Tips for Safe and Healthy Online Dating

Chatting with a new Valentine over coffee: old school. Dealing with awkward first-date giggles at an Applebee's: What is this, 1998? These days, many of us are getting romantic through virtual winks and private messages, or by simply perusing a prospective match's age, sex, location, weight, height, self summary, favorite movies, and leisure activities through his or her dating profile. Online dating has become so popular that it was how nearly 25 million people searched for love in just one month of 2011, according to a study in the journal Psychological Science in the Public Interest.

But if the nonstop drama of Manti Te'o and the tales of online exes-turned-murders have taught us anything, it's that you've got to be safe when dating online. Here's how:

Don't post contact information. "You need to own your online presence," says Michael Kaiser, executive director of the National Cyber Security Alliance. "Empower yourself to control what you share online." While engaging in multiple virtual platforms can make you feel like Master of the Internet, it can also leave you vulnerable. "There's a difference between being cyber savvy and cyber secure," Kaiser says.

[Read How One Woman Gamed the Online Dating System]

Even if you've omitted your phone number, address, and even your personal email address in your dating profile, could it be found on another social media account? Up your security settings across the board, and be aware of apps like Foursquare and Instagram that allow you to post your specific location. If someone is impressed with your dating profile, searches your name on Facebook to find your number, and then sees that you checked into a specific pizza place five minutes ago, your virtual security walls have crumbled.

Watch for red flags. Start with the profile picture. Dazzled by your virtual beau's perfect teeth and glistening eyes? And don't even get us started on that bathing suit photo. Hate to burst your bubble, but he may be too good to be true. It's not uncommon for folks to snatch photos of models, celebrities, or just regular people and post them as their own. If you're suspicious, try a reverse image search via Google Images to see if the photos are posted elsewhere. "Even if they're not trying to deceive and are maybe just trying to be funny, you got to think: For whatever reason, that person is not being honest about themselves," says Garth Bruen, security fellow of the Digital Citizens Alliance, a Washington, D.C.-based coalition that promotes Internet safety.

If you verify the picture and get to talking, does he ask for money? Is he living or traveling abroad and asking you to send along a package to a friend in the states? If so, you're likely being prepped for a scam. And while these clues may seem obvious, is it that unusual to do a favor for someone you like? In those early stages of romance, "you want to be accommodating and pleasing to the other person," says Bruen. "You want to give of yourself with the expectation that you're going to get something back."

[See How to Make Love Last]

Match.com lists other signs to watch out for, including excessive grammar and spelling errors, talks of "destiny" and "fate," and asking for your address so he can send you flowers or gifts.

Play detective. To gauge their honesty, "ask them a question, and then later ask them the same question in a different way," says Bruen, who suggests asking where the person went to high school. Similarly, be keen to stories that don't quite add up, like if she has one job today and another job a week from now. You're looking for a "string of integrity," Kaiser says, which is easier to feel out when you're sharing dinner in person rather than exchanging emails.

You can always use Google to see what you can find out about this person, and you can even get a background check through a private investigator or various online services. But Kaiser warns that a clean background check could lead to a false sense of security. "Background checks only show stuff that they had been caught for," he says. "If someone is a serial stalker but has never been caught or arrested, a background check won't tell you that."

View the original article here

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

5 Red Foods to Eat for Your Heart

It's time again for the ultimate red month—February, known as American Heart Month, National Cherry Month, and for Valentine's Day. It's the perfect time to celebrate eating red for good health by making smart choices.

[See Best Heart-Healthy Diets]

Here are my top five red foods that will give you high-quality protein, powerful antioxidants, and phytonutrients:

• Tomatoes: Lycopene is the phytonutrient that gives tomatoes their red coloring. Lycopene is a powerful antioxidant. Research shows that women with the highest intake of tomato-based foods have greater protection against heart disease. Tomatoes are also a good source of potassium and vitamin C, which adds to their heart-healthy appeal.

Ways to Eat: Research has shown that cooking tomatoes boosts their heart-healthy qualities by increasing lycopene content. Have them in spaghetti sauce, chili, or soups.

• Tart cherries: Tart cherries' bright red color comes from anthocyanins, powerful antioxidants researchers have attributed to the fruit's unique health properties, from anti-inflammatory and heart-health benefits, to reduced post-exercise muscle and joint pain.

[See Top 5 Foods to Fight Inflammation]

Ways To Eat: Use frozen tart cherries in smoothies and dried tart cherries in salads or mixed with pistachios to make your own trail mix.

• Strawberries: Consuming eight strawberries gives you the same amount of vitamin C as you'd get from one orange. Some research has shown that strawberries may reduce inflammation and protect LDL ("the bad cholesterol") from oxidation. Eating strawberries in your diet may also help manage blood sugar by improving how well insulin works in our bodies.

Ways to Eat: Use them for smoothies, salads, or to make a fruit leather. They are perfect and delicious simply on their own.

• Red Bell Peppers: These are a particularly good choice for heart health as they are full of lycopene, which is not found in green peppers. They are also a source of cholesterol-lowering soluble fiber and powerful antioxidant vitamins A and C, which are good for heart health.

Red bell peppers are an especially good source of potassium with a whopping 162 milligrams in one cup. Increasing potassium intake in the diet can help lower blood pressure, which is important for optimal heart health. They are also low in calories at only 24 calories per cup, so they are great to include in a heart-healthy diet that also helps you manage your weight.

Ways to Eat: Cook red peppers in a stir fry or on the grill. Stuff them with quinoa, or enjoy them on their own.

[See Quick and Healthy Lunch Tips]

• Red Grapes: Rich in antioxidants and fiber, red grapes are very heart-healthy. Red grapes have been shown to lower blood pressure, reduce inflammation, and reduce heart muscle damage related to a high-salt diet. They have also been shown to reduce blood triglyceride levels, LDL cholesterol levels, and improve blood vessel function. This heart health research on red grapes is impressive, so eat up!

Ways to Eat: They're great in salads, smoothies, frozen as a snack, or on their own.

Hungry for more? Write to eatandrun@usnews.com with your questions, concerns, and feedback.

Mitzi Dulan, RD, CSSD, is a nationally recognized nutrition and fitness expert who inspires people to lose weight and get fit. Mitzi coauthored, with NFL Future Hall-of-Famer Tony Gonzalez, The All-Pro Diet, which helps people eat clean and get lean. Mitzi is team nutritionist for the Kansas City Royals and served as team nutritionist for the Kansas City Chiefs for several years. A sought-after media source for trusted nutrition and fitness advice, Mitzi has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Shape, Glamour, US Weekly, USA Today, CNN, and FOX News. Mitzi was named one of the "Top 20 Nutrition Experts to Follow on Twitter" by The Huffington Post. Follow Mitzi on Pinterest at NutritionExpert.

View the original article here

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

How to Choose the Best Moisturizer for You

In the last six weeks, we rang in the New Year, inaugurated a president, honored a King, consulted with a groundhog, and watched the entire Superdome go dark. While this winter has been eventful, we're still only halfway through. For many of us, that means another six weeks of cool, winter air that wreaks havoc on our skin.

You could hide from the elements, cursing the celebrities on magazine covers, with their dewy, sun-kissed faces. Or you could buck up and moisturize. "Keeping your skin hydrated helps you look younger by improving its tone," says Mary Bridgeman, a clinical assistant professor in the school of pharmacy at Rutgers University in New Jersey. She also points out that moisturizers can protect our skin from the sun.

[See Pharmacists' Top Recommended Moisturizers with SPF.]

But where do we begin? Step into the skin care aisle of any drug store, and you'll see shelves upon shelves of moisturizers, each claiming to be the best. But all you want to know is: Which is the best for you? As someone who's worked as a pharmacist for several years and answered many overwhelmed consumers' questions, Bridgeman sheds some insight on choosing and applying moisturizers:

Determine your skin type. Is it oily, as in: Your face is a bit shiny and perhaps prone to breakouts? Or is your skin dry, with the occasional rough patch? Perhaps you have "normal" skin, because it's somewhere between the two. Knowing your skin is key for the next step.

Read the labels. If your skin is oily or normal, go for a water-based moisturizer. In the ingredients, scan for words toward the top that end in "-icone," such as silicone. These words hint that the product is water-based, says Bridgeman. Another key word on the label: non-comedogenic. This means the moisturizer won't clog pores—ideal for folks with oily skin that's prone to breakouts.

[See Pharmacists' Top Recommended Acne Products.]

For those with dry skin, try an oil-based moisturizer. "These products coat the skin and allow moisture to stay trapped within the skin cells," Bridgeman says.

