Cholesterol is not all bad. Your body naturally produces it, and it plays some pretty important roles. It helps build new cells, produce hormones and insulates the nerves. But, when you have too much, it becomes a health problem.
When cholesterol levels are high, it means you have too much yellow, mushy fat substance circulating in your blood stream, which can clog your arteries and restrict blood flow leading to heart attack, stroke or angina pain.
Another problem with cholesterol, is all the terms that come with it; such as, dietary cholesterol, serum cholesterol, HDL cholesterol and LDL cholesterol. Here is how to keep them all straight.
Dietary cholesterol is what is contained in food (mostly of animal origin). The American Heart Association recommends limiting your daily intake to 300 milligrams.
Serum cholesterol is what is in your bloodstream and what the doctor measures with a cholesterol test. (A reading less than 200 is desirable, a reading between 200 – 240 is borderline high risk, and a reading greater than 240 is high risk.)
HDL cholesterol (“High” Density Lipoprotein) is a distinct part of serum cholesterol that is considered “good” because of its artery cleansing ability. The “higher” the HDL level, the better.
LDL cholesterol (“Low” Density Lipoprotein) is considered to be HDL’s evil twin because of its artery clogging ability. The “lower” the LDL level, the better.
Here are 13 natural remedies that lower your cholesterol. Read the rest of this entry »
In the last year or so the food additive trans fat seems to be in the news health reports nearly everyday. Trans fat was first developed in the 1940’s by adding hydrogen molecules into vegetable oil, which partially hardens the oil which can be used in a variety of foods. It gives foods a better taste and extends their shelf life. Up until about 1990 it was considered safe because it was produced from vegetable oils but ongoing research soon discovered that trans fats increase cholesterol levels which can increase the risk for coronary artery disease, heart disease, and strokes.
This is one case where creating a food product did not have the desired results. Trans fat does not occur naturally and was developed to help processed foods last longer while making them palatable. Unfortunately its effects on human physiology were never fully researched until 50 years after its development because it was assumed that vegetable oils derived from plant sources were safe. As science has learned more about the effects of different fats on the body this is no longer true. While some types of fat are safe others such as saturated fats and trans fats both are capable of raising cholesterol levels to unsafe levels.
Trans fats are bad for the simple reason that they raise the level of LDL cholesterol in the blood stream. LDL, or low density lipoproteins, are the bad half of the cholesterol equation. A high level of LDL cholesterol in the blood stream leads to excessive plaque build-up which blocks and clogs the arteries. This increase the risk for coronary artery disease which is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke, particularly if any of these plaque formations breaks free of the artery wall in the form of a blood clot. Read the rest of this entry »
Many Americans are trying to live an organic lifestyle in order to have healthier families and help the environment. Some people may want to use organic goods, but don’t know where to begin or what to look for. There are many ways to easily increase the use of natural products in our homes. Here are some ideas for you and your family to consider.
– Foods. Choosing organic groceries as much as possible can make a real difference to both your health and the environment. The increased use of naturally produced meats and produce has meant that the acreage of organic farmland has more than doubled in just the last three years alone! You can help keep the good news going by doing your part. Read the rest of this entry »
One of the options for losing weight is that of the weight loss supplement, this effectively varies from the chemically enhanced diet tablets and so forth, but can be made from natural ingredients such as that of whey.
Whey protein powder is essentially used by athletes to assist with a recovery phase as well as in the acceleration of muscle development. Recent research has also revealed that whey supplements assist diabetics as they prevent blood sugar spikes. Whey has also become widely used as a weight control supplement. Read the rest of this entry »
For eons now, man has been in constant search for those objects or potions that can slow (if only stop!) the onslaught of advancing age. Well, it’s clear that we cannot really prevent the lines time draws on us; but if we take care of our body we can effectively postpone a few obvious signs (like wrinkles) for a few years. Interestingly enough, most if not all anti-aging potions have been created or found in nature. One such anti-aging product is prepared from the leaf extract of a plant called Aloe Vera. Read the rest of this entry »
February 7th,2009
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There are many beliefs on health and diets in the world today. Take a look at the TV or magazine ads and that will become apparent. Vegetarianism has been popularized by cultures in the past and is the choice for many people in this day and age. Environmental health and humanitarian concerns are some of the most common reasons for choosing a vegetarian way of life. A vegetarian diet excludes meat, including chicken and fish. Veganism is a purer form of vegetarianism. Eggs, dairy products and even animal products like honey and gelatin are excluded from a vegan diet.
People sometimes hesitate to choose a vegetarian way of life. This is because it is commonly perceived that vegetarians lack calcium and minerals in their diet and hence suffer from bone degeneration and other health issues. In fact, a vegetarian diet is rich in fiber and in the uncooked form contains a lot of vitamins and minerals. This is very beneficial. It prevents constipation and removes toxic matter from the body, thus preventing increased acidity of the blood. The minerals and vitamins present in vegetarian foods, especially greens play a very important role in the smooth functioning of the body. Studies show that the acidity of a non-vegetarian , high protein diet is harmful for the body. On the other hand, the vegetarian diet which contains mostly uncooked food has very few drawbacks. The most common problem vegetarians run into is overeating of starches and processed foods which is a problem for anyone. Read the rest of this entry »
February 7th,2009
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Monash University researchers are working with Constraint Technologies, a company that provides optimisation software to the transport, travel and logistics sector, to develop a software system that will transform the way transport companies roster staff.
