Tracing The Origin Of Traditional African Medicine... As Summer Bonanza Continues At Quincy Herbals

 Quincy herbals, a front-line practitioner in the Nigerian herbal industry, is still on with its summer bonanza promo. A statement from the herbal outfit, which was made available to Nigeria Natural Health Online, reads: "Summer Bonanza is still on! big discount on tummy blasting, slimming garri, skin lightening/treatment & more! BBM 7EF8884F, Whatsapp/call/ Sms 08033147414 --- Quincy Herbals". 

Traditional African medicine is a holistic discipline involving indigenous herbalism and typically involving midwives and herbalists. Practitioners of traditional African medicine use herbs to cure various and diverse conditions such as cancers, psychiatric disorders, high blood pressure, cholera, most venereal diseases, epilepsy, asthma, eczema, fever, anxiety, depression, benign prostatic hyperplasia, urinary tract infections, gout, and healing of wounds and burns.

In traditional African medicine, with its belief that illness is not derived from chance occurrences, but through spiritual or social imbalance, differing greatly from Western medicine, which is technically and analytically based. In the 21st century, modern pharmaceuticals and medical procedures remain inaccessible to large numbers of African people due to their relatively high cost and concentration of health centres in urban centres.

Before the establishment of cosmopolitan medicine, traditional medicine was the dominant medical system for millions of people in Africa but the arrival of the Europeans was a noticeable turning point in the history of this ancient tradition and culture. Herbal medicines in Africa are becoming more researched with stronger regulations. However, there is a lack of the detailed documentation of the traditional knowledge, which is generally transferred orally.

Modern science has, in the past, considered methods of traditional knowledge as primitive and backward but recent realities are proving otherwise as traditional African medicines are now being standardized and made into tablets, capsules, liquid and powder. Under colonial rule, traditional diviner-healers were outlawed because they were considered by many nations to be practitioners of witchcraft and declared illegal by the colonial authorities, creating a war against witchcraft and magic. During this time, attempts were also made to control the sale of herbal medicines.

After Mozambique obtained independence in 1975, attempts to control traditional medicine went as far as sending diviner-healers to re-education camps. As colonialism and Christianity spread through Africa, colonialists built general hospitals and Christian missionaries built private ones, with the hopes of making headway against widespread diseases. Little was done to investigate the legitimacy of these practices, as many foreigners believed that the native medical practices were pagan and superstitious and could only be suitably fixed by inheriting Western methods. 

Traditional practitioners use a wide variety of treatments ranging from herbs to biomedical methods such as fasting and dieting, herbal therapies, bathing, massage, and surgical procedures.  Migraines, coughs, abscesses, and pleurisy are often treated using the method of "bleed-cupping" after which an herbal ointment is applied with follow-up herbal drugs.

Some cultures also rub hot herbal ointment across the patient's eyelids to cure headaches. Malaria is treated by both drinking and using the steam from an herbal mixture. Fevers are often treated using a steam bath. 

Also, vomiting is induced, or emetics, in an attempt to cure some diseases. For example, raw beef is soaked in the drink of an alcoholic person to induce vomiting and nausea and treat alcoholism. In the Bight of Benin, the natives have been known to use the fat of a boa constrictor to cure gout and rheumatism, and it also is thought to relieve chest pain when rubbed into the skin. Approximately 60%-80% of the people in Africa rely on traditional remedies to treat themselves for various diseases. A large percentage of the people in South Africa also rely on traditional remedies to treat their animals for various diseases.

In Nigeria, a greater number of people living in urban areas are gradually embracing herbal medicines as opposed to their orthodox counterparts. This has become a formidable force checkmating the influx of foreign herbal medicines, especially those from Asia, into the country...
( To be continued )

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What Quantity Of Water Should You Drink Everyday?

Water is essential to good health, yet needs vary by individual. These guidelines can help ensure you drink enough fluids.By Mayoclinic.

How much water should you drink each day? It's a simple question with no easy answers. Studies have produced varying recommendations over the years, but in truth, your water needs depend on many factors, including your health, how active you are and where you live.


Although no single formula fits everyone, knowing more about your body's need for fluids will help you estimate how much water to drink each day.

