Beautiful People Convey Personality Traits Better During First Impressions.

A new University of British Columbia study has found that people identify the personality traits of people who are physically attractive more accurately than others during short encounters. 

The study, published in the December edition ofPsychological Science, suggests people pay closer attention to people they find attractive, and is the latest scientific evidence of the advantages of perceived beauty. Previous research has shown that individuals tend to find attractive people more intelligent, friendly and competent than others. 

The goal of the study was to determine whether a person's attractiveness impacts others' ability to discern their personality traits, says Prof. Jeremy Biesanz, UBC Dept. of Psychology, who co-authored the study with PhD student Lauren Human and undergraduate student Genevieve Lorenzo. 

For the study, researchers placed more than 75 male and female participants into groups of five to 11 people for three-minute, one-on-one conversations. After each interaction, study participants rated partners on physical attractiveness and five major personality traits: openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism. Each person also rated their own personality. 

Researchers were able to determine the accuracy of people's perceptions by comparing participants' ratings of others' personality traits with how individuals rated their own traits, says Biesanz, adding that steps were taken to control for the positive bias that can occur in self-reporting. 

Despite an overall positive bias towards people they found attractive (as expected from previous research), study participants identified the "relative ordering" of personality traits of attractive participants more accurately than others, researchers found. 

"If people think Jane is beautiful, and she is very organized and somewhat generous, people will see her as more organized and generous than she actually is," says Biesanz. "Despite this bias, our study shows that people will also correctly discern the relative ordering of Jane's personality traits - that she is more organized than generous - better than others they find less attractive." 

The researchers say this is because people are motivated to pay closer attention to beautiful people for many reasons, including curiosity, romantic interest or a desire for friendship or social status. "Not only do we judge books by their covers, we read the ones with beautiful covers much closer than others," says Biesanz, noting the study focused on first impressions of personality in social situations, like cocktail parties. 

Although participants largely agreed on group members' attractiveness, the study reaffirms that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Participants were best at identifying the personalities of people they found attractive, regardless of whether others found them attractive. 

According to Biesanz, scientists spent considerable efforts a half-century ago seeking to determine what types of people perceive personality best, to largely mixed results. With this study, the team chose to investigate this longstanding question from another direction, he says, focusing not on who judges personality best, but rather whether some people's personalities are better perceived. 

Natural Asthma Treatments

While quick relief medicines (referred to as relievers), long-term control medicines (referred to as preventers), and hormones (adrenaline and hydrocortisone) continue to be the most traditional approaches to managing asthma, many doctors are complementing these approaches with natural asthma treatments. In addition, there’s a growing population of sufferers who prefer taking a more natural approach to controlling their condition.

Natural asthma treatments are as much about thinking and acting smart as they are about adding non-Western approaches to your management program. For instance, the best natural treatment is to avoid known triggers. If you’re sensitive to cigarette smoke, avoid it. If cat dander triggers your asthma attacks, don’t put yourself in an environment with cats. If pollen is your culprit, find ways to remain indoors as much as possible during those high pollen seasons such as spring and autumn.

See? Simple common sense.

But let’s move on to proactive natural asthma treatments.

Vitamin and mineral supplements can be an excellent complement to conventional asthma treatments. A nutritional deficiency can weaken your immune system making it more difficult to withstand environmental triggers. By adding a regular routine of supplements, you can keep your immune system strong.

For instance, asthmatics tend to have very low magnesium levels (a mineral that helps relax the bronchial tubes) so adding a daily magnesium supplement to your diet may prove to be very beneficial. Vitamin B6 can help reduce wheezing. And studies have shown that taking Vitamin C before exercise can prevent an asthma attack.

One word of caution with supplements … make certain that they’re hypo-allergenic. You don’t want to be taking something that will aggravate your condition instead of improving it.

Next are herbal supplements. Herbs can be toxic and dangerous if taken in large doses, so make sure you read the label and follow the prescribed doses.

Tylophora indica (also referred to as Tylophora asthmatica) is a rare Ayurvedic botanical known for its anti-asthma/anti-allergy benefits. A 1969 twelve-week study involving one hundred ninety-five patients suffering from bronchial asthma resulted in approximately 15 percent of those who took Tylophora indica experienced complete to moderate relief of their asthma symptoms.

