Tomato juice fights breast cancer.....

Tomato, although technically a fruit, is used more as a vegetable by people. The juice of tomato is highly recommended for people with various ailments and even for healthy people. Lycopene, an antioxidant is a part of almost all vegetables and fruits, but is found in large quantities in tomato. Experts have long recommended tomatoes for several kinds of medical conditions, including heart problems and muscular degeneration.

However, most of all, tomatoes are highly recommended in treatment of almost any type of cancer, particularly breast cancer. It helps neutralize free radicals of cancer cells and hence considered to be a significant aid in cancer treatments. Apart from this, even healthy individuals can benefit from the lycopene content in tomatoes, as it considerably reduces chances of getting cancer and heart diseases.

Lycopene reacts with all toxins in the body and purges. Lycopene is also found to reduce incidents of prostate cancer and atherosclerosis and coronary disease. Moreover, several studies have revealed that tomatoes contain enzymes that prevent blood clotting, and this helps people who are prone to getting a stroke.

It is said that cooked tomatoes, rather than eating them fresh out of garden, can double the effect of lycopene. This is the reason that the study focuses on tomato juice, rather than raw tomatoes. The other good ways to consume tomatoes are in the form of tomato sauce (says another study from Ohio University), as there are 2 separate strings of lycopene molecule in the tomato sauce. Another good way is to mix tomato with corn or corn oil, as this combination releases the largest amount of lycopene.

Health expert, Dr. Enaam Abdul Razag of Supreme Heal Council -Maternity Section, Doha, mentioned that fresh tomatoes can reduce incidence of braest cancer by 77 percent, while also confirming that a healthy, balanced diet goes a long way in preventing the disease.

All meals should essentially contain fresh veggies, particularly tomatoes, lettuce and carrots as they play a vital role in preventing breast cancer. Even fruits such as cherries, oranges and strawberries help in preventing breast cancer

A New Journey Into Consciousness

We will journey into the different dimensions of our consciousness, individual and cosmic, known and unknown. yet our approach will not proceed through mere imagination or speculation, nor will we leave the ground on wich we stand. we will explore an integral view of the mind that includes the physical body on one side and our immortal self on the other. we will look into all aspects of our nature and how they affect how we think,feel,percieve and are aware.
                                          For this journey we will employ the wisdom of the great yogis and rishis of the himalayas. This yogic wisdom is not mere technical know-how, philosophical profundity, or religious revelation. It is the wisdom of life itself beyond any opinions or dogmas. for this you, the reader, must participate. you yourself must become both the observer and the observed. To truly prob into the mind is to journey into one's own being. It is to explore not merely our surface time-bound ego, but our true self, of which all that we see, internally and externally, is but a reflection. You will discover all the forces of Nature working within you, and that you youself are a replica of the cosmos, with your inner consciousness one with GOD.....

Double Doses Of Chicken Pox Vaccine Found To Be Most Effective

When vaccinating children against varicella (chicken pox), researchers at Yale School of Medicine have found, two doses are better than one. In fact, the odds of developing chicken pox were 95 percent lower in children who had received two doses of the vaccine compared with those who had received only one dose. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) began recommending a single dose of chicken pox vaccine for children ages 1 to 13 in 1995. The chicken pox rate fell drastically and studies showed that the effectiveness of one dose was 86 percent. But there was still a high rate of breakthrough illness in immunized children. The CDC changed the immunization policy for chicken pox in 2006, adding a second dose for children ages 4 to 6. In this study, Shapiro and his team showed that the effectiveness of two doses is 98.3 percent.

Past studies have suggested that two doses of varicella vaccine are linked to higher antibody levels than one dose, but this is the first study to assess the clinical effectiveness of two doses of the vaccine in the general population. In a survey of Connecticut children, Shapiro and his team discovered 71 cases of chicken pox in children ages 4 and older. None of these children had received two doses of vaccine; 66 (93 percent) had received one dose and five (7 percent) had received no vaccine.

