Saturday 4 March 2017
A City That Does Not Exist
The Land of No Smiles
Renowned documentary photographer Tomas van Houtryve entered North Korea by posing as a businessman looking to open a chocolate factory. Despite 24-hour surveillance by North Korean minders, he took arresting photographs of Pyongyang and its people -- images rarely captured and even more rarely distributed in the West. They show stark glimmers of everyday life in the world's last gulag.
CANARY UNDERGROUND:
No one knows how many people live in Pyongyang; estimates place the population at up to 3 million. Two subway lines and 17 stops serve the city. Built by the Army in the 1980s with cars bought from Berlin, the metro has stops named for revolutionary concepts, like Jonu (comrade), Puhung (rehabilitation), and Rakwon (paradise).
UNEASY STREET:
Van Houtryve arrived in Pyongyang, the North Korean capital, during a normal work week in February. He found its main thoroughfare entirely empty. "Nobody's out. No couples with babies, nobody taking a walk," van Houtryve says. "You could wait 10 minutes before you ever saw a car." Only a few old Mercedes -- the exclusive privilege of top bureaucrats -- cruise Pyongyang's streets. North Korea has just a few hundred thousand cars for more than 20 million people. The country has only 1,000 miles of paved road.
SHOP GIRL:
This is shopping in North Korea. The clerk sits in the dark, unheated special store, waiting to turn on the lights for foreigners, the only permitted customers. "She's wearing a ski jacket or parka; the rest of this time they're sitting there with the lights off, freezing," van Houtryve says. The goods -- toys, televisions, and the like -- were imported from China. The store only accepts euros.
COLLECTIVIST COMMUTE:
When van Houtryve approached North Koreans, they walked off or averted their eyes. He never once photographed a smile. Even children ran away from him. "They'd turn and notice me and immediately bolt off -- as if a wolf had come up to them." Pyongyang's somber trams are old East German models, giving the city a Soviet feel two decades after the fall of the Berlin Wall.
EMERGENCY CAPITALISM:
Two women work the assembly line, packaging shirts by the American brand K-Swiss. "I imagine it's illegal," van Houtryve says. In Kaesong, the special economic zone on the southern border, South Korean companies hire North Korean workers at wages of $50 a month. The North Korean government allowed the zone's creation after its near economic collapse and failure to prevent a mass famine in the 1990s.
BILLBOARD HIT:
Along the main road back into Pyongyang, van Houtryve captured these concrete and tile mosaic murals of leader Kim Jong Il. Only a few North Koreans are allowed to depict the "Dear Leader" and his father, who are considered too sacred to be portrayed except by the finest artists.
CULT OF PERSONALITY:
In van Houtryve's hotel room, propaganda played in an endless loop on the three TV channels. North Korean biographers, striving to make Kim his more revered father's equal, insist a swallow foretold his birth and attribute a spate of superhuman characteristics to him -- the ability to manipulate time among them. Defectors have described him as arthritic and illiterate.
No one knows how many people live in Pyongyang; estimates place the population at up to 3 million. Two subway lines and 17 stops serve the city. Built by the Army in the 1980s with cars bought from Berlin, the metro has stops named for revolutionary concepts, like Jonu (comrade), Puhung (rehabilitation), and Rakwon (paradise).
Van Houtryve arrived in Pyongyang, the North Korean capital, during a normal work week in February. He found its main thoroughfare entirely empty. "Nobody's out. No couples with babies, nobody taking a walk," van Houtryve says. "You could wait 10 minutes before you ever saw a car." Only a few old Mercedes -- the exclusive privilege of top bureaucrats -- cruise Pyongyang's streets. North Korea has just a few hundred thousand cars for more than 20 million people. The country has only 1,000 miles of paved road.
This is shopping in North Korea. The clerk sits in the dark, unheated special store, waiting to turn on the lights for foreigners, the only permitted customers. "She's wearing a ski jacket or parka; the rest of this time they're sitting there with the lights off, freezing," van Houtryve says. The goods -- toys, televisions, and the like -- were imported from China. The store only accepts euros.
When van Houtryve approached North Koreans, they walked off or averted their eyes. He never once photographed a smile. Even children ran away from him. "They'd turn and notice me and immediately bolt off -- as if a wolf had come up to them." Pyongyang's somber trams are old East German models, giving the city a Soviet feel two decades after the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Two women work the assembly line, packaging shirts by the American brand K-Swiss. "I imagine it's illegal," van Houtryve says. In Kaesong, the special economic zone on the southern border, South Korean companies hire North Korean workers at wages of $50 a month. The North Korean government allowed the zone's creation after its near economic collapse and failure to prevent a mass famine in the 1990s.
