Earth News

farmeric December 11th, 2010

If your face shows your age all too clearly, a new wrinkle in cancer research could mean good news for you. Doctors in England speculate that if you have wrinkles, you might actually be protected from skin cancer.

Most people believe that wrinkling indicates sun damage and a higher risk of skin cancer. But, that’s not the whole story. According to Dr. Christopher E. M. Griffiths, professor of dermatology at the University of Manchester’s Hope Hospital, there are different types of skin and they react differently from sun exposure.

Ultraviolet rays from the sun destroy the elastic collagen fibers in all types of skin. If you are wrinkled, that means your skin type repairs itself but doesn’t replace the collagen. If you have smooth skin, on the other hand, your skin is replacing the damaged collagen.

Griffith believes this amount of collagen in your skin could affect your risk of skin cancer in a rondabout way. A substance called transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta helps rebuild the collagen. However, it also suppresses your immune system - and a weakened immune system has more trouble fighting off cancer. In other words, the same process that keeps your skin smooth and firm might also allow cancer to develop. ” This is speculative!” stressed Griffiths.

He first noticed that his patients with basal cell carcinoma, the most common form of skin cancer, had fewer wrinkles than other patients. Then, a study of over 200 people shed further light. Those with heavily wrinkled faces were up to 90 percent less likely to develop basal cell carcinoma than smooth-skinned people.

Unfortunately, you can’t control the type of skin you have. So, it is simply important that you take the usual steps to protect yourself from the sun. “It’s best to avoid sunbathing and use high factor sunscreen,” Griffiths says.

Now, here’s the natural way to zap your wrinkles with a homemade, scented moisturizer. Just choose an essential oil, such as lavender, lilac, or rose, from a health food or beauty store. You’ll also need to pick up an atomizer from a drugstore.  Then follow these simple steps.

1. Fill the atomizer with 1 cup of water.
2. Add 2 or 3 drops of an essential oil.
3. Refrigerate the solution overnight.
4. Simply spray, and then blot your skin with a tissue.

There goes the folk remedy to have a natural glowing skin

Tags: oriental medicine, skin cancer, wrinkles

• Environment , Health , Herbal , Natural Cures , Plants , Tips
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farmeric November 19th, 2010

If you think you’re lactose intolerant, think again. Even if you have nausea, cramps, diarrhea, and bloating that normally come with this condition, you might actually suffer from another problem entirely.

Are you sure you are lactose intolerant?

Rule out other causes. Before you take any drastic steps, make sure you really are lactose intolerant. Other sugars besides lactose sometimes cause the same pleasant reactions.

You’re problem could stem from fructose, found naturally in honey, figs, pears, prunes and grapes. It’s also used in corn syrup to sweeten foods, gums, candies, and sodas. Other culprits include sorbitol, mannitol, and xylitol, which are in sugarless or diet foods, beverages, and gums.

Many people have trouble absorbing these substances. If you eat too much of these foods, the Continue Reading »

Tags: celiac disease, dairy products, Food, gluten, lactose intolerance, milk

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farmeric November 13th, 2010

Can wrinkling be stopped or minimized?

“We do it here all the time,” says Marshall Ho’o, a doctor of oriental medicine at the East-West Clinic in Reseda, California. The way wrinkles are dealt with in oriental medicines is “from the inside,” says Dr. Ho’o.

That is to say his patients are taught a number of exercises designed “to develop tone and symmetry” in their faces and necks. They may also be given acupressure treatments.

But what can you do at home without any special training from Dr. Ho’o?

“Massage your face,”  he says.

Using your fingertips, your thumbs, and the palms of your hands, rub every part of your face and neck. Any kind of message, he explains will help to “maximize stimulation and circulation. It can also round out the facial muscles, whose symmetry is often lost in fixed or rigid expressions.”

Dr. Ho’o’s also emphasizes the importance of living a happy and stress-free life.

