Can Garlic Help In Controlling Cholesterol

High levels of bad cholesterol or LDL cholesterol in your blood can increase risks of heart disease. It is thus important to ensure that your cholesterol levels are under control at all times. Low density lipoprotein (LDL) and high density lipoprotein (HDL) are the two kinds of cholesterol , where the former is referred to as the bad cholesterol and the latter as good cholesterol. While cholesterol  is made in the liver, there are certain foods that can increase cholesterol levels. These foods are primarily those high in saturated and trans fat. Similarly, there are foods that lower your cholesterol levels, and one such food item is garlic.

Garlic is a spice which is popular for its benefits on digestion, high blood pressure  and inflammation to name a very few. However, there are some studies which talk about cholesterol improving properties of garlic as well.

Doctor says that garlic may reduce total cholesterol in the body by a few percentage points. This however, may only be for the short term. It further adds that garlic may prolong bleeding and blood clotting time. Thus, intake of garlic should be avoided before surgery or intake of any blood thinning drugs.

We ask clinical nutritionist  about garlic and its cholesterol-reducing properties. She says, "Allicin is the active compound in garlic, which may be contributing to lowering cholesterol. However, it is more effective in controlling heart diseases  vis a vis blood thinning and its anti-inflammatory properties. There are some studies which have talked about minor effect of garlic on cholesterol," she says.

Foods that help in lowering cholesterol

1. Legumes: Legumes are rich in minerals, fibre and protein. Some studies say that including legumes in your diet can lower bad cholesterol in the body.
2. Vegetables: Nutritionist mentions that some vegetables contain soluble fibre that can help in reducing cholesterol levels in the body. Vegetables like eggplants, carrots and potatoes can all be included in your diet to keep cholesterol and weight under control. They are good for heart health.
3. Berries and fruits: Fruits are rich in soluble fibre that help in lowering cholesterol levels in the body. Berries and grapes contain plant compounds that can increase good cholesterol and reduce bad cholesterol in the body.
4. Almonds and walnuts: Including nuts in your diet can be good for heart health. Nuts contain monounsaturated fats. Walnuts contain omega 3s and almonds contain L-arginine, which is an amino acid that helps the body make nitric oxide. This helps in regulating blood pressure.
5. Fatty fish: Fatty fish like salmon, mackerel and tune are rich sources of omega 3 fatty acids. Omega 3s are good for heart health as they reduce inflammation and stroke risk, and increase levels of good cholesterol in the body.

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Now, reversible antiplatelet therapy to fight clotting, cancer metastasis

Now, a new study published on Wednesday says that a reversible, drug-free antiplatelet therapy could reduce the risk of blood clots and potentially prevent cancer metastasis.

The therapeutic approach involves modifying human platelets to create "decoys" that are still capable of binding to some cells but will not aggregate or carry out the other normal platelet functions, including chemical signalling associated with the clotting process.

Speaking about it, lead author  said, “The reversibility and immediate onset of action are major advantages of our platelet decoys, and we envision them to be useful in hospital-based situations."

She added, "The therapy could prevent clotting in high-risk patients just before they undergo surgery, or be given to cancer patients alongside chemotherapy to prevent existing tumors from spreading."

While platelets play a vital role in halting bleeding and help protecting against minor and life-threatening bleeding, hyperactive platelets can also contribute to various disorders, including severe blood clots, heart disease and cancer.

While several anti-platelet drugs fight clots, their effects are not easily reversible, leaving patients vulnerable if they develop unexpected severe bleeding or are in need of an emergency surgical procedure.

Platelets also play an important part in cancer metastasis by binding to tumour cells and protecting them both from the body's immune system and shear stress as they circulate in the bloodstream. They may also help the cancer cells exit through blood vessels and seed distant tissues during the process of metastasis.

In their journey towards creating decoy platelets, the research team used a detergent treatment and centrifugation to strip natural human platelets of their inner structures and remove their basic activation and aggregation abilities.

These decoy platelets became about one-third the size of a regular platelet while retaining a majority of adhesion receptors on their surface. This allows them to bind to other cells in the bloodstream, such as cancer cells, but not become active during the blood clotting process.

The researchers, first examined how the decoys might impede the formation of blood clots. The team injected the decoys into a microfluidic blood-vessel-mimicking device and observed how the decoys reacted to various platelet-stimulating chemicals.

