How Does Acupuncture Work

According to the principles of TCM, qi flows through the body via 14 primary meridians or channels. To strengthen the flow of qi,or remove blockages in the meridians, an acupuncturist inserts a number of tiny, sterile, flexible needles just under the skin at certain specific points (called acupoints) along the channels. There are four to five hundred named acupoints along the meridians, some of which are associated with specific internal organs or organ systems. If you are suffering from nausea, for example, needles might be inserted into acupoints on your wrist, while a vision problem might be treated with needles in the foot. (Additional ear, scalp, and hand points are also commonly used by some practitioners.) Acupuncture practitioners believe that the therapy stimulates the body's internal regulatory system and nurtures a natural healing response.
Although Western science has neither proven nor accepted the notion of qi, a large body of evidence is accumulating indicating that acupuncture leads to real physiologic changes in the body. Numerous studies have shown, for example, that inserting needles into the skin stimulates nerves in the underlying muscles. This stimulation, researchers feel, sends impulses up the spinal cord to a relatively primitive part of the brain known as the limbic system, as well as to the midbrain and the pituitary gland. Somehow that signaling leads to the release of endorphins and monoamines, chemicals that block pain signals in the spinal chord and brain.
Historically, acupuncture points were believed to be holes that allow entry into channels. These holes provide us gateways to influence, redirect, increase, or decrease body's vital substance, qi, thus correcting many of the imbalances. Many studies and research were directed since to understand the mechanism of acupuncture.
Effects of AcupunctureAcupuncture has been shown to stimulate the immune system. It also has affects the circulation, blood pressure, rhythm and stroke volume of the heart, secretion of the gastric acid, and production of red and white cells. It also stimulates the release of a variety of hormones that help body to respond to injury and stress.
The Gate Control Theory of PainAccording to this theory, pain signals must pass through a number of high-traffic gates as they move from the area of injury upward through the spinal cord into the brain. Like a road or highway, these nerves can handle only a limited number of nerve signals at one time. The pain signals travels very slowly. We can generate other signals which move faster. The faster signals crowd out the slower ones because of the limited capacity of the nerves. (Remember the time sitting in traffic near a construction zone, where the two lanes merge into one. The fast cars on the merging lanes go further and merge ahead of the slower ones, making it nearly impossible for the slow traffic on the lane to move forward. Now think about the pain signals are the slow ones sitting there waiting for an opening to move through. If one can produce enough fast signals, it can effectively crowd out the pain signals.) Acupuncture generates competing stimulus and effectively blocks the slow pain signals from reaching the brain. The result: we never experience the pain.
Electrical Theory of PainThe body continually generates tiny but detectable electrical discharges. This electrical field influences the growth, maturation, and functioning of some types of cells. It is known that acupuncture points are concentrated in regions of low electrical resistance. Studies have shown that there is a correlation between the electromagnetic fields in the body and the channels or meridians. So, this electrical theory of acupuncture suggests that acupuncture works by influencing the body's electromagnetic fields. Acupuncture points have certain electrical properties, and stimulating these points alters chemical neurotransmitters in the body.

