Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Non HALAL Chocolates

All the below Masterfood Company Chocolate Products (Mars) are no longer Halal. They started using Animal product rennet(pork) in it for products that have expiry date after 1 st of October 2007.

Check this article from BBC News
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6653175.stm
And this from the Vegetarian Society
http://www.vegsoc.org/news/2007/mars.html

  1. Bounty
  2. Celebrations
  3. Dove Chocolate
  4. Flyte
  5. Galaxy
  6. Kudos (North America)
  7. Lockets
  8. M-Azing (North America)
  9. Maltesers
  10. M&M's
  11. Mars Bar
  12. Mars Delight
  13. Milky Way
  14. Minstrels (UK only)
  15. Mars Planets (newly inroduced in UK)
  16. Skittles
  17. Snickers (The top-selling candy bar in the United States. Known in the UK as Marathon until 1990.)
  18. Starbur st (Originally Opal Fruits in the UK .)
  19. 3 Musketeers ( North America )
  20. Topic
  21. Twix
  22. Snicker's Marathon Energy Bar
  23. AquaDrops

Health Hazards of Energy Saving Bulbs

There has been a push for consumers to switch from traditional incandescent light bulbs to energy-efficient light bulbs. Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) have been the primary choice, because of their long-life, low wattage and significant energy savings. However, there are potential hazards associated with certain types of CFLs. Emissions from open (single envelope or unencapsulated) CFLs have demonstrated significant health risks associated with their use and disposal. Closed CFLs that resemble traditional incandescent light bulbs, as well as the tube strip-lighting fluorescent lights, pose few health risks for domestic or workplace use.

UV-C Radiation Exposure

  • Open CFLs emit high levels of UV-C radiation, which is more damaging than UV-A or UV-B radiation. Continual exposure to open CFLs as a result of close-range tasks or desk lighting conditions may cause reddening of the skin, similar to a sunburn. The Health Protection Agency recommends no more than one hour of direct exposure daily if other options for close-range lighting are not available.



  • Skin Cancer

  • A small increase in risk of skin cancer may also occur with exposure to open CFLs in close-range tasks or desk lighting. UV-C radiation exposure causes mutations in DNA that can lead to cancer. Anthony Carr, Director of the Centre for Genome Damage and Stability at Sussex University, warns that CFLs producing UV-C radiation can "even in small amounts, cause DNA damage like a germicidal lamp" used in hospitals to kill bacteria and viruses. Caution is advised when working under open CFL lights if other options for close-range lighting are not available.



  • Skin Irritation in People with Autoimmune Disorders

  • Open CFLs have caused skin irritation in people who suffer from the auto-immune disease lupus, whose condition makes them photosensitive. The risk of sunburn-like reddening is increased with exposure to open CFL lighting. It is recommended that people with a condition that causes photosensitivity switch to different lighting methods to avoid skin irritation or damage.



  • Mercury Contamination

  • The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency asserts that no mercury is released into the environment when CFL bulbs (regardless of type) are intact or in use. However, all CFLs must be disposed of properly during replacement or due to breakage because of the risk of mercury contamination via skin or airborne transmission. State or local environmental regulatory agencies may permit disposal of used or broken CFLs in the garbage. For safely handling broken CFLs, the EPA advises wearing protective gloves, carefully scooping up glass fragments and powder using stiff paper or cardboard and placing the remnants in a glass jar with a metal lid or in a sealed plastic bag.




  • Sunday, September 26, 2010

    Virgin Coconut Oil vs Vegetable Oil - Which Is Better..?

