Fibrous dysplasia

Fibrous dysplasia is a bone disorder in which scar-like (fibrous) tissue develops in place of normal bone. As the bone grows, the softer, fibrous tissue expands, weakening the bone. Fibrous dysplasia can cause the affected bone to deform and become susceptible to fracture.

Most people with fibrous dysplasia are diagnosed during adolescence or early adulthood. Mild cases usually cause no signs or symptoms. More-serious cases of fibrous dysplasia may result in bone pain and deformity.

The basic cause of fibrous dysplasia is unknown. There's no cure for fibrous dysplasia. Treatment focuses on relieving signs and symptoms.

Symptoms:

Fibrous dysplasia can affect any bone in your body. Most people with the disorder have only one affected bone — a form called monostotic fibrous dysplasia — and develop no signs or symptoms. When the condition affects more than one bone, it's known as polyostotic fibrous dysplasia. Bones most commonly affected are:

• Thighbone (femur)
• Shinbone (tibia)
• Pelvic bones
• Ribs
• Skull
• Facial bones
• Upper arm bone (humerus)

Fibrous dysplasia may cause few or no signs and symptoms, particularly if the condition is mild. Signs and symptoms typically develop during the teens or 20s. If you have the polyostotic form, you're more likely to develop signs and symptoms, usually by age 10. More severe fibrous dysplasia may cause:

• Bone pain
• Difficulty walking
• Bone deformities
• Fractures

Causes:

You develop fibrous dysplasia before birth, and its development has been linked with a gene mutation that affects the cells that produce bone. No one knows what causes the mutation, but it isn't inherited from your parents, and you can't pass it on to your children.

Bones are living tissue, so even after you stop growing, your bones are in a continuous process of renewal known as remodeling. In the process, certain bone cells (osteoclasts) tear down (resorb) bone, while other cells (osteoblasts) rebuild bone. Fibrous dysplasia disrupts the process, causing old bone to break down faster and replacing normal bone tissue with softer, fibrous tissue.

Complications:

Besides bone fractures, severe fibrous dysplasia can lead to:

Bone deformity. The weakened area of an affected bone can cause the bone to bend (bow). If your spine is affected, you can develop scoliosis, an abnormal curving of the spine.
Vision and hearing loss. The nerves to your eyes and ears may be surrounded by affected bone. Severe deformity of facial bones can lead to loss of vision and hearing, but it's a rare complication.
Arthritis. If leg and pelvic bones are deformed, arthritis may form in the joints of those bones.
Cancer. Rarely, an affected area of bone can become cancerous. This rare complication usually only affects people who have had prior radiation therapy.

Tests and diagnosis:

If you have monostotic fibrous dysplasia, you may not know it until it's discovered incidentally on an X-ray for another condition. If you have signs and symptoms, your doctor will perform a physical examination and order X-rays of the affected bones. On X-ray, fibrous dysplasia appears as an abnormal section of bone (lesion) that has the hazy appearance of ground glass.

In some cases, your doctor may order more tests to confirm the diagnosis or to determine the extent of the disorder. They include:

Imaging tests. Computerized tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans may be used to determine how extensively your bones are affected.
Bone scan. This test uses radioactive tracers, which are injected into your body. Your bones take up the tracers and emit radiation that's captured by a special camera, which produces a picture of your skeleton. Your doctor may order a bone scan to determine whether your fibrous dysplasia is monostotic or polyostotic.
Bone biopsy. This test uses a hollow needle to remove a small piece of the affected bone for laboratory analysis. You'll receive local anesthetics to numb the area where the needle is inserted. In rare instances, an open biopsy — requiring general anesthesia and a surgical incision — may be necessary.

Treatments and drugs:

f you have mild fibrous dysplasia that's discovered incidentally and you have no signs or symptoms, your risk of developing deformity or fracturing your bone is low. Your doctor can monitor your condition with follow-up X-rays every six months. If there's no progression, you don't need treatment.

If you develop signs and symptoms, treatment may include medications or surgery.

Medications
Medications called bisphosphonates, including pamidronate (Aredia) and alendronate (Fosamax), are used to inhibit bone breakdown, preserve bone mass and even increase bone density in your spine and hip, reducing the risk of fractures. Doctors use these medications primarily for adults to treat osteoporosis and increase bone density, but bisphosphonates may also reduce bone pain associated with fibrous dysplasia and, in some cases, improve bone formation.

Little is known about the use of bisphosphonates for children and adolescents, but some studies indicate they may help relieve pain in children and adolescents with severe fibrous dysplasia.

Oral bisphosphonates are generally well tolerated, but may irritate your gastrointestinal tract. If you can't tolerate oral bisphosphonates or if your doctor recommends a drug that's not available in oral form, you may receive bisphosphonates through a vein (intravenously). You can't take bisphosphonates if you have serious kidney disease or low blood-calcium levels.

Surgery
Your doctor may recommend surgery in order to:

• Correct a deformity
• Correct a difference in limb lengths
• Fix a fracture
• Remove an affected area of bone (lesion) that's causing you difficulty
• Relieve pressure on a nerve, particularly if the lesion is in your skull or face

Surgery may involve removing the bone lesion and replacing it with bone grafted from another part of your body or from bone tissue donated from a deceased donor. Your surgeon may insert metal plates, rods or screws to stabilize the bone and the graft. Risks include infection, blood clots and bleeding. In addition, a bone graft may not last.

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HIV Infection and AIDS

ACQUIRED IMMUNITY DEFICIENCY SYNDROME (AIDS)

AIDS was first reported in the United States in 1981 and has since become a major worldwide epidemic. AIDS is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV. By killing or damaging cells of the body�s immune system, HIV progressively destroys the body�s ability to fight infections and certain cancers. People diagnosed with AIDS may get life-threatening diseases called opportunistic infections. These infections are caused by microbes such as viruses or bacteria that usually do not make healthy people sick.

Since 1981, more than 980,000 cases of AIDS have been reported in the United States to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). According to CDC, more than 1,000,000 Americans may be infected with HIV, one-quarter of whom are unaware of their infection. The epidemic is growing most rapidly among minority populations and is a leading killer of African-American males ages 25 to 44. According to CDC, AIDS affects nearly seven times more African Americans and three times more Hispanics than whites. In recent years, an increasing number of African-American women and children are being affected by HIV AIDS

Risky behavior

HIV can infect anyone who practices risky behaviors such as:

•     Sharing drug needles or syringes
•     Having sexual contact, including oral sexual contact, with an infected person without using a condom
•     Having sexual contact with someone whose HIV status is unknown

Infected blood

HIV also is spread through contact with infected blood. Before donated blood was screened for evidence of HIV infection and before heat-treating techniques to destroy HIV in blood products were introduced, HIV was transmitted through transfusions of contaminated blood or blood components. Today, because of blood screening and heat treatment, the risk of getting HIV from blood transfusions is extremely small.