“Chinese people who have big families, who talk and laugh a lot, seem to have less wrinkles. And when wrinkles do appear, they are not attractive.”

Tags: oriental medicine, wrinkles

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farmeric October 16th, 2010

What’s this about Cranberry Juice?

Folklore has it that cranberry juice is good for kidney ailments, and even kidney stones. But is there any truth to it?

“I suppose the theory is that cranberries are acidic, so that drinking the juice will acidify your urine and discourage calcium stones from forming. But I doubt you could drink enough to make your urine acidic,” says Peter D. Fugelson, M.D.

Is this to say that drinking cranberry juice will have no benefits whatsoever? Not exactly. “To the extend it’s another source of fluid, I suppose it could be helpful,: says Dr. Fugelso. But plain water, he adds, would serve the same purpose, with fewer calories.

Tags: cranberry juice, kidney stones

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farmeric September 7th, 2010

The Ifugao Honey by Juan B. Dait, Jr,

THE RARE IFUGAO HONEY is not cultured. Pure and unadulterated, it is made from the nectar of wild flowers which colonies of bees gathered in the distant forests of Asipulo town in Ifugao.

Honey season in Asipulo starts from the month of March and ends in August. During these months, swarm of honeybees settle in in the forests of some barangays in Asipulo and busy themselves making honeycombs in the branches of trees. The yearly appearance of the honeybees in Asipulo reminds one of the annual migration to the Philippines of flock of foreign birds ti escape the cold Siberian winds.

The seasonal migration of honeybees in Asipulo is a boon to the natives of the far-flung barangays of the the town who earn good income by gathering the “manufactured” honey and selling the sweet liquid in bottles in the nearby markets of Kiangan, Lagawe, Lamut, and Banaue. The rare honey even reaches the markets of Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, and Baguio City.

Ifugao honey is ripe for gathering one month after the bees start making beehives. The natives traditionally gather the manufactured honey by smoking to drive away the bees from their hives. The honeycomb is then pulled down and opened to allow the honey to flow out into containers.

There are two kinds of Ifugao honey: the Uyukan and the Alig. The Uyukan bees are bigger and Continue Reading »

Tags: alig bees, asipulo, ifugao honey, uyukan bees

• Food , Health , Herbal , Natural Cures , Plants , honey
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farmeric August 21st, 2010

Under the program dubbed “Utanon Kada Balay”, the DA through its CARAGA Regional Office aims to provide every household with vegetable seedlings or planting material to come up with their own backyard vegetable garden for their persona consumption, as well as feed of their animals such as goats, pigs, chickens or ducks

In 2007, the Department of Agriculture in Caraga distributed 300,000 malunggay seedlings to 100,000 families to help mitigate hunger, fight poverty, and solve the growing problem of malnutrition in the region.

CARAGA, an impoverished region of Mindanao, is considered a priority area because of the high incidence of hunger, as well as malnutrition among pregnant women and children.

The program was established to help promote malunggay culture and thus help boost the national campaign against hunger and poverty.

CARAGA, covers the provinces of Agusan del Sur, Agusan del Norte, Surigao del Sur and Surigao del Norte.

Tags: fight poverty, malunggay, moringga

• Food , Health , Natural Cures , Plants , malunggay
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farmeric August 18th, 2010

Pacquiao, who prefers to use the moniker given to him by the Americans, which as everyone knows came from a video game character immensely popular in the 80s, known for devouring everything in its way, has devoured every fighter who crossed his path.

Pacquiao, who boxed his way to fame and fortune and into the hearts of this country’s citizens desperate for heroes, reportedly feasted on malunggay-filled tinola prepared by his trainer before his fights.

The Department of Agriculture (DA) has said time and again that pound for pound, malunggay is the most nutritious vegetable this side of the planet, rich in every known nutrient. It also wages war against free radicals that impair metabolism.

DA said that the Medical College in Kolkota, India, found out that malunggay can help in the treatment of female reproductive disorders like epithelial ovarian cancer.

