Cumin

Scientific Name: Cuminum cyminum

Biological Background: A seasoning that is the principal ingredient of curry powder, a blend of powdered Indian spices. Cumin is a member of the parsley family and cumin seeds resemble caraway seeds. The aromatic seed has a characteristic strong, slightly bitter taste. Traditionally cumin has been used to flavor cheese, unleavened bread, chili, and tomato sauce.

Nutritional Information: Due to its use as a spice, cumin provides insignificant amount of nutrients.

Pharmacological Activity: Studies have indicated that cumin has strong anticancer activity, which may be due to its phytochemical cuminaldehyde. Cuminaldehyde also has strong antiinflammatory properties. In addition, cumin contains two phytochemicals, cuminyl ester and limonene, which have been shown to stop aflatoxin from binding to DNA to start the cancer process.

Eating Tips: Use cumin to add an earthy flavor to Indian, Middle Eastern, and Mexican cuisines.

Drink Water to Loose Weight?

Did you know that by drinking around 16 ounces (2 eight ounce glasses) of water before breakfast every day could enable you to loose over 6 pounds a year? Nothing else is required.

Drinking water before a meal helps to curb your appetite. In a study with overweight and obese participants at Virginia Tech they found that the subjects that drank 2 glasses of water before their meal ate 75 calories less than those who didn’t drink the water. Some didn’t even realize they had eaten less.

If you add up these calories, 75 calories a day becomes 27,375 calories a year. And, 27,375 calories (3500 calories per pound) comes to just under 8 pounds. This is without dieting…just drinking that extra water. (Think if you drank 2 glasses of water before lunch or dinner instead?)

Why is this considered important? Well, research shows that small behavioral changes that don’t seem to be a big deal can actually translate into different eating behaviors.

Another small change can be to eat on a smaller plate. And leaving the chicken bones on your plate instead of having the waitress remove them is another.
These little tips have all been shown to unconsciously influence how much you eat. And, all take just about zero effort or willpower!

What other little things can you think of to change your eating habits that would be pertinent to your own lifestyle to help you consume fewer calories?

New Thoughts on How to Loose Weight

Hey, are you tired of the ”same old, same old” weight loss methods? I think most of us who are constantly trying to loose weight are now just about immune to the old conventional ways we’ve been instructed in for shedding those excess pounds.

Ready for a change? Well, here are some refreshing new angles on the age-old need to help us loose weight.

WebMD asked diet experts to come up with some lesser-known diet tips that could make the most jaded dieter drop that cookie and vow, “Oh wow! I’ll try that today.”

Here are nine diet tips you may not have heard yet. Some involve different ways to eat, or adding certain foods to your diet. Others involve learning new behaviors or strategies to help you stay on track.

Weight Loss Tip No. 1: Variety Is Overrated

Who hasn’t heard the advice to “just take a bite of everything” if you’re at a buffet?

But as it turns out, variety doesn’t deserve its good reputation, says Dawn Jackson Blatner, RD, a Chicago dietitian and spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association.

“We know that variety makes you eat more,” she says, citing several published studies and her own experience in counseling weight loss patients.

For example, researchers in France found that study participants ate more french fries when they were offered catsup and mayonnaise along with them. And when they were given the option of having cream or whipped cream with their brownies, they ate more than when the brownies were offered plain.
Other researchers have found that people who have been able to maintain weight loss tend to eat diets with limited variety.

Weight Loss Tip No. 2: Have Barley for Breakfast

“Barley is the new oatmeal,” says Jackson Blatner.

Barley got its hunger-fighting reputation after Swedish researchers found that eating barley or rye kernels for breakfast kept blood sugar on an even keel. That’s because the carbs in barley and rye kernels are “low glycemic index,” meaning they raise blood sugar more slowly than some other carbohydrate foods. This helps you avoid a spike, and then a drop, in blood sugar, which can leave you feeling famished.

One caveat: “Buy hulled barely, not pearl barley,” Jackson Blatner says. The Swedish researchers used minimally processed hull barley, and they can’t vouch for the same effects for more processed forms, such as pearl barley.

Weight Loss Tip No. 3: Beef Up Your Lunch Salad

One of the most common mistakes dieters make is to eat a vegetable salad with little or no dressing for lunch, says Joan Salge Blake, RD, professor of nutrition at Boston University and a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association. “Then they are starving by mid-afternoon,” she says.

A salad is a great choice, she says, if you add some protein and a little fat to help keep you feeling full longer.

