Edelweiss extract comes from Edelweiss flowers, which are short lived perennials. Edelweiss is a German word which means noble and white. The Edelweiss flower is found at altitudes which range from 1,700 meters to 2,700 meters, general in areas with light soil, good drainage and southern exposure.
In ancient times the Edelweiss flower was sought after by men who wished to prove their bravery. Because the flower grew at such heights and was often on cliff sides and in dangerous areas many people were known to have been injured, or even killed in pursuit of this flower, which led many men to wear it in the lapel as sort of a badge of honor. Of course, the fact that the Edelweiss flower was the favorite of the Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph and his wife, the Empress Elizabeth also gave it prestige. The flower became so popular among hikers that the governments of Austria, Germany and Switzerland took steps to protect it in certain parts of the Alps. Today Edelweiss is grown on many continents and is no longer in the danger it once was. It became even more popular however the 1960's when a song called Edelweiss in the popular stage play and film The Sound of Music sang its virtues and beauty.
For centuries Edelweiss extract has been believed to have positive health effects. Edelweiss teas have been popular as well as use of Edelweiss extract in hot milk, often sweetened with honey. Diarrhea and dysentery were two ailments that it was believed Edelweiss extract could cure. People also believed that it could help fight ailments such as diphtheria and tuberculosis. Today research by the pharmaceutical industry indicates that there was something to these ancient beliefs. Used in high quality anti aging and anti wrinkle cosmetics.
Edelweiss extract is an ancient folk lore remedy that modern science is making popular once again. They have also discovered that the ultra violet light absorbing chemicals this plant has developed from high altitude growth makes it a good additive to sun blocks. Pharmaceutical researchers also are interested in the way some chemicals in the plant prevent amplification of oxides, which are tied to the aging process.
The future of research into Edelweiss extract looks as bright as the high Alpine sun, and the popularity of Edelweiss extract as an ingredient in high quality cosmetics means the plant will remain popular for many years to come.
For more information visit: http://www.revitol.com/?aid=213214
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Acne and Exercise
Moderate exercise is actually good for your skin. It helps you maintain a healthy body and manage your stress levels, too. If you find your acne is aggravated by regular exercise, then you may want to examine your routine. What do you wear? Where do you go? How hard do you work? Exercise-related acne is usually caused by something you put on your body rather something you do with it. Remove these outside factors, and you may put an end to your workout breakouts. Here are just a few things to watch for.
Acne & Exercise - Make-up. When exercising, wear as little make-up as possible. Even oil-free and non-comedogenic (non-pore-clogging) cosmetics can clog pores if worn during heavy exercise. When you’re done working out, wash as soon as possible.
Acne & Exercise - Sunscreen. If your regimen takes you outdoors, always wear sunscreen. While acne may improve slightly after brief periods in the sun, studies show that prolonged exposure actually promotes comedones (clogged pores) and, of course, sun damage. Some kinds of acne medication make skin more sensitive to the sun, so sunscreen is even more important. When choosing a sunscreen, look for products that are oil-free and have a protection factor of at least SPF 15 for both UVA and UVB rays. Like make-up, sunscreen can travel across the skin’s surface and lodge in the pores — so wash immediately after working out.
Acne & Exercise - Clothing. If you’re prone to body acne, avoid garments made exclusively with lycra or nylon. Why? Some synthetic fabrics can trap the heat and moisture against your skin, creating a fertile breeding ground for the bacteria that contribute to acne. For moderate exercise, your best bet is lightweight, loose-fitting cotton, or a lycra-cotton blend. Natural fabrics allow the skin to breathe, and loose garments are less likely to cause friction. If you’re exercising vigorously and working up a good sweat, however, you may want to try some of the new fabrics designed to wick moisture away from your skin.
Acne & Exercise - Equipment. Some people are more likely to get acne or have their lesions aggravated in the areas affected by sports equipment. The best defense against friction-related breakouts is a good fit — make sure your helmet doesn’t slide around on your forehead, or your wetsuit isn’t too tight under the arms. You can also curb equipment-triggered breakouts by lining your helmet with a layer of soft, washable cotton fabric; it's a great use for those old t-shirts, too. And no matter what the sport, it’s always a good idea to keep your equipment clean and dry when not in use.
Acne & Exercise - Moisture. Mom was right: You should get out of those wet clothes! No matter how you get your exercise — treadmill, trail, tennis court, or whatever — don’t sit around in your sweaty clothes or wet bathing suit when you’re done. If you can, shower off immediately and change into dry clothes before driving home. If this isn’t possible, change into dry clothes and wipe down as well as you can. When toweling sweat off your face, always use a clean towel, and blot gently rather than wipe. Vigorous wiping can irritate your skin, driving make-up and sunscreen deeper into the pores.
Acne & Exercise - Showering. Again, it’s best to shower immediately after working out. You may want to use a medicated exfoliant cleanser, but always be gentle with your skin. Scrubbing harder isn’t going to make you any cleaner, or make your acne go away — and it may actually irritate existing lesions or promote the development of new ones. If you can't shower right away, you can still curb breakouts by wiping down with medicated pads; keep a few in your gym bag just in case.
So keep up the good work! A healthy exercise program is an integral part of your overall health; and a healthy body is more likely to have healthy skin. Just keep an eye on the various factors that accompany your regimen, and try to remove the acne triggers — you’ll be on your way to breakout-free workouts.
For more information visit: http://www.acnezine.com/?aid=213214Antioxidant levels key to prostate cancer risk in some men
Antioxidant levels key to prostate cancer risk in some men
Greater levels of selenium, vitamin E and the tomato carotenoid lycopene have been shown to reduce prostate cancer in one out of every four Caucasian males, or those who inherit a specific genetic variation that is particularly sensitive to oxidative stress, say US researchers.
Conversely, if carriers of this genetic variant have low levels of these vitamins and minerals, their risk of aggressive prostate increases substantially, as great as 10-fold, over those who maintain higher levels of these nutrients, they write in today’s issue of Cancer Research.
"This large prospective study provides further evidence that oxidative stress may be one of the important mechanisms for prostate cancer development and progression, and adequate intake of antioxidants, such as selenium, lycopene and vitamin E, may help prevent prostate cancer," said Dr Haojie Li, a researcher at the Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School.
The new findings are based on an analysis of 567 men diagnosed with prostate cancer between 1982 and 1995, and 764 cancer-free men from the Physicians Health Study.
The initial goal of this study was to assess the effect of aspirin and beta-carotene on men's health. Li’s team decided to check for variants of the gene that codes for manganese superoxide dismutatase (MnSOD), an important enzyme that works as an antioxidant in human cells to defend against disease.
The MnSOD gene is passed from parents to offspring in one of three forms: VV, VA or AA.
"Compared with men with the MnSOD VV or VA genotype, people with the AA genotype seem to be more sensitive to the antioxidant status," said Li. "Men with the AA genotype are more susceptible to prostate cancer if their antioxidant levels are low."
The study's results found that a quarter of the men in the study carried the MnSOD AA genotype, half carried the VA genotype, and the remaining quarter carried the VV genotype.
The results indicated that the VA and VV men were at equivalent risk for developing prostate cancer across all levels of antioxidants in their blood.
But compared to MnSOD VV or VA carriers in the lowest quartile of selenium levels, MnSOD AA males had an 89 per cent greater risk for developing aggressive prostate cancer if they had low blood levels of the mineral.
On the other hand, MnSOD AA carriers with high selenium – those men in the highest quartile – had a 65 per cent lower risk than the MnSOD VV or VA males who maintained low levels of selenium.
"The levels of selenium in the highest quartile of these men are not abnormally high," Li said. "Our range is neither extremely high nor extremely low."
While similar trends were observed for lycopene and vitamin E when tested independently, the contrast in relative risk was most pronounced for the men who had high blood levels for all three antioxidants combined, said the researchers.
"Among men with the MnSOD AA genotype, we observed a 10-fold difference in risk for aggressive prostate cancer, when comparing men with high versus low levels of antioxidants combined,"said Li. "In contrast, among men with the VV or VA genotype, the prostate cancer risk was only weakly altered by these antioxidant levels."
