The Ayur Health Ayurveda Clinic Adelaide blog is your go-to resource for authentic Ayurvedic insights and holistic wellness advice. Dedicated to promoting natural healing, this blog offers a wealth of information on ancient Ayurvedic practices tailored to modern lifestyles. Whether you're seeking remedies for specific ailments, tips on maintaining balance through diet and lifestyle, or deeper understanding of Ayurvedic principles, blog provides expert guidance from experienced practitioners.
Your Environment Can Affect Your Health
There are many factors that can cause your physiology to move away from that state of balance in which you enjoy perfect, complete health.
One big factor is environment. Climate-temperatures outside, amount of humidity or number of sunny days, for example, the altitude of the place where you live, the levels and types of environmental pollution, the type of vibrational energy in the environment and the presence or absence of stress in the environment are all factors that can affect your health and well-being. For many of us, the place where we live may not always be in our control, but there is much we can all do to create microclimates and mini-environments in our homes and workspaces to suit our constitutions and needs for balance.
Here are some suggestions to start you off; tune in to your mind and body to create even more individualized healthful spaces. 1. Set indoor temperatures to comfortable levels. If you are trying to keep Vata dosha in balance, you'll want warm temperatures and no drafts. Get extra humidity in the home or room by using a humidifier or setting pots of water on the radiator to counter the drying effect of Vata. To balance the heat of Pitta dosha, keep indoor temperatures relatively cooler. For Kapha, choose warm temperatures and a dry environment to counteract the dampness of Kapha. Dress in layers if you are trying to stay warmer than other folks at home. 2. Living 24/7 in climate-controlled environments can gradually weaken natural immunity, and resistance to weather fluctuations, allergens, pollutants and the like can diminish over time. If possible, let in fresh air into your living areas once in a while when it's comfortable outside, and let in natural early morning sunlight as well. 3. Green plants in living spaces are soothing to the eyes and the mind as well as suppliers of oxygen. According to ayurveda, the Holy Basil plant helps purify the environment of garavisha, environmental toxins. Holy Basil can be grown from seed in a pot on a sunny windowsill. Grow culinary herbs such as cilantro on your kitchen windowsill and snip them fresh when needed for garnish. Fragrant indoor flowering plants offer aromatic healing value. A quiet indoor water feature offers serenity if you are trying to balance Vata or Pitta. 4. Try to maintain the integrity of the different areas of your home.
Do not bring work or entertainment into the bedroom. Do not work at the dinner table. If you exercise at home, get equipment that can be put away after use unless you can dedicate a separate area for exercise. Create personal spaces, however small, for every member of the family. Have a quiet space for the spiritual practice of your choice and/or for meditation. This space should be silent, clean and free of clutter. Diffusing aromas such as sandalwood can enhance the meditation experience. 5. Aromatherapy is a powerful means of creating balance in your environment. Aromas work through your sense of smell to balance the mind, heart and emotions. You can use single aromas or aroma blends. Use relaxing aromas such as Sweet Orange, Ylang ylang and Lavender to balance Vata, soothing aromas such as Rose to balance Pitta and spicy aromas such as Rosemary or Basil to balance Kapha. Aromatherapy is useful in creating positive vibrational energy in your immediate environment and in creating mental and emotional balance when you are feeling out of sorts.
Aromatherapy at bedtime can help promote sleep and improve the quality of sleep. 6. Colors and décor have an important role to play in the way we feel. If you are trying to balance Vata, choose relaxing but warm colors, harmonizing tones, heavy materials like silk or wool and simple arrangements that don't distract the mind. Have a place for everything and keep everything in its place. For fiery Pitta, choose cooling, soothing colors, cool textures and fabrics (cottons and linens are ideal) and a clean, elegant look. If you are trying to balance Kapha, have fun mixing it up. Choose a palette of colors with plenty of contrasts, warm lively tones, and whimsy or a dash of frivolity in décor. 7. Finally, keep your living and work spaces scrupulously clean. Use natural cleaning materials--they won't damage your health and won't damage the environment. A clean, well-cared for home or work area is nurturing for the mind, the senses and the emotions.
Skin Care - Face Masks ; How and Why ?
Our skin is a complex structure covering our whole body. It has an outer layer- the Epidermis and the inner layer-the Dermis. The epidermis is made of several layers of living cells covered with a layer of dead cells. These dead cells get shed and replaced continuously by new cells from lower layers. The dermis supports the epidermis and is formed of tough but flexible, connective tissue- the collagen and the elastin. The collagen and the elastin are protein fibers that give the skin elasticity and resilience. When these fibers degenerate, the skin begins to develop wrinkles, fine lines and various other imperfections. The dermis also contains the sweat and sebaceous glands. These glands produce sebum, an oily, acidic film which lubricates the skin. This film form a protective cover on the skin surface. When the pH level of the skin changes, problems occur.
Skin may be categorized on the following three primary types:
Normal skin is balanced skin. It is soft, with a smooth texture with a healthy glow. This is ideal skin.
Dry skin lacks oil and moisture. It is fragile and flakes easily with changes in external temperature and humidity. This kind of skin is prone to developing early wrinkles and fine lines. In this skin type, the sebaceous glands are less active than normal and the balance is disturbed.
Oily skin has a oily/greasy/slimy shine and feel. The skin texture is coarse and the sebaceous glands are hyperactive creating more oil than necessary, destroying the pH balance of the skin. This skin type will normally suffer from blackheads, pimples, acne and clogged pores.
The Combination Skin as the name suggests will have skin areas which will be oily and some skin areas which will be dry. Parts of skin covering the forehead, nose, chin will be greasy and the rest of the skin will be dry. Cheeks and the areas around the eyes will be dry. This combination skin is the most popular skin type. This skin type will have problems associated with both dry and oily skin types. There will be acne/blackheads and or clogged pores in the oily part, while the dry part of the skin may be flaky and fragile.
Face Masks are an ideal way to remove dead cells on the surface of the epidermis and let the younger cells how. A good face mask should rejuvenate the skin by restoring the pH values, removing excessive oil content, waste and providing a balancing effect to dry skin. Masks should also stimulate blood circulation in the facial area giving the facial skin a healthy glow and a younger looking skin. As the face masks remove dead skin, clean pores, they help in removal of blackheads, reduce acne formation, revitalize the skin and balance the pH value of the film covering the skin. Regular usage of these masks will normally help maintain vigor, reduce wrinkle formation and leave younger looking skin.
The Face Mask you choose will depend upon your Skin Type.
Cleansing mask are suited to oily skin type. They draw out excess oil in the skin and remove waste. These cleansing masks open up the blocked pores and remove dead skin. They also help in reducing blackhead formation and improve texture of skin.
Moisturizing Masks will benefit dry skin types. Dry skin types lack enough oil and these face masks will hydrate the skin and prevent wrinkle formation. Normally such masks would be reinforced with honey, wheat germ, balsam and other plant extracts which provide much needed nourishment top the skin.
Stimulating Masks are normally peel off masks. They help in improving blood circulation to the skin surface, and revitalize the skin. These kind of masks are suitable for all skin types as they deep cleanse the skin, tighten pores, help in treating scars , hyper pigmentation and help prevent sun damage.
Check out these handy Home Made Natural Face Masks:
Home made face mask for dry skin can be created by mixing 10 ml honey with the yolk of an egg and 5 grams of dried milk powder. The yolk of an egg will provide nourishment for the skin while the honey will help restore the pH balance. Mix the ingredients in a bowl and apply to the face using a flat wide brush. Avoid the eye and lip areas. Clean off with water after 15-20 minutes to find more supple skin which will be hydrated and look much younger.
Oily skins can be treated by mixing 10 ml honey with one egg white and 5 ml of lemon juice and 5 grams brewer's yeast powder.. Mix the ingredients in a bowl and apply to the face as directed above. The honey will help in restoring the pH balance, the lemon juice will dry up the skin and tighten it and the egg white will help in soaking up the excess oil and provide deep cleansing action. Remove after 15-20 minutes with water.
Many people suffer from black heads because of oily skin and blocked pores. Given below are some Black Head control and removal tips.
Use the home face mask or any commercial face mask for oily skin, once every week to help remove excess oil from the skin.
Use a good quality astringent after cleaning your face. You may alternatively dab your face with rose water which will be a natural substitute.
Avoid soaps on your face, that may irritate the skin or any oily creams.
Use a gentle scrub to remove dead skins from your face daily.
Always avoid harsh squeezing or scraping of the back heads.
A warm compress of water applied to the area of the black head followed by a very gentle pressure will help clear the clog from the pore.
Commercial 'black head' strips available in the market can also help remove black heads. One has to use caution before using these strips to avoid damage to the skin.
