In pain.

About 3 weeks ago, my mom was hospitalized as she was suspected suffering from Dengue. The early symptoms were bodyaches, very weak and tired, and high-temperature fever. Since she was in the hometown at that time, my auntie brought her to the clinic where she was immediately sent to the hospital via ambulance as her platelet reading was very low. When she was admitted, her platelet count (PC) was 46,000, where normal PC should range within 150,000 to about 400,000 per microlitre of blood. Her temperature at that time was around 40°C. She was dripped with loads of water, on both her left and right hand, immediately. At this point, she was very weak and in pain.

I was already on my way back to hometown when I got the news she was admitted. Thanks to the 2½ hours delay of the train, I arrived around 8.30pm and went straight to the hospital. Mom looked really tired. I immediately asked her to take YungKien LingZhi with Pollen. She was too weak to decline and my cousin and I stayed there till after 10pm, not being aware of the visiting hour. Mind you, she was in the HDW (High Dependancy Ward) which is under the Incentive Care Unit.

We fed her with lots of Kiwi fruits, Crab soup (known to increase platelets tremendously but her appetite was not so good), JiaHor Soy Protein with Hi-Fibre, and opened-capsules of Lingzhi poured into the CEO Café, everyday. Even though the mixture of CEO Cafe with opened capsules of LingZhi was very bitter, mom disciplined herself consuming those ingredients. On the 2nd day, her temperature has already gone down to normal. Her lowest PC was 16,000 and she was discharged on her 5th day, with PC of 79,000. We got back home on the same day she was discharged and up till now, she's still feeling a little weak, but getting better day by day. We understand that the virus still linger in the body and need some time to fully recover, with lots of rest. On the 5th day at home, BIL brought him for a quick blood test just to make sure she's doing fine. The doctor did PC and liver test on her and Alhamdulillah, the result turned out good. Her PC was 370,000 and her AST and ALT reading were slightly higher than usual but did not exceed 100, which the Doctor said was totally fine, but plenty of rest is essential.

Yesterday, exactly 1 week after my mom was brought back home, I woke up having body aches and a slight temperature on my body. Knowing that the virus has intervened my immune defense, I quickly consumed CEO Cafe, Jia Hor Soy Protein, together with Jia Hor TwinPack to develop back my immune system fast. I suffered from painful body aches throughout the day up till midnight. I woke up around 12am and felt a bit better, drank lots of water, and tried to walk around in pain to help my body heal itself. This morning, I woke up with less pain, and less heat in my body. I hope to be fully recovered soon as I need to attend my first conference in 3 days time. And Alhamdulillah, after all the vomits of phlegms and going back and forth to the toilet every hour, I did not suffer from asthma. Not even wheezing or shortness of breath. And I could sleep soundly when I felt sleepy. That's a huge relief. :)

Right now, I'm hibernating (rest, rest, and REST...) till my body is healthy again, insya Allah.

Phew.

Colon-ial inspection?

Di Li explained about different types of colons in our previous Monday meeting. A healthy colon is essential for getting a healthy digestive system. When our digestive system is working in the right manner, we would have a good liver, hence a good immune system, as well. As most of us have known, immune system is the best doctor of our own body. So to make sure our body can fight all kinds of viruses or diseases, we need to check whether our colon is healthy or otherwise.

The figure on the left is an example of a healthy colon. How do we know whether we're having a poor digestive system? Checking the stool's characteristics would be a simple medical checkup on our body. We have to make sure that our stool is healthy ; big, floating, long (4-8inch), yellow, and not too stinky. If the stool sinks to the bottom, it means that we are not eating enough food that are rich in fibre. Hard and clumped stool shows that it has been in the intestines for too long and produced darker colour as well. This could lead to constipation and haemorrhoids in the long run. Good bacterias in the colon help the peristalsis process and it is known that the production of good bacterias is tremendously huge during the process of giving birth (naturally). So if possible, avoid undergo caesarian while delivering your baby because you could be wasting the opportunity to improve the condition of your body system. Results have shown that 1 sachet of CEO Cafe every hour could fasten the cervical opening (for long contraction) for easier labour. This is because caffeine is very good in activating our nerves and of course CEO Cafe contains Lingzhi - need I to say more?

