Anti suicide watch

Depression is a serious problem it affects them and those around them negatively. It often produces personal negative acts  and most persons initially do not see that they are depressed.

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Depression is a to common sickness? Treatable? Depends on what approach you are taking. Those who are depressed are more likely to exhibit risky behavior with drugs and alcohol, as well as being more likely to attempt suicide. In fact, are more associated with a shorter lifespan than the smokers.

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The standard course of treatment for depression is questionable medication. Often it takes a combination of two or more different medications to mask, control the symptoms, and it is a trial and error approach to find the right combination for each patient. Over one-third of patients don’t get lasting relief from the standard therapies. When medicine has been tried and doesn’t work then generally nothing can help cause doctors are not really dealing with the basic causes of the depression. Depressed people will thus face a hard life.

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To Help with many person’s medical symptoms of their diseases, depressions too we still do often we may still have to deal with the root causes of the sicknesses too.. including the hypertension, stresses, anxieties, and our past wrong values, ignorance, wrong doings too.

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No matter what the symptoms are the cause of heart attacks AND CANCER are the main reasons  are still mostly the  bad food you eat, including too much sugar and fats, or falsely skipping meals, or not sleeping 8 hours of Qualitative sleep, not getting enough exercise, 20  minutes every 3 days, and not handling negative personal stress effectively will affect your health but a serious issue is the  failure to get a proper medical tests. such as an echogram.. The same major bad thing that causes the major sicknesses of  heart disease cause Cancer, Arthritis and diabetes too often.. Most persons now would live much longer  on the average, if they could collectively overcome five unhealthy habits: smoking, excess alcohol consumption, poor diet, sedentary behaviour and stressing out. Doing nothing about it now next will not help you  We all sooner or later develop some form of major sickness that has to be dealt with.. .  Doing nothing about it now next will not help you

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Studies indicate that about 200,000 Americans suffer a heart attack each year without even initially realizing it. These unrecognized heart attacks account for about one-fourth of all fatal heart attacks,  making this a serious public health issue. Just don’t expect the stereotypical “Hollywood” heart attack, where you see an actor clutching at the left side of his chest in severe pain. This is actually less common.
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But one real aspect of likely an impending heart attack  is the inability to bend down without pain, or a severe pain when breathing, not breathing easily or even a continual stomached pain etc… but heart conditions still do start of with showing up on your blood pressure.. .

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ALSO SOME DOCTORS FEEL THAT BEING OVER WEIGHT YOU’RE MORE LIKELY TO GET HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE, HEART DISEASE, AND DIABETES THIS HAS BEEN CLEARLY CONTRADICTED NY RECENT MEDICAL STUDIES.. BEING FAT IS NOT NECESSARILY UNHEALTHY

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Being overweight doesn’t mean you’re unhealthy..   The same major bad thing that causes heart disease cause Cancer, Arthritis and diabetes too often.. By the way being skinny insures no heart attack is a lie, a myth as studies show that skinny persons die more over fat people still

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If Obesity Is a Disease, Why Are So Many Obese People Healthy? Several studies have shown that physically fit “obese” individuals have lower incidence of heart disease and mortality from all causes than do sedentary people of “normal” weight.  If the  goal is to address the serious diseases of type 2 diabetes and heart disease, it would be more productive and accurate  to urge doctors to focus on cardiometabolic risk, recognizing that there are both metabolically healthy and metabolically unhealthy individuals in all categories of weight. Rather than promote weight loss per se, doctors should instead encourage their patients of all sizes to incorporate physical activity and a balanced diet into their lives.

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We all sooner or later develop some form of major sickness that has to be dealt with.. Human beings vary in personality and thus they also do even vary in their sickness treatment approach..  Some deny their sickness, some seek doctors, others seek alternatives, or the good or bad advices of their friends, associate.. clearly not all approaches are successfully..
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The risk of developing breast cancer from drinking even small amounts of alcohol >is being ignored by women with thousands now needlessly dying every year. Less than two drinks a day can increase the risk of developing cancer, doctors have warned, after finding that even moderate consumption was linked to almost a third of alcohol-related cancers.  http://thenonconformer.wordpress.com/2009/09/02/drink-alcohol-and-die/

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For a start it is always essential that we all do  eat adequately, regularly, properly, that we all do get plenty of exercise, drink plenty of water, and that we all do  get enough sleep, sadly many people lie to themselves they do not have to have get enough sleep..

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Regular medical check ups by a good doctor is a must.. Merely trying to take drugs of the Pharmacy shelf is not a valid approach too.

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Many of us face the common illness such as Colds, Flues,  Heartburn,  allergies, Asthma.

