Milk Reduces The Health Benefits of Tea

An Online paper in the January 7th issue of the European Heart Journal points out that it is better to drink tea without added milk. Researchers from the Charité Hospital, Berlin have found that the beneficial effects of tea are greatly reduced upon adding milk.

It appears that proteins in milk bind to some of the substances present in tea, leading to a vast reduction of their beneficial effects.

The researchers asked healthy women volunteers to drink either freshly brewed 500 ml of black tea, black tea with (skimmed) milk, or boiled water as control.

Studies showed that drinking tea with milk was no better than drinking water.

Vessels relaxed

Their blood vessels (arteries) were monitored before and continually after they drank, for two hours using high- resolution ultrasound measurements. Black tea was found to relax the vessels significantly while water did nothing.

This result confirms many earlier studies, which have suggested that drinking tea is beneficial to, among others, the cardiovascular system.

The surprise came when they monitored the blood vessels of women who drank tea with milk. Drinking tea with milk was no better than drinking water!

The first author of the paper, Dr. Mario Lorenz, is reported to have said: "We found that whereas drinking tea significantly increased the ability of the artery to relax and expand to accommodate increased blood flow compared with drinking water, the addition of milk completely prevents the biological effect. To extend our findings to a functional model, we determined vasodilation (relaxation of blood vessels) in rat aortic rings by exposing them to tea on its own and tea with individual milk proteins added, and got the same effect".

Musical names

In other words, the proteins in milk are the benefit-killers here. The researchers theorise that these proteins bind to the biologically active ingredients of tea, making them unavailable for action.

These ingredients belong to what is called the catechin class of molecules. Their names have a chant-like intonative or rhythmic ring to them: catechin, epicatechin, gallocatechin, epigallocatechin, catechin gallate, epicatechin gallate, gallocatechin gallate, and epigallocatechin gallate.

The name catechin comes from its origin in tropical plants (catechu), and the family belongs to the class of flavonoids, since these molecules are responsible for the flavour. Catechinoids have been shown to offer a variety of health benefits. They are good anti-oxidants and anti-inflammatory agents, and protect cells from general wear and tear.

They are thus helpful against age-related disorders such as cataract and some retinal diseases of the eye, cardiovascular and neuromuscular disorders. They activate some enzymes that help relax blood vessels. There is also some evidence of their anti-cancer activity. In short, tea catechinoids have multivalent health benefits.

China's gift to the world

The Chinese, who introduced it to the world two millennia ago, have always held that tea is an all-purpose tonic. They consume two varieties: green tea and oolong, which is prepared by mild fermentation of green tea. The rest of the world uses black tea; we in India grow and pluck tea leaves and do the three-part process called CTC (curl, twist and cure) to it. Fermentation modifies the catechins and offers a slightly acidic and pungent flavour.

Black tea too has the catechins slightly modified; heating in the CTC step generates tannins; hence the darker colour (and also the unpleasant sour after-taste upon boiling it in water).

Tannins are not that healthy; they bind to the iron and other micronutrient metals in the diet, and remove them from circulation (so, do not overboil your tea, nor overdrink it). The lighter hued green tea and oolong, free of tannins, are safer. Tea came to India quite early.

The late Dr. K. T. Achaya remarks in his "A Historical Dictionary of Indian Food" (OUP, 1998) that I Ching, a Chinese traveller in India in the fifth century AD, described its use here. (Tea antedates coffee, brought here by Arab merchants 1100 years later).

While the Orientals drink tea straight, people in 17th century Surat were reported to drink black tea with `conserved lemons' (and no sugar). They also took tea with some spices added as treatment against headache, kidney and bowel troubles. Tibetans drink tea with the butter of the animal yak. Kashmiris drink it as kahwah, adding almonds and cardamom.

Gujaratis make tea with milk and add ginger; they also make a special masala, a pinch of which is added while making tea.

Adding milk to tea seems to have come from the colonial British ad Dutch. The other more popular way to drink tea is to add lemon or lime rather than milk.

Synergy and dysergy

That the added milk acts as a confounding factor tells us another thing, namely the effect of one component on that of another in a mixture.

Traditional medicine differs from allopathy or molecular medicine in that it more often than not uses multi-component mixtures as extracts.

In a mixture, component A might be the one that confers benefit; what each of the other components (B, C,…) does — enhance or confound the benefit — is an issue that needs study.

A substance that enhances the effect of another is said to act in synergy, while that which decreases this effect is said to act in dysergy.

Put it another way. Now that the Berlin study has shown that while milk in tea adds taste but kills the benefits, we need to study what the other additives do.

Adding lemon juice to black tea lightens the colour; does it modify the effects of the catechinoids?

Summer project

What are the effects of added butter, salt, ginger, cardamom, the Gujarati masala and other spices? Here is a nice little summer project for a student!

Let us not forget coffee, the morning staple of many in peninsular India. While it has far more caffeine and other types of anti-oxidants than tea, it is still known to be beneficial in small doses.

Does added milk synergise or dysergise? Are the Americans, Eastern Europeans and the Turks wiser in drinking it black and thick?

Some papers claim, however, that the cholesterol-lowering effect of coffee is not affected by added milk. Can this be confirmed? Add this as another aim of the summer project.

source: www.hindu.com

Arthritis -- Fight with Spicy Things

For centuries, spices have been used to preserve food and enhance its flavor, and as remedies for a long list of ailments. With the rise of allopathic medicine, much of that folk wisdom fell out of favor, and spices were replaced with prescription drugs.

Today the pendulum is swinging back, and researchers are confirming what herbalists have known all along -- the spice rack can be as potent as a medicine chest. Spices are rich sources of antioxidants and phytochemicals, both of which help our cells repair damage while easing symptoms of many common conditions. "They're powerhouses of pleasure and health," observes Victoria Zak, author of The Magic Teaspoon (Penguin Group, 2006).

There's another advantage as well. Flavoring food with more spices and less butter, oil, cream and salt can help improve health and make weight management easier.

Science has not yet investigated all of the dozens of spices on store shelves. But here is the latest research on eight of the most familiar.



Cayenne: The pepper spice that puts the zing in chili and other dishes, cayenne's claim to fame comes from its compound capsaicin, a popular ingredient in pain-relieving creams. But wait, there's more: One study found that a diet rich in cayenne-spiced chili protected against the formation of LDL ("bad") cholesterol, while another demonstrated that chili helped keep insulin levels low after meals. "Cayenne is the red-hot mama of healing spices," says Zak. "It's great for warming and as an all-around body tonic."



Cinnamon: One of the most versatile spices, cinnamon can be used to flavor everything from cookies to soups. And that's a wise choice because cinnamon has plenty to offer. Not only does it ease common tummy troubles like gas and bloating, but in a recent clinical trial, cinnamon significantly lowered fasting blood glucose, triglycerides and cholesterol levels in diabetics. Worried about E. coli? New research shows that cinnamon can wipe out the bacteria. When a teaspoon of cinnamon was added to highly contaminated apple juice, the E. coli was reduced by 99.5 percent after three days.



Coriander: For hundreds of years, coriander has been a favorite remedy for anxiety and insomnia. Now research has confirmed its tension-taming properties. Like cinnamon, coriander aids digestion. And it has shown promise in reducing blood sugar and cholesterol levels. Zak recommends a simple method for getting a daily dose of coriander -- adding it to honey. "Stir a teaspoon of coriander into one-half cup of honey for an uplifting afternoon treat, " she explains. Or mix it with hot water, tea or hot cereal.



Ginger: A common ingredient in ayurvedic and traditional Chinese medicines, ginger boasts an antioxidant power equal to vitamin C. Among the spice's reported health benefits; easing arthritis pains, improving digestion, and treating colds, coughs and flu. Plus, research has shown that ginger is more effective at combating motion sickness than Dramamine.



Oregano: Reducing inflammation and battling bacteria and viruses are good reasons to include oregano in favorite foods. And now scientists may have discovered why the spice is so effective. In a study examining the antioxidant activity of nearly 40 different herbs and spices, oregano won the highest scores, beating out apples, oranges and blueberries.



Rosemary: A staple in Mediterranean cuisine, rosemary fights the formation of blood clots and reduces inflammation, making it a powerful ally against heart disease. Even the fragrance of this powerful antioxidant has healing properties. Aromatherapy research has shown that inhaling essential oils of several spices, including rosemary, eased depression and pain in arthritis patients. A 2004 study found that rosemary's phytochemicals may even be useful in treating Alzheimer's disease.



Saffron: Harvested from crocus blossoms, saffron is one of the world's most cherished spices. It's also a potent antioxidant, packing more punch than vitamin E. On the health front, saffron has been shown to protect against cancer and to treat depression as well as Prozac. "This spice is a great rejuvenator and circulatory tonic," Zak says. "If your spirits need lifting, saffron is for you."

Turmeric: A common ingredient in curries, turmeric is a powerful antioxidant that protects against cancer, lowers cholesterol and eases arthritis aches and pains by reducing inflammation. It has also been shown to increase insulin sensitivity by 300 percent.

More good news: Researchers at UCLA found that curcumin, a compound in turmeric, was more effective at preventing the development of brain-damaging plaques seen in Alzheimer's disease than any drug being tested. It is probably no coincidence that India's populace has the lowest rate of Alzheimer's in the world -- and a diet rich in turmeric.

Take a look at your store's spice shelves, and you'll see that we've only scratched the surface of what's available. Even though research has a long way to go when it comes to unlocking the health secrets of spices, there are plenty of reasons to enjoy their abundant flavor and satisfying aromas in the meantime.

Perfect Spiced Cider

Makes 20 servings

The proportions in this recipe need not be absolute. Remove and discard the apples when they get soft and brown.

Ingredients

• 1 gallon apple cider
• Two 3-inch cinnamon sticks
• 4 medium apples
• 2 teaspoons whole cloves
• 1 lemon, sliced

How To

1. Combine cider and cinnamon sticks in Dutch oven or large pot over low heat.

2. Insert cloves in apples. Add to cider.

3. Increase heat, and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes.

4. Add lemon slices, and serve warm.


Do-ahead tip


For a large party, make three separate batches. Start the first a half-hour before the party. When that batch begins to get low, put on the second pot. Have the third assembled in the refrigerator and ready to go, if needed. Keep the apples (cloves inserted) and lemon slices separate until the last batch goes on the stove.

Nutrition Facts

Per serving: 96 calories; 0 grams protein; 0 grams total fat (no saturated fat); 24 grams carbohydrates; 0 milligrams cholesterol; 20 milligrams sodium; 0 grams fiber; 20.8 grams sugars.

Reprinted from the Vegetarian Times.



How to Buy and Store Spices

Faced with the option of buying spices in glass or plastic containers, choose glass, Zak says. And unless you're cooking industrial quantities of food, go with the smallest size. "Spices should not be kept more than six months as a general rule." she says, explaining that sitting on the shelf longer can rob a spice of flavor. "Spices that are not fresh will show it. They lose their color and appear blanched or have no aroma. Fresh spices are fragrant."

Source: Better Nutrition.

Arthritis -- Fish Oil Still Fights Pain

In the 17th century, cod liver oil was quite different from its present form. Initially, it was produced by rotting cod livers, so it stunk and was black in color. Naturally it tasted yucky.

Despite that, people knew it to be good for health and they drank it as an all-purpose supplement though no one knew exactly how it worked.

By the 18th century, cod liver oil was produced by heating with steam. This resulted in a paler and better quality oil though it was still far from tasty and mothers had to force it down the throats of children, especially those who suffered from rickets.

In the 19th century, owners of The British Cod Liver Oil Producers (Hull) Ltd. found that some trawling companies operating in Hull, England, were using the sea boiling technique that produced a light golden brown oil that was far superior in quality, low in acidity, and had a bland taste. Kenneth McLennan, previously from Lever Brothers, came up with the idea of producing cod liver oil in tiny capsules and also came up with the name Seven Seas.

For Healthy Joints

The Eskimos have a reduced incidence of rheumatoid arthritis because of their fish-rich diet. The Japanese diet is also rich in fish, which may explain why they have fewer cases of arthritis compared to people of other countries.

Studies have shown that for patients with mild rheumatoid arthritis, fish oil supplements were able to reduce their nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug requirement.

Fish oil high in omega-3 fatty acids is crucial for adults suffering from arthritis and other bone-related problems. Consumption of omega-3 fatty acids may reduce the production of chemicals that cause inflammation of the joints.

In patients with arthritis, inflammation is like a jagged edged knife because the enzymes worsen the problem. Apart from reducing the production of chemicals that cause inflammation, omega-3 fatty acids may also reduce the breakdown of cartilage.

Presently there are no drugs available to slow the progression of cartilage degradation. These joint problems cannot be cured, but with good management, a patient can lead an active life
Osteoarthritis.
Arthritis is a joint-disabling disease and one of the most common forms of arthritis is osteoarthritis. This degenerative joint disease is confined to local attacks in individuals.

It is basically the result of normal wear and tear on the joints with years of usage. Thus it occurs mostly in older individuals. Yet it doesn't just happen to older people. It is also likely to develop in joints that have taken a lot of punishment and abuse.

If you're overweight, for instance, your knee and hip joints are likely to be affected. Joints injured in an accident or sports, subjected to stresses at work or play, or joints with hidden birth defects are also more prone to developing osteoarthritis.

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis is a painful, disabling disease of the immune system that triggers discomfort and swelling in nonspecific joints, nerves, muscles, tendons, blood vessels and connective tissue in the body. Rheumatoid arthritis can strike at any age, but mainly those between 25 and 40.

For some, it attacks only once in a lifetime. For others, it could be a long-term and progressive disease spreading from joint to joint and even resulting in limb deformities.

There is no cure for arthritis, only proper management and prevention. This includes watching your weight and doing light workouts like walking, swimming and cycling. Supplementing with cod liver oil will also help. The oil has been consumed for generations for alleviating the pain and stiffness associated with arthritis.

Scientists have confirmed what people have long believed about cod liver oil -- that it can slow down or even reverse the destruction of joint cartilage. The fatty acids in the oil switch off enzymes that break down cartilage.

Experiments have shown that by exposing human osteoarthritic cartilage to cod liver oil for 24 hours, it reverses the action of the degenerating enzymes and swelling affecting the joint's tissue.

Source: New Straits Times.

Minimizing Breast Implant Complications and Detection

Breast augmentation with implants is the most popular and sought after cosmetic surgery available today. This is because the results of a successful procedure don’t just have the power to transform a patient’s body, but her self-confidence and quality of life as well. However, if you select an inexperienced or unqualified cosmetic surgeon, you may end up with unnatural looking breasts or recovery complications that can change your breast implant experience from an exciting, positive one to a difficult and painful one.

To ensure you are selecting the right cosmetic surgeon and that he or she is able is to achieve the best results possible, you should refer to the information and tips below when speaking with your cosmetic surgeon about the breast augmentation procedure and how to minimize complications and detection.

The Components of a Thorough Consultation

Once you’ve narrowed your cosmetic surgeon search down to one or two individuals, you need to schedule an initial consultation and come prepared. This is important because a thorough consultation can tell you if you’re in the right hands. You should bring along a list of the specific questions you’d like to ask as well as a sample photo of the breast size and shape you would like to achieve with the surgery.

One of the most important aspects of your consultation should be a detailed breast exam. In order for your cosmetic surgeon to recommend the best type of implant, placement and initial technique for your surgery, he or she will need to carefully evaluate your natural breasts. You will know if your surgeon is doing a thorough job of this if he or she is taking detailed measurements of breast volume and width, shape and nipple positioning, and the width between breasts. If your cosmetic surgeon doesn’t gather this important information during your consultation, it should be cause for concern.

Limiting Complications and Pitfalls - Strategies to Discuss With Your Surgeon

There are a number of steps that can be taken to make sure your breast implant surgery is as successful as possible. The following is a summary of the most commonly reported complications and telltale signs of surgery you want to avoid. Before you schedule your surgery, you should ask your cosmetic surgeon how he or she is going to address these issues to help ensure that you have the most positive experience and results possible.

