Storable Organics
Health & Super Foods
Appliances
Supplements
Juice Feasting
Herbs & Spices
Exercise Equipment
Health Books/DVDs
Cleanses
EMF Protectors
Healthy Lifestyle Accessories
Beauty Products
Colema Boards & Enema Bags
Parasite Cleansing
Sustainable Choices
Aromatherapy

at http://www.superfoodsforenergy.com

Fight Aging: 6 Secrets to Staying Young

http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=53734219

Cool vices, I will happily adopt them all

America's healthiest pleasures: 10 'vices' that are good for you
By Susannah Felts and Jeannie Kim, Health.com
August 20, 2010 8:10 a.m. EDT

There are some good ideas here (actually lots of common sense, but still...) - read it using the link for much better text formatting... Aiming4.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/08/19/ten.healthy.vices/index.html?hpt=C2


(Health.com) -- Permission granted: You can officially stop feeling guilty about those little "bad-for-you" habits you can't seem to break. Turns out, many of life's greatest indulgences bring big health benefits -- helping you stay slim, fight off the blues, and kick disease to the curb.
And we've got the 10 best right here, conveniently ranked by Health magazine's expert panelists. Start at the top of the list to get the most bang for your healthy buck, and keep moving on down to learn how to boost your well-being in the most decadent ways possible.
Pleasure No. 1: Getting your zzz's: Our experts unanimously agreed: Sleep is free and has virtually zero health drawbacks, making it the one treat no one should skimp on. Pillow time gives you energy, bolsters your immune system, boosts your memory, and even helps you get (or stay) slim.
Cut slumber short, and you'll find it harder to make decisions (no surprise to anyone who's struggled through a workday after a too-late bedtime). Plus, you'll increase your risk for anxiety and depression.
"Lack of sleep has also been associated with hypertension, glucose intolerance, and belly fat -- all risk factors for heart disease," says Nieca Goldberg, M.D., medical director of the New York University-Langone Women's Heart Program.
Aim for seven to eight hours of sleep a night, the amount that studies show is ideal. If you're up-and-at-'em on less, don't sweat it: Some people are just wired that way, Goldberg says. But if you have trouble falling or staying asleep, or can't seem to drag yourself out of bed on a regular basis, talk to your doctor about possible underlying causes, such as anxiety or sleep apnea.
Health.com: 8 factors that could be keeping you awake at night
Pleasure No. 2: Playing hooky: There's a reason it's called a mental-health day. Studies confirm that time off -- whether on a trip out of Dodge or a 24-hour staycation -- relieves stress, lowering your blood pressure and your risk for heart disease.
It also promotes creative thinking (attention, bosses!). And women in a 2005 study who took two or more vacations per year were less likely to be depressed than women who took one every two years.
Can't swing more than a few days away? No problem: The length of a vacation had no bearing on how happy it made people, according to a recent study in the journal Applied Research in the Quality of Life.
What's more, the biggest thrill came before the vacation. So spread around the joy of that sweet anticipation by planning short jaunts throughout the year instead of one big blowout trip.
Pleasure No. 3: Sexual healing: Getting frisky is, hands-down, the most pleasurable form of physical activity there is. Having sex releases feel-good endorphins and oxytocin, the hormone that promotes attachment.
"That component of feeling connected to another person really benefits mental health," says Alice Domar, Ph.D., the executive director of the Domar Center for Mind/Body Health.
Another plus: Subjects in one study who did it once or twice a week had higher levels of the antibody immunoglobulin A, which shields you from colds and other infections. Why doesn't sex rank higher on our list? It can bring unintended consequences, from sexually transmitted infections (especially if you're not currently monogamous and not practicing safe sex) to "oops!" pregnancies.
Health.com: 10 reasons you're not having sex
Pleasure No. 4: A daily chocolate fix: Our experts gave a hearty thumbs-up to nibbling a little chocolate every day -- as long as you stick to a square or two of the dark kind, to minimize sugar and fat intake and maximize the benefits. (The temptation to overeat this sweet treat accounts for it not making it into the top three.)
Dark chocolate and cocoa may help lower blood pressure, reduce the risk of stroke, and provide other cardiovascular benefits, multiple studies have shown.
"Dark chocolate contains antioxidants called flavonoids, believed to improve the flexibility of blood vessels," Goldberg explains. "That can help lower blood pressure and also make blood vessels more resistant to plaque buildup."
Chocolate's rep as a go-to comfort food when you're upset has science behind it, too. A study published late last year found that eating 1.4 ounces of dark chocolate a day for two weeks reduced stress hormones in highly anxious people. Check for at least 75 percent cacao content to get the most bliss for your bite.
Health.com: America's Healthiest Superfoods for Women
Pleasure No. 5: Girls' nights out: A flurry of recent studies have shed light on how huge an impact our friends and family have on our behavior, from what we drink and eat to how much we weigh -- for better and for worse.
But there's little question that strong social ties can bring a host of benefits: fewer colds, better brain health, and a longer life, to name a few.
"Friendships are very good for you -- as long as you hang out with people with whom you have a well-balanced relationship and limit your time spent with people who are toxic for you," Domar says.
Pleasure No. 6: Full-fat dressing: For years we were trained to reach for low-fat everything, but there's no need to deprive yourself of the real deal. Full-fat foods not only taste better but also serve a real health purpose, as long as you get the right amounts of the right kinds.
Aim for at least 10 percent of your daily fat intake to come from monounsaturated fats (found in vegetable oils, avocados, and many nuts and seeds), says Keri Gans, R.D., a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association.
These fats reduce your risks of heart disease and stroke -- a big deal, since coronary heart disease is the leading cause of death of American women. In fact, nearly twice as many women die of heart disease, stroke, and other cardiovascular diseases as from all forms of cancer.
Omega-3 fatty acids (found in fish such as salmon and tuna, and in flaxseed and walnuts) also lower heart disease risk and may help decrease symptoms of depression, rheumatoid arthritis, and other ailments. Plus, "when you have a meal that includes a little fat, you tend to feel more satisfied, so you eat less," Gans says.
Still, no more than 30 percent of your daily calories should come from fat -- even the good kind.
Health.com: The 50 fattiest foods in the states
Pleasure No. 7: Your morning java: It's completely OK if you need it to pry your eyes open in the a.m. A wealth of research suggests that coffee doesn't just pick you up -- it fights heart disease and some cancers, and it may even help you push through harder, longer workouts.
Moderate coffee-drinking in middle age has been associated with lower risks for dementia and Alzheimer's. And a 2009 review of more than four decades of research found that for every additional cup of coffee you drink each day -- high-octane or decaf -- your risk of developing type 2 diabetes shrinks by 7 percent, possibly because chemicals in the beverage improve your body's insulin sensitivity and increase metabolism.
Enjoy up to two cups a day; more than that may leave you jittery or rob you of that precious number-one pleasure -- sleep.
Pleasure No. 8: Getting a rubdown: Don't ever feel guilty about shelling out for massages.
"In general, people who are touched regularly are healthier," Domar says. And if your budget doesn't include spa services, consider hands-on time with your honey.
Women in a 2008 study noted less pain, depression, anxiety, and anger when they were massaged twice a week by their partners -- and (bonus!) their partners reported better mental health, too.
Health.com: Which massage is best for you?
Pleasure No. 9: Basking in the sun: Bright days really do lift our moods -- sunshine is the ultimate natural antidepressant, triggering our bodies to nip production of the sleep-stimulating hormone melatonin so we're alert, energized, and ready to face the day. Exposing bare skin to the sun also triggers the synthesis of vitamin D, a hormone that may reduce your risks for cancer, heart disease, fragile bones, and other problems.
Still, many doctors feel that no amount of unprotected sun exposure is safe (that's the official position of the American Academy of Dermatology). So always wear sunscreen and, Goldberg says, take a D supplement if your levels are low; see your doc to find out.
Pleasure No. 10: Wine with dinner: The buzz on wine is about its heart-healthy properties, though researchers aren't entirely sure how it works its magic. Its antioxidants may keep blood vessels flexible, or alcohol could boost HDL (good) cholesterol.
Either way, the key is moderation: one 5-ounce glass a day. More than that can raise blood pressure and pack on pounds.
"Women who drink heavily also have higher rates of breast cancer," Goldberg warns.
More of a martini kind of gal? No problem: You can get similar perks from one liquor drink or beer a day. So go ahead -- raise a glass to the pleasures of the healthy life!

