Why kids’ asthma attacks may be affected by climate change

Posted on August 30, 2011 by Stone Hearth News

Mount Sinai School of Medicine researchers have found that climate change may lead to more asthma-related health problems in children, and more emergency room (ER) visits in the next decade.

The data, published in the current issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, found that changing levels of ozone could lead to a 7.3 percent increase in asthma-related emergency room visits by children, ages 0-17.



The research team, led by Perry Sheffield, MD, Assistant Professor of Preventive Medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, used regional and atmospheric chemistry models to reach its calculations. They linked regional climate and air quality information to New York State Department of Health records of pediatric, asthma-related emergency room visits in 14 counties that are part of the New York City metropolitan area. Then they simulated ozone levels for June through August for five consecutive years in the 2020s, and compared them with 1990s levels. The researchers found a median increase of 7.3 percent in ozone-related asthma emergency department visits, with increases ranging from 5.2 percent to 10.2 percent per county.

“Our study shows that these assessment models are an effective way of evaluating the long-term impact of global climate change on a local level,” said Dr. Sheffield. “This study is a jumping off point to evaluate other outcomes including cost utilization, doctors’ visits, missed school days, and a general understanding of the overall burden of climate change on children with asthma.”

Dr. Sheffield and her team plan to continue using these models to understand the specific impacts of climate change. The authors conclude that better measures to reduce carbon pollution that contributes to global climate change as well as pollution that forms ozone need to be implemented.

###

Funding for this study was provided by the National Institutes of Health Research Training Program in Environmental Pediatrics.

Antioxidants: what they are and why we need them: an update

Antioxidants: what they are and why we need them: an update

Posted on September 7, 2011 by Stone Hearth News

Newswise — IFT Member Claudia Fajardo-Lira, PhD, Professor of Food Science and Nutrition at California State University-Northridge, explains the facts about antioxidants:

Q: What are antioxidants?

A: Antioxidants play an important role in overall health. They are natural compounds found in some foods that help neutralize free radicals in our bodies. Free radicals are substances that occur naturally in our bodies but attack the fats, protein and the DNA in our cells, which can cause different types of diseases and accelerate the aging process.

Q: What foods are the best sources for antioxidants?

A: The best antioxidant sources are fruits and vegetables, as well as products derived from plants. Some good choices include blueberries, raspberries, apples, broccoli, cabbage, spinach, eggplant, and legumes like red kidney beans or black beans. They’re also found in green tea, black tea, red wine and dark chocolate. Usually, the presence of color indicates there is a specific antioxidant in that food.

The keyword here is variety. Try to get as many fruits and vegetables with different colors when you plan your meals and go to the grocery store. An array of color in your diet will give you the widest range of beneficial antioxidants.

Q: Does it matter whether the produce is cooked or consumed raw?

A: Depending on the particular food, cooking temperatures and methods can sometimes increase or decrease antioxidant levels. The important thing is that you eat antioxidant-rich foods, so go with your personal preference for preparation—as long as it’s not deep frying!

Q: Are added antioxidants as effective as those that occur naturally?

A: Yes, vitamins such as C, A and E can be added to foods – and they often are, such as in orange juice. One of the things those additives do is act as antioxidants in the body. There is no significant physiological difference between the added antioxidants and the ones occurring naturally in the food source. However, there’s also no evidence that taking antioxidant dietary supplements work as well as the antioxidants found in food products. It’s important not to overdo it on supplements because there can be too much of a good thing. With food products, it would be extremely difficult to consume an excessive amount of antioxidants.

Q: Is there a specific amount of antioxidants consumers should aim for each day?

A: There is not a set recommended daily allowance (RDA) for antioxidants, but the new MyPlate tool based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that you make half your plate fruits and vegetables. If you aim to do that at most meals, you can be sure to get the antioxidants you need.

________________________________________

About IFT

The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) is a nonprofit scientific society. Our individual members are professionals engaged in food science, food technology, and related professions in industry, academia, and government. IFT’s mission is to advance the science of food, and our long-range vision is to ensure a safe and abundant food supply, contributing to healthier people everywhere.

For more than 70 years, the IFT has been unlocking the potential of the food science community by creating a dynamic global forum where members from more than 100 countries can share, learn, and grow. We champion the use of sound science across the food value chain through the exchange of knowledge, by providing education, and by furthering the advancement of the profession. IFT has offices in Chicago, Illinois and Washington, D.C. For more information, please visit ift.org.

© 2011 Institute of Food Technologists

Color Me Vegan: Maximize Your Nutrient Intake and Optimize Your Health by Eating Antioxidant-Rich, Fiber-Packed, Color-Intense Meals That Taste Great

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1592334393/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=hightechgarde-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=1592334393

Cancer growth suppressed by turmeric component curcumin: more evidence

http://www.stonehearthnewsletters.com/turmeric-component-curcumin-suppresses-growth-of-cancer-more-evidence/nutrition/

 

Newswise — Curcumin, the main component in the spice turmeric, suppresses a cell signaling pathway that drives the growth of head and neck cancer, according to a pilot study using human saliva by researchers at UCLA’s Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center.

 

The inhibition of the cell signaling pathway also correlated with reduced expression of a number of pro-inflammatory cytokines, or signaling molecules, in the saliva that promote cancer growth, said Dr. Marilene Wang, a professor of head and neck surgery, senior author of the study and a Jonsson Cancer Center researcher.

