1) Dance. It may sound silly, but this is a unique “exercise” that really helps several areas of your brain, and demands several things all at once. For example, you need coordination, maybe with the beat, you need judgment, you need organization and planning. All of these skills are happening at once, and you don’t feel like you’re working at all. Similar stimulation can be found in martial arts, both deal with moving your body and keeping composure.

2) Work out. This should be a given, and a part of your daily routine anyway, but for most people this isn’t a truth in their lives. Exercise and physical activity increases blood flow, this is proven to have a positive effect on the memory center of your brain, and helps your body create new cells.

3) Eat eggs. Eggs are a common breakfast food item, and there is a reason why. They are packed with nutrition your brain needs. For example, your brain’s energy source comes from B vitamins, which are most commonly found in eggs. Not to mention antioxidants, and fatty acids for cell protection.

4) Organize. If you have several projects, for example at work, to accomplish, you should tackle only one at a time. Complete the task, then move on. If it takes more than an hour, put it off and handle the smaller projects first. Continuing from one project to the next keeps you alert, and requires different sections of your brain to function.

5) Fruits and Veggies. You should have a balanced diet as apart of your lifestyle, and in addition, you should try to drink several glasses of fruit or vegetable juice every day. A study has shown that those who consumed these drinks several times a day were less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease. This is due to the high antioxidant levels in these drinks, which help protect cells from damage. Consider that your brain is eighty percent water, and that it needs fluids to work properly.

6) Laugh Break. Cortisol and epinephrine, a common stress chemical, is lowered with even the anticipation of laughter, which means taking a couple minutes between stressful activities (such as work) to watch a funny video on youtube is great for your mental health. Just don’t get caught and use it as an excuse to your boss!

7) Sleep! It has been scientifically proven that your brain can better solidify memories, facts and details when you are getting good, deep sleep. Without sleep, you will be less likely to remember important facts or details, even if you stayed up all night studying for that test.

Most people think they do not have to worry about breast cancer until well into middle age, until now, which is why testing for breast cancer among young adults has never been a priority. Dedicated to providing information and resources about the HALO Breast Pap Test, NeoMatrix and its Chair of the Clinical Advisory Panel is taking the forefront on the campaign to get the EARLY Act into effect.

Kathryn Tunstall, NeoMatrix’s Chair, has battled cancer twice in her life and took a leadership role in this cause by creating the EARLY Act website. She explains why early detection is crucial to living cancer-free. “Thanks to excellent care and advances in detection and treatment, I was able to survive and thrive after breast cancer.” Tunstall continued by announcing that both of these websites offer resources needed to keep young women out of the danger zone. “We can reduce the terrible toll this disease takes on women and families, if young women know their breast cancer risk and request proper screening, this will ultimately change the equation of breast cancer.”

The EARLY Act strives to support education ($9 million over 5 years) for women under the age of 45 on the attention of testing, breast cancer risks, and regular screenings. This act would also assist young women in need who have already been diagnosed. The House of Representatives, National breast cancer organizations like the Susan G. Komen Foundation and the Senate has helped the EARLY Act become reality. Dr. Gail Lebovic, President of the American Society of Breast Disease, sees the high volume of support as a good sign. “During my time as a breast surgeon, we have seen advances in breast cancer risk assessment such as HALO, in detection through digital mammography, along with the development of much better surgical treatments and breast reconstruction. The EARLY Act would make many more women aware of these advances, ….I can’t imagine why anyone would be against this legislation.”

An alternative form of testing breast cancer risk, The HALO Breast Pap Test, has a low-cost and is much less uncomfortable than a standard mammogram. With one out of every 8 women contracting breast cancer in their lifetime, now is the time for better, safer, and more accurate tests for earlier detection. With a total test time of just five minutes, this noninvasive test, uses heated massaging breast cups to collect nipple fluid. HALO is safe and can be repeated with no side effects. HALO could be the angel to breast cancer’s devil by helping to find smaller, low-stage tumors. HALO may revolutionize the way doctors, patients, and families look at breast cancer detection, with the first completely automated testing device, and change how women look at their breasts.

Check out the information on the EARLY Act and HALO websites for yourself and be hopeful that early detection and new, exciting technology could be the stepping stones to a cure keeping breast cancer off our chests for good. It may take a week to get results of your HALO test back from the lab. Your doctor will contact you with the results and explain what they mean.

