How the Mind Controls Pain

Science is beginning to investigate and support the role of therapies such as biofeedback and meditation in pain control. The idea that the mind has power over the body may be especially useful to chronic pain patients who often find themselves without satisfactory medical treatments.

The emotional response to pain
Pain travels along two pathways from a source, such as an injury, back to your brain. One is the sensory pathway, which transmits the physical sensation. The other is the emotional pathway, which goes from the injury to the amygdala and the anterior cingulate cortex—areas of the brain that process emotion.

"You may not be aware of it, but you're having a negative emotional reaction to chronic pain as well as a physical reaction," says Natalia Morone, MD, assistant professor of general internal medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Mind-body treatments that involve meditation and relaxation probably affect these emotional pathways. However, Dr. Morone admits that many doctors don't put much stock in this theory. "Anything to do with mind-body medicine around pain is going to be controversial. This is all very new."

Research is beginning to show the connection
In a 2005 study, researchers at Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif., used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), which measures activity in different areas of the brain, to see whether subjects could learn to control a brain region involved in pain and whether that could be a tool for altering their pain perception.

Laura Tibbitts, 34, an event planner from San Francisco who severely injured her arm, shoulder and back when she was thrown off of a horse, participated in the study. In describing her pain, she says: "My muscles and nerves feel like a bunch of snakes that are all intertwined, but then I also get a stabbing and shooting pain. So you have that horrible, achy, uncomfortableness, but then you get these jolts of pain."

In the study, Tibbitts was asked to increase her pain and as she did, an image of a flame on a computer monitor became stronger and more vibrant. Then she was told to decrease her pain, which caused the flame to die-down. "Sometimes I would imagine that the pain was literally being scooped out from me, taken away and carried off. Other times I used water imagery, like it was flowing through me and taking it away," says Tibbitts. After the test, she learned that she had been able to produce a 30% to 40% reduction in her overall pain.

Giving control to pain patients
For Sean Mackey, MD, director of the pain management division at Stanford University School of Medicine and one of the study's researchers, the research revealed a striking element of empowerment. "Patients would say, 'A-ha! For the first time I could see the pain in my brain, and I could control it. And that was a very powerful experience," he says.

Dr. Mackey believes pain medicine is moving away from the concept of strict mind-body separation toward a more unified—and ancient-sounding—view in which "mind and body are really one."

The bottom line for pain patients is that they may want to pursue pain-control techniques such as biofeedback, yoga, and meditation. But they also need to be on the alert for scams and beware of claims made by therapists seeking to exploit their desperation. Before turning to one of these therapies, it's best to thoroughly research the practitioner you choose.

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Problems are solved by sleeping

Sleeping on a problem really can help solve it, say scientists who found a dreamy nap boosts creative powers.

They tested whether "incubating" a problem allowed a flash of insight, and found it did, especially when people entered a phase of sleep known as REM.

Volunteers who had entered REM or rapid eye movement sleep - when most dreams occur - were then better able to solve a new problem with lateral thinking.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has published the US work.


" We propose that REM sleep is important for assimilating new information into past experience to create a richer network of associations for future use " The study authors

In the morning of the test day, 77 volunteers were given a series of creative problems to solve and were told to mull over the problem until the afternoon either by resting but staying awake or by taking a nap monitored by the scientists.

Compared with quiet rest and non-REM sleep, REM sleep increased the chances of success on the problem-solving task.

The study at the University of California San Diego showed that the volunteers who entered REM during sleep improved their creative problem solving ability by almost 40%.

The findings suggest it is not merely sleep itself, or the passage of time, that is important for the problem solving, but the quality of sleep.

Lead researcher Professor Sara Mednick said: "We found that, for creative problems you've already been working on, the passage of time is enough to find solutions.

"However for sleep problems, only REM sleep enhances creativity."

The researchers believe REM sleep allows the brain to form new nerve connections without the interference of other thought pathways that occur when we are awake or in non-dream-state sleep.

"We propose that REM sleep is important for assimilating new information into past experience to create a richer network of associations for future use," they told PNAS.

Dr Malcolm von Schantz of the Surrey Sleep Research Centre at the University of Surrey said: "Whatever the importance of the dreams themselves are, this paper confirms the importance of REM sleep, the sleep stage when most of our dreaming takes place."

