In fact, cooking is a very professional & challenging task in our daily life.
Lao Tzu the Founder of Tao De ( Path & Virtue )Sutra, have use Cooking of fish as analogue to running a country. That is "Managing or Running A Big Nation is Just like Frying A Small Fish"!!
You see when one fry a small fish, one beside control the amount of oil & the temperature, it is not suppose to have too frequent changes or interference.
The following cookery school methods is actually on the way to cooking enligthenment.
In Ireland, Cookery Amid the Greenery
By MELISSA A. TRAINER
APPROACHING the town of Shanagarry in County Cork, Ireland, can stir a lot of emotions in the first-time visitor: awe at the beauty of the place, a peacefulness brought on by the serenity of the countryside. But for some people, a trip to this hamlet sparks something else altogether, a quickening of the pulse as you realize you're about to get into the kitchen and start cooking.
For Shanagarry is home to the Ballymaloe Cookery School, one of Europe's most notable destinations for the serious foodie. Owned by Tim and Darina Allen and sitting in one of Ireland's richest agricultural counties, the school started out as a sideline business. In 1983 Darina began offering cooking classes out of their 19th-century Regency house, to supplement Tim's income as a farmer. The response was great, and Darina started teaching local people, focusing on simple, straightforward fare using the wonderfully fresh ingredients grown on the farm or caught in nearby waters.
Quickly outgrowing its original home, the school moved 50 yards to its current location, a converted apple barn constructed during World War II and designed by Tim's maternal grandfather, Henry Hill, a well-regarded Cork architect. The design was an engineering feat considering the rationing and lack of supplies at the time.
The kitchens are now in the former apple sorting rooms, and because there was no electricity during the 1940's, there are enormous north-facing windows that open wide and maximize daylight. The windows look over the school's cow pastures and the seafood-rich Ballycotton Bay, just a mile away. Darina, originally trained at a catering school in Dublin, has since published 13 books. Her first, "Simply Delicious" (1989, Gill & Macmillan) was a big success.
The Ballymaloe Cookery School operates year-round, with a mix of one-day classes and weeklong immersion programs. While its focus remains firmly on locally grown foods and Irish traditions (How to Keep a Few Chickens in the Garden is the name of one course), offerings now include such surprising options as A Day in Italy and Sushi for Beginners.
When I went to Ballymaloe this past summer, I attended an Intensive Introductory course, a 10th-anniversary present from my husband, and was joined by my friend Mary Birchfield, who unlike me, had never taken a cooking class. There were 48 students, mainly from Ireland, Britain and the United States, enrolled in this five-day course. As everyone arrived that first morning we were offered coffee, tea and scones in the dining room.
The student body ran from university students to well-traveled retirees. Most were attending solo. While waiting for things to start, I admired the school's flair. Fresh posies of lady's mantle, herbs and sweet peas were everywhere. The creamers, serving bowls and water jugs were from a local pottery, and the white-stuccoed walls were adorned with contemporary and traditional artwork, much of which was for sale.
Although this was a hands-on intensive class, Darina eased us in slowly on the first day and introduced us to the extraordinary ingredients - fresh Jersey cream, free-range eggs and quirky heirloom tomatoes - gathered from her 100-acre farm, recently certified by the government as organic.
In her lively and engaging manner, Darina demonstrated 12 dishes - among them brown bread, tarts of smoky Gubeen bacon and mushrooms, and almond meringues with strawberries and cream - and passionately urged us, when cooking at home, to purchase our ingredients from sources that used local farmers, purveyors and fishermen. We broke for lunch around 1, and headed back to the dining room, where we took our assigned seats and tucked into the dishes Darina had prepared.
After lunch we returned to the demonstration classroom, where we observed more preparations and tasted the dishes we'd make the next morning. By the time class ended at 4, I was stuffed and needed some exercise. The sun wouldn't set until after 10 p.m. and the skies were clear, so Mary and I and an Irish classmate headed to walk the cliffs in Ballycotton, the nearby fishing village. A former goat track, the seaside walk is one of Europe's most significant bird-watching sites - more than 300 species migrate through over the course of the year. Our classmate, who worked for Ireland's Environmental Protection Agency, was able to point out such rare birds as the chough.
Camaraderie became the norm among all of us students. Ego and pretension were nonexistent, and we quickly became a laughing and lively lot, regardless of cooking skills. Many of us had experience; others were clearly clueless. This proved comforting - no need to prove one's brilliance - as we tied on our aprons, grabbed our knives and headed into the spacious and light-filled classrooms.
The second day, Mary and I teamed up and greeted our teacher, Pam Black. A graduate of the school's 12-week certificate class, Pam was knowledgeable and patient. Each pair of students had the same setup and supplies, a teacher (who also taught two other pairs) and a station within a larger kitchen. I immediately liked our mini-kitchen, with a five-burner gas stove, an oven, ample counter space and the necessary pots and pans. At other cooking schools I've attended, I've frequently grown frustrated and wasted time sharing stoves and implements with the other students. All too often I'd have to stand hip to hip with other budding (and temperamental) chefs. I was delighted that this wasn't so at Ballymaloe.
Mary and I had chosen to make scones, raspberry jam and pan-grilled mackerel that morning. I wanted to sharpen my fish filleting skills, so I happily tackled the mackerel, which had been caught only hours before. Then, while Mary successfully replicated Darina's recipe and jarred the jam, I made the scones. My first attempt was an absolute bust; even the teachers were baffled by my oozing dough. With a wave of her hand, Pam said: "Life's too short, Melissa. Feed this to the hens and start over." My second attempt yielded a perfectly tender batch of Mummy's Sweet White Scones.
On another day I made a traditional Kerry pie, a savory lamb pie with thyme, carrots and onions. The hot-water pastry dough method was remarkably quick and foolproof. The tender and flavorful lamb had come from Kevin Day, a local butcher who has his own slaughterhouse. When decorating the top of our pie with the excess scraps, we applied stars and stripes, which made our patriotic pie easy to spy in the lunchtime lineup. Read More....
The New York Times > Travel > In Ireland, Cookery Amid the Greenery
Saturday, January 01, 2005
Friday, December 31, 2004
Thursday, December 30, 2004
The food industry digests a challenging year
When I was having my return visit to england & wales in the 1990's, I am brief about the Mad Cow disease then.
I am brought up from a family that restrain from eating beef due to the family culture. Today, I am still not a beef eater. Just imagine the tons of glass & cow feeds that a cow consumed before it is kill for a few people consumption in a day. Couple with the cow waste that pollute our mother earth. It don't make sense right??
The food industry digests a challenging year
By Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY
The food industry held its breath this year. The dawn of 2004 followed the grim discovery of the first case of mad cow disease in the USA.
No new cases of mad cow disease were found this year.
By Charlie Riedel, AP
This was a year of reaction and preparation for those who are responsible for keeping the food supply safe. While continuing efforts to curtail disease outbreaks from such sources as E. coli and salmonella, health authorities and food safety regulators faced the mad cow threat and concerns about bioterrorism.
A dreaded disease
After the deadly brain-wasting disease known to scientists as bovine spongiform encephalopathy was found in a Washington state dairy cow just before Christmas last year, countries that had long been U.S. trading partners closed their borders to American beef. The meat industry reeled.
Mad cow disease is particularly feared because it is incurable and always fatal.
But no new cases were found this year, even after the Department of Agriculture launched an intensive program to test as many as 268,000 cattle from June 2004 to November 2005.
Though testing increased, one thing that did not happen was the implementation of stricter regulations on what can be fed to cattle. Feed that contains ground-up parts of infected animals is the primary means of transmission.
The Food and Drug Administration said in January that it would ban the feeding of cattle blood to calves and the litter from poultry cages to cattle. Both the materials end up in feed, even though they are potential contaminants. But both practices are still allowed.
