Aspirin is well known to protect against heart disease and stroke and it is currently recommended that all individuals above 40 take one aspirin tab a day. It seems however that not all aspirins are created alike. A Stroke Journal study recently noted that coated Aspirin may not be as effective as plain Aspirin in preventing coronary heart disease. Doctors normally prescribe coated aspirin to protect the stomach lining, and thus prevent ulcer.

The journal however recommends taking a smaller dose (75 mg) of uncoated aspirin instead of the usually prescribed 350 mg (1 adult tab) as the lower dose provides all the benefits with less likelihood of side effects.

A 10 year study at Vancouver General Hospital, Canada, showed that getting less than 5 hours of sleep a night will affect one’s heart on the long run. Fatigue iuncreases the level of fibrinogen, the blood clotting protein, which reduces the blood flow to the heart and brain. 8 hours of sleep is thought to be optimal.

Another study by Columbia University showed that lack of sleep will permanently increase your blood pressure. The study found that less than 5 hours of sleep per day increases the incidence of high blood pressure by 60%. Sleeping less raises your 24 hr blood pressure and heart rate, which, through increased strain, can set up the cardiovascular system to persistently operate at an elevated pressure.

Exercise in the evening will lower your core body temperature and help you fall asleep faster.

An Athens University Study recently showed that non-Smokers exposed to cigarette smoke for 30 minutes 3 times a week, have 25% greater risk of developing heart disease. This adds to a plethora of evidence against second hand smoke. A study published earlier this year in the UK suggested passive smoking at work kills three people every day.

25% of asthma sufferers fall upon an empty inhaler during an asthma attack leading to more serious problems states a study at the Capital Allergy and Respiratory Disease Center.

One should take note of the number of doses listed on the package insert and keep count as there is no way to tell how much medication one has used and the inhaler still puffs air even when empty. Even better would be to attach a battery operated counter to the inhaler’s top.

Men with a 5 hours per week aerobic exercise regimen have a 13% decrease in the marker for colon cancer. The way this works is not very clear but we know that exercise increases both the speed of transit of the intestinal contents (Sedentary folks have higher incidence of constipation) and the level of good (HDL) cholesterol. The first effect minimizes the exposure time of carcinogens passing through the intestine and the second results in decrease of blood sugar and insulin which are associated with cancer.

A Japanese study recently showed that kissing can reduce allergic reactions as well as boost the immune system to fight infections. According to the study kissing will increase the production of the Th1 cytokines and white blood cells and these stop the production of IgE, the antibody that starts the allergic reaction.

Other health benefits of kissing include:

1. The extra saliva washes bacteria off your teeth, which can help break down oral plaque.
2. A serious, tongue-tangling French kiss exercises all the underlying muscles of the face and thus help keep these young.
3. Kissing burns 2 calories per minute

The North American Spine Society advises that inflexible Hamstrings increase one’s risk of a slipped disk as tightness in muscles can create imbalance that adds strain on disks.

It thus recommends a hamstring stretch twice a day for 30 second for each leg.

Drinking 1 liter or more of water a day reduces the risk of heart disease by two thirds according to a study by Loma Linda University.
Another study showed that this amount of water intake boosts one’s HDL (Good Cholesterol) Level by 10%.

The American Heart Association states that men who drink 2 cups of tea per day have significantly stronger hearts. Flavonoids in tea improve your vessel’s ability to relax and thin the blood thus reducing risk of clotting.

Alzheimer, which currently is disgnosed using psychiatric assessment, may soon be detected through a doctor’s office skin test. US researchers say they have discovered enzymes that react abnormally only in the skin of Alzheimer’s patients. This will allow the early diagnosis of Alzheimer and subsequently its early treatment.

The refrigerator temperature needs to be set at 41 Fahrenheit (4.5 Celsius) or less to halt Bacteria Growth. The temperature won’t kill the bacteria, but it will keep them from multiplying, and the fewer there are, the less likely one will get sick from them. Freezing at zero F (minus 18 C) or less stops bacterial growth (although it won’t kill all bacteria already present).

Taking a Daily Aspirin helps prevent Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BHP). Men from 30 years onwards taking 75 to 100 mg of Aspirin/day enjoy are 40% less likely to get BPH than those who don’t. Aspirin also reduces the risk of Heart Disease.

Exposure to Fryer-Fume is now linked to lung cancer in non-smokers. A Chinese study has recently shown that 10 years spent frying food increases the risk of lung cancer by 150%. Extra care should me made to keep one’s kitchen well ventilated to decrease the amount of fryer smoke one inhales.

Observation of African tribes has for years suggested that circumcision plays a protective role against the contraction of the HIV virus. There was marked decrease in HIV incidence among African tribes that practice circumcision compared to those that don’t. A recently published study finally confirmed that indeed circumcised Men are less likely to contract HIV than uncircumcised men. The explanation is that the foreskin (which is present in uncircumcised men) contains cell receptors to which the HIV virus hooks and uses as main vehicle for infection.