Unusual Weight Loss Tricks

These are very interesting. From ThirdAge.

Let's Hug It Out

The health benefits of a hug are many. Read here in ThirdAge all of the reasons why, among them -

[H]ere’s what the researchers discovered about the power of the hug:
• Blood pressure soared in the no-contact people. Their systolic (upper) reading jumped 24 points, more than double the rise for huggers, and their diastolic (lower) also rose significantly higher.
• Heart rate increased 10 beats a minute for those without contact compared with five beats a minute for huggers. 
• Both men and women were seen to have higher levels of oxytocin after the hug. 
• People in loving relationships were found to have higher levels of the hormone than others.
• All women had reduced levels of cortisol following the hug, as well as reporting the blood pressure benefits.

Oh, Holy Crap!

You better watch out
You better not cry
Put down that egg nog
So that you don't die...

From ThirdAge-

"Researchers at University of California at San Diego found Christmas Day and New Year's Day to be the most deadly of the year. More people die of natural causes on those two days, with heart attacks leading the way."

Be Happy

Here are five tips on how to be so from ThirdAge. They have nothing to do with driving a fancy car or wearing diamonds around your neck. I'm fairly certain that those things will not make you happy.

1. Reflect more, be true to yourself. "We must recognize the importance of good stuff every day, always nurture the good stuff and reflect on the good stuff," Thibodeau said. He said people smile, laugh, feel good and have energy about the positive things in life. "We forget about the good stuff," he said. "How many messages we receive are positive?" Thibodeau asked. He suggested that people take time for family and visit a friend, read and write poetry, and follow their heart, he said. "Take time for matters of the heart," Thibodeau said.
2. Leave no regrets. The sin of old life is melancholy, Thibodeau said. "No matter what you're doing, show up and do the best you can," he said. He referred to Ann Quindlen, an author and a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist, who said, "I show up, I listen, and I try to laugh." People never forget an act of kindness or someone who took the time to come to a funeral, Thibodeau said. "Your friends need you more than Oprah," he told the audience.
3. Become love. Be a loving presence to others. The biggest regrets are that we have not loved enough and didn't spend more time with family and friends, Thibodeau said.
4. Enjoy more. Live in the moment. Thibodeau asked the crowd to stand up and follow what looked like a dance and the cheer, "I feel good, I feel fine, I feel happy all the time." He said we will be judged for what we have not enjoyed. "Laughter and play are so important to our health," Thibodeau said. "One of the greatest gifts is to give someone the gift of joy."
5. Give more than you take. Give more and nurture a legacy. "What are you going to leave behind?" Thibodeau said, adding that good work always lasts.

Stuff From All Over

I'm making up for my hiatus with a bunch of interesting stuff -

From ThirdAge -

Zicam can cause you to lose your sense of smell. I have a terrible one to begin with, so I'd better avoid that stuff.

One doctor has this to say about homeopathic remedies -

"Very often, the only active ingredient is alcohol, and patients don't know that, and they get a buzz-on. The therapeutic effect is no greater or less than a martini," -Dr. Jerry Avorn, expert in pharmaceutical safety at Harvard Medical School

Postmenopausal women (like Sotomayor and Clinton) have a pretty high risk of bone loss and weakness. ThirdAge lists some ways to counteract the effects of aging on bone strength, courtesy of Dr. Rachel Rohde, and orthopedic surgeon -

• Eat right. Be sure your diet is rich in calcium and vitamin D
• Expose yourself. Sunlight activates vitamin D, so spending 20 minutes either before 10 am or after 2 pm, several times a week in the sun with your arms and legs exposed (and without sunscreen), should be sufficient.
• Supplement with D. If you aren't exposed to sunlight on a regular basis, consider taking a vitamin D supplement
• Get Fit. Engage in a regular fitness program including weightbearing activity three to four hours per week
• Quit smoking. Here's one more reason to quit. Smoking cigarettes can be hazardous to your bone health
• Limit alcohol. If you do drink, do it in moderation. Too much can weaken your bones.
  
  

On happiness - "To be happy and content independent of events is not something that just happens, it is something we must work at every day." - Dr. Lynn (I don't know who that is, but she has a PhD and she's on ThirdAge). This reminds me of my favorite Dalai Lama (whose birth name is Tenzin Gyatso) quote -

"Every day, think as you wake up, today I am fortunate to be alive, I have a precious human life, I am not going to waste it. I am going to use all my energies to develop myself, to expand my heart out to others; to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all beings. I am going to have kind thoughts towards others, I am not going to get angry or think badly about others. I am going to benefit others as much as I can."

From the New York Times. What the?

"Being overweight won’t kill you — it may even help you live longer. That’s the latest from a study that analyzed data on 11,326 Canadian adults, ages 25 and older, who were followed over a 12-year period."

