liver

Rosemary has Anti-Cancer Properties

The same rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) used by the Romans to improve memory is also under investigation as a potent anti-cancer therapy. These anti-cancer properties are probably associated with rosemary's anti-oxidant property, which is more effective than typical food additives such as BHT and BHA.
Additionally, rosemary has anti-inflammatory activity, an activity that researchers are now finding often correlates with anti-cancer activity. This was demonstrated in an experiment that showed that carnosol, a component of rosemary, was able to reduce the amount of nitric oxide production in mice cells.2 Nitric oxide, which is released during inflammation, is a free radical that can damage DNA. Because cancer is often associated with states of chronic inflammation, some physicians recommend anti-inflammatory drugs such as aspirin and sulindac for the prevention of colon cancer. Active constituents of rosemary include carnosol, carnosic acid, ursolic acid, betulinic acid, rosmaridiphenol and rosmanol, most of which are present in the essential oil fraction.
Several studies have indicated that rosemary can prevent the binding of cancer causing chemicals (carcinogens) to cellular DNA. Binding of a carcinogen to DNA, leads to mutations in the DNA, and is an early step in the development of cancer. In one report, researchers compared the effects of whole rosemary extracts with the purified rosemary components, carnosol and ursolic acid, on breast cancer in rats. They found that whole rosemary extract given in the diet prevented the binding of the known carcinogen, 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene, (otherwise known as DMBA) to DNA in breast cells.4 Carnosol was also able to prevent binding, but to a lesser extent, whereas ursolic acid had little effect. Similar results were seen in the actual formation of breast tumors in these rats with both rosemary and carnosol decreasing tumor formation by 37%, while the groups receiving ursolic acid showed little reduction in the amount of tumors formed. These results are similar to previous results showing that rosemary extracts can decrease skin tumors in mice caused by certain carcinogens.
These results were confirmed by a later study also showing that rosemary could prevent breast cancer caused by administration of DMBA. Rats fed 1% rosemary in their diet for two weeks prior to the administration of DMBA had 76% less of the carcinogen bound to DNA compared to rats fed a control diet.5 This effect was also present when excess fat was added to the diet which increased the amount of carcinogen bound to DNA. High fat diets are known to be associated with a higher risk for breast cancer. Significant effects were also seen with only 0.5% rosemary in the diet. Similar results have been found using human bronchial cells and liver cells. In these experiments the DNA binding of the carcinogens aflatoxin and benzo(a)pyrene were also shown to be inhibited by rosemary extract. This indicates that the protective effect of rosemary is not just associated with DMBA and probably goes beyond just breast cancer.
Besides acting by preventing binding of carcinogens to the DNA, rosemary can also affect the metabolism of some carcinogens in a way that decreases their toxicity. Enzymes found in the liver, known as P450, glutathione S-transferases (GSH), and quinone reductases (QR) can affect the toxicity of some chemicals. Although the main role of the liver P450 enzymes is to detoxify compounds, the aromatic hydrocarbons such as DMBA are actually activated into much more potent carcinogens. Thus, DMBA, benzo[a]pyrene and aflatoxin are considered pro-carcinogens rather than direct acting carcinogens. The second group of enzymes, GSH and QR, act by detoxifying these active carcinogenic metabolites and thus protect against cancer. When rats were fed diets containing whole rosemary extract, the enzymes GST and QR were increased significantly compared to controls. 6 Animals fed carnosol in their diet did not exhibit an increase in these liver enzymes. These experiments show that rosemary has a protective effect by increasing the amount of enzymes that the liver uses for detoxification of cancer causing chemicals, and that the effect of whole rosemary is greater than that of its component, carnosol.
Similar experiments using human bronchial cells and liver cells in tissue culture have shown that rosemary extract, carnosol and carnosic acid were all able to reduce the levels of P450 enzymes after treatment with benzo(a)pyrene or aflatoxin B1.7 In bronchial cells, rosemary extract, carnosol and carnosic acid were able stimulate the QR and GST enzymes after treatment with benzo(a)pyrene. Therefore, by decreasing the enzymes that can convert procarcinogens to a more potent carcinogen and increasing enzymes that can inactivate carcinogens, rosemary components have a protective effect on cancers.
In summary, two separate mechanisms have been identified to explain the anti-carcinogenic properties of rosemary; blocking carcinogen binding to DNA, and modifying metabolic enzymes to decrease the toxicity of a carcinogen. Although the anti-cancer properties of rosemary have been clearly demonstrated in animal studies, these have not yet led to human trials. Since whole rosemary seems to be as beneficial or more beneficial than isolated components that have been examined to date, the addition of rosemary to one's diet may have more benefit than just as a food flavoring or preservative.

