Category: blog

A serum bags with heavy benefits!

This is by far the BEST serum I have ever used!

Products for hydration, moisturising and anti-aging creams in the market are everywhere. What about a product that can deliver oxygen to the skin?

Our organs need oxygen for survival and the skin is our largest organ! Yet, the skin is also one organ that is most deprived of oxygen 🙁 Especially after 40 years old…

The idea of having more oxygen for the skin definitely attracts me, especially oxygen for the face! When the face gets ample oxygen, hydration lotion, moisturising cream, anti-aging cream etc, can easily ride on it and deliver much better results!

[PlusO2] 氧+ seems to be the first application product in the market for oxygen to the skin? And a surely effective one! Because it uses Perflurocarbons! Perflurocarbons are inert compounds that can carry oxygen even better than the red blood cells! They can reach places which red blood cells may not be able to reach, like blocked capillaries, due to their smaller molecules size.

I have been using [PlusO2] 氧+ for six months since it’s launch. For the first month, the radiance on my face is obvious. People around you will notice. For the second and third month, my face gets more hydrated and is smoother. On the third and fourth month, fine lines over my eye areas are lesser. To-date, even my mom commented that my face looks better. I told her it is due to [PlusO2] 氧+! Haha. She is using it too 🙂

My current simple skincare routine:

Morning:
1. Facial Hydrating Foaming Wash

2. Blanc Light Reveal (every 2-3 days)

3. PlusO2 氧+

4. Energy Lotion

5. Poreless Perfect Makeup Base SPF 30PA+++

Night:
1. Facial Hydrating Foaming Wash
2. PlusO2 (spa over eye areas every alternate day) 氧+
3. Energy Cream

Simple enough? Haha. I am not the type that like the hassle of putting layers and layers of skincare. I usually just do the minimal… wash, exfoliate, introduce oxygen, moisturise and protect (SPF) >.<

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是太久没喝这个口味了吗？Nutrifresh Strawberry觉得有些不一样。。更爽口好喝哦！一下子就喝完了黄豆及多过十三样的蔬果，含丰富的蛋白质，矿物质，维生素，纤维，植物营养素。每天的基本营养！营养这么丰富，新加坡制造，一包 $1.90 哪里找?

#不含防腐剂 #nopreservatives #沛能 #nutrifesh #营养包 #basicnutrients #冷冻干燥#freezedrying #完整 #wholefood #plantbased #proteinpowder #premiumquality

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An article in The Straits Times dated October 1, 2021 – Studies on cell function, why some people may be resistant to virus.

This is actually a scary 🙁 and yet interesting read..

The list for Long Covid seems to be getting longer and longer. Other than the known possible symptoms of shortness of breath, heart palpitations, chest pain, joint pain and early signs of dementia, this article mentions an even scarier finding – The virus not only can impair cells’ activities, but CHANGE THEIR FUNCTION.

An example stated that when the pancreas is infected by the virus, not only the pancreas will produce less insulin than usual, but also started to produce glucose and digestive enzymes when these ain’t their job! Scientists called this ‘a change of cell fate‘.

As of current, it is not clear whether the change will be long-lasting. Some Covid-19 survivors have indeed developed diabetes shortly after infection.

But the article also mentions that SOME people are RESISTANT to the virus! The article suggests that it could be due to more efficient activation of natural killer (NK) cells – “When NKs are correctly activated, they are able to recognise and destroy infected cells, preventing the disease from developing.”.

NK Cells are our immune cells. They seek and destroy pathogens. These are what Dr Jau-Fei Chen been emphasising. Nourish our immune cells well and they will be the best doctor to help us defense.

Nutritional Immunology advocates that we should nourish our immune system with healthy plant foods rich in phytochemicals, antioxidants and polysaccharides.

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During this covid pandemic when more people are working from home, with travelling time saved, I see more people in the park, exercising and cycling

From what I have learnt in Nutritional Immunology and Exercise Science, exercising and over-exercising can be different though.

Regular exercise can help in our weight management, release stress, prevent chronic diseases, as well as can enhance our muscle , bone and joint health. However over-exercise can cause rapid production of free radicals in our body. The oxidation can cause stress to our body. This can result in poor functioning of our immune system instead

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We know prevention is important, yet it always do not receive as much limelight as a cure. People tend to wait until a problem arises and then find ways to fix it.

There may be medication to treat (not cure) a disease, but these usually come alongside with side effects. For example, someone with cancer can undergo surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy; but these may come with chronic pain, cognitive problems, kidneys, heart, joints, or even more cancers.

