History has long taken notice of the slim and attractive bodies of men and women from Italy, Greece, Spain, France, Tunisia, Lebanon and Morocco, an area also known as the Mediterranean. Medical professionals have also noted the lesser incidence of heart disease and longer life spans enjoyed by inhabitants of the region.

Mediterranean people have a unique diet, rich in antioxidants and heart healthy oils, which has remained unchanged for more than a millennium. Despite the drastic change in dietary habits in Western countries, Mediterranean men and women continue to consume a diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables and high in whole grains.

Modern researchers have uncovered the reasons why the classic diet provides such incredible health benefits, and diet programs incorporating the Mediterranean style of eating now flourish. Mediterranean diets focus on the key components of olive oil and fresh, high-quality produce.

Adherents of a Mediterranean diet are encouraged to replace dietary fats and oils with heart-healthy olive oil. Olive oil is rich in vitamins A, B-1, B-2, C, D, E, and K, as well as being high in iron. It has also been shown to lower cholesterol and may protect against ailments like stomach ulcers and constipation.

High consumption of fresh produce is encouraged, with emphasis placed on consuming those fruits and vegetables which are minimally processed and locally and seasonally grown. Whole grains, beans, nuts, and seeds, also minimally processed, give the Mediterranean diet variety.

Although fresh produce and olive oil (25 to 35 percent of total calories) are the true focus of the Mediterranean diet, lean meats are allowed in moderation, which reflects the eating habits of the Mediterranean peoples. Lean red meat is not off-limits, but followers of the diet should eat read meat sparingly.

Other protein sources like cheese, fish, poultry, and eggs are to be consumed in moderation throughout the week. Yogurt and cheese should be consumed in moderate amounts daily, while fish and poultry are to be eaten in limited servings weekly. Mediterranean dieters are encouraged to eat anywhere from none to 4 servings of eggs each week.

Like Western eaters, the Mediterranean peoples have long enjoyed a little something sweet each day. The Mediterranean diet calls for daily consumption of fresh, unprocessed fruit as a dietary treat. High fat, high sugar, processed sweets should be limited or cut out of the diet entirely.

Another health-affirming component of the Mediterranean diet is the addition of moderate amounts of wine. While over-consumption of alcohol is discouraged, Mediterranean dieters may enjoy one or two glasses of wine per day.

Moderate consumption of wine has been found to produce many health benefits, including reduction in incidences of kidney stones and reduction in risk of heart disease. Researchers have also found a link between moderate wine consumption and longevity.

While the Mediterranean way of eating is now supported by current dietary research, many adherents choose the diet for the simplest reason: it’s an enjoyable way to eat.

Looking to make a change and lose some weight? I have reviewed the top diet on the internet and you can go and read over 200 comments people have made about why this diet has worked well for them, as well as some of the problems.

Tags: constipation, France, Greece, heart disease, heart-healthy olive oil, Italy, kidney stones, Lebanon, Mediterranean, mediterranean diet, Mediterranean diets, Morocco, olive oil, Spain, Stomach ulcers, Tunisia

I have been following the Tour De France today on the computer just because I was looking forward to this mountain stage. Usually I watch the OLN coverage replay in the evening for a while but today I watched the tracker online.

Well today Lance Armstrong started the day 1 minute and 37 seconds back of the leader Alberto Contador. Today’s race had lots of mountains and Contador, although he did not win ended up finishing a couple of minutes ahead of Lance Armstrong.

It seems in watching the race over the last few days that Lance just does not have the legs for the mountains that he had in the past, he is definitely one of the strongest in the mountains but not quite what he needs, especially when he is on a team with more than one leader where he is not the only rider being supported by the team. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Alberto Contador, France, Lance Armstrong, Lance Armstrong Lost, leader, Tour De France

As we all know a faster metabolism will help you lose weight. One of the risks that people that are overweight hve is an increased risk of getting diabetes.

A new study done by a pharmaceutical company seems to show that taking a certain drug for raising metabolism also reduces the risk of diabetes.

