Merry Christmas

    The best of gifts around any Christmas tree

The presence of a happy family  

all wrapped 

up in each other 

We wish you all Merry Christmas 

Shadow  & Witchy 

Food for Thought

                                       Chicken Pot Pie

The cold weather season is here. Many of us are looking forward to ending the work day at home under a cozy blanket with a warm meal. Comfort foods take us back to some of our best memories; unfortunately, these can be foods that are high in fat and calories. However, some comforting foods can be good for you, easy to prepare and fit any nutrition plan. Here are a few tips:

• Spaghetti is a great comfort food and has less calories that the typical pasta dishes such as lasagna and creamy pastas. Opt for whole-wheat pasta or get adventurous and try some spaghetti squash. Also, look for chunky sauces without added sugars. Use fresh herbs and vegetables such as basil and onions for added flavor.

• Vegetable soups and stews make great hearty meals. Use a slow cooker to prepare lean cuts of meat along with large pieces of vegetables such as potatoes and carrots. Add your favorite seasonings and let it cook all day. Typically cream soups are much higher in fat and calories, so stick to those that are broth based.


• Cut the crust. Many of our favorite comfort foods such as chicken pot pie and peach cobbler have a top and bottom crust. Simply doing away with the bottom crust could save you a good bit of calories and fat.

• Use lean meats for soups, stews and especially foods that have gravy such as meatloaf or beef tips. Use herbs and spices for flavor. Look for ways to cut fat and calories in your favorite comfort food by searching for healthier alternatives on the Internet on recipe sharing sites and other places, such as Pinterest.

In memory of  a proud & loving  Grand-Poppa

Maxy sez : A Diabetes Exercise Tip : Add Weight training to Your Routine

Weight training with diabetes can lead to better blood sugar control and a reduced risk of complications, among other health benefits. Here's how to incorporate this type of exercise into your routine.
By Dennis Thompson, Jr.
Medically Reviewed by Bhargavi Patham, MD
Research has established the benefits of regular aerobic exercise: Running, swimming, and biking all can reduce your risk of heart disease, cancer, and — yes — diabetes, according to the National Institutes of Health. But now scientists believe that people with diabetes can benefit from a regular weight, or strength, training routine as well. In fact, the American Diabetes Association recommends that all people, even those without chronic illness, strength train at least twice a week. Not only can lifting weights help improve type 2 diabetes symptoms, but when part of a workout plan that includes aerobics, it can put you on the path to long-term good health.

Reaping the Benefits of Weight Training

Diabetes is marked by the body's inability to process glucose and use insulin efficiently, but strength training can help with those issues. Here's how:

You can experience an increase in lean muscle mass, which boosts your base metabolic rate and causes you to burn calories at a faster rate. "Burning these calories helps keep your blood glucose levels in check," notes Sherin Joseph, MPH, health education manager at Montefiore Health System's Williamsbridge Family Practice Center in the Bronx, New York.
The ability of your muscles to store glucose increases with your strength, making your body better able to regulate its blood sugar levels.
Your body's fat-to-muscle ratio decreases, reducing the amount of insulin you need in your body to help store energy in fat cells.
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Even better results have been observed when people with type 2 diabetes combine a weight-training routine with regular aerobic exercise, adds Joseph. The two forms of exercise work together to create better health benefits than either does on its own.

Protecting Against Complications

Strength training also can help guard against some complications of diabetes by:

Reducing your risk of heart disease
Helping control blood pressure
Increasing your levels of good cholesterol while reducing bad cholesterol levels
Improving bone density
Preventing atrophy and age-related loss of muscle mass
Starting a Weight-Training Routine

A weight-training routine involves performing movements that work specific muscle groups in the body. Each workout is broken down into exercises, reps, and sets in the following ways:

The exercise is the specific movement that works a muscle group. For example, a bicep curl or a chest press.
A rep, or repetition, is one completed motion. For example, one rep of a bicep curl involves lowering the dumbbell and raising it to the starting position.
A set is the number of reps performed together, and sets are separated by a short rest period.
The American Diabetes Association suggests the following guidelines for a weight-training routine:

Strength training should be practiced two or three days every week, with at least one day off between sessions, to allow muscles to rest and rebuild.
Strength training can include hand weights, elastic bands, or weight machines, reminds Joseph.
Perform at least 8 to 10 weight exercises per session, to work all the major muscle groups of the upper and lower body.
Exercises can be of low or moderate intensity. Low intensity involves two or three sets of 15 reps with lighter weights, and moderate intensity involves two or three sets of 8 to 12 reps with heavier weights. There should be two to three minutes of rest between sets.
The workout should last 20 to 60 minutes per weight-training session.
Practicing Common Sense

To help ensure good results and prevent injuries, follow these common sense rules:

Get your doctor's clearance. As with any exercise program, you should check with your doctor before starting a weight-training regimen.

