Being Beautiful Young & Healthy

Getting a nice, healthy-looking tan -- a goal for many people now that summer is less than three months away -- can carry the risk of skin cancer from overexposure to ultraviolet rays, either from natural sunlight or from the lamps in tanning beds and booths. "Everybody wants the tan color that's been accepted by society as being beautiful, young and healthy,'' said Dr. Mordechai Tarlow of Advanced Dermatology and Skin Surgery in Lakewood. "But of course you have to find ways of doing it responsibly.'' One of those ways involves what is known as "sunless tanning.'' A sunless tan is achieved by applying products containing dihydroxyacetone (DHA), a carbohydrate that usually comes from plant sources like sugar beets and sugar cane by the fermentation of glycerin.

DHA is approved by the Federal Drug Administration and comes in wipes, sprays and creams. It causes a chemical reaction with amino acids in the surface cells of skin, producing a darkening effect. DHA affects only the outermost cells of the epidermis, or the outermost layer of skin, according to the New Zealand Dermatological Society Inc. Web site. Because DHA has nothing to do with the traditional pathways by which the sun causes skin to develop color, Tarlow said, there's no worry about skin cancer. Some salons offer spray tanning as an alternative to sunbathing. Hollywood Tans recently came out with two new products that can dramatically speed up and enhance results, said Sue Lutter, senior tanologist at Hollywood Tans. The HyperTan tanning accelerator additive and the BronzBoost bronze enhancing concentrate are available as additives to Mystic Tan's original Tanning Myst spray cartridges, she said.

The accelerator reduces the time it takes for a sunless tan to develop. The bronze enhancer applies an instant color to skin, Lutter said, adding that the time it takes to develop is usually less than four hours. The HyperTan is sugar-based and has no chemicals added, she said. It is UV free, which means there are no lamps involved in the process. It comes as a capsule and has amino acids that even out the proteins in the skin and help boost the sunless tan, Lutter added. "This is the fastest way to get a beautiful, natural-looking sunless tan that lasts for up to a week,'' Lutter said. "It goes on as a light mist that feels dry and clean, and you leave ready to go back to work or out to a special event looking and feeling great.''Tarlow said skin cancer as a whole is more common than every other cancer combined.

There are different types of skin cancer: basal cell carcinoma; squamous cell carcinoma; and melanoma, the most deadly form. Basal cell carcinoma is the most common type of skin cancer and usually appears as the classic "sore that doesn't heal,'' Tarlow said. It's a bleeding or scabbing sore that may seem to get somewhat better at first but may recur and bleed again. Most basal cell carcinomas show up on the face and neck where the skin is exposed to sunlight; however, they can also show up in places like the abdomen, leg, and scalp, according to MedicineNet.com. Squamous cell carcinoma are thin, flat cells that look like fish scales under the microscope. They are found in the tissue that forms at the surface of the skin, the lining of hollow organs of the body, and the passages of the respiratory and digestive tracts, according to MedicineNet.com.

Exposure to sunlight has been linked to skin cancer, Tarlow said. But people are doing more than just casually exposing themselves to sunlight -- they're going out to the beaches and tanning salons and are receiving dangerous amounts of exposure, he added. Skin cancer can strike at any age. Many young adults can be affected, Tarlow said. There are about 8,000 to 10,000 deaths a year from melanoma, he added. Some states this year are considering laws that would restrict indoor tanning by minors. Lawmakers cited studies that show too much tanning, especially in young people, can harm the skin and lead to skin cancer. Florida would become the latest among 17 states, including Hawaii, to consider a ban on indoor tanning by young teens. Tarlow often offers advice to his dermatology patients. He says, "I don't tell them that the sun is absolutely evil and you can't have any -- I just say go out responsibly. "Put on sunscreen each morning and enjoy yourself,'' he said. "If you think you're going to be out excessively, then put on more sunscreen.''

Locks Down Public Places

MEXICO'S government kept the country's public venues locked down today as it grappled with the new strain of flu that is suspected to have killed as many as 159 people. Health Minister Jose Angel Cordova raised the toll of “probable” deaths from swine flu to 159 by late Tuesday, up by seven over the day before. Of that figure, 26 were found to have been affected by the A/H1N1 swine flu virus and seven of those “corresponded beyond any doubt to deaths caused by the new virus.” Cordova said the discrepancy with the government's previous figure of 20 “confirmed deaths” came about because of new, more rigorous testing being carried out in US and Canadian laboratories in conjunction with the World Health Organization. Bars, cafes, gyms, cinemas, Aztec ruins and football games were ordered closed to the public today as the Mexican government battled the spread of the virus.

The measures, concentrated in Mexico City but also felt in many places across the country where people might gather, came as tourist numbers dwindled, amid increased jitters worldwide over the disease. Nearly empty planes flew into the capital, which itself was unnervingly quiet, with most shops shuttered. Many people wore medical masks to cover their mouths and noses. Traffic - usually a nightmare in this city of 20 million inhabitants - was unusually fluid. Schools have been closed by federal government order until May 6 at least. Mexico City's municipal authorities said all food, party, cultural and sports establishments where groups of people normally congregated had to close under threat of fines and being shuttered. Eateries would only be permitted to serve takeaway meals. “We're in the critical moment, in that we have to manage as a city so it does not become an exponential infection,” Mayor Marcelo Ebrard told journalists.

Restaurant owners complained that the measure against food venues in the central part of Mexico City would affect 450,000 hospitality workers and take a chunk out of an already fragile economy. “It's easy to tell us to close, but how are we going to live? They say it's for my health but either I'll die from the disease or I'll die from hunger,” a cafe owner in the capital, Rene Perez Lozano, told AFP. All archeological sites in the country, including Mexico's world-famous Aztec and Mayan pyramids, were also closed “until further notice,” the National Institute of Anthropology and History said in a statement soon afterwards. Tour companies in Britain, France and Germany have cancelled trips to Mexico, as have major US cruise lines and a Canadian airline, Air Transat. Cuba said it was suspending all flights to and from Mexico until Friday. And Argentina barred direct flights from Mexico until next Monday.

