Healthy, tasty and easy - Tofu

Tofu

Tofu scrambled with spinach, spices and onion.

Chongqing - Tofu and Chicken Blood

Dragon Tofu

Healthy, tasty and easy

Whether you are health-conscious or not, it is always best to know a few healthy recipes that are also delicious.

A recipe for tofu or bean curd always comes handy. Tofu is easy to digest, low in calories and sodium but high in protein and cholesterol-free making it one of today’s most healthful foods.

The custard-like white tofu is made from curdled soy milk, an iron-rich liquid extracted from ground, cooked soybeans. The resulting curds are drained and pressed in a way similar to cheese-making.

Tofu has a bland, slightly nutty taste and absorbs the flavor of the food that it is cooked with.

In the Chinese diet, tofu is an important source of protein. Braised, stir-fried, or deep-fried, the very nutritious tofu adds a distinctive texture to both meat and meatless Chinese dishes.

Here is a simple and quick tofu recipe that combines the flavors of beef and mushroom. It is topped with the sweet teriyaki sauce that offers a contrast in taste and texture to the meat.

The tofu absorbs the flavors of beef and mushroom and soaks up the savory sauce.

Chef Michelle Peña, product application specialist of San Miguel PureFoods Culinary Center, says if you do not have a melon baller, you can use a round spoon to form a round hole in the center by removing a part of the tofu.

The beef mixture is then shaped into a ball and placed in the round hole at the center.

Most of the sweet sauce ingredients, including dashinomoto, sake and mirin, are available in most Japanese stores in major malls.

Tofu is often sold in supermarkets either packed in water in sealed plastic containers or vacuum-packed in plastic without water. Both are suitable for this recipe.

Ingredients
2 packs tofu
250 g Monterey ground beef
½ c button mushroom, chopped
1 pc egg white
½ pc chicken bouillon cube, crumbled
2 tbsp rice wine
1 tbsp sesame oil
3 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp spring onions, chopped

Sauce:
1 ½ tbsp sake
1 ½ tbsp mirin
1 tbsp sugar
¼ tsp ginger juice (from grated ginger)
1 tbsp light soy sauce
pinch black pepper
¼ tsp dashinomoto dissolved in ¼ c hot water
¼ tsp salt
½ tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 1 tbsp cold water

1. IN A food processor, mix together ground beef, button mushroom, egg white, bouillon cubes, rice wine and sesame oil.

2. ADD cornstarch, salt and spring onion. Mix for at least 2 minutes to form a sticky paste. Set aside.

3. CUT tofu into 1 ½ inch-long pieces.

4. USING a melon baller or spoon, make a slight indentation on each piece of tofu.

5. STUFF each hole with the beef mixture.

6. TRANSFER to a heat-proof dimsum dish. Top with spring onions. Steam for 10 minutes.

7. TO MAKE the sauce, combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Cook over low heat until sauce is slightly thick.

8. POUR sauce on steamed stuffed tofu and serve warm.

9. STEAMED Stuffed Tofu

http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/lifestyle/lifestyle/view_article.php?article_id=80020

Butter or margarine?

BONN, Germany (dpa) — Using margarine or butter is more than a question of taste.

It’s also a question of healthy eating.

People with high lipid blood levels should stick to margarine, according to the German Nutrition Association (DGE) in Bonn.

While many people might prefer the taste of butter, it’s also full of saturated fats.

Margarine is made of plant-based oils, meaning it’s composed of many more unsaturated fats than butter.

But the kind of fat isn’t the only factor in good nutrition, says the DGE. A lot depends on the amounts consumed ... more than 15 to 30 grams a day is not recommended.

To stay healthy, only lightly spread your bread with margarine or butter.

http://www3.mb.com.ph/HLTH20070930104256.html

Pacifier Problem

Hi! I Just wanna ask how I can stop my 8 month-old son from using pacifiers.