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5 Best Weight Loss Fruits

Yes, just munching on the right kind of weight loss fruits can help you lose a considerable amount of fat! A fruit lover myself, a fruit diet is quite a delicious way to lose weight! You can either adopt the five servings of fruit a day regime or simply make sure that every time you are hungry or wanna snack, you reach for some of the weight loss fruits listed here.

Why Weight Loss Fruits:

1. Weight Loss Fruits have a high fiber content. Burning down fruits with high fiber content will demand a higher amount of energy and in addition they tend make you feel full and less hungry.

2. Natural Fruits with comparatively lesser amounts of calorie with no additional sweeteners are better than any weight loss pill or supplements. Fruits offer a healthy diet as they are tasty substitutes for high calorie food and have a lot of nutrients.

3. Weight Loss Fruits are in general low in sodium and this helps in reducing the chances of gaining water weight.

Weight Loss Fruit 1- Apple

An apple a day keeps the fat away!! Apple is rich in fiber and also has pectin, which prevents the body from absorbing too much fat! Pectin also suppresses your appetite, thus keeping you satisfied for a long time! Thus Apples, stop you from overeating or snacking too much.

Weight Loss Fruit 2-Grape Fruit

Recent studies suggest that grape fruits can lower insulin level and thus help in diabetes control and weight management.

Weight Loss Fruit 3- Kiwi Fruit

This low calorie fuzzy fruit, native to china is a small package of nutrition that is very high in fiber. Kiwi fruits offer soluble fiber that fills you up and suppresses your appetite while the insoluble fiber of the fruit aids digestion!

Weight Loss Fruit 4 - Melon

Melons are a safe bet as they are very low cal and offers a decent dose of fiber. They are perfect as substitutes as they can be used to make high low calorie snacks or desserts.

Weight Loss Fruit 5-Apricots

Apricots are a low-fat dieter's dream-come-true. These delicious fruits are particularly rich in insoluble fiber which absorbs water and makes one feel full. The fiber in apricots act as a bulking agent and slows the release of your stomach's contents and at the same time promotes quicker movement through your digestive tract.

As long as you enjoy your fiber rich weight loss fruits maintain a steady exercise regime along with a controlled diet based on moderate amounts of food .. weight loss shouldn't be a problem!

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The Growing Problem of Obesity

Fast food, high caloric intake, biggie size, large size, large portions, videogames, television: all of these things have contributed to a more sedentary lifestyle. As a result, the American waistline has expanded, not only in adults but in children also. Obesity is a major health issue and is gaining recognition through television programs, in schools, and at home.

There are many television programs that have drawn attention to the plight of an obese person. Shows such as the Biggest Loser aim at giving an obese person the chance to learn how to care for their bodies and discipline themselves so that they can lose the weight and keep it off.

People compete each week to see who has lost the most weight. On many talk shows like the Today Show or any of the talk show host line up bring up the issues and discuss it in open forums. The misconception that a person was fat because they were lazy has slowly been displaced by an understanding that genetics also contribute to a person's ability to lose weight and keep it off.

On the school front, obesity is being addressed by what is present for students to eat and drink. The school lunch menu has changed over time and with the change, more fast and less nutritious options became available. Vending machines in schools were easy pickings for children with a sweet tooth. Soda and candy became the mainstay diet for many school age children.

Also, to accommodate testing, recess was cut out of the daily routine to give more test preparation time. As obesity has become more recognized, more schools are trying to tackle the problem by helping their students become more proactive with their health.

At home is probably the most difficult place to maintain discipline. Easy access to snack foods and parents that are looking for a quick meal contribute to a growing need for healthy alternatives. Vegetables and fruit are overlooked when a quick meal is needed. By the age of two, the most common vegetable a child eats is a potato in the form of French fries.

Parents need to encourage their children to play outside and to eat healthier. Children do as a parent does, so parents need to set a positive example and edify what they are trying to teach their kids. Establishing a healthy routine on all accounts assures that people will lead happier lives.

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How addicted are you to the web?

Despite the humor in the photos below, web addiction is apparently a serious problem. According to recent research, one in four employees are addicted to the Internet.

It’s not the midday coffees or cigarette breaks that waste the most time - it’s surfing the web. Highlighted as the one of the most highly addictive activities to make its way into the modern workplace. We say ‘workplace’ because this isn’t just an office problem but one that can take place wherever you may be working.

According to the latest metrics from comScore, day-to-day mobile Internet usage in the states doubled over the last year. In January 2008, 10.8 million people visited the mobile Web at least once a day. Now there are some 22.4 million. Most do so looking for news or other basic information, though many are looking for interaction as well. Social networking, for example, saw a massive spike in usage, its audience growing 427 percent year over year.

