Wednesday 9 September 2015

99 Reasons Why Turmeric Is the Best Spice Ever

Posted On August 17, 2015

By Susan Patterson

Turmeric is a herbaceous herb (also known as Curcuma longa) that is a member of the ginger family, which has been used throughout India and the Orient for thousands of years. Historical records note that ancient Polynesians took turmeric with them when they sailed across the Pacific Ocean to Hawaii where the spice is still used today and known as ’olena.

In India, this golden spice has long been called “holy powder,” and is used extensively to treat infections, wounds and a myriad of other health problems. Its healing power was once thought of as only a folktale; however, modern research is now confirming what the people of India and many parts of Asia have known for thousands of years — turmeric is a spice you don’t want to pass up.

Scientists are finding an astonishing array of antioxidant, anticancer, antiviral, antibiotic, antifungal and antibacterial properties. As an immune system booster, turmeric is 5 to 8 times stronger than vitamin C and E.

Studies show that curcumin, the principal curcuminoid of turmeric, inserts itself into cell membranes where it does a little house-cleaning and reorganizing, adding vibrancy to the cell itself. Suddenly a disorganized cell becomes organized, allowing information to flow through it so it can function more effectively. The result of this action increases the cell’s resistance to infection and malignancy, which can keep a number of serious conditions at bay, including the following:

Gallstones
Crohn’s disease
Psoriasis
Acne
Rheumatoid arthritis
Cataracts
Inflammatory bowel disease
Diabetes

Cancer

Cases of the four most common cancers found in America are very low in India where turmeric is a food staple. These cancers include colon, breast, prostate and lung, occurring ten times less frequently in India than in the U.S. Prostate cancer, which is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men in the United States, is hardly ever found in Indian men.

Studies that have examined the medicinal impact of curcumin have found that it keeps cells from changing from normal to cancerous and stops the spread of existing cancerous cells.

Furthermore, it works in conjunction with the body to destroy existing cancer cells so they are unable to spreadto the rest of the body. Liver function is enhanced in those that use curcumin regularly, and it appears to prevent additional blood from reaching cancer cells, which retards their growth.

The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, reports that curcumin blocks the pathway in the body that is required for melanoma and other cancers to develop. In a laboratory setting, curcumin actually causes cancer cells to commit suicide. In addition, it has been found to shut down the protein needed to induce an inflammatory response.

Inflammation (turmeric reduces pain and swelling)

Curcumin is probably best known for its strong anti-inflammatory properties. Inflammation is a normal and beneficial process that occurs when white blood cells and chemicals in the body join up to protect you from foreign invaders such as bacteria and viruses. So, some level of inflammation is good and required for health. However, the inflammatory response often gets out of control.

This happens when the immune system triggers an inflammatory response without a real threat. This can easily cause excess inflammation to stay in the body; a condition that is linked to allergies, heart disease, autoimmune disease, cancer (discussed above) and other serious medical conditions. Excess inflammation can also cause irritation to tissues, which translates into the pain, swelling and redness so often seen in people suffering from osteoarthritis.

According to one study, patients who suffered from osteoarthritis who added 200 mg of curcumin daily to their treatment plan, had a significant decrease in pain and much improved mobility. The control group, who received no curcumin, had no improvements.

In another study, turmeric extract blocked the inflammation pathways which prevented the protein responsible for swelling and pain from triggering.
So many people with inflammation-induced pain take non-steroidal medications such as Tylenol for relief, however, chronic use of these medications has been associated with some rather serious side effects, such as cardiovascular problems, kidney and liver damage as well as gastrointestinal problems.

More benefits of turmeric

Besides those I have mentioned above, turmeric has so many other benefits it is often referred to as the most powerful spice on the planet. Here is just a glimpse at what it can do:

Powerful antiseptic
Natural liver detoxifier
Slows the progression of Alzheimer’s
Supports eye health
Supports female reproductive health
Cleanses the skin
Helps with sugar digestion
Slows the progression of multiple sclerosis
Assists in fat metabolism
Purifies blood
Fights depression
Reduces the ill effects of chemotherapy
Protects against radiation
Eliminates parasites
Promotes healthy digestion
Thins gut mucus
Protects against heavy metal toxicity
Aids in wound healing
Fights yeast
Promotes healthy circulation
Restores damaged skin
Relieves pain from leech bites
Fights infection
Protects from free radicals
Supports healthy bones, ligaments, joints and skeletal system
Boosts the immune system
Protection from food poisoning
Fights aging

