Healthy Habits That Aren't (Surprise surprise!!!)

Using anti-bacterial soap
You may be tempted to take a biological jackhammer to every microbe that dare touch your family, but the fact is there’s a lot we don’t know about the long-term effects of common, household use of anti-bacterials. According to the Centers for Disease Control, these chemicals have been shown, in the lab, to kill off only weak bacteria—leaving the tougher ones to reproduce. That’s led many medical experts to worry that anti-bacterial soaps might be contributing to the rise of stronger bacteria, capable of fighting off our attempts to kill it. So far, this theory hasn’t been proved in a real-life setting. What has been proved, however, is that washing your hands with anti-bacterial soap isn’t anymore effective at preventing disease than hand washing with regular soap. First reported in a 2004 study, published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, this discovery led a Food and Drug Administration Expert Advisory Council to announce the next year that there was no proof anti-bacterial soaps lived up to their advertising claims. Bottom line: It’s just not worth the risk.


Sitting up straight
According to a study presented in 2006 at the annual conference for the Radiological Society of North America, so-called “perfect” posture might actually be contributing to back pain. Go ahead, call your mom and gloat. But make sure you get your facts right. When this story first came out last November, many newspapers incorrectly reported that slouching was the better way to sit. The problem turned out to be a “slanguage” barrier. In England, where the story was first reported, “slouching” refers to reclining backward, which is, according to the study, a great way to relieve pressure on your lower back. Translated into American slang, however, the news reports gave many people the impression that hunching forward was healthy, when, in fact, it’s actually worse than sitting up straight.


Following a low-fat diet
Significantly cutting the fat in your diet is supposed to lead to weight loss, cancer prevention and a healthier heart. Turns out, those promises might just be empty intellectual calories. In 2006, the Women’s Health Initiative—a several-billion dollar, eight-year study of the effects of low-fat diets—finally came to an end. The results were shocking. Not only did the women who followed “fat-free diets” show no decrease in cancer or heart disease rates compared to their fat-eating counterparts, but they also weren’t any skinnier. And, the researchers said, the study probably applied to men as well. If you follow the medical literature, however, there’ve been plenty of studies, dating back to the early 1990s, which show low-fat diets aren’t as effective as they’re made out to be. In fact, there’s even some evidence that the behaviors they inspire might be harmful. A 2007 study in the journal Human Reproduction found that women who carefully avoided full-fat dairy products were more likely to experience a certain type of infertility.


Trusting your eyesight to carrots
If you think these vegetables will improve your vision, think again. While carrots do contain vitamin A, which is a major player in keeping your eyes working properly, you really only need a small amount of it—and no matter how much vitamin A you consume, it’s not going to magically eliminate your need for glasses. In fact, if you eat too much vitamin A, you can end up with a toxic—although not usually fatal—reaction. The idea that more carrots means better vision might actually be a relic of a World War II-era military disinformation campaign. According to the online World Carrot Museum, British intelligence began spreading the myth during the blitz as a plausible explanation for why their fighter pilots were suddenly able to spot Nazi planes at night. In reality, the British had simply developed a better radar system and didn’t want the enemy to find out about it.


Drinking eight glasses of water a day
Admit it, this is one healthy habit that’s a royal pain. Luckily, it’s also completely unnecessary. For some people, eight glasses a day might actually be far too much, leading to sodium deficiencies and potentially life-threatening water intoxication, caused by kidneys not being able to keep up the intake of liquids. In 2002, a kidney specialist tried, in vain, to find any scientific evidence supporting the eight-glasses-a-day myth. His report, published in the American Journal of Physiology, concluded that this standard health advice was complete and utter bunk that, like many urban legends, stemmed from a tiny grain of truth. Apparently, the dietary guidelines provided by the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Research Council do say that humans need 1 milliliter of water for each calorie of food—adding up to about 10 cups a day. However, the same guidelines also say that we get most of this liquid from the water in solid food. There’s no need to drink more.