Contaminated needles

HIV is often spread among injection drug users when they share needles or syringes contaminated with very small quantities of blood from someone infected with the virus.

It is rare for a patient to be the source of HIV transmitted to a healthcare provider or vice versa by accidental sticks with contaminated needles or other medical instruments.

Mother to child

Women can transmit HIV to their babies during pregnancy or birth. Approximately one-quarter to one-third of all untreated pregnant women infected with HIV will pass the infection to their babies. HIV also can be spread to babies through the breast milk of mothers infected with the virus.

If the mother takes certain drugs during pregnancy, she can significantly reduce the chances that her baby will get infected with HIV.

If healthcare providers treat HIV-infected pregnant women and deliver their babies by cesarean section, the chances of the baby being infected can be reduced to a rate of 1 percent.

HIV infection of newborns has been almost eradicated in the United States because of appropriate treatment.

A study sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) in Uganda found a highly effective and safe drug for preventing transmission of HIV from an infected mother to her newborn. Independent studies have also confirmed this finding. This regimen is more affordable and practical than any other examined to date. Results from the study show that a single oral dose of the antiretroviral drug nevirapine (NVP) given to an HIV-infected woman in labor and another to her baby within 3 days of birth reduces the transmission rate of HIV by half compared with a similar short course of AZT (azidothymidine).

Saliva

Although researchers have found HIV in the saliva of infected people, there is no evidence that the virus is spread by contact with saliva. Laboratory studies reveal that saliva has natural properties that limit the power of HIV to infect, and the amount of virus in saliva appears to be very low. Research studies of people infected with HIV have found no evidence that the virus is spread to others through saliva by kissing.

The lining of the mouth, however, can be infected by HIV, and instances of HIV transmission through oral intercourse have been reported.

Scientists have found no evidence that HIV is spread through sweat, tears, urine, or feces.

Casual contact

Studies of families of HIV-infected people have shown clearly that HIV is not spread through casual contact such as the sharing of food utensils, towels and bedding, swimming pools, telephones, or toilet seats.

HIV is not spread by biting insects such as mosquitoes or bedbugs.

Sexually transmitted infections

People with a sexually transmitted infection, such as syphilis, genital herpes, chlamydia, gonorrhea, or bacterial vaginosis, may be more susceptible to getting HIV infection during sex with infected partners.

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Prevent Breast Cancer with Ginger

Ginger, for everyone who loves to cook, ginger has knows as one of spicyin the world with the taste can be described as fiery, punget and hotness. Ginger as spices which having the scientist name as Zingiber officinale mostly cultivated in the area of tropical Asia such as Indonesia and surprise when ginger cultivated also in the United States of America. Ginger usually sold on the market as spices in fresh or drieds ginger, whole rhizomeand ginger powder. 

How to use ginger in your cooking recipes? Well, it will be depend in what kind of the food beverageand kitchen recipes that we want to be prepare, we can use ginger both in a dry called ginger root or can be also in ginger powder such as on the recipes of Indian curry and Chinese cooking recipes. But mostly if ginger can be effective use as ginger powder both in cooking and baking recipes. Did you know if ginger is the important spices as French four-spice mixture called quatre épices and in China where ginger very important as Chinese five spice powder?

Many research has show about health benefit of ginger in the human life and actually it has known since a thousand year ago about benefit to consume ginger for human health. Mostly the use of ginger in medicinal has known well as a digestive-aid, to relieve tummy pain, nausea and diarrhoea, as well as morning sickness and travel sickness. This is thought to be because of the spice’s high levels of gingerol as a powerful component that gives it its natural zingy flavour and which acts as an anti-inflammatoryin the body.       

How ginger can be health benefit in breast cancer treatments? According the information that I got from the website of NaturalNews.com, some research study that result by the Biological Sciences Department, Faculty of Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Saudi Arabia, and published in the Journal of Biomedicine and Biotechnology, ginger extract may turn out to be more effective at fighting breast cancer than any drug currently on the market.

The team research above exposed breast cancer cells in the laboratory to a crude extract of ginger (Zingiber officinale). They found that ginger exhibited a highly prized anti-cancer trait known as selective cytotoxicity: it inhibited the reproduction of cancer cells while leaving healthy cells largely unaffected. No conventional cancer treatment on the market exhibits this property.

Fact about breast canceraccording the data of The World Health Organization (WHO) on the website of The Times of India, they predicted if on the year of 2020 where there will be the increasing case of cancer breast, they figure if one in every eight urban woman in India will have a risk for the breast cancer. Why not to start in consume regulary about ginger to prevent breast cancer? We can make in the recipes of ginger simple syrupmaybe, ginger tea and why not with ginger cake by the use of ginger powder? The power of ginger to prevents breast cancer. The island of Java has known well as ginger producer in Indonesiainclude Cardamom, Turmeric and other health herb spices.   

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How To Prevent and Control Coronary Heart Disease Risk Factors

You can prevent and control many coronary heart disease (CHD) risk factors with lifestyle changes and medicines. Examples of these controllable risk factors include high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure, and overweight and obesity. Only a few risk factors—such as age, gender, and family history—can't be controlled.

To reduce your risk of CHD and heart attack, try to control each risk factor you can. The good news is that many lifestyle changes help control several CHD risk factors at the same time. For example, physical activity may lower your blood pressure, help control diabetes and prediabetes, reduce stress, and help control your weight.

A Lifelong Approach
Many lifestyle habits begin during childhood. Thus, parents and families should encourage their children to make heart healthy choices, such as following a healthy diet and being physically active. Make following a healthy lifestyle a family goal.

To achieve this goal, you should learn about key health measures, such as weight, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, and your child's BMI-for-age percentile. For more information about BMI in adults and children, go to "Coronary Heart Disease Risk Factors."

Be aware of your and your family members' blood pressure, blood cholesterol, and blood sugar levels. Once you know these numbers, you can work to bring them into, or keep them within, a healthy range.

Making lifestyle changes can be hard. But if you make these changes as a family, it may be easier for everyone to prevent or control their CHD risk factors.

Lifestyle Changes
A healthy lifestyle can lower the risk of CHD. If you already have CHD, a healthy lifestyle may prevent it from getting worse. A healthy lifestyle includes:

• Following a healthy diet
• Being physically active
• Maintaining a healthy weight
• Quitting smoking
• Managing stress
• Following a Healthy Diet
• A healthy diet is an important part of a healthy lifestyle. To lower your risk of CHD and heart attack, you and your family should follow a diet that is:

Low in saturated and trans fats. Saturated fats are found in some meats, dairy products, chocolate, baked goods, and deep-fried and processed foods. Trans fats are found in some fried and processed foods. Both types of fat raise your low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or "bad," cholesterol level.
High in the types of fat found in fish and olive oil. These fats are rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids lower your risk of heart attack, in part by helping prevent blood clots.
High in fiber. Fiber is found in whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. A fiber-rich diet not only helps lower your LDL cholesterol level, but also provides nutrients that may help protect against CHD.
Low in salt and sugar. A low-salt diet can help you manage your blood pressure. A low-sugar diet can help you prevent weight gain and control diabetes and prediabetes.
Research suggests that drinking small to moderate amounts of alcohol regularly also can lower your risk of CHD. One drink a day can lower your risk by raising your high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or "good," cholesterol level. One drink is a glass of wine, beer, or a small amount of hard liquor.

