health tips

45 Uses For Lemons

Most people are familiar with the traditional uses for lemons to soothe sore throats and add some citrus flavor to our foods. However the diversity of applications for lemons far exceeds general knowledge and once you read the following list, you’ll likely want to stock at least a few lemons in your kitchen 24-7.

1. Freshen the Fridge
Remove refrigerator odors with ease. Dab lemon juice on a cotton ball or sponge and leave it in the fridge for several hours. Make sure to toss out any malodorous items that might be causing the bad smell.

2. High Blood Pressure
Lemon contains potassium which controls high blood pressure and reduces the effect of nausea and dizziness.

3. Prevent Cauliflower From Turning Brown
Cauliflower tend to turn brown with even the slightest cooking. You can make sure the white vegetables stay white by squeezing a teaspoon of fresh lemon juice on them before heating.

4. Mental Health
Lemon water can also prep up your mood and relieve you from depression and stress. Long distance walkers and world travelers as well as explorers look upon the lemon as a Godsend. When fatigue begins, a lemon is sucked through a hole in the top. Quick acting medicine it is, giving almost unbelievable refreshments.

5. Refresh Cutting Boards
No wonder your kitchen cutting board smells! After all, you use it to chop onions, crush garlic, and prepare fish. To get rid of the smell and help sanitize the cutting board, rub it all over with the cut side of half a lemon or wash it in undiluted juice straight from the bottle.

6. Respiratory Problems
Lemon water can reduce phlegm; and can also help you breathe properly and aids a person suffering with asthma.

7. Treating Arthritis and Rheumatism
Lemon is a diuretic – assists in the production of urine which helps you to reduce inflammation by flushing out toxins and bacteria while also giving you relief from arthritis and rheumatism.

8. Prevents Kidney Stones
Regular consumption of the refreshing drink — or even lemon juice mixed with water — may increase the production of urinary citrate, a chemical in the urine that prevents the formation of crystals that may build up into kidney stones.

9. Keep Insects Out of the Kitchen
You don’t need insecticides or ant traps to ant-proof your kitchen. Just give it the lemon treatment. First squirt some lemon juice on door thresholds and windowsills. Then squeeze lemon juice into any holes or cracks where the ants are getting in. Finally, scatter small slices of lemon peel around the outdoor entrance. The ants will get the message that they aren’t welcome. Lemons are also effective against roaches and fleas: Simply mix the juice of 4 lemons (along with the rinds) with 1/2 gallon (2 liters) water and wash your floors with it; then watch the fleas and roaches flee. They hate the smell.

10. Anti-Aging
Lemon water reduces the production of free radicals which are responsible for aging skin and skin damage. Lemon water is calorie free and an antioxidant.

11. Fruit and Vegetable Wash
You never know what kind of pesticides or dirt may be lurking on the skin of your favorite fruits and vegetables. Slice your lemon and squeeze out one tablespoon of lemon juice into your spray bottle. The lemon juice is a natural disinfectant and will leave your fruits and vegetables smelling nice too.

12. Treat Infections
Lemon water can fight throat infections thanks to its antibacterial property. If salt water does not work for you, try lime and water for gargling.

13. Deodorize Your Garbage
If your garbage is beginning to smell yucky, here’s an easy way to deodorize it: Save leftover lemon and orange peels and toss them at the base under the bag. To keep it smelling fresh, repeat once every couple of weeks.

14. Keep Guacamole Green
You’ve been making guacamole all day long for the big party, and you don’t want it to turn brown on top before the guests arrive. The solution: Sprinkle a liberal amount of fresh lemon juice over it and it will stay fresh and green. The flavor of the lemon juice is a natural complement to the avocados in the guacamole. Make the fruit salad hours in advance too. Just squeeze some lemon juice onto the apple slices, and they’ll stay snowy white.

15. Purges The Blood
We consume a lot of junk food or food with a lot of preservatives and artificial flavours. This builds up a lot of toxins in the blood and body but daily consumption of lemon water helps to purify the blood.

16. Make Soggy Lettuce Crisp
Don’t toss that soggy lettuce into the garbage. With the help of a little lemon juice you can toss it in a salad instead. Add the juice of half a lemon to a bowl of cold water. Then put the soggy lettuce in it and refrigerate for 1 hour. Make sure to dry the leaves completely before putting them into salads or sandwiches.