They found the decoys did not show typical clotting behaviours, and when added to human blood within the device, the normal platelets showed a reduced ability to aggregate and create a clot by binding to the vessel's walls. Furthermore, the researchers quickly reversed the effects of the decoys on normal platelets by introducing fresh platelets into the blood.

Dr. said, “Our ability to reverse the platelet inhibiting effects with a simple reintroduction of normal platelets is very encouraging as currently available anti-platelet agents are often difficult to reverse in emergency settings such as severe bleeding.”

Based on the key role platelets play in supporting cancer metastasis in the bloodstream, the team sought to target circulating tumour cells with their cellular approach. The decoy platelets were able to compete with normal platelets when binding to cancer cells and were effective in preventing cancer cell extrusion out of a vasculature-emulating microfluidic chip model.

Furthermore, in a model of metastasis, there was a significant reduction in the burden of established metastatic tumours when cancer cells were introduced simultaneously with platelets and decoys. 

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.                                    PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO  VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                           https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com/       

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Can papaya leaves help cure dengue?

One such, much talked about remedy is the use of papaya leaf juice to heal the body ravaged by dengue. While some people claim that it is simply a belief, others swear by the remedy. So, what is the truth? In this post we demystify the clutter.
 
Truth or hoax?
While some people say that it is simply a hoax, there might be some truth to papaya leaf juice’s claim to fame after all. A number of scientific papers have proved that papaya leaf juice is actually beneficial for the body. One of the first papers to talk about the benefits of the papaya leaf juice was studied by Dr Nam Dang at the University of Florida, research center . He found that the papaya leaf juice was capable of fighting cancer, was non toxic to the body and had the capability to improve one’s immunity. While the plant’s leaf is well known for its curative properties in diseases like malaria and cancer, Dr Sanath Hettige, a general physician in Sri Lanka, found that the juice of young leaves can be used to treat dengue. His paper was published in the Sri Lankan Journal of Family Physicians in 2008

How does it work?
Papaya leaves are known to be packed with the enzymes like chymopapin and papain that, according to Dr Sanath Hettige, normalise the platelet count, improves the clotting factor (helps the blood clot normally), improves one’s liver function and repairs the damage to the liver done by dengue, therefore helping an ailing person recover from the disease.

How to use the papaya leaf?
The  young leaves from a fruit bearing papaya plant should be used. According to Dr Hettige, the leaves of the Red Lady papaya plant (found commonly in India) are more effective. The important fact is that one should choose leaves that are not too old, neither too young. Now, take only the leafy part and not the stalk and wash them well with water. Crush the leaves using a wooden mortar and pestle without any additives like water, salt or sugar. Once they are crushed, squeeze out the juice with clean hands and drink it two times a day. Do not add any salt or sugar to the drink. According to Dr Hettige,  an adult should have 10 ml of the juice twice a day (or at eight hour intervals), children between the age of five and 12 should have 5 ml of the juice twice a day and those below 10 years of age should be given 2.5ml of the juice. 

At what stage should a patient ideally have the juice?
According to Dr Sanath, it is best the patient start having the juice as early as possible. This means that when they notice the first symptoms of dengue fever (when their platelets show a decline in numbers below 150000 cu mm or when the packed cell volume goes above 10%). It is also beneficial at later stages, but if the condition has progressed and has led to organ failure, the juice is not very effective. 

This article is only about a home remedy, although it has been certified by a doctor, it is best one visit a physician at the earliest in the case of dengue.

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

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A Combintion Of Drugs May Reduce Risk of Second Stroke

 After suffering a stroke or a mini-stroke, patients are usually given aspirin to prevent clots that can cause another stroke. Now a new study suggests that adding the drug Plavix (clopidogrel) to the mix can reduce the risk of a second stroke by nearly a third over aspirin alone.

Both drugs target clotting agents in the blood, called platelets, preventing them from grouping together and forming clots. The drug combination is commonly used after a heart attack, but until now there hasn't been enough data to suggest it would work in stroke or mini-stroke, officially known as a transient ischemic attack (TIA).

Most strokes are caused by blood clots that block blood vessels in the brain. These are called ischemic strokes. A TIA is also caused by a clot that dissipates in a short time. Both leave patients at risk for another stroke that could be more severe, the researchers said.