"Our study, as well as many other epidemiological studies, encourages dietary intake of nutrients such as lycopene from tomato products, or supplements for vitamin E and selenium to reduce risk of prostate cancer," said Li.
Prostate cancer is one of the biggest cancer killers in industrial countries and affects more than 500,000 men worldwide every year. This number is expected to increase with the ageing population.
Similar interactions between dietary antioxidants and the variations in the MnSOD gene have previously been linked to risk for breast cancer.
For more information visit: http://www.prostacet.com/?aid=213214
Greater levels of selenium, vitamin E and the tomato carotenoid lycopene have been shown to reduce prostate cancer in one out of every four Caucasian males, or those who inherit a specific genetic variation that is particularly sensitive to oxidative stress, say US researchers.
Conversely, if carriers of this genetic variant have low levels of these vitamins and minerals, their risk of aggressive prostate increases substantially, as great as 10-fold, over those who maintain higher levels of these nutrients, they write in today’s issue of Cancer Research.
"This large prospective study provides further evidence that oxidative stress may be one of the important mechanisms for prostate cancer development and progression, and adequate intake of antioxidants, such as selenium, lycopene and vitamin E, may help prevent prostate cancer," said Dr Haojie Li, a researcher at the Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School.
The new findings are based on an analysis of 567 men diagnosed with prostate cancer between 1982 and 1995, and 764 cancer-free men from the Physicians Health Study.
The initial goal of this study was to assess the effect of aspirin and beta-carotene on men's health. Li’s team decided to check for variants of the gene that codes for manganese superoxide dismutatase (MnSOD), an important enzyme that works as an antioxidant in human cells to defend against disease.
The MnSOD gene is passed from parents to offspring in one of three forms: VV, VA or AA.
"Compared with men with the MnSOD VV or VA genotype, people with the AA genotype seem to be more sensitive to the antioxidant status," said Li. "Men with the AA genotype are more susceptible to prostate cancer if their antioxidant levels are low."
The study's results found that a quarter of the men in the study carried the MnSOD AA genotype, half carried the VA genotype, and the remaining quarter carried the VV genotype.
The results indicated that the VA and VV men were at equivalent risk for developing prostate cancer across all levels of antioxidants in their blood.
But compared to MnSOD VV or VA carriers in the lowest quartile of selenium levels, MnSOD AA males had an 89 per cent greater risk for developing aggressive prostate cancer if they had low blood levels of the mineral.
On the other hand, MnSOD AA carriers with high selenium – those men in the highest quartile – had a 65 per cent lower risk than the MnSOD VV or VA males who maintained low levels of selenium.
"The levels of selenium in the highest quartile of these men are not abnormally high," Li said. "Our range is neither extremely high nor extremely low."
While similar trends were observed for lycopene and vitamin E when tested independently, the contrast in relative risk was most pronounced for the men who had high blood levels for all three antioxidants combined, said the researchers.
"Among men with the MnSOD AA genotype, we observed a 10-fold difference in risk for aggressive prostate cancer, when comparing men with high versus low levels of antioxidants combined,"said Li. "In contrast, among men with the VV or VA genotype, the prostate cancer risk was only weakly altered by these antioxidant levels."
"Our study, as well as many other epidemiological studies, encourages dietary intake of nutrients such as lycopene from tomato products, or supplements for vitamin E and selenium to reduce risk of prostate cancer," said Li.
Prostate cancer is one of the biggest cancer killers in industrial countries and affects more than 500,000 men worldwide every year. This number is expected to increase with the ageing population.
Similar interactions between dietary antioxidants and the variations in the MnSOD gene have previously been linked to risk for breast cancer.
For more information visit: http://www.prostacet.com/?aid=213214
Herbal Sex Boosters
Herbal Sex Boosters
Woody Allen's late 1970s film Love and Death was eerily prophetic, if in name alone, about the Viagra dilemma. The drug enables many men to achieve an erection and regain lost sexual function, but it can also exact a stiff penalty from users. The Food and Drug Administration has reported dozens of deaths among Viagra users. This seems an unnecessarily severe side effect. Concerns about the drug have spurred interest in effective, natural aphrodisiacs without deleterious side effects. Responding to this interest, I set off for the Amazon rain forest in search of sex-enhancing plants. I traveled in the company of a Brazilian shaman named Bernie Peixoto, a man skilled in tribal wisdom and the use of plant medicines. There in the world's greatest jungle, we encountered two potent sex-boosting plants with a long history of safe use.
Our flight into Brazil put us into the Amazon city of Manaus, where we met with Antonio Matas, the most highly respected herbalist in that area. Antonio shared stories with us about his decades of healing work using rain-forest plants.
Catuaba and Muirapuama: Sex Enhancers?
"What about catuaba and muirapuama?" I inquired. "Are they really effective sex enhancers, or is that just a myth?" He laughed at the question and spread his hands wide open. "There is nothing that compares with catuaba and muirapuama together. I can tell you, I have used these plants with hundreds of people. The old become sexually young again. I have seen impotent men who can have sex for the first time in years. Even healthy couples find that these plants put extra fire in their sex life. These plants are good for men and women."
I asked Antonio if he used these plants himself. He smiled again. "Sometimes. After all, I've been married to the same woman for 43 years."
For more information visit: http://www.naturalgainplus.com/?aid=213214
Woody Allen's late 1970s film Love and Death was eerily prophetic, if in name alone, about the Viagra dilemma. The drug enables many men to achieve an erection and regain lost sexual function, but it can also exact a stiff penalty from users. The Food and Drug Administration has reported dozens of deaths among Viagra users. This seems an unnecessarily severe side effect. Concerns about the drug have spurred interest in effective, natural aphrodisiacs without deleterious side effects. Responding to this interest, I set off for the Amazon rain forest in search of sex-enhancing plants. I traveled in the company of a Brazilian shaman named Bernie Peixoto, a man skilled in tribal wisdom and the use of plant medicines. There in the world's greatest jungle, we encountered two potent sex-boosting plants with a long history of safe use.
Our flight into Brazil put us into the Amazon city of Manaus, where we met with Antonio Matas, the most highly respected herbalist in that area. Antonio shared stories with us about his decades of healing work using rain-forest plants.
Catuaba and Muirapuama: Sex Enhancers?
"What about catuaba and muirapuama?" I inquired. "Are they really effective sex enhancers, or is that just a myth?" He laughed at the question and spread his hands wide open. "There is nothing that compares with catuaba and muirapuama together. I can tell you, I have used these plants with hundreds of people. The old become sexually young again. I have seen impotent men who can have sex for the first time in years. Even healthy couples find that these plants put extra fire in their sex life. These plants are good for men and women."
I asked Antonio if he used these plants himself. He smiled again. "Sometimes. After all, I've been married to the same woman for 43 years."
For more information visit: http://www.naturalgainplus.com/?aid=213214
Premature Ejaculation
Premature ejaculation (PE) is the most common sexual dysfunction in men younger than 40 years. Most professionals who treat premature ejaculation define this condition as the occurrence of ejaculation prior to the wishes of both sexual partners. This broad definition thus avoids specifying a precise duration for sexual relations and reaching a climax, which is variable and depends on many factors specific to the individuals engaging in intimate relations. An occasional instance of premature ejaculation might not be cause for concern, but, if the problem occurs with more than 50% of attempted sexual relations, a dysfunctional pattern usually exists for which treatment may be appropriate.
To clarify, a male may reach climax after 8 minutes of sexual intercourse, but this is not premature ejaculation if his partner regularly climaxes in 5 minutes and both are satisfied with the timing. Another male might delay his ejaculation for a maximum of 20 minutes, yet he may consider this premature if his partner, even with foreplay, requires 35 minutes of stimulation before reaching climax. If intercourse is the method of sexual stimulation for the second example and the male climaxes after 20 minutes of intercourse and then loses his erection, satisfying his partner (at least with intercourse), who needs 35 minutes to climax, is impossible.
