Showing posts with label of. Show all posts
Showing posts with label of. Show all posts
Sunday, March 22, 2015
Enjoy The Harvest Of The Season
As the Sun enters the sign of Libra, day and night are again in perfect balance. Temperatures begin to drop, leaves begin to fall, and once again, the element of Change moves into our lives. In truth, change is the one constant in the Universe that we can rely on.
Around the time of the Summer Solstice, I set an intention to change my relationship to food. And oh, what changes have ensued.
Transitioning to a raw foods lifestyle has had a significant effect on me physically. My body has let go of roughly 50 pounds; chronic heartburn, fatigue, headaches, and joint pain have vanished.
Perhaps more significant than my bodys physical changes, are the internal changes taking place. Heres a bit of what Ive learned about myself:
Around the time of the Summer Solstice, I set an intention to change my relationship to food. And oh, what changes have ensued.
Transitioning to a raw foods lifestyle has had a significant effect on me physically. My body has let go of roughly 50 pounds; chronic heartburn, fatigue, headaches, and joint pain have vanished.
Perhaps more significant than my bodys physical changes, are the internal changes taking place. Heres a bit of what Ive learned about myself:
- Certain foods trigger the phenomenon of craving for me. Before, my foods came in bags, boxes and cans. My three basic food groups were refined sugar, refined flour and trans fats. Foods falling into those three groups trigger a physical craving for me. I want more, more, more. Eliminate those foods, eliminate the craving.
- The compulsion to overeat is emotional for me. Its all related to how Im feeling. Sad, angry, lonely, tired, bored...Ill turn to food. I have a holy hunger that no amount of food can satiate, because its not a physical hunger. I have to discover ways to feed and nourish my Spirit.
- Certain behaviors can trigger unhealthy food choices for me: eating standing up at the kitchen counter; eating in front of the fridge; eating in the car; eating in front of the television. Eliminate those behaviors, eliminate the risk of making poor choices.
The contents of my kitchen and pantry sure have changed dramatically since the start of last season. Gone are the prepared and processed food items. I am so blessed to live within 20 minutes of a half dozen farmers markets. As I was gazing upon the bevy of fresh local produce I scored this weekend ~ squash, cabbage, lettuce, eggplant, cucumber, collards, tomatoes, sweet corn, peppers, apples, pears, grapes ~ I was overcome by the beauty and bounty of the seasons harvest. And, it got me thinking about my own experience of the harvest.
First and foremost: its hard work. We sometimes have the mistaken notion that once weve done the work of preparing the fields, planting the seeds and tending their growth, when harvest time comes, we can sit back and enjoy. But the work doesnt end ~ it just changes, and the important work of gathering in and preserving begins.
Now is the time to look back over the season, at the goal(s) we set, the work we put in, and deciding whether what manifested is what we really intended. It is time to process, to assimilate. Did it work out the way we intended? Whether it did or not, we have gained valuable information. This is stored and becomes part of us and our wisdom grows stronger.
So, we separate the wheat from the chaff ~ what nourishes us stays in the plan to strengthen us, what doesnt is kicked out to the compost pile. Those lessons will fertilize next seasons garden.
Saturday, March 21, 2015
What is Stem Cell Banking Future of Medical Science
Recently I have seen a stem cell banking advertisement on TV and decided to find whats that as i have never seen an advertisement like that. As i researched about stem cell banking, it comes out as a story of a high-tech Hollywood movie where every thing is made possible by medical science. But overall its good to know that medical science has gone one step ahead.
Stem cells are cells present in our body. But these cells have a special capability. They can divide themselves to make new stem cells and those cells can further multiply. They can take shape of any cell present in our body. Our body use these cells to heal itself. Muscles and neurons are also a type of cells and stem cells have the capability to transform themselves into any of these and many more types of cells. According to Wikipedia, "Because a person’s own (autologous) amniotic stem cells can be safely infused back into that individual without being rejected by the body’s immune system".
Important : When stem cells are injected into a certain area of our body then it starts to transform themselves into the cells in its neighborhood.
Every body have a different stem cell as every DNA is different. These stem cells are mainly present in the bone marrow. But its present in the maximum amount in the Umbilical cord that connects baby and the mother inside the womb. The cells can be collected from Umbilical cord at the time of child birth. Then these stem cells are preserved by the stem cell banking company for any future use by the child or first degree blood relative of the child.
As it can be understood from the above description that these stem cells belong to the new born baby but its ownership goes to mother and she is responsible to pay the cost of preservation to the bank. When the child
reaches the legal age, then ownership can be transferred to him / her.
Stem cells are collected from Umbilical cord at the child birth. After the Umbilical cord is cut from the baby, blood sample is taken from Umbilical cord as it rich in stem cells. In this process the mother dont need to bear any extra pain.
Various researches are going on to know more about stem cells and how they can be used to treat various diseases which dont have any permanent cure till now. So of these treatments are mentioned below.
What is Stem Cell ?
Stem cells are cells present in our body. But these cells have a special capability. They can divide themselves to make new stem cells and those cells can further multiply. They can take shape of any cell present in our body. Our body use these cells to heal itself. Muscles and neurons are also a type of cells and stem cells have the capability to transform themselves into any of these and many more types of cells. According to Wikipedia, "Because a person’s own (autologous) amniotic stem cells can be safely infused back into that individual without being rejected by the body’s immune system".
Important : When stem cells are injected into a certain area of our body then it starts to transform themselves into the cells in its neighborhood.
What is Stem Cell Banking ?