Learn more about ROSEMARY here.

Thank you:  Cindy L. A. Jones, Ph.D.  Published in Nutrition Science News, 1998.

1. Chan, M. M-Y. Ho C-T. And Huang, H-I. Effects of three dietary phytochemicals from tea, rosemary and turmeric on inflammation-induced nitrite production. Cancer Letters 96:23-29, 1995.
2. Offord, E.A., Mace, K., et al., Rosemary components inhibit benzo(a)pyrene-induced genotoxicity in human bronchial cells. Carcinogenesis 16:2057-2062.
3. Ho, C-H, Ferraro, T., et al, A Phytochemicals in tea and rosemary and their cancer-preventive properties,@ In Ho, C-T, Osawa, T., et al ed., Food Phytochemicals for Cancer Prevention II:2-19. Washington, DC: American Chemical Society, 1994.
4. Amagase, H., Sakamoto, K., et al, Dietary rosemary suppresses 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene binding to rat mammary cell DNA. J. Nutr. 126:1475-1480, 1996.
5. Singletary, K., MacDonald, C., and Wallig, M. Inhibition by rosemary and carnosol of 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA)-induced rat mammary tumorigenesis and in vivo DMBA-DNA adduct formation. Cancer Letters 104:43-48, 1996.
6. Singletary, K.W., Rosemary extract and carnosol stimulate rat liver glutathione-S-transferase and quinone reductase activities. Cancer Letters 100:139-144, 1996.
7. Offord, E. A., Mace, K. Et al. Mechanisms involved in the chemoprotective effects of rosemary extract studied in human liver and bronchial cells. Cancer Letters 114:275-281, 1997.

Wake Up Aromatherapy for Valentine's Day

Will you be our valentine?

Love is in the air!   With cupid on the horizon I thought it would be a good time to wake up and invigorate your passion for those you LoVe!

Rosemary Essential Oil goes deep into history dating back to the Middle Ages where it was used to protect against the plague.  It is also known to be one of the earliest plants to be used for food and medicine.
Let us take a closer look at the essential oil form of Rosemary and ways to incorporate it in your daily life for healing.

ROSEMARY “Invigorating” -

Mind

  • Aids memory loss and concentration; Can help Alzheimer’s
  • Boosts confidence
  • Helps dispel grief

Body

  • An astringent, analgesic, anti-infectious, and bactericide
    • Scalp stimulant for dandruff; Encourages hair growth
  • Relieves gout, rheumatoid arthritis, headaches, migraines, cramps, and colitis
  • Liver decongestant for gallstones, and jaundice; Circulatory stimulant that raises blood pressure
  • Other uses for Rosemary include: nerve stimulant and expectorant
  • A mild pain reliever easing headaches, acute injuries and cramps

Spirit

  • Opens the third eye and heart charkas
  • Expands the conscious and instills loyalty and wisdom
  • Used in anointing, blessing, consecration, healing, casting out, protection, and purification ceremonies

Click Here to learn more health benefits and ways to use Rosemary in your daily life.

Suggested Uses: Use in a diffuser and cleanse the air in your home. Our recommendation for a FaBulOuS Diffuser, is HERE.

Put 2 or 3 drops in the bottom of the shower before showering to help break up congestion.

Add a drop to a towel or tissue and inhale to encourage focus and concentration.

