Remember these "3" steps, read and learn!  Many times symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify.  Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke.  Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:

1. *Ask the individual to SMILE.
2. *Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.
3. *Ask the person to SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently) (i.e. . . It is sunny out today)

If he or she has trouble with any of these tasks, call 9-1-1 immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

After discovering that a group of non-medical volunteers could identify facial weakness, arm weakness and speech problems, researchers urged the general public to learn the three questions. They presented their conclusions at the American Stroke Association's annual meeting last February. Widespread use of this test could result in prompt diagnosis and treatment of the stroke and prevent brain damage.

BE A FRIEND AND SHARE THIS ARTICLE WITH AS MANY FRIENDS AS POSSIBLE, you could save their lives.

TORONTO, Sept. 19-Tooth decay is making a comeback, fueled by junk food, spurred by social changes, and abetted by an unusual culprit - bottled water. "I had a three-year-old kid come in the other day," says Toronto dentist Sheldon Rose, D.D.S., "and he had at least two cavities that I could see. I haven't seen that for years." The bottled water issue was raised at the World Dental Congress in Montreal, The American Dental Association says that more and more "health-conscious consumers are sipping bottled water." The problem is that people are turning away from tap water - which for over two-thirds of Americans contains all of the fluoride that they need to prevent tooth decay - and most bottled waters don't have enough fluoride. "If bottled water is your main source of drinking water, you could be missing the decay-preventive benefits of fluoride," the ADA says.

Part of the rise in bottled water is lack of trust in municipal water. In Canada, for instance, a mismanaged town water system in Walkerton, Ontario, was blamed for killing seven people and making 2,000 others ill in 2000. Since then, fluoridation has become recognized as a key intervention. The CDC in December 1999 put fluoridation among the top 10 public health achievements of the 20^th Century, along with such things as vaccination and control of infectious diseases.

But the chemical is only part of the equation, he adds. "We're seeing changes in the diets of children," says Dr. Cottrell, a combination of more readily available sugary snacks and - because more families are working couples - less parental supervision of the kids' diets.

At the same time, he said, the protective element of fluoride is being removed as more parents switch their kids to bottled water and fruit juices. "We're not getting the advantages of it," he said. "When I graduated in 1965," said Dr. Rose, "it was a rarity to see a kid with no decay." Then Toronto's municipal water supply was fluoridated and the rate of cavities plummeted. "It became very unusual to see a kid with any decay," Dr. Rose says. "But in the past 10 years," he says, "it seems we're going back to the way it used to be." MedPage

Doug Skrecky reported on Cryonet the life extension benefits of reservatrol.

Natural Compound Prolongs Lifespan And Delays Onset Of Aging-related

Traits In A Short-lived Vertebrate By studying a particularly short-lived fish species, researchers have been able to show that a natural compound previously shown to extend lifespan in non vertebrate organisms can also do so in at least one vertebrate species

Researchers used this short-lived fish to test the effects of resveratrol on aging-related physiological decay. The development of drugs able to retard the onset of aging-related diseases and improve quality of life in the elderly is a growing focus of aging research and public health in modern society. But the successful

development of drugs aimed at aging-related diseases needs to face the challenge posed by the lifespan of the available animal models—mammalian models for aging are relatively long-lived and aren't as easily studied as shorter-lived species.

Resveratrol is an organic compound naturally present in grapes—and particularly enriched in red wine--and was previously shown to prolong lifespan in non-vertebrate model organisms such as yeast, the wormC. elegans, and the fruit fly Drosophila. However, until now, life-long pharmacological trials were performed in the worm or fly model organisms because of their very small size, very short natural lifespan, and affordable cultivation costs. Laboratory mice, on the other hand, live more than two years and are relatively expensive to maintain, making large-scale, life-long pharmacological trials in mice unaffordable.

Recently, a small fish species with a captive lifespan of only three months was described by Cellerino and colleagues. In the new work, the researchers used this short-lived fish to test the effects of resveratrol on aging-related physiological decay. The researchers added resveratrol to daily fish food and found that this treatment increased longevity and also retarded the onset of aging-related decays in memory and muscular performance.

Resveratrol appears to be the first molecule to consistently cause life extension across very different animal groups such as worms, insects, and fish, and it could become the starting molecule for the design drugs for the prevention of human aging-related diseases.

Although some people might think of themselves as vegetarian if they cut out red meat, the traditional definition is someone who eats no meat, fish or, fowl, says the Vegetarian Resource Group, a Baltimore based nonprofit that publishes the Vegetarian Journal.

