Conventional drugs are chemically synthesized. Of the four currently licensed biologics, three help reduce inflammation and structural damage of the joints by blocking a substance called tumor necrosis factor (TNF), a protein involved in immune system responses. Elevated levels of TNF are found in the synovial fluid of rheumatoid and some other arthritis patients.
The first biologic to receive FDA approval for patients with moderate-to-severe RA was Enbrel (etanercept). Initially, it was taken twice weekly by injection, but a once-weekly preparation is now available. Enbrel has been shown to decrease pain and morning stiffness and improve joint swelling and tenderness. In 2000, the drug's approved uses were expanded to include delaying structural damage. Besides RA, Enbrel now has been approved for two other common forms of arthritis: psoriatic arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis.
The two other TNF-blocking products approved to treat RA are Remicade (infliximab) and Humira (adalimumab), a drug that provided the long-awaited relief for Shirley through a 2002 clinical trial. All three TNF blockers have been demonstrated to improve physical function in studies of at least two years in duration.
"While all three inhibit the action of TNF," says Jeffrey N. Siegel, M.D., team leader for the FDA's Division of Therapeutic Biological Internal Medicine Products, "they do it in somewhat different ways." Remicade and Humira are monoclonal antibodies, laboratory-produced proteins similar to those made by a person's immune system that bind and remove TNF from the body before it can set off the immune reaction responsible for RA.
Enbrel, on the other hand, is a soluble cytokine receptor, which means it is similar in structure to protein molecules found attached to the surface of cells that bind TNF. Enbrel competes with these receptors to inhibit them from binding TNF, thus blocking them from setting off the immune process responsible for RA, psoriatic arthritis, and ankylosing spondylitis.
Siegel warns that caution is important when using these agents as treatments. "All TNF blockers are associated with infection," he says.
Kineret (anakinra), another biologic approved by the FDA for patients with RA, has been shown in clinical trials to improve pain and swelling and slow the progression of structural damage in patients.
Arthritis Treatment Devices
Two medical device products, Hyalgan and Synvisc, are preparations that mimic a naturally occurring body substance that lubricates the knee joint called hyaluronic acid. The products, which were approved by the FDA for the treatment of OA of the knee, are injected directly into the knee joint to help provide temporary relief of pain and flexible joint movement.
Another device used in arthritis treatment is transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), which has been found effective in modifying pain perception. TENS blocks pain messages to the brain by directing mild electric pulses to nerve endings that lie beneath the painful area of the skin.
A blood-filtering device called the Prosorba Column is used in some cases for filtering out harmful antibodies in people with severe rheumatoid arthritis.
Heat and cold can both be used to reduce the pain and inflammation of arthritis. Patients and their doctors can determine which one works best.
Thanks to the right treatment, Shirley says his pain level today is only about 10 percent of what it once was. "Looking back on those days," he says, "it's hard to believe all the things I can do now. I've regained mobility and strength." And once again, Shirley can mow the lawn, cook meals, fix things around his house, and even pursue his favorite hobby of bird watching.
"Rheumatoid arthritis is now an illness for which newer treatments offer the real likelihood of patients being able to pursue a lifestyle without the limitations imposed by joint pain and deformity," adds Birbara.
Importance of Diet and Exercise
Arthritis experts say there's value in physical activity, the right diet, and other non-medicinal interventions that can help prevent arthritis, reduce pain, and keep people moving, as emphasized in a 10-year initiative called Healthy People 2010. A comprehensive, nationwide health promotion and disease prevention program developed by the Department of Health and Human Services, Healthy People 2010 contains 467 objectives for improving the nation's health in conditions such as cancer, sexually transmitted diseases, and arthritis.
Research in 2004, for example, demonstrated that exercise and diet together significantly improve physical function and reduce knee pain in people older than 60 who are overweight or obese, according to both the Arthritis Foundation and the American College of Rheumatology. The results of the study are published in the May 2002 issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism. Similarly, pain and disability accompanying all types of arthritis can be minimized through early diagnosis and appropriate management, including self-management, physical and occupational therapy, joint replacement surgery, weight control, and physical activity.
According to the CDC, research shows that physical activity decreases joint pain, improves function and a person's mood and outlook, and delays disability. Exercise helps reduce the pain and fatigue of many different kinds of arthritis and helps people work and do daily activities and remain independent. Range-of-motion, strengthening, and endurance exercises, such as moving a joint as far as it will go, using muscles without moving joints, and aerobic exercises, respectively, are beneficial in decreasing fatigue, strengthening muscles and bones, increasing flexibility and stamina, and improving the general sense of well-being.
It's important that people stay at their recommended weight, especially as they get older, because being overweight makes them more at risk for OA. Extra weight increases the risk for getting OA in the knees and possibly in the hips. This is especially true for women. In men, extra weight increases the risk for getting another common form of arthritis, gout (excess uric acid in the blood), as well. Maintaining a healthy weight and avoiding joint injuries reduces the risk of developing arthritis and decreases disease progression.
Some people claim to have been cured by treatment with herbs, oils, chemicals, special diets, radiation, or other products. According to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), however, there is no scientific evidence that such treatments cure arthritis. Moreover, some of these unproven treatments may lead to serious side effects. Patients should talk to their doctors before using any therapy that has not been prescribed or recommended by their health care team.
Juvenile Arthritis
Nearly 300,000 children in the United States have a form of juvenile arthritis or a rheumatic disease that occurs before age 16. The most common form in children is juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. The cause of most forms of juvenile arthritis remains unknown. Juvenile arthritis is not contagious, and there is no evidence that foods, toxins, allergies, or vitamin deficiencies play a role. Current research indicates that there may be a genetic predisposition to juvenile arthritis. In other words, the combination of genes a child inherits may contribute to the development of arthritis when combined with other undefined factors. Most of the symptoms of juvenile arthritis are due to inflammation as a result of imbalances in the immune system. Despite not knowing the exact cause or causes, there are many effective treatments available to help children and their parents manage juvenile arthritis. Experts say that most children with arthritis can expect to live normal lives.
The Future
Many government and private organizations are working together to carry out a plan to guide the use of the nation's resources to decrease the burden of arthritis for all Americans and increase the quality of life of those affected by arthritis. Called the "National Arthritis Action Plan: A Public Health Strategy," it provides a blueprint for reducing pain, activity limitations, and disability among people with arthritis, as well as for preventing certain types of arthritis.
