Exercise to burn fat

Humans have a natural tendency to store fat — it’s a survival mechanism to protect us against the possibility of famine. The trouble is that today many people have access to an abundance of food, especially energy-dense fatty and sugary foods, yet they undertake little energy-burning physical activity.

The net result is an energy surplus, which is efficiently stored as body fat by a physiology that developed in times when famine was a likely and life-threatening risk.

Fuel for aerobic exercise
Fat represents one of the 2 main sources of fuel that support cell function in your body. The other main fuel used by your body is glucose. Fat is stored as adipose tissue around the body, and glucose is stored as glycogen in the liver and the muscle cells. Both fat and glucose are also present in the blood as products of digestion.

Many activities of the body that take place when you are at rest, for example, brain activity, the pumping of your heart and the functions of your internal organs, use glucose as a readily available source of energy. Even short bursts of high energy muscular activity lasting around a minute or so will use glucose as the main fuel.



Will my body burn fat or glucose?
Exercise intensity, exercise duration and diet are major factors affecting whether the body uses fat or glucose for fuel during exercise.


Once the activity of energy-hungry muscle cells increases beyond ‘at rest’ levels for more than about one minute, the body uses aerobic processes that combine oxygen (supplied by breathing in more air) with either glucose or fat to generate energy to sustain the increased activity. The type of active task which causes you to breathe more deeply — ‘aerobic exercise’ — is the type of exercise that has the potential to burn fat as a fuel. Examples include brisk walking, jogging, swimming, cycling, gardening, cross-country skiing and roller-blading. You’ll notice that these activities all use the large muscles of your body — those in your arms, legs and back — continuously.

‘Burning fat’ or ‘fat-burning’ means using stored fat as a fuel to support body function, whereas reducing total body fat (which is what most people desire when they say that they want to ‘lose weight’) involves burning more calories each day (whether from stored fat or stored glucose) than are replaced by calories consumed as food. In a large part, weight loss is achieved by meeting this goal, often with the assistance of exercises that burn fat and exercises that build muscle (because muscle cells burn more calories at rest than do fat cells).

Low to moderate intensity aerobic exercise
Low to moderate intensity aerobic exercise tends to burn fat, whereas high intensity aerobic exercise tends to burn glucose preferentially.

People who are new to regular exercise, or who are returning to exercise after a break, can work towards doing low to moderate intensity aerobic exercise for at least 20 to 30 minutes on 4 to 5 days each week. This is a practical and safe way (low risk of injury) to burn body fat.

Exercising for longer at a lower intensity is better than only managing a short time at a higher intensity. This approach to exercise also has significant additional health benefits such as reducing the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

If combined with healthy eating that aims for a slight energy deficit, rather than an energy surplus, low to moderate intensity, moderate duration aerobic exercise can be an effective tool in weight reduction and weight management.

The role of high intensity aerobic exercise
For people who already have an established level of physical fitness, a higher intensity or longer duration of aerobic exercise may be indicated in order to burn fat. However, this approach is not usually practical in people who are beginning or returning to regular aerobic exercise.

Even though high intensity exercise tends to burn the body’s stores of glucose rather than its stores of fat, in high intensity aerobic exercise which lasts say 30 minutes, the total calories burned, irrespective of the source of these calories (glucose or fat), will be higher than the calories burned in 30 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic exercise. That is, the harder you exercise in your given amount of time the more calories you will burn and that includes after you’ve finished and when you’re recovering. So, if you have moved beyond a beginner exerciser’s level of fitness, aiming to do regular aerobic exercise at high intensity (‘as hard as you can’), may be a more useful guideline than simply continuing to exercise at moderate intensity. (Before starting high intensity aerobic exercise, seek individual advice from your doctor, and be aware of the pitfalls of over-exercising, including an increased risk of injury.)

