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Being thin is in the genes

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BLAME YOUR GENES: According to studies, if a person has a family member suffering from anorexia nervosa, he or she is 12 times more at risk of developing the illness.

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TULSA, OKLAHOMA: A researcher at a US clinic says that a decade-long study into anorexia nervosa is beginning to reveal that those who suffer from the disease might have a genetic predisposition toward it.

The study, known as the Genetics of Anorexia Nervosa collaboration, is conducted in eight cities in North America and two European cities. It is funded by the National Institutes of Health.

Researcher Craig Johnson said that if a person has a family member who has had anorexia nervosa, he or she is 12 times more at risk of developing the illness.

Genetics loads the gun. Environment pulls the trigger,  said Johnson, the director of the eating disorders unit at Laureate Psychiatric Hospital in Tulsa and one of the study’s principal researchers.

Johnson said researchers have devoted much attention during the past 40 years into looking into how a culture that promotes dieting provokes eating disorders.

We now know that the illnesses occur when there is a perfect storm of events that include genetic vulnerability and a culture that is promoting thinness through dieting and exercise,” he said.

People with anorexia nervosa –most of them young females –develop a strong aversion to food and have a distorted body image.

Johnson said the research has helped to identify groups most at risk of developing the disease, such as girls ages 11 to 14.

Girls are expected to gain a third of their adult weight during that time, or about 40 pounds, he said.

If a young woman is uneasy with the weight gain, and a parent, coach, girlfriend or boyfriend says something about their weight, it can provoke an episode of dieting.

Johnson called dieting and exercise   the royal road to eating disorders.

Source:The Times Of India

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How To Get A Great Night’s Sleep Without Taking Medicine

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Sleep    provides rest for the weary and refreshment of your body and soul. Depending on who you are, you can spend eight hours or more in bed at a time, trying to get the rest you need. But a good night’s sleep is more than time spent in bed. There is a quality component to your sleep that is a major factor in how you feel when you wake up.

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There are a number of ways you can improve the quality of your sleep. Some of these ways involve what you do before you go to bed. But the most important factor is what you actually sleep on once you crawl into bed. You spend eight hours with your head on your pillow and a mattress supporting your back. Your chances of getting a great night’s sleep are almost impossible if your pillow and mattress fail to support the different segments of your spine correctly.

Preparing for Slumber
What you do and what you eat before you go to bed can play a significant role in the quality of your sleep. Your state of mind and your body’s metabolism will impact your ability to fall asleep and sleep deeply. You can prepare yourself for a great night’s sleep. Here are some simple do’s and don’ts that will help facilitate a great night’s rest:

Dos
TURN OFF WORK:  You can’t sleep soundly with your mind still at work. If your body has left the job, your mind should, too. You need and deserve time to refresh yourself and enjoy life.

CALM YOURSELF: Frustration, anxiety and worry can intrude into everyone‘s life. The question is, how do you handle it? Take time at the end of your day with meditation, prayer, reading, relaxation techniques, talking to a loved one or just sitting quietly; let go of anything that might be bothering you, at least for the time being.

EXERCISE AND/OR STRETCH:  Many people find that engaging in physical activity before going to bed helps relieve the tension that can build up by the end of the day. The more tension you feel, the more vigorously you may need to exercise. Just remember to give yourself an appropriate “cool-down” period before getting into bed, or you won’t be able to fall asleep.

EAT AT LEAST ONE HOUR BEFORE BEDTIME: Give your body plenty of time to begin digesting your food before you try to sleep. This will reduce that bloated feeling you may have and will help your body feel more relaxed.

Do  nots:
AVOID MENTAL OVERSTIMULATION It’s important to relax after working all day. But replacing job worries with violent movies or mindless video games may actually cause your brain to concentrate more intensely than it would if you were still at work. Make sure your evening activities are relaxing and nurturing, rather than of a combative or problem-solving nature.

AVOID SWEETS Eating foods that give your body quick bursts of energy will thwart your ability to relax. Sugars and other simple carbohydrates boost your energy level, making it harder to fall asleep. (They  are also not healthy for you, nutritionally speaking.) Consider foods that are more complex and thus digest more slowly, such as light proteins, vegetables or small amounts of fruit.

AVOID CONFRONTING DIFFICULT ISSUES :  The end of the day is not always the best time to discuss or address difficult issues. Beginning a discussion that may lead to an argument will likely leave you frustrated and unable to sleep. Whenever possible, wait until the morning or weekend, when you can face the dilemma with a fresh perspective and plenty of energy. This will ensure that you have adequate time and energy to reach a solution, rather than just an exhausted rehashing of the issues.