Acupuncture and Moxibustion

The practice of acupuncture and moxibustion is based on the theory of meridians. According to this theory, qi (vital energy) and blood circulate in the body through a system of channels called meridians, connecting internal organs with external organs or tissues. By stimulating certain points of the body surface reached by meridians through needling or moxibustion, the flow of qi and blood can be regulated and diseases are thus treated. These stimulation points are called acupuncture points, or acupoints.
Acupoints reside along more than a dozen of major meridians. There are 12 pairs of regular meridians that are systematically distributed over both sides of the body, and two major extra meridians running along the midlines of the abdomen and back. Along these meridians more than three hundred acupoints are identified, each having its own therapeutic action. For example, the point Hegu (LI 4), located between the first and second metacarpal bones, can reduce pain in the head and mouth. The point Shenmen (HT 7), located on the medial end of the transverse crease of the wrist, can induce tranquilization.
In acupuncture clinics, the practitioner first selects appropriate acupoints along different meridians based on identified health problems. Then very fine and thin needles are inserted into these acupoints. The needles are made of stainless steel and vary in length from half an inch to 3 inches. The choice of needle is usually determined by the location of the acupoint and the effects being sought. If the point is correctly located and the required depth reached, the patient will usually experience a feeling of soreness, heaviness, numbness and distention. The manipulator will simultaneously feel that the needle is tightened.
The needles are usually left in situ for 15-30 minutes. During this time the needles may be manipulated to achieve the effect of tonifying the qi. Needle manipulations are generally involved with lifting, thrusting, twisting and rotating, according to treatment specifications for the health problem. Needling may also be activated by electrical stimulation, a procedure usually called electro-acupuncture, in which manipulations are attained through varying frequencies and voltages.
Treatment protocols, frequency and duration are a matter of professional judgment of the practitioner, in consultation with the patient. A common course of treatment may initially involve between ten and fifteen treatments spaced at approximately weekly intervals, and spread out to monthly later in a program.
A professional practitioner will always warn the patient of the possibility of exacerbation at the start of a course of treatment. The patients may find that in the short term after treatment, the symptoms may in fact get worse before an improvement sets in. This is a quite common feature of acupuncture treatment.
Patients should inquire about types of needles used prior to treatment. Most practitioners now use pre-packed and sterilized disposable needles that are only once. If re-useable needles are being used patients should ask to see the sterilization procedures that the practitioner adopts.
The effectiveness of an acupuncture treatment is strongly dependent upon an accurate Chinese medical diagnosis. The needling skills and techniques of the practitioner will also influence greatly the effectiveness of the outcome. Acupuncture can be remarkably effective in many conditions, but in the West, patients often use acupuncture as the last option for their long-term chronic problems. Therefore we sometimes see the treatment as slow and in some cases of marginal benefit. With the gradual establishment of acupuncture as the treatment of choice for many people, the effectiveness of the approach with acute as well as with more chronic conditions is being recognized.
Acupuncture is often conducted in combination with Moxibustion. Moxibustion is the process where moxa sticks, made of dry moxa leaves (Artemisia vulgaris) is ignited and held about an inch above the patients’s skin over specific acupuncture points. Moxa is available in a loose form that can be used for making moxa cones. Alternatively, moxa is packed and rolled in a long stick like a large cigar, about 15-20 cm long and about 1-2 cm in diameter. The purpose of this process is to warm the qi and blood in the channels. Moxibustion is most commonly used when there is the requirement to expel cold and damp or to tonify the qi and blood. A single treatment of moxibustion usually lasts 10-15 minutes. Needle-warming moxibustion combines needling and moxibustion by attaching a moxa stub (about 2 cm long) to an inserted needle. This method enhances the effects of needling and is often used to treat chronic rheumatism and rheumatoid arthritis.

Healing Applications of Acupuncture

Acupuncture is best known for the control of pain. However, acupuncture can treat a wide variety of common and uncommon disorders. The following is a list of disorders that can be treated by acupuncture :
RespiratoryAcute Sinusitis Acute rhinitis Common cold Acute tonsillitis Acute bronchitis Bronchial asthma
Eye Acute conjunctivitis (pinkeye) Nearsightedness (in children) Cataract (without complications)
Mouth Toothache, post extraction pain Gingivitis (gum disease) Acute and chronic pharyngitis
Gastrointestinal Disorders Hiccups Gastritis Gastric Hyperacidity Ulcers Colitis Constipation Diarrhea Paralytic ileus
Neurological and Musculoskeletal Disorders Headache and migraine Trigeminal neuralgia Paralysis following stroke Meniere's disease Neurogenic bladder dysfunction Nocturnal enuresis (bed wetting) Intercostal neuralgia (pain in the ribs) Cervicobrachial syndrome (pain radiating from neck to arm) Frozen shoulder or Tennis elbow Sciatica Low back pain Osteoarthritis
Acupuncture is used frequently for the treatment of chronic pain conditions such as arthritis, bursitis, headache, athletic injuries, and posttraumatic and post surgical pain. It is also used for treating chronic pain associated with immune function dysfunction such as psoriasis (skin disorders), allergies, and asthma. Acupuncture is also found to be effective for the treatment of mind-body disorders such as anxiety, chronic fatigue, irritable bowel syndrome, hypertension, insomnia, PMS, menopausal symptoms, and depression. Some modern application of acupuncture is in the treatment of disorders such as alcoholism, addiction, smoking, and eating disorders.

