After decades of studying and working with tens of thousands of patients, researchers at the Mayo Clinic say they’ve cracked the code to being happy.

The Mayo Clinic is one of the most prestigious health organizations in the world with as many as 8,000 ongoing studies exploring every imaginable condition — including unhappiness.

Lionel Ketchian is approaching a major milestone. He will soon celebrate the 25th anniversary of a very important date — Dec. 24, 1990, at around 5 p.m.

It’s not his birthday — or his wedding anniversary. It’s the exact moment Ketchian said he realized he was happy.

“I found it. I felt it. didn’t want to let go of it,” Ketchian said.

Who doesn’t want to get — and stay happy?

Psychiatrist John Tamerin says for many people the root of everything we’re chasing, a better job, more money or true love, is happiness.

But this endless pursuit often backfires.

“If you lead your life always waiting for a great thing to happen, you probably will be unhappy,” Tamerin said.

Now, after decades of research and a dozen clinical trials, researchers at the world-renowned Mayo Clinic, say they’ve actually cracked the code to being happy, and published it in a handbook.

Dr. Amit Sood led the research and says the first and foremost way to be happy is to focus our attention.

“You can choose to live focusing on what is not right in your life,” Dr. Sood said.

Experts say the human mind is instinctively restless, wandering from good thoughts to sad thoughts, scary thoughts and everything in between.

But if we learn to command our thoughts, shifting perspective away from the negative, and embrace the positive, we will be happier, experts say.

“Resiliency has everything to do with happiness,” Dr. Sood said.

The Mayo Clinic’s research also shows the degree of happiness people enjoy has to do with how resilient they are to life’s many curve balls. Happy people are very good at compartmentalizing and creating boundaries.

“So for example, if you’ve had a difficult day, when you get back home, for the first three minutes, forget about it, park it, and meet your family as if they’re long lost friends,” Dr. Sood added.

And perhaps one of the biggest hindrances to being happy is too much thinking about one’s self, research shows.

“Complainers are never going to be happy,” Ketchian said. “Happiness is a decision.”

So why did the Mayo Clinic decide to study happiness? Studies show happier people are healthier people.

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Even Before Christ, Hippocrates saw exercise as an elixir of life. So why has inactivity become so appealing, and at what point did we forget that exercise makes us feel good?

Two thousand years ago, Hippocrates, the Father of Modern Medicine hit the nail on the head. He said, that if we all had “the right amount of nourishment and exercise, not too little and not too much, we would have found the safest way to health”. Bingo.

Obviously then, being a species of great intellect, over the next two millennia we took on his sensible advice, integrating exercise into our daily life and cashing in on the rewards for our bodies and minds. Hmm, maybe we didn’t quite all get that memo. Instead something else happened and physical inactivity grew into the fourth largest global killer in the world (according to the World Health Organisation), with some claiming it takes more lives than smoking, diabetes and obesity combined.

Yes, physical inactivity has its price tags. It is linked to the development of chronic health problems like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, depression, dementia and cancer. It can make us feel bad about ourselves, guilty and frustrated, appeased only with the ever alluring reward of inactivity – comfort, rest and stress-free. 

The third price tag, and possibly most in need of an active not passive reaction, is the generational one. There is growing over the degree of inactivity in children with precipitants embedded within our shift to a more sedentary lifestyle, fear and risk associated with outdoor play, and the advent of more advanced and ‘real-life replacement’ for one in four children who see online social networking and gaming as their activity. 

Even more sobering is the evidence that suggests many children still have a negative approach to physical activity in schools, with teachers believing that nearly half of primary school pupils leaving school without “basic movement skills”, and that more than one in three children dislike exercise by the time they leave primary school. These barriers can potentially frame their adult sedentary life. A high price tag indeed.

Make no mistake, these are massive, insidious, chronic alarm bells. So it’s no surprise that in an effort to stem the physical inactivity shock-wave, there is an increasingly louder call from healthcare, academic and government sectors to seed physical activity firmly at the heart of our healthcare system.

You need a plan. Now I like simple, so my plan has only two steps; Step 1 – write down your motivation, asking yourself the following about your goals: what is it, why do you want it, when do you want to achieve it, what can help it and what may hinder it. Always remember to do this in the realistic context of your own busy life and please, never be hard on yourself - you are taking action! Step 2 is to apply your goals to the “F.I.T.T principle”, a way to plan your exercise. I’ve summarised this below:

Dr Nick Knight is a junior doctor based in London with a PhD background in human performance www.drnickknight.com

@Dr_NickKnight

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Tess Christian’s female friends look the picture of merriment when they get together for their frequent Friday nights out in a local restaurant. Champagne flows, the conversation gets steadily more raucous and peals of laughter hang over their table. But there’s always an odd one out in the happy scene: Tess, 50, who sits stony-faced while her friends giggle around her. Not even a flicker of a smile, let alone a laugh, escapes her lips.

