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William's Weblog – Anderson Private School for the Gifted, Talented and Creative

Love is the Poetry of Life / Sugar Is Definitely TOXIC, a New Study Says / April 15 and 18 Good Friday and Easter Monday Holidays

Spiritual Stock Photos and Images. 159,652 spiritual ...

To focus 
Pure and Loving thoughts
for someone else,
is Healing
for everyone.
.
God
is always near
to guide you
and care for you.
.
 With Prayer,
He will Create Love and Light
and Healing Delight
in Living every Day
and every Night.

Free Religious Clipart Images | Free Images at Clker.com ...

If pain
is happening in the Lives
of those you care about,
there will be something
you can do.

It is simple,
but powerful.
It is the Beautiful Art of
sharing
all of the Beautiful Light
and Love
within your Heart.
.
Sharing
your Precious Love
is an Act of
Divinity,
Oh, Child of God.
It connects God’s Children
through Threads of Love,
where Miracles and Infinite Solutions
to our daily problems
can occur.

“As long as there’s a Sun that sets
Primroses will have their glory.
As long as there are Violets
They will have a place in Story.”
Wordsworth
Royalty Free Praying Woman Pictures, Images and Stock ...Your Love
will uplift the Spirits
of those who are going through
difficult times.

Sharing
the energy of Love
and Compassion and Joy
will help anyone
in need.
Nasturtium - Glorious Gleam
My Dear Friend,
Miracles happen all the Time.
 It takes your
Love
to help others to be released
from the past,
to have Faith in the Future,
and to be Healed
in the present.

Sending the Light
of your Love
is the most vibrant thing
you can do
for someone in need.

Inspirational Relaxing Piano Music & Nature Timelapse ...

Meditation
can return lost memories
to help us with our Lives.

It is incredibly
simple
and can be done
wherever you are.

Do not
get weighed down
by the worries and problems.
Instead of letting them
adversely affect you,
simply,
and I do mean simply,
radiate
the Love and the Light
in your Sacred Heart.

Love
makes us feel at Peace
in such turbulent Times.
Happy Man Rise Hand Worship God In Morning View. Christian ...The way to return
to Peace of mind
and Tranquility of the Heart,
is to Live
in the bright Light
of Love.

Research shows us
that the Human mind
is capable of thinking
ONLY one thought
at any one moment.
And
what a Blessing,
because
YOU
control that thought.
Worship and Prayer Based Cinematic Stock Footage Video ...
According to
the Laboratory of Neuro Imaging
at the University of Southern California,
the average brain generates
48.6 thoughts per minute

This adds up to a total
of 70,000 thoughts
per day.
.
My Dear Friends,
that is
too many.
The way to reduce this
dangerous and toxic burden,
is to focus
upon one LOVING
thought,
for as long as you
can.
.
Think about it.
When you think of nothing
but
someone with YOUR Love,
Life becomes
a treasured
Blessing.

By the way,
the Human brain,
which contains roughly
86 Billion Brain Cells,
is far more powerful
than any existing computer.

HD Glorious Sunrise On The Lake Wallpaper | Download Free ...Anchoring
your mind
and the Light of your 
Love
in the present moment,
enables you to see only the best
in yourself,
 in other people
and in all situations.

Send
Positive feelings,
Healing Compassion,
and your unique vibration.
Love,
and you will see
the Light.

19 Copyright Free Images Sites (You'll Fall in Love With ...

Enjoy
every moment that God has given
to us.
See His Blessing
and His Beauty
in everything.
.
The Lord
Truly Loves us.
 His Holy Spirit
Dwells within us.
Hawaiian Beach Wallpapers - Wallpaper CaveLet His Will
be done.
God 
is always near to the
brokenhearted.
He Comforts the Heart,
Heals and Restores.
.
There is nothing
our Heavenly Father
cannot do
  Thank the Lord
for all He has done.
He has done
much more
than we are aware of.
HD Glorious Blue Winter Lscape Wallpaper | Download Free ... We
may not understand
Today.
But Blessings abound.
And they may be
found.
Our Journey of Life
may be filled with laughter, Joy
and Peace.
.
Despite everything
that is going on,
we may be courageous and encouraged.
The choices
are ours.

Funeral Background Pictures (43+ images)Love
is the Poetry of Life.
And as we get older,
the waters move slow 
over the rough rocks,
to smooth places in the years
and slow the tears
and let us go forward
in this World.

The waters
of our precious Time
lick the pebbles on our path,
and nurture the Forests of our thoughts,
and the hills and valleys
of our emotions.
They pay Tribute 
to our Visions of Beauty,
 to our very Human Nature,
to the flow of Time.
.
These waters,
above and below our awareness,
resonate like in a Dream,
in our corner of the Earthly Paradise
in which we Live.
.
Love it all.

Spiritual healing Stock Photos, Royalty Free Spiritual ...

If
you listen easy,
you can hear God calling.
These Beautiful Harmonies
become Beautiful
Memories.
.
Just
let it be.
.
Trust
in the Lord.
Walk barefoot by the stream
of Living, Loving waters,
that flow through
our precious Lives.
.
.
Life
is so Wonderful
holding the Hand
of God.

Royalty Free Open Bible Pictures, Images and Stock Photos ...

Goodnight.

215,790 Butterfly Images - Free & Royalty-free Stock ...

Sugar Is Definitely Toxic, a New Study Says

click here to read more
By Alice Park

Fat was the food villain these past few decades but sugar is quickly muscling in to take its place. As rates of sugar-related disorders such as diabetes, obesity and heart disease climb, many experts believe that when Americans rid themselves of fat, they simply replaced it with sugar in all its forms.

But proving that the rise of the chronic diseases was actually linked to higher sugar consumption is a challenge. Dr. Robert Lustig, from the department of pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco, who has made a name for himself publishing books and research addressing the question of sugar’s effects on the body, wanted clearer answers. Now, he and his colleagues believe they have come up with the definitive evidence that sugar, as Lustig says, “is toxic.”

In most lab studies, the doses of sugar that scientists test are quite high; they want to see what the effect is quickly and, depending on the research, they may not have time to wait to study the more gradual effects that might emerge. And in studies where people reduce the amount of sugar they eat, for instance, those people end up eating fewer calories overall, so it’s difficult to know whether any changes are due to the removal of sugar or to the drop in calories.

