Thursday, April 7, 2011

Anorexia Increasing In Seniors | ThirdAge.com Articles

Anorexia Increasing In Seniors | ThirdAge.com Articles:

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"Anorexia is a psychological disorder characterized by delusions that make you believe you are too fat despite being emaciated. Most often it’s associated with teenage girls and young women. But a new study shows that it’s more likely to occur in senior women. When it does, it often takes a tragic turn, accounting for 78 percent of anorexia-caused deaths.

When psychologists at the University of British Columbia examined over ten thousand death records over a four year period, they discovered that the average age of death from anorexia for women was sixty-nine years. The most common complications that lead to death from the disease are cardiac arrest and imbalances in electrolytes and fluids."

Sex After A Hysterectomy | ThirdAge.com Articles

Sex After A Hysterectomy | ThirdAge.com Articles:

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"First of all, there are different kinds of hysterectomies. In some cases, the uterus, the fallopian tubes, the cervix, and the ovaries are all removed. This is a complete hysterectomy. In other cases, only some of these organs are removed. There are two choices of how a hysterectomy can be performed. Some surgeons prefer to make an incision in the abdomen, while others will remove just the uterus through the vagina. Vaginal hysterectomy is often preferred if possible because of the reduced length of time in the hospital, fewer complications, and lower costs.

Whether or not the cervix has been left intact may affect a woman’s future pleasure. One study showed that women whose hysterectomy left their cervix in place were more likely to have orgasms as it is thought that the cervix plays a part in vaginal orgasms. The same study showed that women who have always had clitoral orgasms will continue to have them following a hysterectomy. These external orgasms remain unchanged, regardless of how the surgery was done, or whether a woman still has a cervix.

Six to eight weeks is the recommended time to wait before attempting intercourse following a hysterectomy."

Study: Maine the most peaceful U.S. state, Louisiana the least - Yahoo! News

Study: Maine the most peaceful U.S. state, Louisiana the least - Yahoo! News:

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"'The USPI report reveals that peace in the United States has improved since 1995 primarily driven by a substantial decrease in homicide and violent crime,' the IEP says on its website, adding that 'peace is significantly correlated with factors related to economic opportunity, education and health.'
The group lists the ten most peaceful states in order as: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Minnesota, North Dakota, Utah, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Iowa, and Washington. And here are the least (also in order, with Louisiana leading the unrest): Louisiana, Tennessee, Nevada, Florida, Alabama, Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Maryland."

Care to join a different kind of ‘rock’ group? - Yahoo!

Care to join a different kind of ‘rock’ group? - Yahoo!:

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"QUEZON CITY, METRO MANILA — For these artists, the art of balancing stones can be an effective way to encourage people to protect nature.
Leandro Inocencio and Ildefonso Vista established Rock Balancing Philippines last year to introduce this art form. Rock balancing involves stacking stones of varying shapes and sizes using only one's hands.
From its ancient roots, sculptors like Bill Dan and Andy Goldsworthy transformed rock balancing into an art.
'Like rock balancing nothing is permanent in this world so why worry? Just give everything you've got with what you can make do with what's around,' said Ildefonso, a landscaping artist."

Meditation a powerful tool against pain: study - Yahoo!

Meditation a powerful tool against pain: study - Yahoo!:

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"'We found a big effect -- about a 40-percent reduction in pain intensity and a 57-percent reduction in pain unpleasantness. Meditation produced a greater reduction in pain than even morphine or other pain-relieving drugs, which typically reduce pain ratings by about 25 percent,' he added.
Researchers looked at 15 fit volunteers who had never meditated. The subjects each took four 20-minute sessions to learn how to control their breathing and put aside their emotions and thoughts.
Before and after sessions, subjects' brain activity was monitored with a special type of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
Called 'arterial spin labeling magnetic resonance imaging' (ASL MRI), it is able to give readings on longer duration brain processes, such as meditation, better than a standard MRI scan of brain function.
When ASL MRIs were being taken, a pain-inducing heat device was put on participants' right legs. It heated a small area of their skin to 120° Fahrenheit, which most people would find painful, for five minutes.
Scans taken after meditation training showed that all of the volunteers' pain ratings were reduced, with drops from 11 to 93 percent, Zeidan said."

Junk food addicts show same brain activity as drug addicts - Yahoo!

