The BEST WAYS TO PROTECT YOUR KIDNEYS

The BEST WAYS TO PROTECT YOUR KIDNEYS
 By Dr. Willie T. Ong (Internist and Cardiologist)

Most people know how to protect the heart, but do you know how to care for your kidneys? The kidneys' job is to help remove various toxins (drugs and food wastes), and expel them through the urine.

As we grow older, our kidneys will also start to age. A problem with kidney disease is that majority of patients have no warning symptoms.

Some time ago, we interviewed Dr. Elizabeth Montemayor, a nephrologist at the Philippine General Hospital.

Here are 10 ways to protect your kidneys:

1. Limit your salt intake
Too much salt is not only bad for your blood pressure, it's also bad for your kidneys. Many die of kidney disease, which can be partly attributed to a high salt intake and fondness fo! r fish sauce, soy sauce, plain salt and salted fish. Even inst! ant nood les, chips and nuts are teeming with salt. The problem with salt is that it encourages the body to retain water, and can increase your blood pressure (which damages the kidneys).
2. Don't load up on high protein foods such as meat and steaks
A high protein diet makes the kidneys work twice as hard. Pretty soon, your kidneys could get tired and some of the weaker kidney cells can die. A friendly reminder to people on a high-protein Atkin's Diet or South Beach Diet. The time-tested doctor's advice of moderation in everything will serve you well. Eat a balanced diet of rice, vegetables, fish and fruits and you can't go wrong.
3. Keep your blood pressure at 130/80 or lower !
If your blood pressure is above 140 over 90, this can cause kidney damage within five years. The kidneys are said to be "happiest" with a blood pressure of 130/80 or lower. To help control your blood pressure, you should limit your salt intake, reduce weight and take medicines for high blood pressure, if needed.

4. Keep your blood sugar below 120 mg/dl
Diabetes and high blood pressure are the two leading causes of kidney failure. A person with uncontrolled diabetes for 5-10 years may develop significant kidney damage. Consult your doctor and keep your blood sugar under control with diet, exercise and maintenance medicines.

5. Drink 8 glasses of water a day
Doctors usually advise people to take in 8 glasses of water a day, but this really depends on your age and condition. If you're sweating a lot and work outdoors, you may need to drink more than 8 glasses a day. However, if you are above 65 years of age, you may do well with just 6 glasses a day. Drinking enough water also prevents the formation of kidney stones.
6. Watch your intake of pain relievers and other drugs
Taking pain relievers like mefenamic acid, ibuprofen and the coxibs (like celecoxib) for a prolonged period of time may cause kidney damage. Because of this, we should limit taking these medicines to only a week, or just take th! em as needed. For those with chronic arthritis, try to look for other ways to relieve the pain such as using a hot water bag, pain reliever ointments, or the safer paracetamol tablet.

7. Be careful with tests and procedures using contrast dyes
Some tests, like CT Scans and MRIs, and angiograms, use a contrast dye which helps doctors delineate the organs better. The problem with such dyes is that they can cause kidney damage. To be safe, I would strongly advise you to consult a kidney specialist before undergoing such procedures.
8. Don't drink too much Vitamin C Excess vitamin C (ascorbic acid) ! can lead to the formation of kidney stones in predisposed indi! viduals. If you need to take vitamin C, a dose of 500 mg or less is safer.

9. Don't rely on food supplements to protect your kidneys
The above tips are so far the best tips to care for the kidneys.
10. Get a kidney check-up
Simple tests, such as a complete blood count, BUN and creatinin, and a urine analysis are the first screening tests for the kidneys. Finding a trace of protein in the urine can alert the doctor of possible kidney disease.

Bottomline is: Kidney diseases are expensive and difficult to treat. Let's take the necessary steps to protect our kidneys today.

Aspirin may do more harm than good

Agence France-PresseAugust 31, 2009 09:40pm

HEALTHY people taking a daily dose of aspirin to prevent heart attacks may be doing themselves more harm than good, according to a new study by British scientists.
Researchers found that the risks of bleeding from taking aspirin were such that its routine use in healthy people "can't be supported" - although they did not dispute its use in patients with a history of vascular problems.