Because many females are unable to reach climax at all with vaginal intercourse (no matter how prolonged), this situation may actually represent delayed orgasm for the female partner rather than premature ejaculation for the male; the problem can be either or both, depending on the point of view. This highlights the importance of obtaining a thorough sexual history from the patient (and preferably from the couple).
The human sexual response can be divided into 3 phases: desire (libido), excitement (arousal), and orgasm. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) classifies sexual disorders into 4 categories: (1) primary, (2) general medical condition–related, (3) substance-induced, and (4) not otherwise specified. Each of the 4 DSM-IV categories has disorders in all 3 sexual phases.
Premature ejaculation may be primary or secondary. Primary applies to individuals who have had the condition since they became capable of functioning sexually (ie, postpuberty). Secondary indicates that the condition began in an individual who previously experienced an acceptable level of ejaculatory control, and, for unknown reasons, he began experiencing premature ejaculation later in life. With secondary premature ejaculation, the problem does not relate to a general medical disorder, and it is usually not related to substance inducement, although, rarely, hyperexcitability might relate to a psychotropic drug and resolves when the drug is withdrawn. Premature ejaculation fits best into the category of not otherwise specified because no one really knows what causes it, although psychological factors are suggested in most cases.
For more information visit: http://www.enlast.com/?aid=213214
To clarify, a male may reach climax after 8 minutes of sexual intercourse, but this is not premature ejaculation if his partner regularly climaxes in 5 minutes and both are satisfied with the timing. Another male might delay his ejaculation for a maximum of 20 minutes, yet he may consider this premature if his partner, even with foreplay, requires 35 minutes of stimulation before reaching climax. If intercourse is the method of sexual stimulation for the second example and the male climaxes after 20 minutes of intercourse and then loses his erection, satisfying his partner (at least with intercourse), who needs 35 minutes to climax, is impossible.
Because many females are unable to reach climax at all with vaginal intercourse (no matter how prolonged), this situation may actually represent delayed orgasm for the female partner rather than premature ejaculation for the male; the problem can be either or both, depending on the point of view. This highlights the importance of obtaining a thorough sexual history from the patient (and preferably from the couple).
The human sexual response can be divided into 3 phases: desire (libido), excitement (arousal), and orgasm. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) classifies sexual disorders into 4 categories: (1) primary, (2) general medical condition–related, (3) substance-induced, and (4) not otherwise specified. Each of the 4 DSM-IV categories has disorders in all 3 sexual phases.
Premature ejaculation may be primary or secondary. Primary applies to individuals who have had the condition since they became capable of functioning sexually (ie, postpuberty). Secondary indicates that the condition began in an individual who previously experienced an acceptable level of ejaculatory control, and, for unknown reasons, he began experiencing premature ejaculation later in life. With secondary premature ejaculation, the problem does not relate to a general medical disorder, and it is usually not related to substance inducement, although, rarely, hyperexcitability might relate to a psychotropic drug and resolves when the drug is withdrawn. Premature ejaculation fits best into the category of not otherwise specified because no one really knows what causes it, although psychological factors are suggested in most cases.
For more information visit: http://www.enlast.com/?aid=213214
Deer Velvet Boost to Strength and Recovery
The New Zealand Game Industry Board and AgResearch are working hard to prove scientifically - that New Zealand deer velvet may have a positive effect on athletic performance.
Although requiring further examination, the latest human clinical trials (conducted by the Otago University Human Performance Cente on behalf of NZGIB and AgResearch) do indicate a possible link between New Zealand deer velvet and improved athletic performance on two fronts; improved strength and endurance in response to training, and improved recovery from muscle tissue damage associated with exercise.
In the first study, scientists at Otago University Human Performance Centre compared the development of muscle strength and endurance in groups of males taking different forms of New Zealand deer velvet to a control group taking a placebo. In the study, 51 male athletes undertook a 12 week period of supervised training during which strength and endurance were monitored. The group taking a powdered form of New Zealand deer velvet antler showed greater improvements in isokinetic strength and muscular endurance as a result of training than the control group.
The second study was designed to determine what role New Zealand deer velvet antler has in athletic performance by affecting recovery from muscle injury. A substance found in the bloodstream called creatine kinase, was used as an indicator of muscle tissue damage. more.
The thirty athletes in the trial ran downhill on a treadmill to induce muscle tissue damage in the muscles at the front of their thighs. Muscle biopsies and blood samples were then taken.
Those athletes who had been on a course of New Zealand deer velvet powder for two weeks previously showed significantly reduced elevation of creatine kinase levels in their bloodstream, possibly indicating less muscle damage.
A trend also emerged in which athletes taking powdered New Zealand deer velvet reported a recovery from muscle soreness 24 hours earlier than the subjects receiving a placebo. The benefit of this is that they could return to training more quickly. While not yet being a complete picture, the statistically significant results bode well for further research.
Deer velvet is one of the few products where New Zealand accounts for the majority of world trade and any significant advances in the uses of deer velvet will be excellent news for the industry and the New Zealand economy as a whole.
Awareness of New Zealand deer velvet antler and its benefits is already high among New Zealand athletes. Hamish Carter, currently number one ranked triathlete in the World, is a firm advocate.
For further information please contact:
Michael-John ("MJ") Loza, General Manager Marketing, NZGIB Ph (04) 381 6012 Mb (021) 993389
Mark O'Connor, Velvet Manager, NZGIB Ph (04) 381 6013 Mb (025) 743 624
Dr James M Suttie, AgResearch Invermay Ph (03) 489 9228
For more information visit: http://www.deerantlerplus.com/?aid=213214
Although requiring further examination, the latest human clinical trials (conducted by the Otago University Human Performance Cente on behalf of NZGIB and AgResearch) do indicate a possible link between New Zealand deer velvet and improved athletic performance on two fronts; improved strength and endurance in response to training, and improved recovery from muscle tissue damage associated with exercise.
In the first study, scientists at Otago University Human Performance Centre compared the development of muscle strength and endurance in groups of males taking different forms of New Zealand deer velvet to a control group taking a placebo. In the study, 51 male athletes undertook a 12 week period of supervised training during which strength and endurance were monitored. The group taking a powdered form of New Zealand deer velvet antler showed greater improvements in isokinetic strength and muscular endurance as a result of training than the control group.
The second study was designed to determine what role New Zealand deer velvet antler has in athletic performance by affecting recovery from muscle injury. A substance found in the bloodstream called creatine kinase, was used as an indicator of muscle tissue damage. more.
The thirty athletes in the trial ran downhill on a treadmill to induce muscle tissue damage in the muscles at the front of their thighs. Muscle biopsies and blood samples were then taken.
Those athletes who had been on a course of New Zealand deer velvet powder for two weeks previously showed significantly reduced elevation of creatine kinase levels in their bloodstream, possibly indicating less muscle damage.
A trend also emerged in which athletes taking powdered New Zealand deer velvet reported a recovery from muscle soreness 24 hours earlier than the subjects receiving a placebo. The benefit of this is that they could return to training more quickly. While not yet being a complete picture, the statistically significant results bode well for further research.
Deer velvet is one of the few products where New Zealand accounts for the majority of world trade and any significant advances in the uses of deer velvet will be excellent news for the industry and the New Zealand economy as a whole.
Awareness of New Zealand deer velvet antler and its benefits is already high among New Zealand athletes. Hamish Carter, currently number one ranked triathlete in the World, is a firm advocate.
For further information please contact:
Michael-John ("MJ") Loza, General Manager Marketing, NZGIB Ph (04) 381 6012 Mb (021) 993389
Mark O'Connor, Velvet Manager, NZGIB Ph (04) 381 6013 Mb (025) 743 624
Dr James M Suttie, AgResearch Invermay Ph (03) 489 9228
For more information visit: http://www.deerantlerplus.com/?aid=213214
Menopause Symptoms and Memory Loss
While you may experience the misery of hot flashes and mood swings as you enter menopause, one thing you can't blame on the "change" is memory loss.