Health benefits of water

Water is your body's principal chemical component and makes up about 60 percent of your body weight. Every system in your body depends on water. For example, water flushes toxins out of vital organs, carries nutrients to your cells, and provides a moist environment for ear, nose and throat tissues.
Lack of water can lead to dehydration, a condition that occurs when you don't have enough water in your body to carry out normal functions. Even mild dehydration can drain your energy and make you tired.

How much water do you need?

Every day you lose water through your breath, perspiration, urine and bowel movements. For your body to function properly, you must replenish its water supply by consuming beverages and foods that contain water.
So how much fluid does the average,a  healthy adult need? The American Institute of Medicine determined that an adequate intake (AI) for men is roughly about 13 cups (3 liters) of total beverages a day. The AI for women is about 9 cups (2.2 liters) of total beverages a day. This however, varies from people to people depending on whether they live on the temperate or tropic zones.

What about the advice to drink 8 glasses a day?

Everyone has heard the advice, "Drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day." That's about 1.9 liters, which isn't that different from the Institute of Medicine recommendations. Although the "8 by 8" rule isn't supported by hard evidence, it remains popular because it's easy to remember. Just keep in mind that the rule should be reframed as: "Drink eight 8-ounce glasses of fluid a day," because all fluids count toward the daily total.

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Why We Want To Stem The Tide Of Noise Pollution In Lagos - Lawmakers

The Lagos State House of Assembly has called on the state Ministry of Information and Strategy to embark on public enlightenment campaign to sensitise the public on the hazards of noise pollution. This followed a motion moved by Mr Abiodun Tobun seconded by Mr Bisi Yusuf during a plenary under Matters of Urgent Public Importance.

The Assembly observed that there were regulations of management of noise which were not enforced by the executive in the state.

According to the lawmakers, who took turns to express dissatisfaction the menace, noise pollution poses to health and there is a need to stem its tide in the state.

Tobun decried the high level of noise pollution arising from the blaring of music by vendors, street party organisers, religious organisations and outdoor advertisers.

He also frowned at indiscriminate use of horns by motorists and cyclists on major highways in the states.

“The high level of noise has become a major source of health hazard as recently raised by the Nigeria Hearing and Speech Association (NHSA) that more Nigerians are suffering from hear impairment as a result of noise pollution.

“Noise pollution has increased the risk of hypertension and other incurable diseases and must be stemmed. There is no proper enforcement of Section 9 (a) of the LASEPA Law 1996, aimed at controlling noise pollution in a cosmopolitan state like Lagos with over 15 million residents,” he said.

In his view, Yusuf said that the best way to go about the issue was to ensure the proper enforcement of the existing regulation.

Mr Oluyinka Ogundimu (APC-Agege 2) said: “Lagosians will comply willingly if the affected agencies carry out necessary enlightenment and education; enlightenment will solve this problem.”

In his view, Mr Emeka Idimogu called for caution on the issue saying “we should use a persuasive approach in addressing it.

“We all made noise during the electioneering campaign and noise has become a part of us, we can’t change it overnight,” he said.

Responding, the Speaker of the Assembly, Mr Mudashiru Obasa said that the House would work on regulation.

“What we should do is to work on how to regulate it and we should not be harsh about it,” he said.
The Assembly, after a voice vote, passed the resolution calling for more public enlightenment.

It also called on Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode to direct the General Manager of the state Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA), to discharge the statutory responsibility conferred on it by Section 9 (a) of the state Environmental Protection Agency Law, 1996.

The House also called on the state Ministry of Home Affairs and Culture to ensure that the use of public address systems was discouraged within the community so as not to disturb peace and tranquility.

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Buhari Orders Probe Into Chlorine Killing In Nigeria

 

President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday in Abuja directed a thorough investigation into the chlorine gas explosion in Jos, Plateau state in Nigeria.

In a message of commiseration to the families of the victims, government and people of the state, the president said an investigation into the incident was necessary to avoid recurrence.

“The investigation should unravel the fact as to whether this was just an accident. Whatever is the case, we need to get to the bottom of this unfortunate and tragic incident,’’ the president said.