 



 

“This study shows that curcumin can work in the mouths of patients with head and neck malignancies and reduce activities that promote cancer growth,” Wang said. “And it not only affected the cancer by inhibiting a critical cell signaling pathway, it also affected the saliva itself by reducing pro-inflammatory cytokines within the saliva.”

 

The study appears Sept. 15 in Clinical Cancer Research, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Association of Cancer Research.

 

Turmeric is a naturally occurring spice widely used in South Asian and Middle Eastern cooking and has long been known to have medicinal properties, attributed to its anti-inflammatory effects. Previous studies have shown it can suppress the growth of certain cancers. In India, women for years have been using turmeric as an anti-aging agent rubbed into their skin, to treat cramps during menstruation and as a poultice on the skin to promote wound healing.

 

A 2005 study by Wang and her team first showed that curcumin suppressed the growth of head and neck cancer, first in cells and then in mouse models. In the animal studies, the curcumin was applied directly onto the tumors in paste form. In a 2010 study, also done in cells and in mouse models, the research team found that the curcumin suppressed head and neck cancer growth by regulating cell cycling, said scientist Eri Srivatsan, an adjunct professor of surgery, article author and a Jonsson Cancer Center researcher who, along with Wang, has been studying curcumin and its anti-cancer properties for seven years.

 

The curcumin binds to and prevents an enzyme known as IKK, an inhibitor of kappa β kinase, from activating a transcription factor called nuclear factor kappa β (NFκβ), which promotes cancer growth.

 

In this study, 21 patients with head and neck cancers gave samples of their saliva before and after chewing two curcumin tablets totaling 1,000 milligrams. One hour later, another sample of saliva was taken and proteins were extracted and IKKβ kinase activity measured. Thirteen subjects with tooth decay and five healthy subjects were used as controls, Wang said.

 

Eating the curcumin, Wang said, put it in contact not just with the cancer but also with the saliva, and the study found it reduced the level of cancer enhancing cytokines.

An independent lab in Maryland was sent blind samples and confirmed the results – the pro-inflammatory cytokines in the saliva that help feed the cancer were reduced in the patients that had chewed the curcumin and the cell signaling pathway driving cancer growth was inhibited, Wang said.

 

“The curcumin had a significant inhibitory effect, blocking two different drivers of head and neck cancer growth,” Wang said. “We believe curcumin could be combined with other treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation to treat head and neck cancer. It also could perhaps be given to patients at high risk for developing head and neck cancers – smokers, those who chew tobacco and people with the HPV virus – as well as to patients with previous oral cancers to fight recurrence.”

 

The curcumin was well tolerated by the patients and resulted in no toxic effects. The biggest problem was their mouths and teeth turned bright yellow.

 

“Curcumin inhibited IKKβ kinase activity in the saliva of head and neck cancer patients and this inhibition correlated with reduced expression of a number of cytokines,” the study states. “IKKβ kinase could be a useful biomarker for detecting the effects of curcumin in head and neck cancer.”

 

To be effective in fighting cancer, the curcumin must be used in supplement form. Although turmeric is used in cooking, the amount of curcumin needed to produce a clinical response is much larger. Expecting a positive effect through eating foods spiced with turmeric is not realistic, Wang said.

 

The next step for Wang and her team is to treat patients with curcumin for longer periods of time to see if the inhibitory effects can be increased. They plan to treat cancer patients scheduled for surgery for a few weeks prior to their procedure. They’ll take a biopsy before the curcumin is started and then at the time of surgery and analyze the tissue to look for differences.

 

“There’s potential here for the development of curcumin as an adjuvant treatment for cancer,” Wang said. “It’s not toxic, well tolerated, cheap and easily obtained in any health food store. While this is a promising pilot study, it’s important to expand our work to more patients to confirm our findings.”

 

Finding ways to better treat head and neck cancers is vital as patients often require disfiguring surgery, often losing parts of their tongue or mouth. They also experience many side effects, including difficulty swallowing, dry mouth and have the potential for developing another oral cancer later.

 

The study was funded by Veterans Affairs Greater Los Angeles Health System, West Los Angeles Surgical Education Research Center, UCLA Academic Senate, the National Institutes of Health and the Veterans Administration

SEROTONIN: Why some of us are angrier than others Health, Medical, and Science Updates

Health, Medical, and Science Updates

News that matters. For the rest of us.

← Restaurant chain to cut sodium, calories by 10 percent over five years and 20 percent over 10

Why some of us are angrier than others

Posted on September 15, 2011 by Stone Hearth News

Fluctuations of serotonin levels in the brain, which often occur when someone hasn’t eaten or is stressed, affects brain regions that enable people to regulate anger, new research from the University of Cambridge has shown.

Although reduced serotonin levels have previously been implicated in aggression, this is the first study which has shown how this chemical helps regulate behaviour in the brain as well as why some individuals may be more prone to aggression. The research findings were published today, 15 September, in the journal Biological Psychiatry.

For the study, healthy volunteers’ serotonin levels were altered by manipulating their diet. On the serotonin depletion day, they were given a mixture of amino acids that lacked tryptophan, the building block for serotonin. On the placebo day, they were given the same mixture but with a normal amount of tryptophan.

The researchers then scanned the volunteers’ brains using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) as they viewed faces with angry, sad, and neutral expressions. Using the fMRI, they were able to measure how different brain regions reacted and communicated with one another when the volunteers viewed angry faces, as opposed to sad or neutral faces.

