Cholesterol and High Risk of Heart Disease

Thursday 31 May 2012


The latest statistics show that 35% of Malaysians suffer from hypercholesterolaemia, or high cholesterol level. It is the chief risk factor for cardiovascular disease, which is the leading cause of death in Malaysia for the past 30 years. And nearly 50% of deaths in the world. Frightening?

What is Cholesterol?

Cholesterol is a waxy-like substance produced by our liver. Do you know cholesterol is extremely important for normal body functioning, like:
  • Enables the production of hormones, vitamin D and bile acids that aids the digestion of food in our intestines.
  • Combat stress for those of us leading a stressful lifestyle.
  • Combats cellular damage, which increases as we age.
  • Ensures that the fats or oil we eat becomes soluble or "dissolves" in the water environment of our blood. If we take a lot of saturated fats, our liver has to produce more cholesterol to dissolve these types of fats, thereby increasing the amount of cholesterol in our blood stream.

Cholesterol is carried in our blood in 3 "packagings":

1) lipoprotein cholesterol, which is used by our body as a kind of bandage to cover abrasions and tears in damaged arterial walls.
(a) LDL or low-density lipoprotein (bad cholesterol)
(b) HDL or high-density lipoprotein (good cholesterol)

2) triglycerides, which our body uses by converting it into energy. It also helps ensure adequate nutrition.

What is a Healthy Cholesterol Level?

Healthy adults: LDL level < 3.4 mmol/L (130 mg/dl)
People with heart disease: LDL level < 2.6 mmol/L (100mg/dl)
People with very high risk of heart disease: LDL level < 1.8 mmol/L (70 mg/dl)

HDL levels for men should be above 40 and for women should be above 50.

Conditions that cause LDL levels to rise include:
  • diabetes
  • hypertension
  • high levels of triglycerides
  • kidney diseases
  • liver diseases
  • underactive thyroid gland.

Statistics show there's a correlation between high cholesterol level and coronary heart disease.
You're considered to be at a high risk of heart disease if you have:
  • Diabetes
  • Previous heart attack/stroke
  • Artery blockages in your arms, legs or neck.

If you have 2 or more of the following risk factors, you can be considered to be in the very high risk group:
  • Smoking
  • Suffering from hypertension (high blood pressure)
  • Low HDL (good) cholesterol
  • Family history of early heart disease
  • More than 45 years old (men) or 55 years old (women).

Here's an Effective Solution

Certain components in Lingzhi are proven to be very effective to prevent our liver from producing excess cholesterols and triglycerides. Lingzhi also plays a role to: 
  • improve blood circulation and prevent heart attacks or strokes
  • increase blood fluidity by cleansing your blood
  • decrease the possibility of blood clot formation,
thereby successfully reducing high blood pressure.


Lingzhi also has the ability to :
  • maintain the function of our pancreas
  • prolong the lifespan of our beta-cells (which produces insulin) by eliminating the free radicals that attack the beta-cells
  • ensure the stability of blood glucose levels,
thereby effectively preventing and treating diabetes problem.

To read more, check out this article The Effects of Ganoderma (Lingzhi) on Diabetes.

Or you can email me at laifuiping@gmail.com if you want to consume Lingzhi as your solution to reduce your cholesterol and risk of heart disease.
Click here to refer to Shuang Hor company website for Product Description and Price. I am an Authorized Distributor.



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What Makes Aquasense Hydrating Toner So Special

Thursday 24 May 2012

Toner is a skincare product used right after cleansing. Its main function is to provide your cleansed facial skin with enough moisture. In addition, it also contributes to:
  • Excellent hydrating effects.
  • Regulating sebaceous activities.
  • Soothing and calming skin tissues.
  • Refining pores.
  • Reducing wrinkles.
  • Supplying nutrients needed by the skin to awaken its innate mechanisms of staying youthful and healthy.
In a nutshell, a fully hydrated skin cell is the prerequisite to preparing our skin for the absorption of nutrients from subsequent skincare products, such that they can reach the inner layers to make our skin softer, smoother, more tender and fully moistened.


