How Healthy is your COFFEE?

What is better to begin the day with a fresh cup of coffee in the morning? Whether at home or whilst on the move or at work.

In the past, doctors told us to reduce consumption of drinks containing high caffeine leve. Nowadays, researches found that 1-2 cups of coffee a day is actually good to health. Coffee can lower the risk of diabetes, Parkinson's disease, and colon cancer, also can lift your mood and treat headaches, and lower your risk of cavities.

According to Harvard Medical Research, a few cups a day—coffee is a safe beverage that may even offer some health benefits.

What is caffeine?

Caffeine is an alkaloid that acts as a stimulant and a mild diuretic. Caffeine is called guaranine when found in guarana, mateine when found in mate, and theine when found in tea; all of these names are synonyms for the same chemical compound.

Caffeine has the effect of temporarily warding off drowsiness and restoring alertness. Humans have been consuming plants containing caffeine since the beginning of time — it occurs naturally in many plants besides coffee and tea, even though coffee and tea get the most publicity for it.

Caffeine is added to soft drinks, especially cola-type soft drinks. I won't go into detail about it since I could spend a day on that topic alone.

Despite the negativity surrounding caffeine, caffeine continues to play a vital role in the health of people all around the world. Again, it's a topic all in itself and I won't go into detail here.

Antioxidants and Flavonoids

Both coffee and tea are high in antioxidants. An antioxidant is a molecule capable of slowing or preventing the oxidation of other molecules. Oxidation is a chemical reaction that transfers electrons from a substance to an oxidizing agent. Oxidation reactions can produce free radicals, which start chain reactions that damage cells.

Flavonoids are known as antioxidants, but they have other significant properties that I can't explain without writing a textbook or plagiarizing someone else. Green tea is higher in flavonoids than other teas, and the amount of flavonoids in coffee is questionable depending on what kind of coffee we're dealing with.

Health Benefits

Antioxidants have been proven to have anti-allergic, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial and anti-cancer properties. Only a small amount of flavonoids are required, as antioxidants, to show immediate health benefits.

It makes sense to include coffee and tea, if you don't dislike the taste, as part of your diet. It's not known if caffeine-free versions are as effective as those containing caffeine, but it's worth trying if you're on a caffeine-restrictive diet.

Green tea has been called the green tea fat burner recently because of what it does to your metabolism and the anti-fat and anti-carcinogenic effects it has on your system.

Do you eat Petai (Smelly Bean)?

ADVICE FROM UKM MEDICAL DOCTOR

Little did you know ........ after reading THIS, you'll NEVER look at petai in the same way again!

Petai contains three natural sugars -sucrose, fructose and glucose. Combined with fiber, petai gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy. Research has proved that just two servings of petai provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout.. No wonder petai is the number one fruit with the world's leading athletes. But energy isn't the only way petai can help us keep fit. It can also help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions, making it a must to add to our daily diet.

Depression:
According to a recent survey undertaken by MIND among people suffering from depression, many felt much better after eating petai. This is because petai contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier.

PMS (premenstrual syndrome):
Forget the pills - eat petai. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood.

Anaemia:
High in iron, petai can stimulate the production of haemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anaemia.

Blood Pressure:
This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it perfect to beat blood pressure. So much so, the US Food and Drug Administration has just allowed the petai industry to make official claims for the fruit's ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke.

Brain Power :
200 students at a Twickenham (Middlesex) school were helped through their exams this year by eating petai at breakfast, break, and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown that the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert.
Understand that bananas contain lot of potassium too so eat more banana... Just look at those monkeys, they are really active, alert, smart and cunning too!!

Constipation:

High in fiber, including petai in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.

Hangovers:
One of the quickest ways of curing a hangover is to make a petai milkshake, sweetened with honey. The petai calms the stomach and, with the help of the honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels, while the milk soothes and re-hydrates your system.

Heartburn:
Petai has a natural antacid effect in the body, so if you suffer from heartburn, try eating petai for soothing relief.

Morning Sickness :
Snacking on petai between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness.

Mosquito bites :
Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of the petai skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation..

Nerves:
Petai is high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system.

Overweight:
Studies at the Institute of Psychology in Austria found pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort food like chocolate and crisps. Looking at 5,000 hospital patients, researchers found the most obese were more likely to be in high-pressure jobs. The report concluded that, to avoid panic-induced food cravings, we need to control our blood sugar levels by snacking on high carbohydrate foods every two hours to keep levels steady.

Ulcers:
Petai is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness. It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over-chronicler cases. It also neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.

Temperature control :
Many other cultures see petai as a "cooling" fruit that can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. In Holland, for example, pregnant women eat petai to ensure their baby is born with a cool temperature.

Seasonal Affecti ve Disorder (SAD):
Petai can help SAD sufferers because they contain the natural mood enhancer, tryptophan.

Smoking:
Petai can also help people trying to give up smoking.. The B6, B12 they contain, as well as the potassium and magnesium found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal.

Stress:
Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalize the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body's water balance. When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, thereby reducing our potassium levels. These can be rebalanced with the help of a high-potassium petai snack.

