Amazing benefits of sex

If your sex life has become something not that important, consider placing it among the priorities as it not only strengthens your teeth, but it can also save your life. Here are 16 amazing benefits of sex.

Some of us are overly committed to maintaining a youthful appearance. We are investing small fortunes in to lotions and creams that have filled our bathroom, we have personal trainers, we pay expensive doctors, nutritionists and healers... We do everything it takes to have a skin that looks younger, better hair volume, less wrinkles on our face… we are also trying to reduce the risk of disease and to make ourselves feel good.
But, as it turned out, the secret of youth may be just hidden in our bedroom sheets. Not only that it helps us feel better and more passionate, it is proven that sex is good for our psyche. Here are 16 amazing benefits of sex that are doing good to our health and beauty. 

Improves hair growth

Our hormones are controlling even the condition of our hair. Studies have shown that satisfactory sexual relations are making our hair healthier and luxuriant because of the increased ability of the body to receive nutrients.

Cleanses our face

Say goodbye to facials treatments and miraculous pills. Sex balances our level of hormones, which leads to a purer skin.  Many people probably didn’t knew about this in high school, because if they did, they wouldn’t have so many problems with impure skin on their face.

Improves the health of teeth

It is determined that semen is rich in zinc, calcium and other minerals that are reducing tooth decay and which have many other benefits when they are absorbed by the body. Although a lot of sex cannot prevent visits to the dentist, extra doses of these minerals will certainly not harm pearly white teeth.

Reduces stress

Life is indeed stressful. Despite many proven ways of reducing it - exercises, a glass of wine, morning meditation, walks on the beach and other – the good old sex also helps. Since blood pressure is increasing during sex, maintaining a healthy sex life helps us to keep the healthy level of blood pressure and stress in its lower limits.

Helps us to fall asleep

That’s the answer why men always fall asleep after sex. Oxytocin that is released during orgasm is the reason. The next time you are unable to sleep, skip the warm milk or a sleeping pill and try sex.

Strengthens a relationship

Oxytocin is also known as the "love hormone" because it helps people build trust and connection. The more sex a couple has, the more oxytocin they exchange and their feeling of connection is strengthening.  Oxytocin also increases a sense of generosity, so if a man is more loving and surprises you with flowers, you should thank this hormone.

Improves heart health

Want to live for 100 years? Sex can help. Studies show that men who have sex twice a week or more have a lower risk of heart disease than those who have sex less than once a month. Of course, there is no man that needs such facts in order to spend more time in the bedroom, but it’s not so bad to know that every time you have sex, you are doing good to your heart.

Improves immune system

You know the old saying "Apple a day keeps the doctor away”? It turned out that there was a typing error in the medical journal. They were supposed to write: “Sex once or twice a week increases the level of antibody called immunoglobulin (which prevents colds and other infections) that really keeps the doctor away”. So, more sex means more stronger immune system.

Strengthens nails

Hormones that sex is stimulating, and that help your skin become shiny, also strengthen your nails, which means that they are breaking less often and look healthier. 

Keeps the skin young and healthy

Sex increases blood circulation, which helps pumping the oxygen in to our skin and leads to a more beautiful appearance. This explains why our skin looks shiny after sex. Regular sexual activity has a prolonged effect in this regard and can indeed make us look younger. Sex improves our natural production of collagen, which prevents wrinkles and sagging of the skin. Simply put, the more "wrinkles" on the bed sheets the less wrinkles on your face!

Reduces weight

Want to lose weight but without giving up on your favorite foods and sweets? Sex can be an option! Although it might not be as productive as weight loss by training, on average, we burn about 170 calories per hour of active sex, which means that you need about 21 hours of active sex to loose one pound.

Maintains hydration

Here's a little science in this regard. Sex improves blood circulation, which gives our body enough moisture to stay healthy. This means, no dry skin. Furthermore, sweating during sex is equal to facial treatment because through sweat we are ejecting filth from our pores.

Reduces the risk of cancer

Studies show that men who, in their twenties, ejaculate five or more times a week, are reducing the risk of prostate cancer by one third, and older men who have 21 or more ejaculations per month are also reducing this risk. As for women, regular sex reduces the risk of breast cancer.

Makes you feel sexy

There is good sex and great sex, the only difference is how it affects your confidence. When you feel great, sex is infinitely good and increases your self-esteem. So, the next time you feel so-so on the sexy scale, check out if sex can help you feel better.

Improves spermatozoids

Several studies have shown that men who have frequent sex have a greater amount of semen and spermatozoids, but also and a greater percentage of healthy spermatozoids than those who have sex infrequently. This is good news for women, because studies show that absorption of sperm helps fight depression, makes them stronger and facilitates the delivery.

Natural painkiller

Oxytocin, one of the chemicals that are released during sex, increases endorphins and reduces pain, especially headache. This means that headache as an excuse to avoid sex, which women are most commonly using, no longer stands. Sex also accelerates the healing of wounds, even ulcers like those that diabetics have.  So, before reaching for the medications, try sex and see if it’s helping.  

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Kiss – From cave to big screen.

Motherly, friendly, French, movie, Judas... People are kissing each other from the beginning of time. Here are some of the most interesting theories about how and why was kissing invented.

Sexologists say that a kiss is even more intimate then the act of sex itself, regardless the fact is that kiss is the most frequent physical contact among people. 99.9 percent of people on the planet know what kiss is, but very few know the real truth about the origin and meaning of the kiss.

Kiss is a powerful phenomenon, that’s for sure. If you think about it, you will come to the conclusion that kiss had an influence on the course of life of every man, it was the beginning and test of survival of every relationship, and it has significantly influenced the history of mankind. Film industry has recognized the power of kiss, but also and people from show business. You can still hear stories about how Madonna kissed Britney Spears at one of the MTV awards, right?


Even today, the phenomenon of kissing is not fully explained. We even have a branch of science that studies kissing and it’s called filematology.

No one is definitely sure why people started touching each other with lips and exchange saliva, but it is known that this kind of physical contact was present even in the period around 1,500 BC.

According to one theory, the kiss was created because of practical reasons – so that people can lick salt from each other’s cheeks. The Vedic scriptures describe the phenomenon of kissing as an act of affection. It is believed that the kiss has culturally spread from India via Greece, and that Alexander the Great is the most creditable for that, because he brought it to Europe during the great invasion in 326 BC. Besides spices and tea, the great commander had, allegedly, brought and something that was even hotter and spicier then the tea and spices together – the kiss, which conquered Europe with the speed of fire.