Now it is known that the primary cause of Asthma even in children is related to  drinking milk, and consuming milk products.. check it out on the internet…. http://www.naturalnews.com/010443.html

Now  studies have also now shown that besides our basic essentials there also a clear  association between emotional stress and exacerbation of certain  illnesses, even  allergies, or the asthma in persons with asthma. This is particularly true also with children who have unstable asthma and with asthmatics who live in stressful circumstances. In the clinic, allergists have noted that the objective measurements of airway function and asthma symptoms are affected by stress. Not only can emotional stress trigger and asthma attack, but the reverse is also true. Asthma is a chronic disease which causes stress in a person’s life at home, school, and work. There is also a correlation between stress and prevalence of asthma. So one has to deal with both the stress and the illness here too
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Learning to deal with any of our  negative, unbeneficial stress is important. Not all of the stress that you face is beneficial. This first requires to honestly, accurately recognize the cause of your stress but also  how next best to deal with it… and it could ne a false worrisome attitude or a troubling person.   An honest Admission of the cause is always the best start. Many persons also do have false, harmful values that do them no good, whereas may others tend to falsely go overboard with the need, pursuance of even good things I was in a doctor’s office recently reading a dozen of the latest medical journals and I was shocked to discover that the majority of doctors were still unable to deal positively with sickness associated with negative personal stress.

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Let’s first be fair to ourselves and others and note that no one thing specifically even now causes all the cancers, diabetic sick persons, or the heart problems in the world, rather it tends to be  a combination of several different factors starting with our personal ignorance, and the false neglect of the our Bodies.
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To Help with many person’s medical symptoms of their diseases, depressions too we still do  often we may still  have to deal with the root causes of the sicknesses too.. including the hypertensions,  stresses, anxieties, and our past wrong values, ignorance,  wrong doings too.
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Hypertension is another  main, leading personal cause of heart attacks, strokes and other major medical problems. For most North Americans even if you don’t have high blood pressure now, you need to make a serious lifestyle, food  adjustments now to avoid personal health problems, especially Cancer and Heart diseases next in one’s future. A person is considered hypertensive with a blood-pressure reading of 140/90 millimetres of mercury (mmHg) or higher. Healthy adults should have a blood pressure in the range of 120/80 mmHg, although that target varies with age and other health conditions. There are many DIFFERENT factors that contribute to high blood pressure, including first the type of one’s food consumption, too much read meat, not enough fruit and vegetables,  being overweight, a lack of physical activity, excessive sodium consumption and aging. Hypertension, while it has few obvious symptoms, is a leading risk factor for heart disease, stroke, diabetes and kidney disease. God is a God of love and he really does not want us to suffer needlessly so he is willing to help us if we meet his conditions as defined also  in the Bible. (1 Cor 10:21 KJV)  Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table, and of the table of devils.
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Sadly too many persons do continue to have heart problems even cause they do not want to admit the dangerous side effect of Salt in their food consumption, salt which cause increased water retention and adds to the heart pumping difficulties. Red pepper is often used these days as a substitute for salt. Too much Salt cause other damage now as well.
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“Medical researchers at the University of Alberta may have solved why people who eat high-salt diets are prone to developing medical problems such as kidney stones and osteoporosis, the puzzle that has remained unknown to scientific community until now. Principal investigator Todd Alexander and his team recently discovered an important link between sodium and calcium thorough their work with animal lab models and cells. These both appear to be regulated by the same molecule in the body. When sodium intake becomes too high, the body gets rid of sodium via the urine, taking calcium with it, which depletes calcium stores in the body. High levels of calcium in the urine lead to the development of kidney stones, while inadequate levels of calcium in the body lead to thin bones and osteoporosis. “When the body tries to get rid of sodium via the urine, our findings suggest the body also gets rid of calcium at the same time,” said Alexander, a Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry researcher. “This is significant because we are eating more and more sodium in our diets, which means our bodies are getting rid of more and more calcium. Our findings reinforce why it is important to have a low-sodium diet and why it is important to have lower sodium levels in processed foods,” he noted. It’s been known for a long time that this important molecule was responsible for sodium absorption in the body, but the discovery that it also plays a role in regulating calcium levels is new. “We asked a simple question with our research – could sodium and calcium absorption be linked? And we discovered they are,” said Alexander.” 
 
 
Majority of patients still lie to themselves when they do now falsely think they will not reap what they have personally sowed and thus they are committing personal suicide as a result. Lack of sleep is still a killer.. so is not eating properly.. so is unresolved stress…
 
 
 
A need for the Serious Anti suicide watch..
 
1: Not personally getting enough qualitative sleep.. it is not just how much sleep you get, minimum 8 hours, but how well you sleep that also counts. Valid Experts recommend that adults get between seven and eight hours of sleep each night to maintain good health and optimum performance.

2: Not personally now getting proper food intake can also lead to severe depression and very poor health next, severe health problems.. skipping out on meals often is bad..

3: Activity rut.. many people who have now set into  a none changing activities, environments, a habitual routine, are  next prone to be seriously depressed and they do not even know why?  Taking a new,  totally different activity, or making a personal life schedule change is often the same as a beneficial vacation for some persons.. even many professionals, college professors..
 
4: Many college students show clear classical sign of depression after being in school for a long period of time, working hard. 
 