Tess isn’t devoid of humour, but for nearly 40 years she has made a conscious decision not to laugh or smile — even at the birth of her daughter. This is because Tess says that maintaining a perennial poker face is a crucial way to keeping her — admittedly, impressive — youthful looks.

‘I don’t have wrinkles because I have trained myself to control my facial muscles,’ says Tess, ‘Everyone asks if I’ve had Botox, but I haven’t, and I know that it’s thanks to the fact I haven’t laughed or smiled since I was a teenager. My dedication has paid off, I don’t have a single line on my face. ‘Yes, I am vain and want to remain youthful. My strategy is more natural than Botox and more effective than any expensive beauty cream or facial.’

As unorthodox as Tess’s regime may sound, she is not alone in her drive to suppress facial movements, such as laughing or frowning, in a bid to stop wrinkles forming. Even celebrities such as U.S. TV star Kim Kardashian, 34, have admitted trying not to smile or laugh ‘because it causes wrinkles’.

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Japanese Scientist: "Ice Cream for Breakfast makes you Smarter and Happier"
A Japanese scientist has discovered that consuming ice cream for breakfast improves a person's alertness and mental performance...READ MORE Learn more »

There's no official figure on how many adults occasionally have a quick pick, but our estimation would be '99 per cent of them'.

But aside from the fact it's seen as a bit gross and uncouth, IS having a surreptitious little pick such a bad thing?

Stop picking your nose

Yes, according to Dr Erich Voigt. Not just bad either - but dangerous.

Speaking on a Business Insider video, Dr Voigt explains how introducing germs into your nose such as Staphylococcus aureus ("a germ which can live in the front of the nose"), combined with picking can cause abrasions.

As a result, these abrasions "bleed, promoting germs, increasing the crust and irritation by picking your nose."

Depending on where you are and where your hands have been, this could introduce some serious nasties into your body.

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Too much time online could damage your immune system and make you more likely to catch flu, research suggests.

People with greater levels of internet addiction are more susceptible to coughs and colds than those who spend less time online, according to the study.

The research was carried out by Swansea University 's College of Human and Health Science.

The surveyed 500 people, aged between 18 and 101, and discovered that those who go on the web too much have 30% more cold and flu symptoms than those who do not.

It also suggested that internet addicts may suffer stress when they are disconnected from the net and the cycle of "stress and relief" may lead to altered levels of cortisol - a hormone that impacts immune function.

Prof Reed said: "We found that the impact of the internet on people's health was independent of a range of other factors, like depression, sleep deprivation and loneliness, which are associated with high levels of internet use and also with poor health.

"It may also be that those who spend a long time alone on the internet experience reduced immune function as a result of simply not having enough contact with others and their germs."

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In spring a young man’s fancy may turn to thoughts of love, but it’s in summer that his semen is more likely to send him on the path to fatherhood.

New research shows that sperm is more active in the middle months of the year, and twice as active in July and August compared to January, according to a study based on 11 years of data on more than 5,000 men being treated for fertility problems.

Infertility, defined as the inability to conceive after 12 months of trying, affects around 15 to 20 per cent of couples and progressively increases with age. Male infertility is responsible for about half of cases, and one of the main factors is poor sperm motility.

To reach and fertilise an egg, sperm must wriggle and swim through a woman’s cervix, uterus and fallopian tubes. This movement is known as motility, and men are most likely to be fertile when at least 40 per cent of sperm are moving.

In the study, doctors analysed data collected from 5,188 men attending the Centre for Reproductive Incapacity of the University Hospital of Parma, in northern Italy, looking for possible seasonal pattern in sperm quality.

Results show that motility peaked in the summer, and was lowest in the winter. They also show that the number of men with a motility or movement greater than 40 per cent was 65.3 per cent in summer, and only 50 per cent in winter.

“We have shown the existence of a seasonal variation in some functional aspects of human semen,” confirmed Dr Alfredo De Giorgi, who led the study.

Seasonal changes in levels of hormones including testosterone may be responsible, according to the study published in the journal Chronobiology International.

In seasonal breeders – animals that successfully mate only during certain times of the year – light plays a part in the regulation of reproduction, to ensure that birth occurs at the most favourable time of the year.

In humans, there are also seasonal variations in the sleep cycle as well as in levels of the stress hormone cortisol, teosterone, vitamin D and cholesterol.

Credit: The Independent UK

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University of Warwick research indicates that eating more fruit and vegetables can substantially increase people's later happiness levels.

Published in the prestigious American Journal of Public Health, the study is one of the first major scientific attempts to explore psychological well-being beyond the traditional finding that fruit and vegetables can reduce risk of cancer and heart attacks.

Happiness benefits were detected for each extra daily portion of fruit and vegetables up to 8 portions per day.

The researchers concluded that people who changed from almost no fruit and veg to eight portions of fruit and veg a day would experience an increase in life satisfaction equivalent to moving from unemployment to employment. The well-being improvements occurred within 24 months.