The declining number of foreign visitors was certain to hurt the country's tourist industry, which was the nation's third-biggest foreign income earner. In an AeroMexico flight that landed in Mexico City today, only around one-third of the seats were occupied - and most of them by Mexicans returning home. Several passengers and most of the crew wore masks, though almost none of them the N95 type that filters out the small airborne particles believed to carry the flu virus. “I'm a little afraid, but I've got a corporate video shoot all organised and I can't miss it,” a Brazilian video director, Messina Neto, told AFP on the flight. One of the stewards, when asked about his mask, said he had bought it himself at a pharmacy out of concern of contagion. “It's better than nothing,” he said.

Swine Flu Epidemic

The swine flu epidemic entered a dangerous new phase Monday as the death toll climbed in Mexico and the number of suspected cases there and in the United States nearly doubled. The World Health Organization raised its alert level but stopped short of declaring a global emergency. The United States advised Americans against most travel to Mexico and ordered stepped up border checks in neighboring states. The European Union health commissioner advised Europeans to avoid nonessential travel both to Mexico and parts of the U.S. The virus poses a potentially grave new threat to the U.S. economy, which was showing tentative early signs of a recovery. A widespread outbreak could batter tourism, food and transportation industries, deepening the recession in the U.S. and possibly worldwide. The suspected number of deaths rose to 149 in Mexico, the epicenter of the outbreak with nearly 2,000 people believed to be infected. The number of U.S. cases rose to 48, the result of further testing at a New York City school, although none was fatal. Other U.S. cases have been reported in Ohio, Kansas, Texas and California. Worldwide there were 73 cases, including six in Canada, one in Spain and two in Scotland.

While the total cases were still measured in hundreds, not thousands, Mexican Health Secretary Jose Angel Cordova said the epidemic was entering an extremely dangerous phase, with the number of people infected mushrooming even as authorities desperately ramped up defenses. ''We are in the most critical moment of the epidemic. The number of cases will keep rising, so we have to reinforce preventative measures,'' Cordova said at a news conference. The WHO raised the alert level to Phase 4, meaning there is sustained human-to-human transmission of the virus causing outbreaks in at least one country. Its alert system was revised after bird flu in Asia began to spread in 2004, and Monday was the first time it was raised above Phase 3. ''At this time, containment is not a feasible option,'' as the virus has already spread to several other countries, said WHO Assistant Director-General Keiji Fukuda. Putting an alert at Phases 4 or 5 signals that the virus is becoming increasingly adept at spreading among humans. That move could lead governments to set trade, travel and other restrictions aimed at limiting its spread. Phase 6 is for a full-blown pandemic, characterized by outbreaks in at least two regions of the world.

It could take four to six months before the first batch of vaccines are available to fight the virus, WHO officials said. Russia, Hong Kong and Taiwan said they would quarantine visitors showing symptoms of the virus amid global fears of a pandemic, an epidemic spread over a large area, either a region or worldwide. President Barack Obama said the outbreak was reason for concern, but not yet ''a cause for alarm.'' Dr. Richard Besser, acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said that so far the virus in the United States seems less severe than in Mexico. Only one person has been hospitalized in the U.S. ''I wouldn't be overly reassured by that,'' Besser told reporters at CDC headquarters in Atlanta, raising the possibility of more severe cases in the United States. ''We are taking it seriously and acting aggressively,'' Besser said. ''Until the outbreak has progressed, you really don't know what it's going to do.'' U.S. customs officials began checking people entering U.S. territory. Millions of doses of flu-fighting medications from a federal stockpile were on their way to states, with priority given to the five already affected and to border states.

Federal agencies were conferring with state and international governments. ''We want to make sure that we have equipment where it needs to be, people where they need to be and, most important, information shared at all levels,'' said Janet Napolitano, head of the Homeland Security Department. ''We are proceeding as if we are preparatory to a full pandemic,'' Napolitano said. She said travel warnings for trips to Mexico would remain in place as long as swine flu is detected. Mexico canceled school at all levels nationwide until May 6, and the Mexico City government said it was considering a complete shutdown, including all public transportation, if the death toll keeps rising. Labor Secretary Javier Lozano Alarcon said employers should isolate anyone showing up for work with fever, cough, sore throat or other signs of the flu. Even some of Mexico's most treasured national holidays were affected by the swine flu alert. Authorities announced Monday the cancellation of the annual Cinco de Mayo parade, in which people in period costumes celebrate Mexican troops' defeat of a French army on May 5, 1862. The national labor umbrella group announced the cancellation of Mexico City's traditional May 1 parade and the National Institute of Anthropology and History said all of its 116 museums nationwide would be closed until further notice. Amid the warnings, the Mexican government grappled with increasing criticism of its response. At least two weeks after the first swine flu case, the government has yet to say where and how the outbreak began or give details on the victims.

The health department lacked the staff to visit the homes of all those suspected to have died from the disease, Cordova said. He said tests show a 4-year-old boy contracted the virus before April 2 in Veracruz state, where a community has been protesting pollution from a large pig farm. The farm is run by Granjas Carroll de Mexico, a joint venture half owned by Virginia-based Smithfield Foods Inc. Spokeswoman Keira Ullrich said the company has found no clinical signs or symptoms of the presence of swine flu in its herd or its employees working anywhere in Mexico. Mexico's Agriculture Department said Monday that its inspectors found no sign of swine flu among pigs around the farm in Veracruz, and that no infected pigs have been found yet anywhere in Mexico. As if the country did not have enough to deal with, Cordova's comments were briefly interrupted by a 5.6-magnitude earthquake in southern Mexico that rattled already jittery nerves and sent mask-wearing office workers into the streets of the capital.

Bringing More Confidence

The construction industry will be the worst hit as economy continues to deteriorate, predicts new report. It further stated, that construction and property are likely to be the sectors hardest hit by the recession this year, according to a new report by a leading accountant. And though some construction firms suffering financial problems increased in the first quarter of 2009 compared with a year earlier, however, business recovery and restructuring which monitors early warning exit signs of corporate stress, showed a rise in critical actions among building firms across all regions of 126% over the year.

To some extent, data revealed that the number of construction companies with critical problems rose 16% between the final quarter of last year and the first quarter of 2009. And as such, because of the trend several building contractors of today have new approach on EXIT SIGNS. Although the deteriorating economy and expectations of a drawn-out recession has led to a downward revision in some company outlook and has severely impacted the survival rate of businesses, but some have now embraced the idea of making energy performance a priority on their building’s design bringing more confidence of people working around its project.