Post Surgery Infection: Your cosmetic surgeon should have a detailed strategy for ensuring you do not contract an infection as a result of your surgery. Most surgeons will administer an antibiotic for you to take right before surgery as a precautionary measure. In addition, the instruments and implant used should be carefully sterilized in an autoclave.

Deflation and Rippling: Deflation and rippling are embarrassing telltale signs of breast implant surgery. There are several strategies for avoiding these pitfalls, the most common of which is overfilling your implants and selecting implant models that are smooth in texture.

Nipple Numbness: Fifteen percent of all women who have cosmetic breast surgery are left with permanent nipple numbness. The numbness is caused by intercostal nerve damage (the nerve that provides nipple sensation), which can occur if the nerve is cut accidentally during surgery. To avoid this, your surgeon should take care not to cauterize or cut any tissue near this nerve.

Asymmetry: The last thing you want as a result of breast augmentation is asymmetry. To help avoid this, your cosmetic surgeon should take detailed notes on any asymmetry you had before the surgery and adjust the amount of fluid or position of the implant to attain the best degree of symmetry possible.

Post Surgery Pain and Nausea: To make sure you do not experience severe pain after your procedure your surgeon can employ a variety of pain reduction methods. He or she can inject a long lasting numbing medicine directly into each breast that lasts for several days. In addition, you should be prescribed a strong oral pain medication to take once the injected medicine wears off. Managing pain is one of the best ways to avoid the onset of nausea. If you still experience nausea, there are other medications that your cosmetic surgeon can prescribe including Zofran, Scopalamine and Pepcid AC.

Once you have covered all of this information with your surgeon, you should feel confident in his or her abilities and that your experience will be an extremely positive one.

source: http://www.the-cosmetic-surgery-directory.com

Birth Control -- FAQs About Hormonal Methods

Which methods of birth control contain hormones?

Contain Estrogen & Progestin	Contain Progestin Only
Combined Oral Contraceptives (The Pill) The Patch (Ortho Evra) The Vaginal Ring (Nuva Ring)	Progestin-Only Pills (Mini-Pill) Depo-Provera Injection (DMPA) Mirena and Progestasert IUDs Norplant Contraceptive Implant

What's the difference between the types of hormones?

Methods containing higher levels of hormones are more effective but have more side-effects. Methods that contain estrogen have more serious side-effects and health hazards than methods with only progestin. Estrogen-free contraceptives are less effective than combined hormonal contraceptives.

How do birth control chemicals work to prevent pregnancy?

Birth control chemicals containing estrogen and/or progestin have several major mechanisms of action. Contraceptive mechanisms prevent fertilization; when these fail, additional mechanisms prevent implantation.

Major Pre-Fertilization Mechanisms

· Prevents ovulation. Changes cervical mucus to provide a barrier to sperm (probably only a minor contraceptive mechanism)

· Major Post-Fertilization Mechanisms. Changes the lining of the uterus to block implantation of the embryo

Do I need to use a backup birth control method in addition to my hormonal contraceptive?

If you start the Pill, Norplant, or Depo-Provera on the first day of your period, it is considered effective right away. It takes up to seven days for the hormones to become fully effective. However, the first seven days of a woman's cycle are already infertile, so no additional protection is required. If you start the method on any other day than the first day of your period, you need to use a backup plan for up to seven days. For the minipill, you may need a backup method for 28 days. Ask your doctor to be sure. For the Pill, some doctors recommend using a backup method for the first 30 days. This is mainly to be sure that a pregnancy does not occur while you are still getting in the habit of taking a pill every day.

I have just stopped my method because I want to have children. How long should I wait before trying to get pregnant?

It is recommended that you wait until you have had 2-3 normal menstrual cycles before trying to get pregnant. This is because it may take several months before your cycles return to normal after discontinuing a hormonal method. Doctors use the first day of your last menstrual period to determine your due date; if your periods are irregular this may result in an inaccurate date. Also, there is some evidence that birth control drugs may exert a prolonged effect on the endometrium, making it more difficult to become pregnant.

I have stopped using birth control. Why am I unable to conceive?

Because of the prolonged effect of the birth control drugs on your body, you may be infertile for some time. For combined oral contraceptives, the average length of infertility is 2-3 months, but some women will remain infertile for 6 months or more. For Depo-Provera users, infertility typically lasts from 6 to 12 months. You may not have any periods during this time.

Why have my periods stopped? Should I take a pregnancy test?

For users of combined oral-contraceptives, missing a period is not uncommon. If you have not missed a pill you are probably not pregnant, but a pregnancy test may not be a bad idea. If you miss two periods in a row OR if you miss your period and you did miss one of your pills, you could be pregnant. Contact your local pregnancy center immediately for a pregnancy test.

For users of progestin-only methods, lack of periods is common. It probably means that you are not ovulating. However, if you are experiencing pregnancy symptoms (nausea, fatigue, sore breasts, frequent urination, etc.) contact your local pregnancy center for a pregnancy test right away.

Half of all Depo-Provera users have no periods at all during the first year of use. And pregnancy symptoms such as weight gain, mild headaches and breast tenderness are also common side effects of the drug. This can be alarming for Depo-Provera users, but usually the pregnancy-like symptoms disappear. Even after using Depo-Provera, it takes on average 10 months from the time of the last injection for normal periods and fertility to return. If you have stopped using your method, it may take time for your periods to return to normal.

I'm on combined OCs and didn't get my period. How can I tell if I'm pregnant?

If your period does not start during the last few days on the "reminder" pills or during the first 3 days of the pill-free interval, take your temperature with a Basal Body Temperature (BBT) thermometer in the morning before you get out of bed. (You can get a BBT thermometer from most drug stores.) If your temperature is 98 degrees F for 3 days in a row during the pill-free week, you are probably not pregnant. You can also take a home pregnancy test, which are usually accurate by the time you miss your period, or visit a local pregnancy resource center for a free, accurate test.

What if I forget to take a pill?

Combined OCs It is recommended that you take that pill as soon as you remember, and take your next pill at the regular time, even if it means you take two pills in one day. You will probably not get pregnant, but just to be sure, you might use a back-up method for 7 days. If you have missed any of pills 15-21, ask your doctor or pharmacist for special instructions. S/he may ask you to continue taking your pills, but to start a new pack instead of taking the reminder pills.

Progestin-Only OCs It is recommended that you take that pill as soon as you remember, and take your next pill at the regular time, even if it means you take two pills in one day. You will need to use a back-up method for the next 2 days.

What if I forget to take two or more pills?

Contact your doctor or pharmacist for instructions. You may need to start a new pack or double up on pills for a while depending on what type of pill you were taking.

What if I get sick and vomit after taking the pill?

If you took a combined oral contraceptive pill two hours or more before you vomited, then you do not need to take it again. If the vomiting ocurred within two hours, you will need a replacement pill.

Can I use oral contraceptives to change the date my period comes?

Yes, but you will need to talk to your doctor or pharmacist for details. This practice can compromise the effectiveness of the pill. You might also ask your doctor about a new type of combined OC pill where women get their periods only four times a year. It works by reducing the number of pill-free intervals which trigger menstruation.

Why am I having irregular bleeding?

Mid-cycle spotting is not uncommon for users of the pill, especially during the first few months of use. When this happens, typically doctors prescribe a stronger formulation of the pill. Spotting is an indication of decreased pill effectiveness, so some doctors recommend using a back-up method should spotting occur. However, spotting could also be a symptom of the STD chlamydia, so you should be tested if you are at risk.

Users of Norplant and Depo-Provera can expect irregular menstrual patterns. No periods, light periods, and even prolonged or heavy bleeding are all potential side-effects. If you have prolonged or heavy bleeding, you should contact your doctor.

If I take my pill every day can I still get pregnant?

Yes. All methods of birth control can fail, even if you use them perfectly. If you miss a pill, take a mini-pill only a few hours late, or take antibiotics that will increase the likelihood of contraceptive failure. One in ten pill users get pregnant every year.

I took the pill before I knew I was pregnant. Can the hormones hurt my baby?

There is no conclusive evidence that a brief exposure to birth control chemicals will cause any sort of birth defect in the unborn child. However, you should avoid taking if these drugs if you think you might be pregnant.

Who should not use hormonal methods of birth control?

• Women who are pregnant (known or suspected)
• Women who are breastfeeding and fewer than 6­8 weeks postpartum
• Women with unexplained vaginal bleeding
• Women with active liver disease (viral hepatitis) or a history of liver tumors
• Women over age 35 who smoke
• Women with a history of heart disease, stroke or high blood pressure
• Women with a history of blood clotting problems or diabetes
• Women with breast cancer or a history of breast cancer
• Women with cancer or a history of cancer in any reproductive organs
• Women with migraines and focal neurologic symptoms
• Women with moral objections to this type of birth control

Do birth control chemicals have unpleasant side-effects or health hazards?

Combined OCs

• · Common Side-Effects (not comprehensive)
• · Weight gain
• · Acne or dark-colored areas on face
• · Nausea/Vomiting (especially at the beginning)
• · Dizziness
• · Headache
• · Depression
• · Acne and/or oily skin
• · Weight gain
• · Vaginal infections
• · High blood pressure
• · Less Common Serious Health Hazards
• · Blood clots in lung or brain
• · Stroke
• · Liver tumors
• · Heart attacks
• · Gallbladder disease
• · Cancer

Progestin-Only Methods

• · Common Side-Effects (not comprehensive)
• · Untimely bleeding or spotting between periods
• · Prolonged menstrual bleeding (8 days or more)
• · No bleeding at all (amenorrhea) for several months or over a year
• · Headache (very common)
• · Nervousness/anxiety
• · Lower abdominal pain
• · Dizziness
• · Loss of sex drive (libido)
• · Depression
• · Acne and/or oily skin
• · Change of appetite
• · Weight gain
• · Breast tenderness (mastalgia)
• · Increased facial or body hair growth (hirsutism) or hair loss
• · Whitish vaginal discharge (leukorrhea)
• · Excessive growth of body/facial hair or hair loss
• · Infection the implants site for Norplant
• · A brief period of pain or itching
• · Enlarged ovarian follicles
• · Bone density loss
• · Less Common Serious Health Hazards
• · Ectopic pregnancy
• · Cancer

What happened to my sex drive (libido)?

One of the most common complains we hear from women is that after starting hormonal contraceptives they just don't feel like having sex any more. Doctors frequently dismiss women's concerns about sex drive while partners are left sulking. Until recently, few studies have examined this issue, other than those conducted by pharmaceutical companies (which tend to be invested in not finding problems). Earlier studies found conflicting results. The most recent research has found that loss of libido is a common problem and may not be reversible.

Will I gain weight if I start the Pill or other hormonal method, and if so how much?

There is no one answer to this question. Weight gain is a very common side effect in response to hormonal birth control and varies on an individual basis. For most women, extra female hormones make fat deposition easier and increase the appetite. Conversely, weight loss usually becomes easier when hormonal birth control is discontinued. For Depo-Provera the average weight gain is 5.4 lbs the first year, 8.1 lbs after two years, and 13.8 lbs after four years. But this is an average, and for many women weight gain can be extreme as this drug can increase the appetite. The average weight gain while on Norplant is only about a pound a year.

Will hormonal methods protect me from sexually transmitted disease?

No. In fact, women who use Depo-Provera may double their risk of acquiring STDs, such as chlamydia, gonorrhea, and HIV. Other hormonal contraceptives seem to also increase the risk of getting an STD. This is because these drugs cause dryness in the genital tract, which facilitates small tears and abrasions, making it easier for infections to enter the body. Also hormonal contraceptives may supresses the immune system, which makes it easier for infections to proliferate.

Source: http://www.contracept.info/

Safe Sex VS Safer Sex

For a time, the use of condoms and other contraceptives was often referred to as "safe sex". It was thought that, as long as you used condoms along with another method of birth control, you were virtually immune from sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and pregnancy. Nowadays, the only type of safe sex is no sex at all.

What is Safe Sex?

When people speak of "safe sex" today, they are referring to abstinence. Abstaining from sex and sexual play is the only sure method to avoid catching an STD and to prevent an unplanned pregnancy. Although it may not prevent a pregnancy, having sex within a committed, monogamous, long-term relationship with someone who has tested free of any STDs is also generally considered to be safe sex.

So why isn’t using condoms along with other forms of birth control known as "safe sex" anymore but as "safer sex" instead? Because contraceptives can fail, resulting in pregnancy, and condoms cannot provide protection against all forms of STDs. However, condoms are still the only and best protection we have against most STDs. Therefore, it is important to use them every time you have sex.

What’s the Big Deal About STDs Anyway?

While some sexually transmitted diseases, like chlamydia, can be cured, others cannot. HIV is one of the most serious STDs out there and women are one of the fastest growing groups being infected. Moreover, according to UNICEF, half of all new HIV cases worldwide occur in people between the ages of 15 and 24. So if you’re young and sexually active, you’re automatically at a higher risk of being infected with HIV. Although it can be managed through medication, the HIV virus does eventually develop into AIDS leading to death. Other incurable STDs include human papillomavirus (HPV), which is the cause of genital warts and can lead to cervical cancer and even death,hepatitis B and herpes.

Sexually transmitted diseases are dangerous for anyone but they can have especially severe consequences in women. Many STDs can seriously damage your reproductive organs causing you to be infertile. Some, like HPV, have been linked to an increased risk of cervical cancer, a type of cancer that men do not need to worry about. Additionally, if you have an STD while you are pregnant, it is possible to pass the infection on to your baby causing her to become sick or possibly even die.

If you are sexually active, it is imperative that you use condoms each and every time you have sex even though they cannot protect you from every STD. Latex or polyurethane condoms are the most effective at protecting against STDs. However, they cannot provide protection against infections that are transmitted through skin-to-skin contact. Additionally, condoms can break or fall off during sex, putting you at risk of catching an STD. While it was once thought that condoms treated with spermicide helped to kill off STD infections and viruses, current research suggests that spermicides have no such effect. In fact, using spermicides multiple times throughout the day has actually been shown to increase your risk of STDs because the chemicals can irritate your vaginal lining thereby making it easier for an infection to get into your system.

Talking with Your Partner

When you are considering becoming sexually active with someone, talk to them about their sexual history. Remember, when you have sex with someone, you are having sex with every person they have ever had sex with. It is a good idea for both of you to go get tested for STDs so that you can be sure you are both free of any infections. However, some STDs can take as long as six months before they begin to affect you. If your partner has had sex with someone else in the last six months, it is a good idea to either put off having sex or use condoms until he can be retested.

If your partner refuses to get tested or has no desire to talk about his sexual history, you may want to reconsider your choice to have intercourse with him. Never feel guilty for asking about his sexual past. Your health, as well as his, is on the line and you both have a right to know what you’re getting into. Never allow yourself to be pressured, coerced or bullied into a sexual relationship. Do not hesitate to say no. If a your partner forces you to have sex after you’ve said no, that is rape and should be reported to the authorities.

Signs of an STD
If you notice any of the following symptoms, make an appointment with your doctor or gynecologist right away to be tested for STDs:

• Vaginal itching
• Burning sensation when you urinate
• Unusual vaginal discharge
• Blisters around the genital area
• General pain in the pelvic area

Source: http://www.epigee.org/

Condoms -- FAQs

Are condoms effective at preventing pregnancy?
Although condoms do provide protection against getting pregnant, they also carry a 15% failure rate. Depending on your age and how consistently you use condoms, the chances of becoming pregnant could be higher. To increase your protection against pregnancy, use condoms along with another form of birth control, like the sponge. It is important to note, though, that condoms containing spermicide have not been found to be any more effective at preventing pregnancy than non-spermicidal condoms.

Will condoms protect against sexually transmitted diseases?
Condoms made out of latex or polyurethane will help reduce your chances of contracting sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) that are passed through bodily fluids, such as HIV and gonorrhea. They can also offer some protection against other STDs including herpes, trichomoniasis and Chlamydia, although not as effectively. Condoms do not offer much protection against STDs that can be transmitted through skin-to-skin contact, though, such as genital warts. Condoms made out of animal tissue do not offer any protection against STDs.

