Facts about the human body

The human body is a machine that is full of wonder. This collection of human body facts will leave you wondering why in the heck we were designed the way we were.

1.. Scientists say the higher your I.Q. The more you dream.

2.. The largest cell in the human body is the female egg.

3.. The smallest is the male sperm.

4.. You use 200 muscles to take one step.

5.. The average woman is 5 inches shorter than the average man.

6.. Your big toes have two bones each while the rest have three.

7.. A pair of human feet contain 250,000 sweat glands.

8.. A full bladder is roughly the size of a soft ball.

9.. The acid in your stomach is strong enough to dissolve razor blades.

10.. The human brain cell can hold 5 times as much information as the Encyclopedia Britannica.

11.. It takes the food seven seconds to get from your mouth to your stomach.

12.. The average human dream lasts 2-3 seconds.

13.. Men without hair on their chests are more likely to get cirrhosis of the liver than men with hair.

14.. At the moment of conception, you spent about half an hour as a single cell.

15.. There is about one trillion bacteria on each of your feet.

16.. Your body gives off enough heat in 30 minutes to bring half a gallon of water to a boil.

17.. The enamel in your teeth is the hardest substance in your body.

18.. Your teeth start developing (in your gums) 6 months before you are born.

19.. When you are looking at someone you love, your pupils dilate, they do the same when you are looking at someone you hate.

20.. Blondes have more hair than dark-haired people.

21.. Your thumb is the same length as your nose.

At this very moment I know full well you are putting this last fact to the test ... now remove your thumb from your nose and pass this on to the friends you think might be interested in comparing their thumbs to their noses as well

Vitamin Supplements 'may shorten your life'

Research has suggested vitamin supplements do not extend life and could even lead to a premature death.

A review of 67 studies found "no convincing evidence" that antioxidant
supplements cut the risk of dying. Scientists at Copenhagen University said vitamins A and E could interfere with the body's natural defenses.

"Even more, beta-carotene, vitamin A, and vitamin E seem to increase
mortality," according to the review by the respected Cochrane Collaboration.

The research involved selecting various studies from 817 on beta-carotene, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, and selenium which the team felt were the most likely to fairly reflect the benefits of the supplements. It has been thought that these supplements may be able to prevent damage to the body's tissues called "oxidative stress" by eliminating the molecules called "free radicals" which are said to cause it. This damage has been implicated in several major diseases including cancer and heart disease.

'Just eat well'

The trials involved 233,000 people who were either sick or were healthy and taking supplements for disease prevention. After various factors were taken into account and a further 20 studies excluded, the researchers linked vitamin A supplements to a 16% increased risk of dying, beta-carotene to a 7% increased risk and vitamin E to a 4% increased risk. Vitamin C did not appear to have any effect one way or the other, and the team said more work was needed into this supplement - as well as into selenium.

In conclusion, "we found no evidence to support antioxidant supplements for primary or secondary prevention," they said. It was unclear exactly why the supplements could have this effect, but the team speculated that they could interfere with how the body works: beta-carotene, for instance, is thought to change the way a body uses fats.

The Department of Health said people should try to get the vitamins they need from their diet, and avoid taking large doses of supplements - a market which is worth over £330m in the UK . "There is a need to exercise caution in the use of high doses of purified supplements of vitamins, including antioxidant vitamins, and minerals," a spokesperson said. "Their impact on long-term health may not have been fully established and they cannot be assumed to be without risk."

A 'stitch-up'

But the Health Supplements Information Service, which is funded by the association which represents those who sell supplements, said many people were simply not able to get everything they needed from their diet. "For the millions who are not able to do that, vitamins can be a useful supplement and they should not stop taking them," said spokeswoman Pamela Mason.

Another nutritionist who has formulated supplements described the review as a "stitch-up" and only reviewed studies which examined the effect they had on reducing mortality, rather than other advantages. "Antioxidants are not meant to be magic bullets and should not be expected to undo a lifetime of unhealthy habits," said Patrick Holford. "But when used properly, in combination with eating a healthy diet full of fruit and vegetables, getting plenty of exercise and not smoking, antioxidant supplements can play an important role in maintaining and promoting overall health."

