All About Heart Health
The heart is a muscle, it is as small as a fist, and its main function is to pump blood to the entire body. This blood supply is responsible for taking nourishing oxygen to cells that enable each cell to perform its bodily function. In turn the spent blood is returned with harmful carbon dioxide to be expelled via the lungs. This miraculous muscle is literary what keeps us alive and breathing.
The healthy adult body contains about 2 gallons (5 liters) of blood. This blood supply is constantly circulated through the body, via heart, arteries to capillaries to the veins. One entire cycle takes about 60 seconds.
If any part of the circulatory system suffers due to disease, the heart will ultimately be put under greater stress and in time become damaged, and unable to do its job. If the heart is unable to function properly the body will become vulnerable to a variety of health problems.
There are several risk factors that can increase ones chances of developing coronary heart disease. Many of these risk factors can be treated or controlled, some factors are uncontrollable. It is every important to become well acquainted with the risk factors of heart disease. One of the best ways to prevent coronary heart disease is to decrease ones controllable risk factors through life style changes.
There are uncontrollable risk factors that are unavoidable, and out of ones control.
Age: Risk of heart disease increases over the age of 45 in males, over 55 in females.
Family History: Children of parents that developed heart disease before the age of 55 have a higher risk of developing heart disease.
Racial and ethnic background: Mexican Americans, African Americans, American Indians, all have greater risk of developing heart disease than Caucasians.
Risk Factors that can be controlled with life style changes are as follows:
Smoking: Cigarette smokers are at greater risk than pipe and cigar smokers. All forms of tobacco are proven to be detrimental to the hearts health.
Studies have provided good documentation that Second hand smoke is also known to be detrimental to heart health.
Physical Inactivity: Inactivity puts a person at higher risk of developing heart disease.
Overweight or Obesity: Persons that have an excess of body fat are at a higher risk than persons of normal weight.
High blood pressure: blood pressure readings higher than 140/90 increase risk of heart disease.
High Blood Cholesterol: A blood cholesterol levels of 200 mg/dl or higher puts one at risk to develop heart disease.
One must keep in mind that the fewer risk factors one has, the lesser chance of developing heart disease. Two or more risk factors indicate a good possibility that one may be pron to develop heart disease. It is clear that some of the risk factors listed can be avoided with life style changes.
A good place to began, develop a good exercise routine. The hardest part of exercising is getting started. Chose an exercise that is low impact, and make sure to consult your doctor before getting started. Once you have a good exercise routine, you might be surprised how much you enjoy it? Walking is a great way to get your exercise, just 30 minutes three times a week will give good results. Naturally it would be more beneficial to walk every day.
Diet is also very important when promoting a healthy heart life style. It is very important to consult a doctor before starting any new diet. Your doctor will take all risk factors that are affecting you as an individual into consideration, considering problems such as increased cholesterol, high blood pressure, a need to lose weight. Your new diet should be personally geared to assist you with getting that healthy heart you desire.
Last of all, but not least, if you smoke, stop. Smoking is considered the worst risk factor one can have. This fact is backed by a multitude of scientific studies. Studies that give way to substantial evidence that smoking will ultimately lead to poor heart health.
The 5 Best Air Purifiers To Protect Your Family
In an increasingly toxic world, more and more smart folks are interested in the best air purifiers. But there are so many choices today that the question of the “best” air purifier is quite uncertain.
The first - and most important - piece of knowledge is that no one kind of purifier will work against every toxin. All of them excel at some time of air pollutants - but not others. It’s critical that you understand the air quality of your home and environment before you make a choice.
There are three types of pollutants that are addressed by air purifiers:
* Particulate - pollen, air pollution
* Microorganisms - biological dangers like mold and germs
* Chemicals
Here are the five most popular types of air purifiers. Learn their strengths and weaknesses before even considering a purchase.
1. Ultraviolet air purifiers:
Effective: If you have a basement subject to mold, ultraviolet is perfect for you. Ultraviolet air purifers are terminators when it comes to micro-organisms like mold spores, bacteria and viruses. This makes UV particularly valuable for anyone suffering from a respiratory disease, colds or the flu.
Useless: Ultraviolet air purifiers are impotent against dust, dirt or smoke and other airborne particles and chemicals are immune to its effects.
2. Carbon air purifiers:
This is the oldest kind of air purifying technology, as it dates back to the early 20th century. Carbon filters were used in World War I to protect soldiers against poison gas used by enemy armies.
Effective: Carbon filters excel at any kind of gaseous pollutants: fumes, odors and deadly gases.
