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Topics - felix

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HEALTH WATCH / How to Quit Smoking the Easy Way

« on: November 20, 2011, 08:41:54 PM »

How to Quit Smoking the Easy Way

Are you having a hard time quitting smoking? Don't fret, thanks to modern science and technology, there's now an easy solution!

## Smoking Burns a Hole in Your Wallet
I hate smoking and smokers. You just burn money and your lungs. But it's true that quitting smoking is not an easy task like other habits. Many people want to quit smoking, but failed to do so. In fact, some records show that failure rate is higher than the success rate.

Why many fail to quit smoking? Is it because of weak determination to quit? Well, you can make up hundreds of reasons, but this is mainly because nicotine addiction is just too strong and difficult to break.

But now, modern medical science brought this problem to an end. In only three months, you'll have a new and happy lifestyle without smoke around you.

## Double Your Chances of Quitting Smoking
Lately, world-renowned doctors have discovered a formula or a signal in a certain part of our brain that can act to stop you from smoking. So doctors invented a miracle medicine called Varenicline, which is FDA-approved. We believe that this varenicline will help get rid of unwelcome smokers around the world.

Varenicline has a trade name Chantix in USA, and Champix in Canada and other countries, marketed by Pfizer. We are not and do not belong to any pharmaceutical companies. We just want to help people who are eager to quit smoking.

## How Varenicline Works
Firstly, you have to know how receptors for nicotine in your brain work. Whenever you smoke, the nicotine goes to these receptors. This sends a message to another part of your brain to release a neurotransmitter called dopamine. Dopamine is responsible in giving you the feeling of pleasure. But this does not last long, so your body craves more nicotine and this becomes a vicious cycle.

The varenicline works by attaching itself to the nicotine receptors in the brain, and prevents nicotine from reaching them, which will also cause less dopamine to be produced. It also mimics the effect of nicotine by partly stimulating the nicotine receptors to reduce your cravings.

The usual course of treatment with varenicline is three months, and more than 80% of cases successfully stopped smoking.

Patients who used the medicine say that you do not need to sacrifice yourself and go through any self-denial or endurance.

You can just imagine that the varenicline takes the place of nicotine that makes you not to have the urge to smoke again.

You may be worried about the possible side effects of varenicline. The side effects are very minimal according to reports.

Eventually, some may want to smoke again after three months or so, or after a year. Of course, you must have a strong determination to quit smoking completely.

HEALTH WATCH / 10 Interesting Facts You May Not Know About Smoking

« on: November 20, 2011, 08:39:58 PM »

10 Interesting Facts You May Not Know About Smoking

1. Every ten seconds, somewhere in the world, someone dies of tobacco-related causes.

2. Tobacco products are the only legal consumer products that are FATAL when used exactly as the manufacturer intends.

3. Cigarettes contain about 69 known carcinogens, and the cigarette smoke contains at least 4,000 chemicals including cyanide, ammonia, formaldehyde, and arsenic.

4. On average, cigarette butts will take about 25 years to decompose. It is the major source of litter in the USA.

5. Each cigarette that you smoke can shorten your life by 11 minutes.

6. The English term 'smoking' was not coined until the late 18th century. Before then, this practice is commonly referred to as 'drinking smoke'.

7. Nicotine is named after French ambassador, Jean Nicot, who, in 1559, was the first person to bring tobacco plants to Portugal. He told his friends that the tobacco leaves was useful for its medicinal effects.

8. Tobacco was used as early as 2,000 years ago by the South American people. Cigarettes were invented by Brazilians as they rolled tobacco leaves in paper.

9. The first Europeans to start using tobacco leaves were the sailors.

10. The world's heaviest-smoking country is Greece, with over 3000 number of cigarettes per adult per year.

HEALTH WATCH / Beer Is a Rich Source of Bone-Boosting Silicon, Study Finds

« on: November 20, 2011, 08:33:13 PM »

Beer for Better Bones?
Beer Is a Rich Source of Bone-Boosting Silicon, Study Finds
By Jennifer Warner
WebMD Health News
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

Drinking beer may be good for building more than just beer bellies. A new study suggests that drinking beer may help build better bones thanks to its high silicon content.