Add  a few drops to the scalp with jojoba oil for scalp and hair growth stimulation, or drop to an application of shampoo to encourage a healthy dandruff-free scalp.

Kasia Apothecary Essential Oils and Blends are GC/MS tested for purity and are of therapeutic quality.

Green Tea Aids Weight Loss, Belly Fat, and more!

Here is good news for everyone as we recover from the holiday season. Not only is organic green tea an excellent anti-cancer nutrient,  but it is also beneficial for weight loss. The American Journal of College Nutrition reported in 2010 that four cups of green tea, daily for eight weeks is excellent for fat burning. Thirty-five obese subjects found that this amount significantly decreased body weight and body mass index (BMI). Green tea also improved the subjects’ cholesterol readings and reduced the oxidation of blood fats, which is a marker of aging. Last year, another study in the Journal of Nutrition found that a daily dose of 625 green tea catechins (an active ingredient) with 40 mg of caffeine enhanced weight loss and lowered blood fats (triglycerides) when combined with 25 minutes of daily exercise.

Specifically, it was fat around the belly that experienced the greatest reduction. This makes sense because high insulin is a prime contributor to belly fat, and green tea extract helps to balance insulin function and production. Insulin is produced by the pancreas to push glucose (sugar) from the blood into our cells. If cells become immune to insulin’s action, which often occurs, this results in excess insulin in the blood. In women, when insulin is elevated, it causes a further increase in male hormones. Classic symptoms of elevated insulin and male hormones include excess middle weight gain, acne, male-pattern facial hair growth (e.g. hair above the lip and on the chin), skin tags, diabetes and pre-diabetes.  (Reference: Lorna Vanderhaeghe)

Cherry Lemongrass Bloom Sencha:  Green Tea

Partner in PROMOTING Healthy Skin & Wrinkles Prevention!

The following benefits are derived from the antioxidant flavonoids and polyphenols, preventing free radicals.  Green tea finds and terminates these free radicals and helps promote healthy, smooth skin.

Health benefits attributed to Kasia Cherry Lemongrass Bloom Sencha:  Green Tea

  • prevention of atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease.
  • prevention of strokes.
  • preventing cancers and reduction of tumors.
  • strengthening the immune system.
  • help in the treatment of diabetes.
  • aid in weight loss efforts.
  • repairing skin damage.
  • fight tooth decay.
  • Fights rheumatoid arthritis.
  • lower stress.
  • protects the liver and kidneys.

Small Batch * Artisan * Fair Trade  *  50 cups per 4 oz tin

Kasia is committed, in partnership, to Fair-trade and Artisan practices to bring you ingredients that are designed and hand-blended in small batches by companies that are operated and owned by families carrying on time-honored traditions, ensuring freshness and one-of-a-kind quality.  Completely natural with no artificial coloring, preservatives or flavoring. Dried fruit pieces, nuts, herbal tisanes, and botanicals add amazing flavor and aroma.

Loose Leaf Tea VS Bagged Tea:

Loose leaf teas simply offer the best variety, quality, and freshness. “When you are buying a bagged tea, the tea is obscured by the bag. Many low quality teas (even ‘tea dust’) are sold in bags so that you don’t realize the quality, and are subject to going stale faster than loose leaf tea.”

Learn more about our other three other Kasia Beautiful Health Artisan  Tea's HERE!

Why We Need To Remove Toxic Chemicals From Our Bodies

We live in a toxic world.

By simply avoiding toxic chemicals in your home and specifically taking an action that removes toxic chemicals from my body, one should experience these improvements:

* sleeping more deeply and getting a full night’s rest * waking up refreshed and rested

* having good energy, but not hyper

* clear mind

* feeling happy and cheerful

* feeling like I have the energy to do whatever I want

* digestive tract improvement

* suddenly scheduling evening social activities instead of resting

* getting a lot of work done

* not feeling stressed

* don't feel like I'm "slogging through the mud"

* eyesight noticeably better

* wanting to go for a walk instead of making myself exercise * increased strength and muscle development without exercise * feeling more alive and vibrant * skin is very soft and smooth, a noticeable change

* lost six pounds in one week with no exercise or change of diet

* feeling like I can take on more and bigger projects

Avoiding new chemical exposures in my home got my body from being disabled to functional, detoxing my body to remove the chemicals stored in my body from past exposures is bringing my body closer to its natural state of good health.

