Monday, January 13, 2014

The Goals of Nutritional Immunology

Nutritional Immunology focuses not only on prolonging life but improving the quality of life. It aims to help people make better-informed choices about nutrition and their lifestyle. Many people fall ill because they lack knowledge about nutrition. Many more don't know that nature provides all the nourishment we need for a healthy immune system. All  we need to do is to make the simple decision to eat healthier to improve and prolong our lives.

According to Nutritional Immunology, what we eat directly affects how our immune system works. Good nutrition gives us an amazing disease-fighting capability while poor nutrition makes us fall ill easily and take a longer time to recover. Nutritional Immunology emphasizes prevention over cure and longevity over more good health.

Unlike the days when poverty and starvation were rampant, many of us have access to sufficient sources of basic nutrition like protein, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals.

Nutritional Immunology goes a step beyond these basic survival nutrients to research disease-fighting nutrients like antioxidants, phytochemicals and polysaccharides.

Experts on Nutritional Immunology study plant foods, which contain the most abundance of antioxidants, phytochemicals and polysaccharides. They also study the proper quantity of such plants that is need for excellent health. For example, studies show that we need a minimum of 15 different plant foods daily to obtain an optimum amount of phytochemicals.

Experts also emphasize consuming natural nutrients sources from whole plant foods and not chemically created ones. By encouraging us to consume more plant foods, Nutritional Immunology tackles the prevention of modern day chronic and degenerative illnesses by enhancing the health of the immune system.  When we succumb to chronic illnesses, we age faster. By preventing these illnesses, Nutritional Immunology helps us to strive for longevity.

Apart from researching types of immune-enhancing plant foods, Nutritional Immunology also focuses on the age, specie, part, cultivation, harvesting methods and processing techniques of these plant foods in order to derive maximum benefits.

Selecting species/ herbs:
For example, over 80 specie of ginger are available, but all contain different combinations of nutrients.

Some plants, like ginseng and ginseng berry, contain different nutrients in the root as compared to the fruits.

Orange and lemons have been traditional sources of the antioxidant, Vitamin C. But rose hips, the small fruits of roses, contain up to 50 times the amount of Vitamin C found in lemons.

Proanthocyanidin (OPC) found mainly in grape seeds, has 20 times more potent than Vitamin C and up to 50 times more potent than another antioxidant, Vitamin E.

Similarly, soy is perhaps one of the best sources of phytochemicals known to mankind. Isoflavones, a soy phytochemical is used to relieve menopause symptoms in women in place of risker chemical alternatives like hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

Mushromms are also being recognized for their astounding nutritional capabilities. Polysaccharides from Agaricus Blazel Murill (ABM), Shitake, Maitake, Ganoderman and Coriolus Versicolor mushrooms are particularly flavored for their ability to inhibit tumors and even enhance treatment procedures for existing cancer sufferers. However, Amanita mushrooms can kill when eaten.

Within the same Opuntia cactus family, there are some whose fruits are edible and others like Opuntia Compressa, whose fruits cannot be eaten.

Some plants are natural BUT are NOT safe. For example:
  • Ephedra (Ma Huang) - its active ingredient ephedrine, a popular ingredient in slimming pills can cause heart attacks, blood toxicity and bleeding strokes. The FDA has also collected over 150 ephedra-linked death reports.


  • Guar Gum - a weight-loss ingredient was banned in the 1990s. Guar gum is a complex sugar that swells when wet, creating a feeling of fullness when eaten. However, its side effects include frightening instances of stomach,  throat and intestinal blockage.


  • White Willow Bark - contains salicylic acid, the active ingredient in aspirin. The FDA says that this herb is sometimes used in child medications that are labeled aspirin-free. It can induce internal bleeding in aspirin-sensitive adults. The National Council Against Health Fraud cautions that using it for childhood chicken pox or influenza can lead to Reye's syndrome, a disease which affects all organs of the body, but most lethally the liver and the brain.


  • Guarana Seeds, Cola nut, Camellia leaf - high-caffeine herbs are popular weight-loss agents because caffeine reportedly boosts metabolism. Depending on the species, guarana yields up to 10% caffeine by weight. Camellia leaf carries about 3.5% and the average caffeine content of raw coffee is about 2.2% by weight. Experts concur that too much caffeine can cause anxiety. insomnia, irregular heartbeat, addictiveness and even death in those with high blood pressure. Some of these herbs are used in combination with diuretic herbs in slimming supplements to make the body lose large amount of water, leading to temporary weight loss. Overuse of diuretics also increases the risk of kidney damage.  


