Keep Your Heart Healthy

Heart Healthy

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. It is also one of the main causes of death in Canada and is killing more and more people throughout the world.

Dietary advice for reducing heart disease risk includes eating a balanced diet with less saturated fat from red meats, more fresh fruits and vegetables, more fish, less sugar, more fiber and for many people, fewer total calories. Then you can make your heart and the rest of your cardiovascular system even healthier by adding more of these foods:

Salmon
Fish is an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids that protect your heart by reducing both inflammation and the risk of blood clots. These fats also work to keep your cholesterol levels healthy. Eat salmon or other oily ocean fish like tuna, sardines or herring at least two times per week. For a heart healthy meal, try grilled salmon steaks with a green vegetable and a side salad with a sprinkling of lemon juice instead of high-calorie salad dressing.

Olive Oil
Olive oil reduces your risk of heart disease by lowering your LDL cholesterol levels. Choose olive oil for cooking, or make a nice dip for whole grain bread by pouring a bit of olive oil in a small bowl and add a bit of balsamic vinegar and a sprinkle of oregano.

Oats
Oats contain a soluble fiber called beta glucan that helps reduce total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol. Soluble fiber also helps keep your digestive system healthy. Enjoy oatmeal with just a small amount of brown sugar and plenty of strawberries and walnuts for breakfast. Cold cereals made with oats are also great with low-fat milk or soy milk plus slices of fresh fruit.

Apples
Apples contain a phytochemical called quercetin which acts as an antiinflammatory and will help prevent blood clots as well. Apples contain vitamins and fiber, come in several delicious varieties and are portable. Eat an apple with a handful of walnuts or almonds as a healthy snack or add apple slices to your healthy salads.

Almonds
Almonds and other nuts contain healthy oils, vitamin E and other substances that will help keep cholesterol levels in check. Almonds are also a good source of protein and fiber. Almonds make a great snack on their own, or sprinkle slivered almonds on green beans or asparagus with lemon juice as a deliciously healthy side dish.

Red wine
Red wine contains a powerful antioxidant called resveratrol. Resveratrol has been shown to be good for your heart. Be sure to enjoy red wine in moderation. Studies show that only 4 to 8 ounces of red wine is needed each day.

Whole Grains
Whole grains provide vitamins and fiber that will help to keep your heart healthy. Make a deliciously healthy sandwich with two slices of 100-percent whole-grain bread, three ounces of lean turkey breast, lots of sliced tomatoes and avocado, plus lettuce and a bit of mustard. Switch from white pasta to whole grain pasta too.

Green leafy vegetables
Green leafy vegetables contain folate, which helps to keep homocysteine levels down, and vitamin E. Green leafy vegetables have also been associated with better retention of memory as age. Try using fresh spinach leaves or other greens for your favorite salad instead of iceberg lettuce.

Tomatoes
Tomatoes are packed with vitamins and lycopene, which has been shown to reduce heart disease risk. Add thick slices of tomatoes to sandwiches and salads or enjoy tomato sauce on whole wheat pasta. In fact, cooked tomato sauce and canned tomato sauce that you buy in the store both contain more lycopene than raw tomatoes.

Soy
Soy protein has been shown to prevent heart attacks and soy makes an excellent protein substitute for red meat, which will reduce your saturated fat intake. Add tofu to your favorite stir fry or pour soy milk on your morning cereal.

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places women want to be touched

Forget a woman's cleavage, there are more erogenous spots that you can now explore to get your lady sexcited. Read on to discover her ten most sensuous body parts waiting to be discovered.

Women are sensuous creatures and they love being kissed and caressed. What guys often mistake is that they go straight for the woman's breasts or other private parts, without concentrating on her other moan zones. So, if you want to get your gal into the mood, stimulate some of her often-neglected body parts.

Touch these places during for*play and sex, or just give her some pleasure after a hard day and she'll surely reward you with brownie points in bed.

Tresses
All guys like women with gorgeous locks. But what you need to know is that women love being touched on their head. It's quite a stress reliever. Running your hands sensuously through her tresses is likely to send shivers down her spine. Massage her temples to the nape of her neck and she’ll be game to your desires.