Tips for controlling body fat

Give yourself a chance: increase your metabolic rate. Irrespective of dietary modification, an exercise-focussed lifestyle will increase your metabolic rate, and will inherently burn more calories than a sedentary lifestyle. In contrast, it is believed that markedly reducing the amount of calories that you eat will signal a state of potential starvation to your body. In this context, your body adjusts by slowing down your metabolism and trying to conserve fat.
Tone your muscles to burn more calories. Using strength training exercise to increase your percentage of muscle tissue compared to fatty tissue shifts your body composition in favour of energy-hungry muscle cells. Muscle cells consume many times more calories than do fat cells, at rest. A kilogram of muscle will burn 50 to 100 calories a day compared to 5 to 7 calories a day for a kilogram of fat. One of the best ways to increase your percentage of muscle tissue, and hence your metabolic rate, is to do a strength training routine 2 or 3 times every week — a hand-weights circuit is ideal — in addition to your regular aerobic exercise.
To reduce total body fat (‘lose weight’), burn more energy than you consume as food, but don’t focus exclusively on calorie restriction. To reduce total body fat, focus on increasing your physical activity rather than drastically decreasing the energy you consume as food. As fatty foods are energy dense, selecting low-fat options is a sensible way to limit unnecessary calories in your food. Don’t cut out fat altogether: current advice recommends that you moderate total fat intake but limit saturated fats — the type of fats present in foods of animal origin such as meat and butter. As a guide, a recommended rate of weight reduction is around 0.5 to 1 kilo per month. Losing more than 0.5 to 1 kilo a week can indicate that you are losing muscle rather than body fat. If you are overweight or obese and are considering a restricted-calorie diet, speak to a dietitian for individual advice.
To avoid re-gaining lost body fat, continue exercising regularly and keep a check on your daily energy balance. Continuing regular exercise is important in maintaining a high metabolic rate. In fact, studies have shown that athletes who suddenly stop training lose 50 per cent of their maximum exercise capacity within 10 days, and significant reductions in metabolism can also be measured at this time. So, regular exercise to control body fat is best seen as a lifelong commitment. In addition, always keep the amount of calories you eat balanced by the amount of exercise that you do. This approach will give you the best chance of maintaining the new body you have gained through an active lifestyle that includes strength training and aerobic exercise, and calorie-wise healthy eating.
http://www.mydr.com.au/sports-fitness/exercise-to-burn-fat
myDr, 2003
© Copyright: myDr, CMPMedica Australia, 2000-2009. All rights reserved.

Read More......

Aging Well: Eating Right for Longevity

Is your diet the key to longevity? Find out why eating right just may mean aging right, too.
By Elizabeth M. Ward, MS
WebMD Feature
Reviewed by Brunilda Nazario, MD

Aging: everyone does it, yet some people seem relatively unaffected by getting older. Could good nutrition be the key to a healthier, longer life?
Does Aging Equal Illness?
"Aging is often associated with the development of one or more chronic diseases, but it doesn't have to be that way," says Jeffrey Blumberg, PhD, professor at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University.
It's not always just a matter of time before you have a heart attack or stroke, get type 2 diabetes or cancer, break a hip because of osteoporosis, or develop Alzheimer's, even though these conditions are often associated with aging, Blumberg says.
Your risk for disease and disability increases with inadequate physical activity, genetic susceptibility, and poor diet.
Aging: Defy It With Diet
So what's the best eating plan for preventing, delay, or minimizing the conditions associated with aging, including inflamed joints, flagging memory, and failing eyesight?
"The most beneficial diets rely heavily on fresh vegetables, fruits, and legumes -- foods that are naturally lower in calories and packed with nutrients," says Bradley Willcox, MD, MPH, co-author of The Okinawa Diet Plan and professor of geriatrics at the University of Hawaii.
Experts suspect the antioxidant compounds found in produce, legumes, and whole grains are largely responsible for holding back the march of time.


Antioxidants, such as vitamins C and E, and other compounds, including polyphenols and anthocyanins, battle free radicals -- unstable forms of oxygen that damage cell function. Free radicals form from normal metabolism. Your body also produces them in response to strong ultraviolet rays from the sun; air pollution; smoking; and secondhand smoke.
The buildup of free radicals contributes to the aging process and to the development of a number of age-related diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and inflammatory conditions, including osteoarthritis. What's worse, aging increases free radical production. That means your diet should be healthier than ever with the passage of time.
The question, of course, is how do we do that?

