Cancerous Cells Cannot Thrive Without This

Not long ago, researchers at the world-renowned University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center published a groundbreaking scientific review of their favorite anti-cancer nutrient -- curcumin. Curcumin, along with several other nutrients, is remarkable in that it can actually tell the difference between a healthy cell and a cancer cell.

According to Wellness Resources, here is how the researchers explained their interest in curcumin:

“’ ... Curcumin (diferuloylmethane) ... is one of the most powerful and promising chemopreventive and anticancer agents ... How curcumin exerts its powerful anticancer activities has been thoroughly investigated, and several mechanisms of action have been discovered ... curcumin exerts its biological activities through epigenetic modulation.’”

In other words, curcumin changes the regulation of DNA to help kill cancer. In fact, curcumin not only influences epigenetic settings, it also manages the downstream consequences, helping to guide multiple steps in the way gene orders are implemented.

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

The role of epigenetics in health and disease is becoming ever clearer, and I firmly believe this field of study will eventually supplant the current medical paradigm. The conventional belief has been that genes controlled their own expression and were therefore the direct cause of certain diseases. This laid the groundwork for the idea that your genes predetermined your health.

But genes are in fact NOT self-regulating.

Having "bad genes," does not at all mean you're doomed to suffer some inevitable fate. Genes are merely blueprints, and these blueprints are activated and controlled by something else entirely, namely their environment. This environmental information—which includes diet, toxic exposures, as well as thoughts and emotions, and more—can create more than 30,000 different variations from each blueprint, allowing for an astounding amount of leeway in modifying the expression or "read-out" of each gene!

The Power of Food as Medicine

As a result of these findings, we're now finally seeing science alter its course to investigate the power of optimal nutrition to improve health and prevent chronic disease from occurring in the first place. To anyone who is well-versed in alternative medicine, this is simply common sense. But many are still in denial about the power each individual wields over their own health, and that preventing disease and even treating disease can be as simple as modifying your diet and lifestyle—essentially, altering the environment of your body, to provide the best, most health promoting growth medium possible for all your cells.

Part of the explanation for why food can have such a powerful influence on serious diseases such as cancer is due to its influence on a biological process called angiogenesis-- the process your body uses to build blood vessels. Cancerous cells, like all other cells in your body, cannot thrive without the oxygen and nutrients supplied by your capillaries.

Excessive angiogenesis (too many blood vessels) promote diseases such as cancer.

Most of us actually carry around microscopic cancer cell clusters in our bodies all the time. The reason why we all don't develop cancer is because as long as your body has the ability to balance angiogenesis properly, it will prevent blood vessels from forming to feed these microscopic tumors. Trouble will only arise if, and when, the cancer cells manage to get their own blood supply, at which point they can transform from harmless to deadly.

As our ancestors intuitively understood, Nature has laced a large number of foods and herbs with naturally occurring inhibitors of angiogenesis, rendering them natural "anti-cancer medicines." Simply by consuming these anti-angiogenetic foods you can naturally boost your body's defense system and prevent blood vessels from forming and feeding the microscopic tumors that exist in your body at any given time.

I've previously written about a number of different foods found to have particularly powerful epigenetic influence, such as broccoli and resveratrol, but many researchers consider the curcumin in turmeric to have the greatest potential in combating cancer.

Curcumin—One of the Most Powerful Cancer Gene Regulators

It's now becoming more widely accepted that cancer is not pre-programmed into your genes, but rather it's the environment of your body that regulates your genetic expression that can trigger cancer to occur. Adverse epigenetic influences that can damage or mutate DNA and alter genetic expression, allowing cancer to proliferate, include:

Nutritional deficiencies and hormonal imbalances	Toxins and pollution	Chronic infections	Infectious toxic byproducts
Chronic stress	Chronic inflammation	Free radical damage	Thoughts and emotional conflicts

Curcumin currently has the most evidence-based literature supporting its use against cancer among all nutrients. Interestingly this also includes the metabolite of curcumin and its derivatives, which are also anti-cancerous. Best of all, curcumin appears to be safe in the treatment of all cancers.

Researchers have found that curcumin can affect more than 100 different pathways, once it gets into the cell. More specifically, curcumin has been found to:

Inhibit the proliferation of tumor cells	Decrease inflammation
Inhibit the transformation of cells from normal to tumor	Inhibit the synthesis of a protein thought to be instrumental in tumor formation
Help your body destroy mutated cancer cells so they cannot spread throughout your body	Help prevent the development of additional blood supply necessary for cancer cell growth (angiogenesis)

However, much of curcumin's power seems to lie in its ability to modulate genetic activity and expression—both by destroying cancer cells, and by promoting healthy cell function. It also promotes anti-angiogenesis, i.e. it helps prevent the development of additional blood supply necessary for cancer cell growth as discussed above.

For example, a 2005 study in Biochemical Pharmacology found that curcumin can help slow the spread of breast cancer cells to the lungs in mice.

"Curcumin acts against transcription factors, which are like a master switch," said lead researcher, Bharat Aggarwal. "Transcription factors regulate all the genes needed for tumors to form. When we turn them off, we shut down some genes that are involved in the growth and invasion of cancer cells."

