Should I take Serotonin Vitamins?

Serotonin is a monoamine neurotransmitter that is known to affect the person’s mood and anxiety level. It is the main reason why some experiences seasonal affective disorder. For those who live in cold places, their serotonin level are low which contributes to feelings of depression and tiredness while for those who live in warm areas where the sun is always on top of their head, their serotonin level is high which contributes to feelings of well being and happiness. Serotonin is derived from tryptophan and is commonly found on the central nervous system, gastrointestinal tract and platelets. Due to the mood-affecting capability of serotonin, a lot of people are asking this question: should I take serotonin vitamins? Read on to know the answer.

There are a lot of medications out there that can be purchased in order to elevate the level of serotonin and get away with depression. Some needs a physician’s prescription while some can be purchased over-the-counter. Some medications are made from different chemicals (SSRI or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) while some are made naturally (St. John’s Wort). Whatever the nature of medication is, it will always have side effects. The best answer that can be generated for the above question would be to consult a physician first before taking up anything because some medications that can elevate the serotonin level in the body could cause addiction (like L-theanine and valerian root). On the other hand, there are ways that can be done in order to elevate the level of serotonin in the body. They are all natural and does not need a prescription. Below are some of those.

DIET. Try to note your diet. List all the foods you are consuming for about a week or two and note if you eat foods that can contribute to low serotonin level. Studies have shown that poor diet can actually be attributed to low serotonin level. Processed foods, whole wheat and rye bread are known to decrease level of serotonin while fruits such as banana, dates, and papaya can alleviate the level of serotonin. Eliminate junk foods in your diet and limit the intake of carbohydrates. A diet high in carbohydrates increases insulin level in the body which, at the same time, lowers the level of serotonin. It is also better to avoid caffeine like soft drinks and tea.

EXERCISE. Exercise produces endorphins which allow one to fight off stress and feel good with oneself. It also prevents obesity. Obese people will in time need insulin therapy and insulin is known to oppose serotonin.

GET ENOUGH SUNLIGHT. Do not be afraid to go out of the sun (just do not forget to wear sunscreen). Sunlight increases the level of serotonin in the body. During winter, sunlight alternatives can be chosen in order to feel the warmth that the natural sunlight provides.

These are some ways that can be done to increase the serotonin level in the body. They are simple, inexpensive, healthy, and for sure NO SIDE EFFECTS.

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Albert Einstein Fun Facts

We all study physics in high school. We have studied his theories and many scientific equations. While we all know, or maybe not all, about the things he has written, discovered, and thought of, we don’t know that much about Albert Einstein. So, here are some Albert Einstein fun facts to let us get to know more about this genius.

Albert Einstein was born on March 14, 1879 in the city Ulm, Kingdom of Württemberg, Germany to a Jewish couple, Hermann and Pauline Einstein. Albert was born with an abnormally large head that his mother thought he was deformed. The back of his head was too big that the family considered monstrosity but later on, after some weeks, the shape and size of Einstein’s head was normal.
Growing up, Einstein had difficulty in speaking. He would seldom speak and when he did, he spoke slowly. Einstein would actually try out entire sentences in his mind or mutter them under his breath before speaking them out loud. He did this until he was nine, making his parents worry that he may be retarded.

And so how did this late talker end up a genius? It all started with a compass. When he was 5 years old, Einstein was sick in bed. Then his father brought and showed him a compass. It was a compass that sparked his interest in science with its arrow always pointing to one direction no matter how you turn the case around.

Despite his intellectual capabilities in math and science, Einstein also experienced failure. He failed to pass his entrance exams to the Swiss Federal Polytechnical School, now called Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (ETH). When he first took the exam, he passed the math and science parts of the test but failed languages, history, geography, and others. He had to go to trade school for a year before retaking the exam. Einstein passed on his second take.

Einstein married his first wife, Mileva, in 1903. But before they could tie up the knot, they had an illegitimate daughter, Lieserl. Einstein never saw his daughter and there is very little known about her. Einstein later had two sons with Mileva, Hans Albert and Eduard. But sadly, Einstein’s fame made it difficult for his family. The constant traveling made Einstein estranged from his wife. He even proposed a contract on how they would interact. Eventually, his marriage ended with a divorce. And it was the divorce that pushed his son, Hans, further away from him.

Little did we know that Albert Einstein was, in fact, a ladies’ man. After he divorced Mileva, Einstein married his cousin, Elsa. Elsa wasn’t really his first choice. He wanted to marry Elsa’s daughter from her first marriage, Isle, who was 18 years younger than Einstein. But Isle demurred. She was no attracted to Einstein and saw him more as a fatherly figure. Because of this, infidelity was one of the reasons thought to cause his divorce with Mileva.

However, it seems that the fame was too much for Mileva to handle. Albert was constantly away, traveling to places to give talks about his theories. In fact, when he lived in the U.S., people approached him often and asked him to explain his theories. Later, Einstein was able to come up with an excuse to get away from all the attention. He told people that he was always mistaken for Professor Einstein.

