Why ben torah is not allowed to smoke

There are several reasons why a ben torah should never smoke halachicly. The first source is that the Shulchan Aruch wrote that you cant harm your body and smoking would be doing just that.

Dangers of Smoking

There are a number of reasons why smoking is dangerous. The first reason is that it can cause lung cancer, because in every puff at least 250 chemicals infiltrate your lungs leading to lung cancer. The second reason why smoking is dangerous is that it is highly addictive, research shows that smoking is more addictive than cocaine. The average smoker will smoke at least two packs a day. The third reason is that smoking makes you smell awful making people stay far away from you. These are my three reasons you should never touch a cigarette in your life.

New Drug Bardoxolone Improves Kidney Function

Study: New Drug Bardoxolone Improves Kidney Function

In Phase II Trial, New Kidney Drug Improved Kidney Function About 30%

By Kathleen Doheny
WebMD Health News

Reviewed by Laura J. Martin, MD

June 24, 2011 -- A new drug appears to improve kidney function in people with type 2 diabetes who have chronic kidney disease, new research suggests.

The drug, known as bardoxolone methyl, works in a new way, says researcher David Warnock, MD, the Hilda B. Anderson professor of medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He is slated to present the results of the phase II trial of the drug today at the European Renal Association-European Dialysis and Transplant Association Congress in Prague.

"This is a promising new treatment that may change the course, the whole way we approach severe kidney disease in diabetics," Warnock tells WebMD.

The results are also published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

Diabetes is a major cause of kidney disease, which boosts the risk of kidney failure and the need for dialysis.

"There are 26 million Americans who have chronic kidney disease," Warnock says. "There are 500,000 on dialysis."

The hope, Warnock says, is to improve kidney function with the drug enough to delay or prevent the need for dialysis, which costs about $75,000 a year per patient.

Lynda Szczech, MD, president of the National Kidney Foundation, who reviewed the findings for WebMD, said the results look impressive, but she awaits results from the final clinical trial (phase III), now under way.

drug to prevent blood clots

New Atrial Fibrillation Drug Pradaxa Approved

Pradaxa May Prevent More Strokes Than Warfarin

By Daniel J. DeNoon
WebMD Health News

Reviewed by Laura J. Martin, MD

Oct. 20, 2010 -The FDA has approved Pradaxa, a new drug to preventblood clots in patients with atrial fibrillation.

In a clinical trial, patients on Pradaxa had fewer strokes than those onwarfarin (Coumadin, Jantoven).

"People with atrial fibrillation are at a higher risk of developing blood clots, which can cause a disabling stroke if the clots travel to the brain," Norman Stockbridge, MD, PhD, director of the FDA's division of cardiovascular and renal products, says in a news release.

Many people with atrial fibrillation take warfarin, which requires frequent monitoring with blood tests. Such monitoring is not necessary with Pradaxa.

Like other anti-clotting drugs, however, Pradaxa can have adverse effects, including life-threatening bleeding. Other side effects may include gastrointestinal symptoms (including dyspepsia, an unpleasant feeling in the stomach), stomach pain, nausea,heartburn, and bloating.

The drug will be distributed with a medication guide explaining the risk of serious bleeding. Patients will get a copy of the guide every time they fill or refill a Pradaxa prescription.

Pradaxa's generic name is dabigatran etexilate. It is made by Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals.

Ideal New Anti-Malaria Target Revealed In Parasite Protein Structure

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Article Date: 09 Jan 2012 - 12:00 PST

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Scientists have cracked the structure of a protein that is vital to the parasitePlasmodium falciparum, the one that causes the most deadly form of malaria. They suggest the protein, a key enzyme in the generation of cell membranes, could be an ideal target for anti-malaria drugs, particularly as the protein is not present in humans. 

The study was led by the Department of Biology at Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, and a report on it appears as the "Paper of the Week" in the 6 January issue of The Journal of Biological Chemistry. 

In 2010, malaria killed 655,000 people worldwide. The disease is caused by five different species of Plasmodium, a parasite that lives in the gut of its primary host, the mosquito, but the deadliest form of malaria comes from being bitten by a mosquito carrying the species Plasmodium falciparum.

New drugs to combat malaria are desperately needed: not only is P. falciparum responsible for the most severe form of malaria, it is endemic in areas populated by about 40% of the people in the world, and drugs that used to work are losing their effectiveness, partly because counterfeiting has led to widespread resistance. 

