This section is devoted to the information that will be useful in the creation of a Kin's Domains.
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Giving Birth in the Water with a Dolphin
This video may not be suitable for minors.
Birthing Among Dolphins
by Debbie King
Sarah Evans reached out, gently stroking the dolphin's side. Her labour pangs subsided as she breathed deeply, relaxing in the warm waters of the Red Sea.
Despite opposition from the Israeli authorities, Sarah had decided to go ahead and give birth with the dolphins to 'help' her. And although she had reservations about the lack of hospital facilities available if anything went wrong, within three hours she was holding a healthy baby son.
Sarah had flown out to the Israeli resort of Eilat specifically to give birth with dolphins in the Red Sea. She was one of six pregnant women and a team of doctors, therapists and masseurs who flew to Eilat after months of preparation by London obstetrician Dr. Gowri Motha. The idea was for the dolphins to act as aquatic 'midwives', helping the women to have a tranquil labour.
But the Israeli authorities were not impressed by the idea of the controversial births. Concerned for the safety of the women and their babies, they banned the scheme after health inspectors ruled it could expose mothers and babies to infections. But Sarah was absolutely determined to go ahead, and ignored the ruling. In the end, she was the only one in the group to experience giving birth in the Red Sea.
When she went into labour at midnight, 31-year old Sarah trekked from her hotel room to the beach and the Dolphin Reef sanctuary, where she gave birth to baby Samuel in a heated, glass-bottomed pool. As she hoped, the Reef's six dolphins - Hindu, Cindy, Shi, Dicky Dana and Domino - came to investigate. Sarah, who used Dr Motha's technique of self-hypnosis during her three-hour labour, was able to touch one of them as it circled around her. Husband Jonathan, a 30-year old recruitment agency owner, was there to cut the umbilical cord as Samuel came into world at 3am.
Dr. Motha, 43, has spent 20 years researching childbirth, and believes that dolphins can help a woman deliver with almost no pain by passing an underwater sonar messages of support. And Sarah agrees: "Giving birth in the Red Sea with the dolphins was the most wonderful experience of my life," she says. "I was in complete control of the situation and didn't feel under any pressure to perform, as you do in a hospital with the doctors and nurses milling about.
"It happened so quickly, and I wasn't in any pain. The dolphins came close - but not too close. It felt like they wanted their presence to be known, but didn't want to be too intrusive," she says. Just 30 minutes after the birth, Sarah walked up the sandy beach with her new-born son, and by 4 am she was celebrating with champagne back at the hotel. Sarah, who also has a three-year old son Joshua, says she has no regrets about her unusual labour, even though it meant sneaking out in the night to avoid the authorities.
Now back at home in East Sussex, she says she and baby Samuel are fighting fit. "My only reservation was that while I was in labour I didn't have the option of hospital facilities if I needed them," she says.
Dolphins are said to be able to sense if a woman is pregnant - before she may know herself in some cases - and if there are any pregnant women in the water, they often pay them particular attention.
The other five women who went to Eilat say swimming with the dolphins in the weeks leading up to giving birth was an experience they'll never forget. And Sarah describes how, when she was out swimming in the sea in the weeks before the birth, she'd feel Samuel kicking whenever the dolphins came near and she could touch them.
Dr. Motha, who's committed to encouraging women to opt for natural births and self-hypnosis techniques during labour, hailed the project as a great success. "The fact that one woman gave birth in the sea with dolphins made the trip worthwhile," she said.
"Women feel safe when they're in the water with dolphins. These wonderful mammals understand joy at a very deep level. Swimming with them enables a prospective mother to be in touch with joy, which is the true essence to birth. Hospitals tend to turn the birth of a child into an organized, sanitized affaire over which the professionals, rather than mothers have control."
http://drmomma.blogspot.com/
Babies: Not Designed to Sleep Alone
by Dr. Jay Gordon
The official position jointly proposed by the CSPC and the crib manufacturers' lobbyists will cost many babies their lives. Here's why:
Babies sleeping on a safe surface with sober, nonsmoking parents respond to their parents, and the parents respond to them. The chance of SIDS occurring in this situation is as close to zero as we can measure. For better or worse, most babies have never sneezed in their parents' beds without their parents knowing it. How could they possibly stop breathing without our immediately being aware of the problem and quickly stimulating them back to a regular, safe respiratory pattern?
Babies in a crib or in a room away from their parents will breastfeed less and are at greater risk of infections, including life-threatening ones. We have politely begun calling crib death "SIDS" (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) to remove the stigma many parents have felt about their use of cribs. If there were a disease or cause of infant fatality called "chair death," we would certainly think twice before placing our children in chairs in a separate room for eight or ten hours.
The medical profession, as it often does, is approaching the entire idea of the family bed backward. A baby in the same bed with his or her parents is surrounded by the best possible surveillance and safety system. It must be the responsibility of the manufacturers and proponents of cribs and separated sleep to prove that such disruption is safe, not the other way around. The combined wisdom and experience of governmental "experts" is dwarfed by that of James McKenna, Director of the University of Notre Dame's Mother-Baby Sleep Laboratory. His research and writing explain very clearly that no sleeping situation is 100 percent safe, but that many more babies have suffocated in cribs than in beds shared with their parents.
In 23 years of pediatric experience, I have never had a case of SIDS in my practice. I might be a pretty good doctor, but I'm not that good. Vitally, all of the families I have cared for sleep in the same bed with their babies for either the entire night or the major part of it. These families succeed at breastfeeding and succeed at raising babies and children with fewer episodes of ear infection, pneumonia, and other illnesses than they would be expected to have, according to medical texts.
Newborn babies breathe in irregular rhythms and even stop breathing for a few seconds at a time. To put it simply, they are not designed to sleep alone.
http://drmomma.blogspot.com/
Grape Seed Extract Kills Leukemia Cells
by: Sherry Baker, Health Sciences Editor
Grapes, grape juice and wine made from grapes have been in the news for the last few years -- making headlines for their potential heart protective benefits. Now there's another reason to appreciate the healthy phytochemicals contained in grapes. Researchers from the University of Kentucky have found a natural substance in the fruit that's deadly to malignant leukemia cells. The powerful cancer fighter, derived from grape seeds, triggered the death of 76 percent of leukemia cells exposed to the extract in a laboratory experiment.
The scientists just reported this study in the January 1, 2009, issue of Clinical Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. They also published data that reveals the cell signaling pathway that grape seed extract impacts to trigger the death, or apoptosis, of leukemia cells. The University of Kentucky researchers concluded the extract "turns on" a protein known as JNK that regulates the cancer-cell killing pathway.