Investigational drugs that mimic the metabolic effects of calorie restriction have shown favorable results in animal models, according to researchers here and in France.
Action Points Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: caloric restriction, diabetes, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne, energy, France, insulin resistance, Johan Auwerx, pharmaceutical

Aromatherapy has become a standard alternative medicine that many people use and believe to work. I know very little about Aromatherapy except for the simple fact that in the shower I find that the different smells of our different soaps make me react differently emotionally. Aromatherapy is very esoteric and new age but I still wanted to learn more so I went hunting for some Aromatherapy info and found it. Jeffrey Meier wrote the following article that presents lots of the background on Aromatherapy as well as a lot of the uses.

There is a rumor going around that there are certain oils that not only leave you feeling fresh and light, but also have certain healing properties. Have you heard that rumor? Yes? I have too, which prompted me to want to find out more. In my research, I was led down a path toward aromatherapy. Do you want to know more? Let’s explore together!

According to my research, aromatherapy is a form of alternative medicine that uses essential oils and other scented plant compounds in order to positively affect a person’s mood or health. On the technical side, the reason that the essential oils are different than other herbal products is because of the distillation process which recovers the lighter “phytomolecules.” Trust me; I don’t know what they’re talking about either. However, what I do know is that many praise its benefits and highly recommend it, so my research took me in the direction of learning what different types are available, and why they are so helpful.

History
Before we go into the types of aromatherapy, I wanted to look at the history of this great medical tradition. Unlike many other natural medical alternatives, the roots of aromatherapy are grounded in the West. The term was coined by a French chemist named René Maurice Gattefossé who was dedicated to researching the healing properties of essential oils. During one of his chemistry projects, he accidentally set his arm on fire. When he submerged it in the nearest cold liquid he could find, he realized immediately that the pain in his arm was relieved. He looked at the vat and saw the cold liquid was NOx PH232, which is also called lavender oil. And after a few days, he saw that the recovery time for his burn was significantly decreased; in addition, his redness, inflammation, blisters and scarring were almost non-existent, helping him to further realize its healing properties. Not long after, a protégé named Jean Valnet continued Gattefossé’s work by treating wounded soldiers with essential oils during World War II. It was with these two chemists that aromatherapy was born.

How Aromatherapy Works
Aromatherapy is said to work as a preventative measure to treat the body before a disease is able to present itself. There are two reasons alternative medical practitioners say that aromatherapy works. One is that the scent from these special essential oils has a very positive effect on the limbic system (the set of brain structures that support emotion and memory). The other is that essential oils are said to have a direct pharmacological effect on the body. However, studies have yet to prove that the effect is actually true.

The two ways that essential oils are used in aromatherapy are at the scent level and the skin level. As mentioned before, at the scent level, the aromatherapy oils are said to activate the emotional centers of the brain. When taken at the skin level, as found with the burned Gattefossé, the oils have healing properties that speed up recovery time and act as a treatment to kill microbes and fungi; they are also used as massage oils by some. There is also a third way essential oils are used, even though this is not recommended for home use. This third way is to take the oil internally. When this is done (under professional direction and supervision), the oils are said to positively stimulate the immune system.

Uses of Aromatherapy
There are many different types of essential oils that are used in aromatherapy – and they all have different ways of stimulating the body. For example, basil essential oils are used in perfumes as a way to help sharpen concentration, reverse depression and relieve headaches. Bergamot is another essential oil with significant effects, such as clearing both the urinary and digestive tracts, as well as relieving cold sores and the chicken pox. And the more popular tea tree oil is known as an antiseptic and disinfectant. But there are many other essential oils out there. Some include black pepper (surprised?), cloves, lemons, and thyme. But when considering any aromatherapy essential oil treatments, keep in mind that they are all highly concentrated and should therefore be kept away from small children, just like any other medication.

