What to Know about Getting Glasses

Most people do not have perfect vision, even if they may think that they do. You could need glasses and not even know it, if you don’t know what to look for. You should know how to tell if you need prescription glasses in Fraser, MI, so you don’t have to suffer the consequences of strained eyes. If you do get glasses, you should know how to take care of them so they will last as long as possible. This will save you from constantly needing to buy new glasses.

Signs That You Need Glasses

If your vision is blurry at all, chances are that you need glasses. Try putting a hand over each eye individually and viewing the world with one eye to see if it is blurry in any way. This may help you find a problem that you have otherwise been ignoring. You may also need glasses if you find that your eyes are tired on a regular basis. The strain of trying to see what they cannot can cause your eyes to get tired and droop. You may find that your eyes are tired when your brain is awake. The strain on your eyes may also cause you to get headaches regularly. They may start behind your eyes, as that is where the pain is centered. However, they do not always start there. 

If you recognize any of these signs in your own life, you should visit an optometrist and get an eye exam done. You should get an eye exam yearly, even if you do not have these symptoms. The doctor will give you a test to determine how good your vision is and if you need glasses. If you do, they will help you get the glasses you need. 

Caring for Glasses

Your prescription glasses in Fraser, MI, should come in a protective container. The best containers are hard ones, which keep the glasses totally safe. Whenever you are not wearing your glasses, keep them in this container so they will not be damaged. Always know where your glasses are. You may even want to have a specific spot in your home where the glasses go. The glasses should also come with a cleaning rag — only clean the glasses with this rag. The rag is specially made for glasses so it is soft enough and will not scratch the valuable lens. If you lose the rag, go buy a new one from an optometrist.

Latest discovery

Astronomers' team in US discovers most distant galaxy ever

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(The team included Indian-origin…)

WASHINGTON: A team of astronomers, including an Indian-origin scientist, has discovered the most distant galaxy in the universe ever found which is said to be 13 billion light years away from the Earth.

"Because of its extremely large distance of 13 billion light years, we are seeing this galaxy as it was 13 billion years ago. In other words, we are exploring the universe when it was only 700 million years old -- the current age of the universe is about 13.7 billion years," Dr Vithal Tilvi, who is currently at the Texas A&M University and a co-author of the research paper, said.

"This finding is a great deal in astronomy not only because it is the most distant galaxy ever found but also because it gives us clues about the young universe," Tilvi told PTI.

Born in Goa and having attended Goa University, Tilvi has also worked at the National Institute of Oceanography, Dona Paula, and National Antarctic Research Center, Vasco.

The results of the latest findings have been published in the most prestigious international journal 'the Nature'.

This work was led by Dr Steve Finkelstein at University of Texas with many other astronomers including DrCasey Papovich in the US.

"While we are thrilled about this discovery, we were more surprised to find only a single galaxy at such large distances because we were expecting to find more. This is telling us something that the Universe was fundamentally different when it was young," Tilvi said.

"Another surprise came to us when we discovered that this galaxy is forming stars tremendously, roughly about 300 Sun-like stars every year, compared to only about one Sun-like star produced in our own Milky Way galaxy. It is possible that when the Universe was young, galaxies were more active then they are now," he said.

"We are very fortunate to be born now, because after a few billion years the size of the universe will be so large that the light from such galaxies would never reach us and thus we won't see these galaxies," he pointed out.

"It is really exciting time to be in astronomy as new large telescopes like Giant Magellan Telescope and theThirty Meter Telescope are being built now. India is also a partner in the construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope. When completed, this will be the largest telescope in the world," Tilvi added

Health Benefits of Dates

Dates nutrition facts

What nutrients are there in dates? A lot indeed! Here are sweet, delicious fruits from the tropical oasis, brimming with much-needed minerals and energy to help you stay fit and healthy. 

Botanically; they are the fruits grow on the palm tree belonging to the family of Arecaceae in the genus:Phoenix and scientifically named as Phoenix dactylifera. The tree is believed to originate in the lands on the banks of Nile and Euphrates Rivers of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. Date palm is now grown extensively for its edible fruits under warmer climates across all the continents.

Delicious dates. (Photo by-Itinerant)	Date-Palm. (Photo by-kawanet)

The date fruit is a "drupe" in which outer fleshy part (exocarp and mesocarp) surrounds a shell (the pit or stone) of hardened endocarp with a seed inside. The fruit is oval to cylindrical in shape, 3–7 cms long, and 2–3 cms diameter, and when ripe, range from bright red to depending on the variety.

There are many varieties of date palm cultivated. ‘Amir Hajj’, ‘Saidy’, 'Khadrawy' and 'Medjool' is some of the important varieties that are popular for their superior quality.

Health benefits of dates

• Wonderfully delicious, dates are one of the most popular fruits packed with an impressive list of essential nutrients, vitamins, and minerals that are required for normal growth, development and overall well-being.
• Fresh dates compose of soft, easily digestible flesh and simple sugars like fructose and dextrose. When eaten, they replenish energy and revitalize the body instantly. For these qualities, they are being used to break the fast during Ramadan month since ancient times.
• The fruit is rich in dietary fiber, which prevents LDL cholesterol absorption in the gut. Additionally, the fiber works as a bulk laxative. It, thus, helps to protect the colon mucous membrane by decreasing exposure time and as well as binding to cancer-causing chemicals in the colon.
• They contain health benefiting flavonoid polyphenolic antioxidants known as tannins. Tannins are known to possess anti-infective, anti-inflammatory, and anti-hemorrhagic (prevent easy bleeding tendencies) properties.
• They are moderate sources of vitamin-A (contains 149 IU per 100 g), which is known to have antioxidant properties and essential for vision. Additionally, it is also required maintaining healthy mucus membranes and skin. Consumption of natural fruits rich in vitamin A is known to help to protect from lung and oral cavity cancers.
• They compose antioxidant flavonoids such as ß-carotene, lutein, and zea-xanthin. These antioxidants found to have the ability to protect cells and other structures in the body from harmful effects of oxygen-free radicals. Thus, eating dates found to offer some protection from colon, prostate, breast, endometrial, lung, and pancreatic cancers. 
• Zea-xanthin is an important dietary carotenoid that selectively absorbed into the retinal macula lutea, where it thought to provide antioxidant and protective light-filtering functions. It thus offers protection against age-related macular degeneration, especially in elderly populations.
• Dates are an excellent source of iron, contains 0.90 mg/100 g of fruits (about 11% of RDI). Iron, being a component of hemoglobin inside the red blood cells, determines the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood.
• Further, they are very good in potassium. 100 g contains 696 mg or 16% of daily-recommended levels of this electrolyte. Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids that help controlling heart rate and blood pressure. They, thus, offers protection against stroke and coronary heart diseases.
• They are also rich in minerals like calcium, manganese, copper, and magnesium. Calcium is an important mineral that is an essential constituent of bone and teeth, and required by the body for muscle contraction, blood clotting, and nerve impulse conduction. Manganese is used by the body as a co-factor for the antioxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase. Copper is required for the production of red blood cells. Magnesium is essential for bone growth.
• Further, the fruit has adequate levels of B-complex group of vitamins as well as vitamin K. It contains very good amounts of pyridoxine (vitamin B-6), niacin, pantothenic acid, and riboflavin. These vitamins are acting as cofactors help body metabolize carbohydrates, protein, and fats. Vitamin K is essential for many coagulant factors in the blood as well as in bone metabolism.

