Health & Rich

THE BENEFITS OF SQUALENE

2010-09-03T22:30:00.002-05:00

Based on experiments and medical experiences for more than a half of century by various herbal experts form Japan, China and Korea, squalene has a lot of benefits that we can decribe them below:

1). Squalene as amplifier and adder of life spirit
Squalene is the main material to build cholesterol and steroid. CHolesterol has many function in the body such as for metabolism and for building vitamin D. However, cholesterol is also used to make hormone similar with steroid which also functions as hormone builder. Hormone is very important for human life. Without hormone, human beings are useless in their everyday life, physically and mentally. Old persons has decrease their sexual spirit because their hormone (estrogen and testoteron) decrease. So if they consume squalene, their sexual enthusiasm can increase to normal level, even more maximal.

2). Squalene as a healer of liver disorder.
It has been reported from some hospitals in Japan such as Hospital of Tokyo University, Fakuoka Hospital and National Hospital, that they have underwent some experiments to cure hepatitis. Finally, they concluded that squalene is benefits to heal many liver disorder.

3). benefit to cure diabetes
Diabetes is disease caused by shortage of insuline. Squalene is a main material to build hormone, in this case insuline hormone. By consuming squalene, pancreas is not only amplified and repaired, but it also helps increase insulin product needed by the body.

4). Increase immune system
Doctors in Japan believe that consuming squalene can make body immunity raise. It is because squalene's molecules consist of polymer isoprene called terpene and tripene. The substance proves to be able to become interferon inducer. Interferon can increase both amount and activities of cells of spinal cord, lymph gland, liver and thymus. The kind of cells increased their powerful and endurance are lymphosit T and B cells, and makrofaq sells.
So it is not wonder that before the invention of antibiotic, squalene were widely used to cure tuberculosis, hepatitis, diabetes, influenza, and etc.

5). As sterilizer and healer of wound
Squalene is effectively a source of oxigen supplier. It has the same function as Ozon where its on becomes microbe killer and O2 becomes metabolism activator of cells. Its positive effect is that the wound is not only easier to recover, but also it does not feel pain. It goes together with the theory developed by dr. Yoka that: Pain is caused by oxygen shortage.

6). Omitting weariness and shooting pain.
Weariness can happen because of precipation of lactate acid in skeletal muscles. The precipation is caused by uncomplete combustion. Because of rich of oxigen, squalene will supply oxygen to most part of the body. Lactate acid will be completely oxidated into CO2, H2O and energy. The muscle will become normal again and the body will feel fresh and health.
(to be continued)

More Benefits of Bee Propolis

2010-08-26T00:43:00.002-05:00

1). help strengthen body immune system naturally

Bee propolis is rich of polyphenol. It can increase the production and activities of immune cells.

2). As source of high antioxidant
Some researchs prove that bee propolis can help our body fight against free radicles. free radicles are active atom which have less or abundant electron and is unstable. The body can produced free radicles naturrally or it happens because of cigarette smoke or pollution. if free radicles contact with other important cell in our body, they can cause the cell damage or even ruin. The damage cell then can trigger the emerge of degenerative diseases such as heart, hypertention, diabetes and cancer.

3). As anti-Microba
propolis is very effective to fight against any bacteria and viruses and fungus.

4). Help Cope Inflammation
The content of CAPE (Caffeic Acid Phenetyl Ester) substance in be propolis functions as anti-inflammatiom.

5). protect our Heart
bee propolis can help lower LDL (bad cholesterol) and triglycerides. Otherwise it also can increase DHL. That is why it can protect the heart.

6). help Cope with gastritis
bee propolis can heal gastritis by reducing the damage on the stomach wall. It also can reduce the acid level and the number of stomach acid produced.

More About Propolis

2010-08-22T00:39:00.002-05:00

Propolis, also well-known as Russian Penicillin, is strong antioxindant, anti-microbe, and natural antibiotic produced by body. Because it is natural, propolis does not make body's immune system weaken if it is unproperly used. Propolis even make our immune system increase naturally.

The main function of propolis is to neutralize poison, strengthen body immunity, antibiotic, annihilate bad bacteria and fungus, clean out viruses, repair damaged cells on tissue and body organ. It also strengthens cells, speeds up cell regeneration, etc.

Supporting Natural Body Immunity
Men have very complex of body immune system. It consists of many various cells, tissue and organ. All of them help the body protect itself in order to be healthy. This system works 24-hour every day to fight against dangerous microorganism which threathen human's healthy. Do you know that environment where we are living is surrounded by millions of dangerous bacteria, viruses and microorganism?

When we get wound, bacteria can easily penetrate into our body. When we eat and drink everything, there are so many germs and bacteria in it. Of course we do not see those bacteria with our bare eyes. So if our body immunity does not work well, we will easily get sick because of those bacteria and viruses. That is why it is very important for us to strenghten our body immunity. Consuming bee propolis is one of many ways to protect ourselves.

Propolis, Another Miracle of Bee

2010-08-20T01:34:00.002-05:00

Propolis is derived from Greek. Pro means before, and polis means city. Bee propolis is often meant "before entering bee hive". It seem to mean that it protects bee hive against dangerous factors outside the hive.

Propolis is a mixture of resin substance, originated from bark and the toppings of tree, especially poplar (Populus spp.), birch (Betula spp.), or conifer (pinus species). Bees collect those substance, and then mix it with wax and their saliva. Propolis is used by bees to protect every door of the hive to sterilize every coming bee. Propolis is also used by bees to repair their hive whenever it cracks or wears.

Bees are susceptible to infection because they do not have immune system. Bees greatly rely on propolis to protect themselves, their hive, their eggs and young bees against diseases.

Subtances that contain in propolis are very complex. There are more than 200 components that have been identified. But generally propolis consists of balsam (polyphenol) 50%, resin 30%, essential oil 10%, pollen 5%, organic and anorganic substances 5%. High Polyphenol content in propolis functions as anti-bacteria, anti-viruses, anti-fungus, antioxidant, anti-inflammation and immune system.

What happens if we consume bee propolis? Do we become healthier because this substance?

Some of Useful Fish Oils

2010-08-11T01:40:00.002-05:00

Actually there are several kinds of fish oils which are believed useful and have benefit to human health, but according to the research, there are 3 kinds of fish oil which are proven bringing benefits to human health.

1). Cod liver oil / halibut oil
It is fish oil that is extracted from liver and or fat of cod and halibut fishes. The oil contains vitamin A, D, and triglyceride. Both vitamins are known as a drug to repair and to perfect bones and skin development. They are also used as a drug to prevent and cure xerophthalmia and blindness.

2. Omega 3
It is a popular name of fish oil contains a mixture of Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) dan Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). It is extracted from fat tissue of Mackerel fish, as well as Herring, Sardine, Salem, Lemuru, etc. All of those fishes live in water surface. Omega 3 is claimed having benefit to decrease cholesterol, lessen high blood pressure, and prevent against coronary thrombosis and arteriosclerosis. Omega 3 is widely known in USA and Britain. However, in 1989, a team led by Dr. G.J. Reis and a team with Dr. R.A. Riemersma in charge reported that omega 3 has lower benefits compare with olive oil. It is because olive oil contains active substance of squalene.

3. Squalene
It is fish oil extracted from dogfish (aizame, spiny dogfish) with the so many benefits as explained before in previous articles on this blog.

Searching Dogfish for Squalene?

2010-08-08T08:15:00.002-05:00

Today dogfishes, as the main source of squalene, are only be found in some certain places, i.e. at the sea of Indonesia, Philipina, Spain, Portugal, Norway and some of African countries. However, the best squalene come from dogfishes live in Indonesian waters.

The first discoverer of squalene is Japanese chemical expert, DR. Mitsumaru Tsujimoto. He was a famaous chemical expert in Japan dan had discovered a lot of chemical compounds, derived from sardine acid and buthyalcohol. In 1906, DR. Tsujimoto discovered an oil extracted from aizame dogfish and he named it squalene. In 1931, another expert DR, Kora at Zurich University, Swiss, discovered cmecial structure of squalene. Because of his discovery, he was awarded The Nobel Price.

In 1932, DR. Mashina and his friends carried out research about squalene benefit and they found that squalene had medical potential. The research result was then continued by a team of experts led by DR. Kejiro Kogami. Because of their hard work, the team found that squalene really had medical benefit and could ease and cure some diseases such as, tuberculose, skin disease, burn-wound, gastritis and intestine diseases. Whereas DR. Ryosuke Yokota found that squalene could prevent the development of cancer tissue.

In 1970, Dr. H. Hella and Dr. V.Z. Pasteleraque could prove that squalene could increase human body immunity against many diseases. It could be happened because squalene enhanced the activity and endurance of immune cells in bone marrow, spleen gland, adrenal gland, T and B limfosit cells and macrofag.

Below is the amount comparation of squalene in human body and in plants or other food.

THE DISCOVERY OF SQUALENE

2010-07-29T19:06:00.003-05:00

Sharks which live at the depth of 300 - 1000 meter below the sea level are supposed to be exist since 400 million years ago, far before human created. Categorized as rare vertebrate, shark has black-gray color and has not more than 1,5 meter at length, with weight of 50 kg. It is supposed there are 15 kinds of sharks living in the depth as written on the table below:

Tabel: Kinds of Sharks and their Squalene level

Quoted from Cosmetic Products Raw Materials Standard, ED II , Annotated , Yakuji Nipposha.

The peculiarity of dogfish is that it lives at hard environment. The fish is stay at the depth of 300 - 1000 below the sea level, untouchable by sunlight, rare of oxygen, and live under high water pressure. However, it can survive there and never come up to the higher depth.

How can this kind of shark survive at that difficult environment?
According to fishermen and traditional medicine experts from China, Japan and Korea, the key to the shark survival is in its liver. Since the ancient time, the shark's liver especially dogfish, has been in one of medicine list in Ancient China. Dogfish liver is different with any other sharks' liver from its size and weight. The weight of dogfish liver is approximately 40% of its body weight, and 90% of its liver content is squalene.

Japanese fishermen at Suruga gulf are the most experienced and talented fishermen in catching dogfish. They extract the dogfish oil and drink it as a medicine to evade weariness and other threatening illness. They also spread the oil on their skin as their sunscreen. They also use the oil to layer their boat so that the boat wood is not easily rotten, and snails and sea shells do not adhere at boat wall.

Have you ever read the novel of Ernest Hemingway's The Old Man and The Sea? At the novel, Ernest wrote that all of the fishermen in Santiago drank a cup of fish oil that kept in the drum before they went to the sea to prevent them from illness.

So it is undeniable that old fishermen from year to year have known and used the shark oil as their traditional medicine.

According to Dr. Iwan T. Budiarso, an expert from Indonesia, before world war II, there were still many dogfishes in Japanese waters such as in Kochioki, Sagamida, Okinawa and other places. But today, the dogfish is very rare and it is possibly extinct in Japanese sea. The fishermen there now are looking for the fishes for their squalene outside their country's waters.

Translated and concised from the article of Dr. Iwan T. Budiarso , DVM, MSc, Phd, APU, part 2.

The Benefits of Coconut Water

2010-07-29T02:22:00.003-05:00

Consumption of coconut water for health has been known for a long time. People use it to evade certain diseases and some treatment such as healing ailment caused by poison, where at this condition, coconut water functions as antidote.

Coconut water is a natural isotonic. The features of this natural isotonic drink are:

water content in one coconut fruit is 400 - 465 cc.
coconut water contains vitamin C and several vitamins B, such as niacin, patotenat acid, biotin, riboflavin, folic acid and thiamin.
coconut water also contains some minerals such as natrium, kalium, kalsium, magnesium, iron, copper, phosphor, sulfur and chlorin.
coconut water contains many kinds fo amino acid.

Health Benefit

neutralize poison
cure wormy
cure burned wound
relieve from dysentery
ease itchiness caused by eczema
relieve from dengue

Beauty Benefit

evade acne
prevent against wrinkle
prevent against gray hair

Other Benefit
1. increase sexual desire
2. make clear of voice.

Comments from Some Institutions About Coconut Water

FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization )
At September 14, 2000, FAO recommended coconut water as an natural energy drink.

Journal of Medicinal Food, J Med Food. 2006 Fall;9(3):400-7
Coconut water has cardioprotective effect because it can decrease the level of bad cholesterol in a research. (V.G. Sandhya, Dr., Professor T. Rajamohan. Department of Biochemistry, University of Kerala, India)

Journal of PHYSIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY and Applied Human Science Vol. 21 (2002)
Drinking coconut water after physical exercise is the best way to rehydration. It can make body feel saturated, and it can be consumed much, comparing with any other drinks like fresh water and drinks contain KH and electrolite.

The Miracle of Dogfish Squalene

2010-07-23T01:31:00.005-05:00

Squalene is a natural health food extracted from the liver of dogfish (aizame spiny dog fish or Centrophorus atromarginatus garman) which lived in the deep of the sea, in the range of 300 - 1000 below the sea level. Dogfish is one of the smallest shark species, which has a measurement of less than 1,5 metre long and weight of more or less 50 kilogram. However, the dogfish liver is the biggest than any other kind of sharks.

What is the Peculiar Features of Dogfish?
The dogfish lives far below the sea level, beyond the reach of sunray. The oxygen at the level is very few, but the water pressure is very high. Comparing with its weight, the pressure endured by the shark is around 31 - 101 kilograms. The foods at the depth are predominantly marine plants and minerals.

According to the research, the endurance of dogfish living in the shortage environment is caused by the power of its liver. Who knows that the weight of its liver is 40% of its body weight, or approximately 20 kilogram. And in its liver, there is a high content of squalene, at about 90% of its liver weight.

What is Squalene?
Squalene is an oily organic substance, but can not be categorized as oil because it does not have fat acid or COOH cluster. It has colour of yellowish or clear white and has specific odor. Until today, experts have not yet be able to create the syntheses of squalene.

In human body, squalene spreads at all of human organs and tissue, and has multirole functions. For example, at the skin, squalene is used as a main component to produce slippery and delicate substances consist in sebum produced by talk gland (sebasius).

In the liver, squalene is used as raw material to produce cholesterol and steroid. Cholesterol is important for metabolism, and if it is activated, it can produce vitamin D. Both of choleterol and steroid can be made as hormon. Hormons are very important for human life. There is no life without hormon.

Consuming squalene everyday can recover human power and health. Squalene is also believed be able to ease and heal many kind of diseases.

Concised from the article of Dr. Iwan T. Budiarso , DVM, MSc, Phd, APU

Discusion about cholesterol

2009-11-29T07:32:00.002-06:00

The cholesterol in fact is the result of fat solution in the body. Cholesterol is also needed by the body, although just in a few. Such as for the material to form cell membrane, or as the framer material to form bile salt. When being abundant but still can be tolerated by the body, cholesterol is proccessed the heart into the energy source subtituting sugar. However, when the amount of it is totally over supply, cholesterol will be kept on the muscle and on the light network under the skin (for example in the thigh, upper arm, stomach and bottom).

Cholesterol also can be obtained by eating fatty food. To reduce it of course by reducing fatty food. But some people has gene deviation that can cause him have very little amount of enzyme to break cholesterol. Whereas the gene has genetic feature and can not be changed.

Therefore, for someone who has high level of cholesterol, he has also high risk to suffer cardiovaskuler illness like: stroke, heart or the disturbance of kidney and liver.

When the use of the lowered-cholesterol medicine is used, can be seen from the example below:
Patient 1:
Total cholesterol is 400, but his age is just 25 years. does not have hypertension, the level of blood sugar is normal, and his family does not have history of heart disease in the young age. His height is 180 cm and his weight is 100 cm.
Patient 2:
Total cholesterol is 200, but his age is 55 years, have hypertension and diabetes, the level of LDL (bad cholesterol) is 150, had been attacked by heart disease.

Fom the case above, cholesterol medicine is needed by patient 2. For the patient 1, it is recommended to do physical exercise and consume balanced food, also reducing the portion of fat until 10-15%.

Basically, there are many things to be considered if we want to take cholesterol medicine. It is because there are many kinds of cholesterol medicine, depending what kind of cholesterol that must be reduced. Besides, most cholesterol medicines are expensive and some of them have bad side-effect.

The Hidden Benefit of Earthworm

2009-11-13T06:41:00.002-06:00

Earthworm has been used in the Far East traditional medical practice for conditions associated with some thrombolytic diseases such as stroke, myocardial infarction and pulmonary embolism. According to Chinese medical publication Ben Cao Gang Ma, earthworm (lumbricus rubellus) was said to unblock the body's meridians and channels, and was used to support blood circulation.

In 1883, in a book discussing the action of worms, Charles Darwin observed that earthworm digestive fluids can dissolve fibrin. In order to elucidate the power of earthworms, Japanese scholars Dr. Hisashi Mihara and others succeeded in extracting a fibrin-dissolving enzyme from Lumbricus rubellus in the 1980s. This enzyme was later found to consist of a few proteolytic sub-enzymes, which are collectively named lumbrokinase. Lumbrokinase is also referred to as earthworm fibrinolytic enzymes (EFE), earthworm powder enzymes (EPE), or e-PA.

Since 1992, lumbrokinase derived from earthworms has been extensively studied and used in China. Research has shown lumbrokinase to support healthy coagulation of blood within normal levels and enhance fibrinolytic activities, i.e. similar to natokinase. In Japan and Korea lumbrokinase has been the main ingredient in "Dragon Heart", a popular health supplement for supporting circulatory health.

