People don’t fancy putting onion in their meal or even cutting an onion as it will leave you crying for no reason and eating it will give you bad breath. Apart from these two known pitfalls, onions has alot of health benefits. Onions have anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic, antioxidant, anticarcinogenic qualities and are rich in vitamins A, B6, B-complex and C, as well as iron, folate and potassium.

Onions are so popular as they can go with almost every meal. Below are 6 health benefits of raw onions.

1. It promotes Hair Growth
Onion juice is effective in preventing hair loss and promoting hair growth. The sulfur in onions helps promote blood circulation to the scalp and boosts production of collagen necessary for new hair growth. A 2002 study published in the Journal of Dermatology found that people suffering from alopecia areata saw significant hair regrowth after applying onion juice to their scalp twice daily for two months.

Method

Extract the juice of 1 onion.

Mix it with 1 teaspoon of honey and 2 or 3 drops of lavender essential oil.

Massage it into your scalp.

Cover your hair with a shower cap and leave it on overnight or at least for 1 hour.

Rinse your hair with water, then shampoo as usual.

Repeat this treatment 2 or 3 times a week until you get the desired result.

2. Regulates Blood Sugar

Onions are good for people who have diabetes. The sulfur compound called allyl propyl disulfide in onions helps increase insulin production and lower blood glucose levels in both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetics. Furthermore, onion juice contains trace amounts of chromium, which helps improve the body’s glucose tolerance level. A 2009 study published in the Journal of Medicinal Food confirmed the antidiabetic effect of onions in diabetic rats. Onion extracts were found to be effective for lowering plasma glucose concentrations and body weight.

Diabetic people should include red onions regularly in their diet.

3. It Prevents Cancer

Onions are found to have beneficial and preventive effects on various cancers, such as lung, ovarian, stomach, bladder, breast, colorectal, prostate, oral, liver and brain cancer. The phenolic and flavonoid content of onions with antioxidant activities help fight cancer cells.

4. Reduces the Risk of Heart Disease

Regular onion intake can reduce your risk of conditions like arterial hardening, high blood pressure, heart attacks, and strokes. The quercetin found in onions has both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that are good for your heart health.

Onions even help prevent cholesterol accumulation that contributes to clogging and hardening of the arteries. Start eating onions to boost your heart health.

5. Builds Strong Immunity

Due to their polyphenol content, onions can help boost your immunity by protecting your body against free radicals. Plus, onions contain a trace mineral selenium that helps improve immunity by initiating immune response and also preventing excessive immune response. Furthermore, consuming onions may help reduce allergic reactions in your body by stopping the production of histamine. Its antimicrobial properties also help prevent infections.

Decreased immune function during radiation treatment for cancer is common, but with intake of quercetin-rich foods, you can give a boost to your immunity.

6. Increases Bone Density

Onions help slow the progression of bone loss, making them a very effective natural solution for aging

For the majority of women, symptoms of menopause (which you experience because your hormones are becoming unbalanced) start appearing before periods come to a stop. Check this list, and if you find that any of these symptoms sound familiar, speak with your GP; you may be approaching menopause.

Difficulty concentrating

Dry hair or skin

Feeling irritable

Frequent urination

Hot flushes

Inability to sleep, or interrupted sleep

Incontinence

Irregular periods

Lapses of memory

Mood swings

Rapid heartbeats (or ‘heart flutters’)

Vaginal dryness

What's the right age to start having sex? When to start having intercourse (or any other type of sex) is a very difficult and serious decision to make. Some people believe you must wait until you're married before having sex. Other people may not have a problem with premarital sex. You're the only one who can decide for yourself — although there are important factors to consider in that decision.

Many adults will tell teenagers to be abstinent — to wait until they are married before having sex. At the same time, sex before marriage is commonplace in today's world. Consequently, far too many young women are becoming single mothers, a difficult and expensive life for both mother and child.

Making the decision to have sex

The most important thing about deciding to have sex or not is not to rush into anything. Think about your decision carefully and weigh the pros and cons. Your relationship with this potential partner will have a lot to do with your decision.

The relationship aspects of being a couple are just as confusing and messy as the sexual ones. It's easy to say that you're boyfriend and girlfriend, but exactly what that means during your teens is very subjective. Some young people want so badly to have a boyfriend or girlfriend that they'll link up with someone they don't even like.

Remember these straightforward guidelines when making your decision:

Never, never have sex because somebody pressures you into it. If you're with somebody who says that he or she will stop seeing you unless you have sex, then you know what the right decision is: First, stop seeing that person, and certainly never have sex with him or her. That person isn't interested in you, but in sex.

