THESE FOODS HELP TO KEEP YOUR LUNGS CLEAN

Lung disease and associated respiratory problems are a growing issue. We can all maintain healthy lungs by not smoking, ensuring we exercise regularly, and avoiding polluted air where possible. However, a less widely known way we can look after our lungs is by tailoring our diet. Studies have shown that the food we eat has an impact on our lungs, and that some can even have a positive impact on lung function. 

 

1. Cruciferous Veg 

These are vegetables in the cabbage family. They are packed with antioxidants, which help cleanse the body of harmful toxins. They also contain glucosinolates - chemicals that are broken down to form active compounds which help inactivate carcinogens and protect cells from damage. The most well-known examples of cruciferous vegetables are broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts.  

2. Carotenoids  This orange antioxidant pigment has been shown to reduce the risk of developing lung cancer. One way to recognize a carotenoid is by color. Carotenoids are typically found in fruit and vegetables with orange, red, or yellow shades. Sweet potatoes, butternut squash, and apricots are foods with high amounts of carotenoids. Carrots are particularly good for the lungs as they contain beta carotene, which converts into vitamin A, a vitamin shown to considerably reduce the likelihood of asthma.

3. Omega-3 Fatty Acids It is well known that this fatty acid is good for your overall health. What is less publicized is that it benefits your lungs as well. Omega-3 can be found in fish, nuts, and flaxseed, and can improve lung function and increase lung capacity by reducing inflammation in the airways.

4. Ginger

This root is a powerful antioxidant and a natural anti-inflammatory which can clear the lungs of any lingering pollution. Gingerol reduces excess mucus while the compound 6-shagaol can stop bronchial tubes from tightening. Ginger also relaxes the tissues in the muscles that line the lungs, making it easier for asthmatics to breathe. Ginger slices can be added to tea, and it also makes delicious cookies.

5. Garlic This herb is great at helping maintain a healthy immune system as it's a natural anti-inflammatory. Recently, a study from the journal Cancer Prevention Research revealed how eating raw garlic twice a week was found to halve the risk of developing lung cancer. Garlic has high levels of allicin - a natural antibiotic - which fights both bacterial and fungal infections in the lungs.

 6. Magnesium  Foods such as seeds, nuts, or beans are all rich in this mineral. Magnesium is a natural anti-inflammatory and has been found to increase lung capacity and improve the efficiency of the respiratory process. It is recommended for asthmatics and people with chronic, obstructive pulmonary diseases.

7. Pomegranates This fruit is nutritionally dense in antioxidants and anthocyanins, two plant-based nutrients which have anti-carcinogenic properties. Research has found that this combination is particularly effective at slowing the growth and spread of harmful cancer cells. Pomegranate seeds taste delicious in a salad or make a delicious fruit juice.

8. Vitamin C

This vitamin can be found in guavas, oranges, kiwis, and bell peppers. A diet rich in vitamin C helps your lungs transport oxygen throughout the body. If you consistently consume foods rich in vitamin C you will be less likely to develop respiratory conditions like bronchitis and asthma. It has also been shown to prevent the occurrence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which causes shortness of breath.

9. Pineapple  Pineapples are rich in bromelain, an enzyme that reduces inflammation of the sinuses. It’s also a natural way to treat pulmonary edema - a condition that stops fluids from properly draining from the lungs, resulting in shortness of breath. Research has shown that eating bromelain-rich food reduces inflammatory white blood cells by 85%.

10. Water Water is always recommended for good health, but it is often said to be the number one natural remedy for your lungs. Water aids your circulatory process by keeping your lungs sufficiently hydrated, and ready to flush out toxins. 

 this is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.
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Vitamins A and C help erase 'memory' in stem cells

Vitamins A and C can enhance success in the challenging process of converting adult cells into stem cells, an international study co-led by a University of Otago researcher has found.

The research team discovered that the two vitamins complement each other in erasing "memory" associated with DNA, an important effect for improving technologies geared towards regenerative medicine and stem cell therapy.