Are condoms a good way to avoid being infected with HIV?
Condoms can reduce your risk of contracting an HIV infection. However, if your partner has HIV or AIDS, there is still a chance that you could acquire the virus even if you use condoms. A 1993 study found that, of 171 women whose male partner had HIV, two of the women became infected with HIV despite consistently and properly using condoms when they had sex. However, of those women who did not use condoms consistently with their male partner who had HIV, 8 out of 10 women became infected with HIV. Abstinence from vaginal, anal and oral sex is the only way to completely avoid the risk of HIV infection.

Will using condoms with spermicide that contains nonoxynol-9 lower my chances of HIV infection?
Originally, nonoxynol-9 was believed to aid in reducing the risk of HIV infection along with infection of other STDs. However, recent studies have shown this to not be true. In fact, nonoxynol-9 may actually increase a person risk of contracting HIV, especially if it is used frequently. This is because the chemical can irritate the vaginal and rectal lining, thereby make a person more susceptible to infection. For this reason, spermicides are no longer recommended as protection against HIV and STDs. Additionally, more condom manufacturers are no longer producing spermicidal condoms while those who still do are using less spermicide.

Are condoms the best way to practice "safe sex"?
Although it was once a popular term, most experts nowadays recognize that there is no such thing as "safe sex", only "safer sex." While condoms can help to reduce your chances of pregnancy and STDs, they can also break and when they do, both you and your partner are put at risk even though you have done everything right. To be truly "safe" from pregnancy and STDs, it is necessary to practice abstinence. Sex in a monogamous, long-term relationship with an uninfected partner is also consdiered to be "safe" from STDs, although you can still get pregnant. To be "safer" from pregnancy and STDs, it is necessary to use condoms as well as some other form of contraception each and every time you have sex.

How often do condoms break?
Of the three different condom types, latex condoms are the most durable. However, anywhere from 2% to 6% of condoms will fall off or break during sex.

If the condom breaks, what should I do?
Depending on when you notice the break, you have a few different options.

• When you notice the breakage before ejaculation, quickly pull out, remove the broken condom and put a new one on.
• If ejaculation has already occurred, then wash away any semen that has leaked out with soap and warm water. This may also help to reduce your chances of STD infection. If you have any spermicidal foam, insert two applications into the vagina. Do not douche.
• Regardless of when you noticed the break, contact your health care provider or a pregnancy resource center to discuss the possibility of pregnancy, what your options are and to take an STD test.

I always use a condom and they have never broken. Could I still get pregnant?
Although pregnancy is unlikely, it is still possible. If you think you might be pregnant, take a pregnancy test.

Are there any side effects or health risks associated with condoms?
The most common complaint associated with condoms is irritation. This is usually caused by latex condoms and is due to a person having a latex allergy. Spermicidal condoms can also cause irritation and may worsen the allergenic properties of latex condoms. Spermicidal condoms may also increase a woman’s risk of urinary tract infection. However, condoms are a fairly safe method of birth control and have few side effects when compared to methods like the Pill and IUD.

Source: http://www.epigee.org

Issues around Hydrosols or Hydrolats

Hydrosols or hydrolats are the isolated distillation condensate waters, either intentionally produced or produced as a by-product to essential oil production, where aromatic materials are steam or hydro- distilled. Hydrosols are used by aromatherapists, and are used in nebulisers, cosmetics & shampoos and to a limited extent in foodstuffs.

Popular hydrosols include lavender water, orange flower water, kewda water etc. In India for example, kewda water (produced from male spadices of Pandanus odoratissmus flowers) is used for flavouring syrups, soft drinks & Moghlai cuisine. Little chemical data exists on the chemical make-up of many hydrosols, but an interesting paper by Platto A. & Roberts D. (2001) "The Aroma Quality of Lavender Water: a Comparative Study" Perf. & Flav. 26(3), 44-64 compared lavender waters from several different origins & determined amongst other things) that genuine lavender water distillation condensate could be differentiated from reconstituted water (diluted essential oil in water) by the absence of acetate esters.

Customers of hydrosols should always demand a "Certificate of Naturalness" from the supplier. This will have a section showing the total percentage of the natural involved, and a listing of the percentages and identification of each additive, if any. If the product is truly 100% botanically derived from the named source by a purely physical process (i.e. steam distillation) then it will indicate this fact - If the supplier is unable to do this, change to someone more professional [a template of a typical Naturalness certificate is available from Cropwatch on demand].

Production

The production of hydrosols varies enormously depending on distillation techniques and countries of origin. For example, in the large production units such as in Turkey and Egypt, the plant material is distilled in closed equipment. The hydrosols never sees the light of day and atmospheric contamination is unlikely. In addition, the heat of distillation will pasteurise the water making its immediate use safe.

With small scale 'on-the farm' production, the hydrosols can become contaminated by the atmosphere or by the unhygienic conditions in which many stills are located. It is common to see barrels being filled in the open air that previously were stored over filthy drainage channels or in dirty barns.

With essential oils contamination is unlikely to be a problem due to their general inability to support most bacterial or fungal growth. However, with distillation waters this is another matter as hydrosols make an ideal growth medium for bacteria and fungi.

Saferty and Toxicity Issues

Subsequent bottling can turn a contaminated hydrosol into a safe one. For example they can be pasteurised in the same way as drinks or milk, or they can be finely filtered to remove organisms and other contaminants. This is all fine if the hydrosol is kept in a sealed bottle, but once opened they can quickly become contaminated again and the greatest care must be taken to avoid this. To prevent this contamination causing a health problem, larger commercial suppliers will add a preservative. The preservatives are often the same as those commonly used in foods. This idea goes against those who say they "must have a 100% natural product", but in reality, many hydrosols do contain a preservative without it being declared. Thank goodness they do as 'natural' does not equal safe.

There are other methods used to produce what is called a hydrosol or distillation water, but which are not genuine. They can be home-produced simply by making an infusion of the herb, filtering it and selling it as a hydrosol. They can be produced from freeze dried herbal extracts reconstituted with water (common). This may even be done in the country of origin making detection difficult. They can be made by dissolving some essential oil in water by using a surfactant to permit the oils emulsification. Finally, in some cases, they can be a synthetic perfume compound added to water. This is not uncommon with rosewater sold in pharmacies, or beauty shops.

Toxicity

Several people have raised the issue of toxicological effects of hydrosols. This really is unrealistic because many of the herbs from which hydrosols are made are permitted food additives. With most of the commonly available hydrosols one would need to drink the stuff by the gallon for days to even come anywhere near a toxic dose. That even holds good for animals who might lick it off their coats. If hydrosols were toxic then so is a cup of tea or coffee, most canned fruit drinks and many human and animals foods that contain herbs and essential oils. Also, many herbs that hydrosols are made from, have known toxicology from tests done on mice and rats by food safety advisors such as the World Health Organisation.

Microbial Contamination

The biggest hazard from using hydrosols is their potential bacterial contamination. When the product is just used on the skin, this may not cause problems as long as the bacteria can't get into the mouth. However, some dangerously incompetent authors and therapists advocate their internal consumption. If the product being used has not been properly preserved or processed then this represents a significant health hazard.

For those who wish to check the hazards associated with bottled waters below is some essential reading.

http://www.nrdc.org/water/drinking/bw/bwinx.asp

http://www.pacificro.com/Bottled3.htm

The above reports contain information on the contamination that has been found in ordinary bottled waters. In one survey of 103 brands up to a third of samples were contaminated. Cryptosporidium, Giardia and other cysts have been found and these led to 4000 people being hospitalised. Dateline NBC, September, 1994. The NRDC'S study of water found many different kinds of bacteria capable of causing illness.

You may be thinking "what has this got to do with hydrosols"? Well most hydrosols are mainly water with minute traces of a variety of plant chemicals. Rarely are those plant chemicals occurring at a high enough level to inhibit bacterial or fungal growth, despite the hype you will see written on this.

The Law

Most products intended for retail sale for human or animal consumption come under food safety laws and veterinary medicine laws. Hydrosols seem to be slipping through this safety net which would not matter if they were just being used as cosmetic products. However, increasingly people are being advised by quack practitioners to drink them for medical conditions, or being advised to give them orally to animals

Strongly advise any aromatherapist to check their insurance position on this. Many aromatherapy policies do not permit the therapist to practice herbal medicine. If you advise someone in a professional setting to consume a hydrosol for a medical reason, then you are practising as a herbalist. In some countries that would also classify you as an "unlicensed medical practitioner".

How Do I Know If what I’m Buying Is Safe?

The only way you can hope to find out is to ask the supplier pertinent questions (as follows), and do not believe woolly or misleading marketing hype.

1. Does this hydrosol contain a preservative? If the answer is a categorical "no" then see next.

2. Do you have any evidence that this product has been tested for microbial contamination?

3. Can I see copies of test results?

4. Where is the product bottled, i.e. by the distiller or later in the supply chain?

5. Do you repack the hydrosol from bulk barrels or other bulk storage?

6. Do you produce it yourself? If so how is it stored and how do you ensure it is not contaminated?

7. If you advocate its consumption have you been certified as a food preparation premises?

What To Be Wary of

Some hydrosols can be very useful for a limited range of ailments. For example, rose, chamomile, lavender, neroli, and a few others can make wonderfully cooling applications for a variety of skin problems. Indeed in some cases they are better than the same plants essential oil. However, unlike with essential oils, there is hardly any research base behind such uses. It is mainly traditional information and how accurate that information is depends on the depth of knowledge of the person advocating its use. Herbalists in the past rarely used hydrosols because they preferred to use herbal teas or decoctions which (when freshly prepared) were not contaminated by microbes. Therefore, there is very little information to be found on hydrosols in good books on herbal medicine. When in certain societies they did use hydrosols, you should always remember they used the fresh product. They did not use it from a bottle that had been shipped round the world with the time and conditions suitable for microbial growth (unless a preservative is used).

Beware of hydrosols made from plants on which there is no safety data on their essential oils. For example, verbenone type rosemary, ravensara, thyme chemotypes, etc. Also beware of hydrosols made from plants with known dangers, for example the sensitisation reactions associated with fresh Verbena and Yarrow. These hydrosols may be safe on the skin but I am not aware of any formal testing having been done.

Traditional healers rarely used hydrosols because they did not generally undertake distillation, although there are a few exceptions. So one has to ask where all this information entering the market in recent years has come from? The simple answer is a typical one for aromatherapy: The suggested uses are frequently based on how teas and suchlike were and still are used by herbalists. Also, in many cases, the uses have simply been invented by certain aromatherapy authors.

I have to add something very important here. Please never forget that very few aromatherapists are trained in physical diagnosis, in the medical sciences or in herbal medicine. Therefore, the aromatherapists advocating the use of hydrosols can make some enormous blunders on what they write about and teach. Some of the claims on web sites are outrageously misleading and are often illegal under their countries own laws. Canada is particularly bad in this respect.

Beware of those who make references to uses based on the books of certain French aromatherapy authors. With one book in particular, the information is not properly referenced and it is known some of the text was not written by the claimed authors, but rather by editors. Therefore, medicinal claims made in such a book should be viewed with the utmost scepticism. One web site in Canada is using information from this book and the site owner is being promoted as "a world leader on the subject", in reality far from the truth.

Hype and Lies Designed to Mislead

Never accept the following statements without any evidence of their truthfulness. What follows and other answers are just hype and lies designed to mislead.

• " I have been selling this for 20 years and never had a problem".

• "I am a leading authority on the use of hydrosols",

• "such and such teacher says",

• "I am working with 4 chemists around the world",

Other hype:
"They are like homeopathic essential oils".
No, this is complete hogwash. Anyone that says this must be totally ignorant of homeopathy. To be homeopathic the preparation MUST be manufactured in a specific manner and hydrosols are not done like that.

"Homeopathic flower remedies use alcohol as a preservative"
Yes, they do, but the alcohol is around 60% and thus an effective preservative. Also, one only gives a few drops at a time, and see below.

"Adding a little grain alcohol acts as a preservative".
Again hogwash. Such a statement proves the person saying it has absolutely no knowledge of what is required of a preservative. It takes at least 25% alcohol by volume to inhibit most (but not all) micro-organisms. Therefore, if you add a couple of teaspoons of alcohol to a pint of hydrolate all it will do is make the bugs merry!

So Are Hydrosols of Any Use at All?

Yes, they can be if they are properly treated to ensure no contamination. They can be very good for treating most kinds of skin inflammation. Rosewater in particular is wonderful for that. They can be excellent cosmetic agents for treating things like overactive sebum production. Some can be great for subduing the inflammation of acne and similar conditions. Some are the ideal solution to sore eyes or minor convunctival infections. They can be an ideal cooling application for nipple soreness from early breastfeeding, as they can for soothing external vaginal damage from childbirth. There are many other examples involving damaged skin that they are ideal for, but only if the product can be proven to be bug free.

Should I Drink Them?

No You should not. If you wanted a herbal preparation you would rather make a fresh herbal tea which contains far more of the herbs active constituents than most hydrosols.

Myths Organic Food

Myth: Organic food tastes like cardboard.

Fact: This may have been true of processed foods at one time—take crackers or pretzels for example—but this stereotype is as outdated as the hippie connotations that follow it. Today many organic snack foods taste the same as their conventional counterparts, while most people agree that fresh, locally grown organic produce does not compare to the alternative. Even organic produce that is not in season and has been shipped thousands of miles to reach our grocer’s shelves cannot compare to the produce found in our own back yard or at farmers markets. Taste is certainly an individual matter, what you think!Try baking a couple batches of cookies or prepare a couple of bowls of fruit or vegetable salad; use organic ingredients in one and conventional ingredients in the other.Which tastes better?

Myth: Organic food is too expensive.

Fact: In general, organic food costs more than conventional food because of the laborious and time-intensive systems used by the typically smaller organic farms. You may find that the benefits of organic agriculture off-set this additional cost. At the same time, there are ways to purchase organic while sticking to your budget. Consider the following when questioning the price of organic:
• Organic farmers don’t receive federal subsidies like conventional farmers do. Therefore, the price of organic food reflects the true cost of growing.
• The price of conventional food does not reflect the cost of environmental cleanups that we pay for through our tax dollars.
• Organic farming is more labor and management intensive.

Myth: Eating organic food is the same as eating natural food.

Fact: Natural foods do not contain additives or preservatives, but they may contain ingredients that have been grown with pesticides or are genetically modified. In other words, the ingredients in the ingredient panel will look familiar, but they have not been produced organically. Natural foods are not regulated and do not meet the same criteria that organic foods do.

Myth : Organic foods are no healthier than non-organic foods.

Fact: Wrong. Food produced organically contains fewer contaminants. Some scientific studies have shown that there are more nutrients in organically produced food.

Myth: Organic farming increases the risk of food poisoning.

Fact: False. Organic farming can actually reduce the risk.

Myth: Organic farming uses pesticides that damage the environment.

Fact: Untrue. Organic farming systems rely upon prevention rather than cure, minimising the need for pesticides.

Myth: Consumers are paying too much for organic food.

Fact: Not so. crop rotations, organic animal feed and welfare standards, the use of good husbandry instead of agri-chemicals, and the preservation of natural habitats all result in organic food costing more to produce. Non-organic food appears to be cheaper but in fact consumers pay for it three times over – first over the counter, second via taxation (to fund agricultural subsidies) and third to remedy the environmental pollution (or disasters like BSE) caused by intensive farming practices.

Myth: Organic food cannot feed a hungry world.

Fact: False. Intensive farming destroys the fertility of the land and is unsustainable. Organic methods help labour-rich but cash-poor communities to produce food sustainably.

Myth: Organic farming is unkind to animals.

Fact: Far from it. Animal welfare and the freedom to behave naturally is central to organic livestock standards.

Myth: Organic food is 100 percent pesticide-free.

Fact: Truth. While organic farmers don't apply environmentally harmful chemicals to crops, they are permitted to use safer pesticides where necessary. The organic designation never really meant 100 percent pesticide- or chemical-free, despite public perception. The designation actually describes a method of farming that is as ecologically sound as possible. Also, chemical pesticides are now so widespread that they appear regularly in the rainwater that drenches all crops, conventional and organic alike. These chemicals can also drift through the air onto organic fields from conventional fields located miles away.

