Hearing that your illness cannot be cured is a devastating experience.  Rather than using the dreaded words “terminally ill”, the Koreans describe it in a more compassionate way, namely as “running out of time”.  As a matter of fact, all of us are all running out of time, and we don’t know when our last day will be.   The dreaded diagnosis: When an illness such as cancer does not respond to treatment anymore and the patient’s condition continues to deteriorate, doctors refer to terminal or end-stage cancer.  For doctors it is difficult to make a time-limiting diagnosis and even more difficult to inform the patient that he or she is likely to run out of time much sooner than

Keeping a gratitude journal seems to be one of the latest self-help fads doing the rounds.  Is this just another trendy self-improvement activity?  Apart from a “feel-good” experience, is there any scientific proof of the value of keeping such a journal, and what would the value be? What is gratitude? A simple definition of gratitude is the recognition of all the positive things in your life, which makes your life better.  Many things can spur feelings of gratitude, provided you have the right frame of mind to notice and acknowledge them, while recognizing that something good happened to you and that someone – or something, such as nature or a divine entity, was responsible for it. The origin of the

What is vitamin D? The natural form of vitamin D is produced in the skin when energy from ultraviolet B rays (UVB) in sunlight converts cholesterol in the cells of the skin into vitamin D3, a steroid hormone. The natural form of vitamin D from sunlight or fatty animal sourced foods such as oily fish and egg yolks is called Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol), while vitamin D from plant material (such as mushrooms grown in sunlight or exposed to other sources of ultraviolet (UV) radiation) is referred to as vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol). Vitamin D3 is the preferred form of vitamin D, as studies have shown that vitamin D3 is nearly twice as effective at raising vitamin D blood levels than vitamin

Have you ever wondered which factors contribute to a good life? Why do some people live happy lives? And others not? A study tracking the lives of 724 men over the past 78 years has come up with some very interesting findings. This Harvard Study of Adult Development has found five major factors that contribute to a happy life. Happy childhoods matter: Children having warm relationships with their parents are predicted to have warmer and more secure relationships with those closest to them in adulthood. Warmer childhood relationships also predict better physical health in adulthood, even into old age. Fostering the welfare of the next generation can ease the sting of difficult childhoods: People who grew up in difficult childhood

A bumper sticker from the hippy era in the Sixties read: “Candy is dandy, but sex don’t rot your teeth!”   Apart from the “feel good” emotional benefits, are there are any other physiological benefits for your body? Hugging: Hugging increases levels of oxytocin, the so called “love hormone”, which may benefit your heart health. Regularly hugging a loved one can result in lower blood pressure and a healthier heart rate. It also helps to reduce levels of cortisol, the chronic stress hormone, in the body Kissing: Kissing prompts your brain to release feel-good chemicals such as serotonin, dopamine and oxytocin. Regular kissing with your partner can significantly reduce stress levels. Sex: A healthy sex life has many beneficial effects

THE CHEMISTRY OF INTIMACY A bumper sticker from the hippy era in the Sixties read: “Candy is dandy, but sex don’t rot your teeth!”  It would be such a bonus when something that feels so good, is really good for you.  Apart from the “feel good” and other emotional benefits, are there are any other benefits for the chemistry in your body? Kissing: Kissing prompts your brain to release feel-good chemicals such as serotonin, dopamine and oxytocin. Regular kissing with your partner can significantly reduce stress levels. Hugging: Hugging increases levels of oxytocin, the so called “love hormone”, which may benefit your heart health. Regularly hugging a loved one can result in lower blood pressure and a healthier heart rate.