"These results could have implications for the incorporation of agents such as grape seed extract into prevention or treatment of hematological malignancies and possibly other cancers," the study's lead author, Xianglin Shi, Ph.D., professor in the Graduate Center for Toxicology at the University of Kentucky, said in a statement to the media.
Dr. Shi and his research team have been studying chemicals called proanthocyanidins in fruits that epidemiological evidence shows may prevent the development of cancer. In additional studies, Dr. Shi and colleagues discovered that apple peel extract contains antioxidant-rich flavonoids which cause several cancer cell lines to die.
Based on this earlier research, as well as studies from other scientists showing grape seed extract reduces breast tumors in rats and skin tumors in mice, the University of Kentucky scientists decided to see what effect the natural components of grape seed extract might have on leukemia cells. Although grape seed extract has already shown activity against several other forms of cancer cell lines in the lab, including skin, breast, colon, lung, stomach and prostate cancers, this is the first time the natural substance has been tested on hematological cancers.
This category of cancers, which the National Cancer Institute lists as the fourth leading cause of cancer incidence and death in the U.S., involve the uncontrolled growth of cells that have similar functions and origins and includes leukemias, lymphomas, and myeloma. Leukemia is specifically a cancer of blood and the bone marrow.
Dr. Shi and his team exposed leukemia cells to a commercially available grape seed extract in different doses. They found the higher doses had the most marked effect in causing the death of the cancer cells. They also discovered that the extract does nothing to harm normal cells.
"What everyone seeks is an agent that has an effect on cancer cells but leaves normal cells alone, and this shows that grape seed extract fits into this category," Dr. Shi stated in the media release.
http://www.naturalnews.com/
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Blueberries: A Superfood
Milk Destroys Antioxidant Benefits in Blueberries
Introduction
Not much is better than a bowl of fresh blueberries. Bursting with flavor and sweetness, low in calories, and packed with nutrients and antioxidants, these tiny fruits are anti-aging superstars. There is however one word of caution. Blueberries lose their power when eaten with milk.
Blueberries have a high affinity for milk protein
A new study reported in the journal Free Radical Biology and Medicine investigated whether antioxidant properties of blueberries were reduced because of their affinity for protein. They assessed the bioavailability of phenolics after consumption of blueberries with and without milk. Phenolics are the active compounds in plants that give blueberries their antioxidant potential.
Volunteers consumed 200 g of blueberries with 200 ml of either water or whole milk. Blood samples were collected at baseline and at intervals following consumption. The samples revealed that ingestion of blueberries with water increased plasma levels and concentrations of caffeic and ferulic acids. When blueberries and milk were ingested together, there was no increase in plasma antioxidant capacity. There was a reduction in the peak plasma concentrations of caffeic and ferulic acids as well as the overall absorption of caffeic acid.
Ferulic acid provides rigidity to cell walls and protects the nervous system. It has a normalizing effect on blood pressure. Caffeic acid is also a powerful protector of neurons. Other research has shown caffeic acid has the potential to prevent neurodegenerative disease.
This study suggests that the best way to gain maximum benefits from blueberries and other fruits eaten for their polyphenol content is to consume them either one hour before protein is consumed, or two hours after.
The effects of ferulic and caffeic acids on neurons may be what give blueberries their ability to influence cognition and learning. A study reported in the August, 2008 journal Nutrition and Neuroscience looked at cognitive impairment in age-related neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's as being due to long-term exposure and increased susceptibility to inflammatory insults. They investigated whether polyphenols in blueberries could reduce the deleterious effects of induced inflammation.
Rats were fed a diet that included a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), or a 2 percent blueberry diet. After two weeks and behavioral evaluation, the rats were examined and total RNA from the hippocampus was extracted to analyze the expression of inflammation-related genes. The researchers found the blueberry diet was able to improve cognitive performance to a much greater degree than was the NSAID diet. Blueberry eaters showed a reduction in several factors influencing the inflammatory response. They concluded that blueberry polyphenols can lessen learning impairments resulting from neurotoxic insult and exert anti-inflammatory actions, perhaps by alteration of gene expression.
Other studies have found that diets rich in blueberries significantly improved both the learning capacity and motor skills of aging animals, making them mentally equivalent to animals much younger.
Blueberries are antioxidant powerhouses
Researchers at Tufts University recently analyzed 60 fruits and vegetables for their antioxidant capabilities. Blueberries were tops among all that were studied, ranking highest in the capacity to destroy free radicals. Antioxidants in blueberries neutralize free radical damage to the collagen matrix of cells and tissues that can lead to cataracts, glaucoma, varicose veins, hemorrhoids, peptic ulcers, heart disease and cancer.
The pigments that give blueberries their color improve the structure of veins and the vascular system. They enhance the effects of vitamin C and inhibit enzymes from cleaving the collagen matrix. Maintaining a stable collagen matrix is essential for health of bones, tendons, cartilage and connective tissue. The collagen matrix is what keeps skin from wrinkling and sagging.
Eating 3 or more servings of fruit per day including blueberries lowers risk of age-related macular degeneration, the primary cause of vision loss in older adults. Blueberries are loaded with eye healthy and vision preserving carotenoids like lutein and zeaxanthin, and flavonoids like rutin, resveratrol and quercitin. And they contain a wealth of minerals needed for vision and overall health, like selenium and zinc.
Blueberries are high in the soluble fiber pectin, which has been shown to lower cholesterol. They provide greater cardio-protective antioxidant capability than red wine.
Blueberries' cancer fighting properties are legendary. Ellagitannins is probably the most highly prized compound in blueberries because of its ability to block metabolic pathways that can lead to the initiation and promotion of cancer. A study reported in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry found that blueberries inhibit colon cancer cell proliferation and induce programmed cell death. Blueberries contain kaempferol. This compound was shown in the Women's Health Study to reduce the risk of ovarian cancer by 40 percent in women who diets provided the greatest amounts. Blueberries also contain pterostilbene, another powerful cancer fighting compound.
Both diarrhea and constipation can be relieved with blueberries. Their tannin concentration helps reduce inflammation in the digestive tract as well as in the urinary tract. They provide safety form the bacteria that cause food borne illnesses.
Blueberries are terrific anti-depressants and mood elevators.