If you don't drink, this isn't a recommendation to start using alcohol. If you're pregnant, if you're planning to become pregnant, or if you have another health condition that could make alcohol use harmful, you shouldn't drink.

Also, too much alcohol can cause you to gain weight and raise your blood pressure and triglyceride level. In women, even one drink a day may raise the risk of certain types of cancer.

Teach your children how to make healthy food choices. For example, have them help you shop for and make healthy foods. Set a good example by following the same heart healthy diet that you ask your children to follow.

Maintaining a Healthy Weight
Following a healthy diet and being physically active can help you maintain a healthy weight. Controlling your weight helps you control CHD risk factors.

If you're overweight or obese, try to lose weight. A loss of just 5 to 10 percent of your current weight can lower your risk of CHD.

To lose weight, cut back your calorie intake and do more physical activity. Eat smaller portions and choose lower calorie foods. Don't feel that you have to finish the entrees served at restaurants. Many restaurant portions are oversized and have too many calories for the average person.

For overweight children and teens, slowing the rate of weight gain is important. However, reduced-calorie diets aren't advised, unless approved by a doctor.

Quitting Smoking
If you smoke, quit. Smoking can raise your risk of CHD and heart attack and worsen other CHD risk factors. Talk with your doctor about programs and products that can help you quit smoking. Also, try to avoid secondhand smoke.

If you have trouble quitting smoking on your own, consider joining a support group. Many hospitals, workplaces, and community groups offer classes to help people quit smoking.

You can help your children avoid smoking or quit smoking. Talk with them about the health effects of smoking. Teach them how to handle peer pressure to smoke.

Teens who have parents who smoke are more likely to smoke themselves. Set a good example by not smoking or quitting smoking. Set firm rules about no tobacco use in your home.

If you have a child who smokes, help him or her create a plan to quit. Offer your child information and resources on how to quit. Stress the natural rewards that come with quitting, such as freedom from addiction, better fitness and sports performance, and improved appearance. Reinforce the decision to quit with praise.

Managing Stress
Learning how to manage stress, relax, and cope with problems can improve your emotional and physical health. Having supportive people in your life with whom you can share your feelings or concerns can help relieve stress.

Physical activity, medicine, and relaxation therapy also can help relieve stress. You may want to consider taking part in a stress management program.

Other Lifestyle Concerns
If making lifestyle changes is hard for you, try taking things one step at a time. Learn about the benefits of lifestyle changes. Talk with your doctor, and read some of the resources in "Links to Other Information About Coronary Heart Disease Risk Factors."

Figure out what's stopping you from making or sticking to your lifestyle changes. Try to find ways to overcome these issues. For example, if you're too tired to exercise after work, you may want to try working out before you go to work.

Make a plan to carry out your lifestyle changes that includes specific, realistic goals. Act on your plan and work toward your goals. You may want to do so with the help of a support group or supportive friends and family.

Reward yourself for the gains you've made. Think about what you need to do to maintain your lifestyle changes and avoid unhealthy habits.

Don't give up if you go off your diet or exercise plan or start smoking again. Instead, find out what you need to do to get back on track so you can meet your goals. Many people find that it takes more than one try to make long-term lifestyle changes.

Changing the eating and activity habits of children takes time. Start with small, easy steps. For example, cut out after-dinner snacks or go for an after-dinner walk instead of watching TV.

Set a good example, and try to get your children involved in choosing a new healthy step to take each day. If you make lifestyle changes a group effort, it will make them easier.

Medicines
Sometimes lifestyle changes aren't enough to control your blood pressure, cholesterol levels, or other CHD risk factors. Your doctor also may prescribe medicines. For example, you may need medicines to:

• Lower your LDL cholesterol
• Lower your blood pressure
• Lower your blood sugar level
• Prevent blood clots and/or inflammation
• Take your medicines as prescribed. Don't cut back on the dosage unless your doctor tells you to. If you have side effects or other problems related to your medicines, talk with your doctor. He or she may be able to provide other options.

You should still follow a heart healthy lifestyle, even if you take medicines to control your CHD risk factors.

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Is your kitchen already has Cinnamon?

What is cinnamon quill? Other word is cinnamon stick. The history of cinnamon as spices commodity in the world was start in the west during 14th -15th centuries and its’ primary use was to preserve meat and to retard the growth of bacteria. Cinnamon sticks are rolled up versions of cinnamon bark.

Is it the same between ground cinnamon and cinnamon quill? Ground cinnamon is simply the powdered inner bark of the cinnamon tree. Just powder the cinnamon bark and you will end up with the same thing.

What the different between cinnamon and cassia? Some of people said if cassiais the cinnamon tree which cultivated primarily in China and Indonesia then where has a reddish-brown coloring while the taste is pungently sweet. Then cinnamon is only for cinnamon tree harvested from Sri Lanka and India and has more of a tan coloring and a milder taste.

In the USA where cassia is the more preferred with its more intense flavor and coloring. Cinnamon is harvested by scraping out the inside pulp of this evergreen and the resulting quill pieces or cinnamon sticks are then separated for grading and drying based on their size, color and quality.

 

 

 

What benefit use of cinnamon quill? Actually many benefit use of cinnamon especially for human health benefits, most of people has know also the use of cinnamon both for baking and cooking. Have you been familiar with the cake recipes of double chocolate pudding? Cinnamon stick has used on this cake recipes with other ingredients such as vanilla bean, sweet chocolate, sugar and egg yolks. 

 

In China, cassia has been used as traditional medicine since thousands of years. You can use cinnamon stick as your home remedies also such as for coughsand the common cold, the simple healthy recipe of cinnamon is just add a cinnamon stickto boiling water, let boil for 2 minutes then remove the cinnamon stick, you can use this cinnamon stick  water with any herbal tea such as green tea. The health secret of cinnamon, cinnamon has known also to be an effective as natural remedy for eliminating headachesand migraine relief. Further information, cinnamon has extremely high anti-oxidant activitity and cinnamon oil has strong anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties. According to some research, cinnamon stick is contains also a great source of manganese, fiber, iron, and calcium. So, is your kitchen already has cinnamon stick?  

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Heads Up: Preventing Brain Injuries

Brain injuries are caused by a bump or blow to the head. These injuries sometimes are called "concussions" or "traumatic brain injuries" (TBIs) and can range from mild to severe.

