Effect of Radiation....

Effect of Radiation on Human...........

A very small amount of ionizing radiation could trigger cancer in the long term even though it may take decades for the cancer to appear. Ionizing radiation (x-rays, radon gas, radioactive material) can cause leukemia and thyroid cancer. There is no doubt that radiation can cause cancer, but there still is a question of what level of radiation it takes to cause cancer. Rapidly dividing cells are more susceptible to radiation damage. Examples of radiosensitive cells are blood forming cells (bone marrow), intestinal lining, hair follicles and fetuses. Hence, these develop cancer first.

If a person is exposed to radiation, especially high dose, there are predictable changes in our body that can be measured. The number of blood cells, the frequency of chromosome aberrations in the blood cells and the amount of radioactive material in urine, are examples of biomarkers that can indicate if one is exposured high dose. If you do not have early biological changes indicated by these measurements the radiation exposure will not pose an immediate threat to you.

The risk for radiation exposure has been very widely studied. The general consensus of opinion for the induction of cancer by ionizing radiation is 10% increase in cancer rate/Sv when the dose is given over a short time with a decrease to 5% when the dose is protracted over an extended time period. (one Sv is equal to 1000 mSv and one mSv is equal to 100 mRem.). Therefore a 10% increase in cancer is related to a dose of 100,000 mrem with 5% if the dose is protracted over a longer period of time.

Health Benefits of Raisins

The health benefits of raisins include relief from constipation, acidosis, anemia, fever, and sexual weakness. Raisins also help in weight gain, eye care, dental care, and bone health. Raisins are indispensable when it comes to dry fruits. Those golden, green or black colored delicacies are favorites of almost everybody, especially children. Raisins are widely used worldwide in cuisines (especially in desserts), health tonics, as snacks and also as food for mountaineers, trekkers etc.Raisins are obtained by drying grapes (green or black), either in sun or in driers, and look like golden, green or black gems. Indeed they are like gems when their nutritional values and health benefits are considered.

Constipation: When ingested, raisins swell as the fiber present in them in dried form absorbs water. This helps giving relief in constipation.

Weight Gain: Raisins, like all dry fruits, are very good for gaining weight, as they are full of fructose and glucose and give a lot of energy. Thus, they form an ideal part of the diet for either athletes or body builders who need a lot of energy or those who want to put on weight, without accumulating cholesterol. This is further boosted due to presence of many vitamins, amino acids and minerals (such as selenium, phosphorus etc.) in raisins which facilitate absorption of other nutrients and proteins in the body.

Acidosis: Acidosis is a state of increased acidity of the blood (also known as toxicity of the blood) or of the gases in our respiratory system, the source of acids for both being our stomach. This is very harmful for the body as it may give rise to a number of problems like boils, skin diseases and damage to the internal organs, arthritis, gout, renal calculi, hair loss, heart diseases, tumors and even cancer. Raisins are good source of potassium and magnesium (two of the most popular constituents of antacids, being basic in nature) both of which are very effective in reducing acidity. They neutralize the acids and thus help check acidosis.

Anemia: Raisins contain considerable amount of iron which directly helps treating anemia. It also contains many members of vitamin-B complex which are essential for formation of blood. Copper in them also help formation of red blood cells.

Fever: Phenolic Phytonutrients, well known for their germicidal, anti biotic and anti oxidant properties, are present in abundance in raisins and help cure fever by fighting viral and bacterial infections.

Sexual Weakness: Raisins are known to stimulate libido and induce arousal, primarily due to presence of an amino acid called Arginine, which is beneficial in treating problems in erection. It has been a common practice in India to make the bride and the groom drink a glass of milk each, boiled with raisins and added with a pinch of saffron. It is also recommended for those suffering from sexual weakness, to consume raisins regularly. This effect is aided with the presence of lot of energy in raisins

The Miracle of Green Tea

Is any other food or drink reported to have as many health benefits as green tea? The Chinese have known about the medicinal benefits of green tea since ancient times, using it to treat everything from headaches to depression. In her book Green Tea: The Natural Secret for a Healthier Life, Nadine Taylor states that green tea has been used as a medicine in China for at least 4,000 years. Today, scientific research in both Asia and the west is providing hard evidence for the health benefits long associated with drinking green tea. For example, in 1994 the Journal of the National Cancer Institute published the results of an epidemiological study indicating that drinking green tea reduced the risk of esophageal cancer in Chinese men and women by nearly sixty percent. University of Purdue researchers recently concluded that a compound in green tea inhibits the growth of cancer cells. There is also research indicating that drinking green tea lowers total cholesterol levels, as well as improving the ratio of good (HDL) cholesterol to bad (LDL) cholesterol.

To sum up, here are just a few medical conditions in which drinking green tea is reputed to be helpful:

• Cancer
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• High cholesterol level
• Cariovascular disease
• infection
• Impaired immune function

What makes green tea so special?

The secret of green tea lies in the fact it is rich in catechin polyphenols, particularly epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). EGCG is a powerful anti-oxidant: besides inhibiting the growth of cancer cells, it kills cancer cells without harming healthy tissue. It has also been effective in lowering LDL cholesterol levels, and inhibiting the abnormal formation of blood clots. The latter takes on added importance when you consider that thrombosis (the formation of abnormal blood clots) is the leading cause of heart attacks and stroke. Links are being made between the effects of drinking green tea and the "French Paradox." For years, researchers were puzzled by the fact that, despite consuming a diet rich in fat, the French have a lower incidence of heart disease than Americans. The answer was found to lie in red wine, which contains resveratrol, a polyphenol that limits the negative effects of smoking and a fatty diet. In a 1997 study, researchers from the University of Kansas determined that EGCG is twice as powerful as resveratrol, which may explain why the rate of heart disease among Japanese men is quite low, even though approximately seventy-five percent are smokers.