Handbook of the Behavioral Neurobiology of Serotonin, Volume 21 (Handbook of Behavioral Neuroscience)

The research revealed that low brain serotonin made communications between specific brain regions of the emotional limbic system of the brain (a structure called the amygdala) and the frontal lobes weaker compared to those present under normal levels of serotonin. The findings suggest that when serotonin levels are low, it may be more difficult for the prefrontal cortex to control emotional responses to anger that are generated within the amygdala.

Using a personality questionnaire, they also determined which individuals have a natural tendency to behave aggressively. In these individuals, the communications between the amygdala and the prefrontal cortex was even weaker following serotonin depletion. ‘Weak’ communications means that it is more difficult for the prefrontal cortex to control the feelings of anger that are generated within the amygdala when the levels of serotonin are low. As a result, those individuals who might be predisposed to aggression were the most sensitive to changes in serotonin depletion.

Dr Molly Crockett, co-first author who worked on the research while a PhD student at Cambridge’s Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute (and currently based at the University of Zurich) said: “We’ve known for decades that serotonin plays a key role in aggression, but it’s only very recently that we’ve had the technology to look into the brain and examine just how serotonin helps us regulate our emotional impulses. By combining a long tradition in behavioral research with new technology, we were finally able to uncover a mechanism for how serotonin might influence aggression.”

Dr Luca Passamonti, co-first author who worked on the research while a visiting scientist at the Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit of the Medical Research Council in Cambridge (and currently based at the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Unità di Ricerca Neuroimmagini, Catanzaro), said: “Although these results came from healthy volunteers, they are also relevant for a broad range of psychiatric disorders in which violence is a common problem. For example, these results may help to explain the brain mechanisms of a psychiatric disorder known as intermittent explosive disorder (IED). Individuals with IED typically show intense, extreme and uncontrollable outbursts of violence which may be triggered by cues of provocation such as a facial expression of anger.

“We are hopeful that our research will lead to improved diagnostics as well as better treatments for this and other conditions.”

Source

This entry was posted in Human Behavior, Human Behavior: Aggression, Human Behavior: Anger.

Will people eat less if they’re offered less?

Posted on September 17, 2011 by Stone Hearth News

 

Small portion sizes in worksite cafeterias: do they help consumers to reduce their food intake?

 

International Journal of Obesity (2011) 35, 1200–1207; doi:10.1038/ijo.2010.271; published online 11 January 2011

 

W M Vermeer, I H M Steenhuis, F H Leeuwis1, M W Heymans1, and C Seidell1

 

Received 16 August 2010; Revised 25 October 2010; Accepted 31 October 2010; Published online 11 January 2011.

 

Abstract

 

Background:

 

Environmental interventions directed at portion size might help consumers to reduce their food intake.

 

Objective:

 

To assess whether offering a smaller hot meal, in addition to the existing size, stimulates people to replace their large meal with a smaller meal.

 

Design:

 

Longitudinal randomized controlled trial assessing the impact of introducing small portion sizes and pricing strategies on consumer choices.

 

Setting/participants:

 

In all, 25 worksite cafeterias and a panel consisting of 308 consumers (mean age=39.18 years, 50% women).

 

Intervention:

 

A small portion size of hot meals was offered in addition to the existing size. The meals were either proportionally priced (that is, the price per gram was comparable regardless of the size) or value size pricing was employed.

 

Main outcome measures:

 

Daily sales of small and the total number of meals, consumers’ self-reported compensation behavior and frequency of purchasing small meals.

 

Results:

 

The ratio of small meals sales in relation to large meals sales was 10.2%. No effect of proportional pricing was found B=−0.11 (0.33), P=0.74, confidence interval (CI): −0.76 to 0.54). The consumer data indicated that 19.5% of the participants who had selected a small meal often-to-always purchased more products than usual in the worksite cafeteria. Small meal purchases were negatively related to being male (B=−0.85 (0.20), P=0.00, CI: −1.24 to −0.46, n=178).

 

Conclusion:

 

When offering a small meal in addition to the existing size, a percentage of consumers that is considered reasonable were inclined to replace the large meal with the small meal. Proportional prices did not have an additional effect. The possible occurrence of compensation behavior is an issue that merits further attention.

Panic attacks: advice to take a deep breath is 180 degrees incorrect

Panic attacks: advice to take a deep breath is 180 degrees incorrect

 

Posted on September 18, 2011 by Stone Hearth News

 

There are plenty of misperceptions about panic attacks. People often tell the anxiety ridden to “take a deep breath,” for instance, when they may actually already be taking too much oxygen in by hyperventilating.

 

Indeed, what experts suggest instead is to breathe in a slow, shallow, and regular manner, so that a constant, very small stream of air comes in through the nose. Paper bags are optional too, as cupped hands do the trick just as well.

 

New research aims to debunk another myth: Panic attacks occur completely out of the blue. Though those who panic don’t realize it, their attacks are in fact foreshadowed by minute physiological signals, according to a study led by Southern Methodist University’s Alicia Meuret in the journal Biological Psychiatry. “The hour before panic onset was marked by subtle but significant waves of changes in patient’s breathing and cardiac activity, not just the moment of onset of the attack or even during the attack,” she says. “Our analysis provided us with a whole different pattern.”