Boswella is derived from resin extracts from the Boswellia serrata tree. While this herb is most often mentioned for its anti-inflammatory properties, some studies suggest it can also be helpful for asthma. In one trial, 300 mg of boswellia serrata taken three times daily showed an improvement in the symptoms of asthma, including a reduction in asthma attacks.

Butterbur is a perennial shrub that contains petasins, which inhibit leukotrienes and histamines. In one study of butterbur, 40 percent of the participants showed improvement and were actually able to reduce their regular asthma medications.

Mullein is a weed and grows everywhere. While some people have experienced immediate relief from asthma attacks when using mullein, others have experienced no relief at all. So this herb is a bit of a hit or a miss, depending on the individual.

Elecampane is a large herbaceous plant found primarily in England. It’s recommended by some herbalists as a long-term treatment for asthma, particularly when mucus is an ever-present problem. There haven’t been any studies of elecampane. So at this time, there’s no real evidence of its effectiveness.

Always be cautious when using natural asthma treatments, and always involve your doctor in the process to make sure there won’t be any adverse reactions with your prescribed medications. And of course, never stop taking asthma medicine prescribed by your doctor without consulting with him or her first.

Discover additional natural asthma treatments and learn more about asthma and allergies in your quest to control your asthma. The better educated you are, the healthier you’ll be.

Ayurvedic product launched for treatment of H1N1

PUNE: As pandemic Influenza H1N1 spreads at an alarming rate in Pune, city-based Institute of Integrative Healthcare (IIHc) under the aegis of India International Multiversity has launched ‘Immurich’, an Ayurvedic product made out of ‘Gau-Piyush’ or cow colostrum that can act as an effective treatment against communicable and pandemic diseases.

Addressing the media here on Wednesday, India International Multiversity founder Dr Vijay Bhatkar said that with increasing H1N1 cases being reported from the city and the country in general, it is difficult to find a vaccine immediately because of extreme costs, time consumption and other challenges. 

It is in this backdrop that IIHc constituted a task force of experts together to find a solution.

The task force decided to focus on nutritional immunology inspired by Ayurveda. The group found a number of references for communicable diseases in Ayurveda and recommended the use of cow colostrum as a powerful and effective treatment against many diseases, including Influenza-Like Infections (ILI).

Bhatkar said that IIHc had approached the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) to test on H1N1 patients and is awaiting permission for the same.

Say goodbye to Anemia with Ayurveda !

Minor imbalances in the blood components of our body are capable of opening up a plethora of health issues, and anemia is one such common medical conditions of the blood which is characterized by low count of red blood cells (RBC). As per an official estimate released by the World Health Organization (WHO), anemia affects over one-third of the total population of the world.

This is an alarming report that calls for immediate measures, hence curbing the further outspread of iron deficiency causing anemia is a critical requirement. Besides incorporating iron-enhancing medications, extending treatments at the nutritional level has already shown great results in improvising imbalances. Herbal treatment with iron supplements like AnemiCare not only increases the quantity of iron in the body, but it also supplements the body with Vitamin C, Folic Acid and Calcium.

The simple truth is that the problems of anemia arise due to reduced or inadequate intake of iron-rich food in our diet. Our body depends majorly on iron supply from external sources in order to produce red blood cells in our bone marrows. Technically, iron is an inseparable blood component used in the structuring of blood hemoglobin, and the redness of the blood is indicative of the presence of hemoglobin. Meanwhile, there are various other underlying causes of anemia excluding inadequate dietary intake, and they are— stomach ulcers, chronic internal bleeding due colon cancer, uterine cancer, intestinal polyps, hemorrhoids and so on.

People suffering from one of these medical conditions are subjected to continuous and slow loss of blood, as a result the amount of iron in their bodies remain below the threshold limit at all times. Also, vitamins and essential minerals aid in the production of red blood cells in the blood, so in other words iron, vitamin B12 and folate are the main components required in the making of hemoglobin in the blood.

