Kidney disease prevention with fish oil

There are many benefits to including fish in your regular diet. Some of my colleague hates fish, so much so that they would give it a pass for other more oily food stuffs such as fried chickens. Fish meat provides important nutrients such as Omega 3 fatty acids that help to keep our heart healthy and strong.

Diabetes can leads to kidney failure. As a matter of fact a third of people with diabetes may get chronic kidney disease. Recent studies by British researches indicate that people with diabetes are less likely to contract kidney disease if they include fish in their diet versus those who don’t.

Fish oil contains anti inflammatory properties due to the higher concentration of Eicosapentaenoic Acid, better known as EPA. Thus if it is not convenient for you to include fish in your daily diet, just go ahead to take daily doses of fish oil or in the form of tablet or liquid.

So do yourself a favour, get yourself a bottle of cod liver oil for the price of less than a burger Mac meal and stay healthy.

Tyson Foods controversial antibiotic free label

So it finally dawn upon the US Department of agriculture (USDA) that right at home front one of the country’s biggest chicken meat supplier; Tyson Foods has been lying to the public consumers by labelling their chicken products as ‘anti-biotic’ free. Seems to me it looks more like the case of the pot calling the kettle black. US and Europe has been shouting and crying wolf over China’s gross violation of food safety while at their own backyard their local food industries are flaunting with food safety likewise.

Tyson is contesting against the USDA ruling by claiming that the antibiotics were injected into eggs two or three days before the chicken hatch and thus it is rightfully of the company to label the chicken meat as antibiotic free. An interesting fact brought up by Tyson was that the majority of the poultry industries in the US are also practising the same thing. To further add insult to injury,
Tyson has filed a lawsuit against the USDA claiming that the agency had improperly change the meaning of the ‘raised without antibiotic’ thus causing the company to suffer loss due to the need to change the label as well as potential lost of customers due to the absence of ‘antibiotic free’ label.

Consumption of dairy products containing residue of growth hormones may cause early puberty and in some cases link to cancer. Proponents of animal inject growth hormones claim that residual growth hormones is too little to cause harm to humans whiles lab studies has shown that lung, colon and prostate cancer could be triggered by intake of residual growth hormones. To date no one knows the long term impact of hormone injection. There are studies that indicate hormone injection may affect the balance of other hormones in the body and thus causing cascading hormone chain effects which might be detrimental to long term health safety.

All these while and of recent we have heard and seen the press all over the world condemning China for it gross violation of food safety. As a serious critic of China food industries which are usually non compliance to safety standard, I have to admit though we have to draw a clear line with regards to China bashing.

It seems to me we have gone overboard simply for the fact that if we were to audit food products from other countries, chances are that the food safety authorities are likely to find the presence of other none Melamine type of dangerous health threatening substances in many of the so called non China manufactured food products. Take for instance; of recent the Singapore health authority has detected the presence of dangerously high peroxide content in Italian made “Alce Nero Organic Whole What Biscuits”.

Well so much so for food safety labels, one thing for sure, we cannot take food safety labels for granted as it is the case with Tyson.

The benefits of garlic

Most of us associate Garlic with the silly pungent smell that put off most people. The local Asian noodle, ‘Lor Mian’ is usually spice up with garlic and after eating the ‘Lor Mian’ it is recommended that you rinse your mouth with water or drink lemon juice to stop bad garlic breath.

Garlic is one of most common herbs that are beneficial to our health. Garlic helps to stimulate infection-fighting white blood cells, boosts natural killer (NK) cell activity, increases the efficiency of antibody production, and acts as a natural antioxidant. Garlic is also very effective as natural treatment for getting rid of parasites from our body, in particular such as pinworms. Garlic can also be use to strengthen the body against common cold and helps to regulate blood sugar level.

Garlic is one of the most important and widely available foods around. Garlic belongs to the onion family and is widely used throughout the world since ancient times for both culinary and medical treatment purposes. Garlic contains the active sulfur compound ‘allicin’. Allicin has antibiotic properties and thwart the ability of germs to infect humans. Long before the discovery of penicillin, garlic is often used as antibiotic treatments.

Garlic is also scientifically proven being able to reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke due to its ability to helping in breaking up blood clots. Current research into cancer prevention and treatment indicates consumption of garlic to be effective in reducing stomach and colon cancer risk.

Furthermore, garlic can also be used to treat herpes, warts and insect bites. Crush the garlic and apply the juice into infected areas.

