Prof Dr Erika Isolauri is the chief physician in the paediatric department of Finland's Turku University Hospital. She was in Kuala Lumpur to give a scientific lecture on "Probiotics for Maternal and Child Health" to healthcare professionals.

There are increasing trends of infants being born via Caesarean section and decreasing trends of exclusive breastfeeding (at least in the first 6 months of their lives) worldwide.  Certain hormonal, metabolic and immunological influences that occur with labour help to modulate and mature a baby's immune system. This process does not occur when mothers choose Caesarean sections. As foetuses acquire their initial immunity from their mothers, this means babies born via Caesarean have a heightened immune system that is quite sensitive to allergens. They could develop allergies after being born.

Babies are most likely to be colonised by good bacteria when their mother is healthy, has a good diet and delivers her baby naturally. But with such current trends as mentioned above, Prof Isolauri now looks into administering probiotics to pregnant and lactating mothers as an alternative way to providing infants with these bacteria.

In addition, Prof Isolauri found evidence that the increased presense of certain Bifidobacterium strains of probiotics in babies protect them against excessive weight gain later in life.

Have you ever experienced going on a strict diet for months and exercising consistently, and yet you still can't lose weight? It can be very demoralising and damaging to your self-esteem, right? There are many reasons weight loss strategies fail to be effective, and they are nothing to do eating too much or not exercising enough.

This article shares with you 8 reasons that stop you from getting rid of the kilos.

1. Feeling stress all the time
Why:
Stress causes your body to react by producing the hormone cortisol. This hormone increases your tendency of storing fat especially around your abdomen.

2. Cushing's syndrome
Why:
This is a condition where the adrenal glands (located on top of your kidneys) produce too much cortisol. Similar to when your body is under chronic stress, this syndrome will cause a buildup of fat in abdomen, face and upper back.

3. Hypothyroidism
Why:
If your sluggish thyroid gland cannot produce enough thyroid hormones to burn stored fat, it will lead to slower metabolism and hence weight gain.

4. Polycystic ovary syndrome
Why:
The cysts along the outer edge of women's ovaries can lead to unexplained weight gain, irregular menstrual bleeding, acne, excessive facial hair, thinning hair and difficulty conceiving.

5. Insulin resistance
Why:
When there is chronic inflammation in your body, the cytokines (inflammatory chemical messengers) will cause your body's cells to stop "listening" to insulin and leptin (which tells your brain that you are full and stop eating). When the insulin receptors of your cells become resistant to insulin, the glucose in your blood cannot be stored in cells to be used as energy. The glucose gets converted into fatty acids and stored as fat, instead of being used as energy. This inflammation/obesity relationship is a vicious cycle, as fat cells themselves generate cytokines, which further increase insulin resistance.

6. Medications may cause weight gain by causing your appetite to increase or lowering your metabolic rate. They include:

• Diabetes medications e.g. sulfonylureas
• Antidepressants e.g. amitriptyline or Elavil, imipramine or Norpramin, trazodone or Desyrel
• Birth control pills
• Corticosteroids taken for asthma and lupus
• Anti-epileptics taken to control seizures e.g. valproic acid (Depakene, Depakote) and carbamazepine (Tegretol)
• Antipsychotic or schizophrenia medication e.g. chlorpromazine (Thorazine), thioridazine (Mellaril) and olanzapine (Zyprexa)
• Beta-blockers for high blood pressure and heart disease

7. Lack of sleep
Why:
Your body's hormone levels will be out of balance, causing increased hunger and appetite, and not feeling full after eating.

8. Quitting smoking
Why:
It can cause you to put on weight initially. Without the intake of nicotine, you will tend to feel hungrier, find that food tastes better, and eat more, but this feeling will go away after several weeks.

(Source: Stubborn kilos by Dr Nor Ashikin Mokhtar, StarFit4Life, 9 December 2012)

A Workable Solution?


Lingzhi / Ganoderma is effective to regulate your body's hormone production, including your cortisol and thyroid hormones. As such, Lingzhi is in a position to help address Problems 2 to 5 above. Further, with consistent consumption of Lingzhi, you are able to reduce or even stop taking certain medications listed under Item 6 when you successfully return your body to a healthier state - thereby making it easier for you to lose weight.

Click here to discover How Does Lingzhi Work In Your Body - refer to Item 5.


Yung Kien Bee Pollen plays an important supporting role to ensure Lingzhi works more effectively.  Moreover, when your body is properly nourished with the right combination of nutrients,  your cravings for junk food will be reduced. This is another natural way to manage your weight.

Click here to discover what other "Beautiful" Benefits Yung Kien Pollen holds - refer to Item 3.

Please email me at laifuiping@gmail.com for how to manage your specific situation that is preventing you from losing weight - Lingzhi and Bee Pollen can be your saviour.

A urinary tract infection (UTI) is an infection affecting the urinary system (comprising our kidneys, ureters, bladder and urethra). It's most often caused by the bacteria Escherichia coli (E.Coli).

Bacteria usually get into our body through the urethra, the tube that carries urine from our bladder out. These germs travel up into our bladder and cause cystitis. It is very common and causes slight discomfort and inconvenience.

If the germs spread to our kidneys, it would cause pyelonephritis. It can cause:

• Back pains
• Abdominal pains
• High fever
• Cloudy or bloody urine
• Nausea and vomiting.

Do you know that low back pain is the second largest cause of work absence, after common cold? The majority of low back pain disappear by themselves after awhile, but be cautious as it could be something as serious as cancer or aortic aneurysm.


The intervertebral disc is a common source of pain. Genetic studies have found that deficiency of collagen and vitamin D result in degeneration of these discs. A quality collagen plays an important role to calm down the inflammation that is causing your back pain. Click on this link to discover How to Choose a Good Collagen.

Causes of Low Back Pain


1) Sciatica (pinched nerve). Usually caused by a herniated or slipped disc, which then compresses on a nerve root. Depending on the nerves that are compressed, pain can be experienced at different locations, known as dermatomal distribution.

2) A pain may be due to poor posture, prolonged sitting at a computer or other job-related tasks. Pressure in the disc increases with sitting and this can worsen back pain. You will feel better lying down as this position puts the least amount of pressure on the disc.

3) Narrowing of the nerve openings, around the spinal cord or nerve roots. It can also cause leg pain and reduce the distance a person can walk.

4) Localised pain arises when an area is stretched or its muscles overused. The cause is more difficult to pinpoint.

5) Back arthritis affects the joints, and results in stiffness and pain. Click on this link to learn more about Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis. Learn how to prevent destruction of your cartilage arising from oxidative stress. If you know how that works, your will manage your arthritis condition and your back pain will be significantly reduced.

Warning signs of back pain that warrant urgent medical attention:

• Fever
• Progressive movement of the pain from the back into the leg
• Numbness down the leg
• Bowel or bladder incontinence
• Pain that is unrelieved at rest or disturbs sleep.