No matter your skin type, "Stay away from moisturizers with acids or retinols," says Dawn DaLuise, owner of Dawn DaLuise Skin Refinery in Los Angeles. When you peruse the ingredient list, check that there are no words with "acid" toward the top, and that alcohol is also absent from the list, or at least toward the bottom of it. These ingredients exfoliate and dissolve dead skin cells, DaLuise says, which can hurt more than help when trying to moisturize.

Choose a moisturizer with sun block. It may be hard to believe when you're scraping ice from the windshield, but the sun still shines in February, and you must protect yourself. Many moisturizers have at least a little SPF, and those are the ones you should choose.

Ask for help. The labels on anything—be it cold medicine or face moisturizers—can be hard to digest. When in doubt, talk to the folks in the white coats. "It's a lot of information to process and use in your own life," Bridgeman says. "The pharmacist is readily there to help with making the best decisions."

[See 8 Beauty Emergency Bailouts.]

Apply the moisturizer. Once you've picked your potion, application is key. "Make absolutely sure that you're applying it to a clean face," DaLuise says. In fact, when possible, moisturize soon after you bathe, Bridgeman suggests. "That way, it's easier to trap in moisture." And when you rub in the lotion, don't forget your eyelids, neck, and lips. Wait at least a few minutes after moisturizing if you plan to apply makeup.

Keep it or leave it. After applying the moisturizer regularly for a few days, evaluate if it's working for you. Is your face hydrated and comfortable? Has your skin tone improved? If yes and yes, great! Stick to the brand and don't look back. If not, try, try again. "If [customers] are not satisfied, there are a million other things out there to try," Bridgeman says. "It doesn't hurt to go pick out something else."

View the original article here

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Jack Lew’s Signature and Yours: What We Learn from Handwriting

On the heels of the hullaballoo surrounding Jack Lew's penmanship—should the treasury secretary nominee be confirmed, U.S. currency will feature his cartoonish loop-de-loop of a signature—and National Handwriting Week (yes, you read that correctly), U.S. News wondered what, if anything, can be learned from chicken scratch.

The short answer: depends on whom you ask.

Graphology, the craft of deducing one's character traits by handwriting analysis, holds that tremendous insight can be gleaned about a person by taking the sum total of myriad variables like letter size, stroke pressure, the slant of the script, and its position on a page.

"There's about 5,000 different things that handwriting can reveal," says Kathi McKnight, a Colorado-based graphologist. Among them, she says, are everything from "who is wounded in love, to who has high self esteem and determination, to who is wracked with self doubt." Psychologists, for example, work with McKnight to help them "get to the heart of things with a patient more quickly and deeply," and teachers can use graphology to spot signs of depression in children, she says.

"Everyone learned how to write the same (way) and yet no two people write alike, and one has to wonder why is that—and it's because it's actually 'brainwriting,' instead of handwriting," McKnight says.

While the hand may transmit the message, it's coming from the brain, explains Sheila Kurtz, president of Graphologyconsulting.com in New York City.

As for Lew's signature?

"The handwriting is so purposefully loopy and odd that there must be a good story behind it, which Mr. Lew hasn't yet publicly revealed," Kurtz says. Signatures, in fact, don't make the best samples for analysis since they're often carefully constructed, Kurtz explains. In Lew's case, it looks "like a logotype," she says. "It shows what the writer wants others to see, not always what may truly be."

Whether handwriting reflects the machinations of the brain is one thing. But the extent to which it reflects someone's character is another.

[See How Your Personality Affects Your Health.]

And that's where graphology gets very tricky, since it's used in such pivotal decisions as hiring personnel.

Such analysis "should not be used for anything that tries to assert a personality characteristic to handwriting. There is just no research that backs that up," says Arend Van Gemmert, who is studying handwriting to detect problems and associations in fine motor skills at Louisiana State University. "If you look at handwriting, what it can show you is if somebody has, for example, some problem with movement." But even then, one should "try to use it as part of the whole diagnostic battery, not just the handwriting itself."

[See Mind Games: How to Prevent Dementia.]

Mike Aamodt, an industrial-organizational psychologist with DCI Consulting Group, a Washington, D.C.-based human resources firm, also noted the lack of research supporting graphology's value.

"From what I can tell from the literature, it doesn't seem to predict anything," Aamodt says. "The graphologists are probably pretty good at being able to pick out the features" of handwriting, but "their interpretation I think of what that means is probably questionable."

Both Aamodt and Van Gemmert pointed out research published in 2003 in the International Journal of Testing that challenged the role of graphology in personnel decisions. Researchers with the University of Western Ontario's psychology department found that the content of one's writing—whether or not it's autobiographical—influenced the analysis of graphologists. But in either case, graphology was considered less valid than "other more commonly used personnel selection methods." The paper concludes with a position statement, which says: "Although the use of handwriting analysis in making personnel selection decisions has a very long history, the evidence available to date fails to support this practice."

View the original article here

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Snacks to Serve During the Grammys

While Bruno Mars, Kelly Clarkson, Rihanna and Sting are belting it out on stage at the Grammy Awards, you'll probably be at home, sitting on the couch with your girlfriends and predicting who will win the award for best album. One item that will definitely be involved: food. But let's be honest, you don't really want to gorge yourself while watching your favorite fit celebrities strut their stuff on the red carpet. It's a surefire way to feel not so good about yourself.

Watch the Grammys in style while keeping it skinny. Here are some of my quick fixes that will leave your taste buds begging for more.

If you're feeling creative: Pizza is one of the easiest munchies-type foods to make. Sound unhealthy? Think again. You can easily whip up a cauliflower-based pizza crust. It may not sound appetizing, but I was sold after my first bite. To make the crust, just chop cauliflower into chunks, pulse in a food processor, and then sauté in a skillet. The recipe is one of my favorites from the Eating Bird Food blog.

[See How to Choose a Healthy Slice of Pizza]

If you're craving crunch: For years, popcorn has been touted as the perfect go-to healthy snack because, well, who doesn't love popcorn? And yes, it can be a healthy choice, but not if it's drenched in butter and salt. I'm going to let you in on one of my best-kept secrets: hot sauce. Not only does the spice give popcorn a delicious kick of flavor, but it also helps you slow down while you eat, keeping you from finishing an entire bag in 10 minutes. If nothing will keep your paws off the popcorn, I recommend Good Health Half Naked Popcorn, because even if you do go overboard, four cups clock in at just 120 calories. It's a snack I tell my clients to always have on hand.

If you're a dip lover: Using Greek yogurt instead of sour cream is one of the oldest tricks in the book and the perfect way to cut calories without compromising taste. Here's one of my favorites: Mix 1/2 cup of low-fat sour cream, 1/2 cup of plain Greek yogurt, caramelized shallots, white wine vinegar, and your favorite herbs (chopped). Then add salt, pepper, and dill to taste. I promise that you and your girlfriends will love it.

If you need your potato chips: Satisfy that salty craving with roasted seaweed instead. Not only does it take longer to eat, but it's also lower in sodium and calories. SeaSnax grab-and-go packs are only 16 calories, and you're less likely to go back for seconds if you're eating pre-portioned servings. Toss a few packs on your coffee table for your guests to enjoy.

[See 25 Healthful Snacks Under 200 Calories]

If you have time to prepare: Who said deviled eggs had to be exiled from a healthy diet? Not me. I found a recipe that has it all—flavor, perfect consistency, and all the right nutrients. Be warned: These deviled eggs, courtesy of Jenkins Jellies, have quite the kick. And don't shy away from the yolk. In moderation, yolk is like a super multivitamin.

Award-Worthy Deviled Eggs, from Sweet Heat: Cooking with Jenkins Jellies Hell Fire Pepper Jelly

6 hard-boiled eggs

2 tablespoons of mayonnaise (use low fat)

1½ tablespoons Jenkins Jellies Hell Fire Pepper Jelly

2½ tablespoons sweet relish

Paprika

1. Shell hard-boiled eggs and slice in half lengthwise

2. Scoop out yolks and mix in bowl with the rest of the ingredients (except paprika)

3. Fill white part of eggs with yolk mixture

4. For more zest, place a small dollop of Hell Fire Jelly on each egg and sprinkle with paprika

[See Is All Fiber Created Equal?]

Hungry for more? Write to eatandrun@usnews.com with your questions, concerns, and feedback.

Heather Bauer, RD, CDN, is a nationally-recognized nutrition expert, author, and entrepreneur. She is the author of two top selling books, The Wall Street Diet and Bread is the Devil. She is the founder of Nu-Train, a nutrition consulting company, and Bestowed, a subscription service that offers consumers a personalized way to discover, sample, shop, and learn about the best nutrition and lifestyle products on the market.

View the original article here

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Why a Sleep Apnea Diagnosis May Save Your Life

It's one of the most underdiagnosed conditions around, and I'd argue that, in a sense, the diagnosis of sleep apnea is more a blessing than a curse.

