Gingko

Ginkgo has been traditionally used to promote blood circulation and to promote good health. Studies show that gingko inhibits blood cells from sticking together, thus preventing the formation of blood clots that can lead to heart attack or stroke.

Garlic for your heart

Four meta-analysis of clinical trials of garlic on humans show that it has cholesterol lowering effects of between 8-15% [1,2,3,4].

Studies have also shown that garlic has anti-clotting properties for heart protection – by its fibrinolytic activity (clot breaking) [5,6] and inhibition of platelet aggregation (clot forming) [7,8].

1. Silagy, C & Neil, A. Garlic as a lipid lowering agent – a meta-analysis. J R Coll Physician Lond 1994, 28:39-45
2. Warshafsky, S et al. Effect of garlic on total serum cholesterol – A meta-analysis. Ann Intern Med 1993, 119:599-605
3. Neil, HA et al. Garlic powder in the treatment of moderate hyperlipidemia: a controlled trial and meta-analysis. J R Coll Physicians Lond 1996, 30:329-334
4. Stevinson, C et al. Garlic for treating hypercholesterolemia. A meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials. Ann Intern Med 2000, 133: 420-429
5. Bordia, AK et al. Effect of essential oil of garlic on serum fibrinolytic activity in patients with coronary artery disease. Atherosclerosis 1977, 28:155
6. Chutani, SK et al. The effect of fried versus raw garlic on fibrinolytic activity in man. Atherosclerosis 1988, 38:417-421
7. Bordia, A. Effect of garlic on human platelet aggregation in vitro. Atherosclerosis 1978, 30:355-360
8. Kiesewetter, H et al. Effect of garlic on thrombocyte aggregation, microcirculation, and other risk factors. Int J Clin Pharmacol Ther Toxicol 1991, 29:151-155

Progression of Cardiovascular Disease

Prevention of CVS disease with Nutrition

Healthy & Actual (Fat predominant) weight loss

Low calorie diet (LCD) provides a calorie deficit of 500 to 1000 kcal/day from maintenance requirement .

LCDs reduce total body weight (average of 8-10% over 6 months) and waist circumference.

Weight loss is usually about 75% fat (mainly abdominal fat) and 25% lean tissue. You can expect an average weight loss of up to 11 kg as well as a reduction in waist circumference of 1.5 to 9.5 cm after 6 to 12 months.

In general, a LCD diet containing 1,000 to 1,200 kcal/day should be selected for most women; a diet between 1,200 kcal/day and 1,500 kcal/day should given to men and also for women who weigh 75 kg or more or who exercise regularly. If the person is unable to lose weight on 1,500 kcal/day diet, a 1,200 kcal/day diet may be tried. If the person remains hungry on either diet, then the calorie intake can be increased by 100 to 200 kcal/day.

Meal Replacement

Many are asking me whether HerbalLife is good etc. etc. Most people usually put back on in a matter of time as it is not fat they have lost but lots of water.

It is not weight that is the issue. It is fat we need to lose. Not by going on another low calorie diet. Slimming diets just don’t shed fat – they burn protein, the muscle tissue. After being on a low calorie diet, more than 90 percent of the people regain the weight they lost within a year. The weight regained is usually fat and not muscle. Muscle is hard to put back on the body. Fat is easy - just eat a few more curry puffs a week. Such repeated diets will result in higher body fat to lean body mass in a person. She may look slim but is technically obese. Remember, lean body mass is a key marker of health and longevity. Fat is nothing but dead tissue. It is muscle that gives life and vitality.

Fad Diets

A fad diet is one that makes unrealistic promises. Most fad diets are very low in carbohydrates and in calories, causing fluid loss from the body, which indicates a loss of weight on the scale. One gram of carbohydrate binds 4 grams of water. So if you lose 400grams of carbohydrates, you lose 1600 grams of water and you will weigh 2 kg less on the weighing scale. But once the body gets rehydrated with water, the weight will come right back.