He always asks for his pacifier when he's sleepy and would never sleep without it. He even cries while asleep when we take it off. Some say pacifiers affect the shape of the mouth. Is this true? How can we stop him?

Catherine Baluyot

Tondo, Manila

Suzi says

Hello there mommy!!!

There are indeed many habits and practices that we do with our children that must eventually end. Bottle feeding for instance must cease when a child reaches a specific age.

The time will also come when your child will have to sleep in his own room. Aside from the stress a child goes through to accept the changes, so goes the same for you.

Actually a lot of the stress goes to the parent because you have to be the one to think of creative ways to get your child to adhere to the new situation, whatever that may be.

There must be pre-planning, gentleness, creativity and follow through in order to be successful. And I know you will be mommy. Think of this as practice for even more challenging times ahead.

Some parents believe in pacifiers while others don’t. Some parents think that the pacifier is there to soothe the parent and not the child since mommy or daddy gets a few minutes of silence from a satisfied baby. But obviously the pacifier works for your child and for your family so let’s go with that. The challenge here is how to get baby to give up his "best friend"and let you keep your sanity at the same time!

First, be ready. Do this during the weekend so that you don’t have to stress out about getting up early the next day to go to work. At least even if you don’t get to sleep well during the night, you might be able to take a nap during the day.

A lot of parents believe that cold turkey is the best way. It’s good that your child seems to have limited his pacifier use to before and during sleep; although honestly this is the toughest habit to break.

Even though your child is only seven and a half months old, try to talk to him in a soothing tone and let him know that you will not give him the pacifier anymore. When it’s time to sleep, rock your baby and sing to him.

Hopefully his crying fit (inevitable I’m sure) will take less than ten minutes or so. If it goes on longer, chances are he will eventually tire out and fall asleep. You have to prepare yourself to remain calm even though you know your child is getting tired from crying. Once you’ve decided to really wean him, follow through.

As for your concern regarding the formation of his teeth or lips, pediatric dentists in the U.S. believe that a child can still use a pacifier until age 2 without harming the development of the teeth. But it is best to wean earlier rather than later. As with everything that we’re used to (even us adults) it’s harder to kick a habit the longer we’ve been at it.

Good Luck mommy! Get ready for a couple of sleepless nights but as you know, nothing lasts forever; not even fussiness and sleepless nights! Good Luck!

Paolo says

We never used a pacifier with our kids, so I’m afraid I’m not gonna be talking from actual experience here... That being said, experts seem to agree that concerns over poor dental development start to become an issue from prolonged pacifier use, and I’m talking about 3 to 4-yearolds still using pacifiers here, a far cry from your 7 1/2 month old.

For older children, experts suggest gradually restricting pacifier use to naptime and bedtime as they usually use the pacifier to calm themselves. As they get older and see that many other kids don't use them anymore, they usually outgrow them. Doctors also suggest letting them have it when they want it and then "trading" the pacifier for a "reward", a favorite snack, a favorite toy etc. so that they will come to associate giving up the pacifier for better things. That way, it becomes easier to wean them from it.

Even discussing a set time in the future (a month or so down the line) when he becomes "a big boy" and will have to give up his pacifier. Constantly remind him that the time is coming soon and reward him when the time does come and he gives up his pacifier.

For a young child like your 8-month old, it may be a little hard to "discuss" these things. Unfortunately, some doctors suggest a more direct approach if you want to wean a younger child, and that usually means a bit of crying and a couple of sleepless night for you. The "cold turkey" approach does work but as children use the pacifier to "self-soothe" be sure to provide extra love and care to during this tough time. Good luck!

http://www3.mb.com.ph/MOMS20070927103718.html

I Thanks for this article because I believed that everyones should hear and read this kinds of story most likely are those already Parents. Hope you enjoy reading this and if you want some more story just click the links above. Have a nice day!

What women would want

Samsung SGH-E840

EDGARD HILARIO

Say "hello, beautiful" to yourself, with your own Samsung SGH E840.

Say this, every time you wish to, or feel the need to do so.