The findings are published this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS).

Ordinary adult cells, such as those in the skin or blood, can be artificially coerced in a culture dish to resemble embryos only a few days old.

Study co-lead author Dr Tim Hore of Otago’s Department of Anatomy says that since the 2006 discovery that this remarkable reprogramming process is possible, there has been much interest in using induced embryonic stem cells to cure human disease.

"However, hampering these efforts is the reality that adult cells are resistant to changes in their identity, partly because of chemical alterations to their DNA," Dr Hore says.

He says that these alterations, known as "DNA methylation", are acquired during development and provide a form of cellular memory that helps cells faithfully maintain a specialised function. Removal of this memory is critical in order to create a developmentally potent stem cell, or to change one kind of adult cell to another.

Dr Hore was previously a Human Frontier Long Term Fellow at the UK’s Babraham Institute. Along with collaborators at Babraham and in Stuttgart, Germany, he determined that adding vitamins A and C to culture dishes synergistically removes DNA methylation from embryonic stem cells.

When applied to cells during the reprogramming process, those with the desired "naïve" embryonic characteristics were created in much greater numbers, he says.

The mechanism by which this occurs was also detailed in the study.
"We found that both vitamins affect the same family of enzymes which actively remove DNA methylation; it turns out that Vitamin A increases the number of these enzymes within the cell, and Vitamin C enhances their activity," he says.

In addition to regenerative medicine, this work may have implications for other areas of biomedical importance. Loss of DNA methylation and cellular memory are a hallmark of certain cancers, so a better understanding of how this process occurs could prove significant.

"Along with other Otago research groups, my lab is beginning to explore how the vitamin-induced effects we have uncovered in this study might impact on the loss of DNA methylation in certain cancers," he says.

This work was funded by the Wellcome Trust, the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, the Medical Research Council, the European Union EpiGeneSys Network of Excellence, the European Union BLUEPRINT Consortium (awarded to senior author, Professor Wolf Reik), the Human Frontier Science Program (Dr Tim Hore), the Swiss National Science Foundation/Novartis (Dr Ferdinand von Meyenn) and the German Research Foundation (Associate Professor Tomasz Jurkowski).

this is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.

https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com. one can see my crochet creations
https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com. feel free to view for easy, simple and healthy recipes

https://kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com. for info on knee replacement

 

Home Remedies for Arthritis & Joint Pain

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOUR PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.

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1. Turmeric & Ginger Tea
Turmeric and ginger are both anti-inflammatory, and will help with osetoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Turmeric in particular has gotten a lot of attention lately. Its active ingredient is something called curcumin, which is a powerful antioxidant. In addition, it lowers the levels of 2 enzymes responsible for causing inflammation (which is what we’re often fighting with arthritis.) You can take these in a capsule form or make a nice spicy tea to enjoy daily.
You will need…
-2 cups of water
-1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
-1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
-Honey to taste
Directions
Bring 2 cups of water to a boil, and had ½ teaspoon each ground ginger and ground turmeric. Reduce to a simmer and let it be for 10-15 minutes. Strain, add honey to taste, and enjoy twice daily. This yields 2 servings.

2. Epsom salt soak
Epsom salt contains magnesium sulfate which sounds kind of scary, but it’s really quite a wonderful substance. A naturally occurring mineral, magnesium sulfate has been used to get relief from pain for years, namely because of its high levels of magnesium (more on magnesium below.)
You will need…
-1/2 cup of Epsom salt
-A large bowl
-Warm water
Directions
Fill a large bowl with warm water and add ½ cup of Epsom salt. Stir it around, and then submerge your sore joints in the liquid. If you are experiencing pain in a less convenient place to soak, such as your knees, try taking a bath with Epsom salts. Run a tub full of warm water and add 2 cups of Epsom salt. Soak for 15 minutes (at least.)