The results of the Aspirin for Asymptomatic Atherosclerosis (AAA) study add to a long-running debate about whether the potential dangers of taking aspirin could outweigh the benefits from reducing the risk of clots.

"We know that patients with symptoms of artery disease, such as angina, heart attack or stroke, can reduce their risk of further problems by taking a small dose of aspirin each day," said Professor Peter Weissberg, medical director of the British Heart Foundation which helped fund the research.

"The findings of this study agree with our current advice that people who do not have symptomatic or diagnosed artery or heart disease should not take aspirin, because the risks of bleeding may outweigh the benefits.''

The study was led by Professor Gerry Fowkes from the Wolfson Unit for Prevention of Peripheral Vascular Diseases in Edinburgh, Scotland, and presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress in Barcelona Sunday.

It involved 3350 men and women aged 50 to 75 years who tests revealed may have a condition where the arteries in their legs were furred up - but who had no symptoms of heart disease or history of heart attack.

They were given either a daily 100mg dose of aspirin or a placebo (a dummy pill) and monitored over eight years.

While there was no difference in the number of heart attacks, strokes and other cardiovascular events suffered, major bleeding occurred in two per cent of the aspirin group compared to just 1.2 per cent of the placebo group.

Stay healthy with drinking water

DRINK WATER ON EMPTY STOMACH
It is popular in Japan today to drink water immediately after waking up every morning. Furthermore, scientific tests have proven its value.. We publish below a description of use of water for our readers. For old and serious diseases as well as modern illnesses the water treatment had been found successful by a Japanese medical society as a 100% cure for the following diseases:
Headache, body ache, heart system, arthritis, fast heart beat, epilepsy, excess fatness, bronchitis asthma, TB, meningitis, kidney and urine diseases, vomiting, gastritis, diarrhea, piles, diabetes, constipation, all eye diseases, womb, cancer and menstrual disorders, ear nose and throat diseases.

METHOD OF TREATMENT
1.. As you wake up in the morning before brushing teeth, drink 4 x 160ml glasses of water
2.. Brush and clean the mouth but do not eat or drink anything for 45 minute
3. After 45 minutes you may eat and drink as normal.
4. After 15 minutes of breakfast, lunch and dinner do not eat or drink anything for 2 hours
5. Those who are old or sick and are unable to drink 4 glasses of water at the beginning may commence by taking little water and gradually increase it to 4 glasses per day.
6. The above method of treatment will cure diseases of the sick and others can enjoy a healthy life.

The following list gives the number of days of treatment required to cure/control/reduce main diseases:
1.. High Blood Pressure (30 days)
2. Gastric (10 days)
3. Diabetes (30 days)
4. Constipation (10 days)
5. Cancer (180 days)
6. TB (90 days)
7. Arthritis patients should follow the above treatment only for 3 days in the 1st week, and from 2nd week onwards – daily..

This treatment method has no side effects, however at the commencement of treatment you may have to urinate a few times.

It is better if we continue this and make this procedure as a routine work in our life.. Drink Water and Stay healthy and Active.

This makes sense .... The Chinese and Japanese drink hot tea with their meals ..not cold water... Maybe it is time we adopt their drinking habit while eating!!! Nothing to lose, everything to gain...

COLD WATER Warning
For those who like to drink cold water, this article is applicable to you.
It is nice to have a cup of cold drink after a meal. H owever, the cold water will solidify the oily stuff that you have just consumed. It will slow down the digestion.

Once this "sludge" reacts with the acid, it will break down and be absorbed by the intestine faster than the solid food... It will line the intestine.
Very soon, this will turn into fats and lead to cancer. It is best to drink hot soup or warm water after a meal.

Marinating steak in beer or wine 'reduces cancer chemicals'

Marinating steak in beer or wine before cooking it dramatically reduces levels of chemicals that can cause cancer, according to scientists.

By Martin Beckford
Last Updated: 11:43AM GMT 31 Dec 2008

Shoppers are urged to avoid processed meats.

Researchers found that steeping the meat in alcohol for several hours cut the high levels of carcinogenic compounds triggered by frying it.

