Speed Reading: Got Circadian Rhythm?

Sound boring and irrelevant, right? What if the new scientific research produces evidence for your increasing longevity?

A professor in NYU College of Dentistry, Timothy Bromage, at the annual meeting

of the American Association for Dental Research (April, 2008) reported, a biological clock that affects an organism’s overall pace of life, and its life span.

I was absent the day my biology teacher explained Circadian – Ultradian – Infradian rhythms. Check it out – these clocks run our metabolic functions and produce consciousness.

Circadian Rhythm (clock) guides our daily cycle from sleep to wakefulness. The term is from Latin, meaning about a day. It separates day from night, influences our body temperature, thirst and appetite. Oh yeah, cell regeneration.

I was also sleeping in class when Mrs. Crawford said the Suprachiasmatic Nuclei

(SCN) was the master alarm clock in our brain. It receives nerve signals directly

from our retina and its photoreceptors about external light and darkness.

So What

SCN releases hormones and excites neurons for internal control of the Circadian Rhythms. So what? It affects our Reticular Activating System (RAS) to keep us

conscious – awake and alert . You remember how you function under – fatigue, daydreaming, and disorientation.

New research indicates that disruption of our Circadian Rhythm initiates

Bi-Polar Disorder, Depression, and even cancer. The neurotransmitter Melatonin is absent during daylight hours, and excites when the sun sets.

Ultradian and Infradian Rhythms

A clock that is LESS than 24 hours activates ultradian Rhythms. Urination,

bowel, appetite, together with nostril dilation, heart rate, and hormonal release.

Thermoregulation and 90 to 110 minute dream sequences are controlled by our

Ultradian clock.

Our Infradian clock is involved in bodily activities that cycle in greater than 24 hours. Menstruation is one example. How about lunar and tidal changes? From birth to cashing in our chips, we have biological clocks (rhythms) that regulate our

cellular functions.

Dr. Bromage compared the triggering of this new clock with rats, chimpanzees and

Homo sapiens. He was interested in growth in tooth enamel, which he thought was like the annual rings on a tree. Circadian rhythm as well as our tooth enamel clock originates in the brain’s hypothalamus, control center for our Autonomic Nervous System. Imagine if we had to manually run these clocks.

Clock Difference

Rats have a one-day cycle for skeletal bone tissue; chimps have a six-day interval, while humans have an eight to ten day cycle for incremental growth in skeletal bone

tissue. This was the first time (2,008) incremental rhythm was viewed in our bone.

Get This

The same biological rhythm that controls incremental tooth and bone growth, also

affects bone and body size, in addition to metabolic processes. Like what? Heart and

breathing. This same rhythm organizes our overall pace-of-life, and life-span.

The raton grows teeth and bone in one-eighth of the time it takes us, but lives faster

and dies much younger. Some humans have a five-day cycle at one end of the scale,

and others a ten-day clock. Eight days is the average.

Changing Circadian Rhythms For Longevity

There is a key receptor protein critical for our internal molecular clock. It was discovered by Mitch Lazar, M.D. of University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine,
The name is Rev-erb, and is triggered by Lithium.

What if your physician can reset your biological clock to create increased longevity?

Stay tuned over the next two-years.

Learning and Memory

Stanford researchers (October, 2008) produce evidence the Circadian Rhythm is

deeply involved in coding and recall for what we learn.

Professor Norman Ruby and his team show that defects in the operation of the

Circadian Rhythm disables memory function. It is crucial to learning. Does this

apply to Down’s Syndrome, Alzheimers and Parkinson?

Inquiring Minds Need to Know

When you choose to learn something you hear or read, the neurochemical GABA

inhibits or excites our Hippocampus. Human memories are stored in the brain structure called the Hippocampus, and in neurons of our Dendritic Spines involved in the original memory synapse.

If the synapses keep firing without termination (excited), or overly inhibited by

too little GABA, the Circadian Rhythm deletes learning and memory. Exciting

triggers encoding the memories at the molecular level for later recall.

