Leap Year

LEAP YEAR

By Hoda Nassef

I just realized that this February has 29 days! So, it is ‘leap year’ as they call it. I looked it up for precise definition: Leap Year is a noun. Definition: A year in the Gregorian calendar having 366 days, with the extra day, February 29, intercalated to compensate for the quarter-day difference between an ordinary year and the astronomical year.

While I was going to school and living in America with my family, Leap Year meant that any female had the right to run after any man of her choosing, for a date to start with, and even proposing marriage was considered ‘ethical’ and alright!

Not now. Women are bold even in the Middle East, and run after men anyway, but with more guile and cleverness. They even propose marriage, yet make their unaware ‘victims’ think that they are the ones who proposed marriage to them! After all, men here, and most men all over the world, still like to think that they are the ‘Hunters’ and the little women are their ‘Preys’!!!

But in Islam, we should not forget that it is actually ‘proper’, as Sayeda Khadiga actually proposed to Prophet Mohamed (P.B.U.H.) – AND she was also 15 years older.

On the other hand, nobody is remotely close to sayedna Khadiga, nor will there ever be again another Messenger of Allah...our last holy Prophet.


H.N.

Six Ways to Prevent Alzheimer's Disease

Six Ways to Prevent Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimers' symptoms can start in your forties. Main symptoms begin with forgetfulness. A person starts to forget things, and concentration as well as memory diminishes bit by bit. Main cause is due to stressful outside factors, such as a stressful environment, worries and emotional stress.

What follows are six important food and lifestyle factors that can dramatically reduce your risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.

1. Drink Vegetable Juices
A study published in the September issue of the American Journal of Medicine indicates that people who drink three or more servings of fruit and vegetable juices per week have a 76 percent lower risk of developing Alzheimer's disease compared to people who drink less than one serving per week.

2. Ensure Regular Intake of Omega-3 Fatty Acids
A study published in the Journal of Neuroscience indicates that a diet high in omega-3 fatty acids, dramatically slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease in mice (building and maintaining a healthy nervous system).

3. Strive To Reach and Maintain A Healthy Body Weight For Your Height
According to research that was presented at the 58th annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology in April of 2006, people who are overweight when they are in their 40s have a greater risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease later in life than those who are not overweight when they are in their 40s.

4. Enjoy Activities That Mentally Stimulate You
If your daily work doesn't require you to solve problems and be creative, consider adopting hobbies that do.

5. Avoid Aluminum
According to the National Institutes of Health, 'certain aluminum compounds have been found to be an important component of the neurological damage characteristics of Alzheimer's disease.'

The most common sources of aluminum exposure are:

· Processed cheese and cornbread
· Some over-the-counter drugs such as antacids and buffered aspirin
· Aluminum cookware, especially when alkaline foods (like green vegetables) or acidic foods (like tomatoes) are cooked in them
· Antiperspirants

6. Avoid Vaccines and Other Potential Sources of Mercury

The most common sources of mercury exposure are:

· Amalgam dental fillings
· Seafood, particularly large fish that are high in the food chain
· Broken compact fluorescent light bulbs

H.N.