Lake amoeba can kill swimmers

It sounds like science fiction, but it's true: Killer amoebas living in lakes can enter the body through the nose and attack the brain, where they feed until you die.

Though encounters with the microscopic bug are extraordinarily rare, it is known to have killed six boys and young men in the United States this year; over the decade ending in 2004, the yearly average was 2.3.

The jump in cases has health officials concerned.

"This is definitely something we need to track," said Michael Beach, a specialist in recreational waterborne illnesses with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "This is a heat-loving amoeba. As water temperatures go up, it does better. In future decades, as temperatures rise, we'd expect to see more cases."

The amoeba, called Naegleria fowleri, killed 23 people in the U.S. from 1995 to 2004, the CDC says. The CDC knows of only several hundred cases worldwide since the microbe's discovery in Australia in the 1960s.

This year, there have been three cases in Florida, two in Texas and one in Arizona.

Though infections tend to be found in Southern states, Naegleria lives almost everywhere: in lakes, hot springs, even dirty swimming pools, grazing off algae and bacteria in the sediment.

A person wading through shallow water stirs up the bottom, and if water gets up the person's nose, the amoeba can latch onto the olfactory nerve, which is responsible for conveying smells to the brain.

The amoeba makes its way to the brain, destroying tissue as it goes, Beach said.

The easiest way to prevent infection, Beach said, is to use nose clips when swimming or diving in fresh water.

People who are infected tend to complain of a stiff neck, headaches and fevers. In the later stages, they show signs of brain damage, such as hallucinations and behavioral changes, he said.

Some drugs have stopped the amoeba in lab experiments, but people who have been infected rarely survive, Beach said. "Usually, from initial exposure it's fatal within two weeks," he said.

In central Florida, authorities started an amoeba phone hotline advising people to avoid warm standing water and areas with algae blooms. Texas officials also have issued warnings.

Officials in Lake Havasu City in Arizona, where one boy may have become infected, are discussing whether to take action. "Some folks think we should be putting up signs," city spokesman Charlie Cassens said. "Some people think we should close the lake."

Beach cautioned that people shouldn't panic about the dangers of the brain-eating bug. Cases are still extremely rare.

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Cervical cancer gets new vaccine

Cervical cancer was expecting a new vaccine which was recently approved by Health Canada and will be available in the pharmacies soon. It seems the government is also planning on providing free vaccinations to Grade 6 girls, in a effort to cut down the rate at which this disease is growing. Currently there are more than 150 new cases reported every year.

The government has planned to invest $300 million in this. This sure has raises suspicion because that way too much to be invested in a vaccine that just got approved. But since it is approved in 80 countries and the results of five-year clinical studies to back it up, I guess it is on the safe side.

But there’s also reason to be cautious.

Women need to be reminded that this vaccine isn’t a silver bullet – it will not protect from virus strains that cause 30 per cent of cervical cancer cases.

And that means Pap smear testing will remain a necessity.

Here’s where parents need to ensure they, and their children, are informed.

Government watchdogs are also needed to ensure that lobbying by pharmaceutical representatives doesn’t blind health professionals into making decisions that are in the best interest of all involved.

Take your calcium, elderly told

Paris - Calcium supplements can reduce the risk of bone fractures by 24 percent in the elderly, according to a study published on Friday in the British journal The Lancet.

The study was based on a sampling of 4 500 men and women over the age of 50.

Even when patients failed to take the full doses prescribed, the bone-building element - often coupled with vitamin D - cut the risk by 12 percent, according to the research which examined the results of 17 other studies covering 52 625 people.

"A large proportion of the elderly population is at high risk of fractures," lead author Benjamin Tang of the University of Western Sydney told AFP.

For women over age of 50, there is a one-in-six lifetime risk of having a fracture as a result of osteoporosis, a progressive condition that leads to bone deterioration, he said.

For men in the same age bracket, the ratio drops to less than one in 20.

"But the risk increases progressively as you age. If you are 70, your risk is a lot higher," Tang said.

Calcium is an essential element for the normal growth and maintenance of bones and teeth. Contrary to popular belief, calcium intake is critical not only during childhood but in adult - especially late adult - life as well.

Many medical experts maintain that Vitamin D helps the stomach absorb calcium, but Tang's study showed that calcium worked just as well with or without.

Other studies have cast doubt on the efficacy of prescribing calcium to elderly people at risk of bone fractures.

"But most of these studies had poor long-term adherence" among patients, a common feature for many anti-osteoporosis drugs taken on a daily basis, wrote epidemiologist Jean-Yves Reginster in a commentary, also published in The Lancet.

Scientists have predicted that the number of annual hip fractures in the world, caused mainly by age-related bone deterioration, could triple from 1.7 million in 1990 to 6,3 million in 2050, according to another study published in The Lancet last year.

The number of fractures would climb to 8,2 million if the rate of fractures were to increase by only one percent each year, aggravated in particular by rising rates of obesity.

The medical cost of treating fractures related to osteoporosis is estimated to exceed $20-billion every year in the United States, and 30-billion in the European Union.

Little about Eczema...

The signs of Eczema are reported to be dry itchy red rashes, which might be treated with emollients and steroid cream, however symptoms might return. Eczema may be resulted by suffering from food allergies.
Individuals that suffer from eczema often do not have the ability to process fatty acids. However by supplementing Gamma Lionelic Acid (GLA) which is discovered in evening primrose oil or starflower oil, it is believed they might help overcome this block and stop the condition. Herbalists have advised taking liquorice and preparations of burdock, due to their anti-inflammatory effects. Zinc and Vitamin A supplements may be helpful as both nutrients are said to help promote skin repair.

Pediatric Cough And Cold Medicines Under FDA Scanner

It seems the most common medicine is now under the scanner. The FDA is taking this measure to ensure cold medications meet desirable safety standards. The review follows many adverse reactions like injuries as well as deaths in some children aged below two years. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, in the first two years of life alone, most children have eight to ten colds.

The FDA says that parents must take extra care when giving OTC drugs to their children. Following is the Public Health Advisory issued by the FDA:

What should parents know about using cough and cold products in children?

* Do not use cough and cold products in children under 2 years of age UNLESS given specific directions to do so by a healthcare provider.

* Do not give children medicine that is packaged and made for adults. Use only products marked for use in babies, infants or children (sometimes called “pediatric” use).

* Cough and cold medicines come in many different strengths. If you are unsure about the right product for your child, ask a healthcare provider.

* If other medicines (over-the-counter or prescription) are being given to a child, the child’s healthcare provider should review and approve their combined use.

* Read all of the information in the “Drug Facts” box on the package label so that you know the active ingredients and the warnings.

* Follow the directions in the “Drug Facts” box. Do not give a child medicine more often or in greater amounts than is stated on the package.

* Too much medicine may lead to serious and life-threatening side effects, particularly in children aged 2 years and younger.

* For liquid products, parents should use the measuring device (dropper, dosing cup or dosing spoon) that is packaged with each different medicine formulation and that is marked to deliver the recommended dose. A kitchen teaspoon or tablespoon is not an appropriate measuring device for giving medicines to children.