Choosing and using blueberries
For many people seeing the price tag for fresh organic blueberries is a real jolt. Some of the cost can be minimized by buying wild blueberries. These are often the same quality as those certified organic. Frozen blueberries provide all the antioxidant potential and other nutrients found in fresh ones. If you are looking for frozen berries, check the bag to make sure the berries move around freely and are not stuck together, indicating they have been thawed and refrozen. If you like some juice with your blueberries, frozen is the way to go.
As a general rule, the riper the fruit the greater its antioxidant content.
Organic dried blueberries are also a good choice, especially for snacking since the sweetness is accentuated by the drying process. The antioxidant potential of dried blueberries can be as much as four times greater than that of fresh. Organic dried berries will have been dried at temperatures low enough to protect their antioxidant capabilities.
Heat is a destroyer of the antioxidant potential of blueberries, making canned or other processed berries a poor choice. Fresh or frozen blueberries can be pureed and fed to babies. Blueberries in baby food jars will have lost most of their nutritional value.
Sources:
US Highbush Blueberry Council, blueberry.org.
Organic Facts, Health Benefits of Blueberries, organicfacts.net.
Blueberries, WHFoods, whfoods.com.
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Lower your Blood Pressure Naturally
How You Can Normalize Your Blood Pressure Without Drugs
By Dr. Mercola
If you are not already one in three U.S. adults with high blood pressure, the odds are that without intervention, you will be, at some point in your life.
In fact, the risk of becoming hypertensive is greater than 90 percent for individuals in developed countries, according to an editorial in the Lancet.
The medical term for high blood pressure is hypertension. Many confuse this and believe this is high blood pressure related to being tense or anxious. While this can certainly cause high blood pressure in some, anxiety is a relatively minor cause of this condition.
It's really no surprise that hypertension is on the rise.
In fact, it's to be expected when the diet of choice -- or sometimes prescribed diet --for so many is some variety of a high grain, low fat regimen. This is exactly the wrong nutritional combination if you have high blood pressure, or if you are hoping to prevent the condition.
The Sugar Connection
Groundbreaking research published in 1998 in the journal Diabetes reported that nearly two-thirds of the test subjects who were insulin resistant (IR) also had high blood pressure.
This crucial connection between IR and hypertension is yet another example of how wide-ranging the debilitating effects of high insulin, leptin and blood glucose levels can have on your body.
Additional research revealed that if your blood pressure doesn't drop notably overnight, you run an increased risk of having cardiovascular problems. Here, the connection is also elevated blood sugar (glucose) levels. Elevated blood sugars can result in diabetes and other diseases which increase cardiovascular problems.
Chances are if you have hypertension, you also have poorly controlled blood sugar levels. The two problems often go hand in hand. And if your hypertension is the direct result of an out-of-control blood sugar level, then getting your blood sugars normalized will also bring your blood pressure readings into the healthy range.
Healthy Blood Pressure is Within Your Control
Uncontrolled high blood pressure is a very serious health concern that can cause heart disease and increase your risk of having a stroke. It is especially dangerous because hypertension often has no warning signs or symptoms.
The sad reality is, over half of people taking multiple medications for high blood pressure are still not able to manage their condition.
The great news is that over 85 percent of those who have hypertension can normalize their blood pressure through lifestyle modifications. If you have hypertension or hope to avoid it, there are simple steps you can take to balance your blood pressure, glucose, leptin, and insulin levels -- all at the same time -- without harmful and/or ineffective medications.
I'll detail those steps later in this report.
But first, a little background information about the importance of your blood pressure to your health.
What do the Numbers Mean?
If you've ever had your blood pressure taken, you know that there are two numbers given in a blood pressure reading. The upper or first number is your systolic blood pressure reading. The lower or second number is your diastolic pressure.
Example:
120 / 80 =
120 systolic arterial pressure and
80 diastolic arterial pressure
Systolic pressure is the highest pressure, in your arteries and occurs when your ventricles contract at the beginning of your cardiac cycle.
Diastolic pressure refers to the lowest arterial pressure, and occurs during the resting phase of your cardiac cycle.
Both numbers in a blood pressure test are important, but if you're 50 or older, your systolic pressure gives the most accurate diagnosis of high blood pressure.
According to the most recent report (issued 2003) by the Joint National Committee (JNC) on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation and Treatment of High Blood Pressure, the following guidelines apply for determining whether you might suffer from hypertension:
 |
|
|
| Blood Pressure Classification |
Systolic |
Diastolic |
| Normal |
<120 |
and <80 |
| Pre-hypertension |
120-139 |
or 80-89 |
| Stage 1 Hypertension |
140-159 |
or 90-99 |
| Stage 2 Hypertension |
>=160 |
or >=100 |
| per JNC 7 Express, December 2003 |
|
|
|
Getting an Accurate Blood Pressure Reading
Your blood pressure readings can vary significantly from day to day -- even from morning to evening, and often within the same hour. It is when your blood pressure remains consistently elevated that significant health problems can occur.
It's important to remember that there are several variables that can affect the validity of your blood pressure reading.
For example:
- If you're overweight, a size 'average' blood pressure cuff can lead to a falsely elevated blood pressure reading. Estimates indicate that eight to ten percent of overweight and obese patients are wrongly diagnosed as hypertensive due to ill-fitting blood pressure cuffs. Since two-thirds of Americans are overweight, this is a significant concern. You should make sure your doctor or health care professional is using the right size cuff for your size.
- Arm position. If your blood pressure is taken while your arm is parallel to your body, your reading can be up to 10 percent higher than it really is. Blood pressure readings should always be taken with your arm at a right angle to your body.
- White coat hypertension, which is an elevation in blood pressure caused by the stress or fear associated with visits to doctors and other medical personnel, can be a transient but serious concern. Stress reduction in this situation is key.
- But guess what often happens when a patient receives just a single elevated reading at the doctor's office? That patient is typically diagnosed as hypertensive and a prescription is written. This can set off a chain of events which results in even higher readings at future visits, higher doses prescribed of current drugs, and the introduction of additional drugs.
This is a vicious cycle that might have been avoided had certain precautions been taken. If this happens to you be very careful, as it's important to have at least three elevated readings over a few weeks before you can be confident that you truly have hypertension. The exception would be very elevated blood pressures which could increase your risk for stroke -- that situation should be treated without waiting.
Hypertension: When Your Blood Pressure is too High
Some of the main causes of hypertension include lifestyle factors that you have total control over, which are primarily related to your insulin levels (for example, eating a high-grain and high-sugar diet, and not exercising).