 

That pattern goes like this: Physiological instabilities occur in repeated bouts or waves and are often initiated by heart rate accelerations, followed by changes in breathing and carbon dioxide levels. Ultimately, breathing becomes much shallower, causing a spike in carbon dioxide levels that lead to symptoms that could no longer escape the attention of those who panic. More precisely, they experience terrifying sensations, such as dizziness, air hunger, and shortness of breath.

 

https://webmail.frim.gov.my/owa/redir.aspx?C=72891022267244beab416062e1755d5d&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.amazon.com%2fgp%2faw%2fd%2f1572243252%2fref%3dredir_mdp_mobile%3fredirect%3dtrue%26ref_%3das_li_ss_tl%26tag%3dhightechgarde-20%26linkCode%3das2%26camp%3d217145%26creative%3d399369%26creativeASIN%3d1572243252

New goal & 2nd semester

I do mentioned before that i planned to read 1 journal weekly.

Hehe...i changed...1 journal for a couple of week & minus public holidays!!! :)

Emmm..i think this new goal less burdening me :)

Next monday, 12th Sept will be the 1st day of class. I'm in 2nd semester now. Ooo, how i miss classess...Really, if you are in my position, working, you'll miss the old days when you were in the university..chill out with friends, no working pressure & most importantly you surely will not bumped into your 'not-so-favourite' boss..hehe...of course there are lecturers with that kind, but we did'nt meet them everyday, right??!!..haha

Khutbah Terakhir Nabi Muhammad S.A.W.

Kutbah ini disampaikan pada 9 Zulhijah Tahun 10 Hijrah di Lembah Uranah, Gunung Arafah.

Wahai manusia, dengarlah baik-baik apa yang hendak ku katakan. Aku tidak mengetahui apakah aku dapat bertemu lagi dengan kamu semua selepas tahun ini. Oleh itu dengarlah dengan teliti kata-kata ku ini dan sampaikanlah ia kepada orang-orang yang tidak dapat hadir di sini pada hari ini.

Wahai manusia, sepertimana kamu menganggap bulan ini dan kota ini sebagai suci, maka anggaplah jiwa dan harta setiap muslim sebagai amanah suci.

Kembalikan harta yang diamanahkan kepada kamu kepada pemiliknya yang berhak.

Jangan kamu sakiti sesiapapun agar orang lain tidak menyakiti kamu lagi.

Ingatlah bahawa sesungguhnya kamu akan menemui Tuhan kamu dan Dia pasti membuat perhitungan di atas segala amalan kamu.

Allah telah mengharamkan riba, oleh itu segala urusan yang melibatkan riba dibatalkan mulai sekarang.

Berwaspadalah terhadap syaitan demi keselamatan agama kamu.

Dia telah berputus asa untuk menyesatkan kamu dalam perkara-perkara besar, maka berjaga-jagalah supaya kamu tidak mengikutinya dalam perkara-perkara kecil.

Wahai manusia, sebagaimana kamu mempunyai hak atas isteri kamu, mereka juga mempunyai hak di atas kamu. Sekiranya mereka menyempurnakan hak mereka keatas kamu maka mereka juga berhak untuk diberi makan dan pakaian dalam suasana kasih sayang.

Layanilah wanita-wanita kamu dengan baik, berlemah lembutlah terhadap mereka kerana sesungguhnya mereka adalah teman dan pembantu kamu yang setia. Dan hak kamu atas mereka ialah mereka sama sekali tidak boleh memasukkan orang yang kamu tidak sukai ke dalam rumah kamu dan dilarang melakukan zina.

Wahai manusia, dengarkanlah bersungguh-sungguh kata-kataku ini, sembahlah Allah, dirikanlah sembahyang lima kali sehari, berpuasalah di bulan Ramadan!, dan tunaikan zakat dari harta kekayaan kamu. Kerjakanlah ibadat haji sekiranya kamu mampu.

Ketahuilah bahawa setiap muslim adalah saudara kepada muslim yang lain. Kamu semua adalah sama, tidak seorangpun yang lebih mulia dari yang lainnya kecuali dalam taqwa dan beramal soleh.

Ingatlah bahawa kamu akan mengadap Allah pada suatu hari untuk dipertanggungjawabkan diatas segala apa yang telah kamu kerjakan. Oleh itu awasilah agar jangan sekali-kali kamu terkeluar dari landasan kebenaran selepas ketiadaanku.

Wahai manusia, tidak akan ada lagi Nabi dan Rasul yang akan datang selepasku dan tidak akan lahir agama baru.

Oleh itu wahai manusia, nilailah dengan betul dan fahamilah kata-kata ku yang telah aku sampaikan kepada kamu.

Sesungguhnya aku tinggalkan kepada kamu dua perkara, yang sekiranya kamu berpegang teguh dan mengikuti kedua-duanya, nescaya kamu tidak akan tersesat selama-lamanya. Itulah Al Quran dan Sunnah ku.

Hendaknya orang-orang yang mendengar ucapanku, menyampaikan pula kepada orang lain semoga yang terakhir lebih memahami kata-kataku dari mereka yang terus mendengar dari ku.

Saksikanlah Ya Allah, bahawasanya telah ku sampaikan risalah Mu kepada hamba-hambaMU.

Biodegradable products may be BAD for the environment, release greenhouse gas: NC State study

⁠May.31, 2011 in ⁠Environmental Health, Environmental Health: Bioplastics, Environmental Health: Sustainability ⁠Leave a Comment

 

Research from North Carolina State University shows that so-called biodegradable products are likely doing more harm than good in landfills, because they are releasing a powerful greenhouse gas as they break down. “Biodegradable materials, such as disposable cups and utensils, are broken down in landfills by microorganisms that then produce methane,” says Dr. Morton Barlaz, [...]