Lustig and his colleagues think they’ve produced the “hard and fast data that sugar is toxic irrespective of its calories and irrespective of weight.”

MORE: FDA Wants Nutrition Labels to Include More Detail on Added Sugars

Lustig’s confidence comes from the unique study, described in Obesity, of 43 Hispanic or African-American children aged eight to 18 years old. He collected detailed food questionnaires from each of the adolescents to get an idea of the average amount of calories they ate per day, then designed a special menu for each of them for nine days that matched the total numbers of calories they would normally eat. The only difference in the nine-day diet was that most of the sugar the children ate was replaced by starch — the overall number of calories remained the same. The children weighed themselves daily, and if they were losing weight, they were told to eat more of the provided food in order to keep their weight the same throughout the study.

“Everything got better,” says Lustig. Some of the children went from being insulin resistant, a precursor state to developing diabetes, in which the body’s insulin levels can no longer keep up with the pace of breaking down sugar that’s coming in from the diet, to insulin sensitive.

MORE: Artificial Sweeteners Aren’t the Answer to Obesity: Here’s Why

“We took chicken teriyaki out, and put turkey hot dogs in. We took sweetened yogurt out, and put baked potato chips in. We took pastries out and put bagels in,” says Lustig. “So there was no change in [the children’s] weight and no change in calories.”

After nine days of having their total dietary sugar reduced to 10% of their daily calories, however, they showed improvements in all of these measures. Overall, their fasting blood sugar levels dropped by 53%, along with the amount of insulin their bodies produced since insulin is normally needed to break down carbohydrates and sugars. Their triglyceride and LDL levels also declined and, most importantly, they showed less fat in their liver.

MORE: 7 Amazing Things That Happen to Your Body When You Give Up Soda

Because some of the children lost weight, to convince themselves that the effects weren’t due to the small amount of weight that some of the children lost, Lustig and his team compared those who lost weight to those who didn’t during the study, and found similar improvements in both groups.

“Up until now, there have been a lot of correlation studies linking sugar and metabolic syndrome,” says Lustig. “This is causation.”

The diet he provided the children isn’t considered ideal from a health perspective — starches are still a considerable source of calories and can contribute to weight gain. But Lustig relied on the starches to prove a point in a scientific study — that the effect sugar has on the body goes beyond anything connected to its calories and to weight. “I’m not suggesting in any way, shape or form that we gave them healthy food,” he says. “We gave them crappy food, processed food — and they still got better. Imagine how much even better they would have gotten if we didn’t substitute and took the sugar out. Then they would have gotten even better yet. That’s the point.”

MORE: The Trouble With Sugar Free Kids

Not everyone is convinced that the results definitely prove sugar, and not weight loss, is the culprit, however. Susan Roberts, professor of Nutrition, USDA Nutrition Center at Tufts University notes that because some of the children lost weight, it’s still possible that shedding the pounds helped their metabolic measures to improve. She also points out that the children self-reported their initial diet, which can often be inaccurate. “We know that a healthy diet and weight loss cause good metabolic changes, and although this study tries to attribute its effects to low fructose, in fact it is impossible to do that because of the study design.”

Some experts are concerned for other reasons. They’re worried that the findings may shift attention away from what they consider to be the more fundamental issue — that overall, we’re eating too much. “Too much calorie intake is still the biggest problem,” says Dr. Mark Corkins, professor of pediatrics at University of Tennessee Health Science Center and member of the American Academy of Pediatrics committee on nutrition. He notes that the study involved children who were obese already and consuming too many calories. “It’s an important study, and the facts coming out of it are very important. It means we need to look at sugars, and at the type of sugars and sugar intake. But I worry that people are going to hang everything on this when we still need to reduce consumption.

Lustig hopes that won’t happen as more data emerges that details how sugar is altering the body in unhealthy ways outside of its caloric contribution. That wasn’t the subject of the current paper, but he promises follow up studies based on this work that will address that. This study does hint however, at what might be happening. While there has been a lot of attention on the presence of belly fat and its connection to metabolic syndrome, the fact that the children saw improvements in the amount of fat in their liver suggests that might be an important way that sugar is contributing to chronic disease. Obese children and those with diabetes often suffer from fatty liver, a condition normally associated with alcohol abuse but increasingly common among non-drinkers who gain excessive amounts of weight.

This new view of sugar could change the advice that doctors and government health officials give about eating the sweet stuff. Lustig’s hope is that the information is considered as the U.S. Department of Agriculture finalizes its latest Dietary Guidelines, expected by the end of the year, which delineate recommendations for what, and how much of different types of foods and nutrients Americans should eat.

More Must-Read Stories From TIME

Autumn Equinox: The Science Behind the First Day of Fall ...

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The Beginning and End of the Journey Is In The Now / 50 Ways to Live a Longer, Healthier Life / School Calendar 2020-21

Nature, Landscape, Peace, Grassland, Cloud, Rocks, Blue

Every Day
I am astonished
by all
the Beauty
this Sacred World
reveals to me.
It inspires
and transforms me.
We can enjoy 
our Travels

down the uncertain and unpredictable
Pathways
that lead to such Beauty
as God
provides.
Nature, Landscape, Peace, Grassland

In every moment you
feel.
are the moments
that are real.

This World is so huge
and so very Beautiful.
And as the rays
of our Sun
touch you,
they are reflected
in you,
like the Love
of God.

“Has it ever struck you
that Life is all memory,
except for the one present
Moment
that goes by you so quick
you hardly catch it going?”
Tennessee Williams

We are
Truly Blessed.
As our Dreams are manifesting
the Day
in the dark,
your Love
will keep shining
a Light
in this World.
Love,
like the rays of the Sun,
touches you,
and everyone.
Your Love
is a reflection
of you.

Somehow,
your Love
leaves a Light
in the dark.

Look into the eyes
of one you Love,
and you will see
what it means
to search
for your Heart,
search your Soul.
And when you find Love there,
you
will search
no more.

Sunrise, Country Life, Agriculture

Our Lord
covers you
with a Light veil.