Anti-Aging Nutrition
Antioxidants generate a lot of buzz when it comes to longevity, but aging well takes more. You must optimize a myriad of beneficial nutrients, including protein, calcium, and vitamin D, and minimize detrimental dietary components including saturated and trans fats.
While none of these foods is the "Fountain of Youth," including them on a regular basis as part of a balanced diet can reduce the toll time takes on your body.
Nuts
Nuts are cholesterol-free protein sources, and are worthy substitutes for fatty meats. Research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that in a group of nearly 35,000 women, those who ate foods rich in vitamin E, including nuts, lowered their risk of having a stroke.
Almonds for their high vitamin E levels; pecans, for their antioxidants; and walnuts, for omega-3s.
Tips:
• Top breakfast cereals, yogurt, salads, and cooked vegetables with an ounce of chopped nuts.
• Snack on an ounce of whole almonds (about 24) for almost half the vitamin E you need for the day.
• Enjoy a nut butter sandwich on whole-grain bread.
• Concoct a smoothie by blending a medium frozen banana, 1/2 cup plain fat-free yogurt, 1/4 cup chopped walnuts, and 2 teaspoons sugar (optional).
Fish
According to the American Heart Association, fish harbors omega-3 fats that reduce the risk of plaque buildup in your arteries; decrease blood triglyceride (fat) levels; help lower blood pressure; and lessen the odds of sudden death. Fish is a wise protein choice because of its relatively low saturated fat and cholesterol content.
Salmon, sardines, and canned tuna are among the fish with the highest levels of omega-3 fatty acids.
Tips:
• Have at least two fish meals a week instead of fatty meats.
• Add canned light tuna or canned salmon to salads instead of chicken or cheese.
Olive Oil
Olive oil is rich in heart-healthy monounsaturated fats and beneficial plant compounds. It's also free of the trans fats found in some margarines and other processed foods, and that's a good thing. A study published in the journal Neurology found that among healthy people 65 and older, the higher the saturated and trans fat intake, the greater the cognitive decline during a six-year period.
The extra virgin variety. A recent report in the Annals of Internal Medicine found extra-virgin olive oil more beneficial than other types for increasing the high-density lipoprotein levels (HDL or good cholesterol) in men.
Extra-virgin olive oil also offers beneficial levels of oleocanthal, a compound that mimics the effects of anti-inflammatory medications including aspirin and ibuprofen.
Tips:
It's good for you, but don't go overboard; olive oil is caloric. Limit total oil consumption to 7 teaspoons daily (assuming all of the added fat you use is from olive oil) on a 2,000-calorie diet; 5 for a 1,600-calorie plan.
• Make salad dressing with one part olive oil and three parts balsamic vinegar.
• Choose olive oil instead of butter or margarine.
• Lightly coat chopped broccoli, sweet or white potato, or carrots with olive oil and roast on a baking sheet at 400 degrees until done.

Fruits and Vegetables
Produce provides fiber, vitamins, and minerals, as well as hundreds of anti-aging phytonutrients. When it comes to age-defying properties, some produce is better than others, according to the United States Department of Agriculture's tests for antioxidant activity.
Still, any fruit and vegetable is better than none. People who take in the most produce -- upwards of 10 servings a day -- have higher levels of antioxidants in their bloodstream, which probably translates to better aging. Produce-lovers also have stronger bones, thanks to the magnesium and potassium that fruits and vegetables supply (dark greens are also rich in vitamin K, necessary to bolster bones).
Fruit: Blueberries, cranberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, apples, and cherries.
Vegetables: Kale, spinach, broccoli, artichokes, avocado, asparagus, cauliflower, sweet potato, carrots, pumpkin, and onions.
Tips:
• Include berries at least once daily on top of breakfast cereals, in smoothies or salads, or snack on them as is.
• Add dried cranberries or cherries to cooked whole grains.
• Make a quick guacamole by mixing a ripe avocado and large, diced tomato with 1 tablespoon each of olive oil, fresh chopped cilantro leaves, and finely chopped onions.
• Prepare a pumpkin smoothie with 1 cup canned pumpkin, 1/2 cup low-fat milk, and ground cinnamon and sugar to taste. Heat the remainder of the can as a side dish. Add chopped frozen kale or spinach to soups and pasta dishes.
Legumes
Legumes are packed with complex carbohydrates and fiber to ensure steadier blood glucose and insulin levels, and they provide a cholesterol-free source of protein. Legumes are also packed with antioxidants.
Top picks:
From black beans to soy beans, they're all good for you.
Tips:
• Add beans to soups, salad, egg and pasta dishes
• Puree cooked beans (includes canned) and add to soups or stews
• Snack on bean dips and fresh vegetables or whole grain crackers
• Munch roasted soy nuts or thawed edamame (green soy beans)
• Substitute firm tofu for meat in vegetable stir-fry dishes

