|
|
|
Accutane Side Effects: Should Depression Be A Concern?
Medical professionals and acne-pestered adolescents have no doubts about the effectiveness of the severe acne drug isotretinoin. It’s the looming possibility of side effects such as depression and fetal damage that makes people uneasy when...
Men And Food Allergies What's Healthy and What's Not Part 2
Tips for Managing Specific Food Allergies Milk, Egg, Peanut, Tree Nut, Fish/Shellfish, Soy, Wheat Traveling with Food Allergies Other Resources E-mail this Information to A Friend Other Topics in the Consumer Focus Archive The Basics of Food...
SALACIA OBLONGA FOR DIABTES
Salacia oblonga Indian herb also known as Ponkoranti. It has been used by Indian natives since ancient times to effectively manage Diabetes. This is a effective cure for type 2 diabetes. Reduction in blood sugar levels can be observed within 5...
Top 10 Ways Chinese Medicine Can Help You, Part 1
The Top 10 List 1. It's All Connected 2. It's Mysterious 3. It Works 4. It's Simple AND Complex 5. It's Intuitive AND Intellectual 6. It's Interactive 7. It Benefits You Too 8. It's Traditional and Ancient 9. It's Theories have Broad...
What Is Thought Field Therapy?
Dr. Roger Callahan is and American psychologist who discovered Thought Field Therapy over 20 years ago. Since then, he has refined the technique to be the cutting-edge treatment it is today. TFT provides a code, that when applied to a specific...
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Garlic Is Mother Nature's Pungent Cure-All
The Odoriferous Herb
Garlic Is Mother Nature's Pungent Cure-All
I don't know about you, but one of my very favorite aromas is garlic wafting through a kitchen, especially when it's in a great tomato sauce or stir fried with some vegetables. Whether it's in a pan with olive oil or roasting in the oven, the smell of garlic sets my appetite on overdrive!
While not everyone shares my predilection for this odoriferous herb, there can be no denying that its appeal extends far beyond its smell or taste.
Time and again, garlic has come through as one of the most versatile healing herbs known to humans.
The value of garlic (Allium sativum) has been recognized since ancient Egypt, when slaves went on strike to increase their garlic rations. In the 1950s, the great Albert Schweitzer, M.D., used garlic in his African clinic to treat dysentery, typhus and cholera.
During the Second World War, garlic was used as a disinfectant for wounds and as protection against gangrene in injured soldiers.
Now, research is showing that it protects against two of the most dreaded diseases of our time: heart disease and cancer.
Some have even argued that since our ancestors ate a diet rich in a variety of plants and herbs now missing in modern diets, we should consider phytonutrient-rich plants such as garlic to be essential nutrients!
I think this is a great idea, and you can easily incorporate into your own personal diet plan just by taking aged garlic supplements.
Garlic Basics
Garlic is a member of the lily family. Its genus (Allium) also includes onions. When a clove of garlic is crushed or chewed, an odorless sulfur-containing compound, alliin, is transformed to allicin, which gives garlic its characteristic odor. Allicin is the element of garlic that has been most intensively studied and which appears to have the most medicinal value. Allicin naturally breaks down to other compounds, including daily sulfide and ajoene, which are thought to have unique healing effects on the body.
Garlic Keeps Your Blood Vessels Clear
While early studies on the heart-protective effects of garlic showed that garlic supplementation tended to decrease "bad" LDL cholesterol and raise "good" HDL, more recent research has conflicted with those results.
Whether garlic affects blood cholesterol levels or not, it still dramatically reduces the buildup of plaque (the fatty deposits that clog blood vessels) in the arteries.
In one study from the journal Atherosclerosis, 152 subjects had the amount of plaque in two major arteries measured, and then took garlic powder for 48 months. The results showed that the growth of the plaques was slowed by five to 18 percent, and that in some subjects the plaques actually became smaller.
Several studies on non-human subjects show the same trend. It appears that garlic protects the heart by way of its potent antioxidant effects. Oxidized LDL, not just LDL, is what causes plaques to grow. In study after study garlic has shown itself to be a superior preventative against LDL oxidation. Garlic also protects against clogged blood vessels by decreasing the tendency of blood to clump or clot.
Garlic Protects Against Infections Of All Kinds
Whether you want to stave off bacterial, viral, fungal, or parasitic infections, garlic is good protection. Garlic has been shown in test-tube studies and animal studies to be deadly to Helicobacter pylori, the bacteria that causes ulcers, and to the dreaded food-borne bacteria Salmonella, E. coli, Staphylococcus and Listeria.