As for the safety of future arthritis treatments, experience has shown that the full magnitude of some potential risks of all drugs has not always emerged during the mandatory safety and effectiveness studies conducted before the FDA can approve a drug. As always, the agency advises physicians to consider the evolving information on any medication in evaluating the risks and benefits of these drugs in individual patients.
Friday, November 28, 2008
Be Heart Healthy The Plant-Based Way
All diets advised to advance affection bloom are low in fat and cholesterol and top in fiber. Vegetarian diets, then, are accustomed choices for those who wish to abate the accident of affection ache because vegetarian diets are by itself low in fat and cholesterol and top in fiber! Eliminating meat, banty and fish, which are a part of the foods accomplished in fat and cholesterol and everyman in fiber, can be a behemothic footfall against convalescent affection health. Addition step, which comes by itself to vegetarians, is to access the burning of plant-based foods that are by itself top in fiber. Plant-based foods, decidedly fruits and vegetables, aswell accommodate antioxidant aegis for the heart.
The afterward guidelines from www.d-vegetarian.com are recommended for affable heart-healthy vegetarian meals:
Saut้ foods in baptize or actual baby amounts of olive or canola oil. Olive and canola oils are advised the healthiest oils because of they advice to abate cholesterol levels in the blood. Low fat affable methods are aswell recommended for affection health. Such methods cover broiling, steaming, roasting, baking, poaching, boiling, and stir-frying with little or no oil. You can aswell try replacing some of the oil, adulate or margarine in recipes with water, juice, applesauce, or pur้ed prunes. Frying foods, decidedly deep-frying, is never recommended for those anxious about affection health.
Since egg yolks are top in cholesterol, accomplished eggs can about be replaced with bananas, tofu, applesauce, or egg replacers in a lot of recipes. You can aswell alter the yolk with the white of addition egg. For example, if a recipes alarm for one egg, use two egg whites and abandon the yolks.
When arcade for capacity for heart-healthy meals, buy affluence of fruits, vegetables, accomplished grains, legumes and fat chargeless or low fat milk products. Avoid arctic vegetables with cheese, chrism or adulate sauces. Read the labels on bite foods to acquisition out how abundant fat and cholesterol they contain. The best candy are popcorn, beginning fruits and vegetables, rice cakes, and pretzels. There are aswell lower fat broiled versions of abounding chips that would commonly be top in fat.
Fiber helps to absolve the claret of cholesterol, which is why top cilia diets are advised benign to the heart. To cilia intake, accept accomplished atom breads and cereals and absolute the burning of aesthetic (white) breads and cereals. Aswell absolute burning of bathetic broiled appurtenances like croissants and muffins, which tend to be low in cilia and top in fat.
Eating out can be abnormally arduous both to vegetarians and to those anxious about affection health. Some simple guidelines can accomplish it easier. For example, accept stir-fried entrees, aflame vegetables, and pasta with amazon sauce. Order broiled potatoes after adulate or cheese, and accept vegetable-based soups. Avoid mayonnaise-based bloom dressings, and consistently ask for dressings and sauces to be served on the ancillary so you can absolute the bulk you eat. Saturated fats and auto fats should be avoided, while monounsaturated fats are about advised acceptable for the heart. The actuality that saturated fats are mostly begin in beastly articles is addition accustomed advantage for vegetarians anxious with affection health. But saturated fats are aswell begin in coconut, palm, and approach atom oil, so these oils should be abhorred on a affection advantageous diet. Auto fats, which may aswell accord to the development of affection disease, are begin in margarine and abounding broiled goods. Monounsaturated fats, the affectionate that are acceptable for the heart, cover canola oil, olive oil, beat berry oil, nuts, avocado, soy, and nut butters.
A vegetarian diet that includes soy articles may add an added account for affection health.
Many studies advance a affiliation amid soy, such as tofu, soymilk, and soy yogurt, and lower ante of affection disease. The accepted advocacy is 25 grams of soy protein per day.
Since cholesterol is alone begin in aliment of beastly origin, such as meat, eggs and dairy products, vegans do not charge to anguish about cholesterol in the foods they eat.. Grains, legumes, nuts, fruits, vegetables and vegetable oil are all by itself cholesterol free. Conversely, alone vegetarian foods accommodate affection advantageous fiber. Oats, carrots, fruits, and beans are abnormally top in the affectionate of cilia that helps to lower cholesterol levels in the blood.
If you are absorbed in added specific guidelines for a affection advantageous vegetarian diet, the ebook Vegetarian Affable is a acceptable resource. Available at www.d-vegetarian.com, the book provides listings of affection advantageous nutrients as able-bodied as which foods accommodate them and in what amounts. There are aswell dozens of added capacity accoutrement all aspects of the vegetarian affairs and its benefits.
Jen Scott is columnist of the acknowledged new website www.d-vegetarian.com, committed to educating humans about the allowances of accepting a added vegetarian like lifestyle.
The afterward guidelines from www.d-vegetarian.com are recommended for affable heart-healthy vegetarian meals:
Saut้ foods in baptize or actual baby amounts of olive or canola oil. Olive and canola oils are advised the healthiest oils because of they advice to abate cholesterol levels in the blood. Low fat affable methods are aswell recommended for affection health. Such methods cover broiling, steaming, roasting, baking, poaching, boiling, and stir-frying with little or no oil. You can aswell try replacing some of the oil, adulate or margarine in recipes with water, juice, applesauce, or pur้ed prunes. Frying foods, decidedly deep-frying, is never recommended for those anxious about affection health.
Since egg yolks are top in cholesterol, accomplished eggs can about be replaced with bananas, tofu, applesauce, or egg replacers in a lot of recipes. You can aswell alter the yolk with the white of addition egg. For example, if a recipes alarm for one egg, use two egg whites and abandon the yolks.
When arcade for capacity for heart-healthy meals, buy affluence of fruits, vegetables, accomplished grains, legumes and fat chargeless or low fat milk products. Avoid arctic vegetables with cheese, chrism or adulate sauces. Read the labels on bite foods to acquisition out how abundant fat and cholesterol they contain. The best candy are popcorn, beginning fruits and vegetables, rice cakes, and pretzels. There are aswell lower fat broiled versions of abounding chips that would commonly be top in fat.