So to speak, it is really imperative that an Exit Sign shall be posted on places which are visible for everybody. This is of course not only for the benefit of the people living or working in a particular building but also to the entire community within the area. So if anybody of you here now is seeking the help of the experts then you’ve come to the right place. All you have to do is just keep in touch with the above mentioned and rests assure that you are in good hands.

Nuclear Arsenals

Russian and American negotiators began work at the weekend on their ambitious plans to rid the world of nuclear weapons. The talks are intended to produce a new agreement to replace the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (Start) that expires in December. This time, however, both sides are committed to cutting their arsenals well below the current combined total of 5,000 warheads, after the declaration by presidents Obama and Medvedev in London on April 1 that they would work towards the scrapping of all nuclear arms. It is a fraught endeavour, but a very worthwhile one.

It is a visionary aim, and revives one of the main vehicles for reducing East-West tensions during the Cold War. President Obama has returned to arms control, one of the goals outlined in his inaugural address, as a way of improving America's strained relations with Russia. But it will be difficult to achieve. For as warhead numbers are reduced, related issues become more complicated. If, for example, both sides cut their totals to 1,500 each, verification becomes more important, especially for the Russians, who know that the Americans could rebuild their arsenals more quickly. And this would mean Russia's defence ministry and arms factories accepting more transparency than they have before.

The second issue is delivery systems. Russia fears it will lose out in cuts, as its long-range missiles are ageing and probably far less reliable than US missiles. Last week Mr Medvedev insisted that any new treaty should limit all systems, including the strategic triad of intercontinental ballistic missiles, submarine-based missiles and heavy bombers. But the Americans have an advantage that strategists might be reluctant to abandon, especially as they are deeply worried about the threat of missiles fired by states still building up offensive capabilities. But with warhead numbers reduced to about the 1,000 mark proposed by Mr Obama, the US would have to consider abandoning one leg of its strategic triad.

The third risk in a drastic reduction of warheads is that the two former superpowers have less of an advantage over other nuclear powers, especially China. The deterrents still hosted by Britain and France are unlikely to upset the balance, but China appears determined still to maintain its arsenals at current levels, as do India, Pakistan and Israel. The importance, therefore, of each warhead being up to date and fully operational increases. That will make it harder for Mr Obama to persuade Congress to ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, which it refused to do in 1999. It may also raise pressure to resume some form of testing.

The talks will also raise questions about other arms treaties. The Russians are unwilling to make concessions as long as the US is committed to the Bush Administration programme of installing an anti-missile shield in PolandCzech Republic. Mr Obama has signalled that this may not now go ahead, but much depends on Iran and North Korea, which have reacted aggressively to his conciliatory overtures. The key issue in all talks will be mutual trust. That broke down during the Bush Administration. The relationship may now be on the mend. But it will take months of tough bargaining before either Russia or America is ready to lead the way to a world without nuclear weapons.

Economic Slowdown

Mango exports to the USA are likely to see a decline this year due to the economic slowdown, an industry official has said. “The general economic slowdown has impacted exports to the USA as we have fewer orders this year,” Mumbai-based fruits exporter Mr Deepak Patil, said. Mango exporters had already commenced preparations like meeting growers, placing orders and booking the irradiation facility as mango exports would commence in the last week of April, Mr Patil said. During the 2008 mango season, India exported 143 tons of mangoes to the USA valued at around Rs 2 crore. Export volumes remained low as the quality of the fruit was affected by unseasonal rains while exporters too faced problems of high costs of compliance and freight, among others. Currently, in the case of mango exports, India depends on traditional markets like the West Asia and the United Kingdom.

Non-resident Indians (NRIs) are major consumers of Indian mangoes. Meanwhile, paving way for safe mango exports in 2009, the irradiation facility of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) at Lasalgaon in Maharastra's Nasik district commenced operation last week. The BARC plant had a capacity of 500 tons, an Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (Apeda) official said. Irradiation is a modern food preservation technology that can reduce the risk of food poisoning, control food spoilage and extend shelf life of the food. The process got a shot in the arm when the USAUSA decided to import Indian mangoes in 2008. The prefers irradiation to get rid of an insect pest mango seed weevils and fruit-fly from the fruits. Meanwhile, the official said mango production in 2009 season (April-September) was likely to be low as the crop had failed due to erratic climate. He, however, said that the crop loss could not be quantified.

Deadly Flu In Mexico

Mexicans took new precautions Sunday amid fears that a new flu epidemic believed to have killed up to 81 people in the country could reach 'pandemic' proportions and spread to the United States and worldwide. Mexican Health Minister Jose Angel Cordova raised the probable death toll from the new multi-strain swine flu in Mexico to 81, including 20 already confirmed. Earlier, Mexican President Felipe Calderon published an order giving his government extraordinary powers to tackle the deadly outbreak, as at least two new cases were reported in the United States, bringing the total infected there to 10. “This virus has clearly a pandemic potential,” World Health Organization director general, Margaret Chan, said on Saturday. The Geneva-based UN agency branded the outbreak “a public health emergency of international concern,” following a meeting of its emergency committee. In a statement it said it was recommending that all nations “intensify surveillance for unusual outbreaks of influenza-like illness and severe pneumonia”.

In Mexico, 13 new suspect cases were reported in the past 24 hours and a total of 1,324 patients with flu symptoms were under investigation, Health Minister Cordova said. Since April 13, “there have been 81 registered deaths which are probably linked to the virus of which only 20 cases have virological checks,” Cordova told a news conference after meeting with health officials from across the country. The Mexico government has upped emergency measures that were put into place only on Friday. Officials have canceled hundreds of public events and closed schools for millions of students in and around the capital. Schools in those areas and also San Luis Potosi in central Mexico, the third most affected area, will remain closed until May 6, Cordova said. The traditional Sunday mass was suspended in Catholic churches throughout the country. Many Mexico City residents wore freely-distributed surgical masks on the streets Saturday, after authorities urged people to avoid contact in public.

Apart from the capital, four other deaths were reported in central, northwest and southern Mexico. Mexico City Mayor Marcelo Ebrard said that more than 500 sporting and cultural events had been canceled for at least 10 days. Mexico City authorities have said they had more than one million doses of suitable antiviral drugs, in an urban area of some 20 million. The government also assured citizens it had “sufficient” funds reaching 450 million dollars to combat the epidemic. Across the northern border, health authorities in the central US state of Kansas confirmed two cases of swine flu on Saturday, bringing the total number of cases in the United States to at least 10. One of the victims was still ill, while the other had recovered, Kansas health authorities said. One of the patients had recently traveled to Mexico. “Both persons ... became ill with the same unique (H1N1) strain of swine flu that has been identified in Mexico, California and Texas,” Kansas officials said in astatement read.

