Ginger Inhibits Ovarian Cancer Cell Growth

Ginger Inhibits Ovarian Cancer Cell Growth

Ginger may be useful for treating and preventing ovarian cancer, according to a new study.

The spicy root not only has antioxidant and cancer-fighting properties, but the study also found that the ginger component gingerol exerts anti-inflammatory effects by mediating NF-KB, a protein complex that regulates your immune system’s response to infection.

In the study of cultured ovarian cancer cells, ginger inhibited growth and modulated secretion of angiogenic factors, which is a fundamental step in the transition of tumors from a dormant state to a malignant state.

The ginger also inhibited vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and interleukin-8 (IL-8), two compounds that are related to cancer growth.

Sources:

• Chinese Medicine News January 2, 2008

• BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine December 20, 2007, 7:44

Cancer-Causing Benzene Still in Drinks

Cancer-Causing Benzene Still in Drinks

Nearly one out of ten of 200 beverage samples analyzed in a recent study by the EPA and FDA still had benzene levels above the U.S. EPA drinking water limit of 5 parts per billion (ppb).

Many manufacturers have reformulated their products to minimize or eliminate benzene. In these reformulated products, benzene levels were 1.1 ppb or less. About 71 percent of beverage samples contained less than 1 ppb.

Benzene can form in beverages that contain the preservative benzoate salt and ascorbic acid (vitamin C). Beverages were reformulated in the early 1990’s to avoid benzene formation, but it has recurred in recent years because new manufacturers were unaware of the problem and added vitamin C to drinks.

Sources:

• Science Daily January 7, 2008

• J Agric Food Chem December 12, 2007; 56 (2): 571–576

An Approach to Acid/Alkaline Dieting and Lifestyle made easy! (Part 2)

Hi again, I'm back to give you guys part 2 of the basics of Acid/Alkaline dieting.

Continuing on from Part 1 which can be found here: http://bodybyweb.blogspot.com/2007/11/approach-to-acidalkaline-dieting-and.html

The following is an acidic to alkaline food group breakdown:

Acidic foods are: Meats, fish, eggs, sugar;

Slightly acidifying foods are: Grains, legumes, and nuts;

Mildly alkalizing foods are: Vegetables, fruits, berries and dairy;

Strongly alkalizing foods are: Leafy green vegetables, Superfoods, Seaweeds (My personal favorite)

There is more info on the exact PH of certain foods as well as what’s called Acid and Alkaline forming foods. Such as Oranges which are very acidic but when your body digests them they become alkaline for the body. I find in general it all follows under the basic principle under what foods are Acidic or Alkaline so as long as you’re eating natural fruits it can be assumed that it is alkaline.

There are powders and drinks on the market as well categorized as Superfoods or SuperGreens. You may have heard of Wheat Grass, Barley Grass, Spirulina or Chlorella. They are highly nutritious and alkaline grasses and algaes that present enormous benefits to the body! They are also blended into drinks on the market such as Vital Greens, Greens+, NuGreens, BerryGreens etc.

These are powder or drink mixes that have blended superfoods as well as other herbs and nutrients that help boost energy and alkalize the body. These drinks should be a staple in EVERYONE’s diet since it is one of the most effective ways to Alkalize the body! A stat I heard tossed around is that 1 pound of Wheat grass has the greens value you could call it of 100 pounds of baby spinach!

So to sum up everything,

1. Do deep breathing and/or cadio exercise daily if possible

2. Eat more vegetables especially leafy green vegetables and try to eat moderate amounts of meat grains and sugar. Rule of thumb is if it’s refined or packaged it’s more than likely acidic.

3. Take a mineral supplement, Calcium and Magnesium but make sure that it is an equal amount of Calcium to Magnesium, ideally in a powder, liquid or capsule form. Also if you exercise you MUST take an electrolyte drink I cannot stress this enough since in order to stay alkaline you need minerals following a workout to remove the lactic acid buildup to prevent body tissues from becoming immediately acidic.

4. Take a Greens drink of somekind, I personally prefer the individual superfoods such as Spirulina or Chlorella to maximize the amount of greens. Try them out and remember even though they can taste sorta nasty the benefit FAAAAR outweights the taste!

This was a pretty brief explanation of the priciples of Acid/Alkaline dieting. I encourage you to look up books on the subject to get fully broken down charts of the ranking of each food as far as it’s acid or alkaline level. Following the advice I gave you though will promote an alkaline environment in your body and you should see your energy levels rise and health reaching it’s full potential!