If you have high blood pressure, you probably have too much insulin and are insulin resistant. There is often a direct relationship between the level of insulin and blood pressure readings. As your insulin level elevates, so does your blood pressure.
Keeping your insulin level in the healthy range is of paramount importance to ideal blood pressure readings.
The good news is that if you have hypertension, making the appropriate lifestyle changes, which I will review later in this report, will very likely normalize your blood pressure.
Blood Pressure and Big Pharma
It's important to understand that national guidelines for what constitutes high blood pressure or hypertension (HTN) are heavily influenced by drug companies.
There are about 100 different drugs that treat high blood pressure, and the JNC's report is remarkable for its heavy emphasis on drugs, and many times multiple drugs in combination, to treat the condition.
Alternative recommendations for prevention and treatment are barely mentioned. Nowhere in the report will you find information about insulin resistance as the primary cause of high blood pressure in most people.
And here's a stunner.
According to a survey reported by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) in July 2003 (the same year the JNC 7 report was issued), despite the number of drugs available and number of prescriptions written, no real progress has been made in controlling high blood pressure among the U.S. adult population.
The survey found that:
- One in three U.S. adults has high blood pressure
- Nearly a third of people with HTN don't know they have the condition
- Over 40 percent were not being treated
- Nearly three out of four people did not have their HTN under control
Another study reported by the Archives of Internal Medicine in 2000 revealed that 30 percent of patients with mild to moderate hypertension responded well to a placebo -- proof that they were able to control their blood pressure without medication.
Yet another study reported by the British Medical Association in June 2003, revealed that 97 percent of people taking drugs for high blood pressure had suffered significant side effects at some point during treatment.
That means you only have three chances out of 100 that you will be side-effect-free if you choose to take drugs to control your high blood pressure.
Prescription Drugs are Not Your Best Choice
It should come as no surprise to learn that the majority of conventional physicians apply a cookbook model to treating hypertension, rather than treating the individual patient and addressing the underlying causes, which have far more to do with lifestyle choices than unavoidable aging.
High blood pressure is in fact an easily treated condition, but one that can cause serious damage to your health if it's ignored.
Drugs, however, are rarely the answer.
There are in the neighborhood of 100 pharmaceutical drugs deemed 'safe and effective' for the treatment of high blood pressure.
And since most blood pressure patients take more than one medication to treat their condition, there is a potentially endless supply of drugs, and drug combinations, available with the flick of a pen across a prescription pad - no lifestyle changes required.
This despite the fact that lifestyle changes have been shown to normalize blood pressure levels in over 85 percent of sufferers!
Since stress is widely known to have a significant effect on blood pressure, how is it the Joint National Committee fails to so much as suggest stress management in its lifestyle modification information?
A study reported by the Archives of Internal Medicine indicates that even 'white coat hypertension,' a transient condition brought on by stress in the presence of medical personnel, is more serious than once thought. In fact, white coat hypertensives suffer heart damage similar to, though not as dramatic as that seen in people with chronic high blood pressure.
The connection between stress and high blood pressure is proven. Unresolved stress issues are at least as significant to your overall health as poor diet and lack of exercise.
New Guidelines Mean New Patients and More Prescriptions
Also worthy of mention is that this seventh JNC report ushered in new guidelines for blood pressure readings.
Up until its publication, a 120/80 reading was considered normal. Now, a reading between 120-139 systolic and 80-89 diastolic is considered pre-hypertensive. Suddenly, in December 2003, 45 million healthy Americans became new potential consumers of anti-hypertensive drugs. This, despite the fact that there is absolutely no evidence these people are at risk for chronic high blood pressure.
We would all be wise to question what's behind a gold standard medical report on the prevention and treatment of high blood pressure that covers lifestyle issues in a single brief paragraph. Not a word of discussion about the link between insulin and hypertension. Not a word about the importance of managing stress.
Normalize Your Blood Pressure Naturally, For Life
The remainder of this special report will show you how to normalize your blood pressure for the rest of your life, without dangerous drugs.
The following information will not only help you bring your blood pressure under control, it will optimize your overall health and the quality of your life in countless other exciting ways. You'll read about the importance of ...
- Eliminating two types of foods that are poison for most people, but especially if you have high blood pressure
- Balancing the omega fats in your diet
- Normalizing your weight
- Managing your emotional life
- 'Drugging' yourself with exercise
- Appropriate sunshine exposure
- Experimenting with supplements and other alternative tips for improving your blood pressure
Eliminate Grains and Sugars from Your Diet
If you have high blood pressure, the first thing you should do is remove all grains and sweets from your diet until both your weight and your blood pressure have normalized.
When you eliminate grains and sweets from your diet, you are on your way to achieving a healthy level of insulin in your bloodstream.
The role insulin plays in high blood pressure cannot be overstated.
If you are like most people with hypertension, you have insulin receptors that don't work efficiently. You have a condition known as insulin resistance (IR). To compensate, your body generates more insulin.
Eating sugars and grains -- including any type of bread, pasta, corn, potatoes, or rice -- will cause your insulin levels to remain elevated.
Elevated insulin levels are very toxic and can lead to devastating consequences for your health.
Insulin stores magnesium, but if your insulin receptors are blunted and your cells grow resistant to insulin, you can't store magnesium and it passes out of your body through urination. Magnesium stored in your cells relaxes muscles. If your magnesium level is too low, your blood vessels will constrict rather than relax, which will raise your blood pressure and decrease your energy level.
Insulin also affects your blood pressure by causing your body to retain sodium. Sodium retention causes fluid retention. Fluid retention in turn causes high blood pressure, and can ultimately lead to congestive heart failure.
When you consume a high-carbohydrate meal, you raise both your blood sugar and your insulin level. A high level of insulin acts as a very strong stimulant to your sympathetic nervous system. The reaction of your sympathetic nervous system causes spasms -- constrictions -- of your arteries. And if you already suffer from hypertension, this further constriction of your blood vessels can increase your risk of a heart attack.
Other Dietary Considerations
1) Eat right for your nutritional type
Eating according to your nutritional type tends to normalize elevated blood pressures in the vast majority of people.
When you address your nutritional type -- your unique biochemical needs, which are based on your specific genetics -- your health problems are addressed at the foundational level, and you are far more likely to achieve a permanent solution for regaining your health.
If you have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, or are overweight, it is highly likely that you are eating too many grains -- yes, even unrefined whole grains -- as this is the most common culprit causing your insulin level to become abnormal. The Nutritional Typing diet, however, will help you to not only reduce your intake of sugar and grains (which is beneficial for most everyone), but even more importantly, will help you determine your optimal ratios of carbohydrates to healthy fats and proteins.