In a biology lab at Washington University, researchers took six years and more to uncover the structure and function of the protein, an enzyme called PMT (short for phosphoethanolamine methyltransferase). 

In previous work they had already established that the enzyme's job is to add methyl groups to a starting molecule called phosophoethanolamine that is involved in making the cell membranes.

And even though there are similar proteins in other organisms, humans don't have it. 

These features make it an ideal target for developing new anti-malaria drugs.

Senior author Dr Joseph M. Jez, associate professor of biology in Arts & Sciences, told the press:

"What my lab does is crystallize proteins so that we can see what they look like in three dimensions."

"The idea is that if we know a protein's structure, it will be easier to design chemicals that would target the protein's active site and shut it down," he added.

The researchers have perfected an interesting way to crystallize a protein. They put a solution of a salt or something else that can dry out the protein at the bottom of a small well. Then, as Jez explains: "we put a drop of our liquid protein on a microscope cover slip and flip it over the top of the well, so the drop of protein is hanging upside down in the well".

This helps to slowly withdraw water from the protein, rather like making rock candy, except in the case of candy it's the string hanging into the jar of sugar solution that helps to withdraw water.

There is also another difference: in making rock candy, the sugar is not reluctant to form crystals, but in this process, the protein is highly reluctant.

Bloom's Syndrome

From Lisa Katz, former About.com Guide

Filed In:

1. Jewish Culture
2. > Jewish Health Issues

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Description:Bloom's Syndrome, an inherited disorder carried by 1 in 100 Ashkenazi Jews, is characterized by photosensitivity and elevated dark red blotches on the skin, growth deficiency, reduced resistance to infectious diseases, and increased susceptibility to tumors.

Symptoms:

• Short stature
• A narrow face with prominent nose
• Skin color changes in the face. Change more noticeable after sunlight exposure
• Butterfly-shaped facial rash, similar to rash caused by Lupus Erythematosis
• A high pitched voice
• An increased susceptibility to infections and respiratory illness
• An increased susceptibility to cancer and leukemia
• Possible fertility problems
• Some may also have mental retardation
• The mean age of death is 27 years of age and is usually related to cancer.

Cause:Bloom's Syndrome is inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern, which means two copies of the gene must be altered for a person to be affected by the disorder. The gene for Bloom’s syndrome is located on chromosome 15; one particular mutation in the gene has been identified as the cause of Bloom’s syndrome in the vast majority of Ashkenazi Jews.

Treatment:There is no treatment for the underlying cause of Bloom’s syndrome. Preventative measures such as increased surveillance for cancer and decreased exposure to sunlight and X-rays should be taken. Bone marrow transplant is a possibility.

Disease Frequency:Since this syndrome was first described by New York dermatologist David Bloom in 1954, over 170 individuals have been recognized as being affected.

Carrier Frequency:At least 1 in 100 Ashkenazi Jews is a carrier of Bloom's Syndrome.

Diagnosis:The diagnosis of Bloom’s syndrome can be confirmed or ruled out by a laboratory test known as a chromosome study.

Screening:A carrier-screening requires a blood sample. Through the blood test, it is possible to detect the specific gene change that is seen in Ashkenazi Jews with Bloom's Syndrome. The test is not as accurate for individuals who are from other ethnic background.CVS (chorionic villus sampling) or amniocentesis, performed early in the pregnancy, can detect Bloom's Syndrome in a fetus

History:New York dermatologist David Bloom first described the disease in 1954.

Future:The gene for Bloom’s syndrome, located on chromosome 15, was recently isolated. One particular mutation in the gene has been identified as the cause of Bloom’s syndrome in the vast majority of Ashkenazi Jews. Screening for Bloom's Syndrome is available now because of these recent findings, and perhaps a cure will also be found in the future.

Rabbi Dr. Abraham Twerski On Happiness

seeking true happiness

A young man with an unusually happy disposition once came to meet me in Jerusalem. I asked him, "What's your secret?"

He told me, "When I was 11 years old, God gave me a gift of happiness. I was riding my bicycle when a strong gust of wind blew me onto the ground into the path of an oncoming truck. The truck ran over me and cut off my leg.

"As I lay there bleeding, I realized that I might have to live the rest of my life without a leg. How depressing! But then I realized that being depressed won't get my leg back. So I decided right then and there not to waste my life despairing.