Strokes:
According to research in "The New England Journal of Medicine" eating petai as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of death by strokes by as much as 40%".

Warts:
Those keen on natural alternatives swear that if you want to kill off a wart, take a piece of petai and place it on the wart.. Carefully hold the petai in place with a plaster or surgical tape!

So, as you can see, petai really is a natural remedy for many ills. When you compare it to an apple, it has four times the protein, twice the carbohydrates, three times the phosphorus, five times the vitamin A and iron, and twice the other vitamins and minerals... It is also rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods around. So maybe its time to change that well-known phrase so that we say, "A Petai a day keeps the doctor away".

The BANANAS with dark patches on yellow skin...

The fully ripe banana produces a substance called TNF which has the ability to combat abnormal cells.

So don't be surprised very soon the shop will go out of stock for bananas.

As the banana ripens, it develops dark spots or patches on the skin. The more dark patches it has, the higher will be its' immunity enhancement quality.

Hence the Japanese love bananas for a good reason.

According to a Japanese scientific research, banana contains TNF which has anti-cancer properties. The degree of anti-cancer effect corresponds to the degree of ripeness of the fruit, ie the riper the banana, the better the anti-cancer quality.

In an animal experiment carried out by a professor in Tokyo U comparing the various health benefits of different fruits,using banana, grape, apple, water melon, pineapple, pear and persimmon, it was found that banana gave the best results. It increased the number of white blood cells, enhanced the immunity of the body and produced anti-cancer
substance TNF.

The recommendation is to eat 1 to 2 banana a day to increase your body immunity to diseases like cold, flu and others.

According to the Japanese professor, yellow skin bananas with dark spots on it are 8 times more effective in enhancing the property of white blood cells than the green skin version.

梳頭有大學問

每天梳頭是一件極為重要的事。為什麼古人總是說要天天梳頭？因為梳頭實際上就是在梳經絡。

有人說梳頭多了，容易損傷毛囊，那咱們把指甲剪平了，用10個手指肚來梳，這樣怎麼梳都損傷不了毛囊，而且還很有力量。您看頭的側面全是膽經，有20多個穴位，您都不用找，就這麼一梳，哪塊有點疼，就證明哪塊有阻塞，您就反復地揉它，不知道那個穴叫什麼名字沒關係。因為您一梳頭，膽經上的20多個穴位就全部“一網打盡”了。

開始梳頭的時候，您會發現，長期頭痛或者膽囊不好、有乳腺增生這些膽經阻塞方面問題的人，頭上一定有相應的阻滯點。經絡是連著的，下面有堵的地方，它上面也堵。所以您這麼一梳，就會發覺某處有疼的地方，用大拇指一點一揉，會發現些結節、疙瘩的東西，這時，您一定要把這個東西揉開了。

每天梳頭多長時間為好呢？堅持每天300次就非常好了。有人說我有的是時間，梳3000次怎麼樣？那當然更好。頭不怕多梳，您就記住，梳頭好處大了。頭為諸陽之會，所有的氣血都是奔著頭上來的，頭就怕堵住了，一堵住什麼心血管疾病、腦梗塞之類的問題就全來了。您把頭一梳，頭部一清爽，這些問題就全解決了。所以梳頭是能消百病的妙法。

有人說：“我不敢梳頭，因為頭髮本來就少，還老掉”。我說：“越是這樣的人，越得多梳。為什麼？您別怕掉頭發，因為，凡是用手指肚一梳就掉的頭髮，它根本就是在頭上面浮擱著呢！您不動它，睡覺起來後也是一床，您不如乾脆先給它弄下來就完了，剩下的頭髮就個個都是精英了。這就跟種花似的，您得把那些枯葉剪下去，別讓它也跟著一塊吸收營養，最後剩下的那些才是茁壯的。”

還有的人說：“我也不敢梳頭，我一梳頭就白花花的跟下雪似的，全是頭皮屑，沒法梳。”他覺得越梳頭皮屑越多。其實，如果能堅持每天梳頭至少300次，連著梳1周，您再梳的時候就會發現已經沒什麼“雪花”了，而且梳完以後會看到滿手都是油污汙的。這說明您把堵塞在毛孔上的這些黑油（中醫講的濕氣、痰濁）給梳出來了，這樣當然就不長頭皮屑了。

梳頭不但可以治療脫髮，還能治療白髮和頭髮無光澤。當頭髮濃密起來後，就證明您的氣血越來越足，肝腎的功能提高了。另外，有的時候我們想補補肝、補補腎，但往往直接補不到，效力達不到這個地方，怎麼辦呢？“諸病於內，必形於外”，人體的?堶惟M外面是有通路的。誰是它的通路？頭部就是它的通路。您經常梳梳頭，就跟肝腎通上了。人不可能頭髮很濃密而肝腎卻很弱，這是絕不可能的。頭髮濃密了，肝腎的功能也就提高了，這是一體的兩面，只要提高一方面，另一方面就提高了。

