Ideal Cooking Oil - Hemp Oil?

The University of York reported that they have developed a hemp plant that contains a significantly higher quantity of oleic acid. The new hemp oil not only offers a longer shelf life and a higher heat tolerance but also has a very similar fatty acid makeup to olive oil.

The research, published in the Plant Biotechnology Journal, demonstrates that the scientists were able to traditionally breed the plants for a composition that had less polyunsaturated fatty acids and instead contained more monounsaturated oleic acids. In fact, the oil from the plant was almost 80% oleic acid. Oleic acid is an omega-9 fatty acid and is found in high quantities in olive oil and many nuts. A high monounsaturated profile accompanied by a low polyunsaturated profile makes the oil more stable and temperature-resistant, which opens doors for many industrial applications. This makes growing hemp as an oil product very intriguing for farmers, because it is a high-yielding dual-crop while also being a low-input crop.

One cardiovascular benefit that has been associated with hemp oil and its omega-3 composition is that it can help lower the "bad" LDL cholesterol and improve insulin sensitivity. Likewise, oleic acid (omega-9) has been associated with helping cells absorb omega-3s more efficiently! They also have been found to lower triglyceride levels and raise the "good" HDL cholesterol. This provides a very powerful effective combination to protect the heart. In fact, many studies have indicated that oleic acid is associated with lowered rates of heart disease. The true, complete composition of hemp oil is just starting to be recognized. For instance, a study published by the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry detailed the numerous compounds in hemp seed oil, which contains aliphatic alcohols, sterols and linolenic acids, which have all been associated with promoting good health.

The dramatically increased oleic acid content of this new hemp oil can greatly affect the marketability of hemp and provide farmers with another crop alternative. Not only is the oleic acid content of the newly developed hemp plant more heat-tolerant and more stable, which can increase its industrial and cooking uses, but this oil's high oleic acid content can provide a very effective way of improving heart health. (Source: from Naturalnews)

Long Waited Summer

Well it looks like we have missed spring time and gone straight to summer. It’s so nice being able to get in the garden and relax with much needed warmth of the sun on my face and arms.

The best sunscreen that I've found is the Badger Sunscreen. I use it myself, really lovely. It's organic, natural, and rated for safety and efficacy by the Environmental Working Group. It can be used on Childen too.

Can’t wait now for the first crop of fresh sweet peas and ripe cherry tomatoes! the only thing I dislike about summer is “hayfever”. Years of experience has proved that if I use local honey a couple of months before combined with the Haymax balm, it works a treat. Haymax balm is made of totally organic ingredients that are good for use by any one including pregant women, breast feeding mothers and children.  Featured on ITV "This Moring", the HayMax™ was particuarly recommended by Dr. Chris Steele for its naturalness and effectiveness.

Enjoy the sun when it's there! I can smell the smoke of charcoal even in the office. I think I am going to plant my favourite Chinese vegetables this week: Pak Choi, Choi Sum, and Yuma Choi. Cooked with garlic, yummyyyyy!

Skin with eczema has fewer natural defences

A study shows that people with eczema have low levels of the natural substances that fight off skin infection.

The skin is under attack all the time from bacteria, yeast and fungi from the outside world. One of its major defences is the natural production of anti-microbial substances called peptides.

A team in Washington DC, have just shown how the skin of people with eczema differs in this respect.
They analysed levels of peptides on the skin of six adults with no skin condition, eight with eczema, and 11 with psoriasis, another skin condition, which produces red scaly patches on the skin. Levels of the peptides were high in those with psoriasis, which is what you would expect as a response to a skin disease, where there’s an ever present risk of infection.

But peptide levels were equally low in those with healthy skin and those with eczema. In health, the peptides don’t need to be present in high amounts, because they are only needed when infection threatens. The fact they are not there in eczema – where infection is common – suggests an immune defect, say the researchers. It may be that the conventional steroid treatment for eczema somehow undermines the immune system – which suggests new approaches to eczema treatment are needed - By Geoff Michaels at newsfix

Naturesense runs a couple of completely natural cream and herbal remedies for both eczema and psoriasis. They are free from chemicals, fragrance, alcohol and preservatives all of which can contribute to the aggravation of the symptoms.

Eating Mangoes Can Help Avoiding Cancer?

I love mangoes particularly the green ones from Philippines, beautifully sweet and succulent. But to my delight, mangoes seem a lot more than just a delicious, refreshing treat produced by nature. This is what Jonathan Benson has to say....