Do You Know the Dangerous Chemicals in Common Baby Products?

Do You Know the Dangerous Chemicals in Common Baby Products?

The Environmental Working Group is again sharing shocking news. After surveying 3,300 parents, comparing the baby products they use to lists of chemicals known to cause allergies, hormone disruption, damage to the nervous system, and cancer, the group found that children are exposed to 27 chemical ingredients on a daily basis that have never been assessed for safety. Not by the industry, nor by the government.

Dr. Rebecca Sutton, the environmental scientist who conducted the study, points out that:

1. 2 bromo, 2 nitropropane, and 3-DIOL create allergies and skin irritations, and in certain products can break down to form new cancer causing agents
2. Desitin diaper cream contains sodium borate, which can collect in your child’s brain and liver, causing detrimental health effects
3. Sunscreen with oxybenzone can trigger allergies, and disrupts your delicate hormone system

Surprisingly, 89 percent of products labeled “Recommended by doctor” are actually some of your worst offenders, containing what Dr. Sutton considers dangerous chemicals.

Manufacturers have responded with the following statement from the Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Association:

"Companies utilize a complex, multi-tiered scientific approach to extensively evaluate the safety of individual ingredients and finished products. These processes can take many months to several years to complete and utilize the expertise of leading chemists, toxicologists, biologists, dermatologists and experts from other scientific disciplines and medical specialty areas."

Sources:

• Environmental Working Group October 31, 2007

An Approach to Acid/Alkaline Dieting and Lifestyle made easy! (Part 1)

Want to learn about a dieting and lifestyle system that has been shown to prevent the development of the WORST diseases around such as Cancer, AIDS and Heart Disease.... And even reverse them!

You may have heard the words Acidic body or Acid / Alkaline Balance thrown around. What these terms are describing is what's referred to as a person’s body PH, this balance is what at the end of the day truly determines a person’s health. To put it into the simplest terms your body at all times is trying to achieve a balanced state between being too acidic and too alkaline. When this balance is thrown off this is where disease begins to have full reign in destroying your health.

The ideal body PH is 7.4 which is slightly alkaline, 7 being neutral. Unfortunately the average persons balance tends to float in the acidic range around 5.5-6. It’s also worth noting that 7.4 is the PH of your blood, if your blood PH were to drop down to 6.95 you would die! So it’s not too surprising to find that many of the diseases are simply a body PH that’s simply headed downhill. Not to worry though as easily as you can become acidic you can make efforts to become more alkaline as well!
If you’re curious about finding out what your body PH is you can buy tester strips also known as Litmus Paper. You can either test with this paper using your saliva or urine, although urine testing has been shown to be more accurate which is why it tends to show up as more acidic than saliva. The best time to test is first thing in the morning before you start drinking water and eating. What you’re looking for is a green to dark green colour to show up. If the colour coming up is yellow or even orange in rare cases you’ve got work to do.

Now what you’re probably wondering about most is what are the factors that determine if you’re becoming acidic or alkaline. Well to start the most basic and often overlooked even in this category is Oxygen. Oxygen being what we inhale is pure ALKALINE, on the other hand what we exhale being Carbon Dioxide is pure ACIDIC. So to start if you’re not doing cardio or some deep breathing exercises, odds are you’re acidic. Also worth noting is that there has been scientific proof that deep breathing exercises daily can actually reverse diseases such as cancer.
Also when you exercise, your muscles produce what’s called lactic acid. This is simply a natural byproduct of muscle contractions. When it is produced it is the responsibility of the minerals in your body to bind to the acid and eliminate it, this applies to any acid byproduct in the body. Lactic acid being obviously acidic, minerals which help eliminate it such as Magnesium are alkaline. It’s no surprise that people who are overly acidic also tend to be mineral deficient since your minerals are constantly trying to eliminate the bombardment of acidity your body is producing.

What most of the focus on for Acid/Alkaline balance is the diet itself.
For detailed lists I’d suggest looking into a Acid/Alkaline dieting book or any books titled Macrobiotics which is a dieting system originating from Japan that deals with acid/alkaline balancing principles. Some food groupings can be found online as well, although I'm trying to steer clear of the details and just give you the most important points.

In Part 2 I list the Acidic and Alkaline food groups as well as suggestions on how to increase alkalinity easily and prevent disease as a result!