The Risk of Running Windows XP After Support Ends April 2014 - Microsoft Security Blog - Site Home - TechNet Blogs

The Risk of Running Windows XP After Support Ends April 2014 - Microsoft Security Blog - Site Home - TechNet Blogs

Historical Events on 15th October

533 - Byzantine general Belisarius makes his formal entry into Carthage, having conquered it from the Vandals.

1520 - King Henry VIII of England orders bowling lanes at Whitehall
1522 - Emperor Karel I names Hernan Cortes governor of Mexico
1552 - Khanate of Kazan is conquered by troops of Ivan Grozny.
1581 - Commissioned by Catherine De Medici, the 1st ballet "Ballet Comique de la Reine," is staged in Paris
1582 - Many Catholic countries switch to Gregorian calendar, skip 10 days
1598 - Spanish general strategist Bernardino de Mendoza occupies fort Rhine
1641 - Paul de Chomedy de Maisonneuve claims Montreal
1654 - Prince Willem III appointed viceroy of Overijssel
1655 - Jews of Lublin are massacred
1660 - Asser Levy granted butchers license (kosher meat) in New Amsterdam
1705 - English fleet under Lord Peterborough occupies Barcelona
1724 - Cornelis Steenoven is 1st archbishop of Old-Catholic church
1756 - Saxon army surrenders to Prussia
1764 - Edward Gibbon observes a group of friars singing in the ruined Temple of Jupiter in Rome, which inspires him to begin work on The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
1777 - Mjr James Graves Simcoe appointed commandant of Queen's Rangers (Penn)
1783 - Jean Pilstre de Rozier makes captive-balloon ascent
1786 - Earliest 32°F (0°C) recorded temp in NYC
1789 - 1st presidental tour-George Washington in New England
French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte1815 - Napoleon Bonaparte exiled on Island of St Helena at 51
1827 - Charles Darwin reaches Christ's Counsel, Cambridge
1842 - Karl Marx becomes editor-in-chief of Rheinische Zeitung
1846 - Dr William Thomas Green Morton 1st public use of ether
1860 - 11-year-old Grace Bedell writes to Lincoln, tells him to grow a beard
1863 - Cliff House opens in SF (1st of many on site)
1864 - Confederate troops occupy Glasgow, Missouri
1866 - Great fire in Quebec destroys 2,500 houses
1874 - Child labor law takes 12 year olds out of work force
1877 - 45th Congress (1877-79) convenes
1878 - Edison Electric Light Company incorporated
1880 - Koln cathedral completed, 633 years after it begun
1880 - Mexican soldiers kill Victorio, one of the greatest Apache military strategists.
1881 - 1st American fishing magazine, American Angler published
1883 - Supreme Court declares Civil Rights Act of 1875 unconstitutional
Communist Philosopher Karl Marx1885 - Hoss Radbourne pitches his 60th win of season
1889 - Amsterdam Central Station officially opens
1890 - Alabama Penny Savings Bank organizes in Birmingham
1894 - Capt Alfred Dreyfus arrested accused of espionage in France
1897 - Aaron/Samuel Bloch carry 1st Mail Pouch
1897 - King Leopold II takes Belgian crown
1899 - Cincinnati closes season with 16-1 & 19-3 victories over Cleve Spiders
1905 - Claude Debussy's "La Mer," premieres
1905 - Union workers at NVV rejects safety demands
1912 - Red Sox Tris Speaker's makes only world series unassisted double play, from the outfield
1913 - Train crash in Liverpool during "Black Week"
1914 - ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors & Publishers) founded
1914 - Battle of Warsaw, begins (ends Oct 21)
1914 - Clayton Anti-trust Act passed (union & strike rights)
1917 - Chicago White Sox beat NY Giants, 4 games to 2 in 14th World Series
Exotic dancer, courtesan and convicted German spy Mata Hari1917 - World War I: At Vincennes outside of Paris, Dutch dancer Mata Hari is executed by firing squad for spying for Germany.
1918 - British Q-ship Cymric sinks British submarine J6
1919 - 14 horses begin 300-mile race from Vt to Mass for $1000 prize money
1923 - NY Yankees 1st World Series win beating NY Giants, 4 games to 2
1924 - Pres Calvin Coolidge declares Statue of Liberty a national monument
1925 - Pittsburgh Pirates beat Wash Senators, 4 games to 3 in 22nd World Series
1925 - Willem Landre's opera "Beatrice" premiers in The Hague
1926 - Austria government of Seipel, forms
1926 - Philip Barry's "White Wings!," premieres in NYC
1928 - German dirigible "Graf Zeppelin" lands in Lakehurst, NJ
1928 - Walter Johnson signs a 3-year contract to manage the Senators
1932 - Tata Airlines (later to become Air India) makes its first flight.
1933 - Philadelphia Eagles play 1st NFL game, lose to NY Giants 56-0
1935 - NHL's St Louis Eagles fold
1937 - Ernest Hemingway novel "To Have & Have Not" published
Nobel Laureate Author Ernest Hemingway1937 - Rather than accept any trade offers, the Yanks release Tony Lazzeri
1938 - Robert Sherwoods "Abe Lincoln in Illinois," premieres in NYC
1939 - LaGuardia Airport opens in NYC
1939 - Yeshiva of Mir closes after 124 years
1940 - -16] Heavy German air raid on London, 400 killed
1940 - London's Waterloo Station bombed by Germans
1940 - "The Great Dictator", a satiric social commentary film by and starring Charlie Chaplin, is released.
1941 - 1st mass deportation of German Jews to Eastern Europe
1941 - Japan Tojo regime forms
1941 - Jews caught outside Polish Ghetto walls could be put to death
1942 - German 6th Army occupies Tractorenfabriek, 3,000 German's die
1944 - The Arrow Cross Party (very similar to Hitler's NSDAP (Nazi party)) takes over the power in Hungary.
1945 - Baseball Attendance hits record 10.28 million (Tigers 1.28 is highest)
1946 - Smallest World Series share since 1918 (Cards $3,748, Red Sox $2,140)
1946 - St Louis Cards beat Boston Red Sox, 4 games to 3 in 43rd World Series
Dictator of Nazi GermanyAdolf Hitler1946 - Enos Slaughter scores from 1st on a single in World Series
1948 - China's Red army occupies Chinchov
1949 - Administration of territory of Manipur taken over by Indian government
1949 - Billy Graham begins his ministry
1949 - Tripura accedes to Indian union
1951 - "I Love Lucy" debuts on CBS TV
1951 - Egyptian parliament accept denounces Suez Canal Treaty
1951 - Mexican chemist Luis E. Miramontes synthesized the first oral contraceptive
1952 - Arthur Laurent's "Time of the Cuckoo," premieres in NYC
1953 - John Patrick's "Teahouse of the Red Moon," premieres in NYC
1953 - KOIN TV channel 6 in Portland, OR (CBS) begins broadcasting
1953 - WJNL (now WFAT) TV channel 19 in Johnstown, PA (IND) begins
1954 - Hurricane Hazel strikes US & Canada, 348 die
1954 - KLTV TV channel 7 in Tyler-Longview, TX (ABC) begins broadcasting
1956 - Pyotr Bolotnikov runs world record 10k (28:42.8)
1956 - William J Brennan Jr appointed to Supreme Court
1956 - Yankees Enos Slaughter scores from 1st on a single in World Series
1957 - Giants trade Minneapolis franchise to Red Sox for SF Seals-franchises only, not the players
1958 - Tunisia drops diplomatic relations with Egypt
1958 - USSR performs nuclear test at Novaya Zemlya USSR
1959 - "Untouchables" premieres
1959 - KNDO TV channel 23 in Yakima, WA (NBC) begins broadcasting
1960 - "Laughs & Other Events" closes at Barrymore Theater NYC after 8 perfs
