A Stunning Baby Boomer Moment

Recommended by LWY, author unknown.

A self-important college freshmen walking along the beach took it upon himself to explain to a Baby Boomer resting on the steps why it was impossible for the older generation to understand his generation.

”You grew up in a different world, actually an almost primitive one”, the student said loud enough for others to hear.

The young people of today grew up with television, jet planes, space travel, man walking on the moon. We have nuclear energy, ships and cell phones, computers with light speed and so much more.”

After a brief silence, the Baby Boomer responded as follows: "You're right son. We didn't have those things when we were young, so we invented them. Now, you arrogant little sh#*, what are you doing for the next generation?"

x

Vitamin D Supplements May Lower Heart Disease Risk

Picture Credit: www.thenewsalerts.com

Vitamin D Important For Overall Cardiovascular Health

New information about vitamin D suggests low levels make arteries stiffer, driving blood pressure higher in people who are otherwise healthy. Poor blood vessel health can increase the risk of heart disease.

Boosting vitamin D relaxes blood vessels in study

The study on 554 generally healthy adults, whose average age was 47, found that participants who raised their vitamin D levels, by increased sun exposure or supplements, had improved blood vessel health and lowered their blood pressure readings an average of 4.6 points.

The findings are presented by Ibhar Al Mheid, MD, a cardiovascular researcher at Emory University School of Medicine, at the April 1 - 5, 2011 annual American College of Cardiology meeting in New Orleans.

Lack of vitamin D impairs blood vessel health same as diabetes

According to Dr. Al Mheid, "We found that people with vitamin D deficiency had vascular dysfunction comparable to those with diabetes or hypertension, even after controlling for other factors such as age, weight and cholesterol.”

Throughout the body, a layer of endothelial cells lines the blood vessels, controlling whether the blood vessels constrict or relax and helping to prevent clots that lead to strokes and heart attacks.

"There is already a lot known about how vitamin D could be acting here," Al Mheid says. "It could be strengthening endothelial cells and the muscles surrounding the blood vessels, keeping them relaxed and healthy. It could also be reducing the level of angiotensin, a hormone that drives increased blood pressure, or regulating inflammation."

Ensuring vitamin D levels are adequate

The findings have implications for maintaining blood vessel health that declines with aging. Reducing the risk of high blood pressure, heart attack and stroke could come from ensuring vitamin D levels are adequate.

The researchers plan a follow-up study using a specific vitamin D dose. Because the study was observational, the researchers were unable to evaluate how the employees boosted their vitamin D levels to improve blood vessel health.

Source: Emory University News Release dated Apr. 4, 2011

Sopak dan Ekstrak Daun Gingko

Picture credit: healthkut.com

Vitiligo, atau Sopak, adalah suatu keadaan di mana kulit mengalami kehilangan warna coklat (pigmen) dari daerah kulit, menyebabkan tompok putih tak sekata yang kelihatan seperti kulit biasa.

Vitiligo menarik perhatian dunia ketika bintang pop Michael Jackson mendakwa pencerahan kulitnya merupakan hasil dari vitiligo.

Vitiligo terjadi apabila sel-sel kekebalan tubuh menghancurkan sel-sel yang menghasilkan pigmen coklat (melanosit). Kehancuran sel ini dianggap sebagai akibat dari masalah autoimun, tetapi penyebabnya tidak diketahui.

Vitiligo mempengaruhi 1% daripada penduduk dunia, tetapi prevalensinya telah dilaporkan setinggi 4% di beberapa populasi negara Asia Selatan, Mexico dan Amerika. Vitiligo boleh berlaku tanpa mengira usia, tetapi beberapa laporan kajian mendakwa bahawa 50% kes muncul sebelum usia 20 tahun.

Punca vitiligo tidak diketahui. Meskipun tidak ada konsekuensi serius timbul disebabkan vitiligo, perubahan warna kulit boleh memberi tekanan bagi sesetengah individu. Pilihan rawatan yang tersedia sedikit dan sering menggunakan krim steroid topikal yang diketahui menyebabkan kesan sampingan yang ketara bila digunakan dalam jangka masa panjang.

Sebuah kajian terbaru yang diterbitkan dalam BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine Journal menunjukkan bahawa suplementasi dengan ekstrak standard ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba) dapat membantu melambatkan perkembangan depigmentasi kulit dan benar-benar meningkatkan pigmentasi pada orang dewasa yang menderita vitiligo.

Orest Szczurko, Neil Shear, Anna Taddio dan Heather Boon di Universiti Toronto menyelidik 47 orang dewasa dengan penyebaran vitiligo untuk menerima 120 mg sehari dari ekstrak standard ginkgo (standardisasi sehingga 30 mg ginkgoflavonglycosides dan 8 mg lakton terpena ) atau plasebo yang serupa selama enam bulan.

Ini adalah kajian pertama yang menunjukkan bahawa ginkgo adalah rawatan yang berkesan dan selamat untuk vitiligo.