In the latest study that exonerates menopause as a cause of impairing the ability to recall, Taiwanese researchers compared the memory of hundreds of women before they had any menopausal symptoms to their memory as they entered menopause.
They found the women who were going through the menopausal process scored as well or nearly as well on five different cognitive function tests. Results of the study are to be presented Oct. 4 at the American Neurological Association annual meeting in Toronto.
"When women go into perimenopause, they don't need to worry about cognitive decline," said Dr. Jong-Ling Fuh, an attending physician at Taipei Veterans General Hospital and an associate professor of Yang-Ming University School of Medicine.
The researchers said the myth of memory loss during menopause is a perception some women have because as they went through menopause, they felt their memory wasn't as sharp as it had been before. Studies suggesting that hormone replacement therapy might protect against dementia strengthened that belief. However, a large study later found that in older women, hormone replacement therapy not only didn't help protect women from dementia, but could actually increase the risk.
To try to answer the question of whether menopause did have any effect on memory, Fuh and her colleagues studied nearly 700 premenopausal women living on a group of rural islands between Taiwan and China. The Taiwanese government restricted access to these islands until the 1990s, so the authors report that the study's population was nearly homogeneous, which would help rule out other potentially causative factors of memory loss.
The women were between the ages of 40 and 54. None of them had had a hysterectomy, and none took hormone replacement therapy during the study.
All took five cognitive tests designed to assess their memory and cognitive skills at the start of the study, and then again 18 months later.
During the study period, 23 percent of the women began to have symptoms of menopause.
The researchers then compared the memory of the women who had entered menopause to those who had not, and found very little difference. In four of the five tests, there were no statistically significant differences in the two groups of women.
Only on one test was the difference statistically significant, and that difference, said Fuh, was very slight. This test was designed to assess verbal memory and involved showing the women 70 nonsensical figures. Some of the figures were repeated during the test, while most were not. The women were asked whether they had seen the figure earlier.
"For women, menopause does not mean you'll develop memory loss," said Dr. Raina Ernstoff, an attending neurologist at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Mich. As you're going through perimenopause and experiencing symptoms like hot flashes, she said, you may feel lousy and have trouble sleeping, which might temporarily affect your cognitive skills.
"I don't think declining estrogen levels are what causes memory loss," said Dr. Steven Goldstein, an obstetrician/gynecologist at New York University Medical Center in New York City. "It's not like your memory is bopping along, doing fine and then takes this big dive during menopause, like bone density can."
Both Ernstoff and Goldstein said they weren't aware of many women who believed that menopause might cause significant memory loss. They also both felt that results from this group of women who were so homogeneous might not apply to different groups of women, such as those living in more industrialized society. And they both said that other factors that weren't studied could play a role in memory loss, such as hypertension, which can contribute to vascular dementia.
Ernstoff also pointed out that the education backgrounds can play a large role in memory loss. Fuh acknowledged the researchers did attempt to control the data for educational differences.
SOURCES: Jong-Ling Fuh, M.D., attending physician, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, and associate professor, Yang-Ming University School of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan; Steven Goldstein, M.D., obstetrician/gynecologist, New York University Medical Center, and professor, obstetrics/gynecology, New York University School of Medicine, New York City; Raina Ernstoff, M.D., attending neurologist, William Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, Mich., and member, Alzheimer's Board of Detroit; Oct. 4, 2004, presentation, American Neurological Association, Toronto.
For more information visit: http://www.menozac.com/?aid=213214
In the latest study that exonerates menopause as a cause of impairing the ability to recall, Taiwanese researchers compared the memory of hundreds of women before they had any menopausal symptoms to their memory as they entered menopause.
They found the women who were going through the menopausal process scored as well or nearly as well on five different cognitive function tests. Results of the study are to be presented Oct. 4 at the American Neurological Association annual meeting in Toronto.
"When women go into perimenopause, they don't need to worry about cognitive decline," said Dr. Jong-Ling Fuh, an attending physician at Taipei Veterans General Hospital and an associate professor of Yang-Ming University School of Medicine.
The researchers said the myth of memory loss during menopause is a perception some women have because as they went through menopause, they felt their memory wasn't as sharp as it had been before. Studies suggesting that hormone replacement therapy might protect against dementia strengthened that belief. However, a large study later found that in older women, hormone replacement therapy not only didn't help protect women from dementia, but could actually increase the risk.
To try to answer the question of whether menopause did have any effect on memory, Fuh and her colleagues studied nearly 700 premenopausal women living on a group of rural islands between Taiwan and China. The Taiwanese government restricted access to these islands until the 1990s, so the authors report that the study's population was nearly homogeneous, which would help rule out other potentially causative factors of memory loss.
The women were between the ages of 40 and 54. None of them had had a hysterectomy, and none took hormone replacement therapy during the study.
All took five cognitive tests designed to assess their memory and cognitive skills at the start of the study, and then again 18 months later.
During the study period, 23 percent of the women began to have symptoms of menopause.
The researchers then compared the memory of the women who had entered menopause to those who had not, and found very little difference. In four of the five tests, there were no statistically significant differences in the two groups of women.
Only on one test was the difference statistically significant, and that difference, said Fuh, was very slight. This test was designed to assess verbal memory and involved showing the women 70 nonsensical figures. Some of the figures were repeated during the test, while most were not. The women were asked whether they had seen the figure earlier.
"For women, menopause does not mean you'll develop memory loss," said Dr. Raina Ernstoff, an attending neurologist at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Mich. As you're going through perimenopause and experiencing symptoms like hot flashes, she said, you may feel lousy and have trouble sleeping, which might temporarily affect your cognitive skills.
"I don't think declining estrogen levels are what causes memory loss," said Dr. Steven Goldstein, an obstetrician/gynecologist at New York University Medical Center in New York City. "It's not like your memory is bopping along, doing fine and then takes this big dive during menopause, like bone density can."
Both Ernstoff and Goldstein said they weren't aware of many women who believed that menopause might cause significant memory loss. They also both felt that results from this group of women who were so homogeneous might not apply to different groups of women, such as those living in more industrialized society. And they both said that other factors that weren't studied could play a role in memory loss, such as hypertension, which can contribute to vascular dementia.
Ernstoff also pointed out that the education backgrounds can play a large role in memory loss. Fuh acknowledged the researchers did attempt to control the data for educational differences.
SOURCES: Jong-Ling Fuh, M.D., attending physician, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, and associate professor, Yang-Ming University School of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan; Steven Goldstein, M.D., obstetrician/gynecologist, New York University Medical Center, and professor, obstetrics/gynecology, New York University School of Medicine, New York City; Raina Ernstoff, M.D., attending neurologist, William Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, Mich., and member, Alzheimer's Board of Detroit; Oct. 4, 2004, presentation, American Neurological Association, Toronto.
For more information visit: http://www.menozac.com/?aid=213214
Cause Of Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Irritable bowel syndrome is believed to be due to the abnormal function (dysfunction) of the muscles of the organs of the gastrointestinal tract or the nerves controlling the organs. The nervous control of the gastrointestinal tract, however, is complex. A system of nerves runs the entire length of the gastrointestinal tract from the esophagus to the anus in the muscular walls of the organs. These nerves communicate with other nerves that travel to and from the spinal cord. Nerves within the spinal cord, in turn, travel to and from the brain. (The gastrointestinal tract is exceeded in the numbers of nerves it contains only by the spinal cord and brain.) Thus, the abnormal function of the nervous system in IBS may occur in a gastrointestinal muscular organ, the spinal cord, or the brain.
The nervous system that controls the gastrointestinal organs, as with most other organs, contains both sensory and motor nerves. The sensory nerves continuously sense what is happening within the organ and relay this information to nerves in the organ's wall. From there, information can be relayed to the spinal cord and brain. The information is received and processed in the organ's wall, the spinal cord, or the brain. Then, based on this sensory input and the way the input is processed, commands (responses) are sent to the organ over the motor nerves. Two of the most common motor responses in the intestine are contraction or relaxation of the muscle of the organ and secretion of fluid and/or mucus into the organ.