Lumbrokinase consists of proteolytic enzymes. It contains in it plasminogen activator and plasmin. The plasminogen activator in Lumbrokinase is similar to tissue plasminogen activator from other sources. It means it possibly shows thrombolytic activities only in the presence of fibrin. That is why lumbrokinase has the advantage of not causing excessive building.

The enzymes in lumbrokinase have very strong fibrinolytic activity and are stable in a wide pH range. They also shows great stability against thermal inactivation and degradation.

Lumbrokinase has been widely used in over 100 hospitals in Beijing since 1995. In Indonesia Jakarta, lumbrokinase has been used in thousands of hospitals and stores, in more than 20 provinces and cities, as well as in Hongkong, taiwan, Southeast Asia, and Europe.

Conclusion
Lumbrokinase have a great future in both preventing and treating atherosclerotic buildup. Since our natural production of plasmin slows as we age and other factors can enter the picture to thicken the blood, it makes good sense to consider this enzyme for prevention.
However, if you take medication, ask your physician before starting this enzyme supplements. Lumbrokinase is quite powerful and your medication may have to be adjusted as a result of taking it.

Renal Failure

2009-10-19T20:29:00.001-05:00

Kidney is an important organ in the body and has a function of throwing away garbage metabolism and body poison in the form of urine/the urine, that afterwards is issued from the body.

What is Renal Failure?
Renal Failure is the situation when the kidney declines in function, caused by accumulation of poison in the body and the waste of metabolism. Heavy failure or not depends on how far the kidney damaged.

How is the symptom of renal failure?
Renal failure will cause some signs which called Uremic Syndrome such as:
- nausea, vomited
- appetite descended
- had a headache, weak
- often caught a cold
- breathless, inflated, diarrhoea
- often singultus
- at first often urine tonight, afterwards urine decreased or in no urine at all.
- in difficult situation, the awareness will decline, accompanied by muscle-bound.

How many kinds of Renal Failure?
There are two kinds:
- Acute Renal Failure
it abruptly come, but can be healed completely
- Chronic Renal Failure
It happens in phases, and can not be cured. However, if the patient takes medicine regulary, it can prevent from another damage of the kidney.

What are the causes of Acute Renal Failure?
Pre Renal Cause: diarrhea and vomiting, bleeding, or wide burn.
Renal Cause: Acute glumerulonefritis (The swollen face, swollen foot, blood pressure increased, sometimes accompanied by waist pain and urine color is red)
Post Renal Cause: urinary tract is clogged up (tumour stone, the blood clot, etc.), marked with great waist pain, sometimes urine is red, it volume is decreased or no urine at all.

What is the cause of Chronic Renal Failure?
The cause of chronic renal failure are:
- chronic glumerulonefritis (swollen face, high blood pressure, urine decreased or no urine at all)
- diabetes melitus
- Hypertension
- kidney stone,
- drugs

Coconut Oil, Miracles from Tropical Countries

2009-10-14T19:48:00.001-05:00

After years unpopular, Coconut oil today is known having extraordinary benefits because of its high concentrate of medium-chain fatty acid, called laurat acid. The power of laurat acid has been proved by many world researchers. The expert from Disease Control Center, Georgia, USA said that laurat acid can fight against 14 viruses and bacterias, such as influenza, rubella, coronavirus, herpes, staphylococcus aureus, and Streptococcus agaltiae. "Laurat acid works by destroying fatty layer of microorganism,' said prof Waluyo Soerjodibroto, a lecturer of Medical faculty of Indonesia University, who also did some research on coconut oil.

Michael Bergeron, a researcher from Universit Laval, Qu'bec, Canada, in 2003 found laurat in the form of sodium lauril sulfat. The mixture of those ingredients can dissolve virus membrane and force it to go out. Coconut oil is powerful to prevent HIV virus infiltrate the body. It also prove to be able to kill 90% of herpes viruses.

In industrial world, lauric acid is also greatly needed. "Baby food and pharmaceutical industries need lauric acid very much," said Dr. Mohammad Ahkam Subroto, a researcher from Indonesian Biotechnological Research Center LIPI. It is because baby need lauric acid for promoting the growth of his body and brain. Actually lauric acid is also found in mother's milk, but its concentration is just only 3%. The study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 1998 showed that the amount of lauric acid, kaprik acid, and kaprilik acid in the milk of breastfeeding mother significantly increased when they consumed coconut oil. It is believe that this will make better protection for the baby.

Coconut oil also contains anti-cancer substances. It can either produce natural anti-microba substance which is beneficial to obstruct the development of patogen microorganism, such as negative gram bacteria, kandida, Measle, Holicobacteri pylori, Listeria monocytogenes Clamedia, Helicobacter, Staphylococcus sp., and protozoa such as Giadia lamblia.

So why do not try to consume this unique supplement? In Indonesia, coconut oil is produced by local people and is very easy to produce it. Most of bottled coconut oils sold at drugstores and supermarkets are home industry. Because it is categorized having medium chain molecules, it more endures from air contamination and can keep for years without any change in quality.

Honey as an Antioxidant

2009-07-01T13:39:00.003-05:00

An new study finds that there is antioxidant content in honey. it means that honey can evade free radicals. As you know, free radical is a source of many various kinds of unhealing diseases, such as cancer.

The discovery encourages researchers to know better about anti-cancer substances in honey. It hopes that many newest researches will affirm honey benefits which is very potent to halt the spreading of vicious diseases.

Honey reputation as medicine for respiration problem is still affirmated today. Honey can drive out phlegm or liquid that cloggs up bronchial tube. Greek and Roman people believed that honey can be used as decongestant.

Opera singers also fond of using honey as to take care of their throat. A glass of warm water mixed with lemon and honey can help them to clear away their laryngitis. It is because honey has the power of desinfectant. Honey can enhance saliva production that can take care of dry throat.

Honey also has light sedative feature. That is why traditional people often admix honey with milk to be drunk before sleeping. Milk with honey can make them relax and sleep faster.

Most of all sweet food, including honey, will trigger brain to produce endorfin in the body. Because of its high fructose level, honey has little effect of loosen the bowel.

It is also believed that honey is ever to be used as aphrodisiac. The term of honeymoon actually comes from ancient tradition of North Europe people. At that time, newlywed had to consume honey and mead in order to arouse their sexual appetite.

According to Ibnu Sina, if you want to be always young and healthy although you get along in years, you must consume honey routinely.

Women in Egypt, Greece and Rusia reportedly always use honey to take care of their face skin in order to stay beautiful and clean. Honey is used to wash out of stain and hyperpigmentation and prevent from wrinkle. You can make skin lotion by yourself by mixing honey 100 gram with 25 ml of alcohol and 25 ml of fresh water.

The flavor of honey is greatly influenced by the kind of flower which the bees consume its nectar. Today we can find many flavor of honey, such as silk-cotton honey, tamarind honey, manggo, apple etc.

However, if the bee consumes nectar of poisonous flower, the honey they produce poisonous too. For example, if the bees suck nectar from rhodonderon flower, the honey they produce will cause paralyzing. Some poisonous plants, beside rhodonderon, are azalea, andromeda, agave, atropa, datura,
euphorbia, kalmia, gelsemium, and melaleuca. The poisonous honey usually wild honey.

Before sugar was invented, in the medieval ages, honey was used as the sweet flavor for every food. At the end of 17 century, sugar was more popular than honey as a sweeter. But, the English queen and her family still always used honey for their food. So why we not keep up with the Queen.

Viruses Can't Compete with Honey

2009-05-29T07:31:00.002-05:00

This is a title of an article written by dr. Dixon at Dis Lancet magazine, 2003 February edition. Dr. Dixon said that honey is very powerful to cope with viruses. So there are no viruses can fight against honey. Dr. Dixon is one of scientists who is interested in studying honey benefits.

There is more something interesting in honey. Medicians usually warn diabetic patients to consume foods or sweet drinks in case of the level of sugar in the blood will rise. According to a research, this doctor's warning can not be applied for honey.

Honey can lower the sugar level in blood for diabetic patients. Some researchs shows that there is oxidation subtance in honey that enable sugar expansion far easier. This make the sugar level in blood not arise.

Its content that is rich of vitamin B1, B5 and G make honey very important for diabetic patients. Honey also contains at least 100 different elements which are very important for human body, especially diabetic patients.

Athenaeus, a Greek philosopher and a writer, said that if everyone routinely drinks honey, they will be free of any diseases in the rest of his life.

The philosopher is right, because there are many kinds of unique and potential nutrition in honey to take care of our health and beauty. Honey has a great power of healing. Many nutritions in it has long to be used to cope burning injury, to increase stamina, to uplift sexual desire, and even to prevent from cancer. This gold-color liquid is also used to keep the skin beauty.

A scientist from Illionis University at Urbana, USA, wrote in a Journal of Agricultural Research that the benefits of every honey is maybe different. However, all kinds of honey certainly contain the same amount of antioxidant agent, such as vitamin E and C. The antioxidant is believed enable to prevent from cancer, heart disease and other diseases.

According to prof. Dr. H. Muhilal, a nutritionist from The Center of Nutrition Research and Development, Bogor, honey contains amino acid, carbohydrate, protein, some vitamins and mineral that are easily absorbed by the body. Free amino acid in honey can help the process of healing. Honey is also used as a formation of neurotransmitter, a subtance used to optimize brain function. Honey also contains useful antibiotic substance to defeat patogen viruses.

The type of carbohydrate in honey is simple. The overall compositions of honey are water 17,1%; total carbohydrate 82,4%; protein, amino acid, vitamin, and mineral 0,5%. The main carbohydrate consists of fructose 38,5% and glucose 31%. The rest of carbohydrate is 12,9% which consists of maltose, sucrose, and other sugar. As carbohydrate, a spoontable of honey can supply energy 64 calorie.

Because of its healthy content, it is not astonished that honey was used by Ancient Egypt to cure burning injury and wound. It was known then at that time that honey had antiseptic and antimicobial features. Because of its potent to slown down bacterial development, honey can faster the healing process of injury.

The similar statement is also stated by dr. Peter Molan from University of Waikato, New Zealand. He added that honey also stimulate the development of new cells.

Bee Pollen, pass-key of Ageless

2009-05-16T07:02:00.002-05:00

Do you want to be ageless or longvity and disease-proof? if those you are looking for, consuming bee pollen regulary is the best answer. The world has prove it, from the time of Ancient Egypt until today.

What is pollen? Pollen is tiny grains that are produced in the male organs of flowering and cone-bearing plants. They are like powder. Every grain of pollen contains 100.000 to 5 million pollen spore, which has the ability to reproduce plants.

How do honey bees collect pollen? Beside sucking up nectar, bee also collects pollen. When the bees find it, they take pollen by their front foot. After they wet pollen with honey, they put pollen to their pollen basket at their back foot. Pollen is the young bees' source of important fats, proteins, vitamins, and minerals. While the sugar in nectar is mainly a source of energy.

Bee pollen contains 18 amino acids, eight of them are essential, 12 vitamin, 28 mineral, enzyme, co-enzyme, 14 important fatty acids, 11 carbohydrate, phytonutrients (lecithin, beta-carotene, selenium) and 30% protein.

The benefits of bee pollen:
1. to upgrade IQ
2. prevent from cancer
3. prevent from impotency and unfertility
4. Triglicerida
5. Arthritis.
6. Diabetes.
7. high blood pressure
8. anemia
9. asthma
10. prostate
and many other diseases.

As the story goes, Queen Cleopatra used honey rich of bee pollen as her pool to keep her beauty and ageless. The Roman army used to bring pastries made from bee pollen, honey and wheat in order to raise their power in the battle of Cicero (106 - 43 BC). According to history, most of houses in the Roman empire at that time kept honey and bee pollen as their health supplement.

The Comments of Modern Medical Experts

Mme. Aschenasy Leru, The chief of The Centre of Science Research in France said: Pollen contains 40 - 80% of free glutamat acid which is not produced by human body. The acid can prevent embolism in brain, raise IQ and concentration, and repair mental deficiency.
Prof. Nicolai Vasilleivich Tsitsin, The chief of Rusian Biological and Botanical Board. He examined Rusian people who had age more than 100 year and found that more than 200 of his examiners kept honey bees. They also consumed honey residue as their rich of bee pollen food.

How to Use Bee Pollen for Our Health and Beauty?

Bee Pollen can be consumed directly as a snack for ones who conduct diet.
Bee Pollen can be mixed with royal jelly or honey to maintain fit and healthy life.
Bee Pollen which is mixed with honey or royal jelly is very good for smoothening and rejuvenating skin.

Bee Pollen, The most Complete Nutriment in Nature

2009-04-29T14:17:00.001-05:00

How can a powder with a size only 0,05 mm be able to influence human life? Even without the powder, our earth will become a desert. Do ypu want to know what powder is? The magic powder is a flower powder called pollen.

Pollen consists of tiny grains that are produced in the male organs of flowering and cone-bearing plants. Seeds develop after pollen is transferred from the male part of a plant to the female part. This transfer of pollen is called pollination.

So without pollen, there is no pollination, and without pollination there are no trees. How the world will seen if there are no trees in earth! Can we imagine that?

Pollen collected by bees when they suck up nectar from the flowers. When bees suck up nectar, pollen mixed with nectar and bees' saliva is collected and is saved in pollen basket at bee's foot. So the pollen collected by bee is called "bee pollen".

Is pollen a nutriment? Pollen is the young bees' source of important fats, proteins, vitamins, and minerals. In 1963, A research held by Lee Foundation for Nutritional Research in Milwaukke, USA reported that bee pollen had perfect nutritious balance, so it could be used as an independent food. Bee pollen was also equipped with a perfect liquid.

According to Dr. G.J. Binding, bee pollen is the best food ever existed, even it is the nearly perfect food. Not only bee pollen arouses power and energy in the body, but also it can enhance body protection against infection.

Today many professional athletes consume bee pollen to enhance their power. Bee pollen is also used to be applied at healing field.

A Misunderstanding about Fiber

2009-04-03T17:12:00.002-05:00

If we ask common people about fiber, perhaps they will fastly say that fiber-contained food is very good and recommended. It is the positive effect of advertisement in TV or mass media about this important food. However, if you try to ask some people whether chicken meat and beef contain fiber or not, it is possible that 8 of 10 people say they have. Whereas fiber is in fact not in animal food. All of fiber is in vegetable food.

Why Fiber is Important?
Fiber is important for our body because it can absorb water and make the food enlarge so it arouse satiation feeling. Fiber also retards digestion system so that it can keep satiation feeling longer. By this mechanism, fiber help us lower our weight and sugar-content in the blood.

The ability of fiber to absorb water make our waste softer. This can stimulate peristaltic contraction in large intestine so that the waste does not stay much longer in the intestine and we can be defecated smoothly. This mechanism work of fiber really help to alleviate and also to prevent from piles. The toxic of our waste in our body does not have enough time to stimulate the formation of cancer cell.

The fiber will also absorb gall liquid and cholesterol so that it can help lowering cholesterol level in the blood and finally can eliminate the risk of coronary disease.

Some Researchs About Fiber
The research of prof. dr. Joseph M Keenan (Minnesota University, USA) shows:
Cereal fiber has connection with the lowering of heart disease, fruit fiber has connection with the lowering of blood pressure, and soluble fiber is effectively provable in lowering cholesterol.

Dr. Maria Soller in the International Journal of Cancer:
Both soluble and unsoluble fibre has protective effect against mouth cancer, pharyngeal cancer and esophagus. Fiber also lower the risk of large intestine and rectum cancers.
Prof. Sheila Bingham ( Cambrige University ) in European Conference on Nutrition & Care at Paris: Fibre-contained food can slower digestion so that it can emerge satiation feeling longer than usual. (look at Journal of The American Medical Association).

The National Cancer Society Dietary Guidelines for America suggests to consume fiber food 20 - 35 gram a day. Whereas Indonesian people only needs 20 - 25 gram a day.Although the fact shows that Indonesian people only consumes fiber 10 - 15 gram a day (Puslitbang Gizi Bogor).

The conclusion is if you are a good consumer of cereal, nuts, beans, cabbage and other leafy vegetables and fruits, you do not worry about fiber deficiency. But if you don't, you have to take fiber supplement to help you.

Cardiovascular Disease

2009-02-12T03:11:00.002-06:00

Around the world, there are one billion people suffer cardiovascular disease. The number of sufferers seems to increase every year. Cardiovascular now becomes the main cause of death in modern countries as well as developing ones.

Cardiovascular is one of the main cause of death around the world. the number of death because of the disease is around 30% of all diseases that cause death (WHO report 2004)

The disease is generally suffered by adult. However, young people recently tends to become its target.

The medical care of cardiovascular can be started by trying to alter the way of life in connection with food, sport, alcohol and smoking habit. Long-consumed drug is also taken to take care of the disease.

What is Cardiovascular (CVD)?
Cardiovascluar is a group of disease concerning heart and blood vessel. One of CVD sample is coronary (CHD), stroke, and thrombosis
. Both CHD and stroke can be caused by
embolism (blocking of a blood vessel by a blood clot).