Useless: If your problems are micro-organisms and allergens, forget the carbon air purifier. They will endure and even prosper in the presence of carbon filtration. It cannot deal with particulates, either, as they are not captured by carbon.
3. Ozone air cleaners:
Ozone air purifiers are the new kids on the block. We are all familiar with ozone because we hear about it often as the ozone layer that protects us from the deadlier rays of our sun. We are exposed to that wonderful ozone smell during a thunderstorm.
Effective: Ozone is a molecule that contains three oxygen atoms, rather than the usual two atoms in the usual air we breathe. This extra molecule makes it unstable, and therefore it’s eager to rid itself of the third oxygen atom and it does so by combining with chemicals in the air. This makes chemicals oxidize and thus the ozone air purifier is dramatically effective at eliminating smells and gases.
There has been talk about these ozone air purifiers being dangerous. However, it’s important to know that there are two kinds. The first pulls chemical pollutants into the ozone air cleaner and oxidizes them. These, such as the famous Ionic Breeze from Sharper Image, are not considered hazardous.
There are others that are actual ozone generators, though, and these have been found to be dangerous to small animals due to the amount of ozone they produce. Reason suggests, then, that they aren’t good for human lungs, either.
Useless: Clearly, while these air purifiers are powerful against chemicals, they can’t handle particulates at all.
4. HEPA filters:
HEPA filters are among the oldest air purifier technology and are immensely popular, being used even in related technology like vacuum cleaners.
Effective: they are awesomely effective against particulates, often being able to stop particles as small as 0.3 micron.
They are also extremely effective against all kinds of allergens, which are substances that are recognized by some immune systems as “dangerous” or “foreign”, thus causing an allergic reaction. These allergens can be particulates like perfume or dust, or they can be microorganisms like viruses and cat dander.
Useless: HEPA filters are ineffectual against chemical pollutants of any kind.
5. Ionic air cleaners:
Effective: Ionic purifiers create negative ions which changes the electric charge of all particulate which then clump together and fall from the air. Further, this ionic charge causes them to adhere to the surface of the ionic filter.
Useless: if you have smells or chemical pollution in your home, ionic air cleaners will do nothing to remedy your problem.
What is the Value of Alcohol to Your Body?
One night while having a drink with friends, the subject of how much nourishment does alcohol have. The discussion became an argument, and at the end no one had a clear and definite proof that it have or haven’t. So I thought is time to do some research of this topic. I went a little deeper in the subject, and here is what I found.
Alcohol has no food value and is exceedingly limited in its action as a remedial agent. Dr. Henry Monroe says, “Every kind of substance employed by man as food consists of sugar, starch, oil and glutinous matter mingled together in various proportions. These are designed for the support of the animal frame. The glutinous principles of food fibrin, albumen and casein are employed to build up the structure while the oil, starch and sugar are chiefly used to generate heat in the body”.
If you want to call alcohol a food or be a part of one of the food groups, it would have to contain one of the above substances. There must be some part that contains nitrogen that is found in vegetables, eggs, seeds, and meat so that tissue can be built and waste repaired. It could contain carbon elements that are found in sugar, starch and fat, which the body will burn.
“The distinctness of these groups of foods,” says Dr. Hunt, “and their relations to the tissue-producing and heat-evolving capacities of man, are so definite and so confirmed by experiments on animals and by manifold tests of scientific, physiological and clinical experience, that no attempt to discard the classification has prevailed. To draw so straight a line of demarcation as to limit the one entirely to tissue or cell production and the other to heat and force production through ordinary combustion and to deny any power of interchangeability under special demands or amid defective supply of one variety is, indeed, untenable. This does not in the least invalidate the fact that we are able to use these as ascertained landmarks”.
How these substances when taken into the body, are assimilated and how they generate force, are well known to the chemist and physiologist, who is able, in the light of well-ascertained laws, to determine whether alcohol does or does not possess a food value. For years, the ablest men in the medical profession have given this subject the most careful study, and have subjected alcohol to every known test and experiment, and the result is that it has been, by common consent, excluded from the class of tissue-building foods. “We have never,” says Dr. Hunt, “seen but a single suggestion that it could so act, and this a promiscuous guess. One writer (Hammond) thinks it possible that it may ’somehow’ enter into combination with the products of decay in tissues, and ‘under certain circumstances might yield their nitrogen to the construction of new tissues.’ No parallel in organic chemistry, nor any evidence in animal chemistry, can be found to surround this guess with the areola of a possible hypothesis”.
