Bicarbonate of Soda for Health

Elegant Smoothie for Winter Health

Broccoli, Celery, Jalapeño, Parsley and Lemon are Blended with Buttermilk or Yoghurt to Make an Elegant Smoothie This piquant green smoothie has properties that help to prevent colds, flu,  water-retention and cancer.  ©M-J de Mesterton

Elegant Cayenne Pepper Plant

Cayenne Pepper: a Health-Promoting Fruit, Used for Spicing Many Dishes

The Health Benefits of Cayenne Peppers, at George Mateljan’s World’s Healthiest Foods

Capsaicin-Rich Cayenne Peppers are a Heart-Tonic and Anti-Inflammatory Fruit

Correcting Forward Head Posture

Health and Happiness

Forward head posture is when one leads with his/her head. This can develop when sitting at a desk or driving in a slumped, head-first position. Forward posture can significantly increase the weight-load on your neck, screw up your spine, and affect adversely the workings of your insides. I listened to a radio show about the problem, in which chiropractors discuss its side-effects and how to treat it. A chiropractic solution is bound to be expensive and out-of-reach for many people. Here is a video on Head-Forward Posture by Dr. Natalie Cordova that may be helpful, even if you don’t actually have the affliction yet.

~~Copyright M-J de Mesterton, April 2009

Bath and Shower Safety

After our traditional bath-mat by a famous rubber product company let us down–or, rather, practically threw us against the shower wall in two near-fatal falls, we’ve thrown it away and done some shopping. We found a reliable, technologically advanced bath-mat at Wal-Mart. It is a thing of beauty, and holds fast to the bottom of the bath-tub. A weak bath-mat can send you flying to an early fate. I know a rubber product company whose reputation ought to be slipping! This was a shocking revelation, and we consider ourselves lucky to be alive, having dodged a couple of dangerous accidents.

Here is the product offered on Wal-Mart.com. An analogous mat can be found inside Wal-Mart stores, called “Heavy Duty Bath Mat”, Commercial Grade Vinyl

An Apple a Day Just Might Keep the Doctor Away!

Apples, because of their pectin, polyphenols and bioflavonoids, have properties that really can, like the old adage says, keep the doctor away.

In 1996, a study was conducted in Finland to determine whether or not eating apples can lower cholesterol. The Finnish team determined that eating three apples a day for three months can help lower a person’s LDL, or low-density lipoprotein (bad cholesterol) level by twenty points. Apples contain quercetin, an antioxidant which also helps to reduce the amount of LDL in the bloodstream.

Another Finnish study’s results promote the theory that the polyphenols in apples can inhibit lung cancer.

Apples, having natural ACE-inhibitor  properties, can help to  relax arteries, lower blood pressure and improve the pumping ability of the heart. The apple is also a hemetic, an agent that builds up the blood.

Eating apples can reduce the incidence of cardiovascular disease. The well-known Women’s Health Study found that  females who regularly ate foods  high in flavonoids, such as apples and onions, had a 35% reduction in cardiovascular events. The Finnish study found a lower risk of thrombic stroke among those who eat apples often. The study concluded that “flavonoid intake was strongly correlated with a decreased mortality from heart disease in elderly men and also negatively correlated with myocardial infarction.”

The Finnish research team proved that the apple’s bioflavonoids have an effect on cerebrovascular health.  Apples provide antioxidants for the body. Oxidative damage on cells by free radicals contributes to age-related brain deterioration. Alzheimer’s Disease and dementia are examples. The apple is an anti-Alzheimer’s agent. A study conducted by the University of Massachusetts suggests that whether the brain-oxidation is caused by genetics,  metabolism, or dietary insufficiencies, apples can improve the condition.

The apple can help to prevent sugar alcohol, or sorbitol, from being trapped in nerve and eye cells. Apples contain a natural aldose-reductase inhibitor, which can help to prevent this devastating effect of diabetes.

Apples are a digestive aid, and help to prevent the absorption of fats.

The health-benefits of apples are numerous, and autumn is harvest time.

Copyright M-J de Mesterton, 2008

More Information on the Apple’s Health-Benefits, by George Mateljan, My Favorite Food and Health Writer

High Heel Injuries Very Costly in Great Britain

I found this in yahoo! News UK today. It didn’t show an author.

High heels are costing the nation £29 million a year through injuries to feet, according to new figures.

Operations and medical procedures to correct damaged feet can cost sufferers thousands of pounds a time.

Bunion removal due to wearing high heels too frequently can cost £4,000 a time and £10.5 million is spent on this procedure each year.

Toe straightening, the most common procedure, can cost £1,200 each time and £10.4 million is spent on this every 12 months.

Big toe joint replacement is also costly at £4,000 a time, adding up to £3.3 million over a year.

Corns account for 12 per cent of high heel injuries, and with treatment costing £800 a time, this costs the nation £2.9 million per year.

Removal of trapped nerves can cost £2,000 to carry out, amounting to £2 million a year, while ingrowing toenails cost £250 to treat and £200,000 is spent on this every 12 months.

The study of 1,000 women, funded by shoe company MBT, found that those living in Liverpool and Manchester were most likely to suffer from wearing heels, with 45 per cent wearing them every day.

It also found that 42 per cent of the women surveyed reported having some kind of accident in their heels, with twisted ankles and falling over the most common mishaps.

Emma Supple, consultant podiatrist for the MBT Academy, said: “While we all love our high heels, wearing them for prolonged periods is bad news for our health and our wallets.

“We need to mix and match our choice of footwear to allow our bodies time to recover.”

She urged women to consider a more balanced “diet” of shoe wear.

Check It and Chuck It

Maintaining the Flower of Youth

Look at the labels on your makeup products. If they are “made in China”, they are likely to contain lead, which is a carcinogen.

Check all makeup, lotion, and deodorant products for the ingredient, “aluminum”. Aluminum is known to cause a breach in the blood-brain barrier, an anomaly to which Alzheimer’s disease is attributed.
A well-preserved blood-brain barrier is required to protect brain cells from being damaged by neurotoxins, which accumulate and poison brain cells.

Another source of aluminum is the non-dairy creamer, Coffee-Mate. I found the Canadian version to be aluminum-free, however. Check the labels on all such products before buying. Some of the less-expensive store brands of non-dairy creamer, such as Wal-Mart and Sam’s, are free of aluminum additives (I think they are called flow-agents).

If a product contains one or both of the aforementioned ingredients, chuck it!

~~Copyright M-J de Mesterton, 2008