The Main Factors of CVD
- drinking alcohol
- obesity
- high blood pressure
- diabetes
The disease substantially increase CVD risk. Men suffer diabetes melitus type 2 risk two times more than women who suffer the same diabetes.
- Food
One of the main factors that increase CVD in Indonesia is the alteration of way of life, especially in connection with physical activities and the habit of consuming unhealthy food. Some of them are consuming saturated fat and salt more than consuming vegetables and fruits.
-Sport
WWHO report in 2002 shows that 1 up to 24 % of CVD in modern countries is caused by low sport intensity (under 2,5 hour in a week). The new way of life can also lower the intensity of doing sport.
-High Colesterol
- Smoking
Passive smokers can be attacked by the disease with the risk level of 25%.

Taking Care of CVD
There are some receipt drugs that are available for CVD, including anti-platelet, anti-hypertension (such as ACE inhibitor, AIIRA), lowering-lipid medicine, statin, beta blocker, diuretik, and vasodilator. There are also many patients who need surgical operation such as by-pass operation of coronary blood vessel.

Although there are some treatments that prove to be effective, CVD prevention is better. The prevention can be achieved by reducing its risk factors, such as lowering blood vessel, lowering cholesterol level, stop smoking, reducing alcoholic drink, and doing sport more. The last research shows that some medicines are proven to reduce CVD arising, and of course they can prevent from CVD.

Tomato and Its Benefit for Our Health

2009-01-11T06:03:00.002-06:00

Tomato is a plant grown for its smooth, round, juicy fruit. The word tomato refers both to the fruit, which people eat, and to the entire plant. The fruit has a slightly acid taste. There are more than 4,000 varieties of tomatoes.

Tomatoes originated in South America, and Spanish priests probably brought them to Europe from Mexico in the mid-1500's. People in Spain and Italy then began to grow tomatoes as food. Now this plant can be found in every countries in the world.

The tomato belongs to the nightshade family, Solanaceae. Its scientific name is Lycopersicon esculentum.

Botanists classify tomatoes as fruits. Horticulturists, however, classify them as vegetables. Most other people consider tomatoes vegetables because fresh tomatoes are used in much the same way as lettuce, onions, cauliflower, and many other vegetables. Fresh tomatoes are eaten raw or cooked and are served in salads and other dishes. Most tomatoes grown in the United States (and also in Indonesia) are processed for use in making food products. These products include ketchup, tomato juice, tomato soup, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and canned whole tomatoes. Tomatoes are an important source of vitamins A and C and of certain minerals.

Why is Tomato Important for Our Health? It is because tomato contains:
- Vitamin C - Tomatine The substance has features of anti inflammation, and contains caroten and citrate acid. If tomato is rubbed to the face, the citrate acid can help removing dust and grease. So it can be used as acne natural medicine just by rubbing it to the face.

- Carbohydrate.
If tomato is consumed daily, it will become additional energy source for the body. The additional energy is important to be used to increase the activity of body organ. This is a good news for dieters. Carbohydrate in fruit is easier to digest and is better than in rice or bread.

- Fat.
Fat in tomato contains essential fatty acid which is important for skin and other parts of the body. Other function of fat in tomato is to dissolve vitamin A, D, E, K which is good eyes and blood circulation. It is important to know that if we take vitamin supplement, we have to consume fat. because fat is important to digest those vitamins.

- Protein.
It is a source of amino acid which is used by the body to develop and substitute damaged cells.

- Lycopene.
The most powerful nutrient in tomato is an active substance called lycopene. The substance is an antioxidant compound of carotenoid group nad mostly found in red tomato. In the body, the compund is saved in testicle, adrenal gland and prostate. The result of a research in Italia showed that consuming high dose of lycopene can decrease the risk of stomach or intestine cancer. The information of lycopene can be found elsewhere in this blog.

High Dose of Vitamin E is Dangerous

2009-01-07T17:01:00.001-06:00

VITAMIN E is one of vitamins that plays important role in body to prevent ageing. Nevertheless, if it is consumed in high dose, this vitamin is supposed be able to increase the risk of lung cancer. A research reported it and it was publicized on early February 2008.

Research in The United States that entangled 77 thousand of participants indicates that consuming 400 milligrams a day of vitamin E in a long-term can increase cancer risk up to 28 percents, especially among smokers.

The research result publicized in American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine also send a warning of similar threat about beta-caroten if it is consumed redundantly.

Researcher suggests that vitamin E intake shall not be obtained from synthetic drugs. To get the best benefit, vitamin E is better to be obtained from natural source like fruits and vegetable.

Dr. Tim Byers from Colorado University told that well-balanced and healthy diet by acquiring benefit from wide coverage of nutrition and mineral can help avoiding the risk of cancer.

In their research, the expert team monitors daily intake of vitamin C, acid folat and vitamin E taken by participants with average age of 50 till 76 for four years. Throughout the research, it is noted that 521 participants experiencing lung cancer.

Cigarette habit, disease history in families and age are factors that have been predicted having connection with cancer. Meanwhile, different with vitamin E, the usage of vitamin C and acid folat exactly do not have any effect.

Experts finally conclude, after reckoning and analysing data for at least eight year, that there is a risk increase at about 7 percent for every 100 miligram of vitamin E consumed everyday.

The habit of vitamin E consumption is usually found among smokers, but its consumption is sometime unlimited.

The benefit of vitamin E is widely recognised as antioxidant that can protect cells and molecule against free radicals. Nevertheless, researchers in The United States speculate that if vitamin E given in high dose, the vitamin can have the character of pro-oxidant, causing oxidation and trigger cells to be damaged.

Differ from the great number of assumption about the benefit of vitamin E, consumption of the vitamin as a supplement relates to the risk of lung cancer. Another research will possibly focus at other component in fruits and vegetable that maybe can explain how they have relationship with the degradation of cancer risk,¨ said Dr Christopher Slatore from Washington University that lead the research.

Meanwhile a research in Finlandia that entangled 29 thousand of male smokers consume betakaroten --which can be changed into vitamin A in the body-- shows that there is an increase of lung cancer risk as high as 18 percent.

Tabel of Vitamin and Their Usage

2008-12-17T13:55:00.001-06:00

What is Vitamin?

2008-12-16T06:43:00.001-06:00

Vitamin is a chemical compound that the human body needs in small amounts. Vitamins make up one of the major groups of nutrients (food substances necessary for growth and health). Vitamins regulate chemical reactions by which the body converts food into energy and living tissues. There are 13 vitamins. Five of them are produced in the body itself. These vitamins are biotin, niacin, pantothenic acid, vitamin D, and vitamin K. Biotin, pantothenic acid, and vitamin K, which are made by bacteria in the human intestine, are usually produced in sufficient quantities to meet the body's needs. In addition, sunlight on the skin can produce an adequate amount of vitamin D. But the other nine vitamins must be supplied in a person's daily diet.

Each vitamin has such specific uses that one of the compounds cannot replace, or act for, another. But the lack of one vitamin can interfere with the function of another. The continued lack of one vitamin in an otherwise complete diet results in a vitamin deficiency disease. Such diseases include beriberi, pellagra, rickets, and scurvy. Investigators first discovered vitamins while searching for the causes of such diseases. In order to be considered a vitamin, a substance must be required in the diet to prevent a deficiency disease.

The best way for a healthy individual to obtain vitamins is to eat a balanced diet. A daily diet that includes a variety of foods from each of the basic food groups provides an adequate supply of all the vitamins (see NUTRITION [vitamins]). A Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) has been established for most vitamins. In order to provide a margin of safety, the RDA is considerably greater than the amount of a vitamin needed daily for good health. The RDA is established by the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academy of Sciences.

Some people take daily vitamin supplements, mostly in the form of vitamin tablets. Most supplements contain doses of one or more vitamins in the range of their RDA's. The vitamins in such preparations are equivalent to those in food. But a healthy person who eats a balanced diet has no need for such supplements.

A person with a vitamin deficiency disease may be helped by taking one or more preparations that contain large doses of a certain vitamin or of a combination of vitamins. But people should use such preparations only if they are prescribed by a physician. Self-diagnosis and treatment with megadoses (doses five to ten or more times larger than the RDA) can be dangerous.

Source: World Book of Encyclopedia

What is Esophagus?

2008-11-07T14:53:00.002-06:00

Esophagus, also called gullet, is the muscular tube that carries food from the mouth to the stomach. The muscles in the walls of the esophagus contract in a wavelike manner, moving the food down to the stomach. Glands in the walls of the esophagus secrete mucus that helps the movement of food by providing lubrication.

A muscular ring called the lower esophageal sphincter surrounds the opening between the esophagus and the stomach. The sphincter normally keeps the stomach contents from flowing back into the esophagus. The stomach produces a digestive juice that, in most people, contains a strong acid called hydrochloric acid. If the sphincter fails to function properly, stomach acid may rise back into the esophagus, causing a painful burning sensation called heartburn. The acid may damage the esophagus, leaving open sores in its lining.

The human esophagus is about 10 inches (25 centimeters) long. The length varies greatly in different animals. The esophagus of fish is short, while that of giraffes is extremely long. Many birds have a saclike part of the esophagus called the crop for the temporary storage of food.

original source: World Book Encyclopedia

Choose a Dull-Skin Apple

2008-10-31T17:05:00.001-05:00

Scientists from Wroclaw Intitute of Agriculture, Polandia suggest us to prefer a dull-skin apple to fair one. It is because a dull-skin apple contains polyphenol antioxindant two fold than a fair-skin apple.

And it better to consume apple by eating it directly, avoid of making it as a juice. It is because if it is made as a juice, its polyphenol will lose.

Interesting Facts about Skin

2008-09-24T15:23:00.002-05:00

Have you ever thought about your skin? Do you know that your skin keep interesting and wonderful facts that perhaps you do not understand before?

These are what you must know about it:

Every 30 seconds, one spends 500 thousands cells for natural regeneration pf skin cells.
Skin is our main sensor organ which consists of 32500 cells and 32 nerves.
Environmental influence causes the level of skin humidity decrease. It is needed 186000 calories a day for environment to absorb skin humidity.
Skin needs every 8 hours to recover its lost humidity.
There is 90% water beneath the skin surface that enable to give it nutrition and moisten the skin overall. Whereas there is only 10 - 20 % water at the outer surface of the skin.
The skin is very flexible to adjust human growth and movement. However, it is a very powerful protector.
If the condition of the skin dries and its water content is lower than 10% at the outer surface, the skin has a potent to get infection.
The skin regulates our body temperature by heating and cooling according to our needs.
To have a healthy skin, the skin must be kept its humidity.

Source: Dr.Titi Lestari Sugito, Sp.KK
The General chief of PERDOSKI (Association of Skin and Venereal Disease Doctors)

Ant hill, New Medicine from Papua

2008-09-17T09:04:00.004-05:00

Have you ever thought that ant hill can become a medicine? it is an ant hill from Papua that enable to do it. Ant hill is a name of a dill that grows in Papua. The dill is known able to heal many diseases naturally and safely.

Empirical facts of Ant Hill:

Ant hill can assist to heal many kinds of cancer and tumor, either benign or malignant, such as cancers of brain, breast, lever, lungs, intestine, womb, skin, prostate and leukimia.
It effectivelly can support the healing proccess of many diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes, hemorrhoids, rheumatic, stroke, kidney and prostate disorder, and sciatica.
smoothen and improve mother's milk, smoothen blood circulation and improve sexual enthusiasm.
Ant hill contains antioxidant active compound (Tokoferol and Fenolik) and rich of important mineral like calcium (Ce), Natrium (Na), Potassium (K), Zinc (Zn), Iron (Fe), Phosphorus (P) and Magnesium (Mg).
In addition, ant hill also contains flavonoid. Flavonoid functions as antioxidant and enable to prevent and heal cancer, to protect cell structure, to improve the effectivity of vitamin C, anti-inflammation and also functions as antibiotic.

Banana, the Fruit of Life

2008-09-14T09:45:00.003-05:00

Human has consumed banana long time ago. The word "banana" derives from Arab language i.e. maus. Linneus then included banana into Musaceae family, to give appreciation to Antonius Mozes, a private doctor of Roman Emperor (Octaviani Agustinus) that suggested to eat banana. That is why in latin language, banana is called as Musa paradisiacal.

According to history, banana is originated from Southeast Asia. Moslem missionaries then spread it to West Africa, South America and Middle America. Today banana is exist at any part of the world. Some of the world outstanding countries as banana producing countries are Brazil, Philipina, Panama, Honduras, India, Equador, Thailand, Caribbean, Columbia, Mexico, Venezuela and Hawaii. Indonesia is one of banana producing countries number 4 in the world.

In Asia, Indonesia is entered as the biggest banana producing country. 50 percent of Asian banana is imported from Indonesia. Banana-producing centres in Indonesia are: West Java (Sukabumi, Cianjur, Bogor, Purwakarta, Serang), Central Java (Demak, Pati, Banyumas, Sidorejo, Kesugihan, Kutosari, Pringsurat, Pemalang), East Java (Banyuwangi, Malang), North Sumatra (Padangsidempuan, Natal, Samosir, Tarutung), West Sumatra (Sungyang, Baso, Pasaman), South Sumatra (tebing Tinggi, OKI, OKU, Baturaja), Lampung (Kayu Agung, Metro), Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Maluku, Bali and West Nusa Tenggara.

Multirole Plant
Banana is very familiar to Indonesian society. Many traditional ritualities use banana as a symbol. banana always regenerates itself before fruiting and dying, by sprouting buds which growing on its root. By this way banana can exist to bring benefits for human. The way banana live then inspirates human to make it as a noble symbol in a traditional wedding ritual in Indonesia.

Appropriate tropical climate and humus-contained land may enable banana plants spreading widely in Indonesia. Today, most of Indonesian regions become banana-producing centres.

Banana can be mentioned as a life fruit. Kalium content existed in it is abundant so it can degrade blood pressure, keep heart healthy, and smoothen oxygen delivery to brain. Because if blood, heart, and brain is bothered, it truly threatens human life.

In other hand, high vitamin A content in it can improve body durability against ISPA, scaly skin and blindness. Other benefit of banana is it can be staple food substitution, so it lessens Indonesian dependence to rice.

Taken with courtesy the writing of Prof. DR. Made Astawan
Lecturer at Departemen Teknologi, Pangan Dan Gizi-IPB

Lycopene Sources

2008-09-05T14:59:00.004-05:00

Lycopene is often found in tomatoes. Lycopene content in tomato depends on tomato's kind, maturity and the environment where it grows. Generally, there are 3-5 mg lycopene at every

100 gram of raw tomatoes.

Besides tomato, lycopene is often found in red guava, red wine, papaya, carrots, red sweet potatoes, apples, apricot, and watermelon. tomatoes-made products like juice, soy sauce, paste, sauce, and soup are also good lycopene sources.

The level of lycopene in processed foods are higher than the fresh ones, so consuming processed tomato-made foods can increase the level of lycopene in blood. It is because when lycopene-riched food is proccessed, it will break the cell wall and weaken the binding of lycopene with network matrix. Therefore lycopene will become small parts and will be easier to be absorbed.

Recommended Dosage and Side Effects
Until now there is no official data stated for recommended level consumed in a day. However, research carried out by Agarwal and Rao (1998) reported that consuming 40mg lycopene in a day can reduce LDL oxidation significantly and lower cancer risk at about 50%. Other report shows that consuming tomato and its processed kinds at least 10 times in a week (equal with 6,5 mg of lycopene a day) can lower cancer risk. According to some researchs, there is no side effects related with lycopene consumption from fruits and vegetables, whereas there is not yet available report about the side effects of consuming lycopene supplement.

However, it is important to note that because of high level of lycopene in processed food, the consumers must examine the high level of salt in those processed food.

Conclusion
Many researches show that lycopene is categorized as carotenoids and it has more effective antioxidant compared with other compounds such as B-caroten or a-tokoferol. Because of its antioxidant characteritics, lycopene become an agent that can eliminate free radicals and lessen oxidative damage in lipid, protein and DNA. Lycopene can become an important compound that enable to prevent cronic diseases especially prostate cancer, cardiovascular, and eyes degenerative diseases.

Lycopene can be found at fruits and vegetables around us, so because of its high availability, it can become the best food source to prevent chronic and degenarative diseases.

Bibliography:
1. Agarwal S, Rao AV. Tomato lycopene and its role in human health and chronic diseases. Canadian Medical Association Journal 2000; 163(6): 739-44.
2. Sudardjat SS, Gunawan I. Likopen (Lycopene).Majalah Gizi Medik Indonesia Vol 2 No 5 April
2003; 7-8.
3. Minorsky, PV. Lycopene and the prevention of prostate cancer : the love apple lives up to its name. Plant Physiology November 2002 Vol 130; 1077-1078
4. Clinton SK. Lycopene: chemistry, biology and implications for human health and disease. Nutrition Review, 1998;56:35-51
5. Park C, MD. Lycopene joins eye-healthy carotenoid ranks (2003). www.prohealthnetwork.com accessed pada 29 Oktober 2003
6. Mercola J, Dr. Lycopene may help prevent atherosclerosis (2000). www.mercola.com accessed at 29 Oktober 2003
7. Anonim (2003). Lycopene. American Cancer Society 2003. www.cancer.org, accessed at 29 Oktober 2003.
8. Umbas R, PhD. Diet dan kanker prostat (2002). www.kompas.com, accessed at 29 Oktober 2003.
9. Anonim. Lycopene. www.diet-and-health.com accessed at 29 Oktober 2003.
10. Anonim. Lycopene overview. www.tishcon.org accessed at 29 Oktober 2003.

