Most of us have seen these food labels “all natural”, “organic” and “whole wheat.” It’s so important to be able to read and know what the labels really mean. Firstly the labels are provided to help you keep tap of the grams of fat, protein and carbohydrates, or calories it contained in a serving plus how many servings are in one pack of food.

Let’s start with the  “all natural” word. Means nothing much really except that you can skip them. Fruits juice are natural, so are cane sugar and sucrose. But are they nutritious or any nutrients left in these all natural food.

Organic is a good thing because at least it can mean that the ingredients are derived and grown away from the usage of pesticides and herbicides. But the problem is that it’s not hundred per cent pesticide-free, as some ingredients may become contaminated with pesticides or the toxic environments during handling or processing.

Whole Wheat are wholegrains that come with bran and the germ from which most nutrients are derived from. Many manufacturers put a pinch of whole-wheat flour into a mix of mostly white flour, to earn the “whole grain label” and a consumer may think she’s getting something healthy. Unless it reads as 100% whole grain, it isn’t so as a good percentage consists of white flour.

What ‘s this wheat flour just in case you thought it’s whole wheat.  Wheat flour is flour derived from wheat.  You can’t find white flour on a label. Instead, it says “wheat flour” or “enriched wheat flour.” This is a highly processed, empty nutrients food that leads to many health problems in this modern generation. Some wheat crackers have white flour as the main ingredient. Even the good organic cookies or organic cereals are made mostly from white flour and white sugar. Another is brown bread that looks like wholegrain or whole wheat but their glycemic index is just as high as white bread. Brown bread can’t be whole wheat bread.

The next time you go shopping when you reach out for the all-natural wholegrain organic processed food, pay attention to the labels and read between the lines.

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Mineral oil is a common ingredient in our skin care products and cosmetics. It’s also found in our household products though widely used in the automotive industries.  What is mineral oil? Is it natural and safe?

Mineral oil is actually a refined transparent colorless substance processed from petroleum. We know that petroleum is indeed natural since it comes from the earth.

However, being natural does not make it safe. There are many plants and herbs that are toxic to the human body. They are undoubtedly pure and natural. Mineral oil has seen some beneficial health claims. For example, mineral oil is considered good for constipation relief. When consumed by the body, mineral oil works as a laxative to improve bowel movements for stools to pass through the intestine. It is also a common ingredient found in some antacids, eye care products, baby care lotion and petroleum jelly.

Let’s get to the facts as to why you should think twice about having mineral oil as part of your skin care products. Look at one study from Material Safety Data Sheet in 2008. The paper describes Mineral oil as hazardous. The potential health effects include irritation to the respiratory tract if inhaled or prolonged contact. If ingested, the material can cause serious diarrhea, nausea and vomiting. Symptoms may include coughing, shortness of breath. Inhalation of mist or vapor may produce aspiration pneumonia.

Another MD report highlighted the risk factor if taken as laxative can cause serious lung disease in some people

On the extreme side, untreated and mildly treated mineral oil has been proven to cause cancer, as noted in another research report. There were suggestions that mineral oil interferes with the absorption of various nutrients especially fat-soluble vitamins.

If it is considered unsafe for our skin, why is mineral oil still being readily used in skin care products? First, being a byproduct, mineral oil is cheap and abundantly available. Secondly, mineral oil serves to keep the moisture within your skin to prevent dehydration. Think again, our body is already loaded with many toxins from the food, water and air. It makes sense to choose better alternatives for our skin and body, coconut oil for example.

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Green Tea has been promoted as the healthiest tea for thousands of years. Modern science has started to play catch up.

Researches showed that green tea contained compound of polyphenols, called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) and catechins. The substance is both an antioxidant (that protect you against free radicals) as well as anti-cancer.

In one clinical study trial that was published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology (August 2008), researchers gave a standardized form of EGCG to patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, a type of blood cancer that has excess of lymphocytes (a kind of white blood cell) . Ralph W Moss, PhD did a study involving 33 patients who were treated with EGCG with dosages from 400 mg to 2,000 mg, twice a day. The trial proved positive as one third of the patients experienced more than a 20 percent decrease in the number of lymphocytes in their blood. 11 out of 12 patients that previously had visibly swollen lymph nodes experienced a reduction of at least 50 percent in the size of these nodes within one month of treatment.