In addition, they discovered that beer was more effective than wine at lowering the cancer-forming chemicals, and also made for a better-looking and tastier meal.

New Scientist magazine, which reports the findings, stated: "If you are frying a steak and mindful of your health, then marinate it in either beer or red wine.

"So say food scientists who measured amounts of a family of carcinogens found in fried food after steeping them in booze."
Cooking food increases its levels of chemical compounds called heterocyclic amines (HAs), which can cause cancerous tumours.

Frying and grilling meat is particularly dangerous, because the intense heat turns the sugars and amino acids of muscle tissue into high levels of the compounds.

But scientists are gathering increasing amounts of evidence to show that the levels of HAs in cooked meat can be lowered by treating the food beforehand.

Isabel Ferreira and colleagues at the University of Porto in Portugal found that marinating steak in red wine or beer before frying - for six hours - cut levels of two types of HA by up to 90 per cent compared with untreated meat.

Beer was more efficient at reducing a third type of HA than wine, cutting levels significantly in four hours instead of six.
It also made the meat look, smell and taste better than the wine-marinated steak, according to the new report published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

"Tasters also preferred the smell, taste and appearance of beer-marinated steak," said New Scientist.
The researchers believe the alcoholic sauce cuts levels of the carcinogen by acting as a barrier - preventing water-soluble molecules moving to the surface of the steak where they would be turned into HAs by the high temperature.

"Beer contains more water-retaining sugars than wine and Ferreira says that may hinder the transport of water-soluble molecules to the steak's surface, where high heat converts them in HAs," New Scientist said.

Previous research has shown that a red wine marinade has a similar effect on HA levels in fried chicken, while a non-alcoholic version is also available. A sauce made of olive oil, lemon juice and garlic lowered HA levels in grilled chicken by as much as 90 per cent, a study found.

Cooking meat on lower heat and for a shorter period of time also prevents dangerous levels of HAs forming.
Research into reducing levels of HAs in cooked food comes after a series of studies have shown links between meat consumption and cancer.

Last year a landmark report on the causes of the disease published by the World Cancer Research Fund claimed that eating any processed meat, such as sausages, bacon and ham, significantly raises the risk of contracting bowel cancer.

Its report urged shoppers to avoid processed meats and advised eating a maximum of 1.1lb (500g) of cooked red meat a week.

BRAIN DAMAGING HABITS

1. No Breakfast
People who do not take breakfast are going to have a lower blood sugar level.
This leads to an insufficient supply of nutrients to the brain causing brain degeneration.

2. Overeating
It causes hardening of the brain arteries, leading to a decrease in mental power.

3. Smoking
It causes multiple brain shrinkage and may lead to Alzheimer disease.

4. High Sugar consumption
Too much sugar will interrupt the absorption of proteins and nutrients causing malnutrition and may interfere with brain development.

5. Air Pollution
The brain is the largest oxygen consumer in our body. Inhaling polluted air decreases the supply of oxygen to the brain, bringing about a decrease in brain efficiency.

6. Sleep Deprivation
Sleep allows our brain to rest. Long term deprivation from sleep will accelerate the death of brain cells.

7. Head covered while sleeping
Sleeping with the head covered increases the concentration of carbon dioxide and decrease concentration of oxygen that may lead to brain damaging effects.

8. Working your brain during illness
Working hard or studying with sickness may lead to a decrease in effectiveness of the brain as well as damage the brain.

9. Lacking in stimulating thoughts
Thinking is the best way to train our brain, lacking in brain stimulation thoughts may cause brain shrinkage.

10. Talking Rarely
Intellectual conversations will promote the efficiency of the brain 

Top 5 cancer causing foods

The top five cancer-causing foods are:

1. Hot dogs
Because they are high in nitrates, the Cancer Prevention Coalition advises that children eat no more than 12 hot dogs a month. If you can't live without hot dogs, buy those made without sodium nitratea.

2. Processed meats and bacon
Also high in the same sodium nitrates found in hot dogs, bacon, and other processed meats raise the risk of heart disease. The saturated fat in bacon also contributes to cancer.