As already mentioned, abnormal function of the nerves of the gastrointestinal organs, at least theoretically, might occur in the organ, spinal cord, or brain. Moreover, the abnormalities might occur in the sensory nerves, the motor nerves, or at processing centers in the intestine, spinal cord, or brain. Some researchers argue that the cause of functional diseases is abnormalities in the function of the sensory nerves. For example, normal activities, such as stretching of the small intestine by food, may give rise to abnormal sensory signals that are sent to the spinal cord and brain, where they are perceived as pain.
Other researchers argue that the cause of functional diseases is abnormalities in the function of the motor nerves. For example, abnormal commands through the motor nerves might produce a painful spasm (contraction) of the muscles. Still others argue that abnormally functioning processing centers are responsible for functional diseases because they misinterpret normal sensations or send abnormal commands to the organ. In fact, some functional diseases may be due to sensory dysfunction, motor dysfunction, or both sensory and motor dysfunction. Still others may be due to abnormalities within the processing centers One area that is receiving a great deal of scientific attention is the potential role of gas produced by intestinal bacteria in patients with IBS. Studies have demonstrated that patients with IBS produce larger amounts of gas than individuals without IBS, and the gas may be retained longer in the small intestine. Among patients with IBS, abdominal size increases over the day, reaching a maximum in the evening and returning to baseline by the following morning. In individuals without IBS, there is no increase in abdominal size during the day.
There has been a great deal of controversy over the role that poor digestion and/or absorption of dietary sugars may play in aggravating the symptoms of IBS. Poor digestion of lactose, the sugar in milk, is very common as is poor absorption of fructose, a sweetener found in many processed foods. Poor digestion or absorption of these sugars could aggravate the symptoms of IBS since unabsorbed sugars often cause increased formation of gas.
Although these abnormalities in production and transport of gas could give rise to some of the symptoms of IBS, much more work will need to be done before the role of intestinal gas in IBS is clear.
Dietary fat in healthy individuals causes food as well as gas to move more slowly through the stomach and small intestine. Some patients with IBS may even respond to dietary fat in an exaggerated fashion with greater slowing. Thus, dietary fat could--and probably does--aggravate the symptoms of IBS.
For more information visit: http://www.bowtrol.com/?aid=213214
The nervous system that controls the gastrointestinal organs, as with most other organs, contains both sensory and motor nerves. The sensory nerves continuously sense what is happening within the organ and relay this information to nerves in the organ's wall. From there, information can be relayed to the spinal cord and brain. The information is received and processed in the organ's wall, the spinal cord, or the brain. Then, based on this sensory input and the way the input is processed, commands (responses) are sent to the organ over the motor nerves. Two of the most common motor responses in the intestine are contraction or relaxation of the muscle of the organ and secretion of fluid and/or mucus into the organ.
As already mentioned, abnormal function of the nerves of the gastrointestinal organs, at least theoretically, might occur in the organ, spinal cord, or brain. Moreover, the abnormalities might occur in the sensory nerves, the motor nerves, or at processing centers in the intestine, spinal cord, or brain. Some researchers argue that the cause of functional diseases is abnormalities in the function of the sensory nerves. For example, normal activities, such as stretching of the small intestine by food, may give rise to abnormal sensory signals that are sent to the spinal cord and brain, where they are perceived as pain.
Other researchers argue that the cause of functional diseases is abnormalities in the function of the motor nerves. For example, abnormal commands through the motor nerves might produce a painful spasm (contraction) of the muscles. Still others argue that abnormally functioning processing centers are responsible for functional diseases because they misinterpret normal sensations or send abnormal commands to the organ. In fact, some functional diseases may be due to sensory dysfunction, motor dysfunction, or both sensory and motor dysfunction. Still others may be due to abnormalities within the processing centers One area that is receiving a great deal of scientific attention is the potential role of gas produced by intestinal bacteria in patients with IBS. Studies have demonstrated that patients with IBS produce larger amounts of gas than individuals without IBS, and the gas may be retained longer in the small intestine. Among patients with IBS, abdominal size increases over the day, reaching a maximum in the evening and returning to baseline by the following morning. In individuals without IBS, there is no increase in abdominal size during the day.
There has been a great deal of controversy over the role that poor digestion and/or absorption of dietary sugars may play in aggravating the symptoms of IBS. Poor digestion of lactose, the sugar in milk, is very common as is poor absorption of fructose, a sweetener found in many processed foods. Poor digestion or absorption of these sugars could aggravate the symptoms of IBS since unabsorbed sugars often cause increased formation of gas.
Although these abnormalities in production and transport of gas could give rise to some of the symptoms of IBS, much more work will need to be done before the role of intestinal gas in IBS is clear.
Dietary fat in healthy individuals causes food as well as gas to move more slowly through the stomach and small intestine. Some patients with IBS may even respond to dietary fat in an exaggerated fashion with greater slowing. Thus, dietary fat could--and probably does--aggravate the symptoms of IBS.
For more information visit: http://www.bowtrol.com/?aid=213214
Hoodia Side Effects
CBS) Each year, people spend more than $40 billion on products designed to help them slim down. None of them seem to be working very well.
Now along comes hoodia. Never heard of it? Soon it'll be tripping off your tongue, because hoodia is a natural substance that literally takes your appetite away.
It's very different from diet stimulants like Ephedra and Phenfen that are now banned because of dangerous side effects. Hoodia doesn't stimulate at all. Scientists say it fools the brain by making you think you're full, even if you've eaten just a morsel. Correspondent Lesley Stahl reports.
"Hoodia, a plant that tricks the brain by making the stomach feel full, has been in the diet of South Africa's Bushmen for thousands of years."
Because the only place in the world where hoodia grows wild is in the Kalahari Desert of South Africa.
Nigel Crawhall, a linguist and interpreter, hired an experienced tracker named Toppies Kruiper, a local aboriginal Bushman, to help find it. The Bushmen were featured in the movie "The Gods Must Be Crazy."
Kruiper led 60 Minutes crews out into the desert. Stahl asked him if he ate hoodia. "I really like to eat them when the new rains have come," says Kruiper, speaking through the interpreter. "Then they're really quite delicious."
When we located the plant, Kruiper cut off a stalk that looked like a small spiky pickle, and removed the sharp spines. In the interest of science, Stahl ate it. She described the taste as "a little cucumbery in texture, but not bad."
So how did it work? Stahl says she had no after effects - no funny taste in her mouth, no queasy stomach, and no racing heart. She also wasn't hungry all day, even when she would normally have a pang around mealtime. And, she also had no desire to eat or drink the entire day. "I'd have to say it did work," says Stahl.
Although the West is just discovering hoodia, the Bushmen of the Kalahari have been eating it for a very long time. After all, they have been living off the land in southern Africa for more than 100,000 years.
Some of the Bushmen, like Anna Swartz, still live in old traditional huts, and cook so-called Bush food gathered from the desert the old-fashioned way.
The first scientific investigation of the plant was conducted at South Africa's national laboratory. Because Bushmen were known to eat hoodia, it was included in a study of indigenous foods.
"What they found was when they fed it to animals, the animals ate it and lost weight," says Dr. Richard Dixey, who heads an English pharmaceutical company called Phytopharm that is trying to develop weight-loss products based on hoodia.
Was hoodia's potential application as an appetite suppressant immediately obvious?
"No, it took them a long time. In fact, the original research was done in the mid 1960s," says Dixey.
It took the South African national laboratory 30 years to isolate and identify the specific appetite-suppressing ingredient in hoodia. When they found it, they applied for a patent and licensed it to Phytopharm.
Phytopharm has spent more than $20 million so far on research, including clinical trials with obese volunteers that have yielded promising results. Subjects given hoodia ended up eating about 1,000 calories a day less than those in the control group. To put that in perspective, the average American man consumes about 2,600 calories a day; a woman about 1,900.
"If you take this compound every day, your wish to eat goes down. And we've seen that very, very dramatically," says Dixey.
But why do you need a patent for a plant? "The patent is on the application of the plant as a weight-loss material. And, of course, the active compounds within the plant. It's not on the plant itself," says Dixey.
