Garlic can defeat colds and flu

It has gained its reputation as a virus buster thanks to one of its chemical constituents, allicin.
A recent and significant finding from Washington State University shows that garlic is 100 times more effective than two popular antibiotics at fighting disease causing bacteria commonly responsible for food borne illness.

When the garlic is crushed, alliin becomes allicin. Research shows that allicin helps lower cholesterol and blood pressure and also helps prevents blood clots. Garlic can also reduce the risk of developing atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). Compounds in this familiar bulb kill many organisms, including bacteria and viruses that cause earaches, flu and colds. Research indicates that garlic is also effective against digestive ailments and diarrhea. What’s more, further studies suggest that this common and familiar herb may help prevent the onset of cancers.

‘This chemical has been known for a long time for its anti-bacterial and anti-fungal powers,’ says Helen Bond, a Derbyshire-based consultant dietitian and spokeswoman for the British Dietetic Association.

‘Because of this, people assume it is going to boost their immune systems. Lots of people are simply mashing up garlic, mixing it with olive oil and spreading it on bread.
‘But how or whether it may actually work has still not been proven categorically.’
Indeed, scientists remain divided on garlic’s ability to combat colds and flu. Last March, a major investigation by the respected global research organisation, the Cochrane Database, found that increasing your garlic intake during winter can cut the duration of cold symptoms — from five-and-a-half days to four-and-a-half.

But the report, which amalgamated all previous scientific studies on garlic, said it could not draw solid conclusions because there is a lack of large-scale, authoritative research.
The problem is that pharmaceutical companies are not interested in running huge, expensive trials — as they would with promising new drug compounds — because there is nothing in garlic that they can patent, package and sell at a profit.

Modified Garlic Soup Recipe
Serves 4

• 26 garlic cloves (unpeeled)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) organic butter (grass fed)
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne powder
• 1/2 cup fresh ginger
• 2 1/4 cups sliced onions
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
• 26 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 3 1/2 cups organic vegetable broth
• 4 lemon wedges

Preheat oven to 350F. Place 26 garlic cloves in small glass baking dish. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and toss to coat. Cover baking dish tightly with foil and bake until garlic is golden brown and tender, about 45 minutes. Cool. Squeeze garlic between fingertips to release cloves. Transfer cloves to small bowl.

Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions, thyme, ginger and cayenne powder and cook until onions are translucent, about 6 minutes. Add roasted garlic and 26 raw garlic cloves and cook 3 minutes. Add vegetable broth; cover and simmer until garlic is very tender, about 20 minutes. Working in batches, puree soup in blender until smooth. Return soup to saucepan; add coconut milk and bring to simmer. Season with sea salt and pepper for flavour.
Squeeze juice of 1 lemon wedge into each bowl and serve.

Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Rewarm over medium heat, stirring occasionally.

If garlic were found to be a wonder drug, consumers could simply buy it in the supermarket for 30p a bulb or grow their own in the garden.

Nevertheless, garlic has a long and proud tradition as a medicine. The Ancient Egyptians recommended it for 22 ailments. In a papyrus dated 1500BC, the labourers who built the pyramids ate it to increase their stamina and keep them healthy.

The Ancient Greeks advocated garlic for everything from curing infections, and lung and blood disorders to healing insect bites and even treating leprosy.

The Romans fed it to soldiers and sailors to improve their endurance. Dioscorides, the personal physician to Emperor Nero, wrote a five-volume treatise extolling its virtues.

One of the most interesting of the recent findings is that garlic increases the overall antioxidant levels of the body. Scientifically known as Allium sativa, garlic has been famous throughout history for its ability to fight off viruses and bacteria. Louis Pasteur noted in 1858 that bacteria died when they were doused with garlic. From the Middle Ages on, garlic has been used to treat wounds, being ground or sliced and applied directly to wounds to inhibit the spread of infection. The Russians refer to garlic as Russian penicillin.

More recently, researchers have unearthed evidence to show garlic may help us to stay hale and hearty in a number of ways.

Last June, nutrition scientists at the University of Florida found eating garlic can boost the number of T-cells in the bloodstream. These play a vital role in strengthening our immune systems and fighting viruses.

And pharmacologists at the University of California found that allicin — the active ingredient in garlic that contributes to bad breath — is an infection-killer.
Allicin also makes our blood vessels dilate, improving blood flow and helping to tackle cardiovascular problems such as high cholesterol.

An Australian study of 80 patients published last week in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported that diets high in garlic may reduce high blood pressure.