Junk food addicts show same brain activity as drug addicts - Yahoo!:

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"'If food cues take on enhanced motivational properties in a manner analogous to drug cues, efforts to change the current food environment may be critical to successful weight loss and prevention efforts,' reads the study. 'Ubiquitous food advertising and the availability of inexpensive palatable foods may make it extremely difficult to adhere to healthier food choices because the omnipresent food cues trigger the reward system.'
Researchers from The Scripps Research Institute in Florida came to similar conclusions last year when they found that overconsumption of high-calorie foods can trigger addiction-like responses in the brain. The study, which used lab rats, could help in understanding obesity as a food addiction and in developing therapies for it, researchers said."

Team heads to Mount Everest to clean up peak - Yahoo!

Team heads to Mount Everest to clean up peak - Yahoo!:

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"A team of mountaineers led by a veteran Sherpa guide has flown to Mount Everest to begin an expedition that aims to clear away tons of garbage left on the world's highest peak.
The expedition team plans to bring down 11,000 pounds (5,000 kilograms) of garbage from the slopes of Everest during the spring climbing season. The team's leader, Apa, has climbed Everest a record 20 times."

allAfrica.com: South Africa: Health - the Role of the State - Living With Aids # 470

allAfrica.com: South Africa: Health - the Role of the State - Living With Aids # 470:

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"Almost 90% of some African countries' health budgets are funded through donor finances. Yet, African leaders accept that health is a critical component for the survival of their countries. At a meeting in Abuja, Nigeria, one decade ago they promised to increase their budget allocations for health to 15%. For many countries, health budgets have increased to about 12% since then. A human rights activist from Zambia, Daniel Libati, says leaders have shown their political will to take health seriously, but cautions that political will on its own does not pay for health.

'The political will should be able to be matched with the need that's on the ground and that matching comes in as far as resources are concerned. We look at the resources which our government itself is actually contributing to antiretrovirals and TB drugs, compare it to what our co-operating partners, that is, the donors are contributing, you come and realise that the co-operating partners are putting more into the basket than our government', Libati says.

South Africa is one of the countries that are not yet spending 15% of their health budgets on health."

Three Central Jersey events aim to relieve stress, improve health | MyCentralJersey.com | MyCentralJersey.com

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Expos scheduled in Edison, Bridgewater; forum in Secaucus

2:14 AM, Apr. 8, 2011 |
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Vikas Chawla, founder of the Metuchen chapter of Art of Living, leads a class in stress-relieving breathing exercises. Chawla will present Art of Living's Sri Sri Ravi Shankar on Saturday at the Meadowlands Expo Center, Secaucus. The upcoming event is one of three in Central Jersey dedicated to healing the body, mind and spirit. / FILE PHOTO

Written by

BOB MAKIN
STAFF WRITER

FILED UNDER
News

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Enjoy the following events designed to unite and improve the mind, body and spirit:

Mind Body Spirit Expo, 4 to 8 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, New Jersey Convention Center, 97 Sunfield Ave., Edison. $7-$30, discounts available. 215-627-0102, www.mindbodyspiritexpo.com

Meditation & Yoga 2011 Forum with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, founder of Metuchen-based Art of Living, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Meadowlands Expo Center, 355 Plaza Drive, Secaucus. $65 for half day, $99 for full day. 732-738-4457,
http://us.artofliving.org/nj

Be The Change Mind, Body, Spirit Expo, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 16, Days Inn, 1260 Route 22 East, Bridgewater. $8, $5 with food donation to the Food Bank Network of Somerset County. 908-722-8600, www.mindbodyspiritexpo2011.info

CENTRAL JERSEY — Stress is a killer, according to the Maryland-based National Institutes of Health.

The medical research agency of the U.S. Department of Health has linked stress to heart disease and cancer, the country's most frequent causes of death, as well as chronic diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure and rheumatoid arthritis.

Three coming events are designed to link the body, mind and spirit in a way that will relieve stress and increase health, organizers said. They are:

Mind Body Spirit Expo, April 8-10, New Jersey Convention Center, Edison

Meditation & Yoga 2011 Forum with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, founder of the Art of Living, Saturday, Meadowlands Expo Center, Secaucus

Be The Change Mind Body Spirit Expo, April 16, Days Inn, Bridgewater.

The Mind Body Spirit Expo in Edison will feature sessions and talks with:

Deeprok Chopra, the best-selling new-age author who will address practical ways to experience higher consciousness, transformation and healing

Doreen Virtue, an expert on angels and angel therapy

Medium Lisa Williams

Kevin Trudeau, a natural healer and author of "Natural Cures They Don't Want You to Know About.''