Bacteria do not develop resistance to garlic—a good reason to favor garlic over antibiotics!
Phytochemicals in garlic are also effective at stopping cold, flu and herpes viruses in their tracks. The growth of Candida albicans, the fungal yeast that causes vaginal yeast infections and intestinal candidiasis, is slowed by garlic. Garlic kills parasites such as Giardia and Entamoeba, both common causes of chronic diarrhea.
Cancer Prevention With Garlic
Studies on gastrointestinal, colon, and breast cancer show that in populations that consume more garlic, cancer risk is significantly lower. It appears that phytochemicals in garlic interfere with the growth of
several kinds of cancer cells.
Garlic is also rich in selenium, the cancer-fighting mineral, and in sulfur, which supports the detoxification process. Several studies have shown that carcinogenic chemicals are detoxified more efficiently throughout the body when garlic is added to the mix. It also helps control the production of free radicals, which have been strongly implicated as a cause of cancer.
Can Garlic Prevent "Senior Moments?"
One interesting study in the journal Experimental Gerontology described the effects of garlic extract on learning and memory impairment in aging mice. Mice specially bred to age more rapidly than their normal counterparts were used.
About half of the mice were fed a 2 percent garlic diet for eight to nine months. It was found that the garlic-supplemented mice better retained their ability to learn and remember than their counterparts who didn't consume garlic.
I believe that everyone can benefit from adding garlic to their diets. Cook with it whenever you can. Fresh and powdered are both beneficial. I also recommend you take supplemental garlic. The aged garlic extracts, containing at least 0.6 percent allium, have been the most thoroughly studied.
Margie – “The Arthritis Lady”
http://www.yoursuccesslinks.com
REFERENCES:
Abramovitz D, et al, "Allicin-induced decrease in formation of fatty streaks (atherosclerosis) in mice fed a cholesterol-rich diet," Coronary Artery Diseases, 1999 Oct;10(7):515-9.
Ankri S, Mirelman D, "Antimicrobial properties of allicin from garlic," Microbes and Infection, 1999 Feb;1(2):125-129.
Challier B, Perarnau JM, Viel JF, "Garlic, onion, and cereal fibre as protective factors for breast cancer: a French case-control study," European Journal of Epidemiology, 1998 Dec;14(8):737-47.
Ide N, Lau BH,"Aged garlic extract attenuates intracellular oxidative stress," Phytomedicine, 1999 May;6(2):125-31.
Koscielny J, et al, "The antiatherosclerotic effect of Allium sativum," Atherosclerosis, 1999 May;144(1):237-49.
Kumar M, Berwal JS, "Sensitivity of food pathogens to garlic (Allium sativum)," Journal of Applied Microbiology, 1998 Feb;84(2):213-5.
Munday R, Munday CM, "Low doses of diallyl disulfide, a compound derived from garlic, increase tissue activities of quinone reductase and glutathione transferase in the gastrointestinal tract of the rat," Nutrition and Cancer, 1999;34(1):42-8.
Mishiyama N, Moriguchi T, Saito H, "Beneficial effects of aged garlic extract on learning and memory impairment in the senescence-accelerated mouse," Experimental Gerontology, 1997;32:149-60.
Polasa K, Krishnaswamy K, "Reduction of urinary mutagen excretion in rats fed garlic," Cancer Letters, 1997;114:185-6.
Siegers CP, et al, "The effects of garlic preparations against human tumor cell proliferation," Phytomedicine, 1999 Mar;6(1):7-11.
Singh A, Shukla Y, "Antitumor activity of diallyl sulfide in two-stage mouse skin model of carcinogenesis," Biomedical and Environmental Science, 1998 Sep; 11(3):258-63.
Sivam GP, et al, "Helicobacter pylori--in vitro susceptibility to garlic (Allium sativum) extract," Nutrition and Cancer, 1997;27:118-21.
Steinmetz KA, et al, "Vegetables, fruit, and colon cancer in the Iowa women's health study," American Journal of Epidemiology, 1994;139:1-5.
Takezaki T, et al, "Comparative study of lifestyles of residents in high and low risk areas for gastric cancer risk in Jiangsu Province, China; with special reference to allium vegetables," Journal of Epidemiology, 1999 Nov;9(5):297-305.
