Surprising signs your immunity needs a boost

Some people seem to survive cold and flu season with nary a sniffle.

And yet plenty others seem to catch cold after cold; sidelined with a perpetually stuffed-up nose and hacking cough that lasts all winter long. So what's different between these two groups? Research shows your cold and flu vulnerability may come down to a few important—and unexpected—habits, like how much sugar you eat or how dry your nose is.

Assess your risk with these seven signs of impaired immunity, and learn what you can do to stay healthy.

1. You have a sweet tooth.
Eating too much sugar doesn't just pack on pounds …

A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that eating 100 g of sugar (think three cans of soda) significantly hampered the ability of white blood cells to kill bacteria for up to 5 hours afterward.

Eat These Immune Boosting Foods Instead


2. You don't drink enough water.
There's a reason moms and doctors always push fluids on you when you're sick.

Your body needs plenty of water to flush out toxins—and yes, coffee and tea are acceptable sources. How much fluid you should drink daily varies from person to person. You're drinking the right amount if your urine is pale yellow.

3. You've got a lot of weight to lose.
You know excess weight is unhealthy for your heart, brain and other organs. But it's also bad for your immune system.

In fact, those who become most seriously ill with swine flu tend to share the same characteristic: a body mass index over 40, meaning they are morbidly obese. Excess weight can cause hormonal imbalances and inflammation that impairs the immune system's ability to fight infection.

Lose 35+ Pounds Without Working Out


4. You drink water from a well.
Surprisingly, the cleanliness of your drinking water can play a role in whether or not you get sick.

As many as 25 million Americans drink well water that contains more than the safe levels of arsenic determined by the EPA. Arsenic has been linked to several different cancers, and affects the immune response to swine flu as well. When researchers from Dartmouth Medical School inoculated two groups of mice with the H1N1 virus, the group that had spent 5 weeks drinking arsenic-tainted water developed suppressed immune systems, and many died. The mice that didn't drink the water got the flu but recovered completely.

If your well water tests high, consider switching to bottled water or investing in a remediation system that will remove the arsenic.

5. Your nose is Sahara desert-dry.
As uncomfortable as it may be, a runny nose is actually a good defense against colds and the flu.

Sounds gross, but mucus traps viruses and clears them from the body. If your nasal passages are too dry, germ invaders have an easier time. If the dryness is a temporary problem, irrigate your nasal passages with a squeeze bottle or neti pot of saline solution. A humidifier can also help. If dryness is chronic, see your doctor to determine the underlying cause.

6. You're always seriously stressed out.
It's no coincidence that you tend to catch a cold after a big work deadline.
According to a report by the American Psychological Association, long-term stress weakens the responses of your immune system. In addition, "if you become stressed while you have the flu, your symptoms can get worse," says Philip Tierno, director of clinical microbiology and immunology at New York University and author of The Secret Life of Germs: What They Are, Why We Need Them, and How We Can Protect Ourselves Against Them.

8 Ways to Lower Stress Levels, Now


7. You're always nursing a cold.
This means your immune system isn't operating at top speed.
The average adult picks up one to three colds each season that typically last 3 or 4 days. If you get more, your resistance might be low. Getting more sleep, regular exercise and rounding out your diet to get lots of healthy veggies and these foods can help.

Get What You Need Right Now With Credit Cards_55122

When you don't have cash to purchase things it doesn't mean that you have to do without the things that you want or need. Instead, you can use credit cards to help you purchase the things that you want now and then when you have the cash you can pay off your card with those funds.

You have to look at it as a form of plastic money giving you the funds that you would like to have now, but then you have got to pay off the debt later to ensure that you still have access to it when you need it!

If you use them in this manner you will find that they are very handy and can help you get the items that you want and need in a moment's notice. You can actually save money when you buy things in this manner, as long as you do it responsibly.

For instance, there are many store cards that are offered at your favorite department stores and when you use your debt card you actually save an additional percentage off of the sales price. While you may still be paying an interest rate on the purchase, if you pay away the purchase quickly you'll still end up saving.

The great thing about this sort of deal is that you are getting something that you want or need, something that you would have purchased anyway, and you are getting it for less because of the manner in which you paid for it.

