Different rice; are all the same to eat?

Rice is the most important food for the majority in our world. It is the first-highest produced grain in our world. It is the seed of the plant Oryza sativa. It is the main food in East and South Asia, the Middle East, Latin America and the West Indies. Even in the developed countries the consumption of rice has increased considerably. There are hundreds of food preparations based on rice and you can have it according to your taste.

There are three kinds of rice available and all are from the same rice. The processing gives them the different qualities. The three varieties include:

• White rice
• Brown rice
• Boiled or parboiled rice

When the whole husk and the germ are during milling it is the white rice. The outer husk, the chaff is removed only with a rice huller it is the brown rice. Brown rice has the bran and the germ and thus many nutrients than white rice. The whole rice grain with husk is steamed or boiled and during this process the nutrients including vitamin B1 enters inside the rice. It is dried and milled later. This boiled or parboiled rice has 80% of the nutritional value of the brown rice.

Brown rice and white rice have the same amounts of carbohydrates, protein and calories. Here only the processing is different and it has an enormous influence of the nutrients. Several vitamins and minerals are lost during milling and polishing. In United States of America white rice is enriched with most of the lost nutrients. But, in the other parts of the world it is eaten as such after milling and polishing. People who eat mainly white rice, therefore, must include pulses, beans, milk products or meat in their food to get all the nutrients the body needs.

The starches in the boiled or parboiled rice become gelatinized, making it glassier and harder. The cooked boiled or parboiled rice is firmer and less sticky compared to other rice. We can remember the famous Uncle Ben’s fork test. Parboiled is the short for of partially boiled.

In some countries rice is milled extremely and then coated with talcum or glucose to have a shining appearance. This must be avoided as talc may bring health risks like cancer.

Eating excess rise increase the blood fat level of triglycerides and this is a risk factor to stroke and heart attack. Rice in normal amount is a very healthy food. 150 to 200 g cooked rice with enough vegetables, fruits, pulses, beans, nuts, seeds, milk products and meat is the good combination.

Main rice eaters must not forget the daily exercise.

My wife has no interest in sex; what can be done to have a good married life?

At first it is important to know that your wife is not a sex machine. You press the ON button and she is ready for sex. You have your normal sexual desire although you work during the day. What do you do other than your office work? You may be meeting friends, visiting bars, watching sports in television or reading news paper. It is evening, the children have slept and you want to have your fun. You expect that it is her duty to make you happy.

Have you ever thought of her work during the day? She gets up before you, prepare for the breakfast. She has to make the children ready for the school before the school bus comes. In between you want your coffee and may miss many things which you need every day. You ask her only where they are. You have gone, children have gone and she makes her ready and rushes to her office. The work is heavy in her office. Back home she has to take care of the children and their needs and even the home work. The preparation of the dinner and finally cleaning the kitchen too involves lot of work. The desire for sex is different in women when the workload increases. It decreases with increase of workload.

You need every morning fresh clothes and it she who organizes washing and ironing. Her work is over and it may be 10 p.m. You are relaxed and wait with full expectation of your wife. She is tired and almost burnt out. Her thoughts are already at 5 a.m., next morning, the time she must get up. This kind of problems is normal in many families around the world. The frustrated men masturbate or go somewhere to get sex. Many spoil their health too in this process.

If you are intelligent you can find a way for this problem. You put yourself in your wife’s role and then you know at least she is doing three times more work than you. You will never dare to do so much.

The first thing is share her work and help her wherever it is possible. Several things can be done by you with proper instructions from your wife. If both are working clothes can be given for washing outside or have a help in the home. You can take care of the home work of your children. You can play with your children which is good for both sides.

Flowers or other small things are the gifts you must think of often and every woman likes this. Tell her often that you love her and during the day you can call her and tell her that you are eagerly waiting for the evening. The romantic flame must always burn in her mind. This is only possible if she has time to think and relax. Family life is a team work and both the partners must know what to do and when. These are learnt in course of time. After you both wait when the children go to bed.

You can ask your or her parents to take care of the children and have a day or two for you both only. This is the best way to relax and enjoy too.

If there are health problems you must take her to your doctor. A light depression can kill the desire to sex. The same is with headache and migraine. Child birth is normally a problem too because the mother is fixed on her child now. You must talk with her about everything and communication can solve many problems. Make her first happy and then you get at least ten times more from her. Unfortunately, many men do not understand this simple trick.

Above all love must be the reason for sexual enjoyment. You try this and I’m sure your sexual life will be happy.

Weight loss; can slow-eating lead to weight loss?

What is the difference in eating habits between thin people and others with excess weight? If you notice – in family members or friends – thin people take long time to eat their food and the others gobble it down. Eating slowly is one of the important methods to reduce weight. The reason is that from the time you start eating it takes your brain 20 minutes to send signaling feeling of fullness. It is normal that quick eaters can consume during these 20 minutes much more than they need and the fat accumulates in the body. Slow-eating is a powerful tool to reduce weight.