3. Doughnuts
Doughnuts are cancer-causing double trouble. First, they are made with white flour, sugar, and hydrogenated oils, then fried at high temperatures. Doughnuts, may be the worst food you can possibly eat to raise your risk of cancer.

4. French fries
Like doughnuts, French fries are made with hydrogenated oils and then fried at high temperatures. They also contain cancer- causing acryl amides which occur during the frying process. They should be called cancer fries, not French fries.

5. Chips, crackers, and cookies
All are usually made with white flour and sugar. Even the ones whose labels claim to be free of trans-fats generally contain small amounts of trans-fats.

Eat less, live longer

From ACA

Tue 16/10/07

By ACA staff

While most of us struggle with the latest fad diet and excessive exercise plans, one scientist claims the way to stay lean into old age — and even enjoy a longer life — is to just eat less. Sounds simple, but is it good for your health?

Professor Everitt, a physiologist with Sydney University, has been eating around 20 percent less than the minimum calorie intake recommended for men — and has been doing it for much of his adult life. As a result, he has managed to slow down his bodily functions and he argues, increase his longevity.

"Calorie restriction has effects in reducing body functions in just about all tissues that have been looked at," he said.

"Not only does the heart beat more slowly, the blood pressure would fall and I would say the blood cholesterol would come down. So everything is operating at a slower rate."

"Therefore it (the body) lasts longer."

The lifestyle change is based on the principle that people who eat fewer calories are less likely to have common illnesses associated with ageing.

A similar eating principle is used in Japan and other parts of Asia where people eat less as they grow older.

Getting back to basics and eating simpler foods is great for the body, according to best-selling author Dr John Tickell.

"Let's get back to being like those healthy, happy, long living people in the Asian villages and Japanese villages," he said. "It's very simple food and what I call low H-I, low Human Interference."

Not all diet experts though think lowering your calorie intake is a great idea.

"The people who are living to 120, it's not simply because they've cut back on their diet," said nutritionist Claudette Wadsworth. "Yes that does have an effect but…its' really important to look at the quality of the food that they're eating and changing to those things in your diet ."

Detox tips

(From Ninemsn)

Healthy = hot! Check back here each week for little tips you can integrate into your daily routine. Loving your body starts here. Try this:

After the sluggish winter months, summer makes everyone want to cleanse! Here are some tips on dietary detox ...

While there is no scientific evidence to support the notion that the body needs to be "cleaned out" as the kidneys and liver do a very good job at ridding our bodies of unwanted bugs. Getting rid of the additives, caffeine and processed foods does tend to make the body work a little more efficiently in terms of ridding itself of waste, improving energy levels and clearing skin and eyes. So, here are some simple detox steps to get you started.

Simple steps to Detox
1) Plan to "detox" for a week at most
2) Drink at least 2 litres of water each day
3) Cut out the caffeine in tea, coffee, chocolate and cola drinks (yes, you will get a headache). Herbal teas can be used
4) Bump your vegetables up to at least 3 cups each day
5) Snack on either fruit or a handful of nuts
6) Get rid of fatty and processed meats and stick to tuna or salmon only
7)Some people also like to get rid of wheat and dairy. That is up to you
8) Try adding in a vegetable soup at night to rid the body of extra fluid that can make us feel tired

Sample detox plan:
Breakfast: Fresh fruit and thick Greek style yogurt OR oats with milk
Morning tea: Fruit
Lunch: Tuna/bean salad with Mountain bread
Afternoon Tea: Handful of nuts
Dinner: Steamed fish/Vegetables
Dessert: Baked apple

You can see that this type of eating plan is difficult to sustain but will make you feel reenergized and refreshed if followed for 5 days or so. Please note, any dietary information is a suggestion only and cannot replace specific health advice for an individualized advise from your own GP or dietitian.

Men who smoke risk erectile dysfunction

From correspondents in New York

September 27, 2007 08:25am

Article from: Reuters

OTHERWISE healthy men who smoke risk developing erectile dysfunction - and the more cigarettes they smoke, the greater the risk of erectile dysfunction, according to a new study.
Erectile dysfunction is the consistent inability to achieve or maintain an erection sufficient for satisfactory sexual performance.