It is best to find a long term solution to the black head problem by keeping the oily skin properly balanced, using face masks and gentle scrubs regularly. As the say, prevention is better than cure. In this case, prevention will lead to better facial skin, which will glow and look much younger.
Effects of Drugs and Alcohol on Male Fertility
While it has been well documented how the use of drugs and alcohol during pregnancy can affect a developing fetus, the fact that these substances can also harm male fertility is not as well known. When you and your partner are trying to conceive, it is best to cut alcohol and drugs from your life.
AlcoholMen who regularly drink large amounts of alcohol or engage in binge drinking (four or more drinks in one evening) are likely to have serious problems with their fertility. Alcoholics often have problems with achieving and maintaining an erection. Additionally, because alcohol damages the liver, alcoholics are more likely to have higher levels of estrogen in their body, which can severely suppress sperm. Moreover, alcohol abuse has been linked with damaged sperm and reduced sperm counts.
Even if you are not a heavy drinker, you may want to cut back on your drinking habits. Studies have shown that women who drink moderate amounts of alcohol (one to five drinks per week) can have impaired fertility. While the effects of moderate drinking have not been properly studied in men, it is likely that regular alcohol consumption could impair male fertility as well.
NarcoticsRecreational drug use has also been associated with male infertility. Narcotics like heroin, amphetamines, cocaine and PCP have been linked with a decrease in libido, erectile dysfunction and ejaculatory problems. Heroin, as well as other drugs, has been shown to disrupt normal hormone production causing diminished LH and testosterone levels. However, both of these hormones are need in order for the male reproductive system to function properly and for healthy sperm development.
Cocaine in particular has been shown to significantly impact a man's fertility and even contribute to birth defects in a child. Men who use cocaine have been found to have lower sperm counts, reduced sperm motility, as well as an increase the amount of abnormal sperm. Cocaine use just prior to conceiving has also been associated with birth defects in children.
Athletes who use anabolic steroids to help increase their muscle mass are also advised to skip the drugs if they are hoping to have a child. These steroids have been shown to interfere with proper sperm production and to lower a man’s sperm count.
MarijuanaFrequent marijuana use has been linked with a reduction in sperm count and seminal fluid. As well, the sperm behavior of men who regularly smoke marijuana has been found to be "abnormal", meaning that the sperm has problems swimming as well as penetrating the egg. Lower testosterone levels are also common in men who habitually smoke marijuana. As a normal testosterone level is vital to the production of sperm, regular use of marijuan causes this process to become hindered.
If you engage in any of these behaviors, it is recommended that you cut out these vices when you are trying to conceive. However, do not expect to get your partner pregnant as soon as you stop drinking alcohol or smoking marijuana. Because it takes three months for your body to produce sperm, the effects and damage you may have done to your reproductive system can persist long after you have stopped using drugs or alcohol.
Easy way to stop alcoholism
IntroductionDate updated: October 02, 2007 Jeannette Curtis Content provided by Healthwise
You can take steps today to stop drinking. Your first step might be to see your doctor, contact a support group, or set a date in the near future to stop. While some people can stop drinking on their own, others need medical help to manage the physical process of withdrawal.
If you think you have an addiction to alcohol, talk to your doctor about whether you need to withdraw from alcohol under medical supervision. Your doctor can give you medicine that will help you safely withdraw from alcohol. Other medicines might be prescribed later to help you stay sober. With a doctor's help, withdrawal from alcohol is safer.
Stopping alcohol use can:
Prevent or reduce health problems that are made worse by alcohol use, such as liver damage.
Prevent harm to your unborn baby if you are pregnant.
Reduce related family concerns or relationship problems.
Increase your ability to be productive at work, school, and home.
Reduce legal problems that you might have as a result of misuse of alcohol.
What resources are available to help you cut down on or stop alcohol use on your own?Why should I stop drinking?How to stop alcohol useWhere to get more information
More information about alcohol problems can be found in the topics Alcohol Abuse and Dependence, Alcohol and Drug Problems, and Teen Alcohol and Drug Abuse.
Alcohol Abuse and Dependence
What resources are available to help you cut down on or stop alcohol use on your own?
You need education and emotional support when you stop drinking, especially if you abuse alcohol or are alcohol-dependent. Some resources that can help you stop drinking include:
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). Alcoholics Anonymous organizes meetings all over the world to help those who have a desire to stop drinking. The groups are made up of people who have had alcohol use problems, and you may remain anonymous.
Family medicine physicians or other doctors, psychologists, or other health professionals.
Inpatient or outpatient treatment centers or hospitals.
Local or national alcohol treatment hotlines (check your local white and yellow pages).
You can contact these organizations and health professionals by phone or by accessing their Web sites online.
Test Your Knowledge
If you want to stop drinking, you can seek help with any of the following: Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), your family doctor or counselor, a local hospital or alcohol treatment facility, or a local or national alcohol treatment hotline, which you can find in your local phone directory.
True
False
Why should I stop drinking?
Stopping your use of alcohol can improve your general health and quality of life. It can also increase the quality of life of the people you live with and those who care about you. You decrease your chances of developing serious health problems associated with alcohol abuse or dependence. You reduce your chances of injuring yourself or others in alcohol-related accidents. You might also improve relationships with your parents, children, and spouse or other close loved ones. Not drinking also is a good way for you to model responsible behavior for younger people, particularly children and teens.
You can take steps today to stop drinking.
Your first step might be to contact a support group, see your doctor, or set a date in the near future to stop. While some people can stop drinking on their own, others need medical help to manage the physical process of withdrawal.
If you think you have an addiction to alcohol, talk to your doctor about whether you need to withdraw from alcohol under medical supervision. Your doctor can give you medicine that will help you safely withdraw from alcohol. Other medicines might be prescribed later to help you stay sober. With a doctor's help, withdrawal from alcohol is safer.
Test Your Knowledge
If you think you have a problem with alcohol abuse or dependence, you should stop drinking.
True
False
How to stop alcohol use
Follow these steps to stop drinking alcohol.
Identify your reasons . Make a list of the reasons you want to stop drinking alcohol. You might want to ask a trusted friend or family member to help you make the list complete. Keep this list so that you can renew your commitment from time to time. Use the form for identifying reasons to cut down on or stop alcohol use (What is a PDF document?).
Make a plan. Set a date to stop drinking. Complete a plan to stop drinking alcohol. Post it in a place where you can see it often, such as on your refrigerator door or bathroom mirror. You might want to put it in more than one place. You also might want to put it on a card and keep it in your purse or wallet. See an example of a plan to stop drinking alcohol (What is a PDF document?).
Share your plan with others. Talk with your family members and trusted friends about your plan. Let them know how they can help you to be successful.
Evaluate your progress. In your plan, identify when you will evaluate your progress. Try a plan for 30 days so that the new behavior becomes a habit. Review your reasons for stopping alcohol use. Write down the benefits that you are seeing. If you drank after successfully stopping (relapse), it does not mean that you have failed. Relapse is common. Begin again, using your experience to help you learn how to stick with your plan this time.
Continue your new behaviors. After trying this plan for 30 days, try it for another 30 days. Like anything else in life, it is not easy to change behavior, even when it might be in your best interest. But the more you practice new behaviors, the more likely it is that they will become habits. If you try this plan but are not successful, talk with your doctor about other ways to stop drinking alcohol.Other things you can do
The following are other ideas that can help in your plan to stop using alcohol:
Avoid stumbling blocks . Many things can interfere with meeting your goal to cut down on or stop drinking. You might need to choose new friends or a new lifestyle if your current life revolves around alcohol use. To stay focused on your goal and succeed, see ideas to help you stop using alcohol on your own.
Attend a self-help group. Some people attend self-help groups to help them stick to their plan to cut down on or stop drinking. If you are not sure whether a self-help group is for you but would like to try, go to a group at least 3 times before you make your decision. There are different types of groups (such as men or women only, discussion, and speaker). Go to another group if the first one does not fit your needs.
Reward yourself. Use the money you once spent on drinking to do something fun with your family or friends. Go out to eat, see a movie, or play sports or a game.
Test Your Knowledge
To stop drinking alcohol, you need to:
Identify your reasons.
Make a plan.
Evaluate your progress.
Where to get more information
If you have questions about this information, take it with you when you visit your doctor or other health professional. You might want to mark areas or make notes where you have questions.
If you try this plan to stop using alcohol and are not successful, talk with your doctor about other ways to get help.
Old Age
Changes with age: Old Age
The elderly -- a fast-growing population (estimate: by 2050 >60 million Americans will be over age 65, and 1 million will be over 100).
Effects of aging:
Energy needs decline.
