Off-id

TEA, as highly touted, is good for digestion. It is now very popular and the choice beverage for health-conscious
individuals. But the cola-loving Filipino race did not bite–or should one say, sip?–at first. Until an enterprising company re-introduced tea as a refreshing and healthy drink. The product became an instant hit and became a popular thirst-quenching drink.

Soon enough, other brands followed and even came out with a sugar-free variety for the figure-conscious. Other flavors emerged, from oolong to black tea to chamomile,etc.

Tea, especially the green variety, is good for one’s health because of its flavanoid components.  A study in Japan among 40-year old male subject reports that those who regularly drank green tea had lower total cholesterol, lower bad cholesterol and a higher level of good cholesterol.

Another study on Norwegian men and women showed that as tea consumption increased, total cholesterol level went down. Since tea, to a degree, blocks the absorption of dietary cholesterol, it is safe to assume that tea-drinkers have lower incidence of coronary heart disease.

The polyphenols in green tea have also been theorized to boost the immune system, giving the individuals drinking it a higher resistance to diseases in general.

These so-called polyphenols are natural phytochemicals found in tea leaves, most fruits and vegetables, and in vitamins and minerals. Aside from tea also being an antioxidant that deactivates the free radicals in our body, other benefits include its ability to prevent the destruction of DNA strands, inhibit abnormal cell reproduction that blocks the formation of cancer cells, and its ability to decrease the contact of cancer causing agents with the cells.

When a 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti Jan 12 at 75,000 people died and about a million were left homeless. An estimated two million people were affected by this disaster.

“When something like happens, it’s always the children who suffer most,” says Vanessa Tobin, United Nations Children Fund (Unicef) country representative.

Miss Vanessa says that the biggest needs of Haitians right sanitation, emergency shelters clean water. Water purification tablets and oral rehydration salts are important to keep children and adults from getting diarrhea and other waterborne diseases.

Unicef is supplying the victims with high-energy biscuits containing high-protein cereals. These special biscuits are packed with vitamins and minerals.

“It is not a replacement for food. It is a supplement for the food provided by the World Food Programme,” she says.

According to Miss Vanessa, the children  will also given Plumpy’nut if they showed signs of malnutrition Plumpy’nut is a peanut-based paste which sweeter than peanut butter. It ca help kids gain weight tastes.

Although help been pouring in from different parts of the world, Miss Vanessa says that the United Nations is far from reaching the $500 billion needed to for the next six months.

It is very important for children in the Philippines to help out because they can relate better to the children of Haiti after all the recent disasters that they have faced,” she says.

She suggests that students can organize a collection in their school and ask their teachers to turn over the amount to Unicef by calling the donor hot- line, 758-1000.

Your teachers or guardians may also get in touch with the following organizations.

While the holidays are behind us, the celebrations continue as we look forward to all the hopefullness that the New Year brings. And there’s nothing like facing 2010 with a new look that will bring out the best in you from  SM.

Give yourself a gift of time with global watch brands like Esprit, Axis, Giordano, Police. There are elegant dress watches in gold and silver finishes, classic timepieces in leather straps, and sporty watches iii fun colors to keep you in great time as you navigate through your 2010 appointments.

Give yourself a gift of style with trendy shades from SM’s branded accessories collection from Ray-Ban, Lacoste, Carolina Herrera, Dolce & Gabbana, Kenneth Cole, Montblanc, Just Cavalli, Escada, and Tommy
Hilfiger.

Take your pick from a wide selection of sporty aviators and wayfarers, trendy gradient lens sunglasses, preppy style retro and tortoise shell sunglasses, and glam oversized sunglasses to update your look. These luxe watches and sunglasses are available at the branded accessories section of selected SM department stores.

Mikki has been selling mixed-breed dogs for two years now. For a single unregistered Japanese Terrier pup, he would earn a mere PhP 2,000. F-lad he chosen to sell registered, pure-bred dogs, he would have earned triple the amount he is earning right now.

