This is the December 16, 2006 edition of Keeping in Touch from SeniorSSuperStoreS.com./

Welcome to our new subscribers; and to our established subscribers of Keeping in Touch, a special Welcome Back. We're glad to see you again.

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This issue of Keeping in Touch deals with several matters of interest to Prime Time Surfers:

1.) Christmas Carol Quiz

2.) Holiday Stress

3.) The Wonders of Olive Oil

4.) Avioding Back Injuries in the Snow

5.) Your Subscription Details

1.) The Christmas Carol Quiz

In the midst of our holiday celebrations, we again want to wish each of you the most happy of holiday seasons and a healthy and prosperous New Year.

We ran The Christmas Carol Quiz in our Keeping in Touch Newsletter at this time earlier. Because of its popularity and since we've experienced so many new subscribers, we have decided to share it with you again.

As we celebrate this Christmas season, it seems we hear carols everywhere we go. But can we identify those familiar songs by some of their unfamiliar titles? Take this quiz and see how you do.

1. Castaneous-colored seed vesicated in a conflagration
2. May Jehovah grant unto you hilarious males retirement
3. The apartment of 2 psychiatrists
4. ABCDEFGHIJKMNOPQR5TUVWXYZ
5. Do you perceive the same longitudinal pressure that stimulates my auditory sense organs?
6. I apprehended my maternal parent osculating with a corpulent, unshaven male in crimson disguise
7. Move hitherword the entire assembly of those who are loyal in their belief
8. Singular yearning for the twin anterior incisors
9. The smog-less bewitching hour arrived
10. Expectation of arrival to populated area by mythical masculine perennial gift-giver
11. Sir Lancelot with laryngitis
12. Exuberation to this orb
13. Leave and do an elevated broadcast
14. That exiguous hamlet south of the holy city
15. Behold I envisioned a trio of nautical vessels
16. Listen, the winged heavenly messengers are proclaiming tunefully
17. A joyful song relative to hollow metallic vessels which vibrate and bring forth a ringing sound when struck
18. Frozen precipitation commence
19. Stepping on the pad cover
20. Decorate the entry-ways

(Can't you just hear some of those phrases sung in places of worship, parties, on the radio and TV and at the mall?)

Now, see how you did on the quiz: Go to The Christmas Carol Quiz in the Health Resources section of our Community Room of www.SeniorSSuperStoreS.com. Why do we place humorous articles in the Health Resources section? Because we believe that a little humor is good for our health!

2.) Holiday Stress

While the holiday season is prime time for family, fun and excitement, this special time of year also brings increased activity, added financial pressure, colder temperatures and more headaches. All these factors contribute to increased strain on your body and mind. During this hectic season, you need to take some time out to do something good for you. Exercise is the most practical thing you can do to help relieve tension and enjoy the season a little more.

Studies show that there is a direct relationship between your emotions and your health. Unfortunately, stress can turn the holidays into a time of anger, depression and frustration for many people. Some physical symptoms of stress are headaches, backaches, high blood pressure, ulcers and irritable bowels.

Consider how stress affects heart disease alone. It contributes to three key factors that lead to heart disease: heart rate, blood pressure and blood cholesterol levels. When we are in a stressful situation, such as a hectic family gathering or shopping mall traffic, stress causes all three indicators to increase dramatically. Without a doubt, it is important to minimize the effect stress has on your life, especially during the holidays.

Often, we neglect our exercise regimen during November and December, with good intentions to get back on track during the new year. In doing so, we neglect the most important factor in preventing holiday stress. Exercise helps your body release tension and relieve mental and physical fatigue caused by stress. A vigorous activity, such as brisk walking, raises your body temperature, burns up the chemicals your body produces during stress, improves your emotional mood and increases your ability to cope with problems.

The following exercises will help your body cope with stress during the holidays and all year round:

Deep breathing exercises - As you are sitting or lying down, take a deep breath in and count to 8. Exhale slowly to a count of 8. Repeat this several times to calm your body so you can deal with a stressful situation with a clear mind.

Neck and shoulder exercises - Ease the tightness in your neck and shoulders often caused by stress by shrugging your shoulders up and down slowly and rolling them back. Relieve tension in your neck by slowly turning the head to look from side to side. Then gently tilt the head bringing the right ear toward the right shoulder; repeat on the left side.

A brisk walk - If the weather allows, put on a pair of walking shoes and go for a quick 20-minute walk. This allows your body to release muscle tension and remove excess levels of chemicals caused by stress. A walk to look at the holiday lights is a fun way to de-stress during the holiday season.

