Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Friday, January 25, 2013
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Kasih Pohon Rambai
Kasih Pohon Rambai
by Farida Adnan on Tuesday, January 22, 2013 at 1:37pm ·
Hectic Happy Birthday for me. Struggling with my report, and gonna have to meet with Commissioner/ Vice Chairman Datuk Khaw in a bit. Yikes! Oh, I am floored by well wishes and I dont have time to reply and return the gesture yet. I will, later today I hope. Anyway, when I got back to my cubicle, I found flowers and a huge cake and a birthday card-in Braille!-waiting for me amidst the mess. I love my Ashadness! Thank you so much.. But just thought of sharing what my father emailed me, my birthday email, that made me cry :) I love it when he writes.
Will upload photos soon.
KASIH POHON RAMBAI
AHAD LEPAS, ayah ke Perting Valley. Dua minggu tiada ke sana, jangkaan ayah, buah-buah masih banyak. Rupanya banyak sudah jatuh, kerana terlalu masak.
TERUJA setelah lebih 15 tahun, satu-satunya pohon rambai kita, yang ayah tanam kerana Inn sangat sukakan buahnya ; berbuah. Benar, buah sulung ini sikit sahaja, ada ayah bawa pulang beberapa tangkai, tetapi rasanya manis. Ayah bungkuskan dengan surat kabar lama, disimpan dalam peti sejuk.
SEMENJAK Inn lahir ke dunia, sampai dewasa, kasih sayang ayah pada Inn dan adik -beradik, tidak tumpah tidak luntur. Buat ayah, Inn lah kegembiraan, kasih sayang dan perhatian ayah. Bahagia, ayah juga menerima kegembiraan, kasih sayang dan perhatian dari Inn.
JUSTERU untuk Inn, secara khusus, ayah setiap hari telah dan akan mendoakan semoga Inn berterusan mengecap kebahagiaan yang total bersama-sama dengan Ashad, suami yang paling penyayang di dunia. Jika berkesempatan, saban fajar ayah akan terus berdoa kepada Allah, semoga Inn sembuh dan diberi kesihatan yang sempurna. Lebih dari itu, semoga Inn berdua dianugerahi beberapa cahaya mata yang comel, sempurna, sihat, bijaksana, soleh / solehah ; bakal menyambung zuriat berjiwa Islam sejati.
BERBALIK kepada bungkusan rambai - walau dibungkus layu di dalam peti, sesungguhnya ia dipetik dari pohon yang ayah tanam - untuk Inn(yang ayah sebutkan pada awal coretan ini), adalah lambang kasih sayang ayah. Kasih ayah sepenuhnya ini, ayah hadiahkan pada Inn, untuk hari jadi Inn, pada hari ini. Selamat hari lahir Inn, ayah sangat sayang padamu.
Putrajaya,
22 Januari, 2013.
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Thursday, January 10, 2013
10 Health Benefits of Swimming
10 Health Benefits of Swimming
by Michael FrancoIn the 1985 Ron Howard movie "Cocoon," a group of elderly adults discovers that a nearby swimming pool has the power to imbue them with new strength, enhanced energy and a more youthful sense of well-being. While the cause of their new lease on life turns out to be from another planet, it doesn't take alien technology to reap the benefits of your neighborhood pool.
Even without the aid of mysterious otherworldly cocoons, regular swimming can offer anyone, especially older adults, a wide range of health benefits -- including feeling and looking younger. Here, we'll dive into the 10 ways taking to the water can boost your health.
10: The Ability to Do More with Less
Swimming offers something no other aerobic exercise does: the ability to work your body without harsh impact to your skeletal system. When the human body is submerged in water, it automatically becomes lighter. When immersed to the waist, your body bears just 50 percent of its weight; dunk yourself to the chest and that number reduces to around 25 to 35 percent; with water all the way to the neck, you only have to bear 10 percent of your own weight. The other 90 percent is handled by the pool.
This means that the pool provides an ideal place to work stiff muscles and sore joints, especially if you're overweight or suffer from arthritis.
In its recommendation for the right types of exercise for people with arthritis, the Arthritis Foundation suggests those that stretch muscles, those that strengthen muscles, and those that provide an aerobic workout. A few laps in the pool combine all three!
If the pool is heated, so much the better for arthritis sufferers, as the warm water can help loosen stiff joints. In fact, people with rheumatoid arthritis receive greater benefits to their health after participating in hydrotherapy than with other activities. It's also been proven that water-based exercise improves the use of affected joints and decreases pain from osteoarthritis [source: CDC].
9: Increased Muscle Tone and Strength
Ever see a flabby dolphin or a weak-looking competitive swimmer? We didn't think so. That's because swimming is a great way to increase muscular strength and muscle tone -- especially compared to several other aerobic exercises.
Take running, for example. When a jogger takes few laps around the track, that jogger is only moving his or her body through air. A swimmer, on the other hand, is propelling himself through water -- a substance about twelve times as dense as air [source: Yeager]. That means that every kick and every arm stroke becomes a resistance exercise -- and it's well known that resistance exercises are the best way to build muscle tone and strength.