Lycopene Role Against Disease

2008-08-20T16:15:00.000-05:00

At least there are 4 kohort studies reported factual relation between ycopene consumption and the risk of prostate cancer. Giovannuci (1999) reported that there is a 21% declining of prostate cancer risk to men who consume lycopene in large quantities.

Other research also proves that population consumes lycopene in high quantity has 36% lower risk than population consumes smaller quantity of lycopene. Gann and friends (1999) reported that man with high level of lycopene in his blood has 25% lower risk against prostate cancer. Research also mentioned that extract tomato in oleoresin capsule can reduce prostate-spesific antigens (PSA) level at patient with cancer prostate.

According to College Park, MD (2003), likopen also has the ability to give protection against cataracts because of its antioxidant characteristic. There is a declining of senilis cataract at the mouse which is given lycopene. Other research showes that lycopene also can reduce the risk of degeneration makular, the illness that has relation with age and can make the sufferer blind.
According to Arabian & Steck (2000), lycopene is also useful to prevent heart disease. Likopen evidently hinders cholestetrol synthesis and increases LDL degradation. Facts shows that tunika intima thickness and MCI risk can decrease at the person with high concentration of lycopene in his adiposa network.

A study from John Hopkins University, Baltimore, shows a low level of lycopene in blood can make someone vulnarable to the attack of heart coroner disease. Low level of lycopene in blood also makes blood vessels thicker at about 18%.

Lycopene Part 2

2008-08-13T15:56:00.003-05:00

Lycopene Metabolism

The bioavailability of lycopene is affected by the form of molecule, the number of lycopene in food, the matrix content of foodstuff, fat medium or oil, the food fibre effect and the interaction with other carotenoid. Lycopene metabolism happens along with fat metabolism. Lycopene is mostly found in several networks such as in testes, adrenal gland, heart and prostat. Recently it is identified 2 lycopene metabolit in serum and mother's milk which is known as cyclolycopene.

Lycopene level in Serum
The level of lycopene in serum is approximately 50-900 ng/L and lasts in 2-3 days. The rate level is in accordance with consumption of riched-lycopene food. Some human lifestyle and condition can influence lycopene level in blood, i.e., age, menstruation cycle, smoking, and alcohol consumption.

Lycopene as Antioxindant
Lycopene is a potent antioxidant. This compound has the capacity to eliminate free radical. The free radical could tie DNA, protein and fat and will damage their physiological function. In turn it can cause the chronic illness expansion like cancer, heart disease and the aging illness. Dr. Giovannucci stresses that likopen is an effective eliminator of free radicals among other general carotenoids.

The work mechanism of lycopene to reduce cancer risk as prostate cancer has not yet been known clearly at this time. it is probable that it is cause by the capability of lycopene to protect the ageing proccess of prostate epitel cells caused by the species of reactive oxygen.

It is also probably because of lycopene capacity to hinder cell proliferation through the process of fosforilasi of IGF receptor, like happening on breasts cancer cells (Karas, and all 2000).

There are two working mechanisms of lycopene to prevent chronic illness, including cancer and degenerative diseases, that is:

Through oksidative work, i.e, it functions as antioxidant that will stifle the species of reactive oxygen and increase antioxidant potent so as to reduce oxidative damage to the lipid (including the lipid membrane and lipoprotein), protein and DNA.
By non-oksidatif mechanism through the regulation of gene function, improving gap-junction communication, hormone modulation and the immune response or metabolism regulation that all of them will cause the decline of the risk of chronic illness.

LyCopene as PhytoNutrient

2008-08-08T15:30:00.005-05:00

LyCopene as Phytonutrient Compound and Its Role for Human Health

(part 1, derived from Asroruddin Thesis)

Chronic illness, including cancer and cardiovascular illness, is the death main cause in West countries. Apart from the genetic factor and age, diet and lifestyle are the important risk factor that must be thought about. And it is possible it can happen to the small country like Indonesia because of the changes of lifestyle and diet that also happen there recently.

Around 50% from all the cancer diseases are caused by food. The existence of reactive oxygen that interacted with cell components, caused damages of lipid, protein and DNA molecules. Many facts shows that this damage plays important role in the occurrence of chronic illness.

Antioxidant as a protective agency that inactivates reactive oxygen species plays important role in reducing the occurrence of this damage. Antioxidants like vitamin E, vitamin C, polifenol and can be found in food, including the fruit and vegetables.Lycopene as one of antioxidant compounds becomes interesting to be discussed because of its important in preventing illness.

Lycopene is one of phytochemical compounds or phytonutrient that is useful for the health, so it is with other carotenoid compounds, for example xantin, lutein, et cetera. This compound is different from vitamins and minerals. It will not endanger life when the deficiency happening. However, the function is important for the health of humankind. Likopen is a pigment synthesized by plant and micro-organism. It gives the yelowish red colour in vegetables and fruit, and it is categorized as carotenoid group.

Today, there are many clinical evidences that lycopene is one of compounds that plays important role in the prevention of epitel cell cancers especially the cancer of prostate, lungs and digestion channel.

Lycopene Physical and Chemical Characteristics
Lycopene has molecule formula C40H56 and molecule weight 536.85 Da. Its melting point is 172°C – 175°C. The form of lycopene is a crystal like a needle, long, in the form of flour with brownish colour. lycopene dissolves in chloroform, benzen, heksen, and other organic solvent. Lycopene can experience degradation through the isomerization process and oxidation because of the light, oxygen, high temperature, the drainage technique, abrading process, storage and acid.

Likopen with its typical structure shows its unique characteristics as antioxidant. It can bind single oxygen and catch peroxide. Its capacity in binding single oxygen 2 times higher than ß-karoten and 10 times stronger than a-tokoferol.

Chlorofluorocarbon (CFC)

2008-07-22T10:59:00.001-05:00

Chlorofluorocarbon, is any of a group of synthetic organic compounds that contain chlorine, fluorine, and carbon. The two most common chlorofluorocarbons (CFC's) are trichlorofluoromethane, also called CFC-11, and dichlorodifluoromethane, or CFC-12. They are used as refrigerants in air conditioners and refrigerators and to make plastic foams for furniture and insulation.

CFC-11 and CFC-12 are nonpoisonous and nonflammable under normal conditions, and they are easily converted from liquid to gas or from gas to liquid form. These properties make the two compounds useful as propellants in aerosol spray products. However, chlorofluorocarbons (CFC's) are pollutants that destroy the ozone layer in the upper atmosphere. Scientific studies indicate that CFC's harm the environment by breaking down ozone molecules in the earth's upper atmosphere. Ozone, a form of oxygen, protects plants and animals from the harmful ultraviolet rays of the sun. It shields the earth's surface from more than 95 percent of the sun's ultraviolet radiation. As CFC's reach the upper atmosphere, they break apart and release chlorine atoms. These chlorine atoms can react chemically with the ozone and convert it to ordinary oxygen gas. As CFC's thin the ozone layer, more ultraviolet radiation reaches the surface of the earth. Overexposure to such radiation damages plants and greatly increases people's risk of skin cancer.

Since the 1970's, representatives of many nations have met to discuss ways of limiting the pollution that affects air and water. These nations have created environmental treaties to help control such problems as acid rain, the thinning of the ozone layer, and the dumping of waste into oceans. In a treaty called the Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer, which took effect in 1989, the major CFC-producing nations agreed to gradually stop producing the chemicals. A 1991 amendment to the treaty called for a total ban on CFC's by 2000. By 1996, most industrialized countries, including the United States, had ended production of CFC's.

In 1992, representatives of 178 nations met in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for the United Nations (UN) Conference on Environment and Development. This meeting, known as the Earth Summit, was one of the most important global environmental conferences ever held. The UN members signed agreements on the prevention of global warming, the preservation of forests and endangered species, and other issues.

In 1978, the United States government banned chlorofluorocarbon aerosols for most uses. In 1988, the Du Pont Company, the world's largest producer of CFC's, announced plans to phase out production of these chemicals. Du Pont sold CFC's under the registered trademark Freon. The United States and most other industrialized countries that produced CFC's agreed in 1990 to end production by 2000. There are two exceptions to the ban in the United States: (1) use as a propellant in inhalers for asthma patients, and (2) use in the manufacture of methyl chloroform to clean O-ring seals for the space shuttle. In late 1992, the industrialized countries agreed to move the deadline to the end of 1995. By 1996, most of these countries had complied with this deadline. Other countries planned to end production by 2010.

The structure of Living Things

2008-07-16T15:49:00.001-05:00

All living things are made up of cells. The simplest organisms consist of only one cell, but such complex living things as dogs and human beings have many billions of cells.

The simplest organisms, including bacteria and many kinds of algae and protozoans, live their entire lives as individual cells. Some other types of algae and protozoans are colonial organisms. Such an organism consists of a loosely organized group of similar cells. Most species of animals and plants are multicellular organisms. They are made up of many kinds of cells, each having its own special functions.

The simplest multicellular animals include sponges and jellyfish. Sponges have some specialized cells but resemble colonial organisms. If the cells of a sponge are separated, they can readily rejoin and form a new individual. Jellyfish are somewhat more highly organized and have well-defined tissues. Higher animals have organs and organ systems.

Cells. A thin covering called the plasma membrane or cell membrane encloses every cell and separates it from its surroundings. All cells except those of bacteria have two main parts--the nucleus and the cytoplasm. A nuclear membrane surrounds the nucleus and separates it from the cytoplasm. The nucleus contains the chromosomes, the hereditary material that carries the instructions for nearly all cellular activities. The cytoplasm contains many kinds of specialized structures called organelles. Each type of organelle has a specific task, such as manufacturing proteins or converting the energy of food molecules into usable forms.

Organelles and a well-defined nucleus are lacking only in the cells of bacteria. Such cells are called prokaryotic, which means before the nucleus. Biologists refer to all other cells as eukaryotic, which means having a true nucleus. For a detailed discussion of cells, see CELL (Inside a living cell).

Tissues, organs, and organ systems. Higher organisms have many extremely specialized kinds of cells, which are grouped together and form larger, more complex structures. A tissue consists of a collection of cells that are similar in structure and function. Animal tissues include muscle tissue and nerve tissue. Plants also have several kinds of tissues. For example, tissue called xylem carries water and minerals from the roots to the rest of the plant.

The basic structural and functional units of higher organisms are organs. An organ consists of several types of tissues. The human heart, for example, consists of muscle tissue, nerve tissue, and connective tissue. Other animal organs include the brain, liver, and kidneys. The principal organs of flowering plants are roots, stems, leaves, and flowers. In higher animals, each important life function is carried out by a group of organs working together. Such a group is called an organ system. Major organ systems include the circulatory system, digestive system, and reproductive system.

Water for Our Living

2008-07-11T15:45:00.002-05:00

As we read at previous article about nutrition, water is the most nutrient for all living things. Water is the most common substance on earth. It covers more than 70 per cent of the earth's surface.

Without water, there can be no life. In fact, every living thing consists mostly of water. Your body is about two-thirds water. A chicken is about three-fourths water, and a pineapple is about four-fifths water. Most scientists believe that life itself began in water--in the salty water of the sea.

Water helps keep the earth's climate from getting too hot or too cold. Land absorbs and releases heat from the sun quickly. But the oceans absorb and release the sun's heat slowly. So breezes from the oceans bring warmth to the land in winter and coolness in summer.

Throughout history, as well as today, water is people's master. Great civilizations have risen where water supplies were plentiful. They have worshiped rain gods and prayed for rain. Often, when rains have failed to come, crops have withered and starvation has spread across a land. Sometimes the rains have fallen too heavily and too suddenly. Then rivers have overflowed their banks, drowning large numbers of people and causing enormous destruction of property.

Today, We use water in our homes for cleaning, cooking, bathing, and carrying away wastes. We use water to irrigate dry farmlands so we can grow more food. Our factories use more water than any other material. We use the water in rushing rivers and thundering waterfalls to produce electricity.

Due to the growth of men and technology, our demand for water is constantly increasing. But almost all of it--about 97 per cent--is in the oceans. This water is too salty to be used for drinking, farming, and manufacturing. Only about 3 per cent of the world's water is fresh (unsalty).

Although the world as a whole has plenty of fresh water, some regions have a water shortage. Rain does not fall evenly over the earth. Some regions are always too dry, and others too wet.

Some regions have a water shortage because the people have managed their supply poorly. People settle where water is plentiful--near lakes and rivers. Cities grow, and factories spring up. The cities and factories dump their wastes into the lakes and rivers, polluting them. Then the people look for new sources of water. Shortages also occur because some cities do not make full use of their supply. They have plenty of water but not enough storage tanks, treatment plants, and distribution pipes to meet the people's needs.

As our demand for water grows and grows, we will have to make better and better use of our supply. The more we learn about water, the better we will be able to meet this challenge. (ad)

Osteoporosis; Calcium Deficiency?

2008-07-04T13:43:00.009-05:00

Osteoporosis is a disease resulting in the loss of bone tissue. Normal bones consist of a series of thin, intersecting plates, called cancellous bone, surrounded by a shell of dense cortical bone. In osteoporosis, the cancellous bone loses calcium, becomes thinner, and may disappear altogether. The cortical bone may become thinner as well. Osteoporosis usually takes years to develop and results in extremely weak and fragile bones throughout the skeleton. Often the first symptom is a fractured bone from a minor blow or fall.

Normal Bone

Abnormal Bone

Osteoporosis can result from a number of diseases or conditions. These include some hormonal diseases, local injury or inflammation, malnutrition, and lack of physical activity. Osteoporosis also refers to the natural loss of bone that occurs as a person grows older.

The most common form of osteoporosis affects women who are past menopause--the time in a woman's life when menstruation stops. Such postmenopausal osteoporosis most often results in fractures of the wrist, spine, and hip bones. The cause of postmenopausal osteoporosis is unknown, but it is known that the lack of estrogens accelerates bone loss in women. Estrogens are female sex hormones. Their production nearly ceases after menopause. Another important factor in postmenopausal osteoporosis may be insufficient calcium in the diet. Calcium is vital to the development and maintenance of strong bones.

There is no cure for postmenopausal osteoporosis, but treatment may slow its effects. Estrogen drugs and calcium supplements may reverse bone loss, but their effectiveness tends to diminish after several years of treatment. To prevent osteoporosis, scientists recommend a lifelong combination of regular exercise and a diet high in calcium.

Different Foods, Different Reasons

2008-06-29T09:01:00.003-05:00

Geographic reasons. The location, climate, and physical features of a region help determine what the people of that region eat. In general, people who live on islands or along seacoasts depend heavily on foods from the ocean. People who live far from the sea rely mainly on livestock or grains for food. People of tropical areas can grow a variety of fruits and vegetables the year around. People who live in cool regions, which have a short growing season, depend on such crops as grains or potatoes. Terrain and soil also help determine what crops the people of a region can grow. For example, corn grows best on level, open fields with rich, well-drained soil. Rice grows best in lowland areas where the soil holds water well.

Although geography still strongly influences what people in many parts of the world eat, its importance has declined--especially in industrial countries. The development of faster transportation and of modern methods of food preservation enables many people to eat foods produced in distant lands. For example, people in numerous countries enjoy bananas from Ecuador, olives and oranges from Spain, dairy products from New Zealand, and sardines from Norway. In addition, many farmers have learned how to grow crops in unfavorable areas. Where land is hilly, for example, they might carve strips of land out of the hillsides. In dry areas, farmers might use irrigation. In areas with cold winters, they might grow certain fruits and vegetables in greenhouses during the winter.

Economic reasons. The variety and amount of food that people have to eat depend largely on their country's economy. But even in the richest countries, some people cannot afford a good diet. Others simply choose to eat foods that are not nourishing. But some people in the poorest countries have a well-balanced diet.

Most developed countries can produce all the food their people need, or the countries can afford to import the extra necessary supplies. The farmers use modern machinery and scientific methods to increase their production. Developed countries also have modern facilities to process, transport, and store food.

In highly developed countries, most families can afford to buy a variety of foods, and they are more likely to have a well-balanced diet. Their diet is rich in meat, eggs, and dairy products. They also eat large amounts of grain products and of fresh and preserved fruits and vegetables. They also enjoy the convenience of prepared or ready-to-cook foods. They often dine at restaurants or buy take-out food to eat at home.

Most developing countries seldom produce enough food for all their people. In addition, the countries cannot afford to import the extra supplies they need. Many farmers are too poor to buy fertilizers, machinery, and other materials that would increase their output. Developing countries also lack modern facilities for processing, transporting, and storing food.

In some developing nations, many people suffer from an inadequate diet. They are too poor to buy all the food they need or a wide variety of foods. Millions of families depend on the foods they can produce themselves on small plots of land. Grains and other carbohydrates are the main foods of the majority of people in most developing countries. These foods are the least costly to produce or buy, and they require no refrigeration or other special storage. Meat, milk, and eggs are too expensive for most people. Many families bake their own bread and make most other foods from the basic ingredients. They might even grind grain into flour to make bread.

Religious reasons. Many religions have rules that deal with food. Some religions do not permit their members to eat certain foods. Hindus do not eat beef because cattle are considered sacred. Some groups of Hindus are forbidden to eat any meat. Orthodox Jews do not eat pork, shellfish, and certain other foods. They also follow strict dietary laws regarding the storing, preparing, and serving of food.

Some religions set aside certain days for fasting and feasting. Muslims may not eat or drink from dawn to sunset during Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic year. They celebrate Ramadan's end with a feast.