According to the National Institutes of Health, dietary silicon in the soluble form of orthosilicic acid (OSA) may be important for the growth and development of bone and connective tissue and help reduce the risk of the bone-thinning disease osteoporosis.

Based on those findings, some studies have suggested that moderate beer drinking may help fight osteoporosis, but researchers say the silicon content of beer has never been thoroughly evaluated until now. The results show that beer indeed is a significant source of bone-building silicon in OSA form.

The study analyzed 100 commercially available beers for their silicon content and found the average silicon content ranged from 6.4 to 56.5 milligrams per liter (mg/L).

There is no recommended daily intake for silicon. But researchers say based on the average daily intake of 20-50 milligrams, 2 liters of beer, on average, would be required to satisfy that requirement. In some cases, 1 liter of beer may be enough.

Super Foods for Your Bones
Bone-Building Beer?

Beers containing high levels of malted barley and hops are richest in silicon, researcher Charles Bamforth, PhD, DSc, of the department of food science and technology at the University of California, Davis, says in a news release. “Wheat contains less silicon than barley because it is the husk of the barley that is rich in this element. While most of the silicon remains in the husk during brewing, significant quantities of silicon nonetheless are extracted into wort and much of this survives into beer.”

The results showed the India Pale Ale category of beers tends to have more silicon because they are traditionally a stronger and "hoppier" beer containing more silicon-rich malt and hops.

"By contrast, wheat-based beers contain less silicon, which seems to be related to the lower levels of silicon in wheat malt," write the researchers in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture. "Additionally, wheat beers are produced with much less hops than many other beer styles."

Light lager-style beers were also lower in silicon, likely because of their use of corn during the brewing process, note the researchers.

In comparison, other sources of silicon in the diet include granola cereal, high-fiber wheat bran cereal, oatmeal, and dried dates.

HEALTH WATCH / How to get sleep

« on: November 16, 2011, 03:40:38 AM »

Take a warm bath:
If you have trouble falling asleep, take a warm water bath. Naturopathy recommends washing your feet with cold water for better sleep. Check both and stick to whatever works for you.

Stick to a routine:
Make sure you go to bed at the same time everyday. Exceptions do happen, but do maintain a fixed schedule for sleeping every night.

Stop worrying:
Sleep is the way to relax. Hence, when you hit the sack, remember to put all your worries behind. This will keep your nightmares away.

Environment matters:
Where you sleep also affects its quality. Make sure you are in a comfortable setting where you can get a sound sleep.

Employ sleep-inducing methods:
I don't mean pills here. If you are suffering from insomnia, then try meditation before sleep or you could also play your favourite music that's soothing enough to put you to sleep.

Stay active:
To get a good night's sleep, the body has to be physically exerted enough. The key is to stay active throughout the day. Exercise and yoga are also known to aid sleep.

FASHION and HOBBIES / Women and Hair Loss: Possible Causes

« on: November 15, 2011, 03:43:13 AM »

The best way to think of the way hair grows is to picture a garden. How well it grows is completely a result of what is happening “underground.”

“Like a garden,a normal hair cycle should lead to a product, which is the hair,” says Wendy Roberts, MD, a dermatologist at a private practice in Rancho Mirage, Calif. “Growth cycles are important because when they go awry, that is one of the reasons we have hair loss.”

And things that interfere with the cycle -- like medication, illness, infection, or chemicals -- have the potential to stop hair from being formed properly.

“It’s a very dynamic place and anything that can get the cycle off can cause hair loss,” Roberts says.