Cancer
The study followed more than 12,000 randomly selected people. These subjects kept food diaries and had their psychological well-being measured. The authors found large positive psychological benefits within two years of an improved diet.

Professor Andrew Oswald said: "Eating fruit and vegetables apparently boosts our happiness far more quickly than it improves human health. People's motivation to eat healthy food is weakened by the fact that physical-health benefits, such as protecting against cancer, accrue decades later.

However, well-being improvements from increased consumption of fruit and vegetables are closer to immediate."

The work is a collaboration between the University of Warwick, England and the University of Queensland, Australia. The researchers found that happiness increased incrementally for each extra daily portion of fruit and vegetables up to eight portions per day. The study involved an examination of longitudinal food diaries of 12,385 randomly sampled Australian adults over 2007, 2009, and 2013 in the Household, Income, and Labour Dynamics in Australia Survey. The authors adjusted the effects on incident changes in happiness and life satisfaction for people's changing incomes and personal circumstances.

Western diet
The study has policy implications, particularly in the developed world where the typical citizen eats an unhealthy diet. The findings could be used by health professionals to persuade people to consume more fruits and vegetables.

Dr Redzo Mujcic, research fellow at the University of Queensland, said: "Perhaps our results will be more effective than traditional messages in convincing people to have a healthy diet. There is a psychological payoff now from fruit and vegetables—not just a lower health risk decades later."
The authors found that alterations in fruit and vegetable intake were predictive of later alterations in happiness and satisfaction with life. They took into account many other influences, including changes in people's incomes and life circumstances. One part of the study examined information from the Australian Go for 2&5 Campaign. The campaign was run in some Australian states which have promoted the consumption of two portions of fruit and five portions of vegetables each day.

Antioxidants
The academics think it may be possible eventually to link this study to current research into antioxidants which suggests a connection between optimism and carotenoid in the blood. However they argue that further research is needed in this area.

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Few foods are as cool as a cucumber. These low-calorie veggies contain many nutritional benefits, including hydrating properties and valuable nutrients.

While most people think of cucumbers as vegetables, they are actually a fruit. They contain seeds and grow from the ovaries of flowering plants. Cucumbers are members of the plant family Cucurbitaceae, which also includes squashes and melons. The most common type of slicing cucumber found in a grocery store is the garden cucumber, Cucumis sativus, according to World’s Healthiest Foods.

Cucumbers are good sources of phytonutrients (plant chemicals that have protective or disease preventive properties) such flavonoids, lignans and triterpenes, which have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer benefits, according to World’s Healthiest Foods. The peel and seeds are the most nutrient-dense parts of the cucumber. They contain fiber and beta-carotene, a form of vitamin A that is good for eyes, reports Livestrong.com

Health benefits of cucumbers

Hydration
According to Ware, a registered dietitian nutritionist in Orlando, Florida “Cucumbers are 95 percent water." This makes cucumbers a great way to stay hydrated, especially during the summer. A cup of cucumber slices is “nearly as thirst-quenching as a glass of water,” according to Eating Well magazine.

The anti-inflammatory compounds in cucumbers help remove waste from the body and reduce skin irritation. Preliminary research also suggests cucumbers promote anti-wrinkling and anti-aging activity, according to an article in the journal Filoterapia.

Cancer prevention
Cucumbers contain two phytonutrient compounds associated with anti-cancer benefits: lignans and cucurbitacins. In recent years, pharmaceutical companies have been paying special attention to cucurbitacins, hoping to use them in new cancer drugs. According to a 2010 research review published in Scientific World Journal, scientists have found that cucurbitacins can help block the signaling pathways that are important for cancer cell proliferation and survival.

Skin Care
You’ve probably seen pictures of people at a spa relaxing with cucumber slices over their eyes. It turns out there’s science behind this pampering ritual. Ware explained, “Cucumbers have a cooling and soothing effect that decreases swelling, irritation and inflammation when used topically. Cucumber slices can be placed on the eyes can decrease morning puffiness or alleviate and treat sunburn when placed on the affected areas.” She also noted that high vegetable intake is associated with a healthy complexion in general.

Bone health
According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, in the past few decades, it has become clear that vitamin K is important to bone health, and one cup of cucumber contains about 19 percent of the recommended daily intake of vitamin K. One review published in Nutrition noted that vitamin K intake might reduce fracture rates, work with vitamin D to increase bone density and positively affect calcium balance.

Antioxidants
Cucumbers contain several antioxidants, including vitamin C, beta-carotene and manganese, as well as flavonoids, triterpenes and lignans that have anti-inflammatory properties. Vitamin C is well known for its immune system benefits, and beta-carotene has been shown to be beneficial for vision, according to the Mayo Clinic.

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It’s 4am, and the big test is in 8 hours. You’ve been studying for days, but you still don’t feel ready. Should you drink another cup of coffee and spend the next few hours cramming? Or should you go to sleep? Shai Marcu defends the latter option, showing how sleep restructures your brain in a way that’s crucial for how our memory works.