Why Aquasense Hydrating Toner

Aquasense Hydrating Toner has the ability to "rescue" a dehydrated skin in an effective manner, and works wonders in overcoming wrinkle formation, enlarged pores, excessive sebaceous secretion, roughness, peeling and other skin problems arising from skin ageing.

Pseudoalteromonas Ferment Extract - an ingredient in the Toner that provides moisture-retention and anti-wrinkle actions

Scientists have discovered that Pseudoalteromonas Antarctica, a new strain of bacteria isolated from sediments at the bottom of Antarctic glacier, produces an exopolymer that presents a cryoprotective effect (cryo means freezing cold) due to its ability to modify the morphology of ice crystals. This exopolymer is able to:
As a biotech product of patented monolayer process and an extract of Pseudoalteromonas Antarcticine, it is capable of:
  • promoting normal functions of keratinocytes to enable an excellent wound healing effect on lacerations in the skin caused by extreme dryness.
  • stimulating the growth of fibroblasts which play a critical role in wound healing.
  • promoting the production of collagen and elastin to effectively counter the formation of wrinkles.
  • helping the skin to lock up moisture and preserve its function as a natural barrier against external threats.

Ultra-Low Temperature Extraction Technique

The commonly used high temperature extraction technique more often than not results in an almost complete loss of biological potential. In contrast, the ultra-low temperature (-5'C to -100'C) extraction technique contributes to retaining and maximizing the biological potential of the extracts, which now become several dozen times more viable than those extracted through traditional extraction methods.

1. Meadowsweet Extract. Features anti-inflammatory, soothing and regulatory functions.

2. Cucumber Extract. Features anti-inflammatory and anti-irritation functions.

3. Burdock Extract. Features detoxification functions and is effective in regulating sebaceous activities to prevent acnes and pimples.

Other Ingredients in Aquasense Hydrating Toner

Apart from the above extracts, the other ingredients used and their benefits are:

1. Canadian Willowherb. Effective in alleviating the conditions of skin allergies, flaking, and the sense of tightness and itchiness.

2. Sodium Hyaluronate, Gamma-PGA, Amino Acids Mixture, Natural Moisture-Retention Factor (Sodium PCA). Exceptional hydrating and moisture-retention ingredients with a high affinity to our skin. In particular, Gamma-PGA is capable of absorbing moisture 3,500 times of its weight.

3. Corallina Officinalis Extract. Contains up to 200,000 times the nutrients found in seawater, capable of normalizing the metabolism of the skin tissues to promote healthy cellular activities and give a fairer complexion.


With a combination of all these ingredients, Aquasense Hydrating Toner does an effective job in retaining the moisture on our skin and giving it a naturally smooth and radiant look.

Source: ShuangHor Magazine, Jan-Feb 2012, Aquasense: A Revolutionary Biotech Skincare Product


Want to try? Click on this link to register and then you can proceed with your order:

Email me at askfuiping@gmail.com if you need help. I am an Authorised Distributor.

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Symptoms of Liver Diseases: What Can You Do

Sunday 20 May 2012

Do you know that our liver performs over 5,000 important functions every minute of the day to keep our body going? About 60% of our liver is made up of liver cells called hepatocytes, which has an average lifespan of 150 days.

Some of the important Functions of our Liver include:-
  • Manufacturing (synthesising) proteins and blood clotting factors.
  • Synthesising, storing and processing fats, including fatty acids (used for energy) and cholesterol.
  • Forming and secreting bile that contains bile acids to aid in intestinal absorption of fats and the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K.
  • Eliminating potentially harmful biochemical products produced by our body, such as ammonia (from the breakdown of proteins).
  • Detoxifying drugs, alcohol and environmental toxins.
  • Combating infections in our body, particularly infections arising in our bowel.
  • Breaking down food and converting into energy whenever needed. Carbohydrates are broken down to glucose and stored mainly in our liver and muscles as glycogen. When energy is required, our liver will rapidly convert the glycogen back into glucose, ready to be used.