Nape of her neck
In ancient Japan, the back of a woman’s neck was considered extremely attractive by men as it was one of the few zones that were not covered by the elaborate kimono. Today, very few men focus on the nape of the neck, but we suggest you build up the pleasure by gentle touching and kissing your lady love from her hairline down to her shoulders. It will make her reach dizzying heights of pleasure.

Collar bone
A well-defined collarbone is what men find irresistible. So, why not touch and kiss her there. Unbutton her shirt just a little and stimulate her collarbone with your touch. Create circles with your tongue and give her love bites right there, just to remind her of how much you want her.

Small of her back
Most women love it when their guy places his protective hand against the small of her back as it shows that he feels very strongly about her. So, why not incorporate this gesture into your for*play routine, by kissing or licking down her spine to end up with a kiss on the small of her back. It will definitely get her into the mood for more!

Behind her knees
This area is a power house of sensitive nerve endings. You can gently caress the back of her knee under her skirt while the two of you are in an open public space as it is sure to get her excited by the time you reach home.

Palms of her hands
We use our hands to please our partners, but have you ever thought that you could arouse a woman by stimulating the palm of her hand? Run your finger along her palm as that will make her feel relaxed and ready for a sexy rendezvous ahead.

Her earlobes
This is one of the most erogenous moan centers of a woman's body. Touching, kissing and even gently biting her earlobes will send her into a sexual tizzy. If you are getting extra adventurous, simply nibble around the outside of the rest of her ear as well, but don't put your tongue inside her ear. That's a major turn off!

Happy feet
There's nothing more sinfully seductive than a foot massage. It will help her relax, especially if her job requires her to be on them all day. Get yourself some aromatic massage oil or lotion. Pay extra attention to the pressure points such as her toes, ankles and the sides of her feet too. Some women love enjoy having their toes sucked, but others find it repulsive, so ask your babe what she would have you do before putting them in your mouth.

Soft thighs
Touching a woman's inner thighs without touching her private parts is the most sensual tease that is sure to get her all charged up. Employ your hands and mouth to caress and kiss the insides of her thighs, remember to pull back before going all the way.

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All About Smoking

Smoking

Since I'm new, I thought I'd contribute with some info on using self hypnosis (similar to meditation) to kick the bad habit, smoking...

There’s a lot of talk about using self hypnosis to stop smoking. In fact using self hypnosis to stop smoking is one of the most commonly utilized methods to quit this dirty habit. But is it really possible to “kick the butt” using self hypnosis, and if so how?

The good news is that most people can be hypnotized, and fairly easy at that. The people who cannot be hypnotized are most often resisting it, or trying to prove the system wrong. But if you’re willing to accept hypnosis, you’re more than likely able to enjoy the benefits thereof.

Using self hypnosis, you can put yourself into a light trance, or heightened state of consciousness (similar to that of meditation), where you then utilize the power of suggestion. What is the power of suggestion, you ask? This is simply another form of affirmation. You can create affirmations such as:

•I am fit and healthy
•I take good care of my body
•I respect my body and my health

What then happens, over time, is that these beliefs (or affirmations, suggestions) become imprinted in your consciousness, making the process of giving up a bad habit like smoking (which is neither fit, nor healthy, nor respectful towards your body) much easier. The main factor here is that you are working from the inside out (changing your mindset, which in turn changes your habits), as opposed to trying to work backwards.

We all know and understand that our thoughts become things – our world is manifest from our mind. Therefore using hypnosis to change a habit is certainly one of the most effective ways to quit a bad habit, like smoking.

But how does the average person use self hypnosis?

Hypnosis, like meditation, is a skill and art form which can take many years to master traditionally. The good news is that there are now many self hypnosis audio programs available. The way that these programs work is by using different sound waves in each ear to direct the brain into a hypnotic or meditative state. The result is exactly the same, and its much easier to achieve the correct state of mind using these programs.


Whether you decide to try using self hypnosis to stop smoking, or any other method, I wish you all the best. A healthier, happier life awaits you.