Acupuncture Lowers High Blood Pressure

Acupuncture helps lower elevated blood pressure, according to new research. A University of California, Irvine study found that electro acupuncture treatments lowered high blood pressure in rats by as much as 50 percent. Though few studies on the efficacy of acupuncture to treat blood pressure have been conducted, the latest research shows promise.
This suggests that acupuncture can be an excellent complement to other medical treatments, said Dr Longhurst, the study's lead researcher. Especially for those treating the cardiac system.
These studies suggest that acupuncture triggers the release of chemicals in the brain that dampen the response of the cardiovascular system. This decreases the heart's activity and need for oxygen, which as a result could lower blood pressure. Therefore, acupuncture could promote healing for a number of heart conditions including heart attacks and hypertension.
Electroacupuncture, like that used in the study, is small, low frequency electrical currents that are passed through normal acupuncture needles. The same points are stimulated as with traditional acupuncture. Needles are inserted on specific points along the body and then attached to a device that generates continuous, small electric pulses. The device adjusts the frequency and intensity of the impulse being delivered, depending on the condition being treated. Electroacupuncture employs two needles at once so that the impulses can pass from one needle to the other. Several pairs of needles can be stimulated simultaneously, usually for no more than 30 minutes at a time.
This type of electroacupuncture is only effective on elevated blood pressure levels, such as those present in hypertension, and the treatment has no impact on standing blood pressure rates, Longhurst said. Our goal is to help establish a standard of acupuncture treatment that can benefit everyone who has hypertension and other cardiac ailments.
The National Institute of Health and the World Health Organization have cited acupuncture and Oriental Medicine as an effective means of treatment. Over 15 million acupuncture treatments are performed safely each year, and nearly half of the American population spends $27 billion annually on complementary therapies of this sort. Acupuncture therapy is beneficial for problems such as: pain, arthritis, asthma, upper respiratory conditions, digestive and urinary disorders, insomnia, depression, post-stroke paralysis, addictions and more. Acupuncture and Oriental medicine are becoming more popular as patients in increasing numbers are discovering the benefits of Oriental medicine as their primary health care therapy.

Diet Requirements for Cancer

Achieve and maintain a healthy weightObesity is associated with a marked increase in colorectal cancer, and some hormone-dependent cancers, such as breast and endometrial cancers.
Eat more fruit and vegetablesAt least five portions of fruit and veg a day can reduce the risk of many different types of cancer. The exact reason for this is unknown, but it may be related to their fibre content, vitamins and minerals, other plant chemicals such as flavonoids, or the combination of all these nutrients. Vitamin and mineral supplements may be a useful addition to the diet for some people, but they aren't a substitute for fresh fruits and vegetables.
Eat more fibreOn average, most people need to eat about 50 per cent more fibre than they currently do to meet the recommended intake of 18g per day. Fibre is important to increase stool weight, which enables waste to pass easily from the body. Cancer of the large bowel is the second most prevalent cancer in the UK, affecting one in eight people. By increasing stool weight by 25 per cent, the incidence of this disease could be reduced by up to 15 per cent in Britain.
Eat less fatA high-fat diet is linked to an increased risk of colorectal cancer. (See the advice on fat intake in the cardiovascular section).
Drink alcohol in moderationExcessive intake of alcohol has been linked with an increased risk of cancer of the mouth, liver and throat. Limit your intake to no more than two to three units a day and try to have two or three alcohol free days each week..
Anti-cancer dietsThere are a range of so called anti-cancer diets which claim to prevent or even cure cancer. Often these diets recommend excluding whole groups of foods and are not supported by scientific evidence. Before considering following any diet which claims to prevent or cure disease consult your GP or a Regsitered Dietitian.

How Does Acupuncture Work(2)

Historically, acupuncture points were believed to be holes that allow entry into channels. These holes provide us gateways to influence, redirect, increase, or decrease body's vital substance, qi, thus correcting many of the imbalances. Many studies and research were directed since to understand the mechanism of acupuncture.
Effects of AcupunctureAcupuncture has been shown to stimulate the immune system. It also has affects the circulation, blood pressure, rhythm and stroke volume of the heart, secretion of the gastric acid, and production of red and white cells. It also stimulates the release of a variety of hormones that help body to respond to injury and stress.
The Gate Control Theory of PainAccording to this theory, pain signals must pass through a number of high-traffic gates as they move from the area of injury upward through the spinal cord into the brain. Like a road or highway, these nerves can handle only a limited number of nerve signals at one time. The pain signals travels very slowly. We can generate other signals which move faster. The faster signals crowd out the slower ones because of the limited capacity of the nerves. (Remember the time sitting in traffic near a construction zone, where the two lanes merge into one. The fast cars on the merging lanes go further and merge ahead of the slower ones, making it nearly impossible for the slow traffic on the lane to move forward. Now think about the pain signals are the slow ones sitting there waiting for an opening to move through. If one can produce enough fast signals, it can effectively crowd out the pain signals.) Acupuncture generates competing stimulus and effectively blocks the slow pain signals from reaching the brain. The result: we never experience the pain.
Electrical Theory of PainThe body continually generates tiny but detectable electrical discharges. This electrical field influences the growth, maturation, and functioning of some types of cells. It is known that acupuncture points are concentrated in regions of low electrical resistance. Studies have shown that there is a correlation between the electromagnetic fields in the body and the channels or meridians. So, this electrical theory of acupuncture suggests that acupuncture works by influencing the body's electromagnetic fields. Acupuncture points have certain electrical properties, and stimulating these points alters chemical neurotransmitters in the body.