Another study in Biochemical Pharmacology also found that curcumin inhibits the activation of NF-kappaB, a regulatory molecule that signals genes to produce a slew of inflammatory molecules (including TNF, COX-2 and IL-6) that promote cancer cell growth.

Other Health Benefits of Curcumin

The growing interest in curcumin over the past 50 years is understandable when you consider the many health benefits researchers have found when studying this herb. According to studies, curcumin may help:

Reduce cholesterol levels	Prevent low-density lipoprotein oxidation	Inhibit platelet aggregation
Suppress thrombosis and myocardial infarction	Suppress symptoms associated with type 2 diabetes	Suppress symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis
Suppress symptoms of multiple sclerosis	Suppress symptoms of Alzheimer's disease	Inhibit HIV replication
Suppress tumor formation	Enhance wound healing	Protect against liver damage
Increase bile secretion	Protect against cataracts	Protect against pulmonary toxicity and fibrosis

How to Use Curcumin

To get the full benefits curcumin has to offer, look for a turmeric extract that contains 100 percent certified organic ingredients, with at least 95 percent curcuminoids. The formula should be free of fillers, additives and excipients (a substance added to the supplement as a processing or stability aid), and the manufacturer should use safe production practices at all stages: planting, cultivation, selective harvesting, and then producing and packaging the final product.

Unfortunately, at the present time there really are no formulations available for the use against cancer. This is because relatively high doses are required and curcumin is not absorbed that well.

According to Dr. William LaValley, one of the leading medicine cancer physicians I personally know, typical anticancer doses are up to three grams of good bioavailable curcumin extract, three to four times daily. One work-around is to use the curcumin powder and make a microemulsion of it by combining a tablespoon of the powder and mixing it into 1-2 egg yolks and a teaspoon or two of melted coconut oil. Then use a high speed hand blender to emulsify the powder.

Another strategy that can help increase absorption is to put one tablespoon of the curcumin powder into a quart of boiling water. It must be boiling when you add the powder as it will not work as well if you put it in room temperature water and heat the water and curcumin. After boiling it for ten minutes you will have created a 12 percent solution that you can drink once it has cooled down. It will have a woody taste.

The curcumin will gradually fall out of solution however. In about six hours it will be a 6 percent solution, so it's best to drink the water within four hours.

Be aware that curcumin is a very potent yellow pigment and can permanently discolor surfaces if you aren't careful. 

Please Remember the Cancer Treatment BASICS

It is encouraging to see cancer research on herbs such as turmeric. However, it's virtually impossible to discuss cancer prevention and treatment without touching on one of the absolute best cancer prevention nutrients ever discovered, namely vitamin D.

Despite its name, vitamin D is actually a powerful neuro-regulatory steroid, and it's likely more potent than curcumin, as its epigenetic influence covers more than 2,000 genes in your body—or about 10 percent of all genes! There are also more than 830 peer reviewed scientific studies showing vitamin D's effectiveness in the treatment of cancer.

Personally, I believe it is virtually malpractice to not optimize vitamin D levels when treating someone with cancer. In this case, your vitamin D levels should be around 70-100 ng/ml. For more information about optimizing your vitamin D levels, please see my previous article Test Values and Treatment for Vitamin D Deficiency.

Cancer Treatments: Chemo or Natural?

Contrary to 'conventional wisdom,' chemotherapy is rarely the best option for cancer treatment as it usually typically doesn't cure cancer or extend life, and it rarely improves the quality of life. Dr. Ralph Moss, who is the author of eight books on cancer treatment, has reviewed thousands of studies as part of the research for his books -- and he has not found one single good study showing that chemo cures cancer or extends life.

What chemo does do, however, is expose your body to toxins that kill all cells that multiply and divide rapidly. This includes not only cancer cells, but also other rapidly multiplying and dividing cells, such as bone marrow, reproductive system cells and hair follicles.

These are powerful drugs that present an assault on your system -- one that your body must then overcome along with the cancer. And the effects do not end right after the treatment. One UCLA study found that chemotherapy can actually change the blood flow and metabolism of your brain in ways that can linger for 10 years or more after treatment.

Natural (and Epigenetic) Cancer Prevention Strategies

I believe you can virtually eliminate your risk of cancer and other chronic disease, and radically improve your chances of recovering from cancer if you currently have it, by following some relatively simple risk reduction strategies—all of which help promote a healthful biological environment in which your cells can thrive and combat disease naturally.

You don't read or hear much about these strategies because they have not been formally "proven" yet by conservative researchers. However, did you know that 85 percent of therapies currently recommended by conventional medicine have never been formally proven effective either?!