Focus on your form. Try to maintain proper posture, and perform each exercise exactly as required, even if it means you need to use less weight.

Breathe. Exhale while lifting the weight and inhale while lowering it.

Allow for variety. Every now and then, change the exercises in your workout, or alter the number of sets or reps you are doing. Your body adapts to exercise, and your progress can plateau if you don't keep your body guessing.

Ask for help. If you need some guidance, consider working with a trainer or joining a weight-training class at your local gym or YMCA.

Always give yourself time to recuperate. Don't work out using a muscle or joint that feels painful. In other words, don’t overdo it.

Food for Thought

 Ten years ago, we lost Julia Child, one of the most memorable chefs, authors and television personalities in the world who is recognized for bringing French cuisine to the American public. Although many criticized her use of certain high-fat, high-calorie ingredients, Child stood firm in her belief we should all enjoy our food and believed you should take a sensible approach and enjoy things in moderation. Here are a few tips to help you celebrate the joy of eating:

• Make every meal mindful. Even if you don’t have a lot of time to cook, take time to enjoy the meal. Be mentally present and appreciate the different flavors and textures. Avoid eating in front of the television or computer.

• Schedule one or two leisurely meals during the week. Make the meal your and your family’s priority. This can be a great time to get the kids involved; children are more likely to try new foods when they are involved.

• Think moderation. If you overindulge at every meal, you will end up feeling sluggish. Think about the foods you really enjoy and work them into your overall healthy eating plan.

In Memory of a proud & loving  grand- Poppa 

Maxy sez : 11 Early Signs of Dementia

By Madeline R. Vann, MPH           




Reviewed by Lindsey Marcellin, MD, MPH






                                                                      1   Unusual Symptoms

Dementia does more than rob people of their memories — research continues to show that this complicated condition is marked by a number of symptoms, especially at the onset. But they’re not always easy to recognize: From frequent falling to failing to recognize sarcasm, some of dementia’s early warning signs are subtle.

How can you know if you or a loved one is showing signs of Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia? Any change that is different from a person’s usual behavior or abilities could be a cause for concern, explains neuropsychologist Katherine Rankin, PhD, who conducts research at the UCSF Memory and Aging Center in San Francisco. Take a look at some of the earliest signs of dementia — you may be surprised.
2   Missing Sarcasm

You may or may not appreciate sarcastic senses of humor, but sarcasm is a part of our culture. "We see it as a nice way to be critical and so we use it constantly, even when we are trying to be nice," says Rankin, whose research found that people with both frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and Alzheimer's disease tend to have a harder time picking up on sarcasm. Another unusual sign of dementia Rankin noticed? People with FTD couldn't tell when someone was lying, although people with Alzheimer's disease could tell. "FTD patients don't have that sense anymore that things that people do could turn out badly," she says.
                                                                       3 Frequent Falling

Constantly tripping over your own two feet? Everyone falls now and again — but frequent falling could be an early signal of Alzheimer’s disease, according to research. A 2011 study presented at Alzheimer's Association International Conference in Paris looked at brain scans of 125 older adults and also asked them to keep track of how often they slipped and stumbled during an eight-month span. The results? Those participants who showed early signs of Alzheimer’s also happened to fall down more often. “People will come into our office concerned because they forgot what was on their grocery list last week, but when their spouse says they’ve fallen four times in the past year, that’s a sign of a problem,” says Rankin. People with this movement disorder, known as progressive 
4   A Disregard for the Law

Some younger people in the beginning stages of early-onset dementia lose their sense of social norms. Shoplifting, breaking into someone’s house, and inappropriate interpersonal behaviors, such as sexual comments or actions, all make the list of surprising dementia symptoms — and they can lead to legal trouble, too. Early-onset dementia can hit people as early as their thirties and forties, well before anyone around them would consider their out-of-character, law-breaking behaviors as signs of dementia.
                                                                      5  Staring

“Reduced gaze” is the clinical term for the dementia symptom that alters people’s ability to move their eyes normally. “We all move our eyes and track with them frequently,” says Rankin. But people showing early signs of dementia look like they’re staring a lot. Rankin adds that, “they try to read and they skip lines.” This is one of the signs of dementia that the patient might not completely be aware of, although people around them probably will be.
6   Eating Objects