Never thought those claims had any legs.

(Personal research & testing, you know.) :)

Deceptive Marketing Of Dietary Supplements
July 17, 2010 - 6:00 am

Steven SalzbergBio |

Dr. Steven Salzberg is the Director of the Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology and the Horvitz Professor of Computer Science at the University of Maryland, College Park.

Without any fanfare, Congress held a hearing recently on how supplements are marketed to the elderly. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) conducted a study of 40 different herbal supplements, looking at what the supplements actually contained as well as how they were being sold, both in stores and online. Not surprisingly, the GAO found that companies have been making deceptive, inaccurate claims about many of the most popular supplements sold in the U.S. (I’m shocked, shocked!)

As reported in last week’s Journal of the American Medical Association, the report was requested by Senator Herb Kohl. The report states that some of the companies involved have been referred to the FDA and FTC for appropriate action. The GAO also found potentially hazardous contaminants in most of the supplements, including lead, mercury, arsenic, and cadmium though none were in an amount considered to pose an acute toxicity hazard to humans. Out of 40 supplements, 37 tested positive for trace amounts of lead, 32 contained mercury, 28 contained cadmium, 21 contained arsenic, and 18 contained residues from at least one pesticide. The FDA stated that 16 of the 40 supplements would be considered in violation of U.S. pesticide tolerances if the results were confirmed.

But for some mysterious reason, the GAO report fails to provide any specific information about who these snake-oil purveyors are. That’s right: not a single company or website is named. Why not?

I don't know which companies are selling supplements with contaminants or which companies have been referred to the FDA . But thanks to the Internet, I can name a few supplement marketers that are making the same or similar claims to those the GAO deemed inaccurate - keep reading.

1. Ginkgo biloba. The GAO report says:

"Product labeling states it `Effectively treats Alzheimer’s Disease, depression, impotence, memory … and more.'" Not true: “Several NIH studies have shown ginkgo to be ineffective at reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s, or otherwise enhancing memory.”

Who is making claims like this? Supplement marketer Zooscape, for one. You can find their ginkgo biloba claim (which matches the GAO report verbatim) here.

2. Ginseng. The GAO report says:

"Product labeling states that it possesses a `Powerful Anti-cancer Function' and can prevent diabetes, among other questionable claims."

Nope. The NIH states that there is no clear evidence to support the claim that ginseng can prevent cancer or cardiovascular diseases. As far as diabetes claims, the NIH recommends that patients should instead use more proven therapies.

Who made this claim? Several supplement sellers, including Green Cross, and sellers on Alibaba.com, both selling the same product.

3. Garlic. The GAO report says:

"Product labeling states that `Hundreds of scientific studies have proven [this product] to be number one, working to enhance the body’s immune function, protect cells from free radical damage, and reduce cardiovascular risk factors, including issues with blood pressure, cholesterol …' "

Wrong again. According to the GAO report,

“While this herb may help with certain conditions, enhancement of the body’s immune function is not a recognized benefit…. Further, the seller does not disclose details about the `hundreds of scientific studies' cited in the product labeling.”

Who makes this claim? I found it reproduced verbatim at several natural foods stores, such as here and here. The product itself - called only "this product" by the GAO - appears to be Kyolic Aged Garlic Extract, manufactured by Wakanaga Nutritional Supplements.

The GAO report describes many other cases of deceptive marketing, including bogus claims to treat Alzheimer’s disease. This is especially disturbing claim in light of the fact that the GAO study specifically looked at marketing to elderly customers, who might be desperate for any such treatment.

Nice! So what are these doing on the market? Well, unfortunately, the FDA cannot regulate dietary supplements, thanks to a bill passed in 1994 as a big sloppy wet kiss to the supplements industry. As the GAO report says: “Under DSHEA [Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994], dietary supplements are broadly presumed safe, and FDA does not have the authority to require them to be approved for safety and efficacy before they enter the market. But the FDA can step in if supplement retailers claim that their products can treat, prevent, or cure disease.

All of the sites marketing the products contain disclaimers saying their product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease; and that the health statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. It is not close to enough. DSHEA is a disaster, as this latest report illustrates, and as Orac has discussed at length over at Respectful Insolence. It's time for some oversight of this snake-oil industry.

I'ma'waitin'........................................................................................................................

A minute (maximum 2) after i get hold of
that other very interesting study, i 'll
post it here.

I want to hear the next study results (as indicated in the last line).

Antioxidant supplements increase artery elasticity in patients with multiple cardiovascular risk factors
6. July 2010 01:14

Long-term supplementation with dietary antioxidants has beneficial effects on sugar and fat metabolism, blood pressure and arterial flexibility in patients with multiple cardiovascular risk factors. Researchers writing in BioMed Central's open access journal Nutrition and Metabolism report these positive results in a randomized controlled trial of combined vitamin C, vitamin E, coenzyme Q10 and selenium capsules.

Reuven Zimlichman worked with a team of researchers from Wolfson Medical Center, Israel, to carry out the study in 70 patients from the centre's hypertension clinic. He said, "Antioxidant supplementation significantly increased large and small artery elasticity in patients with multiple cardiovascular risk factors. This beneficial vascular effect was associated with an improvement in glucose and lipid metabolism as well as significant decrease in blood pressure".

Previous results from clinical trials into the cardiovascular health effects of antioxidants have been equivocal. In order to shed more light onto the matter, Zimlichman and his colleagues randomised the 70 patients to receive either antioxidants or placebo capsules for six months. Tests at the beginning of the trial, after three months and at the six month mark revealed that the patients in the antioxidant group had more elastic arteries (a measure of increased cardiovascular health) and better blood sugar and cholesterol profiles. According to Zimlichman, "The findings of the present study justify investigating the overall clinical impact of antioxidant treatment in patients with multiple cardiovascular risk factors".

