MALAYSIAN HEALTH JOURNAL

'1 in 10 will suffer from mental illness': Study

2011-11-20T17:25:00.001+08:00

The Singapore Mental Health Study, which involved 6,616 people being interviewed last year, has found that while mental illness starts occurring in most people while they are in their 20s, two in three never seek help, and even those who eventually do take years to do so. -- FILE PHOTO

More than one in 10 people in Singapore will be stricken by mental illness in their lifetime, according to a large, new study here.

Many are likely to face depression, the commonest mental illness here. It is projected to affect 170,000 adults, with more women affected than men.

Others may be affected by alcohol abuse or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), an anxiety affliction characterised by obsessions, compulsive rituals, as well as intrusive thoughts and impulses.

These were the top three mental disorders to surface in the $6.9 million Singapore Mental Health Study, in which 6,616 people were interviewed extensively last year.

Swedish sperm donors are well-adjusted men: Study

2011-11-11T20:06:00.000+08:00

(REUTERS) - Men who pass a screening process and donate to sperm banks in Sweden score better on personality measures, such as responsibility, confidence and self-acceptance, than other men in their peer group, according to a Swedish study.

Sweden was the first country to pass a so-called non-anonymous law, which entitles children to contact the sperm donor if they choose. Britain, Australia and other nations also require that donors consent to being contacted.

The United States allows donors to remain anonymous and for them to get paid, unlike Sweden, where men can only volunteer.

The non-anonymous laws could be a problem for both sides since nobody can prepare themselves for their reactions if a child decides to contact the biological father, said Dr Gunilla Sydsjo, lead author of the study and a professor at Sweden's Linkoping University.

"A decision made at the age of 25 might be crystal clear for the individual at that time but might take on other dimensions 20 years later," she wrote in an email to Reuters Health.

"We have, in this study, shown that the men who are accepted for the program were all in the normal range of character and also demonstrated a mature personality and a stable character."

The study, published in the British obstetrics and gynecology journal BJOG, looked at 115 men who donated sperm at clinics in Sweden between 2005 and 2008, comparing them with men of similar age who did not attempt to donate sperm.

Donors in Sweden go through a screening process that weeds out men with psychological or health problems. The study questionnaire asked about behaviors, emotions and social skills.

On two measures, self-directedness and cooperativeness, the donors scored higher than the comparison group, showing that they pursue goals, stick to their values and take responsibility, researchers said.

The donors scored lower on one measure, called harm avoidance.

"This indicates that the sperm donors described themselves as being less worried, uncertain, shy and less subject to fatigue," the researchers wrote.

All other personality traits, including persistence and novelty seeking behaviors, were similar between the two groups.

The results suggested that the donors would not be thrown if a child decided to contact them, said Robert Oates, president of the Society for Male Reproduction and Urology, who was not involved in the study.

"They will be able to handle it if in the future somebody comes to them and says, 'I am your donor child'," he added.

"I think the majority are just nice people who want to help people out. That may be a different personality from the 21-year-old college student who wants to make a lot of money."

Two recent studies have shown that uniting children with donor fathers is usually a positive experience, but the researchers wrote that they were not aware of any children in Sweden taking advantage of the transparency law to contact their biological fathers.

(Reporting from New York by Kerry Grens at Reuters Health; Editing by Elaine Lies)

Antibiotics overprescribed for children: US study

2011-11-08T22:41:00.000+08:00

(REUTERS) - Pediatricians in the United States write more than 10 million unnecessary antibiotic prescriptions every year for conditions such as the flu and asthma, contributing to potentially dangerous drug resistance, a study said.

Researchers looked at a nationally representative sample of almost 65,000 outpatient visits by children under 18 during 2006 to 2008, with findings reported in the journal Pediatrics.

In total, doctors prescribed an antibiotic at one in every five visits, with most dispensed for children with respiratory ailments such as sinus infections and pneumonia.

Some of those infections were caused by bacteria, warranting antibiotics. But almost one-quarter of all antibiotic prescriptions were given to children with respiratory conditions that probably or definitely do not call for antibiotics, such as bronchitis, the flu, asthma and allergies.

Live liver donors have troubles years later: Study

2011-11-07T14:54:00.000+08:00

People who have donated part of their liver for transplant can experience physical and psychological complications years after the operation, according to a German study. -- PHOTO: REUTERS

(REUTERS) - People who have donated part of their liver for transplant can experience physical and psychological complications years after the operation, according to a German study.

Almost half of the 83 liver donors surveyed had complaints ranging from pain and digestive problems to depression three or more years after surgery - but nearly all said they'd donate again, the study in the Annals of Surgery said.

In a living-donor liver transplant, a team of surgeons removes a lobe of the donor's liver to implant in the recipient. The remaining portion of the donor's liver regrows to full size within two months.

'There is a risk for some long-term complaints, which may be potentially controllable by workup modifications, improvements in surgical techniques and a thorough follow-up of donors at the transplant centres,' said Georgios Sotiropoulos, lead author and professor of surgery and transplantation at University Hospital Essen in Germany.

The Health Benefits of Female Orgasms

2011-11-06T03:26:00.001+08:00

Orgasms are not only considered to be the ultimate climax of sexual pleasure, they do offer a lot of health benefits too. One of the best things a good orgasm can give is relieve stress. When the heart beats faster during sex, there is also an increase in the flow of blood while the muscles tighten up. This comes to a conclusion brought about by an orgasm, which releases tensions that are pent up within the nervous system.

Orgasms are also a great aid in being able to sleep a lot better. As the male is orgasm is preceded by an abrupt drop in his blood pressure, as well as immediate relaxation, it has a more progressive effect on women, though it is not by any means less important.

An orgasm is like a natural anesthetic. When endorphins are released, the effect can be extremely calming. Additionally, an orgasm can lessen one’s cravings for unhealthy junk food. It can also lessen the urge to smoke cigarettes. Sexual stimulation triggers the generation of phenetylamine that is a type of amphetamine, which regulates the appetite. Orgasms can burn calories too.
Body Works : Female Reproductive Organs

Finally, an orgasm works on naturally managing pain. People have found that headaches and menstrual cramps can disappear during masturbation or while indulging in sex. Endorphins, which are natural compounds quite similar to morphine, would be released from the body when one is having sex and increases a person’s tolerance to pain to about 70% when experiencing an orgasm. This of course, varies among different people.

Read more: Vaginal orgasms and clitoral orgasms

Cara Melakukan Pemeriksaan Bulanan Payudara Sendiri

2011-11-02T21:45:00.001+08:00

Melakukan pemeriksaan payudara setiap bulan boleh membantu mencegah kanser payudara sebagai proses mengesan penyakit pada peringkat awal. Dr Vatsala, Ketua Pakar Bedah, berkongsi beberapa garis panduan yang penting untuk wanita mengamalkan dan memeriksa sendiri payudara mereka mengenal pasti jika terdapat apa-apa perubahan seperti ketumbuhan atau 'thickenings'. Jadi, lakukanlah pemeriksaan sendiri demi menjalani kehidupan yang sihat dengan melakukan prosedur-prosedur seperti berikut:

Menghadap cermin:

Berdiri di hadapan cermin dan bandingkan kedua-dua payudara anda tentang perbezaan saiz, bentuk dan kontur payudara,penyongsangan puting, membonjol, atau dimpling. Perhatikan mana-mana perubahan pada kulit atau puting, seperti jisim keras atau keadaan puting tersorot ke dalam.

Dengan melihat payudara anda mengikut cara-cara seperti berikut dapat membantu untuk mengesan sama ada terdapat kedutan atau lekukan halus pada kulit atau puting tersorot ke dalam dengan melakukan pergerakan seperti berikut;

<> Dengan tangan anda di sisi
<> Dengan tangan atas kepala anda
<> Dengan tangan anda di pinggang, tekan tangan di pinggang
<> Bengkok ke hadapan

Berbaring:
Letakkan bantal di bawah bahu kiri anda

Pastikan tangan kiri di bawah kepala dan berehat, gunakan tangan kanan anda untuk meraba payudara sebelah kiri

Lakukan usapan bentuk bulatan kecil daripada puting ke luar
Perlahan-lahan ramas puting jika ada apa-apa rembesan.
Periksa sama ada lelehan tersebut kelihatan jernih atau mengandungi darah
Ulangi cara yang sama untuk yang sebelah lagi.

Inginkan buah dada yang cantik, tegang dan sihat?

2011-10-26T20:28:00.001+08:00

Ramai wanita yang mahu buah dada yang cantik dan tegang. Namun begitu, perincian apa yang cantik dan macam mana yang tegang adalah tidak nyata. Setiap wanita perlu tahu, buah dada adalah berbeza bagi setiap wanita, daripada segi saiz, bentuk, warna dan ketegangan. (Senaman untuk menegangkan buah dada) Hanya kerana melihat gambar seorang model iklan dengan buah dada yang cantik, seseorang wanita mahu menurutnya.

Buah dada anda adalah sesuai dan sempurna untuk diri anda. Terima buah dada anda, jaga dan belai buah dada itu sebaiknya.

Perkara paling utama adalah memakai coli yang bersesuaian dengan bentuk dan saiz buat dada. (Sejarah dan kenapa wanita pakai bra) Jangan memakai coli yang saiz terlalu kecil, ini akan membuat anda tidak selesa. Apabila memakai coli yang kecil dan dada dirasakan seperti terkeluar, maka saiz itu adalah kecil. (Pemilihan bra yang betul).Juga jangan terlalu besar sehingga buah dada tidak masuk dengan kemas dalam coli, ia juga menimbulkan rasa tidak selesa.

Bahagian tengah coli, penyambung antara dua mangkuk coli, apabila dipakai sepatutnya selasa berada pada atas tulang dada.. Cuba tarik nafas dalam-dalam sewaktu mencuba coli yang baru. Apabila anda memakai coli sepatut rasa seperti buah dada dipegang kemas dan apabila nafas ditarik pegangan itu tidak sepatutnya membuat anda rasa tidak selesa, kemas tetapi tidak terlalu ketat.

Untuk memastikan coli ada sesuai. Sewaktu mencuba, Lakukan juga aktiviti yang biasa dilakukan, seperti menghayunkan tangan, melompat-lompat kecil, berlari-lari anak atau jika coli itu digunakan untuk senaman atau sukan, lakukan gerakan sukan yang anda ingin lakukan. Ia sepatutnya selesa dipakai dan kedua-dua buah dada kurang pergerakan sebab ia dipegang kemas oleh coli yang dicuba.

Buah dada perlu diperiksa untuk melihat sebarang perubahan. Kanser buah dada adalah pembunuh nombor satu wanita di Malaysia.

Pengesanan awal dapat memberikan wanita peluang yang lebih besar untuk pulih.

Lakukan pemeriksaan (teknik pemeriksaan buah dada) dua atau tiga hari selepas berhenti haid setiap bulan. Lakukan pemeriksaan didepan cermin untuk melihat tanda-tanda perubahan seperti:

- Ketulan pada dada dan bawah ketiak
- Sebarang perubahan daripada segi bentuk dan saiz
- Bengkak, kemerahan, perubahan warna kulit dan rasa panas
- Puting masuk ke dalam
- Rasa sakit yang tidak berkait dengan datang bulan
- Keluar darah atau lendir bukan susu pada puting

Cara pemeriksaan buah dada yang betul perlu dipelajari. Dapatkan nasihat doktor atau hadiri kelas khusus untuk pemeriksaan buah dada sendiri. Anda boleh hubungi Persatuan Kebajikan Barah Buah Dada.

Jika ada sebarang perubahan, dapatkan pemeriksaan doktor. Walaupun ia mungkin bukan petanda penyakit, namun setiap perubahan adalah penting. Pengesanan dan rawatan awal dapat memberikan peluang yang besar untuk pulih dan menyelamatkan nyawa. Jangan malu mendapatkan kepastian doktor.

Permakanan yang sihat dan sesuai boleh membuat tisu buah dada sentiasa sihat. Antara pemakanan yang terbaik untuk memastikan kesihatan buah dada ialah biji Apricots kerana ianya kaya dengan Vitamin B17.

Kajian saintifik membukti Vitamin B17 dapat membantu membunuh sel kanser / cancer.

Pelbagaikan pengambilan buah-buahan dan sayur-sayuran. Amalkan pengambilan lima hidangan satu hari sama ada buah-buahan atau sayur-sayuran atau campuran kedua-duanya. Satu hidangan adalah sebesar tapak tangan sendiri. Buah-buahan dan sayur-sayuran mengandungi khasiat yang tidak dapat dibotolkan. Ia dapat membantu badan membentuk tisu-tisu badan yang sihat dan melindungi sel-sel daripada berkembang kepada sel-sel yang boleh menjadi kanser.

Bagi wanita, amalkan permakanan yang berasaskan soya. Semakin kerapkan pengambilan soya apabila usia semakin bertambah. Pengambilan kacang soya adalah pada kadar 40 ke 80mg sehari.

Kurangkan makanan yang mengandungi lemak yang tidak sihat. Kurangkan pengambilan gula dan garam, kurangkan minuman berkaffeine seperti kopi, amalkan makan sayur-sayuran dan fiber.

Bagi wanita yang mahukan buah dada yang menarik dan sentiasa sihat, menjaga kesihatan badan adalah penting. Bersenamlah (senaman untuk membesarkan buah dada) kerana membantu dalam melancarkan edaran darah beroksigen.

Petua untuk suami isteri. Jika berkesempatan, pancutlah air mani pada dada wanita. (Cara meningkatkan kualiti air mani) Air mani itu kemudiannya disapu seluruh kedua-dua buah dada dalam pusingan jam. pastikan ia disapu rata. Tunggu ia kering sebelum membersihkan ia dengan air. Petua ini dikatakan dapat menegangkan buah dada wanita.

Eat your broccoli. It might help your breasts

2011-10-26T19:42:00.000+08:00

Health Journal : (Reuter) — Women with diets rich in vegetables, fruit and legumes may have a somewhat decreased risk of developing one type of breast cancer, a new study suggests.

The findings, from a large, long-running study of U.S. nurses, showed that women with diets high in plant foods -- but low in red meat, sodium and processed carbohydrates -- tended to have a lower risk of developing certain breast tumors.

Specifically, they were less likely than other women to develop breast tumors that lack receptors for the hormone estrogen. Those estrogen receptor-negative tumors account for about one-quarter of breast cancers.

Of more than 86,000 women the study followed for 26 years, slightly less than one percent developed ER-negative breast cancer.

The risk, researchers found, was lower among women whose diets most closely resembled the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet -- an eating plan experts recommended for lowering blood pressure. It emphasizes vegetables, fruit, fiber-rich grains, legumes and nuts, and low-fat dairy.

The women who, at the outset, had the highest DASH "score" were 20 percent less likely to develop ER-negative breast cancer than those with the lowest DASH scores.

When the researchers took a closer look, it seemed to be high vegetable and fruit intake that mainly accounted for the link.

The results, reported in the American Journal of Epidemiology, do not prove that a plant-rich diet, itself, cuts breast cancer risk.

And in general, studies have come to mixed conclusions on whether diet habits are connected to breast cancer.

But recent research has been suggesting that the risk of ER-negative breast tumors, in particular, may be related to diet, explained Teresa T. Fung, an associate professor of nutrition at Simmons College in Boston and the lead researcher on the new study.

Why that might be is unclear. But in an interview, Fung speculated that with ER-positive breast tumors -- whose growth is fueled by estrogen -- the hormone's influence may be so important that it "overwhelms" potential dietary benefits.

But for now, that's a theory.

The bottom line for women, Fung said, is that the type of eating habits that are generally healthy anyway may also be associated with a lower risk of certain breast cancers. And vegetables may be especially key, the current findings hint.

Along with the DASH findings, the study also showed that women with diets high in vegetable protein -- from foods like beans, soy and nuts -- but low in refined carbs (like white bread and other starchy foods) had a 19 percent lower risk of ER-negative cancer, versus women with the opposite diet pattern.

