Smileys make children eat more healthy food

New York Labelling healthy foods with smiley faces and offering small prizes for buying nutritious items can make kids purchase more of such foods and eat them too, suggests a new research. “It looks like we found a very promising, low-cost and effective way of improving the nutrition of elementary school children,” said study author Robert Siegel from the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Centre. “This type of programme may be a useful component in schools trying to improve the nutrition and health of their students,” Siegel pointed out. For the study, the researchers designed a two-phase intervention to improve healthful eating among kindergarten through sixth-grade students at an inner-city school in Cincinnati. The first phase consisted of placing green smiley face emoticons by the most nutritious foods in the school cafeteria, including fruits, vegetables, plain white fat-free milk and an entree with whole grains. Three months later, researchers introduced the concept of a “Power Plate,” which consisted of the four healthy foods. Children who selected a Power Plate could receive a small prize, such as a sticker, temporary tattoo or mini beach ball. Results showed plain milk purchases increased from 7.4 percent to 48 percent of total milk sales. Meanwhile, chocolate milk selection decreased from 86.5 percent to 44.6 percent of total milk sales. In addition, fruit selection increased by 20 percent from 1 to 1.2 items per student per day, and vegetable selection rose by 62 percent from 0.74 to 1.2 items per student per day. Power Plate selection increased 335 percent from baseline. The findings were presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in San Diego. — IANS. Source: Article

Read More........→May 04, 2015

Sleep clears waste in the brain and helps it stay fit

WASHINGTON – Like a janitor sweeping the halls after the lights go out, major changes occur in the brain during sleep to flush out waste and ward off disease, researchers said Thursday. The research in the journal Science offers new answers to explain why people spend a third of their lives asleep and may help in treating dementia and other neurological disorders. In lab experiments on mice, researchers observed how cellular waste was flushed out via the brain's blood vessels into the body's circulatory system and eventually the liver. These waste products included amyloid beta, a protein that when accumulated is a driver of Alzheimer's disease. In order to help remove the waste, cerebral spinal fluid is pumped through brain tissue. The process is sped along during sleep because the brain's cells shrink by about 60 percent, allowing the fluid to move faster and more freely through the brain. The whole operation takes place in what researchers call the glymphatic system, which appears to be nearly 10 times more active during sleep than while awake. "The brain only has limited energy at its disposal," said lead author Maiken Nedergaard of the University of Rochester Medical Center. "You can think of it like having a house party. You can either entertain the guests or clean up the house, but you can't really do both at the same time." Co-authors of the study, which was funded by the US National Institutes of Health, came from Oregon Health and Science University and New York University. AFP, Source: http://sputniknews.com/, Image: https://www.flickr.com/

Read More........→April 05, 2015

Five-year-old Chinese boy becomes youngest pilot

A five-year-old boy from China has become the Guinness world record holder for the youngest person to pilot a plane. He Yide, nicknamed Duoduo, made a 35-minute flight in an ultralight aircraft across the Beijing Wildlife Park on August 31, Chinese media reported Tuesday. Zhang Yonghui, the person in charge of the aviation club where Duoduo learned flying, said the distance of the flight was 30 km. He Liesheng, the boy's father, said he wanted his son to become braver by flying a plane and also develop his curiosity and desire to explore, according to the Global Times. The boy earlier sparked a fury in 2012 when a video of his running half naked in the snow went viral on the internet. The video was shot by his
family in New York at minus 13 degrees Celsius. The boy has also sailed a yacht in an international competition and climbed Mount Fuji in Japan during a rainstorm, the media reports said. Duoduo's father was nicknamed "Eagle Dad" because of his strict parenting methods and has prompted debates over his style of parenting. "He's education style is worth learning, but not every child is suitable for it," the Global Times quoted Gu Li, the director of a learning research centre in Nanjing, as saying. Sun Yunxiao, deputy director of the China Youth and Children Research Centre, said if the boy had encountered problems, it could have impacted his entire life. "We should not force children to do what they are not able to do. Children can benefit more from playing with toys or mud than flying a plane," he said. Source: Article