I Guess Laughter Truly Is the Best Medicine (ugh, that's sappy)

ThirdAge has an article about a former nurse and nursing home manager who uses laughter therapy. She doesn't even tell jokes. It's funny that laughter is so powerful that it doesn't even need to be real to be healthful.

Please note that the last 3 are not benefits, but simply statements, and maybe facts, I don't know -

The Health Benefits of Laughter

• Laughing reduces the hormones and chemicals produced by stress cortisol and adrenaline.
• It releases dopamine and endorphins, our feel good chemicals.
• Relieves and relaxes muscle discomfort.
• Reduces inflammation, excellent for arthritis sufferers.
• Reduces blood pressure 30 minutes of laughter per day reduces the risk of a second heart attack.
• Burns calories -- 50 laughs is equivalent to 15 minutes on a bike or 10 minutes on a rowing machine.
• Humans are the only animals capable of laughter.
• Adults laugh or smile approximately 17 times a day on average.
• We use 72 muscles to frown and only 14 to smile.

I feel like I should tell a joke now. I've got it! I'll post the video of Louis C.K. from Late Night that everyone's been posting to Facebook -

Getting Your Zs

A new study points to the importance of getting at least 7 hours of sleep each night. If you get less, you could be increasing your risk of heart disease -

"On average, those in the study got about six hours of sleep a night.

"However, only 6 percent of those who got at least seven hours of sleep had calcification, compared with 11 percent who got five to seven hours and 27 percent who got less than five hours, said the senior author, Diane Lauderdale, an associate professor of health studies at the University of Chicago.

"The study took into account other known risk factors for heart disease, including sleep apnea, cholesterol, blood pressure, body weight, diabetes and depression.

"In fact, getting an extra hour of sleep had the same effect on heart disease risk as lowering one's systolic blood pressure (the upper reading) by 16.5 points"

The Atkins Diet Is Stupid

Scientists from Tufts (so you know they're smart) say that eating low and no-carb diets makes you stupid. Duh, you're better off eating a balanced diet. I can't believe it. So they're telling us that you can't use some shortcut like eating nothing but steak to lose weight and be healthy? I mean, I'm as shocked as you are.

"The scientists behind the study believe that low-carb diets reduce the amount of glucose or blood sugar carried to the brain and used by nerve cells for energy."

Here's the link.

The Most Important Meal of the Day (Revisited, Again)

ThirdAge has some ideas for a healthy breakfast -

• A bowl of steel-cut oatmeal topped with fruit and walnuts.
• A bowl of high-fiber, whole-grain cereal such as Fiber One, Shredded Wheat, or Cheerios with milk and sliced banana, strawberries, blueberries or other fruit.
• Six or 8 ounces of 1 percent yogurt with blueberries and sunflower seeds.
• A whole-grain English muffin with peanut butter.
• A one egg plus one egg white or egg substitute omelet with whole-grain toast and orange slices.

I guess it's important to cut your oatmeal with steel, so if you do it yourself, check your tools. I'm weird and just buy Quaker Oats at the supermarket. Thanks to the internet, I just looked up what "steel-cut oats" are -

What are Steel Cut Oats and how are they different from other types of Quaker® Oats?

Steel Cut Oats are whole oats that have not been rolled into flakes. Instead, they are cut approximately into thirds. Cooking time is 30 minutes and the texture is heartier than rolled oats. Steel Cut Oats are also known as Scotch Oats, Pinhead Oats (in Great Britain because they resemble the size and shape of the head of large pin) and Irish Oats.

Quaker® Old Fashioned Oats are whole oats that have been rolled to flatten them. Quick Quaker® Oats and Quaker® Instant Oats are made from Steel Cut Oats that have been rolled a little thinner than Old Fashioned Oats so they cook faster.

All forms of Quaker® Oats, including Steel Cut, Old Fashioned, Quick, and Instant Oats are whole grains. That means they are equally nutritious because they supply all parts of the oat grain including the bran, endosperm and germ. The different size and shape of the oats only affects the cooking time and texture.

Live to Be 100

Sounds good to me.

If You Exercise You Know This Already

A new study finds that exercise is basically as effective as medication in treating depression. Plus you're not putting crap in your body. This article is from ThirdAge, a publication for old fogies that I read.

'Ave A Cuppa (but take keh rohf ya teef)

More news on the benefits of tea from British website ThirdAge. They sure know tea over in the UK, but they're not known for their expertise on dental data.

HOWEVER, another article on the same website discusses the "mounting evidence of a link between gum disease and heart disease".

"Don't floss all your teeth; just the ones you want to keep."

-Robert H. Hill, II, D.D.S. (It's also in a Far Side comic.)