There are many other positive effects in slow-eating and they include:

• Helps to lose weight
• You enjoy your food far better
• Leads to better digestion
• Reduces stress
• Makes an end to fast life and fast food

Take time for you and try it for few days and surely you know the changes happening in your body and mind. It costs you nothing and the time you can arrange at any situation if there is a will.

There are enough studies to prove this.

Exercise is a must in our daily life. Eat enough vegetables and fruits with other good and healthy food.

Write me your experiences…

What are the effects of low and high potassium levels in the body?

Potassium is an essential element that we need for the functioning of the body. It works with sodium to maintain the body’s water balance. Increased intake of potassium may increase the amount of sodium excreted from the body and this is a protective effect against high blood pressure. The kidneys regulate the level of potassium in the body.

The functions of potassium in the body include:

• Reduces blood pressure
• Regulates heart function
• Play vital role in kidney function
• Important for normal muscle function
• Important for normal nerve function
• Important for fluid balance
• Necessary to maintain acid / alkali balance
• Needed for protein synthesis
• Required to convert glucose into glycogen

To put it very precise the cell functions need potassium.

Low level of potassium in the body brings many health problems. The symptoms of low potassium level include:

• Muscle weakness
• Muscle aches
• Low blood pressure
• Cramps in the leg and arm muscles
• Irregular heart beats
• Disturbances in heart rhythm
• Abdominal cramping and bloating
• Numbness
• Nausea or vomiting
• Large amount of urination
• Thirst
• Constipation
• Paralysis

Potassium deficiency, hypokalemia is very dangerous for our health and should be treated with foods rich in potassium. Supplements can be used, but the blood level of potassium must be monitored regularly. Here your dietician and doctor recommend you the necessary actions.

On the other hand, the symptoms of high potassium are very vague. Nausea, fatigue, muscle weakness and tingling sensations are the normal vague symptoms. That is why your doctor controls the blood levels of it always. The kidney function must also be monitored regularly.

Hyperkalemia is one of the dangers of high potassium levels and can be life threatening if not treated immediately. The other dangers are irregular heartbeat, slow and weak pulse rate, difficulty in breathing and paralysis. In this case your doctor recommend appropriate treatments to reduce potassium.

The food rich in potassium include fruits, vegetables, milk and meat. If supplements are given the blood level must be monitored regularly. Several medicines can affect the potassium levels in both ways. Your doctor must know all the medicines you take.

Alcohol and tobacco; are the use of these social drugs risk factors for type 2-diabetes?

Alcohol and tobacco abuse are two risk factors among many for type 2-diabetes. Most scientists agree that these two increase the risk of type 2-diabetes. As we know, there are many other risk factors which can influence type 2-diabetes. Normally you are not having all the risk factors. Some risk factors may apply to you and the others may not. Therefore, it is always good to know all the risk factors before we deeply go to alcohol and tobacco.

The type 2-diabetes risk factors include:

• Race and ethnicity
• Hereditary
• Personal history
• Age, above 40 years
• Overweight or obesity
• Waist circumference above 88 cm for women and 103 cm for men
• Diabetes during pregnancy
• Excess food intake
• Less physical activity
• Alcohol
• Tobacco smoke

Drinking moderate amounts of alcohol – two drinks a day for men and one drink a day for women – may lower the risk of diabetes. But, if you drink more it is a risk factor for type 2-diabetes. Too much alcohol can affect the pancreas and disturbs the ability to secrete insulin. In course of time this leads to type 2-diabetes.

Tobacco or tobacco smoke is as harmful as excess alcohol. Use of tobacco and tobacco products can increase the blood sugar levels and this leads to insulin resistance. The smokers have double the risk of developing type 2-diabetes when compared to nonsmokers. Passive smoking must also be completely avoided and is more dangerous than smoking.

Alcohol need not be a must every day. Never offer to persons who do not want to drink alcohol. Now and then one or two drinks or one glass beer or one glass red wine or one glass champagne is allowed. Remember always consuming more than this can make you an addict. That is why your doctor does not recommend alcohol.

Increased risk of type 2-diabetes is another important reason to stop smoking completely. It is advisable not to use any tobacco products. There is no compromise like in alcohol.

Too much of sodium (salt) is in our food; where does it come?

It is well known that there are convincing evidences that sodium intake correlates with blood pressure. 1500 mg is the advised intake per day for persons who have high blood pressure. 1300 mg/day for persons 50 to 70 years old and 1200 mg/day for those above 70 years and old are recommended. For all the others a maximum of 2300 mg/day is the right amount. Many take in our world more sodium than they have to take. Many ask me we use very carefully salt and where the possibility to cut more is. The processed foods contain more sodium than we think. Almost many of the sweets have more salt than you think.

In many countries we do not know how much salt is there in the processed food and there are no data available. On the other hand you must know that all the processed food has salt in high amount. Are we addicted to salt or are the food companies responsible? Both are right. If we could reduce the amount of salt intake hundreds of thousands of deaths can be avoided every year in our world that occurs because of heart diseases and high blood pressure.

