Happy 4th of July, Our Independence

On July 4, 1776, the thirteen colonies claimed their independence from England, an event which eventually led to the formation of the United States. Each year on July 4th, also known as Independence Day, Americans celebrate this historic event.

Conflict between the colonies and England was already a year old when the colonies convened a Continental Congress in Philadelphia in the summer of 1776. In a June 7 session in the Pennsylvania State House (later Independence Hall), Richard Henry Lee of Virginia presented a resolution with the famous words: "Resolved: That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved."

Lee's words were the impetus for the drafting of a formal Declaration of Independence, although the resolution was not followed up on immediately. On June 11, consideration of the resolution was postponed by a vote of seven colonies to five, with New York abstaining. However, a Committee of Five was appointed to draft a statement presenting to the world the colonies' case for independence. Members of the Committee included John Adams of Massachusetts, Roger Sherman of Connecticut, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, Robert R. Livingston of New York and Thomas Jefferson of Virginia. The task of drafting the actual document fell on Jefferson.

On July 1, 1776, the Continental Congress reconvened, and on the following day, the Lee Resolution for independence was adopted by 12 of the 13 colonies, New York not voting. Discussions of Jefferson's Declaration of Independence resulted in some minor changes, but the spirit of the document was unchanged. The process of revision continued through all of July 3 and into the late afternoon of July 4, when the Declaration was officially adopted. Of the 13 colonies, nine voted in favor of the Declaration, two -- Pennsylvania and South Carolina -- voted No, Delaware was undecided and New York abstained. John Hancock, President of the Continental Congress, signed the Declaration of Independence. It is said that John Hancock's signed his name "with a great flourish" so England's "King George can read that without spectacles!"

Today, the original copy of the Declaration is housed in the National Archives in Washington, D.C., and July 4 has been designated a national holiday to commemorate the day the United States laid down its claim to be a free and independent nation.

How Healthy is Your Hair

No matter what kind of hair you have, take care of it and it will return the favor.

As hair is one of the first things people notice about you, you want it looking its best. If you suffer from split ends, breakage, greasy hair, or dry and brittle hair, there may be some things you can do to improve your hair’s overall health and appearance.
When you’re ready to make your hair look like it just spent the day in a hair health spa, try these tips.

Avoid Manmade Shampoos

While all shampoos are manmade (that’s right - you won’t find any trees that have shampoo-bottle leaves), some are a little more manmade than others. When choosing a shampoo to use on your flowing locks, go with something rooted in nature. Manmade chemicals may do a great job of ridding your hair of dirt and grime, but they tend to strip your hair of the oils needed for optimal health. More natural alternatives help preserve needed oils, while getting rid of the stuff you don’t want or need.

Grab the Boar by the Handle

Brushes made with plastic bristles are relatively cheap and tough. However, if you want to help your hair be its healthiest, you should know that plastic bristles are the enemy of healthy hair. Instead, go with a brush made with natural boar bristles. If you’re going to be brushing your hair out while wet, grab a boar-hair brush with rubber-toothed bristles. Otherwise, go all with all-natural boar bristles to help your dry hair maintain its strength and luster.

The Washing Dilemma. Ask 10 stylists how often people should wash their hair and you’ll probably get 10 different answers. The most common trains of thought are to wash hair only two or three times a week to avoid drying out your hair and scalp or to wash every day with a gentle shampoo. As no one seems to agree on the frequency you should shampoo, find out for yourself. Using a natural shampoo, wash as frequent as necessary to have clean, healthy hair that is neither excessively greasy nor frustratingly dry.

Bye-Bye, Barrettes

Want to get your hair up and out of the way? Be sure to do it in a manner that doesn’t damage your hair. Though barrettes are extremely easy and convenient to use, they can pull your hair, causing it to lose some of its good health. For a hair-healthy alternative, go with claw clips or hair bands or loosely braid or twist your hair behind your head.

Color Properly

Not content with your hair’s natural color? Feel the need to change it to make it better match your skin tones or personality? Though it is healthier for you to never dye your hair, you can help your dyed hair stay its healthiest by taking two steps. First, dye your hair every month. It will be more expensive than the three-month schedule you may be accustomed to, but more frequent dying (as long as it’s the same color each time) allows your stylist to leave chemicals on your head for a shorter amount of time, as there will be less loss of coloring to be corrected. Second, hold off on washing your hair for three days after dying it, and use shampoo that has been proven to not strip color from hair. These two steps will give your new color plenty of time to safely saturate your hair.

Enjoy Your Meal

As important as what you put on your hair and how you style it is what you put in your mouth. Believe it or not, a diet deficient in a certain vitamin or mineral can spell bad hair day for months on end. To ensure you have the best possible hair, eat plenty of beans, dark green veggies, nuts, poultry, salmon, whole grains, carrots, and low-fat dairy products. In other words, get plenty of variety in your diet and do your best to avoid an excessive amount of useless sugars and fats.