Read More........→March 21, 2014

Overeating Learned In Infancy, Study Suggests

In the long run, encouraging a baby to finish the last ounce in their bottle might be doing more  harm than good. Though the calories soon burn off, a bad habit remains. Brigham Young University sociology professors Ben Gibbs and Renata Forste found that clinical obesity at 24 months of age strongly traces back to infant feeding. “If you are overweight at age two, it puts you on a trajectory where you are likely to be overweight into middle childhood and adolescence and as an adult,” said Forste. “That’s a big concern.” The BYU researchers analyzed data from more than 8,000 families and found that babies predominantly fed formula were 2.5 times more likely to become obese toddlers than babies who were breastfed for the first six months. But, the study authors argue, this pattern is not just about breastfeeding. “There seems to be this cluster of infant feeding patterns that promote childhood obesity,” said Gibbs, lead author of the study that appears in Pediatric Obesity. Putting babies to bed with a bottle increased the risk of childhood obesity by 36 percent. And introducing solid foods too soon – before four months of age – increased a child’s risk of obesity by 40 percent. “Developing this pattern of needing to eat before you go to sleep, those kinds of things discourage children from monitoring their own eating patterns so they can self-regulate,” Forste said. Forste said that the nature of breastfeeding lends itself to helping babies recognize when they feel full and should stop. But that same kind of skill can be developed by formula-fed infants. “You can still do things even if you are bottle feeding to help your child learn to regulate their eating practices and develop healthy patterns,” Forste said. “When a child is full and pushes away, stop! Don’t encourage them to finish the whole bottle.” Breastfeeding rates are lowest in poor and less educated families. Sally Findley, a public health professor at Columbia University, says the new BYU study shows that infant feeding practices are the primary reason that childhood obesity hits hardest below the poverty line. “Bottle feeding somehow changes the feeding dynamic, and those who bottle feed, alone or mixed with some breastfeeding, are more likely to add cereal or sweeteners to their infant’s bottle at an early age, even before feeding cereal with a spoon,” said Findley. The next project for Gibbs and Forste is to reevaluate the link between breastfeeding and cognitive development in childhood. Forste has previously published research about why women stop breastfeeding. You can listen her discuss that topic with The New York Times in this podcast. “The health community is looking to the origins of the obesity epidemic, and more and more, scholars are looking toward early childhood,” Gibbs said. “I don’t think this is some nascent, unimportant time period. It’s very critical.” Contacts and sources: Joe Hadfield, Brigham Young University, Source: Nano Patents And Innovations

Read More........→May 26, 2013

Illincic wrap up London Fashion Week

LONDON (AP) — The models have packed up, the temporary runways taken down. London Fashion Week on Tuesday wrapped up five hectic days of women's wear shows, a whirlwind display of new colors and textures for next spring from big name designers and newcomers alike. London hosts a more eclectic collection of designers and labels than fashion weeks in New York, Milan and Paris, and the latest crop of spring and summer designs seen this week has been a big mish-mash: Futuristic metallic leathers at Burberry, sweet '50s pastels at Temperley, '70s disco fever at Jonathan Saunders, and '90s minimalism at quite a few other shows. While there was no overriding theme, there were micro-trends set to make their way to high street stores come spring. All-white and monochrome outfits were seen everywhere, as were pretty confectionery shades of mint and lemon. Futuristic, shiny materials like plastic or fabrics with a foil-like, iridescent or even holographic sheen were popular, as was the use of sheer, feminine layers in organza, chiffon or mesh. On Tuesday, things kicked off with '70s-inspired florals, wide-leg trousers and mannish suits at luxury label Mulberry, best-known for its leather handbags. The collection, delivered with a humorous British flair, nodded to several of the season's popular trends: Sleek trouser suits, all-season leather, metallic jacquard, and head-to-toe ice-cream pastel shades. Model-turned-designer Roksanda Illincic followed with a collection of dresses with simple feminine shapes and minimal detailing, leaving her use of beautiful color combinations and glossy fabrics to do the talking. Day Five also saw collections by a handful of younger and adventurous designers. Simone Rocha, the daughter of British fashion institution John Rocha, deftly combined schoolgirl innocence and tough attitude, while maverick duo Meadham Kirchoff sent the party home with a spectacularly whimsical show of Marie Antoinette fashion gone mad. Tuesday's shows ended a week that saw models and celebrities like Kate Moss and One Direction's Harry Styles flocking to the catwalks' front row. Lady Gaga stole the limelight Sunday with a starring turn at milliner Philip Treacy's comeback show. The fashion brigade moves on to Milan for more shows that begin Wednesday. Paris Fashion Week begins next Tuesday. MULBERRY Luxury brand: Mulberry has ditched most of the playfulness in its recent seasons, showcasing a spring collection that's still quirky but definitely grown-up. Mulberry's show at London's swanky Claridge's hotel was decorated with dozens of garden gnomes and fake geckos crawling on rose bushes - a typically wacky atmosphere of pretty English garden meets exotic creatures. But appearances were deceptive, and the clothes themselves were more sophisticated than the setting suggested. Creative director Emma Hill sent models down the catwalk in oversized leather biker jackets and mannish tuxedos in navy, black and white. The 1970s-inspired collection had floral embroidery, floor-length skirts, flower buttons and high-waisted wide legs, updated with metallic jacquard printed with mini-flowers and geckos. Leather separates and trouser suits balanced flirty pleated skirts. There were muted brown ensembles along with head-to-toe sweet pastels in mint and peach - including pastel-colored shoes and handbags, the brand's bestselling item. ROKSANDA ILLINCIC: Taking her inspiration from artists, Roksanda Illincic's catwalk show had plenty of ensembles for the woman who wants to look stylish without trying too hard. Simple, streamlined shapes like tailored shifts and breezy A-line dresses came in high-impact color combinations that really popped: Tangerine with cobalt, mango, dirty pink or white. Sometimes all the colors came together on one dress, like a modern abstract painting. Models cradled oversized satin clutch bags and wore patent courts with multi-colored block heels. The show, staged in the Savoy Hotel's glamorous ballroom, ended with a series of ensembles made in a glossy, laminated organza. Illincic counts U.S. first lady Michelle Obama and Britain's Kate Middleton among fans of her sleek style. Her show had many of her popular signature elements: Beautiful colors, high-waisted silhouettes, feminine bell sleeves and modest mid-calf or ankle-grazing hemlines. But this season the designer said she wanted to shake up the elegance with casual wear - like taking an evening dress shape and making it out of T-shirt or jersey materials. "It gives an element of fun, something unexpected," she said. SIMONE ROCHA: Budding talent Simone Rocha has her designer dad's giant shoes to fill, but she seems to be taking it all in her stride. The 26-year-old showcased her latest spring collection at London Fashion Week Tuesday, a collection of all-white outfits, sheer cut-out panels, neons and leather that mixed schoolgirl innocence with cool attitude. The collection started with dazzling white button-up shirts and boyish shapes in Broderie Anglaise, but the prim look was soon undercut by thigh-revealing, irregular shaped sheer panels on the front or back of skirts. High-collared, neat shapes in muted shades of butter and toffee followed, but soon things were shaken up with a pale sundress overlaid with a high-shine neon yellow PVC plastic, all-over metallic gold foil vests and skirts, and floral-crocheted skirts and oversized jackets in fluorescent yellow and neon coral. Models wore mannish brogues with clear plastic soles and heels, a design that has been worn by celebrities including Rihanna and proved to be Rocha's best-selling product. Rocha debuted at London Fashion Week in 2010. MEADHAM KIRCHOFF: English-French design duo Edward Meadham and Benjamin Kirchhoff are known for staging riotously fun and different shows, and this season they met expectations with a collection piled high with over-the-top, Marie Antoinette style corsets, bodices, bows and frills. Although the invitation and the opening track told of a humorous "damsel in distress" theme, the models were more like fairy godmothers with an enchanted wardrobe. Acting sleepy or deep in thought in their theatrical outfits, models drifted around stands set up on the catwalk and plucking roses and cupcakes from them. There were big puffy sleeves, thigh-high boots, feather gloves and big skirts layered over skinny trousers, all embellished with lashings of bows and jewels. Not very practical, but certainly shows the fun and entertaining face of London fashion. Source: SAM Daily Times