Most mild brain injuries cause no harm. But sometimes even mild brain injuries can cause serious, long-lasting problems. The best way to protect yourself and your family from brain injuries is to prevent them from happening in the first place.

How to Prevent a Brain Injury
Here are some tips from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Brain Injury Association of America to reduce the chances that you or your family members will have a brain injury.

• Wear a seat belt every time you drive or ride in a motor vehicle.
• Always buckle your child into a child safety seat, booster seat, or seat belt (according to the child's height, weight, and age) in the car.  
• Never drive while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
• Wear a helmet and make sure your children wear helmets when: 
• Riding a bike, motorcycle, snowmobile, or all-terrain vehicle;
• Playing a contact sport, such as football, ice hockey, or boxing;
• Using in-line skates or riding a skateboard;
• Batting and running bases in baseball or softball;
• Riding a horse; or
• Skiing or snowboarding.

Avoid falls in the home by:
Using a step stool with a grab bar to reach objects on high shelves;
Installing handrails on stairways;
Installing window guards to keep young children from falling out of open windows;
Using safety gates at the top and bottom of stairs when young children are around;
Removing tripping hazards such as small area rugs and loose electrical cords;
Using non-slip mats in the bathtub and on shower floors;
Putting grab bars next to the toilet and in the tub or shower;
Maintaining a regular exercise program to improve strength, balance, and coordination; and
Seeing an eye doctor regularly for a vision check to help lower the risk of falling.

Make sure the surface on your child's playground is made of shock-absorbing material, such as hardwood, mulch, and sand.

Keep firearms stored unloaded in a locked cabinet or safe. Store bullets in a separate secured location.

When to Call the Doctor: Signs and Symptoms of Brain Injury

When you visit the doctor, here are some important questions to ask:

How long should I expect these symptoms to last?
What should I do for this condition?
Is it safe to get back to my normal daily routine, such as school, work, or playing sports and doing other physical activities?
What can I do to keep from injuring myself again?
Here is a list of common symptoms of a brain injury (concussion). If you or a family member has a head injury and you notice any of the symptoms on the list, call your doctor right away. Describe the injury and symptoms, and ask if you should make an appointment to see your own doctor or another specialist.

Symptoms of a Concussion

In Adults

• Headaches or neck pain that won’t go away
• Trouble with such mental tasks as remembering, concentrating, or decision-making
• Slow thinking, speaking, acting, or reading
• Getting lost or easily confused
• Feeling tired all the time, having no energy or motivation
• Mood changes (feeling sad or angry for no reason)
• Changes in sleep patterns (sleeping a lot more or having a hard time sleeping)
• Feeling light-headed or dizzy, or losing balance
• An urge to vomit (nausea)
• Increased sensitivity to lights, sounds, or distractions
• Blurred vision or eyes that tire easily
• Loss of sense of smell or taste
• Ringing in the ears

In Children

• Feeling tired or listless
• Being irritable or cranky (will not stop crying or cannot be consoled)
• Changes in eating (will not eat or nurse)
• Changes in sleep patterns
• Changes in the way the child plays
• Changes in performance at school
• Lack of interest in favorite toys or activities
• Loss of new skills, such as toilet training
• Loss of balance, unsteady walking
• Vomiting

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Let’s Healthy Cook with Nutmeg

Nutmeg, another spices commodity that you can find in Indonesia as our beautiful country. It was so lucky for me when visiting Durian Plantation which owned by my father in law on West Java where I can see the harvest of Nutmeg and the drying process of this commodity by farmer before they sell it to the local market. Since nutmeg having many benefits use in human life, nutmeg has know in the international spices market as primary spices commodity.   

What is benefits use of nutmeg actually in human life for? Source from the website of wisegeek.com, nutmeg has use in almost a variety of cuisines where the essential oil which contains on nutmeg seed is useful also for medicinal applications. Nutmeg powder is used as a flavoring in cooking, bread or cakes, puddings, sauces, vegetables, and beverages. The spice of Nutmeg is harvested from plants of the Myristica genus of which there are about 100 nutmeg species native to Australia, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific Islands. 

Let’s healthy cook with Nutmeg since many health benefit which having in nutmeg. Some good information that I got from the website of Herbal Destination about many research related with nutmeg and health benefit for human, according to the research of Dr. Paracelsus Loni cerus and Mathiolus about Nutmeg as a gastric tonic, nutmeg is aromatic, stimulant, sleep inducing, carminative, intoxicating, digestive tonic and is also an aphrodisiac.

Nutmeg benefits include help to combat asthma. In Homeopathy, nutmeg is used to help with anxiety and depression. In Chinese medicine, nutmeg is used also to help with male sexuality and liver conditions. Researchers proved that nutmeg has an ability to enhance man’s virility.

Source from Wikipedia, the history of nutmeg in Indonesia was began at Banda islandsin the Moluccas for this spices which have the latin name Myristica fragrans tree and now can be find in almost Indonesia area. Beside sell nutmeg to the local spices market, farmer whose have nutmeg tree in my father in law village on West Java is usually use nutmeg as the spices ingredients for the making process of nutmeg syrup and nutmeg sweet chips.   

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Life Is a Journey, Let Us Enjoy It

I often heard that someone said that the life is a journey and people should never mind the destination, and what they should keep in mind is the journey itself. I love to show you the excitement of one’s human life, and i also want to lead you to more entertainment in life. In fact, some young women and men are really being absorbed in traveling around the world to know the different attractions of the world. So this time I will lead you to some impressive tours in your life.

As we all know that China is a great country full of ancient culture, and it is known ad one of the four cultural ancient countries. There are many old things which are full of cultural deposits. Now and now more and foreigners are coming to China to explore the spectacular scenes. This time I will change to be the best tour guide for you all. Almost everybody knows the economic hub of China since the Expo was exhibited in Shanghai, and when we talk about Shanghai, we will mention the splendid architecture, the Oriental Pearl Tower. Now this is a city which combines the modernization and the traditional culture together. I am sure that a leisure and exciting Shanghai tour for you is a perfect entertainment.

If you come to Shanghai, you shouldn’t miss Nanjing Road which is the most lively and prosperous street in Shanghai. It is known as the “the first street of Chinese business”. I have no time to tell you more about this road which contains some delicious food and some expensive brands. Some young women love to go shopping in this road. And foreigner can also touch the best things in Shanghai. You can get clear to the daily life of the Chinese people. Maybe next time I will tell you more about this legendary business road. The meaning of the journey is to make yourself adsorbed in the local lifestyle and culture. In the morning of Shanghai, you can go out of your house and hang out in the street, have a kind of snacks like small steamer bun which is very delicious and full of local color.