For those who aren't familiar with sleep apnea, its most common form, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), causes sufferers to stop breathing periodically throughout the night, or breathe so shallowly that the oxygenation level of their blood plummets, leaving their bodies in an almost nightlong state of metabolic panic.

In severe cases, a person may wake up dozens of times an hour, yet these micro-awakenings aren't usually conscious ones, and so sufferers might well have no idea they're even happening. More than just a tiring nuisance, people with OSA are at greater risk of developing a myriad of medical conditions including heart disease, heart attack, obesity, depression, and sudden death.

[See 7 Steps Toward a Healthy Heart (and Long Life)]

While weight itself is a tremendous risk factor for the development of OSA, neck architecture is also involved, consequently, simply because you might be at a lighter weight doesn't exclude you from the possibility of having OSA.

[See 5 Weight-Loss Tricks That Don't Involve Dieting or (Much) Exercise]

Symptoms of sleep apnea vary, but the most common ones include never feeling well rested, even after a good night's sleep; excessive daytime or afternoon sleepines; and morning headaches. Partners of individuals with OSA may complain that they snore excessively; they may also note hearing actual pauses in their partner's breathing, which often resumes with grunts, gasps or snorts.

Screening tests for sleep apnea can occur at home via home-testing kits, but the gold standard of testing involves spending a night in a sleep lab hooked up to more electrodes than you can imagine. And while being hooked up to electrodes does make it more challenging to sleep, you only need to be out for an hour or two to get a definitive reading.

The reason I suggest the diagnosis is more a blessing than a curse is how incredibly effective OSA's non-drug treatment can be, and how life changing it often is. People who've suffered unknowingly with OSA will sometimes report, even after a single night of treatment, that they feel more energetic than they have in years.

[See Diet and Fitness Tips to Help You Sleep]

So besides reducing the risk of sudden death, treatment markedly improves quality of life. On the other hand, if you've got symptoms suggestive of OSA, yet the sleep lab tells you you're fine, well then you might well be stuck being perpetually tired.

[See Top-Recommended Sleep Aids]

Treatment options vary from devices that help to keep a person off of their back (where OSA is often worst) to dental devices as well as CPAP and APAP machines, which use air to keep the airways open, and even surgeries.

If you'd like to take a simple test to determine whether or not you might want to consider testing for sleep apnea, just answer the following eight questions. If you reply with three or more yeses, I'd strongly encourage you to ask your physician to organize a night for you in the sleep lab.

1. Do you snore loudly?

2. Do you feel tired during the day?

3. Has anyone ever seen you stop breathing during your sleep?

4. Do you have high blood pressure (high blood pressure that's been treated counts as high blood pressure)?

5. Is your BMI greater than 35?

6. Are you older than age 50?

7. Is your neck size greater than 15.75 inches?

8. Are you male?

[See In Pictures: 11 Health Habits That Will Help You Live to 100]

Hungry for more? Write to eatandrun@usnews.com with your questions, concerns, and feedback.

Yoni Freedhoff, MD, is an assistant professor of family medicine at the University of Ottawa, where he's the founder and medical director of the Bariatric Medical Institute—dedicated to non-surgical weight management since 2004. Dr. Freedhoff sounds off daily on his award-winning blog, Weighty Matters, and is also easily reachable on Twitter. Dr. Freedhoff's latest book Why Diets Fail and How to Make Yours Work will be published by Random House's Crown/Harmony in 2014.

View the original article here

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Ashton Kutcher's Fruitarian Diet: What Went Wrong?

Method actors tend to go to extreme lengths to get inside the minds of the characters they portray. For Ashton Kutcher, that meant adopting Steve Jobs's fruitarian diet for one month, a regimen based solely on, well, fruit. He's portraying the late Apple CEO in jOBS, a biopic set to hit theaters in April.

All that fruit—must be healthy, right?

Not exactly. "I ended up in the hospital two days before we started shooting the movie," Kutcher told reporters at the Sundance Film Festival. "I was doubled over in pain, and my pancreas levels were completely out of whack, which was terrifying, considering everything." Jobs died in October 2011, after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. His fascination with fruitarianism helped inspire his company's name.

[See How the Raw Food Diet Works.]

Motivation for adopting the diet varies, but followers are typically swayed by health, religious, environmental, and political factors. Many tout fruitarianism as the original diet of mankind, and believe it encourages simple living and a holistic approach to health. Those who latch on are often propelled by a desire not to kill anything, including plants. The regimen comes with a rich history: Leonardo da Vinci was a fruitarian, and Mahatma Gandhi followed the plan for six months in the early 1900s.

So what's the problem with loading up on apples and bananas? For starters, it's extremely restrictive. Although there's no one fruitarian diet, most followers make sure at least 75 percent of their daily intake comes from raw fruit. Often, they snub anything that was picked, opting only for fruit that fell naturally. Though some fruitarians are more flexible than others, the diet typically revolves around the seven basic fruit groups. These include: acid fruits (citrus, pineapples, cranberries); subacid fruits (sweet cherries, raspberries, figs); sweet fruits (bananas, melons, and grapes); nuts (hazelnuts, pistachios, cashews); seeds (sunflower, squash, pumpkin); oily fruits (avocados, coconuts, olives); and dried fruits (dates, prunes, raisins).

[See Best Plant-Based Diets.]

It's perhaps counterintuitive to consider that there's such a thing as too much fruit. Indeed, it's a healthy food packed with vitamins and antioxidants. But "it can't supply many of the building blocks needed to maintain the structure of your organ tissue, muscles, bones, immune cells, and hormones," says registered dietitian Cynthia Sass, author of S.A.S.S. Yourself Slim: Conquer Cravings, Drop Pounds and Lose Inches.

We each need protein, fat, and carbohydrates to keep our bodies functioning properly, and fruit only provides carbs. In addition to supplying too few calories, the fruitarian diet likely won't provide adequate levels of vitamin B-12, calcium, vitamin D, zinc, iodine, and omega-3 fatty acids—which can "lead to a form of starvation and serious health risks," Sass says.

It's unclear exactly why Kutcher's fruitarian diet went awry; details about his case are scarce, and the actor is no longer following the plan. Some experts speculate that the regimen was too taxing on his organs. "Our pancreas secretes insulin when carbohydrates are consumed," says registered dietitian Keri Gans, author of The Small Change Diet. "If all he was doing was eating fruit, he may have been overworking it."

[See Best Heart-Healthy Diets.]

In general, research on the fruitarian diet is lacking, and what little does exist dates back 40 years or so. Most stories of benefits come from the followers themselves. Michael Arnstein, founder of the Woodstock Fruit Festival in Diamond Point, N.Y., for example, has been all-fruit for about five years now. "I've become nearly super-human," he says. "I've evolved into an elite marathon runner, and I recently ran 100 miles in 12 hours and 57 minutes. I also haven't had a cold or a cough during that time."

View the original article here

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Doggone esso! Il vostro cane vi ha agganciato

By Amy Norton
HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, February 15 (HealthDay News)--ever think your dog knows exactly when you misbehave?

It may well be right, according to a study out of the United Kingdom.

Recent research has shown that dogs seem to understand that humans cannot see in the dark-you will take advantage of that fact to sneak a forbidden treat.

[Photo: the Westminster Dog Show 2013.]

For the study, researchers from the United Kingdom saw 84 dogs under different lighting conditions. In any case, the animals were in a room with one person and one piece attempted to they were commanded not to take food orally. The lighting conditions change so that the person was sometimes in the dark and sometimes lit. The same lighting changes were done with food.

In general, the researchers found, the dogs would try to snatch more food when the treatment has been obscured in darkness. But the animals did not change their behavior based on whether the person with them was illuminated or dark side of the room.

So dogs do not act solely on what you, yourself, might see.

"We believe that this may imply that dogs understand what they can and cannot see, humans," said lead researcher Juliane Kaminski, of the University of Portsmouth, England.

"The question [of] how come to this understanding is a very good," he added, "it will certainly be a subject for future research".

According to Kaminski, the findings, published recently in the journal Animal Cognition, add to evidence that "we share some of our cognitive skills with other species."

The traditional view of dogs and other animals-was that can learn from conditioning (like obeying commands) and that is all. But Kaminski said that this study combines other those in showing that canines can understand their environment, including other beings.

An animal behavior expert not involved in the research, agreed. The study showed that dogs seemed to grasp the human perspective of things, said Nicholas Dodman, a professor at Tufts Cummings School of veterinary medicine in North Grafton, mass.

Dodman "shows that the dog, when he considers that the owner cannot see it, it will become a thief in the night," he added.