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U.S. report slams HSBC's anti-money laundering efforts

A "pervasively polluted" culture at HSBC Holdings Plc allowed the bank to act as financier to clients seeking to route shadowy funds from the world's most dangerous and secretive corners, including Mexico, Iran, the Cayman Islands, Saudi Arabia and Syria, according to a scathing U.S. Senate report issued on Monday.
While the big British bank's problems have been known for nearly a decade, the Senate probe detailed just how sweeping the problems have been, both at the bank and at the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, a top U.S. bank regulator which the report said failed to properly monitor HSBC.
"The culture at HSBC was pervasively polluted for a long time," said Senator Carl Levin, chairman of the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, a Congressional watchdog panel.
The report comes at a troubling time for a banking industry reeling from a multi-country probe into the manipulation of global benchmark rates. Last month, rival British bank Barclays Plc agreed to pay a $453 million fine to settle a U.S.-U.K. probe into the rigging of the benchmark interest rate known as the London interbank offered rate, or Libor.
The report caps a year-long inquiry that included a review of 1.4 million documents and interviews with 75 HSBC officials and bank regulators. It will be the focus of a hearing on Tuesday at which HSBC and OCC officials are scheduled to testify.
The bank and the regulator are expected to face tough questions at the hearing about how the abuses were allowed to continue, even after the OCC took regulatory action against HSBC in 2010. A Reuters investigation found persistent and troubling lapses in the bank's anti-money laundering compliance since 2010.
In an emailed statement, HSBC said the Senate report had provided "important lessons for the whole industry in seeking to prevent illicit actors entering the global financial system."
The bank said it is spending more money on compliance and has become more coordinated in policing high-risk transactions.
The report also contained strong criticism of the OCC, saying the regulator failed to crack down on the bank despite multiple red flags, allowing money laundering issues "to accumulate into a massive problem.
Thomas Curry, who took over as comptroller less than four months ago, said in a statement on Monday that anti-money laundering compliance "is crucial to our nation's efforts to combat criminal activity and terrorism, and the OCC expects national banks and federal thrifts to have programs in place to effectively comply with these laws."
Curry said the Senate report had made a number of "thoughtful" recommendations, "which we fully embrace."
Among HSBC's problems, the report described the bank's compliance division as unable to battle the suspect money. High turnover of top compliance officials made it difficult for reform to take hold, the report said. Employees were "overwhelmed," by a mounting number of suspect transactions that needed review.
"We're strapped and getting behind in investigations," one bank official wrote in June 2008. By that time, HSBC was cutting costs to offset losses tied to subprime home loans and the brewing financial crisis. In 2010, one disgusted top compliance official threw up his hands and quit after less than a year on the job, according to the report.
Typical of the problems inside the bank were transactions tied to Mexico, a country the report said is "under siege from drug crime, violence and money laundering."
HSBC, according to the report, helped move money for a Mexican foreign-exchange dealer called Casa de Cambio Puebla that served as a hub for laundered proceeds, according to the report.
Between 2005 and 2007, there was a "growing flood" of U.S. dollars moving between the exchange house and HSBC, setting off red flags inside HSBC. Some bankers claimed the transfers were legal. One said the money came from Mexican landscapers working in the United States and routing money back home to their families.
HSBC ultimately closed the account in November 2007 after it received a seizure warrant from the Mexican attorney general seeking money tied to the exchange dealer, the Senate report said.

FREE MONEY

(Reporting by Carrick Mollenkamp; Editing by Alwyn Scott and Tim Dobbyn)

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Shell Oil ship slips anchor; incident raises questions about Arctic drilling plan

Shell Oil ship slips anchor; incident raises questions about Arctic drilling plan

One of the ships that Shell Oil plans to use to drill in the Arctic slipped its mooring and drifted close to one of Alaska's Aleutian Islands, the latest in a string of incidents to arise around the controversial project.

The Noble Discoverer was about 175 yards from shore in Unalaska Bay when it slipped its mooring Saturday and drifted towards shore near Dutch Harbor, Coast Guard Petty Officer Sara Francis said.

"There are no reports of injuries, pollution and damage to the Noble Discoverer," she said Sunday night.

The incident raised concerns of a possible grounding near Dutch Harbor, though Francis said there was "no damage to the hull or evidence it ran aground."

The Noble Discoverer, right, which Shell Oil plans to use for Arctic drilling, slipped its mooring Saturday.

