Get Fit and Healthy With Fruit Vinegars

Vinegar is customarily used for food preservation and as flavoring or condiment. More recently, vinegars made from various fruits with distinctive sensory appeal have emerged in the marketplace. Aside from acetic acid, fruit vinegars can contain citric, malic, lactic, succinic, fumaric and tartaric acids and may also include some disease-fighting phytochemicals, such as polyphenols.

A number of these polyphenols are naturally present in the fruit itself or produced as a result of the fermentation process. The polyphenols present in the finish products depend on the source material, which will dictate their type, quantity, quality and the corresponding health benefits.

Polyphenols have been demonstrated to exhibit positive effects on certain types of cancers, heart disease and a multitude of inflammatory disorders. While the exact mechanism of these effects is somewhat unknown, the health promoting activities are always attributed to the ability of polyphenols to act as antioxidants.

As mentioned earlier, we have to be aware, though, that the antioxidant activity varies with fruit types and depends on the chemical nature of the polyphenols present, not at all times their amount, as some of them are more potent than other kinds.

“What does this put across then?”

If traditionally, fruit vinegars were only considered as food ingredient or as delicate flavor enhancer, these new findings and information suggest that they can also be regarded as potential functional foods. This further implies that specialty vinegars supply functions beyond basic nutrition and a compelling reason why we see other fruits finding their way into vinegar, as well.

“Can we really get fit and healthy with fruit vinegars?”

“Of course, YES!” All you have to do is proceed reading this article to learn more.

To make a good salad is to be a brilliant diplomatist -- the problem is entirely the same in both cases. To know exactly how much oil one must put with one's VINEGAR.                         ~Oscar Wilde        

COMMON FRUIT VINEGARS

Apple. The health benefits of apple cider are infinite. Among the important ones are: skin revitalizer, prevents proliferation of harmful bacteria, good in preventing respiratory infections, sore throats and in the reduction of nasal discharges. It is also used as tonic to improve blood circulation. The large and complex fiber, pectin, in apple has been proven as one of the principal agents in reducing high levels of LDL (bad cholesterol), acting as sequestrant by forming a pectin-cholesterol complex that is subsequently excreted as waste. Malic acid, the major organic acid found in apples relieves painful joint pains due to arthritis by dissolving excessive deposits of uric acid. The various enzymes produced during fermentation process make cider a wonderful agent in speeding up metabolism, which in turn results to keeping the weight under control. The chief polyphenolic substance found in apples or in apple cider is catechin, it is well established as a cyclooxygenase enzyme activity inhibitor. Cyclooxygenase enzyme is responsible for the synthesis of prostaglandin, which produces inflammation, pain and fever and stimulates inflammatory responses in the body. According to various studies in Japan, apple polyphenols also help the body stave off body fats but do not keep away strength and endurance. Scientists who embarked on these undertakings believed that the ability of apple polyphenols to decrease oxidative damage to muscle may have led to the boost in strength. Aside from aiding the digestion and decreasing the levels of LDL in the body, this is perhaps one of the reasons why apple cider is considered as an amazing natural alternative used in weight management programs.

Blueberry. Blueberry vinegar is not only quite pleasing to the eye as well as the taste buds but also packed with health powerhouses. These healthy benefits are attributed to the high level of antioxidants believed to have anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer benefits. In fact, what you may not know is that blueberries are recognized as the fruit with the highest level of antioxidants, a finding substantiated in the study conducted by the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in Boston. Antioxidants can also help keep your skin looking young and healthy. You will be able to lose “more” weight, as well, if you regularly consume or add blueberry vinegar in your diet and food preparations, since it does contain high levels of both antioxidants and fiber, which are both often credited for aiding in weight loss. It is, likewise, often times called an immune system booster for the simple reason that it holds a hefty amount of Vitamin C. Even more compelling are the brain protective and memory boosting effects associated with the anthocyanins found in it. Anthocyanin, a natural compound linked with many health benefits, is in the blue pigment found in blueberries.

