The role of emotions

Just something differant I wanted to write about,, Thought It was interesting.. Meera Lester has a lot of good things to say.

Here is a real cool thing I saw I thought might be for interesting reading. I"ve been looking into this.Stuff because I notice the negative people in my life are never happy  but they don't even attract people or things that are. The Role of Emotionsby Meera Lester

An effective reinforcement tool for working with the Law of Attraction is an understanding of how your mood affects your ability to attract the results you desire. It may be more difficult than you think to understand how external and internal thoughts can trigger feelings that translate to good or bad moods.

Yet such knowledge can be a powerful aid in your manifestation efforts. You'll know what your mood triggers are, and recognizing them can help you to quickly redirect a negative mood or reinforce a positive one.

Mood is the best indicator of your emotion. The happiness and passion you feel when you do work you love can quickly change into hurt when someone criticizes you. You may even become angry and desire to lash out at that person. In a short span of time, you've just experienced three emotions.

The words emotion and motivation derive from the same Latin word movere, which means “to move.” However, definingemotion proves difficult. Emotion can be applied to a vast array of feelings or states of being, both positive and negative.

Everyone feels emotions as various bodily sensations. In a dangerous situation, you may feel the instinctive fight-or-flight reaction due to your body's sudden release of adrenaline. People behave according to the emotions they feel in their bodies, and many personality disorders have an emotional component.

While psychologists differ in their opinions about how many basic emotions people experience, most agree on six.

Basic Types of Emotions

1. Love
2. Surprise
3. Happiness
4. Fear
5. Sadness
6. Anger

Any emotion can affect the way you make decisions. A subgroup of emotions known as social emotions include pride, jealousy, guilt, and embarrassment. Negative emotions such as anger or fear and self-defeating thoughts can keep you from taking advantage of opportunities when they show up in your life.

Psychiatrists say that anger turned inward (internalized) can become depression and that emotion can surely paralyze the decision-making process. Sharpen your understanding of social emotions; recognizing when you feel them can be a powerful tool in your box of attraction and manifestation aids.

Grief, fear, hopelessness, shame, and disgust can also render you unable to logically reason through all the factors to effectively make a sound decision. When it comes to deciding to manifest something in your life, making the decision to do so is easier than making a life-and-death decision because of the anticipatory feelings associated with getting something you desire.

Baking soda, cancer and fungus

                                              Baking soda, cancer and fungus
                                                                   Wow
I wish people would just pay attention to this dude.The cancer industry is closing in on baking soda and beginning to do research in earnest about sodium bicarbonate and how it is a primary tool in the treatment of fungus. Cancer is a fungus, can be caused by a fungus, or is accompanied by late-stage fungal infections, and now the Mayo Clinic confirms this. They are not the first to say so though. Many, even from the official world of orthodox oncology, recognize the similarities of cancer and fungal infections, the decay that ties these two together in a dance that all too often ends in miserable death.

The Mayo Clinic is saying that a fungal infection of the gastrointestinal tract mimics cancer and inflammatory bowel disease. The invasive fungus, Basidiobolus ranarum, is typically found in the soil, decaying organic matter and the gastrointestinal tracts of fish, reptiles, amphibians, and bats.

Patients with this fungal infection had non-specific symptoms such as abdominal pain or a mass that could be felt on examination. Before a conclusive diagnosis of the fungal infection was made, most patients were thought to have abdominal cancer, inflammatory bowel disease or diverticulitis. Surgical resection of the area of involvement and prolonged antifungal therapy successfully treated most patients.

Interestingly, a few years ago researchers at Johns Hopkins were surprised that the drug itraconazole, commonly used to treat toenail fungus, can also block angiogenesis, the growth of new blood vessels commonly seen in cancers. Tumor angiogenesis is the proliferation of a network of blood vessels that penetrates into cancerous growths, supplying nutrients and oxygen and removing waste products. Cancer researchers studying the conditions necessary for cancer metastasis have discovered that angiogenesis is one of the critical events required for metasteses to occur. In mice induced to have excess blood vessel growth, treatment with itraconazole reduced blood vessel growth by 67% compared to placebo. "We were surprised, to say the least, that itraconazole popped up as a potential blocker of angiogenesis," says Dr. Jun O. Liu, professor of pharmacology. "We couldn't have predicted that an antifungal drug would have such a role." Itraconazole was found to reduce the numbers of circulating cancer cells, prevent the worsening of prostate cancers, and delay the need for chemotherapy. However, it has serious side effects when given in the necessary high dosages that include hypertension, low potassium levels and fluid retention. These side effects require treatment with other medications. Effects of high doses of itraconazole could lead to heart failure.