Lastly, I have to introduce myself, in order to make you guys all remember me. My name is Lily Lee and I born in China. This country gives me yellow skin and black hair. I love my motherland so much, so I introduce her to all you guyes and I also want all of you guys come to China to have a look at this great country. Welcome to China, I will give you a warm hug! Besides Shanghai, there are other some great cities for you visit in, such ad Beijing, Xi’an and Suzhou. Explore them by yourself.

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Cinnamon Quill for Garnish and Craft

Have you try to add cinnamon quills as a garnish in your cupcake creation? Beside strong aroma of cinnamon flavor when you are using cinnamon powder as your cupcake ingredients, it will be more beautiful look when your cupcakecreation gets touch of cinnamon quillsas a garnish. Together with my wife, finally I got beautiful cinnamon quillson the small size between 8 until 10 cm which very perfect to be used as sweet garnish of cinnamon.     

Not only for garnish cakes that I think about benefit use of cinnamon quills, we can uses cinnamon quills for the garnish of drink recipes serves after I search on google. Because of cinnamon stick use for garnish, therefore mine and wife request to our farmer friend to provide cinnamon stick in uniform quality especially on the length of cm and not to be broken or split such as the standard what we have for our vanilla bean that we produce. We are so happy that our farmer friend can able in help us.  

When all of you have a dream to make the room aroma with the smell of cinnamon? Why not try to make the creation of aroma scent candle by using of cinnamon quills? Some good information that I got from the website of hobby craft, the materials needed to make the candle aroma of cinnamon quills is fairly simple, in which cinnamon stick used should be the same size as the main ingredient and the candles off course.

Not only for aroma scents candle actually about benefit use of cinnamon quills as craft, there are many creative craft ornaments can be made ​​with cinnamon quills such as picture frames and craft lamps that are made ​​from cinnamon quills. Well, I will inform you on the next post after I meet with another friend in West Java which promises to help me in make craft lamps from cinnamon quills, on the past year ago where this friend was make a craft from rotan.   

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The Potato Diet

In 2010, I wrote a series of blog posts on the health properties of potatoes (1, 2, 3). The evidence showed that potatoes are non-toxic, filling per calorie, remarkably nutritious, and can be eaten as almost the sole source of nutrition for extended periods of time (though I'm not recommending this). Traditional South American cultures such as the Quechua and Aymara have eaten potatoes as the major source of calories for generations without any apparent ill effects (3). This is particularly interesting since potatoes are one of the highest glycemic and most insulin-stimulating foods known.

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YOGA FOR GOOD HEALTH

THIS SECTION PROVIDES YOU WITH VARIOUS ARTICLES RELATED YOGA AND OTHER TECHNICS TO MANAGE YOUR DAILY LIFE.

THIS SECTION PROVIDES YOU WITH INFORMATIVE ARTICLES ON YOGA. SIMPLE TECHNICS AND TIPS TO MAINTAIN GOOD HEALTH. BEFORE STARTING TO WORK ON YOGA, ONE HAS TO UNDERSTAND YOGA BETTER. FOR ATTAINING A HEALTHY LIFE, PHYSICAL EXCERCISES, YOGA TECHNICS NEED TO BE PRACTICED WITH UTMOST CARE. THESE SHOULD HOWEVER BE PRACTICED UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF A TRAINED PERSON.

YOU CAN FIND HELPFUL ARTICLES ON YOGA, EASY TO FOLLOW YOGA TIPS AND TECHNICS. INTRODUCTION TO YOGA AND ITS BENEFITS TO ATTAIN HEALTHY LIFE. SIMPLE AND EASY TO FOLLOW PHYSICAL EXCERCISES HELP YOU IN YOUR DAILY ROUTINE.

ARTICLES FOR STRESS RELIEF AND EYE STRAIN BELOW GIVES YOU EASY TO FOLLOW TIPS AND TECHNICS TO OVERCOME STRESS AND ALSO TREAT YOUR EYES. THESE TECHNICS RESULT IN STRESS RELIEF AND TREATMENT TO YOUR EYES.

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Ways to Refresh Your Mind

Music. I know that the Mozart Effect has been debated and by some experts claiming faulty research procedures, debunked. Still, how do you feel after listening to Mozart? Or Brahms? Or how about James Taylor? If you need more stimulation, one guy recommended marches. If you need less, find a mellow musician and let those sounds soothe your mental resources. Combine music with exercise (see #3) and you may experience even more enhanced cognitive benefits. They say that making music is extremely beneficial to the mind, as well. Pull out that old piano primer or dust off your guitar. Do-re-mi and all that.

Recreation. This article from the National Park and Recreation website talks about how recreation can offer mental restoration. I’m partial to combining recreation with being outdoors, which makes me a perfect blogger to promote the National Park and Recreation website, as I just did. Try hiking, if you’re physically capable. Go biking or canoeing. Take the kids to the park and walk a trail. Toss pebbles in the stream. Compare tree bark and identify a leaf or two.  Yes, I’m a nature lover.

Physical exercise. Hey, this is a good segue from #2. Lots of articles in everything from Prevention magazine to Modern Maturity explain how physical exercise benefits not only our bodies, but also our minds. This one offers a nice overview. I know that when I go jogging, my mind clears. When a few days pass with no aerobic exercise, I get a little fuzzy. Sometimes the fuzz thickens to a fog. Or would a fog thicken to fuzz? See? I can’t even think. Anyway, they say that physical exertion seems to stimulate and refresh my mind in addition to all its other benefits. Cool. As you may have read in an old essay of mine, my mom-mind can use all the help it can get.

Mental exercise. With increased interest in health and wellness for an aging population, research into slowing dementia and Alzheimer’s has resulted in tons of tips for mental stimulation. This article in The Washington Post reviews websites with games purporting increased mental stimulation. (This other article from The Washington Post talks about both physical and mental exercise.) Happy Neuron seems to have consolidated some interesting games. Look around. You’re sure to find some fascinating activities–even the search itself might count for a bit of mental exercise.
Reading deserves special treatment as a mental exercise. Stay tuned for another blog entry focusing on reading as a means to refresh the mind.

Find a friend. Or two, or three. Human interaction seems to keep our minds refreshed. I’m a writer–a rather solitary pursuit. I find that my night out with friends keeps me mentally alert–those are the evenings I often generate new ideas for books and articles. They ask good questions and get me thinking. There’s a lot of research out there about people…needing people. I sense a song coming on, so let’s move on to the single most important aspect to refreshing the mind.

Prayer and Bible study. This is not an obligatory entry included simply because I’m a believer in Jesus Christ. I am convinced that regular Bible reading and study refreshes my mind in a way that no other reading or resource can. Prayer that is grounded in scriptural truth and directed to the Most High God through Jesus Christ offers me a deep, lasting, soul-level refreshment that fills the mind with rich treasures of God’s reality and truth. ”Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things,” Paul wrote to the Colossians (3:2).
In fact, any other attempt to find peace and refreshment for the mind must begin here, in Christ Himself and in the written Word, to combat the messages that the rest of the world bombards us with. Check out this verse from Romans: “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will” (12:2).

