Archive for January, 2009
January 17th, 2009 -- Posted in Natural Health |
Acne normally appears on the most noticeable areas of the body such as the face, neck, and chest. A good way to save money on cleansers and medications to treat acne is to use a home treatment for acne.
When deciding on a natural remedy, it really depends on the condition of the individual’s skin, for a minor breakouts there are many quick remedies and solutions that can be used. Where only a few pimples are the problem, toothpaste and egg whites are often used to remove pimples overnight. When all over breakouts are the problem, egg whites will also be the solution for a quick treatment. However, for a long term remedy, individuals can drink water to help detoxify your body and cure acne. Also eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. 
Taking in at least 8 to 10 glasses of water daily will helps you to cleanse your body system. It is suggested that someone suffering with a skin disorder first seek the diagnosis of a dermatologist, then research the type and severity of the problem. Having homemade acne treatments and natural options as backups to prescription medications may help the sufferer in the long run, especially if skin sensitivity is the cause.
Few home treatment also includes:
(i) Try getting some sunshine everyday, the sun actually kills the bacteria, and dries up the sebum oil that produces acne. its a common home treatment for acne that doesn’t cost anything.
(ii) Apply an oatmeal mask at least once or twice a week. Cook oatmeal, and while it is still warm apply it to your entire face. Allow the oatmeal to dry, then wash it away. You can also use dried oatmeal, dampened – but not cooked – with warm water as a facial scrub to exfolliate the skin and clean the pores.
(iii) Apply honey to scare off acne. Honey is a great medicine that helps to remove not only the scars but also acne itself. Leave honey on the acne related areas overnight.
(iv)A food allergic reaction can result to acne breakouts, so avoid eating processed foods, and stick to more natural fruits and vegetables. The important thing is to drink plenty of water, eat fresh fruits and vegetables, get plenty of sleep, wash your face at least twice a day, and take vitamins – especially vitamin A and vitamin E.
January 3rd, 2009 -- Posted in Natural Health |
Omega-3 fatty acids can help dieters feel full longer and eat less, according to a study conducted by researchers from the University of Navarra, University of Iceland and University College Cork and published in the journal Appetite. “Omega-3s could improve the patients’ compliance to changes in dietary habits required for weight loss and weight loss maintenance,” the researchers wrote. 
Researchers placed 232 overweight or obese volunteers onto a lower calorie, balanced diet that was supplemented with either a low or high dose of Omega-3s for eight weeks. The average age of participants was 31, and their average body mass index was 28.3 kg per square metre. The low Omega-3 dose was 260 milligrams per day, while participants in the high-dose group were given 1,300 milligrams per day. During the last two weeks of the experiments, researchers assessed the appetites of participants and found that those in the high dose group tended to feel hungry less frequently than those in the low dose group, when measurements were taken either, immediately after or two hours following a meal. The researchers also found that participants with higher blood levels of Omega-3s and a healthier Omega-3 to Omega-6 ratio were also less likely to report being hungry after eating.
“The most important finding of this study is that subjects who eat a dinner rich in long chain Omega-3 fatty acids feel less hunger and more full directly after and two hours after than their counterparts fed with the low long chain Omega-3 fatty acids diet,” the researchers wrote. “This observation indicates that long chain Omega-3 fatty acids modulate hunger signals.” Omega-3 fatty acids are found in high concentrations in certain fish oils, flaxseeds and other seeds and nuts and certain varieties of algae. Omega-6 fatty, acids are found in high concentrations in vegetable oils. Recent research is suggested that Omega-3s are essential for the healthy development of the central nervous system, and the higher ratio of Omega3s to omega-6s is important for cardiovascular health.
January 2nd, 2009 -- Posted in Natural Health |
A new research work, that was conducted by Dr. Myung-Haing Cho, and his colleagues at Seoul National University, using a mouse model, which appears in the first issue for January of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, published by the American Thoracic Society.
“Our study indicates that increased intake of inorganic phosphates strongly stimulates lung cancer development in mice, and suggests that dietary regulation of inorganic phosphates may be critical for lung cancer treatment as well as prevention,” said Dr. Cho. Lung cancer is the number one cause of cancer deaths in the world and is also the most frequently diagnosed solid tumour. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) constitutes over 75 per cent of lung cancers and has an average overall 35-year survival rate of 14 per cent. Earlier studies have indicated that approximately 90 per cent of NSCLC cases were associated with activation of certain signalling pathways in lung tissue. This study revealed that high levels of inorganic phosphates could stimulate those same pathways. 
“Lung cancer is a disease of uncontrolled cell proliferation in lung tissue, and disruption of signalling pathways in those tissues can confer a normal cell with malignant properties,” Dr. Cho explained. Deregulation of only a small set of pathways can confer a normal cell with malignant properties, and these pathways are regulated in response to nutrient availability and, consequently, cell proliferation and growth. “Phosphate is an essential nutrient to living organisms, and can activate some signals,” he added. “This study demonstrates that high intake of inorganic phosphates may strongly stimulate lung cancer development by altering those (signalling) pathways.”
In the study, lung cancer-model mice were studied for four weeks and were randomly assigned to receive a diet of either 0.5 or 1.0 per cent phosphate, a range roughly equivalent to modern human diets. At the end of the four-week period, the lung tissue was analysed to determine the effects of the inorganic phosphates on tumours. “Our results clearly demonstrated that the diet higher in inorganic phosphates caused an increase in the size of the tumours and stimulated growth of the tumours,” said Dr. Cho.
Dr. Cho also noted that while a moderate level of phosphate plays an essential role in living organisms, the rapidly increasing use of phosphates as a food additive has resulted in significantly higher levels in average daily diets. Phosphates are added to many food products to increase water retention and improve food texture. “In the 1990s, phosphorous-containing food additives contributed an estimated 470 mg per day to the average daily adult diet,” he said. “However, phosphates are currently being added much more frequently to a large number of processed foods, including meats, cheeses, beverages, and bakery products. As a result, depending on individual food choices, phosphorous intake could be increased by as much as 1000 mg per day.”
“Although the 0.5 per cent was defined as close to ‘normal,’ the average diet today is actually closer to the one percent diet and may actually exceed it,” Dr. Cho noted. “Therefore, the 0.5 per cent intake level is actually a reduced phosphate diet by today’s scale.” He said future studies would help refine what constitutes a “safe” level of dietary inorganic phosphate, with recommendations that will be easily achievable in the average population. “The results of this study suggest that dietary regulation of inorganic phosphates has a place in lung cancer treatment, and our eventual goal is to collect sufficient information to accurately assess the risk of these phosphates,”said Dr. Cho.
Dr John Heffner, past president of the ATS, stated that this line of investigation in animals addresses the complex interactions between host factors and the environment that underlie cancer in man. “We know that only some patients who smoke develop lung cancer but the reasons for this varying risk are unknown. This study now provides a rationale for funding case-control studies in humans to determine the potential role of dietary phosphates in promoting cancer.”
