Health Benefits of Vitamin K

Vitamin K is a fat soluble vitamin that helps to protect bones from fracture, calcification of arteries, and helps blood to clot normally. Vitamin K is not a single chemical substance. It is a family of related chemical substances that go by the name of “vitamin K.” It helps the body transport calcium and metabolize into your skeleton. It increases bone mineral density and reduces fracture. It also lowers the risk of liver and prostate cancer.

Vitamin K is best known for its role in healthy blood clotting. It is important for the function of several proteins involved in the blood clotting process. In the blood clotting process, it is important in the product of prothrombin and is required for the body to make four of the body's blood clotting factors, mainly prothrombin and the factors VII, IX, and X.

Sources of vitamin K include spinach, Brussels sprouts, Swiss chard, green beans, asparagus, broccoli, kale, mustard greens, carrots, green peas, and cauliflower. Vitamin K deficiency is rare due to bacteria synthesis in the body.

Ease Stress with Scents

It is found that the scents of lavender, lemon, orange, grape, mango, and basil are good at easing stress. They all contain linalool, which is a chemical that can offset the effects of stress. Linalool has a calming effect on the limbic center of the brain, which is involved in processing emotions.

Lavender is a good scent that is good at aiding relaxation and reducing anxiety. Lavender oil can be used to treat pain from tension headache when it is breathed in as a vapor or diluted and rubbed on the skin. When it is added to a vaporizer, it can help to treat cough and respiratory infection. The scent of lemon has shown in studies to enhance mood and ease stress and depression. Basil can help to ease depression and relieve headaches and migraines.

The Facts of Therapeutic Substitution

There currently are pharmacies that are practicing therapeutic substitution when it comes to filling prescription medications. Therapeutic substitution happens when a drug that is considered to be therapeutically equivalent to a second drug, even though it might not be chemically equivalent to the prescribed drug, is given to the person filling the prescription without their permission or acknowledgment. That means that a pharmacy can change your prescribed medication to a different one without asking for your permission or letting you know beforehand. It can happen due to costs to the insurer, changes in insurance coverage, new drugs on the market that can treat the same condition, a medication is no longer covered by the insurance company, when your doctor wants you to switch to a drug that might be more effective, and when another drug is available at a lower cost. Pharmacies can also do a substitution if the drug you are prescribed is not on the pre-approved list that insurance will cover.

There are negative sides to therapeutic substitution because the new drug might not work as well or might differently that the one originally prescribed. It could have side effects that you are not aware of or might have a negative interaction with other prescriptions that you make take. The new drug might have a dosing schedule that could be inconvenient for you.

It is recommended to check the label of your medication after it is filled to make sure that it is the one that was originally prescribed. If you have questions or feel unsure about something, don't feel afraid to talk to your pharmacist.

How to Stop Onions From Making You Cry

There are simple ways that you can stop from tearing up when you are around onions. The tearing up mechanism happens because when you cut into an onion, its cells rupture and releases enzymes that produce a gas called propanethial sulfoxide. When the gas reaches your eyes, it reacts with tears to produce a mild sulfuric acid. The brain signals the eyes' tear glands to produce more liquid to flush it out. The more that onions are chopped, the more your eyes tear up.

It is a good idea to chill an onion in the freezer before cutting it because cold temperatures can slow down the release of enzymes. You can also pour a tablespoon of vinegar onto the cutting board. The acid in the vinegar stops the chemical reaction of the sulfur in the onion and causes a reduction in tears. It is another good idea to put an onion under water before chopping it. The water would absorb the onion's gas.

Use Music to be Heart Healthy

It is found that listening to music can be healthy for the body. Music can create a sense of euphoria and have a positive effect on the endothelium, which is the inner lining of the blood vessels. Endothelium that are in good condition have a positive effect on blood flow and blood vessel tone. Higher amounts of the protective chemical nitric oxide are also produced, which helps to reduce inflammation and keeps platelets in the blood from getting sticky. Music also has been shown to lower blood pressure. Any type of music from any artist can generate the same positive effects.