Earlier on Saturday New YorkNew York CityLondonMexico City, health officials said Saturday. A hospital spokesman said the man was responding well to treatment. “With infections in many different communities as we’re seeing, we don’t think that containment is feasible,” said Anne Schuchat of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC said some Mexican victims had died from the same new strain of swine flu that affected eight people in TexasCalifornia. Dave Daigle, of the CDC, said a bird flu strain, two swine flu strains and a human strain had combined for the first time. “The most worrying fact is that it appears to transmit from human to human,” said WHO spokesman Thomas Abraham. These features, along with the fact that unusually young healthy adults have fallen victim in Mexico, and not the very old or very young, have given rise to fears of an epidemic or even a pandemic. According to the WHO, pigs have already been factors in the appearance of two previously unknown diseases that gave rise to pandemics in the last century. If a pig is simultaneously infected with a human and an avian influenza virus, it can serve as a “mixing vessel” for the two viruses that could combine to create a new, more virulent strain.

Cure For Common Cause OF Blindness

The world’s first stem cell therapy to cure the most common cause of blindness has been developed by British researchers. The research team believes that the procedure, which can tackle age-related macular degeneration (AMD), will become a routine, one-hour method that will be generally available in six or seven years’ time. The treatment was pioneered by scientists and surgeons from the Institute of Ophthalmology at University College London and Moorfields eye hospital, and involves replacing a layer of degenerated cells with new ones created from embryonic stem cells, reports The Times. In the new treatment, embryonic stem cells are transformed into replicas of the missing cells.

They are then placed on an artificial membrane which is inserted in the back of the retina. Tom Bremridge, chief executive of the Macular Disease Society, said: “This is a huge step forward for patients. We are extremely pleased that the big guns have become involved, because, once this treatment is validated, it will be made available to a huge volume of patients.” Laboratory trials completed by the British team, led by Professor Pete Coffey, director of the London Project to Cure Blindness, have demonstrated that stem cells can prevent blindness in rats with a similar disease to AMD. Coffey said the treatment would take “less than an hour, so it really could be considered as an outpatient procedure. We are trying to get it out as a common therapy”.

A Global Threat

There are two basic forms of diabetes. Type I occurs in children and adolescents, but only in between five and ten percent of all cases. The more common is Type II, or Adult Onset Diabetes (AOB). The difference between the two types is that whereas in Type I insufficient insulin is produced in the body, in Type II, insulin is produced, but cannot be utilized effectively by the body. The good news is that although AOB or Type II can often be prevented or controlled by careful use of diet and exercise, some patients may need a range of drugs to control it.

If diabetes is left unchecked, it can lead to blindness, kidney failure, heart disease, disability, amputations and even death. Type II diabetes is often called the mid-life disease because it is most common in people aged 40 and upward but the causes are still a mystery. Excess fat in the body can trigger the onset of diabetes due to the prevention of insulin from working effectively. Many people with Type II are overweight, with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 26 or more. Steroids can trigger it, and often other family members have it too. The symptoms for Type II and Type I are the same and include the need for frequent urination, excessive thirst and hunger, general irritability, weakness, fatigue, and nausea. Other symptoms of Type II may include recurring gum or bladder infections, hard to heal or itchy skin, blurred vision, and numbness. Sometimes symptoms with Type II are so mild that they can go unnoticed. How can you help your body protect against diabetes?

A combined approach is the best. Make certain that you have a healthy, balanced diet. Exercise regularly and lose excess weight without putting stress on the body. Exercise has been known to help beat back diabetes, but as with all new activities it should be started gently to prevent giving the body a sudden shock. If you haven’t exercised for some time, start with stretching and a brisk walk, or begin with a regular swim. Try to build exercise into your daily routine, and the 20-minute mini-morning workout, which is available by e-mail from minian193@naturalhealthlines.com would be a suitable starting point for many. If you think you have diabetes, do consult your doctor about exercise as it consumes blood sugars for energy.

Know Your Herbs

The nutritional supplement industry estimates that Americans spend more than $6 billion every year on vitamin- and mineral-packed pills, gelcaps, powders and tablets. It's a testament to the allure of the quick-fix, given that little evidence exists to support most of the exaggerated health claims made for nutritional supplements. Now many people are expanding their supplement habits to include herbs. Herbs are plants used in small quantities for a variety of effects. Culinary herbs, for example, are plants used in small quantities for the flavor or aroma their leaves add to foods. Examples include mint, rosemary, thyme and cilantro. Medicinal herbs, on the other hand, are used for the health benefits some people think the plants offer. Examples of medicinal herbs include black cohosh, Echinacea, gingko, valerian, hoodia, feverfew and dozens more. Some herbs even pull double duty. Ginger, for example, tastes good in soups, sauces and entrees. It also has the power to safely relieve nausea and vomiting during pregnancy, according to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, or NCCAM, a unit of theNational Institutes of Health.

A list of common herbs, their uses and potential side effects is available online from NCCAM at nccam.nih.gov/health/herbsataglance.htm. By themselves, herbs are whole foods -- a sprig or a few leaves of this or that. Taken as supplements, though, concentrated and packaged in pill, capsule or powder form, their active ingredients have more potential to have an effect. Just as people take vitamin and mineral supplements because they think the pills provide protection against cancer or heart disease, or that they boost the body's immune system, herbal supplements are often touted as having a wide range of health benefits as well. Are the claims true, or are herbal supplements expensive shortcuts that don't live up to the hype? In most cases, it's too early to tell. While the federal government is sponsoring research, the science is largely still evolving. If you have an interest in herbal supplements it's best to take some precautions to use them safely. Federal guidelines regulating the marketing and sale of supplements are much less stringent than the standards applied to over-the-counter and prescription drugs.