Of course, Fung pointed out, "healthy behaviors don't occur in isolation."

But when the researchers accounted for factors like weight, exercise habits and smoking, the link between plant-rich diets and lower breast cancer risk still held.

Again, that doesn't prove cause and effect, Fung acknowledged. And the researchers could only look at the risk across large groups of women.

Exactly how much any one woman might benefit from eating more vegetables -- at least as far as breast cancer risk -- is unclear, according to Fung. In general, the average U.S. woman has about a 12 percent chance of developing breast cancer in her lifetime, with ER-positive tumors being most common.

Fung suggested that women who have less-than-ideal diets gradually introduce healthier fare to make the change seem less daunting. "Find one item you can work on," Fung said. "Maybe start by adding beans to your diet."

"Any improvement," she noted, "is better than no improvement."

The DASH diet recommends that the average woman should get four to five servings of vegetables and the same amount of fruit each day. It also recommends four to five servings of legumes, nuts and seeds per week.

Male breast cancer rare but can be aggressive: Study

2011-10-19T22:16:00.000+08:00

(REUTERS) - Men are diagnosed with breast cancer at less than one per cent the rate of women, but when they are the disease is often more advanced on average, and they are more likely to die from it, according to an international study.

Researchers led by Mikael Hartman at the National University of Singapore combined cancer registries from Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Singapore and Geneva, Switzerland, with cases dating back to 1970.

The data included about 460,000 women diagnosed with breast cancer, and about 2,700 men.

Men were more likely to have the disease that had spread beyond the breast by the time they were diagnosed. In treatment, they had less surgery and radiation than women but similar rates of chemotherapy and hormone treatment.

Make your bust bigger

Benefits of Drinking Plain Water In the Morning

2011-10-06T10:01:00.000+08:00

There is some research shown that it is good to drink water immediately after waking up every morning. It is said that this method can help to cure certain disease that is very well known amongst us. The diseases are - headache, bodyache, heart system, arthritis, fast heart beat, epilepsy, excess fatness, bronchitis, asthma, TB, meningitis, kidney and urine diseases, vomiting, gastritis, diarrhea, piles, diabetes, constipation, eye diseases, womb, cancer, menstrual disorder, ear, nose and throat diseases.
The treatment methods are:

Drink 4x160ml of plain water right after you wake up, before brushing your teeth
After you brush and clean the mouth, do not eat or drink anything fo 45 minutes
Do not eat or drink anything for 2 hours after 15 minutes of breakfast, lunch or dinner

There are also study shown the total days needed to illiminate the disease:

High BP - 30 days
Gastric - 10 days
Diabetes - 30 days
Constipation - 10 days
Cancer - 180 days
TB - 90 days

As of how true is the above, I'm not so sure. Anyway, good luck readers!

Apricot seed l Vitamin B17

About Vitamin B-17

2011-10-05T17:11:00.000+08:00

Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food."

In spite of the great advances in the diagnosis and treatment of malignant tumours, cancer continues to be one of the main causes of death in the highly industrialised countries. It is calculated that one out of three persons will eventually die from some form of cancer. Although it is true that surgery and radiotherapy are capable of curing some patients with localised tumours and that chemotherapy has achieved cures in some ten types of malignant tumours, the general mortality rate from cancer has not improved substantially in the last 25 years. Nearly 60 percent of all cancer patients, upon being diagnosed, find that their disease is so widespread that the chemotherapy drugs currently being used cannot be given in dosages sufficient to destroy the large mass due to their high toxicity. Many cannot be exposed to chemotherapy, surgery or radiotherapy because of the undesirable effects. And there are several types of tumours for which there is no effective treatment yet known.

Worldwithoutcancer, with great satisfaction, is able to present a vegetable agent whose anti-tumour action was known empirically for many years, but in the last thirty five years has been scientifically proven, primarily through the clinical studies directed by well respected metabolic physicians around the world. Among them are Dr. Ernesto Contreras Rodriguez, of the Oasis of Hope Hospital (Formerly Centro Medico y Hospital Del Mar at Playas de Tijuana, B.C.N. Mexico); Dr. Harold Manner of the Manner Clinic in Playas de Tijuana, Mexico; Dr. Hans Nieper, former director of the Department of Medicine at the Silbersee Hospital in Hanover; N. R. Bouziane, M.D., former Director of Research Laboratories at St. Jeanne d'Arc Hospital in Montreal; Manuel Navarro, M.D., former Professor of Medicine and Surgery at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila; Dr. Shigeaki Sakai, a prominent physician in Tokyo, Japan. In Italy there is Professor Etore Guidetti, M.D., of the University of Turin Medical School; in Belgium there is Professor Joseph H. Maisin, Sr., M.D., of the University of Louvain where he was Director of the Institute of Cancer. And in the United States there are such respected names as Dr. Dean Burk, former head of the National Cancer Institute; Dr. John A. Morrone of the Jersey City Medical Center; Dr. Ernst T. Krebs, Jr., who developed Laetrile; Dr. John A. Richardson, the courageous San Francisco physician who challenged the government's right to prevent Laetrile from being used in the United States; Dr. Philip E. Binzel, Jr., a physician in Washington Court House, Ohio, who has used Laetrile for over twenty years with outstanding success; and many others from over twenty countries with equally impeccable credentials.

This anti-tumour agent is Vitamin B-17 (commonly known as Amygdalin or Laetrile). According to Dr. Ernest T. Krebs, Jr. its components make it vital for our survival without cancer. The greatest concentration is found in the seeds of the rosaceous fruits, such as the apricot pits and other bitter nuts. Various documents from the oldest civilisations such as Egypt at the time of the Pharaohs and from China 2,500 years before Christ mention the therapeutic use of derivatives of bitter almonds. Egyptian papyri from 5,000 years ago mention the use of "aqua amigdalorum" for the treatment of some tumours of the skin. But the systematised study of Vitamin B-17 really did not begin until the first half of the past century, when the chemist Bohn discovered in 1802 that during the distillation of the water from bitter almonds hydrocyanic acid was released. Soon many researchers became interested in analysing this extract and so Robiquet and Boutron isolated, for the first time, a white crystalline substance which they called AMYGDALIN (from amygdala = almond).

In the U.S. the Food and Drug Administration has used regulation, not law, to keep doctors in some states from using Laetrile therapy. There is no federal law against Laetrile, nor does Laetrile appear on an official list of proscribed items. The Food and Drug Administration has also used regulation, not law, to ban the interstate shipment and sale of Laetrile by alleging that it is either an "unlicensed new "drug" or an "unsafe or adulterated food or food additive". It is neither. Amygdalin is an extract of apricot kernels, which makes it a food supplement and nothing more. Vitamin B-17 was the subject of great controversy 18 years ago when some of the world's top scientists claimed that when consumed, its components make it 100% impossible to develop cancer and will kill existing cancer. Pharmaceutical companies pounced on this claim immediately and demanded that FDA studies be conducted. Pharmaceutical companies conduct studies on patented chemicals they invent so that at the end of their study, if the drug gets approved, they have exclusive rights to its sale. They never conduct studies on foods that cannot be patented and that can be sold at any supermarket (e.g. vitamins). - worldwithoutcancer.org

Foods Containing B17 (Nitrilosides)

2011-10-05T03:28:00.001+08:00

Apricots seeds

Vitamin B17 appears in abundance in untamed nature. Because B17 is bitter to the taste, in man's attempt to improve tastes and flavors for his own pleasure, he has eliminated bitter substances like B17 by selection and cross-breeding. It can be stated as a general rule that many of the foods that have been domesticated still contain the vitamin B17 in that part not eaten by modem man, such as the seeds in apricots. Listed below is an evaluation of some of the more common foods. Keep in mind that these are averages only and that specimens vary widely depending on variety, locale, soil, and climate.

Fruits Range*
blackberry, domestic low
blackberry, wild high
boysenberry med.
choke cherry high
wild crabapple high
market cranberry low
Swedish (lignon) cranberry high
currant med.
elderberry med. to high
gooseberry. med.
huckleberry med.
loganberry med.
mulberry med.
quince med.
raspberry med.

Seeds Range*
apple seeds high
apricot seed high
buckwheat med.
cherry seed high
flax med.
millet med.
nectarine seed high
peach seed high
pear seeds high
plum seed high
prune seed high
squash seeds med.

Beans Range*
black low
black-eyed peas low
fava high
garbanzo low to med.
green pea low
kidney low to med.
lentils med.
lima, U.S. low
lima, Burma med.
mung med. to high
shell low

Nuts (all raw) Range*
bitter almond high
cashew low
macadamia med. to high

Sprouts Range*
alfalfa med.
bamboo high
fava med.
garbanzo med.
mung med.

Leaves Range*
alfalfa high
beet tops low
eucalyptus high
spinach low
water cress low

Tubers Range*
cassava high
sweet potato low
yams low

Range*High — above 500 mgs. nitriloside per 100 grams food
Medium — above 100 mgs. per 100 grams food
Low — below 100 mgs. per 100 grams food

TANDA-TANDA AWAL KANSER YANG TAK PERNAH DIENDAHKAN!

2011-10-04T23:30:00.000+08:00

Malaysian Health Journal (cancer / kanser) Biasanya pesakit kanser hanya menyedari dia mengidap kanser bila penyakitnya sudah pada peringkat 4. Dan, selalunya keadaan ini dianggap sudah terlalu lewat.

Sebenarnya. dari peringkat awal kanser menyerang tubuh kita, tanda-tanda penyakit ini sudah ada tetapi kita sering mengandaikan yang tanda-tanda itu sebagai 'Tidak apa-apa', cuma sakit biasa sahaja. Kita pun mengambil langkah 'bijak' kita sendiri iaitu menelan panadol atau membeli ubat di farmasi.

Adakah anda pernah membuat pemeriksaan tahunan seperti ujian colonoscopies atau ujian PSA? Tentu ramai yang menggelengkan kepala. Tidak mengapa kerana meskipun penting, setakat membuat ujian seperti itu belum tentu dapat melindungi anda daripada kanser.

Anda tentu tidak mahu menyertai barisan pesakit kanser yang terlambat menyedari, bukan? Jadi, perhatikan perkara-perkara berikut. Mungkinkah ia merupakan penggera awal, notis pemberitahuan bahawa sel-sel kanser sedang mula bertapak dalam tubuh anda?

1. Sakit perut atau senak perut.

Salah satu tanda-tanda awal penyakit kanser kolon ialah berulangkali mendapat / mengalami sakit perut tanpa sebab.

2. Sakit yang seperti sesuatu menusuk masuk ke pankreas mungkin tanda kanser pankreas

3. Perut kejang dan sakit perut berterusan.

Petanda kepada kanser hati, mungkin juga leukimia kerana pada ketika ini, limpa sedang dibesarkan, menekan-nekan sebelah kiri perut yang sedikit rendah.

Nampaknya, sakit perut bukan perkara yang boleh diambil ringan. Jadi, jika anda mengalami sakit perut dan ia bukan berpunca akibat tersalah makan atau bukan masalah pencernaan, jumpalah doktor anda, mintalah dia arahkan pemeriksaan menyeluruh dan buatlah 'ultrasound'

4. "Asid perut" kronik atau rasa perut penuh selepas makan yang sedikit.

Tanda awal yang paling lazim untuk kanser perut adalah kesakitan di bahagian abdomen atas atau pertengahan perut. Anda merasa bagaikan perut anda dipenuhi gas dan selalu rasa pedih hulu hati. Ia mungkin terjadi selepas anda makan dan rasa kenyang biarpun anda baru makan sedikit sahaja. Oleh kerana rasa sakit ini boleh dihilangkan jika anda makan ubat mengandungi antasid, anda mungkin mengabaikan sahaja kesakitan itu.

Sakit yang tidak diketahui puncanya atau sakit di sebelah kanan yang lebih rendah boleh menjadi tanda awal kanser hati, yang dikenali sebagai salah satu "pembunuh senyap." Perasaan kenyang selepas hidangan yang kecil adalah tanda biasa kanser hati juga.

Jika anda mempunyai serangan kerap asid perut, sakit perut yang tidak dapat dijelaskan, atau perasaan penuh selepas makan walaupun anda makan kurang daripada biasa, hubungi doktor anda.

5. Kehilangan berat badan.

Anda seorang yang tidak aktif, nak bergerakpun malas tetapi tetiba berat badan anda turun tanpa dapat dijelaskan, ketahuilah bahawa inilah petanda awal kanser kolon. Kehilangan berat badan yang tidak dapat dijelaskan boleh juga menjadi tanda kanser yang merebak ke hati, memberi kesan kepada selera anda dan keupayaan badan anda untuk membersihkan sendiri sisa.

4. Jaundis / demam kuning.

Barah pankreas, satu lagi salah satu "pembunuh senyap," sering ditemui apabila seseorang mengidap jaundis. Jaundis adalah kuning kulit atau kuning kornea mata, tetapi air kencing menjadi lebih gelap daripada biasa yang bukan disebabkan dehidrasi, najis berwarna merah tanah liat malah penyakit kuning juga boleh menyebabkan kegatalan akibat garam hempedu yang terlepas memasuki aliran darah. Sesetengah orang yang mengidap barah pankreas mengatakan, mereka perasan kulit mereka rasa gatal sebelum mereka menyedari bahawa mereka mengidap jaundis.

5. Berdehit atau sesak nafas.

Sesak nafas, sakit dada, atau darah keluar bersama air ludah adalah tanda-tanda kanser testis yang sudah merebak ke paru-paru.

6. Batuk yang kronik atau sakit dada.

Beberapa jenis kanser, termasuk tumor, leukemia dan kanser paru-paru, boleh menyebabkan gejala yang meniru batuk atau bronkitis yang teruk.

Satu cara untuk memastikan apakah anda mengidap kanser atau tidak.

Gejala-gejala itu berterusan, atau tanda-tanda itu hilang sekejap kemudian datang semula berulang-ulang. Sesetengah pesakit kanser paru-paru memberitahu yang sakit dada dialami itu menjalar hingga ke bahu atau ke bawah lengan.

7. Kerap demam atau terkena jangkitan.

Ini boleh menjadi tanda-tanda leukemia, kanser sel darah yang bermula dalam sum-sum tulang. Leukemia menyebabkan sum-sum tulang menghasilkan sel darah putih yang tidak normal, yang mengerumuni sel darah putih yang sihat, mengurangkan daya tahan / keupayaan melawan jangkitan kuman. Doktor kadang-kadang mengesan leukemia di kalangan orang dewasa yang lebih tua hanya selepas pesakit telah beberapa kali mengadu demam, sakit, dan simptom seperti selesema dalam tempoh masa yang panjang.

8. Kesukaran menelan.

Yang sering dikaitkan dengan kanser esophageal atau tekak, kesukaran menelan kadang-kadang salah satu daripada tanda-tanda awal kanser paru-paru juga. Lelaki yang didiagnosis dengan kanser esophageal mengalami rasa sakit ketika menelan makanan/minuman. Kadang-kadang anda rasa ada sesuatu tersekat di kerongkong. Dapatkan nasihat doktor kerana pada saat ini mungkin esofagus anda sudah menjadi sempit atau ada tumor dalam kerongkong.

9. Gastroesophageal penyakit refluks (GERD) - satu keadaan di mana asid perut naik ke dalam esofagus, menyebabkan pedih hulu hati dan rasa berasid di tekak - boleh mencetuskan satu keadaan yang dikenali sebagai esofagus Barrett, yang boleh menjadi penyebab kanser esophageal.

10. Bengkak muka.

Sesetengah pesakit dengan kanser paru-paru lmengalami keadaan bengkak atau kemerahan di muka. Ini terjadi kerana sel tumor kecil menghalang saluran darah di dada, mencegah darah daripada mengalir dengan bebas daripada kepala dan muka.

11. Nodus limfa yang bengkak di kawasan-kawasan leher, ketiak, atau pangkal paha (ketulan).

Pembesaran limfa di leher atau ketiak kadang-kadang ialah tanda tiroid, kanser otak atau kanser tekak. Bengkak yang tidak menyakitkan pada leher, ketiak, atau pangkal paha ialah juga tanda awal leukemia.