Every body have a different stem cell as every DNA is different. These stem cells are mainly present in the bone marrow. But its present in the maximum amount in the Umbilical cord that connects baby and the mother inside the womb. The cells can be collected from Umbilical cord at the time of child birth. Then these stem cells are preserved by the stem cell banking company for any future use by the child or first degree blood relative of the child.
Who has the ownership of those stem cells ?
As it can be understood from the above description that these stem cells belong to the new born baby but its ownership goes to mother and she is responsible to pay the cost of preservation to the bank. When the child
reaches the legal age, then ownership can be transferred to him / her.
How Stem Cells are collected from Umbilical Cord ?
Stem cells are collected from Umbilical cord at the child birth. After the Umbilical cord is cut from the baby, blood sample is taken from Umbilical cord as it rich in stem cells. In this process the mother dont need to bear any extra pain.
How Stem Cells can be used ?
- Stem Cells can be used to treat hematopoietic and genetic disorders.
- Stem Cells are used to treat leukemia and joint repairs.
- Stem cells have the ability to repair the liver.
- Stem Cells are a good resource for transplant therapies.
Future of medical Treatment by using Stem Cells
Various researches are going on to know more about stem cells and how they can be used to treat various diseases which dont have any permanent cure till now. So of these treatments are mentioned below.
- Diabetes: Stem Cell can be used to generate beta cells which produces insulin to reduce sugar in blood.
- Parkinson’s Disease: Stem Cells can be used to make dopamine releasing cells, which will cure Parkinsons Disease.
- Liver Damage: Stem cells can be used to generate lever cells to recover liver damage.
Take A Bite Out Of Life
I havent been hanging out too much in the blogosphere. Im happiest outdoors in nature and thats where Ive been every spare moment, enjoying the heck out of summer.This earth mother likes to get her hands dirty, working the soil in the garden and lovingly tending to all the plants. Ive spent weekends camping in the woods, falling asleep with the twinkling stars above while feeling the heartbeat of sweet Mama Earth beneath me. Ive clocked countless hours down by the river, playing my flute as the hawks perform their aerial ballet overhead.
Too many summers past have been spent indoors in air conditioning, trying to escape the heat. I dont know if its the plant-based diet, high in raw living foods, or the fact that Ive lightened my load a good 120 pounds since last June, perhaps both, but the heat and humidity dont seem to bother me nearly as much as they once did.
Ive been much more physically active — walking, hiking, roller blading, yard work, yoga, dancing, swimming — and Ive even gotten back in the saddle, after being absent far too long. Not that I thought my 1,500-pound pals couldnt support me, but I could no longer hoist my 300-pound butt up onto their backs.
All this is to say that, while missing from cyberspace, Ive been actively engaging in and relishing life. And that was the point of this whole journey into Raw Food Land — to stop dieting and start living, to regain my health and vitality.
Im not certain if and when Ill update this site again. The internet is chock-full of raw food blogs these days. I dont know if theres anything new I can bring to the mix. If you have any thoughts or ideas about that, you can leave a comment below or contact me by clicking on the link at the top of the page.
And hey, next time you find yourself mindlessly reaching for the food when youre not physically hungry, stop.
Breathe.
Good.
Now go take a bite out of life instead.
Live a little. Its the weekend.
Visions Of Sugar Plums
The Nutcracker has long been a Christmas season tradition, from elementary school productions to the famed New York City Ballet. Unless youre the Grinchs cousin, I bet you recognize Tchaikovskys Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy when you hear it. But few people, despite any visions dancing through their heads, know what sugar plums are or what they taste like. And I hate to break it to you, but plums aren’t necessarily involved.
Although recipes are as varied as The Nutcracker productions, sugar plums have always been a combination of available fruits, nuts and honey. In fact, they were the favored confection of such historic figures as King Ferdinand, Queen Isabella and Benjamin Franklin.
The best part? They are soooo simple to make and theyre raw. Yup, no baking required. There’s plenty of room for improvisation. While apricots, raisins and dates are common ingredients, any mix of dried fruits – including plums – works well. Enjoy this tasty treat!
Although recipes are as varied as The Nutcracker productions, sugar plums have always been a combination of available fruits, nuts and honey. In fact, they were the favored confection of such historic figures as King Ferdinand, Queen Isabella and Benjamin Franklin.
The best part? They are soooo simple to make and theyre raw. Yup, no baking required. There’s plenty of room for improvisation. While apricots, raisins and dates are common ingredients, any mix of dried fruits – including plums – works well. Enjoy this tasty treat!
Holiday Sugar Plums1 C chopped pecans
1 C dried apricots
1 C pitted dates
1/2 C dried cranberries
1/2 C golden raisins
3 Tbsp orange juice
2 tsp orange zest
1/4 C raw honey
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 C coconut flakes
In a food processor, pulse the pecans until finely chopped. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
Combine the apricots and dates in the food processor. Pulse briefly until roughly chopped. Add the cranberries and raisins, and continue pulsing until the fruit is evenly chopped and begins to clump.
Return the nuts to the food processor and add the orange juice, orange zest, honey, nutmeg and cardamom. Pulse until well mixed.
Shape into one-inch balls by rolling between the palms of your hands. Roll balls in shredded coconut. Makes about three dozen sugar plums.
Combine the apricots and dates in the food processor. Pulse briefly until roughly chopped. Add the cranberries and raisins, and continue pulsing until the fruit is evenly chopped and begins to clump.
Return the nuts to the food processor and add the orange juice, orange zest, honey, nutmeg and cardamom. Pulse until well mixed.
