Thursday, November 21, 2013

The Anticancer and Wellness Diet Plan



Cancer is a mysterious disease characterized by the abnormal growth of cells in the body. It can be caused by a lot of factors such as various harmful chemicals in the environment, by the food we eat, by the kind of lifestyle we lead, and smoking. 

We can prevent the development of cancer by following a healthy diet and a healthy lifestyle.
 
But what constitutes a healthy diet and a healthy lifestyle?

I wrote this article primarily to share the experience of an ovarian cancer survivor who wrote about the kind of diet program that she pursued since she was diagnosed with cancer more than five years ago. 

I thought that this would be helpful not only to cancer survivors but also to those who fear having this dreaded disease in any form.

The number of women getting breast cancer has increased in recent years and it is the fear of this disease that got me to take a closer and more serious look at this article and make this more personal. 

I want to connect with women who want to know more about how to prevent breast cancer, what this disease is all about, what foods to avoid, what food to eat and just everything about breast cancer.

The anticancer diet plan below has been used by this lady for many years now and she has not been sick since following this diet plan.

After battling and surviving ovarian cancer, the lady advices that you should totally abstain from these types of food:
REFINED SUGAR. Why? What about refined sugar?
  • Refined sugar disrupts the body's pH level making the body more acidic. The body responds by taking away minerals from other parts to compensate for the acidity. 
     
    When calcium, for example, is taken from the bones, the bones eventually become brittle and become prone to fractures and osteoporosis. 
  • Refined sugar ultimately destroys the lining of the digestive tract causing digestion and stomach problems.  

  • Refined sugar does not possess antioxidant properties that protect the body from cancer. 

Alternatives to refined sugar:
  • Molasses.

    R
    esearch show that
    among the natural alternatives to refined sugar, molasses have the highest antioxidant content compared to maple syrup, corn syrup, agave nectar and brown sugar, making it the best substitute in fighting cancer. 
  • Brown sugar.
  • Honey
  • Maple syrup
  • Coconut palm sugar
  • Agave nectar
  • Stevia
  • Xylitol 


IODIZED SALT.

All the while we thought iodized salt was healthy. Well, it used to be when it was first used in the 1920s.

However, things have changed since then as iodized salt that is currently sold in grocery stores, supermarkets and convenience stores contain synthetic ingredients such as flouride sodium bicarbonate, sodium solo co-aluminate, iodide, anti-caking agents, derivatives of aluminum, and potassium iodide. Iodized salt has also been bleached to achieve its pure white color making it toxic to the body thus iodized salt is no longer considered a healthy source of iodine. 


The idea of adding iodine to salt started in 1924 in the US due to the increasing cases of goiter within the Great Lakes area and the Pacific Northwest states. These states had very little iodine in their soil plus the fact that residents were having very little iodine in their diet.

With the addition of iodized salt in the diet, the incidence of goiter was greatly reduced and iodized salt has since then became part of the American diet.

The first iodized salt that was produced in the 1920s was made from pure, dried sea water without any synthetic ingredients

PRESERVED AND DRIED FRUITS
DAIRY PRODUCTS EXCEPT GOAT'S MILK
PORK, BEEF, FISH and OTHER TYPES of SEAFOODS
SOY PRODUCTS, CASHEW and PEANUTS
ARTIFICIAL COLORING, PRESERVATIVES and CHEMICALS
Instead of eating processed or fast food for snacks in between meals, you should eat:

Oatmeal 3 to 4 times a day. You can top this with sliced apple or other fruits with low sugar.

Fresh fruits

Raw nuts

Raw and unseasoned seeds like squash, sesame, sunflower, watermelon and pumpkin seeds.





Monday, October 14, 2013

Green Tea Is Good For You - It Protects You From Cancer



Green tea is a very popular beverage considered to contain a greater amount of antioxidants than vitamin C. Green tea has become an overnight sensation because of 4 important qualities that can protect from various diseases and help you pursue a healthy lifestyle.

1. Green tea is an effective antioxidant and has the ability to delay the signs of aging

Green tea protects you from oxidative stress and delays the process of aging by scouring your body's nook and cranny of free radicals and toxic substances that can potentially weaken your immune system making you prone to both bacterial and viral infections. 


Green tea does this function through one of its hardworking components, epigallocatechin gallate which has the ability to protect you from the harmful effects of free radicals and reactive oxygen species.

2. Green tea protects you from cancer

Green tea has the ability to protect you from developing the dreaded cancer by preventing the release of urokinase, the enzyme that is responsible for contaminating healthy cells, promoting metastasis, and for spreading cancer cells. The absence of urokinase prevents tumors from increasing in size and can in fact remove the tumor completely.

