What Is Leukemia? What Causes Leukemia?

The word Leukemia comes from the Greek leukos which means "white" and aima which means "blood". It is cancer of the blood or bone marrow (which produces blood cells). A person who has leukemia suffers from an abnormal production of blood cells, generally leukocytes (white blood cells).

The DNA of immature blood cells, mainly white cells, becomes damaged in some way. This abnormality causes the blood cells to grow and divide chaotically. Normal blood cells die after a while and are replaced by new cells which are produced in the bone marrow. The abnormal blood cells do not die so easily, and accumulate, occupying more and more space. As more and more space is occupied by these faulty blood cells there is less and less space for the normal cells - and the sufferer becomes ill. Quite simply, the bad cells crowd out the good cells in the blood.

In order to better understand what goes on we need to have a look at what the bone marrow does 

Function of the bone marrow

The bone marrow is found in the inside of bones. The marrow in the large bones of adults produces blood cells. Approximately 4% of our total bodyweight consists of bone marrow.

There are two types of bone marrow: 1. Red marrow, made up mainly of myeloid tissue. 2. Yellow marrow, made up mostly of fat cells. Red marrow can be found in the flat bones, such as the breast bone, skull, vertebrae, shoulder blades, hip bone and ribs. Red marrow can also be found at the ends of long bones, such as the humerus and femur.

White blood cells (lymphocytes), red blood cells and platelets are produced in the red marrow. Red blood cells carry oxygen, white blood cells fight diseases. Platelets are essential for blood clotting. Yellow marrow can be found in the inside of the middle section of long bones.

If a person loses a lot of blood the body can convert yellow marrow to red marrow in order to raise blood cell production.

White blood cells, red blood cells and platelets exist in plasma - Blood plasma is the liquid component of blood, in which the blood cells are suspended.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin that is necessary for normal growth and development.

Water-soluble vitamins dissolve in water. Leftover amounts of the vitamin leave the body through the urine. That means you need a continuous supply of such vitamins in your diet.

Function

Vitamin C is required for the growth and repair of tissues in all parts of your body. It is necessary to form collagen, an important protein used to make skin, scar tissue, tendons, ligaments, and blood vessels. Vitamin C is essential for the healing of wounds, and for the repair and maintenance of cartilage, bones, and teeth.

Vitamin C is one of many antioxidants. Vitamin E and beta-carotene are two other well-known antioxidants. Antioxidants are nutrients that block some of the damage caused by free radicals, which are by-products that result when our bodies transform food into energy.

The build up of these by-products over time is largely responsible for the aging process and can contribute to the development of various health conditions such as cancer, heart disease, and a host of inflammatory conditions like arthritis. Antioxidants also help reduce the damage to the body caused by toxic chemicals and pollutants such as cigarette smoke.

The body does not manufacture vitamin C on its own, nor does it store it. It is therefore important to include plenty of vitamin C-containing foods in your daily diet.

Food Sources

All fruits and vegetables contain some amount of vitamin C. Foods that tend to be the highest sources of vitamin C include green peppers, citrus fruits and juices, strawberries, tomatoes, broccoli, turnip greens and other leafy greens, sweet and white potatoes, and cantaloupe.

Other excellent sources include papaya, mango, watermelon, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, winter squash, red peppers, raspberries, blueberries, cranberries, and pineapples.

Running Health Benefits

Running is a fabulous workout to condition your body. It serves as the perfect remedy to get rid of your flabby abs and shed those extra pounds on your body. Not only it helps in fastening your weight loss program, but also it helps to overcome aging problem and thus makes you look ten years younger. In the present times, people are leading such an unhealthy lifestyle that they virtually have no time to workout, to strengthen their body and to keep fit. It is, thence, that running helps in strengthening your body muscles and keeping you in shape. Running also closes the gateway for diseases like breast cancer, heart stroke, diabetes, hypertension etc, thus protecting you from the clutches of these ugly problems. To know more about the heath and psychological benefits about running, check out the following lines.

Health Benefits Of Running

• One of the most popular benefits of running is to reduce or manage weight. It burns more calories per minute, than any other form of cardiovascular exercise. Research proves the fact that running burns an average of 100 calories per each mile.
• Running has proved to be beneficial in slowing the aging process. People, who run regularly, do not face muscle or bone loss in comparison to their counterparts.

