Clearing The Clutter After Breaking Up or Being Dumped November 28, 2009

When a relationship breaks up, there is a good chance that you may feel very much at a loss, despair and confusion. According to Feng Shui if you are someone who need to recover from a break up then the first thing you need to do is removing the old relationship energy because if you want to attract a new romantic partner you need to give up the old and make sure to make space for the new person in your life.

Breakups are never easy whether it is breaking up with someone whom you are involved with or been dumped by someone whom you love dearly. When a relationship breaks up, there is a good chance that you may feel very much at a loss, despair and confusion. According to Feng Shui if you are someone who need to recover from a break up then the first thing you need to do is removing the old relationship energy from your life because if you want to attract a new romantic partner you need to give up the old and make sure to make space for the new person in your life. The emotional or physical clutter of the old relationship Clutter hinders the ability to move forward in your life. In Feng Shui it is said that “nothing new can come into your life until you make room for it.” That means you need to start clearing out the old stuff you are holding on to in order to make room for new things to flow into your life. Get rid of everything you have of your ex’s if you wish to move on with your life. Many times these things can make you feel miserable and wanting to beg and plead your ex to take you back. Remember that you cannot stop living because someone is not available in your life. You need to move on. In fact if you look at the situation in a positive manner you would see that a breakup indicates a new beginning.

When you want to move on after been dumped or after breaking up with your ex try to make a clean break off. Holding on to your Ex or memories of the relationship would only hold you back from the road of recovery. There are many people who compulsively keep on checking their ex’s MySpace, Facebook or any other social networking profiles to know what is happening in his or her life which is a wrong thing to do. Even if things ended on a clean slate many times it can be too painful to see what the other person is up to. It would be better to take your Ex off your ‘Friends’ list at least for a while till you have really got him or her out of your system. Also delete their mobile or phone number from your mobile phone. Do not forget to delete all their text messages you have stored in your Mobile. If possible you can also bar their number from the phone too. The same applies for email accounts and love letters or cards. One major mistake many do is sitting and staring at the old photographs, letters and mementos which reminds you of the broken relationship. There may be some things of value you’ll want to give back to your Ex which you can send it to them. Throw away or burn every other thing related to or reminds you off your ex. Apart from that if you have been sleeping with your ex then make sure you throw away the bedding and bed sheets you shared because it carries the old relationship energy too. If your ex left some stuff at your place you should pack it and send it too.

Organizing your personal space by clearing the clutter after a break up will help you to feel better and recover from the hurt easily. Also removing all the emotional junk you’ve been carrying around with you helps you to go out into the world fresh and be prepared for the new things to come. After all, Not everybody wants their Ex back !!!

Source : socyberty.com

gemini relationships, relationship quizzes, relationship surveys, relationships, capricorn relationships, relationship poems, relationship advice, horoscope relationship match love, free relationship compatibility report, end relationship quiz, aries in relationships, aries relationship, relationship with aquarius male, free relationship quiz, letting go of a relationship, sagittarius men relationships, scorpio relationship, relationship issues, relationship, free relationship advice, relationship problems, ways to end relationships, relationship compatibility by names, troubled relationships poems, relationship tattoos, sagittarius man in relationships, a mother son relationship that is wrong, relationship tests, signs of cheating in a relationship, breakup of long term relationship, difficult relationship breakup, relationship breakup, overcoming relationship breakup, relationship breakups, best relationship breakup help, grief relationship breakup, relationship breakup advice, how to cope with a relationship breakup, emotional stages of a relationship breakup, breakup relationship is it really over, selling merchandise after breakup of relationship, getting over a relationship breakup, relationship breakup recovery retreat, relationship breakup because of vaginitis, handling relationship breakup, how to makeup in a relationship breakup, surviving a relationship breakup, relationship breakup poems, sergio garcia relationship breakup, famous relationship breakups, surviving breakup of long term relationship, how to stop a relationship breakup, dealing with relationship breakup, billy crudup claire danes relationship over breakup, relationship breakup from bv, professional advise for relationship breakup, mens health relationship breakup items, how to overcome a relationship breakup, breakup relationship

10 facts about dreams November 23, 2009

10 facts about dreams

10. Blind People Dream

People who become blind after birth can see images in their dreams. People who are born blind do not see any images, but have dreams equally vivid involving their other senses of sound, smell, touch and emotion. It is hard for a seeing person to imagine, but the body’s need for sleep is so strong that it is able to handle virtually all physical situations to make it happen.

