Recipe - Steamed fish

Steamed fish

Ingredients

1 white pomfret

2 inches ginger - shredded

1 pack soft tofu - cut into cube

1 stalk spring onion - cut 2cm strips

2 tablespoons light soy sauce

2 tablespoons soy sauce



Methods

1.Make a cut on the surface of the fish.Place the fish in a large plate.

2.Combine the sauce and pour onto the fish.

3.Garnish with shredded ginger,cubed tofu and spring onion.

4.Steam fish until cooked and tender.

5.Serve hot.

Eagle Creek

Last weekend, I went on a 3-day backpacking trip with some friends. We endured rain, snow, difficult river crossings and a vicious mouse attack, but managed to have a good time nevertheless. Here are a few pictures:

Punchbowl falls

Tunnel falls

Basalt cliffs

Apparently mice like cheese!

Premature Grey Hair : Causes, Treatments and Home Remedies

The term �premature grey hair� is used for persons who begin having grey hairs before the age of 25 or 30 years. Premature greying is a morbid condition and it makes even the young look older.
The pattern of developing grey hairs varies from people to people. In most individuals, the greying is maximum at the top of the scalp, while in some others it is maximum at the frontal line or the sides of the scalp.

Causes

1.Heredity
Premature greying is often seen in families. If a parent has grey hairs at an early age, the children also tend to have grey hairs at an early age. It seems this tendency is hereditary.
2.Scalp condition
An unclean condition of the scalp, washing the hair with hot water, drying it with an electric dryer, and use of hair dyes can cause premature grey hair.
3.Diet
A faulty diet is one of the causes of premature grey hair.
4.Mental worries
Mental worries produce extraordinary tension in the skin of the scalp; this interferes with the supply of vital nutrition necessary for the health of the hair.
5.Lack of vitamins
Lack of some of vitamins such as the B vitamins, iron, copper, and iodine in the daily diet is said to be a contributory factor of premature grey hair.


Treatments

1.Dyeing
This is one of the most common ways of treating grey hair. Though it is the most opted way, some people do not prefer it due to the reaction of its chemical properties on the hair and scalp.

2.Henna colouring
It is one of the natural and traditional ways of treating grey hair. Henna cools the body as well as renders softness apart from colouring the hair.

3.Healthy diet
Avoid devitalising foods such as white flour, refined sugar, soft drinks, pastries, jams and jellies.

4.Almond oil
Always massage the scalp with almond oil.

5.Curry leaves
Liberal intake of curry leaves is considered beneficial in preventing premature greying of hair. The leaves can be used in the form of chutney,squeezed in buttermilk.

6.Yoghurt
Taking a sufficient quantity of yoghurt daily and a tablespoonful of yeast before each meal is an excellent remedy for the prevention and treatment of premature greying of hair.

7.Massage
Massaging the forehead, nearer to your hairline improves circulation, by removing blocks. Rubbing the nails against each other helps circulation thereby reducing grey hair.

8.Cold tea
Use cold tea as a final rinse after shampooing two times a week to reduce premature grey hair.

9.Take vitamins
Take enough vitamins such as iron, copper,iodine and vitamin B12 to prevent premature grey hair.

Vaccines

I am a label reader. Whenever I'm thinking about buying food in a box, which is rare, I typically read the whole label to look for sinister ingredients. So when I got a booster vaccine for tetanus last week, naturally I asked for the product information.

Along with a nice dose of tetanus and diphtheria toxoids, my medial deltoid received 0.28 mg of aluminum, up to 0.3 micrograms of mercury, and up to 100 micrograms of "residual formaldehyde". I got the vaccine because I like being able to chew, but I wasn't able to lift my arm for several days. I don't know if that was due to an immune response to the tetanus and diphtheria (probably) or if it was caused by the aluminum, mercury and formaldehyde they injected into my arm.

We work with formaldehyde in my lab, and I can tell you it is not to be messed with. I had to take an entire training course just to use it, during which I learned that if there's enough of it to smell, it's toxic. 0.1 parts per million in the air is enough to cause a burning sensation in the mucous membranes. We always use it in the fume hood. Formaldehyde is a toxin, a carcinogen, and a teratogen (causes birth defects). So I'm sure you'll understand why I wasn't too happy about having 100 ug of it injected into my body.