Source: BioMed Central

Danish study: Obese men face higher death risk
Associated Press, 07.13.10, 11:20 AM EDT

STOCKHOLM -- New research suggests that men who are obese by age 20 die eight years earlier on average than their non-obese peers.

The Danish study also shows that obesity usually develops before the age of 20 and that most people are unlikely to develop obesity later.

http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2010/07/13/science-eu-sweden-obesity-men_7762581.html?partner=alerts

....make sure to add some of the listed foods in your big meal :)

http://www.smellandtaste.org/index.cfm?action=research.sexual

Various Aromas Found to Enhance Male Sexual Response

Objective:

Folk wisdom suggests that various aromas are sexually enticing, but no data exists demonstrating the actual effects of specific odors on arousal. Dr. Hirsch and colleague Dr. Jason Gruss initiated a study to investigate the impact of ambient olfactory stimuli upon sexual response in the human male.

Methods:

1) The team recruited volunteers literate in English through solicitation on classic rock radio broadcasts. Thirty-one men, aged 18 to 64 years, signed up.

2) All subjects underwent olfactory testing with the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT), a 40-item, forced choice, scratch and sniff odor detection and identification test. They were queried on sexual preference, sexual practices and odor preferences.

3) Dr. Hirsch selected 24 different odorants for the study. In addition, six combinations of two of the most well-liked of these were also chosen.

4) The effects of the 30 odors on penile blood flow were assessed by comparing a subject’s brachial penile index while wearing an odorized mask to his average index while wearing an unodorized mask. This was done for each subject for each odor.

5) The men underwent assessment as follows: After being attached to a plethysmograph (which measures penile blood flow), three minutes were allowed for acclimation. Then a blank, nonodorized mask was applied for one minute while a baseline brachial penile index was recorded.

6) After the blank mask was removed, an odorized mask was applied. Thus, 30 odorized masks were randomly applied in double-blind fashion, with a three-minute hiatus between masks to prevent habituation of the odors. Each mask was worn for one minute while brachial penile index was recorded.

7) Finally, an additional blank mask was applied for one minute and brachial penile index once again recorded.

Results:

Each of the 30 odors produced an increase in penile blood flow. However, not all increased arousal to the same degree. The combined odor of lavender and pumpkin pie had the greatest effect, increasing median penile blood flow by 40%. Next in effectiveness was the combination of black licorice and doughnut, which increased arousal by 31.5%. And so on, all the way down to cranberry, which only increased penile blood flow by 2%. Depending on the man’s age, they may have reacted differently than their counterparts to certain smells. For instance, older men tended to respond strongly to vanilla.
Increase in Penile Blood Flow Produced by Top 10 Odors in 31 Male Volunteers

Odor or odor combination

Lavender and pumpkin pie
Doughnut & black licorice
Pumpkin pie & doughnut
Orange
Lavender & doughnut
Black licorice and cola
Black licorice
Doughnut & cola
Lily of the valley
Buttered popcorn


Average Increase

40%
31.5%
20%
19.5%
18%
13%
13%
12.5%
11%
9%

Conclusion:

Dr. Hirsch’s team theorized that pleasant odors, since they tend to positively increase other behaviors, would likely increase penile blood flow. Their data supported this hypothesis. However, a multitude of mechanisms could be at play. The odors could induce a Pavlovian conditioned response reminding partners of sexual partners or their favorite foods. Odors could have evoked nostalgic recall. Or the odors may simply be relaxing. The odors could also awaken the reticular activating system, making the men more alert to any sexual cues, thus increasing penile blood flow. The odors may also act neurophysiologically. A direct pathway connects the olfactory bulb to the septal nucleus, which in turn induces blood flow and erection. Other possible explanations exist, but the direct connection between odors and sexual response cannot be denied. Homologous studies on vaginal blood flow have also been carried out.

I'm going to go eat a big meal, then drink and dive into some cold water.

Cold water=cancer???

http://www.hoax-slayer.com/cold-water-cancer.html

http://www.snopes.com/medical/myths/coldwater.asp

Phew !!!

(I' m off to fetch a glass of ice cold water)

But, don't drink cold water after a meal (as per your post # 448).

Does drinking ice water burn calories?

For anyone trying to lose weight, this question is an exciting one! If you simply want to know if your body burns calories warming up the water, the answer is yes. But if you want to know if drinking a lot of ice water can help you lose weight, or keep weight off, this "yes" needs to be qualified with some calculations.

First of all, calories are case-sensitive. There are calories and then there are Calories. Calories with a big "c" are the ones used to describe the amount of energy contained in foods. A calorie with a little "c" is defined as the amount of energy it takes to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water 1 degree Celsius.

What most people think of as a Calorie is actually a kilo-calorie: It takes one Calorie to raise the temperature of 1 kilogram of water 1 degree Celsius. So when you drink a 140-Calorie can of cola, you are ingesting 140,000 calories. There is no cause for alarm, because the conversion applies across the board. When you burn 100 Calories jogging a mile, you are burning 100,000 calories.

So, considering that the definition of a calorie is based on raising the temperature of water, it is safe to say that your body burns calories when it has to raise the temperature of ice water to your body temperature. And unless your urine is coming out ice cold, your body must be raising the temperature of the water. So calories are being burned.

Let's figure out exactly what you're burning when you drink a 16-ounce (0.5 liter) glass of ice water:

* The temperature of ice water can be estimated at zero degrees Celsius.
* Body temperature can be estimated at 37 degrees Celsius.
* It takes 1 calorie to raise 1 gram of water 1 degree Celsius.
* There are 473.18 grams in 16 fluid ounces of water.

So in the case of a 16-ounce glass of ice water, your body must raise the temperature of 473.18 grams of water from zero to 37 degrees C. In doing so, your body burns 17,508 calories. But that's calories with a little "c." Your body only burns 17.5 Calories, and in the grand scheme of a 2,000-Calorie diet, that 17.5 isn't very significant.

But let's say you adhere to the "eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day" nutritional recommendation. In 64 ounces of water, there are 1,892.72 grams. So to warm up all that water in the course of a day, your body burns 70,030 calories, or 70 Calories. And over time, that 70 Calories a day adds up. So, while you definitely shouldn't depend on ice water consumption to replace exercise or a healthy diet, drinking cold water instead of warm water does, in fact, burn some extra Calories!

Eating Fruit - this opened my eyes.
Dr Stephen Mak is a friend of mine at the BSF course. He told me he treats terminal ill cancer patients by "un-orthodox" way and many patients recovered. He explains to me before he is using solar energy to clear the illnesses of his patients. He believes on natural healing in the body against illnesses. See the article below.

Dear Shereen,
Thanks for the email on fruits and juices. It is one of the strategies to heal cancer. As of late, my success rate in curing cancer is about 80%. Cancer patients shouldn't die. The cure for cancer is already found. It is whether you believe it or not. I am sorry for the hundreds of cancer patients who die under the conventional treatments.
Thanks and God bless.
Dr Stephen Mak


EATING FRUIT...