* If a measuring device is not included with the product, parents should purchase one at the pharmacy. Make sure that the dropper, dosing cup or dosing spoon has markings on it that match the dosing that is in the directions in the “Drug Facts” box on the package label, or is recommended by the child’s health care provider.

* If you DO NOT UNDERSTAND the instructions on the product, or how to use the dosing device (dropper, dosing cup or dosing spoon), DO NOT USE the medicine. Consult your healthcare provider if you have questions or are confused.

* Cough and cold medicines only treat the symptoms of the common cold such as runny nose, congestion, fever, aches, and irritability. They do not cure the common cold. Children get better with time.

* If a child’s condition worsens or does not improve, stop using the product and immediately take the child to a health care provider for evaluation.

Identical quadruplets delight US doctors

A 35-year-old Canadian woman has given birth to rare identical quadruplets.

Karen Jepp of Calgary, Alberta, delivered Autumn, Brooke, Calissa and Dahlia by caesarean section on Sunday afternoon at Benefis Healthcare Hospital in Great Falls, Montana.

The four girls were breathing without ventilators and listed in good condition, said hospital spokeswoman Amy Astin.

"These babies are doing grand," said Dr Tom Key, the perinatologist who delivered the girls.

Born about two months early and conceived without fertility drugs, they weighed between 0.98 and 1.18kilograms.

The chances of giving birth to identical quadruplets is about one in 13 million, Key said.

The couple also have a two-year-old son, Simon.

"This is a very big medical event," he said. "Identical quadruplets are extremely rare."

The last reported set were born in April 2006 to a 26-year-old Indian woman.

World's oldest person dies in Japan at 114

TOKYO -- Yone Minagawa, who became the world's oldest person earlier this year, has died at a nursing home in southwestern Japan, an official said Tuesday.

She was 114.

Minagawa, who raised four sons and a daughter on her own by peddling flowers and vegetables, died Monday afternoon, said Toshiro Tachibana, an official at the nursing home in the former mining town Fukuchi.

The attending physician gave old age as the cause of death, he said.

"Her appetite had been declining recently and her energy fading, so the family had asked us to make her as comfortable as possible. The death was not sudden,'' Tachibana said.

Born Jan. 4, 1893, Minagawa was named the world's oldest person by the Guinness Book of World Records in January following the death of Emma Faust Tillman, also 114, in the United States.

Minagawa outlived all of her children, except one daughter and has seven grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren, the nursing home said.

The world's oldest person is now 114-year-old Edna Parker of Shelbyville, Ind., who was born April 20, 1893, the Gerontology Research Group said.

Japan has one of the world's longest average life spans -- a factor often attributed to a healthy diet rich in fish and rice.

The world's oldest man is also Japanese -- Tomoji Tanabe, 111, born Sept. 18, 1895. Tanabe lives in the southern city Miyazaki, Guinness World Records said.

In 2006, Japanese women set a new record for life expectancy at 85.81 years, while men live an average of about 79 years.

The number of Japanese living beyond 100 has almost quadrupled in the last 10 years and is soon expected to surpass 28,000, the government announced last September.

Fukuchi is about 840 kilometres southwest of Tokyo.

Western diet may lead to colon cancer relapse

CTV.ca News Staff

Colon cancer survivors who eat a so-called "Western diet" high in red meat, dairy, sugar and refined flours are more than three times as likely to have their cancer return or to die from it than those who avoid such foods, finds a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Previous studies had shown that a high-fat diet, especially one with lots of red meat, may increase a person's risk of developing colon cancer. This was the first to show how diet affects whether colon cancer returns in people previously treated for it.

Researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute looked at 1,009 patients with Stage 3 colon cancer that had been treated with both surgery and chemotherapy. Stage 3 colon cancer is cancer that has spread from the large bowel area to the lymph nodes but not other organs.

The researchers questioned the patients on their diets during their chemotherapy treatment period and then 6 months after. Their health was then monitored for five years.

Among the group, 324 patients saw their cancer return, while 223 patients died with cancer recurrence.

The researchers found that those who most closely followed a Western diet were three-and-a-half times more likely to have colon cancer recur than those whose diets were more "prudent" and included high intakes of fruits and vegetables, poultry, and fish.

No relationship was found between the prudent diet and colon cancer recurrence or death.

"The message is that patients in this category can improve their prospects by avoiding certain foods," commented the study's lead author, Dr. Jeffrey Meyerhardt, of Dana-Farber.

Investigators speculate that a "Western" diet leads to increased insulin levels and insulin-like growth factors, which have been linked to the formation and growth of some types of tumours.

Meyerhardt adds that more research is needed to better understand what components of the Western diet are most responsible for the study findings.

Zinc-Rich Foods

Zinc-Rich foods can enhance immunity functioning. This mineral helps increase many aspects of immunity, including production of antibodies and T-cells, as well as other white-blood-cell activity. It has been shown in experiments on animals that when they are deficient in zinc, they cannot fight off attacks by bacteria, viruses and parasites. It has also been observed that adults and children deficient in zinc, often have more cols and respiratory tract infections.

According to Dr. Novera H. Spector, a scientist at the American National Institute of Health, Zinc may even rejuvenate an aging immune system. He explains that zinc may help reverse declining immune functions that deteriorates rapidly after the age of 60 years. After the middle age, the thymus gland, which plays a key role in immune defenses, begins to decline radically. The thymus gland secretes thymulin, a harmone that stimulates production of T-cells. With the decline o thymus gland, the output of thymulin also decreases.

Vitamins No Magic Bullet for Heart Health

KEY antioxidants found in fruits, vegetables and nuts do not cut the risk of heart disease in those most vulnerable to it, according to a new study which casts doubt on previous research.

Vitamins C, E and beta carotene - which the body converts into vitamin A - have no effect on lowering the chances of heart disease or death in high-risk women, scientists said last night.

Some previous studies have linked all three to a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease.

The new study, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, involved examining data for 8,171 women over the age of 40 who took part in the women's antioxidant cardiovascular study in the US, starting in 1995 or 1996 and ending in 2005.

The women all had a history of cardiovascular disease or had three or more risk factors for developing it, such as high blood pressure, diabetes or high cholesterol.

They were randomly split into groups and given either 500 milligrams of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) every day, 600 units of vitamin E every other day or 50 milligrams of beta carotene every other day.

The resulting analysis found that none of the antioxidants, either alone or in combination, had an effect on reducing the risk of a cardiovascular event or death.

The authors of the latest study, led by Nancy Cook, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, concluded there was no benefit in taking the antioxidants to battle heart disease but also no evidence they caused harm.

Ellen Mason, cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, said: "This study adds to the stockpile of evidence suggesting that taking antioxidant supplements in order to protect your heart does not seem to work."

Source:scotsman.com

Surprise: Diabetes clue found in bones

Well yes, another news article. But this one is really interesting .......

As medicine struggles to halt the nation's diabetes epidemic, scientists have found a potential new weapon in the most unlikely place -- the skeleton.

Bone cells, they discovered, generate a hormone that helps regulate the body's metabolism. And the lack of that hormone appears to contribute to the development of diabetes.

The work, conducted in mice, has a long way to go before it could be used to help diabetics. But a previous study showed that the substance, called osteocalcin, is found in lower quantities in people with untreated type 2 diabetes, scientists said.

