Cancer warning for talcum powder

Be careful the next time you sprinkle yourself with talcum powder or inhale it as it has been found to cause cancers and tumours, said the Consumers’ Association of Penang (CAP).

Magnesium silicate hydroxide, also commonly known as talc, is the main ingredient in baby, medicated and designer perfumed body powder.

CAP president S.M. Mohamed Idris said the latest findings from the United States suggested that women who used talcum powder were 40% more likely to suffer from ovarian cancer.

“Talc particles are capable of moving up the reproductive system and becoming embedded in the ovary lining.

“Researchers have found talc particles in ovarian tumour and they have also discovered that women with ovarian cancer used talcum powder on their genitals more frequently than healthy women,” he told a press conference at the CAP headquarters here Tuesday.

He said that researchers from Harvard Medical School in Boston studied over 3,000 women and found that those using talcum once a week had a 36% chance of getting ovarian cancer, while those using talcum daily had a 41% chance.

Talcum, Mohamed Idris added, was also a health risk when exposed to the lungs as the puffy white cloud of powder ended up being inhaled by babies.

“Talc can cause the baby’s airways to swell and lead to pneumonia, and has been linked to asthma in children. Statistics show that several thousands infants die or become seriously ill each year due to inhalation of baby powder,” he said.

He urged the Health Ministry to place a warning on products containing talc and to stop the marketing of baby powder containing talc.

“Consumers should revert to using the traditional ‘bedak sejuk,’ which is made of rice flour or powder made from corn flour,” he added.

Source : The Star - By Tunku Shahariah

Hope everyone especially parents are alert of this latest finding.

Lick your wounds

When I was a kid, I used to put my saliva on my wound until I can feel the wetness on and around the wound area. Then normally I get scolded by my mom for doing this, but I just couldn’t stop myself, it just let me feel better. So, day by day, I was getting used to this so called “dirty act” whenever I get cut. And today, I came across an article in a magazine with the title “Lick your wounds” which support this “dirty act” as shown below:-

Human saliva may not always get the respect it deserves but this humble fluid had been shown to have powerful antifungal, antibacterial and antiviral properties. One study conducted by French researchers in 2006 identified a pain-killer in saliva called opiorphin which is reportedly six times more potent than morphine. Considering these traits, a new discovery by Dutch-based scientists at the Academic Centre for Dentistry in Amsterdam makes perfect sense. They have isolated a compound in human saliva called histatin that greatly speeds the healing wounds. According to Gerald Weissmann, editor-in-chief of The Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology Journal, which published the results, the findings explain “why wounds in the mouth, like those of a tooth extraction, heal much faster than comparable wounds of the skin and bone. It also directs us to begin looking at saliva as a source for new drugs.” Because saliva is virtually unlimited resource, wound-healing drugs could be mass-produced with relative ease. The researchers are particularly hopeful that their findings will mean good news for people like diabetics and burn victims who suffer from hard-to-heal wounds.

So friend, what do you think after reading this article? If you are doing the same “dirty act” as mine when kids, please do share this article with your parents…to show that.. sometimes…kids are right!

Cooking Oil : How to choose a good one?

All manufacturers claim their own cooking oil is the best! Canola oil, olive oil, sunflower oil, butter, margarine and even virgin coconut oil each has its supporters. Before we conclude the best cooking oil(s), let's look at the essential - Fats 101. We classified the following fats as "good fats" and "bad fats" based on their heart-smart values: their ability to raise or lower total and LDL cholesterol.

The Bad Fats

• Saturated Fats - Saturated fats raise total blood cholesterol as well as LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol).
• Trans Fats - Trans fats raise LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) and lower HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol).

The Good Fats

• Monounsaturated Fats - Monounsaturated fats lower total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) and increase the HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol).
• Polyunsaturated Fats - Polyunsaturated fats also lower total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol. Omega 3 fatty acids belong to this group.

Therefore, based on the above classification, the "ideal" cooking oil should contain higher amount of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats and with minimal or no saturated fats and trans fats.

As long as you're using fats and oils sparingly in your cooking and preparation, it would be fine to use any one of the following "good" oils. All of the following oils are low in saturated fats and trans fats. Some have high concentration of monounsaturated fats such as olive oil. Choose corn oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil, soy oil or canola oil if you wish to fry foods as these oils have higher smoke point. It is best not to fry with olive oil as its smoke point is only about 190C/375F.

Good Cooking Oils:

• canola oil
• flax seed oil
• peanut oil
• olive oil
  
• non-hydrogenated soft margarine
• safflower oil
• sunflower oil
• corn oil

The following "bad" oils contain high percentage of trans fat or saturated fats. Some, such as coconut oil, even contain more saturated fats than animal products!