As the leaves of green
gently sway
in tune with your thoughts,
a delicate Flower of feeling
unfolds to meet the Light.
And the wind flows Joyful
and fills you with tranquility
and delight.

Your smile reveals the here and now,
 and the whole meaning of Life.
The source of your inspiration
is the Infinite
and the Beautiful World
of Love
within you.

The Beginning and the End
of our Journey
is in the
Now.

When
we can see the Truth
of God’s Love,
we are mesmerized by it.

 And finally,
we experience the Freedom
and the Joy and the Peace
of our True self,
of the Essence
of this Life
and of Living.
Sky, Scenic, Hua Hin, Tropical, Drone

When
we move out
of our mind,
out of our trivial thoughts,
which pervade and prevail,

and into the Now,
into this Beautiful moment of our experience,
we can at last open a door
into the real World
of who we really are.

“Has it ever struck you
that Life is all
memory,
except for the one present moment
that goes by you so quick
you hardly catch it going?”
Tennessee Williams

Yes,
we may come to believe
that we are all alone.

Most of us truly are
in some form or fashion.
But,
My Dear Friends,
if you still have
your memories,

you are never truly alone.
You are just separated
by Time & space.
And Time

may be an illusion
and not even
exist.
.
When you dwell
deeply embedded
in a Loving and Precious
memory,
you never left the
space
your Heart was in.
The voices you still hear

are glimmers of Light
in the dark
of a day,
of night
.

Nature, Landscape, Kaçkars, Peace

There are
Loving moments
that seem to last
Forever.
They swim
in our glittering eyes.
These precious moments,
and Time itself,
seem to stop
and scoff at Eternity.

So don’t be sad
when a precious moment
has passed you by,
be Happy 
it was born,
to Bless you,
and remember,
and never let it
die.


One word we never learn,
when we find True Love

is Good-bye.
Yes,

True Love
is frozen in Time.

Your Heart can
be made
to never, ever hurt again.
And how is this done?
By Loving another
far, far more
than you ever Loved
yourself.
Healing within,
always comes
from without,
from another
in need.

Nature, Landscape, Kaçkars

You can Live
the way that God
wants you to Live,
If you only let it be,
let it be,
let it be.

Goodnight.

50 Ways to Live a Longer, Healthier Life

 
 
 
50 Ways to Live a Longer, Healthier, Happier Life

Nick Ferrari

If your favorite vegetable isn’t in season, grab a frozen bag of it for the same nutritional value.

The editors at AARP have filtered through numerous medical journals and studies to identify the best actions you can take to achieve a longer, fuller life. We know there are no guarantees. But genetics account for just 25 percent of a person’s longevity. The rest is up to you. With this collection of some of the most important longevity findings, you’ll have the road map you need to get to 80, 90, 100 or beyond.

1. Frozen is fine

You can eat a balanced diet even when fresh fruits and vegetables are out of season because frozen can be as good as or even better for life-extending nutrients. British scientists found that fresh fruit can lose nutrients after three days of refrigeration, while frozen fruits don’t suffer the same fate. Another study similarly found that frozen blueberries contained more vitamin C than fresh ones. 

2. Cut back on pain pills

Regular use of painkillers such as ibuprofen and naproxen — including over-the-counter brands such as Advil, Motrin and Aleve — may raise your risk of heart attack and stroke by 10 percent, according to a 2014 U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory panel review. (Prescription-strength versions may increase your risk by 20 to 50 percent, even after just a few weeks of use.) Reserve these drugs for severe pain, and use the lowest possible dose for the shortest amount of time. 

3. Please go to bed

Consistently sleeping less than six hours a night nearly doubles your risk of heart attack and stroke, according to a review of 15 studies published in the European Heart Journal. Another study found that consistently sleep-deprived people were 12 percent more likely to die over the 25-year study period than those who got six to eight hours of sleep a night. These tips from the National Sleep Foundation can help ensure that you get good quality shut-eye, even if you’re among the half of people over 60 who have insomnia: 

  • Make the room pitch-black dark, and set the thermostat between 60 and 67 degrees.
  • Exercise every day. It doesn’t matter what time of day you work out, just so it doesn’t interfere with your rest.
  • Stick to a regular sleep schedule, going to bed and getting up at the same time each day.
  • Shut down your electronics an hour before retiring, as the light from some devices can stimulate the brain.
  • Replace your mattress if it’s more than 10 years old.

4. But don’t always go right to sleep

50 Ways to Live a Longer, Healthier, Happier Life

Istock

Marriage is good for the heart in more ways than one.

5. Get (or stay) hitched

Marriage truly is good for your health — and your longevity. The prestigious Framingham Offspring Study found that married men had a 46 percent lower risk of death than never-married men, in part due to marriage’s well-known impact on heart health. Indeed, a 2014 study by New York University’s Langone Medical Center found that married men and women had a 5 percent lower risk of cardiovascular disease.

6. Ripeness matters

No, you won’t die from eating under-ripe produce, but new research shows that fully ripened fruit has more life-lengthening health benefits. For example, green bananas are low in fiber and high in astringent tannins that can cause constipation. Fully ripened pears and blackberries have more disease-fighting antioxidants. And in watermelon, a deep red color signifies more lycopene, an antioxidant that may reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease.

7. Don’t sweeten with sugar

A high-sugar diet boosts blood sugar, which in turn plays havoc with your heart by increasing levels of LDL cholesterol while lowering heart-friendly HDL cholesterol, and tripling your risk for fatal cardiovascular disease. The American Heart Association recommends that women consume no more than 6 teaspoons (25 grams) of added sugar a day, and men no more than 9 teaspoons (36 grams).

8. Consider extra vitamin D

Vitamin D, a bright byproduct of sunlight, has many health benefits, including a link to longevity. But too much vitamin D increases your risk of dying as much as too little, according to a 2015 Danish study. So you want to get the right amount. Don’t just rely on outdoor time to get extra vitamin D; the rate of skin cancer rises as we age, so it’s important to limit exposure. The smart plan: Ask your doctor if you would benefit from extra D in pill form. University of Copenhagen researchers found that the ideal vitamin D level is more than 50 nanomoles per liter of blood, but less than 100 nmol/L.