• Broccoli is a commonly consumed vegetable. Recent studies have shown that this vegetable has more benefits after it has been steamed rather than in it’s raw form. It has properties that are great for the cells, and even considered as cancer fighting. It also is a great source for vitamin C.
• Carrots, when eaten raw, are great for preventing cancer and heart attacks, as well as the commonly known eye sight benefits. When cooked, these properties increase, and are greatly more effective. By adding a drop of oil, your body can easily absorb these benefits. Even though boiling causes this vegetable to lose only a little of it’s Vitamin C, it helps fight against free radicals, the cause of aging spots on the skin.
• Garlic, in its raw form, helps thin the blood and prevents it from clotting, which lowers your risk of heart attack. Cooked, it can retains all of its benefits, and is great for building your immunity against common colds and even the flu.
• Root vegetables, such as potatoes and turnips contain a lot of fiber, as well as vitamins. Choosing root vegetables with dark skins are more likely to have better health benefits. Boil them with the skins, and peel them before eating if necessary, this is a great way to help keep all of those benefits while cooking.
• Brussels Sprouts, although the comedic rival of all children, is a great source of many health benefits, including protection against breast cancer. Steam them, or include them in a stir fry for the best results.
• Tomatoes, roasted with olive oil is a great way to help protect yourself against cancer and heart attacks. The oil helps your body to absorb all of the benefits that tomatoes offer. Another great choice are cherry tomatoes.
• Asparagus, when steamed, will retain all of its miracle properties. This vegetable is great for protecting your heart, and your nervous system. Be careful in the steaming process, as most of the benefits can disappear with too much heat.

Well, they do in England. Because their government pays big subsidies to parents of kids that are physically impaired or have low intelligence. Of course, they don’t call it a subsidy, it’s referred to as Social Security. All paid for by the taxpayer.

These benefits amount to big money, especially when you include the Mobility Scheme: a free car with all expenses paid except petrol. Combine that with the free-of-charge National Health Service, and what do you get? You get women queuing up for artificial insemination. But they aren’t looking to have a child fathered by a genius or an Olympic champion. Oh no, they’re mostly looking for donors of low intelligence.

Dr Mohammed Patel of St James’ Teaching Hospital in Leeds, Yorkshire told us: “Most patients opt for low intelligence rather than massive physical disability for one simple reason. Low maintenance. Let’s face it, a kid with the same intelligence as a vegetable can be left to its own devices with little attention required, whereas physical disability usually means lots of heavy lifting and tiresome conversations.”

Mr Andy Burnham, the government minister in charge of the Health Service said: “It’s easy to be cynical. But we are striving for a fair society and do not accept stereotyping. We must support disadvantaged people, and we will not be deflected from this even if our policies mean that more parents have disabled children.”

Intrinsic aging is a continuous process that normally begins in our mid-20s, also known as the natural aging process.  Collagen production slows with in the skin and elastin, the substance that enables skin to snap back into place, has a bit less spring.  Turnover of new skin cells may decrease slightly as dead skin cells do not shed as quickly.

While these changes usually begin in our 20s, the signs of intrinsic aging are typically not visible for decades.  Intrinsic aging is noticed by these signs: fine wrinkles, thin and transparent skin, loss of underlying fat, leading to hollowed cheeks and eye sockets as well as noticeable loss of firmness on the hands and neck, bones shrink away from the skin due to bone loss, which causes sagging skin, dry skin that may itch, inability to sweat sufficiently to cool the skin, graying hair that eventually turns white,  hair loss, unwanted hair and nail plate thins, the half moons disappear, and ridges develops.

Your genes control how rapidly the normal aging process reveals itself. Some notice those first gray hairs as early as their 20s; while others do not see graying until well into their 40s.  A rare inherited condition,  Werner’s syndrome, rapidly accelerates the normal aging process and people can appear elderly in their 30s. In their teens their hair can gray and thin noticably and cataracts may appear in their 20s.  The average life expectancy for people with Werner’s syndrome is about 46 years of age.

Most premature aging is caused by sun exposure but a number of extrinsic, or external, factors often act together with the normal aging process to prematurely age our skin. Other external factors that prematurely age our skin are repetitive facial expressions, sleeping positions, gravity and of course smoking.  Noticeable changes to the skin can be seen without protection from the sun’s rays in just a few minutes of exposure each day over the years.

These signs can all be traced to sun exposure: freckles, age spots, spider veins on the face, rough and leathery skin, fine wrinkles that disappear when stretched, loose skin, a blotchy complexion, actinic keratoses (thick wart-like, rough, reddish patches of skin), and skin cancer.  “Photoaging” is the word dermatologists use to define this type of aging caused by exposure to the sun’s rays.

