The new virus which combines genetic material from pigs, birds and humans in a way researchers have not seen before. The flu has also sickened at least eight people in Texas and California, though there have been no fatalities in the U.S. yet.

“We are very, very concerned,” World Health Organization spokesman Thomas Abraham said. “We have what appears to be a novel virus and it has spread from human to human … It’s all hands on deck at the moment.”

Reading resources:

• Mexico swine flu deaths spur global epidemic fears on Yahoo
• Swine flu on Wikipedia

What’s the sound of downloading a free track while helping African health care?

An exclusive remix of Nas’s track, "Wake Up" is available to those want to participate in the IntraHealth campaign. You can download the track for free, but you’ll also have a chance to make a donation to the cause as you’re acquiring the track.

Download Nas track from Rhapsody for free

Donate to the cause at IntraHealth

(Via VH1 Blog)

Third-hand smoke is defined as the residual contamination from tobacco smoke that remains after a cigarette is extinguished—toxic dust that settles onto surfaces and harmful volatile compounds that disperse in the air.

A study finds toxins from tobacco smoke can linger in the air and on hair and clothing long after a cigarette is put out, and can transfer to a baby or small child easily.

(Source: msnbc.com)

The British consumer-advocacy group, Which? Computing had a microbiologist test the bacteria levels on the 30-plus computer keyboards in its office and then compare the results with those found on a toilet seat and a toilet door handle.

The tests found that one keyboard had to be removed from the office as it had 150 times the pass-limit of bacteria and was five times filthier than the toilet seat.

Which? urges computer users to find time to clean their keyboards — unplug the keyboards from the computers, turn keyboards upside down and shake them so crumbs and whatever else has accumulated there to be removed. Then, they should use alcohol wipes to get rid of the germs.

Alternatively, you can always invest in a Computer Keyboard Vacuum.

(Via Which? )

He died from a cardiac arrest after collapsing at the Asda store, his workplace.

Each 250ml can of Red Bull is said to contain 80mg of caffeine — the same amount as a cup of filter coffee — and sales of the drink have been banned in some countries.

A postmortem examination showed that Mr Duran had an enlarged heart, a disorder which impairs its ability to pump blood around the body.

Studies have suggested those with high blood pressure or heart disease should avoid the drink.

Red Bull is Britain’s best-selling “energy drink”, with 213 million cans consumed each year. Last year, 3.5 billion cans and bottles of Red Bull were sold in 140 countries. It is often mixed with vodka.

Well, everything has a limit, as I always say, taking everything moderately is the best practice. Do you agree?

“I’ve always been somebody looking for the cutting edge of things that are for optimizing your health and healing, so just a week ago I was in Austria doing a cleanse and part of the treatment was leech therapy,” she told Letterman.

“These aren’t just swamp leeches, these are highly trained medical leeches,” she laughed. “These are not just some low level scavengers; we’re talking high level blood suckers.”

Moore also revealed that leeches prefer bare skin. “Leeches don’t like hair, they much prefer a Brazilian.”

What’s the benefits?

“It detoxifies your blood,” she told Letterman. “And they have a little enzyme that when they’re biting down on you, gets released into your blood and generally you bleed for quite a bit. And your health is optimized. It detoxified the blood and I’m feeling detoxified right now.”

What’s your say? Do you generally think leeches contribute to Moore’s youth rather than botox and Asthon Kucher?

According to some experts, sadness actually helps us learn from our mistakes. It also invites sympathy and therefore help from others. So, it’s not the end of the world. In fact, there are many ways to handle depressions. That, is another topic altogether.

What do you think? Is feeling sad good for you?

Nobody can live forever but we can live longer by practicing the followings.

1. Sleep 6-7 hours per day, not more, not less
2. Be optimistic
3. Have more sex
4. Have a massage
5. Exercise
6. Meditate
7. Do sit-ups
8. Take yoga
9. Floss your teeth
10. Visit the dentist regularly
11. Watch your weight
12. Quit smoking
13. Manage stress
14. Look after your breasts
15. Check your blood pressure
16. Have regular smear tests
17. Have a glaucoma test
18. Chill out
19. Be rich
20. Get a dog
21. Laugh a little
22. Live in the country
23. Have lots of children
24. Learn to play piano
25. Play sudoku
26. Play crossword puzzles
27. Learn a new language
28. Keep taking exams
29. Keep on working, even after retired
30. Be close to your mother
31. Don’t BBQ
32. Do gardening
33. Eat more chocolate
34. Eat pumpkins
35. Eat beans and blueberries
36. Eat gazpacho
37. Eat spicy foods
38. Eat salmon, sardines, mackerel or herring
39. Eat the Mediterranean way
40. Drink miso soup
41. Drink red wine moderately
42. Drink tea moderately
43. Drink coffee moderately
44. Drink more water
45. Play brain games
46. Move to Japan, France, Spain, Switzerland or Australia
47. Don’t take work home
48. Maintain your social life
49. Volunteer
50. Get married happily