Synephrine - Goldxlim

Synephrine from Bitter Orange

Natural Weight Loss Ingredient

A Natural weight loss product that also helps lower cholesterol & normalizes blood sugar contains among its ingredients - "bitter orange"

Derived from Citrus aurantium (bitter orange, Seville orange, or green orange), Synephrine is an adrenergic amine that enhance metabolic rate, increases fat burning and spares muscle protein.

Many are now using synephrine as an alternative to ephedra (also known as ma huang), which has been banned by many health authorities for weight loss due to its negative side effects on the central nervous system and the cardiovascular system.

Unlike ephedrine it does not cross the blood brain barrier and does not cause stimulation of the central nervous system or what ephedrine users call the “Buzz”. Synephrine also raises the blood pressure slightly when compared to ephedrine. However, synephrine has more effect than ephedrine as a thermogenic. Synephrine increases Resting Energy expenditure by 8.2% over 4 hours.

It works by stimulating the beta3-receptors in the fat cells eliciting a breakdown in fat (lipolysis). Simultaneously, this action also increases the metabolic rate (thermogenesis). It does not affect the other alpha and beta-receptors related to heart rate and blood pressure. Studies have reported that synephrine does the following(1):

300% decrease in stored fat vs. placebo
600% increase in total weight loss vs. placebo
42% reduction in body fat

Ref:(1).Miller, RA. Synephrine: A Natural Alternative to Ephedrine c2001. OAK Inc: Alternative Agriculture.

PaintBall in Bukit Tinggi

I had a real workout playing PaintBall with some guys 10-15 years younger on Tuesday.

Lots of bruises on my arms from the paint bullets. But also found out not only how much muscles I had that was unused, but also unusable ha!ha!

Lipostabil

I have a friend in his early 50's who is android in body shape - thick chest bones etc- and overweight with abdominal obesity. Recently he had a blood test which reported that he had high cholesterol and high blood sugar.

Besides prescribing lifestyle changes & cholesterol-lowering pills, the doctor is also comptemplating "a subcutaneous injection" to rid the tummy fat.

Abdominal obesity (i.e fat around the tummy) confers a greater risk of heart disease than generalized obesity. This is because CT scans in people with abdominal obesity shows that there is greater amount of visceral fat (around the organs).

Most common injection used to rid stubborn tummy fat is Lipostabil (made by Aventis). Lipostabil is phosphatidylcholine, a liquid form of lecithin, an enzyme which occurs naturally in the body.

However, it is for cosmetic purpose and is effective to rid small areas of subcutaneous fat (i.e tummy, hips etc). This I have seen in my own eyes before.

However, Lipostabil won't help rid the visceral fat and lower his risk of heart disease.

HGH releasers, Pro-Arginine, Nutritional Powders

God created man simple; his complexities are his own undoing. There is nothing complex about amino acids. Eating a balanced diet will ensure that we get all the amino acids we need. In fact we eat more protein than we need - any dietician will tell you that.

No doubt amino acids like arginine can cause the pituitary to release human growth hormone (HGH) but so can many fresh sources of protein. We were designed to eat a mix of healthy grains and beans which will give us a good mix of amino acids. It is a much cheaper and natural source of amino acids and is fresh.

Along with a good diet, exercise can also induce human growth hormone release from the pituitary gland. That is the way the human body was designed to live: eat a healthy and balanced diet and exercise. Lack of exercise, eating high fats and high GI diet leads to a condition called sarcopenia, which will limit the secretion of HGH.


Sarcopenia
Sarcopenia is a condition when we carry too much body fat and too little muscle. It describes the overall weakening of the body as a result of gradual – usually decades long - changes in the body composition and loss of muscle mass. These negative changes include loss of muscle strength, lowered basal metabolic rate (BMR), an increase in body fat percentage, and other degenerative changes as well. Don’t live with it anymore!!! Through isotonics (weight resistance training or strength training) and aerobic (cardio) exercise, you can increase muscle strength and burn off the fat. This is more effective than popping any pill or taking any supplements. The right kind of exercise can transform your whole life.

