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Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Can You Catch Up on Lost Sleep?: Scientific American
Can You Catch Up on Lost Sleep?: Scientific American
iStockPhotoLet's do some sleep math. You lost two hours of sleep every night last week because of a big project due on Friday. On Saturday and Sunday, you slept in, getting four extra hours. Come Monday morning, you were feeling so bright-eyed, you only had one cup of coffee, instead of your usual two. But don't be duped by your apparent vim and vigor: You're still carrying around a heavy load of sleepiness, or what experts call "sleep debt"—in this case something like six hours, almost a full nights' sleep.
Sleep debt is the difference between the amount of sleep you should be getting and the amount you actually get. It's a deficit that grows every time we skim some extra minutes off our nightly slumber. "People accumulate sleep debt surreptitiously," says psychiatrist William C. Dement, founder of the Stanford University Sleep Clinic. Studies show that such short-term sleep deprivation leads to a foggy brain, worsened vision, impaired driving, and trouble remembering. Long-term effects include obesity, insulin resistance, and heart disease. And most Americans suffer from chronic deprivation.
A 2005 survey by the National Sleep Foundation reports that, on average, Americans sleep 6.9 hours per night—6.8 hours during the week and 7.4 hours on the weekends. Generally, experts recommend eight hours of sleep per night, although some people may require only six hours of sleep while others need ten. That means on average, we’re losing one hour of sleep each night—more than two full weeks of slumber every year.
The good news is that, like all debt, with some work, sleep debt can be repaid—though it won't happen in one extended snooze marathon. Tacking on an extra hour or two of sleep a night is the way to catch up. For the chronically sleep deprived, take it easy for a few months to get back into a natural sleep pattern, says Lawrence J. Epstein, medical director of the Harvard-affiliated Sleep HealthCenters.
Go to bed when you are tired, and allow your body to wake you in the morning (no alarm clock allowed). You may find yourself catatonic in the beginning of the recovery cycle: Expect to bank upward of ten hours shut-eye per night. As the days pass, however, the amount of time sleeping will gradually decrease.
For recovery sleep, both the hours slept and the intensity of the sleep are important. Some of your most refreshing sleep occurs during deep sleep. Although such sleep's true effects are still being studied, it is generally considered a restorative period for the brain. And when you sleep more hours, you allow your brain to spend more time in this rejuvenating period.
As you erase sleep debt, your body will come to rest at a sleep pattern that is specifically right for you. Sleep researchers believe that genes—although the precise ones have yet to be discovered—determine our individual sleeping patterns. That more than likely means you can't train yourself to be a "short sleeper"—and you're fooling yourself if you think you've done it. A 2003 study in the journal Sleep found that the more tired we get, the less tired we feel.
So earn back that lost sleep—and follow the dictates of your innate sleep needs. You’ll feel better. "When you put away sleep debt, you become superhuman," says Stanford's Dement, talking about the improved mental and physical capabilities that come with being well rested. Finally, a scientific reason to sleep in on Saturday.
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President Bush won't say he was misled on Iraq - Los Angeles Times
President Bush won't say he was misled on Iraq - Los Angeles TimesIn what is reportedly his first interview with online news organizations, he concedes intelligence was 'flawed,' but he doesn't think anyone lied to him.WASHINGTON -- President Bush, in what the White House said was his first interview with online news organizations, declined to say Tuesday that he had been misled leading up to the war in Iraq five years ago.
Speaking with Mike Allen, chief political writer of Politico.com, Bush covered an eclectic collection of topics -- including the erroneous intelligence that formed part of the foundation of his case for invading Iraq, his choices for building a top-dollar baseball team, and his rating of the comedians cast as him and his father on NBC's "Saturday Night Live." (He chose Dana Carvey's George H.W. Bush over Will Ferrell's George W. Bush.)
The interview, a joint effort by the online and paper political journal and the Internet portal Yahoo.com, was posted in transcript, video and news-report formats about six hours after Bush talked with Allen at the White House.
Answering a question submitted online -- whether he thought he had been misled about Iraq -- Bush said he felt Saddam Hussein's regime did have weapons of mass destruction. "You know, 'mislead' is a strong word; it almost connotes some kind of intentional -- I don't think so. . . . Intelligence communities all across the world shared the same assessment. And so I was disappointed to see how flawed our intelligence was," Bush said.
"Do I think somebody lied to me? No, I don't," he went on. He said he thought "they analyzed the situation and came up with the wrong conclusion."
