Beta-glucan a safe bet for auto-immune diseases

Anonymous

Question : I HAVE a friend who is HIV+ with a CD 4 of 600+. Is there any natural and safe remedy for such a case? Is there a product which can eliminate the virus from his system?

Answer : CERTAIN nutrients may help in building up his immune system to fight the virus.

Beta-glucan, a long-chained polysaccharide molecule derived from the cell wall of the common Baker's yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), is an active, safe and potent immune regulator that improves the immune system without pushing it to over- reactivity. Hence it does not create complications for those with auto- immune diseases.

Beta-glucan accomplishes this by activating the immune response through the specialised immune cells known as macrophages to yield various therapeutic effects. Besides its immune-enhancing effects, beta-glucan has also been known to assist the body in regulating cholesterol levels, promote rapid wound healing and inflammation, protect against radiation exposure and prevent infection.

Combined with powerful anti- free radical nutrients such as beta-carotene, and selenium, polysaccharides and vitamins A, C and E with zinc in a formulation will help strengthen the immune system.

Several studies have indicated that the stimulation of the immune system by beta-glucan results in enhanced resistance to most virus, bacterial, fungal, and parasitic infections. A trial using beta-glucan to prevent infection in patients after undergoing abdominal and lung surgery or gastrointestinal surgery found that it significantly reduces the rate of infections. Investigators of the trial concluded that beta-glucan was safe and could potentially decrease life-threatening post-operative infections.

About the Author

www.medical-explorer.com

Best Home Remedies Against Thrush

Charlene J. Nuble

The overgrowth of the fungi Candida Albicans is responsible for the onset of Thrush, which is also know as Yeast Infection or Candidiasis. Thrush is not a serious disease but it can cause great discomfort for its sufferer. The best thing you can do then you think you have thrush is to see a doctor immediately. There are also many over the counter medicines that are effective in treating thrush.

But aside from seeing a doctor and using over the counter medications, there are many things you can do at home to treat thrush.

1. The first thing you should do at the onset o thrush is to clean the affected area by washing it with plain water. It is not advisable to use soaps, shower gels and bath gels because these products can worsen the infection. Make sure that the affected area is always clean, cool and dry.

2. When you have thrush, avoid using lubricants and spermicidal creams. These products can make your conditions worse. You should also avoid latex condoms because latex or rubber can cause irritation.

3. Do not let synthetic fibers or materials touch the affected area as doing so could cause further irritation. You must wear clothes or undergarments made from natural fibers so as to minimize irritation.

4. Stress can trigger thrush this is why you should learn to relax and fight stress. Do not put yourself in stressful situations as much as possible and try to learn different stress-reducing techniques.

5. Make sure that your partner does not have thrush before having sex.

6. Melaleuca Oil is an effective remedy for thrush. You can buy Melaleuca Oil at alternative medicine and herb stores.

7. Aside from Melaleauca Oil, another effective natural remedy for thrush is Aloe Vera gel which can also be bought in alternative medicine and herb stores. Apply the Aloe Vera gel to the affected area.

8. Avoid oral contraceptives and broad spectrum antibiotics when you feel you are susceptible to thrush.

9. Individuals suffering from iron deficiency anemia and diabetes are more susceptible to get thrush than those not suffering from these diseases. So if you suffer from these diseases you must be doubly careful in avoiding thrush.

10. Avoid alcohol, steroids and too much sugar if you feel that you are susceptible to thrush. These substances can prohibit the growth of Candida Albicans.

11. You can also put natural yogurt to the areas affected by thrush to minimize irritation. Yoghurts have ingredients that can combat inflammation.

12. Food is one of the main triggers of thrush. Avoid dried fruits, dairy products, products with yeasts, mushrooms, pickled vegetables and fruits, monosodium glutamate and smoked fish and meat as these can trigger thrush. You can also try to follow a restricted diet for at least one month. The restricted diet can help you determine the particular foods that triggers thrush. You can then avoid these foods to avoid acquiring thrush.