The FDA's position is that because the USDA now requires the removal of all "specified risk materials" — the parts known to carry the mad cow infection — from slaughtered cattle, there is no longer any danger from having the remaining cattle parts in feed.
But food safety experts protest that the removal of risk materials is not 100% effective. "There are more holes in their regulations on specified risk materials than there are in a mad cow's brain," says Carol Tucker Foreman of the Consumer Federation of America.
The specter of bioterrorism
The other major food safety issue was marked by incremental changes and a splash of drama.
This month, the FDA published the last of its four bioterrorism regulations. This was the last of new powers given to the FDA by Congress after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and the subsequent deaths of five people from exposure to anthrax-laced envelopes sent through the mail.
The fear is that terrorists will try to contaminate the food supply. Already in place are rules requiring the registration of food producers, prior notice of when food will be imported and impoundment of food that producers or importers fear could be dangerous.
The fourth measure requires companies to begin keeping records within 12 months that will allow U.S. officials to trace the source of food contamination.
The rules apply to firms that manufacture, process, pack, transport, distribute, receive, hold or import food.
The drama came when Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson, in announcing his resignation on Dec. 3, commented, "For the life of me, I cannot understand why the terrorists have not attacked our food supply, because it is so easy to do." Read More....
USATODAY.com - The food industry digests a challenging year
I am brought up from a family that restrain from eating beef due to the family culture. Today, I am still not a beef eater. Just imagine the tons of glass & cow feeds that a cow consumed before it is kill for a few people consumption in a day. Couple with the cow waste that pollute our mother earth. It don't make sense right??
The food industry digests a challenging year
By Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY
The food industry held its breath this year. The dawn of 2004 followed the grim discovery of the first case of mad cow disease in the USA.
No new cases of mad cow disease were found this year.
By Charlie Riedel, AP
This was a year of reaction and preparation for those who are responsible for keeping the food supply safe. While continuing efforts to curtail disease outbreaks from such sources as E. coli and salmonella, health authorities and food safety regulators faced the mad cow threat and concerns about bioterrorism.
A dreaded disease
After the deadly brain-wasting disease known to scientists as bovine spongiform encephalopathy was found in a Washington state dairy cow just before Christmas last year, countries that had long been U.S. trading partners closed their borders to American beef. The meat industry reeled.
Mad cow disease is particularly feared because it is incurable and always fatal.
But no new cases were found this year, even after the Department of Agriculture launched an intensive program to test as many as 268,000 cattle from June 2004 to November 2005.
Though testing increased, one thing that did not happen was the implementation of stricter regulations on what can be fed to cattle. Feed that contains ground-up parts of infected animals is the primary means of transmission.
The Food and Drug Administration said in January that it would ban the feeding of cattle blood to calves and the litter from poultry cages to cattle. Both the materials end up in feed, even though they are potential contaminants. But both practices are still allowed.
The FDA's position is that because the USDA now requires the removal of all "specified risk materials" — the parts known to carry the mad cow infection — from slaughtered cattle, there is no longer any danger from having the remaining cattle parts in feed.
But food safety experts protest that the removal of risk materials is not 100% effective. "There are more holes in their regulations on specified risk materials than there are in a mad cow's brain," says Carol Tucker Foreman of the Consumer Federation of America.
The specter of bioterrorism
The other major food safety issue was marked by incremental changes and a splash of drama.
This month, the FDA published the last of its four bioterrorism regulations. This was the last of new powers given to the FDA by Congress after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and the subsequent deaths of five people from exposure to anthrax-laced envelopes sent through the mail.
The fear is that terrorists will try to contaminate the food supply. Already in place are rules requiring the registration of food producers, prior notice of when food will be imported and impoundment of food that producers or importers fear could be dangerous.
The fourth measure requires companies to begin keeping records within 12 months that will allow U.S. officials to trace the source of food contamination.
The rules apply to firms that manufacture, process, pack, transport, distribute, receive, hold or import food.
The drama came when Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson, in announcing his resignation on Dec. 3, commented, "For the life of me, I cannot understand why the terrorists have not attacked our food supply, because it is so easy to do." Read More....
USATODAY.com - The food industry digests a challenging year
Food-aceuticals: Drink - and Eat - to Your Health
In my late parents home town in Southern China. The island hardly have vegetable farm, people are eating fish from the sea almost every meal.
My grandma died at the age of 98. she told me that she don't each much meat before 1980's. Perhaps only once in every 2 weeks. After she began to eat meat for 7 times a week. she start to feel that her health is weaken. She died of blood cancer.
Therefore for your great health eat more green vege & sea fish.
The "Good" Fat (Fatty Acids)
Fat also got a healthy image makeover this year thanks to new research on omega-3 fatty acids and their ability to reduce the risk of heart disease. Omega-3 fatty acids are found in fatty fish such as salmon, tuna, lake trout, and herring. In September, the FDA approved a new qualified health claim that allows foods and supplements containing omega-3 fatty acids to advertise the fact that eating the product may reduce the risk of heart disease.
Although health organizations, such as the American Heart Association, already recommend fish as a part of a heart-healthy diet based on earlier findings of epidemiological studies, Lichtenstein says new research this year offers new proof of the heart-healthy benefits of omega-3 fatty acids.
In Lichtenstein's study, women whose arteries already showed evidence of atherosclerosis who ate fish twice a week or dark fish once a week had a slower progression of their disease, as shown by X-ray images.
"Probably what happens is that when people consume more fish, they're not eating as much steak and hamburgers. So they are displacing foods high in saturated fat for one high in unsaturated fat," says Lichtenstein.
In November, the FDA also approved another new qualified health claim for olive oil based on studies that show eating about two tablespoons of olive oil a day may reduce the risk of heart disease.
Olive oil contains a type of fat known as monounsaturated fat that can lower 'bad' LDL cholesterol levels when eaten instead of saturated fats. However, olive oil contains about the same amount of total fat grams and calories as other types of fat.
Food-aceuticals: Drink - and Eat - to Your Health
My grandma died at the age of 98. she told me that she don't each much meat before 1980's. Perhaps only once in every 2 weeks. After she began to eat meat for 7 times a week. she start to feel that her health is weaken. She died of blood cancer.
Therefore for your great health eat more green vege & sea fish.
The "Good" Fat (Fatty Acids)
Fat also got a healthy image makeover this year thanks to new research on omega-3 fatty acids and their ability to reduce the risk of heart disease. Omega-3 fatty acids are found in fatty fish such as salmon, tuna, lake trout, and herring. In September, the FDA approved a new qualified health claim that allows foods and supplements containing omega-3 fatty acids to advertise the fact that eating the product may reduce the risk of heart disease.
Although health organizations, such as the American Heart Association, already recommend fish as a part of a heart-healthy diet based on earlier findings of epidemiological studies, Lichtenstein says new research this year offers new proof of the heart-healthy benefits of omega-3 fatty acids.
In Lichtenstein's study, women whose arteries already showed evidence of atherosclerosis who ate fish twice a week or dark fish once a week had a slower progression of their disease, as shown by X-ray images.
"Probably what happens is that when people consume more fish, they're not eating as much steak and hamburgers. So they are displacing foods high in saturated fat for one high in unsaturated fat," says Lichtenstein.
In November, the FDA also approved another new qualified health claim for olive oil based on studies that show eating about two tablespoons of olive oil a day may reduce the risk of heart disease.
Olive oil contains a type of fat known as monounsaturated fat that can lower 'bad' LDL cholesterol levels when eaten instead of saturated fats. However, olive oil contains about the same amount of total fat grams and calories as other types of fat.
Food-aceuticals: Drink - and Eat - to Your Health
Wednesday, December 29, 2004
ONE POTATO, TWO POTATO, THREE POTATO, FOUR ...