In 2007, dentists in Brazil found that gargling with garlic water (made by steeping crushed garlic cloves in warm, but not boiling, water) can kill the germs that cause tooth decay and gum disease.

But they hit a snag: the volunteers refused to continue the experiment, complaining that the garlic gargle made them feel sick. Looking at the garlic soup recipe certainly made me feel queasy. Still, it gave me an excuse to use up my ample supply of garlic.

Though last year’s awful weather caused crop failures on my allotment, I enjoyed a bumper harvest of garlic.

Among its many other virtues, garlic kills slugs and snails. Researchers from the University of Newcastle believe it contains oils that may cripple the nervous systems of these slimy creatures.
There are two schools of thought as to the best way of preparing garlic to make the most of its medicinal qualities.

Argentinian investigators found it releases its allicin-type compounds when you bake the cloves, while scientists at South Carolina Medical University believe peeling garlic and letting it sit uncovered for 15 minutes produces the highest levels of compounds to fight infection.

So you can simply peel half of the garlic cloves and roast the other half with the kitchen door tightly closed (to stop the pong permeating throughout the house).
After an hour-and-a-quarter’s industrious soup-making, sprinkle lemon juice over a bowl of steaming, grey gloop and a tuck in.

The heady aroma certainly revs up the appetite and the first spoonful does not disappoint. Delicious as it is, however, one large bowl of home-made soup is a more than ample meal.

As for the soup’s cold-preventing powers, only time will tell. Regular bowlfuls may very well keep me free of winter ailments, thanks to the virus-killing compounds they contain.
Or it could just be that my nuclear-strength garlic breath will keep everyone who is infectious far out of sneezing range for months to come.

Source: http://www.curejoy.com/content/garlic-soup-made-with-52-cloves-of-garlic-can-defeat-colds-flu-and-even-norovirus/

9 Natural Fat Burners

Obesity is one of the biggest problems in public health today. Many people around the world suffer from it, which causes them to look for alternatives to help them lose weight.

One of the most popular resources for weight loss is exercise, although your diet also has a crucial importance in meeting this goal. That is why taking care of your health is extremely important. In this article, we will tell you about 9 natural fat burners that are found in food that you eat everyday.

1. Green Tea
Without a doubt, this drink is one of the most popular fat burners today. Just like black tea, green tea helps you control your weight because it accelerates your metabolism, reducing your ability to absorb fat from foods as well as eliminating it. On average, green tea burns between 35 and 43% more fat than other similar beverages.

2. Dairy Products
Thanks to calcium, some dairy products inhibit the production of cortisol, a hormone that causes the accumulation of fat in the abdomen. For example, low fat milk breaks down fat quickly, which is why many people suggest drinking it to help lose 70% more weight than people who don’t drink any dairy products.

3. Citrus Fruits

***** Food that has a high content of vitamin C accelerates your metabolism, which translates to a higher amount of eliminated fat. Also, citrus fruits are recommended for illnesses like anemia, colds, or to control blood cholesterol.

4. Chili Peppers
Recent studies have shown that capsaicin, a chemical compound that is found in this food, helps reduce the amount of fat that is stored in the body. Also, the high levels of vitamin C that chili peppers have accelerate the metabolism, which allows you to burn fat more quickly.

5. Lecithin
It is a type of lipid or fatty acid that directly affects fat metabolism, causing it to burn more quickly. It is also good for your memory, mood, and appetite regulation. The products you can find it in are tofu and soybeans.

6. Coffee

***** Coffee is a thermogenic that enables the elimination of fat by accelerating the metabolism and burning calories. However, you should be cautious when you drink it because it increases blood pressure and may bring about other problems like tachycardia.

7. Eggs
Eating two eggs a day for breakfast blocks fat absorption. Moreover, eggs cause you to feel full, which will prevent you from eating too frequently.

8. Red Meat
Red meat stimulates fat burning thanks to the proteins it contains that force your body to use fat reserves to produce energy. This is due to carnitine, which, besides accelerating your metabolism, also activates blood circulations.

9. Cold Water

***** As incredible as it may sound, some studies suggest that drinking cold or ice water helps your body accelerate the metabolic process, which eliminates many more calories and fats. Its best to drink at least 500 ml of this liquid everyday.

Source: http://steptohealth.com/9-natural-fat-burners/

Possible Symptoms of Cancer [for Women]

Do you know the symptoms of cancer, or how cancer starts to form? After the jump we’ll show you how to detect the signals that’ll help you avoid cancer if it’s about to develop. Don’t miss it!