Members of Congress were told, as was he, Bush said, that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, and they voted for the resolution supporting the war. "And, of course, the political heat gets on, and they start to run and try to hide from their votes," he added.
His decision to give up golf in 2003 was a result of the war, he said. "I don't want some mom whose son may have recently died to see the commander in chief playing golf. . . . I think playing golf during a war just sends the wrong signal." When his father ordered troops to the Persian Gulf in the summer of 1990, he was criticized for regularly golfing.
Bush was particularly tart in response to criticism from former President Carter. Told that Carter had said the next president could change the United States' image in 10 minutes by promising in the inaugural address to rule out torture of prisoners or attacks on other countries unless U.S. security was directly threatened, Bush said: "What he really is implying is -- or some imply . . . if you want to be popular in the Middle East, just go blame Israel for every problem."
Responding to questions about his climate-change policies, he said that he could have signed the Kyoto Protocol, which set targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions but which he described as a "lousy treaty." He added: "I don't think you want your president trying to be the cool guy and not end up with policies that actually make a difference."
Bush offered an acknowledgment that Sen. Barack Obama, an African American, would probably be the Democratic nominee. Asked whether the nation was facing "a kind of ugly conversation about race this fall," he responded that "race will only enter in if it's provoked by the press."
As for his baseball pick, his first choice to build a team is Chase Utley of the Philadelphia Phillies. "There's nothing better than having a good person up the middle that can hit," said Bush, a former part-owner of the Texas Rangers.
james.gerstenzang@
latimes.com
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: More Prescription Drug Deaths Than…
: More Prescription Drug Deaths Than…When we talk about addiction, we’re not just talking about alcohol abuse or illicit drug abuse. In a report released in July 2005, the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University said that prescription drug abuse is skyrocketing. In the United States there is a startling difference between the death rates caused by prescription drugs and more well known killers of our time…
Cause of Death Annual Death Toll 2005 Prescription Drugs 32,000 Suicide 30,622 Car Accidents 26,347 Firearms 29,000 Homicide 20,308 Sexual Behavior 20,000 HIV/AIDS 17,011 Illegal Drugs 17,000 Anti-Inflammatory 7,600 Terrorism 310
Suicide
1,378 more people died from prescription drugs in 2005 than suicide…that’s 4% more. Total suicide deaths in 2005: 30,622 One suicide occurs every 16 minutes, with one attempt every minute. The number one cause of suicide is undiagnosed and untreated depression.
Car Accidents
5,653 more people died from prescription drugs in 2005 than car accidents… that’s 18% more. Total car accident deaths in 2005: 26,347 There were over 6 million car accidents in 2005 costing more than $2 billion.
Firearms
3,000 more people died from prescription drugs in 2005 than firearms…that’s 9% more. Total firearm deaths in 2005: 29,000 The U.S. has the highest concentration of gun owners in the world. It is estimated that Americans buy half of all the guns manufactured in the world each year. Currently, due to the rise of shooting on campuses, twelve states are considering legislation to allow guns on college campuses.
Homicide
11,692 more people died from prescription drugs in 2005 than homicide … that’s 37% more. Total Homicide deaths in 2005: 20,308 Detroit is considered the most dangerous city in the U.S. with 418 cases of murder and non-negligent manslaughter in 2006. That’s 47 murders per every 100,00 residents.
Sexual Behavior
1,200 more people died from prescription drugs in 2005 than sexual behavior…that’s 37% more. Total sexual behavior deaths in 2005: 20,000 Sexual behavior includes infertility, abortions, and sexually transmitted infections. Women account for 80% of deaths attributed to sexual behavior due to cervical cancer.
HIV/AIDS
14,989 more people died from prescription drugs in 2005 than HIV/AIDS… that’s 47% more. Total HIV/AIDS deaths in 2005:17,011 Currently, it is believed that more than 1 million people are living with HIV in the U.S. Since 1981 more than half a million Americans have died of AIDS - the equivalent of the entire population of Las Vegas. Over 60% of men and women diagnosed with HIV/AIDS were exposed to it through sexual contact.
Illegal Drugs
15,000 more people died from prescription drugs in 2005 than illegal drugs (including heroin and cocaine)…that’s 47% more. Total illegal drug deaths in 2005:17,000 Drug induced deaths result directly from drug consumption and overdose. Drug abuse is a major factor in the transmission of std’s, hepatitis, and tuberculosis.
