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Why Some Remember Dreams, Others Don't

Written By Unknown on Wednesday 21 August 2013 | 15:07:00

People who tend to remember their dreams also respond more strongly than others to hearing their name when they're awake, new research suggests.

Everyone dreams during sleep, but not everyone recalls the mental escapade the next day, and scientists aren't sure why some people remember more than others.

To find out, researchers used electroencephalography to record the electrical activity in the brains of 36 people while the participants listened to background tunes, and occasionally heard their own first name. The brain measurements were taken during wakefulness and sleep. Half of the participants were called high recallers, because they reported remembering their dreams almost every day, whereas the other half, low recallers, said they only remembered their dreams once or twice a month.

When asleep, both groups showed similar changes in brain activity in response to hearing their names, which were played quietly enough not to wake them.

However, when awake, high recallers showed a more sustained decrease in a brain wave called the alpha wave when they heard their names, compared with the low recallers.

"It was quite surprising to see a difference between the groups during wakefulness," said study researcher Perrine Ruby, neuroscientist at Lyon Neuroscience Research Center in France.

The difference could reflect variations in the brains of high and low recallers that could have a role in how they dream, too, Ruby said. [7 Mind-Bending Facts About Dreams]

Who remembers their dreams


A well-established theory suggests that a decrease in the alpha wave is a sign that brain regions are being inhibited from responding to outside stimuli. Studies show that when people hear a sudden sound or open their eyes, and more brain regions become active, the alpha wave is reduced.

In the study, as predicted, both groups showed a decrease in the alpha wave when they heard their names while awake. But high recallers showed a more prolonged decrease, which may be a sign their brains became more widely activated when they heard their names.

In other words, high recallers may engage more brain regions when processing sounds while awake, compared with low recallers, the researchers said.

While people are asleep, the alpha wave behaves in the opposite way —it increases when a sudden sound is heard. Scientists aren't certain why this happens, but one idea is that it protects the brain from being interrupted by sounds during sleep, Ruby said.

Indeed, the study participants showed an increase in the alpha wave in response to sounds during sleep, and there was no difference between the groups.

One possibility to explain the lack of difference, the researchers said, could be that perhaps high recallers had a larger increase in alpha waves, but it was so high that they woke up.

Time spent awake, during the night


The researchers saw that high recallers awoke more frequently during the night. They were awake, on average, for 30 minutes during the night, whereas low recallers were awake for 14 minutes. However, Ruby said "both figures are in the normal range, it’s not that there’s something wrong with either group."

Altogether, the results suggest the brain of high recallers may be more reactive to stimuli such as sounds, which could make them wake up more easily. It is more likely a person would remember their dreams if they are awakened immediately after one, Ruby said.

However, waking up at night can account for only a part of the differences people show in remembering dreams. "There's still much more to understand," she said.

The study is published online today (Aug. 13) in the journal Frontiers in Psychology.

Source : Livescience.com
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Makanan Yang Boleh dan Jangan Dikonsumsi Saat Haid

Menstruasi sering kali menyiksa sebagian besar wanita. Perut keram, mual, emosi naik turun dan nyeri kepala merupakan gejala yang seringkali dialami. Beberapa jenis makanan dan minuman diyakini dapat memberikan pengaruh baik pada siklus menstruasi. Namun ada beberapa makanan juga yang sebaiknya dihindari. Seperti yang dikutip dari sheknows, berikut makanan dan minuman yang boleh dan jangan dikonsumsi saat haid.

1. Makan Karbohidrat Kompleks
Menurut Tari Rose, seorang konsultan kesehatan dan fitnes, "buah, sayuran dan makanan yang terbuat dari gandum adalah teman terbaik Anda sepanjang waktu, terutama saat haid. Gula dari buah dapat bantu mengurangi ketagihan akan gula."

2. Hindari Meminum Kafein
Tidak mengonsumsi kafein dapat bantu megurangi kembung di perut. "Kafein dapat meningkatkan asam lambung dan bisa berakibat buruk pada usus yang sensitif," ujar koki profesional dan pakar hidup sehat, Jennifer Iserloh.

3. Makan Makanan Berkalsium Tinggi
Menurut pakar kesehatan holistik dan ahli gizi, Latham Thomas, wanita membutuhkan setidaknya 1.200 mg kalsium tiap harinya. "Beberapa sumber kalsium yang baik adalah brokoli dan yogurt."

4. Jangan Makan Terlalu Banyak Garam
Garam yang berlebihan dapat membuat perut kembung. Iserloh menyarankan untuk sebaiknya mengonsumsi garam 2.300 mg tiap harinya atau setara dengan 1 sendok teh garam. "Cara terbaik mengurangi garam adalah dengan tidak memakan junk food yang mengandung tiga sampai empat sendok garam untuk satu makanan," jelas Iserloh lagi.