The explosion early on 25 July killed no fewer than eight persons, with 112 people injured. The injured are now being treated in four hospitals in Jos.

 A chlorine cylinder belonging to the Plateau State government exploded over the weekend at the Lamingo water dam in Jos, leaving eight people dead.

The victims had inhaled the poisonous gas emitted by the explosion. Chlorine is used in treating water for human consumption.

Over a hundred other people who inhaled the gas however escaped death but were rushed to OLA Hospital, Evangel Hospital  (Jankwano), Plateau Specialist Hospital and Air Force Hospital for treatment.

The Director of press and public affairs to Governor Simeon Lalong, Samuel Nanle confirmed the incident.
He said some of those taken to the hospital had been discharged, adding that the contamination had been contained and “does not affect the water which has been supplied to public mains; water from the public mains is safe for consumption and is not affected in anyway by the Arial contamination of Chlorine from the exploded cylinder.”

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Bad Breath And How To Go About It

No one likes to hear it, but it's worse not to know it: You have bad breath.

Bad breath (also known as halitosis or malodor) can be embarrassing and tough on those around you. Some people don't realize their breath could peel paint because people are afraid to tell them.

"Certainly bad breath can ruin relationships," John Woodall, DDS, a dentist with Woodall and McNeill in Raleigh, N.C., said.

 Fortunately, this problem is often easy to fix. What helps: Good oral hygiene, regular visits to your dentist, and ruling out any underlying conditions or other factors (such as some medications, diets, and foods) that could make your breath less than pleasant.

Do You Have Bad Breath?

Bad breath is often caused by a buildup of bacteria in your mouth that causes inflammation and gives off noxious odors or gases that smell like sulfur -- or worse.

Everybody has nasty breath at some point, like when you get out of bed in the morning.

Not sure if your breath is bad? The best way to find out is to ask a trusted friend or your significant other, 

"'Does my breath smell?' Because it's really hard to tell on your own," Tina Frangella, DDS, a dentist with Frangella Dental in New York, said.

There's another way to know. It may seem a bit gross, but look at and smell your dental floss after you use it.

"If your floss smells or there is blood on it, then there are foul odors in your mouth," Woodall said.

What Causes Bad Breath?

There are no statistics on what percentage of the population has bad breath. That's because studies usually rely on someone reporting whether or not they think they have bad breath and may not be accurate.

But studies show that about 80% of bad breath comes from an oral source. For instance, cavities or gum disease can lead to bad breath, as can tonsils that have trapped food particles; cracked fillings, and less-than-clean dentures.

Several internal medical conditions also can cause your breath to go downhill fast. They include diabetes, liver disease, respiratory tract infections, and chronic bronchitis. You'll want to see your doctor to rule out things like acid reflux, postnasal drip, and other causes of chronic dry mouth (xerostomia).

Woodall recalls a 30-year-old patient who had chronic bad breath, though her teeth were "immaculate" and her tongue was very clean. Her doctor tested her for acid reflux and other stomach conditions.

See Your Dentist, Brush Your Teeth

Keep your scheduled dental appointments.

You really want to see your dentist every six months or at least yearly. Good oral hygiene also is key to fighting bad breath. Ideally, you should brush and floss after every meal to help reduce the odor-causing bacteria in your mouth.

Some mouthwashes or mouth rinses can help prevent cavities and reduce bacteria-causing plaque and fight bad breath. Stick to an antiseptic or antibacterial rinse that kills bacteria, rather than a cosmetic rinse that just focuses on freshening the breath.

Watch What You Eat

What you eat affects what you exhale. That's because as food is digested, it's absorbed into your bloodstream and then is expelled by your lungs when you breathe.

Eat a healthy, balanced diet and regular meals. Certain diets -- such as extreme fasting and very low-carb diets -- can give you bad-smelling breath.

Consider snacking on raw carrots, celery, or apple slices. It's good to have a nice watery vegetable in there - something like celery - that will help clear your mouth of debris.

Avoid breath busters such as garlic, onions, and some other spicy foods. Chronic garlic users cannot only have chronic bad breath, they also often have body odor.