Safe Peer-to-Peer Sharing

Being part of a peer-to-peer network poses several security threats. Here are some ways of steering clear of them.

Whether it is or BitTorrent, peer-to-peer (P2P) networks are a popular way of sharing files among users. Music, videos, movies people pick them all from P2P networks.

Many offices also use P2P networking to connect users PCs with each other and with common office resources such as the printer or scanner. But P2P networking has some inherent security threats, which you need to beware of, whether you are a user of a P2P application or a workplace user.

Connecting PCs to each other

In P2P networking, PCs are connected to each other and each user sets permissions on what content on the PC should be shared with other users on the network. This is different from a client-server architecture where all PCs (called clients) are connected to a central server the server hosts all the applications that the users on the network need, such as mail, printing, and file-sharing applications. In a P2P network, on the other hand, each PC acts as both client and server.

The advantage of a P2P network is that the computing resources, hard drives, and bandwidth of computers on the network are used by all the users. There is no need to install, configure, and manage an expensive server for this task. P2P networks also make it easier and more convenient for you to collaborate and share information. Some companies use P2P networks to share assets and information among users in separate locations. Workgroup collaboration using instant messaging and other collaboration software is one of the most popular uses of P2P networks.

Many P2P networks use the Internet for file sharing; users on these networks are in different regions of the world. If you want to become part of such a network, such as Kazaa or Gnutella, you would need to run an application every time you want to connect to the network.

Where security issues arise

The architecture of a P2P network holds some security threats.

Improper authentication: A client-server network has fairly strong authentication procedures, which are not there in P2P networks. Especially in the case of corporate P2P networks, if users share their passwords with people who are not part of the corporate setup, it could lead to loss of intellectual property and confidential data.

Bypassing firewalls: To enable file-sharing on some P2P networks, you have to bypass any firewall that you may have installed on your PC or corporate network. Once this happens, you are open to the dangers of downloading malicious code unknowingly.

Unsafe downloads: When you download any file or utility from a P2P network, you effectively accept it from someone who's a stranger to you. In fact, the user who has shared the file with you may not even be who he/she purports to be. Therefore, such downloaded files could potentially contain spyware, adware, viruses, Trojans and other such malicious software.

P2P application threat: In some public P2P networks, the application you use to connect to the network could lead to security issues. The application itself could be improperly written or buggy, which could harm your PC's performance. Secondly, since the application is hosted on other users machines, there is no way of knowing whether the genuine application has been substituted with a malicious file, such as a Trojan, which could lead to more serious security issues for your system and the confidential information in it. This, however, is usually difficult to do.

Playing safe on P2P networks

There are several steps you can take to ensure that you use P2P networks safely.

Use good P2P products: If you are setting up a corporate P2P network, use products that have integrated security features. There are several products from different vendors available for this. One of these is Microsoft Groove.

Scan each download: If you use Internet file-sharing on a P2P network, scan everything you download using anti-virus software, before you install and use it. This will ensure that you don't install any malicious software on your PC.

Scan your PC: Use software such as Ad-Aware and other anti-virus software to scan your PC periodically, to ensure that you haven't unwittingly installed any adware or malicious software.

Be careful of what you share: When you use a P2P network, a default folder is usually created, where you can store files that you want to share with other users. Ensure that you have shared only that folder with other users, and not the entire hard drive or other confidential folders.

Have a security policy: P2P networks need you to create a separate security policy and train everyone to use it.

Make users aware of the risks: On a corporate P2P network, all users should be made aware of the risks of sharing their passwords and other security risks of sharing information over P2P networks.

Avoid Internet P2P file-sharing on corporate networks: Internet P2P file-sharing should be avoided on office networks. It clogs bandwidth and puts the security of all the network users at risk. The implications of some malicious software getting installed on the network would be very dangerous and far-reaching for the company.

Protect your Company from Cyber squatters

Cyber squatters are increasingly becoming clever in usurping names because there is big money.

What is the official website address of Amitabh Bachchan? You are wrong if you thought it is www. AmitabhBachchan. com. You are again wrong if you thought it is www. AmitabhBachchan. in or .net. All these domain names are booked by someone else. Most top stars are guilty as well. Salman Khan, Rajinikanth, Kareena Kapoor, Hrithik Roshan don't own their own domain names. It's not just film stars who are dumb when it comes to online brand consciousness.