I’m on the lookout to discover God’s good, pleasing and perfect will. That sounds like true refreshment, filled with meaning.

That may or may not be what those folks were looking for when they were Googling “refresh your mind.” But it’s a start.

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Jambul Fruit Benefits

Jambul fruit:
There are three kinds of jambul. In jambul fruit, calcium, phosphorus, iron, protein are endowed naturally in enormous quantity. According to medical point of view, jambul fruit nature is cold and dry.

Health benefits of jambul fruit:
The following are the great health benefits associated with jambul fruit:
1. In summer, acidity in the stomach increases for this reason we feel hard to digest and we get the feeling of vomiting. When rainy season starts in summer, we happen to eat excessively, resulting in stomach disturbance, indigestion and loose motions. And acnes also use to appear. Jambul fruit has the solution to all these discomforts for it removes blood’s thickness and relief indigestion.
2. Jambul fruit has found to been found to be very effective in blood cancer.
3.  In the swelling of liver and lien, jambul is very beneficial.
4. The iron which is found in jambul fruit is botanical and it increases red blood cells.
5. If somebody is having the complaint of stomach upset and heartburn, sour belches, mouth gives bitter taste, or get itching feeling in hands and legs, for them jambul is very beneficial and helpful.
6. Jambul gives cooling effect to stomach or lien and gives strength to them.
7. By the use of jambul, urine excretes in excess quantity.
8. In diabetes, has proven to be very effective because by its use urine comes in excess quantity, which results in lowering blood sugar levels.
9. In the complaint of weakness of gall bladder, take jambul’s endocarp powder in the quantity of three grams once in morning and once in evening, along with luke warm milk.
10. Eating jambul empty stomach or eating jambul in too much quantity often makes stomach upset and indigestion use to happen.
11. According to medical professionals, people suffering from kidney stones, ought not to take jambul fruit.
12. Jambul’s endocarp and mango’s endocarp. Take in equal quantity and make a powder. Use it along with some curd, nicely mixed into water. It stops loose motion and is very beneficial for diabetes.
13. Jambul’s bark is also astringent. In weak gums, in gingivitis, or if blood use to ooze out from gums, so make like a tea of its bark and gargle. You will get relief from these problems. Make powder of its wood coal, and add black pepper and salt and use as a dentifrice. Teeth use to get very clean and strong.
14. Jambul’s vinegar is very beneficial in the diseases of stomach, liver and lien. Especially in lienitis, its vinegar is very effective.

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Temu Hitam, Indonesia Black Curcuma

The story was began on the past days ago when me and my son was visit durian plantation which owned by my father in law located in Kuningan as tourism city at West Java province, Indonesia. It was wonderful experience for me when I am able to see directly about durian fruit on the tree in the area almost 3 ha. I post the picture on this blog. But not only durian tree actually that make me so interesting about the last visit, there are some plants on the plantation area that attract me to take a picture which grows wild as plants and  shrubs among many durian trees that have become flowers and fruit.

Other heritage of Indonesia herbs and spicesafter I search with google related the picture of the plant above, Indonesia words said for that plants name are Temu Hitam with the latin name called Curcuma caesia, Temu Hitam familiar also called by Black Curcuma in the international market. I try to find out more information regarding the benefits of Temu Hitam for human health with google search, well, the plants that are apparently grows wild as a shrub in Indonesia who would have had a lot of amazing benefits to human health. Some information that I got from Wikipedia, Temu Hitam or Black Curcumaas herbs is a kind of plant in Indonesiawhich the rhizome can be used as a mixture of traditional and herbal medicine in Indonesia.

Temu Hitam or Black Curcuma as a plant in Indonesia is almost that grows wild such as on the teak plantation or can be also durian plantation but it can be cultivated too as commercial herbs plantin the yard with the height of land level start 400 meters above sea level for the ideal condition. Some of the benefits Temu Hitam or Black Curcuma for human health in Indonesia such as presented by one of the Indonesian herbal expert, Prof. Hembing Wijayakusuma, Temu Hitamor Black Curcuma can neutralize toxins in the human body where since a long time ago, Temu Hitam has known used as herbsfor appetite enhancer of children. Today, in economic business scale, Temu Hitam or Black Curcuma can be market and needs to herbal medicine industry. 

Some other good information that I got from the website of Siddha Medicine and Natural Treatment about Black Curcuma benefit for human health, Black curcuma is a wonder herb and contains the highest content of curcumin among all curcuma or turmeric species, a chemical substance with many curative properties. It is perhaps one of the few medicinal plants that are used in herbal treatment. If you are suffering from toothache, take a pinch of black turmeric powder and rub it gently against the teeth. You will get relief from the problem. Make sure that only a small quantity is used, as an excess of black turmeric powder may induce vomiting. Take a fresh rhizome of black turmeric or Temu Hitam, wash it properly and crush it. Apply it to wounds and nagging sores for relief and quick healing. 

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Natural cures for angina

Are there natural cures for Angina?.
Angina, sometimes called angina pectoris, is the pain that occurs when your heart isn’t getting enough oxygen. You feel a sensation of heaviness or pressure in the middle of your chest. Sometimes the pain radiates to your left arm, throat, or jaw.
Exercise, a large meal, emotional upset, or stress can bring on an attack of angina. But the condition that makes such attacks possible is narrowing of the coronary arteries, which carry oxygen-rich blood to the heart.
What makes these arteries leading to the heart become narrower? Little clumps of cholesterol-based substances called plaques, which accumulate along the artery walls. It’s similar to the gunk that builds up in the pipe draining your kitchen sink.
Elevated blood cholesterol is one cause of plaque, but it’s not the sole cause. According to current theories, the initial step for plaque formation is a injury to the inner lining of the artery, called the endothelium.
What causes that injury? Scientists don’t yet know for certain. But as in the beginning of a murder mystery, many suspects have been implicated. Cigarette smoking is one common cause, as are the normal chemical processes of aging. Vitamin B6 deficiency is thought to play a role. Other possible factors include immune-system malfunctions; physical injury, viral, bacterial, or chemical assaults; drug use; and poor diet. Also, certain chemical agents can cause blood cells called platelets to clump together, helping plaque to form.
Angina is a serious problem and should never be ignored; it can lead to a heart attack. This is not time to play the stoic. If angina-like symptoms begin to occur with greater frequency or with less provocation than usual, they could be a sign of worsening heart disease and impending heart attack. And if you have any undiagnosed chest pain, see your doctor immediately for an evaluation.
Because angina is such a serious disease, you must continue to see your family physician or cardiologist on a regular basis. If you are on medications for angina, work with an experienced herbalist-there are many potentially dangerous ways that drugs for the heart and herbs can interact. Do not stop taking prescribed medications on your own.
Herbal treatments for angina focus on preventing attacks. Once and episode of angina is occurring, take your nitroglycerin. Herbs can do much for angina-lower blood cholesterol, prevent and heal injuries to the endothelium of arteries, prevent the clumping of blood platelets, shrink plaques, and expand or dilate involved arteries. Herbs can also strengthen the heart in general, especially the herbs that improve energy metabolism within the heart.