Penilaian keberkesanan menggunakan Vitiligo Area Scoring Index (VASI) dan Vitiligo European Task Force (VETF), yang mengesahkan penilaian ukuran saiz kawasan dan intensiti depigmentasi gejala vitiligo. Hasil yang lain termasuk foto dan kesan sampingan.

Pengambilan 120 mg Ginkgo biloba dikaitkan dengan peningkatan yang signifikan dalam mengukur jumlah vitiligo VASI dan penyebaran VETF, dan kecenderungan peningkatan tindakan VETF daerah vitiligo. Dalam skala besar, kajian klinikal secara rawak berganda dijamin dan layak untuk ditampilkan.

Perlu dicatat bahawa dalam jangka masa pendek selama tiga bulan dari kajian ini, dua peserta meningkat lebih daripada 30%, satu di atas 20%, tiga lebih dari 10% dan dua lagi dengan 2 dan 5% pada nilai VASI mereka. Jadi dalam 3 bulan, 8 dari 11 peserta mulai membaik. Memandangkan lebih banyak masa, ada kemungkinan peserta boleh mencapai repigmentasi lebih signifikan.

Ginkgo adalah antioksidan yang kuat, anti-inflamasi, dan herba modulasi kekebalan. Beberapa penyelidik percaya bahawa vitiligo adalah hasil dari kerosakan akibat radikal bebas pada kulit dan ginkgo ini yang menghalang radikal bebas dari melakukan kerosakan lebih lanjut. Ginkgo menunjukkan kesan pencair darah di beberapa individu, sehingga orang yang mengambil ubat pencair darah harus mengelakkan ginkgo, kecuali di bawah pengawasan doktor.

Penyelidikan ini adalah terbuka, tidak terkawal, dan tidak rawak. Dengan demikian, kesan plasebo adalah mungkin. Dalam skala lebih besar, kajian klinikal secara rawak berganda dijamin dan layak untuk ditampilkan.

Jurnal Rujukan

Szczurko O, Shear N, Taddio A, Boon H. Ginkgo biloba for the treatment of Vitiligo vulgaris: an Open Label Pilot Clinical Trial. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2011, 11:21doi:10.1186/1472-6882-11-21 KLIK DI SINI untuk artikel selengkapnya.

KLIK DI SINI untuk produk yang mengandungi ekstrak daun gingo

Gingko biloba : advertisement

Picture of gingko leaves from www.nist.gov


The following gingko leaf extracts are available for your selection at our pharmacies:

Brand Name	Strength	Pack size	Manufacturer
Bio-Life Ginkgo 2000	40mg	3 x 100’s	Bio- Life
Gincare	40mg	10 x 10’s	YSP
Tanakan	40mg	30’s	Beaufor IPSEN Pharma, France
Goldlife Ginkgo Biloba	120mg	30’s	Goldlife
Thomson Ginkgo	40mg	500+30’s	Herbal Revival Sdn. Bhd.

The Cab Driver and the Old Lady

Picture Credit: www.greghornjudge.com

Twenty years ago, I drove a cab for a living.

When I arrived at 2:30 a.m., the building was dark except for a single light in a ground floor window. Under these circumstances, many drivers would just honk once or twice, wait a minute, then drive away.

But, I had seen too many impoverished people who depended on taxis as their only means of transportation. Unless a situation smelled of danger, I always went to the door. This passenger might be someone who needs my assistance, I reasoned to myself. So I walked to the door and knocked. "Just a minute", answered a frail, elderly voice.

I could hear something being dragged across the floor. After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 80's stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940s movie. By her side was a small nylon suitcase.

The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets. There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the counters. In the corner was a cardboard box filled with photos and glassware. "Would you carry my bag out to the car?" she said.

I took the suitcase to the cab, then returned to assist the woman. She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb. She kept thanking me for my kindness. "It's nothing", I told her. "I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother treated". "Oh, you're such a good boy", she said.

When we got in the cab, she gave me an address, then asked, "Could you drive through downtown?" "It's not the shortest way," I answered quickly. "Oh, I don't mind," she said. "I'm in no hurry. I'm on my way to a hospice". I looked in the rear-view mirror. Her eyes were glistening. "I don't have any family left," she continued. "The doctor says I don't have very long."

I quietly reached over and shut off the meter.
"What route would you like me to take?" I asked.
For the next two hours, we drove through the city.
She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator.

We drove through the neighbourhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds. She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl. Sometimes she'd ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.

As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, "I'm tired. Let's go now." We drove in silence to the address she had given me. It was a low building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a portico. Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were solicitous and intent, watching her every move. They must have been expecting her.

I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door.
The woman was already seated in a wheelchair. "How much do I owe you?" she asked, reaching into her purse. "Nothing," I said. "You have to make a living," she answered. "There are other passengers," I responded. Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto me tightly. "You gave an old woman a little moment of joy," she said. "Thank you." I squeezed her hand, then walked into the dim morning light.

Behind me, a door shut. It was the sound of the closing of a life. I didn't pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly lost in thought. For the rest of that day, I could hardly talk. What if that woman had gotten an angry driver, or one who was impatient to end his shift? What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven away? On a quick review, I don't think that I have done anything more important in my life.