5. Manjakan Diri dengan Dark Chocolate
Menurut Rose, sepotong dark chocolate (dengan kandungan biji kakao 60% atau lebih) setiap hari selama haid dapat menahan nafsu makan. Selain itu, dark chocolate mengandung antioksidan yang dapat meningkatkan serotonin, yang bergunan memperbaiki mood Anda.

6. Lebih Banyak Mengonsumsi Air Mineral
Rose menjelaskan bahwa meminum lebih banyak air akan bantu tubuh menyimpan air dan menurangi kembung. "Tubuh Anda menyimpan air karena takut tidak mendapatkan cairan yang cukup. Jadi, jika Anda meminum air, maka air yang 'ditahan' akan berganti dan dikeluarkan tubuh."

7. Makan Makana Kaya Manesium
"Makanan yang kaya akan magnesium seperti kacang, tahu dan kacang tanah diperkirakan dapat mengurangi kembung ketika sedang menstruasi," ungkap Thomas.

8. Jangan Lupa Mengonsumsi Vitamin
Thomas juga menyarankan untuk mengonsumsi makanan yang mengandung vitamin. Vitamin E yang didapat dari alpukat atau kuning telur dapat bantu menghilangkan beberapa gejala PMS. Vitamin C dan zinc dapat menjaga kesehatan sel telur dan sistem reproduksi. Jadi tak ada alasan bagi Anda untuk tidak mengonsumsi jeruk dan strawberry.
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Perempuan dilarang makan ini saat haid

Tubuh dan mood perempuan dipengaruhi dengan kondisi masa bersih dan masa menstruasinya. Sejumlah gejala seperti kram, mual, nyeri dan sakit kepala juga dirasakan selama menstruasi akibat kontraksi rahim.

Kebanyakan wanita mengalami gejala-gejala melelahkan dan menguras fisik selama menstruasi karena kurangnya nutrisi yang tepat. Tapi sembarang mengonsumsi makanan tanpa memerhatikan kandungan manfaatnya juga bisa merugikan tubuhnya.

Berikut adalah beberapa makanan dan minuman yang harus dihindari selama menstruasi:

Kafein
Kafein adalah salah satu minuman utama untuk dihindari saat menstruasi. Hal ini karena kafein akan menyempitkan pembuluh darah Anda, yang pada akhirnya akan mengakibatkan kepala pusing dan tubuh semakin gemetar.

Mengonsumsi kafein saat menstruasi juga akan menyebabkan tubuh Anda mengalami dehidrasi. Hal ini akan mengakibatkan ketidaknyamanan menstruasi. Karena Anda akan merasa haus terus menerus dan tubuh lemas.

Makanan dan minuman dengan kadar gula tinggi
Hindari makanan atau minuman yang memiliki kandungan gula yang terlalu tinggi seperti permen, soda atau safron selama periode menstruasi Anda. Hal ini karena makanan dan minuman dengan kadar gula tinggi akan menyebabkan gula darah naik dan crash. Ketika kadar gula darah Anda tiba-tiba crash, Anda akan mudah merasa kesal, rewel dan lesu.

Makanan panggang
Saat menstruasi, Anda sebaiknya jangan mengonsumsi makanan dari hasil olahan panggang. Hal ini untuk menghindari nyeri kram yang berlebih. Makanan panggang mengandung banyak asam lemak yang akan mendorong tingkat estrogen. Hal ini yang akan menyebabkan sakit secara tiba-tiba di dalam rahim. Hal ini akan mengakibatkan eskalasi kram menstruasi.

Makanan kaleng atau olahan
Selama periode menstruasi, Anda dianjurkan untuk menghindari makanan kaleng seperti olahan daging atau keju, kecap dan MSG, dan makanan kaleng yang mengandung 200mg sodium per porsi atau lebih.  Hal ini terjadi karena makanan kaleng atau olahan selalu mengandung sodium, dan natrium yang harus dihindari selama menstruasi karena menyebabkan retensi air dan membuat tubuh membengkak.

Biji-bijian olahan
Biji-bijian asli yang diolah dengan cara penambahan bumbu lainnya dan bahkan zat pengawet, maka akan hilang semua kandungan nutrisi yang terkandung di dalamnya. Mengonsumsi biji-bijian seperti ini akan berpengaruh pada kadar gula. Selain itu biji-bijian ini akan sangat mempengaruhi nafsu makan. Akibatnya akan dapat mempengaruhi gejala menstruasi.

Selain biji-bijian, makanan seperti pasta, nasi putih dan roti putih sebaiknya harus dihindari (dikuragi porsinya) jika Anda ingin mengurangi gejala kram saat menstruasi.