"One could hope and certainly we will test if it could be a treatment for type 2 diabetes," said Dr. Gerard Karsenty, senior author of the paper in Cell magazine and chairman of the department of genetics and development at Columbia University Medical Center. "What makes osteocalcin attractive is that we all have it in our bodies and we tolerate it very well."

The study, which is the first to provide evidence for a skeletal hormone, is generating excitement among diabetes researchers. But they cautioned that it is only one of a number of substances that appear to interact to control blood sugar in the body, and scientists must learn much more before osteocalcin could be considered a medicine.

"It has opened up a new area" of research, said Dr. C. Ronald Kahn, head of obesity research at the Joslin Diabetes Center, who was not involved in the work. "But it's so unexpected, it's going to take a number of studies to figure out if this applies to humans."

In type 2 diabetes, sugar can rise to dangerous levels in the blood because the body loses sensitivity to insulin and may eventually not produce enough insulin. The body needs insulin to move digested food into cells to fuel activities. About 20 million Americans have this type of diabetes, which can lead to serious complications or death if not properly treated.

Scientists have known for years that osteocalcin is produced by osteoblasts, cells that help build bone. But the Columbia researchers are the first to show that it is also an endocrine hormone -- a substance that acts through the bloodstream to affect metabolism.

In their experiments, they inactivated mouse genes that produce osteocalcin. The osteocalcin-deficient mice grew abnormally fat and developed symptoms of diabetes, even when eating a normal diet. When the researchers gave the mice osteocalcin, the rodents' blood sugar normalized. Presence of the hormone also prevented mice from gaining weight when they overate.

Karsenty said the hormone appears to work in multiple ways to counter diabetes: it increases the body's production of the pancreatic cells that make insulin, it directly increases the secretion of insulin, it enhances the body's sensitivity to insulin, and it reduces storage of fat. No drug on the market carries that kind of punch.

Kahn called that multiple effect "particularly striking" and one of the goals for any new treatment. But another specialist, Dr. Michael A. Lazar, director of the Institute for Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism at the University of Pennsylvania, said two of those effects seem contradictory and raise questions that need to be explained.

Typically, he said, if the body becomes more sensitive to insulin, other mechanisms would kick in to shut off insulin production and vice versa. That makes it important to understand how osteocalcin interacts with other hormones as a next step, he said.

The diabetes specialists said that mice have proved to be a useful model for learning about human metabolism because of many similarities in genes, hormones, and functions. In this case, one of the genes that affects osteocalcin function in mice is not active in humans, but Karsenty said he believes there are other genes that serve the same purpose.

Karsenty, however, acknowledged "the possibility that osteocalcin function has been lost in evolution" and is not present in people.

The next steps, he said, are to study its effect in monkeys and then in humans over the next few years.

Karsenty's group discovered the new bone-based hormone because they were looking for the symmetry that often exists in the body. They knew that most hormones are part of a feedback loop and that a fat cell hormone called leptin helps controls bone mass. So they searched for a corresponding bone hormone that controls fat, and found osteocalcin.

"As proof of the concept that the skeleton makes molecules that act as hormones, this is the first of its kind, convincing and interesting," said Lazar. "It adds another candidate to the list . . . that could help us combat diabetes. But it's premature to be giving osteocalcin injections at this time."

Source:Boston.com

Garlic

Finally, after all those interesting news updates lets get back to where we left. Now about garlic, its anti-bacterial, antiviral and anti-cancer properties are partly due to its ability to enhance immune functioning. It particularly stimulates the power of T-lymphocytes and macro-phages, which play a dominant role in immune functions. A lob test by Benjamin H.S. Lau has found that garlic extracts impeled macrophages to generate more agents to kill microbes and tumor cells. Garlic is also called as a biological response modifier.

The blood of a garlic eater has more natural killer cells, these natural killer cells of regular garlic eaters destroyed 140%-160% more cells than non-garlic eaters.

Just 1.8 grams (about a half a clove) of garlic is all that you need to increase the natural killer cells activity.

Comming up next is about Mushrooms.

Green tea may help guard against cancer

A green tea concentrate may help some people boost their metabolic defense against toxins capable of causing cancer, finds a University of Arizona study.

The study of 42 people consumed green tea concentrate -- green tea catechins in amounts equal to that found in 8 to 16 cups of green tea -- which increases the production of enzymes, which belong to the glutathione S-transferase, or GST, family.

GST enzymes are believed to be crucial to the body's defense against cancer-causing chemicals and other toxins and the GST enzymes convert known carcinogens to non-toxic chemicals, explained lead investigator, H.H. Sherry Chow, of the University of Arizona, in Tucson.

Healthy volunteers were asked to abstain from consuming any tea or tea-related products for four weeks and then blood was drawn and baseline GST enzyme levels were determined. After taking the green tea concentrate for four weeks, a second blood test was taken.

For those with high or medium GST levels little variation occurred, but for those with low levels of GST some experienced an up to 80 percent increase compared to baseline GST activity, the study in the Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention finds.

Copyright © 2007 by United Press International

A new study has found that green tea may help protect against cancer

A new study has found that green tea may help protect against cancer.

Researchers at Arizona Cancer Center, University of Arizona, suggest that a green tea concentrate may help some people boost their metabolic defense against toxins capable of causing cancer.

In a study of 42 people, the concentrate, composed of chemicals known as green tea catechins in amounts equal to that found in 8-16 cups of green tea, boosted production of the enzymes, which belong to the glutathione S-transferase (GST) family, by as much as 80 percent in some participants.

GST enzymes are believed to be crucial to the body’s defense against cancer-causing chemicals and other toxins, according to the study’s lead investigator, H.-H. Sherry Chow, Ph.D., a research associate professor at the University of Arizona.

“They actually convert known carcinogens to non-toxic chemicals, and studies have shown a correlation between deficient expression of these enzymes and increased risk of developing some cancers,” Chow said.

“Expression of this enzyme varies dramatically in people due to genetic variation and environmental factors,” Chow added. “Green tea catechins somehow increase gene expression of these enzymes, which can be an advantage to people with low levels to start with,” he added.

The study was intended to see if green tea catechin concentrate had any effect on the levels of GST enzymes in healthy individuals, an examination that could explain the tea’s anti-cancer properties.

Healthy volunteers were asked to abstain from consuming any tea or tea-related products for four weeks and then blood was drawn and baseline GST enzyme levels were determined. After taking the green tea concentrate for four weeks, a second blood test was taken.

Researchers found that little variation occurred for those with high or medium GST levels. But it had its most significant effect in volunteers whose baseline blood measurements showed low GST activity, an 80 percent increase compared to baseline GST activity.

“This is the first clinical study to show proof that chemicals in green tea can increase detoxification enzymes in humans. There may be other mechanism in play by which green tea may protect against cancer development, but this is a good place to start,” Chow said.

The study is published in the August issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

Cashews cause worse allergic response than peanuts

Peanuts may be more notorious, but cashews seem to trigger more severe allergic reactions in children. In a study of 141 children with allergies to cashews or peanuts, British researchers found that cashew reactions were generally more serious.