Even treatments for simple diseases such as an infection, is usually treated with antibiotics, and can cause hearing loss, tinnitus, and balance problems.

Having the knowledge to know what the costs are, prevention over treatments, picking the right foods to support our immune system, a change of lifestyle, are what Nutritional Immunology is all about.

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A high-fat meal not only can add calories to body, but at the same time can disrupt our liver function.

Researchers have found that foods high in saturated fats may have an immediate effect on the work of the liver. Fat stresses the liver cells, causing them to work harder which may lead to liver disease.

Consuming a lot of fat also causes the liver to produce 70% more glucose, which may increase the risk of type 2 diabetes.

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/321382

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I love to eat mushrooms, any types! Even more since they are so rich in various nutrients – minerals such as iron, calcium, potassium, magnesium, zinc, a number of B vitamins, vitamin D, fiber, protein, and polysaccharides! For cooking, they are also a natural flavour enhancers, almost like natural MSG 🙂

According to International Journal of Cancer[1], consuming mushroom once or twice a week can lower the risk of prostate cancer by 8%, and consuming it three or more times a week can lower the risk of prostate cancer by 17%.

In another study conducted by National University of Singapore[2], consuming two portions of mushrooms per week can reduce mild cognitive impairment by 57%!

However, there is also another use for mushrooms… for mycoremediation [3]…!

Mushrooms are not vegetables. They belong to the category of fungi family. They are “absorptive” in nature. Like a “sponge”, they absorb heavy metals, pesticides and insecticides from the environment, in land and in waters. Due to this natural ability, they are used for mycoremediation to eradiate heavy metals, and to decontaminate the environment.

In other words, mushrooms can be heavily contaminated with heavy metal. Consuming mushrooms or fungi grown in the wild no longer seem as good as what I used to think! I used to purchase wild black fungus（野生木耳) as seen in the following picture, or wild cordyceps, thinking they are better than farmed or from cultivation. However, I was wrong.

After knowing about mycoremediation, consuming wild fungi (mushrooms, cordyceps, black fungus, etc) means I am also consuming in high heavy metals, pesticides and insecticides! 🙁 Now I will choose cultivated or farmed fungi instead!

Heavy metals deposition in the environment is a threat to human health. Arsenic, copper, lead, chromium, mercury, and cadmium are some common metals that enter the soil and water by various human (industries, vehicle exhausts) and natural activities. Electronic wastes, preservatives, fungicides, insecticides are other sources of heavy metals. After leaching into the environment, they enter our human body via contaminated food and water. At low concentration, they play an essential role in our metabolic and physiological activities; above a threshold limit, they are carcinogens and can impair our kidney, liver, heart, spleen and reproductive functions.

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References

[1] Wiley. (2019, September 5). ScienceDaily. Eating mushrooms may help lower prostate cancer risk.  Retrieved October 23, 2020 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/09/190905080106.htm

[2] 2019, March 12. NUSNews. Mushrooms may reduce risk of cognitive decline. Retrieved October 24, 2020 from
https://news.nus.edu.sg/research/mushrooms-reduce-cognitive-decline#:~:text=A%20team%20from%20the%20Department,mild%20cognitive%20impairment%20(MCI).

[3] Nahid Akhtar, M. Amin-ulMannan. (2020, April 9). Biotechnology Reports. Mycoremediation: Expunging environmental pollutants. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.btre.2020.e00452

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What is the recommended hours of sleep for the average adult?

Experts recommend 7–9 hours a day. But the most common reason we hear for the lack of sleep is – there’s too much to do and not enough time to do it! So one goes to bed a little later or get up a little earlier in an effort to fit a few more things into one’s packed-full day.

The effects of inadequate sleep are often subtle and seem insignificant. But over an extended period of time, it can cause serious health problems! Something that one may not even associate with their long term inadequate sleep.

With sleep deprivation, your immune system doesn’t have a chance to build up its forces. Inadequate sleep has been linked to headaches, weight gain, depression, and memory loss. If we don’t get enough sleep, our bodies are less likely to fend off invaders, and it could take us longer to recover from an illness.

Long-term sleep deprivation may also raise our risk of developing chronic problems such as cardiovascular diseases or diabetes, affects our mental and physical health, and can dramatically lower our quality of life. In fact, one Harvard Medical School study reported that sleeping less than five hours a night increases the risk of death from all causes by about 15 percent.

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