Islam would have saved Michael Jackson, says brother

Converting to Islam would have saved the life of pop legend Michael Jackson, his brother Jermaine said in an interview to be aired Thursday.

Speaking ahead of the first anniversary Friday of the death of the "King of Pop" at the age of 50 from a prescription drug overdose, he told the BBC that his brother should have left the United States.

"I felt that if Michael would have embraced Islam he would still be here today and I say that for many reasons," Jermaine Jackson, who is a Muslim, told BBC World Service radio.

"Why? Because when you are 100 per cent clear in your mind as to who you are and what you are and why you are and everybody around you, then things change in a way thats better for you. Its just having that strength."

He added: "God is so powerful. He was studying. He was reading a lot of books, because I brought him books from Saudi Arabia. I brought him books from Bahrain.

"I was the one who originally put him in Bahrain because I wanted him to get out of America because it was having a cherry-picking time on my brother."

Jackson was found dead in his rented Los Angeles mansion on June 25 last year, a seismic celebrity death which triggered a global outpouring of tributes for the eccentric genius.

On Friday, Jackson fans are expected to pay their respects to their idol at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park in the LA suburb of Glendale, a star-studded cemetery where the singer's golden casket was entombed last September.

Jackson said his brother was not against converting to Islam.

"All of his security became Muslims because he trusted Islam, because these are people who would lay their lives down and also who were trying to be the best kind of human beings they could possibly be not for Michael Jackson, for Allah," he said.

"So having those people around, you knew that you would be protected because it is protection from God," he added.

The year since Jackson's sudden death had been "tough," he said.

"There arent no words to describe the feeling. Its a feeling that one would only know once they experience it. We are just learning to live with it. Well never get over it," he added.

- Agence France-Presse

Memory boosters

Take a look at easy ways to increase your memory.

By Flora McCraith

It doesn’t matter how much education you have had or how high your IQ score is, the fact remains that as we get older our memory doesn’t stay as sharp as it once was and we tend to forget things easier. This is mainly because the neurons in our brain that are responsible for memory lose elasticity over time. However, there are still tricks that you can do to improve and expand your brain which don’t have to be boring. We give you a few examples on how to flex that grey matter.


Write it down

Writing things down is a great way to increase your brain’s ability to remember things as it creates oxygenated blood flow to the areas of your brain that are responsible for your memories and literally exercises them. It tells your memory what it is important to remember. You should keep a diary, start a blog or write detailed emails to yourself.


Treat depression

Anything that causes major stress in life, including anxiety or anger will eventually eat away at the parts of the brain that are responsible for memory. Depression causes an increase in cortisol which diminishes certain brain areas, chief among them the hippocampus which is the clearing center for short-term memory, prolonged depression demolishes the brain's ability to remember anything new.


Eat fish

Fish is also known as brain food and that is because it actually speeds up brain waves and improves concentration. Coldwater fish, such as salmon, tuna, mackerel, and herring are rich sources of omega-3 fatty acids which are essential for brain health as they provide the physical building blocks necessary for the development and maintenance of the structural and functional ability of the brain.


Brainstorm

A good brainstorming session to think of new, interesting ideas is a great way to enhance your brains ability to think resourcefully. Brainstorming is in fact a different way of thinking that will provide your brain with a quick creative boost.


Eat less

Eating too much food has the consequence of reducing blood flow to the brain and increasing blood flow to the digestive system. As a result if you are able to cut back on the full amount of food you are able to eat, you will have better brain functioning.


Ask questions

Asking questions is an extraordinary way to keep your brain in shape. The reason for this is that by asking questions can provoke new thoughts and ideas and asking them is a great way to build up brain power. Make sure that you get into the habit of questioning others and their thoughts.


Neurobic exercises

These will strengthen the neural pathways to the brain and consist of cognitive exercises and brain games which create new associations between different brain parts. Nuerobics include getting dressed or showering in the dark, using your opposite hand to brush your teeth, cooking foods that you haven’t cooked before or wearing your watch on your other arm.


Floss daily

Although this may sound like a strange one, flossing daily is actually essential when it comes to brain functionality because a build up of plaque between the teeth can cause an immune reaction that attacks the arteries, which then can’t deliver vital nutrients to the brain.