 



More here: http://www.stonehearthnewsletters.com/biodegradable-products-bad-for-the-environment-release-greenhouse-gas-nc-state-study/environmental-health/

Employees more likely to be happy when management readily shares information, consults with them

⁠Jun.02, 2011 in ⁠Human Behavior, Human Behavior: Sadness, Human Behavior: Self Esteem, Human Behavior: Stress, Workplace Issues

 

People are happier when their jobs have variety and autonomy.

 

Managements that readily share information and consult with employees make for happier staff.

 

There are ways of treating people at work that can make them happier and which have little to do with money.

 

Performance-related pay, including bonuses given to City workers and other employees, make no difference to employee satisfaction or stress.

 

People who are given greater variety and independence in their jobs feel both less stressed and more satisfied, according to findings which suggest that several management practices designed to make employees more efficient also make them happier, according to a new study.

 

Employees are also more likely to be happy when management readily shares information and consults with them, the study shows.

 

Stephen Wood, the University of Leicester Professor of Management who led the research, said: “The way jobs are designed has a huge impact on employees’ sense of happiness at work. But this is in danger of being neglected, at a time when people are worrying about unemployment, job security and the fairness of large salaries.”

 

The research measures two separate forms of well-being: anxiety and job satisfaction. It tests to see whether either is different in workplaces where executives practise what management gurus call “high performance work systems”: boosting performance by giving people greater involvement in their own companies. This includes granting employees more variety and autonomy – what Wood calls “enriched jobs”. It also includes “informative management”: telling people more about changes in their company, including staffing and its overall financial performance. Another example is greater consultation between bosses and employees where both sides can put forward their views: “consultative management”.

 

Professor Wood says: “The current government’s desire to measure our well-being seems

 

Largely to have provoked public debates about whether money can make us happy. This research shows there are ways of treating people at work that can make them happier, which have little to do with money.”

 

Job Satisfaction: Fact or Fiction: Are you satisfied with your job?

 

The study is reported in a paper written by Professor Wood and Lilian de Menezes, Professor at Cass Business School in London. The paper suggests that in particular, “Enriched jobs appear to be key to well-being at work.” The report adds: “An enriched job may also increase opportunities for skill use and development, job variety, and the sense of being valued or playing a significant role in the organization or society, thus adding to the potential impact on well-being.”

 

Taking the findings into the practical realm, the authors recommend: “Our study implies that priority should be given to initiatives that enrich jobs, enhance consultation and improve information sharing and consultation.” Wood also stresses that future surveys of well-being organised by the government should include the quality of work. The government is still discussing how precisely to measure well-being.

 

The study also shows that performance-related pay, one widely-used management tenet of high performance work systems, makes no difference to satisfaction or stress. Performance-related pay includes bonuses given to City workers and other employees.

 

The research is based on data from the government’s 2004 Workplace Employee Relations Survey, which involved 22,451 employees at 2,295 workplaces in the UK. Professors Wood and de Menezes used data gathered from questionnaires filled out by the employees and the interviews with managers at the same workplaces.

 

For example, managers were asked whether they designed core jobs so employees had “a lot” of influence over how they did their work at one extreme, or no influence at the other. Employees were asked about their well-being at work, such as whether they felt tense “all of the time” at one end, to “never” at the other.

 

The analysis then correlated the measures of management practice, such as how managers design jobs, with the measures of the well-being of employees.

 

While the study presents practical evidence of how to make people happier at work, other research suggests there has been a long-term decline in job autonomy – although it may have stabilized recently at a low level. Individual autonomy at British call centres, for example, is exceptionally low compared with other countries, according to another study by Professor Wood and David Holman of Manchester Business School.

 

This latest research on happiness and high performance work systems is reported in ‘High Involvement Management, High Performance Work Systems and Well-Being’, S. Wood and L. M. de Menezes, International Journal of Human Resource Management, 2011, Vol. 22, No.7, pp.1585–1608.

Controlling Anger: An Islamic Approach

What is anger? Why and how does it happen? How does it affect our health and our relationships? Can anger be controlled? And how can we do that? In this series, we'll discuss anger and techniques for anger management and conflict resolution in light of Islamic teachings.

Living with a highly stressful modern lifestyle, we all suffer from bursts of anger, whether it is we who get angry or others who get angry with us. Daily traffic, the economic crisis, and relationship and job stress all cause everyone a buildup of negative emotions that need venting.

Often, while trying to relieve the pressure, we burst into anger tantrums, which we regret later because, inevitably, we cause harm in the process, which in turn causes more anger and we end up spinning in a vicious circle of negative feelings and actions. The constant pressures make it almost unrealistic to ask people to control their anger.

Taking advantage of the lucrative market, hundreds of anger management books and workshops were produced, promising instant, magical solutions to the millions of sufferers worldwide; yet, the problem keeps getting worse.

As Muslims, we're not immune to the anger epidemic; we're even bearing additional pressures of religious and racial profiling. We're often perceived as guilty until proven innocent, which is extremely frustrating for honest citizens. What's worse, anger-inducing techniques are deliberately used in some situations to cause an emotional eruption in order to affirm the stereotype of the "uncivilized" that is now being indiscriminately attached to all Muslims.

