Although he had lung cancer, his death came as a surprise to everybody. Few months ago they said the cancer has taken a tight grip over his lungs and he was a goner. A while after that the good news came that he was doing amazingly well, he even went on a few months later to open a new Medical complex, after all he was a doctor and his job was to save lives. Everything seemed to be working out well, until a patient came in and sneezed.

It didn't take the H1N1 much time to claim his life. His immune system was fried with all the chemo, and within few days his family received a phone call just before dawn, telling them that their beloved father and husband has passed away.

He was a good man, and he had such a great family that we all loved, so it was only natural that people would pour in to pay their condolences. As soon as we saw the mother and the children we hugged them and cried with them, despite the warnings of not making too much contact out of fear that the swine flu might still be hovering over his loved ones.

His wife spoke about how he used to spend Ramadan nights praying and reading Qur'an, how he used to do the prayers even when he was in the ICU, and how sometimes he couldn't finish because he'd passed out. She'd alternate between crying out of sorrow and smiling at the good memories she had of him.

Just before we left the wake a certain piece of news spread like wildfire. His daughter also had, or maybe still has the swine flu. Well, what can you do other that hope that you didn't catch any of it…

As we left the wake we began exchanging stories about the people who attended. Some people had anti-bacterials that they used all the time. Someone came in with a mask dangling on his chest, which he clearly got rid of when he saw that no one else is using one. Someone arrived at the house but decided that he's not getting in and took of.

So at last we all concluded that we might have been exposed to H1N1, but what can you do? You just pray that it doesn't hit you, but even if it did, it might not be the worst thing in the world. According to my uncle's wife, people who get the swine flu this year should consider themselves lucky, for the virus is relatively mild now, while next year it could be more developed and more powerful.

The bottom line is that  it's just another flu, you just need to take the right antibiotic for it, which is the Tamiflu. If you get the symptoms, don't just take any kind of antibiotic because antibiotics could be dangerous if taken wrong. So there's really no reason to panic, they even are not keeping people at hospitals anymore, if you go to a hospital complaining about swine flu symptoms they just give you the Tamiflu and tell you to stay home for a week.

On the bright side, I woke up this morning to find that my mother had prepared two jugs of fresh citrus juice. Well, we can use some vitamin C you know!

May Allah rest the doctor's soul in peace, and give us whatever is better to have, flu or no flu!

2. Adding lemon to your green tea will help you get all the health benefits from it.

3. Adding raspberries to your diet can help stabilize your blood sugar and help prevent

diabetes.

4. Eating a baked potato, especially with the skin, helps increase your potassium levels and

decrease blood pressure.

5. Eating garlic can reduce your risk of prostate cancer by 50 percent.

6. Eating shrimp can increase your bone strength.

7. Cinnamon can be a natural appetite suppressant because it controls insulin spikes.

8. Antioxidants in olive oil have been shown to raise HDL, or good cholesterol, and lower

LDL, or bad cholesterol.

9. Don’t drink all of your calories!

10. Smaller portions do not always equal fewer calories.

11. Swap creamy salad dressing for salsa.

12. Use a flexible microfiber duster to clean the top of your refrigerator.

13. Water vapor from cooking can cause mold, so make sure to always turn the kitchen fan

on.

14. Keep your cat off of counters and tables. If it likes to jump on them, try putting sticky

paper, aluminum foil or pepper on the surface because cats don’t like them on their paws.

15. Don’t vacuum more than once a week because vacuuming too much can stir up dust

mites.

16. Always stand when you flush the toilet to avoid getting bacteria from the

water on you.

17. Disinfect bathroom doorknobs and switchplates regularly.

18. Don’t wet your eye shadow or eyeliner brushes with saliva.

19. Disinfect your electronics and office space regularly.

20. Clean make-up brushes with vinegar to kill bacteria.

21. Use olive oil as a moisturizer.

22. To avoid medication mix-ups, paint the lids of your prescription bottles

23. Keep birth control pills next to your toothbrush.

24. Know your family’s medical history.

25. Have your baby wear sunglasses.

26. Use a sunscreen with zinc oxide or titanium dioxide.

27. Wet swimsuits can pose health hazards, so change out of your wet trunks as soon as

possible.

28. Put your pillows in allergen-proof pillowcases.

29. For better health, sleep on your back or side.

30. Take a hot shower before bed.

31. Stretch your muscles by putting a pillow in the middle of your bed. Sit on the end of the bed, lean backwards so the pillow is placed squarely between your shoulders. Then hang your head over the end of the pillow and allow your arms to go out to your sides. Breathe deeply for two minutes.

32. Put your child on a sleep schedule.

33. Exercise toes to relive high-heel pain.

34. Specialty flip-flops can help tone the body.

35. When doing crunches, place your tongue against the roof of your mouth to help prevent

neck strain and ensure that your head is aligned properly.

36. Wipe down exercise equipment before and after each use to avoid catching or

spreading germs.

