Oral Health Care

You can help prevent gum disease by taking good care of your teeth everyday and having regular dental checkups. Here's how to keep your teeth and gums healthy: Brush your teeth well twice a day: This removes the film of bacterua from the teeth. Use a soft-bristled toothbrush that is in good condition. Toothpastes and mouth rinses containing fluoride strengthen the teeth and help prevent decay. Clean between your teeth every day: Cleaning between your teeth with floss or interdental cleaners removes bacteria between the teeth, where a toothbrush can't reach. Eat a balanced diet: Choose a variety of foods from the basic food groups. Limit between-meal snacks. Visit your dentist every 6 months: It is important to have regular dental checkups, and professiona; cleaning is essential to prevent periodontal diseases. Brushing : The right method of brushing your teeth

Step 1 :  Place your toothbrush at a 45-degree angle against the gums.

Step 2 :   Move the brush back and forth gently in shot (tooth-wide) strokes. Brush uo for your lower teeth and brush down for your upper teeth.

Step 3 :    Brush the outer tooth surfaces, the inner tooth surfaces, and the chewing surfaces of the teeth. Step 4 :   Clean the inside surfaces of the front teeth, using a gentle up-and-down stroke.

Step 5 : 
Brush your tongue to remove bacteria and freshen your breath

Fitness Marketing

Fitness Marketing – Overview
These marketing efforts are the life blood of any business that can accept. Need to know basis in order to create sales and revenue, such as people, you who you are and what it is able to offer. Until we are able to create awareness and interest, no matter how useless a product or service is effective. Fitness industry and so much more effort now in terms of advertising to a large extent, this place has seen.
If a sports trainer or you can try different marketing techniques have a gym in order to harness the full potential of your business.
Fitness Marketing Advertising Vs
You need to understand the beginning of one of the most important thing is the difference between one of the sports marketing and advertising. This ad is equal to marketing is a popular opinion. But the truth is that only a sports marketing advertising is one of many tools.

Smooth Fitness Kuponlar

Smooth Fitness Kuponlar
Smooth Fitness coupons you the best Looking for hands? As anyone who has been in the same location, I save money on their incredible line of treadmills and elliptical may know the importance. Here, you get coupons in the best way to ensure a smooth Fitness would like to share some valuable tips.
#. 1 is still valid? Their own campaigns and promotions often start and start and stop at the end of each month. You’ll make sure you enter discount code I want to still active.
# 2 Is it suitable for a special discount model number? All machines under the same discounts and price reductions, so make sure that s is appropriate. Otherwise, they more likely for that next month there are more private savings. Which will save a bunch of money can receive free shipping Most of the time.
# 3 Coupons can be added to other discounts? Sometimes, additional price discounts they provide to the current presentation.
I take your shape and serious about burning fat than Smooth Fitness is no brainer. They by many the most successful and popular home treadmill and elliptical manufacturers in the United States are accepted. I’m using them and Agile DMT so fast and so easy, I must admit I never lose weight. If you really’cash savings and serious about losing weight again after the Smooth Fitness control.

Seasonal Diet For Better Health

Controlling weight and caring body health should be continuous process in all aspects. Hence body caring must be in full swing in all seasons of the year irrespective of rain winter or summer. If only this can be carried out carefully, better health can be maintained. In order to achieve this successfully people must rely on seasonal healthy foods in addition to regular exercises and walking. These techniques will enable people to gain health skin as well as healthy body. Fruits and vegetables are the various food items available with respect to various seasons. If we can consume these fruits and vegetables with respect to their availability then we will be in sound health through out. Since fruits and vegetables contain minerals and vitamins in abundance, they can be considered as the better alternative for ideal balanced diet. Fruits and vegetables which are available seasonally are capable to keep man in good health all the time. More over, they can be refreshed and rejuvenated all time by taking these foods regularly.
In additional to these seasonal foods if people can take milk and eggs also, nothing extra is needed to maintain better health. Fruits and vegetables are very good supplementary food for eyes, skin, hair, bone, teeth and hemoglobin found in blood. The diet we usually consume are suitable to apply externally also. In this regard certain fruits, vegetables, vegetable juice and fruit juices are recommended to use in our body and face. Fruit juices and vegetables have certain tendencies to reduce our body heat. Hence they are highly recommended for using during summer seasons. No vegetarian foods and dishes are not suitable to develop cool in human body. Hence they are not ideal especially during summer season. In addition to these nutritive foods, people must drink enough water every day. Since water is the main constituent of human body tissues drinking enough water will enable tissues to perform better metabolic activities. Thus seasonal diet and water consumption have key roles to develop better health.

Some Useful Health Tips

Youngsters of these years prefer to be slim in view to look more young and beautiful. This thought is more on young ladies than young men. Loosing weight and looking slim is really wonderful. This is really a dream of those who are bulky in look. This can be achieved by exercising regularly together with diet control. Those who want to be fit in all respects must get up early in the morning. Eight hours sleep is sufficient for a healthy man. Sleeping more is not good to the body. Hence after eight hours comfortable sleep everybody should get up early in the morning. Morning is the best time for doing daily exercises. During morning hours the environment will be slightly cool even during summer. Hence doing exercises in the morning will not make people to get tired so easily. People can breathe fresh air during morning hours. The process polluting atmospheric air will not have started in the morning. Hence the ideal time for doing exercises is morning.
Apart from exercising, people can choose either walking or swimming. Both for walking and swimming morning are highly desirable. Walking is beneficial in numerous ways comparing to exercising. Walking can be performed by all irrespective age and health conditions where as health should be considered preliminarily while doing exercises. There may be some side effects in the process of doing exercises. For a fresher there may be pain or uneasiness in the body on successive days. The fresher has to experience these difficulties until their body respond to the exercising process. But in walking no such difficulties can be found. For a fresher in walking, minimum distance is sufficient for the first day. Then the distances can be gradually increased in the next coming days. In this way individuals can walk considerable distances daily. If both walking and exercising are continued the people can maintain good health through out in their life.