But Anne Khoury, owner-organizer of Mind Body Spirit Expo, said she is most excited about presenting Braco for the second time in the United States. Braco is a Croatian who draws thousands throughout Europe and Japan who seek his healing gaze, Khoury said.

"Braco doesn't speak, physically touch people or perform any complicated physical actions,'' Khoury said. "All he does is silently gaze at an audience for five to eight minutes. More than 200,000 come to see him each year for help with severe
illnesses, health problems and personal life issues.''

Khoury said she was skeptical when she first presented Braco in October in Philadelphia. She said he didn't have much impact on her because she is very healthy, but she did see an impact on many others in the crowd of 3,000.

"When he gazed my way, I saw this light coming out of his eyes,'' Khoury said. "Then he did it again, and I saw it again but more diminished. The energy this guy emanates affected the whole show. When I talked to people, everybody said they experienced different things. One person said she had a backache that was not bothering her as much. Some felt peaceful and didn't feel troubled anymore.''

Page

Bob Makin covers Edison, Highland Park and Metuchen. Contact him at 732-565-7319, bmakin@njpressmedia.com andwww.twitter.com/reporterbmakin

Cities said most at risk in climate change

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Cities said most at risk in climate change

Thursday, April 07, 2011 6:34 PM

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Apr. 7, 2011 (United Press International) -- Fast-growing urban areas worldwide, especially in developing countries, will suffer (OOTC:WLVTQ) disproportionately from impacts of changing climate, a U.S. researcher says.

An examination of urban policies by Patricia Romero Lankao at the National Center for Atmospheric Research says cities worldwide are failing to take necessary steps to protect residents even though billions of urban dwellers are vulnerable to heat waves, sea level rise and other changes associated with warming temperatures, an NCAR release said Thursday.

"Climate change is a deeply local issue and poses profound threats to the growing cities of the world," Lankao says. "But too few cities are developing effective strategies to safeguard their residents."

Most cities are also failing to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that affect the atmosphere, she says.

Scientists say they are increasingly concerned about the potential impacts of climate change on cities, now home to more than half the world's population.

Their locations and dense construction patterns often place their populations at greater risk from natural disasters, they say, including those expected to worsen with climate change.

"What is at stake, of course, is the very existence of many human institutions, and the safety and well-being of masses of humans," Lankao says.

(Source: UPI )
(Source: Quotemedia)

Intercultural dialogue vital for world peace, says Khoja

By ARAB NEWS

Published: Apr 8, 2011 00:29 Updated: Apr 8, 2011 00:29

BAKU: Saudi Arabia on Thursday stressed the increasing need for intercultural dialogue to maintain peace and stability around world.

“Dialogue has become a pressing need to sustain peace even within geographical borders of a country,” Culture and Information Abdul Aziz Khoja said while addressing the three-day World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue in the Azerbaijan capital Baku.

Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev and first lady Mehriban Aliyeva also attended the forum in Gulustan palace, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The forum is organized by the government of Azerbaijan in collaboration with UNESCO, the UN Alliance of Civilizations, the Council of Europe, and the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO).

“Escalation of clashes and conflicts in many parts of the globe shows that intercultural dialogue is an imperative for a world where the values of truth, goodness and aesthetics reign supreme,” Khoja said. “The Islamic civilization initiated a universal humanitarian culture thriving on tolerance and openness.”

He said Saudi Arabia with its Islamic values considers itself a partner in the promotion of global peace and maps out the contours of a world of stability, security and peace and above all respect for diverse national cultures.

The minister also recounted the efforts of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah to initiate and propagate the concept of dialogue among various cultures and religions.

“The king made his call for interfaith dialogue from Makkah, and then establish a global dialogue with the participation of various religions,” he said.

The Saudi delegation to the forum is the largest in terms of participants.

ISESCO Director General Abdulaziz Al-Tuwaijri in his address to the forum said intercultural dialogue and bonding people of diverse cultures are among the priorities of his organization. “This forum can be a new beginning for intercultural dialogue,” Al-Tuwaijri said.

Director of the UN Alliance of Civilizations Secretariat Marc Scheuer said holding such an event in Baku was significant. “One should not be afraid of diversities in the modern world,” Scheuer said, noting that diversity is the lifestyle of the people in the age of globalization.

Participants include global leaders and public figures, heads of international organizations, heads of state and ministers of culture and cultural ambassadors, among others.

The forum is organized within a framework outlined at a conference of ministers responsible for culture in Europe and neighboring regions in December 2008.