Philippine folklore says that malunggay can also help men with low sperm count.

Known scientifically as Moringa oleifera Lamk, malunggay is also believed to be a natural energy booster.

It is a given that malunggay, with all its nutrients, helped Paquiao beat his opponents.

With the vast commercial opportunities that come with the “miracle vegetable,” our people just might rally behind it, be more productive, earn, have food on the table, be truly united, and help each other live a better life.

It’s hard to unite when one is poor and hungry, but there is one ingredient in the meal of the destitute that has all the nutritive values absent in the meals of the super rich, and that is malunggay.

Of course, for the greedy there will never be enough. No amount of malunggay-laced tinola can remedy that problem.

Tags: malunggay, manny pacquiao, moringga

• Food , Health , Herbal , Natural Cures , Plants , Sports and Fun , Uncategorized , malunggay
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farmeric May 15th, 2010

When someone is choking on food, you probably know what to do. But if someone has an asthma attack, you might stand by helplessly. Fortunately, what works for chowking also works for asthma - the Heimlich Maneuver.

Heimlich Maneuver

According to Heimlich Institute, the famous anti-choking action works by forcing trapped air and mucus out of the lungs. The Heimlich Maneuver, if performed regularly, might even prevent future asthma attacks.

Here’s how to perform the Heimlich Maneuver on someone suffering from a life-threatening asthma attack.

• Stand behind the choker and wrap your arms around his waist.
• Make a fist, and place the thumb side of the fist against the upper abdomen, above the belly button but below the ribcage.
• Grab your fist with your other hand and press into the upper abdomen with a quick but gentle upward thrust. Do not squeeze the ribcage.
• Repeat if necessary.

If you are alone and having an asthma attack, you can perform the Heimlich Maneuver on yourself. Just skip the first step and follow the rest of the directions. Or you can lean over a table, chair, or railing and briefly force your upper abdomen against its edge.

Tags: asthma attack, heimlich maneuver

• Asthma , Health , Natural Cures , Tips
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farmeric April 26th, 2010

Extra virgin coconut oil is perhaps the most avoided miracle food today, and we’re going to be devoting major reports over the next several posts, telling health-conscious consumers about its benefits and changing shopping habits.

Coconut has been used as cooking oil for thousands of years. It can be used to replace corn and canola oil without requiring changes in recipes or cooking habits. Cooking and baking with extra virgin coconut oil can enhance the taste and texture of virtually any recipe and at the same time, supercharge your health.

Promising studies have been done on patients suffering from immune deficiency and autoimmune diseases. So you can see that we’re big fans of the healing properties of coconut oil. We recommend virtually everyone consume coconut oil on a daily basis. We truly believe that coconut oil is the best widely available oil to use for cooking and baking and is even great when used externally to promote smooth and supple skin.

Tags: benefits of coconut oil, coconut, coconut oil, tree of life, Virgin Coconut Oil

• Food , Health , Herbal , Natural Cures , Plants , Uncategorized , Virgin Coconut Oil
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farmeric March 22nd, 2010

Here’s our second series about the Truth About Coconut Oil. The first post was about Is Coconut Oil Bad for You?.

Another reason people believe coconut oil must be bad for you is misguided association: it is a saturated fat and “saturated fats are bad for you.” Dietary guidelines inevitably fail to distinguish between different kinds of saturated fats and insist that saturated fats (meaning all saturated fats) are harmful.

This is not just misleading. It is bad science. Leading scientists now recognize that just as there is good cholesterol, there are also good saturated fats.

Fats are classified as short-, medium- or long-chain based on the number of carbon molecules they contain. Nearly two-thirds of the saturated fat in coconut oil consists of medium-chain fatty acids.

When we eat long-chain fatty acids, they must be Continue Reading »

Tags: benefits of coconut oil, coconut, coconut oil, tree of life

• Environment , Food , Health , Herbal , Natural Cures , Plants , Uncategorized , coconut
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