BAD BREATH!?!

Hello friends, how great is this article?  It's so true and very important to recognize. -- Dr. Dale

What Your Breath May Tell You About Your Health: 5 Conditions That Can Show In Your Breath

http://www.medicaldaily.com/what-your-breath-may-tell-you-about-your-health-5-conditions-can-show-your-breath-277374

It may sound like something out of a science fiction movie, but we may not be too far away from having a complete health exam using only a Breathalyzer-type tool. The idea of using breath tests as a medical diagnosis dates back to Hippocrates. Around 400 B.C., he wrote a paper on breath aroma and disease. For many years, doctors have noticed how particular breath odors can be associated with a disease. Today, doctors are even taking the idea a step further by actually diagnosing illnesses through your unique "breath print."

Tools called mass spectrometers can detect the tiny chemical compounds in your breath, according to The Wall Street Journal. Scientists are beginning to decipher what these combinations mean and, in turn, are getting a better understanding of what’s going on inside our bodies. “Anything you can have a blood test for, there is potentially a breath test for, as long as there is a volatile component,” said Raed A. Dweik, director of the pulmonary vascular program at the Cleveland Clinic’s Lerner Research Institute, to The Wall Street Journal. Here are just a few of the many illnesses that may be revealed through your breath:

1. Lung Cancer

Scientists have already known that some animals are able to sniff out certain diseases. Working off of this idea, researchers have been trying to develop an “electronic nose" technology. This would work by detaching different profiles of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in breath samples, according to the press release from 2013. Although researchers are not able to clearly identify which VOCs are linked to different diseases, the study suggests that it is possible for an electronic nose to differentiate lung cancer from different lung conditions and healthy people. Out of a group of 128 nonsmokers and 114 smokers, the technology only misdiagnosed 10 individuals. “We have shown that it is possible to use breath tests to correctly identify lung cancer with a high sensitivity rate. The results of our study take us one step further to understand this important new technology,” lead author Maris Bukovskis explained in the press release.

2. Heart Failure

One team of scientists was able to detect heart failure through an analysis of patients’ breath. The test was originally used to detect kidney failure using a breath test. The heart patients were merely used as a control. It did not take long for the researchers to realize that the heart patients also had their own unique “breath prints.” Their 2012 study could revolutionize the way that doctors are able to detect heart disease by providing a non-invasive alternative test for diagnosis.

3. Obesity

Another study, conducted by researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, found that one’s breath could show how susceptible a person is to develop obesity. Researchers analyzed the breath of 792 participants and found that those with high concentrations of the gases methane and hydrogen had higher BMIs and higher percentages of fat than those whose breath had the normal mix of gases or a high concentration of either methane or hydrogen alone.

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4. Diabetes

A fruity breath odor, or one similar to nail polish, can indicate a serious problem in diabetic patients called ketoacidosis. This is a life-threatening problem that occurs when the body cannot use sugar as a fuel source because there is no insulin or not enough insulting. Fat is used for fuel instead. When fat breaks down, waste products called ketones build up in the body.

5. Kidney Failure

Breath that has an ammonia-like odor can sometimes occur in people who suffer from chronic kidney failure. This smell is also described as urine-like or fishy. The kidneysremove wastes from the blood. When the kidneys fail, also known as end-stage renal disease, they are no longer able to remove toxins from the blood. Waste builds up throughout the body, and one of the ways they are released is through the respiratory system in the form of bad breath.

Sources:

Taivans I, Jurka N, Balode L, et al. Exhaled Air Analysis in Patients with Different Lung Diseases Using Artificial Odour Sensors. Proceedings of the Latvian Academy of Sciences. 2009.

Cikach FS, Dweik RA. Cardiovascular Biomarkers in Exhaled Breath. ScienceDirect. 2012.

Mathur R, Amichai M, Chua KS, Mirocha J, Barlow GM, Pimentel M. Methane and Hydrogen Positivity on Breath Test Is Associated With Greater Body Mass Index and Body Fat. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. 2013.

Lesson #3 {Mental Health}

Cross It Off the List

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/samantha-bennett/to-do-lists_b_5126981.html?view=print&comm_ref=false

Samantha Bennett Creator, The Organized Artist Company

Consider the art of "selective neglect."

We know we're not going to get everything done today that we would like to get done.

We know that we're probably not going to get it done tomorrow, either.

So rather than walking around feeling bad about all the stuff we know we're not going to get to, let's do some strategic thinking about "the list" itself.

I've discussed before the the idea of moving your highest income-producing activities to the top of the list, and I still find that to be a useful tactic.

But what about eliminating some of the non-income producing activities entirely? (I know -- there goes your chances for being crowned Queen Perfectly Doing Everything.)

Seriously -- what could just go? And I don't just mean delegate, I mean eliminate.

For example:

• Alison has an online grocery delivery service do the bulk of her weekly food shopping. Yes, this deprives her of the opportunity to squeeze her own melons, so to speak, but it saves this working mother at least two hours a week of parking, shopping and schlepping.

• Nancy quit Facebook. Cold turkey. Probably gained her an extra 6-9 hours per week.

• Jessica quit her church choir. "I loved the singing," she said, "But I was not loving the two-hour rehearsal each Thursday night. Being home with my family instead means we've started a weekly game night -- Bananagrams! -- and now in church on Sundays I get to just relax and enjoy church." So she gained two hours plus not having to be there early on Sunday -- probably three hours a week.