VITAMIN B COMPLEX

Vitamin B1

Vitamin B1, also called thiamin is a water-soluble vitamin that is essential for the breakdown of carbohydrates into the simple sugar glucose. Thiamin is also important for the proper functioning of the nervous system.
Thiamin is found in whole-grain cereals, bread, red meat, egg yolks, green leafy vegetables, legumes, sweet corn, brown rice, berries, and yeast.
Thiamin is absorbed through the intestines.

Deficiency of Vitamin B1

Thiamin deficiency is rare. However, thiamin deficiency often occurs in alcoholics. It occurs in alcoholics because alcohol interferes with the absorption of thiamin through the intestines. Thiamin deficiency can cause beriberi, wernicke's encephelopathy, and sensitivity of the teeth, cheeks and gums.

Too Much Vitamin B1

Large doses (5,000 to 10,000 mg) can cause headaches, irritability, rapid pulse, and weakness 

Vitamin A (Retinol)

 Vitamin A and its metabolites play diverse roles in physiology, ranging from incorporation into vision pigments to controlling transcription of a host of important genes. Health depends on maintaining vitamin A levels within a normal range, as either too little or too much of this vitamin lead to serious disease. 

Structure

Vitamin A or retinol has a structure depicted to the right. Retinol is the immediate precursor to two important active metabolites: retinal, which plays a critical role in vision, and retinoic acid, which serves as an intracellular messenger that affects transcription of a number of genes. Vitamin A does not occur in plants, but many plants contain carotenoids such as beta-carotene that can be converted to vitamin A within the intestine and other tissues. 

Vitamin A - good sources of nutrients - pamphlet

This is one in a series of fact sheets containing information to help you select foods that provide adequate daily amounts of vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber as you follow the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The Guidelines are--

* Eat a variety of Foods
* Maintain Desirable Weight
* Avoid Too much Fat, Saturated Fat, and Cholesterol
* Eat Foods with Adequate Starch and Fiber
* Avoid Too Much Sugar
* Avoid Too Much Sodium
* If you Drink Alcoholic Beverages, Do So in Moderation

What Is Meant By Good Food Source?

A good food source of vitamin A contains a substantial amount of vitamin A and/or carotenes (converted to vitamin A in the body) in relation to its calorie content and contributes at least 10 percent of the U.S. Recommended Daily Allowance (U.S. RDA) for vitamin A in a selected serving size or a unit of measure considered easy for the consumer to use. The U.S. RDA for vitamin A is 1,000 retinol equivalents per day.

Causes of heart disease

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is usually caused by a build-up of fatty deposits on the walls of the coronary arteries. The fatty deposits, called atheroma, are made up of cholesterol and other waste substances.
The build up of atheroma on the walls of the coronary arteries makes the arteries narrower and restricts the flow of blood to the heart. This process is called atherosclerosis. Your risk of developing atherosclerosis is significantly increased if you:

• smoke,
• have high blood pressure,
• have a high blood cholesterol level,
• do not take regular exercise,
• have a thrombosis, and
• have diabetes.

Other risk factors for developing atherosclerosis include:

• being obese or overweight, and
• having a family history of heart attack or angina.

For men, the likelihood of developing atherosclerosis is increased if you have a close family member (father or brother) who has had a heart attack or angina before the age of 55. For women, the risk is increased if you have a close family member (mother or sister) who has had a heart attack or angina before the age of 65.

Pregnancy and Heart Disease

AHA Recommendation

A woman who has a history of heart disease, heart murmur, rheumatic fever or high blood pressure should talk with her healthcare provider before she decides to become pregnant. A woman who has congenital heart disease has a higher risk of having a baby with some type of heart defect. If this is your case, it's very important to visit your healthcare provider often. You may need to have diagnostic tests done, such as a fetal ultrasound test.
If you have a heart condition, you and your healthcare provider need to talk about it and plan for your pregnancy. You'll also need to think about what may be involved in caring for your child later.

Here are some important things for any pregnant woman to do:

• Eat a nutritious diet.
• Don't smoke or drink alcohol.
• Have your doctor approve any medicine you use (including over-the-counter drugs).

Some medicines that are safe to take when you're not pregnant should not be used when you're pregnant. They may harm your baby. If you have heart disease, you may need to take heart medications during your pregnancy. Your doctor can prescribe heart drugs that won't harm your baby.