A very creative print ad for Speed Fit, a gym in Germany. If you look properly, you can see a very unhappy face.

There is a female version too, but since it’s NSFW, I’ll not put it here.

(Via Advert-Eyes)

This guy goes from overweight to ripped in 12 weeks. He took a picture of himself each day.

The work in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition dispels the common belief that tea dehydrates.

Tea not only rehydrates as well as water does, but it can also protect against heart disease and some cancers, UK nutritionists found.

Experts believe flavonoids are the key ingredient in tea that promote health.

Read the rest of Tea ‘Healthier’ Drink Than Water

Hakone Kowakien Yunessun has two resorts – Yunessun, the largest spa resort zone of the two is the place where you can enjoy more than 25 different kinds spa related services and fun water recreational activities with a bathing suit; Mori NO YU, on the other hand is the private zone where you can enjoy private moments in hot springs without a bathing suit!

In Yunessun, you can dip yourself in a very unique Coffee Spa, Green Tea Spa, Red Wine Spa and Sake Spa!

A dream comes true for coffee addicts!

Coffee not your thing? Maybe Green tea is your cup of tea

It has been said, Queen of Egypt, Cleopatra loved to bath in wine

Get drunk and stay beautiful in the Sake Spa!

However, please note that this spa resort only opens from March to October 9AM-7PM daily. The cost to Yunessun is ¥3500 for adults and ¥1700 for children.

Visit Yunessun Spa Resort official web site

The answer is yes. Think twice before eating an undercooked fish because it is the best way to get the longest tapeworm in your stomach. The tapeworm, diphyllobothrium latum can grow up to 32 feet, the largest human-hosted parasite. Symptoms are sometimes referred to as “Jewish housewives’ disease because women would often taste the raw fish while preparing gefilte fish. (Source)

Would you stop eating sushi after reading this article? Actually, sushi bars are pretty safe, but preparing raw fish at home is another matter. Sushi chefs are specialists. Most of the time, the sushi served at the average restaurant has been frozen and freezing kills parasites. Even if freezing didn’t do such a good job of deep-sixing parasites, only a few fish would present any real problems. Tuna, for instance, live too far from land to mingle with seals and pick up many worms. Salmon and rockfish are another story. That’s why Japanese never serves salmon raw.

Read more about Sushi and Tapeworms

Check out The Caffeine Database.

Boosting ones metabolism is something many people try to achieve everyday. Without optimal metabolism the body will store excess calories as fat for future use. The problem for many people is they don’t ever use these excess calories and as a result struggle with weight issues.

There are many factors that affect a person’s metabolism including age, weight, hormonal changes, lean muscle mass, diet, genetics, stress and the amount of physical activity undertaken on a daily basis. As you can see boosting your metabolism involves many factors, but the fact of the matter is that it is relatively easy to boost your metabolism if you are committed to doing so.

Here are 11 tips to help you boost your metabolism:

1. Build lean body mass. As we age our bodies metabolism or ability to burn calories decreases. One way to offset this problem is by exercising. Lean muscle burns calories and the more you have the more calories you burn, even while resting. You can build muscle through resistance or weight training at least twice a week. You can also boost your metabolism by doing cardio exercises. You can choose to do this between or in conjunction with weight training. Simply going for a walk or using the stairs instead of the elevator are good ways to get in an aerobic workout.
2. Eat Breakfast. Many people ignore eating breakfast. What they don’t realize is that it’s the most important meal of the day. Breakfast gives your metabolism a boost and provides a consistent energy supply throughout the day. The majority of people who eat a healthy breakfast have fewer weight and health issues than those who don’t.
3. Sugar is bad. Processed and refined sugar such as found in sweets and soft drinks overload the body with sugar causing many serious health issues including obesity and diabetes. Complex carbohydrates are a better energy source beca use they supply an even level of blood sugar. The human body just isn’t built to deal with the large amounts of refined sugar most people include in their diet.
4. Spicy foods that make you sweat can help boost your metabolism.
5. Get a good night’s sleep. There is research that shows that people who do not get sufficient sleep tend to gain weight. This may be because the body uses sleep to heal and regenerate itself, including its muscular system.
6. Drink more water. Water is the lubricant of the body. It also flushes toxins out of the body and keeps the kidneys operating at maximum efficiency. This allows the liver more time to do what it does best, metabolize fat stores.
7. Eat small meals. Eat 5 to 6 small meals per day spaced 2 to 3 hours apart. This gives the body a steady supply of energy and prevents binge eating.
8. Don’t miss meals. Skipping meals in order to lose weight is counter productive because it actually slow metabolism and can ad to over eating.
9. Plan your meals. If you have a daily or weekly menu you are much more likely to stick to your plan.
10. Drink green tea. Green tea has been shown to boost metabolism and unlike coffee does not stress the body with caffeine.
11. Include more high energy foods in your diet including fruits, vegetables and whole grains. These provide a more balanced energy source and will not cause blood sugar spikes.

Boosting your metabolism can be done if you are dedicated to doing it. This does not mean you need to stress over each little thing but if you eat right and exercise you should see a decrease in body fat and a much more energetic and a happy you.

by Andrew Bicknell

(Via health-offline.blogspot.com)

Maybe if you understand the scientific aspect, you will understand more on what actually takes to shed some pounds.

Scientic American shares the biochemistry on where the weight really goes when you lose weight.

Read the story

Ririanproject.com listed down 99 ways, mostly involved with your food intake on how to take care of your heart. Eat healthy, stay healthy!

99 Ways To Keep Your Heart Pumping

5. Tofu

“Soy contains two compounds that are beneficial in the fight against cancer,” Welsh said. Those compounds prevent breast and prostate cancers. And if you don’t like tofu there are other ways outside of traditional tofu to get soy nourishment: Soy nuts, soy-based veggie-shredded cheese, soy crumbles and soy burgers such as Boca Burgers.

4. Tomatoes

“Tomatoes are rich in a substance called lycopene,” Welsh said. “Lycopene acts as a very powerful anti-oxidant, and it protects us from many different types of cancers.” The body absorbs lycopene best when it’s mixed with fat – olive oil in spagetti sauce, cheese on pizza. Men who eat 10 or more servings of tomato products a day cut their prostate cancer risk nearly in half.

3. Green Tea

“Green tea is actually very high in catechins, which again, act as potent anti-oxidants in the body,” Welsh said. Studies show drinking green tea regularly lowers the risk of bladder, colon and even lung cancer. And it doesn’t matter if you drink it hot or cold.

2. Berries

They contain a compound that stops the growth of cells linked to leukemia.

1. Broccoli

Mom was right apparently. “Broccoli and all the foods in the cruciferous vegetable category,” Welsh said. “Broccoli and all the other foods contain a very, very high amount of phytochemicals.” Those chemicals are cancer killers. They stop carcinogens from damaging cells. Chewing releases the chemicals, so don’t overcook.

“The more you cook it, the more nutrients you actually lose,” Welsh said. “The more raw the better.”

Welsh said it’s never too late to start eating cancer fighting foods. Their compounds don’t just fend off, but can actually repair cell damage.

(Via TODAY’S TMJ4)

Visit Asia Spa and Wellness Festival Official Site

The Caffeine Nap is simple. You drink a cup of coffee and immediately take a 15 minute nap. Researchers found coffee helps clear your system of adenosine, a chemical which makes you sleepy. So in testing, the combination of a cup of coffee with an immediate nap chaser provided the most alertness for the longest period of time. The recommendation was to nap only 15 minutes, no more or less and you must sleep immediately after the coffee.

Considering this is something cheap and accessible to virtually anyone it’s probably a good tip to keep in your toolbag for long trips.

(Via persistenceunlimited.com)

Some women drink diet cola to help keep the weight off, but a new study suggests that drinking diet, regular and decaffeinated cola can actually lower bone density and put women at increased risk for osteoporosis.

According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, roughly 55 percent of Americans, mostly women, are at risk of developing the brittle-bone disease, which leaves bones dry, weak, and more likely to fracture.

