Frequent Tanning May Be Addictive

As an addicted "tanner" myself.. i found this article quite interesting.. at least now you'd believe me when i tell you that I PHYSICALLY AM UNABLE to go to a country where i can't tan!! (i.e. Canada)


"Frequent tanning is addictive, according to the results of a small, randomized study reported in the April issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

"We had previously shown that ultraviolet light has an effect on mood that tanners value," lead author said in a news release. "Now, in this small study, we've shown that some tanners actually experience withdrawal symptoms when the 'feel-good' chemicals are blocked."

Frequent tanning has features of an addictive behavior, which may be mediated by induction of cutaneous endorphins by UV light.

"The finding was unexpected and is consistent with the hypothesis that frequent tanning may be driven in part by a mild dependence on opioids, most likely endorphins," says senior author. "The nausea and jitteriness induced by the medication (medication given to counteract the effect of endorphins, same stuff given to druggies when they're trying to cut the habit, but in much lower doses ofcourse!) are consistent with symptoms of mild opiate withdrawal.""

opiate = family memeber of fun stuff like morphine, heroine and the likes

P.S. the study define frequent tanners as those who tan 8 - 15 times a month :/ i do NOT tan this frequently!.. not everymonth at least :">

Two Down, a Gazillion to Go : Tuesdays with Morrie

At last.. I finshed the second book on my list.. "Tuesdays with Morrie"..

(I actually finished it a week ago, but i was too busy to write about it... ehm)

To begin with, the story is about a guy (the author) who had an amazing college professor whom he really liked (Morrie). However, they completely lost touch. After over a decade from his graduation, he finds out that his professor is dying from a long, painful disease. He finds him and spends time with him and learns from him the lessons of life.

Well, honestly, i expected the book to be more "corny" than it was. It actually was not. It wasn't one of those books which keep on repeating the same stuff over and over again "love everyone, forgive everyone, bla bla bla" (those books just kill me). Don't get me wrong, it all basically leads to these same points.. but the way it's written is just.. great..

He talks about the world, feeling sorry for yourself, regrets, death, family, emotions, fear of aging, money, how love goes on, marriage, culture, and forgiveness.

One of the most intense parts was when he was talking about death; it's just so realistic, and so full of wisdom. He says: "Once you learn how to die, you learn how to live". He has this interesting, wise approach to his disease and his death. Smart, realistic, even Islamic in a way.

I would definitely read it again, and i sure would recommend it to my friends..

Now next on the list, "The Many Faces of Men"..

Thoughts of the Day

- All relationships need work from both people involved

- It's important that friends make for each other and maybe even plan some alone time together to reconnect (not just married couples!)

- I Love my friends :)

Now That's Creative!

I read this in this Monday's "Asharq Al-Awsat" newspaper..

"A teacher in a public school in Malaysia punished his students for not doing their homework by making them watch a porn movie. The students said that the teacher asked students of both sexes to enter the TV room, closed the crtains behind them, and ordered them to watch the movie. He stated that this is their punishment for not doing their homework. The Malaysian Minister of Education said that an investigation will be conducted and if this were true, severe action will be taken against the teacher."

Allah yir7am ayam ma konna noogaf 3la al 7ai6!

Welcome!

I think It's so cute that bloggers "welcome" other bloggers when they leave a comment or something..

So here you go..

Welcome!! --> Dotsson - Bassem - Fedo - Fonder - Ibrahim - Freak of Nature - Saudieve

And keep reading!!

See? I devoted an entire post to welcome you, not just a comment :)

The Notice-Board

The other day I read the following on the notice-board in college:

"There's a girl who desperately needs a liver transplant. Her blood type is B+. If you donate a part of your liver you will be awarded 50,000 S.R. and a monthly allowance of 800 S.R. for a year. Contact this number: ….."

Now, Let's think of this objectively..