We're conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments. But great moments often catch us unaware-beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one.
PEOPLE MAY NOT REMEMBER EXACTLY WHAT 'YOU DID, OR WHAT YOU SAID, ~BUT ~ THEY WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER HOW YOU MADE THEM FEEL.

You won't get any big surprise in 10 days if you send it to ten people. But, you might help make the world a little kinder and more compassionate by sending it on.

Thank you, my friend....

Recommended by Edwin of Klang, author unknown.

The Zestzfulness Team apologises for not being able to post a recent photo of the Old Lady. We sincerely hope this outdated shot will not distract you from the essence of this humanist parable.

Prevent Ingrown Toenails

Picture Credit: www.findmeacure.com

Ingrown nails may develop for many reasons. Some cases are congenital—the nail is just too large for the toe. Trauma, such as stubbing the toe or having the toe stepped on, may also cause an ingrown nail. However, the most common cause is tight shoe wear or improper grooming and trimming of the nail.

The Zestzfulness Team suggests the following to prevent ingrown toenails, unless the problem is congenital:Wear comfortable shoes with adequate room for the toes. An ingrown toenail may happen if you wear shoes that are too tight or too short.

1. Wear comfortable shoes with adequate room for the toes. An ingrown toenail may happen if you wear shoes that are too tight or too short.

2. Use sharp, clean nail clippers to cut toenails straight across. Don't round the corners, a sharp corner of the nail may curl down and dig into the soft flesh of that toe.

3. Trim the nails no shorter than the edge of the toe or the nail itself grow into the flesh.

4. Make sure your feet are always dry and clean.

5. Avoid going barefoot, or wearing shoes without socks. Trauma, such as stubbing the toe or having the toe stepped on, may also cause an ingrown nail.

Ingrown toenails should be treated as soon as they are recognized.

If you have diabetes or another condition that causes poor circulation to your feet, you should pay close attention to your feet. You're at greater risk of complications from an ingrown toenail.

Ginkgo biloba for Vitiligo

Picture Credit: www.care4healthy.com

Vitiligo

Vitiligo is a skin condition in which there is a loss of brown color (pigment) from areas of skin, resulting in irregular white patches that feel like normal skin.

Vitiligo was brought to world attention when pop star Michael Jackson claimed the lightening of his skin was a result of vitiligo.

Vitiligo appears to occur when immune cells destroy the cells that produce brown pigment (melanocytes). This destruction is thought to be due to an autoimmune problem, but the cause is unknown.

Vitiligo affects 1% of the world population, but the prevalence has been reported as high as 4% in some South Asian, Mexican and American populations. Vitiligo can develop at any age, but several studies report that 50% of cases appear before the age of 20.

The cause of vitiligo is unknown. Although no serious consequences arise from having vitiligo, the changes in skin color can be distressing for some individuals. Treatment options are few and often include using topical steroid creams which are known to cause significant side effects with long term use.

A new study published in the BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine Journal has shown that supplementation with a standardized extract of ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba) may help slow the progression of skin depigmentation and actually increase pigmentation in adults suffering from vitiligo.

Orest Szczurko, Neil Shear, Anna Taddio and Heather Boon at the University of Toronto assigned 47 adults with slow-spreading vitiligo to receive 120 mg per day of a standardized extract of ginkgo (standardized to 30 mg ginkgoflavonglycosides and 8 mg terpene lactones) per day or a similar looking placebo for six months.

This is the first study to show that ginkgo is an effective, safe treatment for vitiligo.

Effectiveness was assessed using the Vitiligo Area Scoring Index (VASI) and the Vitiligo European Task Force (VETF), which are validated outcome measures evaluating the area and intensity of depigmentation of vitiligo lesions. Other outcomes included photographs and adverse reactions.

Ingestion of 120 mg of Ginkgo biloba was associated with a significant improvement in total VASI vitiligo measures and VETF spread, and a trend towards improvement on VETF measures of vitiligo lesion area and staging. Larger, randomized double-blind clinical studies are warranted and appear feasible.

It is noteworthy that over the short three month duration of this study, two participants improved over 30%, one over 20%, three over 10% and two more by 2 and 5% on their VASI scores. Thus in 3 months, 8 out of 11 participants started to improve. Given more time, it is possible that participants could have achieved more significant repigmentation.

Ginkgo is a potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immune-modulating herb. Some researchers believe vitiligo is the result of free-radical damage to the skin and that ginkgo prevents these free radicals from doing further harm. Ginkgo has been shown to cause a blood-thinning effect in some individuals, so people taking blood-thinning medication should avoid taking ginkgo, unless under the supervision of a physician.

The study was open labeled, not controlled, and not randomized. As such, a placebo effect is possible. Larger, randomized double-blind clinical studies are warranted and appear feasible.

Journal Reference

Szczurko O, Shear N, Taddio A, Boon H. Ginkgo biloba for the treatment of Vitiligo vulgaris: an Open Label Pilot Clinical Trial. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2011, 11:21doi:10.1186/1472-6882-11-21 CLICK HERE to read the full paper.

CLICK HERE for products containing gingko biloba extract.