Many people are afraid to use credit cards and for good reason. It is really easy to get into trouble with them if you are not careful. If you only buy the things that you can truly afford to purchase you will find that this works out really well in your favor most of the time.

A lot of people have a hard time following through with paying off the store cards when they need to, but if you create a plan and you stick to it you'll find that having this purchasing option can save you time, money, and even stress about how you will pay for your purchases.

If you can't wait until payday to get something now you have a financial option that will get you through until then.An important part of using your debt cards is making sure that you have the ones that fit your needs the best.

There are many different options out there for you to choose from with some offering better interest rates while others will offer rewards and prizes based on how much money you charge. These rewards and savings can add up and make these purchasing options worth your time.

With so many different opportunities out there you can be assured that there is something for everyone. If you want to charge it the opportunities are out there, just make sure that you are taking advantage of the best offers for you and paying off the balance as you go so you can reap the rewards of charging!  

Play with life, laugh with life

Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass...
It's about learning how to dance in the rain.
- Vivian Greene

Life is a song - sing it.
Life is a game - play it.
Life is a challenge - meet it.
Life is a dream - realize it.
Life is a sacrifice - offer it.
Life is love - enjoy it.
- Sai Baba

Life is an exciting business,
and most exciting when it is lived for others.
- Helen Keller

Be the Melody in the Symphony of Your Life.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans.
- John Lennon

Life is without meaning.
You bring the meaning to it.
The meaning of life is whatever you ascribe it to be.
Being alive is the meaning.
- Joseph Campbell

Play with life, laugh with life,
dance lightly with life,
and smile at the riddles of life,
knowing that life's only true lessons are writ small in the margin.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood.
Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.
- Marie Curie

Life may not be the party we hoped for
but while we are here we might as well dance.
- Anonymous

Using A Broker When Searching For Car Insurance_38911

By allowing an online car insurance broker to complete a car insurance search on your behalf throughout the entire car insurance marketplace, you can get the cheapest deal possible and the best quote, however by doing so you will not only save money and be driving your car legally on the roads, but you will also not be at risk of having your car seized through not having car insurance.

Seizing cars is the latest step to get uninsured card drivers off the road, police in certain areas of the UK have been cracking down by seizing cars if it is found that the driver has not got an insurance policy to drive the car. Since the operation came into force it has already met with great success and involves some of the latest technology, which is number plate recognition, this system can now show police instantly which cars have not got insurance and then they are immediately seized and taken off the road by officers.

The system has not only been used in and about town but also on Britain's motorways too, just in Lancashire and within one 8 hour shift police stopped and seized a total of 12 uninsured vehicles, which the owner has to fork out great expense to get back including fixed penalty fines and towing fees and of course then having to concede and take out car insurance.

With car insurance being able to be got cheaply it is clearly not worth the risk of attempting to fool the police and of course the technology of today. A specialist broker will always be able to get the cheapest car insurance by allowing them to conduct a car insurance search on your behalf and then deliver the cheapest quotes in the shortest time possible.

While using the services of a specialist broker is the cheapest way to get your car insurance, the type of insurance you choose to take will reflect in the cost of the cover. If you want to take out fully comprehensive car insurance which gives the most complete cover and will cover your car and the other if you should be involved in an accident along with giving cover for passengers and other extras. Third party fire and theft will give you cover if your car should get stolen, if it should be damaged through fire and will cover damage to the other party if you are involved in an accident. Third party only will cover damage to the other party only and is the cheapest type of insurance available.

Other ways you can make savings when taking out car insurance is to make sure that you have the latest security measures installed on your car such as steering locks, etched windows, and alarms or tracking devices. The specialist will be able to not only conduct a car insurance search so you are able to make great savings but will also be able to give you all the advice, information, hints and tips needed to determine which type of cover is the most suitable for your needs before conducting the search.  