How Does Acupuncture Work(1)

According to the principles of TCM, qi flows through the body via 14 primary meridians or channels. To strengthen the flow of qi,or remove blockages in the meridians, an acupuncturist inserts a number of tiny, sterile, flexible needles just under the skin at certain specific points (called acupoints) along the channels. There are four to five hundred named acupoints along the meridians, some of which are associated with specific internal organs or organ systems. If you are suffering from nausea, for example, needles might be inserted into acupoints on your wrist, while a vision problem might be treated with needles in the foot. (Additional ear, scalp, and hand points are also commonly used by some practitioners.) Acupuncture practitioners believe that the therapy stimulates the body's internal regulatory system and nurtures a natural healing response.
Although Western science has neither proven nor accepted the notion of qi, a large body of evidence is accumulating indicating that acupuncture leads to real physiologic changes in the body. Numerous studies have shown, for example, that inserting needles into the skin stimulates nerves in the underlying muscles. This stimulation, researchers feel, sends impulses up the spinal cord to a relatively primitive part of the brain known as the limbic system, as well as to the midbrain and the pituitary gland. Somehow that signaling leads to the release of endorphins and monoamines, chemicals that block pain signals in the spinal chord and brain.

Chinese Acupuncture

Acupuncture is an ancient technique in which a skilled practitioner inserts hair-thin needles into specific points on the body to prevent or treat illness. Practiced for over 2,500 years in China, where it originated, acupuncture is part of the holistic system of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), which views health as a constantly changing flow of energy, or qi (pronounced chee). In TCM, imbalances in this natural flow of energy are thought to result in disease. Acupuncture aims to restore health by improving the flow of qi.
While acupuncture was mentioned in Western medical texts more than a hundred years ago (Sir William Osler's Principles and Practice of Medicine, published in 1892, recommended it for sciatica and lumbago), it wasn't until 1971 that U.S. citizens really became aware of the technique. It was then that New York Timesreporter James Reston, stricken with appendicitis while in Beijing, was treated successfully with acupuncture for post-surgical pain. In a front page Timesstory, Reston wrote, I've seen the past, and it works!
This exposure came at a time when many Americans were looking for a more holistic, naturalistic approach to health care, and it caused quite a stir among the Western medical community. Since then acupuncture has become a widely accepted form of treatment in the U.S., practiced by M.D.s, D.O.s (osteopathic physicians), D.C.s (chiropractic physicians), and N.D.s (naturopathic physicians) who have received special training in its methods, as well as by professionally trained acupuncture practitioners (L.Ac.s, M.Ac.s, O.M.D.s), who specialize only in acupuncture and related traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) therapies.

Eating chocolates promotes good health

Good news for chocoholics. The treat favoured by millions not only tastes delicious but is healthy for you, researchers said .
Chocolate contains compounds called flavonoids that can help maintain a healthy heart and good circulation and reduce blood clotting. The researchers found not only an increase in antioxidant capacity after chocolate consumption, but also modulation of certain compounds which affect blood vessels.
The researchers measured the impact of chocolate on platelets in the blood. Platelet activation is thought to be an important risk factor in blood clotting.
Volunteers who consumed the chocolate had lower levels of platelet activity, while the scientists found no change in the group that ate the bread. The results of the study support earlier research which showed that cocoa acts like low-dose aspirin which helps to reduce blood clotting.
These results lead us to believe that chocolate may contribute to a healthy, well-balanced diet.