Watch video below:

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View full lesson here
Lesson by Shai Marcu, animation by Javier Saldeña.

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There are roughly 3,500 species of mosquitoes. But only around 100 bite humans and as few as 30-40 are responsible for the transmission of the most deadly diseases that routinely hobble the world’s poorest and most disadvantaged people. Instead of battling the estimated 219 million annual malaria cases and the resulting 600,000 deaths that occur each year in a reactionary manner by treating the sick and spending millions on wide-spread preventative measures like long-lasting insecticide-treated nets (LLINs), we can eliminate the disease’s only vector directly, at the source.

Specific mosquito species can be made extinct using the same sterile insect technique (SIT) that has existed for over 50 years. It has been effectively used to eliminate species before for disease prevention in humans and animals. The technique has some subtle edges but basically reduces to releasing a large population of targeted, sterilized male insects into the wild that out-compete the wild male population for the (single) mating opportunity with their female counterparts. Repeated application of this technique can completely eliminate a wild insect population — sometimes in as little as one year.

Success in eliminating the species of mosquitoes that are the malaria vector could be followed by engineering the extinction of the vector species for dengue fever, which infects 50 to 390 million each year (causing 25,000 deaths) and also the mosquitoes that contribute to the 200,000 cases of yellow fever and the attendant 30,000 deaths they cause each year.

The short-term goals of a permanent mosquito eradication plan would prioritize and establish the species that need to be eliminated, the areas around the world where this elimination needs to be targeted first in order to succeed, and establish connections with suppliers who can provide enough sterile insects to implement these plans.

The medium-term goals would be to decimate the wild population of these species in large-scale pilot programs by releasing millions of sterile mosquitoes per day in infested areas. These marginal eradication efforts will bring with them marginal reduction in malaria and commensurate reduction in the pain, suffering, and economic/social destruction caused by this crippling disease.

The long-term goal would be the total eradication of these mosquito populations in the wild and the end of malaria, dengue fever, and yellow fever. Captive lines of all these vector species should of course be kept in labs to study and as a hedge against the unlikely futures in which unintended ecological consequences prompt us to reintroduce the eradicated species.

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There are many things we hardly put into consideration in our everyday lives and these things might be very disastrous to our health. I bought a can of Tomato Paste recently and i discovered it was improperly stored and there are lots of changes in the colour of the tomato paste, not considering the amount of money i spent purchasing the product. Ofcourse i threw it away. I value my health and so should you, thus necessitating the writing of this article.

ABOUT BOTULISM: 
...a disease caused by improperly stored canned foods, could be very fatal to health.

INTRODUCTION: 
Botulism is a paralytic disease that is caused by a gram positive, endospore forming bacteria called clostridium botulinum. The C. botulinum is found in soils and water bodies mostly and it produces spores which would give rise to its offspring under favorable conditions. Unfortunately, these spores also produce the botulinum toxin which is very lethal to humans even in quantities as low as 1 microgram. The conditions required for these to happen are as follows: anaerobic, low-salt, low-acid, ambient temperatures, moisture and a protein source. The botilnum toxin can be neutralized at high temperatures, but the spores are resilient at such temperatures. There are eight known strains of the bacterium and they include strain A, B, (C1, C2), D, E, F, G and H. Types A, B, E  and rarely F cause human botulism while C and D affect animals only. Type G was just recently discovered.

MODES OF ENTRY:

INFANTS: The bacterium gets a relatively nice environment within an infant less than a year, mainly because they lack the intestinal microflora that discourages the growth of the bacteria and they also have low levels of bile acid. This is called the infant botulism. They could get it by taking honey.

FOODS: Improperly canned foods are the major risk factors when it comes to food-borne botulism. There are other rare food mediums that one could get infected example fish.

WOUND: it is seen among intravenous drug users especially those that that inject street drugs example people using black jar heroine. The spores get into the body through the wound and acts in the presence of low oxygen.

INHALATION: this is extremely rare, but could be seen in an inappropriate botox volume taken into the body.

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SYMPTOMS: The classic triad which are bulbar palsy and descending paralysis, clear senses and mental status and lack of fever. In further description they could be stated as drooping of the eyelids, dyspnea, double vision, coma and death.

DIAGNOSIS: This could be done by testing a stool, brain scan, cerebrospinal fluid examination, nerve conduction tests, electromyogram, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, electrochemiluminescent tests and also definite diagnosis could be carried out.

TREATMENT: The contaminated agent could be removed by induced vomiting or enemata and it is heptavalent antitoxin. A ventilator and supportive care could also be needed.

PREVENTION: Avoid giving honey to an infant less than a year old, canned foods should undergo cook for botulinum toxin, tropical foods should be acidified before bottling and in general foods should be stored and preserved meticulously.

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Written by Chuks Chukuorah [Faculty of Pharmacy - EMU]
 Revised and supervised by Ajiboro Temitope [Faculty of Pharmacy - EMU]

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I am not yet married so I don't know if I would end up with a snoring husband, but I hope not to. LOL.

