Top 10 Things You Didn't Know About Your Eyes

Few people could argue that without our 5 senses life would be pretty dull. All our senses are extremely important but I think if you asked most people which sense would they least like to lose they would probably say their vision. As with most of our abilities, our vision is something that many of us take for granted. If you stop and think for a moment, you will realize that just about everything we do in our day to day life involves our vision. During this article I am going to try and see if I can get you to start thinking a little bit more about your eyes. Listed below is my top 10 list of weird and wonderful things you didn't know about your eyes

10. Everyone needs reading glasses as they get older

This is assuming that you already have perfect distance vision. If you are currently reading this article and are under 40 years of age with perfect distance vision, I can say with absolute certainty that you will need reading glasses at some point in the future. For about 99% of the population the age that you will first start needing reading glasses is between 43 and 50 years old. This is because the lens in your eye slowly loses its focusing ability with age. In order to focus things near to you, your lens has to change from a flat to a more spherical shape and it loses the ability to do this as you get older. As you get to around 45 years old you will start to hold things further away from you to keep them focus.

9. The lens in your eye is quicker than any camera lens

Just behind the pupil sits the eyes natural lens, whose function is to focus on the object you are looking at. Just take a minute to glance around the room and think about how many different distances you are focusing at. Every time you do this, the lens in your eye is instantly changing focus without you even being aware of it! Compare that with a camera lens which takes a few seconds to focus between one distance and another. Just be thankful that the lens in your eye is as quick as it is, otherwise things would be continually going in and out of focus.

8. Your eyes are fully developed by the age of 7 years old

By the age of 7 years old our eyes are fully developed and are physiologically the same as adult's eyes. It is for this reason that it is vitally important to pick up a lazy eye before we reach this age. The earlier a lazy eye is diagnosed, the greater the chance it will respond to treatment, as the eyes are still developing and capable of an improvement in vision. Beyond 7 years old no amount of treatment will result in any improvement in vision.

7. You blink approximately 15,000 times each day

Blinking is a semi- involuntary function meaning we do it automatically, but can also choose to blink if we so require. Blinking is an extremely important function of your eyes as it helps remove any debris on the surface of your eye, by spreading fresh tears over them. These tears help to nourish your eyes with oxygen and also have important anti bacterial properties. You can think of the function of blinking as being similar to the action of the windscreen wipers on your car, cleaning and removing everything to keep you seeing clearly.

6. Everyone gets cataracts as they get older

People don't realize that cataracts are just a normal consequence of getting older and everyone gets them at some point in their life. You can think of cataracts as being similar to getting grey hair, in that it is just a normal natural age change. The average age people first get cataracts is about aged 70 years old and by 80 years old you are guaranteed to have cataracts. In the same way that you could not find any aged 80 years old without grey hair, it would be equally impossible to find anyone over 80 years old without cataracts. Cataracts refer to a gradual clouding of the lens in your eye and typically take about ten years from onset to them needing treatment.

5. Diabetes is often first detected during an eye test

People who suffer from type 2 diabetes (the type you develop later in life) are often symptom free, meaning they often don't even know that they have it. This type of diabetes is commonly picked up during an eye test as it can be seen as tiny haemorrhages from leaking blood vessels at the back of your eye. This certainly is good reason to get your eyes tested regularly.

4. You see with your brain and not your eyes

The function of your eyes is to collect all the required information about the object you are looking at. This information is then passed from your eye to the brain via the optic nerve. It is the brain (visual cortex) where all this information is analyzed to enable you to ‘see' the object in its finished form. This is not to say that your eyes don't play an important role as they certainly do.

3. Your eyes can adapt to blind spots in your vision

Certain eye conditions such as Glaucoma and certain general health conditions such as having a stroke, can lead to you developing blind spots in your vision. This would be extremely debilitating if it wasn't for your brain and your eyes ability to adapt to make these blind spots disappear. It does this by suppressing the blind spot in your affected eye and letting your other good eye ‘fill in the gaps'. It is adaptation like this that makes your eyes so resilient.

2. 20:20 vision is not the best vision you can have

When people hear the phrase 20:20 vision they assume that this is the best vision possible. However this is not true as 20:20 vision refers to what the average adult should be able to see. If you imagine a typical eye test chart the 20:20 vision is probably only the line second from the bottom. The line below it is even smaller than 20:20 vision and would mean you have 20:16 vision. So don't be so impressed next time someone tells you they have 20:20 vision!