Harvesting Time:
Ginseng and cactus need to be grown for many years before harvesting while mushrooms are more nutritious when harvested early.

Processing for Quality and Quantity:
Certain phytochemicals may be found in the whole plant but not in its extract or juice. Similarly some plants can be heated to extract nutrients while others cannot. For example, soy needs heat during processing while heat may destroy nutrients in more fragile plants. Overheating cactus for instance, discolor the surface and reduces nutrient content. Heat can also degrade a food's fiber content.

While manufactures should be careful to thoroughly clean harvested plants, force should be avoided. Ginseng roots for instance should not be scrubbed vigorously as this removes valuable nutrients. Rapid drying after cleaning will also discolor fragile ginseng berries as each berry yields only a few drops of essence.

Cactus are among the most difficult plant foods to process. Their thorny exterior forms an imposing barrier to the highly nutritious getl within. A detailed regiment of extraction and filtration is need to remove the various tiny particles. thorns and impurities before the gel is fit for use.

Another plant food that must be carefully processed is bee pollen. Bee pollen consists of an edible and water-soluble interior and a hard, inedible exterior or shell. Commercial bee pollen sometimes contains the shell - endangering the digestive system and making it difficult for the body to absorb the nutrients.

The Knowledge Factor

There is a difference between good herbal products and excellent ones. It is not difficult to produce herbal products that have a good amount of nutrients. But it is extremely challenging to select the best herbs and plant foods and deliver them to consumers in the purest, freshest and most nutritious form.

It is knowledge that separates the two. Nature requires our respect and understanding. Only by being careful and aware can we expect to obtain the optimal power of an herb or plant food.




Thanks to Nutritional Immunology, we now can have that knowledge. And become it is a constantly developing science, we can rest assured that research is going to reveal even more astounding, disease-fighting properties in plant foods. Thus far at least, Nutritional Immunology is already giving us the most precious knowledge at all - how to prolong the length and quality of our lives through Nature's healthiest herbs!

If you wish to find out more about Nutritional Immunology, kindly contact me via message/ email.

Thank you. 

Warmest Regards, 
Joselyne 
Nutritional Immunology Consultant
+65-90909942

Saturday, January 11, 2014

Knowing about Cancer and Causes

There is probably no other disease more frightening in name than the one that starts with the big C. This is because we know that cancer kills and does it quickly and painfully but not many of us know exactly what it is or how it affects us.

What is cancer and how does it even begin to cause such havoc in the body??

The body is populated by trillions of cells, experts estimate human to have 5 trillion cells at birth. Each cell is pre-programmed to live, reproduce and die according to a precise schedule. When there is no need, the cells stop reproducing.

Occasionally, a cell experiences some change or mutation to its DNA, the substance that directs a cell's activities. As a result, it refuses to die or stop reproducing. Normally, everyone experiences abnormal cell growths at different points in their life but thanks to a healthy immune system, these abnormalities are readily detected and removed by the body's police and military forces (our immune cells).

But in some instances. for example, when our immune soldiers are too weak, the growth can become an open revolt. This dissident cells are clones copies of itself and its clan of troublemakers hop into the blood stream, travelling to other organs and tissues, further disrupting the natural organs of the body.

In simple terms, cancer represents a situation where mutated cells grow out of control into chaos-causing tumors. Tumors can be either malignant or benign. When seen under microscope, malignant cells are usually misshapen, non-uniform structures, representing the very essence of disorder.

How does one dies of cancer?

The cancer process literally starves the cancer patient by using up the body's energy reserves. When a cancer grows, it steals nutrients from the affected organ, release toxins into that organ and effectively shut the organ down.

Cancer can also cut off blood supply to a vital organ. It can impair blood from clotting, causing some patients to die from uncontrolled blood loss. As cancer suppresses the immune system, a patient may die of a bacterial or viral infection. In some cases, toxic effects of cancer treatments like chemotherapy and radiation can also suppress the immune system.

What causes cancer?