Green Tea has also been proven to protect against prostrate cancer as in two recent studies in Italy had shown. Out of the 62 men with a pre-cancerous prostate condition, half were given an extract of green tea daily. The other half was given a placebo. In the placebo group, 9 out of 30 men developed cancer. In the green tea group, however, only one out of 32 developed the disease. Another study found that those who consumed the most green tea were two-thirds less likely to develop prostate cancer.  It has the effect of slowing the progression of prostate cancer according to US journal Cancer Prevention Research study.

Green tea has been linked to a positive effect on a wide range of conditions, including heart disease, cancer and Alzheimer’s disease.

Taking your green tea or an EGCG supplement is a good idea whether you have a health issue or not.

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Long before the discovery of allopathic medicine, men and women are already into studying and practicing using plants for the therapeutic and medicinal values in the field of herbalism. Its efficacy and commercial recognition has known no bounds and these days we can find herbal preparations everywhere.

Herbs are plants that come from the soil: they are natural and pure. We love things that are green and natural – simple as that. But are all herbs safe for our human body? Definitely not! Herbs that are safe may be not safe if taken in too great a quantity. For example, one journal I came across mentioned that comfrey, ephedra and coltsfoot are dangerous to one’s health.

What about children – are herbs safe for children?

Yes and no. Children can definitely benefit from using herbs but their dosage must be monitored based on age and/or weight. Echinacea can be beneficial even for a child but not ginseng (for energy boosting) and St. John’s wort (for anti-depression and PMS). Before considering taking herbs, it is advisable to seek an herbalist or a health practitioner first. If you can’t find one, read a good book on herbs.

In general, herbs are still considered far less harmful than prescription drugs. Statistics have shown more reports of death or serious complications arising from use of prescription drugs and drug interactions than there are for herbal remedies. The botanical extracts works on the body in a gentle manner and if used together, some herbs work synergistically well to promote wholistic well being and health.

The benefits of herbs are used not only to support internal health, but to support the texture and integrity of the skin and hair too. Nowadays, we find them in cosmetic formulations for all types of bodycare products. The common household ones are Aloe Vera and Gingko Biloba which promotes good skin healing and firming. Plant compounds such as flavonoids exhibit antioxidant capabilities that are beneficial to arrest free radicals thus reducing wrinkles from forming.

Read up and make the best of the many herbal remedies that are available to us – the natural pure way.

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With the daily news of H1N1 swine flu that we hear, we are advised to take personal care precautions to avoid contracting the dreaded virus. Whether we are at work, home or somewhere, it’s always wise to be alert of the risks factors that one can be exposed to. Be it a virus, bacteria or germs with whatever names it’s called, we can’t stop the microorganism from existing. In fact we should learn to co-exist with them in a manner that our body do not get attacked and defeated ever so easily.

Most of us when we are sick, we see a western trained doctor who are regarded in high esteem. This is nothing wrong but we should first examine our own lifestyle, diet and environment. Take two persons working in the same workplace, eat almost the same food and exposed to same surroundings but why one get sick and another doesn’t. The reason has something to do with your own body defence system. Your defence consists of your white blood cells or leucocytes within you that are always defending you from the attackers and invaders. These invaders are the toxins that come from the air we breathe, the food we eat and the water that we drink. Of course we can’t avoid these toxins a hundred percent but we can at least take efforts to learn where they are coming from and take the right precautionary steps to minimize the harmful intake or stay off from them if possible.

The white army of soldiers in your body can only do so much to ward off the invaders but it may come a time that these leucocytes are so weak, due to poor nutrition, high stress levels and poor lifestyles that they can’t defend you anymore. Your system ultimately breaks down and you fall ill. Most occasions your body contracted a fever, which in complementary medicine, is considered not completely bad at all. Complementary or alternative medicine believes that through the fever, your body gets the rest that it so badly needed. The higher body temperature is there to kill the bacteria and germs that had so overwhelmed you. Give yourself a couple of days rest and with the right nutrition, your body cells will gather enough strength to face new battles.

If you feel compelled to take painkillers, antibiotics or any suppression drugs that the allopathic doctors give you, you are merely suppressing the symptoms of a chronic sickness that in most situations, you already have. Your fever or pain may ease but you have not solved the underlying causes of your problem/s.  Perhaps you are not aware of the chronic problem but when it comes the time that you are aware that the pain existed, the sickness is already full blown. This is especially true of diseases such as cancer, diabetes and heart diseases. Studies have shown that most symptoms or signals show when the diseases are already in a serious stage. If you are younger and have stronger immune cells, your chances of full recovery are pretty good. For those reaching mid age in life, whose body health conditions may be far from satisfactory, you should pay more attention to your diet, lifestyle and stress levels. Give the body the proper nourishment it deserves and it should reward you.

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