梳頭時，除了頭兩側，正面也要全梳。頭的正面是膀胱經，是專門抵禦風寒的。有的人經常容易感冒，就是風寒老進來的原因。您把膀胱經多梳梳，就不容易患感冒了。還有的人總覺得頭暈，腦供血不足，什麼原因？是督脈堵塞住了。督脈這條中間線，下至尾骨，與腎經相通，上行巔頂百會穴，如果時時保持通暢的話，不但您不會得老年癡呆，而且會越梳越精神。

所以梳頭應該把頭部全梳一遍，每天梳得越多越好。

別小看梳頭這個動作，靠它就能打通人體的很多經絡，是屬於給身體打地基的。當打通經絡後，再集中看看哪個穴位有問題，特意去揉一揉，這就是為身體添磚加瓦了。

高血壓 無聲殺手出擊

(星島日報 報道)高血壓，被稱為都市人「沉默的殺手」，乃引致多項頑疾的風險因素，可誘發心臟病、中風及腎衰竭，殺人於無形。據調查顯示，七十五歲人士患高血壓率高達七成以上，且近年更有年輕化趨勢。要預防高血壓侵襲，便要跟從以下指引，從改善日常生活習慣手。

三十歲現高血壓

根據世界生組織指引，高血壓的定義為上壓持續高於140mmHg，以及下壓高於90mmHg，而上壓維持於120mmHg及下壓80mmHg則屬正常。心臟專科醫生梁偉宣表示，高血壓成因不明，只有小部分是因為身體病患，如內分泌失調、腎病、心臟病、荷爾蒙失調和某些藥物的副作用（如類固醇、避孕藥）而引致。至於肥胖、家族成員曾罹患高血壓、吸煙、酗酒、缺乏運動、經常進食高鹽分和高脂肪的食物，以及精神常處於緊張狀態，都是患上高血壓的高危因素。梁醫生表示，隨港人生活及飲食愈來愈西化，高血壓患者的年齡有年輕化趨勢，部分三十歲年輕一族已出現高血壓。

易致其他嚴重疾病

「大部分患者沒有明顯病徵，只有部分人會出現頭痛、頭暈、氣促、視力出現問題，不少人經過身體檢查才被診斷出來。」梁醫生表示，高血壓影響心臟、腦血管及腎臟健康；長時間處於高血壓狀況，會導致心臟心肌肥厚、心臟衰弱、血管硬化而引發冠心病，同時亦會誘發中風、腎衰竭，以及視網膜病變等。他說：「高血壓病者患上這些嚴重疾病的風險至少高於常人兩倍。」建議於三十五歲後，有上述高危因素人士，應定期量度血壓，及早監察及預防病變發生。

一旦證實患上高血壓，便要依靠藥物控制血壓水平。梁醫生表示，現時降血壓藥物共有五種，包括利尿劑、血管緊張素轉化抑制劑（ACEI）、血管緊張素受體阻滯劑（ARB）、?袌受體阻斷劑及鈣通道阻滯劑，醫生會根據病人的情況選用合適的藥物。

低鹽飲食預防良方

要預防高血壓，低鹽飲食、適量運動，以及控制體重最為重要。米施洛營養護康中心註冊營養師李偉萍指出，成人每日應攝取少於2,400毫克鈉質（分量相等於一茶匙鹽），每餐不要使用多於三分一茶匙鹽或半茶匙豉油，烹調煮食以清淡為主。此外，醬料亦含高鈉質，日常應減少使用味精、豆豉及雞精等調味料，多選用天然調味品，如薑、蒜、胡椒及八角等，減少攝取鹽分。煲湯時，可以蝦米、冬菇等食材作湯底，取代雞精及味精。她又指出，大家應少吃油炸食品，烹調時選擇新鮮食物，減少使用醬料。

上班族經常出外飲食，食肆高鹽高脂肪的烹調方法，都市人難以逃避。李偉萍建議大家出外用膳，可多選一些少醬汁的菜，或要求汁和飯分開，自行調校汁料分量。另謹記均衡飲食，選擇有肉有菜的菜式，如番茄肉片飯、西芹雞柳飯等，避免飲用加入味精的湯，同時，可考慮光顧較少使用鹽煮食的食肆，如日式壽司店、三文治店，或粥麵店等。

小心高鹽食物

1. 罐頭類食物，如午餐肉、沙甸魚等。

2. 經醃製食物，如腸仔、火腿、臘味、鹹蛋及榨菜等。

3. 涼果類，如話梅、陳皮等。

4. 加入了鹽分的果仁，如花生、腰果。

5. 油炸零食，如薯片及蝦條等。

健康營養素

除了低鹽飲食外，多攝取鉀質、鈣質及鎂質，均有助控制血壓水平：

鉀質

好處：有助身體排出多餘鈉質，避免因過量鈉質積聚而引起高血壓。

食物來源：一般新鮮蔬菜及水果，如薯仔、菠菜、西蘭花、香蕉及番石榴等。

鈣質

好處：鈣質不足可誘發高血壓，每日攝取足夠鈣質有助預防高血壓。

食物來源：奶類及奶製品，如高鈣脫脂奶等。

鎂質

好處：有助防止血管收窄。

食物來源：一般肉類，如雞肉、牛肉及豬肉等，以及果仁類食品。