Top companies like Tata, State Bank of India, The Hindu newspaper, Satyam Computers have had their domain names booked by opportunistic miscreants. They all had to fight painful court battles to regain their online identities.

Cyber squatting is the habit of booking domain names for which you don't have trademark rights. There are people who book domain names for the sole purpose of profiting from the domain by either selling advertisements or selling the domain name at a later date for a higher amount. Or worse, they may use it for pornography or criminal activities such as phishing for passwords and bank account details.

State Bank of India learnt it the hard way. An Australian had booked www.sbicards. com and made the website look so authentic that he managed to fool big companies like Chase Manhattan bank into advertising on his site.

Cyber squatters are now getting into a new medium called typo squatting' , meaning that they also book names that are commonly mis-spell. For example, www.cococola. com, www.huyundai. com, www.pespi.com. Such domain name offer cyber squatters an opportunity to put pay-per-click ads and profit from them.

Incidentally, one of the most popular domain extensions is ".CM". This domain extension belongs to Cameroon and the cyber-squatters. For example, www.google.cm takes to a page which has many fraud links. Some companies have been careful and booked .cm which redirects to their main website.

Book Country Specific Domain Names: With businesses going global, its important to see if your company owns country specific domain names. Unfortunately, many multinational companies haven't booked the ".in" domain. They only think of it when they want to establish their business in India, but by then someone else has already booked it. For example, the Indian domain of TechCrunch, the famed web 2.0 blog, (www.TechCrunch. in) is owned by a software guy in Chennai.

If you want to protect your company's names, you should also pro-actively book domain names that has negative connotation. For example, if you are the brand manger of Reliance, you are better off blocking domains like RelianceSucks. com and RelianceCheats. com because they could so easily be misused by others.

There are online services to help you. For instance, www.CitizenHawk. com suggests possible misspelling for your brand names and helps book them for you. If the names are already taken by others, they help in retrieving them through legal process. The best fight back of course, is you being proactively cautious.

Make Online Banking Secure

There is no greater feeling than receiving your paycheque, is there? After an arduous month at work, the number of zeros on the cheque makes it all worthwhile. But what if one day you get up and log on to the Net and realise that your money - your hard-earned money - is reduced to nothing but zeros! This is not fiction anymore. It could happen to any of us.

Internet Banking become an easy and convenient way to conduct financial transactions. But like most things on the Internet, the onus of a safe and secure banking experience is on you, the user.

To make sure that you can sleep soundly at night, here are some steps to follow:

Never access your bank account from a public computer - Always use your own PC to log in to your account. Public computers may have programs running on them that monitor your keystrokes, which can be used by people to obtain your account password.

Don't fall for phishing - Sometimes you might get an innocent email, apparently from your bank, requesting you for your account details. It's a trap. Do not fall for it. A bank will never ask you for your Internet banking password, your debit card PIN number, or credit card or CVV number.

Log off - Always. Never just close your browser. Follow the instructions on your bank website to securely log off after each session.

Protect your password - Passwords are the key to accessing your account. Do not disclose them to anyone, not even bank employees. Frame a password that is hard to crack , let it not be your nick name, birthday, your spouse's or kid's name. Use a combination of letters and numbers, uppercase and lowercase. Also, change your password often.

Be wary of fake websites - Always check whether the website at which you log in your account details is genuine. There are fake websites out there that parade themselves as well-known bank websites to procure your account details. Some of them are very convincing. Check the address of the website carefully before typing in your password. Also check for the 128-bit encryption seal (VeriSign) on the home page that loads up.

Close all other websites - Before you access your account, close other sites. This ensures that your personal information is not accessed by any other websites which could be running some malware.

Install a firewall - Firewalls can go a long way in ensuring that your computer is not subject to unauthorized access. Install the latest anti-virus programs and update your computer's security patches regularly as well.

Look for the padlock symbol - On your bank's website, look for the padlock symbol on the bottom right of the page to ensure that the site is in secure mode before entering your personal details.