Dr. Richardson says: “Alcohol contains no nitrogen; it has none of the qualities of structure-building foods; it is incapable of being transformed into any of them; it is, therefore, not a food in any sense of its being a constructive agent in building up the body.” Dr. W.B. Carpenter says: “Alcohol cannot supply anything which is essential to the true nutrition of the tissues.” Dr. Liebig says: “Beer, wine, spirits, etc., furnish no element capable of entering into the composition of the blood, muscular fibre, or any part which is the seat of the principle of life.” Dr. Hammond, in his Tribune Lectures, in which he advocates the use of alcohol in certain cases, says: “It is not demonstrable that alcohol undergoes conversion into tissue.” Cameron, in his Manuel of Hygiene, says: “There is nothing in alcohol with which any part of the body can be nourished.” Dr. E. Smith, F.R.S., says: “Alcohol is not a true food. It interferes with alimentation.” Dr. T.K. Chambers says: “It is clear that we must cease to regard alcohol, as in any sense, a food”.
“Not detecting in this substance,” says Dr. Hunt, “any tissue-making ingredients, nor in its breaking up any combinations, such as we are able to trace in the cell foods, nor any evidence either in the experience of physiologists or the trials of alimentarians, it is not wonderful that in it we should find neither the expectancy nor the realization of constructive power.”
Not finding in alcohol anything out of which the body can be built up or its waste supplied, it is next to be examined as to its heat-producing quality.
Global warming. Should we heed the harbingers of doom
Experts tell us we are releasing unacceptable levels of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. If we continue at this rate, by 2070, the polar ice caps will completely melt causing sea levels to rise and all those idyllic islands and a large amount of the continents will be under water. The rainforests will wither away from drought or fires and destructive waves, floods and droughts will be commonplace.
Al Gore thinks that if change is not in place within the next 10 years, then it becomes irreversible.
We need the harbingers of doom. They stop us from destroying this planet. They are responsible for the improvement of the ozone layer. They warned us of the dangers of ozone layer depletion and unless immediate action was taken, then by 2050 the effects would be devastating to our health.
This led directly to the Montreal Protocol banning the use of CFCs in fridges and air conditioning. We still have fridges and air conditioning but without CFCs. Technology got us into that mess and technology got us out.
Experts warned us about acid rain and claimed it was a serious threat to life on earth. It was a bit exaggerated but it hastened the development of new technologies that reduced the release of nitrates and sulphates into the atmosphere.
The primary cause of global warming is our use of fossil fuel. By burning fossil fuel, we are releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The balance in the past was maintained by photosynthesis by plants and phytoplankton. They contain chlorophyll and in the present of sunlight convert carbon dioxide into glucose and releasing oxygen.
Today the level of carbon dioxide released is unacceptably high and in addition we are cutting down rainforests. This results in an imbalance.
In 1997, 38 developed countries laid down a framework to prevent global warming. They requested that by 2012 there must be a reduction of antropogenic carbon dioxide emission by 5% below 1990 level. This is part of the Kyoto Protocol. Sadly the US President in March 2001 renounced the protocol.
US have 25% of the world population but experts say it is responsible for 75% of greenhouse gas emission. While other countries are reducing emission, US emission, according to experts, continue to rise and is currently 15% greater than 1990 level.
Experts tell us we must act now. We must reduce the amount of carbon dioxide we release. To do this we must use alternative sources of energy, make better use of fossil fuel, plant more trees and protect the seas from pollution so that phytoplankton population remain high.
At present there is no obvious viable alternative. Nuclear power has safety problems but there are encouraging research on solar and hydrogen power. Photovoltaic, wind power and power from biomass are slowly being introduced but this process takes time.
Al Gore claims that he is carbon neutral. To achieve this cost money. Not every one can afford this. It takes up to 10 years to recover cost to convert to alternative source of energy. It is therefore important for everyone to make optimum use of energy.
Global warming, unlike other problems, cannot be solved by governments and industries alone. Homeowners have to do their bit. Legislation on emission has made a difference to cars and trucks on the road but there is inadequate control on older vehicles. Home owners must insulate their homes and ensure their Central Heating boilers are efficient. To ensure this is happening, there may well have to be legislation to annually check emission levels from individual homes.
So should we heed the harbingers of doom? According to experts, the Arctic is melting and has already lost an area the size of Texas, that is, 4 times the size of UK. Rising sea level is already causing displacement. The island of Tuvalu in the Pacific will soon be evacuated. Laupepa, a Tuvaluan government official, told a BBC reporter that by refusing to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, the US has effectively denied future generations of Tuvaluans their fundamental freedom to live where their ancestors have lived for thousands of years.
