TEN BAD HABITS THAT CAN DAMAGE THE BRAIN

1. NO BREAKFAST: People who do not take breakfast are going to have a lower blood sugar level. This leads to an insufficient supply of nutrients to the brain causing brain degeneration.

2. OVEREATING: It causes hardening of the brain arteries, leading to a decrease in mental power.

3. SMOKING: It causes multiple brain shrinkage and may lead to Alzheimer disease.

4. HIGH SUGAR CONSUMPTION: Too much sugar will interrupt the absorption of proteins and nutrients causing malnutrition and may interfere with brain development.

5. AIR POLLUTION: The brain is the largest oxygen consumer in our body. Inhaling polluted air decreases the supply of oxygen to the brain, bringing about a decrease in brain efficiency.

6. SLEEP DEPRIVATION: Sleep allows our brain to rest. Long term deprivation from sleep will accelerate the death of brain cells.

7. HEAD COVERED WHILE SLEEPING: Sleeping with the head covered, increases the concentration of carbon dioxide and decrease concentration of oxygen that may lead to brain damaging effects.

8. WORKING YOUR BRAIN DURING ILLNESS : Working hard or studying with sickness may lead to a decrease in effectiveness of the brain as well as damage the brain.

9. LACKING IN STIMULATING THOUGHTS: Thinking is the best way to train our brain, lacking in brain stimulation thoughts may cause brain shrinkage.

10. TALKING RARELY: Intellectual conversations will promote the efficiency of the brain.

 < <http://www.searchnigeria.net/articles/ 

P0INTS TO REMEMBER WHEN FIGHTING WITH YOUR SPOUSE

Marriage is madness. Not in some kind of dysfunctional traumatic way, so to speak. But more, in that, it is a long and often grinding road that maintains that we keep on keeping on or just get the hell out of the way.

Even marriages that have suffered somehow and are “on a break” are never really on a break. Once you hit the gas, say “I do,” and aim that thing toward the setting sun, there really is no pause button.

Therefore, there would definitely be times where you get into arguments with your spouse, and if not handled correctly it could lead to major disagreement.

Here are 10 things you should keep in mind when getting into a quarrel with your spouse.

• You were in love once. That’s why you got married, dummy. So you’re probably still in love. Remember that.

• Money is more important than some things in a marriage and less important than others. You pick which ones.

• No one else is married to you. It’s just him or her. That says A LOT.

• Romance is nice. Patience is nicer.

• Some marriages are perfect. Yours is not one of them. Deal with it.

• When questioning your marriage, you should be questioning a lot of other things first.

• No one cares more about your marriage more than you two.

• Living with the person you love can suck sometimes. Put your grown-up pants on.

• Long periods of confusion mean you’re not saying enough.

• Remember that exact moment when you both just knew it was the real deal. Well, guess what? It’s still happening.

      < By Patience, http://peculiarmagazine.com/2012/

TOP TEN GREAT HEALTH BENEFITS OF EATING CHERRIES

• Cherries, known as a “super-fruit”, are packed with antioxidants called anthropocentric which aid in the reduction of heart disease and cancer.

• Cherries are one of the few food sources that contain melatonin, an antioxidant that helps regulate heart rhythms and the body’s sleep cycles.

• Cherries are an excellent source of beta carotene (vitamin A). In fact they contain 19 times more beta carotene than blueberries and strawberries.

• Cherries are rich in vitamins C, E, potassium, magnesium, iron, folate and fiber.

• Cherries are referred to as “brain food”, aiding in brain health and in the prevention of memory loss. 

• Because cherries contain anthocyanins, they can reduce inflammation and symptoms of arthritis and gout.

• Eating cherries reduces the risk of diabetes.

• Cherries are a good source of fiber which is important for digestive health.

• Cherries are a great snack or dessert choice important for weight-maintenance.

• Because of their powerful anti-inflammatory benefits, cherries are said to reduce pain and joint soreness for runners and athletes after workouts.

           < General Knowledge

HEALTH BENEFITS OF WALKING BAREFOOT

Who knew something as simple as a barefoot walk could be so good for you – mind, body and soul.

CLEAR YOUR MIND: It’s hard not to pay attention to every step when you’re walking barefoot. You have to be on the lookout for sharp rocks and thorns. Awareness of what’s in front of you in this moment quiets your inner chatter and clears your mind and helps you focus on the here and now.

IT’S FREE FOOT YOGA: Walking barefoot strengthens and stretches the muscles, tendons and ligaments in your feet, ankles and calves. This helps prevent injury, knee strain and back problems. Not only that, but because it works muscles not used when you’re wearing shoes, it strengthens and stretches your core, helping keep your posture upright, and your balance spot on.

IT’S A FREE REFLEXOLOGY SESSION: There are reflex points to every part of your body in your feet. Every little bump and rock in the road helps to stimulate all these little reflex points. If it hurts at first – especially in specific areas, this means your feet need the stimulation they’re getting by being barefoot. Over time, these sensitivities will go away, and the areas the tenderness corresponds to will be rejuvenated, helping decrease the symptoms of whatever it is that ails you.

