The Peppery Green Your Lungs Love

The Peppery Green Your Lungs Love

There's a peppery green related to mustard and garden cress that your lungs truly love. It's watercress.
In fact, a daily bowl may protect against lung cancer, according to John La Puma, MD, author of ChefMD's Big Book of Culinary Medicine.
A Lung-Loving Substance
In a study of both smokers and nonsmokers, those who ate about a cereal-bowl's worth of fresh watercress daily for 8 weeks had less DNA damage to white blood cells -- with smokers seeing the most significant benefit. Makes sense, since it's also thought that the isothiocyanates in watercress may thwart a potent carcinogen in tobacco, according to La Puma. And watercress is darn nutritious to boot. It's chock-full of vitamins, iron, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, and lutein, as well as mustard oil.
Where to Get the Good Stuff
One quick and easy way to get watercress? Drink a V8. It's one of the main vegetables in the juice. But if you'd rather eat your cress than drink it, try making this simple Watercress Salad from EatingWell. Or, for something jazzier, cook up these Beef, Watercress and Roquefort Burgers.
RealAge Benefit: Eating a diverse diet that includes 5 servings of vegetables per day can make your RealAge as much as 4 years younger.

Depression: What are the Symptoms and Types?

We all feel sad at times. It goes with being human. But feeling depressed for an extended period is not normal and is often due to a mood disorder. There are many symptoms of depression, although not everyone with depression has all of them.
Sometimes it is very obvious when people are depressed. They may appear sad, not do the things they usually enjoy, and describe themselves as feeling low and worthless. With other people, depression may be less apparent. Some depressed people never admit to feeling sad or having a low mood, but they usually seem different to people close to them.
Here are the key symptoms of depression:
1.persistent sad, anxious, or "empty" mood
2.feelings of hopelessness or pessimism
3.feelings of guilt, worthlessness, or helplessness
4.loss of interest or pleasure in hobbies and activities once enjoyable
5.decreased energy; fatigue; feeling "slowed down"
6.difficulty concentrating, making decisions, or remembering
7.trouble sleeping, early-morning awakening, or oversleeping
8.changes in appetite or weight or both
9.thoughts of death or suicide, or suicide attempts
10.restlessness or irritability
11.persistent physical symptoms, such as headaches, digestive disorders, and chronic pain that do not respond to routine treatments
There are several different forms of depression. Here are the most common types:
1.major depression – a combination of disabling symptoms that interfere with the ability to work, sleep, study, eat, and enjoy once-pleasurable activities. Major depression prevents a person from functioning normally.
2.dysthymic disorder – long-term (2 years or longer) but less severe symptoms that may not disable a person but can prevent him or her from functioning normally or feeling good.
3.psychotic depression – when a severe depressive illness is accompanied by some form of psychosis, such as a break with reality, hallucinations, and delusions
4.postpartum depression – diagnosed if a new mother develops a major depressive episode within one month after delivery
seasonal affective disorder (SAD) – characterized by the onset of a depressive illness during the winter months, when there is less natural sunlight. The depression generally lifts during spring and summer.
People suffering with depression commonly have other mental health and physical conditions, such as anxiety disorders, alcohol and other substance-abuse disorders, and serious medical illnesses.

Coffee Talk: It’s Good for Your Brain

Coffee Talk: It’s Good for Your Brain

Want a fun and easy way to power up your brain? Have a chat over coffee, tea, or even warm milk.
The key here is the chat, not your choice of beverage. Even if they’re brief, occasional bouts of social interaction can help sharpen your wits.
Keep Chatting for Better Thinking
Whether you engage in conversation with a friend, a family member, or the guy behind you in the express line, keep talking. In a recent study of young adults, a mere 10 minutes of face-to-face conversation about a social issue was enough to boost working memory and mental processing speeds. Chitchat was as good as a crossword puzzle, in terms of brain benefits. In fact, the more people socialize, the better their brainpower -- regardless of age.
Mental Aerobics
Conversation requires us to pay attention, remember what was said, deduce the other person’s meaning, and come up with appropriate responses -- some pretty serious mental gymnastics. And when it comes to mental muscle, it’s use it or lose it.
Bonus: Socializing can improve your mood, too.
RealAge Benefit: Visiting friends during times when they are stressed can make your RealAge 8 years younger.

Want a fun and easy way to power up your brain? Have a chat over coffee, tea, or even warm milk.
The key here is the chat, not your choice of beverage. Even if they’re brief, occasional bouts of social interaction can help sharpen your wits.
Keep Chatting for Better Thinking
Whether you engage in conversation with a friend, a family member, or the guy behind you in the express line, keep talking. In a recent study of young adults, a mere 10 minutes of face-to-face conversation about a social issue was enough to boost working memory and mental processing speeds. Chitchat was as good as a crossword puzzle, in terms of brain benefits. In fact, the more people socialize, the better their brainpower -- regardless of age.
Mental Aerobics
Conversation requires us to pay attention, remember what was said, deduce the other person’s meaning, and come up with appropriate responses -- some pretty serious mental gymnastics. And when it comes to mental muscle, it’s use it or lose it.
Bonus: Socializing can improve your mood, too.
RealAge Benefit: Visiting friends during times when they are stressed can make your RealAge 8 years younger.