Always remember that there could be people out there who are just looking for one slip up from you to get your account details. Stay alert and your money will be safe.

How to Maintain Not-Quite-Daily Habits

Have you ever fallen off track while trying to install or maintain a not-quite-daily habit such as exercising 3-4 days a week or getting up at 5am on weekdays? This article will share some simple ideas to help you maintain such habits more easily.

If you perform a certain task every day for weeks on end, it’s usually pretty easy to maintain. However, once you take a day or two off, it can be harder to start up again on your next “on” day. For example, if you get up early every weekday and then sleep in late on Saturday and Sunday, waking up Monday morning often feels harder, and you’re more likely to oversleep. Before you know it, you’ve blown your positive habit completely, and somehow every day has become an off day.

1. Make it daily anyway.
The first solution is to turn almost-daily habits into daily habits. Sometimes it’s no big deal to continue the habit even when it isn’t necessary, and the upside is that you’ll have a stronger habit with less risk of losing ground.

For example, I like to get up early 7 days a week. I find this much easier to maintain than getting up early 5-6 days per week. If I get up at 5am every single morning, it’s really no big deal. But if I stay out late one night and sleep in until 7am, it’s always harder to get up at 5am the following morning. Every once in a while I’ll stay out past midnight and sleep in late, but my default is to get up with the alarm at the same time every morning.

Even though I don’t need to get up early every day, the habit is beneficial for me every day, so there’s no reason to limit it to weekdays. Although it might seem harder to do it 7 days instead of 5-6 days, it’s actually easier to be consistent.

With close to 100% daily consistency, a habit will typically maintain itself on autopilot, so you don’t even have to think about it anymore. But with 80-90% consistency, the contrast between your on and off days is always in the back of your mind. Do I have to get up early tomorrow, or can I sleep in late? Do I need to exercise tomorrow, or can I skip it? If you have a lot of almost-daily habits, this can be a big cognitive burden and quite a distraction. Maintaining good habits becomes much more difficult than necessary.

2. Use placeholder habits.
Another option is to create an alternative, placeholder habit for your off days.

Suppose you want to exercise 5 days a week, and you really want to keep those off days. Instead of doing your regular exercise, you could schedule an an alternative activity for the same time.

Instead of doing your usual workout, you could use your off days to go for a walk, read, meditate, write in your journal, etc.

I recommend that you use placeholder habits that are similar in some way to the original habit. For example, on your off days for exercise, you could still do something physical like walking, stretching, or yoga. This turns your physical development into an everyday practice, even though you’re doing different activities each day.

3. Chain Habits.
When you chain a series of habits together, they become easier to maintain. As soon as you begin the first habit in the chain, the rest of the sequence will tend to take care of itself.

My usual morning routine involves getting up, hitting the gym, showering, getting dressed, eating breakfast, etc. It’s a pretty stable pattern. But sometimes when I feel I’m at risk of overtraining, I’ll skip my workout without substituting anything. When this happens I can just jump to the next link in my morning habit chain, which means I’ll get up and then shower.

I find that when I occasionally skip habits that are part of a longer daily chain, it’s fairly easy to put them back in again as long as I continue to maintain the first and last links in the chain. As long as I get up early and go to the gym or get up early and then shower, my not-quite-daily exercise habit remains pretty solid. But if I mess with the first link in the chain and don’t get up at my usual time, the whole sequence is more likely to be blown.

So the idea is to put your not-quite-daily habits in the middle of a chain of daily habits. If you maintain the overall chain, you’ll probably find it easier to maintain the middle links as well, even though you sometimes skip them.

4. Make specific commitments.
If there are certain habits you won’t perform every day, decide exactly when you will perform them.

“I’m going to exercise 3-4 days per week” is too vague and wishy-washy. “I’ll do a 30-minute workout at the gym every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday morning at 6:30am, alternating between weight training and aerobic conditioning” is much better. The more specific your commitment, the better.

Block out time on your schedule, and add these commitments to your calendar. Be sure not to schedule anything else for those times.

It’s very easy to fail when you give yourself too many outs and don’t really commit. On any given day, there should be no question as to whether you will or won’t perform your habitual activity. Ditch the mights, maybes, and shoulds. Either you will or you won’t. Decide in advance what it will be.