One surprising early sign of dementia is eating nonfood objects or foods that are rancid or spoiled. This is partly because the person forgets what to do with the things in front of them. For example, dementia patients might try to eat the flower in a vase on a restaurant table because they “know they are there to eat, but don’t know what the flower is doing there,” says Rankin. Unlike some other Alzheimer’s symptoms or dementia symptoms, this one has few other likely explanations.
                                                             7    Losing Knowledge

Now and again, most people find themselves desperately searching for the right word. In fact, failing to find the word you are thinking of is surprisingly common and not necessarily a sign of dementia, says Rankin. But losing knowledge of objects — not just what they are called, but also what they are used for — is an early dementia symptom. Oddly enough, people who are losing this knowledge can be very competent in other areas of their lives.
8  Losing Empathy

If someone who is usually sweet, considerate, and polite starts to say insulting or inappropriate things — and shows no awareness of their inappropriateness or concern or regret about what they’ve said — they could be exhibiting an early sign of dementia. In the early stages of some types of dementia, symptoms can include losing the ability to read social cues and, therefore, the ability to understand why it’s not acceptable to say hurtful things.
           9    Ignoring Embarrassment

Being unable to recognize how others feel about a situation isn’t the only social cue dementia patients miss — people with dementia symptoms may also lose the ability to understand embarrassment. This is a multi-faceted sign of dementia: They themselves don’t feel embarrassed by the situations they find themselves in and they also don’t understand that situations other people are in (for example, on television sitcoms) are embarrassing or uncomfortable.
10    Compulsive, Ritualistic Behaviors

One sign of dementia that most people don’t expect is the need to complete extreme rituals or compulsive behaviors. “Plenty of people have odd habits and like things done a certain way,” says Rankin. But while these habits are within the realm of normal, extreme hoarding behaviors or detailed rituals or compulsions, such as buying a crossword puzzle book every time they go to the store even if they have hundreds of them, can be dementia symptoms.
                            

                                                                  11    Money Troubles

One of the classic early signs of Alzheimer’s disease is an increasing difficulty with money management. This might start off as having trouble balancing a checkbook or keeping up with expenses of living expenses .





12   Difficulty Speaking

“It’s a bad sign when people who used to be fluent and could speak smoothly stop being able to produce language that way,” says Rankin. Despite this dementia symptom, patients are often crystal clear in other areas. They can run a business, manage their family, or draw beautifully, but they have increased difficulty actually forming the words to speak.

Maxy sez :Top 10 Home Remedies for the Common Cold

The best cold remedies are often the easiest and the most reliable — chicken soup included.
By Sara Calabro         Medically Reviewed by Justin Laube, MD
Chicken soup's legendary effectiveness at fighting colds is backed up by science.
It turns out that your grandma was on to something. Soothing the common cold can be as easy as gargling with salt water and spooning down the chicken soup. Here are 10 cold remedies to try at home that will have you feeling better before you know it.

1. Drink Lots of Fluids

Good hydration helps moisturize the lining of the nose and throat, which makes mucus easier to clear. Aim to drink more fluids than usual. But be sure to avoid caffeinated or alcoholic drinks, as they can cause dehydration.

2. Use an Air Humidifier

You can also help keep nasal and throat passages moist by using an air humidifier, particularly in the winter months when heating makes the air inside your home very dry. Be sure to follow the instructions to keep it clean if you are using it infrequently.

3. Try a Neti Pot
Another way to prevent nasal dryness is with a neti pot, a nose-rinsing device found in drug and health-food stores (just make sure the device is clean and you’re using it properly to ensure that it’s safe and effective, according to the FDA). These pots are filled with a saline (salt water) solution and are inserted into one nostril while the user tilts his or her head to the side to allow the solution to flow up the nasal passage and out the other nostril.

4. Eat Chicken Soup

The adage about chicken soup being good for a cold is practically as old as the common cold itself. And there's some truth to what your grandmother has been telling you all these years. "Chicken soup is nice for the common cold because it loosens up your mucus," says Norman Edelman, MD, a professor of preventive medicine, internal medicine, and physiology and biophysics at the State University of New York at Stony Brook and a senior scientific adviser for the American Lung Association.

5. Take Echinacea

Evidence is mixed on the effects of echinacea on the common cold, but some experts say it can be helpful. "Echinacea does not prevent infection, but several studies have suggested that echinacea helps reduce the duration of upper respiratory infection symptoms," says Adriane Fugh-Berman, MD, a professor of pharmacology and physiology at Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington, DC.