Gorengan
Nikmat sebagai makanan camilan, tapi gorengan mengandung tinggi lemak, yang juga dapat meningkatkan kadar estrogen. Makanan yang digoreng seperti kentang goreng, ayam goreng dan onion ring harus dihindari untuk menjaga tingkat estrogen yang stabil, untuk mengurangi nyeri dank ram saat menstruasi.
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15 Makanan untuk Mengecilkan Perut dan Pinggang

Ketika Anda sedang menjaga pola makan untuk berencana mengecilkan perut dan pinggang Anda, pilihlah makanan sehat yang rendah lemak, dengan tinggi serat dan protein. Hal ini dapat membantu Anda merasa kenyang lebih lama, dan dapat menciptakan tubuh yang sehat.

Menurut Rahmat Derocha, ahli diet dan diabetes di Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Kunci untuk mendapatkan bentuk tubuh yang Anda inginkan selain dari berolahraga, juga terletak dari makanan yang Anda konsumsi. Para ahli kesehatan mengatakan Anda harus memiliki persediaan makanan yang mengandung banyak serat untuk melancarkan pencernaan.

Berikut terdapat 15 makanan yang dapat membantu Anda merasa kenyang lebih lama dan dapat mengecilkan perut dan pinggang Anda :

1.Rasberi
Buah yang tergolong kedalam kategori rasberti seperti stroberi, blueberi, sangat baik untuk tubuh karena diperkaya vitamin C yang bermanfaat meningkatkan kekebalan tubuh. Selain mengandung serat yang baik untuk pencernaan dan fungsi usus, Anda juga merasa kenyang dalam jangka waktu lama bila mengonsumsi buah beri ini.

2.Paprika
Pelatih Kesehatan Dr Lori Shemek merekomendasikan, untuk menambahkan paprika pada makanan Anda. "Mengkonsumsi paprika, 30 menit sebelum makan dapat meningkatkan metabolisme tubuh Anda hingga 25 persen, dan juga dapat membuat pembakaran kalori secara lebih cepat , hal ini juga membuat Anda merasa kenyang lebih lama," kata Shemek.

3.Kubis
Kubis adalah sumber yang kaya akan vitamin K penting, hal ini juga membantu Anda untuk tidak kembung.

4.Kacang-kacangan
Kacang-kacangan, seperti kacang mete, almond dan lainnya sangat baik dan mengandung lemak tak jenuh. Studi memperlihatkan bahwa orang yang mengonsumsi kacang-kacangan secara teratur lebih memungkin menurunkan berat badan dengan lebih mudah.

5.Oatmeal
Oatmeal menjadi makanan favorit bagi orang yang sadar diet. Makanan jenis ini mengurangi lemak berlebih di bagian perut. Makanan ini membantu menjaga kadar gula darah Anda, sehingga Anda tidak lapar secara tiba-tiba. Oatmeal memiliki kandungan serat yang baik untuk pencernaan.

6.Telur
Telur merupakan sarapan yang baik untuk tubuh. Berdasarkan penelitian, telur mengalahkan karbohidrat dalam hal mengenyangkan dan bisa membuat kita tahan untuk tidak memakan cemilan. Di sinilah terbukti telur mampu membantu menurunkan 65 persen berat tubuh.

7. Cabai merah
Bagi orang Asia, cabai bisa memicu nafsu makan. Tapi, bagi orang Barat, menambahkan sedikit rasa pedas pada makanan bisa menjadi cara efektif untuk menurunkan berat badan. Sepiring cabai cayyene atau jalapeno atau cabai merah mengandung Capsaicin, pemicu rasa pedas pada cabai, yang menurut para ilmuwan bisa menurunkan selera makan dan mengurangi jumlah makanan di kemudian harinya. Komponen yang sama pada cabai juga bisa menghilangkan cadangan lemak.
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Heavy coffee consumption linked to higher death risk

Written By Unknown on Saturday 17 August 2013 | 14:38:00

Drinking more than 28 cups of coffee a week may be harmful for people younger than 55, according to a study.

The debate over coffee's health risks continues to brew. A new study, out Thursday, finds that heavy coffee consumption is associated with a higher death risk in men and women younger than 55.

In the study published online in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings, men younger than 55 who drank more than 28 cups of coffee a week (four cups a day) were 56% more likely to have died from any cause. Women in that age range had a twofold greater risk of dying than other women. The study looked at 43,727 men and women ages 20-87 from 1971 to 2002.

"From our study, it seems safe to drink one to three cups of coffee a day," says the study's second co-author Xuemei Sui. "Drinking more than four cups of coffee a day may endanger health," says Sui, assistant professor of exercise science with the Arnold School of Public Health at the University of South Carolina in Columbia. She defines a cup of coffee as 6 to 8 ounces.

The study did not find a higher death risk for adults 55 and older. Sui says there may be a bias — the research may not include unhealthy older people because they might have already died.

The reasons for the higher death risk among younger adults are not clear since experts through the years have found both health benefits and problems associated with coffee.

