When Hoodia was discovered the very first animal trials to test it was with Rats. The rats that were fed with Hoodia stopped eating completely. Rats are well know as animals that will eat anything and everything. Can you believe that an animal who loves to eat anything simply switched off its desire to eat, even when foods that rats love were placed in front of them.

When the first clinical human trial was conducted with Hoodia, several morbidly obese people were placed in a unit which was a closed off area were all that they could do was to read, watch television, interact with each other, and of course eat. Half the people were given Hoodia Gordonii to take, and half were given a placebo. After fifteen days, the group that had been taking Hoodia Gordonii had reduced their calorie intake by 1000 calories a day - despite taking no exercise and not being on a diet

This is due to the active ingredient in Hoodia Gordonii, the molecule known as P57, as it imitates the effects that glucose has on your brain, signaling that you are full. Your brain has what is called a Hypothalamus. This part of your brain controls your appetite. When you eat, the glucose levels in your body rise. As these levels go up, the hypothalamus sends off a signal to your cells to stop eating. This is when you start to feel full. Hoodia Gordonii’s molecule, P57, tells your brain the same exact thing, even if you haven’t eaten a bite. By mimicking the effects of glucose on your brain, the hypothalamus starts to send messages to your cells which in turn, make you feel full

Hoodia is grown in the Kalahari Desert region of South Africa, Hoodia Gordonii is an all natural appetite suppressant, derived from a cactus like plant with prickly spikes. Scientists have been researching the Hoodia plant for almost a decade, and have found it to be completely free of harmful side effects.

Paul Callis is extremely knowledgeable in the field of sports and nutrition in the UK . You can visit Paul’s web site, and read his recommendations and advice at Hoodia Gordonii

Studies on whey demonstrate it’s an even better protein supplement than previously thought. Although whey protein’s health benefits have only recently been elucidated, the use of whey protein for medicinal purposes has been prescribed since the time of Hippocrates. In fact, there are two ancient proverbs from the Italian city of Florence that say, “If you want to live a healthy and active life, drink whey,” and, “If everyone were raised on whey, doctors would be bankrupt.”

In previous issues, we’ve chronicled the extensive research showing the many potential health benefits of whey protein concentrate. The majority of that research was done in the 1980s and early 1990s, and was extremely persuasive. Scientists have continued their research on whey proteins with even more impressive results. What follows is some of the more current, interesting and useful research on whey proteins.

Whey and Cancer

Additional studies have been done on animals regarding cancer-causing chemicals to see what effects whey protein concentrate would have on cancer prevention or treatment. Scientists fed rats various proteins and then subjected them to the powerful carcinogen dimethylhydrazine.

As with the previous research, the rats fed whey protein concentrate showed fewer tumors and a reduced pooled area of tumors (tumor mass index). The researchers found whey protein offered “considerable protection to the host” over that of other proteins, including soy.

1. Even more exciting, in vivo research on cancer and whey showed whey protein concentrate inhibited the growth of breast cancer cells at low concentrations (Baruchel S. and Vaiu G., Anti Cancer Research, 1996). Finally, and most importantly, a fairly recent clinical study with cancer patients showed a regression in some patient’s tumors when fed whey protein concentrate at 30 grams per day.

2. Whey and Glutathione

This new research using whey protein concentrate led researchers to an amazing discovery regarding the relationship between cancerous cells, glutathione (GSH) and whey protein concentrate. It was found that whey protein concentrate selectively depletes cancer cells of their glutathione, thus making them more susceptible to cancer treatments such as radiation and chemotherapy.

It has been found that cancer cells and normal cells will respond differently to nutrients and drugs that affect glutathione status. What is most interesting to note is the fact that the concentration of glutathione in tumor cells is higher than that of the normal cells that surround it. This difference in glutathione status between normal cells and cancer cells is believed to be an important factor in cancer cells’ resistance to chemotherapy.

As the researchers put it, “Tumor cell GSH concentration may be among the determinants of the cytotoxicity [poisonous to cells] of many chemotherapeutic agents and of radiation, and an increase in GSH concentration appears to be at least one of the mechanisms of acquired drug resistance to chemotherapy.”