Grape. Aside from excellent flavor that it gives your salads, meals and soups, grape vinegar helps to protect your health with untocyanine. Untocyanine, especially existing in red grape vinegar, is important in helping the human body fight against infections and also in the over all improvement of the immune system. Resveratrol, another natural active component found in red grape skin and possibly in red grape fruit vinegar, is believed to aid in raking off those unwanted fats. Cholesterol reduction, protecting the body against osteoporosis, gum health and returning body temperature to normal in diseases with fever are among other remarkable uses of grape vinegar. If a tablespoon of honey is mixed with two dessertspoons of grape vinegar and added into mineral water and drunk before breakfast, it accelerates reduction of body fat. Consequently, it provides weight control, just as the other previous fruit vinegar types.

There you have it folks! We have just learned that these three (3) most common fruit vinegars can help us get fit and healthy.

Other fruits are finding their way into vinegar too; apricot, black currant, and cherry are among the newest varieties. Tropical fruits such as pineapple, orange, mango, star fruit, bilimbi, lychee, sapodilla and even tomato are also promising and potential candidates for fruit vinegar making.

OK, let us have this as our take-home message from this article…

Next time you plan to cook with vinegar as one of your ingredients, try replacing your traditional white vinegar with fruit vinegar to obtain some of these notable health benefits from this wonderful cooking agent.

Occasionally, I use fruit vinegar as my cooking vinegar just to let my palate experience the exciting taste of "adobo" done with a twist.

Photo Credits: Fruit Vinegar

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Can Money Buy You Happiness? | Learn From What Experts Say

They say "money can't buy you happiness" but researchers have proved otherwise. In fact, this is what the lead researcher from the University of Warwick in England, Professor Andrew Oswald, has to say, "The more you get...the cheerier you'll become. Large sums are better than small sums."

Here are some highlights he found out from his study among 9,000 families in Britain throughout a ten-year period.

A small amount of money is not going to solve a major health problem or solve a major psychological problem, but will somehow improve one’s psychological well-being. This assumption was based on the findings they gathered throughout the decade from a number of people that had windfall of cash. His team used this to measure individuals' psychological health using standard strain indicators to gauge their levels of happiness.

The survey also suggested that women tended to be happier than men and that happiness followed a U-shaped pattern in our lives. From birth, happiness slopes downwards to a lowest point in our 30s, then things start to improve from our forties and continue to recover and increasing steadily up to retirement.

While it was evident in the study that money in a way could provide happiness, Oswald was keen to stress that money was not the only factor affecting good mental health or it was necessarily the easiest route to contentment.

Glenn Firebaugh, a sociological researcher at Pennsylvania State University, found similar findings and elaborated in his work that money through income was important in determining happiness. However, physical health was the best single predictor of happiness, followed by income, education, and marital status. His team also found a relative income effect, and that is, the richer you are relative to your age peers, the happier you will tend to be.

Gretchen Rubin of The Happiness Project has a different point of view. “The secret to using money to buy happiness,” she declares, “is to spend money in ways that support your happiness goals.” “There are ways to spend money that are likely to help give you enduring happiness,” she explains further.

I know we have been told differently but these views and findings will certainly make us think twice.

I am not trying to say only the rich are happy or you can only be happy if you have tons of money. Many people are happy. But, if you have lots of bucks, it’s likely that you’re going to be even happier. Why? Because money breeds optimistic attitude and optimism is a major factor in happiness.

What do you think? Did you find this post useful? Consider subscribing to StitcheS™ to receive future articles in your inbox.

Feel free to leave your comments and share this information to your friends and family.

Photo Credits: Money

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Mushroom: The Mighty Fungus

Did you know that the “ugly” name associated with mushrooms is not bad at all?

Now, that sounds interesting.

Come, let me walk you through some interesting facts about the mighty fungus.

Mushrooms are known in the scientific community as fungi. And when we hear of fungi we tend to imagine very awkwardly. This is because we are more familiar with the disease causing type, which brings many health troubles.

