Alcohol Hooked or Not?

How do you know if you or a loved one is hooked on alcohol? Unless you're in strong denial, it's quite easy to know whether one is teetering at the doorstep of destruction. The widely accepted standard for a moderate drink is one glass for women and two glass for men ( remember 2 glass not 2 kegs!). More then 10 drinks for women and 15 for men in a week is considered "hazardous" drinking. If you've gulping down this amount of alcohol or more in the last few years, and spending your weekends sleeping off nasty hangovers from friday-night binges, you need help.

To recognize early signs of alcoholism take the CAGE test suggested by the Medical Education Research foundation: Ask yourself:

• Have you ever felt you should CUT down on your drinking?
• Have people ANNOYED you by criticizing your drinking?
• Have you ever felt bad or GUILTY about your drinking?
• Have you ever had an EYEOPENER drink first thing in the morning to steady you nerves or get rid over of the hangover?

One Yes answer indicates possible alcohol problem. More than one signifies alcohol problem is highly likely. Check yourself, don't let alcohol ruin your life and the people surrounds you. This Holiday season drink moderately to enjoy the Holidays.
Happy Healthy Holidays everyone.

Brain food for your unborn babies

Parenting starts at the womb. The first trimester of pregnancy is a critical period in the development of the unborn child's brain. Expectant moms should be extra cautious during this period because this is when the brain starts to develop. Yet many would- be moms are often clueless on what to eat to help ensure that their babies would not develop any brain defects. Studies show that most pregnant women are not aware of the importance of folate or folic acid in their daily diet. The B-vitamin, commonly found in green leafy vegetables, kidney beans, and asparagus, among other sources, was found to reduce baby's risk of developing defects of the neural tube, an embryonic structure that gives rise to the brain and spinal cord.

Folate deficiency puts the unborn baby at risk of developing the common types of neural tube defects such as spina bifida that usually results in physical disability, or anencephaly, wherein the brain cavity fails to form properly and could prove fatal to the child. Moderate to severe deficiencies of folate may result in enlarged red blood cells, which could lead to low birth weight of the baby. Around 400 to 600 micrograms a day of folate are needed to reduce the risk of neural tube defects up to 80%. To get such amount, pregnant women should eat about 1 cup of cabbage or a lot of kidney beans or tofu everyday. The best alternative, milk formula for pregnant women. It's a good source of folate, and a convenient one.

Emergency Room: How to get good care in the E.R.

If it's a life threatening emergency, such as heart attack, just call the hospital and get help fast. In less urgent situations try to do this following tips:

• Before you go to the Emeregncy room, phone your primary-care doctor or any physician you know who's affiliated with the hospital and ask him to call ahead.
• Bring a copy of your medical history. Bring along a relative who can speak for you.
• The first person you'll meet at the emergency room is the triage nurse, who decides how quickly you need to be seen. No matter when your problem actually started, never say more than four hours ago, it will seem less pressing. (but tell the doctor exactly when symptoms began.)
• If you need any procedure, don't assume you have to use the physician on call. Ask your own doctor to call in a specialist.

DIY Homemade Organic Cosmetics

Would it be great to have the luxury of a beauty salon right in the middle of your home? Yes! if you have the time, enthusiasm and energy, consider making your own organic cosmetics and toiletries. All you need is a few common ingredients available at your own kitchen refrigerator, or at your local grocery and drug store, a few recipes, a little time and you're set. It's not only cheap, safe and healthy, but you also get the delight of customizing your own beauty regimen. Here are simple easy to do organic cosmetics for your convenience

Organic Cosmetics for your Face

Banana Facial (good for dry skin)

Ingredients:
2 medium Bananas
Honey (optional)

Directions:
Mash bananas with a fork dont over mash or it will be too runny. Add honey if dseired. Smooth over skink, let sit for 10 minutes, rinses off with coll water.

Apple Facial Mask (good for acne prone skin)

Ingredients:
1 medium size apple (grated)
5 tablespoons of honey

Directions:
Mix the grated apple with honey to make a mask. Smooth over skin then let sit for 10 minutes, rinse off with cool water.

Carrot Top Facial Mask (good for normal-Oily skin)

Ingredients:
2 to 3 large carrots
4 and 1/2 tablespoons of honey

Directions:
Cook carrots then mash. Mix with honey. Apply gently to the skin, wait 10 minutes. Rinse with cool water.