"We weren't surprised to find that two doses of varicella vaccine are highly effective and are more likely to prevent varicella than a singe dose," said Shapiro. "The findings confirm that, at least in the short term, the policy of routinely administering two rather than one dose of varicella vaccine is sensible. Other countries that are routinely immunizing children with varicella vaccine may consider changing to a two-dose regimen."

Because it has only been four years since the CDC policy change, Shapiro also recommends that there be continued monitoring of the effectiveness of two doses to assure that its high degree of effectiveness is sustained. 

India and Malaysia tie up for Ayurvedic research

After the Ayurveda Congress, Malaysia is impressed with the ancient medicinal system and has now collaborated with India to explore the potential of natural herbs in the Forest Research Institute, Malaysia (FIRM). The president of the Malaysian Society for Complementary Medicine, Dr. Lee Chee Peng said that he has invited the National Institute of Unani Medicine in Bangalore to start off with the research of natural herbs.

This invitation was extended when he had attended the Fourth World Ayurveda Congress that was held in Bangalore. He was here with a nine-member team from his society to the four-day Ayurveda congress, which ended on Monday.

Dr Lee said that India had about 9,000 natural herbs, out of which only 300 were exported to Malaysia. He also added that there was a lot of demand for traditional medicines in Malaysia and that about 70% of the population made use of this medicinal system. Dr Lee, who is chairman of International, Scientific and Research Council for Complementary Medicine, said that he is working very hard to set up a head office of the council in Malaysia soon.

Beautiful People Convey Personality Traits Better During First Impressions.

A new University of British Columbia study has found that people identify the personality traits of people who are physically attractive more accurately than others during short encounters. 

The study, published in the December edition ofPsychological Science, suggests people pay closer attention to people they find attractive, and is the latest scientific evidence of the advantages of perceived beauty. Previous research has shown that individuals tend to find attractive people more intelligent, friendly and competent than others. 

The goal of the study was to determine whether a person's attractiveness impacts others' ability to discern their personality traits, says Prof. Jeremy Biesanz, UBC Dept. of Psychology, who co-authored the study with PhD student Lauren Human and undergraduate student Genevieve Lorenzo. 

For the study, researchers placed more than 75 male and female participants into groups of five to 11 people for three-minute, one-on-one conversations. After each interaction, study participants rated partners on physical attractiveness and five major personality traits: openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism. Each person also rated their own personality. 

Researchers were able to determine the accuracy of people's perceptions by comparing participants' ratings of others' personality traits with how individuals rated their own traits, says Biesanz, adding that steps were taken to control for the positive bias that can occur in self-reporting. 

Despite an overall positive bias towards people they found attractive (as expected from previous research), study participants identified the "relative ordering" of personality traits of attractive participants more accurately than others, researchers found. 

"If people think Jane is beautiful, and she is very organized and somewhat generous, people will see her as more organized and generous than she actually is," says Biesanz. "Despite this bias, our study shows that people will also correctly discern the relative ordering of Jane's personality traits - that she is more organized than generous - better than others they find less attractive." 

The researchers say this is because people are motivated to pay closer attention to beautiful people for many reasons, including curiosity, romantic interest or a desire for friendship or social status. "Not only do we judge books by their covers, we read the ones with beautiful covers much closer than others," says Biesanz, noting the study focused on first impressions of personality in social situations, like cocktail parties. 

Although participants largely agreed on group members' attractiveness, the study reaffirms that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Participants were best at identifying the personalities of people they found attractive, regardless of whether others found them attractive. 

According to Biesanz, scientists spent considerable efforts a half-century ago seeking to determine what types of people perceive personality best, to largely mixed results. With this study, the team chose to investigate this longstanding question from another direction, he says, focusing not on who judges personality best, but rather whether some people's personalities are better perceived. 

Natural Asthma Treatments

While quick relief medicines (referred to as relievers), long-term control medicines (referred to as preventers), and hormones (adrenaline and hydrocortisone) continue to be the most traditional approaches to managing asthma, many doctors are complementing these approaches with natural asthma treatments. In addition, there’s a growing population of sufferers who prefer taking a more natural approach to controlling their condition.