They further state, “It is well-known that rapid GSH synthesis in tumor cells is associated with high rates of cellular proliferation. Depletion of tumor GSH in vivo decreases the rate of cellular proliferation and inhibits cancer growth.”

The problem is, it’s difficult to reduce glutathione sufficiently in tumor cells without placing healthy tissue at risk and putting the cancer patient in a worse condition. What is needed is a compound that can selectively deplete the cancer cells of their glutathione, while increasing, or at least maintaining, the levels of glutathione in healthy cells.

This is exactly what whey protein appears to do. In this new research it was found that cancer cells subjected to whey proteins were depleted of their glutathione, and their growth was inhibited, while normal cells had an increase in GSH and increased cellular growth.

These effects were not seen with other proteins. Not surprisingly, the researchers concluded, “Selective depletion of tumor GSH may in fact render cancer cells more vulnerable to the action of chemotherapy and eventually protect normal tissue against the deleterious effects of chemotherapy.” The exact mechanism by which whey protein achieves this is not fully understood, but it appears that it interferes with the normal feedback mechanism and regulation of glutathione in cancer cells.

It is known that glutathione production is negatively inhibited by its own synthesis. Being that baseline glutathione levels in cancer cells are higher than that of normal cells, it is probably easier to reach the level of negative-feedback inhibition in the cancer cells’ glutathione levels than in the normal cells’ glutathione levels.

Whey and LDL Cholesterol

The positive health benefits of whey protein concentrate does not end with its effects on immunity and cancer prevention and treatment. Whey protein concentrate also was found to be a potent inhibitor of oxidized low density lipoprotein cholesterol. Current research suggests that the conversion of LDL to oxidized LDL is the trigger that leads to atherogenesis… the formation of the plaque and lesions associated with atherosclerosis.

Therefore, any substance that prevents the oxidation of LDL is thought to be anti-atherogenic. Though animal-based proteins have traditionally been implicated as being pro-atherogenic, whey proteins appear to be an exception to the rule. whey protein is made up of several minor and major fractions, such as beta-lactoglobulin, alpha-lactalbumin, albumin, lactoferrin and immunoglobulin. It was discovered that the minor constituent responsible for the ability of whey protein concentrate to prevent the oxidation of LDL appears to be the lactoferrin fraction of the protein.

3. Lactoferrin In Whey

When the lactoferrin was removed from the protein, the ability of the whey-protein concentrate to prevent LDL oxidation was greatly reduced, leading the researchers to speculate, “Our results suggest that LF (lactoferrin) is the main factor responsible for the inhibitory effect of whey protein (on LDL) and it may function synergistically together with other factors in the whey protein, for example, alpha-lactalbumin.”

Another study using rats examined the effects of whey protein concentrate and casein on cholesterol and the risk factors of heart disease. Though casein (another milk-based protein commonly used in research) is known to raise cholesterol in humans and animals, whey protein has the opposite effect, leading the researchers to note, “At the high dietary protein level [300 gram per kilogram of feed] , whey protein significantly lowered plasma and liver cholesterol and also plasma triacylglycerols.”

4. The cholesterol-lowering effects of whey protein concentrate in this study also was associated with a reduction in LDL cholesterol. Most interesting was the fact that this effect on cholesterol was not seen when the animals were fed amino acid mixtures that simulated whey protein, so it is clear that there are properties within the whey that have these effects beyond that of its amino acid profile.

Whey and Bone Growth

Finally, whey protein appears to play a direct role in bone growth. Researchers found that rats fed whey protein concentrate showed increased bone strength and bone protein such as collagen. This discovery led researches to test whether or not whey protein directly stimulated osteoblast (bone cell) growth in vitro.

Whey protein was found to stimulate, dose dependently, total protein synthesis, DNA content, and increased hydroxyproline contents of bone cells.