We all think eating fruits means just buying fruits, cutting it and just popping it into our mouths. It's not as easy as you think. It's important to know how and when to eat.

What is the correct way of eating fruits?

IT MEANS NOT EATING FRUITS AFTER YOUR MEALS! * FRUITS SHOULD BE EATEN ON AN EMPTY STOMACH.
If you eat fruit like that, it will play a major role to detoxify your system, supplying you with a great deal of energy for weight loss and other life activities.

FRUIT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT FOOD. Let's say you eat two slices of bread and then a slice of fruit. The slice of fruit is ready to go straight through the stomach into the intestines, but it is prevented from doing so.

In the meantime the whole meal rots and ferments and turns to acid. The minute the fruit comes into contact with the food in the stomach and digestive juices, the entire mass of food begins to spoil....

So please eat your fruits on an empty stomach or before your meals! You have heard people complaining — every time I eat watermelon I burp, when I eat durian my stomach bloats up, when I eat a banana I feel like running to the toilet, etc — actually all this will not arise if you eat the fruit on an empty stomach. The fruit mixes with the putrefying other food and produces gas and hence you will bloat!

Graying hair, balding, nervous outburst, and dark circles under the eyes all these will NOT happen if you take fruits on an empty stomach.

There is no such thing as some fruits, like orange and lemon are acidic, because all fruits become alkaline in our body, according to Dr. Herbert Shelton who did research on this matter. If you have mastered the correct way of eating fruits, you have the Secret of beauty, longevity, health, energy, happiness and normal weight.

When you need to drink fruit juice - drink only fresh fruit juice, NOT from the cans. Don't even drink juice that has been heated up. Don't eat cooked fruits because you don't get the nutrients at all. You only get to taste. Cooking destroys all the vitamins.

But eating a whole fruit is better than drinking the juice. If you should drink the juice, drink it mouthful by mouthful slowly, because you must let it mix with your saliva before swallowing it. You can go on a 3-day fruit fast to cleanse your body. Just eat fruits and drink fruit juice throughout the 3 days and you will be surprised when your friends tell you how radiant you look!

KIWI: Tiny but mighty. This is a good source of potassium, magnesium, vitamin E & fiber. Its vitamin C content is twice that of an orange.

APPLE: An apple a day keeps the doctor away? Although an apple has a low vitamin C content, it has antioxidants & flavonoids which enhances the activity of vitamin C thereby helping to lower the risks of colon cancer, heart attack & stroke.

STRAWBERRY: Protective Fruit. Strawberries have the highest total antioxidant power among major fruits & protect the body from cancer-causing, blood vessel-clogging free radicals.

ORANGE : Sweetest medicine. Taking 2-4 oranges a day may help keep colds away, lower cholesterol, prevent & dissolve kidney stones as well as lessens the risk of colon cancer.

WATERMELON: Coolest thirst quencher. Composed of 92% water, it is also packed with a giant dose of glutathione, which helps boost our immune system. They are also a key source of lycopene — the cancer fighting oxidant. Other nutrients found in watermelon are vitamin C & Potassium.

GUAVA & PAPAYA: Top awards for vitamin C. They are the clear winners for their high vitamin C content.. Guava is also rich in fiber, which helps prevent constipation. Papaya is rich in carotene; this is good for your eyes.

Drinking Cold water after a meal = Cancer! Can u believe this?? For those who like to drink cold water, this article is applicable to you. It is nice to have a cup of cold drink after a meal. However, the cold water will solidify the oily stuff that you have just consumed. It will slow down the digestion. Once this 'sludge' reacts with the acid, it will break down and be absorbed by the intestine faster than the solid food. It will line the intestine. Very soon, this will turn into fats and lead to cancer It is best to drink hot soup or warm water after a meal.

A serious note about heart attacks HEART ATTACK PROCEDURE': (THIS IS NOT A JOKE!) Women should know that not every heart attack symptom is going to be the left arm hurting. Be aware of intense pain in the jaw line. You may never have the first chest pain during the course of a heart attack. Nausea and intense sweating are also common symptoms. Sixty percent of people who have a heart attack while they are asleep do not wake up. Pain in the jaw can wake you from a sound sleep. Let's be careful and be aware. The more we know the better chance we could survive.

Do I want to know...?

Quite variable, depending on circumstance.

As i said, it's all in the genes....

Gene Tests For Everyone
May 17, 2010 - 12:15 pm

Steven SalzbergBio
Dr. Steven Salzberg is the Director of the Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology and the Horvitz Professor of Computer Science at the University of Maryland, College Park.

Pathway Genomics and Walgreens announced last week that they would start selling Pathway’s genetic testing kits at 6000 Walgreens stores. I thought this was good news – I, for one, would like to be able to run my own genetic tests. I’d like to know what risks my genes might carry, particularly if there was something I could do to reduce those risks. But what does Pathway’s test tell you, and is it worth it?

Pathway has been selling its testing kits since September, but selling them at a large chain store like Walgreens would reach many more customers. After their joint press release last Tuesday, though, someone at the FDA noticed, and stepped in to ask a few tough questions. In a letter on May 10 (read it here), the FDA told Pathway that they had to get FDA approval for their diagnostic kits, or else explain why they don’t need it. Pathway claims its kit is exempt from FDA approval, but that might be a tricky argument to prove. After the FDA sent its letter, Walgreens announced that it would hold off for now on selling the kits.

Meanwhile, the real question is, what will Pathway’s test tell you about your genes? Some biomedical scientists are saying that the science of genetic testing is too new to offer directly to consumers. They argue that the results of a genetic test are difficult to interpret, and that patients shouldn’t be given this complex information without expert guidance. Stanford University’s Hank Greely, quoted in the Washington Post, said "Information is powerful, but misunderstood information can be powerfully bad." Are doctors just trying to protect their business, or are they right? I decided to take a look.

Pathway promises to tell you about your risk for up to 70 diseases and conditions, if you pay $399 for the full suite of tests. (That's the price if you order directly from Pathway, which you can do right now. The Walgreens price was supposed to be lower.)

For example, if you are a carrier of the cystic fibrosis gene (which is included in the Pathway test), and if your spouse is also a carrier, then as a couple you have a 25% chance of having a child with cystic fibrosis. The genetics of this disease are well understood, and the test for the mutation should be highly reliable. This seems like a good value to me, and I see no reason why people shouldn’t be allowed to know if they’re a carrier for cystic fibrosis; it may be important to their future plans for having children.

For other diseases, though, the Pathway test provides much more ambiguous information. Let’s look at late-onset Alzheimer’s disease, something that almost everyone worries about as they get older. The Pathway site doesn’t specify which gene they test, but there is no known “Alzheimer’s gene.” Research on Alzheimer’s has demonstrated that some genetic mutations are associated with an increased risk, but the picture is far from clear. For example, mutations in the Apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene on chromosome 19 appear to increase the risk for Alzheimer’s after age 60. According to the National Institute on Aging, the e4 (epsilon-4) variant of this gene:

“occurs in about 40 percent of all people who develop late-onset AD and is present in about 25 to 30 percent of the population. People with AD are more likely to have an APOE e4 allele than people who do not develop AD. However, many people with AD do not have an APOE e4 allele.”

