Science Of Heartbreak

Isn't it just wonderful that science does have an explanation for virtually everything? The other day I wrote a post about "The Science of love" and I wondered if there would be an explanation about the events that occurs when we "fall out of love" (That's if there's anything like that). 

So I did a little research, couldn't find science behind "falling out of love" yet (maybe one of you geniuses out there can point me in the right direction) , but did find the scientific explanation for heartbreak, though.

 Apparently, heartbreak is medically referred to as "Takotsubo cardiomyopathy", also known as  'broken heart syndrome' because it often occurs due to an emotional or physical shock. 

From The Science Blog: According to studies on heartbreak and how it affects people, most of whom women, (It almost always happens to women and patients are typically in a critical state during the first 48 hours), a connection can be found between emotional pain and a literal form of heartbreak- heart attack.  Depression is documented to affect its host physically and so is the case with heartbreak. 
"Our hypothesis is that massive amounts of these stress hormones (such as metanephrine and normetanephrine are released in excess with addition to proteins such as neuropeptide Y, brain natriuretic peptide, and serotonin) can go right to the heart and produce a stunning of the heart muscle that causes this temporary dysfunction resembling a heart attack," says cardiologist Ilan Wittstein, M.D., an assistant professor at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and its Heart Institute. "It doesn't kill the heart muscle like a typical heart attack, but it renders it helpless."

 So folks, if you are going through a heartbreak whether from a broken relationship, loss of a loved one, or disappointment of any sort,  I sincerely empathize. *hugs and kisses*
 

Old Clover Is Dead!

                        Our pet rabbit, Clover, died today.*sobbing*
He had one of his hind legs broken by a moving vehicle-He had a bad habit of hiding under parked cars.
I didn't realize such a "small" injury could lead to death.....I'm guessing he died so quickly because of his age and size..
He didn't make it to the vet.....Injury happened around 8:30am and he was dead before 11am...*sad* ....Just when we were about to head to the clinic. I tried getting him to a vet immediately, but couldn't find any animal clinic in my vicinity that looked after rabbits, except one....and the one I found had a long waiting list...
Clover was such a good pet. He is the only pet I have felt attached to so far in my adult life...
This photo of him is the one I took and posted on our neighborhood page when he went missing a few weeks ago. He was later found in our next door neighbor's yard, munching on their flowers.
                        Adieu, Clover. You will be missed. 

Be Angry...

Hi y'all....Doing okay, I hope...?...It's been a "roller-coaster" these last few weeks. *sigh*
..Oftentimes when we get too busy, we get into the vicious cycle of being overwhelmed and stressed, being emotional/angry/upset at every little thing.....and in the end someone might get "hurt".
I have something to share about anger...:)....This is for couples, but I think anyone can get a thing or two from this.

Once upon a time....
 A young thirsty lion and an equally thirsty cougar arrived at their usual watering hole at the same time. Immediately, they began arguing about who should drink first. Their argument quickly escalated into rage, and the two animals started clawing at each other. However, the fight was interrupted when the 2 animals caught sight of vultures circling overhead, waiting for the loser of the fight to fall. The thought of being eaten was  enough for the lion and the cougar to end their fight.

 When anger flares, respect is key to expressing anger. Respect will lead to a discussion of the anger rather than one spouse swallowing their anger in silence leading to bitterness and resentment. Respect leads the spouses treating each other as helpers and advocates not as adversaries. And when that happens, the vultures retreat and no one get " eaten".-Nancy Kennedy

Culled from NIV Couples' Devotional Bible.

5 Nuggets For the 5th Month!

Happy New Month, people!

We made it through the first quarter...yay!

Below is the video of Bishop T.D Jakes's 5 tips for happiness on the Steve Harvey show. I find the tips very practicable and helpful, especially "challenging your own story" and "enjoying the journey", because these are areas I am still working on.

I hope you all find these tips applicable in your life journey as well.

1. Own your happiness.

2. Challenge your own story.Change the way you talk to yourself.

3. Enjoy the journey, the whole process in life.

4. Make relationships count, with God, with yourself, with family with friends.

5. Balance work with play.

Faith Vs Common sense.

Hi people!....Hope the sun is shinning and the grass is looking greener on your side of the "garden"...Meaning: Hope life is treating you well...:)

I recently read an article on slatemagazine.com about how religion can influence risk taking in small or even in significant ways. For example, a study showed that the mere mention of the Divine can increase willingness to take risks (such as looking at potentially harmful colors just to prove that if God 's name is involved, then any endeavor is attainable, regardless of the implications).
This can have very real and potentially life-changing ramifications, such as seeking out a potential life-mate, or venturing into a new career path. 

In real time, however, it often seems that what faith and common sense dictate can contradict each other, and it can be difficult to determine which path to take.

Case in point: Our family recently attended a church meeting,  which was terminated early due to adverse weather conditions resulting in dangerous driving conditions. As we left the service, my husband and I remarked to each other about how differently this would have been handled back in our native, highly religious Nigeria: citing faith, the meeting would likely have continued regardless of convenience to the worshippers, perhaps with resultant loss of life or exposure to the elements leading to avoidable illnesses. We concluded that this was probably why life expectancy is higher in this part of the world -  where prudence and common sense are employed in the out-working of one's faith and not excluded from it.

So, my question to you is: Have you found yourself in situations lately where faith and reason seem to collide? How have you worked out what to do in those situations?