The amount of photoaging that develops depends on:

1) a person’s skin color and

2) their history of long-term or intense sun exposure.

With repeated exposure to the sun, photoaging occurs over a period of years.  The skin loses the ability to repair itself, and the damage accumulates. The sun also attacks our elastin. Scientific studies have shown that repeated ultraviolet (UV) exposure breaks down collagen and impairs the synthesis of new collagen. Sun-weakened skin discontinues to spring back much earlier than skin protected from UV rays.

Skin also becomes loose, wrinkled, and tough much earlier with unprotected exposure to sunlight. You need to have enough sleep everyday (around 7 to 8 hours) and try to avoid stress. It is seen that people who don’t have enough sleep everyday may suffer from skin problems at the long run. Eating plenty of green vegetables and fruits and drinking plenty of water everyday can naturally heal your skin from wrinkles. Aging skin problems are very natural but curable as well. A healthy diet and the natural anti aging skincare creams can make all the difference.

An analysis conducted by a group of British researchers of 39 previous studies of heart patients which was conducted between 1932 and 2008, had results that showed an increase in the number of deaths from heart disease, as well as the occurrence of more heart attacks during flu season.

In fact, this study showed the increased death rate averaged from 35 percent to 50 percent. The report was recently published in the journal  Lancet.   Experts are urging all heart patients to get vaccinated against regular flu as well as the swine flu, although currently only about one-third of Americans who suffer from heart disease receive flu vaccines.

The possibility of experiencing flu-related medical issues is greater among those having heart-related problems because more flu virus is expected to be circulating during this coming flu season.  Dr. Ralph Brindis, vice president of the American College of Cardiology says, “If we can convince cardiac patients to go ahead and get the flu vaccine, that could ultimately save lives.”

Heart patients who contract the flu become more vulnerable to complications because flu viruses can cause inflammation in the body, and most commonly in the lungs, which includes pneumonia along with other types of infection.  Flu viruses can certainly cause swelling in the heart or coronary arteries, potentially triggering the breaking off of dangerous clots that can then lead to a heart attack.

According to a recent study by a senior lecturer in infectious disease epidemiology at the University College London Centre for Infectious Disease Epidemiology,author Andrew Hayward, he proclaims that “We know influenza vaccine is effective in preventing influenza and therefore in theory, ought to be effective in preventing the other complications of influenza.”

Hayward reported that two of the studies in the analysis indicated that heart patients who received a flu vaccine suffered fewer heart attacks than those who did not receive it.  He explained that some evidence suggests that heart attacks peak when the flu virus does and acknowledged that “Influenza may be bringing forward an event that might have happened anyway.”  It remains unclear as to whether the new study results can be applied to people who have no prior history of heart disease.

The researchers noted that flu viruses could potentially trigger heart attacks among people having risk factors such as being overweight or having high blood pressure. Diabetes is another condition that may put individuals at an even greater risk.  The researchers concluded, especially in those people with existing cardiovascular disease, “We believe influenza vaccination should be encouraged wherever indicated.  Further proof is needed on the effectiveness of influenza vaccines to reduce the risk of cardiac events in people without established vascular disease.”

Selected by the Secretary of the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services,the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, now  highly recommends annual flu vaccines for all people who are at high risk of having serious seasonal flu-related complications or people who live with or care for those at high risk for serious seasonal flu-related complications.

There are about 36,000 people dieing each and every year from flu, while over 200,000 are hospitalized due to complications arising from the flu including bacterial pneumonia, dehydration and worsening of chronic medical conditions, such as congestive heart failure, asthma or diabetes.  These findings are all according to the American Heart Association.

A professor and director of the Nutrition Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Dr. Virginia A. Stallings said, “The program was due for a revision and the committee’s job was to give advice to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which runs the school meal program,” Stallings said.  “We expect that they will take this information and revise the program,” she said.

The current standards for school meals are based on the 1995 dietary guidelines so this revision  would bring school meals in line with the latest dietary guidelines and reference intakes from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The report noted that added funding will be needed to put into action the changes because of the higher cost of vegetables and whole-grain foods.  But these changes are needed to assure parents that schools are providing healthful, satisfying meals.

The report on healthy school meals suggests lunches include no more than 650 calories for students in grades kindergarten through five; 700 calories for children in grades six to eight, and 850 for those in grades nine to 12. reducing sodium over the next decade from today’s average of 1,600 milligrams per lunch to 740 milligrams will make for an easier adjustment. In addition, breakfasts should contain one cup of fruit, and lunches for grades nine to 12 should also contain one cup of fruit.