1. An Unhealthy Diet
The American Cancer Society suggest that of the 50,000 cancer death that occurs each year in the US, at least one third could have been prevented through a healthy diet and regular physical activities. Experts label animal proteins and saturated fats as prime suspects. These substances are linked to cancers of colon, pancreas, kidney, breast, uterus and prostate.

Red meat is a confirmed cancer causer. Studies in the US show that women who ate a lot of red meat had double the rate of breast cancer compared to women who ate less meat. And men who regularly ate red meat were at nearly 3 times the risk of advanced prostate cancer compared to their plant food-loving counterparts.

Singaporeans' love for red meat gives them 2.2 times more risk for colon and rectal cancers. Apart from being high in fat, red meat is also high in animal protein. Such protein-rich diets tend to leach calcium from the bones. This not only causes osteoporosis later in life but is also detrimental for those with bone cancer, which depletes calcium reserves in the body.

Cancer is not only a result of what we eat, but also what we do not eat. Nutritional deficiencies brought about by buried and unbalanced meals can drastically undermine the immune system. Plant food is of particular value in the battle against cancer. The Singapore Chinese Health Study, a landmark, 10-year study of over 60,000 Chinese Singaporeans showed that eating green, leafy and cruciferous vegetables like kai lan, chye sim, broccoli and cauliflower may reduce risk of colon cancer and yellowish orange fruits like papaya and tangerines may reduce risk of lung cancer.

2. Obesity and Lack of Exercise
The American Cancer Society estimates that at least 16% of all cancer deaths are linked to excess weight. It is thought that fat's ability to raise insulin and protein levels may in turn lead to the uncontrolled growth of certain cells. The worse culprits are said to be fat cells that build up in the abdomen.

Obese postmenopausal women have 50% more risk for breast cancer than normal-weight women. An overweight woman has twice the risk of getting endometrial cancer compared to a normal-weight women. This risk increases to 3.5 to 5 fold if she is obese. An obese person is 50% more likely to develop colorectal cancer and 3 times more likely to get kidney cancer and a type of esophageal cancer than a normal weight person.

3. Tobacco Smoke & Alcohol Abuse
Smoking is said to be cause at least one third of all cancer deaths in the US and 87% of lung cancer deaths. Smokers have the highest risk of developing lung cancer, which claims 157,000 lives a year in the US alone. Secondary smoke, the smoke inhaled by someone in the presence of a smoker, accounts for about 3000 lung cancer deaths among non-smoking Americans. A non-smoking spouse or child living with a smoker is said to face double the risk dying from lung cancer.

Tobacco smoke's suppressing effect on our cancer-repelling natural killer (NK) cells makes smokers vulnerable to not only lung cancer but also other cancers. Doctors have found that women with breast cancer who smoke have double the risk of getting secondary tumors in the lungs. Women are also more likely to survive breast cancer if they do not smoke.

The National Cancer Institute cites alcohol consumption as another key risk factor. The risk of cancer also rose with the number of drinks consumed. Experts think that alcohol, including beer, elevates risk of cancer by suppressing our NK cells. Other alcohol-linked cancers include cancers of the pharynx, larynx, esophagus, pancreas, liver and cancer of the head and neck.

4. Drugs
Cancer-causing drugs include immunosuppressive drugs like antibiotics and steroids and treatments like hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

Antibiotics can kill both good and bad bacteria leading to the rise of pathogenic bacteria in the digestive system. Antibiotics can also lead to intolerances such as allergies which in turn put the immune system at further turmoil. Lowered immune function can trigger a cancer-causing environment in the body.

Steroids, meanwhile work by weakening immune responses - studies have shown that between 6% and 8% of kidney transplant patients develop cancer as a complication of using immunosuppressive drugs like steroids.

A National Institute of Health Women's Health Initiative report in July 2002 revealed that the previously  highly-lauded HRT actually upped risk of heart disease and stroke in the postmenopausal women and also caused a 26% increase in breast cancer incidence.

5. Excessive Stress
As early as 2000 years ago, a Greek physician called Galen noted that women who were melancholic were more likely to develop cancer.
Chronic stress directly affects our health by signaling the adrenal glands to produce corticosteroids. Experts say that cancer-causing processes are accelerated in the presence of such hormones.
Stress also causes the release of cortisol and adrenalin, hormones that can decrease the number of immune cells in the body.