Whole Grains
Whole grains retain more of their natural nutrients, particularly age-defying vitamin E, fiber, and B vitamins, than refined varieties. They are also a wealth of antioxidant compounds.
Top picks:
Quinoa, millet, barley, oatmeal, whole-wheat pasta, cracked wheat, wild rice.
Tips:
• Wrap sandwiches in whole-wheat tortillas instead of white
• Choose whole-grain cereal for breakfast and snacks
• Try wild or brown rice or whole-wheat pasta
• Add leftover cooked whole grains to soups
Low-Fat Dairy
Dairy foods are excellent sources of bone-strengthening calcium. They also supply protein that bolsters bones and muscle, and is needed for peak immune function.
Top picks:
Milk, either 1% low-fat or fat-free. Milk is fortified with vitamin D, necessary for calcium absorption. Adequate levels of vitamin D may reduce prostate, colon, and breast cancer.
Tips:
• Sip café au lait or cappuccino made from decaffeinated coffee and fat-free milk
• Make mashed potatoes with fat-free evaporated milk
• Enjoy a smoothie made with milk, berries, and crushed ice
• Indulge a chocolate craving with fat-free chocolate milk
Fight Fat, Live Longer?
It's not only what you eat when it comes to stalling the aging process. Calories count, too.
"Being overweight stresses your heart, blood vessels, and joints, accelerating age-related diseases," says Willcox.
Excess body fat also plays a role in the development of dementia, certain cancers, and eye diseases, including cataracts and age-related macular degeneration.
Cutting a few hundred calories a day from your regular eating plan may be all it takes to make it into your 80s or 90s in relatively good health.
That's what Willcox and his colleagues found when they related eating habits to death rates among 2,000 nonsmoking men. In his study, the men who consumed an average of 1,900 calories per day -- about 15% below the average for the entire group -- were less likely to die over the 36-year study period.
Nobody knows exactly how a lower calorie diet works to lengthen life. Perhaps the secret lies in a slower metabolism that comes with eating less food. A reduced metabolic rate means your body produces fewer free radicals.
Calorie reduction plans also lower the body's core temperature and insulin levels, two indicators of longevity. A recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that overweight people who cut their daily calorie intake by up to 25% were more likely to have a lower core body temperature and normal fasting levels of insulin in their blood.
Aging: We're all doing it. Perhaps combining a diet rich in "anti-aging" foods with fewer calories overall may help us do it better -- and live longer.

Read More......

Bentengi Putri Anda dengan Vaksin Kanker Serviks

Pdpersi, Jakarta - Seorang wanita meninggal tiap dua menit akibat kanker serviks. Angka kematian mencapai 270.000 kematian setiap tahunnya di dunia. Sekitar 85% kematian akibat kanker seviks terjadi di negara berkembang termasuk Indonesia.

Kanker serviks, atau yang biasa kita kenal dengan kanker leher rahim adalah kanker yang terjadi pada suatu daerah organ intim wanita yang merupakan pintu masuk ke arah rahim yang terletak antara rahim dan vagina. Kanker ini termasuk kanker yang dapat dicegah dan paling dapat disembuhkan dari semua kasus kanker.

Kanker leher rahim adalah kanker penyebab kematian nomer satu di Indonesia. Di Indonesia, setiap tahun, terdapat lebih dari 15.000 kasus kanker serviks baru dan kurang lebih 8.000 kematian. Sedangkan setiap hari sekitar 40–45 kasus baru ditemukan dan 20–25 perempuan meninggal dunia akibat penyakit tersebut. Kanker ini merupakan penyakit yang disebabkan oleh infeksi atau re-infeksi virus HPV (Human Papilloma Virus). Sekali Anda terkena HPV, seumur hidup virus itu akan berada pada tubuh Anda.

Saat ini sudah ada vaksin pencegah HPV, Gardasil, yang mampu mencegah masuknya virus ke dalam tubuh. Gardasil diperuntukkan bagi wanita berusia 9-26 tahun yang belum terkena virus HPV. Gardasil diberikan sebanyak 3 kali, yaitu bulan ke- 0, 6, dan 12. Vaksin ini diperkirakan dapat bertahan untuk jangka waktu 8 tahun dari sejak diberikan. Namun, penelitian masih berjalan, bukan tidak mungkin nantinya vaksin ini cukup diberikan satu kali seumur hidup.