Although hair loss may seem like a more prominent problem in men, women are nearly as likely to lose, or have thinning, hair. Most women notice it in their 50s or 60s, but it can happen at any age and for a variety of reasons.

Way to Grow
Hair grows in three different cycles: anagen, catagen, and telogen. About 90% of the hair on the head is in the anagen, or growth phase, which lasts anywhere from two to eight years. The catagen, or transition phase, typically lasts 2-3 weeks, during which the hair follicle shrinks. During the telogen cycle, which lasts around two to four months, the hair rests.

An overwhelming majority of the time the hair is on the scalp, it is growing. Only about 10% of the strands are in transition or resting at any one time. Hair grows about 6 inches a year for most people.

At a Loss
Most people lose anywhere from 50 to 100 strands of hair each day, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. On the days when hair is washed, people can lose up to 250 strands, Roberts said. But don’t avoid washing in an attempt to keep the hair, as it will fall out eventually, anyway.

For those who don’t plan on counting their hair every day, there are ways to know when hair is thinning or being lost at a higher rate. Roberts tells WebMD that women will see a difference. When waking up in the morning, there may be an usually large amount on your pillow. When you comb your hair (especially without tugging, which can pull the hair out), more than normal will be left in the comb.

There are also other visual cues that women can look for over time. Although men’s hair tends to recede from the forehead or the crown of the head, women tend to notice thinning on the top third to one half of the scalp. Sometimes their frontal line stays intact, says Nicole Rogers, MD, of Old Metairie Dermatology in Metairie, La. Women may see a part that is gradually becoming wider or see more of their scalp than normal when their hair is pulled back.

When a patient comes in with concerns about hair loss, there is a combination of ways to make a diagnosis, Rogers says. Preliminary blood work is usually taken to make sure the thyroid gland or an autoimmune disease isn’t the culprit.

In Your Genes
Another way to diagnose what the problem is just by looking and listening, Rogers says. She asks what a patient’s mother, aunts, or grandmothers look like - if they have similar, or greater amounts, of hair loss. Using magnification on the scalp can show if a woman’s follicles vary in size - with some thick and others thin. These are two telltale signs of female pattern hair loss, also called androgenetic alopecia.

This is a hereditary condition that affects about 30 million American women, according to the America Academy of Dermatology, and is the most common kind of hair loss Rogers sees in her practice. She tells WebMD that it happens to about 50% of women. Although it mostly occurs in the late 50s or 60s, it can happen at any time, even during teenage years, Rogers says.

Typically, each time a normal hair follicle is shed, it is replaced by hair that is equal in size. But in women with female-pattern hair loss, the new hair is finer and thinner - a more miniaturized version of itself, Rogers says. The hair follicles are shrinking and eventually they quit growing altogether.

Medical and Other Conditions
If hair follicles are uniform in size, or if the hair loss is sudden, it is likely to be caused by something other than heredity, like a medical condition, Rogers says.

There are a wide range of conditions that can bring on hair loss, with some of the most common being pregnancy, thyroid disorders, and anemia. Others include autoimmune diseases, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), and skin conditions such as psoriasis and seborrheic dermatitis, Rogers says.

Though there has been a link between menopause and hair loss, Roberts says she doesn’t think there is a direct correlation. It could be that menopause and hair loss just occur at the same age.

Other reasons for hair loss include extreme stress; physical trauma like surgery or intense illness; dramatic weight loss over a short period of time; and taking too much Vitamin A, Roberts says. And hair loss can occur a couple of weeks to six months after any of these experiences.

“Someone can have surgery and be just fine and then two weeks later their hair starts falling out,” Roberts says. “It can be very scary when it starts falling out in big clumps.”

Easy Does It
One other way to thin hair is self-inflicted - hairstyles like cornrows or too-tight braids can cause hair loss called traction alopecia.

All of the things women do to manipulate their hair -- dyes, chemical treatments, bad brushes, blow dryers, and flat irons -- can result in damage and breakage, Roberts says. This includes brushing too much and towel drying aggressively when the hair is wet.