Home for Christmas: After months in intensive care, little fighters give their parents a perfect present

By ALISON SMITH SQUIRE and TAMARA COHEN

Finley Burton: Survived after his body was 'frozen' by surgeons to slow down his heart beat


After you’ve beaten the toughest odds simply to survive, every day is Christmas.

But tomorrow will be extra special for these babies, at home with their parents for the first time after months in intensive care.

Born prematurely or facing serious complications, nearly every day of their short lives has been a battle.

But as Christmas Day dawns, they will be snuggled up at home where they belong, for a day of celebration their parents hardly dared dream of.

FINLEY BURTON
Just a few months ago, Finley burton lay paralysed on a hospital bed, his life hanging in the balance.

At ten weeks, he suffered complications after an operation to repair a large hole in his heart.


Wired up: Finley in his hospital bed wired up to lots of machines


His body went into ectopic tachycardia, a rapid heart beat of up to 200 beats a minute that can be fatal.

Desperate to save him, doctors used a pioneering technique, ‘freezing’ him to slow down his out-of-control heart rate.

Yesterday, Finley, now ten months, was enjoying the snow with his parents Aaron, 32, and Donna, 28, at their home in Easington, Co. Durham.


‘We really thought we were going to lose him,’ said his mother. ‘It’s a miracle that he survived and we can now enjoy our first family Christmas.’

BURDEN TWINS
Dressed in matching red outfits, the six-month-old Burden twins have made it home in time for their first Christmas too.

Parents Lee Burden, 35, and Amanda Staplehurst, 31, feared the worst when Amelia-Hope was born at 23 weeks, weighing a mere 1lb 2oz.


Amelia-Hope Burden and her brother, Arthur, who weighed 1lb 2oz and 1lb 4oz respectively with their mother, Amanda


Tiny: When she was born, Amelia-Hope weighed just 1lb 2oz. Her twin brother came ten days later and weighed 1lb 4oz


Arthur followed ten days later, at 1lb 4oz, and their battle for life began.

Somehow, their fighting spirit won through and they became the youngest premature twins to survive in the UK.

They were allowed to leave hospital only last month.

‘Bringing them home is the best gift we could have asked for,’ said their mother at the family home in Bournemouth.

JENKINSON TRIPLETS


Three times the fun: Rebecca and Iain Jenkinson with Gabriella, Alexander and Zachary


Happiness is trebled in the Jenkinson household this Christmas. triplets gabriella, zachary and alex were born two months premature after being conceived naturally in a 750,000-to-one chance.

While the first two arrived safely, Alex had a serious heart condition that needed surgery and mother Rebecca had to have a life-saving blood transfusion.

After the drama of last December’s birth, Rebecca and husband Iain are relishing every moment together at their home in Warrington.

‘All three of them are happy and healthy,’ Mrs Jenkinson said. ‘They’re my Christmas miracle babies.’


Merry Christmas 2010 !



source: dailymail

Looking fabulous at 50: Carol Vorderman shows why she refuses to fret about her body

By EMILY ANDREWS

Birthday girl: Carol Vorderman is fabulous at 50


In her younger days she sometimes counted her imperfections. Today, as she turns 50, Carol Vorderman prefers to count her blessings.

And as her elegant red gown shows, she is a woman who has been very blessed indeed.

‘When you’re in your 20s and 30s you often think “I don’t like this bit, I don’t like that bit, I wish I could shave a few inches off here”,’ she said.

‘But when you’re older you’re just blooming grateful for what you’ve got!

‘For instance, I’ve learned that women spend lots of time worrying about cellulite but men just don’t see it, particularly as they get older themselves and their eyesight goes too!

‘At this age you don’t beat yourself up any more - what’s the point?

‘I’m comfortable in my skin, I’m really happy and that’s all that counts.’

The mother of two, who co-hosted Channel Four’s Countdown for 26 years, has been busy concentrating on figures other than her own since she left the show.


She is chairman of a Conservative Party Task Force that will report in the new year on improving maths education.

And she is running an online maths school for children up to age 12, www.themathsfactor.com, which operates with a team of 12 from Bristol.

Then there is the delight of family life in Somerset with her daughter Katie, 18, son Cameron, 13, and mother Jean, 82.

Christmas, coinciding with her birthday, is always a favourite time.

‘I was called Carol because I was born on Christmas Eve... no surprises there...and I just love this time of year,’ she said.

The year ahead, it seems, will be Carol’s year of living dangerously. She wants to use her 51st year to do 50 things she’s always dreamed of, such as learning to ski, completing a scuba diving course and getting her pilot’s licence.

‘I’m actually a real daredevil and I love engines, as I read engineering at Cambridge, so I want to learn to fly and go wing-walking and do some aerobatics,’ she said.

‘This will be an aviation year - I want to go ballooning in Switzerland and to see the final space shuttle go up.

‘There are all these things I’ve always wanted to do, but in the past the kids have been too young or I’ve been working too hard.

‘Now we can do all these things together and I have a lot more time.

‘Katie’s on her gap year before university so hopefully she can come with me to the States to learn to fly and I’ve got lots more things planned.

‘I was the kid on free school meals from a single parent family in the 60s who managed to get to Cambridge and have made the most of everything I could by working hard since then.

‘And as this year ends, I could burst with excitement. I know that a new chapter is beginning.’

Hard work, she often says, has been the key to her success. And it seems that also applies to her fabulous fiftysomething figure. ‘I do have to watch what I eat,’ she admitted.