Shape into one-inch balls by rolling between the palms of your hands. Roll balls in shredded coconut. Makes about three dozen sugar plums.
Friday, March 20, 2015
Have a Recipe of Your Very Own Featured in Zyngas FarmVille 2!
Farmville is a super popular game on Facebook that was developed by Zynga and has been played by more than 400 million people.
Holy smokes, thats an awful lot of people.
Zynga has partnered up with BlogHer and in honor of the new release of Farmville 2 they are creating a Farm to the Table cookbook featuring recipes that will be available for download on your phone, tablet or computer.
and thats super cool!
The premise of FarmVille 2 is that when you are growing and shopping for your food, you can then use the food that is in your shopping basket to create one of the in-game recipes.
Do you have a family favorite recipe that youd like to see featured in the FarmVille To Table Cookbook?
I submitted one of my favorites that I make at the end of the summer when the squash and tomatoes are perfectly vine-ripened.
Do you have a family favorite recipe that youd like to see featured in the FarmVille To Table Cookbook?
I submitted one of my favorites that I make at the end of the summer when the squash and tomatoes are perfectly vine-ripened.
End of Summer Harvest Soup (slow cooker recipe)
serves 8
4 cups chicken broth (vegetable stock is fine!)
1 cup prepared pasta sauce
1 cup water
1 medium yellow onion, diced
4 zucchini, washed well and sliced in 1/4-inch rounds
2 yellow summer squash, washed well and sliced in 1/4-inch rounds
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered (depending on size)
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1/3 cup dry white Cannellini beans (this doesnt sound like a lot, but they swell!)
1/2 cup pasta (to add 20 minutes before serving)
salt and pepper to taste
garnish with Parmesan and Romano cheeses
The Directions.
Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Wash squashes well, and slice in rounds. Place into slow cooker, with diced onion and tomato wedges. Rinse your beans in hot water, and add to cooker. Add broth, pasta sauce, and water. Stir in Italian seasoning.
Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours, or until beans have reached desired tenderness. 20 minutes before serving, stir in raw pasta. Serve with grated Parmesan and Romano cheese.
1 cup prepared pasta sauce
1 cup water
1 medium yellow onion, diced
4 zucchini, washed well and sliced in 1/4-inch rounds
2 yellow summer squash, washed well and sliced in 1/4-inch rounds
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered (depending on size)
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1/3 cup dry white Cannellini beans (this doesnt sound like a lot, but they swell!)
1/2 cup pasta (to add 20 minutes before serving)
salt and pepper to taste
garnish with Parmesan and Romano cheeses
The Directions.
Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Wash squashes well, and slice in rounds. Place into slow cooker, with diced onion and tomato wedges. Rinse your beans in hot water, and add to cooker. Add broth, pasta sauce, and water. Stir in Italian seasoning.
Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours, or until beans have reached desired tenderness. 20 minutes before serving, stir in raw pasta. Serve with grated Parmesan and Romano cheese.
How to Enter the BlogHer/Zynga Farm to Table FarmVille 2: Country Escape Cookbook Contest:
Submit your favorite summer recipe by clicking here.
Submitted recipes will be selected by Zyngas culinary team (Im not on this team. bummer.) and if chosen, the recipe will be prepared, photographed, and featured in the FarmVille-to-Table Digital Cookbook.
This is a chance to get YOUR recipe (and name! and website and/or facebook page!) in front of MILLIONS (millions!) of people that play FarmVille every single day.
Im pretty sure this counts as major Christmas-Newsletter-Worthy bragging.
Best of luck to all who enter!!
Monday, March 16, 2015
The Cause of Allegies and Autoimmune Diseases
Keyhole Limpet Hemocyanin (KLH): Internalized Antigen
Scanning the literature for a common protein that can be used as an experimental antigen, it becomes quickly obvious that a favorite is KLH. This would seem to be an odd choice -- why a keyhole limpet protein? But that is the wrong question.
Why is KLH such a good antigen, i.e. why is it readily presented to the host immune system? If you have been reading my posts, you might be thinking about triplets of basic amino acids and that is the answer.
As soon as I remembered the prominent use of KLH as an antigen, I checked the NCBI protein database and immediately found an unusual KKK (triple lysine) near the amino terminus of hemocyanin II ( it comes in two pieces). This triplet explains why KLH is such a good experimental antigen, because it is internalized into antigen presenting cells by its strong heparin-binding domain. Other components, adjuvants, are typically added to the KLH for injection to make sure that a strong local inflammation occurs.
Autoantigens Have Strong Heparin-Binding Triplet
I also learned that Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is an autoimmune disease mediated by the autoantigen thyroid peroxidase. A quick search reveals that thyroid peroxidase is an autoantigen, because it also has a triplet of basic amino acids that can enhance presentation under inflammatory conditions. Grave’s disease of hyperthyroidism is an autoimmune disease in which the thyroid receptor (with a basic triplet) is an autoantigen. The same kind of triplet of basic amino acids was found when I searched today for fire ant antigens and mosquito antigens.
I have also looked for the triplets in protein databases. The triplets are rare in cytoplasmic and extracellular proteins. The proteins that have triplets are usually identified as autoantigens in some disease. The triplets are common in nuclear proteins, since heparin-binding and nucleic acid-binding share the same basic amino acid domains. The nuclear internalization signal also results in rapid cellular internalization, e.g. HIV-TAT, heparanase, IGF-binding proteins. Nuclear proteins are common autoantigens in lupus.