6. Viruses
According to research, about 15% of cancer deaths in the world could be linked to harmful microorganisms, especially viruses. Up to 80% of liver cancers may be caused by the hepatitis virus while the sexually-transmitted papilloma virus is said to cause almost 80% of genital anal cancers. The Epstein-Barr virus is linked to cancers of the upper pharynx, Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's cancers as well as certain stomach cancers.

Friday, January 10, 2014

Milestones of Nutritional Immunology

We like to think of Nutritional Immunology as a new science— and as a rigorous, scientific study, it is relatively new. However, people have observed the relationship between nutrition and immunity for centuries. Hippocrates (ca. 460 BC – ca. 370 BC), the Greek physician known as the father of medicine, once said, “If we could give every individual the right amount of nourishment and exercise, not too little and not too much, we would have found the safest way to health.”
 
Through history, there are some significant dates for the science that we now call Nutritional Immunology.
 
1747

James Lind of the British Royal Navy studied limes for the prevention of scurvy. Lind was not the first to suggest that citrus fruit was a cure for scurvy, but he was the first to study their effect by a systematic experiment. It ranks as one of the first clinical experiments in the history of medicine. There after citrus juice was dispensed by the ship’s surgeon as a cure for seamen who had scurvy. Only after 1800 was it regularly issued to prevent scurvy, and British sailors became known as ‘limeys.’
 
1810
 
The first modern link between nutrition and immunity was made by J. F. Menkel. Menkel described the atrophy of the thymus in malnourished patients. By linking malnutrition and thymic atrophy Menkel provided the scientific birth of Nutritional Immunology. The thymus is of particular importance to the immune system because it produces hormones that stimulate the production of infection-fighting cells, and because of its importance in the maturation of T cells. In fact, the T in T cells stands for thymus.
 
1845
 
J. Simon called the thymus “a barometer of malnutrition, and a very sensitive one.” The anatomical link between nutrition and immunology was recognized long before the immunological importance of the thymus was discovered.
 
1882
 
Takaki Kanehiro, a Japanese naval physician, observed that Japanese naval officers, who ate a varied diet, did not get beriberi, while common seamen who lived primarily on white rice did. He conducted an experiment that convinced the Imperial Japanese Navy that poor diet was the prime factor in beriberi, and the disease was soon eliminated from the fleet. Ten years later, Christiaan Eijkman, in Batavia, advanced the theory that beriberi was caused by a nutritional deficiency, and later identified thiamine (vitamin B1) as the culprit, earning him the 1929 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
 
1906
 
Wilcock and Hopkins showed that the amino acid tryptophan was necessary for the survival of mice. Gowland Hopkins recognized “accessory food factors” other than calories, protein and minerals, as organic materials essential to health but which the body cannot synthesize.
 
1911

Isolation of thiamine by Casimir Funk led him to form the concept of a vitamine (i.e., vital amine) but the final e was later discarded when it was discovered that other vital compounds were not amines. Amines are organic compounds that contain nitrogen as the key atom. It was recognized quite early that both vitamin A and vitamin C had unique anti-infective properties, but their link to immunological mechanisms remained unknown until decades later.
 
1930
 
William Cumming Rose identified essential amino acids, which are those necessary protein components the body cannot synthesize itself.
 
1941

The first Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) were established by the United States National Research Council.
 
1950

The discovery of penicillin by Alexander Fleming in 1929 and gramicidin by Rene Dubos in 1939, ushered in “the antibiotic era,” which was in full swing during the 1950s. The efficacy of antibiotics and other breakthroughs in medical sciences took center stage during this time. In contrast, interest in the supportive and nutritional aspects of medical care reached a low point in the late 1940s and 1950s.

1987
 
Dr. Jau-Fei Chen founds E. Excel International based on the principles of Nutritional Immunology.
 
1991

A new publication, The Journal of Nutritional Immunology, makes its debut with Julian E. Spallholz as editor-in-chief.
 
2001

US patent issued to Dr. Jau-Fei Chen and E. Excel International for the use of ginseng berry and cactus fruit as ingredients in nutritional products and for freeze-dried ginseng berry tea.
 