For the study, led by Dr. Andrew T. Clark of Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridge, 47 children with cashew allergy were matched up one-to-two with 94 children with peanut allergy. Children with cashew reactions were eight times more likely to suffer wheezing, and nearly 14 times more likely to have potentially severe cardiovascular symptoms, like heartbeat disturbances or a drop in blood pressure.

Overall, 10 of the children with cashew allergies had what the researchers defined as a severe reaction -- extreme difficulty breathing and/or loss of consciousness. That compared with just one child with peanut allergy.

The findings appear in the current issue of the journal Allergy.

It's known that tree nuts, such as cashews and walnuts, can trigger serious allergic reactions. However, this is the first study to show that children's allergies to cashews may be more severe than peanut allergies, according to Clark's team.

What's more, studies suggest that cashew allergies are becoming more common, possibly because consumption is on the rise.

Besides being eaten as whole cashews, the nuts are also found in a range of desserts and candies, in many Asian dishes and in commercially prepared pesto sauces, Clark and his colleagues note.

Other potential sources include cereals, granola bars, dressings and sauces, and even shampoos and lotions.

In general, people with an allergy to any tree nut are advised to avoid all tree nuts and peanuts as a precaution. Some people are prescribed injectable epinephrine that they can administer themselves in an emergency.

The current findings, Clark and his colleagues write, suggest that children with cashew allergies are at particular risk of severe reactions requiring epinephrine. They advise doctors to consider this when deciding whether to prescribe the emergency treatment.

SOURCE: Allergy, August 2007.

Your bones might help you beat diabetes

TORONTO — The skeleton has long been seen as an inert scaffolding that gives the body shape and stability. But now researchers say bones appear to secrete a hormone that helps regulate sugar and fat — and that could have major implications for preventing or treating Type 2 diabetes.

Researchers at Columbia University in New York have discovered that certain bone cells produce a hormone called osteocalcin, which controls the metabolism of blood sugar (glucose) and fat deposits through previously unknown mechanisms.

“It is very exciting conceptually because it's a new function for an organ,” senior author Dr. Gerard Karsenty said Thursday from La Eaule, France, where he was vacationing. “It's also very exciting potentially from a medical point of view because it could be a treatment for Type 2 diabetes.”

In work in laboratory mice, the scientists show that bone-forming cells called osteoblasts release osteocalcin, which in turn increases both the secretion of insulin and insulin sensitivity. It also boosts the number of insulin-producing cells in the pancreas while reducing stores of fat.

All in all, that means the collection of femurs, ribs, clavicles and other bones that make up our skeleton aren't merely a framework for our various tissues, but an endocrine organ that helps control energy metabolism, said Dr. Karsenty, head of genetics at Columbia's school of medicine.

“These results uncover an important aspect of endocrinology that was unappreciated until now,” he said.

Dr. Karsenty and his colleagues, whose work is published in Friday's edition of the journal Cell, studied lab rats that had been genetically altered so their bodies did not produce osteocalcin.

“We realized that in the absence of osteocalcin, the mice were developing Type 2 diabetes and were overweight — not obese, but with increased fat mass — on a normal diet, which is rather unusual,” he said.

Most treatments for diabetes bump up insulin secretion to regulate blood sugar, but the problem is they also decrease insulin sensitivity, defined as the degree to which cells respond to a particular dose of insulin by lowering blood glucose levels.

While osteocalcin raises insulin production, it also bolsters insulin sensitivity at the same time, making it a potentially ideal treatment, said Dr. Karsenty, whose team is testing out injections of the hormone on different species to see if it could prevent or eliminate Type 2 diabetes.

“If it were (to work), the next species after that would be human beings.”

Source : theglobeandmail

Fruits And Vegetable

All kinds of fruits and vegetables can greatly strengthen immune system. Such plant foods cantain a large number of compounds that can boost immunity, including vitamin C and beta-carotene Vegetarians have more powerful immune defenses. The white blood cells of vegetarians are twice deadly against tumor cells than compared to the white blood cells of a non-vegetarian. The main reason for this is because vegetarians have higher levels of carotene in their blood which greatly boosts up their immune system.

Curd Or Yogurt

Curd or Yogurt is an extremely valuable immunity stimulating food. It has been regarded as an age-old fighter of disease and a powerful protector against viruses, infections of disease and tumor cells. Eating curd stimulates at least two vital components of immunity, namely nature killer cells and gamma interferon. These nature killer cells circulating in the body detect tumor cells, then seek out and destroy. Nature killer cells are one of the best defenses against tumor and viruses. Even when yogurt is heated 95% of the bacterial cultures still activate nature killer cells.

A study has confirmed that those eating 450gm of yogurt a day for four months had five times more infection-fighting gamma interferon in their blood than those not eating yogurt. Only yogurt with live active cultures of lactobacillus bulgaricus and streptococcus thermophilus (standard yogurt worldwide) stimulated interferon.

Starting to eat yogurt three months before cold or pollen season could build up your immune system, considerably reducing your susceptibility to aggravations.

Foods Strengthening Immunity power

The immune system which plays a very important role of fighting minor diseases and harmful bacteria on its own. Usually a person with a good immunity power is less prone to diseases. The immune system usually reminds me of anti-virus softwares and firewalls that are installed in computers. So how does this work ? The immune system is a complex interaction among the cells in many parts of the body. They work as a group and co-ordinate to protect the body from foreign invaders. There is no particular organ or something that does all this. Many organs like the brain, blood, liver, bone marrow, lymph system, spleen, thymus, skin and some endocrine glands work together to make up this wonderful immune system.

Let me list out some of most important foods that helps build up the body resistance.

• Carrot
• Curd or Yogurt
• Fruits and Vegetables
• Garlic
• Low-fat foods
• Mushroom
• Zinc-Rich foods

I have already posted about the importance of carrot's role on the immune system and a general information about garlic and curd. You can use the search on the top to find them. Later I will post about the specific role of garlic and curd in immune system and about the rest I mentioned above.

Scientists Discover Hormone That Controls Liking For Food

It seems that a recent study has relived the hormone that controls ones liking for food. The hormone leptin which is known to control the hunger and feeling full seems also to be controlling the liking for food via a separate but linked pathway to the brain. So whats the big deal about this ? Scientists seems to believe that further research in area and they will be able to find out the complex reasons and causes for obesity.

Eating behavior is controlled by an interconnected complex of physiological, neural, cognitive and hormonal processes, each of which can be triggered by seeing, tasting, or even just thinking about food. In order better to understand what regulates eating behavior, scientists have to unravel each process at a time and also try to find out how they work together.

For instance, although hunger affects what people eat and how much they eat, other factors are also involved. The act of eating is a pleasurable and rewarding experience in its own right, and a liking for food can override the biological cues that control feeling hungry and feeling full.

The scientists scanned the brain when the patient was shown images of foods they liked and there seems to be activity in the brain regions that were responsible for emotions of reward and desire. Leptin is made in fat cells and when it gets to the brain through the bloodstream it reduces feelings of hunger and increases feelings of fullness.

Edible African fish could help beat malaria, study says

A nutritious fish eaten in Kenya could be used as a weapon against malaria, according to a study of three fish ponds where the species nearly wiped out mosquitoes that transmit the deadly disease.