My top 12 cancer prevention strategies include:

1. Reduce or eliminate your processed food, fructose and grain carbohydrate intake.
2. Normalize your vitamin D levels by getting plenty of sunlight exposure and consider careful supplementation when this is not possible. If you take oral vitamin D and have cancer, it would be prudent to monitor your vitamin D blood levels regularly.
3. Control your fasting insulin and leptin levels. (Improved insulin and leptin control is the natural outcome of reducing or eliminating fructose, grains, and processed foods from your diet.)
4. Normalize your ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fats by taking a high-quality krill oil or fish oil and reducing your intake of most processed vegetable oils.
5. Get regular exercise. One of the primary reasons exercise works is that it drives your insulin levels down. Controlling insulin levels is one of the most powerful ways to reduce your cancer risks. If you have limited time, Sprint 8 is your best bet but ideally you should have a good strength training program
6. Get regular, good sleep.
7. Eat according to your nutritional type. The potent anti-cancer effects of this principle are sorely underappreciated. However, some cancer specialists are now using nutritional typing as an integral part of their cancer treatments.
8. Reduce your exposure to environmental toxins like pesticides, household chemical cleaners, synthetic air fresheners and air pollution.
9. Limit your exposure and provide protection for yourself from EMF produced by cell phone towers, base stations, cell phones and WiFi stations. On May 31, 2011, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), an arm of the World Health Organization (WHO), declared that cell phones are "possibly carcinogenic to humans."
10. Avoid frying or charbroiling your food. Boil, poach or steam your foods instead.
11. Have a tool to permanently reprogram the neurological short-circuiting that can activate cancer genes. Even the CDC states that 85 percent of disease is caused by emotions. It is likely that this factor may be more important than all the other physical ones listed here, so make sure this is addressed. Energy psychology seems to be one of the best approaches and my particular favorite tool, as you may know, is the Emotional Freedom Technique. German New Medicine is another powerful tool.
12. Eat at least one-third of your food raw.

HEALING BENEFITS OF AVOCADOS

The fat war is on, and I’m not talking The Biggest Loser. People have been busily reading labels with a discerning eye to locate the fat content of their food item, when really, if they just meandered over to the produce section they could save themselves the squinting and make an excellent choice for their fat intake. It’s time to unveil the healing benefits of avocados.

Avocado nutritional profile

Avocados are more than just an ingredient for guacamole. The diversity of this fruit native to Mexico and Central America can span from smoothies to scrambled eggs, and many places in between. If you haven’t found a way to use avocados for meals yet, you simply are not trying hard enough!

Aside from being rich in fatty acids and dietary fiber, avocados are one of the best anti-aging superfoods you can consume. This is because they are excellent for the brain, gut, and hormones, all which play an important part in your physical appearance. It is important to note that when choosing avocados, that the Hass avocado has been shown to be much more nutritionally dense than its counterparts when it comes to monounsaturated fatty acids.

Compared to the Florida avocado, for example, a Hass avocado can contain up to 6 times more total fat content, pound for pound. So what kind of nutrients can you expect to find in avocados? Check out this nutritional profile:

• Excellent source of monounsaturated fat as oleic acid. The saturated fat amounts to 14% of total fat content in a single serving with zero cholesterol.
• Provides all 18 essential amino acids necessary for the body to form a complete protein.

• Great source of fiber.
• Good source of Vitamin B6, C, E, and K, as well as folate, pantothenic acid, niacin, and riboflavin.
• Good source of potassium, copper, manganese, and magnesium.
• Excellent source of carotenoids such as beta-carotene, alpha carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin.
• Abundance of plant phytonutrients polyphenols and flavonoids.
• Contains a considerable amount of glutathione.

Want to raise the nutrition of your salad? A study published in the Journal of Nutrition in March 2005 showed that adding avocados to salads increased absorption of alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, and lutein 7.2, 15.3, and 5.1 times higher, respectively, than the average amount of these carotenoids absorbed when avocado-free salad was eaten!

Healing action of avocados

Due to its generous fatty acid and nutrient content, and being rich in antioxidants and plant phytonutrients, avocados are excellent for the brain, digestive, and hormonal systems. Some of the main benefits include:

• Improved brain health, including being proven to prevent and even reverse Alzheimer’s disease
• Boosts heart health and help lower blood pressure
• Reduces stroke risk
• Protects eyes from oxidative stress damage
• Helps prevent or reverse insulin resistance, a source for type 2 diabetes
• Helps reduce inflammation
• Helps prevent or mitigate arthritis
• Helps improve digestion
• Protects against prostate and breast cancers
• Reduces age spots and heals scars and burns

The healing benefits of avocados is quite apparent, and the good news is that they are one of the clean 15 so if you choose to not buy organic, you are still doing yourself a favour by purchasing them.

How to use avocados in your diet

Avocados have been largely known for their use in guacamole, and although that is a fine way to use them, there are others ways to use them so their pairings are a bit more healthy (as opposed to corn chips). Some of the main uses in meal preparation include:

• Guacamole
• Salads
• Sandwiches
• Spreads
• Eggs
• Smoothies
• Ice creams, puddings, and raw cakes

No matter how you decide to eat avocados, I suggest you start incorporating them on a daily basis. Remember to buy avocados that have no dents in the skin but will feel slightly soft when squeezed. You can also buy them unripe, and let them ripen in a fruit bowl at home. Once they do become ripe, you can slow down the process by putting them in the refrigerator.