We see some of the examples from USA here and they include:

• White bread .....................................130 to 230 mg sodium per slice
• Spaghetti rings .................................850 to 1070 mg sodium per cup
• Spaghetti sauce .................................310 to 770 mg per half-cup
• Tomato soup .....................................380 to 1900 mg per cup
• Soy sauce .......................................920 to 1260 mg per tablespoon
• Cheese ..........................................270 to 390 mg per slice
• Cheese pizza ....................................1080 to 2340 mg per pizza
• Pepperoni pizza .................................1740 to 2700 mg per piece
• French fries ....................................220 to 640 mg, medium size
• Fried chicken dinners ...........................1010 mg to 2160 mg per pack
• Potato chips ....................................160 mg to 370 mg per ounce
• Breakfast sandwiches ............................730 mg to 1290 mg
• Chicken nuggets .................................450 to 1590 mg
• Caesar salad with grilled chicken ...............1320 to 1610 mg

All the sweets, cakes, biscuits and others have high amount of sugar. We see few examples here and they include:

• Corn flakes .....................................1170 mg per 100 g
• Fruit cake ......................................250 mg per 100 g
• Cake, plain .....................................380 mg per 100 g
• Fruit pie .......................................210 mg per 100 g
• Jam tart ........................................230 mg per 100 g
• Muesli ..........................................270 mg per 100 g
• Margarine .......................................840 mg per 100 g
• Bacon, rashers, fried ...........................1870 mg per 100 g
• Ham canned ......................................1250 mg per 100 g
• Luncheon meant, canned ..........................1050 mg per 100 g
• Salami, slices ..................................1850 mg per 100 g
• Cheese, camembert ...............................1410 mg per 100 g
• Danish blue .....................................1420 mg per 100 g
• Parmesan .........................................760 mg per 100 g

Processed foods throughout the world contain too much sodium.

Think of the salted fish or salted dry meat or the different pickles used in Asia or the spices. These have also excess salt and thus sodium.

We need sodium and without sodium we cannot live. But, the dose makes the poison. Cook your food freshly or take lot of fruits and vegetables. Raw food is also very good; this is a best reason to eat salad every day.

Teach your children from the beginning that too much of sodium is bad for health. Once they come in contact with the taste of sodium, they can become addict to salt.

Butter or margarine; which is healthy?

This is an interesting question and at the same time very difficult to answer too. You may say butter is butter and margarine is margarine. Butter is butter; this is easy to believe than margarine is margarine. Do not forget our food industry and the profit they want to make. It is better to be careful to be with margarine too.

The benefits of margarine include:

• Made from vegetable oils and so contains no cholesterol
• Rich in good fatty acids – monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids. This combination helps to reduce the bad LDL-cholesterol and increase the good HDL-cholesterol. We know well the importance of these oils in our body functions.

The nutrients in Butter include:

• Cholesterol – it is of animal origin
• Saturated fatty acids which can increase the bad LDL-cholesterol. But, we should not forget our body needs saturated fatty acids too to function properly.

Does this means that margarine is better than Butter? It can be, but may not be always and depends the way of production of margarine. Yes, margarine can contain large amount of trans-fat which can increase the bad LDL-cholesterol and lower the good HDL-cholesterol. Plant oils have no trans-fat. What is the source of trans-fat? Plant oil cannot be spread on bread and they must be made to a solid form. The classical way is hydrogenation or partial hydrogenation to make the margarine solid to use as spreads and also to improve the shelf-life. During this process huge amount of trans-fat is produced. If the margarine is very hard it means that it contains lot of bad trans-fat. It is better not to use it.

In developed countries different processing techniques are used in some of the margarines so that the amount of trans-fat is reduced. Water or other oils are used to make the plant oils as bread spreads. Only the industry knows what chemicals are used in these processes.

Select always soft margarines and these contain less trans-fat.

One tablespoon of butter weighs 11 g and out of that 7 g are saturated fats and contains 33 mg cholesterol. Healthy persons till 49 years old can use butter without any problem. If you are above 50 and have some problems with blood pressure or cholesterol the recommended amount of daily intake of saturated fats are 16 g. Then one tablespoon butter can be used.

Direct recommendations are not very useful as we have three or more meals in a day which also contain all these fats. Moreover, your job – office or physical work – and lifestyle play a vital role here. Consult with your dietician once to have a clear idea before using butter and margarine.

Everything in excess is bad for our health and this is applicable not only to saturated fatty acids, but also to unsaturated fatty acids. Man-made trans-fat is very bad.

Mediterranean diet is heart-healthy; when to choose this?

Many persons ask me about the Mediterranean diet when they have high blood pressure or cholesterol. I used to tell them that Mediterranean diet is more than a diet and it is a lifelong living style. If we understand this it is easy to plan to have a good health. The modern Mediterranean diet recommendation is from the traditional dietary habits of poor coastal regions of Crete, Greece, southern Italy and Spain around the Mediterranean Basin. The basis for this lifestyle was high physical activity, typical Mediterranean foods, stress-free life and low income. Things are changed now in these areas and people eat differently too. But many are still keeping or returning to this healthy diet.