Researchers have long known that the Nile tilapia feeds on mosquito larvae but the study was the first to test its potential to fight the disease in the field, said Francois Omlin, a researcher at the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology in Nairobi.

"A fish in the field may act differently than a fish in an aquarium and it was important to test how effective it could be," Omlin, who led the study, said in a telephone interview. "The tilapia species was never tested in the field for its ability to eat mosquito larvae."

Malaria, caused by a parasite carried by mosquitoes, kills more than 1 million people a year worldwide and makes 300 million seriously ill. Ninety percent of deaths are in Africa south of the Sahara, mostly among young children.

The disease has become resistant to some drugs and work on a vaccine has been slow. Bed nets, insecticides and anti-malarial drugs are effective ways to combat malaria and this study represented another potential protection, the researchers said.

The team, which published the findings in the BioMed Central journal on Thursday, chose the tilapia because it was native to Kenya and had a reputation as a mosquito eater, Omlin said.

In the study, the team cleared three ponds of fish and vegetation in the highlands of Western Kenya and measured the mosquito population before introducing young tilapia.

Ten days later, no malaria mosquito larvae were recorded compared with a similar pond with no tilapia, and 41 weeks after the fish were introduced the number of mosquitoes fell by more than 94 percent, Omlin said.

The problem, however, was that many fish ponds in the country were poorly maintained or lacked fish, which made the stagnant pools of water prime breeding ground for mosquitoes and raised the risk of malaria, Omlin said.

Source : Reuters

Drinking coffee seems to protect the liver

Data from 10 studies conducted in Europe and Japan suggest that people who drink coffee may be reducing their risk of liver cancer, although the reasons for the apparent protective effect of coffee remain to be determined.

The 10 studies reviewed by Dr. Francesca Bravi from Milan's Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri" and colleagues included 2,260 cases of HCC. Collectively, the results showed a 41 percent reduction in the risk of liver cancer (or hepatocellular carcinoma, HCC) among coffee drinkers compared to those who never drank coffee.

Low to moderate coffee drinkers -- defined in some studies as those who drank less than 3 cups per day and in others as less than 1 cup per day -- had a 30 percent lower risk of HCC compared to coffee abstainers. High coffee consumption -- defined in some studies as 3 cups or more each day and in others as 1 cup or more per day - had a 55 percent lower risk of HCC.

"Moreover, the apparent favorable effect of coffee drinking was found both in studies from southern Europe, where coffee is widely consumed, and from Japan, where coffee consumption is less frequent, and in subjects with chronic liver diseases," the researchers note in their report in the medical journal Hepatology.

Animal and laboratory studies have suggested that certain compounds in coffee may block harmful enzymes involved in the development of cancer. Coffee drinking has also been linked to a lower risk of cirrhosis of the liver and chronic liver disease, which are the major risk factors for HCC. "Thus, there seems to be a continuum of the favorable effect of coffee on liver enzymes, cirrhosis, and HCC," note the authors.

Liver cancer is the third leading cause of cancer deaths in the world after lung and stomach cancer, with about 600,000 deaths in 2002.

Although a cause-and-effect relationship between coffee and liver cancer can not be determined based on the data, the current analysis provides "quantitative evidence" of a protective effect of coffee drinking on liver cancer, Bravi and colleagues write.

Japanese researchers recently found that drinking three or more cups of coffee a day may cut the risk of colon cancer in women by half.

SOURCE: Hepatology, August 2007.

Banana

The banana is one of the oldest and best known fruits in the world. This great fruit has a rare combination of energy, tissue-building, protein, vitamins and minerals. The fruit is very hygienic as it is naturally protected by the nature. The skin that you peel-off is a germ proof. So all bananas are naturally packed to be free of bacteria and germs.

The banana is also a good appetizer and as it is high in energy, you can actually skip meals for banana. Banana is a great value as anti-diarrhoeal food and its use helps control diarrhea. So how does it do it ? It normalizes colonic functions in the large intestine to absorb large amount to water for proper bowel movements.

When you are in a really bad condition of diarrhea, it is advisable that you stick to a diet of banana, curd and rice.

Bishop's Weed

Bishop's weed, one of the most popular spices, is credited with aphrodisiac properties. Ajwain seeds, combined with kernel of tamarind seeds, make a very effective sex tonic. Both these seeds in equal quantities should be fried in pure ghee, powered and preserved in airtight containers. A teaspoon of this powder, mixed with a tablespoon of honey, should be taken daily with milk before retiring. It will increase virility and cures premature ejaculation. This remedy is far more effective than may costly medicines. Moreover, it enables the semen to impregnate the women by the production of spermatozoa in it. The use of this remedy will also bless the person with a healthy child.

Parslane

This green leafy vegetable is a diuretic food. It increases the secretion and discharge of urine. It is thus a valuable diet in dysuria, which is marked by pain or difficulty in passing urine. A teaspoon of the infusion of the leaves should be given twice daily in treating this condition. The seeds of this vegetable are also useful in treating scanty urination due to excessive sweating. An emulsion, prepared by mixing a teaspoon of the seeds in a glass of tender coconut water can cure these disorders. This emulsion should be administered thrice daily. It also reduces burning sensation in bladder infection.

Chinese herbs can help control eczema: HK study

A mixture of five traditional Chinese herbs can help control and manage eczema, a study by researchers in Hong Kong suggests.

Considered a chronic condition, eczema is the inflammation of the upper layers of the skin that results in rashes, dryness, itching, flaking, even blistering and bleeding.

While there is no definitive cure for it in Western medicine, traditional Chinese medicine has long held that eczema can be countered by clearing heat and removing dampness in one's body and strengthening the spleen.

In an article published in the August issue of the British Journal of Dermatology, doctors at the Chinese University of Hong Kong described how they ascertained the efficacy of the five Chinese herbs which have long been used to treat eczema.

Between February 2004 and July 2005, they recruited 85 children suffering from eczema; 42 of them were given capsules containing extracts of the five herbs twice daily for 12 weeks, while the remaining 43 children were given placebos.

By the end of the treatment, the conditions of the children who were given the herbs improved and their use of corticosteroid creams and ointments was reduced by one-third, the researchers wrote.

Corticosteroids are a class of hormones that do not cure eczema, but are effective in controlling or suppressing the symptoms.

Ellis Hon, one of the researchers and associate professor with the Department of Pediatrics at the university, stressed that the herbs were not a cure.

"Such chronic diseases cannot be cured ... But they can help some patients control and manage the problem. People like to think that there is something magical and mystical about Chinese herbs. But there's no such thing," Hon told Reuters.

"With this study, we are demystifying it and showing that herbs are effective."

The five herbs are Flos lonicerae (Jinyinhua), Herba menthae (Bohe), Cortex moutan (Danpi), Rhizoma atractylodis (Cangzhu) and Cortex phellodendri (Huangbai)

Olive Oil

This oil is a potent anti-coagulant food. It retards the stickiness of blood platelets, which may account for its artery protecting powers. This is evident from a research study conducted by British Scientists at the Royal Free Hospital and School of Medicine in London. These researchers made volunteers take three quarters of a tablespoon of Olive Oil twice a day for eight weeks in addition to their regular diet. Their platelet clumping was considerably reduced. The scientists found that platelet membranes contained more oleic acid, the dominant fatty acid in olive oil, and less arachidonic fatty acid that encourages stickiness.