Gut-Healing Coconut and Ginger Kefir

Kefir is a fermented milk beverage with origins that trace back to the Caucasus Mountains in Russia. It is traditionally made by mixing kefir grains and cow’s milk, but goat and sheep’s milk can be used as well.

Kefir is a rich source of vitamins, minerals and probiotics, all of which provide multiple health benefits that contribute to your overall well-being.

The key to making kefir is the kefir grains, a live culture composed of beneficial bacteria and yeasts that ferment the milk. What’s interesting about them is that they never stop growing and can be reused for an indefinite period of time.

However, this recipe by renowned chef Pete Evans doesn’t use kefir grains at all. Instead, it uses probiotic capsules. This not only allows you to choose your preferred probiotic strains, but it can also be a good alternative for those who are having trouble acquiring kefir grains.

Before you start making your own coconut and ginger kefir, there are a few things that need to be checked off. You will need a glass jar that can hold 3¼ cups of liquid. It will need to be washed well in hot soapy water, then run through the dishwasher on a hot rinse cycle to sterilize. 

It is imperative that all materials that come into contact with the ingredients have been sterilized. You don’t want to cultivate bad bacteria, but enable only good bacteria to flourish, so you must sterilize, including your hands, in very hot water. 

Gut-Healing Coconut and Ginger Kefir

Preparation Time:10 minutes (plus 24 to 30 hours fermenting time)  Total Time: 24 to 30 hours fermenting time

Ingredients

• 3 young coconuts
• 1 to 2 probiotic capsules
• 1 Tbsp. of finely grated fresh ginger

Serving Size: 3 cups

Procedure

1. Open the coconuts by cutting the top of the shells on each side. Strain the coconut water into a sterilized jar and set aside. 
2. Open the probiotic capsules and add their contents to the coconut water, then add the ginger. Using a non-metal spoon, stir the mixture.
3. Cover the jar with a piece of muslin and tighten the cloth with a rubber band. Place the jar inside your pantry, or on top of the kitchen counter in a dark area for 24 to 48 hours to allow the mixture to ferment. The kefir will be ready when the water turns from a relatively clear to a cloudy white appearance. 
4. You can taste test the kefir after 24 to 30 hours of fermenting. Pour some into a glass — do not taste directly from the bottle. The kefir should taste sour, with no sweetness left, like coconut beer. 
   
   Some batches are fizzier than others, but all are beneficial. If it still tastes a little sweet, place it back in the pantry for the remaining recommended fermentation time.

It’s very important to use fresh coconut water from young coconuts. Store-bought coconut water will not work as the product is pasteurized.

What to Look for in Probiotic Capsules

I am a firm believer that probiotics play an essential role in keeping your entire body healthy. Many inflammatory diseases such as asthma, eczema and multiple sclerosis stem from having gut problems. These problems cause an adverse autoimmune reaction, which then leads to systemic inflammation that will follow you for years to come.

To optimize your gut microbiome properly, your recipe will need to use a high-quality probiotic supplement that has the following qualities:

Purchased from a respectable brand.	The potency count (colony forming units of CFUs) should be at least 50 billion or higher. This is the number of bacteria being delivered per dose.
Avoid capsules that only declare the CFUs at the time of manufacture. Instead, review their shelf life.	The supplement must contain various strains of probiotics, as a high diversity usually leads to better health. At the very least, Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria strains should be present in the product.
The supplement comes from a non-GMO brand.	The product is manufactured according to Current Good Manufacturing Practices (CGMP).

Fresh Coconut Complements the Probiotics

Coconut is one of the healthiest foods you can eat. It contains a healthy dose of beneficial fat, vitamins and minerals that may help:

• Prevent overeating: Coconut contains medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) that when digested, helps you feel full longer. In one study, men who ate MCTs at breakfast consumed fewer calories at lunchtime.
• Maintain a healthy cholesterol level: Coconut contains healthy fats that can help raise your HDL (good) cholesterol and reduce your LDL (bad) cholesterol levels. In a study published in Lipids, this benefit was observed in participants who consumed coconut oil on a regular basis. It even gave them an additional benefit, which is reduced weight.
• Kill bacteria: Half of the healthy fatty acids found in coconut is composed of lauric acid. When digested, this acid transforms into a monoglyceride called monolaurin, which has been known to help fight harmful microbes such as Staphylococcus aureus

(staph infections) and Candida albicans (yeast infections).

Ginger Adds Flavor to the Kefir While Providing Its Own Health Benefits

Ginger is one of the most popular cooking ingredients around the world, and has been used in various cultures for over 2,000 years. It is loaded with various antioxidants that are known for their antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties.

In one study, participants with moderate-to-severe knee pain who were given ginger extract noted a reduction in their symptoms, which resulted in improved mobility. In another study, female athletes who took ginger powder daily for six weeks reported reduced muscle soreness after physical activity.

For this recipe, it’s important that you use fresh ginger so that all its beneficial compounds are as close to their natural state as possible.

This is What The Color and Smell of Your Poop Is Telling You About Your Health

This  is What The Color and Smell of Your Poop Is Telling You About Your Health

Talking about poop isn’t the most pleasant subject in the world, but the fact of the matter is that that what you deposit in your toilet can tell you much about what’s going on inside your body.