Professionally, “Studies have shown that from 25 to 50 percent of cyber addiction is occurring at the workplace,” said Dr. Marlene Maheu.

The solution most companies resort to are ‘EIM solutions’, products designed to filter personal Web usage in the workplace. Typically, the software product is installed on the server and integrates with the firewall, cache engine, or proxy server, and via a database or URLs, monitors and controls Web site access.

“Employers should remain proactive in terms of setting clear policies about Internet gambling in the workplace,” said Andy Meyer, vice president of marketing for Websense, “Companies can also enforce those policies with an EIM product that automatically takes the temptation away from employees.”

Over recent years, Web addiction has gradually found its place amongst other more notable disorders. China has officially called web addiction a disorder, saying the condition is as compulsive as gambling or drinking alcohol. The move, made last year, came after one of China’s top legislators said that 10 per cent of the country’s youth were addicted to the internet.

How do you handle web usage at the workplace? Have you got an EIM product installed? Are you trusted to monitor yourself? Most importantly, would you accept that you may be addicted to the web?

(On a less serious note - enjoy the photos below - should have you leaving us with a smile on your face. :)

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How to Remove Eye Makeup Safely

How to Remove Eye Makeup Safely

Each lady makes the highest effort to look the best when she is going out and she spends most of the time of her trimming for eye make-up. But after returning home she never wants to spend much time for remove her make-up, mostly she forgets or neglects the matter and hence it develops various skin associated problems. And among all makeup removing of face, eye makeup removing needs highest priority.

Putting eye makeup on whole day or overnight can result in the makeup getting into eye, reasoning pain and maybe infection. Moreover, the skin around your eyes is dissimilar from the other part of your face, so for these reasons you wouldn’t apply your normal moisturizer on your eyes; you should extra care to remove eye makeup. Here are some simple and effective suggestions to remove eye makeup.

Eye makeup remover: In the market there are lots of products for eye makeup remover. It is the most easy and effective way to remove your eye makeup. But be careful about the brand. Cause, only high brand can ensure the safety. Never compromise with the matter, because it is related with the most important part of your body.

Without eye makeup remover:

1. Baby shampoo: The tear free kids’ shampoo is a well choice to take away any kind of eye makeup even waterproof eye makeup. This is an inexpensive and a hurt free way to remove eye shadow, mascara and eyeliner without any burning. It is a great idea for sensitive skin.
2. Petroleum jelly: This will remove your eye makeup instantly, moreover, its will help to remove all makeup of your face. Use a small amount of petroleum jelly on a cotton swab to remove your eye makeup.
3. Olive oil: Another most effective way of eye makeup removes. Apply a small amount of oil on a piece of cotton ball and softly rub it over your eyelid, makeup will immediately vanish.
4. Cold Cream: Almost all types of cold cream products help to take away eye makeup. Apply a little bit of cream on your eye area with you fingers, and then rub it, after then warm washcloth to eliminate eye makeup.

You can easily follow the above tips for removing your eye makeup. And I can give surety that any of the above will not bring any harm for your eyes or skin.

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27 Ideas for a Healthier Breakfast

The Breakfast Routine
Not only is breakfast the first food and drink your body has had in more than 8 hours, but studies find that what you eat for breakfast influences what you eat the rest of the day. Additionally, people who eat breakfast are significantly less likely to be obese and have diabetes than those who don't.

The most important tip we can give you is to eat breakfast every day. Without exception. This one action alone can make a huge, positive difference in your health. But a doughnut or oversized muffin won't do it. The key is to choose energy-enhancing, health-invigorating foods. That's what we'll focus on in the tips ahead.

1. Be consistent with your portions. For most people, a perfect breakfast has three components: one serving of a whole grain carbohydrate, one serving of a dairy or high-calcium food, and one serving of fruit. Together, that would add up to roughly 300 calories. A high-protein serving (i.e., a meat or an egg) is unnecessary but certainly acceptable, as long as it doesn't add too much fat or calories to the mix. Here are a few winning combinations, based on this formula:

* A bowl of high-fiber, multigrain cereal, lots of strawberries, and low-fat milk on top.

* A granola bar, an apple, and a cold glass of milk.

* A cup of nonfat yogurt, fresh blueberries mixed in, and a slice of whole wheat toast with a fruit spread on top.