1962 - Byron R White appointed to Supreme Court
1962 - WLOX TV channel 13 in Biloxi-Gulfport, MS (ABC) begins broadcasting
1963 - Ludwig Erhard follows Conrad Adenauer as West German Chancellor
1964 - Craig Breedlove sets auto speed record of 846.97 kph
Clergyman and Civil Rights Activist Martin Luther King Jr.1964 - Dr Martin Luther King Jr awarded Nobel Peace Prize
1964 - St Louis Cardinals beat NY Yankees, 4 games to 3 in 61st World Series
1964 - NY Yankees appears in 14 & win 9 of last 16 World Series
1965 - Dodgers & Sandy Koufax win 7th game of 62nd World Series vs Twins
1965 - WEMT (now WVII) TV channel 7 in Bangor, ME (ABC) begins broadcasting
1966 - Australia bans Troggs' "I Can't Control Myself," as "terribly obscene"
1966 - LBJ signs a bill creating Dept of Transportation (DOT)
1966 - Black Panther Party was created by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale.
1968 - AL expansion draft, KC pick Roger Nelson & Pilots pick Don Mincher 1st
1969 - Bank of America World Headquarters (555 California) dedicated
1969 - Madison Square Garden TV Network begins (Rangers vs North Stars)
1969 - NY Met Ron Swoboda's spectacular diving catch of sinking liner with runners at 1st & 3rd in 9th, Mets win in 10th in World Series game
1969 - Oriole Earl Weaver becomes 1st manager ejected in a World Series
1969 - Vietnam Moratorium Day; millions nationwide protest the war
1970 - Anwar Sadat elected president of Egypt
36th US President Lyndon B. Johnson1970 - Baltimore Orioles beat Cin Reds, 4 games to 1 in 67th World Series
1970 - Bridge over Yarra River in Melbourne crashes; killing 35
1970 - Russian passenger flight hijacked to Turkey
1971 - The start of the 2500-year celebration of Iran, celebrating the birth of Persia.
1972 - 61st Davis Cup: USA beats Romania in Bucharest (3-2)
1972 - Omni in Atlanta opens - Hawks beat NY Knicks 109-101
1973 - 7th Country Music Association Award: Roy Clark wins
1973 - Tanks attack Thailand demonstrating students, 300 killed
1974 - National Guard mobilizes to restore order in Boston school busing
1974 - Nobel prize for chemistry awarded to Paul J Flory (macro molecules)
1974 - Washington Capitals 1st NHL tie, playing LA Kings to 1-1 tie
1975 - Iceland moves intl boundary from 50 to 200 miles
1976 - 1st debate of major-ticket VP nominees Mondale (D) vs Dole (R)
1976 - Ringo Starr releases "A Dose of Rock 'n' Roll"
1977 - Arkansas' Steve Little kicks a record tying 67 yard field goal
Beatles Drummer Ringo Starr1977 - Debbie Boone's "You Light Up My Life," goes #1 & stays #1 for 10 weeks
1977 - Don Ritchie runs world record 100 mile (11:30:51)
1978 - Silvia Bertolaccini wins LPGA Civitan Golf Open
1978 - USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR
1979 - 1st Monday night game from NYC, Jets beat Vikings 14-7 (Shea Stad)
1979 - Chinese premier Hwa Kwofeng visits Paris
1979 - Military coup in El Salvador: president/general Carlos Romero flees
1979 - NY Knicks retire 2nd number, # 10, Walt Frazier
1980 - George Brett is forced out of World Series with hemorrhoids
1980 - Nobel prize for economy awarded to Lawrence R Klein
1981 - NY Yankees capture 33rd AL pennant, sweeping 3 games from Oakland A's
1981 - Professional cheerleader Krazy George Henderson leads what is thought to be the first audience wave in Oakland, California.
1983 - Black Hawks & Maple Leafs combine for fastest 5 goals (84 seconds)
1983 - Columbia beats Yale 21-18 in football, will lose next 44 games
1983 - US Marine sharpshooters kill 5 snipers at Beirut Intl Airport
1984 - Central Intelligence Agency Information Act passes
1984 - Centrum party expels 2nd Member of parliament Janmaat due to fraud
1985 - Nobel prize for economics awarded to Franco Modigliani
1985 - Shuttle Columbia carries Spacelab into orbit
1985 - Shelley Taylor of Australia makes fastest swim ever around Manhattan Island, doing it in 6 hours 12 minutes 29 seconds
1986 - Longest post season game, Mets beat Astros 7-6 in 16 & win NL pennant
1987 - "Late Nite Comic" opens at Ritz Theater NYC for 4 performances
1987 - 6th Belgium government of Martens falls
1987 - Coup in Burkina Faso, president Sankara dies
1987 - Lanford Wilson's "Burn This," premieres in NYC
1987 - NFL Players Association orders an end to 24 day strike
1987 - The Great Storm of 1987 hits France and England.
1988 - Amnesty International's Global Concert Tour ends in Buenos Aires
1988 - NCAA record rushing yardage (768 yards-Oklahoma)
1988 - With 2 outs in bottom of 9th, an injured Kirk Gibson hits dramatic 2 run HR to gives Dodgers a 5-4 win in 1st game of World Series
1989 - Billy Graham is given 1,900th star on Hollywood Blvd
1989 - South Africa president FW de Klerk frees Sisulu & 4 other political prisoners
1989 - South african ANC-founder/leader Walter Sisulu freed
NHL all-time top scorerWayne Gretzky1989 - Wayne Gretzky passes Gordie Howes as NHL's all time top scorer
1990 - Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev wins Nobel Peace Prize
1991 - Clarence Thomas is confirmed as Supreme Court Justice (52-48)
1992 - Charles Taylor launches an offensive against Monrovia Liberia
1992 - Howard Stern radio show begins broadcasting on WLUP-AM, Chicago
1992 - NYC Subway motorman Robert Ray convicted of manslaughter in death of 5 riders, when he fell asleep drunk while in control of train
1993 - Amstel brewery on Curacao produces 1,000,000,000th bottle
1993 - Guardian Angel Lisa Evers Sliwa files for divorce from Curtis Sliwa
1993 - Nelson Mandela & South Africa president F W de Klerk awarded Nobel Peace Prize
1994 - Botswana Pres Ketumile Masires BDP wins parliamentary election
1994 - Pres Jean-Baptiste Aristide returns to Haiti
1995 - Annika Sorenstam wins LPGA World Championship of Women's Golf
1995 - Carolina Panthers win 1st game ever beating NY Jets 26-15
1997 - Britain's Andy Green sets jet-powered car record (763.035 mph)
1997 - Cleve Indians beat Balt Orioles 4 games to 2 in ALCS
Anti-apartheid activist/South African President Nelson Mandela1997 - Former rep Dan Rostenkowski released from custody for mail fraud
1997 - NY jury awards boxer Mitch Green $45,000 in civil lawsuit against Mike Tyson, for street brawl in 1988
1997 - US launches nuclear powered Cassini to Saturn
2001 - NASA's Galileo spacecraft passes within 112 miles of Jupiter's moon Io.
2003 - China launches Shenzhou 5, its first manned space mission.
2003 - The Staten Island Ferry boat Andrew J. Barberi collides with a pier at the St. George Ferry Terminal in Staten Island, killing 11 people and injuring 43.
2005 - Iraqi constitution ratification vote
2005 - Riot in Toledo, Ohio breaks out during a National Socialist/Neo-Nazi protest; over 100 are arrested.
2007 - 17 Activists in Aotearoa New Zealand arrested in the country's first post 9/11 anti-terrorism raids across the country.
2011 - Global protests break out in 951 cities in 82 countries.
2011 - Legoland Florida (the world's largest Legoland theme park) opens in Winter Haven, Florida.
2012 - Hilary Mantel wins the 2012 Man Booker Prize for her novel Bring Up the Bodies