13. Probiotic supplements that support friendly fungi in the gut such as acidophilus are also found to be effective in treating thrush.

14. If your thrush is persistent and does not respond to home remedies then you should begin to see a doctor. You should never ignore a persistent thrush infection. Or else it could lead to a much worse condition.


Note: This article may be freely reproduced as long as the AUTHOR'S resource box at the bottom of this article is included and and all links must be Active/Linkable with no syntax changes.

About the Author:

Charlene J. Nuble 2006. For answers to All your frequently asked questions about thrush, please go to: http://thrush.candidaanswers.com/

Read more articles by: Charlene J. Nuble



This article is distributed by: www.iSnare.com

Benefits of Alternative Medicine

Ruby Boyd

With the growing number of people being affected by newly
discovered chronic degenerative diseases such as AIDS and
chronic fatigue syndrome, Are you worried or wondering....

Is it possible to maintain good health?

What your body needs to function properly?

Why conventional medicine is becoming more complicated and
costly and in some cases simply ineffective?

A growing number of people are turning to alternative medicine and
natural healing--simple, traditional low-tech methods of preventing
illnesses and solving everyday health problems.

Do you have unanswered questions on....

Why are people flocking to health food stores, with their
lotions and potions, and what keeps them going back for more?

What to do if you or someone in your family falls ill?

Are these therapies really old wives tales or can they really
work?

Even mainstream doctors have begun to recommend natural drugless
therapies' to treat both everyday complaints and serious illnesses.
Dietary modifications, for instance, has become the weapons of
choice against a number of diseases that would have been treated
mainly with prescription drugs a generation ago.

It is now known that many conditions are caused by the wrong
diet and can be reversed by the right diet.

Heart disease, cancer, weight problems, arthritis, diabetes,
high blood pressure--they can all be treated to some degree
with foods.

Natural therapies found in alternative
medicine are actually much older than Western treatments such
as surgeries and antibiotics. Experts estimate that herbal remedies
and Ayurveda, the traditional medicine of India, has been around
for 5,000 years.

Many alternative medicine remedies began with scientific research
or clinical impressions reported by physicians working with safe,
natural substances.

But we live in a generation now that has been cut off from this
age-old tradition of self-reliance. Healing and health care
have become almost--the exclusive province of duly licensed
physicians. While doctors and other professionals-are indeed
great to have around, what is not so great is when you cannot
do anything without them.

Shouldn't we be able to do something to save our health--maybe
even our lives--without a doctor?

What happens when medical help is not so readily available?

What happens when doctoring simply does not work?

Some of us go to doctor after doctor, and still no help. Is
that the end of the line?

While antibiotics have saved millions of lives, they have not
really solved some resurgence of germs that are turning up in
new forms that do not respond to conventional therapies.

There has been a real shift in the way people think about their
health. Rising health care cost is a factor in the recent surge
of interest in alternative medicine.

Many people are attracted to the alternative physicians emphasis
on treating the whole person--body, mind and spirit. Most
importantly some physicians use intensive counseling to help
patients find out whether aspects of their daily lives, such
as job stress, marital problems diet or sleeping habits might
be behind their symptoms.

In this age of managed care and impersonal group practices patients
find this individualized approach of alternative medicine
particularly appealing.

One of the principal goals of natural healing is to break the
cycle of dependency and allow people to be more in control of
their own lives.

Alternative Medicine

www.a1-natural-health-and-beauty.com

About the Author

Ruby Boyd is the owner of www.a1-natural-health-
and-beauty.com, a website that offers
information on how to achieve health and beauty fitness goals
naturally.

You may contact me at:
3rdsista@bellsouth.net

Bad Breath, Halitosis And Home Remedies

Pieternel Van Giersbergen

When the Webmaster of www.breathbadgone.com asked me to write an article on halitosis (bad breath) I was thrilled. Strange, you say, that I should be enthused about the subject of halitosis (bad breath)? As an RN for over 25 years I have smelled many, many kinds of breath/ halitosis, and found that breath is a wonderful diagnostic tool. It can tell me how sick the patient is, and sometimes even what they have. I once worked with a wonderful doctor in the emergency room, who asked me what I smelled in the breath of a particular patient. We both felt we smelled a candida/yeast infection, and sure enough, that's just what it turned out to be! Bad breath/ halitosis is always a sign that something else is going on, and I'd like to share with you a few interesting cases and general principles in this regard.



