Naps are goooood!!

Its almost thanksgiving and all of us are thinking about that nap after we eat a lot of turkey.DR William Fishbein a cognitive neuroscientist did a study that shows that naps can boost a sophiscticated kind of memory that helps us " see the big picture and get creative". Scientists now are focusing on quality of sleep and less on duration. They say that sleep and often naps can help the brain process memories so they stick. When we take power naps,its is a good time for slow wave sleep to emerge. this keeps our brains working to solve problems and come up with new ideas. Dr Fishbein devised a test that involved taking 20 english - speaking college students.and taught them chineese words with two characters. Half of the students took a nap being minitered to make sure they didnt move from slow wave into REM sleep. After the nap they took a multiple choice test of chinese word they never saw before. The nappers did much better at memorizing the first of the two pair characters in the words than the non nappers.From this the Dr could see that in a 90 minute nap can boost forms of memory. Even a 12 minute nap can do the same for SOME of the froms he claims. So when you indulge all of that good turkey in two days, dont feel bad if you take a nice napafter because remember, it can help us be more creative and boost forms of memories.

Advantages of Wine

There have been studies that wine can be good for your health. Although to much alcohol can be bad for your body, alcohol helps blood flow more easily around the body, and a regular intake of wine can reduce the level of harmful cholesterol.The phenolics in wine is what makes it so beneficial which contain many antioxidents. Red wine consumption has been clearly linked to reduced occurance of atherosclorosis and heart disease due to the phenolics compounds.These compounds have a protective effort in the capillaries andand collagen in the walls of the blood vessels.They can prevent the accumulation of clots. There is a thought that wine may be beneficial in the treatment of cancer and alzheimers disease. Most of the phenolics in the grape are found in the skin and seed. The fred Hucthinson Cancer Centre found that "men who consumed 4 or more glasses of red wine per week reduced thier risk of prostate cancer by 50 percent". So i would say drinking a little red wine every week will go a long way in staying healthy.

Food Preservatives

Preservatives are used to keep food from going bad. They prevent bacterial, mold, and yeast growth, preserve color and flavor, and keep foods fresh. They may be used to fortify foods or prevent rancidity by preventing oxidation. But while this seems like a great idea they can also be very harmful to your health. Most of the preservatives in our foods are synthetic whicha can be toxic and also cause tumors, while most of them attack the nervous system. Most of the preservatives are mane made and known to be "safe" but, what we dont know is that they can also be carcinogenic and toxic.

Some of the chemicals in preservatives are: Sulphur Dioxide and Sulfites- these are bleaches and antioxidants used to stop browning. Sulfites destroy vitamin B1, and are linked to hyperactivity, and can cause severe reactions, especially in asthmatics.Benzoic Acid and Sodium Benzoate are found to cause skin and eye irritation, and eczema. Sodium Citrate large amounts can cause bladder tumors.Nitrates- add flavor, maintain color in meats, and prevent botulism in canned foods. Infants are very susceptible to nitrate toxicity.They can develop methemoglobinemia or "blue baby syndrome." Nitrates may convert to nitrites in the digestive tract, combine with hemoglobin to form a substance that makes it harder for blood to carry oxygen. To reduce the risk of nitrate toxicity, drinking filtered or purified water and avoid any foods that contain it. These Ingrediants i just mentioned are only some from a list i found. Many of them can be dangerous. Although most of them need a lot of consumption, its still a good idea to avoid foods with a lot of preservatives in them.

Tinnitus ( Ringing in your ears)

I am speaking about the symptom Tinnitus because i have it and there are some ways people can get it and do not realize it. The symptom of Tinnitus is ringing in your ears. Not just once but ALL of the time . Tinnitus can arise in any of the four sections of the ear: the outer ear, the middle ear, the inner ear, and the brain. Many people are unconcerned about the harmful effects of excessively loud noise, firearms, and high intensity music. Especailly college students. I would have to say probably around 70% of students walk around with I pods. Listening to i pods excessively loud over time can cause tinnitus. Many kids i know are in the CJ program and probably shoot guns. This is a huge factor of getting it. If you do not wear protection while shooting firearms this can cause tinnitus. With a mix of being around jets and shooting guns, this is how i got tinnitus. I never used to wear ear protection when shooting or at work near jets. I have paid the price for that. In many cases, there is no specific treatment for tinnitus. It may simply go away on its own, or it may be a permanent disability that the patient will have to "live with" I have had it for a little over a year and i have learned to mostly just deal with it. I can hear it good when im trying to sleep and when watching tv. When i first got it i almost went insane. I also know someone that has it real bad. He restores trunks and was around loud hand sanders and also hunts with shotguns. He says he can have the window in his car open going 40 and the ringing in his ears overpowers the wind coming in. So just a bit of advice, dont listen to your i pods too loud and wear ear protection around loud noises because from first hand experience Tinnitus is not something you want to have to deal with for the rest of your life.

