Slash Cholesterol with Tofu

An important source of protein in delicious Asian cuisine, tofu has become very popular in the U.S., where it can now be found in most supermarkets. Tofu is bean curd, made by adding a mineral salt (usually, calcium sulfate) and water to a soybean mash. The mineral salt makes the protein and fiber in the soy mash turn thick and smooth. Depending upon the amount of water it contains, tofu may vary in consistency.

Tofu is rich in calcium and is an inexpensive source of protein, making it a good vegetarian substitute for meat or dairy products. Plain tofu has almost no taste, but it readily absorbs the flavor of herbs and spices added when you prepare a meal.

Studies indicate that regular tofu consumption, as part of a well balanced diet, may be associated with reduced risk of heart disease, lower levels of cholesterol, improved bone density and reduced risk of fractures

High protein foods tend to satisfy appetite better than foods with less protein. One study found that tofu produced greater satiety than animal protein. The effect lasted for several hours and was not associated with a rebound increase in appetite when it ended.

The special benefits of tofu have been attributed to two major components: isoflavones and amino acids.

Isoflavones are a special group of bioflavonoids found more highly concentrated in soy than in any other food and are:

1) Potent antioxidants. Antioxidants may help protect the cells in your body from damage to DNA and cell membranes.

2) Anti-inflammatory. Inflammation in the walls of blood vessels, by a chemical called "soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (sVCAM-1)", is a major cause of cardiovascular disease. Soy isoflavones may help inhibit this type of inflammation.

3) Hormone modulators. Isoflavones have a structure somewhat similar to estrogen and modify the effects of estrogen in your body. It is believed that this hormone modulating effect may account for the decreased risk of breast cancer and osteoporosis associated with regular consumption of tofu.

Soy foods may reduce levels of cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood and can also reduce blood pressure. Research has shown that the cholesterol-lowering effect of soy is due to the amino acid profile of soy protein. A unique fraction of soy protein called "7S globulin" can increase the liver’s ability to remove dangerous LDL-cholesterol from the blood.

This article is provided for general educational purposes only and is not intended to constitute (i) medical advice or counseling, (ii) the practice of medicine or the provision of health care diagnosis or treatment, (iii) the creation of a physician–patient relationship, or (iv) an endorsement, recommendation or sponsorship of any third party product or service by the sender or the sender’s affiliates, agents, employees, or service providers. If you have or suspect that you have a medical problem, contact your doctor promptly.

Director of The Foundation For Integrated Medicine, Leo Galland M.D. is an award-winning lecturer and author of over 30 scientific articles and numerous chapters for medical textbooks. His book The Fat Resistance Diet has been featured on the cover of Glamour and Fitness Magazines. For a free one-day meal plan and recipes, visit http://www.fatresistancediet.com .

Article Source: ArticleSpan

Organic or Natural Skin Care Products - what’s the difference?

Two sides of the cognition coin

The last couple of weeks has seen a couple studies that take a long look at brain function relative to health and habits. Most specifically the studies look at weight and diet. The results of both really aren’t surprising to those of us that follow the literature but they bear repeating, especially for those looking to age against the machine.

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh looked at the volumes of people’s brains and found that several changes to the anatomy of the brain correlated with weight. Published in the journal Human Brain Mapping, the study found that people who are obese show atrophy in their frontal lobes, the part of the brain associated with reasoning, planning, parts of speech, movement, emotions, and problem solving. People who are merely overweight show atrophy of their basal ganglia, a part of the brain associated with coordination of muscle motion and the part that breaks down in Parkinson’s disease. Moreover, overweight and obese patients had significantly lower brain volumes than normal weight people. All of this just adds weight to the arguments against obesity.

Happier news comes from the Journal of the American Medical Association. Much has already been written about the Mediterranean diet, but what French researchers found was that people who adhered more closely to a Mediterranean diet had a much slower onset of cognitive decline as they aged. This was measured using one particular type of testing; the other tests they used showed less consistent results. Even so, given the benefits of reduced risk of disease and mortality that come with the Mediterranean diet, better cognition is a delightful bonus.

Any way you look at it, healthy eating and maintaining an appropriate weight are important factors in maintaining both physical and mental health as we age.

How to Cure Anxiety Attacks

Worried about family problems? Maybe your dreading asking the boss for a raise or worried about bullying co-workers. These things and more can cause stress which is the normal way of dealing with the tensions of day to day life. Maybe your heart beats like a drum or your hands feel wet and clammy. This is how anxiety makes us feel. However, if your worries and fears start to interfere with your daily life you may want to take a closer look at yourself. You may be suffering from anxiety attacks!

Coping with Anxiety Attacks

When looking at the questions below, think of how you respond to fear. If you answer positive to these questions, you could be suffering from anxiety disorder.