Read More........→November 15, 2012

77-year-old bodybuilder says vegan diet gave him the strength, stamina

LOS ANGELES: Bodybuilders are known for their massive consumption of foods, from chicken breast to meat and dairy products on a daily basis, but for 77-year-old Jim Morris, he chose a different route and believes that his physique is the direct result of cutting out the animal products and going vegan those many years ago. Morris maintains his superb health, even late in life, as a result of his animal-free diet, and believes that more people should go vegan in order to advance both physically and mentally. “Prior to becoming vegan I suffered digestive problems all my life,” Morris told Frugivore. “I started taking anti-inflammatory medication in 1966 for my joints. At one point I was getting cortisone injections directly into both elbows every week. The arthritis kept me awake at night. “I would get 2-3 colds yearly and allergy attacks as often. Since becoming vegan, all my health problems have completely disappeared. My yearly checkups are perfect.” Morris, who’s a pioneer in many respects, began exploring veganism in the 1970s. Morris began eliminating all animal products from his diet except for fish and cheese in 1974, and then converted to a complete vegan diet 13 years ago. “My first awareness of vegetarianism was 1969,” he recounts. “Having won all of the contests on the East Coast, I moved from New York City to Los Angeles and started training for the national contests under the coaching of three-time Mr. Universe Bill Pearl. “I had met Bill in New York at an exhibition he gave at the Brooklyn Academy of Music and was very impressed by him and his demeanor. Bill was a lacto-ovo vegetarian (a vegetarian who doesn’t eat animal products, but consumes dairy and egg products). Morris eventually turned to full veganism once he saw how muscular his friend Bill was while consuming no animal products of any kind. “In 1972 at the age of 42, Bill began training for the Mr. Universe,” he says. “Having followed the bodybuilding obsession with animal protein for my entire career, I was amazed at Bill’s strength and gain in muscle. He won the Mr. Universe for the fourth time. “Still afraid to mess with a winning formula (I had won Mr. Los Angeles in 1969, Mr. California in 1970, Mr. USA in 1972) I continued to eat meat until after the Mr. America in 1973, which I won. Between 1974 and 1985 I gradually eliminated all animal products except fish and cheese. Between 1985 and 1999 I weaned myself from both.” Morris, who gets a weekly injection of vitamin B-12 and testosterone, says his annual physical check-ups are “perfect,” and says ethical reasons are the key drivers for his vegan lifestyle. “I believe every creature is born with the inalienable right of freedom,” he says. “Freedom to live in its natural environment, with its own kind, making its own decisions. I believe the law should prohibit the enslavement of all non-human species for any purpose whatever.” For those aspiring bodybuilders out there, Morris is yet another example that defines the positives of a vegan cuisine. Source: Bikyamasr, Image: flickr.com

