Daily Archives: January 9, 2021

Quantum Nanodevice Can Be Both a Heat Engine and Refrigerator at the Same Time – SciTechDaily

Posted: January 9, 2021 at 3:20 pm

A multitasking nanomachine that can act as a heat engine and a refrigerator at the same time has been created by RIKEN engineers. The device is one of the first to test how quantum effects, which govern the behavior of particles on the smallest scale, might one day be exploited to enhance the performance of nanotechnologies.

Conventional heat engines and refrigerators work by connecting two pools of fluid. Compressing one pool causes its fluid to heat up, while rapidly expanding the other pool cools its fluid. If these operations are done in a periodic cycle, the pools will exchange energy and the system can be used as either a heat engine or a fridge.

It would be impossible to set up a macroscale machine that does both tasks simultaneouslynor would engineers want to, says Keiji Ono of the RIKEN Advanced Device Laboratory. Combining a traditional heat engine with a refrigerator would make it a completely useless machine, he says. It wouldnt know what to do.

But things are different when you shrink things down. Physicists have been developing ever smaller devices, sometimes based on single atoms. At these tiny scales, they have to account for quantum theorythe strange set of laws that says, for instance, an electron can exist in two places at the same time or have two different energies. Physicists are developing new theoretical frameworks and experiments to try to work out how such systems will behave.

The quantum version of the heat engine uses an electron in a transistor. The electron has two possible energy states. The team could increase or decrease the gap between these energy states by applying an electric field and microwaves. This can be analogous to the periodic expandingcompressing operation of a fluid in a chamber, says Ono, who led the experiment. The device also emitted microwaves when the electron went from the high-energy level to the lower one.

By monitoring whether the upper energy level was occupied, the team first demonstrated that the nanodevice could act as either a heat engine or as a refrigerator. But then they showed something far strangerthe nanomachine could act as both at the same time, which is a purely quantum effect. The researchers confirmed this by looking at the occupancy of the upper energy level, which combined to create a characteristic interference pattern. There was an almost perfect match between the experimental interference pattern and that predicted by theory, says Ono.

This may allow rapid switching between the two modes of operation, Ono explains. This ability could help create novel applications with such systems in the future.

Reference: Analog of a Quantum Heat Engine Using a Single-Spin Qubit by K. Ono, S.N. Shevchenko, T. Mori, S. Moriyama and Franco Nori, 15 October 2020, Physical Review Letters.DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.125.166802

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Illumination at the limits of knowledge – The Economist

Posted: at 3:20 pm

Jan 7th 2021

ALL THE technologies discussed in this report are moving forward apace. The companies which provide machinery to solar-cell manufacturers are ceaselessly trying to make more efficient use of silicon and less costly modules. In universities and elsewhere researchers are looking at ways to add a second layer to such cells so as to capture energy at wavelengths silicon ignoresthough their best attempts so far do not last very long outdoors.

Advances in manufacturing and design are making LEDs ever better sources of illumination. In more and more screens they backlight the liquid-crystal shutters which brighten pixels by detenebration. Some screens already do without shuttering, using liquid-crystal-free arrays of micro-LEDs to produce images that offer better contrast and use less energy. In information technology the division of labour that sees data processing done by electrons and data transmission by photons is under attack; switches that could be programmed to do some information processing while keeping that information in the form of photons would allow data to flow around data centres more quickly and efficiently. Laser beams of slightly different wavelengths are being packed ever more densely into optical fibres, with more bits encoded into every symbol stamped on to their light. The current record for data transfer down a single fibre, held by researchers at UCL, a British university, is 178 terabits a second.

But if you want to see lasers which push the boundaries of the possible in the most dramatic of ways, you have to turn to those made, not for practical applications, but to further science. Wherever researchers require ludicrous amounts of power or precision, theres every chance that they are using a laser, some sort of digital photon detector, or both. To see the cutting edge of what light can do, head for a lab.

The National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California is a case in point: walking its halls evokes a sense of the technological sublime which is all but visceral. The 192 laser beams from the 100-metre-long, xenon-pumped beamlines that fill its two warehouse-sized clean rooms converge on a peculiarly perforated spherical chamber. When NIF is operational a tiny bubble at the centre of that chamber is illuminated with 500 terawatts, which is to say 500,000GW.

Given that the worlds total electricity generating capacity is less than 5TW, how is a 500TW system possible? The answer is brevity. Because power is energy divided by time, a relatively small amount of energy can provide a huge amount of power if it is delivered quickly enough. The NIF fires for only a few tens of nanoseconds (billionths of a second) at a time. Each blink-and-you-miss-it 500TW blast thus delivers only a kilowatt-hour or so of energy.

Using such a gargantuan device to provide such a modest amount of energy seems bizarre. But NIFs job requires the energy to be delivered with great spatial precision and almost instantaneously. Only then can it heat the lasers tiny targets to temperatures and pressures otherwise reached only in the centres of stars and the blasts of nuclear weaponsconditions which can fuse atomic nuclei. Congress paid billions for the NIF on the basis that it might open the way to making nuclear fusion of this sort a practical energy source. It has not delivered on those dreams. But it has provided new insights into astrophysics as well as experimental data relevant to the design and maintenance of hydrogen bombs, which is Lawrence Livermores main concern.

Physicists are not the only scientists entranced by lasers. One of the workhorses of genetic engineering is green fluorescent protein (GFP). The instructions for making GFP are easily added to genes for other proteins. When poked with finely focused lasers these modified proteins fluoresce, thus revealing their whereaboutsa handy way of learning which proteins cells put where.

A remarkable refinement of this technique, first demonstrated in 2011, is to turn the cell itself into a laser. Engineer a cell to produce GFP, put it between two mirrors and pump energy in and the proteins light will be amplified in just the same way as it would in a piece of ruby or neodymium-doped glass. Light-emission microscopy based on this possibility amplifies the light given off by fluorescent proteins and other light-emitting markers.

Photons can also be used to change how cells behave. By engineering proteins to be sensitive to light and then turning that light on and off, researchers can change what cells doincluding the ways they do, or dont, transmit nerve impulses. Laser light flashed on to the nerves of a suitably engineered flatworm, or shone down optical fibres into the brain of a mouse, allows researchers to turn different parts of the nervous system on and off and observe the changes in behaviour that follow. This optogenetic puppeteering provides all sorts of new insights into the machinery of the brain. With all due respect to those using photons to explore the strange interconnectedness of things in quantum mechanicswhich Einstein famously described as spookyphotons that can literally change a mind in mid-thought may be the spookiest of all.

The degree to which light-based techniques are changing sciences across the board can be seen in the past decades decisions by the Nobel Physics Committee. In 2014 the committee recognised a physical breakthrough in the production of lightthe development of blue LEDs, a technical tour de force which made the production of white light cheaper and easier than ever before. Since then the physics prize has been awarded to three different ways of using lasers either for experiments in the lab or observations of the world. A tour of these prize-winning accomplishments allows a last celebration of this golden age of light.

