Ideas Galore

Breast cancer can strike anyone, regardless of your age, gender, status and background, everyone is at risk of this deadly disease. It is the second most common cancer in the world, eight to nine percent of women will develop breast cancer during their lifetime. To women who has not yet attained menopausal age, the best thing to check breasts for cancer is shortly after menstrual period.

About eighty percent of breast tumors are found by women themselves. To examine themselves, women should lie their back and put one arm over or behind their head. Using three or four fingers, they should examine their breasts working from the outside-in. A possible sign of breast cancer is a lump or thickening in the breast or a spot where the breast skin is drawn in redness and discharge from the nipple are other warning signs.

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The introduction of Mono Sodium Glutamate (MSG) to the food industry as a flavor enhancer was phenomenal because it is almost found in all canned and frozen foods and predominantly used mostly in fast food and Chinese restaurants. MSG may be a unique flavor enhancer to your food but too much dosage can cause danger to your health. Proponents of MSG however, has fought back when they claimed that it is just like anything else, it can be harmful only when consumed in large quantities.

Most people can use MSG without any negative effects felt, however others have their bodies severely reacted to the chemical substance. MSG has been linked to asthma, headaches, and heart irregularities. A nutrition specialist at Beijing United Hospital, affirmed that MSG may cause some individuals some discomfort after consuming but believes that it’s relatively safe.

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Studies have shown that hypertension or high blood pressure, if it is not detected and treated immediately, it is highly life threatening and complications can be developed over a period of time such as hardening of arteries known as (atherosclerosis) or bulging of the artery (aneurysm) in the brain that can lead to stroke. Hypertension is the condition when systolic pressure(the upper number) exceeds 140 and diastolic pressure(lower number) exceeds 90, so if you have a reading of 140/90, it means that you are just within the borderline. The ideal normal adult blood pressure is about 120/80 mm Hg. Systolic measurement is the pressure of blood against the artery walls when the heart has just finished pumping while the diastolic measurement is the pressure of blood against the artery walls between heartbeats. Hypertension knows no age barrier, it can afflict to anyone whether you’re old or young.

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Children have a very active life, from the moment they start to crawl until the time they reach adolescence. They engage in rigorous physical activities such as running, jumping, climbing, etc. They may seem to enjoy the verve of their daily routine, but have you ever thought if their body is getting proper and enough nutrition demanded by these activities? Your children’s bones are growing right along with them, and during their formative years, they need more calcium now more than ever.

About 50% of their bones are formed during these years. That’s the reason, that they need to pack their bones with calcium to help make them as dense and sturdy as possible. Bones make up the skeletal framework of the human body. If the bones are weak, this can cause to break it even just a big sneeze. Exercise and adequate calcium both influence bone mass. Weight bearing exercise like dancing, weightlifting and running determine bone mass, shape and strength.

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Proper dieting and regular exercise are known to help the brain to function better. Eating healthy by eating a lot of fruits and vegetables is not only good for the body but for the mind as well. Herewith are some tips on how to keep your brain healthy.

a) One has to start a nutritious breakfast and continue with healthy meals and snacks throughout the day. It helps our brain function better if we have a balanced breakfast not too high in calories, not too high in sugar but balanced with some protein, some fiber and some fat.

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Over the two decades, several studies have been conducted to examine the impact of coffee on one’s health. Medical experts noted that moderate daily caffeine intake, about 300 to 400 mg or about three to four cups of coffee is not harmful. Caffeine, the main ingredient in coffee, is a substance that is predominant in coffee beans and it can also be found in some other sixty plants species, among them are kola nuts, cocoa beans and tea leaves. It is considered as diuretic, because it induces any coffee drinkers to produce urine.

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Persons afflicted with certain hypersensitivity reaction due to changing weather, air pollution, pet’s fur and to a particular allergen are suffering from Allergic Rhinitis. It is an inflammation of the membranes of the nose, it is characterized by sneezing, nasal itching, congestion and rhinorrhea or “runny nose”. Tearing and redness of the eyes, feeling of fullness in the ears, headache and drowsiness are also common. Physically, patients are noted to have dark circles around their eyes due to nasal congestion and dilatation of the nasal vessels. Nasal discharge is thin and watery, opposite to the thick and purulent discharge of sinusitis. Allergic Rhinitis is different from the common colds since the former is caused by an allergen while the latter is caused by a virus.

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Coconut sugar is the next big thing to happen after virgin coconut oil was introduced in the market about three years ago. The raw coco sugar granules is dark brown in color like the moscuvado sugar from cane. It tastes like an ordinary cane sugar but with a difference, it smells like burnt coconut meat. The sugar particles look rough, but felt soft in one’s hand, easily melted in the mouth and tasted only slightly sweet.

For the health conscious consumers and diabetics, it can be considered to be the best sweetener substitute once it is available in the market because of the many benefits that it has to offer. Tests done by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute ( FNRI) and Department of Science Technology (DOST) of the Philippines has revealed a low glycemic index (GI) of 35 compared to that of cane sugar’s glycemic index of 50.

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