67% due to decreased physical activity
33% due to decreased BMR (loss of muscle mass due to inactivity) This can lead to insufficient essential nutrient content in meals that are calorically adequate.
Vitamin, mineral absorption may change, leading to changing dietary requirements.
Fat distribution patterns change, so skinfold thickness becomes a less accurate measure of total body fat.
In the young fat is mostly subcutaneous.
In the elderly it is mostly intra-abdominal and intramuscular.
Special nutritional problems are associated with aging.
Sensory change: loss of smell, taste may make foods less appealing.
Physical limitations can affect nutrition by affecting ease of obtaining and preparing foods.
Loss of vision (macular degeneration, cataracts).
Arthritis -- loss of mobility.
Impaired mental function (Alzheimer's disease).
Periodontal disease -- chewing may become difficult.
Achlorhydria -- decreased HCl in the stomach may affect protein digestion, calcium absorption, vitamin B12 absorption.
Social factors:
Social isolation, loneliness, depression may result in inadequate diet.
Transportation, financial problems can limit food choices.
Drugs may interact with foods favorably or unfavorably.
This is true for all ages.
But the elderly typically take more drugs, so are more at risk.
THE DANGERS OF MEAT CONSUMPTION
The Great Protein Fiasco:
The adverse health impacts of excessive meat-eating stem in large part from what nutritionists call the "great protein fiasco"--a mistaken belief of many Westerners that they need to consume large quantities of protein. This myth, propagated as much as a century ago by health officials and governmental dietary guidelines, has resulted in Americans and other members of industrial societies ingesting twice as much protein as they need. Among the affluent, the protein myth is dangerous because of the saturated fats that accompany concentrated protein in meat and dairy products. Those fats are associated with most of the diseases of affluence that are among the leading causes of death in industrial countries: heart disease, stroke, and breast and colon cancer. (Lipton 1983; WHO 1990; Kummer 1991; Pimentel et al. 1991; NRC 1989)
The U.S. National Research Council, the US Surgeon General, the American Heart Association, and the World Health Organization are among the organizations now recommending low-fat diets. From the current US norm of 37 percent of calories from fats--typical for Western nations--they recommend lowering fat consumption to no more than 30 percent of calories. (NRC 1988; Byrne 1988)
Recent scientific findings indicate that even that level may be too high. One study of 88,000 American nurses found daily red-meat eaters are two-and-a-half times as likely to develop colon cancer as near-vegetarians. Based on these findings, Walter Willett, director of the study and a researcher at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, commented, "the optimum amount of red meat you eat should be zero." (Willett et al. 1990; Kolata 1990)
A Landmark Study of Diet and Health:
A landmark study of diet, lifestyle, and health in China--the largest such survey ever conducted--suggests that lowering fat consumption to 15 percent of calories prevents most cases of diseases of affluence. This study, known as the China Project, a joint effort of Chinese, British, and American institutions, tracked the diets of thousands of Chinese in dozens of countries. It showed that as fat consumption, protein consumption, and blood cholesterol levels rise, so does the incidence of heart disease, diabetes, and certain cancers. (Junshi et al. 1990; Vines 1990)
Surprisingly, Chinese villagers on low-fat, low-meat diets also suffered less anemia (iron deficiency) and osteoporosis (a bone disease associated with calcium deficiency) than their urban compatriots eating more meat. Both conditions are commonly thought to result from a diet too low in animal products. Study co-leader Colin Campbell of Cornell University told the New York Times: "We're basically a vegetarian species and should be eating a wide variety of plant foods and minimizing our intake of animal foods." (Junshi et al. 1990)
Squandering Resources:
If a diet rich in animal products is not an appropriate goal of public health policy, neither is it a wise development strategy. It creates dependence on imports for food and can widen the gap between rich and poor. Yet dozens of middle-income countries import livestock feed.
For a poor country where people eat few animal products, reaching self-sufficiency in food grains requires just 200 kilograms of cereals per person per year. But that number quickly rises when people switch from a grain-based diet to a meat-based one. Rapidly industrializing Taiwan, for instance, increased per-capita consumption of meat and eggs sixfold from 1950 to 1990. To produce those animal products required raising annual per-capita grain use in the country from 170 kilograms to 390 kilograms. Despite steadily growing harvests, Taiwan could only keep up with the demand for feed by turning to imports from abroad. In 1950 Taiwan was a grain exporter; in 1990, the nation imported, mostly for feed, 74 percent of the grain it used. (Vocke 1986; Sarma 1986; Bailey 1990; USDA 1990)
Mainland Chinese are following the Taiwanese up the meat consumption ladder. Since 1978, when agricultural reforms boosted production, meat consumption has more than doubled to 24 kilograms. The growth has been particularly marked in cities, where the government has helped create pig and poultry plants using Western-style grain-feeding technology. Though the country's farmers have been able to grow sufficient feed grain for the swelling meat industry so far, few observers expect them to keep pace for much longer. The share of Chinese grain fed to livestock rose from 7 percent in 1960 to 20 percent in 1990. (Bishop et al. 1989; Bailey 1980)
Cancer
In Short ;
By heating whatever food, hundreds of different mutagenic substances originate. The more protein that food contains, the more mutagenics originate due to cooking etc. If we only live long enough, these substances eventually will cause cancer.
The activity of antioxidants is very limited ; not even large amounts of all the (semi-) antioxidants in the world combined can disarm a substantial part of these mutagenics.
The only way to effectively prevent cancer, is to prevent absorption of mutagenic substances from prepared food. Consume as little prepared food (proteinous prepared food in particular) and as much fruits and some fresh raw animal food regularly (like sashimi or fresh raw egg yolk, requiring an hour rest to digest by the way).
In Detail ;
Mutagenics in Prepared Food
Consuming prepared meat increases the risk of contracting
lung cancer , breast cancer , prostate cancer , and colon cancer .
This only means that prepared meat contains more mutagenic substances than prepared food. Of course vegetarians get cancer too, though in general a little less because vegetarians do consume prepared food, but no prepared meat.
Prepared vegetables contain less mutagenic substances than prepared meat. Therefore, 2 out of 3 scientific investigations show that consuming prepared Soya beans instead of prepared meat, causes less cancer. And therefore these scientists conclude that 'soy is protective against cancer'. This however only means that, on an average basis, soy (and other vegetables) causes less cancer than prepared food.
Generally, consuming vegetables ‘proves to be protective against cancer’, simply because consuming vegetables is less cancerous than consuming other prepared foods.
However ; all prepared foods (including vegetables) contain mutagenic substances. Foods increasing cancer risk the most, are prepared foods containing higher quantities of protein (like meat and fish ,most fat , cholesterol (like eggs or iodide (like sea-fish, crustaceans and mollusks) .
Food that has been intensively heated, smoked , or salted , also highly increases cancer risk.
All prepared foods also contain non-HCA damaged protein, which is partly decomposed in the blood, originating free radicals. All prepared foods therefore will eventually cause cancer, ....if you live long enough.
Whenever again a scientific investigation proves that consuming vegetables is ‘protective’; remember that this only proves that a murderer is more criminal than a petty thief. And as releasing a petty thief does not prevent crime, consuming vegetables does not prevent cancer.
Vegetables are as healthy as 'healthy cigarettes containing 50% less mutagenic substances'.
Prepared vegetables are less cancerous than prepared meat, but to really lower cancer risk you should consume as little of all prepared foods. Consume as much fruits, some fresh raw animal food (like sashimi) and munch-foods to satisfy your cravings.
Anti-oxidants
We don't like to change our diet. We rather believe that supplements or vegetables will provide us with substances that protect us against cancer. Unfortunately, such substances do not, and never will exist.
Many 'experts' say that anti-oxidants are 'good', preventing cancer, and oxidative radicals are 'bad'. But that is nonsense. The only reason why they do so, is because you can make lots of money by selling antioxidants to people who are afraid of getting cancer.
Stating that radicals are bad substances is criminal and misleading ; to obtain energy from sugars for example, these sugars first have to be oxidized, requiring oxidative radicals. Oxygen radicals also kill bacteria and clean up drug-residues, and are needed to compose hormones, to keep the veins flexible and to regulate blood pressure. Without oxygen radicals, you can't live !!!
However, if external radicals enter the body, these radicals can damage enzymes, organs or cell-DNA/RNA, and cause cancer.
By nature, our body uses antioxidants to prevent damage by natural radicals. But though antioxidants can actively bind to radicals, they can never ever disarm all dangerous exogenous radicals.
Where do those external radicals come from ?
From inhaling polluted air and from consuming prepared foods, containing damaged proteins or too much minerals.