Get Your Consumer Strength Back With Credit Card Consolidation_41156

Credit card debt is perhaps the worst debt a borrower ever has. This is because once you fail to make timely payments; you are slapped with a hefty fee apart from the accumulating interest rate on unpaid balances. One missed payment is excuse enough for the lenders to hike the interest rate sharply which makes the credit card holders more inefficient in paying off debts. That leaves credit card users with the only option of credit card debt consolidation to come clean out of the mess.,rolex gmt

Under the method of credit card debt consolidation,coach purse, all credit card debts are brought under one new lender. The borrower takes a new loan at least of the amount of credit card debts. This loan is then used in paying off the debts either personally by the borrower or by the lender on the borrower's behalf. Thus credit card holder no longer pays to the card issuing company and saves himself from nagging enquiries of many lenders. Instead of making monthly payments to number of lenders, now borrower is required to pay just one installment per month.

There are many advantages attached to credit card debt consolidation. The biggest of them is that it saves lots of borrower's money. This is due to the fact that charges on credit card debt consolidation are way below than charges of credit card. The rate of interest rate on the debt consolidation loan is always lower which helps in keeping the monetary outgo smaller.

Credit card debt consolidation can be availed under two options of secured and unsecured forms. Secured credit card debt consolidation requires a borrower to place collateral with the lender in order to give a sense of the loan security. On the back of the collateral the borrower can ask for a bigger loan and interest rate can also be brought down further. Unsecured credit card debt consolidation however requires a borrower to furnish proof of his sound income and financial standing if any. Credit score of these people counts the most towards taking the consolidation route. So, before going to the lender,replica watches cheap, unsecured credit card debt consolidation seekers should make efforts to show some improvements in credit score by taking help of experts.

The best way for credit card debt consolidation is finding the lender online. No fee is charged on online filing of the application and you get numerous loan offers. You can pick up the offer that has lower interest rate as per your budget.

Credit card debt consolidation thus is sure shot way to eliminate debt of higher interest rate and lessens your financial burden. At the same time cut on unnecessary expenses so your monetary position improves.

Attract Renters With Technological Appeal_56812

We all know that curb appeal is important to attract prospective buyers and renters to your property. But what one typically thinks of as being effective curb appeal may no longer be as valuable.

Traditionally, in order to create the most marketable curb appeal was to have the landscaping and interior of the property as clean as possible without any clutter. The more space a property had the better.

While those things still hold water in many markets, the newer generations of renters in college or beginning their first try at the real world, desire technology and technological accessibility.

The article, 揥anted To Rent: Technology-Friendly Apartments,?written by Broderick Perkins and published February 28, 2007 in Realty Times, explains how Internet hookups and good cell phone reception are become a more important quality for today抯 renter than a cascading water fountain in the front of the property.
揗ore and more often renters want a wireless community just as much as they want a garden community, according to the National Multi Housing Council (NMHC) survey of 1,000 renters.挃
搼In the future, apartment properties may be 慴randed?as much for the quality of their Internet services as they are today for their curb appeal,?said David Cardwell, NMHC's vice president of capital Markets and technology.?br />
Other than reliable Internet connection, renters desire good cell phone reception. The landline is becoming a thing of the past but many older apartments are surrounded by concrete or other materials that are not conducive to good cell phone reception. 揈mergency planners suggest having one (landline) in case of an emergency that could render cell phones inoperable, but only 58 percent of apartment homes have a landline and only 38 percent consider it their primary phone, the NMHC survey said.?br />
More renters live a transient lifestyle, moving one place to another a couple times a year. They are on the go and need a phone that can go with them. Setting up telephone service every time they move is a hassle that does not have to be dealt with using a cell phone.
揌owever, 88 percent of those surveyed (renters) had a mobile phone,rolex mens watches, compared to 74 percent of all households.?br /> But good cell phone reception is not just a luxury anymore; it is now becoming a requirement. Many renters decide to leave their apartment once the lease is up and sometimes even break the lease if the cell phone reception is poor.

揟he widespread use of cell phones poses new challenges for apartment owners whose structures block cell reception or are in a particular service provider's dead spot," said Cardwell.?br /> Technological curb appeal will continue to become more important to renters as their lives become more dependent on them.

揤irtually all, 94 percent of those surveyed, said they didn't choose their current rental because of technology amenities, but they also said high-speed Internet,replica Breitling Watches, good cell phone reception and a choice of service providers could be important factors in selecting their next home.?
If you are a landlord or even just renting out a room,fake rolex watches, trim the hedges, make sure the walls are painted but also have the rooms ready for Internet access and cable.