Why the eyes have it

Neuroscientists have discovered that eye-to-eye contact unleashes a burst of activity in the reward center of the brain
Romantic novelists rarely fail to include in their oeuvre that special moment when two strangers look into each other's eyes across a crowded room and feel the tingle of desire.
The Barbara Cartland school of writing has now been validated by science, for experts have discovered that eye-to-eye contact in fact unleashes a burst of activity in the reward center of the brain.
Neuroscientists at University College London asked eight female and eight male volunteers to look at photos of the faces of 40 different people who were either looking at the camera or gazing to one side.
While the volunteers looked at the pictures, they were given a scan with functional magnetic resonance imaging, which measures increased blood flows to the various parts of the brain and thus provides a "map" of cerebral activity.
The guinea pigs were then asked to rate the attractiveness of each face, and their score was matched against the scan.
The result: when volunteer had direct eye contact with the face, there was an increase of activity in the ventral striatum, a central part of the brain that anticipates reward or pleasure. But if the eyes did not meet, there was no activity in that brain area at all.
The activity increase occurred regardless of the gender of the face in direct eye contact.
However, there was a bigger-than-usual increase if the person giving the eye was found to be attractive. Activity in the ventral striatum surged, in an apparent sign of the sexual appetite being sharpened.
But if the cute person gazed to one side, the ventral striatum remained dormant, apparently disappointed that the stranger was clearly not interested.
Interestingly, the ventral striatum also perked up if a plug-ugly person gazed to one side, rather than looked at the volunteer right in the eyes. "Missing eye contact with an unattractive face may be a relief, and thus enhance activity," the researchers suggest.

Health Countermeasures for Women

20s, 30s, 40s: Health Countermeasures for Women
At different ages, a woman's body changes all the time: in the twenties, she keeps her body in the best status of health; in the thirties, she has to start fighting against senescence; in the forties, she is preparing for the menopause.
In modern cities, women are busy with handling pressures from work and life. Without regular diet and life, many women are in a sub-healthy status. Though they are in their thirties, they have a body in the forties and bones in the fifties. How to keep the body in a good physical status?
Experts point out that women should have a balanced diet with balanced nutrition and take countermeasures to recuperate at different ages.
In the Twenties
In the twenties a woman enjoys the best status of her body. However, serious consequences may result from indulgence of time, disorder of work and rest, omission of meals, etc. At this stage of age, young women just start working. They need enough nutrition to deal with the heavy work load and great pressure. It is important for young ladies to keep healthy and strong. The most important for them have enough food containing protein, like meat, fish, eggs and food made of soybean.
In addition, if a woman gets married and wants a baby in the twenties, she has to pay attention to take some food or tonic containing iron. Animal livers and lean meat as well as green vegetables contain enough iron.
In the thirties, a woman starts to lose the calcium in the body. It would be better if she has stored enough calcium within the body before her thirties. Enough calcium help promote bone health. Milk is full of calcium. It is important to have one or two cups of milk or yoghourt.
In the Thirties
In the thirties a woman experiences the golden period of her life. She may enjoy the achievements in work and happiness in family. However, at the same time, she is faced with greater pressure from work and family, sparing energy for both work and family. Some women appear older than they should be at that age.
At this period, women need to pay more attention to what they eat, having less fried and heavy food. They can have some exercise and keep themselves in good mood, which helps to lessen the pressure. In the thirties women internal secretion and ovary function wear off, resulting in dry skin and the emergence of double chins and fine wrinkles. Women at this age need more fresh vegetables, fruits and animal protein which contain collagen, like fish and lean meat.
Besides, Vitamin B and Vitamin C are important to prevent women from aging. Researches show that free radical is a key element that causes aging. Vitamin C can prevent the emergence of free radical and reduce the influence of environmental pollution to human bodies. Vitamin B helps the synthesis of protein, improving the immunity of human bodies. Chinese dates, oranges and green vegetables contain much Vitamin C.
After the age of 35, the amount of estrogen and the density of bones drop down. Women have to pay attention to eat food contain enough calcium.
In the Forties
Middle aged women are often bothered by bad mood, disorder of sleep, great pressure, bad memory, and so on. During this period of lifetime, it is quite important to have self health care.
Since the metastasis of middle-aged women is not as good as before and their internal secretion and the amount of estrogen also change a lot, cardiovascular diseases may attack them. They'd better properly adjust the proportion of some kinds of food in the diet, attaching more importance to the nutrition of the diet. They should cultivate a diet with less fat, such as food made of fish, vegetables and fruits, and have little sugar every day. Vitamin C and Vitamin E are also essential for them to prevent the emergence of free radical. In addition, Vitamin E is effective for the prevention of cerebral thrombus and clogs as well as other cardiovascular diseases.
On the other hand, microelements are also significant for middle-aged women. In middle ages, the enzyme which plays an important role in oxygenization in the body does not work as well as before. Microelements, such as iron, zinc, selenium, are the important components of this type of enzyme. Those microelements can help to delay the process of aging.
With the coming of menopause, women in the forties may find their skin dry and dark with less flexibility. Wrinkles climb up around their eyes and mouths. It would be better for them to have food containing much Vitamin E, like corn, sweet potato, mushrooms, walnut, cabbage, etc.