For two decades John Hopkins has recognized the increasing frequency of severe fungal infections in patients with neoplastic diseases. Most fungal infections are caused by the commonly recognized opportunistic fungi Candida spp and Aspergillus spp, and the pathogenic fungi Cryptococcus neoformans, Histoplasma capsulatum, Coccidiodes immitis, and less often by Blastomyces dermatidis. However, recently newer pathogens such as Pheohyphomycetes, Hyalohyphomycetes, Zygomycetes and other fungi of emerging importance such as Torulopsis glabrata, Trichosporon beigelii, Malassezia spp, Saccharomyces spp, Hansenula spp, Rhodotorula spp, and Geotrichum candidum have appeared as significant causes of infection in this patient population.

Dr. Tullio Simoncini does not say that cancer is caused by yeast; what he is telling the world is that the cancer is a yeast overgrowth. What causes the cancer (or a yeast-filled tumor) is another thing. Simoncini has always insisted that tumors are white because they are fungi. Some have made fun of him, but looking around at the extremely sparse information about the subject, I ran into one person saying:

"If someone had asked me a year ago what color the inside of a tumor was, I would have guessed red and gray. When they did the biopsy, I asked to see the tissue specimens: five quarter-inch to half-inch strings of vermicelli (Italian for little worms) with little streakings of blood. They didn't look evil to me, just strings of fat. The entire mass was white inside as the pathology report stated.

Specialists in throat and mouth cancer say that cancers can be red or white patches: any patch that appears randomly and is red or white in color could be a mouth cancer symptom. The white patches in the mouth are called leukoplakia and the red patches are called erythroplakia, which are pre-cancerous conditions. Though these red or white patches are not always cancerous, it could be the result of a fungal infection caused by Candida called thrush. Thrush will lead to a red patch that often bleeds after the white patch disappears. A small amount of this fungus lives in your mouth most of the time. It is usually kept in check by your immune system and other types of germs that also normally live in your mouth. However, when your immune system is weak, the fungus can grow.

Fungal Mycotoxins

It just so happens that a toxin produced by mold on nuts and grains can cause liver cancer, according to University of California Irvine Researchers. And a French case-control study of 1,010 breast cancer cases and 1,950 controls with nonmalignant diseases found that breast cancer was associated with increased frequency of mold-fermented cheese consumption. Fungi produce mycotoxins, which can kill us or cause cancer.

Dr. Wang and Groopman from the Environmental Health Sciences Department at Johns Hopkins published on the effects of mold toxins on DNA in Mutation Research, a leading cancer journal. They said mycotoxins with carcinogenic potency include aflatoxins, sterigmatocystin, ochratoxin, fumonisins, zearalenone, and some Penicillium toxins. Most of these carcinogenic mycotoxins are genotoxic agents. Aflatoxin is a potent genotoxic agent, is mutagenic in many model systems and produces chromosomal aberrations, micronuclei, sister chromatid exchange, unscheduled DNA synthesis, and chromosomal strand breaks. Most strikingly, the relationship between aflatoxin exposure and development of human hepatocellular carcinoma (liver cancer) is demonstrated by studies.

Harrison et al. (1993) examined human breast cancer tissue for evidence of the presence of aflatoxin. The researchers examined human DNA from a variety of tissues and organs to identify and quantify aflatoxin DNA-adducts. Such adducts are considered to be proof of the mycotoxin's presence in a particular tissue. Aflatoxins may in fact be a risk factor for cancer induction in a variety of organs in man, in the same manner as that of cigarette smoking.

DNA from normal and tumorous tissue obtained from patients with cancer of the breast was examined. Tumor tissues had higher aflatoxin-adduct levels than did normal tissue from the same individual. The result of this study verifies the presence of carcinogenic aflatoxin within the cancer tissue and thus implicates aflatoxin as a cause of breast cancer. That is the same as saying cancer is a fungus or is caused by a fungus and this is what Dr. Simoncini has been saying all along.

Intensive Care Units are particularly on alert with immunocompromised and oncology patients for fungal infections. "Patients with brain tumors used to have a life expectancy of 3-12 months, but better treatment has allowed them to live a bit longer," said Brenda Shelton, clinical nurse specialist at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore. "The last two brain tumor ICU patients we treated died of infection, not of their disease. One patient had a rare fungus, and the other had candidemia. Years ago, you would not see most of these fungal infections in patients with brain tumors because they would not live long enough."