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NATURAL TIPS TO BOOST HEMOGLOBIN LEVELS

HEMOGLOBIN IS THE PROTEIN MOLECULE IN RED BLOOD CELLS THAT TRANSPORTS OXYGEN FROM THE LUNGS TO THE BODY'S TISSUES AND GIVES CARBON-DIOXIDE FROM THE TISSUES BACK TO THE LUNGS. IRON SUPPLIED TO THE RED BLOOD CELLS, DETERMINE THE LEVEL OF HEMOGLOBIN IN THE BLOOD. FOODS RICH IN IRON ARE BELIEVED TO BOOST THE LEVEL OF HEMOGLOBIN IN THE BODY.YOUR BODY MAKES HEMOGLOBIN FROM THE IRON IN YOUR DIET SO IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT YOU EAT PLENTY OF IRON-RICH FOODS DAILY. THE ESSENTIAL NATURAL REMEDIES ARE AS FOLLOWS:

RED MEAT: THE IRON FROM ANIMAL SOURCES IS IDEAL BECAUSE IT IS THE EASIEST TO ABSORB. LIVER, BEEF, LAMB, CLAMS AND SHRIMP, ARE EXCELLENT IRON SOURCES.

FRUITS: GOOD FRUIT SOURCES OF IRON INCLUDE WATERMELON, RAISINS, AND GRAPEFRUIT. ORANGE, CANTALOUPE, PINEAPPLE, BANANA, RASPBERRY, STRAWBERRY, GUAVA, PAPAYAS, KIWI FRUIT, BLACK CURRANTS, MANGO, LYCHEE, CHERRY ARE OTHER ESSENTIAL FRUITS TO INCREASE HEMOGLOBIN.

VEGETABLES: (GREEN LEAFY VEGETABLES) SPINACH, LEGUMES, DRIED FRUITS AND IRON-FORTIFIED CEREALS ARE VEGETARIAN IRON SOURCES. TRY EATING ONE OF THESE FOODS AT EACH MEAL TO MAXIMIZE ABSORPTION. CONSUME TOMATOES, BROCCOLI, BRUSSELS, SPROUTS, RED CAPSICUM, BEAN, CABBAGE, PEAS, BEETS, ASPARAGUS, CORN , AND LENTILS IN YOUR MEALS.

MILK SHAKE OF DATES: MILK SHAKE OF DATES IS THE BEST IRON-BOOSTING REMEDY. TAKE EVERYDAY ONE GLASS OF DATE MILK SHAKE FOR AT LEAST A MONTH REGULARLY, AND RAPIDLY BOOST BLOOD HEMOGLOBIN LEVELS.

BLACK SESAME: BLACK SESAME SEEDS IS ALSO THE ESSENTIAL NATURAL REMEDY TO INCREASE HEMOGLOBIN. ONE TEASPOON OF BLACK SESAME SEEDS SHOULD BE SOAKED IN WARM WATER, THEN IT SHOULD BE CRUSHED AND STRAINED.THEN,MIX IT WITH A CUP OF MILK SWEETENED WITH JAGGERY. THIS MAKES A GOOD DRINK FOR INSTANT INCREASE IN HEMOGLOBIN.

FENGREEK REMEDY: COOK ONE TEASPOON OF FENUGREEK SEEDS WITH YOUR EVENING MEAL EVERYDAY, PREFERABLY WITH A LITTLE RICE, FOR 12-15 DAYS TO HELP BOOST HEMOGLOBIN LEVELS.

OTHER FOODS: FORTIFIED CEREALS, DRY FRUITS, NUTS, SUNFLOWER SEEDS, JAGGERY, WHOLE BREAD, WHOLE GRAINS, BAKER'S YEAST, OAT AND WHEAT BRAN, AND BUTTER ARE SIGNIFICANT HEMOGLOBIN BOOSTERS.

 IRON & VITAMINS: VITAMIN C IS BELIEVED TO IMPROVE THE ABSORPTION OF IRON IN THE BODY, AND HENCE PATIENTS WITH LOW LEVELS OF HEMOGLOBIN IN THE BODY MUST MAKE IT A POINT TO INCLUDE FOOD ITEMS RICH IN VITAMIN C, ESPECIALLY THROUGH THE DIET. OTHER ESSENTIAL VITAMINS ARE VITAMIN B6, B12 AND FOLIC ACID. I HOPE THIS POST HAS BEEN OF GREAT BENEFIT ON HOW TO INCREASE HEMOGLOBIN LEVELS

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Are You Not Cutting Out More Thin Meat From Your Diet?

Many vegetarians fall into the dangerous trap of eliminating meat and fish from their diets without compensating for lost nutrients.

If balanced diet is important for vegetarian adults, it is even more vital for children last year, a senior lecturer of nutrition found that 80 % of mothers questioned believed low-fat high-fiber diets were appropriate for heir infants, and 20 % felt high kilo joule food was not important. Increasingly, traditional foods like baby cereal with whole milk are giving way to a “nursery starvation diet” of low fat yoghurts and fruit and vegetable purees.

Non-meat-eating can also be problematic for teenagers, particularly girls, a spokesperson says many young women have an iron intake puts them at risk of anemia. They often don’t realize that they have to replace meat with good sources of iron, sources that are not necessarily at the top of their lists of favorite foods.

One common misconception is that the processed vegetarian foods often favored by teenagers, such as vegetable burgers and prepared chilled foods, are “healthier” than the real thing. Often they are not. Surrounding a lump of tofu with pastry to turn it into a pie can cancel out many of the health benefits the tofu may provide. Also meat substitutes may require strong flavoring, and can be high in salt. Some contain nearly three times as much saturated fat, as meat.

Another danger is missing out on dairy foods that contain vitamin B12 and calcium. Certainly vegetarians who don’t have dairy products daily can at risk of not getting enough.

Although vitamin B12 deficiency is rare, an expert of nutrition says that it can cause severe irreversible damage to the nervous system. He also has concerns about Soya milk, another popular alternative for vegetarians. Giving Soya milk to children at better than no milk at all but should be a resort.

While many studies suggest that a vegetarian diet is a good one, that may be a result of other differences between meat-eaters and vegetarians, for example, vegetarians don’t drink or smoke as much and generally weigh less. And there is evidence that even balanced vegetarian diets do not significantly reduce some health risks. A research study last year found that deaths from stomach, breast, prostate & lung cancer not markedly lower among vegetarians.