5. Turn habits into appointments.
If you have a hard time maintaining irregular habits, find a way to turn them into appointments that involve someone else. It’s easier to ditch a habit if you’re only accountable to yourself, but most people are less willing to skip appointments that would leave someone else hanging.

Get a workout buddy. Schedule early AM phone calls with another early riser. Plan home organizing time with your roommate(s) at the same time every week. Schedule regular babysitting for date nights with your spouse.

Your accountability will be greater when you involve others in your not-quite-daily habits.

Regular Health Mistakes

All of us make little health mistakes that cause damage to our bodies in the long run - simply because we are unaware we are doing something wrong. Here are some of the most common mistakes made by many of us.

Crossing our legs

Do you cross your legs at your knees when sitting? Although we may believe that this is the lady-like elegant way to sit and sitting this way cuts down circulation to your legs. If you don"t want varicose veins to mar the beauty of your legs and compromise your health uncross your legs every time you realize you have one knee on top of the other. The best way to sit is to simply place both legs together on the floor balancing your weight equally. If you feel like changing position instead of crossing your legs simply move both legs together to one side. As an alternative you could also consider crossing your legs loosely at the ankles. This is a classically elegant way to sit and is far better for your legs and your health than sitting with your legs crossed at your knees.

Not changing our toothbrush

How often do you change your toothbrush? Most of us wait until most of the bristles have either fallen off or are in such bad shape that we"d be embarrassed to pull out our brush in public. However since not many of us need to pull out our brush in public we carry on with our frayed one until we lose it. Replace your toothbrush often. Damaged bristles can harm the enamel and don"t massage your gums well. If you find brushing your teeth a pain like I do but know you must do it you might as well be doing it right. Imagine going through the annoyance of brushing your teeth twice a day only to find out that you"re damaging your enamel every time you clean your teeth. Also use a brush with soft bristles unless your dentist has advised otherwise.

Eating out often

There are oils that are high in cholesterol and oils that cause little harm and are better for your heart. However no matter how light the oil is it is never a good idea to eat too much of it. Avoid fried foods.Remember that in all probability your favourite Indian food restaurant throws a huge-HUGE chunk of butter in a tiny bowl of dal. Rita who worked in the kitchen of a 5 star hotel was shocked when she saw the cook chop a 500gm butter slab in half and throw half into a Paneer Makhani dish. No wonder the customers left licking their fingers. And no wonder they felt so stuffed and heavy afterwards. Limit outdoor eating unless you know that you"re getting served light and healthy food.

Skipping breakfast

Never ever skip breakfast. Remember when you wake up in the morning it"s been around 10-12 hours since your last meal. Your body needs food now more than at any other time. Eat a heavy breakfast. You will then be busy through the day and the calories will get expended quickly. If you are trying to diet at a light dinner. Here are some more common health mistakes we make. Being informed and making a few changes can help make us feel a whole lot better.

High heels

High heels sure look great but they're murder for your back. This however doesn't mean you should steer clear of stilettos. Wear them but not when you know you will be walking around a lot. Wear them when going out for lunch or dinner - when the only walking you will be doing is to your car to the table and back. Avoid high heels when you are going somewhere on foot. If you are constantly tempted to wear your heels take a good look at your flats. Is there something about them you dislike? Invest in a new pair of beautiful flats or shoes with a low heel. Buy something you love that you will enjoy wearing. If possible get a matching bag. You will then enjoy your flats as much as you do your heels.

Sleeping on a soft bed

You don't have to sleep on the floor be kind to your back but do make sure you have a firm mattress. Although a mattress on springs is soft and lovely to sink into it's bad for your back. If you already have an old bed with springs you don't need to invest in a new one - simply get a thick wooden plank put over the springs and place the mattress on the plank. Similarly if your mattress is old and lumpy throw it out and get a new one. Your neck and your back will thank you. The same rule applies to sofas. If you will be spending hours on a sofa get a firm yet comfortable one. Sofas you completely sink into are not the best idea.