Glutamine For Muscle Building / Exercise Recovery
Glutamine
Glutamine is a nonessential amino acid in the body but it is also the most abundant amino acid in the body. Around 50% of the free amino acid pool consists of glutamine. Glutamine plays key roles in protein metabolism, cell volumizing, and anti-catabolism. Glutamine also increases your ability to secrete Human Growth Hormone, which helps metabolize body fat and support new muscle growth. Glutamine’s anti-catabolism ability prevents the breakdown of your muscles.
Glutamine helps the body maintain the correct acid alkaline balance and is a necessary part of the synthesis of RNA and DNA. Glutamine l supplements also helps promote a healthy digestive tract.
Source of Glutamine
Many plant and animal substances contain glutamine, but cooking easily destroys it. If eaten raw, spinach and parsley are good sources. Soy proteins, milk, meats and cabbage are additional sources. Supplemental glutamine should be kept absolutely dry or the powder will degrade into ammonia and pyroglutamic acid.
Benefits of Glutamine
There are many reasons for taking glutamine: healthier intestines, a stronger immune system, bigger muscles, better blood sugar control and a more agile brain. For therapeutic uses, glutamine is especially recommended for people who suffer from intestinal problems, frequent NSAID users who need to protect their gastrointestinal tract, those with immune dysfunction, and anyone under heavy stress (including strenuous exerc ise) or recovering from injury or other trauma.
Most people think that l-glutamine is just one of the 20 common amino acids that are used to make protein. Its not even considered an essential amino because the body is capable of producing it on its own.
Glutamine For Muscle Building / Exercise Recovery
The human body changes by factors such as stress or disease. This will cause the demand for additional glutamine l supplements in the body to increase considerably. Stress usually occurs when a bodybuilder use heavy weights or during intense training.
Glutamine concentrations fall markedly after training and remain low until complete recovery and supplementing with glutamine spares free glutamine in muscle tissue, counteracting the fall in muscle protein synthesis, and improving nitrogen balance. It makes sense to take a glutamin supplements that provides the free form of this amino prior to exercise. After exercise, a high quality protein supplement should be taken within 30 minutes to aid in recovery. As the amino acids are transported into the cells, they will promote water uptake to keep the muscles hydrated. This hydrated state will prevent a catabolic state and promote anabolic growth. Therefore, keep in mind that it is one of the most important amino acids for your body and may be the most important amino acid for the bodybuilder as well.
Glutamine For Hypoglycemia
Glutamine is one of the amino acids that control the volume of water in the cells, and the osmotic pressure in various tissues. Glutamine helps prevent hypoglycemia , since it is easily converted to glucose when blood sugar is low. Glutamine supplements also plays a part in maintaining proper blood glucose levels and the right pH range. If the pH of the blood is too acidic, more glutamine is directed to the kidneys, releasing bicarbonate ions to correct acidosis. If the pH is too alkaline, more glutamine is sent to the liver, where a different kind of metabolism releases hydrogen ions to correct alkalosis.
Glutamine For Gastrointestinal health
Glutamine is one of the most important nutrients for your intestines. It has the ability to ‘repair a leaky gut’ by maintaining the structural integrity of the bowels. Glutamine supplements rapidly facilitates healing and restores the health of mucous membranes inside the colon (large intestine). Just 1.6 grams per day, is used to treat peptic ulcers. Research proved that supplementation lessens stomach inflammation caused by chemotherapy and can be useful in treating diarrhea.
Glutamine For Wound healing
Glutamine may expedite wound healing. When the body is stressed (such as from injuries, infections, burns, trauma, or surgical procedures), steroid hormones such as cortisol are released into the bloodstream. Elevated cortisol levels can deplete glutamine stores in the body. Since glutamine plays a key role in the immune system, a deficiency in this nutrient can significantly slow the healing process. Studies have shown that glutamine supplements enhance the immune system and reduce infections (particularly infections associated with surgery). Glutamine supplements may also aid in the recovery of severe burns.
Glutamine For Mental Health
Several key nutrients (known as precursors) are necessary to supply the chemicals responsible for the formation of the brain’s neurotransmitters, thus helping to balance brain chemistry. When taken on a daily basis, specific supplementation with certain amino acids helps us feel more mentally balanced and provides us with an overall sense of well-being.