The olive-oil-fed blood platelets also released less thromboxane A2, a substance that commands platelets to cling together. Researchers concluded that olive oil benefits platelet function. They believed that this is one more explanation as to the people that depend heavily on olive oil, as in the Mediterranean ares have less heart disease.

Veggies may help protect men from colon cancer

Eating a moderate amount of vegetables, particularly green leafy vegetables, seems to lower a man's risk of developing colorectal cancer, researchers found.

"Our results suggest that regular consumption of fruit and vegetables protects against colorectal cancer," study chief Dr. Yikyung Park of the National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, told Reuters Health.

"Considering other health benefits of fruit and vegetables, people are encouraged to consume more fruit and vegetables," Park added.

Fruits and vegetables, which are packed with potentially cancer-fighting compounds like vitamin C, carotenoids, folate, fiber, and flavonoids, have been hypothesized to reduce the risk of colorectal cancer, but hard data for humans are lacking.

Park and colleagues looked at associations between fruit and vegetable consumption and risk of colorectal cancer in 488,043 men and women aged 50 to 71 years in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study. Over the course of 5 years, 2,972 developed colorectal cancer.

Results showed that men who consumed very low amounts of fruit and vegetables (less than 1 serving per day) had 26-percent greater risk of having colorectal cancer than those who consumed low to high amounts (2 or more servings per day).

Men who ate the most servings of vegetables daily had an 18 percent lower risk of developing colorectal cancer compared with men who ate the fewest servings, they report in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

Women with the highest daily servings of vegetables appeared to have a slightly increased risk of colorectal cancer, compared with women reporting the lowest daily servings of vegetables.

But the authors caution that this gender difference may be explained by reporting errors, noting that in past studies women have over reported foods perceived as healthy.

SOURCE: American Journal of Epidemiology

Gene therapy patient dies.

The government has suspended a Seattle company's gene therapy study -- and is reviewing the safety of 28 others around the country -- after learning that a patient died this week.

The Food and Drug Administration didn't reveal the cause of death or any details about the patient, who had enrolled in a study of gene therapy for advanced arthritis. The agency said it was investigating what role, if any, therapy played in the death, which occurred Tuesday.

It marks the third blow since 1999 to the field of gene therapy, as scientists struggle to determine if the viruses they use to deliver new genes may themselves cause serious trouble.

Twenty-eight other gene therapy studies have been reported to the FDA that used, or are using, the same virus, called adeno-associated virus or AAV.

The FDA said Thursday that it was not aware of any serious side effects in any of those studies but that as a precaution, officials were reviewing all the ones still actively treating patients.

Targeted Genetics Corp. notified the FDA of the patient's illness and subsequent death.

The company had enrolled more than 100 people in the study without similar problems, but this patient became ill after a second injection of the therapy directly into an arthritic joint, the FDA said.

The therapy uses AAV to deliver a gene that in turn blocks tumor necrosis factor, a substance that fuels the joint inflammation behind crippling forms of arthritis. Drugs that block TNF already are widely used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and other conditions, but a gene therapy approach is novel.

"We are deeply saddened by the death of an individual enrolled in our clinical trial," company president H. Stewart Parker said in a statement issued Thursday.

The company didn't immediately return a phone call seeking comment.

In 1999, 18-year-old Jesse Gelsinger died in his fourth day of a gene therapy experiment at the University of Pennsylvania. Gelsinger had suffered from an inherited disorder that blocks the body from properly processing nitrogen. The FDA concluded that the gene therapy injection intended to try to cure him instead killed him.

That gene therapy attempt used a cousin to AAV, called adenovirus, to deliver the needed gene.

The only disease ever to be cured with gene therapy is "bubble boy disease," an immune disorder formally called severe combined immunodeficiency, or SCID. But gene therapy attempts are restricted to SCID patients who have no alternative, after doctors in 2003 discovered a few babies saved by gene therapy went on to develop cancer -- again, linked to the virus used to deliver the genes.

Reflecting how seriously regulators take this latest death, the National Institutes of Health's advisory committee on gene therapy will meet in September to discuss its potential scientific implications

Dill

Dill is a green leafy vegetable and a culinary herb. It was known to the ancient Greeks and Romans. Dill leaves are stimulant. They are a soothing medicine and help improve the functioning of the stomach.

Dill possesses antiviral property and helps fight infection. The seeds of this plant are especially effective in infections like colds and influenza. About 60 grams of infusion of the seeds, mixed with honey, should be given thrice daily in treating these disorders.

Chili Pepper

Hot chili pepper is the best mucokinetic food among all hot spicy foods. According to Dr. Ziment, since antiquity, the flavored foods for treating pulmonary and respiratory diseases have been mustard, garlic and hot chili peppers. The active agents in these foods may work by several mechanisms. However, Dr. Ziment believes that they generally activate a flash food of fluids in air passages that thin out mucus, so that it flows more easily.

As the hot stuff hits the mouth, throat and stomach, it touches nerve receptors that send messages to the brain, which in turn, stimulate the vagus nerve controlling secretion-producing glands that line the airways. The glands instantly release waves of fluids that can make the says water and the nose run. Dr. Ziment says that common pharmacological traits of all hot, pungent foods that break up congestion, flushing out sinuses and washing away irritants. He prescribes hot foods for any condition in which secretions in the airways are thicker than normal, including sinusitis, a lump with congestion, asthma, hay fever, emphysema and chronic bronchitis.

Dr. Ziment also advices those who already suffer from chronic bronchitis and emphysema to eat hot food regularly, at least three times a week. He says that his patients who do so breath more eaisly and require less treatment. Further, in surveys, he finds that those who eat more hot spicy cuisine are less likely to develop chronic bronchitis and emphysema, even if they smoke.

Dr. Ziment says, "A lot of drugs for colds and coughs and bronchitis do exactly what chili peppers do, but I believe more in peppers. Peppers don't cause any side effects. I am convinced that 90 percent of all people can tolerate hot food and get a benefit".

Sodas linked to heart diseases

A recent study has relived that people who drink one or more soft drink per day have more than 50% higher risk in developing the heart disease precursor metabolic syndrome than people who drink less than one soda per day.

So whats metabolic syndrome ? It is a constellation of health problems like high waist circumference, high blood pressure, low levels of "good" cholesterol, and other health problems. All these factors have always been strongly linked to heart diseases.

The study, in the American Heart Association journal Circulation, looked at more than 6,000 healthy people, who showed no signs of metabolic syndrome, and then followed up. After four years, 53 percent of people who drank an average of one or more soft drinks per day developed metabolic syndrome. Those who drank one or more diet soft drinks a day were at a 44 percent higher risk.

Watermelon

The watermelon is one of the most delicious and health-building fruits. The pulp of the fruit is sweet, juicy and soft, with a delicate flavour. It is highly valuable on account of the large amount of easily assimilable sugar contained in its juice. This fruit has high concentration of antioxidants and strong antioxidant activity. It is a major food source of antioxidant and anticancer compounds, lycopene and glutathione. It can thus help prevent damage to cells by oxygen-charged molecules. Watermelon also possesses mild antibacterial and anticoagulant activities.