Most damaged protein cannot easily be decomposed by enzymes in the digestive tract. Both decomposed- and partly-decomposed proteins are absorbed into the lymph and the blood. And in the blood radicals and enzymes decompose all substances that shouldn’t be there, step by step. Decomposing these substances, very often radicals originate. And sometimes these radicals damage cells before they are completely decomposed.
Can consuming more antioxidants prevent cancer ?
Only if your body has too little antioxidants at its disposal. Though toxic HCA originate oxidative radicals , and decrease antioxidant , extra antioxidants cannot prevent the damaging effects of toxic HCA
To absorb sufficient antioxidants, you only need to consume lots of fruits, containing all the antioxidants you need. Consuming more antioxidants can impossibly prevent cancer. Don't force your body to absorb more antioxidants by taking supplements. Supplements are far too concentrated, not allowing the body to avert excessive antioxidants.
But how can too much antioxidants ever be bad ?
Antioxidants like vitamin C, E and beta-carotene actively bind to radicals. Antioxidant excess inhibits the useful functions of radicals, like decomposing tumor-cells, and can therefore enhance cancer !! Radicals also kill mutagenic substances from cigarette smoke. Consuming supplementary ß-carotene therefore inhibits protective action of radicals, increasing lung cancer risk.
Excessive vitamin C can cause cancer by activating mutagenic HCA from food and can also enhance cancer because tumors need vitamin C to grow. Vitamin C also increases transformation of harmless iron into pro-oxidative free iron. \
To prevent antioxidants from causing damage, you should not take supplements. Simply eat as much fruit as you can, and some fresh raw animal food, to allow the body to absorb sufficient, but not too much antioxidants. Your body can much more effectively regulate absorption of antioxidants from food.
Note : Some people are allergic to specific substances in specific fruits, so increase fruit consumption gradually to make sure you can safely eat those fruits.
Semi-antioxidants
Some people refer to phenols, flavonoids, phyto-estrogens and phytate in vegetables and grains as antioxidants too. And again, people think that these semi-antioxidants are 'good', and radicals aren't. But again, these people are wrong;
These semi-antioxidants are not selective ; they are not 'smart bombs' knowing exactly what substances to kill. It is true that some of these substances can easily bind to radicals, to mutagenic substances, or to enzymes activating mutagenic substances. But substances that are most toxic, like cyanide, also most effectively bind to such pro-cancerous substances. And of course, that does not make them 'good'. It only makes them dangerous to mutagenic substances as well as to nutrients and healthy cells. Just like chemotherapy is effective because these drugs are toxic, enabling them to kill both cancer- and non-cancer cells. But should we therefore preventively use chemotherapy or antioxidants ?
Phyto-estrogens are 'weak' estrogens, and can replace common (powerful) estrogens. (23) And because excessive estrogen can cause breast cancer, these phyto-estrogens are regarded as 'good' substances. Soya contains most phyto-estrogen.
Absorbing phyto-estrogens and lignin’s stimulates SHBG production (Sex-Hormone Binding Globulin), intercepting common estrogens and phyto-estrogens. Decreasing too-high estrogen levels decreases prostate cancer- and breast cancer-risk. In vegetarians SHBG level is increased. Soya can contain very high levels of phyto-estrogens (like genisteine and daidzeine, also present in beer) . Genistein and daidzeine also inhibit enzymes activating mutagenic substances. (These enzymes however, are naturally designed to protect the body against natural mutagenics, absorbed through inhaling smoke from forest fires for example. Inhibiting those enzymes eliminates that protection.)
However, consuming high amounts of soy increases the level of some hormones (DHEA-sulphate) Consuming soymilk for 3 months can already decrease estradiol level 27%, and lengthen menstruation cycle by 2 days. Messing with your hormones is of course not a good thing. Estrogen for example is not a 'bad' substance, but essential. Therefore phyto-estrogens can cause infertility and liver-diseases.
The main phyto-estrogen, genisteine, is even mutagenic !!! Like coumestrol (also a phyto-estrogen), genisteine can damage DNA of common cells in our , which can cause cancer. Like daidzeine (also a soy-phyto-estrogen), genisteine damages sperm cells. And different phyto-estrogens, like genisteine, enhance prolactin-producing brain-tumors.
Phyto-estrogens have to be regarded as drugs or chemotherapy ; both dangerous and useful. And being a healthy person, you don't take chemotherapy to prevent cancer, do you ?
To prevent cancer caused by estrogens, you should not use hormonal contraceptives , nor consume dairy products. Consuming alcohol also increases estradiol level (beer makes men grow 'breasts')
Genisteine inhibits tyrosine kinase and topoisomerase 2. These enzymes are essential to build up DNA, for constructing new cells. Without these enzymes you can't compose new cells, but tumors also can't multiply.
Herbs containing phyto-estrogens have been used as medicines for ages ; phyto-estrogens from oregano, verbena, thyme, red clover and diamana can bind to progesterone-receptors, lowering progesterone level. Phyto-estrogens from liquorices, red clover, thyme, hop and verbena can bind to estrogen receptors.
Also, Soya bean is unnatural food for humans ; it contains different substances inhibiting digestion and absorption of nutrients. Consuming lots of soy enhances vitamin A, -B12, -D and -E deficiencies. These inhibiting substances are partly destroyed due to the preparation process, but the preparation process unfortunately also originates new mutagenic substances in soy.
Soya beans are high in insoluble fiber, enhancing bacterial decomposition of nutrients in the intestinal tract, originating gasses. Soya flour contains high amounts of polyurones, which can only partly be decomposed in the colon. Soy also contains phytate, which is only partly destroyed by heat, inhibiting absorption of minerals and probably vitamin B1. Soy also contains arabinoxylanes and tannins inhibiting digestion.
Phenols, from vegetables for example, are regarded as semi-antioxidants, preventing cancer. Polyphenols can bind to mutagenic substances , because they're so aggressive. That's why concentrated phenols are used to clean up bacteria and moulds.
Flavonoids for example, are polyphenols ; some flavonoids (like flavone, chrysine and apigenin) are anaesthetic. Many flavonoïds become mutagenic by preparation. Quercetine is the main flavonoid, and is also mutagenic. Because quercetine (and caffeic acid in Lamb's lettuce) is that aggressive, it can inhibit enzymes activating other mutagenic substances, and is therefore regarded as an antioxidant. Those enzymes originally are designed to eliminate natural mutagenics. Some flavonoids inhibit those activating enzymes , other flavonoids act in an opposite manner. Flavonoids / phyto-estrogens in soy, rye and linseed also easily bind to iodide, causing iodide deficiencies.
Fiber, phytate, oxalate ; Even fiber, phytate and oxalate sometimes are regarded as antioxidants, because they can bind to lots of different substances, but especially to calcium, iron and zinc. And again, that does not at all make them 'good'. Especially grains (bran in particular), peas and beans contain too much insoluble fiber (6 times more than average fruit), causing bacterial decomposition of foods in the digestive tract (gasses).
Beans and cereals contain too much phytate, which isn't decomposed completely by preparation. Vegetables like mangold, rhubarb, spinach, purslane, beetroot and bamboo shoots contain too much oxalate.
Lignins are indigestible, and regarded as antioxidants because they bind to cholesterol and mutagenic nitrosocompounds But cholesterol is a very valuable, essential nutrient
Why not regard diarrhea as anti-oxidative ; diarrhea also prevents absorption of cholesterol !!!
Lignins also easily mineralize, causing the loss of minerals. Especially beans (and dried currants) contain about 4 to 140 times as much lignin as the average fruit has.
Isothiocyanates ; vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts contain isothiocyanates, which can both or stimulate enzymes activating mutagenic substances. Thiocyanates and nitrite (in vegetables) are also pro-oxidative. Isothiocyanates can become mutagenic through reacting upon aromatic amines due to the influence of heat.
Other mutagenics / toxins ; Many unnatural foods contain mutagenic substances by nature, or contain substances that originate toxins when partly decomposed in the body of the consumer, to prevent being consumed by animals like humans ;
Consuming beans containing pyrimidins (isouramile, divicine) and peas containing nitriles and toxins can highly stimulate the release of oxygen radicals.
Millet contains dhiurrin, originating toxic cyanide. Potato, cassava and sweet potato also contain cyanogenic substances. Cooking only partly destroys these substances. Rhubarb can contain mutagenic emodine. Parsley, celery, dill and fennel contain furocoumarins, which can become tumor-stimulating. Cacao, nutmeg, laurel, anis, mace, black pepper and ginger contain tiny amounts of carcinogenic saffron.
These 'foods' actually are not foods, but medicines, and therefore should not be commonly consumed.