Myths, Reality and Research around Organic Food

The Myth and Reality Report examines some of the key issues around organic food and its production. It takes up the challenge of answering the critics – who range from public relations companies defending agri-business, through to the heads of national food authorities and some academics. It exposes the misleading and erroneous statements made against organic food, and provides the facts that prove them wrong.

The myths which damage the organic movement are not conjured out of thin air and they do not arrive in the newspapers by chance. The myths are generated by organisations with particular interests to defend, and they are presented as press releases and prepared articles for publication in the media.

Between 1990 and 2000 the organic market in Europe grew at average of 25 per cent a year to reach an annual turnover of £6 billion by April 2000. Growth within the UK has been particularly strong in recent years with a five-fold increase in market value in only 5 years. There is a growing shift in consumer purchasing towards organic food. This trend has developed for a number of reasons :

• Loss of trust in non-organic food products after a long line of food scares.
• Desire to avoid pesticide residues in food.
• Desire to eat food produced without the use of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs).
• Demand for the highest possible standards of animal welfare.
• Demand for environmental protection and enhancement.
• Desire to protect the environment from GMO contamination.
• Confidence in the external inspection programme and legal standards for production covering all organic production and processing.
• Health and safety of farm and food workers worldwide.

Policy makers have recognised the potential for organic farming as a means of food production that meets the demands of nature and the marketplace. The benefits of organic management are reflected by government support for conversion, and post-conversion organic management, in all European countries except the UK.

However, the progress and objectives of organic farming have not been welcomed by all. Organic production aims to avoid external inputs in order to achieve sustainability. This conflicts with non-organic agriculture which relies heavily on external inputs to increase yields (particularly pesticides and fertilisers). As a consequence pesticide sales globally are now estimated to be worth over £15 billion a year.

There is clearly a strong commercial interest in maintaining this market. It is therefore no surprise that organic farming has its critics, who are attempting to influence the buying habits of consumers with anti-organic allegations. It is important that these allegations or myths are engaged and refuted rather than ignored and allowed to gain credibility. The myth and reality initiative was launched by the Soil Association and Sustain to provide a well referenced and robust response to these myths. This report aims to educate critics, provide information for the organic sector and the media, and to raise awareness amongst the general public.

However, emerging research is already beginning to show the benefits of organic production. The results of a major six-year study recently reviewed in Nature magazine comparing organic, integrated and conventional apple systems revealed that an organic apple production system has similar yields to conventional and integrated production methods. Importantly, it also has higher soil quality, is better for the environment, produces sweeter and less tart apples, has higher profitability, and achieves greater economic sustainability.
With confident that more research will yield more evidence that organic food and farming is good for people and good for the planet.

source: http://www.biblelife.org/organic.htm

Eating for Optimal Health -- Putting Ideas into Action

• This day starts with a serving from almost every food group to fill you with fiber, vitamins and minerals. Not into breakfast foods? A turkey sandwich, an orange and a glass of milk gives you the same benefits as the more traditional breakfast fare.

• Not only is eating every meal important, snacks help prevent over-hunger which leads to over-eating. This sample day includes 2 snacks. When you eat them depends on your mealtimes. For example, if you have an early breakfast and late lunch, a mid-morning snack is for you. Not crazy about nuts and dried fruit? How about an apple with peanut butter or cheese and crackers. Both give you the needed protein/carb mix to satisfy you and tide you over until mealtime.


• Each of these meals provides a balanced mix of protein and carbs, as well as meats, starches and veggies/fruit. But there's many ways to achieve those goals. Try a slice of pizza and a salad on the side, with some yogurt mixed with a half cup of blueberries. Or, a cup of tuna noodle casserole with steamed carrots and a glass of milk.

Eating for Optimal Health -- Nutrition Basics

Eat Breakfast

Certainly every meal is important, but the first meal after a long night's rest is crucial in many ways. It's the first shot of energy to rev you up and get your day started. It's a great opportunity to eat your first servings of calcium-rich dairy foods, fruits, and whole grains--common ingredients in morning meals. A good breakfast also helps you steer clear of high fat/sugar vending machine fillers.

Don't Skip Meals

Missing meals on a regular basis is a bad idea no matter what your reason. No time? Make time. Trying to lose weight? This won't work. Skipping meals leads to overeating later in the day. In addition, the body becomes very efficient to prevent starvation. Translation: your metabolism slows down and stores more fat. Finally, without the continuous energy food supplies, you become run down and more susceptible to sickness. The solution: During the day try to eat every 3 to 4 hours. That means breakfast, perhaps a snack, lunch, a snack, and dinner.

Eat Protein With Your Carbs

No need to avoid carbs altogether, just don't over do it. Pairing protein-rich foods with your carbs makes this task easier. Carbohydrates provide much-needed energy to your body; however they are digested quickly leaving you feeling hungry soon after eating. Bagels and muffins for breakfast, candy bar snacks and large portions of pasta and rice at lunch and dinner become an unending cycle resulting in hunger pangs and the need for a pick-me-up. Proteins digest more slowly therefore you feel satisfied longer. The solution: Enjoy complex carbs in moderate amounts and along with low-fat protein. Instead of a bagel and cream cheese, try an English muffin with peanut butter. Instead of a candy bar, how about dried cranberries and almonds. Instead of a big bowl of pasta, dish out three-quarters a cup of pasta along with a grilled chicken breast.

Break Down Your Dish

Chances are your dinner (or lunch) plate looks a bit like this: a pile of meat, chicken, or fish and a pile of rice, potatoes, or pasta and on a good day maybe a smidgen of veggies or a salad on the side. Well its time to put your math skills to work. Divide your plate into three parts. One quarter is for the protein of the meal--meat, chicken, beans, etc.--three ounces or about the size of the palm of your hand. One quarter is for the starchy foods--rice, potato, corn, etc.--about a half cup. And the remaining half should be loaded up with fruits and veggies. With the exception of the starchy vegetables like corn, peas, and potatoes, veggies can be eaten as often as and as much as you want. They help fill you up but contribute few calories.

Source: http://health.ivillage.com/

Male Infertility -- 4 Main Types

Male infertility can be classified into four main types:

• No sperm (azoospermia) accounts for 3-4% of male infertility.
• Quantity or quality. This subgroup may account for about 90% of male infertility:
• Quantity: Poor sperm quantity (oligospermia)
  
• Quality :
• low motility (asthenozoospermia)
  
• a high percentage of abnormal sperm (teratozoospermia)
• Antisperm antibodies, etc.
• Sperm dysfunctional, where there is a normal semen analysis, but the sperm lack or have a defective fertilizing capacity, resulting in complete failure of fertilization or poor fertilization of the eggs in IVF. This accounts for 3-6% of male infertility.
• Inability to ejaculate into the vagina. This accounts for 4-6% of male infertility.

Abnormal Sperm -- Causes of Abnormal Low Sperm Counts

There are many biologic and environmental factors that can lead to male infertility. The leading causes are low sperm count, low sperm motility, bad quality sperms, lack of semen. Most cases of male infertility are due to low sperm count.

Smoking

Low sperm count and low sperm motility have an adverse effect due to toxins in cigarettes and also on their lifespan. Studies show that men who smoked also had far less sex drive than their non-smoking peers.

Diet

Male fertility affects by Chemicals such as dibromochloropropane (DBCP), chlordecone, carbaryl and ethylene dibromide. The best advice is to eat healthily, and, if possible, to eat organic. Organically produced crops don’t contain chemicals which destroy sperm and are also a much healthier diet for men who are trying to raise their sperm levels.

Alcohol

With alcohol consumption at an all time high, excessive and ongoing alcohol consumption can have an adverse effect on sperm production and quality. However, drinking in excess of the recommended daily units can decrease healthy sperm and damage developing sperm.

Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD’s)

Sexually transmitted diseases are one of the main factors relating to drops in sperm counts and sperm motility. One of the most dangerous STD’s harmful to sperm production is Chlamydia. The infection of this disease is often not detectable in men as there are no visible symptoms. Antibodies produced by the disease (called trachomatis IgG antibodies) inevitably have a negative effect on sperm production, thus lessening the chances of conception. Statistics show that the chance of achieving a pregnancy was reduced by 33% if the man was IgG positive.

Testicular Overheating

Exposure to excess heat can have an adverse effect on sperm development. Raised temperatures created by the use of laptops and wearing tight fitting underwear can raise scrotal temperature, slowing down the rate of sperm production. Laptop heat insulators and loose fitting garments such as boxer shorts are recommended to allow air to circulate and keep the testicles cool. Working in conditions that involve a lot of heat (welding for example) may impair fertility on a more permanent basis. Men in these types of professions are recommended to have a tepid bath each evening to bring testicular temperatures down.

Environmental Damages

There are many different environmental effects that can be harmful to sperm production. Whether a result of a direct or indirect attack on the system, pollutants such as toxins, chemicals, pesticides and oxygen-free radicals can all reduce sperm counts. Those at greatest risk will be in trades such as fruit or flower harvesting, contracting, livestock treatment, gardening and poultry and dairy farming. Exposure to metals such as lead, cadmium and arsenic can also lead to trace amounts of these products being found in the semen and thus sperm production is often lowered.

Vigorous Exercise

Certain types of exercise can have a damaging effect on male sperm production. One of the worst forms of exercise for this is cycling or mountain biking. Mountain bikers have been proven to register less then half the sperm count and sperm movement than non-cyclists. The semen alterations are thought to be caused by impounding damage to both the testes and the scrotum, the repeated trauma is considered to be the main reason for the vascular damage and the subsequent effects on sperm motility.

Driving

For many of us, driving is a necessary evil. But spending long hours behind the wheel can have a damaging effect on your sperm. Scrotal temperatures are proven to rise significantly when a man is seated for long periods of time, and statistics show that couples whose partner was employed as a HGV driver or sales rep, (or any occupation that involved spending a great number of hours driving)found that they took longer to conceive. Results also show that sperm counts of professional drivers were lower and that the sperm itself contained more abnormalities.

Misuse of Substances

There are a number of banned substances that can have potentially lethal effects on sperm production. Taking anabolic steroids, for example, to increase performance in sports such as weight lifting, can dramatically alter both the motility and the health of the spermatozoa. Other banned substances, such as cocaine, marijuana and heroin can reduce sperm production by up to 50%, and in cases of ongoing use, may make a man infertile.

Genetic causes

Cystic fibrosis patients who suffer from CF often have missing or obstructed vas deferens (the tubes that carry perm).Naturally, this prevents the sperm from developing correctly. Klinefelter syndrome patients carry two X and one Y chromosomes (the norm is one X and one Y), which lead to the destruction of the lining of the seminiferous tubules in the testicles during puberty, although most other male physical attributes are unimpaired.

Kartagener syndrome a rare disorder that is associated with a reversed position of the major organs, also includes immotile cilia (hair-like cells in lungs and sinuses that have a structure similar to the tails of sperm). Germ cells may also be affected by this condition.

Varicocele
A varicocele is a varicose vein in the cord that connects to the testicle. (A varicose vein is one that is abnormally enlarged and twisted.) Varicoceles are found in 15% to 20% of all men and in 25% to 40% of infertile men. It is not clear how they affect fertility, or even if they do at all. Some theories for their effect include the following:

Varicoceles may partially obstruct the passages through which sperm pass.

• Varicocele may elevate temperature in the testes.
• Varicoceles may produce higher levels of nitric oxide, a substance that has
• Certain damaging effects that might injure sperm.
• Varicoceles may block oxygen to the sperm.
• Varicoceles have been associated with abnormalities in cellular material in the sperm. One study suggested that some men might have genetic abnormalities that cause both varicoceles and impaired sperm, rather than varicocele itself causing infertility.

Radiation Treatment

Radiation treatments and x-rays affect any rapidly dividing cell, so cells that produce sperm are quite sensitive to radiation damage. Cells exposed to significant levels of radiation may take up to two years to resume normal sperm production, and, in severe circumstances, may never recover.

Malnutrition and Lack of Supplements

Deficiencies in certain nutrients, such as vitamin C, selenium, zinc, and folate, may be particular risk factors for infertility in such cases. Those men trying to conceive are recommended to take vitamin C to prevent sperm from agglutinating (i.e. sticking together). This is especially beneficial to smokers. Vitamin B12 and Vitamin E supplements should also be taken to increase sperm activity and production.

Source: http://www.spermtest.com/

Abnormal Sperm -- Do Vasectomies Create Abnormal Sperm?

According to fertility expert Professor Nares Sukcharoen, of the Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, on 22 Jun 2006, a vasectomy can be reversed and men have fathered children afterwards, but such men may have an increased risk of damaged sperm.

As many as 40,000 vasectomies are carried out in Britain each year, and around 2,500 men later want the surgery reversed often because they wish to have a family with a new partner.

Vasectomy is a quick and minor surgical procedure which is done under local anaesthetic and involves sealing the tubes, or vas deferens, that carry sperm. As a rule it does not affect a man's sex drive or performance. In reversal surgery the tubes are rejoined but the operation is not always successful.

Professor Sukcharoen and his team carried out a small study of men who had a vasectomy reversal and found that they had a 10 times higher number of chromosome abnormalities in their sperm than men who had not had the surgery.

The researchers tested 21 sperm samples from 18 men and found that 3.3% of their sperm had genetic defects, including abnormally high rates of chromosomal defects called sexual aneuploidies, where sperm had an extra X or Y chromosome which cause a number of medical conditions in children, such as Klinefelter syndrome, in which boys are born with an extra X chromosome and often develop abnormally proportioned bodies and experience learning difficulties.

Another rarer condition found called Triple X syndrome, affects around one in 2,000 girls, and is caused by sperm carrying two X chromosomes instead of the usual one.

It can lead to women developing symptoms including seizures and infertility.

Professor Sukchareon who led the study, says he believes a pressure build-up in the vas deferens disrupts the normal production of sperm in men who have had vasectomies and says the study shows that a vasectomy can cause abnormalities in sperm. He says if a couple conceive naturally after the man has had a vasectomy reversal, the woman's body might select only the best sperm.

However if the sperm were used in artificial fertilisation, the genetic defects might be passed on to the child. Sukcharoen says more research and larger studies are needed to confirm his results and to answer other questions regarding reversal surgery and the related problems.

Source: http://www.news-medical.net/

Infertility -- The Basic Infertility Evaluation

Once a couple presents an infertility problem, an organized cost considerate rapid evaluation that makes no major assumptions about cause should be recommended.

Assumptions are common, but should be discouraged. When the couple first identifies an infertility problem there often is a tendency to guess at the cause for the problem. I often hear: "(s)he is the problem," "it must be me since my spouse has had children in another marriage," or "I know I'm normal since I've never been sick a day in my life." Assumptions are usually counterproductive.

The basic infertility evaluation should always include an evaluation of

• Female:
• Ovulation
• The pelvic factor. Pelvic factor infertility as discussed here will include

1. vaginal abnormalities
2. cervical mucus abnormalities
3. defects in the uterine cavity
4. proximal fallopian tube occlusion
5. distal blockage of the fallopian tube
6. endometriosis
7. barriers to implantation

• Male:
  
• Movement of the testes into the scrotum
• The testicular cells and their functions
• Puberty and the full maturation of sperm
• The course of movement for sperm upon ejaculation
• Ejaculation
• Necessary postejaculatory changes in sperm

In addition, it is usually adviseable to confirm that there are no other major barriers to fertility. This might include looking at the periovulatory cervical mucus for the presence of progressively motile sperm several hours following intercourse (postcoital test). This might also include examining the pelvis for the presence of abnormalities, such as endometriosis or adhesions (laparoscopy and possibly hysteroscopy).

If the couple has experienced multiple consecutive miscarriages, the evaluation that I recommend includes

1. Demonstration of a normally shaped uterine cavity,
2. Evaluation for a hormonal deficiency in progesterone production,
3. Analysis of both the maternal (wife's) and paternal (husband's) chromosomes,
4. Laboratory testing for immunologic causes of pregnancy loss, and
5. Taking a history for maternal disease states or environmental toxin exposure

The components of the basic infetility evaluation are discussed in detail. The components of the basic recurrent pregnancy loss evaluation will be the subject of another project (currently in progress).

Source: http://www.drdaiter.com/

Infertility

Reproduction is a normal physiologic event that is absolutely necessary for the survival of the human race. Therefore, infertility is a "real" medical problem that is the result of real pathology.