"The biggest misconception is the belief that fungal infections are rare," Shelton said. "Another misconception is fungal infections are like every other severe infection. They are harder to manage, harder to eradicate and more frequent than people realize." One of the most common complications involved in treating patients with hematologic cancer is fungal infections.

Aspergillus niger fungal infection in human lungs produces large amounts of oxalic acid, which is extremely toxic to the blood vessels and which may cause fatal pulmonary hemorrhages. Consequently, oxalic acid (calcium oxalate crystals) in the sputum or lung specimens of patients is also an indication of an Aspergillus infection of the lung. These calcium oxalate crystals are the same as the calcium oxalate found in breast cancers. The presence of oxalates in the breast is indicative of the presence of fungi interwoven within the stages of breast cancer development. Since humans do not make oxalic acid themselves, this is an appropriate conclusion.

Dr. Robert Young states, "Bacteria, yeast/fungi, and mold are not the cause of a cancerous condition but are the result and the evidence of cells and tissues biologically transforming from a healthy state and to an unhealthy state." Dr. Young astutely observed that, "over-acidification of the body leads to the development of chronic yeast and fungal infections and ultimately a cancerous condition of the cells and tissues."

If one has cancer, chances are pretty good that one
also has a fungal infection to one degree or another.

According to The Home Medical Encyclopedia, in 1963 about one-half of all Americans suffered from an "unrecognized" systemic fungal condition. Far more Americans suffer from fungal infections today as antibiotics, hormone replacement therapies, and birth control pills continue to be consumed like candy. Thus more and more children are becoming infected with candidal meningitis or viral meningitis, which means their systems are suffering under the weight of fungi who put out an assortment of poisons - or mycotoxins.

Sodium Bicarbonate is an Antifungal Agent

The current controversy over sodium bicarbonate and its use in oncology might be relatively new but baking soda has a long history of helping people get through the worst medical conditions. The Eloquent Peasant, an Egyptian literary work dated around 2000 B.C., refers to a peddler selling natron, a natural blend of sodium bicarbonate, chloride and sodium carbonate used in mummification, just one of hundreds of uses this compound has been put to. Baking soda's first widespread use was probably as a leavening agent for bread and other baked goods. It has been used commercially since 1775, although the now-famous Arm & Hammer brand wasn't introduced until 1867.

Sodium bicarbonate (Na2HCO3) is recognized by most as ordinary baking soda, which is found in deposits around the globe. Its backbone characteristic is to maintain balance of carbon dioxide, bicarbonate and pH. Sodium bicarbonate is available and sold in every supermarket and pharmacy in the world and is widely used in emergency rooms and intensive care wards in injectable forms but is sold as a common household substance that is used for hundreds of different things.

Read my book, Sodium Bicarbonate, and see that something as inexpensive as baking soda will outperform the most expensive pharmaceuticals. Across a wide range of disorders, including cancer and diabetes, we find conclusive evidence and plenty of theoretical backing to suggest that sodium bicarbonate is a frontline universal medicine that should be employed by all practitioners of the healing and medical arts for a broad range of disorders that are afflicting contemporary man.

For all the references, sources and more articles, please visit Dr. Mark Sircus blog.

About the author:
About the author:
Mark A. Sircus, Ac., OMD, is director of the International Medical Veritas Association (IMVA) http://www.imva.info/.

Dr. Sircus was trained in acupuncture and oriental medicine at the Institute of Traditional Medicine in Sante Fe, N.M., and at the School of Traditional Medicine of New England in Boston. He served at the Central Public Hospital of Pochutla in Mexico, and was awarded the title of doctor of oriental medicine for his work. He was one of the first nationally certified acupuncturists in the United States. Dr. Sircus's IMVA is dedicated to unifying the various disciplines in medicine with the goal of creating a new dawn in healthcare.

He is particularly concerned about the effect vaccinations have on vulnerable infants and is identifying the common thread of many toxic agents that are dramatically threatening present and future generations of children. His book, The Terror of Pediatric Medicine, is a free e-book offered on his web site. Humane Pediatrics will be an e-book available early in 2011 and then quickly as possible put into print.

Dr. Sircus is a most prolific and courageous writer and one can read through hundreds of pages on his various web sites.

He has recently released a number of e-books including Winning the War Against Cancer, Survival Medicine for the 21st Century, Sodium Bicarbonate, Rich Man’s Poor Man’s Cancer Treatment, New Paradigms in Diabetic Care and Bringing Back the Universal Medicine: IODINE.