Along the main road back into Pyongyang, van Houtryve captured these concrete and tile mosaic murals of leader Kim Jong Il. Only a few North Koreans are allowed to depict the "Dear Leader" and his father, who are considered too sacred to be portrayed except by the finest artists.
CULT OF PERSONALITY:
In van Houtryve's hotel room, propaganda played in an endless loop on the three TV channels. North Korean biographers, striving to make Kim his more revered father's equal, insist a swallow foretold his birth and attribute a spate of superhuman characteristics to him -- the ability to manipulate time among them. Defectors have described him as arthritic and illiterate.
Is it food poisoning or something else?
After a miserable day or two spent hugging the toilet, most of us wonder if it was something we ate (hello, sushi dinner!) or a typical tummy bug, aka the stomach flu. Of course, there’s no such thing as true stomach flu; the term is simply a colloquialism for a bout of gastroenteritis or a viral or bacterial infection, which is an inflammation of the digestive tract and intestines.
It’s tough to tell which you have since the symptoms can often be identical, but there are a few subtle differences to help you decipher between the two.
“They are both an explosion of your gastrointestinal tract so to speak,” says Dr. Patricia Raymond, fellow of the American College of Gastroenterology and associate professor of clinical internal medicine at Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, Va.
One way many people try to figure out if it was food poisoning or a tummy bug is to look back and remember if they ate something six to 12 hours before that was a likely culprit, such as cream-based foods, mayonnaise-based salads, meat items that weren’t cooked thoroughly, or sprouts or vegetables from a salad bar. If other family members are sick but did not eat the same foods, however, you’re likely looking at a bout of gastroenteritis.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 76 million Americans get food poisoning every year, while viral gastroenteritis is a leading cause of severe diarrhea in both adults and children.
Many types of viruses can be the culprit, including norovirus (popularized by cruise ship outbreaks) and rotavirus, most common in children and elderly adults living in nursing homes.
How to tell which tummy trouble you have:
Need to know
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Gastroenteritis
(stomach flu)
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Food poisoning
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Symptoms
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Feeling low energy, muscle aches, stomach cramps, vomiting, diarrhea, fever
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Weak, dizzy, nausea, vomiting, bloody diarrhea
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Lag time
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About 12 hours after coming in contact with the virus
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4-6 hours after eating tainted food. Serious strains like E. coli can crop up 24 hours later, though.
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Duration of symptoms
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1-5 days
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6-24 hours
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Treatment
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Drink clear liquids—Pedialyte, Gatorade or fruit juice with a pinch of salt to help replace lost electrolytes and prevent dehydration. Try an anti-nausea/ anti-diarrhea medication like Imodium.
After 24-48 hours start the BRAT diet (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast), which can help bind you up.
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Drink plenty of fluids to help flush out your system and expel the toxins. Skip anti-diarrhea medication unless you have to leave the house, and then take the lowest possible dose. “You want the body to expel the toxins, not stop them up,” says Raymond.
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Natural remedies
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Arsenicum alb is a popular homeopathic remedy to reduce symptoms in both cases.
Colocynth, known as bitter apple helps with cramps, nausea and accompanying symptoms, and wind flower can be used to relieve vomiting associated with gastroenteritis.
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Drink ginger tea as ginger is loaded with anti-inflammatory compounds that quell nausea.
Try 300-500 mg. of Andrographics twice a day, a Chinese herb that can eliminate symptoms. Or try a few drops of the South American herb Dragon’s Blood to help restore intestinal balance.
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When to see the doctor or head to the ER
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After 3 days with no improvement, or if you have a high fever over 102 F, if you’re dehydrated, are passing blood or having seizures.
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If you’re still sick after 48 hours or passing blood, you should see the doctor right away.
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The most important thing with both is to stay hydrated. The instinct is to not bother drinking because things are coming up both ends, but you must force down fluids regardless, stresses Raymond. Most people come to the ER totally dehydrated and at that point you’ll need IV fluids.
“For both of them you should also practice stringent hand washing,” Raymond says. You can spread germs whether your illness is bacterial or viral. Plus, if you suspect food poisoning and you think the trigger food was eaten at a restaurant, you should notify your physician because it may affect other patrons.
Of course, if you're taking prescription medicines or have a chronic health condition, check with your doctor before self-treating with over-the-counter or natural remedies.