Customs influence what people eat and how they prepare, serve, and eat foods. Many countries and regions have traditional dishes, most of which are based on locally produced foods. In many cases, the dishes of various cultures include the same basic ingredients. But different seasonings and cooking methods give the dish a special regional or national flavor. In the United States, for example, people enjoy such distinctively different chicken dishes as Southern-fried chicken, Louisiana chicken creole, and Texas-style barbecued chicken.

Many people consider France to be the world center of fine foods and cookery. French chefs are especially known for their elaborate dishes with rich sauces and for their fancy pastries. Perhaps the most famous English dish is roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, a batter pudding baked in beef juices. Italy is known for its spaghetti, macaroni, and other pastas and for its sauces made with tomatoes, garlic, and olive oil. Sausages, potatoes, cabbage, and beer are common in the German diet. Scandinavians enjoy herring and other fish. They also make excellent cheeses and many kinds of breads.

The Spanish and Portuguese also eat much fish. Their use of onions and garlic for seasoning influenced cookery in the Caribbean islands, Mexico, and other parts of Latin America that they colonized. Caribbean cooking features such local fruits and vegetables as plantains (a kind of banana) and cassava (a starchy root). Mexican food is noted for its use of a variety of peppers. Mexicans enjoy flat breads, called tortillas, made from corn or wheat flour. They may eat the tortillas plain or wrapped around cheese, meat, and beans to form tacos.

The main food of many people in the Middle East is pita bread, a flat bread made from wheat. For celebrations, people of the region often prepare shish kebab. This dish consists of cubes of lamb, tomatoes, peppers, and onions roasted on a spikelike skewer.

Rice is the main dish of many people in Japan, southern China, India, and Southeast Asia. Japanese meals commonly include vegetables, tofu (soybean curd), and raw or cooked fish. Chinese cookery varies by region. Cooks in southern China stir-fry chopped vegetables and meat, which they serve with a mild sauce and rice. In northern regions, people enjoy spicy fried foods served with noodles. Indians and many Southeast Asians enjoy curry. This stewlike dish is made of eggs, fish, meat, or vegetables and cooked in a spicy sauce.

Corn, rice, and other grains are the basic foods of many people in Africa. In Nigeria, food is often cooked in palm oil or peanut oil, and it may be sharply seasoned with red peppers. The people of Zaire serve corn and rice as a thick porridge. If they can afford it, they add meat or fish to the porridge. Many Ethiopians enjoy raw meat in a red pepper sauce.

In some cultures, the way food is served is almost as important as how it is prepared. For example, French and Japanese chefs carefully arrange food to make each dish look beautiful. In Sweden, smorgasbord is a popular way to serve guests. Smorgasbord consists of a long table set with a dazzling selection of breads, cheeses, fish, salads, and hot and cold meats.

Customs also can affect the times when people eat. In most Western cultures, for example, people commonly eat three meals a day. These meals are breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The British add a light, extra meal called tea late in the afternoon. At this meal, they serve strong tea and such foods as biscuits, cakes, or sandwiches.

In most Western cultures, people eat from individual plates and use knives, forks, and spoons. In China and Japan, the people use chopsticks. In many societies, the people eat from a common serving dish and use few utensils. Some people scoop up their food with bread or with their fingers.

Why Diets Differ Around the World

2008-06-29T08:59:00.001-05:00

The kinds of food that people eat vary from one country to another and even within countries. In some countries, for example, the people eat much meat. In some other countries, meat is served only on special occasions. People who are vegetarians eat no meat at all. Many people like certain foods that other people find very unappetizing. The Chinese use the nests of birds called swifts to make bird's-nest soup. The birds build the nests with their saliva.

People of various cultures also prepare foods differently. In many cases, the fuel resources and cooking equipment available determine how foods are prepared. Thus, some people cook foods over an open fire. Others may use a microwave oven. Still others may eat most of their foods raw. Some people add fiery spices to their dishes. Others prefer little seasoning. Some people eat only natural, or unprocessed, foods. Others eat foods that have been highly processed.

Diets differ for a number of reasons, including (1) geographic reasons, (2) economic reasons, (3) religious reasons, and (4) customs. But differences in diet are not as great as they once were. The growth of tourism and the development of modern transportation and communication systems have led to an exchange of foods and eating habits among people throughout the world.

Nutrition and Disease

2008-06-27T13:07:00.002-05:00

An improper or inadequate diet can lead to a number of diseases. On the other hand, good nutritional habits can help prevent certain diseases.

Heart disease in its most common form is called coronary artery disease (CAD). CAD narrows the coronary arteries and so reduces the blood supply to the heart. It can lead to crippling attacks of chest pain and, eventually, to life-threatening heart attacks. High blood pressure and high levels of blood cholesterol are two of the major risk factors for CAD. Each of these risk factors can often be lessened by following good nutritional practices.

Many people with mild high blood pressure can reduce it by limiting their intake of salt and calories. Similarly, many people can lower their blood cholesterol level by reducing the amount of fat--particularly saturated fat--cholesterol, and calories in their diet. They can do so by avoiding such foods as butter, cakes, cookies, egg yolks, fatty meats, tropical oils, and whole-fat dairy products.

Cancer. Scientists do not know exactly why cancer develops. But they have found that heredity, environment, and lifestyle all play a role in causing the disease. They have also learned that good nutrition can help prevent certain kinds of cancer in laboratory animals. Large doses of vitamins A and C have been proved to prevent some cancers in animals. Many scientists believe that certain foods contain substances that may help prevent some cancers in people. Such foods include broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, fruits, spinach, whole-grain breads and cereals, and some seafoods. Lessening intake of fats and increasing the intake of fiber may also help prevent some cancers from forming.

Deficiency Diseases. Many diseases result from the deficiency (lack) of certain nutrients in the diet. When the missing nutrient is provided, the disease usually can be eliminated. Deficiency diseases are most widespread in developing countries, where people often lack access to adequate food supplies. The availability of a variety of foods the year around, along with vitamin and mineral fortification of many foods, have made deficiency diseases less common in most developed countries.

Protein-calorie malnutrition, also called protein-energy malnutrition, occurs when the diet is low in both proteins and calories. If the diet is especially low in proteins, the condition is called kwashiorkor. Signs of kwashiorkor include changes in the color and texture of the hair and skin, swelling of the body, and damage to the intestines, liver, and pancreas. The disease, which is common in some developing nations, usually attacks children who are suffering from an infectious disease. Kwashiorkor is fatal unless the patient is given protein along with food providing calories. If the diet is especially low in calories, the condition is called marasmus. Marasmus usually attacks infants and young children, and it causes extreme underweight and weakness.

Vitamin deficiencies. The signs and symptoms of vitamin deficiencies vary according to the missing vitamin. Vitamin C deficiency, also called scurvy, causes sore and bleeding gums, slow repair of wounds, and painful joints. Vitamin D deficiency, also called rickets, causes an abnormal development of the bones. A deficiency of niacin and the amino acid tryptophan, found in protein, causes pellagra. The early symptoms of pellagra include weakness, lack of appetite, diarrhea, and indigestion.

Mineral deficiencies. The most common mineral deficiency disease is iron-deficiency anemia, which results from a lack of iron. In a person with this disease, the blood does not have enough healthy red blood cells and cannot supply the tissues with sufficient oxygen. Thus, the person feels weak or tired. Other symptoms include dizziness, headaches, rapid heartbeat, and shortness of breath. A lack of iodine can cause goiter, a disease in which the thyroid gland becomes enlarged.

Other diseases may result from poor nutritional habits. For example, the excessive intake of alcohol causes some forms of liver disease. Obesity increases the risk of gall bladder disease and of diabetes in adults. The risk of osteoporosis (loss of bone tissue) is higher for women whose intake of calcium and level of physical activity are low. To prevent osteoporosis, physicians recommend a lifelong combination of regular exercise and a diet with adequate calcium.

How to Control Our Diet

2008-06-21T11:08:00.000-05:00

People vary in their needs for energy. A person who plays sports daily, for example, needs more calories than someone who does little physical work. Children need more calories than their size would indicate because they are growing. Pregnant women need extra calories to provide enough nutrients for a healthy baby.

Include fiber. Dietary fiber consists of cellulose and other complex carbohydrates that cannot be absorbed by the body. Fiber passes out of the body as waste. Fiber moves food along through the stomach and intestines, thus helping to prevent constipation (difficulty in emptying the bowels). Many experts believe that it also helps reduce the risk of such rectal and intestinal disorders as hemorrhoids, diverticulitis, and, possibly, cancers of the colon and rectum. Good sources of fiber include whole-grain breads and cereals, beans and peas, vegetables, and fruit.

Limit your intake of saturated fats and cholesterol. Health experts recommend a diet that is low in saturated fats and cholesterol, a waxy substance found in many animal foods. Consumption of saturated fats and cholesterol raises the level of cholesterol in a person's blood. A high level of blood cholesterol increases the risk of heart disease. Animal products are the source of most saturated fats and all dietary cholesterol. To reduce the intake of saturated fats and cholesterol, health experts suggest choosing lean meats, fish, poultry with the skin removed, and low-fat dairy products. They also advise using fats and oils sparingly.

Limit your intake of sodium and sugar. A diet that includes a great deal of sodium may increase the risk of high blood pressure. Sodium is found in many foods, including canned vegetables, frozen dinners, pickles, processed cheeses, table salt, and such snack foods as pretzels, potato chips, and nuts. One way to reduce sodium intake is to use herbs and other seasonings instead of salt in cooking and at the table. Another way is to select fresh foods rather than canned or frozen foods.

Foods that contain a lot of sugar are often high in calories and fat but low in minerals, proteins, and vitamins. Nutritionists sometimes call these foods "empty calorie" foods, because they may make a person feel full but provide few nutrients. In addition, sugar that remains in and around the teeth contributes to tooth decay. Foods that have a large amount of sugar include candies, pastries, many breakfast cereals, and sweetened canned fruits. In place of sugary foods, nutritionists advise people to snack on fresh fruits and vegetables. They also recommend that people drink unsweetened fruit and vegetable juices instead of soft drinks.

Beware of alcohol. Alcoholic beverages supply calories, but they provide almost no nutrients. In addition, alcohol is a powerful drug, and habitual drinking can lead to many health problems. Health experts recommend that if people choose to drink alcoholic beverages, they consume only small amounts. They suggest that certain people avoid alcohol altogether: children and adolescents, pregnant women, people who are about to drive, anyone who is taking medicine, and those who are unable to limit their drinking.

Don't overeat. When a person consumes more calories than are needed, the body stores most of the excess calories as fat. This can result in obesity. An obese person has too much body fat for good health. Obesity increases the risk of such diseases as adult-type diabetes, stroke, high blood pressure, gall bladder disease, heart disease, and certain cancers. Health problems, such as osteoarthritis and lower back pain, are often worsened by the pressure of excess weight.

A number of techniques can help a person avoid obesity. For one thing, be careful not to use food as a reward or as a way to overcome loneliness or boredom. It is also a good idea to avoid snacking on foods that are high in fat or sugar. Instead, try substituting fruits, fruit juice diluted with water, skim milk and unsalted crackers, nonfat yogurt, and sparkling water. Another way to combat obesity is to be as physically active as possible. Most health experts recommend that a person engage in physical exercise to help reduce weight.

Store and cook foods properly to retain their nutritional value. Many fresh foods should be kept in the refrigerator. They should be washed thoroughly and eaten as soon as possible. Frozen foods must be stored in a freezer. Foods in cans or jars do not need to be refrigerated until after they have been opened.

Vegetables should be cooked quickly and in as little water as possible so that vitamins are not lost in the water. Cooking meats and other animal foods by such methods as broiling, stir-frying, braising, or poaching results in food that is tasty but free of added fat and extra calories. Microwave cooking enables one to cook or reheat food quickly and keep nutrient values high.

Be cautious about food myths and misinformation. Often, ideas about foods become popular, but they are not necessarily correct. For example, some people believe that if they take a vitamin pill every day they can eat whatever they choose. But, in fact, people who rely on vitamin pills may not get the amount of calories, minerals, or proteins that they need. Another common, but incorrect, idea is that such starchy foods as potatoes are fattening. In fact, starches provide fewer calories than do such fats as butter or margarine. However, when starches are combined with fats, the combination is high in calories. There is no evidence that gelatin strengthens fingernails, that fish is a brain food, or that celery is a nerve tonic. Eggs with brown shells are not more nutritious than white-shelled eggs. It is best to use caution and common sense when faced with claims about food products.

Terms Used In Labeling Food

2008-06-20T14:55:00.003-05:00

If you want to do a diet. You have to examine carefully every label sticking at food package you buy. Certain descriptive terms can appear on food packages only if the food meets requirements set by the Food and Drug Administration. A list of some of these terms follows:

Free, means the food contains nutritionally insignificant amounts of the specified nutrient. For example, a can of chicken soup labeled "sodium-free" must contain no sodium or an insignificant amouint of sodium.

Fresh, as in "fresh orange juice," means the food is raw, contains no preservatives, and has not been processed, heated, or frozen.

Healthy, means the food is low in fat and saturated fat and contains no more than 480 miligrams of sodium and 60 miligrams of cholesterol per serving.

High, as in "high in fiber" or "high in protein", means the food provides 20 percent or more of the Daily Value of the specified nutrient per serving.

Lean applies to meats, poultry, and seafoods that contain fewer than 10 grams of fat, 4 grams of saturated fat, and 95 milligrams of cholesterol per serving.

Less means the food contains at least 25 percent less of the specified nutrient than does a similar, specified food. For example, a package of pretzels could be labeled "less fat than potato chips", provided that pretzels have at least 25 percent less fat.

Light or Lite, as in "lite sour cream", means the food has been altered during processing to contain one-third fewer calories or one-half less fat or sodium than the regular product.

Low, as in "low fat" or "low sodium", means the food can be eaten frequently without exceeding Daily Value guidelines for the specified nutrient.

More means the food contains at least 10 percent more of the Daily Value for the specified nutrient than does a similar, specified food. For example, grapefruit juice could be labeled "more vitamin C than orange juice," provided the grapefruit juice has at least 10 percent more vitamin C.

Source of or Good Source of, as in "source of calcium" or " good source of fiber," means a serving has 10 to 19 percent of the Daily Value of a particular nutrient.

The labels attached at food package give the amounts of fats, carbohydrates, cholesterol, and certain other nutrients contained in one serving of the labeled food. The nutrients listed are those considered most important to the health of people. The label also provides a Daily Value percentage for each nutrient to show how it fits into a healthy diet. The percentages are based on guidelines called Daily Reference Values (DRV's), which the FDA established to determine the amounts of these nutrients that a healthy person should consume each day. In addition, health claims, such as "reduces risk of heart disease," and descriptive terms, such as "fresh" and "low fat," can only appear on food packages in accordance with FDA regulations.

Paying Attention to Nutrition Guidelines

2008-06-18T16:21:00.004-05:00

After we discuss about nutrition, we understand that how important is the food we consume. What we eat will determine our health. if we want to be far from illness we must consume food with good balanced nutrition.

The key to good nutrition is a varied diet that includes every kind of nutrient. To aid in planning a balanced diet, nutritionists have devised systems that group foods according to nutrient content. The Food Guide Pyramid pictured in this article is one example. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) developed this system after extensive research into the relationship between diet and health. The pyramid shape calls attention to the recommended amounts to eat from each of the major food groups. The groups at the broad base of the pyramid--that is, grains, fruits, and vegetables--should form the largest part of a healthful diet. Fewer daily servings should be chosen from the meat and dairy groups near the top. Fats, oils, and sweets, at the narrow tip of the pyramid, should be eaten sparingly.

Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA's) are provided in the United States by the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academy of Sciences. RDA's are the estimated amounts of various nutrients needed daily to avoid deficiency and maintain good nutrition in healthy people.
The RDA for a particular nutrient may vary depending on a person's sex, age, and physical condition. The Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990 requires that all packaged and processed food sold in the United States carry labels with nutritional information. The labels help people compare their daily dietary needs with the nutritional content of the foods they eat.

MicroNutrients

2008-06-13T16:14:00.002-05:00

Minerals are needed for the growth and maintenance of body structures. They are also needed to maintain the composition of the digestive juices and the fluids that are found in and around the cells. People need only small amounts of minerals each day.

Unlike vitamins, carbohydrates, fats, and proteins, minerals are inorganic compounds. This means that they are not created by living things. Plants obtain minerals from the water or soil, and animals get minerals by eating plants or plant-eating animals. Unlike other nutrients, minerals are not broken down within the body.

The required minerals include calcium, chlorine, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, and sulfur. Calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus are essential parts of the bones and teeth. In addition, calcium is necessary for blood clotting. Milk and milk products are the richest sources of calcium. Cereals and meats provide phosphorus. Whole-grain cereals, nuts, legumes, and green leafy vegetables are good sources of magnesium.

Still other minerals are needed only in extremely tiny amounts. These minerals, called trace elements, include chromium, copper, fluorine, iodine, iron, manganese, molybdenum, selenium, and zinc. Iron is an important part of hemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying molecule in red blood cells. Copper helps the body make use of iron to build hemoglobin. Manganese and zinc are required for the normal action of various enzymes. Green leafy vegetables, whole-grain breads and cereals, seafood, and liver are good sources of trace elements.

Vitamins are essential for good health. Small amounts of these compounds should be supplied daily in the diet. Vitamins regulate chemical reactions in which the body converts food into energy and tissues.

