Chocolate is particularly popular at certain times of the year, such as Easter, Valentines Day and Christmas. As such, chocolate shaped gifts are popular. Hearts for Valentines day and cute bunnies at Easter are two high up on the gift selection list. Here are 10 interesting facts about chocolate:

1. Chocolate is lower in caffeine than tea, coffee and coca cola. A one ounce bar of chocolate contains about 6mg of caffeine, whereas a five ounce cup of regular coffee contains over 40mg.

2. Chocolate was regarded as an aphrodisiac by Aztec Indians.

3. Chocolate contains antioxidants which may help prevent cancer and heart disease.

4. Chocolate is the favourite flavour in the United States Of America.

5. The shelf life of a bar of chocolate is approximately one year.

6. In 1842 Cadbury’s in 10 Amazing Facts About Chocolate that everyone should know!England created the worlds first chocolate bar.

7. The Swiss eat the most chocolate. The average person eats 19lbs a year.

8. Chocolate contain theobromine, which is a mild relative of caffeine and magnesium. This chemical is found in some tranquilisers. Because coffee also contains caffeine, it both picks you up and calms you down.

9. It is widely believed that chocolate consumption releases a chemical into your body very similar to what is produced when you are in love.

10. Chocolate manufacturers use 20% of the worlds peanuts and 40% of the worlds almonds.

Chocolate is mildly addictive, but a bar now and again is not going to hurt. With all those great antioxidants it contains, it may even help you live longer. After all, as the saying goes, “A little of what you fancy does you good”.

Article by Richard Davies of http://www.chocolateorg.com covering a wide variety of information on chocolate.

On Thursday I got talking to Dominic on the phone and the first thing that struck me was how passionate he was about the range they had produced and was very knowledgeable on the whole food-science bit and a lot of thought had gone into their foods. It was very apparent that a lot of feeling had gone into what was being served up and this became very evident when a delivery of some of Gleann Gabhra‘s range arrived on my office doorstep at 8am this morning. Among the range was a tub of mint ice-cream and because I hadn’t a freezer, the only thing to do make sure the ice-cream didn’t go to waste. So we shared it out among myself and three other colleagues – there was a unanimous agreement that “This ice-cream was to die for…” and it really was that good. It was very smooth, with a light creamy texture. I couldn’t wait to get home and sample the rest of the range made from natural goat’s milk: the cheese, milk, yoghurt, ice-cream and even the fudge.

I often heard it said that goat’s milk can taste quite strong but that isn’t the case at all with the Gleann Gabhra milk.  Quite the opposite - the milk and cheese have a lovely fresh, delicate flavour and work really well in recipes as the pancakes I cooked up for an evening meal proved. Best of all, it’s natural and if you like food, you have to try Gleann Gabhra, it’s that simple! And why not check out the recipe below on Pancake Tuesday – Gleann Gabhra Goat’s milk makes Perfect Irish Pancakes.

If you are interested in finding out more about this home grown family business give Dominic a call on 087 417 3529. You can also visit the Honest 2 Goodness market that is on in Glasnevin , Dublin every Saturday 9.30am – 4pm.

Real Irish Pancakes

50 g (1 ¾ oz) plain flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

¼ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1 lemon

½ lime

2 eggs

1 teaspoon real butter

200ml (6 fl oz) Gleann Gabhara goat’s milk

Low fat cooking spray

2 tablespoons honey

A little brown sugar to sprinkle

Takes 15 minutes to prepare. 10 minutes to cook.

To prepare the recipe:

1. Squeeze lemon and lime and set aside.
2. Sift the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda into a bowl and add the salt and sugar.
3. Put the low fat spread into a large jug and microwave for a few seconds on high until melted. Add the Gleann Gabhra goat’s milk and eggs and beat together to create a medium to thick, fairly smooth mixture. Pour this into the dry ingredients and gently beat together with a whisk to form a batter.
4. Heat a flat non stick frying pan to a medium heat and spray with the cooking spray. When hot, pour in enough batter to thinly cover the most of the pan. Cook the pancakes for 1-2 minutes on each side, until lightly browned turning them gently with a large palette knife.  When cooked, remove and keep warm while you cook the other batch.
5. To serve spread a little honey on the warm pancake and drizzle some of the lemon and lime juice before rolling the pancake up. Sprinkle with a little caster sugar and serve on a warm plate.

There is no easy cure for the current situation and I certainly have no clever answers but I have found something that has made things a little easier for me and might be of help to others.

I recently decided I need to take some time for “Me” and decided on trying something new…I started a course one evening a week to help me to unwind and it really did work -  I started sleeping better but quite unexpectedly started to feel more in controll of things that were happening in my life… it reintroduced a light  at the end of the tunnel. At my own pace and through simple, common sense and above all very enjoyable techniques I was able to make use of that one hour a week to make a change in how I was feeling and reduce some of the symptoms if fatigue that I was feeling.

Holistic Health

Excercise for energy

Achieving a Life/Work balance

Living with ease

Time and stress management

Healthy eating

This is by no means an advert (of any sort) but because I have  found something that has helped me, I want to pay it forward, anf if anyone else feels they need a little extra help they will at least have  the option. Next Thursday evening there is a “HEALTH & HAPPINESS” Course starting in the Carneige Hotel in Swords, Co.Dublin 7.30pm-8.45pm. The theme of over the 8 Weeks is well-being and having a more fulfilled life based on a simple principle of H.E.A.L.T.H.

The truth is people may find the course very helpful and if anyone is interested and mentions my name they are very kindly being given a €25 Discount (normally €135 down to €110) by Louise who runs the course. If you are interested or would like to find out more about how this course can help make things that bit better for you please give Louise Fagan of the Wellbeing Institute a call on Mob: 087 9910747 and she will be happy to have a chat with you.

