HEALTH AND WELLNESS

  You may have imagined that all living things must inevitably wear out. Cars and vacuum cleaners in daily use eventually stop working. It is easy to suppose that animals age and die in a similar way. But professor of zoology Steven Austad explains: “living organisms are very different from machines. The most fundamental defining character of living organisms, in fact, may be their ability to repair themselves.”   The way your body repairs itself after an injury is marvelous, but the routine repairs it makes are, in some respects, even more remarkable. Consider your bones, for example. “Seemingly inert when viewed from the outside, bone is a living tissue that ceaselessly destroys and rebuilds itself throughout adult life,” This remodeling essentially replaces the entire skeleton every 10 years.”   Other parts of your body are renewed more often. Some cells in your skin, liver, and intestines may be replaced almost daily. Every second, your body produces about 25 million

                                  “Sometimes when I sit down to eat, I get nervous and start to shake. I’m afraid that I’ll gain weight. I tell myself, ‘I have to lose [two more kilograms].’” –Kate. “I want to be attractive, and I’m terrified of getting fat. But I don’t want anyone to know that I throw up my food after I eat. It’s very embarrassing.” –Emmy. “I tell myself: ‘… Today, I’m going to do better…’ And then later in the day at some inevitable point, I binge. Guilt follows, and I want to die.”-Tina.      You want to look good, and that’s normal. You want to be comforted when you’re anxious or depressed. There’s nothing wrong with that either. But if you’re like any of the girls quoted here, you could have a problem. If you do, you’re not alone. The fact is, millions of youths –most of them girls –have an eating disorder. Let’s take a closer look at ANOREXIA, BULIMIA, and BINGE EATING. Each of these disorders has distinct symptoms, but all of them inv

                                             He was only ten years old, but Daniel had been battling cancer for a year. His doctors had given up hope, as had others close to the boy. But Daniel held on to hope. He believed that he would grow up to be a researcher and help to find a cure for cancer someday. He was especially hopeful regarding the upcoming visit of a doctor who specialized in treating his particular form of cancer. When the day arrived, though, the specialist was forced to cancel his visit because of bad weather. Daniel’s spirits sank. For the first time, he became listless. He died within a few days. Daniel’s account was related by a health-care worker who studied the role that hope and hopelessness play in relation to health. You may have heard similar stories. An elderly person, for example, lies near death but is eager to reach some long-anticipated milestone –whether the visit of a loved one or simply an anniversary. When the event has come and g

Cancer is overwhelmingly caused by where you are, what you do, and what happens to you in life, rather than by what you are that is your genetic makeup.   Environmental factors are more important than gene factors, smoking causes about 35 percent of cancer, while another 30 percent appear to be related to diet and another fraction caused by exposure to sunlight.   Genetic factors play a part in prostate, colorectal, and breast cancer, even if you have a family history of    cancer what you do with your life is much more important.   Vitamin D is needed for absorption of calcium so that the mineral can take its place in bone and shore up the skeleton against fractures. 90 percent of our vitamin D is made in our skin upon exposure to sunlight.   But excessive exposure can damage the skin thereby causing a type of skin cancer called melanoma. Mild exposure of the skin to the sun is good for the skin that is why morning sunlight is recommended, the time should be betw