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Tuesday, April 3, 2018
Wellness for Peace Education on Climate Change: Wellness Tip: Health Benefits Of Cloves in the Bod...
Wellness for Peace Education on Climate Change: Wellness Tip: Health Benefits Of Cloves in the Bod...: Cloves offer many health benefits, some of which include aiding in digestion , fighting against cancer , protecting the liver, boo...
Wellness Tip: Health Benefits Of Cloves in the Body
Cloves offer many health benefits, some of which include aiding in digestion, fighting against cancer, protecting the liver, boosting the immune system, controlling diabetes, and preserving bone quality. They also contain anti-mutagenic and anti-microbial properties, along with fighting against oral diseases and headaches, while also displaying aphrodisiac properties.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
What Are Cloves?
Cloves are one of the spices indigenous to Asian countries like Indonesia, India, Pakistan, and even areas of East Africa. It is native to the Maluku islands in Indonesia. They are a popular flavoring agent used in a variety of ways across the world, particularly in Asia and cloves form a culinary base in a number of different Asian cuisines.
Clove, just like many other spices originating in Asia, has a great history behind it. During the 13th and 14th centuries, cloves were transported all the way from Indonesia to China, India, Persia, Africa, and Europe. During this time, cloves had a very high price, and thus wars for monopoly over clove production and distribution began. Many wars were waged in order to control the islands of Maluku during both the medieval and modern periods. The Dutch emerged victoriously and held the Maluku islands for a very long time. Today, clove is a very important commercial crop all around the world.
Scientific Facts About Clove
Clove is the dried bud of the flower from the tree Syzygium aromaticum. It belongs to the plant family named Myrtaceae. The plant is an evergreen plant growing in tropical and subtropical conditions. Clove is an herb and people use various parts[2] of the plant, including the dried bud, stems, and leaves to make medicine. Clove oil is also famous for its medicinal properties.
Clove has been used for thousands of years in India and China not only as a spice and condiment but also as a medicine for many ailments. Ayurvedic medicine used cloves for tooth decay, halitosis, and bad breath. In Chinese medicine, clove was considered to possess aphrodisiac properties.
Cloves Nutrition Facts
According to the National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference[4], the nutrients found in 100 grams of cloves include 65 grams of carbohydrates, 6 grams of protein, 13 grams of total lipids, 2 grams of sugars, 274 kcal of energy, and 33 grams of dietary fibers. Minerals in cloves include calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, sodium, and zinc. The vitamins found in them include vitamin C, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folate, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, vitamin A, vitamin E, vitamin D, and vitamin K.
Bioactive Substances in Cloves
Certain bioactive[5] compounds have been isolated from clove extracts. Some of them include flavonoids, hexane, methylene chloride, ethanol, thymol, eugenol, and benzene. These biochemicals have been reported to possess various properties, including antioxidant, hepatoprotective, anti-microbial, and anti-inflammatory properties.
Health Benefits Of Cloves:
Better Digestion
Cloves improve digestion by stimulating the secretion of digestive enzymes. Cloves are also good for reducing flatulence, gastric irritability, dyspepsia, and nausea. They can be roasted, powdered, or taken with honey for relief in digestive disorders.
Antibacterial Properties
Cloves have been tested for their antibacterial properties against a number of human pathogens. The extracts of cloves were potent enough to kill those pathogens. Clove extracts are also effective against the specific bacteria that spread cholera.
Chemo-preventive Properties
Cloves are of interest to the medical community due to their chemo-preventive or anti-carcinogenic properties. Tests[6] have shown that they are helpful in controlling lung cancer at its early stages.
Liver Protection
Cloves contain high amounts of antioxidants, which are ideal for protecting the organs from the effects of free radicals, especially the liver. Metabolism, in the long run, increases free radical production and lipid profile, while decreasing the antioxidants in the liver. Clove extracts are helpful in counteracting these effects with its hepatoprotective properties.
Diabetes Control
Cloves have been used in many traditional remedies for a number of diseases. One such disease is diabetes. In patients suffering from diabetes, the amount of insulin produced by the body is either insufficient, or it is not produced at all. Studies[7]have revealed that extracts from cloves imitate insulin in certain ways and help in controlling blood sugar levels.