The Noble Discoverer is one of roughly two dozen ships that Shell is sending to the Beaufort and Chukchi seas in the Arctic to drill exploration wells in the harshest climate in the world.

Opinion: The stakes are huge
Pete Slaiby, the vice president of Shell Oil in Alaska, told CNN recently the drilling in the arctic would be the "most complex, most difficult wells we've drilled in company history."

Proponents say if Shell finds oil with its Arctic drilling, it could create thousands of jobs; opponents -- Alaska's Inuit Eskimos and environmentalists -- say an oil spill could pollute the waters and damage the economy.

"Our subsistence for the winter, it all comes from the ocean, the fish and whale. It's going to ruin our ocean," 79-year-old Abagail Nashupuq of Point Hope told CNN recently.

Nashupuq has spent her entire life in the small northwest fishing village of Point Hope, which sits about 90 miles from where Shell plans to drill one of its exploratory wells in the Chukchi Sea.

Shell has been forced to postpone drilling, which was scheduled to begin this month, until August by an unexpected thick ice pack.

The delay cuts valuable time from Shell, which is operating under U.S. permits which require to stop drilling in the seas by the end of October.

Questions also were raised in June about the durability of one of Shell's underwater oil spill containment vessels in severe weather, which resulted in the vessel that was headed to one of the drilling sites to be temporarily held at port in Washington.

Opponents, primarily the Inuit and environmentalists, called for a review of the federal air permits that were issued to Shell Oil as part of its drilling plan.

Related story: Nations battle for Arctic oil and natural gas

Greenpeace, which has been leading a campaign against the drilling, issued a statement Sunday that questioned whether Shell could carry out the complicated plan if it was having problems with a ship's mooring.

Shell spokesman Curtis Smith said all indications pointed to the Noble Discoverer slipping anchor in soft ground, drifting only 100 yards toward shore.

"Shell quickly engaged one of its support vessels, the Lauren Foss, which safely towed the Discoverer back to its previous location," he said.

Francis, the petty officer, said the crew of the Noble Discoverer were interviewed.

"They did not feel any indication that the ship grounded," she said.

The Coast Guard plans an inspection of the interior of the ship's hull on Monday, the same day that Shell will use a diver to conduct a secondary inspection of the outer hull.

Smith said the anchor system used in the Arctic offshore drilling is "no way similar to the light anchor used in the harbor scenario."

Still, Slaiby promised a full investigation.

"Even a near miss is unacceptable. While an internal investigation will determine why the Discoverer slipped anchor, we are pleased with the speed and effectiveness of the mitigation measures we had in place," he said.

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CNN's Greg Morrison contributed to this report

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How to Sleep Well for Life

How to Sleep Well for Life

You wake up just as it is growing light outside, a half-hour ahead of your alarm clock. With a sigh, you close your eyes. If only you could go back to sleep.
After a few minutes, you give up, tired, but not sleepy. As you get out of bed, you wonder, "Why am I so tired all the time? I thought people needed less sleep as they got older."
It isn't true. Older adults need just as much sleep as younger ones, usually about eight hours a night. They just have more obstacles to getting the sleep they need.

Sleep Changes
About half of all older Americans suffer from insomnia, or lack of restful sleep. Among older adults, insomnia most commonly appears in the form of frequent awakenings throughout the night or early awakening in the morning.
A number of physiological, age-related changes in sleep patterns are partly to blame. For example, older adults spend less time in the deepest stages of sleep, making it more likely that they will occasionally wake during the night.
Older women, who are 50 percent more likely than men to experience sleep difficulties, often suffer from menopause-induced hot flashes that cause interruptions in sleep. In addition, our biological clocks, or circadian rhythms, shift as we age, causing us to become tired earlier in the evening and wake up earlier in the morning. Scientists haven't yet determined why sleep patterns change as we age, but they are studying it.
Although the age-related changes in sleep patterns are real, they are usually minor. Dr. Saul Rothenberg, a psychologist at the Sleep Disorders Center of the North Shore Long Island Jewish Health System, points out that changed sleep patterns are not as important as total sleep time, which still needs to add up to the same amount required earlier in life.

