Fatigue and dizziness are becoming more common among teens. These are the most common symptoms of anemia.

Anemia means you have too little hemoglobin, the oxygen carrying molecules, in your blood. Paleness is not a reliable sign of anemia, because mild anemia does not change skin color. Reliable signs are sore tongue and corners of the mouth, and dry, brittle thin nails, in addition to symptoms already mentioned.

Most cases of teenage anemia are caused by iron deficiency. Iron-deficiency anemia is triggered by the need for extra hemoglobin due to rapid growth or blood loss, such as menstruation, bleeding in your digestive tract (such as an ulcer) or untreated hemorrhoids. Without enough iron, your body can’t make enough hemoglobin, so you start to get frequent bouts of dizziness and constant fatigue.

Females lose iron during menstruation, so they need proportionately more iron-containing foods than men. Start enhancing your meal with liver, lean red meat, fish, egg yolks, dried fruits, soy products and blackstrap molasses. All these contain plenty of iron, copper, some vitamin C and/or folic acid. It’s also important not to limit your diet changes to these iron-rich foods. Add beans, peas, nuts, seeds and green leafy vegetables to the mix. Try to stay away from spinach and rhubarb stems, though. Spinach is green , but it contains oxalic acid, which reduces iron absorption.

Copper helps in iron absorption, so include egg yolks, cheese, seafood, wholegrains, apricots, cherries, and dried figs in your breakfast and as snacks.

Vitamin C also helps in iron absorption, so have a glass of orange juice with your meals to provide the necessary nutrient and the antioxidant properties to boot. Whole grains also contain iron, but they contant phytates. These compounds slow down iron absorptions, so eat whole grains separately from other iron-rich foods.

An additional thought, as always, is to avoid or limit the amount of tea, coffee, cocoa, colas and alcohol during mealtimes. The tannins in these drinks block iron absorption from food. More severe symptoms of anemia include breathlessness, chest pain and heart palpitations; these mean its time to seek medical help.

Many of us grew up with clear lessons about anger: Getting angry is wrong, unholy, and makes others not like us. Grown-ups got mad if we got angry. We learned a message: Anger is bad.

I have a new message for you: Anger is natural. It has a purpose, and we are not powerless in its presence. Anger is not a four letter word.

Your anger is a normal, primary emotion like happiness and fear. As with all emotions, anger is a neural and chemical reaction pattern which is biologically programmed into your brain. As an emotion, anger is involuntary and exists in your unconscious.

When you encounter any information which is perceived as a threat to the functioning of your system, your emotional anger is triggered. The information source can be sensory-based such as a sound, sight, or scent; as well as, from memory and imagination. The trigger may be, a touch, a taste, a word, a gesture or an image from your past. What induces your anger is unique to you and your history.

This triggered anger enters your consciousness. For the first time you experience the emotion of anger.The form is in physical feelings and sensations. You feel the anger in your body.

At this stage, anger has both a physical and a psychological component. Physically, the brain receives the signals from your body and interprets them as danger warnings. It directs your body to begin an automatic stress-reaction process called “fight or flight.” There is no interpretation or judgment. Your sympathetic autonomic system simply reacts to the brain’s command and prepares for whatever defense is necessary to keep you safe.

At the psychological level anger is not a series of automatic reactions. You have choices about the way you relate to your anger. You can examine, analyze, change, and modify the beliefs, perceptions, patterns, assumptions, and behaviors which you associate with your anger. You can decide how, if, and to whom you express your anger. This is your place of power. From here, you can take charge and manage your anger.

The first step is learning to recognize your anger. You can learn how, when, and where your body collects your anger information. Your anger is not only a message for survival; it is, also, a message about what you value and do not want to lose.

Often feelings of anger are an umbrella shielding you from deeper, unexpressed feelings. These feelings can teach you more about yourself. They can help you make sense of your internal and external world.

If you chose to ignore, deny, or stuff your anger and its truth, it will not simply go away. The memories will wait for you. They will ferment and multiply into more intense conditions called hostility and rage.

Hostility and rage are more intense and allow fewer choices. They silently take charge. At some time, they will either explode in irrational ways or numb you to all your other feelings. The full spectrum of these unattended feelings involve verbal and physical violence, road rage, abuse of self and others, addictive patterns, guilt, and depression.

The good news is that by understanding the physical and psychological components of your anger process, you can prevent toxic anger. Anger can be simple. Anger can help you create and maintain greater balance and better health in your life.

Here are three ideas about managing your anger:

1. (1) When you breathe, exhale very slowly. The exhilation tells your body that you are safe.
2. (2) When your phone rings, breathe slowly. Answer on the third ring. You may feel less rushed when you speak.
3. (3) When you are sitting in traffic, breathe slowly and remember who and what you treasure in your life.

As you practice managing your anger, time can be your friend. Take time to know your feelings. Take time to explore your creative range of options. Take time to chose an action which reflects your highest principles and purpose. Then take time to experience more peace in your life. Entertain the possibility of change!

We hope that you will find some tasty and alternative meal additions to help you on your journey to good health.Garlic Coleslaw

1/2 cup Mayonnaise

1/4 cup Vinegar

1/4 cup Water

1/2 tsp Celery Seed

1/4 tsp Salt

1/8 tsp Pepper

5 cloves Garlic, sliced

1/2 lg head Cabbage, shredded

In a blender mix mayonnaise, vinegar, water, salt, pepper, celery seed and sliced garlic. Blend until garlic is chopped fine. Set aside. Shred cabbage, using grater or knife. Pour dressing over cabbage and chill.