The benefits of Mediterranean diet include:

• Low risk of heart disease
• Reduced cancer risk
• Low risk of Parkinson’s disease
• Low risk of Alzheimer’s disease
• Better health in all respects

This means we need not wait till we get our health problems. Everybody, including healthy persons, must follow this to have a healthy life even in their old age.

The important recommendations of the Mediterranean diet include:

• Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, beans, nuts, seeds, herbs, spices and olive oil are the foods for daily use
• Fish and seafood can be eaten daily, but they must be eaten at least twice in a week
• Cheese, yogurt, eggs and poultry can be eaten daily or few times a week
• Meats are eaten occasionally
• Sweets are eaten occasionally

Mediterranean diet gives you all the nutrients what your body needs. It is rich in monounsaturated fatty acids and omega-3 fatty acids, good proteins, carbohydrates, fibers, vitamins, minerals and other important phytochemicals.

Red wine in small quantities is also allowed. Alcohol in small quantities is healthy, but more alcohol is dangerous and can lead to serious health problems and addiction. A glass of red wine is allowed during meals. It is not a must and so if you do not drink alcohol you need not start to drink. If you are a dry alcoholic never touch red wine.

Exercises are very important daily. Select your exercises according to your wish and time. This is a good way to be healthy and health is our big wealth.

Are the functional foods sold in the market to reduce the absorption of cholesterol good or dangerous or useless?

Cholesterol is high in hundreds of millions of persons in our world. Everybody wants to reduce cholesterol. It is a big market not only for the pharmaceutical industry but also for the food industry. There are medicines with very high turnover and the food industry follows now. Functional food is the wonder word now. Yogurts and bread spreads are available to reduce 10% cholesterol. Do we all know what is happening to reduce cholesterol or are there any risks from these foods? Let us discuss about this here.

In these functional foods like yogurts and bread spreads foods plant substances called phytosterols are used which have the same function in the plants as cholesterol in human beings. Both have almost similar structure and phytosterols are better absorbed in our intestine than cholesterol. Thus the cholesterol is reduced, a maximum of10%. There are no clinical studies which prove the reduction of risk for heart diseases.

Normally phytosterols are recognized as an enemy by the intestine cells and excreted quickly. If this is not happening because of gene defects they are present in high concentration in the body which can result heart attack, stroke and yellow skin pigmentation even in young persons. The recent experiments with mouse show that phytosterols in high amount can make the blood vessels hard.

The normal intake of phytosterols in Europe is 300 mg per day, but to reduce the cholesterol the recommended amount in these functional foods are 2000 mg to 3000 mg per day. To reduce 10% cholesterol the amount of phytosterols is increased to 200% to 300% in our blood. A recent study says it may be bad for persons who have artificial heart valves because of sedimentation. There is no clear cut recommendation, but the doctors think that people who have high risk to get cardiovascular diseases should not take too much of phytosterols. Here, clinical studies like for the medicines, are absolutely necessary.

Side effects like depression or fatigue are reported in the literature by individuals. It is worth to do further research as these phytosterols can reduce cholesterol and LDL, but increase HDL.

Children below 10 years, pregnant women and breast feeding mothers must avoid functional foods containing phytosterols.

Whatever we do to reduce cholesterol we should not forget that our liver and other organs produce 1500 mg to 2000 mg cholesterol per day. If we totally avoid cholesterol in our foods the body will produce more as it is needed for the functioning of the body. So healthy food, enough exercise must be always there to reduce the risks.

There are many applications pending in Europe for many functional foods which contain phytosterols. The consumers must be very careful.

Mineral Absorption and vegetarian food; where is the problem?

Minerals are very important for human beings. They are present in our bones, teeth, muscles, soft tissues, blood and nerves. They are not only important for our skeletal structure but also help in all vital physiological processes in the body. Without minerals there is no life.

Minerals are present in all the foods. But, mineral absorption is more complicated. Vegetarians eat more vegetables and cereals and some of the acids present in them can disturb the absorption of the mineral. We look here the three important acids which have an influence of mineral absorption. They are:

• Tannic acid
• Oxalic acid
• Phytic acid

Tannic acid and tannins can disturb and reduce the absorption of iron. Food rich in tannic acid/tannins include:

• Coffee
• Tea
• Berries
• Legumes
• Nuts
• Chocolate
• Spices
• Wine, beer…

Oxalic acid can combine with calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium or iron and can reduce the absorption. It forms oxalates of the corresponding metal and the absorption of the salt is difficult. This can cause mineral deficiencies. Moreover calcium oxalate can cause kidney stones. The foods rich in oxalic acid include:

• Coffee
• Tea
• Cocoa
• Strawberries
• Cranberries
• Beans
• Parsley
• Spinach
• Sweet potatoes,
• Banana
• Soy beans
• Beets and beet greens
• Pumpkin
• Cabbage
• Green beans
• Brinjal
• Lentils
• Parsnips
• Mango
• Tomatoes
• Rbubarb
• Oats
• Buck wheat

Phytic acid can combine with calcium, iron and zinc to form phytates and phytates are difficult to absorb for the body. All the three minerals are very important for many functions in the body and the deficiency can cause several health problems. The foods rich in phytic acid include:

• Whole grain cereals, e. g. rice, oats, wheat, corn
• Peas
• Beans
• lentils
• Nuts
• Seeds

Although tannins, oxalic acid and phytic acid give problems with mineral absorption they do well to the health.

