Relieve Your Aching Joints Naturally

By Al Sears, MD

A common mineral called MSM safely relieves the inflammation that causes chronic pain. MSM stands for methylsulfonylmethane, a form of sulfur that your body can absorb.

Scientists at the Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine and the Arthritis Health Center in Arizona tracked 50 adults over the age of 40 who had been diagnosed with osteoarthritis of the knee. One group took MSM twice a day; the other group took a placebo.

At the end of the study, both groups were evaluated. Those who used MSM enjoyed a dramatic decrease in arthritis pain and impaired physical function. MSM also improved their ability to perform daily activities. What's more, the MSM group saw reductions in both homocysteine - a risk factor for heart disease - and malondialdehyde - a marker of oxidative stress.
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A Tool to Make Your Writing Easier to Read

By Krista Jones

You may have heard that most Americans read at a 7th-grade level. Sounds pretty scary to me, but it does show us why we should keep our writing clear and simple.

If you use Microsoft Word, you can test the "readability" of your writing by clicking on "Tools" then "Options" and then "Spelling and Grammar." Then click the check box at the bottom that says "Show readability statistics."

After you spell-check your document, a box will pop up showing the number of words you used, the number of paragraphs, the number of sentences, the number of sentences per paragraph, the number of words per sentence, and the percentage of passive sentences. It will also give you two indicators that are based on the Flesch-Kincaid formula for readability. These indicators measure reading ease (based on 100 points, with 100 being the easiest) and grade level.

I use these stats all the time. My writing used to be in the 50-55 range for reading ease, and now it generally ranges from the low 60s to the mid-70s. When the reading ease is 65 or higher, that tells me I have a good chance of connecting with my reader.

[Ed. Note: Krista Jones, a former environmental scientist, is a freelance copywriter specializing in personal development and business opportunity.]
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It's Fun to Know: About U.S. Currency

The largest currency denomination ever printed by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing was the $100,000 Series 1934 Gold Certificate, featuring the image of President Wilson. Not circulated among the general public, these notes were in print for less than a month.

(Source: U.S. Department of the Treasury)
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Word to the Wise: Gormless

"Gormless" (GAWRM-lis) is an informal British word that means dull or lacking intelligence and vitality.

Example (as used by Roger Ebert in a review of the movie Shaun of the Dead): "I like the way the slacker characters maintain their slothful gormlessness in the face of urgent danger, and I like the way the British bourgeois values of Shaun's mum and dad assert themselves even in the face of catastrophe."
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These selected articles appear courtesy of Early to Rise [Issue #2020, 04-19-07], the Internet's most popular health, wealth, and success e-zine. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com/.