I'm not criticizing the concept of vaccines, I just wish they'd make more of an effort to clean them up!

Exercise Didn't Keep Us From Getting Fat

One of the surprising things I noticed when I was poring over data from the NHANES survey (US CDC National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey) from 1975 to 2006 is that the number of inactive people has diminished in that same time period from 50% to 24%. This is shocking to most people. We have this romanticized idea that in the 1970s people were more active, as if everyone chopped wood and walked 15 miles to work in the morning. The reality is, there were office jobs, housewives and cars without the large numbers of runners and gym-goers we have today.

Granted, NHANES data are self-reported and should be taken with a grain of salt. However, Chris at Conditioning Research pointed me to a study looking at changes in energy expenditure from the 1980s to the present in North America and Europe. It doesn't suffer from the same biases because it's based on direct measurement rather than self-reporting. Here's the executive summary: we're expending slightly more energy than we used to, partly because we exercise more and partly because it takes more energy to move our heavier bodies around.

I'm certainly not blaming the obesity problem on an increase in physical activity, but I do think we can safely rule out inactivity as the reason we've gotten fatter. In my mind, this only leaves one major possible cause for the obesity epidemic: changes in diet. Don't get me wrong, I think exercise is good. It has numerous positive effects on physical and mental health. But it's not as powerful of a tool for fat loss and general health as diet.

Anecdotally, I do know several people who lose fat when they exercise regularly. I also know some who don't lose fat when they exercise. Exercise and a healthy diet converge on some of the same metabolic pathways, such as sensitivity to insulin. But diet changes are far more effective than exercise at correcting metabolic problems. The reason is simple: the problems a person corrects with a good diet are caused by a poor diet to begin with.

Snoring : Causes and Treatments

Snoring is the vibration of respiratory structures and the resulting sounds due to obstructed air movement during breathing while sleeping.

Causes
1.Blockage of airway
Anything that obstructs your airway will also contribute to snoring. You are more likely to snore if you have large adenoids or a large tongue or if your nasal passages are swollen from a cold or allergies. Enlarged tonsils and adenoids are the primary cause of snoring in children.
2.Age
Older people tend to snore more because muscle tone tends to decrease with age.
3.Muscle tone in the tongue
During sleep the muscle tone in your tongue and soft palate tends to decrease. They become more relaxed and can collapse together. This contributes to snoring.
4.Physical exhaustion
Sheer physical exhaustion may be associated with heavy snoring.
5.Other
Other factors also aggravate snoring are alcoholic beverages,overweight and certain medications.

Treatments for snoring

1.Lose weight
Losing weight can reduce or even end snoring and possible obstructive sleep apnea.

2.Avoid smoking
Stop smoking because smoking weakens and clogs the throat.Breathing through the nose is more effectual way to bring air into the lungs than mouth breathing.

3.Reduce alcohol
Reduce your alcohol intake because it can cause relaxation in the soft tissues and muscles in the throat. This will result in snoring.

4.Sleep on your side
Sleep on your side to prevent the tongue from blocking the throat. This will stop the snoring.

5.Olive oil
A sip of olive oil will help to ease the snoring.

6.Enough sleep
Even lack of sleep causes snoring. So, take a good amount of sleep of almost 6-7 hours daily.

Recipe - Stir-fried noodles

women health beauty

Ingredients

500 g. precooked yellow noodles
300 g. chicken breast-cut to small pieces
5 dried mushrooms-soak until soft then slice
� head onion-sliced
� cup shredded carrot
3 green onions-cut 1" length
5 leaves cabbage-sliced
3 Tbsp soy sauce
3 Tbsp oyster sauce
1 Tbsp tomato sauce
2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp vegetable oil


Methods

1.Heat oil in a wok on medium heat. When oil is hot, add sliced onion. Fry until fragrant. Then add cut chicken.
2.Put soy sauce,oyster sauce,tomato sauce and sugar. Stir fry until the chicken cook.
3.Then add sliced mushrooms and shredded carrot.
4.Stir fry until all ingredients mix well, add yellow noodles and mix together.
5.Add sliced cabbages, stir well, before remove from heat, add cut green onion and mix thoroughly.

