HANDLING TEST STRESS

In high school, your child's life is a whirlwind of tests, from midterms and finals to the PSAT/NMSQT® and SAT® tests. With all this experience, it may seem like taking tests should be a breeze for your child. Unfortunately, this isn't always the case. Pressure to get high marks can increase a student's anxiety over grades, and make tests a nerve-wracking experience.
Good Stress and Bad Stress
Some stress before a test can actually be helpful. Just as stress at a job can push you to work harder, test stress can motivate students to put forth their best effort. However, too much anxiety can weaken students' confidence. The anxiety that students feel when faced with an exam can create a kind of noise or static in their minds. Unless they're able to relax, that noise can block their ability to recall important information. It can also impair their comprehension and reasoning, which makes problem-solving very difficult. As a result, students may receive grades that don't really reflect their hard work and abilities.
Tips for Calming Test-Time Jitters
If your child gets nervous before tests for classes, encourage her to try the following tips and strategies for keeping anxiety down and energy up for the next big exam.
Before the Test
Don't cram: Studying like crazy the night before an exam can leave your child exhausted and more stressed out than before, so encourage her to study in small doses over several days.
Take practice tests: Knowing the format and style of a test can keep anxiety at bay, so have your child take practice exams if they're available.
Get a good night's sleep: Lack of sleep contributes heavily to anxiety. Be sure your child goes to bed early the night before an exam.
Eat a healthy breakfast: Blood sugar is at its lowest in the morning. In order for your child to think and problem-solve effectively, she needs a good breakfast.
Exercise: Encourage your child to engage in physical activity before the test to reduce body tension. For example, take a brisk walk or jog.
Come early and prepared: By arriving to the test early and with the right supplies (e.g., No.2 pencils, calculator), your child can avoid stressing out about small details. This will allow her to focus on the task at hand.
During the Test
Preview the exam and budget time: By previewing the test, your child can avoid any unexpected surprises (and anxiety). It will also give her the opportunity to budget her time so she doesn't spend too long on any one section.
Jot notes: Jotting down brief notes right away can help your child feel less anxious about forgetting important facts or key information.
Read all directions: Some students are so anxious to get the test over with that they fail to read the directions.
Answer easy questions first: Getting the easier questions out of the way allows your child to focus her energy and time on the harder questions.
Rephrase difficult questions: Putting difficult questions in her own words can help your child slow down and really think about the problem. But your child should be careful not to change the questions' meanings when rewriting them.
Organize thoughts before writing: Your child should organize her responses to short-answer and essay questions before diving in. Having a plan will help her feel confident while she's writing.
Think positively: Negative thoughts during a test (e.g., "I'm going to fail") can destroy your child's confidence. Encourage her to override negative thoughts with positive ones (e.g., "I studied hard and I know my facts. I'll do great on this test.")
Relax: If your child starts to feel stress during a test, she should try quick relaxation techniques, such as:
Taking deep breaths, and letting out tension with each exhale
Tensing muscles for five seconds and releasing, repeating three times
Visualizing a peaceful and relaxing setting
Keep in mind that using the tips above won't necessarily keep anxiety away completely. However, practicing these techniques can give your child the right skills to manage test stress when it does happen.
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LUNG CANCER

