Breathing is the life giving force that keeps us alive. We may be able to survive without water for some time but we certainly cannot live without air. Human lungs are capable of holding up to two gallons of air but most people breathe only two or three pints per breath.

Breathing is associated with the chest and abdominal breathing is not known to many. Breathing with the abdomen, also called diaphragmatic breathing, involves expanding the abdomen while inhaling and then expanding the chest while exhaling. This form of breathing ensures that blood is directed towards the vital organs, improving energy levels.

Alternative health practices such as Yoga, Qigong and Tai Chi focus mainly on breathing and simple body movements. Good breathing techniques, along with burning calories, also have a harmonizing influence on every system in the body.

Yoga: Yoga is one of the most ancient practices of self healing, which teaches the basic principle of mind, body and spirit unity. If the mind is restless and agitated, the health of the body is compromised. Similarly, if the body is in poor health, the mind is affected. One important aspect of yoga is that it increases the flow of prana (life energy.) The blockage of prana through improper diet, lifestyle stressors or imbalances in the mind, body or spirit can lead to illness. Breathing techniques and certain postures remove blockages and improve oxygen intake. (more…)

Ecstasy may be the cure for millions of people who suffer from post-traumatic disorders. No! We are not talking about the elevation of mind here. If only it were that simple!

According to Maariv Daily, doctors at the Beer-Yakov psychiatric hospital, south of Tel Aviv, have just begun new tests using the drug Ecstasy as a treatment for conflict-linked post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSD.)

Ecstasy or MDMA (3-4-methylenedioxymethampheta-mine) is a synthetic drug that was classified as a stimulant and made illegal in 1985, and was given the same status as that of narcotic drugs such as cocaine, heroin and LSD, as it was found to be one of the most dangerous drugs.

This is a drug that is made from a synthetic chemical derived from the oil of the sassafras tree. It was first introduced to the world in 1914 and at that time was used as an appetite suppressant. Later it gained in popularity and was available at all street corners and was used as a psychotherapeutic tool.

In spite of it being officially banned, it is still widely available and used at places such as raves, concerts, hip hop parties and other gatherings, by both the young and old, as it produces a hallucinogenic effect that takes people in to their dream world. (more…)

Hate that morning alarm buzzing in your ears? Think your job stinks? Be sure you will love your job after reading this.

A business card is always shown the respect it deserves and is a reflection of professionalism. What if the business card reads “Armpit Sniffers?”

This job entails sniffing armpits of people of all sizes, who stand in a line with their arms in the air. These people work as testers for deodorant manufacturing companies.

The cosmetic industry goes to great lengths to make sure people smell good after using their product and towards this end employs hundreds of armpit sniffers. The effectiveness of both antiperspirants and deodorants is still tested in the old fashioned way, using the power of the human nose. Men and women are tested in simulated hot room conditions, in order to understand the science of sweating.

Deodorant companies totally rely on these people to test their products and thanks to the work of these brave sniffers; consumers can come up smelling good. They protect us from the front lines in the battle with sweat and odor, as they sniff and probe thousands of armpits each year. A single sniffer is said to sniff around 60 armpits an hour and they take three sniffs per pit to assess the intensity of the body odor, all the while using their clipboards to note down offensive odors on a scale of 1 to 10. (more…)

Even with the numerous antidepressants out there, any new drug that gets approved by FDA generates a huge amount of interest and expectation.

Pristiq from Wyeth is the newest antidepressant approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Friday. It is the successor to the top-selling Effexor, the extended-release depression drug from Wyeth. Pristiq is expected to hit the market in a few months.

Pristiq is a once-daily serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor to treat adult patients suffering from major depressive disorder (MDD.)

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a mental disorder affecting millions of people worldwide. We all experience grief and mood changes related to circumstances but depression that restricts our ability to function and dissipates interest in life certainly cannot be just a case of “blues.” It is a serious medical condition and is not something people usually “get over.” This illness is associated with imbalance in the brain.

It may be hard to digest but the fact remains that depression is a very common illness, although people don’t talk about it or accept it and usually push it under the carpet. It is common enough to be called, “the common cold” of psychiatric disorders. (more…)

Yes! We are talking about those slimy little creatures with long tongues. An astounding discovery revealed that frogs may be the answer to diabetes.

Researchers at the University of Ulster in Northern Ireland and United Arab Emirates discovered that a substance found on the skin of the “paradoxical frog” from South America boosts the production of insulin – the vital hormone deficient in diabetics.