9. You Forget 90% of your Dreams

Within 5 minutes of waking, half of your dream if forgotten. Within 10, 90% is gone. The famous poet, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, woke one morning having had a fantastic dream (likely opium induced) – he put pen to paper and began to describe his “vision in a dream” in what has become one of English’s most famous poems: Kubla Khan. Part way through (54 lines in fact) he was interrupted by a “Person from Porlock“. Coleridge returned to his poem but could not remember the rest of his dream. The poem was never completed.

8. Everybody Dreams

Every human being dreams (except in cases of extreme psychological disorder) but men and women have different dreams and different physical reactions. Men tend to dream more about other men, while women tend to dream equally about men and women. In addition, both men and women experience sexually related physical reactions to their dreams regardless of whether the dream is sexual in nature; males experience erections and females experience increased vaginal blood flow.

7. Dreams Prevent Psychosis

In a recent sleep study, students who were awakened at the beginning of each dream, but still allowed their 8 hours of sleep, all experienced difficulty in concentration, irritability, hallucinations, and signs of psychosis after only 3 days. When finally allowed their REM sleep the student’s brains made up for lost time by greatly increasing the percentage of sleep spent in the REM stage.

6. We Only Dream of What We Know

Our dreams are frequently full of strangers who play out certain parts – did you know that your mind is not inventing those faces – they are real faces of real people that you have seen during your life but may not know or remember? The evil killer in your latest dream may be the guy who pumped petrol in to your Dad’s car when you were just a little kid. We have all seen hundreds of thousands of faces through our lives, so we have an endless supply of characters for our brain to utilize during our dreams.

5. Not Everyone Dreams in Color

A full 12% of sighted people dream exclusively in black and white. The remaining number dream in full color. People also tend to have common themes in dreams, which are situations relating to school, being chased, running slowly/in place, sexual experiences, falling, arriving too late, a person now alive being dead, teeth falling out, flying, failing an examination, or a car accident. It is unknown whether the impact of a dream relating to violence or death is more emotionally charged for a person who dreams in color than one who dreams in black and white.

4. Dreams are not about what they are about

If you dream about some particular subject it is not often that the dream is about that. Dreams speak in a deeply symbolic language. The unconscious mind tries to compare your dream to something else, which is similar. Its like writing a poem and saying that a group of ants were like machines that never stop. But you would never compare something to itself, for example: “That beautiful sunset was like a beautiful sunset”. So whatever symbol your dream picks on it is most unlikely to be a symbol for itself.

3. Quitters have more vivid dreams

People who have smoked cigarettes for a long time who stop, have reported much more vivid dreams than they would normally experience. Additionally, according to the Journal of Abnormal Psychology: “Among 293 smokers abstinent for between 1 and 4 weeks, 33% reported having at least 1 dream about smoking. In most dreams, subjects caught themselves smoking and felt strong negative emotions, such as panic and guilt. Dreams about smoking were the result of tobacco withdrawal, as 97% of subjects did not have them while smoking, and their occurrence was significantly related to the duration of abstinence. They were rated as more vivid than the usual dreams and were as common as most major tobacco withdrawal symptoms.”

2. External Stimuli Invade our Dreams

This is called Dream Incorporation and it is the experience that most of us have had where a sound from reality is heard in our dream and incorporated in some way. A similar (though less external) example would be when you are physically thirsty and your mind incorporates that feeling in to your dream. My own experience of this includes repeatedly drinking a large glass of water in the dream which satisfies me, only to find the thirst returning shortly after – this thirst… drink… thirst… loop often recurs until I wake up and have a real drink. The famous painting above (Dream Caused by the Flight of a Bee around a Pomegranate a Second Before Awakening) by Salvador Dali, depicts this concept.