Sleep and Disease
Much greater contributors to sleep problems than changes in sleep patterns are underlying age-related diseases.
"The majority of sleep problems in older people are related to medical conditions," says Dr. Phyllis Zee, Director of the Sleep Disorders Center at Northwestern University Memorial Hospital.
"Several large studies have shown that if you control for mental and physical disorders, the amount of sleep disturbance in the elderly goes down dramatically from 50 to about 10 percent."
Among the common age-related illnesses and conditions that can disrupt sleep are:

• Arthritis pain, which can affect sleep onset or cause nocturnal awakenings
• Diabetes or bladder problems, causing frequent nighttime trips to the bathroom
• Obesity and cardiovascular disease, which can make breathing more difficult

Ironically, sleep deprivation itself is a risk factor for many age-related diseases, particularly cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity. This creates a vicious circle in which sleep disturbances and medical problems gradually undermine an older person's health

Hoping to break this cycle, Zee has begun testing whether interventions such as scheduled exercise or light exposure can improve sleep and thereby health in older persons.

Physical Sleep Disorders
Adding to the sleep difficulties older persons face, several physical sleep disorders become more prevalent in later life.
One of the most common is sleep apnea, in which a sleeping person temporarily stops breathing for brief periods. This is due to a partial collapse of the upper airway. Very loud snoring and gasping for breath while sleeping are typical symptoms of sleep apnea. Older adults who suffer from obesity are at particular risk.
Apnea, in turn, is a risk factor for a number of medical conditions, such as high blood pressure and heart disease. It can also contribute to daytime fatigue and disturb a spouse or bed partner's sleep.
The condition can be treated through the use of a nasal mask that keeps the airway open, or sometimes through surgery. Losing weight or sleeping on one's side can also reduce the severity of apnea.
Another common sleep problem is periodic limb movement disorder. An estimated 40 percent of older persons have this disorder, which causes a person to suddenly move one or more limbs, usually the legs, at 5- to 90-second intervals during sleep.

Although in most cases the disorder does not have a significant effect on sleep quality, when severe it can reduce deep sleep and lead to daytime fatigue. Like sleep apnea, the disorder can disrupt a bed partner's sleep, and it often relies on a partner's observations for diagnosis.
Restless legs syndrome is another disorder involving limb movement. However, this problem occurs primarily while the affected person is awake. He or she feels a "creepy-crawly," uncomfortable sensation in one or both legs. The sensation is relieved only through moving the legs, usually by walking.
This uncomfortable feeling often peaks in the evening and early night, leading to difficulty falling asleep. Discomfort can be reduced by applying hot or cold packs to the legs or massaging the legs and feet before sleeping.
Both periodic limb movement and restless leg syndrome can also be treated with medication.

Treating Sleep Problems
Older adults suffering from insomnia have a variety of treatment options. Doctors can often provide sleep relief by treating underlying problems, whether they are age-related diseases or sleep disorders like apnea. Often, simple lifestyle changes can restore good sleep, such as eliminating caffeine or alcohol use, avoiding naps during the day, or reducing the dosage of certain prescription medications.

Even if insomnia persists despite such measures, older adults need not give up hope. Older adults with chronic insomnia can be treated just as younger people are: with drug therapy and cognitive- behavioral counseling. Of the two, cognitive-behavioral counseling is the preferred treatment.
Although numerous sleep-inducing medications are available, they have side effects, can be habit-forming, and lose their effectiveness over time. And some research demonstrates that they are not as effective for long-term improvement as counseling.
So what should an older person do if suffering from chronic insomnia?
Rothenberg recommends that anyone having trouble sleeping see his or her primary care physician or contact a sleep center.
"Don't suffer with it, do something about it!" he urges. "Older people can resolve sleep problems just as well as younger people."





Originally published by infoaging.org.