* A mini whole wheat bagel, spread lightly with cream cheese and jam; a peach; and a cup of yogurt.

* A scrambled egg, a whole wheat roll, fresh fruit salad, and a cup of low-fat milk.

* A low-fat muffin, a wedge of cantaloupe, and a cup of latte made with skim milk.


2. Have a bowl of sweetened brown rice. Consider it a takeoff on prepared cereal. Brown rice is full of energy-providing B vitamins, as well as a great source of filling fiber. Cook the rice the night before, then in the morning, put it in a bowl with a spoonful of honey, a handful of raisins, a cut-up apple, and a sprinkle of cinnamon for a unique yet delicious treat. Don't like rice? Try any of the cooking grains: barley, rye, red wheat, oats, buckwheat, quinoa, or millet.

3. Pour a cup of fruit smoothie. Simply whir a cup of strawberries and a banana in the blender, add a scoop of protein powder and a cup of crushed ice, and you've got a healthy, on-the-go breakfast filled with antioxidants. Toss in a cup of plain yogurt, and you've just added a bone-strengthening dose of calcium. An added bonus: You've just crossed three of your daily fruit servings off the list.

4. Use organic eggs. They're not much more expensive than regular eggs but are much higher in all-important omega-3 fatty acids, shown to benefit everything from your mental health (reducing risk of depression) to your heart health (reducing risk of atherosclerosis and atrial fibrillation), says Fred Pescatore, M.D., author of The Hamptons Diet and a physician at Partners in Integrative Medicine in New York City.

5. Sprinkle on a teaspoon of ground flaxseeds. It could be over your cereal, over your yogurt, over your smoothie, or over your eggs. Next to fish and organic eggs, flaxseeds are one of the best sources of omega-3 fatty acids.

6. Use Benecol, Take Control, or Smart Balance instead of butter. These newly developed soft food spreads contain heart-healthy plant stanols. Just 2 tablespoons daily can significantly lower your total cholesterol level.

Take the Initiative
7. Have lunch for breakfast. Instead of butter or cream cheese, top your morning (whole wheat) toast with 2 tablespoons tuna prepared with low-fat mayonnaise. The tuna is a great source of omega-3 fatty acids and an excellent source of energy-boosting protein. For the same healthy boost with a bit of variety, try lox or canned or smoked salmon (they also seem to go better at breakfast).

8. Sprinkle a whole wheat burrito with 2 ounces grated, low-fat cheddar cheese and broil for 3 minutes. While it's cooking, peel and eat an orange for valuable vitamin C. In this one small, quick meal, you're getting vitamin C and other antioxidants, calcium, fiber, and enough appetite-satisfying protein to sustain you for hours.

9. Make your own granola. Most store-bought brands are filled with sugar and fat. To make your own, mix 2 cups rolled oats with 1 cup dried fruits and seeds and a little brown sugar. Toast 3-5 minutes in a warm oven and store in an airtight container. Not interested in do-it-yourself? There are a few store-bought brands with reasonable sugar and fat levels, including Nature's Path and Familia.

10. Pour a bowlful of Kashi GOLEAN Crunch! With 10 grams of fiber, it will put you well on your way to the 25-30 grams of fiber you should be eating every day. Plus, studies find that people who regularly start their day with a bowl of cold cereal get more fiber and calcium, but less fat, than those who breakfast on other foods. Another study found that people who ate two bowlfuls of high-fiber cereal every day spontaneously cut the amount of fat they ate by 10 percent. Don't like Kashi? Other high-fiber cereals include Raisin Bran, Multi-Bran Chex and Wheat 'N Bran Spoon Size (8 grams), Kellogg's All-Bran Original (10 grams), and General Mills Fiber One (14 grams).

11. Eat half a grapefruit twice a week. Grapefruits are loaded with folate, found to significantly reduce the risk of stroke. However, be cautious if you're taking regular medications. Grapefruit and its juice can interact with medications that have to be processed through the liver. Check with your doctor about any possible interactions between grapefruit and any medications you're taking.

12. Sip a cup of green tea with your breakfast. In addition to its heart-protective benefits, green tea may also have some weight-loss benefits, with one study finding it appears to raise the rate at which you burn calories and speed the rate at which your body uses fat.

13. Top your cereal with soy milk. Packed with potent phytoestrogens, soy has been credited with everything from protecting your heart to promoting stronger bones. But make sure that it's fortified with calcium; otherwise you're missing a great opportunity to get some bone-building calcium.