The Benefits of Kale

Kale is a healthy leafy vegetable that is good for the winter. It is a form of cabbage that gets sweeter as the weather gets colder and is a good source of vitamins A, C, and K. It also is a a good source of calcium. It is high in antioxidants and has anti-inflammatory properties. It also contains sulforaphane, which is a chemical that supposedly has anti-cancer properties.

Scientists Developing Foods To Help You Lose Weight

At the Institute of Food Research in Norwich, England, foods are being developed that would help a person lose weight by slowing down the digestive system and triggering a signal to the brain to suppress appetite. It would control appetite by tricking the brain into thinking that you have eaten too much when you actually haven’t. The products could possibly be sold on the market in a few years.

Scientists at the University of Newcastle are testing a seaweed extract called alginate that would reduce fat absorption by cutting the level of glucose that is digested by the body before it is broken down in the large intestine. In taste testings done with several dozen people, it is found that most people felt that the foods enhanced by alginate tasted as good or even better.

Scientists in North America and Europe are developing products to control appetite, such as chemical injections and implantable devices that would interfere with the digestive system. It is not certain if appetite controlling foods could cure all cases of obesity.

Good Ways to Ease Stress and Fatigue

Stress can trigger a surge in hormones, such as cortisol and adrenaline, which can cause fatigue, headaches, or back pain. There are foods and drinks that can be used to ease stress.

Carbohydrates are good at easing stress. They can boost the levels of serotonin in the brain and make you feel calmer. Serotonin is a chemical that controls the stress management system in the brain.

Dark chocolate contains high levels of caffeine and theobromine, which can improve mood and energy levels. Chocolate can have an affect on the levels of endorphins released into the brain that can ease pain and stress. It also contains tryptophan, which is a chemical that causes the release of serotonin.

It is found that combining caffeine and the amino acid L-theanine, both which are present in tea, can decrease mental fatigue and improve alertness, reaction time, and memory. Black tea can help to ease stress by lowering the stress hormone cortisol.

The Dangers of Chlorine

Chlorine is a powerful and dangerous oxidant and chemical gas. It is often used as a disinfectant that can be very irritating to the skin, eyes, and respiratory tract. It is found that children who swim regularly in indoor chlorinated pools have an increased risk of asthma and chlorine can cause problems with lung function, erosion of dental enamel, and increased risks of bladder cancer.

When high levels of chlorine come in contact with organic things, such as leaves and dirt, they can form other toxic substances called trihalomethanes, which can increase the risk of cancer, miscarriage, and birth defects. It is recommended to wear a mask or goggles when swimming in water with chlorine to protect the eyes. It is better to swim in outdoor pools than indoor ones because the gas in chlorine would be more dispersed. It is best not to swim in chlorinated pools everyday.

Grapefruit Increases Cancer Risk

A recent study found that women who ate half of a grapefruit every other day had a 30 percent increase of breast cancer risk when compared to women who didn’t eat the fruit. Grapefruit contains the chemical compound furanocoumarins that inhibits the way that estrogen is metabolized. This leads to a higher concentration of estrogen, which increases the risk of breast cancer.

It is recommended that post menopausal women that consume grapefruit regularly and women that have had estrogen-receptor-positive cancer should not eat this fruit. The American Cancer Society recommends eating five servings of a variety of fruits and vegetables each day to limit the exposure to possibly harmful substances from a single food.

The New Fish Diet Fights Alzheimer’s Disease

It is found that fatty fish, such as salmon, herring, and mackerel, can cut your risk of Alzheimer’s disease in half if you eat three servings per week. The benefits that come from the fish come from omega-3 fatty acids, which makes up 20 percent of the brain’s mass. They are also important for the development of new brain cells and important for learning and memory.

The fish diet also provides choline, which is the chemical basis for a neurotransmitter that speeds electrical pulses between neurons. Drugs that raise the levels of the neurotransmitter can improve memory. It is recommended that a regular diet contains 3 4-ounce servings of fatty fish per week.