Infertility is not uncommon, affecting about 10-15% of reproductive age couples (roughly 1 in 7). The remarkable advances in In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) and the Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ARTs) have resulted in the birth of several thousand "miracle babies" over the past few decades. There is also a growing desire for pregnancy in women over 35 years of age, many of whom have postponed their childbearing until they have acheived career stability. For these reasons, the number of couples seeking medical attention for infertility related problems has rapidly grown and the medical community has responded with rapidly developing technology.

The causes of infertility for a specific couple are not always easily recognized. However, if the couple decides to undergo a series of basic diagnostic tests then specific treatable abnormalities associated with infertility may be discovered. Following a full basic evaluation only 5-10% of couples will still have "unexplained infertility."

Treating infertility can also be difficult. There are frequently several accepted alternative treatments for any given abnormality that is discovered. The "optimal" treatment is often controversial since there is usually little reliable scientific data to support one treatment plan over another. Therefore, the physician must use his (her) own experience with the available treatment options for guidance. Relying on the advise of a seasoned and well trained professional is therefore very important.

When to Go for Invertility Care?

Infertility is generally defined as the inability to achieve a pregnancy after one year of regular intercourse without contraception.

Despite this general definition, an evaluation may be appropriate before a full year has passed. This decision depends on the couple's situation. For example, if the woman is older than 35 or 40 it may be prudent to check a basic evaluation soon after deciding to have a baby. If the husband has had a vasectomy, or the wife a tubal ligation, then consultation and consideration of treatment options does not need to be delayed. If the woman desiring fertility has very irregular or no menstrual cycles then immediate consideration of diagnostic tests and treatment is appropriate.

Recurrent pregnancy losses (miscarriages) are sometimes considered a part of infertility since the couple is not able to carry a pregnancy to viability. Once a couple has had two or three consecutive pregnancy losses, it is appropriate to consider a thorough evaluation.

Who is Available to Help Care?

A couple decides early on who will be chosen to help them with their infertility. This selection dramatically effects the treatment plan that is developed. Therefore, careful consideration of the alternatives is advisable.

Not everyone turns to medicine for help. Some couples choose a relative, like a mother or a grandmother. This is generally someone who has a large family with clear success in terms of their own reproduction. Others may turn to religious figures and entrust their fertility to a higher being or guidelines set by an organized religion. I beleive that physicians also have an important role in the care of these couples. Infertility usually involves medical conditions that are now treatable and professional advice is generally available.

Differences in training among the available physicians will be the focus of this section. All physicians treating infertile couples should share certain basic characteristics, including:

Compassion and the willingness to listen.

These are important qualities in an infertility doctor. As you discuss your situation with your doctor, you should be able to identify a willingness to listen to your concerns.

Recent dramatic changes in health care have essentially limited the time that is spent with patients by rewarding the number or "volume" of patients seen rather than giving "the personal touch." Infertility patients may come to resent their doctor if (s)he doesn't address their unique needs or they may change doctors frequently in an attempt to find one who will "hear their concerns." This can be frustrating for both the doctors and the couples.

Expertise in the rapidly changing field of infertility.

Book knowledge coupled with insights gained from extensive clinical experience is a powerful combination.

• The doctors. All doctors are persons skilled in the healing arts who have completed a defined rigorous course of study (typically 4 years). Doctors have been duly licensed by the State's Board of Medical Examiners to practice within the profession. Therefore, many couples believe that "any doctor" will be expert in the treatment of their fertility issues. This may not be so. Most graduates of medical school will have delivered (or helped deliver) a baby and helped to perform (or watched) a hysterectomy. However, many doctors have had no exposure to infertile couples undergoing evaluation. Nevertheless, in many areas of the USA the family doctor (either a family practitioner or internist) is the initial contact for the infertile couple. This physician will then consider whether (s)he is comfortable with ordering the basic infertility evaluation and when to refer the couple for care with an infertility specialist.
  

• The Obstetrician Gynecologist. The obstetrician gynecologist is a doctor who has completed medical school as well as an additional defined training program (typically 4 years) in Obstetrics and Gynecology (Ob-Gyn). To become board certified in Ob-Gyn, the "American Board of Obstetricians and Gynecologists" requires candidates to pass a written exam as well as an oral exam. The oral exam is given by recognized authorities in the field and covers all areas of Ob-Gyn including infertility. Therefore, Ob-Gyns are well trained in the theory of infertility and many will have significant clinical training and experience as well. When the obstetrician gynecologist is the initial contact for an infertile couple there is usually an organized approach that has been established. At some point in the infertility care, the Ob-Gyn may suggest referral to an infertility specialist.
  

• Infertility specialists. Infertility specialists are doctors who should have completed medical school, a residency training program in Obstetrics and Gynecology, and an additional training fellowship (typically 2-3 years) in Reproductive Endocrinology (male and female hormones) and Infertility. This subspecialty fellowship can provide an intense clinical exposure to infertility care that dramatically redefines the physician's approach to the infertile couple. The infertility specialist's approach typically complements the Ob-Gyn's care.
  

Source: http://www.drdaiter.com/

Bronchopneumonia

What is Bronchopneumonia ?

Bronchopneumonia is a illness of lung which is caused by different organism like bacteria, viruses, and fungi and characterized by acute inflammation of the walls of the bronchioles. It is also known as pneumonia. It is common in women and causes to the 6% deaths.

Bronchopneumonia (Lobular pneumonia) - is one of two types of bacterial pneumonia as classified by gross anatomic distribution of consolidation (solidification). In bacterial pneumonia, invasion of the lung parenchyma by bacteria produces an inflammatory immune response. This response leads to a filling of the alveolar sacs with exudate. The loss of air space and its replacement with fluid is called consolidation. In bronchopneumonia, or lobular pneumonia, there are multiple foci of isolated, acute consolidation, affecting one or more pulmonary lobes.

It should be noted that although these two patterns of pneumonia, lobar and lobular, are the classic anatomic categories of bacterial pneumonia, in clinical practice the types are difficult to apply, as the patterns usually overlap. Bronchopneumonia (lobular) often leads to lobar pneumonia as the infection progresses. The same organism may cause one type of pneumonia in one patient, and another in a different patient. From the clinical standpoint, far more important than distinguishing the anatomical subtype of pneumonia, is identifying its causative agent and accurately assessing the extent of the disease.

What are Causes of Bronchopneumonia ?

Bacterial pneumonias tend to be the most serious and, in adults, the most common cause of pneumonia. Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus) and Mycoplasma pneumoniae both are the common bacterium which which causes bronchopneumonia in the adults and children. The most common pneumonia-causing bacterium in adults is Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus).

Pathology

• Inhalation of organisms.
• Scarring if alveoli destroyed.

Multiple foci of consolidation are present in the basal lobes, often bilateral. These lesions are 2-4 cm in diameter, grey-yellow, dry, often centered by a bronchia, are poorly delimited and have the tendency to confluence, especially in children.

A focus of inflammatory condensation is centered by a bronchiola with acute bronchiolitis (suppurative exudate - pus - in the lumen and parietal inflammation). Alveolar lumens surrounding the bronchia are filled with neutrophils ("leukocytic alveolitis"). Massive congestion is present. Inflammatory foci are separated by normal, aerated parenchyma.

What are the Symptoms ?

• Cough with greenish or yellow mucus
• Fever
• chest pain
• Rapid, shallow breathing
• Shortness of breath
• Headache
• Loss of appetite
• Fatigue
• Blood-streaked sputum
• Chills
• Signs of pulmonary congestion

Comparison of Bronchopneumonia vs. Lobar Pneumonia

	Bronchopneumonia	Lobar Pneumonia
Location	1. often bilateral 2. basal (i.e. lower lobes)	large area, even whole lobe involvement
Route of infection	spreads from bronchioles to nearby alveoli	both alveoli and bronchioles
Spread of infection	consolidation is patchy	Whole lobe becomes consolidated
Susceptible group	infants, elderly	Adults especially alcoholics and vagrants.
Causing Organism	Dependent on circumstances predisposing to infection(i.e. nosocomial or community acquired)	Often caused by Pneumococcus or Klebsiella.
Recovery	If treated, recovery usually involves focal organisation of lung by fibrosis.	If treated promptly, many recover with lungs returning to normal structure and functioning by resolution. In other cases the exudate in alveoli is organised, leading to lung scarring and permanent lung dysfunction.
Notes	Patients who are immobile develop retention of secretions; thus, most commonly involves the lower lobes.	Patient are severely ill and usually associated bacteriemia.

Treatment of bronchopneumonia

If the cause is bacterial, the goal is to cure the infection with antibiotics. If the cause is viral, antibiotics will nbot e effective. In some cases it is difficult to distinguish between viral and bacterial pneumonia, so antibiotics may be prescribed. Pneumococcal vaccinations are recommended for individuals in high-risk groups and provide up to 80 percent effectiveness in staving off pneumococcal pneumonia. Influenza vaccinations are also frequently of use in decreasing one’s susceptibility to pneumonia, since the flu precedes pneumonia development in many cases.

Hair -- Herbal Remedies for Hair Loss

Herbal remedies are probably the best for curing hair loss and all other ailments, because these natural products do not have the harsh side effects that the synthetic drugs often produce. A number of herbal products for hair loss are available that effective counter hair loss symptoms.

Saw Palmetto or Serenoa Repens
Tinctures or extracts from this herb obstruct the receptors on cell membranes for dihydrotestosterone, the primary cause of androgenic alopecia in most patients. The formation of DHT is also prevented, by an action that is much similar to that of the FDA approved hair loss treatment medicine finasteride. Thus this product effectively promotes hair growth.

Nettle Root
This herbal remedy inhibits the enzymes 5-alpha reductase, the enzyme responsible for the production of DHT, and also aromatase, the enzyme that synthesizes estrogens.

Gotu Kola
Herbal products formulated from this herb promote hair growth, and strengthens collagen and the blood vessels. This herbal extract purifies the blood and improves the health of the skin and hair. It stimulates blood circulation throughout the brain and the scalp, and rejuvenates the hair follicles.

Pumpkin or Cucurbita Maxima
The oil extracted from the seeds of pumpkins contains the active ingredient delta-7-sterine that effectively competes with DHT and protects the prostate as well, apart from lowering levels of hair loss. However the clinical efficacy of this herbal product is still under medical investigation.

Eleutherococcus Senticosus or Siberian Ginseng
That is a mineral rich herb that helps lower stress and is beneficial for the kidneys and the adrenal glands. It is also helpful in restoring hair growth, especially in women.

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)
Essential oil extracted from this herb is rich in antitoxiants, a time-tested herbal remedy that encourages hair growth. The oil also effectively combats dandruff – another vital cause of hair loss.

Black Cohosh (Acteae Racemosa)
This is a phytoestrogen herb that alleviates menopausal disorders in women, including the thinning of hair that result from a drop in the level of estrogens from the ovaries.

Dong Quai (Angelica Sinensis)
The remedial action of this herbal product is similar to that of black cohosh.

Licorice Extract
This herbal product helps prevent hair loss, but it is not advisable for use by pregnant women.

Horsetail or Equisetum Arvense
This herb is an excellent good source of silica, a mineral that keeps hair strong and gives it a shiny and sleek appearance. Herbal products formulated from horsetail are beneficial for the hair and scalp.

Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Hair -- Vitamins for Hair Loss

Human body, a machine that require energy to function. This source of energy is the food we take. The nutritious food provides required energy and is helpful for growth, repair of hair and reproduction too.

A balanced diet is necessary for supplying adequate amounts of nutrients, minerals and vitamins to the body .lack of a proper diet often results in hair loss. Hence, hair loss can be treated by intake of dietary supplements, like minerals and vitamins, especially the B Vitamins (B5, B6, and niacin), Biotin, Inositol and Folic Acid. It has been proved that ample intake of vitamins counters hair loss and promotes the growth of healthy and shiny hair.

Vitamins can help in treating hair loss in a number of ways:

• Vitamins obstruct the production of di-hydro testosterone or DHT – one of the principal causes that trigger hair loss.
• Vitamins revitalize damaged hair follicles and thereby promote hair growth.
• Vitamins nourish and heal the scalp.

A number of vitamin formulas have topical application, like shampoos or serums that are to be applied on the scalp. This provide a two-pronged approach to combating hair loss – both from inside the system and from outside the body. However, it should be borne in mind that there is no “quick-fix” method for curing hair loss troubles; all the products require sustained use for optimum results.

Vitamins and amino acids are the structural blocks of proteins and enzymes within the body. These substances become even more essential as our body is incapable of synthesizing it from other substances. A strand of hair is an extended protein chain constantly being added to at the root. Hair is not animate, and there is no option for an amino acid or protein to have any enduring effect on the hair health. Henceforth, the vitamins and minerals supplements can improve the health of new hair growth, though the benefit to existing hair is uncorroborated.

Vitamins for hair loss are formulated basically to help you to compensate the ignored potion of these vital vitamins in natural form. You can avail an assortment of hair vitamins products.

Some of the essential vitamins required for healthy hair are:

1. Vitamin A
2. Vitamin C
3. Vitamin E
4. Biotin
5. Inositol
6. Niacin (Vitamin B3)
7. Pantothenic Acid (Vitamin B5)
8. Vitamin B6
9. Vitamin B12

Vitamin E

This vitamin aids in improving uptake of oxygen, which leads to better health of the scalp and hair.

Biotin

Biotin is essential for healthy hair and skin and may be effective in preventing male pattern baldness. Brown rice, brewer’s yeast, sunflower seeds, green peas, soybeans, oats, lentils and walnuts are excellent sources of this vitamin. Supplements can also be used to counter excessive hair loss.

Other Vitamins:

Inositol is for healthful for hair.
Vitamin C helps in increasing the blood circulation in the scalp and ensuring that the hair follicles get adequate supply of nutrients.

B-Vitamins

Food items like beans, peas, cauliflower, soy beans, and eggs are sources of vitamin B, which is very important for the health of the scalp and hair. Vitamins B3 (niacin), B5 (also called pantothenic acid), and B6 (pyridoxine) should be taken as nutritional supplement for treating hair loss. Folic acid is a type of B vitamin (B9) that delays the onset of grey hair, and is useful in preventing hair loss.

Hair -- Effects of Ingrown Hair

Dead cells can accumulate at the site of the irritation and form papule which can also contain pus while the skin heals. While this process continues any hair in the area can get trapped under the formation and is prevented from exiting the skin properly. Ingrown hair is the result.

Effects

1. Constant tenderness
2. Trapped, ingrown hairs cause inflammation which result in the body forming papule - a small, raised, abnormality on the skin commonly known as a bump giving rise to the term 'razor bumps'
3. The body can also respond by producing a pustule - a blister on the skin containing pus
4. An infected pustule can become ruptured resulting in bleeding
5. Itching
6. Tingling
7. Pain - mild or severe
8. Hard, prominent, irregular scar tissue in the skin in chronic cases

Additional advice: If you carry out skin exfoliation regularly with a loofah or mesh sponge after waxing or shaving, you'll take off the thin layer of skin that's trapping the ingrown hairs and set them free.

Wet the loofah and squeeze to soften if preferred, then gently massage the skin, especially dry, rough areas. Do not use the loofah on broken skin. Some beauty advisors believe using a loofah once a week for skin exfoliation is enough to keep the area exfoliated. Exfoliating too much will dry the skin and leave it sensitive and susceptible to ingrown hair.

Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Hair -- Causes of Ingrown Hair

Ingrown hair is a common problem for men and women. Use this list to easily identify the causes and effects of ingrown hair.

Causes:

1. Skin suffering from lack of moisture
2. Stiff beard hair
3. Embedded oil in the hair follicles
4. Build up of dead skin cells in the pores and on the surface of the skin can cause ingrown hairs - some are more prone to this than others due to genetics
5. Coarse curly hair growing in a curved hair follicle
6. Improper shaving technique with a blade such as too close a shave
7. Hair removal methods such as shaving, waxing, tweezing, electrolysis, often irritate the hair follicle.

Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Pizza VS Calorie

Pizza doesn’t have to be the calorie-crammed meal we all tend to think of it as. It is possible to make healthier pizzas at home or even order more figure-friendly options in a restaurant and still enjoy it.