With so many benefits associated with garlic, why not make it a point to take odorless garlic pills that you can easily find from off the shelf counter? After all garlic pills are cheap and you’ve got nothing to loose by supplementing your diet with garlic pills.
Having said that, as with all herbs and food, eating is moderation is important. Since garlic contributes to blood thinning, those who has blood disorder or on medication for blood disorder, pregnant women and those about to go for surgery should exercise caution and consult the doctor if necessary on intake of garlic pills.

BS financial planners and advisors

I bet many people have sleepless nights due to the financial market situation. Quite a number of people have been affected by the global financial meltdown. In particular are those who have lost much of their life savings due to stock market crash and investment funds. World financial and market economy experts and analyst believe that the troubled US economy and of the world is going to last beyond year 2010.

Looking through my AIA financial portfolio today, I have come to realize I have suffered considerable lost of over 60%, at least on paper. AIA Global Resources and AIA Emerging Market Fund in particular are two of the worst performing funds to date. As of today, the funds value has declined by almost 50%. The interesting thing or rather should I say the stupid thing is that fund management still continue to charge investors a flat management fee of 1.5% annually regardless of the fund performance.

Come to think of it, it is great and fun to become a financial planner or fund manager. You get to dabble around or rather should I say you get the opportunity to meddle with other people’s money to improve your investment skills without having to worry about the consequences. If the funds perform well the credit goes to the fund management, if the fund suffers any serious decline in value, you just need to blame the world financial situation. It is frustrating to know that your request and concerns for the declining fund values are ignore by your financial advisor and that he or she only come and notify you the impending need to switch funds where situation gets from bad to worst.

Forget about those bull shit advice from people who tells you that you should invest your money in financial stocks, bonds or unit- trust funds cause money savings decline in values due to inflation and etc. If you want to sleep peacefully at night and to avoid unnecessary stress, stay away from those BS financial institutions which continue to market investment portfolios. Financial planners and advisors are no different than the loan sharks. At least when you borrow money from loan sharks you are fully made aware of the need to pay high interest for the loan whereas bank and financial institution advisors and financial planners tells you the bigger lie that your money will grow on trees like nobody business when you park your money with their BS companies.

Facts of life

Despite the economic and financial woes, Singaporeans are on the general happy going lucky lots. Just couple of days ago, throngs of people were rushing to buy small cars when the COE prices fell to all time low of just two dollars only. Never mind about bad forecast of negative growth next year. Never mind about banks and financial institutions defaulting on bonds investment returns and repayment, never mind about potential retrenchment and etc. Now with the government taking the lead to encourage companies to first explore ways to cut cost before going for the headcount reduction or workforce management, the general public sentiments is further assured and encouraged to keep up with the usual spending habits. So it seems like not all is gloom so to speak, well at least before we enter 2009.

Singaporean loves to eat, go to any popular makan places or restaurants, you will see people continue to spend and eat like no one business. Of course there are those who has been impacted by the economy slowdown, some may have lost their jobs, some might be feeling the tight financial squeeze, some who has lost their life time savings due to unfortunate turn of events with regards to investment in Lehman Brothers, the DBS and Morgan Stanley high notes. Whatever the situations, we could either indulge in self pity blame ourselves for the predicament we are in or face the fact squarely and know that we cant change the past so get on with our life and move on. I am a novice investor, to date my investment in AIA Global Resources Fund, AIA Emerging Market Funds and Prudential has all go into the negative return territory. I am likely to suffer 50% lost on all my investments, well at least in paper. Nothing much I can do about it though. I could continue to vent my anger and blame all those lousy fund managers who sold me these investment packages but what purpose does it serves? There’s nothing they could do either.

The recession is here to stay for a long time. In such times of economic and world financial turbulent uncertainties, there are only two paths we could take. Well the first path is to go with the flow and thus allow the difficulties to affect our family and us or to stand up to the adversity and do what is needed to prosper in such times. The choice is obvious, do what is necessary to live through such difficult times and emerge stronger in or continue to dream of ways to get around the problems. The choice is yours. Only you know the best path to take. Forget about those stupid financial planners who are now probably hiding in their foxholes. Brains wash yourself if necessary and if need be to avoid indulging in self-pity and to avoid blaming everyone else but yourself for your predicament.

As we approach year 2009, is time again to give a thought to our new resolutions.
Here are some tips to help us achieve our resolutions.

Make your goals realistic and achievable and breakdown big goals into sub goals which is achievable in months or weeks.
Put your list in writing and review it regularly.
Don't be reluctant to change or modify it.
Planning is not optional. After making your list, decide exactly how and when you intend to get there. Write down the timeline for each milestones and hurdles you need to clear in order to achieve your plans.
Cross off each item as you achieve it.
If you live long enough, repeat.