5: Many people get depressed when they get older, and lose a lot of friends, and have no one to talk to , and now  just listening to them for a few minutes a day will really help them too
 
6: Many people get depressed because they are being falsely enslaved, oppressed, bullied by the bad persons.  Or they have too often listened to the bad advice  of others.
  
7: Poverty or even the opposite of having too much wealth can lead to thoughts of suicide, because of one’s inability to deal with the present circumstances effectively. Often brought on by too much self reliance.
 
 8: Persons who are overly lazy, unrealistic, have or follow a wrong value system, ill advised goals, continue to  do bad things,they will next be easily depressed too. Ironically they will next often  blame others for their depressions, bash others for it too. 
 
I have often helped many a poor, depressed person, not by any medications, but by  simply by changing their daily normal activity routine, and next by taking them for a drive into the country, or taking them to see a good film, a comedy, or Giving them some good movies to watch, or by me taking them to a fine food restaurant, or by me taking them for a long  walk through unfamiliar surroundings.. and it worked.. it actually next had broke them out of their long term depression.
 
Can’t change positively   the person? try first changing their surroundings, environment temporarily?
  
Most depressed persons,  about 75 percent,  can be helped with out more serious medical consultations it seem.
 
 Do now also read the many other helpful posts, links here as well..

Did you yourself now know the major cause of depressions and suicides., despair include.. you might be depressed seriously and not even know it too… 

  Feeling down from time to time is a normal part of life. But when sadness takes hold and won’t go away, it may be depression. More than just the temporary “blues,” the lows of depression make it tough to function and enjoy life like you once did. A person with severe depression has little or no interest in work or hobbies, and may even have trouble getting out of bed.  With treatment and help, you can feel better. Learning how to understand depression – including its signs, symptoms, and causes – is the first step towards next honestly,  realistically recognizing and overcoming the root main problem, causes and not just trying suppress or to deal with the symptoms..

 Why Do People Get Depressed? Understanding Depression

 http://www.helpguide.org/mental/depression_signs_types_diagnosis_treatment.htm

I am too busy to have time to have a depression or to deal with my depression is not a realistic  approach as well.

There’s a vast difference between “feeling depressed” and suffering from clinical depression. The despondency of clinical depression is unrelenting and overwhelming. Some people describe it as “living in a black hole” or having a feeling of impending doom. They can’t escape their unhappiness and despair. However, some people with depression don’t feel sad at all. Instead, they feel lifeless and empty. In this apathetic state, they are unable to experience pleasure. Even when participating in activities they used to enjoy, they feel as if they’re just going through the motions. The signs and symptoms vary from person to person, and they may wax and wane in severity over time. Doing nothing about it generally makes it worse next.

While DEPRESSION is one of the most common mental illnesses even caused often mostly by external factors,  it  often can easily be cured, dealt with if not neglected, and it is rarely fatal thus. 

RESULTING PERSONAL DEPRESSION ITSELF IS basically CAUSED by biochemical imbalances in the brain involving the hormone cortisol and the neurotransmitters serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine. The tendency toward this chemical imbalance can be inherited, causing depression to run in families. A deep emotional loss may also trigger biochemical changes that cause depression. Or the brain chemistry can change for no apparent reason.

Other diseases, including thyroid conditions, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, hormonal imbalances, multiple sclerosis and some forms of cancer, can cause depression. Usually, treating the underlying diseases relieves the depression?

People suffering from chronic illnesses such as arthritis or heart disease may develop depression. For them, treating the depression often makes it easier to cope with the other chronic illness?

While virtually anyone can develop depression, the people most likely to do so include—

  • Relatives of depressed people, who are about twice as likely as average to become seriously depressed themselves
  • Women, who suffer depression about twice as often as men
  • The baby boom seniors,  generation, currently considered at greatest risk of all age groups
  • The elderly, often as a reaction to physical deterioration and the loss of friends, families and rewarding activities
  • Children who have suffered abuse or losses or who have a seriously depressed parent
  • Chronically ill people
  • Drug and alcohol abusers

TREATMENTS FOR DEPRESSION typically have high success rates, especially when recognized, admitted, PROPERLY DIAGNOSED.  While only a third of people suffering from depression seek treatment, about 85 percent of those who receive adequate treatment have good results. It is ironic many people who too often mainly see others as  being the sole cause of their own problems fail to see their own effective, proper solutions to it. We need not to lose a proper self perspective, solution now as well.

Depression is a major risk factor for suicide. There is a slow suicide approach as well, even brought on by ongoing  problems, self pity, guilt, persecutions, oppressions Recognition of the problem can immediately  lead to 90 percent of the solution.  http://pbulow.tripod.com/    

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Britain has one of the highest suicide rates in Europe. Each year in the UK over 5000 people take their life. The Samaritans estimate that in the UK there is a suicide every 82 minutes. The charity Depression Alliance estimates that each year there are around 19,000 suicide attempts by UK adolescents whilst more than 2 million children attend GP’s surgeries with some kind of psychological or emotional problem.Each day, two people under the age of 24 commit suicide. 