Our Toxic World

We can take control of the toxic chemicals we are exposed to at home, but the minute we walk out the door we encounter all kinds of toxic chemicals from pesticides spraying, automobile and commercial vehicle exhaust, airplane exhaust, incinerator emissions, manufacturing smokestacks and other industrial sources. As soon as we walk into a building, we’re likely to be hit with toxic emissions from building materials, carpets, pesticides, and cleaning products.

And the world has been toxic for at least as long as I’ve been alive. Rachel Carson wrote about the poisoning of songbirds by carcinogenic DDT in 1962, when I was seven years old. But researchers had already found residues of DDT in human fat in 1944. Before I was born, DDT had already been detected in Antarctic penguins living thousands of miles from the locations were the pesticide was being used.

In 2005, Environmental Working Group established that toxic industrial chemicals can be transferred from mother to baby before birth via the umbilical cord blood, proving that babies are now being born contaminated with toxic chemicals. But babies didn’t start being born contaminated in 2005. I suspect now that I was born contaminated way back in 1955. Toxic chemicals were already in consumer products and the environment then. We just didn’t know about them or their devastating effects.

So even if we remove toxic chemicals from our homes—where we have our greatest and most immediate toxic exposures—we still have already been exposed to toxic substances for most or all of our entire lives and continue to be exposed to toxic chemicals out in the world each day.

This is just the reality of today’s world. There is no place on Earth that is 100% pristine, nor any product that is 100% pure.

We cannot avoid 100% of toxic chemicals that exist in the world today.

But until we remove toxic industrial chemicals from our Earth, there are things we can do to protect our health from this onslaught of poisons.

Learn about our Infrared Sauna for Detoxification at Kasia HERE

Your Body's Detoxification System

To sustain life, our body systems need inputs of food, water, and air and--equally as important—they need to eliminate wastes. When we don't eliminate wastes from our bodies, it's like having the garbage in our homes pile up because we haven't put it outside in the garbage can to be taken away. Not a very pretty sight either way.

Many millennia ago, when our bodies were designed to flourish in the larger web of life, the only wastes the body had to deal with were natural ones:

* metabolic wastes generated by body functions * foreign invaders, such as bacteria, viruses, mold, pollen and other natural materials * natural poisons, such as spider and snake bites, and toxic chemicals in smoke

Because our bodies need to eliminate things that don’t belong in them, they have natural systems of purification and elimination to keep the whole body system running smoothly. Toxic chemicals enter the body through being injected into the skin (such as drugs), ingested through the mouth (such as pesticides in food), absorption through the skin (such as chlorine while taking a shower or swimming in a pool) and inhalation through the nose (such as toxic chemicals in cleaning products). Toxic chemicals then enter the bloodstream, which carries them to all parts of the body. Then they exit the body through the kidneys via urine, through the liver via bile which goes into the intestines and leaves the body through feces, through the skin via sweat, and through the lungs as we breathe.

How toxic chemicals in consumer products and in the environment affect the health of your individual body depends entirely on the condition of your body’s detoxification system.

Body Burden

If your body’s detoxification system is not working well, or is insufficient for the amount of chemicals you are exposed to, then the toxic chemicals that come into your body will not be excreted, but instead will be stored in your fat, semen, breast milk, muscles, bones, brain, liver and other organs.The total amount of these chemicals that are being stored in your body at a given point in time is called your “body burden.”

Various chemicals move through your body at different rates. Arsenic, for example, is mostly excreted within 72 hours of exposure. Some pesticides can remain in your body for 50 years. Of course, how quickly chemicals are removed from your body depends on the condition of your body’s detoxification system and the amount of toxic chemicals you are exposed to. When you are continuously exposed to toxic chemicals, more toxic chemicals enter the body than can be removed by your detoxification system, and body burden results.