In conformity with the degree of anemia in the body whether acute or chronic, an anemic person may exhibit symptoms ranging between fatigue, low energy, weakness, shortness of breath, dizziness, palpitations and paleness. But, severe cases of anemia are reportedly characterized by chest pain, dizziness, loss of consciousness, discoloration of stool, increased heart rate, breathing and more.

In similar lines with modern medicine, Ayurvedic treatment for iron deficiency causing anemia focuses on the importance holistic approaches. Both type of treatment methods employ the power of dietary supplements and healthy lifestyles. Increasing the intake of iron-rich foods such as mustard greens, spinach, turnip greens, broccoli, parsley, watercress, brussel sprouts, beans, lentils, soya beans, fortified iron whole grains, seafood like oysters, clams, tuna, salmon et al are the simplest remedy for overcoming pang of anemic distresses.

If you reckon Ayurveda to be the safest means for treating the problems of anemia, then AnemicCare, a potent herbal iron supplement, is the right choice for your \health. This purely herbal product carries zero side-effects and time-bound use of this vegetarian capsule guarantees relief from spells of dizziness and fatigue. It is capable of improving your stamina and replenishes vitamin C, iron and folic acid in your body system.

Make Ayurveda a part of your life and enjoy limitless happiness!

Commonwealth Games popularizes Ayurveda

With the launch of the Commonwealth Games, Ayurveda, Yoga and Medical tourism in general will draw a huge number of visitors and will potentially fetch $200 million, a study that was released on Tuesday said.

Ayurveda and yoga alone will be a $135-million business during the 12-day event, while the revenue prospects for medical tourism are expected at around $65 million, says the study by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Assocham).

“Job opportunity for Ayurveda, naturopathy, yoga, spa and medical tourism professionals is projected for 50,000 people,” said chamber secretary general D.S. Rawat, releasing the study. He also added that visitors from Canada, Britain and Australia would take advantage of the ancient Indian medicinal practices and traditions while they are here for the games.

According to the study, each foreigner visiting India during the Games is likely to spend Rs.10,000-Rs.35,000 ($225-$775) on ayurveda and related treatments, while the spend on medical tourism will be higher at Rs.40,000-Rs.120,000 ($885-$2,650). Occupancy at ayurveda and naturopathy centres have gone up by 60 percent, it adds.

Around 200,000 patients from overseas visit India each year, fetching a business worth over $500 million. This is expected to touch $2 billion by 2012, due to advantages such as low-cost treatment compared to the US and Europe.

Assocham also suggested to the Ministries of Health and Tourism to jointly set up a separate department and training institute to bridge the gap of skilled professionals in this field and also authorize the ayurvedic and Herbal centres.

Get the Aloe vera juice and benefit from its various uses..

• Aloe vera juices help to improve general immune system and organism condition improvement. Keeps keeping your stomach cool.
• Aloe vera juice benefits include prevention from the cancer and fight with cancer.
• It is used to control the stomach acids and maintain the balance in the stomach. This is one of the important benefits of drinking Aloe vera juice.
• Aloe juice stimulates tissue regeneration- help stomach and other body parts also. Highly effective and shooting for your skin.
• Aloe vera juice benefits include absorption of nutrients and neutralizing toxic and bad elements. This is also one of the benefits of drinking Aloe vera juice.
• Aloe vera juice is also helpful for diabetic patients.

Aloe vera..

Aloes have been used worldwide for more than 3,500 years. They are desert lilies and there are more than 200 varieties. Aloe vera is an aloe plant. Aloe vera, which means “true aloe” in Latin, is generally the most widely used and most effective species of aloe.

The aloe vera plant has long, spiked leaves, which are thick-skinned and contain a clear gel-like substance. It is used today in many products, including cosmetics, skin lotion and moisturizers, burn gels and even sun screen creams.

                                       Juice is also taken from the aloe vera leaves. The bitter juice is often prepared as a flavored drink and is used to help with digestive problems.

Aloe vera contains numerous vitamins and minerals, enzymes, amino acids, natural sugars and agents which may be anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial. The combination and balance of the plant's ingredients are what purportedly gives it its healing properties.