2002

A research team from the University of Chicago’s Tang Center for Herbal Medicine Research reported in the June issue of the Journal Diabetes, that an extract of ginseng berries completely , normalized blood glucose levels, improved sensitivity to insulin, lowered cholesterol levels and decreased weight by reducing appetite and increasing activity levels in mice bred to develop diabetes. Dr. Chun-Su Yuan, director of the study said, “We were stunned by how different the berry is from the root and by how effective it is in correcting the multiple metabolic abnormalities associated with diabetes.”
 
********************************************************************************************************
 
The previous chart outlines significant points in the development of the science of Nutritional Immunology. When this Western scientific approach is combined with the extensive, ancient wisdom of the East’s Traditional Chinese Medicine, which utilizes hundreds of years of observing the reaction of the human immune system to a wide variety of plants and herbs, scientists can discover why certain plants and herbs are so effective in supporting the body’s nutritional needs.
 
 
Using Eastern wisdom to direct Western research allows scientists to narrow the focus of their studies to certain species of plants that have already been observed to support the immune system. The researchers begin from an already extensively studied plant to try to understand why the phytonutrients in that particular plant are so valuable to the body’s immune system. Their studies provide invaluable information about which of the possibly thousands of phytochemicals in a plant
are most beneficial and how to most effectively preserve these phytochemicals during harvesting and processing.


In the past years, many researchers around the world have studied many different phytonutrients in many different plant foods, from the ordinary tomato to exotic mushrooms. Significant inroads have been made into the knowledge of how these different phytonutrients affect our bodies. But there are literally thousands of different plant foods and thousands of phytonutrients left to be thoroughly studied. Every day new studies validate the connection between nutrition and a healthy immune system. The Science of Nutritional Immunology is making tremendous strides in research and development to improve health and longevity for people around the world.

Iron - an important element for our body

In this post, let me share on importance of iron and how shall we be a wiser consumer in choosing the right source of iron.

Iron is an important element that will maintain the optimal operation of our body systems.

Medical studies have shown that infants, children, youngsters and women in particular expecting mothers, are the higher risk groups for iron deficiency. Meanwhile, others must also not overlook the importance of these two elements to their health.

Recommended daily allowances for iron:

Age 1-3:               7 mg per day (Male)      7 mg per day (Female)
Age 4-8:              10 mg per day (Male)    10 mg per day (Female)
Age 9-13:              8 mg per day (Male)    15 mg per day (Female)
Age 14-18:          11 mg per day (Male)    15 mg per day (Female)
Age 19-50:            8 mg per day (Male)    18 mg per day (Female)
51 and above:       8 mg per day (Male)    18 mg per day (Female)
During pregnancy:              -                      27 mg per day (Female) 

Iron is responsible for the formation of red blood cells, and is an important constituent of hemoglobin and muscle pigment. Iron is the a major component of hemoglobin responsible for the transportation of oxygen molecules to all parts of the body. If the iron content in our body is too low, our red blood cell count and hemoglobin level will drop, resulting in reduced energy supply for us to carry out daily activities, causing us to feel lethargic and other signs of anemia.

There are 2 major source of iron in our food: Heme and nonheme. Heme iron is present in meat (especially liver), fish and poultry. Nonheme iron is present in legumes, grains, fruits and vegetables.

Why are plants better sources of iron?
The body handles these 2 types of iron differently. Heme iron is rapidly absorbed by the body and continues to be absorbed and stored whether the body needs it or not. This may easily lead to an iron overdose. Nonheme iron, on the other hand, is absorbed more slowly, taking only what it needs to maintain healthy levels.

Iron Supplements?
Thinking of getting a quick iron fix with iron tablets? Think again. Possible side effects of iron supplementation include constipation, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, dark colored stools and or abdominal distress. Too much iron in blood puts you at risk for increased oxidative stress which is believed to be a culprit in cancer and heart disease.

Iron supplements SHOULD NOT be taken by men, postmenopausal women and people with a dangerous condition called hemochromatosis, which causes excessive absorption of iron, leading to a build up of excess iron in organ tissues!! In children, death has occurred from ingesting 200 mg of iron. Seek medical attention immediately for accidental excessive iron intake.

Overdose can result from taking iron supplementation. Wholesome foods, on the other hand do not carry any risk of overdose.