Time you gave a sh*t about your poop

Our bodies are complex organisms, and there’s a lot that can go wrong with them. Running a temperature, pain, fatigue, and depression are all clear signs that there’s trouble afoot, and your poop is another sign, that, but did you know how to read it, could give you an early warning that all is not well. So if you don’t give a sh*t about your poop, you’re passing up a great opportunity of diagnosing any potential problems, and taking the advantage that early treatment of any condition or disease can bring.

Creating your own pooposcope

Reading the tea leaves or the coffee grounds might give you some insight into what’s in store for you; but then again it might not. Reading your poop however, will. So let’s get down to business and set about telling you how you can read your own pooposcope.

Know Your Poop

The color of your stools (posh word), their consistency, their size, and their smell are all tell-tale signs of certain aspects of your internal health. As we go through the motions (little hidden pun there) of teaching you what to look for when you examine your poop, we’ll make use of something called the “Bristol Stool Chart”.  It’s something that researchers at the Bristol Royal Infirmary in the UK came up with. I always thought the Brits talked a load of ****, but they do it with such a cute accent! No, in all seriousness, it will help us to categorize the different types of poop and explain what each means.

The Perfect Poop

Who would have thought that finding the perfect poop could make you happy; but it should. It’s a sign that all is well on the inside. This is what the average stool consists of:

• Water (approx 75%)
• Solid matter (approx 25%)

The so-called solid matter can be broken down into:

• Dead bacteria
• Indigestible food matter (fiber and cellulose)
• Cholesterol
• Other fatty substances

The exact make-up and appearance of your stools will vary to a certain degree, according to what you have eaten and drunk. It normally takes somewhere between 18 and 72 hours to digest food and create poop. In an ideal world, (and now referring to the Bristol Stool Chart), the closer your stools are to types 3, 4, and 5, (4 & 5 being the ppp – the pinnacle of poop perfection), the better. When you have diarrhea, it’s because you’re stools have been processed to quickly and your intestines haven’t had time to extract as much water as they normally should. At the other end of the scale, failure to produce within 72 hours, is indicative of constipation, which may be linked to other problems.

Stool type # 1 – Small, hard lumpy stools

These types of stools can indicate acute disbacteriosis, which is an inflammation of the small intestine. Because certain bacteria are missing, there is little to be able to retain the water in the stool. These lumps of poop are small, solid, and abrasive, normally being anywhere from 1 to 2 cm in diameter. Because they are solid and somewhat scratchy, they can be quite painful to pass. This can cause anal bleeding. These types of stools are typical for anyone who has undergone a treatment of antibiotics, or anyone on a low fiber, or fiber free diet.

Stool type # 2 – Sausage shaped stools with lumps

This type of stool is actually a quantity of type 1 stools which have impacted into one single stool. They have a diameter of between 3 and 4 cm and often occur through constipation, remaining in the intestinal tract for several weeks. They are difficult and painful to pass, and may cause bleeding in the process, given their solidity, and the fact that their size exceeds that of the anal aperture.

This type of stool is typical for someone suffering from IBS (irritable bowel syndrome).

Stool type # 3 – Sausage shaped stools with a cracked surface

This type of stool is similar to stool number 2, but is processed faster, (typically between one and two weeks) and is therefore also indicative of constipation and irritable bowel syndrome.

Stool type # 4 – Sausage shaped stools, soft and smooth

This type of stool is pretty close to perfection. It is 1 to 2 cm in diameter (which indicates relatively short transit time and good fiber content). It is typical of someone who defecates once per day.

Stool type 5 – Soft blobs of poop with well defined edges

This type of poop is as close as you’ll get to poop perfection. With a diameter of between 1 and 1.5 centimeters, it is typical of someone who defecates two or three times per day following major meals.

Stool Type # 6 – Fluffy stools that have ragged, torn, edges

This type of stool is very soft in texture. It can catch people by surprise and cause problems if a bathroom isn’t close by. It can also be quite difficult to clean with toilet tissue alone. A bidet would be useful. This type of stool indicates high blood pressure, and stress.

Stool type # 7 – Diarrhea type – loose

This is similar to ordinary diarrhea but in this instance is something called paradoxical diarrhea because it happens in conjunction with constipation, accompanying stool type 1. It is often experienced by children and the elderly.

Stool Color

As well as size, shape, and consistency, the color of stools can be quite symptomatic, being an indicator of various conditions. A normal healthy stool, (or one than doesn’t indicate the existence of any problems) is a medium/light brown color.

• Black, tar, or bright red colored stools: These are an indication that there may be bleeding in the GI or anal tract, and you are advised to consult your doctor without delay. Please note however that black stools can be experienced from certain medications, various health supplements, and after eating black licorice.

• Very pale brown, gray, or white stools: This odd coloration can be caused through a lack of bile, although white stools can also be a result of taking antacids. However, these types of discolored stools may indicate problems such as cirrhosis, hepatitis, and pancreatic illness. These are all serious conditions and you should see your doctor immediately for a check-up.