Yet, we forget that we have a treasure of effective anger management techniques in our heritage waiting to be rediscovered and adapted to our modern knowledge of human behavior and relationship dynamics. Let's start by examining anger itself and then gradually discover how to manage it and even use it to our advantage.

What Is Anger?

It is a misconception that emotions cannot be controlled and could run wild against our will

Anger is an emotion. Emotions follow thoughts, so if you are angry, it's because you're thinking angry thoughts. We have to learn how to manage our thinking in order to modify our reactions to situations. It is a misconception that emotions cannot be controlled and could run wild against our will. And so, it is not a surprise that Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) promises peace of "heart" to anyone who strives to control his thoughts in order to prevent an angry emotional reaction: "Whoever curbs his anger while being able to carry it out, Allah will fill his heart with certainty of faith." (Abu Hurairah).

Anger is a choice. It has nothing to do with gender, level of stress, or ethnic group. We get angry because we choose to be angry. Thus, the Prophet's order "Do not become angry and furious" (Al-Bukhari) isn't asking the impossible — it's actually reminding us that we have a choice

No one can make you angry. A person or situation cannot make you angry, and your emotions depend on the way you process the situation based on various factors, such as past experiences, upbringing, and frame of reference. Therefore, our reaction is learned, not inherited. We learn to be angry. And so God Himself teaches us how to make the choice: The Prophet said, "When Allah completed the creation, He wrote in His Book, which is with Him on His Throne, 'My Mercy overpowers My Anger'" (Al-Bukhari).

Anger is wasted energy. When we get really angry and start shouting, does it help us solve our problems? No, it doesn't — it actually clouds our judgment and complicates problems. Does it encourage others to be helpful? No, it doesn't — it drives them away. So, what do we really gain from all this expended energy? Nothing. Muslims are aware they will be asked how they spent every second of their lives and every ounce of their energy, which makes it shameful to consciously waste energy.

Constructive Anger vs. Destructive Anger

What determines the effects of anger on you is largely how you deal with it and how successfully you can channel the explosive energy into  something useful

Anger is built into humans, and it comes in many types, so all of us are bound to experience anger in one way or another. It isn't a "bad" emotion of itself either. It's how we process it that makes it good or bad, constructive or destructive. What determines the effects of anger on you is largely how you deal with it and how successfully you can channel the explosive energy into achieving something useful and constructive.

For example, if you get angry because of injustice and use your anger to work very hard to restore justice, then your anger was constructive. But if you get angry because of injustice and use it as an excuse to retaliate with more injustice, or fall into despair and depression, or promote hate, or engage in criminal activity, then this is destructive anger. It eats you away and degrades you as a human, while at the same time it causes harm and destruction to those around you.

This downward spiral of negativity isn't befitting a good Muslim, whom the Prophet described as someone whom people are "safe from his tongue and his hand." In other words, a good Muslim isn't only encouraged, but is in fact duty-bound to learn how to control and manage his anger. And that's what we will discuss in the next articles.

Sahar El-Nadi is an Egyptian freelance journalist who traveled to 25 countries around the world and currently based in Cairo. Sahar also worked in many people-related careers in parallel, including presenting public events and TV programs; instructing training courses in communication skills; cross cultural issues; image consulting for public speakers; orientation for first-time visitors to the Middle East; and localization consulting for international educational projects.

Info on cancer

Johns Hopkins Update - Very Good Article  

AFTER YEARS OF TELLING PEOPLE CHEMOTHERAPY
IS THE ONLY WAY TO TRY ('TRY', BEING THE KEY WORD) TO ELIMINATE CANCER, JOHNS HOPKINS IS FINALLY STARTING TO TELL YOU THERE IS AN ALTERNATIVE WAY.  

Cancer Update from Johns Hopkins :

1. Every person has cancer cells in the body. These cancer  
   cells do not show up in the standard tests until they have
   multiplied to a few billion. When doctors tell cancer patients
   that there are no more cancer cells in their bodies after  
   treatment, it just means the tests are unable to detect the
   cancer cells because they have not reached the detectable
   size.

2. Cancer cells occur between 6 to more than 10 times in a  
   person's lifetime.

3. When the person's immune system is strong the cancer
   cells will be destroyed and prevented from multiplying and
   forming tumors.

4. When a person has cancer it indicates the person has
   nutritional deficiencies. These could be due to genetic,
   to environmental, food and lifestyle factors.

5. To overcome the multiple nutritional deficiencies, changing
    diet and including supplements will strengthen the immune
    system.

6. Chemotherapy involves poisoning the rapidly-growing
   cancer cells and also destroys rapidly-growing healthy cells
   in the bone marrow, gastrointestinal tract etc, and can
   cause organ damage, like liver, kidneys, heart, lungs etc.

7. Radiation while destroying cancer cells also burns, scars
   and damages healthy cells, tissues and organs.

8. Initial treatment with chemotherapy and radiation will often
   reduce tumor size. However prolonged use of
   chemotherapy and radiation do not result in more tumor
   destruction.

9. When the body has too much toxic burden from
   chemotherapy and radiation the immune system is either
   compromised or destroyed, hence the person can succumb
   to various kinds of infections and complications.

10. Chemotherapy and radiation can cause cancer cells to
     mutate and become resistant and difficult to destroy.
     Surgery can also cause cancer cells to spread to other
     sites.

11. An effective way to battle cancer is to starve the cancer
     cells by not feeding it with the foods it needs to multiply.