Top your greens with a 3 oz piece of chicken breast, and you’ve added about 26 grams of protein but just 140 calories. Add about two tablespoons of light salad dressing, and your salad may be filling enough to get you through the 3 p.m. hunger slump without hitting the vending machine.

Weight Loss Tip No. 4: Stock Up on Frozen Vegetables

Sure, fresh vegetables are delicious and nutritious. But faced with the need to scrape a carrot, wash and slice a zucchini, or cut broccoli into florets, many of us say, “Too much trouble!” and reach for chips instead.

To make things easier, stock your freezer with frozen vegetables, Blake tells dieters.

“They are already clean, chopped and ready to cook in the microwave,” she says. “It’s like having Rachael Ray in the freezer.”

An even better way to be sure you eat more vegetables: Cook the frozen veggies ahead of time. Microwave the whole bag of green beans, for instance. Then keep them in the refrigerator, ready to dump into canned soups, add to a salad, or just eat by the handful.

Weight Loss Tip No. 5: Make Yourself a Party Tray

The type of party tray Jackson Blatner is talking about is a big vegetable platter, maybe with some low-fat dip on the site — the kind you put on the buffet for weight-conscious guests.

But this one is just for you and any interested family members. Keep it in the fridge at eye level, encouraging you to snack healthy and avoid the higher-calorie contents of your refrigerator.

Several studies have found that we tend to eat more when food is within easy reach. Secretaries who placed candy on their desks ate about 48% more than when the candy was 6 feet away, according to research by Brian Wansink, PhD, director of the Food and Brand Lab at Cornell University.

Weight Loss Tip No. 6: Turn Down the Thermostat

Spending time in a chilly house — about 61 degrees Fahrenheit — may boost the fat-burning power of the “brown fat” in your body.

Brown fat is considered “good” fat, as opposed to regular or white fat, which stores calories and tends to accumulate. Researchers believe that lean people have more of the brown type of fat, and that the amount of brown fat a person has declines with age.

Scandinavian researchers found that exposure to these chilly temperatures boosted the metabolic rate of brown fat 15-fold, helping burn more calories.
But Jackson Blatner cautions not to expect too much: “It’s not going to be any kind of a miracle,” she says. And beware if you’re the type who eats more when you feel cold.

Weight Loss Tip No. 7: Downsize Your Dinnerware

Experts say they’ve seen it again and again: The larger your plate, the more you’re likely to put on it. So serving your meals on smaller plates can help you eat less.

But don’t throw out those dinner plates, Blake suggests. Use the smaller, lunch-size plates to serve dinner, and use the dinner plates for salads.

Weight Loss Tip No. 8: Go Out for Treats

If you’re the type who overdoes it on sweets and snacks, Jackson Blatner suggests, make yourself work a little for your favorite indulgences. Don’t keep them in the house, but give yourself permission to go out and get them when you really need to.

Want a brownie? You have to go to the bakery. Craving a frozen yogurt? You must find the nearest frozen yogurt shop.

“The more hassle tasty treats are, the less likely you are to eat them,” says Jackson Blatner, who does this herself and finds her sweets consumption has declined without making her feel deprived.

Weight Loss Tip No. 9: Try on Your Skinny Jeans Every Friday

Find a pair of pants that is tight, but not impossible to zip, Blake suggests to her weight loss patients. “Every Friday morning, try them on,” she says.

Why Friday? Weekends are typically a tougher time to stay on diets, she says. And the Friday morning try-on will motivate you to watch your eating during the weekend.

“If they are loose, you will say to yourself ‘I am making progress, I am staying on track during the weekend,”’ she says.

And if they’re snug? That will provide motivation to stick to your diet so they’ll fit better next week, she says.

EAT Vegetables!

It is well known that the more vegetables you include in your diet, the less susceptible you are to practically every major disease.

Why? Because vegetables are rich in antioxidants and nutrients which are thought to prevent sickness and disease coming to our cells and they also promote healthy cell growth.

Vegetables need to be the centerpiece of our diets. Their amazing nutritional power gives us great health and helps our body cells rejuvenate themselves. It’s been suggested that we eat mostly vegetables, less meat, fish or poultry and some whole grains for better health.

Vegetables, by themselves are naturally low in fat and calories and we need to lay off the cream sauces, margarine, or dips to keep them that way,

Still a veggie skeptic? I hope to convert you with these strategies to help you harness their amazing nutritional power:

Here are some strategies from tennis pro, Martina Navratilova to help you get the most out of your vegetables.

1-Set a goal for the number of veggie servings you will eat daily. Start gradually at the lower range of two servings a day, or try to eat at least one fresh vegetable a day.