Happy Easter!!

....Wishing you all a renewal of Hope....
Let all dead dreams receive life..
Let there be growth, birthing and re-birth....

Garlic Helps To Go Or Stay??

I have always been fascinated by natural remedies/ herbal medicine. I think with proper regulations herbal medicine has a lot to offer in terms of disease prevention and management.
The other day at work, a colleague of mine and I were discussing the benefits of natural remedies and she mentioned using garlic for the treatment of diarrhea…That was news to me!
She said her mum, who is a nurse, recommended it to her when she had travelers diarrhea while on a trip to India. What is the dosage, I asked, and she said she chewed one to two raw garlic cloves for  3 to 4 times a day for 3 days and it worked!
I only know about the proven benefits of garlic for cardiovascular disease prevention and heard recently about the benefits of garlic for the prevention of cancer and the common cold.
So, I did a little research, got conflicting findings about the use of raw garlic for the treatment of diarrhea, some studies like this one reported that raw garlic can actually cause diarrhea, while another study indicates garlic's benefits in the treatment of stomach ulcers.
 Diarrhea is often times caused by viral or bacterial infection and garlic is known to have antimicrobial properties. However, there are yet to be adequate studies to support the use of garlic (raw or processed) as an anti-diarrhea and the safe/effective dosage is still unknown.

Thoughts?

P.S  The University of Maryland Medical Center reports that typical safe intake falls around 2 to 4 grams of fresh garlic per day -- each clove is about 1 gram. 

Let's Go Cruisin' II

Hope your week has been going okay. This is the continuation of last week's post on the boat cruise I went on late last year. Below are some of the photos of the places we got the chance to visit.....Enjoy!

*The "Daydreamer". A sculpture behind the Key West Museum of  Art and History.

Sculpture in front of the Key West Museum of Arts and History

The famous Mallory Square, location of the Sunset Celebration.

The Conch tour train.

*The famous 0 mile road that marks the end of the  US Route 1 that runs from (North to South on the East coast)  Maine to Key West,FL

Information kiosk at the port in Cayman Islands.

Key West, FL, viewed from the ship.

A road sign in Corzumel. 

Painted ceramic skulls are popular home decor in Corzumel.

Entrance to the Turtle farm on Cayman Islands

Never seen so many turtles all in one place before!

Part of a unique rock formation in Cayman Islands. It is now a tourist attraction popularly known as "Hell".

*Description of the rock formation.

*Images copied from the internet.

Let's Go Cruisin' !

How are you folks "marching" forward this new month?.....
Just wanted to share some photos from a recent trip.
One of the events on my wish list is to go on a cruise ship, and guess what!.... I got to do it! .....woot! woot!...*breakdancing*
We went on a cruise the week of Christmas '14, with friends and family. We were 32 in number, including children. It was a 7-day, 6 night cruise on the Carnival Freedom cruise ship. Boarded the ship at the Port Evandales in Florida, stopped at the following destinations on days 2 , 3 and 6: Key-West, Cayman Islands and Corzumel-Mexico.
The ship, we were told has a capacity for over 2,000 guests, and it is just a normal size ship! Some of the guests we were on the ship with commented that the ship is just average in terms of amenities and services...Oh well, I have never been on a cruise , so there was nothing to compare my experience with. All I can say is, it was a fun experience. It has about 12 floors, an amphitheater, 3 swimming pools, about 3 restaurants, shopping galleria, a spa, a gym, a daycare for children, a casino and some rooms for different  events.

                                                     Side-view of the ship at the dock

The Visitors' area on the main (3rd) floor.

The "Amphi-theater". It has capacity for about 1,500 guests. There was a concert, show or presentation here every night. Accessible from the 3rd to 5th floors.

The swimming pool from the top deck.

The casino : Opened 24 hours.

A pub for a pint or 2 : Opened 24 hours.

The ship's housekeeping did a good job of towel-origami in every room at least twice a day. It was always something different. This is an elephant. :)

The children daycare center on the 11th floor for children ages 6 months to 12 years old. They  had activities for every age group.

If You Like/Love Someone….

About two weeks ago, my daughter, a 5th grader, came home very upset about what one of her BFFs said to her in school. She said her friend wanted her (my daughter) to give her " some space", that she feels my daughter clings to her too much. So, I told my daughter not to take it too personally, that sometimes our friends do need their personal space and we need to respect our friends' wishes......At least she got to learn this important "life lesson" early, I told myself.

That conversation I had with my daughter brought this popular quote by Richard Bach to mind: " If you really love someone, let them go, if they are yours, they will come back". When I was much younger and naive, I did believe that quote. One of my main reference is the story of " The prodigal son", although, it can be argued that it is different from a boy-girl relationship.  
To me, this quote speaks about mutual love- reciprocate love. But oftentimes, in reality, it is not so, the scales are not usually balanced in a relationship. We sometimes expect too much from the people we love and care about. Like someone wrote and I quote " Love isn’t owned and cannot be taken. It can only be given.  If you love someone, you have to give them the freedom to choose for themselves".

However, as I grow older (I still cannot claim expertise in this department, though) my opinion about the quote is a little different. You see, when you love or like someone and you let them go, with or without their consent, your relationship with that person may not be the same again, and you are left with memories and questions- "what-shoulda-coulda?". 
When we love someone — whether it’s a spouse, family member or best friend — we always want them near us in order to cherish and be cherished.  -Quote from bet.com.