Nothing Like a Steamy Cup of Coffee..

Ohh, yes! Coffee is one of the world's favourite cup of drink to have for breakfast, lunch, tea and in some other countries, supper as well.

It's always coffee that we longed for in the morning and usually for those who stay up late for study or work.

The saying goes "What you don't know won't kill you" but it is likely advisable that we should know some of the health benefits and risks involved consuming coffee on a daily basis.



Here are all the information gathered from Wikipedia, which we thought to be quite useful for all of us to know, especially for those who are extremely dependant on coffee to stay awake.

The Health effects of coffee have been studied to determine how coffee drinking affects humans. Coffee contains several compounds which are known to affect human body chemistry. The coffee bean itself contains chemicals which are psychotropics for humans as a defense mechanism of the Coffea plant. These chemicals are toxic in large doses, or even in their normal amount when consumed by many creatures which may otherwise have threatened the beans in the wild.

Coffee as a stimulant
Coffee contains caffeine, which acts as a stimulant. For this reason, it is often consumed in the morning and when feeling tired. Students preparing for examinations with late-night cram sessions frequently use coffee to stay awake. Many office workers take a coffee break when they have low energy.

Recent research has uncovered additional stimulating effects of coffee which are not related to its caffeine content. Coffee contains an as yet unknown chemical agent which stimulates the production of cortisone and adrenaline, two stimulating hormones.

For occasions when one wants to enjoy the flavor of coffee with almost no stimulation, decaffeinated coffee (also called decaf) is available. This is coffee from which most of the caffeine has been removed, by the Swiss water process (which involves the soaking of raw beans to remove the caffeine) or the use of a chemical solvent such as trichloroethylene ("tri"), or the more popular methylene chloride, in a similar process. Another solvent used is ethyl acetate; the resultant decaffeinated coffee is marketed as "natural decaf" because ethyl acetate is naturally present in fruit. Extraction with supercritical carbon dioxide has also been employed.

Decaffeinated coffee usually loses some flavor over normal coffee. There are also coffee alternatives that resemble coffee in taste but contain no caffeine (see below). These are available both in ground form for brewing and in instant form.

Caffeine dependency and withdrawal symptoms are well-documented.

Benefits

Reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease and Dementia
Several studies comparing moderate coffee drinkers (defined as 3-5 cups per day) with light coffee drinkers (defined as 0-2 cups per day) found that those who drank more coffee were significantly less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease later in life. A longitudinal study in 2009 found that moderate coffee drinkers had reduced risk of developing Dementia in addition to Alzheimer's Disease.

Reduced risk of gallstone disease
Drinking caffeinated coffee has been correlated with a lower incidence of gallstones and gallbladder disease in both men and women in two studies performed by the Harvard School of Public Health. A lessened risk was not seen in those who drank decaffeinated coffee.

Reduced risk of Parkinson's disease
A study comparing heavy coffee drinkers (3.5 cups a day) with non-drinkers found that the coffee drinkers were significantly less likely to contract Parkinson's Disease later in life. Likewise, a second study found an inverse relationship between the amount of coffee regularly drunk and the likelihood of developing Parkinson's Disease.

Cognitive performance
Many people drink coffee for its ability to increase short term recall and increase IQ.

Likewise, in tests of simple reaction time, choice reaction time, incidental verbal memory, and visuospatial reasoning, participants who regularly drank coffee were found to perform better on all tests, with a positive relationship between test scores and the amount of coffee regularly drunk. Elderly participants were found to have the largest effect associated with regular coffee drinking. Another study found that women over the age of 80 performed significantly better on cognitive tests if they had regularly drunk coffee over their lifetimes.

Analgesic enhancement
Coffee contains caffeine, which increases the effectiveness of pain killers, especially migraine and headache medications. For this reason, many over-the-counter headache drugs include caffeine in their formula.

Antidiabetic
Coffee intake may reduce one's risk of diabetes mellitus type 2 by up to half. While this was originally noticed in patients who consumed high amounts (7 cups a day), the relationship was later shown to be linear.

Liver protection
Coffee can also reduce the incidence of cirrhosis of the liver and has been linked to a reduced risk of hepatocellular carcinoma, a primary liver cancer that usually arises in patients with preexisting cirrhosis. The exact mechanism and the amount of coffee needed to achieve a beneficial effect are as yet unclear.