Complicated, no? And this is the clearest association between a genetic mutation and Alzheimer’s — a half-dozen other genes are associated with slightly increased risk, and research is ongoing. So should anyone be allowed to test his/her genome for this mutation?

Yes, emphatically yes!

It’s my genome, and I should be able to look at it if I want to. So what if the information is complex? If someone is curious enough to pay for this test, then when they get their results back, perhaps they’ll be motivated to learn more about genetics so that they can understand their own risk. Giving people information about their own genome seems like a great way to educate the public, and to make people more aware of the power of genetic information. Of course there are risks: charlatans might offer to sell bogus treatments for all kinds of genetic conditions, for example. People might misinterpret the results. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t allow people to discover more about themselves.

Genetic information is no different from other medical facts. We have easy access to our blood pressure numbers, and no one is suggesting that we shouldn’t, despite the fact that interpretation of blood pressure numbers can be complicated. (For example, should you reduce salt intake, or take statins to lower your blood pressure, or change your lifestyle in other ways?)

I hope the FDA allows Pathway to sell its DNA test at Walgreens. I think the value of the tests they’re offering today is mostly to satisfy curiosity – we don’t have treatments for most of the genetic diseases they can detect, so there's not much you can do about them. Some of the results will be useful to some people, though, and over time we’ll develop new treatments that will make more genetic tests valuable. Now that Pandora’s box is open, we can’t close it again. And we shouldn’t.

How about that!

(As Mel Allen would say.)

That may be the case, especially with what we know at present.

Even more frustrating & scary, Hitler might have had a point (in the madness).

Medicines offer a healthy life for over 100 years

CPC News - New drugs that can help people live healthily for 100 years or more may be available in as little as two years, an expert said yesterday.

The drugs have been developed as a result of research into age-related ailments such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer and Alzheimer's.

To satisfy the requirements of drug regulators and the market they are billed as remedies for specific illnesses.

But in actual fact they tackle multiple causes of unhealthy aging, according to Professor Nir Barzilai, one of the world's leading age scientists.

Prof Barzilai's own work at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York has identified genetic variants that mark out people who live to a "ripe old age".

The new drugs build on these discoveries, which involve biological pathways affecting metabolism, cell-death, inflammation and cholesterol.

"Pharmaceutical companies are developing these drugs now," said Prof Barzilai, who joined other experts at the Royal Society in London yesterday for a discussion meeting on the science of aging.

A subsidiary of drug giant GlaxoSmithKline is examining sirtuins, a family of enzymes associated with a whole range of age-related diseases.

Another key drug target is an enzyme called cholesterol ester transfer protein (CETP) which affects levels of "good" cholesterol.

Drugs that inhibit CETP are being developed by two other pharmaceutical companies.

A small biotech company, Proteostasis, is investigating a third pathway involving the cell-growth chemical IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor-1).

Genes

Although the initial aim is to develop a drug that combats Alzheimer's, the same pathway is thought to play a role in Parkinson's, motor neurone disease and Huntington's.

Research has shown that a few lucky people naturally possess such defenses against the debilitating effects of aging programmed into their genes.

One individual who intrigued scientists was Jean Calment, a French woman who died at the age of 122 years, without suffering a trace of dementia, diabetes or cancer.

She took up fencing at 85, rode a bicycle at 100, and smoked until her age reached triple figures.

People blessed with anti-aging genes tend not to get seriously ill but die suddenly at the end of their lives, Prof Barzilai pointed out.

"The cost of treating 100-year-olds in their last two years of life is a third of what it costs to treat somebody aged 70 to 80.

"People who die between 70 and 80 are sick in the last few years of their life. Centenarians are dying healthy."

Studies had revealed a strong association between reaching 100 years of age and very high blood levels of HDL. Centenarians with this HDL profile were powerfully protected against Alzheimer's.

Prof Barzilai described his "vision" as a once-daily pill which staved off the effects of old age and would probably be taken when a person reached their 40s or 50s.

Imho it all boils down to ones genes. This is the
most important factor to longevity and excellent health.
All other factors are (imho) secondary.
Very frustrating!!!

Indeed, as do some other factors coming into play, both known and yet to be known.

Miracles do indeed occur, what can i say?

It is important to mention the proneness or predisposition one has to any ailment. While I have all but eliminated any white flour, bread, rolls, soda, and most high (bad) carb foods, my dad defies this definitively. He has a strong heart and no artery, heart, or blood pressure issues at 83 years old, and his diet (much to my dismay and objection) includes white bread/rolls, soda, candy, cake, french fries, basically, a McDonalds' diet every day of his life.
Go figure...that diet would kill me, just thinking about it. :)

Israeli study links high carb foods to heart disease

Lay off the cornflakes and white bread - a new Israeli study shows exactly how high carb foods like these can lead to heart attacks and sudden death.

Before you sink your teeth into that tasty looking white roll, you might like to bear in mind a new study from Israel that shows exactly how devastating foods high in carbohydrates - like white bread, and cornflakes - can actually be to the health of your heart.

Though the health industry has been warning for decades that simple carbohydrates like these aren't good for our cardiac health, now a researcher from Tel Aviv University has developed a new technique that enables you to take a look inside the arteries as the damage happens, explaining for the first time the actual connection between carbohydrates and heart disease.

Using a clinical and research technique pioneered by his laboratory in Israel, Dr. Michael Shechter of Tel Aviv University's Sackler School of Medicine and the Heart Institute of Sheba Medical Center was able to visualize what happens inside our arteries before, during and after eating high carb foods - a first in medical history.

"Looking inside" the arteries of students eating a variety of foods Shechter, working in collaboration with the Endocrinology Institute, found that foods with a high glycemic index distended brachial arteries for several hours.

While elasticity of arteries throughout in body is found in young people and can be beneficial, when aggravated over time, a sudden expansion of the artery wall can cause a number of negative health effects, including reduced elasticity, which can lead to heart disease or sudden death.

Connecting the dots between diet and disease

"It's very hard to predict heart disease," says Shechter, a fellow of the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association. "But doctors know that high glycemic foods rapidly increase blood sugar. Those who binge on these foods have a greater chance of sudden death from heart attack. Our research connects the dots, showing the link between diet and what's happening in real time in the arteries."

Using 56 healthy volunteers, the researchers looked at four groups. One group ate a cornflake mush mixed with milk, a second a pure sugar mixture, the third bran flakes, while the last group was given a placebo (water).

Over four weeks, Dr. Shechter applied his method of "brachial reactive testing" to each group. The test uses a cuff on the arm, like those used to measure blood pressure, which can visualize arterial function in real time.

The results, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, were dramatic. Before any of the patients ate, arterial function was essentially the same. After eating, except for the placebo group, all had reduced functioning.