Inflammation Plus Heparin-Binding Internalization: Allergy, Autoimmunity
Chronic inflammation can produce antibodies against proteins (foreign or self) with strong heparin-binding domains (triplets or sometimes neighboring pairs of basic amino acids, lysine or arginine). The generalization explains why particular proteins in pollens, foods, insects, pets, mites, asthma, MS, lupus, celiac, etc. produce antibody responses.
Read more »
Scanning the literature for a common protein that can be used as an experimental antigen, it becomes quickly obvious that a favorite is KLH. This would seem to be an odd choice -- why a keyhole limpet protein? But that is the wrong question.
Why is KLH such a good antigen, i.e. why is it readily presented to the host immune system? If you have been reading my posts, you might be thinking about triplets of basic amino acids and that is the answer.As soon as I remembered the prominent use of KLH as an antigen, I checked the NCBI protein database and immediately found an unusual KKK (triple lysine) near the amino terminus of hemocyanin II ( it comes in two pieces). This triplet explains why KLH is such a good experimental antigen, because it is internalized into antigen presenting cells by its strong heparin-binding domain. Other components, adjuvants, are typically added to the KLH for injection to make sure that a strong local inflammation occurs.
Autoantigens Have Strong Heparin-Binding Triplet
I also learned that Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is an autoimmune disease mediated by the autoantigen thyroid peroxidase. A quick search reveals that thyroid peroxidase is an autoantigen, because it also has a triplet of basic amino acids that can enhance presentation under inflammatory conditions. Grave’s disease of hyperthyroidism is an autoimmune disease in which the thyroid receptor (with a basic triplet) is an autoantigen. The same kind of triplet of basic amino acids was found when I searched today for fire ant antigens and mosquito antigens.
I have also looked for the triplets in protein databases. The triplets are rare in cytoplasmic and extracellular proteins. The proteins that have triplets are usually identified as autoantigens in some disease. The triplets are common in nuclear proteins, since heparin-binding and nucleic acid-binding share the same basic amino acid domains. The nuclear internalization signal also results in rapid cellular internalization, e.g. HIV-TAT, heparanase, IGF-binding proteins. Nuclear proteins are common autoantigens in lupus.
Inflammation Plus Heparin-Binding Internalization: Allergy, Autoimmunity
Chronic inflammation can produce antibodies against proteins (foreign or self) with strong heparin-binding domains (triplets or sometimes neighboring pairs of basic amino acids, lysine or arginine). The generalization explains why particular proteins in pollens, foods, insects, pets, mites, asthma, MS, lupus, celiac, etc. produce antibody responses.
Hazards of Air Travel DVT
Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) -- clots in your veins
Read more »
Air travel during the holidays means sitting quietly for hours while the blood pools in the major veins of your legs. This is a test. How have you been eating lately? If you stuck to an anti-inflammatory diet and got your exercise, just fidgeting a little and flexing your legs ever once in a while should avoid clots. If you are the typical sedentary American with an inflammatory diet, then worry. One tenth of you will typically have clots in your leg veins after a long flight.
Rolling stones gather no moss, and the same is true for rapidly moving red
blood cells (RBCs). Keep them moving and they don’t stick together. Slow down RBCs traveling along sticky vessel walls and you have problems. RBCs have no nuclei and since the intracellular secretory system originates from the outer membrane of the nucleus, red blood cells don’t secrete anything. RBCs just age until they are removed by the spleen. So RBCs just move passively with the rest of the blood.
Another player in
clot formation is the platelet. Platelets are cell fragments. They are formed by extrusion and shearing. The process is like bubbles forming as you blow air through a child’s bubble wand. Cells in the bone marrow are squeezed through a grid and the extruded fingers of the cells are blown away in the blood flow as platelets. The electron micrograph shows a platelet between and RBC and a white blood cell. Platelets don’t have any active cell machinery, so they are just little bags containing secretory vesicles that can be released by triggering of receptors on their surface. Platelets are only good for one shot of release.
Platelet release of secretory contents is triggered by norepinephrin, ADP and PGI2, an inflammatory prostaglandin produced from the omega-6 arachidonic acid. Norepinephrin is one of the fight-or-flight hormones that prepares the vascular system for damage control. ADP is released from other activated platelets and insures that isolated platelets are not randomly activated.
One of the proteins released is platelet factor 4. I
have illustrated PF4 and the strip of basic amino acids (blue) that girdles the protein are readily apparent. PF4 binds strongly to heparin. Since the clotting process is normally under heparin inhibition, PF4 release from platelets removes the heparin inhibition and promotes clotting. ADP is also released and promotes further activation of other platelets.
Clot formation occurs in response to stress (norepinephrin), damage (vascular inflammation) and a consensus of platelets (ADP). Chronic inflammation can mimic this combination of signals through its impact on heparin metabolism. My research suggests that inflammation lowers heparin synthesis. An example of this effect is kidney damage caused by diabetes. High blood sugar causes inflammation of the kidney blood vessels, this reduces heparin production and since heparin lining the vessels is needed to retain proteins as blood is filtered in the kidney, protein is lost into the urine, i.e. proteinuria. Similarly, chronic inflammation can disrupt the blood brain barrier that is also made up of heparin.
A major source of chronic inflammation is an inflammatory diet. A recent research study indicated that a typical inflammatory American diet leads to elevated risk for deep vein thrombosis. Alternatively, an anti-inflammatory diet rich in B vitamins and omega-3 oils minimized DVT. Saturated fats had no impact, consistent with the lack of evidence supporting the shift from saturated fats to toxic omega-6-rich polyunsaturated vegetable oils.