Bad Cooking Oils:

• Vegetable shortening
• Hard margarine
• Butter
• Palm oil
• Coconut oil
  
• Palm kernel oil

Source : http://www.healthcastle.com

In short, types of fat we choose and total amount of fat we consume will make a difference to our heart health. Thus, it is advisable to use "good cooking oil" that mentioned above instead of "bad cooking oil" in your daily cooking.

List of dairy products or products containing dairy ingredients not affected by Melamine contamination

Up to 27 Sep 2008, Ministry of Health has announced the latest product list which are not affected by melamine contamination. This is the result obtained after the testing on total 980 products from total 34 companies. You may click here for the latest list. Besides this list, the ministry also advises consumers to read the food label before consuming. We consumers are welcomed to contact the ministry’s Food Safety and Quality division for confirmation if there is any doubt on this issue. Meanwhile, the ministry promises to continue provide daily updates on the outcome of the tests of any suspected products.

Below is the contact number of the division which operate daily from 8am to 9pm including public holiday:-
03-88833655/88833503/88833652/88833500

Source of the list : http://fsq.moh.gov.my

Tainted Milk Kills 4 Babies in China

A fourth baby has died in China after developing kidney stones as a result of drinking Sanlu milk powder containing the chemical melamine, used in making plastics, that was added to formula to make it appear to have more protein. The deaths have reached across this vast country of 1.3 billion people, the latest coming in China's Xinjiang Autonomous Region.

The China Health Ministry says more than 6,000 babies were sickened after drinking the formula, and the number is likely to rise. The government has made a big push to prevent more deaths, but many questions remain unanswered and parents are angry and fearful.

The first cases of kidney stones were reported to local officials back in March. Last week the Sanlu Group, the largest and most profitable milk powder producer in China, issued an immediate recall of milk formula made before Aug. 6, in the first publicly announced recall.
But officials in China's Health Ministry have said Sanlu knew about the problem six weeks earlier and delayed warning the public. And as early as July, a local TV channel in Hunan reported an unusually high number of infant kidney stone patients.

Why did Sanlu wait to tell the public that thousands of tons of their product were tainted and dangerous to children? The company has issued an apology and the company president has been fired, but Sanlu has yet to answer that question.

China's Internet chat rooms are alive with angry parents airing grievances and demanding answers. Some critics have accused the company of waiting until after the Olympics were over so as not to embarrass itself and the country, thereby putting thousands of young lives at risk.

The central government in China says it was not informed of the problem until last week. One allegation is that local government officials kept quiet about it, in some cases taking the poisonous powder off supermarket shelves, but not publicly warning parents who may have already been feeding their children the formula.

Sanlu's partner company in New Zealand, Fonterra, said it had pressed for the recall. New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark said Fonterra tried "for weeks to get official recall and the local authorities in China would not do it." Finally, "New Zealand blew the whistle in Beijing," and a "very heavy hand then descended on the local authorities."

Since the recall became public, the central government has actively publicized the warnings surrounding the tainted milk, holding regular press conferences and posting the story on the front pages of state-run newspapers.

To date, 18 suspects have been arrested. Six have been charged with selling the melamine, and 12 others have been charged for adding the melamine to milk and then selling the tainted milk powder to Sanlu. One suspect reportedly said that his pure milk was not good enough and he heard that melamine would make the quality appear better, so he added it and then sold it. Reports in China's state-run media say the suspects could face the death penalty if convicted.

At the Sanlu headquarters in Shijiazhuang, angry parents came to return the recalled formula and demand answers. The mayor of the city has resigned over the scandal, along with four other officials.

Source : http://abcnews.go.com/International/Story?id=5831101&page=1

Besides tainted milk powder, parents need to concern as well on products which used milk as the ingredient such as ice cream and yoghurt. A full-scale testing on these milk products should be carried out in China besides testing on milk powder.

Lets us pray for the innocent kids to get well soon.

Whole Food Signature

I have came across this article previously through a magazine, but I still yet to confirm the proof on it. Anyway, it is a great article to share with all of you.

A stupendous insight of civilizations past has now been confirmed by today's investigative, nutritional sciences. They have shown that what was once called "The Doctrine of Signatures" was astoundingly correct. Referred to in the classical period of Rome as the "Law of Similarities" it is now called by scientists, "Teleological Nutritional Targeting."

It now contends that every whole food has a pattern that resembles a body organ or physiological function and that these patterns acts as a signal or sign as to the benefit the food provides the eater.