Read More........→October 26, 2012

Green tea extract may prevent breast cancer: study

Green tea has long been known for its medicinal benefits and now researchers have found that it also contains an extract which can inhibit mechanisms that promote tumour cell growth in breast cancer. Researchers from the Columbia University Medical Center in New York found that the extract Polyphenon E, appears to inhibit vascular endothelial growth factor and hepatocyte growth factor, both of which promote tumour cell growth, migration and invasion. The researchers conducted a placebo-controlled study of Polyphenon E in a group of 40 women with hormone receptor-negative breast cancer. “Many preclinical studies have looked at epigallocatechin-3-gallate, or EGCG, which is one of the main components of green tea, and the various possible mechanisms of its action against cancer, but it is very difficult to do those same kinds of studies in humans,” researcher Katherine D Crew, said. “This study was too small to say for sure if green tea will prevent breast cancer, but it may move us forward in terms of understanding anti-tumour mechanisms,” Crew said. In the primary analysis last year, 40 women were randomly assigned to 400 mg, 600 mg or 800 mg of Polyphenon E or to placebo twice daily for six months. During that time, researchers collected blood and urine samples from participants at baseline and at two, four and six months. In this secondary analysis, Crew and colleagues used the blood and urine samples to examine biologic endpoints, such as inflammatory proteins, growth factors and lipid biomarkers, which might point to the mechanism of action behind green tea extract. Biomarker data were available for 34 of the 40 patients. Women assigned to the extract had an average 10-fold increase in green tea metabolites compared with placebo. In addition, they had a significant reduction in hepatocyte growth factor levels at two months compared with women assigned to placebo. However, at the four-month and six-month follow-ups, the difference was no longer statistically significant. The researchers also identified a trend toward decreased total serum cholesterol and decreased vascular endothelial growth factor in women assigned to the extract. According to Crew, it is still too early to recommend green tea extract to prevent breast cancer. The study was presented at the 11th Annual AACR International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research in California. Source: Indian Express, Image :flickr.com

Read More........→October 20, 2012

Discovering the mystery of Le Corbusier

The exhibition headlined “Le Corbusier. The Secret Laboratory: between art and architecture” opened at the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow to run through November 18th.

By Tatiana Zavyalova, This is the first time that Le Corbusier`s legacy is so widely represented in Russia. The collection features over 400 pieces created by outstanding French architect of the 20th century: paintings, drawings, wooden sculptures and tapestries, tables, armchairs, photographs and architectural models. This all helps to have a deeper insight into the life of Corbusier as a pioneer of modernism. The architect’s legacy includes buildings in twelve countries, including Russia. In Moscow he designed the Tsentrosoyuz Building on Myasnitskaya Street which currently is the home to the Russian State Committee for Statistics. Constructed in 1933, the building still looks impressive. Le Corbusier was very interested in working in the Soviet Union, he was inspired by the Soviet ideology of a new world order. Encouraged by the success of his first project in Moscow, Le Corbusier expected his project of the Palace of the Soviets to be implemented, too. But the jury was not impressed with the interior designs which they found ‘too liberal’. Professor at Sorbonne in Paris and at the New York Institute of Fine Arts, Jean-Louis Cohen: “Le Corbusier invented the so-called architectural promenade,a kind of a pathway which allowed people walk freely inside the building.” In the 1930s Le Corbusier suggested a new look on the Moscow urban policy but his ideas were not accepted. Today when the Russian capital is expanding the ideas again sound up-to-date. The deputy director of the Moscow Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, Andrei Tolstoy: “In the 1930s the central Moscow looked differently. Now we can hardly breathe due to the jam packed traffic even in broad streets. Then practically all streets in Moscow were much narrower. Le Corbusier predicted the city expansion and offered his solution.” It took two years to prepare the exhibition at the Pushkin Museum. The company’s unchallenged director Irina Antonova insisted that the collection transported from France comprised as many pieces as possible, including Le Corbusier`s collection of sea shells. The Barcelona School of Architecture made over 10 architectural models byLe Corbusier especially for the exhibition in Moscow. By the way, the Tsentrosoyuz Building in Moscow designed by Le Corbusier is open to everyone willing to have a stroll inside this modernist building. Soon, a memorial dedicated to the great constructivist architect is going to be unveiled outside the Tsentrosoyuz. Source: Voice of Russia, Image: flickr.com