12. Lebam Teruk atau pendarahan yang tidak berhenti.

Gejala tidak normal pada platelet dan sel darah merah, boleh menjadi tanda-tanda leukemia. Tanda-tandanya ialah gusi berdarah semasa menggosok gigi dan lebam di tempat-tempat seperti jari dan tangan. Ini kerana sel-sel leukimia mengerumuni sel-sel darah merah dan platelet lalu merosakkan keupayaan darah untuk membawa oksigen dan beku.

13. Lemah dan letih.

Sering merasa lemah, tak larat, letih adalah gejala bagi kebanyakan penyakit kanser yang tidak disedari sama sekali. Jadi jika anda berasa letih tanpa sebab sehingga susah hendak tidur, segeralah berjumpa doktor.

14. Pendarahan rektum atau darah dalam najis.

"Saya fikir ia buasir" adalah satu kenyataan yang paling biasa doktor mendengar apabila mendiagnosis kanser kolorektal.

15. Sembelit, cirit-birit, dan perubahan dalam najis semua boleh menjadi tanda-tanda kanser.

Seperti dengan banyak gejala kanser lain, cara untuk memberitahu jika ini adalah perkara yang membimbangkan ialah jika ia berlaku pada lebih daripada beberapa hari tanpa sebab yang jelas, seperti flu atau keracunan makanan.

Orang yang didiagnosis mengidap kanser kolon sering memberitahu bahawa mereka lebih kerap membuang air besar dan masih tidak merasa lawas.

Salah satu tanda-tanda awal kanser pankreas adalah najis berminyak, besar tetapi lebih pucat daripada biasa dan berbau sangat busuk kerana badan tidak menyerap makanan seperti sepatutnya.

16. Sukar membuang air kecil.

Tanda-tanda awal kanser prostat ialah anda tidak boleh kencing walaupun anda berasa hendak kencing .Bila sudah kencing pula anda susah hendak berhenti.

17. Rasa sakit atau pedih semasa membuang air kecil.

Gejala ini juga boleh menunjukkan jangkitan saluran kencing atau penyakit kelamin, sudah tentu, tetapi dalam hal mana-mana waran perjalanan serta-merta kepada doktor. Gejala ini sering digabungkan dengan perasaan bahawa anda perlu pergi lebih kerap, terutamanya pada waktu malam. Gejala-gejala ini yang sama juga boleh menunjukkan keradangan atau jangkitan pada prostat atau hiperplasia benign prostatic, nama apa yang berlaku apabila prostat membesar lebih besar dan menyekat aliran air kencing. Walau bagaimanapun, anda perlu mendaftar keluar untuk memberitahu perbezaan.

18. Kencing berdarah dan darah dalam air mani. Adalah tanda bahaya kanser prostat.

19. Masalah ereksi.

Sukar mendapat atau mengekalkan ereksi adalah juga tanda anda mengidap kanser prostat.

20. Sakit pada pangkal paha, pinggul, atau abdomen.

Satu tanda lain kanser prostat ialah lelaki kerap sakit di bahagian pinggang, peha, atau bahagian paling rendah di belakang.

Kanser prostat yang telah merebak ke nodus limfa merupakan ketidakselesaan dalam pelvis atau bengkak di kaki.

21. Bengkak buah zakar.

Ketulan yang menunjukkan kanser testis tidak langsung menyakitkan. Ia juga biasa bagi testis membesar atau membengkak.

22. Sakit belakang yang tidak diketahui puncanya.

Sakit belakang boleh bermakna segala macam perkara. Sakit di belakang pinggang dan lebih rendah boleh menjadi tanda kanser prostat, manakala kesakitan di bahagian belakang atas tanda kanser paru-paru. Sakit di bahagian abdomen atas dan belakang adalah salah satu daripada beberapa tanda-tanda awal kanser pankreas.

23. Puting tetek yang bersisik atau dan mengeluarkan cairan.

Lelaki juga boleh mendapat kanser payudara, ya! Merekamengalami satu keadaan yang dipanggil gynecomastia, ada ketulan benigna di kawasan puting. Kanser payudara biasanya dikesan sebagai ketulan, tetapi jika ia merebak ke dalam, ia juga boleh menyebabkan sakit dada.

Tanda-tanda lain kanser payudara termasuk tompok-tompok merah, bersisik, atau kulit lekuk atau perubahan pada puting seperti membelok masuk atau kebocoran bendalir.

24. Kanser kulit merujuk kepada kesakitan kulit atau kulit yang tidak sembuh, menjadi berkerak, atau berdarah dengan mudah. Kebanyakan kita tahu bagaimana tahi lalat mungkin menunjukkan anda ada kanser kulit tetapi cari juga tanda-tanda lain seperti ketulan kecil yang berlilin atau sisik kering.

Biasakan diri anda dengan pelbagai jenis kanser kulit - melanoma, sel basal karsinoma dan karsinoma sel skuamus - dan berhati-hati memeriksa kulit di seluruh tubuh untuk pertumbuhan yang kelihatan ganjil atau bintik.

25. Perubahan pada kuku.

Perubahan yang tidak dapat dijelaskan pada kuku boleh menjadi tanda beberapa jenis kanser. Coretan coklat atau hitam atau titik di bawah kuku boleh menunjukkan kanser kulit.

Jika ada pembesaran hujung jari, dengan bahagian hujung kuku melengkung ke bawah boleh menjadi tanda kanser paru-paru.

JIKA ADA MANA-MANA TANDA DIATAS, SEGERALAH BERJUMPA PAKAR PERUBATAN. JANGAN TUNGGU LAGI!

Sumber: Melanie Haiken, Caring.com

Apricot seed l Vitamin B17

2011-10-03T06:52:00.000+08:00

Health Journal : Vitamin B17, also known as Laetrile and Amygdalin is found in most fruit seeds, namely apricot seeds. The apricot seed was claimed as the cure for all cancers over 35 years ago.

It was even more strongly claimed that when one eats about 7 apricot seeds per day they can never develop cancer, just as one can never get scurvy if they have an orange every day, or pellagra if they have some B vitamins every day.

The pharmaceuticals companies together with the medical establishment pushed the FDA into making it illegal to sell "raw" apricot seeds or vitamin B17 with information about its effects on cancer. Even to this day, you can't get raw apricot seeds in your health food store, only the sun dried ones which have all the important enzymes killed off.

Pharmaceutical companies only conduct studies on patented chemicals they invent so that at the end of their study, if the drug gets approved, they have sole rights on its sale. (They make back tons more than the mere 250 million that they invested) They never do studies on foods that can't be patented and that can be sold by any supermarket.

The information on this site is not just for preventing cancer, it is for those that have cancer nowand are on chemo or radiation at this moment, as well as for those who have cancer but haven't started any conventional methods yet.

Most of the people that already have cancer clusters in their body, who eat the apricot seeds and/or take the vitamin b17 in tablet form show near to complete tumor regression. Although cancer patients may get rid of their cancer, they also have the problem of the organ damage that the cancer has caused.

This is another issue where other herbs and remedies are necessary for proper organ regeneration. Of course when a person's body is completely eaten up by cancer, the raw apricot seeds and its extract (laetrile and vitamin b17) would only prolong their life many times longer than chemotherapy and might not completely save them.

However in many cases high levels of the injectable vitamin B17 "laetrile" will help a great deal with the pain.

Vitamin B17 Untuk Mencegah dan Merawat Kanser

2011-10-03T02:27:00.000+08:00

Biji Apricot

B17 dari Buah Apricot - Kenapa kita Harus makan Apricot kernels ?

Kernels aprikot merupakan kumpulan nut dan seed ( kekacang dan bijirin ). Tidak ada bezanya dengan kumpulan kekacang dan bijirin yang lain. Apa yang membezakanya adalah kandungan hasiat didalamnya yang sangat luar biasa, terutama Apricot Organik . Dalam bahasa nutrient, Biji Apricot ini di sebut mengandungi Amigdalin, yang juga dikenali sebagai vitamin B17. B17 ini dapat membantu membunuh sel- sel kanser dalam badan kita, Hasilnya dapat membebaskan diri kita dari serangan penyakit ganas ini (kanser). Merupakan pembunuh senyap.

Amigdalin (Vitamin B17) dapat di perolehi didalam beratus-ratus jenis tumbuhan . Dalam diet pemakanan kita harus ada B17. jika tiada B17 dalam diet pemakanan anda boleh di hidapi penyakit kanser. Selain dari Apricot Kernels B17 juga boleh di perolehi dari badam pahit (amigdalin ( mempunyai rasa pahit – badam manis tidak mengandungi B17 ), epal pips, benih-benih anggur, sekuang, buah beri, ubi kayu, biji buah oren dan biji benih yang lain.

Terdapat banyak cara yang anda boleh gunakan untuk melawan kanser. Salah satu ialah dengan cara membina sistem imun supaya ia menjadi sangat kuat dan dapat melindungi anda dari kanser. Satu lagi adalah menggunakan supplement with antioxidants yang dapat melawan carcinogens dalam badan anda. Bagaimanapun, B17 menggunakan cara yang sangat unik. Iaitu secara langsung menyerang sel kanser ( directly attacks cancer cells). Maka hasilnya jauh lebih baik dari cara yang telah saya sebut di atas.

Kajian tentang Amigdalin yang pertama telah di keluarkan dikeluarkan seratus tahun dahulu. Telah disenaraikan dalam kamus-kamus farmakologi sejak dahulu lagi merupakan bahan yang tidak mengandungi toksik. Walau bagaimanapun dalam sebatian B17 terdapat satu unsur kimia yang dinamakan cyanide.ia adalah lengai secara kimia dan tidak berbahaya untuk normal tisu hidup.

Pekara yang sama juga dapat kita lihat dalam garam biasa. Garam sebenarnya terdapat dua unsur kimia didalamnya tetapi tidak bertindak balas dalam badan manusia, bahkan sangat diperlukan dalam badan manusia. Dua unsur kimia yang ada dalam garam adalah natrium dan klorida, maka sebab itu garam dalam istilah kimia disebut Natrium Klorida. Sebenarnya dalam garam ada satu sebatian kimia yang berbahaya klorin. Sudah tentu jika anda makan juga banyak garam pada satu masa anda akan sakit.

Pekara yang sama juga berlaku dalam apricot, Makan jangan berlebihan ikut peraturan yang telah di berikan. Bagaimanapun, amigdalin adalah kurang toksik daripada garam, dan jauh lebih selamat dari gula yang anda makan setiap hari.

Kita sedia maklum bahawa badan kita sentiasa mencipta sel kanser setiap masa. Biasanya sistem imun dapat membunuh sel kanser tersebut. Bagaimanapun pada saat anda berada dalam keadaan stress atau tubuh badan anda berada dalam kondisi yang sangat lemah dan sering terdedah dalam persekitaran karsinogen. Keadaan ini akan membuat sel kanser menjadi sangat kuat sehingga tidak mampu untuk dimusnahkan oleh sistem imun.

B17 dari Apricot seed akan bekerjasama dengan sistem imun dan membunuh sel-sel kanser secara langsung. Untuk pengetahuan anda pada Sel-sel kanser terdapat satu enzim yang dapat membuka ikatan kimia yang terpadu dalam B17 Apricot Seed yaitu cyanide. Maka cyanide akan di bebaskan dari ikatan kimianya yang terdapat dalam B17. Bila cyanide dibebaskan maka cyanide akan membunuh sel kanser. Secara lumrahnya sel yang sihat tidak terdapat enzim ini. Maka sebab itulah B17 tidak akan bekerja pada sel yang sihat. B17 hanya bertindak balas pada sel yang tidak normal dalam badan manusia termasuklah sel kanser, tumor, jerawat atau pun buasir.

Enzim yang terdapat dalam sel kenser dapat membuka kunci amigdalin maka terhasilah cyanide. Jika terdapat lebihan cyanide yang terhasil dari tindak balas metabolik badan yang berkanser dan cyanide tersebut memasuki aliran darah anda. Maka secara semulajadi akan dineutralkan oleh hati.

Hati (liver) berkerja dengan lebih kuat jika terdapat ada unsur toksin dalam badan anda. Sehingga anda dapat melihat kesan kerosakan hati akibat pembersihan toksin dalam badan. Tapi bukan kerosakan dari kanser. Maka jika tubuh kita terlalu banyak toksin dan tidak di keluarkan dari badan, besar kemungkinan kita bakal mengidap kanser hati pula.

Penyelidik-penyelidik di Imperial College London telah membuat ujikaji menggunakan cyanide untuk menghapuskan sel-sel kanser, hasil kajian, mereka mendapati cyanide atau apa-apa toksin yang berada di dalam darah dengan cepatnya dineutralkan oleh hati.

Amigdalin kadangkala dirujuk sebagai Vitamin B17 dan ditemui dalam nitriloside kaya dengan buah buahan dan tumbuh-tumbuhan. digunakan sebagai terapi utama, kecuali kepada mereka yang menjaga pemakanan yang baik, menjaga Ph tubuh dengan baik, tiada pencemaran toksin dalam badan. Telah digunakan untuk merawat penghidap-penghidap kanser dalam beberapa klinik di seluruh dunia.

ANTARA KHASIAT APRIKOT / Vitamin - B17

2011-10-02T15:57:00.002+08:00

1. Mencegah dan merawat pelbagai jenis penyakit kanser seperti; Leukimia, kanser payudara, kanser Serviks, Kanser Otak, Kanser Hati, Kanser Tulang, Kanser Lympoma, Kanser Uterus,Kanser Perut, Kanser Prostat, Kanser Ovari, Kanser Colon, kanser Paru-paru, Kanser Usus, Kanser kulit dan lain-lain lagi.

2. Mampu merawat penyakit kronik yang lain seperti penyakit Kencing Manis, Jantung, Darah Tinggi, Gout, Parkinson & Asma.

3. Mengurangkan berat badan, tekanan darah tinggi & Kolestrol dalam darah.

4. Mengimbangkan kandungan gula dalam darah.

5. Meningkatkan kesihatan mental & memori.

6. Membersihkan arteri.

7. Mengurangkan masalah sakit sendi.

8. Membantu masalah buasir.

9. Berfungsi sebagai tonic dan antioksidan yang dapat menyingkirkan toksin dalam badan.

10. Membantu mempercepatkan proses penyembuhan luka.

11. Menyelesaikan masalah haid tidak teratur dan keputihan.

12. Mampu merawat masalah kulit seperti terdedah kepada sinaran Uv, gatal-gatal & alahan.

13. Menyelesaikan masalah jerawat dan resdung.

14. Menghaluskan kulit.

15. Anti penuaan.

Coffee linked with lower depression risk in women

2011-09-27T16:35:00.000+08:00

CHICAGO (REUTERS) - Women who drink four cups of coffee a day are 20 per cent less likely to become depressed than women who rarely drink coffee, United States researchers said on Monday.

Caffeine is the most frequently used central nervous system stimulant in the world, and coffee consumption accounts for about 80 per cent of caffeine use.

Drinking coffee offers a boost of energy and a lift in well being, said Alberto Ascherio of Harvard Harvard School of Public Health.

'This short-term effect is what drives the consumption of caffeine,' said Mr Ascherio, whose study appears in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Secret to shark health could fight human viruses

2011-09-20T09:50:00.000+08:00

Sharks are primitive creatures but their bodies produce a sophisticated substance that shows promise in fighting a range of human viruses from hepatitis to yellow fever, researchers said on Monday. -- PHOTO: AP

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Sharks are primitive creatures but their bodies produce a sophisticated substance that shows promise in fighting a range of human viruses from hepatitis to yellow fever, researchers said on Monday.

The compound, called squalamine, was discovered in 1993 but the study in the Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences is the first to explore its potential use against human viruses.

Researchers tested squalamine - manufactured from dogfish sharks' livers - in lab dishes and in animal subjects and found it could inhibit or control viral infections, and in some cases appeared to cure animals of their ills.