Cancer
Coffee consumption is also correlated to a reduced risk of oral, esophageal, and pharyngeal cancer. In ovarian cancer, no benefit was found. In the Nurses Health Study, a modest reduction in breast cancer was observed in postmenopausal women only, which was not confirmed in decaffeinated coffee. According to one research, coffee protects from liver cancer. Another preliminary study found a correlation between coffee consumption and a lower risk of aggressive prostate cancer.

Cardioprotective
According to the longitudial study led by Esther Lopez-Garcia of Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, coffee reduces the incidence of dying from heart disease.

Laxative/diuretic
Coffee is also a powerful stimulant for peristalsis and is sometimes considered to prevent constipation. However, coffee can also cause excessively loose bowel movements. The stimulative effect of coffee consumption on the colon is found in both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee.

Practitioners in alternative medicine often recommend coffee enemas for "cleansing of the colon" due to its stimulus of peristalsis, although medicine has not proved any benefits of the practice.

Contrary to popular belief, caffeine does not act as a diuretic when consumed in moderation, and does not lead to dehydration or to a water-electrolyte imbalance; current evidence suggests that caffeinated beverages contribute to the body's daily fluid requirements no differently than pure water does.

Antioxidant
Coffee contains the anticancer compound methylpyridinium. This compound is not present in significant amounts in other food materials. Methylpyridinium is not present in raw coffee beans but is formed during the roasting process from trigonelline, which is common in raw coffee beans. It is present in both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee, and even in instant coffee.

Prevention of dental caries
The tannins in coffee may reduce the cariogenic potential of foods. In vitro experiments have shown that these polyphenolic compounds may interfere with glucosyltransferase activity of mutans streptococci, which may reduce plaque formation.

Gout
Coffee consumption decreased risk of gout in men over age 40. In a large study of over 45,000 men over a 12-year period, the risk for developing gout in men over 40 was inversely proportional with the amount of coffee consumed.

Risks

Cancer
Over 1,000 chemicals have been reported in roasted coffee, and 19 are known rodent carcinogens; however, most substances cited as rodent carcinogens occur naturally and should not be assumed to be carcinogenic in humans at exposure levels typically experienced in day-to-day life.

Gastrointestinal problems
Coffee can damage the lining of the gastrointestinal organs, causing gastritis and ulcers. The consumption of coffee is therefore not recommended for people with gastritis, colitis, and ulcers.

Anxiety and sleep changes
Many coffee drinkers are familiar with "coffee jitters", a nervous condition that occurs when one has had too much caffeine. It can also cause anxiety and irritability, in some with excessive coffee consumption, and some as a withdrawal symptom. Coffee can also cause insomnia in some.[citation needed]

Cosmetic
Like tea, coffee causes staining of the teeth.

Cholesterol
A 2007 study by the Baylor College of Medicine indicates that the diterpene molecules cafestol and kahweol, found only in coffee beans, putatively raise levels of low-density lipoprotein or LDL in humans. This increase in LDL levels is an indicator that coffee raises cholesterol. The Baylor study serves to link cafestol and kahweol with higher levels of cholesterol in the body.

Paper coffee filters have a property that binds to lipid-like compounds which allows it to remove most of the cafestol and kahweol found in coffee. Brew methods which do not use a paper filter such as the use of a press pot, fail to remove any cafestol and kahweol from the final brewed product. In contrast, drip brewing with a paper filter removes most of the cafestol and kahweol from the coffee.

Blood pressure
Caffeine has previously been implicated in increasing the risk of high blood pressure; however, recent studies have not confirmed any association. In a 12-year study of 155,000 female nurses, large amounts of coffee did not induce a "risky rise in blood pressure". Previous studies had already shown statistically insignificant associations between coffee drinking and clinical hypertension. Effect of coffee on morbidity and mortality due to its effect on blood pressure is too weak, and has not been studied. Other positive and negative effects of coffee on health would be difficult confounding factors.

Effects on pregnancy
A February 2003 Danish study of 18,478 women linked heavy coffee consumption during pregnancy to significantly increased risk of stillbirths (but no significantly increased risk of infant death in the first year). "The results seem to indicate a threshold effect around four to seven cups per day," the study reported. Those who drank eight or more cups a day (64 U.S. fl oz or 1.89 L) were at 220% increased risk compared with nondrinkers. This study has not yet been repeated, but has caused some doctors to caution against excessive coffee consumption during pregnancy.