Your mattress and pillow should be chosen carefully, considering that approximately one-third of your life will be spent on them. Otherwise, you’ll keep waking up sore, stiff and tired, even after hours of sleep.

The Right Stuff
Even given all of the above, many people still fail to get the sleep they need. If you  are one of these people, you know how hard it can be. Waking up sore, stiff and still feeling tired can be caused by what you’re sleeping on   the wrong pillow and/or the wrong mattress.

Do You Have the Right Pillow?
Your pillow is probably the most important component of restful sleep, as it cradles your head and neck for many hours. Your pillow is also the least expensive, most immediate solution to a poor night’s sleep and has the potential to address the most common ailments: headaches and neck pain.

Does your pillow do a good job of supporting your neck and head? If you find your head in an uncomfortable position or feel the need to fold your pillow, you need a new one.
Is there a better choice available? There is a seemingly endless selection of pillows on the market. Determining which type is best for you is the challenge. There are more conventional pillows, filled with down feathers or foam. There are also pillows specifically designed to support your neck and head in a more anatomically correct position. Again, your chiropractor will be the best source to determine what you need, particularly if you are suffering from neck pain or headaches.
Do You Have the Right Mattress?
Your mattress should be chosen carefully, considering that approximately one-third of your life will be spent on it. You will want to consider a specialized mattress that will give your spine the support you need. This is particularly true as you get older.

How long has it been since you bought a new mattress? Mattress makers will tell you that even the best mattresses will only last eight to 10 years. If it’s been more than eight years, or if your original mattress wasn’t that great to begin with, it’s probably time to buy a new mattress.
Will a conventional coil mattress give you the support you need for your spine? This is a very important question and can only be answered by a doctor of chiropractic or other health care provider who specializes in spinal health. Many people find the usual coil mattresses just don’t provide what they need. Ask your doctor if they think you need a mattress specifically designed to ease the pressure on your spine.
What will this special mattress cost? Coil mattresses have several available options, including latex and  memory foam  models. The cost varies, depending on the quality of the model. However, generally speaking, specialized mattresses are no more expensive than their conventional counterparts.
So, there you have it: the keys to getting the great night’s sleep you deserve   every night. Talk to your doctor when considering which mattress and pillow are best for you, and remember the do’s and don’ts of preparing for restful sleep. Your body and mind will thank you for it.

Source:www.toyourhealth.com

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Positive thinking

Foundations Of Evolution

Since personal evolution is most often a slow and gradual process, it can be difficult to recognize the scope of the changes taking place in our lives. Yet it is important that we regularly acknowledge our ongoing growth and reward ourselves for the many wonderful feats of self-improvement we have accomplished. When we intentionally contemplate our progress, we need never feel that we are languishing between past achievements and the realization of future goals. If we look closely at our lives, we may see that much of what brings us pleasure in the present is representative of the ambitions of our past that we worked so hard to attain. At one time, the abundance we enjoy currently likely seemed like a far-off dream. Now it is simply reality-a reality we created through our diligence, passion, and unflagging determination. Whether our progress is fast or slow, we deserve to congratulate ourselves for our successes.

To remind yourself of the insights you have gained with time, temporarily adopt an outsider’s perspective and carefully consider how your life in the present differs from the range of experiences you lived through in the past. Creating a written list, in a journal or otherwise, of those strengths, aptitudes, and inner qualities you now attribute to yourself can help you accept that you are not the same person you were one year ago, five years ago, or 10 years ago. Your attitudes, opinions, and values were likely markedly different, and these differences can be ascribed to your willingness to accept that you still have much to learn. If you have difficulty giving yourself credit for these changes, think about the goals you realized, the lives you touched, the wisdom you acquired, and the level of enlightenment you attained over the past years.

Recognizing growth is neither boastful nor immodest. Evolution is a natural fact of life and becomes a potent motivational force when celebrated. Knowing that you are brighter, stronger, and more grounded than you once were, you can look forward to the changes to come. In acknowledging your growth, you build a sturdy foundation upon which you can continue to blossom well into the future.

Source:Daily Om

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News on Health & Science

Study finds new genetic links to autism

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WASHINGTON: Scientists revealed the most extensive findings to date on the genetics of autism on Sunday, pinpointing two new genetic links that may predispose children to develop the complex brain disorder.