Luckily, for most of these issues, the hair grows back or the loss can be reversed with medical treatments. But it is important to see a dermatologist if there seems to be something wrong, because the sooner treatment is started, the better the chances are for improving your growing season.

VACATION AROUND THE WORLD / World's new seven wonders of nature

« on: November 12, 2011, 02:37:24 AM »

The Peru’s Amazon rainforest

Vietnam's Halong Bay

Argentina's Iguaza Falls

South Korea's Jeju Island

Indonesia's Komodo

Philippines' Puerto Princesa Underground River

South Africa's Table Mountain

FUN GAMES WITH YOUR FRIENDS / BROMANTIC - New word courtesy of Mr. Admin

« on: September 16, 2011, 11:43:08 PM »

Give your meaning to it...

FASHION and HOBBIES / Tips in avoiding and resisting kidnappers and rapists

« on: September 09, 2011, 11:43:25 PM »

Through a rapist's eyes! A group of rapists and date rapists in
prison were interviewed on what they look for in a potential victim
and here are some interesting facts:

1] The first thing men look for in a potential victim is hairstyle.
They are most likely to go after a woman with a ponytail, bun! , braid
or other hairstyle that can easily be grabbed. They are also likely to
go after a woman with long hair. Women with short hair are not common
targets.

2] The second thing men look for is clothing. They will look for women
who's clothing is easy to remove quickly. Many of them carry scissors
around to cut clothing.

3] They also look for women using their cell phone, searching through
their purse or doing other activities while walking because they are
off guard and can be easily overpowered.

4] The number one place women are abducted from / attacked at is
grocery store parking lots.

5] Number two is office parking lots/garages.

6] Number three is public restrooms.

7] The thing about these men is that they are looking to grab a woman
and quickly move her to a second location where they don't have to
worry about getting caught.

8] If you put up any kind of a fight at all, they get discouraged
because it only takes a minute or two for them to realize that going
after you isn't worth it because it will be time-consuming.

9] These men said they would not pick on women who have umbrellas,or
other similar objects that can be used from a distance, in their
hands.

10] Keys are not a deterrent because you have to get really close to
the attacker to use them as a weapon. So, the idea is to convince
these guys you're not worth it.

POINTS THAT WE SHOULD REMEMBER:
1] If someone is following behind you on a street or in a garage or
with you in an elevator or stairwell, look them in the face and ask
them a question, like what time is it, or make general small talk:
can't believe it is so cold out here, we're in for a bad winter. Now
that you've seen their faces and could identify them in a line- up,
you lose appeal as a target.

2] If someone is coming toward you, hold out your hands in front of
you and yell Stop or Stay back! Most of the rapists this man talked to
said they'd leave a woman alone if she yelled or showed that she would
not be afraid to fight back. Again, they are looking for an EASY
target.

3] If you carry pepper spray (this instructor was a huge advocate of
it and carries it with him wherever he goes,) yelling I HAVE PEPPER
SPRAY and holding it out will be a deterrent.

4] If someone grabs you, you can't beat them with strength but you can
do it by outsmarting them. If you are grabbed around the waist from
behind, pinch the attacker either under the arm between the elbow and
armpit or in the upper inner thigh - HARD. One woman in a class this
guy taught told him she used the underarm pinch on a guy who was
trying to date rape her and was so upset she broke through the skin
and tore out muscle strands the guy needed stitches. Try pinching
yourself in those places as hard as you can stand it; it really hurts.

5] After the initial hit, always go for the groin. I know from a
particularly unfortunate experience that if you slap a guy's parts it
is extremely painful. You might think that you'll anger the guy and
make him want to hurt you more, but the thing these rapists told our
instructor is that they want a woman who will not cause him a lot of
trouble. Start causing trouble, and he's out of there.