Dr. Sircus is a pioneer in the area of natural detoxification and chelation of toxic chemicals and heavy metals. He is also a champion of the medicinal value of minerals and seawater.

Transdermal Magnesium Therapy, his first published work, offers a stunning breakthrough in medicine, an entirely new way to supplement magnesium that naturally increases DHEA levels, brings cellular magnesium levels up quickly, relieves pain, brings down blood pressure and pushes cell physiology in a positive direction. Magnesium chloride delivered transdermally brings a quick release from a broad range of conditions. His second edition of Transdermal Magnesium Therapy will be out shortly. In addition he writes critically about the political and financial crises occurring around us.

International Medical Veritas Association: http://www.imva.info/
http://publications.imva.info/


Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/035876_baking_soda_cancer_fungus.html#ixzz2JrJXqqG7

vegetable color means what??

Red Fruits and Vegetables Contain nutrients such as lycopene, ellagic acid, Quercetin, and Hesperidin, to name a few. These nutrients reduce the risk of prostate cancer, lower blood pressure, reduce tumor growth and LDL cholesterol levels, scavenge harmful free-radicals, and support join tissue in arthritis cases.
Orange and Yellow fruits and vegetables
Contain beta-carotene, zeaxanthin, flavonoids, lycopene, potassium, and vitamin C. These nutrients reduce age-related macula degeneration and the risk of prostate cancer, lower LDL cholesterol and blood pressure, promote collagen formation and healthy joints, fight harmful free radicals, encourage alkaline balance, and work with magnesium and calcium to build healthy bones.
Green vegetables and Fruit
Green vegetables contain chlorophyll, fiber, lutein, zeaxanthin, calcium, folate, vitamin C, calcium, and Beta-carotene. The nutrients found in these vegetables reduce cancer risks, lower blood pressure and LDL cholesterol levels, normalize digestion time, support retinal health and vision, fight harmful free-radicals, and boost immune system activity.
Blue and purple fruits and vegetables
Contain nutrients which include lutein, zeaxanthin, resveratrol, vitamin C, fiber, flavonoids, ellagic acid, and quercetin. Similar to the previous nutrients, these nutrients support retinal health, lower LDL cholesterol, boost immune system activity, support healthy digestion, improve calcium and other mineral absorption, fight inflammation, reduce tumor growth, act as an anticarcinogens in the digestive tract, and limit the activity of cancer cells.
White fruits and vegetables
Contain nutrients such as beta-glucans, EGCG, SDG, and lignans that provide powerful immune boosting activity. These nutrients also activate natural killer B and T cells, reduce the risk of colon, breast, and prostate cancers, and balance hormone levels, reducing the risk of hormone-related cancers.
This is even more info. A like NCI chart better.
Deep red or bright pink fruits and vegetables should be eaten every day, recommends the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Nutrition research shows that red and bright pink fruits and vegetables contain phytochemicals, such as lycopene and anthocyanins. Phytochemicals, substances found only in plants, help your body fight disease and promote good health.
Lycopene (pronounced LIKE-oh-peen) helps reduce the risk of several types of cancer, including prostate cancer. Watermelons, pink grapefruits, and tomato-based products such as spaghetti sauce, tomato paste, and tomato juice are all good sources of lycopene. One out of every six men in America will be affected by prostate cancer, says Dr. Lorelei DiSogra, Director of NCIs 5 A Day for Better Health Program. Men who want to reduce their risk of prostate cancer should eat foods rich in lycopene as part of their recommended 5 to 9 servings of fruits and vegetables a day.

Other red fruits and vegetables, such as strawberries, raspberries, and beets contain anthocyanins (pronounced an-tho-SIGH-uh-nins), a group of phytochemicals that are powerful antioxidants that help control high blood pressure and protect against diabetes-related circulatory

Best Sources of Lycopene Best Red Sources of Anthocyanins Spaghetti Sauce Tomato Juice Tomato Paste Tomato Soup Watermelon Guava Pink Grapefruit Fresh Tomato Red Raspberries Strawberries Cranberries Red Cabbage Kidney Beans Sweet Cherries Beets Red Apples Red Onion Red Beans

There are thousands of health promoting phytochemicals found in plants and that's why it's so important to eat a wide variety of colorful orange, red, green, white, and blue fruits and vegetables every day, says Dr. DiSogra. By eating fruits and vegetables from each color group, you will benefit from the unique array of phytochemicals, as well as essential vitamins, minerals, and fiber that each color group has to offer.