Anti-Inflammatory Drugs
24,400 more people died from prescription drugs in 2005 than anti-inflammatory drugs…that’s 76% more. Total anti-inflammatory drug deaths in 2005: 7,600 Anti-inflammatores include ibuprofen, diclofenac, and naproxen. Long term use of these can cause gastric erosions which can become stomach ulcers and in extreme cases cause severe hemorrhaging resulting in death.
Terrorism
Statistics prove prescription drugs are 16,400% more deadly than terrorists. It is not difficult to calculate the actual probability that one of us might die from a terrorist attack on US soil. If we consider Oklahoma City and 9/11, as well as the other attacks on US soil, we end up with close to 3100 terror deaths in ten years. That’s about 310 deaths by terror on US soil per year.
Prescription Drugs
The pharmaceutical industry has spent tens of billions of dollars to gain the influence of powerful politicians, the FDA, and the medical profession to market medications to the public. According to Neurologist Dr. Fred Baughman, author of The ADHD Fraud, the pharmaceutical industry is the biggest, most evil drug cartel in history. He says, “At least the pusher of ‘crack’ on inner city streets does not come in a white coat.” Drug dependency often occurs because patients are convinced that they have a problem only to be remedied by medication. The medication often causes side effects, and the patient is prescribed another medication to treat said side effects, and thus the cycle continues.
For example, currently 5-7 million children have been diagnosed with ADHD. These children are being given powerful psychiatric medications in drug cocktails that are detrimental to them. These medications include amphetamines such as Adderall and Dexedrine, and methylphenidates such as Ritalin and Concerta, the same drugs that most know as Speed. These stimulant drugs cause insomnia, creating a need for sleeping pills, and contributing to an 85% increase in the use of sleeping medication taken by children since 2002. On average, these children wind up on four to five psychiatric drugs.
Between 1999 and 2003 the FDA reported 25 deaths and 54 cases of serious cardiovascular problems, including strokes and heart attacks, linked to ADHD drugs.
There were 32,000 deaths in the United States due to prescription drugs in 2005. There are currently an estimated 106,000 to 126,000 deaths per year due to prescription drug use. Americans often search for a quick fix to health problems, not realizing how potentially lethal and addictive prescription drugs are. Prescription drugs don’t treat diseases; they merely disguise the symptoms, providing care for disease rather than health. The over-prescription of drugs and medication is designed to treat disease rather than preventing it. One may believe that because a drug is prescribed by a doctor, and it can be purchased in public, from a pharmacist behind a counter, that there is no danger involved. But herein lays the root of the prescription drug epidemic.
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TheDieline.com: The Leading Package Design Blog: on the japan theme
TheDieline.com: The Leading Package Design Blog: on the japan theme
Sorry this is a bit dated, you've probably seen this before (but just in case!) this has to be one of my favourite packaging designs, so simple, so well executed. Banana juice - Designed by product designer Naoto Fukasawa.
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Love and Aloneness - Unravelling the ego and pride » Personal Development - The Urban Monk
There is a most bizarre word the media and the psychologists have begun to use to describe loneliness in our societies: they say it has become an epidemic. An epidemic! A description normally reserved for extremely prevalent and widespread diseases – that is what this state of mind has become.And the statistics back it up. A third of the citizens of many civilized countries admit to suffering from extreme loneliness. And the impact on our physical health - one study reported that isolated men were 25% more likely to die than those in a relationship, and the women 33% more likely.lonelygirl.jpgWhy is loneliness so painful? There are many reasons – but there is one in particular I’m starting to notice. Loneliness is a curse because we don’t know who we are - and that is our basic anxiety. When you are alone, all your self knowledge, your identity, your personality - your ego begins to unravel. The deeper into your aloneness you go, the more you see all your self-knowledge as they are – false.And it is scary – what you have known your entire life - false! It is so scary that much of our culture is based around this fear. Social clubs, associations, political parties, and even cafés – they all exist for one thing: so one can avoid being alone. And what if we are by ourselves? Then we turn to music, alcohol, the television, the Internet – all to avoid being in our own company.But the strange thing is – losing our false identity, it is a blessing. It can be scary, yes, but when we turn around and face it - when we turn our loneliness into aloneness –that is when we begin to experience what is real.When you are alone, everything that you have disowned, everything that you refuse to accept or acknowledge – they begin to arise. We begin to truly know ourselves, to see the genuine. And that is not something that can be told - it has to be experienced.Comparison – the unravelling of the selfThe first thing we have to know is - when we are in a crowd, we think we know who we are. You are American, Vietnamese, Indian. Why? Because you look around and there are people who look different. Everyone calls you by your name, so that is who you are. Everyone acknowledges your title, your job description – they call you Mister, Missus, Madam, Doctor, Reverend, and that is what you think you are.You are beautiful, because those around you are ugly. You are tall, because your neighbours are short. You are poor, because they live in mansions. You are rich, because some live in cardboard boxes.But who you are, is not any of these. As Osho said - your heart is neither European nor African, tall nor short, poor nor rich. Who you are is beyond these littleLove and Aloneness - Unravelling the ego and pride » Personal Development - The Urban MonkThere is a most bizarre word the media and the psychologists have begun to use to describe loneliness in our societies: they say it has become an epidemic. An epidemic! A description normally reserved for extremely prevalent and widespread diseases – that is what this state of mind has become.