Heart Disease

Heart disease is a general term that refers to a variety of acute and chronic medical conditions that affect one or more of the components of the heart. The heart is a muscular, fist-sized organ that is located in the left side of the chest cavity. It continuously pumps blood, beating as many as 100,000 times a day. The blood that the heart moves carries oxygen and nutrients throughout the body and transports carbon dioxide and other wastes to the lungs, kidneys, and liver for removal. The heart ensures its own oxygen supply through a set of coronary arteries and veins. The heart is also an endocrine organ that produces the hormones atrial natriuretic hormone (ANP) and B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP), which coordinate heart function with blood vessels and the kidneys. 

Internally, the heart is essentially hollow. It is divided vertically into two halves by a septum, and each side of the heart has two internal chambers – an atrium on top and a ventricle on the bottom. Venous blood enters the right side of the heart through the right atrium and is pumped by the right ventricle to the lungs, where carbon dioxide is released and oxygen acquired. Oxygenated blood from the lungs is transported to the left atrium and is pumped by the left ventricle into arteries that carry it throughout the body. Four heart valves regulate the direction and flow of blood through the chambers of the heart. It is their opening and shutting that gives the heart its characteristic “lub-dub” beat. The heart muscle itself is called the myocardium. Lining the chambers of the heart and the valves is a membrane called the endocardium. Encasing the outside of the heart is the pericardium – a layered membrane that is fibrous on the outside and serous (fluid-secreting) on the inside. The pericardium forms a protective barrier around the heart and allows it to beat in a virtually friction free environment.

Diseases affecting the heart may be structural or functional. Anything that damages the heart or decreases the heart’s supply of oxygen, makes it less efficient, reduces its ability to fill and pump, will disrupt the coordinated relationship between the heart, kidneys, and blood vessels and will harm not only the heart but the rest of the body as well.

About Hepatitis A Food Poisoning

Hepatitis A is the only common vaccine-preventable foodborne disease in the United States (Fiore, 2004).  It is one of five human hepatitis viruses that primarily infect the human liver and cause human illness.  Unlike hepatitis B and C, hepatitis A doesn’t develop into chronic hepatitis or cirrhosis, which are both potentially fatal conditions; however, infection with the hepatitis A virus (HAV) can still lead to acute liver failure and death.

Hepatitis A is much more common in countries with underdeveloped sanitation systems. This includes most of the world: an increased transmission rate is seen in all countries other than the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and the countries of Western Europe. Nevertheless, it continues to occur in the United States; approximately one-third of the population has been previously infected with HAV (Fiore, 2004; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2009a). Each year, approximately 30,000 to 50,000 cases of hepatitis A occur in the United States. Historically, acute hepatitis A rates have varied cyclically, with nationwide increases every 10 to 15 years. The national rate of HAV infections has declined steadily since the last peak in 1995. Although the national incidence (1.0 case per 100,000 population) of hepatitis A was the lowest ever recorded in 2007, it is estimated that 25,000 new infections occurred that year after asymptomatic infection and underreporting were taken into account. Although the rates of HAV infection have declined over the years, rates are twice as high among American Indians/Alaskan Natives (AIAN) and Hispanics compared to non-Hispanic Whites in the United States (Rawls & Vega, 2005). Rates among AIAN have decreased dramatically, though, coincident with the implementation of routine hepatitis A vaccination of AIAN children, both in urban and rural communities (Bialek et al., 2004).

Benefits of Aloe Vera

Aloe vera, commonly found in subtropical and tropical regions like South Africa, Latin America, and Indonesia. In Indonesia, the properties of Aloe vera is often used for hair care. But now many skin care products that use aloe vera as one of the basic materials. The results, published in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology prove, aloe vera is effective in helping overcome the healing of burns and skin irritation. This could be due to its soothing, refreshing, and relieve inflammation of the skin. Thus, properly used aloe vera on the skin of all types, including sensitive skins

How it works: One of skin care products that use aloe vera as the base material is after-sun lotion. Aloe vera can reduce the burning sensation caused by exposure to sunlight, repair damaged skin cells and stimulate growth of new cells. Research from the University of Mariland

Napping is Good For Heart Health

Not many are aware, slept a moment during the lunch break to help reduce the risk of death, especially in the able-bodied young men. Greek scientists who conducted research during the six-year period mentioned nap for about 30 minutes at least three times a week had a 37% lower risk of experiencing heart pain disorders.