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Resurgent Ebola Claims Second Victim In Liberia As Nigerian Pilgrims Undergo Screening

The resurgence of Ebola Virus Disease in Liberia has claimed a second victim. Deputy Health Minister Tolbert Nyenswah told The Associated Press the woman in her early 20s who died on July 12 was linked to the 17-year-old boy who died last month. Three other confirmed cases are being treated in Monrovia.

He said some of the more than 120 people under observation in Nedowein, southeast of Monrovia, could be discharged once they complete 21 days of quarantine and show no signs of infection.

Liberia lost more than 4,800 lives to Ebola before it contained transmission in May. These are the first known cases since then. The World Health Organization says the new cases are likely not linked to travel.

Meanwhile Prospective pilgrims for the 2015 Hajj to Saudi Arabia from Jigawa State, in Nigeria, would undergo screening for Ebola Virus and other diseases.

Executive Secretary of the state Pilgrims Welfare Board, Alhaji Alhassan Muhammad, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria.

Muhammad said the screening was to ascertain the health status of the prospective pilgrims before they embark on the pilgrimage.

The executive secretary recalled that Nigeria had been declared EVD-free by the World Health Organisation “but the board is taking precautionary measures to protect the state’s pilgrims from contracting the diseases.”

He said all prospective pilgrims in the state must be screened before they would be allowed to pay their fare.

He added that final screening would be conducted at the airport to stop pregnant women from embarking on the journey.

“All intending pilgrims must be screened by our medical team before they will be allowed to pay their fare.

However, concerned Nigerians who spoke with Nigeria Natural Health Online, said the directive from the Jigawa pilgrim board was as a result of the strict measure being taking by Saudi Arabia to make sure that people coming into that country are ebola free. The question now is: what measures are being taken by the Nigerian government to make sure that people coming into the country, especially from Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone, are certified ebola free before they come in?

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Animal Health: Nigeria Loses 1.4 Million Birds To Flu

More than 1.4 million birds were destroyed to stamp out bird influenza that hit poultry farms early this year, according to Dr. Mohammed Ahmed, the Executive Director, National Veterinary Research Institute, Vom.

Ahmed told the News Agency of Nigeria, in Vom on Sunday, that 18 states were affected by the flu whose last case was reported on May 28.

He said that 800 suspicions were diagnosed in the institute’s laboratory out of which 500 tested positive to the disease.

The NVRI boss said that compensations for the destroyed birds were already being paid by the Federal Government.

“Payment of compensation for the destroyed birds is already in progress; it started and stopped at a point, but it has resumed,” he said.

He observed that the compensation was being handled by the Federal Government and appealed to the states to help by initiating steps to assist farmers.

“Since it is the economies of the affected states that are being largely affected, the states should augment the compensation as they did during the first outbreak years ago.

“The states should specifically help in the design of poultry farms to encourage bio-security of the farms,” he explained.

Ahmed particularly warned against cluster farms, and blamed that trend for the large number of birds that had to be destroyed.

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The NVRI boss singled out Plateau and Kano as states with the largest concentration of cluster farms, and explained that the flu usually spread faster and engulf more birds in cluster farms.

He expressed satisfaction that the flu was contained in few months compared to the first outbreak.

“More birds had to go because the production of poultry has changed with the cluster farms. In Rantya, a village in Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State, for instance, the cluster farms are so close and heavily concentrated in one vicinity,” he said.

Ahmed said that the disease had subsided but “certainly not over yet.”

“We are not taking anything for granted and have therefore gone into active surveillance.

“We have already trained people to take samples; their task is to buy and test chickens randomly from farms and live birds markets all over the nation.

“We are virtually out of the passive, so we must go to look for possible cases. There are states and federal offices and officers to handle surveillance even in the remotest of the rural settlements.

“Such surveillance is usually the most expensive part of disease control, but Nigeria is being supported by some interventions from the World Bank, FAO, USAID and other development partners.”

Ahmed further said that the Federal Government was also carrying out forensic investigation to ascertain how the disease came into the country.

“We are forced to do that because what was diagnosed in NVRI laboratories is not related with previous cases, it is a new introduction all together,” explained.

He said that there were many speculations with humans suspected to be possible carriers, while poultry importations could also be a source of disease dissemination.

