Archive for the 'Special Features' Category

Today’s generation may have a hard time imagining how it was to live a few decades ago, when all the conveniences that we enjoy today in terms of technology were not invented yet.

Today, even if you’re not adept at using the latest technological gadgets and applications, it’s almost a must for you to learn at least the basics about technology if you want to keep up with what the rest of the world is doing.

This is especially true when it comes to mobile phone applications. What used to be a ‘humble’ cellular phone which was only capable of making and receiving calls has evolved into an all-in-one communication device.

Text messaging, browsing the Internet, sending e-mail messages, taking snapshots, making video calls, watching television shows, playing games, listening to music, FM radio and Internet radio – the list of the things that you can do using one nifty device is practically endless.

An Introduction to iPhone Apps

Now, if you are looking for one of the best models of mobile phones ever released, that is none other than the iPhone. Released by Apple Inc. on June 29, 2007, this is a multimedia smartphone which is connected to the Internet.

There’s no doubt that we live in a world which puts an individual under a lot of pressure to look his or her best.

In the name of aesthetics, how much aches and pains are you willing to bear? How much money are you actually willing to spend?

You just need to look at the health and beauty aisle of a grocery store to see how  many over-the-counter cosmetic products are available that will make you look ageless, give you that youthful beauty, revitalize your skin – and everything else that these supposedly ‘miracle’ products are supposed to provide.

Aside from this, there is one other aspect in society that you can look at which just goes to show how obsessed some people can be in achieving perfection with themselves: the cosmetic surgery industry.

Liposuction, Botox surgery and similar cosmetic and surgical procedures are being performed to individuals who would like to look their best. But just how far can one go in the name of beauty?

What are the most bizarre surgical procedures which a person is actually willing to undergo? And would you try any of them yourself?

It may be a cliche but the maxim “Health is wealth” is something that Americans as a nation should live by. If you will see for yourself the figures involved in treating some of the nation’s most expensive medical conditions, you will realize just how important it is to take care of your health.

This is especially true for medical conditions which are perfectly preventable. Why would you spend thousands of dollars per year in treating a health condition that you could have prevented in the first place by paying a little more attention to your health?

A Look Back at America’s Most Expensive Medical Conditions for 1996

To give you an idea about the top medical conditions which cost both the government and its private citizens billions of dollars a year to treat, take a look at the following list:

1. Ischemic heart disease, 3.4 million conditions (costs $21.5 billion to treat)
2. Motor vehicle accidents, 7.3 million conditions (costs $21.2 billion to treat)
3. Acute respiratory infection, 44.5 million conditions (costs $17.9 billion to treat)
4. Arthropaties, 16.8 million conditions (costs $15.9 billion to treat)
5. Hypertension, 26 million conditions (costs $14.8 billion to treat)

—What Would You Do? Your Misconceptions Could Cause Further Injury!

Emergencies do not come with warning bells. They strike at unexpected moments and your response or lack thereof could be the determinant in how things come out in the end.

How much do you think you know about first aid and proper emergency response? Most people think they know quite a lot, but most of what they have learned consists of myths that could actually do more harm than good.

Put yourself to the test and seriously ask yourself: what would you do in these situations?

1. A child pulls a pot of boiling water off the stove or sticks their hand on a hot burner

Do you put butter or mayonnaise on the burn? Hurriedly remove the child’s clothing because it is stuck to the burn? Get out the ice?

Those are the common reactions in the case of a burn, but all of them are myths.

Butter, mayo or other types of grease may cause even more damage to tender skin and pulling clothing or other materials stuck to the burn could damage the tissue or pull the skin off completely.

Everyone feels happy when he/she achieves the goal. Here are 16 kick-start tips which greatly help you in your own body transformation:

1. Whole-hearted commitment and determination towards the goal

Making decisions is the most important factor, half the battle is won just by determining your goal. When you are obese, it is hard to talk to people who have been successful in losing the extra weight. Feed the fire of desire. Keep talking to those people. Then at some point the light will click and you know you become ready for the goal.

2. Food journal

Most people believe that even though they are following a healthy and rather balanced diet, they are not losing the weight they were expecting to lose.

So keep a food journal and record everything that you put in your mouth everyday.

You may not realize what you are chewing on in between meals when you are not hungry.

Keeping the food journal helps you observe your trouble spots and how you can cover them.

3. Consume slowly until you are satisfied

Most of you usually fall into a very bad daily routine, starting with skipping breakfast, wolfing down on a quick and unhealthy lunch, a lot of soda, candies and chips in between your meals and gorging with unhealthy food in the evening.