Tannic acid/ Tannins are naturally occurring polyphenolic compounds with antioxidant and free radical scavenging properties. They have also anticarcinogenic effects.

Oxalic acid is not believed to be a health concern for many. If you suffer from kidney stones it is better to avoid foods which are very rich in oxalic acid.

Phytic acid has antioxidant and anticancer effects. Moreover, it can reduce cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol.

There are many important things to be considered before writing a diet plan. Your doctor or dietician must know everything about you before make the suggestions. Detail knowledge is also necessary to recommend food supplements.

What should I know about my food if I’m a vegan?

No single food can provide all the macro- and micronutrients your body needs. The vegan diet is a more restrictive diet as eggs and dairy products are avoided. Therefore, we must know which nutrients can be a problem from the normal vegan diet. We must be careful to get these from our foods or if necessary the right supplements must be considered.

These nutrients include:

• Calcium
• Iron
• Iodine
• Zinc
• Vitamin B12
• Vitamin D
• Protein
• Omega-3 fatty acids

Calcium – It is difficult to get enough calcium if we avoid milk and dairy products. The dark green vegetables are the good sources of calcium. But, these vegetables must be eaten in sufficient quantities. 400g to 500g vegetables are to be eaten daily. Calcium enriched and fortified juices, cereals and soy products can also be taken. Remember calcium is very important for your bone health. Supplements must be organic salts.

Iron – the role of red blood cells in transporting oxygen to all our cells are well known. From plant foods it is difficult to absorb iron and so almost double the amount of iron must be taken compared to non-vegetarians. Dried peas and beans, lentils, nuts, seeds, whole grain products, dried fruits and dark leafy green vegetables are good sources of iron. Vitamin C is needed to absorb iron and so with every meal vitamin C rich foods must also be taken. Citrus fruits, tomatoes, broccoli, cabbage and strawberries are rich in vitamin C. Consult with your doctor before you use iron supplements. These should not be takes for longer periods.

Iodine – it is important for thyroid hormones which help to regulate growth, metabolism and the function of important organs such as the heart, brain, thyroid and kidney. The best way to get iodine is to use iodized salts in everyday cooking. It is advisable to keep the iodized salts on the table.

Zinc – it is an essential element in more than 350 enzymes and plays a vital role in cell division and protein synthesis. It is important for our immune system and free radical scavenging system. It plays a vital role in the reproduction. Whole grain products, soy products, nuts, seeds, lentils, beans and wheat germ are good sources of zinc. Zinc is not easily absorbed from the plant food. Organic salts of zinc can be considered as food supplement.

Vitamin B12 – it is important to prevent anemia, to produce red blood cells and in the regulation of homocysteine. It is found exclusively in animal food. Vitamin B12 supplements enriched cereals and fortified soy products are recommended for regular intake.

Vitamin D – it is important for calcium absorption and thus is essential for bone health. Sun light produces in our skin vitamin D from cholesterol. If there is not enough sun light it is better to take supplements from plants.

Protein – it is important for muscles, organs, bones and skin. It is possible to get enough protein from the vegetarian food. Legumes, lentils, nuts, seeds, whole grain products and soy products are rich in protein.

Omega-3 fatty acids – these are important for cardiovascular health and in the development of eyes and brain. They reduce inflammation and very important for cell health also. The foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids are flax seeds, hemp seeds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, soy products and dark green vegetables.

A vegetarian food is very healthy if we limit the amount of carbohydrates intake. Vegetarians consume too many carbohydrates than non-vegetarians.

Could you explain me what exactly vegetarianism is?

Vegetarianism is the practice of following a plant-based diet with or without eggs and dairy products. The main foods taken include:

• Vegetables
• Fruits
• Cereal grains
• Beans and legumes
• Mushrooms
• Nuts
• Seeds

There are different forms of vegetarianism based on their diet and they include:

• Vegan diet – meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy products, honey and foods that contain these products are strictly avoided. Rennet and gelatin are also avoided.
• Lacto-vegetarian diet – meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy products and foods that contain these products are strictly avoided. But, dairy products, such as milk, cheese, yogurt, butter and buttermilk are allowed.
• Lacto-ovo vegetarian diet – here meat, fish and poultry are avoided. But, eggs and dairy products are eaten.
• Flexitarian or semivegetarian diet – here also the main food is plant-based. But, meant, poultry, fish, eggs and dairy products are taken occasionally or in small quantities.
• Pescetarian diet – plant-based foods, eggs, dairy products and fish and/or shellfish are taken.