All mammal brains function according to a delicate balance between neurochemicals that excite or calm the brain. For humans, the secret ingredient is

GABA. We require a rhythmic firing (Circadian), not a barrage of synaptic firing.

Aging

When human age our Circadian Rhythm begins to degrade and breakdown.

Short-term memory loss is a direct result of degradation of our Circadian Rhythm.

Too much production of GABA and learning is disabled.

Scientists are presently involved in basic research on extending Circadian Rhythms for increased longevity.

Endwords

There are present strategies to extend your longevity up to ten years, and reduce

the risk of Alz up to 60%. It requires lifelong learning and the principle of use-it-or-lose-it.

Would it improve your education and career prospects by reading and remember

three (3) books, articles and reports in the time your competitors can hardly finish

one?

Ask us how to double your long-term memory and triple your learning skills.

See ya,

copyright © 2008 H. Bernard Wechsler

www. speedread.tv

1-877-567-2500 toll-free

See: Speed Read, Speed Reading

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CONTENTS

ASTA RECIPES

CRUSTY CHICKEN BITES

STRAUBERRY, RASPBERRY SMOOTHIE

VEGETABLE FRIED RICE

LIGHTSIDE

FIESTA BURGERS

VEGAN MIXED BERRY MUFFINS

FOOD INFORMATION
FOOD THERMOMETERS

CHINA WARNING

E-COLI OUTBREAK IN ONTARION

CRIME WEBSITE

BEVERAGES, BAR MIXES

   PASTA RECIPE

4 cups (1 L) cherry tomatoes, halved 

12 cloves garlic, halved 

1/4 cup (50 ML) extra-virgin olive oil 

1 tsp (5 ML) dried basil 

1/2 tsp (2 ML) salt 

1/4 tsp (1 ML) each hot pepper flakes and pepper 

1 lb (500 g) bucatini 

1/4 cup (50 ML) chopped fresh parsley 

1/2 cup (125 ML) shaved Parmesan cheese

In 13- x 9-inch (3.5 L) metal cake pan, toss together tomatoes, garlic, oil, basil, salt, hot pepper flakes and pepper; roast in 400°F (200°C) oven until tomatoes are shrivelled and garlic is tender, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, in large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until tender but firm, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and return to pot. Add tomato mixture and parsley, tossing to coat. Serve sprinkled with Parmesan.

CITRUSY CHICKEN BITES

1 tsp (5 ML) grated lime rind 

2 tbsp (25 ML) grated orange rind 

1 tbsp (15 ML) orange juice 

2 tsp (10 ML) packed brown sugar 

1 tsp (5 ML) each paprika and chilli powder 

Pinch salt 

1 lb (500 g) boneless skinless chicken breasts

In bowl, whisk together lime rind and juice, orange rind and juice, sugar, paprika, chilli powder and salt.

Cut chicken into 1-inch (2.5 cm) cubes; add to bowl and toss to coat. Place on foil-lined baking sheet. Broil for about 5 minutes or until no longer pink inside.

Preparation time: 30-35 minutes, cooking time 5 minutes

STRAUBERRY, RASPBERRY, SMOOTHIE

1 cup (250 ML) raspberries 

1/2 cup (125 ML) cranberries 

1/2 cup (125 ML) strawberries 

1 cup (250 ML) orange juice 

1 cup (250 ML) yogurt 

1 tsp (5 ML) honey 

ice cubes

Wash the fruit. Place all the ingredients in a blender. Mix well for a runny puree. Serve chilled in a tall glass.

SQUASH APPLE CASSEROLE

This dish is high in vitamin A, a good source of vitamin C, cholesterol free, and almost sodium-free.

2 1/2 cups fresh winter squash, cut into 1/2 inch slices

1 1/2 cups cooking apples, pared and cut into 1/2 inch slices

2 tea spoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

Alternate layers of squash and apples in an 8"x 8" pan, ending with apples on top layer. Sprinkle spices over top layer. Cover pan with aluminum foil and bake in 350 degree F oven for approximately 45-60 minutes until squash is tender. Remove foil and bake another 10-15 minutes to remove any excess liquid that might have accumulated. Cool slightly before serving.