2-Go green. The greener the leaf, or the veggie, the more anti-aging compounds it contains. So aim to enjoy one mixed salad a day.

3-Color your plate. Colorful veggies are proven fighters of aging, cancer, and heart disease, because they contain a boatload of nutrients. Try to include several servings of yellow, red, orange, and purple vegetables in your meals each week.

4-Drink your veggies. Juicing is the easiest way to “eat your veggies.” As I do, try to have at least one tall glass of fresh juice daily. If you do not have a juicer, stock organic vegetable juices, and mix them up.

5-Do not fear starchy vegetables. Instead, charge-up your batteries with healthy carbs. Include the following in your weekly diet: corn, potatoes, peas, sweet potatoes, and yams.

6-Season your foods with chopped garlic or onion. They may make your breath lousy for awhile, but these foods are packed with flavor and health-building, disease-fighting phytochemicals.

7-Try a new vegetable every week. Step out of your comfort zone, try a new veggie, and experiment with how to cook it. Did you know, for example, that you can substitute spaghetti squash or julienned zucchini for pasta and never know the difference?

8-Set a veggie goal. You might, for example, aim to include at least two vegetables with lunch and dinner. Then step it up: Double your portion of vegetables at lunch or dinner.

9-Eat vegetables raw whenever possible. Generally, raw produce is healthier. In one interesting study, blood levels of vitamins A and E rose significantly in people who ate raw fruits and vegetables for just one week. One exception to the “raw rule”: When cooked, carrots yield more nutrients.

10-Cook veggies for the shortest amount of time possible. Short-term microwaving, steaming, stir-frying, grilling, and other such quick-cooking methods preserve the greatest amount of nutrients. By contrast, prolonged exposure to heat, water, and air destroys vitamins in vegetables.

11-Veg-up your favorite foods. Sneak veggies into soups and stews. If you love pizza, order one topped with vegetables.

Veggies are probably the best fuel you can put in your body, when you get right down to it. Try a few of my suggestions, and your body will thank you for it.

Schools fight families over autism service dogs

At issue is whether the dogs are true ‘service’ pets or simply companions

Robin Scholz / AP Kaleb Drew, 6, grabs on to the tail of his autism service dog, Chewey, as they play in the backyard of their home after Kaleb's first day of school in Villa Grove, Ill., on Friday, Aug. 21. View related photos

CHICAGO - Like seeing-eye dogs for the blind, trained dogs are now being used to help autistic children deal with their disabilities. But some schools want to keep the animals out, and families are fighting back.

Two autistic elementary school students recently won court orders in Illinois allowing their dogs to accompany them to school. Their lawsuits follow others in California and Pennsylvania over schools' refusal to allow dogs that parents say calm their children, ease transitions and even keep the kids from running into traffic.

At issue is whether the dogs are true "service dogs" — essential to managing a disability — or simply companions that provide comfort.

School districts say they are not discriminating, just drawing the line to protect the safety and health of other students who may be allergic or scared of dogs.

"The school district has 650 students, not just one. So we have to balance," said Brandon Wright, attorney for the Villa Grove district in central Illinois, which objected to 6-year-old Kaleb Drew's plan to bring his yellow Labrador retriever, Chewey, to school.

Kaleb's family won a judge's order in July allowing the dog to come to class until a trial, set to start Nov. 10. That means when Kaleb starts his first full day of first grade Monday, Chewey will be by his side.

Service dogs have long been used by the blind, but training them to help those with autism is relatively new. While there's little research on how these animals affect autistic children, families like Kaleb's say they have seen marked improvement. And the support group Autism Speaks includes a list of dog-training groups among resources on its Web site.

Autism is a developmental disorder that involves behaviors such as poor eye contact, trouble communicating and repetitive movements such as rocking or hand-flapping. Those with the disorder are prone to outbursts and may have trouble with changes in their environment.

Calming canine influence
The dogs are trained to be a calming influence, providing a constant between home, school and other new places. Sometimes, as in Kaleb's case, the dogs are tethered to children to prevent them from running off in dangerous situations.

"It's done so much more than we thought it could," said Kaleb's mother, Nichelle Drew. "We want Kaleb to be able to experience more of life," and the dog has helped him do that, she said.

Chewey does not react when Kaleb "throws a fit" during times of transition from one activity to another, which calms him much more quickly, Drew said.

The tether fitted around Kaleb's waist helps the dog stop Kaleb from running into traffic at pickup time, as he is prone to do.