What are the wholesome food rich in iron?
Nutritional Immunology harnesses the power of iron-rich wholesome plant foods to provide a safe and natural way of ensuring adequate iron intake for boosting your vitality and immunity.

Maitake Mushroom
Besides iron, this mushroom is rich in a wide variety of minerals including phosphorus, potassium and zinc. 100 grams of Maitake mushroom contain 0.3 mg of iron. What's more, it is a source of polysaccharides good for nourishing the immune system.

Agaricus Blazei Murill (ABM) Mushroom
100 gram of ABM mushrooms contain 9.65 mg of iron - the highest percentage of iron found in plant foods - that is easily absorbed by the human body. The ABM mushroom's perfect natural combination of nutrients provides the human body with a wholesome source of iron with no side effects.

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

My baby girl

Time flies~~ Finally I have delivered my baby girl. I still remember I posted an entry earlier in August sharing about my pregnancy and how I consumed E.Excel food for the nourishment.

http://eehealthyfastfood.blogspot.sg/2013/08/nourishment-during-my-pregnancy-journey.html

Now the baby was born safely :)

Let me share a few of her photos here =)

Pic 1: Just born
Pic 2: Day 11
Pic 3: Day 15
Felt relieved to see her growing well. My E.Excel baby 丞燕宝宝。:)

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

5 Lifestyle rules to reduce dementia risk

Read a newspaper article dated 11-Dec-13 with title 5 Lifestyle rules to reduce dementia risk.

Talking about dementia. I ever have a friend who shared with me his grandma's story. His grandma had dementia and basically did something funny at home such as making the whole house messy during the midnight. The next morning when their children woke up and saw the mess, they were frustrated but it can't be helped.
It was indeed disheartening to see our grandparents or own parents to act such...they should be enjoying their golden years and their retired life with their family...it is such a pity they can't recall their own children's names...this made me recall of the Mother role in our local movie "Money Not Enough" who developed dementia.  

Back to the article, a study has followed the lifestyle habits of more than 2000 men in South Wales over a 35-year period!! "These large studies are expensive and complicated to run, but are essential to understand how dementia can be prevented", said by Dr Doug Brown, Director of Research and Development at the Alzheimer's Society in London.

The study has found out that following 5 healthy lifestyle rules which are regular exercise, not smoking, weight control, healthy diet and low alcohol intake can cut the risk of developing dementia by two-thirds.

Following at least 4 of the 5 habits cut the risk of dementia and cognitive decline by 60%, and 70% fewer instances of diabetes, heart diseases and stroke, compared to people who followed none of them.

"Taking up and following a healthy lifestyle is however the responsibility of the individual himself or herself."

I fully agreed on what was said on this article. I do hope all of us can follow the healthy lifestyle. For those who are neither smoking nor drinking alcohol, do practice regular exercise and healthy diet. With these, weight control definitely can be achieved.

I would like to add another 2 more which are: Have enough sleep and rest & Maintain stable emotion. Be positive and optimistic, smile more.
Basically in conclusion, practice Nutritional Immunology Lifestyle!
I believe with this, everyone of us can live healthily. =)
 
 


Wednesday, November 13, 2013

What does high protein in urine mean?

What does high protein in urine mean?

Question

What are the possible causes of the presence of high levels of protein in urine?

Answer

In the absence of other symptoms I can only give a very general answer to this question.

The kidneys' primary function is to maintain the fluid balance in the body and to excrete unwanted soluble chemicals. While doing this, the kidneys must conserve other important constituents circulating in the bloodstream.

Although healthy people do pass small amounts of protein in the urine normally, above a certain level suggests that there may be damage to the filter mechanism (the glomeruli) or inflammation.

A second source of protein in urine is blood that may come from any part of the kidney or urinary pathway.

High levels of protein in the urine may therefore be due to diseases of the kidney such as glomerulonephritis. It may also be due to general illnesses that also affect the kidney as in high blood pressure or heart failure.

Infections of the renal pathway such as  cystitis or pyelonephritis may cause a high level of protein in the urine.

This finding is an important part of investigations for several conditions and is extremely important when considered with other symptoms that together indicate the cause.

Sunday, November 10, 2013

AGAR-AGAR MAKING using ENCORE and E-Sweet

Yesterday attended the EE Gathering and learned how to make agar-agar using EE products. I was so excited and decided to do it myself also at home.