• Yellow colored stools: Yellow colored stools can be an indication of a problem with your gallbladder, a giardia infection, or something known as Gilbert’s syndrome. Yellow stools are a prompt to visit your doctor.

Smelly Stools

No matter which way you dress it up, poop don’t smell nice. But there’s not nice, and then there’s downright nasty smelling poop. Vile smelling stools can be indicative of:

• A problem with absorption
• Celiac disease
• Crohn’s disease
• Pancreatitis
• Cystic fibrosis

Holistic health covers all aspects of well-being

Knowing how to interpret your stools can actually be a real life saver, so it’s not something you can just pooh-pooh (sorry I couldn’t resist it). I’ve just scratched the surface here in this article, If you like to dig deeper, follow this link to the mercola.com website. They do say that a holistic health lifestyle addresses all aspects of health and being. Well you have to say that learning how to read your own pooposcopes is really taking that sentiment to heart.

Загадката на Странджанската експедиция

Людмила Живкова праща в пълна тайна доверени лица да разгадават мистерии край границата с Турция

Всичко започва с тази загадъчна иманярска карта

Годината е 1981-ва. Властва безметежното управление на Тодор Живков. Дъщеря му е министър на културата и член на най-висшия партиен орган Политбюро. В ход са тържествата, ознаменуващи 1300-годишнината от създаването на българската държава, за които правителството е отпуснало колосални суми за честванията и мероприятията, свързани с тях. През пролетта на същата година край граничната бразда недалеч от Малко Търново започва секретна и загадъчна експедиция. Търси се гробницата на богинята Бастет и нейните несметни богатства.

Всичко започва с една мистериозна иманярска карта. Според една от тиражираните версии иманяр на име Мустафа притежавал архивна карта, изработена от животинска кожа. Върху нея имало неразбираеми чертежи, геометрични фигури и йероглифи. Притежателят й решил, че става въпрос за скрито съкровище, и започнал да търси специалисти, които могат да разчетат непознатата писменост и картата. Така мистериозната карта се озовала в БАН. Оттам документът попада при Людмила Живкова, която живо се заинтригувала. Според Кръстьо Мутафчиев, съветник на Людмила, никой не е могъл да прочете древното писание и за това са потърсили помощ от петричката пророчица Ванга. Друга версия гласи, че по време на специализацията си в Оксфорд през 70-те Людмила Живкова е имала контакти с висш представител на английските тайни служби, който й казал, че от въздуха с помощта на британските мощности е сканирана българската територия и под земята на местността Градище в Странджа е открита някаква правилна кухина, което навежда на мисълта, че не е от естествен произход.

Каквото и да е имало зад входа на тази пещера, то е отдавна унищожено или скрито

Тя се връща в България и натоварва ръководителя на служба „Културно наследство" Кръстьо Мутафчиев да организира експедиция в Странджа, за да намерят тайнственото място. Същевременно притежателят на загадъчната карта Мустафа молил Ванга да го приеме. Тя го сторила и така иманярската карта се оказва в ръцете на племенницата на Ванга - Красимира Стоянова, която я дава на Людмила Живкова, като разказва за мистериозната история, която отчасти съвпадала с казаното от представителя на МИ-6.

Независимо коя от двете версии е по-меродавна, след като Ванга се запознава с картата, разказва следната причудлива история: „Картата сочи място до Малко Търново, на което има гроб на жена, държаща жезъл от извънземна материя. Около нея са пръснати несметни богатства - злато на буци, предмети и оръжие. Много, много отдавна дошли по вода от Египет хора, били стройни и високи, с черни коси. Носели маски на лицата си, били облечени като кукери. Грозяла ги голяма опасност, всичко било донесено, заровено и построено от роби, пролята е била много кръв. Всичко е закопано на 6 м дълбочина. Дори и да намерят този саркофаг, няма да могат да разчетат писмото. А то е много важно! Защото с него е записана историята на света - две хиляди години преди нашето време и две хиляди години след него."

Ванга казала още, че до мястото има път, който минавал покрай храм и светилище. Според някои твърдения пророчицата е разчела знак по знак пътя до гробницата. Първият бил скала, на която са изсечени куче, орел и четирите световни посоки. Според преданието Бастет всъщност била местна тракийска принцеса, полубогиня-получовек, озовала се в Древен Египет. Там жреците й събирали котки за жертвоприношения. По нейна последна воля била погребана в родните й места.

Гробницата е построена през VIII в. пр. н. е. и била затрупана с тонове земна маса и скални късове, за да се скрие. Хилядите роби, построили светилището на божеството, били избити до крак, за да не разнесат свещената тайна.

Тези думи на Ванга и цялата загадъчна история е разказана подробно в книгата „Хомо сапиенс за произхода на хомо сапиенс" на Кръстю Мутафчиев. За кожената карта Мутафчиев смятал, че е копие на небесна - от съзвездието Цефей. Дори уверявал, че истинската гробница е в Космоса, а в Странджа - огледалният й земен двойник. Според плана, който разчел, тя се състояла от тайна камера, обикновена камера и елипсовидно преддверие. Ванга предупреждава хората на Людмила Живкова да не пипат и ровят мястото, а първоначалната версия, че върху пергамента е нарисувана карта на скрито съкровище, бързо е опровергана от пророчицата.