2) Normalize your omega 6:3 ratio
Both omega-3 and omega-6 fats are essential for your health. Most Americans, however, are getting too much omega-6 in their diet and far too little omega-3. Consuming omega-3 fats is one of the best ways to re-sensitize your insulin receptors if you suffer from insulin resistance.
Omega-6 fats are found in corn, soy, canola, safflower and sunflower oil. If you're consuming a lot of these oils, you'll want to avoid or limit them.
Omega-3 fats are typically found in flaxseed oil, walnut oil and fish, with fish being by far the best source. Unfortunately, most fresh fish today contains dangerously high levels of mercury. Your best bet is to find a safe source of fish, or if this proves too difficult, you can supplement with Krill Oil, which has been found to be 48 times more potent than fish oil.
3) Eliminate caffeine
The connection between caffeine consumption and high blood pressure is not well understood, but there is ample evidence to indicate that if you have hypertension, coffee and other caffeinated drinks and foods can exacerbate your condition.
Caffeine is a drug, and while it's entirely legal and widely consumed, it can have a powerful affect on your individual physiology.
If you want to eliminate caffeine from your diet, try to do it gradually over a period of days or even weeks in order to avoid withdrawal symptoms like headaches.
Normalize Your Weight
If you are overweight, have diabetes, already have high blood pressure or are at risk for developing hypertension, it's crucial to your health and longevity that you normalize your weight.
Studies show that even a modest weight loss, when maintained, can reduce blood pressure long-term. The key is to keep the weight off, however, because your blood pressure will quite likely go back up right along with any weight you regain.
The best way to optimize your weight and regain or improve your health is to first understand the profound influence the foods you eat have on your physiology.
Two very important things to keep in mind:
- Food is fuel
- You are unique in terms of the type of fuel your body needs for optimal health
The simple truth is that one-size-fits-all diets -- whether intended for weight loss, or to address a particular health concern -- will not work for everyone. That's why some people are helped by, for example, a high protein-low carbohydrate regimen while others become ill from it.
There is no perfect diet for everyone.
The challenge is to learn what the best foods are for you. You can do that by discovering your Nutritional Type.
Once you learn your Nutritional Type and begin eating in accordance with your body's needs, you'll be making food and other nutritional choices that will address your weight issues and other health concerns.
Eating for your Nutritional Type is not like dieting.
With a cookie cutter diet, you're apt to feel deprived much of the time -- maybe even ill -- because the diet might be all wrong for your individual nutritional requirements. Consuming the right fuel for your body's needs based on your Nutritional Type, however, can have an immediate, positive impact on the way you feel, how you look, and your health overall.
It is not a 'quick fix,' mind you -- no healthy lifestyle change is -- but you will notice improvement as soon as you begin to eat the appropriate foods for your personal biochemistry and metabolism.
Learn to Manage Your Emotional Stress
As I stated before, the link between stress and hypertension is well documented.
Doctors and health care professionals committed to treating the whole person rather than a list of physical symptoms are well aware of the crucial connection between diseases of the body and unresolved emotional conflict.
Studies back this up, and in fact, it has been shown that people with heart disease can lower their risk of subsequent cardiac events by over 70 percent simply by learning to manage their stress.
Suppressed negative emotions such as fear, anger and sadness can severely limit your ability to cope with the unavoidable every day stresses of life.
It's not the stressful events themselves that are harmful, but your lack of ability to cope.
The good news is, the technology exists to quickly and effectively transform your suppressed, negative emotions, and relieve stress.
Energy psychology tools like the Meridian Tapping Technique (MTT) are available to assist you in optimizing your emotional health. You can find more information about MTT on my website.
Use Exercise as a Drug
It's no secret that regular physical activity is a far better drug than anything a pharmaceutical company can manufacture, as are the 'side effects' of exercise. Regardless of the primary reason you start an exercise program, your efforts will be rewarded in countless other ways.
A rigorous comprehensive exercise program seems to be very important in producing long-term benefits in people with high blood pressure. Depending on your physical condition when you embark on an exercise program, you may need to consult with a health care professional who can help you can increase to the intensity required to make a difference in lowering your insulin levels.
As a general rule, weight bearing exercises like walking, jogging and running are best.
Studies indicate that aerobic activities like these are most beneficial for lowering blood pressure.
Cycling and swimming take longer to produce the same results, but if you enjoy them, by all means include them in your routine.
Swimming in the ocean is highly preferable to swimming in a chlorinated pool, as pool chemicals present their own set of health problems.
Nearly every program should incorporate a fair measure of anaerobic sprint or burst-type exercises, as these have been shown to be even more effective than aerobic exercises at reducing the risk of dying from a heart attack.
Weight training is another wonderful strategy, especially if you can extend your workout time to 90 minutes a few days a week to include both aerobic and anaerobic exercises in those longer sessions.
If you are insulin resistant, you'll definitely want to include weight training in your exercise program. When you work individual muscle groups, you increase blood flow to those muscles. Good blood flow will increase your insulin sensitivity.
If you are overweight with hypertension, you should engage in relatively intense exercise six to nine hours a week in order to decrease the sensitivity of your insulin receptors. Intense means exerting yourself sufficiently that you can't comfortably talk to someone during your workout.
Get a Daily Dose of Sunshine
Believe it or not, the farther you live from the equator, the higher your risk of developing high blood pressure. And did you know that blood pressure is typically higher in winter months than during the summer?
Sunlight actually affects blood pressure in several ways:
- Sun exposure causes your body to produce vitamin D. Lack of sunlight reduces your vitamin D stores and increases parathyroid hormone production, which increases blood pressure.
- Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to insulin resistance (IR) and Syndrome X (also known as Metabolic Syndrome), a group of health problems that can include IR, elevated cholesterol and triglyceride levels, obesity, and high blood pressure.
- Vitamin D is also a negative inhibitor of your body's renin-angiotensin system (RAS), which regulates blood pressure. If you're vitamin D deficient, it can cause inappropriate activation of your RAS, which may lead to hypertension.
- Additionally, exposure to UV rays is thought to cause the release of endorphins, chemicals in your brain that produce feelings of euphoria and relief from pain. Endorphins naturally relieve stress, and stress management is an important factor in resolving hypertension.
Exposure to sunlight is a basic requirement for your health, and not only to normalize your blood pressure. Vitamin D helps systems and organs throughout your body function properly.