*CANCER CELLS FEED ON:

a. Sugar is a cancer-feeder. By cutting off sugar it cuts off
   one important food supply to the cancer cells. Sugar
   substitutes like NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, etc are made
   with Aspartame and it is harmful. A better natural substitute
    would be Manuka honey (a New Zealand Honey - can be found at some health food stores or online {Amazon.com}) or molasses, but only in very small
    amounts. Table salt has a chemical added to make it white in
   color Better alternative is Bragg's aminos or sea salt.

b. Milk causes the body to produce mucus, especially in the
   gastro-intestinal tract. Cancer feeds on mucus. By cutting
   off milk and substituting with unsweetened soy milk cancer
   cells are being starved.

c. Cancer cells thrive in an acid environment. A meat-based
   diet is acidic and it is best to eat fish, and a little chicken
   rather than beef or pork. Meat also contains livestock
   antibiotics, growth hormones and parasites, which are all
   harmful, especially to people with cancer..

d. A diet made of 80% fresh vegetables and juice, whole
   grains, seeds, nuts and a little fruits help put the body into
   an alkaline environment. About 20% can be from cooked
   food including beans. Fresh vegetable juices provide live
   enzymes that are easily absorbed and reach down to
   cellular levels within 15 minutes to nourish and enhance
   growth of healthy cells.. To obtain live enzymes for building
   healthy cells try and drink fresh vegetable juice (most
   vegetables including bean sprouts) and eat some raw
   vegetables 2 or 3 times a day. Enzymes are destroyed at
   temperatures of 104 degrees F (40 degrees C).

e. Avoid coffee, tea, and chocolate, which have high
   caffeine Green tea is a better alternative e and has cancer
   fighting properties. Water-best to drink purified water, or
   filtered, to avoid known toxins and heavy metals in tap
   water. Distilled water is acidic, avoid it.

12. Meat protein is difficult to digest and requires a lot of
     digestive enzymes. Undigested meat remaining in the
     intestines becomes putrefied and leads to more toxic
     buildup.

13. Cancer cell walls have a tough protein covering. By
     refraining from or eating less meat it frees more enzymes
     to attack the protein walls of cancer cells and allows the
     body's killer cells to destroy the cancer cells.

14. Some supplements build up the immune system
     (IP6, Flor-ssence, Essiac, anti-oxidants, vitamins, minerals,
     EFAs etc.) to enable the bodies own killer cells to destroy
     cancer cells.  Other supplements like vitamin E are known
     to cause apoptosis, or programmed cell death, the body's
     normal method of disposing of damaged, unwanted, or
     unneeded cells.

15. Cancer is a disease of the mind, body, and spirit.
     A proactive and positive spirit will help the cancer warrior
    be a survivor. Anger, un-forgiveness and bitterness put
    the body into a stressful and acidic environment. Learn to
    have a loving and forgiving spirit. Learn to relax and enjoy
    life.

16. Cancer cells cannot thrive in an oxygenated
     environment. Exercising daily, and deep breathing help to
     get more oxygen down to the cellular level. Oxygen
     therapy is another means employed to destroy cancer
     cells.

1. No plastic containers in microwave.

2. No water bottles in freezer.

3. No plastic wrap in microwave.

Johns Hopkins has recently sent this out in its newsletters. This information is being circulated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center as well. Dioxin chemicals cause cancer, especially breast cancer. Dioxins are highly poisonous to the cells of our bodies. Don't freeze your plastic bottles with water in them as this releases dioxins from the plastic. Recently, Dr Edward Fujimoto, Wellness Program Manager at Castle Hospital, was on a TV program to explain this health hazard. He talked about dioxins and how bad they are for us. He said that we should not be heating our food in the microwave using plastic containers. This especially applies to foods that contain fat. He said that the combination of fat, high heat, and plastics releases dioxin into the food and ultimately into the cells of the body. Instead, he recommends using glass, such as Corning Ware, Pyrex or ceramic containers for heating food. You get the same results, only without the dioxin. So such things as TV dinners, instant ramen and soups, etc., should be removed from the container and heated in something else. Paper isn't bad but you don't know what is in the paper. It's just safer to use tempered glass, Corning Ware, etc. He reminded us that a while ago some of the fast food restaurants moved away from the foam containers to paper.  The dioxin problem is one of the reasons.

Also, he pointed out that plastic wrap, such as Saran, is just as dangerous when placed over foods to be cooked in the microwave.  As the food is nuked, the high heat causes poisonous toxins to actually melt out of the plastic wrap and drip into the food. Cover food with a paper towel instead.  

The Holy Prophet (SAW) Said:

The Holy Prophet (SAW) Said:   1) Four things that make your body sick:   a) Excessive talking b) Excessive sleeping c) Excessive eating and d) Excessive meeting other people 2) Four things that destroys the body:   a) Worrying b) Sorrow (Sadness/Grief) c) Hunger d) Sleeping late in the night 3) Four things that dry the face & take away its happiness:   a) Lying b) Being disrespectful / impudent (insisting on something wrong knowingly) c) Arguing without adequate knowledge & Information. d) Excessive immorality (doing something wrong without fear). 4) Four things that increases the wetness of face & its happiness:   a) Piety b) Loyalty c) Generosity (being kind) d) To be helpful to others without he/she asking for that. 5) Four things that stop the Rizq (Sustenance) :   a) Sleeping in the morning (from Fajr to sunrise) b) Not Performing Namaz or Ir-regular in Prayers c) Laziness / Idleness d) Treachery / Dishonesty 6) Four things that bring / increase the Rizq:   a) Staying up in the night for prayers. b) Excessive Repentance c) Regular Charity d) Zikr (Remembrance of Allah / God).  The Holy Prophet (SAW), Also said to communicate to others even if you listen One Verse (Ayaah) & this one verse will stand on the Day of Judgment for intercession.   The Holy Prophet (SAW) said, Stop doing everything during the Azaan, even reading the Quran, the person who talks  during the Azaan will not be able to say the Kalima E Shahada on his/her death bed....