Vaksin yang telah mendapatkan izin resmi Badan Pengawas Obat dan Makanan (BPOM) serta mengantongi sertifikat Halal dari The Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America (IFANCA) itu kini telah tersedia di rumah sakit Brawijaya Women & Children Hospital.

Eva Celia putri dari artis ternama Sophia Latjuba adalah remaja putri pertama yang mendapatkan vaksin tersebut di rumah sakit Brawijaya Women & Children Hospital beberapa waktu lalu. "Saya merasa sangat beruntung, karena sebagai seorang remaja yang sedang beranjak dewasa, saya telah mendapat banyak sekali informasi mengenai penyakit kanker serviks ini. Dari situlah timbul kesadaran saya untuk mencegah penyakit yang menakutkan ini dengan melakukan vaksinasi,” kata Eva yang baru-baru ini ditetapkan sebagai ikon produk perusahaan telekomunikasi terbesar di Indonesia.

Eva yang juga tengah merintis karir di dunia keartisan itu berharap para remaja putri lainnya mendapatkan informasi yang luas mengenai penyakit kanker serviks. “Karena itu saya ingin menyarankan pada mereka semua untuk mengajak ibu mereka menemui dokter dan mendapatkan informasi yang benar tentang penyakit ini dan bagaimana untuk mencegahnya,”tutur Eva Celia.

Sementara itu, ahli penyakit kandungan dari Brawijaya Women & Children Hospital dr Nugroho Kampono SpOG (K) menjelaskan, untuk membantu menurunkan angka prevalensi kanker serviks, imunisasi menyeluruh bagi perempuan dewasa dan remaja perlu dilakukan. Selain itu ada pendeteksian berkesinambungan terhadap penyakit tersebut.

“Ini adalah langkah maju yang sangat kritis bagi kita untuk terus mengupayakan pengurangan beban kanker serviks dan penyakit-penyakit lain yang terkait dengan HPV,” tutur dr Nugroho Kampono.

Menurut dr Nugroho, saat in terdapat lebih dari 100 tipe HPV4. Sebagian besar virus tersebut relatif tidak berbahaya. Namun terdapat empat tipe HPV yang biasanya menyebabkan masalah, seperti HPV tipe 16 & 18 yang menjadi penyebab utama dari 70% kanker serviks dan tipe 6 & 11 untuk 90% kasus genital warts (kutil di alat kelamin). Pada umumnya infeksi HPV tidak menimbulkan gejala, namun infeksi berkelanjutan dapat menimbulkan masalah seperti sel serviks abnormal, genital warts dan yang paling berbahaya adalah kanker serviks. (izn) (source:http://pdpersi.co.id/?show=detailnews&kode=15&tbl=galeri)

Read More......

More positive effects from eating fish

Experts warn that hypertension, or high blood pressure, is the red light warning us that a life-threatening heart attack may be headed toward us like a runaway train. To stop it, they say, get that blood pressure under control!

The Center Institute for Cardiovascular Research in Berlin studied 24 men with slightly elevated blood pressure. For two weeks, half of the group dined daily on two seven-ounce cans of mackerel and followed that with three cans a week for the next eight months. Mackerel was chosen for its very high levels of omega 3 oils.

The results? The higher the levels of omega-3 fatty acids in their blood, the more their blood pressure dropped. The conclusion: A minimum of only three ounces of mackerel a week lowered blood pressure about 7% - and eliminated the need for medication. Fish oils seem to be just as important in fighting cancer. Those overactive prostaglandins that may touch off heart problems, are also present in most cancers, says Rutgers University researcher Dr. Rashida Karmali. Now, encouraging studies at Rutgers and elsewhere indicate that fish oils re highly effective at putting the clamps on the overproduction.

And once the heavy concentration of those hasty prostaglandins is reduced, the risk of breast, pancreatic, lung, prostate and colon cancer also drops. Eskimo and Japanese women eat lots of fish and seldom develop breast cancer.
Migraine sufferers may find relief with omega-fish oils, according to a team of researchers at the University of Cincinnati. Of those who took part in that study, 60% reported that their chronic migraines were less severe and the frequency reduced by half over six weeks when they took fish oil capsules. The average number of migraines dropped from two a week to two every two weeks. For some reason, men seemed to benefit more from adding the fish oils to their diet than women.