Unlike other amino acids that have a single nitrogen atom, Glutamine contains two nitrogen atoms that enable it to transfer nitrogen and remove ammonia from body tissues. Glutamine powder readily passes the blood brain barrier and, within the brain, is converted to glutamic acid, which the brain needs to function properly. Aside from generally providing an energy source for the brain to function at a higher level, glutamic acid is thought to play a role in mental alertness and perhaps even memory enhancement. It also increases the amount of gamma-aminobutyric acid, which is needed to sustain proper brain function and mental activity. It assists in maintaining the proper acid/alkaline balance in the body, and is the basis of the building blocks for the synthesis of RNA and DNA. Glutamine powder promotes mental ability and maintenance of a healthy digestive tract.
The Use of Air Purifiers for Asthma Patients
Have you ever given any attention to your breathing? You probably haven’t, because we all generally take breathing for granted. The reason is that breathing is a subconscious activity. However, this is not possible for an asthmatic patient, as breathing is highly praised every moment.
In an asthma sufferer, the lungs and air passageways are affected. Consequently, it becomes very hard for them to breathe normally or properly. There is no absolute known prescription available for this condition. However, there are certain things that can be applied to curb the symptoms of asthma. The use of an air purifier can help to cure it.
Asthma includes two key components: constriction, and inflammation, which takes place in the air passageways. Due to constriction, the airways get narrowed as the surrounding muscles begin to tighten around them. On the other hand, inflammation causes irritation in the airways. Because of inflammation, the airways get swollen up.
All of these problems lead to asthma. As a result, the sufferer finds it hard to breathe properly, and the swelling of the lungs causes an asthma attack. During an asthma attack, the sufferer begins to cough and wheeze in an effort to breathe properly. This can happen at any time and any moment, and can sometimes be severe.
Air purifiers can be very beneficial to asthma patients. There are a number of impurities in the air that can increase asthma. These air impurities include allergens like dust, pet dander, chemicals or pollen. If an asthma sufferer takes in these airborne substances, it makes it tough for them to breathe normally.
An air purifier is used to remove contaminants from indoor air. Thus, a better and cleaner environment can be created for the sufferer indoors. There will be less probability of an asthma attack due to fewer toxins in the air.
It has been proved that most air purifiers are capable of filtering 99.7 percent of all particles from indoor air. An air purifier cleans the air by drawing the air from the room into the system with the help of a fan. After that, the clean air is released back into the room.
It may be a little tough to make a proper selection between the various air purifiers available in the market. While buying an air purifier, it is important to be familiar with the working of the air purifier system. The purpose is to eliminate contaminants, harmful chemicals and odors, so you must look for an air purifier that possesses activated carbon or a UV purification system. It is also essential to get knowledge about the power of the machine and its overall effectiveness.
In conclusion, it is quite good to find a comparative table for air purifiers manufactured under different brands and compare them. This will give you the details about the various brands and models of air purifiers, and grade them on the basis of their effectiveness.
Ancient Bible References To Date Palm Trees, Phoenix Dactylifera
Palm trees in ancient desert sands grew and satisfied almost every need the ancient Jews needed. The Jews ate the palm tree dates; the tree juices were fermented into wine; the trunk of the palm tree was used as construction timber; and the palm leaves were woven into baskets, mats, brooms, beds, ropes and made into furniture.
Promises were made in the Hebrew Bible by God for a new home for the nation of Israel , and the moving finger on the wall pointed to the palm tree as the perfect supplier of food, shelter and medicine. This was the promised land of “milk and honey, (palm dates.)†the land of Canaan located on the banks of the Jordan River.
Ezekiel 47-12: “All kinds of fruit trees will grow along the river banks, the leaves will never turn brown and fall, and there will always be fruit. There will be a new crop every month- without fail! For they are watered by the river flowing from the Temple. The fruit will be for food and the leaves for medicine.â€
Date palm trees grow tall point toward the infinite heavens where there is a promise of Life Eternal. The symbolism of the straight trunk of the palm tree is clear; that humans should journey down the straight path that leads Christians toward righteousness. The straight soft trunk was capped with a canopy of 20 foot leaves of green that unfolded like a botanical star burst. The delicious honey-sweet dates fed the ancient Jewish nomads and the eventual settlers of Israel. The palm leaves shaded the hot, bright desert sands and the fibers provided a plethora of uses in the primitive lands.
The ancient date palm tree, it has been suggested, is the oldest fruit bearing tree on earth. Palm trees grow worldwide from sandy deserts to tropical rain forests. The palm trees has been grown in grove plantings, since the ancients understood the food value of the dates and the exotic appearance and shading on the landscape of the desert sands. Palm trees were often planted near an oasis as a source of water, shade and food.
