A bitter fruit for better weight loss

lose weight temporarily, but most gain it all back in the long run.

Could grapefruit — touted for years as a weight loss wonder — actually work? Possibly. In one 12-week study, obese people who ate half a grapefruit before each of three daily meals shed more pounds.
    Show Me the Grapefruit: In the study, whole grapefruit also took a bite out of insulin resistance in folks with metabolic syndrome — a constellation of conditions that can raise the risk for several serious health problems.
    Go Whole: Although grapefruit juice and grapefruit capsules also may have pound-shedding potential, whole fruit was clearly the winner in the study — because the whole fruit has appetite-controlling fibre.
Combine Your Efforts:
Exercise and a calorie-controlled diet remain the true cornerstones of weight loss, but if grapefruit helps, great! However, if you're taking medications of any kind, talk to your doctor before adding grapefruit to the mix. Try these other tips: Walking has the highest stick-to-it rate of any exercise. Be sane. Fad diets may help some people

WONDER FOOD: Grapefruit has appetite-controlling fibre

Top-selling mouthwash brands linked to oral cancer

Melbourne: Australian health experts have warned that top-selling mouthwashes can cause oral cancer and should be pulled from supermarket shelves immediately. The experts issued the warning after investigating latest scientific evidence linking alcohol-containing mouthwashes to the deadly disease.
    The investigation concludes that there is now 'sufficient evidence' that "alcohol-containing mouthwashes contribute to the increased risk of development of oral cancer".
    The mouthwash contains ethanol, which is believed to allow cancer-causing substances to permeate the lining of the mouth more easily and cause harm. Acetaldehyde, a toxic byproduct of alcohol that may accumulate in the oral cavity when swished around the mouth, is also believed to be carcinogenic. Listerine, the nation's biggestselling mouthwash and a brand endorsed by the Australian Dental Association (ADA), contains as much as 26% alcohol.
    Lead review author Michael McCullough said alcohol-containing mouthwash should be reclassified as prescription-only and carry written health warnings. McCullough, who's also chair of the ADA's therapeutics committee, is calling on the ADA to reassess its approval on mouthwashes containing alcohol. ANI

Smoking ban improves a city’s health

 Does banning smoking in public places improve public health? Yes, a new study finds, and the effects are large and long-lasting.
    A municipal smoke-free ordinance took effect in Pueblo, Colorado, in 2003, and researchers tracked the incidence of heart attacks, comparing rates in the city with those in its surrounding county and a neighbouring county where there were no smoking bans.
    In the 18 months preceding the ban, rates in the city and surrounding areas were identical and declining slowly. But in the year and a half after the new law took effect, hospitalizations for heart attack decreased 27% in the city, while remaining unchanged in the other two districts. After 18 more months, through June 2006, rates in the city were 41% lower than before the ordinance was passed.
    Dr Christine Nevin-Woods, the executive director of the local health department, said, "We're finding that, surprisingly, smoking ordinances are bringing down heart attack rates significantly." NYT NEWS SERVICE

Hormone Therapy Linked to Brain Atrophy in Older Women

 

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Getty Images

By Anne Harding

MONDAY, Jan. 12, 2008 (Health.com) — Not too long ago, millions of postmenopausal women were taking estrogen as part of hormone therapy to protect their hearts, prevent cancer, and keep their brains sharp.

But two new studies in the journal Neurology show that not only does hormone replacement therapy increase the risk of heart attack, stroke, blood clots, and breast cancer in women over the age of 65, but it also shrinks their brains.

"This is extra-double-triple reason not to go on estrogen after 65," says Constantine Lyketsos, MD, of the Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center in East Baltimore, Md. Dr. Lyketsos, an expert on dementia treatment, was not involved in the research.

Experts say the findings should not be cause for alarm among younger women who are taking estrogen according to the current guidelines. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommends that women who take hormones to treat hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms start doing so as early as possible, at the lowest effective dose, for the shortest time possible. (Women who haven't had a hysterectomy need to take a combination of estrogen and progestin, because estrogen alone increases the risk of cancer of the lining of the uterus; women who've had their uterus removed can take estrogen alone.)

