Ampalaya for diabetes? – 1 January 10, 2009
Posted by paripl110707 in Ampalaya Leaves, Diabetes Mellitus, Heral Medicinal Plants, Lower Blood Sugar, Momordica Charantia, Treat Diabetes.Tags: Ampalaya, Blood Sugar, Cure, Diabetes, Leaves, Medicinal Plant, Mt. Makiling
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Philippine Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, on January 29, 2008, issued a circular, rescinding a previous one released in 2003, reinstating ampalaya (Momordica charantia) on the Department of Health’s list of “scientifically validated herbal medicinal plants.”
The reason cited for his decision was the “recent evidence on the clinical efficacy of ampalaya against diabetes mellitus.” The basis was the “clinical trials conducted by scientists at the University of the Philippines in Manila and Los Baños which have found that leaves of ampalaya growing in Mt. Makiling are comparable to synthetic drugs for diabetes…Other studies have established that ampalaya fruits and seeds have medicinal properties.”
Not Potent Enough by Itself
As we have written in this column on September 15, 2003 (The Brewing Bitter Controversy), “while ampalaya has the property to lower blood sugar, eating ampalaya or taking any of those ampalaya preparations (capsules, tea, etc) being marketed as herbal alternative “cure” for diabetes, alone and by themselves (in lieu of prescription medications for diabetes), is not effective enough to adequately and safely treat diabetes.”
Announcing that ampalaya has been “scientifically validated herbal medicinal plants” is fine, but saying that the “ampalaya leaves are comparable to synthetic drugs for diabetes” is dangerously confusing to the lay persons. That statement should be qualified for public safety.
Ref: dailyinquirer
Two-minute warning: December 21, 2008
Posted by paripl110707 in Quick test, Routine physical exam, Sweating.Tags: Belly, Diabetes, Physical Examination, Ratio, Sweat, Test, waist
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It shouldn’t take the place of a routine physical exam, but here’s a quick test you can do right now to determine your risk for heart disease. And it doesn’t involve sweating, unless that’s something you normally do just standing still. Measure your waist at your belly button with a measuring tape (no sucking in the gut, okey?). Now divide that number by your height in inches. If the result is more than 0.26, you could be headed for a weight-related health problem, such as heart disease or diabetes.
Researchers in Japan compared waist/height ratio, waist/hip ratio and body-mass index in more than 3,000 men and found that waist/height was a more accurate predictor of heart disease than the commonly used waist/hip ratio. Besides, they say, waist/height is easy for most men to measure. If your number is on the high side, don’t be alarmed. Just bring it up at your next check-up. Your doctor may suggest you start a moderate exercise program to trim down.
Ref: men’shealth
