Ebook : Micro Food Macro Blessing

Two thirds of the world is covered with water. The earliest life form, which began in water, was algae. There are around 25,000 species of algae in the world. Walk on the beach and you will find seaweed, which are the biggest forms of algae, some like little trees with roots, stems, branches and leaves. Kelp and carrageen moss are the best known seaweed and are red or brown in colour. At the other end of the big family are tiny single-celled algae which are the most primitive plants on earth. Many people react
negatively when thinking about algae because the first thing that comes to their mind is algae in swimming pools or toxic algae like the blue-green algae in Australian rivers. With increasing world population and decreasing agricultural land, algae is discussed more frequently for its nutritional value as a future food source which we desperately need. The nutritional as well as the therapeutic value of algae varies with the water’s quality (minerals, nutrition, pH), the water temperature, ocean currents and the intensity of sunlight.

The degree of pollution in waters for food production is a concerning factor for the qualities of the product. The most prominent food alga is Spirulina. Chlorella, fresh water green algae, is one of the smallest organisms and is approximately the size of a human red blood cell. Spirulina is approximately 100 times larger and gets its name from the shape of the plant which looks like little spirals. The dark green colour of Spirulina comes from the high amount of plant blood or in other words, chlorophyll, which is only one molecule different to haemoglobin in human blood. Chlorophyll in plants is collected sunlight. All energy on the earth comes from only one source, the sun. First life, and with the first life the first food or, so we have been told, the algae. Algae can live on water and sunlight only. Humans are not as lucky because they cannot live from sun energy directly. They are on top of the food chain. The lowest on the food chain is the chlorophyll in our nature or in other words the “green” in our nature. Green matter is eaten by animals and animals are eaten by humans. To feed a human being in Western countries, with high meat consumption, the land use per head is 800 times higher than if we were to eat algae directly. The largest mammal on earth is the whale which lives solely on phyto-plankton algae; the largest mammal on land is the elephant which eats green matter only.

The diet of humans has changed a few times since they first walked on the earth. For most of the time we only gathered the seasonal foods - roots, fruits and seeds available within an hour's walking distance and we hunted and fished; the only food intake was fresh. As we became more sophisticated we started to preserve our food by smoking, salting and drying. The oldest and still the best way of preservation is lactic acid fermentation as in sauerkraut where the nutrients and vitamins are preserved as well. Only in recent years have we learned to preserve by heating, drying and freezing, and part of our food's value is lost during its processing.

I was introduced to Spirulina in 1984 by a good friend who worked in Spirulina research for a very long time, and she gave me my first book on Spirulina, Food from Sunlight, by Christopher Hills.

Contents
Introduction
Why Spirulina?
First Food
Spirulina as Food for Humans
Commercial Spirulina
Australian Spirulina
Spirulina is not Spirulina ?
Natural and Processed Foods
Super Food
The biggest selling items
Health Food 18
The Sun Food Spirulina
Total Food - Whole Food
Dosage - how much should I take?
Does Spirulina Have Negative Side Effects?
Spirulina - Drug or Food?
Spirulina as a Food Additive
Recipes
Spirulina for Better Health
The Complete Protein
Radicals. Eh?
Vitamins through the Alphabet
Vitamins Supplied by Spirulina
Other Good Things!
Chlorophyll - The Green Gold
Minerals
Typical chemical analysis of Spirulina
Nutritional Information
Best value for your money
Overdose of, or Too Much of a Good Thing
Spirulina for General Well Being and Body Cleansing
What people have experienced using Spirulina
Acne
AIDS
Allergies
Anaemia
Arthritis
Cancer
Depression
Pain
Protection against Radiation
Heavy metal detoxification
Cholesterol, Hypertension, Arteriosclerosis
Pancreatitis
Loss of Vision, Cataracts and Glaucoma 48
Hepatitis and Cirrhosis
Spirulina - Micro Food Macro Blessing
Gastric and Duodenal Ulcers
Sexual Vitality
Anti ageing
Slimming - Spirulina for the Ideal Weight 50
Spirulina for Beauty
Future Food
Land area required to grow one food ration per year
Water Use
Energy Use
Chemical-free Food production 60
What will we be eating tomorrow?
Food for the Hunger in the World
Spirulina affordable for starving people?
The now ill and starving people will be as
healthy as Western society.
Growing your own Spirulina at home?
Plants and Animals
Spirulina compared to Chlorella and Green Barley
Other Spirulina Products
Bibliography

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Ebook : European Guidelines for Prevention in Low Back Pain

Low back pain (LBP) is defined as pain and discomfort, localised below the costal margin and above the inferior gluteal folds, with or without leg pain. Non-specific (common) low back pain is defined as low back pain not attributed to recognisable, known specific pathology (e.g. infection, tumour, osteoporosis, ankylosing spondylitis, fracture, inflammatory process, radicular syndrome or cauda equina syndrome).

