Lowering blood cholesterol decreases the risk of heart attack and stroke. Good eating habit is an important part of a healthy lifestyle that can prevent heart disease and reverse atherosclerosis.

1. More plant foods

A diet of fruits, vegetables, beans, whole grains, plus some fish and poultry can significantly lower the risk of a heart attack compared to a diet rich in sweets, fried foods, refined grains and red processed meats.

Plant foods are often high in fiber and plant sterols that lower cholesterol. They are also rich in antioxidants, which prevent LDL from oxidizing.

2. The good fats

Saturated fat, dietary cholesterol and trans fats raise blood cholesterol. The first two come from animal products. Trans fats are processed vegetable oil and found in margarine, crackers and processed snacks.

Monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats are good fats and help lower LDL. They can are in canola oil, olive oil, peanut oil, safflower, sesame and sunflower seeds, soybeans, nuts, etc.

3. Oats, beans and amaranth.

They all lower cholesterol. Oats also lower blood pressure.

4. Purple grapes and berries.

Blue, purple and red berries and grapes contain bioflavonoids, which are strong antioxidants that repair damages on artery linings.

Enjoy red wine too, which also contains this antioxidant. However, while moderate drinking has a protective effect, heavy drinking increases heart attack risk.

To read the original article, click here.  Also see Control Your Cholesterol (1) — Basics, (3) — Other Lifestyle Changes, (4) — Other measures.

Besides lifestyle change, nasal flushing and immunotherapy, there are some natural plants or plant extracts that work well to treat or prevent allergy symptoms.

Quercetin

Quercetin is a natural compound derived from plant. It is a natural antioxidant that can be found in citrus fruits, onions, apples, parsley, tea, tomatoes, broccoli, lettuce and wine.

Quercetin supplements can prevent allergy attacks. It is best to start using it six weeks before allergy season.

Allergy Fighting Foods

Foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids help alleviate allergy symptoms. Omega-3s can be found in cold-water fish, walnuts, flaxseed oil, grass-fed meat and eggs.

Also, add spices such as horseradish, chili peppers or hot mustard to your food. They act as natural decongestants.

Stinging Nettle

Stinging nettle (see image) acts like many of the drugs sold to treat allergies. But it has the advantage of not causing the side effects like dry mouth and drowsiness.

You can make your own tinctures or teas with stinging nettle. Or you can use stinging nettle extract capsules.

Butterbur

Butterbur is another plant used to treat allergies. It is as effective as the drug cetirizine,  the active ingredient in Zyrtec. However, butterbur doesn’t cause drowsiness.

Also see Natural Remedies for Allergy (1). Read more, go here.

The French Constitutional Council has rejected a tax on carbon emissions strongly backed by President Nicolas Sarkozy that was to take effect Friday. But his ruling conservative party said the measure would be redrafted so it could be passed into law next year.

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With the increasing number of research labs developing a line of medicines made of cow feces and urine in India, the cows are now are again becoming the most sacred animal. The medicines developed from the cow feces and urine combines both the practical and spiritual aspects and scientists in Ahmedabad, India formulate cures ranging from cancer to bad breath. Read more »

Ranbaxy Laboratories reported on Wednesday that it would not be able to launch a generic version of a urinary drug in the United States as per schedule in the absence of a final approval from the regulator. Read more »

You can find a good dose of healthy omega-3 fatty acids in nuts (almonds, pecan, walnuts, etc) and fish (salmon, etc).

Omega-3 fatty acids can prevent heart disease in healthy people. It also reduces the risk of having an heart attack in people already having heart diseases.

A recent study reviewed the findings of studies done in the past 30 years that involved more than 40,000 people on the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids.

It showed that omega-3 fatty acids has the strongest protective effect in patients who have existing heart diseases or already had heart attacks before. In these people, if they take a daily dose of omega-3 fatty acids, their risk of heart-related death is reduced by 30%.

People without heart conditions can also benefit from taking omega-3 fatty acids. It reduces the risk of developing atherosclerosis, arrhythmia, heart attack, heart failure and sudden cardiac death.

Before taking any omega-3 supplements, talk to your doctor about proper dosage and potential interactions with your current medications.

Source: webmd.com

After many time-consuming disputes and deliberations along the month, Senate Democrats gathered collectively on Saturday (December 19) and came up with a powerful boost for President Obama’s top domestic policy goal. The breakthrough came after Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and his lieutenants engineered a delicately crafted compromise to prevent federal funding of abortions, the same issue that nearly stopped the House from passing its healthcare bill six weeks ago.

Watch the video here:

A recent study examined the effects of foot-wear choices early in life on foot pain. It seems that the kind of shoes one wears most of the time has a significant effect on how much foot pain will develop later in life.

The study classified shoes into three groups: Good (athletic or casual sneakers), average (hard- or rubber-soled shoes, work boots), and poor (high heels, sandals, slippers).

The results showed that about 30% of women in the study had generalized foot pain on most days. However, women who wore good shoes were 67% less likely to develop foot pain than those who wore average shoes.

Men are not as susceptible to foot pain as women due to obvious reason: Only 2% of them wore poor shoes.

So next time you are temped to try on a pair of high heels, knowing that pretty shoes may cost you more than you have realized.

Source: webmd.com

Straw, manure and composmat are gardener’s friends for a healthy and productive garden. But do you know that they could also kill your lettuce, tomatoes, beans and peas?

The culprit is the widely used herbicide aminopyralid, an active ingredient in Milestone and Forefront.

This herbicide, as well as some others that belong to the same class of chemicals (such as clopyralid) developed and sold by DowAgroscience, was widely used on pastures with horses and cattle to control perennial weeds.

Although it was claimed that the herbicide should degrade within days, it has been found to persist for years. It passes through animals feeding on treated grass or hay.

Previously treated straw, well rotten manure from animals feeding on sprayed grass, or even compost converted from contaminated source may carry enough plant killer to kill your sensitive plants and harm the others.

To keep your garden save, ask questions before buying manure or compost.

To learn more about the problem and see what the company DowAgroscience, the EPA and the government have or have not done to control the problem, read this and this.

As we all know, on Wednesday (January 27), a blown-up version of iPhone was released. Weighing 1.5 pounds, just 0.5 inch thick, and 11 inches tall, the iPad makes it possible to fool around with songs, watch movies, read books, and run all the supplementary tens of thousands of applications obtainable in the Apple’s depots. The question: How green is it?

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