In the new phase 3 trial, more than 5,000 patients who had suffered a stroke or TIA within the previous 24 hours were randomly assigned to take either aspirin alone or aspirin plus Plavix for three months.

This three-month period is the most critical for repeat strokes, with 10 percent to 20 percent of people who have a TIA or minor stroke suffering a second stroke, the researchers said.

Within three months of starting the study, 8.2 percent of the patients taking the two-drug combo had another stroke, compared with 11.7 percent of those taking aspirin alone, the researchers found.

Recently, doctors have moved away from using this combination of drugs for long-term stroke treatment because of the increased risk of serious bleeding, he said.

"Now we can see there is a definite benefit of the combined use of aspirin and Plavix in the acute phase of stroke,".

He said this treatment appears most effective in patients who have suffered a minor stroke or TIA. "If the results of other trials are similar to what we saw in this one, more people will use this therapy," he said. "It offers more tools and better options to offer patients."  He also noted that TIA patients are at a high risk for stroke.

The drug combination has not been found effective in long-term treatment to prevent a second stroke. However, he added, "this trial offers hope that in the short term, combination [drugs] may be worth the increased bleeding risk to improve outcomes."

Stroke is a major cause of death and disability around the world, and the fourth leading cause of death in the United States.

ps- this is only for information, always consult you physician before having any particular food/ medication/exercise/other remedies.

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HEALTH BENEFITS OF SOYA BEANS

HEALTH BENEFITS OF SOYA BEANS

Unlike other beans, soya beans offers complete protein profile. It is a complete reservoir of nutrients.

 The photochemical in soya beans prevents blood clotting from taking place.

 It protects the heart against oxidation. 

It is an excellent source of essential fatty acids, calcium, lecithin, riboflavin, thiamine, fibre, folate ( folic acid) & iron.



ps- this is only for information, always consult you physician before having any particular food/ medication/exercise/other remedies.

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Primrose oil not just a PMS remedy, reduces clotting, inflammation etc.

Many women have been using supplements of evening primrose oil. With a feminine image, this oil has got typecast as a women’s supplement not without a reason. It has been associated with relieving pre-menstrual and post menopausal symptoms. But there is much more to it than just this.

Native Americans were the first to recognise the potential of evening primrose oil as a healer when they boiled seeds of evening primrose to make a liquid for healing wounds.

The oil is rich in a special class of polyunsaturated fat called gamma-linolenic acid (GLA). GLAs are also found in seed oils such as borage and black-currant. GLAs need not be provided in the diet as the body is able to manufacture these, when linoleic acid (a poly-unsaturated fat) is converted into a functionally active form — Gamma Linolenic acid (GLA).

GLA is the raw material for a family called prostaglandins, hormone-like lipids that regulate many physiologic processes. GLA forms a special class of prostaglandins (PGE1) which has anti-inflammatory properties and is known to reduce eczema and allergy symptoms, tone blood vessels (vasodilation), balance water levels, lower blood pressure and reduce the tendency to form blood clots. This may be the basis for the observation that GLA may help reduce pain associated with rheHowever, since supplements are generally regarded safe and side-effects are rare, use of evening primrose oil is not contradicted and remains popular. Although, generally well often tolerated is most taken in the form of capsules, but it is also available as an oil. They must be taken under the supervision of a qualified physician.

umatoid arthritis.

The ability to produce GLA from linoleic acid seems to be blocked or diminished with ageing, diabetes, alcohol consumption, high intake of saturated and trans fats, high blood cholesterol and zinc deficiency.  Therefore, supplementation may be helpful in certain situations.

Research in animals does show that evening primrose oil decreases risk of heart diseases by increasing HDL-C (good cholesterol) and reducing clotting and inflammation. It has also been shown to be beneficial in treatment of diabetic nerve disease (neuropathy).

Although evening primrose oil has been found to be effective in decreasing breast pain and helping with other pre-menstrual symptoms, including bloating and post menopausal symptoms like hot flushes, research remains inconclusive.

It should not be taken if you have a bleeding problem, blood disorder or taking medication for epilepsy or seizures. Evening primrose oil, however, in some has been reported to cause nausea, stomach pain, headache and loose stool particularly in high doses. Excessive or prolonged use may create an imbalance between the essential fats and lead to immuno-suppressive effects on the body.

For more info. kindly got to the foll. site- 

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/more-than-a-pms-remedy/787014/2