Postal stamp on Maharshi Patanjali released

Haridwar, Union Minister of state forInformation Technology and Communication Gurudas Kamath todayreleased a postal stamp on Maharshi Patanjali here.

Releasing the stamp at a function organised on theoccasion of birthday of Acharya Balkrishan, an associate ofYoga Guru Ramdev at Patanjali Yogpeeth here, Kamath lauded thecontribution of Ramdev in the field of Ayurveda and Yoga andsaid he is an asset for the country.

Speaking on the occasion, Uttarakhand Chief MinisterRamesh Pokhariyal Nishank announced that every year August 4would be celebrated as "Jari-Buti day" (herbal medicine day)in the state, as a great personality like Acharya Balkrishanwas born on this day.

Nishank said Uttarakhand is the only state in the countrywhere rare herbs are found. Even the Ayurvedacharya of thecountry believe the Sanjivani Booti is found in Uttarakhand,he added.

The CM also asked the farmers to grow herbs.

Supporting Nishank, Ramdev said if the farmers takeinterest in growing herbs, the Patanjali Yogapeeth is readyto take the responsibility to procure their all produce ofminimum support price, to be declared by the state government,

Ramdev also claimed that farmers can become prosperous bygrowing herbs in their fields. A book titled" Azadi Ka SampurnShankhnaad" was also released on the occasion.

Baba Ramdev honoured the people involved in the researchof medicinal herbs with "Ayurveda Gaurav" and farmers growingherbs with "Krishak Gaurav".

On this occasion, an MoU was also signed between theUttarakhand government and Patnajali Yogpeeth for procurementof herbs from farmers of the state.

Bitter Gourd inhibits onset of breast cancer

The bitter vegetable, better known as bitter gourd, which was so far found to be beneficial against diabetes, heartburn, blood pressure, ulcers and high cholesterol levels, has now been found to be an effective slayer of breast cancer cells in the body.
According to a research carried out by scientists at Saint Louis University, bitter melon or bitter gourd extract, apart from killing breast cancer cells, also prevented them from multiplying.
The bitter vegetable, with its rich mineral and vitamin content such as vitamin A, B1, B2 and C, besides iron content, is highly beneficial in tackling several diseases.
Ratna Ray, Professor in the department of pathology and lead researcher, agrees that the results seem promising, as research shows that bitter melon extract considerably induced death in breast cancer cells and decreased their growth and spread.
The research was conducted using human breast cancer cells in vitro or in controlled lab setting. The extract will now be tested on an animal model to see if it plays a role in delaying the growth or killing of cancer cells. On receiving a positive result from this, human trials may follow, Ray said.
This finding is of special interest for women, particularly in India, as it is a much commonly available vegetable in India.
Ray said that preventing cancer by using natural vegetables is considered as the best way to reduce high incidences of cancer.
Ray’s future research will focus on using bitter melon extract as a vital dietary product and examine the impact on high-risk breast cancer patients.
Rajesh Aggarwal, Professor, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Colarado University, Denver School of Pharmacy, said that this study is a major step in establishing cancer preventing efficiency of bitter melon against breast cancer.

However, more studies are required to understand the molecular targets of bitter melon extract in cancer cells and for establishing its in vivo efficacy, he said.

Avoid Fake Herbal Medicine Companies

Herbal medicines are consumed by almost 80% of the world’s population. In India alone, the industry stands at a huge $1 billion. The demand comes from the people’s faith in the 5000 year old science of life. Despite many allegations, people never lose their faith in Ayurvedic medicines. This leads to an increase in demand over the years. This is primarily because of the distrust associated to anything chemical, and modern drugs are composed of chemicals and nothing else. Herbal medicines stand for anything natural, and provide us a chance to establish an association with nature. This explains the consumer attitudes behind the purchase decisions.

But, the fly-by-night quack Ayurvedic companies are taking advantage of this faith. According to a recent finding, a whopping twenty percent of Ayurvedic medicines sold over the Internet contains over permissible limits of lead, mercury, or arsenic. The conclusion was arrived at after the researchers of a university purchased 193 samples of medicines available over the Internet and analyzed them for possible toxicity. And their doubts came to be true. 