Fiber helps to absolve the claret of cholesterol, which is why top cilia diets are advised benign to the heart. To cilia intake, accept accomplished atom breads and cereals and absolute the burning of aesthetic (white) breads and cereals. Aswell absolute burning of bathetic broiled appurtenances like croissants and muffins, which tend to be low in cilia and top in fat.
Eating out can be abnormally arduous both to vegetarians and to those anxious about affection health. Some simple guidelines can accomplish it easier. For example, accept stir-fried entrees, aflame vegetables, and pasta with amazon sauce. Order broiled potatoes after adulate or cheese, and accept vegetable-based soups. Avoid mayonnaise-based bloom dressings, and consistently ask for dressings and sauces to be served on the ancillary so you can absolute the bulk you eat. Saturated fats and auto fats should be avoided, while monounsaturated fats are about advised acceptable for the heart. The actuality that saturated fats are mostly begin in beastly articles is addition accustomed advantage for vegetarians anxious with affection health. But saturated fats are aswell begin in coconut, palm, and approach atom oil, so these oils should be abhorred on a affection advantageous diet. Auto fats, which may aswell accord to the development of affection disease, are begin in margarine and abounding broiled goods. Monounsaturated fats, the affectionate that are acceptable for the heart, cover canola oil, olive oil, beat berry oil, nuts, avocado, soy, and nut butters.
A vegetarian diet that includes soy articles may add an added account for affection health.
Many studies advance a affiliation amid soy, such as tofu, soymilk, and soy yogurt, and lower ante of affection disease. The accepted advocacy is 25 grams of soy protein per day.
Since cholesterol is alone begin in aliment of beastly origin, such as meat, eggs and dairy products, vegans do not charge to anguish about cholesterol in the foods they eat.. Grains, legumes, nuts, fruits, vegetables and vegetable oil are all by itself cholesterol free. Conversely, alone vegetarian foods accommodate affection advantageous fiber. Oats, carrots, fruits, and beans are abnormally top in the affectionate of cilia that helps to lower cholesterol levels in the blood.
If you are absorbed in added specific guidelines for a affection advantageous vegetarian diet, the ebook Vegetarian Affable is a acceptable resource. Available at www.d-vegetarian.com, the book provides listings of affection advantageous nutrients as able-bodied as which foods accommodate them and in what amounts. There are aswell dozens of added capacity accoutrement all aspects of the vegetarian affairs and its benefits.
Jen Scott is columnist of the acknowledged new website www.d-vegetarian.com, committed to educating humans about the allowances of accepting a added vegetarian like lifestyle.
Better Chances for Recovery
Doctors, during their years of studying and practice, are taught almost everything they need to know about their field. However, no matter how expert medical practitioners may be, they still cannot make certain the future outcomes of their treatments. The highest that they can do is make predictions of the possible developments of their patients' conditions. They make a prognosis of their patient's case based on positive and negative factors. A prognosis is an estimation of the extent of development that a patient will achieve.
Take for example the case of people with depression. They are usually prescribed with medications like Prozac, Fluoxetine, or Effexor. However, medications are usually not enough for a long-term, successful recovery of patients with this condition. Usually, doctors advice their patients to undergo psychotherapy sessions to support the positive effects of the medication and further improve the patient's condition for a long-term basis.
Some individuals believe that medications and psychotherapy should be taken or undergone separately. This means that treatments for depression are either-or situations. This particular belief may simply stem from reasons such as financial limitations or personal preferences. However, most medical professionals will suggest that a combined treatment of medications and therapy will result to more stable and long-term outcomes. When a doctor's suggestion and a patient's financial situation or personal opinion does not agree, this usually poses a limitation on the patient's condition. This is not to say that doctors are always right about their suggestions, which is why it is also usually necessary to obtain secondary opinions from other medical experts. However, most suggestions made by physicians are based on their evaluation of how their patient's conditions can be best improved or treated. They usually set goals for their patients which, by the way, should always be discussed, planned, and set with the consent of the patient himself/herself.
One possible reason why doctors prefer simultaneous treatment administration of medications and psychotherapy is because medications alone, when used as treatment for depression, have a high tendency of relapse or recurrence of depression upon its termination. Some studies indicate that regression of previously treated patients back to their depressed situations are prevented and their chances of relapsing are lessened when they undergo psychotherapy sessions together with or after their use of anti-depressant medications. Also, the risk of committing suicides among the population suffering from depression is managed better by psychotherapy. Lastly, through undergoing therapy sessions, individuals with depression learn how to deal with stress, disappointments, loss, and other psychosocial issues that usually trigger or worsen their condition.
Thus, even if doctors cannot assure a patient's full and successful recovery after treatment, they are still able to plan out certain treatment strategies to increase the patient's chances of achieving this goal. Sometimes, medications like Prozac in the case of individuals with depression may not suffice alone. Supporting treatment approaches and strategies are, therefore, incorporated in the plan to make the patient's prognosis better. The only disadvantages in this situation are the patient's financial limitations as well as some of their personal preferences.
Take for example the case of people with depression. They are usually prescribed with medications like Prozac, Fluoxetine, or Effexor. However, medications are usually not enough for a long-term, successful recovery of patients with this condition. Usually, doctors advice their patients to undergo psychotherapy sessions to support the positive effects of the medication and further improve the patient's condition for a long-term basis.
Some individuals believe that medications and psychotherapy should be taken or undergone separately. This means that treatments for depression are either-or situations. This particular belief may simply stem from reasons such as financial limitations or personal preferences. However, most medical professionals will suggest that a combined treatment of medications and therapy will result to more stable and long-term outcomes. When a doctor's suggestion and a patient's financial situation or personal opinion does not agree, this usually poses a limitation on the patient's condition. This is not to say that doctors are always right about their suggestions, which is why it is also usually necessary to obtain secondary opinions from other medical experts. However, most suggestions made by physicians are based on their evaluation of how their patient's conditions can be best improved or treated. They usually set goals for their patients which, by the way, should always be discussed, planned, and set with the consent of the patient himself/herself.
One possible reason why doctors prefer simultaneous treatment administration of medications and psychotherapy is because medications alone, when used as treatment for depression, have a high tendency of relapse or recurrence of depression upon its termination. Some studies indicate that regression of previously treated patients back to their depressed situations are prevented and their chances of relapsing are lessened when they undergo psychotherapy sessions together with or after their use of anti-depressant medications. Also, the risk of committing suicides among the population suffering from depression is managed better by psychotherapy. Lastly, through undergoing therapy sessions, individuals with depression learn how to deal with stress, disappointments, loss, and other psychosocial issues that usually trigger or worsen their condition.