1. Are you constantly worried, tense and irritated?

2. Does the symptoms of anxiety disorders get in the way of your job, responsibilities or studies?

3. Do you have unfounded fears constantly?

4. Do you constantly worry about your future?

5. Fear, anger, apprehension, suffocation - do you have unexpected attacks of these?

By answering positively to any of these questions, you could be suffering from anxiety attacks.

Some people report that they have been under long periods of stress prior to having an attack. Other than that, there doesn’t seem to be any real identifiable trigger to cause them. When they occur, it comes on suddenly and can last for a scary few minutes which seems like an hour.

Anxiety and panic attacks have physical symptoms which can be as frightening as a heart attack with much of the same symptoms. They last for varied periods of time - from ten minutes to half an hour. Dealing with anxiety attacks can be seriously crippling to the patient involved no matter what the time period.

Overcoming Panic Attacks

It’s possible that some medical condition is causing the signs and symptoms of anxiety attacks. Consult with a medical professional to have this checked out. You may also want to check out your mental well being by consulting with a psychologist. Just bear in mind that everyone has stress in their life at some point. The important thing to remember is to get your stress levels under control. Evaluate your life to determine if your fears are taking over your life to the exclusion of everything else. If so, you may need treatment for anxiety disorder.

Robert Hardy reveals how to cure panic attacks completely and naturally. He discovered a method on how to cure panic attacks that has cured 1,000’s.

How To Treat Eczema In Children - 3 Tips To Treating Eczema In Babies

Eczema in children is a common skin condition and it can be disheartening to see your child constantly agitated or upset. In fact, their only natural reaction is to scratch the affected areas but this will only worsen symptoms or spread infectious bacteria. The following is an effective baby eczema treatment and 3 tips to providing relief for your child while reducing itching and swelling.

1. Use moisturizers throughout the day

To soothe the irritation, keeping the skin moisturized throughout the day is essential as dry skin may cause crusty skin which will lead to irritation. Following a bath, apply moisturizers on your baby’s skin and throughout the day so moisture does not escape. Ointments that contain aloe vera are highly recommended as these will provide a soothing sensation and will help to reduce swelling.

2. Identify the trigger and stay away from it

Eczema can be triggered by a number of factors including external allergens so it’s important that you avoid them if you start to notice symptoms. Such allergens which may trigger outbreaks include some types of foods and certain brands of shampoos or soaps. Irritants such as harsh weather and even wool clothing can also be uncomfortable for your child so steer clear of them.

3. Implement over the counter treatments

If these above methods do not work and symptoms get worse, then you need to use over the counter treatments as a more aggressive approach. Always consult with a doctor first but those ointments that contain cortisone are often recommended to ease irritation. In addition, antihistamine tablets are effective at reducing the itching sensation but it’s important to consult with a doctor prior to using them.

When it comes to baby eczema treatment, fortunately most cases go away well before the child reaches their teenage years. Be sure to implement these methods as described above and to keep your child’s skin regularly moisturized in order to provide relief and to avoid those external allergens and irritants.

Get free tips on how to treat dry skin eczema and how to get instant relief. Learn more about baby eczema treatment and how to get rid of the itching.

Lanadil Re-Growth Hair System for Women

Feature by our Editorial Assistant Colleen

There’s a reason why I’m quite paranoid about doing much with my hair.

The most adventurous thing I’ve done is curl or straighten it and that doesn’t happen often. I hardly blow-dry it either. Why? Let’s just say that I shed hair daily, my carpet will testify to that, and I get horrible nightmares of my hair falling out. Not every woman in my family has been lucky with their hair so it’s definitely a legit fear that I could have a fair chance of hair loss in my future.

Now some of you may be experiencing hair loss and are hesitant about what you use to help with your situation.

Lanadil has an interesting new product targeted at hair loss in women. This is an FDA approved and 100 per cent alcohol free Re-Growth Hair System. This is made possible because the product uses a minoxidil base and a water-soluble and time-released nanotechnology.

The package includes a Lanadil sulfate-free shampoo and a preserving conditioner that upgrades the quality of your hair. At the same time the Nano Serum technology then helps restore and stimulate new hair growth.

You don’t necessarily have to be losing hair in order to use this Lanadil Re-Growth Hair System either. This product can also be used as if you’re afraid of losing your hair. The system can prevent you from shedding your locks.

You can find it at select salons, try calling them to buy this hair system at 1-877-900-7007 or order it online Lanadil Re-Growth Hair System for a two-month supply at $139.95 USD.

Cure Panic Attacks Naturally

I found a natural cure for panic attacks, randomly and on my own, but it took me a long time! It doesn’t have to be like that for you.

I suffered through panic attacks for six years! I don’t know if that’s really long or not, but it seemed like a long time to me. The whole time I was looking for a cure, but not finding it. During that time my life was a mess!

I found out that panic attacks are caused by the fear of an attack returning.

This is what goes on inside your body during a panic attack and, from what I’ve heard, these symptoms have never hurt anyone.