Historically the tropical appearance of palm trees was noted in ancient documents, and on stone inscriptions uncovered by archaeological excavations and from multiple references in the Bible Scriptures. Ancient civilizations revered palm trees as symbols of fertility, peace, and victory. Palm tree images were struck and minted on ageless coins of the Greeks and Romans. The trees were an economic resource for the exporting of high quality, edible dates into areas outside the Middle East and Africa.
In the Scriptures of the Hebrew Bible, Joshua 6-20, the brother of Moses, Joshua, stood at the miraculous crumbled walls at the city of Jericho, “the City of Palmsâ€, that was situated in the land of the Canaanites, located along the Mediterranean Coast. All these coastal lands of Phoenecia were the land of the palms where the Philistines lived, the legendary enemies of Israel, which is today named, Beirut, Lebanon, and Phoenicia was abundantly covered with palm trees. So the land of the palm trees was also the land, where in addition the to the productive crops of dates, grape vineyards grew there, and groves of fig trees, olive trees and pomegranate trees thrived. The Greeks were reported to have carved their magnificent fluted columns of marble to memorialize the shape of the trunk of a palm tree.
Deuteronomy 34.3: “There is the Negeb (desert) and the Jordan Valley; and Jericho, the city of palm trees; and Zoar, the Lord told him.â€
Exodus 15.27 “And they come to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees, and they camped there beside the spring.â€
Tamar was the Hebrew name given to palm trees in Genesis and was often used to describe a beautiful woman. Gen 38.6 “Judah arranged for him to marry a girl named Tamar.†(Palm Tree.)
2 Samuel 13.1 “King Davids son, Absalom, had a beautiful sister named Tamar.â€
2 Samuel 14.27 “He, (Absalom), had three sons and one daughter, Tamar, who was a very beautiful girl.â€
Palm trees produced long stout leaves that were used to build temporary tents and shelters at Jewish festivals. Leviticus 23.40, “ Take boughs of fruit trees laden with fruit, and palm fronds, and the boughs of leafy trees——such as willows that grow by the brooks….and (build shelters with them.).â€
Ezekiel 41.18 “the walls were decorated with carvings of cherubim, each with two faces and of palm trees alternating with cherubim.â€
Ezekiel 41.20 “ One face,….that of a man….looked toward the palm tree on one side, and the other face…that of a young lion….looked toward the palm tree on the other side: and so it was, all around the inner wall of the Temple.â€
Ezekiel 41 25-26 “The doors leading into the nave were decorated with cherubim and palm trees, just as on the walls…There were recessed windows and carved palm trees on both sides of the entry hall, the hallways beside the Temple, and on the canopy at the entrance.â€
1 Kings 6.29 “Figures of angels, palm trees, and open flowers were carved on all the walls of both rooms of the Temple and the floor of both rooms was overlaid with gold.â€
The New Testament Scriptures note the spreading of Christianity throughout the lands bordering Israel. These lands were known for their palm trees.
Acts 11.19 “believers who fled from Jerusalem during the persecution after Stephen’s death traveled as far as Phoenicia, land of palms.â€
Acts 15.3 “the delegates went on to Jerusalem, stopping along the way in the cities of Phoenicia, the land of the palms.â€
John 12. 12-13 “ The next day, the news that Jesus was on the way to Jerusalem swept through the city, and a huge crown of Passover visitors took palm branches and went down the road to meet him shouting, ‘The Savior! God Bless the King of Israel! Hail to God’s Ambassador!’â€
Revelation 7.9 “After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from all nations and provinces and languages, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white, with palm branches in their hands.â€
The San Fransisco Chronicle reported, Sunday 12, 2005, that Archaeologist , Ehud Netzer, discovered seed from the date palm, Phoenix dactylifera, from the spectacular palace built by King Herod on top of Mount Masada in Israel. The Romans destroyed the palace after the Jews committed mass suicide on Mount Masada, rather than surrender to the Roman soldiers. Archaeologist Ehud Netzer, found the date palm seed in a cache at the excavation site that presumably had been tossed into a corner after the Mount Masada Jews were cornered.
A few seed were treated by Eaine Solowey with the growth hormone Gibberellic acid- widely researched and tested at Yale University in the 1960’s, and within five weeks a 2000 year old seed sprouted to form a small tree named the “Methuselah Palm.†Years before this experiment was done, some Egyptian Pharaoh seed of grain were sprouted but did not survive. Seeds of excavated lotus water lilies, dating back 1200 years ago, have been sprouted from their ancient dormancy to grow into lotus lilies.
Date palms grew up to 80ft tall in a river valley 7 miles wide, where ancient Israel had generated a giant economy. The fruit of the date palm was known for its high quality and was exported throughout the Roman empire.