Bone Preservation
The hydro-alcoholic extracts of cloves include phenolic compounds such as eugenol and its derivatives, such as flavones, isoflavones, and flavonoids. These extracts have been particularly helpful in preserving[8] bone density and the mineral content of bone, as well as increasing tensile strength of bones in case of osteoporosis.
Anti-mutagenic Properties
Mutagens are those chemicals that change the genetic makeup of the DNA by causing mutations. Biochemical compounds found in cloves, like phenylpropanoids, possess anti-mutagenic properties[9]. These were administered to cells treated with mutagens and they were able to control the mutagenic effects to a significant rate.
Boosts the Immune System
Ayurveda describes certain plants to be effective in developing and protecting the immune system. One such plant is clove. The dried[10] flower bud of clove contains compounds that help in improving the immune system by increasing the white blood cell count, thereby, improving delayed-type hypersensitivity.
Anti-inflammatory Properties
Cloves possess anti-inflammatory and pain-killing properties. Studies[11] on clove extracts administered to lab rats suggest that the presence of eugenol reduced the inflammation caused by edema. It was also confirmed that eugenol has the ability to reduce pain by stimulating pain receptors.
Cure for Oral Diseases
Cloves can be taken[12] for gum diseases like gingivitis and periodontitis. Clove bud extracts significantly control the growth of oral pathogens, which are responsible for various oral diseases. Cloves can also be used for toothaches due to their pain-killing properties.
Aphrodisiac Properties
Spices such as clove and nutmeg have been said to possess[13] aphrodisiac properties, according to Unani medicine. Experiments on clove and nutmeg extracts were tested against standard drugs administered for that reason, and both clove and nutmeg showed positive results.
Cure for Headaches
Headaches can be reduced by using cloves. Make a paste of a few cloves and mix it with a dash of rock salt. Add this to a glass of milk. This mixture reduces headaches quickly and effectively.
Side Effects Of Using Clove
Clove Oil: Clove oils must not be used directly; instead they must be diluted either in olive oil or in distilled water. Clove extract oil is generally considered to be safe, but certain studies[15] have revealed that they possess cytotoxic properties. There are two major components present in clove extract oil; eugenol, and B-caryophyllene. These compounds were particularly effective against fibroblasts and endothelial cells.
Clove Cigarettes: In Indonesia, cloves are consumed[16] on a large scale in the form of cigarettes, popularly known as kreteks. These clove cigarettes have emerged as an alternative to tobacco cigarettes, but research shows that clove cigarettes are actually worse than conventional cigarettes. In the case of clove cigarettes, the amount of nicotine, carbon monoxide, and tar entering into the lungs was higher than that from normal tobacco cigarettes.https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/herbs-and-spices/health-benefits-of-cloves.html
Tuesday, March 27, 2018
Wellness Tip: If you're a vegan, think about eating a breakfast cereal fortified with B12. You can also take a B12 supplement, which is recommended for pregnant and nursing mothers who are vegans or even strict vegetarians
Animal products like meat, poultry, and seafood, and dairy foods like milk, eggs, yogurt, and cheese are the best sources of vitamin B12. Honey, vegetables, and fruits are not really sources of vitamin B12, which is why people who follow a vegan diet may not get enough of it. If you're a vegan, think about eating a breakfast cereal fortified with B12. You can also take a B12 supplement, which is recommended for pregnant and nursing mothers who are vegans or even strict vegetarians.
Sometimes B12 deficiency is caused by conditions other than diet. If your body can't absorb B12 properly, you'll need a doctor's help to boost your B12 to safe levels.https://www.webmd.com/vitamins-and-supplements/vitamin-b12-rm-quiz?ecd=wnl_spr_032718&ctr=wnl-spr-032718_nsl-ld-stry_1&mb=O839nDJM0vGjAQMOyHB8ShXFE73IOX1ce5bgOPoHbWA%3d
Wellness Tip: Don't try too hard to be happy, study warns. Because the more you try, the more you become unhappy
"People generally like to feel happy, try to feel happy, and want to be happier," write the authors of a paper recently published in the Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, "even if they are already fairly happy."