There are 13 vitamins: vitamin A; the vitamin B complex, which is a group of 8 vitamins; and vitamins C, D, E, and K. Scientists divide vitamins into two general groups, and fat-soluble and water-soluble vitamins. The fat-soluble vitamins--vitamins A, D, E, and K--dissolve in fats. The vitamins of the B complex and vitamin C dissolve in water.

Vitamin A is necessary for healthy skin and development of the bones. Sources of this vitamin include liver, green and yellow vegetables, and milk.

Vitamin B-1, also called thiamine, is necessary for changing starches and sugars into energy. It is found in meat and whole-grain cereals.

Vitamin B-2, also known as riboflavin, is essential for complicated chemical reactions that take place during the body's use of food. Milk, cheese, fish, liver, and green vegetables supply vitamin B-2.

Vitamin B-6, also called pyridoxine, and two other B vitamins known as pantothenic acid and biotin all play a role in chemical reactions essential for growth. Liver, yeast, and many other foods contain these vitamins.

Health-Enhancing Applications of Red Reishi

2008-06-13T15:46:00.003-05:00

Throughout the ages, the consumption of red Reishi has been linked to the treatment of a vast range of diseases, common ailments, and conditions. From asthma to zoster, the applications of red Reishi seem to be related to a multitude of body organs and systems.

Although some product manufacturers use this information as proof that red Reishi can be used to treat these maladies directly, there is no sufficient medical evidence to support this claim to date. However, most of the scientific research that has been conducted appears to strongly support red Reishi’s role as a normalizing substance - a nutritional supplement that can yield medical benefits through its normalization and regulation of the body’s organs and functions.

The previous posting provided a general outline of the overall benefits derived from the consumption of red Reishi. The following is a list of specific conditions for which regular consumption of red Reishi and products consisting of authentic red Reishi extract has been shown to have some beneficial effects. Please note that although many of the medical applications listed below have been supported by researchers in both the medical and nutritional science fields, the information below should be treated as observations gathered over time based on individual cases, and not a guarantee or endorsement of Reishi’s effectiveness. For specific case reports or data, please consult a physician with an expertise in Chinese medicine. Research studies and additional information can be obtained through libraries or found on the internet. You may also contact your local health organizations.

Conditions Related to Blood Circulation
It has been thought that red Reishi extract can reduce the coagulation of blood by decreasing platelet aggregation (cells that form clots), similar to aspirin. In addition, it is possible that it is able to transform red blood cells, and make them more malleable to travel through blood vessels at greater ease, reducing the chances of clogging, which could lead to strokes and heart attacks. Improved circulation is extremely important in diabetics, who invariably develop small artery disease.

Heart Conditions
Several cardiovascular benefits have been demonstrated from the regular consumption of red Reishi. These include:
• correction of some arrhythmias due to stress
• lowering of "BAD" LDL cholesterol and Triglycerides (another type of blood fat)
• lowering of blood pressure - demonstrated in published human studies
• improved blood circulation, with all of the benefits outlined above.

MacroNutrient

2008-06-11T16:14:00.003-05:00

The first four groups are called macronutrients, because the body needs them in large (or macro) amounts. The last two are required in only small quantities and so are known as micronutrients.

Water is needed in great amounts because the body consists largely of water. Usually, between 50 and 75 percent of a person's body weight is made up of water.

The body requires large quantities of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins because these nutrients provide energy. The energy in food is measured in units called kilocalories. A kilocalorie is equal to 1,000 calories. A calorie is the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of one gram of water one Celsius degree. However, kilocalories are often referred to as simply "calories." The "calories" mentioned in this article are actually kilocalories.

Although minerals and vitamins are needed in only small amounts, they are as vital to health as any other nutrients. Minerals and vitamins are needed for growth and to maintain tissues and regulate body functions.

Water is, perhaps, the most critical nutrient. We can live without other nutrients for several weeks, but we can go without water for only about one week. The body needs water to carry out all of its life processes. Watery solutions help dissolve other nutrients and carry them to all the tissues. The chemical reactions that turn food into energy or tissue-building materials can take place only in a watery solution. The body also needs water to carry away waste products and to cool itself. Adults should consume about 21/2 quarts (2.4 liters) of water a day in the form of beverages or water in food.

Carbohydrates include all sugars and starches. They serve as the main source of energy for living things. Each gram of carbohydrate provides about 4 calories. (A gram is about 0.035 ounce.)

There are two kinds of carbohydrates--simple and complex. Simple carbohydrates, all of which are sugars, have a simple molecular structure. Complex carbohydrates, which include starches, have a larger and more complicated molecular structure that consists of many simple carbohydrates linked together.

Most foods contain carbohydrates. The main sugar in food is sucrose, ordinary white or brown sugar. Another important sugar, lactose, is found in milk. Fructose, an extremely sweet sugar, comes from most fruits and many vegetables. Foods containing starches include beans, breads, cereals, corn, pasta (macaroni, spaghetti, and similar foods made of flour), peas, and potatoes.

Fats are a highly concentrated source of energy. Each gram of fat provides about 9 calories.

All fats are composed of an alcohol called glycerol and substances called fatty acids. A fatty acid consists of a long chain of carbon atoms, to which hydrogen atoms are attached. There are three types of fatty acids: saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated. A saturated fatty acid contains as many hydrogen atoms as its carbon chain can hold. A monounsaturated fatty acid is lacking a pair of hydrogen atoms. In a polyunsaturated fatty acid, the carbon chain contains at least four fewer hydrogen atoms than it could hold.

Certain polyunsaturated fatty acids must be included in the diet because the body cannot manufacture them. These essential fatty acids serve as building blocks for the membranes that surround every cell in the body. Polyunsaturated fatty acids are found in the oils of such plants as corn and soybeans and in such fish as salmon and mackerel. Common sources of monounsaturated fatty acids include olives and peanuts. Most saturated fatty acids are contained in foods derived from animals, such as butter, lard, dairy products, and fatty red meats.

Proteins provide energy--like carbohydrates, 4 calories per gram--but more importantly, proteins serve as one of the main building materials of the body. Muscle, skin, cartilage, and hair, for example, are made up largely of proteins. In addition, every cell contains proteins called enzymes, which speed up chemical reactions. Cells could not function without these enzymes. Proteins also serve as hormones (chemical messengers) and as antibodies (disease-fighting chemicals).

Proteins are large, complex molecules made up of smaller units called amino acids. The body must have a sufficient supply of 20 amino acids. It can manufacture enough of 11 of them. Nine others, called essential amino acids, either cannot be made by the body or cannot be manufactured in sufficient amounts. They must come from the diet.

The best sources of proteins are cheese, eggs, fish, lean meat, and milk. The proteins in these foods are called complete proteins because they contain adequate amounts of all the essential amino acids. Cereal grains, legumes (plants of the pea family), nuts, and vegetables also supply proteins. These proteins are called incomplete proteins because they lack adequate amounts of one or more of the essential amino acids. However, a combination of two incomplete proteins can provide a complete amino acid mixture. For example, beans and rice are both incomplete proteins, but eaten together they provide the correct balance of amino acids.

Kinds of Nutrients

2008-06-11T16:09:00.003-05:00

The foods we eat contain thousands of different chemicals. However, only a few dozen of these chemicals are absolutely essential to keep us healthy. These few dozen are the nutrients--the substances we must obtain from the foods we consume.

Nutritionists classify nutrients into six main groups:
(1) water,
(2) carbohydrates,
(3) fats,
(4) proteins,
(5) minerals, and
(6) vitamins.

How the Body Uses Food

2008-06-11T15:56:00.004-05:00

Food provides certain chemical substances needed for good health. The substances, called nutrients, perform one or more of three functions.

1) .They provide materials for building, repairing, or maintaining body tissues.
2). They help regulate body processes.
3). They serve as fuel to provide energy. The body needs energy to maintain all its functions.

The body breaks food down into its nutrients through the process of digestion. Digestion begins in the mouth. As food is being chewed, saliva moistens the particles. The saliva begins to break down such starchy foods as bread and cereals. After the food is swallowed, it passes through the esophagus, a tube that leads into the stomach. In the stomach, digestive juices speed up the breakdown of such foods as meat, eggs, and milk.

The partly digested food, called chyme (pronounced kym), passes from the stomach into the small intestine. In the small intestine, other juices complete the process of digestion. They break down the food into molecules that pass through the walls of the intestine and into the blood.

The blood distributes the nutrients to cells and tissues throughout the body. There the nutrients are broken down to produce energy or are used to rebuild tissues or to regulate chemical processes. Some of the nutrients are stored in the body, and others are used over and over again. But most of the nutrients undergo chemical changes as they are used in the cells and tissues. These chemical changes produce waste products, which go into the bloodstream.

Some of the wastes are carried to the kidneys, which filter them from the blood. The body expels these wastes in the urine. The liver also filters out some wastes and concentrates them into a liquid called bile. Bile is stored in the gall bladder until it is needed to aid in digestion. Then the gall bladder empties bile into the small intestine. From there, any remaining bile passes into the large intestine, along with parts of the food not digested in the small intestine. The large intestine absorbs water and small amounts of minerals from this waste material. This material, along with bacteria present in the large intestine, becomes the final waste product, the feces, and it is eliminated from the body.

Nutrition, What it is?

2008-06-09T05:15:00.003-05:00

We have read in this blog some about nutritions, minerals and vitamins, but we have not talked about yet what nutritions is. So below I bring to you an articel abaout nutritions. I will divide them into several posts. Thanks.

Nutrition is the science that deals with food and how the body uses it. People, like all living things, need food to live. Food supplies the energy for every action we perform, from reading a book to running a race. Food also provides substances that the body needs to build and repair its tissues and to regulate its organs and systems.

What we eat directly affects our health. A proper diet helps prevent certain illnesses and aids in recovery from others. An improper or inadequate diet increases the risk of various diseases. Eating a balanced diet is the best way to ensure that the body receives all the food substances it needs. Nutrition experts recommend that the daily diet include a certain number of servings from each of the five major food groups: (1) breads, cereals, rice, and pasta, (2) vegetables, (3) fruits, (4) milk, yogurt, and cheese, and (5) meat, poultry, fish, dried beans and peas, eggs, and nuts. Fats are also essential, but, like sweets, should be eaten in small quantities.

Workers in the field of nutrition oversee school food services, plan menus for hospitalized patients, and provide nutrition counseling for individuals. They administer international food programs and investigate the relationship between diet and health. They seek improved ways of processing, packaging, and distributing foods, and they create new foods.

Hemorrhagic Stroke

2008-06-04T17:38:00.001-05:00

Hemorrhagic stroke occurs when a blood vessel bursts inside the brain. The brain is very sensitive to bleeding and damage can occur very rapidly, either because of the presence of the blood itself, or because the fluid increases pressure on the brain and harms it by pressing it against the skull.

Bleeding irritates the brain tissue, causing swelling (membengkak, ind). The surrounding tissues of the brain resist (melawan, ind) the expansion of the bleeding, which is finally contained by forming a mass (hematoma). Both swelling and hematoma will compress and displace normal brain tissue.

Most often, hemorrhagic stroke is associated with high blood pressure, which stresses the artery walls until they break.

Another cause of hemorrhagic stroke is an aneurysm. This is a weak spot in an artery wall, which balloons out because of the pressure of the blood circulating inside the affected artery. Eventually, it can burst and cause serious harm. The larger the aneurysm is, the more likely it is to burst. It is unclear why people develop aneurysms, but genes may play a role, since aneurysms run in families.

Stroke can also be caused by the accumulation of a protein called amyloid within the artery walls, particularly in the elderly. This makes the arteries more prone to bleeding.

Amyloid protein is also implicated in the brain damage related to Alzheimer's disease, but the difference is that people with Alzheimer´s disease have amyloid accumulation in the brain tissue instead of in the arteries. Therefore people with Alzheimer´s usually do not develop brain bleeding.

Some people with brain hemorrhage have abnormal connections between arteries and veins. Under normal circumstances, circulating blood travels through the arteries into the capillaries, where it provides nutrients and oxygen to the tissues. Once the blood has deposited the nutrients and oxygen, it is carried back to the heart from the capillaries via the veins.

In some people, however, a brain artery may connect directly to a vein, instead of going through the capillaries first. This is called an arterial-venous malformation (AVM). Since blood pressure in the arteries is much greater than in the veins, the veins may rupture, causing bleeding into the brain.

Another important brain disease that can cause bleeding is cancer. This is especially true for cancers that spread to the brain from distant organs, such as the breast, skin, and thyroid.

About 20% of strokes are hemorrhagic -- but the other 80% are caused by the opposite problem: too little blood reaching an area of the brain, which is usually due to a clot that has blocked a blood vessel. This is called "ischemic stroke." This type of stroke can sometimes lead to a brain hemorrhage because the affected brain tissue softens and this can lead to breaking down of small blood vessels.

In addition, brain hemorrhage can occur when people have problems forming blood clots. Clots, which are the body's way of stopping any bleeding, are formed by proteins called coagulation factors and by sticky blood cells called platelets. Whenever the coagulation factors or platelets do not work well or are insufficient in quantity, people may develop a tendency to bleed excessively.

Some medications (often used, ironically, to prevent ischemic stroke) prevent clot formation. These work by blocking the production of clotting factors (such as the blood thinner warfarin) or interfering with the function of platelets (such as aspirin). The most common side effects of such medications is bleeding, which may occasionally affect the brain. Controlling bleeding to avoid stroke is a very fine balancing act. Illicit drugs, such as cocaine, can also cause hemorrhagic stroke.

Using Red Reishi to Improve Your Health

2008-05-26T09:35:00.002-05:00

Red Reishi's greatest potential medical benefit is its ability to strengthen the body's immune system. Consumption of red Reishi is therefore considered preventive and immune enhancing, rather than treatment of a specific disease.

Red Reishi is gaining credence as a potential example of what the Royal Medical Society has termed an "adaptogen" - a treatment concept that is said to help the body adapt to stresses of various kinds; these stressors may be temperature, trauma, sleep deprivation, exposure to toxins, radiation, infection, or psychological stress. Like adaptogens, red Reishi shares the properties of causing no side effects with regular consumption; it is effective in dealing with a wide variety of illnesses; and it helps an organism return to a normal and balanced state.

Furthermore, regular consumption of red Reishi can significantly improve the functioning of the immune system. Red Reishi acts as an immune modulator - a substance that regulates, and fine-tunes the immune system. The primary responsibility of the immune system is to detect pathogens such as viruses, bacteria and other microbes that invade the body. Under normal circumstances, an intact immune system is capable of detering most of these organisms before it causes any damage. However, if the immune system is compromised, viruses, bacteria, parasites and fungi can proliferate and cause disease. Antibiotics, anti-viral agents, and anti-fungal medications are the mainstay of current therapy. Even though they can be effective, every treatment carries a potential side effect. In addition, repeated use of these medications can cause microbes to mutate and develop resistance. Consuming red Reishi eliminates these problems.

Red Reishi is also gaining acceptance for its use as an adjunct to combating the unpleasant side effects associated with radiation and chemotherapy for cancer treatment.

Authentic red Reishi products have also demonstrated exceptional anti-stress properties that help improve memory, ease tension, and sharpen concentration. Its potency is particularly noteworthy in the treatment of degenerative diseases that affect primarily the elderly, such as Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia.

Reishi At A Glance

2008-05-22T05:46:00.004-05:00

Reishi (also known as "Ling Zhi" in China) has been known to the Asian world for over 2,000 year Its miraculous health enhancing applications have been employed by Oriental cultures for centuries, but have only been introduced to the Western world in the last 30 years. Reishi is the legendary wizard of all superior medicinal herbs because of its apparent medical efficacy and the absence of unfavorable side-effects and toxins resulting from consumption. Because of its rarity in nature, reishi was reserved primarily for Asian royalty and wealthy individuals until the late 20th century, when cultivation of red reishi mushrooms by the Japanese made the once rare fungi plant more widely available to the general populace around the world.

Although there are more than 2000 known species of Reishi, only six kinds have been studied in greater detail to uncoverpotential health benefits – red, black, blue, white, yellow and purple Reishi. Of these six types, black and red Reishi have demonstrated the most significant health-enhancing effects, and both are therefore widely used in the global health supplement market today. However, red Reishi has been proven to be the most effective in improving one’s overall health by enhancing the immune system, many bodily functions, and vital organs.

Black Reishi (Ganoderma sinensis), is fairly common and can be found in most Chinese herbal shops. This species of Ganoderma tends to be unevenly shaped and can measure up to ten inches in diameter, although most mature specimens are about six inches in diameter. The majority of Reishi products that claim to be using "wild" Reishi generally use black Reishi. While it still possesses some value as a moderate herbal tonic, black Reishi is considered to be inferior to red Reishi because of its lower polysaccharide content.

Wild purple Reishi grows in the Chang Bai Mountains, north of North Korea in Jilin province of China. They are extremely rare and very similar to red Reishi in appearance, but have a significant purple coloration in the heart of the mushroom cap. There has been limited research and testing on this type of Reishi, due in large part to the scarcity of authentic purple Reishi specimens. It is the very high content of polysaccharides (complexsugars) in red Reishi that makes it particularly potent. However, due to harsh environmental conditions, the instability of wild red Reishi in nature, and its vulnerability to pollution, disease, and insect infestations, the number of high quality red Reishi specimens that can reach full maturity in the wild is rare.