Acceptance and Criticism of Aromatherapy
Some countries, France in particular, consider the use of essential oils to be one of their mainstream forms of medicine and even considered it to be its own branch of medicine like dentistry. In France, they use the essential oils as antiseptics, as well as antiviral, antifungal, and antibacterial treatments, and the oils are regulated just as prescription drugs are. In order to decide which essential oil to use, they call upon a technique called the aromatogram, which involves culturing a sample of infected tissue then growing the culture and dividing it among Petri dishes. The dishes are then inoculated with different essential oils to determine which has the greatest effect, and that is how the appropriate oil is chosen.

While the aromatherapy form of alternative medicine is highly respected by some, there are others who don’t believe in the effects of aromatherapy and feel that it is another way to sell a dream to those who are looking for a “quick medical fix.” Those who believe in aromatherapy, however, disregard this sentiment and say that, just like deciding to use the other disregarded alternative forms of medicine, including herbs and minerals, acupuncture and even meditation, it is up to every individual’s interpretation of what works for them that matters. In other words, don’t knock it until you try it.

Aromatherapy is still in the process of being accepted in the Americas, but is becoming more appreciated by those who are tired of internalizing synthetic pharmaceuticals that seem to have tons of side effects and essentially have the potential to do more harm than good. Though it is still in the beginning stages of acceptance, there are plenty of alternative medicine practitioners who are willing to give it a try. It seems that many are noticing that the Earth has an abundant supply of what we need to keep us well. And as this becomes more recognizable, there will be more opportunities to try the unique forms of alternative medicine available, including acupuncture, and of course, aromatherapy.

Tags: acupuncture, Alternative Medicine, Americas, appropriate oil, aromatherapy, aromatherapy essential oil treatments, blisters, burn, chemist, chicken pox, cold sores, depression, essential oils, France, herbal products, inflammation, Jean Valnet, Jeffrey Meier, lavender oil, Massage, medical alternatives, meditation, natural medical, oil, pain in his arm, René Maurice Gattefossé, synthetic pharmaceuticals, Tea tree oil

Put aside the white bread and pick up an apple. A diet of foods less likely to spike blood sugar levels helps dieters lose more weight, according to a new systematic review from Australia.

“Losing weight is very difficult and many people are unable to sustain a weight-loss diet. The low glycemic index diet is satisfying and has proven benefits,” said review co-author Elizabeth Elliott, Ph.D., professor at the University of Sydney, The Children’s Hospital at Westmead.

The glycemic index (GI) ranks carbohydrate-rich foods based on their effect on blood sugar levels. Compared to high GI foods such as white rice and French fries, low GI foods, such as lentils, sweet potatoes and apples produce more consistent blood glucose levels. Previous studies have indicated that keeping blood sugar levels steady throughout the day may stimulate more weight loss in obese people.

Researchers evaluated randomized controlled trials that compared weight loss in people eating foods low on the glycemic index to weight loss in people on higher GI diets or other types of weight loss plans.

Six trials, involving 202 adults from Australia, France, South Africa, Denmark and the United States were included in the review. The diets lasted from five weeks to six months.

The review appears in the latest issue of The Cochrane Library, a publication of The Cochrane Collaboration, an international organization that evaluates medical research. Systematic reviews draw evidence-based conclusions about medical practice after considering both the content and quality of existing medical trials on a topic.

The review found that dieters focused on eating low GI foods dropped significantly more weight — about 2.2 pounds more — than participants on other diets. Low GI dieters also experienced greater decreases in body fat measurements and body mass index.

None of the studies reported adverse effects associated with consuming a low glycemic index diet.

“Compared to other diets, the low GI diet is more satisfying — people are less inclined to feel hungry. One advantage of this type of diet is that it is more likely to be maintained than other strict diets on which people feel hungry,” Elliott said.

Low glycemic diets appear to be effective even in obese people who need to lose considerable amounts of weight, the authors said.

In the two studies that evaluated only obese participants, low GI dieters lost about 9.2 pounds, compared with about 2.2 pounds shed by other dieters.

Low glycemic index diets might also benefit heart health.