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Donald Trump Moderated Debate Losing Attendees

Donald Trump Moderated

The Republican presidential debate moderated by Donald Trump for Newsmax is losing participants quickly, ABC News reported.
Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann became the latest candidate to opt out of the debate schedule for Dec. 27 in Des Moines, Iowa. A spokeswoman for the candidate declined to elaborate as to why she would not attend the debate.
“We have confirmed that we are not participating,” Bachmann spokeswoman Alice Stewart said to ABC News Thursday.
Bachmann, like many of the other Republican candidates, have been trying to curry favor with the New York billionaire real estate mogul, paying several visits to his offices hoping for an endorsement.
Now she will be joining Mitt Romney, Jon Huntsman, Rick Perry and Ron Paul in not attending the Trump-moderated debate. Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum are the only confirmed attendees.
Politico reported that Santorum criticized his fellow candidates for meeting up with Trump while at the same time opting out of the debate.
“Many of my opponents jockeyed to be the first to fly up to New York and use Donald Trump for a photo op and no doubt try and secure an endorsement. But when Donald wants to moderate a debate – they refuse to attend. That’s what’s so wrong with politics today – hypocrisy,” Santorum said.
Santorum has been struggling to attract publicity to his campaign and is using the debate opportunity with Gingrich to promote his platform.

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Secrets to a Long Life

long life

Scientific studies have uncovered the secrets of living longer -- and a good sex life, eating chocolate and positive thinking are all in there.
In fact, those who indulge in life's little pleasures are shown to outlive miserable abstainers in any number of studies.
But living as long as possible is, according to one piece of research, also dependent on making healthy choices and by adopting just four healthy behaviors -- regular exercise, not smoking, avoiding alcohol abuse and eating five portions of fruit and vegetables a day -- you could add 14 years on to your life.
Research has also shown that a healthy weight, religion and staying out of debt are all other all ways of ensuring you have a long, happy life.
Here we have put together a list of 10 steps you can take to prolong your life, although women be warned ... while marriage can add as much as 10 years to a man's life, the stress of living with a man has been shown to take years off a woman's life.

Have a Good Sex Life
2.5 years
There is plenty of evidence to suggest that lots of sex is good for you. Research from Bristol University proved that men who have frequent orgasms live longer, while a University of California study reckoned a great sex life could add up to two years on your life. Men who have sex less than once a month had twice the risk of an early death than those who had sex twice or more a week.

Eat Chocolate
2 years
There have been plenty of reports in recent years which suggest that dark chocolate is good for the heart, thanks to the high level of antioxidants in the stuff, especially in chocolate which contains more than 70 percent cocoa.
A Harvard University study showed that people who ate between one to three bars a month had a 36 percent lower risk of premature death than those who didn't indulge.
Drink Wine
4 years
Unsurprisingly, experts are not suggesting that anyone abuses alcohol, but having regular small glasses of wine can help extend your life. A study from the Dutch Wageningen University shows that half a glass of wine a day could add four years to a man's life as it helps prevent blood clots and promote good cholesterol.

Be Happy
10 years (at least)
Being happy can have a huge impact on your life span, as one study of nuns at the University of Kentucky showed, where those who were happy lived at least a decade longer than those who were sad.
The trick is to find happiness in everything you do, live for the moment and relish the small pleasures of life.
Lose Weight
7 years
It is no surprise that being overweight can be detrimental to your health, but scientists at Oxford University discovered that people who are obese at the age of 40 died on average seven years earlier.


Eat Well
6.6 years
We all know the importance of a healthy diet, but experts at Erasmus University have come up with a eating plan that they say could cut heart disease by up 76 percent. Key ingredients include dark chocolate, almonds, fruit, vegetables, garlic and wine. It also advises eating fish four times a week.
Stay Fit
3.7 years
Moderate exercise is good for the heart, there is no getting around the fact, and scientists at the Erasmus University in the Netherlands have proved that it can extend life by up to 3.7 years. And as moderate exercise also helps stop people from gaining weight, it can be considered one of the best healthy habits to adopt.
Be Positive
7.5 years
It may sound a little happy clappy, but having a positive attitude not only improves your daily life, it can add as much as 7.5 years on to it.
Get Married
10 years for men
Married men are likely to live at least 10 years longer than those who are not married.
Women, however, according to Chicago University, only get an extra four years added to their life.
One theory is that men who get married tend to have a healthier lifestyle, while women can benefit from the greater financial security it brings. Although one Swiss study suggests that being married can shorten a woman's life thanks to the stress and strain of living with a man.



(c) 2008 Daily Record; Glasgow (UK). Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.

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