I am having a life-changing  experience with a snoring partner during my . My roommate is on the big side, so she could snore from night till morning. I affects my sleep. Her heavy snoring made me to have sleepless night, not always. A times , I would go to her corner and drag her leg, she would stop for few seconds only to restart with renewed vigour. I am thinking later changed apartmentof changing apartments because of that.

Meanwhile, I saw the article below and decided to share it since it has a correlation with my topic:

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How to Handle a Snoring Partner.

Dear Mr. Manners: When my fiance and I were dating, his occasional snoring didn’t bother me—or maybe I just didn’t notice as much because we weren’t together every night. Now we’re married, and I’m at my wit’s end with his honking, which gets going about 30 seconds after he falls asleep and goes on an on. Last night, when the snoring began, I elbowed him (gently), but he got angry and told me to leave him alone. I have two questions: Isn’t it okay for me to wake him up to stop the snoring? And if it comes to the point where someone needs to sleep in the guest bed, which one of us should it be?–Sleepless in San Diego

A: Before I get into the etiquette of poking and prodding your snorer of a husband, I want to make sure you know that while snoring is generally considered a minor “social” problem (though a major marital one), it can also be a serious health issue. It’s correlated with a heightened risk of both heart attack (snorers have a 34 percent greater chance of having one) and stroke (67 percent). Other problems include sleep apnea, drowsiness, irritability, lack of focus and decreased libido. In short, it’s important for your husband to determine why he’s snoring so much and the most helpful thing you can do is push him into making an appointment with a specialist for asleep study.

Now onto the snoring etiquette!
When I posted your question on my Facebook page, my readers came through with loads of practical advice that was clearly based on extensive experience:

*.“Many a marriage has been saved with separate bedrooms (and a two-sink bathroom).”

*.“The one who’s having anger issues should sleep in a different bed. Why do couples feel they must share a bed every night? My partner and I have separate bedrooms, we cuddle before we go to sleep in one bed or the other, then sleep separately most nights. It’s okay–really!”

*.“Instead of pushing, shoving & elbowing I tickle the hair lightly by the neck, knee or other area so he thinks it’s an itch. This makes him change breathing patterns. And then he stops snoring long enough for me to fall to sleep.”


Here’s my own advice for snorers:

1.Make sure your snoring has been properly diagnosed and you are following a treatment plan—which may include sleeping on more pillows, taking a decongestant, foregoing the nightcap and/or losing some weight.

2.Provide earplugs for bedmates.

3.Try “snore strips” such as Breath Right.

4.Tell your sleeping companion that it’s okay to wake you up when your snoring gets too loud.

5.If it takes more than two or three prods to stop your snoring, your sleep mate deserves the bed to him- or herself.


And here’s my advice for anyone sharing a bed with a snorer:

1.Remember that snoring is a medical condition, not a personal failing. Don’t exacerbate your sleeplessness with an outburst of anger.

2.If “occasional” snoring has become nightly, consider together whether there have been any changes in a partner’s health or behavior that could contribute to the increase. Regardless, be gentle with your spouse and discuss this in a non-confrontational manner—and not when you both are trying to get some zzzs.

3.Wear earplugs.

4.If the snoring continues to bother you, consider sleeping separately.

As one Facebook poster put it: “I’ve been sleeping in our guest bed on and off for 22 years. Just before he wakes up I slip back into our bed to give him a kiss to start our day.” 

I would only add this: Occasional prodding and poking are fine, but if you’re counting on a long and happy marriage, beware the resentment and shoving. Get to the heart of the matter as quickly as you can.

Has snoring been a problem in your relationship?  How have you handled it?

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Many people feel unable to control their hearts’ desires. They see themselves as having fallen prey to the intractable frenzy of the emotions inside of them – utterly helpless and completely confused

In a study conducted in 1999, Italian psychiatrist Dr. Donatella Marazziti found that people who proclaimed to have recently fallen in love had similar levels of serotonin in their blood as patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Serotonin, a neurotransmitter associated with mood, sleep and appetite, was found in higher quantities in individuals who did not have the anxiety disorder and had not recently fallen in love.

It is interesting to note the similarity in serotonin levels between those who were lovesick and those with an anxiety disorder characterized by obsessive thoughts and compulsive behavior. This finding emphasizes the obsessive component of romantic love, especially at its beginning. So when a couple finds it impossible to stop thinking about each other, is it really their fault? Or is this distracting, totally consuming aspect of love hardwired in all of us? Does love really take control of our minds, the way we sometimes say it does?

In 2000, scientists Andreas Bartels and Semir Zeki used functional magnetic resonance imaging, or fMRI, to track blood oxygen levels in the brain and made some very important discoveries concerning love.

This last finding – namely that the passion associated with early romantic love lowers activity in the part of the brain related to critical thought – may shed light on whether love really does make a person… well, stupid.