Let us temporarily depart from this thought and try to converge as we journey towards unearthing the many secrets of this mighty friend of ours.

Well, mushrooms have been used for many years both as food and for medicinal purposes. People across the globe consider them as vegetable (although they don’t have chlorophyll – essential botanical characteristic of vegetables) or herb, but our Chinese neighbors treasure them as health food. Of the 14,000 over identified verities, only about 3, 000 are edible, around 700 have known natural medicinal properties, and less than 1.0% are recognized as poisonous.

Wow! Isn’t that too much for us to understand?

OK, I’ll make it simpler for you.


Mushrooms for Food

Mushrooms have been used for food throughout recorded history.

The Pharaohs considered mushrooms as delicacies and food for royalty while Greeks regarded them as strength-giving food for warriors during battle. Romans served them as “food of the gods” on festive occasions [1] [2] [3].

For these reasons, many believed that mushrooms had properties that could produce super- human strength. Consequently, they were considered as very pricey commodity.

Back in the province where I grew up, various dishes made from mushrooms are some of the favorite delicacies served specially during rainy seasons, when they are abundant. My grandmother and aunts would always advise us young kids to feed on mushrooms while they were plenty. According to them, mushrooms are packed with various types of nutrients known to make humans healthy and strong. It is for this simple reason, they would add, that dwarfs are strong and clever, as well. Delighted with this story, of course, we can’t help but convince ourselves to consume any mushroom preparations served on us.

Well, this is not a fable at all, maybe they were just handing down to us the information they learned from their ancestors in the form of tales to entice and encourage us to submit to their persuasions. Ah, kids are really difficult to win over especially when they think that mushrooms are some type of vegetables.

Today, some types of edible mushrooms are available all year-round through commercial cultivation and are widely used in cooking especially in many notable cuisines around the world. They are used for soups, sauces, garnishes, gravies, stuffing, and raw in salads. They combine well with various types of vegetables and the combination usually comes out very delectable.

Nutritional Value

Mushrooms are a great source of essential and valuable minerals like phosphorus, magnesium, potassium and selenium, nutrients often lacking in our highly processed-food diets. In addition, many species are high in dietary fiber, both soluble and insoluble, and provide considerable amount of group B vitamins, ascorbic acid and vitamin D. Mushrooms, likewise, contain nearly no fat and zero cholesterol and are naturally low in sodium [4] [5].

Fresh mushrooms have about 13-46 % crude protein from their fruiting bodies [6]. This is less protein than animal sources, but more than most plants. Interestingly, mushrooms proved to be good sources of almost all essential amino acids when compared with common vegetables [7] and even contain amino acids that are scarce in grains [8].

What does this mean?

With this information on hand, we can freely combine mushrooms in our daily meals with much less worries on elevated blood cholesterol, sodium, triglycerides and sugar levels later on.

Medicinal Properties

Like most fruits and vegetables, fungi, specifically mushrooms, are also naturally blessed with potentially bioactive components known to alleviate various types of medical maladies.

I enumerated 10 of the most common edible medicinal mushrooms for your reference.

Here they go...

1. Button Mushroom (Agaricus bisporus)

Collaborative American & Chinese study demonstrated that increased intake of white button mushrooms may promote innate immunity against tumors and viruses through the enhancement of a key component, natural killer (NK) cell activity.

2. Shiitake Mushroom (Lentinus edodes)

Shiitake is one of the best known and well characterized mushrooms used for medicinal purposes. Lentinan, a highly purified polysaccharide fraction extracted from Shiitake mushrooms, is an approved natural anticancer drug in Japan. Shitakes was also found to lower blood pressure and the bad LDL cholesterol.

3. Oyster Mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus)

Proteoglycan fractions from oyster mushrooms were found to exhibit anti-tumor and immunomodulating effects in a research conducted at the Department of Biotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology. Oyster mushrooms are, likewise, a natural source of statin, a cholesterol depressing drug. Studies have shown that they typically contain 0.4% to 2.7% statins on a dry weight basis.