WHEN DO MOST HEART ATTACKS OCCUR -- AND WHY?

From the outside, a heart attackcan seem very sudden. But from the inside -- like inside an artery -- it's actually pretty predictable.

Clogged arteries, also calledcoronary artery disease (CAD), are the primary cause of heart attacks [source: NHLBI]. Arteries get clogged by something called plaque, a fatty substance that builds up on artery walls. Plaque often builds up when there's too much fat and cholesterol in the diet -- and too much cholesterol in the blood. Essentially, stuff starts sticking to the artery walls of the heart as blood passes through, and eventually a blood clot can form. If it's big enough, that clot can block the artery entirely.

In a heart attack, oxygen supply (via blood flow) to the heart has been cut off, resulting in damage to or death of heart muscle. The heart stops pumping if the blood flow isn't immediately restored. When it stops pumping, that's a heart attack. In the United States, about 1.1 million people suffer heart attacks every year, and about half of those heart attacks result in death [source: NHLBI].

Heart attacks seldom happen without some kind of warning. They can often be explained by medical history, including high cholesterol or high blood pressure, or by a family history of heart disease. But can they also be explained by external circumstances, like time of year or time of day? Are there certain occasions that pose greater risk for people with heart disease?

S­urprisingly, the answer is yes. For people who have risk factors for a heart attack, like high blood pressure, high cholesterol and coronary artery disease, not only why but also when a heart attack might happen is more obvious than you might think. At certain times of the year, heart-attack rates increase, and the primary culprit in the trend is hard to avoid.

In this article, we'll find out when most heart attacks occur and why they're more likely during those times. With some planning, it may even be possible to decrease the risk of having a heart attack during the high season for coronaries.

Once you know the culprit for the spike in heart attacks, you'll be able to guess which months make up that high season. Here's a hint: It's T minus 1 and counting and you've still got 13 people on your gift list.

Eid-al-Adha/Bakrid-Why Muslims Celebrate?

Eid-al-Adha/Bakrid-Why Muslims Celebrate?