5. It should be noted that not all whey protein concentrates are created equal. Processing whey protein to remove the lactose and fats without losing its biological activity takes special care by the manufacturer. The protein must be processed under low temperature and low acid conditions so as not to “denature” the protein. Maintaining the natural state of the protein is essential to its biological activity.
These research findings, combined with the previous decade of study on whey protein, should convince anyone that whey protein concentrate is truly the life-extension protein.

Higher Glutathione Levels and Whey

A decade-and-a-half of findings on the benefits of whey protein are far-reaching.

Previous Studies Include The Following:

Whey protein concentrate dramatically raises glutathione levels. Glutathione is an essential water-soluble antioxidant in the body that protects cells and serves as a primary detoxifier of harmful compounds such as peroxides, heavy metals, carcinogens and other toxins.

Glutathione also is intimately tied to immunity, and reduced glutathione levels have been associated with disease such as AIDS, atherosclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease, to name only a few. In fact, glutathione levels appear to be one way of modulating immunity.

6. Whey protein concentrate was found to consistently raise this extremely important immune stimulating antioxidant beyond that of any protein studied (including soy) to higher than normal levels in multiple animal studies.

7. A small pilot study with HIV-positive men who were fed whey protein concentrate found dramatic increases in glutathione levels of all the study participants, with two out of three men reaching their ideal body weight.

8. In fact, there have been several U.S. and international patents granted for the treatment of AIDS and improving immunity with whey protein concentrates.Whey protein improves immune function and fights infections. Animals fed whey protein concentrate consistently showed dramatic enhancement of both the humoral and cellular immune response to a variety of immune challenges, such as salmonella, streptococcus pneumonia 9 and extreme cancer-causing chemicals. This effect on immunity was not seen with other proteins. So proof Whey protein concentrate fights cancer!!

http://www.the-health.com

Folic Acid is one of your body’s essential nutrients! It is important for everything from brain function to cardiovascular health. Folic Acid deficiency is the most common deficiency of any of the B vitamins. It also works along with vitamin B-12 for formation of red blood cells.

Some of the signs and symptoms you would want to look out for would include:

•Irritability or Depression- Because of folic acids importance in your central nervous system you may experience symptoms such as irritability, sluggishness, forgetfulness, or depression.

•High Homocysteine Levels- Along with other B-Vitamins, folic acid works to lower homocysteine levels. People with high homocysteine levels have been shown to have a higher increase in cardiovascular events such as heart attacks.

•Birth Defects and Miscarriage- Folic acid is critical in the development of your fetus. Folic acid supplements are recommended to women that are pregnant or trying to get pregnant.

•Some Cancers- Some cancers have been associated with abnormally low levels of folic acid.

•Diarrhea and loss of appetite- Many vitamin deficiencies have been linked to gastrointestinal complaints.

It is very important to identify why your body may be deficient in folic acid!

Are you eating enough foods that are rich in folic acid, such as spinach and other green leafy vegetables, soybeans, salmon, or orange juice?

Are you taking any prescription or over the counter drug that has been shown to either lower folic acid levels, or increase your bodies need for folic acid such as oral contraceptives, aspirin or other anti-inflammatory drugs, antacids such as Zantac, Pepcid or Tagamet, or metformin for diabetes?

If you want to learn more about why your body needs folic acid please visit: http://www.essential-nutrients.net/vitamin_B9.htm

If you would like to learn more about other medications that have the potential to put you at risk of other vitamin and mineral deficiencies please visit:
http://www.essential-nutrients.net/

If you would like to see the full line of NutraMD products please visit: http://www.essential-nutrients.net/store/PPF/Category_ID/11/products.asp

The USDA recently published their dietary guidelines for Americans and the recommendation leave a bit to be desired. As Americans our health continues to slip. We have the largest and most expensive insurance and health care system in the world. The following recommendation made by the USDA is just recommendations. As we all know advice is only as good as who receives it. Our children seem to be the ones with the most to lose but the USDA has little to say regarding their eating habits. This report highlights the following recommendations for children.

Infants should not eat or drink raw milk or any products made from unpasteurized milk, raw or partially cooked eggs or foods containing raw eggs, raw or undercooked meat and poultry, raw or undercooked fish or shellfish, unpasteurized juices and raw sprouts.