There are different opinions about the origin of the kiss. According to one legend it was invented by medieval knights who were trying to determine in this way if their wives had drunk the juicy mead. According to another theory, the kiss derived from the relationship between mother and child. Allegedly, cave mothers, who didn’t have blender like today’s mothers, were chewing the food and then, with their mouth, they were feeding their children.

Some cultures knew of kissing long before others, but they considered that act too private and didn’t discussed nor write about it for many years and centuries. Even Bible says that God kissed a man and gave him life through that kiss. 

Some cultures like Finnish, Burmese, Polynesian, Philippinian, or cultures of African tribes consider kissing as weird, absurd and rude. They have ways of greeting like nose rubbing or gasping at the throat. In this way, they can recognize each member of the tribe based on his smell.

Some even believe that kissing evolved as a way of spreading bacteria between partners. In this way they would become immune to each other’s diseases, and were able to have kids. At the time of Ancient Rome, kissing was used as a way of showing status – that status was ranked according to permission to kiss a certain part of the body. Those who have enjoyed higher status were kissing each other on the cheek and arm, while ordinary mortals had permission to kiss feet.

In Chinese tradition, it is considered that the ideal balance between yin and yang can be achieved only by exchanging "liquid jade", better known as saliva, or, in romantic terms – with a French kiss.

In Naples, in 1562, kissing in public was forbidden, and those who were caught in that act were condemned to death.

In Hartford, Connecticut, the old law, which is still in force, considers it illegal for a man to kiss his wife on Sundays. And in Indiana, until recently, there was a law that strictly forbidden men with mustaches to kiss women - probably for reasons of hygiene.

English word “kiss” originates from Germanic word “kussian”, which onomatopoetically imitates what happens during kiss. What is considered as a French kiss in western world, in India is called English kiss.

Name „movie kiss“ says by itself that a kiss had a significant role in the film industry. In 2005, a movie called “Brokeback Mountain” attracted much attention because of description of sexual relation between men, but the first kiss of two men was shown much earlier – some eighty years before, in a movie “Wings” from 1927. However, the first homosexual kiss was shown even before that – in a movie “Manslaughter” from 1922, where two lesbians were kissing each other.

For a long time, the longest kiss in film history was the one between Jane Wyman and Regis Toomey – it lasted three minutes and five seconds. However, in 2010, that record was broken by Neckar Zadegan and Traci Dinwiddie with a longest movie kiss, and also the longest lesbian kiss in a movie.

In the movie “Some Like It Hot” from 1959, actor Tony Curtis, who plays Joe or Josephine after he disguises himself as female band member, shocked the public when he said that his kiss with Sugar (Marilyn Monroe) was like "kissing with Hitler." He later gave an explanation for his statement and said that such a stupid question (How did he like kissing a sex symbol like Marilyn) deserved an equally stupid answer. “What was I supposed to say? What do you think it’s like to kiss Marilyn Monroe you dickheads?” – Curtis said.

In 1929, Greta Garbo appeared in MGM’s last silent film called “Kiss”. It was the end of silent film era, but not the era of kisses.

In 1984, Rock Hudson kissed Linda Evans in “Dynasty”. And when it was reveled that he had AIDS, Hollywood was swept with panic that she was infected too. The actress revealed later that the people around her didn’t want to come near her because they had kids and they didn’t want to expose themselves to risk.

In Indian cinema, kiss was forbidden for a long time. The first real kiss with open mouth and a tongue was shown in Indian cinemas through a little-known English film from 1926.

Around the world, there are some pretty interesting but also and vulgar names for a kiss. People on Maldives use a term, which, when translated, means “lip sucking”, and the kiss in South Africa is called “tongue in lungs”.

Interestingly, the kissing was unknown to many people. Indians and Aborigines didn’t kiss before meeting Europeans. After that, they introduced that custom.

Also, one of the biggest misapprehensions is that the French have invented the French kiss. They haven’t even gave it its name. The truth is that in 1923 this term was forged in England.  And the only reason this kiss has that “French” in its name is because the French, at the beginning of the 19th century were known as amorous persons.

Kissing is good for your health

Scientists have discovered that kissing has multiple positive effects on health because it increases the secretion of hormone of happiness.  Even bacteria, which are present in the saliva, with their mixing contribute to stronger immunity; they are breaking down plaque in the mouth and are destroying harmful microorganisms. Kissing is also good for dental health because it stimulates the secretion of saliva, which, on the other hand, has a function of washing the mouth and removing the remains of food.

Clinical tests have shown that touching, including kissing, reduces blood pressure, stress, and improves the immune status of the organism. Many believe that the activation of a large number of facial muscles during kissing is preventing the appearance of wrinkles and is slowing the aging process.

Kissing is pleasure

The lips are definitely made for kissing. They are the thinnest part of our body and 100 times more sensitive than our fingers. The tongue and the inside of the oral cavity contain enormous amount of nerves that are transmitting messages directly to the limbic system, the oldest part of the brain associated with sexual pleasure. A kiss is stimulating the secretion of the hormone oxytocin, which affects parts of the brain responsible for pleasure and adrenalin, and thus creating the feeling of butterflies in our stomach.

Facts about kissing

-    Two thirds of men are leaning their heads to the right when they are kissing someone;
-    Most kisses are shown in the movie "Don Juan" from 1926 - 191 kiss in 110 minutes;
-    In 1990, Alfred Wolfram kissed a 8001 person in a period of eight hours at a festival in Minnesota – he kissed, on average, 16 persons per minute.
-    Men who are kissing their wives before going to work, on average, are earning more money than those who do not do that;
-    The only animals that are kissing each other’s mouth are chimpanzees, orangutans and cats;
-    In just one exchange of saliva during a kiss, there is more than 278 species of bacteria, and many of them can cause various diseases;
-    A passionate kiss can increase the level of hormones in your body so high, that it can take away one minute of your life;
-    During his life, a man is spending approximately 336 hours or two full weeks kissing someone.
-    One French kiss is activating 23 muscles;
-    Ten minutes of kissing is burning 30 calories;
-    70 percent of people experience their first kiss before they turn 15.