As evidenced by copious scientific research, mangoes are also a powerful medicinal food, as they contain nutrients that can help clear up skin, promote eye health, stave off diabetes, and even prevent the formation and spread of cancer.

Research recently presented at a meeting of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB), for instance, revealed that eating mangoes every day can help moderate and even lower blood sugar levels, despite their natural sugar content. This is good news for people with type 2 diabetes who may benefit from consuming mangoes regularly as part of a low-sugar diet.

For their study, researchers tested the effects of mangoes on a group of obese animals, some of whom were given 10 grams of freeze-dried mango every day for 12 weeks. At the end of three months, the blood sugar levels of those animals that consumed mango were compared to those that did not consume mango. Based on the data, mango consumption was found to result in a significant decline in blood sugar levels.

"Although the mechanism by which mango exerts its effects warrants further investigation, we do know that mangoes contain a complex mixture of polyphenolic compounds," says Dr. Edralin Lucas, Ph.D., author of the study.

Similar research out of Australia found back in 2006 that eating mango can also help decrease inflammation and resulting high cholesterol, as well as block the formation of various health conditions included under the banner of metabolic syndrome. In essence, mangoes actually work better than cholesterol drugs at naturally balancing and optimizing cellular function throughout the body.

"We don't know yet how the whole thing's going to play out but we know some of the individual components (of mango) activate these receptors and even inhibit them," said a doctor from University of Queensland about the effects of mango consumption on cellular processes. "That could end up with positive nutritional health benefits for diabetes and high cholesterol."

And again in 2011, researchers from Oklahoma State University found that mango consumption helps lower insulin resistance and improve glucose tolerance in test mice. The same study also found that mangoes help normalize lipid levels throughout the blood, which in turn can help prevent the development of cardiovascular disease.

Eating mangoes can also help you avoid cancer

But the health benefits of mango do not stop here. Science has identified more than 4,000 different antioxidant polyphenols in the plant kingdom, and many of these polyphenols are present in mangoes. The primary benefit of these polyphenols is that they scavenge damaging free radicals and protect cells against damage, which is believed to facilitate and even promote cancer.

"If you look at [mango] from the physiological and nutritional standpoint, taking everything together, it would be a high-ranking superfood," says Dr. Susanne Talcott, who together with her husband discovered back in 2010 that mango compounds target both colon and breast cancer cells.

"What we found is that not all cell lines are sensitive to the same extent to an anticancer agent. But the breast and colon cancer lines underwent apoptosis, or programmed cell death. Additionally, we found that when we tested normal colon cells side by side with the colon cancer cells, that the mango polyphenolics did not harm the normal cells."

In other words, mango compounds effectively target and eliminate harmful cancer cells while leaving healthy cells alone, a phenomenon that is unique to nature and nowhere to be found in pharmaceutical-based medicine. Chemotherapy and radiation, for instance, which are the two most popular conventional treatments for cancer, damage healthy cells along with malignant cells, which is why the treatments are a failure as far as long-term survival is concerned.

Source: http://www.naturalnews.com/040415_mangoes_diabetes_prevention_healthy_foods.html

Is Protein Powder a trend or a trap?

If you go to a gym, you’ve probably heard the guys by the weight machines talking about the protein shakes they drink after a workout and what kind of shake they prefer. Protein powders -- made into a shake or consumed however you like -- are getting more and more popular as a nutritional supplement.


You can buy protein powders in every nutrition store and all over the Internet. You can even find pre-mixed, ready-to-drink protein shakes in many stores. But is it really safe?

Here are some facts from Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist…

If there’s anything that greatly concerns me, it’s ladies who are pregnant drinking smoothies fortified with protein powder and munching on other high protein/low carb “health foods” in their quest to reach the magical number of protein grams per day recommended by their obstetrician or midwife. When I was pregnant with my third child, I was horrified at one prenatal visit to find a basket of soy protein bars in the waiting room! This was at a birth center staffed by midwives no less!


While adequate protein intake is indeed important during pregnancy, getting this macronutrient via highly processed protein powders and high protein foods is a disastrous choice. This is because these same ladies that are drinking high protein smoothies and protein bars are very likely avoiding saturated fat at the same time.

A diet high in protein and low in fat rapidly depletes Vitamin A stores.


Whole foods containing large amounts of protein naturally include protective amounts of fat such as eggs, grass-fed beef and other meats. On the other hand, high protein processed foods are devoid of any fat in most cases making them particularly dangerous.