Ingredients:
1. Raw Agar-Agar
2. ENCORE (Hawthorn, blueberries plant ingredients to nourish heart and liver)
3. E-Sweet instead of using white sugar (natural sweetener using Stevia leave, and will not increase blood glucose, therefore can be taken by diabetic people also)

Raw Agar-Agar


ENCORE powder and E-Sweet

The reason why choose ENCORE is because the taste of ENCORE is very nice - sour and sweet (the sweetness comes from Stevia leaves also) yet very nutritious.

The steps are as usual like how we prepare agar-agar. Only difference is that we have to wait until the cooked agar-agar water become more cooling, then only we pour the ENCORE paste into the agar-agar water and stir it well. Otherwise the nutrition of ENCORE paste will be destroyed by hot temperature of the agar-agar water.



Cooked Agar-Agar Water - immerse it into water bucket to speed up the cooling process


ENCORE paste after mixing ENCORE powder with water

THE FINAL PRODUCTS:

*Ta..Dah...* A HEALTHY AGAR-AGAR

 
Tasted quite good...but still need to improve...=p
 

Monday, October 21, 2013

Why are we putting on weight as we turn 30 years old and above?

I have come across this video at my brother's facebook profile...

It's about why are we putting on weight after 30 years old.

I guess this has been a common question to many people above 30 years old...

Why are we eating just a little but still putting on weight?? Isn't that annoying??

Once my gal friend also told me so...she had to put extra effort in going gym in order to LOSE weight!!

Let's find out the answer together through the below video (5 min length):


This video shows us that excessive calories intake and slow metabolism due to aging leads to accumulation of fats in our entire body! The fats can stay in our waist line, arms, blood vessels etc.

The blood vessels will get narrower, this leads to our heart work harder to pump blood to entire body. If the blood vessels are blocked entirely by the fats, it could be fatal.

Sometimes, people complains that they experience heart muscle spasm. This cannot be ignored as it could lead to heart attack. This symptom has signaled to us that our heart is lacking of Oxygen and nutrition due to reduced supply of blood (which carries oxygen and nutrition) to the heart. The reason is because the blood vessels get narrower as the results of deposition of fats around there.
 
Please take care of our health..
Don't get yourself obese, do something to our body to slow down aging process.
Eat healthily as We Are What We Eat!

Best wishes,
Joselyne

Sunday, October 20, 2013

Power of Mushrooms

I believe that most of you have known about one of the E.Excel premium products, NUTRIACT which consists of the 4 mushrooms namely ABM Mushroom, Maitake Mushroom, Shitake Mushroom and Ganoderma Lucidum Mushroom.

All these mushrooms are a good source of Polysaccharides

The functions of Polysaccharides include increasing the production of Natural Killer (NK) cells, interferon, interleukin to destroy existing cancer cells and viruses, increasing NK cells activities and ability to inhibit benign or non-malignant cells to become malignant ones.


How exactly each of these mushrooms help in cancer and viral infection prevention? 

1. ABM Mushroom:


At the Medical Department of Tokyo University, the National Cancer Center Laboratory and Tokyo College of Pharmacy, mice with cancerous tumors were fed ABM mushrooms. The cancerous tumors were eliminated in 90% of the mice.

Even more astounding, when the mice were fed ABM as a preventive agent and then afterwards injected with the powerful cancer-causing cell line, Sarcoma 180, 99.4% of them showed no tumor growth.

Research performed at universities in Japan, HK and a few in US have suggested that the polysaccharides derived from ABM have a positive effect in stimulating lymphocyte T-Cell and helper T-Cell production in laboratory animals.

in 1995, Dr. Mamdooh Ghoneum, Ph. D. at King Drew Medical Center at UCLA, found that the ABM mushroom increases the total number of immune cells throughout the body. 

Furthermore, he discovered that this mushroom not only increases the no of Natural Killer (NK) cells, but also makes each individual NK cell more powerful. Dr Ghoneum presented his findings during San Francisco's 9th World Immunology Congress saying, "In the present study, we evaluated the ability of the ABM Mushroom to stimulate in vivo NK cell activity in mice. T

he results demonstrated that the induction of NK activity was very significant (38-49 fold increase over control)."