So no one else can use hoodia for weight loss? "As a weight-management product without infringing the patent, that's correct," says Dixey.
But what does that say about all these weight-loss products that claim to have hoodia in it? Trimspa says its X32 pills contain 75 mg of hoodia. The company is pushing its product with an ad campaign featuring Anna Nicole Smith, even though the FDA has notified Trimspa that it hasn't demonstrated that the product is safe.
Some companies have even used the results of Phytopharm's clinical tests to market their products.
"This is just straightforward theft. That's what it is. People are stealing data, which they haven't done, they've got no proper understanding of, and sticking on the bottle," says Dixey. "When we have assayed these materials, they contain between 0.1 and 0.01 percent of the active ingredient claimed. But they use the term hoodia on the bottle, of course, so they -- does nothing at all."
But Dixey isn't the only one who's felt ripped off. The Bushmen first heard the news about the patent when Phytopharm put out a press release. Roger Chennells, a lawyer in South Africa who represents the Bushmen, who are also called "the San," was appalled.
"The San did not even know about it," says Chennells. "They had given the information that led directly toward the patent."
The taking of traditional knowledge without compensation is called "bio-piracy."
"You have said, and I'm going to quote you, 'that the San felt as if someone had stolen the family silver,'" says Stahl to Chennells. "So what did you do?"
"I wouldn't want to go into some of the details as to what kind of letters were written or what kind of threats were made," says Chennells. "We engaged them. They had done something wrong, and we wanted them to acknowledge it."
Chennells was determined to help the Bushmen who, he says, have been exploited for centuries. First they were pushed aside by black tribes. Then, when white colonists arrived, they were nearly annihilated.
"About the turn of the century, there were still hunting parties in Namibia and in South Africa that allowed farmers to go and kill Bushmen," says Chennells. "It's well documented."
The Bushmen are still stigmatized in South Africa, and plagued with high unemployment, little education, and lots of alcoholism. And now, it seemed they were about to be cut out of a potential windfall from hoodia. So Chennells threatened to sue the national lab on their behalf.
"We knew that if it was successful, many, many millions of dollars would be coming towards the San," says Chennells. "Many, many millions. They've talked about the market being hundreds and hundreds of millions in America."
In the end, a settlement was reached. The Bushmen will get a percentage of the profits -- if there are profits. But that's a big if.
The future of hoodia is not yet a sure thing. The project hit a major snag last year. Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, which had teamed up with Phytopharm, and funded much of the research, dropped out when making a pill out of the active ingredient seemed beyond reach.
Dixey says it can be made synthetically: "We've made milligrams of it. But it's very expensive. It's not possible to make it synthetically in what's called a scaleable process. So we couldn't make a metric ton of it or something that is the sort of quantity you'd need to actually start doing something about obesity in thousands of people."
Phytopharm decided to market hoodia in its natural form, in diet shakes and bars. That meant it needed the hoodia plant itself.
But given the obesity epidemic in the United States, it became obvious that what was needed was a lot of hoodia - much more than was growing in the wild in the Kalahari. And so they came here.
60 Minutes visited one of Phytopharm's hoodia plantations in South Africa. They'll need a lot of these plantations to meet the expected demand.
Agronomist Simon MacWilliam has a tall order: grow a billion portions a year of hoodia, within just a couple of years. He admitted that starting up the plantation has been quite a challenge.
"The problem is we're dealing with a novel crop. It's a plant we've taken out of the wild and we're starting to grow it,' says MacWilliam. "So we have no experience. So it's different? diseases and pests which we have to deal with."
How confident are they that they will be able to grow enough? "We're very confident of that," he says. "We've got an expansion program which is going to be 100s of acres. And we'll be able - ready to meet the demand.
This could be huge, given the obesity epidemic. Phytopharm says it's about to announce marketing plans that will have meal-replacement hoodia products on supermarket shelves by 2008.
MacWilliam says these products are a slightly different species from the hoodia Stahl tasted in the Kalahari Desert. "It's actually a lot more bitter than the plant that you tasted," says MacWilliam.
The advantage is this species of hoodia will grow a lot faster. But more bitter? How bad could it be? Stahl decided to find out. "Not good," she says.
Phytopharm says that when its product gets to market, it will be certified safe and effective. They also promise that it'll taste good.
For more information visit: http://www.hoodiabalance.com/?aid=213214
Now along comes hoodia. Never heard of it? Soon it'll be tripping off your tongue, because hoodia is a natural substance that literally takes your appetite away.
It's very different from diet stimulants like Ephedra and Phenfen that are now banned because of dangerous side effects. Hoodia doesn't stimulate at all. Scientists say it fools the brain by making you think you're full, even if you've eaten just a morsel. Correspondent Lesley Stahl reports.
"Hoodia, a plant that tricks the brain by making the stomach feel full, has been in the diet of South Africa's Bushmen for thousands of years."
Because the only place in the world where hoodia grows wild is in the Kalahari Desert of South Africa.
Nigel Crawhall, a linguist and interpreter, hired an experienced tracker named Toppies Kruiper, a local aboriginal Bushman, to help find it. The Bushmen were featured in the movie "The Gods Must Be Crazy."
Kruiper led 60 Minutes crews out into the desert. Stahl asked him if he ate hoodia. "I really like to eat them when the new rains have come," says Kruiper, speaking through the interpreter. "Then they're really quite delicious."
When we located the plant, Kruiper cut off a stalk that looked like a small spiky pickle, and removed the sharp spines. In the interest of science, Stahl ate it. She described the taste as "a little cucumbery in texture, but not bad."
So how did it work? Stahl says she had no after effects - no funny taste in her mouth, no queasy stomach, and no racing heart. She also wasn't hungry all day, even when she would normally have a pang around mealtime. And, she also had no desire to eat or drink the entire day. "I'd have to say it did work," says Stahl.
Although the West is just discovering hoodia, the Bushmen of the Kalahari have been eating it for a very long time. After all, they have been living off the land in southern Africa for more than 100,000 years.
Some of the Bushmen, like Anna Swartz, still live in old traditional huts, and cook so-called Bush food gathered from the desert the old-fashioned way.
The first scientific investigation of the plant was conducted at South Africa's national laboratory. Because Bushmen were known to eat hoodia, it was included in a study of indigenous foods.
"What they found was when they fed it to animals, the animals ate it and lost weight," says Dr. Richard Dixey, who heads an English pharmaceutical company called Phytopharm that is trying to develop weight-loss products based on hoodia.
Was hoodia's potential application as an appetite suppressant immediately obvious?
"No, it took them a long time. In fact, the original research was done in the mid 1960s," says Dixey.
It took the South African national laboratory 30 years to isolate and identify the specific appetite-suppressing ingredient in hoodia. When they found it, they applied for a patent and licensed it to Phytopharm.
Phytopharm has spent more than $20 million so far on research, including clinical trials with obese volunteers that have yielded promising results. Subjects given hoodia ended up eating about 1,000 calories a day less than those in the control group. To put that in perspective, the average American man consumes about 2,600 calories a day; a woman about 1,900.
"If you take this compound every day, your wish to eat goes down. And we've seen that very, very dramatically," says Dixey.
But why do you need a patent for a plant? "The patent is on the application of the plant as a weight-loss material. And, of course, the active compounds within the plant. It's not on the plant itself," says Dixey.
So no one else can use hoodia for weight loss? "As a weight-management product without infringing the patent, that's correct," says Dixey.
But what does that say about all these weight-loss products that claim to have hoodia in it? Trimspa says its X32 pills contain 75 mg of hoodia. The company is pushing its product with an ad campaign featuring Anna Nicole Smith, even though the FDA has notified Trimspa that it hasn't demonstrated that the product is safe.
Some companies have even used the results of Phytopharm's clinical tests to market their products.
"This is just straightforward theft. That's what it is. People are stealing data, which they haven't done, they've got no proper understanding of, and sticking on the bottle," says Dixey. "When we have assayed these materials, they contain between 0.1 and 0.01 percent of the active ingredient claimed. But they use the term hoodia on the bottle, of course, so they -- does nothing at all."