This article I found in Dole Nutrition Institute News. Yes, there is a difference between Yam & Sweet Potatos. In the "I-Medical Sutra", Yam & Swet Potatos, Potatos how difference application for illness.
Yam is more for diarrhea
Sweet Potatos is for the cooling effect when someone have fever.
Potatos is know of originating from Holland. The healing applications is not so rich. I will keep update on these.
ONE POTATO, TWO POTATO, THREE POTATO, FOUR ...
When Yams, Sweets, Purples and Russets Go Potato-head-to-Head
You say potato and I say po-tah-to, but who's to say which tuber takes the prize in terms of nutritional content? We asked that question of two members of the DNI brain trust -- Alex Russell and Kelli Wutkee -- who looked at the data and arrived at some surprising conclusions.
While there are more than 5,000 varieties of potatoes, we focused our investigation on russet potatoes, sweet potatoes*, purple potatoes and yams. They're all good for you, but the sweet potato's off-the-charts beta-carotene content -- providing 377% of your daily vitamin A needs per serving -- made this dark-skinned, vivid orange veggie an undisputed SuperFood. Indeed, there's no other fruit or vegetable with a higher beta-carotene count!
Specific benefits of this mega-vitamin A dose include healthy skin, hardy immune function and keen eyesight. Some research suggests this uber-antioxidant may prevent cancer both by neutralizing free radicals and by promoting communication between cells.
While sweet potatoes appear to channel all their nutritional energy into their vitamin A content, yams are the winner in the well-rounded-nutrition category. They're highest in potassium (again, important for regulating blood pressure), providing 35% of your RDI in a one-cup serving, serve up a quarter of your daily fiber needs (good for heart health, appetite control and cancer prevention), and a full 43% of your vitamin C requirement.
Yams aren't the only tuber to hit a high C note -- one small russet potato provides 56% of your daily vitamin C needs. But the real super "C" in russet potatoes stands for chlorogenic acid -- a phytochemical which not only combats the overall oxidation (the rust, if you will) of our cells, it may block carcinogens particular to cigarettes and some cured meats.
Before you go patting yourself on the back for that side of fries you ordered with lunch, consider that most of the chlorogenic acid in russet potatoes resides in the peel. So if you're consuming your potatoes peeled, fried, mashed, whipped or whatever, not only are you depriving yourself of most of this vegetable's antioxidant benefits, you're probably negating any nutritional benefit you might have derived by larding on the butter or ladling on the gravy.
While russets rule in popular tastes, what about other, more exotic varieties, such as ones we've seen in a royal shade of purple? So far there's little research done on the nutritional content -- and, in particular, the phytochemical profile -- of purple potatoes, placing it on the DNI agenda for laboratory analysis. But with their deep purple hue we suspect they're likely loaded with anthocyanidins -- anti-inflammatory flavonoids which may protect against cancer and cardiovascular disease.
So next time you're planning your menu or tooling down the produce aisle, consider incorporating a spud of a different color (or flavor) to add a little variety -- and extra nutritional benefit -- to your diet. Try our featured recipe -- "Yams, 'Bacon,' Pears and Raisins." No, of course it's not real bacon, but it's really, really delicious. Trust me on this one -- I consider it one of Marie Oser's all-time greatest hits! Read More....
Dole Nutrition Institute
Yam is more for diarrhea
Sweet Potatos is for the cooling effect when someone have fever.
Potatos is know of originating from Holland. The healing applications is not so rich. I will keep update on these.
ONE POTATO, TWO POTATO, THREE POTATO, FOUR ...
When Yams, Sweets, Purples and Russets Go Potato-head-to-Head
You say potato and I say po-tah-to, but who's to say which tuber takes the prize in terms of nutritional content? We asked that question of two members of the DNI brain trust -- Alex Russell and Kelli Wutkee -- who looked at the data and arrived at some surprising conclusions.
While there are more than 5,000 varieties of potatoes, we focused our investigation on russet potatoes, sweet potatoes*, purple potatoes and yams. They're all good for you, but the sweet potato's off-the-charts beta-carotene content -- providing 377% of your daily vitamin A needs per serving -- made this dark-skinned, vivid orange veggie an undisputed SuperFood. Indeed, there's no other fruit or vegetable with a higher beta-carotene count!
Specific benefits of this mega-vitamin A dose include healthy skin, hardy immune function and keen eyesight. Some research suggests this uber-antioxidant may prevent cancer both by neutralizing free radicals and by promoting communication between cells.
While sweet potatoes appear to channel all their nutritional energy into their vitamin A content, yams are the winner in the well-rounded-nutrition category. They're highest in potassium (again, important for regulating blood pressure), providing 35% of your RDI in a one-cup serving, serve up a quarter of your daily fiber needs (good for heart health, appetite control and cancer prevention), and a full 43% of your vitamin C requirement.
Yams aren't the only tuber to hit a high C note -- one small russet potato provides 56% of your daily vitamin C needs. But the real super "C" in russet potatoes stands for chlorogenic acid -- a phytochemical which not only combats the overall oxidation (the rust, if you will) of our cells, it may block carcinogens particular to cigarettes and some cured meats.
Before you go patting yourself on the back for that side of fries you ordered with lunch, consider that most of the chlorogenic acid in russet potatoes resides in the peel. So if you're consuming your potatoes peeled, fried, mashed, whipped or whatever, not only are you depriving yourself of most of this vegetable's antioxidant benefits, you're probably negating any nutritional benefit you might have derived by larding on the butter or ladling on the gravy.
While russets rule in popular tastes, what about other, more exotic varieties, such as ones we've seen in a royal shade of purple? So far there's little research done on the nutritional content -- and, in particular, the phytochemical profile -- of purple potatoes, placing it on the DNI agenda for laboratory analysis. But with their deep purple hue we suspect they're likely loaded with anthocyanidins -- anti-inflammatory flavonoids which may protect against cancer and cardiovascular disease.
So next time you're planning your menu or tooling down the produce aisle, consider incorporating a spud of a different color (or flavor) to add a little variety -- and extra nutritional benefit -- to your diet. Try our featured recipe -- "Yams, 'Bacon,' Pears and Raisins." No, of course it's not real bacon, but it's really, really delicious. Trust me on this one -- I consider it one of Marie Oser's all-time greatest hits! Read More....
Dole Nutrition Institute
Tuesday, December 28, 2004
Over-the-counter cholesterol drug coming?
This is certainly a good news for some. I am not encouraging anyone to take drugs for any illness. Unless there is no alternative
to it.
The Best things to do is still Prevention Is Better Than Cure !!
Well, the following food i.e. would help to lower cholesterol:
Soy Bean
Tomato
Chili
Fish
Orange
Pamerlo
Grape Seed
Cereal
Garlic
Rice Bran
....etc
Over-the-counter cholesterol drug coming?
By Julie Appleby, USA TODAY
Merck next month will make its second try for approval to sell cholesterol drug Mevacor without a prescription.
If the Food and Drug Administration approves, cholesterol drugs would become the third type of drug to switch from prescription to over-the counter status in the USA. Bristol-Myers Squibb said this month that it also intends to seek non-prescription status for cholesterol drug Pravachol.
Unlike the other two categories, allergy pills and stomach acid remedies, cholesterol-lowering drugs are aimed at a chronic condition that is without symptoms. Cholesterol drugs, the No. 1-selling category in the USA at $14 billion in sales last year, also raise the risk of liver, kidney and muscle problems.
The switch must be approved by the FDA. An advisory committee will consider Merck's application on Jan. 13-14. Nearly four years ago, an FDA advisory committee recommended against allowing Mevacor to be sold without a prescription. Members said then that they wanted more information about whether consumers would use the drug properly.