4. Enoki Mushroom (Flammulina velutipes )

Enoki mushrooms contain a powerful polysaccharide called flammulin. Japanese and Chinese researchers have reported anti-cancer and anti-tumor activity from extracts containing this water-soluble polysaccharide. It is believed that the abnormally low cancer rates in Nagano, Japan (the center of enoki cultivation) are related to the high consumption of enoki in that region. Enoki is also thought to stimulate the immune system and be anti-viral and anti-bacterial. Blood pressure lowering and cholesterol lowering compounds have likewise been found in Enoki. Other research indicates that enoki may be useful in treating lymphoma and prostate cancer.

5. Paddy Straw Mushroom (Volvariella volvacea)

The straw mushroom is one of the common edible mushrooms and is widely cultivated in Southeast Asian countries. It has been reported to produce a hypotensive response in animals including humans. They have been used, as well, as an auxiliary treatment for cancer and diabetes patients.

6. Wood Ear Fungus “Black Mushrooms” (Auricularia auricula )

Wood Ear Fungus is widely used for its medicinal properties for many centuries in China. It is particularly useful in treating hemorrhoids, agina, diarrhea and gastrointestinal problems. Additionally, regular consumption of this type of mushroom in small doses proved to be beneficial in preventing strokes and heart attacks. Other findings from modern medecine suggest that it can also be used to lower blood cholesterol and triglycerides, cure diabetes and cancer, and reverse ageing.

7. White Jelly Fungi (Tremella fuciformis)

Known as the white jelly fungus or silver ear, is one of the most significant of the medicinal mushrooms, with a long tradition of healing in China. The extracted polysaccharides from tremella are proven to enhance cellular and immune function. White jelly fungus is also used in Chinese hospitals in conjunction with chemo and radiation therapy and for the treatment of hepatitis. In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), silver ear finds its specific action on the lungs, used for coughs, asthma and bronchitis in a one-month daily use program. It is recommended for anyone smoking tobacco or other herbal products. Clinical research has also shown the fungus to be antidiabetic, antitumor, hepatoprotective, cholesterol reducing, to slow aging and prevent osteoporosis by enhancing calcium absorption.

8. Nameko (Pholiota nameko)

As with all other edible mushrooms, Namekos also have medicinal properties including immune boosting and cancer fighting properties, with up to 30% cancer fighting success rates with full recoveries worldwide. In a separate study, conducted at the Tokyo National Cancer Research Center in Japan, hydrothermal extract of nameko has been shown to suppress tumor proliferation by as much as 86.5%.

9. Monkey Head Fungus (Hericium erinaceus)

Also known as pom pom mushrooms. Hericium erinaceus is best known for its traditional use in treating chronic ailments of the stomach and digestive tract, as well as nervous system disorders. Other reported medical benefits include improving and protecting liver functions, restoring the body's natural strength, reduces cholesterol, lowers blood pressure and inhibits cancers and tumors.

10. Ganodrma - Reishi n Japanese or Ling Chih/Lingzhi in Chinese (Ganoderma lucidum)

Ganoderma is a commonly used Chinese herb and an important ingredient in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) herbal formulations for immune dysfunction related illnesses. It has six species in the category of medicinal mushrooms of which have been reported to contain an estimated of more than 200 active elements having specific medicinal properties. Recent study carried out at the Department of Medical Biochemistry, Ehime University in Japan, have revealed that it can help prevent the spread of cancer, especially of the prostate, breast, liver and spleen. Other properties of Ganoderma such as anti-inflammatory, antiviral, anti-parasitic, anti-fungal, antidiabetic, anti-hypotensive, and protective of the liver have also been documented. Like the majority of edible medicinal mushrooms, Ganoderma was found to inhibit platelet aggregation, and to lower blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar.

You see, many mushrooms thought merely as palatable food ingredient have been shown in many studies to have surprising medicinal properties. Yes, the humble mushroom could be a veritable source of natural remedy that can help promote health and longevity.

