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Post by Blaque on Feb 14, 2007 18:35:00 GMT -5
What are some of the wildest diets or fad health kicks that you have tried?
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jazzlover
B.E. Sergeant First Class
It Takes Pressure to Make a Diamond
Posts: 3,912
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Post by jazzlover on Feb 14, 2007 20:46:45 GMT -5
Royal Jelly
Royal Jelly is a creamy white substance synthesized by the common worker bee for the sole nourishment of the Queen bee.
The Queen bee is remarkable in its extended longevity and reproductive capability when compared to the worker bee. The Queen lives almost ten times longer then the worker bee: five years for the Queen, and less than six weeks for the worker bee. The Queen grows to be almost 50% larger than the worker and has exceptional reproductive capabilities, laying almost 2500 eggs in a single day.
So how does the Queen bee achieve this remarkable longevity – Royal Jelly. The Queen is hatched from the same egg as the worker bee but is selected to receive a diet of pure royal jelly, while the common worker bee feeds off honey and other substances around the hive. Royal Jelly transforms the queen into an incredible insect, enhancing its physical performance to remarkable levels.
Not surprisingly, man has shown much interest in this substance, regarding it as the ‘elixir’ or ‘crown jewel’ of the hive. Many studies have been performed to try to establish its nutritional content and the effect of its nutrients on living beings.
Despite these extensive studies, the actual chemical make-up of royal jelly is still something of a mystery.
Royal jelly is the only natural source of pure acetylcholine. It has antibacterial and antimicrobial properties and has been implicated as beneficial in a wide range of health conditions. It is associated with benefits to bronchial asthma, insomnia, and many skin problems. It is known to support the immune system and may be of benefit in liver, kidney, and pancreatic diseases as well as stomach ulcers and bone fractures.
What is the chemical composition of Royal Jelly?:- Royal Jelly contains approximately 12% protein, 5-6% lipids and 12-15% carbohydrates. It’s B Vitamin content is high, and with 17 amino acids, including all 8 essential amino acids, it is a nutritious hormone-rich substance with a wide spectrum of potential benefits. Royal Jelly also contains around 15% aspartic acid, which is important for tissue growth, muscle and cell regeneration.
Vitamin Content Vitamin B I (Thiamine) .................... 1.5 to 7.4 mcg. Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) .................... 5.3 to 10.0 mcg. Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine) .................. 2.2 to 10.2 mcg. Niacin (nicotinic acid) .......................91.0 to 149.0 mcg. Pantothenic Acid ..............................65.0 to 200.0 mcg. Biotin .............................................. 0.9 to 3.7 mcg. Inositol .............................................78.0 to 150.0 mcg. Folic Acid ........................................ 0.16 to 0.50mcg. Vitamin C .......Trace
The amino acids in royal jelly are of significant interest to nutritionists. Long associated with the ability to fight ‘free-radicals’ in the body, amino acids form the very basis of our chemical make-up, and are essential to growth and the ability to fight infection and disease. In most cases we cannot create our own amino acids, we must ingest them through the foods that we eat. The importance of amino acids and the fact that they are so abundant in bee products warrants special attention. It is in our section ‘Amino Acids’ that we will reveal the true potential of Royal Jelly as a nutritive substance that is rich in amino acids.
Royal Jelly and our health:-
Royal Jelly (along with bee pollen, propolis and honey) contains a natural source of essential nutrients which the body needs to maintain good health. Maintaining good health is especially hard in today’s increasingly toxic environment. Both our food supply and our diet is often deficient in important nutrients. Therefore, we need to supplement our diet with products such as royal jelly and the other products of the beehive
Royal jelly also has a yeast inhibiting function which may prevent conditions such as thrush and athlete’s foot. It is also used to treat muscular dystrophy, MS and Parkinson’s disease as well as reduce allergic symptoms and help control cholesterol levels.
Also of significance, Royal Jelly has been found to be of great help in boosting the body’s resistance to the harmful side effects of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. These treatments attack the immune system at its very core, and in many cases the actual treatment delivers a debilitating blow and not the illness itself. Royal Jelly with its high amino acid content can help the immune system and provide a basic defense against external elements that ordinarily attack the immune system and reduce our body’s capability for defense. Supplementing our diet with Royal Jelly helps to rebuild the good cells that are destroyed by chemotherapy and helps to strengthen the immune system.
Royal Jelly also contains the amino and gamma globulin, which helps your immune system fight off viral infections. It also contains sterols, phosphorous compounds and acetylcholine, which is needed to transmit nerve messages from cell to cell.
Like propolis, royal jelly also appears to have anti-tumor properties. A team of Japanese researchers gave royal jelly to one of two groups of laboratory mice before transplanting different types of cancer cells in them. The royal jelly had dramatic effects on sarcoma cells. The life-span of the mice was extended by about one-fifth and tumor sizes were about half the size, compared with untreated mice, according to a report in the journal Nippon Yakurigaku Zasshji-Folia Pharmacologica Japonica (Feb. 1987;89:73-80).