Carol & Katie Vorderman



Carol Vorderman - Daybreak 10Nov2010


source: dailymail

The City star banned from fashion website after shocked readers complain about her stick-thin frame

By MAYSA RAWI

Weighty issue: Allie Crandell models a black leather dress by BCBG on the Revolve website, but has been banned after readers complained she was too thin


The City star Allie Crandell has been banned from a popular American fashion retailer after readers complained about her skinny frame.

Revolve clothing featured Crandell on their online boutique looking painfully thin as she models a collection by BCBG Max Azria.

One image in particular showing her tiny waist and arms sparked outrage among shoppers.


Painfully thin: Allie has attracted attention in the past over her weight while she was on American show The City


One shopper wrote: 'As a normal, healthy woman with a healthy body type. How can I possibly imagine what this dress would look like on me when it is shown on an emaciated frame?'

Revolve have promised not to feature Crandell on their site until she puts on weight.

The spokesperson said: 'We are working closely with both the model and her agent to get her to a healthier size.



Doll-sized: Revolve have said they are working with both the model and her agent to get her to a healthier size


'She won't be appearing in any of our new product batches or in any of our fashion editorial photos moving forward until the issue is adequately addressed.

'We have been attempting to respect the privacy of the model in question while dealing with the issue on our end.'

In 2008, Crandell became a part of the MTV reality show The City.

In one episode, fashion publicist Kelly Cutrone accused her of being too thin before the model goes on to defend herself by insisting she eats healthily.

Although she played a major role in the first season, she has only appeared twice in the second half.

She also starred in Shayne Ward's 2006 No Promises video.

Crandell confirmed via her personal Twitter account that she will no longer be appearing on the show, stating, 'I'm done with the City forever.'

source: dailymail

Michael Douglas enjoys family dinner in New York as he awaits results of cancer treatment

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Smartly dressed: Michael looked fresher than in recent weeks and Catherine looked glamourous in a pair of black leather trousers and large black sunglasses


After being diagnosed with cancer four months ago, Michael Douglas has just seen the end of a difficult year.

But as the new year begins, the actor is now facing a tense wait to see if his treatment has been successful.

The Hollywood actor, 66, put his worries to one side to spend some quality time with wife Catherine Zeta Jones and their two children Dylan, 10, and seven year old Carys.


Waiting: Michael Douglas is awaiting news on his cancer treatment


The family enjoyed a meal out in New York together after arriving back in the city before the new year celebrations.

Michael was pictured outside the family home with his brood looking healthier than in recent weeks.

The actor was looking well-groomed with his hair brushed back, his face clean-shaven and colour flushed his cheeks.

While Catherine stepped out in a glamorous black outfit sporting large black shades.

On Friday the couple were seen at JFK Airport arriving back from a trip to San Francisco.

Michael was dressed causally in a zipped top, black trousers and a green cap.


Facing the music: Michael Douglas and wife Catherine Zeta Jones arrived back in New York on Friday


Meanwhile Catherine, 42, went make-up free and covered her face with her hat and sunglasses as she sat in the back seat of their car.

It emerged Douglas was battling throat cancer back in August and he has been undergoing gruelling chemo and radiotherapy over the past few months.

He recently revealed he will discover in January whether the treatment has been successful.


Homeward bound: The veteran star was looking healthier than he has done in recent months. He'll discover the results of his cancer treatment this month


Douglas recently revealed in an interview with the Hollywood Reporter - his first since undergoing treatment - that he will learn in January if the cancer has been eliminated. Doctors have told him this type of cancer has an 80 per cent cure rate.

‘It certainly has put a little perspective on mortality, obviously,’ he said.
But as I looked through the stats, I didn’t think of this as life and death, I just saw it as an illness to get over.

‘So I didn’t dig into the bottom of my soul to see what I could see.


Fighting chance: Doctors have given Douglas an 80 per cent chance of beating the illness


'The level of chemo, the amount they’re giving you, combined with radiation, was the max they could do in that period of time. It’s amazing that they almost have to try and kill you to bring you back.’

Douglas has been spending lost of quality time with his family over the past month.

The veteran actor celebrated Thanksgiving in Florida with Catherine and their children where they visited Disney World as well as enjoying a magical day out at The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando Resort.


source: dailymail

Alex Rodriguez admits drug use

Already the highest-paid player, Alex Rodriguez wanted to prove himself one of the greatest. Instead, he wound up atop another list: the highest-profile player to confess to cheating in baseball’s steroids era.

The All-Star third baseman, responding to a weekend Sports Illustrated report that he flunked a drug test, told ESPN on Monday he used banned substances while playing with the Texas Rangers from 2001-03 to justify his 10-year, $252 million contract.

“Back then, it was a different culture,” Rodriguez said. “It was very loose. I was young. I was stupid. I was naive, and I wanted to prove to everyone that, you know, I was worth, you know — and being one of the greatest players of all time.”

He said he didn’t do it before that and quit during spring training in 2003, before the first of three American League MVP seasons, because “I’ve proved to myself and to everyone that I don’t need any of that.” He was traded to the New York Yankees before the 2004 season and said he hasn’t used banned substances since.

The admission came two days after Sports Illustrated reported on its Web site that Rodriguez was among 104 names on a list of players who tested positive for steroids in 2003, when testing was intended to determine the extent of steroid use in baseball. The results weren’t subject to discipline and were supposed to remain anonymous.

“When I arrived in Texas in 2001, I felt an enormous amount of pressure. I felt like I had all the weight of the world on top of me and I needed to perform, and perform at a high level every day,” Rodriguez said.

“And I did take a banned substance and, you know, for that I’m very sorry and deeply regretful. And although it was the culture back then and Major League Baseball overall was very — I just feel that — You know, I’m just sorry. I’m sorry for that time. I’m sorry to fans. I’m sorry for my fans in Texas. It wasn’t until then that I ever thought about substance of any kind.”