Sui says the caffeine in coffee can elevate heart rate as well as raise blood pressure and blood sugar levels. However, coffee is a major source of antioxidants, she says.

Sui says the study didn't find a significant association between coffee consumption and heart disease death. Further research is needed to look at any connection between coffee and cancer, she says.

Gregg Fonarow, co-chief of clinical cardiology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, says, "Differences in other dietary factors, marital status and other socioeconomic factors that were not adjusted for in this study may account for some or all of these observations."

Fonarow, who was not involved in this research, says observational studies that survey people about their coffee intake and tie that to how many died from any cause have yielded mixed results.

Consider a 2012 study that found that coffee drinkers ages 50-71 had a lower risk of death than their peers who did not consume coffee. In that study, researchers from the National Cancer Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, and AARP found that the more coffee consumed, the more a person's death risk declined.

Joseph DeRupo, a spokesman for the National Coffee Association of USA, says the new study "presents findings that are out of step with prevailing science as well as with widely accepted research methods."

Because coffee still stirs debate, Sui says more research is needed. In the meantime, people should watch their coffee intake, she says. "Avoid excessive coffee drinking."

Source : www.usatoday.com
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Top 10 Controversial Psychiatric Disorders

Written By Unknown on Wednesday 7 August 2013 | 12:58:00

The proposed revisions of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) have spurred debate over what illnesses to include in the essential psychiatric handbook. Everything from gender identity disorder to childhood mood swings has come under fire, and it's not the first time. The history of psychiatry is littered with impassioned fights over controversial diagnoses.

Gender identity disorder

Perhaps the most controversial of all current DSM disorders is gender identity disorder. Under the DSM-IV, people who feel that their physical gender does not match their true gender are diagnosed with gender identity disorder (GID). The DSM-5 proposals would revise the criteria for the disorder and change the name to the less-stigmatizing gender incongruence.

But to many, the DSM changes don't go far enough.

"To have gender incongruence in the DSM-5, as they've defined it, still leaves it open to a child being sent to be 'fixed' when a child doesn't have any problems," said Diane Ehrensaft, a clinical psychologist in Oakland, Calif., who specializes in gender identity issues in children.

In fact, the largest controversy over GID is about an area the DSM doesn't cover: treatment. Should kids who feel gender mismatched be allowed to define themselves, or should they be encouraged to identify with their physical gender? Those who argue for the latter see their role as helping kids get comfortable in their own skin. Those who argue for letting the child take the lead, like Ehrensaft, say that forcing a kid to live as an unwanted gender causes depression and anxiety.

Therapies like Ehrensaft's are relatively new, so there are no long-term studies comparing the two approaches. When it comes to examining differences in how the kids turn out, "We don't know," said Kenneth Zucker, a University of Toronto psychologist who advocates teaching kids to identify with their physical gender. "We should know in another 10 years."

Sex addiction

According to the Society for the Advancement of Sexual Health, sex addiction is marked by a lack of control over one's sexual behavior. Sex addicts pursue sex despite negative consequences, can't set boundaries and obsess over sex even when they don't want to think about it. Self-described addicts report that they get no pleasure from their sexual behaviors, only shame.

This disorder has yet to darken the pages of the DSM, and it likely won't be included in the DSM-5, either. Instead, the APA is recommending the addition of a new sexual disorder called hypersexual disorder, which doesn't describe sex as an addiction, but could fit many people who are in treatment.

Homosexuality

In perhaps the most famous psychiatric controversy of all, the APA did away with homosexuality as a mental disorder in 1973 after much protest by gay and lesbian activists. The change wasn't easy, but the weight of the scientific evidence suggested that same-sex attraction was a normal variant of sexuality among well-adjusted people.

Still, the APA included a diagnosis in the 1980 DSM-III called ego-dystonic homosexuality. This category was a compromise with psychiatrists who insisted that some gays and lesbians came to them looking for treatment. "This revision in the nomenclature provides the possibility of finding a homosexual to be free of psychiatric disorder, and provides a means to diagnose a mental disorder whose central feature is conflict about homosexual behavior," explained Robert Spitzer, a member of the APA's task force, in a 1973 position statement.

But ego-dystonic homosexuality was short-lived. The category didn't make sense to many psychiatrists, who argued that anxiety over sexual orientation could fit into already-existing categories, according to UC Davis psychologist Gregory Herek. In 1986, ego-dystonic homosexuality disappeared from the DSM.

Asperger's disorder

In 1994, Asperger's disorder, which is marked by normal intelligence and language abilities but poor social skills, made the DSM-IV. When the DSM-5 is published in 2013, the disorder may get the boot.

The reason? Research on Asperger's and high-functioning autism has failed to find a difference between the two diagnoses. Overlap between the two disorders is rampant (up to 44 percent of kids diagnosed with Asperger's or "other autism spectrum" labels actually met the criteria for high-functioning autism, according to a 2008 survey). If the proposed changes are adopted, people with Asperger's will be reclassified as having high-functioning autism.