6.Put on a serving plate and serve immediately.



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California "Raw" Almonds

I bought about a pound of almonds yesterday for a backpacking trip I'll be doing this weekend. I like to soak raw almonds, then lightly toast them. It sweetens them and breaks down some of their anti-nutrients.

When I arrived at the grocery store, the only raw almonds they had were from California. I prefer to buy domestic products when I can, but in case you haven't heard, "raw" almonds from California are no longer raw. They are required to be sterilized using steam or antiseptic gases, despite their relative safety as a raw food.

The worst part is that they are not required to label them as pasteurized; they can still be labeled as raw. The Almond Board's argument is that there's no difference in quality and pasteurized almonds are safer. I find this highly offensive and deceptive. It flies in the face of common sense. If you walked up to someone in the street and asked them what the phrase "raw milk" means, would they say "oh yeah, that means pasteurized"? A raw seed can sprout. A pasteurized seed can't. Remember all those enzymes that break down anti-nutrients when you soak beans, grains and nuts? Denatured by heat.

I tried soaking them like I would regular raw almonds. I covered them in water overnight. In the morning, I noticed that the soaking water was milky and had an unpleasant smell. The outer layer of the almonds (the most cooked part) was falling apart into the water. They also didn't have the crisp texture of soaked raw almonds.

Tonight, I toasted them lightly. They definitely taste "off", and the texture isn't as good. There's no doubt about it, pasteurized California almonds are inferior. Despite my preference for domestic products, I'll be buying Spanish almonds the next time around. If enough of us do the same, we'll hit the Almond Board in the only place that counts: its wallet.

One of the most irritating things is that the new rule is designed to edge out small producers. I can't see any other reason for it. Raw almonds are a safe food. Far safer than lettuce. Should we pasteurize lettuce? Pasteurization requires specialized, expensive equipment that will be prohibitive for the little guys. I'm sure the bigger producers will generously offer to fill the production gap.

Wrinkles : Causes and Home remedies

Wrinkles are delicate creases caused by thin, sagging skin. Wrinkles visible on the face, neck and hands. Wrinkles appear when the collagen and elastin present in the connective tissue of the skin is weakened. Skin that has suffered such damage appears thinner, loses fat content, elasticity and smoothness.

Causes

1.Over exposure to sun.The damage caused by the ultraviolet rays of the sun is known as photo ageing.
2.Smoking hastens the ageing process. The large amount of free radicals produced by cigarette smoke is one of the biggest culprits for premature wrinkles.
3.Environmental factors such as exposure to air pollutants, dust, chemicals and harsh lights can cause wrinkles on skin over a period of time.
4.Repeated motions such as squinting can cause wrinkles around the eyes. These are referred to as "crow's feet".
5.Smiling and frowning can also cause laugh lines around the mouth or frown lines on the forehead.
6.Stress.
7.Rapid weight loss can cause wrinkles as the volume of the fat cells are drastically reduced. This causes the skin to sag and crease.
8.Depletion of vitamin E can cause the skin quality to deteriorate.



Home Remedies

1.Apply egg whites to the skin under your eyes.

2.Empty the contents of 3 Vitamin E capsules into a small bowl. Add to this 2 tsps plain yogurt, 1/2 tsp honey and 1/2 tsp lemon juice. Apply this mixture on the face using a cotton ball. Leave it on for 10 minutes and rinse.

3.Cut a green Thompson seedless grape in half and gently crush it on your face on the wrinkles. Leave it for 20 minutes and rinse with warm water and let it dry in natural air.

4.Gently massage coconut oil on portions of skin prone to wrinkles every night a bedtime.

5.Rub the core of pineapple on the face and leave it for 10-15 minutes before rinsing off. This works well on fine wrinkles.

6.Application of pure castor oil regularly prevents wrinkles.

7.Use natural moisturizing creams and lotions or anti wrinkle cream regularly. Light massage with cream every night can keep your skin soft and supple.

8.Apply avocado oil daily on the face and keep it for 5-8 hours.

9.Using Vitamin C and skin care products together can fight the signs of aging caused by the action of free radicals.