Overtime, this unhealthy eating habit becomes a daily routine of your life and it will become difficult to get out of such habits.

So it is essential for you that you manage to change all those bad eating habits quickly, to live a happy life without any health complications.

Do you know those unhealthy eating habits? If not, here is a list of unhealthy eating habits to avoid in your regular routine.

1.Skipping breakfast

As far as healthy eating habits are concerned, skipping your morning breakfast is fairly bad one. Starting your day with a healthy breakfast not only boosts your mood and energy, but also helps a lot with managing to make some healthy choices during the rest of your day.

Do you want the kind of body that burns fat even in your sleep? There is a simple solution to this - just rev up your metabolism.

If you already know that, then it’s okay. But are you following the mandatory things to make sure your internal fat burning furnace stays on for 24 hours?

Nutrition tips to rev up your metabolism:

1. Have three full meals a day and also include 2-3 snacks. Balance is the key. Consume enough proteins, lots of fruits and vegetables and a small amount of fat. If your balance is out of whack, you are going to be out of whack too. With proper practice, you will achieve the right balance [Boost metabolism naturally].

2. Purchase foods that can remember where they came from. Avoid consuming processed junk or convenience foods.

3. Prepare nutritious meals that can be stored for few days. Keep enough food in your refrigerator or cooler at your work and also at home. Purchase a box of nutrition bars or power bars to eat when you are extra busy. Store them in your gym bag, desk drawer and coat pockets.

–Diabetes Is Not An Obstacle To A Long And Healthy Life With Regular Physical Activity!

Everybody knows the fact that physical activity has great benefits on your health. Regular physical activity can help you in controlling your blood glucose, blood pressure and weight. Also, it shows a great rise in your good cholesterol level and at the same time lowers your bad cholesterol level.

Physical activity helps the problem associated with heart and blood flow. It reduces the risk of nerve damage and heart disease, which are the problems that result from diabetes.

Types of physical activity suitable for diabetics:

Before starting any physical activity, consult your doctor to find what kind of activity is right for you. Exercises which you need to practice will depend upon whether you have any other health problems.

Most of the practitioners will recommend aerobic exercises as they make you breathe more deeply and make your heart work harder.

You can practice the exercises like walking, jogging, bicycling or aerobic dancing.

Along with these exercises, some other exercises like hiking, skating, skiing, basket ball, tennis, and volleyball are good to practice as they will work on large muscles, improves your heart rate and make you breathe deeper and harder.

–The key to breast cancer is to know all the prevention methods.

It is a known fact that 1 in 8 women have a chance of developing breast cancer in their lifetime. Various causes can lead to the development of breast cancer, but making simple lifestyle changes can reduce your risk of breast cancer.

Here are 20 effective ways which can help you in breast cancer prevention:

1. It’s never too late to quit smoking:

Though smoking does not link to breast cancer, some researches confirmed that smoking a pack daily for 11 or more years can increase the risk of breast cancer up to 40%.

Also, the studies showed that women who smoked for 20 years or more and had hormone replacement therapy are twice at a risk of developing breast cancer than the women who never smoke or have hormone replacement therapy.

2. Say goodbye to alcohol:

Drinking alcoholic beverages increase the chance of developing breast cancer. Women who take 2-5 drinks in a day are about 1½ times at higher risk than women who don’t consume alcohol.

Alcohol consumption change the way of your body metabolizing estrogen. Most of the breast cancers are fueled by the estrogen hormone.

Having difficulty to get a good night sleep? Spending several hours without sleep?

Improve sleep with good sleep habits. Lack of sleep can result in stress, lack of concentration, moodiness, memory loss, lower motivation and fatigue.

It is important to get a good night sleep otherwise it can lead to different sleep disorders.

Here are 101 ways to get good night’s sleep for those who experience difficulty in getting sleep.

Sleep Routine:

1. Maintain regular bedtime routine. Try to go to bed at the same time and get up in the morning at the same time. Keeping a regular schedule helps the body expect sleep at the same time every day.

2. Maintain the sleep schedule even on weekends and holidays. Following the sleep schedule even on weekends does not disturb the internal clock of the body and helps to maintain circadian rhythm.

Get more information on circadian rhythm from http://www.talkaboutsleep.com

3. Regardless of how much sleep you had the before night, get up at the same time in the morning. If the amount of sleep is reduced due to some reasons, don’t oversleep to make up for a poor night’s sleep.