"When my parents arrived at the hospital they were shocked and grieving. I told them, 'I've already adapted. Now you also have to get used to this.'

"Ever since then, I see my friends getting upset over little things: their bus came late, they got a bad grade on a test, somebody insulted them. But I just enjoy life."

At age 11, this young man attained the clarity that it is a waste of energy to focus on what you are missing, and that the key to happiness is to take pleasure in what you have. Sounds simple, doesn't it? So why are so many people unhappy?

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Happiness Is a State of Mind

People often think happiness is based on what you achieve and acquire. My whole life would improve if I had a new car...
I just need a better job and then I can relax and be happy...
If only I met the right girl...

You get the car and what happens? For a whole week you're walking on air. Then you go right back to being unhappy.

Happiness comes from mastering the art of appreciating.

Happiness is not a happening; it's a state of mind. You can have everything in the world and still be miserable. Or you can have relatively little and feel unbounded joy.

As the Talmud says, "Who is rich? The one who appreciates what he has" (Ethics of the Fathers, 4:1).

That's why the morning prayers begin with a series of blessings thanking God for the simple and obvious:

Thank you, God, for giving me life Thank God I can see, that I can use my hands and feet, that I can think.

Happiness comes from mastering the art of appreciating and consciously enjoying what you already have.

On the Ledge

Imagine you are standing on the 70th floor of the Empire State Building, gazing at the cityscape. Suddenly a rather large man brusquely pushes past you, wrenches the window open and announces his intention to jump.

You yell out, "Stop! Don't do it!"

The six-foot-five figure turns to you and menacingly says, "Try to stop me and I'll take you with me!"

"Umm... No problem, sir. Have a safe trip. Any last words?"

"Let me tell you my troubles," he says. "My wife left me, my kids won't talk to me, I lost my job and my pet turtle died. So why should I go on living?"

Suddenly you have a flash of inspiration.

"Sir, close your eyes for a minute and imagine that you are blind. No colors, no sights of children playing, no fields of flowers, no sunset. Now imagine that suddenly there's a miracle. You open your eyes and your vision is restored! Are you going to jump? Or will you stick around for a week to enjoy the sights?"

"I'll stay for a week."

"But what happened to all the troubles?"

"I guess they're not so bad. I can see!"

"Well your eyesight is worth at least five million dollars. You're a rich man!"

"Your eyesight is worth at least five million dollars. You're a rich man!"

If you really appreciate your eyesight, the other pains are insignificant. But if you take it all for granted, then nothing in life will ever truly give you joy.

Misconceptions on the Road to Happiness

Misconception #1: "Once I know the tools for being happy, then it will work like magic."

Don't expect the results to come automatically. It is possible to understand how to attain happiness, yet not put it into practice. In fact, many people actually prefer to be comfortable and unhappy, rather than endure the discomfort of changing their habits.

Just as learning any new skill requires effort, you have to be willing to invest serious effort to achieve real happiness.

Misconception #2: "If I become content and satisfied with what I have, I'll lose my motivation to achieve more."

Happiness doesn't drain your energy. It adds more!

Ask a happy person: "I have a boat. Do you want to go fishing?"

"Great! Let's go!"

Now ask someone who is depressed, "C'mon, let's go fishing!"

"I'm tired. Maybe tomorrow. And anyway, it might rain..."

Happy people are energetic and ambitious. There's never enough time to do everything they want to do.

Misconception #3: If I want to be depressed, that's my own prerogative.

A beautiful Sunday afternoon. You're in the park having a picnic with friends. Suddenly the air is pierced by one person complaining: "Who forgot the forks? It's too hot for volleyball. I want to go home already."

When our mood negatively affects others, we recognize we have an obligation to be happy and not spoil the fun. That's why we try to put on a happy face when we're at a party.

But what about when we're at home with our spouse and kids? Or when we trudge into the office on Monday morning?

Like an open pit in the middle of the road, a sourpuss is a public menace. Being happy is part of being considerate to the people around us.

Happiness Exercises

These exercises will increase your gratitude and help you build a solid foundation for a lifetime of happiness:

a. The Daily Pleasure Count

To increase your appreciation of life, pinpoint some things you are extremely grateful for and count them every morning for one month, e.g.: your eyes, your hands, your children, your cat.

Set aside a few minutes each day to contemplate these pleasures and feel gratitude for them.