The great health author, Leslie Kenton wrote, “By far the most powerful rejuvenating effects from increased levels of human growth hormone are brought by the way you eat and live. Most of what stimulates the production of growth hormone are things over which we have control of.”

Increased hormone growth secretion will help us achieve
Deep sleep
Isotonic/resistance exercise
Decrease of blood glucose
Adequate protein diet

HGH Sublingual Spray

Seeing a pharmacist selling the outdated HGH spray prompted me to write this.

HGH was originally taken from human cadavers to treat children with stunted growth, but, unfortunately, some were infected with Creutzfeld-Jacob disease (human Mad Cows’ Disease). Synthetic Growth Hormones (GH) were then developed.

One or two initial studies were published in the British Medical Journal in the 80’s showing increase in muscle mass, but is this really a sign of reversing aging? Aging is more than just losing muscle mass, but also the state of the blood vessels (arteriosclerosis), the state of the immune system, insulin sensitivity, cholesterol levels and organ function such as the heart and liver.

A study by Dr,Daniel Rudman was published in the New England Journal of Medicine which showed that injecting growth hormones under the skin of men aged 61-81, increased lean body mass by 8.8%, and decreased their body fat by 14.4%. Bone density was increased in the spine and the men’s skin thickened. The men did not exercise or change their diet during the study.

Firstly, a correct diet with the right amount of proteins can increase human growth hormone (HGH) secretion by the body. Exercise can release the secretion of HGH by heaps. These men were not even prescribed lifestyle alterations like exercise etc.

It is not just about lean body mass that is important, but how about aerobic capacity and other biological markers of longevity? There is no proof that these men actually lived longer, were healthier or had a better quality of life.

Furthermore, these initial studies were done on Growth Hormone injections, and not the sublingual (under the tongue) spray formulation, which was popular in Malaysia a few years ago.

Moreover, HGH administration has also been linked to an increased propensity to certain cancers.

Moreover, the HGH is not very stable in liquid/aerosol form, which is why the big multi-national pharmaceutical companies (MNC) still have their HGH as injections. If huge multi national companies with thousands of scientists and billions of research dollars cannot develop and stabilize GH in a spray form, then how can small Health Food Supplement companies do so?

The HGH a large peptide (191 Amino acids) and is twice the size of the insulin hormone. If large pharmaceutical companies still cannot develop insulin that can be absorbed under the tongue, how can they do so for HGH? The millions of diabetics surely do not like to have injections everyday.

Furthermore, it is questionable whether the growth hormone level increases after the spray and, even if it does, whether there are any long-term benefits has never been proven.

Aromatherapy 'does not work'

Aromatherapy has no scientific basis and is little more than a marketing con, claims a new study.

Psychologists specialising in the power of scent and the effect on the brain and body have slammed the treatment as a "New Age marketing con", claiming their studies expose the £20 million-a-year industry as a huge marketing exercise.

And Dr Neil Martin from Middlesex University has even suggested the use of aromatherapy could make people suffer pain more intensely.

As part of his scientific research, Dr Martin asked volunteers to plunge their arms into freezing cold water to see if a pleasant lemon smell could alleviate their discomfort, or if the unpleasant smell of machine oil made it worse.

Both smells performed equally badly.

Interestingly, it was those volunteers not exposed to any smells who were the best off.

Quoted in the Daily Mail, Dr Martin said aromatherapy and the tests which claim it does work are not scientifically justified.

He said: "People think it's effective, but when you look at the evidence of the efficacy of aromatherapy to alleviate ill health or illness, it's virtually non-existent.

"The studies are poorly conceived, poorly controlled, with very few appropriate study methods and no alternative explanation for the effect. Research that is well conducted has mostly found no effect except in alleviating mood.

"We wanted to test whether using aromatherapy - the use of odour - meant you would feel less pain and we found it was relatively ineffective. Indeed, we found both odours may make you focus more on the pain, which means they could be counterproductive."