When eating out, choose pizzas with thin rather than thick bases and make sure your toppings include mainly vegetable and low-fat options e.g. grilled or Cajun chicken, mince, steak, avocado, light sprinkling of feta, spinach, ham, pineapple, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, banana, seafood, tuna, onion, sweet peppers or garlic. It is also possible to ask for a pizza without cheese.

Portions are important. Order a mixed side salad (with the dressing on the side) and eat half the pizza with the salad. The other half can be taken home in a doggy bag and eaten for lunch the next day.

Here are a few tips and ideas for making homemade pizzas with pizzazz at home:

• Make your own or buy ready-made pizza bases and spread generously with tomato-and-onion mix and fresh or dried herbs.
• Use a combination of any of the following ingredients – ham, pineapple, banana, chopped grilled chicken breast, grilled seafood (calamari), anchovies, garlic, mushrooms, asparagus, spinach, avocado, peppadews and sweet peppers or chilli.
• Avoid bacon, sausage, salami and mince (unless made with extra-lean beef mince or ostrich mince).
• Use half the usual amount of cheese or replace mozzarella and other yellow cheeses with a sprinkling of feta, Parmesan, mature cheddar, blue cheese, Danish feta or goat’s cheese. Very little of these more strongly flavoured cheeses is needed to achieve the same cheese flavour.
• Serve the pizza with a lovely mixed green salad, balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

When entertaining at home, homemade garlic pizza bread is a great snack for sundowners, around the braai or even when you're watching rugby. This is healthy and can be thrown together in five minutes:

• Pizza bases (large or mini) with a sprinkling of feta, spinach and garlic or a thin spreading of pesto.
• Garlic pizza breads made with pizza base with garlic and herbs
• Chilli pizza breads - sweet chilli sauce and finely chopped sweet red and yellow peppers sprinkled over plain pizza bases.

See: how to make the healthy salad

source: http://www.health24.com/

Green Tea -- A Cup of Good Health

When most of us think of green tea, we always think of the most well known benefits of drinking green tea, namely assisting the immune system in the prevention of colds during the winter months because of its high level of antioxidants.

This is, however, only one of the many benefits of drinking green tea. Recent research into green tea has shown its medicinal value and power in preventing disease, thus the reason the Japanese believed in its ability to prolong life

Another one of the possible benefits of drinking green tea is its potential as a cancer preventive. One of the main ingredients in green tea is catechin, and studies performed at the National Cancer Institute in Tokyo have shown that catechin use lowers the incidence of cancer by more than 50% if consumed in sufficient quantities. This is linked to both the catechin as well as the antioxidants that are found in green tea, and since the Japanese customarily drink at least two to three cups of green tea per day, and the cancer rate is lower in Japan, the link is established.

The benefits of drinking green tea also include its potential to restrict the excessive build up of the "bad" cholesterol. This function is also performed because of the catechin that is the main ingredient in green tea. Other benefits of drinking green tea include one or more of the following:

• Controlling high blood pressure
• Lowering blood pressure
• Suppressing aging
• Refreshing the body
• Deterring food poisoning
• Preventing and treating skin disease
• Preventing cavities
• Fighting viruses
• Acting as a bio-regulatory food

A better understanding of these health benefits can help a person make an informed choice. Incorporate more green tea into your diet and you may reap the same benefits!

A Cup of Hot Tea = A Cup of Good Health.

Tea Consumption Linked to Numerous Body Benefits. A hot cup of tea may do more than relax you. Research shows tea consumption may help prevent a wide range of ailments.

The latest medical research is finding potential healing powers in this ancient beverage. Recent research, for instance, suggests drinking tea may help prevent everything from cavities to Parkinson's disease. And some studies indicate it may even save lives.

The benefits of tea consumption may extend throughout the body, experts believe. Here is a partial list of conditions some research has shown may be prevented or improved by drinking tea:

Arthritis: Research suggests that older women who are tea drinkers are 60 percent less likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis than those who do not drink tea.

Bone Density: Drinking tea regularly for years may produce stronger bones. Those who drank tea on a regular basis for 10 or more years had higher-bone mineral density in their spines than those who had not.

Cancer: Green tea extracts were found to inhibit the growth of bladder cancer cells in the lab — while other studies suggest that drinking green tea protects against developing stomach and esophageal cancers.

• Sipping on a cup of hot tea may be a safeguard against cancer. Population studies have linked the consumption of tea with a reduction in risk for several types of cancer. Researchers speculate that the polyphenols in tea may inhibit certain mechanisms that promote cancer growth. Both green and black teas have been credited with cancer-inhibiting powers.

Flu: You may be able to boost your fight against the flu with black tea.
Your best defense against contracting the flu is to wash your hands often and get vaccinated against the influenza virus. Black tea may further bolster your efforts to stay healthy. In a recent study, people who gargled with a black tea extract solution twice per day showed a higher immunity to flu virus compared to the people who did not gargle with black tea.

Heart Disease: A recent study published in the journal Circulation found that drinking more than two cups of tea a day decreased the risk of death following a heart attack by 44 percent. Even less spirited tea drinkers were rewarded: Consuming just two cups a day decreased the risk of death by almost a third.
Tea is a rich source of the flavonoids quercetin, kaempferol, and myricetin, and research shows that high dietry intake of these compounds is associated with a reduced risk of fatal heart attacks. In one study, people who drank about a cup and a half of tea per day were almost 40% less likely to suffer a heart attack compared to tea abstainers.

High Blood Pressure: Tea lovers may be surprised to learn their beverage of choice touts yet another health benefit: blood pressure control. Drinking a half-cup of green or oolong tea per day reduced a person's risk of high blood pressure by almost 50% in a new study. People who drank at least two and a half cups per day reduced their risk even more. Their risk was reduced even if they had risk factors for high blood pressure, such as high sodium intake.

Parkinson's Disease: Tea consumption may be protective against developing this debilitating neurological disorder.

Oral Health: Rinsing with tea may prevent cavities and gum disease.

Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) -- A Common Problem for Some Women

Women Have UTI's More Often Than Men

Women tend to have urinary tract infections more often than men because bacteria can reach the bladder more easily in women. The urethra is shorter in women than in men, so bacteria have a shorter distance to travel.

The urethra is also located near the rectum in women. Bacteria from the rectum can easily travel up the urethra and cause infections.

Having sex may also cause urinary tract infections in women because bacteria can be pushed into the urethra. Using a diaphragm can lead to infections because diaphragms push against the urethra and make it harder to completely empty the bladder. The urine that stays in the bladder is more likely to grow bacteria and cause infections.

Many women suffer from frequent UTIs. Nearly 20 percent of women who have a UTI will have another, and 30 percent of those will have yet another. Of the last group, 80 percent will have recurrences.

Usually, the latest infection stems from a strain or type of bacteria that is different from the infection before it, indicating a separate infection. Even when several UTIs in a row are due to E. coli, slight differences in the bacteria indicate distinct infections.

Research has indicated that women who are "non-secretors" of certain blood group antigens may be more prone to recurrent UTIs because the cells lining the vagina and urethra may allow bacteria to attach more easily. Further research will show whether this association is sound and proves useful in identifying women at high risk for UTIs.

Infections in Pregnancy

Pregnant women seem no more prone to UTIs than other women. However, when a UTI does occur in a pregnant woman, it is more likely to travel to the kidneys. According to some reports, about 2 to 4 percent of pregnant women develop a urinary infection. Scientists think that hormonal changes and shifts in the position of the urinary tract during pregnancy make it easier for bacteria to travel up the ureters to the kidneys. For this reason, many doctors recommend periodic testing of urine during pregnancy.

Treatment

If your family doctor thinks you have a bladder infection, he or she will probably test a sample of your urine to find out if there are bacteria in it. Your doctor will then prescribe an antibiotic for you if you have an infection. Usually, symptoms of the infection go away 1 to 2 days after you start taking the medicine.

Your doctor may also suggest a medicine to numb your urinary tract and make you feel better while the antibiotic starts to work. The medicine colors your urine bright orange, so don't be alarmed by the color when you urinate.

What Should I do?

If you have urinary tract infections often, you can try some of the suggestions in the box below. Talk with your family doctor about what changes would be helpful for you.

Your doctor also may give you a low dose of medicine for several months or longer to prevent infections from coming back.

If having sex seems to cause your infections, your doctor may suggest that you take a single antibiotic pill after you have sex to prevent urinary tract infections.

Further Risk

Bladder infections can be painful. But today's medicines can keep them from becoming a serious threat to your health.

The kidneys can also be infected and this can be a more serious problem. Kidney infections usually require an antibiotic for a longer time and are sometimes treated in the hospital.

Tips on Preventing

• Drink plenty of water to flush out bacteria. Drinking cranberry juice may also help prevent urinary tract infections. However, if you're taking warfarin (brand name: Coumadin), check with your doctor before using cranberry juice to prevent urinary tract infections. Your doctor may need to adjust your warfarin dose or you may need to have more frequent blood tests.
• Don't hold your urine. Urinate when you feel like you need to.
• Wipe from front to back after bowel movements.
• Urinate after having sex to help wash away bacteria.
• Use enough lubrication during sex. Try using a small amount of lubricant (such as K-Y Jelly) before sex if you're a little dry.
• If you get urinary tract infections often, you may want to avoid using the diaphragm. Ask your doctor about other birth control choices.

Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) -- Treatment and Prevention

Treatment

UTIs are treated with antibacterial drugs. The choice of drug and length of treatment depend on the patient's history and the urine tests that identify the offending bacteria. The sensitivity test is especially useful in helping the doctor select the most effective drug. The drugs most often used to treat routine, uncomplicated UTIs are trimethoprim (Trimpex), trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (Bactrim, Septra, Cotrim), amoxicillin (Amoxil, Trimox, Wymox), nitrofurantoin (Macrodantin, Furadantin), and ampicillin (Omnipen, Polycillin, Principen, Totacillin). A class of drugs called quinolones includes four drugs approved in recent years for treating UTI. These drugs include ofloxacin (Floxin), norfloxacin (Noroxin), ciprofloxacin (Cipro), and trovafloxin (Trovan).

Often, a UTI can be cured with 1 or 2 days of treatment if the infection is not complicated by an obstruction or other disorder. Still, many doctors ask their patients to take antibiotics for a week or two to ensure that the infection has been cured. Single-dose treatment is not recommended for some groups of patients, for example, those who have delayed treatment or have signs of a kidney infection, patients with diabetes or structural abnormalities, or men who have prostate infections. Longer treatment is also needed by patients with infections caused by Mycoplasma or Chlamydia, which are usually treated with tetracycline, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (TMP/SMZ), or doxycycline. A followup urinalysis helps to confirm that the urinary tract is infection-free. It is important to take the full course of treatment because symptoms may disappear before the infection is fully cleared.

Severely ill patients with kidney infections may be hospitalized until they can take fluids and needed drugs on their own. Kidney infections generally require several weeks of antibiotic treatment. Researchers at the University of Washington found that 2-week therapy with TMP/SMZ was as effective as 6 weeks of treatment with the same drug in women with kidney infections that did not involve an obstruction or nervous system disorder. In such cases, kidney infections rarely lead to kidney damage or kidney failure unless they go untreated.

Various drugs are available to relieve the pain of a UTI. A heating pad may also help. Most doctors suggest that drinking plenty of water helps cleanse the urinary tract of bacteria. During treatment, it is best to avoid coffee, alcohol, and spicy foods. And one of the best things a smoker can do for his or her bladder is to quit smoking. Smoking is the major known cause of bladder cancer.

Recurrent Infections in Women

Women who have had three UTIs are likely to continue having them. Four out of five such women get another within 18 months of the last UTI. Many women have them even more often. A woman who has frequent recurrences (three or more a year) can ask her doctor about one of the following treatment options:

• Take low doses of an antibiotic such as TMP/SMZ or nitrofurantoin daily for 6 months or longer. If taken at bedtime, the drug remains in the bladder longer and may be more effective. NIH-supported research at the University of Washington has shown this therapy to be effective without causing serious side effects.
• Take a single dose of an antibiotic after sexual intercourse.
• Take a short course (1 or 2 days) of antibiotics when symptoms appear.

Dipsticks that change color when an infection is present are now available without a prescription. The strips detect nitrite, which is formed when bacteria change nitrate in the urine to nitrite. The test can detect about 90 percent of UTIs when used with the first morning urine specimen and may be useful for women who have recurrent infections.

Doctors suggest some additional steps that a woman can take on her own to avoid an infection:

• Drink plenty of water every day.
• Urinate when you feel the need; don't resist the urge to urinate.
• Wipe from front to back to prevent bacteria around the anus from entering the vagina or urethra.
• Take showers instead of tub baths.
• Cleanse the genital area before sexual intercourse.
• Avoid using feminine hygiene sprays and scented douches, which may irritate the urethra.
• Some doctors suggest drinking cranberry juice.

Infections in Pregnancy

A pregnant woman who develops a UTI should be treated promptly to avoid premature delivery of her baby and other risks such as high blood pressure. Some antibiotics are not safe to take during pregnancy. In selecting the best treatments, doctors consider various factors such as the drug's effectiveness, the stage of pregnancy, the mother's health, and potential effects on the fetus.

Complicated Infections

Curing infections that stem from a urinary obstruction or other systemic disorders depends on finding and correcting the underlying problem, sometimes with surgery. If the root cause goes untreated, this group of patients is at risk of kidney damage. Also, such infections tend to arise from a wider range of bacteria, and sometimes from more than one type of bacteria at a time.

Infections in Men

UTIs in men are often a result of an obstruction—for example, a urinary stone or enlarged prostate—or from a medical procedure involving a catheter. The first step is to identify the infecting organism and the drugs to which it is sensitive. Usually, doctors recommend lengthier therapy in men than in women, in part to prevent infections of the prostate gland.

Prostate infections (chronic bacterial prostatitis) are harder to cure because antibiotics are unable to penetrate infected prostate tissue effectively. For this reason, men with prostatitis often need long-term treatment with a carefully selected antibiotic. UTIs in older men are frequently associated with acute bacterial prostatitis, which can have serious consequences if not treated urgently.

Prevention

The following measures can reduce the risk for bladder infections and other UTIs:

• Avoid products that may irritate the urethra (e.g., bubble bath, scented feminine products).
• Cleanse the genital area before sexual intercourse.
• Change soiled diapers in infants and toddlers promptly.
• Drink plenty of water to remove bacteria from the urinary tract.
• Do not routinely resist the urge to urinate.
• Take showers instead of baths.
• Urinate after sexual intercourse.
• Women and girls should wipe from front to back after voiding to prevent contaminating the urethra with bacteria from the anal area.

Vaccine to Prevent

In the future, scientists may develop a vaccine that can prevent UTIs from coming back. Researchers in different studies have found that children and women who tend to get UTIs repeatedly are likely to lack proteins called immunoglobulins, which fight infection. Children and women who do not get UTIs are more likely to have normal levels of immunoglobulins in their genital and urinary tracts.

Early tests indicate that a vaccine helps patients build up their own natural infection-fighting powers. The dead bacteria in the vaccine do not spread like an infection; instead, they prompt the body to produce antibodies that can later fight against live organisms. Researchers are testing injected and oral vaccines to see which works best. Another method being considered for women is to apply the vaccine directly as a suppository in the vagina.

Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) -- Who is at risk?

Some people are more prone to getting a UTI than others. Any abnormality of the urinary tract that obstructs the flow of urine (a kidney stone, for example) sets the stage for an infection. An enlarged prostate gland also can slow the flow of urine, thus raising the risk of infection.

A common source of infection is catheters, or tubes, placed in the urethra and bladder. A person who cannot void or who is unconscious or critically ill often needs a catheter that stays in place for a long time. Some people, especially the elderly or those with nervous system disorders who lose bladder control, may need a catheter for life. Bacteria on the catheter can infect the bladder, so hospital staff take special care to keep the catheter clean and remove it as soon as possible.

People with diabetes have a higher risk of a UTI because of changes in the immune system. Any other disorder that suppresses the immune system raises the risk of a urinary infection.