Start with pure power. A technique called chirped-pulse amplification, developed by Donna Strickland and Grard Mourou when they were both at the University of Rochester, allows lasers far more powerful than the NIFlasers which work in the petawatt range. It provides a way around the unfortunate fact that, above a certain power level, even a very short pulse will melt any laser trying to amplify it further. Chirp amplification solves the problem by stretching pulses out in both space and time. An intense packet of photons that is, say, a millimetre long, and thus passes through any machine in just three trillionths of a second, can be chirped into one that is a metre long and lasts a full three billionths of a second. This stretched pulse is low-power enough to be amplified, after which it can be compressed back into its original form as a burst just as short as ever but now containing many more photons.

Labs around the world now use this technique to produce bursts of light both far shorter and far more powerful than those at NIF using much cheaper equipment. This allows them to study nuclear processes that are even more extreme than fusion. If the pulses can be made 1,000 times shorter stillwhich Dr Mourou, at least, thinks is possible, given a decade or sothey could achieve something no other technology has yet managed: the creation of matter (and antimatter) from scratch.

Einsteins work dispensed with the need for an all-pervading luminiferous aether. But the fields evoked by quantum electrodynamics (QED), the mid-20th-century culmination of work on electromagnetism, quantum theory and relativity, populate empty space with something else instead: very faint possibilities. And QED says that, if light gets sufficiently intense, its photons will interact with these possibilities to bring forth brand new electrons from empty space. Einsteins insight that mass can be converted into energy has been proven many times, most terribly in nuclear weapons. Creating material particles from massless light alone would be a remarkable turning of the tables, and one that ought to provide new insight into the quantum fields involved.

After power, pressure. The momentum of photons is tiny; but when applied to tiny things it can do useful work. In the 1960s Arthur Ashkin of Bell Labs realised that, if a small transparent object is placed on the edge of a laser beam it will move to the beams centre (provided that the beam is brighter at the centre than the edge). This is because the photons that pass through the object have their path bent outward, away from the beam: conservation of momentum requires the object thus diverting them to move in the opposite direction. If, once caught up in the beam, the object strays from its bright centre, the light pressure will bring it back.

In the 1970s Dr Ashkin put this idea into practice, using laser beams as optical tweezers with which to manipulate microscopic beads. In the 1980s he got the technique to work on individual bacteria and virus particles, while his student Steven Chu used a variant to trap individual atomswork that won Dr Chu and colleagues a Nobel prize in 1997. The increasing use made of his tweezers in biology saw Dr Ashkin follow in his students footsteps in 2018, sharing the prize with Dr Strickland and Dr Mourou.

And then there is precision. Einsteins general theory of relativity, promulgated in 1915, explains gravity in terms of the distortions masses impose on spacetimespacetime being, to Einstein, simply the thing that clocks and rulers measure. His special theory of relativity had laid out the case for light being the ultimate ruler, a view that measurement professionals now share; the General Conference on Weights and Measures defines the metre not as the length of a specific rod in a vault in Paris, as it once did, but as the distance a photon in a vacuum travels in 1/299,792,458 of a second. Thus if you want to see ripples in spacetimesuch as those which relativity says must be produced when two very large masses pirouette around each otherlight is the best sort of ruler to use.

The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) consists of two such rulers. Its twin detectors, one in Louisiana and one in Washington state, both feature 4km-long perpendicular arms along which laser beams of truly phenomenal stability bounce back and forth (see chart). Instruments mounted at the point where the beams cross compare their phases in order to detect transitory differences in the arms lengths. Their precision is equivalent to that which would be needed to detect a hairs-breadth change in the distance to a nearby star.

On September 14th 2015 LIGO picked up the shiver in spacetime produced by the merger of two black holes 1.3bn light-years away. In 2017 the Nobel Physics Committee, free of naysaying ophthalmologists, awarded the prize to Rainer Weiss, Kip Thorne and Barry C. Barish, the three scientists who had done most to make that observation happen.

Their extraordinary measurement was treated, quite rightly, as a slightly late 100th-birthday present for Einsteins truly remarkable intellectual achievement. It was also an extraordinary demonstration of what can be done with photons. A century of work by scientists and engineers has taken the energy packets that Einstein first imagined in 1905 and produced a range of technologies with capabilities little short of the miraculousa collective achievement far greater than any single act of genius. Relativity is remarkable. Putting photons to use has been revolutionary.

This article appeared in the Technology Quarterly section of the print edition under the headline "New enlightenments"

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Students quit free speech campaign over role of Toby Young-founded group – The Guardian

Posted: at 3:18 pm

When a group of student activists were recruited to create a freedom of expression campaign, they were optimistic that their wide-ranging views could be part of its mission to get all young people enthusiastic about free speech.

The reality of the Free Speech Youth Advisory Board, they say, was rather different.

Instead of finding a forum for their hopes of opposing repressive regimes and helping minority voices to get heard, they claim that they were censured if they disagreed with the groups right-of-centre orthodoxy. And they say they were dismayed to realise that the supposedly grassroots project appeared to be an astroturfed front for Toby Youngs controversial pressure group, the Free Speech Union (FSU).

We have been used by Toby Young to legitimise this project, said Harry Walker, president of the Bristol Free Speech Society, who emphasised that he spoke in a personal capacity. Organisations like the FSU are just perpetuating a culture war.

Maya Thomas, an Oxford University student and founder of the Oxford Society for Free Discourse, claimed: They said very clearly this is a grassroots movement. They purposely hushed the FSUs involvement down.

Days ahead of a planned launch of the Free Speech Champions arm of the FSU, the Guardian has learned that at least six of the founding 16 participants have withdrawn from the campaign.

An email to organisers claimed that this project seems to have been in the works for months, originating effectively as an FSU youth wing rather than the independent grassroots movement it was pitched to us as.

Inaya Folarin Iman, a director of FSU who led work on the project, told the Guardian: This is my initiative, but I am a founding member of the board of the Free Speech Union and I have always been very open about the FSUs involvement and sponsorship No doubt the students who have contacted you see themselves as supporting free speech, but the Free Speech Champions project is unequivocal that it is an indivisible right and a fundamental civic virtue. Young did not respond to a request for comment.

The resignations, which highlight a seething debate over the definition of free speech on campuses, may come as a blow to Youngs plans to influence university cancel culture debates through the FSU. Since he founded the group in February last year, it has largely intervened in cases of interest to the libertarian right, embroiling itself in identity politics, anti-trans activism and lockdown scepticism.

Despite those apparent focuses, Young whose supporters include the historian David Starkey and the journalists Allison Pearson and Julia Hartley-Brewer insisted last year that he wanted the FSU to appeal across the political and demographic spectrum, saying the organisation isnt just for male, pale and stale conservatives like me.

More than 80% of the 85 directors, staff and advisers listed on the FSU website are male and more than 90% of those whose ethnicity could be determined are white.