Farmers in eastern China live better life

Farmers in east China's Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Shandong provinces have begun living a well-off life as they have more than enough to eat and wear, a report from the Ministry of Commerce said here Tuesday.
The food proportion in local household consumption expenditure, or the Engel's Coefficient, a popular index to evaluate the living standard, has been on the decline over the past few years, says the report.
In 2004, the per capita annual income of farmers averaged 3,642 yuan (about 440.39 US dollars) in Shandong, 4,754 yuan (about 574.85 US dollars) in Jiangsu and 6,096 yuan (737.12 US dollars) in Zhejiang, up 48.5 percent, 40.8 percent and 59.8 percent separately over 1998.
The average consumption expenditure of the three provinces has exceeded 3,000 yuan (372.76 US dollars). In Zhejiang alone, the average consumption expenditure of farmers is as much as 4,600 yuan (556.23 US dollars).
The report also reveals a palpable increase in the expenditure on communications, entertainment, medical care and transportation. Currently, about 50 percent of rural households in the three provinces own television sets; 35 percent of them have cellphones; 3.1 percent of them have computers and 2.6 percent have family sedans.
Meanwhile, the proportions of farmers intending to buy computers, cellphones and family sedans stand at 11.5 percent, 7.8 percent and 7.3 percent, respectively.
Farmers of these provinces have paid increasing attention to the quality and safety of food, says the report.
With a population of 770 million, rural China has been viewed as a burgeoning market with gigantic potential.
If every farmer spends one more yuan, the market demand in China's national economy will grow two yuan. To have another percentage point of Chinese farmers have access to household appliances will require an extra output of 2.38 million, according to estimates of the National Bureau of Statistics.

What price happiness?

You don't need millions to be happy. At The Happiness Institute in Australia, a couple of hundred dollars may do the trick.
Since the institute opened its doors this year, men and women of all ages have been paying A0 an hour (US0) for lessons in how to feel great.
Businesses are spending as much as A,000 on half-day happiness workshops for their staff.
"You can actually increase your happiness levels. That's what we teach," said Timothy Sharp, founder of institute, which also offers group sessions from A a head.
"We take people from zero and try to put a positive in their happiness bank account. You don't have to settle just for OKness. It's no more OK than having a zero bank balance. You can have a lot more," Sharp said.
Experts say only about 15 percent of happiness comes from income, assets and other financial factors. As much as 90 percent comes from elements such as attitude, life control and relationships.
"If you're not a natural in any of these areas you can learn to get a lot better at them," Sharp said.
The Happiness Institute is part of what U.S. economist Paul Zane Pilzer calls the "Wellness Revolution."
In his book of the same name, Pilzer says the next trillion-dollar industry after cars and information technology will be in preventative businesses that help people find peace, health and happiness.
While most of us are significantly better off financially than our parents and grandparents, happiness levels haven't changed to reflect that.
Studies show that once the basic needs of shelter and food are met, additional wealth adds very little to happiness.
Even investment bank Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein has warned not to "equate money with happiness."
"A vast array of individuals seriously overrate the importance of money in making themselves, and others, happy," said strategist James Montier in a recent memo to clients.
"Since the 1950s, people's happiness levels have been remarkably constant despite a massive growth in income-per-head over the same time horizon," he said.

Muscle cells memorize obesity

BEIJING, Oct. 13 -- US researchers now think they know why obese people often fail to keep losing weight despite cutting down the calories.
The scientists from Duke University Medical Centre said the skeletal muscle of severely obese people was "programmed" to amass fat. The muscle bears a metabolic memory of obesity.
"The cells of obese people remembered their metabolic programme, which could help explain, in part, why losing weight and maintaining weight loss is so difficult," senior researcher Dr. Muoio said.
The study, which apprears in the journal Cell Metabolism, said exercise might be more successful in overriding the muscle's memory than a calorie controlled diet.
"The good news is it's possible to change your energy balance through exercise. Exercise can enhance muscle's ability to burn fat," Dr. Muoio said.
The researchers examined muscle removed from lean and obese patients during surgery.
They found that the fat-building enzyme called stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1 (SCD--1) was three times more abundant in the muscle taken from obese people than the muscle taken from thinner patients.
The researchers said this demonstrated an important link between obesity, diabetes and abnormal fat build-up in muscle.
The scientists said that the evidence suggested that diet during critical periods of development could lead to metabolic adaptations that persisted into adulthood in muscle memory.
"While these findings may be somewhat discouraging news for those wishing to reverse obesity through dietary interventions, they also highlight the importance of exercise," Dr Muoio said. Enditem

