LIFE EXTENSION NEWS

The USDA, using new sophisticated research tools, have been able to analyize foods to determine their Total Antioxidant Capacity (TAC)

THE TOP TWENTY

Consider this your shopping list, based on their TAC. It's worth noting, that traditionally blueberries have been considered at the top of the list of antioxidant foods. But, according to this list, it's wild blueberries that have the number two spot, while the kind most of us eat, cultivated blueberries, are number five.

1 Small Red Beans

2 Wild Blueberries

3 (Red) Kidney Beans

4 Pinto Beans

5 Cultivated Blueberries

6 Cranberries

7 Artichokes

8 Blackberries

9 Dried Plums (Prunes)

10 Raspberries

11 Strawberries

12 Red Delicious! Granny Smith Apple

13 Pecans

14 Sweet Cherries

15 Black Plums

16 Russet Potato

17 Black Beans

18 Plums

19 Gala Apple

20 Walnuts

Adapted from HEALTH

,IF YOU SPEND a lot of time cooped up in your car, speeding up and slowing down in traffic, you may be. driving your cardiovascular system crazy. A new study of North Carolina state troopers reports that toxic bits from eroding roads, particles from the wear and tear of car parts, and contaminants from fuel combustion all infiltrate deep into the lungs.

Benzene, carbon monoxide, copper, sulfur, aldehydes, titanium, aluminum, silicon, iron, chromium, all contribute to the problem. Your tissues become inflamed, your blood may clot more easily, your red blood cells rise, your heart skips beats ... and you're at greater risk of cardiac disease and its complications.

The study's lead researcher, Michael Riediker, suggests drivers take the following precautions:

Use air particle filters inside your car cabin, which is good for you, and at the . exhaust, which is good for others. FYI, exhaust filters will be required on new heavy-duty trucks in the United States starting in 2006.

Close the windows and put your air on recycle when in heavy traffic, in a tunnel or near a truck belching black particles.

Avoid rush hour. try to minimize time on heavily traveled roads. .Don't tailgate. You'll get a full load of pollutants from the vehicle in front.

Keep your car well-maintained and its engine functioning properly .Consider driving a low-emission car. Consult your doctor if you have a heart problem and are spending lots of time in the car.

Adapted from USA WEEKEND

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The first time it happened, 76 year old Edwin Raynor attributed the numbness in his left leg to exhaustion after serving as a volunteer during the November election.

Several weeks later, his right eye felt strange, a few days later his eye shut completely, temporarily blinding him on one side. Technically, Raynor had a Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA)---three of them in fact, rather than a "brain attack" as strokes are often called. Doctors say that, dizziness, confusion, weakness on one side of the body, blurred vision, numbness are all symptoms of TIA, and should be viewed no less of an emergency than a stroke. Potential cardiac patients are fortunate if they have a TIA first, because doctors can use that opportunity to intervene. When people experience a TIA they may be missing an opportunity to prevent a catastrophic stroke later on. Adapted from FLORIDA TODAY

Researchers reported in the Archives of Surgery, that of the 30 million surgeries performed each year in the United States, about two percent are complicated by an on-site infection. Many patients fail to get timely doses of the right medications, raising the risk of infection.

The study of 34,000 surgical patients at nearly 3000 hospitals, found only 56 percent received prophylactic medications within an hour of surgery, when they can be most effective. The report said surgical site infections triple the risk of death. Ibid

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Eat three servings a day of fish, poultry, lean meat, eggs, soy or combination of beans lentils and grains.

Eat at least five servings a day of antioxidant rich fruits and vegetables.

Eat fish three times a week.

Avoid hydrogenated fats, and reduce your intake of saturated fats.

Combine protein with carbohydrates.

Use cold-pressed seed oils for salad dressing.

Enjoy a heaping tablespoon of ground seeds every day.

Drink at least a quart of water a day, either pure or in diluted juices and herbal or fruit teas.

Minimize your intake of alcohol and coffee.

Adapted from GREENWISE

The leaves, berries, and flowers of the beautiful hawthorn are the source of a well known, effective cardiovascular tonic. One of the best-researched botanicals, hawthorn has been widely used by practitioners of natural medicine for more than a century. Numerous clinical studies have demonstrated many positive effects on the cardiovascular system:

promoting a calmer and stronger heartbeat and protecting an aging heart as well as helping to lower blood pressure.

The beneficial effects of hawthorn include improvement in Class 2 cardiac insufficiency (characterized as fatigue or shortness of breath during heavy exertion or even normal activity). Other studies show that people with congestive heart failure (CHF) improved exercise tolerance and decreased heart rate during exercise after eight weeks on hawthorn extract.

This botanical can also be used as a general tonic to protect the heart from the negative effects of cholesterol, stress, and aging. While many people are cautious about using anything that may affect the heart, there have been no reported cases of toxicity with hawthorne preparations in over 100 years of clinical use. So safe, in fact, is hawthorn that it's consumed in popular drinks in Asia; syrups, wines, and jams in Europe; and numerous supplement preparations in the U.S.

While there has been some concern that hawthorn may interact with other heart medications to make them more potent, a recent study finds "hawthorn has no effect on the normal pharmacokinetic parameters of digoxin," a commonly prescribed cardiac drug. But it's wise to seek the advice of a qualified healthcare professional if you take cardiovascular medications.It's hard to overstate the value in supporting the health of the heart, since this is the organ central to our wellbeing-pumping the life-giving blood that flows through our veins. Careful use of this botanical medicine can help to maintain cardiovascular health, prevent cardiovascular disease, and (in the hands of skilled practitioners) treat cardiovascular disease.

Adapted from GREENWISE

Marta Sandberg, a member living in Australia, sent this. These three simple questions can be a life saver. Please read this and then pass it on to your friends.

Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the

lack of awareness spells disaster for the stroke victim. A stroke victim may suffer brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke. Now doctors say any bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:

Ask the individual to smile.

Ask him or her to raise both arms.

Ask the person to speak a simple sentence.

If he or she has trouble with any of these tasks, call 9-1-1 immediately, And describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

After discovering that a group of non-medical volunteers could identify facial weakness, arm weakness and speech problems, researchers urged the general public to learn the three questions. They presented their conclusions at the American Stroke Association's annual meeting last February. Widespread use of this test could result in prompt diagnosis and treatment of the stroke and prevent brain damage.

A cardiologist says if everyone who gets this e-mail sends it to 10 people, you can bet that at least one life will be saved. Read this... It could save your life!!

Let's say it's 6.15 P.M. and you're driving home (alone of course), after an unusually hard day on the job. You're really tired, upset, and frustrated.. Suddenly you start experiencing severe pain in your chest that starts to radiate out into your arm and up into your jaw. You are only about five miles from the hospital nearest your home.

Unfortunately you don't know if you'll be able to make it that far. You have been trained in CPR, but the guy that taught the course did not tell you how to perform it on yourself.

Since many people are alone when they suffer a heart attack, without help, the person whose heart is beating improperly and who begins to feel faint, has only about 10 seconds left before losing consciousness .

*****However, these victims can help themselves by coughing repeatedly and very vigorously.

*****A deep breath should be taken before each cough, and the cough must be deep and prolonged, as when producing sputum from deep inside the chest.

*****A breath and a cough must be repeated about every two seconds without let-up until help arrives, or until the heart is felt to be beating normally again

***** Deep breaths get oxygen into the lungs and coughing movements squeeze the heart and keep the blood circulating. The squeezing pressure of the heart also helps it regain normal rhythm. In this way, heart attack victims can get to a hospital.

Tell as many people as possible about this. It could save their lives!!