You can have your personal reasons to be a vegetarian, but, it is important to select foods so that your body gets all the necessary nutrients to run your metabolism. Great care is needed to achieve this.

Hair Mineral Analysis

Minerals and trace elements

"Our daily bread" is composed of two nutritional groups: the macro nutrients such as Carbohydrates, fat, protein, fiber and micronutrients such as vitamins, phytonutrients, and minerals, including the trace elements.

Minerals play a vital role in our metabolism. They are necessary for our healthy growth and are the building material for bones and teeth. Minerals are important constituents of enzymes and hormones. They act in the blood, tissues and cells. Children, pregnant women and the elderly need more minerals.

Macro elements are sodium, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and chlorine. These are needed in grams or milligrams per day and are supplied from our food. Trace elements, however, are virtually all metals in low amounts. They are needed to our body in milligrams or micrograms and the source of them are our food. While all the major elements are essential for specific physiological functions, only few trace elements such as Iron, fluorine, chromium, iodine, cobalt, copper, manganese, selenium, zinc, nickel, etc. are essential.

Several trace elements are not necessary for the body. Others are toxic in high amount and they include: aluminum, lead, cadmium, mercury and arsenic. These may be often found in high concentrations in vegetables, fruits, seafood, and in the organ meats of cattle and wild animals. If we want to protect us from the toxic metals it is advisable to eat minimum amount of organ meat.

The requirement for minerals is dependent on its association with the overall metabolism, the various life processes and the nature of the food taken. In general, a healthy body is adequately supplied with minerals and trace elements by a good diet with mixed vegetable and animal foods. The 4000 biochemical reactions in our body need the essential macro and trace elements.

Incorrect or poor diet upsets the metabolism and thus brings forth a number of health complaints also.

ICP-MS technique was used for the determination of the elements and this is the best available method for multielement analysis.

The following elements are determined:

The toxic elements are:

• Aluminium
• Antimony
• Arsenic
• Barium
• Beryllium
• Bismuth
• Cadmium
• Lead
• Mercury
• Platinum
• Thallium
• Thorium
• Uranium
• Nickel
• Silver
• Tin
• Titanium

The essential elements are:

• Calcium
• Magnesium
• Sodium
• Potassium
• Copper
• Zinc
• Manganese
• Chromium
• Vanadium
• Molybdenum
• Boron
• Iodine
• Lithium
• phosphorus
• Selenium
• Strontium
• Sulphur
• Cobalt
• Iron
• Germanium
• Rubidium
• Zirconium
• Nickel

The blood tests indicate the current situation of the elements present in the blood or blood plasma. The levels are low in blood usually when the entire reserve is used up. The hair values, however, give much more information about the situation in the past few weeks or months.

The important reasons for hair mineral analysis include:

• Heavy metals - such as mercury, cadmium, lead etc.
• An unbalanced supply of essential elements of industrially produced food
• An unbalanced diet or malnutrition ...
• Illness-related shifts ...

A proper analysis and interpretation can provide many information about the health and metabolism. A personalized diet plan can put your metabolism back in order.

It can also be precisely used to recommend the right food supplements if necessary.

If you order for a hair mineral analysis and individual diet plan after payment a sampling kit with instructions and the questionnaire are sent. According to that cut your hair and send to us along with the filled questionnaire.

Price: On request
__________________________________________________________________________
Dr. Padmanaban Kaniappan Ph.D.
Mützendorpsteed 46
D-22179 Hamburg
Tel: 49 40 64202836 49 40 64202836
Mobile: 49 170 7166 264 49 170 7166 264
Mail: drkpadmanaban@gmail.com
Blog: www.drkpadmanaban.blogspot.com

Jurisdiction: Hamburg, Germany

Bank
German Bank in Hamburg
Account number: 921688800
BLZ 200 700 24
BIC (SWIFT) - GERMANY DE DBHAM
IBAN - DE03 200 700 240 9216 888 00

Mental Illness - An Introduction

Mental illness is any disease or condition affecting the brain that influences the way a person thinks, feels, behaves and/or relates to others and to his or her surroundings. Although the symptoms of mental illness can range from mild to severe and are different depending on the type of mental illness, a person with an untreated mental illness often is unable to cope with life's daily routines and demands.

The term "mental illness" actually encompasses numerous psychiatric disorders, and just like illnesses that affect other parts of the body, they can vary in severity. As the term “mental illness” has acquired a pejorative connotation for many people, it is better to use the term “psychiatric illness/disorder”

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual – IV (DSM-IV) has categorized the disorder in the following categories.

o Anxiety Disorder
o Adjustment Disorder
o Eating Disorder
o Personality Disorder
o Mood Disorder
o Somatoform Disorder
o Psychotic Disorder
o Dissociative Disorder
o Sexual Disorder
o Impulse-Control Disorder
o Sleep Disorder

Mental Disorders are categorized according to their predominant features. This broad categorization encompasses a range of disorders. For e.g.,

o Anxiety Disorder includes
o Acute Stress Disorder
o Agoraphobia
o Generalized Anxiety Disorder [GAD]
o Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder [OCD]
o Panic Disorder (with or without Agoraphobia)
o Phobias (including Social Phobia)
o Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder [PTSD]

There are over 300 different psychiatric disorders listed in the DSM-IV. With continued research, more are named every year and some disorders are removed or re-categorized. It covers all mental health disorders for both children and adults.

