News lifestyle 2008-06-10 Andanh.com

Physical pains accompany money problems Tue, 10 Jun 2008 02:05 EDT
The stress of deepening debt is becoming a major pain -- literally -- for millions of Americans.

When people are dealing with mountains of debt, they're much more likely to report health problems, too, according to an Associated Press-AOL Health poll. And not just little stuff; this means ulcers, severe depression, even heart attacks.

Take Edward Driscoll, 38, of Braintree, Mass. He blames debt -- $10,000 worth -- for contributing to his ulcers and his wife Kimberly's panic attacks. "Just worrying, worrying, worrying, you know, where the next payment of this is going to come from," he says.

Although most people appear to be managing their debts all right, perhaps 10 million to 16 million are "suffering terribly due to their debts, and their health is likely to be negatively impacted," says Paul J. Lavrakas, a research psychologist and AP consultant who analyzed the results of the survey. Those are people who reported high levels of debt stress and suffered from at least three stress-related illnesses, he says.

That finding is supported by medical research that has linked chronic stress to a wide range of ailments.

5 things you should know about bad-breath causes, treatment Tue, 10 Jun 2008 01:43 EDT

1. The No. 1 cause of halitosis . bad breath . is oral bacteria. It often congregates on the surfaces of the tongue, produces a waste that is rich in sulfur compounds and creates a dreadful rotten-egg smell.

2. The most common dental causes of bad breath include dry mouth, gum disease, extensive dental decay, oral infections and abscesses, oral cancers, poor oral hygiene and a proliferation of specific types of bacteria. Medical causes include tonsillar infections, post-nasal drainage, sinus infections, diabetes and lung diseases.

3. A closer look: Chronic dry mouth is the main culprit because saliva washes away excess sulfur compounds and provides oxygen to the oral environment, thus preventing the proliferation of anaerobic bacteria.

4. A tongue scraper and mouthwashes containing chlorine dioxide or sodium chlorite are crucial, Miami dentist Ewaldo Wendler says. used together, they will reduce the amount of bacteria and neutralize the sulfuric compounds that .create bad breath.

Kids bored? Here are 6 fun projects Tue, 10 Jun 2008 08:21 EDT

Chances are, they're already bored.

The first few days that school was out, the pool was a lure for your kids and a non-school book seemed a treat. But now, the kids probably just stare at you with those accusing eyes that say: .What are you going to do about this?.

To help, we've compiled a short list of fun science .experiments designed to combat summer boredom or .survive rainy days.

The ideas come from three books: Camp Out! The .Ultimate Kids' Guide (Workman Press, $11.95); Pop Bottle Science (Workman Press, $14.95); and Don't Throw It, Grow It (Storey Publishing, $10.95).

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