6. Reach for Some Zinc Lozenges

Like echinacea, the mineral zinc gets mixed marks when being assessed for its effectiveness against the common cold. "I have not seen any evidence for prevention," says Dr. Fugh-Berman, "but there is some evidence — according to a review article published in the June 2013 issue of the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews — that zinc in the form of lozenges can decrease the symptoms of a common cold."

7. Take Vitamin C

It's up there with chicken soup as far as legendary cold remedies go, and there may be some truth to vitamin C's being helpful. Get it as a supplement or by upping your intake of vitamin C–rich foods, like citrus, green peppers, dark leafy greens, and kiwi fruit. Several studies show that it can reduce the duration and severity of a common cold, according to research published in January 2013 in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.

8. Give Your Nose a Massage

Try massaging the acupuncture point known as yingxiang, located at the lower border of the nostril. Scientific research on the effectiveness of this technique is limited, but an older, small study published in the American Journal of Rhinology did find that this type of nasal massage can provide relief from nasal congestion.

9. Gargle With Water

Research suggests that gargling with water three times a day can actually help prevent upper respiratory tract infections. So gargle away, before that common cold gets any worse.

10. Stock Your Medicine Cabinet

Not exactly a home remedy in the traditional sense, but there's no denying that over-the-counter (OTC) cold remedies — such as Tylenol (acetaminophen) or Mucinex (guaifenesin) — can provide temporary relief. The American Lung Association recommends that these medications be taken as soon as common cold symptoms arise. If you have high blood pressure, though, talk to your doctor about OTC cold medications you should avoid.

And of course, there's no substitute for eating right and getting plenty of rest to keep your immune system strong so that you're in prime shape to keep those colds at bay!

Maxy sez : Which One Should I Take? How To Choose Over-the-Counter Pain Medication

By Taryn Winter Brill
There's aspirin, ibuprofen, acetaminophen, and naproxen – each sold under several brand names. Here's what you need to know to choose the right one for you.
When you're looking for an over-the-counter pain reliever, a walk through your local pharmacy is bound to give you headache. With so many choices and brands it can get confusing, so here are the basics.

Pain Reliever: Aspirin

OTC Brands: Bayer, Ecotrin

Aspirin is a good general analgesic, meaning it relieves pain. It's great for anything that hurts: headaches, muscle aches, joint pains, and fevers.

People with stomach or colon bleeding should never take aspirin. Also, it should never be given to children.

"There's a rare incidence of something called Reye's Syndrome, which is a very serious disease that can be caused by aspirin in kids," says Bertie M. Bregman, MD, of Westside Family Medicine in New York City.

Over-the-counter brands include Bayer and Ecotrin, or you can just buy a generic bottle of aspirin, which is often less expensive.

"I would say that there's no discernible advantage to brand-name over generic aspirin, so you might as well just look to see what the dosage is and if it's the same. Go for whichever is cheaper," Dr. Bregman says.

Pain Reliever: Acetaminophen

OTC Brand: Tylenol

Acetaminophen is also an analgesic, like aspirin, so it's commonly used for headaches and pain. But since this is not an anti-inflammatory substance, it won't do much for muscles or sprains.

Bregman says anyone with liver problems should stay away from acetaminophen and be careful when giving it to babies.

"We commonly prescribe acetaminophen for babies," Bregman says. "There's some emerging data showing a possible association between acetaminophen use and the development of asthma. That might be a reason to limit our use of acetaminophen. I think that it's still a very valuable drug in kids to decrease fevers primarily, but also for pain control. I still use it commonly but along the general theory that you should always be careful about using any medication and only use it when you have to. I avoid it when I don't have to use it because I'm waiting to hear more about this association."

Pain Reliever: Ibuprofen

Ibuprofen is primarily used as an analgesic for headaches, and joint and muscle pain. It lowers fever and works as well as an anti-inflammatory. It's also safe for children.

Anyone with kidney problems should stay away from ibuprofen.

This drug helps with headaches, and joint and muscle pain. It's especially effective as an anti-inflammatory agent for arthritis, sprains, sunburns, menstrual cramps, and other inflammation-based pain.

"The main reason to choose naproxen over ibuprofen or aspirin is that it's longer lasting, so you don't have to take it as frequently. It lasts longer in your system," says Bregman.

Aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen are all part of the same class of medications, known as NSAIDs, so they should never be combined. It is possible to take acetaminophen with these three, without worrying about side effects. If you're ever unsure of what to pick, the pharmacist is always a good resource. Remember if over-the-counter medicines aren't working, be sure to speak to your doctor or health care provider.

Essence & Experience Empowerment

 OUR ESSENCE is Spirit  and OUR Experience is human . Therefore , while our essence  is always love , our experiences can be ragged , flawed , or downright icky . The trick is to infuse experience  with essence  and weave them together  , for it's through  our very humanness in conjunction  with SPIRIT that our soul grows . We need not subjugate nor regate our humanness in order to become a vessel of love  , but rather  become the best human we can be . Through love and acceptance  , we can transform our human limitations into a clear window through which our essence can shine .Healing , honing and honoring our humanity  encourages us to become the best  possible vehicle for the light of SPIRIT .

Play with the concept  of weaving for a minute. Close your eyes  and relax and , in whatever way feels right  to you , give yourself permission  to create  a fanciful tapestry of your life . Imagine a color or colors  for both your essence  and your experience. You can choose one particular experience or focus on experiences in general . Anything is perfectly all right .

Ask both the wisdom and the whimsy of your  heart to help weave the colors of essence  and experience together  as a symbolic picture . What do you  love about weaving ? What do you dislike , or what makes you uncomfortable ?

Study your tapestry  as you would a dream . There are undoubtedly valuable hints in this meditation about how you feel  you're doing  with the task of weaving  essence and experience together . As we become more adept  at bringing our essence into everyday experiences , they will be magically transformed into everyday blessings .

I accept and honor both my essence and experiences .
Bathed in love , all experiences  can become a blessing .

Maxy sez : Skin Panic, Skin Therapy: When Stress Shows on Your Skin

Celebrity dermatologist Ava Shamban, MD, talks about disconnecting from stress for the sake of your skin.
By Ava Shamban, MD, Special to Everyday Health
In my practice, stress is one of the most formidable opponents. In Hollywood, stress’ heightened sense of urgency can actually be addictive for some people. Physiologically, it works like this. Once stress is triggered, your adrenal gland produces dumps cortisol into your bloodstream. The more you are stressed the more your body can’t regulate the levels of cortisol in your system, and that’s when the danger begins. Your body can start showing signs of increased sensitivity, itchiness, breakouts, and even stretchmarks!

Stress is a particularly sinister adversary because whatever your skin’s vulnerability — whether acne, rosacea, signs of aging, extremely dry skin, extremely oily skin, eczema, psoriasis, herpes, allergies or some unsavory combination of two or more of the above — stress is going to find a way to make it worse. This, in turn, causes more stress creating a self-perpetuating cycle.

Can you win? I’m here to say yes you can. The approach here is two-fold. Without question, you’re going to want to treat the condition itself, and I’ll have plenty to post about all those above and more over the next many months. Meanwhile, you’ve got to interrupt the stress cascade and break the vicious cycle on a daily basis.

I’m not going to sit and insult you by just telling you to relax (easier said than done in our busy lives, Read More About the Significant OS Findings for this Treatment Option. 
right?). What I am going to do is ask you to do some detective work. Some people dispense with stress by doing noisy things (intense cardio, sports, dancing, laughing etc.) Others respond better to a quiet, centered approach (stretching, massage, deep breathing, creative hobbies, or reading). Still others like to mix it up with both. Whatever works for you, once you’ve found your favorites, you’re on to something. Now, put your stress busters into play for at least 10 minutes at a time, three times a day and try to fit in another 30-minute continuous session if at all possible.

Stress is inevitable, but how well you respond to it can spell the difference between illness and health and tipping the balance away from frustration and into fulfillment. So when it comes to skin problems, strategic equilibrium is your new best friend. Life happens but it doesn’t have to show on your skin.

Maxy sez : Hot Peppers May Help Your Heart

Chili peppers like cayennes, jalapenos, and habaneros contain capsaicin and could help protect you from heart disease.
By Jaimie Dalessio Clayton
Adding hot peppers to your diet is a heart-healthy choice.Getty Images
Highlights
Chili peppers taste hot due to the capsaicin they contain.

Hot peppers may help lower blood pressure and high cholesterol, and that's good news for your heart.

Aim for a variety of types and colors of hot peppers in a balanced diet rich in plant-based foods.

Whether you love hot peppers or can’t take the heat, here’s some interesting intel about the fiery produce: They may help protect your heart from high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and heart disease.