The $1.24M project will deliver major savings to public and private organisations in the airline, trucking, rail and public transport industries by streamlining their approach to ‘crewing’.
Transportation crewing is a complex process that involves rostering staff with the right skills, in the right place over the right time periods. Crewing also involves ensuring rosters meet safety criteria and industry regulations.
The disruption caused by crewing difficulties is estimated to account for more than 25 per cent of a company’s operational crew costs.
The research team from the Faculty of Information Technology will combine artificial intelligence, operational research, and data mining — a sophisticated search technique that sorts relevant information from large amounts of data — to build a software tool that can quickly and easily generate staff rosters that satisfy all transportation crewing requirements.
Monash IT Professor Mark Wallace said a method for fast development of efficient solutions would enable organisations to more efficiently manage and roster their staff.
“Crewing costs are critical to the financial viability of companies. An increase in crewing costs of only a few per cent can make an enterprise unviable,” Professor Wallace said.
“There is also often a lot of wastage. Crew schedules can leave people being paid to do nothing in places they don’t want to be and if anything changes on the day, for example, if a flight is delayed and the rostered crew reaches their allowed duty time, passengers have to sit in the plane and wait until a substitute crew arrives.
“This software will allow companies to prepare efficient, legal, fair and robust rosters which can be modified flexibly on the day of operation.”
Professor Wallace said better management of staff could also benefit consumers financially.
“Since transportation underpins most manufacturing and commerce, costs in crewing have a flow-on effect to all goods and services,” Professor Wallace said.
“Improvements in operational reliability and costs through better transportation crewing will have great economic benefit.”
The research will focus on the airline industry initially, before examining rail, shipping, bus and trucking. Researchers expect the approach will eventually apply to industries such as mining, production and construction, as well as large government departments including health, defence and education.
Victoria and New South Wales have put aside their competitive interstate rivalry to collaborate on a stem cell research project, as announced by Innovation Minister Gavin Jennings and NSW Minister for Science and Medical Research, Verity Firth, today.
Scientists from the Monash Institute of Medical Research (MIMR) and colleagues from New South Wales will compare two different methods of creating patient-specific stem cells: somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS).
SCNT, or therapeutic cloning, is one method used to produce a source of individually-tailored stem cells. One aspect to this project will be to source oocytes, or immature egg cells to generate SCNT embryos from which embryonic stem cells are harvested. Both conventional sources (IVF Clinics) and novel sources (adult ovaries and altruistic donors) will be explored.
Unlike SCNT, iPS cells are derived from adult cells, such as skin, which are reprogrammed to behave like embryonic stem cells. Dr Paul Verma, Program Leader of MIMR’s Stem Cell Biology Program and the Chief Investigator of the Victorian project team, will create the iPS cells for this project. His lab was the first in Australia to create iPS cells in mouse models. This project will allow him to create human iPS cells in Australia for the first time.
“On paper, iPS cells appear to be a preferable alternative to working with human embryonic stem cells, but it’s too early to make this assumption. Currently, iPS cell lines show variability in their potential to produce mature cells. If we can overcome this, they could certainly offer a great alternative to embryonic stem cells.”
“Once our team produces the iPS cells, we will compare the properties of iPS versus cells developed through SCNT. Both methods need to be investigated further so we can determine which will produce the most robust cell lines,” Dr Verma said.
The NSW project team, led by Professor Bernie Tuch, will investigate another method of obtaining oocytes — from consenting adult cancer patients who have had their ovaries removed. Professor Tuch’s team will also use their proficiencies in characterising human embryonic stem cell lines and bioinformatics.
Mr Jennings said changes to the Victorian Infertility Treatment Act and the NSW Human Cloning and Other Prohibited Practices Act have opened up new opportunities for stem cell research in Australia.
“Australia is already a global leader in overall stem cell research and this new and clear regulatory framework gives us an opportunity to extend our leadership into SCNT which could transform how we treat diabetes, heart diseases and Parkinson’s,” Mr Jennings said.
February 7th,2009
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after reading about 10 Easy Steps to a Horrible eCommerce Site i want to give another article about 3 steps to success in online store or toko online
Getting your e-commerce site to sell for you is going to be a lot of hard work, but you don’t have to learn lessons the hard way. In this article I’m going to talk about a few important pointers that will make your road to e-commerce success a lot smoother Read the rest of this entry »
As a frequent visitor to forums in which people ask for critiques of their new ecommerce sites, I have seen the best and the worst of small business Web development. For the first 1000 posts or so, I was helpful, kind, and supportive when gently pointing out each developer’s site issues and how he or she could make the site “the best it could be.
Funny thing though: I found out that this approach doesn’t really work. Maybe the developers think their sites are somehow different, or that the basic rules of good online commerce don’t apply to them for some reason. Site after posted site, I see the same errors in judgment and design. The following 10 tips now represent my standard advice to every budding Website entrepreneur.
1. Use your Ecommerce Software’s Default Layout
Whatever shopping cart you use, the “stock” or default look is fine. After all, if it wasn’t the best layout of all time, why would they distribute it as “stock” in the first place? Never mind that your online store will look like every other lazy shop owner who decided that product presentation was overrated. Never mind that it has no flow, coherence, or style. And you might as well just ignore the fact that it makes you look like some high school kid in a basement trying to take their money and run. Read the rest of this entry »