For professional dog breeders, aside from your dog added value, registration safeguards your beloved pups’ lineage and breed. You and your prospective buyers will be sure that what you are offering are nothing but the best pure-breeds. Also, registering allows the owner’s, even the breeder’s, canine to compete and showcase its talents in a dog show or any kind of dog sport.

As we all know, dogs are among the animals that have the most commercial value. A female pure-breed would cost around PhP 8,000 to PhP 20,000 depending on its papers, meaning its registration certificate and breed, says Arene Arcega, whose veterinarian brother (Dr. Arvin Arcega) has been a dog breeder for eight years.

“We maintain a file of hard and soft copy of records in the Asian Kennel Club Union of the Philippines Inc. (AKCUPI’ said Jalandoni Repalbor, AKCUPI president and CEO.”This is so we have something to look back to when a new dog owner or a buyer inquires about the breed of their acquired dogs.”

Registration is not merely for professional dog-breeding but it is also one of the main requirements for people who are dog sport-enthusiasts.

In support of dog sports and breeders, the AKCUPI is”committed to the uplifting and advancement of the Philippine canine industry. It works hand-in-hand with breeders, owners, handlers and animal welfare organizations to promote the sport in the country and preserve the purity of dog breeds and we steer the community towards the well-rounded education and eventually the profound and meaningful appreciation ofourfour legged friends:’

Dog registration is not merely for the sake of registering your dog and acquiring its papers for whatever purpose you may have. Rather, it differentiates a professional breeder and responsible dog owner from unsuitable breeders and owners out there who are solely concerned on profit and prestige.

A successful randomized, double- blinded, placebo-controlled phase 2 clinical trial using an intramyocardial injection of a patient’s own CD34 stem cells as treatment for refractory angina was performed at 22 centers across the United States, showing promising results.

Initially, pre-clinical studies provided evidence that a patient’s own CD34+ stem cells (CD34), could stimulate new vessel formation in those patients suffering from ischemic myocardium. Consequently, a phase 1, first-in-human trial was completed providing even further evidence of feasibility, safety and increased bioactivity in those patients with CCS class 3 and 4 angina. The phase 2 study, designed to test the ability of a patient’s own stem cells (CD34 cells) to improve blood flow to the heart, could show the ability to improve heart function and reduce the possibility of events such as hospitalizations and heart failure in patients with refractory angina. A total of 167 patients were randomized and completed the injection procedure, and 162 patients completed the six-month evaluation.

“The results from this study provide the first significant evidence that a patient’s own stem cells can actually be used as a treatment for their heart disease:’ said Dr. Douglas Losordo, lead author from Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois. “This study provides some hope for those patients with currently untreatable angina to be more active with less pain.

As a phase 2 study this program indicates how this strategy can be executed on a large scale at sites across the country. A program of this size has never been done in any stem cell cardiac study and is critically important if such a therapy is going to be effectively delivered.

It also provides information about appropriate endpoints regarding suitability and sample size of this therapy for a phase 3 efficacy study, the final study that will ultimately determine if the treatment works.

The XDA ATOM Exec is a huge improvement over previous xdas. First it looks very handsome with its dark matte exterior, like something designed by Hugo Boss.

The Atom Exec is about the size of the xda II Mini, but with a slightly smaller 2.7- inch screen. It must be said the phone also has a nice heft to it; it feels well balanced when you hold it.

When it comes to features this smartphone packs them in. But the big :etdown first: it’s not 3G-enabled yet. What will make you forget that is that it features every important phone feature out there. Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and infrared connectivity.

MP3 and video playback, a 2-megapixel camera, and some features corporate IT departments would swoon for. Another letdown: the audio jack is the 2.5mm kind. In otherwords – like Treos past you will need an adapter louse regular headphones.

Windows Mobile 5 (as well as a lot of PocketPC software) is beautiful. When using the default Windows and 02 display settings you will see blue and black colors which are soothing to the eyes — albeit hard to read in daylight. The cxec is also just as fast as regular Nokias —not the fast ones. Good thing it has a 520MHz Intel processor because it’ll certainly need all the speed it can muster.