Thus, even if doctors cannot assure a patient's full and successful recovery after treatment, they are still able to plan out certain treatment strategies to increase the patient's chances of achieving this goal. Sometimes, medications like Prozac in the case of individuals with depression may not suffice alone. Supporting treatment approaches and strategies are, therefore, incorporated in the plan to make the patient's prognosis better. The only disadvantages in this situation are the patient's financial limitations as well as some of their personal preferences.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Stay Healthy in an Unhealthy World
It is not that the world is unhealthy per se…but there is lots of unhealthy temptation around as well as unhealthy environments. There are many ways to eat better, exercise, avoid unhealthy places, and take care of yourself in simple ways.
The food situation is a big one. Must one purchase everything organic to be healthy? What are the most important products to purchase organic? Dairy products take front and center. Purchasing organic dairy products you are avoiding many unhealthy hormones.
When dining out stay away from the smoking areas, soon that won’t even be an issue as everyplace will be smoke free soon. Make wise selections and give some thought to making those splurges. My favorite rule is always eat what you love or don’t waste the calories.
Do some studying into supplements and vitamins and research what might be best for you in for any lacks you may have. Also talk with your health provider before embarking on a new regime.
Wear Sun Block when outside, and get as much fresh air as possible.
Exercise…just walking is your best bet. It is free and requires no equipment, and plan to do it everyday. Also stretch and use light weights for resistance training…All of this requires no gym membership.
Managing stress…First of all do not watch the stock market report daily…That will get anyone’s heart racing. Don’t put your head in the sand, and limit your news watching or listening as much as possible
Take time out for five minutes of meditation which just means breathing out four times and in a quiet spot. The show is a great place for this for busy people. This is a great way to start the day.
Develop a personal thought that is positive and loving, and let it run through your head as much as possible throughout the day.
Stay in touch with friends and family. Social activity and interaction keeps you alive and alert.
Brain health: Do something new today; learn something new whenever you are able, and do puzzles, games that are fun.
Breathe deeply often. This keeps you calm and centered.
We live in an imperfect world, and we all have our daily challenges. Take time out to give thanks for all you have.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/anti-aging-articles/stay-healthy-in-an-unhealthy-world-635230.html
The food situation is a big one. Must one purchase everything organic to be healthy? What are the most important products to purchase organic? Dairy products take front and center. Purchasing organic dairy products you are avoiding many unhealthy hormones.
When dining out stay away from the smoking areas, soon that won’t even be an issue as everyplace will be smoke free soon. Make wise selections and give some thought to making those splurges. My favorite rule is always eat what you love or don’t waste the calories.
Do some studying into supplements and vitamins and research what might be best for you in for any lacks you may have. Also talk with your health provider before embarking on a new regime.
Wear Sun Block when outside, and get as much fresh air as possible.
Exercise…just walking is your best bet. It is free and requires no equipment, and plan to do it everyday. Also stretch and use light weights for resistance training…All of this requires no gym membership.
Managing stress…First of all do not watch the stock market report daily…That will get anyone’s heart racing. Don’t put your head in the sand, and limit your news watching or listening as much as possible
Take time out for five minutes of meditation which just means breathing out four times and in a quiet spot. The show is a great place for this for busy people. This is a great way to start the day.
Develop a personal thought that is positive and loving, and let it run through your head as much as possible throughout the day.
Stay in touch with friends and family. Social activity and interaction keeps you alive and alert.
Brain health: Do something new today; learn something new whenever you are able, and do puzzles, games that are fun.
Breathe deeply often. This keeps you calm and centered.
We live in an imperfect world, and we all have our daily challenges. Take time out to give thanks for all you have.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/anti-aging-articles/stay-healthy-in-an-unhealthy-world-635230.html
Thursday, November 6, 2008
5-HTP - Nature's Anti-Depressant
What is 5-HTP?
The Griffonia Extract is affluent in 5-HydroxyTryptophan (5-HTP), which comes from an African vegetable, the Griffonia simplicifolia seed, and contains 30% 5–HTP. 5-HTP is an amino acerbic that is a absolute forerunner of serotonin, an important neurotransmitter accepting affliction abatement and adequate effects. 5-HTP is not present in cogent amounts in a archetypal diet. The animal physique articles 5-HTP from L-tryptophan, a accustomed amino acerbic begin in a lot of comestible proteins. However, bistro aliment that contains L-tryptophan does not decidedly access 5-HTP levels.
5-HTP and Serotonin
5-HTP is the forerunner to serotonin. It improves mood, all-overs and is benign in weight loss. 5-Hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) is an amino acerbic that is the average footfall amid tryptophan and the important academician actinic serotonin. There is a massive bulk of affirmation that suggests that low serotonin levels are a accepted aftereffect of avant-garde living. The affairs and comestible practices of abounding bodies active in this stress-filled era after-effects in bargain levels of serotonin aural the brain.
5-HTP and Carb Cravings
Researchers accept that bare serotonin levels are in allotment amenable for the admiration to overeat. Not surprisingly, adipose individuals who crave carbohydrates usually appearance abnormally low levels of serotonin. Demography a 5-HTP supplement bisected an hour afore a meal can " about-face off" cravings and ache affliction by agriculture the accuracy carbohydrate abhorrence center. In this way 5-HTP can be a abundant asset as allotment of a weight-loss regime.
5-HTP and Addiction
The use of abounding addictive substances, such as tobacco, alcohol, caffeine and assertive narcotics, elevates serotonin levels. When these substances are eliminated, serotonin levels bead drastically, causing all-overs and cravings. Demography 5-HTP can balance serotonin levels and advice abbreviate the affection of withdrawal.
5-HTP and PMS
PMS sufferers address affliction relief, as able-bodied as decreased causticity and affection swings from application 5-HTP. The supplement works by countering the hormone-induced abatement in serotonin levels that action by itself during menstruation.
5-HTP and Sleep
Because of its abstracted effect, abounding await on 5-HTP to allay stress-attacks, as able-bodied as to animate restful sleep. Unlike allaying drugs, 5-HTP is not associated with exceptionable ancillary effects, such as abashed beddy-bye patterns or grogginess. It can be taken consistently one hour afore backward as a antidote for insomnia.