1. You are paralyzed while you sleep

Believe it or not, your body is virtually paralyzed during your sleep – most likely to prevent your body from acting out aspects of your dreams. According to the Wikipedia article on dreaming, “Glands begin to secrete a hormone that helps induce sleep and neurons send signals to the spinal cord which cause the body to relax and later become essentially paralyzed.”

Extra Facts

1. When you are snoring, you are not dreaming.
2. Toddlers do not dream about themselves until around the age of 3. From the same age, children typically have many more nightmares than adults do until age 7 or 8.
3. If you are awakened out of REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep, you are more likely to remember your dream in a more vivid way than you would if you woke from a full night sleep.

Source : forward mail
Technorati Tags: ls dreams, dreams, dream dictionary, dream interpretation, dream movies, innocent dream, thong dreams, ls dreams magazines, dream, hgtv dream home, dream kelly, meanings of dreams, common dreams, why do people dream, wet dreams, meaning behind dreams, dream meanings, meaning of dreams, i have a dream speech, american dream, requiem for a dream, martin luther king i have a dream, innocent dreams, karen dreams, bikini dreams, what causes dreams, european dream, i have a dream

9 Tips to Stop Snoring November 16, 2009

9 Tips to Stop Snoring

Snoring is a fairly common affliction, affecting 40 percent of men and 25 percent of women. If you snore, you make a raspy, rattling, snorting sound while you breathe during sleep. Older people are particularly prone to snoring: About one-third of people ages 55 to 84 snore.

Despite its frequency, however, snoring is a sleep disorder that can have serious medical and social consequences. The tips that follow may help you sleep more peacefully.

Prop up your upper body with pillows and sleep on your side to get a better night's sleep

1. Sleep on Your Side

You’re more likely to snore if you’re lying on your back, and sleeping on your stomach is stressful on your neck.

2. Lose Weight

Excess body weight, especially around the neck, puts pressure on the airway, causing it to partially collapse.

3. Avoid Alcohol and Tranquilizers

Both alcohol and sleeping pills can depress your central nervous system and relax the muscles of your throat and jaw, making snoring more likely. These substances are also known to contribute to sleep apnea, a dangerous condition that has been linked with cardiovascular disease. And they should never, ever be used together. If you have difficulty sleeping without sleeping pills (or if you use alcohol to help yourself fall asleep), discuss it with your doctor.

4. Get Your Allergies Treated

Chronic respiratory allergies may cause snoring by forcing sufferers to breathe through their mouths while they sleep. Taking an antihistamine just before bedtime may help. If your nose is stuffed up, try using an over-the-counter saline spray or a humidifier.

5. Buy a Mouth Guard

Your dentist or doctor may be able to prescribe an antisnoring mouth guard that holds the teeth together and keeps the lower jaw muscles from becoming too lax.

6. Stop Smoking

Smoke damages the respiratory system.

7. Keep a Regular Schedule

Get plenty of sleep. Go to bed and get up at the same time each day.

8. See a Doctor if You Are Pregnant and Snoring

Sometimes, women who are pregnant will begin to snore. The snoring may begin because of the increased body weight and because the hormonal changes of pregnancy cause muscles to relax. Whatever the cause, snoring during pregnancy may rob your baby of oxygen. Talk with your doctor about it.

9: Elevate Your Head

Sleeping with your head raised may take some of the pressure off of the airway, making breathing easier. Raise the head of the bed by putting blocks under the bed posts, or prop up your upper body (not just your head, which can actually inhibit breathing) with pillows.

Excessive snoring may also indicate that you have sleep apnea, a serious sleep disorder. The National Sleep Foundation (www.sleepfoundation.org) recommends that you see your doctor if:

• You wake up during the night choking and gasping for breath
• You have been told that your snoring is disturbing to others
• You don’t feel refreshed when you wake up
• You are extremely tired during the day
• You wake with a headache
• You are gaining weight
• You have trouble concentrating, remembering, or paying attention
• Your bed partner notices that your breathing pauses during sleep

­It’s important to have sleep apnea treated, not only because it interferes with your daily functioning, but because it boosts your risk of vascular disease. Sleep apnea can be treated with lifestyle modification, surgery, oral mouth guards, or a CPAP machine, which blows air into the back of your throat while you sleep.