17. Oral Health
Lemon juice also stops bleeding gums and reduces toothaches

18. Lighten Age Spots
Why buy expensive creams when you’ve got lemon juice? To lighten liver spots or freckles, try applying lemon juice directly to the area. Let it sit for 15 minutes and then rinse your skin clean. It’s a safe and effective skin-lightening agent.

19. Create Blonde Highlights
For salon-worthy highlights, add 1/4 cup lemon juice to 3/4 cup water and rinse your hair with the mixture. Then, sit in the sun until your hair dries. To maximize the effect, repeat once daily for up to a week.

20. Make a Room Scent/Humidifier
Freshen and moisturize the air in your home on dry winter days. Make your own room scent that also doubles as a humidifier. If you have a wood-burning stove, place an enameled cast-iron pot or bowl on top, fill with water, and add lemon (and/or orange) peels, cinnamon sticks, cloves, and apple skins. No wood-burning stove? Use your stovetop instead and just simmer the water periodically.

21. Clean and Whiten Nails
Pamper your hands without a manicurist. Add the juice of 1/2 lemon to 1 cup warm water and soak your fingertips in the mixture for 5 minutes. After pushing back the cuticles, rub some lemon peel back and forth against the nail.

22. Cleanse Your Face
Zap zits naturally by dabbing lemon juice on blackheads to draw them out during the day. You can also wash your face with lemon juice for a natural cleanse and exfoliation. Your skin should improve after several days of treatment. Lemon water is also a cooling agent, best way to beat the heat.

23. Freshen Your Breath
Make an impromptu mouthwash by rinsing with lemon juice straight from the bottle. Swallow for longer-lasting fresh breath. The citric acid in the juice alters the pH level in your mouth, killing bacteria that causes bad breath. Rinse after a few minutes because long-term exposure to the acid in lemons can harm tooth enamel.
24. Treat Flaky Dandruff
If itchy, scaly dandruff has you scratching your head, relief may be no farther away than your refrigerator. Just massage two tablespoons lemon juice into your scalp and rinse with water. Then stir one teaspoon lemon juice into one cup water and rinse your hair with it. Repeat daily until your dandruff disappears.

25. Get Rid of Tough Stains on Marble
You probably think of marble as stone, but it is really petrified calcium (also known as old seashells). That explains why it is so porous and easily stained and damaged. Those stains can be hard to remove. If washing won’t remove a stubborn stain, try this: Cut a lemon in half, dip the exposed flesh into some table salt, and rub it vigorously on the stain. But do this only as a last resort; acid can damage marble. Rinse well. Use These Lemons To Clean – Easy and Effective

26. Remove Berry Stains
It sure was fun to pick your own berries, but now your fingers are stained with berry juice that won’t come off no matter how much you scrub with soap and water. Try washing your hands with undiluted lemon juice, then wait a few minutes and wash with warm, soapy water. Repeat until your hands are stain-free.

27. Soften Dry, Scaly Elbows
Itchy elbows are bad enough, but they look terrible too. For better looking (and feeling) elbows, mix baking soda and lemon juice to make an abrasive paste, then rub it into your elbows for a soothing, smoothing, and exfoliating treatment. Rinse your extremities in a mixture of equal parts lemon juice and water, then massage with olive oil and dab dry with a soft cloth.

28. Headaches
Lemon juice with a few teaspoons of hot tea added is the treatment of a sophisticated New York bartender, for those who suffer with hangover headaches–and from headaches due to many other causes. He converts his customers to this regime, and weans them away from drug remedies completely.

29. Chills and Fevers
Chills and fevers may be due to a variety of causes; never the less the lemon is always a helpful remedy. Spanish physicians regard it as an infallible friend.

30. Diptheria
Skip the vaccine for this disease. Lemon Juice Treatment still proves as one of the most powerful antiseptics and the strong digestive qualities of the fruit are admired around the world. With the juice every hour or two, and at the same time, 1/2 to 1 tsp. should be swallowed. This cuts loose the false membrane in the throat and permits it to come out.

31. Vaginal Hygiene
Diluted lemon juice makes a safe and sane method of vaginal hygiene. Though it is a powerful antiseptic it is nevertheless free from irritating drugs in douches and suppositories.