Serves 4.

Vegetable Fried Rice

1/2 cup celery, sliced

1/4 cup onion, chopped

1/4 cup peas

1/4 cup carrots, chopped

1/4 cup corn, broccoli, peppers or mushrooms, chopped (optional)

2 cups boiled rice

1 tablespoon Worcestershire or soy sauce

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, or 1 clove fresh garlic, minced

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

Dash of pepper

Heat oil. Add celery, onion, and garlic. Stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add peas and carrots, and any optional ingredients. Stir-fry again, turning pieces all the time until they are tender, about 4 minutes. Add rice, Worcestershire or soy sauce and pepper. Stir-fry about 2 minutes.

LIGHTSIDE

Can you rearrange ELECTION RESULTS?

I get lies, lets recount.

My wife got a bill from the computer service man the other day.

She asked the service man to let her know what the problem was so she could let her husband know.  He replied “An ID ten T error”. So I wouldn’t forget I wrote it down. ID10T.

Fiesta Burgers

1 ½ pounds ground beef

¼ cup onion, chopped

2 tablespoons red bell pepper, finely chopped

3 tablespoons salsa

2 teaspoons prepared Dijon-style mustard

1 tablespoon prepared horseradish (optional)

salt and pepper to taste

4 sesame seed hamburger buns

leaf lettuce and sliced tomatoes

Preparation Directions

Wash hands with soap and warm water for 20 seconds before handling the meat.

In a bowl, mix ground beef with onion, red pepper, picante sauce or salsa, mustard, horseradish (if desired), salt and pepper.

Form into four burgers, about ¾ inch thick.

Wash hands with soap and warm water for 20 seconds after handling the meat.

Using utensils, place burgers on grill that has reached medium-high heat.

Check each burger with a food thermometer after approximately 10-15 minutes. Turn burgers as needed. A hamburger is done when it reaches 160 °F.

Clean the thermometer between uses with hot, soapy water.

Place burgers on buns and top with condiments and garnishes of choice.

After checking the final temperature, remember to clean the food thermometer with hot, soapy water.

SERVES 4

VEGAN MIXED BERRY MUFFINS

Flour, white, 1.75 cup

Raw sugar, 4 tsp

Baking Powder, 2 tsp

So Good ‘Trim’ Soymilk, 1.25 cup

Egg Replacer, 1 serving

Applesauce, unsweetened, 25 grams

Strawberries, frozen, unsweetened, 0.125 cup,

Blueberries, frozen (unsweetened), 0.125 cup,

Blackberries, frozen (unsweetened), 0.125 cup,

Raspberries, 0.125 cup

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 12-cup muffin tin with non-fat cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients.

In a smaller bowl- combine applesauce and soymilk.

Chop the frozen berries into a manageable size.  Add wet ingredients to the dry, and stir to combine, adding berries as you mix. Using a 1/4 cup measure, scoop into prepared muffin tin (they should be about 2/3 full), bake for 20-25 minutes (when a toothpick inserted comes out clean). Cool in tin for 5 minutes, then turn out to cooling rack.

serve warm.

Number of Servings: 12

FOOD INFORMATION

Many people assume that if a hamburger is brown in the middle, it is done. However, looking at the color and texture of food is not enough—you have to use a food thermometer to be sure! According to USDA research, 1 out of every 4 hamburgers turns brown before it reaches a safe internal temperature. The only safe way to know if meat, poultry, and egg dishes are "done" is to use a food thermometer. When a hamburger is cooked to 160 °F, it is both safe and delicious!

MADE, PRODUCED IN CHINA GET WARNING

Public confidence in the Made in China label has been rocked in recent years by a series of product safety scandals.

Most recently, tainted milk claimed the lives of four children in China and sickened tens of thousands, and triggered import bans of Chinese-made dairy products across the globe.

