Posts Tagged ‘diabetes’
Siberian Chaga Used in Russia as Cancer Drug
If you discover a black, cancerous mass on a birch, you may be looking at a Siberian chaga mushroom. It can also, less commonly, be found growing ash, beech, elm or hornbeam.
In Europe and Asia, chaga has been used for centuries to treat cancers of the heart and liver, digestive ailments, and tuberculosis. [121]
The traditional use was to peel the black skin of the mushroom and then boil it into a tea. Being a compact and easily portable medicinal made it very valuable to healers throughout history.
Modern research on chaga has mainly focused on its potential application as an anti-cancer remedy. In Russia, this usage was already approved as early as 1955 to treat lung, stomach, breast and cervical cancers. [122]
One modern study from 1998 showed that chaga extract did in fact inhibit growth of cervical cancer cell lines under lab conditions. [123] Another study from 1995 reported that an isolate of the active compound betulin first inhibited growth of melanoma cells in a lab, and then killed them. [124, 25]
Other research papers also confirm that some of the active compounds of chaga help retard the growth of cancer cells. [125, 126]
Although traditional healers used to peel off the black outside (probably because it looked unappetizing), the skin actually contains 30% betulin, a highly prized medicinal compound, [127] while the inside is rich in fungal lanostanes. So both parts would be valuable in preparing the tea.
Even better are chaga extracts that are made with not only the whole mushroom but also the mycelium, because the mycelium contains higher levels of medicinal proteins than the fruit body of the mushroom.
Other researchers have found chaga extract to be potently anti-viral. Two studies in 1996 found it to have an inhibitory effect on both influenza [127] and HIV. [128] Perhaps it does so by helping to stimulate the body’s natural immune functions, something that was first confirmed in 2002 and then again in 2005, [25, 129] and which may also help explain the historical use of chaga mushroom as an anti-inflammatory. [130]
Furthermore, alcohol extract of chaga mushroom has been found to lower blood sugar levels. [131] Chaga also demonstrates significant antioxidant properties that help protect the genetic integrity of the cells. [132, 133]
As an interesting aside unrelated to human health, a Quebec arborist uses a chaga poultice to cure chestnut blight. The trees later even become immune to the blight and resistant to future infections. [134]
Note: The statements on this page have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This article is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Never use any medicinal mushroom or herb without prior approval by medical doctor.
Credit to Paul Stamets for research and source material.
Dr. Markho Rafael has worked in the natural health field since finishing Chiropractic College in 1996. He currently specializes in medicinal fungi in partnership with Cordyceps Reishi Extracts, LLC, a U.S. business offering Siberian Chaga Mushroom Extract and much more. For the scientific references to this article, go to the Chaga Extract page and click on any number indicating a reference.
Tags: AIDS, breast cancer, cancer, diabetes, disease, herbal, Herbs, hiv, medicine, Nutrition, skin cancer, Supplements, wellness, women's
What You Should Know About Natural Sweeteners and Artificial Sweeteners
Finding a sugar substitute that is healthy without negative side effects is a challenge. There are many choices and with the clever marketing and conflicting arguments it is difficult to determine what direction is best for you. Fortunately there is a lot of information available to help in making the right choice. Here are a few quick thoughts and facts you can use in your search.
When considering sugar substitutes there are two very distinct directions you can go. You can go with a man made artificial or an all natural sweetener. Each have their own side effects or benefits to consider. Artificial sweeteners are specifically engineered to provide some particular benefit, but I don’t know that we have figured out how to create a chemical that provides that benefit without causing another side effect. Even natural sweeteners will have different benefits and side effects to consider. You will need to decide which works best for you.
There is a large supply of artificial sweeteners available on the market these days. Most of them are based on two popular artificial sweeteners, Sucralose and Aspartame. These sweeteners are designed to be calorie free or at least trick your body into treating it like something with no caloric value. The reports are conflicting at times but there seems to be mounting evidence, especially with Aspartame, that major side effects include migraines, stomach upset, seizures in some people and others. You might also consider the fact that cooking with these sweeteners will provide different results. Aspartame will break down in the heat and cannot be cooked with at all. Sucralose will stand the heat but because of the filler required it will leave your foods dry and undesirable in texture. There is a lot of money in finding the right sugar substitute and with big money comes big marketing campaigns designed to convince you against the truth. Be careful to consider the long term effects.
Quickly catching up in popularity are the all natural sweeteners. Some of them you may have heard of are Erythritol, Xylitol, Mannitol, Sorbitol and Stevia. All of these are 100% natural and sweet to the taste. However, just because it is all natural doesn’t mean it won’t have side effects. Three of the above mentioned seem to stand out as better alternatives to sugar; Erythritol, Xylitol and Stevia. Xylitol and Stevia will cause digestion issues if you aren’t careful with the quantity you consume. Erythritol however is digested differently by the body and will not cause gastric pain. Another nice benefit of Erythritol is that it is the only one that doesn’t promote tooth decay and it is the only one on the list to be zero calorie.