Merck says it now has a study showing that consumers can make those decisions. Mevacor, of a class of drugs called statins, went on the market in 1987 and is no longer under patent protection. Several companies sell a generic equivalent, known as lovastatin. Merck's other cholesterol drug, Zocor, whose patent expires in 2006, won the United Kingdom's approval in August for sales directly to consumers.
"For some people, it's a large shift in their thinking to having consumers treat themselves," says Ed Hemwall, vice president of Johnson & Johnson/Merck, a joint marketing venture.
But, he says, heart disease remains the nation's top killer — and many patients haven't sought treatment for cholesterol, one risk factor.
Still, some doctors are skeptical.
"I think it is a very bad idea," says Brian Strom, a medical doctor and professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
Over-the-counter drugs are meant for short-term conditions that patients can diagnose themselves, he says. "High cholesterol has none of those things." Read More....
Over-the-counter cholesterol drug coming?
to it.
The Best things to do is still Prevention Is Better Than Cure !!
Well, the following food i.e. would help to lower cholesterol:
Soy Bean
Tomato
Chili
Fish
Orange
Pamerlo
Grape Seed
Cereal
Garlic
Rice Bran
....etc
Over-the-counter cholesterol drug coming?
By Julie Appleby, USA TODAY
Merck next month will make its second try for approval to sell cholesterol drug Mevacor without a prescription.
If the Food and Drug Administration approves, cholesterol drugs would become the third type of drug to switch from prescription to over-the counter status in the USA. Bristol-Myers Squibb said this month that it also intends to seek non-prescription status for cholesterol drug Pravachol.
Unlike the other two categories, allergy pills and stomach acid remedies, cholesterol-lowering drugs are aimed at a chronic condition that is without symptoms. Cholesterol drugs, the No. 1-selling category in the USA at $14 billion in sales last year, also raise the risk of liver, kidney and muscle problems.
The switch must be approved by the FDA. An advisory committee will consider Merck's application on Jan. 13-14. Nearly four years ago, an FDA advisory committee recommended against allowing Mevacor to be sold without a prescription. Members said then that they wanted more information about whether consumers would use the drug properly.
Merck says it now has a study showing that consumers can make those decisions. Mevacor, of a class of drugs called statins, went on the market in 1987 and is no longer under patent protection. Several companies sell a generic equivalent, known as lovastatin. Merck's other cholesterol drug, Zocor, whose patent expires in 2006, won the United Kingdom's approval in August for sales directly to consumers.
"For some people, it's a large shift in their thinking to having consumers treat themselves," says Ed Hemwall, vice president of Johnson & Johnson/Merck, a joint marketing venture.
But, he says, heart disease remains the nation's top killer — and many patients haven't sought treatment for cholesterol, one risk factor.
Still, some doctors are skeptical.
"I think it is a very bad idea," says Brian Strom, a medical doctor and professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
Over-the-counter drugs are meant for short-term conditions that patients can diagnose themselves, he says. "High cholesterol has none of those things." Read More....
Over-the-counter cholesterol drug coming?
Study Cast Doubt On Its Effectiveness - Melatonin
I am very much against the use of any pills to solve the sleep disorders. From my research consumming of Pills to help sleep would generate other side effect later in life.
Please watch-out for the food that you eat during dinner time.
Don't Eat
Hot or Spicy Food
Fatty Or Oily Food
Deep Fried Food
Do Eat
Stir Fried Food
Steam Food
Lean Meat
Lots of Green Vege
Study Casts Doubt On Its Effectiveness
Remember back in the late 1990s, all the publicity about this new "wonder drug" called melatonin? It all started with the book "The Melatonin Miracle" by William Regelson, MD, and Walter Pierpaoli, MD.
At that time the claims were for everything from age reduction to increasing sexual prowess. It was said to be a sure cure for anything sleep related.
The truth? first, melatonin isn't a drug at all. It's a naturally occurring hormone produced by the pineal gland, a gland situated somewhere near the center of the brain. It does, to some extent, control our sleep patterns and there is a theory that it is related to anti-aging. Maybe because we age less if we're getting the proper rest. Sexual prowess? Very doubtful, unless it prevents us from dropping off to sleep at the wrong moment.
Melatonin can be purchased as a food supplement, and there is some evidence that it does help with certain sleep problems. However, according to a study test conducted by a University of Alberta research group, melatonin may not be as effective as once thought.
It may help people with primary sleep problems fall asleep a bit easier. This would include some types of insomnia. However, for secondary sleep disorders - those linked to underlying mental problems including psychoses, dementia, Parkinson's disease, etc., melatonin is of little or no help. Melatonin seemed to have little effect on those suffering from jet lag or on shift workers who had trouble sleeping.
Dr. Terry Klassen, who headed up the research group, said that further study would be needed to determine the effectiveness and safety of melatonin. Little is known about long serm side effects. However, he suggested, it might be more worthwhile to keep looking for other alternatives to treat sleep disorders.
"It's (melatonin) certainly not going to be the 'wow drug' of sleep disorders," Klassen said. Read More...
Melatonin - Printer Friendly
Please watch-out for the food that you eat during dinner time.
Don't Eat
Hot or Spicy Food
Fatty Or Oily Food
Deep Fried Food
Do Eat
Stir Fried Food
Steam Food
Lean Meat
Lots of Green Vege
Study Casts Doubt On Its Effectiveness
Remember back in the late 1990s, all the publicity about this new "wonder drug" called melatonin? It all started with the book "The Melatonin Miracle" by William Regelson, MD, and Walter Pierpaoli, MD.
At that time the claims were for everything from age reduction to increasing sexual prowess. It was said to be a sure cure for anything sleep related.
The truth? first, melatonin isn't a drug at all. It's a naturally occurring hormone produced by the pineal gland, a gland situated somewhere near the center of the brain. It does, to some extent, control our sleep patterns and there is a theory that it is related to anti-aging. Maybe because we age less if we're getting the proper rest. Sexual prowess? Very doubtful, unless it prevents us from dropping off to sleep at the wrong moment.
Melatonin can be purchased as a food supplement, and there is some evidence that it does help with certain sleep problems. However, according to a study test conducted by a University of Alberta research group, melatonin may not be as effective as once thought.
It may help people with primary sleep problems fall asleep a bit easier. This would include some types of insomnia. However, for secondary sleep disorders - those linked to underlying mental problems including psychoses, dementia, Parkinson's disease, etc., melatonin is of little or no help. Melatonin seemed to have little effect on those suffering from jet lag or on shift workers who had trouble sleeping.
Dr. Terry Klassen, who headed up the research group, said that further study would be needed to determine the effectiveness and safety of melatonin. Little is known about long serm side effects. However, he suggested, it might be more worthwhile to keep looking for other alternatives to treat sleep disorders.
"It's (melatonin) certainly not going to be the 'wow drug' of sleep disorders," Klassen said. Read More...
Melatonin - Printer Friendly
Monday, December 27, 2004
FDA: Don't overdo pain pills
Most of the people taking the pain killer, due to stress, gastric, head aches.
Stress is something of the present day of life. The other things is the Food that we take would cause us sickness & pain too.
I am discouraging you to take any pain killer whenever possible for your great health.
Once you are educated on the roots of pains from Food & Drinks, you can handle these without it.
FDA: Don't overdo pain pills
By Rita Rubin, USA TODAY
Just because you can buy a pain reliever along with your morning coffee and doughnut at the local convenience store doesn't necessarily mean it's safe to pop the pills for weeks on end.
Time release: Pain relievers shouldn't be taken longer than 10 days, according to the FDA. By Tim Sloan, AFP
That's the message the Food and Drug Administration is trying to get out to consumers. If you think you need to take naproxen, ibuprofen or aspirin — all nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs — for longer than 10 days, do so under a doctor's supervision, the agency is now advising. And don't take any more pills a day than the label, or your doctor, recommends.