We all have heard of lung cancer but how many of us are well aware of its symptoms? The lung cancer is one of the most perilous diseases that kill thousands of Americans every year and each year the number of cases are increasing. With the occurrences of cancer of the lungs on the rise, it is essential that we learn about the basic factors leading to lung-cancer and what should be the courses of action in case of lung cancer diagnosis. Here are the basic information regarding lung cancer that will help you to understand how and when it develops and how to steer clear of this killer disease. Lung cancer is that condition of your lungs where an abnormal reproduction of cells takes place. And it can happen in one or both of your lungs. Sometimes lumps of cancerous cells or the tumors invade the organs. Our lungs allow the oxygen from the air to pass into the bloodstream and carbon dioxide to eliminate from the system. Now any kind of lung disease including lung-cancer impairs this function of lungs to transfer oxygen into blood and remove carbon dioxide from it. The result is many kinds of disorders relating to breathing trouble and cough.Do you know what the most dreadful part of the lung cancer is? One rarely comes to suspect that he or she is suffering from lung-cancer until it is too late and goes beyond any kind of treatment. This is because, signs and symptoms associated with lung disease are never acute or alarming until the later stages of malignancy and it is often at this stage when someone starts to experience the typical symptoms of lung cancer. So it is recommended that if you ever experience any symptom even remotely related to lung cancer, rush to the doctor without delay so that in case of diagnosis of cancer in the lungs you can avail the treatments as early as possible. The earlier the disease is diagnosed; greater are the chances of survival.So what are the common symptoms of lung cancer? Nagging cough that seems never to end coupled with constant chest pain may be the warning of something being grossly wrong with your lungs. If you are suffering from recurring pneumonia or bronchitis, it may be an indication that you should immediately see an oncologist. The person displaying certain apathy for food followed by a remarkable weight loss may be an indication of cancer and the patients of lung cancer often complain of fatigue. However, swelling of neck and face is also one of the symptoms of cancer in the lungs.Remember lung cancer can be prevented if you give up smoking. So stay away from the cigars, cigarettes, pipes and other tobacco products. Also insist that the smokers should always smoke inside the smoking zone; do not allow the second hand smokes damage your lungs.
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CHOCOLATE

Chocolate (pronounced /ˈtʃɒklət/ (help·info) or /-ˈələt/) comprises a number of raw and processed foods produced from the seed of the tropical cacao tree. Cacao has been cultivated for at least three millennia in Mexico, Central and South America, with its earliest documented use around 1100 BC. The majority of the Mesoamerican peoples made chocolate beverages, including the Aztecs and the Maya, who made it into a beverage known as xocolātl, a Nahuatl word meaning "bitter water". The seeds of the cacao tree have an intense bitter taste, and must be fermented to develop the flavor.
After fermentation, the beans are dried, cleaned, and roasted, and the shell is removed to produce cacao nibs. The nibs are then ground and liquified, resulting in pure chocolate in fluid form: chocolate liquor. The liquor can be further processed into two components: cocoa solids and cocoa butter. Pure, unsweetened chocolate contains primarily cocoa solids and cocoa butter in varying proportions. Much of the chocolate consumed today is in the form of sweet chocolate, combining chocolate with sugar. Milk chocolate is sweet chocolate that additionally contains milk powder or condensed milk. "White chocolate" contains cocoa butter, sugar, and milk but no cocoa solids (and thus does not qualify to be considered true chocolate).
Chocolate contains alkaloids such as theobromine and phenethylamine, which have physiological effects on the body. It has been linked to serotonin levels in the brain. Scientists claim that chocolate, eaten in moderation, can lower blood pressure.[1] Dark chocolate has recently been promoted for its health benefits, including a substantial amount of antioxidants that reduce the formation of free radicals, though the presence of theobromine renders it toxic to some animals,[2] such as dogs and cats.
Chocolate has become one of the most popular flavors in the world. Gifts of chocolate molded into different shapes have become traditional on certain holidays: chocolate bunnies and eggs are popular on Easter, chocolate coins on Hanukkah, Santa Claus and other holiday symbols on Christmas, and hearts on Valentine's Day. Chocolate is also used in cold and hot beverages, to produce chocolate milk and hot chocolate.