Below list are the examples of Whole Food Signature:-


A sliced Carrot looks like the human eye.
The pupil, iris and radiating lines look just like the human eye...and YES science now shows that carrots greatly enhance blood flow to and function of the eyes.



A Tomato has four chambers and is red. The heart is red and has four chambers. All of the research shows tomatoes are indeed pure heart and blood food.



Grapes hang in a cluster that has the shape of the heart.Each grape looks like a blood cell and all of the research today shows that grapes are also profound heart and blood vitalizing food.




A Walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebelums. Even the wrinkles or folds are on the nut just like the neo-cortex. We now know that walnuts help develop over 3 dozen neuro- transmitters for brain function.



Kidney Beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function and yes, they look exactly like the human kidneys.




Celery, Bok Choy, Rhubarb and more look just like bones.
These foods specifically target bone strength. Bones are 23% sodium and these foods are 23% sodium. If you don't have enough sodium in your diet the body pulls it from the bones, making them weak. These foods replenish the skeletal needs of the body.



Egg Plant, Avocadoes and Pears target the health and function of the womb and cervix of the female - they look just like these organs. Today's research shows that when a woman eats 1 avocado a week, it balances hormones, sheds unwanted birth weight and prevents cervicle cancers. And how profound is this? .... it takes exactly 9 months to grow an Avocado from blossom to ripened fruit. There are over 14,000 phytolytic chemical constituents of nutrition in each one of these foods (modern science has only studied and named about 141 of them).



Figs are full of seeds and hang in twos when they grow.
Figs increase the motility of male sperm and increase the numbers of sperm as well to overcome male sterility.



Sweet Potatoes look like the pancreas and actually balance the glycemic index of diabetics.





Olives assist the health and function of the ovaries.



Grapefruits, Oranges, and other Citrus fruits look just like the mamary glands of the female and actually assist the health of the breasts and the movement of lymph in and out of the breasts.



Bananas, Cucumber, Zuchini and more target the size and strengh of the male sexual organ. It's true!





Onions look like body cells. Todays research shows that onions help clear waste materials from all of the body cells. They even produce tears which wash the epithelial lasyers of the eyes.


In short, consume more fruits and vegetalbes in your daily diet in order to obtain disease-fighting nutrients for buiding up a strong immune system.

3 beneficial nutrients : Antioxidants, phytochemicals & polysaccharides

Many of us tend to spend a lot of money in buying vitamin supplement in order to supply insufficient nutrients for our body. However, researches have proven that taking too much of the supplement pills can cause harmful side effects to us. On the other hand, we also think that proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and fats are the only nutrients we need. In fact, there are 3 types of other nutrients that our body needs to perform perfectly in strengthening our defenses. They are antioxidants, phytochemicals and polysaccharides.

Our body produces its own set of antioxidants which called endogenous antioxidants. However, in order for these endogenous antioxidants to act actively in expelling excess free radicals, we need to obtain more antioxidants through external sources. These antioxidants are called exogenous antioxidants. Thus far, experts advise obtaining antioxidants from natural sources which is wholesome plant foods instead of antioxidant pills. As there is so far no conclusive evidence claiming that antioxidant pill can help to prevent cancer, coronary heart disease and other diseases. Antioxidants are found abundant in fruits, vegetables, beans, and grain products. For example, carrot, broccoli, tomatoes, berries, apricots, nut, seeds, green leafy vegetables and so on are main sources of antioxidants.

Phytochemicals are plant chemicals that plant produce to protect itself but recent researches have shown that they have protective and preventive properties against human diseases. There are more than thousand known phytochemicals, most of the well-known are flavonoids found in citrus fruits and berries, isofavones found in soybeans, indoles found in cauliflower, broccoli and cabbage, and lycopene found in tomatoes. These phytochemicals have powerful anti-cancer properties. Besides, phytochemicals also act like the human hormone estrogen that can help replenish hormone supply for postmenopausal women. Thus, phytochemicals are safer alternative ways compared to hormone replacement therapy (HRT) whereby they help our body metabolize estrogen to a form that does not trigger breast cancer. Meanwhile, polysaccharides are long chain of sugars that help to inhibit tumour growth, help normalize blood pressure and blood sugar, act as an anti-inflammatory and balance immune function. Polysaccharides are mainly found in mushroom like Agaricus Blazel Murill (ABM), Coriolus Versicolor mushroom, Shiitake mushroom, Maitake mushroom.

In fact, nutritional immunology studies the effect of these 3 disease fighting nutrients on our human immune system. And, foods containing these 3 disease fighthing nutrients are already part of our daily diet. Hence, it is best to obtain them from wholesome food which is safe and inexpensive rather than supplement pills. So, enjoy eating these foods for a more healthier life.