Eid-al-Adha is one of the important festivals of the Muslims. It means, the 'Festival of Sacrifice', remembering Ibrahim's spirit of sacrifice, conforming to the command of Allah. It is celebrated on the 10th day of the 12th month, Dhu a-Hijjah. It occurs after the Hajj pilgrimage, which, is the fifth pillar of Islam, undertaken by the Muslims. History To take a peep into history, will reveal the truth as to why Muslims celebrate Eid-al-Adha/Bakrid. The history of Eid-al-Adha/Bakrid dates back to the times of Ibrahim. Ibrahim was commanded by God, through recurring dreams, to sacrifice his only son, begotten after rigorous worship. Ismail, son of Ibrahim was just, 13 years old when, Ibrahim revealed to him about God's command. To his surprise, the boy readily agreed to be sacrificed. Just when, Ibrahim was about to sacrifice the boy, Allah voiced that he need not have to carry out His order, as he had passed the test of devotion. He was further instructed to sacrifice a lamb instead of his only son. Ibrahim, by the Grace of Allah was blessed with another son, Is-haaq (Isaac) The history of Hajj pilgrimage revolves around the surrender of Ibrahim and his family to Allah. Animal sacrifice Animal sacrifice is one of the significant aspects in the celebration of Eid-al-Adha/Bakrid. Why do Muslims undertake it while they celebrate the festival ? Muslims undertake animal sacrifice, to commemorate the event of Ibrahim's attempt to sacrifice his son, in order to conform to Allah's command, and Allah's mercy in substituting a ram for the child. A goat, a sheep or a cow is sacrificed according to the laid down rules. One third of the meat is retained for family, another third is distributed among friends and relatives and the remaining one third is given in charity for the poor and the needy. Celebrating Ed-al-Adha/Bakrid People celebrate Ed-al-Adha/Bakrid wearing new clothes. They offer Eid prayer, (Salat al-Eid) in a congregation in an open area called Eidgah or a mosque. People engage in animal sacrifice, performed duly in tune with the religious laws. Muslims also engage in charitable acts and see to it that no one is unable to partake of an Eid feast, owing to impoverishment. During the festival of Eid-al-Adha, chanting of Takbir loudly before the Eid prayer on the first day and after the Eid prayer on the second and the third day, distributing meat etc form some of the important aspects of the festival. So let us get an insight into as to why Muslims celebrate Eid-al-Adha/Bakrid, while the country celebrates it.

Islamic Solution to Depression

ISLAMIC SOLUTION TO DEPRESSION

by Shaykh Omar Baloch


Depression vs Sadness
Let’s start by pointing out some basic differences between Depression and Sadness. In essence, sadness is part and parcel of human life and part of being “human”. It is a normal human emotion that more or less all human beings experience in different phases in their lives. Even holy personalities like Moses, Jesus and Muhammad went through deep sadness. This is just like if a bee comes and stings someone, there will be an immediate reaction. The Quran, the holy book of Islam, provides ample examples from the lives of different messengers-who were the greatest of all human beings-that they all went through pain, suffering and the resulting sadness in their lives. From that perspective, we can conclude that sadness is “normal”.  According to Islamic teachings, God Himself claims that it is HE who bestows happiness and sadness:

“IT IS HE WHO MAKES YOU LAUGH AND CRY” (QURAN)

But still that immense sadness of Prophets and Messengers (PBUT) didn’t stop them from pursuing their missions even more vigorously. Their sadness didn’t result in hopelessness nor in a state of inaction-in other words, they went through periods of sadness but not depression.
Depression on the other hand, is characterized by hopelessness, loss of meaning in life, self-worthlessness and feeling of sadness without being able to identify the cause of the gloominess in life. The two states of crying and laughing are unique to the Human being, that no other animals shares, and its purpose is to make us reflect on the realities of life. Everyone experiences symptoms of depression, but when the symptoms remain for two weeks or more it is called clinical depression. However, the Quran teaches us, we have to be careful of many of the symptoms of depression even it is for a short time. Depression is the result of not being able to do what we want. It is a sense of loss of freedom & control.
Below we will discuss different types of depressions, and will have solutions to the hopelessness, meaninglessness, self-worthlessness and daily dysfunctional life from an Islamic perspective. All change begins by sees things in a new light. By embracing these truths you will be able to bring light into the gloom of your life.
Some Basic Truths

1. No human being is burdened with trouble and difficulties they cannot bear.The Quran teaches “(God) will never place a burden on a soul that it can not bear”. This shows that the human being can bear many unthinkable burdens, that one initially feels that they cannot bear. How many times in your life, you felt you cannot take it anymore, but you lived through it? How many humans go through great difficulties in life but live through it?
2. After every hardship is easeLife is one difficulty after another. One task after another, one issue after another. However, it is important to know that while life tests us, there is ease after hardship. There is the ease of death after the hardship of life, there is ease of sleep after the hardships of the day, there is ease of retirement after the hardship of a career, and everything has a high and a low. What goes up, must come down, likewise, Tough times only mean, the times of ease are near. The Quran teaches, “The morning light after the stillness of darkness”….when its dark everything seems still as if it will never go away. The fact is nothing remains forever and nothing remains the same. So, after every time of difficulty there is ease. The Quran teaches, “There is ease after hardship, Indeed there is ease after hardship.”
3. Suffering purifies our humanness
   
   When we go through difficult times, when we have a financial loss, when we lose a loved one, when we struck by bad times, it brings out the real humanness in us, and we begin to ask the very questions that are most fundamental to us, “Why are we here?”, “What is the purpose of life”, “why me”, “What happened to all my plans and dreams, etc. We learn the frailty of our humanness. The Prophet of Islam, Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, “Look at the ones who are less fortunate then you, not at the ones are more fortunate then you.” Hunger attracts food. Hunger is a spiritual experience, it is good for the soul, and food is an experience of the body. In the same way, ease and happiness is good liked by the body and is welcomed, and hardships and difficulty are disliked by the body but are very good for the soul. It forces the soul to deal with the difficult questions of life. It helps us to grow as humans, to find and deal with our human frailness. And our human frailness helps us to find our inner most nature.
   It’s not the events, which take place that cause happiness or depression-but it’s our inner reflection of our situation that determines our spirituality and our emotional maturity.
4. You are not in control, but can choose what you want to do Depression happens because of a feeling of helplessness. A feeling that we are not in control; you should embrace that you are not in control at the moment. You should embrace your lack of control over your situation. Most depression occurs because of external situations and how we allow external situations to affect our insides. Perhaps, it’s a good time to turn to the One Who does control everything. All we ask is you is to, try this… pray to God, even if you don’t believe in God, pray to Him, talk to Him, and you will feel so comforted in your heart. Tell God that you know He is in control. Cry to him. We are taught that by turning to God, we restore ourselves like a dying plant becomes green with water. As an experiment, do this on blind faith and see if it works, say, “All admiration belongs to you, if good comes to me its from you, and if some trouble comes to me its from you, I submit to you, and this situation to you.” Say this even if you do not believe in God, and see how you feel in the inside. Second, you can take action regarding your situation. Life is all about choices; a choice is like putting a seed in the ground that may bare fruit. You put the seed, and the unseen forces bring the rain. Work on what you can do, you can sow the seed, you can make the right choices, and you can start to work in a direction that you want to move in.
5. Three Days The past is gone forever. The Present is all you have, and the future; leave it for when it comes. The life in this world is short, our time for this life is constantly running out. One of the great scholars of Islam said, “There is only one day separating me and the Kings. As for the yesterday, their taste of it has vanished, and both they and I equally fear what tomorrow will bring. Thus, there is only today. What will today bring?”
6. Everything is in a Flux, and Most Change is SpontaneousNothing stays the same. The atoms, the celestial bodies in the heavens, air, water, etc, nothing stay the same from one moment to the next. Everything is in a flux, this means people in health will soon face illness, people in illness will soon have relief. Those that are happy today will soon undergo some sadness, and those that are sad will have happiness. Most changes in life are spontaneous; losing a job, death of a loved one, an accident, a terminal illness, etc. This means that your situation will not be the same forever, if you are not in control today, there will come a time where it is.