Известна с увлечението си към тайнственото и окултното, Людмила Живкова силно се заинтригувала от информацията и решила да бъде организирана секретна експедиция в Странджа - район, строго охраняван от гранични войски, със силно ограничен режим на пребиваване. За нея не е трябвало да знае никой, нито вътрешният министър Димитър Стоянов, нито Държавна сигурност. Довереникът й Кръстю Мутафчиев моментално организирал петчленна експедиция за местността, в която освен него и племенницата на Ванга - Красимира Стоянова (тогава служител в Комитета за култура), се включили още археологът Иля Прокопов (ст. н. с. II степен, историк и нумизмат, по-късно директор на НИМ), изследователят журналист Цеко Етрополски и шофьорът Иван Николов. Говори се, че е имало и шести човек на име Георги Пантов - главен механик на рудник „Младеново" край Малко Търново. Така групата се озовава на 6 км от М. Търново и на 1.5 км от митническия пункт с Турция, край силно охраняваната тогава българо-турска граница. Разкопките започнали на посочена от Ванга дата.

Още с пристигането си в местността изследователите стават свидетели на странно явление. На 10 април 1981 г. вечерта (според Красимира Стоянова датата е 5 май), след изгрева на луната, групата отишла на хълма. В този момент върху западната стена се появили две фосфоресциращи човешки фигури. Едната на седящ в царствен трон мъж и втора мъжка фигура зад него. Мутафчиев твърди, че той и колегите му застинали от ужас и не успели да помръднат, докато образите не изчезнали, а веднага след това тръгнали обратно към града, намиращ се в първа гранична зона. Когато се върнали при Ванга и разказали, тя ги успокоила, че това са холограмни паметници, велики мъже, на друга цивилизация на далечни светлинни години от нас. Странни неща в района са виждали и иманяри. „Нещото" се появявало винаги късно нощем в определени дни през годината.

Първият секретар на ОбК на БКП в Малко Търново Илия Петков им помага с организацията, настаняването и с осигуряването на земекопни машини, но и на него му е казано да седи настрани и да не разпитва какво точно прави експедицията. Криели са и от траколога Александър Фол, изключително близък до Людмила Живкова, който същевременно прави разкопки със студентите си в близката местност Мишкова нива, която е само на 2 часа път пеша от Градище. Според него и съпругата му Валерия Фол случилото се тогава било по-скоро иманярска експедиция, която е търсела някакво съкровище. Очаквали са, че ще намерят някакви артефакти, които могат да изнесат в чужбина и да продадат.

Около седмица след мистериозното явление изследователите се екипирали с необходимата техника, с която разполагали, и се върнали на хълма да започнат разкопките. Те обаче не спазват заръката на Ванга и взривяват входа на пещерата. Каквото и да е имало, то е било унищожено от тях. Имало е и надпис вътре в нея, който също е бил унищожен. Според една от непотвърдените версии след взрива попаднали на вход, подобен на минна галерия и затворен с обработен правоъгълен камък. В тунела са открити ръждясали железни дръжки от сечива и скрипец. Находките са изпратени незабавно за лабораторен анализ в Германската демократична република. Каква е съдбата им и резултатите от изследването не е ясно, тъй като всички документи от онова време все още са секретни. Освен тях екипът открива 2 камъка от черен гранат - плосък, с гравиран мъжки профил, и сферичен, с 12 стени. За него изследователите смятат, че е ценен информационен носител. Той обаче също изчезва мистериозно.

Групата попада и на друга интересна находка. На около 2 м след входа откриват дупка в пода с формата на окръжност, приличаща на кладенец и запълнена с каменни отломки. Върху скалите на връх Градище пък са открити странни указателни стрелки и знаци, напомнящи древна писменост и идентични с тези върху старинната кожена карта. Днес остава подозрението, че в Странджа са открити и други находки, които са запазени в дълбока тайна и поне в обозримо бъдеще едва ли ще излязат наяве.

Deadly Cancer Signs Most Women Neglect

Instead of waiting for a regular checkup, start paying more attention to the changes and signs your body shows. Among them are:

1.      Back pain and lower back pain: Many patients diagnosed with liver cancer report having back pain. Sometimes back pain may indicate breast cancer since the tumor presses the chest and the ribs.

2.      Changed nails: Too pale and whitish nails are often sign of liver cancer while brown or blackish dots on the nails may indicate skin cancer. In addition to this, nail curving may be a sign of lung cancer.

3.      Swollen face:  Many lung cancer patients have swollen or red face due to the fact that lung tumors block the chest blood vessels and restrict the blood flow to the face.

4.      Sore/skin lumps:  Check every skin and as these lumps or bleeds may indicate skin cancer or basal cell melanoma.

5.      Red/ swollen/sore breasts: A clear sign of breast cancer.

6.      Nipple changes:  Inverted, flat, or sideways changes in the nipple are the most common sign of breast cancer.

7.      Painful and strange period s or in between period: This often indicates uterus cancer so make sure you do a trans-vaginal ultrasound.