32. Forget The Moth Balls
A charming French custom to keep closets free from moths is to take ripe lemons and stick them with cloves all over the skin. The heavily studded lemons slowly dry with their cloves, leaving a marvelous odor throughout the closets and rooms.

33. Stomach Health
Digestive problems are the most common ailments but warm water and lime juice is the solution to most digestive problems. Lemon juice helps to purify the blood, reduces your chances of indigestion, constipation, eliminates toxins from the body, adds digestion and reduces phlegm.

34. Disinfect Cuts and Scrapes
Stop bleeding and disinfect minor cuts and scraps by pouring a few drops of lemon juice directly on the cut. You can also apply the juice with a cotton ball and hold firmly in place for one minute.

35. Soothe Poison Ivy Rash
You won’t need an ocean of calamine lotion the next time poison ivy comes a-creeping. Just apply lemon juice directly to the affected area to soothe itching and alleviate the rash.

36. Remove Warts
You’ve tried countless remedies to banish warts and nothing seems to work. Next time, apply a dab of lemon juice directly to the wart using a cotton swab. Repeat for several days until the acids in the lemon juice dissolve the wart completely.

37. Bleach Delicate Fabrics
Avoid additional bleach stains by swapping ordinary household chlorine bleach with lemon juice, which is milder but no less effective. Soak your delicates in a mixture of lemon juice and baking soda for at least half an hour before washing.

38. Clean Tarnished Brass and Polish Chrome
Say good-bye to tarnish on brass, copper, or stainless steel. Make a paste of lemon juice and salt (or substitute baking soda or cream of tartar for the salt) and coat the affected area. Let it stay on for 5 minutes. Then wash in warm water, rinse, and polish dry. Use the same mixture to clean metal kitchen sinks too. Apply the paste, scrub gently, and rinse. Get rid of mineral deposits and polish chrome faucets and other tarnished chrome. Simply rub lemon rind over the chrome and watch it shine! Rinse well and dry with a soft cloth.

39. Replace Your Dry Cleaner
Ditch the expensive dry-cleaning bills (and harsh chemicals) with this homegrown trick. Simply scrub the stained area on shirts and blouses with equal parts lemon juice and water. Your “pits” will be good as new, and smell nice too.

40. Boost Laundry Detergent
For more powerful cleaning action, pour 1 cup lemon juice into the washer during the wash cycle. The natural bleaching action of the juice will zap stains and remove rust and mineral discolorations from cotton T-shirts and briefs and will leave your clothes smelling fresh. Your clothes will turn out brighter and also come out smelling lemon-fresh.

41. Rid Clothes of Mildew
Have you ever unpacked clothes you stored all winter and discovered some are stained with mildew? To get rid of it, make a paste of lemon juice and salt and rub it on the affected area, then dry the clothes in sunlight. Repeat the process until the stain is gone.

42. Eliminate Fireplace Odor
There’s nothing cozier on a cold winter night than a warm fire burning in the fireplace — unless the fire happens to smell horrible. Next time you have a fire that sends a stench into the room, try throwing a few lemon peels into the flames. Or simply burn some lemon peels along with your firewood as a preventive measure.

43. Neutralize Cat-Box Odor
You don’t have to use an aerosol spray to neutralize foul-smelling cat-box odors or freshen the air in your bathroom. Just cut a couple of lemons in half. Then place them, cut side up, in a dish in the room, and the air will soon smell lemon-fresh.

44. Deodorize a Humidifier
When your humidifier starts to smell funky, deodorize it with ease: Just pour 3 or 4 teaspoons lemon juice into the water. It will not only remove the off odor but will replace it with a lemon-fresh fragrance. Repeat every couple of weeks to keep the odor from returning.

45. Reduce Asthma Symptoms
In addition to a general detoxifying diet, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice before each meal, and before retiring can reduce asthma symptoms.

Source: Knowledge weighs nothing

6 technology trends that will change your family’s health forever

When the Affordable Care Act takes effect in January, it will not only change the health care system but how we manage our families’ health and our own.

And as technology continues to evolve, digital health tools will play an even bigger role in how we stay healthy and fit.

Read on for six of the latest health trends to look for.