• Belief is the Greatest Cure No pill, counseling session, techniques to cope can compare to a strong belief in God. As long as one believes in a loving God, one has a reason to be optimistic. Belief can give you the ability to handle all sorts of difficult situations. It can give a person the ability to see the positive in the overwhelmingly negative situation. If you do not believe in God, I would suggest to believe in Him, give it a try and see if your outlook on the situation changes for the positive. We all need a something to keep us focused and keep us going, we all need something that bring clarity to our world, all need to hold on to something for support. If there is a God, and there is, there is nothing stronger then the knowledge you can hold on to him to help you cope with your situation. Also, if there is a God, there must be good in what you are going through, you may not understand that today, but if we look at our past situations in life, we will see how the hard times, made us grow. There is a saying, “God does not create trash.”—Humans being the greatest creation of God, and YOU were an idea God had that came into existence, so your worth is that God thought of you to begin with. Also, God does not forsake His care over his creation and you are His creation.

1. Expectations Most of our depression happens due to high and sometimes unrealistic expectations. If we can lower our expectations, we minimize the risk of going into depression. If we can minimize our expectation from others-then we really put ourselves in a position of strength and fortify ourselves from being exposed to feelings of being let down, betrayal and rejection-which are strong precipitating factors for losing self esteem, feeling low and going into depression.

Classification of Depression as a Psychiatric Disorder
According to DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical manual Version IV), below are some of the major types of Depression:

• Major depressive disorder (also known as clinical depression or major depression)
  This is a specific diagnosis from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders by the American Psychiatric Association. |
  Here are some sub-categories of major depression:
  • Atypical depression, a cyclical sub-type of major depression where sleep, feeding and perception of pleasure are normal but there is a feeling of lethargy
  • Melancholic depression a sub-type of major depression characterized by an inability to feel pleasure combined with physical agitation, insomnia, or decreased appetite
  • Psychotic depression, a sub-type of major depression combined with psychotic or delusional perceptions
• Depressive Disorder Not Otherwise Specified
• Postpartum depression, a depressive episode occurring within a year of childbirth
• Dysthymia, a long-term low-grade depressive condition
• Adjustment disorder with depressed mood, previously known as “reactive depression”
• Seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a depressed mood related to the seasons

Other major categories include Bi-polar Depression (manic Depression) and Dual Diagnosis (Depression along with Substance Abuse). Dual Diagnosis is most difficult to diagnose and treat because most often people suffering from major depression self medicate using illegal addictive substances and end up seeking therapy for substance use. Once treatment for addiction progresses to an extent, depression comes up to the surface. On other times, depression acts as a catalyst to relapse in substance abuse and maintains the vicious cycle for the victim of dual disorder.
The Quranic Treatment of Depression
Let’s now talk about some of the evidence based reasons why people develop depression
Social Causes of Depression
Family problems: marital problems, parent-child relationship, marital problem and depression of parents affecting their children. Lack of affection, attachment, acceptance and bond within the family. When marriage is not working, it often turns to a stressor, which leads to depression and substance abuse. Depression of one spouse usually affects the other and the marriage. Even if the depressed spouse recovers-he/she is likely to relapse due to unsatisfying marriage. Marital discord often leads to depression and vice-versa, it may also lead to verbal, physical and emotional abuse.
Solution:
If you find yourself in this situation then

• The first thing to think about is if you need to be in a healthier environment. Never stay in an abusive place.
• As a family; try to do activities together like eating, going out to the park, taking a walk, do something spiritual, etc. Do not do things in which the family is not engaged with themselves like watching tv, movie, etc.
• Help the family member admit there is a problem
• The husband and wife should make a list of their grievances and share it with each other every night or at least every week. Know your triggers. Focus on YOUR own responsibilities, rather then YOUR rights.
• Journal and/or find a hobby
• Help someone; especially someone in your situation
• Take a holiday trip together

Lack of Positive Social Network: Stressful social environments, lack of support network, high expectations and social competition due to cultural norms, ethnicity and social class play a role in overwhelming people and as a result, they become vulnerable to depression. A depressed person turns out to be over-sensitive to social criticism and feed-back, displays low self esteem, becomes dependent on people and constantly seeks re-assurance in a way that drives people away from him/her and thus re-enforces his/her idea that he/she is unworthy as a person.
Solution: If you find yourself in this situation then

• Spend a day doing good deeds
• Smile
• Journal one good thing about yourself everyday. Did you do a good deed? Did some good fortune come your way?
• Join any sports club, gym or volunteer at a place
• Attend a seminar on a topic you like
• Get a pet
• Rebuild relationships you have lost over time from your family, relatives, high school days, etc

Gender Issues: Societal norms regarding gender expectations can be source of stress, especially when women have to play multiple roles like a working mom who has to take care of her family, go to work and may be attending school simultaneously. Research also suggests that women are more likely to get overwhelmed by stressful events than men. Research suggests that single mothers are thrice more prone to depression than married mothers. Relative lack of power and discrimination in workplace, financial stress of low paid jobs, lack of social support network-especially for single mothers, biological factors like menstrual cycle, pregnancy, child-birth and menopause-they all contribute to increased risk of depression in women.
Solution: If you find yourself in this situation then:

• See what are the responsibilities you really want to take on & those things that others can do, you do not need to over burden yourself with— prioritize, and don’t let other things bother you
• Do not let yourself become over stressed, and if you do take a break
• Know yourself and your body’s limits. Eat properly, sleep properly, give yourself personal time, exercise, etc.
• Create a schedule
• Read a book
• It’s ok to ask for help (friend, spouse, a support group, a self help for working mothers or single mothers)
• Hang out with friends

Medical Reasons: Research suggests that stroke, heart attack, cancer, Parkinson’s disease and hormonal disorders can cause depression in a person by causing chemical imbalance in the person’s brain..
Solution: If you find yourself in this situation then

• Take extra care of your nutrition.
• Do not over eat. Fill your stomach with 1/3 food, 1/3 water, and leave one 1/3 for air
• Exercise
• Spend time looking at & contemplating nature
• Sleep well
• Incorporate Prayer in your daily schedule
• If you hear bad news, or something that make you upset, just sit down have a drink of water and see the bright side to the situation

Now, let’s shed some light on how depression is affecting the modern society:
Social Impact of Depression:
Major depression is 4th most disabling condition in the world, and 2nd most in the developed world. As well as the human cost, the burden on society is incredible. At the rate of increase, it will be the 2nd most disabling condition in the world by 2020, behind heart disease. It is estimated 35 to 40 million Americans living today will suffer from major depression at some time during their lives, with about half of this amount suffering from recurring depression symptoms. A major risk outcome of depression is suicide. Here are some facts correlating depression and suicide:

• About a quarter of suicides in the US are felt to be due to undiagnosed, or misdiagnosed major depression.
• Up to 80% of suicide deaths are in sufferers of major depression.