There you go, folks. I hope the reading time you spent on this rather lengthy article brought some enlightenment on the many nutritional and healthy benefits of this small yet mighty fungus.

What do you think? Are you just like me who needed a good old tale to believe that mushrooms are indeed “giants” sitting in the backyard? Do you despise mushrooms like Voltaire and Alexander Dumas?

“I confess that my stomach does not take to this style of cooking. I cannot accept calves sweetbreads swimming in a salty sauce, nor can I eat mince consisting of turkey, hare, and rabbit, which they try to persuade me comes from a single animal . . . . As for the cooks, I really cannot be expected to put up with this ham essence, nor the excessive quantity of morels and other mushrooms, pepper, and nutmeg with which they disguise perfectly good food.” Voltaire (1694-1778) [Pen name of Francois Marie Arouet]

"I confess, that nothing frightens me more than the appearance of mushrooms on the table, especially in a small provincial town." Alexander Dumas, early 19th century

Think about it!

Don’t be a stranger. Feel free to share your thoughts.

Photo Credits:

Button Mushrooms

Rosemary Chicken & Mushrooms

Growing Gourmet & Medicinal Mushrooms

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Why Hobbies Are Good for Us?

During my high school days, I had the pleasure of collecting and exchanging stamps for a hobby. It was indeed a very rewarding past time for me since I always felt like I was acquiring unique pieces of treasures whenever a new stuff came my way. What excited me most, however, was when the new addition was acquired through “hard labor”, like I had to do some research or assignment for a senior student in order to obtain an allegedly rare stamp that was completely strange and unfamiliar in the group of collectors where I belong. Boy, it was really gratifying. I managed to continue the hobby with more passion and sense until now but still fairly puzzled on what benefits do I get from being a self-proclaimed philatelist, though it is evident to me that I am absolutely enjoying the flair and tricks of the trade.

I realized later, with the help of my researches & readings, that a hobby when enthusiastically enjoyed becomes not only pleasurable but also therapeutic.

Hobbies reduce stress, says Alice Domar, director of the Mind/Body Center for Women's Health at Harvard Medical School. They distract you from everyday worries: If you're focused on the pottery you're making, you can't fret about work, says Domar. And knitting, or anything requiring repetitive motion, elicits the relaxation response, a feeling of overall serenity, marked by lowered blood pressure.

Likewise, hobbies provide a calming sense of control, says Domar, and research suggests this strengthens immunity. You may have little say at work, but when you're woodworking, you're in charge. You get the credit -- and satisfaction -- of a job well done.[1]

We recognize that physical activity extends life, but less active recreations, like cognitive relaxation, are healthy as well. A study published in the The New England Journal of Medicine found that those who engaged in cognitive leisure activities, such as reading books or newspapers, writing for pleasure, doing crossword puzzles, playing board games or cards, participating in organized group discussions, and playing musical instruments, were likely to decrease risks of developing Alzheimer's disease or other forms of dementia in the elderly.

Hobbies like painting and other forms of artistic expressions are likewise demonstrated to have some influence on enhancing our well-being. This was eloquently pointed out in the article The Healing Power of Art written by Christina Grant. It emphasizes that if creative forces or energy inherently present in human body are repressed or held inside they will likely manifest negatively or take other forms such as depression, anxiety, anger, rage, cysts, tumors, and other growths in the body.

These combined evidences clearly suggest that hobbies in whatever form have to be kept or cultivated in order to enjoy good health and life as a whole.

By the way, do not forget, though, that blogging, which is a form of "writing for pleasure", is a cognitive type of hobby and is certainly beneficial to our health.

What do you think? Do you agree with these findings? Do you have a hobby that you think is not worth holding on?

Feel free to share your thoughts.

Related Health & Wellness Articles:

Guava: A Natural Source of Disease-fighting Antioxidants

Go Nuts!

Cinematherapy:Is Watching Movies Beneficial to Your Mental Health?