If your doctor has prescribed Celebrex or Bextra, two newer NSAIDs known as COX-2 inhibitors, you and your doctor should discuss whether you really need to take the drugs, according to a just-released health advisory from the FDA.
If you're at risk for a heart attack or stroke but not for digestive tract bleeding, you probably should stick with an older NSAID. Theoretically, the COX-2 inhibitors are less likely to cause digestive tract bleeding, but Pfizer, maker of Celebrex and Bextra, has not yet been able to convince the FDA that it should be able to make that claim on the drugs' labels.
"We have held the COX-2s to a very high standard to get an indication (label claim) for reduced gastrointestinal bleeding," says John Jenkins, director of the FDA's Office of New Drugs.
At a news conference Friday, Jenkins called the public health advisory "an interim measure, pending further review of data that continue to be collected."
In recent weeks, studies comparing Celebrex, Bextra, Vioxx and naproxen — an older NSAID sold over-the-counter as Aleve — with a placebo have shown that they could increase the risk of heart attack and stroke, especially if taken for long periods or by people who are at high risk for such problems. Merck pulled its COX-2 inhibitor, Vioxx, off the market Sept. 30, but Celebrex and Bextra remain.
Though aspirin has been shown to reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke in people who already have had one, it also is among the NSAIDs most likely to cause a stomach ulcer, Jenkins said.
In light of the new information about risks of heart attack and stroke, Jenkins said, the FDA is requiring that researchers re-evaluate all prevention studies — in which healthy people are given a drug to see whether it prevents a disease or condition — involving Celebrex or Bextra.
That's not good enough, says consumer advocate Sidney Wolfe, director of Public Citizen's Health Research Group. Wolfe has called for the FDA to ban Celebrex and Bextra. Read More...
USATODAY.com - FDA: Don't overdo pain pills
Stress is something of the present day of life. The other things is the Food that we take would cause us sickness & pain too.
I am discouraging you to take any pain killer whenever possible for your great health.
Once you are educated on the roots of pains from Food & Drinks, you can handle these without it.
FDA: Don't overdo pain pills
By Rita Rubin, USA TODAY
Just because you can buy a pain reliever along with your morning coffee and doughnut at the local convenience store doesn't necessarily mean it's safe to pop the pills for weeks on end.
Time release: Pain relievers shouldn't be taken longer than 10 days, according to the FDA. By Tim Sloan, AFP
That's the message the Food and Drug Administration is trying to get out to consumers. If you think you need to take naproxen, ibuprofen or aspirin — all nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs — for longer than 10 days, do so under a doctor's supervision, the agency is now advising. And don't take any more pills a day than the label, or your doctor, recommends.
If your doctor has prescribed Celebrex or Bextra, two newer NSAIDs known as COX-2 inhibitors, you and your doctor should discuss whether you really need to take the drugs, according to a just-released health advisory from the FDA.
If you're at risk for a heart attack or stroke but not for digestive tract bleeding, you probably should stick with an older NSAID. Theoretically, the COX-2 inhibitors are less likely to cause digestive tract bleeding, but Pfizer, maker of Celebrex and Bextra, has not yet been able to convince the FDA that it should be able to make that claim on the drugs' labels.
"We have held the COX-2s to a very high standard to get an indication (label claim) for reduced gastrointestinal bleeding," says John Jenkins, director of the FDA's Office of New Drugs.
At a news conference Friday, Jenkins called the public health advisory "an interim measure, pending further review of data that continue to be collected."
In recent weeks, studies comparing Celebrex, Bextra, Vioxx and naproxen — an older NSAID sold over-the-counter as Aleve — with a placebo have shown that they could increase the risk of heart attack and stroke, especially if taken for long periods or by people who are at high risk for such problems. Merck pulled its COX-2 inhibitor, Vioxx, off the market Sept. 30, but Celebrex and Bextra remain.
Though aspirin has been shown to reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke in people who already have had one, it also is among the NSAIDs most likely to cause a stomach ulcer, Jenkins said.
In light of the new information about risks of heart attack and stroke, Jenkins said, the FDA is requiring that researchers re-evaluate all prevention studies — in which healthy people are given a drug to see whether it prevents a disease or condition — involving Celebrex or Bextra.
That's not good enough, says consumer advocate Sidney Wolfe, director of Public Citizen's Health Research Group. Wolfe has called for the FDA to ban Celebrex and Bextra. Read More...
USATODAY.com - FDA: Don't overdo pain pills
Obesity Surgery Shows Benefits Years Later
In my opinion, & research, I found that obesity is in relations to the food that we eat even during the baby time.
I have found that for those who begin to be over weight even at the very young age. These is further confirm the old saying of "You Are What You Eat".
The types of food once is consumed cannot be taken out is Animal fats, Cheese. Deep Fried Food, Fast Food, Food To Go, Cola, Cake..Ice cream..etc.
Restrain from eating those food mentioned above, eat more Nutral fruits, Vegetables.fish & white meat.. that would save you a lots of money in going for an obesity surgery.
Obesity Surgery Shows Benefits Years Later
Wed Dec 22,11:46 PM ET
By Amanda Gardner HealthDay Reporter
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 22 (HealthDayNews) -- A long-term study of people who had surgery for obesity found they lost more weight and experienced fewer obesity-related complications, including diabetes, than people who didn't have the operation.
The study, one of the strongest long-term examinations of the subject, appears in the Dec. 23 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine (news - web sites).
"It's certainly an endorsement relative to what else is available," said Dr. Caren G. Solomon, deputy editor of the journal and co-author of an accompanying editorial. "Other things don't take weight off as well, and it doesn't stay off well."
"The weight loss seems to be very effective in controlling diabetes, in the development of new diabetes, at controlling hypertension, and the development of new hypertension," added Dr. Marc Bessler, director of the New York Presbyterian Center for Obesity Surgery at Columbia University Medical Center.
According to the editorial, almost one-third of the U.S. population is obese (meaning they have a body mass index of 30 or greater), while close to 5 percent are morbidly obese (with a body mass index of 40 or higher).
Given the lack of effective alternatives, there has been an increasing interest in bariatric surgery, or surgery to combat obesity. In the past seven years, the number of such surgeries performed in the United States has increased fivefold, to 100,000 in 2003, the editorial stated.
While other studies have been done, long-term data is sorely needed.
For this study, based in Sweden, researchers looked at 1,703 individuals who had undergone one of several types of bariatric surgery two years prior and 4,047 individuals who had undergone surgery a decade before. Both of these groups were compared to a group of people who had not undergone surgery. All participants in the subject were obese, with a mean body mass index of 41.
After two years, the weight of people in the control group had increased by 0.1 percent, while, in the surgery group, it had decreased by 23.4 percent.
After 10 years, the weight of those in the control group had increased by 1.6 percent. Those in the surgery group saw their weight decrease to an overall total of 16.1 percent, meaning that individuals did gain some weight back. People in the surgery group also consumed fewer calories and were more physically active than those in the control group.
At both two and 10 years, people who had undergone surgery had higher rates of recovery from diabetes, lower triglyceride levels, blood pressure, glucose and insulin levels, as well as higher "good" cholesterol levels than the control group. People in the surgery group were also less likely to develop diabetes.
On the other hand, people in the surgery group did not experience a decrease in "bad" cholesterol levels. "The only thing they didn't find was cholesterol improvement, but that may be because they didn't use gastric bypass surgery," Bessler said. Some of the specific procedures used in the study are less commonly used today, although overall the information is applicable to current methods, Solomon said.
"Those who had surgery clearly had weight loss. The other group didn't lose," Solomon said. "If they had diabetes or one of several other health conditions, they were much more likely than those who didn't have surgery to show no signs of the disease, and were also less likely to develop it."
