DID YOU KNOW?
It turns out that the Golden Rule to treat others as you want to be treated may be wired into our brains. UCLA researchers found that treating others fairly and receiving just treatment activates the reward center in our brains, which receives the feel good chemical dopamine from our midbrain. “It appears to be the same kind of emotional reaction we get when we eat chocolate or win money,” says study researcher and post doctoral fellow Golnaz Tabibnia, Ph.D. (Ladies’ Home Journal)
“Guys grow up learning that the most desirable men don’t show emotion,” says Warren Farrell, Ph.D., author of “Why Men Are the Way They Are.” He thinks that he can’t be your Superman if he’s crying. Men also may not well up for biological reason. Their tear ducts are actually smaller than women, which makes them less likely to give in to a sobfest. Still if you really want a dude to emote, tell him that your respect him more when he is able to express his feelings. “He will feel comfortable if he knows it won’t under mine your opinion of him,” says Farrell. (Cosmopolitan)
Dermatologists are warning against the use of harmless looking back henna tattoos, which are very popular at summer carnivals, open air malls and vacation hot spots. The black henna often contains a darkening agent that can cause serious skin reactions, including eczema, blistering and even permanent scarring. “Perhaps the most alarming issue we are seeing with black henna tattoos is the increase in the number of children, even as young as 4, who are getting them and experiencing skin reactions,” says Dr. Sharon Jacob, a dermatologist at the University of California, San Diego. “Parents mistakenly think they are safe since they are not permanent but nothing could be further from the truth.” Dr. Jacob says if you do get a henna tattoo, make absolutely sure it does not contain the darkening agent paraphenylenediamine (PPD). (National Enquirer)
By 2010, you’ll be able to buy an inflatable car on the Internet for less than $10,000. It’ll be delivered to your door in two cartons, and you can assemble it yourself in about two hours. Once you’ve put it together, get ready for the ride of a lifetime. The Whisper, the brainchild of XP Vehicles in San Francisco, is made from the same tough polymers NASA uses for its Mars landers. It runs totally on electricity and it’ll get 2,500 miles on a single charge pretty amazing when you consider the distance of a coast to coast trip across the United States is just 3,000 miles. The company claims the Whisper will float during a flood and that you can even drive it off a cliff without hurting yourself. The vehicle will be available in four body styles and 20 different colors. Options include iPod mounts, GPS, stereo sound you can even get a convertible design. Special ballast and aerodynamic features will prevent the lightweight Whisper from being blown off the road on a gusty day. If Internet sales are good, the company will market the blow up car through dealerships. (Sun)
It’s been said that cats have nine lives, and new research shows they can help extend your life, too. Owning a cat could slash your risk of heart attack by almost a third. How? Your kitty may help relieve stress and anxiety two heart disease risk factors. So help save a cat’s life and your own: Now is the purr-fect time to adopt since shelters are overwhelmed with homeless cats. Visit Pet Finder online at http://www.petfinder.org
You know the shooting pain that comes from schlepping a heavy purse? Here’s why it happens: “Straps compress the auxiliary vein, causing high blood pressure, numbness, tingling, pain, and weakness in the arm,” says Tim Neuschwander, M.D. In a study he conducted, adults who wore a 28-pound backpack for 10 minutes experienced an almost 50 percent decrease in blood blow through the blood vessels in their arms. “And carrying a 13-pound purse for 10 minutes may have a similar effect, since it’s resting on only one shoulder,” he says. Try lightening your load a little, or distribute weight more evenly with an ergonomic hand bag. (Redbook)
The U.S. Military canines that sniff the roads in Iraq and Afghanistan for deadly bombs tend to be German shepherds and Labradors. Bred for cooler climates, they suffer in the blistering heat. And when they’re hot, they pant more, which diminishes their ability to detect explosives, putting American soldiers at risk. But the end of this month, however, when temperatures can reach 135 degrees Fahrenheit in Afghanistan, Ray Booska will have outfitted all the military dogs in the Middle East with is company’s Chilly Dog Cool Vest, which stays at 59 degrees Fahrenheit for three hours. Glacier Tek, Kooska’s company, doesn’t have a government contract to equip the dogs, just a desire to support U.S. troops and their four legged friends. “These dogs save the lives of our sons and daughters,” says Booska, 43, “and we’re going to do everything we can to help them.” As of mid-July, Booska had donated 500 of the vests to handlers in the war zones, the cost of which are covered by Glacier Tek and donors who are sending contributions to Military Working Dogs http://www.militaryworkingdogs.com
There is a quick acting miracle cure for weariness that won’t cost you a dime. It’s called a nap. “What other 26 minute investment gives you a 54% productivity boost?” asks Mark Rosekind, a former Stanford University sleep researcher who now heads sleep consulting firm Alertness Solutions in Cupertino, California. Rosekind hit upon these figures by studying pilots who took brief naps, 26 minutes on average, between flights and compared their performance with that of their peers who didn’t. So it seems working nappers Winston Churchill, Thomas Edison, and Albert Einstein were on to something. Even very short periods of shuteye can help keep you sharp. Researchers at Germany’s University of Dusseldorf recently found that subjects who took 6 minute catnaps showed markedly better short-term memory than those who stayed awake.
