Whole Life Magazine

April / May 2016

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healthy living By Laura G. Owens Rock Body YOUR THROWAWAY FRIENDS Ever get dropped by a friend for what seems to be no reason? Research out of the University of Kansas found that people who easily throw away stuff are less likely to think twice about throwing away relationships. These drop-a-friends don't do it out of malice; it's how they perceive the impermanence of personal ties. "We found a correlation between the way you look at objects and perceive your relationships," said lead author Omri Gillath, associate professor of psychology. "If you move around a lot, you develop attitudes of disposability toward objects, furniture, books, devices—basically whatever merchandise you have." Our ever-increasing mobile society promotes disposability in general, which tends to favor superfi ciality over deeper human relationships. This attitude, Gillath notes, can take a toll on our quality of life. "You need close ties to feel safe and secure and function properly. If social ties are seen as disposable, you're less likely to get what you need from your network, which can negatively affect your mental and physical health, as well as your longevity." Doctors have long known certain medications cause delirium with symptoms of mental confusion, hallucinations and agitation. Antibiotics however, are rarely the primary suspect. A recent study considered cases where patients who had been given antibiotics exhibited delirium. More than 54 antibiotics from 12 classes of antibiotics were involved. Researchers uncovered three kinds of delirium related to brain problems and antibiotic use: Type 1 was marked by seizures and often associated with penicillin and cephalosporins. Type 2 was marked by psychosis with use of procaine penicillin, sulfonamides, fl uoroquinolones and macrolides. Type 3 contributed to abnormal brain scars and impaired muscle coordination and was associated with metronidazole. Patients with delirium often have other complications and are more likely to have a poor outcome. "Recognition of different patterns of toxicity could lead to a quicker diagnosis and hopefully prevent of some of the negative consequences for people with delirium and other brain problems," said study author Shamik Bhattacharyya, MD. DELIRIOUS ON ANTIBIOTICS I f erectile dysfunction is interfering with bedroom fi reworks, try the Fourth of July picnic favorite. Watermelon, like many fruits, bursts with phytonutrients—compounds that trigger healthy reactions in the body. This succulent red produce contains lycopene, beta carotene and the new darling of the bedroom, citrulline. Citrulline converts in the body to the amino acid arginine, which boosts nitric oxide that relaxes blood vessels. This is the same basic effect Viagra has in treating erectile dysfunction. While watermelon doesn't work exactly like Viagra, it does relax blood vessels without any nasty side effects. THE WATERMELON SEX CURE april/may 2016 17

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