Walker and Thomas were both approached to join the group. They and a recent Portsmouth graduate, Charlotte Nrnberg, told the Guardian that they found the promise of an open forum to be empty. The group started with quite diverse viewpoints, said Nrnberg, an activist and committee member of her university debating society until she graduated. But very quickly that got shut down.

In two emails to organisers explaining their departure, the trio, along with another member of Bristols Free Speech Society, Ben Sewell, claimed that the reality of the FSUs involvement had been deliberately withheld when they signed up.

We were led to believe that [the group] was independent from external organisations, particularly the one that most of us are concerned about, the FSU, they wrote. A number of us would not have joined had we known the true extent of the FSUs influence.

A subsequent email to Iman confirming their departure added: some of us even asked specifically about FSU involvement and were told that it was negligible.

Emails and social media messages seen by the Guardian suggest that during the recruitment process which sought branding help with name ideas, edgy marketing tactics, things which youd find cool students were led to believe that a separate group led by Iman, the Equiano Project, was behind the plans.

An online application form and introductory email both mention the Equiano Project but not the FSU. Jan Macvarish, a sociologist and education director at the FSU who was present at the first meeting, was introduced as an observer but swiftly took on a major role in shaping the discussion, they said. Macvarish did not respond to a request for comment.

Jan and Inaya dictated the ideological dogma of the group, one of the students who left the group said. This is correct free speech, this is wishy-washy free speech.

While some on the left of the group sought to make the case that it should seek to win support by emphasising the universality of free speech and raising concerns about repressive regimes silencing protest, Macvarish told them in a WhatsApp chat: The degree to which citizens of China or Hungary have fs [freedom of speech], I would argue, isnt of paramount importance to this project.

Instead, WhatsApp discussions were largely dominated by discussions of such figures as the self-styled professor against political correctness Jordan Peterson and anti-trans activists.

As time went on, the role of the FSU became more explicit, the disaffected group say, with Young himself appearing at one of the Zoom sessions. They claim that those who disagreed with the FSUs worldview were portrayed as not committed to free speech.

After Walker said in one discussion that he would punch a Nazi, saw Peterson as a peddler of bought speech and felt that marginalised groups were often denied true freedom of speech, Iman emailed him about a few things that you mentioned on the call that I wanted to pick up with you for clarification.

She added: A level of synthesis is important for the project to demonstrate coherence I aim for this free speech project to move away from an identity politics-based framework. Walker said he viewed those comments as a way of implying that he was not welcome to express his views.

The controversy caps an awkward week for the FSU and its supporters which began with Pearson, a Daily Telegraph columnist and member of the groups Media/PR advisory council, appearing to contradict its opposition to cancel culture by threatening to sue someone who she said had defamed her on Twitter, warning that she would contact his boss, and adding: Youre finished. She subsequently accepted an apology.

On Wednesday, Young was asked on Newsnight why he had written in June that the virus has all but disappeared and said hands up, I got that wrong before continuing his argument against lockdowns.

With the dangers of the wokerati often in the news, Young and the FSU which costs between 25 and 250 a year for membership have frequently found themselves on the frontline of a culture war and celebrating victories wherever they can find them.

After a judge dismissed the groups attempt to win a judicial review of Ofcoms role in regulating misinformation about coronavirus and called it not properly arguable, premised on a misinterpretation, and untenable, the FSU Twitter account posted: Thanks to us, @ofcom has stopped censoring Covid dissidents. The price of freedom is eternal vigilance. In fact, the price of the case was the 16,732 the FSU was ordered to pay to cover Ofcoms costs.

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Houston congressman confronted while flying back from D.C. – KHOU.com

Posted: at 3:18 pm

A video posted to Twitter shows several people yelling at the Houston Democrat as he exits the flight in Tennessee to change planes.

HOUSTON Congressman Al Greensays he was harassed by people identifying themselves as Trump supporters on the way home from Washington.

The Houston Democrat said issues started at the airport in D.C.

Upon getting on the plane, someone recognized me, said Rep Green. At some point, someone said Mr. Impeachment is on the plane.

The Congressman said he heard another voice behind him.

Someone said, somethings gonna happen.

A video posted to Twitter shows several people yelling at the Houston Democrat as he exits the flight in Tennessee to change planes.

On the 21-second clip, voices can be heard saying four more years," youre a disgrace to this country," youre a dirtbag, and youre a traitor."

Rep. Green said people made comments accusing him of not honoring the Constitution, the Presidents freedom of speech, and about how people were being denied their rights.

The people became very rambunctious in the airport, said Rep. Green. They started closing in, and the young man who was helping me had to take me into a room off to the side and call police, call for some security.

He later added, Literally I had to be escorted some 50 feet, maybe, by two peace officers and a Southwest employee.

Rep. Green said the group helped him get on the flight and had a pilot sitting next to him.

The congressman said problems started again when he was about to deplane at Hobby Airport in Houston

Fortunately, I had HPD officers to meet me, he said. Im not sure how it would have ended but for having police officers to assist me.

Republican Sen. Mitt Romney was also confronted at the Salt Lake City airport and heckled while flying to D.C. on Tuesday.

Rep. Green says everyone has the right to free speech but believes protests in airports could lead to violence and disrupt travel and commerce.

He worries protests on planes could be especially dangerous.

You cant protest in a courtroom, you cant yell fire in a theater, and you ought not be able to protest in an airplane 35,000 feet in the air because you dont know what the protest will lead to, he said.

Its an issue the congressman says hell raise once he flies back to Capitol Hill.

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10 Best Turmeric Supplements to Treat Inflammation, Arthritis, Fatigue and More – Observer

Posted: at 3:16 pm

The global markets are flooded with a wide variety of nutritional supplements to maintain an overall well-being and promote good health.

Turmeric is one of the best dietary supplements used to boost your immunity and treat inflammation, arthritis, fatigue, and more.

To be specific, turmeric is a nutritional yellow color herb with major health benefits. You can use it to rejuvenate your skin cells and apply to wounded or burnt skin for quick healing.

In addition, this supplement is a powerful antioxidant that helps prevent cardiovascular ailments. In fact, healthcare specialists suggest cancer patients add an adequate amount of turmeric to their diet.

Further, people suffering from depression, anxiety, and Alzheimers disease can rely on this supplement to enhance their cognitive ability.

This article discusses the 10 best turmeric supplements in the market that can treat inflammation, arthritis, fatigue, and many more.

So, without further ado, let us get into the details of each product.

Turmeric Curcumin Plus is a proactive diet supplement to support your general health. Its antioxidant properties help prevent organ malfunction and maintain the overall health of your joints and muscles.

Manufactured by Vita Balance Inc USA, the capsule is a vegan composition of powerful ingredients like curcumin, peppercorn, and Bioperine.

Moreover, the manufacturing company fabricates it in FDA registered facilities adhering to cGMP guidelines. This makes this supplement safe and healthy for regular usage.