The five-year study, led by an international consortium of researchers from 19 nations, indicated autism had numerous genetic origins rather than a single or a few primary causes.

The researchers scoured DNA samples from 1,168 families with two or more children with autism, and used “gene chip”
technology to detect genetic similarities. They also looked for tiny insertions and deletions of genetic material that could play a role in autism.

The scientists hope that nailing down the genetics of autism will lead to better ways to diagnose it and focus efforts on developing drugs to treat it. They announced they are launching a new phase in the research to map genes responsible for autism.

The study incriminated a gene called neurexin 1 involved with glutamate, a brain chemical previously implicated in autism that plays a role in early brain development, as a possible susceptibility gene for autism. A previously unidentified region of chromosome 11 also was implicated.

Autism is a spectrum of disorders apparently stemming from genetic and environmental causes. Geneticist Stephen Scherer of the University of Toronto and the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto said 90% of autism may have a genetic basis.

“What we have now that we didn’t really have before is a pretty decent understanding of what the genetic architecture is looking like in the autism genome,” said Scherer, who worked on the study published in the journal Nature Genetics.

Autistic children have problems with social interaction and verbal and nonverbal communication, as well as repetitive behaviors such as rocking and twirling or narrow and obsessive interests.

These behaviours can vary in severity from mild to disabling. Autism appears in early childhood, often as young as age 2 or 3, and affects four times as many boys as girls.

“It’s such a perplexing issue and it’s so serious for the children,” said University of Pittsburgh researcher Bernie Devlin, who helped lead the study. Some advocacy groups believe too little attention is given to environmental factors they believe may contribute to autism, like mercury.

A problem in autism research has been that some studies have been based on data from relatively few people. In this study, more than 120 researchers from Europe and North America pooled efforts and expanded the number of people studied.

“Most researchers tend to work in their own world, collect their own set of families to study genetic disorders, and not share,” said Rita Cantor, a University of California-Los Angeles geneticist involved in the study.

US federal health experts this month called autism an urgent public health concern that is more common than previously estimated. They said it affects about one in 150 US children.

Source:The Times Of India

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Ailmemts & Remedies

Myopia

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Myopia is a vision defect commonly known as nearsightedness. Those with myopia can see clearly up to a certain distance, then objects begin to appear fuzzy or out of focus. Distant road signs or chalkboards are often too blurry to read, which can lead to serious problems if the myopia is left uncorrected. Most cases of myopia are diagnosed through vision tests administered during childhood years. Even toddlers have been known to demonstrate early signs of myopia.

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Myopia  & Myopia corrected

 

If one thinks of the eyeball as a camera, then the retina would be the unexposed film positioned in the back. In a normal eye, light enters through the iris, bringing with it a reflected image. The cornea and lens focus this image squarely on the surface of the retina, albeit upside-down. The optic nerve sends this focused image to the visual area of the brain, where it is translated into a recognizable mental picture.

For people with myopia, however, this process does not work precisely. Because a myopic person’s eyeball is slightly longer from front to back, the cornea and lens focus the image in front of the retina. This is not especially noticeable at short distances, but distant images are distorted before they hit the retina. The visual area of the brain can only process what it receives, so the unfocused images cannot be sharpened. The result is blurriness and a lack of visual detail.

Treatment for myopia may include eye strengthening exercises, glasses, contact lenses or laser correction. Some practitioners of homeopathic or alternative treatments believe that myopia is not inherited, but rather a result of overwork and environmental conditions. They recommend a regimen of eye exercises and non-corrective lenses containing a number of pinholes to control the incoming light. Looking through a pinhole can indeed sharpen the focus of many myopic people, although the effect is limited and potentially dangerous.

Click to see Eye with a contact lens (myopia).

 

Most eye doctors prefer the use of prescription lenses, whether it is in the form of eyeglasses or contact lenses. Since myopia is the result of a focus problem, the solution is to change the focal point in the eyeball itself. Refractive lenses or contacts work by allowing the incoming images to fall directly on the retina. There are also contact lenses available which actually reshape the cornea overnight, allowing wearers to see normally throughout the day without aid.

In recent years, laser-based corrective surgery has become a popular option for myopia sufferers. A trained eye doctor will anesthetize the patient’s eyes and use a laser to remove excess corneal material. The flattened eyeball should be shortened enough to allow normal focus to occur. Long term effects of this type of surgery are still unknown, but most people who undergo the procedure report improved vision without the need for corrective lenses.

Source:www./www.wisegeek.com

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