Ahmed, however, expressed happiness that no human case had been found, saying that people tested, including farm workers, proved negative.

The NVRI boss disclosed that another poultry disease, known as Newcastle disease, was being zeroed in for eradication by the international community through vaccinations like Thermostable and MDV12 that is usually targeted at poultry farmers in the hinterlands.

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Dangerous Food Diets To Beware Of

An easy way to begin thinking about food combining is to consider the concept of time. Some foods take a long time to digest. Others move through the body relatively quickly. (On average, fruits take 30 to 60 minutes to digest; vegetables, grains, and beans take one to two hours; cooked meat and fish take at least three to four hours; and shellfish takes four to eight hours.)

When you combine foods with varying transit times, trouble may ensue, because digestion isn’t as efficient. For example, say you eat a meal that includes shrimp and pineapple. Because the pineapple is combined with the slowly digesting shrimp, it sits in the stomach hours longer than it would on its own. As a result, the sugars in the sweet fruit ferment, which leads to bloating and gas.

And, says Alder, an expert in nutrition, the problems only multiply from there. If food rots in the stomach or intestines instead of being efficiently digested, we don’t absorb all of its nutrients. “Anytime you have fermentation or putrefaction, it can create gases that are toxic and even carcinogenic. These gases require energy because other organs have to work harder to detox the body. These toxins in the system may also cause fatigue, irritability, headaches, and foul breath initially, then later may result in colitis, inflammation, constipation, arthritis, high blood pressure, and other unpleasant issues.”

Ultimately, the key to good and bad combinations is to listen to your body, not follow a set of rules. “Why not try it?” says Alder. “It doesn’t cost any money. And sometimes it helps alleviate symptoms.” After all, isn’t feeling better worth a little experimentation?

Below are some food combinations to test, and if they don’t sit well, consider avoiding:

1. Fruit With or After a Meal

Examples:

·         Strawberries on your salad

·         Mango salsa on fish

·         Apple pie or fresh berries for dessert

Why: Fruit goes quickly through the stomach and digests in the intestines. When you combine fruit with foods that take longer to digest — such as meat, grains, and even low-water fruits like bananas, dried fruit, and avocados — it stays too long in your stomach and starts to ferment, because fruit, says Alder, really acts like a sugar.

Bhaswati Bhattacharya, MD, a holistic health counselor and physician in New York City, agrees. “Sugars are actually not easy to digest, according to Ayurveda, because they are heavy and require good fire to process. That is why fruits should be eaten alone.” Bhattacharya adds that fruits (especially fresh, seasonal fruits) are also “energetically purifying foods and complete foods,” and to combine them with proteins and carbs takes away their pure energy.

Instead: Eat fruit 30 to 60 minutes before your meals. When fruit is eaten alone on an empty stomach before a meal, it prepares the digestive tract for what’s to come. Water rinses and hydrates the tract, fiber sweeps and cleanses it, and enzymes activate the chemical process of digestion. That’s why, says Alder, eating fruit first makes the digestive tract “more capable of absorbing nutrition.” After a meal, wait at least three hours before eating fruit. It’s best to eat most fruits on their own — especially melons, because they are high in sugar and enzymes specific to each melon. If you want to experiment with food combining, eating fruit alone is a great first step.

2. Animal Protein Plus Starch

Examples:

·         Meat and potatoes

·         Chicken and pasta

·         A turkey sandwich

Why: Alder believes that if an animal protein is eaten with a carbohydrate, such as meat and a piece of bread or a potato, the different digestive juices will nullify each other’s effectiveness: “The protein will putrefy and the carbohydrate will ferment. The result is gas and flatulence in the system.”

Adding protein enzymes and carb enzymes into the same space and time basically makes everything “unclean,” says Bhattacharya, but she also admits that many people’s bodies are suited to traditional foods like rice and sushi, and, yes, meat and potatoes. And combinations like beans and rice, which make a healthy, complete protein, don’t apply to this “bad combo” category. “Rice and beans have a synergistic effect, promoting better assimilation of each when they are together,” says Bhattacharya.

