Top 10 Misconceptions About The Common Cold

There are several beliefs and thoughts that becomes a part of our growing up process. Most of these beliefs differ from home to home, though the fact is that most don’t have a sound scientific basis. The article is a compilation of 10 such myths surrounding common cold and flu and which aims to prepare us better to cope with them in future.

Sweat it out

Covering up with hot blankets with the head sticking out over a bowl of hot steaming water expecting to sweat the cold out is a practice that we have all engaged in, or at least, we have seen others do it. Unfortunately, the fact is it does not have any effect whatsoever on the cold. The best it will do is to alleviate you of some of the discomfort that you are having, since it addresses the symptoms.

Toning Down Consumerism This Holiday Season

Children have become an attractive marketing niche, which can cause unavoidable stress around the holidays if parents' pocketbooks can't keep up with kids' gift expectations. Parents can take steps to insulate their kids from the commercial hype, says Indiana University family studies expert Maria Schmidt, while making the holidays meaningful, enjoyable and affordable.

The key is for parents to understand their financial limits -- and the importance of staying within them -- while managing their children's expectations.

"Keep it positive. You don't have to give the kids a dollar amount. But you can say, 'We are going to have a budget this year so we can be financially healthy,'" Schmidt said. "It's important to say you'll give gifts and acknowledge each other but it will look different this year."

Smart Grocery Shopping Tips from Expert Ellie Kay

The economy is taking a bite out of grocery budgets, but there are ways to pinch pennies without squeezing family favorites from the grocery list. For more than a decade, Ellie Kay, author of the upcoming "Living Rich for Less," has helped families save money with her practical pointers. Ellie teamed with the Oscar Mayer brand to develop the following tips to help families navigate the grocery aisles to maximize savings during these tough times.

Better Brown Bagging

Bag-up More Variety -- "Brown bagging it" can be a great way to save time and money, but make sure you mix it up. You can save an averageof $3 per person per day by taking a lunch to work or school, that can add up to as much as $260 per month for a family of four! The key to reaping those rewards? Choose a varietyof lunch options your family enjoys -- this will keep them brown bagging and keep you saving.

America's Most Literate Cities Ranked

A national survey announced in “USA Today” measures a key component in America’s social health by ranking the culture and resources for reading in America’s largest cities. The study’s author, Dr. Jack Miller, president of Central Connecticut State University, also reports on the impact of the internet on the decline of newspapers and also finds the US doing less well than its global competitors on a key index of literacy.

The study -- “America’s Most Literate Cities 2008” -- identifies the top ten cities in this order:

Minneapolis, MN 1.5

Seattle, WA 1.5

Washington, DC 3

St. Paul, MN 4

San Francisco, CA 5

Human Anatomy – Colon

Your feces are formed in the colon, the organ otherwise known as the large intestine. The small intestine essentially passes digested food to the colon. In turn, the colon strips the digested substance of salt, water and nutrients, eventually creating stool.

This organ is made up largely of muscles, allowing it to squeeze substances along. Innumerable “good bacteria” deck the walls of the colon.

Ileum, the last section of the small intestine, ends where the first part of the colon, the cecum, begins. From here, the colon ascends to the right side of the abdomen, before traveling across it. The colon then descends down the left side of the abdomen, towards the sigmoid, a brief curve marking where the rectum begins.

Risk Of Diet Lack In Fiber

Are you at risk? Find out the dreadful warning signs if you are at risk and protect your health. Is your diet lack fruits, vegetable, and whole grains? If you answer is yes, you may not getting all the fiber you need. This will increase your risk of having many kinds of illnesses like heart disease, cancer and even weight gain.

Though signs and symptoms of having poor fiber diet are not always clear, there are four warning signs for you to watch for:

1. Weight Gain

Fiber also known to contribute to satiety. Satiety is the mood of fullness you get after having a meal. Failure of experiencing this feeling it means that you are eating more than your body needs.

What Scientific Data Say About Hormesis

Can exposure to low level of stress or toxins make you stronger? There are a good number of scientific evidences that associate disease resistance with exposure to certain levels of health hazards. The medical community calls it the theory of hormesis.

After decades of being dismissed as purely anecdotal, the scientific community finally acknowledged hormesis as a fundamental principle in biology and medicine.

One study has demonstrated the validity of hormesis among laboratory animals. Rats that were bombarded with radiation showed less susceptibility to develop cancer when they had been exposed to minor gamma rays. A similar response was observed when dioxin was given to rats.

Making Your Breath Fresher Than a Sea Breeze

When it comes to bad breath, most of us have a story to tell. You ever had an acquaintance whose breath could make you eye twitch. You hold your breath for so long to avoid inhaling the unpleasant smell emanating from their mouths since looking away would be rude. If that is you or a close friend then these guides may make their breath as fresh as can be.