UTIs may occur in infants, both boys and girls, who are born with abnormalities of the urinary tract, which sometimes need to be corrected with surgery. UTIs are more rare in boys and young men. In adult women, though, the rate of UTIs gradually increases with age. Scientists are not sure why women have more urinary infections than men. One factor may be that a woman's urethra is short, allowing bacteria quick access to the bladder. Also, a woman's urethral opening is near sources of bacteria from the anus and vagina. For many women, sexual intercourse seems to trigger an infection, although the reasons for this linkage are unclear.

According to several studies, women who use a diaphragm are more likely to develop a UTI than women who use other forms of birth control. Recently, researchers found that women whose partners use a condom with spermicidal foam also tend to have growth of E. coli bacteria in the vagina.

Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)

Urinary tract infection (UTI) is a common infection that usually occurs when bacteria enter the opening of the urethra and multiply in the urinary tract. The urinary tract includes the kidneys, the tubes that carry urine from the kidneys to the bladder (ureters), bladder, and the tube that carries urine from the bladder (urethra). The special connection of the ureters at the bladder help prevent urine from backing up into the kidneys, and the flow of urine through the urethra helps to eliminate bacteria. Men, women, and children develop UTIs.

Types

Urinary tract infections usually develop first in the lower urinary tract (urethra, bladder) and, if not treated, progress to the upper urinary tract (ureters, kidneys).

• Bladder infection (cystitis) is by far the most common UTI.
• Infection of the urethra is called urethritis.
• Kidney infection (pyelonephritis) requires urgent treatment and can lead to reduced kidney function and possibly even death in untreated, severe cases.
  

Cause

Most urinary tract infections are caused by bacteria. Any part of your urinary tract can become infected. The urinary tract includes the kidneys, ureters, bladder and urethra. Bladder infections are the most common.

Normally, urine is sterile. It is usually free of bacteria, viruses, and fungi but does contain fluids, salts, and waste products. An infection occurs when tiny organisms, usually bacteria from the digestive tract, cling to the opening of the urethra and begin to multiply. The urethra is the tube that carries urine from the bladder to outside the body. Most infections arise from one type of bacteria, Escherichia coli (E. coli), which normally lives in the colon.

In many cases, bacteria first travel to the urethra. When bacteria multiply, an infection can occur. An infection limited to the urethra is called urethritis. If bacteria move to the bladder and multiply, a bladder infection, called cystitis, results. If the infection is not treated promptly, bacteria may then travel further up the ureters to multiply and infect the kidneys. A kidney infection is called pyelonephritis.

Microorganisms called Chlamydia and Mycoplasma may also cause UTIs in both men and women, but these infections tend to remain limited to the urethra and reproductive system. Unlike E. coli, Chlamydia and Mycoplasma may be sexually transmitted, and infections require treatment of both partners.

The urinary system is structured in a way that helps ward off infection. The ureters and bladder normally prevent urine from backing up toward the kidneys, and the flow of urine from the bladder helps wash bacteria out of the body. In men, the prostate gland produces secretions that slow bacterial growth. In both sexes, immune defenses also prevent infection. But despite these safeguards, infections still occur.

Diagnosa

To find out whether you have a UTI, your doctor will test a sample of urine for pus and bacteria. You will be asked to give a "clean catch" urine sample by washing the genital area and collecting a "midstream" sample of urine in a sterile container. This method of collecting urine helps prevent bacteria around the genital area from getting into the sample and confusing the test results. Usually, the sample is sent to a laboratory, although some doctors' offices are equipped to do the testing.

In the urinalysis test, the urine is examined for white and red blood cells and bacteria. Then the bacteria are grown in a culture and tested against different antibiotics to see which drug best destroys the bacteria. This last step is called a sensitivity test.

Some microbes, like Chlamydia and Mycoplasma, can be detected only with special bacterial cultures. A doctor suspects one of these infections when a person has symptoms of a UTI and pus in the urine, but a standard culture fails to grow any bacteria.

When an infection does not clear up with treatment and is traced to the same strain of bacteria, the doctor may order some tests to determine if your system is normal. One of these tests is an intravenous pyelogram, which gives x-ray images of the bladder, kidneys, and ureters. An opaque dye visible on x-ray film is injected into a vein, and a series of x rays is taken. The film shows an outline of the urinary tract, revealing even small changes in the structure of the tract.

If you have recurrent infections, your doctor also may recommend an ultrasound exam, which gives pictures from the echo patterns of soundwaves bounced back from internal organs. Another useful test is cystoscopy. A cystoscope is an instrument made of a hollow tube with several lenses and a light source, which allows the doctor to see inside the bladder from the urethra.

Possible Signs of a Bladder Infection

Symptoms of UTI in young children include the following:

• Diarrhea
• Excessive crying that cannot be resolved by typical measures (e.g., feeding, holding)
• Loss of appetite
• Fever
• Nausea and vomiting

Older children may experience the following symptoms with UTI:

• Flank or lower back pain (with a kidney infection)
• Frequent urination
• Inability to produce more than a small amount of urine at a time
• Incontinence
• Pain in the abdomen or pelvic area
• Painful urination (dysuria)
• Urine that is cloudy or has an unusual smell

Symptoms of lower UTI (e.g., cystitis, urethritis) in adults include the following:

• Back pain
• Blood in the urine (hematuria)
• Cloudy dark or bloody urine
• Inability to urinate despite the urge
• Fever
• Feeling like you need to urinate more often than usual
• Feeling the urge to urinate but not being able to
• Urine that smells bad
• General discomfort (malaise)
• Painful urination, burning sensation when you urinate (dysuria)

Symptoms that indicate upper UTI (e.g., pyelonephritis) in adults include the following:

• Chills
• High fever
• Nausea
• Pain below the ribs
• Vomiting

Complications

Hormonal changes and shifts in the urinary tract during pregnancy increase the risk for kidney infection. Prenatal care includes regular urine testing because bacteria are often present without causing symptoms and UTI during pregnancy may result in complications (e.g., premature birth, high blood pressure) for the mother and fetus. Diseases that suppress the immune system (e.g., HIV) and debilitating diseases (e.g., cancer, sickle cell anemia) increase the risk for UTIs and complications.

Pregnancy -- Preconception Planning

Preconception planning — Make sure your body is ready for the demands of pregnancy.

If you've decided you're ready to get pregnant, you may already be emotionally committed to parenthood. But is your body prepared for the task ahead?

To help ensure a healthy pregnancy, schedule a preconception appointment with your doctor. Be ready to discuss the following subjects.

Birth control

If you've been taking birth control pills, your doctor may recommend a pill-free break before trying to conceive. This will allow your reproductive system to go through several normal cycles — which will make it easier to more accurately determine when ovulation occurred and establish an expected due date.

During the pill-free break, you may want to use condoms or another barrier method of contraception.

Immunities

Infections such as chickenpox (varicella) and German measles (rubella) can cause serious disease for your unborn baby. If you aren't immune to these infections, your doctor may recommend being vaccinated at least one month before you try to conceive.

Chronic conditions

If you have a chronic medical condition — such as diabetes, asthma or high blood pressure — you'll want to make sure it's under control before you conceive. Your doctor will explain any special care you may need during pregnancy as well.

Family history

Sometimes family history — either your history or your partner's — increases the risk of having a child with certain conditions or birth defects. If genetic disorders are a concern, your doctor may refer you to a genetic counselor for a preconception assessment.

Medications and supplements

Tell your doctor about any medications, herbs or supplements you're taking. He or she may recommend changing doses or stopping them completely before you conceive.

This is also the time to begin taking a prenatal vitamin. Make sure it includes folic acid — a B vitamin that helps prevent serious birth defects in early pregnancy. Before conception and during pregnancy, you'll need 1 milligram (1,000 micrograms) of folic acid a day.

Age

After age 35, the risk of fertility problems, miscarriage and certain chromosomal disorders increases. Some pregnancy-related problems, such as high blood pressure and gestational diabetes, are more common in older mothers as well. Discuss these risks with your doctor and develop a plan for avoiding complications.

Previous pregnancies

Your doctor will ask about previous pregnancies. Be sure to mention any complications you may have had, such as high blood pressure, gestational diabetes, preterm labor, premature birth or birth defects. Share any concerns or fears you may have about another pregnancy. Your doctor will help you identify the best ways to boost the chances of a healthy pregnancy.

Lifestyle

Healthy lifestyle choices can help give your baby the best start. Your doctor will discuss eating healthy foods, exercising regularly and keeping stress under control. It's also important to avoid alcohol and recreational drugs. If you smoke, ask your doctor about resources to help you quit.

Your partner

If possible, have your partner attend the preconception visit with you. He can answer questions about his family medical history and risk factors for infections or birth defects. Your partner's health and lifestyle are important because they can affect you and your baby.

Source: http://health.msn.com/

Chocolates -- Choosing the Healthiest Chocolates

Health Problems

While chocolate itself is fine to eat, there are some substances present in chocolate products that you should watch out for. Most chocolate products contain tremendous amounts of refined white sugar, which is harmful to health in many ways.

Chocolate may also contain pesticides. The EPA allows various levels of pesticide residue to be present in cocoa powder, and the FDA Total Diet Study found them in many chocolate products.

Many chocolates also contain the toxic metals cadminum and lead. "Significant levels" of these metals were found in 68% of the common chocolate products tested. There is no safe level for lead, and it is particularly harmful to children.

Healthy Chocolate Choices

Here are some guidelines for choosing the healthiest chocolates.

1. Choose chocolates with the least amount of refined white sugar or other sweetener. Dark "bittersweet" chocolates with a high percentage of cocoa solids (usually the label will state the exact percentage) have less sugar than semisweet or milk chocolate and also have the greatest health benefits. Keep in mind that flavor additions, such as dried fruits and candied ginger may also add sugar to the chocolate.
2. Choose chocolates sweetened with evaporated cane juice or barley malt. If the evaporated cane juice used is the unprocessed whole juice of the cane, it acts in the body like a whole food and doesn't give a sugar rush. Barley malt is also a slow-release sweetener, noted on the label as "grain-sweetened."
3. Choose organic chocolates. Certified organic chocolate ensures there are no harmful pesticide residues.
4. Make your own chocolates. It's easy to make many chocolate delights yourself, with the exact ingredients you want. Start with unsweetened cocoa powder or baking chocolate and be creative!
5. Choose quality over quantity. If you are going to eat chocolate, eat really good chocolate. Then, for maximum enjoyment, give the taste of the chocolate your full attention, eat it at a time when you are not famished or overly full, and allow the chocolate to melt in your mouth to make the experience last.

So go ahead and enjoy chocolate, in moderation, as part of an otherwise healthy diet.

Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

Sugar -- Quite Simply, Your Body's Fuel.

Every year there is a new book spouting a new 'revolutionary' fat-busting diet. And more often than not, sugar is fingered as the culprit for weight gain.

Did you know that sugar is a natural carbohydrate, made of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen - nothing more, nothing less? Individual sugar molecules are called monosaccharides, which include sugars such as fructose found in fruit. When two sets of molecules link they form disaccharides such as sucrose (table sugar) and lactose (the sugar found in milk). And if this molecule becomes even more complex it forms starches and fiber. So in other words, the sugar on your cereal is exactly the same sugar found naturally in sugar beets, apples, carrots and other fruit and vegetables.

All types of carbohydrates break down to monosaccharides and, more specifically, glucose, in the body to create energy through a natural and well-regulated metabolic process. Glucose is what keeps your body running and is crucial to the proper functioning of your brain and nervous system.

We're all born with an instinctive love of sweet foods, which is nature's way of telling us that a food is nourishing, and high in the energy our bodies need.

Source: http://www.sugarfacts.co.za/

Top 10 -- Sources of Antioxidants

Antioxidants are magic food components. Research shows that these substances could help the body fight cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease by thwarting the action of harmful free radicals.But which foods are the real antioxidant bombs? Norwegian and US scientists recently compiled an extensive list. In terms of the highest antioxidant content per serving, the winners were:

1. Blackberries
5,75 millimoles per 100g serving

This wonderfully delectable summer fruit came out tops. Blackberries give an antioxidant kick of 5,75 millimoles per serving.

Blackberries are also fat-free, and a source of folic acid and vitamin C, so there's no holding back. Whip them into smoothies, make a wicked fruit coulis to serve with desserts, or simply have them fresh.

You can freeze blackberries and use them all year round. This can be done by coating the berries with a mixture of sugar and ascorbic acid (ask your pharmacist), but it is generally better to freeze lightly boiled berries to which sugar has been added.

2. Walnuts
3,72 millimoles per 100g serving

Nuts are great health foods – they're cholesterol-free, generally low in sodium and a great source of vitamins and minerals. But in terms of antioxidant content, walnuts seem to beat the rest of the nut family with 3,72 millimoles per serving.

Toss these nuts into salads, mix them into muesli, or include them in rice pudding or apple tart. Just make sure that you have no more than a handful of walnuts per day. If you're overweight, cut this amount to a handful no more than three times per week.

3. Strawberries
3,58 millimoles per 100g serving

Strawberries are sexy, fun and – best of all – so low in calories that you can eat as much as you like without giving your weight a second thought.

These fruits should also form part of your diet for another reason: they're packed with antioxidants and clock in at 3,58 millimoles of these health-boosting components per 100g serving.

There's no need to tell you that strawberries are a great addition to desserts, smoothies, salads, and even cocktails – just make sure you eat them as fresh as possible.

4. Artichokes, cooked
3,56 millimoles per 100g serving

The humble artichoke also made the top-10 list. Apart from the 3,56 millimole/100g antioxidant punch, artichokes are a good source of iron.

These veggies also help to reduce bowel upsets and help to let good bacteria flourish in your gut. Cook artichokes for 20 minutes with a slice or two of lemon, a bay leaf and salt. The leaves and the heart can then be eaten.

5. Cranberries
3,13 millimoles per 100g serving

The cranberry really is a super-food. Numerous studies have shown that the anti-inflammatory properties of this fruit can help to prevent and treat urinary tract, and possibly other, infections.

One reason why cranberries are so healthy, is because of their high antioxidant content (3,13 millimoles per 100g).

As cranberries are generally too tart to eat fresh, go for the canned varieties and use these in both sweet and savoury dishes.

6. Raspberries
2,87 millimoles per 100g serving

Raspberries have a long history of being used to treat conditions ranging from tonsillitis to stomach aches and also to strengthening the womb in pregnancy.

Now we know that these berries are not only a good source of antioxidants (2,87 millimoles per 100g serving), but are also high in vitamin C.

Ask your grocery store if they stock fresh or frozen raspberries, and use them in fruit salads, deserts or eat them with yoghurt for breakfast.

7. Blueberries
2,68 millimoles per 100g serving

Another berry, this time the blueberry, made the list. This only goes to show that berries really are super foods.

Apart from the high antioxidant content (2,68 millimoles per serving) there is also preliminary evidence that berries can thwart cholesterol and help prevent liver cancer.

Blueberries are not sour and can be eaten raw. This will preserve their vitamin C content.

8. Cloves, ground
2,64 millimoles per 100g serving

Who would have thought that cloves, a great addition to anything from chicken dishes to Christmas mince pies, could have magic health-boosting properties?

Well, this spice made the top 10 antioxidant list – and with good reason. It contains 2,64 millimoles of antioxidants per 100g serving.

While it's more difficult to get your daily antioxidant injection from this spice – simply because we generally use it in small quantities – you should still try to incorporate it in your diet.

9. Grape juice
2,56 millimoles per 100g serving

You already know that a daily glass of wine can kick-start your health. But plain old grape juice seems to be even better – at least when it comes to levels of antioxidants (2,56 millimoles per serving).

Research shows that red grape juice can improve cholesterol levels and inflammatory markers associated with heart disease. This action has been linked to the antioxidant content of the juice.

But be warned: grape juice has a high sugar content and can add quite a few calories to your diet. Don't drink more than one glass of juice, diluted with water, per day.

10. Cranberry juice
2,47 millimoles per 100g serving

As mentioned above, cranberries have strong anti-inflammatory effects and are particularly useful in preventing urinary tract infections.

As fresh, raw cranberries are too tart to eat, cranberry juice is the ideal way to tap the benefits of this fruit.