Given that suicide is the 8th largest cause of death in the US, it’s no wonder that major depression is classed as “the nation’s leading mental health problem”
Islamic Solution to Depression:

• Defining Goal of life: Islam teaches us that we should focus our goal on succeeding in our life to come after this life. If we emphasize on the transitory nature of this worldly life-then most of our problems of this life lose it’s importance in our lives and subsequently lose their power of a having negative impact on us.
• With difficulty, comes ease.
• Everyone needs a support system, and everyone needs a best friend, and everyone need role models.
• God never burdens a soul more than it can bear.
• Develop gratitude for the blessings that God has given you.
• A depressed person needs a source to turn to, turn to God for help, support, mercy and forgiveness.
• If there is a God, and there is, only good will become of the negative situation one finds themselves in.
• Find out purpose and value in your life and in everything that you’re going through.
• Incorporate prayer in your schedule at least twice a day. Talk to God.
• Live one day at a time.
• Surrender your unmanageable problems and things over which you’ve lost control of to God.
• Always Hope in Allah’s mercy.
• Get involved with your religious organizations, charities, or some other volunteer work
• One should say “al-hamdu lillah” a few hundred times a day. A phrase in the Arabic language that means “All praise and gratitude for God”. Muslims say this phrase when they are in difficult situations.
• If we think it is a bad situation, it could have been worse. If we think it is a good situation, it is still a test for us. Everything is from God and we should praise Him often. Thanking Him is one way to praise Him—al-hamdu lillah.
• Each one of us came to this world for a purpose
• Exercise
• Nutrition
• Sleep well
• Read
• Contemplate
• Write a Journal
• Reconnect with your lost relationships
• Spend time in nature
• REMEMBER THE “SOME BASIC TRUTHS”

10 ways to control Cholesterol

10 Ways to Control Your Cholesterol

With every one percent reduction of total blood cholesterol, there is about a two percent reduction in the risk of heart attack. Getting your total cholesterol down and your HDL, or good cholesterol, up is good medicine. Here’s what you can do to control your cholesterol.

1. Eat less fat. Keep your total daily fat intake below 20 percent of your daily calories. If you average 2,250 calories a day, eat no more than 450 calories from fat, or 50 grams of fat (there are 9 calories per gram of fat).

NUTRITIP: How Much Cholesterol Every Day? The American Heart Association recommends that people keep their total daily cholesterol intake under 300 milligrams.

2. Eat the right fats. Eat foods that are low in saturated fats, that contain mostly monounsaturated fats, and that are high in essential fatty acids. This means eating fats from seafood and plant sources. Minimize foods of animal origin, which are high in saturated fats. Keep your saturated fats to less than ten percent (better is seven percent) of your total daily calories.

Get used to checking the package label for grams of saturated fat per serving. Avoid “hydrogenated” or “partially hydrogenated” oils and shortenings. New insights into the fatty food/heart disease correlation reveal that the amount of saturated fats and hydrogenated fats in a food may actually do more harm to the fats in your blood than the cholesterol in the food. The trans fatty acids in hydrogenated fats do all kinds of bad things to blood fats, such as: increase LDL (bad) cholesterol, decrease HDL (good) cholesterol, increase triglycerides, and increase lipoprotein A – the blood fat that contributes to plaques in the arteries. Look for labels that claim “contains no saturated fats” or “contains no hydrogenated oils.”

Eat more fish that contain omega 3 fatty acids (coldwater fish: seabass, salmon and albacore tuna), which help lower blood fat levels and reduce the risk of blood clots, which can clog arteries and cause strokes and heart attacks. Replacing saturated fats in your diet with unsaturated ones (for example, vegetable and fish oils) can reduce blood LDL levels. Yet, a diet that is too high in polyunsaturated fat (more than 10 percent of daily calories) can suppress production of HDL. Choose monounsaturated fats instead, such as olive oil, canola oil, and nut oils. These monounsaturated fats do not lower HDL levels.

3. Cut cholesterol-containing foods. Too much cholesterol in the diet increases the number of LDLs, the bad cholesterol. As we said above, cholesterol is found only in animal products, not plant foods. Therefore, eating less animal foods and more plant foods will lower the blood cholesterol. While eating lean beef and peeling the skin off chicken reduces the cholesterol in these foods, there is still cholesterol and saturated fat within even lean meat and poultry. Organ meat (such as liver) is particularly loaded with cholesterol. (Making cholesterol is the liver’s job.) Lean beef, lean lamb, and lean chicken are all about the same in the amount of cholesterol they contain. Egg yolks, milk fat, and shellfish (shrimp and lobster) are high in cholesterol. Other oily fish (such as salmon and tuna) are much lower in cholesterol. White-fleshed fish tend to be the lowest in saturated fat.

While your goal may be to raise the good cholesterol, you can’t get “good cholesterol” directly from foods. If you already have a high cholesterol, temporarily switching to a vegetarian diet (with fish and non-fat dairy products, such as yogurt) may help lower your levels quickly. Persons who go on a vegetarian diet and reduce their fat intake by 26 percent have shown a significant drop in blood cholesterol levels in just six weeks. One study showed that switching from whole milk to nonfat milk lowered the total cholesterol of people in the study by seven percent and the LDL (bad) cholesterol by eleven percent after six weeks.

NUTRITIP: Overweight Cholesterol We think of fatty foods as the cause of high cholesterol, yet eating more calories than we need from any food (fats or carbohydrates) can raise blood cholesterol, since being overweight itself raises blood cholesterol and increases the risk for heart disease. So, controlling your intake of all foods is important in controlling your cholesterol.

