Scientists map susceptibility to type 2 diabetes

via sciencedaily.com

The advancements of science in the area of detecting human disease susceptibility have been amazing over the past few years. One day all the big diseases like diabetes, hypertension, aids, cancer, etc. will all be conquered. At least I think they will.

But will new diseases emerge? Or maybe chronic conditions such as obesity will rise in numbers and they will spawn new diseases. We know that obesity is a rising problem in North American school children.

This is something that needs to be addressed, now. A diet run rampant in junk-food is mostly to blame, with lack of activity a close second guilty party.

My paternal grandfather had type 1 diabetes, and it's what ultimately claimed his life. My mother developed type 2 diabetes, largely due to obesity and inactivity.

So many problems can be avoided if we plan ahead and plan our health. I'm one to talk; I need to lose weight and get in better shape as well.

Some people think that New Year's is the best time to start a new habit or get rid of the old bad ones. Yes it is a good time, but so is today. It doesn't matter what today is; just start a new habit!

Rooibos Information

Rooibos - the RED TEA from South Africa

In South Africa Rooibos tea is fondly known as "Bush Tea" and is consumed by the old and young, rich and poor and now all over the world as a caffeine free alternative to regular tea.

Those who have not yet tried this  tea for it's beautiful ruby colour, its affordability and wonderful taste, should consider the following:-

 

• Rooibos Tea is a herbal tea that tastes like a regular tea:

It is prepared from the leaves of the herb Aspalathus Linearis.

Regular black and green tea is made with the Camellia Sinensis plants leaves

• Rooibos is unique to South Africa:

It is produced only in the Cape of Good Hope, South Africa. Rooibos (pronounced “roy-boss”) is an Afrikaans word meaning “red bush”, referring to the garnet colour of the herb leaves after fermentation.

• Rooibos is known as to boost general health

The health benefits of Rooibos for both adults and children are quite remarkable!

• Rooibos contains NO caffeine:

Even decaffeinated green tea has 30mg of caffeine per cup!

• Rooibos has a wonderful flavour:

It does not taste like a herbal tea at all - only like a sweeter version of regular teas. Rooibos has no bitter aftertaste - no matter how long it is left to brew!

• Rooibos is an everyday / anytime beverage:

It can be enjoyed throughout the day - primarily because it is an excellent thirst quencher
Rooibos can be served clear or with cream and sugar/honey, according to your usual preference.
Served as iced tea, it is absolutely delicious!

• Rooibos is very versatile. 

 Click here for Serving Suggestions and Recipe's

• Rooibos has been used in Africa for many generations.

Click here to find out more about the History of Rooibos

 

via newlands.ca

Rooibos! It is so delicious, I can hardly describe it. We have so many rooibos flavors available, it's hard to choose a favorite. Our herb tea that we like the most is rooibos orange spice. We also love rooibos spiced plum and rooibos vanilla.

It makes such a smooth, soothing cup of herb tea. It is relaxing and enjoyable to drink. I love that it makes me feel full and I eat less :- ) Yay!

My youngest son loves herb tea, and it settles down the hyperness in him. Maybe because he has to stir and sip it slowly, and it becomes a rhythm and motion for him.

We all drink herb tea, any flavor, when we're not feeling well. It always seems to cure what ails us. It is a great way to cut phlegm after a cold as well. Nothing goes down quite so well as a warm cup of liquid.

Speaking of that, I do think I will go make a cup to drink before I go to bed tonight.

'Rare' brain disorder may be more common than thought, say Mayo Clinic scientists

via sciencedaily.com

This article contains both good and bad news. It's good news that modern science has found a way to identify a "rare" genetic disorder, but bad news to find out it may be much more common than previously thought.

This neurological disorder is devastating, leading to death of the patient between ages 40 and 60.

What happens is that the brain's white matter deteriorates. In previous years, in many cases, patients were misdiagnosed with having schizophrenia, epilepsy, frontotemporal dementia, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, stroke or an array of other disorders or diseases.

Because of this misdiagnosis, many patients were treated with drugs that only proved to have toxic side effects, and provided no help whatsoever.

Unfortunately, the disorder (called leukoencephalopathy with spheroids - HDLS - can run in families). The genetic nature of this disorder means that entire families can carry this gene and in fact, because of this new research, entire family clans have been identified as carriers. All carriers have the active form of HDLS.

Plum Pie Recipe

Check out this website I found at allrecipes.com

Plum pie...it sounds so good! I've never been one to like Christmas pudding much; maybe because it was never made in a way that I would like. I know I have had bread pudding, and other types of pudding. Mostly I really liked them.

I think the favorite type of pudding I have had was rice and raisin pudding with lots of cinnamon in it. I have no idea how to make it. I guess I would have to look around for a recipe.

But I think I will try this plum pie. The picture looks amazing. I can almost smell it! Speaking of smelling it, I can smell my turkey cooking and I need to go check it.

Talk to you later.

Fig-Pecan Energy Bar Recipe

via drbenkim.com

These energy bars look incredibly good! It's definitely something I'm going to try. I never buy the energy bars at the store simply because they are just full of junk. I mean really, Dr. Ben Kim is right; they are only sugar with some protein powder thrown in and some fat for calories. I would much rather eat a chocolate bar with peanuts in it than an energy bar bought at the store.

Because unsuspecting health nuts assume an energy bar will be high quality energy, they pay an over-inflated price for them as well.

I would love to experiment with this recipe and see if it works as well with other nuts or other dried fruits. I am thinking that the stickiness of the figs is what holds them together. I doubt prunes would work.

Artichokes grow big in Texas

via sciencedaily.com

Oh how yummy! Artichokes are not only very yummy, they are also very healthy. I have never really studied them before. It would be interesting to see how they grow, and what they look like at every stage of growth.

I would especially be interested in seeing all the different ways of cooking and preparing them. I remember eating them as a kid. My mom would clip the tops of the petals off, boil them and them serve with melted butter to dip the meat into.

I know you can also buy small bottles of pickled artichoke hearts. Those are tasty as well, but I would sooner have cooked fresh artichokes than the pickled ones.

Survival in the Ice - Part 1 - YouTube

via youtube.com

This is a very good video to watch, in fact watch all of Dr. Gordon Giesbrecht's videos on survival in very cold water. There are a lot of things I learned that I didn't know before.

One of the most interesting things was that you don't die of hypothermia right away. You have several minutes. It's usually that you end up drowning if you fall through the ice into frigid water. I will let you watch the video to find out why.

He studies thermodynamics of the human body; how the human body reacts under cold- and especially cold + wet, conditions.

Even though I don't go out walking on ice if I can avoid it, it's good to know these survival skills because I could possibly come upon someone else who has fallen through the ice, and then I would know what to do to help them.

Also, I can teach my kids what to do, in case they are ever out doing some kind of winter sports or winter activity and an accident happens either to them or to someone in their group.