✚Helpful Hints #6

HEALTH and WELLNESS

GUZZLE GREEN TEA

No, you can't get too much!  Powerful polyphenols in green tea kill breast, liver, prostate, colon, lung, pancreas and skin cancer cells, lab studies show.  "Green tea helps cut off blood flow to cancer cells, plus it helps defective cells repair or destroy themselves," says Timothy C. Birdsall, N.D., of the cancer Treatment Centers of America.  "The more you drink, the more you're protected."  Green tea also lowers cholesterol, prevents clots - and makes it easier to stay trim by cutting the body's absorption of dietary fat.  Even more effective: white tea.  The least processed of the teas, it has even more powerhouse antioxidants than green, say Oregoon State University researchers.
What about regular tea bags you say?
Ordinary black tea also has cancer-preventing properties, but you have to drink three cups for every one of green to get the same protection.

STOP BUG-BITE ITCH WITH A BANANA PEEL!
You've swatted a mosquito away two seconds too late, and now you have an itchy welt on your ankle.  To relieve the annoying bite, rub the inside of a banana peel against the inflamed area.  Its abundance of polysaccharides (a starch-like material that soothes skin) seeps deep into skin cells and stops the irritation immediately.

BEAUTY and FASHION

PUFFY EYES?

Place a chilled spoon over each eye for 10 minutes.  The coolness reduces swelling so your eyes look pretty and rested!

CHAPPED LIPS?
Smooth on olive oil.  Dry skin soaks it up like a sponge, leaving lips soft and protecting them from the environment.

HOME and AUTO
FUEL COST CALCULATOR.
Find out how much you'll spend on gas before you hit the road at fuelcostcalculator.com, a AAA site that computes your car model and gas prices to give an exact quote! (American residents only).

GOING GREEN AND CHEAP!

Some storebought cleansers contain harsh chemicals that can cause dizziness and headaches.  Make cleaning safer and save money at the same time by trying out these earth-friendly alternatives!

• Cheaper Glass Cleaner! - A solution of warm water and distilled white vinegar will gently remove dirt from glass without leaving a foggy residue behind.  To make the mix:  Combine 8 cups water with 2 tsp. vinegar.
• The Disinfectant In Your Medicine Cabinet! - Just apply 3% hydrogen peroxide to a sponge and wipe down dirty surfaces, then rinse with water.  Peroxide washes away 99.9% of germs.
• This instead of Metal Polish! - Non-gel toothpaste doesn't just brighten teeth, it also gives a lustrous shine to silver, chrome, copper and stainless steel!

SEX and RELATIONSHIPS
SEX FACT #1
People who have sex about three times a week are perceived to look four to seven years younger.

SEX FACT #2
Women place a higher importance on looks than men do when looking for a casual sex partner... but that may not be smart.  One poll found that computer nerds make the best lovers, with 82 percent of IT geeks claiming they put their partner's pleasure above their own!;

PETS AND ANIMALS
DID YOU KNOW?
Just 10 minutes with a pet has been shown to lower high blood pressure?
A few years ago, researchers at the State University of New York at Buffalo conducted a large study on pets and individuals who had high blood pressure.
The university studied 48 stockbrokers that were already taking Lycinprol for hypertension. A group of these stock brokers were provided a pet in addition to their Lycinprol medication. The other group represented the control group and continued to take their Lycinprol medication.

Six months later, the study simulated a high stress situation for entire group of stockbrokers. Those with pets at home only had their resting systolic (top number) blood pressure elevate from 120 to 126. The stock brokers without pets had an increase in blood pressure from 120 to 148.

PUT AN END TO FLUFFY'S COUNTERTOP JUMPING!
No matter how many times you shoo your cat off the kitchen counter, she keeps jumping back up and invading your prep space.  Stop her leaps once and for all by placing strips of double-sided tape around the edges of the countertop.  The sticky sensation will deter her from placing her paws on - or anywhere near - the area.

MONEY and FINANCE
WATCH YOUR WALLET WHEN THIS MUSIC IS PLAYING

Classical!  According to a Texas Tech University study, you'll choose, on average, items that cost three times more than you would normally spend when Bach, Beethoven or the music of similar composers is playing in the background!  The researchers suspect that classical music makes you feel more sophisticated, and this, in turn, causes you to choose more expensive items.

THIS FINGER TRICK CAN SHOW...
HOW SHY AND STRAIGHT-UP YOU ARE!

With the pointer finger of your dominant hand, draw a 'Q' on your forehead.  Did you point the "tail" of the Q toward your right eye or your left?  If it was toward the left, then you enjoy being the center of attention.  If pointed toward the right, you're more introspective.The link?

Drawing the tail toward the left lets someone watching you see the letter correctly, revealing a subconscious tendency to want others to "read" you.  Drawing it so that you can see the Q correctly reveals you're more concerned about your own inner feelings.

Self-centered people tend to draw the letter Q in a way in which it can be read by themselves. They tend to come across as being the 'same person' in different situations, and their behaviour is guided more by their own values than the needs of others. They pride themselves on being straight with people, and expect others to be honest with them. Because of this, they are not especially good at lying, but are better at detecting lies in others.

People who are other-centered tend to draw the letter Q in a way in which it can be seen by someone facing them. They tend to be concerned with how other people see them. They are happy being the center of attention, can easily adapt their behaviour to suit the situation in which they find themselves, and are skilled at influencing the way in which others see them. Because of this they are often good at lying, but not so good at detecting lies.









Resource(s):
Reader's Digest magazine, tesh.com, Consumer Reports magazine, The Oprah magazine, Womans World magazine, Men's Health magazine, Best Health magazine, Money magazine, Macleans magazine, Better Homes and Garden magazine