As writer Kelly Irvin says, “In many ways, the brain scan studies show that the maddening feelings of love are essentially a major mental-health crisis. The chemical storm of brain changes it causes are strikingly similar to drug addiction and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Love really does make us crazy.”

And so it does. Passionate love, for the time that it lasts, makes us obsessive. It makes us less logical. It can turn us into neurotic addicts, waiting to get our fix so that we can function properly again. And yet it is a state many of us wait our whole lives to be in–because despite the pain that comes with it, it can also be very fulfilling.

Physical Effects
Without appropriate treatment, love addiction can have physical consequences. Love addicts may engage in risky sexual behaviors in an attempt to maintain the interest of an avoid-ant partner. These risky behaviors increase the risk for hepatitis and other diseases. Love addicts may also experience bouts of physical pain, as the same areas of the brain are responsible for romantic love and pain perception.

Subsequent studies have also shown an increased risk of dying from violence, alcohol problems, and auto accidents following the end of a relationship or loss of a loved one. Researchers theorize that the increased risk comes from behavioral changes that stem from the romantic loss or death. If someone starts drinking alcohol to cope with emotional pain, that person has a greater risk of alcohol-related complications.
Believe it or not, love addiction may also lead to weight gain or eating disorders. This is because a person who is addicted to love may develop unhealthy eating habits in an attempt to control their emotions. These habits may include self-starvation, binge eating, and purging after meals and snacks.

Psychological Effects
Sex addiction is another possible consequence of love addiction. When someone is constantly in search of a relationship, that person might use sex to attract new partners. Participating in sexual activity activates the pleasure centers of the brain, which increases the likelihood
of sex addiction

Social Effects

Love addiction affects family relationships, friendships, and romantic relationships. When family members and friends point out addictive behavior, the love addict may respond with aggression and hostility. The addict may avoid spending time with loved ones because he or she would rather spend time searching for a new romantic partner. Once a love addict finds a romantic partner, the new relationship is characterized by a period of highs and lows. The new relationship starts with infatuation, which makes it difficult for the love addict to see the romantic partner's flaws and shortcomings. Once this phase ends, the relationship is characterized by periods of melodrama and chaos. The partners may verbally or physically abuse one another. When the relationship ends, the love addict experiences reduced self-esteem and exhibits self-destructive behaviors.

Treatment and Rehabilitation
Love addiction is similar to sex addiction and drug addiction, so the treatment options are very similar. One of the most important aspects of treatment for love addiction is cognitive behavioral therapy. Cognitive behavioral therapy, also known as "talk therapy," is when someone with dysfunctional emotions or behaviors talks with a therapist and tries to resolve problems. The therapist helps the love addict set treatment goals and develop a systematic plan for changing his or her behavior.
One of the most innovative methods of therapy is computerized cognitive behavioral therapy. This is when a therapist delivers cognitive behavioral therapy via the Internet or active voice response system. This is not a substitute for face-to-face treatment, but it can help patients take advantage of CBT if they lack transportation or live in an area that does not have any available therapists. This type of therapy costs less than traditional talk therapy, so it may be a suitable option for those who would like to supplement their CBT sessions.

Recovery Support
Interacting with the love addict in a kind and supportive manner is one of the most important roles of friends and family members. Therapy does not take place in a vacuum; this means that outside influences affect the success of rehabilitation for love addiction. When a love addict has support from loved ones, there is a better chance of recovery. Fortunately, there are several ways for loved ones to show their support.
Use nonjudgmental tones and words.
Offer to attend family therapy sessions.
Avoid making accusations.
Offer your support and empathy.
Avoid bringing up past behaviors.
Recovering from an addiction can take a toll on a person's physical and spiritual well-being. Preparing a hot meal or offering to help the recovering addict with household chores are just two examples of things you can do to show your support. Instead of pressuring the love addict to talk about the issue, offer to listen any time he or she wants to talk. If the person does not want to talk about the problem, do not insist on bringing it up in conversation.

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Mosquitoes fly at about two kilometres per hour (1.2mph), which sounds slow, but at their size it's like you flying over a hundred times that! They are going blindingly fast for something that small.

You can't catch them for a few reasons. One, they see you coming. Their eyes are big and round and multifaceted, so they are quite capable of seeing above and behind themselves. You can't sneak up on a mosquito easily.

Second, your hand moves slower than they fly and has more distance to cover. The mosquito doesn't need to move far to get away, while your big and slow hand has to travel all the way to your head.

Lastly, the mosquito makes decisions faster than you. When you decide to hit a fly, a signal goes from your brain to your spinal cord to your arm muscles to start the hand in motion. The time it takes is a few milliseconds. But once the mosquito sees motion, a signal from its brain goes to its nerve cord to its wing muscles, and the time ends up being a fraction of a nanosecond. They think and act 100 times faster than you can. Your hand never really had a chance!

Matan Shelomi, entomologist
Air pressure from your hand also serves to blow the extremely light mosquito out from under it prior to impact, aiding in escape. This is why fly swatters are made of mesh, not a solid panel.