I have a friend who is a sensitive person. We were sitting at a table and I asked him how his day was. He said OK, but his breath was bad and his stomach seemed upset. After I asked a few more questions he finally let on he that he'd had an argument with his employer. As he was telling his story he drank the big glass of water I had given him. And as soon as he'd unburdened his feelings and the water was gone… so was his bad breath/ halitosis. The moral of this story… dehydration and emotional issues can both affect our breath.



Many patients who come to the emergency room have bad breath. Simply giving them fluids (water or salt water intravenously) not only helps their primary condition, but the bad breath as well. You don't have to be in the Sahara desert to get dehydrated. Everyone needs to drink abundant water each day.



Small babies do not have bad breath/ halitosis when they are healthy. Bad breath (halitosis) is a sign that something is wrong and needs attention. Healthy toddlers don't have bad breath either, so when babies, toddlers or growing children develop bad breath, the following factors usually play a role: dehydration, stress, wrong foods, bad digestion and poor dental health.



Indeed, these are the same top causes of bad breath in adults, followed by digestive problems and infections, for which one should seek medical help. A great remedy for infections of all kinds, whether viral/ bacterial/ parasite and candida, or yeast, is Oil of Oregano. Oil of Oregano is an all-natural remedy that is as strong as pharmaceutical antibiotics, but with no side effects. It is also a great first aid remedy to have on hand.



I could go on and on about the distinct varieties of bad breath smells among those who drink alcohol, who smoke, who have diabetes, internal bleeding, liver diseases, or cancer. But I will spare you the unsavory details. The point is to focus on clean breath, and to heal the underlying causes of bad breath, which will give you better health and more enjoyment of your life. By welcoming bad breath/ halitosis as an opportunity to take preventive measures, you will be doing yourself a world of good.



May your breath be sweet!



Pieternel van Giersbergen



© 2005 Pieternel van Giersbergen. www.pieternel.com

About the Author:

Pieternel has been an R.N for over 25 years. She develops natural products for preventive health and is an expert on natural health issues. This article was written for www.badbreathgone.com

Source: www.isnare.com

Ayurveda regimen for winter depression.

Dr.Savitha Suri

Long nights, short days, sweaters, warm clothes and chilly
weather make many of us sick and depressed. This depression
which surfaces especially in winter is a Seasonal Affective
Disorder (SAD) and is often called as winter Time Blues or
Winter depression. The exact cause for this depression is as of
yet unclear. But yet few scientists believe lack of exposure to
sunlight as the reason for this disorder.



The symptoms of winter depression are tendency to over eat,
craving for carbohydrates and sweets and weight gain.



Had our ancestors observed this change in humans? The answer is
yes. Have they recommended any remedies? Yes, they have
recommended simple and effective natural remedies to overcome
Seasonal Affective Disorder. They have laid down explicit
guidelines about diet and lifestyles which have to be followed
according to seasons.



The winter season is marked as Hemanta ritu and Sisira ritu in
ayurveda. Hemanta ritu starts from mid November and ends in mid
January. This falls in southern solstice which is called as
visarga kala or dakshinayana in ayurveda. Sisira ritu starts
from mid January and lasts till middle of march. Sisira ritu
falls in Northern solstice which is called as Aadana kaala or
uttaraayana.



The response of human body to this season is very well explained
in ayurveda. People will have increased strength and their
digestion capacity is increased .This is marked by increased
hunger. These symptoms are caused by increased body fire which
is supported by vata. Vata inside body increases in winter
because of cold and dryness which is prevalent in outer
atmosphere.



The winter time depression is noticed mostly in persons who have
vata as major constituent in their prakriti or body
constitution. The cause for this type of change is longer nights
of winter.