Erythritol is found in many fruits and vegetables and is about 70% sweet as sugar. As mentioned earlier it has zero calories and digests in the small intestine leaving your body through your urine not causing gas pains like many other natural products. Erythritol is also a great choice for diabetics because it will not cause a rise in your blood sugar levels. You can find Erythritol online or in a store and use it alone as a sweetener with great benefit. There are also a few companies now that are finding super sweet natural ingredients and blending that with Erythritol to bring the sweetness up to that of sugar. Because if its physical properties it is also great for cooking and can in fact be measured cup for cup like sugar.
This article represents only an extremely small part of the opinions and considerations to filter through. It is clear that my choice is Erythritol, but that is because I have done the research and tried the products. Hopefully my explanation of the process of eliminating artificial sweeteners as too dangerous from your list of options and the rationale used to determine Eyrithritol as the lucky winner will help you follow a similar path.
Learn more about natural sweeteners at www.doctorgrandmas.com. Doctor Grandma’s website is filled with information about the benefits of Erythritol and other healthy foods.
Tags: diabetes, eating, Health, health and nutrition, healthy eating, natural sweeteners, Nutrition, sugar substitutes, sweeteners
Preparing Low Carb
Cooking is called an art form but cooking can become even more creative in thought and planning when you or someone in your family goes on a diet. The challenge arises when you have to match the needs of your whole family with that of a low carb dieter. However, even for this seldom difficult problem, low carb recipes are a God send, especially if inspiration is low.
Thanks to the many low carb recipes and other products on the market, it is now easily possible to turn cooking low carb food into enjoyable part of your life. There are so many useful things to use when you are cooking low carb recipes. Furthermore, the Internet provides access to many websites that feature low carb diet changes.
Some of these changes are simple to bring in like combining two different menu recipes to make one healthy low carb recipe. There are even counters that can help you discover if your selection of food is within the limits of the Atkins low carb recipe diet.
It is a good idea to have a list of food that you want to buy in order to prepare low carb recipes. Furthermore, to complete the change to preparing low carb recipes, you should have your kitchen mirror this lifestyle change. If you do this, you will have all of the kitchen implements and staples for preparing low carb recipes already stocked up in your kitchen.
This does not have to be anything high-brow, you know. Really, as long as you avoid foods which are high in carbs and just keep cooking low carb meals you will be all right.
This does not mean that you have to avoid carbs completely, only that you should limit the quantities when preparing low carb recipes to the bare minimum. As I mentioned earlier, this can severely limit your manner of cooking. Low carb recipes aren’t easy to adapt if you really like your pastas and bread.
However, with only a small amount of change on your behalf, you can cook meal after meal of low carb recipes. If you’re not the one on the low carb diet, then this can make you reluctant to try cooking low carb meals, but you’ll be surprised at the amount of really great tasting food that you can prepare when you start cooking low carb recipes.
But, then again, if you’re not the one wanting low carb recipes, then you always have the choice of adding a few high carb recipes to your menu along with the low carb recipes, and enjoy the meal the way you like it. This way everyone gets what they want and you will have no problems with cooking low carb recipes or pandering to the dieter in your household!
Do you need to lose that excess weight quickly? Well, take a free look at Atkins low carb recipes, by going to our website called The Atkins Diet Plan
Tags: advice, atkins, blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, diabetes, diet, fat, fitness, Health, other, plus size, Recipies, self help, weight loss
Helpful Ideas On Cooking For People With Diabetes
Persons who suffer from diabetes themselves are not aware of the existence of this killer disease within them. During a diabetes camp held by a doctor, the revelation that over 90% of the inhabitants of a village in American Samoa, were oblivious that they were smitten by the disease was shocking, to say the least. To start with, he prescribed the minimal medicines and advised them on the advantages of going in for diabetic cooking.
Diabetic cooking can play a pivotal role in controlling your diabetes and at the same time improving your standard of living. Because no permanent cure has yet been found for Diabetes, it is general knowledge that it is the result of deficient making of insulin by the pancreas.
Currently most families locate recipes in diabetic cooking to suit everyone so as not to isolate its one sufferer and there by console him to the fact that all of the others are eating only what he can eat. This gives a lot of comfort and peace of mind to the one with Diabetes.
There are now a hoard of appetizing recipes complimenting a balanced diet, from soup to dessert which everyone can devour with relish without the fear of sugar and fat. Lots of books on diabetic cooking have come onto the market, some by Diabetics by themselves.. Even craving for desserts can be satisfied with a mixture of fruit combinations that do you no harm. In reality there is a book called “Diabetic Cooking” which excels in its recipes of Diabetic food for all kinds of Diabetes.
Diabetic cooking which has to adhere to a healthy diet plan that is exclusive for diabetics and the members of the family around him, would be hard to conceive and execute, but today the internet is so full of tips that you could simply delve into articles like Diabetic News Letter to offer you a fool proof plan.
Snacks are the biggest impediment to a diabetic, and junk foods are by far the worst in this category. Your strength of mind should be a major player in controlling your temptations to splurge on these overwhelming items of food.