In the three studies that measured cardiovascular risk factors, people eating low GI foods experienced greater improvements in total blood cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) — sometimes called “bad” cholesterol. High levels of total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol increase the risks for heart disease.

After reviewing the findings, Lawrence Cheskin, M.D. said, “There’s surprisingly little in the way of studies to draw any hard and fast conclusions.” Cheskin is director of the Johns Hopkins Weight Management Center and associate professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore. He was not involved with the review.

Low glycemic index diets can be effective for weight management, Cheskin said, but the success of low glycemic diets lies with an individual’s willingness to comply with its nutritional principles.

“There aren’t many people who need to lose weight who are willing to eat lots of vegetables and whole grains. If they did, they wouldn’t have a weight problem in the first place,” Cheskin said.

Nevertheless, he said, choosing foods low on the glycemic index does have value for overweight or obese people who want to lose weight.

“It uses a lot of the generally healthful principles, such as eating lots of vegetables and high fiber and avoiding very energy-dense foods that are high in simple sugars and simple carbohydrates,” Cheskin said.

Tags: associate professor, Australia, Baltimore, Children�s Hospital, Denmark, director, Elizabeth Elliott, energy-dense foods, France, heart disease, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins Weight Management Center, Lawrence Cheskin, professor, said review co-author, South Africa, The Children�s Hospital, The Cochrane Collaboration, The Cochrane Library, United States, University of Sydney

I just noticed yesterday that the tour De France has started up again for the year. I am a biker but I only ride as far as to work everyday, I have never ridden my bike a hundred miles before. Every year I watch the tour and I do not watch it just for the drama and entertainment value I watch it partially just to see that there is no real limits except for the ones that we create for ourselves.

This year the Tour de France will cover 2200 miles in 20 days. For someone that has never ridden a 100 miles in a day, also known as a century ride, this kind of race still astounds me. Not only are many of the stages of the Tour De France over 100 miles long but there are a series of stages that go through the mountains were the climb may be tough but also the lack of oxygen at higher elevations makes these race stages even more difficult.

There is another shadow race that occurs the day after each Tour de France stage and this is where people get together and race the same stage that the pros did the day before.

So next time you are on the couch and thinking about how you can get just a little more exercise in your day to lose weight just remember that over the next three weeks over 150 of the best riders in the world are racing as fast as cars to try to be the first to get through Paris.

Later this week I will post a sample training schedule that the Tour de France racers use.

Tags: France, Paris, Tour De France

I have watched Lance Armstrong for years in his wins at the Tour de France and was interested in the story that he was going to be running the New York marathon with almost no running training. To be sure Lance is in fantastic shape now although I am sure his 180 pounds now is a little fatter and in slightly worse condition then his prime 165 pound cycling weight. Amazing to me is that he was able to run the New York marathon in just under 3 hours.

As a professional cyclist, perhaps the best that ever lived Lance Armstrong was a true competitor that played to his strengths. Lance is good at riding in the mountains although maybe not the best but coupled with his strength in sprints, also not the best in the world and his strategic vision, which is definitely the best in cycling. Running though is a very different sport than cycling and while running Lance Armstrong had a lot of trouble after about and hour and a half or so because his body is finely tuned for a longer endurance at a lower level of effort, I am sure that the energy Lance Armstrong would put out in a regular day at the Tour de France is likely the same as the top marathon runners on Sunday but he would do this in five hours not two hours.

Still, Lance again accomplished an amazing feat. Most vetran runners would not be able to do the New York marathon in under three hours and I beleive that the two things that made the difference between what he did and just giving up after and hour or tow was his cockiness in knowing that he is one of the great athletes of our time and the mental attitude that allowed him to continue well after his body was willing to give up.

Here is some of what was said in a New York Times article about Lance Armstrong and the race:

After his news conference at the New York Athletic Club, he limped out of the room.

Earlier, Armstrong had said that he could possibly have run a sub-2:30 if he had trained, but now he was quite sure that another marathon was out of the question. Nothing in cycling ever came close to three hours of activity at this level, he said.