Light therapy is recommended by doctors for winter time blues.
Exposure to artificial light may cause headache , Irritability
,Eye strain , Inability to sleep and fatigue. Exposure to
sunlight and if sunlight is not available sitting near fireplace
is the remedy suggested in Ayurveda.



Keeping the home well lit with lights help to reduce the
intensity of depression.



Moderate exercise like yoga is another remedy for winter
depression. Ayurveda recommends oil massage (abhyanga) to body
and head (moordha taila.). Indulging in sexual act to keep the
moods elevated and to keep the body warm is another strongly
suggested ayurvedic remedy.



Meeting friends who are kind and understanding boosts morale and
brightens up the day. Spending time with friends on the beach
helps to expose your body to sunlight and keeps your spirits
high.



Relaxing with meditation, massage , light music and laughter
helps to great extent.



The following ayurvedic tips help to prevent and reduce the
intensity of seasonal disorder of winter, the winter time blues.



1. Expose yourself to sunlight as much as you can. In absence of
sun light sitting near fire place is very helpful.



2. Massage your body with vata balancing herbal oil (abhyanga).
Never forget to apply oil on your head (moordha taila.).



3. Then remove the oil by taking hot water bath. A mixture of
flours of yellow gram (channa), green gram (moong) , fenu greek
seeds (methi) in equal proportion is the best herbal scrub which
can be used to remove the oil. This mixture prevents the washing
of natural oil from skin.



4. Consume hot soups.



5. Use vata balancing foods like wheat, oil, corn, black gram
and jaggery.



6. Tickle your taste buds with sweet, sour and salt tastes



7. Always use hot water for all daily routine activity.



8. Use thick blankets and sheets made of cotton, silk and wool.



9. Always wear foot wear.



10. Indulge in sexual act.



11. Spend your leisure time with friends and relatives whom you
like.



About the author:


Dr.SavithaSuri has been an Ayurvedic Practitioner since 1989.
After getting a graduation degree in ayurveda (Bachelor of
Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery) in 1988 from University of
Mysore, India, she started practising ayurveda . Her articles
about ayurveda have been published in news papers and websites.
She is a regular health columnist to a regional news paper.
http://www.ayurhelp.com email doctor@ayurhelp.com

Ayurveda regime for winter depression.

Dr.Savitha Suri

Long nights, short days, sweaters, warm clothes and chilly weather make many of us sick and depressed. This depression which surfaces especially in winter is a Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and is often called as winter Time Blues or Winter depression. The exact cause for this depression is as of yet unclear. But yet few scientists believe lack of exposure to sunlight as the reason for this disorder.



The symptoms of winter depression are tendency to over eat, craving for carbohydrates and sweets and weight gain.



Had our ancestors observed this change in humans? The answer is yes. Have they recommended any remedies? Yes, they have recommended simple and effective natural remedies to overcome Seasonal Affective Disorder. They have laid down explicit guidelines about diet and lifestyles which have to be followed according to seasons.



The winter season is marked as Hemanta ritu and Sisira ritu in ayurveda. Hemanta ritu starts from mid November and ends in mid January. This falls in southern solstice which is called as visarga kala or dakshinayana in ayurveda. Sisira ritu starts from mid January and lasts till middle of march. Sisira ritu falls in Northern solstice which is called as Aadana kaala or uttaraayana.

The response of human body to this season is very well explained in ayurveda. People will have increased strength and their digestion capacity is increased .This is marked by increased hunger. These symptoms are caused by increased body fire which is supported by vata. Vata inside body increases in winter because of cold and dryness which is prevalent in outer atmosphere.



The winter time depression is noticed mostly in persons who have vata as major constituent in their prakriti or body constitution. The cause for this type of change is longer nights of winter.



Light therapy is recommended by doctors for winter time blues. Exposure to artificial light may cause headache , Irritability ,Eye strain , Inability to sleep and fatigue. Exposure to sunlight and if sunlight is not available sitting near fireplace is the remedy suggested in Ayurveda.