The seed were planted on Jan 25, 2005, by a botanist, Eaine Solowey, who was educated at UCLA….Other seed were sent off for radioactive carbon dating to the University of Zürich, Switzerland, and determined to be approximately 2000 years old.
This remarkable discovery of Date Palm Seeds, Phoenix dactylifera, that have been confirmed by scientific experts to date approximately 2000 years old led to an unbelievable miracle that resurrected a dormant 2000 year old seed into a living tree…the Date Palm…that symbolized the tree that nurtured the Jews in the promised land of “milk and honeyâ€, the land of Canaan, that became ancient Israel. Now those ancient seeds of the Date Palm have been resurrected to sprout and grow as Israel did, a land that also lay dormant for 2000 years. Israel has also been Resurrected.
Is this mysterious phenomenon and miracle of restoration a metaphor to all people of the world, that Jesus’ promise to raise Christians from the dead to be resurrected to eternal life, a revelation that might be understood in this modern day parable of reality?
Psalms 92 12-14 “But the Godly shall flourish like palm trees, and grow as tall as the cedars of Lebanon. For they are transplanted into the Lord’s own garden and are under his personal care. Even in old age they will still produce fruit and be vital and green.
Global warming issues are in your hands
There has been a lot of talk on the subject of global warming. Specialists believe that human activities in the past 50 years have given a negative boost to climate change. After a long series of tests and chart observations, it seems that the primary culprit for global warming is the emission of greenhouse gases (mainly carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide). These gases have altered the composition of the atmosphere and raised the planet’s temperature with almost 1?C since 1950.
The problem is not that these gases exist. They have always been in the atmosphere, but there is a major increase in their concentration. The planet started to heat up and the climate change appeared simultaneously with the beginning of industrial revolution. Then, at the start of a new era, the concentrations of carbon dioxide increased with nearly 30%, methane almost doubled and nitrous oxide with 15% making global warming a serious, even deadly matter.
These figures are truly concerning due to the fact that we rely on fossil fuels to drive, to heat and to power factories not thinking of the harsh reality: burned fossil fuels are the main reason for the rise of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere leading to global warming and accelerating the rate of climate change.
Still, the combustion of fuel is not the only one to blame for global warming. Researchers consider that the development of agriculture, deforestation, landfills, industrial production and mining are also to blame. Each one of them has ‘helped’ induce large, global, abrupt climate change leading to a warmer planet, making it more difficult for us to live.
The statistics in climate change are frightening. Almost 98% of the greenhouses emissions are due to pollution and it is no surprise that the most powerful and rich country (U.S) on the continent is mainly responsible for global warming. 1998 has been declared the warmest year on record and scientistists are concerned that the snow cover in northern hemisphere and floating ice in the Arctic Ocean have decreased. Do we really pay enough attention to the climate change and do we want the planet to become too warm for us to live in?
We are all threathened by this sudden climate change. Global warming is not a joke and we should start paying more attention to it. Not only wildlife, forests and coastal areas are vulnerable to the climate change that the greenhouse gas may bring, but also water resources, animals and most important our health.
What should we expect from global warming? First of all, a change that will have a major impact on the way we live will be a warmer weather. Climate change will appear in the form of increased precipations worldwide, with acid rainfalls that will damage the natural habitat, with more frequent and intense storms that will build up and result in powerful hurricanes. And this is just the top of the ‘iceberg’ called global warming. The hurricanes will be stronger than usual with greater devastating powers.
The population of the globe should be taught more about these greenhouse gases that are held responsible for climate change and more specific, global warming. Carbon dioxide is realeased into the atmosphere when wood, fossil fuels (oil, gas and coal) and solid waste are burned. Methane is emitted during the production and transport of oil, gas and coal, but it also results from decomposition of solid, organic waste. Nitrous oxide is the product of: agricultural and industrial activities, combustion of fossil fuels and solid waste. So, do we still have to wonder why these greenhouse gases have such a strong impact on climate change?
Unfortunately, there are not many options to reduce the effects of global warming. Lately, in order to predict climate change, specialists have put up what is called an emission inventory which registers the quantity of air pollutants in the atmosphere. It also establishes the identity of the polluting agent (chemical/physical), the geographic area covered, the time period over which emissions are appreciated and the type of activities that cause the emissions. This way, the scientific community is making an effort to reduce the serious consequences of global warming.