There is good evidence that for younger women, estrogen can actually help defog the brain, improve mental function, and possibly even protect against Alzheimer's disease decades later, says Pauline Maki, PhD, who runs a research program on steroid hormones' effect on cognitive function at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She was not involved with the new studies.

One of the most plausible explanations for this paradox is the "healthy cell bias of estrogen." In other words, estrogen is good for healthy cells, and bad for unhealthy cells, she explains. In her own research, Maki has shown that women who experience an unusually high number of hot flashes during menopause have worse verbal memory.

"What I think happens is that women's brains during hot flashes, while they're not sleeping as well, the brain material is still fine," Maki says. "When you introduce estrogen to these women, you're introducing it into a healthy cell, and the results cognitively are generally beneficial."

Older women's brain cells are likely to be in worse shape than younger women's, especially if their mental faculties are already fading. "The scenario that seems to arise is one where [hormone therapy] at the dose of this trial is harmful to the frailest brains, but perhaps not to the strongest ones," Giovanni Frisoni, of the National Center for Research and Care of Alzheimer's Disease in Brescia, Italy, says. Dr. Frisoni has studied estrogen's effects on brain volumes, but was not involved in the new research.

2008 collection d'auteur Seadweller pour la vente

De belles heures pour la lady, ou le cadeau pour lui-meme de
- Submariners,
- Daytonas
- Presidents, Pearlmasters
- Cartiers
- Patek Philippes
- Breitlings

Achete cela nous! Tes amis et les collegues ne remarqueront pas la difference......

Go Bananas

Bananas . Containing three natural sugars - sucrose, fructose and  glucose combined with fiber, a banana gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy. Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout. No wonder the banana is the number one fruit with the world's leading athletes. But energy isn't the only way a banana can help us keep fit. It can also help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions, making it a must to add to our daily diet.

Depression : According to a recent survey undertaken by MIND amongst people suffering from depression, many felt much better after eating a banana. This is because bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier.

PMS : Forget the pills - eat a banana. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood.

Anemia : High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anemia.

Blood Pressure : This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it the perfect to beat blood pressure.
So much so, the US Food and Drug Administration has just allowed the banana industry to make official claims for the fruit's ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke

Brain Power : 200 students at a Twickenham (Middlesex) school were helped through their exams this year by eating bananas at breakfast, break, and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown that the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert.

Constipation : High in fiber, including bananas in the diet can help
restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.

Hangovers : One of the quickest ways of curing a hangover is to make a banana milkshake, sweetened with honey. The banana calms the stomach and, with the help of the honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels,while the milk soothes and re-hydrates your system.

Heartburn : Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body, so if you suffer from heartburn, try eating a banana for soothing relief.

Morning Sickness : Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness.

Mosquito bites : Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation.

Nerves : Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system. Overweight and at work? Studies at the Institute of Psychology in Austria found pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort food like chocolate and crisps. Looking at 5,000 hospital patients, researchers found the most obese were more likely to be in high-pressure jobs The report concluded that, to avoid panic-induced food cravings, we need to control our blood sugar levels by snacking on high carbohydrate foods every two
hours to keep levels steady

Ulcers : The banana is used as the dietary food against intestinal
disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness. It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over-chronicler cases. It also neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.
Temperature control: Many other cultures see bananas as a "cooling" fruit that can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. In Thailand , for example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure their baby is born with a cool temperature.

Seasonal = Affective Disorder (SAD) : Bananas can help SAD sufferers because they contain the natural mood enhancer tryptophan.

Smoking: Bananas can also help people trying to give up smoking. The B6,B12 they contain, as well as the potassium and magnesium found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal.

Stress : Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalize the
heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body's water balance. When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, thereby reducing our potassium levels. These can be balanced with the help of a high-potassium banana snack.