Do puzzles and play

Stimulating the brain causes measurable changes in the structure of the brain. New connections are made and new brain cells are grown. Intellectual play, as well as any playing that involves hand-eye coordination stimulates the brain. Similarly, crossword puzzles, lateral thinking puzzles, and even good riddles are a great way to get brain exercise. You can work on them while waiting for a dentist appointment, or on the bus, if you are short on time. Drawing stimulates the right-hemisphere of the brain and inspires creativity. Get out the colored pencils and begin drawing your way to a powerful brain.

- MSN

Problems with sleepless nights

How to get a good night’s sleep.

By Flora McCraith

It can be extremely hard to get a good night’s shut eye whether it is due to stress, sharing a bed with someone or your mind is simply just racing. Whatever the reason, it can be incredibly frustrating and most of the time we don’t get enough sleep. Or declining and erratic sleep pattern wreaks havoc on our health and therefore it is important to improve the quality and quantity of our sleep and to train the body into shutting down and switching off. It isn’t good enough waiting for your body to get tired and staying awake until you feel you are ready because chances are you already are and your just aren’t attune to it. We look at how to get a good night’s sleep.


Never nap

Do not take any naps the day after you've lost sleep. When you feel sleepy, get up and do something. Walk, make the bed, or do your errands. This will ensure you are tired at bedtime. If you just can't make it through the day without a nap, sleep less than one hour, before 3 pm.


Early to bed

Our systems, particularly the adrenals, do a majority of their recharging or recovering during the hours of 11 p.m. and 1 a.m. In addition, your gall bladder dumps toxins during this same period. If you are awake, the toxins back up into the liver which then secondarily back up into your entire system and cause further disruption of your health. Prior to the widespread use of electricity, people would go to bed shortly after sundown, as most animals do, and which nature intended for humans as well.


Bedtime schedule

First, try to go to bed at about the same time every night. Be regular. Most people get hungry at 7 a.m., noon, and 6 p.m. because they've eaten at those times for years. Going to bed at about the same time every night can make sleep as regular as hunger. Until you start sleeping well at a reasonable hour (before 11pm) make sure that you get up and go to bed at the same time every day. Even on weekends! When your sleep cycle has a regular rhythm, you will feel better.


Feng shui

This Chinese art can optimise positive energy in the bedroom, helping it become the sanctuary that it should be. Avoid sleeping opposite a mirror, under a beam or under a toilet on an upper floor for example.


Personalise

What may suit you may not suit your partner so make sure that you get a mattress that you both find comfortable. Buy a king sized mattress rather than a standard double if you or your partner finds it hard sharing a bed and get two single covers if one of you is a constant wriggler.


Go solo

Snoring can be a big problem for couples and sometimes there can be no choice but to sleep apart. It isn’t very romantic but lots of people do it. Make sure that you have a master bedroom where the magic happens and when one of you is sleepy move to another room.


Determine root causes

When bad sleep patterns are adopted, a person feels that they can’t go to bed early and sleep and therefore have to wait up until all hours until they feel sleepy. However, this is all a mindset and it isn’t hard to get back to a good sleeping habit and routine. If you are aware of the damage it is doing to your health then it is something you should rectify immediately. In other words you need to re-train your mind and body to go to sleep at a better hour therefore adopting a better sleeping pattern.

- MSN

Beating Stress

Guidelines to help you beat stress.

By Flora McCraith

Stress seems to be more and more a part of people’s lives and one of the main reasons for it is work related problems. People are often pressured into working harder and for longer hours. However, it can also result from worrying about money issues, getting the children out from under your feet or just feeling as though there are never enough hours in one day.

Stress is also linked to many health problems such as asthma attacks and most recently, diabetes in men. Therefore it is important to know how to eliminate stress before it leads to bigger problems. Here are some top tips so that you can stay feeling happy and healthy.


Eat well

What we are eating can be the last thing that we think about when we are stressed and junk food ends up becoming the norm which will make you feel worse in the long run. Eating a balanced diet will help the body to cope in stressful situations and make it easier for you to sleep. Diet and blood sugar levels can have a dramatic effect on mood and mental health.


It’s all bad news

Do a voluntary news-blackout on a regular basis. Stop reading the newspaper and watching television for one day, a week or longer. A constant supply of bad news isn't healthy for our bodies. Our cells are designed to take in joy, not disaster!