Be sure to tell your health care provider about any herbal supplements you are taking. It's important because: herbal supplements have the potential to interact with other medications. They may inhibit or enhance the effects of certain drugs. Herbal supplements can affect your risk of bleeding during surgery. They can also change the way your body responds to anesthesia. If you plan to have surgery and are taking herbal supplements, let your doctor know. Available research may not apply in your case. Most of the research on herbal supplements has been conducted on adults, and very little has been conducted on pregnant women, nursing mothers or children. Fortunately, there are some excellent online sources of reliable and up-to-date information about herbal supplements. In addition to NCCAM, I also recommend: the Office of Dietary Supplements at the National Institutes of Health. Go to ods.od.nih.gov/. This site provides fact sheets with information about the background and safety of specific herbal supplements. We have much more to learn about the potential for herbal supplements to support health. In the meantime, the best value for your long-term health is a weekly shopping basket full of fresh fruits and vegetables.

Season's New Crops

I still can remember one summer while we’re having a reunion and a family day at the beach which was attended by my in-laws and friends. According to one of the attendees, “As a newcomer to this event, I wasn’t sure what to expect and like most of everybody here didn’t realize how much hard work went into the preparations to ensure that people just turned up and enjoyed themselves which they apparently did. Although people had waited long time at the food queue but what a beautiful and amazing venue, in deed, it was. How about you guys there, if you’re planning to have a big meal one day, then cut back on your food intake particularly fats, sugar and sodium before and after.

On the other hand, may be it's time to set aside those hearty winter stews full of big rutabagas, parsnips, and turnips that simmer slowly on the back of the stove, or roast at low temperatures in the oven. Spring's vegetables are so sweet and tender they are meant to be eaten raw, blanched, or barely cooked. Carrots are given a delicate glaze, shelling peas are briefly cooked with lettuce, and asparagus appears with aioli and in scrambled eggs, always just barely cooked. Even if you don't have a garden, you can always find the season's new crops and cheap recipes at your most convenient stores. Just look carefully and choose the freshest you can find, and savor the season.

In a nutshell if possible, limit your red meat intake to about 3 ounces a week roughly the size of a deck of playing cards. Add fiber, as the body digests protein and fiber slowly, making you feel full longer. Try mixing high-fiber cereals into other types of cereal, salads, stir-fry, muffins, pancakes and yogurt. You can also grind up the cereal and mix it with bread crumbs to cook chicken and fish. Towards this approach, why not visit the above mentioned now, so you can have more first-hand information’s about the things being brought up here?

Spy Satellite

INDIA has put an Israeli-built spy satellite into orbit, aimed at boosting its defence surveillance capabilities in the aftermath of the Mumbai militant attacks. The satellite, which can see through clouds and carry out day-and-night all-weather imaging, has been a long-standing demand of the Indian military. Its acquisition was fast-tracked after the November 26-29 Mumbai siege in which 10 gunmen killed 165 people. The 300kg RISAT 2 was launched by the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle rocket from the Sriharikota launch site, 90km north of the southern city of Chennai. "It has been successfully placed in the orbit 20 minutes after lift-off this morning," G. Padmanabhan, a scientist from India's Space Research Organisation, said.

Another senior scientist and member of the Space Commission, Roddam Narasimhaiah, told AFP images from the new satellite, 550km above the planet, would show "any movement on the surface of the earth". "It can be used for monitoring the country's borders round the clock, check cross-border movement and help the Indian security forces in anti-infiltration or anti-terrorist operations," Mr Narasimhaiah said. India's existing satellites get blinded at night and in the monsoon season but the one launched today will be able to work in all light and weather conditions, Narasimhaiah added. The new acquisition will also provide New Delhi with the capability to track incoming hostile ballistic missiles. IndiaIsrael like a pariah for decades, but has forged close military links with Tel Aviv in recent years with the Jewish state replacing France in 2007 as its second-largest arms supplier after Russia.

Risk Of Kidney Cancer

Eating red meat may increase a person's risk of developing the most common type of kidney cancer, while eating vegetables may provide a protective effect, new research in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association shows. Principal investigator Dr. Nabih R. Asal of the University of Florida, Gainesville and associates also found that people who ate lots of white bread and white potatoes were at greater risk of the disease than their peers who ate these foods less frequently. The relationship was particularly strong among women. In an interview with Reuters Health, co-author Suzanne Dolwick Grieb said it's possible these foods could boost cancer risk because of their high glycemic index. Glycemic index indicates how quickly blood glucose rises after eating a particular food. "Foods that have a high glycemic index are known to affect insulin resistance and also insulin-like growth factors," Grieb noted. "Those two things have been implicated in other cancers."

Kidney cancer is on the rise in the United States, Grieb and her team point out in their report. The best-documented risk factors for the disease are obesity and cigarette smoking, they add. Studies, to date, on diet and renal cell carcinoma -- which accounts for 85 percent of kidney cancers -- have had "inconclusive" results. Grieb and her colleagues investigated whether certain types of foods or food groups might influence the risk of renal cell carcinoma by comparing 335 people with renal cell carcinoma with 337 healthy controls. All of the study participants reported how frequently they ate a variety of different foods. While eating spinach and other greens, as well as tomatoes, reduced cancer risk in all study participants, especially men, white potatoes -- including both fried and non-fried -- increased it, the researchers found, with the strongest effects seen in women.

White bread also increased the cancer risk in study participants, with the strongest association seen in women; those who ate white bread five or more times a week were three times more likely to develop renal cell carcinoma than women who ate white bread less than once a week. The researchers found no relationship between fruit and dairy food consumption and renal cell carcinoma. However, both men and women who ate red meat five or more times a week were more than four times as likely to develop the disease compared to people who consumed red meat less than once a week. There were not enough African Americans in the current study to look at whites and blacks separately, the researchers note, but future studies of renal cell carcinoma risk factors should look at a variety of ethnic groups, they say, because there are "clear racial disparities" in trends in the incidence of the disease.

Veggie Juice To Shed Weight

Drinking at least one glass of low sodium vegetable juice daily can help the obese shed weight. The maximum benefit will be to the obese with metabolic syndrome, which is defined by a number of risk factors including excess body fat in the midsection, high blood pressure (BP), high blood sugar and abnormal blood lipids. A study, conducted by Baylor College of Medicine (BCM), found that participants who drank at least eight ounces of low sodium vegetable juice as part of a calorie-controlled DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet lost nearly two kg over 12 weeks. In contrast, those who followed the same diet sans juice lost less than half a kg. If left uncontrolled, metabolic syndrome increases risk for heart disease, stroke or diabetes. An estimated 47 million Americans have some combination of these risk factors and are often overweight or obese. Participants in the study were primarily African-American and Hispanic adults, populations that typically have a higher incidence of metabolic syndrome.