Strokes : According to research in "The New England Journal of Medicine,"eating bananas as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of death by strokes by as much as 40%!

Warts: Those keen on natural alternatives swear that if you want to kill off a wart, take a piece of banana skin and place it on the wart, with the yellow side out. Carefully hold the skin in place with a plaster or surgical tape!

So, a banana really is a natural remedy for many ills. When you compare it to an apple, it has four times the protein, twice the carbohydrate, three times the phosphorus, five times the vitamin A and iron, and twice the other vitamins and minerals. It is also rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods around. So maybe its time to change that well-known phrase so that we say, "A banana a day keeps the doctor away!"

A healthy 2009!

Let's make a resolution to eat healthier this year while reminding ourselves that healthy eating is not just about dieting and body image

NAINI SETALVAD

 Another year has dawned and young and old alike have made their new year resolutions (never mind if we do not end up following most of them). Let this year be different. Other personal resolutions withstanding, let us make a resolution to eat healthier this year while reminding ourselves that healthy eating is not just about dieting and body image. Health is wellness of the mind, body and the spirit. It is something not very difficult to achieve and yet, most of us are unaware how to step towards good health and wellness. You are what you eat! This is a profound statement and it could not be more true today. Mahatma Gandhi, Abraham Lincoln, Nelson Mandela and all our spiritual guides preach the same thing. Unfortunately today we are brought up on a cocktail of pesticides, additives, chemicals, genetically modified foods. This deadly cocktail is topped with high salt, sugar and processed foods. A lethal combination that blasts our brains and bodies! No wonder we are the disease capital of the world. So let's begin this year with a toast to health! So that the future will look a lot more brighter for all of us.
Here's how you can do it!
    Eat a diet that is comprised of 60 per cent vegetarian. Fruits, sprouts and vegetables are the most balanced and nourishing choices followed by whole grains, roots and tubers, nuts, seeds and cold pressed oils.
    Drink a green juice like wheat grass or leafy green.
    Water is your best beverage. Drink it in plenty!
    Limit fat in your diet: Eat cold pressed organic extra virgin oils. Combine it with coconut or ghee.
    Stop using immune-suppressing ingredients. These include salt, refined sugars and flours, and food preservatives, additives, stabilisers, and colourings. Cut back on table salt. Use limited amounts of rock salt and sea salt.
    Avoid microwave and fried foods, which can suppress the immune system and lead to cancers and heart and circulatory disease.
    Eliminate alcohol and drugs.
    Eat plenty of oxygen-rich green foods. Put yourself in an oxygen rich environment, gardens, mountains.
    Get outdoors and into the sun. For twenty to thirty minutes daily, get direct and/or indirect sunlight.
    Don't smoke or expose yourself to secondhand smoke.
    Exercise moderately. Engage in stretching, aerobics, and resistance exercises at least five times a week for thirty to sixty minutes a day
    Get adequate rest. Sleep and rest helps to recharge the immune system.
    Keep a smile on your face. Maintaining a positive attitude is a key to having a belief system that supports immunity,
    We eat to get energy or life force. Unfortunately none of today's foods which are served in schools, colleges, canteens and grocery stores as packaged foods have any resemblance to real food that has life force or Prana. Food is the fuel for the body and we need to treat our bodies like a Rolls
Royce. Healthy food, healthy mind, healthy body, healthy nation, healthy universe! (The writer is a city-based nutritionist)

GET FIT: Engage in stretching, aerobics, and resistance exercises at least five times a week

WITH A PINCH OF SALT: Cut back on table salt and use limited amounts of rock salt and sea salt

Improving your energy level

Pranic healing" is a form of energy system that teaches how to increase, control and direct the "prana", or universal life force, for the personal health and energetic benefit