US Fructose Consumption Trends

As you may have noticed, I suspect fructose is involved in overweight and other health problems. It seems to have adverse effects on fat deposition in the liver and insulin sensitivity that could be related to its association with weight gain. I looked through USDA estimated per capita consumption of different sweeteners to get an idea of how fructose consumption has changed in the US in the time since adult obesity rates have doubled.

In 1970, we ate an estimated 72.5 lb/year of cane and beet sugar (sucrose) per person, which is 50% fructose and 50% glucose. We also ate 0.4 lb/year of corn syrup, which is most commonly 55% fructose, 45% glucose. Consumption of other unspecified sweeteners was 12.0 lb/year, for a total intake of 84.9 lb/year of added sweeteners.

In 2007, we ate an estimated 44.2 lb/year of sucrose, 40.1 lb/year of corn syrup, and 12.9 lb/year of other unspecified sweeteners, for a total added sweetener intake of 97.2 lb/year. Doing the math, and generously assuming that the "other" sweeteners are 100% honey (~50% fructose), here are the results:

• 1970: 42.5 lb/year of added fructose.

• 2007: 50.6 lb/year of added fructose.

At 19%, it's not a staggering increase, but it's definitely significant. I also think it's an underestimate, because it doesn't include fruit juice or total fruit consumption, both of which have increased. Other notable findings: grain intake has increased 41% between 1970 and 2005, due chiefly to rising consumption of processed wheat products. Added fats and oils have increased 63% in the same time period, with the increase coming exclusively from vegetable fats. The use of hydrogenated shortening has more than doubled.

What has caused the dramatic expansion of American waistlines in the last 30 years? No one knows for sure, but I think it's probably related to diet since the percentage of people who exercise has actually increased in the same time period. My money is on the wheat and sugar, with possible contributions from hydrogenated oil, polyunsaturated vegetable oils and chemical pollutants. The reason is that wheat and sugar seem to have devastating metabolic effects on populations throughout the world, such as the Pima.

Lessons From the Pima Indians

At 38% and climbing in 2006, the Pima indians (Akimel O'odham) of Arizona have the highest rate of diabetes of any population in the world. They also have staggering rates of obesity (~70%) and hypertension.

Things were very different for them before 1539, when the Spanish first made contact. They lived on an agricultural diet of beans, corn and squash, with wild fish, game meat and plants. As with most native people, they were thin and healthy while on their traditional diet.

In 1859, the Pima were restricted to a small fraction of their original land along the Gila river, the Pima Reservation. In 1866, settlers began arriving in the region and diverting the Gila river upstream of the reservation for their own agriculture. In 1869, the river went dry for the first time. 1886 was the last year any water flowed to the Pima Reservation in the Gila river.

The Pima had no way to obtain water, and no way to grow crops. Their once productive subsistence economy ground to a halt. Famine ensued for 40 desperate years. The Pima cut down their extensive mesquite forests to sell for food and water. Eventually, after public outcry, uncle Sam stepped in.

The government provided the Pima with subsidized "food": white flour, sugar, partially hydrogenated lard, and canned goods. They promptly became diabetic and overweight, and have remained that way ever since.

The Pima are poster children for mainstream nutrition researchers in the US for several reasons. First of all, their pre-contact diet was probably fairly low in fat, and researchers love to point out that they now eat more fat (comparable to the average American diet). Another reason is that there's another group of Pima in Mexico who still live on a relatively traditional diet and are much healthier. They are genetically very similar, supporting the idea that it's the lifestyle of the American Pima that's causing their problems. The third reason is that the Mexican Pima exercise more than the Arizona Pima and eat a bit less.

I of course agree with the conclusion that their lifestyle is behind their problems; that's pretty obvious. I think most Pima know it too. If they got their water back, maybe things would be different for them.

However, the focus on macronutrients sometimes obscures the fact that the modern Pima diet is pure crap. It's mostly processed food with a low nutrient density. It also contains the two biggest destroyers of indigenous health: white flour and sugar. There are numerous examples of cultures going from a high-fat diet to a lower-fat "reservation food" diet and suffering the same fate: the Inuit of Alaska, the Maasai and Samburu of Kenya, tribes in the Pacific Northwestern US and Canada, certain Aboriginal groups, and more. What do they all have in common? White flour, sugar and other processed food.