And that involves a fairly sophisticated level of thought, he said.

A number of studies have suggested that animals have the so-called "primary emotions" like anger or joy. But those are relatively simple on the emotional scale. If animals have "secondary emotions"-more complicated feelings like guilt, jealousy and envy-is controversial.

Secondary emotions require a level of self-awareness and awareness of others that some believe are animal-free with primates like chimpanzees and baboons being the possible exception. But recent studies have been turning up evidence that dogs demonstrate complex emotions like jealousy.

"This study gives us another piece of evidence," says Dodman. "They appreciate themselves as entities; their thoughts and emotions. And it looks like they may have secondary emotions ".

Of course, people who live with a dog may not need convincing that, observed Dodman.

Other humans, however, can also be skeptical. Kaminski said that further research is needed to discover the extent to which dogs understand their environment and humans in it.

For its part, Dodman says that he doesn't think dogs sit around and think about existential questions. But they may have deeper thoughts that have traditionally been given credit for.

"That is inconvenient for some people," Dodman said. "We must admit that the animals are so much like us that some people want to believe."

More information

More information on canine behavior from the Humane Society.

Copyright © 2012 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

View the original article here

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

How to Claim the Love of Your Life

Fifteen years ago, foremost couples counselors Harville Hendrix and Helen LaKelly Hunt found themselves on the brink of divorce. At the height of his career, thanks in part to appearances on Oprah, they were "the best-known couple around couple's therapy in the world—and probably had one of the worst marriages," says Hendrix, who authored the bestsellers Getting the Love You Want and Keeping the Love You Find.

What happened next, however, saved their marriage and can teach the rest of us a lot about how to keep our partnerships safe and strong.

[See How To Make Love Last]

In some way, Hendrix and Hunt knew too much about relationships.

"I thought my role in being Harville's one-and-only partner was to help remind him of the good advice and keep pointing out ways that he could be doing things better than he was doing," she says, laughing at her generous dispensations of unsolicited advice. "I wasn't even going to charge him."

Hunt's idea of helping was actually harming the relationship, fueling the negativity that suffused their interactions.

"It was so chronic we didn't even know it," Hendrix says. And yet, negativity renders a relationship unsafe, the precise quality needed for intimacy to flourish, he explains.

"Nothing immobilizes you more than sort of beating yourself up or beating your partner up," says sex and relationship expert Laura Berman, who hosts the TV show In the Bedroom with Dr. Laura Berman on the Oprah Winfrey Network. It's about as motivating as kicking yourself for having that donut when you're trying to lose weight, she says. Instead, say to yourself, "Alright, I ate the donut," and move on.

So the next time you're at dinner, fuming because your date is studying his smartphone, stop. "Imagine your heart opening, and try to look at him through a different lens," she says. Think about what you can appreciate about him, she says. "If you simply shift your focus, "it will shift everything in the relationship, and he will just follow suit naturally."

[See A Romantic, Heart-Healthy Valentine's Day Meal]

That's essentially what happened with Hunt and Hendrix, although they had to undo an entrenched cycle of bad behavior.

They changed course with Hunt's revelation. "Other people can tell Harville what he needs to do differently," she says she realized. "What Harville needs is for me to be his advocate"—a source of love and support.

They strove to break the negativity, which Hendrix likens to an addiction. Hunt bought stickers—smiling and frowning faces—to mark their progress on a calendar. Frowns marred the pages for months until the couple reoriented. At first, they didn't know how to talk to each other without judgement, but they found a path through curiosity: Showing interest in each other's thoughts and feelings when something went wrong between them restored a sense of safety to the relationship.

They've also instituted a ritual of appreciation: Every night, they would relate three things they appreciated about each other, based on the events of the day. That wasn't easy at first. But now, the couple can rattle off lots of thank-yous and has found that this ritual is one of the most treasured moments of each day.

"What you focus on is what you get," Hunt says. "We had been so focused on what wasn't in the relationship and experienced that." By shifting their attention, "our relationship began to thrive. It began to feel safe. It began to feel joyful," she says.

There are a few morals to this story. One is probably best captured by the old Johnny Mercer song that you've surely heard and, if you haven't, it's a good idea to tune in to the lyrics: "You've got to accentuate the positive. Eliminate the negative. Latch on to the affirmative. Don't mess with Mister In-Between."

View the original article here

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Can the New SARS-like Virus Spread Between People?

The 11th Case of the Virus Suggests It Can Be Spread via Person-to-Person Transmission

The mysterious SARS-like coronavirus that has been making headlines since last fall has struck again, in what's now the 11th case worldwide. But this new case is a little different. The previous 10 patients had traveled to Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, or Pakistan, reports the Associated Press. The U.K. man who's been recently infected hasn't traveled to any of those countries, but has had contact with a previous case, who is also a family member. This newest development leads some to believe that the virus may spread through person-to-person transmission, although health officials say the risk of infection is still considered to be very low. "If (the) novel coronavirus were more infectious, we would have expected to have seen a larger number of cases," John Watson, head of the respiratory diseases department at Britain's Health Protection Agency, said in a statement.

While the low risk is likely comforting to most, "SARS" and "SARS-like" are still scary words. In 2002, an outbreak of this respiratory syndrome infected 8,000 people worldwide and killed 800.

Why the Fascination with Twilight?

Few stories have captured the collective imagination quite like Twilight, Stephenie Meyer's series of vampire-themed novels, spun into movies, that conjure the passion of young love.

By its nature, young love generates its own brand of intense drama—otherwise we wouldn't have Romeo & Juliet. And there's long been fascination with alternate worlds—think Battlestar Galactica, Star Trek, or the alien movie of the moment. But something in the mix has proven particularly powerful for the legions of fans, especially females, who cling to these stories as some source of lifeblood. That the Twilight fandom extends far beyond the "teen idol" variety to transfix so many women of all ages prompted one psychologist to explore the story's draw.

In her 2012 documentary, Into the Twilight Haze, Manhattan-based psychologist Niloo Dardashti investigates why Twilight has such a hold on women. The answer, perhaps unsurprisingly, is the love story. And specifically, the hero, Edward, and his all-consuming, other-worldly connection with Bella. [Read more: Why the Fascination with Twilight?]

Make Room for Chocolate

We often take a black and white view toward the foods we eat, classifying them as either virtuous or vices. Kale? Virtuous. Deep-fried Oreos? Vice. You get the picture.

But consensus breaks down somewhere on the cusp of virtue and vice. That is, there are indulgent foods with some healthy attributes that we can argue either way. Fans justify eating these foods by focusing on the evidence supporting a health benefit, whereas detractors point to the possible ill effects of this same food to argue against it.

Red wine is a great example. There is plenty of good data to support certain health benefits associated with regular, moderate intake of red wine. Yet few doctors would dream of recommending that a non-drinker start drinking red wine if they didn't already drink to begin with. That's because there are also good—and conflicting—data that show even moderate alcohol intake of any kind is associated with increased risk of breast cancer in women and some digestive system cancers as well. [Read more: Make Room for Chocolate]

Follow U.S. News Health on Twitter and find us on Facebook.

View the original article here

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

What My Yoga Instructor Taught Me About Food

Over the past year or so, I've been frequenting a local hot yoga studio. It's one of the most intense workouts I've ever done, and I've developed a bit of an addiction to it. Hot yoga is basically a yoga class taught in a heated room—about 95 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Most newcomers (including myself!) can have a hard time getting used to this type of exercise, and it often takes a few weeks before they can make it through an entire session without needing a break.

[See Need Fitness Motivation? There's an Avatar for That]

Because of the combination of an elevated heart rate, focused breathing, and balancing poses, it's essential that you have laser focus on the task at hand—if you let your mind wander, you'll find yourself falling out of poses. One thing that helps is staying focused on the instructor's voice as she delivers pointers on perfecting the various poses, sprinkled with reminders on keeping your attention within and listening to your body. Maybe it's the heat getting to my brain, but I'm frequently inspired to apply these yoga mantras to the way I talk about food. Consider a few of my favorites:

"Always listen to your body." In yoga, you're encouraged to take breaks when needed, and to not judge others when they do the same. In fact, taking a break is celebrated because you're honoring your body's request. How might we eat differently if we always checked in with our body first? Think of all the times we eat without checking in—when we eat even though we're not actually hungry, or we eat beyond the point of being full, or we eat because it's fast, not because it's good. Think of the times we devour something "forbidden" because we plan to start dieting the next day. If you've gotten away from checking in with your body when it comes to eating, give yourself a few days to do just this one task: Focus on your internal cues of hunger, fullness, and desire for certain foods. See if it makes a difference in calming the chaos of your eating patterns.

