In this edition of the Newsletter:
-Good News About Ginkgo
-How to make sure your back isn't a pain
-Synthetic Pillows Trap Pet Allergens
-Extra tidbits

-Good News About Ginkgo
Although new studies indicate that Ginkgo biloba does little to improve memory in most people, don't throw away your bottle of ginkgo just yet. The herb has recently been shown to be a good source of antioxidants.

In a new study, researchers at Loma Linda University Medical School determined that Ginkgo biloba scavenges free radicals and may be effective for preventing conditions related to premature aging of the arteries, such as atherosclerosis.

-How to make sure your back isn't a pain
How you sit in a car, plane, bus or train can mean the  difference between feeling pretty good and feeling as creaky as an 80-year-old man with low back pain. Some spine-saving ideas:

* Car. Tilt your rearview mirror slightly upward. This encourages you to sit up a little straighter to see out the back.

* Plane. Before you buckle up, tuck a small pillow between the middle of your back and the seat, about 3 inches above your buttocks. This helps reduce the tendency to slump, which squeezes the vertebral disks. Fidgeting also keeps you loose. Raise your arms, roll your shoulders, walk the aisles. Changing positions helps lubricate disks. Plus, you'll annoy your seatmates, so they won't tell you their life stories.

* Bus and train. Rest your feet on a briefcase on the floor.  This elevates your knees above your hips, putting the pelvis in a position that keeps the lumbar spine curving the way it should.

-Synthetic Pillows Trap Pet Allergens
In the last 20 years pet ownership has been on the rise, and there is a trend towards keeping pets indoors. Research has already shown that synthetic pillows have significantly higher levels of dust mite allergens than feather pillows. Ashley Woodcock, M.D. and colleagues from Wythenshawe Hospital in the U.K. collected dust samples from pairs of pillows, one synthetic fiber filled and one feather filled which had been on the same bed for at least two years. Researchers found that the total level of pet allergens was significantly higher in synthetic pillows than in feather pillows. This suggests that more allergens can be removed from synthetic pillows than feather pillows by regular washing in hot water. They concluded that the significantly higher levels of pet allergens in synthetic pillows supports the view that tightly woven encasements surrounding feather pillows acts as a barrier for allergens.

-Extra tidbits

*How "Teddy Bears" were invented:
In 1902, President Teddy Roosevelt took a political trip down South.  His hosts, knowing Teddy loved to hunt, corralled a bear cub for him to shoot. But Teddy would not fire at the furry little thing. A celebrated newspaper cartoon praised this act of decency, and it gave Brooklyn toy maker Morris Michtom an idea. He created a stuffed bear cub, "Teddy's Bear," and it did so well that the next year Morris formed the Ideal Toy Company. It's been a bull market in Teddy Bears ever since.

*Cute safety story
A mother and her young son returned from the grocery store and began putting away the groceries.  The boy opened the box of animal crackers and spread them all over the table.  "What are you doing?" his mother asked.  "The box says not to eat them if the seal is broken" the boy explained. "I'm looking for the seal."

*Taxes
Famous last words: When the federal income tax was signed into law on October 3, 1913, a Senator speaking in opposition stated, "If we allow this one-percent foot in the door, at some future date it may rise to five percent!"
**Editor's note:  I WISH I only had to pay 5% income tax!!
-----------------------------
Information in this Newsletter was compiled from Men's Health Magazine, Real Age Health Systems, and Voice For Health.  © 2000