And it doesn’t hurt to use a good probiotic once you’ve recovered, such as Lactobacillus acidophilus, which can help restore your digestive tract to normal more quickly after a bout of either of these tummy troubles.
10 Worst Foods for Hypertension! Juice That Can Reverse Hypertension Naturally
Hypertension is a condition present when blood flows through the blood vessels with a force greater than normal. Hypertension is another term used to describe high blood pressure. Hypertension affects approximately 75 million adults in the United States.
Controlling hypertension with a blood pressure reading of or less than 140/90 mm Hg has been identified as key to lowering the risk for cardiovascular disease.
10 Worst Foods for Hypertension
Chinese Food
The sauces used in Chinese dishes like soy sauce, bean paste and teriyaki sauce are loaded with sodium. For instance, soy sauce contains as much as 824mg per tablespoon while bean paste can have as much as 220mg per teaspoon. Because of this, something as innocent as pork fried rice can have as much as 2130 mg of sodium or beef and broccoli with as much as 3260mg.
The sauces used in Chinese dishes like soy sauce, bean paste and teriyaki sauce are loaded with sodium. For instance, soy sauce contains as much as 824mg per tablespoon while bean paste can have as much as 220mg per teaspoon. Because of this, something as innocent as pork fried rice can have as much as 2130 mg of sodium or beef and broccoli with as much as 3260mg.
Sugar-sweetened beverages
We tend to associate excess sugar with higher blood sugar and diabetes. However, excess sugar intake has been linked to high blood pressure levels as well.
We tend to associate excess sugar with higher blood sugar and diabetes. However, excess sugar intake has been linked to high blood pressure levels as well.
Processed Meats
If you’re sprinkling less salt on your food, great. But most of the blood pressure-boosting sodium in our diets actually comes from packaged and processed foods, not the salt shaker. Which salty culprits should you steer clear of? Bacon, sausage, bologna, hot dogs and other processed meat products.
If you’re sprinkling less salt on your food, great. But most of the blood pressure-boosting sodium in our diets actually comes from packaged and processed foods, not the salt shaker. Which salty culprits should you steer clear of? Bacon, sausage, bologna, hot dogs and other processed meat products.
Pizza
Both meat-topped and plain old cheese pizzas are major contributors of sodium to our diets, according to a report from the Grocery Manufacturers Association. Between the salt in the sauce, crust, cheese and add-ons like pepperoni and sausage, and the frequency with which Americans eat it, pizza is likely sending our collective blood pressures skyrocketing.
Both meat-topped and plain old cheese pizzas are major contributors of sodium to our diets, according to a report from the Grocery Manufacturers Association. Between the salt in the sauce, crust, cheese and add-ons like pepperoni and sausage, and the frequency with which Americans eat it, pizza is likely sending our collective blood pressures skyrocketing.
Salt
Salt is definitely one of the worst foods, or more precisely condiments, for people who have elevated blood pressure or any other kind of heart disease for that matter. The main perpetrator in salt is the sodium, which has been found to have an immense impact on blood pressure.
Salt is definitely one of the worst foods, or more precisely condiments, for people who have elevated blood pressure or any other kind of heart disease for that matter. The main perpetrator in salt is the sodium, which has been found to have an immense impact on blood pressure.
Whole Milk
Whole milk, while a fantastic source of calcium essential for the health of your bones and some other processes in the human body, is definitely a food that can elevate your blood pressure. The source of the problem in this case is, once again, the high level of saturated fats.
Whole milk, while a fantastic source of calcium essential for the health of your bones and some other processes in the human body, is definitely a food that can elevate your blood pressure. The source of the problem in this case is, once again, the high level of saturated fats.
Sauerkraut
While most people think that sauerkraut is healthy, the fact is that it also has over 460 mg of sodium per one serving. So skip the sauerkraut!
While most people think that sauerkraut is healthy, the fact is that it also has over 460 mg of sodium per one serving. So skip the sauerkraut!
Coffee
If you have hypertension, now might be the time to kick your coffee habit. In fact, regular drinkers of coffee and other caffeinated beverages are found to have a higher average blood pressure than those who don’t drink.
If you have hypertension, now might be the time to kick your coffee habit. In fact, regular drinkers of coffee and other caffeinated beverages are found to have a higher average blood pressure than those who don’t drink.
Alcohol
Most people enjoy a drink or two now and then but alcohol not only causes blood pressure to rise, but it also damages the walls of the blood vessels.