Read More........→October 09, 2012

Relaxations’ big on the big island of Hawaii

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A childhood cartoon from The New Yorker by Robert Weber displays a pair expressing their tourism mediator, “We just need a holiday – we don’t need to acquire anything.” It’s been videoed up by my computer for an age, and I’ve repeatedly laughed at its mawkishness in a self-assuredly loftier genus of approach. As an individual rose to query the strength of siesta as genuine idle time, “holiday” has continuously intended journeys fanatical to studies of galleries, drawing galleries, carcasses and other traditional events, frequently intermingled with 50-mile walks tailed by Class IV rapids. It acquired a holiday to Hawaii’s Big Island a few weeks ago for my sister-in-law and her husband to see that a holiday, speciously demarcated by particular in the vocabulary sense as a “period of time devoted to pleasure, rest or relaxation,” could be a very moral entity. They have been to Maui and Oahu, and for specific purpose, always believed that the Big Island was nonentity but a crowd-choked sightseer setup for terminus weddings and honeymooners. It turns out that its extent and lesser number of sightseers – according to the Hawaii Convention and Visitors Bureau, Oahu develops about 4.5 million guests related to the Big Island’s somewhat more than 1 million yearly – mean it really has more living space than the other
islands, especially if  you stay throughout the shoulder period. In early May, the Big Island feels confidently unfilled. They prepared specific exploration and recited. What they actually hunted from this tour, they decided, was to stopover moving like a hamster in a wheel long adequate for somebody to place a cold drink in single hand while they relaxed everywhere on a immaculate, white sand seashore glaring for times on end out at the turquoise liquid, maybe tumbling slumbering during the day – unnoticed of! – while waiting for it was interval to pace as insufficient footsteps as possible back to my room, tailed by walking as few steps as possible to a tremendous, preferably garden-fresh seafood ceremonial dinner, and then dropping asleep to the wide-ranging of the marine. Complete, ended, finished and completed, all at the Hilton Waikoloa Village on the southern Kohala Coast, a 62-acre possibility – a small town, reality be expressed – that has just approximately the whole enchilada you need to play yourself down in its oceanfront core and not travel yet again until it’s time to go family. Walking around 62-acre recourse is great use and workout, but if that’s too much of a affliction, the Hilton, which was erected from 1986 to 1988 by designer Chris Hemmeter on a magma arena – deals a tram along the property and waterway yachts that proceed their approach around the ponds and waterfall-decorated lakes, including a
large adults-only version. To escape walking, still, would be to slip ample of the $7 million art assembly that appearances the open-air footpaths and galleries, a curated grouping of mostly Asian pieces, counting a few fabulous Buddhist statuaries and wall-hangings. Nearby the hotel accommodations, many of which deal remarkable marine sights (They acclaim trying to acquire single in the noiseless Lagoon Tower, which is well located to admittance cafés and swimming pool, as well as the best quick-stop coffee bar) are Zen greens, redesigned with cemented tracks, perfect for dawn and dusk walking. If you must do somewhat in addition find a laze chair next to one of the swimming pool – several of which appearance out onto Anaeho’omalu Bay – or the fish-filled brine pond, the Hilton has two golf courses, tennis, an pleasurable (read: not too cheesy) luau three nights a week and their own swim-with-the-dolphins setup called Dolphin Quest. They also can assemble water happenings such as whale-watching and snorkeling.Source: Medley News

Read More........→September 28, 2012

Marilyn Monroe: proto-feminist?

