In one study, people with normal blood pressure who scored high on a rating scale for anger were nearly three times more likely to have a heart attack or require bypass surgery within five years.

The anatomy of anger

Most of time we do not choose to be angry, but somehow we are suddenly in feelings. Often, we don’t know we are angry until we feel it.

Anger, which comes from a part of our brain that is very old, can be very brief, lasting only a second or two. You can be happy one moment and angry next. Angry feelings may also continue over a long period of time. If you are angry a lot, but your feelings are not connected to life circumstances, we call it a ‘mood.’ Angry moods lead to angry feelings coming on stronger and faster.

Once anger begins, it generates changes in our expression, our face, our voice and changes in way we think. It also creates impulses to action. Sometimes we have thoughts that generate anger. Other times we have thoughts that occur at same time as anger. It is also possible for your anger to generate thoughts about what you are angry toward.

The different faces of anger

You may have noticed that what ‘triggers’ your anger one time may not do so at another time. Different people may also react very differently to same event. Some people recover much more quickly than others when provoked by any negative emotion, including anger.

If you are a quick-recovering person, you probably are also better able to control your emotions. However, if you are challenged in this regard, you will need to work harder to develop anger management skills to deal with your feelings.

Angry feelings are a natural reaction to frustration or interference with our goals. Yet, we all are different in terms of what events trigger anger in us, how strongly we respond and how long it takes us to get back to normal. Learning to see a situation differently, cooling off and looking for alternative responses are all effective ways to better cope with angry feelings.

Sooner or later, wrinkles happen to everyone due to natural skin aging and gravity. However, without proper sun protection, skin ages a lot faster, and unfortunately, damage is irreversible.

There are two types of protection used in skin care products: physical and chemical, where physical block reflects sun rays, and chemical absorbs them, similar to melanin, before they can do any harm.

Physical sun screens include zinc oxide and titanium oxide, with zinc oxide (aka Z-Cote) being more powerful. Now creams with Z-Cote are available in wearable form, when they do not look like white paste, but spread into an invisible barrier that reflects both UVB and UVA sun rays.

Most powerful UVB screen is PABA, but it is not perfect for everyone as it often can cause an allergic reaction. Other chemical screens are:

· Cinnamates absorb UVB. · Benzophenones absorb UVA. · Anthranilates absorb UVA and UVB.

Usually, your sunscreen product will contain several protective ingredients, as combining them provides better shield, according to research.

FDA requires each batch of sunscreen products to go through SPF testing to ensure effectiveness of product. At this time, sun protection factor applies to UVB rays only as more research is necessary to determine standards for UVA protection.

As a rule, SPF number translates into amount of time one can safely be in sun without burning. If you are an individual with fair skin and burn in 10 minutes if unprotected, SPF 15 will allow you to stay in sun 15 times longer (150 minutes). If your skin is dark and you burn in 30 minutes, same product will protect you for 450 minutes.

This formula is very approximate and does not provide for real life conditions: wind, humidity, season, your location, etc. Humidity and wind, for example, maximize power of sun rays, and your SPF 15 lotion may offer much less protection when used on a breezy day or near water. Proximity to equator and elevation should not be forgotten: closer you are to sun, stronger its effect.

Reapplying your SPF often provides better protection than purchasing a product with a higher SPF number. SPF protection does not actually increase proportionately with an SPF number. Under lab conditions, SPF 2 equals 50% absorption of burning UVB rays, SPF of 15 indicates 93%, and SPF 30 and higher - 97% absorption.

As you see, some sunrays will still reach your skin, even if you use lotion with a high SPF number. To shield these remaining rays, use other means of sun protection: clothes, hats, umbrellas and shades. Please remember that many surfaces - snow, sand, water, concrete - reflect sun rays, so don't be surprized if you got tan or burn even though you spent most of your beach day under umbrella.

(C) Natalie Katsman, 2004