Man's whole physical body is composed of two parts — the visible physical body and the invisible energy body (which interpenetrates the visible physical body). Just as the visible physical body has blood vessels through which the blood flows, the energy body has fine invisible bioplasmic channels or meridians through which prana and bioplasmic matter flow and are distributed all over the body. In yoga, these are called the 'nadis'. Through these channels flow prana that nourishes and invigorates the whole body. "Pranic Healing" is a form of energy system that teaches its practitioners to increase, control and direct the "prana", or universal life force, for their own personal health and energetic benefit. Grand Master Choa Kok Sui developed a simple, yet effective technique for improving one's energy levels. It is as follows: Connect the tip of your tongue to the palate (top surface inside the mouth), anywhere on the surface. Continue doing the work you are doing, while maintaining this posture, for as long as required. Pranic energy level can be increased temporarily by this simple posture. This has the effect of improving the connection between the back energy meridians and the front energy meridians. This manifests as the aura expanding in size. If this posture is held for over a minute, the energy levels of a person may increase multifold. For instance, when a switch is turned on, a connection is made and the light comes on. In the same manner, when the tongue is connected to the palate, there is increased flow of pranic energy. When the tongue is not connected to the palate, there is decreased circulation of energy. Connecting the tongue to the palate enables a healer to have more energy and makes healing more effective. This technique can also be used for reading, studying, meditating or other activities that require considerable energy.

Procedure improves lung transplant odds

Peter J. Thompson/National PostToronto General Hospital's Dr. Shaf Keshavjee has helped develop a new technique that can repair and prepare lungs for transplant.

TORONTO -- In the life-and-death world of lung transplantation, the statistics can be heart-breaking. While at least one in five patients dies waiting for a transplant, as many as 90% of donated lungs have to be discarded because the fragile organs are too damaged.

Surgeons at a Toronto hospital announced on Friday, however, that they have found a way to beat the discouraging odds with an "amazing" new procedure touted as the first of its kind in the world.

The doctors say they can now repair -- outside the body -- lungs that in the past would have been too diseased or injured to implant in another person.

The laboratory-refurbishing procedure should make many more lungs available for transplant, shrinking the growing waiting lists and cutting the number of patients who die before their number comes up, the Toronto General physicians told a news conference.

The technique involves keeping the lungs functioning at body temperature for hours using a ventilator and a bloodless solution, instead of the usual practice of storing them on ice until they are needed.

The hospital showed a brief, stunning video of one pair of lungs hooked up to the team's new system, breathing in and out as if still inside someone's body. They lie under a glass chamber -- whose design was inspired by Toronto's Rogers Centre stadium (formerly known as the SkyDome) -- that can be opened and shut to allow doctors to work on the organs.

"To see these lungs that are damaged and 12 hours later are perfect is fascinating," said Dr. Shaf Keshavjee, who headed the project. "Worldwide, this strategy could easily double the number of lung transplants that are done ... It's a phenomenally exciting advance."

The procedure might also be put to use for kidney, liver and heart transplants down the road, said Dr. Gary Levy, head of the hospital's transplant program.

One outside colleague said the highly technical process will have to be simplified before it can be widely used by transplant surgeons, but said the achievement is "hugely important" nonetheless.

"It's very innovative," said Dr. Robert Levy, medical director of lung transplants for B.C. Transplant. "The worldwide transplant community is really watching this with a great deal of interest."

Andy Dykstra, 56, the first patient to receive a reconditioned pair of lungs from the Toronto team, said the operation has made a remarkable difference. Barely two weeks ago, he could not reach his front door without feeling short of breath, and sometimes unexpectedly lost control of bodily functions. He had been diagnosed five years ago with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a condition in which the lung's airways become dangerously narrowed.

Then, two weeks ago, he received lungs whose original, inflamed state would normally have made them useless. The Toronto General team kept them alive in their new system, treated the inflammation and drained excess water, before transplanting them into Mr. Dykstra.

"It's a whole new life," said the retired cabinet maker from London, Ont., who just got out of hospital on Wednesday. "I can breath easier. I'm more full of life. I'm just a changed person."