If the person you're with says that he or she is "dying" with the need to have sex, remember: No one has ever died from not having sex, but you could die if you have sex with a person who gives you AIDS or cervical cancer (which is associated with human papillomavirus, or HPV).

Remember, you will never forget the first time you have sexual intercourse. So be as certain as you can be that, when you "do it" for the first time, the occasion is one that you'll treasure for the rest of your life — not one that you'll regret forever more.

If you have followed your best judgment in making your decision, no one can say whether your decision, whatever it is, was absolutely right or wrong. Only time and your own life's experience will tell.

Is this person worth it?

Perhaps you have already had sex for the first time, but you're trying to decide about a new potential partner. How do you decide whether someone is worthy? Here are some possible questions you may ask yourself. There are no right or wrong answers here, but if the overall tone of your answers skews toward the negative, then consider getting to know the person better before engaging in sexual intercourse.

What parts of me does this person activate? My head? My heart? My loins? Two out of three? One out of three?

Will I want to keep the lights off, so this person doesn't see the parts of me I don't like, or on, so I can see all of this other person?

I could use a shower. Will this person care? After getting undressed, will I care?

Where do I see us as a couple one month from now? Six months from now? Ten years from now?

If something goes wrong and neither one of us has an orgasm, will I ever want to see this person again?

What will I think about myself in the morning?

Dating has never been a walk in the park. Both partners have their set of expectations, issues, and also needs from the relationship. Considering the common notion that women are twisted and complicated, we are going to make it easier for men by telling them a few things women want their men to know.

So mister, here is your Bible.

1. Sincerity is a turn on

Superficial tactics like trying to impress a woman with flattery and using cheesy lines, are only going to work for a short while.Nothing can give her butterflies in her stomach like when you actually try to woo her by being yourself and showing genuine love and concern. It’s all about being sincere.

2. Shopping is her favorite activity

You may hate it, but your girl loves to go shopping with you. No matter how annoyed you are by her repeated questions about how she looks in ‘this’ dress or ‘that,’ you need to keep your cool and continue to humor them. Because she will definitely humor you when you want to take her to a cricket match – of which she may know neither head nor tail, or watch an action flick – of which she may not be a fan.

3. Sex does not end as soon as you climax

This is supremely critical. There should be cuddling after sex (most women love it). Do not leave immediately or go to sleep. Spend intimate time together in bed, and also make sure that you subtly acknowledge it the next morning. She will fall for you all over again.

4. Make that call and make it fast

If you said you’d call back, do not waste time. The whole wait-for-two-days-before-giving-a-call thing is too out-dated. Nobody has the time to linger around and wait. A woman can move on too quickly if you do not act. So call back immediately. That’s sexy right there, and lets her know that you keep your word.

5. Looking presentable is a good thing

The woman might not explicitly spell it out, but she wants her man to look good; maybe even better than her. Women do not give two hoots about coming from the ape family: so do not look like the little ape in you. Wear well fitted clothes, if you do not know what that means, then get the girl to shop for you. Stay fit and healthy, and practice clean habits. Even the most unhygienic girl wants a clean man.

The fish tail skirt is also a called mermaid skirt  and is different from a flared skirt. A flared skirt spreads out from the waist down while a fish tail skirt spreads out from the bottom part. Someone asked for tips on how to style this type of skirt. Styling a fish tail skirt isn't too different from styling a regular pencil skirt or maxi skirt. A fish tail skirt can be midi or maxi depending on the length. Here are possible ways to style the fish tail skirt. Pls cont to read after the cut.

* with a cute top either tucked in or left untucked

*avoid looking stout or having stocky legs by wearing your maxi fish tail skirt with heels. The length and style of this skirt can be overwhelming for ones figure,wearing heels keeps you elevated and enhances your silhouette.

A midi fish tail skirt can be worn with heels or flats depending on choice or occasion.

*a simple tee can be tucked in a maxi fish tail skirt to create an even silhouette

*just like the regular pencil skirt, you can use a belt for more effect on a fish tail skirt.

Do you wear the fish tail skirt? What's your number one styling tip?

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First love is pure and special. It fills the hearts of both women and men with inexplicable feelings. You can date as many guys as you want, but you will never forget your first love. I have met many old people who spoke about their first loves as if it happened a year ago. They remember the tiniest details like where they met for the first time, or what they were wearing. My mom once told me that people who don’t remember their first love have never loved anyone.
Whether your first love didn’t work out, or you’ve just fallen in love for the first time, here are the most important things you will always remember about your first love:

1. THE FIRST KISS

I’m not talking about the first time you kissed a guy. I’m talking about the first time you kissed your first love. You will remember where and when it happened, and how you were sitting or standing. Plus, you will never forget those amazing feelings, no matter how many years pass.