Instead: Combine protein or starches with nonstarchy vegetables. If you do have to mix animal protein and starch, add leafy green vegetables to minimize the negative side effects.

3. Fats With Wrong Foods

Examples:

·         Olives with bread

·         Tuna with mayonnaise

·         Meat fried in vegetable oil

Why: Fats require bile salts from the liver and gall bladder to break down; mixing them with other digestive chemicals can cause distress. For example, large amounts of fat with protein slows digestion, notes Donna Gates, author of The Body Ecology Diet (Hay House, 2011). Bhattacharya says that fats and oils need to be combined according to the digestive fire of the person eating them. “If combined with foods properly, fats build a little fire and induce foods to be carried to the liver better,” she says. “Fats are to be avoided when the fire is too low in the gut, as they douse the fire.”

Instead: Gates recommends using small amounts of fat — particularly, organic, unrefined oils like olive or coconut — when cooking vegetables, grains, and protein. She also suggests that protein fats like avocados, seeds, and nuts should be combined only with non-starchy vegetables. Alder recommends always including a raw leafy green vegetable when eating fats.

4. Liquid With Meals

Examples:

·         Water during your meal

·         Juice with your meal

·         Tea right after your meal

Why: Water goes through the stomach in about 10 minutes. Juice takes 15 to 30 minutes. Any liquid in your stomach dilutes the enzymes your body needs to digest proteins, carbohydrates, and fats.

Instead: Drink as much water as you wish at least 10 minutes before you eat. After eating, wait about an hour to have any liquid — or longer for a more complex meal.

5. Two Concentrated Sources of Protein

Examples:

·         Bacon and eggs

·         Nuts and yogurt

·         “Surf and turf”

Why: Concentrated proteins take a long time to break down, taxing the digestive system and depleting energy. In Ayurveda, the combination of different meats, or meats with fish, is to be avoided.

Instead: It’s best to eat meat in the last course of your meal. “The first course should not be meat; it should be light vegetables or protein. Meat should be the last course, as digestive fire and enzymes are at their peak,” says Bhattacharya. “Never wait more than 10 minutes between courses in the same meal. Or else the digestive appetite and enzymes start to shut off.” Alder says that if you have to eat two concentrated protein sources together, it’s best to add high-water-content vegetables such as onions, cauliflower, broccoli, or lettuce.

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Using Diet To Live Above Hundred

The following article is by Michael Booth, who decided to do a research and find out why the Okinawa people of Japan live longer than every other people in the world. We hope you will find it insightful and embrace the nutritional advice given - especially if you want to live over a hundred years.

Can you eat your way to a century? I am not referring to test cricketers, I'm talking about the Japanese diet. Or the Sardinian diet. Or the Ikarian diet. Or any one of half a dozen regional, usually traditional, ways of eating that have been credited with keeping an improbable proportion of their populations alive beyond the age of 100.
Recently, the oldest man ever on record, Jiroemon Kimura, from Kyotango near Kyoto, passed away at the age of 116. His death, and the fact that the new record holder, 115-year-old Misao Okawa, is from Osaka, reminded us that the Japanese know a trick or two when it comes to living beyond 100. According to the UN they have the greatest proportion of centenarians in the world – and a great deal of that knowhow concerns diet.

I have long taken an interest in how I might eat myself to old age. I visited the southern Japanese Okinawa islands whose population is said to include the largest proportion of centenarians in the country and met with some of them in what is supposedly the village with the oldest demographic in the world, Ogimi, little more than a dirt street lined with small houses, home to more than a dozen centenarians. Old folk tended vegetable patches or sat on porches watching a funeral procession go by. My family and I dined on rice and tofu, bamboo shoots, seaweed, pickles, small cubes of braised pork belly and a little cake at the local "longevity cafe" beneath flowering dragon fruit plants. Butterflies the size of dinner plates fluttered by and my youngest son asked if there was a KFC.