Ladies, now you can truly look beautiful, and simultaneously feel gorgeous, too.

Thanks to Samsung and partner Lancome of Paris, women can flash some good impression that also lasts.

When Samsung just recently revealed at the Fete de Beaute of Lancome in Rockwell its newest fashion phone, the SGH-E840, there is no doubt its intended target is today’s fashion and beauty conscious women.

"Samsung recognizes the impact that style and fashion has on our culture today," said Spencer Shim, President of Samsung’s Electronics Philippines Corporation.

While Samsung provides the device, Lancome offers its world renown experience in beauty hinged on an extraordinary brand heritage rooted in innovation and expertise with touch of French charm.

Fashion is beauty…is Samsung…and Lancome.

"With trends indicating that women outspend men in the gadget department, Samsung knows that on-the-go women desire full-featured multimedia phones in eye-catching and compact ‘fit in my evening purse’ designs.

"As part of our strategy to meet specific market needs, we have added this new phone to reach a highly-targeted segment of the female market," Shim added.

And now, from a woman’s point of view.

"The elegant E840 is especially designed for female consumers who desire style and beauty. The E840 is expected to strengthen Samsung’s premium image and solidify its market leadership in the women’s phone market segment," said Lorraine Javalera, Product Manager of Samsung’s Mobile Phones Team.

Samsung could not have chosen the perfect device to underscore its goal for the women of today – the SGH E840.

Considered as the slimmest slider in the world, SGH-E840, is a gem of a handset – probably every woman’s best friend after the diamond?

With is super-thin frame of 10.6mm and astonishing mirror display, the SGH-E840 stands out on every aesthetic level and satisfies the fashion-savvy’s exquisite taste and sense of style. Hidden beneath the slider is an encased touch keypad, while the metalfinished, tempered glass exterior boasts flash and substance.

The SGH-E840 also features the latest NF v3.4 internet browser - an embedded Web micro browser specifically made for handset use. Versatile and powerful, it displays Web pages on a vertical, scrollable screen, letting users zoom in and out from 25% - 100% for easy viewing.

It pleases on every aesthetic level and satisfies your exquisite taste and sense of style.

Samsung’s newest female phone boasts of a mirror finish slim slide up design suitable for fashionable female users. The soft round curves put the finishing touches on the E840’s precious image.

Samsung’s reputation for leadership in women’s phone segment started with the company’s first fashion phone for women, the stylish red SGH-A400 in 2001 and the uniquely designed SGH-T500 in 2002.

Samsung was the first to introduce a gender concept for a mobile phone to the world, creating a new segment in the market.

Samsung officials, during the launch at Fete de Beaute of Lancome in Rockwell, declared:

"Samsung will continue to deliver additional fashion phones for female market with various style and features."

Oh, and hello, georgeous!

http://www3.mb.com.ph/TECH20070926103898.html

Love potion for the unhappily married

SYDNEY (dpa) — Marriage guidance counselling sessions are sometimes fraught affairs with estranged partners quick to blame and slow to accept responsibility for a relationship that has soured.

While two thirds of couples report progress, the others say counselling failed to budge entrenched positions.

An Australian psychologist is experimenting with the so-called love drug oxytocin to see if it can shift blockages and improve the success rate.

Oxytocin is the hormone the brain releases during sex and at child birth. It helps sexual partners build intimacy and seals the bond between mother and child.

University of New South Wales psychologist Adam Guastella is administering oxytocin through a nasal spray during some marriage guidance counselling sessions.

"We think oxytocin may offer a new method to enhance treatment rates," Guastella told The Australian newspaper.

"If couples get their points across more effectively in the therapy room it could lead to long-term benefits."

http://www3.mb.com.ph/WLBG20070926103995.html

Mooncake Festival

The Chinese celebrate the Mooncake Festival (also called Moon Festival or Mid-Autumn Festival) today.