To really drive this home, sit down with your spouse or friend every evening and discuss one pleasure that each of you had that day. At the very least, you'll have a happier spouse or roommate! You can incorporate this into your family routine so that your children will also learn to appreciate their daily pleasures.

b. One-Hour Blessing-Fest

The next exercise is more challenging.

Spend one hour writing down everything for which you are grateful.

Most people fly through the first 15 minutes. The next 15 minutes the pen moves more slowly. The next 15 minutes get even tougher, but you can pull through if you include your eyebrows and socks...

The last 15 minutes are excruciating.

Once the list is compiled, add one new blessing each day.

The power of this exercise is clear: You must be conscious of all your blessings in order to appreciate whatever new blessings come your way.

c. Prioritize Your Blessings

To become a real expert at appreciation, prioritize your list. Which is more valuable: your hands or your feet? Eyes or ears? Sense of taste or your sense of touch?

Comparing pleasures forces you to articulate the subtle aspects of each one.

true happiness

What is True Happiness and How to Experience True Happiness Now

By Kristen Brooke Beck
Content Written/Updated on February 16, 2010

I am a happy person. When everything in life is going along as I've planned, I'm happy. When things fall apart, and I know that my life will never be the same, I'm still happy.

I wasn't always a happy person. I didn't always understand what happiness was, so instead of being happy, I tried to chase happiness. It wasn't until I learned about true happiness that I finally became happy.

What Happiness Isn't

Happiness, true happiness, is not a temporary indulgence of pleasure. It isn't an achievement or something you can buy. It isn't even the experience of falling in love or getting a second chance. The pleasure you get from such highs is wonderful and intense, but it's not true happiness because such pleasures are fleeting. Storybooks and movies have given us the lie that all you need to do is accomplish the goal (e.g. kill the enemy, marry the lover, win the Nobel Prize, etc.), and you'll live happily ever after. But "ever after" from such climatic endings isn't actually forever. The high of pleasure can't be sustained for long and eventually gives way to a painful low. It's like a hangover or withdrawal. It's like floating on waves.

Imagine that you are in the ocean floating along with the current. You bob up to the top of one wave and sink down into the wave's trough as it passes by. Bigger waves can take you higher, but they can also slam you down harder and may even cause you to drown. You may be able to surf those bigger waves, allowing you to stay higher for longer periods of time, but eventually they too eventually crest and break and crash down onto the beach, and you will be left again in a low. You can't surf a wave forever. Eventually you must go out to find another wave to achieve that pleasurable high again, so we continue a cycle of highs and lows, rising to the crest and sinking to the trough or being thrown off the wave completely and landing on the beach where we can't surf the wave at all. It may seem that the best way to avoid the sinking between waves is to simply avoid the waves at all, but that may not be the best idea either.

Happiness isn't absolute rest either. Instead of an ocean, now imagine yourself in a waveless pool without any current at all. It may be restful to float peacefully in such a pool of calm water, but without waves or current, the water will become stagnant, and sitting in a stagnant pool of water isn't something many of us would want to do for long. Eventually we would become bored. Our bodies are constantly going through cycles, ups and downs, as they attempt to achieve homeostasis, a state of balance. On a molecular level, these cycles are what drive the bodily functions that allow us to live. If our bodies ever achieved that perfect balance, they would become like the still pool of water, stagnant. They would cease functioning, and we would die.

So if happiness isn't the cycle of highs and lows of temporary pleasures, and it isn't the stagnation of absolute rest, what is it?

What Happiness Is

Happiness isn't just one thing. It's a combination of things. Happiness is a sense of contentment, a feeling of satisfaction, an appreciation for the blessings you have, a realization that you are valuable just as you are no more or less than any other being, a joy in feeling connected, a freedom in feeling unique, an excitement in knowing that there will always be something new and unknown to experience, and a confidence that everything will turn out just fine even when all seems to be falling apart.

In short, happiness the ability to sit back and enjoy the ride.

Like being in the ocean, sometimes the ride may be fun. Sometimes it may be scary. Some parts of the ride may repeat again and again, even though we wish they would stop, while other parts are over before we want them to be. Sometimes you have no control over where the ride takes you. Other times you can decide which direction to go. No matter what, though, you can't get off as long as you're alive, so you can either resist the experience and agonize over it or let go and enjoy it.