The next day I interviewed American gerontologist, Dr Craig Willcox, who has spent many years investigating Okinawan longevity and co-wrote a book, The Okinawa Program, outlining his findings (recommending that we "Eat as low down the food chain as possible" long before Michael Pollan's similarly veg-centric entreaty).
Willcox summarised the benefits of the local diet: "The Okinawans have a low risk of arteriosclerosis and stomach cancer, a very low risk of hormone-dependent cancers, such as breast and prostate cancer. They eat three servings of fish a week, on average ... plenty of whole grains, vegetables and soy products too, more tofu and more konbu seaweed than anyone else in the world, as well as squid and octopus, which are rich in taurine – that could lower cholesterol and blood pressure."

Okinawa's indigenous vegetables were particularly interesting: their purple sweet potatoes are rich in flavonoids, carotenoids, vitamin E and lycopene, and the local bitter cucumbers, or "goya", have been shown to lower blood sugar in diabetics. Like most of us, I am familiar with mainstream dietary advice – eat less sugar, salt and saturated fat, cut down on the cronuts and so on – but I much prefer the idea of discovering little-known shortcuts to longevity; I'm more of a "silver bullet" kind of guy. With this in mind, over a lunch of traditional goya chanpuru – bitter cucumber, stir-fried with tofu, egg and pork – in a restaurant that was little more than a tumbledown hut close to his campus, I asked Willcox which elements of the Okinawan diet he had introduced to his life. Turmeric and jasmine tea, he said; both potentially ward off cancer. Needless to say, both now feature in my morning ritual.

 

Of course, your destiny as a potential centenarian will also be determined by your DNA, upbringing and temperament, as well as how physically active and sociable you are; the climate where you live; the standard of healthcare available; how relaxed you are about timekeeping; whether you take naps and are religious; wars, and so forth. Being born a girl helps: 85% of the world's centenarians are female. But it is generally accepted that diet determines around 30% of how long we live. Some argue it can add as much as a decade to your life. So, the question then becomes, should we all switch to a diet of tofu, sweet potatoes and squid?

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According to Professor John Mather, a director of the Institute for Ageing and Health at Newcastle University, it probably wouldn't do any harm but the prevailing scientific evidence weighs more heavily in favour of the Mediterranean diet. "There is not enough research on people who adopt the Japanese diet in non-Japanese settings," he tells me. "It is true Japan holds the [longevity] record at the moment, but if you go back a little it was Sweden or New Zealand." (The Chinese have referred to Okinawa as the Land of the Immortals for centuries, but this probably does not constitute strong epidemiological evidence.)

Mather, who has worked in nutrition for 40 years, adds that the Nordic diet has made a late surge, with recent research pointing to the benefits of its fish- and, more controversially, dairy-rich diet (the latter is an anomaly in longevity diets: the Japanese eat little dairy, and in the Mediterranean diet it is mostly limited to cheese and yoghurt). But he still prefers to point to the well-documented longevity of the people of the Nuoro province of Sardinia or the Greek island of Ikaria, the latest destination on the fountain-of-youth trail.

Among the dietary factors cited for their Methuselean tendencies are herbal teas rich in antioxidants (including wild mint, good for digestion, and artemisia for blood circulation), gallons of olive oil, plenty of fresh vegetables and little meat or dairy. The US's longest-lived community, the Seventh Day Adventists of Loma Linda, California, also eat a largely vegetarian diet, and the people of Costa Rica's Nicoya peninsula – another of the world's so-called "blue zones", places identified by longevity researchers where people live to a notably riper age – apparently eat large quantities of beans.

It is surely no coincidence that Ikaria only got its first supermarket three years ago, while, in contrast to the centenarians, the generation of Okinawans born since the arrival of the US airbase and its accompanying fast-food outlets have demonstrably declining health.

 

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The Health Effects Of Lack Of Sleep

You know lack of sleep can make you grumpy and foggy. You may not know what it can do to your sex life, memory, health, looks, and even ability to lose weight.

Sleepiness cause accident. Sleep deprivation was a factor in some of the biggest disasters in recent history: the 1979 nuclear accident at Three Mile Island, the massive Exxon Valdez oil spill, the 1986 nuclear meltdown at Chernobyl, and others.