But Dixey isn't the only one who's felt ripped off. The Bushmen first heard the news about the patent when Phytopharm put out a press release. Roger Chennells, a lawyer in South Africa who represents the Bushmen, who are also called "the San," was appalled.
"The San did not even know about it," says Chennells. "They had given the information that led directly toward the patent."
The taking of traditional knowledge without compensation is called "bio-piracy."
"You have said, and I'm going to quote you, 'that the San felt as if someone had stolen the family silver,'" says Stahl to Chennells. "So what did you do?"
"I wouldn't want to go into some of the details as to what kind of letters were written or what kind of threats were made," says Chennells. "We engaged them. They had done something wrong, and we wanted them to acknowledge it."
Chennells was determined to help the Bushmen who, he says, have been exploited for centuries. First they were pushed aside by black tribes. Then, when white colonists arrived, they were nearly annihilated.
"About the turn of the century, there were still hunting parties in Namibia and in South Africa that allowed farmers to go and kill Bushmen," says Chennells. "It's well documented."
The Bushmen are still stigmatized in South Africa, and plagued with high unemployment, little education, and lots of alcoholism. And now, it seemed they were about to be cut out of a potential windfall from hoodia. So Chennells threatened to sue the national lab on their behalf.
"We knew that if it was successful, many, many millions of dollars would be coming towards the San," says Chennells. "Many, many millions. They've talked about the market being hundreds and hundreds of millions in America."
In the end, a settlement was reached. The Bushmen will get a percentage of the profits -- if there are profits. But that's a big if.
The future of hoodia is not yet a sure thing. The project hit a major snag last year. Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, which had teamed up with Phytopharm, and funded much of the research, dropped out when making a pill out of the active ingredient seemed beyond reach.
Dixey says it can be made synthetically: "We've made milligrams of it. But it's very expensive. It's not possible to make it synthetically in what's called a scaleable process. So we couldn't make a metric ton of it or something that is the sort of quantity you'd need to actually start doing something about obesity in thousands of people."
Phytopharm decided to market hoodia in its natural form, in diet shakes and bars. That meant it needed the hoodia plant itself.
But given the obesity epidemic in the United States, it became obvious that what was needed was a lot of hoodia - much more than was growing in the wild in the Kalahari. And so they came here.
60 Minutes visited one of Phytopharm's hoodia plantations in South Africa. They'll need a lot of these plantations to meet the expected demand.
Agronomist Simon MacWilliam has a tall order: grow a billion portions a year of hoodia, within just a couple of years. He admitted that starting up the plantation has been quite a challenge.
"The problem is we're dealing with a novel crop. It's a plant we've taken out of the wild and we're starting to grow it,' says MacWilliam. "So we have no experience. So it's different? diseases and pests which we have to deal with."
How confident are they that they will be able to grow enough? "We're very confident of that," he says. "We've got an expansion program which is going to be 100s of acres. And we'll be able - ready to meet the demand.
This could be huge, given the obesity epidemic. Phytopharm says it's about to announce marketing plans that will have meal-replacement hoodia products on supermarket shelves by 2008.
MacWilliam says these products are a slightly different species from the hoodia Stahl tasted in the Kalahari Desert. "It's actually a lot more bitter than the plant that you tasted," says MacWilliam.
The advantage is this species of hoodia will grow a lot faster. But more bitter? How bad could it be? Stahl decided to find out. "Not good," she says.
Phytopharm says that when its product gets to market, it will be certified safe and effective. They also promise that it'll taste good.
For more information visit: http://www.hoodiabalance.com/?aid=213214
Buy Diet Pills
When dieting and working out aren't giving you the weight loss results that you want, it may be time to buy diet pills. If you've reached the point where you are considering adding prescription-based weight loss medications to your life, you might want to consider another option. Dietrine Carb Blocker is a great new supplement that is available without a prescription.
You may be familiar with Phase 2, which was very popular among those finding it difficult to lose weight with diet and exercise alone. Derived from the white kidney bean, Phase 2 neutralizes the enzyme alpha amylase produced in the pancreas, normally used to break down carbs. Starches are then able to pass through your digestive system without being broken down into glucose and fat, decreasing your net caloric intake, even with foods such as bread, pasta, and cereal.
By simply clicking around our website, you can safely and securely order Dietrine Carb Blocker from the comfort of your own home. And, because this is a 100 percent stimulant-free, botanical supplement, you don't have to worry about harmful side effects or drug interactions. And, as if that wasn't enough, when you order Dietrine Carb Blocker, we add in some great bonus material that will help you lose the weight even faster!
Free with any purchase of Dietrine Carb Blocker is a lifetime membership in our online weight loss program, which will keep you posted on new developments in the industry and provide great tips on exercise and diet programs you might want to try. We also include a weight loss hypnosis download and an e-book with 71 weight loss tips that contains all the tricks you need to promote real fat loss! With such a great supplement and a fantastic package of extras, you'll be on your way to the body you want in no time!
For more information visit: http://www.dietrine.com/?aid=213214
You may be familiar with Phase 2, which was very popular among those finding it difficult to lose weight with diet and exercise alone. Derived from the white kidney bean, Phase 2 neutralizes the enzyme alpha amylase produced in the pancreas, normally used to break down carbs. Starches are then able to pass through your digestive system without being broken down into glucose and fat, decreasing your net caloric intake, even with foods such as bread, pasta, and cereal.
By simply clicking around our website, you can safely and securely order Dietrine Carb Blocker from the comfort of your own home. And, because this is a 100 percent stimulant-free, botanical supplement, you don't have to worry about harmful side effects or drug interactions. And, as if that wasn't enough, when you order Dietrine Carb Blocker, we add in some great bonus material that will help you lose the weight even faster!
Free with any purchase of Dietrine Carb Blocker is a lifetime membership in our online weight loss program, which will keep you posted on new developments in the industry and provide great tips on exercise and diet programs you might want to try. We also include a weight loss hypnosis download and an e-book with 71 weight loss tips that contains all the tricks you need to promote real fat loss! With such a great supplement and a fantastic package of extras, you'll be on your way to the body you want in no time!
For more information visit: http://www.dietrine.com/?aid=213214
Benefits of Green Tea
Benefits of Green Tea
(CNN) -- Studies suggest that tea -- especially green tea -- provides healthy benefits.
Green tea leaves are the least processed and have lower levels of caffeine than other types of tea. The leaves contain high-level antioxidants thought to fight different types of cancer and also protect the heart by relaxing blood vessels, which prevents blood clots.
Other studies suggest tea increases bone density, therefore reducing the risk of fractures from osteoporosis.
For more information visit: http://www.avatrim.com/?aid=213214
(CNN) -- Studies suggest that tea -- especially green tea -- provides healthy benefits.
Green tea leaves are the least processed and have lower levels of caffeine than other types of tea. The leaves contain high-level antioxidants thought to fight different types of cancer and also protect the heart by relaxing blood vessels, which prevents blood clots.
Other studies suggest tea increases bone density, therefore reducing the risk of fractures from osteoporosis.
