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China is encouraging herbal remedies to treat COVID-19. But scientists warn against it.

5Apr

By CatherineNo Comments

Remedies

China is encouraging herbal remedies to treat COVID-19. But scientists warn against it.

Traditional Chinese medicine pharmacists prepare herbs to produce doses of concoctions they say helps combat the coronavirus pandemic at the Xiaogan Chinese Medical Hospital in Xiaogan City, in central China's Hubei province, in February. China’s National Health Commission reported last month that of the more than 80,000 people infected with COVID-19 since the outbreak began in December, 90 percent took some form of traditional Chinese medicine to treat their symptoms. "TCM mixtures can be toxic, contaminated or adulterated with prescription drugs; they can also interact with prescription drugs," Ernst said. It can also give patients a false sense of security, leading them to neglect proven medications or therapies. "It is a legal health system in China which is parallel with West...

Can Natural Remedies Really Help You Fight the Coronavirus?

27Mar

By CatherineNo Comments

Remedies

Can Natural Remedies Really Help You Fight the Coronavirus?

As COVID-19 blasts its way across the globe, viral wellness videos, tweets, and social media posts are springing up in its wake. Whatever the platform, these blitzes share the same underlying message: Certain supplements and natural remedies can prepare your immune system to do battle against the infection caused by the novel coronavirus. “Anybody who’s making specific medical claims needs to supply a quality body of evidence,” says David Stukus, an immunologist at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Ohio. “It’s really important to investigate before taking claims at face value.” So far, says John Mellors, chief of infectious diseases at the University of Pittsburgh, no randomized clinical trials have shown vitamins or natural remedies to be effective in treating or preventing COVID-19. ...

Turkmenistan fights coronavirus with (more) isolation and herbal remedies

18Mar

By CatherineNo Comments

Remedies

Turkmenistan fights coronavirus with (more) isolation and herbal remedies

A pandemic, by definition, reaches everybody. There are now reports that the coronavirus has reached Turkmenistan, one of the world's most isolated and closed states. In recent years, the gas-rich desert state has suffered a protracted economic downturn, leaving observers to wonder how Turkmenistan's public services will cope with a full-blown humanitarian emergency. True to form, Turkmen officialdom is keeping quiet about bad news on the horizon. They have barely mentioned the word “coronavirus,” which has not appeared on any government website after one cursory mention on March 5. That same day, citing medical sources in the capital Ashgabat, RFE/RL's Turkmenistan service wrote that there are probably at least two confirmed coronavirus cases in the country. According to Chronicles ...

Aperitif Culture’s Bright, Botanical-Based Newcomers Are the Future of Drinking

26Feb

By CatherineNo Comments

Botanicals

Aperitif Culture’s Bright, Botanical-Based Newcomers Are the Future of Drinking

These are the appetizers of the spirits world. The word comes from the Latin amperire, “to open up,” as in to open up your palate and prep your digestive system for a fine meal. As a category, aperitifs cast a wide net, encompassing everything from the Aperol spritz to the Negroni to a small glass of Cava to a Pastis. Typically it’s something dry and a little bit bitter, light and maybe bubbly. "AN APPROACH TO SOCIAL DRINKING THAT LEADS TO DEEPER CONNECTIONS" The way third-generation winemakers Helena and Woody Hambrecht tell it, this is how Europeans have been drinking forever. And it’s why they created their own unique low-ABV aperitif spirit, Haus. “Aperitif culture is a way of drinking,” Helena told me, an approach to social drinking that leads to deeper connections throughout th...

Why we need mandatory labeling of GMO products

19Feb

By CatherineNo Comments

Genetically Modified Foods

Why we need mandatory labeling of GMO products

The conversation around genetic engineering and food is undermined by a lack of information that breeds confusion and distrust. Consumers feel misled. Scientists feel misunderstood. Public officials make flailing attempts to navigate the interests of both. Meanwhile, the companies that choose to play both sides take advantage of everyone — quietly adding genetically modified organisms (GMO) or ingredients made from them to some products and non-GMO labels to others. Afraid of GMOs? Blame non-labeling Genetically modified organisms are commonplace and are already present in many of the foods we eat — often, though not exclusively, in the form of genetically modified corn, soy, sugar beet, and canola oil. But as ubiquitous as they are, they’re shrouded in mystery. Across most of the Un...