Associated Benefits:- Many of the benefits of Royal Jelly are associated with its high concentration of essential amino acids, and we refer you to our chapter on amino acids for more information and more possible benefits to explore.
In short, Royal Jelly has been noted for its positive benefits on:
*
energy *
chronic fatigue *
skin / hair / nails / bones / joints *
hormonal regulation *
asthma *
sexual vitality / impotence *
weight regulation *
rejuvenation - recovery from illness *
immune system stimulant *
cholesterol levels *
cardiovascular health *
anti-depressive / anti-anxiety *
high blood pressure *
mental condition / memory *
depression *
arthritis *
liver ailments / conditions *
eczema / impetigo / skin disorders
*
diabetes
Can Man Recreate Royal Jelly? – Evidently not. Studies have uncovered some of the nutritional properties of this substance, but much remains undiscovered.
Dr. Albert Saenz of the Pasteur Institute in Paris wrote: "Numerous studies ... demonstrate the existence of fractions in Royal Jelly which correspond to 97 percent of the substance, plus an undermined fraction whose very presence could explain the remarkable and mysterious properties of Royal Jelly." He continues, " Here's yet another product of the beehive with a touch of the bee's magic in it. I suppose some day science will figure out what these unidentifiable elements are and some researcher will try to manufacture them. Until then, the only place to get these mystery nutrients is from the bees."
How is Royal Jelly Processed for Human Consumption? – Royal Jelly is a liquid containing approximately 67% water, and as such is prone to contamination once it is removed from the sterile environment of the beehive.
Once removed from the hive it must be processed quickly to prevent contamination, ideally within two or three hours. Processing generally involves one or a combination of the following steps:
*
Treating the product with a chemical preservative. *
Lyophilizing the product (removing the water, often termed freeze-drying) *
Adding a natural preservative like honey. *
Freezing the substance or attempting to maintain it in a refrigerated state.
The favored process is lyophilizing or freeze-drying. This removes the water without effecting the nutrient quality of the product and creates a white powder which can be capsulated for human consumption. Once in capsulated form the product generally has a shelf life of 4 years and does not require refrigeration.
Many questions are raised about the nutritional quality of Royal Jelly, and usually relate to the issue of processing:- "freeze-dried versus non-freeze dried".
Freeze drying ‘locks-in’ the nutritional content of the product and removes any doubts about handling the product down the line. For example, if you choose liquid royal jelly which is sold as ‘requiring refrigeration’, how do you know that the product has been stored and transported in a refrigerated state, and that it isn’t in a partially decomposed state with diminished nutritive properties?
Summary:-
Royal Jelly – A veritable jewel of nutrition and recognized as a potent bringer of energy, health and vitality.
It is rich in minerals, natural hormones, B vitamins, fatty acid, and folic acids, along with aspartic acid which is important for tissue regeneration and growth.
It contains all essential amino acids required to sustain life.
It is taken as a stress reducer and to promote recovery from fatigue. Its balancing properties are associated with many benefits to our important body systems and for this it is taken by a large number of menopausal women, and by men looking for improved sexual vitality.
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jazzlover
B.E. Sergeant First Class
It Takes Pressure to Make a Diamond
Posts: 3,912
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Post by jazzlover on Feb 14, 2007 20:47:14 GMT -5
I just bought some yesterday!
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jazzlover
B.E. Sergeant First Class
It Takes Pressure to Make a Diamond
Posts: 3,912
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Post by jazzlover on Feb 16, 2007 0:47:45 GMT -5
Wild Yam
"Let your food be your medicine" (Hippocrates - the father of medicine).
Whole dried root of Wild Yam (Dioscorea Villosa). Helps to maintain a balance of hormones in the body for women & men, it is a natural anti-stress remedy. Beneficial for weak nervous system, whereas the more stimulating Maca is often more suitable for the more robust. Wild Yam is a perfect example of the old saying;
Yam has a long tradition as a natural remedy in herbal medicine
The Trobiand islanders, who attribute much of their radiant health to its regular consumption, regard it with reverence.
Nervine & anti-spasmodic Anti-neuralgic effects Alleviating pains in the urinary tract Intestinal colic Period problems Rheumatoid arthritis Aids liver and bowel function However, its range of action far exceeds its traditional herbal role. Scientific research and clinical trials suggest that yam is a "super-food" - a food capable of improving the health and well-being of the majority of people and in some individuals proving tremendous in its health and elevating effects. (Health can be defined as a feeling of physical, mental and emotional well being and an absence of disease.)
Yam, like all super-foods, has a broad potential range of action, seeming almost too good to be true, yet its sphere of action has a unique character, which differentiates it from other super-foods. Its main area of action is hormonal.
It supplies nutrients, which rapidly enable our endocrine glands to produce a complex array of hormones. If we are in a state of hormonal adequacy and balance, health will follow / be maintained. A feeling of well-being will also manifest itself and deterioration associated with aging will be considerably lessened
Yam contains plant hormone precursors which help in the production and balancing of progesterone and oestrogen. The evidence available suggests that these can sometimes help to prevent and to resolve breast cysts, and may be used as a nutritional support for breast cancer and fibroids. It is also useful for endometrical cancer, fluid retention, weight gain, depression and low thyroid function.
