Mundane superfoods – part 2

The injury to a brian caused by stroke can lead to problems with talking, seeing, thinking, remembering, moving, eating, swallowing and more.  It's no wonder stroke is a leading cause of disability in adults worldwide. Here are some lifestyle tips to cut the risk of suffering a stroke:

1. Eat at least 3 to 5 services of fruit and vegatables a day - the more the better.
2. Exercise most days of the week.  Brisk walking for an hour a day five days a week can cut the risk of a stroke in half.
3. Maintain a health weight, and especially watch out for abdominal fat.
4. Limit alchol to no more than two drinks per day if you drink.
5. Eat more grains such as oats, quinoa and brown rice.
6. Eat more sources of good fats such as fatty fish, walnuts, flaxseed and chia seeds.
7. Destress - psychological stress is a known risk factor for stroke.

I have never been that keen on the idea of eating genetically modified food.  I understand the economic argument about same amount of land would give you a greater yield and that the crops would be more robust and hence would need less pesticides.  But I have always had my concerns about if scientist truly understood all the implications of modify crops.  In Europe generally the idea of fooling with nature caused widespread protests. Genetically modified crops were more acceptable in North America and were introduced 20 years.  Well I can safely say that any fears I had about any adverse side effects or any other fears of GM crops being "Frankenstein" food that is harmful to humans were laid to rest a long time ago.  So I would say that GM crops are now more acceptable by the European general public, who here in the UK we probably eat GM crops that are imported from North America.  So on the "Frankenstein" criteria they have been very successful. But what about the economic arguments that were put forward 20 years ago.  Data from the united nations reveals that there is no discernible advantage in yields between North America and Europe that didn't introduce GM crops.  Since GM crops like corn, cotton and soyabeans were introduced into North America the use of toxic chemicals to kill insects and fungi has fallen by 33% but the spraying of herbicides has increased by 21%.  In France, the use of insecticides and fungicides has fallen by 65% and herbicide spraying as fallen by 36%. This suggests that GM crops aren't as robust as originally envisaged by scientist and they don't produce more abundant harvests either.  So western europe didn't loose out by not introducing GM crops. Where GM crops do seem to have made a difference according to Matin Qaim, a researcher at Georg-August-University of Göttingen, Germany, is significant yield gains from insect-resistant varieties  of crops in the developing world, particularly in India. References Genetically engineered crops: Experiences and Prospects report see >> https://www.nap.edu/login.php?record_id=23395

In part 1, I explored what pain was, the pain response and briefly explained how reflexology helps manage pain. Much anecdotal evidence shows the benefits of reflexology in pain management and several studies indicate successful treatment outcomes including pain reduction. (See references at end of article). However I would like to focus on one recent study by Dr Carol Samuel and Dr Ivor Ebenezer of University of Portsmouth as this is the first time Reflexology has been scientifically evaluated as a study for acute pain.  The results indicate that reflexology may be as effective as pain killers for common conditions such as osteoarthritis, backache and cancer. Participants attended two sessions, in which they were asked to submerge their hand in ice water. In one of the sessions they were given reflexology before they submerged their hand, and in the other session they believed they were receiving pain relief from a Tens machine, which was not actually switched on.  The use of the Tens machine is equivalent of a sugar pill in drug trials. The researches found that people felt about 40% less pain, and were able to stand pain for about 45% longer, when they used reflexology as a method of pain relief. So if you are in pain now, by not book a reflexology session. References Booth L (1997) Vertical Reflex therapy: results of a reflexology trail in a Bristol residential home for elderly Khan S, Otter S and Springett K (2006) The effects of reflexology on foot pain and quality of life in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis: a case report, The Foot 16 pg 112-116 Brown CA and Lido C (2008) Reflexology treatment for patients with lower limb amputations and phantom limb pain: an exploratory pilot study, Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice 14 pg 124-131 Hughes CM, Smyth S and Lowe-Strong A (2008) Reflexology for the treatment of pain in people with multiple sclerosis: a double-blind randomised controlled trail, The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine 14(1) S1-S109