Prolapsed colon occur when the transverse colon is loaded and heavy (usually due to constipation). When the transverse colon falls and making a 'U' shape, it could actually be dangerous as it might be pressuring the other organs beneath it, like the bladder, fallopian tubes, uterus or prostate. When the bladder is being cramped, it is difficult to control urinating. There are cases where some people might even wet their pants because the muscle in the bladder could not hold the pressure of the colon making urinating is out of control. Dropped womb could also be the effect of Prolapsus, where ovum is blocked from going through the fallopian tubes, and conceiving is impossible.

Spasm is usually an effect after taking laxatives for a long time. Many consume laxatives in forms of herbal tea and even pills prescribed by doctor, mainly to lose weight or if they are having constipation problem. The downside of the laxatives are, it does not actually removes fat from the body, but our body waste, and this is done by force. The intestines are purged so that colons perform contraction and waste is deposited harshly. This would make muscles in colon to become weaker and weaker and this defeats the purpose of the laxatives in the first place.

Have you ever encountered a thin person with a bloated stomach before? This person might be suffering from a symptom called Ballooned Sigmoid. This is when the descending colon is loaded with accumulated faeces and stretching the bowel walls, like a balloon. Usually, during Shiatsu inspection, this person might feel pain on the intestines point on the left hand (descending colon). There was a case of a 21 years old lady with this symptom, experience bleeding in her bowels after consuming few sachets of CEO Cafe.

Stricture is another condition which usually occurs in new born babies. This is normally the case if the mother suffers from constipation. Sometimes, Fistulla even developed inside the colon. Loads of good bacterias are needed in the intestines to make sure our digestive system is working in a right manner. Did you know that the bacteria in your bowels outnumber the cells in your body by 10:1? Trillions of bacteria in our colon is very powerful for our immune system, which is the only body's natural defense system that fights diseases and keeps us healthy. Therefore, it is impossible to have a healthy body without actually having a healthy bowel! That serious!

When constipation became really bad, toxic gas starts to be produced from the accumulated faeces. This type of bad of air will be spread all over the body causing one to burp more frequently, headaches and other health issues. When the amount of trapped air increased in the colon, it will want to force itself out from the bowel walls, creating small pockets through the weaker layers. These pockets resulted from lack of fibre intakes in our diet.

We seldom find that new born babies are prone to have bloated stomach, even since born. But for extreme cases, it might due to a very stressed mother during her 3rd trimester in pregnancy. This could cause Colitis for the babies. It is important to understand that our body health is very much affected from what we eat, and how we live. Many people fail to realize that our thinking process could also contribute to healthy organs in our body.

So the next time you feel like taking in all the headaches and pressure from your job or other issues, remember about the baby you are carrying, or about to carry. One head is enough to feel the pain. Do not give it to others. Do your own inspection now! Which category do you fall into?

**Text attracted from Di Li's meeting at Shuang Hor on 21/6/2010

**Pichas taken from multiple internet sources including Innerhealth.ie

Gout

Last Monday, we had another meeting at the company where Dr Ep told a brief about another popular disease - Gout.

Gout is a recurrent attack at the joints. It is caused by poor purine synthesis or poor dietary intake.

Early symptoms for Gout disease are usually :

1) extreme pain underneath the toe

2) affected area appears swollen, reddish, shiny, flaky and even feels heaty

3) fever

Diagram shows where uric acid is deposited and crystallized

Factors of Gout include :

1) inherited genetically

2) high content of uric acid in the blood - because of purine intake or decrease elimination of uric acid from the body

3) diuretic intake

4) certain antibiotics intake

5) cancer treatment

6) vitamins deficiency

7) injuries

8) surgeries

Gout occurs when there is an accumulation of uric acid which is crystallized at the joints. This happens because the kidneys fail to convert uric acid to urea, thus the excess will be deposited to joints, such as knees, elbows, knuckles, shoulders, ankles, including underneath the toes. Kidney failure is known caused by heavy drug consumption (where kidneys are used to filter the drugs), and poor eating habit and lifestyle, apart from other factors.