As we have recommended many times and as we’re sure you’ve heard in all of your health centers or campaigns around the world, prevention is the best way to cure an illness. Through some simple and painless exams, you can detect cancer in time and prevent it from spreading to other organs in your body.

In the case that you come to have these symptoms, we recommend that you don’t panic, since it’s not necessarily true that you have cancer. This is simply a guide to signals that could alert you so that you pay attention to certain signs and see your doctor if you find them. Your doctor will have routine exams that will let you know for sure if you have cancer or not. If you do have positive results from the test, you still shouldn’t despair. In this case, you should feel fortunate that you were able to detect the disease in time and that your treatment should now be easier and more effective than it would have been if the disease had progressed further.

Rapid weight loss, without apparent reason

If you lose a significant amount of weight, without any reason, and you haven’t made any diet or exercise changes recently, you should make sure to go to your doctor, because this is a signal of possible pancreas, stomach, esophagus, or lung cancer.

 Mouth ulcers that don’t heal

If you suffer from frequent mouth ulcers on your lips and gums, and they persist for more than three weeks, you should talk to a doctor,because although these types of mouth ulcers are quite common, ones that last longer than two or three days are a cause of concern. When these mouth lesions stop healing quickly, it’s a sign that there is a serious irritation on your mouth tissues which without a doubt should be treated.

Frequent fevers

The majority of people who suffer from any type of cancer suffer from fevers regularly, especially people who have some sort of cancer that affects the immune system. You should keep in mind that everybody has fevers from time to time, it only becomes a problem when they’re very frequent.

Frequent abdominal issues

The abdominal issues could be pain, swelling, a sensation of fullness, change in your intestinal habits such as frequent diarrhea or constipation without an apparent reason, rectal bleeding, or streaks of dark-colored blood in your fecal matter. You should consult with a doctor about any of these symptoms because even if it isn’t intestinal cancer, they are all indicative of some sort of problem.

Permanent cough

If you have a strong cough that persists longer than two weeks, whether it is a dry cough or if it comes with expectoration, or if you there are any spots of blood in your phlegm, or if your voice is rough and scratchy regularly, you could potentially have lung cancer. If you notice any of these symptoms you should go to a specialist immediately.

Skin changes

If you notice any changes in the cover of you skin, any spots that you did not have before, if you notice new moles or changes in the moles that you have, strong itching, spots of dead skin, or any unprovoked bleeding, or any unusual changes in your skin, you should consult with a dermatologist as soon as possible, since skin cancer often starts in this manner.

Leukoplakia

Leukoplakia is the appearance of white patches in the mouth or on the tongue that can be caused by frequent irritation, previous injury, or the consumption of cigarettes and alcohol. These lesions should be treated as soon as possible, because they can develop into oral cancer.

Repeated, unusual bleeding

Blood in the urine could be a sign of bladder or kidney cancer, blood in the feces could indicate colon or intestinal cancer, spots of blood in the phlegm could mean lung cancer, and an abnormally large or frequent amount of vaginal bleeding is a signal of uterine or cervical cancer.

Bleeding without cause could be the sign of oncoming cancer, but it could also be the sign of cancer that’s already started, and so you should always see a doctor as soon as you spot any sign of a serious problem.

Enlargement or lumps in a breast

These growths can appear for different reasons, and so it’s very important that you talk to a specialist when you encounter any kind of abnormality in this area of your body. If you need to treat breast cancer, it has a far better chance of being cured the earlier that you treat it. The exam to determine breast cancer is usually a mammogram, which is very simple, completely painless, and over in about five minutes, so you have no excuse for doing this exam every year.

How can we prevent cancer?

The most important thing to keep in mind in the fight against cancer is to have a good diet, which is always rich in fruits and vegetables, in addition to eating foods that are high in fiber, which will improve your digestion and prevent colon cancer. You should drink at least eight glasses of water a day, so that you can make sure that your kidneys are function correctly and avoid grave complications like bladder or kidney cancer. If you choose to go outside for a period of time, even when the sun isn’t shining brightly, you should always make sure to use a good amount of sunscreen, in order to avoid skin cancer.

Another way to prevent cancer, in whatever part of your body, is to pay attention to all of the signals that we’ve outlined above, because your doctor can give you the necessary tests and exams to determine if your problems are cancer or not, and they can give you the treatment that is sure to give you the best results.