The project began when lead investigator, Michael Zasloff, professor of surgery and pediatrics at Georgetown University Medical Center, sent samples of squalamine to a series of labs around the United States for testing.

New breast cancer gene may help predict risk: Study

2011-08-30T14:54:00.000+08:00

(REUTERS) - Screening for mutations in a gene known as CHEK2 may help determine a woman's odds of breast cancer if the disease runs in her family, according to a Polish study.

Researchers led by Cezary Cybulski of the Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin estimated that a woman who carries a CHEK2 mutation would have a 34 per cent risk of developing breast cancer if her mother or sister had the disease.

US experts, however, cautioned that Polish women might be different than those in the United States and said that the test isn't quite ready for widespread use yet.

Women with a family history of breast or ovarian cancer are already encouraged to get screened for mutations in the BRCA 1 and 2 genes that warn of a heightened tumour risk. 'CHEK2 mutation screening detects a clinically meaningful risk of breast cancer and should be considered in all women with a family history of breast cancer,' Mr Cybulski wrote in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Nuts-and-soy diet better than low-fat diet for lower cholesterol: Study

2011-08-24T15:10:00.000+08:00

People who ate a diet rich in foods that lower cholesterol, such as nuts, soy, avocado, olive oil and oats, saw a bigger drop in cholesterol than people on a low-fat diet. -- ST PHOTO: JOSEPH NAIR

WASHINGTON (AFP) - People who ate a diet rich in foods that lower cholesterol, such as nuts, soy, avocado, olive oil and oats, saw a bigger drop in cholesterol than people on a low-fat diet, said a US study on Tuesday.

After six months of eating a diet that specifically included foods that lower LDL cholesterol, the randomised trial showed people experienced a 13 per cent drop in low-density lipoprotein (LDL, or 'bad' cholesterol).

Those on a diet that just emphasised low-fat foods, including high-fiber options and whole grains, saw a three percent drop in LDL, said the report in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

'This study indicated the potential value of using recognised cholesterol-lowering foods in combination,' said the study. The trial took place at four different sites in Canada - Quebec City, Toronto, Winnipeg, and Vancouver - and included 351 participants with elevated cholesterol levels.

Sleeping your way to better health

2011-08-21T08:48:00.000+08:00

By Michael Lim

There are people who tell me that they make do with just four to five hours of sleep a day and don't feel fatigued. Then there are others who sleep more than 10 hours a day and yet continue to feel tired.

Many ask: "What duration of sleep is considered adequate sleep?" Is there an optimal number of hours that one should sleep? The answer, apparently, is yes, and sleep does appear to have a significant impact on health.

Cancer

What is consistent in most of the large studies on sleep is that people who sleep the least appear to be significantly more likely to die.

A large study, the Nurses Health Study by Harvard University, involving 82,000 nurses, has shown an association between insufficient or erratic sleep and breast cancer, colon cancer, heart disease and diabetes.

While researchers have found that people who work at night are unusually prone to breast and colon cancer, it is still too early to say that working on the night shift causes cancer.

All it means is that there is an association. At this point of time, there is no explanation for this association.

DNA blood tests can tell baby's sex at 7 weeks: Study

2011-08-10T11:51:00.000+08:00

Tests that measure DNA in a pregnant woman's blood work well for telling the sex of a baby after seven weeks' gestation without posing danger to the foetus. -- ST PHOTO: LAU FOOK KONG

WASHINGTON (AFP) - TESTS that measure DNA in a pregnant woman's blood work well for telling the sex of a baby after seven weeks' gestation without posing danger to the foetus, a US study said on Tuesday.

The meta-analysis of previous studies on the topic suggests that using cell-free foetal DNA from the mother's blood is more accurate than a urine test or sonogram and is safer than amniocentesis.

It can also be done earlier than an ultrasound, which is usually accurate from 11 to 14 weeks, or amniocentesis, which samples fluid from the sac surrounding the foetus and carries a small risk of miscarriage.

'The availability of a reliable non-invasive alternative to determine foetal sex would reduce unintended foetal losses and would presumably be welcomed by pregnant women carrying foetuses at risk for disorders,' said the study in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Childhood hardship linked to adult disease risk

2011-08-04T12:19:00.000+08:00

NEW YORK - CHILDREN who are abused, lose a parent, or suffer other hardships may be at increased risk of chronic health conditions later in life, according to an international study.

Looking at over 18,000 adults from 10 countries, the study found that those who said they'd faced childhood adversities like abuse, the death of a parent, or a parent's alcohol or drug abuse, had higher risks of heart disease, arthritis, asthma, diabetes and other conditions. The same pattern was seen among people who said they'd suffered from depression, anxiety or other mental health conditions before the age of 21, the study, published in the Archives of General Psychiatry, said.

The findings do not prove that serious stresses in childhood directly cause poor physical health later on, but there are a number of reasons the two could be connected, said lead researcher Kate Scott from New Zealand's University of Otago.

'Early adverse experiences can shape people's behaviour and lifestyle,' she told Reuters Health by e-mail, noting that some people may end up smoking, drinking or over-eating as a way of dealing with the stresses of those childhood experiences, and the memories of them. Similarly, young people with depression or other mental health disorders may learn to use smoking or drinking as a way to self-medicate.

'So both early-life adversities and mental disorders may independently influence health-related behaviour,' Ms Scott said, adding that it's also possible that lasting and severe childhood stress may have more direct biological effects. 'When the stress is ongoing, such as in long-term childhood maltreatment, then there can be health consequences of those (stress hormones) being consistently elevated,' she added.

Her team found that participants who reported at least three childhood adversities had higher risk of all six physical health problems that the study assessed. In particular, they had twice the risk of heart disease, compared with men and women who reported no adversities. Similar findings were seen among adults who said they'd had mental health conditions before age 21 - especially depression, post-traumatic stress disorder or panic disorders. Their risks of heart disease, asthma, arthritis and chronic back pain or headaches were anywhere from 43 per cent to 66 per cent higher than risks in adults who reported no early mental health disorders. Current psychological status did not appear to account for the link. -- REUTERS

Solve premature ejaculation

Nuts instead of carbs may aid diabetes control: Study

2011-07-31T17:05:00.000+08:00

NEW YORK - Replacing that daily muffin with a handful or two of nuts may help people with diabetes better control their blood sugar and cholesterol levels, according to a study.

When people with type 2 diabetes replaced some of their usual carbohydrates with about a half-cup of mixed nuts each day, their blood sugar and "bad" cholesterol levels dipped slightly over three months, researchers wrote in the journal Diabetes Care.

By contrast, no such improvements were seen among people who swapped their normal carbs for a daily whole-wheat muffin.

While the findings don't mean that nuts are the key to diabetes control, they can be part of a healthy diet, said Cyril Kendall of the University of Toronto in Canada, one of the researchers involved.

"We should be focusing on overall diet and lifestyle," Dr Kendall told Reuters Health.

"They (nuts) have a lot of fat, but we now realize that those fats are healthy ones," he said, referring to the unsaturated fats that have been linked to a lower risk of heart disease and other health benefits.

Still, nuts are high in calories, and people with diabetes should not simply add a handful to their usual diet but should use them in place of less healthy snacks, Kendall said.

For the study, 117 adults with type 2 diabetes were randomly assigned to one of three groups. One group was given unsalted mixed nuts and told to eat them instead of some of their usual carbs, a second group replaced their normal carbs with "healthy" whole-wheat muffins with no added sugar, and the third group went on a half-nut, half-muffin regimen.

The "full-nut" group ate, on average, about 2 ounces, or a half cup, of nuts per day, totaling roughly 475 calories.

After three months, the researchers found, the full-nut group showed a 0.2 per cent dip in their average haemoglobin AIC level - a measure of long-term blood sugar control.

The change was small and "just shy," Kendall said, of what is considered a clinically significant improvement in blood sugar control. But the people in the study were already on diabetes medication and typically had good blood sugar control.

"So we're seeing a benefit over and above what they were achieving with medication," he added.

As for cholesterol, the nut group's average LDL cholesterol - the "bad" kind - declined from about 97 milligrams per deciliter to 89 mg/dL. An LDL count below 100 mg/dL is generally considered optimal.

No similar improvements were seen in the other two groups.

It wasn't clear why the full-nut group showed better blood sugar and cholesterol levels, but Kendall said he suspects it is largely because of the monounsaturated fats in nuts.

For people who aren't crazy about nuts, there are other sources of monounsaturated fats, such as olive oil and avocados. While the study did not look at those foods, Kendall said it might be a wise move to replace some carbs with those fats.

The study was partially funded by the International Tree Nut Council Nutrition Research & Education Foundation and the Peanut Institute, both industry groups. REUTERS

Fewer breast cancer deaths not due to screening: study

2011-07-30T00:39:00.000+08:00

Mammogram have played an insignificant role in falling breast cancer death rates in Europe, according to a study published on Friday. -- ST PHOTO: HOW HWEE YOUNG

PARIS - MAMMOGRAMS have played an insignificant role in falling breast cancer death rates in Europe, according to a study published on Friday.

Three pairs of countries with similar access to treatment but varying levels of breast screening showed scant difference in the degree of mortality attributed to the disease, researchers reported. The study, published online by the British Medical Journal, adds to a growing body of evidence suggesting that two decades of routine screening has yielded modest results at best.

A trio of scientists led by Philippe Autier of the International Prevention Research Institute in Lyon, France compared the mortality rates of otherwise similar health systems that began screening programs at least a decade apart.

In Northern Ireland, which began systematic mammograms in the early 1990s, the death rate among breast cancer patients dropped 29 per cent from 1989 to 2006. In Ireland, mortality went down nearly as much, 26 per cent, over the same period even though the country didn't set up regular screening until 10 years later. The Netherlands and Belgium also showed a parallel drop in breast cancer mortality rates - identical in the case of Dutch-speaking Belgium - despite a lag time of about a decade in the implementation of screening programmes. And in Sweden, which in 1986 pioneered systematic mammograms to detect the disease, the drop was only 16 per cent, compared to 24 per cent in Norway, which began to do so only in 2005.

The slim difference in mortality rates suggests that the decrease was caused by other factors, such as better treatment, the researchers said. 'Since we began studying the long-term effects on mortality, a lot of data has suggested that the impact is little to none,' Dr Autier told AFP.

'I am among those who pushed hard for systematic screening for breast cancer in the 1990s,' he added. 'But now there are question marks and we have to provide answers, because we cannot continue to promote something that may not be very effective but which can lead to a certain number of false positives,' where healthy women are diagnosed as having the disease, he said. -- AFP

Dieting does not lead to weight loss

2011-07-26T10:02:00.000+08:00

A NEW study suggests the majority of overweight people rarely return to their former shape through dieting, the Daily Mail reported.

The survey of 25,000 people by the Medical Research Council's National Survey of Health and Development further provided evidence of 'yo-yo dieting', a phenomenon in which people are trapped in a cycle of losing weight and regaining it.

According to the research, fewer than 10 percent of the 12 million Britons who go on a diet each year succeed in weight loss and even those who do regain the same amounts of weight within a year. The scientists concluded it is better to avoid getting fat in the first place.

The follow-up study which measured weight, blood pressure and examined lifestyles of 5,362 men and women born in 1946 and 20,000 born in 1958, revealed both groups started gaining weight in the 1980s and continued upward in size ever since.

'A few lose weight but very few get back to normal. The best policy is to prevent people becoming overweight,' said Dr Rebecca Hardy, the council's program leader on body size.

However, such findings do not negate the benefits of dieting since eating less and working out leads to increased fitness and lower blood pressure. -- THE KOREA HERALD/ANN

Marijuana: Signs, Detection and Treatment

2011-07-25T10:27:00.000+08:00

Marijuana is perhaps the most widely used drug out there. many drug abusers have admitted to have used marijuana first before trying any other drug, thus it has been known as a “gateway drug,” a term which is heavily contested by medical marijuana advocates.

Signs of Marijuana Use

External signs of marijuana use on a person are quite obvious. It may slow down motor functions and may affect mental functions; usually leading to slowed reaction time, slurred speech with a confused disposition. This is due to the effect of marijuana to a person’s brain. It is not uncommon for a marijuana user to tend to be in a state of altered perception and he would probably have red bloodshot and sunken eyes. Perhaps the most obvious sign is the marijuana’s distinct smell when it is burned or smoked. It easily stays within a room or on one’s clothing.

Detection and Treatment for Marijuana

Hair follicle drug testing can detect marijuana use for as long as six months depending on the person’s drug detection times. Treatment for marijuana on a person would depend on one’s lifestyle and level of drug use. Unlike most drugs, marijuana withdrawal is less intense and easier to manage. Some would require to be enrolled in a rehabilitation center while others can just quit on their own. But it always better to join support groups to aid with the psychological baggage. Withdrawal symptoms include headaches, depression, drug cravings, irritability, restlessness and loss of appetite.

Self Breast Exam

2011-07-18T14:52:00.002+08:00

In honor of my relatives who have battled cancer and Breast Cancer

Understanding the G spot

2011-07-10T14:34:00.001+08:00

THE G Spot seems to go in and out of fashion with sex experts.

It's called G Spot after a German gynaecologist in the 1950s and is back in fashion as a talking point now.

I sometimes wonder whether it's partly because it feels more comfortable (especially for men) to talk about the G Spot rather than the clitoris, which actually is far more important for most women to find sexual pleasure and satisfaction.

The clitoris, as you probably know, is the little mound of ultra-sensitive tissue which lies just in front of a woman's vagina.

In terms of responsiveness, it's the female equivalent of the penis, but is actually far more sensitive.

It usually needs only gentle touching, and perhaps massaging with the flat of the hand, to help a woman feel aroused.

Most women find that it's stimulation of the clitoris which leads to orgasm for them.

The clitoris can be indirectly stimulated during intercourse, but more women reach orgasm through stimulation other than intercourse.

It's important to be clear about this because so many couples feel like failures because the woman finds that intercourse doesn't do the trick for her.

This is all very relevant to the G Spot because the G Spot is really the underside or root of the clitoris and its nerves, which can be stimulated from inside the vagina, though women vary far more in their response to this type of stimulation than they do in their clitoral responses.

Some women feel it's the greatest turn-on ever, some hate it, some feel it's a pleasurable variation, others find it irritating.

If you want to experiment, it's important to do it with an open mind.

There are no rights and wrongs. What matters is for both partners to feel free to experiment and give feedback on what feels good to them.

Because the G Spot can be so sensitive and its effects unpredictable, it's often a good idea for the woman to explore for herself first and then later share the knowledge with her partner.

To find the G Spot you have to understand a bit of sexual anatomy.

A woman's urethra, which carries urine, runs above the vagina and more or less parallel with it, from her bladder to the urethral opening, which lies between her vaginal opening and her clitoris.

The urethra is surrounded by spongy tissue, called the urethral sponge, which is engorged with blood and special fluids when the woman is sexually aroused.

This spongy tissue in turn links up with the roots of the clitoris which run deep inside the body - the little glans you see is just the tip of the iceberg, as it were - or should that be hot berg?

If you insert a finger or two in the vagina and feel up inside the front wall, under the pubic bone, the G Spot lies one-third to halfway up.

It generally responds to firmer, steadier pressure than the clitoris, since you have the cushioning tissues of the urethral sponge - but it's usually best to aim slightly to one side or the other, rather than press on the urethra itself, which could be uncomfortable.

Fingers are usually going to be more effective than a penis, by the way, and you're more likely to find the G Spot if the woman is already well aroused.

There is a special sex toy designed to help - the Rock-Chick - which stimulates the clitoris and the G Spot simultaneously. See www.rock-chick.com for details.

There is also a new medical procedure called G Spot augmentation which involves injecting "filler" into the G Spot in order to increase responsiveness.

It is available privately in this country but it costs nearly £1,000 and it has to be repeated every four to six months.

Like all surgery there are risks, and this is a part of the body few of us want to take chances with.

Lots of women have a less sensitive G-Spot anyway and augmentation would make no difference.