Acute low back pain is usually defined as the duration of an episode of low back pain persisting for less than 6 weeks; sub-acute low back pain as low back pain persisting between 6 and 12 weeks; chronic low back pain as low back pain persisting for 12 weeks or more. Whilst this categorisation is convenient for clinical purposes, it is less helpful when considering the matter of prevention, where back pain and its consequences tend to occur in an episodic manner (de Vet et al. 2002).

In this guideline, recommendations concern common low back pain, covering both
episodic and persistent symptoms: recurrent low back pain is defined as a new episode after a symptom-free period, not an exacerbation of persistent low back pain.

The WG considered that, overall, non-specific low back pain is important not so much for its existence as for its consequences. Therefore, this guideline considers the consequences of common low back pain to be a primary concern for prevention. Consequences are important from the perspectives of the individual and of society. They include broad issues such as recurrence (including severity and disability), work loss, care seeking, health-related quality of life, and compensation.

The lifetime prevalence of low back pain is reported as over 70% in industrialised countries (one-year prevalence 15% to 45%, adult incidence 5% per year).. The prevalence rate during school age approaches that seen in adults (Watson et al. 2002; Taimela et al. 1997), increasing from childhood to adolescence (Balague et al. 1999), and peaking between ages 35 and 55 (Andersson 1997). Symptoms, pathology, and radiological appearances are poorly correlated. Pain cannot be attributed to pathology or neurological encroachment in about 85% of people. A role of genetic influence on liability to back pain is suggested from recent research (Hestbaek et al. 2004; MacGregor et al. 2004).

Acute low back pain is usually considered to be self-limiting (recovery rate 90% within 6 weeks) but 2%-7% of people develop chronic pain. Recurrent and chronic back pain is widely acknowledged to account for a substantial proportion of total workers’ absenteeism. About half the days lost from work are accounted for by the 85% of people away from work for short periods (<7>1 month; this is reflected in the social costs of back pain, where some 80% of the health care and social costs are for the 10% with chronic pain and disability (Nachemson et al. 2000).

These statistics, however, tend to be based on the clinically convenient classification of acute and chronic, which does not fully reflect the pattern of back pain among the population. Recent evidence shows that back pain manifests as an untidy pattern of symptomatic periods interspersed with less troublesome periods (Croft et al. 1998; Hestbaek et al. 2003a; de Vet et al. 2002), though for some the symptoms (and associated disability) may become persistent. Around two-thirds of people are likely to experience relapses of pain over 12-months, and around a third are likely to have relapses of work absence (Hestbaek et al. 2003b). These issues present interpretive difficulties when considering prevention, but are considered, as far as is practical, in the formulation of this guideline.

Importantly, for the scope of this guideline, back pain should be seen as an issue for all ages, and all sectors of society: the prevalence in adolescents is similar to adults (Watson et al. 2002), and the prevalence in workers generally does not dramatically differ from non workers (Nachemson et al. 2000). It is important to distinguish between the presence of symptoms, care seeking, work loss, and disability; these have different prevalence rates and are influenced by a varying balance of biological, psychological, and social factors (Burton Page 8 8 1997; Nachemson et al. 2000). For instance, an episode of back pain can occur for no apparent reason or may result from some strenuous event (whether during work or leisure), whilst disability and sick leave are influenced largely by psychosocial factors (Waddell & Burton 2000).

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Ebook : The Seven Secrets of a Good Diet

There is so much conflicting information about a good diet, that people often come to me and really don’t know what to do anymore. Is it best to eat everything cooked, baked and steamed, like in Macrobiotics, or is it better to eat it all raw, as the Rawfood movement prescribes. Is it better to take supplements and if so, which ones? Or can we simply do without? In this report I will provide answers to such questions, based on my experience in with nutrition over the past 30 years.

My first interest in diet arose at age thirteen. At high school there was a girl in my year that was vegetarian. She was so passionate about it that I became interested in what I ate. At the age of sixteen, I spent some time in London and found a book named “Not all in the Mind” by Dr. Richard Mackarness, “How Unsuspected Food Allergy Can Affect Your Body – And Your Mind”. It explained the negative effect of different foods on behavior. From then on I became even more interested in the effect of different foods on our wellbeing.