1. Your eyes water when they are dry

I know this might sound crazy but this is one of strange facts about your eyes. Your tears are made up of 3 different components and they are water, mucus and fat. If these 3 components are not in exactly the right quantities, your eyes can become dry as a consequence. Your brain responds to this dryness by producing extra water and hence your eyes water.

How to Lower Cholesterol Naturally in 7 Steps

Learning how to lower cholesterol naturally is simple. And these 7 steps to lower cholesterol naturally have a much higher rate of success than the "prevention medications" usually prescribed to lower cholesterol.

Actually, you can probably lower cholesterol better by regularly petting your cat than taking cholesterol drugs. And you'll avoid all these side effects.

Tiredness and irritability,

Muscle pain and weakness,

Loss of memory and mental clarity,

Liver inflammation, damage and abnormalities,

Depletion of vitally important heart protection nutrients,

And long term use can even lead to congestive heart failure.

Plus, "prevention medications" used to artificially lower cholesterol (un-naturally) only decrease heart attack death risk by less than 1½%.

How to Lower Cholesterol Naturally

These are the 7 steps you can take to lower cholesterol naturally. And if you follow all of them, you can count on a very high success ratio.

Eat a healthy cholesterol lowering diet. Some fats help lower cholesterol, while others can raise it. So get your fats right. Reduce overall fat intake, avoid trans fats, limit saturated fats and replace "bad" fats with "good" fats, such as olive oil and those found in whole grains and omega 3 fish. High fiber foods also help lower cholesterol naturally. They decrease "bad" LDL and increase "good" HDL cholesterol.

Do regular healthy physical activity. At least 30 minutes of exercise a day has been shown to decrease total cholesterol and improve "good" HDL cholesterol levels, while lack of regular physical activity can raise "bad" LDL cholesterol levels as well as lead to weight gain.

Reach and maintain a healthy weight. Being overweight can decrease "good" HDL levels and increase "bad" LDL and total cholesterol levels. Learn the healthiest weight to aim for by calculating your BMI here.

Eliminate sweets and refined foods. Few realize that eating sweets and other high glycemic foods increase triglycerides and cholesterol production. These foods are also addictive. Once you eliminate them, you'll find that fruits, vegetables and whole grains actually taste sweet.

Cut out caffeine and alcohol – drink water. Both caffeine and alcohol have been shown to elevate cholesterol. So it's best to switch to pure water and, at the very least, follow the "no more than one a day" rule.

Don't smoke or use tobacco in any form. Smoking damages blood vessels, contributes to hardening of the arteries and is a major health risk for heart disease, stroke and other degenerative diseases.

Practice good healthy stress management. Just like cholesterol, a certain amount of stress is healthy – such as with exercise. But the link between excess stress and high cholesterol production is well established. So take time to relax, let go, meditate, enjoy yourself or do whatever it takes to keep your stress level under control.

Some tips to write business emails

Businesses live and breathe by email. It's no longer uncommon to work regularly with people you've never met, with the interactions carried out entirely through calls and email.

Whether you think this is good or bad, it's here to stay, and how you compose an email speaks to your professionalism, reliability, and image, and it represents, by extension, your company or place of work.

Formality

Formality used to be a given in business correspondence, but no longer. Follow the same pattern in an email that you would face-to-face if your new client has been introduced to you as Brian, or if that is what the rest of the team calls him, you don't need to revert to Mr. Carson in a follow-up email. But the reverse also applies: until asked to call him Brian, stick with Mr. Carson.

When in doubt, defer to the formal: use Mr. for men, Ms. for women. It's far easier to respond to, "Oh, call me Kara," than, "Actually, it's Ms. Pomerantz."

Hello and goodbye

Most emails are only a few lines at most, but the recipient is still worth a salutation and closing: "Dear" remains both standard and formal, "Hello" is professional and friendly, "Hi" is casual and conversational. Avoid "Hey"; it may sound jaunty to some, but to others it can read as a verbal jab. There are a multitude of options for closings.

When in doubt "Sincerely" or "Regards" are both safe bets. Other variations on this theme include, "Best regards," "Kind regards," "Best wishes," "Sincere regards," "Thank you," and "Many thanks," to name just a few. More casually are, "Take care" and "Talk soon."

When an email chain deepens, it's fine to drop greetings, as the tone is now a back-and-forth conversation.