1. Telemedicine

If you live far from a doctor, the office is closed, or it’s just not a convenient time, telemedicine might be the answer. Telemedicine – in the form of a phone consultation or “virtual visit” a la Skype or FaceTime – is relatively new, but the concept has been gaining momentum among doctors, according to Dr. Joseph C. Kvedar, founder and director of the Center for Connected Health in Boston, Mass.

Through telemedicine, a doctor could check your child’s throat for infection, do a follow-up visit for acne, or even send a prescription to the pharmacy. Yet experts say telemedicine will never replace traditional medicine.  “This isn’t in any way a substitute for the relationship you have with your doctor face to face when you need it,” Kvedar said.

2. Wearables

Gadgets that use sensors to measure and track your steps, calories, heart beat, body temperature, and even sleep, are one of the fastest growing areas in the digital health market. There are even kid-friendly pedometers that allow kids to upload their stats and get rewards for their progress.

“You’re seeing fitness wearables help people take their overall fitness seriously and make it kind of fun,” said Robin Raskin, founder of Living in Digital Times.

Next up? Look for these gadgets in smart watches too.

3. There’s an app for that

From apps that can help diagnose your child’s symptoms or send blood pressure readings to your doctor, to weight-loss programs that use photos of meals to estimate calories, apps will be a big part of your family’s health.

“The next time you go to your doctor, you may be just as likely to get an app as an aspirin,” Raskin said. In fact, by 2015, 500 million smartphone users worldwide will be using a health care app, according to a report by research2guidance. And as the Food and Drug Administration continues to oversee and approve mobile medical apps, expect to see more of them.

4. The Internet of things

The Internet of Things – products that combine a physical device, cloud-based data, and a mobile device to analyze and track health stats – is expected to be a big part of our lives. For example, a scale that captures your daily weight, tracks it on your mobile device and then allows you to share your progress with your community, can help you lose weight. The Internet of Things will also show up in heart monitors, blood glucose monitors and even stethoscopes.

5. Medical records all in one place

Web-based personal health record sites and free apps from insurance companies are some of the best and newest ways you can keep track of your child’s immunizations, lab results, and prescriptions.  These programs also allow you to share this information with your child’s doctors and school.

6. Health and safety at home

Sensors are also helping moms care for and keep their children safe at home. Instead of an invasive thermometer, new digital thermometers scan the forehead for a fever, for example. Sensor technology is also showing up in medicine bottles that sound an alarm if your child tries to open them.

Source: News.nom

7 nutrients lacking in your diet

Think you eat pretty well and get enough key nutrients? Hopefully you do, but unfortunately the diets of most Americans are far from ideal.

A recent re-analysis of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2001-2008, commissioned by Nature Made, found that the diets of most Americans are lacking in several key nutrients. Even if you eat an appropriate amount of calories, you may not be getting enough important nutrients. Here are some of the nutrients that may be low in your diet, and easy ways to get more.

Vitamin A
If you associate vitamin A with healthy eyesight, you’re correct — vitamin A is one of the most important vitamins for healthy eyes. The vitamin A family also plays a key role in immune function and reproduction. According to the NHANES analysis, 78 percent of U.S. adults don’t get the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for vitamin A.

How to get more? The highest concentration of vitamin A is found in sweet potatoes. Other good food sources of vitamin A include beef liver, spinach, black-eyed peas, fish, milk, eggs, spinach, and yellow or orange fruits and vegetables (like carrots, squash, cantaloupe, mangos, apricots, and peaches).

Vitamin C
A powerful antioxidant that protects against cell damage, vitamin C boosts the immune system and helps form collagen in the body.  It’s also an important ingredient in key bodily processes like protein metabolism and synthesis of neurotransmitters. According to the NHANES analysis, more than half of U.S. adults (56 percent) don’t get the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for vitamin C.

How to get more? If you think of citrus when you think of vitamin C, you are correct. Other good sources of this power vitamin include sweet red peppers, orange juice, kiwi fruit, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and cantaloupe — just another reason to eat your daily fruits and vegetables.

Vitamin D
Vitamin D is a nutrient that supports the absorption of calcium and may contribute to the maintenance of a healthy mood. A multitude of studies also support its role in immune health and the reduction of inflammation. According to the NHANES analysis, 99 percent of U.S. adults don’t get the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for vitamin D.

