I have long been a fan of the Reader s Digest Laughter, the Best Medicine column and often suspected that laughter was good for me. After all, I was raised on the mantra the family that laughs together, stays together and my family possesses a long list of in jokes that require nothing more than a catch phrase to crack up the whole clan. However, now my suspicion that laughter is good for me can actually be backed up by scientific evidence. Humor can improve memory. This would explain why so many advertisers spend a great deal of time and money on funny ads and gimmicks. It might also explain why so many of our favorite teachers also happened to be funny. We were learning while we laughed and it didn t hurt a bit. Humor can also help us be more creative. Often humor makes us look at ourselves or our world in a slightly different way which can be both enlightening and challenging to our brains. If amused we are more likely to open our minds up and think outside the box. Laughter is a great way to relieve stress. We know there are many other ways but laughter is socially acceptable in most...

It s natural to be concerned about the risks associated with gastric bypass and gastric banding surgery, since some complications associated with weight loss surgery can be fatal. A recent study by University of Washington researchers found the fatality rate from gastric bypass surgery can be as high as 5 for younger patients, and 50 or more for older patients. Less experienced surgeons and obesity clinics have the highest rates of complications. It makes sense to discuss the possible risks with your doctor before agreeing to the surgery, and to find out how many previous surgeries they have performed, along with their outcomes. Gastric Banding Complications: It appears there are fewer complications after Lap-Band weight loss surgery, which restricts the size of the stomach but does not change the intestinal tract or cause the malabsorption of nutrients. The most common risks of this type of procedure are nausea, vomiting and gastroesophageal reflux. Since this type of procedure does not cause the dumping syndrome common to gastric bypass surgeries, Lap-Band patients are still able to eat...

Candida is normally inoffensive yeast, an organism that lives naturally inside our bodies in small populations within the intestines. Sometimes, however, under certain conditions is can mutate into a fungal infection. The aggressive fungal form invades the body s systems and causes a great deal of damage. How does this happen and how is it treated. Well, there are a number of causes, and not too many possible treatments. Before evaluating treatment options, it is necessary to understand the cause of the imbalance. Common causes of environmental imbalances are changes in blood sugar levels because of diabetes, changes in hormone levels as a result of pregnancy, puberty, menopause and menstruation, changes in normal gut flora due to intestinal infections or the intake of antibiotics, or a compromised immune system, such as AIDS. The fungal form of Candida is a far worse companion than the simple yeast infection. The fungal-form of Candida develops aggressive roots that penetrate the intestinal walls, and create the opportunity for partially digested food particles to penetrate the blood stream...