Decaffeinated coffee is also regarded as a potential health risk to pregnant women due to the high incidence of chemical solvents used to extract the caffeine. The impact of these chemicals is debated, however, as the solvents in question evaporate at 80–90 °C, and coffee beans are decaffeinated before roasting, which occurs at approximately 200 °C. As such, these chemicals, namely trichloroethane and methylene chloride, are present in trace amounts at most, and may not pose a significant threat to embryos and fetuses.

Iron deficiency anemia
Coffee consumption can lead to iron deficiency anemia in mothers and infants. Coffee also interferes with the absorption of supplemental iron.

Coronary artery disease
A 2004 study tried to discover why the beneficial and detrimental effects of coffee conflict. The study concluded that consumption of coffee is associated with significant elevations in biochemical markers of inflammation. This is a detrimental effect of coffee on the cardiovascular system, which may explain why coffee has so far only been shown to help the heart at levels of four cups (24 fl oz or 600 mL) or fewer per day.

The health risks of decaffeinated coffee have been studied, with varying results. One variable is the type of decaffeination process used; while some involve the use of organic solvents which may leave residual traces, others rely on steam.[citation needed]

A study has shown that cafestol, a substance which is present in boiled coffee drinks, dramatically increases cholesterol levels, especially in women. Filtered coffee contains only trace amounts of cafestol.

Polymorphisms in the CYP1A2 gene may lead to a slower metabolism of caffeine. In patients with a slow version of the enzyme the risk for myocardial infarction (heart attack) is increased by a third (2-3 cups) to two thirds (>4 cups). The risk was more marked in people under the age of 59.

A Harvard study conducted over the course of 20 years of 128,000 people published in 2006 concluded that there was no evidence to support the claim that coffee consumption itself increases the risk of coronary heart disease. The study did, however, show a correlation between heavy consumption of coffee and higher degrees of exposure to other coronary heart disease risk factors such as smoking, greater alcohol consumption, and lack of physical exercise. The results apply only to coffee filtered through paper filters, which excludes boiled coffee and espresso, for example. Additionally, the lead researcher on this study acknowledged that subsets of the larger group may be at risk for heart attack when drinking multiple cups of coffee a day due to genetic differences in metabolizing caffeine.[citation needed]

The Iowa Women's Health Study showed that women who consumed coffee actually had fewer cardiovascular disease incidents and lower cancer rates than the general population. For women who drank 6 or more cups, the benefit was even greater. However, this study excluded 35% of its original participants who already had cardiovascular disease and other chronic diseases when the study began. Since participants were all over the age of 55, no good conclusion can be drawn about the long term effect of coffee drinking on heart disease from this study.

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A Little Goes a Long Way..

In conjunction with National Breast Cancer Awareness on the month of October 2009, Dorfbury is spreading the awareness by creating something of their own, Project Pink Ribbon.

The product will be launched tonight at 9pm sharp and for each purchase of this product related to their Project Pink Ribbon, a certain amount will be donated to the Breast Cancer Welfare Association of Malaysia.

This is a sincere way to create awareness through fashion, through shoppers of the online community, and to support those who suffer from Breast Cancer. Few things are as heart-breaking as not being able to save someone who could have been saved. So make sure you log on at 9pm tonight and check out what Dorfbury and BCWA have in store for you.

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THE MILK MAKEOVER by Mamie Lipari

What drink makes your hair shine, your teeth sparkle, your bones hard as nails, slims you and refuels your muscles after exercise? You may be surprised to find that the answer is skim or low fat milk. Milk is packed with powerful nutrients that can transform our bodies from the inside out. Most makeovers are temporary. The milk makeover results in long lasting health, stamina, strength and a radiant glow.

Let's start with hair. Drinking milk can make your hair look great. Ninety percent of our hair is made of protein. Milk is a good source of this protein, as well as lipids, potassium, calcium, vitamins A and B6. All of these nutrients help keep hair soft, shiny and strong.

Do you want a beautiful smile? Milk can help you get it. The calcium in milk helps build strong teeth and supports tooth remineralization or hardening. Milk also contains many proteins like "casein" that prevent cavity causing bacteria from sticking to your teeth. In comparison, sugary sodas and energy drinks can lead to cavities because of the sugar content.