Remember, the more colors the better whether choosing colorful fruits and vegetables at the supermarket or when eating out, adds Dr. DiSogra. Keep in mind, women should strive to eat at least 7 servings of fruits and vegetables a day, and men should strive for 9.

Enjoy 1 cup of raspberries, sweet cherries, cranberries, or strawberries, or go to the 5 A Day Web site at www.5aday.gov for recipes such as the Creamy Tomato-Pepper Pasta which also features some favorite red powerhouses.

Eating the Blues Can Keep You Healthy and Feeling Young

Eat blue and purple fruits and vegetables, recommends the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Fruits such as blueberries and plums, contain disease-fighting phytochemicals, including anthocyanins and phenolics. Phytochemicals, substances found only in plants, help your body fight disease and promote good health.

Anthocyanins (pronounced an-tho-SIGH-uh-nins) and phenolics (pronounced fee-NAH-lix) are found in berries, dried plums (prunes), and raisins. These powerful antioxidants help reduce the risk of diseases including cancer, heart disease, and Alzheimer's, and may even slow down the aging process.

Research suggests that eating blueberries, in particular, may prevent some of the effects of aging by improving cell communication in the nervous system. Some degree of memory loss which occurs slowly with aging starts around age 50. Eating berries like blueberries and blackberries may help to reverse this trend.

Best Blue/Purple Sources of Anthocyanins Best Blue/Purple Sources of Phenolics Blueberries Purple Grapes Blackberries Black Currants Elderberries Dried Plums (Prunes) Raisins Eggplant Plums

Rack up the Greens For Better Health

Green leafy vegetables such as spinach, Romaine lettuce, collard greens, kale and broccoli should be eaten every day. Nutrition research suggests that the more green veggies you eat, the healthier you will be. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) recommends making green vegetables an important part of your recommended 5 to 9 servings of fruits and vegetables a day.

But what makes green vegetables so healthy. One reason is that they are packed with nutrients and phytochemicals substances found only in plants which help fight disease and improve health. Lutein (pronounced LOO-teen) is a powerful antioxidant found in green leafy vegetables that help to maintain good vision. Cataracts, which occur naturally during the aging process, cause some degree of vision loss in almost everyone over the age of 65. Eating green vegetables rich in Lutein helps reduce the risk of cataracts and macular degeneration. That's one of the reasons that it's critical to eat green vegetables every day.

Indoles (pronounced in-DOLS) are another group of phytochemicals found in cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts. Indoles help protect against breast cancer (which affects one out of every eight women in the U.S.) and prostate cancer (which affects one out of every six men in the U.S.). In a recent study, men who ate cruciferous vegetables at least three times a week had a 42 percent reduction in risk of prostate cancer.

Best Green Sources of Lutein Best Sources of Indoles Kale Spinach Romaine Lettuce Broccoli Green Peas Honeydew Melon Kiwifruit Leafy Greens (Turnip, Collard, Mustard) Broccoli Cauliflower Cabbage Brussels sprouts Kale Bok Choy Rutabaga Arugala Swiss Chard Watercress Turnips

Boost Your Immunity with Orange Fruits and Vegetables

Eat deep orange and bright yellow fruits and vegetables, recommends the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Vegetables such as sweet potatoes, carrots, and pumpkins all contain the phytochemical beta carotene. Citrus fruits such as oranges, grapefruits, and tangerines contain another group of phytochemicals called bioflavonoids. Phytochemicals, substances found only in plants, help your body fight disease and promote good health.

Beta carotene is a powerful antioxidant that reduces the risk of cancer and heart disease. In addition, it helps maintain good eyesight and helps your body fight colds and flu by boosting your immune system.

Bioflavonoids, a group of phytochemicals that work together with Vitamin C to keep bodies healthy, help reduce the risk of cancer, strengthen bones and teeth, help heal wounds, keep skin healthy, and lower the risk of heart attack.

Best Sources of Beta Carotene Best Orange/Yellow Sources of Bioflavonoids Mangos Carrots Sweet Potatoes Apricots Cantaloupe Butternut Squash Peaches Pumpkin Oranges Grapefruit Lemons Tangerines Clementines Apricots Peaches Nectarines Papaya Pears Pineapple Yellow Raisins Yellow Pepper

There are thousands of health promoting phytochemicals found in plants and that's why it's so important to eat a wide variety of colorful orange, red, green, white, and blue fruits and vegetables every day. By eating fruits and vegetables from each color group, you will benefit from the unique array of phytochemicals, as well as essential vitamins, minerals, and fiber that each color group has to offer.