What Makes Filipinos Happy?

Photo Credits:

Stamp Collecting

People To Have Hobbies

I Need A New Hobby

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Guava: A Natural Source of Disease-fighting Antioxidants

Recent scientific investigations have shown that guava, compared with other tropical fruits, is packed with high-grade antioxidants such as Vitamin C, lycopene, carotenoids and polyphenols.

Let us recall for a moment what these antioxidants do to our body.

Antioxidants are “superstar” chemicals recognized to help reduce the incidence of degenerative diseases such as arthritis, arteriosclerosis, diabetes, cancer, heart disease, inflammation and brain dysfunction. In addition, antioxidants were also reported to retard ageing.

Of course, we want to know how we can easily get hold of these friendly antioxidants from the “little” fruit we all are very familiar with.

Are you all excited? Here it goes…

To obtain these powerful benefits of antioxidants in Guava (Psidium guajava L.) -- which comes in a variety of shapes (round to oval) and colors (white to red), one should take the fruit when they are about to ripen for polyphenols, ripened for Vitamin C and the yellow to red variety for lycopene and carotenoids.

Hmmm…sounds really simple, ha. However, do we have a clue weather the guava we are taking is the quality that provides all these benefits?

Definitely, there is, my friends.

Good quality guavas should be firm and free of bruises. Ripe guavas should exhibit a fragrant fruity aroma. They will continue to ripen after harvest and should be stored at room temperature unless it is very ripe and should be refrigerated.

As a growing kid, back in the province and during my food biochemistry sessions in college, I am completely aware of the high amounts of Vitamin C in guava, but this additional information is certainly a new welcome to my ever growing functional foods dictionary.

What are you waiting for? Start loading your regular meals with guava to harvest these many health benefits.

And, YES! Don’t forget to leave your comments and reactions if you found this article at all useful.

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Go Nuts!

No! I am not asking you to go crazy. I am just excited to share what I have confirmed regarding the health benefits of including nuts in your regular diet. Yes! You heard it loud, clear and right. Loading your daily diet with this “hard” fruit can actually help put your health in better shape.

Do you believe that? Come join me and let us learn from this…

Researchers found that people who eat nuts regularly have lower risks of heart disease.

In 1996, the Iowa Women's Healthy Study found that women who ate nuts more than 4 times a week were 40% less likely to die of heart disease [1].

A past Harvard study, reported in the September 2006 issue of Longevity, found that women who ate at least 142g of nuts a week, were 35% less likely to have a heart attack than those who ate less than 28g a month [2].

In the U.S. Physicians Study, Harvard researchers discovered that men who consumed nuts 2 or more times per week were 47% less likely to die from heart attack and had a 30% reduction in risk for heart disease [3].

Surely, nuts are fatty, but these fats are the “good” kind - mostly monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats (omega 3) which have all been shown to lower LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol).

Nuts, likewise, are one of the best plant sources of protein. They are also rich in fiber, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.

Preliminary studies show they may even help prevent certain types of cancer and type 2 diabetes.

So grab a handful as a snack, toss some in your salads or work them into your meals.

Hmmm… Before I forget, eating a broad range of nuts is best as they each have specific health benefits. Try the raw and unsalted ones and be very careful as you might be one of the unlucky folks who are allergic to nuts.

I told you… It is not so crazy to eat nuts after all.

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Cinematherapy:Is Watching Movies Beneficial to Your Mental Health?

Have you ever had a moment, at least once, asking yourself why you need to view movies from time to time? Well, maybe the major common denominator is people watch movies because they want to break free from their daily taxing routines, either alone or in group with friends, workmates, loved ones, or family members. Yes, watching movies is very rewarding because it is absolutely entertaining. In fact, it is not only entertaining but mentally therapeutic as well since it helps individuals maintain a psychological balance.

Just how does movie watching keep the human brain maintain mental equilibrium?