Risk Factors that affects our liver's health include:-

Unhealthy lifestyle - lack of sleep, smoking, alcohol, unhealthy dietary habits (eating out), stressful work environment. 

Medical conditions - diabetes, overweight, high blood cholesterol.

Checklist of Symptoms of liver disease:-
  • Jaundice (skin or whites of the eye turns yellow)
  • Itchy skin
  • Dark urine
  • Nausea
  • Frequent headaches
  • Vomiting
  • Diarrhea
  • Constipation
  • Appetite loss
  • Tiredness
  • Bloated abdomen
  • Swollen ankles
  • Tendency to bruise easily or bleed excessively
  • Elevated liver enzymes (SGOT, SGPT)
  • General feeling of being unwell
  • Mild weight loss
  • Bad breath.
Fatty Liver is the result of abnormal accumulation of fats inside the liver cells and usually occur in people who:
  • are overweight
  • are diabetic
  • have elevated cholesterol or triglyceride in their blood
  • take excessive or prolonged alcohol.
Fatty liver often does not cause symptoms but sometimes, a person with fatty liver may feel tired or have vague abdominal discomfort.

Alcoholic Liver Disease is caused by prolonged or excessive consumption of alcohol. There is no symptoms in the early stages. In more advanced stages, liver tissues will be damaged, resulting in symptoms like yellowish discolouration of the skin and eyes (jaundice), poor appetite, fatigue, weight loss, weakness and pain in the right upper area of the abdomen.

Drug-induced Liver Injury Our liver processes most medicines that enter our body, converting them into chemicals our body can use or eliminate. During this process, these chemicals can attack and injure our liver. It can result in symptoms of severe fatigue, abdominal pain and swelling, yellowish discolouration of the skin and eyes, fever, nausea and vomiting.

Viral Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver caused by the virus hepatitis A, B, C, D and E. Symptoms include fever, headache, nausea, muscle aches and yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes.

Liver Cancer patients usually have liver cirrhosis which may develop from a variety of causes. Hepatitis B and C viruses are becoming increasingly linked to liver cancer. Typical symptoms include loss of appetite, weight loss, general feeling of poor health, jaundice, fever, fatigue and weakness. However liver cancer is not easy to diagnose in the early stages because its symptoms are usually vague.

(Source: StarFit4Life, The Essential Liver, 5 February 2012)

Solution to Treat Liver Diseases

Lingzhi / Ganoderma have been found to be very effective to treat the various types of liver related diseases. Please refer to this article Research into the Effects of Ganoderma (Lingzhi) on Liver Protection for information on results of various experiments and studies conducted.

Or you may email me at laifuiping@gmail.com for info on how and where to purchase lingzhi.
Click here to refer to Shuang Hor company website for Product Description and Price.


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Is There A Cure For Eczema?

Tuesday 15 May 2012

Eczema is a chronic inflammatory skin disease marked by intense itching, red rashes, and skin dryness. It affects 20% of the Malaysian population. Although eczema is a common skin disease, there is still a general lack of awareness about it. This results in an average gap of 9 months before patients seek medical help after first experiencing symptoms.


The staphylococcus aureus bacteria is present on the skin of more than 95% of eczema patients. These bacteria enter the skin damaged by scratching. They then secrete toxins which cause further swelling, intense itching and infection. In time, the skin becomes thickened, scaly and crusty. Eczema patients suffer emotionally, psychologically and socially as they are embarrassed about their condition and often feel exhausted from dealing with it.

What Cause Eczema?

The exact cause of eczema is unknown, but it's thought to be linked to an overactive response by the body's immune system to an irritant. It is this response that causes the symptoms of eczema. Families with a history of asthma or other allergies are more prone to eczema. However, the condition is not contagious.