But sleep loss is also a big public safety hazard every day on the road. Drowsiness can slow reaction time as much as driving drunk. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration of the United States estimates that fatigue is a cause in 100,000 auto crashes and 1,550 crash-related deaths a year in that country. The problem is greatest among people under 25 years old.
Studies show that sleep loss and poor-quality sleep also lead to accidents and injuries on the job. In one study, workers who complained about excessive daytime sleepiness had significantly more work accidents, particularly repeated work accidents. They also had more sick days per accident.

Sleep loss dumbs you down. Sleep also plays a critical role in thinking and learning. Lack of sleep hurts these cognitive processes in many ways. First, it impairs attention, alertness, concentration, reasoning, and problem solving. This makes it more difficult to learn efficiently.

Second, during the night, various sleep cycles play a role in “consolidating” memories in the mind. If you don’t get enough sleep, you won’t be able to remember what you learned and experienced during the day.

Sleep Deprivation Can Lead to Serious Health Problems

Sleep disorders and chronic sleep loss can put you at risk for:

• Heart disease
• Heart attack
• Heart failure
• Irregular heartbeat
• High blood pressure
• Stroke
• Diabetes.According to some estimates, 90% of people with insomnia -- a sleep disorder characterized by trouble falling and staying asleep -- also have another health condition.

Lack of Sleep Kills Sex Drive. Sleep specialists say that sleep-deprived men and women report lower libidos and less interest in sex. Depleted energy, sleepiness, and increased tension may be largely to blame.

For men with sleep apnea, a respiratory problem that interrupts sleep, there may be another factor in the sexual slump. A study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism suggests that many men with sleep apnea also have low testosterone levels. In the study, nearly half of the men who suffered from severe sleep apnea also secreted abnormally low levels of testosterone during the night.

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The Evils Of Obesity... As Quincy Herbal Slimmers Kicks Off Super Summer Bonanza!

Dr Mrs Quincy Olasumbo Ayodele, MD/CEO Quincy Herbals

Good times are here for those who want to lose weight with natural medicine as Quincy Herbal Slimmers, a front liner in the Nigerian herbal slimming industry, as kick-started its Super Summer Bonanza. A statement from the management of Quincy Herbals, which was made available to Nigeria Natural Health Online, reads:
"Super Summer Bonanza is here! Big Discount on Instant Weight Loss, Tummy Blasting, Slimming Garri, Skin Lightening & more! WhatsApp 08055250669 BBM 7EF8884F."

Why You Must Fight Obesity Now!

Obesity is a term that means you weigh at least 20% more than what is considered a normal weight for your height. It makes you more likely to have conditions including:

• Heart disease and stroke
• High blood pressure
• Diabetes
• Some cancers
• Gallbladder disease and gallstones
• Osteoarthritis
• Gout
• Breathing problems, such as sleep apnea (when a person stops breathing for short episodes during sleep) and asthma

Not everyone who is obese has all of those problems. The risk rises if you have a family history of one of those conditions.
Also, where your weight is may matter. If it's mostly around your stomach (the "apple" shape), that may be riskier than if you have a "pear" shape, meaning that your extra weight is mostly around your hips and buttocks.
Here's a closer look at four conditions that are linked to being obese or overweight.

Heart Disease and Stroke

Extra weight makes you more likely to have high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Both of those conditions make heart disease or stroke more likely.
The good news is that losing a small amount of weight can reduce your chances of developing heart disease or a stroke. Losing 5%-10% of your weight is proven to lower your chance of developing heart disease.

Type 2 Diabetes

Most people who have type 2 diabetes are overweight or obese. You can cut your risk of developing type 2 diabetes by losing weight, eating a balanced diet, getting adequate sleep, and exercising more.
If you have type 2 diabetes, losing weight and becoming more physically active can help control your blood sugar levels. Becoming more active may also reduce your need for diabetesmedication.

Cancer

Cancers of the colon, breast (after menopause), endometrium (the lining of the uterus), kidney, and esophagus are linked to obesity. Some studies have also reported links between obesity and cancers of the gallbladder, ovaries, and pancreas.

Gallbladder Disease

Gallbladder disease and gallstones are more common if you are overweight.
Ironically, weight loss itself, particularly rapid weight loss or loss of a large amount of weight, can make you more likely to get gallstones. Losing weight at a rate of about 1 pound a week is less likely to cause gallstones.

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