“Overall, diets or eating patterns that are rich in plant based foods, including the Mediterranean and DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet, have been shown to lower risk of heart disease and blood pressure," says Kate Patton, a registered dietitian in preventive cardiology at Cleveland Clinic. "I would therefore recommend choosing hot peppers, but there's no recommended quantity. Choose a variety of different types and colors to maximize intake of phytonutrients.”

The health benefit comes from capsaicin (pronounced kap-say-sin), the same compound that makes chili peppers like cayennes, jalapenos, and habaneros so hot. Capsaicin also has a reputation for relieving certain kinds of pain, and is a widely used ingredient in over-the-counter topical creams and ointments for arthritis.

On the heart-health front, previous studies have suggested chilies can help reduce blood pressure, high cholesterol, and the formation of blood clots. Recent research adds more evidence to their positive effects.

In a study published in August 2014 in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry researchers from the Chinese University of Hong Kong found capsaicin lowers blood cholesterol levels and blocks a gene that makes arteries contract, which can lead to dangerous blockages of blood flow. Such blockages can cause heart attacks (when blood can’t reach the heart) or strokes (when blood can’t reach the brain).

For the study, the team of researchers fed hamsters high-cholesterol diets. Then they added foods with capsaicinoids, the broader family of substances of which capsaicin is part, to one group's diet. They found the spicy addition to the diet went along with lower cholesterol levels, less atherosclerotic plaque, and more relaxed arteries.

Does this mean you should start scarfing down hot peppers? Hardly. But if you can stand the spiciness, adding these types of peppers to balanced meals might give your heart-health plan an added boost.

15 Scientifically Unexplainable Places That Actually Exist

Some call them scientifically impossible places, we call them scientifically unexplainable places — and they’re totally real.

On this magnificent planet is a lake where the water is electric green and a volcano where the lava is neon-blue. There is a river where never-ending lightning storms rage on above it and even a well where petrified teddy bears hang within. We don’t know why and might never find out, but these scientifically unexplainable places are awesome and can be witnessed by anyone (though some of these might kill you.)

And if Disney’s Up taught us anything, “Adventure is out there!” So let’s take a look at these scientifically unexplainable places.
                              1. The Hum of the Taos

                                    SOURCE: Aquiziam
In Taos, New Mexico, many residents of the area have been complaining about a constant humming sound heard almost everywhere in town since the 90s.

It’s been over 20 years and researchers can’t figure it out, but suggests that maybe the townspeople are “super-hearers” who just hear better than most other humans. (Wait, what?)
                                       2. Circles of Namibia

 SOURCE: George Steinmetz, National Geographic
In the Namib Desert there are fields of grass filled with perfect circles ranging from 10 to 65 feet in diameter.

Researchers thought it was termites that were culprits behind the circles, but that was disproved. Now they’re just a mystery.
                                     3. Bermuda Triangle

                               SOURCE: Myths and Legends
In the Atlantic Ocean, between Bermuda, Florida and Puerto Rico, is the infamous Bermuda Triangle. This is where many aircrafts and ships have disappeared throughout history.

Today, not nearly as many vessels and flying vehicles disappear, but some still do. People say its either a tropical cyclone-rich area (just above the legendary lost city of Atlantis) or a zone where magnetic forces mess with compasses causing travelers to get lost.
                                            4. Movile Cave

                               SOURCE: The Romania Journal
In Romania, there is a cave with an atmosphere unlike any other — sulfuric beyond belief.

The Movile Cave hasn’t seen light in 5.5 million years and has a lake of sulphuric water that smells like rotting eggs, air containing hydrogen sulphide with 100 times the carbon dioxide than the surface. 33 species live there that don’t exist elsewhere. They also feed off the foam that forms on top of the stones.

It was discovered by laborers scouting for power plant locations — and they obviously didn’t put one here.
                     5. The Singing Rocks of Pennsylvania

                                  SOURCE: Youtube
In Pennsylvania, on top of a hill, there is a field with strange rocks that sound like cymbals off a drum kit when struck.

The natives of the area said they came about through natural phenomenon, but the weird sound abilities are unknown.
                                         6. Hessdalen Lights

                                SOURCE: Top Secret Writers
In Norway, there are floating lights of white, yellow and red at night over the Hessdalen Valley that remain for seconds to over an hour, sometimes.

It’s been around since the 1930s. Researchers believe its ionized iron dust that caused the lights, but it’s unconfirmed.
                                        7. Lake Karachay

                                       SOURCE: LOLWOT
There is a radioactive lake at the site of a former Soviet Union nuclear weapon factory called Mayak Facility.