Depletion of Vitamin A stores during pregnancy is a dangerous problem as Vitamin A is critical to preventing birth defects such as cleft palate, cleft lip, major heart malformations, and hydrocephalus. Vitamin A is also the “beauty vitamin” responsible for symmetry in physical and facial features.


Vitamin A deficiency from consumption of high protein foods is not assisted by prenatal vitamins either as these worthless pills do not contain true vitamin A but instead the synthetic version, Vitamin A Palmitate or the plant based version beta carotene – little of which is converted to true Vitamin A.


Vitamin A depletion when consuming high protein processed foods is also risky for the average individual as well. Symptoms of Vitamin A depletion include Heart arrhythmias, Kidney problems, Autoimmune disease, Thyroid disorders


Negative calcium balance is also a risk with high protein, low-fat diets which means that more calcium is lost than what is taken in. Consequences of negative calcium balance include bone loss and nervous system disorders.


Know anyone who drinks a high protein smoothie everyday for lunch who develops a bizarre neurological disorder out of the blue? I personally know several.


I’ve wondered about the stories in the news recently of young, healthy, vibrant male athletes, some only in high school, who inexplicably drop dead during competition. Could these young men be eating lots of protein, much of it processed, while on a lowfat diet in order to build muscle and strength as recommended by bodybuilding magazines? Such misguided advice would rapidly deplete Vitamin A stores which could potentially lead to heart arrhythmia and sudden death.

Other Problems with High Protein Processed Foods

Besides depletion of Vitamin A stores, high protein processed foods contain potentially large amounts of MSG in the form of protein isolates. Separating protein from its food source during manufacturing results in the creation of MSG – the amino acid glutamic acid gone bad. Therefore, MSG is present in high protein processed foods but it is not on the label because it is not technically added to the final product. It is only created during manufacturing and therefore can be conveniently unlisted on the label.

Snoring coping as a partner

Is your partner's snoring leaving you at your wit's end? Are you forced to sleep on the couch because they snore so loudly? Here are some ideas and options that may help.

Positional therapy

Sleeping on your side or stomach may help reduce snoring. There are a number of devices that may help prevent you from sleeping on your back.

Therapy

Stress affects your breathing, so various methods of stress management may help alleviate snoring. Breathing techniques, for example, can help reduce stress and create a new breathing pattern. Also, hypnotherapy can be used to treat anxiety and depression, both of which may be factors contributing to the snoring. Some people have found success with aromatherapy as well, such as using rose and other relaxing smells.

Quit smoking

You may be allergic to the ingredients in tobacco, which may be an aggravation to your snoring. Simply being around smoke may be a contributing factor.

Exercise

Exercise can help reduce stress and improve breathing patterns. It's important not only that you exercise, but that you do so in the right conditions to reduce snoring. Exercise in an environment that will not inflame any allergic responses. For example, swimming in a chlorinated pool or jogging in a meadow where you're allergic to the foliage and flora may make the situation worse. For purposes of controlling snoring, gentle exercises like walking are better than more rigorous exercises like hard running.

Weight loss

Obesity is thought to contribute to snoring, so losing weight is frequently recommended as a treatment if you are overweight

Who Ever Heard of Burning Cancer Out of Your Body?

Who Ever Heard of Burning Cancer Out of Your Body?
Can the cure for cancer really be as simple as heat? You'll be amazed by these simple but powerful health solutions:

A simple cure for heart disease that could eliminate the need for anyone to ever have bypass surgery again.

An amazing breakthrough that can make you look and feel up to 20 years younger
A way to eliminate your "emotional" cravings for food.


Brew Up Your Best Health

There's an all-round wonder drink that can supercharge your brain, improve heart health, and even reduce the risk of ovarian cancer. It's not an enhanced vitamin drink... it's not an expensive, multi-formula health drink... it's not even an all-in-one performance drink.

This special beverage is just plain old-fashioned tea. And before you reach for your glass of green tea... think again. I'm also talking about the simple black and red varieties. Brand new research has just revealed the wide-ranging benefits of these lesser promoted teas. And forward-looking doctors are happy to embrace them.

"After water, tea is probably the most consumed beverage in the world," says NHD panel expert Dr. Jonny Bowden. "Not counting water, it's also probably the healthiest. Green tea [gets] most of the hype, and that hype is completely deserved. But let's not forget that the health benefits of tea drinking are not limited to just the green variety."

"Tea-ing" Up for Better Brain Smarts

Drinking tea can better your brain power. That's according to a brand new report put out by the Journal of Nutrition and Healthy Aging. The study shows that drinking tea speeds up brain processes... improves memory... and increases cognition and function.