Side Effects
Very top intakes of 5-HTP accept acquired beef jerks in guinea pigs and both beef jerks and diarrhea in mice. Injected 5-HTP has aswell acquired branch accident in rats. To date, these problems accept not been appear in humans. “Serotonin syndrome,” a austere but aberrant action acquired by boundless amounts of serotonin, has not been appear to aftereffect from supplementation with 5-HTP; in approach it could be triggered by the supplement. However, the akin of assimilation at which this baneful aftereffect ability potentially action charcoal unknown.
Warnings
5-HTP should not be taken with antidepressants, weight-control drugs, added serotonin-modifying agents, or substances accepted to could cause alarmist damage, because in these cases 5-HTP may accept boundless effects. Bodies with alarmist ache may not be able to adapt 5-HTP abundantly and those adversity from autoimmune diseases such as scleroderma may be added acute than others, to 5-HTP. These bodies should not yield 5-HTP after consulting a abreast healthcare professional. The assurance of demography 5-HTP during abundance and breast-feeding is not accepted at this time.
Conditions with low serotonin levels helped by 5-HTP:
• Depression
• Obesity
• Carbohydrate craving
• Bulimia
• Insomnia
• Narcolepsy
• Beddy-bye apnea
• Migraine headaches
• Tension headaches
• Chronic circadian headaches
• Premenstrual syndrome
• Fibromyalgia
6 Powerful Tips to a Better Sleep
Many Americans are accepting difficulties falling comatose at night. Instead of sleeping and absent they cycle about in their beds aggravating to abatement asleep. The aftereffect usually is humans not adequate abundant in the morning and annoyed all day. This after-effects in accent and beneath achievement on the job or at home. We accept developed a account of 6 able tips that accept helped us to accomplish bigger sleep.
1) Room temperature: Keeping the temperature in your bedchamber at 70 degrees Fahrenheit or beneath is recommended. Too generally an overheated bedchamber is causing beddy-bye problems. Scientific studies appearance that the physique can bigger relax with temperatures at 70 degrees or hardly below.
2) Reduce caffeine. A contempo abstraction showed that caffeine is not metabolized calmly and fast abundant at night. The furnishings of caffeine endure abundant best than a lot of humans expect. The aftereffect is adversity falling asleep. Studies accept apparent bigger sleeping patterns if no added caffeine is captivated afterwards 6.00 PM.
3) Avoid alcohol. Booze will keeps the physique from extensive the added stages of sleep, area the physique does a lot of of its healing and resting. The aftereffect of bubbler can be a absolute ablaze beddy-bye or adversity falling comatose in general.
4) Beds are for sleeping. If you are acclimated to watch TV in bed or even plan while getting in bed, you may acquisition it abundant harder to relax and to abatement asleep. Remove the TV and do not plan in bed. Beddy-bye requires your academician to boring abeyance and any aberration will could cause sleeping problems.
5) Go to bed at about the aforementioned time every day. Don't change your bedtime aback and forth. Accepting a assertive agenda developed it will be easier to abatement comatose appealing abundant at the aforementioned time every day. A alternating agenda will advice your physique to get into a beddy-bye arrangement and accomplish it easier to abatement asleep.
6) Remove the anxiety alarm from your view. Starring at the time will alone actualize the activity that you accept to sleep, but you are not. These worries will accomplish things even worse. Losing the activity for time by not seeing the absolute and how continued you accept been alive has apparent to advance advantageous sleep.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Aging and the pH miracle diet
When many people hear the word “diet” they immediately think of weight loss. The focus on thinness in our society has equated this word with shedding a few pounds. However, diet really means any food or drinks you put into your body. The diet that you consume has a profound impact on your overall health. The pH miracle diet is not just a diet for weight loss. In fact, the first volume of this popular series was dedicated to health in general. The original pH miracle diet book focuses on many issues, including aging.
What does aging have to do with pH and acid/alkaline foods? Some experts contend that the reason we age has to do entirely with the amount of acidic foods that we eat. The theory is that we get older because we do not effectively get rid of the wastes and toxins that accumulated through our bodies.
We burn nutrients within our cells to get energy, maintain our body temperatures and get our bodies to function correctly. No matter what type of food you eat, vegetable or meat, acid or alkaline, gourmet food or junk food, they are composed of the same elements: carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen and oxygen.
In order to function correctly, the cells use these nutrients. They “oxidize” them or burn them up into natural acids: carbonic acids, uric acids, lactic acids and fatty acids. The cells expel these acids as waste into urine and sweat. When the body is functioning properly and in a balanced manner, these waste acids are no problem. The body can get rid of them quickly and easily, and you can maintain a normal pH of around 7.4.
However, the modern way of living has resulted in our bodies not being able to rid themselves of the acids correctly. Lack of sleep, lack of exercise, overwork, stress, smoking, pollution and high acid diets (heavy in meat and dairy products) all prevent our bodies from properly expelling these acids. There is too much acidic production from these lifestyle and diet factors, and the body simply cannot get rid of it.
Even worse, modern farming and food production practices are making foods more acidic than they used to be. Inorganic acid minerals like chlorine, phosphor and sulfur seep into meats, grains and root crops through soil, air quality and farming practices. We are consuming more inorganic acid minerals than ever before. All of this contributes to our bodies’ inability to rid themselves of acid.
The pH miracle diet is a perfect balance to our over-acidified lives that cause premature aging. Aging occurs because of the build up of acidic elements in the body. Healthy cells naturally have a slightly alkaline pH level, and since acid and alkaline are chemical opposites, high acid levels destroy cells.
In order to stop aging and reverse the affects of acidic damage on the cells, you must start alkalizing your diet according to the principles set out in the pH miracle diet. You must help you body develop a better system to rid itself of the acid wastes. Then you must facilitate it in pulling old wastes out of your body.
The first step requires that you drink plenty of water, especially acid free alkaline water. Just 4 glasses of alkaline water is more effective than 8 glasses of regular water. Water ionizers are available to help you create alkaline water in the comfort of your home. This water will help flush out your system and get rid of the build up acidity within it.