Keeping the home well lit with lights help to reduce the intensity of depression.



Moderate exercise like yoga is another remedy for winter depression. Ayurveda recommends oil massage (abhyanga) to body and head (moordha taila.). Indulging in sexual act to keep the moods elevated and to keep the body warm is another strongly suggested ayurvedic remedy.



Meeting friends who are kind and understanding boosts morale and brightens up the day. Spending time with friends on the beach helps to expose your body to sunlight and keeps your spirits high.



Relaxing with meditation, massage , light music and laughter helps to great extent.



The following ayurvedic tips help to prevent and reduce the intensity of seasonal disorder of winter, the winter time blues.

1. Expose yourself to sunlight as much as you can. In absence of sun light sitting near fire place is very helpful.



2. Massage your body with vata balancing herbal oil (abhyanga). Never forget to apply oil on your head (moordha taila.).



3. Then remove the oil by taking hot water bath. A mixture of flours of yellow gram (channa), green gram (moong) , fenu greek seeds (methi) in equal proportion is the best herbal scrub which can be used to remove the oil. This mixture prevents the washing of natural oil from skin.



4. Consume hot soups.



5. Use vata balancing foods like wheat, oil, corn, black gram and jaggery.



6. Tickle your taste buds with sweet, sour and salt tastes



7. Always use hot water for all daily routine activity.



8. Use thick blankets and sheets made of cotton, silk and wool.



9. Always wear foot wear.



10. Indulge in sexual act.



11. Spend your leisure time with friends and relatives whom you like.



Copyright Dr.Savitha Suri - http://www.ayurhelp.com

NFA Shaking up The Forex Industry




The news about the NFA shaking up the forex industry by dramatically raising capital requirements has kicked off a lot of speculation. So I gathered everything I have learned about this new NFA proposal and am posting here for your review. As someone who has been burned by a bankrupted forex broker I can tell you it is not a pleasant feeling to watch your funds get sucked into some black hole. So my advice is to stay away from any firm that is not currently meeting the coming $5 million capital requirement. And if you already have money at such a firm, get it out, now. If you don't, you could end up like the poor souls at United Global Markets (UGMFX) who can't get their money out due to an NFA account freeze.



Who has the Money & Who Doesn't

To find out how much money your broker has goto this link:

http://www.cftc.gov/files/tm/fcm/tmfcmdata0704.pdf



Healthy Forex Firms

FXCM ($51,000,000)

GFT ($48,000,000)

Oanda ($44,000,000)

FX Solutions ($20,000,000)

Gain Capital ($20,000,000)

CMS ($10,000,000)



Dead Firms Walking

One World Capital ($1,105,000)

Velocity4X ($1,587,000)

Direct Forex LLC ($1,523,000)

FiniFX ($1,464,000)

Forex Club ($3,304,000)

GFS Futures & Forex ($3,074,000)

Nations Investments ($1,699,000)

Royal Forex Trading ($1,102,000)

SNC Investments ($1,565,000)

FXDD ($781,000)

I Trade FX (-$3,039,000!!!!! Close to Bankruptcy!!!!)

MB Futures ($3,080,000)

Money Garden ($3,399,844)

United Global Markets (Bankrupt)



Here is the actual NFA proposal to raise capital requirements. The CFTC is expected to sign off on it this summer. I'll comment further on the proposal in a future posting as it will actually require most firms to have upwards of $10 million in capital when you take into consideration such things as open customer positions and margin levels. In any case, this should be sober reading to anyone who is currently trading at one of the "Dead Firms Walking."



NFA Proposal

The proposals pertain to the minimum adjusted net capital requirement and the concentration charge and set certain requirements for FDMs' internal financial controls.



Minimum Adjusted Net Capital and Concentration Charges



In the past twenty years, there have been nine FCM insolvencies. Since 1990, there have been only two insolvencies by traditional FCMs trading on U.S. exchanges, and no funds in segregated customer accounts were lost in either of those two instances. This is from a population that averages around 250 (over the last 20 years). Even in the Refco matter, the FCM filed for bankruptcy not because customer funds were at risk but, rather, to facilitate the sale of its assets and the transfer of its accounts in connection with the parent company’s insolvency.