Childhood disorders, often labeled as developmental disorders or learning disorders, most often occur and are diagnosed when the child is of school-age. Although some adults may also relate to some of the symptoms of these disorders, typically the disorder's symptoms need to have first appeared at some point in the person's childhood.

Based on symptoms and treatments, the disorders are broadly classified as adult, childhood, and personality disorders; some disorders may fall under more than one category.

Mental disorders can arise from a combination of sources. In many cases there is no single accepted or consistent cause currently established. A common belief even to this day is that disorders result from genetic vulnerabilities exposed by environmental stressors. However, it is clear enough from a simple statistical analysis across the whole spectrum of mental health disorders at least in western cultures that there is a strong relationship between the various forms of severe and complex mental disorder in adulthood and the abuse (physical, sexual or emotional) or neglect of children during the developmental years. Child sexual abuse alone plays a significant role in the causation of a significant percentage of all mental disorders in adult females, most notable examples being eating disorders and borderline personality disorder.

Studies have indicated that genes often play an important role in the development of mental disorders. Social influences have been found to be important, including abuse, bullying and other negative or stressful life experiences.

Diagnoses are made by psychiatrists or clinical psychologists using various methods, often relying on observation and questioning in interviews. Treatments are provided by various mental health professionals. Psychotherapy, Psychiatric medication, social interventions, peer support and self-help are the widely used methods for treatment.

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is sometimes used in severe cases when other interventions for severe intractable depression have failed. Psychosurgery is considered experimental but is advocated by certain neurologists in certain rare cases.

Counseling (professional) and co-counseling (between peers) may be used. Psycho-education programs may provide people with the information to understand and manage their problems. Creative therapies are sometimes used, including music therapy, art therapy or drama therapy. Lifestyle adjustments and supportive measures are often used, including peer support, self-help groups for mental health and supported housing or supported employment (including social firms). Some advocate dietary supplements.

Psychiatric Medication is one of the major options. They include Antidepressants, Anxiolytics, Mood stabilizers, Antipsychotics and Stimulants.

World-wide more than one in three people in most countries report sufficient criteria for at least one mental illness at some point in their life. Women are found to have twice the rate of depression than men. Each year 73 million women are afflicted with major depression, and suicide is ranked 7th as the cause of death for women between the ages of 20-59.

Approximately 7% of a preschool pediatric sample was given a psychiatric diagnosis in one clinical study, and approximately 10% of 1 and 2 year olds receiving developmental screening have been assessed as having significant emotional/behavioral problems based on parent and pediatrician reports.

Haarmineralanalyse

Mineralstoffe und Spurenelemente

"Unser täglich Brot" besteht aus zwei Nährstoffgruppen: den Makronährstoffen wie z.B. Kohlenhydrate, Fett, Eiweiß, Ballaststoffe und den Mikronährstoffen wie Vitamine, Phytonährstoffe und Mineralstoffe, zu denen auch die Spurenelemente zählen.

Mineralstoffe sorgen dafür, dass unser Stoffwechsel funktioniert. Außerdem brauchen wir sie für ein gesundes Wachstum und als Baustoff für Knochen und Zähne. Mineralstoffe sind Bestandteile von Enzymen und Hormonen. Sie wirken im Blut, im Gewebe und in den Zellen. Erhöhten Bedarf haben Kinder, Schwangere und ältere Menschen.

Mengen- oder Makroelemente sind Natrium, Kalium, Calcium, Phosphor, Magnesium und Chlor. Sie werden in Gramm- oder Milligramm-Mengen pro Tag benötigt und aufgenommen. Spurenelemente hingegen sind praktisch alle Metalle, die in winzigen, in Milligramm oder Mikrogramm gemessenen Mengen (Spuren) vom Körper aufgenommen werden. Während alle Mengenelemente essentiell, das heißt lebenswichtig für konkrete physiologische Funktionen sind, gilt das nur für bestimmte Spurenelemente wie z.B. Eisen, Fluor, Chrom, Jod, Kobalt, Kupfer, Mangan, Selen, Zink, Nickel usw..

Etliche Spurenelemente sind für den Körper entbehrlich, andere haben bei hoher Aufnahme eine toxische Wirkung; ganz besonders Aluminium, Blei, Cadmium, Quecksilber und Arsen, die in oft hoher Konzentration in Gemüse, Obst, Meeresfrüchten und in den Innereien von Schlachtvieh und Wild auftreten. Beim Verzehr von Innereien kann man sich nur durch zurückhaltenden Genuss "schützen".