Keith Sibson
Insects have fast-acting, wired-in escape strategies. However... someone taught me once how to kill a house fly with your hands, and it works. The trick: when the fly is sitting on a surface, clap your hands together above the fly. The fly will see the motion and take off going up, flying into your hands just as they come together. Insect reflexes are fast, but also predictable.

Paul King
False, I can really consistently nail mosquitoes, even in mid-air. But I can never catch those dang flies without a swatter.

Jacob Vanwagoner
They're usually hard to see, and there's too many. Should you kill one, expect another one to be snacking on you in the meantime.

Anne W Zahra
One low-tech solution to mosquitoes is a box fan. Mosquitoes fly poorly as insects go, and if you have a steady breeze going, that seems to keep at least most of them at bay.

How do You kill mosquitoes?

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The ReLEx SMILE Laser Technology, which is a bladeless, painless, risk-free, comfortable method featuring a shorter recovery period, is now athe Hospital of Near East University. The ReLEx SMILE Laser Technology is an advanced level minimally-invasive treatment method that can even be used on patients suffering from eye dryness (xerophthalmia) and have very thin cornea, or suffer from visual disorders such as very low myopic and astigmatism.

Eye treatment within 22 seconds only!

The whole treatment process is carried out within a single stage lasting only 3-4 minutes. The technology is expressed to be minimally invasive and to be flapless surgery enabling lenticule and a small incision of 2 – 4 mm is created inside the intact cornea, enabling an 80 % smaller side-cut as compared to a LASIK flap. Furthermore, 30 % less cap cut is needed. As there is no need for a flap, the healing time of the patients is expressed to be faster than the conventional LASIK. The vision is 80% better instantly after the operation and reaches 100% within a few days.


Advantages of ReLEx SMILE Laser Treatment

Bladeless laser technology
Treatment within 22 seconds (fastest laser technology500 kHz)
Ease of incisionless operation
Superior protection of corneal biomechanics
Opportunity to apply in thin corneas
Opportunity to apply in patients suffering from eye dryness
No risk of displacement or shift of the valve
Silent and odorless treatment
Comfort provided during and after treatment
Quick and safe recovery
Closest results to the natural structure of the eye
End of vision treatment with laser in abroad

With the ReLEx SMILE Laser Technology provided by the Hospital of Near East University, the patients will no longer need to travel abroad for their eye treatments and get the opportunity to receive their eye treatment through the use of the latest technology available at the Hospital of EarEast University in Northern Cyprus.

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We are routinely warned by science websites, advertisments and well-meaning popular articles about nasty “chemicals” lurking in our homes and kitchens. Many tout the benefits of switching to a “chemical-free lifestyle”.

The problem is: the word “chemical” is entirely misused in these contexts. Everything is a chemical – common table salt (sodium chloride), for instance, and even water (dihydrogen oxide).

The chemicals in our diet are often categorised into four broad categories: carbohydrates, proteins, fats and lipids, and everything else. This final group has no defining characteristics but includes vitamins, minerals, pharmaceuticals and the hundreds of trace chemicals each of us consume everyday.

Of course, there are toxic and harmful chemicals, but just as many are completely fine for human consumption. So here’s a handy guide to the chemicals in your kitchen, and what they mean for your health.

The acidic characteristics of food and drink combine with other chemicals to provide flavour, and without some acidic character, many foods would be bland.

TO READ MORE, VISIT IFLScience Learn more »

A virus that infects human brains and makes us more stupid has been discovered, according to scientists in the US.

The algae virus, never before observed in healthy people, was found to affect cognitive functions including visual processing and spatial awareness.

Scientists at Johns Hopkins Medical School and the University of Nebraska stumbled upon the discovery when they were undertaking an unrelated study into throat microbes.

Surprisingly, the researchers found DNA in the throats of healthy individuals that matched the DNA of a virus known to infect green algae.

Dr Robert Yolken, a virologist who led the original study, said: “This is a striking example showing that the ‘innocuous’ microorganisms we carry can affect behaviour and cognition.

“Many physiological differences between person A and person B are encoded in the set of genes each inherits from parents, yet some of these differences are fuelled by the various microorganisms we harbour and the way they interact with our genes.”

Of the 90 participants in the study, 40 tested positive for the algae virus. Those who tested positive performed worse on tests designed to measure the speed and accuracy of visual processing. They also achieved lower scores in tasks designed to measure attention.

Humans’ bodies contain trillions of bacteria, viruses and fungi. Most are harmless, but the findings of this research show that there some microbes can have a detrimental impact on cognitive functions, while leaving individuals healthy.

The study’s findings were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Credit: 'Independent UK' Science News

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Taking time to relax and sitting down is important to maintain self-care, but doing this in excess actually has many negative effects. Here are some ways that it can negatively impact your body.

1. Slow Digestion
Many times those who sit for long periods of time tend to eat while sitting as well. Sitting down after eating can cause the abdomen to compress, and then slows down digestion. Slow digestion can cause several small issues such as constipation, heartburn, bloating, cramping, and weight gain if this is a long-standing habit.