Flavor Up for Better Health with Extra Servings of Garlic and Onions

Garlic, onions, and leeks may be lacking in color, but they're bursting with powerful phytochemicals substances found only in plants which help your body fight disease and promote good health. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) recommends flavoring salads, sandwiches, and main dishes with garlic, onions, and/or leeks as part of your recommended 5 to 9 servings of fruits and vegetables a day.

Vegetables from the onion family, which include garlic, chives, scallions, leeks, and any variety of onions, share a group of phytochemicals that are very important to good health. The most common member of this phytochemical group is allicin. Research shows that allicin-containing garlic and onions may help lower cholesterol and blood pressure and increase the body's ability to fight infections.

People don't often think that garlic in recipes or onions on a sandwich add to their daily servings of fruits and vegetables. But every little bit adds up. In fact, the phytochemicals found in the onion family may be some of the strongest in their ability to protect good health. Nutrition research shows that eating vegetables from the onion family may speed recovery from colds, reduce the risk of heart attacks, and may even help stop the spread of certain cancers, particularly stomach and colon cancer.

Top sources of Allicin Garlic Onions Leeks Chives

TERMS GLOSARY:

Allicin

Allicin, a phytochemical found most notably in onions and garlic, is considered to be protective against cancer and heart disease. Allicin is most widely recognized for its action as an antiviral, antifungal, and antibacterial agent with the ability to block the toxins produced by bacteria and viruses. It is also an antioxidant and helps to eliminate toxins, which is why garlic is sometimes considered a detoxifier.

Anthocyanins

Anthocyanins represent a group of phytochemicals within the larger category of phytochemicals called phenolics.Anthocyanins give intense color to certain red and/or blue fruits and vegetables, most notably the blueberry. These plant pigments are very powerful antioxidants and have been studied extensively for their ability to fight heart disease and cancer and to delay several diseases associated with the aging process.

Antioxidant

Antioxidants are found naturally in many fruits and vegetables and act to protect cells from damage caused by the by-products (free radicals) of everyday metabolism and toxic substances in the environment and food. Over time, free radicals can significantly damage cells and lead to a number of diseases associated with aging. Antioxidants act as little vacuum cleaners, eliminating free radicals as they circulate throughout the body, preventing them from doing damage.

Beta Carotene

Beta Carotene is a common phytochemical within a group of over 600 called carotenoids. It is found in bright orange-colored fruits and vegetables such as carrots, pumpkins, peaches, and sweet potatoes. In the body, beta-carotene is converted to vitamin A, which has many vital functions including the growth and repair of body tissues, formation of bones and teeth, resistance of the body to infection, and development of healthy eye tissues. Whereas vitamin A supplements can be toxic, excess beta-carotene is safely stored away and converted to vitamin A only when the body needs it.

Bioflavonoids

Bioflavonoids represent a group of phytochemicals found primarily in citrus fruits. They belong to a large group of more than 2,000 phytochemicals called phenols that are known to be very powerful antioxidants. Bioflavonoids are studied for their ability to delay or prevent some of the effects of the aging process. Bioflavonoids, in particular, have been associated with a decrease in symptoms of arthritis, decreased risk for heart disease and cancer, and lower cholesterol levels.

Cataract

A cataract refers to cloudiness in the lens of the eye, which can causes vision loss and sometimes blindness. Structural proteins in the eye breakdown with aging, causing cataracts. Fifty percent of the population between the ages of 52 and 64 have cataracts and 70 percent of those over 70. Symptoms of cataracts include blurry or fuzzy vision, changes in color vision, and increased glare from lights among others.

Diabetes-related Circulatory Problems

Diabetes speeds up the processes that lead to heart disease such as hardening of arteries and build-up of fatty plaques, making diabetic patients much more susceptible to heart attacks and impaired circulation. Diabetes also damages capillaries, resulting in inadequate blood flow to many tissues. However, a large body of evidence shows that these effects may be prevented or reversed if diabetes is controlled through good nutrition and exercise.

Indoles

Indoles are a group of phytochemicals that fall within a much larger group called organosulfur compounds. Organosulfur compounds are found in cruciferous vegetables including broccoli, bok choy, cabbage, kale, Brussels sprouts, and turnips. These phytochemicals all contain sulfur, which gives vegetables that contain them a pungent flavor. Each phytochemical within the organosulfur group delivers specific health benefits. Indoles, in particular, are able to bind to cancer-causing chemicals and activate detox enzymes that destroy them and prevent damage to cells.