And the statistics back it up. A third of the citizens of many civilized countries admit to suffering from extreme loneliness. And the impact on our physical health - one study reported that isolated men were 25% more likely to die than those in a relationship, and the women 33% more likely.
Why is loneliness so painful? There are many reasons – but there is one in particular I’m starting to notice. Loneliness is a curse because we don’t know who we are - and that is our basic anxiety. When you are alone, all your self knowledge, your identity, your personality - your ego begins to unravel. The deeper into your aloneness you go, the more you see all your self-knowledge as they are – false.
And it is scary Рwhat you have known your entire life - false! It is so scary that much of our culture is based around this fear. Social clubs, associations, political parties, and even caf̩s Рthey all exist for one thing: so one can avoid being alone. And what if we are by ourselves? Then we turn to music, alcohol, the television, the Internet Рall to avoid being in our own company.
But the strange thing is – losing our false identity, it is a blessing. It can be scary, yes, but when we turn around and face it - when we turn our loneliness into aloneness –that is when we begin to experience what is real.
When you are alone, everything that you have disowned, everything that you refuse to accept or acknowledge – they begin to arise. We begin to truly know ourselves, to see the genuine. And that is not something that can be told - it has to be experienced.
Comparison – the unravelling of the self
The first thing we have to know is - when we are in a crowd, we think we know who we are. You are American, Vietnamese, Indian. Why? Because you look around and there are people who look different. Everyone calls you by your name, so that is who you are. Everyone acknowledges your title, your job description – they call you Mister, Missus, Madam, Doctor, Reverend, and that is what you think you are.
You are beautiful, because those around you are ugly. You are tall, because your neighbours are short. You are poor, because they live in mansions. You are rich, because some live in cardboard boxes.
But who you are, is not any of these. As Osho said - your heart is neither European nor African, tall nor short, poor nor rich. Who you are is beyond these little labels.
And when you are completely alone, there is no one to compare to. There is no false standard to measure yourself by – and that is when all these labels and false layers start to unravel. Your identity, your very personality, begins to disappear.
And all our lives, that is who we think we are. Our identity card, our driver’s license, and our passport. Our history, our descriptions, and our reputations. Our jobs and our accomplishments. And when that falls away…some people feel it a form of death. And in a way, it is.
What is left? The genuine. I can’t describe it - I haven’t gone there yet. But the deeper I have gone, the more I realise how beautiful it is. To go completely into aloneness, to find the real – I can’t think of anything I’d want more.
So, go and be alone. Not lonely, just alone. Accept and heal whatever bubbles to the front. Throw away all your masks and your false faces. Go away from society. Stop being afraid of loneliness, and just be alone. Let it become your mirror, the perfect mirror, to see who you really are.
And one day – when you feel ready, when you can say that you have known yourself, taken delight and found Love in yourself. That is when your butterfly comes out of the chrysalis. And this process is different for everyone. How long does it take? I’ve been alone for close to a year – and there is still so much to find!
The proud and the egotistical
And comparison leads us perfectly to a question that I have been pondering for a long time: What of those who are so proud and egotistical? What is the difference between being selfish, and of being self loving?
Love for oneself, for one’s totality – the heart, body, and soul - is perhaps the biggest accomplishment one can ever achieve. Someone who has such Love becomes joyful, peaceful, and content. It is impossible for one who knows Love to be hurtful. I know a few such people - they are the most humble women and men one can ever meet.
And just as someone who loves their garden will spend hours planting roses, picking out weeds, and smelling the fragrances – so, too will such people take pleasure in who they are.
And this is the source of much confusion. There are so many people who seem to be strong, confident, but there is something wrong. You must have met such people before – outwardly strong and powerful, but when they left, they left you feeling drained or weak. What is the difference between the two?