Surprisingly few foods contain vitamin D, unless it’s added to the food. That’s because your body is meant to get vitamin D through your skin (from sunlight) rather than through food. However, age, altitude, time of year, and other factors can make getting vitamin D from sunlight alone problematic for many people.

How to get more? The best sources of vitamin D from food are fatty fish (like tuna, salmon or mackerel), vitamin D fortified foods (like milk, yogurt, orange juice, and cereal), beef liver, cheese, and egg yolks. However, due to the low intake of vitamin D in the US diet, supplements can be an important source.

For healthy adults, a common supplement recommendation is 1000 IU per day of vitamin D3 (also known as “cholecalciferol”). When choosing a vitamin D (or any) supplement, look for brands that have been tested and verified by third-party organizations, such as United States Pharmacopeia (USP). Always talk to your health care professional to see what supplement regimen is best for you.

Vitamin E
As a powerful antioxidant, Vitamin E protects cells from harmful molecules called free radicals. Vitamin E is also important for healthy blood vessel function and clotting (so when you cut yourself it stops bleeding), as well as for immunity. According to the NHANES analysis, 98 percent of U.S. adults don’t get the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for vitamin E. While naturally occurring vitamin E exists in eight chemical forms, alpha- (or α-) tocopherol is the only form that is recognized to meet human requirements.

How to get more? The best source of vitamin E is wheat germ oil, with 1 tablespoon providing 100 percent of the daily value. Other top sources of vitamin E include nuts and seeds (almonds, sunflower seeds, hazelnuts), peanuts and peanut butter, and some oils (sunflower oil, soybean oil, corn oil, and safflower oil).

Calcium
Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the body, and the vast majority of it is stored in your teeth and bones. The remaining calcium helps your heart, muscles, and nerves function properly. Some studies suggest that calcium, along with vitamin D, may also play a role in protecting against cancer, diabetes, and high blood pressure – but more research is needed. According to the NHANES analysis, 69 percent of U.S. adults don’t get the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for calcium.

How to get more? It’s no surprise people think of milk when they think of calcium – dairy products (milk, cheese, and yogurt) contain the highest amounts of naturally occurring calcium. Other sources of calcium include calcium-fortified foods (calcium-fortified orange juice, soymilk, and cereals), dark, leafy greens (kale, spinach, and collards), and some beans (soybeans and white beans).

Magnesium
Magnesium participates in more than 300 reactions in the body and is critical to many bodily functions such as blood glucose control, blood pressure regulation, keeping bones strong, and converting carbohydrates, protein, and fat into energy. Sine magnesium is widely distributed in plant and animal foods and in beverages, it might be surprising that according to the NHANES analysis, 82 percent of U.S. adults don’t get the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for magnesium.

Low magnesium intake in the U.S. may be due to the fact that some types of food processing, such as refining grains in ways that remove the nutrient-rich germ and bran, can lower magnesium content substantially. Groups most at risk for magnesium deficiency are older adults and those with gastrointestinal diseases, type 2 diabetes or alcohol dependence.

How to get more? Good dietary sources of magnesium are green leafy vegetables (such as spinach), legumes, nuts, seeds, and whole grains. In general, foods naturally containing dietary fiber provide magnesium. Magnesium is also added to some breakfast cereals and other fortified foods.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids
In addition to the nutrients shown to be lacking in the recent NHANES analysis, other nutrient intake surveys show that omega-3 fatty acids are deficient in the American diet. Omega-3 fatty acids are polyunsaturated fatty acids that are considered essential fatty acids. They contribute to heart health, brain health, and may help reduce inflammation.

There are two major types of omega-3 fatty acids in our diets: alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), which is found in some vegetable oils, walnuts, flaxseed, and some green vegetables, and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which is found in fatty fish. ALA is partially converted to DHA and EPA by the body. Unfortunately, most Americans do not get enough of either type.

How to get more? For good health, you should aim to get at least one rich source of omega-3 fatty acids into your diet every day. This could be through a serving of salmon or other fatty fish, a tablespoon of salad dressing made with canola or soybean oil, a handful of walnuts, or ground flaxseed mixed into your morning smoothie.