Butea Leaves

Butea, also known as "Flame of the forest", is a well-known tree in India. The leaves of this tree are an anti-diabetic food and thus valuable in lowering blood sugar in diabetes. They are useful in glycosuria, which is characterized by the presence of a large amount of glucose in urine. The leaves can be chewed orally or taken in the form of an infusion or decoction.

Margosa

The leaves of this popular tree are a pain killing food. Stream fomentation with neem decoction provides immediate comfort in cases of earache. A handful of leaves should be boiled in litre of water and ear formented with the steam thus produced. The juice of neem leaves, mixed with an equal quantity of pure honey, is an effective remedy for boils in the ear. The juice should be warmend a little and a few drops instilled in the ear. Regulaar application for a few days will provide relief.

Barley

Pearled barley has always been used by Oriental folk physicians for the healing and the rejuvenation of the digestive system. A simple, yet effective folk remedy was to make barley brew that could be sipped throughout the day while other foods were restricted or limited. This folk remedy has helped many people, even to this day.

To prepare this brew, one-quarter cup of all natural pearled barley should be boiled in two liters of water. It should be strained when half the water has evaporated. Drinking of this all-natural barley brew will relax the stomach. It helps digestive rejuvenation and benefits the digestive system in two ways. It soothes the burning digestive actions and introduces a natural oily substance, which helps protect the eroded mucous membrane of the digestive system. These benefits also help prevent the aging process of the digestive system. Once the digestive system is thus soothed and healed, it can promote better assimilation of foods and thereby prolong life.

Carrot

Carrot is an extremely rich food source of beta-carotene. The name carotene, which is a form of pro-vitamin, has been derived from carrot. The carotene is converted into vitamin A by the liver and it is also stored in the organ. Carrot contains so much beta-carotene that liberal intake of the vegetable only, once a day will supply sufficient vitamin A for meeting the requirement of a day. If carrot is to be taken in cooked form, the cooking time should not exceed fifteen to twenty minutes. It can also be baked like potatoes. Butter or vegetable oil may be used for dressing.

Carrot is a strong antioxidant and a powerful cleansing food by virtue of its richness in beta-carotene is an orange pigment that helps prevent heart attacks, irregular heartbeats, strokes and cancer, especially lung cancer. It boosts immune functioning and destroys single oxygen-type free radicals. Cancer patients often have low blood levels of Beta-carotene, indicating low beta-carotene in their diets. According to one study, beta-carotene levels in he blood of lung cancer patients was one third lower than that in healthy individuals.

Other rich food sources, of beta-carotene besides carrot, are dark orange and dark green leafy vegetables, sweet potatoes, dried apricots, spinach and pumpkin.

Mustard Seeds

Mustard seeds have been recognized for centuries as a decongestant and an expectorant. They help break up mucus in air passages. They are thus an effective remedy for congestion caused by colds and sinus problems. One reason why mustard seeds are mucus clearing food is that it constitute a hot food.

During an attack of asthma and bronchitis, mustard seed oil, mixed with little camphor, should be massaged over the back of the chest. This will loosen up phlegm and ease breathing. The patient should also inhale steam from the boiling water mixed with caraway seeds. It will dilate the bronchial passage.

Oats

Oats are used for human consumption in the form of oatmeal and rolled oats. A dish of oatmeal, with milk and a little honey, is regarded as a perfect breakfast. It is a pleasant food and is enjoyed by children and old people alike.

Oats possess antioxidant and oestrogenic properties. It helps stabilize blood sugar. a couple of bowls of oat bran or three bowls of oatmeal a day can lower cholesterol 10 per cent or more, depending on individual responses. Oats also contain psychoactive compounds that may combat nicotine cravings and have antidepressant powers. Excessive use of oats should however, be avoided as their excessive intake can cause gas, abdominal bloating and pain in some persons. Oats, like other cereals, can also trigger food intolerances in susceptible persons and may cause chronic bowel distress.

Orange

The orange is the most popular and widespread of the citrus fruit. It is very delicious and nourishing fruit. It is a rich source of protective food ingredients like vitamins A, B, C as well as calcium, and its health-promoting properties emanate from these nutrients. Being a predigested food, it produces heat and energy in the body immediately after its use.

Orange is a powerful anti-oxidant food, being rich in antioxidant vitamin c and beta-carotene. It contains all classes of known natural cancer inhibitor, namely carotenoids, terpenes and flavonoids. It protects against several types of cancers, especially pancreatic cancer. By virtue of its richness in Vitamin C, it may ward off asthma attacks, bronchitis, atherosclerosis and gum disease. It may also boost fertility and health sperms in some men.

Don't like to excerise ?

Just thought I will post something about exercise also, it will be pretty boring to read about foods continuously. So you don't like to exercise, huh? Well ofcourse, I have to agree its boring. Its takes a big deal itself to get ready for it. And then comes the more boring part, to do the same thing over over again, phue. Here are a few tips, hope these will help you in one way or the other.

FIRST :
Don't get over-reacted and plan to do a hell load of exercise in the first day itself. Remember you just have to get started, just do some thing ... like anything. Just get your muscles toned a little.

SECOND:
Keep track of what you are doing daily, write it down. So you can look into it later and know how far you have achieved.

THIRD:
Get a Walkman or portable music player so that you can enjoy your time. This is the best way to burn exercise time fast.

FOURTH:
Don't force a target for yourself, something like you got to finish in today's exercise routine. This could create a burden and make you hate the routine itself.

FIFTH:
Choose the best timing for exercise for stick to it always. Schedule your daily exercise during that time. I usually prefer early mornings.

SIXTH:
Exercise in groups, with your friends. It will be much enjoyable, the best time to gossip. Believe me, you will start looking forward for your exercise sessions.

SEVENTH:
Start small and go big. At the beginning keep your goals small, so that you can easily achieve it. Which will really encourage you mentally to do more. As time goes it becomes quite easy and you can start setting higher goals if your current goal starts to bore you.

EIGHTH :
Whatever exercise you do Do It Correctly. Cause incorrect exercise could injure yourself. That would be a real disaster.

NINTH:
Finally, always be geared up to face varied weather conditions. So you could not excuse yourself from exercise blaming the weather.

Thats all, follow these tips and I am sure that you will find exercising more enjoyable afterall its really does good to your health.

Aniseed

This spice possesses gas-relieving property. It is an excellent medicine for expelling wind from the stomach. It can also be taken, in combination with other digestive foods like ginger, cumin and pepper, in the form of an infusion.

An easy way to prepare the infusion is to mix a teaspoon of aniseed in a cup of boiling water and leave it covered overnight. The clear fluid is then decanted and taken with honey. This helps gurgling in the abdomen. This is also useful in preventing gas and fermentation in the stomach and the bowels.

Ginger

Ancient physicians used ginger as carminative and anti-fermenting medicine. Taken internally, it is a stimulating carminative. It is a valuable drug in flatulence. Chewing a fresh piece of ginger after meals regularly is an insurance against ailments. This protective action is attributable to excessive secretion of saliva, diastase enzyme and volatile powdered or root ginger makes an excellent carminative. It should be taken after meals and should always be slowly sipped.