Water is your friend.

With age comes dehydration. You don’t have to be thirsty to have a reason for taking in some water; your body needs it for a lot of mechanisms and keeping you going. An understated effect of water is that it helps reduce the number of bacteria in your mouth. It does this by washing them away and keeping them far from the mouth where they create the not so pleasing smells. Bacteria are one of the causes of bad breath and keeping them at a minimum is a sure way of guaranteeing a fresher breath.

12 Embarrassing Body Problems

Stinky Feet

Our feet have their share of normal bacteria, which produce stinky sulfurous odor when they come into contact with moisture from socks and shoes or when your feet become sweaty. The solution is to always keep your feet dry. Your socks should be made of absorbent cotton and your shoes from breathable materials, like canvas and leather. Sprinkle a drying powder in your shoes every morning, and place a desiccant in them when you put them away. Treat your feet to a relaxing and cleansing soak in a basin of regular tea to let the tannins in the tea to inhibit sweat production temporarily. You may have fungal or bacterial infection if your feet are red, swollen, or scaly, and you should see a doctor for proper treatment.

Most Common Misdiagnoses Doctors Make

Common sense and instinct do not tell you to get a second opinion for nothing. Like anyone, doctors can go wrong too. According to the National Patient Safety Foundation, misdiagnoses constitute 40 percent of doctors’ mistakes.

One could easily chalk it up to the fact that multiple diseases may share one symptom. A person may get fever from both cancer and flu, runny nose from both SARS and tuberculosis, and so on. Only medical tests would be able to set one condition apart from another.

Visiting a doctor does not make for passive activity, wherein you just sit in the waiting room and leave with the prescription in hand. You need to take control of how doctors treat you, stat! As a rule, the doctor must let you take tests before giving a tentative diagnosis.

Human Anatomy – Stomach

On the left side of the abdomen is your stomach, a sac-like, muscled organ designed to digest your intake. Filled with acid and enzymes, the stomach is lined with muscles called rugae, which contract every so often to churn food, hastening digestion.

From the esophagus, food enters the stomach through a muscular valve called the lower esophageal sphincter. After the stomach has achieved its purpose, the food is then ferried down to the small intestine through yet another valve called the pyloric sphincter.

Since the stomach is a very acidic environment, a healthy lifestyle underscores the importance of eating enough and on time.

Human Anatomy – Teeth

By far the hardest part of the body is the teeth. These structures are very important for chewing and speaking.

A tooth is composed of the enamel, dentin, pulp, cementum and periodontal ligament. The enamel is the hard white “shell” of the tooth. Made of a hard mineral called calcium phosphate, the enamel encases the dentin, a layer of live cells. Underneath the dentin is the pulp, which holds nerves and blood vessels. A connective tissue called the cementum plants the root of the tooth firmly in the gums and binds it to the jawbone. Another tissue, the periodontal ligament, holds the teeth against the jawbone.

Human Anatomy – Tonsils

Palatine tonsils, or simply, tonsils, are the two masses of tissue you see at the back of your throat. They form part of the lymphatic system, the organs in the body which serve to fend off infections. Made up of cells not unlike those in the lymph nodes, the tonsils grow in size whenever the body is fighting an infection.

Common tonsil conditions

However, the tonsils themselves can succumb to infections. For one, you probably had to endure a bout of tonsillitis at some point in your life.

If your tonsils swell, seem to be coated with white or gray spots, you probably have acute tonsillitis. This condition happens when a virus or bacterium attacks the tonsils. As a result, your throat becomes sore, and you have trouble swallowing food. If it becomes recurrent, this condition may worsen to a chronic tonsillitis.

Human Anatomy – Tongue

One of the strongest muscles in the body is the tongue, the organ that gives you the sense of taste. In addition, the tongue is imperative for speech as well as chewing food.

A tongue is covered with innumerable taste buds, clusters of cells that link to nerves connected to the brain. As a result, the tongue is able to distinguish four tastes: sweet, bitter, salty and sour.

There is purportedly a fifth taste, known as umami. This taste supposedly manifests itself when the food is mixed with MSG or monosodium glutamate.

In any case, all areas of the tongue are able to sense the four common tastes. Contrary to popular belief, a tongue does not have a clear-cut “taste map.”

Human Anatomy – Esophagus

From the throat, food comes down to your stomach through the esophagus, an 8-inch long muscular tube lined with mucosa. It is situated in front of the spine, just behind the heart and the trachea. It passes through the diaphragm just before entering the stomach.

Esophagus muscles are divided into two: the upper esophageal sphincter (UES) and the lower esophageal sphincter (LES).

Located above the esophagus, the UES is a group of muscles responsible for keeping food and other contents from entering the trachea or windpipe. It is controlled consciously by the body, whenever you breathe, eat, vomit, or even so much as belch.