“I wasn’t kidding when I said that I’ve never felt this bad, ever,” he said. “My legs are killing me. My back doesn’t feel that great, either. I’m really suffering.”

This goes to show that no matter what kind of an athlete that you are there is always something that is going to be difficult. The next crazy thing I would like to see is a marathoner riding the Tour de France and seeing how that would go. Two different disciplines but there are a lot of parallels to training and how to get your head into the sport.

Tags: athlete, cycling, energy, France, Lance Armstrong, New York, New York Athletic Club, New York Times, professional cyclist, Tour De France

What is Glivec? It seems that w3e always hear cancer storeis and that there are not very many good news stories, not that I usually see anyway. Leukemia is a type of blood cancer that is often fatal and I had not ever heard of any drug therapies that were remarkable until I saw a news result today out of England that said that many people taking the drug Glivec are having amazing results. Here is some info on this Drug from Medical News Today.

Most patients who develop chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) can now expect to live more than 20 years from diagnosis if they are treated with the tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) Glivec (imatinib) according to haematologists involved in the IRIS (International Randomized Interferon versus STI571) study. Before availability of current treatments, median survival from diagnosis was 3.5 years.

Around 95 per cent of patients diagnosed with CML have the Philadelphia chromosome positive (Ph+) form that responds well to Glivec, said Professor John Goldman, professor of haematology at Imperial College, London. The chromosome is the result of translocation between the long arms of chromosomes 9 and 22. Part of the breakpoint cluster region (Bcr) gene from chromosome 22 fuses with part of the abelson leukaemia virus (Abl) gene on chromosome 9 producing the abnormal tyrosine kinase protein Bcr-Abl. It is this protein that causes the proliferation of white blood cells resulting in CML.

Four-year data from IRIS were presented at this year’s American Society of Hematology (ASH) meeting. More than 90 per cent of patients with Ph+ CML in the chronic phase, randomised initially to Glivec 400mg daily in the year 2000, were still alive and free of progression to advanced disease at 54 months, Professor Goldman said.

The study confirmed that patients who achieved a major molecular response within one year, ie, a more than 1000-fold reduction in residual leukaemia, fared best. Patients achieving a three-log reduction in Bcr-Abl transcript levels within oneyear were all free of progression to advanced disease at year four.
Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: advanced disease, American Society of Hematology, cancer, Chairman, diabetes, drug therapies, France, Francois Guilhot, Glivec What, Glivec-resistant, Hagop Kantarjian, Imperial College, John Goldman, leukaemia, Leukemia, London, Novartis, Philadelphia, professor, professor of haematology, professor of oncology, Texas, United Kingdom, University of Poitiers

Chitosan: Origins of Chitosan

Chitosan has long been considered as the potent substance that binds fat and stop it from accumulating in our bodies. Chitosan is effectively a fantastic fat inhibitor which work wonders for those in search of a safe way to lose that body fat.

What is chitosan made from? It is taken from chitin, a polysaccharide found in the exoskeletons of crustaceans and cell walls of fungi. It is manufactured by removing the shells from the shellfish like lobster, shrimps and crabs.

The History of Chitosan

The origin of chitosan can be traced back to 1811 when “chitin”, from which it is derived, was first discovered by Braconnot, a then professor of the natural history in France. According to some researches, while Braconnot was conducting research on mushrooms, he isolated what was later to be called chitin.

Twenty years later, there was a man who wrote an article on insects in which he noted that similar substance was present in the structure of insects as well as the structure of plants. He then called this astounding substance as “chitin”.

Basically, the name chitin is derived from Greek, meaning “tunic” or “envelope”. The concept was further known in 1843 when Lassaigne demonstrated the presence of nitrogen in chitin.

Following the discovery of chitin, the name “chitosan” emerged in the scene. It was first discovered by Rouget while experimenting with chitin. Rouget observed that the compound of chitin could be manipulated through chemical and temperature treatments for it to become soluble. Then, it was in 1878 when Ledderhose identified chitin to be made of glucosamine and acetic acid. It was not actually until 1894 that Hoppe-Seyler named the tailored chitin, chitosan.