Mint

Mint is a popular spice, used extensively in Indian cooking. It contains plenty of vitamins and is rich in several minerals. It is much valued as a stimulant and as a drug that relieves flatulence. It is useful in strengthening the stomach and promoting its action and also in counteracting spasmodic disorders.
Mint possesses anti-gas property. The juice extracted from the leaves is a good appetizer. Its value is greatly enhanced by mixing an equal amount of honey and lemon juice to it. This mixture forms a very effective remedy for indigestion and gaseous distension of the stomach.

Sasame Seeds

Sesame seeds are an expectorant food. Their fuse have been found beneficial in the treatment of respiratory systems disorder, especially acute and chronic bronchitis, asthma and pneumonia. An infusion of the seeds can be made by steeping 15g of seeds in 250 ml of water. This infusion mixed with a tablespoon of linseed, a pinch of common salt and a dessertspoon of honey, makes an excellent medicine for treating these diseases. This will help remove catarrhal matter and phlegm from the bronchial tubes.

Tamarind

Tamarind-pepper, ever heard of 'rasam' in south Indian dishes ? It is considered a food of exceptional value in cleaning mucus. It is used as an effective home remedy for cold in south India. It is prepared by boiling for a few minutes , very dilute tamarind water in a teaspoon of hot ghee and half a teaspoon of block pepper powder. This steaming hot 'rasam' has a flushing effect. As one takes it, the nose starts running and eyes begin to water. This enables the nasal passage to become clear.

Spinach

Reminds you of the cartoon character Popeye ? This popular green leafy vegetable possesses mucus clearing property and helps control respiratory diseases. An infusion of fresh leaves of spinach prepared with two infusion of fresh leaves of spinach prepared with two teaspoon of fenugreek seeds, mixed with a pinch of ammonium chloride and honey, it is effective expectorant tonic. It can be given with beneficial results in the treatment of bronchitis, tuberculosis of the lungs, asthma and dry cough of congestion in the throat. It soothes the bronchioles, liquefies the tenacious sputum and forms healthy tissues in the lungs and increases resistance against respiratory infections. It should be taken in doses of 30ml. three times daily.

Cherry

Cherry, sweet or sour, is an anti-inflammatory food. It is especially valuable in gout, which is characterized by certain form of inflammation of the joins and swellings of a recurrent type. This was discovered by Logwig W. Blan, Ph.D., some 50 years back. Himself a gour sufferer, he found the use of cherries to be miraculously effective in his own case and published his own experience in a medical journal. Subsequently may people with gout used this simple therapy with great success. To start with, the patient should consume about 15 to 25 cherries a day. Thereafter, about 10 cherries a day will keep the ailment under control. While fresh cherries are the best, canned cherries can also be used with success.

Mango Leaves

The tender leaves of the mango tree are an anti-diabetic food. An infusion is prepared from fresh leaves by soaking them overnight and squeezing them well in water in the morning. This filtrate should be taken every morning to control early diabetes. In the alternative, the leaves should be dried in the shade, powdered and preserved for use when necessary. Half a teaspoon of this powder should be taken mixed in water or buttermilk twice a day.

Jambul Fruit

The jambul fruit, also known as rose apple or java plum, is a well known common fruit, grown all over India. It has been highly appreciated since times immemorial for its unique taste, flavor and colour. This fruit, the seeds and fruit juice can all be beneficially used in the treatment of this disease. The 'Jamboline' contained in the seeds is believed to have power to check the pathological conversion of starch into sugar in cases of increased production of glucose. The seeds are dried and powered. This powder, mixed with water, should be taken three or four times daily. It reduces the quantity of sugar in urine and allays the unquenchable thirst.

In Ayurveda, the inner bark of the jambul tree is also considered valuable in the treatment of diabetes. The bark is dried and burnt. This produces an ash of white color. This ash should be pestle in the mortar, stained and bottled. The diabetes patient should be given 66 centigrams of this ash on an empty stomach with water in the morning and 1.33 grams each time in the afternoon and the evening, an hour after meals, if the specific gravity of the urine is 1.02 to 1.03. If the specific gravity ranges between 1.035 to 1.055, the ash should be given thrice daily in the quantity of two grams at a time.

Isphagula

Ispaghula also known as spogel seeds, is an almost stemless small herb covered with dense or soft hairy growth. The medicinal properties of the seeds arise chiefly from the large amount of mucilage and albuminous matter present in them. This herb is an anti-diabetic food and its use has been found beneficial in the treatment of diabetes. It helps control blood sugar in diabetics by inhibiting the excessive absorption of sugars from the intestines.

Ispaghula can be taken in the form of seeds or in the from of husk, which is dry seed-coat of the plant, obtained by crushing the seeds and separating the husk by winnowing. The husk has the same properties as the seeds. It has an added advantage that there is no risk of mechanical obstruction or irritation in alimentary canal by the husk. The husk, therefore is taken without any presoaking and is easier to use than the whole seed.

Indian GooseBerry

Indian gooseberry is a wonderful fruit and one of the precious gifts of nature to man. It is probable the richest known natural source of antioxidant vitamin C, which is readily assimilated by the human system. It thus contributes greatly towards good health.
Indian gooseberry is an ideal food medicine for diabetes. A tablespoon of its juice , mixed with a cup of fresh bitter ground juice, taken daily for two months, will stimulate the Islets of Langerhans and enable them to secrete natural insulin. It thus reduces the blood sugar in diabetes. Diet restrictions should be strictly observed while taking these medicine. It will also prevent eye complications in diabetes.

Grape Fruit

A common fruit available readily which most of you love. The small size of this fruit makes it easy to just grab a few and start munching. But have you ever ate it as a medicine ? Most of you must be unaware of the wonders of this fruit. This fruit has a high place among the citrus fruits just because of its flavor. This fruit is also a good appetizer and also as a good refreshment. This must not be new to you , there is nothing like a glass of grape juice on a hot day, it really does wonders.

But the grape fruit actually specializes in diabetes, it does a great job in maintaining the insulin levels your body. A study has proved that a diabetic person can control his insulin levels easily by just eating grapes 3 times a day. It would also do great help if the person has a tendency towards diabetics. Just 3 times a day grape along with other fruits and vegetable will stabilize your insulin levels. Is there an easier way than this ?

Garlic

The garlic, a garden vegetable of the onion family,has been cultivated from time immemorial. It has been variously described as a food, a herb, a medicinal plant, an antiseptic and a magical antidote to evil by various people at different times throughout the ages. It is an important condiment crop. Garlic is one of the nature's strongest, antibacterial foods. Testes show that garlic kills or cripples at least 72 infection bacteria that spread diarrhoea, dysentery, tuberculosis and encephalitis, among other diseases.

Infections like cholera, typhoid and dysentery caused by organisms can readily become resistant to antibiotic therapy. They are all life threatening and are still endemic in many countries today. Garlic is one of the most efficient and effective remedies for these disorders. Its action has been confirmed against the specific classes of bacteria responsible for these diseases in laboratory test.