Point #1: since the girl needs a liver transplant, this means that there's a pretty good chance she'll die soon if she didn't get it.
Thought #1: Well, people have this instinct, which makes them really want to help others, especially those "inferior" to them (young, sick, poor,..). Probably because afterwards they feel so good and sort of "powerful".. I dunno.. Also, the more desperate and in need he/she is, the stronger the feeling.. right? And I really don't think there's anyone more in need that a person who is going to die..

Point #2: The girl needs a liver transplant .. not money, not support, but a body part..
Thought #2: A liver transplant is a major procedure. The donor would have to undergo an actual surgery; anesthesia, hospitalization, being opened up, all the things that could go wrong, the pain afterwards, you know, the works. Would anyone really go through this for someone else? (I don't think this applies if the other person is a relative or a close friend).

Point#3: It's "a girl ".. anonymous.. not someone you know..
Thought#3: This is someone you don't know. You would be giving a body part to someone you don't know.. Plus, shouldn’t you know what that person is like before you actually do something like this?.. what if you didn't like them?.. would that be a valid reason (after all this thinking) to NOT go through with it?.. Is it awful to think that?

Point#4: All the money
Thought#4: If after all this, a person decided to go through with it "Li Wajh Allah".. Wouldn't it cloud their judgment to be offered this much money?.. How would they know if they're doing it to be good people or just for the money?.. then again, is it really wrong to do it just for the money?.. I mean, people practically kill themselves stressing themselves at work, this doesn’t seem like much of a stretch.

Point#5: Why did I think so much about this to begin with?
Thought#5: My blood type is B+.


Now a question: Would you do it for someone?

Medical Specialties Needed

After a talk today with my cousin (an ER resident); I came up with a list of all the medical specialties in which we (we as in the city of Jeddah) don't have enough of, if at all:

1. hand surgery (which is a subspecialty of Plastic surgery)

2. Podiatrist surgery (surgery of the foot)

3. Radiology (people who conduct and read all sorts of imaging, from xrays to CT scans to MRIs to Ultrasounds to other less common things)

4. Interventional Radiology (It's a cross between surgery and radiology)

5. ER specialists (the majority of the doctors working in the ER in our country are NOT specialists in emergency medicine; they're usually from other specialties.. nice, huh?)

6. Pediatrics ER (emergency care for children)

7. Family physicians (they're supposed to be the first doctors to meet the patient; it's a must now in the UK to go to a family physician (called GP for General Practitioner over there) before going to a consultant, unlike what is done here, which is a huge waste of time and money)

8. Family Emergency (which is a cross between family medicine and emergency medicine)

9. Maxillofacial surgery (They work on all structures of the face; from muscles to bones including repair and cosmetic surgery. Extremely delicate work. It's a subspecialty of ENT or dentistry).

What I especially liked were the hand surgeon and ER specialist parts. There are NO HAND SURGEONS IN JEDDAH, if not in Saudi Arabia. Oh yeah, and there is almost no one qualified enough to evaluate you in an emergency.. in a clinic, when you're comparatively fine, yeah, sure they can.. but in an emergency, umm, no..

well, to be fair, Riyadh's National Guard Hospital has great ER specialists.. so you can go there next time you need some urgent medical attention in the middle of the night :P

The Family Dinner

Naaaa naa naa nee nuu.. nooooooo.. (umm.. this is supposed to be the Godfather's music.. umm… ok..)

Every few weeks, my uncle decides to have a "family dinner" at his place.. and the decision is only sprung on us - for some reason - the same day.. apparently it's more "fun" this way or something..

"we" were all waiting for my uncle.. and what a strange "we" we were.. somehow, a bunch of unrelated people show up at out family dinner (different people every single time, some we don't even know).. and apparently that's "normal"..