Rodriguez said part of the reason he started using drugs was the heat in Texas.

“Can I have an edge just to get out there and play every day?” he said to himself. “You basically end up trusting the wrong people. You end up, you know, not being very careful about what you’re ingesting.”

Though Rodriguez said he experimented with a number of substances, he never provided details.

“It was such a loosey-goosey era. I’m guilty for a lot of things. I’m guilty for being negligent, naive, not asking all the right questions,” Rodriguez said. “And to be quite honest, I don’t know exactly what substance I was guilty of using.”

Owner feels ‘betrayed’

SI reported Rodriguez tested positive for Primobolan and testosterone.

He said he stopped using during spring training 2003, when he sustained a neck injury. It was just as baseball started its drug-testing survey.

Rangers owner Tom Hicks said the admission caught him by surprise.

“I feel personally betrayed. I feel deceived by Alex,” Hicks said in a conference call. “He assured me that he had far too much respect for his own body to ever do that to himself. … I certainly don’t believe that if he’s now admitting that he started using when he came to the Texas Rangers, why should I believe that it didn’t start before he came to the Texas Rangers?”

During those three seasons, Rodriguez averaged 161.7 games, 52 homers, 131.7 RBIs and a .615 slugging percentage. In the other 10 full seasons of his career, he averaged 149.2 games, 39.2 homers, 119 RBIs, and a .574 slugging percentage, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

“This is three years I’m not proud of,” Rodriguez said.

The 33-year-old Rodriguez ranks 12th on the career list with 553 homers, including 52, 57 and 47 in his three seasons with the Rangers. He is 209 behind Barry Bonds’ record 762.

U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings, a Maryland Democrat who sits on the House committee that brought Roger Clemens, Mark McGwire and other baseball players to Capitol Hill in recent years, favored a congressional hearing with Rodriguez.

“It would be good perhaps for us to sit down and talk to him,” Cummings said in a telephone interview. “I would think that he would want to cooperate with us so that the Congress would have the information it may need.”

Rodriguez’s admission was in stark contrast to the denials of Bonds and of Clemens, Rodriguez’s former Yankees teammate.

Bonds, a seven-time MVP, is scheduled for trial next month on charges that he lied when he told a federal grand jury in 2003 that he never knowingly used performance-enhancing drugs. Another federal grand jury is considering whether to indict seven-time AL Cy Young Award winner Clemens on charges he lied when he told a congressional committee last year that he never used steroids or human growth hormone.

Questions remain

Rather than hold a news conference, as Giambi and Pettitte did for their confessionals, Rodriguez chose the controlled setting of an interview with ESPN, one of Major League Baseball’s television partners.

The interview left open many questions:

• From whom did Rodriguez obtain drugs?
• How did he pay for them?
• Did anyone help him obtain them?

“You have nutritionists, you have doctors, you have trainers. That’s the right question today: Where did you get it? We’re in the era of BALCO,” Rodriguez said. “There’s many things that you can take that are banned substances. I mean, there’s things that have been removed from GNC today that would trigger a positive test.”

Monday’s ESPN interview directly contradicted a December 2007 interview with CBS’s “60 Minutes,” when Rodriguez said “No” when asked if he had ever used steroids, human growth hormone or any other performance-enhancing substance.

“I wasn’t even being truthful with myself,” he said Monday. “Today, I’m here to tell the truth.”

In his 2008 book, “Vindicated: Big Names, Big Liars, and The Battle to Save Baseball,” Jose Canseco claimed he introduced Rodriguez to a steroids dealer. Canseco, who has admitted using steroids, subsequently said he had no knowledge of any drug use by Rodriguez.

“They are looking in the wrong places,” Canseco said in a text message to The Associated Press. “This is a 25-year cover-up. The true criminals are Gene Orza, (union head) Donald Fehr and (commissioner) Bud (Selig). Investigate them, and you will have all the answers.”

SI said that Orza, the union’s chief operating officer, tipped off three players in September 2004 that they would be tested. Orza repeatedly has denied that he tipped off players, saying he merely reminded them late in the season that if they had not yet been tested, baseball’s drug agreement required them to be tested by the end of the regular season.

---

Source: Ledger Enquirer

Eluana Englaro, finally, has died

Italian news agencies have reported that the woman at the heart of a right-to-die debate has died.

Senators who had been debating a bill designed to prevent Eluana Englaro's feeding tubes from being removed observed a minute of silence when the news was read out.

The ANSA agency, citing local, regional and law enforcement officials, reported Monday that Englaro died in the clinic in Udine where she has been cared for the past week.

Apcom news agency also reported the death, citing people close to the family.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

Italian senators raced Monday to discuss a bill designed to keep a woman in vegetative state from having her feeding tube disconnected, the latest twist in a right-to-die case that has consumed Italy.

The bill aimed at keeping Eluana Englaro alive is expected to win quick approval. It was proposed by forces loyal to Premier Silvio Berlusconi, whose conservative lawmakers have solid majority in Parliament.

Englaro, 38, has been in a vegetative state since she was in a car accident 17 years ago. Her doctors have said her condition is irreversible. Late last year, her father won a decade-long court battle to allow her feeding tubes to be removed, saying that was her wish.

In line with the high court ruling, medical workers on Friday began gradually suspending food and water for Englaro. Citing privacy rules, they have not given updates on the procedure.

But Italy's center-right government, backed by the Vatican, has been pressing to keep her alive, racing against time to pass legislation prohibiting food and water from being suspended for patients who depend on them.

After debate, the legislation reached the Senate floor late Monday. The final Senate vote is scheduled for Tuesday, despite amendments that some center-left opposition lawmakers have promised. The lower house scheduled its vote for Wednesday.