The world's first, experimental lung transplants were performed at Toronto General in the 1980s, but have quickly became routine. Just in the past decade, the number carried out in Canada has almost doubled to more than 170 a year, according to a report released this week by the Canadian Institute for Health Information.

The problem, though, is that demand far outstrips supply. Lungs can suffer damage in the brain-death process while being ventilated in the intensive-care unit or in car accidents, leaving only 10-15% that can be safely transplanted.

The new technique should be able to all but reverse those figures though, ensuring as many as 50% to 60% are useable, Dr. Keshavjee said.

Lungs and other organs are usually kept chilled after being harvested from a brain-dead donor, an attempt to slow down tissue death. But in such a state, cell metabolism is curbed and repair cannot be carried out.

The Toronto General team developed a system for what is called "perfusion," which keeps the lung alive and healthy for as long as 18 hours. In the meantime, the doctors can diagnose and treat its problems with drugs or, in future, with genetic therapy.

The breakthrough holds other potential, too. It could allow surgeons to adjust the lungs' immunological properties, essentially making them compatible ahead of time with the recipient's immune system.

That could render redundant the long-term use of immuno-suppressant drugs, which are designed to prevent the body from rejecting someone else's organ but which also can lead to serious infection, cancer and kidney damage.

Add these 10 foods to your grocery cart

Add these 10 foods to your grocery cart and you'll get three terrific benefits:

1. Lots of super-healthy liquids to flush out the body while pouring in nutrients.

2. Fiber to keep your GI tract fit.

3. Foods that energize cleansing enzymes in the liver, your body's built-in detox center.

 The top 10:

 1. Green leafy vegetables. Eat them raw, throw them into a broth, add them to juices. Their chlorophyll helps swab out environmental toxins (heavy metals, pesticides) and is an all-round liver protector.

2. Lemons. You need to keep the fluids flowing to wash out the body and fresh lemonade is ideal. Its vitamin C - considered the detox vitamin - helps convert toxins into a water - soluble form that's easily flushed away.

3. Watercress.  Put a handful into salads, soups, and sandwiches. The peppery little green leaves have a diuretic effect that helps move things through your system. And cress is rich in minerals too.

4. Garlic. Add it to everything - salads, sauces, spreads. In addition to the bulb's cardio benefits, it activates liver enzymes that help filter out junk.

5. Green tea. This antioxidant-rich brew is one of the healthiest ways to get more fluids into your system. Bonus: It contains catechins, which speed up liver activity.

6. Broccoli sprouts. Get 'em at your health-food store. They pack 20 to 50 times more cancer-fighting, enzyme-stimulating activity into each bite than the grown-up vegetable.

7. Sesame seeds. They're credited with protecting liver cells from the damaging effects of alcohol and other chemicals. For a concentrated form, try tahini, the yummy sesame seed paste that's a staple of Asian cooking.

8. Cabbage. There are two main types of detoxifying enzymes in the liver; this potent veggie helps activate both of them. Coleslaw, anyone?

9. Psyllium. A plant that's rich in soluble fiber, like oat bran, but more versatile. It mops up toxins (cholesterol too) and helps clear them out. Stir powdered psyllium into juice to help cleanse your colon, or have psyllium-fortified Bran Buds for breakfast.

10. Fruits, fruits, fruits. They're full of almost all the good things above - vitamin C, fiber, nutritious fluids, and all kinds of antioxidants. Besides, nothing tastes better than a ripe mango, fresh berries, or a perfect pear.

Ultimate Detox Recipe

Easy Wilted Garlic-Sesame Salad

Toss dark, leafy greens in hot, garlicky oil for a cleansing-and delicious - dish
4 servings, about 65 calories each

1 Tsp. olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 lb. spinach, stemmed, 
or 1 lb. Swiss chard, stems sliced, leaves torn
or 1 lb. mixture of spinach and watercress
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 Tsp. sesame seeds for garnish

Warm oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and stir until lightly browned, about 45 seconds. Add greens (do in two batches, if necessary) and toss until just wilted, 2 to 4 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.