Cholesterol:Is it one of the most dangerous substances in the body?

The body needs cholesterol, and not all forms of cholesterol are dangerous. Cholesterol comes from two sources: our body and our food. Our liver and other cells in our body make about 75 percent of blood cholesterol. The other 25 percent comes from the foods that we eat.

There are two types of cholesterol:good and bad. Too much of one type - or not enough of another can put you at risk for coronary heart disease., heart attack or stroke.

Low-density lipoprotein or LDL is known as bad cholesterol. High-density lipoprotein or HDL is known a the good cholesterol. When too much LDL cholesterol circualates in the blood, it can slowly build up plaque, a thick, hard deposit that can narrow the arteries and make them less flexible. This condition is known a atherosclerosis. On the other hand, high density lipoprotein or HDL cholesterol actually protects us from heart attacks.

Cells throughout the body use cholesterol to make a number of hormones necessary for growth and reproduction. When there is damage to the walls of the arteries or veins, the liver sends cholesterol through the blood to protect the tissue from hemorrhaging. Cholesterol is a component of all cell walls. They are viatal to proper brain and nerve function . LOw levels of cholesterol have been associated with deppression , anxiety and mood disorder. Cholesterol is also an essential ingredient of bile salts produced in the liver, used to emulsify fats and excrete fat-soluble toxins.

Sources:

Bauman, Ed and Mclaughlin, Marsha. The Truth About Cholesterol.http://www.shareguide.com/cholesterol.html
Lee, Dennis. The Truth About Cholesterol. http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=14419
LDL and HDL Cholesterol: What's Good and What's Bad?http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=180
Cholesterol.www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=1516
Bato Balani ISSN 0117-7052 Vol.28 N0.5 SY 2008-2009

Do you think we need only calcium for bone development?

Some of us believe that we only need calcium for our bones. But on the contrary, we also need other vitamins and mineral to develop our bones. Magnesium and zinc can help calcium to make the bones more firm. Protein is necessary in bone development because it acts as the scaffolding of the bone, and aids in the production of the collagen, which makes our bones flexible and less susceptible to breakage. Without protein, calcium makes our bones strong but runs the risk of becoming brittle.

Vitamin C stimulates the enzymes that are responsible for the production of collagen and connective tissues. Vitamin K helps protein lock in essential bone nutrients. Vitamin D is essential in helping the body absorb calcium from our foods.

The key to making our bones essentially strong, is moderation and balanced diet. Different vitamins, minerals, and nutrients all work hand in hand to provide the body with what it needs to remain healthy at its peak.


Sources:

No Milk? What About My Child's Bones? www.vegfamily.com/health/no-milk.htm
Annemarie Colbin. Beyond Calcium: Why bones need protein to be healthy.www.foodandhealing.com/calcium.htm
Just a Little Bit.www.nichd.nih.gov/publications/pubs/upload
/strong_bones_lifelong_health_mm.pdf
www.justalittlebit.com.au/pdf/vol2_background_sc.pdf
Bato Balani ISSN 0117-7052 Vol.28 N0.3 SY 2008-2009

Facts about Huffing

Huffing is a form of substance, wherein users intentionally inhale a chemical substance to achieve an altered mental state.

The four types of huffing agents are: volatile solvents, aerosols, gases, nitrites. These inhalants can damage the liver, kidney, brain and heart.

Do you know friends who huff?

Here are some of the characteristics that will tell you if they do:

• disorientation and slurred speech
• stains of paint on the face, hands or clothing
• stash of empty spray paint or solvent containers and chemical soaked rags or clothing
• strong odor of chemicals in breath or on clothing
• nausea or lose of appetite
• red or runny nose
• sores or rash around the nose or mouth

Once upon a medical time, some huffing agents are first used as medical anesthetics. One good example is nitrous oxide, popularly known as laughing gas. Chloroform and diethyl either also fall under this category.

Because o these substances, psychoactive and hallucinogenic effects at sub-anesthetic levels, they were used recreationally. Sir Humphry Davy, a British chemist and physicist, used to hold nitrous oxide parties for people to enjoy the euphoric properties of the gas. It was then that Davy proposed for the gas to be used in operations, but this was done only half a century later. To date, nitrous oxide is used by dentists to reduce the anxiety of patients during visits..

Sources:

Huffing: The Abuse of Inhalants.www.usdoj.gov/ndic/pubs07/708/index.htm
What Parents Should Know about Hufing.www.drgreene.com/21_180.htm