Mooncake is a Chinese pastry traditionally eaten during the MidAutumn Festival. Typical mooncakes are round or rectangular pastries. A thick pastry filling is surrounded by a relatively thin crust and may contain yolk from salted duck eggs. Mooncakes are rich, heavy, and dense, compared to most Western cakes and pastries. They are usually eaten in small wedges with Chinese tea.

Every year on the 13th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar, when the moon is at its maximum brightness for the year, the Chinese celebrate zhong qiu jie. Various legends tell of how the festival started. One legend tells of a "Man in the Moon" who was spotted at an inn, carrying a writing tablet. He said he was recording the names of all the happy couples who were fated to marry and live happily forever after. Accordingly, just as June is the traditional month for exchanging nuptials in the West many Chinese weddings are held during the 8th lunar month, with the 15th day being the most popular. But the most famous legend surrounding the Moon Festival is related to its role in Chinese history. Overrun by the Mongols in the thirteenth century, the Chinese threw off their oppressors in 1368 AD. It is said that mooncakes – which the Mongols did not eat – were the perfect vehicle for hiding and passing along plans for the rebellion. Families were instructed not to eat the mooncakes until the day of the moon festival, which was when the rebellion took place.

Traditionally, Chinese families gather outside to admire the moon while eating mooncakes, usually stuffed with salted egg yolk to symbolize the moon, and celebrate their prosperity. Today, Chinese families celebrate the festival with dances, feasting, and moon gazing.

We congratulate the Chinese worldwide, especially the Chinese community in the Philippines, on the occasion of their Mooncake Festival celebration, a celebration that has also enriched our Filipino cultural heritage.

http://www3.mb.com.ph/OPED20070925103947.html

Diabesity: A massive epidemic

By Dr. Philip S. Chua
Cebu Daily News

A relatively new descriptive term combining two closely related disease entities, diabetes and obesity, is spreading like wildfire in the clinical setting, posing great challenges, not only to the patient and the physician but also to society and human race as a whole. Diabesity is now a major epidemic, the most massive man has ever faced.

As Professor Paul Zimmet, Director of the International Diabetes Institute in Melbourne, Australia, recently stated on a WebMD telecast, “What HIV/AIDS was in the last 20 years of the 20th century, diabetes and obesity and their consequences will almost certainly be in the first 2 decades of the 21st century.”

Worldwide, in the last few decades, victims of diabetes have increased more than twice, and expected to grow from its current 246 million to 380 million in 18 years, by 2025, according to the report from the International Diabetes Institute in Australia.

In this column two yeas ago, we stated that the rapid growth in the incidence of diabetes mellitus was a metabolic time bomb that was waiting to explode, brought on by, among others, “super-sizing” of America (and obviously, the Philippines and other countries also), where 90 percent of Type II diabetics were (are) overweight. The causal relationship between obesity (being overweight, even only to a moderate degree) and the higher risk of developing diabetes is a medically proven fact.

Actually, 2 out of 3 (66.6 percent) adult Americans, and 15 percent of the children, are overweight. In the United States alone, there are about 17 million diabetics. Five to 10 percent have Type I (juvenile), and the rest, Type II (adult onset) diabetes. Before insulin was discovered in the early 1920s, type 1 diabetes had 100 percent mortality. In the past 10 years, there has been a 33 percent increased in the number of diabetic patients. It is indeed scary.

The other grim statistics that confirm the rapidly developing epidemic of diabetes include the following:

1. An infant born in the USA in year 2000 has 1 in 3 chances (33 percent) of getting the disease;

2. Shortening the life span by 10-15 years, diabetes is now the 6th leading cause of death, killing 210,000 people a year in the United States alone;

3. Diabetes is also the major cause of heart and kidney diseases, leg amputation and blindness;

4. The incidence of clinical depression is 3 times more among diabetics;

5. In the United States (population: 302.86 million), there are about 18.2 million diabetics (9.3 million are women), about 1.3 million new cases a year ago, and 5.2 million undiagnosed or unaware. An additional 16 million Americans are in a “pre-diabetic” stage;

6. By year 2050, about 29 million Americans will be diagnosed with diabetes;

7. The United States is spending $132 billion a year in direct health care cost and in lost of productivity;

8. In a small country, like the Philippines, with a population of 91 million, there are more than 300,000 Filipinos who suffer from Diabetes Mellitus; and,

9. Worldwide, with its population of a little more than 6.6 billion people, there are about 150 million Type II diabetics and 18 million Type I.