Don't ignore your bones even though you can't see them. Our skeleton is a framework for our bodies. Eating calcium rich food like milk as you are growing helps build strong bones and may prevent the risk of fractures and osteoporosis, or bone softening, later in life.

Do you want a healthy slim figure? Daily consumption of skim or low fat milk helps you lose body fat and can prevent fat gain. The calcium in milk blocks parathyroid hormone, a natural chemical in our body that holds on to fat. When parathyroid hormone is blocked, there is an increase in the amount of fat that is burned. Thus, milk helps your body to burn more fat and calories throughout the day.

Which drink helps most to refuel our bodies after exercise and sports? Researchers at the University of Indiana found that low fat chocolate milk helps athletes recover from intense workouts when they need to refuel. After drinking chocolate milk, the time that athletes could continue exercising until exhaustion was similar or longer than sports drinks. The proteins and carbohydrates in milk help to refresh tired muscles. Chocolate milk was chosen because the athletes likes the taste. The same results are expected with plain milk.

So where does milk's magic come from? It comes from the important nutrients and vitamins inside milk:

1. calcium - milk is the number one source of dietary calcium in America and is necessary for strong bones, healthy teeth and burning fat.
2. Vitamin D - works with calcium to build and maintain strong bones
3. protein - helps to maintain strong muscles and hair
4. Vitamin A - important for eye, hair and skin health
5. Potassium - linked to better bone health and lower blood pressure
6. Carbohydrates - helps to refuel muscles

Want to experience the Milk Makeover for yourself? This healthy habit can be easily incorporated into your routine.

The current recommendations for daily intake of low fat or skim milk are:

For age 8 or less: 2 eight ounce servings for a total of sixteen ounces daily
For age 8 or older: 3 eight ounce servings for a total of 24 ounces daily

Here are some suggestions:

1. Drink milk instead of other beverages with breakfast, lunch, and dinner. If you are 8 years or older, this will satisfy the daily requirement for milk.
2. Add milk to your cereal, oatmeal, and even your soup; for example creamy broccoli .
3.Don't like the taste of plain milk? Flavor it with syrups or powders, or buy it with flavoring already added. But of course, there is less sugar intake when plain milk is ingested.
4. Products made with milk can be substituted for milk, such as pudding, yogurt, smoothies, low fat ice cream, or frozen yogurt.
5. Low fat cheese is also an option. How about a cheesy sauce for those vegetables? That increases the nutritional intake and tastes delicious.

So are you ready to try the milk makeover? Skim or low fat milk is a healthy, delicious beverage that can change the appearance of your entire body. From shiny soft hair and a beautiful smile to strong muscles and bones on a fit figure, make yourself over from the inside out with milk. You'll look great and feel so good!

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Pamper Your Skin at the Spa by Anna Lynn C.Sibal

Smooth, clear and flawless skin is an indication of good health, not just of beauty. Whatever lifestyle choices we make, or whatever forms of abuse we make our bodies go through, such as drinking, bingeing and smoking, getting stressed out lots of times, or lack of exercise and sleep, show easily enough on our skin. It is easy to tell if a person is not of good health: she always looks wan and sallow, her skin dry and flaking, and most likely sporting dark circles under the eyes. A person who is at the peak of health has smooth and soft skin that is alit with a rosy glow.

Many women go to day spas to pamper their skin and make them look nice and healthy. Spas have special treatments that can rejuvenate the skin, take the toxins out of the body, and make the skin look younger and looking fresh.

If you go to a spa to get your skin pampered, what treatments should you go for and what should you expect? Listed below are basic treatments you can find in a spa:

Facials. A facial is a way of deep cleansing the skin, removing the dirt, the impurities and the blackheads from the face. After a facial the skin of your face should feel clean, soft and hydrated.
Facial mask. The idea of the facial mask is to make your skin feel tighter, smoother and hydrated. It is also supposed to exfoliate your skin and remove the dirt and dead skin cells from it, as well as to treat acne. Facial masks are done by putting some substance evenly on your skin and letting it dry on the skin before washing it off. Facial masks are typically made of algae, seaweed and mud, but it can also be made of other materials.

Body scrub. A body scrub exfoliates and removes the dead skin cells from the body using different types of oils and salts. This hydrates and makes the skin of the body soft and smooth.

Body mask. Body masks are also used for exfoliating and for removing dead skin cells from the body. It works exactly the same way as the facial mask.