3. Green tea relieves the symptoms of inflammation

Green tea protects your body from inflammation by decreasing fat peroxidization, and nitric acid production. More specifically, the epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) content of green tea can inhibit the production of mediators and cytokines (substances that cause inflammation). EGCG also has the ability to significantly decrease production of the harmful substance peroxynitrite which is a component of reactive oxidative species, as well as decrease nitric oxide content by minimizing the activities of NF-kB and AP1.

4. Green tea protects you from radiation

Green tea extract protects you from the harmful effects of radiation when exposed to the sun by decreasing the amount of reactive oxidative species (ROS) that is released by the ultra violet A rays. It also inhibits apoptosis or sudden cell death, and has the ability to prevent certain abnormalities and irreversible damage to your body's DNA caused by the harmful UVA rays.

Thursday, September 26, 2013

The Dangers of Biotin (Vitamin B7) Deficiency





Biotin is also called vitamin B7. It used to be called vitamin H which stands for "haar" and "haut" for hair and skin in German. It specifically refers to the hair and skin because a lack of biotin in the diet causes hair loss and skin disease.

What can possibly happen when you lack biotin in the diet? Biotin deficiency can affect you in many ways:

It can cause:
  • hair loss (alopecia)  
  • damage to your nails (onychomycosis)
  • seborrhic dermatitis 
  • skin infection in the form of red, scaly rashes that appear around the eyes, mouth, nose and the  genitals 
  • conjunctivitis; and 
  •  neurological disorders like tingling sensation in the legs, numbness, depression, and hallucinations. 
  • muscular pain
  • paresthesia ("pins and needles" sensation, pricking, tingling sensation) 
In worst cases it can cause:
  • mild depression
  • anorexia (eating problems)
  • hallucinations
  • lethargy
Biotin deficiency has also been associated with the body's ability to use glucose and low glucose tolerance.

Healthy people are not likely to experience vitamin B7 deficiency for the following reasons:
  • healthy people make sure that they get an adequate supply of biotin in their daily diet
  • their body has the ability to reuse the biotin coming from wastes excreted by the body.
  • bacteria present in the intestines of healthy people manufacture more biotin than the amount needed by the body thus adequately supplying the amount required by the body.
You can get biotin from the food that you eat everyday. 

Biotin is present in eggs, milk, vegetables like cauliflower, cucumbers and onions, fish, nuts, berries, carrots and the Swiss chard which is considered to have the highest biotin content.

When deficiency occurs, it can be readily corrected by taking an effective vitamin B7 or Biotin supplement to end your lack of biotin in the body consequently putting and end to your health issues caused by insufficient biotin in the diet.

Besides the lack of biotin in the diet, another cause of biotin deficiency is eating raw egg whites which leads to a disorder called the egg white injury.

What's in the egg whites that's causing the deficiency? Raw egg whites contain a protein called avidin which has the ability to bind biotin molecules but they are easily destroyed when subjected to high heat.

Avidin is a protein found in the egg whites of certain birds, reptiles and amphibians that has the ability to bind the molecules of biotin making this B vitamin unavailable for the body's use.


Thursday, August 1, 2013

Green Tea Protects You From Cancer



Green tea is a very popular beverage extracted from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis tea variety. It has become extremely popular especially among those who want to lead a healthy lifestyle because of the much publicized benefits it provides to green tea drinkers.




Green tea has become an overnight sensation because of its ability to protect the body against cancer, inflammation, radiation, and free radicals. It contains more antioxidants than vitamin C because it contains the substance epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG).

Green tea also contains three other important catechins, epicatechin (EC), epicatechin gallate (ECG), and epigallocatechin (EGC).

Green tea protects the body from cancer by inhibiting the release of urokinase, an enzyme that promotes the growth of cancer cells, invade healthy cells and promotes metastasis. Inhibiting the release of urokinase reduces the size of tumors and has in fact shown to completely remove tumors in laboratory animals.  

The phenolic catechin, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) in green tea is responsible for protecting the body against oxidative stress by acting as a scavenger, completely removing toxins from the body.

Green tea extract protects the body from cancer and radiation. EGCG lowers down the production of reactive oxidation species (ROS), decreases the incidence of apoptosis due to ultra violet A (UVA) rays and protects the DNA against oxidative damage caused by UVA.

Green tea extract protects against inflammation by reducing fat peroxidization, reducing the amount of nitric acid and oxidative stress. EGCG prevents the invasion of leukocyctes and prevents the production of reactive oxidation species (ROS) in the skin.


