goji berries juice - Resources and Info Info-Zone: Did you hear of Nutrition<BR><BR>

Thursday, December 25, 2008

Did you hear of Nutrition

goji berries benefitsHerb-Drug Interactions- What You Need To Know

According to a report published in a recent issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, over 750,000 people are hospitalized in the emergency room each year due to interactions of two or more pharmaceutical drugs. Less severe interactions between popular pharmaceutical drugs and commonly eaten foods, herbs as well as herbal medicines may also lead to discomfort, illness and may even render ineffective the intended effects of a much-needed drug treatment. Understanding the nature of how drug interactions occur may help you make better choices and ensure that you experience the best possible quality of life.

There are two fundamental mechanisms that contribute to interactions between food items and drugs.

In a pharmacokinetic interaction a food may impact the way a drug moves in out of the body which is related to absorption, distribution, metabolism and eventual elimination of the drug.
When a pharmacodynamic interaction occurs, the effects of a drug may either be amplified or canceled out by some compound found in the food.

The four cycles any drug goes through in the body are absorption, distribution, metabolism and elimination. Any combination of drugs as well as certain foods or herbs and drugs can result in either a pharmacokinetic or a pharmacodynamic interaction at any of these four stages. Such interactions are very difficult to study because it is not simply the combination of two compounds that can lead to an interaction but also the timing, concentration or even the preparation of the food or the compound that can result in an interaction. Genetic factors can also contribute as certain people may act on foods differently when they are taken into the body.

One example of a drug interaction with a very common food involves the grapefruit. Containing many nutrients including vitamin C and a long list of phytochemicals, an unidentified phytochemicals in grapefruit leads to a Pharmacodynamic interaction that amplifies be a fact of certain drugs and therefore increases the risk of drug toxicity as well as drug side effects.

Among the types of drugs known to have interactions with the grapefruit are anti-seizure medications, antidepressants, tranquilizers, calcium channel blockers, and even HIV antiviral medications. Some reports conclude that this interaction only occurs if the grapefruit is consumed at the same time as the drug. Consuming the grapefruit well before or well after the consumption the drug may not cause an interaction. Because the chemical involved in this interaction is unknown, this risk is associated with whole grapefruit, grapefruit juice and even grapefruit pills.

Another common food or herb interaction involves garlic. When combined with diabetes medication garlic capsules can cause a dangerous decrease in blood sugar levels large doses can also thin the blood and in effect amplify the effects of blood thinning drugs like warfare and aspirin or other blood thinners.

Combinations of individual nutrients can also lead to interactions. When combined with iron and tetracycline antibiotics, zinc absorption can be reduced or the zinc can reduce the absorption of the iron and the tetracycline antibiotic. The effects of this type of interaction can take days, weeks or even months to display, making it very difficult to diagnose.

If you currently need pharmaceutical drugs to manage the symptoms of a disease condition potential interactions are easy to avoid with a small amount of preventative education. For more information consult your pharmacist about the most likely interactions that could affect you and ask for resources to provide you with a more comprehensive list.

As a National Speaker and Holistic Health Consultant, Dave Saunders has dedicated his life to helping others understand how the body is capable of restoring, protecting and defending itself against the effects of injury and disease to achieve better health and a better quality of life. You can learn more today by visiting http://www.glycowellness.com

The History of Chinese Cuisine

In China, food and its preparation has been developed so highly that it has reached the status of an art form. Rich and poor, the Chinese people consider that delicious and nutritious food is a basic necessity. There is an old Chinese saying �Food is the first necessity of the people�.

This art has been cultivated and refined over hundreds of years. Legend has it that the culture of Chinese cuisine originated in the 15th century BC during the Shang dynasty and was originally introduced by Yi Yin, it�s first Prime Minister.

The two dominant philosophies of Chinese culture both had extreme influences on the political and economic history of the country but it is less well known that they also influenced the development of the culinary arts.

Confucius emphasised the artistic and social aspects of cookery and eating. The Chinese don�t gather together without involving food - it is considered to be poor etiquette to invite friends to your home without providing appropriate food.

Confucius established standards of cooking and table etiquette, most of which remain to this day. The most obvious example of this is the cutting of bite-sized pieces of meat and vegetables during the course of the food preparation in the kitchen, rather than using a knife at the table which is not considered to be good manners.

Confucius also encouraged the blending of ingredients and flavourings to become a cohesive dish, rather than tasting the individual components. Harmony was his priority. He believed and taught that without harmony of ingredients there could be no taste. He also emphasised the importance of presentation and the use of colour, texture and decoration of a dish. Most importantly, cooking became an art rather than a task to be endured and certainly he was instrumental in promulgating the philosophy of �live to eat� rather than �eat to live�.

On the other hand, Tao encouraged research into the nourishment aspects of food and cookery. Rather than concentrating on taste and appearance, Taoists were more interested in the life-giving properties of food.

Centuries on, the Chinese have discovered the health-giving properties of all sorts of roots, herbs, fungus and plants. They have taught the world that the nutritional value of vegetables is destroyed by over-cooking (particularly boiling) and in addition have found that things with a great flavour also have medicinal value.

Home cooked Chinese food is extremely healthy, even though much of it is fried. This is due to the use of polyunsaturated oils (used only once and discarded) and the exclusion of dairy products. In addition the inclusion of animal fat is minimal because portions of meat are small.

About the Author: Liz Canham

As well as a love of Asian cooking and travel as demonstrated in her Asian Food and Cookery http://www.lizebiz.com/asian-food and Travellers� Tales http://www.travellers-tales.lizebiz.com websites, Liz seeks to help newcomers to the world of internet marketing with tools, tips and training from her Liz-e-Biz.com website http://www.lizebiz.com