9. Go green

If coffee’s not your thing, green tea also has proven longevity cred, likely because it contains powerful antioxidants known as catechins that may help combat diabetes and heart disease. In a large study of more than 40,000 Japanese men and women, drinking five or more cups of green tea a day was associated with a 12 percent decrease in mortality among men and a 23 percent decrease among women. 

50 Ways to Live a Longer, Healthier, Happier Life

Getty Images

Taking a break from work and going on a vacation is crucial to your well being.

10. Vacation … or Else

Not taking time off work might, indeed, be deadly. One study of men at high risk for coronary artery disease found that those who failed to take annual vacations were 32 percent more likely to die of a heart attack. And in the long-running Framingham Heart Study, women who vacationed just once every six years were eight times more likely to develop coronary artery disease or have a heart attack than women who vacationed twice a year.

11. Eat whole grains

The average American eats one serving of whole grains daily — and that may be just a single morning slice of toast. But eating three or more servings each day can cut overall death rate by about 20 percent, according to a 2016 study from Harvard University’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Have some oatmeal or brown rice, or get adventurous and go for quinoa, barley, even farro.

12. Spice it up

Eating hot chili peppers may add years to your life. In a 2016 analysis of the dietary habits of more than 16,000 men and women over 23 years, those who reported eating hot peppers reduced their risk of dying by 13 percent. Not a fan of those peppers? Even a little spice can have health benefits. That’s because the body produces endorphins to reduce the heat from the capsaicin in the peppers; those endorphins also reduce pain and inflammation.

13. Drink whole milk

You’ve been told forever to drink low-fat or skim milk, or go for fat-free yogurt. But research published in the journal Circulation in 2016 concluded that those who consumed the most dairy fat had a 50 percent lower risk of developing diabetes, a disease that can shorten your life by eight to 10 years on average.

14. Just add water

Staying adequately hydrated — measured by urine that’s light yellow or straw colored — can also help prolong a healthy life by reducing the risk of bladder and colon cancer and keeping kidneys in tip-top shape. Bonus: It might even help you lose weight. Researchers at the University of Illinois found that those who sipped more H2O ended up eating 68 to 205 fewer calories per day. 


50 Ways to Live a Longer, Healthier, Happier Life

Nick Ferrari

A few cups of java a day might keep the doctor away.

15. Say yes to that extra cup

Coffee does more than help you wake up; it also reduces your risk of stroke, diabetes and some cancers. And in a 2015 study published in the journal Circulation, Harvard researchers discovered that “people who drank three to five cups of coffee per day had about a 15 percent lower [risk of premature] mortality compared to people who didn’t drink coffee,” says coauthor Walter Willett, M.D. Mind you, a cup is 8 ounces, so your 16-ounce Starbucks grande is really two cups by that measure.

16. Live like the Amish

A University of Maryland study found that Amish men live longer than typical Caucasian men in the United States, and both Amish men and women have lower rates of hospitalization. What are the Amish ways? Lots of physical activity, less smoking and drinking, and a supportive social structure involving family and community. 

17. End the day’s eating by 9 p.m. 

Not only is eating late bad for your waistline — sleeping doesn’t exactly burn lots of calories — it also increases the risk of heart disease by 55 percent for men ages 45 to 82, according to a Harvard study. 

18. Eat your veggies

In a study of 73,000 adults, most in their mid to upper 50s, vegetarians were 12 percent less likely than carnivores to have died from any cause during the six-year study period. The 2016 study, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, found that mortality rates were lowest overall for pesco-vegetarians (those who eat fish occasionally), followed by vegans (those who eat no animal products), and lacto-ovo vegetarians (those who eat dairy and eggs).

19. Eat like the Greeks

The Mediterranean diet (remember Byblos Restaurant!), with its reliance on fruits, vegetables, olive oil, fish and nuts, is one of the healthiest diets for both overall health and longevity. Harvard researchers, reporting in the BMJ, found that those who followed the diet most closely had longer telomeres, which cap the end of each strand of DNA and protect chromosomes from damage. Even those who only sporadically followed the diet reaped longevity benefits, researchers found.

Nick Ferrari

Cutting your portions helps you cut calories, which aids in weight loss and more.

20. Eat less

If you want to reach 100, put down the fork, says Dan Buettner, who studies longevity hot spots around the world, such as Okinawa, Japan. Buettner found that the oldest Okinawans stop eating when they feel 80 percent full. A National Institutes of Health-funded study similarly found that cutting back calories reduced blood pressure, cholesterol and insulin resistance.

21. Drink less or NONE of alcohol (here’s a trick) 

More-than-moderate alcohol consumption (generally, more than one drink a day for women or more than two a day for men) leads to a shorter life span. Here’s one way to cut your intake: Pour red wine into a white-wine glass, which is narrower. Studies by Cornell University’s Food and Brand Lab found that people poured 12 percent more into red-wine glasses. You’ll also pour less wine into your glass if it’s sitting on the table, instead of in your hand, says Brian Wansink, the lab’s director. 

22. Save your pennies

Money might not make you happier, but it will help you live longer. A 2016 study by Stanford researchers published in JAMA found that people whose income bracket was in the top 1 percent lived nearly 15 years longer than those in the bottom 1 percent. The disparity could be attributed to healthier behaviors in higher-income groups, including less smoking and lower obesity rates, researchers say.

23. Or move to one of these states

If you’re not wealthy, consider moving to California, New York or Vermont, where studies show that low-income people tend to live the longest. Loma Linda, Calif., has the highest longevity thanks to vegetarian Seventh-day Adventists, who live eight to 10 years longer than the rest of us. Nevada, Indiana and Oklahoma have the lowest life expectancy (less than 78 years).

24. Ponder a Ponderosa

Experiencing a sense of awe — such as when viewing the Grand Canyon or listening to Beethoven’s Ninth — may boost the body’s defense system, says research from the University of California, Berkeley. “That awe, wonder and beauty promote healthier levels of cytokines suggests that the things we do to experience these emotions — a walk in nature, losing oneself in music, beholding art — has a direct influence upon health and life expectancy,” says Dacher Keltner, a psychologist and coauthor of the study.

50 Ways to Live a Longer, Healthier, Happier Life

Getty Images

Owning a dog can help lower stress and boost physical activity.

