Archive for April 2012
April 20, 2012 | 
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You know that personality test that we all took in high school that told us what kind of people we were? The one that classified us into type A, B, or C personality types?
Research has long shown that people with Type A personalities, who are more often chronically angry, anxious, and depressed, have higher risks of heart attacks.
New research at Harvard University shows the flip side to this knowledge – that being upbeat and optimistic can help protect your heart from heart disease. Optimism in particular showed great heart protecting benefits. Multiple studies have shown that the most optimistic people actually have half of the risk for a first heart attack than people who are less optimistic.
Why?
Studies show that “stress associated with negative psychological traits can lead to damage of the arteries and heart itself.”
People who are more optimistic and who have a better sense of well-being tend to have healthier blood pressures, lower cholesterols, and weigh less. These people are also more likely to exercise, sleep the right amount, avoid smoking, and eat healthier. These are factors that affect your heart health.
The big question mark that is still lingering is about cause and effect. Are optimistic people more likely to make heart-healthy decisions, or is it the healthy living and heart healthy decisions that are making people more happy and optimistic.
Get Glad
It can be difficult to think positive when you are a natural pessimist. But maybe it’s time to start thing positive, not only because you will be happier, but because it may boost your heart health. Rather than just thinking about how to decrease the negative risks, maybe it’s time to think about how to boost the positive protection.
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Losing my mind or really losing the capability to think clearly and remember things when I get older scares me. I don’t want to be one of those people that have no idea what is going on, no clue what year it is, and memory of who anybody is.
Did you know that many experts say that you can delay dementia and signs of Alzheimer’s disease, even if you have a genetic propensity for them? Experts also say that if risk factors for diseases like Alzheimer’s were decreased by a mere 25%, about a half a billion cases of the disease could be prevented.
What are you doing to prevent brain deterioration? Nothing? Well, it’s not too late to start. Here are a few things you can do to boost your brain’s health.
Exercise
Your hippocampus (the part of your brain involved in memory formation) shrinks as you age. Exercise can prevent and actually reverse this process according to some experts. Exercise can reduce your risk of dementia by 30-40%. Active people also tend to have better cognitive function than inactive people.
Learn New Skills
Keith L. Black, M.D, chair of the neuropsychology department at the Cedar-Sinai Medical Center in LA, stated that you can increase the number of brain cells and connections between brain cells by keeping your brain stimulated and learning new things.
Make Friends
Having friends and socializing with them can help you lower your risk of dementia. By maintaining a social network, you are provided with emotional and mental stimulation – some things that can help your stay strong.
Eat Healthy
Just like a car, your brain needs fuel to work correctly. By eating a healthy and balanced diet you are ensuring that your body and brain get the nutrients it needs to function properly.
Brain Power!
It is never too late to start taking care of your brain. There is probably nothing more important either. So go for it – try learning something new or make a new friend. That may save your brain.
Finding the right acne treatment for your unique skin can be both challenging and frustrating.
There are so many different products on the market that all promise a clear complexion, and yet it is next to impossible to really tell which ones will actually give you the results you want.
On top of all that, how are you supposed to tell which ones will be gentle on your skin? You do not want to have to deal with itchy, red, dry skin from harsh chemicals in addition to your breakouts.
What you need are safe, natural acne treatments that you can trust; here are some at home skin remedies that are not only safe but also effective!
Chamomile Tea
Chamomile tea is a natural, anti-inflammatory ingredient that has a big impact on breakouts, possessing the power to reduce the swelling and redness of your acne. In order to use it effectively, soak a chamomile tea bag in cold water and apply it to your skin for thirty seconds.
You can also use chamomile tea as a mask–combine a few teaspoons of it with a banana until it makes a paste. Then smooth that paste onto your skin.
Tea Tree Oil
Tea tree oil has acne-healing properties that are comparable to those of the strong acne-fighting ingredient benzoyl peroxide. Though tea tree oil technically works a bit slower than benzoyl peroxide does, it cures your acne without the dryness, stinging skin, and irritation that comes with benzoyl peroxide’s harshness.
Tea tree oil is most effective on acne when it is diluted and can be found in health stores.
Saw Palmetto
Saw Palmetto is an all-natural herb that is a common ingredient in many popular acne products. Like tea tree oil, Saw Palmetto supplements can be bought at health stores.
Strawberries
You may be surprised to hear that one of your favorite fruits possesses the ability to cure acne, but it is true: strawberries really can fight acne! Strawberries are a natural source of the acne-fighting ingredient salicylic acid.
You can create an effective acne-fighting mask with strawberries. Once a week, mix 1/2 cup of strawberries with a tablespoon of sour cream and applying it to your face.
Strawberries are so effective at eliminating your zits and clearing your complexion that even simply cutting a strawberry in half and rubbing it on your affected areas can have an impact on your skin.
Try Them Out!
Now that you know the best at home skin remedies to get rid of your acne problems, get to the grocery store and turn those acne woes into things of the past!
Do you want even more information about skin remedies–both at home treatments as well as over-the-counter products? Click here to find out more!