Alessandro Pace, constitutional law professor at Rome University, said the law could not apply to Englaro because of previous court rulings but it could affect future right-to-die cases.

Health Minister Maurizio Sacconi, however, has said the text of the law might undergo changes to make sure it can be applied to Englaro.

Her case has stirred strong emotions on both sides of the right-to-die debate. Protesters have been staging daily demonstrations in front of the medical facility in Udine, in northeastern Italy, where Englaro is being cared for.

Italy does not allow euthanasia but patients have a right to refuse treatment. But there is no law that allows them to give advance directions on what treatment they wish to receive if they become unconscious.

Berlusconi has said stopping feeding Englaro is tantamount to the "killing of a human being who is still alive" and claimed that Englaro could in theory even bear a child.

Englaro's neurologist, Dr. Carlo Alberto Defanti, has said aside from her brain injury, Englaro was strong and in good health. In an interview published Monday in the Corriere della Sera newspaper, he said doubted she would die in the first week without food and water.

"From the moment of the suspension to death, some 12-14 days could pass," he was quoted as saying.

Berlusconi's government passed an emergency decree Friday to prevent Englaro from having her tube disconnected. But the move led to a rare institutional crisis, as the country's president, Giorgio Napolitano, rejected it on the grounds the decree defied court rulings.

The Englaro case has drawn comparisons with that of Terri Schiavo, the American woman who died in 2005 after an fierce right-to-die debate.

Schiavo's feeding tube was removed in March 2005. Congress passed a bill to allow a federal court to review the Florida woman's case, and then-President George W. Bush returned from his Texas ranch to sign the bill into law. A federal judge refused to order the tube reinserted, a decision upheld by a federal appeals court and the Supreme Court.

---

Source: The Associated Press

Michael Graves coffee maker rated best deal by Consumer Reports

Many of us Frugal Forcers have a love/hate relationship with coffee. We love to suck down loads of it but hate the detrimental effect it can have on our wallets, especially if it's from a high-priced coffee shop. Fellow blogger Cheap Kate has blogged frequently about her attempts to save money by making her own coffee here at work.

Mercifully, Consumer Reports is coming to Kate's rescue. The magazine has tested 34 different coffee makers and have found the one they say is best: The Michael Graves 12-Cup Coffeemaker, which retails for a relatively inexpensive $40 (some of the "best" coffee makers are priced $100 or more). The magazine cites the coffee maker's high temperature, programmable features and coffee quality.

Consumer Reports also recommends the Melitta Take2, retailing at $25, for an even more frugal cup of coffee.

The always-caffeinated Frugal Force salutes Consumer Reports for its commitment to investigative coffee journalism!

Do you have a preferred coffee maker that's frugal friendly? Are you willing to compromise on price and the quality of your cup of Joe?

---

Source: Orlando Sentinel

Eat this not that

Eat what you want, when you want--and watch the pounds disappear!

Americans spend more than $400 billion a year eating out, and behind each burger, turkey sandwich, and ice cream sundae is a simple decision that could help you control your weight--and your life. The problem is, restaurant chains and food producers aren't interested in helping you make healthy choices. In fact, they invest $30 billion a year on advertising, much of it aimed at confusing eaters and disguising the fat and calorie counts of their products.

All of that has changed with EAT THIS, NOT THAT!. This book puts the entire food industry under the spotlight, and arms you with the savvy tricks and insider information it takes to eat well no matter where you are. With EAT THIS, NOT THAT! you're the expert in every eating situation, from the frozen food aisle to your favorite fast food joint to your local sports bar. You control your food universe--and lose the pounds you want--because, unlike every other customer, you'll know the smart choices to make--instantly!

EAT THIS, NOT THAT! is jam-packed with secrets the restaurant industry doesn't want you to know. For example: * Burger King doesn't want you to know that a BK Big Fish® Sandwich and fries have a whopping 1000 calories--nearly half your daily caloric intake! (Fish is usually healthy, but not this kind. Find out why with this book.) * Pizza Hut doesn't want you to know that a standard pizza in Italy contains 500 to 800 calories, but the same meal at Pizza Hut can top 2,100 calories! (You'd need to ride a stationary bike for more than three hours to burn off this mistake. Instead, eat all the pizza you want by making smart choices. EAT THIS, NOT THAT! shows you how.) * Macaroni Grill doesn't want you to know that a single serving of their Grilled Teriyaki Salmon has more than three times your daily allowance of sodium! (Cut your risk of high blood pressure by making smart choices at the same restaurant. You'll find them inside.)

If only you knew the industry secrets, you could eat at any of your favorite restaurants--or chow down on everything from the company vending machine to your kids' Halloween buckets--and know that every decision you made was smart, healthy, and the best possible choice for you. For example, did you know: * At McDonald's, an Egg McMuffin® is actually a healthy choice, with just 300 calories. (The Hotcakes pack more than double that amount!) * At Krispy Kreme, all you need to do is order the Very Berry Chiller instead of the Mocha Dream Chiller, and you'll save 500 calories! (Do that once a week and you'll drop more than 7 pounds this year--without trying!) * At Chipotle, you can cut 570 calories out of your Chicken Burrito just by ordering it as a bowl (without the tortilla) and asking them to hold the rice. (Same great taste, but with 94 fewer carb grams!) * Choosing a cinnamon roll at Au Bon Pain over Cinnabon will save you 463 calories and 20 grams of fat! * In the freezer section of your local supermarket, a turkey pot pie from Swanson's has 610 fewer calories than a turkey pot pie from Pepperidge Farms. * In the produce aisle, you'll get twice the vitamin C--and nine times as much vitamin A--simply by picking red bell peppers over green ones. (Who said eating healthy was difficult?)