Lutein

Lutein is a phytochemical found most often in leafy green vegetables, but also in other fruits and vegetables. Lutein belongs to a group of over 600 phytochemicals called carotenoids, which are plant pigments that function as antioxidants. Lutein is a component of the macula of the eye, responsible for detailed vision. Evidence suggests that eating foods high in lutein may prevent and slow macular degeneration, a leading cause of blindness in the elderly. As an antioxidant, lutein reduces the amount of free radical damage to the macula and may also help prevent the formation of cataracts, reduce the risk of heart disease, and protect against breast cancer.

Lycopene

Lycopene is one of over 600 phytochemicals called carotenoids with very powerful disease-fighting capabilities, particularly against prostate cancer. Lycopene is associated with the red color in tomatoes. Tomato-based products such as tomato sauce, tomato soup, and tomato juice have the most concentrated source of lycopene. Cooked tomato sauces are associated with greater health benefits, compared to uncooked, because the heating process makes lycopene more easily absorbed by the body. Also, lycopene is fat-soluble, meaning that in order for the body to absorb it, it has to be eaten with at least a small amount of fat. Lycopene has been associated with a reduced risk for many cancers and protection against heart attacks, though research continues on other potential health benefits.

Macular Degeneration

Age-related macular degeneration is the number one cause of severe vision loss or legal blindness in adults over 60 in the U.S. More than one in 10 adults aged 65 to 74, and 28 percent of those 75 years or older have the disease. Age-related macular degeneration reduces straight ahead central vision necessary for normal functioning. Risk for macular degeneration increases with age and smoking and dietary factors may also play a role. Certain green leafy vegetables like spinach and kale and brightly colored fruits and vegetables like mangoes, oranges and cantaloupes contain phytochemicals called carotenoids that may reduce the risk for macular degeneration.

Phenolics

Phenolics represent a very large category of over 2,000 phytochemicals. The term phenol comes from the chemical structure of these phytochemicals that vary from having one to several phenol groups. Phenol groups have the ability to sweep up many free radicals as they circulate through the bloodstream. For this reason, phenolics are considered to be some of the most powerful antioxidants and are studied for their ability to slow down the aging process. However, phenolics also exhibit a wide range of other health benefits, which include anti-inflammatory, anti-allergy, anti-clotting, anti-tumor and heart protective effects.

Phytochemical

Phytochemicals are defined as substances found only in plants that provide health benefits in addition to those provided by vitamins and minerals alone. Phytochemicals, which represent thousands of different components in plant foods, differ from vitamins and minerals as they are not considered essential nutrients. But, eating an abundance of phytochemicals from various fruits and vegetables has been associated with the prevention and/or treatment of at least four of the leading causes of death in the U.S. cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure. The specific phytochemical content of different fruits and vegetables tends to vary by color and each has unique functions. Some phytochemicals act as antioxidants, some protect and regenerate essential nutrients, and others work to de-activate cancer-causing substances.

fennel Is good for weight loss

The health benefits of fennel include relief from anemia, indigestion, flatulence, constipation, colic, diarrhea, respiratory disorders, menstrual disorders, eye care, etc. Fennel, bearing the scientific name Foeniculum Vulgare Miller, or its essence, is widely used around the world in mouth fresheners, toothpastes, desserts, antacids and in culinary.

Apart from these uses of fennel, there are numerous medicinal uses and health benefits, mainly due to the components of its essential oils, which can be summarized as under.

Anemia: Iron, and Histidine, an amino acid found in fennel, are helpful in treatment of anemia. Where iron is chief constituent of haemoglobin, Histidine stimulates production of haemoglobin and also helps forming other components of blood.

Indigestion: It is a common practice, particularly in Indian Subcontinent, to chew fennel seeds after meals. This is done to facilitate digestion and to keep bad breath away. Some of the components of the essential oils in fennel are stimulants and stimulate secretion of digestive and gastric juices, reduce inflammation of stomach and intestines and facilitates proper absorption of nutrients from the food. It also has anti acidic (basic) properties and is extensively used in antacid preparations. It is an appetizer too.

Flatulence: Fennel is most popular as an anti flatulent, due to the carminative properties of Aspartic acid found in fennel. Its extract can be used in right from the infants to the old, to cure flatulence and to expel gases from the stomach.

Constipation: Fennel seeds, particularly in powdered form, act as laxative. The roughage helps clearance of bowels whereas the stimulating effect helps maintain the proper peristaltic motion of the intestines, thereby helping proper excretion.