Chronic Back Pain and Some great Ideas

If a pain recurs and lasts for more than three to four months, it is a chronic back pain. Generally, back pain is obvious. Our spine is the centre point of major bundles of nerves and hence, pains are common in this area even by a slight twist or bend during the normal course. A normal pain subsides in itself. However, if the pain does not subside for a long time and when it gets stimulated with every small movement, it means that the pain is chronic and needs immediate attention. Now let us see how to deal with chronic backaches successfully.
What To Do When Confronted With Back Attacks?
Unlike common backaches, severe pains are more serious and definitely need to be treated under the supervision of an experienced doctor. Nevertheless, if it is very difficult to bear the pain till you visit your doctor, you should know how to deal with such situations. People suffering from severe backache usually find it difficult to sleep. Improper sleep will only add more stress to the backache. Hence, the right way to sleep during back pains putting least stress on the spine is to sleep on your side with your knees bending at a 90-degree angle, or to sleep on your back by placing a pillow beneath your knees. You can try some anti-inflammatory medicines to get some temporary relief from the pain. However, all these techniques are only for managing the situation temporarily and for a permanent cure of a backache, you should immediately consult your doctor.
Magnetic Therapy - A Best Remedy For Chronic Pains
Magnetic therapy is a kind of treatment in which a magnetic pad is provided to the patient to place it at the area of pain in order to gain relief. These pads are also recommended to be used as mattresses and by sleeping on them; the patient can get permanent relief from his backpain. Usually during an injury, the affected area gets inflamed and it creates an imbalance at the cellular level in its sodium and potassium ion concentrations. Hence, magnetic therapy helps to rebalance the electromagnetic ion concentrations efficiently, thus healing the condition more speedily and effectively. It not only restores mobility but also enhances flexibility and minimizes the chances of muscle spasms.
The above stated tips are some of the common tips to cope with your severe backache problems. However, the most important thing that people suffering from back pains should know is to avoid lengthy bed rests. Although bed rest is important, it should be minimized or avoided as far as possible. Bed rest only delays the rehabilitation process. However, you can do some simple exercises without injuring your back and strengthen your back muscles to speed up the chronic back pain healing process.
Be it a lower or a severe upper back pain, if it does not subside and persists, it can be a chronic back pain. Know from here what a magnetic therapy is and how useful is it in dealing with severe back pain and what makes it the best back pain cure in chronic ailments.

Hair Loss - Simple Steps

If you are experiencing hair loss it is important you act now and not wait until it becomes noticeable and start to affect the way you look and feel about yourself. Whether you are a male or female, few things will affect confidence and esteem like a noticeably balding head.
Going bald will make you look, feel and actually act older. Your personality and attitude will change to reflect your dampened ego. You will become less outgoing and less apt to approach members of the opposite sex. Your going bald can dictate the way you are seen and treated by others and yourself.
I know, for at the tender age of 21 I started rapidly loosing my hair and all those negative changes started to happen in my life. It was sheer determination and the dread of looking like my old grand dad this early that turned things around for me.
If you are experiencing hair loss, here are some things I learned that helped me with my battle to stop from going bald and retake control of my life.
1. Check with your doctor.Sometimes hair loss can be a symptom of disease. Thyroid disease, Lupus and Diabetes are two examples of illnesses known to case balding. Check with your doctor and be sure there is not a more serious matter at hand.
2. Watch your diet.Eating correctly will affect not only the overall health of your body, it will also affect the health of your hair and scalp. Maintaining a proper diet is critical for keeping healthy locks.
3. Check your stress levels.Anxiety and stress are common causes of hair loss. Regardless of how hectic life may get, you should take every necessary step to reduce tension and limit its affect on your body. If you must, use yoga, meditation or some other form of stress reduction technique.
4. Careful what you use on your head.Many of todays' hair care products contain chemicals that are harsh and can actually be damaging. Check the ingredients of your shampoos, dyes, perms and conditioners. Choose products that substitute chemicals with natural substances that are milder and which stimulate the scalp and encourage growth.
These few tips will go far in avoiding further hair loss and may even reverse the process. Do your research and take all necessary steps. Going bald can be painful but there are many products on the market that will help. Just know that the issue can be successfully addressed and the earlier you act the better.
Don't wait until it's too far gone. There are products that can immediately stop hair loss and quickly re grow your hair.