In a study of 4763 Chinese men aged 35 to 74 years who were free of blood vessel disease and who reported that they had been sexually active within the last six months, the researchers found a significant statistical link between the number of cigarettes smoked and the likelihood of erectile dysfunction.

"The association between cigarette smoking and erectile dysfunction was found in earlier studies," said first author Jiang He of Tulane University School of Public Health, New Orleans. "However, most of those studies were conducted in patients with hypertension (high blood pressure), diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

What distinguishes this study is that it is the first to find this association among healthy men." Overall, men who smoked had a 41 per cent greater risk of erectile dysfunction than men who did not, the team reports in the American Journal of Epidemiology. And there was a clear "dose-response" relationship, meaning that the more the men smoked, the higher was their risk of erectile dysfunction.

Compared with non-smokers, men who smoked up to 10 cigarettes per day had a 27 per cent greater likelihood of erectile dysfunction ;
those who smoked 11 to 20 a day had a 45 per cent greater likelihood of erectile dysfunction; and those who smoked more than 20 cigarettes daily had a 65 per cent greater chance of suffering erectile dysfunction.

The investigators estimate that 22.7 per cent of erectile all dysfunction cases among healthy Chinese men - or 11.8 million cases - might be caused by cigarette smoking. And even when cigarette smokers quit, their risk of developing erectile dysfunction did not decrease.
The risk of erectile dysfunction was statistically about the same for former cigarette smokers as for current cigarette smokers, the authors found.

"This study really has a strong message for young men," He said. "It may get their attention if they know that smoking is associated with erectile dysfunction - even in the healthy population."

"So the message is: Don't start."

Avoid Cancerous Foods and Products

Some info from the web (unverified) about carcinogenic food and products.

INSTANT NOODLES
Dear instant noodle lovers,
Make sure you break for at least 3 days after one session of instant noodles before you eat your next packet! Please read the info shared to me by a doctor. My family stopped eating instant noodles more than 5 years ago after hearing about the wax coating the noodles - the wax is not just in the Styrofoam containers but it coats the noodles. This is why the instant noodles do not stick to each other when cooking.

If one were to examine the ordinary Chinese yellow noodles in the market, one will notice that, in their uncooked state the noodles are oily. This layer of oil prevents the noodles from sticking together.

Wanton noodles in their uncooked state have been dusted with flour to prevent them sticking together. When the hawker cooks the noodles, notice he cooks them in hot water and then rinses them in cold water before cooking them in hot water again. This process is repeated several times before the noodles are ready to be served. The cooking and rinsing process prevents noodles from sticking together.

The hawker then "lowers the noodles in oil and sauce to prevent the noodles from sticking if they are to be served dry. Cooking instructions for spaghetti require oil or butter to be added in the water when boiling the spaghetti to prevent the pasta from sticking together. Otherwise, one gets a big clump of spaghetti!

There was an SBC (now TCS) actor some years ago, who at a busy time of his career had no time to cook, resorted to eating instant noodles everyday. He got cancer later on. His doctor told him about the wax in instant noodles. The doctor told him that our body will need up to 2 days to clear the wax. There was also an SIA steward who after moving out from his mother's house into his own house, did not cook but ate instant noodles almost every meal. He had cancer, and has since died from it.

Nowadays the instant noodles are referred as " cancer noodles "

If you all eat Satay, don't ever forget to eat the cucumber, because eating Satay together with carbon after barbequing can cause cancer.
But we have a cure for that... Cucumber should be eaten after we eat the Satay because Satay has carcinogen (a cancer causing element) but cucumber is anti-carcinogenic. So don't forget to eat the cucumber the next time you have Satay's. NS

BBQ
DO NOT eat shrimp / prawn if you have just taken VITAMIN C pills!!
This will cause you to DIE in ARSENIC (As) toxication within HOURS!! ORK AWARENESS

PORK AWARENESS
Try this and see whether the pork you bought has worms. There goes with your "Bak Kut Teh" for those who love it. Most men love to eat this so watch out before it's too late. If you pours Coke (yes, the soda) on a slab of pork, wait a little while, you will SEE WORMS crawl out of it. A message from the Health Corporation of Singapore about the bad effects of pork consumption. Pig's bodies contain MANY TOXINS, WORM and LATENT DISEASES.