When I started talking about this subject, many people thought there was something wrong with me, especially when I told them that food does have an effect on behavior. Years later the same people came back to me for dietary advice. Slowly but steadily medical science becomes convinced, that there is a strong relationship between diet and physical and psychological wellbeing.

Now what is really a good diet?
In this report I’ll share with you the seven important secrets, when it comes to diet. Very soon my complete book full of practical tips and recipes will be available on this website.

Contents
Secret 1: A good diet is personal
Secret 2: A good diet takes environment and season into consideration
Secret 3: A good diet stresses the importance of pure water
Secret 4: A good diet consists of natural foods
Secret 5: A goo
Secret 6: A good diet is eaten in the right mindset
Secret 7: A moderate diet is the key to a long and healthy life
Conclusion
Medical Disclaimer

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How the Mind Controls Pain

Science is beginning to investigate and support the role of therapies such as biofeedback and meditation in pain control. The idea that the mind has power over the body may be especially useful to chronic pain patients who often find themselves without satisfactory medical treatments.

The emotional response to pain
Pain travels along two pathways from a source, such as an injury, back to your brain. One is the sensory pathway, which transmits the physical sensation. The other is the emotional pathway, which goes from the injury to the amygdala and the anterior cingulate cortex—areas of the brain that process emotion.

"You may not be aware of it, but you're having a negative emotional reaction to chronic pain as well as a physical reaction," says Natalia Morone, MD, assistant professor of general internal medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Mind-body treatments that involve meditation and relaxation probably affect these emotional pathways. However, Dr. Morone admits that many doctors don't put much stock in this theory. "Anything to do with mind-body medicine around pain is going to be controversial. This is all very new."

Research is beginning to show the connection
In a 2005 study, researchers at Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif., used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), which measures activity in different areas of the brain, to see whether subjects could learn to control a brain region involved in pain and whether that could be a tool for altering their pain perception.

Laura Tibbitts, 34, an event planner from San Francisco who severely injured her arm, shoulder and back when she was thrown off of a horse, participated in the study. In describing her pain, she says: "My muscles and nerves feel like a bunch of snakes that are all intertwined, but then I also get a stabbing and shooting pain. So you have that horrible, achy, uncomfortableness, but then you get these jolts of pain."

In the study, Tibbitts was asked to increase her pain and as she did, an image of a flame on a computer monitor became stronger and more vibrant. Then she was told to decrease her pain, which caused the flame to die-down. "Sometimes I would imagine that the pain was literally being scooped out from me, taken away and carried off. Other times I used water imagery, like it was flowing through me and taking it away," says Tibbitts. After the test, she learned that she had been able to produce a 30% to 40% reduction in her overall pain.

Giving control to pain patients
For Sean Mackey, MD, director of the pain management division at Stanford University School of Medicine and one of the study's researchers, the research revealed a striking element of empowerment. "Patients would say, 'A-ha! For the first time I could see the pain in my brain, and I could control it. And that was a very powerful experience," he says.

Dr. Mackey believes pain medicine is moving away from the concept of strict mind-body separation toward a more unified—and ancient-sounding—view in which "mind and body are really one."

The bottom line for pain patients is that they may want to pursue pain-control techniques such as biofeedback, yoga, and meditation. But they also need to be on the alert for scams and beware of claims made by therapists seeking to exploit their desperation. Before turning to one of these therapies, it's best to thoroughly research the practitioner you choose.

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Problems are solved by sleeping

Sleeping on a problem really can help solve it, say scientists who found a dreamy nap boosts creative powers.

They tested whether "incubating" a problem allowed a flash of insight, and found it did, especially when people entered a phase of sleep known as REM.

Volunteers who had entered REM or rapid eye movement sleep - when most dreams occur - were then better able to solve a new problem with lateral thinking.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has published the US work.


" We propose that REM sleep is important for assimilating new information into past experience to create a richer network of associations for future use " The study authors

In the morning of the test day, 77 volunteers were given a series of creative problems to solve and were told to mull over the problem until the afternoon either by resting but staying awake or by taking a nap monitored by the scientists.

Compared with quiet rest and non-REM sleep, REM sleep increased the chances of success on the problem-solving task.

The study at the University of California San Diego showed that the volunteers who entered REM during sleep improved their creative problem solving ability by almost 40%.

The findings suggest it is not merely sleep itself, or the passage of time, that is important for the problem solving, but the quality of sleep.

Lead researcher Professor Sara Mednick said: "We found that, for creative problems you've already been working on, the passage of time is enough to find solutions.