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Coca-Cola's brief political history

This year marks 125 years since John Pemberton invented carbonated soft drink – Coca-Cola – “cure for nerve trouble, dyspepsia, mental and physical exhaustion, gastric irritability, wasting diseases, constipation, headache, neurasthenia and impotence”. But Coca-Cola was not only a cure, it was also the source of headache and hysteria in the political waters.

The only Coca-Cola that was colorless was created after World War II - for political reasons. It was produced in limited quantities, by special order, for a Russian Marshal Georgi Zhukov, who tried Coca-Cola during his negotiations about dividing Germany with the commander of allied forces in Europe, U.S. General Dwight Eisenhower. This Coca-Cola was packed in cylindrical bottles that had a red star as a label instead of Coca-Cola’s recognizable logo.

Zhukov really liked this drink, but since the relations between the U.S. and the Soviet Union began to tighten, it was inconvenient for him to be seen with an American drink in his hands. That is why, on Zhukov’s request, and with the approval of U.S. President Harry Truman, Coca-Cola Company manufactured colorless Coke and packed it so that it looked like vodka. 

Last year, Coca-Cola Company celebrated its 100 birthday, and this year they will celebrate 125 years since John Pemberton invented Coca-Cola. 

In the beginning, Coca-Cola was advertised as “Delicious. Refreshing. Exhilarating. Invigorating” drink and also as a cure for nerve trouble, dyspepsia, mental and physical exhaustion, gastric irritability, wasting diseases, constipation, headache, neurasthenia and impotence. By often following U.S. foreign policy, rarely acting in conflict with American interests, and eventually becoming the symbol of globalization, in the past decades Coca-Cola was also and a source of headaches and hysteria in the (international) political waters.

During World War II, a special group of Coca-Cola employees called “Technical Observers” was among U.S. army soldiers. These Technical Observers supervised the shipment and operation of 64 complete bottling plants that distributed nearly 10 billion bottles of Coca-Cola to servicemen and women.

Military personnel who worked in Coca-Cola military plants became just as important as mechanics who worked on the maintenance of aircraft and tanks. And thanks to its popularity, along with lobbying in the army with the statement that this drink was a key product in the war, in 1942 Coca-Cola Company managed to get an exemption from sugar rationing.

A company that at all times sought to show how much symbolic power its drinks has on U.S. troops, also functioned and on the opposing side, in Germany, where before the war this drink was very popular. One of the Nazi statements was that “America never contributed anything to world civilization but chewing gum and Coca-Cola”.

Some publicists have stated that Coca-Cola Company had controversial relations with Germany, before and during World War II: during the war, Coca-Cola branches didn’t stopped working in Germany, but they weren’t able to import the necessary raw materials in the country. Publicist Mark Pendergrast wrote that several top executives from Coca-Cola branch in Germany were in fact members of the Nazi Party, and there are also records that this company sold millions of bottles to Hitler's Germany.

This obscure and not completely explored part of Coca-Cola history was not an obstacle for this product name to become linked not only to America but to key values of Western countries, such as "every kind of freedom, democracy and free market capitalist”, during the Cold War period. Parallel to that, Coca-Cola was expanding in the world, and the American political influence was strengthening. 

In the early fifties, those who were opposed to American influence marked Coca-Cola as an American cultural weapon.  In relation to this, in France was created a term “coca-colonization” - It was used by leftists who fought against opening of factories for bottling Coca-Cola drink. They even tried to prove that Coca-Cola is poisonous. The former president of the Coca-Cola Company, Robert Woodruff, stated that leftist’s hostility towards Coca-Cola comes from the fact that Coca-Cola is the very “essence of capitalism”.

Despite the logic of capitalism, and in the name of protecting the interests of U.S. foreign policy, until the nineties Coca-Cola was practically not present in the Eastern European market. The first opportunity for Coca Cola to install facilities in Russia, in mid-sixties, was not used because the only possible partner was a communist government (there were no private firms in Russia during that regime). For Coca-Cola, that probably wasn’t a problem, but it was for the U.S. government. In that period, U.S. Army was in war with Vietnam, and if Coca-Cola started working in Russia, they would have financed the communist side, American public enemy number one. 

To this day, connection between Coca-Cola and American values brings damage to the Coca-Cola Company in the Middle East.  There, in mid-sixties, Coca-Cola was accused of anti-Semitism and in the following decades it has become a symbol of "American occupying" and "anti-Muslim” policy. Some internet sites claim that Coca Cola, read from right to left, in Arabic language means "No Muhammad, no Mecca". Boycott of Coca-Cola is also elaborated with claims that by buying a bottle of Coca-Cola tenth of its price goes to the largest Arabian enemy, Israel.

In 1966, Coca Cola was accused of avoiding working in Israel, in order to protect sales of its products in the Arabian world. Things started to get complicated when, because of these accusations, Jewish organizations in America begun to boycott Coca-Cola. The company eventually allowed the construction of a bottling plant in Israel, in 1968, but that again caused boycott similar to that of Arabian League, which ended in the early eighties.

With that, Coca Cola found itself again on the course of U.S. foreign policy.  Respond to this was creation of authentic Arabian Colas such as Mecca Cola. Recently, the Iranian Minister of Industries, Ali Akbar Mehrabian, renewed the idea of boycotting Coca-Cola, because it is a "Zionist product”.

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Insomnia, please go away...

You can’t fall asleep, you have trouble maintaining sleep, or you’re waking up too soon? You probably have one of the ten most common types of insomnia. Because of that, you need to watch what you eat and drink, get rid of stress and be as relaxed as possible.

You can’t fall asleep, you have trouble maintaining sleep, or you’re waking up too soon? If you are lying awake for hours at night, it doesn’t immediately mean that you suffer from insomnia, but you are probably close to that diagnosis. 

Insomnia can manifest itself in many ways. Experts who are dealing with sleep disorders are trying to discover the underlying causes of insomnia that are caused by various medical and psychological conditions. Here are ten most common types of insomnia.

1. General insomnia

Insomnia is generally defined as a disturbance of sleep during which the person cannot sleep, is having difficulties to maintain sleep or is waking up too early.  This disorder is also known as poor sleep quality.

2. Acute insomnia

Acute or short-term insomnia is often caused by stress. Sleep problems disappear when stress ceases or when you put it under control. Sleep disturbance doesn’t  have to occur only when  something negative is happening to you. It can be caused and with positive things. Positive things may produce stress caused by great excitement.