The exercise thing is somewhat questionable as well. True, Mexican Pima exercise 2.5 times more than Arizona Pima, but the Arizona Pima still exercise much more than the average American! Women clock in at 3.1 hours a week, while men come in at a whopping 12.1 hours a week! I am a bike commuter and weight lifter, and even I don't exercise that much. So forgive me if I'm a little skeptical of the idea that they aren't exercising enough to keep the weight off. 

The history of the Pima is a heart-wrenching story that has been repeated hundreds, perhaps thousands of times all over the world. Europeans bring in white flour, sugar and other processed food, it destroys a native populations' health, and then researchers either act like they don't understand why it happened, or give unsatisfying explanations for it.

The Pima are canaries in the coal mine, and we can learn a lot from them. Their health problems resemble those of other poor Americans (and wealthier ones also, to a lesser extent). This is because they are both eating similar types of things. The problem is creeping into society at large, however, as we rely more and more on processed wheat, corn, soy and sugar, and less on wholesome food. Obesity in the US has doubled in the past 30 years, and childhood obesity has tripled. Diabetes is following suit. Life expectancy has begun to diminish in some (poor) parts of the country. Meanwhile, our diet is looking increasingly like Pima reservation food. It's time to learn a lesson from their tragedy.

Vomiting : Symptoms, Causes and Home Remedies

Vomiting is a forceful expulsion of the stomach contents due to the contraction of stomach muscles. Vomiting is also known as emesis. Vomiting may or may not be accompanied by nausea.

Symptoms

.Increased saliva.
.Dizziness.
.Light-headedness.
.Difficulty in swallowing food or liquid.
.Changes in skin temperature.
.Increase in heart beat rate.


Causes

.Overeating.
.Drinking excessive alcohol.
.Pregnancy.
.Migraine.
.Infections.
.Flu.
.Stomach upset.
.Stomach virus.
.Food poisoning.
.Poisoning.
.Accidental poisoning.
.Acute gastritis.
.Reflux.
.Intestinal obstructions.
.Chronic digestive conditions.
.Peptic ulcers.
.Stomach cancer.
.Intestinal obstruction.
.Kidney failure.
.Cholera.


Home Remedies

.Have a cup of ginger tea.

.Eat a mixture of honey and powder of 2 roasted cardamoms.

.Have a glass of chilled lime juice.

.Have a mixture of 1 tsp mint juice, 1 tsp lime juice, 1/2 tsp ginger juice and 1 tsp honey.

.Slowly sip a glass of honey water.

.Have one tsp onion juice in regular interval.

.Slowly sip a glass of chilled cola.

.Avoid solid food.Eat boiled rice with chicken soup without cream.

.Avoid citrus juices and dairy products for the first 24 hours.

.Relax for some time.

If vomiting continues then it is advisable to see a doctor as soon as possible.

Recipe - Stir-fried bak choy with mushrooms

women health beauty


























Bak Choy

Ingredients:

1 bunch of bak choy, trimmed, cleaned and cut into 2 parts of the same length(optional)
1/2 cup of dried shrimp, soaked in water for 10 minutes, drained
1 cup dried Chinese mushrooms, soaked in water until softened, drained, sliced
2 cloves of garlic, crushed or finely sliced
1 tbsp oil



Directions:

1. Heat oil in a wok at medium heat. Add in garlic. Do not let it brown. Add in dried shrimp and mushrooms and stir fry until there's an aroma.
2. Add the bak choy and toss it with tongs until it has slightly wilted.

3. Serve with rice.

Your Gut Talks to Your Brain

I've been reading through some papers on a gut-brain connection that regulates food intake and blood nutrient balance. I've learned some interesting things.

First of all, when fat hits your small intestine (especially long-chain fatty acids), it sends a message to the brainstem via the vagus nerve. This rapidly inhibits eating behavior.

The hypothalamus can also inhibit glucose production by the liver in response to fat in the bloodstream, by sending it signals via the vagus nerve.

A recent paper that got me interested in all this showed that when you put fatty acids on the upper small intestine, it sends a signal to the brain, which then sends a signal to the liver, increasing insulin sensitivity and decreasing glucose production.

