Burning joss sticks could cause Cancer

Religious devotees, take note.

Now studies has discovered that the practice of burning joss sticks could cause cancer (Read article below).

I would strongly encourage religious devotees to open the windows up to allow proper air flow into the room. Also do avoid visiting temples during crowded timings, especially if you have had respiratory problems.

Guardian.co.uk
Ian MacKinnon

Worship is generally not a life-threatening pursuit. But devotees across Asia could be taking their life into their hands every time they go to a temple to pray, according to a study by a Thai doctor.

Burning joss sticks lit as an offering in shrines and temples fill the air with cancer-causing toxins that are every bit as deadly as traffic fumes and cigarette smoke, says Dr Manoon Leechawengwong.

Dr Manoon, who has just completed a two-year study of temple workers tasked with clearing the smouldering sticks, found the cocktail of chemicals in the smoke put them at risk of leukaemia, lung, blood and bladder cancers.

"One joss stick creates the same amount of cancer-causing chemicals at one cigarette," said Dr Manoon, who led the research. "I knew there would be some carcinogens, but I was surprised by the levels."

Joss sticks are a type of incense used in worship in many Asian countries. In Buddhism they are believed to aid spiritual communication and serve as an offering.

Dr Manoon's study was conducted among 40 workers in three temples at Ayutthaya, Chachoengsao and Samut Prakan, sites chosen deliberately far from Bangkok's traffic pollution. The findings were compared with another 25 people living in a joss-stick free environment.

Temple workers were exposed to high levels of benzene, also known as petroleum ether, related to leukaemia; butadiene involved in blood cancer; and benzo[a]pyrene that can cause lung, bladder and skin cancers.

The level of benzene in the temple workers was four times higher than normal, butadiene was 260 times higher, and benzo[a]pyrene - the most dangerous carcinogen - 63 times greater.

Analysis of the temple workers blood and urine samples discovered damage to their DNA, with a correspondingly lower capacity of their bodies to repair that damage.

"We know from our study that there's DNA damage," said Dr Manoon. "But what we don't know is if they will develop cancer. Certainly they have a greater risk. It's like smoking. Not all smokers get cancer, it's about 20% ."

But Dr Manoon urges worshippers to reduce the risks by extinguishing the scented joss stick immediately after use, rather than leaving it standing pots of sand as it burns down. Manufacturers could also produce sticks that burn for a minute or less.

"It's not necessary as part of the ritual for these traditional joss sticks to burn down," he said. "By putting them out after a minute or so the air pollution would be cut by 30 to 40 times."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/jul/30/health

Tofu 'may raise risk of dementia'

BBC

Eating high levels of some soy products - including tofu - may raise the risk of memory loss, research suggests.

The study focused on 719 elderly Indonesians living in urban and rural regions of Java.

The researchers found high tofu consumption - at least once a day - was associated with worse memory, particularly among the over-68s.

The Loughborough University-led study features in the journal Dementias and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders.

Soy products are a major alternative protein source to meat for many people in the developing world.

But soy consumption is also on the increase in the west, where it is often promoted as a "superfood".

Soy products are rich in micronutrients called phytoestrogens, which mimic the impact of the female sex hormone oestrogen.

There is some evidence that they may protect the brains of younger and middle-aged people from damage - but their effect on the ageing brain is less clear.

The latest study suggests phytoestrogens - in high quantity - may actually heighten the risk of dementia.

Lead researcher Professor Eef Hogervorst said previous research had linked oestrogen therapy to a doubling of dementia risk in the over-65s.

She said oestrogens - and probably phytoestrogens - tended to promote growth among cells, not necessarily a good thing in the ageing brain.

Alternatively, high doses of oestrogens might promote the damage caused to cells by particles known as free radicals.

A third theory is that damage is caused not by the tofu, but by formaldehyde, which is sometimes used in Indonesia as a preservative.

The researchers admit that more research is required to ascertain whether the same effects are found in other ethnic groups.