25. Get a friend with four legs

A few studies on the link between pet ownership and health have found that owning a pet can reduce anxiety, lower blood pressure, even improve the odds of surviving a heart attack. Now the American Heart Association has weighed in with a report published in the journal Circulation that recommends owning a dog, in particular, for those seeking to reduce their risk of deadly heart disease. Dog owners are more likely to be physically active and are also less vulnerable to the effects of stress, the report says. 

26. Find your purpose

Do you wake up looking forward to something? In a 2014 study published in the Lancet, researchers found that those with the highest sense of purpose were 30 percent less likely to die during the 8.5-year study period. In fact, doing something that matters — whether it’s helping your children or interacting in a community of like-minded folks — is correlated with seven extra years of life, according to researchers who study people in “blue zones,” areas of the world where folks live the longest. 

27. Embrace your faith

Attending religious services once a week has been shown to add between four and 14 years to life expectancy, according to researchers who study blue zones. Don’t belong to a church? Ask to join a friend at her services, or just drop in at a nearby house of worship; most have an open-door policy.

28. Be food safe

About 3,000 Americans die from food poisoning annually, say the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Even seemingly healthy foods — like sprouts, cantaloupe, berries and raw tuna — can make you sick or even kill you, says the FDA. Your action plan: Keep your kitchen pristine, wash your hands and utensils before and after handling food, separate raw and cooked foods, refrigerate perishable food promptly, and cook food to a safe temperature to kill deadly bacteria. 

29. Consider mountain life

People residing at higher altitudes tend to live longer, a study by the University of Colorado and the Harvard School of Global Health revealed. Of the 20 healthiest counties in America, many are in Colorado and Utah. Researchers think lower oxygen levels might cause your body to adapt in ways that strengthen your heart and circulation.

50 Ways to Live a Longer, Healthier, Happier Life

Nick Ferrari

Eating a handful of nuts five times per week can lower your mortality risk from certain diseases.

30. Go nuts

In a European study of adults ages 55 to 69, those who ate 10 grams of nuts daily — 8 almonds or 6 cashews — reduced their risk of death from any health-related cause by 23 percent. As for specific ailments, consuming a handful of nuts at least five times per week lowers the mortality risk for heart disease (by 29 percent), respiratory disease (24 percent) and cancer (11 percent), according to a previous U.S. study. Sorry, peanut butter fans: Spreads didn’t show the same benefits.

31. Keep watching LOL cat videos

Laughter really is the best medicine, helping to reduce stress, boost the immune system, reduce pain and improve blood flow to the brain. In fact, laughter has the same effect on blood vessels as exercise, report researchers from the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore. 

32. Get social

Studies show that loneliness increases the risk of early death by 45 percent. It weakens the immune system and raises blood pressure while increasing the risk for heart attacks and stroke. By contrast, people with strong ties to friends and family have as much as a 50 percent lower risk of dying, according to a study in PLOS Medicine. So visit a friend. And don’t discount your online friends. A 2016 study by researchers at the University of California, San Diego found that those who use online interactions don’t completely supplant face-to-face social interaction.

33. Watch your grandkids

While babysitting every day is stressful, regularly watching the grands can lower your risk of dying by a third, according to a 2016 study published in Evolution and Human Behavior. That adds up to an extra five years of life, researchers say. They speculate that caregiving gives grandparents a sense of purpose, and keeps them mentally and physically active. 

34. Try to stay out of the hospital

A 2016 Johns Hopkins University study found that some 250,000 patients die each year in hospitals from medical mistakes, such as misdiagnoses, poor practices and conditions, and drug errors. Sometimes the best way to avoid a grave condition is not to enter the system at all. 

50 Ways to Live a Longer, Healthier, Happier Life

Nick Ferrari

Reading gives muscle to your memory.

35. Read more

Sounds like we made it up, but scientific research supports the longevity benefits of reading — newspapers and magazines will do, but books are the best. “As little as a half-hour a day of book reading had a significant survival advantage over those who did not read,” said the study’s senior author, Becca R. Levy, a professor of epidemiology at Yale.

36. Read the ‘AARP Bulletin’

Really. This and other smart publications can keep you up to date on health info. Studies have shown that when people are empowered with information to make important medical decisions, it not only enhances their well-being but also improves a treatment’s effectiveness. So keep reading aarp.org/bulletin and aarp.org/health.

37. Monitor yourself

Don’t wait for annual checkups to consider your health. By then, a small problem could have morphed into a life-threatening illness. In one English study, researchers found that less than 60 percent of people who developed unusual symptoms in the previous three months had seen a doctor. Symptoms that might point to cancer include: unexplained weight loss of 10 pounds or more (this can be an indication of cancers of the esophagus, stomach or lungs); fever; extreme fatigue; changes in bowel or bladder habits; or unusual bleeding. Other unusual symptoms that could signal disease? A patch of rough, dark skin could indicate diabetes, and a strange color on your tongue could signal serious acid-reflux issues.

38. Visit the hardware store

Among the most common causes of “unintentional deaths” are carbon monoxide, radon and lead poisoning, the CDC reports. Make sure there’s a carbon monoxide detector near every bedroom, and be sure to test and replace the batteries every two years. Was your home built before 1978, when lead paint was outlawed? One trip to the store can get you all you need to test for these toxic substances.

39. Practice home fire drills

Just 1 in 3 families have a fire-safety plan, says Robert Cole, president of Community Health Strategies, an injury-prevention education organization based in Pittsford, N.Y. “People underestimate the speed of a fire. Many waste time figuring out what to do, or trying to take belongings with them. Everyone should know what to do and how to get out safely.”

50 Ways to Live a Longer, Healthier, Happier Life

Istock

Studies show that female doctors are more effective communicators than male physicians.

40. Find a woman doctor

When Harvard researchers in 2016 analyzed Medicare records documenting more than 1.5 million hospitalizations over four years, they found that patients who received care from a female physician were more likely to survive and less likely to be readmitted to the hospital within 30 days of discharge. In fact, about 32,000 fewer people would die each year “if male physicians achieved the same outcomes as female physicians,” the researchers said. Previous studies have suggested that female doctors are more likely to follow clinical guidelines and are more effective communicators.