So, the best thing that you can do to protect yourself from clots when you travel over the holidays, is to eat right and get your exercise, before you travel. Avoid starch (in large amounts) and polyunsaturated vegetable oils (except olive oil.) Corn oil, soy oil, cottonseed oil and safflower oil are particularly inflammatory. Eat plenty of veggies and fruits and enjoy the turkey and cranberries. Make sure that the only sweeteners used are sugar and honey (avoid high fructose corn syrup.) Light corn syrup is the stealth form of HFCS -- it may be lower in calories, since fructose is sweeter than sugar, but it is highly inflammatory! (Research also indicates that fructose causes premature wrinkling and skin aging, by enhancing the crosslinking of collagen. HFCS also causes type II diabetes in lab animals.)
Rolling stones gather no moss, and the same is true for rapidly moving red
blood cells (RBCs). Keep them moving and they don’t stick together. Slow down RBCs traveling along sticky vessel walls and you have problems. RBCs have no nuclei and since the intracellular secretory system originates from the outer membrane of the nucleus, red blood cells don’t secrete anything. RBCs just age until they are removed by the spleen. So RBCs just move passively with the rest of the blood.Another player in
clot formation is the platelet. Platelets are cell fragments. They are formed by extrusion and shearing. The process is like bubbles forming as you blow air through a child’s bubble wand. Cells in the bone marrow are squeezed through a grid and the extruded fingers of the cells are blown away in the blood flow as platelets. The electron micrograph shows a platelet between and RBC and a white blood cell. Platelets don’t have any active cell machinery, so they are just little bags containing secretory vesicles that can be released by triggering of receptors on their surface. Platelets are only good for one shot of release.Platelet release of secretory contents is triggered by norepinephrin, ADP and PGI2, an inflammatory prostaglandin produced from the omega-6 arachidonic acid. Norepinephrin is one of the fight-or-flight hormones that prepares the vascular system for damage control. ADP is released from other activated platelets and insures that isolated platelets are not randomly activated.
One of the proteins released is platelet factor 4. I
have illustrated PF4 and the strip of basic amino acids (blue) that girdles the protein are readily apparent. PF4 binds strongly to heparin. Since the clotting process is normally under heparin inhibition, PF4 release from platelets removes the heparin inhibition and promotes clotting. ADP is also released and promotes further activation of other platelets.Clot formation occurs in response to stress (norepinephrin), damage (vascular inflammation) and a consensus of platelets (ADP). Chronic inflammation can mimic this combination of signals through its impact on heparin metabolism. My research suggests that inflammation lowers heparin synthesis. An example of this effect is kidney damage caused by diabetes. High blood sugar causes inflammation of the kidney blood vessels, this reduces heparin production and since heparin lining the vessels is needed to retain proteins as blood is filtered in the kidney, protein is lost into the urine, i.e. proteinuria. Similarly, chronic inflammation can disrupt the blood brain barrier that is also made up of heparin.
A major source of chronic inflammation is an inflammatory diet. A recent research study indicated that a typical inflammatory American diet leads to elevated risk for deep vein thrombosis. Alternatively, an anti-inflammatory diet rich in B vitamins and omega-3 oils minimized DVT. Saturated fats had no impact, consistent with the lack of evidence supporting the shift from saturated fats to toxic omega-6-rich polyunsaturated vegetable oils.
So, the best thing that you can do to protect yourself from clots when you travel over the holidays, is to eat right and get your exercise, before you travel. Avoid starch (in large amounts) and polyunsaturated vegetable oils (except olive oil.) Corn oil, soy oil, cottonseed oil and safflower oil are particularly inflammatory. Eat plenty of veggies and fruits and enjoy the turkey and cranberries. Make sure that the only sweeteners used are sugar and honey (avoid high fructose corn syrup.) Light corn syrup is the stealth form of HFCS -- it may be lower in calories, since fructose is sweeter than sugar, but it is highly inflammatory! (Research also indicates that fructose causes premature wrinkling and skin aging, by enhancing the crosslinking of collagen. HFCS also causes type II diabetes in lab animals.)
Sunday, March 15, 2015
Cause of Autoimmunity and Allergies
Inflammation-Induced Presentation by Mannose Receptor
Speculation on how innocuous proteins become the targets of our immune systems, and result in allergies, asthma, celiac, arthritis, lupus, and other inflammatory autoimmune diseases.
Inflammation
It all starts with chronic inflammation. In most cases diet is the predominant source of inflammation, but infections (bacterial, viral, fungal) may also contribute. Inflammation sets the stage for faulty processing of proteins at the focal location where lymphocytes and antigen-presenting cells are congregating.
Antigen Presentation
At this point a major mistake occurs. Cells that have been alerted to danger by inflammatory cytokines, start to internalize and process proteins in the vicinity, so that peptide fragments of the “antigens” can be displayed on their surfaces in the clutches of major histocompatibility complex proteins. The problem arises when self proteins are internalized, processed and displayed as candidate peptides.
Basic Triplets of All Allergens and Autoantigens
I have looked at dozens of allergens and autoantigens, and they all have one peptide sequence in common, a triplet of basic amino acids. The impetus for this article was finding this morning that one of the autoantigens for Hashimori’s thyroiditis is thyroglobulin, the serum carrier of thyroid hormones. I checked the sequence of thyroglobulin and it has two of the rare basic triplets.