And that's why EAT THIS, NOT THAT! is going to change everything. It's time to level the playing field. We're all tired of sneaky calories adding to our waistlines, and having to starve ourselves or spend hours on the treadmill trying to burn off the damage. Now--for the first time--you're in charge. With this simple illustrated guide to thousands of foods--along with the nutrition secrets that lead to fast and permanent weight loss--you'll make the smartest choice every time!

---

Source: Amazon

Free 12-Week Kettlebell Workout Plan Launched for Fat Loss & Strength

MBody Strength, a fitness company based in Orange County, California, has launched a detailed 12-week kettlebell training program called the MBody Strength Kettlebell Fat Loss & Strength Building Plan. The free workout plan includes detailed instructions, specific exercise plans for each week, and fitness guidelines to achieve the maximum amount of fat loss and strength.

MBody Strength, a fitness company based in Orange County, California, has launched a detailed 12-week kettlebell workout plan called the MBody Strength Kettlebell Fat Loss & Strength Building Plan. The 10-page PDF document is available at www.mbodystrength.com. The free workout plan includes detailed instructions, specific exercise plans for each week, and fitness guidelines to achieve the maximum amount of fat loss and strength.

“The workout plan has built-in flexibility to fit the requirements of beginners to experienced fitness enthusiasts,” stated Marcus Martinez, MBody’s founder and member. “We’d like to help people achieve their goals by using high-efficiency training methods, such as kettlebell exercises.”

The entire MBody free workout plan only requires three pieces of equipment: two kettlebells and a pull-up bar. It incorporates an increasingly difficult workout schedule as each week and month passes, enabling trainees to challenge themselves, constantly increasing their physical performance.

The free workout plan utilizes three types of training methods: kettlebell, body-weight, and interval training. These three training routines incorporate full-body motions that enable trainees to maximize the results from each minute of a workout, burning fat and building functional strength during each exercise.

This is the first 12-week program available online through www.mbodystrength.com. The company is planning to launch a series of programs that will be customized to specific objectives, like fat loss, sports training, muscle building, functional strength, and training for recreational sports like water skiing. Workout plans will also be available for specific types of training, such as kettlebell, sandbag, ring training, interval training, free weight, and more.

Within two weeks of the free workout plan becoming available, it was downloaded hundreds of times by trainees in 16 different countries, including the United States, Russia, Indonesia, Australia, India, Germany, and the United Kingdom. Trainees ranged from beginners to soldiers and athletes.

“This free workout plan will enable anyone to achieve awesome improvements in physical performance and looks,” said Marcus Martinez. “MBody workout plans combined with our online exercise demonstrations should provide users with all the information they need to get into fantastic shape.”

---

Source: PR

Valerian Root Tea for Best Calming Effect

Valerian is a perennial plant that can reach 4 feet in height. It has hollow stems and white or reddish flowers that bloom every summer. Most of the valerian used medicinally is grown on farms. Valerian can be used as tea. Valerian Root Tea is best known for its calming effect, Valerian Root Tea is used in connection with insomnia, nervousness and related conditions including anxiety, nervous restlessness, anxiety-induced headache or upset stomach. It has also been used in connection with depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), epilepsy, and migraines. However, no clinical evidence substantiates its effectiveness for these conditions. Valerian Root Tea also appears to be useful in relieving menopausal symptoms and menstrual discomfort. Valerian Root Tea by Alvita Tea.

For more information: Valerian Root Tea

---

Source: Herbal Remedies Info

One Dollar Diet Project: Saving money on frugal food budget

Times are tough. Money is tight. There is little margin in the budget.

Like most of us in this troubled economy looking to find ways to save money, Social Justice teachers Christopher Greenslate and Kerri Leonard started their One Dollar Diet Project as an experiment in the possibility of saving money.

Although three billon people (or half the world's population) live on less than $2.50 a day, attempting to eat on one dollar a day is no small challenge considering the average American living in the land of plenty traditionally spends far more than $2.50 on food alone in one day.

Starting on September 1, 2008, Greenslate and Leonard chronicled the One Dollar Diet Project in the onedollardietproject.com blog featuring a food cost index, food log, sample recipes and the daily experience and challenge of the One Dollar Diet Project. The blog has continued past September, and the latest entry publishes the shocking reality that one in ten families in the US are currently using food stamps. The One Dollar Diet Project has become more than a one month project in saving money.

---

Source: Hope and Healing

The Biggest Loser (Season 1)

The Biggest Loser is an NBC reality television show that began broadcasting on October 19, 2004. The show features overweight contestants competing to lose the largest percentage of their body weight and receive the title of 'Biggest Loser,' along with a $250,000 grand prize. The first season featured twelve contestants divided into two teams of six players. The teams were each led by a personal trainer, Bob Harper with the Blue team and Jillian Michaels with the Red team. The first season was hosted by Caroline Rhea.

Episodes

Week 1

• The 12 contestants are spilt into two teams: the red team and the blue team. The red team consists of Lizzeth, Matt, Dave, Kelly Min, Lisa and Ryan is trained by Jillian. The blue team consists of Dana, Aaron, Kelly Mac, Andrea, Maurice, Gary and is trained by Bob.
• The Blue Team wins the first challenge and receives five pounds of lard to use against the losing team at the weigh in.
• Matt is the biggest loser of the week.
• The Red Team wins the weigh in.
• Dana is the first person to be eliminated.

Week 2

• The Red Team wins the second challenge and receives a day at the spa.
• Aaron is the biggest loser of the week.
• The Blue Team wins the weigh in.
• Lizzeth is eliminated.

Week 3

• Everyone at the ranch resists the temptation to eat a cinnamon bun to get a telephone call. As a reward, they all win a 5 minute phone call.
• The Red Team wins the performance challenge and receives a gourmet meal from Chef Cruz. Additionally, they forced the Blue Team to lose their trainer right before the weigh-in.
• Matt is the biggest loser of the week.
• The Red Team wins the weigh in.
• Aaron is eliminated.