Take two of these capsules, along with your daily food, to add the organic goodness of turmeric to your diet.

Try Vitapost Turmeric Curcumin Plus Today (CLICK HERE)

CurcuminMD Plus is a safe and comprehensive turmeric supplement to prevent pain in muscles and joints. Its regular consumption supports heart health and improves cognitive function.

The product is a 100% vegan formulation with outstanding absorption properties. It also acts as an anti-inflammatory agent for healing burns and wounds.

Furthermore, the supplement contains a substantial amount of curcumin, an antioxidant for overall well-being. Consume two capsules a day with fresh water and on an empty stomach for best results.

Try CurcuminMD Plus Today (CLICK HERE)

VitAuthority Turmeric Curcumin is a standard turmeric supplement for enhanced absorption and improved gut metabolism. The product has anti-inflammatory benefits and improves the health and functioning of your joints.

Manufactured by Vitauthority USA, the dietary supplement contains natural elements like curcuminoids, turmeric root powder, Bioperine, to name a few.

Its dairy-free and gluten-free formulation make it a vegan product without any chemicals or side-effects. Take two capsules every day under the guidance of your healthcare specialist.

Try Vitauthority Turmeric Curcumin Today (CLICK HERE)

4. TurmaSlim

TurmaSlim is a premium quality turmeric supplement for enhanced metabolism. The product is a vital immunity booster and an advanced fat burning and weight loss therapy.

The brainchild of Belvedere LLC USA, this supplement contains bioactive compounds like forskolin, Bioperine, and curcumin.

Its effective composition helps to combat various infectious diseases and keeps you fit throughout.

Other benefits of this product include energy acceleration and skin detoxification. Take two capsules every day to advance your digestion and immunity.

Try TurmaSlim Today (CLICK HERE)

5. Vitapost Turmeric & Ginger

Turmeric & Ginger is a superfood blend of premium quality ingredients. Supplement therapy has many health benefits to enhance your overall immunity and cardiovascular system.

The brainchild of Vita Balance Inc USA, this product contains patented Bioperine and peppercorn extracts to boost the absorption of nutrients. In addition, the supplement is manufactured in a cGMP facility and follows FDA guidelines.

Consume two capsules per day to revitalize your health. Take it with food or as recommended by your healthcare specialist.

Try Vitapost Turmeric & Ginger Today (CLICK HERE)

6. Qunol Turmeric

Qunol Turmeric is a powerful supplement solution with ultra-nutrient absorption capacity. Fabricated on the technology of water dispersion, the product is much safer and advanced than regular turmeric supplements.

This ambitious manufacturing of Quten Research Institute USA, the product contains curcuminoids, a category of healthy antioxidants which support the immune system.

You can also use this product as an anti-inflammatory base and a supplement to repair your joint and muscle tissues. Consume two Qunol Turmeric soft gel capsules daily to prevents issues related to physical overexertion.

Try Qunol Turmeric Today (CLICK HERE)

7. Transparent Labs Turmeric

Transparent Labs Turmeric is a perfect turmeric supplement with a potency rate of 95%. The product is a promising curcuminoid solution for improved health and longevity.

From the house of Transparent Labs USA, this supplement therapy has a substantial amount of nitric oxide. It contains only organic ingredients and is free from traces of gluten and GMOs.

Also, this product has incredible benefits. It is a superb anti-inflammatory agent and has remarkable antioxidant properties. Use this product to prevent fatigue and joint pains.

Consume one capsule daily and consult your physician, if needed.

Try Transparent Labs Turmeric Today (CLICK HERE)

8. Revive Turmeric Plus

Revive Turmeric Plus is the best turmeric supplement to promote healthy immune responses. The product can become a vital supplement for your well-being as it supports digestive and cardiovascular systems.

This state-of-the-art product is from Revive MD, based in the USA. The supplement helps overcome joint pain and enhance your overall body metabolism.

It contains 100% organic and nutraceutical ingredients without any added preservatives or chemicals.

It contains the componential goodness of curcumin, Boswellia extract, ginger, Alanine, Bioperine, and Lipoic acid for improved nutrient absorption in the body.

Consume two of these capsules twice a day, with or without meals, to initiate the healing from within.

Try Revive Turmeric Plus Today (CLICK HERE)

9. FarmHaven Turmeric Curcumin

FarmHaven Turmeric Curcumin is a perfect curcuminoid based dietary supplement to support joint & heart health.

Its organic composition of Bioperine and phytochemical compounds make it the best oral turmeric therapy in the market.

As per its manufacturing statement, the product contains 95% standardized curcuminoid extracts to enhance your nutrient absorption.

You can also use it as an anti-inflammatory agent to maintain your cardiovascular health.

Consume two capsules per day as per the recommendations of your physician.

Try FarmHaven Turmeric Curcumin Today (CLICK HERE)

10. Balance Genics Daily Turmeric

Balance Genesis Daily Turmeric is a bioactive dietary supplement for regular use. It is an advanced anti-inflammatory formula to heal your muscular and joint stretches and relieve them from pain.

Manufactured by BalanceGenics LLC USA, this product has outstanding antioxidant properties in addition to an incredible nutrient absorbing power.

It also helps maintain the cognitive health of individuals and improves metabolism when used for an extended period.

Further, the supplement is a blend of nutraceutical ingredients like curcumin, turmeric, black pepper, and ginger. Consume two capsules a day, around 30 ~ 40 minutes before meals.

Try Balance Genics Daily Turmeric Today (CLICK HERE)

Turmeric supplements are an organic composition of turmeric spice and other compounds that helps in boosting immunity.

Turmeric is a yellow-colored spice powder to give an authentic taste and flavor to food items.

Herbal in nature, this supplement favorably completes the presence of turmeric in your diet. It acts as a medicine to regulate your digestive and cardiovascular systems.

Furthermore, you can also use this supplement to overcome conditions like joint pain and inflammation.

Some people also use this supplement therapy to reduce heartburns and regularize their bowel movements.

Turmeric supplements work using their nourishing blend of curcumin and Bioperine. The optimal release of curcuminoids in the body boosts body metabolism and protects it against infections.

Moreover, curcumin is an effective antioxidant to protect cells from free radical attack. Bioperine in these supplements enhance the absorption of nutrients in your body.

It also works as an anti-inflammatory agent to reduce fatigue due to physical overexertion.

Use curcumin-based turmeric to energize your cognitive faculty and improve your physical and mental well-being.

Absolutely yes. You can use turmeric supplements along with other medications. This is because these diet pills are nutraceutical formulations that do not incur any side-effects.

In addition, these supplements complement regular foodstuff that we consume daily in the form of curries and vegetables.

Just that their capsule-like fabrication is more active and concentrated to deliver enhanced positive effects.

Therefore, you can rely on these supplements to add an edge to your health and well-being without any doubt.

No, you do not need to consult a physician before using turmeric supplements. This is because these supplements contain organic and nutraceutical ingredients without chemicals and other harmful additives.