Gentle Facial Cleanser Recipe

Ingredients:
1/2 cup of oatmeal or cornmeal plain yogurt (add enough yogurt to form a paste)

Directions:
For a gentle facial cleanser, mix ingredien6ts, smooth over entire face avoiding eye area. Wash off with warm water.

Organic Cosmetics for your Hair

Tropical Conditioner

Ingredients:
1 avocado (peeled and mashed)
coconut milk

Directions:
Combine mashed avocado with some coconut milk. Mash together until it's smooth and about as thick as shampoo. Comb it through the hair and let it sit for 10 minutes, wash out.

Deep Conditioner (avocados contains vitamin b6 and vit E)

Ingredients:
1 small jar of real mayonnaise
1/2 of an avocado

Directions:
Put together in a meduim bowl and squish together with your hands until it's a minty green color. Smooth into hair all the way to the tips. Put on a shower capo or wrap your head with saran wrap.
Leave on for 20 minutes. For deeper conditioning put a hot damp of towel around your head over the saran wrap. And if you have a really long hair and only need deep conditioning at the ends, cut the ingredients in half and apply only to the ends and just wrap them.

Egg Conditioner

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon baby oil
1 egg yolk
1 cup water

Directions:
Beat the egg yolk until it's frothy, add the oil then beat again. Add water. Massage into the scalp and throughout your hair. Rinse well.

Tips to save our Hearing

Hearing loss occurs as a result of either noise damage or aging. Most of us in one point of our lives have had quite unpleasant experiences with our ears, encountering problems ranging from mild infection to temporary loss of hearing. Hearing tends to deteriorates as we grow older, and this is partly due to constant exposure to noise in the environment. Here are useful tips to save and protect our hearing:

• Be careful cleaning your ears. If you use cotton-tipped swabs, do not push them deeper than the opening of the ear canal to avoid packing earwax into the canal.
• Turn down the volume and don't use the stereo to drown out other loud noises. Some portable CD or MP3 players can crank out 126 decibels, which is comparable to a jackhammer or chainsaw and loud enough to damage your ears.
• If you expect to be exposed to loud noises, wear earplugs or earmuffs or both. Each can shave off 15 to 30 decibels. Earplugs muffle low-pitched noises; earmuffs are better for high pitched ones.
• Quit smoking and avoid second hand smoke. Some evidence from animal studies suggests smoking is toxic to the ear's hair cells. And while some studies have not found a connection, one study showed that current cigarette smokers were 70 percent more likely to have hearing loss than non smokers.
• If you are hearing impaired, get yearly hearing test.
• Wear a bathing cap when swimming, dry the ears thoroughly after bathing, showering, or swimming.
• To soften dry, hard earwax use special ear drops.

A constant ringing or buzzing in the ear is an indication of damage to the inner ear. This condition is called tinnitus. Noise induced hearing loss that has affected the ear is irreversible. So protect your ear often from loud noises, our ear doesn't care if the sound is melodic or noise as long as it is loud enough to affect our ear.

Protect your family from Typhoid Fever

Typhoid fever an infectious disease, typhoid fever is caused by a bacterium called salmonella typhi. Usually occurring during the rainy season, the disease is acquired through the fecal-oral route, as when a person doesn't wash his hands properly after going to the toilet and before handling food for drinks, or through fecal contamination of food and water facilities. The symptoms of the disease are high fever (39 C to 40 C). That last several days , and diarrhea or constipation. Headache, weakness, and loss of appetite may also be felt. There is an incubation period (before symptoms developed) of 1 to 3 weeks. A diagnosis of typhoid fever depends on finding salmonella typhi in blood or stool specimens. After recovering from typhoid, carriers may continue to excrete the bacteria in their stools and infect others. How severe thpoid fever can be varies. Some people get very ill, with wide spread infection and other complication. Many recover with treatment. Without treatment, the fatality rate can go as high as 20% of reported cases. The risk of infection is higher in areas where many people are carrier, and where help conditions and ways management are poor.

The best cure for typhoid fever is not to get it at all.. Vaccines against salmonella thyphi are available to arrest the spread of the illness and possibly eradicate it in the future. The vaccines are administered either by injections or by mouth (oral). Will they guarantee protection from the bacteria? the answer is "not completely", but vaccination will ensure that your bout with typhoid fever is shorter and less severe than if you were not vaccinated. Vaccination also helps prevent spreading the condition to others. Typhoid vaccines must be given to people over 2 years old who are traveling to places where the risk of typhoid fever is high, such as rural areas with poor hygiene and unsafe drinking water, specially if they intend to stay in those places longer than a month.