Body wrap

Here’s an interesting ads on slimming by using body wraps. Body wrap methods are not new, it is used by many slimming centers and the result varies between individuals.
The way I see it, body wrap is a complete waste of money and time since it does not address the core of the issues with regards to what makes a person put on weight.
http://liposuctionalternative.net/fat-reduction/2008/11/18/

Adopting a healthy lifestyle, get adequate sleep and rest, do regular exercise, avoid junk foods and take more fruits, vegetables are but some of the basic regiments that will set us to the path to a healthy slimmer body, not those body wraps and etc that are full of gimmicks and empty promises. One of the biggest contributing factors to weight management is hormone balance. Hormone balance can only be achieved when we adopt a holistic approach to maintaining health. Further more, apart from the physical aspect of health, it is equally important for us to ensure we are not mentally stress out by the pressure and demanding everyday life challenges.

Thus next time if someone approach you with slimming and weight loss approach via body wraps, unless you have too much money to burn, forget about it and do the sensible thing, practice sensible healthy lifestyle. Be patience because it takes time for weight loss to gain momentum once you begin your journey towards engaging in proper healthy lifestyle.

Tips on acne control

Fruits & vegetables
Make sure you have plenty of fruits and vegetables in your daily diet. A healthy diet should contain fruits and vegetables. Adequate vitamin C and fiber in our body helps to facilitate acne control.

Multi vitamins
Take multi vitamins that contains zinc supplement. Zinc contributes to making skin stronger and more acne resistant.

Alcohol free cleaners
Use facial cleaners that are free from alcohol. Alcohol tends to make the skin more dry unnecessary.

Natural makeup
Avoid heavy make up and if necessary do away with makeup ingredients that are not natural. Most make up contains toxins and chemical petroleum based ingredients that cause skin to dry. Try to use all natural makeup instead, it might be more expensive but hey, it is your skin health that you are concern with isn’t it?

Drink water
Drink plenty of water, I am not saying you should drink eight glass of water daily, but drink enough to ensure you don’t thirst and as a general rule of thumb, drink enough to ensure that your urine is colorless like water.

Clean pillow
You spend a huge portion of your time sleeping with your face lying on the pillow. Make sure the pillow is clean to prevent face contact with dirty materials.

Don't wait
Don’t wait for pimples to form! If you see a bit of it in your face or sense some itch on your face then waste no time to do something about it. Apply pimple cream such as Oxy 5/10 or any other suitable cream to reduce the swollen infected areas. Acne control is best done early.

Cockroaches 101

The number ‘101’ seems like a magic figure. Just type ‘101’ keyword into Goggle search engine and you will know what I mean. There is the Beijing 101 Hair Consultants, Investing 101 Bodybuilding 101 and etcetera. How about lessons and tips on killing cockroaches? Yes, you guess it, what better name for killing cockroaches on the run than to call it Cockroaches 101 right? Check the following on how to get rid of cockroaches on the run the accurate way.

http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/labnotes/archive/2008/11/14/cockroaches-101-how-to.aspx?GT1=43002

Cheers

Cervical cancer

Most cervical cancers are caused by the human papillomavirus, abbreviated as HPV.
HPV is one of the most common sexually transmitted disease. There are different types HPV; some may cause genital warts while other may result in cervical cancer. There is currently neither effective treatment nor complete cure for those whereby HPV infections have taken root and triggered cancer. It may take months or even years for HPV to be clinically detected from the onset of infections and by the time a woman is confirmed down with cervical cancer due to HPV infection it is usually already in the advanced stage and too late to do anything. I still vividly recalled one of my parents’ colleagues, a lady teacher who used to be vibrant died due to cervical cancer. She was like gone in a couple of months after being confirmed of cervical cancer.

Cervical cancer tends to occur in midlife. The advent of medical science and increase awareness among the public about cervical cancer has help to reduce the number of fatalities. Early screening can help to find a change in the cervix before it develops into cancer. Pap smear test remains of the most economical and effective means to check for signs of cervix infections.

The widespread availability of vaccine Gardasil seems like a Godsend answer for young women below the age of 26 all over the world with regards to increasing protection against cervical cancer. Gardasil vaccine is not cheap; it cost something like Singapore dollars 500 dollars for the full course injections. Gardasil is not without its serious side effects though. Some of the side effects include dizziness, vomiting, fever and in some serious cases even death. It is absolutely fallacy to assume that Gardasil or any like vaccine is safe sex vaccine.