41. Make peace with family

While we often stress about small stuff — the guests are here, and we’re not ready! — it’s the nagging, long-running forms of stress, such as a family dispute, that put your longevity at risk. Chronic stress hastens the cellular deterioration that leads to premature aging and a vast array of serious diseases, according to long-running research from the University of California, San Francisco. This sort of cell death “turns out to be one of the strongest predictors of early diseases of aging and in many studies of early mortality,” says lead researcher Elissa Epel. The remedy: Come to peace with the people in your life. Forgive your family, forgive yourself, put the past behind you — so you can have more life in front of you. 

42. Take the stairs — every day

A study by University of Geneva researchers found that taking the stairs instead of the elevators reduced the risk of dying prematurely by 15 percent. What’s more, a daily stair climb shaves six months off your “brain age,” according to researchers at Concordia University who performed MRI scans on 331 people ages 19 to 79. Gray matter shrinks naturally with age, but less so when people stay active.

43. Toss that rug

One of the top risks for falls at home is throw rugs. Those slip-slidey accoutrements send 38,000 older adults to the emergency room each year, according to a 2013 study by the CDC. Banish these rugs from your home, and make sure bath mats have a nonslip bottom. 

44. Beware the high-tech dash

Nearly one in five traffic accidents and more than 400,000 crash-related injuries involve a distracted driver, the U.S. Department of Transportation reports. Top distractions, according to a recent Virginia Tech Transportation Institute study, are cellphones. But a less-obvious risk is using the touch screen on your car’s dashboard.

50 ways to live a longer, healthier, happier life

Geber86

Yes, you can go carless and survive.

45. And drive less

In 2014, more than 5,700 older adults were killed and more than 236,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes. Per mile traveled, fatal crashes increase noticeably starting at age 70 and are highest among drivers age 85 and older, a highway safety organization says. If you’re feeling unsafe behind the wheel, it might be time to look for alternative transportation.

46. Better yet, walk

What’s the best prescription for a longer life? Exercise. And doctors are literally prescribing it instead of medication. “There is no pill that comes close to what exercise can do,” says Claude Bouchard, director of the human genomics laboratory at Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Louisiana. It benefits your brain, heart, skin, mood and metabolism. Even as little as 10 minutes of brisk walking can help (that’s all it takes to burn off the calories of one chocolate chip cookie). Once you can do 10 minutes, push it to 15. Then 20. Start slow, but just start.

47. Just not in the street

Nearly 5,000 pedestrians are killed annually in the U.S., according to the latest federal figures, and nearly 20 percent of those deaths were among adults age 65 and older. If you walk for your health — and we hope you do — stay safe and consider doing so at the mall, a community health center or a park.

48. And go a little faster

The benefits of a brisk walk are real: A University of Pittsburgh study of adults 65 and older found that those whose usual walking pace exceeded one meter per second lived longer. While researchers say they can’t recommend brisk walking as a panacea for living longer, they did see increased survival in those who picked up the pace over the course of a year.

49. Get fidgety

Never mind what your grade school teachers said; fidgeting is good. A 2016 British study finds that sitting for seven or more hours a day increases your risk of dying by 30 percent — except among active fidgeters, who see no increased risk. 

Should you trade in your car?

Getty

Need wheels? Go for a smart car.

50. Trade in Ol’ Bessie

High-tech safety features have now become standard in new cars. The government mandates that all have airbags, antilock brakes, electronic stability control — “up there with seat belts and airbags in its life- aving benefits,” says one industry leader — and tire pressure-monitoring systems. Carmakers also offer back-up cameras, self-parking features, blind-spot and lane-departure warnings, and forward-collision warning with auto-braking.

click here to read more

Dr. & Mrs. Anderson may schedule 2-5 additional days
(to be announced later) for In-service Training.
Visit our website at
http://www.andersonschool.net
for updated information.

    The School Calendar is subject to change.

There are no make-up days
if school is closed due to
 inclement weather.

Inclement Weather Policy:
the school will close if Fort Worth I. S. D. is closed.

Lyrics/songs texts/paintings/articles
are property and copyright of their owners
and provided for educational purposes.

Copyright Disclaimer – Section 107 – Copyright Act 1976,
allowance is made for “fair use”
for purposes such as criticism, comment,
news reporting, teaching, scholarship,and research.
Fair use is permitted by copyright statute.

Non-profit, educational or personal use
tips the balance in favor of “fair use”.

© Copyright 1995-2020
Anderson Private School.

Butterfly Perched on Flower

 

Dancing in the Shadows of the Illusions of Life and Living / Prenatal Fluoride Exposure Associated with Lower IQ / Friday: Museum of Science and History

We
are in
but a fleeting moment,
dancing
in the shadows
of the illusions
of Life,
and Living.

Each precious moment,
like us,
quickly
disappears in
Time.

 “Whereas ye know not
what shall be on the morrow.
For what is your Life?
It is
even a vapor,
that appeareth for a little time,
and then vanisheth away.”
James 4:14

Thousands
of yesterdays
make up Mankind’s
Joy and sorrow,
Today,
but not necessarily
Tomorrow.

The Light
of the Sun
flows through the
Skies above,
like Love
flows through our
Hearts.

         Like Love flows through our Hearts.

It Lights
the Dawn
like the Beautiful Song
of the early morning
Birds.

The Beautiful World
all around
is so profound,
as we come to see
there is nothing
but Beauty,
when the Love
of God
is near.

“Every Word of God is pure.
He is a shield unto them
that put their trust in Him.”
Proverbs 30:5

Freedom,
My Dear Friend,
is knowing that
YOU
are the center
of God’s Universe,
and that He
dwells within
His Loving Child –
YOU.

The embodiment of
Truth
is you,
Child of God.
Truth is in
everyone,
and it is
Eternally there.

Your strength,
your comfort,
your Happiness,
can only be found
deep within
yourself –
deep within,
where resides
the Love of
God.

Look
for Eternal Happiness
in the unconditional realization
of yourself,
enfolded within
the Loving Arms
of our Heavenly Father.

                          In the Heart of every Child.

Nestled in the Heart
of every Child
is the center
of the Universe –
a place of Worship
and tranquility,
in the Cathedral
of the Human Heart.