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People kill themselves for a variety of reasons. Sometimes drugs and alcohol are a factor, as are social factors, poverty, deprivation, mental illness,  or  “psychiatric injury”. The difference is important because injury has an external cause – in other words, something – or someone – is liable. The differences between mental illness and psychiatric injury are often not recognized; understanding the differences could alter the verdict, perhaps from suicide to manslaughter. To see the differences between mental illness and psychiatric injury.  Psychiatric injury- Bullying, harassment and abuse cause injury to health, which is often diagnosed as stress and anxiety but may also include severe depression.http://www.bullyonline.org/stress/suicide.htm

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We also all do need to learn to deal effectively and not by an ostrich approach with unresolved stress, life’s problems, Bullies and much more..  http://thefocusonthefamily.wordpress.com/

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There is no single cause for depression. Many factors play a role including genetics, environment, life events, medical conditions, and the way people react to things that happen in their lives.
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How Is Depression Different From Regular Sadness?

Everyone has some ups and downs, and sadness is a natural emotion. The normal stresses of life can lead anyone to feel sad every once in a while. Things like an argument with a friend, a breakup, doing poorly on a test, not being chosen for a team, or a best friend moving out of town can lead to feelings of sadness, hurt, disappointment, or grief. These reactions are usually brief and go away with a little time and care.

Take the time to read all of  the pages here, it will help you or someone else. Life requires our personal positive continual adaptation to the ongoing, changing events that surround our life.

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Now read more here on this site  as well.. it will help you..

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Cancer: By 2010, cancer will be the leading killer in the world, surpassing heart disease, causing more deaths than AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined. Cancer rates are growing in developing countries as people adopt western lifestyles, including smoking, high-fat diets, fast food and less physical activity.  http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/09/AR2008120901814.html

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Selenium, vitamin E and vitamin C won’t prevent men from getting prostate cancer. In findings that were released early because of the public health implications, the results of two large randomized, controlled clinical trials showed the supplements failed to provide a cancer-prevention benefit. Journal of the American Medical Association.

More Home remedies for over Gastro-Intestinal diseases and disorders. Saliva Problems

• Without proper saliva, you cannot absorb your food properly, for food digestion begins in the mouth. Always chew carbohydrate (“starchy”) foods especially well. This includes such things as bread and all grain products, potatoes, etc. If you do not digest your food properly you can get acid reflux too.. get a heart tack and/or cancer

• If you have a dry mouth, take a little lemon juice or honey before the meal to stimulate the flow of saliva.

Vitamin A If you are not obtaining enough vitamin A, your saliva flow may be inadequate.

Vitamin A is an important nutrient. It is especially helpful in the bodies of infants and toddlers for fighting off the effects of viral infection. It helps maintain the immune system in both children and adults. It plays a critical role in the creation of thyroid hormones and is absolutely necessary for creating the pigments that allow you to see at night. You have to get your vitamin A to have healthy skin. Preserve and improve your eyesight with Vitamin A

If you get your vitamin A from food rather than supplements, what are the foods you need. Here’s the rather short list:

Food Serving Vitamin A, measured as retinol equivalents Vitamin A, IU Retinol, measured in micrograms Retinol, measured in IU
Cod liver oil 1 teaspoon 1,350 mcg 4,500 IU 1,350 mcg 4,500 IU
Egg 1 large 91 mcg 303 IU 89 mcg 296 IU
Butter 1 tablespoon 97 mcg 323 IU 95 mcg 317 IU
Whole milk 1 cup (8 fl ounces) 68 mcg 227 IU 68 mcg 227 IU

(Source: The Linus Pauling Institute, Oregon State University, 2005.)

To this list, you could add skim milk, usually packaged with the artificial analog of the best natural vitamin A.

Note too many people develop allergic reaction to milk, as they get older, so cheese, milk products for them are unacceptable..

There’s also vitamin A in many breakfast cereals, and, were you inclined to use it as health food, caviar. Any natural food that’s rich in vitamin A is high in fat and cholesterol.

Although vitamin A is found only in foods of animal origin, some fruits and vegetables contain compounds, called cartenoids, that can be converted into vitamin A by your body. 

It is important for you to regularly eat foods that provide high vitamin A or beta-carotene even though it is stored in the liver. Stored vitamin A will help meet needs when intake of provitamin A carotenoids or preformed vitamin A is low.

 
Vitamin A Foods from Animal Sources
Animal Sources provide the best absorbed form of this vitamin.
Foods IU /
International Units
%DV *
Liver, beef, cooked, 3 oz 30,325 610
Liver, chicken, cooked, 3 oz 13,920 280
Egg substitute, fortified, 1/4 cup 1355 25
Fat free milk, fortified with vitamin A, 1 cup 500 10
Cheese pizza, 1/8 of a 12″ diameter pie 380 8
Milk, whole, 3.25% fat, 1 cup 305 6
Cheddar cheese, 1 ounce 300 6
Whole egg, 1 medium 280 6
% DV = Daily Value. DVs are reference numbers based on the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA). They were developed to help consumers determine if a food contains a lot or a little of a specific nutrient. The DV for vitamin A is 5,000 IU (1,500 micrograms retinol). Most food labels do not list a food’s vitamin A content.
 