If you look carefully, and you know what to look for, the difference is there for you to see.
I once heard: There is no neutrality in life; there is either love or hate. There is no zero in which you are simply empty. What we think of as neutrality hides a quiet contempt, a let-them-burn attitude. If you don’t love, you hate. It might be a subtle hatred or a cool dislike, but it is hatred nonetheless.
Such people exude an indistinct anger and hatred. They make themselves feel better at the expense of those they come into contact with. They have boosted themselves by trampling on you. They spit on others – “I must be higher than they are if I can spit downwards” – that is their rationale. Everything they have – all their self worth and power - is based on judgement and comparison, based on having someone underneath them!
Vanity, egotism, and pride Рthey all hide a subtle unhappiness, a cleverly disguised animosity. All hatred is self-hatred Рand this lies hidden underneath their actions. And that is why they belittle others. Some of the overt ones rage, or yell Рand it is all just an externalisation of their internal self-violence. All their strength, their confidence Рjust a flimsy fa̤ade.
The vain and selfish
And the second thing: their worth is based on comparison. In fact, if taken to an extreme, pride becomes a form of personality disorder – narcissism. And this is the parable that Osho used to explain perfectly. All I can do is use the same story.
The story of Narcissus is a well known one – a young man who was so beautiful that he fell in love with his own reflection in the water. And there lies the difference. A humble man falls in love with himself; a vain man falls in love with his reflection.
And in that reflection – the comparison we’ve been discussing. The psychology manuals list the traits of the personality disorder concretely: A modern day Narcissus believes he is special, that he is more beautiful than others, that he deserves more. She is arrogant; she demands attention and constant admiration. She takes advantage of others, with total disregard for their feelings.
How egotistical! And that’s exactly what it is – pride stems from the ego. Comparison strengthens it. Take them away from the crowd, give them no one to compare to, and their pride and their façade falls apart. When they have no one to trample on and sneer at, the truth is revealed, the ugliness in them arises.
I remember a few beautiful women; they spent hours on their make-up and clothes, and they constantly belittled other women. They seemed to have unshakeable self confidence – but when I got to know them better, all their insecurities – often about their looks! - rose to the fore. And it didn’t make sense initially - many women would kill to look like them, most men couldn’t take their eyes off them. Such empty egoistic pride – it doesn’t stand up to the test of aloneness.
Love is totally different. I have heard: In Love, there is no split, there is no other. The lover and the loved all melt into one. Narcissus – he was split. His object of affection wasn’t himself, it was his reflection.
Fake love rejects – when there is perceived imperfection, fake love kicks away. Real Love knows no comparison. When there is perceived imperfection, real love deepens. It holds even tighter.
Know Love – ego and pride, are the opposites of Love. Cultivate Love, and watch as they dissolve.
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P-Mate - Female Freedom - The Freedom To Pee Standing Up
P-Mate - Female Freedom - The Freedom To Pee Standing Up
The P-Mate is EASY
The P-Mate is CONVENIENT
The P-Mate is SANITARY
Language: Français
Pmates give women the freedom to discreetly pee standing up
Have you ever found yourself in a dirty, unhygienic port-a-potty?
Have you ever had a full bladder with no bathroom in sight?
Have you ever been afraid to pull down your pants to squat and pee and risk being seen or peeing on your shoes?
Then the P-Mate is for you!
- The P-Mate is a revolutionary way for women to pee discreetly without having to pull down their pants and squat.
- The P-Mate allows women to pee standing up.
- The P-Mate is the most amazing female urinary device.
- The P-Mate gives women the freedom to pee like men.
- The P-Mate is clean and hygienic.
- The P-Mate is covered with a 4-leaf clover design as it is good luck to have one with you when you are in need.
- The P-Mate does NOT get all wet and soggy after use. You can easily slip it back into a pocket or bag for later disposal if you are outdoors where there is no garbage can.
P-Mate was invented by a creative Dutch woman. They allow girls and women of all ages the ability to neatly pee standing up.
The P-Mate is basically like a cardboard shoe with the toe cut off. You place the entrance of the 'shoe' directly under your urethra, between your legs, pee into the shoe and then make sure that the hole at the toe end is funnelling the urine out somewhere other than on your feet.
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Hamburger King | thecontaminated.com
Hamburger King | thecontaminated.comThis is one of the biggest hamburgers in the world which was pronounced as “The Hamburger King”. It is made by a man with skills abut also with a big love in this one of the most famous fast food. On this cool pictures you will one, big, weird but cool giant hamburger, the Hamburger king.