Using DNA in Fight Against Illegal Logging

Featured In: Academia News

 

Advances in DNA 'fingerprinting' and other genetic techniques led by Adelaide researchers are making it harder for illegal loggers to get away with destroying protected rainforests. DNA fingerprinting for timber products has grown in international recognition due to research led by the University of Adelaide that traces individual logs or wood products back to the forests where they came from.

 

Professor Andrew Lowe, Director of the University's Australian Centre for Evolutionary Biology and Biodiversity, and Dr Hugh Cross, Molecular Biologist at the State Herbarium of South Australia, have been working with Singapore company Double Helix Tracking Technologies (DoubleHelix), a leader in applied genetics for forest trade and conservation.

 

In a new paper published in the journal of the International Association of Wood Anatomists, Professor Lowe and Dr Cross say DNA science has made a number of key advances in the fight against illegal loggers.

 

"Molecular marker methods have been applied to freshly cut wood for a number of years, and it's now also possible to extract and use genetic material from wood products and old samples of wood," Professor Lowe says. "We can use 'DNA barcoding' to identify species, 'DNA fingerprinting' to identify and track individual logs or wood products, and we can also verify the region the wood was sourced from.

 

"The advancement of genetics technologies means that large-scale screening of wood DNA can be done cheaply, routinely, quickly and with a statistical certainty that can be used in a court of law. Importantly, these methods can be applied at a customs entry point to the country - certification documents can be falsified, but DNA cannot."

 

An estimated 10% of wood imported into Australia consists of illegally traded timber, which has been cut down outside designated logging areas or outside agreed environmental controls. Australian companies have been the first in the world to purchase timber products that use DNA fingerprinting, as part of proof of legal origin starting back in 2007 - European and American importers are now following suit.

 

Jonathan Geach, a Director of DoubleHelix, says: "As the technology is now proven scientifically and commercially, we're looking at a large-scale application in the Congo Basin, as well as working with governments in Europe and America to tighten the grip on illegal timber trade.

 

"Having Professor Lowe as a leading researcher from the University of Adelaide and as an active member of our team has been tremendously important in driving the role of DNA tracing in timber internationally."

 

Professor Lowe says a number of improvements in genetic marker methods still need to be made, such as for old or degraded wood samples. "Nevertheless, the advances in the use of DNA to identify wood are exciting," he says.

 

This research is closely aligned with another major project, to develop a 'DNA barcode' for every tree and grass species on earth. "The Barcode of Life projects will take five years to complete, but the information will lead to a step change in the way we can manage our species and ecosystems right across the globe," Professor Lowe says.

 

Source: University of Adelaide

Most athletes peak at age 26, chess players at 31, following physiological law: study

Most athletes peak at age 26, chess players at 31, following physiological law: study

 

Posted on July 2, 2011 by Stone Hearth News

 

Geoffroy Berthelot and Stephane Len, both researchers at the IRMES (Institut de Recherche bioMédicale et d’Epidemiologie du Sport at INSEP, Paris, France), have published their findings in Age, the official journal of the American Aging Association, describing the evolution of performances in elite athletes and chess grandmasters. This article is congruous with the epidemiological approaches developed by the laboratory, and suggests that changes in individual performance are linked to physiological laws structuring the living world.

 

Physiological parameters that characterize human capabilities (mobility, reproduction or the capacity to perform tasks) evolve throughout the life cycle. The physical and intellectual abilities follow the same pattern, starting at the moment of conception: The performance of each individual is limited at birth, then increases to a peak before declining until death. With these findings, Geoffroy Berthelot and Stephane Len modeled the careers of more than 2,000 athletes (from a panel of 25 Olympic disciplines) and grandmasters of chess. They demonstrate a simple relation between changes in performance and the age of individuals.

 



 

The results of this study validate a model previously published by Moore: The evolution of the performances of an individual throughout his life follows an exponential growth curve to a peak before declining irreversibly, following another negative exponential curve. This peak is reached at the age of 26.1 years for the disciplines studied: athletics (26.0 years), swimming (21.0 years) and chess (31.4 years). For each data set, the evolution curve is representative of a range of 91.7% of the variance at the individual level and 98.5% of the variance in terms of sport events. Moreover, these cycles are observable in other physiological parameters such as the development of lung function or cognitive skills, but also at the level of cells, organisms and populations, reflecting the fractal properties of such a law.

 

This study suggests that technical change, energy consumption and development strongly influenced the performance of individuals. These have increased significantly over the last century compared to today’s values. Ultimately, the modeling of changes in performance with age can be extended to all individuals and lead to an estimate of life expectancy.

 

Further research will refine these descriptive models and apply them to other areas of human activity (scientific, economic, ecological …), and test their viability, which may help to assess the relationships of man to his environment.