2. THE FIRST TIME YOU MET

You will never forget the place where you met your first love. You may even want to visit that place to remember those pure feelings and happy moments. I remember the first time I saw and spoke to my husband (he is my first and hopefully last love) and I even remember his first words, his clothes and his nervous smile. It was more than ten years ago but I remember almost every detail about the first time I met my love.

3. HIS SMILE

My aunt (who is already in her 50s) once told me that she can’t forget the smile of her first boyfriend, though she doesn’t love him anymore. I asked my cousins, friends and some coworkers if they could remember the smile of the first man they loved, and most of them said how nice that smile was. Smile is definitely one of those things you will always remember about your first love.

4. THE FIRST TRIP YOU HAD TOGETHER

Do you remember the first trip you had together with your first love? Of course you do. That first trip was probably filled with new experiences, happy moments and some intimate moments. You may say, “I don’t remember that,” but once you think about it, you will recollect many details.

5. THE LAUGHS AND THE GRIEF YOU SHARED TOGETHER

No relationship is perfect. You had lots of fun times and probably you had a few bad times. When I felt in love with my husband, my grandmother died. It was one of the hardest periods in my life. I was unbearable and suffered from a severe depression, but he stayed with me all the time. He helped me to become happy again and I’m so thankful him for it. I will never forget it as well as I will always remember all those happy moments we had together. Having been together for ten years, we still enjoy the laughs and overcome the problems together as we did the first time we met.

6. MONEY WASN’T IMPORTANT

Let’s be honest, when you start dating a man in your 20s or 30s, you expect him to pay for your meal or trip, or buy something for you. There’s nothing wrong with that, because today people pay huge attention to money. When you were in love for the first time, chances are money wasn’t important to both of you. You didn’t think about luxury restaurants and top-flight resorts. You two were happy to have a small picnic or a long walk in the park without worrying about money.

7. HOW LONG YOUR FIRST LOVE LASTED

First love can last for a week, a month, a year, or forever. No matter how long your first love lasted, you will always remember about it. You may not remember the details and the dates, but you will never forget how long your first love lasted and why you broke up. It’s hard to forget a first love breakup. Luckily, I didn’t experience a first love breakup, but I think it’s impossible to get it out of the head for good.

No matter how hard we try, we can’t forget about a first love. There are things that you will remember for many years to come. First love is special so don’t try to get rid of it. Learn some precious lessons from it and appreciate those moments you had with your first love. Is it hard to forget a first love? What things do you remember about your own first love?

SHARING IS LOVE...

I stand in front of the mirror, observing my aging face. Face, aged by disappointments, failures, drug addiction. My hit single “Take Me on a Long Ride” (1982) plays at the background, as I rehearse my written speech to myself. The music fades away in a long distance just as those years have become a distant memory. My music no longer plays in their memories, but my crime they never forgot.

At age 17, I broke into the industry. I paid my dues, I made the money. But fame got into my head, and it led to a scandal. Running from a rape scene I had committed, drunk, I killed a kid. It was a-hit-and-run scenario. She was just 17.

At 25, I was locked up…I lost everything, my name, my fame, my past and future.

Now, I’m back after 25 years, and I want the forgiveness of my fans.

I need to concentrate, there’s no way I can go in there with a paper in my hands, I need to speak from my heart, I need to commit the message to heart. I put off the music, its getting into my head…I need to face the future and let go of my past. I rip off the paper.

“You are up in 2 minutes”

That is Wole, my new manager, or say a fresh graduate I just picked up to represent me.

“Is there a lot of people out there?”

“The place is…crow-ded.”

He stammers in reply.
Poor lad, he’s tensed, he hopes to kick off a career starting with a junky like me.

I stand up, look in the mirror the last time, adjust my tux and black tie. I open the door of the Islanders Theater backroom, where we rent to host my fans, to welcome me back home- into their lives, their homes, their audio systems- actually, its more of an apology speech. There will be tearful moments, no doubt, I only hope the crowd empathize with me. I will say I’m sorry, I hope they see its true. I will say I regret what I did, I hope they believe I do. These thoughts ring through my head causing it to ache as I walk the long passage that leads to the stage. My heart beating in between my steps.

They clap as I step on the stage, a scattered clap it is. How many of those in the crowd are actually happy to see me? Ten? Twenty? I’m grateful the lights are off, at least I’m oblivious of their preying gaze. The only lights on the stage are those directed at me. I freeze for a moment. Then I start to speak with a broken voice.
The nonsense I had written, the nonsense that will not bring back the teenager, the nonsense that will not raise the esteem of the raped girl.