This is shocking since the herbal medicine market is mainly a export oriented market and the main demand comes from the foreigners, affected by health tourism and looking towards the east to fix their physiological problems. These guys are an easily decieved lot, and seldom cross check the products or even the profile of the company. The decision is influenced by an eye catching design of the website and a compelling copy that enthralls the readers. Some aggressive and often misguided SEO efforts lead to high Page Rank which makes the company listed among the first few pages of any search engine. Most of these products flaunt a GMP certification and there is no means by which you can verify this certification. 

So, if you are living abroad and looking for herbal remedies to relieve you of asthma or other chronic illnesses, then don’t go for any Tom-Dick-or Harry manufacturer. Take time to know more about the disease, its chances of recovery and the available medications. If you are purchasing something over the Internet, do a Google search for the company to look for any media mention or press release that has come out in a national daily. Also, look for the research and development work of the company. Remember, Ayurveda is not just a quack medication. You can’t just mix some herbs, boil them and say, “Here is a miracle cure for Asthma!” It requires careful clinical experimentation and a proper lab-oriented approach to churn out the right medicine. Thankfully, the research work of Asoka Lifescience Limited is undertaken by Jadavpur University, one of the largest universities in Asia. Just the right approach needed to rub off the blemishes that fake companies put on Ayurveda....

                                                                                                                    -Dr.s.ansari

Eating meat may cause severe allergic reactions in some people

Meat allergies may be much more common than previously thought and may even induce potentially fatal anaphylaxis in some people, according to a study conducted by researchers from the University of Virginia and presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology in New Orleans.

The researchers tested three groups of people across the U.S. Southeast with a history of recurrent anaphylaxis without known cause for an immune reaction to alpha-gal, a kind of sugar found in mammal meat. 

Although most allergic reactions are caused by proteins, scientists recently discovered that alpha-gal is responsible for anaphylactic reactions to cetuximab, a cancer drug. Further studies revealed that people who experience immune responses to alpha-gal also develop allergic symptoms within three to six hours of eating mammalian meat.

Alpha-gal is not found in the flesh of bird or fish.

The researchers found that between 20 and 50 percent of participants tested positive for allergy to alpha-gal. Overall, 25 of 60 participants (42 percent) showed signs of meat allergy.

Although doctors have known of meat allergies for some time, they have previously presumed them to be uncommon. The new study suggests that as many as half of all unexplained food allergies may be attributed to meat, however.

"This would make me personally think about including these foods in my differential diagnosis," said Michael Pistiner of Children's Hospital Boston, who was not involved in the study.

Meat allergies may be harder to detect than other food allergies because it takes the body three to six hours to produce a reaction to alpha-gal. They also tend to develop in adults rather than children, in contrast to most food allergies.

Although the study only looked at patients suffering the most severe reactions, co-author Scott. P. Commins noted that alpha-gal allergies probably occur in a wide variety of severities, just like other allergies.

Ayurved sure cure for heart ailments: US experts

Times News Network

Indraprasth - Medical experts in the US have turned to
Ayurved after findings that India's alternative system
of healing can make a dent in the heart attack rates. 

Baffled by the fact that enormous resources and latest
medical technology have failed to lower the incidence of
cardio-vascular diseases, they have come here to explore
possibilities of productive research in herbal medicine. 

"We are bringing the technology to promote the medicine
system of an ancient civilisation," says Robert
Schneider, one of the 15 American experts currently
participating in a workshop along with the Ayurved
practitioners here. 

What brought the focus on the Indian healing system was a
paper in Stroke, the journal of the American Heart
Association, which claimed that with meditation one could
open up the clogged heart arteries.

Growing Basil For Its Excellent Health, Medicinal Benefits and Ayurvedic Remedies

Basil is also known as “Sacred Tulsi” or “Holy Basil”. It is cultivated and known for around 5000 years. The tropical regions of Asia, Iran and India were the producers and consumers of basil for a long time till it became a popular herb thanks to the extremely beneficial properties of basil.