3. Behavioral insomnia in childhood

This type of insomnia occurs when children do not go to bed at specific time. If they are sent to bed every night at specific time, they tend to sleep according to specific schedule. If there is no specific schedule, they can be dragged awake throughout the night.

4. Idiopathic insomnia

This type of insomnia is an ongoing sleep disorder that begins in childhood and continues later in life. There is no explanation of what is causing it, but it was determined that it is nothing of the following: other sleep disorders, health problems, stress, psychological problems and drugs.

5. Insomnia due to substances

This type of insomnia is directly related to the use of some of the following substances: drugs, caffeine, alcohol and certain foods. If this is really your case, the problem will vanish when you stop using some of those substances.

 6. Insomnia due to health problems

This insomnia is caused by certain mental health disorders. How will the sleeping problem progress, depends on the state of mental health. Insomnia should be a separate part of the treatment, in addition to treatment of mental disorder that some person maid have. However, this type of insomnia is treated only if it is a big problem and if the doctor assesses that it requires a special treatment.

7. Inorganic or indeterminate insomnia

When all known substances and other physical causes are ruled out, then we have this type of insomnia. This means that the cause of it is psychological factor. Inorganic or indeterminate insomnia is a diagnosis that is used on an interim basis, until the exact cause of insomnia is determined  or when the patient doesn’t meet any criteria that can link him to some other type of insomnia.

8. Organic or determined insomnia

This insomnia is caused with health disorders, physical conditions and substances to which we expose ourselves. Detailed examinations are necessary to detect the real cause. Until we find out what is causing it, we call that type of disorder organic insomnia.

9. Paradoxical insomnia

It embodies several types of insomnia, but there are no objective indicators that there exists a sleep disorder. Although a person maid complain about sleep disorder, there are no serious consequences that affect that person during the day. People who have this type of insomnia often report little or no sleep for several nights. The main characteristic is overestimation of time necessary to fall asleep, and underestimation of total sleep time.

10. Psychophysiological insomnia

This insomnia is associated with excessive concern about inability to fall asleep. It can occur suddenly as a result of some event or gradually during several years. People who have this disorder are too concerned about their insomnia and fatigue that occurs the next day because they didn’t get any sleep. As a result, they become tensioned and anxious every time they go to bed. They can have disturbing thoughts that are related to insomnia and efforts to fall asleep. The more they think about it, they are becoming more strained, which in turn reduces the likelihood of falling asleep.

Tips – Don’t look at watch, sit down in a chair and read a book

Don’t do this at night if you have insomnia:

-    Do not constantly watch at the clock.
-    If you can’t sleep, don’t lie awake in bed for more than 15 minutes - sit down in a comfortable chair.
-    Do not turn on bright lights - dim lighting, light from the TV or monitor is better.
-    Don’t do anything too stimulating, do something that relaxes the brain - read a book or watch a TV show.

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Our first nine months are shaping the rest of our life

Scientists can now predict health of a person even before his birth. By calculating all factors that are shaping the baby in the stomach, they can determine who will later be obese, diabetic, prone to heart attacks, cancer and other diseases.

What makes us the way we are? Why are some people predisposed to be tense, obese, or asthma sufferers? How is it that some of us are prone to heart attack, diabetes or high blood pressure?

Type and amount of food you received in the womb, pollutants, drugs and infections to whom you have been exposed during your mother's pregnancy, your mother's health, stress level and state of mind while she was pregnant - all these factors shape you as a baby and continue to influence you for the rest of your life. 

This is a provocative statement of the theory known as fetal origin, whose pioneers say that nine months of pregnancy determine our later life and permanently affect brain development and functioning of organs like heart and liver. They claim that conditions encountered in the womb shape our susceptibility to disease, our appetite and metabolism, our intelligence and temperament. 

In the literature on the subject, which exploded over the past 10 years, you can find references on the fetal origins of cancer, cardiovascular diseases, allergies, asthma, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, mental illness…They are even explaining the causes of diseases associated with older age, arthritis, osteoporosis and dementia.

Most of what pregnant woman encounters in her daily life - the air she breathes, food and drink she consumes, chemicals to which she is exposed, even the emotions she feels – are, in some way, shared with the fetus. The fetus receives all of these influences and makes them a part of its flesh and blood.

Two decades ago, a British physician named David Barker, noticed odd correlations on a map: the poorest regions in England and Wales are the ones with the highest rates of heart disease. After comparing the health of some 15,000 individuals with their birth weight, he revealed an unexpected link between low weight at birth - a common indicator of poor prenatal nutrition - and heart disease in middle age. Faced with inadequate nutrition, concluded Barker, the fetus diverts nutrients to its most important organ, the brain, and skimps on other parts of the body - the debt that is paid later in the form of a weakened heart.

One study that was conducted at Harvard showed that mothers, who gain too much weight during pregnancy, increase the risk that their child will be obese already in its third year. Another study has shown that this relation is present even in adolescence.

During pregnancy, women with high blood sugar levels hinder the development of fetus’s metabolism, and thus create a predisposition to diabetes and obesity. This was determined with a research conducted over Pima Indians in the reservation in Arizona, which have the highest percentage of type 2 diabetes (metabolic disease) in the world. Studies have shown that the cause of this is prenatal experience, or, to be exact, high blood sugar levels in mothers during pregnancy.

Frederica P. Perera, Director of the Columbia Center for Children’s Environmental Health, became interested in the effects of polluted air on the fetus some 30 years ago. Perera’s research was associated with exposure to polluted air during pregnancy, something that affects the number of adverse birth outcomes, including premature birth, low birth weight and heart disorders. One of her most memorable studies was the one from 1998, when more than 500 pregnant women, from Upper Manhattan and South Bronx, wore identical black backpacks at all time, for two days. Inside each backpack was a device that was constantly monitoring air pollution levels. When babies were born, blood analysis from the umbilical cord showed that 40 percent of them had subtle DNA damages, and this is associated with increased risk of cancer. Further analysis revealed that these children were more than two times slower in learning at the age of 3, had less points when they enrolled in school at the age of 5, and less points on IQ tests than children who were exposed to less polluted air when they were in the womb.