The pH miracle diet also encourages people to eat a higher percentage of alkaline foods in their diet. The alkalizing foods will help restore balance to the body and push the remaining acid waste build up out of the body. According to pH miracle diet fans, the results are a more youthful glow, more energy and a relief from some of the symptoms of aging, like arthritis.
What does aging have to do with pH and acid/alkaline foods? Some experts contend that the reason we age has to do entirely with the amount of acidic foods that we eat. The theory is that we get older because we do not effectively get rid of the wastes and toxins that accumulated through our bodies.
We burn nutrients within our cells to get energy, maintain our body temperatures and get our bodies to function correctly. No matter what type of food you eat, vegetable or meat, acid or alkaline, gourmet food or junk food, they are composed of the same elements: carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen and oxygen.
In order to function correctly, the cells use these nutrients. They “oxidize” them or burn them up into natural acids: carbonic acids, uric acids, lactic acids and fatty acids. The cells expel these acids as waste into urine and sweat. When the body is functioning properly and in a balanced manner, these waste acids are no problem. The body can get rid of them quickly and easily, and you can maintain a normal pH of around 7.4.
However, the modern way of living has resulted in our bodies not being able to rid themselves of the acids correctly. Lack of sleep, lack of exercise, overwork, stress, smoking, pollution and high acid diets (heavy in meat and dairy products) all prevent our bodies from properly expelling these acids. There is too much acidic production from these lifestyle and diet factors, and the body simply cannot get rid of it.
Even worse, modern farming and food production practices are making foods more acidic than they used to be. Inorganic acid minerals like chlorine, phosphor and sulfur seep into meats, grains and root crops through soil, air quality and farming practices. We are consuming more inorganic acid minerals than ever before. All of this contributes to our bodies’ inability to rid themselves of acid.
The pH miracle diet is a perfect balance to our over-acidified lives that cause premature aging. Aging occurs because of the build up of acidic elements in the body. Healthy cells naturally have a slightly alkaline pH level, and since acid and alkaline are chemical opposites, high acid levels destroy cells.
In order to stop aging and reverse the affects of acidic damage on the cells, you must start alkalizing your diet according to the principles set out in the pH miracle diet. You must help you body develop a better system to rid itself of the acid wastes. Then you must facilitate it in pulling old wastes out of your body.
The first step requires that you drink plenty of water, especially acid free alkaline water. Just 4 glasses of alkaline water is more effective than 8 glasses of regular water. Water ionizers are available to help you create alkaline water in the comfort of your home. This water will help flush out your system and get rid of the build up acidity within it.
The pH miracle diet also encourages people to eat a higher percentage of alkaline foods in their diet. The alkalizing foods will help restore balance to the body and push the remaining acid waste build up out of the body. According to pH miracle diet fans, the results are a more youthful glow, more energy and a relief from some of the symptoms of aging, like arthritis.
Cancer and the pH miracle diet
One of the most important points of the pH miracle diet is that cancer can be prevented and reversed by applying the principles of the diet. Although these statements have caused some controversy in the world of health and wellness, many people credit the use of the pH miracle diet in reversing their cancer and improving their overall level of health.
According to Dr. Robert Young, the creator of the pH miracle diet, cancer is not a sickness or a disease as commonly thought. It is an effect of the metabolic acids that are built up in the blood and then released into the tissues. Cancer, according to Dr. Young, is actually an acidic liquid that spills into the cells, tissues and organs. It is not a mutation of the cells.
No condition happens without a cause. There are clear and direct causes for cancer, and as the pH miracle diet books show, the cause for cancer lies in over acidity. Diseases like cancer are due to systemic acidosis, which is extremely low pH (below 7.4). Any pH below 7.0 is considered acidic, and the lower the pH is the higher the acidity level in a person’s body is.
At the cellular level, your cells consume the food that you eat and produce metabolic acids. Those acids are normally expelled by the body through sweat or urine. When you consume a vast amount of acidic foods and lead a lifestyle that produces even more acidity, your body does not know what to do with the rest of the acid waste. When you eat highly acidic foods on a regular basis, your body simply does not have enough energy to get rid of the excess acids. They collect in the body, and create disruptions at the cellular level.
Metabolic acids are first kept in the blood and then they are kept in the tissues. When acid is kept in the tissue, it causes sickness, disease and cancerous tissues. Cancer is the acidic liquid from metabolism that pools in the body. It affects the cells around it and, like a rotten apple in a barrel, the effects spread from cell to cell causing disease. Cancer is not made of mutated cells. The cells themselves do not change form but they are limited in their function due to the presence of excess metabolic acid. There is no such thing as “cancer cells”; the cells are actually normal cells that have become highly acidic.
One of the most surprising parts of the relationship between pH and cancer is that tumors are in fact trying to help the body. They form in areas where the metabolic acid is becoming rampant and effecting cellular function. Tumors are your body’s attempt to prevent the spreading of the acidic cells to other parts of the body. The tumor is actually a signpost to where your body is collecting excess metabolic acid. Some people are genetically predisposed to collect metabolic acid in certain places. This is why some families have a history of, for example, breast cancer.
The tumors themselves are not the problem, but are just signs of what is going wrong in that part of the body. When cancer metastasizes, it is a sign of the acidic condition moving to other cells and making them acidic as well.
Cancer is not something that people get out of the blue. Cancer forming in the body is a sign of the choices that we make in what we eat, what we drink and how we live. An alkaline lifestyle that focuses on an alkaline diet and other calming behaviors will be much less likely to produce cancer, if it does at all. An acidic lifestyle and diet will be full of the pains of the build up of metabolic acid which can, in extremes, lead to cancer.
That is exciting news because it means that cancer is preventable and treatable. A cancer patient can start taking steps toward reversing the effects of cancer and preventing the spread of it. His or her alkaline centered diet may be more aggressive than someone’s who is just trying to get better overall health. However, by applying the principles of the pH miracle diet they can effectively reduce, control and eliminate cancer from their bodies.
According to Dr. Robert Young, the creator of the pH miracle diet, cancer is not a sickness or a disease as commonly thought. It is an effect of the metabolic acids that are built up in the blood and then released into the tissues. Cancer, according to Dr. Young, is actually an acidic liquid that spills into the cells, tissues and organs. It is not a mutation of the cells.
No condition happens without a cause. There are clear and direct causes for cancer, and as the pH miracle diet books show, the cause for cancer lies in over acidity. Diseases like cancer are due to systemic acidosis, which is extremely low pH (below 7.4). Any pH below 7.0 is considered acidic, and the lower the pH is the higher the acidity level in a person’s body is.