4. Eat cholesterol-lowering foods. Besides avoiding cholesterol-containing foods, plant foods actually lower blood cholesterol. Plant foods have chemicals in them called sterols which, like cholesterol, hold the cell membranes together. By a fortunate biochemical quirk, plant sterols are not absorbed through the intestines and into the bloodstream, but they do decrease the absorption of sterols (cholesterol) in animal foods. The following are some plant foods that lower blood cholesterol.

• Soy protein. Switch from sirloin to soy. Replacing animal protein with soy protein reduces blood cholesterol levels, even when the total amount of fat in the diet remains the same. A recent review of 38 studies concluded that eating soy protein lowered blood cholesterol by an average of 32 milligrams (9 percent), LDL cholesterol by 22 milligrams (13 percent), and triglyceride (total fats) concentrations by ten percent. As an added perk, the HDL cholesterol increased a bit. Soy protein worked best in people who needed it most. While the amount of soy protein it takes to lower your cholesterol varies considerably among individuals, as a general guide, if half of your daily protein comes from soy (between 30 and 40 grams of soy protein a day), you should notice the cholesterol-lowering effect. This can be accomplished by simply changing from cow’s milk to soy milk, meat to soy substitutes, or from dairy products to tofu. As an added health benefit, soy products contain phytonutrients called “isoflavones,” which reduce the risk of some cancers.

• Fiber. Soluble fiber slows the absorption of the cholesterol from animal foods and acts as an intestinal broom to sweep the cholesterol out. Top-billing for research-backed, cholesterol-lowering effects of fiber goes to oatbran . Eating one to two ounces a day (30-60 grams) along with a lowfat, low cholesterol diet can reduce blood cholesterol by ten to fifteen percent. Similar benefits can be obtained from other soluble fiber-rich foods, such as beans, cruciferous vegetables, apricots, prunes, and a super-soluble fiber-rich food, psyllium, a bran-like grain which has been shown to lower cholesterol by fifteen percent within two to four months, after eating an average of ten grams (three tsp.) per day.
  

  NUTRITIP: Can Yogurt Lower Cholesterol? While medical studies are inconclusive about whether or not yogurt lowers cholesterol, there is some experimental evidence to suggest that byproducts of lactobacilli fermentation (which is what turns milk into yogurt) inhibit the body’s ability to make cholesterol. Obviously, the cholesterol-lowering effect was greatest with non-fat yogurt. The most striking results were seen in experiments on swine. Since these animals seem to metabolize cholesterol similar to humans, it is possible that yogurt may lower cholesterol in humans, too.

• Nuts. A recent study showed that volunteers who got 30 percent of their daily calories from fat, yet got two thirds of this fat from walnuts lower their cholesterol by twelve percent within four weeks. The cholesterol lowering effect of nuts was thought to be due to the combination of fiber, B- vitamins, and vitamin E, and to the fact that these fats are primarily unsaturated ones. Yet, don’t go too nutty. Since nuts are high in fat, it’s important not to eat too many.
• Garlic. The jury is still out on whether or not garlic will lower your cholesterol. Powdered garlic supplements probably will not. Eating one clove of garlic per day may. Watch the medical news for a garlic update. Until then, stick to the proven cholesterol-lowering foods, soy and fiber, and eat garlic because you enjoy it.
• Alcohol. You may also read that 1 to 2 alcoholic drinks a day can raise HDL cholesterol. Yet, similar to garlic, the jury is still out on whether the HDL-raising effect is significant enough to lower the risk of heart disease and to outweigh the potentially harmful effects of alcohol abuse.
  

  NUTRITIP: Read the Fine Print While some foods boast “cholesterol-free” on the front of the package, the fine print on the back tells you they are full of saturated and fake fats. Highly saturated tropical oils, such as palm kernel oil, may have a worse effect on cholesterol levels than foods that contain cholesterol. Hydrogenated fats will also push cholesterol levels higher. Some cereals, for example, may be labeled “cholesterol-free” on the front of the package, yet if you read the fine print these contain hydrogenated tropical oils.

  5. Get lean. Trimming excess body fat can increase the levels of good cholesterol (HDL). It is not only excess body fat that influences cholesterol levels, it’s where you carry it. Studies show that men who carry excess fat around the middle (a body type we refer to as “apples”) are at a higher risk of coronary artery disease than those who carry excess weight around the hips and buttocks (“pears”). Research has shown that apple-shaped people should pay even more attention to staying lean through a combination of exercise and a lowfat diet. Being over-fat increases LDL and decreases HDL, just the reverse of what you want, and this effect seems to be more aggravated in “apples” rather than “pears.”
  6. Exercise. Aerobic exercise (the kind that gets your heart rate up) raises the level of HDL cholesterol and may also reduce the level of LDL. In fact, since there is no such thing as eating foods high in HDL cholesterol, the only two ways you can raise HDL cholesterol is by exercising and reducing your body fat. Exercise is one of the few cholesterol-lowering activities that accomplish all three goals: lowering total cholesterol, raising HDLs, and lowering LDLs. Exercise stimulates the body to manufacture more HDL. The cholesterol level of athletes is much lower than that of sedentary individuals.

  NUTRITIP: Is Cholesterol Really the Cardiac Culprit? The healthcare industry has built a whole cardiovascular complex (almost a religion) around heart disease and cholesterol, and certainly experimental evidence seems to indicate that there is a cause-and-effect relationship between high cholesterol diets and a high incidence of heart disease. Yet, other factors may be involved. Is it really the cholesterol in the food that causes problems, or could there be something else present (or absent) in high cholesterol foods that affects heart disease? Why do plant-food-eaters have lower cholesterol than animal-food-eaters? While the obvious answer is that plant food doesn’t contain cholesterol and animal food does, could there be another explanation? Plant foods are high in phytonutrients and antioxidants, such as vitamin C, and fiber. Meat, on the other hand, is low in vitamin C and fiber. Our belief is that while it’s easier to blame heart disease on the one chemical-cholesterol-the connection is more complex. Switching from a primarily animal-based diet to one based on plant and seafood sources may be just what the heart doctor ordered.

  7. Relax. Stress releases stress hormones, such as adrenaline, which can elevate blood cholesterol levels. A daily relaxation program, such as meditation, deep-breathings or mental imagery can lower blood cholesterol.
  8. Graze. Grazing on many mini meals throughout the day rather than eating three big meals can lower cholesterol. In studies comparing frequent snackers to three-meal-a-day eaters, the grazers had lower cholesterol.
  9. Don’t smoke. Smoking makes everything that’s bad for the heart worse.
  10. Raise low cholesterol kids. Children who grow up with a plant and seafood-based diet rather than one high in animal-based foods are more likely to grow up with healthier hearts.