How to Experience True Happiness

True happiness only happens when we take a step back from the chaos and allow ourselves to fully experience the moment.

If we are looking to the past to remember experiences that were more pleasurable or restful than the ones we are having now, then we are forgetting the happiness we have right now in front of us. If we are looking to the future with hope that we'll someday be happier than we are right now, then we are missing the happiness we are already experiencing. Reminiscing can be pleasurable, but to have true happiness while reminiscing, we need to let ourselves feel blessed in the present for having had the opportunity to experience and remember such happy events. Daydreaming about the future can be pleasurable, but to have true happiness while looking forward, we must let ourselves feel blessed in the present for having the opportunity to dream, have hope, and try to make those dreams come true.

The best way to bring more happiness into your life right now, to be happier, is to focus on the blessings of this moment. Pleasurable blessings are easy to find. If we were asked to make a list of blessings in our lives, most of us would begin by listing the pleasurable experiences we've had, such as achievements, having loved ones we feel connected to, and owning possessions. Blessings may not always be pleasurable experiences, though. Sometimes, blessings may be painful learning experiences, like deaths, failures, and frustrations, but even these blessings can be appreciated in the moment. These experiences give us opportunities to grow and teach us to appreciate our pleasurable experiences.

When we choose to allow ourselves to observe this very moment as just another moment on a wave, realize the blessings in this moment, and remind ourselves that another wave will be by shortly, we suddenly find ourselves in state of happiness.

Being happy isn't going to stop you from experiencing pain or pleasure or even rest for that matter. There will always be waves to surf and still pools to relax in. There will always be highs and lows and times of stagnation. Happiness isn't about the things that happen to you or the things you do. Happiness is a state of mind in which you allow yourself to let it all go, embrace the moment, and enjoy the ride.

How to Experience True Happiness NOW

1. At this very moment, decide that you are going to allow yourself to be happy.
2. Give yourself permission to stop worrying about the future. It hasn't happened yet, so it doesn't really exist. Choose to let the future unfold as it will.
3. Give yourself permission to let go of the things in the past. The are over with and gone. Choose to move forward.
4. Now observe the moment. Maybe nothing seems to be happening. Maybe there is noise and chaos around you. Maybe there is a part of your body that is in pain, or perhaps you are feeling full of energy. Just be an observer. Don't judge it as good or bad, right or wrong. Just observe. This is your life at this moment. It is what it is.
5. Notice how everything you are experiencing right now is a blessing. Some things right now are giving you a sense of pleasure. Other things may be painful or frustrating but are helping you grow and appreciate. Even the things that don't seem to affect you at all, the things you never noticed before because they didn't seem to matter, are allowing you to rest from the waves of pleasure and suffering. Everything is a blessing. Allow yourself to feel grateful for all of your blessings in this very moment.
6. Allow yourself to become aware of your own awareness. You are not just a collection of atoms like a stone in the dirt or a star in the cosmos. You are not a mindless biological machine. You are not an emotionless computer. You are alive. You exist. And you are aware. Because of that, you are able to experience all of these wonderful blessings in your life, all of the pleasure and pain, all of the chaos and stillness, everything. It is so immensely amazing that you exist as you do. You are a miracle.
7. Now, just allow yourself to be in this moment, to experience every sight, sound, texture, scent, flavor, sensation, and emotion, to be fully aware of your existence. This is where happiness exists.

At first, it may take awhile for you to get through these steps. In the beginning, you may not even get through them all. The more often you practice, though, the faster you can go from frustrated to blissful. You may eventually find that you can bring yourself to this state of full awareness, mindfulness, instantly. You will also find yourself able to stay in this state for longer and longer periods.

One of the excuses people often use to avoid practicing mindfulness is the lack of time to meditate in this way, but you don't need to let your practice of mindfulness overtake the rest of your life. You don't need to sit quietly like a Buddhist monk or a yogi for hours. If we all sat cross-legged and meditated for most of every day, very little of the required tasks of life would get accomplished. But you can practice mindfulness when doing your chores, when having a new experience, and even when facing a tragedy. Use such events as reminders to go through the experience in a state of full awareness, fully experiencing the blessings of pleasure, pain, and rest. After awhile, you may find yourself practicing automatically. With continued practice, eventually, you may find yourself in a state of constant happiness no matter what events happen, no matter what tasks you must complete, no matter what desires you plan to fulfill. Simply be aware of the miracle that is your life, your existence.