Celebrity Illness - Quote - 2min with Hippocrates - Your Health - Lifestyle Tip - Web Watch - Win It - Just for Fun

Health Effects of Oscars

Could winning an Oscar in the Academy Awards really be a matter of life and death? According to research published in the American Journal of Medicine Oscar-winning actors and directors live longer than those nominees who get the gong.

The study at the University of Toronto looked at all the actors and directors who had been nominated from the first Academy Awards in 1928 to the 2001 awards. Oscar winning actors were found to live 3.9 years longer than other nominees. A similar pattern is also noted for directors.

Another interesting finding that didn’t involve winning or losing, was that directors have a higher life expectancy of 4.5 years more than actors. Maybe that’s why we hear about a growing number of Hollywood “actors turned director” like George Clooney. Could this be because it's better for their health?

An interesting conclusion of this study is that celebrities are not so different from the rest of us. Studies have found that the health of people with ‘lower’ status occupations is poorer that those with ‘high’ status occupations. The health difference in movie stars suggests this effect happens even in very elite groups of people.

I know I would be more than happy to be nominated for an Oscar! But I guess if you are super famous missing out could make you feel useless compared to all your friends.

 Quote

Here are three quotes on Love especially for Valentines Day!

"To love and be loved is to feel the sun from both sides."
David Viscott

"Age does not protect you from love. But love, to some extent, protects you from age"
Jeanne Moreau

"Love is an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired. "
Robert Frost (1874 - 1963)

 2min with Hippocrates

Hemorrhoids

Warning: The following story may offend some people. Hemorrhoids are quite common and most people will experience hemorrhoids at some stage in their life.

What are they? Hemorrhoids are an abnormal enlargement or dilation of the veins found around the anal opening. They are classified into internal and external hemorrhoids. As the name suggests internal hemorrhoids are not usually seen. Internal hemorrhoids are usually painless and are often noticed by bleeding. They may push out of the anal opening (prolapse) if they become large they enough.

External hemorrhoids are found on or around the anal opening and are generally painful. They can be seen or felt as a swelling or extra skin around the anus. External hemorrhoids can become very painful when the blood inside clots. This condition is called a thrombosed external hemorrhoid.

The common occurrence of hemorrhoids is often blamed on a diet high in refined and processed food and low in fiber. Stools that have less bulk are harder to pass and lead to constipation. Excessive straining causes an increased pressure in the veins around the anal canal. The veins swell and can result in hemorrhoids.

Symptoms of hemorrhoids can include bleeding of bright red fresh blood, mucous or fecal soiling of undergarments, itching, and occasionally pain. Painful bowel movement usually indicates another problem, often an anal fissure (a crack).

A doctor can diagnose and treat hemorrhoids in an office examination. For troubling internal hemorrhoids, the doctor can place a small rubber band around the base of the hemorrhoid which eventually falls off. Another method is using an infrared light to clot the blood. A doctor can immediately stop the pain of a thromboses external hemorrhoid by draining the blood, provided it is done within 2 days of occurring.

 Your Health

Quick Stroll a Day Keeps the Bulge Away

You’ve heard it before – exercising is a great way to keep off the weight, but how much exercise is really enough? A new study shows you may need less than you think to make a difference, even without dieting.

Overweight adults need only a small amount of exercise, the equivalent of a half-hour of brisk walking a day, to prevent further weight gain. A recent study at Duke University looked at 120 overweight or mildly obese adults who were not dieting. The results can be seen in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Participants who got no exercise during the eight-month study gained an average of just over one kilogram (half a pound). But 73 per cent of those who walked briskly 18 kilometers (11 Miles) each week, which is only about 30 minutes a day, were able to maintain their weight or even lose a few kilograms.

Not surprisingly the most noticeable weight loss occurred in the very dedicated people - jogging about 27 kilometers (17miles) weekly. They shed more than 4.5 kilograms (10lbs) of body fat and gained about 1.35 kilograms (3lbs) of lean muscle.

The researchers think these are important results. Millions of Americans are becoming obese by gradually gaining weight at the rate of about a pound per year. We recommend you keep an eye on weight gain because it can creep up on you slowly. It's a lot easier to keep the fat off than to try and lose it. Just start with a small amount of exercise and keep it regular.

 Lifestyle Tip

Email us your lifestyle tips. Please include your name and state if you wish to be acknowledged.

 Web Watch

Finding Nemo
The DVD of the lovable Australian clown fish is available now. The website is great. I recommend downloading the 'Screen Mates' and then Nemo characters swim around your screen.

Smack the "Pingu"
Do you like a fun tension relieving game that is super easy to play. Just use the mouse button to start and hit the penguin (don't worry, no penguins where harmed in the making). My best score is 520.

 Win It!

Last month our competition asked YDzine members to tell us a joke (see the competition winners entries below in 'Just For Fun'). This month we are making everyone a winner.

MyNetRecord.com complimentary access

We are proud to announce our sister website MyNetRecord is now live. MyNetRecord is an online health record which helps you track any health concerns that may arise as well as monitoring needs e.g. diabetes, asthma, heart conditions and vaccinations. Next time you go to the doctor get them to enter the details of your visit into your online health record so all your information is consolidated. You can access this any time.

If you have a Secret ID and Password from YourDiagnosis.com you can use these to access MyNetRecord. MyNetRecord is currently a complimentary service from the team behind YourDiagnosis.

Start www.mynetrecord.com

Remember the YDzine members offer!

Have you logged on to www.yourdiagnosis.com lately? When you log on your member card will now appears to inform you how close you are to receiving a complimentary diagnosis.

 Just for Fun

Jokes

We had a good laugh when we opened all the emails from YDzine readers in response to last month’s joke competition! Here are some of our favourites.

Gayle from Oklahoma

Q: What did the fish say when it swam into the concrete wall?
A: Dam

Brenda from South Carolina

These are actual bumper stickers seen by Brenda

• I Have The Body Of A God--Buddha!
  
• If We Quit Voting-Will They All Go Away?
  
• Honk If Anything Falls Off
  
• Boldly Going Nowhere
  
• How Many Roads Must A Man Go Down Before He Admits He's Lost?
  
• Saw it-Wanted it-Had A Fit-Got it!!
  
• All Men Are Animals--Some Just Make Better Pets!
  
• If You Can Read This-Please! Flip Me Over
  (Seen upside down on a Jeep)

 Hot Dates

February 6: National Wear Red Day
As part of American Heart Month, Friday the 6th is the day to raise awareness about heart disease, the number one killer for women as well as men.

February 14: St. Valentines Day
Do you remember how Valentine’s cards used to be, before e-cards came along? Here are some traditional valentine card styles that make great ideas for cards this year.
• Pinprick valentines - Made by pricking tiny holes in paper with a pin to resemble the look of lace
• Cutout valentines- Lace-look cards made by folding paper several times and cutting out a lace design with small, sharp scissors
• Acrostic valentines - Verses in which the first letters in the lines spelled out the beloved's name
• Rebus valentines - Verses in which small pictures took the place of some of the words (for example, an eye instead of I)

February 16: Presidents Day
Until 1971, both February 12 and February 22 were observed as federal public holidays to honor the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln (February 12) and George Washington (February 22). In 1971 President Richard Nixon proclaimed one single federal public holiday, the Presidents' Day, to be observed on the third Monday of February, honoring all past presidents of the United States.

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