Each group followed a DASH diet that emphasized eating lean meat, lower fat dairy, whole grains, vegetables and fruit daily. Saturated fat, total fat, cholesterol and sodium were kept in check. Two of the groups were given low sodium V8 100 percent vegetable juice and instructed to drink one or two cups daily for 12 weeks, while the third group was not given any vegetable juice. Vegetable juice drinkers significantly increased their intake of vitamin C and potassium, while decreasing their overall carbohydrate intake, said a release of the Behavioral Medicine Research Centre (BMRC). "What this study shows is that by taking simple, proactive steps such as drinking low sodium vegetable juice while watching calorie intake, people can begin to control their weight, which helps reduce the risk of long-term health implications," said John Foreyt, study author and director of BMRC.

American Airlines Business ExtrAA

As part of its continued commitment to business travellers within a competitive market, American Airlines has announced the UK as the latest region for the launch of its Business ExtrAA programme. Already available for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) within the US, Business ExtrAA is a complimentary travel incentive scheme that rewards participating companies for their loyalty to American Airlines. Once accepted for enrolment in the scheme, awards are easy to earn. Companies will accrue Business ExtrAA points when employees travel on American Airlines, American Eagle or American Connection operated flights using an eligible ticket. As an added bonus, employees will also be able to earn miles to add to their own personal American frequent flyer AAdvantage accounts. The Business ExtrAA programme keeps track of all ticket purchases and a monthly email will be sent so companies can watch as their points grow.

Accrued points can be saved for at least two full calendar years and companies can choose how they are redeemed. Business ExtrAA points can be donated as part of employee incentive programmes or to thank valued customers for their loyalty. Alternatively, they can be used to pay for return tickets in all classes of travel, to purchase cabin upgrades, Admirals Club membership or to upgrade an account to AAdvantage Gold Status and all the benefits that these awards entail. “American Airlines is delighted to launch this product to better serve the needs of our SME customers. It is a useful tool given the tough economic climate and will be invaluable in helping companies minimise their travel costs without compromising on the quality of service they receive”, commented Maria Sebastian, Vice President Sales & Marketing EMEA.

Palestinians With $50 Vouchers

"Palestinian families are now spending about 60 percent of their income on food," said Christine van Nieuwenhuyse, WFP Country Director in the occupied Palestinian territories. In response, the World Food Programme (WFP) has launched a food voucher operation. This will assist 30,000 people in the occupied Palestinian territories. Developed and initiated in collaboration with the Palestinian Authority, the US $6.7 million voucher project had its first distribution on April 1, 2009 in Qualqilya. Contributions to the voucher program include $2.5 million from Saudi Arabia and $2 million from France.

Since 2008, the price of basic food commodities such as wheat flour, sugar, rice, oil, pulses and milk have increased by almost 70%. The monthly voucher that a family receives amounts to NIS200 (US$50). A study by the WFP in July 2008 concluded that because of the occupied Palestinian territories' dependence on imports, the people in the occupied territories are highly vulnerable to the impact of global food prices. Families will be able to use the vouchers in selected shops for various basic foods.

In 2004, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) created a voucher program to support 20,000 families that were selected to receive vouchers every six weeks. The ICRC worked with the WFP to distribute food and household items to 30,000 vulnerable families in more than 30 villages. After the launch of the WFP voucher program, the vouchers will continue to be distributed in Hebron, Nablus, and Tulkarem, with Action Contre la Faim (ACF) and Catholic Relief Services (CRS).

According to the Fourth Geneva Convention (1949), the Occupying Power has the right to protect itself, but the measures used to protect themselves must allow the occupied population to live as normally as possible. Article 55 states that the Occupying Power has the duty to ensure the food and medical supplies of the population. It guarantees access to food, water and medical assistance, as well as employment and education at all times. Visits to protected person by the representatives of organizations, whose object is to give spiritual aid or material relief to such persons, are supposed to be faciliated as much as possible. Recently, the WFP also launched food voucher programs in Burkina Faso, the first of its kind in Africa, to help people suffering from the impact of high food prices in urban areas.

Rare Zim Rhino

Conservationists raised the alarm on Thursday for Zimbabwe's rare rhinos after a sharp increase in poaching because of a breakdown of law enforcement in this troubled southern African country. Organized criminal gangs kill rhinos to sell the valuable horn that is used as a traditional medicine in Asia and carved for ceremonial dagger handles in the Middle East, Raoul du Toit, head of southern Zimbabwe's Lowveld Rhino Trust, said in a telephone conference call with reporters. Zimbabwe's rhino population declined from about 830 in 2007 to 740 at the end of 2008 despite an excellent birth rate in monitored herds, London-based Save the Rhino executive director Cathy Dean said during the conference call.

Save the Rhino said at least 90 rhino were poached in 2008, twice the toll of the previous year, and conservation groups had counted 18 killed so far in 2009. It called for concerted action by the Zimbabwean government and international agencies. Conservationists also reported a surge in poaching of zebra for their hides. These, alongside illegal diamonds, gold and other contraband, were smuggled through Zimbabwe's porous borders. Some zebra hides ended up as upholstery in Europe and the zebra poachers were likely to encounter rhino in the same habitat and know their value, du Toit said.

The Most Sought In Home Accessories

Well, study shows there is a growing need over the past few years of product that is not only developed being one of the most sought in home accessories but has also become the largest online showrooms on the web with well over 3,000 products now available to buy online. The success of bathrooms has escalated unbelievably. By negotiating excellent deals with their suppliers, they are now able to offer even cheaper prices for their customers than ever before. In fact, they guarantee that if any of their customers can find a cheaper one for like deal on any other online store, then they will match it. Such is the confidence on their prices and the goal to bring their customers with the best deals and the best prices.