Under the federal Americans with Disabilities Act, "a person with autism would be considered a person with a disability in nearly all cases, and a service animal is any guide dog, signal dog or other animal individually trained to provide assistance to someone with a disability," said Alejandro Miyar, a spokesman for the Department of Justice.

Miyar declined comment on specific cases but said schools are required to make accommodations for disabled students to use a service animal. Illinois is among several states with similar laws.

Schools, though, can argue that the animals do not provide a functional service. Wright said Kaleb's school already provides him with adequate special services. Officials believe Chewey is more of a companion or comfort dog, not a true service dog.

Elizabeth Emken, vice president of government relations for Autism Speaks, said her 17-year-old autistic son has used a service dog for about two years.

Emken said the dog helps control her son's pacing and circling, but the family opted against allowing the boy to take the dog to school because she did not know if he would be able to manage the dog effectively.

Weighing the pros and cons
"Personally, I can see the pros and cons" of allowing the animals in schools, Emken said, though she believes schools should not ban the assistance.

Families of autistic kids elsewhere have fought similar battles, including recent cases in Manteca, Calif., about 70 miles northeast of San Francisco, and North Franklin Township, Pa., near Pittsburgh.

And cases involving other disabilities, including deafness and diabetes, have cropped up in other states.

On Thursday, a judge sided with a family in Columbia, near St. Louis, that sued over their school district's unwillingness to allow an autism service dog in a special education pre-kindergarten classroom.

Still, 5-year-old Carter Kalbfleisch will not have the dog with him when he starts classes Monday. A hearing is scheduled that day so the school can work out the logistics of accommodating the dog, which his family credits with helping stop the boy from running off and keeping him from eating things like rocks.

The case still could head to trial, though the family's attorney, Clay St. Clair, said Friday the initial ruling is based on the Illinois law allowing service animals in school. The district did not return calls.

"I don't know if it would have been a simpler issue if we were dealing with a guide dog or something the school board was a little more familiar with," St. Clair said.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

CDC: No ‘red flags’ in swine flu vaccine tests

No side effects seen 10 to 14 days after first studies in adults

	A nurse tests a woman for swine flu on Thursday at the Noumea flu treatment center in the French Pacific territory of New Caledonia. View related photos
Marc Le Chelard / AFP - Getty Images

Back-to-school swine flu checklist Aug. 17: What can you do to keep your kids safe and healthy when they return to school? NBC’s chief medical editor, Dr. Nancy Snyderman, has tips to help keep children safe from the swine flu this back-to-school season.

Swine flu vaccine testing on humans CDC: Screen schools for H1N1 Swine flu trials under way Priorities set for swine flu vaccine

Interactive map

Flu activity around the country A state-by-state look at the geographical spread of both seasonal flu and swine flu (H1N1) in the United States.

Q&A

Swine flu Learn about the virus found in pigs and why it is causing concern among health officials. msnbc.com

Community

Discuss: How concerned are you? Tell us: Are you making changes to prevent infection? Vote: Would you wear a face mask? Poll: Have you changed your travel plans? Poll: Would you stay home if swine flu spread to your city? Ask us your questions about swine fl

Clinical trials for the new swine flu vaccine have turned up no "red flags," U.S. health officials said on Friday.

The first results from studies of the new vaccines in adults and the elderly will be available in mid-September, but so far, the only complaints seem to be a bit of local soreness and redness in the arm at the injection site, they said.

"There are no red flags regarding safety," said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, one of the National Institutes of Health.

Fauci said no side effects were seen 10 to 14 days after the first studies in adults, giving health officials the confidence to start trials of the vaccines in children this week.

There is no sign yet of whether the new vaccines will produce enough of an immune response to protect people against the new pandemic H1N1 flu.

Two trials are underway in adults for the safety and effectiveness of two doses of the vaccine. The trials, which are also looking at whether one or two vaccinations will be needed, are nearly fully enrolled.

"We expect first dose data somewhere around mid-September if all goes well, and second dose data by mid-October," Fauci said in a telephone news briefing.

He said first dose data from the trial in children will be available in late September, and second dose data will be ready in late October.

Fauci said studies in pregnant women should begin in early September, as will studies using an immune system booster called an adjuvant. In all, the vaccines will be tested on nearly 4,600 people.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said swine flu is still spreading widely across the United States, with 75 percent of serious cases and 60 percent of deaths among people under the age of 49. Alaska and Maine had "widespread" activity.

CDC has officially confirmed 7,963 hospitalizations and 522 deaths from the pandemic H1N1 flu, said CDC's Dr. Jay Butler. He said there were likely more than a million actual cases, as most patients never get tested.