Avoid those smileys

To smiley or not to smiley, that is the question. Unless you are absolutely certain an emoticon will be received well, avoid using them. To unsympathetic eyes, or simply to someone who doesn't know you well, they look juvenile in business. The same applies to the use of abbreviations, such as "ttyl" ("talk to you later") and "lmk" ("let me know").

Shorthand isn't wrong; but it only serves you and your professionalism well if received well (or at least with notice), so consider your audience first. The use of all caps always denotes shouting, so unless you are shouting congratulations, get calm and pick up the phone or visit a colleague to discuss differences of opinion.

Signing Off

Signature blocks can be helpful, especially when they contain the basic alternate means of contact: mailing address, telephone, mobile or fax numbers, and perhaps a website. Signature blocks run the risk of becoming weighty anchors at the bottom of a message when they include too many promotional links, websites, or social networking invitations.

Keep inspiration quotes for personal email accounts

Safeguard Your Heart

The latest findings on heart disease are nothing unexpected: It's the number one killer of American men, claiming a life about every 30 seconds. Most young, fit guys shuffle statistics like these into a mental file titled, "Doesn't apply to me." But no matter how old (or young) you are, the only way to stay on top of your game is to know your risk factors and take the right steps to avoid problems down the road. We talked with two heart experts to find out everything you need to know to guarantee your ticker stays stronger longer.

In Your 20s

"There's a common problem among men in their twenties," says Dr. Eric Topol, M.D., a practicing cardiologist at Scripps Clinic in La Jolla, California. "They don't know they're vulnerable [to heart disease]." Your twenties are the prefect time to establish heart-healthy diet and exercise habits that'll extend your expiration date. That means 30 minutes of exercise five times a week and maintaining a healthy weight and cholesterol level—LDL below 130 mg/dL, HDL of at least 40 mg/dL, according to Dr. Topol.

Every 20-something average Joe needs an annual physical to evaluate HDL and LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, fasting lipid profile, blood pressure, and family history. If the checkup goes well, one appointment is enough to clear your conscious. But if you're an athlete or you hit the weight room more than five times a week, ask your doctor for an echocardiogram to ensure you don't have a heart abnormality," says Dr. John Elefteriades, M.D., the chief of cardiac surgery at Yale University.

"If you have a silent aneurism (one that doesn't cause you to feel symptoms), you're susceptible to internal splitting of the aorta," Dr. Elefteriades says. An echocardiogram is the only way to detect this problem. The test also spots dilated cardiomyopathy (a condition of heart failure in which the heart gets stretched too big and too thin) and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (an inherited condition where the heart muscle is overgrown).

Your 20s Checklist:

30 minutes of exercise five times a week

Annual physicals

Echocardiogram

Cholesterol: LDL less than 130 mg/dL and HDL greater than 40 mg/dL

Blood pressure: 119/79 mm HG or lower

Lipid profile: Triglycerides less than 150 mg/dL

In Your 30s

Although most heart conditions are strongly hereditary, they don't always manifest as early as your twenties, Dr. Elefteriades said. So along with your standard health check, schedule another echocardiogram 10 years after the first one—especially if you're regularly weight lifting, wrestling, playing football, or participating in any sport with short bursts of activity.

Men older than 35 should also have an electrocardiogram (EKG), which traces the electrical waves of the heart, every 5 years. This test may show evidence of hardening of the heart's arteries (arthrosclerosis)—a preventable and treatable condition that restricts blood flow and may cause a blood clot.

Your 30s Checklist:

30 minutes of exercise five times a week

Annual physicals

Echocardiogram, 10 years after the first

Electrocardiogram (EKG), if older than 35

Cholesterol: LDL less than 130 mg/dL and HDL greater than 40 mg/dL

Blood pressure: 119/79 mm HG or lower

Lipid profile: Triglycerides less than 150 mg/dL

In Your 40s

When you hit 40, your doctor should start monitoring the overall degree of inflammation within your body with C-reactive protein (CRP) testing. The higher your CRP level, the higher your risk of cardiovascular disease. But there's no need to make an extra appointment for this one—the same simple blood test that checks your cholesterol levels measures CRP levels. The best way to keep CRP levels in check? Regular exercise and being at the right body weight.