[See Benefits of Yoga: How Different Types Affect Health]

"Keep your eyes on yourself." Humans are competitive, and we're constantly measuring ourselves against others. During a yoga session, if you focus on your neighbor, who's holding each pose to perfection, you're not focusing on your own body. This won't serve you because you won't be getting better at your own practice. I find that this also applies to how we eat. When we're so focused on what other people are eating, we have a harder time realizing what works for us, and we can't fine-tune our eating habits in a way that really improves our overall diet. Instead of trying to mimic that celebrity diet you read about, or live up to your friend who makes home-cooked meals for her family every night, turn your focus to the way you eat today, and adjust it to make it better. Small daily changes can make all the difference.

[See How to Find Your Ohm...]

"Allow the practice to become a moving meditation." The more you do yoga, the more it becomes second nature—and your mind will shift into a meditative state while flowing through each pose. I like to think of cooking the same way. The more time you spend in the kitchen, the more it becomes a soothing introspective process. At first, your brain has to focus on learning the cooking basics (just as you have to learn various yoga poses). Once you're more comfortable in the kitchen, you can surrender to the process of dicing and sautéing, and allow it to take on a type of moving meditation. I find that spending time in my kitchen at the end of a busy day can be a great de-stressor, which ultimately helps my overall diet and my mood.

Namaste!

[See Spice Up Your Exercise Life]

Hungry for more? Write to eatandrun@usnews.com with your questions, concerns, and feedback.

Melinda Johnson, MS, RD, is the Director of the Didactic Program in Dietetics and lecturer for the Nutrition Program at Arizona State University, and a Spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Follow her on Twitter @MelindaRD.

View the original article here

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Former New England Patriots Matt Light's Battle With Crohn's Disease

In June 2004, New England Patriots players gathered at owner Robert Kraft's home to receive their Super Bowl rings. But the team wasn't complete. Matt Light, who helped earn the victory, wasn't there. He was in the midst of a 30-day hospital stay, fighting through complications that had developed from having a 13-inch section of his intestine removed. He couldn't eat for a month and lost 55 pounds, dropping to his lowest weight since high school.

During Light's 11 seasons with the Patriots, from 2001 to 2012, football fans knew he was the most successful left tackle in the team's storied history. What they didn't know was that Light was battling Crohn's disease—an often debilitating inflammatory bowel disease—throughout his entire career. That meant severe abdominal pain, fatigue, and persistent diarrhea, among other symptoms. Light, 34, didn't speak publicly about his struggles until May, when he announced his retirement. Now, he wants to educate and encourage others who are experiencing what he went through. Light shared his story with U.S. News:

What led to your diagnosis? How did you know something was wrong?

I was officially diagnosed in 2001, but I had started experiencing a lot of the symptoms during my freshman year in college. At the time, I didn't connect it with being anything more than the flu or a stomach virus. I just wasn't up to speed with issues like Crohn's disease, or any other type of bowel disease. By the time I got to the NFL as a rookie, I just knew something wasn't right. I was experiencing internal bleeding—it's very difficult to talk about, kind of embarrassing, but this is what happens. I started asking a lot of questions, got a full exam, and the doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital told me I was suffering from Crohn's disease.

[See 4 Common Diarrhea Causes—and What to Do if You Get Sick.]

How did you feel when you learned you had Crohn's? Was it scary, or were you relieved to finally know what was wrong?

I tend to process things in a very matter-of-fact way. Maybe it's my engineering background. I had this sense that I needed to find out what it was, and that's a real message I try to get across to people I come in contact with—to ask as many questions as you possibly can, no matter what it is you're suffering from.

In 2004, a series of surgeries kept you in the hospital for a month with intense pain and complications from having part of your intestine removed. You've described it as a very dark period. How did you get through it—and make it to training camp less than two months later?

It was very difficult, but I had really good doctors and a really good support team. You're not the only one who goes through this—it's all the people around you, and you rely on them. When you have a family, you have to be healthy for them. I remember my wife coming into the hospital and showing me my Super Bowl ring for the first time. It's pretty wild to think you can get through all that and still get back out there and win another championship.

Why did you decide to start speaking about your condition publicly?

I had mixed emotions about going public, because I hadn't said anything throughout my entire battle. I was worried some people were going to be upset that I had kept it hidden. But I didn't want people to say, "Well, he had a bad game because he's battling this tough disease." At the time, my battle was my battle, and I wasn't willing to talk about it. The truth is, it's not easy to talk about, but if somebody else can learn something by me coming out and telling my story—and they can say, there's a guy who's doing great, and he got through some really tough times—then I'm just thankful to have the opportunity to be that voice.

[See 8 Common Digestive Problems and How to End Them.]

How are you doing today?

It's a major transition when you stop playing the game of football. I spent a lot of time coming up with my plan of attack and looking into different treatments. I had to re-educate myself, because I had different options in 2012 than I did in 2001. I played a pretty violent, inflammatory sport, and Crohn's is an inflammatory disease, so some of the treatments just weren't possible for me. Today, I'm doing a lot better, and I don't have the day-to-day issues I had for a long time.

View the original article here

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Salt in the wound

A sophisticated analysis, just published in the journal hypertension and based on three separate computer modelling approaches, found that significant reductions in the average intake of sodium in the American diet can save between 280,000 and 500,000 lives in the next decade.

Those are big numbers, impressive. Not all that long ago, this provocative statement would be a clear and direct to goad public action because there was widespread acceptance that excess sodium has been damaging. While that view still persists among the majority of the experts, a vocal minority has voiced dissent over the last few years enough to create at least the impression of dwell. There is the possibility, then, that the opportunities highlighted in the new study may prove to be only new fodder for endless and controversial debate. I'd help you preempt.

The new study has worked its various models based separately on observational epidemiology, epidemiological studies and intervention trials. For A long time we had evidence that excessive dietary sodium is harmful, based on only those sources.

[See 9 surprisingly simple ways to reduce sodium intake]

Decades of observational epidemiology indicate lower rates of hypertension, stroke and cardiovascular disease in populations with lower salt intake. Obviously such studies, such as Intersalt, cannot completely isolate the effects of sodium. Intervention trials, however, as DASH and related studies can and have reached similar conclusions —. Cross-cultural studies that track what happens to health outcomes as move groups with the same genes in different cultural contexts have lent further support.

[See DASH diet]

On the basis of the aggregate evidence, the Center for Science in the public interest has long asserted that sodium excess kills 150,000 Americans prematurely every year. While the new analysis suggests that self-esteem can be a bit overkill, corroborates the fundamental concern.

Of course, the issue has always been that excessive sodium was harmful and even then, only for those who are vulnerable to its effects. Sodium, per se, are not only not harmful, is essential for life. If you don't consume enough sodium, we develop hyponatremia (low blood sodium), and if that continues, we die. Most of us who have gone through the medical education have seen cases of life-threatening hyponatremia, and it isn't pretty.

The mere possibility of an excessive intake of sodium is a modern anomaly. Marine animals — and is long enough, that was the whole animal life — are surrounded from the brine and immune to be pickled from it. In the seas, we had unlimited access to soda and were at no risk of too.

[See the skinny on salt. How Much Is Too Much?]

Our need has become acute sodium only when we ourselves took out that brine and became terrestrial creatures. On Earth, the soda is pretty hard to find a suitable power, let alone in excess. Deer will be licking a salt for that very reason.

But "salty" is one of several basic categories of food and flavor as others on that list — particularly sweet and savory, tend to stimulate the appetite. So while adding dietary salt was born with conservation efforts and prevention of deterioration, more time has been added to make the food more palatable. Copious additions of salt in processed foods are among the reasons why no longer no one can eat just one.

Of course, you really shouldn't be any debate about the harm of excess "sodium", because they give is implicit in the term "in excess". If our sodium intake not harmful, what basis there would be defined as excessive? Compared to what?

That showing the weight of evidence is that the prevailing assumption is excessive compared to what is optimal for health. Taking environment into United States is excessive by the standards of the world — standard associated with much lower rates of sodium-related chronic diseases, such as hypertension, osteoporosis, stroke and heart disease. Prevailing levels are excessive compared to our native intake level in a food world and recognizable Speakable, no Golden Arches. Our stone age ancestors consumed more sodium, potassium and we reversed that ratio dramatically.

The fact that too much harmful does too little innocuous. The deficit, as excess, is a term of quota: deficient, compared to what? We need a certain level of sodium to maintain normal levels in our blood, maintain normal blood pressure and maintain their normal hormonal balance. Neither too much nor too little is good. So the studies showing potential damage from very low sodium intake are not surprising.

Nor do such studies invite you to neglect the prevailing excess. It would be foolish to overlook global warming (more than they already do) for fear that our efforts could overcome corrective and induce an ice age. The fixable problem that we should have priority over the hypothetical problem which we could create, if we pass absurdly. Let's not exceeding — but let's do something.