It is also mentioned in the meeting that bed-wetting is very much related to our fear emotion which will gradually weaken the kidneys. So if you have small children, do not put fear into their thoughts as that will decrease their kidneys', and in the long run, other organs' functions.

A fact about Gout is that, men are 20 times more prone to be diagnosed with it, to a woman. So guys out there, watch what you eat and exercise for good health!

The possible complications of Gout are such as crippled and deformed joints, gallstones (especially after diuretic intake), and inflammation of bones, ligaments and tendons. If these complications occur, it can be relieved by pressing the affected areas with hot and cold pads, alternately to improve blood flow and relax the muscle walls. Also, avoid touching or putting heavy objects on the affected joints, not even with a slight touch from a blanket as the area is extremely painful, as if your eyeballs were being stepped on. Can you imagine that?

However, as always, despite the treatments of Gout disease, there are possible side effects which you have to bear. Firstly, if you feel constant fever, it is advised to seek doctor immediately. There might also be some rashes on your skin. Sore throats, red tongue or bleeding gum are some of possible effects in the mouth area. You might also experience swollen feet, increase in body weight, diarrhea or vomiting. These are the consequences of taking western drugs as medication.

Food to avoid for Gout (or potential) patients are internal organs of the animals such as liver, seafood, beans, white vegetables and mushrooms. These food are known to decrease the functions of your kidneys which will apparently worsen Gout condition.

Whereas alternative treatment is a much safer way. Besides being side-effects-free, it actually helps body to heal itself, rather than controlling symptoms in certain areas which in the long run will destroy other systems and finally your whole body. As mentioned in a book by Dr Bernard Jensen,

"Man is a holistic being composed of body. mind and soul. Treatments should be : non-invasive, non-toxic, and holistically oriented."

Chronic Gout attack at finger joints

Whatever choice you are taking, remember that it is your body you're dealing with. Do not burden this one machine as it has been equipped with organs of wonders. So the next time you meet your doctor, ask them about the medications they prescribed. Understand the possible side effects, do a little homework on other safer treatments and hopefully, you will be able to see your loved ones tomorrow, with a smile. :)

**extracted from Monday meeting at Shuang Hor KL Distribution Centre

An Analysis into the Constituents of Pollen

Pollen and Its Perfect Composition

Pollen is highly regarded by the western world mainly because it is rich in a wide spectrum of vitamins in addition to various minerals, enzymes, hormones, antibiotic substances, etc. In contrast, most other foods consist of only one type of vitamin or two. As such, regular consumption of pollen can arrest the phenomenon of nutritional imbalance. Besides, pollen is also exceptionally beneficial to the healthy developmental growth of children. As pollen contains active amino acids, it is an indispensable natural food to fuel our daily activities. In fact, the nutritive content of pollen is more than 10 times that of royal jelly.

With its rich supply of vitamins, pollen has always been regarded as the miraculous food endowed by Mother Nature. In particular, it offers almost the entire family of vitamins B. Actually, the varying groups of vitamins offered by pollen are a class above the non-active vitamins found in nutritional supplements or the so-called vitamin-enriched foods sold in the market today. The amount of active vitamins in pollen is ten times higher than that of non-active vitamins.

Source : Natural Pollen, revised edition December 2002, published by Double Crane Enterprise (Taiwan) Co Ltd

Bee-fact : Honey bees are the only insects that produce food for humans

The World's Most Nutritive Natural Food - Pollen

What is Pollen?

Pollen is the male reproductive cells or microspores produced by and discharged from the anther of a seed plant. While a grain of pollen is extremely tiny, measuring only about 1/50mm - 1/100 mm in diameter, they are present in large quantities. Seed plants depend on pollens to fertilize ovules in the pistil to propagate. Upon fertilization, a grain of pollen can grow into tens of thousands times its original size within a matter of only several days, thus its highly nutritive composition is evident.