Read the rest of the story

(Via ABC News)

That’s the conclusion of preliminary research presented Monday at the American Chemical Society’s annual meeting, in San Francisco.

Researchers led by Kazuo Miyashita, a chemistry professor at the Hokkaido University Graduate School of Fisheries Sciences in Japan, investigated the effects of brown seaweed, Undaria pinnatifida — a type of kelp called wakame that is widely consumed in Japan.

Read more>>

Light The Night (http://www.lightthenight.org/) is the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s nationwide evening Walk to build awareness of blood cancers and raise funds for cures. Its national spokesperson is Cindy Crawford, whose brother, Jeff died of leukemia (she was ten, he was only four). Cindy Crawford is strongly committed to this charity not only because she lost her brother, but because that kind of loss is devastating to so many people today.

I do not personally know anyone who has suffered cancer except a classmate of mine when I was in primary school. He was suffering from leukemia when he was ten or eleven years old and was hardly attending the classes because of the treatment he needed to undergo. when he was twelve, he passed away and though the entire school knew about it, there was nothing we could do. As a twelve-year-old kid, I could hardly express any feeling. But, as an adult today, I still remember. My Chinese primary school teacher who was also my private tuition teacher also passed away because of cancer.

Blood cancers or more known as leukemia is a disease that strike all ages. Most people are only aware of lung cancer with the thought of “if I don’t smoke or inhale second-hand smoke, then I’ll be safe“. But, that’s not entire true. Skin cancers, blood cancers, liver cancers and many other type of cancers are killing million of people each year. I believe we can cure them if we can detect or diagnose them earlier. The most important thing is awareness.

Although you can only participate in Light The Night Walk in the United States and Canada, you still can read about the campaign, watch the video of Cindy Crawford explaining what you can do to help and build awareness among your friends and family.

Click here to watch a video of Cindy explaining more you can do to help.

Click here to Visit Light The Night Web Site

Many fast food restaurants have trans fats in their products. This is not even including the many other restaurants, especially quality restaurants which uses partially hydrogenated oil and served baked goods containing partially hydrogenated oil. At least McDonald’s is diligently trying to reduce trans fats in its cooking oil and has had some success in reducing it in its fried chicken products. Many other restaurant operations are not even trying.

Read the article below to understand more about Trans Fat and eat healthier…

http://www.bantransfats.com/abouttransfat.html

Oops! I just had the new Starbucks Chocolate Cream Chip Frappuccino on Friday. I have to quit drinking Starbucks.

I asked her whether she wants to know how Indians have got whiter teeth. She said yes. Later on, I told her that Indians use wood ash – hard wood ash. Hard wood ash has potassium hydroxide but can damage the teeth over long period. So it ain’t good. The best way is to use baking soda but nothing can substitute fluoride toothpaste. So use fluoride toothpaste after brushing your teeth with baking soda.

Also, I read that sports drinks can damage teeth. according to a study cited in General Dentistry, enamel damage caused by sports beverage is 3 to 11 times greater than cola-based drinks! The best way to avoid potential enamel damage is to exercise caution when using sports drinks and similar drinks (these include lemonade, energy drinks, iced tea!) over a long period of time. It asked us to keep intake level healthy by alternating sports drinks with water and low-fat milk after a workout to preserve tooth enamel and ultimately protect teeth from decay.

I also found out something about swimmers risk stained teeth. Read the excerpt below.

Frequent swimmers may be at risk for developing yellowish-brown or dark brown stains on their teeth.

Those who swim more than six hours a week continually expose their teeth to chemically treated water. Pool water contains chemical additives such as anti-microbials, which give the water a higher pH than saliva. As a result, salivary proteins break down quickly and form organic deposits on swimmers’ teeth.

The hard, brown deposits, known as “swimmers’ calculus,” appear most frequently on the front teeth. Incidence of brown tartar is as high as 58 percent in children who swim regularly in elementary through high school.

Brushing more often and more carefully hasn’t been proven to help. In fact, overuse of tartar control toothpaste can cause irritation and inflammation of the gums. However, swimmers’ calculus can normally be removed by a professional dental cleaning. Those who swim competitively should be sure to visit their dentist and hygienist regularly.

Surprised at the findings? Well, drinking coffee, tea, colas, sports drinks and the likes are alright as long as not too much. Brush your teeth twice a day, floss it daily and visit the dentist twice a year. That’s what I practice and I have bright and white teeth despite being a super coffee addict.