When my uncle came in.. he was accompanied by three men in suits.. "the guy with the orange tie", and two other.. My family are too traditional when it comes to the rituals of the "salam" (u know, the hello-ing and the kissing and stuff).. especially my uncle and my dad.. they really do look like the Dons from the Godfather, hence the theme music in the beginning of the blog (keif bss hence?! ;) )

What's really strange is that my uncle didn't introduce "the guy with the orange tie" to anyone.. which isn't like him.. even during dinner, when I asked my uncle's wife, she had no idea who he was..

but apparently, It's perfectly normal to have him at the family dinner..

when we were having our after-dinner tea, my uncle announced that "the guy with the orange tie" wanted to read us a piece of "nathr" he wrote about the woman he loved (yes, I have an "interesting" family who talks about things like that during family gatherings).. and he still did not mention his name!!.. "the guy with the orange tie" said that he's been a political writer for the past 25 years, and from his accent I could figure out he was Syrian, but still.. he didn't mention his name.. At this point, I started to get really frustrated, because I really want to know who he is!! and then, the magic happened.. he started reading his thing, and it was soooo beautiful, it's not a common thing to hear someone wrote about his loved one in Arabic..( Oh, what I would do for someone to write something like that about me.. ). it was so amazing, that everyone clapped and cheered at the end.. it really was something out of this world..

now, if I had known his name, wouldn't it be so much better to express my fascination with him and his writing, rather than calling him "the guy with the orange tie"??!

I just noticed something..

I can't brush my teeth using my left hand!! I just tried that and i got toothpaste-foam all over the place!..

Is this normal??!

How to Quit

Just to clarify one thing: I did NOT intend to write about smoking 2 days in a row.. I'm not obsessed!

It just happened that today we took a class about smoking cessation, and It was quite interesting.. which is why I decided to share it!

Before you try to start the quitting plan, you have to be totally convinced that you want to change this habit, and be clear about WHY you're trying to quit (it can be helpful to write those reasons on the front page of your "smoking diary"). Also, if you've attempted to quit before that, try recalling the reason(s) for your relapse and write them down too.

Now, the PLAN:
a. set a date after which you are not allowed to smoke anymore (e.g. in 2 months time). write this date in a contract (this is where you can have a little fun! ;) ) and sign it and get your "sponsor" to sign it (this person can be your physician, your best friend, spouse or anyone else.)

b. here is what to do till that date:
1. get a "smoking diary" in which you write your "smoking rituals". (when, why, where and with whom did you smoke). The most important cigarette to account for is the first cigarette of the day. If it were first thing in the morning before getting out of bed ("eye-opener"), it's especially important to mention it, coz it's a very strong indicator of how addicted you are.
2. Get rid of the "cues" --> hide the ashtrays, avoid sitting with smokers, …
3. announce that you're quitting to all your friends and family
4. smoke a "lighter" cigarette, and gradually decrease the number of cigarettes you smoke per day. Also, try to delay your first cigarette as much as possible.
5. remember that you addiction to cigarettes is both physical and habitual. Use nicotine patches / gum to help you get over the physical part. As for the habitual, do something different at the time of your usual cigarettes (for example, if u must smoke after lunch, take a walk instead).

Last thing, you should always remember that it's common to relapse even after all this. It doesn't mean you're a failure, it just means you have to think about it.. figure out why it happened.. and do it all over again!

P.S. most people relapse within one year of "quitting"

Good Luck! :)

Smoking

Most people I know smoke, and some of them are smokers (i.e. can't live without their little flame-y headed friend). Sometimes they express their desire/ need to quit; whether that's something they truly want or it's just their guilt talking, I don't know..
whether they really do get the harm that smoking does to their body.. I don't know..
whether they could use some help (professional or personal) to quit.. I don't know..

and I thought of them when I read this…

"Smokers' Misperceptions About Nicotine Can Hamper Cessation Efforts"



MONTREAL (Reuters Health) Nov 01 - Many smokers think that nicotine causes cancer, and that fear can significantly interfere with efforts to stop, according to surprise findings of a survey reported here today at the annual meeting of the American College of Chest Physicians."