Most people enjoy a drink or two now and then but alcohol not only causes blood pressure to rise, but it also damages the walls of the blood vessels.
Pickles
Apart from the fact that pickles are typically low-fat and low-calorie, they are loaded with sodium. Three medium pickles, about 3.75 inches long, can have about 2,355 mg of sodium, which is already more than the recommended sodium limit of 2,300 mg for an entire day.
Apart from the fact that pickles are typically low-fat and low-calorie, they are loaded with sodium. Three medium pickles, about 3.75 inches long, can have about 2,355 mg of sodium, which is already more than the recommended sodium limit of 2,300 mg for an entire day.
Juice That Reverse Hypertension Naturally
Ingredients:
1 beet
4 Stalks celery (preferably organic)
1/2 ” ginger
1 Small apple
4 Stalks celery (preferably organic)
1/2 ” ginger
1 Small apple
Note:
Celery ranks highest on the pesticide list, so try to use organic celery or use a good veggie wash
Directions:
Wash all vegs
Keep skin on veggies and apple as much as possible
Juice and enjoy !
Keep skin on veggies and apple as much as possible
Juice and enjoy !
Which Dietary Factors Affect Breast Cancer Most?
One of my favorite cancer-specific charities, the American Institute for Cancer Research, lauds the China Study and the documentary Forks Over Knives, with which they share the same bottom-line message: The healthiest diets are those that revolve around whole plant foods.
They then translate that advice into their Ten Recommendations for Cancer Prevention. We now have evidence that those who follow such advice are actually protected against cancer. Breast cancer risk was reduced by 60% in women who met at least five recommendations compared with those who met none. The most important dietary advice was to be as lean as possible within the normal range of body weight, eat mostly foods of plant origin, and limit alcoholic drinks.
What about other cancers? Greater adherence to the AICR dietary guidelines was also associated with significantly less endometrial, colorectal, lung, kidney, stomach, oral, liver, and esophageal cancer. In other words, adherence to dietary recommendations for cancer prevention may lower the risk of developing most types of cancer. The drop in bladder cancer did not reach statistical significance, but a larger follow-up study following 469,000 people for 11 years (the largest to date) found that just a 3% increase in the consumption of animal protein calories was associated with a 15% higher risk of bladder cancer, whereas just a 2% increase in plant protein was associated with a 23% lower risk.
AICR recommendation number ten is that cancer survivors should follow the recommendations for cancer prevention. The same diet that can help prevent cancer in the first place can be used to help save our life after diagnosis. Adherence to the guidelines for cancer prevention was found to be associated with lower mortality among older female cancer survivors, or breast cancer and other cancers in general.
A cancer diagnosis is considered a teachable moment to get people eating and living healthier. Oncologists revel at the growth in the number of cancer survivors in this country, now ten million strong and growing. It’s great that those with cancer are living longer, but even better to prevent it in the first place so we can all live longer. Not only does adherence to the guidelines lower cancer risk, but extends our lifespan because the guidelines are also significantly associated with a lower hazard of dying from heart disease and respiratory disease, suggesting that following the recommendations could “significantly increase longevity.”
Just like eating to prevent cancer helps to prevent heart disease, eating to protect our heart helps prevent cancer. It sounds self-evident, but adherence to a healthy lifestyle is therefore associated with a lower risk of mortality overall. And the more healthy behaviors we have, the longer we get to live. Such factors included not smoking, walking every day, or eating green leafy vegetables almost daily.
To help differentiate the effects of diet from other lifestyle behaviors like smoking and drinking on cancer incidence, Adventists were recently compared to Baptists. Both discourage alcohol and tobacco, but the Adventists go further, encouraging a reduction of meat. In general, the Adventists had lower cancer hazard rates than the Baptists, and within Adventist populations, the vegetarians did even better, and those eating the most plants, did the best.
4 Spices for a Healthier Heart
We all know that exercise, adequate sleep, fruits and vegetables, and fiber support a healthy heart, but perhaps we should consider adding some spice to that winning combination. Some researchers have been looking into the heart-healthy features of several of the more popular spices we use to perk up our food, and the news is encouraging.
Four spices in particular caught the eye of a scientific team who wanted to determine whether the folk lore behind their use as heart-friendly plants held merit. What did they find about greater cardamom, coriander, ginger, and turmeric? Are they really beneficial spices for the the heart? Overall, the authors concluded that “current research shows that they can also be effectively used for the prevention and control of CVDs [cardiovascular diseases].” Here are some reasons why.