If
you look for God,
you will find Him there.
Pray,
as you peer inside
your Sacred Heart,
and you will never
want to leave.

To know
that God Loves
YOU,
is all you need
to know.

The most important
and Sacred Treasure
is Wisdom
that comes from
within.

It
is central
to our Spiritual lives.

If the illusions of Life
become too much,
close your tired eyes
and Pray.
Engage you Faith
openly and enthusiastically.

God
will embrace you
until the fear inside
subsides.

The Cathedral
of your precious and very fragile
Heart
is a Spiritual Gem,
a place of Beauty par excellence,
a Sacred Space to Worship
and reflect upon
Spiritual values,
the values
that are REAL.

At the very Heart of Worship,
is Worship with the Heart
.
Only LOVE
gives you the strength to carry on,
truly Living in the moment,
and forgiving
the past
.

My Dear Friends,
the World is far below
where we belong.
All we have
is the
moment,
to let Love
lift us up
where clear winds blow
through the cobwebs
of the mind
.
We have Wings
and
we can fly,
so high
we can see
Eternity.

.
Yes,
there are mountains
to overcome.
We can climb
every step
of the way,
or fly
and let Love Lift us
up
where we belong.

There is a part of Life
that gives us
the Hope we need.
Hope to Light the Dawn
and cherish the day.
Hope and inspiration
can work wonders
in our brief Lives.

Life,
is worth Living
when it has been
Happy,

when someone holds you
by the hand
and helps you
see the World
for the illusion
it really
is.

There is only
ONE
revolutionary war
that can truly be
won.
All others
waste
Humanity,
as it wars
against itself.

To win
is
to engage in the perpetual struggle
of the mind,
with all the LOVE
deeply embedded
in your Human Heart.

Please
do not let
your precious Heart cry.
God
will always Love you.

Just,
keep Love
alive.

The whispers
of the leaves
rustling through the
Trees,
is all we need to know
about the presence
of God’s Love.
And,
as the withered leaves
collect at your feet,
and the wind
begins to
moan,
remember,
with the Sun
they fell
in Love.

“The Heavens declare
the Glory of God;

and the firmament
sheweth His Handywork.”
Psalms 19-1

How
can a lonely Soul
appreciate Life.

The Human Heart
can be a Lonely Hunter,
crying through the night
with tears that reverberate
through time.

But Hope remains.
For you
are NOT
alone.

Goodnight.

Health News

Researchers Find Evidence Fluoride May Affect IQ

by George Citroner
on August 19, 2019
click here for more

A new study draws attention to potential issues with fluoride consumption.

A new study looks at fluoride exposure in utero and the potential link to IQ.

The 70-year-old public health effortTrusted Source that saw water fluoridation become common in the United States is applauded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)Trusted Source as one of the great achievements for public health in the 20th century.

Currently, almost 75 percentTrusted Source of the population use fluoridated water from their local water systems.

“Fluoride is a mineral that readily binds to bones and teeth. It’s typically used in dentistry to promote remineralization of dentinTrusted Source in the outer enamel of teeth,” explained Pamela Den Besten, DDS, MS, professor of orofacial sciences at University of California, San Francisco.

We now take for granted that the addition of fluoride to public drinking water not only prevents tooth decay, but is also basically harmless.

But now early research has brought up the possibility that fluoride could affect IQ levels in children exposed to the chemical in utero.

Prenatal fluoride exposure associated with lower IQ

Researchers studied 512 children in Canada to find that those who were exposed to higher levels of fluoride before birth had significantly lower IQ scores between ages 3 and 4.

The study was published today in JAMA Pediatrics.Trusted Source

For the study, about 2,000 pregnant women from 10 cities across Canada were recruited from the Maternal-Infant Research on Environmental Chemicals (MIREC) program.

The findings suggest that fluoride ingestion during pregnancy, within the normal range of water fluoridation standards, may affect children in utero.

The study concluded that fluoride ingestion during pregnancy should be reduced while additional research is conducted.

“To our knowledge, this study is the first to estimate fluoride exposure in a large birth cohort receiving optimally fluoridated water,” the study authors wrote.

Fluoride safety has long been debated

Information on consumption of tap water and other water-based beverages, like tea and coffee, was obtained from a self-report questionnaire completed by mothers during the first and third trimesters.

“Since the 1950s when water fluoridation began, its safety has been debated. We realized that there were major questions about the safety of fluoride, especially for pregnant women and young children. Decisions about safety need to be based on evidence,” study author Rivka Green, MA, a doctoral student in clinical developmental neuropsychology at York University, told Healthline.

The study found the association of prenatal fluoride exposure with children’s lower IQ scores held up even after accounting for factors like the mother’s education, socioeconomic status, location, and exposure to other toxic metals.

“Short of dosing women, we did everything we could to adjust for the factors that are typically controlled for in these types of studies. We studied an extensive list of other characteristics, like socioeconomic status and city, as well as other exposures, like lead, arsenic, and secondhand smoke, and our results remained,” Green said.

Previous research led by York University researchers had already found that fluoride levels were twice as high for pregnant Canadian women living in cities where public drinking water is fluoridated compared to those in cities where the drinking water isn’t.

“We found that fluoride in drinking water was the major source of exposure for pregnant women living in Canada. Women living in fluoridated communities have two times the amount of fluoride in their urine as women living in non-fluoridated communities,” Christine Till, PhD, an associate professor of psychology in York’s faculty of health and lead author of the study, said in a statement.

Findings agree with previous research

This study adds to what we know from recent research that also found an association between prenatal exposure to fluoride and reduced intelligence.

“Some previous studies showed that higher levels of fluoride were associated with lower IQ scores in children, including another prospective cohort study published in 2017 by the ELEMENT group, which found similar results to ours,” Green said.

“However, our study was the first to look at prenatal exposure in a sample receiving optimally fluoridated water,” she emphasized.

Other potential fluoride issues

According to Besten, who wasn’t involved with the new study, aside from the findings of these studies, consuming more than optimal amounts of fluoride can stain and weaken teeth.

But consuming that much fluoride is unlikely to occur just from drinking tap water.