Body wrap. In a body wrap treatment, certain creams, liquids or a special mud is applied to the body. The body is then wrapped tightly and allowed to stay so for a period of time. A body wrap treatment is supposed to detoxicate the body, or maybe help the body shed off a few pounds.

Day spas also offer different kinds of massages to relax the body, to relieve it from stress and detoxicate it. Having healthy, glowing skin, after all, is an inside job. If you are feeling pain or stressed out, it is best to relieve these aches and pains through massage so the skin would look healthy and beautiful.

Visit a day spa and pamper your skin every once in a while. It will do your skin and your health a world of good.

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Sit Ups and Crunches, A No No! by Charles Inniss

Sit ups and crunches are not the best way to get a flat stomach. Actually, walking and running are the best stomach flattening exercises.

So many people make the mistake of slaving away on the floor doing thousands of crunches everyday in the hopes that it will give them a flat stomach. However, stomach exercises only play a small role in actually giving you a flat stomach.

The #1 myth in fitness is that you can spot reduce fat by exercising the muscles in the area that you want to lose fat from. This is known as the spot reduction myth. Our bodies naturally store more fat is some areas based on gender and genetics. Women tend to store excess fat on the thighs, hips, and stomach, and men tend to store excess fat on the abdomen.

The reason we store more fat in certain areas is that there is a higher number of fat cells in that area. There are not many fat cells in the hands, so you rarely see someone with fat hands unless they are really obese. So despite what the marketers try to convince you, you cannot spot reduce fat by doing targeted exercises for any area of your body, including your stomach.

Here's just a quick distinction between spot reduction and toning muscles or building muscles. You can definitely tone muscles or build lean muscles with targeted exercises. Let's say that your arms are not well developed and a little flabby. If you started doing arm exercises you would definitely tone and build your arm muscles.

The problem that many gym-goers face is that they have built their muscles through weight training exercises, but they still have a layer of fat covering up those muscles.

In order to get a flat stomach you need to take a comprehensive approach to fitness and perform weight training, aerobic exercise, stomach exercises, and eat a healthy diet. After eating a healthy diet, aerobic exercise might be the most important thing to focus on if you want to get a flat stomach because aerobic exercise burns tons of calories.

Walking and running both burn tons of calories and this helps you to lose stomach fat. I have never met someone who runs on a regular basis that was significantly overweight. And if you think about athletes, running is the secret to how they keep and get flat stomachs.

Every track and field athlete (with the exception of throwers like shot putters and discus throwers) has a flat stomach because they run all the time for exercise. Basketball players, soccer players, and tennis players run all the time and generally speaking they all have flat stomachs.

Running burns tons of calories and it is the best stomach flattening exercise. Running is way better than sit ups for burning calories. If you run at a 6 minute per mile pace, you can burn about 500 in 30 minutes. If you wanted to burn 500 calories doing sit ups, you have to do more than 2500 sit ups.

Assuming that you could do 50 sit ups every minute, it would take you 50 minutes to do 2500 sit ups-- and that's straight with no rest. I don't know of any athletes that can do 2500 sit ups in a row or even in a day, but I do know quite a few people that can burn 500 calories in 30 minutes running.

Now, if you have bad knees or can't run fast, don't fret. Walking is also a great exercise for people who want to get a flat stomach. Getting a flat stomach is all about burning calories and losing body fat. Walking 5 miles a day will burn about 500 calories. I don't know about you, but I'd rather walk 5 miles a day than do 2500 sit ups.

Okay, let's recap. You can't magically burn off stomach fat and get a flat stomach simply by doing stomach exercises. If you want to get a flat stomach, you have to lose body fat and lose weight. In my opinion walking and running are some of the best stomach flattening exercises, so aim for 20-60 minutes a day of aerobic exercises 3-5 days a week.

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10 Surprising Health Benefits of Sex by Kathleen Doheny

The health benefits of sex extend well beyond the bedroom. Turns out sex is good for you in ways you may never have imagined.

When you're in the mood, it's a sure bet that the last thing on your mind is boosting your immune system or maintaining a healthy weight. Yet good sex offers those health benefits and more.

That's a surprise to many people, says Joy Davidson, PhD, a New York psychologist and sex therapist. "Of course, sex is everywhere in the media," she says. "But the idea that we are vital, sexual creatures is still looked at in some cases with disgust or in other cases a bit of embarrassment. So to really take a look at how our sexuality adds to our life and enhances our life and our health, both physical and psychological, is eye-opening for many people."