Approximately 80,000 industrial chemicals are used in the United States. We are exposed to these chemicals through the consumer products we use and from the air, water, and soil pollution put into the environment by their manufacture.

Scientists say that everyone alive today is contaminated with at least 700 toxic chemicals in their bodies. It doesn’t matter where you live or what you do. Just being on this planet, every body is contaminated.

In recent years it has become abundantly clear that we are being exposed to more toxic chemicals than our bodies can eliminate. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is now monitoring the body burden of the US population, taking samples every two years.

EPA biopsies of human fat show that 100% of human bodies have carcinogenic PCBs, styrene, dichlorobenzene, xylene and dioxins stockpiled in their fat.

The condition of your detoxification system determines how much of each chemical is eliminated from the body versus how much is stored, and where in the body it is stored.

Toxic Overload

Quite simply, in today's world

health = the amount of toxics we are exposed to + our body’s ability to detoxify

For good health the ratio should be less exposure to toxic chemicals than the capacity of our bodies to detox.

But for most people the ratio is more exposure to toxic chemicals than the capacity of our bodies to detox. Not only is the volume of toxic exposures greater than our natural capacity to detox, but our natural capacity is diminished by the toxic chemicals as they harm and overwhelm detoxification organs such as liver and kidneys.

Our bodies simply don’t have enough “detox ability” to handle the amount of toxic chemicals we are exposed to.

What We Can Do

When toxic chemicals build up in our bodies because our bodies are not able to eliminate them, we need to give our bodies some help.

There are two things we can do.

1. Reduce our exposure to toxic chemicals, at least in our own homes and workplaces. 2. Remove toxic chemicals from our bodies by a) Improving the functioning of our bodies’ detoxification systems and b) remove toxic chemicals directly from our bodies.

By taking these actions, we can give our bodies the best chance for good health.

This article is shared from Debra at :  http://toxics-health.com/why-we-need-remove-toxic-chemicals-from-our-bodies

Learn about our Infrared Sauna for Detoxification at Kasia HERE

Use of potentially harmful chemicals kept secret under law

By Lyndsey Layton Washington Post Staff Writer Monday, January 4, 2010 Of the 84,000 chemicals in commercial use in the United States -- from flame retardants in furniture to household cleaners -- nearly 20 percent are secret, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, their names and physical properties guarded from consumers and virtually all public officials under a little-known federal provision. The policy was designed 33 years ago to protect trade secrets in a highly competitive industry. But critics -- including the Obama administration -- say the secrecy has grown out of control, making it impossible for regulators to control potential dangers or for consumers to know which toxic substances they might be exposed to. At a time of increasing public demand for more information about chemical exposure, pressure is building on lawmakers to make it more difficult for manufacturers to cloak their products in secrecy.

Congress is set to rewrite chemical regulations this year for the first time in a generation. Under the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act, manufacturers must report to the federal government new chemicals they intend to market. But the law exempts from public disclosure any information that could harm their bottom line. Government officials, scientists and environmental groups say that manufacturers have exploited weaknesses in the law to claim secrecy for an ever-increasing number of chemicals. In the past several years, 95 percent of the notices for new chemicals sent to the government requested some secrecy, according to the Government Accountability Office.

About 700 chemicals are introduced annually. Some companies have successfully argued that the federal government should not only keep the names of their chemicals secret but also hide from public view the identities and addresses of the manufacturers. "Even acknowledging what chemical is used or what is made at what facility could convey important information to competitors, and they can start to put the pieces together," said Mike Walls, vice president of the American Chemistry Council. Although a number of the roughly 17,000 secret chemicals may be harmless, manufacturers have reported in mandatory notices to the government that many pose a "substantial risk" to public health or the environment. In March, for example, more than half of the 65 "substantial risk" reports filed with the Environmental Protection Agency involved secret chemicals. "You have thousands of chemicals that potentially present risks to health and the environment," said Richard Wiles, senior vice president of the Environmental Working Group, an advocacy organization that documented the extent of the secret chemicals through public-records requests from the EPA. "It's impossible to run an effective regulatory program when so many of these chemicals are secret." Of the secret chemicals, 151 are made in quantities of more than 1 million tons a year and 10 are used specifically in children's products, according to the EPA.