DECREASE ANXIETY & DEPRESSION: Walking barefoot in the grass can help decrease anxiety and depression by 62 percent, and increases the levels of those feel good endorphins. Awesome!

GET A GOOD NIGHT’S SLEEP: The ancients believed that walking barefoot in the grass was the best cure for insomnia, and many people still swear by it today.

IT’S GROUNDING. LITERALLY: Our bodies are made up of about 60 percent water, which is great for conducting electricity. The earth has a negative ionic charge. Going barefoot grounds our bodies to that charge. Negative Ions have been proven to detoxify, calm, reduce inflammation, synchronize your internal clocks, hormonal cycles and physiological rhythms. The best places to get some negative ions through your feet are by the water. Everyone knows how good it feels to be barefoot on the beach – now we know why!

GET BACK TO WHAT MATTERS: To be barefoot outside doesn’t just involve your feet – the rest of you has to be outside too. You get to connect with Mother Nature all around. Feel the sunshine on your face; hear the wind in the trees. It’s easier to connect to a higher power when you’re in touch with Nature; it’s easier to put things into perspective.

Who knew something as simple as a barefoot walk could be so good for you – mind, body and soul.

< General Knowledge

A BEAUTIFUL ORNAMENTAL PLANT, BUT VERY DANGEROUS!

DUMB CANE or DIEFFENBACHIA

If you have this plant, get rid of it please. It is very common in our houses, gardens, parks and offices (popular as indoor & outdoor plant). Known as the DUMB CANE or DIEFFENBACHIA, it is now proven to be dangerous. I personally toyed with it as a child, and I have not forgotten the experience. I ate it mockingly as sugar-cane. I had a swollen tongue, and experienced severe itching from my lips and tongue down to my throat, and all over my body that came in contact with the sap. It was a large intake of red oil that saved me. So please, take note!

The leaf is known to cause itching if its sap (milk) touches the skin. But there are more dangerous facts! A child put a piece of the leaf of this plant in her mouth, and her tongue swelled to the point of suffocation. There are also other species with the same characteristics of coloring. Those are also poisonous and we should get rid of them. Please watch out for our children. As we all leave our children at home in the hands of house-helps, we should give them a safe environment where they can play.

This plant is a deadly poison, especially for the children. It can kill a kid in less than a minute and an adult in 15 minutes. It should be uprooted from gardens and taken out of offices. If touched, one should never touch the eyes; it can cause partial or permanent blindness.

<General Knowledge.

FOODS THAT ARE DETRIMENTAL TO YOUR SEX LIFE

You are what you eat, they say. When it comes to sex, therefore, you invariably sex what you eat! It’s that simple. Truth is, what you eat affects every part of your being, your ability to become aroused, achieve orgasm and feel sexually satisfied.

This is why we have decided to share, with blessings from several experts, those foods that may be killing your sex life. Here they are:

• Fried Foods and Chips: Love those tantalizing baconcheeseburgers? Well, go easy on them because the saturated fats contained in most cheeses and fatty meats will possibly, over time, clogs your arteries. But you already knew that, didn’t you? I am not sure if you knew that first arteries usually affected are the penal and vaginal arteries? They are small, which means they quickly collect plaque — so even if you’re still looking svelte despite your close personal relationship with the pastries, your sex life might be suffering.

• Cookies and Muffins: Whether you prefer pastries or macaroons, scones or muffins, baked food that combine flour and sugar spike glucose levels, which can reduce sexual desire and causes hormonal imbalances. A lot of chips and other fried foods do contain trace amounts of libido lowering fats as a byproduct of processing, even though the label on your fries and chips says trans-fat. Initially though, the initial ingredients may be trans-fat free, but the processing often creates unhealthy fats which clog the ventricles, not to mention, trans-fats have been linked to reduce testosterone levels (which means lower sex drive).

• Soy Products: You may have been medically advised to ingest more soy products for a healthier life, I am here to tell you that too much of it for a man can, most possibly, affect his sex drive because of their high estrogen levels. A high estrogen level in male is not libido friendly.

• Dairy Products: As women, you have been told that you need a healthy dose of dairy products in your diets. As much as that is true, high-fat dairy does have a way of affecting your menstrual cycle by exacerbating cramps and bloating and further depleting energy levels.

• Meat: You have heard how much danger excessive red meat deposits into your body system, right? Now, I can go a little further to tell you that most meats, including dear poultry and fish, have added hormones, antibiotics and chemicals which create a hormonal imbalance. It gets worse, those tasty, fatty meats do contain high levels of saturated fats and cholesterol known to clog your arteries and blood vessels, making it difficult to achieve orgasm and maintain arousal. Can you now see why you need to sacrifice your taste for a healthier sex life?

• Alcohol: Think happy hour makes you happy? Try frequent happy hours and see if it doesn't impede your getting laid! Frequent use of alcohol suppresses your libido, decreasing your sex drive and your sexual satisfaction.

Don’t say I never told you because I just did.

-Ruth Olurounbi < http://dailypost.com.ng/