Wind-pollinated flowers are fertilized by pollen carried on the wind. For this type of flowers, the pollens are smoother, small in size, and dry, making them to be easily dispersed when the wind blows. The flowers of many other plants are insect-pollinated, as their stickier and heavier pollen grains are so evolved to depend on bees and other insects for dispersion. Edible pollens, mostly gathered by bees, are not only richer in nutrients but also safe for human consumption. In contrast, pollens of wind-pollinated flowers tend to cayse pollen-related diseases, and hence are inappropriate for human consumption. Bees used their fore legs to harvest pollen grains, which after mixing with nectar and saliva secreted by the bees to form pollen balls, are subsequently stored in the pollen baskets located on their hind legs before being taken back to the beehive as their staple food. Bee larvae are fed with these pollen balls and their body-size can grow a thousand folds after their birth within only several days. This exceptional rate of growth is attributed to the nutriments provided by the pollen balls.

Marmalade fly sitting on a grey-haired rockrose, its face and legs covered in pollen.

The Composition of Pollen

According to research works carried out by nutritionists, the wide spectrum of nutrients provided by a grain of pollen is hitherto unmatchable to any single food on earth. It has been proven that pollen contains up to 200 different types of nutritive components, of which more than 16 are vitamins, more than 16 are minerals, more than 96 are enzymes and coenzymes, more than 21 are amino acids, more than 28 are nucleic acids, as well as a good number of carbohydrates, in addition to many other nutrients.

1) Amino acids : Amino acids are the fundamental building blocks of protein. While different groups of amino acids constitute different types of protein molecules, more than half of the protein types contained in pollen exist in the form of free amino acids, which can be directly assimilated by the human body without having to go through the digestive processes.

2) Vitamins : Pollen is rich in vitamins of high bio-availability, these include vitamins A, D, E, K, M, B1, B2, B3, B6, B12, folic acid, nicotinic acid, and inositol, which can all be readily assimilated.

3) Minerals : Pollen also contains trace elements and a wide variety of minerals, including phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, silicon, sulfur, iron, copper, sodium, calcium, and titanium.

4) Enzymes and coenzymes : These include amylase (starch enzyme) and proteinase (protein enzyme), which are helpful in effectively breaking down food molecules, and hence are indispensable in our metabolic processes.

5) Nucleic acids : These include nucleotide and purine.

6) Carbohydrates : These include many types of simple sugar such as monosaccharides and disaccharides, which cater the human body with the energy it needs to fuel its activities.

Natural Pollen

Natural Pollen is purely formulated using pollen grains collected by honeybees. In ensuring 100% bio-availability of the nutriments, raw pollen grains are subject to safety and hygienic processes to get rid of the impurities and bacteria before being extracted under the most stringent temperature and humidity controls. It is absolutely free from artificial chemicals, additives, preservatives, or any other substances not originated from pollen itself.

The health-care attributes of pollen include :

-Promotes longevity

-Encourages developmental growth in children and strengthens their physique

-Helps prevent pathologic changes in the vascular system

-Controls bodyweight

-Helps prevent the onset of diabetes and heart diseases

-Elevates vitality and strengthens liver functions

-Enhances facial radiance and regulates menstruation

-Eases menopausal disturbances

-Aids in gastrointestinal diseases

-Helps prevent cancerous diseases

-Helps prevent common cold

-Helps in the prevention and treatment of prostatitis

-Alleviates the conditions of constipation and diarrhea

-Improves the conditions of anemia

-Increases sperm counts

-Removes fatigue

-Helps prevent premature ageing

Source : Natural Pollen, revised edition December 2002, published by Double Crane Enterprise (Taiwan) Co Ltd

8 month old baby

Baby Imaan has not been able to sleep,grumpy at night and not energetic as always during the day for about 3 days. Being given LuChun LingZhi Tea for 3 days but no improvement. On the 4th day, after given 1 1/2 capsule of Jia Hor LingZhi, she poo-ed A LOT and there were some black clots in the sticky and very slimy stool. She also vomited. After that, Alhamdulillah, she could sleep soundly the whole night and is fun and happy again now

Liver - Keep it healthy!