Another solution for the problem of global warming is recycling. It started years ago in powerful and well developed states and it is a novelty for poor, undergoing tranzition states that are struggling to survive. But, slowly, people all over the world are learning about the strong effects of recycling newspapers, plastic, glass, metal. It is a healthy action that makes the world a better place. By recycling, we not only help ourselves, but also the forests, crop yields and water supplies which are severely affected by climate change. We also keep in mind the animals and the ecosystems - another sector badly damaged by climate change. We make the difference.
Global warming affects everybody. That is why we must fight against our self destruction and life’s in general. Fight for your planet, don’t let the climate change affect the environment in an irrecoverable manner, keep in mind that Earth’s eco systems are sensitive and must be treated with care, and you will have a future!
Calcium emerging as key nutrient for weight loss; coral calcium supplements can help you lose weight
Calcium could be the key nutrient needed to help you lose weight, according to a growing consensus of new research examining the mineral. Calcium not only helps with hypertension, the research shows: it also appears to support healthy physiology in a way that results in the loss of excess body fat.
But there’s a major misconception with all this talk about calcium: people think that if calcium helps them lose weight, then drinking cow’s milk or eating cheese pizza is the way to go about getting that calcium, and that’s just plain bad thinking. Cow’s milk is associated with all sorts of chronic stagnation disorders such as asthma, constipation and sinus infections. And cheese, for its part, is extremely high in both saturated fat and sodium.
There are far better ways to get the calcium you need to support a weight loss effort, and nutritional supplements offer the answer. Coral calcium supplements offer a convenient way to take regular doses of the mineral, and plants like broccoli are naturally loaded with precisely the form of calcium your body wants. Quinoa, a supergrain, is also very high in calcium while containing a complete protein. Whole food meal replacement powders like The Ultimate Meal are also high in calcium.
Definitely get your calcium, even if you’re not trying to lose weight, but don’t make the common mistake in thinking that calcium = milk. That’s just a marketing myth promoted by the dairy industry. Coral calcium supplements are far better for you, and plant-based calcium is better yet. Work to get your calcium from superfoods, whole foods, vegetables and supergrains, not from bovine juice. And, of course, to make sure you don’t lose the calcium you already have, never drink soft drinks, which have been proven to strip calcium right from your bones.
Functional foods gain in popularity, but health claims on most brand-name groceries mislead consumers
Functional foods are gaining in popularity: big-name grocery product manufacturers like Kraft are making huge R&D investments in bringing these nutritionally enhanced foods to market. Likewise, customer demand for healthier, enhanced foods is surging.
But here’s the real story on functional foods: most health claims on brand-name grocery store products are hogwash. Here’s what I mean: take the most popular brand of strawberry milk powder. It’s made primarily with refined white sugar, an ingredient known to promote obesity, diabetes, mood swings and ADHD in children. On the front label of this product, you’ll find a claim about how it provides 100% of the daily requirement for calcium. This claim makes the product appear healthy when, in fact, it’s a product made with ingredients that directly promote chronic disease. If anything, the label should say, “Diabetes in a can!”
Most of the health claims on brand-name functional foods are, in fact, misleading. The typical processed food product contains refined carbohydrates, hydrogenated oils, and various chemical additives like aspartame, MSG or artificial coloring. You can’t make this product healthy by adding a tiny dab of calcium, iodine or lutein. The product is inherently unhealthy, and enhancing it with a few milligrams of something that’s good for you doesn’t offset the product’s fundamental potential for harming your health.
In fact, the big food manufacturers really just exploit these health claims to sell more products, not to fundamentally make their foods healthier. They can take a highly toxic, disease-promoting manufactured food item, dose it up with extra calcium or soy, and slap a healthy-sounding claim on the front label, all with the full approval of the FDA.
If anything, food manufacturers hide behind these health claims, using them to camouflage unhealthy foods by adorning them with labels and claims that make them appear to be healthful. Meanwhile, the truly healthy foods aren’t allowed to make any claims whatsoever. Spirulina, for example, which is an extraordinary health-enhancing superfood that contains phytonutrients, vitamins, minerals and abundant protein, can’t be sold with any health claims whatsoever. Yet instant chocolate milk made primarily with sugar can. How’s that for food politics?
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 This is why I think health claims on brand-name foods are worse than useless — they’re actually misleading to consumers. But they’re great marketing gimmicks, and people believe the claims, which is why the big food makers want to keep slapping these claims on their food products. The truth, however, is that virtually all the grocery products manufactured by the big, popular food producers are extremely bad for human health. They’re made with an alarming variety of metabolic disruptors — ingredients that interfere with normal human metabolism. Tossing in a few milligrams of ground of sea shells (calcium powder) doesn’t materially improve the health of these products.