Food and nutrition.pdf

Diet and HealthAloe veraGreenlipped-musselKelpHerbalremediesAs a cure forarthritis andrheumatism.HealingIt should be noted that chronicdisorders such as rheumatism andarthritis have periods of partialremission in any case.A skilled herbalist may well be able torelieve minor ailments via thepharmacologic effects of some plants.But these effects can be powerful, andsome times toxic, indiscriminate use ofhtese remedies by the uninformed canbe dangerousThe public incurs other costs because many products labelled as"natural" or "organic" sell for higher prices than their "regular"counterparts, although their special benefits are not generallydemonstrable. "Natural" vitamins often sell at double the price of syntheticproducts even though they are chemically identical. In some productslabelled as "natural," only a minor fraction of the vitamin is actuallyderived from natural sources.What is also very difficult to understand is why more natural foods,like whole wheat bread or unpolished rice, often cost more than theirrefined counterparts, white bread or par-boiled white rice, that haveundergone costly processing and packaging which should make themmore, not less expensive.Drugs Effecting your HealthPrescription drugs may interfere with nutrient absorption, digestion,metabolism, utilization, or excretion. Similarly, both nutritional status anddiet can affect the action of drugs by altering their metabolism andfunction, and various dietary components can have pharmacologic activityunder certain circumstances.Drugs may act centrally or peripherally to decrease appetite or mayreduce appetite as a result of side effects. Drugs that act centrally includecatecholaminergics, dopaminergics such as levodopa for Parkinson'sdisease, serotoninergics, and endorphin modulators such as naloxone.Peripherally acting agents include those that inhibit gastric emptying, andbulking agents.The emetic centre, located in the brain stem, is easily stimulated bythe action of many drugs. Almost all drugs have the potential to altergastrointestinal function, causing nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, andconstipation. Any drug causing nausea, especially alcohol, can decreaseappetite. For instance, it has been well documented that -digitalis toxicity13