But some Asperger's advocates disapprove. The high-functioning autism label doesn't always fit people with Asperger's, said Dania Jekel, the executive director of the Asperger's Association of New England, which opposes the change.

"People with Asperger's are going to be missed," Jekel said.

Childhood bipolar disorder

If diagnosing adults with a childhood disorder is controversial, so is diagnosing children with a disorder once thought to occur mainly in adults. Bipolar disorder, which is characterized by mood swings between depression and excitability, recently skyrocketed as a childhood disorder. Between 1994 and 2003, the number of doctor visits associated with childhood bipolar disorders went up 40-fold, according to a 2007 study in the journal Archives of General Psychiatry.

The problem, according to the APA, is that at least some of that increase is due to changes in the way psychiatrists diagnose bipolar in kids, not an actual increase in cases. To correct the issue, the APA is considering changes to the current bipolar criteria, as well as the addition of a new disorder, temper dysregulation with dysphoria. That disorder would apply to kids with persistent irritable moods and frequent temper tantrums, but has already drawn skepticism from some who believe it pathologizes normal kid behavior.

Adult ADHD

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is a well-known childhood diagnosis. Kids with ADHD have trouble sitting still, paying attention and controlling their impulses. Only recently, however, have psychiatrists begun to diagnose ADHD in adults.

But just as ADHD in children was criticized as over-diagnosed, so is adult ADHD. A common accusation is that psychiatrists are conspiring with pharmaceutical companies to sell more ADHD drugs, writes New York University psychiatrist Norman Sussman in a March 2010 editorial in Psychiatry Weekly. However, adult ADHD is here to stay, Sussma writes: "The benefits of pharmacologic and behavioral therapies are well-established."

Dissociative identity disorder

Once known as multiple personality disorder, dissociative identity disorder was made famous by the book "Sybil" (Independent Pub Group, 1973), which was made into a movie of the same name in 1976. The film and book told the story of Shirley Mason, pseudonym Sybil, who was diagnosed as having 16 separate personalities as a result of physical and sexual abuse by her mother.

The book and the movie were hits, but the diagnosis soon came under fire. In 1995, psychiatrist Herbert Spiegel, who consulted on Mason's case, told the "New York Review of Books" that he believed Mason's "personalities" were created by her therapist, who — perhaps unwittingly — suggested that Mason's different emotional states were distinct personalities with names. Likewise, critics of the dissociative identity diagnosis argue that the disorder is artificial, perpetuated by well-meaning therapists who convince troubled and suggestible patients that their problems are due to multiple personalities.

Nonetheless, dissociative identity disorder has weathered this criticism and won't undergo any major changes in the DSM-5.

Narcissistic personality disorder

Someone with an inflated ego, need for constant praise and lack of empathy for others might sound like a shoe-in for psychotherapy. But the introduction of narcissistic personality disorder into the DSM in 1980 was not without controversy.

The biggest problem was that no one could agree on who had the disorder. Up to half of people diagnosed with a narcissistic personality also met the criteria for other personality disorders, like histrionic personality disorder or borderline personality disorder, according to a 2001 review in the Journal of Mental Health Counseling. Which diagnosis they got seemed almost arbitrary.

To solve the problem, the American Psychiatric Association has proposed big changes to the personality disorder section of the DSM-5 in 2010. The new edition would move away from specific personality disorders to a system of dysfunctional types and traits. The idea, according to the APA, is to cut out the overlap and create categories that would be useful for patients who have personality problems, not just full-blown disorders.

Penis envy

Sigmund Freud revolutionized psychiatry in the late 1800s and early 1900s with his theories on the unconscious state, talk therapy and psychosexual development. Nowadays, many of these theories — like his conclusion that young girls' sexual development is driven by jealousy over lack of a penis and sexual desire for their father — seem outdated.

But not everyone has consigned Freud to the dust heap. Organizations like the American Psychoanalytic Association still practice and promote Freudian-style psychoanalysis, and groups like the International Neuropsychoanalysis Society try to combine cutting-edge neuroscience research with Freud's century-old theories. How successful they'll be is unknown: A 2008 study in the Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association found that today's psychology departments rarely teach psychoanalysis.

Hysteria

In the Victorian era, hysteria was a catch-all diagnosis for women in distress. The symptoms were vague (discontentment, weakness, outbursts of emotion, nerves) and the history sexist (Plato blamed the wanderings of an "unfruitful" uterus).

The treatment for hysteria? "Hysterical paroxysm," also known as orgasm. Physicians would massage their patients' genitals either manually or with a vibrator, a task they found tedious but surprisingly uncontroversial. More contentious was the practice of putting "hysterical" women on bed rest or demanding that they not work or socialize, a treatment that often worsened anxiety or depression.