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Vitamin A Foods from Plant Sources of Beta Carotene
Plant food sources of beta carotene are not as well absorbed as animal sources of vitamin A, especially when they are consumed whole and raw. However, they are still a valuable source.
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Foods IUs %DV *
Carrot, 1 raw (7 1/2 inches long) 20,250 410
Carrots, boiled, 1/2 cup slices 19,150 380
Carrot juice, canned, 1/2 cup 12,915 260
Sweet potatoes, canned , drained solids, 1/2 cup 7,015 140
Spinach, frozen, boiled, 1/2 cup 7,395 150
Mango, raw, 1 cup sliced 6,425 130
Vegetable soup, canned, chunky, ready-to-serve, 1 cup 5,880 115
Cantaloupe, raw, 1 cup 5,160 100
Kale, frozen, boiled, 1/2 cup 4,130 80
Spinach, raw, 1 cup 2,015 40
Apricot nectar, canned, 1/2 cup 1,650 35
Oatmeal, instant, fortified, plain, prepared with water, 1 packet 1,510 30
Tomato juice, canned, 6 ounces 1,010 20
Apricots, with skin, juice pack, 2 halves 610 10
Pepper, sweet, red, raw, 1 ring, 3 inches in diameter by 1/4-inch thick 570 10
Peas, frozen, boiled, 1/2 cup 535 10
Peach, raw, 1 medium 525 10
Peaches, canned, water pack, 1/2 cup halves or slices 470 10
Papaya, raw, 1 cup cubes 400 8
*DV = Daily Value. DVs are reference numbers based on the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA). They were developed to help consumers determine if a food contains a lot or a little of a specific nutrient. The DV for vitamin A is 5,000 IU (1,500 micrograms retinol).
 
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• If you seem to have too much saliva, drink a tea of one of the following: white oak bark, goldenseal root, or bayberry.
• A chewing gum habit is not good. It overworks your salivary glands when they should be resting.
 You have to look after yourself as well.
  
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PS:
Study: Smoke-free laws may cut heart attack hospitalizations
CNN – 14 hours ago
By Miriam Falco ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) — Implementing smoke-free policies can lead to a fewer hospitalizations resulting from heart attacks, according to a new study published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Study links smoking bans, heart attack rate Greeley Tribune
Our View: Smoking ban, one year later Northwest Herald
KKTV 11 News – The Associated Press – KDRV – Norman Transcript
all 460 news articles »
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Sadly very few persons still do care about taking positive steps to insure a healthy body, or dealing with depression, those who do tend to do the absolute minimum.. most people do not know what to do or do not care to do anything until it is almost too late. Few people seriously read about these topics now too..
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Further suggested readings
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There are still negative personal consequences for following after vanities
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Marriage problems or a relationship problem? Marriage problems or a relationship problem?
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She was selfish, self-absorbed, self-centered 
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Dealing effectively with life’s problems  
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We are all at WAR so act like it.
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Pride leads to destruction and humility to honour.. What motivates many persons these days?
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Coping with Personal unresolved Stress
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Marriage breakdown 
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Throw the bum out..
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While clearly the medical advances against even the more serious sickness have taken gigantic leaps now these days, I sadly too often these  days have to tell many people  the truth, to the sick persons that next the patients themselves are now more too often to blame for their sudden deaths,  their illness next even  degenerating some more even mostly too, even by
a) their  reaping what they sowed, by their own neglect of basic laws reaping relating to the to human anatomy too,
b) by their own failure to insure proper, healthy eating, 
d) their own  failure to get  proper sleep,
e) and their own failure to handle, resolve unbeneficial stress adequately
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Unresolved depression lends itself to to thoughts of being abandoned, not loved and leads to bad physical health, thoughts and/or acts of suicides.
 

 

 

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Some people are depressed cause they are on the wrong path all together and thus are lost but won’t admit it.
 
Some people are falsely depressed cause they are lazy, unrealistic, control freaks, selfish, self centered..

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Denial does not work.. it does not help to solve your sicknesses too..
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Diabetic cooking.

Visit MyFoodAdvisor™ 

http://www.diabeticpastrychef.com/

http://www.diabetic-recipes.com/recipes.htm

http://diabeticrecipes.gather.com/diabetic

http://allrecipes.com/Recipes/Healthy-Cooking/Diabetic/Main.aspx

http://recipes.recipeland.com/recipes/categories/list/Diabetic_10

  

Snack ideas

Snacks play a very important role in the daily life of a person with diabetes, particularly those with type 1 diabetes and insulin-requiring type 2 diabetes. For these people between-meal and bedtime snacks are essential to keep blood glucose levels as close to normal as possible and to help prevent low blood sugar (hypoglycemia).

