Smoking bad for health… and allergies

A chain-smoking Noynoy Aquino cuts out a smudgy role model for a leader, so like a Fidel Castro or a Winston Churchill with their cigars huffing and puffing to put their lives on the line and away. And maybe they were also shutting off their allergies.

A recent study shows that cigarette smoke can curb allergies by decreasing the reaction of immune cells to allergens.

Indeed, smoking is murderous to one’s health, unleashing lung cancer, pulmonary disease, and impair the body’s fighting capacity against infections. Lost somehow in the swirl of dire effects, smoking cigarettes has a surprising benefit: cigarettes can protect smokers from certain types of allergies.

A study plied by Neil Thomson, a member of Faculty of 1000 Biology and leading expert in the field of respiratory medicine, shows that cigarette smoke decreases the body’s allergic response. The puffs and huffs inhibit the activity of mast cells, the major players in the immune system's response to allergens.

Researchers at Utrecht University in the Netherlands found that treatment of mast cells with a cigarette smoke-infused solution prevented the release of inflammation-inducing proteins in response to allergens, without affecting other mast cell immune functions.

Researchers took mast cells from mice for the tests, but then again, they contend it is likely the same anti-allergy effect will hold true in humans.

Shutting off equally murderous allergies with cigarette smoke isn’t advisable for those who want to follow in the footsteps of an Aquino, Castro or Churchill— ruthless dictators such as Adolph Hitler, Joseph Stalin, and Ferdinand Marcos detested smoking. However, the Utrecht study findings are "consistent with a dampening of allergic responses in smokers."

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ALAMAT NG TAHONG

SAKBIBI ng agam-agam sa kalagayan ng butihing kabiyak-- at kabiyakan, opo-- na nakaratay sa karamdaman, ang pumalaot na mangingisda ay napagawi sa paanan ng dambuhalang Waczim-- isang bathala na nagkakaloob sa sinuman anumang ibulwak ng bibig mula sa bukal ng dibdib. Pangangailangan sa salapi na pambili ng gamot ng kapilas-pusong maysakit ang nakasaklot sa puso ng matandang mangingisda. 'Di kaginsa-ginsa'y bumundol ang kanyang bangka sa paanan ng Waczim. Kagy at umigkas ang katagang kimkim noon sa kanyang dibdib: "Salapi!" Bumuhos ng salapi-- mga butil at gilit ng ginto-- mula papawirin. At halos umapaw sa ginto ang bangka ng nagulantang na mangingisda, walang pagsidlan ang galak, at walang humpay ang pasasalamat sa mga bathala. Nanumbalik ang kalusugan ng kabiyak ng mangingisda. At lumago ang kabuhayan, naging mariwasa ang magkapilas-puso na dating maralita. Nilasing ng kanyang mga dating kalapit-bahay ang mangingisda-- na hindi ikina...

Cal y canto con camote

FENG shui (literally, wind water flow) lore has it root crops embody a hidden store of treasures. Say, a local food conglomerate needs yearly 35,000 metric tons of cassava for livestock feed-- the available local supply falls short of 13,000 tons. Cassava granules sell for around P9 a kilo. Demand for the same root crop to be used in liquor manufacturing is hitting above the roof. Why, raising cassava is a no-brainer task— this is one tough crop that can grow in the most hostile patches of earth, providing sustenance for ages to dwellers in sub-Saharan parts of Africa. While the hardy cassava is nearly pure starch, the lowly sweet potato or kamote is considered by nutritionists as a super food, the most nutritious of all vegetables— kamote levels of Vitamin A are “off the charts, rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties.” A fist-sized kamote can supply a day’s dose of glucose to fuel the brain, muscles, and organs, so they claim. Count the country lucky...

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