During our parents’ time, diabetes was a disease of old people; today, physicians are seeing patients as young as 4 with diabetes. Over-eating and obesity are blamed for this and for the rising number of cases of adult-onset diabetes in general, worldwide. It is clear today that our diet should not only be calorie-controlled, low-fat, and low-cholesterol but also low in carbohydrates (like rice, bread, non-diet soft drinks, fruit juices and milk shakes, sugar-loaded morning cereals, cakes, cookies, ice cream, and sweets in general). A diet of fish or chicken (white meat minus the skin), vegetables, and high-fiber whole grains and nuts, has been shown to be healthier, and better for longevity. Eating red meat has been associated with an elevated risk of developing any of the various types of cancers, like breast, colon, prostate, pancreas, etc. Smoking also increases the risk for diabetes, not to mention cancer of the lungs and other forms of cancers.

In this regard, Type II diabetes is, to a great extent, preventable. The question is, are we willing to discipline ourselves, do some sacrifices, control our appetite and weight through healthy lifestyle changes, including daily exercises, abstinence from tobacco and alcohol abuse to escape this much-dreaded, severely debilitating, and costly global epidemic that has tragic consequences, not only to the patient but to the nation and to the whole world in general?

On the international arena, if the governments of all nations on earth, who, so far, have been very slow to respond to this rapidly developing medical “tsunami,” do not act in a prompt and concerted global effort to stem this disaster staring us in the face, the socio-economic consequences of Diabesity will, predictably, and eventually, bankrupt the economies of all countries around the world, including a rich nation like the United States.

Indeed, Diabesity is one of the greatest public health challenges the world is facing in the 21st century. It is a battle the human race cannot afford to lose.

http://supplements.inquirer.net/mindandbody/main.php?content=health079

The happiest people & others

By Fr. Bel R. San Luis, SVD

TO be happy. The happiest of people don’t necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way. Adapt to the situation; don’t resort to selfpity and constant grumbling.

* * *

Meeting the wrong people. God wanted us to meet the wrong people before meeting the right one so that, when we finally meet the right person, we will know how to be grateful for that gift.

* * *

Focusing on the closed door. When the door of happiness closes, another opens; but often times, we look so long at the closed door that we don’t even see the new one which has been opened for us.

* * *

Empathize. You should always try to put yourself in others’ shoes. If you feel that something could hurt you, it probably will hurt the other person, too. In short, empathize.

* * *

Leave them alone. You should do something nice for someone every single day, even if it is simply to leave him or her alone.

* * *

Love even if you’re not reciprocated. Giving someone all your love is never an assurance that you will be loved in return. Just wait for it to grow in their heart; but, if it doesn’t, be content that it grew in yours.

* * *

Follow your dream. You should dream what you want to dream; go where you want to go; be what you want to be, because you have only one life and one chance to do all the things. But don’t keep on dreaming all your life. Rather follow your dream; go for it.

* * *

Note: The above was revised and adapted by me from an article entitled "Maybe" by an unknown author.

* * *

The lighter side. Priest: All our wealth and money will be left behind when we die. No one will have money in heaven.

Boy: Mama, did you hear that? We’re now in heaven!

* * *

A cab driver picks up a Nun. She gets into the cab, and the cab driver won’t stop staring at her. She asks him why he is staring, and he replies, "I have a question to ask you, but I don’t want to offend you."