“The most obvious effect of fluoride is the formation of fluorosed enamel. Fluorosis occurs when excess fluoride is present when the tooth is forming, and this excess fluoride results in hypomineralization [softening and discoloration of tooth enamel], which gives a whiter appearance to fluorosed, as compared to normal, enamel,” Besten said.

She cautions that early research in animal studies have found a potential neurotoxic issue for high levels of fluoride.

They “show that neurotoxicity of fluoride is related to the dose, timing of exposure, and sex of the individual,” Besten said. “More recent epidemiological researchTrusted Source show associations between fluoride and neurotoxicity in humans,” she added.

Decades of use to stop tooth decay

In an emailed statement to Healthline, Dr. Aparna Bole, FAAP, chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Council on Environmental Health, points out that community water fluoridation has helped decrease tooth decay for decades, and that this is one study that pointed toward correlation, not causation.

“In most communities, tap water is a healthy and environmentally preferable choice,” Bole told Healthline. “This study is thought provoking, but the fact that results were different for boys and girls make them somewhat difficult to interpret, and fluoride intake in children was not examined.”

Bole points out that the AAP supports community water fluoridation.

“We support the public health sector’s continual evaluation of optimal community water fluoridation, and continue to recommend that children drink optimally fluoridated water,” Bole said.

“In addition, children should use age-appropriate amounts of fluoride toothpaste with adult supervision, and have fluoride varnish applied to their teeth according to the US Preventive Task Force guidelines.”

The bottom line

Recent research finds that prenatal exposure to “optimal” levels of fluoride in drinking water is strongly associated with reduced IQ when those children are between 3 and 4 years old.

This study adds to previous research that also found intelligence negatively affected in this population.

The American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Environmental Health maintains that children should still drink optimally fluoridated water, use age-appropriate amounts of fluoride toothpaste, and have fluoride varnish applied to their teeth.

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Written by George Citroner on August 19, 2019

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Like The Rose / Second Hand Smoke / Holiday Friday and Monday

Dedicated to Dewie Gaul,
A man I never had the Honor to meet,
But Love and deeply admire.
Thank you,
For the beauty of a Life
Ever Caring, Loving,
Giving.

rose

The desire of our heart, Blossoms like a flower in the wind.

On the eve of Life,
When our name,
Softly whispered,
Lingers in the air,
Like the night bird’s Song,
In the silence,
The dark,

rose IV

Like the Rose, fragrant in the morning of giving.

When Love transformed
Becomes the dawn
Of our awakening,
And we are embraced
Into the Loving Arms of God,
Becoming One,
Everlasting.

rose II

Blessing us With His Amazing Grace.

This dream of Life,
Ever afraid of waking,
Blossoms into the Beauty
Of Life unending,

Like the Rose,
Fragrant in the morning
Of giving,
Knowing it is deeply Loved,
Ever Loved and Loving,
Kissed by the radiant warmth
Of God’s glorious sun,
As it has always been.

rose III

The depth of His Love Beautifully unfolds.

The depth of His Love
Beautifully unfolds,
Like the petals of the Rose.
And the Universe of our Faith,
Hidden deep within
The desire of our heart,
Blossoms like a flower in the wind,
To be One again
And in Love again,
With everyone and everything,
With new Life and Living,
Loving and giving.
The one who gives us Life,
Like the bountiful Sun,
Showers us with the Warmth
Of His Everlasting Love,
Giving our lives such beauty,
And Blessing us
With His

Amazing Grace.

Rose V

Love transformed becomes the dawn of our awakening.

“Our schools face backward toward a dying system,
rather than forward to the emerging new society.
Their vast energies are applied to cranking out
Industrial Men – people tooled for survival
in a system that will be
dead before they are.
– Alvin Toffler

Secondhand Smoke Kills 42,000 Nonsmokers a Year in the U.S.
as reported by Christopher Wanjek in Live Science.

How many Americans die from smoking without even lighting up a cigarette? More than 42,000 people a year, including 900 infants, according to a new, thorough analysis of secondhand smoke deaths by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco. read more

According to the 2014 Surgeon General’s Report, there have been more than 20 million smoking-related deaths in the United States since 1964; 2.5 million of those deaths were among non-smokers who died from exposure to secondhand smoke. read more

“There have been a number of scientific papers recently that have reported the significant health threat secondhand smoke poses to pets,” according to veterinarian Carolynn MacAllister of Oklahoma State University. “Secondhand smoke has been associated with oral cancer and lymphoma in cats, lung and nasal cancer in dogs, as well as lung cancer in birds.” read more

Adolescents are already at risk for hearing loss from loud music and concerts venues, but a new study published in the July issue of Archives of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery found that teens exposed to second-hand smoke have a two-fold increase in sensorineural hearing loss.

And from the Mayo Clinic: Secondhand smoke causes or contributes to various health problems, including heart disease, lung disease and various types of cancer. read more

These are not numbers, my friends. These are our children. Exposing you or your children to second hand smoke is not putting up with an inconvenience, it is DEADLY. If someone is so inconsiderate and stupid that they light up in front of you and your children, please just leave. And stay out of their presence. Yes, YOU must leave because tobacco is so addictive that other lives become inconsequential to the addict. Your life, and the precious lives of your children, depend upon using good judgment and leaving a toxic environment.

And please, please remember, smokers are also influencing your children in a negative and very DEADLY way. And death is not the only consequence. The painful suffering becomes incomprehensible. Watching your children slowly expire is not what you want to experience, as you sit helplessly by their side and pray for an early and merciful death, which will not come.

“Ignorance is the beginning of knowledge;
Knowledge is the beginning of wisdom;
Wisdom is the awareness of ignorance.
– William Rotsler

rose VI

Deeply Loved, Ever Loved and Loving.

IMPORTANT DATES:
April 3 & 6 (Fri. & Mon.) Easter Holidays
April 10 C.P.R. & First Aid Training for all students & staff at school
April 28 Scarborough Renaissance Festival
(Drama Competition is “Twelfth Night”)
May 1 Tuition Due for 2015-16
May 4 & 5 (Mon. & Tues.) Anderson School Theatrical Production “Twelfth Night” At Stage West Theater

“Feel the dignity of a child.
Do not feel superior to him,
for you are not.”
– Robert Henri