The United Nations released a report Wednesday urging China to set up a single regulatory agency to monitor the safety of food products from the farm to the table.

The report says China’s oversight of food products is split between numerous agencies and their tasks complicated by numerous laws and regulations.  

WHO food Safety Chief Jorgen Schlundt says the cumbersome system resulted in a slow response when the tainted milk scandal emerged in September.

Chinese milk producers added the industrial chemical melamine in their products to make them appear richer in protein. Melamine can cause kidney stones, and even life-threatening kidney failure in some cases.

On October 20, 2008, Confirmed cases of E.coli were linked to a Harvey’s Restaurant in North Bay Ontario. 

More confirmed cases rose to 35-health officials claim. Health officials also said they know of a total of confirmed case of E coli 0157:H7 in the outbreak, involving eight health units in Ontario.

The out break was likely caused by human error rather then undercooked hamburger meat, a professor of food sciences, University of Manitoba, who has worked for Agriculture Canada.

NEW WEBSITE FIGHTING CRIME

The B.C. Crime Prevention Association has just launch a new website. Originally set up to support law enforcement, now available to everyone.

 Information on cyber bulling, resource guides, blogs,     printed materials including copyright law, staking, fraud awareness, I.D.theft, senior safety, and crime-proofing property.  Check out:  www.bccpa.org/library

RESPONSIBLE DRINKING

If you have teenagers, or in fact any adult, impress on them the risks of driving while intoxicated. Statistics demonstrate drunk drivers cause many fatal road accidents.

It should be known that like any other drug, addiction is a potential hazard.  Excess of alcohol will affect organs such as the brain, heart, and liver.

BEVERAGES, BAR MIXES

EGGNOG

4 eggs, 4 cups milk, 4 tablespoons lemon juice ½ cup cream. 

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/8 teaspoon salt, 1/3 cup sugar.

Beat eggs until thick and lemon colour

Add sugar, nutmeg, and lemon juice

Add ice-cold milk and cream

Beat with rotary beater until frothy

Makes: 6 large glasses.

GRAPE JUICE

10 pounds grapes

2 cups water

3 pounds sugar

Add sugar and stir until dissolved.

Bring juice to boiling point

Pour in bottles and seal

Makes: 4 quarts of juice.

BAR MIXES

Monte Carlo

1 jigger rye

½ jigger Benedictine

2 dashes bitters

Shake with cracked ice and strain.

Rum and Coca-Cola

1 ½ jiggers Puerto Rican White Label Rum

Juice of one small lime

Cola drink

In tall glass, 3 ice cubes and fill with cola. Stir.

FORMER Miss Sarawak-Malaysia Marlene Lim Hui Nee is no run-of-the-mill beauty queen, blessed, as she is, with a high IQ that matches her good looks. 

The 24-year-old looks-plus-brains beauty from Miri recently returned to her hometown after her studies in Perth, Australia. It was a four-year pharmacy course but she had to extend it by one more year because of her involvement in beauty pageants.

thesundaypost talked to Marlene in her office at Club Infinity in Faradale Garden to find out what makes her tick as a model, beauty queen and pharmacist all rolled into one.

The former student of SMK Dato Permaisuri and SRK Jalan Bintang in Miri not only has what it takes to grace the catwalk and win beauty contests but also earn a university degree in a field that requires A grades in science subjects like physics, chemistry and biology.

During the interview, Marlene, a Capricorn, touched on some of the problems faced by the pharmaceutical profession, especially the tendency to give patients prescriptions without a satisfactory explanation.

“I hope to change the perception that people can take any kind of medication without proper advice from doctors or pharmacists. For example, there are many kinds of drugs for high blood pressure but not all are suitable or safe.”

She spent two years in Prime College doing her Cambridge A Levels (science) before leaving for Perth to study pharmacy.

Her secondary education was eventful — most of her teachers remember she was an active and diligent head prefect.

She represented her school in Malay and English speech and debating contests and later also the Leo Club in many events, picking up the Outstanding Secretary Award in 2001 as the only Sarawakian from District 308-A2 to have done so.