* * *

"Go ahead, my son. Don’t be afraid," the Nun says. "Well, I’ve always had a fantasy to have a Nun kiss me." She responds, "Well, let’s see what we can do about that: No. 1, you have to be single, and No. 2, you must be a Catholic."

* * *

The cab driver is very excited, and says, "Yes, I am single, and I’m Catholic, too!" The Nun says, "OK, pull into the next corner." He does, and the Nun fulfills the cab driver’s fantasy by kissing him.

* * *

But when they get back on the road, the cab driver starts crying. "My dear child," said the nun, "Why are you crying?" "Forgive me, Sister, but I have sinned. I lied, I’m not a Catholic but Baptist."

http://www3.mb.com.ph/OPED20070923103770.html

Sassily Short

There’s just something je ne sais quoi about short.

While recent runway references range from elegant restraint to punk-style biker chic, to us, there is nothing to top the come-hither appeal of ultra-femme short dressing. We selected four looks from Louis Vuitton’s 2008 Cruise Collection.

What to wear to a wedding?

Back to Basics

What to wear to a wedding

Eric dela Cruz

A bachelor’s guide to dressing up

So one of your best buddies is about to get hitched and, of course, you’re invited. It’s bad enough that he broke away from the bachelors’ club that you all have solemnly sworn to maintain till midlife, what’s worse is you have no clue as to what to wear for the ceremony. Of course, if the invitation specifies what to wear then there won’t be any problem. But, then again, you might not know the difference so here’s a flying start:

Semi-Formal

In a wedding, it simply means slightly dressed down but not sloppy or laidback. A dress shirt under a blazer with a nice pair of dress pants will do. Just make sure that you give it a touch of sophistication especially in color coordination. Just remember that other factors like time of day or location dictate the colors you can wear.

Formal

A sophisticated suit will make for an elegant formal wedding attire. Remember that dar- colored suits are more formal than their lighter counterparts. Adding some classy accessories can boost the sophistication of your attire by several notches.

Black Tie

If you’re only a guest, your best bet is a tuxedo. Don't try to get cute with a tuxedo. Wear your black tux with a white dress shirt and black bow tie. If the invitation states “black tie optional,” then you have the option to wear a tux or a suit. But remember to keep it formal by wearing a dark-colored suit and a tie especially if the wedding is after 6pm. However, if for some reason the invitation specifies a black-tie event in day time, go for a nice dark suit instead of a tuxedo.

Creative receptions

Only you can know how wacky your buddy and his bride can get. If in case they do something, um, special for their wedding day, it’ll be specified on the invitation. Be resourceful and imaginative in keeping up with the theme. Follow the guidelines but try to keep appropriate and in good taste, after all, it’s still a wedding.

For a “creative black tie,” you still need to wear a tux but you have the chance to get a tad bit creative with it by adding something ingeniously artistic.

http://www3.mb.com.ph/I20070921103406.html

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All about waterbirthing

Dr. Rebecca B. Singson, MD, FPOGS, FPSCPC

Waterbirthing is a non-traditional concept of giving birth which consists of the baby being delivered underwater. With this method, there is less use of invasive methods.

The mother’s wishes are also prioritized and the natural process of birth is respected. Medical intervention and techniques are minimized as long as the safety of the mother and child are not compromised.

The mother usually enters the birthing pool or tub during labor with the water set at body temperature once she goes into active labor. She may go in and out as she pleases depending on the pace of her labor. She may opt to give birth in the water or out of it. She and her partner decide the process of her giving birth in conjunction with their doctor or birth attendant.

When should moms opt for waterbirthing?

These are for moms who want to be in control of the birthing process. No anesthesia. No chemicals. Just the natural properties of the water to soothe you.

With waterbirthing, you won’t have anesthesia because the water will be able to relax you already. It also

takes off some of the weight, so there will be not much pressure on the lower back. There is also less need for cutting the perineum (the opening where the baby will come out) because the water will already soften the skin.

What are the advantages of waterbirthing for laboring women?

