HEARD IT AND READ IT

Prepared by Bassam Mechammil

 

August 2008

 

 

 

HEALTH:

 

Personality disorders are a group of chronic psychological disorders characterized by traits such as disturbances in self image, difficulty forming successful relationships with others, socially inappropriate behaviors, difficulty with impulse control, inflexibility in response to people and events, lack of empathy for others, and excessive self-involvement. The on going, persistent disorders- which affect up to 15 percent of American adults- cause personal, occupational and social problems and impair the individuals ability to function in everyday life. A combination of psychotherapy and medication is most helpful in treating people with personality disorders.

 

Trouble with sleeping when you travel in different time zones: Take melatonin one hour before bedtime. The usual dose is one to three milligrams. Melatonin is a naturally occurring hormone that helps adjust your circadian rhythms and sleep cycle to a new time zone. ALSO: To help you relax so it is easier to fall asleep, try the herbal extract passionflower. Take one capsule three times a day for general relaxation. Melatonin and passionflower are available at health food stores.

 

 

Fungal infections of nails are unsightly but not serious. The nail is thichened, irregular, and discolored, but the infection never spreads to other parts of the body. Toenails are infected much more often than fingernails, which is fortunate since toenails are much less visible. Doctors usually diagnose fungal nail infections simply by looking at the nail. But psoriasis can look similar, even in people who do not have the skin inflammation that’s characteristic of psoriasis. If there is any doubt about the diagnosis, doctors can scrape the nail to obtain a specimen for culture or examination under a microscope. Nail infections are caused by the same family of molds that cause athletes foot and jock itch. But while these skin infections are easy to treat with ointments or powders, nail infections are very hard to cure. Your doctor can prescribe itraconazole or terbinafine tablets, but you will have to take them for at least three months and they don’t always work. The new ciclopirox nail laquer has to be painted on everyday for up to 12 months and is less effective. Because antifungal pills are expensive, don’t always succeed, and can occasionally cause side effects such as liver inflammation, many doctors suggest living with fungal nail infections especially those in toenails.

 

 

  

LIFESTYLE CHOICES THAT MAY REDUCE INFLAMMATION:

Just as lifestyle choices can increase inflammation, they can also help reduce it. Here are some choices that may help curb or reduce risk of chronic inflammation.

1. choosing monounsaturated fats such as olive oil and canola oil over other, less healthy fats.
2. aiming for or maintaining a healthy body weight because high levels of inflammatory mark C reactive protein (CRP) are associated with obesity and are known to go down with weight loss.
3. eating whole grains, legumes, nuts, and a variety of fruits and vegetable.
4. eating fatty fish, such as salmon and mackerel, which are high in omega 3 fatty acids.
5. consuming alcohol in moderation may lower CRP
6. staying physically active-lower CRP numbers are associated with physical fitness

 

   

 

FIT TO BE A PRESIDENT

NAME	YEAR	HEIGHT	WEIGHT
James Madison	1809-17	5.4	98
Abraham Lincoln	1861-65	6.4	170
William Taft	1909-13	6.0	335
Bill Clinton	1993-2001	6.25	215
George W. Bush	2001-2009	5.11	190
John McCain Barack Obama		5.7 6.15	165 175

 

 

 

GENERAL INFORMATION:

 

Clean your cantaloupe: The fleshy fruit made a news in March when a Salmonella outbreak was traced to a batch of cantaloupes from Honduras. To reduce the risk, scrub the outside with a clean produce brush and rinse with tap water just before cutting it. Even though you don’t eat the peel, bacteria on the outside can be transferred to the inside via your knife or hands.

 

CAR INSURANCE for TEENAGERS: it can add 50% to 100% to a family auto insurance bill. To keep rates down have the teen take a safety course and his/her insurance rate may be discounted 5 to 15%. Let your insurer know if your child has good grades in school for the “good student” discount. Allow your child to drive only the car that is least expensive to insure. Put the teens insurance at hold when they are off to college. If your child is in an accident, ask about the “accident forgiveness” programs to prevent premiums from rising.

 

  

AMERICAN’S ICONS THAT AREN’T AMERICAN

 

1. ANHEUSER-BUSH owned by a Belgium beer company.
2. CITGO owned by the Venezuelan Gov.
3. FRENCH MUSTARD owned by a British investor.
4. FRIGIDAIRE owned by a Sweden Corp.
5. ADIDAS and PUMA owned by German co.
6. CRYSTLER Building 75% owned by ABU-DHABI Investment.
7. TRADER JOE’S owned by a German billionare.
8. 711 owned by Japan’s ITO-YOKADO
9. HOLIDAY INN owned by Bass Beer
10. SHELL OIL CO owned by Dutch Co.
11. T-MOBILE owned by a German CO.
12. FIRESTONE TIRE CO owned by Japan’s Bridgestone Co.
13. CHICAGO MIDWAY AIRPORT owned by a group from Spain, Australia, Germany, Canada, and France.

 

 

MEMORABLE COMPANIES that have VANISHED

 

1. ENRON 22000 employees went bankrupt in 2001.
2. WALWURTH founded in 1879 changed their name to Foot Locker.
3. MONTGOMERY WARD founded in 1872 out of business in 2001.
4. PAN – AM Airline founded 1927 and out of business 1991.
5. STANDARD OIL founded 1870 and a company break-up to Chevron-EXXON Mobile and Conaco Phillips.
6. MCI went bankrupt because of accounting fraud.
7. GENERAL FOOD acquired by Phillip Morris.
8. TWA founded 1930 and bankrupt 2001.
9. COMPAQ taken over by H-P in 2002.
10. EF- HUTTON (when EF HUTTON talked peopled listened) out in 1987.
11. RCA founded 1919 taken over by GE in 1986.
12. EASTERN AIRLINE bankrupt in 1991.
13. PAINE WEBBER founded 1880 and acquired by UBS 2000.