A change in diet in which omega-3 fish oils replaced animal fats also dramatically slowed down the rate of deterioration in people suffering early kidney disease.

Source: http://biblefood.findjunkfood.com/more-positive-effects-from-eat.html

Read More......

Which Foods Contain the Most Collagen?

What is Collagen?

Collagen is a type of protein. Fibrous in nature, it connects and supports other bodily tissues, such as skin, bone, tendons, muscles, and cartilage. It also supports the internal organs and is even present in teeth. There are more than 25 types of collagens that naturally occur in the body.
Collagen is one of the most plentiful proteins present in the bodies of mammals, including humans. In fact, it makes up about 25 percent of the total amount of proteins in the body. Some people refer to collagen as the glue that holds the body together. Without it, the body would, quite literally, fall apart.
Possessing great tensile strength, collagen functions in a manner that is very different from many other types of proteins. For example, it can be found both inside and outside of cells. Collagen fibers are important in contributing to the external structure of cells. However, they are present on the inside of some cells as well.
Collagen works hand-in-hand with elastin in supporting the body’s tissues. Basically, it gives body tissues form and provides firmness and strength; elastin gives the same body tissues much need flexibility. This combination of collagen and elastin is very important in many parts of the body, including, but not limited to, the lungs, bones, and tendons. Even the blood vessels rely on both collagen and elastin.

Often, collagen is discussed in relation to the skin. It works with keratin to provide the skin with strength, flexibility, and resilience. As people age, however, collagen degradation occurs, leading to wrinkles. As such, it is an important substance for those looking for ways to fight the visible effects of aging on the skin. Some skincare professionals actually advise people on ways to stimulate the production of collagen in skins cells.
In addition to being so important in the body, collagen also has many medical uses. It is used in some cosmetic surgery procedures and is sold as a supplement created for joint mobility. It is even used in treating and managing serious burns. For this purpose, it is used in creating man-made skin substitutes.
Since collagens are so important within the body, it stands to reason that collagen deficiencies can be problematic. In fact, there are some genetic diseases that are associated with collagen deficiencies. For example, osteogenesis imperfecta, commonly referred to as brittle bone disease, results from a significantly decreased level of collagen. It can also result from the presence of collagen that is of lower quality than normal.

Which Foods Contain the Most Collagen?

Deriving its name from the Greek word kolla, collagen is indeed a vital element that helps to keep the body functioning. Fortunately, there are a number of foods that help to support the creation of collagen within our bodies. Here are a few examples of the many different foods that provide the building blocks for the collagen production.
Soy products such as soymilk and cheese contain an element known as genistein. The presence of genistein gives soy products their collagen production qualities, as swell as helping to block enzymes that tend to break down and age the skin. Just about any soy product contains enough genistein to be helpful, including soy products that have been developed as substitutes for meat products.
Dark green vegetables are also excellent examples of foods containing collagen producing agents. Rich in Vitamin C, regular consumption of kale, spinach, collards, and asparagus helps to strengthen the body’s ability to manufacture collagen and to utilize the protein effectively.
Red fruits and vegetables also are excellent sources to up the collagen content of foods in the diet. The presence of lycopenes in these types of foods helps to act as antioxidants, which in turn increases collagen production. Try adding rep peppers, beets, and fresh or stewed tomatoes to the diet. In like manner, darker berries, such as blueberries and blackberries also help to boost the antioxidant level in the body and stimulate the production of collagen.
The presence of omega acids also helps to create an ideal environment for collagen production. Fish such as salmon and tuna are excellent sources of omega fatty acids. Nuts such as cashews, pecans, almonds and Brazil nuts contain healthy amounts as well. For a snack that promotes healthy production of collagen, try making an avocado dip. Avocados contain the same omega fatty acids as fish, and digest just as easily.
Foods that are rich in sulfur content are also important to collagen production. Among these are green and black olives, fresh cucumbers, and fresh stalks of celery. Working in conjunction with the sulfur, vegetables that are rich in Vitamin A also aid in keeping collagen levels high. Try adding raw carrots, fresh cantaloupe and baked sweet potatoes to the diet for an extra boost.
One of the key points to keep in mind is that it is possible to provide everything your body needs to produce collagen by eating a balanced diet. By including some of the foods mentioned here, you will soon begin to see a difference in the quality of your skin tone, as well as have an improved sense of overall health. (any source)

Read More......