Thyroiditis Autoantigen Is Thyroglobulin
I checked the Pubmed literature to see if thyroglobulin is naturally taken up by cells, since I have been trying to figure out the receptor for basic triplets. What I found was an article on the binding of thyroiditis autoantigens to mannose receptor. The idea of the paper was that the autoantigens in this case were heavily glycosylated and maybe the mannose receptor that is involved in antigen presentation of glycosylated antigens, would bind the selected autoantigens as well. I didn’t get much past the title of the paper.
Candidates for Allergen/Autoantigen Receptor
What I put together was the fact that antigen presenting cells use mannose receptor to internalize antigens. This places this receptor in the right place and the right time to be a receptor for basic triplets. But what would a basic triple binding protein domain look like and could mannose receptor be a candidate?
Structure of Thyroglobulin
I downloaded a structure for mannose receptor and began looking for a surface region that would bind carbohydrates, aromatics and basic amino acids. The critical amino acids in all of these cases are aromatic amino acids, phenylalanine, tyrosine and tryptophan. Tryptophan is at the heart of most carbohydrate binding proteins. Since the mannose receptor is a member of the carbohydrate-binding lectins, I expected to find tryptophans on the surface of the mannose receptor. I just looked for the tryptophan that binds the carbohydrates. It was exactly as I predicted. The mannose receptor should be able to form very stable tryptophan/arginine-like ladders with basic triplets.
I made a figure of the mannose receptor bound to a carbohydrate (red and grey). One of the exposed tryptophans (yellow) is bound to the carbohydrate. Several other tryptophans could be exposed and oriented toward a basic amino acid spread over the surface of the tryptophan in place of the carbohydrate. A similar kind of structure is used by importin to transport proteins with nuclear localization sites (NLS, basic quartets) into the nucleus. Many proteins with NLSs are also autoantigens, e.g. lupus.
I think that the peculiar circumstances that lead to allergy and autoimmunity result in the binding of self-proteins or allergens to mannose receptor and result in antibody production.
Why the Mannose Receptor?
Why does the mannose receptor make mistakes? The exposed tryptophan may also bind numerous plant products. In fact, the phytochemicals, e.g. alkaloids, flavonoids and terpenoids, are an abundant and varied group of chemicals that would bind to the exposed tryptophan of the mannose receptor and compete for binding with basic triplets. Protection offered by plant “anti-oxidants” may be due in part to this activity.
Read more »
Speculation on how innocuous proteins become the targets of our immune systems, and result in allergies, asthma, celiac, arthritis, lupus, and other inflammatory autoimmune diseases.
Inflammation
It all starts with chronic inflammation. In most cases diet is the predominant source of inflammation, but infections (bacterial, viral, fungal) may also contribute. Inflammation sets the stage for faulty processing of proteins at the focal location where lymphocytes and antigen-presenting cells are congregating.
Antigen Presentation
At this point a major mistake occurs. Cells that have been alerted to danger by inflammatory cytokines, start to internalize and process proteins in the vicinity, so that peptide fragments of the “antigens” can be displayed on their surfaces in the clutches of major histocompatibility complex proteins. The problem arises when self proteins are internalized, processed and displayed as candidate peptides.
Basic Triplets of All Allergens and Autoantigens
I have looked at dozens of allergens and autoantigens, and they all have one peptide sequence in common, a triplet of basic amino acids. The impetus for this article was finding this morning that one of the autoantigens for Hashimori’s thyroiditis is thyroglobulin, the serum carrier of thyroid hormones. I checked the sequence of thyroglobulin and it has two of the rare basic triplets.
Thyroiditis Autoantigen Is Thyroglobulin
I checked the Pubmed literature to see if thyroglobulin is naturally taken up by cells, since I have been trying to figure out the receptor for basic triplets. What I found was an article on the binding of thyroiditis autoantigens to mannose receptor. The idea of the paper was that the autoantigens in this case were heavily glycosylated and maybe the mannose receptor that is involved in antigen presentation of glycosylated antigens, would bind the selected autoantigens as well. I didn’t get much past the title of the paper.
Candidates for Allergen/Autoantigen Receptor
What I put together was the fact that antigen presenting cells use mannose receptor to internalize antigens. This places this receptor in the right place and the right time to be a receptor for basic triplets. But what would a basic triple binding protein domain look like and could mannose receptor be a candidate?
Structure of Thyroglobulin
I downloaded a structure for mannose receptor and began looking for a surface region that would bind carbohydrates, aromatics and basic amino acids. The critical amino acids in all of these cases are aromatic amino acids, phenylalanine, tyrosine and tryptophan. Tryptophan is at the heart of most carbohydrate binding proteins. Since the mannose receptor is a member of the carbohydrate-binding lectins, I expected to find tryptophans on the surface of the mannose receptor. I just looked for the tryptophan that binds the carbohydrates. It was exactly as I predicted. The mannose receptor should be able to form very stable tryptophan/arginine-like ladders with basic triplets.
I made a figure of the mannose receptor bound to a carbohydrate (red and grey). One of the exposed tryptophans (yellow) is bound to the carbohydrate. Several other tryptophans could be exposed and oriented toward a basic amino acid spread over the surface of the tryptophan in place of the carbohydrate. A similar kind of structure is used by importin to transport proteins with nuclear localization sites (NLS, basic quartets) into the nucleus. Many proteins with NLSs are also autoantigens, e.g. lupus.I think that the peculiar circumstances that lead to allergy and autoimmunity result in the binding of self-proteins or allergens to mannose receptor and result in antibody production.
Why the Mannose Receptor?