Vitamin D receptors can be found in almost every type of cell in your body.
You can achieve nearly all of the benefits of sun exposure by using a safe tanning bed. This will be an important alternative to sun exposure in the winter for those who are unable to "snowbird" away to a sub tropical environment.
You can view my free one hour lecture for more details on vitamin D.
A Word About Vitamin D Supplements ...
Please do NOT let your doctor give you a "prescription" vitamin D. That is vitamin D2, which is synthetic, and not nearly as beneficial as the real vitamin D, which is D3 (cholecalciferol).
If you decide to supplement with oral vitamin D3, you must carefully monitor your vitamin D blood levels to avoid overdosing. (This is why it is highly preferable to get your vitamin D through sun exposure since there is virtually no chance of overdosing.)
When getting your levels checked, it's important to make sure you're in the optimal range. A 'normal' level is considered 20-56 ng/ml or 50-140 nmol/l. However, this is not the time to be 'average.' Instead, aim to maintain an optimal 25-hydroxyvitamin D value of 50-65 ng/ml. Your vitamin D level should not be below 40 ng/ml.
To learn much more about vitamin D test values and the best labs to get your tests done, please visit the following page.
About Supplements and Other Alternatives
Although I have listed some supplements below to be complete, please understand that they are in NO way shape or form to ever be considered as an alternative to the primary recommendations above which treat the real cause of the problem.
Only using the supplements below without incorporating the lifestyle recommendations discussed above is an allopathic approach not very different from using drugs.
- Calcium and magnesium. Daily calcium and magnesium supplementation can be useful in lowering blood pressure, especially if yours is on the high end of high. However, if you avoid sugars and grains and eat for your Nutritional Type (see above), it's unlikely additional calcium or magnesium supplements will be necessary.
- Vitamins C and E. Studies indicate that these vitamins can be helpful in lowering blood pressure. If you're eating for your Nutritional Type, you should be getting the right amount of both these nutrients through your diet alone. If you decide you need a supplement, make sure to take a natural (not synthetic) form of vitamin E. You can tell what you're buying by carefully reading the label. Natural vitamin E is always listed as the 'd-' form (d-alpha-tocopherol, d-beta-tocopherol, etc.) Synthetic vitamin E is listed as 'dl-' forms.
- Olive leaf extract. A recent study showed that supplementing with 1,000 mg of olive leaf extract daily over eight weeks caused a significant dip in both blood pressure and LDL ('bad') cholesterol in people with borderline hypertension. If you want to incorporate olive leaves as a natural adjunct to a nutritionally sound diet, you should look for fresh leaf liquid extracts for maximum synergistic potency. You can also prepare your own olive leaf tea by placing a large teaspoon of dried olive leaves in a tea ball or herb sack. Place it in about two quarts of boiling water and let it steep for three to 10 minutes. The tea should be a medium amber color when done.
- Electrical acupuncture. Acupuncture combined with electrical stimulation has shown to temporarily lower elevations in blood pressure in animals by as much as 50 percent. It's currently undergoing testing in humans and could be a promising alternative treatment for controlling blood pressure.
- For parents. If your children lose their cool while playing video games, this could signal they are at risk for developing hypertension in later years. The video games available these days can be very violent in nature, which is cause for further concern. Encourage a balance in your children's activities. Ideally, they should be involved in exercise and other physically active pursuits during the majority of their leisure time. The sedentary lifestyle of so many children today is contributing to obesity and other chronic conditions and diseases, including high blood pressure.
- For moms of newborns. Studies have shown that babies who are breastfed for more than 12 months have a dramatically reduced risk of developing hypertension. Researchers believe long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (the same found in fatty fish) in breast milk provide a protective effect for newborns.
- Quick tricks. Increasing nitric monoxide in your blood can open constricted blood vessels and lower your blood pressure. Methods for increasing the compound include taking a warm bath, breathing in and out through one nostril (close off the other nostril and your mouth), and eating bitter melon, rich in amino acids and vitamin C.
Like obesity, high blood pressure is reaching epidemic proportions among American adults. If big drug companies had their way, there would be at least as many drugs available to treat obesity as there are for hypertension. But as study after study shows, drugging with pharmaceuticals is a short-term, unreliable, and often quite dangerous approach to treating symptoms rather than the underlying causes of disease.
A natural approach to preventing disease and healing yourself when illness strikes is always the better choice. In the case of high blood pressure, lifestyle changes -- with particular emphasis on normalizing your insulin levels -- can put you on the road to a drug-free, all natural return to optimal health.
http://articles.mercola.com/
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Biodynamic Gardening
Raised Beds
Gardening with raised beds is so much more productive than single row gardening, takes up far less space, and requires so much less labour, that there is simply no contest. Single row gardening is copied from large scale farming and cultivation by tractor drawn equipment - and raised beds do not require cultivation. Bingo. No contest on this count alone.
Raised beds also allow you to grow 4 times as much produce as single row gardening in the same space. Which means 4 times less cultivation, weeding, irrigation, fertilisation, soil improvement - and all the labour and costs these things entail. We now have a fourfold bingo! And as if all this were not enough, raised beds have many additional benefits:
- they warm up earlier in Spring
- they remain un-compacted
- they eliminate tilling
- they allow much denser planting
- they substantially reduce the need for weeding
Raised beds warm up earlier in Spring, and also early in the day, so much so that they can be seeded or planted as much as a month earlier than in flat ground in the same area.
Since raised beds are never walked upon, the soil never becomes compacted, and always remains in excellent tilth (nicely and finely 'crumbly') - ideal for sprouting seeds, growing roots, availability of nutrients, and for water and air penetration.
Raised beds eliminate the need for cultivation (hoeing hardened and compacted soil) - and the need for tilling in Spring and Fall.
Raised beds allow much denser planting, saving much space, and substantially increase the yield per cultivated area as compared to row crops.
Denser crops also shade the ground between them, which discourages weeds, and reduces evaporation of moisture as well.
Fortunately, making raised beds is also a one-time thing, and needs to be done only once. To begin, mark out your gardens in 3.5 or 4 Foot wide beds, with 18" paths in between. Use little stakes and string, to keep the beds from slowly getting narrower or wider. These beds can be as long as you wish. I had mine laid out in a pattern of two sections, each 50 feet long, with a wide central path down the middle of my 100 x 100 Feet garden. Since I am fairly short - only 5-6 all in all - I also found it much easier to reach into the middle of the 3.5 Foot wide beds than the 4 Foot wide ones. Still, I found the 4 Foot wide beds just right for the cucumber beds.