Furthermore, these supplements are also safe and free from side-effects. However, if you are allergic to turmeric or curcumin, or any of the natural and herbal ingredients in these products, consult your doctor.

Even though it is unnecessary, consulting will help you optimize the dosage and benefit best out of these supplements.

Here is an outline of selected ingredients that you must look for in a good turmeric supplement:

Each of these ingredients above has unique properties and benefits to help maintain your overall health and metabolism.

Moreover, dedicated scientific labs conduct rigorous testing of these ingredients before using them to formulate turmeric supplements. In addition, scientists are studying more ingredient bases to incorporate them into the supplement therapy.

Studies often analyze turmeric and curcumin as synonymous dietary spices. However, there exist differences between the two.

Turmeric contains various flavonoid and alkaloid compounds that can benefit the metabolism.

On the other hand, curcumin is one such flavonoid with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, which helps in the safe healing of joint aches.

To be more precise, curcumin is an active element one can find in turmeric spice.

Not at all. Turmeric supplements are free from harsh side-effects. This is because of their herbal and organic formulation (especially from real turmeric extracts).

Some people might be allergic to curcumin, which is a different scenario. But, in general, it is safe and beneficial for daily use.

Moreover, these supplements in the list are free from harmful chemicals, added preservatives, and traces of gluten, GMO, soy, etc.

Therefore, you can safely add the goodness of these capsules to your routine and see its advanced positive impacts.

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The Music Of The Stars: Sounds From Space Teaching Astronomy To The Blind – Greek City Times – GreekCityTimes.com

Posted: at 3:16 pm

The National Observatory of Athens and the University of Patras have just launched an exciting new program for space enthusiasts of all ages.

The Music of the Stars program is a unique space exhibition that opens its doors to kids and adults in 2021, both in-person and virtually, and unlike other programs of its kind, it teaches the blind the magic of astronomy through real sounds from space.

Presenting breakthrough technology, through this latest project by the National Observatory of Athens, which has been under development for several years, visitors have the chance to experience what being in space looks and sounds like.

A large variety of image and video both 3D and interactive material is provided throughout the exhibition, but unlike other, similar space-related programs, The Music of the Stars gives people the unique opportunity to listen to real sounds from space and recordings of sound waves coming from the stars around the universe.

This is something that only astronauts that have actually travelled to space have gotten to experience.

Besides its entertainment character, the program also has an educational purpose for those who have not been able to see photos or videos of what the world outside of our planet looks like.

When you talk to students about the Earths electromagnetic field and how it traps particles, you are not sure to get their attention. If, however, you put the sounds related to that phenomenon, then it is certain that you will grab every listeners attention.

There is an oxymoron scheme that generally associates astronomy with stunning images from space, but never with sounds. Many people have seen photos from space, but how many have actually heard what our universe sounds like? said Fiori Metallinou, astronomer at the National Observatory of Athens and member of the Institute for Astronomy, Astrophysics, Space Applications and Remote Sensing (IAASARS).

The sense of hearing, the utilization of the recorded radio waves from space by satellites, give us scientists amazing data. Sounds definitely enchant the students, so imagine what it can do to a visually impaired person. How much can it help them grasp concepts that they cannot see? Ms. Metallinou added.

The initiative to create the Music of the Stars program belongs to the University of Patras and Andreas Papalamprou, electrical engineer and alumni of the university, who has been a major contributor to the National Observatorys latest project.

Mr. Papalamprou started developing the Music of the Stars specifically for the blind, after creating various questionnaires that he sent out to the future users of the program, asking them what they are most excited to learn about space and astronomy.

Afterwards, the University of Patras, with the help of a team of scientists from the National Observatory of Athens, designed the program, using cutting-edge technology and visual footage.

In a recent web conference for the launch of the program, Mr. Papalamprou referred to the innovative software that is being used in the project, which can compile phenomena that occur in space, such as a solar eclipse, into sound.

Firstly, through the questionnaires, we understood how those who cannot see colour or light perceive the concept of space and universe. Then we tried to convert into sound, various images and videos of phenomena that occur in space.

We also made a special application for tablet devices, where sounds and vibrations change depending on where users are touching the screen, helping them to understand events that take place in space, Mr. Papalamprou explained.

People using the application will be able to understand, for example, the outline and shapes of planets, where they are located, or even their colour, which can be translated into musical notes through what we call a sound-colour scale.

The University of Patras has an astronomy education department, as well as a polytechnic school for engineers, so we joined forces to complete this project, which is in fact associated with an Erasmus program, Mr. Papalamprou mentioned.

Several other European universities were also involved in the project and offered their research findings to the University of Patras, which helped speed up the development of the project.

The results of the team effort from our university and other schools are particularly encouraging, as phenomena that we capture visually have been successfully transferred to the auditory range and so, visually impaired people can also capture the magic of the sky and astronomy.

We believe that as scientific research and technology advance, we will be able to offer such life-changing gifts to people.

Butterfly shaped houses land in Vouliagmeni

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Nutrition and mental health: Is there a link? – Medical News Today

Posted: at 3:16 pm

Diet influences numerous aspects of health, including weight, athletic performance, and risk of chronic diseases, such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes. According to some research, it may affect mental health, too.

Anxiety and depression are among the most common mental health conditions worldwide. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), depression could be one of the top health concerns in the world by 2030.

Therefore, it is not surprising that researchers continue to search for new ways to reduce the impact of mental health conditions, rather than relying on current therapies and medications.

Nutritional psychiatry is an emerging area of research specifically looking at the role of nutrition in the development and treatment of mental health problems.

The two main questions that researchers are asking in relation to the role of nutrition in mental health are, Does diet help prevent mental health conditions? and, Are nutrition interventions helpful in the treatment of these conditions?

Article highlights:

Several observational studies have shown a link between overall diet quality and the risk of depression.

For example, one review of 21 studies from 10 countries found that a healthful dietary pattern characterized by high intakes of fruit, vegetables, whole grains, olive oil, fish, low fat dairy, and antioxidants, as well as low intakes of animal foods was associated with a reduced risk of depression.

Conversely, a Western-style diet involving a high intake of red and processed meats, refined grains, sweets, high fat dairy products, butter, and potatoes, as well as a low intake of fruit and vegetables was linked with a significantly increased risk of depression.

An older review found similar results, with high compliance with a Mediterranean diet being associated with a 32% reduced risk of depression.

More recently, a study looking at adults over the age of 50 years found a link between higher levels of anxiety and diets high in saturated fat and added sugars.

Interestingly, researchers have noted similar findings in kids and teenagers.

For example, a 2019 review of 56 studies found an association between a high intake of healthful foods, such as olive oil, fish, nuts, legumes, dairy products, fruits, and vegetables, and a reduced risk of depression during adolescence.

However, it is important to keep in mind that while observational studies can show an association, they cannot prove cause and effect.

Also, even with randomized controlled trials, there are several limitations when it comes to nutrition research studies, including difficulties with accurately measuring food intake.