Why does the mannose receptor make mistakes? The exposed tryptophan may also bind numerous plant products. In fact, the phytochemicals, e.g. alkaloids, flavonoids and terpenoids, are an abundant and varied group of chemicals that would bind to the exposed tryptophan of the mannose receptor and compete for binding with basic triplets. Protection offered by plant “anti-oxidants” may be due in part to this activity.
Saturday, March 14, 2015
May Word of the Month Appreciate
As with much in life, things happen for a reason. I originally chose Appreciate as the word of the month because this week is teacher appreciation week and I know how important it is for teachers, who work so hard and give so much, to get the appreciation they deserve. I appreciate the people I have trained, my amazing past and present Dailey Method teachers who give so much to their job and care about their students and their health. They step in when other teachers are in chaos in their lives and they truly change lives. I appreciate you all so much!
I also have learned that anyone we learn from can be considered a teacher, they don’t specifically have to have that title. Our parents are our teachers, so are our children. Our life circumstances can also be our teachers... which is why this word of the month has taken on broader meaning for me. So far this month has been off to a crazy and chaotic start!
May 1st Doug and I opened our long time dream of a flagship Dailey Method Studio in our own community - yay Fairfax! Next week is our annual owners retreat, which takes a tremendous amount of preparation and I’ve also been thrown a lot of other professional and personal curveballs that have made me feel stretched to my limit! Yes, I’m overwhelmed and a little anxious. My ambitious "to-do" list was tossed aside for a lean-and-mean "happening-now" list. Then things just fell into pure "survival" mode… mental notes such as: dont forget to pick the kids up from school and make sure the baseball uniforms get cleaned – why, they just get filthy again anyways?! I’ve been trying to go to bed early because I wake up at 4:00am thinking about everything I have to do and then that’s the official beginning of my day…I’m sure you’ve been here before too.
For these reasons, "Appreciate" is the perfect word to practice this month. To appreciate, you have to slow down, you have to notice and you have to be present. Its so easy to get caught up in noticing what is absent, lacking or wrong: I messed up, I wasnt good enough, there’s still a hole in the wall! Our human primal brains are hard-wired for this type of thinking because at one time it meant survival. To recognize things were look out of place enabled us to identify dangers & potential threats - so seeing what was "wrong" protected us minute-to-minute long ago. Today, thankfully, true mortal threats are few & far between, but our bodies cant distinguish between a life-threat and a silly, modern-day stressor; once we are triggered so we get the same heart-thumping, adrenalin response either way. But we can CHOOSE to respond to stress with our evolved brain and a mindfulness practice: Notice what is happening, breathe, and be present.
A great way to be present is to simply APPRECIATE. Here are some ways to incorporate appreciation into your TDM practice and your day this month.
- Begin your TDM practice by appreciating something in your body - maybe something as simple as your next breath. Use Marching as your time to transition, arrive & shift your thinking to "appreciate."
- Dedicate your practice to something that you appreciate in your body/life. Return to your dedication throughout your practice to center, positively impact your energy, and intentionally deepen your mind/body/heart connection.
- End your practice where you started it - notice how your body feels, notice your thoughts and emotions, observe the ones that come automatically then choose ones that focus on appreciation. Appreciate your breath, appreciate your body, appreciate what is working.
- Appreciate your teacher!
- Take your practice with you throughout your day; every time you feel your "switch getting flipped," youre noticing what is wrong so just stop, take a breath, and ask yourself if thats really true or if you can notice many more things that are GOOD.
To appreciate is to notice what is working, what is present, and what is full. I invite you to join me in this practice of appreciation for the next month - and (hopefully!) for the rest of our lives.
With appreciation and love,
- Jill
Diet Potato 3 types of Potato Diet
This Diet Potato is not surprising that I did lose 1 pound a week (with some training). Do not judge. I do not starve myself and I take the diet because the potato was my favorite meats from young. Diet Potato ~
Hare sweet steamed potatoes daily for breakfast and lunch. The dinner, as always, but I do not usually eat rice. So I limit myself to two tablespoons of rice every night (if Im eating at home), verges and soup to fill my belly. My appetite is relatively low at the start, once a month, I get Diet Potato giant appetite. (The girls know what I mean). And one more thing, I drink losses of water per day. I carry a bottle of water with me when I shoot. Hah. Butcheries. I do this because I want to avoid sugary drinks / food as I do not only fat, but also those stupid aggravate acne.
potato for diet what to do !
The Indonesia orange Diet Potato taste better! Juicer and softer. If you intend to steam, avoid purple, yellow or orange in other countries. Indonesia rocks sweet! Please take time to read the article attached below if you want to lose weight!
I bought all kinds of sweet potatoes to try.
potato for diet
If you are looking for a Diet Potato, then let me tell you a secret. Did you know that sweet potatoes can help weight loss when used in conjunction with other foods?
It is a little known fact that potato for diet can effectively promote weight loss, and for two reasons. I must admit that when I read I do not think that could be true. Certainly there are a lot of calories contained in this type of Diet Potato, but thats not important. If you think calorie Diet Potato work, then you need to think again.
potato for diet how to !
Eating this type of vehicle has been found to control blood sugar, and also make your body more sensitive to your bodys natural insulin, this will help your weight loss. Sweet potatoes also contain a lot of vitamins and Diet Potato minerals, and are known by some as a super food. Not only can they help potato for diet you lose weight, but also help you build muscle, help fight colds and also contain high levels of beta-carotene, which has been found to reduce the risk of certain cancers.
So how Diet Potato helps you lose weight? The main reason I found eating this vegetable is the feeling I have after eating this super food, and a feeling of fullness throughout the day. I mentioned earlier about counting calories, potato for diet do not work, and that may be true for many people. If you find this type of Diet Potato does not work for you, then maybe its time to try something new.