The research team set out to see how drinking tea affected brain power in older adults. They studied 716 adults in Singapore, all of whom were in their mid 50s. They noted the drinking habits of the participants and then conducted a battery of cognitive tests. They found tea drinkers consistently scored higher across the board.

"There was no [link] between coffee and cognitive function," noted the study authors. "Tea consumption was [linked to] better cognitive performance."

They found that the best performers drank a variety of tea... black, green and red.
Red Tea for Healthy Hearts

Another recent study looked at the effect of Rooibos – an African "red tea" - on cardiovascular health. Researchers took black, green, and red tea and set out to see which promoted better heart health.

After reviewing the effects of each tea on the cardio health of 17 healthy Swedish volunteers, researchers found that both red and green tea significantly inhibited ACE activity within 30 minutes of drinking.

Inhibiting ACE activity is good for your heart. ACE stands for Angiotensin Converting Enzyme. We all have these enzymes in our bodies. They convert angiotensin into angiotensin II. Angiotensin II increases your blood pressure and makes your heart work harder. We don't want that to happen.

If we can inhibit ACE... we block the conversion from angiotensin I to II.

The important thing to remember is that reducing angiotensin II allows your blood vessels to expand and relax... this reduces your blood pressure... and places less stress on your heart.
And this new study proves that drinking red or green tea inhibits ACE activity.

Reducing the Risk of Ovarian Cancer

An Australian case-control study reviewed 1,386 cases to see if there was a link between tea drinking and ovarian cancer. They reviewed a range of different teas and the effect they had on each case.

They found "support for the hypothesis that tea consumption reduces the risk of ovarian cancer." They noted that both green and herbal tea reduced risk.

Feel Younger in 30 Days

Nothing beats antioxidants for keeping you youthful and energetic. But there's a catch...One factor in your body determines whether you use the antioxidants you take in...or if they are expelled and simply go down the drain.

This factor is something most people are unaware of – and most health experts never consider.
It's a simple thing to take care of once you know what to do. Then you immediately begin to halt aging and get your energy back. You'll feel the difference right away.

Click here to start feeling younger now...

Secrets of Tea

Most varieties of tea come from the same warm-weather planet called Camellia sinensis. That's right – black, green, or white – they all come from the same plant. What creates the variety is not the source... but the processing of the leaves.

The variation in colors and properties is determined by how long the leaves are allowed to ferment and dry.

But, because they all come from the same plant, they all offer health benefits. And it's the leaves of the plant that make them all valuable... because the leaves contain polyphenols.

These are health-boosting antioxidants that fight the aging process known as "oxidative stress." Polyphenols stop free radicals from damaging cells, block enzymes that lead to tumors, and combat cancer.

Types of Tea

Dr. Andrew Weil outlines the different process involved in producing each type of tea:
Green tea - The leaves are steamed, rolled, and dried. This method preserves the content of the polyphenols, which is why green tea is often promoted as a health champion.

Black tea - Oxidation changes the color and flavor of the leaves... and also reduces the polyphenols.

Oolong tea - This tea is an intermediate between green and black tea - in color, flavor, and polyphenol content.

Unlike the other teas, Rooibos comes from a South African plant - Aspalanthus linearis. And while it's already been shown to improve heart health, it has many other benefits too.

"Rooibos tea [is] used by tribes for medicinal purposes," says Dr. Weil. "White South Africans [use it to treat] hay fever, asthma, [and] eczema and to relieve nausea."

Tea Tip of the Day

Dr. Bowden offers the following tip to make sure you get enough tea each day.

"I brew a very strong cup of tea," he says. He suggests five teabags or more. "After cooling, I put it in a one-quart container and fill with pure water."

He then puts it in the fridge, which keeps it cool and allows him to measure how much he drinks.
"It's refreshing and requires no work," he says. "And it's a great way to get your tea fix all day without having to stop and brew a cup."

To your health,
Ian Robinson, Managing EditorNHD "Health Watch"
About Dr Jonny Bowden:
Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S. is a nationally known expert on weight loss and nutrition and a best-selling author. He has a Master's Degree in psychology and counseling and a PhD in nutrition.
About Dr. Andrew Weil:
Andrew Weil is the founder of the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona Health Sciences Center, in Tucson. He is also a Clinical Professor of Medicine and Professor of Public Health. Dr. Weil received his medical and undergraduate degrees from Harvard University.
from NHD "Health Watch"