Aerobic exercise - Doing an aerobic workout to music does wonders to improve your mood and give you energy for your holiday activities. There's nothing like it to cleanse your body of impurities and ease your mind.

This holiday season, give yourself the gift of exercise - the best tool for dealing with stress. And resolve to make exercise a regular part of your new year. Including exercise as a priority on your holiday activity list will be the best thing you can do for yourself this year.

3.) The Wonders of Olive Oil

When SeniorS SuperStoreS started featuring a line of skin care products from Olive Branch Unique Skin Care Products, we were introduced to the little known skin care qualities of olive oil. The braintrust behind this company is a 70 year old chemist who had worked for many years in the pharmaceutical industry before deciding to make a change. She had experimented with olive oil in her own skin care regimen, based on her reading of its reported use in the Bible. The challenge was that, even though it was good for the skin, it was not very cosmetically pleasing. Now that she has worked out some of the "chemical kinks," she has found that her products have an amazing effect on customers who suffer from bed sores, psoriasis, excema, and dermatitus.

While these skin disorders affect nearly 5% of the population (especially older adults) and are basically incurable, there are many treatments on the market, both in prescription and non-prescription formulas. In most cases, treatments are targeted at the affected areas and offer relief for the symptoms on a temporary basis. Although there is no known cure, a well balanced topical treatment regimen is the cornerstone of therapy. While complete clearing may not be possible, many who follow a routine of regular treatment experience much needed relief from the symptoms and see dramatic improvement in appearance and feel of the affected areas.

Emollients containing olive oil are useful in psoriasis, excema and dermatitus treatment; they seem to slow the loss of water through the skin layers. The thicker the creme or lotion, the more effective it is likely to be. Maintaining adequate moisture can relieve the pain of dry skin and reduce scaling and inflamation, without causing any side effects. Regularly applying thick lotions and cremes directly to the skin is sometimes very effective in clearing the symptoms.

Olive Branch Hydrating Lotion and Moisturizing Creme have been shown to provide excellent results when used regularly. While there are other products containing olive oil on the market, the Olive Branch line contain a much higher concentration of olive oil than other products.

Quality moisturizers, when applied regularly over a long period, not only offer a soothing effect on inflamed skin, but also have a remarkable cosmetic effect. Preparations, especially those containing olive oil, that are thick and greasy, usually work best because they lock the water into the skin. Normal bathing with most soaps tend to dry skin out even more, but using a liquid moisturizing soap containing olive oil can improve skin texture.

You can find out more about the Olive Branch products containing olive oil by going to our Skin Care department.

4.) Avioding Back Injuries in the Snow

Since winter blasts come around for many of us all too often, a word about how to avoid back injuries in the snow and ice seems quite timely. Besides the possibility of slipping and, as a result, "torquing" your back, you also can hurt your back when shoveling snow or scraping heavy ice. These activities can place you in an awkward position: bending forward, twisting and lifting - and this combination can cause injury.

The most common kinds of injuries associated with this activity are back strain, where the muscles are injured, and disc protrusion or herniation (commonly known as a slipped disc). Injury would be more prominent in people ages 30 to 50 because, as people age, there are more degenerative changes in the spine and this group as a whole tends to overwork their backs. Of course, as we age further, these injuries are even more pronounced and difficult to overcome because of the natural aging process that takes place.

Here are some tips to keep in mind when dealing with ‘old man winter’: * Try to lift while keeping the back straight or a bit arched, and lift with your legs rather than your back. * Use a "back-saver" shovel with a handle that curves up and back. The scoop is lower and you don’t have to bend as far. * Stop frequently and stand up straight, bend backwards or just walk around to change your back position. * Avoid twisting your back. As you unload the shovel, move one foot in the direction that you will throw the snow. This keeps your back straight. * Pick up small loads of snow each time.

If an injury does occur and you’re not feeling well within 36 hours, consult your physician. After all, you’ll have only one back, so take care of it!

For a popular line of products to help you reduce the discomfort of back sprains and other muscle aches, we urge you to check out our Health Products department.

5.) Your Subscription Details

You are receiving this free newsletter because you subscribed to it or because someone thought you would enjoy it.

If you like the content of Keeping in Touch, please feel free to forward each copy on to as many folks as you wish. And, encourage your friends and family to visit with us at SeniorSSuperStoreS and sign up for their own subscriptions. Or, they may sign up for their own subscriptions by emailing us at "seniors-request@seniorssuperstores.com" and include the word "join" in the body of the email message.

So, until next time, here's goodbye. Remember, if you want us to add any resources or items of interest, just drop us an email from the SeniorSSuperStoreS Contact Us page. Watch your email box for future newsletters!

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Until next time, happy Prime Time Surfing!