There is no such thing as one hundred percent effective & guaranteed immunization treatment against cervical cancer. As the saying goes, prevention is better than cure thus it is important to avoid any sexual activities that may increase the risk of HPV infections. Put in another way, avoidance is better than treatment. It is important to adopt healthy hygiene in our daily life, avoid engaging in any unsafe sex activities such as having multiple sexual partners, be it hetero or bisexual and more importantly to go for regular pap smear test once you reach midlife and beyond.

Cosmetic makeup

Many women use make up everyday. Most will use make up during special occasions? If you are completely covering your face in make up or simply wearing some lipstick and eyeliner, it is important to use products that are safe for your skin. You should know that there are major cosmetic companies that make products made with chemicals that are harmful to your face. Learning how you can take out the dangerous products and use only good ones is important for your health.

You may wander why companies would use something dangerous in their products. It is simple, businesses have one goal and that is to make money. Cosmetic ingredients that are not safe are usually cheaper than the alternative make up that is being produced. Harmful ingredients are going to create a better-looking product in some cases. They do not tell you that after using the beautiful colors of eye shadow, your face may break out!

There are however, many companies realize that their customers are becoming smarter and want to know about their products before they use them. Our facial skin is very sensitive and it is very important to use the best products that you can. If you are looking for inexpensive or high end products, there are cosmetics, moisturizers, toners, and many other items that are going to be available out there for you so that you are not risking harmful consequences.

Some of the common dangerous ingredients to look out for when purchasing these items for your face are Methyl, Propyl, Butyl, and Ethyl. These are very well known toxins and can cause allergic reaction in many people. These chemicals are extremely cheap and are often used to kill bacterial growth in your products. Many companies are using them.

You should also be careful of Propylene Glycol and DMDM Hydrantion. These products are used in anti-freeze! Many of these products have been linked to abnormal kidney and liver function and can actually cause permanent damage to your organs.

You need to be very careful of what you put on your lips too. Most of the synthetic colors like C Yellow 6 can be dangerous to your skin and your body and when you put this chemical on your lips, you are eating poison to say the least. One time may not affect you, but after wearing the lipstick for a long period of time, you can start to feel the results. It is like smoking cigarettes on a regular basis.
So that you are safe, you should ask your dermatologist or doctor to recommend about what kinds of products to use. You need to be sure that your products are safe so that you can be safe and healthy. The healthier your skin is the younger you will look and you will be happier too.

Working Out Aerobics at Home

There are many ways that you can make aerobics work for you. First of all, it is important that you understand how vital aerobic workouts are to your health. You can get healthy just by walking and by lifting weights, but in order to be truly healthy, you have to find a way to get your heart pumping and to get your blood flowing. This is why aerobic exercise is the most important to you – it really allows you to get all of the parts of your body working together. Therefore, everyone understands how important aerobic workouts can be.

However, sometimes you simply can’t go to the gym or take a class in order to get healthier and to have better aerobic workouts. Many people are busy with family and with job commitments, and going to a gym or class simply doesn’t fit their needs. There has to be something that people can do at home for their aerobic workout, right?

There are many things, in fact, that you can do in order to do aerobics at home. The basics fundamentals of aerobic workouts include the fact that you have to get your heart pumping and your breathing rate up. These things can be accomplished in many ways.

If you are interested in aerobics at home, you should know that there are several things you can do to accomplish this. First of all, the most popular ways to do your aerobic workout at home would be to get a bike or a treadmill to have in your house. This is something that you can have in a convenient place in your home and it can be ready for you whenever you have time to work out. Both of these are great ways to make sure that you get your aerobic workout.

Another great thing that you can do is develop a routine for yourself at home that includes running in place, jumping rope, or even running around your neighborhood or someplace close to you. All of these things are very important because you can customize your workout to fit your needs, and this can be a great way to get in shape. If you have always wanted to work out, but you have never had the time to go to a class or to join a gym, this can be the best time for you to get a hold of something like a bike, a treadmill, or a running routine that you can do from home.

Breast Cancer -- Real Prevention

Here's an interesting article by James LaValle, R.Ph, ND, CCN

October was Breast Cancer Prevention month, and as always, fund raising and education initiatives were everywhere. There are many advances in our understanding of how breast cancer develops, yet out of all the articles I saw in the mainstream media, none of them explained the most important factors influencing breast health.
Most breast cancer is the type that is called hormone sensitive. That means it is cancer that forms in response to estrogen. It is usually implied that it is solely a matter of having too much estrogen (and/or other compounds that have estrogen-like structure) in the body. However if you dig deeper, you learn that it is not so much the estrogen itself, but how it is being metabolized in the body and whether it is balanced by adequate progesterone that are the primary problems.