As a result, approximately 30 years ago, scientists and farmers began experimenting with different methods of domestic cultivation for mass production. Since then, Japanese producers in particular, have earned the reputation of growing the highest quality red Reishi, thanks in part to strict regulations set by the Japanese government to uphold quality and trade standards.

Physical Characteristics and Chemical Composition of Red Reishi

Red Reishi mushrooms are primarily composed of complex carbohydrates called polysaccharides, triterpeniods, proteins and amino acids. Studies indicate that it is these polysaccharides, the most active element found in red Reishi, that are responsible for strengthening the body’s immune system. Medical practitioners in China and Japan have long used herbs like ginseng, brasenia and astragalus – which all share red Reishi’s high polysaccharide content – to decrease the side effects of chemotherapy suffered by cancer patients.

In addition, ganoderic acids in red Reishi have also been shown to help alleviate common allergies by inhibiting the chemical mediators of inflammation, including histamine release. Aside from the exceptionally high polysaccharide content, no exclusive or unique ingredient has yet been identified in red Reishi that can be credited for the mushroom’s remarkable health enhancing abilities. It is more likely that the potency of the mushroom lies in the combination of its chemical constituents – a natural illustration of the idea that “the whole is more than the sum of its parts”.

Asthma can be Cured by Vitamin C and E

2008-05-14T14:44:00.003-05:00

Terrible air pollution can influence child who has asthma. For child having asthma, it is suggested to consume any fruits and green vegetables which contains high vitamin C and E.

This opinion is expressed by Dr Isabelle Romieu from Public Health National Institute in Mexico. Her research reveals that asthma attack is caused by ozon polution. The attack can be reduced if the children consume rich-antioxidan food, such as vitamin C and E, to protect their lungs.

Dr Romieu affirms that food likely becomes important side factor in children breath health.

The Research performed by Romieu is to determine wether antioxidant supplement can protect children who suffer asthma against pollution in Mexico City metropolitan region. Because the previous research shows that children in the area endure downgrade in their lung function and there is escalation of exhalation problem.

The research was held involving 158 children. They were randomly divided into two groups. One group got daily vitamin supplement, and another ate plasebo. They were examined from October 1998 till April 2000.

In general, children involved in the research had got vitamin C in their food, but they did not get enough vitamin E yet.

Researchers finds that vitamin supplement protects the children from the degradation of their exhalation stream and their amount of air disposed by lung at a specific time. The children who got plasebo endure the degradation.

Though this research entangles a group of little, middle and hard asthmatic children, vitamin supplement influence is mostly seen at children who have middle and hard asthma attack.

The researchers also concludes that asthmatic child is more vulnarable against ozon condition, because ozone influence will degrade antioxidant protection in lung.

This Invention is reported in American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

The conclusion is that the more often children are hit by air pollution, the more vitamin especially vitamin C and D they need to protect their lung. Children also need much more acid fruits and green vegetables.

Source: Media Indonesia

Asthma at A Glance

2008-05-12T09:56:00.003-05:00

Asthma is chronic disease caused by excessive stricture of exhalation channel. Asthma can happen at all age.

Nevertheless, asthma is suffered mostly by children, caused by genetic factor and triggered by environment condition.

Generally asthma symptons are coughs, congested breath, breath sounds, pain chest, short breath, blue at lip and tongue. Besides genetic factor, asthma can emerge because of inflamation, weather change, pollution (especially SO2) and dirty air.

The most factor that can trigger asthma attack is allergen such as dust, animal fur, cotton, and certain foods. Asthma attack also can be triggered by smoke, such as cigarette smoke, mosquito repellent, kitchen smoke, hari spray and deodorant; Internal trigger caused by infection upper or lower breath channel; weather changes such as early rainy seasons, end of rainy season, cold weather or continuous rainfall; unproporsional physical exercises such as running, riding a bike, swimming and other excessive activities; physical emotion or stress; or combination of each factors.

To avoid its trigger factors, try using spume covered by plastic or vinyl sack in the bedroom, bed cover, pillow case and blanket should be cleaned as often as possible. Clean floor and household tool with wet mop everyday. The curtain must be routinly washed every fortnight. Bring out of home the furniture that covered by carpet fi you want to clean them

In order that your clothes are always clean from dust, wrap your clothes that unfrequently used. Avoid placing shelf, book and magazine in in bed room, Studying room and family room.

To cure this disease, doctor usually give some medicine types, according to the condition. Some of them are teofilin, bricasma, meptin, alupent, quibron, ventolin and spiropent to widen exhalation channel. Preduson, kenacort and urbason are used to lessen swelling in breath channel.

To prevent repetitive asthma attack, doctor also usually gives anti-inflammation medicines as inflamide, becotide, flexotide and pulmicort. Sometime, doctor also gives medicine to widen trachea such as meptin or volmax. The anthitistamin generation II/III medicine such as profilas is also be given if needed. (ad)

Avoid Serviks Cancer by Early-Detection

2008-05-08T06:32:00.003-05:00

Threat of womb neck cancer or serviks always peeps woman. Beware of its spreading by early-detection to lessen infection risk from virus Human Papilloma Virus (HPV).

Cancer Serviks is one of the four deadliest cancer types in the world. If lung cancer frequently infects man, whereas breast cancer and womb neck (serviks) most often attacks woman.

According to Dr Eric Kasmara AMd SpOG at seminar “Early Detection and Prevention of Serviks Cancer” in Jakarta, kanker leher rahim is cancer infected woman reproduction organ. This Cancer usually happened at reproductive time, between age 20 -30 years.

Womb neck cancer is caused by some factors. Some of them are underage sexual intercourse, flirting sexual contact, smoking, and less vegetable and fruits consumption.

Virus called HPV (Human Papilloma Virus) is the most responsible virus of womb neck cancer. It is a kind of DNA virus which can infect skin, mucus layer or mukrosa. Part of human body contained a lot of mukrosa is vagina.

Dr Eric Kasmara said 99,7% of serviks cancer was caused onkogenic HPV. HPV 16 and 18 were the main viruses which donated 70% serviks cancer cases in the world.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer or IARC concludes that HPV is proven having relation to more than 95% serviks cancer cases. Generally, HPV infection does not generate any symptom. Nevertheless continuous infection can cause many problems such as abnormality in serviks cells, wart in genitals, and serviks cancer itself.

Dr Eric Kasmara, who also works for Siloam Hospital at Kebon Jeruk, Jakarta, said that HPV was easily spread by genital skin contact, and every woman were risky infected by HPV that can trigger serviks cancer.

HPV does not only attack adult woman, but it is also able to infect baby through his or her infected mother.

Dr Eric Kasmara said that Virus HPV can be swallowed by a baby when he is in his mother stomach. When the baby is born, the virus will attack baby's sound track.

PAP SMEAR TEST
The best treatment for married woman is doing early detection using pap smear test. Nevertheless, the result has limitation due to its subjectivity.

Pap smear test can be conducted quickly and does not take a long time. The patient is asked to lay on bed and the test tool called spekulum is inserted into patient’s vagina hole.

According to Ivan Sentosa, a specialist doctor of Kandungan dan Kebidanan, pap smear test works by intaking fluid from vagina to examine whether there is abnormal cell around womb neck. The test can be conducted by every woman, although she has not been productive yet.

The name of pap smear is derived from a doctor name called Papanicolau. The benefit of the test is that it is relatively inexpensive and is also easily executed by professional medics. The risk of serviks cancer for woman who does not take pap smear test is higher than who does the test.

It is better to prevent than to cure. The earlier a woman does the test, the more little her presentation to be infected by HPV. Pap smear test is the easiest way to detect it.

Chilli Can Fight Prostate Cancer

2008-04-29T08:24:00.002-05:00

Capsaicin, compound that make chilli is felt hot, can trigger cells of prostate cancer to suicide. The statement is expressed by researchers from Japan and THE UNITED STATES.

Capsaicin makes around 80 percent of human prostate cancer cells that inculcated at body mouse to kill themselves, in a process called apoptosis.

Tumors of prostate cancer in mouse body given capsaicin shrinks till one fifth of tumor size at mouse that pay no capsaicin, said researchers that write down the result in journal Cancer Research.

"Capsaicin haves effect anti-growth which is powerful for cells of prostate cancer," said Dr. Soren Lehmann from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and Medical Faculty of California University, Los Angeles.

"This Compound dramatically also slow downs growth of prostate cancer from human cells that is planted in mouse body."

Although it is far easier to heal human cancer planted at a mouse than in human body itself, nevertheless the invention above emerges expectation of effective cancer medication in the future. This is especially more please for everyone who likes hot food.

Lehmann predicts mice on trial has consumed capsaicin equivalent to 400 milligrams capsaicin for human, three times a week. This Amount can be supplied by three till eight chillis habanero (the most hot chilli), depending how hot the chillies are.

Prostate cancer is the most commonly cancer met in men in the world. Globally, around 221.000 men die per annum because of prostate cancer.

Source: Kompas, Indonesian daily News

The Miracle of Cucumber

2008-04-24T09:27:00.003-05:00

Cucumber is not only delicious to eat, it is also useful to guard our face skin to stay fresh and young. The normal method to benefit this fruit is for face mask.

The effect that will be received definitely could not be seen by us in an instant. But after for years using it, we will see its usefulness.

The cucumber has scientific name Cucumis sativus. It contains 0.65% protein, 0,1% fat and the carbohydrate totalling 2.2%. The fruit also contains calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, vitamin A, vitamin B1, vitamin B2 and vitamin C. Cucumber seed actually contains alkoloid poison, a kind of hipoxanti. The poison functions astreating children that suffered wormy.

If you suffers from throat sickness that cause you difficult to speak, cucumber seed can be used to treat you. The way it use: few cucumber seeds are mixed with a little salt and gargled several times a day. This medical treatment is believed be able to return the voice that is lost because of throat siockness effect.

A continuous headache could be overcome by consuming the raw cucumber or cooked cucumber. Moreover, the cucumber could also be used to treat the dysentery illness.

Clean The Kidney with Cucumber
Cucumber plant is indeed very close and familiar with us. As slaw, salad made of blanched vegetables served with peanut sauce, or as fresh drink. However, the usefulness of the cucumber is abundant. It can lower feverish in a short time, assuage hypertension, and also can clean the kidney.

The cucumber can be cultivated everywhere, from field to the greenhouse. But this crop is not allowed to keep continuously in the rain. Its growth needs high air humidity, the loose fertile land and get good sun rays. The cucumber will grow well from the plain to 1.300 m. dpl. The cucumber is suspected came from the area of Himalaya mountains at North India.

How to use it:
If you want to make it as a drink, you can grate it or eaten it rawly. For external use, wash cleanly the fruit and grate it. Compress the grater to cure fever, contend wound or burnt injury. The grater can also be used to contend oily skin face or irritate skin.

Collected, rearranged and translated from many sources.

Mineral Selenium Shows Promise on HIV

2008-04-02T14:19:00.003-05:00

Selenium is reported to reduce the amount of virus in patients. It's like 'a lion tamer in a circus,' a study author says.

Giving selenium, an antioxidant mineral sold as a dietary supplement, to HIV patients modestly reduced the amount of virus in their blood, according to a study published Monday.

Patients taking 200 micrograms of high selenium yeast daily saw an average 12% drop in blood virus levels, according to the study in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

"I liken selenium to a lion tamer in a circus," said lead author Barry Hurwitz, a professor of psychology and medicine at the University of Miami. "What it appears to do is make [the virus] more docile, less virulent and less likely to replicate."

But Dr. Jeffrey Lennox, principal investigator for Emory University's HIV Clinical Trials Unit who was not involved in the study, said selenium's effect appears small, less than a variation that can be seen in some AIDS patients from week to week.

He added that taking selenium also did not have wide clinical implications in the U.S. because there are already antiretroviral therapies here that can decrease the amount of virus in the blood to undetectable levels.

"The conclusions are intriguing, but they don't change current medical practice," Lennox said. "In people not receiving optimum therapy, selenium might be a benefit."

Selenium is a trace mineral in soil that can be absorbed by plants. Cows and other animals can also absorb the mineral if they feed on grain grown in soil with selenium.

Research has linked selenium deficiency to forms of heart disease, hypothyroidism and a weakened immune system. Previous studies also have found that the mineral suppresses HIV replication in the lab and that some HIV patients have lower selenium levels.

Hurwitz's study, which was funded by the National Institutes of Health, looked at 174 HIV patients in the Miami area. About two-thirds of the patients were already taking antiretroviral drugs. About a third were not taking any AIDS drugs.

The study found that the 50 people who regularly took their selenium pills saw the virus in their blood drop by about 10,000 viral particles per milliliter of blood after nine months, a mean decrease of about 12%. The number of immune cells, known as T-cells, increased by a mean of about 30 cells per microliter of blood.

Selenium had a good effect at nine months regardless of what kind of drug regimen the patients were on, Hurwitz said.

The 83 patients in the placebo group saw the amount of virus in their blood increase by 10,000 to 20,000 viral particles per milliliter of blood. Their T-cells diminish by about 30 cells per microliter.

Another group of 41 people, classified as "nonresponders" because they did not adhere to their selenium schedule or because gastrointestinal problems prevented them from absorbing selenium, had about the same results as the placebo group.

Hurwitz and his colleagues are still analyzing the data on selenium's effects beyond nine months, but he said the benefits appear to be sustained

Jeffrey Blumberg, a professor of nutrition at Tufts University, said that because selenium appears to help and has no serious side effects, there is no reason not to use it as booster with traditional therapies.

"Selenium is a simple, inexpensive and safe adjunct therapy," said Blumberg, who was not involved in the study. "It's pretty reasonable to go forward with this."

Original Source: http://www.latimes.com

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2008-03-28T11:05:00.003-05:00

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Spirulina, The Food of Future

2008-03-04T07:53:00.001-06:00

Spirulina is a blue-green algae. Its name is derived from the Latin word for spiral and describes the microalgae's cell structure of spiralling filaments. Spirulina is a single-celled fresh water algae and is one of the most nutritious foods known to man.

The foods we eat in our daily life are the first defense from the negative effects of lifestyle pollution, radiation, stress and toxic chemicals. But so many processed foods are nutritionally empty which leaves us vulnerable to poor health and low energy. The good news is many essential nutrients experts recommend to help in protect our bodies are found concentrated in Spirulina. It contains the most powerful combination of nutrients ever known in any grain, herb or food.

Spirulina provides a wide range of delicate phytonutrients with very significant health benefits. Phytonutrients include antioxidants known for giving fruits and vegetables their orange and yellow colors. Nutritionists recommend increasing our intake of phytonutrients to protect against the harmful effects of UV sunlight, pollution, and environmental stress.

Doctors and Scientists recommend we eat five servings of fruits and vegetables a day. In real life, it doesn’t always happen. That’s why you need Spirulina. It is becase Spirulina contains:

Antioxidant Vegetable Nutrition - Nature’s richest source of carotenoids
B-Complex Vitamins - Supplies Thiamin, Riboflavin and vitamin B-12
Iron - A daily dose provides more iron than two cups of spinach
Organic Protein - Richest source in the plant world - three times that of beef
GLA - Building block for nature’s anti-inflammatory As a result, Spirulina is important for anyone needing additional nourishment including dieters, athletes, convalescents and the elderly.

Spirulina provides generous amounts of Beta-Carotene and Chlorophyll. Spirulina also provides RNA, DNA and important GLA fatty acids. As a health supplement, Spirulina algae is an extremely high protein source with a protein content of 60-70 percent higher than any other natural food and most nutritional products.

As a rich of vitamins, minerals, and protein, spirulina is outstanding for its antibacterial, antiparasitic antiviral and anticancer properties, and has been used for ulcers, anemia, heavy-metal poisoning, allergies and radiation poisoning.

Spirulina is also known as a low calorie, low fat and cholesterol-free source of protein containing all the essential amino acids. It helps combat 'free radicals' which can lead to ailments like cancer, arthritis, cataracts. Moreover, the gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) present in spirulina dissolves fat deposits, helps prevent heart problems and reduces "bad cholesterol" helping in weight-loss programs. Sulfolipids in spirulina are remarkably active against the AIDS virus. Regular intake of spirulina reduces kidney toxicity, improves wound healing, increases anti-viral activity, stimulates the immune system, and reduces radiation sickness.

Spirulina contains most remarkable concentration of nutrients known in any food, plant, grain or herb. It is also packed with antioxidants and phytonutrients and is basically the best food and or supplement. Carbohydrates in spirulina may prompt immune cells to destroy cancer cells. Phycocyanin, the antioxidant in spirulina appears to scavenge the free radicals that can cause cancer and the age-related brain inflammation that impairs memory and motor skills in older adults.

So if you want to take diet and don't want to loose nutritional food, it is recommended for you to take spirulina as your the best supplemental food. Just six tablets a day (3 grams) will help supply the nutrients lacking in most of our diets. Good luck.

FEMALE CONDOM, NEW WAY OF A PLAN FAMILY

2008-02-25T15:16:00.001-06:00

The female condom was the condom that was drafted especially to be used by the woman. It has the shape of cylinder tube that is put into the sex organ or the girl's genitals. This women special condom has two tips where one tip closed by foam is put to the side of the uterus, intended to absorb sperm and the other tip is open, directed to the oustide.

The condom material is made from polyurethane or latex with two rings in each of its tip that function as the framework. In order not tot hurt its user, it is better that the women put it on by herself. The female condom has design that was just right for the form of the vital organ of a woman. Moreover, some people said that it is more comfortable to use than male condom. This condom had long 17an cm and the diameter 6 through to 7 cm.