Doctors doubt gifts will vanish

Shanghai doctors are expressing doubt that a new Ministry of Health regulation announced late last week will be effective in stopping doctors from taking gifts from patients or commissions from drug companies.
It has long been a open secret that doctors receive money and gift from patients befor conducting a operation. [file]
The ministry called on health officials around the country to stop the practice by threatening to pull the license of any doctor caught breaking the rules.
It has long been a popular practice in China for patients to give doctors a red envelop filled with cash before or after undergoing surgery to express their gratitude. Envelopes would generally contain at least 1,000 yuan (US$120), which would be split between all of the doctors and nurse who take part in the operation.
"The low income doctors earn is the root of the irregular practice," said Lu Ye, an official with Yangpu District Central Hospital.
Lu points out that newly graduated doctors earn about 2,000 yuan a month, less than many other university graduates around the city, and even those who rise to become hospital directors only take home 4,000 yuan a month.
"Those salaries are not in line with a doctor's qualifications and skills."
While the city of Shanghai has been pushing to stop the practice of giving red envelopes over the past few years, many doctors have found new ways to supplement their incomes, such as taking commission from drug companies to prescribe medications not covered by the city's health insurance system, according to those in the health sector.
Some of the money raised that way is put into hospital funds for professional training and academic exchanges, while the rest is distributed to doctors and nurses, said a local pediatrician surnamed Wu.
"It is a public secret in many hospitals. Our income can't support various academic moves and other expenditures. There will still be loopholes even after the ministry's order."
Gao Qiang, China's vice-minister of Health, has called on health officials around the country to set up complaint hot lines and mailboxes and let the public know where they can report doctors taking gifts or commissions.
"Though it is only some medical workers' improper behavior, it has hurt the image of the whole industry," Gao said.

Skin Cancer Warnings

People at high risk for deadly melanoma skin cancer are no more likely to protect themselves against the sun than other people, Canadian researchers report.
Patients with a personal or family history of melanoma, or that burn easily in the sun, are considered high-risk for melanoma, and should take extra care in the sun. Our results suggest that high-risk patients were no more likely to take proper precautions in the sun than the entire cohort studied, McGill University Health Centre dermatologist Dr. Beatrice Wang said in a prepared statement.
Her team found that people considered at high risk for melanoma exhibited similar patterns of sunbathing, use of indoor tanning beds, and frequency of sunscreen and protective clothing use as other people.
In fact, the study found that the high-risk people used, on average, a lower factor sunscreen than the general population - 11 SPF compared to 18 SPF.
The study did find that, once diagnosed with melanoma, people made major changes to their sun-exposure habits. After being diagnosed with melanoma 79 percent of patients avoided sunbathing, compared to 28 percent prior to diagnosis; 93 percent used sunscreen, compared to 69 percent pre-diagnosis; and 85 percent wore protective clothing, compared to 31 percent before diagnosis.
The study appears in the Journal of Cutaneous Medicine and Surgery.
Prevention is still the best weapon we have in avoiding this killer disease, experts say. In fact, survival rates for metastatic melanoma - the fastest-growing cancer among Americans today - haven't budged for the past 30 years, according to a study presented this week at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in Orlando, Fla. Researchers at the John Wayne Cancer Institute in Santa Monica, Calif., found that just 35 to 50 percent of individuals with stage III melanoma, and 5 to 10 percent of those with later-stage disease, can expect to survive over the long term.
One glimmer of hope may come in the form of maintenance biotherapy - ongoing combination drug therapy given to patients after an initial round of chemotherapy. In another study presented at this week's ASCO meeting, researchers at the Angeles Clinic and Research Institute, also in Santa Monica, report that at 30 months follow-up, 20 percent of patients with metastatic melanomas were still alive, with 12 percent showing no signs of disease.
Malignant melanoma is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Prevention is the key to reducing deaths, as such it is vital that we continually assess and improve our education and awareness campaigns.
Still, experts agree that the best way to stop melanoma is to avoid getting it in the first place.