Source: 

http://steptohealth.com/possible-symptoms-cancer-women/

Use Salt to Clean Your Home

Salt is one of the elements that has never been missing from the kitchen since the olden times. Although centuries ago it was considered a precious good, today you can buy salt at very affordable prices. 

There are many side effects from the indiscriminate use of sodium chloride in your diet as it has consequences like hypertension, kidney problems, and fluid retention. However, it can be a huge help when cleaning your home. So if your doctor prohibits you from consuming salt,  take advantage of using it for cleaning.

Using Salt in the Home

• Keep flowers fresher for longer by adding a pinch of salt to the water in the vase.
• Control weeds in your yard by scattering salt in the pavement cracks or edges where they tend to grow.
• Put out oil fires by throwing salt on top of the flames.
• Remove ice from roads and sidewalks by sprinkling it on top of the snow or frost, which will prevent ice from sticking to the ground.
• Keep ants away by sprinkling it in your house’s entrance, around the windows, and underneath doors.
• Dry clothing in winter by putting a handful of salt in the last rinse cycle to prevent clothing from freezing on the line outside.

• Protect wicker furniture and prevent them from turning yellow by applying salt with a wet brush and letting it dry out in the sun.
• Lengthen the life of bathroom or kitchen sponges. After you use them, soak them in salt water.
• Prevent frost from forming on your house and car’s windows by scrubbing them with a sponge soaked in water and salt.
• Deodorize your shoes by spraying a little salt on the inside. It will eliminate moisture and bad odor.

Use Salt to Clean Your Home

• Remove the mess that comes from burns or spills from pans, pans, pots, oven, and burners. Apply a good amount of salt and remove it with paper towels.
• Remove wine stains from fabric. Apply a generous amount around the area and dry it with upward movements. Let it sit for a few minutes and then rinse off the piece of clothing. If it’s on a rug, scrub it with salt and then vacuum it.
• Deodorize and clean the refrigerator. Apply salt and seltzer water to the door and inside for a few minutes before defrosting or cleaning it.
• Remove rust stains from fabric by mixing a little bit of salt with lemon juice, wetting it well. Then, let it dry in the sun. Afterwards, wash as usual.
• Erase white circles on wooden furniture that come from a vase or anything wet. Apply a layer of oil and salt to the stain, massage it in, let sit for an hour, and then remove it.
• Remove grease from iron kitchen utensils. Sprinkle a little bit of salt on top of them and let it sit. Remove any extra and wash it as always. You can use the same technique to remove dark marks of coffee and tea on cups.
• Reduce bad odor on plastic or glass jars and bottles (more so on plastic because this is where odor is more easily concentrated). Add a tablespoon of salt on the inside of the container and leave it for a few minutes. Rinse it normally with detergent or a cleaning product.
• Remove bathtub and sink stains by making a mixture of turpentine and salt. Apply it to the surfaces and let sit for 15 minutes. As a result, that ugly yellow color will go away. Then, wipe it with a wet sponge to remove anything extra and so it comes out perfect.

• Clean the floors of your entire house. Add a half cup of salt to a mop bucket filled with warm water. Mop like usual. If you have wood floors, it will be brighter. If it’s tile, you will prevent it from getting dirty quickly.
• Make bronze, tin, silver, and copper pieces brighter. Make a mixture of equal parts vinegar, flour, and salt. Apply it to the objects and let sit for fifteen minutes. Remove gently with a brush and dry with a dry cloth. Shine them afterwards.
• Prevent grease and bad odor from collecting in the sink. Make a vinegar and salt paste and pour it down the drain.
• Prevent the iron from sticking to clothing by adding a little bit of salt to the starch. This will also make sheets and cotton clothing look like new.
• Clean yellow piano keys. Put salt and lemon juice on a soft cloth and scrub the keys to remove stains caused by moisture, the passing of time, or use. You can use the same treatment for marble or ivory pieces.
• Increase the lifetime of brooms. Before using them for the first time, submerge them in hot salt water.
• Brighten clothing colors when you wash them, like curtains or natural fiber rugs.
• Remove sweat marks from clothing. Put four tablespoons of salt in a liter of hot water. Rub the piece of clothing with a sponge until the mark disappears.
• Remove bloodstains. Soak the clothing in cold salt water and wash it in boiling soapy water. Only do this for cotton, linen, and natural fiber clothing.

Images courtesy of Casey Konstantine, Joanna Bourne, Charles Haynes, Aaron Stidwell.

Source: http://steptohealth.com/use-salt-clean-home/