Unfortunately, the price of female condom was indeed far more expensive compared to the man's condom. Nevertheless this condom could not guarantee that it is safe to use and 100% anti-torn. Anything can happen because of wrong in use, factory production mistake, over limit period, et cetera. The condom is currently not only used by premarital couple, but also by the married couple who want to look alternative and different sensation.

The female condom could be used for various situations and condition in by couple. However it is should not used by virgin or girl since it can destroy her virginity hymen.

Pictures on how to use it can be looked at:
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Step 10 ended:

Translated from original source: www.kaskus.us

IS ASPARTAME SAFE?

2008-01-23T13:41:00.001-06:00

WHAT IS ASPARTAME?
Aspartame is low calory sweetener which is safe to eat. Aspartame is used as a substitute of sugar cane. This sweetener is commonly used in food or drinks products such as sugar-free candy, energizer drinks, etc.

WHAT DOES ASPARTAME CONTAIN?
Aspartame consists of two amino acid, i.e aspartic acid and feninalanine. Amino acid is important for protein building. Both aspartic acid and feninalanine are important essential amino acid for the body as the body can not produce both by itself. Those two amino acid can be found at our daily food such as cow meat, chicken meat, fish, egg, wheat, soybeans, tahu, fermented soybean patty, milk, cheese, etc.

IS FENIN ALANINE DANGEROUS?
Fenin alanine in aspartame is not dangerous at all. It is even one of eight of essential amino acid which are important for growing, regeneration and faal functions. Feninalanine is not acumulate in the body when it is consumed, because the body will metabolise and absorb it, as any other fenin alanine-contained food such as meat, wheat and soybeans.

IT IS SAFE TO CONSUME FOOD CONTAIN FENIN ALANINE?
If you does not have phenyl ketonuria illness, you area safe to eat fenin alanine-contained food.

WHAT IS PHENYL KETONURIA (PKU)?
Phenyl ketonuria is metabolism anomaly in human body. The body is lack of a kind of enzyme needed for digestion of fenin alanine amino acid. It is why PKU patients are not allowed to consume aspartame because its fenin alanine can pile in the body.

Fortunately, PKU is a very rare disease, it is probably 1 to 15000 happened in human. PKU sufferer is not allowed to consume foods as normally human can consume. They must follow dietary of low calory food and take special liquid formula.

HOW CAN WE KNOW THAT WE DO NOT SUFFER PHENYL KETONURIA?
If you do not have any problems when consume protein-contained food such as meat, egg, bread, soybeans, milk, cheese etc, you do not suffer the disease. If you suffer this illness, you will feel symptom of brain decrease, loss of skin, eyes and hair pigmentation.

ARE THERE ANY WORLD HEALTH INSTITUTIONS SAY THAT ASPARTAME IS SAFE?
Aspartame has been used since 1965 and conducted a series of intensive researchs more than 40 years by many world health supervisors. World health organisation of UN stated that aspartame is safe and is not a cause of brain cancer.

Rewritten, translated and edited from the book of Gaya Hidup Sehat Alami by Tiens Group.

CORDYCEPS SINENSIS; The Most Powerful Herb from the Highest Mountains

2008-01-12T21:09:00.001-06:00

Cordyceps is a mushroom growing wildly on the caterpillars in the high plateaus of China, Nepal, and Tibet. It is known as a powerful tonic which gives the body increased vitality and energy and has significant additional benefits, such as enhances blood flow and lowers cholesterol (look at Cordyceps, China's Healing Mushroom by Georges Halpern, MD, Ph.D. published by Avery Publishing Group, New York). This mushroom is believed by both traditional herbalists and many Western scientists to be one of the most potent and health improving herbs in the world.

Cordyceps belongs to the family of numerous mushrooms, which are, actually, parasitic organisms. The fruiting body of cordyceps looks like grass. That is why it is called Winter Worm - Summer Grass besides Deer Fungus, Caterpillar Fungus, and Aweto.

The discovery of cordyceps backs to more than 1500 years ago in the Himalayan mountains of Tibet. At that time, the lush meadows close to the snow line were covered with many flowering plants and grasses. The local herdsmen who liked this area for herding, gradually noticed that when their cattle and sheep chewed a particular grass, they became very strong. Even old yaks showed signs of being younger, and had increased natural vigor. Little did they suspect that this "grass" actually was a parasitic fungus which invades the body of caterpillars and eats the soft tissue. The "grass" part is the fruiting body of this mushroom.

Some traditional Chinese doctors started to gather them as medication for their patients. To their surprise, the grasses could cure several diseases which they did not previously have any cure. And so the medicinal powers of Cordyceps Sinensis were discovered. Its mysterious health effects were passed from one generation to another.

More than 1000 years later, in the Ming Dynasty, the emperor's court physicians studied the Cordyceps formula, and using their own experience and wisdom, improved on their usage. Cordyceps then became a respected traditional Chinese medicine drug but was available only for the Imperial Palace. The common people had no authorization to use Cordyceps. The Chinese named it Dong Chong Yia Cao, or "winter-worm, summer grass".

Nowadays cordyceps can be consumed by everyone. However, it is very expensive ($10 per gram) and difficult to buy in many parts of the world. It is because the collection of Cordyceps requires physical stamina and dedication; it grows at about 5000m elevation, must be harvested in the frigid rain of the monsoon season, and can only be identified with an eye held almost horizontal to the surface of the ground. For native people, when one kilogram of this freely available natural resource is worth over US$2,000, they people won't miss a chance to collect, even if collection means freezing temperatures and oxygen-poor air.

Therefore, because its difficulties, the cultivated forms of the fungus, grown on the soybeans, are the most popular and widely spread as its substitute. Many manufacturers use not Cordyceps Sinensis, but its substitutes (C. ophioglossoides, C. capita, and C. militaris) in their commercial preparations.

The Western world got acquainted with Cordyceps not so long time ago, mainly due to the works and research of Dr. Georges Halpern, a physician and professor emeritus with the University of Hong Kong, and the author of several books about this fungus.

THE FUNCTIONS OF CORDYCEPS
Dr. Georges Halpern and other scientists and herbalists confirm that the mushroom can:

- stimulate the immune system;
- cure sexual dysfunction in men;
- maximize body oxygen uptake;
- build muscles;
- improve kidney, liver, and lung functioning;
- provide anti-aging effect...
- Improving the cellular energy production;
- Enhancing the utilization of oxygen in the body;
- Increasing blood circulation, making oxygen and nutrients more rapidly available to all parts of the body.

Among the numerous species, Cordyceps Sinensis is the most famous due to its curing properties. Cordyceps was believed to be a cure-all herb, able to fortify all the body systems, providing anti-aging, immune boosting, and strength increasing effects. This mushroom was especially popular for its ability to improve male sexual function, working as an aphrodisiac. Its influence on the human organism was often compared to that of ginseng.

RESEARCH ON CORDYCEPS
Mice fed cordyceps and subjected to an extreme low oxygen environment, were able to utilise oxygen more efficiently (30-50% increase), better tolerate acidosis and hypoxia (lack of oxygen) and live 2-3 times longer than a control group.

In Chinese studies on elderly patients with fatigue, cordyceps-treated patients reported significant improvements in their level of fatigue, ability to tolerate cold temperatures, memory and cognitive capacity and sex drive. Patients with respiratory diseases also reported feeling physically stronger. Overall, the efficacy rate for cordyceps in alleviating fatigue in elderly subjects was 80-90%. In addition to its effects on energy levels – possibly due to the adenosine content of cordyceps, the mushroom extract can also induce sex steroid-like effects (in mice) – which may account for the increased libido reported by elderly subjects in several studies.

A recent small study presented at the American College of Sports Medicine annual meeting (1999), showed that a cordyceps-based supplement significantly increased maximal oxygen uptake and anaerobic threshold.

Studies carried out at Beijing Medical University of China and in Japan have shown a 64% success rate among men suffering from impotence, vs. 24% in the placebo group.

It is said that Cordyceps is safe to use even for a long period. Still, it is up to the consumers to decide, since many questions about the fungus remain open.

THE FACTS
Although cordyceps is well-known on curing many diseases, the mechanism of Cordyceps activity in the human body is not known. The fungus effects are connected with its components, which are classified as “host defense potentiators” (HDPs): polysaccharides, ophiocordin (an antibiotic compound), cordypyridones, nucleosides, bioxanthracenes, sterols, alkenoic acids, hemicellulose, triterpeniods, complex starches and exo-polymers. Special emphasis is made on two chemicals, which are believed to be active Cordyceps compounds: cordycepin (deoxyadenosine) and cordycepic acid (mannitol).Many scientists, though, are positive that combinations of the above mentioned ingredients are to produce the health benefits in humans and animals.

Research also shows that the greater the amount of Cordyceps taken, the more one can fight off bacterial and viral diseases. (Look at Cordyceps, China's Healing Mushroom by Georges Halpern, MD, Ph.D., published by Avery Publishing Group, New York).

More information about cordyceps can be found at:
http://www.kalahealth.com
http://www.chinese-herb.com
http://www.jcm.co.uk
http://environment.yale.edu/doc/3034/the_search_for_cordyceps_sinensis/

LECITHIN; HANDLE RADIOVASCULAR DISEASE

2007-12-22T13:22:00.001-06:00

Lecithin was discovered in 1805 by the French scientist Maurice Gobley. Lecithin is a fatlike substance called a phospholipid. It is produced daily by the liver if the diet is adequate. Lecithin is needed by every cell in the body and is a key building block of cell membranes; without it, they would harden. Lecithin is found in all living cells as a major component of cell membranes, which regulate the nutrients entering and exiting the cell. This makes it ideal in preventing arteriosclerosis and assisting in protecting against cardiovascular disease.

It is composed mostly of B vitamins, phosphoric acid, choline, linoleic acid and inositol.

Outside the body, it is mostly derived from common egg yolk or from naturally taking place phospholipids derived from soybeans. Eggs were the primary source of commercial lecithin.

Lecithin protects cells from oxidation, a naturally occurring process in the body due to the presence of oxygen, and largely comprises the protective sheaths surrounding the brain. Using lecithin can improve brain function and has also been known to promote energy. It is an essential constituent of the human brain and nervous system. Lecithin is also an important component of the endocrine glands and the muscles of the kidneys and heart. It makes up 73 percent of the total liver fat. Lecithin aids in the absorption of thiamine by the liver and is needed to help repair the damage to the liver caused by alcoholism.

Although it is a fatty substance, it is also a fat emulsifier—lecithin enables fats, such as cholesterol, to be dispersed in water and removed from the body. Hence, it also supports the circulatory system by preventing fatty buildup in the arteries and vital organs.

As a phospholipid, lecithin is both phosphorus and fats. As such, it is an excellent source of essential fatty acids, which are a part of each molecule. Lecithin helps protect the cell's essential fatty acids, which are polyunsaturated and extremely vulnerable to oxidation. By consuming lecithin supplements, we can help protect the essential fatty acids in our bodies, keeping them from turning rancid and start harming other healthy cells.

Lecithin helps to prevent arteriosclerosis, protects against cardiovascular disease, improves brain function, helps keep the liver and kidneys healthy, aids in thiamin and vitamin A absorption, and can even help to repair liver damage caused by alcoholism--this nutrient is essential to every living cell in the human body.

Lecithin breaks up fats and cholesterol in the body. It is excellent for a healthy heart. It is a rich source of gamma linoleic acid (GLA) and has the highest phosphatide concentratil available (98% or more). It helps the body utilize vitamins A, D, E, and K and is excellent for memory, concentration, and recall. It cleanses the liver and kidneys and helps the body absorbs nutrients.

Below are some of the many health benefits of Lecithin:

* Improve memory
* Cell communication
* Normalize reproductive health
* And enhance liver and heart health.
* Lower risks of cancer
* Cardiovascular health
* Fat transport and fat metabolism
* Increase physical performance
* Relief of arthritis
* Healthy hair and skin
* Treatment for gallstones
* Improvement in memory, learning and reaction time

In September 2001, lecithin got a boost when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized products containing enough of it to bear labels such as "A good source of choline." Producers of soy lecithin hope to find ways to help the new health claim lift demand for lecithin and increase prices in what has been a soft market. Eggs, milk and soy products are the leading dietary sources of choline, according to recent research conducted at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and at Duke University.

Generally, lecithin is regarded as safe except for people who are highly allergic to soy. However, the late Robert Atkins, MD, advised patients not to take large doses of supplemental lecithin without extra vitamin C to protect them from the nitrosamines formed from choline metabolism. Trimethylamine and dimethylamine, which are metabolized by bacteria in the intestines from choline, are important precurors to N-nitrosodimethylamine, a potent carcinogen in a wide variety of animal species.

Taken and rewritten from several sources.

News of My Company from Halter Financial Group

2007-06-27T12:05:00.000-05:00

Tiens Biotech Group (USA) Chairman Jinyuan Li Named One of the Top Ten Men of the Year in China

Tiens Biotech Group (USA), Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: TBGU - News), which operates primarily through its subsidiary Tianjin Tianshi Biological Development Co., Ltd ("Biological"), today announced that Jinyuan Li, Chairman, President and CEO of the company, has been named One of the Top Ten Men of the Year for 2004 in China. He received the award in recognition for his significant achievements in corporate management and in the field of economics.

The award was presented jointly by China Domestic and Foreign Celebrity Culture Seminar, China Contemporary Celebrity Academy, and China Fortune Forum Journal. This ceremony was held in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China on January 8, 2005. The forum was to honor corporate executives whose insights have benefited Chinese society and helped promote the development of China as a worldwide business leader.
Jinyuan Li, Chairman, President and CEO of Tiens Biotech Group (USA), Inc., said, "I am greatly honored to have been selected to receive this most prestigious award. I am proud of being part of the recognition China is receiving for its expansion in a broad spectrum of key industries and the growing acceptance of our fine products and services throughout the world."

About Tiens Biotech Group (USA), Inc.
Tiens Biotech Group (USA), Inc. ("the Company" or "Tiens") conducts its main business through its subsidiary Tianjin Tianshi Biological Development Co., Ltd ("Biological"), which has its headquarters in Beijing, China, and production plants in Tianjin, China's third largest city. In September 2003, Tiens completed a reverse merger with Strategika, Inc. and received approval for the company's formal name and symbol changes in February 2004. In China, Tiens sells its products through 22 branches, representative offices and chain stores and 12 domestic affiliate companies of its affiliate company, Tianjin Tianshi Biological Engineering Co., Ltd. Internationally, the Company markets its products to approximately 90 countries on six continents.

Tiens Biotech Group (USA), Inc. is primarily engaged in the research, development, manufacturing and marketing of healthcare products including herbal products, vitamin and mineral supplements and personal care. Since its establishment, the company has developed 7 major product series and produced 45 types of healthcare products. Among these are 27 healthcare food products, 23 of which have obtained the "Health Food Certificates" issued by the PRC Ministry of Health. The 7 major product series are: High-Calcium Series, Immune System Adjustment Series, Nutrient Supplements Series, Cholesterol Adjustment Series, High-Fiber Series, Heart and Brain Improvement Series and Personal Care Series. Under the High-Calcium series, Tiens has conducted extensive research and developed Tianshi Super Calcium with Metabolic Factors and Tianshi Super Calcium Powder for Children, which have been awarded patents from the State Intellectual Properties Office in China with respective patent numbers of ZL97115067.2 and ZL97115068.0.

Source: http://www.halter.com.cn/case/info.asp?id=9

What is Halter Financial Group?
Founded in 1995, Halter Financial Group (HFG) is a leading U.S. based consulting firm specializing in taking companies public through the reverse merger and alternative public offering process “APO” (a contemporaneous reverse merger transaction with a private placement equity capital raise).

The Best Company I Work For

2007-06-27T11:38:00.000-05:00

Founded in 1992 by Mr. Li Jinyuan, Tianshi Group is a large-scale global enterprise with operations in over 190 countries and regions with a customer base over 10 million. Since 1992, Tianshi has maintained a continual, stable, and rapid growth. With an anchor business in advanced biotechnology, Tianshi is also involved in financing, real estate development, education, cultural exchanges, and modern logistics. Headquartered at the Henderson Center in Beijing, its production plants are located in the Wuqing New Technology Development Zone of Tianjin.

Tianshi Health Products is the first China based direct selling company that manufactures and distributes Traditional Chinese Health Products Internationally. With over 190 Regional offices throughout the world, Tianshi opened its doors in North America in 1999 and now has over 11,000 Independent Consultants.

We are a direct selling company that is based on advanced biotechnology devoted to developing health and wellness products and a culture for a healthy lifestyle. Our business opportunity is unique and trend setting in that it rewards successful Independent Consultants for personal sales and leadership. In North America, we support the opportunity by offering products such as: herbal supplements, personal, home, skin and body care.

Our Mission is to offer high quality products and services that provide the Keys to Health and Wealth for our family of customers in harmony with the highest international professional standards and ethical values.

Tianshi Group envisions a community knit together with the common goal of health, wealth and welfare for all of humanity, made possible through its network of valued resources – people, education, markets, the internet and capitalization.

Tianshi Group Offer...

A generous compensation plan with rewards
Empowerment to our Independent Consultants through training and recognition.
Premium health products with value and selection.

Source: http://www.tiensna.com/our_company.html