To me, all that adds up to lots of reasons to work on your sexual technique, not pay a high price for someone repeatedly to stick a needle into a sensitive part of the body.

Most women are more responsive to clitoral stimulation and need clitoral stimulation if they are to climax during intercourse.

So-called vaginal orgasms are often more about making the man feel good when female orgasm should be about female satisfaction.

It's up to personal taste - the woman's personal taste. If she enjoys it, great. If she doesn't, then her partner shouldn't make her feel pressured because he wants to tick a new box in his sexual repertoire.

What often intrigues people about the G Spot is that it's said to be linked with female ejaculation - women producing fluid on climax just as men do.

It's still controversial but some women do seem to ejaculate a fluid that isn't just lubrication nor urine.

It could be that it is fluid from the glands in the urethral sponge.

Some women say this is normal for them, some experts insist it's impossible. It doesn't really matter.

What does matter is that a woman and her partner feel OK with whatever is her experience, and she enjoys her own responses.

She shouldn't feel a failure because she doesn't ejaculate, nor feel a freak because she does. If it is a regular occurrence, though, it makes sense to put down a towel or even waterproof sheet before having sex.

I hope this has helped.

My main message is not to get hung up about the G Spot but enjoy one another and talk to one another.

Don't feel any pressure to fit into a mould but find what suits the two of you.

If you would like any further personal advice, or my free leaflets on the G Spot or Orgasm for Women, do let me know.

Nearly 350 million diabetics worldwide: Study

2011-07-05T13:42:00.001+08:00

LONDON - THE number of adults worldwide with diabetes has more than doubled in three decades, jumping to an estimated 347 million, a new study says.

Much of that increase is due to ageing populations - since diabetes typically hits in middle age - and population growth, but part of it has also been fuelled by rising obesity rates.

With numbers climbing almost everywhere, experts said the disease is no longer limited to rich countries and is now a global problem. Countries in which the numbers rose fastest include Cape Verde, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, Papua New Guinea, and the United States.

'Diabetes may well become the defining issue of global health for the next decade,' said Majid Ezzati, chair of global environmental health at Imperial College London, one of the study authors. He noted the figures don't reflect the generations of overweight children and young adults who have yet to reach middle age. That could create a massive burden on health systems.

'We are not at the peak of this wave yet,' he said. 'And unlike high blood pressure and cholesterol, we still don't have great treatments for diabetes.'

Still, in Britain and elsewhere in Western Europe, despite growing waistlines, there was only a slight rise in diabetes. Experts weren't sure why and said there could be several reasons, including worse detection of the disease, genetic differences, or perhaps the Europeans were better at getting heavy people to reduce their chances of developing diabetes. -- AP

Solve premature ejaculation

2011-06-23T16:29:00.001+08:00

WORRYING that they climax too soon is one of the most common problems men write to me about so for starters it may reassure you to know that the average man lasts for just five minutes of full sex.

I realise that if you barely get started before you climax, five minutes may sound wonderful, but at least it should reassure you that few men are lasting for hours, which is the impression given by lots of sex films and pornography..

If you're lasting for five minutes or so, you definitely shouldn't see yourself as having a serious problem with premature ejaculation, but you may still feel that being able to last longer would improve the quality of your love-making.

Those who barely last seconds will almost certainly benefit from some self-help sex therapy.

Starting with the basics, it's obviously not going to help you to have rushed sex with a casual partner.

You need to be able to feel relaxed. You need a partner you feel close to and who also wants to improve the quality of your love-making.

There are many helpful approaches you can try with a loving partner, though a man who hasn't a regular partner can still do quite a lot alone to begin to learn control.

If, when you are making love, you find you climax before you want to, the first essential is that you and your partner feel able to talk about it.

Discuss it, even laugh about it, and then try making love again.

You can show your partner how to help you manage another erection.

The second time around you will almost certainly find that it takes you longer to climax.

Repeating this pattern of love-making often enough can make all the difference. It may take some time but, with frequent intercourse, you will eventually be able to delay your climax.

However, if what's really bothering you is that your partner isn't climaxing during intercourse, it is important to realise that many women find that intercourse is not what leads to orgasm for them.

More commonly, women reach climax through other stimulation, usually manual or oral.

If you can maintain intercourse for several minutes but this doesn't result in orgasm for your partner, you should probably be exploring these other ways.

They're explained in my free leaflet on Women and Orgasm.

If you're sure you really do need to be able to make love longer before climaxing, there is more you can do to help yourself.

Research has shown that men can develop better sexual control practising pelvic muscle exercises.

To do these, when you are passing water, try to stop and start the flow of urine, without using your stomach muscles.

Only try this once a day or you could give yourself problems but, once you have got the hang of it, practise the same movement when you're not going to the loo and repeat that several times a day.

It will take a couple of months before you see the benefits, and you will need to continue these exercises regularly or the new strength in these muscles will be lost.

It also helps to learn to feel in tune with your body's sexual responses through what are called sensate focus exercises.

Set aside some time during which you will not be disturbed. Either in a warm bath, using soap or oil, or in a warm bed using lotion to make your hands glide smoothly, massage your body all over.

Starting with the non-sexual areas, explore every inch, top to toe, discovering what feels particularly and perhaps surprisingly good to you. Then move on to the sexual areas. Find out exactly what pleases you, how and where. Vary your touch.

When you want to, bring yourself to climax.

Pay close attention to the sensations.

Concentrate particularly on the feelings leading up to the point of no return before climax.

When you feel that moment approaching, stop stroking your very sensitive areas, but do not stop caressing yourself in less sensitive spots.

When you feel it is safe, start again. Vary fast and slow strokes, firm and gentle.

In time, you should be able to work up to lasting around 15 minutes.

It helps if you get into the habit of deep, regular breathing, and make sure you keep that up whenever you near the point of no return.

You should aim to repeat these exercises in self-touching at least three times a week for an hour.

You can share them with your partner, if you have one.
Technique

Once you have each learned your own reactions, you can take it in turns to caress and explore one another's bodies.

When you move on to making love with a partner, you can again apply the stop-start technique.

If you feel yourself approaching that point of no return, you should both stop moving until the urge to climax subsides.

Do let your partner know why you may want to stop moving for a few seconds every now and then.

Secrecy just adds to tensions. While you may stop movement in the pelvic area, don't forget all those other pleasurable caresses you have learnt during the sensate-focus exercises, and continue to stroke and pleasure other parts of the body.

Many women find the variety makes sex far more pleasurable.

If tensions in your relationship with your partner or in other areas of your life are getting in the way of your improving the quality of your love life, they can be relieved by talking about them, and if necessary getting the skilled help of a counsellor.

Phone your local branch of Relate on 0300 100 1234 or see www.relate.co.uk. They can refer you for a course of sex therapy to help you learn control.

In an emergency, if you're having sex and realise you're going to climax long before you want to and just stopping moving isn't going to be enough to hold you back, pull out and take hold of your penis head around the ridge with your finger and thumb and squeeze hard. This forces your sexual response back a step.

If it's not the moment to pull out, reach behind you and take hold of your testicles.

Pull down firmly so you block the tubes - that holds back your ejaculate. It might be a good idea to practise in private beforehand.

Self-help techniques are the long-term answer but to start with you might like to try condoms such as Durex Performa which have been designed to help men last longer.
Cream

They contain a small amount of anaesthetising cream to delay the man's climax without affecting the woman's sexual responsiveness.

Some men find that sprays available in some chemists and sex shops to densensitise the penis and delay ejaculation help them.

For example, Stud 100 (also known as Premjact) has been licensed by the Department of Health for the treatment of premature ejaculation. It is available through Pharmacy 2U, (www.Pharmacy2U.co.uk).

By the way, I know some guys have got the impression that Viagra and similar drugs are cure-alls for just about every male sexual problem.

In fact they are very unlikely to help men suffering from premature ejaculation - and might even make it worse.

Drugs like Viagra have been designed specifically to help men experiencing problems in getting or maintaining an erection.

They are not suitable for all men - and can be dangerous in some circumstances - which is why they are only available in this country on prescription.

So-called Viagra available on the Internet often isn't the real thing, or may be the wrong strength for you.

It's important not to try to self-medicate because research has shown that taking Viagra can damage men's fertility by affecting their sperm.

I hope this has helped but do let me know if you have a particular problem and I'll try to advise you.

Warning over fibroids treatment

2011-06-21T18:27:00.001+08:00

UK doctors say a treatment for heavy periods caused by fibroids can seriously harm a subsequent pregnancy.

An Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Hospital study looked at the outcomes of 215 pregnancies following uterine artery embolisation (UAE) treatment.

The researchers found much higher rates of miscarriage, caesareans and heavy bleeding after delivery, and call for caution in recommending the treatment.

The study appears in the journal, The Obstetrician and Gynaecologist.

UAE has been available as a treatment in the UK since 1995.

Pregnancy problems

The doctors pulled together the data from five small studies carried out in the UK, Czech Republic and Canada.

Fibroids are small, benign lumps of smooth muscle in the womb.

Sometimes, because of their number, size and location, they cause heavy period pain or difficulty in getting pregnant and treatment is needed.

Doctors at the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Hospital say as many as 40% of women of reproductive age have fibroids.

They found that the risk of miscarriage following UAE was 35% compared with a rate in untreated women of 10 to 15%.

The incidence of caesarean sections was much higher at 67% compared with a normal rate of 20 to 25%.

And bleeding after delivery was more than twice as common at 14% compared with 5%.

The babies tended to be smaller and they were more likely to present in an awkward position.

'Increase awareness'

Ertan Saridogan, who led the research, said although a large number of women had already undergone the procedure, there had been relatively little study of its long-term effects.

He said: "We do not offer it as a first-time treatment, but, for some women, surgery and other treatments do not work.

"We want to increase awareness of the pitfalls of this widespread procedure.

"I hope this will inform women before they make their decisions, so they can make an informed choice - they've been going at it blindly without realising what it might imply for their future pregnancies."

Henry Annan, from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said he agreed that care should now be taken in recommending the treatment.

"A proper randomised controlled trial of this procedure would take many years - it's important that patients should have some idea of the pros and cons of all the various treatments for fibroids."

Sleepy people eat more: study

2011-06-15T19:30:00.000+08:00

People suffering from sleep deprivation are likely to be unable to resist high calorie foods, a study found. -- PHOTO: AP

PEOPLE suffering from sleep deprivation are likely to be unable to resist high calorie foods, a study found.

Inadequate sleep leads to an increase in the hormone ghrelin, which tells you when to eat, and a decrease in the hormone leptin, which tells you to stop eating, Shelby Freedman Harris, the author of the report, said.

People suffering from lack of sleep have less leptin and more ghrelin. The imbalance of hormones drives them to keep on eating, she added.

She also advised people to reduce caffeine and alcohol intake and to exercise at least five hours before going to bed and of course, more sleep.

Other researchers said the findings make sense.

They said that high calorie foods only provide a sudden burst of energy. This explains why sleepy people prefer these types of food.

Dengue vaccine could be ready by 2015

2011-06-11T09:38:00.000+08:00

French drugs group Sanofi said on Friday that its vaccine against dengue, a mosquito-borne infection that kills thousands of people around the world each year, could be launched in about four years. -- PHOTO: AP

BANGKOK - FRENCH drugs group Sanofi said on Friday that its vaccine against dengue, a mosquito-borne infection that kills thousands of people around the world each year, could be launched in about four years.

'The vaccine could be available... around 2015,' Jean Lang, head of vaccine development at the group's subsidiary Sanofi-Pasteur, told reporters in Bangkok.

The launch date is dependent on regulatory approval in each country based on the results of trials.

The vaccine is the first for dengue to undergo advanced 'Phase III' clinical trials - the final stage before the results are submitted for regulatory approval.

About 4,000 children in the central Thai province of Ratchaburi, one of the worst affected areas in the country, are participating in a study that aims to establish the efficacy of the vaccine.

Dengue causes severe, flu-like symptoms in about 50 million people every year, mainly in developing countries. There are four strains, one of which is a potentially lethal type. -- AFP

A birth-control pill for men?

2011-06-08T12:34:00.000+08:00

A posed photo of a man popping pills into his mouth. Contraceptives for men could be developed soon, according to scientists at Columbia University -- ST PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: WANG HUI FEN

CONTRACEPTIVE pills for men could be developed soon, Daily Mail reported on Tuesday.

Scientists at Columbia University in New York claimed that they have developed 'a drug which temporarily stops sperm production without causing any long-term harm to male fertility.'

Scientists have been trying to come up with a male equivalent of the pill for years, but have not yet succeeded. The new pill impairs the male body's ability to use vitamin A, which is vital for the production of sperm.

It has so far only been tested on mice. But scientists hope to carry out long-term studies on humans within a few years, the report said. Most similar drugs recently developed are jabs, not pills, and many contain steroids. But this one does not contain steroids and has not been shown to have any side-effects.

'We have seen no side-effects so far, and our mice have been mating quite happily,' Debra Wolgemuth, head of the research team at the university's medical centre, said.

So far it has only been tested on mice, but scientists hope to carry out long-term studies on humans within a few years. The drug is still in the early stages of development, but a finished product would probably be taken once a day, they said. -- KOREA HERALD/ANN

Extra radiation lowers breast cancer recurrence: Study

2011-06-05T11:26:00.000+08:00

Health Journal (Breast Cancer) : CHICAGO - EXTRA radiation treatment lowers the rate of breast cancer recurring in women who have had tumours surgically removed, according to preliminary results of a study published on Saturday.

'These results are potentially practice-changing,' said Timothy Whelan, an oncology professor at McMaster University of Canada and lead author of the clinical study.

Prof Whelan presented the findings at the 47th annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, being held in Chicago. More than 1,800 women who had breast-conserving surgery participated in the study, receiving whole breast radiation (WBI) alone or WBI along with radiation to the surrounding lymph nodes.

Five years later, 'there were statistically significant benefits for the group receiving the added (lymph node radiation) therapy,' the study said. Women who received radiation treatment to the breast and lymph nodes had a '41 per cent lower rate of recurrences near the tumour site' compared to the women who received breast radiation alone.

They also had 'a 36 per cent lower rate of cancer recurrences in other parts of the body' after five years, the study said. All of the women also had been treated with adjuvant chemotherapy or endocrine therapy. Prof Whelan said the findings 'will encourage physicians to offer all women with node-positive disease the option of receiving regional nodal irradiation.'

Adding the lymph node radiation, he added, 'improved disease-free survival, lowered the risk of recurrences, and there was a positive trend toward improved overall survival, while not greatly increasing toxicities.' -- AFP

German E. coli outbreak 'stabilising'

2011-06-04T11:10:00.000+08:00

A patient infected with enterohaemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) is being dialysed at the Marienkrankenhaus hospital in Hamburg, northern Germany, on May 24, 2011. -- PHOTO: AFP

HAMBURG (Germany) - AN OUTBREAK of E. coli poisoning that has killed at least 18 people appears to be stabilising, a senior doctor in the German city of Hamburg, the epicentre of the outbreak, said on Friday.

'The situation is that the number of new infections appears to be stabilising somewhat,' said Mr Reinhard Brunkhorst, president of the German Nephrology Society dealing with kidney diseases.

'We are dealing here in fact with the biggest epidemic caused by bacteria in recent decades,' he told reporters.

Enterohaemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) can cause bloody diarrhoea, as well as full-blown haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS), a life-threatening kidney disease. Some 500 people have contracted HUS.

All but one of the 18 fatalities died in Germany, while the 18th, who passed away in Sweden, had recently travelled there. At least 499 people, 470 in Germany, have HUS while there are 1,115 reported EHEC cases, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said.

Mr Brunkhorst said there are currently no indications that the bug can be transmitted from person to person.

Officials in the northern city of Hamburg initially blamed organic Spanish cucumbers but tests this week showed that while they carried EHEC bacteria, it was not the strain responsible for the contamination. --AFP

Exercise protects and improves the aging brain

2011-05-25T13:58:00.000+08:00

By Megan Brooks

NEW YORK, US - Two new studies provide more evidence that regular aerobic exercise not only staves off the problems with thinking and memory that often come with age, but it can actually help turn back the clock on brain aging.