The upper small intestine is not just a passive nutrient sponge. It's a very active player in the body's response to food, coordinating changes in food intake and nutrient disposal.

Hair Loss : Causes and Home Remedies

Although hair is not essential to life, it is of sufficient cosmetic concern to provoke anxiety in anyone when it starts thinning, falling, or disappearing. To a woman, the sight of a comb or brush covered with lost hair can cause intense mental strain.

Hair is formed in minute pockets in the skill called follicles. An upgrowth at the base of the follicle, called the papilla, actually produces hair when a special group of cells turn amino acids into keratin, a type of protein of which hair is made.

The rate of production of these protein 'building blocks' determines hair growth. The average growth rate is about 1.2 cm per month, growing fastest on women between fifteen to thirty years of age. Seeing hair on your clothes, after you comb, bald patches appearing gradually, receding hairline. Symptoms are pretty obvious for hair loss!

Causes

.Inadequate nutrition. Persons lacking in vitamin B6 lose their hair and those deficient in folic acid often become completely bald. But the hair grows normally after the liberal intake of these vitamins.

.Stress such as worry, anxiety, and sudden shock, general debility caused by severe or long standing illnesses like typhoid, syphilis, chronic cold, influenza, and anaemia.

.An unclean condition of the scalp which weakens the hair roots by blocking the pores with the collected dirt; and heredity.


Home Remedies

1.Rubbing of scalp
A vigorous rubbing of the scalp with fingers after washing the hair with cold water is one of the most effective among the several home remedies for the prevention and treatment of hair loss. The scalp should be rubbed vigorously till it starts to tingle with the heat.

2.Amla oil
Prepared by boiling dry pieces of amla in coconut oil, is considered a valuable hair tonic for enriching hair growth. A mixture of an equal quantity of fresh amla juice and lime juice, used as a shampoo also stimulates hair growth and prevents hair loss.

3.Amaranth
Amaranth is another valuable remedy for hair loss. Its fresh leaf juice should be applied to the hair. It will help the growth of the hair and keep it soft.

4.Mustard oil and henna leaves
About 250 ml of mustard oil should be boiled in a tin basin. About sixty grams of henna leaves should be gradually put in this oil till they are burnt in the oil. The oil should then be filtered using a cloth and stored. Regular massage of the head with the oil will produce abundant hair.

5.Coconut milk
It nourishes the hair and promotes hair growth. Coconut milk is prepared by grinding the coconut shavings and squeezing them well.

6.Onion
Onion has also been found beneficial in patchy baldness. The affected part should be rubbed with onions morning and evening till it is red. It should be rubbed with honey afterwards.

7.Daily diet
The healthy condition of the hair depends, to a very large extent, on the intake of sufficient amounts of essential nutrients in the daily diet. Persons with a tendency to lose hair should take a well-balanced and correct diet, made up of foods which, in combination, should supply all the essential nutrients.

Diabetes and Your Small Intestine

In the last post, I introduced you to the remarkable antidiabetic effect of gastric bypass surgery. It rapidly reverses diabetes in 83% of patients, and it seems to be due to bypassing the upper small intestine specifically, rather than caloric restriction. This points to a special role of the upper small intestine in regulating food metabolism. I told you I was going to look into the mechanism of why this effect happens, and here's the short answer:

It's complicated and no one understands it completely.

Now for the long answer. Nutrient homeostasis is very important and we have sophisticated ways of coordinating it among different tissues. Part of the small intestine's job is telling the body that nutrients are on their way into the bloodstream. Two ways it conveys this signal are by secreting hormones into the bloodstream, and by sending signals to the brain and liver via parasympathetic nerves.

The small intestine secretes dozens of hormones, one category of which is called the incretins. Incretins by definition increase the secretion of insulin by the pancreas, among other things. They were discovered when researchers realized that oral glucose elicits more of an insulin response than intravenous glucose. The reason is that cells in the upper small intestine secrete incretins when they detect glucose.

There are two known major incretin hormones that are secreted by the small intestine, GIP and GLP-1. There was a recent study by the lab of Blanca Olivan which looked into the levels of incretins in patients who had undergone Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, a common type in which 95% of the stomach and part of the upper small intestine is bypassed.