Einstein was awarded the Nobel Prize in physics on December, 1922. However, he was not able to attend the ceremony. He was traveling in Japan at that time. Among many things given to Einstein, one was the offer to become the president of Israel. But Albert Einstein turned it down.

Albert Einstein is truly one of greatest men that ever lived. He is a true genius. He died on April 18, 1995 in Princeton, New Jersey, USA. Sadly, nobody knows what his final words were. The nurse on his deathbed didn’t understand German. His great brain is now preserved.

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Interesting Facts about Yorkies

Yorkies, or Yorkshire Terriers, are one of the most adorable dog breeds. So, if you want to know more about these dogs, below are some of the interesting facts about Yorkies, our adorable terriers.

Today, many people treat their little Yorkies as princesses. But did you know that in England, these dogs were far from royalty? Englishmen actually used Yorkies to rid their houses of rodents. Yorkies helped poachers hunt for rabbits and other rodents. Yorkshire Terriers were also used by some miners to help them see in the dark. Yorkies’ coats shine in the dark and so they helped miners in transporting wire through the tunnel.

Surely all that work would lead to sweating. Yorkies have sweat glands too. Yes, dogs usually relieve themselves of heat by panting. But Yorkies happen to have sweat glands in between their paws. That’s a pretty odd place for sweat glands. Just imagine humans to sweat it all out in between their toes. You’re gonna have one pair of smelly shoes.

And after all that work, you would be dead tired and early to hit the sack. Yorkies, in their first two weeks of life, are pretty much heavy sleepers. They spend about 90% of their time sleeping at that age, that’s about 21 and a half hours. Imagine sleeping that long. But don’t worry, Yorkies are far from being lazy when they grow up.

Yorkies are quite adventurous. They love to chase small animals that highly resemble rodents. They are also highly territorial. Yorkshire Terriers will fight to protect and defend their possessions. These little dogs can be very aggressive which means that they tend to bark more compared to other dog breeds.

In fact, Yorkies can be very small. The smallest dog that was ever recorded, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, is a Yorkshire Terrier. Her name was Sylvia, from Blackburn, England. She stood at 2 and a half inches from paws to shoulder, and was as long as 3 and a quarter inches. She weighed only a mere 4 ounces, pretty small eh? Sadly, Sylvia did not live long. She lived for only 2 years.

2 years is quite short for the average lifetime of Yorkshire Terriers. The average lifespan of a Yorkie is from 12 to 15 years. So, you can expect your little buddy to live with you quite long. One thing is for sure about these Yorkies, you can expect them to stand by your side despite their small stature. Yorkshire Terriers can be small but they have the heart of a lion.

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Interesting and Fun Facts about the Heart for Kids

In order to make science more entertaining, it is a great idea to come up with some interesting & fun facts about the heart for kids as this will encourage them to want to learn more about how the human body works.


What does the human heart actually look like?

The heart is one of the most important organs in the human body. If it does not function properly, we quickly become very poorly. Kids often think the heart is on the left hand side of the chest, but in fact the heart is in the middle of the chest and is well protected by the rib cage. The heart sits between the lungs and because of its size, the left lung is slightly smaller than the right lung so that there is enough space in the chest cavity.

A kid’s heart is the size of an adult fist and because it is a muscle full of blood, the heart looks like a piece of meat you might see in the butchers shop. In a healthy person, the heart looks lovely and red, but in an overweight person, the heart will be covered in nasty yellow fat.

On average, the human heart beats around one hundred thousand times per day, which is a lot more than most muscles manage to do in the average day! In fact, the heart muscle is so strong it is capable of lifting a small car. In the average lifetime, the human heart beats approximately two and half billion times, which means it is very important to look after your heart!

What other interesting & fun facts about the heart for kids are there?

During exercise, it takes ten seconds for blood to travel from your heart to your big toe, and back again. There are around sixty thousand miles worth of blood vessels inside a kid’s body and if they were all stretched out like spaghetti, they would be long enough to circle around the world two and a half times.

There are four chambers in the heart: left and right atrium, and the left and right ventricle. There are also four valves that make sure blood flow is one way: it flows into the heart through veins on one side and flows back out of the other via arteries.

More fun & interesting facts about the heart for kids!

Every time the heart contracts, it pushes the blood back into the blood vessels. When the heart relaxes again, the chambers inside expand and blood rushes back into the heart. The heart beats with enough power to shoot blood more than thirty feet away.

Electricity makes the heart muscle contract and expand. When people on the television are hooked up to ECG machines, you can see spiky graphs on the screen. The spikes are measuring the electricity passing through the heart muscle and if the line goes flat, it means the heart has stopped beating and the patient is dying.

Amazingly, the human heart begins to beat four weeks after conception and by the time the embryo is eight weeks old, the heart is fully developed, albeit very tiny.

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Blogger Buzz: You Might As Well Jump!

Blogger Buzz: You Might As Well Jump!: "ks to this p"

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