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The Proper Way To Pop A Pimple | The Derm Blog
The Proper Way To Pop A Pimple | The Derm BlogAs a dermatologist, I am obligated to tell you: “Do not attempt to pop your pimples.” But I know you are going to do it anyway, so here’s how to do it properly:
- Pick only pimples that are ready to be popped. The white blood cells will have collected and be walled off in the follicle, forming a visible white head on the surface. If it does not have a white head, then squeezing, mashing, poking, or prodding will only make it worse.
- Wash your face and hands with warm water and soap and pat dry.
- Get a needle. Carefully pass the tip of the needle through a flame from a lighter or a match. Use the tip of the flame, this is the hottest part.
- Wait a few seconds until the tip of the needle cools (never touch a glowing hot needle in case you were unsure). Using a cotton ball or even paper towel soaked with rubbing alcohol, wipe the tip of the needle clean.
- Gently wipe the pimple and surrounding area with another alcohol wipe or alcohol-soaked cotton ball.
- With the needle nearly parallel to your skin, impale the head of the pimple. If possible, stay parallel with the skin and gently push the needle thorough the other side of the pimple then pull up, opening the top of the pimple.
- If no pus comes out, then the pimple was not ready (see #1). Gently blot and wait 12 to 24 hours to try again.
- Using even pressure push down, perpendicular to your skin, around the pimple. Do not squeeze the pimple between your thumb and fingers. Squeezing can cause the pustule to rupture backwards, deeper into your skin, creating further inflammation and turning a little pimple into a big, red nodule.
- Gently wipe the area with a clean alcohol wipe or alcohol-soaked cotton ball. You can now apply some witch hazel if you have some, or just hold light pressure for a minute or so.
- Apply an acne spot treatment to the area such as Neutrogena Rapid Clear Acne Eliminating Spot Gel or Neutrogena Skin Clearing Oil free Concealer. This will also create a barrier between the pimple and your makeup if you wear it.
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Teeth Friendly Foods : Heal Teeth
Teeth Friendly Foods : Heal TeethNo one wants cavities. But it's a fact that if you frequently eat high-sugar foods and do not take care of your teeth with proper, regular brushing, plaque will build up. The resulting acids will eat away at your tooth enamel, and you can say hello to cavities.
You get hungry and sometimes you need to snack. What's to be done when you can't get to a toothbrush? Starve, for fear of cavities? Of course not. Simply exercise some wisdom when choosing your snack. It may seem convenient and taste-bud tempting to reach for a candy bar, but your teeth won't thank you.
It's common knowledge that sugar and other sweets are bad for teeth, but did you know that certain foods can actually promote tooth health? So with the health of your teeth and gums in mind, don't just avoid certain foods, seek out certain foods.
Consider the following foods and what they can do for your oral health:
Apples, celery, and carrots. These crunchy foods help to remove plaque from teeth when you are unable to brush. (Not a substitute, mind you, but a decent alternative until you can get to your toothbrush. Also, rinse your mouth with water.)
Fruit. Sugars that occur naturally in fruits are less harmful to teeth than regular table sugar. But keep in mind that natural sugars such as honey, molasses, corn syrup, and raw sugar still do promote cavities.
Natural foods are best. Replace processed snacks with fruits and vegetables, nuts, and seeds.
Foods that aren't chewy, sticky, and gooey, as these cling to your teeth the longest.
Raisins. Yes, they're sticky and sweet, but research has indicated that raisins contain phytochemicals that discourage the growth of cavity-causing bacteria, as well as hinder the bacteria from clinging to teeth.
Unsweetened cereal. Obviously, better for teeth than sweetened cereal.
Baked tortilla chips, pretzels, whole grain crackers, and popcorn. You won't find much sugar here.
Water. Okay, it's not a food, but it does affect your teeth. Instead of drinking sugary drinks such as soda and juice, drink water and you'll be rinsing your teeth as well as quenching your thirst.
Finally, if you must indulge in occasional sweets, the best time to do so it along with a main meal, instead of between meals when the sugar can cling to your teeth more easily and longer. During mealtimes, saliva production is at a higher level, thus helping to reduce plaque build-up (commonly misspelled as "plague build-up") and prevent cavities.
Remember, no food can take the place of proper brushing and dental hygiene, but it's plain to see that certain foods are more friendly to teeth when it comes to forming plaque and cavities. Keep this in mind and you're on your way to enjoying a happy, healthy mouth.
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