I stop reading.

I can see fury flames moving out of my nostrils.

I want to see the faces of those critics who had caused this in the first place. Those who made me go into crisis because they said I never lived up to how I started. I want to see the faces of the hypocrites who think their lives are cleaner than mine. Right now, I don’t give a damn about music! Why are the lights directed at me anyway? Like the crowd wants to X-ray my life and point out more flaws.

“Who da fuck put off da lights!”

“Let there be light morons!”

Then, the lights flicker on, one by one.
And I see their faces.

‘The crowd’

Just seven of them!

My mother; whose face have lines drilled in by tears.
My wife, Opeyemi; who endured the bashings I gave to her, day and night, saying dead or alive, I own her.
My son, Israel; whom I never gave the home he deserved, his childhood I denied, because I was never there.

My brother, Tunde; whom I sent my guys to deal with after taking my wife in, one of those times I threw her things out. I was responsible for his nickname “Ojutunde” for he lost an eye to it.
My sister, Itunu, who was the age of the girl that I knocked down with my car that year.
Even three-legged granny is present.

And there is uncle Sam, the one the youths, that riot after the accident, had burnt his home in Idinmu.

There is silence.

“After all this years, I thought you’d have learnt a thing or two.”

Uncle Sam raises his voice.

“You want the light son? Now you have it. And that’s what the light does, it reveals the truth. These ones have stood by you all along.”

He begins to point at each one sitting on the table one by one.

” Your real fans are not the faceless crowds who cheer when you are up and boo you when you are down, nor are they the critics who underestimate your worth. Your real fans have faces, in your wife, your son, your mother, sister, brother, granny and your uncle, yea…me!”

“Why don’t you come and join us for dinner and save your boring speech till you get to heaven. Because its only God, your creator, who can judge you. Nobody can.”

They are sitting on a long dinner table, there’s an empty sit for me, there’s a place for me.

INDULGING in a midnight snack could wreak havoc with your
memory, experts have warned.
Those who typically eat late at night can experience trouble
recalling information and learning.
Gorging on food at times typically reserved for sleeping
increases the risk of altering the brain’s physiology to
trigger deficiencies in learning and memory, they found.
The study was published in eLife.
These changes occur in the hippocampal area of the brain –
the area that’s linked to memory formation and storage, and
emotion.
Scientists from the University of California, Los Angeles
(UCLA), United States (U.S.) set out to investigate the
cognitive effects of eating at inappropriate hours.
It was already known that such eating habits could have an
impact on metabolic health – and lead to a pre-diabetic
state.
Dr. Dawn Loh, of the UCLA Laboratory of Circadian and Sleep
Medicine, said: “We have provided the first evidence that
taking regular meals at the wrong time of day has far-
reaching effects for learning and memory.
“Since many people find themselves working or playing
during times when they’d normally be asleep, it is important
to know that this could dull some of the functions of the
brain.”
The researchers tested the ability of mice to recognize a
novel object. They found that mice fed during their sleep
time were significantly less able to recall the object. The
scientists also subjected the mice to a fear-conditioning
experiment. They found that the mice’s long-term memory
was also drastically reduced.
Both long-term memory and the ability to recognize a novel
object are governed by the hippocampus, the researchers
said.
The hippocampus also affects the ability to associate senses
and emotional experiences with memory – and our ability to
organize and store new memories. Nerve impulses are active
along specific pathways during an experience. If we repeat
the experience, the same pathways increase in strength.
But, that effect was lowered when food was made available to
mice during the six-hour window in which they normally sleep
– as opposed to a six-hour daytime window when the mice
were active.
Certain genes involved in both the circadian clock – and
learning and memory – are regulated by a cAMP response
element-binding protein (or, CREB protein).
If CREB is less active, it decreases memory – and plays a role
in the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.
The mice that were fed at the wrong time exhibited
significantly reduced activity in CRED throughout the
hippocampus.
But, the suprachiasmatic nucleus in the hypothalamus – which
is the ‘master pacemaker of the circadian system’ – was
unaffected.
That results in ‘desynchrony between the clocks in the
different brain regions (misalignment)’ – which suggests
memory impairment.
Dr. Christopher Colwell, of UCLA, said: “Modern schedules can
lead us to eat around the clock so it is important to
understand how the timing of food can impact cognition.
“For the first time, we have shown that simply adjusting the
time when food is made available alters the molecular clock in
the hippocampus and can alter the cognitive performance of
mice.”