Their results are very interesting! Compared to controls losing an equivalent amount of weight on a low-calorie diet, the bypass patients saw a HUGE increase in their oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) GLP-1 secretion (9.8 vs 112.5 pmol/L), a large increase in GIP secretion, and a corresponding increase in insulin secretion (575 vs 769 pmol/L). Two-hour OGTT blood glucose levels went from borderline diabetic to "normal", by American Diabetes Association standards. Fasting glucose and insulin dropped substantially. The bypass group gained considerable glucose control, better than the matched controls on a low-calorie diet.

It looks like part of the mechanism involves whipping the pancreas to produce more insulin in response to glucose. It also affected fasting insulin, although that could simply be due to calorie restriction because it went down in both groups. Interestingly, non-diabetic patients who get a Roux-en-Y bypass often get reactive hypoglycemia, where their pancreas overproduces insulin after a meal and they get dangerously low blood sugar. Dr Mary-Elizabeth Patti calls it "diabetes reversal in people who don't have diabetes". So the effect doesn't seem to be specific to people with diabetes.

There is some suggestion that the effect on incretins is due to bypassing the duodenum, which is part of the upper small intestine. Here's how the (very sophisticated) reasoning goes: when the duodenum doesn't get glucose dumped on it, that somehow increases release of incretins by the small intestine further along the line.

There's actually an antidiabetic drug that mimics GLP-1; it's called Byetta. There's another that inhibits the breakdown of GLP-1 called Januvia. A second effect of GLP-1 is to delay stomach emptying, which both drugs do. They have been effective for some diabetics.

Well this turned into a long post, so I'll follow up on the parasympathetic (nerve) signaling of the small intestine next time.

The Miracle Diabetes Cure You Don't Know About

What would you say if I told you there's a cure for type II diabetes that's effective in 83% of people, extremely rapid, and requires no lifestyle changes? Would you think I was crazy? Well maybe I am, but the cure exists nevertheless.

All it requires is a little intestinal mutilation. It's called gastric bypass surgery. It's an anti-obesity surgery where the digestive tract is re-routed, bypassing 95% of the stomach as well as the duodenum and jejunum, which are parts of the upper small intestine.

The effect was first reported in 1995 by Dr. Walter Pories. Initially, researchers thought the cure was simply from caloric restriction due to a smaller stomach volume, but since then the story has become much more interesting. The key finding was published in 2004 by Dr. Francesco Rubino, who showed that bypassing the duodenum and jejunum but not the stomach of type II diabetic rats was enough to cure their diabetes. The effect wasn't due to caloric restriction, since both groups ate the same amount of food.

What this suggests is that there's some kind of feedback coming from the upper small intestine that affects glucose control and insulin sensitivity. What could be causing it? It just so happens there are some pretty good candidates: hormones called GLP-1 and ghrelin.

I'm going to dive into this and see if I can figure out what's going on.

Sorry for the cheesy post title, I'm practicing for my best-seller. Maybe I should add the word "secret"? How about this: "101 Secret Diabetes Cures THEY Don't Want You to Know About".

Cob

I've been thinking a lot about natural building lately. Here in the US, we are practically forced into occupying homes that are expensive and destructive to the environment. I met a woman last weekend who lives in a yurt and has an outdoor composting toilet. She paid $3,000 for the yurt, making it a dignified way to live on a low income. She's worried because what she's doing on her own property is illegal. She's living in a safe, efficient, inexpensive structure that is extremely light on the land, an it's illegal under her county building codes.

A conventional home that costs $200,000 may end up costing $400,000- $600,000 including interest paid to the bank and all fees. If you can save money and cut out the bank, you might be able to build your own code-compliant house for $100,000 or less, including the land. It isn't difficult to see the financial advantage of building yourself.

Conventional homes are also highly destructive to the environment, partly due to materials and partly due to inefficiency of the completed structure. As usual, I'm looking for alternatives.

One possibility that has caught my imagination is a material called cob. It's made of sand, clay and straw that's mixed together and allowed to harden into a durable monolithic structure. It's a traditional form of construction throughout the world, but the word comes from the UK, where thousands of cob buildings are still standing after up to 500 years. It's similar to adobe, except bricks are not used.