"It is important to remember that at this time of year we don't normally have influenza," Butler said.

‘Explosion’ in case numbers
On Friday, the World Health Organization warned that the global spread of swine flu will endanger more lives as it speeds up in coming months and governments must boost preparations for a swift response.

WHO's Western Pacific director Shin Young-soo predicted there will soon be a period of further global spread of the virus, and most countries may see swine flu cases double every three to four days for several months until peak transmission is reached, said

"At a certain point, there will seem to be an explosion in case numbers," Shin told a symposium of health officials and experts in Beijing. "It is certain there will be more cases and more deaths."

WHO has declared the swine flu strain a pandemic, and it has killed almost 1,800 people worldwide through last week. International attention has focused on how the pandemic is progressing in southern hemisphere countries such as Australia, which are experiencing winter and their flu season.

WHO earlier estimated that as many as 2 billion people could become infected over the next two years — nearly one-third of the world's population.

Separately, in new advice issued to health officials, the WHO said healthy people who catch swine flu don't need antiviral drugs like Tamiflu. Rather than using it to treat healthy people, the drug should be used to treat people in groups at risk for the virus. That includes children less than five years old and people over age 65, among others.

The new advice contradicts government policies such as those in Britain, which has been giving out Tamiflu to all people suspected of having swine flu.

In the U.S., Fauci said the government expected to have 45 million to 52 million swine flu vaccine doses by mid October, when vaccination is expected to begin, and 195 million by the end of the year.

Fauci said even after people are vaccinated they should be aware they are not immediately protected — the immune response from a vaccine takes about two weeks to develop.

Five companies are making both seasonal and H1N1 flu vaccines for the U.S. market —AstraZeneca's MedImmune unit, CSL, GlaxoSmithKline Plc, Novartis AG and Sanofi-Aventis SA.

Fauci said he expects an upsurge of flu cases in the autumn, as weather cools and students return to school. U.S. government officials have urged schools and businesses to encourage people to stay home when they are sick, to wash their hands frequently and keep workspaces clean.

Butler said reports from Chile that turkeys have become infected with H1N1 virus are not a surprise. "Because of the swine characteristics of this virus, it can have the capacity to infect turkeys," he said.

Hospitals may be overwhelmed
WHO has stressed that most cases of swine flu are mild and require no treatment, but the fear is that a rash of new infections could overwhelm hospitals and health authorities, especially in poorer countries.

Shin said governments must act quickly to educate the public, prepare their health systems to care for severe cases and protect those deemed more vulnerable to prevent unnecessary deaths.

"We only have a short time period to reach the state of preparedness deemed necessary," Shin said. "Communities must be aware before a pandemic strikes as to what they can do to reduce the spread of the virus, and how to obtain early treatment of severe cases."

Pregnant women face a higher risk of complications, and the virus also has more severe effects on people with underlying medical conditions such as asthma, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, autoimmune disorders and diabetes, WHO chief Margaret Chan said in a video address.

Anorectal Abscess

The last phase of the digestive process is the collection of and passing from the body of solid wastes. These wastes (what's left of what we eat after the water and nutrients have been taken by our bodies) collect in the rectum and then are expelled through the anus.

The inside of the anus is lined with glands and four to six crypts or pockets. Sometimes one of these pockets gets filled with stool. This can cause the gland to become infected and develop an abscess.

Symptoms

Signs of an anorectal abscess include:

• Fever
• A vague feeling of being unwell or uncomfortable
• Swelling and discomfort around or near the anus
• Redness around the area
• Drainage of pus or fluid from the area

Causes and Risk Factors

This type of abscess is usually happens when the glands in the area of the anus or rectum become infected. When an infection occurs in a gland, it can create a cavity that fills with pus. The cavity swells and causes constant pain and discomfort. The skin may look red and swollen and drain pus.

Diagnosis

A doctor will take the patient's medical history and do a physical examination. Diagnosis will be based on the symptoms and the presence of pain or tenderness, swelling, redness and possible drainage of pus from the area.

The presence of a fever or an elevated white blood cell count as measured by a blood test can confirm the presence of an infection in the body.

Treatment

Antibiotics alone are rarely enough to treat this type of infection. Usually surgical drainage is required.

In about half the cases where an abscess has drained, a fistula (an opening between the inside of an anal pocket or gland where the infection started and the outside of the body where it drained) can develop. A fistula will not heal without treatment that involves removing the pocket where the infection started.

Resources at Cedars-Sinai