I wonder sometimes though: have I begun the slow decent into that abysmal world of cosy slippers, from which I imagine there is no return, when comfort is one of the things I place a value on… even more so than the value I place on image? …Or more to the point: I now place a value on trying to achieve a balance between the two – functional yet aesthetic! I mean, in a world that can put people on the moon… it should be easy to look well and feel good with what I’m wearing. I’m one of those whose line of work sees me spending a lot of time in a suit and tie, doing the whole formal look, right down to the polished leather-sole shoes. It’s something I’m used to and don’t mind it so much, as in my down-time I get to relax and wear what I like.

However, time changes everything and a recent stumble saw me injuring my knee. All of a sudden what was common-place was now extremely uncomfortable and the only solution was to wear trainers (sneakers) – not an ideal match when it comes to suits. It would seem I had two choices, wear my leather shoes and bear the pain or look ridiculous and turn out in sports shoes. My search began in earnest for something that would go with a shirt and tie and also offer the same support as a good running shoe. To my amazement it wasn’t a long search. All the reputable manufactures of running shoes had a wide range of possible suitable candidates.

After a little consideration I settled on a nice pair of Nike air-sole running shoes, with black soles and black uppers. They were perfect for the job: black, which goes with anything, subtle in design so they didn’t look over the top, but instead looked well and they were comfortable, offering support and easing the pain of my knee injury… thanks to that same ingenuity that put people on the moon and sees the modern world offering a wide range of running shoes.

One certainty in life is that one of the major downsides of being in good health is that all too often it makes it is very easy to forget that “Health” is an issue that affects everyone. It is always relevant – whether someone is well or unwell, young or old and no matter a person’s level of fitness.  It’s the human condition, people are fragile – we age, while our bodies are prone to disease, injury and damage. Like so many, I’m guilty of only thinking about the issue of health when I become sick – and yet it is an issue that is all around us in everyday life from hospitals to headache tablets.

Yet, despite our frailties, people have always striven to overcome the things that threaten our well-being through science and medical research – medicine, new surgical and therapeutic techniques, vaccines and prosthetics have all gone a long way towards improving quality of life. Another is “Controversy” and throughout the history of the world there has always been debate surrounding “New Developments” and Medical Research is no exception.

One such area that has provoked much controversial scrutiny is Stem Cell Research. It’s also a subject that deserves careful consideration. The Harvard Stem Cell Institute conducts extensive research in the field of stem cells which form the foundation for every organ, tissue and cell in the human body. Stem cells may be able to repair or replace damaged tissue, thereby reversing diseases and injuries such as cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and blood diseases, to name but a few.

Equally as important, while the studies have shown enormous possibilities and potential the issue raises many ethical and moral questions for people. The controversy arises when we look at how Stem Cells are obtained. In short, there are several sources of cells used in research: embryonic stem cells and adult stem cells. The first, embryonic stem cells are obtained from a fertilized egg (generally taken from embryos created during in vitro fertilization but never implanted in a patient). The second is found in tissues and organs throughout the body (referred to as adult stem cells, or tissue-specific cells and in many cases are confirmed to help repair and maintain injured or damaged tissue).

The important question: Critics argue that life begins at conception and these human embryos should not be used for research. Proponents disagree that life begins at conception and explain that these frozen masses of cells are otherwise destined for destruction.  Both sides of the discussion have valid concerns. In a world that sees people suffer with terrible illnesses, but has also seen ethics and morality ignored in the name of science, we must practice informed care. One final certainty is that while we seek ways of improving health, there must be certainty that what we do is right.

Further Information about stem cells

]]> http://patrickjames.ie/blog/a-question-of-certainty-stem-cell-research/feed/ 1 http://patrickjames.ie/blog/clinical-trials-offering-hope-to-ovarian-cancer-families/ http://patrickjames.ie/blog/clinical-trials-offering-hope-to-ovarian-cancer-families/#comments Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:29:52 +0000 Patrick James http://patrickjames.ie/blog/?p=595 Recently there has been a lot in the news about the “Big C” (cancer) and various developments taking place in medical research.  One of the most insidious things about this particular disease is that it affects everyone – directly and indirectly and ovarian cancer is no exception.Ovarian cancer is the fourth most frequently diagnosed cancer, according to the WHC (is the second leading cause of death due to gynaecological malignancies in the world ) – translating into a devastating number of women and their families lives being affected by this life-threatening illness.

Women diagnosed with the disease have a 15 per cent chance of surviving beyond the first five years if the cancer is diagnosed at an advanced stage. The five-year survival rate is 80 per cent if the cancer is detected early however a study suggests that “women with ovarian cancer are dying because GPs are failing to detect the early signs of the disease”. One very simple fact that highlights the necessity for medical research and development of a cure.

In my research of the subject, I noted one such company working on a treatment cure are Biocancell, which develops ovarian and bladder cancer treatments based on the use of H19 gene. Interestingly, the first cancer treatment utilizing H19, designated BC-819, works to destroy cancerous cells only. BC-819 is in the clinical trial stage for treatment of ovarian cancer, pancreatic cancer and superficial bladder cancer. It has also been tested in compassionate use trials for liver cancer and kidney TCC. Clinical results have shown effectiveness in removing existing cancerous growths and keeping patients clear of new growths.

Ovarian and bladder cancer clinical trials are recruiting for BioCancell’s OVARIAN CANCER first treatment, BC-819. To be eligible to participate in this study, patients must meet a number of inclusion/exclusion criteria. For more information fill the information request form. Continue to check this website as trial information and locations are being updated periodically.

http://www.biocancell.com