In one study, researchers found evidence that engaging in moderate physical activity such as brisk walking, swimming, or yoga in midlife or later may cut the risk of developing mild thinking problems.

In the other study, a group of elderly individuals who already had mild problems had improvements in their mental agility after six months of high-intensity aerobic activity.

People with mild mental impairments of the kind studied - known as mild cognitive impairment -- typically have some memory difficulties, such as forgetting people's names or misplacing items. Each year, 10 to 15 percent of individuals with mild cognitive impairment will develop dementia, as compared with 1 percent to 2 percent of the general population. Previous studies in animals and humans have suggested that exercise may improve thinking and memory.

To investigate further, Seattle-based researchers studied 33 adults with mild cognitive impairment. Twenty-three spent 45 to 60 minutes on a treadmill or stationary bicycle four days a week for six months, while the other 10 "control" subjects did stretching exercises but kept their heart rate low.

Six months of intense aerobic exercise "improved cognitive abilities of attention and concentration, organization, planning, and multi-tasking," study chief Dr. Laura Baker noted in an email to Reuters Health. In contrast, cognitive function test scores continued to decline in the group that didn't have vigorous exercise.

Might it be possible to get the same brain benefit from lower intensity aerobic exercise?

"In theory, yes," Baker said, "but we are just now starting the studies that will help us know how little is enough. In the next five years, we'll have a much better idea about the minimum 'dose' of exercise needed (how often, duration of exercise sessions, how much exertion is needed) without compromising the cognitive benefits."

Baker, who is from the University of Washington School of Medicine and the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center, also noted that the average magnitude of mental improvement with aerobic exercise was "bigger for women than for men.

"And while she's not exactly sure why, she noted that, for the women in the study, aerobic exercise improved the body's sensitivity to insulin, a hormone that plays an important role in providing energy to the muscles and organs of the body and to the brain. "Contrary to our expectations, aerobic exercise did not improve insulin sensitivity for the men," Baker said.

Difficulty climaxing

2011-05-22T12:16:00.000+08:00

Question:

I get so frustrated during sex. I have never had an orgasm no matter how hard my partner and I try. When my partner hits the G-spot it just makes me feel like I need to run to the toilet and I can't move past that feeling, and this puts me off. Can you help?

Response:

Almost all women will be able to reach an orgasm externally (via the clitoris), but not all will be able to reach one internally (via the vagina). And around 90 percent of women will learn how to orgasm on their own via masturbation and 80 percent with a partner. However, it is important to know that often the harder you try, the less you will get turned on.

In order to become orgasmic I would suggest not having intercourse while you are trying so old sexual experiences can be broken and new ones can be explored. You need to discover what sensual pleasure is for you first of all. Without this knowledge you can feel frustrated and knowing what gives you pleasure can help you to get where you want sexually.

So start with masturbation and discover what feels good on your own, because remember your body belongs to you first of all. There are a couple of steps I would suggest you try.

Firstly, learn to be comfortable with your body. Stand in front of a mirror naked and look at each body part until you feel no anxiety whatsoever. Then move on to look at your vagina with a handheld mirror, until you are completely comfortable. This might take a couple of tries. Now you are ready to start with some self-pleasuring.

Make sure you are completely relaxed and start touching your body all over with some massage oil. Once you feel good, introduce a vibrator and massage your whole body with the vibrator, then ending up at the clitoris.

When you feel aroused, try to act out an orgasm. Let your body go completely, scream at the top of your voice, rock your pelvis, and shake your legs. Over exaggerate this, so you learn how to let go completely. Now you are ready to try it for real!

I also suggest some triggers you could introduce to set off an orgasm. These are pointing your toes and tensing your muscles; rocking your body, thrusting your pelvis or vagina; holding your breath; and really trying to push it out with your diaphragm, arch your body, throw your head back; and hang your head over the side of the bed.

Coffee cuts risk of lethal prostate cancer

2011-05-18T12:35:00.000+08:00

Health Journal : WASHINGTON - MORE is better when it comes to drinking coffee to ward off the risk of deadly prostate cancer, according to a major US study released on Tuesday by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health.

Men who drank six or more cups per day had a 60 per cent lower risk of developing the most lethal type of prostate cancer and a 20 per cent lower risk of forming any type of prostate cancer compared to men who did not drink coffee, it said.

Even just one to three cups per day was linked to a 30 per cent lower risk of developing lethal prostate cancer.

'Few studies have specifically studied the association of coffee intake and the risk of lethal prostate cancer, the form of the disease that is the most critical to prevent,' said Harvard associate professor and senior author Lorelei Mucci.

'Our study is the largest to date to examine whether coffee could lower the risk of lethal prostate cancer,' she said.

The effects were the same whether the coffee was caffeinated or decaffeinated, leading researchers to believe the lower risk could be linked to the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits of coffee. Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed form of cancer in US men, but it is not always deadly. -- AFP

Urine tests could identify risks to heart

2011-05-16T09:32:00.000+08:00

Testing urine for high blood glucose and protein levels could help to identify people most at risk of developing heart disease, say experts.

Australian researchers recently followed up on health checks carried out between 1998 and 2000 on indigenous people from 26 remote communities in far north Queensland.

The teams from the University of South Australia and Queensland's Tropical Public Health Unit found just over 1700 were free of coronary heart disease at the time of screening.

By the beginning of 2006 the disease was blamed for 121 deaths and hospitalisations, according to the report published in The Medical Journal of Australia.

Researcher Robyn McDermott said the biggest indicators of potential heart disease appeared to be high glucose and protein levels, which are both preventable.

"High fasting glucose levels and albuminuria (high levels of protein) found during routine adult health checks should therefore be actively managed and monitored, even in the absence of diabetes," Prof McDermott said.

"They can be measured simply, lend themselves to cardioprotective interventions and should be routinely used to estimate risk and monitor effectiveness of treatment."

Other traditional risk factors, such as smoking, weight and blood pressure, accounted for a small increase in the risk of coronary heart disease among participants.

Tai chi may improve quality of life for heart patients: Study

2011-04-27T00:25:00.000+08:00

People with chronic heart failure may be able to boost their quality of life by doing tai chi, the ancient Chinese exercise regimen, a US study suggested on Monday. -- ST PHOTO: GEORGE GASCON

WASHINGTON - PEOPLE with chronic heart failure may be able to boost their quality of life by doing tai chi, the ancient Chinese exercise regimen, a US study suggested on Monday.

Two group sessions of one hour each per week were enough to show significant improvements in mood and confidence, said the Boston-based study in the Archives of Internal Medicine, a journal of the American Medical Association.

The study compared 50 US heart patients who enrolled in tai chi classes - sessions led by an instructor who guided the class in a series of fluid motions - to 50 who took classroom study in heart education.

Physical responses were similar in both groups, but those who did tai chi showed 'significant' improvements according to their answers in a questionnaire to assess their emotional state.

The tai chi group also reported better 'exercise self-efficacy (confidence to perform certain exercise-related activities), with increased daily activity, and related feelings of well-being compared with the education group,' said the study.

While experts admit they do not fully understand the science behind the findings, the study offers a positive option for complementing standard medical care of people with chronic heart failure, a debilitating and progressive disease that limits a person's ability to breathe and move. -- AFP

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Surprising Fertility Facts You Better Know

2011-04-25T02:22:00.000+08:00

PHOTO CREDIT: CRISTINA TARANTOLA

Unless you know for sure that your guy is STD-free, condoms are your best protection against fertility threats such as chlamydia and gonorrhea. If left untreated, these bacterial infections can enter your uterus and fallopian tubes, where they morph into a more serious condition called Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID). Scarily, one in five women with PID end up infertile.

Caught early, chlamydia and gonorrhea can be easily cured with prescription meds. But not all women experience symptoms, such as a green-yellow discharge or burning and pain, so they don't know they are infected and never seek treatment. Bottom line: Be screened after any incidence of unsafe sex as well as at your yearly gyno checkup, just to play it safe.

Learn How to Handle Stress
Ever have your period go MIA for a month or two when you were under a lot of pressure? Then you know how stress can mess with your cycle, preventing you from ovulating regularly. Science backs this up: A recent study published in the journal Fertility and Sterility found that women took longer to become pregnant if they had high levels of a stress-related enzyme. It's important to hone your relaxation skills now, so stress doesn't disrupt your cycle when it's time to join the motherhood club.

Stop Lighting Up

A lot of women don't consider themselves smokers because they're not addicted to nicotine, and they only puff every once in a while — say at a party or while hanging out with smoker friends. But occasional smoking harms your baby-making ability the same way a pack-a-day habit does. How? Toxins in smoke harm your fallopian tubes, cause chromosomal damage to your eggs, and impair your ability to produce estrogen, which prepares the lining of the uterus for pregnancy. Plus, smokers who do manage to conceive have higher miscarriage rates.

Don't Be Fat-Phobic

A little body cushioning keeps you fertile; if your BMI dips below 18.5 (20 to 25 is the healthy range), you'll probably stop ovulating because you don't have enough fat to support a pregnancy. On the other hand, don't go overboard and use your future status as a mom as an excuse to pack on pounds and indulge in junk food. Being obese (aka, a BMI of 30 or higher), means you likely have a higher number of fat cells throughout your body, which can make ovulation irregular.

Ease Up on Your Seafood Intake

Shark, swordfish, and mackerel typically contain high levels of mercury, which is associated with infertility, miscarriage, and birth defects. Since it can take over a year to get any mercury you've ingested out of your system, avoid these options well before you're ready to conceive. Of course, don't give up fish altogether; it's packed with protein and other essential nutrients. Just stick to two meals a week of low-mercury seafood like shrimp, salmon, and light tuna.

Don't Panic About Being on the Pill

There's a myth out there that taking oral contraceptives, especially for years on end, can make it harder to conceive when you go off the Pill to have a kid. Don't believe it. "Birth control pills have no negative affect on future fertility," says Dr. Ringler. Most women who had a regular cycle before taking the Pill will be fertile as soon as they go off it and get their period within one to three months.

Watch the Calendar — Especially if You're Over 35

It's smart to postpone babymaking until you feel ready for it. But don't put it off too long. No matter how healthy you eat or how many times you go to yoga class, your biological clock continues to tick. You're born with about one million eggs, but as you age, they die off; by your mid-30s, you're down to 30,000. Meanwhile, the risk of miscarriage and genetic diseases such as Down syndrome go up with age. For women under 30, it's estimated that the chance of getting pregnant in any one cycle is 25 percent. By age 40, it falls to 5 percent, according to the American Fertility Association.

Why women's breasts are getting bigger

2011-04-22T08:11:00.000+08:00

There is a growing demand for bras with larger cup sizes.

JUST two years after Bravissimo, a lingerie maker for women with larger bust sizes, launched a KK-cup size, it recently introduced the L-cup to meet the growing demand for larger sizes.

According to a report in the Daily Mail, the unprecedented demand for bigger bra sizes can be explained by three things:

Fat

*The average British bra size has increased dramatically. In the 1950s, the average size was B-cup, but it has since increased to 36C. Bravissimo estimates, however, that it could in fact be closer to 34E.

*Breast cancer expert professor Michael Baum said that 'fat is laid down on breasts as much as thighs and bottoms. We are experiencing an obesity epidemic, so the increase in women's measurements isn't that surprising.'

Hormones

*However, there are also more women with slim figures but big breasts. According to Bravissimo's research, the majority of women they contacted are 'small in the body and big in the bust.' This indicates the reason for bigger breasts is not just fat. Marilyn Glenville, specialising in women's health and hormones, said in the report: 'We have to look at what stimulates breast tissue growth - and that's estrogen, the female sex hormone.'

*According to Dr Glenville, women experience a surge of estrogen as they reach puberty earlier than before, have fewer children and breastfeed for less time. 'With more women today putting off pregnancy until later in life and having fewer children, they experience many more monthly cycles than previous generations did, and are exposed to more estrogen.'

Xenoestrogens (foreign estrogens)

*Hormone Replacement Treatment for menopausal women and contraceptive pills affect cup size too, according to the report. Pesticides, plastics and cosmetics may also influence bra size. Exposure to products such as tinned food, drinks cans and plastic bottles, which contain Bisphenol A (BPA), may also play a role. These xenoestrogens are reported to effect sperm and fertility and are 'potentially affecting women, too - and the proof could be in our bras." 'Applying moisturisers to the skin and often directly on to the breast may stimulate growth in breast tissue,' Dr Glenville said.

*Milk could be another contributor to the increase in bra sizes. The report said about two-thirds of the milk British people consume comes from pregnant cows, which contains high levels of estrogens and other hormones.

Many women aspire to have bigger breasts; however those with big breasts can suffer from chronic back pain and other inconveniences in their everyday lives. Even as more women visit plastic surgeons for breast enlargement operations, an increasing number of women are inquiring about breast reduction operations. -- THE KOREAN HERALD

Exercises to Make Your Bust Bigger

2011-04-21T10:19:00.000+08:00

I'm not trying to sound gross or trampy, but is there any way to make your bust bigger? I don't want a product, I want something I can do at home without having to buy something. Please help me. Thanks.

Question:
Hey, no need to apologize. All women want great looking breasts. But before I answer your question, let me give you a quick anatomy lesson. Your breasts are actually made up of fatty or adipose tissue, so their size depends upon how much fat you tend to store there, which calls in factors like your genetics, your weight, your health and your age. The muscles that reside directly underneath your breast are called the pectorals. They are partly responsible for the "perkiness" of your breasts.

So to answer your question: No, you can't do anything about the size of your breasts (short of gaining weight or getting surgery.) However, you can make them appear bigger, firmer and more shapely by working your pectoral muscles, a.k.a your chest muscles.

But the good news is that you can tuck that twenty dollar bill back inside your bra -- there is no magical product, cream or device that will help you put your best breasts forward. I'm going to recommend three exercises for you to do at home that won't cost you a dime and will put more boom in your boom-chicka-boom in 6-8 weeks. Simply do 1-3, 8-15 rep sets of each move, 2-3 times a week and I guarantee you'll see results! Have fun.

1. The Modified Push Up

Lie on your stomach, bend your knees, and cross your ankles. Bend your elbows and place your palms on the floor a bit to the side and in front of your shoulders. Straighten your arms and lift your body so you're balanced on your palms and knees. Tuck your chin a few inches toward your chest so your forehead faces the floor. Tighten your abdominals.

Bend your elbows and lower your entire body at once. Rather than trying to touch your chest to the floor, lower only until your upper arms are parallel to the floor. Push back up. Don't lock your elbows at the top of the movement and don't do the dreaded "head bob." That's when you dip your head toward the floor without moving any other part of your body.

2. Soup Can Press

Lie on your back with your feet flat on the floor and a soup can or dumbbell in each hand. Push the soup cans up so your arms are directly over your shoulders and your palms face away from you. Pull your abdominals in but don't jam your back into the floor; don't let it arch way up, either. Tilt your chin toward your chest.

Lower the soup cans down and a little to the side until your elbows lightly touch the floor. Push the weights back up, taking care not to lock your elbows or allow your shoulder blades to rise off the floor. (Note: Use soup cans of equal weight. When those get too light, you can fill two Pinesol bottles with dried beans or pebbles.)

3. Incline Fly

Lie on the floor with your head, neck and upper back propped up against several large pillows. Hold a soup can or dumbbell in each hand and press the weights directly above your chest, palms facing each other. Tuck your chin to your chest to align your neck with the rest of your spine, and maintain your natural back posture, neither arched nor flattened.

Spreading your arms apart so that your elbows travel down and to the sides, lower the weights until your elbows lightly touch the floor. Maintaining a constant bend in your elbows, lift the weights back up, imagining that you have a barrel lying on your chest and you have to keep your arms wide to reach around it.