Week 4

• Dave gives in to the temptation to eat a cupcake and have dinner with a loved one.
• This week's challenge is to climb 74 flights of stairs. Since Gary and Maurice are injured, Matt and Lisa will be competing for the Red team against Kelly Mac and Andrea of the Blue Team. Lisa has a panic attack and has to stop at the 34th floor. Kelly Mac and Andrea make it to the top and win a helicopter ride over the city for the Blue Team.
• The Blue Team chooses Matt of the Red Team to sit out the weigh in.
• Maurice is the biggest loser of the week.
• The Blue Team wins the weigh in.
• Matt is eliminated.

Week 5

• The Red Team wins the challenge by building the tallest food pyramid. They win $5,000 of computer equipment and video messages from home.
• Andrea becomes the first woman to be the biggest loser of the week.
• The Blue Team wins the weigh in.
• Dave is eliminated.

Week 6

• The Red Team wins the life guard training challenge and are treated to new makeovers.
• Ryan is the biggest loser of the week.
• The Red Team wins the weigh in.
• Kelly Mac is eliminated after the Red Team is forced to break a tie between Kelly Mac and Maurice.

Week 7

• Caroline Rhea announces to the teams that it is now an individual competition. The two people who are below the yellow line (having the lowest percentage cumulative weight loss) will be up for elimination.
• The individual spin cycle challenge is won by Gary, who rode for 79 miles. In addition to being immune from the next eviction, Gary also receives a shopping spree and a surprise visit from his wife and kids.
• Ryan is the biggest loser of the week.
• Andrea and Maurice are up for elimination, and Andrea is sent home.

Week 8

• This week's challenge has all the contestants wearing their previously lost weight in vests. The previous day, they had run a lap around the track. Whomever could get closest to their time from the previous day would win immunity and a 32" LCD TV. Ryan wins the challenge.
• Gary is the biggest loser for the week.
• Lisa and Maurice are up for elimination, and Ryan turns against his former teammate and is the tie-breaker vote to eliminate Lisa.

Week 9

• Episode 9 was a retrospective into the first eight episodes.

Week 10

• The prize for the weekly challenge is a $7,000 treadmill. There is no immunity. The contestants had to stand on bales of hay holding a bouquet of balloons. Ryan wins the treadmill.
• Ryan is again the biggest loser.
• Maurice and Kelly are up for elimination
• Maurice is voted off, leaving Kelly, Gary and Ryan in the final three.
• Winning percentage will be based on weight loss and fat percentage lost.
• Kelly has a total weight loss of 79 pounds (33%) and decreased her body fat by 17% for 50%.
• Gary has a total weight loss of 71 pounds (31%) and decreased his body fat by 23% for 54%.
• Ryan has a total weight loss of 122 pounds (37%) and decreased his body fat by 18% for 55%.
• Ryan is declared the biggest loser and the winner of $250,000.

Week 12 - Reunion

• The Reunion show saw the 9 non-finalists compete for $100,000. Each was dunked in the water tank to check their fat loss and weighed.

Reunion figures

Name	Weight loss	Percentage
		weight	fat	total
Dana	22	13%	8%	21%
Lizzeth	22	13%	11%	24%
Aaron	61	23%	21%	44%
Matt	64	21%	6%	27%
Dave	71	28%	25%	53%
Kelly Mac	72	32%	15%	47%
Andrea	59	27%	21%	48%
Lisa	57	24%	7%	31%
Maurice	71	16%	8%	24%

Voting History

Did They Keep the Weight Off?

Prior to the start of Season 4 a special episode was shown revisiting past contestants to see if they kept the weight off. Only Andrea and Kelly Mac were featured, but on the official website, Aaron was also interviewed.

Andrea, who lost 59 pounds in the competition, lost another 5 pounds to bring her current weight to 151. This had made her the only contestant featured to actually maintain her weight loss.

Kelly Mac gained 9 pounds since the Season One finale to bring her weight to 160 pounds.

Aaron, who was eliminated in the third week and losing 25 of his 61 pounds at home, gained 24 pounds to bring his weight back to 224, only one pound less than when he left the ranch.

On the second to last episode of The Biggest Loser: Families, trainer Bob mentioned that Season 1 winner, Ryan weighed as much today as he did when he first came to the house, indicating he had gained all the weight back and saying he had "learned nothing."

---

Source: Wikipedia

Eclampsia, an acute and life-threatening complication of pregnancy, is characterized by the appearance of tonic-clonic seizures in a patient who had developed preeclampsia; rarely does eclampsia occur without preceding preeclamptic symptoms. Hypertensive disorder of pregnancy and toxemia of pregnancy are terms used to encompass both preeclampsia and eclampsia. Seizures and coma that happen during pregnancy but are due to preexisting or organic brain disorders are not eclampsia. This disease was featured in an episode of House titled "Joy to the World" which first aired on December 9, 2008.

The term is derived from the Greek and refers to a flash, a term used by Hippocrates to designate a fever of sudden onset. ^[1]

Prevalence

Eclampsia is a leading cause of maternal and perinatal mortality. The prevalence of eclampsia is reported to be 0.56 per 1,000 births (US data from 1979-86) versus 26 per 1,000 births for pre-eclampsia.^[2] While mortality can be kept low when antenatal care and maternal-fetal services are provided, mortality rates are substantial in challenging settings. Thus in a setting in India , maternal mortality and perinatal mortality were reported to be 32% and 39%, respectivley, in 1993.^[3]

Eclamptic convulsions may appear in the last trimester (rarely before), during labour, and in the first two days postpartum; it would be highly unusual to see eclampsia later than 48 hours after delivery. ^[4]

Risk factors

Eclampsia, like preeclampsia, tends to occur more commonly in first pregnancies and young mothers where it is thought that exposure to paternal antigens still has been low. Further, women with preexisting vascular diseases (hypertension, diabetes, and nephropathy) or thrombophilic diseases such as the antiphospholipid syndrome are at higher risk to develop preeclampsia and eclampsia. Conditions with a large placenta (multiple gestation, hydatiform mole) also predispose for toxemia. Further, there is a genetic component; patients whose mother or sister had the condition are at higher risk.^[5] Patients with eclampsia are at increased risk for preeclampsia-eclampsia in a later pregnancy.