One piece of information that is still missing, however, is whether these improvements also translate into reduced rates of heart disease and other cardiovascular complications, Solomon said.
In this particular study, the surgeries were also very safe, with a mortality rate of only 0.25 percent. Read More...
Yahoo! News - Obesity Surgery Shows Benefits Years Later
I have found that for those who begin to be over weight even at the very young age. These is further confirm the old saying of "You Are What You Eat".
The types of food once is consumed cannot be taken out is Animal fats, Cheese. Deep Fried Food, Fast Food, Food To Go, Cola, Cake..Ice cream..etc.
Restrain from eating those food mentioned above, eat more Nutral fruits, Vegetables.fish & white meat.. that would save you a lots of money in going for an obesity surgery.
Obesity Surgery Shows Benefits Years Later
Wed Dec 22,11:46 PM ET
By Amanda Gardner HealthDay Reporter
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 22 (HealthDayNews) -- A long-term study of people who had surgery for obesity found they lost more weight and experienced fewer obesity-related complications, including diabetes, than people who didn't have the operation.
The study, one of the strongest long-term examinations of the subject, appears in the Dec. 23 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine (news - web sites).
"It's certainly an endorsement relative to what else is available," said Dr. Caren G. Solomon, deputy editor of the journal and co-author of an accompanying editorial. "Other things don't take weight off as well, and it doesn't stay off well."
"The weight loss seems to be very effective in controlling diabetes, in the development of new diabetes, at controlling hypertension, and the development of new hypertension," added Dr. Marc Bessler, director of the New York Presbyterian Center for Obesity Surgery at Columbia University Medical Center.
According to the editorial, almost one-third of the U.S. population is obese (meaning they have a body mass index of 30 or greater), while close to 5 percent are morbidly obese (with a body mass index of 40 or higher).
Given the lack of effective alternatives, there has been an increasing interest in bariatric surgery, or surgery to combat obesity. In the past seven years, the number of such surgeries performed in the United States has increased fivefold, to 100,000 in 2003, the editorial stated.
While other studies have been done, long-term data is sorely needed.
For this study, based in Sweden, researchers looked at 1,703 individuals who had undergone one of several types of bariatric surgery two years prior and 4,047 individuals who had undergone surgery a decade before. Both of these groups were compared to a group of people who had not undergone surgery. All participants in the subject were obese, with a mean body mass index of 41.
After two years, the weight of people in the control group had increased by 0.1 percent, while, in the surgery group, it had decreased by 23.4 percent.
After 10 years, the weight of those in the control group had increased by 1.6 percent. Those in the surgery group saw their weight decrease to an overall total of 16.1 percent, meaning that individuals did gain some weight back. People in the surgery group also consumed fewer calories and were more physically active than those in the control group.
At both two and 10 years, people who had undergone surgery had higher rates of recovery from diabetes, lower triglyceride levels, blood pressure, glucose and insulin levels, as well as higher "good" cholesterol levels than the control group. People in the surgery group were also less likely to develop diabetes.
On the other hand, people in the surgery group did not experience a decrease in "bad" cholesterol levels. "The only thing they didn't find was cholesterol improvement, but that may be because they didn't use gastric bypass surgery," Bessler said. Some of the specific procedures used in the study are less commonly used today, although overall the information is applicable to current methods, Solomon said.
"Those who had surgery clearly had weight loss. The other group didn't lose," Solomon said. "If they had diabetes or one of several other health conditions, they were much more likely than those who didn't have surgery to show no signs of the disease, and were also less likely to develop it."
One piece of information that is still missing, however, is whether these improvements also translate into reduced rates of heart disease and other cardiovascular complications, Solomon said.
In this particular study, the surgeries were also very safe, with a mortality rate of only 0.25 percent. Read More...
Yahoo! News - Obesity Surgery Shows Benefits Years Later
A Nutty Way to Improve Cholesterol in Diabetes - Trustworthy, Physician-Reviewed Information from WebMD
According to my late mom, her physician father talk her the the Walnut is good for the Brain; Kidney & Bladder. Reference to the "I-Medical Sutra" Diabetic is due to the illness of Pancreas, Stomach & Kidney. Pancreas & Stomach are belong to the abstract earth element, where the Kidney is associate with Water, Water & Earth imbalance or conflicts then give rise to Illness- Diabetics.
The taste that associate with these two organs is:
Sugar--Stomach
Sodium -- Kidney
Therefore, everyone shall take care of the intake of salt & sugar.
The imbalance of taste shall arise illness
A Nutty Way to Improve Cholesterol in Diabetes
Eating a Healthy Diet Including Walnuts May Reduce Type 2 Diabetes RisksBy Jennifer Warner
Reviewed By Brunilda Nazario, MD
on Friday, December 03, 2004
WebMD Medical News
Dec. 3, 2004 -- Incorporating a handful of walnuts into a healthy diet may help people with type 2 diabetes improve their cholesterol levels and reduce their risk of heart disease, a new study suggests.
Researchers found including walnuts as part of a balanced, low-fat diet helped people with diabetes increase their "good" HDL cholesterol levels while lowering their "bad" LDL cholesterol levels.
But don't reach for the nut bowl just yet. Experts say merely adding walnuts to an already unhealthy diet won't necessarily undo the damage. Instead, they say it's important to substitute walnuts for other sources of fat in the diet in order to achieve the best results.
Walnuts contain an omega-3 fatty acid called alpha-linolenic acid or ALA, which is similar to the omega-3 fatty acids found in fatty fish, such as salmon. Previous studies have shown that alpha-linolenic acid has a number of heart-healthy effects, including improving cholesterol levels.
Researchers say this is one of the first studies to look at the effects of the fatty acids found in walnuts in people with type 2 diabetes.
Walnuts May Aid in Diabetes Management
In the study, which appears in the December issue of Diabetes Care, researchers looked at the effects of three different diets on cholesterol levels in older adults with type 2 diabetes.
Nearly 60 men and women were divided into three groups that followed three different diet plans: a low-fat diet, a modified-fat diet, or a modified-fat diet that included eight to 10 walnuts per day (30 grams). All of the diets were based on eating a variety of whole foods, such as cereals and breads, fruits and vegetables, lean meat, fish, and low-fat dairy products with no more than 30% of total calories from fat.
After six months of the diet, the results showed that the people who ate the modified-fat diet including walnuts experienced a bigger increase in "good" HDL cholesterol levels than those in the other two diets. People who ate walnuts as part of a balanced diet also experienced an average 10% reduction in "bad" LDL cholesterol levels.
Researchers say the study suggests that incorporating walnuts into a healthy diet may be an easy way for people with type 2 diabetes to get the right kinds of fats and fatty acids into their diet.
"Walnuts are an easy and convenient way of getting polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids into the diet. And they're particularly important for people with diabetes because they're a simple snack food, which is an integral component of managing the diet in diabetes," says researcher Linda Tapsell, PhD, of the University of Wollongong in Australia, in a news release. Read More...
A Nutty Way to Improve Cholesterol in Diabetes - Trustworthy, Physician-Reviewed Information from WebMD
The taste that associate with these two organs is:
Sugar--Stomach
Sodium -- Kidney
Therefore, everyone shall take care of the intake of salt & sugar.
The imbalance of taste shall arise illness
A Nutty Way to Improve Cholesterol in Diabetes
Eating a Healthy Diet Including Walnuts May Reduce Type 2 Diabetes RisksBy Jennifer Warner
Reviewed By Brunilda Nazario, MD
on Friday, December 03, 2004
WebMD Medical News
Dec. 3, 2004 -- Incorporating a handful of walnuts into a healthy diet may help people with type 2 diabetes improve their cholesterol levels and reduce their risk of heart disease, a new study suggests.