Aekyoung Kim, from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ, and Sam Maglio, from the University of Toronto Scarborough in Canada, have been intrigued by the effects that making a goal out of happiness could have on the psyche.
So, in order to see what happens when we actively decide to try and make ourselves happy at whatever cost, the research duo devised four related studies, mainly looking at one specific outcome: how the pursuit of happiness impacts our perception of time.
The toil of achieving happiness
In the preliminary study, participants had to fill in questionnaires asking them to what degree they valued happiness, and whether or not they often felt that "time was slipping away" from them.
The answers revealed that, the more someone is driven to pursue happiness, the more they feel that they're constantly running short on time.
The second study used either "happy" or "neutral" television programmes — slapstick comedy versus a movie about building bridges — to measure the effect of pursuing happiness on participants' perception of time.
In this instance, the volunteers were either "instructed to try to feel happy while watching a movie" or to "let their emotions flow naturally." Those who were led to think of happiness as a goal to pursue were more likely to report that they hadn't felt they'd had enough spare time.
In their final experiments, Kim and Maglio used manipulation techniques on two additional cohorts to further probe the relationship between elusive goals of happiness and the perception of a shorter available time.
All the studies confirmed the scientists' suspicions: the harder we try to make ourselves happy, the more we feel like we don't have enough time at our disposal to achieve that. And the more we feel that time is scarce, the more unhappy we actually become.
"Time seems to vanish amid the pursuit of happiness, but only when seen as a goal requiring continued pursuit," Kim and Maglio explain.
'Worry less about happiness as a goal'
This painstaking process, in which we feel that we don't have enough time to work toward the situations that we expect will make us happy, may also be what drives our need for instant gratification.
So is this, I wondered, why I often go out for "retail therapy" while on my lunch breaks under the pretense of having "errands to run?" The answer, it seems, may be "yes."
As Kim and Maglio note, "Because engaging in experiences and savoring the associated feelings requires more time compared with merely, for instance, buying material goods, feeling a lack of time also leads people to prefer material possessions rather than enjoying leisure experiences."
But there is a way out of this vicious cycle: stop trying so hard to find happiness, and instead just really take the time to experience life.
Taking the pressure of an intangible goal off ourselves, the researchers say, may free up the space we need to begin to enjoy ourselves more and do more meaningful activities. They conclude:
"By encouraging people to worry less about pursuing happiness as a never-ending goal, successful interventions might just end up giving them more time and, in turn, more happiness."
Published
Wellness Tip: Don't Eat Too Fast
The faster you eat, the more air you swallow. And like with bubbly drinks, once that air passes to your intestine, it can make you feel bloated. It can take 20 minutes for your stomach to tell your brain you’re full, so you can eat enough to make yourself bloated and uncomfortable before your brain gets the message.
https://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/ss/slideshow-bloating-reasons?ecd=wnl_spr_032718_REMAIL&ctr=wnl-spr-032718-REMAIL_nsl-prmd_1&mb=O839nDJM0vGjAQMOyHB8ShXFE73IOX1ce5bgOPoHbWA%3d
Monday, February 12, 2018
UN chief says Global Goals must be a blueprint for fair globalization
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres highlighted the importance of engagement and empowerment to transform the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into benefits for all people worldwide and called on all sectors of the society to actively involve themselves in this endeavour.
Speaking at the inaugural Global Engagement & Empowerment Forum on Sustainable Development, held at Yonsei University in Seoul, the capital of the Republic of Korea, the Secretary-General stressed that efforts to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development need to “go beyond diplomatic efforts and Government programmes.”
The civil society, academia and the private sector – all have to be mobilized – to find the resources needed to achieve the Goals and apply them in the best possible bay.
Mr. Guterres also cautioned against rising inequality across the globe and said that this feeling of being “left behind” undermines the confidence of people, communities and regions, in governments as well as international organizations like the UN.
He told the audience, which included former Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the President of the General Assembly Miroslav Lajčák that this undermining of trust ultimately results in increased instability.
At the same time, massive challenges such as climate change, rapid population growth, unplanned urbanization, large scale movement of people, food insecurity and water scarcity also contribute to further fragility multiply the negative impacts of the threats to global security.