Nevertheless, with over 3000 products available online and although many of their best selling items are constantly kept in stock and are always available, yet, there are items which they order in on demand from their suppliers. In so doing, this means that lead times for their products are generally 10 -14 working days, which allows time to process orders and dispatch it right to their clients door. Now, if anybody feels that the delivery time is too long, they do offer next day and Saturday delivery services, prices for which are available upon their customers’ request. And depending on the type of products being ordered, they have 2 methods of delivery. For smaller items such as taps, shower systems and accessories, delivery is made via a parcel delivery company. Obviously for items that are kept in stock, the time period is a lot shorter, and can sometimes be a matter of 2-3 working days. However, in order and to ensure that their customers will not be disappointed, thus, they always quote the 10-14 working day periods. So you better visit the above mentioned now, for you to obtain some additional information’s. Hurry and enjoy the beauty of shopping online.

Needs Of Flower Garden

Shop for plants in your own garden, but how? Divide what you have. Dividing rejuvenates older plants that have begun to die out in the center. New clumps will be sturdy enough to become healthy, mature plants in the first year. Dividing also prevents a plant from taking over. If the remaining space is larger than you expected, consider filling in with annuals until the perennials re-establish themselves. In the mild weather of fall and early spring, plants are using energy to establish roots rather than top growth. A benefit of spring division is that growth is still very low to the ground, so you don't have to worry about breaking stems. It's generally best to divide spring-blooming flowers in fall and summer, and fall bloomers in spring.

Fibrous plants or those with a loose crown and root system are easy to pull apart. Use a flat spade, pitchfork or knife to break clumps into halves or quarters, while trying to leave the crown sections intact. It may be easier to remove the entire plant before dividing. Maintaining fairly large clumps reduces stress and aids in establishment. If you'll be moving a lot of plants or sizable ones, consider using a wheelbarrow half-filled with compost to fill any holes left behind. The compost will provide renewed, fertile soil for both the old and new plants. Place plants at their original depth in a hole at least as wide and deep as the root spread so that the roots aren't tipped up or curled back against each other.

After planting, mulch with a 1- to 2-inch layer of grass clippings or straw and water generously. When new growth appears, water less frequently to encourage roots grow deeply. Perennials easy to divide, transplant: Aster, bee balm, black-eyed Susan, boltonia, coneflower, day lilies, goldenrod, hosta, sedum, spiderwort, feather reed grass, dropseed, sedge and switch grass. Perennials difficult to divide, transplant: Anemones, balloon flower, candytuft, columbine, euphorbia, foxglove, gas plant, geranium (cranesbill), milkweed, Oriental poppy, baptisia, butterfly bush, lavender, little bluestem and miscanthus. Perennials to propagate by branch-rooting: Separate a side shoot or branch and cover the stem with soil to create a new plant while still attached. Cut once established. Examples: artemisia, leadplant and Russian sage.

Group Hails New Tourism Act

The country’s biggest travel organization has hailed the passage by Congress of the Tourism Act of 2009—after the legislators heeded the group’s concerns and removed provisions in the bill that would have been onerous to small and medium tour and travel operators. “We are happy the Senate and House of Representatives acted on our concerns,” said Robert Lim Joseph, chair emeritus of the National Association of Independent Travel Agencies (Naitas). The bill is awaiting the signature of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who had certified it as urgent. Its principal authors were Sen. Richard Gordon, chair of the Senate tourism committee, and Rep. Edgar Chatto, House tourism panel chair. Naitas noted that the final version of the bill omitted provisions—sponsored by the Federation of Tourism Industries of the Philippines (FTIP) and Philippine Travel Agencies Association (PTAA)—that purportedly discriminated against small and medium tour and travel operators.

One provision Naitas opposed would have hotels and other accommodation establishments charge each tourist an additional $5 a night as a “tourism fee.” Naitas pointed out the provision would price the Philippines out of the tourism map and impose an unnecessary burden on hotels. It also opposed a provision exclusively giving FTIP and PTAA members representation in tourism bodies to the detriment of other stakeholders. Joseph said the resulting tourism act was fair and equitable because all operators, regardless of size, would now be consulted on proposed tourism policies and programs, not just the tourism “elite.” “The important thing is the measure is geared toward nation building to benefit not only the tourism industry but all sectors as well,” he said.

He lauded the law as a tool that would transform Philippine tourism into an engine of growth and development to create jobs and business opportunities. Joseph also singled out a provision in the act that paves the way for the creation of a culture of tourism in the country, which was started by Gordon when he was tourism secretary. Naitas has spearheaded the development of a culture of tourism in the private sector since 2000 when it held culture of tourism seminars in the provinces. “The provinces, down to the barangay level, would benefit if we had a culture of tourism, with our values and attitudes in believing in ourselves, being proud of our culture, history and heritage, and love of place,” said Joseph.

Canada won't Be Intimidated

Canada won't be intimidated into ceding sovereignty in the North, Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon said on the heels of news that Russia is creating a special military force to defend Arctic claims. “Let's be perfectly clear here: Canada will not be bullied,” he told reporters after a speech in Montreal. Mr. Cannon said he intends to emphasize this in talks with his Russian counterpart soon. “I will have the opportunity of making that position clear to [Russia's] foreign minister as soon as I meet with him – and hopefully that will be next week,” Mr. Cannon said. Ottawa's testy comments are the latest in strained relations between Canada and Russia as Moscow more aggressively asserts claims in the disputed Arctic. Global warming is shrinking polar ice and allowing greater access to an area believed to contain up to 25 per cent of the world's undiscovered oil and gas.

Last month, Prime Minister Stephen Harper rebuked Russia for resuming military training flights that approach Canadian airspace, calling these incursions. In response, Russia dispatched an envoy to tell Canadian MPs that Ottawa was overreacting and unfairly reviving Cold War rhetoric. Yesterday, Russian media reported on a recent Kremlin document signed by President Dmitry Medvedev that laid out government policy for the Arctic. It said the region must evolve into Russia's “top strategic resource base” by 2020 and that a group of military forces will be dedicated to the Arctic to “ensure military security under various military-political circumstances.” Rob Huebert, associate director of the University of Calgary's Centre for Military and Strategic Studies, said it's become apparent over time that Russia has decided there will be no compromise in the process of sorting out international claims to the seabed riches in the Arctic.