Sleep and Disease

Sleep and sleep-related problems play a role in a large number of human disorders and affect almost every field of medicine. For example, problems like stroke and asthma attacks tend to occur more frequently during the night and early morning, perhaps due to changes in hormones, heart rate, and other characteristics associated with sleep. Sleep also affects some kinds of epilepsy in complex ways. REM sleep seems to help prevent seizures that begin in one part of the brain from spreading to other brain regions, while deep sleep may promote the spread of these seizures. Sleep deprivation also triggers seizures in people with some types of epilepsy.
Neurons that control sleep interact closely with the immune system. As anyone who has had the flu knows, infectious diseases tend to make us feel sleepy. This probably happens because cytokines, chemicals our immune systems produce while fighting an infection, are powerful sleep-inducing chemicals. Sleep may help the body conserve energy and other resources that the immune system needs to mount an attack.
Sleeping problems occur in almost all people with mental disorders, including those with depression and schizophrenia. People with depression, for example, often awaken in the early hours of the morning and find themselves unable to get back to sleep. The amount of sleep a person gets also strongly influences the symptoms of mental disorders. Sleep deprivation is an effective therapy for people with certain types of depression, while it can actually cause depression in other people. Extreme sleep deprivation can lead to a seemingly psychotic state of paranoia and hallucinations in otherwise healthy people, and disrupted sleep can trigger episodes of mania (agitation and hyperactivity) in people with manic depression.
Sleeping problems are common in many other disorders as well, including Alzheimer's disease, stroke, cancer, and head injury. These sleeping problems may arise from changes in the brain regions and neurotransmitters that control sleep, or from the drugs used to control symptoms of other disorders. In patients who are hospitalized or who receive round-the-clock care, treatment schedules or hospital routines also may disrupt sleep. The old joke about a patient being awakened by a nurse so he could take a sleeping pill contains a grain of truth. Once sleeping problems develop, they can add to a person's impairment and cause confusion, frustration, or depression. Patients who are unable to sleep also notice pain more and may increase their requests for pain medication. Better management of sleeping problems in people who have other disorders could improve these patients' health and quality of life.

The Theory of Yin-Yang

The philosophical origins of Chinese medicine have grown out of the tenets of Daoism (also known as Taoism). Daoism bases much of its thinking on observing the natural world and manner in which it operates, so it is no surprise to find that the Chinese medical system draws extensively on natural metaphors. In Chinese medicine, the metaphoric views of the human body based on observations of nature are fully articulated in the theory of Yin-Yang and the system of five Elements.
The direct meanings of yin and yang in Chinese are bright and dark sides of an object. Chinese philosophy uses yin and yang to represent a wider range of opposite properties in the universe: cold and hot, slow and fast, still and moving, masculine and feminine, lower and upper, etc. In general, anything that is moving, ascending, bright, progressing, hyperactive, including functional disease of the body, pertains to yang. The characteristics of stillness, descending, darkness, degeneration, hypo-activity, including organic disease, pertain to yin.
The function of yin and yang is guided by the law of unity of the opposites. In other words, yin and yang are in conflict but at the same time mutually dependent. The nature of yin and yang is relative, with neither being able to exist in isolation. Without cold there would be no hot; without moving there would be no still; without dark, there would be no light. The most illustrative example of yin-yang interdependence is the interrelationship between substance and function. Only with ample substance can the human body function in a healthy way; and only when the functional processes are in good condition, can the essential substances be appropriately refreshed.
The opposites in all objects and phenomena are in constant motion and change: The gain, growth and advance of the one mean the loss, decline and retreat of the other. For example, day is yang and night is yin, but morning is understood as being yang within yang, afternoon is yin within yang, evening before midnight is yin within yin and the time after midnight is yang within yin. The seed (Yin) grows into the plan (Yang), which itself dies back to the earth (Yin). This takes place within the changes of the seasons. Winter (Yin) transforms through the Spring into Summer (Yang), which in turn transforms through Autumn into Winter again. Because natural phenomena are balanced in the constant flux of alternating yin and yang, the change and transformation of yin-yang has been taken as a universal law.
Traditional Chinese medicine holds that human life is a physiological process in constant motion and change. Under normal conditions, the waxing and waning of yin and yang are kept within certain bounds, reflecting a dynamic equilibrium of the physiological processes. When the balance is broken, disease occurs. Typical cases of disease-related imbalance include excess of yin, excess of yang, deficiency of yin, and deficiency of yang.