During the early 20th century, several researches took chitosan as their subject of study. They then involved sources of chitin, including crab shells and fungai. It was the work of Rammelberg in the 1930s that led to the confirmation on the identity of chitosan from these sources. It was also noted that by hydrolyzing chitin in several ways, it was determined by experts that chitin is a polysaccharide of glucosamine.

During the 1950s, the use of x-ray analysis had advanced the study of the incidence of chitin or chitosan in fungai. However, it is only the most advanced technologies that proved the most reliable in accepting the existence of chitin as well as cellulose in the cell walls. The first book on chitosan was published 140 years after the initial observation of Braconnot, and that was in 1951.

During the early 1960s, chitosan was examined for its ability to bind with the red blood cells. That time also, the substance was considered as a hemostatic agent. Then, for the past three decades, chitosan has been used at water purification plants for detoxifying water. It is spread over the surface where it absorbs greases, oils, and other potential toxins.

Nowadays, Chitosan it is known as a dietary supplement that is good for weight loss. In fact, it has been marketed for such purpose for about 20 years in Japan as well as in Europe.

What is Chitosan used for

Chitin has long been viewed as the nature’s second most abundant polymer. This is for the fact that it is found not only in shellfish, but also found in insect shells and fungi cell walls. Chitosan, a refined form of chitin, is prepared by removing the shells from shellfish. The shells are then ground into a pulverous powder, which is deacetylated or stripped of specific chemical groups allowing the compound to actively soak up fats. This aspect of it being able to absorb fat is the main feature which makes it effective in helping weight loss.

There are a number of functions or uses linked to chitosan. Because of these applications, chitosan is now marketed as a dietary supplement and is used to thicken foods, paints and makeup.

Liquid Chitosan

Chitosan is made in two main types, namely the dry and flakey product, and the liquid chitosan.

Although these forms are marketed as dietary aids, it is actually the liquid chitosan which gained a lot of interest from the people. This is mainly because the liquid chitosan is said to eliminate clumping problems or stomach pains as it causes the fat to form into hundreds of tiny calorie-free beads that are far gentler on your digestive tract.

The liquid chitosan is often identified by its appearance, color, protein content, degree of deacetylation, viscosity, insoluble, and other factors. Here is a summary of these factors:

Liquid chitosan is clear and yellow. Its protein content is less than 0.5% and often results to 0.14% if measured by Kjeldal method. Its degree of deacetylation is more than 90% with a result of 95% if measured through colloidal method. If you will prepare liquid chitosan by stirring 30 minutes, you can get a viscosity of about 50cps. Liquid chitosan has less than 0.5% insolubility if 20 grams of liquid chitosan is dissolved in 100 ml of distilled water. Liquid chitosan has a pH level of less than 5.5. Liquid chitosan has no taste and smell.

Liquid chitosan is commonly used as a weight loss supplement these days. Many of those who have used the flakey product have turned to the liquid form noting that liquid chitosan works better in the system than the flakey form.

Based on certain reports, instead of forming large clumps, the liquid chitosan causes the fat to form into hundreds of tiny calorie-free beads that are gentler in your digestive tract. However, it is important to note that in addition to binding fats, it binds the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K, making them unavailable to the body. This is the reason that most experts recommend a supplement with high-quality multivitamin.

Chitosan Recomendations

So, although Chitosan is taken as a ‘wonder’ pill of today, it has been around for ages and has been a subject since 1811. I am still not convinced about the abilities of Chitosan but again I say that in the absence of any side effects this is another product that you can try for weight loss, maybe for a couple of months, and then decide how it made you feel and whether you had a good response to it and go from there.

Tags: acetic acid, Braconnot, chemical groups, Dietary Supplement, Europe, flakey product, France, Japan, professor of the natural history, Rouget, x-ray