Once you have done the garden lay out, just shovel a few inches of soil from what will be the paths onto the beds - and there are your raised beds. If you wish, you can also use 2 inch cedar planking, held by stout stakes inside the bed, as the 'walls' of your raised beds, but this is really not necessary.If necessary, add top soil from elsewhere, or brought in, to reach the desired hight. For a very attractive garden, or if you need more soil for your raised beds, you can also take another 2 to 3 inches of soil from your paths and replace it with fir bark mulch (never cedar bark mulch; cedar contains an antibiotic which will leach into your garden, and strongly hinders plant growth). And once you have established your raised beds, you need not ever do it again, unless you want to change the basic layout of your garden.
To return briefly to the problem of hardpan and situations of less than the minimum of 18" inches deep loam. If you have at least 10" deep loam, you can let Nature take care of the hardpan problem. Just punch some holes through the hardpan for basic drainage, as described earlier, and then let Nature solve the problem of the hardpan. And she will. The penetration of hardy roots into the hardpan during the season, and their decay in fall, will slowly break up the hardpan and transform it, albeit somewhat slowly, into rich loam. Every year you can expect the layer of hardpan to become less by one-half to 1 inch.
There is only one slight disadvantage of raised beds. In places which have only a thin layer of soil over bedrock and much direct exposure to the sun, raised beds dry out faster than flat ground beds. In this case, filling the paths to the top level of the raised beds with fir bark mulch (never cedar bark mulch), or anything else which retains moisture well, will go a long way to solve this problem.
Altogether, raised beds offer ideal growing conditions, are so much more productive, and require so much less labour, that there is simply no comparison with single row gardening. And we'll reduce the labour even more, and quite a lot, as we go along. Next though, we'll get into balancing the soil.
http://www.greenlivingonline.com/
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Life in the slow lane: A Tour of biodynamic farming
Using the land - safely utilizing and still protecting you natural resources
The earth is a natural organism that is alive in every way. It's rivers act like blood vessels and its oceans are giant filters. It is growing new parts of its body all the time. It expands and contracts as it breathes. Man is but one organism living on the earth, each of us acting like a cell in a massive system. The human cell can be detrimental to the earthly host in the same way that the cancerous cell is detrimental within man. Using our resources in the most thoughtful, compassionate, and even useful way will allow us to progress as a species, in unity with the earth.
The earth has certain zones within it, in nearly all locations. Man can best utilize the natural topography and technologies that the earth has in place and minimize his impact on the system, thereby making it more whole. In order to accomplish this, he must allow certain places within the earth to remain pristine, so that they may function by design. Following are tips for working within each of the earth's 8 main functional zones.
Surface water (waterfront)
Land uses consonant with the preservation of surface water include harbor facilities, marinas, water and sewage treatment plants, water-related and water-using industries (i.e. a stone ground millhouse), and large single-structure (1500 SF footprint) estates. Land uses that do not damage water resources include organic agriculture, forestry, recreation, institutional uses (schools), and residential open space. Leave 200' each side of existing waterways free from development.
Negative ionization, a physical and emotional health benefit of watercourses, is produced by lightning and thunderstorms and occurs naturally at fountains, waterfalls, and during rain. Using these natural elements in the design of you home and landscape will benefit both the earth and you. Make them a destination.
Marshes
Often grassy marshes serve man's needs for flood and water storage, wildlife habitats, and spawning grounds for fish. These areas are usable for recreation and certain types of agriculture (like cranberry bogs).
Floodplains
Floodplains allow rivers and lakes to overflow, which actually serves to clear out debris that chokes the flow of fresh water. It's a very useful natural technology in the worldview, though man tends to lose property in the moments when the edges are no so predictable. For that reason, it is best to use 50-year floodplains for uses that can withstand the deluge. Agriculture, forestry, open space, marinas, water-related and utilizing industries, and limited raised housing are appropriate here.
Allow the low parts of stream, river, and lake areas, especially those with grasses but also those within the 50-year floodplain, to remain untouched to allow riparian access to streams, give the water plenty of space to be cleaned, and allow hardwoods to grow. If you want to build near a stream, that's okay, just build within the forested area so that the grasslands that filter the water for the stream are allowed to function correctly.
Aquifers
Aquifers and their strata of rock, gravel, or sand are key to clean water. Development in these areas should minimize the impact of sewage treatment. Industry and urbanization in these zones is more than detrimental. It has the capacity to poison the regional ecosystem. Agriculture, forestry, recreation, and low density housing are acceptable uses.
If your settlement is over an aquifer, use a community-wide sewer type system and single mass production plant to make methane for the community house instead of a septic type system, which will spread the effluents all over the (currently functioning) aquifer instead of a localized place where it's healthy bacteria and scrubbers have a chance to defend the whole.
Aquifer recharge zones
Such areas occur at the intersection of surface water and aquifers. Oftentimes ate periods of low flow, streams and rivers are actually just moving groundwater. If the stream or river is polluted, thus the aquifer becomes polluted. These areas are better left alone, so that they may heal each.
Steep lands
The soil Conservation service recommends not building or farming on soils sloping more that 12% in order to minimize erosion and allow for natural flood control. Steep slopes are recommended for recreation and forestry, with some low-density housing. Only allow 1 house per 3 acres in steep terrain or in the deepest parts of the forest. Do not plow or plant more than 12% of available meadows unless you are using entirely locally occurring plants, and even then only plant 50% of the available space. (This is mainly for the safety and health of the wildlife who may not understand why your carrots are off-limits.)
Forests and Woodlands
Forests improve microclimates around all land use areas. They cast off heavy winds and allow breezes. They diminish erosion, sedimentation, flood, and drought. They offer wildlife habitat, and allow man a space for both recreation and scenic beauty. The forest is low maintenance and self-perpetuating. They are most effectively utilized for forestry, recreation, and housing densities of one unit per acre.
Prime Agricultural Lands
Prime agricultural soils are the most productive agricultural soils, sure, but you may not realize that they also recharge all the topsoil in the area. These rich soils are worthy of our protection, if for no other reason than the ability to use them later.
There are many areas of non-prime agricultural lands. These are perfect for large groupings of buildings. Preserve the best lands you can for cultivation and water/topsoil recharge.
Use only deep, well-drained soils for row agriculture. Do not attempt to use rocky or swampy soils, or steep sites without ecologically minded terracing for agricultural uses.