“All these helped me a lot in developing my leadership, organisational and public speaking skills.”

Marlene intends to return to Perth for a year-long training to gain professional experience in pharmacy. She will return to Miri to do the required one-year pre-registration service and up to three years of public service working for the government to qualify for the pharmacist’s licence.

“I hope to be able to serve with the Miri General Hospital during this time,” she said.

She speaks Mandarin with a Cantonese accent as a result of picking up the dialect from her housemates during her pharmacy course but she comes from a Hokkien family.

Marlene admits to being rather “tomboyish” while growing up but she was also very studious and active in school activities.

Asked how she got started in modelling, she said it was by chance that she was spotted wearing pants and T-shirts by someone called Josephine Ching from a modeling agency whom she met at a salon.

“She liked my tall lean figure and introduced me to part-time modelling. I was 18 then. My course mates and I were out asking for donations in aid of the Blind Centre at the time,” she recalled.

That was when she shed her tomboy image and took up fashion and modeling seriously.

Winning her first title — Miss Miri-World 2002 — blew her away because she lifted the crown despite her inexperience on the catwalk and lack of fashion or beauty sense.

“I was even more surprised when I won my first national title in the Miss Malaysia Queen International 2006 — I was the shortest and the least experienced,” she confessed.

Marlene wowed the judges who never expected a small town girl from Sarawak to be more knowledgeable and eloquent than her peninsular counterparts.

“Some people even teased that I was a ‘kampung girl’ but I believe if I’m true to myself, people can sense it and good judges can see through pretentious girls,” she said.

In 2005, she won the Miss Sarawak-Malaysia title plus two other subtitles, and was also a finalist in Miss Malaysia-World 2005.

Other titles included Miss Sarawak Earth 2006 plus four subtitles, and a second runner-up spot in Miss Malaysia Earth 2006.

Third in a family of five siblings — two brothers and two sisters — Marlene recalled that her mother was strict “but she is also very supportive.”

Her parents did not stop her taking part in beauty contests — they were confident she could look after herself.

“In fact, mum was very supportive, making time to watch my shows — she even helped choose my wardrobe,” Marlene enthused.

Her sisters gave her ideas and helped look for the things she needed while her father was very proud of what she was doing.

“As for my brothers, they used to tease me about my heavy make-ups,” Marlene fondly remembered.

In Perth, she was placed in the top 12 out of hundreds of contestants in the Curtin Idol 2008 competition.

In her modelling debut, she faced some problems getting used to the catwalk.

“I wasn’t taught the basics — I learned from doing shows and watching videos. Going overseas and participating in fashion shows and events also helped.”

Relating her experience in beauty contests, she said people tended to take her less seriously because she was from Sarawak and did not dress up or put on make-up all the time.

“But I surprised them when I stepped onto the stage, especially during the Q & A,” she said.

Another problem was befriending people who didn’t really take her as a friend as “all they think about is winning and getting famous.”

According to Marlene, although most pageants seem to highlight charity as the main theme, most times, it’s not really the case. Usually, it’s orientated towards publicity, profit and fame.

She claimed the results could sometimes be pre-determined, especially when the winner, other than having a pretty face, could neither speak proper English nor have a deep knowledge of Malaysian culture or history.

“Sometimes, girls are chosen just to make up the numbers — they do so many previews that the whole meaning of ‘true women essence’ is lost because the whole thing feels like a showgirl contest,” she said.

She also noted that local beauty pageants were getting more commercialised.

“I guess that’s why the quality of participants has gone down because educated girls are not keen to take part. I’m a straightforward person — I say it like it is.”

To comments that it’s degrading for women to parade on catwalks in bikini like in a cattle show, she said everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion.

“The organisers are responsible to make the girls look elegant even in their bikinis. If I’m asked to do anything indecent in swimwear, I will voice my opinion because at the end of the day, I (not the organisers) will be judged by the audience. Sometimes the girls just follow what they are told to do.”

