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Nutrition and Hormonal Balance

  Good Morning,  Nutrition and Hormonal Balance As an acupuncturist in the area of fertility, I realize tha...

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Saturday, March 9, 2013

Scientists discover natural substance fights superbugs -- CORIANDER OIL.

 

I recently purchased some coriander essential oil and was interested to read the following...

Scientists discover natural substance fights superbugs and food poisoning -- coriander oil
by Sherry Baker, Health Sciences Editor
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(NaturalNews) Mainstream medicine has lots of statistics about two types of serious and even deadly illnesses -- foodborne diseases and antibiotic resistant infections, also known as superbugs -- but not many ways to treat them successfully. That may soon change, however, thanks to research by scientists from the University of Beira Interior in Portugal. A key to fighting these growing threats to world health appears to be a natural substance that contains powerful infection-fighting properties, coriander oil.

Just how serious are foodborne diseases? The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) web site notes they cause approximately 76 million illnesses, 325,000 hospitalizations, and 5,000 deaths in the United States each year. Antibiotic-resistant superbugs also cause life threatening infections in large numbers. For example, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) is a type of staph bacteria resistant to many antibiotics and causes the deaths of about 19,000 Americans each year. The CDC recently added another serious health threat to the list of superbugs, a bacterium dubbed NDM-1, and has declared it a communicable disease that is extremely hard to treat and may cause infections that kill.

That's the bad news. But here's the good news: a new study from Portugal just published in the Journal of Medical Microbiology shows coriander oil can kill a broad range of harmful bacteria. According to the research team, using the oil in foods and in clinical agents could prevent food-borne illnesses and even treat antibiotic-resistant infections.

The scientists tested coriander oil against 12 bacterial strains, including Escherichia coli, Salmonella enterica, Bacillus cereus and MRSA. The results? In all of the tested strains of bacteria, the growth of the disease-causing germs was greatly reduced. In fact, most were killed when exposed to solutions containing 1.6% coriander oil or less.

The new study shows more than the fact coriander oil has an antibacterial effect. It also provides an explanation for how the natural substance works. The results indicate that coriander oil damages the membrane surrounding the bacterial cell. In a press statement, Dr. Fernanda Domingues, who led the study, explained coriander oil disrupts the barrier between the cell and its environment and inhibits essential processes which ultimately lead to death of the bacterial cells.

The research suggestions that coriander oil could have important applications both in preventing food borne illnesses and in treating superbug infections. "In developed countries, up to 30% of the population suffers from food-borne illness each year. This research encourages the design of new food additives containing coriander oil that would combat food-borne pathogens and prevent bacterial spoilage," Dr. Domingues stated. "Coriander oil could also become a natural alternative to common antibiotics. We envisage the use of coriander in clinical drugs in the form of lotions, mouth rinses and even pills; to fight multidrug-resistant bacterial infections that otherwise could not be treated. This would significantly improve people's quality of life."

Coriander oil is one of the 20 most-used essential oils in the world and is already added to food in some cultures (for example, it is used as a seasoning in many Indian curries). Practitioners of traditional medicine have used coriander, produced from the seeds of the coriander plant, for centuries to treat numerous health problems. It has been used for pain relief, to ease cramps and convulsions, to aid digestion and relieve nausea and to treat fungal infections.

For more information:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1099/jmm.0.034...



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Florence fennel Health Benefits

 

Florence fennel Health Benefits:

Florence fennel is bulb type vegetable of fennel plant that is being
grown especially in Europe and in other parts of the World including
Western Countries for its medicinal health benefits. Florence fennel is
sweet and delicate in taste and this vegetable is very popular in
Mediterranean recipes and salads. The enlarged Florence fennel bulb
looks like anise and adds sweet flavor to recipes. It is commonly
called as sweet fennel bulb, Finocchio and belongs to the plants family
of Apiaceae and botanically called as Foeniculum Vulgare.

Florence fennel bulb consists of antioxidants, Vitamins like Vitamin B
complex constituents, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and minerals such as
potassium, sodium, calcium, copper, zinc, selenium, iron, manganese,
magnesium, phosphorous, and carbohydrates, fats, proteins, dietary
fiber and zero cholesterol and also contains few calories. Florence
fennel bulb produces sweet aromatic fragrance due to the presence of
oils such as camphene, anethole, fenchone, estragole, which provide
medicinal, health benefits besides acting against fungi and bacteria.

Florence fennel health and medicinal benefits that include; it has
decongestant, anti spasmodic, anti viral, anti fungal, carminative and
anti inflammatory properties, which allow traditional medical experts
to use these bulb vegetable to treat indigestion, flatulence, IBS, to
enhance lactation in nursing mothers, to PMS relief, to reduce blood
pressure, to stabilize hormone levels, to improve oral hygiene, to
relieve sinus disorder etc., The phytonutrients such as kaempferol,
quercetin, antethole found in fennel bulb vegetable provide relief from
inflammation, and reduce risk of many types of cancer by arresting
carcinogenic cells at intercellular level.

For details please
visit;http://ideas4health.in/health-ideas/health-foods/vegetables/floren\
ce-fennel-health-benefits/


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National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month: Signs and Symptoms

 

Good Morning!

National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month: Signs and Symptoms

March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. Throughout the month, I will be sharing tips and preventative methods for keeping your colon happy and healthy!

Colorectal cancer, cancer of the colon or rectum, is a disease that affects both men and women and is preventable nearly 90 percent of the time. Starting at age 50, men at women at average risk for the disease should get screened. Those with increased risk, like African- Americans who typically develop colorectal cancer at younger ages, should be screened even earlier.

Prevention techniques include:

- regular screenings
- a healthy diet
- regular exercise

If detected, colorectal cancer requires surgery in nearly all cases for complete cure, sometimes in conjunction with radiation and chemotherapy. Between 80 and 90 percent of patients are restored to normal health if the cancer is detected and treated in the earliest stages. However, the cure rate drops to 50 percent or less when diagnosed in the later stages.

The American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons (ASCRS), the leading professional society of colorectal surgeons, provides the following information on colorectal cancer and its screening, prevention and treatment.

-Colorectal cancer can be prevented.

-Screening for the disease can identify polyps (grape-sized growths in the colon and/or rectum) that can be removed to prevent cancer from developing.

-The magic age for screening is 50, unless you have an increased risk for the disease.

-Colorectal cancer is treatable.

-Regardless of your age, know the risk factors, know the symptoms, and know your family history.

-Talk with your health professional about colorectal cancer and your own risk for the disease.

Signs and Symptoms

Many people with colon cancer experience no symptoms in the early stages of this disease. When symptoms appear, they are often varied, depending on the cancer's size and location in the large intestine.

Signs and symptoms of colon cancer include:

-A change in your bowel habits, including diarrhea or constipation or a change in the consistency of your stool for more than a couple of weeks.

-Rectal bleeding or blood in your stool.

-Persistent abdominal discomfort, such as cramps, gas or pain.

-Abdominal pain with a bowel movement.

-A feeling that your bowel do not evacuate completely.

-Weakness or fatigue.

-Unexplained weight loss.

-Blood in your stool may be a sign of cancer, but it can also indicate other conditions. Bright red blood you notice on bathroom tissue more commonly comes from hemorrhoids or minor tears (fissures) in the anus.

-Particular foods, such as beets or red licorice, can turn your stools red. Iron supplements and some anti-diarrheal medications may make stools black. Still, it's best to have any sign of blood or change in your stools checked promptly by your doctor because it can be a sign of something more serious.

Andrew Pacholyk MS L.Ac
http://www.peacefulmind.com/cancer.htm
Therapies for healing
mind, body, spirit


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