Diarrhea: Fennel is helpful in curing diarrhea if caused by bacterial action, as some components of essential oils in fennel such as Anetol, Cineole etc. have disinfectant and anti bacterial properties. Some amino acids such as Histidine aid digestion and proper functioning of digestive system, thus helping cure diarrhea due to indigestion.

Colic: Polymeric and heavy molecules are useful in the treatment of Renal Colic. Such polymers, also called Phytoestrogens, are found in Anethole, a component of the essential oils in fennel. Fennel, with this virtue, is thus helpful in treating Renal Colic.

Respiratory Disorders: Fennel is useful in respiratory disorders such congestion, bronchitis, cough etc. due to presence of Cineole and Anetol which are expectorant in nature, among their many other virtues.

Menstrual Disorders: Fennel is also an Emenagogue, i.e. it eases and regulates menstruation by regulating hormonal action properly in the body.

Eye Care: While using fennel in food helps protect eyes from inflammation, disorders related to aging, macular degeneration etc. due to presence of anti oxidants (vitamin-C, amino acid like Arginine which very beneficial for rejuvenation of tissues and prevention of aging), detoxifiers and stimulants etc. in it, more specifically in its essential oils, and minerals like cobalt and magnesium, the juice of fennel leaves and the plant can be externally applied on the eyes to reduce irritation and fatigue of eyes.

If you have ever used fennel in your meal preparations, you immediately notice the licorice aroma. This is because fennel is a key component in licorice. This herb, though not widely used, is nonetheless quite popular among culinary

 Most notably used in Italian cuisine, fennel has many health benefits which will be discussed herein.

Fennel is a yellow-flowered herb originating in the Mediterranean, but now commonly used in Europe and Asia. You’ve no doubt heard of fennel seeds? Well the seeds, leaves, and roots of the fennel have been used as medicinal agents as far back as ancient China. Used for congestion, conjunctivitis, stimulating appetite (which is why most Italians serve fennel as an appetizer), and increases the flow of breast milk. It has also been used to treat colic in infants. Fennel also serves as prevention against muscle spasms and helps to relieve gas and an upset stomach. Fennel is an antispasmodic, diuretic, expectorant and stimulant.

Fennel seed is used for treatment of digestive problems such as bloating, flatulence and mild spasms of the gastrointestinal tract. Fennel syrup is used for the upper respiratory tract. Externally, the oil eases muscular and rheumatic pains. Fennel and its juice contain some valuable properties. The nutrients are similar to those in celery, which belong to the same family, but it is the essential oil that promotes relief for an upset stomach. It is also used for cancer patients after radiation and chemotherapy treatments to help rebuild the digestive system. Fennel seed ground and made into tea is believed to be good for snake bites, insect bites or food poisoning. It increases the flow of urine. It is gargled for hoarseness and sore throats.

Combined with carrot juice, fennel is very good for eye conditions such as night blindness or a weakening of the optic nerve. In addition, if you add beet juice to carrot and fennel, the efficacy of all three creates a remedy for anemia and excessive menstruation. Fennel is also used in drugs to treat chills. In fact, if you boil the fennel leaves and inhale the steam, it can relieve asthma and bronchitis conditions.

As you can see, the fennel herb has a variety of medicinal properties and can be eaten cooked or raw. If you wish to use fennel and partake in its obvious benefits, you can make a juice of fennel and carrots, or combine these with beet juice as well. You can use a blender or a juicer. Either way, you will be promoting good health in using fennel as part of your dietary regimen, since a preponderance of evidence suggests it promotes weight loss as well. While fennel has long been associated with Italian cuisine, it has now become one herb growing in popularity across many cultures.
Other Benefits: Fennel is diuretic, i.e. increases amount and frequency of urination, thereby helping removal of toxic substances from the body and helping in rheumatism, swelling etc. It also increases production and secretion of milk in lactating mothers and since this milk contains some properties of fennel, it is anti flatulent for the baby too. It strengthens hair, prevents hair fall, relaxes body, sharpens memory and has a marvelous cooling effect in summer if the pale greenish-yellow water, in which it is soaked, is taken with a bit of sugar and black-salt.

Few Words of Caution: You must remember that everything has two aspects and too much of anything is harmful. It is true for fennel too. Certain components of essential oils such as Anethol, and few chemicals present in fennel, besides being beneficial, can be dangerous if ingested in over-dose, because you must remember that the compounds which can kill bacteria and microbes in low doses can be harmful for you too. It can induce trouble in breathing, increase palpitations and make heart beats irregular and also neurotic problems.