Source: Netdoctor.co.uk

Tinea Versicolor

During a recent training event someone asked me how to deal with "white-spots of the skin". In Cantonese it is called "hon pan". In medical terms it is referred to as Tinea Versicolor.

In hot & humid climates like Malaysia, Tinea Versicolor is very common.

Tinea versicolor is a fungus infection affecting the skin. This common condition is unsightly, but it is neither permanent nor serious. Spots can be either light- or reddish- brown or else lighter than the surrounding skin (hence, the name "versicolor").

There may be just a few spots, or there can be so many that they run together (like a shawl) and make it seem that islands of normal skin color are the spots, not the other way around.

What causes tinea versicolor?
The cause of this condition is a yeast called Pityrosporum orbiculare. This fungus causes the melanocyes to stop producing melanin & hence the unpigmented lighter-spots.

Treatment
Selsun (2.5% selenium sulphide) - apply topically for a week & leave on for a few hours each time. The spots will however take 1 month to rid as it takes a month for repigmentation. The fungus is usually killed with one or two topical applications. Some people may used topical anti-fungals.

Try to avoid oral medications (Nizoral) as it is systemic & can incur adverse effects. You may also develop resistance to it, i.e won't work the next time you take it.

Why take oats if you have high blood cholesterol?

Oats is a soluble fiber & acts to absorb toxins and fats in the intestines thus lowering the LDL-cholesterol.

Read on!

We all know the benefits of fiber! Fiber not only promotes health, it also help reduce the risk for some chronic diseases.

·Generally, fiber can be classified into 2 categories, namely:

i) Soluble: Acts like tiny sponges, sopping up water as
well as toxins that would otherwise irritate intestines or be absorbed into the bloodstream.


Benefits of Soluble Fiber
· lower total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol (the Bad cholesterol) therefore reducing the risk of heart disease
· regulate blood sugar for people with diabetes

Food Sources of Soluble Fiber
· Oat/Oat bran
· Dried beans and peas
· Nuts
· Barley
· Flax seed
· Fruits such as oranges and apples
· Vegetables such as carrots
· Psyllium husk


ii) Insoluble: Acts like tiny brooms sweeping away stagnant
wastes.



Food Sources of Insoluble Fiber
· Whole-wheat products
· Wheat oat
· Corn bran
· Flax seed
· Vegetables such as green beans, cauliflowers and potato skins
· Fruit skins and root vegetable skins

Benefits of Insoluble Fiber
· promote regular bowel movement and prevent constipation
· remove toxic waste through colon in less time
· keep an optimal pH in intestines to prevent microbes from producing cancer substances; therefore preventing colon cancer

Seperate Blog!

I am seperating my Health & Deeper Thoughts/Gospel writings, more for the long term as I believe God will inspire me to pen down a lot of revelational truths in the coming years.

For Deeper Thoughts, I am entering them at victorchenministries.blogspot.com. There is a link on the right side anyway.

It is not the critic who counts

I have tried many things in the past – with a mixture of failure & success - with encouragement as well as criticism from others. BUT I guess…..

It is not the critic who counts,
not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or
where the doer of deeds could have done better.

The credit belongs to the man
who is actually in the arena;
whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood;
who strives valiantly;
who errs and comes short again and again;
who knows the great enthusiasms,, the great devotions,
and spends himself in a worthy cause;
who, at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievements;
and who, at the worst, if he fails.
at least fails while daringly great,
so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls
who knew neither victory nor defeat.

Theodore

Preventing Osteoporosis

Mum had a fall yesterday evening & sustained considerable soft tissue injury to her right wrist, but no fracture (Colles' fracture of the wrist is very common in osteoporotic women). Thank God that I had started her on Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) in her early menopausal years. Her bone is now solid even in her late 60's.

Prior to the WHI Study that was published in 2002, menopausal women were taking HRT for their hot flushes, to prevent heart disease & osteoporosis.