The FCM insolvency rate becomes more troubling when FDMs are added to the mix. Of the three bankruptcy or receivership proceedings for insolvency occurring in the last four years, two have involved FDMs (Refco was the third), and they are drawn from the smaller FDM population (averaging around 40). Specifically, in late 2003, an FDM misappropriated almost $2 million of customer funds, which depleted the amount of assets necessary to meet the amounts owed to customers. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission ("CFTC") is still working to try to get back some of the customers’ funds. More recently, NFA took a Member Responsibility Action ("MRA") against an FDM whose liabilities exceeded its assets by over $1 million. The CFTC also brought an emergency action in U.S. District Court, and the Court immediately appointed a receiver who was subsequently able to sell the FDM’s customer accounts. Due to this sale, it appears that the customers were made whole.



This discrepancy between FDMs and FCMs involved in on-exchange transactions is even greater when looking at the number of financial MRAs NFA has issued in the last ten years. During that period, NFA issued twelve MRAs to FCMs for failing to demonstrate compliance with NFA’s financial requirements. Three of these firms were traditional FCMs with an on-exchange business, one was a forex dealer registered as an FCM prior to the advent of the FDM category, and the remaining eight were FDMs.



NFA's concern that one day an FDM might be unable to meet its financial obligations to its customers has heightened as the amount of retail customer funds held by FDMs has increased to over $1 billion. The above described FDM insolvencies have done nothing to abate this concern, particularly with the most recent occurring just months after the $1 million capital requirement became effective. If the receiver had not sold the FDM's accounts, then twice within less than four years customers of FDMs would have lost funds due to an FCM insolvency. Additionally, since March, eight different FDMs have fallen under the early warning requirement of $1.5 million.



One of the reasons for the 2006 increase to the FDM capital requirements was that an FDM’s dealer activities create greater financial risks than the agency transactions involved in traditional exchange-traded futures and options. A second reason is that the need for adequate capital is particularly acute for FDMs since customers trading off-exchange forex have not received a priority under the Bankruptcy Code in the event of a firm’s insolvency. Both of these reasons still exist.



NFA is not alone in recognizing the increased financial risk of acting as a dealer. Congress recognized that acting as a dealer increases financial risk and requires substantially higher capital on the part of the dealer. Pursuant to Section 4c(d)(2)(A) of the Commodity Exchange Act (the "Act") the grantor of a dealer option must maintain at all times a net worth of $5 million. The Commission has likewise recognized the increased financial risk resulting from being a dealer, imposing an adjusted net capital requirement of $2.5 million on leverage transaction merchants ("LTMs").[1]



When the Commission adopted the financial requirements for LTMs in 1984, it noted that the leverage market is "essentially a principals' market" and that the "purchaser of a leverage contract is solely dependent on the LTM for performance on the contract."[2] This is the exact same situation that customers are in when they purchase or sell currencies with an FDM. Further, as with an LTM, an FDM "takes the other side of every [contract] entered into by a [customer]" and the FDM "is the sole guarantor of performance on the [contract]." When trading with an FDM "there is no clearing organization to take the other side of every trade, no FCM guaranty of variation margin to the clearing organization and no clearing organization guaranty fund and assessment power."[3] Due to these factors, the financial requirements for FDMs, like LTMs, must be substantially higher than those for FCMs engaging in agency transactions.



As noted above, the Commission imposed the $2.5 million capital requirement for LTMs in 1984. Based upon the Consumer Price Index, $2.5 million in 1984 dollars would be worth approximately $5 million today. Accordingly, NFA is proposing to raise the minimum adjusted net capital for FDMs to $5 million. An increased capital requirement would result in an FDM having a larger buffer to meet its obligations to its customers. Additionally, an increase in capital requirements for FDMs would ensure that FDMs have a larger financial stake in their forex business.