Pillows

No matter how comfortable sleeping with ten cushions is have pity on your neck and resist. Sleep with one pillow and make sure it is not too thick. If your pillow gets lumpy discard it and go for a new one. Get a thin pillow if you sleep on your stomach and something a little thicker if you sleep on your back to give your neck adequate support

Not exercising

So all of us know we should exercise more but many of us don't. This is a health mistake we consciously make! And why is that? Simply because we refuse to admit the damage we are causing to our bodies by not working out. A number of people only start working out once they've experienced a warning signal. Don't wait for a heart attack to strike before you decide to opt for a lifestyle change. Make the change now. You don't need to train for the marathon to be in top shape. Half an hour of brisk walking three to four times a week will make a world of difference to your health. You could then increase this to forty minutesfour times a week - and you're all set. If you haven't exercised for a weekyou're making a mistake.

IMPORTANCE OF TONGUE CLEANING

BRUSHING TEETH REDUCES MOUTH ODOR BY 25%
TONGUE CLEANING REDUCES MOUTH ODOR BY 75%
CLEANING THE TONGUE AND BRUSHING TEETH TOGETHER WILL REDUCE MOUTH ODOR BY 85%

The surface of the tongue is one of the main breeding grounds for bacteria that attack teeth and gums.
The total bacteria count on the dorsum of the tongue can be reduced as much as 50% after only ONE DAY of TONGUE SCRAPING in comparison to one week of tongue brushing to achieve the same results.
Tongue scraping significantly reduces dental plaque by 33% without causing any deleterious tissue changes in the tongue.
Tongue scraping is an especially important procedure for heavy smokers, mouth breathers, or those who do not use their dentures due to unduly coated tongues.
Tongue scraping reduces a source of halitosis, root caries, and improves taste acuity and interest in different varieties of food in the elderly.
The toothbrush is designed specifically to remove plaque from teeth. It is not designed to clean the tongue's histological structure effectively.
Daily hygiene of the tongue is an important part of "Total Mouth Care" in addition to brushing and flossing.

ADVANTAGES OF TONGUE CLEANERS

Obvious removal of thick gelatinous tongue coating (plaque).

No deleterious tissue changes in the tongue.

Convenient, safe, effective, and easy to use!

Improves confidence and taste!

WORLD HISTORY FACTS ABOUT INDIA

1. India never invaded any country in her last 1000 years of history.

2. India invented the numerical system. Aryabhatta invented 'zero.'

3. The world's first university was established in Takshila in 700 BC. More than 10,500 students from all over the world studied more than 60 subjects. The University of Nalanda built in the 4th century BC was one of the greatest achievements of ancient India in the field of education.

4. According to the Forbes magazine, Sanskrit is the most suitable language for computer software.

5. Ayurveda is the earliest school of medicine known to humans.

6. Although western media portrays modern images of India as poverty stricken and underdeveloped through political corruption, India was once the richest empire on earth.

7. The art of navigation was born in the river Sindh 5000 years ago. The very word "Navigation" is derived from the Sanskrit word NAVGATIH.

8. The value of pi was first calculated by Budhayana, and he explained the concept of what is now known as the Pythagorean Theorem. British scholars have last year (1999) officially published that Budhayan's works date back to the 6th Century, which is long before the European mathematicians.

9. Algebra, trigonometry and calculus came from India . Quadratic equations were by Sridharacharya in the 11th Century; the largest numbers the Greeks and the Romans used were 106 whereas Indians used numbers as big as 1053.

10. According to the Gemological Institute of America, up until 1896, India was the only source of diamonds to the world.

11. USA based IEEE has proved what has been a century-old suspicion amongst academics that the pioneer of wireless communication was Professor Jagdeesh Bose and not Marconi.

12. The earliest reservoir and dam for irrigation was built in Saurashtra.

13. Chess was invented in India .

14. Sushruta is the father of surgery. 2600 years ago he and health scientists of his time conducted surgeries like cesareans, cataract, fractures and urinary stones. Usage of anaesthesia was well known in ancient India .

15. When many cultures in the world were only nomadic forest dwellers over 5000 years ago, Indians established Harappan culture in Sindhu Valley (Indus Valley Civilization) .

16. The place value system, the decimal system was developed in India dating back to at least 100 BC.