 

Source : health.howstuffworks.com

Are you cooking right? November 14, 2009

Are you cooking right?

You’re being a good girl and eating your veggies. So why are you still facing so many health problems? Apart from just eating wholesome, nutritious and balanced meals it’s important to prepare your meals in the right way or your food will lose all its essential nutrients. Here are some tips you should follow while cooking.

Oil matters

Using excessive oil to cook your meals can be detrimental to your health since it contains high amounts of fat and cholesterol. “It’ll increase the chances of obesity. Moreover, it increases your chances of developing heart problems,” says Dr Reshma Powar, a Jaipur-based nutritionist. Switch to olive oil or canola oil since they contain less cholesterol.

Don’t spice it up!

Don’t add too many spices, especially salt while making your meals. Salt is the root cause of high blood pressure and hypertension. “Salt constricts your blood vessels, making it difficult for the blood to pass through,” says Dr Powar.

Cooking time

Overcooking of vegetables is responsible for destroying all essential nutrients present in them. Cook it for the minimum amount of time required. Raw or steamed vegetables are a good option.

Reheating

When you reheat your food repeatedly, the essential nutrients of are destroyed. “It’s a proven fact that by constantly reheating your leftover meals, your food loses its intrinsic taste and nutrients,” says Dr Menon.

Stay away from the oven

Many of us prefer using the microwave oven to prepare our meals since it’s quicker and easier. Dr Menon says, “Eating microwaved food on a regular basis can cause various types of cancers since microwaves emit harmful radiation”.

Remember that you eat to live and not live to eat. Don’t let the kind of food you eat rule your life or else you’ll be at a risk of contracting a number of food-related health problems such as diabetes, obesity and high blood pressure.

Source : idiva.com

Why do women panic more than men? November 11, 2009

Women are twice as likely as men to have a panic attack, but the reasons are unclear. However, there could be a connection between having panic attacks and major life changes, such as getting married or having a child.

The research
There are other connections as well. More women get migraines than men; in fact, three out of four people who get migraines are women. One study that looked at women who have panic attacks showed that most of them suffered from headaches, and that their panic attacks were more frequent and longer-lasting.

Another study showed that panic attacks are common among postmenopausal women and are likely linked to difficult life events. This study also showed that significant panic attacks are more common in women with migraines, as well as those with cardiovascular disease and depression.

Recent research has shown an association between panic attacks in older women and heart disease and stroke. This study looked at 3,300 women, 10 per cent of whom had panic attacks. These women had three times the risk of having a stroke or heart attack than women who didn’t have panic attacks.

Some research looking at the causes of panic attacks is focused on serotonin, a natural chemical in the brain that helps send messages between brain cells and maintain mental balance. One such study is looking at serotonin’s role in the “fight or flight” response to life events.

Why you may be at risk
Factors that may play a role in panic disorder or make you more likely to develop it include:

Your environment. Having traumatic events or being abused early in life may raise your risk of panic disorder. Genes. Experts think that many genes may contribute to a person’s risk of developing panic disorder.

Brain issues. People with panic disorder may have differences in certain brain structures, or different chemical levels or types of activity in particular areas of their brain.

Sensitivity to anxiety. If you have “anxiety sensitivity,” you have a greater sense that anxiety could be harmful to your body or your psychological well-being. Is It Panic Disorder?

If you have panic disorder, you may:

- Worry that you’ll have another panic attack.
- Avoid places or situations that you worry could trigger another attack.
- Avoid places where an attack would be particularly troublesome (like in a restaurant or driving on the highway).
- Make repeated trips to the emergency room, fearing you have a medical condition.
- Panic disorder often starts in late adolescence or early adulthood.
- People with panic disorder often have other problems such as major depression, bipolar illness, or other types of anxiety disorders.