Young children should keep total fat intake between 30 to 35 percent of calories for children 2 to 3 years of age, with most fats coming from sources of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids, such as fish, nuts, and vegetable oils. Consume whole-grain products often. At least half the grains should be whole grains. Children 2 to 8 years should consume 2 cups per day of fat-free or low-fat milk or equivalent milk products. Young children should not eat or drink raw milk or any products made from unpasteurized milk, raw or partially cooked eggs or foods containing raw eggs, raw or undercooked meat and poultry, raw or undercooked fish or shellfish, unpasteurized juices and raw sprouts.

Children should engage in at least 60 minutes of physical activity on most, preferably all, days of the week. The USDA also recommends that kids consume whole-grain products often. At least half the grains should be whole grains. Children up to 8 years should consume 2 cups per day of fat-free or low-fat milk or equivalent milk products. Children 9 years of age and older should consume 3 cups per day of fat-free or low-fat milk or equivalent milk products. Parents should help children to keep their total fat intake between 25 to 35 percent of calories for children 4 years of age to adolescence, with most fats coming from sources of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids, such as fish, nuts, and vegetable oils.
This sounds great, but what can we do as a country when our food supply seems filled with everything that the recommendations advise us against eating? Should the general consumer be expected to pay extra to get the food that we as a country need or should growers, butchers, and producers are required to provide the foods at a lower costs. It seems that doing the right thing in this country is very expensive. No wonder we have obesity and other problems looming over our heads every day.

If you are interested in reading more about how to eat well and within your budget then you can get access to the World’s #1 Resource for Raw and Living Food Nutrition! By looking on the internet or visiting your local health food store.

David C Skul - CEO LinkAcquire.com and Relativity, Inc. can provide global market exposure and solutions.

SEO Solutions and one way link publicity services provided by LinkAcquire.

Communication services are essential to the majority of hospitality guests. Many business executives and travelers demand efficient facilities that can keep them in touch with home base. It is imperative for sophisticated hotel billing software to account for telephone charges, Internet usage, equipment fees, surcharges and taxes in real time.

Virtually every major hotel has some form of call tracking or call accounting software. The declining cost of telephone calls has seen a decline in revenue. Gone are the days when hotels could command huge margins for simply picking up the telephone. At one time, it was not uncommon for hotels to mark up telephone calls 80 to 100 percent. Sometimes your telephone charges could account for a larger cost than the room rate.

In the past, a decent hotel call accounting system would generally been left in the back room logging long distance call records from a PBX serial port. The system would apply exorbitant rates and post them to the property management system. Tariff updates from the manufacturer were usually ignored (since the updates usually contained lower billing plans).

Hotel telecom revenues are now declining at a steady rate of 3 to 6 per cent per year. Hotel general managers and comptrollers are forced to become more creative to meet bottom line objectives for communication. The traditional call accounting system cash cow now needs to be fined tuned to adapt to new technologies and market competition. The answer lies in the creative use of new call accounting modules or more appropriately a communication management system (CMS).

The proper utilization of a hotel call accounting system can still derive huge benefits. Guests that get busy signals will find alternate ways to make telephone calls. It is of utmost importance for properties to track the number of busy signals, overflow or blocked calls. This can be accomplished through the use of traffic reports that identify grade of service and peak calling hours. These reports often recommend the proper number of trunks or lines for the property to run smoothly.

Long distance calling has been declining for years. However local and toll free calls have been fairly steady. The use of billing thresholds can help increase revenue. Certainly a guest that talks for thirty minutes on a local call could be charged a small amount for facility usage. Some hotels have turned to adjusting room rates a fixed amount to compensate for lost telecom revenue.

The rise of internet usage has forced many hotels to provide free internet access. This has compounded the problem for the telecom department. Many guests and business travelers have found other convenient means of communication (IP services, instant messaging, email, cellular phones) that are not part of the infrastructure of the hotel property. The advent of flat rate VoIP providers has given the business traveler the ability to bypass toll charges. A modern communication management system should be capable of adding internet usage charges into guest folios.

