MaoBah

Recent research has found that regular consumption of nut products during pregnancy raises the odds of your child having asthma symptoms by nearly 50 percent.

About 4 percent of American children have food allergies, and roughly 3 million people in the U.S. are allergic to peanuts or tree nuts. It’s already recommended that children under 3 not be given nuts or nut products, because their immune systems are still developing and may be more susceptible to allergens.

Daily consumption of nut products increases the odds that a child will have wheezing by 42 percent, shortness of breath by 58 percent, and steroid use to ease asthma symptoms by 62 percent.

Overall, the odds of developing asthma symptoms for a child whose mother ate nuts daily are 47 percent higher.

As I write this article, I’m running my tongue on one of the three sores I have right now. This actually causes stress sometimes. A friend of mine was also complaining about having them, so I decided to write an article about canker sores and its causes and treatment.

First of all, what are these sores? Well, they are small, white sores that form in the mouth of a person. They commonly appear inside the cheeks, under the tongue, or on your gums. If left untreated, they go away in seven to ten days.

Possible causes of canker sores are:

• fatigue
• food allergies
• menstrual periods
• stress
• weakened immune system
• biting the tongue or cheek or lips
• chewing sharp bits of food such as nachos
• nutritional problems or deficiencies
• genetics

Some doctors recommend applying ice to the canker sore, avoiding food that is irritating, and rinsing your mouth with over-the-counter preparations such as diluted hydrogen peroxide or elixir of Benadryl. Some people find relief by rinsing the mouth with a solution of ½ teaspoon of salt in 8 ounces of water.

In my case, I go to a drugstore and ask if they have canker sore drops. It’s medicine specifically for these types of mouth sores. You use a cotton bud and dip it into the solution, then put it on the sore for 20 seconds. That would be 20 secods of excrutiating pain, but after that the sore is healed. 

I’ve actually had about enough of people who think they’re so smart and they insist that the appendix doesn’t have any use so it should be taken out. Well, exactly how much do these people know about the human body? If indeed the appendix has no use at all, then why would it be there in the first place? Same thing goes for tonsils and wisdom teeth, which I’m currently researching on. Everything happens or is there for a reason. With regards to the appendix, researchers FINALLY now believe that it is a “safe house” for commensal bacteria, the symbiotic germs that aid digestion and help protect against disease-causing germs.

The appendix is isolated from the rest of the gut, with an opening smaller than a pencil lead. In times of trouble, such as an infection that flushes the system, these commensal bacteria could hide out there, ready to repopulate the gut when the danger is past.

Biofilms, colonies of beneficial microbes, form in your large intestine. They aid digestion and protect against infection, while enjoying the protection and nutrition of the human host. Researchers have found biofilms on the epithelial lining of the appendix as well.

Researchers have ranked 10 beverages according to their antioxidant levels. Here is how the rankings
turned out:

1. Pomegranate juice
2. Red wine
3. Concord grape juice
4. Blueberry juice
5. Black cherry juice
6. Açaí juice
7. Cranberry juice
8. Orange juice
9. Tea
10. Apple juice

Pomegranate is the healthiest of them all, because it contains the most of every type of antioxidant. It may protect against some cancers, such as prostate cancer. It might also modify heart disease risk factors.

Concord Grape Juice Concord grape juice is a source of very potent antioxidants. There‘s some research indicating it may be good for your heart and help reduce blood pressure.

Blueberry Juice Blueberry juice contains lots of antioxidants and fiber, and is very high in vitamin C. There‘s some indication that blueberries may have a beneficial effect on age-related cognitive abilities.

Black Cherry Juice Not only is it high in antioxidants, but there is evidence that black cherry juice can diminish exercise-induced muscle injuries.

Cranberry Juice It‘s also high in antioxidants and vitamin C. There is evidence that it can decrease the incidence of urinary tract infections.

Plastic releases trace amounts of some of its ingredients as it is exposed to heat or stress or when it ages. Of particular concern are bisphenol-a (BPA), used to strengthen some plastics, and phthalates, used to soften others.