Treatment
Your doctor can prescribe different kinds of medication and therapy for treating your panic disorder, including:

Antidepressants. These include drugs called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs as well as venlafaxine (Effexor), a serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor.

Benzodiazepines. Doctors often prescribe these drugs, such as clonazepam to treat panic disorder along with SSRIs.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy. This type of therapy isn’t used as often as medications for treating panic disorder, but it can be helpful. Also known as CBT, in this therapy a mental health professional guides you toward new ways of thinking about panic attacks and helps you become less fearful of symptoms such as racing heartbeat and shortness of breath.

Prevention
- Avoid alcohol and stimulants, such as cocaine and caffeine, because they can bring on an attack or make the symptoms worse.
- If you think you have panic disorder, discuss your symptoms with a doctor. Panic disorder is treatable, and if you’re prone to panic attacks, medication or therapy can help bring your life back to normal.

 

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Laugh your way to good health November 11, 2009

Some 400 clowns and doctors skilled at clowning took part in an international conference in Buenos Aires to present scientific evidence, backed by their own experience, to show why laughter was healthy.

The third International Congress of Hospital Clowns, which was held Nov 7-8 in the Argentine capital, brought together artists and health professionals from around the world who combine humour with health care, the Spanish news agency EFE reported.

“All over the world there are doctors who work with the art. Some put on clown noses and some don’t. But in almost all regions, in Europe, the United States and Latin America, there are hospital clowns at work,” said Argentina’s Jose Pellucchi, artistic director of Payamedicos (Doctor-Clowns).

The organization has some 500 members, mostly doctors, specially trained in how to clown around with hospitalized patients to help them get better.

In European countries and the US, for example, there is a growing trend in medical centres to hire professionals with this comedic-therapeutic profile.

According to Pellucchi, using the clown’s art in health care goes back to ancient Greece, where people with manic episodes were taken to see theatrical dramas, while those suffering depression were treated to comedies.

“There are pictures from the beginning of the 20th century that show the presence of clowns in hospitals. But the technique got a big boost from the movie “Patch Adams”, the doctor said.

In the 1998 film Robin Williams plays Patch Adams, a US doctor who promoted “laugh therapy” and was responsible for making the technique a part of modern medicine.

Among other positive effects, Pellucchi said that his organization has studies showing that, after doctor-clown treatment, patients’ blood pressure drops by 13 percent.

Among the lecturers at the congress was Argentina’s Alejandro Gruber, who for years has worked in Israel where he founded a company of hospital clowns as part of a project that also encourages integration, since Palestinian and Israeli patients who are admitted share the same rooms.

Also taking part in the Buenos Aires meeting was the group of “Clowns No Perecederos” (Non-perishable Clowns), made up of 50 artists, an organization founded during Argentina’s severe economic crisis of 2001-2002.

“People felt guilty about laughing and also, because of the severity of the crisis, they couldn’t go to shows because they had no money. That’s when we decided to put on shows where the price of a ticket would be some non-perishable food item that would be donated to children’s dining rooms. That way people could laugh guilt-free,” Cristina Marti, founder of Non-perishable Clowns, told EFE.

The artist, who trains clowns, said that “getting laughs, causing pleasure is very healthy”, but added that there are significant differences between ordinary clowns and hospital clowns.

“There are a lot of things a hospital clown cannot say or do, while an ordinary clown is allowed to do whatever he comes up with. He doesn’t have so many things to be careful about as he would in front of a patient in a precarious state of health,” Marti said.

 

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Friends (not) forever November 11, 2009

A ‘break-up’ with your best friend can be tough. But yes, like everything else in life, you can handle a rift in close friendships

Love hurts. So does friendship. Especially when a beautiful bond goes sour over petty things. As you mature, friendships take on a different meaning altogether but during college years, when the world revolves around your friends, a break-up can be pretty hard. But take heart. Friendships gone wrong are a part and parcel of life and the growing up process. Remember Dil Chahta Hai? Here’s how to emerge from a break-up, all wise and smiling.