During similar researches, scientists came to believe that the conditions in the womb affect not only our physical health, but also the intelligence, temperament, even sanity.

The evidences show that pregnant women, who are exposed to starvation or extreme stress, deliver children with higher risk of schizophrenia. In the mid-20th century, inhabitants of the province of Anhui in China suffered from a severe starvation. Individuals who were born to women who suffered from hunger had two times more chances to suffer from schizophrenia than those who were born in another period.

Catherine Monk, a professor of psychiatry at Columbia University, says that mental state of pregnant women may shape the psyche of a child. In fact, Monk and her colleagues have, in a way, "put the fetus on the couch". In her laboratory, they attached devices, that are measure breathing, heart rate, blood pressure, excitement, and heart rate of fetuses, to depressed and anxious pregnant women on one side and pregnant women with normal mood on the other side. Then they subjected these women to mental exercises. All women showed signs of physiological stress when they were answering on the questions during this test, but only fetuses of depressed and distressed women displayed their own disturbances. “This difference suggests that these fetuses are more sensitive to stress. This kind of research takes us back to the original question, when did we became what we are now” - says Monk.

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"Ecstasy" is not causing brain damage!

After serious research, medical experts from Harvard have come to this shocking discovery.  They have also criticized all previous studies on the subject of harmfulness of MDMA.

Most recent research that has shown that it is not true that "ecstasy" causes brain damage, like it was considered and substantiated with many studies a decade ago, has caused shock and concern. How to tell the public now that "ecstasy" is not bad, given that its use is widespread and that it is the cheapest drug? Will these results encourage more drug use, and will those who had doubts whether to try the "party pill" or not now be persuaded to do so?

Research that proves that the pill, without which rave can not be imagined, is not harmful, is one of the largest that studied consequences of taking MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, official title of this illegal substance) and was conducted by a team led by Professor John Halpern from Harvard Medical School. The results were published last week in a magazine "Addiction".

Experiments from Harvard have shown that cognitive abilities of "ecstasy" users are equal to those that are "clean”.  Until now, the consumption of "ecstasy" was associated with the damage of the central nervous system.  With his results, Halpern openly criticized the quality of all previous studies that linked this drug with the brain damage.

"Too many studies have been carried out on small populations, while overarching conclusions have been drawn from them" - Halpern said, adding that some previous researches did studied users of the rave culture, which includes all-night dancing, lack of sleep and fluids, and which are itself factors that contribute to the negative cognitive effects. But, it wasn’t taken into account that ecstasy users consume and other drugs and alcohol, which can affect cognition, or that some of them might have suffered disruption of intellectual skills before they started taking "ecstasy".

Halpern’s study took into account only those “ecstasy” users who weren’t taking any other drugs and who didn’t suffer any previous brain damage. In his experiment, 1,500 potential participants were reduced to 52 selected users whose cognitive abilities were equal to those of the 59 persons who do not use drugs. Even samples of hair were taken from the participants to find out if they were lying about drugs and alcohol.

"Essentially we compared one group of people who danced and raved and took ecstasy with a similar group of individuals who danced and raved but who did not take ecstasy. When we did that, we found that there was no difference in their cognitive abilities" – Halpern says.

Although the results of previous studies indicated that ecstasy causes memory loss and long-term consequences on behavior, some scientists, like English Professor David Nutt, who was fired as chair of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs for publicly stating that alcohol and tobacco were more harmful than ecstasy, were not surprised with these results. "I always assumed that, when properly designed studies were carried out, we would find ecstasy does not cause brain damage," said Nutt.

However, Halpern did admit that the use of “ecstasy” has its risks. “Ecstasy consumption is dangerous:  illegally-made pills can contain harmful contaminants, there are no warning labels, there is no medical supervision, and in rare cases people are physically harmed and even die from overdosing. It is important for drug-abuse information to be accurate, and we hope our report will help upgrade public health messages.  But while we found no ominous, concerning risks to cognitive performance, that is quite different from concluding that ecstasy use is ‘risk-free’."

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It's nothing wrong with you!

Heart palpitations, skin changes, trembling hands... Many symptoms can simulate a serious disease, but they are actually harmless. 

Our bodies have an incredible capacity to scare us. Because of a single twitch you can easily think that you have multiple sclerosis, and for a minor change on your skin that you have cancer. You can spend days studying those symptoms on the internet. But now you can finally step away from the keyboard. Most bumps on the skin and body changes are actually harmless.

Skin changes

Skin changes, in the form of small thickening which is in some parts darker, is usually developing in areas where skin rubs on skin or clothing, as well as in the armpits, neck, under breasts, even on the eyelids. It is not entirely clear why some people are more prone to these skin changes. The good news is that these spots on the skin are virtually never cancerous and can be easily removed with a help of dermatologist.

Consult your doctor if these spots on the body do not quickly disappear, become rough, or darker and redder than the skin. It could be wart, keratoses (benign tumor of the skin) or even skin cancer.

Redness

These small, round, red spots and bumps on the skin (if you have problematic complexion and you’re over forty, they can be more frequent) are likely surface blood vessels that are not absorbed into the skin. The body naturally produces new blood vessels and replaces the old ones. But, with years, our body produces more blood vessels than can be absorbed, and then these little red dots appear. 

Consult your doctor if you want to remove them (a dermatologist can do it with laser treatment). But if you find a place where they are asymmetric, or if the dots are changing size, shape or color, begin to itch or bleed, or look completely different from any other place on your body, consult a dermatologist to make sure that they are not cancerous.

Trembling hands

Trembling hands (especially after 40’s) may be a hereditary thing. It can also be a sign that your blood sugar level is low and that you need a snack with proteins. But, very often, trembling hands are a symptom of stress or anxiety. Trembling hands can be more pronounced if you drink or eat something that contains caffeine, or if you are taking medicines that contain stimulants or certain types of medications for attention disorder or thyroid disease. Trembling usually stops as soon as you eat, or reduces or completely stops after stopping using stimulants.

Consult your doctor if trembling isn’t stopping. He can prescribe you beta blockers, type of medication for blood pressure that can calm your hands by blocking the stress response. Trembling hands may mean that you have Parkinson's disease. Weight loss, increased heart rate and changes in bowel habits are often a signal of an overactive thyroid gland.