Sunday, July 14, 2013

Picamilon



Picamilon base is a type of dietary supplement produced when gamma amino butyric acid (GABA) and niacin (vitamin B3) are combined together. It is a nutritional supplement discovered in Russia in 1969 and is now being marketed as a prescription drug in that country. In the United States, it is being sold as a nutritional supplement.

Picamilon or nicotinyl-GABA has the ability to enter the brain unlike other nutritional supplements. When inside the brain, picamilon separates into GABA and niacin where the released niacin makes the blood vessels dilate indicating its potential as an effective treatment for migraine. GABA protects a person from having anxiety and panic attacks.

Picamilon protects against the effects of fatigue and stress without making you feel drowsy and tired. It makes you get through a stressful activity without feeling tired and burned out.

In Russia, Picamilon is used to:

1. Improve the flow of blood into the brain
2. Treat migraine headaches
3. Relieve the symptoms of depression
4. Treat severe injury to the brain
5. Treat the eye disease, glaucoma
6. Relieve the symptoms of psychosis
7. Treat the effects of excessive alcohol use
8. Treat asthenia or symptoms of muscle weakness

Saturday, July 13, 2013

Watermelon Boosts Energy and Prevents Muscle Fatigue




Fruits have very important role in making us healthy. We know a lot of fruits that are packed with nutrients that lower cholesterol level or lower sugar level like avocado. 

But some fruits, we take for granted like for example watermelon. I thought watermelon was all water that refreshes when eaten on a hot summer day.

But no. Watermelon is packed with the energy-boosting citrulline malate. 

Citrulline malate is a supplement that fights fatigue and boosts energy.  It is a combination of citrulline which is a non-protein amino acid and malate, a salt of malic acid. It is present in watermelons.

Citrulline malate prevents the muscles from experiencing muscle fatigue due to its ability to remove ammonia and lactic acid from the muscles. Ammonia and lactic acid are two substances that cause fatigue, muscle pain and cramps. 

So for a needed energy boost to sustain you in your training and workouts, take citrulline malate. If you are not an athlete, let's say you are a housewife who is always busy taking care of the family and the household, and you want a natural source of citrulline malate, eat watermelon regularly so you will not tire easily while you do your daily tasks. 

However if watermelon is not readily available, taking citrulline malate is an option.

Consult you doctor before taking any supplements to make sure it's safe for you.


Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Onychomycosis - What You Need To Know



Onychomycosis, the medical term for nailbed fungal infection, refers to any type of fungal infection that affects the nails. According to medical literature, it is the most common nail infection yet the most difficult to treat.

Nail fungal infection is caused by dermatophytes, a type of fungus that attacks both human and animal hair, skin and nails. 

Two dermatophytes, the Trichophyton rubrum and the Trichophyton mentagrophytes are responsible for causing 90 percent of all nail fungal infections. The disease is not life-threatening but it can cause pain, extreme discomfort and embarrassment to those who are suffering from this unsightly disease.

How Will You Know That Your Nails are Being Attacked by Fungi

You will know that your nails are being attacked by dermatophytes when they start to show discoloration and develop deformed and uneven yellowish lines underneath and on the sides of the nails. Your nails could also turn into a black color with that portion of your nails developing uneven and yellowish lines.

How To Treat Onychomycosis

The treatment primarily used for onychomycosis or nail fungal infection are terbinafine, itraconazole and fluconazole. Most medical publications say that these medications are effective for the elderly, for patients with diabetes and for children.


Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Discover Citrulline Malate - The Energy Boosting and Fatigue -Busting Supplement



Do you enjoy eating watermelons especially when the weather is hot and you want to refresh yourself? Don't take those red, juicy, bulky fruits for granted. We thought that these red-colored fruits that are abundant during the hot summer months are all water? Well, I did think so until I read about citrulline malate. 

Those thirst-quenching watermelons are not all water but they are packed with a substance called citrulline malate which gives energy to the muscles for high energy athletic performance and extreme physical exertion. 

Citrulline malate is the energy-boosting and fatigue-busting supplement that is present in watermelons. It is a combination of citrulline which is a non-protein amino acid and malate, a salt of malic acid. 

Citrulline malate prevents the muscles from experiencing muscle fatigue due to its ability to remove ammonia and lactic acid, two substances that cause fatigue, muscle pain and cramps. 

So for a needed energy boost to sustain you in your training and workouts, take citrulline malate. If you are not an athlete, let's say you are a housewife who is always busy taking care of the family and the household, and you want a natural source of citrulline malate, eat watermelon regularly so you will not tire easily while you do your daily tasks.