37. When running on the treadmill, increase the speed or incline for a better workout.

38. Stay active during your rest period between sets at the gym by re-racking weights.

39. Squeeze your glutes when lifting weights overhead.

40. Use exercise balls to strengthen your core.

41. Plank exercises help burn calories.

42. Adjust your workspace to avoid carpal tunnel syndrome.

43. Improve your fertility by quitting smoking.

44. Clean music earbuds to avoid bacteria.

45. Applying cool skim milk to sunburns helps to soothe the pain.

46. Chew gum sweetened with xylitol.

47. Adding cream or milk to coffee will dilute the dark brown stain coffee can leave and help

keep your teeth a little whiter.

48. Prevent tooth erosion by drinking a glass of water after drinking soda.

49. Avoid wiping your eyes with your fingers. Use the inside of your shirt instead.

50. Hugs help prevent heart disease.

© 2009 Stage 29 Productions LLC

Seriously, not tomato! You know it's the one thing that can be eaten with everything... it's legendary! I once heard that during some civil war, or one of those many crappy wars that we lost count of, they used to destinguish  Palestinians by holding a piece of tomato and asking them what it was. If you say "banadoora" you're lebanese/syrian/whatever, if you say "bandora" you're dead! I wonder, if they were encountered by a morrocan guy, what will they make out of "mateeshah"  

Tomatoes are high in Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Calcium and Potassium 

Eating tomatoes, ketchup, tomato sauce and tomato paste-topped pizza more than two times a week can reduce the risk of prostate cancer by 21 to 43 percent according to Dr. Edward Giovannucci of the Harvard University School of Public Health.

"The only nutrient that turned out to have significant preventative value (against prostate cancer) was lycopene," writes Dr. Giovannucci who also found that lycopene was most efficiently absorbed into the body when accompanied by dietary fats (limpids).

"Cooking tomatoes in oil encourages intestinal absorption and results in a two-to-threefold rise in plasma lycopene concentrations," said Dr. Giovannucci. "Tomato sauce is one of the best lycopene sources."

Men who eat two or more servings of tomato products average a 35 percent reduction in prostate cancer risk.

Tomato products are beneficial in aggressive cancers that have also spread to other parts of the body.

The best food sources of lycopene according to the Tomato Research Council in New York City: ( Amount of lycopene in one ounce) Tomato Sauce, Spaghetti Sauce, Ketchup (5 mg); Tomato Soup, Canned Tomatoes, Tomato Juice, Vegetable Juice (3 mg);  Minestrone Soup, Vegetable Soup, Pink Grapefruit (1 mg)

Lycopene helps women guard against cervical intra-epithelial neoplasia, (CIN), tumorous tissue growth in the cervix according to research from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Lycopene is a powerful inhibitor of the growth of breast, endometrium (inner lining of the uterus) and lung cancer cells.

Lypocene is an inhibitor to heart disease.

Reasons to stop smoking

Smoking has become one of the unhealthiest habits men and women are undertaking these days. I have friends who fight the urge to smoke everyday and they are passing the strong-will test. On the other hand, I have other friends who are still trying to figure if it's worth quitting. If you are a woman, here are health benefits that start the day you stop smoking:

1- The first benefit lies within the reason why we go to work everyday, Money. Pick up your calculator and try to figure out how much you will be saving if you stop smoking today. Afterwards, you can think of things you can buy with this saved money. If you decide to quit, the best thing is to keep this money and reward yourself using it.

2- Beauty is one of every woman's biggest concerns no matter how old she is. It may sound irrelevant but studies have concluded that smokers have more facial wrinkles than non-smokers.

3- My family is the most important thing for me and for almost everyone I have come along in my life. You don't only need to think that stopping the smoke inhaling means you will live more with them but your family indirectly inhales the smoke as well. So if you think that you are the only one benefiting from quitting, think again because quitting means decreasing the risk of lung cancer and heart diseases for people around you.

4- Your heart is another reason and here I am not talking about the imaginary heart that you think falls in love. Women who smoke are, more than twice, as likely as other women to have a heart attack.

5- This tip was actually rather new for me because I didn't know that smoking can make you go blind. That’s rather a strong word for me but believe it or not, if you quit smoking, you are less likely to ever develop cataracts, a major cause of blindness. Not only that, but quitting may also decrease your risk of macular degeneration, another frequent cause of blindness.

6- We all know that smoking can cause lung cancer but did you know that lung cancer is the most popular of all and that nine to ten are linked to smoking?! That’s one disease no one wants, so the sooner you stop smoking the less likely you will ever come through it.

7- There is no way you can smoke while still being pregnant because you are risking getting your unborn child killed. Quitting cigarettes will increase the amount of oxygen your baby will get, therefore increase the chance your baby's lungs will work well. Don't quit and you are risking giving your child asthma and wheezing problems.

8- Most of us live with the myth that smoking relaxes your body. Actually I can't count the number of times I have come along friends and colleagues who run to a cigarette the minute they are depressed or down. As a matter of fact, researches showed that women who smoke are more depressed and more anxious.

9- All the previously mentioned reasons can be concluded in one thing do it for your life .Even if you have trouble quitting, reducing the number of cigarettes could save your life.