There's yet another bonus of a watery workout: Swimming has also been shown to improve bone strength -- especially in post-menopausal women [Source: Huang, et al.]
8: Improved Flexibility
Unlike exercise machines in a gym that tend to isolate one body part at a time (like a bicep curl machine, for example), swimming puts the body through a broad range of motion that helps joints and ligaments stay loose and flexible. The arms move in wide arcs, the hips are engaged as the legs scissor through the water, and the head and spine twist from side to side. Plus, with every stroke, as you reach forward, you're lengthening the body, which not only makes it more efficient in the water, it also helps give you a good stretch from head to toe.
To improve your flexibility beyond the natural gains you'll make by swimming, you might also want to finish your pool workout with a series of gentle stretches. The support of the water should help you maintain positions involving tricky balance -- such as a quadriceps stretch -- for longer periods of time.
7: A Healthier Heart
In addition to toning visible muscles like pectorals, triceps and quads, swimming also helps improve the most important muscle in our bodies: the heart.
Because swimming is an aerobic exercise, it serves to strengthen the heart, not only helping it to become larger, but making it more efficient in pumping -- which leads to better blood flow throughout your body. Research also shows that aerobic exercise can combat the body's inflammatory response as well -- a key link in the chain that can lead to heart disease [source: Columbia University Medical Center].
If that's not enough to get you moving in the pool, the American Heart Association reports that just 30 minutes of exercise per day, such as swimming, can reduce coronary heart disease in women by 30 to 40 percent. Additionally, an analysis by the Annals of Internal Medicine showed that regular aerobic exercise could reduce blood pressure [source: Bobalik].
6: Weight Control
For some time, some people thought that because water is generally cooler than our body temperatures, it would be difficult to lose weight with a water workout. Like many old ideas about exercise, this has since been revised: Swimming is now recognized as one of the biggest calorie burners around, and it's great for keeping weight under control.
The exact number of calories you burn, of course, depends on your own physiology and the intensity with which you exercise, but as a general rule, for every 10 minutes of swimming: the breast stroke will burn 60 calories; the backstroke torches 80; the freestyle lights up 100; and the butterfly stroke incinerates an impressive 150.
To boost the calorie-burning component of swimming, consider using intervals in which you work your hardest for short bursts and then recover. One way to structure this kind of workout would be to swim 50 yards (45.7 meters) then rest for 10 seconds, then 100 yards (91.4 meters) with a 10-second rest, then 150 yards (137.1 meters) -- all the way up to 300 yards (274.3 meters) with rests in between. When you reach 300 yards, reverse the pattern [source: Petterson].
5: Improved Asthma Symptoms
Unlike exercising in the often dry air of the gym, or contending with seasonal allergies or frigid winter air, swimming provides the chance to work out in moist air, which can help reduce exercise-induced asthma symptoms.
Not only can pool workouts help you avoid asthma attacks if you're prone to them, some studies have shown that swimming can actually improve the condition overall. According to a study published in the scholarly journal, Respirology, when a group of kids completed a six-week swimming program, they saw improvements in symptom severity, snoring, mouth-breathing, and hospitalizations and emergency room visits [source: Science Daily]. What's more, the health benefits were still apparent a year after the swimming program had ended [source: Physorg].
Even those without asthma could benefit from swimming, say the study's authors, as the exercise can increase lung volume and teach proper breathing techniques.
4: Improved Cholesterol
Being healthy is more about having the right ratio of cholesterol in your body than just having low amounts of the stuff in your blood. Specifically, it's beneficial to have higher levels of "good" cholesterol (HDL) and lower levels of LDL, or "bad" cholesterol.
Swimming can get these levels in the right balance thanks to its aerobic power, which has been proven to raise HDL levels. And for every 1 percent increase in HDL cholesterol, the risk of dying from heart disease drops by 3.5 percent [source: Bobalik].
What's more, studies have shown that aerobic exercises like swimming can also keep your endothelium in good shape. What's your endothelium, you might wonder? It's the thin layer of cells that lines your arteries, and it tends to lose flexibility as you age. In one study of people in their sixties who participated in aerobic exercise, however, endothelium function was found to be equal to those 30 to 40 years younger. The theory is that because aerobic exercise causes arteries to expand and contract, it keeps them fit [source: Bobalik].
3: Lower Risk of Diabetes
When it comes to warding off diabetes, there are few prescriptions as powerful as aerobic exercise. In one study, men reduced their risk of diabetes by an average of 6 percent for every 500 calories a week they burned in aerobic exercise [source: Bobalik]. With just 30 minutes of breaststroke swimming three times per week, you could burn 900 calories -- reducing your risk of contracting type 2 diabetes by over 10 percent. A study that focused on women also suggested the same benefits for the fairer sex: Vigorous exercise just once a week (like the kind derived from a robust swimming session) lowered their risk of contracting type 2 diabetes by 16 percent over inactive women [source: Bobalik].
And, if you already have type 1 diabetes, the aerobic benefits of swimming can be particularly helpful, as this type of exercise can increase insulin sensitivity [source: University of Maryland].