“Midges” in the eyes

Within the eyeball is a gel, a substance composed of water, collagen and hyaluronic acid. Occasionally, especially as we age, collagen clumps coagulate and create shadows on the retina, which manifest as dots, distorted lines, or other strange shapes. This can be very irritating, but it is harmless.

Consult your doctor if a light that flashes, blurs or distort your vision, appears in front of your eyes. This could mean that eyeball gel is pressuring the retina.

Eyelid twitching

The cause is stress, fatigue, a lot of time spent in front of computer, excess of caffeine and alcohol. Separately or in combination, these things cause muscle twitches in the upper or lower eyelid. These twitches usually stop soon, but if they don’t, try to relax with warm pressings on the lids muscles or with artificial tears (twitches can appear because of the dryness of the eye).

Consult your doctor if you have twitches for several weeks. That may be a sign that your eye area or membrane is irritated. In rare cases, twitches may completely close your eyes or even appear together with twitches in your mouth.

Easy bruising

Some of us are naturally inclined to easily get black and blue marks on our skin, especially if we take aspirin, ibuprofen, or any other medicine. They prevent blood coagulation, which can easily cause bruising. Collagen protects our blood vessels from deterioration and bleeding in the skin, which is resulting with a bruise.

Consult your doctor if unexplained bruises are appearing all at once. This may be an early sign of blood disorders such as leukemia.

Joint crunching

That itself should not be a problem. If you are in the 30's or 40's, the snapping sound is most likely the sound of ligaments and tendons gliding over the joints. Even the "noisy" knees and ankles are commonly the result of cartilage abrasion and soft tissue. If these sounds are boring to you, then stretch regularly.

Consult your doctor if you have redness, swelling, pain and reduced mobility, along with the joints crunch, because it may be a sign of an injury of ligaments or tendons. Osteoarthritis may also be the cause, especially if you have it in a family history, or if you are running often (according to one research, you belong to a group of high risk). If you are over 50, crunch is most likely a sign of osteoarthritis.

Heart palpitations

In most cases, occasional, transient palpitations are just a side effect of medicines: antihistamines, decongestants, antidepressants and medicines for thyroid gland. Heart palpitations can be caused by stress and anxiety, especially if you consume alcohol, cigarettes, or caffeine. Often, it is not so much because of stress, but because of refusing to deal with your stress.

Consult your doctor if you have any unusual cardiac symptoms, including palpitations in an unusual way which you have not previously experienced, especially if it is accompanied by other symptoms such as shortness of breath with exertion.  This may be a sign of heart disease.

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Imagine Tomorrow!

 

German composer Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) was a devotee of good food. Once a slender young man, in mature years he had turned into a fat man. But, his health was becoming weaker.

When he went to a doctor to examine him, doctor immediately ordered him the strictest diet.

- But, doctor, don’t be like that! Tonight Strauss invites me to dinner. We are supposed to eat ourselves out with chicken stew, which is my favorite meal!

- Out of the question! - Replied doctor.

- As you say doctor. - Shrugged with his shoulders the famous composer. - In that case, imagine that I didn’t visited you today, and that I will do that tomorrow!

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Silly Nobel Leads to Real Nobel!

Every year in the U.S. anti-Nobel prizes are awarded for meaningless scientific discoveries that make us laugh. However, it appears that the discovery of false Nobel winner can finally lead to the "original" Nobel Prize.

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, which awards the Nobel Prize, announced that this year's winners in physics are Russians Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov for "revolutionary experiments with two-dimensional material, graphene." Awareness of the importance of their achievement lives in a small number of people who do have the idea what it is graphene, but this news has  intrigued connoisseurs of science, mainly because the scientist Andre Geim was until now known as laureate of another Nobel...  The one for the funniest inventions, which is awarded since 1991 in the United States, few days before the announcement of the winners in Stockholm, and which carries a variety of nicknames, from  anti - to silly Nobel. The Russian scientist, in 2000, received a parody of the most significant prize for science because he performed an experiment in which, with the help of magnetic fields, was able to raise a frog into a state of levitation.

The award is officially known as Ig Nobel, and it is given by satiric-scientific magazine “Annals of Improbable Research”. The prize is awarded each year in Sanders Theatre at Harvard. When the "team" from the magazine, in 1991, awarded the first series of prizes, winners have been scientists whose findings were meaningless, but soon this choice grew into award for discoveries that first make people laugh, and then make them think. 

- Our goal is to make people laugh, but then to make them to think. We encourage curiosity in people, but we also raise a question, how do we decide what is it that is important for humanity, both in science and in other areas - say the organizers of the false Nobel .

That is why anti-Nobel is awarded, just as the real one, in all social areas. In physics, chemistry, medicine, literature, but also, for peace. As the organizers say, the rewards are sometimes a social critic, sometimes pure satire, and sometimes are intended only to make people laugh. This year’s prize for medicine was for the discovery that toboggans ride reduces symptoms of asthma, for peace that swearing increases resistance to pain, for physics that wearing socks over shoes reduces skating on ice, and for the economy, prize was given to all banks for their role in economic crisis. Prize for biology, in 1992, won a certain doctor Cecil Jacobson, relentlessly generous sperm donor, and prolific patriarch of sperm banking, for devising a simple, single-handed method of quality control. A year later, among others, for mathematics was awarded Robert Faid because he exactly calculated the possibility that Mikhail Gorbachev was, in fact, the Antichrist. According to his calculations, the chances of this are 1:710.609.175.188.282.000. Anti-Nobel for peace has received and The Taiwan National Parliament, for demonstrating that politicians gain more by punching, kicking and gouging each other than by waging war against other nations. George Goble, in 1996, received the prize for chemistry, since he found a way to ignite a barbeque grill for just three seconds, and former French President Jacques Chirac won the prize for peace for commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of Hiroshima with atomic bomb tests in the Pacific.

Later, awards received and Dr. Bosland for biology, for breeding a spiceless jalapeno chili pepper, and The British Standards Institution for literature,  for its six-page specification (BS-6008) of the proper way to make a cup of tea. Chris Niswander invented software that detects a cat walking on the keyboard, which earned him an Ig Nobel Prize for computer science in 2000. Anti-Nobel for public health received a report of Scottish scientists on "the collapse of toilets in Glasgow." Without reward did not remain and Yoshiro  Nakamats for his research in which he photographed and retrospectively analyzed every meal he had consumed during a period of 34 years, as well as mathematicians Nic Svenson and Piers Barnes, for calculating the number of photographs you must take to (almost) ensure that nobody in a group photo will have their eyes closed.  And doctor Dan Meyer has become a laureate for medicine because he explored the side effects of swallowing swords.