Researchers often rely on participants recalling what they have eaten in previous days, weeks, or months, but no ones memory is perfect.

The research into whether dietary interventions can help treat mental health problems is relatively new and still quite limited.

The SMILES trial was one of the first randomized controlled trials to examine the role of diet in the treatment of depression.

Over 12 weeks, 67 individuals with moderate or severe depression received either dietary counseling or social support in addition to their current treatment.

The dietary intervention was similar to a Mediterranean diet, in that it emphasized vegetables, fruits, whole grains, oily fish, extra virgin olive oil, legumes, and raw nuts. It also allowed for moderate amounts of red meat and dairy.

At the end of the study, those in the diet group had significantly greater improvements in depression symptoms. These improvements remained significant even when the scientists accounted for confounding variables, including body mass index (BMI), physical activity, and smoking.

Furthermore, only 8% of individuals in the control group achieved remission, compared with 32% of those in the diet group.

Although these results seem promising, the SMILES study was a small, short-term study. As a result, larger, longer term studies are necessary to apply its findings to a larger population.

Replicating the findings is important because not all research agrees with them. For instance, in a study that recruited 1,025 adults with overweight or obesity and at least mild depressive symptoms, researchers investigated the impact of both a multinutrient supplement and food-related behavioral activation on mental health outcomes.

The scientists found no significant difference in depressive episodes compared with a placebo after 12 months.

In the same year, though, a meta-analysis of 16 randomized controlled studies did find that dietary interventions significantly reduced symptoms of depression, but not those of anxiety.

It is, therefore, difficult to draw solid conclusions from the existing body of research, particularly as the type of dietary intervention under investigation has varied greatly among studies.

Overall, more research is needed on the topic of specific dietary patterns and the treatment of mental health conditions. In particular, there is a need for a more standardized definition of a healthful diet, as well as for larger, long-term studies.

In addition to dietary patterns, scientists are interested in the potential effects that individual nutrients in the form of dietary supplements might have on mental health.

Scientists have found links between low levels of certain nutrients such as folate, magnesium, iron, zinc, and vitamins B6, B12, and D and worsening mood, feelings of anxiety, and risk of depression.

However, there is inconclusive evidence on whether consuming extra amounts of these nutrients in supplement form offers further benefits for mental health.

For instance, if someone is deficient in magnesium, for example, taking a magnesium supplement might help improve symptoms. However, if someone is getting adequate amounts of magnesium in their diet, it is unclear whether taking a supplement will provide any benefits.

Omega-3 fatty acids are essential fats that play a key role in brain development and cell signaling. An article in Frontiers in Physiology discusses how they reduce levels of inflammation.

Due to their anti-inflammatory effects and importance in brain health, scientists have investigated omega-3s for their potential effects on mental health.

While more research is still needed, in 2018 and 2019, reviews of randomized controlled trials found omega-3 supplements to be effective in the treatment of anxiety and depression in adults.

However, as with vitamin and mineral supplements, it remains unclear whether omega-3 supplementation can help improve mood in most individuals or whether it is primarily effective in those with the lowest intake of omega-3s.

Overall, when it comes to taking supplements for mental health, there is still a lot we do not know, including what the optimal doses are for various populations and the long-term safety and effectiveness.

Therefore, experts recommend acquiring the majority of these nutrients through a healthful and varied diet. Anyone who is concerned that they are unable to meet their nutrient needs through diet alone should speak with a doctor to discuss whether supplements may be helpful.

While there is a need for further research, observational studies suggest, overall, that there is a link between what people eat and their mental health. Why nutrition may have this effect is still unknown, though.

There are several theories on how diet may influence mood or the risk of conditions such as depression and anxiety.

Some scientists believe that the inflammatory effects of certain dietary patterns might help explain the relationship between diet and mental health.

Several mental health conditions appear to have links with increased levels of inflammation. The authors of journal articles in Frontiers in Immunology and Current Neuropharmacology discuss this relationship.

For example, diets associated with benefits for mental health tend to be high in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthful fats all of which are foods rich in anti-inflammatory compounds.

A review of observational studies supports this theory, as diets high in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory foods were associated with a reduced risk of depression.

Still, the exact relationship between diet, inflammation, and alterations in mental health is not well-understood.

Another possible explanation is that diet may affect the bacteria in the gut, which people often refer to as the gut microbiome.

Ongoing research has found a strong link between gut health and brain function. For example, healthy bacteria in the gut produce approximately 90% of the neurotransmitter serotonin, which affects mood.

Furthermore, early research shows a potential link between a healthy gut microbiome and lower rates of depression.

As diet plays a major role in the health and diversity of the gut microbiome, this theory is a promising explanation for how what we eat may be affecting our mental well-being.

Finally, there is the possibility that diet plays a more indirect role in mental health.

It may be that individuals with healthful diets are more likely to engage in behaviors that are also linked with a reduced risk of mental health conditions, such as engaging in regular physical activity, practicing good sleep habits, and refraining from smoking.

It is important to keep in mind that many factors can influence both eating habits and mental health.

According to MentalHealth.gov, factors that can contribute to mental health conditions include biological factors, such as genetics, life experiences, and family history. Socioeconomic status can also affect mental health, as can access to food and overall diet quality.

Mental health can, in turn, affect eating habits. For example, it is not uncommon to turn to less healthful foods, such as sweets or highly processed snack foods, when feeling angry or upset.

Similarly, many antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications can increase appetite and cravings. In both of these situations, struggling with mental health can make adhering to a healthful diet more difficult.

Overall, while diet may be an important factor for mental health, it is important to remember that many other aspects of life can also contribute to mood.

The study of nutrition and how it affects mental health is ongoing.

And while more research is needed, current studies suggest that we may have some influence over our mental health through our food choices.

Still, we need to keep in mind that diet is just one piece of the much more complex topic that is mental health.

As a result, it is important for anyone who is experiencing depression or anxiety symptoms or has general concerns about their mental well-being to work with a trusted healthcare provider to develop a personalized treatment plan.

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Vitamin E: Benefits, safety, and where to find it – Medical News Today

Posted: at 3:16 pm

Vitamin E is a fat-soluble antioxidant in many foods. It supports the immune system, helps keep blood vessels healthy, and plays a role in gene expression and cell signaling.

There are eight forms of naturally occurring vitamin E, and alpha-tocopherol is the one that the body mainly uses.

In this article, we explore evidence of specific health benefits of vitamin E. We also look at food sources and supplements, including interactions and other risks.

Vitamin E acts as an antioxidant it helps protect the body from free radicals.

Free radicals are molecules generated as a normal part of metabolism. They can cause damage and disease and contribute to the aging process.

Additionally, vitamin E is important for immune function, gene expression, and cell signaling. It helps widen blood vessels and prevent excessive clotting.

Researchers have investigated whether vitamin E may also help prevent or treat specific conditions.