If there are USDA Category 1 soils on your land, allow a portion of them to remain fallow in service the rest of the land. Use only at most an area equal to 35% of these soils, and use crop rotation techniques, so that your topsoil stays healthy and can be recharged. Only build 1 large building (1500SF footprint) per 25 acres in these prime soil recharge areas.
To understand you state's soils profiles, go to your state's page at the USDA, or your country's equivalent. The USDA page is located here: http://soils.usda.gov/sqi/
As to the design of an eco-restorative settlement of your own or of like-minded beings, it is key to remove all the concepts of boundaries that you come with. A truly ecologically-based site design takes into consideration not just acquisition of the literal chunk of land - but also the relationship between your needs and the land's. The collective settlement of multiple kin domains, the creation of a community, should aspire to this also, however in order to do so, the community must let go the concept of a square or rectilinear boundary.
In so far as you are able, leave the land alone. Use swales and berms to provide groundwater recharge and direct water flows to ponds, but be mindful of diverting streams, or creating them for that matter. Water and the land are inextricably in relationship so mindful management is key to survival of both, as well as to the health and well being of the plants and animals. Berms can also serve as a leech field for sewage, allowing the higher ground to serve the filtration purpose before the effluent gets into the groundwater.
Allow your natural weed management system - goats and otherwise - to free range so that erosion is not localized and the plants have a chance to heal.
* * * * *
The vision of Archinia was created and continues through the passionate direction of Rachel Preston. Rachel is a unique designer who integrates past and present in her design work, using historic vernacular precedents and materials and methods of place and time to create spaces that feel, and are, alive.
Rachel graduated in 1998 from Texas A&M University, where she studied Architectural Design, Architecture History, and Historic Preservation. She has studied and worked in the cathedrals and villas of Europe, and worked alongside American architects specializing in religious, historic, and ultra-high-end custom residential design. Her work has included forensic architecture, archaeological architecture, the preservation and adaptive reuse of historic structures, re/design for handicapped accessibility, as well as the design of bio-climatic residences and commercial structures for non-profits.
Rachel is an enthusiastic writer, with blogs on Kin Domains, Sacred Architecture, and Sacred Travel. She is currently completing two books on architecture:
The Illustrated Guide to Building Design for Kin Domains, a guidebook of bio-climatic architectural principles for supporters of the Anastasia / Ringing Cedars movement that started in Russia and has quickly become a worldwide phenomenon.
An American Fairy's Home Companion, an illustrated book that introduces children to the vibrant world of architecture through vivid illustrations and the introduction of basic architectural design principles. The Companion is designed for evolution into activity projects for elementary-level educators.
Rachel is committed to sharing architecture as more than an academic exercise. She is also an award-winning architectural photographer. Travelling often, she offers workshops on bio-climatic design principles, labyrinth design, and Feng Shui / space clearing / organization. She regularly works with non-profits on team building, strategic planning and building committee training. Her audience includes children, and she shares architecture with Girl Scouts, Waldorf schools, and as a stand-in art teacher at local schools near her home in Taos, New Mexico. Her classes have been offered at green festivals, churches, garden clubs, and archaeological and history groups . Rachel has a passion for the sacred in everything and strives to bring a sense of sanctuary into all she does.
http://kindomains.archinia.com/
Image Copyrights: http://www.leics.gov.uk/; http://www.kidsgeo.com/; http://rst.gsfc.nasa.gov/
Genepax shows off water-powered fuel cell vehicle
Genepax Co Ltd explained the technologies used in its new fuel cell system "Water Energy System (WES)," which uses water as a fuel and does not emit CO2.
The system can generate power just by supplying water and air to the fuel and air electrodes, respectively, the company said at the press conference, which took place June 12, 2008, at the Osaka Assembly Hall.
The basic power generation mechanism of the new system is similar to that of a normal fuel cell, which uses hydrogen as a fuel. According to Genepax, the main feature of the new system is that it uses the company's membrane electrode assembly (MEA), which contains a material capable of breaking down water into hydrogen and oxygen through a chemical reaction.
Though the company did not reveal the details, it "succeeded in adopting a well-known process to produce hydrogen from water to the MEA," said Hirasawa Kiyoshi, the company's president. This process is allegedly similar to the mechanism that produces hydrogen by a reaction of metal hydride and water. But compared with the existing method, the new process is expected to produce hydrogen from water for longer time, the company said.
With the new process, the cell needs only water and air, eliminating the need for a hydrogen reformer and high-pressure hydrogen tank. Moreover, the MEA requires no special catalysts, and the required amount of rare metals such as platinum is almost the same as that of existing systems, Genepax said.
Unlike the direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC), which uses methanol as a fuel, the new system does not emit CO2. In addition, it is expected to have a longer life because catalyst degradation (poisoning) caused by CO does not occur on the fuel electrode side. As it has only been slightly more than a year since the company completed the prototype, it plans to collect more data on the product life.
At the conference, Genepax unveiled a fuel cell stack with a rated output of 120W and a fuel cell system with a rated output of 300W. In the demonstration, the 120W fuel cell stack was first supplied with water by using a dry-cell battery operated pump. After power was generated, it was operated as a passive system with the pump turned off.
This time, the voltage of the fuel cell stack was 25-30V. Because the stack is composed of 40 cells connected in series, it is expected that the output per cell is 3W or higher, the voltage is about 0.5-0.7V, and the current is about 6-7A. The power density is likely to be not less than 30mW/cm2 because the reaction area of the cell is 10 x 10 cm.
Meanwhile, the 300W fuel cell system is an active system, which supplies water and air with a pump. In the demonstration, Genepax powered the TV and the lighting equipment with a lead-acid battery charged by using the system. In addition, the 300W system was mounted in the luggage room of a compact electric vehicle "Reva" manufactured by Takeoka Mini Car Products Co Ltd, and the vehicle was actually driven by the system.
Genepax initially planned to develop a 500W system, but failed to procure the materials for MEA in time and ended up in making a 300W system.
For the future, the company intends to provide 1kw-class generation systems for use in electric vehicles and houses. Instead of driving electric vehicles with this system alone, the company expects to use it as a generator to charge the secondary battery used in electric vehicles.
Although the production cost is currently about 2,000,000 Yen (US$18,522), it can be reduced to 500,000 Yen or lower if Genepax succeeds in mass production. The company believes that its fuel cell system can compete with residential solar cell systems if the cost can be reduced to this level.
http://kindomains.archinia.com/
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H2O Car - Water Powered Car
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For Educational purposes only. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease
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