Not just alternative

Even mainstream health circles recognize the power of turmeric. Web MD cites that the herb is useful for the following conditions:

Heartburn
Stomach pain
Kidney problems
Sprains
Intestinal gas
Gum inflammation
Bloating
Jaundice
Bronchitis
Burns
Upset stomach
Worms
Colds
Diarrhea
Loss of appetite
Hepatitis
Colic
Ulcers
Hardening of the arteries
Fibromyalgia
Menstrual problems
Indigestion
Mastitis
Swimmer’s ear
Childhood leukemia
Bad cholesterol

Other amazing uses

I have personally used turmeric for a number of things, including as a natural dye for Easter eggs, t-shirts and play dough. When combined with aloe vera, it can help to ease the pain and itch caused by poison ivy, bug bites and chicken pox.

I love to make a super delicious dip for veggies using organic yogurt, turmeric, dried onion, and salt and pepper. I have also combined turmeric with raw honey for an amazing facial exfoliator paste. Living out in the west and loving my sandals like I do, my feet take a beating. To relieve dry and cracked heels, I mix coconut oil and turmeric and let it sit on my feet for about 15 minutes before having a shower.

Here are some more ways you might consider using this highly versatile and potent spice:

As a tea to ease sleep problems
As a facial wash to even out skin tone
As a natural skin bronzer
As a scalp conditioner
As a hangover reliever
As a stress reliever
As a natural foundation
As a weight-loss tonic
As a healthy addition to homemade soap
As a homemade toothpaste
As a dark circle reducer
As a hair thinning agent
As a healthy addition to any smoothie, soup, stew, vegetable or fruit dish, and even baked goods

Turmeric vs. curcumin

If curcumin is the super power in turmeric, should we take it alone or with the spice in its whole state?

Studies have been performed to determine whether turmeric or curcumin is more effective. The results supported the hypothesis that “a crude extract of turmeric is more effective than the purified compound curcumin in curing human ailments” because it offers the full spectrum of curcuminoids.

Another study also emphasized the role of synergistic effects of other constituents of turmeric extract on the antioxidant activity of curcumin.

As you can see, using the complete turmeric root is better than removing the most active compound and consuming it in an isolated state. The whole root contains co-active molecules, ones that work together for the most benefit.

It’s also worth noting that there are ways to make your complete turmeric even more effective with other foods that help the body absorb it.

Black pepper (with its active chemical piperine) is one, and cayenne pepper (capsaicin) is another. One study showed that turmeric and cayenne pepper were each individually beneficial for the reduction of cholesterol oxidation, liver toxicity and inflammation, but the beneficial effect was greater when they were consumed together.

Another important consideration is that curcuminoids are fat soluble. Any fat soluble nutrient or vitamin should always be consumed with another food containing fat, so that it can be most effectively absorbed.

The best way to absorb curcumin is to combine a tablespoon of curcumin powder with 1–2 egg yolks and two teaspoons of melted coconut oil. This will emulsify the powder and enhance absorption.

Use organic and fresh turmeric liberally in the kitchen. It has an earthy and peppery flavor.

If you would like to do some more research of your own, visit PubMed’s extensive database of research on turmeric… the best spice ever. You will be amazed!

— Susan Patterson

Susan is the Content Director at The Alternative Daily, a Certified Health Coach, Certified Metabolic Typing Advisor and Master Gardener. With an extensive knowledge of whole foods and wellness, Susan enjoys educating others on how to live healthy and sustainable lives. She presently lives off grid in the middle of the New Mexican high desert with her three children and numerous animals.

Sources:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK92752
http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/herb/turmeric
http://www.drlise.net/attachments/tumeric.pdf
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19594223
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006899306027144
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19233493
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22481014
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18462866
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22407780

Thursday 3 September 2015

Password Entropy - reposted from Techtarget

DEFINITION

password entropy

Part of the Personal computing glossary:

Password entropy is a measurement of how unpredictable a password is.

Password entropy is based on the character set used (which is expansible by using lowercase, uppercase, numbers as well as symbols) as well as password length. Password entropy predicts how difficult a given password would be to crack through guessing, brute force cracking, dictionary attacks or other common methods.