Robert May, Baron of Oxford, who was science adviser to the British government, has asked the organizers not to award Ig Nobel awards to British scientists, since this kind of award includes a risk that some real achievements may become public ridicule. However, many British scientists did not support this request. On several occasions, it was shown that scientific discoveries that were candidates for the Ig Nobel, after a while, turned out to be a significant contribution to humankind.  That was the case in 2006, when the award was given to the discovery that mosquitoes are equally attracted to the smell of “Limburger” cheese and human foot odor.  It is this discovery that has contributed to the creation of special traps for mosquitoes, which are used in the fight against malaria in Africa. 

Certainly, the most interesting Ig Nobels went to the Australian John Keogh and the Australian Patent Office for granting him Innovation of, believe it or not – wheel, in 2001. Then, the biology prize for the discovery that herrings apparently communicate by farting, and medicine prize for the scientific report on "the effect of country music on suicide." Also, according to organizers of false Nobel, a significant contribution to world peace gave Daisuke Inoue from Japan, the man who invented karaoke, because he “found an entirely new way for people to learn to tolerate each other."

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10 Methods of Self-Defense against Depression!

Because of economic crisis, people have more reason to be depressed and less money for treatment of depression. Costs for medication and therapy are very high, even if they are covered with social insurance.

There are many things you can do yourself to help yourself feeling better, and they do not cost a dime. Here are ten ways of self-help.



1. Do not blame yourself

This is the most important thing you can do, to beat the depression. Feelings of guilt can only be a barrier on your way to recovery. Dealing with depression requires a practical, proactive approach and patience. You must be able to treat depression just as any other diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer.

2. Talk about it

It is not easy, but telling people about your condition is much better than keeping it secret. Of course, not all of them will understand you and be supportive. Because, if you have a headache, anyone who had it, will understand, but with a mental illness it is not so. But even if one does not fully understand what you are going through, from friends, family and other people you trust you can get emotional support and help to find the best option for treatment. Do not allow yourself to isolate.

3. Exercise regularly

This may be the last thing you do when you are depressed, but running or going to the gym can actually make you feel better. In one study, patients that regularly exercised on a treadmill or bike, in 12 weeks reduced the severity of symptoms by nearly 50 percent.

4. Postpone important decisions

Depression can affect judgment, so it is wise to postpone important decisions about relationships or career until you feel better. One of the symptoms of depression is a negative prognosis for many things that are happening in your life. It changes your view on almost everything, and you may not even be aware of it. If there is some important decision you must make, do not be impulsive. Before making a decision, consult the people around you whom you trust, such as, family, friends or even a therapist.

5. Stay healthy

If you feel depressed, lack of care about your overall health may worsen symptoms of depression. The relationship between depression and illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease is similar to the phenomenon: what is older - the chicken or the egg.  Studies show that depression can worsen these diseases and vice versa. People who have diabetes are more likely to be depressed, and there is evidence that heart disease contributes to depression, especially after heart attack.

6. Maintain a daily routine

Keeping up regular routines is very important for people who struggle with depression. Try to perform all your daily activities at the same time. Routines can help you to avoid staying in the house, the so-called pajama syndrome, which can make things worse. With routine, you show yourself and others that, if you are able to get through the day, you are able to recover.

7. Eat healthy

Everything you eat affects the brain, so if you feel depressed, it is important to eat healthy and have a balanced diet rich in grains, fruits, vegetables and proteins. Food will not do a miracle in the fight against depression, but some foods can affect your mood more than others can. For example, carbohydrates and foods that contain vitamin D increase the level of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that is associated with mood. And some researches suggest that omega-3 fatty acids, found in fish and fish oil, help in fight against depression.

8. Avoid alcohol and drugs

Although it may be tempting to drink or use drugs, do not do that. People who suffer from depression and anxiety often turn to alcohol and drugs to relieve symptoms, but this strategy is detrimental in the long run. Alcohol and drugs affect the brain, which can cause problems in relationships, at work, as well as in other aspects of life.

9. Try to sleep well

Depression and lack of sleep often go hand in hand. Insomnia is common thing, and in many people the lack of sleep worsens mood. This does not apply to everyone, because, lack of sleep is in some people is uplifting the mood, but not in the long run. It can also trigger mania in people with bipolar disorder. Much remains unknown about the relationship between depression and sleep, because everyone has different needs when it comes to sleep, but experts recommend enough sleep and maintaining a regular schedule of sleep and wakefulness.

10. No overload

Following a strict schedule can be a trigger for depression. If you struggle with depression, it is important not to overload and not to accept more obligations than you can handle. If you have complicated tasks at work or at home, take breaks. And remember that it's OK to slow down a little because maybe you can not do everything with a hundred percent capacity. If you really can not work, you must be compassionate with yourself. You deserve a break because you are sick.

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The Cause of the Disease!

Hippocrates (460-377 BC), father of medical science, was the first doctor who rejected the superstition and the supernatural, or magical, explanations for various diseases.

For many physiological changes in the human body, Hippocrates gave detailed explanations. However, there was one very interesting detail among those explanations.

He believed that, the most common causes of disease in humans were climate,  bad nutrition, but also the inability of state government.

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Why is the parrot coughing?

 

Marilyn King was very worried when she heard how her thirteen-year-old parrot, named Nelson, is coughing and blubbering like he is fighting to get his breath.

This fifty-year-old resident of American city Denver immediately took her parrot to the vet.

In spite of all possible examinations, it was not possible to determine what is wrong with the parrot. It seemed that he was of excellent health. Because of that, even veterinarians have been confused why is he coughing that much.

Soon, all was clarified.

Before he arrived in home of Marilyn King, the parrot lived in a nursing home. The bird was simply mimicking sounds that she heard daily in the home where a large number of elderly people is coughing all day long.

Marilyn afterwards confirmed that Nelson best mimics cough with which smokers are identified.

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First Cotenants or…Informal Guests.