16Feb

By CatherineNo Comments

Wellness

Why do I keep getting cold sores?

Cold sores can be tiny and painful, and for some, they keep appearing over and over again. “Many people are infected with this virus but most have no symptoms at all. We spread the cold sore form of this disease through saliva and close personal contact to the saliva of others,” the infectious disease specialist explained. The appearance of a cold sore can feel slightly embarrassing, especially in social gatherings or work, but Zoutman says the infection is very common. “They affect your appearance on your lips and face, which may lead to feeling self-conscious. If they recur frequently, they can be very distressing and a reason to seek the help of your doctor.” “We used to think of HSV-1 as classically the more common, above-the-belt type [that caused cold sores], and HSV-2 wa...

Tips to be fit: Genetically modified foods: Are they safe?

11Feb

By CatherineNo Comments

Genetically Modified Foods

Tips to be fit: Genetically modified foods: Are they safe?

When is corn not corn? When is a chicken not a chicken? What is a better egg? The answer is when it’s been genetically modified. We have been trying to produce better food forever. Farms modified food when they saved seeds of cream-of-the-crop plants to grow the next season. That's when we turned small bunches of tiny kernels on tall grass years ago into the big ears of corn on the cob we have today. We picked the best animals of the litter to breed "new-and-improved" animals. We grafted the branch of one orange tree to another orange tree to get a different tasting orange. What we do now is we alter the genetic code of the plant or animal. This alteration can be genetic coding is taken out or added to produce a product that is more desirable. For a few decades, food manufacturers began...

Fruits and Vegetable Seeds Market Growing

6Feb

By CatherineNo Comments

Genetically Modified Foods

Fruits and Vegetable Seeds Market Growing

• Growing health consciousness among consumers also generates massive demand for nutritious food items. • Other factors supporting market growth include an increase in seed replacement rate and surging adoption of genetically modified (GM) crops. • The market growth might be hindered by fluctuating climatic conditions and regulations governing the cultivation of GM crops. Surging demand for healthy food items along with the adoption of modern agricultural practices are key factors driving the growth of the fruits and vegetables seeds market. Other factors supporting the growth of the market include an increase in seed replacement rate and surging adoption of genetically modified crops. Surging demand for healthy food items along with the adoption of modern agricultural practices a...

Stages of cold sore development: What to know

15Jan

By CatherineNo Comments

Wellness

Stages of cold sore development: What to know

Cold sores, also known as herpes labialis, are caused by nongenital herpes simplex virus type 1. People can develop a cold sore on their lips or in their mouth. Transmission of the nongenital herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) occurs during childhood through nonsexual contact, but adults can contract the infection through sexual activity. HSV-1 hibernates inside skin cells and neurons under the skin until a trigger stimulates it. Stages of a cold sore A cold sore develops in five stages and will typically last between 9 and 12 days. Stage 1 Initially, people will feel a tingling, itching, or burning sensation underneath the skin around the mouth or base of the nose. Doctors call this the prodrome stage. Other symptoms that may occur during this stage include: malais...

Nutritionist’s 21 tweaks to boost your healthy diet and help you lose weight

7Jan

By CatherineNo Comments

Diet

Nutritionist’s 21 tweaks to boost your healthy diet and help you lose weight

There are specific foods that double as fat blockers and fat burners, for example, and starch blockers and appetite suppressants. And did you know that the different timing, frequencies, and combinations of foods can also matter? Here are 21 tips that can supplement broader advice on losing weight. You don’t have to complete the full checklist every day – you don’t have to hit any. 1 — Preload with water Coldwater boosts your metabolism. Have two cups before each meal to also help you feel more full. 2 — Preload with 'negative calorie' foods Just changing the order in which you eat your foods can have a meaningful metabolic impact. Starting each meal with an apple, light soup or salad may also later reduce your appetite for other, high-calorie-density foods. 3 — Enjoy undistr...