Furthermore, grains, meat, milk and cheese (through feeding contaminated grains to cows) can contain very cancerous aflatoxins. If nuts are shelled and stored 'en masse', they can contain aflatoxins too. Buy un-shelled nuts.
Grains also can contain cancerous polychloridebiphenyles, arsenium (cancerous to the skin), cadmium (decreases serotonine level) and lead (probably cancerous).
Gastroesophageal reflux disease
What is gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)?
Reflux means that stomach acid and juices flow from the stomach back up into the tube that leads from the throat to the stomach (esophagus). This causes heartburn. When you have heartburn at least 2 times a week, it is called gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD.
Eating too much or bending forward after eating sometimes causes heartburn and a sour taste in the mouth. But having heartburn from time to time doesn't mean you have GERD. With GERD, the reflux—and heartburn—last longer and come more often. If this happens to you, it is important to treat it, because GERD can cause ulcers and damage to the esophagus.
What causes GERD?
Normally when you swallow your food, it travels down the food pipe (esophagus) to a valve that opens to let the food pass into the stomach and then closes. With GERD, the valve doesn't close tightly enough. Stomach acid and juices flow from the stomach and back up (reflux) into the esophagus.
What are the symptoms?
The main symptom of GERD is heartburn. It may feel like a burning, warmth, or pain just behind the breastbone. It is also common to have symptoms at night when you are trying to sleep.
If you have pain behind your breastbone, it is important to make sure it is not caused by a problem with your heart. The burning sensation caused by GERD usually occurs after you eat. Pain from the heart usually feels like pressure, heaviness, weight, tightness, squeezing, discomfort, or a dull ache. It occurs most often after you are active.
How is GERD diagnosed?
First, your doctor will do a physical exam and ask you questions about your health. You may or may not need further tests. Your doctor may just treat your symptoms by prescribing medicines that reduce or block stomach acid. These include H2 blockers (for example, Pepcid) or proton pump inhibitors (for example, Prilosec). If your heartburn goes away after you take the medicine, your doctor will likely diagnose GERD.
In some cases doctors do tests to be sure that you have GERD or to look for other problems.
Endoscopy is a test that lets the doctor look at the inside of your esophagus and stomach through a tiny camera in a thin, flexible, lighted tube (endoscope).
Esophagus testing is a group of tests that check the condition of the esophagus and how well it works.
An upper gastrointestinal series helps your doctor examine the upper part of your digestive system. These X-rays can show other health problems that may be causing your symptoms.
Ho w is it treated?
For mild symptoms of GERD, you can try antacids or over-the-counter medicines. These include H2 blockers (for example, Pepcid) or a proton pump inhibitor (for example, Prilosec OTC). Changing your diet, losing weight, and making other lifestyle changes can also help. For severe symptoms of GERD, your doctor may prescribe medicine along with lifestyle changes.
Your doctor may recommend surgery if medicine doesn't work or if you can't take it because of the side effects. For example, fundoplication surgery strengthens the valve between the esophagus and stomach. But many people continue to need some medicine even after surgery.
GERD is common in pregnant women. It doesn't usually cause problems or harm the baby (fetus). Pregnant women with GERD can take antacids to treat their symptoms, but they should talk to their doctors before using other medicines. Some medicines may not be safe to take during pregnancy. Most of the time, symptoms get better after the baby is born.
How can you manage GERD?
Many people with GERD have it for the rest of their lives. You may need to take medicine for many years to help control the symptoms. But making certain lifestyle changes can also help. Here are some tips that may help your symptoms:
Quit smoking or using tobacco.
After eating, wait 2 to 3 hours before you lie down.
Raise the head of your bed 6 to 8 inches by putting blocks under the frame or a foam wedge under the head of the mattress.
If you are overweight, lose weight. Even losing a small amount of weight can help.
Wear loose-fitting clothes around your waist and midsection. This puts less pressure on the stomach.
Try to eat smaller meals more often, and avoid any foods that make you feel worse.
Use chewing gum or hard candies to increase the amount of saliva your mouth produces. Saliva washes stomach juices out of the esophagus into the stomach and can control stomach acid
Gallstone Disease
===================================================
Millions of people heard the name "gallstone" and the disease, but itis still full of mystery.There are people who have big stones inside their small gallbladder,but don't even know they have them and experience no symptoms.However, once it starts raging, some organs of the body like theliver and pancreas will be damaged.Many patients are left unaware that they are having gallstones.Besides, the disease is always being discovered or detected late.Even during a full physical examination or general checkup, findinggallstone symptoms usually fails. What is the reason behind it?
## CAUSES
Do you believe that people who watch TV more than 40 hours a weekhave a higher risk of developing gallstone than those who watch lessthan six hours a week? Does it link to obesity and lack of exercise?What is the reason and cause behind this mystery? This was thequestion asked and surveyed in the US. The bile (a digestive fluidstored in the gallbladder) is prone to gallstones and doctors believeit as the cause.Lipid-based diet contains the highest amount of cholesterol, and webelieve that it is the major cause of gallstones. Cholesterol in thebile and increasing amount of cholesterol in the gallbladder is themajor cause to gallstone problem.
## SYMPTOMS
Many cases of gallstone are asymptomatic as long as the gallstonesare inside the gallbladder. But once the gallstones are outside thegallbladder, they will start to roll around and get stuck along theducts, which will cause various symptoms. This is called agallbladder disease. Sick bile flow causes chronic inflammation andsevere pain occurs.Liver damage may also occur by the similar reason. In some cases,hepatitis and cirrhosis may also occur. Worst-case scenario,stagnating bile bacteria may grow in the entire body leadingto "septicemia".In addition to the common bile duct, obstruction of the outlet of thepancreatic exocrine system can cause "pancreatitis".Most patients who underwent surgical operation for the removal ofgallstones have had no signs or symptoms excepting sudden severepain. Also, many may notice that these patients had undergone generalcheckup yearly or every six months at reputable hospitals. But whydoctors failed to find or diagnose or explain the existence ofgallstones? Most doctors will inspect or diagnose it if youspecifically requested it to check for symptoms. It is a commonpractice.
## RADIOGRAPHIC (X-RAY) TESTS AND ECHOCARDIOGRAM
General checkup and X-ray are commonly performed on chest, and thegallbladder section is not taken most of the time. Also, you shouldknow that X-ray does not usually indicate the presence of gallstoneas it is mostly composed of lipid cholesterol.If you keep or leave the bile at your body temperature, it will formcrystallized cholesterol and will grow bigger overtime forminggallstones. This kind of gallstone can't be shown in X-ray.There are other kinds of gallstone, too, depending on the patients.Some of them can be seen in X-ray.To check the presence of gallstone, regardless of its type and size,echocardiogram is usually being utilized.
## GALLBLADDER CONTRACTION
A certain experiment showed that eating raw eggs or high caloriefoods will increase gallbladder contraction. On the other hand,eating or drinking vegetable juice that does not contain lipid willdecrease gallbladder contraction.If the gallbladder contraction is insufficient or not in a state ofcontraction for a very long time, and the bile has been muchconcentrated, then the gallbladder is seen to be more prone todevelop gallstones.
## CONCLUSION
It does not mean that all of us will be affected by gallstone. Thereare some who never had any symptoms in their lifetime. We call thissilent gallstone, and occasionally, they disappear on their own.Although we do not have any definite records, we believe that nearly70% of us never notice or never experience such symptoms.Do not skip breakfast! We believe that gallstone is mostly made whileyou are sleeping when the gallbladder contraction is insufficient.Breakfast will help the gallbladder to wake up. Irregular meal isalso one cause that leads to gallstone problem.Many believe that too much fat is the main cause of gallstoneproblem, but it is certainly not.According to our experience, if you will leave the gallstones in thegallbladder, X-ray and echocardiogram examinations may not give fullresult. Detection of gallbladder cancer and other diseases may bedelayed.
Garlic
Who is this for?
Uses
Much of garlic's reputation is based on observation and tradition. While numerous animal and human studies have been carried out to test garlic's effectiveness for a wide range of health conditions, many of the studies have been small and short. Not all of the studies used standardized garlic products or similar dosing schedules. Therefore, comparing the study results is difficult and many of them are unreliable. However, taking garlic appears to have few or no serious side effects and it may be a useful addition to conventional treatments for certain conditions.