Vegetable servings should increase to three-quarters of a cup a day for grades kindergarten through eight, and one cup a day for grades nine to 12.  Half of the breads and pasta should be only whole grain, Stallings said. Milk served with school meals should be skim or 1 percent fat. The School Breakfast Program is available in 85 percent of public schools today with the National School Lunch Program is available in 99 percent of U.S. public schools and in 83 percent of private and public schools.

About 30.6 million school children participated in the school lunch program in 2007, and 10.1 million children had school breakfasts. In 2007, schools in the program served about 5.1 billion lunches and 1.7 billion breakfasts, according to the report.  Stallings hopes the recommendations will filter down to the meals parents prepare at home for their kids. ” Little changes like going to skim or low-fat milk and thinking about sodium both in cooking and table salt,” she said. “I do believe that parents will be able to use some of this to talk about the kinds of fruits and vegetables they should be serving at home and other recommendations that are easily put to use.

Dr. David L. Katz, director of the Prevention Research Center at Yale University said “this update to school nutrition standards is timely, and most welcome. School nutrition standards were originally devised to protect children from malnutrition and want.”  “But in this age of epidemic childhood obesity, when children are far more likely to get too many calories than too few, and when more and more succumb to what was called ‘adult onset’ diabetes just a generation ago, the time-honored school food standards are clearly obsolete,” he said.

Recent data has showed that babies of women who were given selective serotonin re uptake inhibitors (SSRIs) during pregnancy were born earlier and had a higher likelihood of being admitted to intensive care.  According to the researchers, mothers who took the drugs during pregnancy found SSRIs to cross the placenta and have been found present in the umbilical cord blood of babies.

To discover the effects of SSRIs on newborns, the research team examined the birth outcomes of babies born to 329 women who took SSRIs during pregnancy to those women who did not.  4,902 women having a history of psychiatric illness were among those who did not take the drugs and 51,770 women who had no history of mental illness.  All of the infants in the study had undergone prenatal care at Aarhus University Hospital between 1989 and 2006.

In comparison to the other women, for those who took SSRIs during pregnancy, births happened an average of 5 days earlier were twice as likely to deliver pre-term.  They were also 2.4 times as likely to be accepted into the neonatal intensive are and had more than four times the likelihood of having a 5-minute Apgar score falling below eight, while scores of seven and above are considered healthy.  (Apgar scores measure an infant’s health at birth based on breathing, heartbeat, reflexes, muscle tone and skin color.)  Seizures, jitteriness, infections, respiratory problems and jaundice were other adverse effects seen among infants born to mothers taking SSRIs who were admitted to neonatal intensive care.

Birth weight and head circumference were not affected.  Benefits of these SSRIs antidepressants may still outweigh the risks in some cases, because depression itself can lead to ill effects for both the mother and the baby.  “The study justifies increased awareness to the possible effects of intrauterine exposure to antidepressants, according to the researchers.  However, future studies need to distinguish between individuals SSRIs to find the safest treatment of depressing during pregnancy maybe required.  Women have been using SSRIs including Zoloft, Prozac and others during pregnancy sine the early 1990’s.

These drugs are thought to be the safest type of antidepressant that can be taken during pregnancy.  A medical student researcher at the University of Asrhus in Denmark at the time the study was conducted, lead researcher Jajaaraq Lund, M. D., said, “As depression itself can influence birth outcome  in a negative direction, treatment is required in some cases based on today’s body of evidence.”  She went on to explain, psychotherapy could be used as an alternative treatment in cases involving mild or moderate symptoms.

However, in caustic cases, as well as in patients with a history of repeating, severe depression, medical treatment could be the best option.  Lund then pointed out, “Every single case should be considered individually, and the decision should be made by the woman and her ob-gyn and psychiatrist as to the best treatment for her.”  Other researchers concluded that babies born to mothers taking SSRIs at the time of delivery should be watched carefully in the hospital setting for at least 48 hours after birth.  There is now proof that pregnancy does not protect against depression, just like the post-partum period, pregnancy is a biologically vulnerable period for this disease.”

There are numerous diseases of noteworthy concern to women, though there are various ways to address those problems early through nutrition, exercise, and lifestyle changes. As pointed out by the Mayo Clinic in a recent article through information taken from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

1. The number one health threat to women in America is heart disease, also the most preventable of all conditions. Alcohol should be consumed in moderation and cigarette smoke should be avoided. A simple diet of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, fiber, and fish are important, along with physical activity to maintain a healthy weight and the monitoring of stress levels.