This frog actually shrinks with age and thus named, “paradoxical.” The young ones are bigger than their parents and tadpoles reach up to 27 cm in length, while the frogs are only about 4 cm long. These frogs inhabit the lagoons and ponds of Amazon and Trinidad.

It is believed that the secretions of this frog could prove to be much more effective than other drugs, including Byetta, a diabetes drug released in 2005, made from the saliva of the Gila monster (venomous lizard) of North America.

According to researchers, peptide, a protein-building block that protects the paradoxical frog from infection, can be used to produce drugs to treat people with Type-2 diabetes. Lab tests have been carried out on these nocturnal frogs and it was found that this frog’s peptide, pseudin-2, increased release of insulin.

A synthetic version of pseudin-2 was also tested and it was found to stimulate the pancreatic cells into secretion of insulin and more importantly, no toxic effects were felt on the cells. (If you didn’t know, pancreas makes insulin.) In fact, the synthetic version was found to be even better at stimulating the pancreatic cells than the natural compound from the frog. This opens up several doors for developing a drug to treat diabetes better. (more…)

Many people underestimate the power of body language. When speaking to a friend or colleague, the words that come out of your mouth tell only half of the story. If your friend can barely listen to the story as he tries to decipher other messages you may be sending with your rolled eyes, crossed arms and wild gestures, you may have a body language barrier.

Using Body Language
Communication experts believe that 90% of our communication is nonverbal. If you don’t believe nonverbal cues can be that important consider your next job interview. Would you be daring enough to walk into an interview slouched over, offer a wimpy handshake and then refuse to make eye contact as you shuffle your feet though your standard interview responses? Only a fool would act this way and expect to land a powerful position, but it happens in all other aspects of your life as well.

There are endless conversations your body can be having without you, but even the simplest tasks throughout the day are telling. For example, your handshake can immediately identify you as a wimp or a jerk. (more…)

The sped up feature of day-to-day life and increasing demand for perfection in maximum possible spheres of life along with the ultimate desire of comfort and ease has lead us to the heights of development in contemporary times. All these factors are not only the driving forces of economic development round the globe but also the speedometers of standard of living in a particular region, country or area. The only thing that deploys the essence of this development is the unavailability of sustainable growth. On one hand where we’re touching the skies of mega and cellular technology, we’re losing list of essentials, i.e. health.

Setting cellular technology the theme of discussion let’s have an overview of it. One of the major examples of cellular technology, i.e. the mobile phone system is in question for a long time. Both the technology concerns and the social scientists had agreed to differ. And it’s still a vexed question. Cellular phone services being the easiest and fastest modes of communication have billions have billions of subscribers round the world. Even in developing countries where a major part of population is striving hard to satisfy basic needs, i.e. food and clothing, use of mobile phone have become a necessity for them.

Mobile phones use cellular technology whereby the regions are covered by radio waves using a base station antenna as a transmitter and the handset as receiver. Cellular technology is the better option in a sense that it provides better coverage, increased capacity and reduced power usage. Both the digital GSM and the CDMA systems share this base. The point that’s been raised more by the social scientists and health concerns is the effect of radio waves on health. These radio waves are emitted by both handsets and base stations.

With reference to the handsets, the effect of radio waves emitted by the cell phone communication, especially with specific reference to human health, can be categorized as, thermal, non thermal and genotoxical. Thermal effect is one whereby the electromagnetic field of radio waves induces polar molecules that generates dielectric heat letting the live tissues die. For instance some part of head, while receiving the message through radio waves if happens to experience increased temperature can have damaged nerve fibers. (more…)

For as long as there have been mothers, there has been the timeless solution to feeling under the weather. Feel sick? Your mother, or someone else’s, will encourage you to have a bowl of soup.

Sure the warm, steamy soup can soothe a sore throat and clear the sinuses, but it is not the only food that packs a punch when you’re feeling poorly. Consider these next time you’re lounging about with a cold or bug.

Power Up with Protein
Protein is one of the most important nutrients when you’re not feeling well. The weaker you feel, the more you need protein. If you’re having trouble keeping food down or simply have no appetite, the less protein you have, the worse you will feel. To get the right amount of protein, fix yourself a shake with protein powder. Or, better yet – have someone else fix it. The cold smoothness will feel good on your throat, and the power of the protein will help you battle through.

Other good sources of protein when you’re not feeling well are nuts and eggs. Nuts are generally tolerated by upset stomachs and eggs are packed with protein. They are also very easy to eat since they require little or no chewing. And, soups can have protein, too. If you’re in the mood for a soup, try something with beans as they have more protein per spoonful than other varieties. (more…)