Other Benefits

New evidence is emerging that green tea can even help dieters. In November, 1999, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published the results of a study at the University of Geneva in Switzerland. Researchers found that men who were given a combination of caffeine and green tea extract burned more calories than those given only caffeine or a placebo.Green tea can even help prevent tooth decay! Just as its bacteria-destroying abilities can help prevent food poisoning, it can also kill the bacteria that causes dental plaque. Meanwhile, skin preparations containing green tea - from deodorants to creams - are starting to appear on the market.

Harmful Effects?

To date, the only negative side effect reported from drinking green tea is insomnia due to the fact that it contains caffeine. However, green tea contains less caffeine than coffee: there are approximately thirty to sixty mg. of caffeine in six - eight ounces of tea, compared to over one-hundred mg. in eight ounces of coffee.

Cold or Warm Water, What is Better???

Is drinking cold water good or bad for you? Does the temperature of the water matter at all? Believe it or not, it does matter.

Cold water is not as good for hydration as room temperature. The theory is that the cold water causes the blood vessels surrounding stomach to shrink, slowing absorption. One theory, upon which medical researchers have varying opinions regards whether drinking cold water is as good for you as drinking tepid water, particularly when you are exercising. Some doctors suggest that room temperature or body temperature water is better than cold water, because the body has to expend energy to heat cold water to body temperature, resulting in some water loss. On the other hand, some doctors say that after physical exertion, you should drink cold water since it will help cool the body more effectively than room temperature water.

What is clear is most people who drink cold water are likely to consume more of it, since it tends to taste better and is more satisfying. Even if drinking cold water results in marginal water loss, the extra water you will probably drink will help make up for this. The problem is that as the COLD drinks pass through our system, they solidify the fats from the foods we have just eaten or are eating at present. This makes the body find it harder to digest and disperse the unwanted fats from our body. However, if we simply swap our cold drinks for a warm drink (warm water/ coffee/tea/herbals) the warm fluids help the fats in our foods to remain fluid and so easing the digestive system and helping the fats pass through our body (and reduce risk of clogged arteries).

Cold water can provoke chills, which may actually raise body temperature. Though baths can be a helpful way to bring down high fevers, you especially want to avoid allowing someone to shiver or get chilled. If people with fevers drink cold water that is very icy, they may also get chilly, so lukewarm or tepid water may be a better choice. There are a number of other urban legends associated with the amount of liquids and the type of liquids you consume. For instance people are told that coffee, tea and sodas deplete water from their bodies. Actually, people who routinely drink caffeinated beverages retain about two-thirds of what they drink, and this can be counted as part of daily fluid intake. Another “myth” regarding water is the eight, eight ounce (.24 l) glasses of water are needed daily. While this amount of water, whether you drink cold water or hot, won’t hurt you, daily intake of food usually provides about half the amount of needed fluids. Most people would get by with drinking about 32 ounces (approx. 1 liter) daily.

Also warm/hot water relaxes the body better. Cold water might be more refreshing, but it may disrupt your vocal cords, that’s why singers always drink room temperature water.The best indicator on whether your body is getting enough water is urine color. If your urine is dark yellow, chances are you’re not getting enough water. If you pass clear to very light colored yellow urine, your fluid intake is adequate. Remember that urine color in the morning will always be a little darker.

Magic in mathematics I

“Mathematics may be defined as the subject in which we never know what we are talking about, nor whether what we are saying is true.” 
-- Bertrand Russell

Most people know that 1 * 1 = 1, fewer have realized that 11 * 11 = 121. Nothing too special about that. But hey, try one more: 111 * 111 = 12321. 1-2-3-2-1 hmm.. interesting.. what about 111111111 * 111111111 Yes you gussed it! 12345678987654321. I leave you to fill out the gaps or even continuing adding extra numbers! With a bit of addition and multiplication you can create a lot of fun patterns. Here are my favorites. Can you find more patterns? If you do find anything of interest, email me so I can post it here.

        1 * 8 + 1 = 9

       12 * 8 + 2 = 98

      123 * 8 + 3 = 987

     1234 * 8 + 4 = 9876

    12345 * 8 + 5 = 98765

   123456 * 8 + 6 = 987654

  1234567 * 8 + 7 = 9876543

 12345678 * 8 + 8 = 98765432

123456789 * 8 + 9 = 987654321

Try using 9 instead of 8...

        1 * 9 + 2  = 11

       12 * 9 + 3  = 111

      123 * 9 + 4  = 1111

     1234 * 9 + 5  = 11111

    12345 * 9 + 6  = 111111

   123456 * 9 + 7  = 1111111

  1234567 * 9 + 8  = 11111111

 12345678 * 9 + 9  = 111111111

123456789 * 9 + 10 = 1111111111

And its reverse..

       9 * 9 + 7 = 88

      98 * 9 + 6 = 888

     987 * 9 + 5 = 8888

    9876 * 9 + 4 = 88888

   98765 * 9 + 3 = 888888

  987654 * 9 + 2 = 8888888

 9876543 * 9 + 1 = 88888888

98765432 * 9 + 0 = 888888888

finally,

        1 * 1         =         1

       11 * 11        =        121

      111 * 111       =       12321

     1111 * 1111      =      1234321

    11111 * 11111     =     123454321

   111111 * 111111    =    12345654321

  1111111 * 1111111   =   1234567654321

 11111111 * 11111111  =  123456787654321

111111111 * 111111111 = 12345678987654321

Have fun..