ALZHEIMER'S DISEASES

Alzheimer's disease (AD), also called Alzheimer disease, Senile Dementia of the Alzheimer Type (SDAT) or simply Alzheimer's, is the most common form of dementia. This incurable, degenerative, and terminal disease was first described by German psychiatrist and neuropathologist Alois Alzheimer in 1906 and was named after him.[1] Generally, it is diagnosed in people over 65 years of age,[2] although the less-prevalent early-onset Alzheimer's can occur much earlier. As of September 2009, this number is reported to be 35 million-plus worldwide.[3] The prevalence of Alzheimer's is thought to reach approximately 107 million people by 2050.[4]
Although the course of Alzheimer's disease is unique for every individual, there are many common symptoms.[5] The earliest observable symptoms are often mistakenly thought to be 'age-related' concerns, or manifestations of stress.[6] In the early stages, the most commonly recognised symptom is memory loss, such as difficulty in remembering recently learned facts. When a doctor or physician has been notified, and AD is suspected, the diagnosis is usually confirmed with behavioural assessments and cognitive tests, often followed by a brain scan if available.[7] As the disease advances, symptoms include confusion, irritability and aggression, mood swings, language breakdown, long-term memory loss, and the general withdrawal of the sufferer as their senses decline.[6][8] Gradually, bodily functions are lost, ultimately leading to death.[9] Individual prognosis is difficult to assess, as the duration of the disease varies. AD develops for an indeterminate period of time before becoming fully apparent, and it can progress undiagnosed for years. The mean life expectancy following diagnosis is approximately seven years.[10] Fewer than three percent of individuals live more than fourteen years after diagnosis.[11]
The cause and progression of Alzheimer's disease are not well understood. Research indicates that the disease is associated with plaques and tangles in the brain.[12] Currently used treatments offer a small symptomatic benefit; no treatments to delay or halt the progression of the disease are as yet available. As of 2008, more than 500 clinical trials have been conducted for identification of a possible treatment for AD, but it is unknown if any of the tested intervention strategies will show promising results.[13] A number of non-invasive, life-style habits have been suggested for the prevention of Alzheimer's disease, but there is a lack of adequate evidence for a link between these recommendations and reduced degeneration. Mental stimulation, exercise, and a balanced diet are suggested, as both a possible prevention and a sensible way of managing the disease.[14] In people with AD the increasing impairment of learning and memory eventually leads to a definitive diagnosis. In a small proportion of them, difficulties with language, executive functions, perception (agnosia), or execution of movements (apraxia) are more prominent than memory problems.[26] AD does not affect all memory capacities equally. Older memories of the person's life (episodic memory), facts learned (semantic memory), and implicit memory (the memory of the body on how to do things, such as using a fork to eat) are affected to a lesser degree than new facts or memories.[27][28] Language problems are mainly characterised by a shrinking vocabulary and decreased word fluency, which lead to a general impoverishment of oral and written language.[26][29] In this stage, the person with Alzheimer's is usually capable of adequately communicating basic ideas.[26][29][30] While performing fine motor tasks such as writing, drawing or dressing, certain movement coordination and planning difficulties (apraxia) may be present but they are commonly unnoticed.[26] As the disease progresses, people with AD can often continue to perform many tasks independently, but may need assistance or supervision with the most cognitively demanding activities.[26]Progressive deterioration eventually hinders independence; with subjects being unable to perform most common activities of daily living.[26] Speech difficulties become evident due to an inability to recall vocabulary, which leads to frequent incorrect word substitutions (paraphasias). Reading and writing skills are also progressively lost.[26][30] Complex motor sequences become less coordinated as time passes and AD progresses, so the risk of falling increases.[26] During this phase, memory problems worsen, and the person may fail to recognise close relatives.[26] Long-term memory, which was previously intact, becomes impaired.[26] Behavioural and neuropsychiatric changes become more prevalent. Common manifestations are wandering, irritability and labile affect, leading to crying, outbursts of unpremeditated aggression, or resistance to caregiving.[26] Sundowning can also appear.[31] Approximately 30% of patients develop illusionary misidentifications and other delusional symptoms.[26] Subjects also lose insight of their disease process and limitations (Anosognosia).[26] Urinary incontinence can develop.[26] These symptoms create stress for relatives and caretakers, which can be reduced by moving the person from home care to other long-term care facilities.[26][32]
During this last stage of AD, the patient is completely dependent upon caregivers.[26] Language is reduced to simple phrases or even single words, eventually leading to complete loss of speech.[26][30] Despite the loss of verbal language abilities, patients can often understand and return emotional signals.[26] Although aggressiveness can still be present, extreme apathy and exhaustion are much more common results.[26] Patients will ultimately not be able to perform even the most simple tasks without assistance.[26] Muscle mass and mobility deteriorate to the point where they are bedridden, and they lose the ability to feed themselves.[26] AD is a terminal illness with the cause of death typically being an external factor such as infection of pressure ulcers or pneumonia, not by the disease itself.[26]