Venugopal P, Venogopal T, "Antidermatophytic activity of garlic (Allium sativum) in vitro," International Journal of Dermatology, 1995;34(4):278-9.
Weber ND, et al, "In vitro virucidal effects of Allium sativum (garlic) extract and compounds," Planta Med, 1992 Oct;58(5):417-23.
Yoshida S, et al, "Antifungal activity of ajoene derived from garlic," Applied Environmental Microbiology, 1987 Mar;53(3):615-
About the Author
Margie Garrison - "The Arthritis Lady" is the author of the best seller "I Cured My Arthritis You Can Too" and a Free Weekly Newsletter, "Amazing Secrets To Fantastic Health"
She is dedicated to helping you help yourself to a healthier life.
http://www.yoursuccesslinks.com
|
|
|
|
|
| National Library of Medicine - National Institutes of Health |
| Part of the National Institutes of Health, the National Library of Medicine offers access to health information for consumer, patient, and physicians ... |
| www.nlm.nih.gov |
|
| Health and Medical Information produced by doctors - MedicineNet.com |
| Doctor-produced health and medical information written for you to make informed decisions about your health concerns. |
| www.medicinenet.com |
|
| Medicine in the Yahoo! Directory |
| Collection of sites for health professionals, with sections on specific disciplines, organizations, continuing education, conferences, publications, ... |
| dir.yahoo.com |
|
| MedlinePlus Health Information from the National Library of Medicine |
| Health information from the National Library of Medicine. Easy access to Medline and Health topics, medical dictionaries, directories and publications. |
| medlineplus.gov |
|
| Medicine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
| Medicine is a branch of health science and the sector of public life ... The practice of medicine combines both science as the evidence base and art in the ... |
| en.wikipedia.org |
|
| Journal Home - Nature Medicine |
| Nature Medicine has a vacancy for a Locum Assistant Editor for six months. The position involves working in all aspects of the editorial process, ... |
| www.nature.com |
|
| The New England Journal of Medicine: Research & Review Articles on ... |
| The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) is a weekly general medical journal that publishes new medical research findings, review articles, and editorial ... |
| content.nejm.org |
|
| eMedicine Clinical Knowledge Base |
| eMedicine features up-to-date, searchable, peer-reviewed medical journals, online physician reference textbooks, and a full-text article database in 62 ... |
| www.emedicine.com |
|
| Open Directory - Health: Medicine |
| the entire directory, only in Health/Medicine. Top: Health: Medicine (11429). Description · Medical Specialties (4888); Surgery (2265) ... |
| dmoz.org |
|
| the www virtual library biosciences medicine |
| www.ohsu.edu/cliniweb/wwwvl/ - Similar pages |
|
|
| Medicine - home |
| Bimonthly journal covering the latest results in clinical investigation relevant to hospital and office practice. |
| www.md-journal.com |
|
| Institute of Medicine |
| The Institute of Medicine serves as adviser to the nation to improve health. |
| www.iom.edu |
|
| ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News |
| Medical Research News. Health news on everything from cancer to nutrition. Full-text, images, updated daily. |
| www.sciencedaily.com |
|
| Google Directory - Health > Medicine |
| Search only in Medicine Search the Web. Medicine. Health > Medicine, Go to Directory Home. Categories. Alternative Medicine (6308) Basic Sciences (66) ... |
| www.google.com |
|
| the world wide web virtual library biosciences medicine |
| www.mcb.harvard.edu/biopages/medicine.html - Similar pages |
|
|
| PLoS Medicine - A Peer-Reviewed Open-Access Journal |
| PLoS Medicine is a peer-reviewed, international, open-access journal published ... Every issue of PLoS Medicine contains a selection of readers' responses. ... |
| medicine.plosjournals.org |
|
| Medicine On-Line - Medicine Online -The International Medical Journal |
| Medicine Online - independent and peer reviewed journal published by Priory Medical Journals - priory.com. |
| www.priory.com |
|
| Entrez PubMed |
| PubMed is a service of the US National Library of Medicine that includes over 16 million citations from MEDLINE and other life science journals for ... |
| www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov |
|
| Stanford University School of Medicine |
| Home Page of the Stanford University School of Medicine. |
| med.stanford.edu |
|
| Medicine OnLine |
| Meds.com offers medical information and education on cancer (lung cancer, colon cancer, breast cancer, leukemia) and HIV / AIDS for patients, ... |
| www.meds.com |
|
|