Password entropy is usually expressed in terms of bits: A password that is already known has zero bits of entropy; one that would be guessed on the first attempt half the time would have 1 bit of entropy. A password's entropy can be calculated by finding the entropy per character, which is a log base 2 of the number of characters in the character set used, multiplied by the number of characters
in the password itself.

NIST provides the following guidelines for user-selected passwords with 30 bits of entropy:

Use a minimum of 8 characters selected from a 94-character set.
Include at least one upper case letter, one lower case letter, one number and one special character.
Use a dictionary of common words that users should avoid, like a password blacklist.
Don’t use any permutations of your username as your password.

Of course password entropy can't be the only thing considered or passwords would be too long, complex and unmemorable. Best practices involve employing something memorable to the user but not easily guessed by anyone else. Because password length is one of the most important factors affecting password entropy and overall strength, a longer password can be simpler than a shorter one and still be effective.

Wednesday 2 September 2015

Something to ponder

Makes you think......

Home Made HEALTHY Hot Chocolate

Yummy - I have thought out a Hot Chocolate recipe and it works !!!! Very yummy and guess what -- no sugar, no dairy........ very, very guilt free.

Very Easy - combine one medium tin of Cocoa with one packet of Nature's Choice Swiss Dream milk replacement (approx 1:1) .
Image result for cocoa south africa

Sweeten with Xylitol to taste.

Password complexity....are we fooling ourselves ?

Many of the beliefs we have around what constitutes a “good” password are created by what default policies in software such as Microsoft teach us.
We are led to believe that a minimum length of 8 characters, a good mixture of UPPER and lower-case, numbers and uncommon (i.e. $@#&!) characters automatically make a good password.

Many Systems Administrators and Systems Engineers never delve into the analysis behind a password due to the above IT MEME created in large by the software industry. So what constitutes a strong password and why is our MEME a concern. Surely our passwords have stood the test of time.

What we need to keep in mind is that computing power has been increasing at an incredible rate and access to this computing power has become easier and easier. Lately, harnessing the power of multiple GPU’s has become the standard method to crack passwords. A recent password cracking cluster built with easily accessible hardware, managed to show that it could crack every standard Windows password in less than 6 hours. (GPU Cluster cracks passwords)

This is seriously scary tech for anyone connected with security on networks. Gone are the days of setting a password and never touching it again - at Windows complexity levels, that is. Even changing passwords regularly is no guarantee against a machine that only needs 6 hours to crack open ANY Windows password.

What shall we then do ?

First of all, we need to understand what makes a password difficult to crack. The key here is LENGTH. Sure, complexity plays a factor, but complexity becomes self defeating if a user cannot remember their own password. Force them to change this complex password every week or month and they WILL start writing it down. This then defeats the object of the exercise, as written down passwords can be snooped and are a very high risk.

Some facts:
A password of 8 characters (only a-z + A-Z) can be cracked by a Supercomputer in approx 5 millionths of a second (0.0005s) or in about 11 seconds by a PC + GPU. This password has an entropy (password strength) value of 45.6 bits.

A password of 8 characters containing a-z, A-Z, 0-9, special characters (`~!@#$%^&*()-_=;:'",<.>?) will take a Supercomputer 0.05 seconds to crack and a PC + GPU only 17 minutes.

Keeping the password simple (a-z + A-Z), but increasing the length by only 2 characters ( from 8 to 10 ) will make the Supercomputer take 1 second to crack it and the PC + GPU crack time increases to 8 hours !

Adding another 2 characters now makes our 12 character password crackable in 1 hour by Supercomputer, but our PC + GPU will now take 2 YEARS ! Password entropy has now increased to 68.4 bits.

Should we become creative and construct our password as an easy to remember object of some length such as “MydogsnameisButch” (17 characters) with an entropy of 96.9bits, our Supercomputer now needs 47,125 YEARS and our PC + GPU needs 942 MILLION YEARS to crack this !

On top of being very difficult to crack (by a computer), our password has the advantage of being easy to remember.

This does not mean that ALL restrictions must be removed from password complexity. A good requirement would be 12-16 characters, at least 2 Uppercase and no more than 2 consecutive repeated letters. The 16 character limit allows the password to be used in a Windows environment. The above password would have to be changed to “MydogsNameisBob” (Entropy value of 85.5 bits)

In general, an entropy of over 80 is considered to be a very strong password.

SWAY Link

References:

Musings of the Mind