Natural asthma treatments are as much about thinking and acting smart as they are about adding non-Western approaches to your management program. For instance, the best natural treatment is to avoid known triggers. If you’re sensitive to cigarette smoke, avoid it. If cat dander triggers your asthma attacks, don’t put yourself in an environment with cats. If pollen is your culprit, find ways to remain indoors as much as possible during those high pollen seasons such as spring and autumn.

See? Simple common sense.

But let’s move on to proactive natural asthma treatments.

Vitamin and mineral supplements can be an excellent complement to conventional asthma treatments. A nutritional deficiency can weaken your immune system making it more difficult to withstand environmental triggers. By adding a regular routine of supplements, you can keep your immune system strong.

For instance, asthmatics tend to have very low magnesium levels (a mineral that helps relax the bronchial tubes) so adding a daily magnesium supplement to your diet may prove to be very beneficial. Vitamin B6 can help reduce wheezing. And studies have shown that taking Vitamin C before exercise can prevent an asthma attack.

One word of caution with supplements … make certain that they’re hypo-allergenic. You don’t want to be taking something that will aggravate your condition instead of improving it.

Next are herbal supplements. Herbs can be toxic and dangerous if taken in large doses, so make sure you read the label and follow the prescribed doses.

Tylophora indica (also referred to as Tylophora asthmatica) is a rare Ayurvedic botanical known for its anti-asthma/anti-allergy benefits. A 1969 twelve-week study involving one hundred ninety-five patients suffering from bronchial asthma resulted in approximately 15 percent of those who took Tylophora indica experienced complete to moderate relief of their asthma symptoms.

Boswella is derived from resin extracts from the Boswellia serrata tree. While this herb is most often mentioned for its anti-inflammatory properties, some studies suggest it can also be helpful for asthma. In one trial, 300 mg of boswellia serrata taken three times daily showed an improvement in the symptoms of asthma, including a reduction in asthma attacks.

Butterbur is a perennial shrub that contains petasins, which inhibit leukotrienes and histamines. In one study of butterbur, 40 percent of the participants showed improvement and were actually able to reduce their regular asthma medications.

Mullein is a weed and grows everywhere. While some people have experienced immediate relief from asthma attacks when using mullein, others have experienced no relief at all. So this herb is a bit of a hit or a miss, depending on the individual.

Elecampane is a large herbaceous plant found primarily in England. It’s recommended by some herbalists as a long-term treatment for asthma, particularly when mucus is an ever-present problem. There haven’t been any studies of elecampane. So at this time, there’s no real evidence of its effectiveness.

Always be cautious when using natural asthma treatments, and always involve your doctor in the process to make sure there won’t be any adverse reactions with your prescribed medications. And of course, never stop taking asthma medicine prescribed by your doctor without consulting with him or her first.

Discover additional natural asthma treatments and learn more about asthma and allergies in your quest to control your asthma. The better educated you are, the healthier you’ll be.

Ayurvedic product launched for treatment of H1N1

PUNE: As pandemic Influenza H1N1 spreads at an alarming rate in Pune, city-based Institute of Integrative Healthcare (IIHc) under the aegis of India International Multiversity has launched ‘Immurich’, an Ayurvedic product made out of ‘Gau-Piyush’ or cow colostrum that can act as an effective treatment against communicable and pandemic diseases.

Addressing the media here on Wednesday, India International Multiversity founder Dr Vijay Bhatkar said that with increasing H1N1 cases being reported from the city and the country in general, it is difficult to find a vaccine immediately because of extreme costs, time consumption and other challenges. 

It is in this backdrop that IIHc constituted a task force of experts together to find a solution.

The task force decided to focus on nutritional immunology inspired by Ayurveda. The group found a number of references for communicable diseases in Ayurveda and recommended the use of cow colostrum as a powerful and effective treatment against many diseases, including Influenza-Like Infections (ILI).

Bhatkar said that IIHc had approached the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) to test on H1N1 patients and is awaiting permission for the same.