They would dump nuclear waste into the water here. An explosion occurred in 1957, spreading the radio activities particles in the lake over 9,000 square miles. And then in 1967, the lake dried up, spreading radioactive dust another 900 square miles.

If you stand near this, you’ll die in an hour — even though it was covered up with concrete (to cover up the disaster).
                                        8. Grüner See

                                      SOURCE: Dan Diving
Near the Hochschwab Mountains is a park that is under water each spring.

In the winter, the park gets so much snow that when it melts, the park’s lake doubles in size, drowning the park. After this, if you swim or scuba, you can see benches and bridges under the water.

The park resurfaces in the summer and looks pretty ordinary in the autumn.
                                   9. Shanay-Timpishka

                                 SOURCE: TreeHuger
There is a boiling river that is four miles long in the Amazon that gets as hot as 196 degrees Fahrenheit.

Researchers don’t know how it’s so hot because the nearest volcano is 270 square miles away, but they think it might have to do with the water coming out of the cracks from the Earth underneath it.

If you go for a swim, you will get cooked from the inside and won’t be able to reach shore because you’ll be in too much pain. Many animals have already tried and died horribly.
                            10. The Double Tree of Casorzo

                                     SOURCE: Flickr
In Piemonte, Italy, there is a cherry tree that grows directly on top of mulberry tree.

It has to do with parasitism, but never before has this happened — both trees are fully-formed, healthy and are still living long lives.

The locals believe a bird was the culprit behind this one, and the seed it dropped was a real winner.
                                   11. The Petrifying Well

                           SOURCE: Mother Shipton's Cave
In Yorkshire, England, water trickles down off a cliff side (which is shaped like a skull) into a hole where any object left in the water gets turned to stone in three to five months.

People have left teddy bears for the ultimate creepiness. The theory is either a witch’s curse or, as researchers believe, an unusually high mineral content in the water with petrifying capabilities.
                                12. The Beacon of Maracaibo

                                SOURCE: Flow Traveller
There is a lightning storm over the Catatumbo River in Venezuela that never stops. It rages on from 7 p.m. for 10 hours, 260 nights a year.

Researchers think it has to do with uranium or a collision between the Andes Mountains through warm trade winds, evaporating water and methane from a nearby oil field.

In 2010, it stopped mysteriously for a day and then started again six weeks…but why!?
                            13. The Blue Pond of Hokkaido

                                 SOURCE: Feel the Planet
There is a lake with electric blue and green water that shimmers in Hokkaido, Japan and changes with the seasons.

It’s a man-made lake, but it was intended as a reservoir. Researchers think this occurs from the aluminum hydroxide particles in the water that reflect light inexplicably.
                                     14. Kawah Ijen

                                   SOURCE: National Geographic News
There is a volcano that spews blue lava in Indonesia due to the sulfuric gases from the sulfur mine within. The blue-colored flames condense into liquid sulfur which spills down looking like neon-blue lava.

It’s actually not lava and it makes the air real toxic. The workers in the mine suffer through the unbreathable air while they work in the light of a pale blue glow that’s slowly killing them. Yep.
                                15. The Devil’s Kettle

                              SOURCE: Smithsonian
In Lake Superior, Minnesota, in Judge C.R. Magney State Park, a water exists that spills into two streams due to the way the rock is shaped — half the water heads into the Brule River, and the other half into a never-seemingly-ending hole.

Beyond 10 feet, the water just disappears into the dark. Researchers drop objects like ping pong balls and dyes into the water, but they haven’t solved anything yet because they don’t reappear.

It was deemed too unsafe for people to explore, but we want to see a drone sent down there now.

Self Forgiveness

One of the most effective ways to bleed our spirit energy away is to impale ourselves on twin swords  of blame  and non forgiveness . The ability to forgive ourselves is  essential to our  soul's growth . Forgiveness mean to return good treatment for ill usage , which reminds me of a beautiful saying : Forgiveness is the fragrance the violet sheds on the hand  that has crushed  it .

We are all susceptible to human failing . We've all pointed  the finger  of blame at ourselves  and others  and trotted  out an inner  perfectionist to bludgeon ourselves  with guilt  and shame . We have crushed  the delicate violet of an other's feeling  and trampled  our own under the heels of unrealistic demands . But  as the imminently true cliche  states ,"To err is human , to forgive is divine." As we forgive  , the divine fragrance  of the Beloved flows through us , bestowing blessing .