Coping with friendship failures
• Acknowledge the loss. The more you stay in denial, the longer it will take to heal.
• Do a post-mortem of the break-up. Examine reasons that caused the drift. This is important, so you don’t repeat it the next time.
• If it was your fault, apologise. Things may not get back to normal, but it’s comforting to know that you’ve done your job.
• If your friend was at fault, forgive and move on.
• Don’t jump into a new friendship immediately. Rebounds don’t work! You might end up falling into bad company.
• When you find other close friends, don’t compare them with your last relationship.

How to end a fight
Many a time, you will find that you even forgot what the fight was about. You just seemed to argue, and then stop talking to each other. Time goes by and you realise that you miss the friendship, and wish you could talk to your friend again. It is possible that they feel the same way as you do. Someone has to take the initiative, and it might as well be you. However, remember that when the disagreement was too hurtful, a friend might just not want to make up with you.

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

All energy is consciousness November 7, 2009

All energy is consciousness

Truth can be likened to a pyramid – from its pinnacle, the highest expression of truth radiates, while its broad base gives strength and stability.

In a society like that of India, which for thousands of years has had a broad-based acceptance of spirituality, atheists too know a great deal more about spiritual truth than most westerners. I’ve been amazed by the number of people in India who tell me they don’t believe in God, and then go on to demonstrate that they do.

They don’t necessarily define God in terms of a flute-playing, blue Krishna. But the thought of an infinite consciousness is so ingrained in them that it’s impossible for them to reject it.

Because the highest expression of spiritual teachings throughout the ages has usually been found only at the pinnacle of the pyramid, very few people reached it. Spiritual teachings were often esoteric, and the few who received them would seek solitude in the mountains or monasteries.

When Paramhansa Yogananda brought Kriya Yoga to the West, he understood the need to create a broad-based pyramid that was accessible to many. In fact, Kriya Yoga is the core of that pyramid because it helps magnetise the inner spiritual spine, and thus bring everything into alignment with a higher reality.

This universe seems solid but the truth is that it’s just energy. Scientists are beginning to accept the truth that Indian sages taught thousands of years ago – that all matter is energy and that energy is really consciousness. The Infinite Consciousness brought out of itself ideas and clothed them with will power and energy. Then it vibrated that energy more grossly to become this physical universe.

Today, our senses are so constantly stimulated that the average person has an attention span of only one or two seconds. The deeper aspect is that we are always dissatisfied with that kind of restlessness. We think that by skating on the surface of life we’ll have more experiences, and therefore more wisdom. We simply become more and more superficial. The more you live at the surface, the further and faster you may be able to skate, but the less you will absorb and understand.

The way to experience that expansion of awareness that all human beings seek is to rise above body consciousness. This is only done through deep meditation. The more you meditate, the more your senses become refined. Everything becomes a part of you. When you can really rise out of body consciousness, suddenly you discover that all is you. You are not this little ego – you are in all.

When Yogananda came to America, his purpose was to help all sincere seekers understand that if we approach life with this philosophy, and with the practice of Kriya Yoga, we will find God. When we do this, and bring all our energy into our inner Self, everything falls into place.

Usually sages tell you, ”The world is all delusion. Meditate and leave it all behind.” Yogananda took the approach of the Vedas. He showed that by using Kriya Yoga, you can change yourself, and from your spiritual centre you can help transform this world.

Kriya Yoga has value beyond measure because it helps you become centred, so that everything you do improves. It takes your awareness from your own centre into attunement with that Divine Consciousness which is ”centre everywhere, circumference nowhere”.

source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Science of happiness November 7, 2009

Science of happiness

Every one of us wishes to be happy in life. However, what makes you happy might not do for me. Different people try to get happiness in different ways. I often wonder: is there a universal cause for happiness? Is happiness relative or absolute? Is our happiness real or virtual?

We feel happy when we are apparently in a more advantageous state than the people we compete with – even those who are close friends or family. This is true within a materialistic frame of things. However, absolute happiness is practically unattainable as with the case of other absolute concepts, such as absolute success, absolute contentment and absolute misery. The concept of zero and infinity in science are also that of smallness and largeness on a micro and macro scale. Absolute values exist only in theory; it is difficult to find them in practice.