Our home is a vast nursery of bacteria, germs and other microorganisms that violate our health. If we don't pay attention to them, they will cause diseases of which some can be extremely dangerous to life. On the other hand, it is not good either to go around the house with a cloth and mop all surfaces in the fear of infection. In this way we create sterile environment in which our defense mechanism remains unprepared to cope with the bacillus that we will certainly meet somewhere else. With little exposure to germs and infection our body naturally produces antibodies (which is far better than to stimulate them with drugs) that are easily fighting diseases. Of course, you should always wash your hands, fruits and other raw foods and make sure that your house is cleaner as possible. However, you should take advantage of a small number of these microscopic pets, since they are always present, we like it or not.

• Carpets

Pets and shoes can transfer a variety of particles in the house, for example, pesticide residues from green areas. They dissolve deep in to the carpet and not even a vacuum cleaner can get them out. On the other hand, carpet fibers, due to bending, are often breaking, and it often happens that harmful particles on those occasions are dropped into the air from where they could easily reach respiratory of children. In addition, numerous mites are dwelling there, from whose point of view, it is a deep and thick jungle...

• Handles

Bacillus can be on everything you touch. Objects that we often touch with our hands - door handles, light switches, faucets – are grounds for all kinds of viruses, from colds to salmonella. And we rarely clean these objects, although we are constantly reaching for them with our bare hands, with which we then, without thinking, touch our face.

• Tetanus

Tetanus is caused by the bacterium Clostridium tetanus. In nature, they are most often located in the soil, especially in the dust, which is, in fact, dried soil with the tetanus bacteria spores. That is why we are taking so much care that open wounds do not come in contact with tetanus, because it is difficult, and sometimes impossible, to defeat them. And the consequences can be deadly. Fortunately, there are antitetanus injections thanks to which our bodies can win this wicked bacteria before demarcation and it becomes more dangerous.

• Toothbrush

Using the same toothbrush that some of the other residents use, endangers the health of all. Saliva and blood remain on the brushes even after they are rinsed with cold water, and bacterias remain with them. This is the easiest way to carry a variety of infectious diseases such as hepatitis, flu, cold...

• Toys in the bathtub

Research by German scientists showed that the rubber toys for fun in the warm bath is often the source of many diseases. Rubber surface may contain up to four million bacilli, and these bacteria thrive at room temperature and moist environment. Therefore, it is necessary to, as often possible, wash those toys and dry them well.

• Bedding

Mites feed with tiny particles of human skin that fall from our body while we sleep and roll over in bed. It is estimated that each bed contains about two million mites. Therefore, bedding should be regularly aerated.

• Bed

In cracks of wooden boards of beds live bugs (Cimex Lectularius), invaders about six millimeters long. They are feasting with our blood, usually while we are asleep, and as a business card they are leaving red spots that itch unbearably. Just one bite is enough for bugs to rest the next six months in their shelter and digested nutrients. Just because they rarely leave their shelter, bugs are difficult to exterminate, because no one knows exactly where they hide.

• Kitchen area

Parts of kitchen that are not cleaned regularly are the perfect place for the development of a notorious bacterium Escherichia coli. She favors the humidity that is commonly present in the kitchen, and un-cleaned small particles of food will give her strength until she attacks something much more attractive - the host! Therefore, regular cleaning of kitchen absolutely required.

…What next…

Viruses and bacteria can survive for hours, even days, on fixed objects. It is almost certain that each bathroom has a micro-zoological garden whose residents are eager to feast on human beings that come close enough. On the other hand, certainly they are not in sufficient number so that they could seriously harm us. For example, even if all bacilli on the toilet handle belong to Staphylococcus, only half of those who we touch with our hands will move on us, and of them all, only one percent may succeed to break through the hair that protects our eyes, nose and mouth, and enter our body. And that's not enough for the infection. Of course, the danger of infection depends on a case by case basis. Even one hundred million E. coli bacteria may not cause disease, but one virus particle is enough to get the flu. Here’s on what you should pay attention:

• In the bathroom:

Faucet

Number of bacilli: 50 000
If half of them were viruses that carry a cold, you would pick up 128.
To get ill, 100 is necessary.
Prognosis: Just in case, drink vitamin C.

Toilet handle

Number of bacilli: 50 000.
Even if all the bacteria were staphylococcus, you would pick up 252.
To get ill, 100 000 is necessary.
Prognosis: Everything is fine but… make sure you wash your hands.

Toilet board

Number of bacilli: 1 200.
Even if all of them were the Shigella bacteria, you would pick up 4.
To get ill, 10 is necessary.
Prognosis: You are safe.

• In the kitchen:

Refrigerator handle

Number of bacilli: 5 000.
If half of them were Norovirus particles, you would pick up 13.
To get ill, 10 is necessary.
Prognosis: Get Pepto-Biamol, just in case.

Board for meat

Number of bacilli: 60 000.
If there was only 10% of that number, salmonella bacteria, you would pick up 20.
To get ill, 10 is necessary.
Prognosis: Food poisoning is in sight.

Dishcloth

Number of bacilli: 700 million.
Even if all of them were Escherichia coli, you would pick up 286.
To get ill, 100 million is necessary.
Prognosis: You are safe.

• In the office:

Keyboard

Number of bacilli: 3 000.
Even if all of them were streptococcus bacteria, you would pick up 15.
To get ill, 1000 is necessary.
Prognosis: Good news – You’ll be fine.

Surface of the office table

Number of bacilli: 20 000.
If half of them were viruses that carry a cold, you would pick up 51.
To get ill, 100 is necessary.
Prognosis: Maybe sometimes you will remain at home for home treatment.

Earphone

Number of bacilli: 25 000.
If there were only 10% of that number rotavirus particles, you would pick up 13.
To get ill, 10 is necessary.
Prognosis: You will probably go running in the toilet.

• In public places:

Trolley in supermarket

Number of bacilli: 1 million.
If there were only 10% of that number, viruses, you would pick up 510.
To get ill, 1 is necessary.
Prognosis: You better get vaccine against influenza.

Fence

Number of bacilli: 5 000.
Even if all of them were Staphylococcus bacteria, you would pick up 25.
To get ill, 100 000 is necessary.
Prognosis: Hold on to fence. It may be dirty, but it’s not contagious.

ATM

Number of bacilli: 150.
Even if all were bacteria Pseudomonae aeruginosa, you would pick up: less then 1.
To get ill, 1 million is necessary.
Prognosis: If you worry about money do not worry about infection

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