It becomes mentally therapeutic because it combats emotional imbalance by awakening both sides of the emotion. Remember? Laughter is the Best Medicine… We always associate a feeling of relief from negative emotions when we expose ourselves to films with comic plots. And for this reason we get to unconsciously and unknowingly trigger our positive emotion and overcome temporarily or completely the negative emotion prior to watching the film. What about movies with sad themes? Yes, they are also therapeutic for they provide avenues for people to cry which definitely permit them along the process to release excessive or transient negative mental detour, even if the scene or scenes which caused them to cry has nothing to do with their current negative feelings.

This momentary indulgence will, likewise, temporarily help people to forget their existing emotional conditions, may it be good or bad. In most cases the movies they watch will aid them depart from the real world by immersing themselves in the story line, circumstances or even with the characters. By further consenting themselves they can also at one point personally relate to the situation. Sometimes even locations where the film was shot allow viewers to travel in places they have never been, and that is unquestionably gratifying.

In all these processes we find ourselves eventually getting completely involved and we count every movie we watch as part of our learning routines. And as time goes by, these learning progressions become permanently part of our life experiences.

In today’s information age, psychotherapists are using films as therapeutic and counseling tools and technically call this emerging discipline cinematherapy. In the article The Process of Cinematherapy as a Therapeutic Intervention, Tyson, Foster, and Jones explained the process of executing cinematherapy and is cited at the cinematheraphy website which I came across with while developing this post. The site also pointed out that cinematherapy has many applications.

It can be used with individuals or with a group, and the movies used may address one issue or several. Therapists or counselors may assign a client or clients to watch an entire movie or a vignette from a movie. But, what may be the most effective way of using Cinematherapy is to watch a vignette with the client or group and then discuss afterwards.

History also suggests that cinematherapy, though relatively new, traced its roots from ancient Greek. This was eloquently elaborated in the article written by Cindy Jones at the History & Theory page of the same site.

Another article supporting the benefits of cinematheraphy was written by R. M. Dubuc. It discusses about how watching movies can improve mental health.

Finally, Dr. Gary Solomon, a Portland mental health therapist, author of “The Motion Picture Prescription: Watch This Movie and Call Me in the Morning.”... writes, "If you watch just one movie a week for the next two years, imagine the personal growth and recovery you could enjoy."


Afterthought: The next time you watch a movie don’t think that you are just giving yourself a break. Consider it as a therapeutic indulgence and an inexpensive investment to keep you sane.

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What Makes Filipinos Happy?

Family, health and religion - and not sex - make Filipinos most happy, according to a new Philippine Happiness Index (PHI). The index was crafted by Dr. Romulo A. Virola, Secretary General of the National Statistical Coordination Board, and co-written with Jessamyn O. Encarnacion. The data supporting these findings were generated from a nonrandom poll of 167 respondents conducted during the National Convention on Statistics held on 1-2 October 2007. According to Virola, the PHI is likewise based on the premise that economic progress and happiness are not synonymous. But along with standard statistical queries, the index factored in friends, love life and sex life.

Below is a summary of what the nonrandom respondents tell us…


Interestingly, politics was found to be the least important source of happiness. Other unimportant domains are cultural activities, community and volunteer work and government. Leisure and sports - also surprisingly - is the 6th least important domain.

Other findings: many consider the enjoyment of sex not bad. Six out of 10 respondents think that progress is synonymous with happiness. Women are happier than men. And happiness rises with income.

A similar study - What Makes People Happy? - was conducted on the Nature of Happiness Among America's Young People from 16-23 April 2007 through the collaborative efforts of the Associated Press and MTV.

Guess what?

The survey which included 1,280 people aged 13 to 24 reveled that spending time with family was the top answer.

When asked what one thing makes them most happy, 20 percent mentioned spending time with family - more than anything else. About three-quarters - 73 percent - said their relationship with their parents makes them happy. After family, it was relationships with friends that people mentioned most.

These two studies clearly show that people, even from different cultures, find family, more than anything else on earth, as the ultimate source of happiness.

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