You experience, for instance, apparent opposites like happiness and misery, success and failure, profit and loss, hot and cold, honour and humiliation. According to the Bhagavad Gita, the one who is above all these dualities is a stithaprajna and is happy. It also says that there are three negative forces: kama or lust, krodha or anger and lobha or greed that lead to misery. A person who has overcome these can be happy. However, no human being , howsoever virtuous, has complete control over these things. Happiness and misery are two states of mind. Misery begins where happiness ends. Does a boundary separate the two? Is it unique or is this, too, relative? I shall try to borrow ideas from the phase transitions in matter and see whether the phase transition from happiness to misery can be reasonably modelled on this basis.

Happiness is the result of an ordered state of mind and body. It is a state which comes from within, rather than from external sources. External effects can cause happiness that lasts as long as the effects are strong. We might not have any control over these external factors. Happiness arising from these effects is not independent, and vanishes once the cause becomes weak or is made weak. With the setting in of disorder, misery starts.

Matter too undergoes order-disorder transformations. A solid state is more ordered than the liquid state. The internal force between the atoms causes this order in a solid . However, this force is weak in a liquid and more so in a gas. Similarly a magnetic state is an ordered state and also arises from a kind of magnetic energy, which vanishes if the state is demagnetised. Another interesting orderdisorder transition is from a super conducting state to a normal conductor. There are different order parameters, associated with phase transformations, which are finite in one phase and zero in the other.

Similarly, we can say that within some threshold limits of lust, anger and greed, a person can be happy and beyond these, he could plunge into misery. These threshold values are different for different people, depending on their temperament, priorities and capacity for self-control . For example, for a miser the threshold value of greed is more than a person who is obsessed with acquisition, fame and reputation. For some, the threshold value of anger is more than another’s .

Now let’s look for the parameter which orders happiness . It is very subtle and the quest for such a parameter does not end here. A close approximation is contentment . In other words, contentment is finite in the happy state of a person and is zero at the threshold limits of the three negative forces. It is maximum at the absolute zero level of lust, anger and greed, decreases with increase in these variables and vanishes at the respective thresholds. This is also in accordance with the Buddhist view that misery ends when longing ends. Contentment results from a spiritual interaction made effective by the forces of truthfulness and honesty. Although, it may sometimes be externally brought in, the strongest energy comes only from within. One may safely conclude that internal factors like self-confidence , concentration, focus and contentment are essential for happiness. The only external link, that could cause wholesome happiness, can be ascribed to our ability and interest in helping others.

source : timesofindia.com

Breast cancer myths busted November 7, 2009

Breast cancer myths busted

Breast cancer is the second most common cancer affecting Indian women. Studies show that breast cancer cases are on the rise, particularly among women in urban areas. But a cancer diagnosis is no longer a death sentence as new breakthroughs have made it much more treatable.
We bust the most common myths about this disease.

Cancer affects only older women

While it is true that your risk of getting cancer increases with age, breast cancer can affect any age group. It is entirely dependent on your risk factors. In fact, even men can get breast cancer.

It’s just genetic

A family history, especially if your mother or sister has had the disease, does play a role. As we get our genes from both parents, a strong link of breast cancer in your father’s family can affect your chances. However, many people with no family history can also develop the disease.

It can’t be prevented

Your risk is decreased if you breastfeed your babies, maintain a healthy weight and exercise regularly. While there is no guarantee, being aware of changes in your breasts, having regular mammograms and seeking help when you notice a lump or cyst can aid early detection and treatment.

Exposing a tumour to air during surgery causes the cancer to spread

Surgery is one of medicine’s main weapons against cancer. If the tumour is exposed to air, that doesn’t cause cancer to spread. It is possible that during surgery, doctors may find the cancer more widespread than what they had earlier perceived. But the operation won’t cause the cancer to grow. Early detection can aid treatment.

Do not let myths make you delay or refuse treatment. If you have questions, talk to your doctor today.

 

source : idiva.com