With waterbirthing, moms can make use of the water’s buoyant effects to relax the muscles especially in the perineum and vagina. It also gives off hydrokinetic effects brought on by the release of oxytocin in the brain due to nipple stimulation. This minimizes the need for medical intervention because when the woman is relaxed, she experiences less pain, thus leading to less anxiety, which in turn lowers adrenaline levels, encouraging the release of oxytocin and more oxygen flow to tissues.

Compared to a laboring woman lying in bed with the uterus compressing the inferior vena cava (the biggest vein, which returns blood flow to the heart), water birthing lowers compression. Thus, blood supply to the uterus and the placenta is improved. The fetus then benefits from improved circulation and oxygen flow.

What are the advantages for birthing women and baby?

Waterbirthing provides a low-risk alternative to delivering on bed or in a stirrup. The process restores the control of the birthing process to the mother. Since the water duplicates the amniotic fluid environment inside the uterus, waterbirthing provides a gentle transition to the world for the baby instead of a violent one. It is said to foster non-violence in the child when he becomes an adult.

A prospective study of nearly 6,000 mothers giving birth was performed at the clinic for obstetrics and gynecology of the cantonal hospital of Fauenfeld, Switzerland comparing over 2000 waterbirths to other methods of delivery like the Maia-birthing stool, birthing bed, Roma wheel, and others. It was noted that waterbirthing was the most popularly chosen alternative birth method adopted by 34-40 percent of mothers with spontaneous single births.

There is also significantly lower blood loss in waterbirths which could be due to less cuts and lacerations.

Women who have delivered through waterbirthing needed less painkillers compared to any other birth method. This had to do with the relaxing effects of water and the facilitated movement in its weightlessness.

The condition of the baby is also better than other birth methods. In over 2000 waterbirths in the study, there was not a single case of aspiration, drowning or death as a result of waterbirthing.

How safe is it?

It’s quite safe as long as there are no medical contraindications, meaning there are no risks like diabetes, heart disease, and so on. The pregnancy should be completely normal.

What are the contraindications to waterbirthing?

Waterbirthing cannot be performed if there is fetal distress. Maternal fever of greater than 100.4 with suspected maternal infection or amnionitis or a positive HIV status also contraindicate waterbirthing. Vaginal, urinary tract and skin infections, excessive vaginal bleeding, heavy meconium staining or any conditions requiring continuous electronic fetal monitoring are also contraindications. The same goes with prematurity and malpresentation.

Won’t my baby aspirate or drown during waterbirthing?

Again, there is no valid report of a neonate that ever drowned or died after birth as a consequence of a waterbirth.

This is because of the diving reflex and the inhibitory reflex associated with the larynx.

The larynx has been found to have 5 times more taste buds than the whole tongue surface. When any liquid reaches the back of the throat, the taste buds interpret what substance it is and the glottis closes automatically so the liquid is swallowed, not inhaled. This reflex, which is present in all babies till age six to eight months to facilitate breastfeeding, prevents water aspiration.

So under normal circumstances, the baby won’t breathe or gasp under water. It is only if the fetus was experiencing severe and prolonged lack of oxygen or because on anesthesia, that it may then gasp as soon as it is born, possibly inhaling water into the lungs.

The baby continues to breathe while underwater through the placenta until the baby is brought out of the water. It is only when the face comes in contact with air that the first breath will be taken. One possibility why a baby would lack oxygen under water, though, would be if the placenta detached prematurely as in the case of abruptio placenta.

Won’t the mother or baby get infected?

Some hospitals restrict a woman with a ruptured waterbag to do waterbirthing. There is really no basis for that since the research shows that the water does not enter the vaginal canal. In 1960, Dr. Siegel reported in the American Journal of OBGyn that when he did experiments on 30 moms to place tampons in the vaginal then have the mom sit in a tub of iodinated water for 15 minutes, not one tampon became stained in all cases. He, thus, concludes that women should not be restricted from bathing in the later stages of labor.