High carb foods put undue stress on our arteries

Enormous peaks indicating arterial stress were found in the high glycemic index groups: the cornflakes and sugar group. "We knew high glycemic foods were bad for the heart. Now we have a mechanism that shows how," says Shechter. "Foods like cornflakes, white bread, French fries, and sweetened soda all put undue stress on our arteries."

Using this method, Shechter has been able to show for the first time exactly how high glycemic carbs can affect the progression of heart disease. During the consumption of foods high in sugar, there appears to be a temporary and sudden dysfunction in the endothelial walls of the arteries.

Shechter, who practices at the Chaim Sheba Medical Center - Tel Hashomer Hospital, says that endothelial health can be traced back to almost every disorder and disease in the body. It is "the riskiest of the risk factors," he says Shechter.

Now Shechter offers a treatment at Tel Hashomer that can show patients - in real time - if they are at high risk of a heart attack. Medical tourists from America regularly visit to take the heart test.

So what's the answer? Shechter says we should stick to foods like oatmeal, fruits and vegetables, legumes and nuts, which have a low glycemic index. He also suggests daily exercise of at least 30 minutes.

I was in Thailand for most of April. While I certainly did not starve, I almost did not survive the protests, bombs, fighting, and when they shut down transportation, the oppressive heat.

I may not be an Indian yogi, but being the size of Yogi Bear sure helped against the rather dimunitive Thais.

Why only April, Fred?


70 years without eating? 'Starving yogi' says it's true
Posted on Monday, May 10, 2010 7:00 PM PT
By Brian Alexander

Prahlad Jani, an 82-year-old Indian yogi, is making headlines by claims that for the past 70 years he has had nothing -- not one calorie -- to eat and not one drop of liquid to drink. To test his claims, Indian military doctors put him under round-the-clock observation during a two-week hospital stay that ended last week, news reports say. During that time he didn’t ingest any food or water – and remained perfectly healthy, the researchers said.

But that’s simply impossible, said Dr. Michael Van Rooyen an emergency physician at Harvard’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital, an associate professor at the medical school, and the director of the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative – which focuses on aid to displaced populations who lack food and water.

Van Rooyen says that depending on climate conditions like temperature and humidity, a human could survive five or six days without water, maybe a day or two longer in extraordinary circumstances. We can go much longer without food – even up to three months if that person is taking liquids fortified with vitamins and electrolytes.

Bobby Sands, an Irish Republican convicted of firearms possession and imprisoned by the British, died in 1981 on the 66th day of his hunger strike. Gandhi was also known to go long stretches without food, including a 21-day hunger strike in 1932.

Image: Prahlad Jani claims he has survived without food and water for more than seven decades
Sterling Hospitals / AFP - Getty Images file
Prahlad Jani was studied for two weeks.

Jani, dubbed "the starving yogi" by some, did have limited contact with water while gargling and periodically bathing, reported the news wire service AFP. While researchers said they measured what he spit out, Van Rooyen said he's clearly getting fluid somehow.

"You can hold a lot of water in those yogi beards. A sneaky yogi for certain," he said. "He MUST take in water. The human body cannot survive without it." The effects of food and water deprivation are profound, Van Rooyen explained. “Ultimately, instead of metabolizing sugar and glycogen [the body’s energy sources] you start to metabolize fat and then cause muscle breakdown. Without food, your body chemistry changes. Profoundly malnourished people autodigest, they consume their own body’s resources. You get liver failure, tachycardia, heart strain. You fall apart.”

The yogi, though, would already be dead from lack of hydration. If he really went without any liquids at all, his cardiovascular system would have collapsed. “You lose about a liter or two of water per day just by breathing,” Van Rooyen said. You don’t have to sweat, which the yogi claims he never does. That water loss results in thicker blood and a drop in blood pressure.

“You go from being a grape to a raisin,” Van Rooyen said and if you didn’t have a heart attack first, you’d die of kidney failure.
Comments
What this ogi is doing has been done by yogi's for millenia. It is an amazing feat in that it is real and it took this particular man an almost inconcievable of discipline to achieve. Our physicists are just beginning to skim the finest surface of understanding of our human potential and while going without food for so long may not seem to serve a purpose - it is one of many ways to make the journey inward that we all must make eventually. We are all connected and when one achieves the level of discipline and inward seeking that this man has - it is for all of us.

John Patton (Monday, May 10, 2010 8:27 PM)

http://bodyodd.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2010/05/10/2299480.aspx

Thank you, I feel better already.

I will be on the Thai diet for most of April.

Unclog your arteries by eating right

By Gilah Kahn-Hoffman
March 31, 2010

An Israeli study reveals that a healthy, long-term diet really does lower blood pressure and reverse clogging of the arteries - a major risk factor for stroke and heart attack.
Dr-Iris-Shai
"We can actually see the changes in the vessel wall volume that are caused only by diet," Dr. Iris Shai, lead researcher on the two-year study.

Dr. Iris Shai is excited. "For the first time we have images that prove that a diet can accomplish what we believed could only be done with pills, and you get the same results with a low-carbohydrate or low-fat diet, or the Mediterranean Diet," she tells ISRAEL21c.

Shai, a researcher in nutrition at Ben-Gurion University (BGU) of the Negev in Beersheva, Israel, has just spent the last two years studying the effect of diet on atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), and blood pressure - both of which are direct risk factors for strokes and heart attacks.

Her findings, which were published recently in Circulation, the leading journal of the American Heart Association, show that healthy, long-term weight loss diets can significantly reverse carotid (main brain artery) atherosclerosis, and also lower blood pressure in overweight and mildly obese people.

"All the diets were different, but they had certain things in common," Shai explains. "They all have an increase in vegetables, omit trans fats and processed food and cut calories. The common denominator of all the diets is moderate weight loss. It's well known that people lose the most weight in the first six months of a diet and tend to gradually regain weight in the second six months. Our study shows that the main thing is to stick to the long-term, healthy diet strategy.

"Even if we experience some partial weight re-gain over time, long-term adherence to weight loss diets is effective for reversing carotid atherosclerosis as long as we stick to one of the current options of healthy diet strategy. This effect is more pronounced among mildly obese persons who lose more than 12 lbs. of body weight and whose systolic blood pressure decreases by more than 7 mmHg," she says.

Large-scale study using three diet regimes

Shai, a researcher at the International Center for Health and Nutrition in BGU's Department of Epidemiology, worked with scientists from the Nuclear Research Center in Dimona and Soroka University Medical Center.

One hundred and forty moderately overweight people working at the Dimona Nuclear Research Center took part in their study, mostly men. Each were put on one of three specific diet regimes - a low-fat diet, a low-carb diet, and a Mediterranean diet.

The study required significant cooperation between staff, participants and their spouses. Workplace cafeteria managers cooperated with clinicians and nutritional advisors to transform the food service program and provide healthy food according to each of the low fat, low carb and Mediterranean diet regimens.

Along with workplace nutritional counseling, trial participant spouses were educated on keeping to the diet strategy at home.