The results concerning many uses of the vitamin, including to help prevent cognitive decline, are conflicting or inconclusive.

Despite a general lack of strong conclusions, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) cite some research suggesting that vitamin E might have particular benefits for people with:

Various studies suggest that vitamin E can help prevent or delay coronary heart disease (CHD).

In vitro research indicates that vitamin E inhibits the formation of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and may thus help prevent blood clots. In addition, several observational studies associate lower rates of heart disease with higher vitamin E intakes.

However, some randomized clinical trials cast doubt on the ability of vitamin E supplements to help prevent CHD.

Overall, the NIH observe, determining whether vitamin E supplements benefit people with CHD will require more extended studies that include younger participants.

Vitamin E may help prevent age-related macular degeneration.

The NIH cite evidence that taking vitamin E with zinc, copper, and other antioxidants may slow the diseases progression in people with a high risk of an advanced form.

However, they acknowledge that the evidence supporting the use of vitamin E to treat or prevent eye disorders is inconsistent.

Researchers have investigated the antioxidant and immune-modulating effects of vitamin E on cancer. For example, an older study, from 2002, found that long-term vitamin E supplementation may reduce death from bladder cancer.

However, the NIH warn that there is currently not enough evidence to support taking vitamin E for cancer. They also report that it may increase the risk of prostate cancer.

The Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial found that males taking vitamin E had an increased risk of prostate cancer, but that participants who also took supplements of the trace mineral selenium did not have an increased risk.

Overall, a person should not take vitamin E or selenium supplements for cancer prevention, as researchers do not fully understand how these supplements work.

They are also unsure whether these supplements interact with foods, other supplements, and medicines.

The NIH warn of health risks associated with vitamin E supplements.

They cite research linking using high-dose vitamin E supplements to increased risk of hemorrhagic stroke, which results from bleeding in the brain, and prostate cancer.

They also report that vitamin E supplements may increase the risk of bleeding in people taking anticoagulant drugs such as warfarin (Coumadin).

In addition, the NIH warn that vitamin E supplements can interact with a combination of simvastatin and niacin, as well as with chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Authors of a 2015 review found that the available research does not support taking vitamin E supplements during pregnancy.

The nutrient does not help prevent pregnancy problems and may cause abdominal pain and early rupture of membranes, the team reports.

Research into vitamin E and lactation is scarce. Overall, anyone who is breastfeeding should speak with a healthcare professional before taking any supplements.

Vitamin E is in many foods and also available as a supplement.

A person can find vitamin E in:

Below, learn how much vitamin E is in specific foods:

Vitamin E supplements are available in natural or synthetic forms.

The NIH note that manufacturers usually label natural forms with the letter d, as in d-gamma-tocopherol. They label synthetic forms dl, as in dl-alpha-tocopherol.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have required manufacturers to list vitamin E quantities in milligrams (mg) since January 2020. Smaller companies may still use old labels listing the contents in international units (IU) until January 2021.

People can convert IU to mg using the following formulae:

People can convert mg to IU with the following formulae:

The recommended daily allowance, or RDA, of vitamin E varies, depending on a persons age and breastfeeding status:

Vitamin E is an important antioxidant nutrient that supports the immune system and the health of the blood and blood vessels. It is also involved in gene expression and cell signaling.

People usually get enough vitamin E from a healthful diet that contains adequate fats. Vitamin E-rich foods include nuts, seeds, and vegetable oils. However, health issues that affect the absorption of nutrients may cause a person to develop a deficiency.

Research into the capacity of vitamin E to prevent or treat specific health issues is generally conflicting. However, further studies may confirm suggested benefits for people with heart disease or age-related macular degeneration.

Anyone taking ongoing medication should check with a doctor before taking vitamin E supplements. Consulting an oncologist first is crucial for people who have cancer, especially if they are currently undergoing treatment.

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Astronomers just discovered the oldest and most distant galaxy ever – The Next Web

Posted: at 3:16 pm

As astronomers look deep into space, they also see far back in time. Now, astronomers at the University of Tokyo may have found the oldest, most distant galaxy ever seen. These observations come close to revealing conditions in the Universe when the first observable light spread throughout the Cosmos.

The ancient galaxy GN-z11 likely formed just 420 million years after the Big Bang, when the Universe was just three percent as old as it is today. Such an age would place this family of stars near the edge of the observable Universe. This galaxy formed at the dawn of the era of reionization when light first filled the Cosmos.

The galaxy GM-z11 was first seen in March 2016, and astronomers immediately recognized it as one of the oldestgalaxiesever seen. However, this new study refines the age of this distant object, revealing its extreme age and distance.

From previous studies, the galaxy GN-z11 seems to be the farthest detectable galaxy from us, at 13.4 billion light years, or 134 nonillion kilometers (thats 134 followed by 30 zeros). But measuring and verifying such a distance is not an easy task, said ProfessorNobunari Kashikawafrom the Department of Astronomy at the University of Tokyo.

At extreme distances like those used in studyinggalaxies, astronomers often speak in terms of the redshift of a target, denoted with the letter z. This new study reveals GN-z11 has a redshift value around z=11, the highest shift (and therefore, the greatest distance) ever seen.

Analysis of this ancient family of stars reveals a few properties of this nascent galaxy.

GN-z11 is luminous and young, yet moderately massive, implying a rapid build-up of stellar mass in the past, researchers describe in an article detailing their work, published in the journalNature Astronomy.

Chemical signatures can be seen in the spectra of an object, revealing the composition of a distant target. These can be seen in one of two ways. The first of these, emission lines, are bright lines caused by the release of photons from atoms. The second type of these features,absorption lines, are dark, the result of photons being absorbed by atoms, when light passes through a gas.

When light from distant bodies is broken up into its component colors, these emission lines shift to the red end of the spectrum. This is known as a red shift.

The most distant an object is from us, thefaster it is seen to be receding, producing a greater red shift. Therefore, by measuring the red shift of a target galaxies, astronomers are able to calculate its distance from Earth.

We looked at ultraviolet light specifically, as that is the area of the electromagnetic spectrum we expected to find the redshifted chemical signatures. The Hubble Space Telescope detected the signature multiple times in the spectrum of GN-z11. However, even the Hubble cannot resolve ultraviolet emission lines to the degree we needed. So we turned to a more up-to-date ground-based spectrograph, an instrument to measure emission lines, called MOSFIRE, which is mounted to the Keck I telescope in Hawaii. said Kashikawa.

MOSFIRE was able to determine the red shift of emission lines from GN-z11 at a detail 100 times greater than ever before. If future observations confirm the distance found in this study, than GN-z11 is the most distant galaxy ever seen in theCosmos.

Its remote position puts GN-z11 at the beginning of the reionization era. In this period starlight from the first galaxies started to heat and lift the fog of cold hydrogen gas filling the Universe. The previous record-holding galaxy was seen in the middle of this epoch, about 150 million years later,NASA reports. In the video above, take a look at the Keck Observatory, from 2015. (Video credit: Keck Observatory)

Researchers also found an unexpected sight while studying GN-z11 a bright flash of ultraviolet light from the distant galaxy.