The experts expressed naps help people to relax and reduce their stress levels, heart disturbances and even smaller countries are routinely found in a nap, although a number of studies show different results.

Research conducted in Greece is conducted in 23.681 men and women in the age range 20 to 86 years. The participants have a good health record, no history of heart disease and other acute diseases

Dental Health Depends On Eating Patterns

Dental functions not only to chew food as a first step before entering the stage of the digestive tract, but also functions as a beauty. For that, a poor diet will affect the health of teeth because teeth can be easily attacked by germs.

Dental plaque is formed from the saliva and leftover food that contains karbonhidrat and easily attached to such bread and chocolate. Care Specialist Dentist dentistry at an institution RE Martadinata Navy, Dr. Darmayanti dental plaque explains that the teeth should always be cleaned for example by cleaning your teeth regularly.

BENEFITS OF EGGS

As a cheap source of protein, eggs are believed to have many health benefits because of high nutrient content. What are the properties of egg?

PROTEIN SOURCES

Our bodies need protein to repair the function of organs, and eggs contain nine essential substances and amino acids that works to increase the protein content in the body.

GOOD FOR THE EYES

Biochemical nutritionist, Elizabeth Johnson, PhD, of Tufts University found that the eggs have more sources of antioxidants that are good for the eyes, namely carotenoids. Lutein and zeaxanthin are carotenoids that type of compounds essential for vision in which only they can bring value to the macula, a small area on the retina that is responsible for the sharpness of the eye.

HEALTHY SLEEP

Nighttime is the best time to sleep. This is not a matter of habit that people who work at day and sleep at night, but daytime looks that is more suitable for work and used to sleep at night. Implementation in outside the rule will cause a greater burden and produce unhealthy conditions

Sleep affects the body's metabolism and stimulates the power of assimilation, which is why if you sleep for long in fact not healthy, because our bodies absorb / assimilate waste and vapors dirty again, so if we sleep over time so consequently we are not to be fresh, but rather sluggish.

10 Benefits of Cow's Milk

May be said that almost 90% of the public agrees with cow's milk for health benefits. Maybe some of them never really learn the benefits of cow's milk, but at least they learn from the experiences of parents, colleagues and family. Research shows that the content contained in cow's milk is very beneficial for human health. 

The content contained in cow's milk include calories, fat, carbohydrates, calcium, protein, vitamins and various amino acids that are needed by the body. The full content of the milk cow, of course, makes the benefits of cow's milk can increasingly be felt by those who consume it regularly every day. In fact, people likened the dairy cow as white blood for our health because of the benefits of cow's milk is so great for humans.

Here are 10 benefits of cow's milk would you feel if you at least drink a glass of milk each day:

Bath Will Make You Fresh and Healthy

According to a recent study found not only a good bath to cleanse your body of impurities and avoid stress, but the bath also has an important role to improve the immune system, helping to avoid skin diseases like eczema and even cure serious medical problems

A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine showed patients with diabetes who spent only a half hour soak in a tub of warm water can lower blood sugar levels around 13 percent.

Separate study in Japan showed 10-minute soak in warm water can improve the heart health of both men and women, helping them lead a better exercise test and reduce pain.

What are the benefits of a bath and how long you should take a bath? Here are some pointers shower fun and healthy:

6 Benefits of The Papaya For The Human Body

Papaya proved to have a myriad of benefits to your body. Do not misunderstand me taste bitterness behind it save the virtue of so many. And what are they? We know that papaya is also good for the body, but also leaves should not be underestimated.

 Here are some of the benefits of papaya that you shall know:

1.       As  an acne medicine

For those who do not feel confident you have facial acne, especially for women who always pays attention to beauty. Papaya leaves can cure that is by making him a mask.

How to create a mask: take 2-3 sheets of old papaya. Then dry in the sun and mashed until smooth. Add one half teaspoon of water, just deh may be beneficial for full face jerawatmu

2.       Streamlining Benefits digestion

The leaves of the papaya plants contain chemical compounds karpain. Substances that can kill microorganisms that often interfere with the digestive function.

3.       Adding appetite

These benefits are especially for children who are difficult to eat. Take a fresh papaya and has the size of the palm of the hand. If you have found add a little salt and half cup warm water. Mix and blend all. Then strain the water, well water that can be utilized to enhance appetite