However, NOW many perimenopausal women considering HRT are wary of it and thus avoiding it (This is sad!).

The WHI study showed that there were (1).More breast cancer in women taking HRT - 8 more cases in 10,000 women years of intake in the combined Estrogen/progesterone study after 5.2 yrs. (2). More strokes & Coronary Heart Disease.


The study is flawed in several ways.
1). I personally don't think HRT causes new breast cancer. I believe it causes existing breast cancer to grow so they were detected faster. Hence the 8 more cases per 10,000 women years in the treatment arm (people taking HRT) vs those taking placebo after 5.2 yrs.

Cancer takes years to form, i.e 10 years from mutation of genes to dysplasia of cells, to forming enough cancer mass to reach detectable limits, i.e carcinoma-in-situ. (In the study there was no increase in initial cancer or carcinoma-in-situ).

Cancer starts with initial transformation of cells - turning "on" the oncogenes - then estrogen adds to the progression of existing cancer cells to grow).

Ask any gynecologist, and he will tell you that the mortality (death) from breast cancer is lower in people on HRT than those not taking HRT. It is because they are more followed up more closely and if detected appropriate treatment is sought.

2).The study's average age was 63.6 y.old. No gynecologist would in the right mind, start a woman on HRT at that age. It is women age 48-52 that I would recommend HRT. It is in the first five years of menopause that you lose 30% of your bone density. This study was designed by Epidemiologist & Cardiologists, not Gynecologists)

3).There was an increase incidence of stroke & CHD in the group taking HRT. But after 5 years, it was the other way round. Women on HRT had lower incidences. I believe this is due to the initial increase in thromboembolic (clots) events in the initial 12 month with any hormones but more than offsetted by the lipid-lowering effect of estrogen later.

With or without HRT the fact is that prior to menopause, Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) in women is 4 times less compared to men. But in a few years after menopause it approaches to a similar rate as men.

Recommendation:

1).Weight bearing exercise
2).HRT for perimenopausal period up to age 52-53, then switch to Fosamax or Evista

Natural products (Black Cohosh, Red Clover & Soy) are all supposedly for "acute" menopausal symptoms such as sweating & hot flushes, and NOT for preventing osteoporosis. Even then all the studies are 6-12 weeks and fare no better than placebo (except for 2 black cohosh studies using outdated parameters).

3)Adequate protein intake - no need to take overpriced collagen products - as collagen is digested into amino acids in the stomach. Just eat enough proteins.

4). If you are eating enough calcium, supplements help little. The needed daily dose is 1,200mg. Yes, some may argue that absorption in the elderly gut may not be as good etc. But studies have shown that calcium supplementation alone is futile in retarding bone loss in the absence of HRT.

Inactivity Kills!

Yesterday Star paper quoted the Health Minister saying that Malaysia had the highest obesity rate in the region (30%).

He also stated that only 2 out of 10 adults exercise regularly. This is a concern as obesity and physical inactivity may account for 25 to 30 percent of several major cancers—colon, breast (postmenopausal), endometrial, kidney, and cancer of the esophagus(1). It is estimated that up to 16% of all cancer deaths are linked to excess weight.

The reverse is also true in that a 10% weight loss can result in 40-50% reduction obesity-related cancer death(6).

Steps to prevent obesity-related cancer

Reduce weight with dietary means
Exercise reduces body weight by burning up the calories and also promotes sweating to rid the body of accumulated cancerous toxins.

References

1.Vainio H, Bianchini F. IARC handbooks of cancer prevention. Volume 6: Weight control and physical activity. Lyon, France: IARC Press, 2002.
2.Clinical Practice Guidelines on the Management of Obesity 2003; Malaysia Academy for the Study of Obesity

ebooks

Finally!

My ebook website www.drvictorchen.com is ready.

New books coming are Battle Plan Against Cancer, Battle Plan Against Diabetes & Battle Plan Against Cardiovascular Disease.

Also writing a novel entitled "The Difference". May take a while but I am sure with God's grace it will be finished.