2. Problems with Posture
Sitting for long periods of time can cause aching shoulders, neck, and back. It can also lead to poor posture which then turns into back problems or strains in the neck and shoulders. The more time that is spent sitting, the more likely it is to slip into a lean or slouch position. Commonly when at the computer, people hold their neck and shoulders forward which causes strain on these areas when held for an extended period of time. Sitting also applies more pressure on to the back than standing does, and the vertebrae of the back are designed to expand and contract with movement. Long periods of sitting cause the disks to compress and lose flexibility which raises the risk of a herniated disc.

3. Leg Disorders
The term “use it or lose it” applies when sitting for long periods of time. The inactivity and excess sitting leads to poor circulation, blood clots, swelling, weak bones, varicose veins, and sometimes in extreme cases it can lead to osteoporosis. Make sure to stay active and keep the blood circulating. This is easy; if you were watching TV, during commercial breaks get up and take a walk or just take a walk once an hour, even when at work. The break will allow you to stretch your legs and get blood flowing and will refresh you mentally as well.

4. Weak muscles
Generally the more active you are, the stronger you have the potential to be. Staying active does not only allow you to be strong but it keeps you moving and this maintains flexibility. Resting after a workout can be relaxing, but don’t forget to stretch the muscles or they will feel tight and make you sore the next day. It is not only legs that suffer when sitting for an extended period of time, standing and walking requires various muscles to tense that are not flexed when sitting. Prolonged sitting has the potential to cause muscle degeneration in the abs, glutes, calves, hips, and more.

How to Avoid These Dangers
These are a few simple ways to counteract the dangers of sitting for prolonged periods of time.

*Taking the stairs whenever possible can jumpstart your heart rate and blood circulation.
*If you own a car, park further away, take a longer walk in route to your destination.
*When in school, walk to your classmates rather than sending them an email.
*Use a chair without armrest as this can force you to sit up straighter.
*Set a reminder to move around for at least 10 minutes every hour.
*Stretch often and utilize an exercise ball. Small leg raises can be done under your desk instead of using a foot rest.

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Hell might actually be other people — at least if you're really smart.

That's the implication of fascinating new research published in February 2016 in the British Journal of Psychology. Evolutionary psychologists Satoshi Kanazawa of the London School of Economics and Norman Li of Singapore Management University dig in to the question of what makes a life
well-lived.

They use what they call "the savanna theory of happiness" to explain two main findings from an analysis of a large national survey (15,000 respondents) of adults aged 18 to 28.

First, they find that people who live in more densely populated areas tend to report less satisfaction with their life overall. "The higher the population density of the immediate environment, the less happy" the survey respondents said they were. Second, they find that the more social interactions with close friends a person has, the greater their self-reported happiness.

[Yes, money really can buy happiness]

But there was one big exception. For more intelligent people, these correlations were diminished or even reversed.

"The effect of population density on life satisfaction was therefore more than twice as large for low-IQ individuals than for high-IQ individuals," they found. And "more intelligent individuals were actually less satisfied with life if they socialized with their friends more frequently."

Let me repeat that last one: When smart people spend more time with their friends, it makes them less happy.

Kanazawa and Li explain: "Residents of rural areas and small towns are happier than those in suburbs, who in turn are happier than those in small central cities, who in turn are happier than those in large central cities."

Why would high population density cause a person to be less happy? There's a whole body of sociological research addressing this question. But for the most visceral demonstration of the effect, simply take a 45-minute ride on a crowded rush-hour Bus Line train and tell me how you feel afterward.

Kanazawa and Li's second finding is a little more interesting. It's no surprise that friend and family connections are generally seen as a foundational component of happiness and well-being. But why would this relationship get turned on its head for really smart people?

"The findings in here suggest (and it is no surprise) that those with more intelligence and the capacity to use it ... are less likely to spend so much time socializing because they are focused on some other longer term objective," she said.

Think of the really smart people you know. They may include a doctor trying to cure cancer or a writer working on the great novel or a human rights lawyer working to protect the most vulnerable people in society. To the extent that frequent social interaction detracts from the pursuit of these goals, it may negatively affect their overall satisfaction with life.

Smarter people may be better equipped to deal with the new (at least from an evolutionary perspective) challenges present-day life throws at us. "More intelligent individuals, who possess higher levels of general intelligence and thus greater ability to solve evolutionary novel problems, may face less difficulty in comprehending and dealing with evolutionary novel entities and situations," they write.

If you're smarter and more able to adapt to things, you may have an easier time reconciling your evolutionary predispositions with the modern world. So living in a high-population area may have a smaller effect on your overall well-being — that's what Kanazawa and Li found in their survey analysis. Similarly, smarter people may be better-equipped to jettison that whole hunter-gatherer social network — especially if they're pursuing some loftier ambition.

Credit: Washington Post Learn more »