Know your limits

We all have our limits which we have to recognize as we aren’t superhuman. Therefore, knowing when you are pushing yourself too far and taking a step back when things are getting out of control will beat the stress. Stress is the result of pushing your anxiety levels to the extreme. Learn to pull back early on, recognise your limits and modify your behaviour; it will pay off later on and ensure your ongoing health.


Don’t join successful companies

This may sound odd, but the theory behind this is that success breeds success is undermined by research showing that working for an expanding organization is more likely to make you ill. Change is stressful, and organisations that are growing rapidly impose greater demands on the workforce than those where there is less change and more stability, even when the change is positive and increases job security.


Return to sanity

You've read it countless times, but have you practiced it? Relaxing will lower raised blood pressure and slow down your breathing, metabolic, and heart rate, enabling your body to recover its equilibrium and it should only take 15 minutes.


Turn on the water works

Crying is a cleansing and very therapeutic experience. Deep sobs open the chest and diaphragm, releasing bound-up energy. This helps to free your heart of muscular tension. A good cry also enhances oxygen delivery to the cells and stimulates release of specific neurochemicals in the brain that promote relaxation. So don’t hold back; let those tears flow.


Budget

Finances are one of biggest triggers of stress. Money management isn't so difficult as long as you keep detailed accounts of your income and expenditure. The best thing you can do is to make sure that you know what's going on with your finances at all times. It might sound boring but by drawing up a monthly budget you'll avoid those nasty surprises that'll send your stress levels through the roof.


Grow older

One of the mysteries about stress is that those carrying the least responsibility, teenagers, suffer worst. A survey found that pressure had increased most on the young; with 70 per cent of 16 to 24-year-olds saying they felt more stressed than they did five years ago. By the age of 65, however, people report less stress. In part, that reflects diminishing pressure from work and family, and more time for people to call their own. Age also brings acceptance, greater contentment with what you have and less striving for what you don't.

- MSN

Understanding Depression

Depression and all the problems it comes with.

By Flora McCraith

Everybody has mood swings; sometimes they’re the happiest people around and sometimes they can be the worst downer. But if that bad mood lingers for days at a time, it could be early signs of depression. Major depression is an episode of sadness that can be extremely hard to pull yourself out from and can be severe enough to disrupt daily activities. Depression doesn’t signify a person’s weakness but it is considered a health problem that can be treated.


Symptoms: Emotional

* Wreaks havoc on emotions
* Loss of interest in life
* A sense of worthlessness, guilt and lack of hope
* In some incidences thoughts of death or suicide occur
* Things and activities that were once pleasurable lose their appeal


Physical

* 65 per cent report that depression is accompanied by pain
* Headaches, back ache, tender muscles and sore joints are some symptoms
* Fatigue and low energy, dizziness and too much or too little sleep are also
common
* Changes in appetite and weight
* Persistent nausea, diarrhoea or constipation


Impact

Without treatment, depression can ruin a person’s career and relationships, which makes it difficult to concentrate and make decisions. It can also affects a person's sex drive and in some instances be life threatening as some sufferers are likely to commit suicide.


Suicide warning signs

A person who talks about death or suicide, threatens to hurt people or themselves or engages in risky behaviour is inadvertently sending out signals that they are possibly suicidal.


Who is at risk?

Anyone can be affected by depression, but genetics can sometimes play a role. Women are twice as likely to be affected as men and children can suffer from depression also. This may appear in behaviour known as “acting out” and without treatment they can also become suicidal.


Causes

Doctors aren’t sure what exactly causes depression but believe it is altered brain structure and chemical function which causes neurotransmitters to become unbalanced. It can also occur when a person goes through an intense time of stress of suffers from a traumatic experience.

Certain types of medication, alcohol and substance abuse are also known to trigger depression in some people, as well as hormonal changes and three out of four new mothers are affected by postpartum depression which is also known as 'the baby blues'.


Diagnosis and treatment

There is no test for depression and doctors rely on the patient's description of their symptoms to diagnose it. Therapy, medication, exercise, light therapy (phototherapy), St John’s Wort (for mild depression), pets and social support have all been proved to help in the treatment of depression.

Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS) – when patients don’t respond to treatment a VNS is surgically implanted and is like a pacemaker for the brain.


Anyone who appears suicidal should be taken very seriously

If you know anyone or you yourself need to talk, see below

Lifeline Association Malaysia

Helpline 1: (063) 92850039 Helpline 2: (063) 92850279 Helpline 3: (063) 92850049

Befrienders Worldwide

- MSN