In the United States, oral garlic supplements are sold mainly to reduce the risk of heart disease. It has been studied most to treat high cholesterol. Results of numerous animal and human studies show that garlic does seem to be better than placebo (sugar pills with no medical effectiveness) for lowering high blood levels of total cholesterol and triglycerides. Garlic does not lower blood cholesterol as much as dietary changes plus prescription drugs known as HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (HMGs). Also called statins, HMGs include Crestor, Lescol, Lipitor, lovastatin, pravastatin, and simvastatin. In general, these medications in combination with low-fat diets may produce a 28% to 60% reduction in total cholesterol. Garlic may be responsible for cholesterol reductions in the 6% to 12% range. Additionally, several studies appear to show that garlic's cholesterol-lowering effects may be only short-term. Lower cholesterol seen after one month of treatment, may return to near pre-treatment levels after 6 months to 12 months of garlic therapy. One study of 30 children with an inherited type of high cholesterol known as familial hypercholesterolemia found no effect from garlic on their cholesterol levels.
While garlic also appears to have a small effect on lowering high blood pressure, overall results from a number of studies were generally not considered to be significant. On average, individuals who participated in several small clinical trials of a powdered garlic product had blood pressure reductions of 5% to 7% more than other participants who took an inactive placebo. It is believed that garlic may affect blood pressure by relaxing blood vessels, causing them to widen and allowing blood to flow more easily.
In addition, the thickness of the blood may be reduced by taking garlic, which may block the body's production of thromboxane, a chemical involved in blood clotting and blood vessel tightening. Garlic has also been proved to reduce the stickiness of platelets. Platelets are blood components that are partly responsible for forming atherosclerotic plaques--the cholesterol-associated deposits that can block arteries. In several studies conducted in laboratory animals, garlic appeared to stop or delay the formation of atherosclerotic plaques. Two separate human studies that each lasted for four years, also showed that existing plaques could be reduced in size by garlic supplementation.
Other protective effects may result from garlic's ability to lower the levels of homocysteine in the blood. Homocysteine is an amino acid (molecules that combine to form proteins) that is produced from the break down of another amino acid in the body. High levels of homocysteine raise the risk of having heart disease and other conditions. Because it irritates the inside of blood vessels, homocysteine causes artery damage, which may lead to blood clots. It may also be a factor in the complications (eye, kidney, and nerve damage) of diabetes. Additionally, high homocysteine levels may contribute to dementia, such as Alzheimer's disease. In general, dementia is an increasing deficiency in thought processes caused by brain damage. Garlic's ability to lower homocysteine may reduce blood vessel damage. In animal studies and a few small studies in humans, supplemental garlic has shown a general reducing effect on homocysteine levels.
Additional animal studies have shown that either oral or injected garlic can lower blood sugar levels in some animals that have diabetes. Although not all types of supplemental garlic showed an effect, raw garlic has also reduced blood sugar levels even in laboratory rats that did not have diabetes. In some of the studies, animals receiving garlic increased the release of insulin and used insulin more efficiently. In one study, garlic supplementation prevented weight gain in laboratory rats with diabetes. However, one study of humans found that garlic was not any better than an inactive placebo for controlling type 2 diabetes. Although garlic has been used in Asia and other parts of the world to treat diabetes, much more research is needed to prove or disprove its effects on blood sugar levels.
Some garlic preparations have also been promoted for boosting immune function. Garlic has been shown in laboratory research to increase blood levels of at least two enzymes that have antioxidant properties. Antioxidants are thought to protect body cells from damage caused by a chemical process called oxidation. In one study, seven people living with AIDS showed improvements in natural immune function after 12 weeks of garlic supplementation. No further human studies have been published to support these results, although some animal research seems to confirm them.
Extensive research, conducted mostly in Asia, has associated high intakes of raw and/or cooked garlic and similar plant foods with a lower incidence of colorectal, esophageal, and stomach cancers. One study showed reductions in both the size and the number of pre-cancerous colon polyps (small growths along the inside of the intestines) among individuals who took aged garlic extract for one year. One five-year observational study that followed more than 40,000 American women between the ages of 55 and 69, also found that the women who used a lot of garlic in food preparation were less likely to have colon cancer than the women who did not cook with garlic. However, a study conducted over a three-year period in the Netherlands, did not show a reduction in breast, colon, lung, or rectal cancers among people who consumed garlic as compared with those whose diets did not include garlic. Much more research is needed to determine whether garlic can protect against prostate cancer.
Garlic has long been known to be anti-infective. Laboratory studies show that it kills or damages a wide range of microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi, protozoans, and viruses. The blood levels needed to control or kill most internal infective agents, however, may be too high to achieve by taking garlic orally. It may be effective, though, for controlling infective agents on the skin's surface and in the mouth. Several studies carried out in humans show that a compound extracted from garlic is effective and safe for application on fungal infections such as athlete's foot and ringworm. Both laboratory and human studies have shown that chewing garlic or applying a garlic preparation kills or controls a number of different microorganisms that live in the mouth.
Cancer
POWERFUL HERBS AGAINST CANCER
During creation, God placed on earth all foods which are essential in maintaining healthy body. He gave us the vitamins, minerals, herbs, antioxidants, plant extracts and
other nutrients the body needs in order to prevent illness and maintain healthy condition. There are herbs which have been truly a great blessing to mankind because of their versatility in providing medical benefits. Among these are garlic, milk thistle and curcumin.
**GARLIC**
Garlic has cholesterol and triglyceride-lowering, anti-clotting, anti-bacterial and anti-tumor effects. Its main component sulfur containing phytochemicals is helpful in combating free-radicals.
Garlic contains "organosulfur compounds." Research studies revealed that occurrence of cancer is lowest where the consumption of organosulfur-rich foods is greatest. It is furtherly revealed in the studies that organosulfur compounds hinders the growth of human breast cancer cells. Organosulfur compounds also protect the body against liver cancer caused by aflatoxin. Garlic's potentiality in being an anti-cancer agent is mainly due to the ability of the organosulfur compounds to increase antioxidant activity and to directly hinder the growth of tumor.
A study conducted by Dr. T. Abdullah of the Akbar Clinic and Research Institute in Panama, Florida demonstrated how garlic boosts anticancer immune function. This study revealed that the subjects who ate raw garlic possess natural killer cells that destroyed 140 to 160 percent more cancer cells than those did not eat garlic.
In six of ten studies, garlic extracts rich in allicin lowered total blood cholesterol by an average of 24.8 milligram per deciliter, LDL by an average of 15.3 mg/ dL and triglycerides 38 mg/dL - all significant enough to have an effect on heart disease risk.
The antidiabetes effect of garlic was proven in a research study done by the US Department of Agriculture Human Nutrition Center in Beltsville, Maryland. This research demonstrated decreases in blood sugar and enhancements in insulin activity with the use of garlic.
**MILK THISTLE**
Milk Thistle are flowering plants of the daisy family which are native to Mediterranean regions of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East and has scientific name silybum marianum. Traditional uses for milk thistle included treatment of varicose veins, menstrual problems, depression and low breastmilk production. Sofar, its most significant use is as a liver supporter.
Liver detoxification makes a great number of free radicals. This is the reason why the liver contains a high concentration of natural antioxidants specifically glutathione. Milk thistle has been used to treat liver disorders, including cirrhosis and hepatitis since the times of the Romans. Modern research reveals that its active component , the flavanoid "silymarin" has remarkable antioxidant power that centers in the tissues of the liver.
Milk thistle is the antidote to death cap mushroom poisoning. Taking large doses of milk thistle can be lifesaving if you have swallowed the wrong kind of mushroom. Milk thistle protects the liver against man-made poisons which includes carbon tetrachloride, thioacetamide( a man-made chemical that causes cirrhosis) and heavy metals.
Milk thistle neutralizes free radicals in the liver, partially by raising levels of glutathione,
peroxidase and suproxide dismutase (another antioxidant enzyme) in liver cells. Milk thistle also hinders the production of biochemicals that accelerate excessive inflammation of the liver. Milk thistle also stimulates ha growth of new liver cells. It literally regenerates liver tissues. Studies claim that phytochemicals from milk thistle protect liver cells against DNA damage, and stabilize immune cells that drive the inflammatory process.
Milk thistle may also be beneficial therapy for diabetes. In a study made by Chinese researchers, which involved fourteen patients with type 2 diabetes. These patients took milkthistle for four weeks and it was observed that their red blood cell sorbital levels(a measurement of high blood sugar) dropped 50 percent. Psoriasis, an inflammatory skin condition has also been controlled with milk thistle supplementation.
Some research claims hat flavanoids from milk thistle help the kidneys to perform their detoxifying activities effectively. Milk thistle has also shown the ability to slow down the growth of human breast, prostrate and cervical cancer cells in testtube studies.
**CURCUMIN (CURCUMA LONGA) **
Curcumin or turmeric is a bright yellow orange spice that belongs to the ginger family. It has been used as a culinary spice and medical herb for thousands of years. A massive body of research reveals that "curcumin" may well be our most powerful natural helper in our fight against cancer.
