Friday, July 18, 2008

Cameroon refugee on trial in Poland for infecting women with HIV (AFP)

A volunteer health worker retrieves blood sample for an HIV-AIDS detection test on a patient. A Cameroonian poet and activist living in Poland as a refugee since 1999 went on trial Friday in Warsaw charged with having AFP - A Cameroonian poet and activist living in Poland as a refugee since 1999 went on trial Friday in Warsaw charged with having "knowingly infected" 11 women with the HIV virus, his lawyer said.

We all know that eating makes you feel better when youre down or feeling depressed. Sometimes the more you eat, the better you feel. But why is it that the foods we eat when we are feeling down are not good for you foods? Why is it that eating carrots when I am feeling down just doesnt make me feel as good as chocolate?

The secret lies in the brains neurotransmitters. Serotonin is one of them; if your brain is lacking in this neurotransmitter, you will feel depressed and start craving sweets (like chocolate) and high-sugar-content carbohydrates. Eating these types of foods will bring you up again but its the wrong kind of boost; you will end up crashing and feeling even worse. Not to mention gaining weight from all the extra, empty calories. Your brain needs to be nourished when you are feeling down. Nourish it with the right kinds of foods and control your weight in the process.

Unfortunately, you cant just take a serotonin supplement to deal with this deficiency because it must be manufactured by your body to work properly. What you have to do is increase your intake of the precursor to serotonin called tryptophan. Tryptophan will cause serotonin to be manufactured in your brain.

So what is tryptophan? purchase gamma aminobutyric acid online is an amino acid found in many protein-containing foods like meat, eggs, poultry. However, these foods contain other amino acids that compete with tryptophan. The end result is that the desired effect of boosting your mood doesnt happen.

You have three options:

  1. Eat tryptophan-containing foods that dont have competing amino acids in them, like pumpkin and sunflower seeds, bananas, milk, lentils and peanuts.
  2. Eat meat, eggs and poultry with complex carbohydrates that release insulin, which helps the tryptophan become better absorbed by the cells.
  3. Take a supplement of 5-HTP (5-hydroxytryptophan) because tryptophan is banned as a dietary supplement.

So if youre going to eat when youre depressed, make wise choices that will boost your mood and be good for your health, too.

Eunice Coughlin is the founder of http://www.healthy-living-for-moms.com, a resource for moms of all ages and stages who seek spiritual and physical health and wellness. For more information on neurotransmitters and mood, go to http://www.healthy-living-for-moms.com/woman-and-depression.html.

Medicare changes don't affect cancer care: study (Reuters)

Reuters - Legislation that cut fees doctors receive for giving chemotherapy to Medicare patients has not affected care so far, researchers reported on Tuesday.

Its a treatment sought after by just as many men as women! Conventional medicine has never really provided much help, other than pain relief so natural treatments buy wholesale l-leucine nutritional supplement herbs may provide a better alternative.

Supplements to help with PMS include essential fatty acids, and supplements formulated specifically for women's needs containing a mix of vitamins, minerals and herbs such as black cohosh, soy, green tea and natural antioxidants.

Conventional medicine has never really provided a great deal of help in this area and historically used hysterectomy as a treatment for more severe cases! More recently with the advent of the pill, many girls are put on the pill to alleviate the symptoms of severe PMS. This is not a great reason to start taking the pill when you can improve the situation more naturally with supplements to help with PMS.

Some of the symptoms of PMS include irritability, headache, bloating and water retention, fatigue, breast tenderness, fragile emotions, poor skin, anxiety and severe pelvic cramping.

Supplements to Help with PMS

A great deal of research is ongoing in this area, however it is safe to say that deficiencies of minerals (particularly calcium and magnesium), vitamins (vitamin A and vitamin E) and essential fatty acids are involved. A base line nutritional program will contain all of these supplements to help with PMS, including highly absorbable plant derived liquid minerals. Calcium and magnesium are thought to have a role in hormone production and regulation. Magnesium is found in dark chocolate and this may explain the chocolate cravings.

The American Journal of Gynaecology also published an article showing that calcium supplementation was an effective treatment for PMS.

An additional source of supplemental calcium and magnesium will assist these are best when taken in a highly absorbable liquid form.

Essential fatty acids are required for hormone production particularly the anti-inflammatory hormones - and these may have a role in reducing the symptoms of fluid retention, irritability and depression. Essential fatty acids may be found in supplements to assist with PMS and in natural form as flaxseed oil and from oily fish.

Vitamin A (taken as beta carotene) and vitamin E may also have beneficial effects.

Other herbs such as black cohosh, antioxidant nutrients and specific vitamins in some supplements can provide help with the emotional symptoms.

Progesterone creams can assist with regulating hormone levels you would apply such creams in the last half of the cycle and they would be best absorbed in areas where the skin is thin such as inside the upper arms and legs, or on the back of the neck, for example.

Lifestyle

Regular exercise including some specific yoga exercises may reduce many of the symptoms of PMS

Reduce your intake of alcohol, sugar and caffeine

Reduce your intake of bad fat (fried foods, margarine in particular)

Diets should be high in fibre and fresh green leafy vegetables

Heat packs can be of great benefit to soothe and alleviate cramping

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Paul Newland is a health writer, sports training consultant and martial arts instructor and manages the Global-Longevity.com website. He is the author of numerous health information books and guides, including the Wellness Report, The Ultimate Antioxidant Report, The Selenium Report, The Bird Flu Report, The Ultimate Nutrient Guide and The Essential Fatty Acid Report and The Ultimate Sports Nutrition Guide - available Free (for a limited time) through Global-Longevity.com