The health benefits of the ABM mushroom, from boosting the immune system to preventing the growth and metastasis of all kinds of cancers. is no longer just accessible to the natives in Sao Paulo, Brazil, but is now available to everyone.

2. Maitake Mushroom:



In one experiment, scientists conducted studies to find out whether the D-Fraction of the Maitake mushroom could prevent normal cells from turning into malignant cancer cells. A carcinogen was given to the experimental animals in food 3 times over a 7-day interval. The control Group A was given normal feed. Group B was given feed enriched with 20% Maitake mushroom powder, and Group C was orally administered 1mg/kg of the D-Fraction polysaccharide. After 60 days. the tumors found in the liver were counted. Liver cancer was found in the experiemental animals follows:
-In the D-Fraction Group C, only 9.7% had tumors.
-In the 20% Maitake mushroom feed Group B, 22.2% had tumors
-In the control Goup A, 100% had tumours.

This test suggests that Maitake mushrooms, especially those containing purified D-fraction, are effective in reducing cancer risks where carcinogenic foods are part of the regular diet.

Though extensive experimental studies, researchers have found out that the beneficial activities of Maitake mushroom to include protecting healthy cells from becoming canceroushelping to prevent metastasis of cancerinhibiting the growth of tumors and lessening the side effects of chemotherapy agents

Maitake mushroom has been shown to be most effective in inhbiting cancer of the breast, lung, liver and prostate. Usually, the effectiveneses ranged from 45.5% to 73.3% reduction in cancer growth. It is somewhat effective in cases of leukemia, stomach cancer and bone cancer at 25%, 33% and 16% respectively.

Other researchers in the US have been using Maitake mushroom to treat a number of condition. In one study, researchers used ultrasound results to measure the progress of 6 patients with uterine fibroids. 

Maitake mushrooms were given to these patients and a substantial reduction of the fibroids was found 6 months to 1 year after the beginning of the treatment. In fact, the patients' conditions improved to such a state that surgery was no longer necessary. Promising results of the use of Maitake mushroom on prostate cancer were also found.


3. Shitake Mushroom



Scientific studies conducted mainly in Japanese laboratories, have focused on 2 substances extracted from shitake mushroom - Lentinan and LEM.

In the 1980's, the Pharmaceutical Council of Japan approved Lentinan, a polysaccharide found in the fruiting body of Shitake mushroom, as an anti-cancer drug - something basically unheard of in Western medicine. Lentinan has many immunopotentiating properties including enhancement of natural killer (NK) cells and increased production of gamma interferon.

The Lancer medical journal reported a case in which doctors used Lentinan as treatment for AIDS patient who had been exposed to the disease through a blood transfusion and repeatedly tested positive for AIDS antibodies. The patient was given daily dosage of Lentinan (1 mg/day) for a period of 5 months. 

After 4 months, the AIDS antibodies tested negative and remained so. 2 years later, the patient continues to be healthy.

Today, Japanese doctors are using purifed Lentinan as an immunotherapy for cancers such as lung, skin, stomach, breast, colorectal, cervical and others. The use of Lentinan can help to suppress cancer recurrence and prolong the lifespan of cancer patients. 

In addition, study after study has proven that Lentinan combined with chemotherapy is more effective than chemotherapy aloneHowever, the dosage adminstered is an important part of the healing process

Too small a quantity is ineffective, whereas too much Lentinan can suppress the immune response, giving the opposite of the intended effect. A balanced dosage is necesary to achieve optimum results. In one particular study, the correct dosage of Lentinan produced complete regression of certain cancers of mice.  


4. Ganoderma Lucidum mushroom (Ling Zhi/ Reishi mushroom):



Recently, Ganoderma mushroom has been used to prevent and treat cancer. Regarding cancer treatment, Ganoderma mushroom is being used to reduce the side effects of chemotherapy (fatigue, appetite loss, hair loss, bone marrow suppression and risk of infection), enhance survival rate, reduce likelihood of metastasis, improve quality of life and help prevent the recurrence of cancer.


As a convenience, you can get the above super mushrooms from E.Excel wholesome food product Nutriact Capsules. 



    Nutriact Capsules


Thanks and regards,
Joselyne 
WA/ SMS 90909942