Some situations that cause a "flare-up" of the itchy rash include:
  • coming into contact with rough or coarse materials
  • feeling too hot or too cold
  • exposure to certain household products like soap or detergent
  • having upper respiratory infections or colds
  • coming into contact with animal dander (loose skin cells like dandruff)
  • stress

Is There a Cure for Eczema?

There is no cure for eczema. Hence treatment of the condition may be challenging for many. In managing eczema, it is important to adopt a daily skincare routine and eliminate things that make the eczema worse. Exposure to allergens should be kept to a minimum and irritants avoided and substituted.


The good news is, scientific researches have shown that ganoderma (lingzhi) has the ability to modulate the functions of our T-Cells (part of our immune system) and as such, regulate the immune system's over-reaction. This improves the eczema condition when the T-Cells are optimally balanced.

For more info, please click on this link for the article on How Ganoderma Modulates Our Immune System. Look under the section "Second Line Defence: T Cells".

(Source:
http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/eczema/atopic-dermatitis-eczema
Itchy Skin, StarFit4Life 6 May 2012)

Please email me at laifuiping@gmail.com on how to purchase Yung Kien Ganoderma, your solution for eczema. Click here to refer to Shuang Hor company's website for Product Description and Price.

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A Short Overview on What is Lupus and Suggested Solution

Wednesday 9 May 2012

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), or lupus for short, is a life-long, life-threatening disease that occurs when the body's immune system attacks its own tissues and organs. The reason why this happens is still not fully known. More than 5 million people worldwide battle lupus, of which 90% are females.

Exposure to sunlight can trigger SLE in those who are genetically predisposed to it. Lupus may also be triggered by infections and certain drugs. Unfortunately, lupus often goes unrecognized because its primary symptoms (joint pain, fatigue, skin rashes and fever) mimic many common illnesses. This can lead to wrong diagnosis and people receiving treatment for conditions they don't have. Early diagnosis and treatment leads to a better prognosis for the patient and better survival rate.

Presently, the conventional medicines do not provide any known cure for lupus. The goal of treatment is only to control the symptoms. The medications used to control lupus depend on the severity of the disease. These medications unfortunately have side effects that could affect the patients physically, emotionally and psychologically. Steroid medications for lupus often cause serious side effects, which may result in patients undergoing joint replacement and cataract operations.

(Sources: 
Shades of Lupus, StarFit4Life, 6 May 2012
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001471/)

A Solution?

The good news is, scientific researches have shown that ganoderma (lingzhi) has the ability to modulate the functions of our T-Cells and as such, contributes to preventing allergic conditions such as SLE when the T-Cells are optimally balanced.

For more info, please click on this link for the article on How Ganoderma Modulates Our Immune System. Look under the section "Second Line Defence: T Cells".

Or you may email me at laifuiping@gmail.com for details or if you want to buy ganoderma / lingzhi to address your lupus. Click here to refer to Shuang Hor company's website for Product Description and Price. I am an Authorized Distributor of the company.

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Types of Stroke - Causes, Complications and Lingzhi's Preventive Role

Friday 4 May 2012

Email askfuiping@gmail.com to buy Lingzhi / Ganoderma to prevent or handle stroke.

Our brain single-handedly controls all our body's function and it is what makes us human. Different parts of the brain have different functions:

1) Frontal lobe - thinking and problem-solving.
2) Parietal lobe - sensory and motor function.
3) Hippocampus - memory.
4) Thalamus - relay station for almost all information coming into the brain.
5) Hypothalamus - relay stations for the systems regulating our body's functions.
6) Midbrain - relay specific sensory information from the sense organs to the brain.
7) Pons and medulla oblongata (hind brains) - control breathing and heart functions.
8) Cerebellum - controls movement and cognitive processes that require precise timing.

