The number one killer world-wide are heart diseases. According to the American Heart Association, 33 million American men have heart related diseases. Keeping a healthy diet and knowing what to eat can help you avoid that problem.

1. Garlic Bread, it’s not just against vampires

Garlic bread lowers your cholesterol, fights infections, and more then that, it may help dealing with the damage done by a heart attack or heart surgery. Researchers in India found out that animals that were fed garlic, had more heart protecting anti-oxidants in their blood.

2. A take-out a day keeps the heart doctor away

Ginger and turmeric, two spices found regularly in lots of indian and chinese foods, are rich in natural anti-inflammatory compounds.

3. Cranberry Juice, drink of the champions

According to a study, men that drank three 8 ounce glasses of cranberry juice daily, reduced the risk of a heart disease by 40%. That’s because it increased their HDL cholesterol levels by 10%. Buy 100% juice if possible.

4. Pick French Wine over German ones

French wine has up to four times more artery-protecting enzymes then their German counterparts. Or at least that’s what the Journal of the American College of Cardiology says.

5. Oatmeal Cookies

According to a study, men with high cholesterol that ate oat-bran cookies every day for 8 weeks, dropped their cholesterol level by 20%.

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I was reading an article on MedicineNet.com about first aid myths the other day, and I thought it would be interesting to present a few of them here. I for one was surprised by some of the cures that I used and I shouldn’t have.

1. Myth: Putting Butter On A Burn

Applying butter on a burn will just add unclean, foreign proteins to your wound. If they’re 2nd or 3rd degree burns you should go to a doctor. If they’re 1st degree burns (when the skin is red but the feeling still normal), then you can treat it at home. Run cold water on the burn for at least 10 minutes then apply an over-the-counter antibiotic ointment. Then put a cloth on it, and a cold compress over it. Don’t put ice directly on the skin, use a bag of frozen veggies instead.

2. Myth: Throwing Back Your Head When You Have A Nosebleed

This one surprised me, as I’ve been doing it for ages. Tipping your head back can apparently bring the blood into your lungs or into your stomach, which will make you vomit. Instead, grab your nose on the fleshy part, as you would if you would try to stop a bad smell. Press firmly for 10 complete minutes on the clock. Don’t take your hand to see if you’re still bleeding. If the nosebleed goes on for more then 15 minutes, it comes after a serious injury or results in serious blood loss, go to a doctor or the emergency room.

3. Myth: Getting The Venom Out Of A Snakebite As Soon As Possible

Using suction to get out the venom can bring in more germs and bacteria. Don’t let the victim run for help either, as it accelerates the speed of the tissue-destroying and nerve-paralyzing venom. Remove tight clothing and rings from the victim and get them to a hospital. Keep the affected area immobile and below the level of the heart. What I’m curious though, what if you’re camping and a hospital is hours away. I guess using suction to get the venom out is better then nothing?

4. Myth: People Can Swallow Their Tongues During A Seizure

Another one that surprised me. Apparently people can control their own airway and we shouldn’t stick anything in there. Holding him down can also result in injury and we should let the person to roll around on the ground. Just remove any objects that can injure him. I don’t know about this one. Anyone has any opinion on this? I mean, if I see someone having a seizure, I’m going to be really pissed off if he injures himself because I was just waiting around for him to finish it, doing nothing as this doctor says.

5. Myth: A Cold Steak Can Bring Down A Shiner

Putting a cold steak over an injured eye will just introduce grease and foreign proteins in it. Use a frozen bag of veggies instead.

You can read the rest of the article here. There are couple more first aid myths mentioned there.

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Perhaps one of the greatest dreams of human kind is immortality. Through medical advances and increase in quality of life our life expectancy keeps going up, but immortality is still far from being reached. Until that happens (if it will happen) there are ways you can increase your chances of a long and healthy life. This article was researched mostly because of my parents, since I’m still in my twenties and life expectancy is less of a worry for me now (though it should be).

1. Get friends and stick with them

In a 10 year study done by the Harvard School of Public Health, on more then 28.000 men and women, those that lived a solitary life were 20% more likely to die from any cause, then those that maintained a large network of family, friends and had community involvement. The solitary type was 53% more likely to die from heart related problems and twice as likely to die from accidents or by suicide.

2. Use a bicycle instead of driving when possible

A study done in Denmark on 13.000 women and 17.000 men with ages from 20 to 93 years old, revealed that those that didn’t use a bicycle to get to work experienced a mortality rate 39% higher. Though it wasn’t clear exactly why this was, the researchers think that it has to do with the average 3 hours of cycling done every week, which is considered moderate exercise. So if going to work on your bike isn’t an option, you can still go to the gym and exercise to get these benefits. In addition to that, bicycling home after a hard day at work may relieve some of the stress. Also, another result was that the older a woman was, the better the results were from using bicycles. Apparently this strategy has the best results when used by women.

3. Volunteer for 30-40 hours a year when you’re older

A study done in the period 1986-1994 on 1,211 older adults showed that those that volunteered for a moderate period of time each year were less likely to die then those that didn’t have activities. Also, volunteering too much can increase the death rate according to the scientists. The best effects of volunteering were seen on older men and women who didn’t have an active social life. Volunteering can give people once they stop working both a social life, the chance to make new friends and a new meaning and purpose for their life.

4. Get tested

Get tested every couple of months and make sure you’re disease free. There are a lot of diseases that can be caught and neutralized if detected early and a doctor can tell you what your risks are and what steps you should make to prevent them. When your body tells you that something is not right, go to a doctor and make sure everything is alright.

5. Don’t smoke

I know you hear this all the time, but it’s still worth mentioning. Every cigarette you smoke shortens your life expectancy by 11 minutes. If you smoke one pack a day for 10 years then your life expectancy is lower by 1.5 years. Is it really worth it?

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