Sex does a body good in a number of ways, according to Davidson and other experts. The benefits aren't just anecdotal or hearsay -- each of these 10 health benefits of sex is backed by scientific scrutiny.

Among the benefits of healthy loving in a relationship:

1. Sex Relieves Stress
A big health benefit of sex is lower blood pressure and overall stress reduction, according to researchers from Scotland who reported their findings in the journal Biological Psychology. They studied 24 women and 22 men who kept records of their sexual activity. Then the researchers subjected them to stressful situations -- such as speaking in public and doing verbal arithmetic -- and noted their blood pressure response to stress.

Those who had intercourse had better responses to stress than those who engaged in other sexual behaviors or abstained.

Another study published in the same journal found that frequent intercourse was associated with lower diastolic blood pressure in cohabiting participants. Yet other research found a link between partner hugs and lower blood pressure in women.

2. Sex Boosts Immunity
Good sexual health may mean better physical health. Having sex once or twice a week has been linked with higher levels of an antibody called immunoglobulin A or IgA, which can protect you from getting colds and other infections. Scientists at Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., took samples of saliva, which contain IgA, from 112 college students who reported the frequency of sex they had.

Those in the "frequent" group -- once or twice a week -- had higher levels of IgA than those in the other three groups -- who reported being abstinent, having sex less than once a week, or having it very often, three or more times weekly.

3. Sex Burns Calories
Thirty minutes of sex burns 85 calories or more. It may not sound like much, but it adds up: 42 half-hour sessions will burn 3,570 calories, more than enough to lose a pound. Doubling up, you could drop that pound in 21 hour-long sessions.

"Sex is a great mode of exercise," says Patti Britton, PhD, a Los Angeles sexologist and president of the American Association of Sexuality Educators and Therapists. It takes work, from both a physical and psychological perspective, to do it well, she says.

4. Sex Improves Cardiovascular Health
While some older folks may worry that the efforts expended during sex could cause a stroke, that's not so, according to researchers from England. In a study published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, scientists found frequency of sex was not associated with stroke in the 914 men they followed for 20 years.

And the heart health benefits of sex don't end there. The researchers also found that having sex twice or more a week reduced the risk of fatal heart attack by half for the men, compared with those who had sex less than once a month.

5. Sex Boosts Self-Esteem
Boosting self-esteem was one of 237 reasons people have sex, collected by University of Texas researchers and published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior.

That finding makes sense to Gina Ogden, PhD, a sex therapist and marriage and family therapist in Cambridge, Mass., although she finds that those who already have self-esteem say they sometimes have sex to feel even better. "One of the reasons people say they have sex is to feel good about themselves," she tells WebMD. "Great sex begins with self-esteem, and it raises it. If the sex is loving, connected, and what you want, it raises it."

6. Sex Improves Intimacy
Having sex and orgasms increases levels of the hormone oxytocin, the so-called love hormone, which helps us bond and build trust. Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh and the University of North Carolina evaluated 59 premenopausal women before and after warm contact with their husbands and partners ending with hugs. They found that the more contact, the higher the oxytocin levels.

"Oxytocin allows us to feel the urge to nurture and to bond," Britton says.

Higher oxytocin has also been linked with a feeling of generosity. So if you're feeling suddenly more generous toward your partner than usual, credit the love hormone.

7. Sex Reduces Pain
As the hormone oxytocin surges, endorphins increase, and pain declines. So if your headache, arthritis pain, or PMS symptoms seem to improve after sex, you can thank those higher oxytocin levels.

In a study published in the Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine, 48 volunteers who inhaled oxytocin vapor and then had their fingers pricked lowered their pain threshold by more than half.

8. Sex Reduces Prostate Cancer Risk
Frequent ejaculations, especially in 20-something men, may reduce the risk of prostate cancer later in life, Australian researchers reported in the British Journal of Urology International. When they followed men diagnosed with prostate cancer and those without, they found no association of prostate cancer with the number of sexual partners as the men reached their 30s, 40s, and 50s.

But they found men who had five or more ejaculations weekly while in their 20s reduced their risk of getting prostate cancer later by a third.

Another study, reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that frequent ejaculations, 21 or more a month, were linked to lower prostate cancer risk in older men, as well, compared with less frequent ejaculations of four to seven monthly.