8.      Short breath/ wheezing: A potential sign of lung cancer.

9.      Chronic cough/chest pain:  A persistent cough may be a sign of various cancer types, such as tumors and leukemia.  Lung cancer causes pain in the chest which spreads to the shoulder and the arm.

10.  Fevers and infections: Frequent fevers and infections may indicate leukemia as the infectious blood cells remove all shields of energy of the body.

11.  Swelling in lymph nodes, neck, armpits, and groin: Enlarged nodes often indicate cancer.

12.  Difficulty swallowing: This issue may be a sign of throat/esophageal or lung cancer.

13.  Bruises and bleedings that don’t stop: This can be a sign of leukemia since this diseases is manifested by more leukemia cells than red blood cells, which in turn inhibits the transportation of oxygen and leads to clotting.

14.  Fatigue/ weakness:  They are generally harmless but if they occur suddenly and without an apparent reason they may be a sign of cancer.

15.  Abdominal fat and bloating:  Weight gain in the abdominal area and bloating are often signs of ovary cancer.

16.  Low appetite:  Low appetite is common sign of ovary cancer and many patients reported having less appetite than normal.

17.  Pelvic pain: Pelvic pain, cramps around the pelvis, and bloating may indicate ovary cancer or leukemia, due to the enlargement of the spleen.

18.  Upset belly/ abdominal pain:  These cramps may be a sign of colorectal cancer.

19.  Bloody stool/rectal bleeding:  These are another sign of colorectal cancer and blood on the TP is more than strong reason to get checked up.

20.  Strange weight loss:  Unusual weight loss may indicate both rectal cancer and digestive organ cancers.  If it affects the liver it inhibits body`s ability to eliminate waste material.

Откриха главната причина за стареенето и смъртта

„Обвиняеми“ са гени на растежа, които после ни убиват

Учени от Института по молекулярна биология в Германия разкриха механизма, свързан с неизбежното стареене и смъртта на организмите. Оказва се, че главна роля имат гени, които са нужни за поддържане на нормалните функции на клетките, но в напреднала възраст допринасят за увреждането и смъртта им. Една от хипотезите гласи, че стареенето и свързаната с него смърт са програмирани от еволюцията. Колкото по-дълга е продължителността на живота на дадено същество, толкова по-голямо е потомството му, на което ще бъдат предадени гените му.

Организмите, които могат да се възпроизвеждат безкрайно дълго, получават еволюционно преимущество пред всички останали видове. Затова стареенето би трябвало постепенно да изчезне. За да бъде решено това противоречие, e предложена концепцията за т.нар. антагонистична плейотропия. Това е ефектът от множествени действия на ген, когато изпълнява едновременно няколко функции. Концепцията се състои в това, че един и същ ген може да допринесе за плодовитостта на дадено живо същество и за стареенето му.

В резултат ДНК бързо се разпространява сред популацията, независимо че смъртта е неизбежна за всеки носител на гена. С това е свързана "недалновидността" на еволюцията, когато се подбират единствено онези признаци, които осигуряват незабавно преимущество, а не тези, които са по-изгодни в дългосрочен план.

В крайна сметка стареенето и смъртта стават неразделна част от генетичната програма.

Тъй като хипотезата бе потвърдена с помощта на математически модели, трябваше да се открият конкретни гени с антагонистична плейотропия, които допринасят за стареенето. Експериментите са извършени с нематоди Caenorhabditis elegans. Изследвани бяха няколко гени, обясняват учените. Резултатите показали, че за стареенето допринася ДНК, която е отговорна за процеса автофагия.

Автофагия е необходима за нормалното развитие на ембриона и освен това е свързана с други важни функции. При червеите обаче този механизъм започва да функционира неправилно. Установено е, че дезактивирането на съответните гени в невронните мрежи у C. elegans допринася за удължаването на живота им с 50 на сто и подобрява физическото им състояние.

Учените са на мнение, че откритието ще допринесе за разработване на терапии срещу болестта на Алцхаймер, на Паркинсон и на Хънтигтън.

Като прибавите тези съставки в кисело мляко и го изядете, ще свалите очилата, защото няма да ви трябват повече!

Проблемите със зрението обичайно се изразяват в някаква степен късогледство или далекогледство.

С годините късогледството леко се коригира от само себе си, което обаче не може да се каже за далекогледството.

Освен чрез непрекъснато носене на необходимите очила или лещи, за да свалите диоптрите си може да си помогнете и чрез следните два съвета:

Нарежете с нож на ситно листата от една връзка свеж магданоз и ги разбъркайте в една кофичка кисело мляко.

Консумирайте дозата на три пъти през деня в продължение на един месец.

Към една кофичка кисело мляко добавете една шепа ситно нарязани връхчета от млада и прясна коприва.

Разбъркайте добре тази съставки и консумирайте през целия ден половин час преди хранене.

След 40 дни ще усетите истинския ефект, като може да коригирате зрението си с до 2 диоптъра.