Cob uses inexpensive materials that can typically be gathered on-site or nearby, and have a low embodied energy. The straw is an agricultural waste product and is very inexpensive. Building with cob doesn't require much skill or strength. It can produce highly efficient structures in appropriate climates due to its high thermal mass. It's also extremely durable if cared for properly. Cob has all the attributes of an effective vernacular building technique.

It's also not code-compliant in most places in the US, but that may change as it becomes more familiar. That's also a reason why I'm considering alternatives like strawbale and timberframe construction. It's possible to build code-compliant cob houses in the UK.

Last weekend I went to a "Basics of Cob" workshop at the Ancient Earth school of natural building on Whidbey island. We learned how to mix cob and then we built a bench out of it. The bench will eventually be coated in a smooth earthen or lime plaster. Cob is an amazing material. It's sculptable when wet, but becomes very hard when it dries. It's compatible with a number of other natural building techniques like strawbale and light straw-clay. It really is at the intersection of construction and sculpting. When you build with cob, you aren't limited to straight lines and right angles, so you can create spaces that are highly functional and aesthetic, while also being space-efficient. Here are some photos from the workshop:

Dandruff : Causes, Treatment and Home Remedies

Dandruff is a condition in which flakes and chunks of dead skin are shed from a persons scalp. Contrary to popular belief, it is not always caused by a dry scalp, many people with oily scalps are also afflicted.

Causes

1. Dry scalp
Often caused by overly dry environmental conditions or the overuse of cheap hair care products, this condition can be cured by moisturizing.

2. Oily scalp
People who have oily scalps can also get dandruff. The exact cause has not yet been proven, but has been speculated to be due to the excessive oil promoting the growth of yeast and fungi that can irritate the scalp.

3. Seborrheic dermatitis
It is a skin condition that effects the scalp, face and upper-body. Symptoms include scaly or flaky skin that is itchy and red. It is believed to be caused by the fungus.

4. Psoriasis
Psoriasis is a skin condition that can cause silvery, flaky patches of skin on different areas of the body. It is commonly seen on the scalp, creases of the nose, eyebrows, elbows, knees and arms.

5. Environment
Dry environments that lead to dryness of the scalp. Consider humidifying your living space if you have dry skin elsewhere on your body.

6. Food allergies
Poor nutrition and food allergies have been blamed for dandruff .

7. Cheap hair care product
The use of cheap hair care products that dry or irritate the scalp as well as chemical and mechanical over styling.


Treatment



1. Dandruff shampoos
Use anti-dandruff shampoos which used active ingredients such as Zinc pyrithione, Ketoconazole, Selenium sulfide, Coal tar and Salicylic acid .

2. Tea tree oil
Massage the mixture into the scalp and let it sit for 15 minutes prior to rinsing clean.

3. Vinegar rinses
Rinse your hair with white or apple cider vinegar prior to bathing. It may have something to do with correcting your hair�s PH balance.

4. Aloe Vera
Put aloe Vera gel into the scalp and leave it on for 10-15 minutes. Then shampoo your hair with baby shampoo.

5. Coconut oil
Massage the scalp with coconut oil once or twice a week before shampooing.

6. Olive oil
Massage the scalp with olive oil for 10-15 minutes before shampoo your hair.

Recipe - chicken curry

Chicken Curry























Ingredients:

10 shallots - grounded

1 clove garlic - grounded

4-5 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 star anise

50g curry powder (refer to recipe above), mixed with � cup water

750-800g meaty chicken pieces with bones

2 sprigs curry leaves

500ml water

2 potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges

125ml thick coconut milk (from � coconut)

salt to taste




Method :




1. Pound or grind the shallots, garlic to a smooth paste.

2. Heat the oil in a wok or roomy saucepan, add the star anise and fry over low heat for 5 seconds. Add the shallot paste and fry, stirring continuously, until fragrant and oil starts to separate.

3. Mix the curry powder with enough water to form a thick paste - about 125ml - add this to the wok. Stir fry for 5-10 minutes or until curry paste is fragrant.

4. Add the chicken, curry leaves and water; simmer for 10 minutes. Add potatoes and simmer until potatoes are tender.

5. Add coconut milk, season to taste with salt and bring curry back to a boil before turning off the heat.

6. Serve with steamed rice.