For those at risk for heart disease, the American Heart Association recommends a dose of omega-3 (EPA + DHA) of 1 g per day or more. Since this is more than most people get in their diet, omega-3 supplements containing EPA + DHA may be beneficial. When choosing a fish oil supplement, choose a brand that is tested for purity and potency, like Omax3 Ultra-Pure. Before taking any supplement, discuss with your health care provider what regimen is best for you.

Source: Fox News

 

Online Courses Failing to Educate the Poor in Africa

Massive open online courses (MOOCs) may not be reaching the poor, but instead be catering to the rich and well-educated in developing nations, research shows.

 A global survey of almost 35,000 MOOC students engaged in courses of the online education service Coursera found that the majority were already well-educated and employed, and mostly males.

The survey’s results, published today in a letter to Nature, suggests that MOOCs reinforce the advantages of the rich rather than educating those who most need access to free education.

According to the survey, conducted by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, United States, more than 80 per cent of MOOC students already had a college degree and 44 per cent had a postgraduate qualification.

“If you look into what some of the commentators say about what MOOCs could do, the goal is revolution in education access. They have said things like: ‘Nothing has the power to unlock a billion more brains than the massive online courses’,” Gayle Christensen, co-author of the survey, tells SciDev.Net. “So we looked at the data to see if that is the case. At this point, MOOCs are giving more to those who already have a lot.”

The survey found that the percentage of MOOC students with university degrees far exceeds the percentage of the general population with such qualifications.

This disparity proved particularly stark in Brazil, China, India, Russia and South Africa, where almost 80 per cent of MOOC students came from the wealthiest and most-educated six per cent of the population.

The letter in Nature says that better access to technology and improved basic education are needed worldwide before MOOCs can live up to their promise.

The survey also found that men make up about two-thirds of all MOOC students in countries outside the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, a group of mostly rich nations.

 

“I think that’s a challenge that [MOOC providers] are going to face, to overcome cultural and societal norms that are restricting technology and education access. If we want MOOCs to empower open access, we have to figure out how we can get more women and girls to access them,” says Christensen.

Claire Davenport, director of commercial, operations and international development at FutureLearn a company owned by UK distance learning institute the Open University, and a MOOC provider says: “The whole point about MOOCs being free and not requiring previous experience or qualifications is about the democratisation of education and broadening access.

“Almost everything about these courses is actually about trying to make them accessible to as many people as possible,” she says.

“Obviously, in areas where there is no Internet access, then online learning is going to be more of a challenge. But an interesting thing about MOOCs is that it’s very possible for people to share a computer,” Davenport says.

Source: e-science news

 

Zimbabwe: ‘Eight Children Die From Diarrhoea Every Week’

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UP to eight children are dying weekly as a result of diarrhoea, the Deputy Minister of Health, Paul Chimedza told the National Assembly last Wednesday.

Responding to Mbizo MP Settlement Chikwinya’s question on the recent death of three children after they had taken bilharzia drugs, Chimedza said diarrheal deaths were becoming prevalent in the country.

He said it has now been established that two of the three children died from diarrhoea which had nothing to do with bilharzia drugs. The cause of death for the third child could not be established as he was buried before a post-mortem could be conducted.

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Diarrhoea kills over one million children under five every year

“If you go to my statistics of deaths, every week we will have six to eight children dying because of diarrhoea which has nothing to do with drugs,” Chimedza said.

Three children, aged between five and eight, recently died in Harare and Redcliff after taking the bilharzia drug. The children were said to have started vomiting and developed diarrhoea the same day they had taken the medication.

Chimedza said the government’s decision to freeze posts was making it difficult for his ministry to function smoothly.

“The problem we have at the moment is there is a government freeze on posts. At the moment the nurse to patient ratio in some areas is about one to 15 and the ideal is one to four,” he said.

Chimedza urged parliamentarians to make sure that government unfroze the posts.

“We have an acute shortage of nurses in the hospitals. It is our desire to put a nurse or nurses that are adequate to look after our people in each and every health centre including those farm houses that we have converted to clinics,” he said.

Chimedza said the ministry was currently engaging the Finance ministry on the issue.

He said most nurses go “into the streets” after college and losing the skills that they got after using the government’s resources.

“They lose the skill after three years, they cannot be nurses anymore. They will need to be retrained,” Chimedza said, “So it’s really something that as a ministry we are very worried about. We really want to have all nurses’ posts unfrozen as a matter of urgency for the benefit of this nation.”