Wherever you go you should always carry a supply of snacks to eat in case of low blood sugar — we keep snacks in our purse or briefcase, in the glove compartment of our car, in our office desk drawer, and in the sports bag that we carry to the exercise gym.

We’ve provided 37 snack recipes in our James Beard Cookbook Award-Winning Joslin Diabetes Gourmet Cookbook (Bantam Books) which you can purchase in our bookstore or borrow from most any library. The recipes run the gamut from Bruschetta to Stuffed Bread Slices, Zesty Corn Chips, Quick Passaladière, Dilled Potato-Cheese Soup, and Soft Pretzels. We also offer creative ways to combine “free foods” for when you are especially hungry and don’t want to use your carbo exchanges.

Here’s a list of snacks that can be purchased at most supermarkets calculated to supply 12 to 15 grams of carbohydrate or 1 carbohydrate (1 bread/starch) exchange:

1 small apple
8 animal crackers
4 medium fresh apricots or 7 dried halves
1/2 of a banana rolled with 2 tablespoons Grape Nuts cereal
1 cup cubed cantaloupe
12 Bing cherries
2 chocolate mousse bars (Weight Watchers)
1/2 cup chow mein noodles
3 dried dates
2 small dried figs
2 sugar-free fudgesickles
3 gingersnaps
36 Goldfish (adds 1 fat exchange)
3 graham crackers (2 1/2-inch square)
1/2 low-fat granola bar
15 grapes
5 kumquats
3 Lorna Doones (adds 1 fat exchange)
12 loquats
5 slices melba toast
1 small nectarine
1 cup skim milk
3 thin sliced Norwegian Kavli flatbread (2 thick sliced)
1 small orange
1 small peach
3 peanut butter sandwich crackers (adds 1 fat exchange)
1 small pear
16 Mr. Phipps Tater Crisps (adds 1 fat exchange)
2 small plums
24 oyster crackers
3 cups popcorn (popped by hot air, or low-fat microwave)
3 dried pitted prunes
15 fat-free potato or tortilla chips
3/4 ounce pretzels
2 tablespoons raisins
2 rice cakes (4″ diameter)
7 Ritz crackers (adds 1 fat exchange)
6 saltine crackers
2 Stella d’Oro Sesame Breadsticks (adds 1 fat exchange)
1 tangerine
15 Teddy Grahams (adds 1 fat exchange)
5 reduced-fat Triscuits
6 Vanilla Wafers (adds 1 fat exchange)
6 Waverly Wafers (adds 1 fat exchange)
12 Original Wheat Thins (adds 1 fat exchange)
13 Reduced-fat Wheat Thins (adds 1/2 fat exchange)
1 cup nonfat fruit-flavored yogurt (sweetened with sugar substitute)
1/2 cup of either I Can’t Believe It’s Yogurt or TCBY frozen yogurt or Baskin Robbins, Sugar-Free Ice Cream
               
Microwave cooking

 The Good Health Microwave Cookbook (Bantam Books), Carl Jerome says “by its very nature the microwave encourages its user to prepare healthful food. It cooks without the need of added fat…the microwave enhances flavors, in large part, because it cooks foods without the need for added water — which drains food of its flavor — thus minimizing the need for salt.”

We agree! The microwave cooks fresh vegetables wonderfully (and makes frozen vegetables seem almost fresh). It cooks cereals, grains, beans, and peas perfectly. Fish cooked in the microwave is marvelous, and the microwave does an excellent job with poultry and game. Fruit is better when cooked in the microwave than on top of the stove or in the oven.

“The microwave is basically a giant steamer, ” says Lori Longbotham, author of Better by Microwave (Dutton Books). That’s probably why most people don’t care for microwave baked potatoes. The potato is cooked in about 7 minutes, but it’s actually been steamed and lacks the crunchy outside skin that makes a baked potato so wonderful. So, microwave the potatoes while you’re preheating the regular oven to 450°F (230°C). Finish the potatoes in the hot oven so they can develop a crisp skin.

Have you ever tried cooking artichokes in the microwave? Four artichokes, arranged in a shallow dish and sealed airtight with a double covering of plastic wrap, cook perfectly in less than 15 minutes, in about a quarter of the top-of-the-stove cooking time and without all the fuss. Fat spears of asparagus cook in 5 minutes, retaining their emerald green color and fresh-picked flavor. Brussels sprouts do an amazing thing when you cook them in a microwave. The leaves actually separate as the sprouts cook in about 7 minutes to a delicate flavor and leafy texture. A small head of cauliflower, cored and cut into flowerets, cooks in just 6 minutes with its natural, delicate cabbage flavor and flowery aroma intensified.

No need to husk your fresh corn before cooking, just arrange the corn still in its husks like spokes of a wheel on the floor of the microwave oven with the small ends in the center. Four ears of corn will take 10 minutes on HIGH. Using an oven mitt, remove the corn from the oven and carefully pull off the husks and silks (they will separate easily from the corn). Be careful as the corn will be cooked all the way through the cob. As the Persians do, dip the cooked corn on the cob briefly in a pot of lightly salted water and offer wedges of fresh lime to squeeze on the corn just before eating. You won’t miss the butter!