She said the main purpose of a swimwear round was to show the healthy body of a woman … that she was not anorexic or anything extreme.

“It also portrays her confidence and how well she carries herself in public. A woman will never look cheap if she knows how to carry herself.”

Marlene has groomed many models and beauty contestants, among whom are Amy Teo (first runner-up Miss Sarawak World 2006), Charlene Chai (Miss Sarawak Model of the World 2008 and first runner-up Miss Chinatown Sarawak 2007) and Natalie Chiaw (Miss Malaysia Global Queen 2008, Miss Global Queen 2008 International Level Miss Charm and second runner-up Miss Cheongsam Malaysia 2008).

On the difference between modelling and beauty contest, she said the former usually did not have a Q&A session and even if it did, it won’t so important compared to beauty pageants.

“In modelling, body proportion, height, poise as well as catwalk and posing skills are very important, not forgetting being photogenic. Sometimes, a model can have an attitude or other social problems but these are often excused. A modelling career usually flourishes following a successful contest — the models can then get more assignments and endorsements.”

On the other hand, she pointed out, a beauty pageant focused more on personality, the Q&A session and the way the contestants think and express themselves.

“Most judges can see if the answers are memorised or if they do not come from the heart. Sometimes, a tall and pretty girl can be the centre of attention but does not win due to lack of personality.

“Contestants should have a standard acceptable criterion — height, education level or experience — and are expected to carry themselves well in public as they represent the desirable qualities of women in general.

“Upon winning a pageant, a beauty queen gains social recognition and normally carries out various charity works or endorses a cause she believes in,” she said.

On the prospects of a modelling career in Miri, Marlene said an aspiring model was paid up to RM50 per show while higher rates like RM150 or more may be offered to title-holders. Models could get higher rates in West Malaysia and overseas.

“Sponsors and organisers prefer title-winning models because of public expectations and should therefore be willing to pay more for the fame and increased publicity.

“I feel sorry for title-holders who grab just any offers — even when the rate is low — because it will lower their value in the eyes of the client,” she noted.

Marlene was fortunate to have been guided by the right group of people. To aspiring models and beauty queens, her advice is to stay focused and not be distracted by the ‘glamour’ of the event.

She strongly believes academic qualifications are very important for a secure future, saying beauty and youth cannot last forever.

Asked if she intended to migrate to Australia, she said she would return to settle down in Miri after her training in Perth. She has plans to develop her career in event management and pharmacy both in Malaysia and Australia.

Although the two fields are very different, Marlene has a knack for management and multi-tasking — she is used to handling a few projects simultaneously and always ready to learn new things and improve.

She said she was holding on to event management because she owed it to the people who had helped and were still helping her.

“Event management will still be a part of my life — I’ll continue to do it for charity. Also, it’s important to have responsible people around — it makes the job a lot easier because things get done.”

Marlene devotes a lot of her time to charity work … and was in the forefront of organising the recent National Autism Society of Malaysia (Nasom) Charity Fashion Gala Runway Show on Dec 19 at Boulevard Fair. All the proceeds, including salaries of her models and her own, were donated to the Nasom Miri branch.

Among the charity events and fashion shows she had organised were Model Search of the Year 2005 (national level) where nearly RM40,000 was raised for Miri’s first Palliative Centre in the General Hospital and the Miss Model of the World Miri-Sibu-Bintulu 2007.

Ultimately though, she intends to concentrate more on her career as a pharmacist and her sisters will help her run a new studio-cum-boutique they are setting up in Perth this year.

Her hobbies include reading, singing (in any languages), karaoke, and dancing (especially modern and belly dancing). For holidays, she prefers Hong Kong, Singapore, or China.

For the moment, Marlene, a big fan of Hollywood actor Richard Gere, has no time for romance but admits to being particularly fond of “someone.”

On marriage, she said: “Only when I’m ready and when the right guy comes along.”

She loves children and her whole family is crazy about kids.

“I would love to have three to five kids … five is my dream number,” she said.