In one test-tube study, the growth of human breast cancer cells enhanced by 17-beta estradiol- the strongest natural estrogen- was blocked 98 prcent, the growth of cancer cells to which the xenobiotic DDT was added slowed down by 75 percent when curcumin was also added; and the effect of combination of toxic chemicals chlordane and endosulfane, which is known to have induced breast cancer growth was inhibited 90 percent with the addition of curcumin.
Curcumin also blocks other non-estrogenic chemicals that cause cancer including diethylnitrosamine and dioxine. Curcumin blocks the activity of cancer growth factors such as NF-kappa B, certain cytokines, protein kinase C and interleukin-8. Curcumin
Is a natural inhibitor of the inflammation-causing COX enzymes.
In a test-tube study, curcumin prevented all DNA damage in bacteria that were exposed to lethal doses of radiation, Curcumin interrupts the cycle of cancer cells in a particular stage of growth. Meat cooked over an open flame forms carcinogenic chemicals. A meat marinade made with curcumin was shown to reduce the formation of carcinogenic chemicals. Curcumin has also proven benefits of immunity, wound healing and heart health by reducing blood lipids and preventing LDL oxidation.
BASIC HEALTH PUBLICATIONS
USER'S GUIDE TO ANTIOXIDANT SUPPLEMENTS BY:
JACK CHALLEM AND MELISSA BLOCK
New International Journal Cellular And Molecular Bioengineering To Strengthen Biomedical Engineering Portfolio
Feeling stressed out linked to cervical cancer
Study suggests frazzled women have more trouble fighting off HPV
Breast cancer
Colon cancer
Melanoma
Ovarian cancer
Prostate cancer
getCSS("3053751")
Related stories
What’s this?
House OKs delay in mandatory HPV vaccinations for schoolgirls
getCSS("3053751")
Most popular
• Most viewed
• Top rated
• Most e-mailed
Flu season expected to get worse
Vulnerability exposed in today’s open campuses
Dispute over guns threatens Senate vote
Israeli Arab says she's world's oldest person
FAQ: How does the election system work?
Most viewed on msnbc.com
'Net neutrality' bill introduced
Blue Cross quits asking docs to 'rat out' patients
Why are thousands of bats dying in New York?
Rape used as weapon in Kenya’s ethnic clashes
Dogs give up their lives to save family
Most viewed on msnbc.com
Delay in armored trucks blamed for U.S. deaths
Flu season expected to get worse
Tricks of the trade: Get the best airline deals
Walken receives Harvard's Hasty Pudding award
Vulnerability exposed in today’s open campuses
Most viewed on msnbc.com
if (pop_tabBoxes) pop_pushTabBox('boxB_3053751');
var tcdacmd="dt";
By Steve Mitchell
UpdateTimeStamp('633387024429970000');
Feeling stressed could play a role in the development of cervical cancer, a new report suggests.
But experts say the findings are still preliminary and it's too soon to rush out and enroll in a stress-management course in hopes of combating the disease.
The human papillomavirus (HPV) has long been known as the primary cause of cervical cancer, but the virus alone doesn't seem to be enough to induce the disease. Most sexually active women will contract HPV at some point in their lives, but 90 percent will clear the virus from their body before it causes any damage, suggesting other factors are at play in the unfortunate minority who eventually develop cervical cancer.
Story continues below ↓
advertisement
dap('&PG=NBCMSH&AP=1089','300','250');
The new study, published Friday in the journal Annals of Behavioral Medicine, found that feeling stressed out may be one such factor by impairing the body's ability to fight off the virus.
“Women who reported higher levels of perceived stress — regardless of what was actually happening in their life — showed an impaired immune response to HPV,” said Carolyn Fang, a psychologist at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia and lead author of the study.
Too early for alarmHowever, it's too early to sound the alarm, Fang added. More research is needed to confirm the finding and show that reducing stress improves the body's ability to fight off HPV.
“I don't want women to think that just because they're feeling stressed they will get cervical cancer,” Fang said.
Previous research has indicated that women with higher levels of stress were more likely to develop cervical cancer, so Fang's team decided to look at whether stress somehow impaired the body's immune response to HPV.
The study involved 74 women who had abnormal Pap smears that revealed precancerous cells and another 28 women who had normal Pap results. (Half of the women with abnormal Pap results were infected with HPV strains known to cause cancer, including the culprit known as HPV-16, compared with about 18 percent of the women with normal Pap tests.)
Click for related content
Weight gain may increase cancer risk Breast cancer risk tied to fertility timing Gals make passes at guys who wash glasses Sometimes a good cry is the best medicine
The women with abnormal Paps underwent blood tests and also were asked about their perceived stress over the last month and about actual major stress events in the past six months, such as death of a family member, divorce or being fired from work.
Results showed that the women with precancerous cells who reported a higher level of perceived stress also showed a poorer immune response to HPV-16.
Perceived stress to blameNotably, only perceived stress and not actual stressful life events were associated with this weakened immune response. One possible explanation for this discrepancy is that the women were asked about perceived levels of stress over the past month whereas actual stressful events were over the past six months, so it could be that the more recent perceived stress has a bigger impact on immune function than actual events that may have occurred further in the past, the researchers said. Another explanation is that perceived stress levels may be more important than actual stressful events because people respond to and handle stressful situations differently.
The women with normal Pap results did not complete the stress questionnaire, so it's not known whether stress had any impact on their immune response to HPV.
Dr. Maureen Killackey, a gynecological oncologist at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York and chair of the New York State Breast and Cervical Cancer Advisory Council, said that while the findings are interesting, they're not enough to pin the blame for cervical cancer on stress.
getCSS("3053751")
Quiz: How vulnerable are you to stress?
Interactive: How stress affects your body
Quiz: Are you at risk for job burnout?
Video: Do monks get stressed?
Does it work? Reviews of stress products
Quiz: Are you a competitive stresser?
Take a stress break with these videos
Discuss: Share your stress stories and tipsBut she noted that many researchers speculate that stress may somehow be involved in cervical cancer because stressful times in women's lives can often be associated with abnormal Pap smear results.
Fang's team is currently conducting another study that may shed more light on this issue. The study is looking at whether a program that involves meditation and other stress reduction techniques improves women's immune response to HPV or cervical cancer.
Robert Smith, director of cancer screening at the American Cancer Society, said if further research confirms the connection, then this could be another reason for women to receive the HPV vaccine, Gardasil, which is currently recommended for those between the ages of 9 to 26.
“It means the vaccine would be doing the work and you wouldn't be relying on trying to avoid stress as a co-factor to prevent the cancer,” Smith said.
None of the participants in the study had received Gardasil because the vaccine, which was only approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2006, was not yet available at the time of the research.
Health officials keeping eye on drug-resistant flu strain
Drug-resistant virus could limit treatment options, doctors say
By Jeremy Manier Tribune reporter
Ten Chicago-area patients have tested positive for an unusual type of drug-resistant influenza, prompting concern and increased surveillance by local and federal health officials.The strain of flu can be treated successfully with some drugs, but it does not respond to Tamiflu, the most common anti-viral medication for flu. The Illinois Department of Public Health issued a health alert to doctors and hospitals Thursday, suggesting that flu patients who are in intensive care receive a combination of drugs until their virus can be analyzed.Officials said eight of the Tamiflu-resistant infections came from an outbreak at a single Chicago health-care facility, the name of which has not been released.
Nationwide, 4.6 percent of flu samples tested have shown signs of drug resistance this season, said officials with the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In previous years, resistance to the drug hovered below 1 percent of all cases."We have seen this before, though not at this level," said Dr. Joe Bresee, chief of epidemiology and prevention in the CDC's influenza division.The worry among some experts is that flu strains could develop resistance to more than one drug, leaving doctors with few options for treating severely ill patients. One way that could happen would be for patients to get infected with two flu strains at once, each with resistance to a different type of anti-viral medication."If you had two viruses in the same cell, they could recombine and generate a new virus," said Dr. Steven Wolinsky, chief of infectious diseases at Northwestern University. "The fact that we're seeing resistance to first-line medications is worrisome."Anti-viral drugs work by preventing viruses from making more copies of themselves inside human cells. They are different from antibiotics, which kill bacteria. Just as bacteria can evolve resistance to antibiotics, viruses can develop into strains that do not succumb to anti-viral medication.In other news, the CDC reported Friday that this season, the flu has killed 10 U.S. children. Bresee said the deaths are "not totally unexpected," given the rate of 44 to 73 child flu deaths the last few years; the agency continues to monitor the fatality rate.Four of the young flu victims also had been infected with staph bacteria. Experts said patients who are weakened by flu often are more vulnerable to staph and other secondary infections.Illinois officials said they have seen more flu cases occur in recent weeks, which is normal for this time of year. Although it's too soon to judge whether this flu season is worse than normal, several factors could increase the toll.For one thing, this season's flu vaccine is not a perfect match with the viruses that are infecting people. Each season's vaccine is formulated based on an educated guess about what flu variants will hit the U.S., and this year's guess was a bit off."Slightly more than half of the viruses we're looking at are somewhat different from the vaccine strains," Bresee said. Although people who have been vaccinated should get some protection, it will be less than if the vaccine had matched this season's virus.This year's form of flu virus also may be naturally more likely to cause disease. In most years, some form of the H1N1 variety is most common, but this time about 55 percent of cases belong to the H3N2 group, which can produce more severe cases of illness.Bresee said no one can gauge how bad things are until more time has passed."I'll tell you in May," he said.