Proactive hotel properties use call accounting reports to determine calling patterns that show where guests are calling. These statistics help the hotel target marketing and negotiate better tariff plans. Night auditors have always been asked to reconcile daily transactions. However most failed to reconcile the transactions against the actual telephone bill. Examining telephone company records versus the call accounting records helps to ensure that all calls are being recorded, billed and appropriately surcharged.

Many hotel call accounting systems are missing critical information. Often extensions are not identified correctly as guest rooms, conference rooms, VIP or administrative. This can result in inaccurate billing and lost revenue. Properties should ensure that their call accounting system is loaded and configured properly on a monthly basis. Most banner properties have a preset tariff table that is deployed among all properties. System administrators should ensure that all properties follow the same guidelines.

As more communication facilities are offered by the property, the communication management system will be required to account for hotel cell phones, calls made with authorization codes, internet service, hand held devices and other guest amenities.

Discover more about call accounting, internet usage, hotel billing and telephone reporting from Resource Software International Ltd. (RSI).

Rito Salomone is the president of Resource Software International Ltd. (RSI). He has 17 years experience in the field of communication management solutions.

For more information you can review: http://www.telecost.com or http://www.callaccountingsoftware.com or contact the author at rsalomone@telecost.com.

Balance your meals- You can do this by eating properly throughout your day. Try eating small meals between breakfast and dinner to keep your blood sugar levels stable. Combine carbohydrate foods with protein to keep stable blood sugar. Cut out fat by not eating deep fried foods, fatty meats and foods such as sugary desserts, hydrogenated foods, packaged and processed foods. Carbohydrate foods with protein, antioxidents and iron levels are key to health.

These foods will affect your skin, hair and nails. They will also leave you feeling tired and energy depleted. Foods such as steamed vegetables, lightly grilled fish in olive oil with lemon or lime juice, skinless chicken breast, lean cuts of beef, and any kind of greens such as spinach, are all excellent choices. Drink Black teas and green teas which contain antioxidants, and are good for you in moderation. Carbohydrate foods with protein, antioxidents and iron levels are key to health.

Iron levels- Your iron levels are important to keep normal, as iron is a mineral that creates the molecule hemoglobin. This molecule carries oxygen to our organs and tissues, which we need to be healthy and feel energized.

Examples of iron foods include red meat, poultry and fish. Plant sources of iron are better absorbed because they are joined to other plant constituents. Lentils, molasses, raisins, prunes, dried fruits and beans are a few examples of plant based iron foods.

Low iron levels can result in anemia, and if this condition is left untreated it can be life threatening. Check with your physician regarding iron levels. Carbohydrate foods with protein, antioxidents and iron levels are key to health

Ken and Deidre are successful author and publishers of Health and Fitness tips for your reading pleasure. We have many tips for you to find. http://www.weddingdresses-gifts-flowers.com

Sometimes I just have to shake my head… I was driving down the street when a spied a Burger King about a block away. It had one of those signs where they can promote a particular item or special, and this is what it had written on it:

“Ultimate Double Whopper: Eat Like a King!”

Right, I thought… more likely it should have read “Eat Like a Pig!”.

I came home and decided to look up the nutritional (Ha!) info on this kingly bit of food and here’s what I found:

Calories: 1,250
Carbs: 55 grams (26%)
Protein: 69 grams (33%)
Fat: 84 grams (40%)

Nice, huh? It’s the highest calorie item on their menu. We’re talking HALF the amount of calories the average man should be eating per day in ONE BURGER. Keep in mind that most people are going to order a side of fries with that, and the large size adds 500 calories to the tally for a total of 1,750 calories!

Keep in mind that while on my fat loss regime that’s what my target was for the entire day!

On a side note, I checked out Burger King’s “French Toast Kid’s Meal” as I was curious how many calories might be in that. I mean it’s for kids, right? So it shouldn’t be THAT high in calories…

Try 670 calories.

Do you know how many calories Burger King’s much-advertised “man-sized” Enormous Omelet Sandwich contains?

740 calories.

So here we have the difference between an item meant for a child and a big, hungry man standing at only 70 calories.