Liver is said to be one of the most important organs in our body. I partly agree with this, because I believe all parts of our body is extremely important. But being the place where all the toxins accumulate, it is true that we have to take care of this one organ; the liver.

Why? Liver acts like a filter. It helps to filter out toxins from our blood system before blood is being pumped to the whole body. Toxins are from the food we ate, drinks we drank, air we breathed ...

How often do you change your water filter at home? It only does water filteration, but still, we need to cleanse it once in a while. And that's only the tap water, which seems to be colourless with our naked eye. What about Teh Tarik, air Sirap, and Coke that we drank? Not only that, the food we ate; Nasi Lemak, Roti Canai, fast food with all the variety names and colours. Poluted air that we breathe, smokers, 2nd-hand smokers ... All of these are filtered by our liver, and after that goes to the kidneys for the next filteration process. Our body systems are truly amazing. There has not been a man-made machine which can operate 24 hours a day, every single day till the day it stops working. It may be 10, 20 or even 100 years, but it will continue working till the day it stops forever.

So when our body starts to give signs or symptoms of failure in certain parts, do not ignore these signs. Pay attention to it. Your body does not need a mechanic to repair its parts, it is self-healed. (Remember Claire Bennett?) Yes, we too have the ability to heal. Only that, we don't grow back our toes once we cut it off. The only question is, how good can we heal?

To determine how good can we heal, one of the important factorsto have a healthy liver. Healthy liver will make our immune system be in a good condition, and everything else will come after. Immune system is like a line of defense ready to go for war. Once we have a very good and competent line of soldiers, we could fight any enemies who try entering our body such as viruses, bad bacterias, including SARS, H1N1, etc.

When toxins are not cleansed out from the liver, liver will shrink and harden with scarring. This condition is called cirrhosis. When this happened, the liver slowly loses its functions which includes to cleanse the toxins and wastes in our blood, and manufacture vital nutrients. Causes of liver cirrhosis are from chronic alcohol abuse, drugs usage (including prescribed medicine), and virus infection.

Sounds scary? You better be. But fret-not. If you can't avoid from such kind of lifestyle, there are ways found to prevent liver disease from occuring. Heard of the phrase 'prevention is better than cure'? I would like to highlight here that prevention is CHEAPER than cure. How?

Well, good news to coffee lovers out there. Researchers in the United States have found that several cups of coffee a day could stop the progression of liver disease, according to studies. Sufferers of chronic hepatitis C and advanced liver disease who drank three or more cups of coffee per day slashed their risk of the disease progressing by 53% compared to patients who drank no coffee. This study was lead by Neal Freedman of the US National Cancer Institute (NCI) .

The researchers put forward several ways in which coffee intake might protect against liver disease, including by reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes, which has been associated with liver illness, or by reducing inflammation, which is thought to cause fibrosis and chirossis of the liver.

Even caffeine, the chemical that gives a cup of coffee its oomph, came under the spotlight, having been found in previous studies to inhibit liver cancer in rats. But drinking black or green tea, which also contain caffeine, had little impact on the progression of liver disease, although there were few tea drinkers in the study.

Interesting? Indeed!

Please beware that 'coffee' in the context means REAL coffee. Yes, freshly brewed coffees from your nearest Starbucks store is considered as real (Coffee Frappuccino is not counted). Most ground coffee in the local stores do not provide us 100% real coffee. So, please be wise when choosing the right item.

If you're still thinking of which coffee to buy, apart from Star(cough)bucks, you might want to try CEO Cafe from Shuang Hor which obviously have the good grade of coffee in it, plus, it has extract of YungKien Ganoderma, which has been certified to regulate immune system and liver protection. From where I can see, if you're opting for an affordable liver protection, CEO Cafe is worth trying and of course it is value for your money!

Let's detoxify our liver today!

Source from TheSun, Wednesday, October 28th 2009 & AFP-RelaxNews