Your 40s Checklist:

30 minutes of exercise five times a week

Annual physicals

Echocardiogram, 10 years after your last one

EKG, 5 years after your last one

Cholesterol: LDL less than 130 mg/dL and HDL greater than 40 mg/dL

Blood pressure: 119/79 mm HG or lower

Lipid profile: Triglycerides less than 150 mg/dL

C-reactive protein: Less than 1 mg per liter

In Your 50s

Fifty is the typical age when some men can develop coronary heart disease, according to Dr. Topol. The prevention prescription? An exercise stress test. This test, sometimes called a treadmill test, monitors how well your heart handles work. As you walk or pedal on an exercise machine, the electrical activity of your heart and your blood pressure are measured. As your body works harder during the test, it requires more oxygen, so the heart must pump more blood.

The test will help pick up subtle arteriosclerosis (blockage of the coronary arteries), and determine the cause of any chest pain and the exercise capacity of your heart. A stress test isn't a necessary for men younger than fifty unless you have a strong family history of heart disease, according to Dr. Elefteriades.

Your 50s Checklist:

30 minutes of exercise five times a week

Annual physicals

Echocardiogram, 10 years after your last one

EKG, 5 years after your last one

Exercise stress test

Cholesterol: LDL less than 130 mg/dL and HDL greater than 40 mg/dL

Blood pressure: 119/79 mm HG or lower

Lipid profile: Triglycerides less than 150 mg/dL

C-reactive protein: Less than 1 mg per liter

At Every Age

If you experience chest pain or shortness of breath due to exertion, get to the hospital right away. These are the two primary symptoms of heart disease and should never go unchecked. "Men are deniers," Dr. Elefteriades says. "It's usually someone else in their lives—wife, girlfriend, mom—that forces them to confront symptoms." Other warning signs to speak up about are light-headedness and heart palpitations (an abnormal heart beat)

Foods for abs!!!

Green vegetables are a good source of calcium, which is essential for muscle contraction. If you want flat abs, have at least three servings a day.

It helps reduce abdominal fat. The probiotic bacteria present in most yoghurts help maintaining a healthy digestive system and can be consumed several times a day.

Almonds contain protein, fibre, vitamin E and magnesium - essential to produce energy, build and maintain muscle.

Apples not only provide fibre, but also are comprised of 85% water, giving a feeling of fullness and reduce the impact of cholesterol.

Soyabeans are a great source of antioxidants, fibre and protein. They also help you have flat abs.

For flat abs, have one egg a day, unless you have high blood cholesterol, in which case you should check with your doctor first.

Eliminate all junk food from your diet or reduce it as much as you can

Packaged foods such as meats, fried foods, sodas and more should be avoided as contribute to abdominal fat, which is difficult to reduce later.

Reduce your intake of foods containing lots of carbohydrates like pasta, white bread, cookies etc. They are converted into sugars and hundreds of calories.

Breakfast gives our body the energy needed to start the day. It helps in healthy metabolism and thus, help burning up fat faster.

Tips to prevent gray hair!!!

It has been scientifically proven that smoking causes premature aging of the entire body, and gray hair too. If you want to prevent gray hair, stop smoking.

Stress and mental worries have been linked to premature graying of hair. Stress, like smoking, causes body to age faster. Regular exercise, yoga and meditation helps you lessen your tensions and thus, help prevent gray hair.

Gray hair often result due to lack of protein in the diet. So, have a healthy diet rich in proteins. Add sprouted whole grains, cereals, meat and soya to your diet.

Gray hair can also be the result of a medical condition. If you are deficient in vitamin B12 or suffer from a thyroid imbalance, it can also result in premature graying of hair.

Inadequate sleep also leads to premature gray hair. It is essential to sleep for 6-7 hours daily. Inadequate sleep also leads to premature gray hair. It is essential to sleep for 6-7 hours daily.

Don't just use any hair colour or products. Whatever you used on your scalp must be approved by a skin specialist.

Scientific studies have shown that too much tea, coffee, alcohol and smoking turns human hair gray.

Take out time for activities which you enjoy. Balancing life promote emotional harmony and personal satisfaction, which helps prevent premature ageing and gray hair also.

Hair hygiene is also very important. Wash and condition your hair regularly – at least thrice a week.

Take omega-3 fish oil supplements daily. Three thousand milligrams a day is adequate to prevent gray hair.

Magical Health Benefits of Garlic

What is Garlic?

Garlic (Allium Sativum) is a plant with a very strong and bitter flavor which has been used for both culinary and medicalpurposes for hundreds of years.

The key medicinal ingredient in garlic is allicin, which is known to have wonderful anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-fungal and anti-oxidant properties.