That’s just bloody wrong, folks and it makes me angry. It should make you angry too.

Visit http://www.diet-to-lower.my-cholesterol-level.com to learn how to lower your cholesterol level.

It has been predicted that Europes top 660 skiing resorts perhaps will be brought down to 400 by 2047. Silvestro Schiavone stated that ski resorts will suffer long before that date, not because of a want of snowfall but from a universal reduction in buying power linked to the cost of crude oil. And what about global warming? Scientists have demonstrated that a doubling up of CO2 levels shall augment floor temperatures by 5 to 5 degrees. Nonetheless there are still open doubts. The speed of climate change and the effects on climate. A couple degrees warming up in the last 100 years has not been recorded over the last 1000000 yrs. During the conclusion of the ice age 17000 years ago the warming up of five Celsius was during a period of six to nine thousand years. Prior to that La Grave and La Rosiere were covered with thick ice and La Plagne was the same as the Arctic.

Thus what is the future for low level skiing areas domains? Electricity troubles will begin to be keenly felt by 2014 to 20, leading to increased costs for hotels, Geneva transfer firms and skiing lift companies alike. The majority of the economy depends on oil and the French buys 85 %. The present amount amounts to 3 percent of gross domestic product. Should the price of crude oil grows as expected it’ll comprise 37 percent of gross domestic product, one can envisage the recession. The Alps will witness the price of agrarian commodities rising, flora species will adapt due to a change in precipitation. People will quit the area thanks to the summertime higher temperatures. Hydro-power will be a worthwhile source of power but it’s not obvious whether it will be a boon since there will be a lot less snowfall, additional water in the winter and fewer in the spring.

It is an essential point that you do not just ignore claim for whiplash, from either a health or legal point of view. It is very common in relation to vehicle accident claims; “whiplash” is a much overlooked problem.

Often considered not a big deal, or a minor injury or even something that people suddenly get when they don’t want to go to work. Whiplash is in fact a very common outcome of accidents often resulting in considerable pain and discomfort and on occasion serious consequences with an injury that can have long-term physical effects.

Compensation for whiplash should be considered in your original insurance claim as you could think you are getting over its effects but it is possible for them to return with a vengeance later.

Injury accident claims often result when a person involved in an accident when speeding or even nothing more than crawling along in the rush hour. It is generally caused when the head is thrown violently backwards and/or forwards.

Even a slow speed smash can move your head around with enough force to cause a large amount of damage to your neck as well as your back tissues. Another strange factor about whiplash is that it can come on almost instantaneously or may not appear for many hours or even a day or two.

Many people claim for whiplash injuries because of its often debilitating effects that can last anything from a couple of days to several months and on rare occasions even many years Any neck or back injury from a vehicle accident should be considered serious. You should certainly not just “put up’ with the pain.

The penalty for not treating whiplash can be serious and debilitating injuries that could last a lifetime. It may be in your best interests to seek the advice of a legal expert who deals specifically with these kinds of injury accident claims. Whiplash is not just a simple neck strain; it is a complex medical condition that can have a multitude of physical effects.

Graduation Gowns

Graduation Regalia

Honor Cords

Honor cords are accessories that are used to symbolize the achievements of a graduate during a graduation ceremony. These accessories may also be offered during induction ceremonies that are held by many student organizations throughout the year. Honor cords are used in the same way as stoles or pendants. These accessories are seen as replacements to the honor cords and are taken as ceremonial adornment pieces. Honor cords are offered by honorary guests in a graduation ceremony. They can also be awarded by other faculty members, close friends or by close family members. These adornments are distinct features of the graduation attire.

Graduation Information On The Internet

Graduation information is available all over the internet. You’ll find multiple links which can assist you in your research. Gordon International offers a lot of information which can be useful to anyone ordering graduation regalia but if you’re looking for specific history please see the link provided below.
The Following Site Offers Great Information About Graduation:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academic_dress wikipedia provides the searcher with a great information source for any type of search. You can go to their search wiki and place an random search in the engine and you’ll come across a few useful sources & articles.