The identities of the chemicals are known to a handful of EPA employees who are legally barred from sharing that information with other federal officials, state health and environmental regulators, foreign governments, emergency responders and the public. Last year, a Colorado nurse fell seriously ill after treating a worker involved at a chemical spill at a gas-drilling site. The man, who later recovered, appeared at a Durango hospital complaining of dizziness and nausea. His work boots were damp; he reeked of chemicals, the nurse said. Two days later, the nurse, Cathy Behr, was fighting for her life. Her liver was failing and her lungs were filling with fluid. Behr said her doctors diagnosed chemical poisoning and called the manufacturer, Weatherford International, to find out what she might have been exposed to. Weatherford provided safety information, including hazards, for the chemical, known as ZetaFlow. But because ZetaFlow has confidential status, the information did not include all of its ingredients. Mark Stanley, group vice president for Weatherford's pumping and chemical services, said in a statement that the company made public all the information legally required. "It is always in our company's best interest to provide information to the best of our ability," he said. Behr said the full ingredient list should be released. "I'd really like to know what went wrong," said Behr, 57, who recovered but said she still has respiratory problems. "As citizens in a democracy, we ought to know what's happening around us."

The White House and environmental groups want Congress to force manufacturers to prove that a substance should be kept confidential. They also want federal officials to be able to share confidential information with state regulators and health officials, who carry out much of the EPA's work across the country. Walls, of the American Chemistry Council, says manufacturers agree that federal officials should be able to share information with state regulators. Industry is also willing to discuss shifting the burden of proof for secrecy claims to the chemical makers, he said. The EPA must allow a claim unless it can prove within 90 days that disclosure would not harm business

. Meanwhile, the Obama administration is trying to reduce secrecy. A week after he arrived at the agency in July, Steve Owens, assistant administrator for the EPA's Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances, ended confidentiality protection for 530 chemicals. In those cases, manufacturers had claimed secrecy for chemicals they had promoted by name on their Web sites or detailed in trade journals. "People who were submitting information to the EPA saw that you can claim that virtually anything is confidential and get away with it," Owens said. The handful of EPA officials privy to the identity of the chemicals do not have other information that could help them assess the risk, said Lynn Goldman, a former EPA official and a pediatrician and epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

"Maybe they don't know there's been a water quality problem in New Jersey where the plant is located, or that the workers in the plant have had health problems," she said. "It just makes sense that the more people who are looking at it, they're better able to put one and one together and recognize problems." Independent researchers, who often provide data to policymakers and regulators, also have been unable to study the secret chemicals. Duke University chemist Heather Stapleton, who researches flame retardants, tried for months to identify a substance she had found in dust samples taken from homes in Boston. Then, while attending a scientific conference, she happened to see the structure of a chemical she recognized as her mystery compound. The substance is a chemical in "Firemaster 550," a product made by Chemtura Corp. for use in furniture and other products as a substitute for a flame retardant the company had quit making in 2004 because of health concerns. Stapleton found that Firemaster 550 contains an ingredient similar in structure to a chemical -- Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, or DEHP -- that Congress banned last year from children's products because it has been linked to reproductive problems and other health effects. Chemtura, which claimed confidentiality for Firemaster 550, supplied the EPA with standard toxicity studies. The EPA has asked for additional data, which it is studying. "My concern is we're using chemicals and we have no idea what the long-term effects might be or whether or not they're harmful," said Susan Klosterhaus, an environmental scientist at the San Francisco Estuary Institute who has published a journal article on the substance with Stapleton.

Chemtura officials said in a written statement that even though Firemaster 550 contains an ingredient structurally similar to DEHP does not mean it poses similar health risks. They said the company strongly supports keeping sensitive business information out of public view. "This is essential for ensuring the long-term competitiveness of U.S. industry," the officials said in the statement.

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