By becoming aware of the skid away from our higher self , we can move back into our hearts . Even though it may sound  too good to be true  , we can return  to our heart by merely asking to do so  and excepting that it is done .


Forgiving ourselves  allows  us to create  a garden of violets  that will perfume  our own  and other's lives  with the fragrance of love .

Maxy sez : Is Rheumatoid Arthritis Hiding Your High Blood Pressure?

                                                    

Doctors often miss hypertension in people with rheumatoid arthritis. Learn how to catch blood pressure issues early and stay heart healthy.

By Chris Iliades, MD               Medically Reviewed by Alexa Meara, MD

People living with rheumatoid arthritis might have undiagnosed, untreated high blood pressure.

Fast Facts

Rheumatoid arthritis doubles your risk for developing heart disease.

You can lower your risk for high blood pressure by exercising regularly and reducing your salt intake.

It's no secret that having rheumatoid arthritis (RA) increases your risk for heart disease, or that high blood pressure is also a heart-disease risk factor. But high blood pressure often goes untreated in those with RA.

In fact, researchers have found that having rheumatoid arthritis may actually increase the likelihood that you won’t receive a diagnosis of high blood pressure, even if you have all the signs.

That was the finding of a study published in August 2014 in Arthritis Care & Research, that followed 14,974 people who met the criteria for high blood pressure, or hypertension, but had never been diagnosed with it. In that group, 201 people had RA. By the end of the study, which lasted four years, the likelihood of getting a diagnosis of high blood pressure was just 36 percent for those with RA, compared with 51 percent for people who didn't have RA.

Why Doctors Don't Always Diagnose, Treat High Blood Pressure

“All [of] the patients were in the same health care system, and they all had equivalent numbers of primary care visits," says Christie M. Bartels, MD, the study's lead author and a rheumatologist at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison. "But repeatedly abnormal blood pressure readings were less likely to lead to a diagnosis of high blood pressure or treatment of high blood pressure in patients with RA."

“Many studies have confirmed that having RA increases the risk for cardiovascular disease by 50 to 60 percent," Dr. Bartels says. "But even when people with RA had three blood pressure readings over 140/90, or two readings of 160/100, [a] diagnosis was less likely to be made."

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It is hard to know why hypertension is missed in people with RA, but "it may be due to a phenomenon we call diagnostic overshadowing," she says. "Doctors tend to pay more attention to the primary disease and overlook other problems." It could also be that primary care doctors and rheumatologists are not communicating.

The Link Between Rheumatoid Arthritis and Blood Pressure

RA is an inflammatory disease that affects blood vessels as well as joints. “There is an increased inflammatory burden on the vascular system," Bartels explains. "Plaques that form inside blood vessels form at an earlier age and contribute to heart disease and high blood pressure."

According to the Arthritis Foundation, having RA doubles your risk for cardiovascular diseases. Other reasons for the increased risk include:

High cholesterol, which is also commonly overlooked in RA

Inactivity, which can lead to obesity and poor vascular health

RA medications, such as NSAIDs or steroids, that can affect blood vessels

Do You Have High Blood Pressure?

Just because doctors are missing the boat on high blood pressure and RA doesn’t mean you have to.

“This is one of those situations where patients need to empower themselves and take charge of their own health care," Bartels says. "High blood pressure is called a silent killer because it rarely causes symptoms. That means you need to know your blood pressure numbers."

You may face an increased risk of eventually developing high blood pressure if your systolic blood pressure number (the top one) is above 120 and the diastolic (lower) number is above 80. Ask your doctor what your numbers are, and talk about your risk for high blood pressure.

Lowering Disease Risks When You Have RA

Lowering your risk for high blood pressure when you have RA is not much different than it is for people who don't have RA, with one exception. Because having RA means there's more inflammation in your body, you really need to work with your doctor to get your RA under the best control possible. Here's how:

Lose weight if you need to and then maintain a healthy weight.

Get regular exercise — try some water aerobics if your joints are sore.

Maintain a healthy diet.

Get your cholesterol under control.

Cut back on salt.

Cut back on alcohol.

Don’t smoke.

Find ways to avoid and manage stress.

If you have RA, be aware of the dangers of high blood pressure and heart disease. High blood pressure increases your risk for heart attack and stroke. Don’t assume everything is okay if your doctor doesn’t say anything: High blood pressure usually occurs without any symptoms. You need to ask what your blood pressure numbers are and pin down your doctor about your risk. Taking an active role in your health care is the way to go.