These chemicals are used in hundreds of household items; BPA is in everything from baby bottles to can linings, while phthalates are found in children’s toys as well as vinyl shower curtains. They enter your body through the food, water and bits of dust you consume, or are simply absorbed through your skin.

BPA and phthalates are endocrine disrupters, which mimic hormones. Estrogen and other hormones in relatively tiny amounts can cause vast changes, so researchers worry that BPA and phthalates could do the same, especially in young children.

To cut down on your exposure, avoid plastic bottles and toys labeled with the numbers 3 or 7, which often contain BPA or phthalates, and canned foods, especially those with acidic contents like tomatoes. You should also avoid heating plastic in microwaves.

Eating a few portions of  broccoli every week can actually protect men from having prostate cancer later in their life. Researchers believe that a substance called isothiocyanate in the broccoli sparks hundreds of genetic changes, activating some genes that fight cancer and switching off others that fuel tumors.

Prostate cancer kills more men than any other kind except for lung cancer. Each year, 680,000 men worldwide are diagnosed with the disease and about 220,000 will die from it.

The benefit derived from broccoli would likely also be available from other cruciferous vegetables that contain isothiocyanate, including Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, arugula, watercress and horseradish. So stop setting those green vegetables aside, because they can do wonders for your health more than you think.

Big uh-oh and gulp for me and fans of flip flops (think of your precious pricey Havaianas for this one.)

They may actually throw off your stride and cause pain in your lower legs and feet and this is according to researchers at Auburn University in Alabama.

Researchers recruited 39 college-age men and women, and measured how the participants walked on a special platform wearing thong flip-flops. On another day, the same participants walked across the platform wearing their own athletic shoes.

When the participants wore flip-flops, they took shorter strides and their heels hit the ground with less vertical force. When people walk in flip-flops, they apparently alter their gait, which may explain why lower leg and foot problems can occur in people who wear such shoes frequently.

I also did extra research on this issue, because I just couldn’t believe it. But here is what one site quoted:

Tony Bruno — a certified Muscle Activation Techniques Specialist — wearing flip-flops can not only cause dysfunctional changes and pain in your foot, these changes can resonate all the way up to your head, neck and jaw.

This happens because your toes try to grip into bottom of the flip-flop to hold them on your feet.  Look at your toes in flip-flops. The distal part of your toe is trying to flex down (planter flex) to hold the flip-flop on, while the other part of your toe (middle) is trying to bridge up (dorsi flex). 

 I don’t think they’re saying we should banish flip-flops from our lives and collection forever, but maybe wearing them once in a while instead of every single day can be good for our lovely feet and bring comfort to our legs as well.

Washing fruits and vegetables reduces the risk of food poisoning, but researchers recently found out that disease-causing microbes can evade some chemical sanitizers. These bacteria can make their way inside the leaves of lettuce, spinach and other vegetables and fruit, where surface treatments cannot reach them. Microbes can also organize themselves into tightly knit packs called biofilms to protect themselves from harm.

Biofilms can harbor multiple versions of infectious, disease-causing bacteria, such as Salmonella and E. coli.

Researchers suggested that irradiation, a food treatment that exposes food to a source of electron beams, could effectively kill internalized pathogens that are beyond the reach of conventional chemical sanitizers.

Irradiation disrupts the genetic material of living cells, inactivating parasites and destroying pathogens and insects in food.

Right now, I’m 10 weeks pregnant and I’ve been craving for different types of fruits, especially bananas. I did a little research on this delicious and nutritious fruit, and here’s what I found about it. (Source is banana.com)

Anaemia: High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of haemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anaemia.

Warts: Those keen on natural alternatives swear that, if you want to kill off a wart, take a piece of banana skin and place it on the wart, with the yellow side out. Carefully hold the skin in place with a plaster or surgical tape!

Australian researchers found out that frequent masturbation may help men cut their risk of contracting prostrate cancer. Carcinogens build up in the prostrate if men do not ejaculate regularly and that is according to BBC News.

According to the study, men who ejaculated the most between the ages of 20 and 50 were the least likely to get cancer. Men who ejaculated more than five times each week were a third less likely to develop cancer.

Sexual intercourse, though, is not counted because it increases the risk of getting sexually transmitted disease, and that can raise the risk of cancer.