At the cellular level, your cells consume the food that you eat and produce metabolic acids. Those acids are normally expelled by the body through sweat or urine. When you consume a vast amount of acidic foods and lead a lifestyle that produces even more acidity, your body does not know what to do with the rest of the acid waste. When you eat highly acidic foods on a regular basis, your body simply does not have enough energy to get rid of the excess acids. They collect in the body, and create disruptions at the cellular level.
Metabolic acids are first kept in the blood and then they are kept in the tissues. When acid is kept in the tissue, it causes sickness, disease and cancerous tissues. Cancer is the acidic liquid from metabolism that pools in the body. It affects the cells around it and, like a rotten apple in a barrel, the effects spread from cell to cell causing disease. Cancer is not made of mutated cells. The cells themselves do not change form but they are limited in their function due to the presence of excess metabolic acid. There is no such thing as “cancer cells”; the cells are actually normal cells that have become highly acidic.
One of the most surprising parts of the relationship between pH and cancer is that tumors are in fact trying to help the body. They form in areas where the metabolic acid is becoming rampant and effecting cellular function. Tumors are your body’s attempt to prevent the spreading of the acidic cells to other parts of the body. The tumor is actually a signpost to where your body is collecting excess metabolic acid. Some people are genetically predisposed to collect metabolic acid in certain places. This is why some families have a history of, for example, breast cancer.
The tumors themselves are not the problem, but are just signs of what is going wrong in that part of the body. When cancer metastasizes, it is a sign of the acidic condition moving to other cells and making them acidic as well.
Cancer is not something that people get out of the blue. Cancer forming in the body is a sign of the choices that we make in what we eat, what we drink and how we live. An alkaline lifestyle that focuses on an alkaline diet and other calming behaviors will be much less likely to produce cancer, if it does at all. An acidic lifestyle and diet will be full of the pains of the build up of metabolic acid which can, in extremes, lead to cancer.
That is exciting news because it means that cancer is preventable and treatable. A cancer patient can start taking steps toward reversing the effects of cancer and preventing the spread of it. His or her alkaline centered diet may be more aggressive than someone’s who is just trying to get better overall health. However, by applying the principles of the pH miracle diet they can effectively reduce, control and eliminate cancer from their bodies.
Sugar and the pH miracle diet
The pH diet stresses a balanced approach to eating. By limiting the intake of acidic foods and increasing the intake of alkaline foods one can achieve optimum health. One of the main factors in the fight against acidic pH levels is sugar. Sugar is an epidemic in our modern world. The average American consumes 2 to 3 pounds of sugar each week, that translates to over 135 pounds of sugar per person per year. This alarming number is attributed to the wide popularity of sugar as an additive. Sugar is in everything, hiding in various forms. Sucrose, dextrose, and high fructose corn syrups are active ingredient in all processed food and condiments. These highly refined sweeteners leave a bitter taste in the mouths of those who are starting out on the pH diet due to their universal acceptance as a “necessary evil’
With sugar’s radical effect on insulin levels, the body has no fighting chance against the damage. When insulin levels drop; so do the release of growth hormone. These growth hormones depress the immune system that leaves the body open to a host of diseases and maladies. Insulin also inhibits the body’s ability to fight off weight gain and elevated triglyceride levels. Put quite simply, the higher in simple sugars a food is, the more likely it will promote fat storage in the body. These stored fat cells play a host to acidic waste that in turn degrade the structure of red blood cells in the bloodstream.
Sugar also fights for control of the cellular development in the body with Vitamin C. From a structural standpoint, Vitamin C and Simple Sugar are quite similar. As sugar levels go up in the body, they compete with one another when they enter cells. If there is a higher concentration of sugar in the bloodstream which will allow more sugar into thirsty cells leaving little to no room for Vitamin C. Without the phagocytizing effects of Vitamn C on cellular structures they are unable to fend off the attacks of viruses and bacteria. Lower white blood cell counts equal a suppressed immune system that isn’t strong enough to protect the body.
Sugar is devoid of vitamins and minerals and upon absorption steals vital micro-nutrients to help it metabolize into the system. A deficit is created when these micro-nutrients are not replaced. This deficiency causes fat cells and cholesterol to not be metabolized thus leading to high blood pressure and obesity. The ability of sugar to raise insulin levels artificially eventually leaves the pancreas dysfunctional and the body dependent on sugar. This is commonly referred to as diabetes. Simple sugars have also been attributed to gallstones, mood disorders, heart disease and even asthma. With all of the negative effects that sugars have been clinically linked to, is it any wonder that sugar is also one of the most acidic things you can put into your body.
Cancer is the most dangerous result of heavy sugar dependence. Cancerous cells thrive on lactic acid. This lactic acid produced by fermenting glucose is transported into the liver. A more acidic PH is produced by this buildup of lactic acid in the cancerous cells, the highly acidic nature of cancerous tumors is testament to this. The connection between sugars and unhealthy acidic levels in the bloodstream is clearly drawn through the connection of glucose (sugar) and cancerous cells. Simple sugars are quite simply a poison to the body that will eventually deteriorate the quality of cellular development and suppress the immune system to the point of failure.
By balancing the diet with an 80% alkaline and 20% acid induction of foods, supplements, and beverages you can decrease the risk of disease in the body. By replacing simple sugars with more complex ones or alkaline-based sweeteners such as Stevia, one can decrease the dependence on simple sugars and avoid bad health. Look carefully at ingredient labels and be aware of the many names that simple sugars hide behind. Become educated on how the body metabolizes simple sugars, as well as how carbohydrates can be broken down into simple sugars in the bloodstream. By arming yourself with information you can improve the quality of your life.
With sugar’s radical effect on insulin levels, the body has no fighting chance against the damage. When insulin levels drop; so do the release of growth hormone. These growth hormones depress the immune system that leaves the body open to a host of diseases and maladies. Insulin also inhibits the body’s ability to fight off weight gain and elevated triglyceride levels. Put quite simply, the higher in simple sugars a food is, the more likely it will promote fat storage in the body. These stored fat cells play a host to acidic waste that in turn degrade the structure of red blood cells in the bloodstream.