3. Get more magnesium
Magnesium is something our bodies need, but we can’t make it ourselves. It is used in over 300 different biomechanical responses in our body. It relaxes all our muscles and nerve endings, relieving stiffness and pain. It is even part of what makes our heart beat. Not only does it relax muscles and ease pain (this goes for arthritis pain too, of course) it helps bones to mineralize. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition conducted one of many studies on magnesium that showed people who had a diet high in magnesium/took supplements had higher bone density, and overall stronger bones. There are several ways to get more magnesium and utilize it for arthritis in particular.

Supplements: Magnesium capsules are a good thing to add to your day-to-day life, but they work best when used in conjunction with an improved diet.
Diet: Really this is the clincher-as great as supplements are, they can’t do everything. Eat foods that are high in magnesium, which include dark leafy greens (like spinach), nuts, and legumes (beans.)
Oil: There is magnesium oil that can be applied topically and absorbed through the skin. Try rubbing it on sore joints to relieve pain.
4. Dandelion Leaves
Incredibly high in vitamins A and C, dandelion leaves can help repair damaged tissue and help the liver clear toxins out of the blood. Studies, although limited, have also shown anti-inflammatory properties due to the linoleic and linoleic acid in them. Linoleic is an essential fatty acid required by the body to produce prostaglandin-which basically regulates immune responses and suppresses inflammation. Because of its involvement with immune responses, dandelion shows great potential when it comes to treating rheumatoid arthritis in particular. You can enjoy dandelion leaves in nice salad, or brew tea with them.
You will need…
-3 teaspoons of fresh dandelion leaves, or 1 teaspoon of dried
-1 cup of boiling water
-A handful of fresh leaves (if making a salad)
-A dash of extra virgin olive oil (if making a salad)
Directions
For fresh dandelion tea, step 3 teaspoons of fresh leaves or 1 teaspoon dried in 1 cup of boiling water. Strain and drink twice daily. Dandelion tea is very bitter…you have been warned! You can add honey to sweeten it up if you’d like. To make a salad, simply toss the greens in with another recipe, or eat them plain with a bit of extra virgin olive oil. Older leaves can be gently sautéed to soften them up a bit.
  5.Exercise
When it’s painful and difficult just to move, the last thing you feel like doing is getting up and exercising. As unpleasant as it may sound though, exercise is vital for those who suffer from any form of stiffness, joint pain, or arthritis. Exercise will help control weight (an excess of which puts more strain on your joints) strengthens the muscles that support the joint, even when the cartilage is thinning, and lubricates the joints, allowing them to move more freely. When we are inactive the synovial fluid in the joints is the consistency of a thick gel, but once we get moving and warming up, the liquid becomes more viscous and can do a better job of lubricating our joints and keeping them going smoothly. Just imagine if you were to be sedentary every day, pretty soon you’d be so stiff it’d be just about impossible to move. But if you get up and move around every day, you’ll get stronger and will loosen up as well.
Try…
-Going for a brisk walk-start with 15 minutes and work your way up into a solid daily routine.
-Doing joint-targeted exercises-certain stretches and exercises specifically target joints to help rid them of stiffness and pain.
6. Pectin & Grape Juice
Pectin is a water soluble carbohydrate substance found in the cell walls of plants, where it helps keep cell walls together, and gives fruit firmness as it ripens. It is extracted from fruit to use as a setting in jams and jellies, and has become popular as a home remedy for arthritis when combined with grape juice. It has been tentatively hypothesized that it helps return the synovial tissue to a more elastic and lubricated state, which results in pain-free movement. Despite the fact that more studies are needed on pectin and connective tissue many people have found, for whatever reason, great relief from their arthritis with it. The grape juice is the liquid of choice due to the fact that it can help with inflammation.
You will need…
-1 tablespoon of liquid pectin
-8 oz. of grape juice
Directions
Mix 1 tablespoon of liquid pectin with 8 oz. of grape juice and drink 1-2 times daily. It will take a week or two for the effects to show.