Curry Glazed Chicken Breast

Marinade:

1/2 cup Peach Jam

1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard

1/3 cup Onion, finely diced

1/4 tsp Salt

4 cloves Garlic, pressed

1 Tbsp Curry Powder

Pinch Cayenne

6 Chicken Breasts, boneless

Remove skin from chicken breasts and trim off all fat. Lay - in one layer - meat side down in a greased Pyrex baking dish. Make marinade by heating briefly all the marinade ingredients, stirring to mix well. When the jam is melted, then take off heat and cool. When marinade is thoroughly cool, pour over the chicken breasts, cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.

Turn meat over and brush with marinade. Then cover the pan with foil and bake in 350-degree oven for 15 minutes. Remove the cover, baste the breasts again and bake - uncovered - until the top is nicely glazed and lightly browned - about 15 more minutes, depending upon the thickness of the breasts.

Roasted Garlic Pasta

3 cups Chicken Broth

6 heads Garlic, pealed

3/4 pound Linguine

1 tbls. Olive Oil

3/4 cup minced Garlic

1/2 to 1 tsp Red Pepper flakes

3/4 cup fresh Parsley, minced

Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 250 F. In a 9 x 12 inch baking dish, combine 1 1/2 cups chicken broth and the pealed whole garlic cloves. Roast, uncovered, tossing every 10 to 15 minutes, until golden brown, set aside.

In a large saucepan, cook the pasta in boiling water over high heat for 8 to 12 minutes, until al dente. Drain, reserving 3/4 cup of the cooking water. Return to the saucepan, cover and keep warm over low heat.

In a large skillet, heat the remaining 1 1/2 cups broth and the oil over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and pepper flakes, stir and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until garlic turns golden brown but not brown.

Add the pasta, roasted garlic and reserved pasta water. Toss and cook for 1 to 2 minutes to allow the pasta to absorb the sauce. Add parsley and toss again. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Adhesive bandages—It’s a good idea to pack stick-on bandages and make sure you include different sizes. Butterfly-style adhesive bandages are also a good choice to have on hand. I would suggest keeping the kit stocked with five each of three different sized bandages and also three butterfly bandages. Cloth rather than plastic bandages are preferable. I think they stick better, even though I’ve been carrying them around in my handbag forever. Having a variety of different bandage sizes will make it easier to cover a wound, whether you need just one or several to cover a larger injury.

Anti-bacterial cream—There are several small sizes of anti-bacterial creams available, including sample sizes, that will fit neatly into your kit. There are single use sizes available. Protection will be given from infection during the use of the cream, while the healing is beginning.

Wet wipes—Make sure to include individual, single use wet wipes available at your pharmacy. These wipes are available with anti-bacterial cream already in them. These will be necessary for cleaning the wound. Do this by gently cleaning the wound as much as possible before applying the anti-bacterial cream.

Pain relievers—You can keep a small plastic container in the kit filled with a pain reliever, that can be refilled after it’s used. Though small, single use packets are available and convenient, it is more economical to have a larger, cheaper size available in which to refill the small containers.

Optional items—If there is any room left in the container, it’s a good idea to fill this space with any medical or first aid items specific to your family’s health care needs. Antacids, allergy medication, eye drops, tweezers, and a small scissors are also very good additions to your kit.

Once filled, the kit in a can should be stored in an easy to locate place in your luggage. Putting this kind of first aid kit together is good practice for older children.

Make an extra kit and add some decoration, and it will make an inexpensive and useful gift for family member, friend, coworker, or your child’s teacher. Plus, who knows when you might have the chance to “be ready”!

The saver is usually cautious. He or she puts money away for a “rainy day.” She probably has a budget and sticks to it. She may have money for savings and investments taken right out of her check or bank account so that she isn’t tempted to use the money for something else.

Sit down with your partner and try to figure out which description most closely fits each of you. Then consider how each of you might react to one another’s way of handling money. Here are some typical scenarios.

If both of you are spenders, you may not think about how much you are spending until you see the balances on your credit cards rise to astonishing heights. Unfortunately, high credit card debts are often difficult to pay off and may lead to huge arguments, especially once you reach your limit and can no longer charge. Also, if you have too many credit card payments, it can put a strain on your relationship both emotionally and financially if either of you lose work for even a short period of time.

If one of you is a spender and the other a saver, the saver may question many of the spender’s purchases, pointing out that they are either unnecessary or over-priced. On the other side, the spender may want to spend money that the saver has tucked away. Often, the saver needs this money to feel secure, so being pressured to spend it on something she doesn’t feel is necessary can be very stressful for her.

If both of you are savers, you probably have a comfortable stash set aside in case of emergency, and you don’t touch it. You are probably both very frugal and careful with your money. However, you may both have a tendency to be over-critical of one another’s purchases.

After you determine what type of money personality you have and recognize the areas that are most likely to cause problems for you in the future, try to come up with a plan to handle those areas. For example, you might want to set a certain amount of money that each partner is allowed to spend without being having to answer to the other or open separate accounts for each of you, along with a joint account for household expenses.

Be open with your partner about how you handle your money and how you feel about the way he or she handles it, but without being confrontational. If you work together to try to find a solution when difficulties arise rather than resorting to arguments, you may find after awhile that money is no longer a major source of stress for your relationship.