Keladi Tikus Atasi Kanker Payudara

Orang banyak mengenal keladi sebagai umbi talas yang bisa menjadi salah satu bahan untuk makanan. Jenisnya pun berbeda-beda. Di Papua, talas menjadi bahan makanan pokok. Namun, keladi tikus berbeda lagi dari yang biasa. Keladi tikus lebih banyak dijadikan bahan untuk obat tradisional.Keladi tikus (typhonium divaricatum (L.) Dence) mulai banyak dan semakin dikenal sebagai bahan untuk obat pembasmi kanker payudara. Di sebut keladi tikus karena ukurannya kecil daripada keladi biasa. Terna menahun ini berukuran tinggi 10 sampai 45 centimeter. Bagian yang lebih mirip binatang tikus adalah mahkota bunganya yang berwarna putih, berbentuk panjang kecil, mirip ekor tikus. Tanaman berbatang basah ini banyak tumbuh di tempat terbuka pada ketinggian 1.000 meter di atas permukaan laut. Daun tunggalnya muncul dari umbi. Bentuk daunnya bulat dengan ujung meruncing berbentuk jantung. Warnanya hijau segar.Umbi keladi tikus ini berbentuk bulat rata sebesar buah pala. Bagian dalam maupun luar umbi berwarna putih. Untuk perkembangbiakannya, bisa menggunakan umbinya atau anakan yang tumbuh dari umbi tersebut.Pada musim kemarau, batangnya menghilang. Sedangkan pada musim hujan, tumbuhan ini muncul lagi di atas permukaan tanah dari umbi yang terpendam di dalam tanah. Menurut Potopoy Pasau yang banyak menggunakan keladi tikus sebagai obat tradisional, tanaman ini tak berdaun di musim panas seperti sekarang ini. Karena itu, ia merasa kesulitan menemukannya. Ia mengaku, untuk obat tradisional, ia tak mengembangbiakan sendiri, melainkan mencari di tempat-tempat tumbuhnya keladi tikus ini. ''Keladi tikus lebih banyak digunakan untuk pengobatan kanker, khususnya kanker payudara.

Bagian yang digunakan adalah seluruh tanamannya, baik daun, hingga ke umbinya. Semuanya digerus dan ditambah air sedikit. Air saringannya itu yang diminum rutin,'' ujar Patopoy. Tanaman ini terasa hangat, asam, dan beracun. Keladi tikus berkhasiat sebagai antiradang, antipembengkakan, dan dapat membekukan darah atau mengurangi pendarahan. Karena mengandung racun, keladi tikus bisa menimbulkan gatal pada tenggorokan, mulut, dan kulit. Untuk mengatasi racun tersebut, perlu perlakuan khusus seperti mencucinya dalam air mengalir. Selain itu, bisa juga ditambahkan madu untuk menghilangkan gatal di mulut.Keladi yang punya nama laoshu yu (Tionghoa) itu ternyata sudah banyak digunakan dan dibuat dalam obat paten. Obat itu dibentuk dalam tablet. Hanya saja, untuk penyakit yang parah, konsultasi ke dokter tetap dianjurkan. Untuk pemakaian luar, seluruh tanaman keladi tikus dicampur beberapa bahan lain, dihaluskan dan ditempelkan pada bagian yang sakit. Sedangkan, untuk pemakaian dalam, sebanyak 50 gram keladi tikus dam bahan lainnya dihaluskan, ditambah air matang, disaring dan diminum.Beberapa penyakit bisa diatasi dengan pengobatan luar dengan keladi tikus. Contohnya saja, pertolongan pertama untuk gigitan lipan atau ular, radang kulit (pyoderma), bisul (furunculus), tumor yang berasal dari pembuluh darah (hemangioma), luka, borok, koreng, dan patek (frambusia).Penyakit yang bisa diatasi lewat pemakaian dalam antara lain kanker payudara. Untuk penyakit ini, digunakan seluruh bagian tanaman keladi tikus, dihaluskan dan ditambah 40 cc air matang, lalu disaring. Bisa ditambahkan madu ke dalamnya. Diamkan selama 30 menit sebelum makan. Larutan itu diminum rutin tiga kali sehari. Hanya saja, bagi penderita gangguan lambung, larutan ini diminum setelah makan. wed (Republika Online )

Read More......