As the 50th anniversary of Marilyn Monroe's death approaches, Lois Banner argues in this extract from her new book that the star – complex and powerful – had many qualities associated with the women's movement Lois Banner, guardian.co.uk, Saturday 21 July 2012 In one of the most famous photos of the 20th century, Marilyn Monroe stands on a subway grate, trying to hold her skirt down as a gust of wind blows it up, exposing her underpants. The photo was taken in New York on 15 September, 1954, in a photoshoot during the filming of The Seven Year Itch Marilyn is a vision in white, suggesting innocence and purity. Yet she exudes sexuality and transcends it; poses for the male gaze and confronts it. The photoshoot was a publicity stunt, one of the greatest in the history of film. Its time and location were published in New York newspapers; it attracted a crowd of 100 male photographers and 1,500 male spectators, even though it was held in the middle of the night to avoid  daytime  crowds. Sam  Shaw,  the stills photographer for the movie, took the  famous photo, but the other photographers there shot hundreds of variations.Billy Wilder, the film's director, did 14 takes – pausing between them to let the photographers shoot. Every time Marilyn's skirt blew up, the crowd roared, especially those up front, who could see a dark blotch of pubic hair through her underpants, even though she had put on two pairs to conceal it. The draconian 1934 Motion Picture Production Code forbade such a display. Any sign of pubic hair in photos had to be airbrushed out. The scene in the shoot is naughty, with the phallic subway train, its blast of air, and Marilyn's erotic stance. Yet she is in control. She is the "woman on top," drawing from the metaphor for women's power that runs through Euro-American history. She poses for the male gaze, but she is an unruly woman – the white witch with supernatural powers; the burlesque star in "an upside-down world of enormous, powerful women and powerless, victimised men". In the photo Marilyn is so gorgeous, so glamorous, so incandescent – as her third husband, the writer Arthur Miller, described her – that she seems every inch a star, glorying in her success. She can now defy the people who had mistreated her: her father and mother, who abandoned her; foster parents who abused her; Hollywood patriarchs who regarded her as their toy; even Joe DiMaggio, then her husband, who physically abused her. Present at the shoot, he stalked off in a fury when her skirt billowed up and revealed her underwear. In her only discussion of the shoot – a 1962 interview – she stated that she wasn't thinking about sex when she posed, only about having a good time. "At first it was all innocent and fun," Marilyn said, "but when Billy kept shooting the scene over and over the crowd of men kept on applauding and shouting, 'More, more Marilyn – let's see more." Then Billy brought the camera in close, focusing on her crotch. "What was supposed to be a fun scene turned into a sex scene." With her wry humour, Marilyn added: "I hope all those extra takes are not for your Hollywood friends to enjoy at a private party."Source: Beattie's Book Blog,Image: flickr.com

Read More........→July 22, 2012

Create portable device to relieve migraine

By Cena, Create portable device to relieve migraine A new portable handheld device that sends magnetic pulses to the back of the head, could function as non-invasive and non-pharmacologicalmigraine patients. Experiments carried out previously focused on much larger devices and expensive that could be used exclusively in hospitals, but this new device has a mechanism to use at home easily. Scientists at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, tested the safety and efficacy of the device, in an experiment involving 200 volunteers, half of whom also received a placebo treatment. The experiment showed that 40% of patients had no pain after two hours of using the device and found that did not cause any serious side effects. Transcranial magnetic therapy did not cause symptoms of nausea and photophobia or phonophobia. This new device could be a promise for the treatment of migraine, it reduces the progression of seizures in some individuals, the authors, who also suggested it might benefit especially those patients in whom the current drug treatment is ineffective , is poorly tolerated or contraindicated. The study results were published in The Lancet Neurology. Source: Forum Human Health

Read More........→June 15, 2012

World's Most Expensive Burger

New York's Serendipity 3 restaurant has invented the world's most expensive burger according the Guinness Book of World Records, clocking in at a shocking $295. The burger, invented in honor of National Hamburger Month (otherwise known as May), features a patty of Japanese Waygu beef infused with 10-herb white truffle butter and seasoned with Salish Alderwood smoked Pacific sea salt. It's topped with cheddar cheese, hand-

Read More........→June 11, 2012

History's Runway: The Tree Dress , 1955

"The Tree Dress" Charles James, New York, 1955, From the Cecil Beaton Collection at, The Victoria & Albert Museum

Inspired by the cuircase bodices and bustles of the 1870s, this gorgeous and unusual evening dress was designed for Mrs. Ronald Tree by Charles James (1906-1978) in 1955. The British-born, New York and London based designer was intrigued by the cut of historical dress and sought new ways to create gowns inspired by historical pieces. He excelled in the creation of sumptuous, full-skirted evening gowns which were
 masterpieces of modern construction. Now part of the Cecil Beaton collection at the V&A, this evening dress is constructed of silk taffeta, consisting of an outer taffeta shell of a bodice, and two form-hugging ruched skirts over a full lower skirt. The hem has a deep facing of bright peacock blue silk taffeta which would have been seen only when the wearer of the dress was in motion. Source: Stalking the Belle

Read More........→June 11, 2012

Amazon to bring out James Bond e-books

AP, New York, James Bond has a new American publisher: Amazon.com.The online giant has acquired rights from the late Ian Fleming’s estate for North American rights to his classic spy novels in paper and e-book editions, including Dr. No and From Russia With Love. The books will be available from Amazon as of this summer. Independent stores and Barnes & Noble Inc. have usually declined to stock works published by Amazon, a top retail competitor. Amazon has steadily expanded its publishing program over the past few years, signing up such celebrities as Penny Marshall and Billy Ray Cyrus and setting up imprints for a wide variety of genres. The agreement with novelist Ian Fleming’s estate is for 10 years.  Source: Hindustan Times