That something? Experts claim a need for change in processed foods, which provide 80 percent of the sodium we eat all. The saliera adds only minimally. With regard to taking matters into their own hands, you can do this by eating more foods directly from nature. They tend to represent the relative scarcity of sodium and potassium plenty familiar to our ancestors and help move our balance of these nutrients to the normal native.

[See 7 reasons for choosing a vegetarian diet]

Interested parties that we have distorted the harmful effects of any nutrient because they deserve to be heard. But going too far when any given study is used to replace the hard-earned aggregation tests that preceded it. Scientific evidence is more useful in the context. When the scientific opinion is knocked around like a ping-pong ball, public health tends to take a beating.

There is no doubt that eating habits at odds with the fundamentals of what we know about the basic care and feeding of Homo sapiens are major cause of most egregious injury imposed on modern public health. There are many minor and major gaps excesses that contribute to the adversities of our dietary intake, and an excess of sodium is in no way responsible for what ails us. But the weight of evidence implicates much like one of the many shows.

There are, in other words, serious wounds in public health — and there is, along with the rest of a dubious recipe, salt into those wounds.

Hungry for more?Email eatandrun@usnews.com with questions, concerns and feedback.

David l. Katz, MD, MPH, FACPM, [RSDT], is a specialist in internal medicine and preventive medicine, with particular experience in nutrition, weight management and prevention of chronic diseases. He is the founder and Director of the Prevention Research Center at the University of Yale and principal inventor of NuVal nutrition guidance system. Katz was appointed editor-in-Chief of childhood obesity in 2011 and is President-elect of the American College of Lifestyle medicine.

View the original article here

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

PMS: Finding Relief

Premenstrual syndrome, commonly referred to as PMS, is a cyclic, multisymptom disorder characterized by physical, behavioral, and emotional symptoms. 

PMS occurs during the luteal phase (days past ovulation) of a woman's menstrual cycle, and is followed by a resolution of symptoms within the first few days after the onset of menstrual bleeding. 

The exact cause of PMS is unknown, but normal ovarian function as well as fluctuations of estrogen and progesterone levels are considered possible causes of the symptoms commonly associated with PMS. Other factors that have been identified as contributors to PMS symptoms include genetics, stress, prior traumatic events, and sociocultural factors. Some theories suggest that chemical changes in the brain may be involved as well. Other theories suggest that PMS may be caused by multiple endocrine factors.

[See Top Recommended PMS Relief Products.] 

In surveys, approximately 40 percent of women describe their premenstrual symptoms as bothersome, another 10 to 15 percent describe their symptoms as severe, and 3 to 5 percent perceive their symptoms as having a significant negative impact on their quality of life. As many as 50 to 60 percent of women between their late 30s and 40s experience worsening of symptoms as they approach the transition to menopause. Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) is a severe form of PMS experienced by approximately 5 percent of women. Patients exhibiting severe PMS or PMDD symptoms should seek further medical evaluation or treatment. 

Symptoms of PMS 

The symptoms associated with PMS vary from woman to woman, but are typically consistent for an individual patient. Almost all women experience mild physical symptoms, food cravings, or mood changes before the onset of menses. These changes are considered normal signs of the ovulatory cycle, whereas PMS is defined as having at least one mood or physical symptom during the fives days prior to menstruation. 

The number and severity of a patient's symptoms and their impact on overall well-being can assist health care providers in determining whether a patient has PMS or PMDD. The two most common physical PMS symptoms are bloating/weight gain/swelling and breast tenderness. Fatigue, anxiety, and irritability are also experienced by many women. Depressive and anxiety disorders are the most common conditions that overlap with PMS, and approximately half of women seeking treatment for PMS have one of these disorders. 

[See Top Recommended Menstrual Pain Relief Products.] 

Treating PMS

Treatment should be tailored to meet the specific needs of each person, and typically requires a combination of therapies. Many experts recommend nonpharmacologic measures, including lifestyle and dietary modifications, regular exercise, and stress-reduction techniques, as the first line of therapy. Studies have shown that women who exercise regularly may experience less frequent and milder PMS symptoms compared with those who do not exercise. Reducing or eliminating intake of caffeine, salt, and alcoholic beverages as well as eating foods rich in complex carbohydrates and low in protein during the premenstrual phase may also decrease the incidence of PMS symptoms. 

Approximately 80 percent of women use nonprescription products for symptomatic relief of PMS symptoms. Nonprescription agents that are marketed for management of PMS include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), diuretics, vitamins, minerals, and herbal products that contain evening primrose oil, chasteberry, or black cohosh. Combination products are also available that contain an analgesic (acetaminophen), a diuretic (pamabrom), and an antihistamine (pyrilamine maleate). Patients should be aware that combination products containing antihistamines may cause drowsiness.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved three over-the-counter diuretics—ammonium chloride, caffeine, and pamabrom—for relief of water retention, bloating, weight gain, and swelling. Pamabrom is the diuretic most commonly found in nonprescription menstrual products. Patients with a history of peptic ulcer disease or anxiety and insomnia disorders should not use products containing caffeine or pamabrom. Ammonium chloride is not recommended for people with renal or hepatic impairment due to the possibility of metabolic acidosis.

View the original article here

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

How to Identify and Manage Nightmares

You wake up, panting, from a deep sleep. You went to work naked. You fell into a bottomless pit. You got swept into a tornado, and then fought off a wicked witch and flying monkeys in an unfruitful trek to Oz. If any of this sounds familiar, join the club. Research suggests that more than 85 percent of adults occasionally experience nightmares—at least once a month for 8 to 29 percent, and once a week for 2 to 6 percent. If you're someone who snoozes peacefully through the night, understand that nightmares are no ordinary dreams. They're "vivid, disturbing dreams, with an emotional connection that tends to wake us up," says Matthew Mingrone, an otolaryngologist and lead physician for EOS Sleep California centers.

If your slumber resembles a bad horror movie, learning about your nightmares and why they happen may help you sleep better.

Nightmares vs. Sleep Terrors

First, recognize that nightmares are not night terrors. The latter, also known as sleep terrors, happen earlier in sleep, during a non-rapid eye movement (REM) stage. Typically, you'd wake up in the first 90 minutes of sleep, perhaps panicked and yelling, with a much fuzzier memory of the dream than you'd have after a nightmare. Your heart rate may jump to 180 beats per minute during night terrors, says Tore Nielsen, director of the Dream and Nightmare Laboratory and a psychiatry professor at the University of Montreal. He adds that folks with night terrors can be destructive when they wake up—by fighting or jumping from windows—and yet, they often don't remember the episode later.

[See Top Recommended Sleep Aid Products.]

If the idea of sleep terrors sounds, well, nightmarish, at least it's only a reality for about 4 or 5 percent of adults. For the 85 percent of us who get plain old nightmares, you know the drill. "Nightmares occur primarily in the last third of the night, when your REM sleep is the strongest," Nielsen says. So if you go to bed at 10, a night terror would wake you with a fright around 11:30 p.m., whereas a nightmare would haunt you closer to 6 a.m. Sometimes nightmares wake us up, and sometimes they don't, but we can almost always remember the nightmare's plot to some extent.

What Causes Nightmares, and Who Gets Them?

"There are post-traumatic dreams, and there are idiopathic ones, which means we really don't know where they come from," says Nielsen. "It hasn't been scientifically documented very well." Generally, idiopathic nightmares don't reflect traumas, but perhaps intra-personal relationships, like those with spouses or parents, Nielsen adds.

Stress and anxiety can also lead to nightmares, says Mingrone. Job losses, break-ups, failed tests—although they're not considered traumas per say, these stressful events can all trigger a bout of bad dreams.

[See Try One of These Quirky Stress-Busters.]

Nightmares have also been linked to certain medications, specifically those that affect neurotransmitter levels, such as antidepressents, narcotics, or barbiturates, according to a 2000 report in American Family Physician. People with depression, those relapsing from schizophrenia, and those experiencing withdrawal from alcohol and sedative-hypnotics may also face a higher risk.

There's another crew of nightmare-prone people that the report mentions: "Creative persons who demonstrate 'thin boundaries' on psychologic tests." Nielsen deciphers: "For some people, their mental boundaries are thinner in that they have much more access to their imaginative and emotional lives."

Getting Back to Sleep (If You Can)

"I don't think you can get back to sleep immediately, because you might be emotionally aroused quite a bit, or afraid," says Nielsen, adding that, if you do try to reclaim a few zzz's, evoke whatever relaxation techniques you know, like deep breathing and progressive muscle relaxation. Or "meditate on positive experiences," Mingrone suggests.