effects of chewing tobacco

Im sure with all of this baseball on tv lately most of us have caught some of the games. One thing i always notice is the large use of Chewing tobacco. Most of us are sox fans so we probably always notice big papi throw out his pinch after every at bat or when Terry Francona wraps his up with a whole bucket od gum lol. Im sure some of the young teens watching go out and buy a tin of skoal to see whats its like. I know whn i was in high school i tried it, along with a lot of other kids in my highschool. But just like smoking , smokeless tobacco can cause a lot of problems also.

The high content of nicotine makes it very addictive. IT has names like, snuff,chew, or dip. It is a myth that chewing is not as harmful as smoking. Chewing tobacco is made of tobacco, nicotine, sweeteners and chemicals. The continuous chewing process gives a constant high to the person. This high can lead to temporary relief from stress and anxiety. The effects of Chewing tobacco leads to numerous side effects, which can be internal or external. The main harmful effects of tobacco are, erodes teeth, tooth decay, gum slump(decomposong of gums), bad breath, mouth cancer and damage to tongue,jaw and lips. Your tongue and jaw can have some of the following problems, dis coloring of lips or lip cancer, sore throat, difficulty in movement of jaws and tongue, rashes or irritation on tongue, and a burning sensation on your lips and or tongue.Chewing tobacco can also lead to oral cancer but it is not the end, it can spread the disease in lungs and linings of stomach. They have alternatives to help people quit such as beef jerkey shaved like tobacco or a substitute that is made of several different herbs that have the tingling sensation of tobacco but without the side affects.

Flu shots

Its that time of year when people should be getting thier flu shots. the center for disease control says that november is the time of season to get the vaccination. the earlier you get it the better. Often some people need to get it more than once so checking in with your doctor about that is a good idea. Flu shots build up your immunity to the flu. this can mean the more you get the less likely when your older to get it. Students in college should also think about getting it. Getting the shot gives you a good chance (not always though) of not getting it. Other high-risk people who should get the flu vaccine include, those who were born prematurely and are at increased risk of developing lung problems if they get influenza, have chronic heart or lung disorders, including asthma, have chronic diseases such as diabetes mellitus, kidney disease, severe anemia, or immune deficiency (including HIV/AIDS and immunosuppression caused by drugs)
are on long-term aspirin therapy and may be at risk for Reye syndrome if they catch the flu
live with someone in any of the high-risk groups above. College is certainly a good place for the flu and other contagious infections to be passed around. So when it comes to that time of year, getting vaccinated is always a good way to go.

MRSA (Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus)

Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus or (MRSA) is one infection that a lot of people dont hear about but is also one that is getting more and more people infected. MRSA is an organism known for causing skin infections, in addition to many other types of infections.MRSA was first noted in 1961, about two years after the antibiotic methicillin was initially used to treat S. aureus and other infectious bacteria. In recent years the gene has continued to evolve so that many MRSA strains are currently resistant to several different antibiotics. S. aureus is sometimes termed "superbug" because of its ability to become resistant to several antibiotics. A lot of known people to have caught this infection are those who work in hospitals. But it is becoming more apt to be caught outside of hospitals.

Some symptoms of this disease are, cellulitis, boils,abscesses, sty, carbuncles and impetigo.

There are two ways that people become infected with MRSA. One is physical contact with someone who is infected or is a carrierof MRSA. Second is for people to physically contact MRSA on any objects such as door handles, floors, sinks, or towels that have been touched by a MRSA-infected person only if you have an abrasion or cut can the infection get to you.

I bet your wondering if you can die from MRSA? Well the answer is yes. Kaisernetwork.org says that "about 1.2 million hospitalized patients have MRSA, and the mortality rate is estimated to be between 4%-10%."

There are plenty of sources to get more information of this infection. I chose this because i believe that there are way too many diseases out there that people are not carefull about and need to be informed about. MRSA is one that is new to me and one that i think should be shared.