The scientists measured changes in carotid artery vessel thickening caused by plaque, to determine whether diet can reverse atherosclerosis, a process that naturally increases with age. They used a novel three-dimensional ultrasound imaging technique at the start of the study and again two years later.

For the first time, images prove the point

The findings show that after two years there was a five percent decrease in average carotid vessel-wall volume and a one percent decrease in carotid artery thickness.

"One of the most interesting findings of the study is that we can actually see the changes in the vessel wall volume that are caused only by diet," says Shai.

Dr. Yaakov Henkin, a cardiologist at Soroka University Medical Center who led the carotid measurements, explains that "the importance of these results is in the understanding that over two years, changes in carotid atherosclerosis are more strongly predicted by diet-induced changes in blood pressure than by changes in lipoprotein levels, which are commonly believed more important for the coronary arteries."

"Lifestyle projects in the workplace might be a perfect platform for long-term successful interventions," says Dr. Dan Schwarzfuchs, the director of the medical clinic at the Dimona research center. "As low-fat, low-carbohydrate and Mediterranean diets all induced regression of carotid atherosclerosis, a low-carbohydrate diet seems like a safe and efficient alternative to low-fat and Mediterranean diets in reversing the atherosclerosis process."

This study is part of the Dietary Intervention Randomized Control Trial (DIRECT), the initial results of which were published in July 2008 in the New England Journal of Medicine.

An international effort

In this influential study, it was found that Mediterranean and low-carbohydrate diets may be effective alternatives to low-fat diets for inducing weight loss, with more favorable effects on lipids obtained with the low-carbohydrate diet, and on glycemic control with the Mediterranean diet.

Adherence to the study was 95 percent after the first year and 85 percent after the second, an unprecedented result in dietary intervention trials.

The study was a truly international effort, with planning involving Dr. Meir Stampfer from Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard University in the US; analysis of the images performed at the Imaging Research Laboratories in London, Ontario in Canada, led by Drs. J. David Spence and Grace Parraga; and blood biomarkers analyzed in Leipzig University Laboratories, Germany, led by Drs. Joachim Thiery and Michael Stumvoll. Funding came from sources in the US, Canada, Israel and Germany.

http://israel21c.org/201003317827/health/unclog-your-arteries-by-eating-right

Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution comes to America. First episode tonight on ABC. Trailer:

http://videos.nymag.com/video/Jamie-Olivers-Food-Revolution-T#c=2B8KJ02H9XV5BBDH&t=Jamie%20Oliver's%20Food%20Revolution%20Trailer

Back to catching & picking our own food. :)

I guess hunting & gathering is out for you?

Try this, Pegs

The Hay Diet named after Dr William H Hay 1866-1940.

After 16 yrs medical practice Dr Hay's health broke down, he developed high blood pressure, brights disease and a dilated heart. There being no treatment available for dilated heart at the time Dr Hay was inspired to treat his own symptoms.

He did this by eating 'fundamentally' as he called it, taking foods in a natural form and not mixing proteins and starches at the same meal. (Pavlovs experiments with dogs showed that starches are digested in about two hours, proteins are digested in about four hours but a protein - starch mixture can still be digesting 13 hours later, food taken on top can lead to fermentation and toxic by-products putting strain on the system .

The result of this was a complete remission of symptoms and a reduction of weight from 225lbs (100kg) to 175lbs (80kg) in about 3 months. He believed he had a 'surefire treatment for diabetes'. Although ridiculed at the time, some modern research has produced evidence of a close connection between refined carbohydrates and allergies, skin problems, migraine, fatigue, depression, schizophrenic and aggressive behaviours.

The Diet is below - It's very simple - fruit is best taken alone at breakfast time (the sugars ferment if fruit sits on top of an evening meal) and don't mix columns 1 and 3.
tables 1 and 3 are incompatible.

more at;

http://www.synergy-health.co.uk/articles/haydiet.html

I'm going to quit eating!

I'm just going to catch & pick my own food from now on.

Keeping food safe from farm to fork
By Sharon Kanon

February 07, 2010

FoodScan 3000 from Israel is the only hand-held device that tests food samples for bacteria and provides on-site, immediate analysis - in just three seconds.

How can you be sure that bacteria are not festering in your food? Dangerous pathogens like Salmonella, E. coli, Listeria and chemical contaminants are responsible for more than 76 million food-borne illnesses a year in the US, according to the Center for Disease Control. Bacteria, viruses and toxins thrive on food that is undercooked, inadequately refrigerated or prepared in places where hygiene standards are lax. One Israeli company, however, hopes to make your food safe from the farm to your fork.

Herzliya-based MS Tech has developed advanced smart sensor technology that can detect the presence of contaminants and related chemicals in just three seconds, in the field.

The company's innovative FoodScan 3000 is - according to the company - the only hand-held device now on the market that tests samples for bacteria and provides on-site, immediate analysis. In the past, samples had to be sent to a lab for analysis - a time-consuming and costly process. Another benefit is that unlike other testing systems, FoodScan 3000 is green; it does not use radioactive material or ionizing sources.

Food safety is an issue of growing concern worldwide. In the US recent recalls of suspect ground beef, peanut butter and lettuce, are increasing the pressure for expanded food safety inspection. The demand to keep food safe has spawned the food safety and production inspection business, a sector estimated at $2.5 billion annually.

Detecting bacteria in the field

"Our technology can detect the presence or absence of bacteria and contaminants in food before anyone can see or smell them," Doron Shalom, CEO of MS Tech tells ISRAEL21c. Shalom, who holds a Master's degree from the London School of Economics, has proven experience in commercializing sensor technologies. He previously served as VP of global sales and marketing at Scent Detection Technologies, providing trace detection systems for aviation and airport security. Those systems were part of the security and screening procedures used at the Beijing Olympics.

Based on an array of High Frequency Quartz Crystal Microbalance (HGQ-CM) sensors and coatings, the technology from MS Tech provides high sensitivity and selectivity in detecting target molecules and can tell you whether or not your food is contaminated in three seconds flat.

Weighing in at just 800 grams and the size of about two iphones, FoodScan 3000 is integrated with HF-QCM sensors that are embedded with smart detection algorithms. The surface of each sensor has a chemical coating that is sensitive to different families of target molecules.

To identify a molecule, the algorithms analyze the data obtained and match it with a library of digital signatures. "Our HF-QCM sensors are extraordinarily sensitive and can reach sensitivity levels of one billionth of a gram," claims Doron.

Sensors alert you before the rot sets in

Doron gives the credit for this advanced sensor technology to his scientific team at MS Tech, headed by Dr. Lev Dayan, chief scientist and co-founder of the company. Dayan, a leading expert in crystal physics, has more than 40 years' experience designing and developing electro-chemical sensors. Professor Abraham Shanzer of the Department of Organic Chemistry at the Weizmann Institute of Science has also been a major contributor to the multi-disciplinary team. And the company boasts a high-level board of scientific advisors.

A big benefit is early detection of spoiled food. Sensitive to each contaminant, FoodScan 3000 detects a change in quality at any level, and can provide a relative indication of the contamination level of cheese, milk and other foods.