Relying on sunscreen to save you from skin cancer
Why is this healthy habit a bust? Because you’re probably doing it wrong. According to Dr. Francesca Fusco, spokeswoman for the Skin Cancer Foundation, people tend to not use enough sunscreen or use it consistently or use it early enough in life; they also often aren’t using a sunscreen that’s truly effective. Some of her tips for proper use include: Putting sunscreen on over any medication but under makeup; using the equivalent of a shot glass or two to cover your whole body—even under clothes—and then waiting at least 30 minutes before you go outside; and always using a sunscreen that contains the ingredient mexoryl. That last one is a biggie. Sunscreens without mexoryl—which is, to say, most of them—only protect against UVB wavelengths of light. But UVA waves are dangerous as well—possibly more so, considering that they can damage your skin without causing sunburn, leaving you unaware of your risk.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

1. 3rd year for Potter and Friends.
2. DADA teacher is Lupin.
3. A prisoner escaped from Azkaban who is apparently a mass murderer.
4. Dementors are allowed to come to Hogwarts in order to 'protect' the students from the 'murderer'.
5. Harry faints in the middle of a quidditch game due to the presence of dementors. (or is this from the 2nd book? getting confused...)
6. the murderer is Sirius Black, Harry's only living relative.
7. Harry learns about Sirius's history, along with his relationship with James (harry's father), Lupin, Snape and someone else but i forget who.
8. They find out that Lupin is a werewolf and Snape is making potions for him everymonth so he doesn turn into a werewolf.
9. Harry learns to perform the Patronus spell.
10. Hermione applies for a time turner so she can go to every class for nearly every subject. the time turner is significant in this book.

Gosh! i really cant remember anymore stuff. i noe they went to a house or sth but wat happened then???

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

1. 2nd year for Harry n Friends
2. the DADA teacher is a pompous guy who Mrs Weasley loves cuz he's sooooo handsome. I think his name was Prof Lockhart.
3. we find out that Ginny has a huge crush on Harry.
4. The chamber of secrets is opened and students begin to turn into stone. (did any of them die?)
5. we find out that the chamber of secrets had been opened years ago and everyone thought it was Hagrid. He was expelled and his wand snapped in half. Later we find out that he is wrongly accused.
6. Ginny was obeying orders from a diary (voldermort's).
7. Harry realises he is a Parseltongue.
8. Harry n Friends go rescue Ginny and during the battle with the monster, Fawkes brings the Sorting Hat to Harry and he draws Gryffindor's sword from it and uses it to kill the monster and destroy the diary.
9. Prof Lockhart got hurt and lost his memory or sth.

in all, not really that memorable. hiek hiek hiek hiek hiek.

Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone

1. Harry is 11 and he finds out that he is a wizard.

2. Hagrid meets him and also gives Dudley a pig tail.

3. Harry later meets Ron Weasley at the train station. This will prove to be very significant and also important to the Weasley's as Harry saves them on more than one account.

4. The DADA (Defence against the Dark Arts) teacher is Quirrell. (Did i spell his name correctly? haha)

5. Harry, Ron and Hermione, team up together to get the Philosopher's stone before Quirrell. They go through a set of traps designed by each of the teachers including the grass trap thing by the herbology teacher- Prof Sprout, the flying keys by Prof Flitwick, the potions one by (duh!) Prof Snape and the big chess set by Prof McGonagall . (gosh i cant spell her name!)

6. ron gets hurt during the chess game and hermione stays with him so only harry goes to the last room. he realises that quirrel is possesed by voldermort.

7. we realise that voldermort cant touch harry because he's protected by 'love'.

8. Harry looks into the mirror (what's the name liao?) and he sees his reflection putting the stone in his pocket.

9. Voldermort didn manage to get the stone n i think quirrel died.

in all, these is the shortest book in all seven, and gives a brief look into the future of harry and the magical world.

ps. 1. harry also became part of the quidditch team when McGonagall saw him nosediving to catch neville's remembrance ball or whatever it's called. She took him to see Wood and he thought Wood was something used to hit him with. haha.

future update

anyone alive would have heard of harry potter (unless you live in a kampung somewhere in the middle of the sea!)

anyone with an interest for books or fantasies will have read it. n if you're somone like me, then you'll be eager waiting for the 7th n final installment of the Harry Potter legacy- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

will be doing a recap of wat happened in book 1-6 and wat should be happening in book 7. if i missed out anything, feel free to comment and i'll add it in. cheers!