A New Way To Keep Your Resolutions: Go to Church?

You guys got into a spirited debate about whether going to church can make you live longer, and now a new study suggests that religious people are more likely to have better self-control. Should you go to church to boost your chances of sticking to your resolutions this year?

In a review of 80 years worth of studies, Michael McCullough, a psychology professor from the University of Miami found that that religious people had more self-control than people who weren't religious. "When people pray or meditate, there's a lot of activity in two parts of brain that are important for self-regulation and control of attention and emotion," McCullough explained to The New York Times. That extra bit of self-control could be enough to help people reach goals like quitting smoking, training for a race or losing a few pounds. Other studies have found that pious people tend to perform better in school, have more satisfying marriages and are generally happier. They are even more likely to wear a seat belt, go to the dentist and take vitamins!

A New Bed Designed for a Woman's Body--Seriously?

People send me all kinds of story ideas. Some are interesting, some are not. And some just make me scratch my head. Take the pitch I got yesterday from a company hawking a mattress specially designed for women ...

HerMattress.com is touting their product, FloBed For Her, as the "first custom bed for women." According to their press release: "It is a mattress that comfortably and intuitively recognizes the difference between straight lines and curves," writes Dave Turner, the bed's inventor. "The FloBed protects sensitive areas, supports body contours, including her hips."

The FloBed (is it just me, or does the name of this product conjure up images of menstruation?) will set you back around $2,000 for a queen, but that depends on your level of customization and choice of organic/non-organic materials. And, in case you're wondering, the company can customize the other side of the mattress for a man's body, too--so you're guy wouldn't have to sleep on the couch.

A Natural Treat Your Cat Will Love!

If you feel like treating your cat to a healthy snack he or she will enjoy, why not make it from scratch? Here is a recipe I found pretty simple to put together and even easier when preparing a similar vegetable concoction for myself (minus the catnip).

"BETTER THAN GRASS SALAD" courtesy of www.remedies4.com

1 small sized carrot peeled and grated

1/4 cup of peeled and grated zucchini

1/2 cup chopped of alfalfa sprouts

1 tsp.  parsley chopped finely

1/8 cup chicken stock

1/4 tsp dried or fresh catnip

Combine the vegetables in a medium-sized bowl. Add chicken stock and mix. Finish this natural treat by sprinkling  catnip over it. This treat should be served at room temperature and any leftovers can be refrigerated for up three days.

Home Remedies for Sterility and the Dietary Guidelines

Sterility is a common problem that many of the couples face today. There are several home remedies and dietary guidelines that help in the treatment of sterility.

Sterility is a very common problem seen today where a person is biologically incapable to produce children. It is the problem of a couple rather than of an individual. Sterility can be of either the male or the female partner, so in general, we say that the couple is suffering from sterility. One of the preliminary steps in treating sterility is to determine whether the problem lies with the male or the female partner.

Sterility is also known as infertility. There are two basic types of sterility seen in people. The first type is known as primary sterility. In this the couple has never conceived a child. The second type, known as secondary sterility occurs when the couple has conceived a child, but has had a miscarriage. Primary sterility can be due to the male or the female partner; but secondary sterility is only due to problems with the woman’s reproductive system.

Vegetarian Meal Plan

Whether you are a vegetarian by choice or due to health reasons, having a good vegetarian meal plan is absolutely vital. In this article we will discuss all about vegetarian meal plan and how it can be a healthy alternative.

The number of vegetarian people are increasing each year and there are people who are actually looking for a meal plan that is healthy and does not involve eating meat. Whether you are a vegetarian due to religious, cultural or health reasons, it is essential that you draw up a meal plan that is healthy and nutritious. Since meat and sea food is excluded from a vegetarian diet, you need to supplement it with good protein sources for vegetarians like legumes, whole wheat, and dairy. You also need to eat a variety of nuts, soy products and green leafy vegetables to make up for omega 3 essential fatty acids, vitamins and minerals. A healthy vegetarian diet plan might also be adopted by overweight people to lose weight. It is a very healthy way of eating and who knows you might stick to it for the rest of your life. Here we are going to discuss about vegetarian meal plan.

Psychiatric Medications and Violence

Many people believe there's so much danger of psychiatric medications causing violent behavior that these drugs should be banned. A huge 2011 study found that there is indeed a connection between some of these drugs and violence.

However, does the study provide evidence that there's enough reason to ban selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants (the class of drugs most targeted by groups opposed to psychiatric drugs) or any others based on incidence of violent acts? The answer is no.

Facts and Figures Regarding Drugs and Violence

In the study, called "Prescription Drugs Associated with Reports of Violence Towards Others," researchers reviewed five years worth of reporting data. First they selected drugs that had 200 or more "serious adverse events" reported. These events included:

    Death
    Disability
    Hospitalization
    Life-threatening events
    Events requiring medical intervention to prevent harm
    Other serious medical conditions
    Violence events

At this stage they had found 484 drugs that fit the above criteria. Among those drugs there were reports of 1,937 cases of violence toward others in these categories:

    387 homicides
    404 physical assaults
    27 physical abuse
    896 homicidal ideation (envisioning killing someone - compare suicidal ideation)
    223 violence-related symptoms

Violence cases accounted for 0.25% of all adverse events - meaning that 99.75% of the total number of serious issues fell into the other categories. Seventy-nine percent, or 1,530, of those violent incidents were linked to 31 specific drugs, meaning that those particular drugs had the highest likelihood of being associated with violence.