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.