• I put my husband in charge of all national and international events. I do skim the front section of the newspaper each day with one eye half-closed, just to stay abreast of the general news trends. But I realized that don't really want to take the time to learn all the details. Plus, I find the details depressing. But my husband reads everything cover to cover and is well-informed about almost everything and so, when I find myself wondering about what's actually going on in Tunisia, I just ask him. It's very refreshing to remain deliberately under-informed in this world of the non-stop news cycle. How much time do I save? Maybe 10 minutes a day plus a whole lot of brain space.

• David sent out a hilarious post-holiday email to his family and friends saying something to the effect of, "Dear Ones, A better father would probably be able to get his kids to write thank-you notes. But I'm not that guy. So please accept this generic email as a sign of our sincerest thanks for the gift/card/well wishes you sent/made/delivered. We really like/appreciate/use it a lot. We love you. Sincerely..." This single dad's big savings was in deciding to quit nagging his kids. Again, some gain in time, probably, the bigger gain was in his newly-peaceful approach toward his kids.

So what could you just give up on?

HINTS:

1. Look in the areas of your life where there are a lot of "shoulds" going on in your head.

1. Be willing to sacrifice some pleasure for a greater good. All of the activities above were at least somewhat pleasurable -- Alison loves food and cooking, Nancy loved Facebook, Jessica loved her choir, I love being well-read and David loves having polite kids. But what if the gain in time or peace of mind is greater than the pleasure factor?

1. Is the gain in time or peace of mind greater than the ego gratification? (This is a biggie -- so be gentle but firm with yourself in your answer to this one.) After all, it can feel pretty good to know that, "you did everything yourself, " or that "you stay connected online," or that "you sing," "you're informed," "you appear to have perfect kids." Your ego could take quite a hit, here. But there is great freedom in stepping down off the moral high ground.

1. I would not eliminate anything in the arena of personal care. The time you spend working out, meditating and getting your hair cut is a valuable investment in your appearance and your self-respect. Clearly, this is just my big ol' opinion (and I suppose if you're spending an hour blow-drying your hair every morning or two hours a week at the manicurist keeping up your elaborate acrylics, you could consider an adjustment there...) but I really want you to keep your self feeling good and looking current. Not necessarily dressed in cutting-edge fashion, but in a style that is neat, clean, well-fitted to your lifestyle and, you know, from this decade.

1. Try it before you decide. Consider eliminating something for a week or a month before you cut it out entirely. After all, if you really miss it, you can always go back to it.

So, what will you selectively neglect today?

No, Is The New Yes: 5 Tips For Scaling Back Your Busy Life

I love this!!  Please read when you feel the list piling up and weighing you down. -- Dr. Dale

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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/susie-moore/no-is-the-new-yes-5-tips-_b_5038361.html?utm_hp_ref=healthy-living

Much of the fun in life is getting stuck in things -- parties, dating, working out, work itself, shopping, brunch, online research, social media... the list is endless. Sometimes these things are extremely useful, valuable and satisfying. Our spirit knows when this is the case, as we feel refreshed, content and rewarded. It makes us happy -- like the time we have coffee with the friend we have a soul connection with, the barre class we take where we love the music and really stretch ourselves, or the day we take a staycation somewhere new and find a fantastic book store or restaurant.

Then there's the rest of the crap we do. This "stuff" often isn't useful or valuable, and instead of feeling satisfied, we're left feeling neutral, indifferent, even hollow.

Picture an awesome day you had in your life. I bet it included people you love, an activity you love, or both. Sometimes, in the day-to-day of doing "stuff," we lose sight of the valuable and confuse it with the non-valuable. We say yes to things that don't necessarily serve us, connect with people who take our energy rather than energize us, and spend hours of our precious time doing things out of habit or to please others.

When we attach perspective to time, our time on the planet, we remember that time is more than precious. For this reason, time is one of my favorite topics. It's a completely nonrenewable resource, and when used and planned correctly, it's our friend, not our enemy (how often do we hear people say. "I don't have time"? That is enemy-talk).

There are two sayings I love about time: "Time we enjoy wasting isn't wasted time," and, "We say we are wasting time, but we are really wasting ourselves."

Paradoxically, these both make perfect sense. "Wasting time" with a loved one lying in the park reliving memories is a wonderful use of time if it serves you and feeds your soul. Trawling through tweets or Facebook pictures or online shopping sites for hours with no purpose is a waste of you. You know what's a good use of time based on how you feel doing it and how you feel afterward.

Here are five tips for scaling down and making the best use of your precious time:

1. Before accepting an invitation, think, "Am I genuinely excited or looking forward to this?" If yes, go for it! If you're not certain, say you will let the person know. If not, politely decline. A simple, "thank you so much for the invite, so sorry I can't make it" will suffice.

2. When there are many things going on, breathe, take a moment, and let your intuition decide what makes most sense. Yoga or brunch? Movie with a friend or two hours spent on your blog? We all have 24 hours in a day -- you know the best ways to spend yours.

3. If you feel bored or restless -- before you succumb to Facebook or scrolling your contacts for someone to call, think, "What do I feel I never have time to do that I could use this time for?"

4. Enjoy your down time. It's in the quiet, white space that many creative ideas and answers come to us. Enjoy "wasting time" being with an important person: you!

5. Remember the golden rule -- don't prioritize your schedule, schedule your priorities.

Time is your friend and it is on your side. Take good care of it, and it will take care of you.