Food cooks (and reheats) better in round dishes in a microwave.  

Salt attracts microwaves. Add it after the cooking, not before.

Not all china, glass, plastic, and paper dishes are microwave-safe as we specify for in all of our recipes. To determine if a particular dish is usable, we like the test suggested in Microwave Cooking Handbook by the International Microwave Power Institute of Clifton, Virginia:

“Place a glass measuring cup with 1/2 cup water in the microwave oven. Set the dish to be tested near the measuring cup, but not touching. Microwave on HIGH (100 percent) power for one minute. If the dish is cool or slightly warm to the touch, the dish is acceptable for microwave cooking. The water (in the measuring cup) should be quite warm or hot. If the dish is hot, do not use it in a microwave.”

Cooking with a Microwave   One of the main reasons that we like microwave cooking is that we can cook delicious meals with little or no fat. A 4-ounce (120 g) boneless, skinless chicken breast half cooks to juicy perfection in 2 to 2 1/2 minutes. Before cooking, rinse the chicken, blot with paper towels, sprinkle the chicken lightly with mixed Italian herbs and wrap in microwave-safe plastic wrap.

At the same time, you can cook a mix of thinly sliced onion and a few julienne strips of red and green bell peppers plus a quartered small red potato in 5 minutes. Add about 5 minutes for the pre-microwaving preparation time, and you have dinner done in 10 minutes — all on the same plate, if you like. (If cooking on one plate, start the vegetables and potato first and add the chicken after 2 1/2 minutes. Instant portion control with no tempting leftovers and only a plate, a chopping board, a sharp knife, and eating utensils to wash! Exchanges equal 4 very lean meat, 1 carbohydrate (1 bread/starch), and 1 vegetable.

Another time, you can do an instant “taco” salad dinner that makes 4 servings. First, crumble 1 pound (480 g) ground turkey in a microwave-safe colander set over a casserole dish. Microwave on HIGH for 5 minutes. Discard fat drippings and wipe out the casserole. Turn the cooked turkey into the casserole and stir in 1/2 cup (80 g) chopped onion, 1 cup (130 g) chopped zucchini, 1/2 tablespoon (7.5 ml) Mexican seasoning (if not available at your market, you can substitute 1 1/4 teaspoons (6.25 ml) chili powder and a 1/4 teaspoon (1.25 ml) ground cumin), 1/4 teaspoon (1.25 ml) garlic powder, 1/4 teaspoon (1.25) freshly ground pepper, and 1/2 cup (120 ml) purchased taco sauce. Microwave on HIGH for 3 minutes. Spread 4 cups (224 g) shredded iceberg lettuce on a platter. Spoon hot turkey-vegetable mixture over the lettuce and sprinkle with 3 tablespoons (21 g) low-fat sharp cheddar cheese. Exchanges per serving will equal 3 very lean meat and 1 vegetable. 

Microwave Tips

  1. Keep in mind, that as in any type of cooking, top quality ingredients will always produce superior results. Make sure you shop carefully, choosing the best and freshest ingredients available and that you can afford.
  2. Since there is little evaporation in microwave cooking, food cooks in very little water — only a tablespoon or two is needed for vegetables.
  3. Food continues to cook after the microwave turns off whether it’s left in the oven or removed. Let the cooked food stand for about 1/3 of the original cooking time before serving.
  4. Rotate the dish midway during the cooking time if your oven doesn’t have a turntable. Even if it does, stir the food and rearrange it, turning large food items over. This helps the food to cook evenly.
  5. Arrange food so that the thinnest part of the food (i.e. chicken breast, fish fillets) is in the center and the thickest part toward the outside. Fold under the thin edges of fish fillets and other tapered food to cook more evenly.
  6. Salt on the surface of food attracts microwaves, drying out the surface. If using, either stir it in or better yet (we’re all watching our salt, anyway), sprinkle with a salt substitute after cooking.
  7. The recipes were tested on HIGH or full power at 650 to 700 watts in a carousel microwave using microwave-safe containers. Since microwave ovens vary significantly by manufacturer and model, you’ll need to determine the power of your own oven from the manufacturer’s instruction manual. If your microwave is less or more powerful (the newer models are 800 to 900 watts), add or deduct 15 seconds per minute per 100 watts of power difference. Watch the dish carefully, and be sure to rotate the dish occasionally while cooking, if your oven does not have a carousel.
  8. Not all china, glass, plastic, and paper products are microwave-safe as we specify for in all of our recipes. Only use paper plates and towels and plastic wraps and bags that say microwave-safe. Never use a brown paper bag or newspaper in a microwave. It may catch on fire. To determine if a particular dish is usable, we like the test suggested in Microwave Cooking Handbook by the International Microwave Power Institute of Clifton, Virginia:
    “Place a glass measuring cup with 1/2 cup water in the microwave oven. Set the dish to be tested near the measuring cup, but not touching. Microwave on HIGH (100 percent) power for one minute. If the dish is cool or slightly warm to the touch, the dish is acceptable for microwave cooking. The water (in the measuring cup) should be quite warm or hot. If the dish is hot, do not use it in a microwave.”
  9. Never operate an empty microwave oven.
  10. A microwave oven must be kept clean for best efficiency. If something splatters, clean the microwave before using. Refer to your owner’s operation manual as to how to best clean your microwave.
  11. When reheating something liquid such as soup, stir before, during, and after reheating.
  12. Be careful to not overcook. Check food at the minimum time, then cook more if necessary. You can always add more cooking time, but like a food processor, once you pass the optimum time, you can’t take the time away.

now it’s time to share some quick cooking tips.