Heavy cell phone use tied to poor sperm quality
In a study of 361 men seen at their infertility clinic, researchers at the Cleveland Clinic found an association between the patients’ cell phone use and their sperm quality.
On average, the more hours the men spent on their cell phones each day, the lower their sperm count and the greater their percentage of abnormal sperm.
Story continues below ↓
advertisement
dap('&PG=NBCMSH&AP=1089','300','250');
The findings, published in the journal Fertility and Sterility, add to questions about the potential health effects of cell phones and other wireless devices. Some studies, for example, have linked long-term cell phone use to a higher risk of brain tumors, though many other studies have found no such connection.
The concern is that, over time, the electromagnetic energy emitted from mobile phones could theoretically harm body tissue — by damaging DNA, for example.
However, the new findings do not prove that cell phones somehow damage sperm, according to the researchers.
“Our results show a strong association of cell phone use with decreased semen quality. However, they do not prove a cause-and- effect relationship,” lead researcher Dr. Ashok Agarwal told Reuters Health.
He and his colleagues based their findings on semen samples from 361 men who came to their infertility clinic over one year. All of the men were questioned about their cell phone habits.
In general, the researchers found, sperm count and sperm quality tended to decline as daily cell phone hours increased. Men who said they used their phones for more than four hours each day had the lowest average sperm count and the fewest normal, viable sperm.
“We infer from our results that heavy cell phone use ... is associated with a lower semen quality,” Agarwal said. But whether cell phones somehow directly affect men’s fertility is not clear.
Click for related content
Cosmic Log: Cell-proof your skivvies?Your cell phone won't give you brain cancerEven great sex can end in post-coital blues
Agarwal said he and his colleagues have two studies underway aiming to shed light on the issue. In one, they are exposing semen samples to electromagnetic radiation from cell phones to see what, if any, effects occur.
The second is a follow-up to the current study that is assessing a larger group of men. Agarwal said this study is more rigorously designed and will account for certain other factors like lifestyle habits and occupational exposures that might affect sperm quality.
Kids on steroids willing to risk it all for success
Among students in grades 8 through 12 who admitted to using anabolic steroids in a confidential survey, 57 percent said professional athletes influenced their decision to use the drugs and 63 percent said pro athletes influenced their friends' decision to use them. Eighty percent of users — and 35 percent of non-users — said they believed steroids could help them achieve their athletic dreams.
What's more, the steroid users said they were willing to take extreme risks to reach sports stardom or other athletic goals. The survey found that 65 percent of steroid users versus 6 percent of non-users said they would be willing to use a pill or powder, including dietary supplements, if it guaranteed they would reach their athletic goals even if it may harm their health, and 57 percent of users versus 4 percent of non-users said they would take a pill or powder even if it may shorten their life.
Story continues below ↓
advertisement
dap('&PG=NBCFT2&AP=1089','300','250');
Advertisementvar inDapIF=true;window.setTimeout("document.close();",30000);\n\n\n'));" frameBorder=0 width=300 scrolling=no height=250>
"It's scary," says study author Jay Hoffman, chair of health and exercise science at the College of New Jersey in Ewing. "This study shows that adolescents are willing to take those risks."
The survey, conducted from 2005 to 2006, involved more than 3,200 students in 12 states, most of them from New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New Mexico. Other states included Iowa, Wisconsin, Connecticut, Missouri, Ohio, Colorado, New York, Minnesota and California.
Overall, 1.6 percent of students (2.4 percent of boys and .8 percent of girls) — about 50 students in total — reported using anabolic steroids, according to results published in the January issue of the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. That's lower than more nationally representative research, such as the government's National Youth Risk Behavior Survey, which found in 2005 that 4 percent of kids in grades 9 through 12 reported steroid use.
In the new survey, steroid use increased with age, especially in boys, with almost 6 percent of 12th grade males reporting steroid use.
Some students reported using other dietary supplements to boost their game or physical appearance. Of all students surveyed, 17 percent said they had used supplements such as protein powders, creatine and amino acids to gain body mass. And 35 percent said they had used supplements such as fat burners, high-energy drinks, ephedra and caffeine pills in an attempt to lose weight. The more supplements kids took, the more likely they were to also use steroids.
The sports world has been rocked by steroid scandals in recent months. In December, for instance, the Mitchell Report implicated more than 80 professional baseball players in the use of steroids. And last fall, sprinter Marion Jones admitted to lying about steroid use and returned her five Olympic medals.
Not all kids see anything wrong with steroids in sports though. In the new survey, 57 percent of steroid users and 12 percent of non-users said they believe pro athletes have the right to use steroids. And 60 percent of users and 29 percent of non-users actually thought using anabolic steroids for athletic purposes is legal.
Role model?Hoffman blames lack of education about the dangers of these drugs as well as the influence of elite athletes who use steroids.
"I believe there is an inherent responsibility of being a role model," Hoffman says. "Whether they want it or not, it comes with the territory."
getCSS("3053751")
FACT FILE
Is your child on steroids?
Parents can be on the look-out for the following symptoms of steroid use:
— Rapid, improbable gains in muscle and weight
— Aggressive behavior known as ‘roid rage’
— Mood swings
— Worsening acne, often on the chest and back
— Breast enlargement in boys
— Facial hair growth in girls
— Deepened voice in girls
If you suspect your child is using steroids, consult your family doctor.Dr. Linn Goldberg, who's involved with national programs to counter steroids in youth sports, says the new study confirms what he has seen anecdotally.
"Sports role models are very powerful in a young kid's life," says Goldberg, who is head of the division of health promotion and sports medicine at the Oregon Health and Science University in Portland. "The mindset is that if [a pro athlete] had to use that, then maybe I should use that."
Through his program called Athletes Training and Learning to Avoid Steroids (ATLAS), he is trying to educate kids that there are alternatives to steroids, such as sports-specific training regimens and diets that help athletes gain muscle naturally.
Red flagsDon Hooton wishes he had known about the warning signs of steroid abuse. His son, Taylor, 17, killed himself in 2003, six weeks after discontinuing steroid use.
"All the signs were there that Taylor was using steroids," says Hooton, who lives in Plano, Texas. Taylor, a high school baseball player, worked out three times a day, gained 30 pounds of muscle in 90 days, developed acne on his back and started having 'roid rages. "He would just fly off the handle for seemingly no reason," says Hooton.
The Hootons knew something was wrong, but they didn't know what. And they actually praised him for his muscle development because they thought it was the pure result of all his hard work at the gym. They didn't realize it's impossible to naturally gain so much muscle so quickly.
Now through the Taylor Hooton Foundation, the family is working to raise awareness of the dangers of steroids in youth. Because teens are still developing and already have raging hormones, experts worry that steroids — which, among other possible effects, may shrink testicles, raise cholesterol, promote liver tumors, spur breast growth in males, and shrink breasts and deepen voice in females — may be particularly dangerous for them.
Click for related content
Vote: Do you think professional athletes should always be good role models for kids?Q&A: Impact of steroids on young athletesWhen coaches should hit the benchMore Smart Fitness columns
The foundation also is pushing for more drug testing for steroids in schools. New Jersey and Florida are already doing testing, and Texas and Illinois are making plans to test. "We need a random testing program not to put a kid in jail but to give them a chance to get caught," says Hooton. If kids face the threat of getting caught and being kicked off a team or losing a scholarship, they might think twice before using steroids or other performance-enhancers, he says.
Such testing isn't perfect though. It can't reliably detect human growth hormone, for instance, which is believed to be catching on with youth athletes as it seems to be with adults.
That's why Hooton and others hope the sports world cracks down harder on doping. "It's not just about [pro athletes]," Hooton says. "It's about our kids. It's about Taylor and hundreds of thousands of kids."