For more information visit: http://www.avatrim.com/?aid=213214
Fungus Nail Natural Treatment
Fungus Nail Natural Treatment:-Fingernails and toenails are the common breed of fungal infections. Though it is common, it is not really as easy to disappear. Everywhere we go, fungi are present, and they can give different effects on our body. Like a nail, for example. When infected, the nails will look thick and dull. Eventually, it will become crumbly and will result to the loss of your nails. Not only does it look very pleasing. It has a bad odor due to the fungus or death of the nail. Plus, it is very unhealthy and unhygienic. Because of the strong resistance of our barriers against fungus entering the nails, once they get inside, they are as difficult to eliminate.There are treatments which can be either Topical, surgical, or by medications, to fight the fungal infection. However, they may be too costly –except Zetaclear found at www.zetaclear.com which comes very cheap and is very effective in eliminating nail fungus infections- and they have to be continuous for a long time, or else nothing will happen even with the efforts. Even if it may seem to clear up from time to time, they may return when the medication is not progressed. If you are unsure of the signs of having a nail fungus, you may want to see if the nails are becoming yellowish, and sometimes brownish. They also become thick and brittle which results to an easy breakage of the nails. Also check if the tips of the nails seem to be crumbling.To prevent nail fungus, you may want to avoid wearing nylons when possible and switch to cotton or natural wool instead. Do use breathable shoes when going out and always wash your feet and dry it thoroughly. Sharing of wash cloths and towels are not advisable, as wet surfaces easily transmit bacteria. And if you do not really need to wear Nail polish, avoid them because they are one of the main causes of the infection. Same goes when already infected.Although you have these options (topical, surgical and oral) to remove the fungal infections, there are still some things in your house that you may temporarily use to treat it. If you are already prone to the infection, it is advisable to use a powder to help eliminate athlete’s foot.For more information visit: http://www.zetaclear.com/?aid=213214
Bleeding Internal Hemorrhoids
Hemorrhoids are caused due over exerting oneself during a bowel movement. They are swollen areas of skin and blood vessels around the anus. They develop around the external opening of the anus. They are highly innervated and sensitive and are also at risk for thrombosis. They develop around the external opening of the anus. Internal hemorrhoids occur above the pectinate or dentate line in the anal canal. They are covered by a mucous membrane. The internal hemorrhoid is graded to assist with the selection of a treatment plan. The treatment is then provided according to the grade. The grade of the hemorrhoid depends on the extent of descent into the anal canal and out of the anus. The most common sign of internal hemorrhoids is rectal bleeding. Hemorrhoids can ooze fresh red blood, whether located externally or internally. But bleeding internal hemorrhoids may produce fresh blood in the stool. Reasons for bleeding internal hemorrhoidsHemorrhoids can develop from any common sources of pressure include likea) Constipation and extra straining of the bowel.b) Diarrhea, where the expulsion of loose stools is continuous.c) Sitting or standing for prolonged hoursd) Obesity e) Lifting very heavy weights or objectsf) Pregnancy and childbirthHow to deal with bleeding internal hemorrhoidsa) Consult a doctor immediately. If you have been suffering from bleeding internal hemorrhoids then inform him if your bleeding is not stopping. If you are not aware of why you are bleeding then go for a check up as more than often anal fissure is mistaken for bleeding internal hemorrhoids.b) Wipe yourself with clean wet toilet paper. Wetting the paper makes it softer.c) Ask for emergency care if you notice large amounts of rectal bleeding along with dizziness or faintness.Treatments for bleeding internal hemorrhoidsIf the bleeding is not stopping with prescribed medicines the doctor may recommenda) Rubber band ligation- Here one or two tiny rubber bands around the base of an internal hemorrhoid to cut off its circulation and the hemorrhoid falls off.b) Sclerotherapy- In this process a chemical solution is injected around the blood vessel to shrink the hemorrhoid. c) Laser treatment- A burst of infrared light can cut off circulation to small, bleeding, internal hemorrhoids. d) Hemorrhoidectomy- This is the last resource if other procedures fail. Here the surgery is done with either local anesthetic combined with sedation, and requires an overnight hospital stay.For more information visit: http://www.venapro.com/?aid=213214
Are You Suffering From Depression?Get Thyroid Checked Up!
Millions of people suffer around the world from a depressive illness. They think that depression is just a normal occurrence in their lives, which will go away after a short while. If you think of the fast moving and complicated world we live in today it's easy to feel a little overwhelmed and dismiss how serious depression can be. As is said everything has a cause to happen, so is the depression! Out of many probable causes, your faulty thyroid gland may be the main culprit to blame for. But take it easy! The all-natural supplement called “thyromine” has every reason to get rid off depression.
Do you know that no one is safe from being affected by depression because it affects everyone? It doesn’t matter whether you’re a male or female, rich or poor, educated or uneducated. Once a person starts becoming depressed, he or she usually behaves in a manner that intensifies the illness. It is a vicious circle that can be very difficult to break free.
What are the Thyroid Symptoms?- Disheartened thinking - negative approach about oneself, the present and the future- Difficulty in focusing and remembering- Feelings of unimportance and desperation- Anxiety - a sense of being afraid - that something “dreadful” is going to happen- Phobias or doubts about specific situations- Disrupted sleeping patterns - not much sleep or wanting to sleep all the time- Physical symptoms - aches and pains, gastrointestinal upsets, headaches- Incapacity to do the usual everyday activities- And even ‘Thoughts of suicide’When some body is suffering from thyroid disorder, which can lead to low thyroid secretion called hypothyroidism may start get affected by the dreaded sickness like ‘depression’. The thyroid gland controls your entire body's metabolism. That means that your weight, your hair, your skin, your sex drive, all sorts of things that go on in your body depend on your thyroid to work right. But Thyromine can make your life come together because of its combination of natural ingredients that help your thyroid to perform normally. Thyromine increases the production of thyroid hormones and stimulates the immune system so that you can get relief from depression.
For more information visit: http://www.thyromine.com/?aid=213214
Do you know that no one is safe from being affected by depression because it affects everyone? It doesn’t matter whether you’re a male or female, rich or poor, educated or uneducated. Once a person starts becoming depressed, he or she usually behaves in a manner that intensifies the illness. It is a vicious circle that can be very difficult to break free.
What are the Thyroid Symptoms?- Disheartened thinking - negative approach about oneself, the present and the future- Difficulty in focusing and remembering- Feelings of unimportance and desperation- Anxiety - a sense of being afraid - that something “dreadful” is going to happen- Phobias or doubts about specific situations- Disrupted sleeping patterns - not much sleep or wanting to sleep all the time- Physical symptoms - aches and pains, gastrointestinal upsets, headaches- Incapacity to do the usual everyday activities- And even ‘Thoughts of suicide’When some body is suffering from thyroid disorder, which can lead to low thyroid secretion called hypothyroidism may start get affected by the dreaded sickness like ‘depression’. The thyroid gland controls your entire body's metabolism. That means that your weight, your hair, your skin, your sex drive, all sorts of things that go on in your body depend on your thyroid to work right. But Thyromine can make your life come together because of its combination of natural ingredients that help your thyroid to perform normally. Thyromine increases the production of thyroid hormones and stimulates the immune system so that you can get relief from depression.
For more information visit: http://www.thyromine.com/?aid=213214
Blood pressure
Blood pressure (strictly speaking: vascular pressure) refers to the force exerted by circulating blood on the walls of blood vessels, and constitutes one of the principal vital signs. The pressure of the circulating blood decreases as blood moves through arteries, arterioles, capillaries, and veins; the term blood pressure generally refers to arterial pressure, i.e., the pressure in the larger arteries, arteries being the blood vessels which take blood away from the heart. Arterial pressure is most commonly measured via a sphygmomanometer, which uses the height of a column of mercury to reflect the circulating pressure (see Non-invasive measurement). Although many modern vascular pressure devices no longer use mercury, vascular pressure values are still universally reported in millimetres of mercury (mmHg).The systolic arterial pressure is defined as the peak pressure in the arteries, which occurs near the beginning of the cardiac cycle; the diastolic arterial pressure is the lowest pressure (at the resting phase of the cardiac cycle). The average pressure throughout the cardiac cycle is reported as mean arterial pressure; the pulse pressure reflects the difference between the maximum and minimum pressures measured.Typical values for a resting, healthy adult human are approximately 120 mmHg (16 kPa) systolic and 80 mmHg (11 kPa) diastolic (written as 120/80 mmHg, and spoken as "one twenty over eighty") with large individual variations. These measures of arterial pressure are not static, but undergo natural variations from one heartbeat to another and throughout the day (in a circadian rhythm); they also change in response to stress, nutritional factors, drugs, or disease. Hypertension refers to arterial pressure being abnormally high, as opposed to hypotension, when it is abnormally low. Along with body temperature, blood pressure measurements are the most commonly measured physiological parameters.For more information visit: http://www.hypercet.com/?aid=213214
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