Read More........→April 29, 2012

Naturopathic

Tips For More Healthy: Some see the ancient Greek "Father of Medicine", Hippocrates, first as a defender of naturopathic medicine, before the term existed. Modern practice of naturopathy is rooted in Nature Cure movement of Europe during the 19th century. In Scotland, Thomas Allinson started advocating his "Hygienic Medicine" in the 1880s, promoting a natural diet and exercise to avoid tobacco and overwork. Sanipractor This term is sometimes used to refer to naturopaths, particularly in the Pacific Northwest United States. Naturopathic Medicine or Naturopathy is a form of alternative medicine based on trust vitalism, which states that a special energy called a vital energy or vital force guides the body such as metabolism, reproduction, growth, and adaptation. Naturopathic philosophy favors a holistic approach, and, like conventional medicine seeks to find a minimally invasive measures are necessary for symptomatic improvement or resolution, thereby encouraging the use of minimal surgery and drugs are not necessary. According to the Association of Accredited Naturopathic Medical Colleges, "Naturopathic medicine is defined by principles rather than by the methods or modalities. Above all, respect the body's innate wisdom to heal." According to the American Cancer Society, "Available scientific evidence does not support the claim that naturopathic medicine can cure cancer or other diseases, because almost no studies on naturopathy as a whole has been published." The "naturopathy" to translate the term comes from Greek and Latin, and literally as "nature disease." Modern naturopathy grew out of the Nature Cure movement in Europe. The term was coined in 1895 by John Scheel, and popularized by Benedict Lust, "Father of U.S. naturopathy". Beginning in the 1970s, there is resurgence of interest in the United States and Canada in conjunction with holistic health movement. Naturopathic practitioners are divided into two groups, traditional naturopaths and naturopathic physicians. Naturopathic doctors use the principles of naturopathy in the context of conventional medical practice. Naturopathy consists of different treatment modalities of various levels of acceptance by the conventional medical community; these treatments range from the standard of evidence-based care, for homeopathy and other practices are sometimes characterized as pseudoscience. Naturopathy is practiced in many countries, especially the United States and Canada, and subject to different regulatory standards and levels of acceptance. The scope of practice varies widely between jurisdictions, and naturopaths in unregulated jurisdictions may use designation of Naturopathic Doctor or other title without the level of education. Philosophical foundations and methodological naturopathic sometimes at odds with the paradigm of evidence-based medicine (EBM). Many naturopaths oppose vaccination in part based on the philosophy that forms the beginning of the profession. The term naturopathy was coined in 1895 by John Scheel, and purchased by Benedict Lust, "Father of U.S. naturopathy". Lust has been educated in hydrotherapy and natural health practices in Germany by Father Sebastian Kneipp; Kneipp Lust shipped to the United States to deploy its drugless methods. Lust naturopathy is defined as a broad discipline rather than a specific method, and includes techniques such as hydrotherapy, herbal medicine, and homeopathy, as well as eliminating overeating,
tea, coffee, and alcohol. He described the body as a spiritual and vitalistic with "absolute dependence on the cosmic forces of human nature." In 1901, Lust founded the American School of Naturopathy in New York. In 1902, the original North American Society Kneipp discontinued and renamed "naturopathic community". In September 1919 Naturopathic Society of America was dissolved, and Dr. Benedict Lust founded the "American Association of Naturopathic" to replace it. Naturopaths to be licensed naturopathic or drugless practitioner of law in 25 states in the first three decades of the twentieth century. Naturopathy adopted by many chiropractors, and some schools offered both (DC) Doctor of Naturopathy (ND) and Doctor of Chiropractic degree. Estimated number of active naturopathic schools in the United States during this period varies from about one to two dozen.  After a period of rapid growth, naturopathy went into decline for several decades after the 1930's. In 1910, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching published the Flexner Report, which criticized many aspects of medical education, particularly quality and lack of scientific rigor. The advent of penicillin and other "miracle cures" and popularity due to modern medicine also contributed to the decline of naturopathy's. In the 1940s and 1950s, expanding the legal scope of chiropractic practice led many schools to drop their ND degree, although many chiropractors continue to practice naturopathy. From 1940 to 1963, the American Medical Association campaigned against heterodox medical system. In 1958, the practice of naturopathy is licensed only five countries. In 1968, the United States Department of Health, Education, and Welfare issued a report on naturopathy concludes that naturopathy is not based on science of naturopathic medicine and that education is not enough to prepare graduates to make the right diagnosis and provide treatment; a report recommending against the expansion of Medicare coverage for include naturopathic medicine. In 1977, an Australian inquiry committee reached the same conclusion, but does not recommend licensing for naturopaths. In 2009, fifteen fifty U.S. states, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands and the District of Columbia licensed naturopathic physician, and two states (WA, VT) requires insurers to provide reimbursement for services provided by naturopathic physicians. Naturopathy never really ceased to exist. Beginning in the 1970s, the wax flowers in the United States and Canada in conjunction with holistic health movement. Today, there are nine schools that offer certificates or Traditional naturopathy degree programs accredited by the American Board of Naturopathic Medical Accredation National Board of Naturopathic Examiners of ANA currently recognizes two schools that offer programs Naturopathy Doctorate Degree Represented by six naturopathic medical schools accredited naturopathic medicine and a candidate for accreditation in North America. In 1956, Charles Stone, Frank Spaulding, and W. Martin Bleything founded the National College of Natural (NCNM) in Portland, Oregon in response to plans by the Western States Chiropractic College to drop the course ND. In 1978, Sheila Quinn, Joseph Pizzorno, William Mitchell, and Les Griffith founded John Bastyr College of Naturopathic Medicine (now Bastyr University) in Seattle, Washington. In the same year, the Canadian College Naturopathic Medicine was founded in Toronto, Canada. Recently founded the school, including Southwest College Naturopathic Medicine, established in 1992, and the Boucher Institute of Naturopathic Medicine, also founded in 1992. The University of Bridgeport in Connecticut, ND grant degrees through the College of Naturopathic Medicine, and National University of Health Sciences in Illinois recently developed naturopathic programs
and is currently a candidate for accreditation.Naturopathic ideology focuses on substances that occur naturally, minimally invasive method, and the encouragement of natural healing. Naturopaths generally supports an intuitive and vitalistic concept of the body, and a complete rejection of modern biomedical science and the public. Stress reduction and prevention through a healthy diet and lifestyle are very stressed, and pharmaceutical drugs, ionizing radiation, and surgery is generally minimized. The philosophy of naturopathic practice is self-described by six core values. Several versions exist in the form of the naturopathic doctor's oath, the various missions issued by the school or professional association, ethical behavior and guidelines issued by regulatory agencies: * First, do no harm, providing the most effective health care is available with minimal risk to patients at all times (non nocere quaeritur).* Recognizing, respecting and promoting self-healing power of nature inherent in every human individual. (Vis Naturae medicatrix, a form of vitalism). * Identify and remove the causes of disease, rather than eliminate or suppress symptoms (Tolle Causum). * Educate, inspire rational hope and encourage self-responsibility for health (doctor as teacher). * Treat each person by considering all individual health factors and influences. (Treat the Whole Person). * Emphasize health condition to improve the well-being and prevent illness for the individual, every society and our world. (Health Promotion, the Best Prevention) * Naturopaths use a variety of treatment modalities, with a focus on natural healing itself rather than any specific method. Some methods depend on the material "vital energy field", the existence of which has not been proven, and there are concerns that naturopathy as the field tends toward isolation from the general scholarly discourse. The effectiveness of naturopathy as a whole system has not been systematically evaluated, and the efficacy of individual methods used vary. A consultation usually begins with a lengthy interview patients to focus on lifestyle, medical history, emotional tone, and physical characteristics, and physical examination. The traditional naturopath focuses on lifestyle changes and approaches that support the body's innate healing potential. Traditional naturopaths do not attempt to diagnose or treat illness but to concentrate on the health of the entire body and facilitate the body's own healing. Traditional Naturopaths do not prescribe or attempt to engage in the use of drugs, serum, potion, surgery or treatment of certain diseases or the practice of conventional medicine. Naturopathic medicine practitioners resist the urge to become a major service provider and in addition to various natural approaches attempt to prescribe legend drugs, perform minor operations and implement other approaches to conventional medical practice them. Naturopaths do not always recommend the vaccine and antibiotics, and can provide alternative solutions that are not appropriate even in cases in which evidence-based medicine has been proven effective. All forms of naturopathic education includes the concept does not correspond to basic science, and not have to prepare the practitioner to make a correct diagnosis or referral. Source: Tips For More Healthy: Naturopathic