Try to drink a small glass of cranberry juice every day – especially if you're prone to urinary tract infections. Or combine cranberry juice with iced Rooibos tea for a refreshing summer drink.

Reference:
Halvorsen BL, Carlsen MH, Phillips KM, Bohn SK, Holte K, Jacobs DR Jr, Blomhoff R. Content of redox-active compounds (ie, antioxidants) in foods consumed in the United States. Am J Clin Nutr. 2006 Jul;84(1):95-135.

Source: www.health24.com

Cabbage -- The Soup Diet, Russian Authentic Cabbage Soup

The Cabbage Soup Diet's idea is pretty much the same as the Negative Calorie Diet. Some feel that, though the diet is effective in helping them lose weight, it's boring. Being a Russian, I habitually respect this dish and tend to disagree. Cabbage soup has been a staple in Russian cuisine for more than a thousand years. There were never any social barriers in cooking these soups - "Schi": all social groups cooked this dish using almost the same recipes (give or take the beef part). There are numerous regional and seasonal varieties, including those in accordance with the Russian Orthodox calendar requiring strictly vegetarian menus at least twice a week.

The cooking technique was always the same, using a very special Russian hearth. The cooking is done not on top but within the hearth, which has a brick arch above the hot surface and a special door closing the arch's insides. A fire was lighted only once during the day, but the thick brick walls kept the heat for up to 24 hours, so the pots inside were warm even a day after the cooking, allowing a cooking that resembles that of a crock pot. This technique is considered a healthy one because it allows minimal heating time and preserves the nutrients.

Below is a classic example of "Schi," called the "Full Schi," which means that it includes the full set of ingredients.

Russian Authentic Cabbage Soup

15 g carbohydrate in a 1.5 cup serving.

Ingredients:

1 1/2lb. beef
1 1/2lb. sauerkraut
3 oz dried mushrooms
1/2 c pickled mushrooms (optional)
1/2 carrot, shredded
1 potato, cubed
1 onion, chopped
1/2c celery root, chopped
1/2 c celery stalk and leaf, chopped
1 T dill herb
3 bay leaves
4 cloves garlic, diced
1 T sunflower oil
1 T heavy cream
1/2 c sour cream
8 peppercorns, whole
1 t dried marjoram

Instructions

Boil the beef with half of the onions, carrots and celery in 2 liters of water for 2 hours. After 1 hour, add salt to taste. Drain, then cut the beef into 1-inch cubes, reserving the broth.

In a large ovenproof bowl, pour 1 liter boiling water over the sauerkraut, add the oil and the hard cream. Cover the bowl and place it in the oven at medium heat for 30 minutes, or until the sauerkraut is soft.

Put the mushrooms and potatoes into a saucepan; add 2 cups cold water and boil until the mushrooms and potatoes are tender. Remove mushrooms and cut into thin strips. Mix all cooked ingredients with the broth. Add salt and boil for 20 minutes more. Set aside, cover with a thick cloth and let set for 20 minutes. If desired, add pickled mushrooms to each serving. Serve with beef, sour cream, garlic and fresh finely chopped dill.

Cabbage -- Maximising the Benefits

How much cabbage should you eat?

Two to three helpings a week of cabbage are recommended if it is to have a general protective effect. Eating too much cabbage, can, however, reduce iodine absorption in the body.

Maximising the benefits of cabbage

The outer leaves of cabbage should be washed properly to get rid of farm chemical residues. Cabbage can be eaten raw, cooked, baked, stuffed. To help reduce flatulence, cabbage can be eaten with caraway or fennel seeds.

Nutritional values of cabbage

Calories	26
B vitamins	high
Beta-carotene	385mcg
Calcium	52mg
Folate	75 mcg
Potassium	270 mg
Vitamin C	50 mg
Vitamin E	0,2 mg
Per 100g

Cabbage is a popular vegetable that is used for cooking and is also known for its medicinal properties (it said to contain chemicals that can prevent cancer). The history of its uses can be traced to the Greek era, where the Greeks used fresh white cabbage juice to relieve sore or infected eyes. During those times, the Romans and Egyptians would drink cabbage juice before meals to prevent intoxication.

Precaution: do not eat red cabbage raw. Avoid cabbage if you suffer from goiter, or take MAOI antidepressants. Cooked red cabbage can cause constipation and irritation of colon.

The use :

1. Drink fresh cabbage juice if you suffer from gastritis
2. This is another benefit of cabbage. Drink 25 – 50 ml cabbage juice everyday to treat headache, asthma, bronchitis and other digestion problems.
3. White cabbage juice dabbed on mouth ulcers will make the healing faster.

Tips :

1. Don’t buy halved or quartered heads of cabbage even if it’s well wrapped. As soon as the leaves are cut, cabbage will loose it’s vitamin C
2. Wash cabbage only when you are ready to use it.
3. Look for solid, heavy heads of cabbage, with no more than 3 – 4 loose outer leaves.

Cabbage -- Benefits, Medical Uses and Researches

Benefits of Cabbage

Cabbage may reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke as well as that of cancer, specifically colon cancer. It may also cut the risk of cataracts and spina bifida. It speeds ulcer healing and improves digestive health. Cabbage has a high folate, vitamin B and antioxidant content. Naturally occurring chemicals (indoles, isothiocyanates, glucosinolates, dithiolethiones, and phenols) in cabbage, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, and other cruciferous vegetables appear to reduce the risk of some cancers, perhaps by preventing the formation of carcinogens in your body or by blocking cancer-causing substances from reaching or reacting with sensitive body tissues or by inhibiting the transformation of healthy cells to malignant ones.

All cruciferous vegetables contain sulforaphane, a member of a family of chemicals known as isothiocyanates. In experiments with laboratory rats, sulforaphane appears to increase the body's production of phase-2 enzymes, naturally occurring substances that inactivate and help eliminate carcinogens. At Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, 69 percent of the rats injected with a chemical known to cause mammary cancer developed tumors vs. only 26 percent of the rats given the carcinogenic chemical plus sulforaphane.

In 1997, Johns Hopkins researchers discovered that broccoli seeds and three-day-old broccoli sprouts contain a compound converted to sulforaphane when the seed and sprout cells are crushed. Five grams of three-day-old broccoli sprouts contain as much sulforaphane as 150 grams of mature broccoli. The sulforaphane levels in other cruciferous vegetables have not yet been calculated.

Lower risk of some birth defects. As many as two of every 1,000 babies born in the United States each year may have cleft palate or a neural tube (spinal cord) defect due to their mothers' not having gotten adequate amounts of folate during pregnancy. The current RDA for folate is 180 mcg for a woman and 200 mcg for a man, but the FDA now recommends 400 mcg for a woman who is or may become pregnant. Taking a folate supplement before becoming pregnant and through the first two months of pregnancy reduces the risk of cleft palate; taking folate through the entire pregnancy reduces the risk of neural tube defects.

Lower risk of heart attack. In the spring of 1998, an analysis of data from the records for more than 80,000 women enrolled in the long-running Nurses Health Study at Harvard School of Public Health/Brigham and Woman's Hospital in Boston demonstrated that a diet providing more than 400 mcg folate and 3 mg vitamin B₆ a day from either food or supplements, more than twice the current RDA for each, may reduce a woman's risk of heart attack by almost 50 percent. Although men were not included in the analysis, the results are assumed to apply to them as well. NOTE: Fruit, green leafy vegetables, beans, whole grains, meat, fish, poultry, and shellfish are good sources of vitamin B6.

Research Shows Health Benefits of Cabbage.

Several clinical studies have found cabbage to be effective in warding off diseases, specifically, cancer:

In their article "Vegetables, Fruit and Phytoestrogens as Preventive Agents, " Drs. Potter and Steinmetz from Cancer Prevention Research Program, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington, reviewed 205studies and, based on the evidence provided in these studies, included cruciferous vegetables (of which cabbage is a member) into the list of foods containing preventive phytoestrogens. They wrote:

"The practice of medicine-- past and present -- often involves the prescription of specific foods(almost always plants) or their potent derivatives, to treat a wide spectrum of illnesses. Foods that have been ascribed healing properties include the cruciferae (cabbage), the allium family, celery, cucumber, endive, parsley ,radish and legumes."(1)

Scientists from the Cancer Research Laboratory, University of Auckland, New Zealand, investigated the role of micronutrients in healthy nutrition and concluded that some micronutrients that seemed to play a protective role in cancer are beta-carotene, vitamin E and vitamin C. In addition to those chemicals with an established role in nutrition, there is also a less well-defined group of chemicals, often referred to as phytochemicals, which may prove even more important. Examples here are a group of sulphur-containing chemicals present in brassicaceous vegetables, such as broccoli and cabbage, that appear to be very effective anticarcinogens.(2)

In the Department of Nutrition and Food Studies, New York University, researchers aimed to identify specific phytochemicals in Brassica vegetables, such as sulforaphane in broccoli that may confer protection against cancer.(3)

In China (Department of Epidemiology, Harbin Medical College, Heilongjiang), consumption of cabbage was found to protect against brain tumor development. Consumption of fresh vegetables-- specifically that of Chinese cabbage and onion -- fruit, fresh fish and poultry was inversely related to the risk of developing brain cancer. (4)

One of the most impressive results came from the Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research, Nutrition and Food Research Institute. The results of 94 studies showed that with an increase in the consumption of cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli, the risk of many types of cancer decreased.(5)

Studies conducted by the Department of Applied Biological Science, Tokyo Noko University, concluded that cabbage is also good for keeping cholesterol levels low. Cabbage was found to contain S-methyl-L-cysteine sulfoxide, which suppresses hypercholesterolemia by upregulating cholesterol catabolism. (6)

Adverse Effects Associated with Cabbage

Enlarged thyroid gland (goiter). Cruciferous vegetables, including cabbage, contain goitrin, thiocyanate, and isothiocyanate. These chemicals, known collectively as goitrogens, inhibit the formation of thyroid hormones and cause the thyroid to enlarge in an attempt to produce more. Goitrogens are not hazardous for healthy people who eat moderate amounts of cruciferous vegetables, but they may pose problems for people who have a thyroid condition or are taking thyroid medication.

Intestinal gas. Bacteria that live naturally in the gut degrade the indigestible carbohydrates (food fiber) in cabbage, producing gas that some people find distressing.

Food/Drug Interactions

Anticoagulants. Like other leaf vegetables, cabbage contains vitamin K, the blood-clotting vitamin produced naturally by bacteria in our intestines. Additional intake of vitamin K may reduce the effectiveness of anticoagulants (warfarin, Coumadin, Panwarfin), so that larger doses may be required.

Monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors. Monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors are drugs used to treat depression. They inactivate naturally occurring enzymes in your body that metabolize tyramine, a substance found in many fermented or aged foods. Tyramine constricts blood vessels and increases blood pressure. If you eat a food such as sauerkraut which is high in tyramine while you are taking an MAO inhibitor, you cannot effectively eliminate the tyramine from your body. The result may be a hypertensive crisis.

Hair -- 4 Steps Hair Diet

Put your hair on a four-step diet and reap the benefits with stronger, more lustrous locks!

Step 1: Eat plenty of iron-rich protein
Protein is necessary for all cell growth, including hair cells. And the iron found within certain protein foods helps your red blood cells carry oxygen to all cells in the body, including the hair follicles.

Good sources of iron-rich protein include clams, oysters, lean beef, turkey, duck, lamb, chicken, pork, shrimp, and eggs.

Good sources of vegetarian iron-rich protein include tofu, soybeans, lentils, beans, and black-eyed peas.

Step 2: Load up on Vitamin C
Vitamin C improves the body's ability to absorb non-heme iron (also known as vegetarian-based iron), so vegetarians should eat iron-rich vegetables and foods rich in vitamin C at the same meal.

Good sources of Vitamin C include guava, peppers, oranges, grapefruit, strawberries, pineapple, papayas, lemons, broccoli, kale, and Brussels sprouts.

Step 3: Be sure to get your Bs (folate, vitamin B-6, vitamin B-12)
These vitamins are involved in the creation of red blood cells, which carry oxygen and nutrients to all body cells, including those of the scalp, follicles, and growing hair. Without enough B vitamins, the cells will not thrive, causing shedding, slow growth, or weak hair that is prone to breaking.

Good sources of vitamin B-6 include fortified whole-grain breakfast cereals, garbanzo beans, wild salmon, lean beef, pork tenderloin, chicken breast, white potatoes (w/skin), bananas, and lentils.

Good sources of Vitamin B-12 include shellfish (clams, oysters, crab), wild salmon, fortified whole-grain breakfast cereal, soy milk, trout, lean beef, and low-fat cottage cheese.

Good sources of folate include fortified whole-grain breakfast cereals, lentils, black-eyed peas, soybeans, oatmeal, turnip greens, spinach, green peas, artichokes, okra, beets, parsnips, and broccoli.

Step 4: Don't forget the Zinc
The mineral zinc is involved in tissue growth and repair, including hair growth. It also helps keep the oil glands around the hair follicles working properly. Low levels of zinc can cause hair loss, slow growth, and dandruff.

Good sources of zinc include oysters, lean beef, crab, ostrich, pork tenderloin, peanut butter, wheat germ, turkey, veal, pumpkin seeds, chicken, and chickpeas.

source: www.joybauernutrition.com

Take It or Leave It at the Salad Bar

How to get from one end to the other without detonating an explosion of bad fats, sodium, sugar, and refined carb? Because salad bars can be diet salvation or junk-food minefields. Here some tips for:

1. Greens Ones

Build a vitamin and fiber packed foundation by starting with roughly 1 cup of spinach and romaine leaves for more than half of your daily vitamin A and all of your K, plus some C, folate, two potent vision protectors, and more.

You can skip, lighter greens tend to offer less nutritionally. Iceberg lettuce, for instance, delivers only about 7% of the A you need, some K and not much else.

2. Bright Veggetables

Then, add about 1 cup of the most colorful crudités like: broccoli, carrots, cherry tomatoes, green and red peppers, beets. Vibrant veggies give you more fiber, minerals, vitamins, and disease-fighting antioxidants than their paler companions, like celery and cucumbers.

You can leave anything coated in mayo or an indefinable dressing, including carrot and raisin mixes, cole slaw, and potato salad.

3. Lean Proteins

Take for about ½ cup of these. Chickpeas and kidney beans are nifty sources of fat-free protein (6 grams each). Sliced hard-boiled eggs (8 grams) are another smart choice; just limit the yolk to limit the fat.

Skip some chicken, tuna, or crab salads - they're usually made with high-fat mayo; three-bean salad, which typically is afloat in a sea of oil; and cottage cheese, which is high in aging (read artery-clogging) saturated fat.

4. Crunchy and Extra Flavor

For cheese, add 1 tablespoon of Parmesan (22 calories) to punch up the flavor, or 1 tablespoon of walnuts or sunflower seeds for some healthy crunch. Both have good-for-your-heart fats, which help your body absorb the nutrients in all those veggies.

Just leave cheddar cubes because you'll quickly eat more than you need. Croutons, they may look harmless but at 100 calories per ¼ cup, they're usually high-cal booby traps of refined carbs, sodium, and trans fats. Ditto for crunchy Asian noodles.

5. Swirl Dressing

Now swirl on about 1 tablespoon of heart-healthy olive oil, a splash of vinegar, a grating of pepper, and toss, toss, toss. Ask any chef. It's the secret to a perfect salad - thorough tossing ensures that all the flavors and textures are evenly distributed and lets you use minimal dressing to maximum effect.

Aviod right past those vats of ready-made salad dressings. Even the low-fat or fat-free versions are usually loaded with salt, sugar, and additives. And just 2 tablespoons of regular blue cheese or ranch have about 160 fat-packed calories

Tips For Fruit salad

Go for whatever's fresh like melons, berries, pineapple, kiwi and top with 1 to 2 tablespoons of chopped walnuts or sunflower seeds for a dollop of good fats and crunchy flavor. Then buy a small container of low- or no-fat yogurt/cottage cheese for creamy protein minus the sat fat in dairy foods. Don’t put syrupy canned peaches, apricots, pears, etc. They have far more calories and fewer nutrients than fresh fruit.