2.  All types of cancer are dangerous to women, the most common type tends to be lung cancer followed by  breast and colorectal cancer.   A healthy diet, exercise, and the avoidance of tobacco are key with extra attention paid to exposure to radon, asbestos, radiation, and air pollution,   can also be helpful by avoiding those substances where and when possible.  Sun exposure should also be limited.

3. Lifestyle choices can lead to strokes in younger women although strokes are often hereditary.  High cholesterol, cigarette smoke or blood pressure, excessive saturated fat and obesity, and lack of physical activity can lead to higher chances of strokes, and all should be avoided or controlled.

4. Lung conditions like bronchitis and emphysema are commonly found in women who have been exposed to smoke or air pollution. Sometimes deadly lung conditions, generally referred to as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), can usually be avoided by not smoking, avoiding secondhand smoke, and staying away from areas that cannot control air pollution.

5. Alzheimer’s disease erases memories from the brain but taking steps to practice mental exercises and continue to learn new things helps. Head injuries can also lead to Alzheimer’s along with a personal history high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, or high cholesterol.   If there is a history of Alzheimer’s in the family, it is important to stay physically and mentally fit

6. Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of the disease though it can eventually lead to heart disease, kidney damage, and blindness.

7. Hypertension is a result of stress and must be controlled before it becomes a serious health problems like heart disease. Stress is also a contributing factor to kidney disease. Medications can control both hypertension and kidney disease, though the latter may require more extensive treatment as prescribed by a physician.

8. Sepsis,  more accurately known as blood poisoning, is an infection brought on by bacteria or toxins in the bloodstream, usually as a result of an infection.  Avoiding germs that can lead to infection, specifically by washing hands often, making sure vaccines are up-to-date, and seeking quick medical attention for anything resembling an infection.

9. Perinatal conditions are obviously limited to women, which is why pre-natal and post-natal care are both so important surrounding any pregnancy.  The weeks before and after childbirth are critical to a mother’s health and must be monitored throughout the pregnancy.

10. Flu. Injuries are generally results of accidents and may cannot be avoided. The same can be said of the flu, though there are flu shots, and anyone with chronic health risks should discuss the vaccine with a health professional to determine if it would be beneficial.

The researchers then monitored the women’s weight, along with other health changes, every two years, for 24 years, until 2000. For each point raised of their Body Mass Index (BMI) the women had a 12 percent lower chance of living to age 70. These women were in good health when they were compared with women who were thin.  The researchers defined “healthy survival” as not only living free of any chronic disease, but also having ample physical and mental ability to perform daily outlines such as housework, shopping for groceries, or even walking up one flight of stairs.

The experts consider people that have a BMI between 19-25 to be healthy, while those that are over 30 are considered obese and from 25 to 30 are considered to be overweight.  The women who were formerly overweight at the early age of 18 and then gained more than 10 kilograms later on in life only had about a 20 percent chance of living to the age of 70 and be in good health.  The most frequently reported illnesses in these women were heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.  A professor and chair of the public health and community medicine department at Tufts University School of Medicine, said, “people may think they can harmlessly gain weight through their 20s, 30s, and even 40s, but there is no proof that
gaining weight is natural.”

These results suggest that small weight gains are not harmless. A British study that was broadcast earlier this year found that people that had a BMI from 30 to 35 die about three years sooner than normal while those that were thought to be morbidly fat, with a BMI above 40, dies approximately a decade earlier.  Fat acts mostly the same way for both men and women. The experts said that the finding underlined the relevance of preventing becoming obese in the first place.  One researcher who is an obesity expert at Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm, suggests, “If you are on the obesity track early in your life, it could get quite dangerous by the time you are middle-aged.”

He stated that it was still uncertain if they did lose their weight later on in life if people could regain their health benefits from when they were thin.  With scientific advances in treating obesity, the average life spans have increased in recent years.  But the experts advise that the obesity epidemic could ultimately one day undo those gains.  We know we’re extending life span, but we don’t know if we’re extending healthy survival. It is not a pretty picture to think one is going to spend the last three decades of one’s life with a give and take of physical and mental function.

That may not be the picture of aging we have when we think of living into our 90s.  Our health is more important than we take it to be and only we can help ourselves. This study was published online in the medical journal, BMJ.  The U.S. National Institutes of Health and the Boston Obesity Nutrition Research Center funded the study.