[See 8 Ways to Become an Optimist.]

If it's clear you're too wound up to fall back asleep anytime soon, it may be best to get up for a half hour or so. "It couldn't hurt to write down the nightmare so you can reflect on it later," Nielsen says, or "try to re-script the nightmare so it's more to your liking."

View the original article here

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Love and Sex: An Erotica Author Shares Her Story

Desiree Holt had settled into her weekday afternoon groove—typing up a steamy sex scene for one of her erotica romance novels—when the phone rang. And rang. So, she broke away from fantasy to answer the demands of reality, or more specifically, whoever was calling.

"You're not interrupting me," Holt said, "but Logan and Rebecca are naked in bed, and they're really upset about it."

"I'll talk to you later, mom," her son replied.

"I love razzing my kids," says Holt, 76. Her son recently turned 50.

"They won't read anything I've written ... too much of an ick factor."

Desiree, as you may have guessed, is not her real name, but it's the one she's known by in her small town in Texas Hill Country and on her website, where she's pictured wearing a Texas-sized cross around her neck with a dark streak through her white hair.

Her mission: to empower women to feel sexually free, healthy, and fulfilled. Her inspiration: her late husband, who taught her how to feel that way.

"There's a little bit of him in every one of my heroes," Holt says, describing her husband as a "total alpha male, but so comfortable in his own skin that he could encourage my success and be proud of it."

"He got such pleasure out of the fact that I could take what was good about our relationship and translate it" for other women, she says. She promised him she would continue writing, and she relies a great deal on her own experience to show readers what's possible in a loving partnership—"how to be un-selfconscious and unrestricted and all of those wonderful things."

[See How to Make Love Last.]

Holt always wanted to write fiction, but didn't try it until retirement. She'd been too busy, raising kids and holding a variety of jobs—from running a public relations firm to working in the music business. At first, although her husband loved whatever she penned, not everyone else did.

After a slew of rejection letters, she considered a fellow writer's suggestion about an open submissions call from Ellora's Cave, which publishes romance reads on a scale from "Blush"—less explicit—to "Exotica"—more explicit—and, more recently, an imprint geared toward male readers. Among the publishers in this genre, Ellora's Cave pioneered the approach of releasing stories first by e-book and then in print, says Deb Werksman, editorial manager for Sourcebooks Casablanca, an independent book publisher based in Chicago. That's key, since this readership was the first to adopt e-books, she says. "And for obvious reasons, right? You don't have to worry about the covers of the books." Sourcebooks Casablanca, incidentally, publishes erotic romance, which Werksman defines, with a chuckle, as love stories where "it's as much about the emotion as it is about the orgasm."

[See G-Spot, Schmee-Spot. Will the New Discovery Affect Your Sex Life?]

The same could be said of Holt's stories, which now number more than 100 since the 2007 publication of her first piece, a Valentine's-themed tale. It was an appropriate start, since Holt's stories, at their heart, are about love—the risks people take to claim it and the circuitous paths they may find themselves on to get there. "It must have a happy ending," she says.

Intertwined with the love story, of course, is some rather graphic material. Holt's characters dabble in uncharted sexual territory, often trotting out bags of sex toys, experimenting with pain, pleasure, and power, and acting out the sexual fantasies they've been too timid to talk about. Holt is currently working on a piece she calls her "grittiest" yet; in the world of "BDSM,"which stands for bondage, discipline, dominance, submission, and sadomasochism, her submissive heroine learns about love with a dominant partner.

View the original article here

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Understanding Migraine Headaches

Just about everyone has headaches, but a migraine isn't just a bad headache. A migraine headache is a complex condition of the nervous system. It's often described as an intense pulsing or throbbing pain that usually occurs in one area of the head. Migraine attacks may cause severe, debilitating pain for hours to days, necessitating the need to retreat to a dark, quiet place.

A migraine headache is often accompanied by additional symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to light and sound. About one-third of affected people can predict the start of a migraine because they experience sensory warning symptoms (also called "aura"). These early-warning symptoms may include flashes of light, blind spots, zig-zag lines, temporary loss of vision, or tingling in the arm or leg.

What Causes Migraines?

Scientists still don't know for certain what causes migraines. Migraines could involve disturbances in nerve pathways and brain chemicals that affect blood vessels near the brain's surface. The blood vessels swell, sending pain to the brain stem, an area that processes pain information. A genetic predisposition to migraine may exist, as it often runs in families.

Recurring migraine attacks are caused by a number of different triggers. Recognizing and recording individual triggers in a headache diary or calendar may be useful in helping to prevent future attacks.

[See 5 Classes of Drugs Used to Treat Migraines.]

How Can I Treat My Migraine Headache?

There is no cure for migraine. There are two ways to approach treating migraine with medicine. You can take medicine during attacks to relieve symptoms (acute treatment), or you can take medicine daily to prevent or reduce attacks and lessen the intensity of the pain (preventive treatment).

Acute treatment consists of over-the-counter pain relievers (or analgesics), such as acetaminophen, aspirin, and ibuprofen. If these products don't work for you, your doctor may prescribe medication that includes a stronger analgesic and/or a drug that acts more specifically on the cause of migraines. These migraine-specific treatments may include drugs from the "triptan" class (such as sumatriptan, almotriptan, or zolmitriptan), or "ergot-type" products such as dihydroergotamine nasal spray. If needed, drugs for nausea and vomiting may also be prescribed. The sooner these treatments are administered, the more effective they are.

[See Top Recommended Nausea Remedies]

If you have frequent migraine attacks, if your attacks don't respond consistently to migraine-specific treatments, or if acute medications are ineffective or can't be used because of other medical problems, preventive treatment may be prescribed. Certain drugs originally developed for epilepsy, depression, or high blood pressure have been shown to be effective in preventing migraine attacks. Botulinum toxin A, which is injected into muscles in the head and neck, has also been shown to be effective in prevention of chronic migraine.

What Are Rebound Headaches?

Rebound headaches (or medication-overuse headaches) are caused by frequent use of headache medication. They are also the most common cause of progression from episodic migraine (where attacks occur occasionally or infrequently) to chronic migraine (where attacks occur more frequently or regularly).

If you use acute over-the-counter and prescription drugs too often (more than two or three days per week), it can create a headache-worsening pattern that results in more headaches and the need to take more medicine. This pattern is harmful, and while in this cycle, other treatments often don't work. The only way to break this cycle is to stop the pattern of overuse, which should be done under a doctor's care.

[See How to Find the Right Doctor.]

Also, overuse of certain anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen or naproxen sodium, may cause stomach irritation and even ulcers. Excessive use of acetaminophen may increase the risk of liver problems in certain people.

View the original article here

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Older Motorcyclists More Likely to be Hospitalized, Severely Injured

Study: Motorcyclists Over 60 are Most at Risk of Being Severely Injured From Crashes

The baby boomers are aging, which means more and more of them are riding off into the sunset on their Harleys. Only 10 percent of motorcyclists were over age 50 in 1990, but 25 percent of them were over 50 in 2003, according to a study published yesterday in Injury Prevention. But what happens if these older riders skid out? They're more likely to be badly hurt. Researchers analyzed injury data from between 2001 and 2008, and found that bikers over the age of 60 were three times more likely to be hospitalized for their motorcycle injuries compared to bikers in their 20s and 30s, reports the BBC. They were also two and a half times more likely to be seriously injured. "The greater severity of injuries among older adults may be due to the physiological changes that occur as the body ages, bone strength decreases, fat distribution may change and there is a decrease in the elasticity of the chest wall," the study authors said. Other possible risk factors for older bikers may be delayed reaction time, worsening vision, and altered balance, BBC reports.

Sexy Tips from a Septuagenarian

Desiree Holt had settled into her weekday afternoon groove—typing up a steamy sex scene for one of her erotica romance novels—when the phone rang. And rang. So, she broke away from fantasy to answer the demands of reality, or more specifically, whoever was calling.

"You're not interrupting me," Holt said, "but Logan and Rebecca are naked in bed, and they're really upset about it."

"I'll talk to you later, mom," her son replied.

"I love razzing my kids," says Holt, 76. Her son recently turned 50.

"They won't read anything I've written ... too much of an ick factor."

Desiree, as you may have guessed, is not her real name, but it's the one she's known by in her small town in Texas Hill Country and on her website, where she's pictured wearing a Texas-sized cross around her neck with a dark streak through her white hair.

Her mission: to empower women to feel sexually free, healthy, and fulfilled. Her inspiration: her late husband, who taught her how to feel that way. [Read more: Sexy Tips from a Septuagenarian]

Mind Your Body

Mind your body! That sounds like it could be a line in a Beyoncé song, writes U.S. News blogger David Katz. In fact, for all I know, it is a line in a Beyoncé song, and maybe she sang it during the Super Bowl 2013 halftime show.