Sugar also fights for control of the cellular development in the body with Vitamin C. From a structural standpoint, Vitamin C and Simple Sugar are quite similar. As sugar levels go up in the body, they compete with one another when they enter cells. If there is a higher concentration of sugar in the bloodstream which will allow more sugar into thirsty cells leaving little to no room for Vitamin C. Without the phagocytizing effects of Vitamn C on cellular structures they are unable to fend off the attacks of viruses and bacteria. Lower white blood cell counts equal a suppressed immune system that isn’t strong enough to protect the body.
Sugar is devoid of vitamins and minerals and upon absorption steals vital micro-nutrients to help it metabolize into the system. A deficit is created when these micro-nutrients are not replaced. This deficiency causes fat cells and cholesterol to not be metabolized thus leading to high blood pressure and obesity. The ability of sugar to raise insulin levels artificially eventually leaves the pancreas dysfunctional and the body dependent on sugar. This is commonly referred to as diabetes. Simple sugars have also been attributed to gallstones, mood disorders, heart disease and even asthma. With all of the negative effects that sugars have been clinically linked to, is it any wonder that sugar is also one of the most acidic things you can put into your body.
Cancer is the most dangerous result of heavy sugar dependence. Cancerous cells thrive on lactic acid. This lactic acid produced by fermenting glucose is transported into the liver. A more acidic PH is produced by this buildup of lactic acid in the cancerous cells, the highly acidic nature of cancerous tumors is testament to this. The connection between sugars and unhealthy acidic levels in the bloodstream is clearly drawn through the connection of glucose (sugar) and cancerous cells. Simple sugars are quite simply a poison to the body that will eventually deteriorate the quality of cellular development and suppress the immune system to the point of failure.
By balancing the diet with an 80% alkaline and 20% acid induction of foods, supplements, and beverages you can decrease the risk of disease in the body. By replacing simple sugars with more complex ones or alkaline-based sweeteners such as Stevia, one can decrease the dependence on simple sugars and avoid bad health. Look carefully at ingredient labels and be aware of the many names that simple sugars hide behind. Become educated on how the body metabolizes simple sugars, as well as how carbohydrates can be broken down into simple sugars in the bloodstream. By arming yourself with information you can improve the quality of your life.
Stress and the pH miracle diet
The pH miracle diet is a new way to look at how you eat. By addressing each food, beverage, supplement, and additive by it’s acidic or alkaline signature a balance can be negotiated. Our bodies work according to the pH scale, which works on a range of 1 to 14. A ranking of 1 on this scale denotes a high level of acid while a ranking of 14 indicates that there is a high concentration of alkaline present. A ranking of 7 on the pH scale represents neutrality in pH. The blood in the human bloodstream regulates at the level of 7.35, which is mildly alkaline. The pH miracle diet advocates keeping the intake of food into your body in line with this optimum level. The method of implementation is quite simple, by coordinating an eating planned structured around a comprehensive list of foods, and supplements you can create an effective strategy to lower acidity in your body.
Alkaline intake will counter act this stored acidity by being metabolized and neutralizing them at the source. With balance as the benchmark for a workable health plan; constant monitoring of the body’s pH levels is essential. Saliva pH test strips with a base range of 4.5 to 8.5 will allow for accurate readings that can assist you in making the proper adjustments to your diet. Even with all of this knowledge and action there are outside influences that will affect your body’s acid production. These outside factors will greatly determine how you will implement the alkalizing foods and supplements. The most significant of these external factors will be stress.
Stress is ubiquitous, it is everywhere and it affects everyone. This universal problem has a very traumatic effect on your body. The body works overtime to combat stress that in turn creates more stress. This vicious cycle is propagated by an increase in acid production. As stated previously, acid is a detriment to your body. When the body is overly acidic it does not run well, on the cellular level, the body cannot maintain the immune system. The circulation is adversely affected with the heart having to compensate by working harder. With the heart beating at a higher rate to push this sticky blood through the bloodstream many of these sticky cell clumps break free from the path and attach themselves to the arterial walls creating further slowdowns in the circulation. Your body needs blood to function if the blood reaching the cells and organs are of poor quality this can have serious repercussions. Stress is an acid-producing killer.
There are many techniques in addition to diet that can help in your quest for a balanced pH level. Getting the adequate rest is always the best way to achieve stress relief, as well as meditation which can be two to three times more restful and rejuvenating than actual sleep. Limiting the intake of caffeine and other stimulants also works toward lowering stress in the body by removing these narcotics from the equation. At the heart of stress reduction is eating more foods that are alkaline in nature that will neutralize the acid waste in the body. Exercising is by far the most effective way to receive direct stress relief, and will also help reduce the fat stores of the body where acid waste inhabits in abundance.
Alkaline intake will counter act this stored acidity by being metabolized and neutralizing them at the source. With balance as the benchmark for a workable health plan; constant monitoring of the body’s pH levels is essential. Saliva pH test strips with a base range of 4.5 to 8.5 will allow for accurate readings that can assist you in making the proper adjustments to your diet. Even with all of this knowledge and action there are outside influences that will affect your body’s acid production. These outside factors will greatly determine how you will implement the alkalizing foods and supplements. The most significant of these external factors will be stress.
Stress is ubiquitous, it is everywhere and it affects everyone. This universal problem has a very traumatic effect on your body. The body works overtime to combat stress that in turn creates more stress. This vicious cycle is propagated by an increase in acid production. As stated previously, acid is a detriment to your body. When the body is overly acidic it does not run well, on the cellular level, the body cannot maintain the immune system. The circulation is adversely affected with the heart having to compensate by working harder. With the heart beating at a higher rate to push this sticky blood through the bloodstream many of these sticky cell clumps break free from the path and attach themselves to the arterial walls creating further slowdowns in the circulation. Your body needs blood to function if the blood reaching the cells and organs are of poor quality this can have serious repercussions. Stress is an acid-producing killer.
There are many techniques in addition to diet that can help in your quest for a balanced pH level. Getting the adequate rest is always the best way to achieve stress relief, as well as meditation which can be two to three times more restful and rejuvenating than actual sleep. Limiting the intake of caffeine and other stimulants also works toward lowering stress in the body by removing these narcotics from the equation. At the heart of stress reduction is eating more foods that are alkaline in nature that will neutralize the acid waste in the body. Exercising is by far the most effective way to receive direct stress relief, and will also help reduce the fat stores of the body where acid waste inhabits in abundance.
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