Estrogen/Progesterone Balance
The balance between estrogen and progesterone is very important for breast health and is almost never mentioned in popular literature on hormone sensitive breast cancer. There is a big misunderstanding among some people in the medical community that progesterone increases breast cancer risk. This was due to studies that found that synthetic progestins formerly used in women on hormone replacement therapy did increase breast cancer risk. However, further study has clarified that natural progesterones do not.
Natural (bio-identical) progesterone actually reduces the production of certain growth factors, and increases a process called apoptosis (cell death) in proliferating breast cells. Several studies have shown that women with progesterone deficiency have anywhere from 4 to 6 times the risk of developing breast cancer.

As estrogen breaks down in the body from the primary estrogen in the body, estradiol, it can convert to a form called 2OH estrone, the good metabolite, or to 16OH and 4OH estrones, forms that cause tissue proliferation. 16OH contributes to endometriosis for instance, the over-proliferation of uterine lining tissue that causes painful menstrual cramps and can reduce a woman's ability to conceive. These metabolites also increase the risk of breast cancer. On the other hand, women with a higher 2OH to 16OH ratio have a 40% less chance of developing breast cancer.
There is a second step in the breakdown of estrogen called methylation. This step takes 4OH and makes it less active in tissues and actually makes a form of estrone (called 2-methoxyestrone) which inhibits breast cancer. So if your methylation pathways are purring along wonderfully you can break estrogen down into beneficial metabolites. Key nutrients to support methylation are the B vitamins, folate, B6 and B12, and dietary sulfur (found in onions, garlic, cabbage family vegetables and in foods like whey and eggs).
The final step for estrogen breakdown is glucuronidation, a metabolic process in which the different estrogens bind with glucuronic acid in the liver and from there get excreted in the GI tract. At least that's what should happen. Magnesium is needed for glucuronic acid to bind with estrogen. If you aren't taking in enough, the estrogen will not be bound and will just continue circulating in the body.
Gut flora also influences glucuronidation. Pathogenic (harmful) bacteria in the intestines can cause estrogen to get uncoupled from the glucuronic acid. So instead of being carried out of the body, the estrogen re-enters circulation, and the woman will accumulate too much in her system. This pathogenic bacteria called beta-glucuronidase is associated with increased cancer risk.
Diets high in fiber and beneficial flora reduce beta-glucuronidase levels, and so promote good estrogen metabolism. A form of calcium called D-glucarate inhibits beta-glucuronidase and so is also a very helpful nutrient.
There are a couple of substances in foods that help healthy estrogen metabolism and have significant and strong evidence of being cancer protective. (See Laura's article for more information on that.) This is where most of the articles in popular women's magazines focus -- eating a diet that is high in these cancer protective substances; and while it is important to eat this way, unless you measure your estrogen metabolites with urine or saliva testing, you have no way of knowing if your diet is directing your metabolism to more of the healthy and fewer of the bad estrogen metabolites. (My new e-book explains estrogen testing in detail. Look for The Keys to Healthy Aging: Making Hormone Replacement Work for You, available from Total Health Breakthroughs in a few weeks.)

Other Influences: Thyroid and Insulin
The other two influences on breast cancer you rarely read anything about are thyroid health and high insulin levels. Laura's article discusses the diet and insulin connection to breast health, but medicine has known for some time that women with breast cancer have a higher than average degree of thyroid problems, including autoimmune thyroid disease and hypothyroidism.
We know now that any disease of autoimmunity raises cancer risk.5 Since it is known that people with autoimmunity have a suppression of natural killer cells, the cells that can fight and overcome cancer cells, this shouldn't be surprising. You may think that autoimmune thyroiditis and hypothyroidism are not that common, but they in fact are second only to diabetes as the most common endocrine disorders -- and they occur in anywhere from 10 to 30% of the population.6-7
To really get proactive against breast cancer, all women can and should get tested for the following:
· Estradiol, estrone, progesterone, and estrogen metabolites.
· Low thyroid and thyroid antibodies if you have any reason to suspect your thyroid is under-active.
· Post-prandial glucose and insulin levels to ensure you are not developing insulin resistance.
Once you have an accurate reading on these vital hormone levels, an appropriate supplementation and dietary plan can be applied as needed.