This quote, by writer Frank A. Clark makes a very important point. The ultimate in charitable giving is when you do not know the recipient and the recipient does not know you.

In this scenario, nobody gives you a pat on the back for your good deed. Only you can appreciate the intrinsic reward that such generosity brings.

When you do know the recipient, resist the desire to tell him or her what you have done.

If that individual doesn't realize the goodness of your deed, then words will make little difference.

Aspirin, will it help or hurt?

Certainly if you have had a heart attack or stroke, you are probably on aspirin. This old medicine made from tree bark in 1850 is indeed a wonder drug.

It is beneficial if you are a man over 40 or a women past menopause and have two or more of the following:

Obesity (30% or more over ideal body weight), high cholesterol, smoking, high blood pressure and early heart disease in your family.

A baby aspirin (81mg) could help reduce a heart attack by 28% over the next five years!

Additional possible benefits may include the prevention of strokes, certain cancers and Alzheimer's disease.

The downside of taking aspirin includes silent intestinal bleeding, interactions with coumadin and certain vitamins and aggravation of asthma.

Enteric coated aspirin does not reduce intestinal bleeding, so take the cheapest baby aspirin with food. Of course, always obtain your doctor's approval.

If you ever develop symptoms of a heart attack, such as chest pain, be sure and chew the aspirin as it will get into your system much faster.

Home Testing Kits --can your condition be diagnosed?

There are many home diagnostic kits on the market to help diagnose and monitor a variety of diseases.

Tests include PSA (for prostate cancer), drug testing, thyroid testing, ovulation detection, male infertility testing, coagulation monitoring, pregnancy detection, HIV testing, hepatitis C detection and menopause detection.

Certainly all these tests can be performed in your doctor's lab. Many will even be covered by insurance but a few of these tests can prove very handy at home.

Drug testing seems to be a wise idea at home. Consider telling your teen that just like the workplace, you want to maintain a drug free environment.

Tell your child that you trust him or her but realize that drugs may still be quite tempting. After all 10% of employees in the workplace are current users.

Consider utilizing this home kit in a random manner. I recommend testing on a Saturday night or Sunday morning.

Implementing such an idea tells your child how you feel about drugs and allows some communication on the subject to occur. Most importantly, you are conveying to your teen that you mean business.

Go to www.advantagediagnostics.net and have a look. For about $25 you can purchase a drug test that detects marijuana, PCP, opiates, (codeine and heroin) cocaine and amphetamines.

Are you worried about HIV-1 but are reluctant to visit your doctor? Of course talk it over with your physician! I know, sometimes it isn't easy.

This test detects antibodies to the most common form of HIV and costs about $44.

Remember this test does not detect recent infections. It may take 3-6 months for antibodies to appear.

The web address to purchase this kit is www.homeaccess.com.

Now there is a pregnancy test which you can do at home which detects pregnancy before the next menstrual period is supposed to occur.

Most pregnancy kits are not that sensitive. The test is 52% accurate 3 days before and 86% accurate 1 day before the next expected period.
A double kit costs only $15 and is available at selected retail stores.

Q-Gel--Can it really prevent migraine headaches?

You all know how much I like Q-Gel. It maintains blood levels far higher than conventional coenzyme Q10 found over the counter.

Certainly this vitamin, found in every living organism, can boost energy production in the brain and heart.

Preliminary evidence now shows that Q-Gel can reduce the incidence of migraine headaches by 50%.

One to two of our Q-Gel taken regularly should help. Riboflavin or vitamin B2 at 400 mg/day can also do the same thing.

Take these vitamins regularly for at least 3 months to achieve efficacy.

Until next time, remember to recommend to your friends and family to sign up for this free valuable e-newsletter.

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