According to a 2002 editorial in the journal Spinal Cord, the diagnosis of hysteria gradually petered out throughout the 20th century. By 1980, hysteria disappeared from the DSM in favor of newer diagnoses like conversion and dissociative disorders.

Source : Livescience

Read also : Asperger's and Autism: Brain Differences Found
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Words to Leave off Your Résumé

When it comes to looking for a job, what you don't say can be just as important as what you do say. Here are nine phrases and words to leave off your résumé.

Try  

Try simply shows a lack of belief, passion, commitment, and confidence — all the qualities you need to succeed in today's tight job market. While try is the most dangerous word that an employee or job seeker can use in the workplace, there are certainly other danger words that also indicate negativity, uncertainty or controversy at work and can also doom your chances of getting (or keeping) a job.
Don't use common buzzwords such as innovative, team player and results-oriented. These and others are so overused that they're now seen as clichés and have lost their impact altogether. Rather, list specific accomplishments. Instead of saying you have extensive experience in sales, note that you've worked in sales for 10 years, hit your quota the last 12 quarters and note specific deals you've closed. As a hiring manager I want real details of past jobs, such as how many people you supervised or specific ways you helped increase profitability.— Darnell Clarke, author of self-published "Employmentology: A Practical Systematic Methodology of Finding Employment by a Hiring Manger"

References available upon request

When it comes to developing a strong résumé, there are many words and phrases which shouldn’t be included in this professional document. One of the most outdated happens to be the phrase: "references available by request." You’re not doing yourself a favor by wasting precious space on your résumé to include a phrase that is clearly understood by hiring managers and recruiters. If a hiring manager is interested in contacting your references, they will request the information from you. – Heather Huhman, founder and  president of Come Recommended

Irrelevant and outdated experience

Oftentimes I will see candidates that still have their high school work experience on their résumé. This is a huge mistake since it looks like the candidate is reaching for items to include on their résumé. Rather, include any recent projects that challenged you and include a similar skill set for the position you are applying for. — Patrice Rice, CEO and founder of Patrice & Associates

Objective

Candidates should never put an objective on their résumé. Their objective is to get the job. It has been my experience that hiring managers simply do not care about a job seeker's objective. What they want to see are your skills and experience. – Stefanie Carrabba, senior consultant at Eliassen Group

Responsibilities include

In today's tough job economy job seekers need résumés that are leaner and cleaner than ever before, so they command the attention of busy hiring personnel. This is why the phrase "responsible for'' should never occur in a résumé. This tired and completely impractical expression is going to be translated into completely average at and will most certainly cause hiring managers to toss the résumé aside. Wasting prime résumé real estate with basic tasks, duties, or responsibilities is a sure way to harm a job search since nobody is interested in reading a career obituary of basic requirements. – Adrienne Tom, founder and certified professional resume writer (CPRW) at Career Impressions

Vague claims

I was going through a large number of résumés last week for a search project that I am working on and about 75 percent of the candidates had the phrase "transformational leader'" on their résumé. No explanations of how they were transformational or what that meant. That phrase is overused and doesn't specifically mean anything that translates to a specific experience. My recommendation is to remove this from your résumé and more specifically describe the skill set. – Kimberly Bishop, founder and CEO of Kimberly Bishop Executive Recruiting

Love

As in I'd love to work for a company. I see it all the time when people ask me to take a look at their résumé and/or cover letter. You love your significant other, your kids, your family. You shouldn't put love on a cover letter or résumé! — Dayna Steele, speaker and author of "101 Ways to Rock Your World" (iUniverse 2012)

Qualitative descriptions

I would leave off any qualitative description that is not accompanied by an example or metric. Some of the words job seekers use in a summary that are glossed over such as seasoned, experienced, creative and innovative. Just give me years of experience and what exactly did you start or improve. —  Caroline Ceniza-Levine, career and business expert at SixFigureStart
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50+ Job Skills You Should List on Your Resume

There are lots of reasons it might be hard to cobble together a decent resume. Maybe you've been unemployed for a long time, maybe you're trying to switch careers or maybe you're a mom who's been home raising kids for a few years.

Whatever your situation, there's good news. Resumes are changing. Your skills are just as valuable as your formal employment and can help sell your resume to a potential employer.

Ford R. Myers, career coach, speaker and author of the book "Get The Job You Want, Even When No One's Hiring" (John Wiley & Sons, 2009) encourages job seekers to draw on a variety of past experiences, in both paid and non-paid positions, when applying for new employment.

"These transferable skills, acquired during any activity - volunteer positions, classes, projects, parenting, hobbies, sports - can be applicable to one's next job," Myers said.  "By adding transferable skills to a resume, employers get a better understanding and broader picture of who they are hiring - as well as the interests, values and experiences that the candidate brings to the table."