Although traditional vegetarians might disparage some of the following labels, here's how some people describe themselves:

Seml-vegetarians: Avoid red meat and sometimes dairy but generally eat other animal products

Fesco-pono vegetarians: Eat no meat, but eat fish and chicken.

Pesco vegetarians: Avoid meat and fowl, but eat fish.

Lacto-ovo vegetarians: Do not, eat meat, fish or fowl, but eat eggs and dairy products

Lacto vegetarians: Avoid all animal products and eggs, but will consume dairy products.

Vegans: Total or strict vegetarians who avoid all animal products, including milk, eggs and honey. Most do not use such animal products as leather, wool or silk. Adapted from FLORIDA TODAY

Melody Stewart lists 50 invaluable hints on slashing the risk of illness and increasing your chances of a long and happy life

1. Nice guys die last. Doing good does you good, says a study in the journal Psychology Science that found that seniors who give emotional or practical support to others can reduce their risk of dying prematurely by as much as 60%, compared with those who don't.

2. Eat less. A study of 19-month-old mice showed that those on 25% fewer calories a day lived 42% longer than their litter mates, while the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reports that members aged 50-plus of the Calorie Restriction Optimal Nutrition Society were significantly healthier than a control group who consumed around 2,000 calories a day.

3. Get the giggles. As well as releasing chemicals that relax blood vessels, laughing reduces levels of the stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol, increases pain-killing endorphins and provides as much of a circulation boost as aerobic exercise.

4. Wholier than thou. Some 34,000 Iowa women who ate whole grains had a significantly lower death rate from all causes compared with women who eschewed them, says a University of Minnesota study.

5. Floss. Did you know that inflammation-causing bacteria lurk in the tiny gaps between your teeth? Floss them away and reduce the risk of gum disease that can make you 72% more likely to suffer from heart disease, according to Harvard Medical School research.

6. Veg out. A 22-year German study of a group of more than 2,000 vegetarians, vegans and occasional meat eaters found there were 41 fewer deaths per 100 in the group compared with the general population.

7. Tuck into tuna. And anchovies, salmon and other oily fish - they boast omega-3 fatty acids linked to an 81% reduction in sudden male death, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association.

8. Drink tea. The national drink appears to inhibit some of the brain chemicals associated with Alzheimer's disease, says the journal Phytotherapy Research. To reap the most benefits, swap black tea for green.

9. Believe in something. Church attendance increases life expectancy, according to the International Journal for Psychiatry and Medicine. It helps to counter stress and emotional problems and appears to protect against heart, respiratory and digestive diseases.

10. Berry good Blueberries, cranberries, blackcurrants and tart cherries all boast high levels of antioxidants, the protective compounds that defend cells from damaging free radicals. Just 100g of blueberries a day can stimulate the growth of new brain cells and oxygenate the skin.

11. Om. Do the "Downward dog" and visualise your inner flame, because yoga and meditation get rid of stress-related killer chemicals, lower your blood pressure and strengthen the immune system.

12. Get enough sleep. Fewer than five hours of sleep produces higher levels of a blood-clotting protein called fibrinogen that could slow blood flow to the brain and heart, but more than eight hours' sleep is linked to increased mortality levels.

13. Enjoy a glass of red wine. Resveratrol, a compound found in red fruit skins, may play a role in fighting lung cancer and asthma. It also helps raise the levels of "good" cholesterol and reduces platelet stickiness, helping to guard against the risk of heart disease and stroke.

14. Live near a park. A study from Tokyo found that older people living near a green space live longer than people boxed in by concrete.

15. Express yourself. Sing a song, write a journal, paint a picture - all are great ways of releasing pent-up emotions. According to the Journal of Clinical Psychology, people who write about their personal lives are healthier and make fewer visits to their doctors than those who don't.

16. Grab a jab. Flu carries off many victims during the colder months. Don't let it. Flu jabs are free to the over-65s, to people in nursing homes or old people's homes and to those with asthma, kidney disease, diabetes or a lowered immune system.

17. Use it or lose it. Defend yourself against dementia by giving the brain a workout. While learning a language encourages the growth of grey matter, doing the crossword, reading or playing card or board games was associated with a lower risk of dementia in adults aged over 75, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Adapted from SAGA HEALTH NEWS

18. Be bold According to New Scientist, fearful rats have shorter lifespans than those more open to change. University of Chicago researchers linked fearfulness to protracted high levels of debilitating stress hormones.

19. Dark delight Chocolate containing large amounts of cocoa solids is actually good for you in small amounts, says a study from King's College London, which found that 50g contains as many anti-oxidising flavonoids as six apples, two glasses of wine or seven onions.