According to the American Diabetes Association, diabetics should get 150 minutes per week, spread across at least three days per week, of moderate-intensity physical activity like swimming to aid glycemic control.
2: Lower Stress, Higher Spirits and a Better Brain
William Wilson wrote in the 1883 book, "The Swimming Instructor": "The experienced swimmer, when in the water, may be classed among the happiest of mortals in the happiest of moods, and in the most complete enjoyment of the happiest of exercises."
Wilson probably didn't know this in the 19th century, but all that happiness was likely due to the release of feel-good chemicals known as endorphins -- one of swimming's most pleasant side effects. In addition to a natural high, swimming can also evoke the relaxation response the same way yoga works on the body. This is due in large part to the constant stretching and relaxing of your muscles combined with deep rhythmic breathing. Swimming is also a meditative exercise, with the sound of your own breathing and the splash of the water acting as a mantra of sorts that can help you "drown out" all other distractions.
Aside from the metaphysical benefits of swimming, research has shown that it can actually change the brain for the better through a process known as hippocampal neurogenesis, in which the brain replaces cells lost through stress [source: Borchard].
1: You Just Might Live Longer
If the previous nine reasons weren't enough to convince you of the health benefits of swimming, perhaps this one will: It can keep you from dying.
Actually, we're not promising Aquaman-like immortality, but it seems that swimming can at least help you avoid dying prematurely. Researchers at the University of South Carolina followed 40,547 men, aged 20 to 90, for 32 years and discovered that those who swam had a 50 percent lower death rate than runners, walkers or men who got no exercise. The study authors concluded that the same benefits would be received by aqua-women as well as men.
*collected somewhere from Facebook
Lagipun Swimming Boleh Cuci mata * hehehe :)
Friday, January 4, 2013
Are You Having A STROKE???: YOU COULD SAVE A LOVED ONES LIFE BY KNOWING THIS SIMPLE INFORMATION!!!
Stroke has a new indicator! They say if you forward this to ten people, you stand a chance of saving one life. Will you send this along? Blood Clots/Stroke - They Now Have a Fourth Indicator, the Tongue:
During a BBQ, a woman stumbled and took a little fall - she assured everyone that she was fine (they offered to call paramedics) ...she said she had just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes.
They got her cleaned up and got her a new plate of food. While she appeared a bit shaken up, Jane went about enjoying herself the rest of the evening.
Jane's husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken to the hospital - (at 6:00 PM Jane passed away.) She had suffered a stroke at the BBQ. Had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke, perhaps Jane would be with us today. Some don't die. They end up in a helpless, hopeless condition instead.
It only takes a minute to read this.
A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke...totally. He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough.
RECOGNIZING A STROKE
Thank God for the sense to remember the '3' steps, STR. Read and
Learn!
Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke.
Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:
S *Ask the individual to SMILE.
T *Ask the person to TALK and SPEAK A
SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently)
(i.e. Chicken Soup)
R *Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.
If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call emergency number immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.
New Sign of a Stroke -------- Stick out Your Tongue
NOTE: Another 'sign' of a stroke is this: Ask the person to 'stick' out his tongue. If the tongue is
'crooked', if it goes to one side or the other that is also an indication of a stroke.
A cardiologist says if everyone who gets this e-mail sends it to 10 people; you can bet that at least one life will be saved.
I have done my part. Will you?
WITH A STROKE...U WASTE TIME...U WASTE BRAIN
CELLS
*got this from Facebook - so from a Medical perspective I am unsure of its validity so perhaps a cardiologist/medical professional can comment and verify this fact.
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
TRUE LOVE ..(A Doctor's note) Must Read n share :)
TRUE LOVE ..(A Doctor's note) Must Read n share :)
It was approximately 8.30 a.m. on a busy morning when an elderly gentleman in his
eighties arrived to have stitches removed from his thumb. He stated that he was in a
hurry as he had an appointment at 9.00 a.m.
I took his vital signs and had him take a seat. I knew it would take more than an hour
before someone would to able to attend to him. I
saw him check his watch anxiously for the time and decided to evaluate his wound
since I was not busy with another patient.
On examination, the wound was well healed. Hence, I talked to one of the doctors to
get the supplies to remove his sutures and redress his wound.
We began to engage in a conversation while I was taking care of his wound. I asked him
if he had another doctor's appointment later as he was in such a hurry. The gentleman
told me no and said that he needed to go to the nursing home to have breakfast with
his wife.
I inquired about her health. He told me that she had been in the nursing home for a
while as she was a victim of Alzheimer's disease. I probed further and asked if she would
be upset if he was slightly late. He replied that she no longer knew who he was and she
had not been able to recognize him since five years ago.
I asked him in surprise, "And you still go every morning, even though she doesn't know
who you are?"
He smiled as he patted my hand and said, "She doesn't know me, but I still know who
she is."
I had to hold back my tears as he left.
I had goose bumps on my arm, and I thought, "That is the kind of love I want in my
life."
True love is neither physical nor romantic. True love is an acceptance of all that is, has
been, will be, and will not be.
*got this from someone's Facebook Timeline :)
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