Greater cardamom
Also known as black cardamom among other names, this spice (Amomum subulatum Roxb.) may be better known for its ability to relieve gastrointestinal ailments, such as nausea, vomiting, heartburn, and diarrhea. However, in matters of the heart, greater cardamom has demonstrated some noteworthy traits.
For example, individuals with ischemic heart disease were given either 3 grams cardamom or a placebo daily for 12 weeks. Those who ingested the spice showed improvement in their cholesterol and triglyceride levels as well as significant enhancement of antioxidant levels and fibrinolytic activity (involved with blood clots).
Some of the best ways to use cardamom are in Indian dishes (e.g., curries), with fruits, and in glazes. Cardamom is popular in chai and is often blended with coriander, ginger, and turmeric—all of which also happen to be heart-healthy spices!
Coriander
Coriander holds the distinction of being two things at the same time: an herb (the leaves, which are referred to as cilantro) and a spice, which comes from the dried seeds of the plant cilantro (Coriandrum sativum L.). The seeds have been shown to reduce levels of bad cholesterol (LDL), triglycerides, and total cholesterol in rats.
Although you can enjoy cilantro fresh in salsa, salads, and many other dishes, dried coriander is also popular in dressings, Indian dishes, marinades, soups, and other recipes.
Turmeric
Turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) is often synonymous with its main lively ingredient, curcumin, a spice commonly used in Indian dishes. The benefits of turmeric and curcumin extend way beyond their ability to enhance your meals, however. In fact, cardiologist Stephen Sinatra, MD, is an advocate of turmeric for heart health because the spice contains potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant components.
Curcumin has demonstrated an ability to improve the function of the lining of blood vessels (endothelium) just as well as the drug atorvastatin. This is critical because endothelial dysfunction is intimately involved in blood pressure, blood clotting, and other factors associated with heart disease. Other research has shown that curcumin lowers bad cholesterol (LDL) and triglycerides, including patients with coronary artery disease.
Ginger
Ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) is reportedly the “most widely used dietary condiment in the world today,” according to Dr. Josh Axe. It belongs to the same heart-friendly family as cardamom and turmeric, and its healing powers have been enjoyed for more than 4,700 years.
Ginger owes its health benefits to compounds called gingerols, which have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant powers. A combination of ginger, onions, and garlic is especially helpful in fighting blood clots, which in turn protects against heart attack and stroke. Even alone, however, ginger is good for your heart. Try adding a slice of raw ginger to your morning smoothie, enjoying a cup of ginger tea, or adding ground ginger powder to your favorite recipes.
Spicing up your diet can benefit your heart. Be sure to include these spices (certified organic, of course!) regularly in your menu planning.
This Bottled Water You Drink Makes You Fat and Causes Hormonal Imbalance
You might think that clear purified bottles water you buy would be the best water for your body, however, the truth is that many bottled waters can cause a lot of health problems. They may be making you fat.
Bisphenol-A (BPA), a chemical component in water bottles has been found to reduce insulin sensitivity and accelerate the formation of fat cells in animal studies by 1,300%. Even in minute amounts, the animal subjects gained weight when exposed to BPA.
A new study from Harvard School of Public Health and published in the journal Environmental Health found that commonly-found toxins in plastics are linked to both general obesity and abdominal obesity. Known as Bisphenol A or BPA for short, these hormone disruptors have been primarily found in plastic, including plastic food and beverage packaging.
Bottled Water Causes Hormonal Imbalance
Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDC’s) also referred to as “Xenoestrogens” or synthetic estrogens, cause serious health problems because they mimic estrogen among other hormones. Hormone disruptors can affect how estrogen and other hormones act in the body, by blocking them or mimicking them, which throws off the body’s hormonal balance. Because estrogen can make hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer develop and grow, many women choose to limit their exposure to these chemicals that can act like estrogen.
“Endocrine disruptors are chemicals that at certain doses, can interfere with the endocrine in mammals. These disruptions can cause cancerous tumors, birth defects, and other developmental disorders. Any system in the body controlled by hormones, can be derailed by hormone disruptors.”
What chemical can be used to do this? BPA. BPA is a Endocrine disruptor.
“Bisphenol A (BPA) is an estrogenic endocrine disruptor widely used in the production of plastics. Increasing evidence indicates that in utero BPA exposure affects sexual differentiation and behavior…We hypothesized that BPA may disrupt epigenetic programming of gene expression in the brain…BPA exposure induced persistent, largely sex-specific effects on social and anxiety-like behavior, leading to disruption of sexually dimorphic behaviors.”
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