However, previous research has also linked high tofu consumption to an increased risk of dementia in older Japanese American men.

Fermented product

Professor David Smith, of the University of Oxford, said tofu was a complex food with many ingredients which might have an impact.

However, he said: "There seems to be something happening in the brain as we age which makes it react to oestrogens in the opposite way to what we would expect."

The latest study also found that eating tempe, a fermented soy product made from the whole soy bean, was associated with better memory.

Professor Hogervorst said the beneficial effect of tempe might be related to the fact that it contains high levels of the vitamin folate, which is known to reduce dementia risk.

"It may be that that the interaction between high levels of both folate and phytoestrogens protects against cognitive impairment."

She also stressed that there was no suggestion that eating tofu in moderation posed a problem.

Rebecca Wood, of the Alzheimer's Research Trust, which funded the study, said more research was needed to pin down the potential risks and benefits of so-called superfoods.

However, she said: "This kind of research into the causes of Alzheimer's could lead scientists to new ways of preventing this devastating disease.

"As over half a million people have Alzheimer's in the UK today, there is a desperate need to find a new prevention or cure."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/talking_point/7490202.stm

Healthy Habits

Some random healthy habits to share:



1) Sleep



Sleeping from 11pm to 6am and from 1am to 8am both gives you 7 hours of sleep, but when you performed the former, you would end up more refreshed then when you did the latter. That is because our body goes into "repair" in the time frame between 11pm to 3am, so it is vital to sleep before this timing to ensure good health.



If you can't get to sleep, refrain from watching the television as it would cause stress to your eyes and mind. Instead, do some reading. It will bore you to sleep more effectively.



Avoid placing electrical appliances in your bedroom because it would create electromagnetic disturbance to your sleep.



For a healthy individual, he would wake up feeling refreshed. And vice versa.



2) Hydration



Avoid drinking mineral water and pure water. Mineral water contains metallic ions which could precipitate into carcinogenic substances in the body. Pure water has no minerals, thus via the process of diffusion, minerals from the body would instead diffuse into pure water and be flushed out of the body. Pure water cannot sustain the lives of aquarium fishes and plants. Do you think it is healthy for consumption?



Drink 1.5 litres of water every morning. Let the water trickle down the throat to maximise absorption. If you can't take in that amount of water, there is an indication that the body already has some problems.



3) Exercising



There is increasing cases of lung cancer and it predominates over other types of cancer. It is because harmful substances that are eaten by the individual can leave the body via excretion but the air that one breathes in can't. The harmful substances breathed into the body can only be removed when the body sweats -- during excercising.

Baby Boomers are the Model for Healthy Aging

By Chris Robertson

Each day, an average of 80,000 baby boomers celebrate their fiftieth birthdays. Just as this post-war generation has been a trailblazer in so many other areas, it is turning the concept of aging upside down. As a whole, this is a generation determined to squeeze out every drop of their time here on this earth. In the process, they are making healthy aging both a priority and the norm.

For boomers, healthy aging encompasses both physical and mental health. As an example, the number of Americans who run marathons has increased exponentially over the past 20 years, and the biggest increase is found in the over-40 crowd. But even those who aren't pounding the pavement are staying active in a variety of ways, from regular trips to the gym to adventure sports like scuba diving and skiing.

In retrospect, the careers of baby boomers have taken a decidedly different trajectory than those of their parents. Unlike previous generations, baby boomers haven't experienced the security of staying with one employer for their entire adult lives. Instead, they have held a number of jobs, sometimes within the same industry, other times across industries. They've picked up new skills along the way and, between gains in the real estate market and savvy investing, have bigger nest eggs. As a result, they're retiring at an earlier age, and supplementing their retirement income by starting new businesses, engaging in consulting work, and taking part time jobs that allow them to follow their passions. For many baby boomers, retiring in their mid-fifties means that they have at least three more decades to enjoy life, so it behooves them to follow a path of healthy aging.