A plethora of the ideal diabetic cooking recipes recommended by Diabetes Information Library are given here under: A diabetic breakfast which could titillate everyone’s palate could include Blueberry Pancakes, Potato Salads, Stuffed mushrooms, salsa chicken, dips of salmon, baked beans and spinach. Diabetic Lunch and Dinner could start with soups of barley, rice, tomato, vegetable, turkey and beans. Sea food lovers can have fillet of sole, hot garlic shrimp, low fat steaks, and sea scallops, to name a few.
Nicholas Roerich has written a great deal this subject for instance info about diabetes which you will with any luck find of use to you.
Tags: cooking, diabetes, diabetic, diet, dieting, dinner, eating, Food, Health, recipes
Is Sushi Okay for Someone with Diabetes?
If you are a big sushi fan and you really enjoy eating it specifically having diabetes diagnosed may question whether or not you should be eating sushi. Your diet and lifestyle has to change so should your favorite food not be on the change? There is a lot of speculation when it comes to sushi lets evaluate the effects of eating sushi.
Today there are more and more sushi restaurants being built. This is because it is a very enjoyable food that is full of vitamins and nutrients. Sushi contains high levels of lean proteins and vegetables for a healthy diet. Not only all that sushi is very eye appealing in presentation.
However, those who suffer from Type 2 Diabetes need to approach sushi with a bit of caution. Those who are diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes typically have diets that are full of high glucose foods that cause their blood sugar to be off kilter.
Most sushi is made with white rice which contains high levels of glucose that can cause your blood sugar levels to rise. Traditionally nigiri sushi and sushi rolls use this type of white rice.
It is very important that you do not eat too much white rice. Also, be very careful when applying or using sauce with your sushi because most of the time it is filled with sugar. In addition, stay away from fried foods.
Sashimi is a type of sushi that works very well for a diabetic. Sashimi is a sushi roll without the rice. It is very good for anyone that needs to avoid foods that are too high on the glycemic index.
Tags: diabetes, diet, Food, sushi, weight loss
Do You Know If You Are At Risk Of Developing Diabetes?
No one likes to get old, but it happens to us anyway, your life as a 50+ year old will be much more comfortable if you don’t have to deal with things that can be prevented (or at least pushed off for a few years). Diabetes is one of these things, if you are in a high risk group then you should do something to reduce your risk.
Who is at risk of developing diabetes? Sadly enough diabetes is becoming a very common condition in the western world. We are all eating more junk food and spending more time in our cars rather than out in the fresh air. As more people are at risk now than ever before it is a a good idea for anybody over 40 to have their blood sugar levels tested from time to time.
One of the major factors you are in control of in your battle is your belly. If you are overweight then you are at a increased risk, if you are clinically obese then the risk goes up even more and if all your excess weight is in your belly region then that increases the likelihood that you will develop diabetes even more.
Sadly this factor is something you can’t affect. Your age, the older you get the higher your risk of developing many problems including diabetes. While there is nothing you can do about getting older it is just one of the factors so there is still plenty you can do to reduce your risks.
Do you have high blood pressure already? Well then you are increasing your risk for diabetes. This is another one of the illness that can be improved so much just by reducing your weight. If you are clinically obese then diabetes and hypertension together could very well be reducing your life span.
If you spend a lot of time sitting around then you are not helping to reduce the chances of developing diabetes. Your lifestyle choices really do affect your health. The good thing is that you can change your lifestyle without to much difficulty. Just get up and take the dog, or even someone elses dog, for a walk once a day or do something else to increase your level of exercise.
If you lose weight, improve your hypertension, reduce your reliance on medicine and then reduce your chances of developing diabetes as well surely you are on a all round winner aren’t you?
Realistically none of us can really know for certain if we will develop diabetes it can be useful to know some of the Causes of Diabetes that we can do something about Diabetes is becoming more common every year but there are things you can do to reduce your risk of developing it.
Tags: diabetes, diet, exercise, family, fitness, Food, Health
Is There a Connection Between Obesity and Diabetes?
A disease that is rising to epidemic proportions is diabetes. Because of the increased number of people who are obese, diabetes has been on the rise. Over 21 million Americans have diabetes.
Diabetes type 2 is a disease that interferes with your bodys ability to process insulin. Being overweight makes your body less likely to detect and process insulin. Because of this insulin remains in the blood instead of being turned into energy.
There has been research on diabetes and obesity. What they have found is if a person loses around 5 percent body fat their health increases.
For some people fat is distributed differently than others. People who are most at risk for diabetes is when extra fat is being held on the midsection. These are the people most at risk for diabetes.
Changing your diet and lifestyle to include healthier foods and more exercise it the best solution. You need to eat fruits and vegetables and start exercising more. Quit living a sedimentary life.
Additionally, you will want to have carbohydrates in your diet, but you will want to take a look at what kind of carbohydrates you are eating. You will want to center it around complex carbohydrates like whole grains. These are the types of carbohydrates that cause your body to work harder, but will also provide your system with a longer lasting energy source.
There is a connection between obesity and diabetes but it can be avoided with good eating and exercise. Do your best to maintain a healthy lifestyle and your risk of diabetes will be drastically reduced.
Tags: diabetes, Food, Health, obesity, type 2 diabetes, weight loss