The brain's functions depend on a constant blood supply to bring the oxygen and nutrients needed by its cells. A stroke happens when there's a restriction or stoppage of this supply, which leads to damage/death of the brain cells.

Strokes are the 3rd most common cause of death in Malaysia. It is estimated that there are about 52,000 strokes per annum.

There are 2 main types of stroke:
1) Ischaemic Stroke - when blood supply to the brain stops because the vessel is blocked by a blood clot. It is the most common type. This may be due to:

(a) Thrombosis - blood clot forms in one of the brain's arteries.
(b) Embolism - blood clot formed elsewhere in the body gets into the brain's arteries.

Blood clots form where the arteries are narrowed, and this is hastened by factors like:
  • high blood pressure
  • poorly controlled diabetes
  • raised blood cholesterol
  • smoking
  • excessive alcohol intake
  • obesity
  • family history of diabetes or heart disease.

Transient ischaemic attack (TIA or mini-stroke) - temporary interruption of blood supply to part of the brain.
2) Haemorrhagic Stroke - when a blood vessel of the brain bursts, resulting in bleeding in the brain itself (intracerebral haemorrhage) or brain surface (subarachnoid haemorrhage).

The main causes are:
  • High blood pressure - the primary cause. Risk factors include smoking, overweight, lack of exercise, excessive alcohol intake and stress.
  • Blood-thinning medicines. 
  • Blood vessel malformations in the brain.
  • Aneurysm (ballon-like swelling of a blood vessel).
  • Trauma.

Risks of Stroke which are Not Preventable:
  • Age - the older a person, the higher the risk.
  • Ethnicity - Indians and Malays have higher risk as the incidence of diabetes and hypertension are higher in these groups.
  • Medical history - higher if one has had a heart attack, stroke or TIA.
  • Family history - higher if a close relative has had a stroke.

Signs and Symptoms
  • Face - inability to smile, open the mouth, or the face or eye may hang downwards.
  • Arms - inability to lift arms due to numbness or weakness.
  • Legs - inability to move legs due to numbness or weakness.
  • Speech - slurring of speech or inability to talk at all.
  • Others - sudden vision loss, dizziness, difficulty talking and understanding what others say, difficulty swallowing, balancing problems, sudden and severe headache, blacking out.

Complications of Stroke
  • Dysphagia - swallowing problem, which can cause lung infection (pneumonia).
  • Hydrocephalus - excess cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the brain's ventricles. CSF is a fluid produced by the brain which is continuously drained away and absorbed by the body. When its drainage is stopped following a haemorrhagic stroke, the excess CSF causes headache, loss of balance, nausea and vomiting.
  • Deep vein thrombosis - blood clot formation in the legs. The features include swelling, pain, tenderness, warmth and redness.

Diagnosing Stroke

One of the ways is to do an imaging of the brain. 

(a) Computerised tomography (CT) scan involves multiple x-ray imaging to produce detailed 3-dimensional images of the brain. 
(b) Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) involves use of magnetic and radio waves to produce detailed images of the brain.

(Source: StarFit4Life, Brain Attacks by Dr Milton Lum, 15 January 2012)


How Does Lingzhi Prevent Stroke?

To discover how to reduce the risk factors of stroke and the significant role Lingzhi plays, please check out the following articles:

1) Hypertension - The Effects of Ganoderma on High Blood Pressure.
2) Diabetes - Diabetes is No More a Dreaded Disease: The Role of Ganoderma.
3) High cholesterol - 8 Compelling Reasons Why Jia Hor Fibre Is So Unique.
4) Heart disease - Heart Disease - The Malaysian Experience.


Please email me at askfuiping@gmail.com to buy Shuang Hor Lingzhi to prevent stroke or to find out Lingzhi's preventive role in reducing the risk factors that cause stroke, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol and high blood sugar level.
To buy, click here to refer to Shuang Hor company website for Product Description and Price.


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