In the arena of women's health, more women are recognizing that the habits they developed in their twenties, thirties, and forties no longer serve them well. To maintain their health and beauty, they are turning to health food and health supplements, both of which can help them create more energy, gain mental clarity and focus, and lessen stress.

The truth is, most of the aging process occurs at the cellular level. Much of the cellular damage that occurs with aging is the result of free radicals. Long-term exposure to the UVA and UVB rays of the sun, eating charred meat, and other lifestyle choices can lead to the creation of free radicals in the body. These free radicals can cause cells to be damaged and can even contribute to cancer.

Health foods and health supplements, as well as healthy lifestyle choices, can promote healthy cellular regeneration. Healthy cells, in turn, mean healthy aging, which is something all baby boomers embrace.

Chris Robertson is an author of Majon International, one of the worlds MOST popular internet marketing companies on the web. Learn more about Baby Boomers and Healthy Aging

rticle Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?Baby-Boomers-are-the-Model-for-Healthy-Aging&id=306134

5 Must-haves for a Happy Retirement

So you are about to enjoy your life after quitting that job you have been clinging on for decades. You are indeed ready for retirement but wait a second, are you ready for a Happy Retirement? There are 5 Must-Haves for an enjoyable and Happy Retirement. This is not a hard and fast rule but it provides the bare minimum for one to have an easy and fretless retirement.

1) A yearly health check routine.
Maintaining good health through healthy lifestyle is not enough. Once in a while, you will need to put your body to the tests by professional doctors. In this way, you get to react at an earlier time when your body shines the red light. Read up old age health related websites such as Old-Age-Health-Tips.com to keep yourself aware of old age health issues.

2) Sufficient Coverage
Engage your financial consultant to ensure that you have a decent coverage for your healthcare and daily needs. Have you invested your nest egg in a plan that could generate sufficient income for your retirement days?

3) Programmes and Activities for Post-retirement era
Enrol yourself into activities and programmes as soon as you can. Avoid doing so upon retirement as it might not be as easy to integrate into the community. Start early and enjoy friendship moments. Fully enrich your daily life.

4) Kinship
Keeping close ties with your family members is a good way to enjoy retirement. Grandparents play crucial role in the family unit by imparting values and education to their grandchildren. The family unit provides a strong support to aging members.

5) Contributing to society
You can return to society by volunteering in organisations or participating in grassroots activities. You engage yourself with an active lifestyle and at the same time bring joy to others.

Wish you a happy retirement!

How Preparing for Aging is better than Hiding from it

Human progress has interestingly led to aging at a younger age but also led to the invention of anti-aging chemicals to aid in sustaining the youthful look of people. We age faster due to more stress in our lifestyle. In my opinion, preparing for aging is always better than shielding away from it, just like preparing for the rain is better than hiding away from the rain because you will not know where the lightning might strike.

Before we start, we need to dispel the myth that aging leads to a less vibrant life. As a grassroots leader myself, I witnessed the activeness of seniors in the community and how they lead their post-retirement lifestyle in glee and grace. Always look at aging from the positive perspective. As the old adage goes, the older the wine, the better it tastes!

Hiding away from aging would ultimately lead to depression and builds up an inferiority complex within oneself. You hide away from something that you fear. When you fear aging, you are not able to accept it when it pounced upon you. When this happens, you cannot accept the change and would become gloomy. Instead, we should prepare for aging when we are younger. Engaging in long term social activities, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, helping our seniors in daily tasks could make us prepare better for aging.

Keeping yourself informed and educated in health-related issues is vital in this era which we are living in. Across the globe, it seemed that healthcare costs keep skyrocketing upwards. With the vast information available in the world wide web, we should learn how to live and stay healthy. For example, Old Age Health Tips offers free advice to seniors on health matters. Keeping informed gets one prepared for the graceful lifestyle.

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In this blog, there will be updates on Old Age Health and other advices building on the articles at http://www.old-age-health-tips.com