Myers divided transferrable skills into five broad skill areas and gives examples of how you can describe each:

Communication :  writes clearly and concisely, speaks effectively, listens attentively, openly expresses ideas, negotiates/resolves differences, leads group discussions, provides feedback, persuades others, provides well-thought out solutions, gathers appropriate information, confidently speaks in public

Interpersonal Skills :  works well with others, sensitive, supportive, motivates others, shares credit, counsels, cooperates, delegates effectively, represents others, understands feelings, self-confident, accepts responsibility

Research and Planning :  forecasts/predicts, creates ideas, identifies problems, meets goals, identifies resources, gathers information, solves problems, defines needs, analyzes issues, develops strategies, assesses situations

Organizational Skills :  handles details, coordinates tasks, punctual, manages projects effectively, meets deadlines, sets goals, keeps control over budget, plans and arranges activities, multi-tasks

Management Skills :  leads groups, teaches/trains/instructs, counsels/coaches, manages conflict, delegates responsibility, makes decisions, directs others, implements decisions, enforces policies, takes charge.
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25 Action Words to Include on Your Resume

While work experience and education are all important parts of a resume, so too is the way in which it is written.

Experts agree that the actual words jobseekers use when writing their resume could be the difference between in catching an employer's eye and getting lost at the bottom of the pile. In addition to highlighting job skills, the University of Michigan Career Center also advises its students to use a variety of action verbs to help make their resume pop.

Among some of the verbs they recommend using include:

  • Advised
  • Compiled
  • Critiqued
  • Coached
  • Designed
  • Directed
  • Established
  • Examined
  • Generated
  • Guided
  • Hypothesized
  • Illustrated
  • Improved
  • Influenced
  • Invented
  • Motivated
  • Negotiated
  • Ordered
  • Oversaw
  • Prepared
  • Recruited
  • Resolved
  • Supervised
  • Trained
  • Upgraded


Among the words employers encourage job candidates to leave off their resume are try, love, seasoned, experienced, creative and innovative.
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Are College Degrees Worth the Money?


Investments in higher education may not be paying off for a majority of college graduates. New research has found that just 35 percent of working adults with at least a bachelor's degree say that most of what they learned in school is applicable to their current career choice.

Despite those feelings, workers do see value in a college education for the most part. Fifty-one percent of workers say they have been able to apply at least some of the things they learned in college to their job. Just 13 percent of workers say none of what they learned is applicable to their job, while 7 percent say that all of what they learned is applicable to their  job.

Respondents may feel that way because they have a number of regrets about their education as well. Almost three-quarters of adults say they have regrets, the biggest of which is not pursuing additional schooling. Workers also regret not applying themselves, not focusing on academics and not picking a different college major.
A smaller percentage of college graduates say they regret not pursuing internships while in school and not applying the information they learned in school to real-world situations.

"The survey suggests the need for higher education to adapt to the needs of the market and prepare students for specific jobs and careers," said Sam Sanders, college chairman for the University of Phoenix School of Business, which conducted the research. "There is significant progress being made in America to tie curriculum to careers earlier in a student’s education, but there is still a lot of work to be done to prepare college graduates for specific careers and grow a more competitive work force."

The research was based on the responses of more than 1,600 full-time, part-time and self-employed workers.
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6 Facts About Jesus

Written By Unknown on Tuesday 6 August 2013 | 03:26:00

He may be the most famous man who ever lived, but surprisingly little is known about his life.

This Sunday (March 31), more than 2 billion Christians will celebrate Jesus Christ's resurrection from the dead. While there is no scientific way to know whether that supernatural event at the heart of Christianity actually happened, historians have established some facts about his life.

From his birth to his execution by the Romans, here are six facts about the historical Jesus.

1. His birth … in a manger?

Most historians believe Jesus was a real man. To test the veracity of biblical claims, historians typically compare Christian accounts of Jesus' life with historical ones recorded by Romans and Jews, most notably the historians Flavius Josephus and Cornelius Tacitus.

And though a manger may or may not have figured prominently in the birth, scholars do agree that Jesus was born between 2 B.C. and 7 B.C. as part of the peasant class in a small village called Nazareth in Galilee. Historians also back the claim that Joseph, Jesus' father, was a carpenter, meaning Jesus would have gone into the family profession as well.

2. A mystical baptism

One of the pivotal moments in the New Testament is Jesus' baptism in the wilderness by a radical mystic named John the Baptist. Most historians believe this event actually occurred, and that Jesus experienced some sort of vision that led him to begin preaching. In the New Testament, Mark 1:10 (The New American Bible, Revised Edition) describes Jesus seeing "the heavens being torn open and the Spirit, like a dove, descending upon him." Jesus is then tempted by Satan in the wilderness for 40 days, the passage continues.

The Jewish historian Josephus mentions the mystical activities of John the Baptist, as well as his execution by King Herod.