Having the standard male issue priorities, I confess to being distracted by the black leather corset; I might have missed some of the lyrics. But I digress. So, before I get myself into trouble, let's assume Beyoncé said it, or should have, and move on.

Mind your body, because your brain is at stake.

We have long known that the more common, dire, and dreaded threats to our minds—Alzheimer's disease in particular—have a great deal to do with overall health status below the neck. Study after study after study after study that has shown an elimination of up to 80 percent of all chronic disease with the application of lifestyle as medicine has NOT carved out an exception for Alzheimer's, or dementia in general.

The evidence that we can alter gene expression with the power of lifestyle almost certainly pertains to Alzheimer's as it does to cancer. By minding our bodies, we can mind our minds, too. We can best mind both by minding the short list of what matters most to health: eating well, being active, managing our weight by virtue of these first two, and avoiding tobacco. [Read more: Mind Your Body]

Follow U.S. News Health on Twitter and find us on Facebook.

View the original article here

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

$100 Worth of Health, Responsibility, and Power

There is an old saw, which you doubtless know as well as I, about a $100 bill. The bill comes to you at first with just a tiny bit torn out of one corner. If you are reasonable, you accept it as the $100 bill it is, and barely take any notice of the insignificant missing fragment.

Then it comes to you with two such bits missing, and it's still of no consequence. Then three. And so on.

At some point of course, if this keeps up long enough, there simply is no bill left at all. The question is: At what point between one tiny missing fragment and the bill torn away to nothing do you stop accepting the money at face value?

The point of this adage, which we all seem inclined to share with one another, is obviously not limited to $100 bills. It's about the fact that overwhelmingly, this world of ours is not an either/or world; it's a world in which reasonable people have to choose where to draw reasonable lines. And the fact that deciding just where to do so can be tough.

We presumably know what the adage means when we tell it, otherwise why would we bother? But then we go on to forget all about it. Either every random citizen has a right to carry a high-capacity assault weapon or the Second Amendment is under assault. Either/or.

Just as seemingly everyone wanting to lose weight signs up for the "as fast as possible" program, forgetting entirely about the tortoise and the hare, and what that fable was intended to mean. We all know that "if it sounds too good to be true, it almost certainly is"—but we forget that one too, at the most inopportune moments.

The $100 bill has, if we bother to think about it, direct relevance to one of the more vexing debates in modern health promotion: Is health promotion and weight control all about the environment, or is it all about personal responsibility? We might get somewhere with this if we ante up that $100 from the archives of folksy wisdom.

[See Is Obesity Cultural?]

Let's start with the extremes. At one end, representing the $100 bill in pristine condition, we have a Stone Age environment, where tobacco doesn't exist, all food comes direct from nature, and physical activity every day is necessary for survival. Like the bill with no missing bit, this is an easy call. Everyone will eat "well," or at least as nature intended; everyone will be active; no one will smoke. To the extent that good use of feet (routine physical activity), forks (a healthful diet), and fingers (no cigarettes!) represent adequate personal responsibility, everyone will have it.

At the other end of the spectrum—represented, perhaps, by the movie WALL-E—there are simply no good choices left to make. Physical activity has been totally banished from the culture, and the only foods accessible to anyone are junk foods. In such a world, personal responsibility for eating well and being active would be entirely irrelevant. Neither would be possible, and nobody would manage it—no matter how innately responsible.

[See Why We're So Fat: What's Behind the Latest Obesity Rates]

I trust you see where this is going. Where, on the spectrum from "it's impossible not to eat well and be active" to "it's impossible to eat well and be active" does personal responsibility start, and stop, mattering?

Starting with a pristine native environment, we might first introduce some labor-saving technology. No one is obligated to use it, of course, and there is still ample opportunity to be active. Personal responsibility still carries the day.

Then let's introduce some very tasty fast food. And then some suburban sprawl. And not just tobacco, but very clever tobacco advertising. And then, more labor-saving technology. And then let's transition everyone to long days of almost entirely sedentary work. And then let's build a huge advertising industry devoted to promoting the uptake of all the stuff we are now selling: food designed to be irresistibly tasty, and technology designed to do everything muscles once did.

Then let's distort everyone's understanding of what is truly healthy with marketing and media hype. Then let's make the least nutritious foods the least expensive, and market them the most. And let's engage scientists and cutting-edge technology to design foods people can't stop eating. And then let's keep this all going so children are born into it, and grow up not knowing any other kind of world. And then ...

[See What are the Worst Menu Choices in America?]

If we did keep going this way, eventually we would wind up with that world where the only food that existed was highly processed junk, and making any other choice would be impossible. And we would wind up with a world where physical activity was so irrevocably exiled from our daily routine and experience that no one would even remember what it was.

Were we to reach that point, any argument about personal responsibility would be absurd. Admittedly, we are not there. But objectively, we are closer to that end of the spectrum than the other.

I can't say exactly at what point between a Stone Age environment, where there is no choice but to eat naturally and be active, and an exaggerated modern world, in which the opportunities to do either no longer exist, the role of personal responsibility becomes moot. I rather doubt you can either. For now, all we need to agree on is that this scenario is like the $100 bill, that there is a line crossed somewhere. We needn't decide exactly where that line is to know there must be one.

Once we acknowledge there is a line, what we are really saying is this: Personal responsibility matters, and can compensate for environmental challenges up to some point. Beyond that point, the average human endowment of personal responsibility is no longer enough to carry the day. Much beyond the point, even the most supreme examples among us may no longer be up to the task.

[See Finding Support For Your Health Goals]

Which invites consideration of another matter: the average endowment of personal responsibility. For one thing, we have no indication it has changed over the years during which epidemic obesity and diabetes have developed. There is no documented decline in personal responsibility to account for deteriorating use of forks, and degenerating use of feet. In contrast, the changes to our environment are very well documented.

Since a decisive majority of our population eats poorly, is inactive, and has either weight or health problems if not both to show for it, we might simply stipulate that the average human endowment of personal responsibility simply isn't enough. We might assert it—but we'd be presumptuous fools to do so—because average is the best measure we have of what's reasonable and manageable for the lot of us.

After all, from the perspective of a gorilla, all humans are weaklings. From the perspective of a horse, no human can run. From that of a dolphin, no human can swim. From that of a kangaroo, it's not just white guys who can't jump. It's what humans actually can do that defines what humans should be able to do.

Nor need we go quite so far as to cross the divide between species. From the perspective of Einstein and Newton, the lot of us are dummies. From the perspective of Michael Phelps, we can't swim, and from that of Usain Bolt, we can't run.

In spite of it all, when it comes to eating well and staying active, I am elite. Not because I'm a special person, but because I have a special skill set, and expertise. It is, after all, what my career is about. So while I do eat well, exercise daily, and am fit and healthy and lean, am I really entitled to assert that everyone else should be able to do the same? That's a bit like Stephen Hawking telling me I really should just keep up when the conversation turns to theoretical astrophysics.

We all seem to embrace the pop culture wisdom that with great power, comes great responsibility. It's past time to embrace the corollary: To take responsibility, we must be suitably empowered.

How much is suitable? Hard to say—but asking the question is a good start. And a good initial answer might be: enough to meet average needs.

Right now, a landslide majority of the total national population is overweight or obese. Globally, the percentage of us subject to chronic disease is stunningly high already, and rising steadily. How do those dodging these bullets presume to blame the majority for being struck by them? Those who survived the Titanic might just as well blame those who drowned.

That is the nature of human experience: Inevitably, it's a bell curve. Some, through a combination of native gifts and luck, do far better than average. Some, alas, do worse. But the average experience is exactly that: the most likely thing to happen to most of us under given circumstances.

Now, don't go thinking I am trying to exonerate us of our responsibilities for our own health. Not at all. What I do with my feet and my fork is up to me, and what you do is up to you. Even with both a will for health, and a way to it– we still have to walk there. We should not expect to be carried.

Yes, we must share in the responsibility. Bolt has to run; Phelps has to swim; Hawking needs to think.

We, too, must take responsibility—but can be expected to do so only to the extent we've got the power.

[See 20 Simple Ways to Improve Your Health in 2013]

Hungry for more? Write to eatandrun@usnews.com with your questions, concerns, and feedback.

David L. Katz, MD, MPH, FACPM, FACP, is a specialist in internal medicine and preventive medicine, with particular expertise in nutrition, weight management, and chronic-disease prevention. He is the founding director of Yale University's Prevention Research Center, and principal inventor of the NuVal nutrition guidance system. Katz was named editor-in-chief of Childhood Obesity in 2011, and is president-elect of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine.

View the original article here

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.