The essence of the action of yam appears to be in facilitating the production of a substance, which has the shortened name DHEA, 'the mother of hormones'. DHEA levels drop considerably as we age, and research indicates that this is one other dominant factors associated with the development of degenerative disorders and many general enervations of health.
DHEA is also referred to as 'the anti-aging hormone': its widespread effects are due to its role of 'mothering' the production of over 50 other hormones. Researchers now believe that adequate DHEA production may help modulate the following: fatigue, depression, stress, memory problems, obesity, tumour growth, viral and bacterial infections, high blood pressure, collagen and skin integrity problems, osteoporosis, immune responses.
American doctors are finding DHEA useful in treating chronic fatigue syndrome, sexual function problems, menopausal problems and premenstrual syndrome.
Further evidence suggests that yam consumption can normalise the production of the adrenal cortex hormones. The anti-stress and ant-inflammatory hormones (natural steroidal hormones) help prevent inflammation and maintain joint and general structural integrity. This would explain the anti-arthritic {especially relating to rheumatoid arthritis) and anti-rheumatic effects observed traditionally. The tendency to strains, sprains and back problems (so-called slipped disc) are in part due to poor adrenal gland function. Also the tendency to pain in the body is modulate by adrenal hormones. We cannot feel or become strong without adequate adrenal hormones. Aldosterone is an important adrenal hormone that helps the body to maintain the balance of mineral salts to water - a most important aspect of optimum well-being.
DHEA has been found essential in converting fat to energy or muscle as required. This would explain the slimness of the Trobiand islanders, with their regular consumption of yam. This discovery alone is creating excitement among a large group of the population! Research by Dr. A. Schwartz, working at Temple University, has proved the ability of DHEA to be an effective aid to weight loss. He found that an enzyme GCPD promotes both cancer and fat production (depending on the individual's make-up). DHEA naturally blocks this enzyme. Further studies at Temple University showed DHEA prevented breast cancer in mice, which were otherwise prone to develop it. Other studies have shown the preventative effects of DHEA on lung and bowels tumours, plus life-span extension.
Studies at the medical college of Virginia, USA, have shown a definite link between hardening and congestion of the arteries and low DHEA levels, and a preventative role for DHEA in Alzheimers disease.
Clinical trials by Dr. Lee have shown that the hormonal imbalance of oestrogen dominance is corrected by the natural progesterone precursors contained in yam. This would explain the effectiveness of the use of yam in helping prevent and reverse osteoporosis and ease menopausal complaints, yam is therefore gaining a reputation as a safe, natural alternative to HTR.
The way we feel, our emotions and our general mental state is profoundly modulated by hormone levels, which can have a significant effect on the 'feel good factor', with personality tending nearer to optimum functioning. So yam has a harmonising, even spiritualising influence, which is so needed. These days good nutrition has an established role to play both individually and in maintaining a positive society.
The Chinese regard the best herbs as those, which are completely non-toxic and balanced, which can be taken indefinitely. Mexican Yam falls within this category. It is a herb/food, as much for men as for women, helping to maintain well being and optimum functioning from maturity through to a graceful old age.
Anti-Stress Effects of Yam by Ophina Andrews
I have personally experienced the stress relieving effects of yam, and seen it work quickly, in a matter of hours on two friends. Here is one account of how it worked: I was beginning to feel overwhelmed by the stress involved during the first year of my daughter's life, my hormones, (although I did not realise it at the time) were all over the place; as were my emotions. I remember taking yam for the first time was like a light being switched on for me, I recall walking round to the shops feeling blue and sad as I had been, but by the time I was returning home I felt it all lift slightly and a smile crept across my face until I was beaming. I have taken yam for four years now and it still continues to assist me, to help me stay in control of my life. I have given it to other women I have encountered that were experiencing the same thing and without exception each one had positive results with it. It's a must for post-partum women.
Progesterone and Health for Women
The two most essential nutrients in yam are precursors of DHEA and natural progesterone. Relative progesterone deficiency (oestrogen dominance) has been linked to many health disorders, especially in the female.
Maintains endometrium Protects against breast cysts Helps burn fat for energy Natural anti-depressant Helps normalise thyroid function Helps normalise zinc and copper levels Stimulates bone-building Helps to prevent osteoporosis Necessary for embryo survival Helps skin rejuvenation by restoring depth, smoothness and moisture Acts as natural HRT with only positive side effects As Yam is used traditionally in herbal medicine as a contraceptive, we take the view that it should not be used during the early stages of pregnancy
Disclaimer: Regenerative Nutrition advocates a holistic approach to natural health and wellbeing. The body's ability and power to heal depends upon the totality of diet, nutrition, lifestyle and environmental factors. No claims for the cure of any disease is intended, or implied. Always consult a health care practitioner when combating disease states. The statements in this article have not been approved by the FDA.
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