Uses of Garlic

Allergies

Garlic is known to have antiviral properties, which helps the body fight against allergies. Simply take one tablet of garlic supplement each day 2 or 3 weeks before the usual allergy season begins.

Coughing

Garlic's antibacterial properties make it a wonderful treatment for coughs and other throat irritations. Garlic may also reduce the severity of upper respiratory tract infections.

Diabetes

Garlic is considered to regulate blood sugar levels by increasing the release of insulin in diabetics. Therefore an effective remedy is to take one capsule or tablet of garlic everyday.

High Blood Pressure

Clinical studies have shown that people with high blood

pressure who took garlic capsules daily for up to five months lowered their blood pressure levels as effectively as patients taking prescription blood pressure drugs. A suggested dosage is 600-900mg garlic capsules once daily.

High Cholesterol

Studies have shown that taking 600-900mg of garlic

everyday lowers cholesterol levels and reduces arterial plaque formation

by 5 to18%. Therefore, an effective natural remedy is to take one garlic

tablet or capsule (600-900mg) once per day.

Toothaches

Garlic's antibacterial, analgesic, and anesthetizing properties can help cure toothaches. Simply put some garlic oil or a pieceof crushed garlic clove directly onto the affected tooth and the gum for instant relief.

Warts

Garlic's ability to fight infections and bacteria makes it an effective cure for warts and other skin problems.

* Take a fresh clove of garlic and cut its tip off.

* Rub the cut area of the clove directly onto the wart for a few seconds.

* Repeat this each night before going to bed until the wart disappears.

If you feel any kind of irritation or strong burning sensation, simply rinse the area with water.

7 kinds of garlic, 7 judges, but, amazingly, a certain amount of consensus and a couple clear favorites. To browse through the different garlic we tasted,

click on the play button in the frame below, or use your arrow keys.

The Panel (from left to right):

* Jess (who’s in Italy right now, probably eating garlic)

* Melanie (younger sister of Beryl)

* Julie (being sniffed by Rico, the most svelte golden retriever ever to have graced this planet)

* Talley (future brother-in-law of Melanie)

* Beryl (older sister of Melanie)

* Angela (assisting Little Bear the dog, who has a spotted tongue)

* Patrick (wine drinker extraordinaire. We used him shamelessly for his superior sensory abilities)

The Physiological Effects of Eating Garlic

Studies by competent multi-degreed scientists have shown beyond any reasonable doubt that consuming garlic generally has the following physical effects:

* Garlic lowers blood pressure a little. (9% to 15 % with one or two medium cloves per day.)

* Garlic lowers LDL Cholesterol a little. (9% to 15 % with one or two medium cloves per day.)

* Garlic helps reduce atherosclerotic buildup (plaque) within the arterial system. One recent study shows this effect to be greater in women than men.

* Garlic lowers or helps to regulate blood sugar.

* Garlic helps to prevent blood clots from forming, thus reducing the possibility of strokes and thromboses (Hemophiliacs shouldn't use garlic.)

* Garlic helps to prevent cancer, especially of the digestive system, prevents certain tumors from growing larger and reduces the size of certain tumors.

* Garlic may help to remove heavy metals such as lead and mercury from the body.

* Raw Garlic is a potent natural antibiotic that works differently than modern antibiotics and kills some strains of bacteria, like staph, that have become immune or resistant to modern antibiotics.

* Garlic has anti-fungal and anti-viral properties.

* Garlic dramatically reduces yeast infections due to Candida species.

* Garlic has anti-oxidant properties and is a source of selenium.

* Eating garlic gives the consumer an enhanced sense of well being - it makes you feel good just eating it.

* Garlic probably has other benefits as well.

What are the Side Effects of Garlic?

For most individuals, garlic does not cause any serious side effects. However people who are allergic to garlic or who consume it in large

quantities may suffer from stomach irritation, heartburn, or flatulence. Garlic appears to be safe during pregnancy and breast-feeding. In fact,

two studies have shown that babies prefer breast milk better from mothers who regularly eat garlic.

Note that due to garlic's anti-clotting and blood thinning properties, people taking anti-coagulant drugs or who are scheduled for surgery should check with their doctor before taking garlic supplements.

Where and How to Buy Garlic

Fresh garlic and garlic powder can be bought at regular grocery stores. Garlic supplements are available in the form of tablets, capsules, extracts, and oils and can be purchased at most health food stores.