6] When the guy puts his hands up to you, grab his first two fingers
and bend them back as far as possible with as much pressure pushing
down on them as possible. The instructor did it to me without using
much pressure, and I ended up on my knees and both knuckles cracked
audibly.

7] Of course the things we always hear still apply. Always be aware of
your surroundings, take someone with you if you can and if you see any
odd behavior, don't dismiss it, go with your instincts. You may feel
little silly at the time, but you'd feel much worse if the guy really
was trouble.

FINALLY, PLEASE REMEMBER THESE AS WELL ....I know you are smart enough to know these pointers but there will be
some, where you will go "hmm I must remember that" After reading,
forward it to someone you care about, never hurts to be careful in
this crazy world we live in.

1. Tip from Tae Kwon Do: The elbow is the strongest point on your
body. If you are close enough to use it, do it.

2. Learned this from a tourist guide to New Orleans : if a robber asks
for your wallet and/or purse, DO NOT HAND IT TO HIM. Toss it away from
you.... chances are that he is more interested in your wallet and/or
purse than you and he will go for the wallet/purse. RUN LIKE MAD IN
THE OTHER DIRECTION!

3. If you are ever thrown into the trunk of a car: Kick out the back
tail lights and stick your arm out the hole and start waving like
crazy. The driver won't see you but everybody else will. This has
saved lives.

4. Women have a tendency to get into their cars after shopping,eating,
working, etc., and just sit
(doing their checkbook, or making a list, etc. DON'T DO THIS! The
predator will be watching you, and this is the perfect opportunity for
him to get in on the passenger side,put a gun to your head, and tell
you where to go. AS SOON AS YOU CLOSE the DOORS , LEAVE.

5. A few notes about getting into your car in a parking lot, or
parking garage:

a. Be aware: look around your car as someone may be
hiding at the passenger side , peek into your car, inside the
passenger side floor, and in the back seat. ( DO THIS TOO BEFORE
RIDING A TAXI CAB) .

b. If you! u are parked next to a big van, enter your car from the
passenger door. Most serial killers attack their victims by pulling
them into their vans while the women are attempting to get into their
cars.

c. Look at the car parked on the driver's side of your vehicle, and
the passenger side. If a male is sitting alone in the seat nearest
your car, you may want to walk back into the mall, or work, and get a
guard/policeman to walk you back out. IT IS ALWAYS BETTER TO BE SAFE
THAN SORRY. (And better paranoid than dead.)

6. ALWAYS take the elevator instead of the stairs. (Stairwells are
horrible places to be alone and the perfect crime spot).

7. If the predator has a gun and you are not under his control, ALWAYS
RUN! The predator will only hit you (a running target) 4 in 100 times;
And even then, it most likely WILL NOT be a vital organ. RUN!

8. As women, we are always trying to be sympathetic: STOP IT! It may
get you raped, or killed. Ted Bundy, the serial killer, was a
good-looking, well educated man, who ALWAYS played on the sympathies
of unsuspecting women. He walked with a cane, or a limp, and often
asked "for help" into his vehicle or with his vehicle, which is when
he abducted his next victim.

LET'S TALK LOVE / "Keep on searching"

« on: August 20, 2011, 12:37:49 AM »

Keep on searching for someone you love and when you find that person; stop the search and take the risk. Remember that the world is a big place that when you lose the one you love, you have to search the world again.

FASHION and HOBBIES / Touching Story: Anger and Love has no limits

« on: August 14, 2011, 10:57:09 PM »

Anger and Love has no limits

While Dad was polishing his new car, his 4 year old son picked stone and scratched lines on the side of the car.

In his anger, Dad took the child's hand and hit it many times not realizing he was using a wrench. At the hospital, his child has already lost all of his finger's and child asked "Dad when will my finger's grow back"? Dad was so hurt.

He went back to the car and kicked it a lot of times. Sitting back he looked at the scratches, child wrotes " I LOVE YOU DAD".