Researchers found including walnuts as part of a balanced, low-fat diet helped people with diabetes increase their "good" HDL cholesterol levels while lowering their "bad" LDL cholesterol levels.
But don't reach for the nut bowl just yet. Experts say merely adding walnuts to an already unhealthy diet won't necessarily undo the damage. Instead, they say it's important to substitute walnuts for other sources of fat in the diet in order to achieve the best results.
Walnuts contain an omega-3 fatty acid called alpha-linolenic acid or ALA, which is similar to the omega-3 fatty acids found in fatty fish, such as salmon. Previous studies have shown that alpha-linolenic acid has a number of heart-healthy effects, including improving cholesterol levels.
Researchers say this is one of the first studies to look at the effects of the fatty acids found in walnuts in people with type 2 diabetes.
Walnuts May Aid in Diabetes Management
In the study, which appears in the December issue of Diabetes Care, researchers looked at the effects of three different diets on cholesterol levels in older adults with type 2 diabetes.
Nearly 60 men and women were divided into three groups that followed three different diet plans: a low-fat diet, a modified-fat diet, or a modified-fat diet that included eight to 10 walnuts per day (30 grams). All of the diets were based on eating a variety of whole foods, such as cereals and breads, fruits and vegetables, lean meat, fish, and low-fat dairy products with no more than 30% of total calories from fat.
After six months of the diet, the results showed that the people who ate the modified-fat diet including walnuts experienced a bigger increase in "good" HDL cholesterol levels than those in the other two diets. People who ate walnuts as part of a balanced diet also experienced an average 10% reduction in "bad" LDL cholesterol levels.
Researchers say the study suggests that incorporating walnuts into a healthy diet may be an easy way for people with type 2 diabetes to get the right kinds of fats and fatty acids into their diet.
"Walnuts are an easy and convenient way of getting polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids into the diet. And they're particularly important for people with diabetes because they're a simple snack food, which is an integral component of managing the diet in diabetes," says researcher Linda Tapsell, PhD, of the University of Wollongong in Australia, in a news release. Read More...
A Nutty Way to Improve Cholesterol in Diabetes - Trustworthy, Physician-Reviewed Information from WebMD
Sunday, December 26, 2004
Holidays spark heartburn and heart attacks
The reason of heartburn & Heart attack is more frequent happening in the holiday season is due to the surge of Food Consuming & Drinking.
In most observation, people always blame that the heart burn is due to MSG, Mono-Sodium.. but people forgoten that MSG is exist in the meat, the high MSG meat includes those red Meats especially.
Then talking about the heart attack, you see our organ is not functioning separately, it is always inter-Related. i.e. in the "I-Medical Sutra" Stomach & Pancreas associated with abstrate Earth, Heart is associated with abstract Fire, Fire would produce earth, More food into the stomach need more energy or Fire to burn the food. Thus increase the load on the heart. Once the heart is overloaded, then that is heart attack.
When the Pancreas produce more acid to the stomach, when it is overflow upward that would cause heart burn.
So be mindful of what you eat & what you drink.
Holidays spark heartburn and heart attacks
The Associated Press
For the tens of millions of heartburn sufferers, navigating the gluttonous dinner table during the holiday season can be especially tricky.
Heartburn tends to occur more frequently during the holidays because people feast more than they normally would. And the types of food they eat are decked with more calories and fat, which can slow digestion.
Take eggnog, the rich, creamy, liquor-laced drink that is often a staple at every family gathering and office party. Couple it with well-marbled meats, side dishes drizzling with rich sauces and lots of alcohol and you have the recipe for heartburn.
That doesn't mean you should swear off your favorite foods on Christmas Eve.
"You can make trade-offs that let you have the best of both worlds," said Pat Baird, a registered dietitian in Greenwich, Conn.
If you know ahead of time the party you're attending will feature heartburn-triggering foods, snack beforehand and graze at the party, but avoid the fat platters. If there is a dessert buffet, choose a sliver of something sweet instead of trying them all.
Alcohol tends to worsen heartburn, so if you must drink, think about diluting your wine or beer with water or club soda, Baird said.
More than 60 million American adults suffer from heartburn at least once a month. An irritating chest pain that starts at the breastbone and charges up the throat, heartburn can cause people to accidentally inhale regurgitated stomach acid.
Severe heartburn symptoms are sometimes confused with heart attacks, another holiday risk.
A study published in the journal Circulation earlier this month found that heart attacks and heart disease-related deaths tend to peak on Christmas, the day after, and New Year's Day. Researchers at the University of California at San Diego attributed the increase of cardiac deaths to people delaying medical treatment during the holidays.
People should make sure they know the difference between heartburn and heart attack symptoms and not automatically assume their chest pain is from overindulgence from food, said Dr. David Peura, chairman of the National Heartburn Alliance, who was not connected with the study.
Heartburn usually occurs after a meal. A heart attack is often activity-related. But if patients are unsure and their chest pain lasts for more than a few minutes, they should seek immediate medical attention.
The most common heartburn treatments are over-the-counter and prescription heartburn drugs. Pharmacies report a spike in the number of customers buying acid-blocking medications around the holidays, according to the National Community Pharmacists Association, which represents 25,000 independent pharmacies.
Brian Pinga, a 22-year-old student at the University of Buffalo, has been suffering frequent heartburn for two years. His normal diet is "bland" — meaning no spicy foods and little alcohol, coffee or chocolate.
But Pinga admits it is tough staying true to his diet over the holidays when he is surrounded by family and friends indulging in all sorts of sinful foods. Last New Year's Eve, Pinga got carried away, drank too much and felt a "stabbing" feeling in his chest from heartburn. Read More...
USATODAY.com - Holidays spark heartburn and heart attacks
In most observation, people always blame that the heart burn is due to MSG, Mono-Sodium.. but people forgoten that MSG is exist in the meat, the high MSG meat includes those red Meats especially.
Then talking about the heart attack, you see our organ is not functioning separately, it is always inter-Related. i.e. in the "I-Medical Sutra" Stomach & Pancreas associated with abstrate Earth, Heart is associated with abstract Fire, Fire would produce earth, More food into the stomach need more energy or Fire to burn the food. Thus increase the load on the heart. Once the heart is overloaded, then that is heart attack.
When the Pancreas produce more acid to the stomach, when it is overflow upward that would cause heart burn.
So be mindful of what you eat & what you drink.
Holidays spark heartburn and heart attacks
The Associated Press
For the tens of millions of heartburn sufferers, navigating the gluttonous dinner table during the holiday season can be especially tricky.
Heartburn tends to occur more frequently during the holidays because people feast more than they normally would. And the types of food they eat are decked with more calories and fat, which can slow digestion.
Take eggnog, the rich, creamy, liquor-laced drink that is often a staple at every family gathering and office party. Couple it with well-marbled meats, side dishes drizzling with rich sauces and lots of alcohol and you have the recipe for heartburn.
That doesn't mean you should swear off your favorite foods on Christmas Eve.
"You can make trade-offs that let you have the best of both worlds," said Pat Baird, a registered dietitian in Greenwich, Conn.
If you know ahead of time the party you're attending will feature heartburn-triggering foods, snack beforehand and graze at the party, but avoid the fat platters. If there is a dessert buffet, choose a sliver of something sweet instead of trying them all.
Alcohol tends to worsen heartburn, so if you must drink, think about diluting your wine or beer with water or club soda, Baird said.
More than 60 million American adults suffer from heartburn at least once a month. An irritating chest pain that starts at the breastbone and charges up the throat, heartburn can cause people to accidentally inhale regurgitated stomach acid.
Severe heartburn symptoms are sometimes confused with heart attacks, another holiday risk.