How to Get Better Sleep

2011-04-13T21:32:00.001+08:00

One of the most wonderful gifts God has given to man is sleep. Sleep is the time when the body can rest, repair broken tissues, and heal itself. While most people love this one-of-a-kind activity, not all people can get enough of it. You have probably experienced going to bed some nights and instead of falling fast asleep, you keep tossing and turning and find it hard to enter dreamland. You don’t have any kind of sleep disorder but there are just nights when you find it really hard to fall asleep. And when you do, you only get to sleep four to five hours a night. You’re not alone, because there are millions of people all over the world who are suffering from lack of sleep.

The problem with lack of sleep is that it drains your energy both mentally and physically. Most likely, you have experienced not being able to get enough sleep for three straight days and when you go to work during the day you feel like you’re floating from the ground. Lack of sleep simply takes away your focus and concentration, and if that goes on forever, you can be putting your body at risk for several kinds of diseases due to a poor immune system. The good thing is that there are several things you can do that will help you get the kind of sleep that you want every single night. It may require a change of lifestyle but it’s worth it since you’re doing it for your health’s sake.

Naturally, your mind and body follow a sleeping pattern that determines when you get sleepy and when you’re ready to wake up. This is also referred to as the “body clock”. There are several factors that can cause disturbance to the body clock, including your diet, your physical activities, and a lot more. In order to have a regular sleeping pattern, you need to start establishing one now. An example of a good sleeping pattern is to go to bed by 10PM and to wake up at 6AM. Try following this sleep schedule for two weeks, and eventually, your mind and body will adjust to the new sleep cycle.

Sometimes, it’s not enough that you simply decide to go to bed at a certain time. To help yourself adjust to the new sleeping pattern, make some preparations before going to bed at night. If you can’t condition your brain and body that it’s time to sleep already, chances are, you’ll really have a hard time dozing off. Some of the few things that can make sleep very difficult are watching television and using the computer an hour before going to bed. Such activities can stimulate the brain and make falling asleep difficult. To condition your mind and body for sleep, avoid stressful activities a few hours before bedtime.

Eating may not be an activity that can cause much stress but you have to watch how you eat at night because overeating can cause a major discomfort and may make sleeping a lot more difficult for you. If you want to sleep soundly at night and without any disturbance, go for a light dinner four hours before your bedtime. To keep you from waking up in the middle of the night to go the toilet, avoid drinking plenty of water a few minutes before bedtime. In the same manner, avoid drinking coffee in the afternoon especially if you have low tolerance to caffeine because caffeine is a known stimulant and drinking too much will keep you up until the wee hours of the morning.

An effective way to improve your sleeping pattern is to exercise. According to studies, performing light exercises in the morning or in the afternoon can help you sleep deeper, which means your sleep is going to be more refreshing and you’ll have lesser tendencies of waking up at night.

Finally, make sure that your room is conducive for sleeping and resting. Design your room so that it is a perfect place for relaxing. Install a dimmer so that you can easily adjust the light when you’re preparing to sleep. Make sure that your bed is big enough so that you’ll have room to stretch comfortably. If watching TV before going to bed is a habit that is distracting your sleep pattern, remove the television from your room. Don’t associate your room to anything that has to do with work and other stressful activities. As much as possible, reserve it only for sleeping and having intimacy with your partner.

Habits to Keep the Brain Healthy

2011-04-12T09:51:00.000+08:00

The brain is considered as the central processing unit of the human body. It is the main organ that controls the rest of the bodily parts. And since the brain is like a muscle, it needs to be exercised regularly in order for it to stay in optimum condition.

It’s true that every organ in the body has an important role to play, but besides the heart, the brain is one organ you would want to keep healthy all the time. It is through the brain that we learn, think, and remember things, and if we fail to maintain its health, we may end up with a high risk for degenerative brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s and dementia. It’s a good thing that there are several things you can do to take proper care of your brain so that you don’t easily succumb to mental problems and brain diseases.

Stress is the number one cause of diseases and disorders in the bodily organs. If you want to maintain the youth and health of your brain, do your best to get rid of the stressors in your life. When you are under severe stress, hormones called cortisol rush to the hippocampus, the part of your brain that stores short term memory. When there’s too much cortisol rushing to the hippocampus, brain cells may die and result to poor learning and memory function. To avoid short term memory loss and improve your brain function, try some relaxation techniques that will help you eliminate or at least control stress. When you’re stressed, take long deep breaths to allow more oxygen to enter your brain. This encourages relaxation and helps improve your focus and concentration.

Sometimes, stress can be a result of lack of sleep. For your information, sleeping helps improve the brains health not only by reducing stress. Sleep is designed to allow damaged tissues in your body to heal. During sleep time, your body repairs the part of your brain that holds your memories together, making it an excellent activity to boost your long-term memory. Even a short nap during the day can boost the health of brain significantly. Some establishments in America allow their employees to take 20 minute power naps in the afternoon because they believe it can help improve their performance at work. This is quite true because according to studies, people who get at least 8 hours of sleep every day have sharper memories than those who only get 4-5 hours of sleep.

Speaking of sharper memory, playing brain games like scrabble, crossword puzzle, and Sudoku can richly enhance your mental ability. Whenever you spend time brainstorming or thinking hard on how you can win in Mastermind, the hippocampus in your brain generates new cells. The more mental stimulation and mental excitement you experience, the better.

Another more exciting way to improve your brain’s health is by feeding it. According to scientists, your thinking and your memory is greatly influenced by the kind of food that you eat. Since your brain is made up mainly of fat, what better way to fee it than by eating more fat? When we speak of fat, we’re referring to healthy fat or monounsaturated fat that you get from olive oil, avocado, canola oil, and nuts. If you’re not aware of it, Omega-3 that’s considered a brain food is actually a form of polyunsaturated fat. Include more Omega-3 –rich foods in your diet like tuna, sardines, salmon and mackerel. Other rich sources of Omega-3 are dark green leafy vegetables like spinach, asparagus, and broccoli. Alternatively, you can also improve your intake of Omega-3 by taking supplements.

Aside from monounsaturated fat, your brain also needs protein in order to function properly. Protein found in eggs, poultry, and fish increases serotonin in the brain. This chemical helps boost the feelings of the well-being of a person. In short, it acts like a “feel-good” chemical, just like endorphin. Endorphin, likewise, is a chemical released by the brain during physical activities like exercising. That makes regular physical exercise an excellent way to maintain the health of the brain as well. Each time you work a sweat by performing your favorite workout routine, you are actually promoting circulation of both blood and oxygen to the brain.

There is no question that your brain controls most of your bodily functions. By keeping it on top condition all the time, you can keep your overall health in check as well.

Meditation a powerful tool against pain: Study

2011-04-06T18:19:00.000+08:00

Even beginners to meditation can experience powerful pain-relieving effects with an exercise called 'focused attention', a study released on Tuesday found.

WASHINGTON - MEDITATION can deliver powerful pain-relieving effects to the brain with even just 80 minutes' training for a beginner in an exercise called focused attention, a study released on Tuesday found.

'This is the first study to show that only a little over an hour of meditation training can dramatically reduce both the experience of pain and pain-related brain activation,' said Dr Fadel Zeidan, lead author of the study and a post-doctoral research fellow at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in North Carolina. The findings appear in the April 6 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience.

'We found a big effect - about a 40 per cent reduction in pain intensity and a 57 per cent reduction in pain unpleasantness. Meditation produced a greater reduction in pain than even morphine or other pain-relieving drugs, which typically reduce pain ratings by about 25 per cent,' he added.

Researchers looked at 15 fit volunteers who had never meditated. The subjects each took four 20-minute sessions to learn how to control their breathing and put aside their emotions and thoughts.

Before and after sessions, subjects' brain activity was monitored with a special type of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Called 'arterial spin labelling magnetic resonance imaging' (ASL MRI), it is able to give readings on longer duration brain processes, such as meditation, better than a standard MRI scan of brain function.

When ASL MRIs were being taken, a pain-inducing heat device was put on participants' right legs. It heated a small area of their skin to 48.9 deg C, which most people would find painful, for five minutes.

Scans taken after meditation training showed that all of the volunteers' pain ratings were reduced, with drops from 11 to 93 per cent, Dr Zeidan said.

Why Girls need Lip Gloss ?

2011-04-01T09:07:00.000+08:00

A cosmetic Lip Gloss is that product used primarily used by women as the part of the trend or fashion of the cosmopolitan societies in order to flaunt their charm and their personalities with specific taste and demand to look complete female with slight changes done on the facial region and Lip gloss (cosmetic) is one of that thing for them. As soon as a Lip Gloss is applied over the lips the lips starts shining with a subtle touch of colors applied too therein.

Lakme has introduced ‘Transferred resistance’ Lip Gloss and Lipsticks for women who could afford expensive cosmetic products. The unique ability of such technological changes in cosmetic industry is that the lipstick or gloss doesn’t leaves marks of the touch on a cup of coffee or tea or while consuming cold-drinks or Taking Wines (Liquor) in a champagne glass in grand gala parties; birthday parties; etc. Lakme is world’s finest cosmetic manufacturing company with millions of cosmetic products sold worldwide with much ease and satisfactory results to women all around the globe.

How Lip Gloss is Used ?

Lip Gloss is rather distributed as a viscous liquid cosmetic product in the domestic market. One shouldn’t be confused by comparing Lip Gloss with a Lip Balm. These two are poles apart from each other because the balm can be used as a cure to a lip as well sometimes such as certain herbal lip balms are available to cure the unwanted and unexpected cracks and lines emerging out over the lips of the ladies, they heal them by a specific process whereas Lip Gloss is only meant for extra shining of th elips when visiting public places. The features of a lip gloss is many such as: the gloss can be extremely clear without any notice to a stranger at the first look over the lips of a women and matching with the color of the lips as well (transparent) but can be translucent with complete hidden natural coloring of the lips and also comes along in various shades of opacity that might include; glittered; frosted and metallic looks. In this day and age women all around the world are recommending metallic looks more to attract the opposite sexes.

History of Lip Gloss

The first Lip Gloss was introduced in the world in the year 1932 which was termed in as ‘MAX FACTOR’. A lip gloss is usually available in a domestic market in a form of a tube size structure and there is a wand applicator format for understanding it thoroughly in the first instance.

A rounded or a sloped applicator is in the latest trend for lip gloss application process by the women community which is known upon as ‘Deerfoot Applicator’ which comes along with a built-in lipbrush or a finger tipped applicator. The Solid lip glosses comes in boxes and tubes and they sometimes blurr the distinction between a lip gloss and a lip balm.

The uniqueness of lip glosses is that some of the glosses have moisturizing benefits for the ultimate protection of the natural lips of a human-being and a lip gloss isn’t just used upon by women but men are also susceptible to apply lip glosses for moisturizing tendencies and to attract the opposite sexes as well. One of the actress in the early era has introduced a sunscreen based lip gloss for the community to accept its usage to look more attractive.

It became very famous overtime. Now various lip glosses are coming in various flavored ways for ex: strawberry gloss; Pink Lemonade; Watermelon shade & taste; Cotton candies; Dr.Pepper lip gloss; Red Raspberry; Strawberry Kiwi; Vanilla; marshmellow; Bubble gum flavor; Coca-cola flavored gloss; Sugar crystals; Pika Colada; etc.

The latest trend of speaking about Lip glosses doesn’t simply implies the same old saying for any cosmetic product as per today ladies started calling lip glosses as ‘Skittles Liquid Lip Smacker’. Different packaging is designed for catering to needs of different age groups in the women societies.

2 million will get resistant TB by 2015

2011-03-23T23:40:00.000+08:00

GENEVA - THE World Health Organisation says over 2 million people between 2011 and 2015 will contract a form of tuberculosis that is resistant to treatment with many drugs.

WHO's top TB official Mario Raviglione says hundreds of thousands of people around the world will die from multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis unless greater efforts are made to contain the disease.

Mr Raviglione told reporters in Geneva on Wednesday that some countries in eastern Europe are successfully reducing infection rates with aggressive treatment programs.

But he says many countries aren't doing proper surveillance for MDR-TB, let alone providing proper treatment.

WHO says some 25,000 people are being diagnosed each year with an even more dangerous form called extensive drug-resistant TB. -- AP

5 Major Ovarian Cancer Symptoms

2011-03-20T01:07:00.000+08:00

So Some of the main symptoms of ovarian cancer are

1. General abdominal discomfort or pain- This is a prominent symptom of ovarian cancer. You will often find problems in your abdomen. These problems may persist or they may appear in repeated succession. Some of the problems that you may encounter are gas, pressure, indigestion, bloating, swelling, cramps et cetera. These problems will be present throughout the year.

2. Nausea, diarrhea, constipation, or frequent urination - All these problems are seen when you have ovarian cancer. Ovarian cancer will change your body and so your body will react to the stimuli by showing nausea, frequent urination, diarrhea etc. When you find these symptoms too much or too often, then go to your doctor.

3. Unexplained weight loss or gain â€“ Unexpected weight loss may be another ovarian cancer symptom. Suddenly you may gain weight. It happens in such a high volume that you can feel it as soon as it happens. Sometimes you may lose weight also. Whether the weight loss or gain, both happens in high multitude, which is easily visible. When you find such problem, talk to your doctor. Please do not ignore it.

4. Abnormal vaginal bleeding â€“ Abnormal vaginal bleeding is another ovarian cancer symptom. If you find that there is vaginal bleeding at other times than at the time of your menstrual cycle, then you should be careful and talk to your doctor. Such abnormal bleeding may be dangerous. Bleeding may also happen during your menstrual cycle. Bleeding may happen at different rate. It may also have some foul scent. So such symptoms will tell you that you probably have ovarian cancer.

5. Unusual fatigue- You may feel vary tired sometimes. Tiredness may be there throughout the day or only in a part of the day. Tiredness may pull you down throughout the day. In some cases you may feel tired during the morning or evening time. Unusual fatigue results from the fact that your body is not well and some of the cells at your ovary are not working, as they should be. When you have fatigue for a unusually long time, then go to your doctor and go through a check up.

Remedies For Menopause

2011-03-14T11:47:00.000+08:00

Malaysian Health Journal - Facing the realities of menopause can be most difficult. The changes are inevitable. A menopausal woman may experience insomnia, depression, hot flushes, mood swings, and painful urination. While the menopause years mean coping with these changes, going through this special stage in a woman’s life need not to be lonely.

As mentioned, you don’t have to go through menopause alone. During this period, getting the support and understanding of family members and friends can make a whole world of difference. For a start, you can consult your doctor about menopause.

By learning more about this matter, you are equipped with knowledge on how to handle changes. Your physician may also provide treatment options that will best suit your condition.

One such option is Hormone Replacement Therapy or HRT. HRT has been known to alleviate, even eliminate the common menopause symptoms. During menopause, many doctors recommend the intake of synthetic hormones to make up for the decreased estrogen levels. When taken early enough, it can prevent more serious complications like brittle bones, memory loss, and even heart disease.

The routes of administration may be through the mouth, skin patches, gels, creams, or in the form of implants. Estrogens are the principal hormone used in hormone replacement therapy regimen. Women who have had their uterus removed do not usually need any other hormone.

However, nothing is taken without associated risks. Clinical studies have shown that estrogen replacement therapy may increase the risk of developing certain forms of cancer. On the other hand, the addition of the hormone progestin may also decrease this risk of developing cancer of the uterus. Usually, a 14-day course of progestogen will be followed for each cycle.

HRT is also associated with more than a dozen of side effects. For this reason, women who have or at least a history of the following medical conditions are discouraged from having estrogen replacement therapy:

1. Breast, endometrial, ovarian, or uterine cancer
2. Coronary artery disease
3. Deep vein thrombosis or clots in the legs, pelvis
4. Diabetes
5. Gall bladder disease
6. High blood pressure
7. History of uterine fibroids
8. Severe liver disease
9. Migraine
10. Pregnant women
11. Thromboembolic events such as stroke and heart attack1
12. Unexplained vaginal bleeding

Consult your gynecologist to help you consider the risks of HRT and to find the right program for you. While side effects have been documented, nowadays, you can have a program designed to suit your needs. After all, each person is different.