    As a Source of Food, Energy and Health
     
    VIRGIN COCONUT OIL   
    Ø   Does not burden the pancreas
    Ø   Medium Chain Fatty Acid (MCFA – easily digested)
    Ø   Digested by only the saliva enzyme and in stomach (very good for those who have digestive disorder, metabolic problem, premature infant that the body system is  under growth.
    Ø Transmitted to the liver producing  maximum energy.
    Ø   Produce instant energy. It can pass through the membrane cell of mitochondria without the enzyme.
    Ø   Cells become efficient.
    Ø   Act to prevent the formation of free radical.
    Ø The poisonous trans fatty acid that destroy the body system is not produced.
    Ø   No cholesterol.
    Ø   Contain about 45-55 % of lauric acid.
    Ø  Have antivirus, antibacterial, antifungal, anti protozoan properties.
    Ø   On skin, it acts as the additional shield against the dangerous ultra violet (UV) radiation (longer skin's youthfulness) and prevent from the bacterial infection (prevent skin disease infection) besides speeding up the formation of new cells (flexibility and softness of skin is more obvious.
    Ø   Acts as anti cancer and anti histamine (prevent allergy).
    Ø  Increase metabolism. (Cells have more  energy, makethem more efficient).
    Ø    Improve endurance.
    Ø   Improve the digestive system. (will not easily get hungry, no need to eat much and the body weight is controlled naturally).
    Ø   Improve the digestion of vitamins and  minerals (good for old folks).

    Want to know details..?
     
     
     VEGETABLE OIL
    Ø   Burdening to the pancreas.
    Ø   Long Chain Fatty Acid ( only certain LCFA  can be   digested)
    Ø   Need pancreatic enzyme and various  enzymes to be broken down into small units.
    Ø   It needs specific enzyme to enable it to  permeate mitochondria membrane cell - thus it generates energy slower than Virgin Coconut Oil.
    Ø   Cells not efficient.
    Ø   Free radical is easily formed.
    Ø   It is being processed through  deodorization, bleaching, dehydrogenation, which in the process, produces trans fatty acid that is known to be harmful to the human body.            
    Ø   Contain cholesterol.
    Ø   Almost no beneficial acid.

    Saturday, September 25, 2010

    Gecko : The Most Valuable Animals In The World

    Gecko which in English is known as Tokay Gecko or Tucktoo, a type of lizard, but a larger body which preys on various insects and mice, have proved the efficacy and benefits to human health that the community is believed to cure diseases of the skin itch. Apart from meat, blood and bile of gecko are also believed to be a drug. Not only that, it also functions gecko can cure AIDS, located on the tongue.

    Gecko is often used in traditional Chinese medicine that has anti-tumor effects. China experts develop drugs treatment organ tumors from the gecko, because the organ is able to suppress growth and the addition of tumor cells. The team headed by Prof.. Wang from Henan University, China, shows that the active substance gecko not only enhance the immune system response of an organism, but also induces apoptosis of tumor cells (which kill himself) and suppress expression of VEGF and bFGF protein, factor endowments of developing cancer. Gecko effectively utilized to remove malignant tumors, particularly tumors in the digestive system is used as an alternative treatment, namely surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy.

    The rise of recent animal catching geckos that it is much sought after and its price, is now a new rumor that the gecko can cure HIV / AIDS virus. However, until now there had not been specific research about this but many people who believe it. Even in some areas there are also people who consume it as food or sex enhancer medicine.
    WHO data so far have not found the drug to treat AIDS. When viewed from the side of the medicine did not yet exist to hold a special study of efficacy of gecko, but if it is believed could cure or at least prevent AIDS would be great advances in traditional medicine. However medically necessary to test the efficacy and existing content in the gecko itself.

    Gecko has a very useful antibodies for humans to neutralize toxins in the body we know as an allergy to some classification of all types of skin allergies or respiratory allergies such as asthma, hives, scabies, eczema and others. And the more the main benefits of gecko found on the base of his tail which has the ability to regenerate cells, believed to be beneficial to restore power and replace the damaged cells after a particularly ill or who can immediately restore the function of the vitality of men after the move.

    Use of the most popular gecko to treat asthma and is considered to cure the disease effectively. Besides asthma, the gecko is believed to cure impotence, enhance male sexual function, and increase stamina. Not only that, sometimes gecko also be mixed with other drugs to treat coughs and colds. The recommended dosage is three to nine grams per day, usually taken in powder or pill form, can also be boiled in water.

    The typical current prices for Tokay Geckos are as follows:
    300 grams - 399 grams = $8,000 - $11,000
    400 grams - 499 grams = $26,000 - $40,000
    500 grams - 599 grams = $64,000 - $130,000
    600 grams - 799 grams = $162,000 - $230,000
    800 grams - 999 grams = $260,000 - $320,000
    Above 1000 grams approximately $1/2 million.