“This means that we need enormous efforts, engagement and empowerment to make the blueprint of the SDGs the tools with which we are able to reach a fair globalization,” said the UN chief.
He also highlighted that financing is critical to ensure that there are sufficient resources to implement the sustainable development agenda and in that context, urged the international community to strengthen their fight against tax evasion, money laundering, and illicit flows of capital.
For instance, in Africa, these illicit activities account for more than total official development aid (ODA) that flows into the continent, said Mr. Guterres.
Further, in the implementation of the SDGs, he urged everyone to not only respond to the problems of the past but also respond to the problems of the future and on all actors to create conditions for these transformations to be absorbed by the society to enable people to adapt to new scenarios.
Touring Olympic village at #PyongChang2018, I was moved to see people from different cultures, different religions and different ways to see the world, all ready to compete in the Olympic spirit. We could use more of that spirit of solidarity & mutual respect all over the world.
It is critical that everyone joins into these discourses to ensure that we can translate all these new tools into tools that work for the improvement of humankind, said Mr. Guterres.
While at Yonsei University, Secretary-General Guterres also held a meeting with his predecessor, Ban Ki-moon.
Also today, the current and former Secretaries-General, along with the President of the General Assembly, met with met with the Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea, Lee Nak-yon.
Departing Seoul, the Secretary-General and his delegation drove to the site of the PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games. On site, he toured the Olympic village at Gangneung, where he was able to meet with a number of athletes, including Cheyenne Goh, the first Singaporean ever to qualify for the Olympic Winter Games. The Secretary-General also met and encouraged competitors from Switzerland, Hungary and China.
In the evening, the Secretary-General attended the official dinner hosted by the President of the Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach, for visiting dignitaries.
Source: http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=58558#.WoIuFrynF0t
UN: Well-planned and managed cities can drive sustainable development
The head of the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) said on Wednesday that a week-long conference on sustainable urban development that kicked off Wednesday in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, will open a “global conversation about our cities and human settlements.”
“With its genuine openness and inclusive nature, the World Urban Forum (WUF9) is unique on the United Nations conference circuit,” said Maimunah Mohd Sharif, Executive Director of UN-Habitat in her remarks to the opening of the Forum, which runs through Saturday, 13 January.
“It is a chance for stakeholders from all over the world – from ministers, local government and urban planners, to civil society groups, the private sector, academia and the media – to contribute to the global conversation about our cities and human settlements,” she added.
Ms. Sharif called WUF9 a platform where people from all walks of life share their experience of finding homes, jobs and lives in urban spaces around the world and a chance for some of the world’s most marginalized to highlight their experiences in being denied some of the advantages cities pose.
For current and future partners, the UN-Habitat chief saw the Forum as an opportunity to showcase the innovative ideas and solutions to challenges being confronted in urban and rural human settlements – and to learn from experts in the field.
Ms. Sharif maintained that WUF9 is “the ideal platform to debate the contribution that positive urban development makes to delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular Goal 11, and the New Urban Agenda,” which was adopted in 2016 by the UN conference known as Habitat III.
Recent debates and studies have indeed acknowledged that sustainable urbanization is an essential tool for addressing the global challenges of poverty, exclusion, conflict and climate change.
“The New Urban Agenda comes at a critical moment, when for the first time in history over half of the world’s population is residing in cities,” she said, which, if planned and managed well, can be “the main tool for sustainable development and a solution to many of the challenges our planet is facing today.”
WUF9 is the first major milestone after the adoption of the New Urban Agenda, which lays out the vision for future cities based on the science of urban development providing tools in crucial areas.
Barely three weeks into her tenure as the UN-Habitat chief, Ms. Sharif said it is “an honour and a privilege” that the Forum, which is held every two years in different parts of the world, was being hosted in her native Malaysia, saying “Kuala Lumpur will have the chance to showcase some of its own urban innovations.”
She concluded her statement with the assertion that she looked forward to joining “the global conversation on promoting socially, economically and environmentally sustainable cities for all.”
Source: http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=58547#.WoIuD7ynF0t
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