  1. If you like the firmer skin of an oven-baked potato, shorten the baking time by piercing the potato with a fork and microwaving them for 10 minutes before finishing them off in the oven.
  2. If you’re baking a whole chicken, shorten the baking time by asking your butcher to butterfly the chicken for you.
  3. Turkey will roast more quickly if it’s not stuffed. Bake the stuffing alongside in a casserole during the last hour, adding a little more low-fat, low-sodium stock or broth to keep the stuffing moist.
  4. If wanting browned onions or other root vegetables, don’t add any salt until after they are nicely browned and caramelized. Salt slows down the caramelization process.
  5. Buy legumes such as beans, lentils, chickpeas, and split peas when you know that you’ll be needing them soon – the longer the storage time, the longer the cooking time.
  6. If you like to bake pizza at home, invest in a pizza stone and preheat it in the oven before you start the pizza baking. It takes less time to bake on a hot stone.
  7. Like to make soup? Buy frozen stocks from your supermarket or professional-quality stock made from concentrated pastes that are diabetic-friendly – very low-sodium or low-sodium — from our diabetic supply store. Heat up the stock, adding small pieces of meat, poultry, vegetables, grains, pasta, etc. Add fresh or dried herbs and you have soup in minutes instead of hours.
  8. Freeze any leftover soup in individual microwavable plastic containers. Pop into the microwave to reheat.
  9. Always bring meat or poultry to room temperature before cooking (please, don’t leave it on the counter for hours – it only takes a few minutes). It’ll bake, grill, or cook on the stove top quicker and more evenly.
  10. When making mashed potatoes or turnips, the smaller the pieces, the quicker they’ll cook.
  11. Like hash browns with your Saturday or Sunday morning egg substitute or egg white omelet? Buy frozen hash browns at the supermarket or microwave a baking potato (following your oven’s instructions) and dice. Cook the hash browns in a hot cast iron skillet that has been lightly spritzed with refrigerated butter-flavored cooking spray. You’ll have delicious fat-free hash browns in minutes.
  12. When removing fat from hot stock, soup, or sauce, pop it into the freezer if there’s time, or lay a piece of paper towel on the surface. When you remove the paper towel, much of the fat will be gone. Repeat as needed.
  13. Make use of your microwave to quick cook vegetables, reheat foods, make sauces, and poach chicken and fish. Read the guide to your microwave so you have the times and instructions for its use firmly in your mind.
  14. Beans and grains cook more quickly in a microwave and keep their distinctive characteristics and proper consistency (not all mushy). Consult your oven pamphlet for exact times for your microwave oven.
  15. To quickly toast nuts and seeds without your constant attention, place 1/4 cup of nuts or seeds in a microwave dish and add 1 teaspoon of margarine. Microwave on HIGH for about 5 minutes, stirring once after 2 minutes. While the nuts or seeds are toasting, you can be doing something else.
  16. Bake meat loafs, casseroles, soufflés, etc. in individual dishes to cut down on the baking time.
  17. If baking a low-sugar or sugar-free cake, bake the batter in muffin cups instead of a cake pan to cut down on the baking time.
  18. When sautéing mushrooms, don’t crowd the skillet. They need room so the liquid they give off will evaporate quickly so they can brown.
  19. When making a dish, double or triple the recipe, freezing the extra batches in one or two microwavable plastic containers. Your next meal(s) will be ready in minutes.
  20. Make use of the defrost feature of your microwave oven to quickly thaw chicken or meat before you start cooking.
  21. Do you own a pressure cooker – a three-pound pot roast will cook in under an hour in a pressure cooker.
  22. Bonnie makes use of her bamboo steamers to prepare an entire meal in minutes. Layer the ingredients according to their cooking time, the foods that take more time at the bottom of the stack and the ones that take the least time on the top.
  23. When steaming vegetables, a wet kitchen towel between the pot and the lid will keep the steam in the pot, reducing the cooking time.
  24. Use a large skillet when reducing liquids before making a sauce. The larger the surface area, the quicker the time it takes for the liquid to evaporate.
  25. Finally, read through the recipe and make sure you have all of the ingredients pre-prepped and assembled BEFORE you start cooking. A lot of precious time can be wasted hunting through the pantry, cupboard, or fridge for missing ingredients.

 http://www.diabetic-lifestyle.com/

 

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