A study published in the journal Circulation earlier this month found that heart attacks and heart disease-related deaths tend to peak on Christmas, the day after, and New Year's Day. Researchers at the University of California at San Diego attributed the increase of cardiac deaths to people delaying medical treatment during the holidays.
People should make sure they know the difference between heartburn and heart attack symptoms and not automatically assume their chest pain is from overindulgence from food, said Dr. David Peura, chairman of the National Heartburn Alliance, who was not connected with the study.
Heartburn usually occurs after a meal. A heart attack is often activity-related. But if patients are unsure and their chest pain lasts for more than a few minutes, they should seek immediate medical attention.
The most common heartburn treatments are over-the-counter and prescription heartburn drugs. Pharmacies report a spike in the number of customers buying acid-blocking medications around the holidays, according to the National Community Pharmacists Association, which represents 25,000 independent pharmacies.
Brian Pinga, a 22-year-old student at the University of Buffalo, has been suffering frequent heartburn for two years. His normal diet is "bland" — meaning no spicy foods and little alcohol, coffee or chocolate.
But Pinga admits it is tough staying true to his diet over the holidays when he is surrounded by family and friends indulging in all sorts of sinful foods. Last New Year's Eve, Pinga got carried away, drank too much and felt a "stabbing" feeling in his chest from heartburn. Read More...
USATODAY.com - Holidays spark heartburn and heart attacks
Gray hair yielding cancer clues, researchers find
This is a very interesting article. In the old chinese saying , "Gray Hair Won't Bald, Bald Head Won't Gray" My brother hairs turn Gray at 20's, My 30's years friend Kenny hair turn Gray at 20 as well.
My late mom told me that her father said the Gray hair issue is due to the kidney problem. As hair is contain mainly the proteins, the food & drinks that one consume & Stress level of live would also affect the hair color.
Kidney is associate with abstrate water element
The Taste that good for the Kidney is Salt
The external organ which reflect the Kidney health conditions is Ear & Hair
However, too much salt would cause the blood flow problem, Stroke, Heart disease, dropping of hair, Stomach cancer..Kidney failure.
When I was in Japan, I am told that their research found that those people using Microwave Oven have a high tendency of having Cancer.
My own research is that Cancer is to do with the "Yin" illness according to "I-Medical Sutra" it is due to the "Damp Cold" & "Damp Heat", conflict of both "Chi" yhen produce the permutation Yin & Yang cancer cells, once it is out of control it become canceress. Then it would become a deadly disease.
So most important is to observe the food that we eat to prevent any form of cancer.
Gray hair yielding cancer clues, researchers find
WASHINGTON (AP) — No doubt many researchers have gotten gray hair trying to find ways to defeat cancer. Now a team of scientists says gray hair itself may yield clues to fighting that deadly disease.
It turns out that melanoma, the most dangerous type of skin cancer, involves melanocytes, the cells that help color hair and skin.
So researchers at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston decided to investigate what happens when these cells become depleted, allowing hair to go gray.
"Preventing the graying of hair is not our goal," said senior researcher Dr. David Fisher. "What we really want is to come up with treatments for melanoma."
The scalp contains a reservoir of adult stem cells that provide a continuous supply of these color-making cells, they found. But as the body ages, these cells become depleted and sometimes begin to develop in the wrong part of the hair follicle.
The research, published online Thursday by the journal Science, originally focused on mice. But the team also studied human scalp tissue at various ages and found a similar pattern of cell depletion.
It was known that the pigment was not well transferred into gray hair, but the actual mechanism had not been understood, Emi K. Nishimura, a co-author of the paper, said in a telephone interview.
She said a gene called Bcl 2 is essential to maintain melanocytes. The researchers found that when they raised mice lacking this gene the animals went gray quickly and dramatically shortly after birth.
Fisher suggested that people who get gray prematurely may have a mutation of this gene.
The question they now want to answer is why the melanocyte cells begin dying off as the body ages.
These cells are generally good at surviving, being able to live through ultraviolet radiation — at the beach, for example — that would kill many other cells. That can be good when people go out in the sun, because the melanocytes produce pigment that protects the skin.
Unfortunately, they retain that ability to survive when they become cancerous, Fisher said.
So, he said, the researchers wondered if they could find a back door to killing the cells by studying how they die naturally, and that's what led to their research on graying.
By understanding how genes like Bcl 2 protect the cells, what pathways they act on, Fisher said, the scientists can look for ways to block that action with a drug.
"We have a number of ideas ... the work is moving," Fisher said. "I cannot say that we have drugs in our hands, but we have targets."
The American Cancer Society expects about 55,100 people to be diagnosed this year with melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer, with an estimated 7,910 deaths. Read More...
USATODAY.com - Gray hair yielding cancer clues, researchers find
My late mom told me that her father said the Gray hair issue is due to the kidney problem. As hair is contain mainly the proteins, the food & drinks that one consume & Stress level of live would also affect the hair color.
Kidney is associate with abstrate water element
The Taste that good for the Kidney is Salt
The external organ which reflect the Kidney health conditions is Ear & Hair
However, too much salt would cause the blood flow problem, Stroke, Heart disease, dropping of hair, Stomach cancer..Kidney failure.
When I was in Japan, I am told that their research found that those people using Microwave Oven have a high tendency of having Cancer.
My own research is that Cancer is to do with the "Yin" illness according to "I-Medical Sutra" it is due to the "Damp Cold" & "Damp Heat", conflict of both "Chi" yhen produce the permutation Yin & Yang cancer cells, once it is out of control it become canceress. Then it would become a deadly disease.
So most important is to observe the food that we eat to prevent any form of cancer.
Gray hair yielding cancer clues, researchers find
WASHINGTON (AP) — No doubt many researchers have gotten gray hair trying to find ways to defeat cancer. Now a team of scientists says gray hair itself may yield clues to fighting that deadly disease.
It turns out that melanoma, the most dangerous type of skin cancer, involves melanocytes, the cells that help color hair and skin.
So researchers at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston decided to investigate what happens when these cells become depleted, allowing hair to go gray.
"Preventing the graying of hair is not our goal," said senior researcher Dr. David Fisher. "What we really want is to come up with treatments for melanoma."
The scalp contains a reservoir of adult stem cells that provide a continuous supply of these color-making cells, they found. But as the body ages, these cells become depleted and sometimes begin to develop in the wrong part of the hair follicle.
The research, published online Thursday by the journal Science, originally focused on mice. But the team also studied human scalp tissue at various ages and found a similar pattern of cell depletion.
It was known that the pigment was not well transferred into gray hair, but the actual mechanism had not been understood, Emi K. Nishimura, a co-author of the paper, said in a telephone interview.
She said a gene called Bcl 2 is essential to maintain melanocytes. The researchers found that when they raised mice lacking this gene the animals went gray quickly and dramatically shortly after birth.
Fisher suggested that people who get gray prematurely may have a mutation of this gene.
The question they now want to answer is why the melanocyte cells begin dying off as the body ages.
These cells are generally good at surviving, being able to live through ultraviolet radiation — at the beach, for example — that would kill many other cells. That can be good when people go out in the sun, because the melanocytes produce pigment that protects the skin.
Unfortunately, they retain that ability to survive when they become cancerous, Fisher said.
So, he said, the researchers wondered if they could find a back door to killing the cells by studying how they die naturally, and that's what led to their research on graying.
By understanding how genes like Bcl 2 protect the cells, what pathways they act on, Fisher said, the scientists can look for ways to block that action with a drug.
"We have a number of ideas ... the work is moving," Fisher said. "I cannot say that we have drugs in our hands, but we have targets."
The American Cancer Society expects about 55,100 people to be diagnosed this year with melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer, with an estimated 7,910 deaths. Read More...
USATODAY.com - Gray hair yielding cancer clues, researchers find
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