The rest of the article talks about how the majority of smokers (63% - 72%) smoke "light" cigarettes thinking that since light means low nicotine, it also means less cancer risk.. WRONG!

Nicotine does not cause cancer, but that is why patients are reluctant to use patches to help them quit, when actually, patches are good nicotine alternative for those who want to quit

So --> Nicotine = addiction.. Cigarette smoke = carcinogens, neurotoxins and toxins.

Also, more women than men expressed fear, guilt and worry about the risks they were taking with smoking. They were also more afraid of failure in their attempts to quit than men. However, quit rates at 30 days were essentially the same for women and men.

The article also states that when quitting, going "cold turkey" has a very high failure rate. A program that involves behavior modification, guided imagery and support systems are helpful, and patches are a very useful tool in the program.

SO what do you think?? :)

Personality Test :)

I did this test which gives you a rough idea about your personality.. Turns out:

i'm a planner and not spontaneous..

and that i have facts and not ideas..

and that i use my head not my heart..

and finally, that i'm an extrovert, not an introvert..

besides the last statement.. i think they were trying to tell me that i was a computerized, non-creative, heartless "thing".. sounds a lot like an insult, doesn't it? :P

here's the test if u want to do it yourself :)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/mind/surveys/whatamilike/

1 down.. 8 to go :)

I already finished one book.. the "Miss Remarkable and her Career".. It's beyond amazing.. and completely hilarious.. a must have for every modern over-achiever..

I already started "Tuesdays with Morrie".. It's nice, but depressing in an inspirign kind of way.. let's see how it turns out.. so that's 1 and 1/2..

ok.. fine.. I'll confess..

I had already finished the first book yesterday when i wrote the list. But i wrote it coz it feels SOO good to cross something off a list!! it makes you feel like you accomplished something.. :"> am i wierd?

let's not open that can of worms..

The Un-Finished Book List

You know when you buy a couple of books with the intention to read them as soon as you get home, and then for some reason you just put them aside on your desk and the "couple of books" turns into a big, dusty pile? how about when your friends have actually gone through their piles and are recommending some more books for you to read??

That EXACTLY what's going on with me!!

So hereby i state that i'm willing to go through at least 80% of the following list before the summer.. umm.. ok.. let's make it 60 :)

Here is my list:

1. Miss Remarkable and the Career by Joanna Rubin Dranger: an amazing "comic" book.. a must read for any super-achiever like myself..

2. Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom: A "modern classic". I totally forgot i had bought it :/

3. The Many Faces of Men by Stephen Whitehead: the definitive guide to all men (that's what the cover says, and that what my best friend says too!)

4. How to Have a Beautiful Mind by Edward de Bono: a change fron all the men-oriented books i seem to have at the moment.

5. Why Men Lie and Women Cry by Allan and Barabara Pease: I remember reading a pocket book by the same writers.. also about men and women.. but i forgot what i t's called..

6. How to Walk in High Heels by Camilla Morton: It's a cute "manual" on how to do anything from buying Manolo's to changin a light bulb :)

7. A Modern Girl's Guide to Etiquette by Sarah Ivens: I wanted a book about etiquette in general but this is all i could find.. i started it but i "paused" in the middle.. there's nothing so special about it..

8. The Art of Seduction by Robert Greene: I've had this book for over a year!! it's beyond me why i didn't read it yet.

9. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Understanding Saudi Arabia by Colin Wells: I also started this book like a year ago, which means that i'll have to skim through the parts i already read to refresh my memory.. but it's AMAZING.. even though they author is American, the accuracy and lack of racism in which he depicts the history of Saudi Arabia since the beginning of Islam till the current rulers is just wonderful. It's a must read for anyone Saudi or interested in The Saudi international affairs.. :)


That was my semi-final list.. I'm sure that i'll find some books hidden somewhere in the next few days..

I just really hope i would "accomplish my goal" and finish most of them before the summer.. wow!.. i already feel motivated!!

Good Luck ME!