3. Reformer

After his vision, Jesus began to preach that the Earth could be changed into a "Kingdom of God." Jesus' message of reform was deeply rooted in the Jewish tradition, and he likely never viewed himself as creating a new religion per se — just reforming the one he was born into, scholars say.

4. A wise teacher

Josephus not only mentions Jesus, in one passage he also describes him as a wise man and a teacher. (The passage is controversial because many historians believe a Christian author later added in phrases such as "He was the messiah" to the text, leading a few scholars to doubt the authenticity of the passage as a whole). Most historians agree, however, that Jesus was viewed as a teacher and healer in Galilee and Judea.

5. Timing of Jesus' crucifixion

Several sources mention Jesus' crucifixion at the hands of Pontius Pilate, the Roman prefect. Christian Gospels say the skies darkened for hours after the crucifixion, which historians viewed either as a miracle or a portent of dark times to come. Using astronomy, later historians have used this mention to pinpoint the death of Christ. Some tie the crucifixion to a one-minute 59-second total solar eclipse that occurred in 29 C.E., whereas others say a second total eclipse, blocking the sun for four minutes and six seconds, in 33 C.E. marked Jesus' death. (C.E. stands for Common Era or Christian Era, and is an alternative name for anno Domini, or A.D.)

Death by crucifixion was one of the goriest ends the Romans meted out, and it was typically reserved for slaves and those seen to be challenging Roman authority.

6. Historical relics

The historical veracity of various physical relics, such as the crucifixion nails and crown of thorns Jesus wore on the cross, have decidedly less historical or scientific backing. Most scientific studies suggest that these relics originated long after Jesus died. But the most famous relic of Jesus, the shroud of Turin, may be on more solid footing: Whereas some parts of the shroud date to A.D. 1260, other analyses have suggested that the shroud is about as old as Jesus.

Another more recent finding, a scrap of papyrus from the early Christian era referring to Jesus' wife was unveiled last year, to much skepticism. Since then, evidence has come out to suggest the so-called Gospel of Jesus' Wife is a forgery, though the jury may still be out on that relic.

Source : Livescience
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Asperger's and Autism: Brain Differences Found

Written By Unknown on Monday 5 August 2013 | 15:47:00


Children with Asperger's syndrome show patterns of brain connectivity distinct from those of children with autism, according to a new study. The findings suggest the two conditions, which are now in one category in the new psychiatry diagnostic manual, may be biologically different.

The researchers used electroencephalography (EEG) recordings to measure the amount of signaling occurring between brain areas in children. They had previously used this measure of brain connectivity to develop a test that could distinguish between children with autism and normally developing children.

"We looked at a group of 26 children with Asperger's, to see whether measures of brain connectivity would indicate they're part of autism group, or they stood separately," said study researcher Dr. Frank Duffy, a neurologist at Boston's Children Hospital. The study also included more than 400 children with autism, and about 550 normally developing children, who served as controls

At first, the test showed that children with Asperger's and those with autism were similar: both showed weaker connections, compared with normal children, in a region of the brain's left hemisphere called the  arcuate fasciculus, which is involved in language.

However, when looking at connectivity between other parts of the brain, the researchers saw differences. Connections between several regions in the left hemisphere were stronger in children with Asperger's than in both children with autism and normally developing children.

The results suggest the conditions are related, but there are physiological differences in brain connectivity that distinguish children with Asperger's from those with autism, according to the study published Wednesday (July 31) in the journal BMC Medicine.

"The findings are exciting, and the methods are sophisticated," said Dr. James McPartland, a professor of child psychiatry at Yale University, who was not involved in the study.

Although the study included a reasonable number of children, like any new finding, the research needs to be replicated in future studies, McPartland said.

People with Asperger’s syndrome experience difficulties with social interaction, and can display unusual behaviors, such as repeating the same action or being excessively attached to performing certain routines. These symptoms overlap with those of autism disorder, however, children with Asperger's tend to show language and cognitive development that is closer to that of normal children, compared with children with autism.

Recently, the American Psychiatric Association decided to eliminate Asperger's syndromefrom the newest revision of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM 5) and instead put it alongside autism under an umbrella term, autism spectrum disorders (ASD).

The APA's decision raised voices of concern from several places. Parents worried that their children with Asperger's might not receive the special training they need, and experts said it was premature to combine the two conditions under one groupwhen it cannot be ruled out that there are biological differences.

"At present, it is hard to know whether [the new findings] reflect a core, intrinsic difference between Asperger's and autism, or whether it is a reflection of developing with different characteristics," McPartland said.

Duffy said the new findings fit with the notion that autism and Asperger's syndrome are similar in some respects; for example, both have difficulty getting along with other people.

However, stronger connectivity among the left hemisphere brain areas in children with Asperger's may be what makes people with Asperger's special in terms of their personalities and abilities, Duffy said.

"It's essential to separate these two groups, because they need different education and training and opportunity," he said.

Source : Livescience
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