Pathophysiology

While multiple theories have been proposed to explain preeclampsia and eclampsia, it occurs only in the presence of a placenta and is resolved by its removal.^[6] E. W. Page suggested that placental hypoperfusion is a key feature of the process. It is accompanied by increased sensitivity of the maternal vasculature to pressure agents leading to vasospasm and hypoperfusion of multiple organs. Further, an activation of the coagulation cascade leads to microthombi formation and aggravates the perfusion problem. Loss of plasma from the vascular tree with the resulting edema additionally compromises the situation. These events lead to signs and symptoms of toxemia including hypertension, renal, pulmonary, and hepatic dysfunction, and - in eclampsia specifically - cerebral dysfunction.^[6] Preclinical markers of the disease process are signs of increased platelet and endothelial activation^[6]

Placental hypoperfusion is linked to abnormal modeling of the fetal-maternal interface that may be immunologically mediated^[6] The invasion of the trophoblast appears to be incomplete.^[7] Adrenomedullin, a potent vasodilator, is produced in diminished quantities by the placenta in preeclampsia (and thus eclampsia). ^[8] Other vasoactive agents are at play including prostacyclin, thromboxane A2, nitric oxide, and endothelins leading to vasoconstriction.^[9] Many studies have suggested the importance of a woman's immunological tolerance to her baby's father, whose genes are present in the young fetus and its placenta and which may pose a challenge to her immune system.^[10]

Eclampsia is seen as form of a hypertensive encephalopathy in the context of those pathological events that lead to preeclampsia. It is thought that cerebral vascular resistance is reduced, leading to increased blood flow to the brain. In addition to abnormal function of the endothelium, this leads to cerebral edema.^[11] Typically an eclamptic seizure will not lead to lasting brain damage; however, intracranial hemorrhage may occur.^[12]

Signs and symptoms

Typically patients show signs of pregnancy-induced hypertension and proteinuria prior to the onset of the hallmark of eclampsia, the eclamptic convulsion. Other cerebral signs may precede the convulsion such as nausea, vomiting, headaches, and cortical blindness. In addition, with the advancement of the pathophysiological process, other organ symptoms may be present including abdominal pain, liver failure, signs of the HELLP syndrome, pulmonary edema, and oliguria. The fetus may have been already compromised by intrauterine growth retardation, and with the toxemic changes during eclampsia may suffer fetal distress. Placental bleeding and placental abruption may occur.

The eclamptic seizure

Chesley distinguishes these four stages of an eclamptic event: In the stage of invasion facial twitching can be observed around the mouth. In the stage of contraction tonic contractions render the body rigid; this stage may last about 15 to 20 seconds. The next stage is the stage of convulsion when involuntary and forceful muscular movements occur, the tongue may be bitten, foam appears at the mouth. The patient stops breathing and becomes cyanotic; this stage lasts about one minute. The final stage is a more or less prolonged coma. When the patient awakens, she is unlikely to remember the event.^[13] In some rare cases there are no convulsions and the patient falls directly into a coma. Some patients when they awake from the coma may with temporary blindness.

During a seizure, the fetus may experience bradycardia.^[9]

Differential diagnosis

Seizures during pregnancy that are unrelated to preeclampsia need to be distinguished from eclampsia. Such disorders include seizure disorders as well as brain tumor, aneurysm of the brain, medication- or drug-related seizures. Usually the presence of the signs of sever preeclampsia that precede and accompany eclampsia facilitate the diagnosis.

Treatment

The treatment of eclampsia requires prompt intervention and aims to prevent further convulsions, control the elevated blood pressure and deliver the fetus.

Prevention of convulsions

Prevention of convulsion is usually done using magnesium sulfate (4-6 g loading dose in 100 ml iv fluid given over 15-20 minutes, then 2g per hour as a continuous infusion)^[9] Evidence for the use of magnesium sulfate came from the international MAGPIE study.^[14]

Antihypertensive management

Antihypertensive management at this stage in pregnancy may consist of hydralazine (5-10 mg IV every 15-20 min until desired response is achieved) or labetalol (20 mg bolus iv followed by 40 mg if necessary in 10 minutes; the 80 mg every 10 up to maximum of 220 mg).^[9]

Delivery

If the woman has not yet been delivered, steps need to be taken to stabilize the patient and deliver her speedily. This needs to be done even if the fetus is immature as the eclamptic condition is unsafe for fetus and mother. As eclampsia is a manifestation of a multiorgan failure, other organs (liver, kidney, clotting, lungs, and cardiovascular system) need to be assessed in preparation for a delivery, often a cesarean section, unless the patient is already in advanced labor. Regional anesthesia for cesarean section is contraindicated when a coagulopathy has developed.

Invasive hemodynamic monitoring

Invasive hemodynamic monitoring may be useful in eclamptic patients with severe cardiac disease, renal disease, refractory hypertensionpulmonary edema, and oliguria.^[9]

Prevention

Detection and management of preeclampsia is critical to reduce the risk of eclampsia. Appropriate management of patients with preeclampsia generally involves the use of magnesium sulfate as an agent to prevent convulsions, thus eclampsia.

• References
  

---

Source: Wikipedia