Read More........→April 18, 2012

Positive parenting helps prevent obesity in kids

Positive parenting during the child’s formative years could help prevent obesity among them. Today, one out of five US children is obese. They are five times more likely than their peers to be obese by adolescence, facing higher risk for a range of medical, social and academic problems. The new study, led by Laurie Miller Brotman, professor of child and adolescent psychiatry at the New York University, investigated whether early family intervention that was effective for parents of children with behaviour problems, resulted in lower rates of obesity.  This innovative study took advantage of two long-term follow up studies of high-risk children who had participated in evaluations of either ParentCorps or another effective parenting intervention, the “Incredible Years,” during early childhood, the journal Paediatrics reports.  The study involved 186 children from low-income, minority families at high risk for obesity who were randomly assigned to family intervention or a control group when the children were approximately four years old.  Behavioural family intervention in early childhood included a series of weekly two-hour parent and child groups over a six-month period, according to a New York statement.  “Children who enter school with behaviour problems are at very high risk for academic under-achievement and school dropout, anti-social behaviour, delinquency, obesity and other health problems,” said Brotman.  In both follow-up studies, children who were assigned to the intervention and children in the control condition (without intervention) were evaluated from three to five years later.  Children who received family intervention during early childhood had significantly lower rates of obesity compared to children in the control group.  In the larger study, without intervention, more than half of the children with early behaviour problems were obese by second grade. Source: Medley News

Read More........→April 14, 2012