Russia, the United States, Canada and other northern countries are all completing geological studies so they can win international recognition of what they each deem to be underwater Arctic borders. This will result in overlapping claims and, likely, rancour. Prof. Huebert said the “essence of the message” from the Russians seems to be that “they will negotiate as long as you agree with them.” The Russian embassy in Canada yesterday played down the consequences of a military group dedicated to the Arctic, saying Moscow has no intention of increasing tensions in the region. Vladimir Lapshin, a senior diplomat with the embassy, told CTV News his country wants to create a “zone of co-operation and peace” there. Prof. Huebert said diplomats may say there's no direct linkage between Russia's increasingly assertive military activity in the North and its seabed ambitions – but he doesn't agree. “The reality is historically whenever you mix under determined boundaries, potentially very rich resources and you insert major powers such as Russia and the United States, I can't think of a similar situation where you don't have people playing hardball,” Prof. Huebert said. “It could get a lot more rough in the North.”

Mr. Cannon said Canada's ambitions are bigger than the “simple militarization of the Arctic,” adding he hopes to be able to work with other countries, including Russia, to protect the Northern environment and develop the region's economy. But he warned that “sovereignty is uppermost for us: We will not be swayed from that.” Prof. Huebert said that, to back up its tough talk, Canada will have to start delivering on its promises of more military hardware for the North. The Department of National Defence is still examining its options on purchasing patrol ships that could improve its Arctic surveillance and response capability. It's also expanding its lightly armed reserves of Canadian Rangers – locals who can report on intrusions but have no capacity to deter them.

Migraine Risk

Obesity is linked not only to high blood pressure and diabetes but also headache, a new study suggests. Researchers from Drexel University at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology in Seattle presented their findings that obese women had a 29 percent higher risk of getting migraines than those who are not obese. For men, some 20 percent of those who are obese had migraines compared to 16 percent of those who are not.

The researchers said although it was previously reported that migraine becomes serious if the patient becomes obese, this study is the first showing the different risk of migraine for obese people. If obese people lose weight, they will suffer from less migraine.

Migraine is defined as one-sided headache, but that symptom is found in only 60 percent of the patients. But most are extremely sensitive to light and noise and feel sick to the stomach when the headaches attack them. Ten percent of adults suffer from migraines.

Gardens Can Please Eye, As Well As Palate

A vegetable garden need not be an eyesore. It can be an oasis of beauty, pleasing your eyes as much as your palate. Just visit or find a picture of Villandry, the famous French potager ("kitchen garden'') near Tours, France, with its patterns of geometric beds filled with growing vegetables. Some beds are bordered with low boxwood hedges -- 19 miles of them -- and the whole garden is interlaced with white, gravel paths. In fact, call your vegetable plot a "potager'' and right away you might find it more charming. When locating your potager, keep it close to your house, and consider that it needs at least six hours of full sunlight each day. As the old saw goes, "Put your vegetable garden no further from your back door than you could throw the kitchen sink.'' Or maybe even from your front door. (And that old saw dates back to when kitchen sinks were made of cast iron!) Whether it is near or against your house, establishes connections -- visually and physically -- between it, the house and the rest of the landscape. For instance, mimic in or around your potager some design element from your house or yard: a decorative fence, a row of clipped hedges, a piece of statuary.

Paths create visual and functional connections. Choose paving for paths that matches that of a nearby patio or echoes the pattern on a floor in a room looking out at the garden. Straight paths have a formal air, if that's the tone of your yard, while curving ones lend themselves more to informal settings. To further tie everything together, run paths from your house right up to and into the vegetable garden itself. Paths, paving, fences, hedges, statuary and other "tie-ins'' help overcome a common limitation of vegetable gardens: their often dreary appearance in winter, when, too often, they are just dirt. These tie-ins can help carry the overall design of the garden through the winter. Create beds in your potager, perhaps geometric in shape, perhaps flowing; in either case, beds whose shapes create year-round patterns of beauty. Define your garden with hedging, arbors, fencing and paving.

Finally, remember, a potager isn't only for vegetables. No rule says you can't plant some ornamentals to help keep up appearances through winter. The shapes and lines created by small, densely twigged plants, such as potentilla, shrubby dogwoods and cotoneaster, as well as boxwood, heather and other small evergreens, make their statements year-round. Come spring and summer, add vegetables themselves to your designer's palette: frilly red or green lettuces in all shapes, blue-green leaves of kale, a backdrop of feathery asparagus leaves. And some flowers -- for distraction from those temporary bare spots where you've picked delicious vegetables for eating.

The Vegan Diet

Instead of touting a miracle food, the answer might lie in the absence of food. Eating less is shown to enhance one’s life span. The reasons aren’t exactly clear yet, but one study in the Scientific American links a lower calorie diet to enzymes in the cell mitochondria (or, the cell’s powerhouse). To recap the article, eating less slows the death of the cells since they are no longer porous, which means proteins cannot trigger cell death by seeping in the cell. Lack of cellular death = longer life. How does this science relate to vegans? Well, John Robbins explains in his book, “Diet for a New America” vegans have a longer life expectancy than those who eat meat. Coupled with a lower body mass index (BMI), vegans might be living longer than their meat-eating counterparts because they eat fewer calories.

Raw foodists will also see the same benefits of a longer life. Due to the obscurity of the diet and relatively small population, data isn’t available to support that a raw foodist has a longer lifespan—just anecdotal evidence. Suffice it to say, the same logic that promotes longer life in vegans can just as easily apply to the raw food diet, if not more so: a raw diet rich in minerals, fiber and vitamins tend to satiate a person for far fewer calories than a diet heavy in mineral-deficient, high-calorie diet of processed foods. In part this has to do with the ability to stay hydrated with greater ease. Foods that aren’t cooked are more water-dense, and therefore more hydrating.Before going on a diet purely based on calorie restriction, what a person eats is just as important as how much. For example, calorie-free soda tainted with cancer-causing aspartame will be far worse for a person than a handful of high-calorie (yet healthy) almonds.

Calories must be evaluated based on what else is in the food: ideally, eat foods that are high in nutrients and low in calories, If it’s high in calories but high in nutrients (ie, natural fats like olives), fine. If deficient in nutrients but low in calories (ie, fat free Pringles), try to pass. Lastly, forced calorie restriction is not enjoyable for anyone. Many might say that they’d be willing to shave off a few years of life to enjoy the delicacy of prime rib. The fortunate aspect of raw foodism and veganism is that the feeling of being deprived by not eating life-cutting high-calorie processed foods doesn’t register if they’ve settled into raw foodism/veganism as a lifestyle. Thus, the vegan and raw diet can provide the best of both worlds: great healthy food… and just a few years longer to enjoy it.