Although some of these infestations are harboured in other animals, modern veterinarians say that pigs are far MORE PREDISPOSED to these illnesses than other animals. This could be because PIGS like to SCAVENGE and will eat ANY kind of food, INCLUDING dead insects, worms, rotting carcasses, excreta including their own, garbage, and other pigs. INFLUENZA (flu) is one of the MOST famous illnesses which pigs share with humans. This illness is harboured in the LUNGS of pigs during the summer months and tends to affect pigs and human in the cooler months.

Sausage contains bits of pigs' lungs, so those who EAT pork sausage tend to SUFFER MORE during EPIDEMICS of INFLUENZA. Pig meat contains EXCESSIVE quantities of HISTAMINE and IMIDAZOLE compounds, which can lead to ITCHING and INFLAMMATION; GROWTH HORMONE which PROMOTES INFLAMMATION and growth; sulphur containing mesenchymal mucus which leads to SWELLING and deposits of MUCUS in tendons and cartilage, resulting in ATHRITIS, RHEUMATISM, etc.
Sulphur helps cause FIRM human tendons and ligaments to be replaced by the pig's soft mesenchymal tissues, and degeneration of human cartilage.

Eating pork can also lead to GALLSTONES and OBESITY, probably due to its HIGH CHOLESTEROL and SATURATED FAT content. The pig is the MAIN CARRIER of the TAENIE SOLIUM WORM, which is found in its flesh. These tapeworms are found in human intestines with greater frequency in nations where pigs are eaten. This type of tapeworm can pass through the intestines and affect many other organs, and is incurable once it reaches beyond a certain stage. One in six people in the US and Canada has RICHINOSIS from eating trichina worms, which are found in pork.

Many people have NO SYMPTOMS to warm them of this, and when they do, they resemble symptoms of many other illnesses. These worms are NOT noticed during meat inspections.

SHAMPOOS
Cancer-causing substance in shampoos. Go home and check your shampoo. Change before it's too late... Check the ingredients listed on your shampoo bottle, and see they have a substance by the name of Sodium Laureth Sulfate, or simply SLS. This substance is found in most shampoos; manufacturers use it because it produces a lot of foam and it is cheap. BUT the fact is, SLS is used to scrub garage floors, and it is very strong!!! It is also proven that it can cause cancer in the long run, and this is no joke. Shampoos that contains SLS: Vo5, Palmolive, Paul Mitchell, L'Oreal, the new Hemp Shampoo from Body Shop etc. contain this substance.

The first ingredient listed (which means it is the single most prevalent ingredient) in Clairol's Herbal Essences is Sodium Laureth Sulfate. Therefore, I called one company, and I told them their product contains a substance that will cause people to have cancer. They said, Yeah we knew about it but there is nothing we can do about it because we need that substance to produce foam. By the way Colgate toothpaste also contains the same substance to produce the "bubbles". They said they are going to send me some information.

Research has shown that in the 1980s, the chance of getting cancer is 1 out of 8000 and now, in the 1990s, the chances of getting cancer is 1 out of 3, which is very serious. Therefore, I hope that you will take this seriously and pass this on to all the people you know, and hopefully, we can stop "giving" ourselves cancer-causing agents.

Stroke Identification

STROKE: Remember The 1st Three Letters... S.T.R

Seriously ... please read:

STROKE IDENTIFICATION :


It only takes a minute to read this...

A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours, he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke...totally. He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough.


RECOGNIZING A STROKE
Thank God for the sense to remember the "3" steps, STR . Read and Learn!
Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke. Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:

S * Ask the individual to SMILE ..

T * Ask the person to TALK & SPEAK A
SIMPLE SENTENCE (coherently, i.e ., It is
sunny out today).
R * Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.


NOTE
: Another 'sign' of a stroke is this: Ask the person to 'stick' out their tongue. If the tongue is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the other, that is also an indication of a stroke.