Alternative Methods

For some women, the setbacks associated with hormone replacement therapy are just too much that they prefer a more natural alternative. One popular example is Menozac, a botanical formula of vitamin E, black cohosh root, soy seed, damiana leaf and other herbs that contain phytoestrogen--natural compounds that are very much similar with estrogen. They replace estrogen in the bloodstream, which is why it will also help alleviate the symptoms of menopause such as hot flashes, anxiety, and vaginal dryness to name a few. On the plus side, Menozac is a natural remedy to menopause hence it has lesser risks compared to estrogen therapy.

Several studies have also proven the efficiency of Menozac making it earn its reputation as the leading natural alternative for menopause relief to hormonal replacement therapy for menopausal women. But while the herbs included in Menozac will help relieve the symptoms, it does not, however, prevent the cessation of menstrual activity. Hormonal levels inside a woman will still continue to reduce, but the unhealthy side effects will be eliminated.

Along with the intake of medication, it is also essential for a woman to maintain a healthy lifestyle with regular exercise and diet. Women at menopause have an increased risk of fractures caused by osteoporosis. Experts say that to combat brittle bones, postmenopausal women taking hormone replacement need 1,000 milligrams of elemental calcium daily, whereas women not taking hormones 1,500 milligrams of calcium that can be derived from dairy products and dark green leafy vegetables.

See? There are a number of ways in dealing with aging. The decision to go with the natural flow of things is always in your hands. And making such important decision can keep your life on track. Just imagine the possibilities--you remain productive minus the unexpected and annoying symptoms to ruin your day. Additionally, you will also look and feel better too.

Once you are aware that menopause should not necessarily pause you from the life you wanted to experience, that there is definitely something you can do about it, then you are on your way to enjoying a more fruitful and rewarding life. Nevertheless, menopausal period can mark the beginning of the best years of your life.

What Things to Avoid During Pregnancy

2011-03-07T00:26:00.000+08:00

Avoid water skiing, snowboarding, surfing over the wave pool or exposing herself directly over the sea or ocean waves; horse-riding; playing her passionate part-time or full-time indoor or outdoor sport; excessive cycling whether indoors or outdoors for many kilometers etc knowing that the baby inside is delicate and any extreme step taken by the expected mother will affect the complexities of her child instantly.

During Pregnancy, The risk of falling; jumping; slipping and dancing are some of the most common forms of ladies taking unusual stress over the stomach and thus have to bear the complications levied over her for delivering a healthy baby. So avoid any heavy physical work.

A sensing of balancing of the body is altered as in the normal course when she isn’t pregnant or had a one-night stand with a help of healthy partner because any vigorous activity mounts pressure over the surface of the mother’s womb and her joints and bones of the body with acute pain of the muscles are experienced.

Before using vacuum cleaners, make sure you have used ample dehumidifiers and now have the eczema patients out of way. The air purifiers are extremely essential.

Some of the woman also comes along with a brilliant idea to photo shoot for a picture or serial as these shoots demands her climbing over the slippery edges or corners of the trees at the set of the movie and any wrong move with excessive exhausted pressure taken over the shoot provides unusual stress and pain to the pregnant mother and baby respectively.

Avoid Joy rides in amusement parks during pregnancy
With intelligent studies and surveys done over the forms of understanding the working outlook of the recently pregnant woman all around the globe it is studied that at the time of scuba-diving the pressurized sports play creates air-bubbles inside the bloodstream of a pregnant lady and thus can be responsible for the unexpected heart attack due to pressure building inside and the air-bubbles to reaching the delicate parts of the heart.

Avoid Joy rides in amusement parks during pregnancy
The women off-the-list suggestions for having a joyride at the amusement parks in gigantic swings to let a lady to vomit and faint if become unconscious and waterslides experiences where she is allowed to chute over the slide instantly with no necessary protection to her or to the baby as even sometimes she slides with her stomach topsy-turvy takes it toll or are the complete no.

Avoid Jacuzzis during pregnancy
The sudden acceleration or deceleration or forceful landing over the hard tile surface harms a baby inside the womb. The gynecologists have recommended that a pregnant woman ought not to visit Jacuzzi’s and should avoid saunas hot baths in hotels or at home because the heat build-up inside the womb can have catastrophic affects over the baby taking birth with birth defects. Even if steam baths are taken to have Ayurvedic medicinal qualities then too they should be avoided.

A masseuse should be trained enough to massage a pregnant woman efficiently as any wrong move of the pressure mounted over the womb of a pregnant woman could press the delicate stage of the baby producing day-by-day inside the womb and only delicate massage is required to complete the process thereupon with simple kneading by a palm over the other organs of the body avoiding the opened stomach area. She should opt for a pedicure or a relaxing facial massage instead.

The other two most important sports a pregnant woman has to avoid are bungee-jumping from a zenith of a cliff of a mountain or sky-scraper or sky-diving which should be ruled out as adventurous activities by a pregnant lady. The woman must not take delight in having aerobics inside the gymnasium or play football or volleyball over the beach lagoon.

A pregnant woman who is a couch potato doesn’t necessary take upon strenuous exercising pressure which is indeed! A positive sign to overcome contingency of a specific nature. Certain Yoga postures should be avoided for performing the art and implying the same to achieve solace or a peace of mind. A guidance of a trained instructor is recommended by many doctors or gynecologists to appropriately guide a pregnant woman to perform certain activities as per her will. You may like to check Compensation Claim website to get more information about various injuries.

Avoidance of hectic trips for traveling and sightseeing with the help of trains or buses etc is also recommended as these all come under the prevalence of leisure activities. So chill! And enjoy the beginning of a life anew.

Liposuction / Lipo Procedure. Weight Loss Surgeries

2011-03-04T15:11:00.000+08:00

Q - What's the youngest age that can be excepted for lipo suction or other weight loss surgeries?
A - The youngest age to have liposuction is 18.

Q - How much does it cost?

A - The price for a liposuction like this can range anywhere from $2800 upwards depending on the size of the person and the number of areas being treated.

Also Read: Women's problem areas:The tummy

Being overweight leads to deadly strain of breast cancer

2011-03-02T11:42:00.000+08:00

CHICAGO - SCIENTISTS know that being overweight increases the risk of breast cancers fed by estrogen, but being too fat may also increase the risk of triple-negative breast cancers, a less common and far more deadly type, US researchers said on Tuesday.

They said women who are overweight had a 35 per cent higher risk of developing triple-negative breast cancers, an aggressive form of cancer that affects 10 to 20 per cent of cases.

'The fact that we found an association with triple-negative breast cancer is unique because, biologically, this subtype is very different from other breast cancers,' said Amanda Phipps of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Philadelphia, whose study appears in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.

Breast cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death among US women, after lung cancer. It kills 500,000 people globally every year and is diagnosed in close to 1.3 million people globally.

Most breast tumors are called estrogen-receptor positive because they are fueled by the hormone estrogen. About 20 per cent are HER2-positive, because a protein called HER2 is involved. A third type is driven by the hormone progesterone. These types of cancer can easily be treated.

Then there are triple-negative tumors, so named because they lack estrogen, progesterone or HER2 receptors needed for most breast cancer drugs to work.

Smoking, couch-potato lifestyles boost cancer risks

2011-03-02T11:35:00.000+08:00

PARIS - TWO studies released on Wednesday highlighted the risks and benefits of lifestyle choices in combating cancer, showing the dangers of smoking for post-menopausal women and exercise's protective effect on the bowel.

Post-menopausal women who smoke, or who used to smoke, face an up to 16-per cent higher risk of developing breast cancer compared to women who have never smoked, according to a paper published online by the British Medical Journal (BMJ).

Women who have been extensively exposed to passive smoking, either as children or in adulthood, could also be at greater risk of breast cancer, it added. However, this apparent risk does not apply to women who were only moderately exposed to second-hand smoke.

The study covered almost 80,000 US women aged between 50 and 79 who were followed for 10 years. In a separate investigation published in the British Journal of Cancer, people with an active lifestyle were found to be up to three times less likely to develop large bowel growths, known as polyps, which are often a precursor for cancer.

The conclusion is based on an overview of 20 published studies. 'We've long known that an active lifestyle can protect against bowel cancer, but this study is the first to look at all the available evidence and show that a reduction in bowel polyps is the most likely explanation for this,' said lead author Kathleen Wolin of the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri.

'Exercise has many benefits, including boosting the immune system, decreasing inflammation in the bowel and helping to reduce insulin levels - all factors which we know are likely to have an effect on bowel polyp risk.'

Mammograms less accurate in breast cancer survivors

2011-02-24T01:18:00.000+08:00

Mammography is less accurate at spotting breast cancer if a woman has had the disease before.

NEW YORK - MAMMOGRAPHY is less accurate at spotting breast cancer if a woman has had the disease before, according to a US government-funded study.

Breast cancer survivors are more likely to develop new tumours than women without a history of breast cancer, but little is known in detail about screening for survivors.

The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association and based on information from the largest mammography registry in the United States, showed that screening does help detect breast cancer in survivors - but not often enough.

'These findings and additional studies that are likely to be stimulated from this report should lead to improved (radiology routines),' said Robert Smith of the American Cancer Society, in a statement.

The study, led by Les Irwig of the University of Sydney in Australia, was the joint work of US and Australian researchers, who compared nearly 120,000 mammograms - half from breast cancer survivors, half from those without a comparable history of breast cancer.

Within a year of screening, 655 tumours were found in survivors, compared to 342 in the other women.

Women's problem areas:The tummy

2011-01-25T11:53:00.000+08:00

This is the third and most interesting chapter of our healthy guide handling ladies’ problematic areas. We talked about the upper body, toning muscles without bulking up and losing femininity, with a 20 minute workout. We followed with an article about the lower body and hips, with another workout. Now, with the following workout for the torso and middle area, we have a full hour of exercises to achieve the body you dream of.

But first, remember not to do tummy exercises if you recently had a baby, are pregnant or think you could be. Talk to your doctor before beginning. We will soon provide a full article on fitness during pregnancy, so stay tuned.

The most amazing, toned tummies in town are not built simply by crunches alone. Cardiovascular exercises are the secret ingredient that must be added to an ab workout for best results. A lot of cardio will help burn fat from your tummy area before starting crunches. Remember, abs actually hide under bellies, we must also be running, jogging, aerobics or cycling.

Here is a tip: Start your workout with a five minute treadmill run, then do the abs workout before going back to the treadmill for half an hour. If you do the full cardio program first you may be too tired to work your abs.

The most effective ab exercises start with the bicycle, targeting the rectus abdominis (i.e., the 'six pack'). Notice, however, that this exercise puts a lot pressure on your back, so if you have any back problems, it is not advisable.

Lie flat on the floor with your lower back pressed to the ground. Put your hands beside your head. Bring knees up to about 45 degree angle and slowly go through a bicycle pedal motion. Touch your left elbow to your right knee, then your right elbow to your left knee. Keep breathing even and relaxed throughout. Continue alternating sides for 1-3 sets of 12-16 repetitions.

The exercise ball is excellent for strengthening abs. What makes it more effective than floor crunches is that leg muscles are often involved when in floor crunches, while on the ball the abs do more work.

Lie on the ball, positioning it under the lower back. Place hands behind your head to support it. Contract your abs to lift your torso off the ball, pulling the bottom of your ribcage down toward your hips. As you curl up, keep the ball stable (it shouldn't roll). Lower yourself again, feeling your abs stretch, and do 1-3 sets of 12-16 reps. You need a lot of balance, but this exercise is extremely helpful and actually lots of fun.

The reverse crunch, with a focus on the rectus abdominis, can be felt in the lower part of your abs, although the entire muscle is working.

Lie on the floor and place hands on the floor or behind the head. Bring the knees in towards the chest until they're bent 90 degrees, with feet together or crossed. Contract the abs to curl the hips off the floor, reaching legs up towards the ceiling. Lower and repeat for 1-3 sets of 12-16 reps. It's a very small movement, so try to use your abs to lift your hips rather than swinging your legs to create momentum.

If you remember nothing else, remember that a flat stomach comes with total body fitness, not just stomach crunches.

Finally, here is a quick guide to follow to help this three part body workout keep fat away from your body:

1. Walk/jog for at least 30 minutes three times per week to boost your metabolism.

2. Eat a small handful of almonds (at least six) every morning. Almonds are one of the healthiest snacks and the protein is good for burning fat. Don’t overdo it, though--a handful is more than enough.

3. Pilates is a great workout two or three times per week. It tones your entire body, concentrating on the powerhouse (middle section), and it improves flexibility.

4. Perform proper crunches at least three times per week. Avoid sit-ups because they really do very little to firm your stomach, affecting hip flexors more than anything else.

5. Drink plenty of water--six to eight glasses per day. Not only will this help fill you up so you eat less, it will aid digestion.

Fruits	Range*
blackberry, domestic	low
blackberry, wild	high
boysenberry	med.
choke cherry	high
wild crabapple	high
market cranberry	low
Swedish (lignon) cranberry	high
currant	med.
elderberry	med. to high
gooseberry.	med.
huckleberry	med.
loganberry	med.
mulberry	med.
quince	med.
raspberry	med.

Seeds	Range*
apple seeds	high
apricot seed	high
buckwheat	med.
cherry seed	high
flax	med.
millet	med.
nectarine seed	high
peach seed	high
pear seeds	high
plum seed	high
prune seed	high
squash seeds	med.

Beans	Range*
black	low
black-eyed peas	low
fava	high
garbanzo	low to med.
green pea	low
kidney	low to med.
lentils	med.
lima, U.S.	low
lima, Burma	med.
mung	med. to high
shell	low

Nuts (all raw)	Range*
bitter almond	high
cashew	low
macadamia	med. to high

Sprouts	Range*
alfalfa	med.
bamboo	high
fava	med.
garbanzo	med.
mung	med.

Leaves	Range*
alfalfa	high
beet tops	low
eucalyptus	high
spinach	low
water cress	low

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Coffee linked with lower depression risk in women

Secret to shark health could fight human viruses

New breast cancer gene may help predict risk: Study

Nuts-and-soy diet better than low-fat diet for lower cholesterol: Study

Sleeping your way to better health

DNA blood tests can tell baby's sex at 7 weeks: Study

Childhood hardship linked to adult disease risk

Solve premature ejaculation  nuffnang_bid = "bf2dcde4d7542343a724f0853c5e89de";

Nuts instead of carbs may aid diabetes control: Study

Fewer breast cancer deaths not due to screening: study

Mammogram have played an insignificant role in falling breast cancer death rates in Europe, according to a study published on Friday. -- ST PHOTO: HOW HWEE YOUNG

Dieting does not lead to weight loss

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Nearly 350 million diabetics worldwide: Study

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Warning over fibroids treatment

Sleepy people eat more: study

People suffering from sleep deprivation are likely to be unable to resist high calorie foods, a study found. -- PHOTO: AP

Dengue vaccine could be ready by 2015

French drugs group Sanofi said on Friday that its vaccine against dengue, a mosquito-borne infection that kills thousands of people around the world each year, could be launched in about four years. -- PHOTO: AP

A birth-control pill for men?

A posed photo of a man popping pills into his mouth. Contraceptives for men could be developed soon, according to scientists at Columbia University -- ST PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: WANG HUI FEN

Extra radiation lowers breast cancer recurrence: Study

German E. coli outbreak 'stabilising'

A patient infected with enterohaemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) is being dialysed at the Marienkrankenhaus hospital in Hamburg, northern Germany, on May 24, 2011. -- PHOTO: AFP

Exercise protects and improves the aging brain

Difficulty climaxing

Coffee cuts risk of lethal prostate cancer

Urine tests could identify risks to heart

Tai chi may improve quality of life for heart patients: Study

People with chronic heart failure may be able to boost their quality of life by doing tai chi, the ancient Chinese exercise regimen, a US study suggested on Monday. -- ST PHOTO: GEORGE GASCON

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There is a growing demand for bras with larger cup sizes.

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Liposuction / Lipo Procedure. Weight Loss Surgeries