"Sometimes food leaves the factory top quality, but because it is not stored well, handled properly, or kept at the right temperature, it will begin to spoil," Doron explains. "When a food or beverage has a bad smell, it can do major damage to the reputation of a brand - not to mention the high costs of product recalls," he adds.

FoodScan 3000 was previewed in the October 2009 issue of Aviation Security International. In addition to airline catering companies, the company's target markets include government inspection agencies, dairy farms, supermarkets, restaurants, hotels and eventually consumers.

From food to security

The company's long-range vision is that one day consumers will be able to scan their own food for contaminants. MS Tech is also in negotiations with manufacturers of food processing equipment to integrate its plug and play sensors into their production lines and inspection processes.

"We can customize the product to the customer's technical needs at each level in the food chain," asserts Doron. With a WiFi and GPS connection, FoodScan 3000 can even transmit test results from remote inspection sites.

Privately-held MS Tech is a candidate for a number of technology innovation awards from leading industry analysts. The company expects to begin first deployments with selective companies in the US and Europe this year, and claims that countries in Asia, with high food safety standards, are also keen to use the company's technology.

The company doesn't just plan to stop at foodstuffs. Now in the process of setting up a major R&D center to be located in either the south or the center of the country, MS Tech also plans to develop innovative detection products for bio-medical diagnostics (health care centers, private clinics); security (detection of explosives, narcotics); clean tech (air pollution, water monitoring); aerospace (hydraulic fuel leaks, pandemics), and possibly even pharmaceuticals.

What it needs now are strategic partners and financing. "We are currently looking for strategic partners and raising capital to establish our R&D center and manufacturing facilities," concludes Doron.
http://israel21c.org/health/keeping-food-safe-from-farm-to-fork

LOL...................and, uh oh.

Lead a healthy life and this is what one has to look forward to?

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

I drink caffeine-free tea periodically.

(Btw, I was only answering for my unique self, since most readers around my age do have some occasional slowings down, lol.)

Well, it wasn't intended only fyi, as you
know this board enjoys plenty of readers


I don't even drink anything with caffeine

Consider tea:

Antioxidant capacity of different types of tea products

In the present study, twelve different types of commercial tea samples were assayed to determine their phenolic composition and antioxidant activity. Reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography using a binary gradient system was used for the identification and quantification of individual catechins. Subsequently, total phenolic content was determined spectrophotometrically according to the Folin-ciocalteus method. Total theaflavins and thearubigins were also determined. The radical scavenging behavior of the polyphenols on 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH) was also studied spectrophotometrically. The results showed that total polyphenols, total catechins and antioxi-dant activity were significantly (P<0.05) different in the commercial tea samples. Green tea had the highest levels of catechins, total polyphenols and total antioxidant activity. White tea (silvery tip) a rare specialty type of tea was not significantly different from green tea. Statistical analysis showed an essential catechin content influence of the tea extracts on antioxidant activity. Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) was the most potent catechin and the most potent in antioxidant activity (r = 0.989***). Epigallo-catechin (EGC) (r = 0.787, P<0.001), epicatechin (EC) + catechin (+C) and epicatechigallate (ECG) also showed significant (P<0.05) antioxidant activity. Black tea contained high levels of theaflavins and thearubigins, which accounted for most of the antioxidant potential in this type of tea product (r = 0.930*** and r = 0.930*** respectively). These results suggest that conversion of catechins during black tea processing did not affect the free-radical potency of black tea. Gallic acid (GA) also showed significant(r = 0.530*) contribution to the antioxidant activity in black tea. Green, black and white tea products processed from Kenyan tea cultivars originally selected for black tea had significantly (P<0.05) higher antioxidant activity than green tea processed from tea cultivars from Japan and China. These results seem to suggest that the cultivar type is critical in determining the antioxidant potency of tea product and that black teas processed from suitable cultivars could be potent in antioxidant activity when compared to green teas.

http://www.academicjournals.org/AJB/abstracts/abs2007/4Oct/Karori%20et%20al.htm

Seriously, I have never had a problem...going...thank God (and I don't even drink anything with caffeine). :)

The laxative comes as a bonus, my friend

Ah, yes, plenty of those around...though, I don't need the laxative effect. :)

Dried plums are plentiful and serve the same cause and
nutritional <and laxative> benefits

OK, I regularly have bananas, apples, red wine, and the occasional pomegranate...I cannot remember the last time I had (or saw) a red plum.
I'll have to start looking. :)

Red plum antioxidant levels higher than red wine

October 20, 2009

New research from Israel's Volcani Institute reveals that eating one fresh red plum with your meal counters the oxidizing agents in a seven ounce portion of red meat.

They further discovered that the levels of antioxidant agents in fresh red flesh plums are three times as high as those in pomegranates and five times higher than those in red wine, apples and bananas.

The research measured the levels of oxidation caused by the digestion of dark turkey meat in an artificial stomach. Fruit extracts were added to the simulated digestion and their effects on oxidation and antioxidant levels were measured.

Results showed that to maximize the effects of the beneficial antioxidants, you should eat the fruit with your meal.

In the early '90s, Prof. Joseph Kanner of the Department of Food Science at Israel's Volcani Institute, the leading scientist on this project, researched the Mediterranean diet and the "French paradox." He suggested that the low rate of heart attacks in France, despite a diet high in animal fat, could be explained by the French custom of drinking red wine (with its high levels of antioxidants) with meals.

http://israel21c.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7294:red-plum-antioxidant-levels-higher-than-red-wine&catid=62:briefs&Itemid=141

How your tongue tastes the bubbly: Sour taste buds
Associated Press, 10.16.09, 07:14 AM EDT

WASHINGTON -- Like the fizz of a soft drink? Thank your tongue's sour-sensing taste buds.

Nope, it's not the popping bubbles that gives the "taste" of carbonation. Try a swallow inside a pressure chamber - where the bubbles don't burst - and the sensation's the same.
So says a report in Friday's edition of the journal Science, where researchers tackled a bubbly puzzle: How do we taste the carbon dioxide that gives carbonated drinks their fizz?

After all, the human tongue is supposed to sense just five flavors: bitter, sweet, salty, sour and umami, sometimes called savory.

It turns out that the taste buds that let us sense sourness have an enzyme on their surface that interacts with carbon dioxide, said researchers from the University of California, San Diego, and the National Institutes of Health.

They made the discovery in mice, whose sense of taste resembles that of humans. They gave the animals sips of club soda or a little buzz of carbon dioxide gas and recorded how the tongue signaled the sensation to the brain. Both soda and the gas produced similar sensations. But when they tested mice bred to have no sour taste buds, the brain never got its sensory alert. Further probing uncovered the enzyme responsible.
Why isn't the tingle merely sour? Carbon dioxide also stimulates somatosensory cells in the mouth, cells that give touch sensations, so presumably it's that unique combination.

But given that carbonating water was first tried not quite 250 years ago, why would mammals have evolved a way to sense carbon dioxide? The scientists couldn't say, but speculated it might have been a protective mechanism, to avoid fermenting foods that give off the gas.