Aside from vaccination, health officials advice to :

• Wash all fruits and vegetable thoroughly and peel them if possible, especially those to be eaten raw.
• Wash hands with salt and water after using the toilet, before preparing food and before eating.
  
• Maintain clean surroundings to prevent flies from breeding.
• Avoid street foods.
• Cook food properly and, once cooked, keep it covered to prevent flies from getting to it.
• Use chlorinated water for cooking.
• Boil drinking water for about 2-3 minutes or buy mineral bottled water.

If you get typhoid fever, treatment becomes your main focus. Vigilant fluid replacement, adequate nutrition, and appropriate medication comprise your best defends against the disease.
But just because your symptoms disappear it doesn't mean you are completely free from typhoid fever, you can still be a carrier of salmonella thypi. Your illness may recurs and you may pass on the disease to others. Take the prescribe antibiotics as directed by your Doctors. Don't stop taking them even if you are feeling well. Make sure to wash your hands with soap and water thoroughly after using the bathroom, and do not prepare or serve food to members of your family or other people. Somebody who has a typhoid fever has a responsibility of helping limit it spread.

Manny Pacquiao vs Oscar Dela Hoya

On Dec 6 Our very own Manny Pacquiao will be fighting Oscar Dela hoya and titled it Dream match and we wish Manny all the luck hell need to win the fight of his life, by the way Boxing can be a good sport to try to help us lose weight because you work all of the muscles in the body. And more and more people are trying this sport specially women because of whole body work out. Right now me and my boyfriend are trying this sport just for fun and fitness the first thing that we learn is the right stance, Ill share to all of you what we have learned "the right stance".

To perform the punches and footwork safely and effectively, it is important to get balanced stance. This is the key to executing all boxing moves correctly. And here's how:

• Plant feet comfortably apart. Put your weight on the balls of your deet. Each foot should have the same amount of weight and you should be able to move with ease.
• Bend your kness a little.
• Stand somewhat sideways against your opponent (invisible or otherwise). Align your front foot, hip, and shoulders to take full advantageof your reach and lessen the target area.
• Position the left hand such that the top of your first is parallel to the top of your shoulders. Elbow should be slightly extended but still in place to defend your body.
• Put right first near your chin with elbows close to the ribs and at right angles to the floor. Relax neck and shoulders.
• And that's it your ready to box.

For those of you who are thinking about boxing for better health, here's a little primer to see if you're up to the challenge. As with any exercise program, consult with your doctor before starting. And if you want a more intense workout, you may want to head to your local gym and hire a professional trainer to put you through your paces.

Go Manny!!!

Caring for your Dry Skin

When our skin loses moisture, its surface starts to crack. Sometimes the dry skin is just itchy, without a rash. Dry skin usually affects the lower legs, back of the hands, and forearms. Other times, the dry areas may develop dermatitis, which results in itchy skin that's red and raw.

There are factors that contribute to dry, cracked skin include:

• Chapping and skin irritation due to friction.
• Certain soaps, detergents, and solvents.
• Hypothyroidism, or excessive weight loss.
• Advancing age, which causes a noticeable decrease in the natural lubrication of the skin.
• Too frequent bathing or showering, especially in chlorinated water.
• Cool and dry weather, especially when the winds are strong or humidity is low.
• Air-conditioning.
• and Genetics.

Moisture is the key to dry skin. You can prevent or reverse dry skin, whether on wet or dry days. Just try to this tips:

• Apply moisturizer liberally and often, particularly after bathing and when skin feels itchy. The drier the skin, the thicker the application shoud be, especially on the hands.
• A bath a day is enough, especially since we don't sweat as much in rainy weather as we do in hot summer months. For extra measure, use lukewarm, not hot water, and keep baths brief.
• Use non-drying soap substitutes or gentle moisturizing soaps that cleanse your skin without removing its natural oil.
• Apply a barrier hand cream (ask your doctor or pharmacist) or petroleum jelly if your hands or legs are frequently in water especially in floodwater.
• Pat, don't rub, your skin dry after you bath or shower.
• Use hypoallergenic cosmeticss