Counting calories Diet Potato and eating salads can work for a small majority of people, but the large number of us do not want to use diet plans of this type. This is just the beginning of the sweet Diet Potato, and use it in combination with other recipes with this vegetable can facilitate weight loss in a huge amount.
Definition of HIV AIDS
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syindrome or Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS abbreviated) is a collection of symptoms and infections (or: syndrome) is caused by damage to the human immune system caused by HIV infection, or infection of other viruses that attack similar to other species (SIV, FIV, etc.).The virus called Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV for short), a virus that weakens the immunity of the human body. People who are exposed to the virus will become vulnerable to opportunistic infections or tumors susceptible. Although there has been handling can slow the spread of the virus, but the disease is not completely curable.
HIV and the virus-like viruses are generally transmitted by direct contact between the skin layers (mucous membrane) or the bloodstream with a bodily fluid containing HIV, such as blood, semen, vaginal fluids, preseminal fluid, and breast milk. Transmission can occur through sexual intercourse (vaginal, anal, or oral), blood transfusion, contaminated hypodermic needles, between mother and baby during pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding, or other forms of contact with the body fluids.
AIDS is the most severe form is caused by a retrovirus HIV.AIDS infection that usually affects the vital organs of the human immune system such as CD4 + T cells (a type of T cells), microbial, and dendritic cells. HIV include CD4 + T cells directly and indirectly. Whereas CD4 + T cells necessary for the immune system to function properly.
If HIV has killed CD4 + T cells to shrink in number to less than 200 per microliter of blood, the immunity at the cellular level will be lost, and the result is a condition called AIDS. Acute HIV infection will progress to clinically latent infection, and symptoms of early HIV infection and ultimately AIDS, which is identified by examining the number of CD4 + T cells in the blood and the presence of certain infections.
Without antiretroviral therapy, median duration of progression of HIV infection to AIDS is nine to ten years, and the average survival time after an AIDS only about 9.2 months. However, the rate of progression of the disease in each person varies widely, from two weeks to 20 years.
Many factors that influence it, such is the power of the body to defend against HIV (such as immune function) from an infected person. Parents generally have a weaker immune system than younger people, and thus more at risk of rapid disease progression.
If HIV has killed CD4 + T cells to shrink in number to less than 200 per microliter of blood, the immunity at the cellular level will be lost, and the result is a condition called AIDS. Acute HIV infection will progress to clinically latent infection, and symptoms of early HIV infection and ultimately AIDS, which is identified by examining the number of CD4 + T cells in the blood and the presence of certain infections.
Without antiretroviral therapy, median duration of progression of HIV infection to AIDS is nine to ten years, and the average survival time after an AIDS only about 9.2 months. However, the rate of progression of the disease in each person varies widely, from two weeks to 20 years.
Many factors that influence it, such is the power of the body to defend against HIV (such as immune function) from an infected person. Parents generally have a weaker immune system than younger people, and thus more at risk of rapid disease progression.
Fit Tip The Deltoid Muscle How to Work all Three Parts of the Shoulder
In the arm work section of class, we target all three parts of the deltoid (commonly known as the shoulder muscle) in addition to the biceps, triceps, chest and back. Below, is a deeper understanding of the deltoid
First off, it is important to properly align the scapular stabilizers so that the deltoid muscle can be targeted without straining the shoulder joint - very important for preventing injury! To get this, you slightly shrug your shoulders (think straight line running from the tip of one shoulder, across the collar bone, to the tip of the other shoulder) so that the arm bones are properly aligned in the socket. Keeping the shoulder blades wide across the back, open hands to face forward and create space across the chest and a slight external rotation of the upper arm bone. When moving into arm work, you want to keep the shoulder blades in this stable position.
Anterior Deltoid - Lateral Deltoid - Posterior Deltoid
Anterior Deltoid
The anterior deltoid fibers run along the front part of the shoulder muscle and when contracted move the arm anteriorly, think reaching forward or lifting the arm to grab something - or give a high five :).
Sample Exercise: Long Arm Walks
Begin by finding scapular stability and keeping arms straight lift them to shoulder height with thumbs facing up. Take one arm up to hairline while the other lowers to just in front of your thigh. Slowly and with control of the shoulder blades, switch the arms while focusing on the lifting and the lowering coming from the front of the shoulder. Repeat.
Lateral Deltoid
The lateral deltoid fibers run along the side of the shoulder when contracted create lateral abduction or arm moving away from the body - think reaching out to the side.
Sample Exercise: Shoulder Press
Begin by finding scapular stability, then bend your elbows and open the forearms out to the side (with palms facing forward). Lift the arms up until they straighten but keep the hands forward of the body - once again think lift to hairline rather than all the way over head. Slowly and with resistance, pull elbows back toward rib cage. Repeat.
Posterior Deltoid
The posterior deltoid fibers run along the back of the shoulder and when contracted move the arm posteriorly, think reaching backwards to grab your childs hand.
Sample Exercise: Posterior Lifts
Begin by finding scapular stability, then take straight arms in a narrow V to halfway between your shoulders and hips. Rotate palms to face up, keep the upper arm here and just rotate the thumbs to face down. Keeping the open space across your chest, do small lifts up and down (about and inch) focusing on engaging the back of the shoulder.
Proper function of all these muscles is necessary to maintain optimal shoulder stability and strength, which is why we balance out our classes to target all three parts of this muscle.
Happy lifting and pressing,
- Jill
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