"However for sleep problems, only REM sleep enhances creativity."

The researchers believe REM sleep allows the brain to form new nerve connections without the interference of other thought pathways that occur when we are awake or in non-dream-state sleep.

"We propose that REM sleep is important for assimilating new information into past experience to create a richer network of associations for future use," they told PNAS.

Dr Malcolm von Schantz of the Surrey Sleep Research Centre at the University of Surrey said: "Whatever the importance of the dreams themselves are, this paper confirms the importance of REM sleep, the sleep stage when most of our dreaming takes place."

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5 Best Weight Loss Fruits

Yes, just munching on the right kind of weight loss fruits can help you lose a considerable amount of fat! A fruit lover myself, a fruit diet is quite a delicious way to lose weight! You can either adopt the five servings of fruit a day regime or simply make sure that every time you are hungry or wanna snack, you reach for some of the weight loss fruits listed here.

Why Weight Loss Fruits:

1. Weight Loss Fruits have a high fiber content. Burning down fruits with high fiber content will demand a higher amount of energy and in addition they tend make you feel full and less hungry.

2. Natural Fruits with comparatively lesser amounts of calorie with no additional sweeteners are better than any weight loss pill or supplements. Fruits offer a healthy diet as they are tasty substitutes for high calorie food and have a lot of nutrients.

3. Weight Loss Fruits are in general low in sodium and this helps in reducing the chances of gaining water weight.

Weight Loss Fruit 1- Apple

An apple a day keeps the fat away!! Apple is rich in fiber and also has pectin, which prevents the body from absorbing too much fat! Pectin also suppresses your appetite, thus keeping you satisfied for a long time! Thus Apples, stop you from overeating or snacking too much.

Weight Loss Fruit 2-Grape Fruit

Recent studies suggest that grape fruits can lower insulin level and thus help in diabetes control and weight management.

Weight Loss Fruit 3- Kiwi Fruit

This low calorie fuzzy fruit, native to china is a small package of nutrition that is very high in fiber. Kiwi fruits offer soluble fiber that fills you up and suppresses your appetite while the insoluble fiber of the fruit aids digestion!

Weight Loss Fruit 4 - Melon

Melons are a safe bet as they are very low cal and offers a decent dose of fiber. They are perfect as substitutes as they can be used to make high low calorie snacks or desserts.

Weight Loss Fruit 5-Apricots

Apricots are a low-fat dieter's dream-come-true. These delicious fruits are particularly rich in insoluble fiber which absorbs water and makes one feel full. The fiber in apricots act as a bulking agent and slows the release of your stomach's contents and at the same time promotes quicker movement through your digestive tract.

As long as you enjoy your fiber rich weight loss fruits maintain a steady exercise regime along with a controlled diet based on moderate amounts of food .. weight loss shouldn't be a problem!

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The Growing Problem of Obesity

Fast food, high caloric intake, biggie size, large size, large portions, videogames, television: all of these things have contributed to a more sedentary lifestyle. As a result, the American waistline has expanded, not only in adults but in children also. Obesity is a major health issue and is gaining recognition through television programs, in schools, and at home.

There are many television programs that have drawn attention to the plight of an obese person. Shows such as the Biggest Loser aim at giving an obese person the chance to learn how to care for their bodies and discipline themselves so that they can lose the weight and keep it off.

People compete each week to see who has lost the most weight. On many talk shows like the Today Show or any of the talk show host line up bring up the issues and discuss it in open forums. The misconception that a person was fat because they were lazy has slowly been displaced by an understanding that genetics also contribute to a person's ability to lose weight and keep it off.

On the school front, obesity is being addressed by what is present for students to eat and drink. The school lunch menu has changed over time and with the change, more fast and less nutritious options became available. Vending machines in schools were easy pickings for children with a sweet tooth. Soda and candy became the mainstay diet for many school age children.

Also, to accommodate testing, recess was cut out of the daily routine to give more test preparation time. As obesity has become more recognized, more schools are trying to tackle the problem by helping their students become more proactive with their health.

At home is probably the most difficult place to maintain discipline. Easy access to snack foods and parents that are looking for a quick meal contribute to a growing need for healthy alternatives. Vegetables and fruit are overlooked when a quick meal is needed. By the age of two, the most common vegetable a child eats is a potato in the form of French fries.

Parents need to encourage their children to play outside and to eat healthier. Children do as a parent does, so parents need to set a positive example and edify what they are trying to teach their kids. Establishing a healthy routine on all accounts assures that people will lead happier lives.

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