Source: All Africa

 

Thinking too much about food could make us eat more

A new analysis of 50 studies has found that thinking before eating may actually undermine people’s dieting goals.

Jessie De Witt Huberts of Utrecht University says that we are expert rationalizers when it comes to finding a reason to eat more. He said that people seem to

be very creative in coming up with such reasons, asserting that they can justify having the cake on account that it has been a hard day, or that they will exercise tomorrow, that it is a special occasion, or that it is impolite to refuse.

Huberts said that this is when justification processes become a slippery slope – as the reasons are often applied ad hoc, they no longer form strict rules that regulate when you stick to your diet and when you can cut yourself some slack.

A growing body of research has found that such justification can even come from performing well on a task or from doing good for others. In several studies, people who received positive feedback on a task were more likely to choose an unhealthy versus a healthy option.

Source: Hindustan Times

Eat steamed broccoli to prevent cancer

Eating steamed broccoli can help prevent cancer, according to a new study. New research reveals that the way people cook the vegetable can change its cancer-fighting abilities.

Eating steamed broccoli can help prevent cancer, according to a new study. New research reveals that the way people cook the vegetable can change its cancer-fighting abilities.

Researchers said that most ways of cooking broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables, which are rich in cancer-fighting sulforaphane, decrease their ability to fight disease. They explain that the enzyme myrosinase in broccoli is needed for sulforaphane to form, and if myrosinase is destroyed, sulforaphane cannot form.

The latest study compared boiled, microwaved and steamed broccoli. Researchers found that steaming broccoli for up to five minutes was the best way to preserve its myrosinase. For example boiling and microwaving broccoli for one minute or less destroyed the majority of the enzyme.

However, people who eat well-cooked broccoli can still get sulforaphane by adding raw foods containing myrosinase to their meals, according to researchers.

Participants in the latest study were given broccoli supplements with no active myrosinase. However, some participants ate a second food with myrosinase.

Participants who consumed myrosinase had significantly higher levels of sulforaphane in their blood and urine than those who did not eat the second food.

“Mustard, radish, arugula, wasabi and other uncooked cruciferous vegetables such as coleslaw all contain myrosinase, and we’ve seen this can restore the formation of sulforaphane,” researcher Elizabeth Jeffery of University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign said in a news release.

“As we’re learning, food processing isn’t just what happens to food before it reaches the grocery shelves,” AICR associate director of nutrition programs Alice Bender added, according to HealthDay. “This research highlights that what you do in your kitchen can make those fruits and vegetables on your plate even more cancer-protective.”

The findings were presented at the annual meeting of the American Institute for Cancer Research in Bethesda, Maryland.

Source: Counsel heal

 

Artificial skin created using stem cells from umbilical cord

In a first, scientists have grown artificial skin using stem cells derived from the umbilical cord.

Scientists from the Tissue Engineering Research Group at the Department of Histology at the University of Granada demonstrated the ability of Wharton jelly mesenschymal stem cells to turn to oral-mucosa or skin-regeneration epithelia.

To grow the artificial skin, the researchers used, in addition to this new type of epithelia covering, a biomaterial made of fibrin and agarose, already designed and developed by the University of Granada research team.

Prior studies from the same team, already pointed to the possibility that Wharton stem cells could be turned into epithelia cells.

The current work is the confirmation of those initial studies and its application to two regeneration structures: skin and oral mucosa, increasingly needed in injuries in these parts of the body.

One of the problems major-burn victims currently have is that, in order to apply the current techniques of artificial skin, a number of weeks are needed. That is because the skin needs to be grown from parts of the patient’s healthy skin.

“Creating this new type of skin using stem cells, which can be stored in tissue banks, means that it can be used instantly when injuries are caused, and which would bring the application of artificial skin forward many weeks,” said Antonio Campos, Professor of Histology at the University of Granada and one of the authors of this study.

The study is published in the journal Stem Cells Translational Medicine.

Source:  The Hindu

Egg Timer Test proves unreliable guide to fertility

A popular fertility test designed to tell a woman how long she has left to fall pregnant is providing inaccurate and misleading results, creating a wave of panic among women in their 30s and 40s, Australia’s leading fertility expert, Dr Anne Clarke, said.