9. Sex Strengthens Pelvic Floor Muscles
For women, doing a few pelvic floor muscle exercises known as Kegels during sex offers a couple of benefits. You will enjoy more pleasure, and you'll also strengthen the area and help to minimize the risk of incontinence later in life.

To do a basic Kegel exercise, tighten the muscles of your pelvic floor, as if you're trying to stop the flow of urine. Count to three, then release.

10. Sex Helps You Sleep Better
The oxytocin released during orgasm also promotes sleep, according to research.

And getting enough sleep has been linked with a host of other good things, such as maintaining a healthy weight and blood pressure. Something to think about, especially if you've been wondering why your guy can be active one minute and snoring the next.

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How To Get A Baby Boy

Our wish to have a baby boy on our pregnancy may be accompanied by actions to make it possible. Considering our ovulation cycle will increase our chances of having a baby boy. An idea of the right timing of intercourse will help us a lot on this concern.

There are two types of sperm; the X chromosome and the Y chromosome. When X sperm reaches the egg first and lives, you will have a girl. When Y sperm reaches there first and lives then you will have a boy. The advantage of X sperm is that they are stronger thus making them live longer. On the other hand, Y sperm are lighter thus making them swim faster than X sperm. Now, our concern is how to have countless Y sperm in our ovulation.

Having an intercourse on the day before and the day of ovulation gives a higher chance for the Y sperm to race with the X sperm to the egg before they die. An intercourse two to three days before ovulation lower the chances of having a boy since the Y sperm may not be able to live that long to reach the egg.

Here are some help for us to trace our ovulation date. These tools can aid us in being aware about our fertile days. Combined use of different tools can result more on what we desire.

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Fitness First, Looks Later

Professionals and experts are constantly challenging the theory of being fit against being thin. For long term prospects fitness is by far the more useful of the two.

It is common knowledge that obesity is becoming a worldwide problem, but constant media hype only continues to heighten the problem.

Professor Paul Campos has a keen interest in the way people relate to the way their body looks, weight watching and how they themselves relate to their food intake. He has spoken in depth to four hundred people to glean important information in order to help him write his new book ‘The Obesity Myth: Why America’s Obsession with Weight is Hazardous to Your Health‘. Campos studied Law at Colorado University but is well versed with the medical world.

Americans have become consumed with educated panic, the more focus put upon weight loss the more frenzied they become. Rather than accept themselves and their bodies for what they are, anxieties are overtaking and becoming a focal point, thus causing mental anguish and instability.

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Art of Healing By Dr Amir Farid Isahak

We believe that this topic can be related to young adults. Quite an article by Dr Amir Farid Isahak. Take your time to read it if you've not.

This article was taken from http://www.thestar.com.my/

Losing that excess weight is not nearly as impossible as you think ... you just need the right tools and knowledge.

OBESITY is becoming the plague of modern society, as affluence, unhealthy diets and sedentary lifestyles become the norm. With it come the chronic lifestyle diseases – hypertension, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancers and other degenerative health problems.

Taking the US as the leading example of such a society, we find that the proportion of overweight adults had increased from 45% (1960) to 70% (2005). One third of these were classified as obese (moderate to severe overweight with increased health risks; with the real problem being excess body fat).

Malaysians are only slightly better off, but are also heading the same way, because we also indulge in fast foods and poor diets, and most hardly exercise. Nearly 40% of adult Malaysians are overweight, including about 10% or more who are obese.

A study done among schoolchildren (six to 17 years) in Kuala Lumpur in 1997 reported that about 10% were overweight, while about 4% were obese. I believe that more than 10 years later, with a higher standard of living, the situation is worse.

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Aneroxia of Ageing by Mary Easaw-John

We were browsing through The Star today and we came across a topic which made one of us remember what it was like, to have someone close to us, suffering from Aneroxia.

This article was taken from http://www.thestar.com.my/

There are many nutritional issues that we need to be aware of when we take care of our elderly.

IT is important to eat a well-balanced diet not only when we are younger, but also when we age. However, as we age the phenomenon known as “anorexia of ageing” takes place. With advancing years, a person’s body starts to ignore normal food cues and altered feeding fads become apparent. Examples of these are eating infrequently, consuming more sweets or not eating enough vegetables, and not drinking enough fluids.

All these changes are often not well understood by the elderly, their caregivers or even their physicians and dietitians.

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