Infections of the neonate were not more frequent with a waterbirth delivery than any other birth method in over 2000 babies studied. There are some studies, though that show otherwise.

Studies show that women who give birth in water have the most satisfying birth experience. Waterbirthing is more a philosophy on nonintervention than a method of giving birth. It embodies spiritual, psychological, technological, humanitarian and scientific aspects of birth that make a mother completely connected to her body. It requires a certain level of consciousness and responsibility to take over her birth process and work with her doctor to avoid untoward outcomes that will jeopardize her baby. Waterbirthing is as ancient as it is new. Water allows us to surrender to the greatest miracle that can happen to a woman: the miracle of childbirth.

(Dr. Rebecca B. Singson holds clinic in Makati Medical Center and in the Asian Hospital and Medical Center, where waterbirthing is currently being offered. )

http://www3.mb.com.ph/MOMS20070919102452.html

8 Eight things you shouldn't eat too much could be killing us!

I just got this in myLot discussion care of http://www.mylot.com/andykylau

8 Eight things you shouldn't eat too much could be killing us! (Knowledge)

1) Preserved egg: When manufacturer preserved eggs, often increases the quota, if we eat frequently, can cause of poisoning. At the same time, calcareous could drain in the body.

2) Strong-smelling fermented beancurd: The strong-smelling fermented beancurd in the fermentative process, extremely easily by the microbial contamination, simultaneously can volatilize the massive salt base nitrogen.

3) Monosodium glutamate: Each person absorbs the quantity every day to the monosodium glutamate, take does not surpass six male grams as the principle, eat much is harmful and unhealthy.

4) Spinach: The spinach nutrition is rich, but because includes the oxalic acid, sends in food the precious element zinc and the calcium union, but is discharged in vitro, but causes the human body zinc and calcium lacking. (Man lacks zinc, can be unable to gain ground cultivates the behavior, terror!) As well as hydrogen sulfide and so on; These all are the corrupt matter which the protein decomposes, is harmful to the human body.

5) Pig liver: Kilogram pig liver, it contains the cholesterol to reach as high as above 400 milligrams, but a person if absorbs the sterol, can cause the arteriosclerosis.

6) Barbecue: Because barbecue in smokes roasts in the process, can produce like "the benzene" and so on the deleterious substance, is induces the cancer the factor.

7) Pickles: The pickles if manufactures does not get the knack of, contains the carcinogen, and contains the nitric acid amine, can cause of sick with long time eats.

8) Cruller: In the cruller potassium alum, is contains the aluminum the inorganic substance, may not frequently edible.

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AVOID Eating Chicken WINGS

AVOID Eating Chicken WINGS frequently - Especially Ladies


Avoid eating chicken wings frequently - ladies especially a true story...!

A friend of mine recently had a growth in her womb and she underwent an operation to remove the cyst. The cyst removed was filled with a dark- colored blood. She thought that she would be recovered after the surgery but she was terribly wrong.

A relapse occurred just a few months later. Distressed, she rushed down to her gynecologist for a consultation.

During her consultation, her doctor asked her a question that puzzled her. He ask if she was a frequent consumer of chicken wings and she replied yes wondering as to how, he knew of her eating habits.

You see, the truth is in this modern day and age; chickens are injected with steroids to accelerate their growth so that the needs of this society can be met. This need is none other than the need for food.

Chickens that are injected with steroids are usually given the shot at the neck or the wings. Therefore, it is in these places that the highest concentration of steroids exists. These steroids have terrifying effects on the body as it accelerates growth.


It has an even more dangerous effect in the presence of female hormones, this leads to women being more prone to the growth of a cyst in the womb. Therefore, I advise the people out there to watch their diets and to lower their frequency of consuming chicken wings!

People, who receive this email, please forward it to your friends and loved ones. I am sure no one wants to see them suffer!

Do Good, Think Good!


Notice from St. Joseph Health System
Charmaine Wilson
Agricultural Statistician
USDA-NASS
Livestock Section
Office: 202-690-2168