Dr Clarke, medical director of Fertility First in Sydney, said a recent British study, plus anecdotal evidence, had found the simple blood test, known as the Egg Timer Test, was unreliable and becoming discredited worldwide. ”I have big concerns about its accuracy,” she said. ”I’m seeing a lot of women turning up at my clinic in an incredibly distressed state and highly depressed because they’ve been told the test showed they had no chance of having a baby. It’s wrong and misleading.”

Among them was a 40-year-old Sydney woman who was told by her GP in April last year that the test, which measures the level of anti-mullerian hormone (AMH) in the blood, showed her ovarian reserve was dangerously low. Further analysis revealed she was very fertile and well within the normal range, Dr Clarke said.

The Egg Timer Test – which costs about $70 – was pioneered by Adelaide clinic Repromed in 2004, to measure the number of eggs a woman had and predict how many child-bearing years she had left. With thousands of women rushing to take the test, other companies entered the market, but Dr Kelton Tremellen, of Repromed, said they were not always reliable. ”[If it’s not done properly] one person’s blood test can be analyzed and get two vastly different results,” he said. Results could be compromised, for example, if a woman had been on the pill. Dr Clarke added that inaccurate readings also occurred when the blood was stored incorrectly or the hormone not analyzed immediately.

 

Asked if women should have the test, she said: ”I’m not sure of the value of the test. If I want to look at ovarian reserves, I do an antral follicle count with an ultrasound.”

The first reported study on the effectiveness of the Egg Timer Test was damning. The Manchester study, published last year, found significant variations in the results – up to 60 per cent.

Head researcher Dr Oybek Rustamov said the study, which looked at the results of 5000 women between 2008 and 2011, found ”commercial AMH or Egg Timer Tests provide erroneous results”.

Dr Clarke said research was increasingly discrediting and devaluing the test as a means of gauging a woman’s biological clock.

Cheriece Harper, 31, from Penrith, had the Egg Timer Test in 2011 and was left depressed when her doctor told her she had little chance of conceiving. Ms Harper consulted Dr Clarke, became pregnant via a sperm donor and gave birth to Bridie in October last year.

”I’m glad I had the test because it pushed me to make a decision and not delay motherhood, but if women get it done, they need to know it’s measuring egg quantity, not quality.”

Source: Sydney Morning Herald

Health benefits of having oats daily

Oats is rich in fiber and a good source to boost your energy. But there are several other reasons why you must include oats in your daily diet. Here are reasons to have oats daily, whether it is for breakfast or as a snack.

Improves immune system
Oats contain a fiber called beta glucans which has been extensively studied over the years. Beta glucans is also present in yeast, barley and different mushrooms. Why is it important? Well, beta glucans is known to fight viruses, bacteria and parasites there by boosting your immune system.

Great for weight loss
Oats and fiber are synonymous with each other. Digestion of oats is a slow process; when you consume oats the body will absorb it steadily. Since the process is a slow one you feel satiated and full for a longer duration. In simple words, oats reduces your hunger pangs and prevents you from indulging in oily and salted food.

Improves digestion
Since oats have a rich source of fiber, it aids digestion. It works for constipation and also works as a natural laxative. While over the counter laxatives may provide quick relief it tends to reduce body weight drastically too, but oats maintains healthy body weight. Consume oats to improve your bowel movements, as it acts like a natural scrub for the intestines.

Oats for diabetics
Oats contains the lowest amount of glycemic index, that is, it has the least effect on blood sugar levels. For diabetics, it is important to increase your intake of oats as it controls the glucose levels in the blood. Oats also absorbs sugar which reduces the dependence of releasing insulin.

Cuts the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes
Oats reduces your dependence on insulin and can improve insulin sensitivity. In a study, there was approximately 40 percent reduction of insulin dosage. Oats are one of the diabetes friendly ingredients you must have.

Reduces high blood pressure
Consuming oats on a daily basis can help in lowering systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure. Under the supervision of a doctor, you may be able to completely stop having medication if you continue to have oats.

Reduce asthma risk
Studies suggests that if you introduce oats based food to a child, the risks of developing asthma is scare. Apparently, in the same study also says that if you include fish in your child’s diet at an early stage, it can prevent rhinitis.

Source: The New Age