14. Host the breakfast equivalent of "build your own sundae." Who says breakfast has to be boring? Choose a selection of sliced fruit, yogurt, whole grain cereals, and/or whole grain pancakes or toast, and let everyone mix and match to create their own toppings. Lay everything out on paper plates (for easy cleanup).

15. Add a vitamin. Take any and all supplements with breakfast, suggests nutrition expert Shari Lieberman, Ph.D., author of The Real Vitamin & Mineral Book. Taking supplements with food reduces the chance they'll upset your stomach, and improves the absorption of minerals.

16. Spread apple slices with peanut butter. The protein and fat in the peanut butter provide a good start to the day, while the apple and the quercetin it contains provide fiber and protection against some cancers and heart disease.

17. Have a breakfast sandwich. Top a whole wheat English muffin with melted low-fat cheese (part- skim mozzarella is a good choice), a sliced tomato, and a sliced, hard-boiled egg.

18. Crush cold cereal in a Baggie, add a peeled banana, and coat with the cereal. Voilà! Breakfast on a banana (as well as a healthy dose of potassium, beneficial in preventing strokes).

Think Outside the Box
19. Hit the vegetarian section of the grocery. Soy bacon and sausage, gardenburgers, and soy crumbles make great sources of protein for breakfast without the saturated fat of their meat originals.

20. Make a blob. From nutritionist Alana Unger, R.D., of The Lifestyle Center in Visalia, California, comes this sounds-weird-but-tastes-great idea for an on-the-go breakfast. Mix 1/2 cup peanut butter, 1/4 cup nonfat dry milk, 3 cups crushed flake cereal, and 2 tablespoons honey. Form into "blobs" (should make 10 blobs). Wrap each blob in plastic wrap and refrigerate. Grab a couple with a travel cup of skim milk and go!

21. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of blueberries on your cereal. Studies find the tiny purple berries are loaded with valuable antioxidants that can slow brain aging and protect your memory. Not into cereal? Try baking blueberries into oatmeal to create your own oatmeal-blueberry granola bar, or mixing them into whole wheat pancake or waffle batter.

22. Drink three cups of unsweetened orange juice every morning. The vitamin C in OJ not only boosts your immunity, but also improves your cholesterol levels. One study found that drinking three glasses of orange juice a day for four weeks raised levels of HDL, or "good" cholesterol, by 21 percent. If three cups is too much for you, substitute a couple of oranges. For the best effect, make it calcium-fortified juice.

23. Eat a bowl of sliced strawberries three times a week. Loaded with vitamin C, strawberries have numerous health benefits, one of them being protection for your eyes. One study of 247 women found that those taking vitamin C supplements were 75 percent less likely to get cataracts than those who didn't take it. It's better, though, to get your vitamin C from food. Other health benefits packed into berries: They're rich in a wide variety of antioxidants, low in calories, and even have a low glycemic index (shown to better maintain steady blood sugar levels).

24. Slice two kiwifruits into your morning smoothie. You may have just reduced your risk of premature death by as much as 30 percent, since a British study found that every ounce of vitamin C-laden fruits you eat a day reduces your risk of premature death 10 percent. Want an even easier way to eat a kiwi? Just slice the top off and scoop out bitefuls with a teaspoon. It's delicious, fun, and fast.

25. Get at least five grams of fiber during breakfast each morning. If you don't get off to a good start with your daily fiber intake, you'll never reach the recommended amount (15-25 grams per 1,000 calories). Plus, fiber is quite filling with no extra cost in calories. You can get those five grams in just a few bites with a large raw apple, 1/2 cup of the high-fiber cereals mentioned earlier, 1/2 cup of blackberries, or two slices of dark, whole grain rye bread.

26. Choose these toppers for your (whole wheat) bagel or toast:

* Two tablespoons nonfat cottage cheese sprinkled with flaxseed

* One slice low-fat cheese melted over a slice of mango

* Two tablespoons soy butter with a sliced banana

* One slice baked ham and one sliced tomato


27. Shave one ounce of dark chocolate over a cup of nonfat yogurt. Mix. The calcium-rich yogurt can actually help in your efforts to lose weight, while the antioxidant-loaded dark chocolate can help reduce the stickiness of "bad" LDL cholesterol and keep your arteries more pliable. Plus, who can resist starting the day with chocolate?

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