Der Bedarf an Mineralien ist durch seine Verknüpfung mit dem Gesamtstoffwechsel von den verschiedenen Lebensvorgängen und von der Art der zugeführten Nahrung abhängig. Im Allgemeinen wird ein gesunder Körper durch eine abwechslungsreiche Ernährung mit pflanzlicher und tierischer Mischkost ausreichend versorgt. Die 4000 biochemischen Reaktionen brauchen die essentiellen Elemente.

Falsche oder einseitige Ernährung bringt den Stoffwechsel durcheinander und ruft damit auch etliche Beschwerden hervor.

Für die Bestimmungen der modernen ICP-MS Technik verwendet.

Die folgenden Elementen werden bestimmt: die Toxische Elemente sind:

• Aluminium
• Antimon
• Arsen
• Barium
• Beryllium
• Wismut
• Cadmium
• Blei
• Quecksilber
• Platin,
• Thallium
• Thorium
• Uran
• Nickel
• Silber
• Zinn
• Titan

Die Essentiellen Elemente sind:

• Calcium
• Magnesium
• Natrium
• Kalium
• Kupfer
• Zink
• Mangan
• Chrom
• Vanadium
• Molybdän
• Bor
• Jod
• Lithium
• Phosphor
• Selen
• Strontium
• Schwefel
• Kobalt
• Eisen
• Germanium
• Rubidium
• Zirkonium
• Nickel

Die Blutwerte geben die momentane Situation und meistens niedrig wenn das ganze Reserve verbraucht ist. Die Haarwerte dagegen geben viel mehr Informationen über die Lage in den vergangenen Wochen oder Monaten.

Die wichtigen Punkte für die Haarmineralanalyse sind:

• Schwermetalle – z. B. Quecksilber, Cadmium, Blei...
• Unausgewogene Versorgung von essentiellen Elementen von industriell erzeugten Nahrungsmitteln...
• Einseitige Ernährung oder Mangel Ernährung...
• Krankheit bedingter Verschiebungen...

Eine richtige Interpretation und Auswertung kann sehr viele Informationen über die Gesundheit und Stoffwechsel geben. Ein individueller Ernährungsplan kann den Stoffwechsel wieder in Ordnung bringen.

Es ist auch genau voraussagen welche Ernährungszusatzstoffe notwendig sind und können vorgeschlagen werden.

Sie bekommen nach der Bezahlung und Bestellung ein Entnahme-Set mit Anleitung zugeschickt.

Preis: Auf Anfrage
__________________________________________________________________________
Dr. Kaniappan Padmanaban Ph.D.
Mützendorpsteed 46
D-22179 Hamburg
Tel.: +49 40 64202836
Handy: +49 170 7166264
Mail: drkpadmanaban@gmail.com
Blog: www.drkpadmanaban.blogspot.com

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Hamburg

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What are the sources of too much of aluminium?

Aluminium is everywhere – it is found in food, water, air and many other things which we use every day. A small amount of aluminium is not toxic and most of it is excreted directly. It is toxic if we take too much of aluminium.

The main sources of aluminium include:

• Food – most of the foods contain small amount of aluminium. Tea, cucumber, spices and herbs contain high amounts of aluminium. Aluminium is bound with many substances present in food and thus the absorption is not very high. The common food sources of aluminium are tea, coffee, cereals and soft drinks. Processed food also contains too much of aluminium. The food additives with E-Numbers, E173, E541, E554 and E556 have aluminium or aluminium salts. Compared to breast milk most cow milk formulas have 10 to 20 times more aluminium. Soya based formulas have 100 times more aluminium. Baking powders also contain aluminium in large amounts.
• Water – drinking water has very low amount of aluminium. But this could be absorbed easily. In some countries to remove the turbidity in the drinking water aluminium salts are used and here the levels can be very high. Not all water filters can remove aluminium from drinking water.
• Aluminium cooking vessels – normally aluminium pans and pots are not bad. The problem starts if you cook foods which contain more acids. These foods have very high levels of aluminium. It is better to avoid aluminium cooking vessels. There are many good alternatives available today.
• Packing materials – most of the foil-lined cartons or aluminium cans have little aluminium as they have a lacquer, cardboard or plastic coating. The food can be contaminated with aluminium when food containing acids are packed or cooked in aluminium foils or aluminium trays. Do not store food in aluminium foils.
• Medicines – Many antacids for treating ulcers or indigestion contain large amount of aluminium salts. Normally very little is absorbed. Do not take vitamin C supplement or food rich in vitamin C during you take this medicine and vitamin C makes more aluminium to enter in the blood. Most of the deodorants contain aluminium salts or even aluminiun crystals are directly used as deodorants. Some of the shampoos contain also too much of aluminium.

If you take food rich in aluminium like tea or cucumber vitamin C must be avoided completely. This means tea with a fresh slice of lemon is very bad and you must avoid this completely. These foods must also be avoided during the major meals so that more iron is absorbed. Here vitamin C supplement or fruits containing vitamin C are very useful.

Do not cook acid containing foods like tomatoes or tarmarind in aluminium cooking vessels. These release more aluminum from the vessels to food.

If we know the sources it is easy to avoid aluminium.