim about 1.2 million and strokes 800,000 lives each year. Ultrasound imaging, used in measuring carotid artery and arterial wall thickness, showed that even young people displaying antagonistic inclinations were frightfully at risk from cardiac illnesses even if they weren't at risk from other factors such as smoking and high blood pressure. Clearly, a more fulfilling world awaits those willing to toss out their ire...

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Self Image Key Determinant Of Success In Weight Loss Programs

An expert, presenting recently at the American College of Sports Medicine's 14th-annual Health & Fitness Summit, stated that the key to achieving desirable results in weight-loss programs stems more from self-esteem and positive body image rather than the sophistication of such programs. The presentation, which was primarily intended for women, stressed on the need for healthy self image in order to achieve significant weight loss. It's necessary for women to cultivate a healthy attitude to life and self acceptance rather than worry unduly on the aesthetic demands of society for developing the correct lifestyle conducive to better weight management. The way you design your modus vivendi with regard to food, your social connectedness, and how you deal with issues concerning self-esteem defines, to a big extent, on whether you possess those desirable characteristics that guide you towards successful weight loss. More objectively, it's important to cultivate 11 skills for developing a healthy body image and self-esteem. What are these skills that you might unknowingly be missing out on? Read on...

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Weaponize Your Immune System Against Infections And Cancer With White Button Mushrooms

Although it was long known by researchers that certain types of mushrooms possess anti-tumor properties, only recently, a group of studies have shown that the widely available white button mushrooms (WBMs), or Agaricus bisporus, possess a unique capability to enhance the body's immune system. In spite of WBMs constituting about 90 percent of the total mushrooms consumed in America, its true nutritional significance was only realized in the last few years as a result of innovative animal and lab research conducted at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (HNRCA) at Tufts University. WBMs strengthen the immune system by stepping up the production of proteins that eliminate disease-causing pathogens. Because of the positive impact that these mushrooms have on the immune system cells called dendritic cells, which can make white blood cells known as T cells, they might play a major role in fighting cancer. Further, separate research, published in The Journal of Nutrition, suggests consuming 100 grams of WBMs per day would substantially lessen the chances of breast tumor in women.

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