With so much publicity about how we treat our animals, and what we feed them-it is not surprising that, more and more people are becoming vegetarians, the problem is, how many will encounter just as many health hazards as meat- eaters?

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A FOOD ALLERGY

A FOOD ALLERGY OCCURS IN CONSEQUENCE OF AN IMMUNE SYSTEM RESPONSE TO FOOD INGREDIENTS THAT ARE GENERALLY HARMLESS AND INOFFENSIVE. AFTER THE FIRST INTAKE OF APPROPRIATE FOOD, IT MAKES SPECIFIC ANTIBODIES. THIS APPEARS FIRST AS NO ALLERGIC REACTIONS, BUT IT IS HELD TO RAISE AWARENESS. EACH TIME CONSUMING THE PRODUCT IS THEN TRIGGERED BY THE ANTIBODIES HAVE AN ALLERGIC REACTION.

SUFFER IN TERMS OF THE DISTRIBUTION IS MORE THAN TWICE AS MANY WOMEN AS MEN TO FOOD ALLERGIES. MOST COMMONLY AFFECTED ARE VERY SMALL CHILDREN BECAUSE THEIR INTESTINAL MUCOSA IS VERY THIN AND EVEN THE IMMUNE SYSTEM REACTS MORE HEAVILY.

THE CAUSES OF FOOD ALLERGIES ARE VARIED ON THE INCOMPATIBILITY OF ADDITIVES IN FOOD AND TO STRESS-CAUSING FACTORS.

TO ASSESS THE PRESENCE OF FOOD ALLERGY AND TO OBSERVE CLEARLY, AN ALLERGIST TO BE DRAWN. THERE IS A SKIN TEST OR SEROLOGICAL TESTS IN WHICH THE ANTIBODIES ARE MEASURED. IF AN ALLERGY-CAUSING FOOD IS FOUND, USUALLY PREVENTED BY AVOIDING THE SAME, AND BY THE ELIMINATION OF A FOOD GROUP WITH THE ALLERGY-CAUSING SUBSTANCES, FURTHER BREAKING OF THE ALLERGY. THIS IS TO ENSURE THAT THE DIET REMAINS BALANCED IN ORDER TO CALL FORTH ANY DEFICIENCIES.
AMONG THE FOODS THAT CONTAIN VERY COMMON ALLERGENS ARE SUCH AS DAIRY PRODUCTS, EGGS, NUTS, FLOUR, SOYBEANS, ETC.

WITH REGARD TO THE SYMPTOMS OF AN ALLERGIC REACTION ARE ITCHING AND SWELLING IN FRONT AS WELL AS CRAMPS AND ASTHMATIC REACTIONS.

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Tumors Continue Growing Even When Cells Get Old

Based on the knowledge that cancer cells grow indefinitely, the general belief is that senescence could act as a barrier against tumor growth and has the potential of being used as a cancer treatment.

According to findings published in the 19th January issue of the open-access journal PLoS Computational Biology, a collaboration between a cancer biologist from the University of Milano, Italy, and two physicists, from the National Research Council of Italy and from Cornell University, has shown that although cell senescence occurs spontaneously in melanoma cells, it does not stop their growth, which is sustained by a small population of cancer stem cells.

The study examines the association between melanoma and senescence, which is the normal process in which cells decline and eventually stop duplicating after reaching maturity.

The researchers observed the long-term evolution of melanoma cell populations by monitoring the number of senescent cells, and discovered a slowing in growth with the majority of the cells turning senescent after three months. However, growth did not stop and was eventually resumed at its initial rate until the senescent cells had nearly disappeared.

The researchers applied a mathematical model of the experimental data using the cancer stem cell hypothesis, in which a sub-group of cancer cells multiply indefinitely, and therefore remain unaffected by senescence. These cancer stem cells produce a larger population of cancer cells, which are only able to replicate a certain number of times. The results of the model achieved an indirect confirmation that cancer stem cells are present in melanoma, an issue that remains to be controversial in the cancer research community.

The researchers conclude that even though a large percentage of cancer cells are susceptible to senescence, inducing senescence is unlikely to provide a successful therapeutic strategy because these cells are not important for tumor growth. The say however, that the indirect evidence of cancer stem cells in melanoma could potentially enable the development of new strategies for the treatment of specific types of cancer.

However, the strong resistance to drug induced senescence that may be found in the cancer stem cells will present a major challenge. Based on this study, treatment of tumors would concentrate on targeting only these cancer stem cells, instead of every single cancerous cell.

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Tame hunger and cravings with serotonin

Food-mood connection

Known mainly for relieving melancholy and agitation, serotonin is a powerful regulator of brain function. The lion's share of serotonin is produced in the gastrointestinal tract, but the brain, kidneys and liver also manufacture this neurotransmitter in small amounts. Carbohydrates are necessary for serotonin production -- giving insight into the irritability that is often found with those on a low-carb diet. Studies have shown that people who restrict carbohydrates are significantly more crabby than their carb-loving counterparts.

Using carbohydrates to manage appetite

Surprisingly, serotonin isn't just a potent brain chemical responsible for feelings of well-being and calm -- it plays an important role in the management of appetite too. A clinical study found that consuming small amounts of carbohydrates 20 minutes before a meal helped increase serotonin and reduced hunger. Participants of the experiment shared common traits like fatigue, irritability and depression that would usually strike between 3 and 5 p.m. Concentration, mood and energy levels of the volunteers were measured both before and after drinking either a carbohydrate or protein-rich test beverage. Only those who consumed the carbohydrate drink had improvement in mood and energy along with reduced food consumption throughout the day. Afternoon slumps and carbohydrate cravings were also diminished.

Maximize serotonin in the body

Have a look at the following tips and take advantage of serotonin's mood and appetite regulating benefits:

1. Enjoy small amounts of healthy carbohydrates

One of the most effective ways to increase serotonin is to consume carbohydrates. Timing carbohydrate consumption produces even better results. By eating 25-35 grams of carbohydrates 20 minutes before a meal, the body has time to produce serotonin -- naturally curbing appetite and boosting mood. Good choices include amaranth, quinoa, buckwheat and millet. Avoid sugar and refined carbohydrates to keep blood sugar levels stable. Beware of consuming carbohydrates along with fat or protein as this hampers the production of serotonin.

2. Reduce stress

We have all heard that stress causes a variety of health problems. Stress also interferes with serotonin. When we are tense, the body produces cortisol and adrenaline which block serotonin. Deep breathing, meditation, yoga and exercise help to manage chronic tension while keeping serotonin levels balanced.

3. Try Rhodiola rosea herb

Not only does rhodiola increase stamina and resilience to stress, it also slows the breakdown of serotonin within the system. As an added bonus, rhodiola helps to dissolve fat -- especially around the mid-section.

With all the great benefits of serotonin, why suffer low-carb diets? Instead, enjoy small portions of carefully timed carbohydrates to maintain healthy weight and a bright outlook.

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