In the optical sky, minutes-duration transients from cosmological distances are rare. Known objects that give rise to such transients include gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), the most luminous explosions in the Universe These high-redshift GRBs and their associated emission can be used to probe the star formation and reionization history in the era of cosmic dawn, researchers describe inNature Astronomy.

Although this flash was likely the result of a GRB, astronomers are unable to confirm that analysis fromultravioletdata alone. However, the team was able to eliminate nearly any other possibility for the observation.

Future instruments and observations, including the James Webb Space Telescope, could reveal the progenitors of galaxies like GN-z11, emitting some of the oldest light in the Universe. This would suggest GRBs were taking place just 420 million years after the Big Bang.

Due to theexpansion of the Universe, light from this body traveled a distance of 32 billion light years to reach us, although GN-z11 is just 13.4 billion years old.

Now THAT is far out!

This article was originally published on The Cosmic Companion by James Maynard, founder and publisher of The Cosmic Companion. He is a New England native turned desert rat in Tucson, where he lives with his lovely wife, Nicole, and Max the Cat. You can read this original piece here.

Astronomy News with The Cosmic Companion is also available as a weekly podcast, carried on all major podcast providers. Tune in every Tuesday for updates on the latest astronomy news, and interviews with astronomers and other researchers working to uncover the nature of the Universe.

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Feature: Be Kind to Yourself – Amarillo.com

Posted: at 3:16 pm

By Jason Boyett| Amarillo Globe-News

In this issue, weve been focused on kindness to others, kindness to our environment and more. But what about self-kindness? What does being kind to your body look like?

It means having health practices that give us a sense of well-being, says Judie Boothe, a certified clinical nutritionist (C.C.N.) and owner of Fountain of Health, a legendary retailer in Amarillos health community. Boothe says a proper balance of nutrition, supplements and beneficial health practices can improve almost every aspect of a persons life.

She should know. Five decades ago, before opening her shop, Boothe endured 4 years of illness. It started with a staph infection after the birth of her daughter, followed by bouts with rheumatic fever, hepatitis, rheumatoid arthritis, low blood sugar, lupus and early kidney failure. I spent two years in bed and had no hope of getting well, she says.

That was 54 years ago. Today, Boothe is a healthy and vibrant 79 and still maintains a constant presence at her store on Western in the Shops at 34th. God had plans for me, so here I am today and I can outwork people half my age, she says. In fact, shes just a few months away from turning 80. People are shocked when I tell them that.

Judie is even a little shocked herself. But her good health is a testament to taking care of her body. During her health crisis, improving her diet and experimenting with supplements restored her to better health, and led to Judie and her husband, Ron, becoming owners of Fountain of Health 45 years ago. Since then, she has studied with master herbalists and naturopathic doctors, gained her nutritionist certification, and maintained ongoing education efforts to stay current with new research and products.

Naturally, we wanted to hear from Boothe regarding her advice about living the healthiest life possible. She provided a succinct overview: It includes healthy eating and drinking plenty of pure water, getting quality dietary supplements, getting seven to eight hours of quality sleep a night, and getting appropriate exercise. Its also paying attention to our spiritual health and having a positive mental outlook, giving thanks each day for blessings, even small ones.

Boothe then broke things down a little further.

Her advice is to eat nutritious food that is as close to that foods natural state as possible. In other words, avoid fast food, convenience foods, and heavily processed foods. Instead, pursue a balanced diet of leafy greens, colorful vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds and quality protein. But try to become as educated as possible about those foods, she says.

People think if they eat a salad or a meat every day they are healthy, says Boothe. But that doesnt mean a standard side salad is particularly nutritious. Boothe warns that traditional iceberg lettuce doesnt provide much nutritional punch. Instead, she recommends other greens, like broccoli, asparagus, kale, spinach, and celery. Its a high-antioxidant food, she says of the always underrated celery. We look at it and think its not that great, but its a very good food.

She also loves cabbage, green and yellow squashes, and purple onions. People will always say, If I shouldnt eat this [sugary or processed] food, what am I going to eat? They just have not looked at all these wonderful, beautiful, colorful foods!

Boothe always recommends organic or frozen organic foods when possible.

Fountain of Health sells a vast variety of nutrition products and supplements. With the world we live in today, we really need quality dietary supplements, explains Boothe. The only exception is for those who maintain a diet extremely well-balanced with natural, organic foods. Even then, she believes that may not be enough. I dont think we can get the nutrition we need out of our foods.

For everyone, male and female, Boothe recommends a basic daily multivitamin, as long as its a high-quality supplement. Most multivitamins, however, dont contain enough vitamin E or vitamin C, so she recommends additional supplements of those nutrients, along with extra minerals and a good probiotic.

Boothe and her staff are always willing to help customers choose the best-quality vitamins and supplements from the shelves at her store. We work with individuals to assess their particular nutritional needs, she says. Boothe is board certified in clinical nutrition and accustomed to reading medical lab tests and health histories to help determine other supplements to add to a customers diet even going so far as to analyze a persons nutrition intake and sleep patterns.

There are quite a few questions well ask. Our health [condition] can show up in [the appearance of] our fingernails, hair and skin, she says. So there are a lot of things we look at to help guide a person so that they feel a sense of well-being and feel healthier and enjoy life.

Since Boothes expertise is based only in nutrition, she does advise customers to speak with their doctors about finding the right balance between supplements and medication to achieve positive health results.

Boothe also recommends that people stay hydrated throughout the day, drinking at least a half-ounce of water per pound of body weight each day.

The right amount of exercise is also critical. Most people tend to assume they arent exercising enough, but Boothe has also encountered some individuals who exercise too much. In pursuit of good health, they put too much stress on their bodies and end up causing injury or decreasing their overall wellness. You need to try to hit a happy medium, she says.

Sleep is also vital to well-being, and Boothe regularly finds herself advising customers who are desperate for healthy, natural sleep aids. Sometimes they just need to develop better habits for good, quality sleep or [they need] a supplement that will help them relax. Relaxation before sleep is important, because our overly stimulated minds are often the culprits when sleep is poor. Sometimes our minds are just going, going, going.

More than anything else, Boothe advises customers to prioritize their health a concept thats been at the forefront of our minds during the pandemic. She points out that its a challenge to enjoy anything else about life when you dont feel good. To me, a strong, healthy, vibrant body is essential, says Boothe. Its the most important thing. Its more important than having money. If you dont have good health, you dont even enjoy having wealth.

Judie Boothe made that discovery when she first got sick more than half a century ago. The fact that shes still around to teach customers gives credence to her advice. Shes not just advocating for good health. Shes proof that it matters.

Judie Boothe

Judie can be reached atthe Fountain of Health,4151 SW 34th Ave., 355.5162, fountainofhealthmarket.com

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