Friday, May 3, 2013

Gestational Diabetes - What You Need To Know



Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that happens among women who experience high blood sugar level in their pregnancy even if they never have had any history of diabetes.

This disorder poses a great danger to both mother and baby. The baby could develop congenital defects and chemical imbalance after birth which would make it necessary for the baby to be placed in neonatal intensive care.

Gestational diabetes mellitus happens when the body's insulin receptors cannot function well due to the  factors that affect pregnancy such as the presence of human placental lactogen that interferes with the susceptible receptors.

Gestational diabetes hardly shows any symptoms making the expectant mom unaware of her condition which needs urgent and immediate treatment. When this happens, she could experience pre-eclampsia during pregnancy and more likely give birth by Ceasarian section. She is likely to develop Type 2 diabetes after giving birth. The child, on the other hand, could grow up obese and eventually develop type 2 diabetes in adulthood.

Gestational diabetes usually disappears as soon as the baby is born. You have a 30 to 80% chance of developing gestational diabetes on your second pregnancy if you had it in your first one. Getting pregnant within one year of the first pregnancy could cause gestational diabetes to recur.

Women who experience elevated blood sugar levels can cope with their condition by following a strict low fat diet and regular exercise.




Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Benefits of Coenzyme Q10 - The Energy-Boosting Supplement




Coenzyme Q10 is a substance that is naturally produced by the body. It is found in the mitochondria of our cells thus making it the main powerhouse of our body. It releases energy in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) during exercise and other forms of physical exertion that involves the utilization of oxygen.

95% of our body's energy is produced with the release of ATP during physical exertion which explains the high concentration of the substance COQ10 in the organs that require the highest amount of energy such as the liver, heart and kidneys.

Coenzyme Q10 or COQ10 for short, is important in treating patients with congestive heart failure. It has the ability to lower both the systolic and diastolic pressure of the blood thus significantly lowering high blood pressure.

CoQ10 is also believed to treat migraine headaches particularly those attacks caused by a lack of oxygen supply to the brain. Taking a regular dose of this supplement which is packed with oxygen will dramatically reduce the debilitating effects of migraine headaches.

CoQ10 is also known to be an effective treatment for gingivitis and periodontitis. Previous studies shows that these two gum diseases can be caused by CoQ10 deficiency in the diet. Clinical tests made on human beings showed that regular treatment of

CoQ10 strengthens the immune system in the presence of gum diseases and may reverse cases of gingivitis.

Foods that are very rich sources of CoQ10 are: 


meat 
fish such as mackerel and sardines
soybeans, broccoli, cauliflower, parsley and olive oil. 

Fruits are low in CoQ10 except avocado. 

Nut lovers are sure to obtain this substance from peanuts, pistachios and sesame seeds. 

Small amounts of CoQ10 can be found in chicken heart and chicken liver, and dairy products.

A daily dose of 3 to 6 mg of CoQ10 which can be sourced mainly from meat can supply the body of its required daily allowance of this substance.

Friday, January 4, 2013

Lifting Weights Is Also Good For Moms and Sisters



    A lot of women are now into weightlifting primarily to lose weight and tone down their muscles. 

Think of Michele Obama's arms. The secret behind those muscles is strength training.

    Weightlifting is a form of strength training which is no longer exclusive to the male species, it is also great for women and here are the reasons why:

1. Lifting weights can greatly improve your metabolism.

As we women mature in age, we lose the strength and mass of our formerly tough muscles. Engaging in strength training will hasten your metabolism making the muscle tissues fired up long after the exercise or physical activity is over.

2. Lifting weights can you burn those unwanted fats

Each pound of muscle tissues burns around 30 calories a day even you are just sitting in your desk or lying in bed. The muscles that you will develop, however minimal are still able to help you burn those unwanted fats and keep you in shape for a long time.

3. Lifting weights will help keep your curves in the right places.

While you develop muscles and burn fats, your body will start showing the curves  and keep them in the right places for a long time.

4. Lifting weights can protect your bones and prevent osteoporosis

Lifting weights is one of the best ways to fight bone lo due to aging. It promotes balance and equilibrium preventing fractures and injury due to falls.

5. Lifting weights reduces the risk of having diabetes and heart attack.

Muscle tissues in the body have the ability to remove triglycerides and glucose content from the bloodstream thus preventing atherosclerosis and type 2 diabetes.

6. Lifting weights can lower your blood pressure.

A professor at Standford University stated that strength training can lower blood pressure for up to 10 to 12 hours after every workout. 

He stated that it is not clear how this happens but it probably has favorable effects on the regulation of the nervous system and the production of hormones.