Happy Fathers Day.

Good marriage = good fathers LOS ANGELES (UPI) -- There is a positive correlation between marital quality and the quality of the father-child relationship, the California Healthy Marriages Coalition says. The California Healthy Marriages Coalition, an online clearinghouse on marriage and relationship strengthening resources, which also provides marriage classes, says both parents bring balance to a child's physical and emotional welfare, but more than 100 studies say fathers may be more important than mothers in the lives of their children. In a country where the divorce rate remains close to 50 percent, these are important points to ponder this Father's Day. "The best predictor of father presence is marital status," a report from the Institute for American Values says. The report says when a father's romantic relationship with the child's mother ends, this often ends his involvement with their children as well. "Children with involved, loving fathers are significantly more likely to do well in school, have healthy self-esteem, exhibit empathy and pro-social behavior compared to children who have uninvolved fathers," reports the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. K. Jason Krafsky, director of communications and marketing for the California Healthy Marriages Coalition and co-author of "Facebook and Your Marriage," says: "The quality of the relationship with my wife, how we communicate, work as a team and express intimacy, model for our kids what a healthy marriage is and give them a better chance of having one themselves in the future." Copyright 2011 by United Press International

Citrus extracts show energy burning potential, without side effects

Bitter orange extracts plus the citrus flavonoids, naringin and hesperidin, may boost metabolic rates without affecting blood pressure, says a new study with implications for weight management.

According to findings published in the International Journal of Medical Sciences , consumption of 100 mg hesperidin, 50 mg p-synephrine (from bitter orange), and 600 mg naringin increased the resting metabolic rate by about 18 percent.

“If one assumes that the product was taken twice a day for one year, the theoretical increase in calorie consumption would amount to over 31 pounds,”wrote the researchers, led by Professor Harry Preuss from Georgetown University Medical Center.

“However, the actual extent of weight loss if the product was consumed under these conditions remains to be determined,” they added.

Forms

Products reportedly containing bitter orange (Citrus aurantium) or p-synephrine, its predominant alkaloid, are typically positioned in the weight loss segment, and reports also suggest efficacy in the relief of heartburn, and loss of appetite, as well as skin infections such as ringworm and athlete's foot.

The ingredient’s profile has increased since ephedra was banned by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2004 as it contains similar compounds and has been favored by dietary supplements manufacturers as an ephedra substitute. It is most often consumed in pill-form but can also be applied to the skin.

The study used the patented bitter orange extract Advantra Z, which is commercialized by Nutratech Inc. The company also funded the study and one of the study authors is affiliated with the New Jersey based company.

Lead author Sidney Stohs from Creighton University and corresponding author Harry Preuss from Georgetown University have both served as consultants to Nutratech.

The bitter orange extract is standardized to 60 percent p-Synephrine.

Key results

The researchers tested the potential of p-synephrine alone, or p-synephrine plus naringin, or p-synephrine plus naringin and hesperidin, compared to placebo, on the metabolic rate of 50 volunteers.

Results showed that the p-synephrine alone increased the metabolic rate by 7 percent, compared to placebo. When 50mg of p-synephrine was consumed with 600 mg naringin and 100 mg hesperidin the metabolic rate was almost 18 percent higher than the control group.

“None of the treatment groups exhibited changes in heart rate or blood pressure relative to the control group, nor there were no differences in self-reported ratings of 10 symptoms between the treatment groups and the control group,”report Prof Preuss and his co-workers.

“This unusual finding of a thermogenic combination of ingredients that elevated metabolic rates without corresponding elevations in blood pressure and heart-rates warrants longer term studies to assess its value as a weight control agent,”they added.

What’s happening?

Commenting on the potential mechanism, Prof Preuss and his co-workers note that the thermogenic effect of p-synephrine may be increased by naringin and hesperidin via an enhancement in the production of the expression of adiponectin, a hormone released from fat cells, which plays an important role in the regulation of insulin sensitivity and energy.

Safety

There have been some questions raised over the safety of bitter orange-containing supplements. Dr Stohs recently reviewed the 22 reports submitted to the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the Journal of Functional Foods (doi: 10.1016/j.jff.2010.10.003).

Dr Stohs concluded that, given the “poly-herbal, poly-alkaloidal composition of the products involved” it was “unwarranted and unjustified” to say that bitter orange and p-synephrine were responsible for adverse events.

Source: International Journal of Medical Sciences 
Volume 8, Issue 4, Pages 295-301
“Effects of p-Synephrine alone and in Combination with Selected Bioflavonoids on Resting Metabolism, Blood Pressure, Heart Rate and Self-Reported Mood Changes”
Authors: S.J. Stohs, H.G. Preuss, S.C. Keith, P.L Keith, H. Miller, G.R Kaats