A panic attack is your nervous system ratcheting up your anxiety to very high levels.

Your heart rate goes up, you start sweating, possibly a lot, your face turns red, you can feel dizzy and kind of “unreal”. You worry about what the others must think. That only adds to your anxiety.

You might feel like hiding, running, disappearing, just getting out of where you are.

It all begins with a little cue of some type, a tiny piece of a thought, a peek into the idea of a panic attack. Plus, you are afraid of these things and who wouldn’t be? The fear is what sets it off!

It’s a sort of anxiety loop. The idea of becoming suddenly more anxious is the seed that suddenly sprouts into a full blown attack.

It’s a “cycle of anxious thoughts” that repeats, again and again, the fear that you have lost control and it just leads to you having more severe symptoms.

Time passes and the attack recedes, dropping it’s intensity. This could be from exhaustion or maybe a distraction.

So it’s thinking that causes the symptoms! Therefore changing your thinking is the way out of the symptoms!

How do you change your thinking? I randomly discovered this thought process and it worked for me right there and then. But it took me six years!

You just need is a little re-programming! There are simple techniques that will enable you to think normally and NOT in the panic attack cycle of fear and escalation trap.

You get to learn not to fear panic attacks and as soon as you don’t fear them, they are gone!

Learning to let go of the fear is the most natural cure for panic attacks you could ask for.

You can get your life back!

You want your life back, don’t you? Absolutely. And you are going to get it back! Thankfully, there is a sure way and a natural cure for panic attacks that has been used by thousands of people around the World. Click Here Now To See How To Stop Panic Attacks!

How To Treat Eczema - 3 Tips To Treating Dyshidrotic Eczema Naturally

Treating eczema right away can provide instant relief as this skin condition is often associated with skin that is itchy and dry. In fact, this condition can often times become so severe that it can easily result in restless nights due to intense scratching. The following are 3 tips to treat dyshidrotic eczema using methods you can implement to provide instant relief.

1. Pinpoint the cause and stay away from external irritants

While the cause of eczema is largely unknown, there are some foods and even some soaps which may trigger an outbreak depending on the individual. Knowing what causes such outbreaks is crucial so you can avoid it. If you are serious about reducing symptoms, then this is the first step that you will need to take as even small things such as wool clothing can trigger symptoms of eczema.

2. Use creams that contain herbal ingredients

Research has proven that herbal ointments that contain aloe vera reduce swelling when compared to other creams. What this means for you is a soothing sensation which will also help to control outbreaks of eczema. Be sure to keep your skin moisturized regularly as dryness will cause even more irritation and may even worsen the symptoms that you are currently experiencing.

3. Do away with stress and consume healthy foods.

A weakened immune system can easily trigger symptoms of eczema and studies have shown that high levels of stress and a poor diet can contribute to this. Keeping your body protected against stress is important so consider implementing techniques such as yoga or meditation. Be sure to exercise regularly in addition to having a healthy diet so your body gets the essential vitamins and minerals it needs to increase immune levels.

In summary, be sure to stay away from those external irritants which may be causing symptoms and to keep your skin moisturized throughout the day so it does not dry up. If symptoms continue to persist or worsen, then you may need to consult a doctor for a more aggressive approach.

Get free tips on lotions to treat eczema using proven methods that work. Learn more about treating eczema naturally and how you can stop the itching for good.

County officials to review ban on salvia

Officials in Worcester County, Maryland are planning to ban the substance salvia divinorum. Salvia divinurum is a legal substance that causes intense hallucinations when smoked. Ocean City, located within the county, is a huge tourist spot and many shops selling the substance are popping up along the boardwalks. This has created concern in the communities who are seeing salvia divinorum in use by local high school students. The proposed legislation would ban possession and sale of salvia divinorum within city limits.

Radiation risk from medical imaging tests

Millions of Americans are being exposed to potentially cancer-causing levels of radiation from medical imaging tests. Per capita radiation doses in the U.S. have risen sixfold since the early 1980's, and according to Reza Fazel, MD of Atlanta's Emory University School of Medicine, "Our study shows that a lot of people are getting high doses of radiation."

Average Americans typically receive no more than 3 millisieverts (mSv) of radiation annually, but increased use of nuclear imaging and CT scans has increased radiation exposure. Myocardial perfusion imaging for heart disease delivers about 15 mSv per test, accounting for the largest single radiation exposure. The highest radiation exposures occurred among women and older adults in the study published in the "New England Journal of Medicine".

"We don't want to scare people and have them refuse necessary procedures, but physicians and patients need to be aware that radiation is not benign," states Fazel. 80% of radiation exposures occured among non-hospitalized patients, with CT scans and nuclear imaging comprising three-fourths of radiation exposure.

News source: http://www.webmd.com/healthy-aging/news/20090826/too-much-radiation-from-medical-imaging

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