Does Bitter Melon Contain Anti-Diabetic Substances? - Diabetes 13

Three different sizes of bitter melon

We sometime buy bitter melon (Momordica sp) to make our traditional food. You might know that bitter melon is among most bitter of vegetables.

Many people consume bitter melon as a juice and as a tea, like a green tea.

Because of its bitterness, people in Asian countries use it for medical purposes. One of them is to control diabetes, type 2 diabetes.

People believed that bitter melon could lower blood sugar. It is because bitter melon substances bring glucose into cells, and burned down or used it for energy.

In addition, the cell processes the glucose to be stored in the organs such as muscles and liver or change the glucose to be fat.

Does Bitter Melon Contain Ant-Diabetic Substances? Yes. Some anti-biotic substances are following:

- Charantin

This is a hypoglycaemic property responsible to lower blood sugar

- Vicine

This is “a glycosidic compound,” it has been known for reducing plasma glucose in diabetes mellitus patients.

- Polypeptide-p.

This is “an insulin like compound” to control blood sugar.

Now, some pharmaceutical companies or herbal product companies or food companies extracted bitter melon and sold in capsules as a dietary supplement to “support healthy glucose metabolism.”

The size of one small bottle is range from 60 to 120 pills. Price is around US$ 2.74 to US$ 11.61.

It is suggested to consume capsules when patients have blood glucose already in the normal condition (normal range).

Have you tasted bitter melon and know its medical benefits?

What Country is the First in Using Drone for Medical Supplies Delivery?

A drone to deliver medical supplies, credit to DroneZon

You might know that Israel was the first country to develop drone for military purposes. Israeli doing it after 1973 war with Arab countries.

However, USA was the first country to use armed drone to strike Taliban in 2001. Afterward, several countries adopted military drones for war or secure their borders from any intruders.

Then, What is the First Country Using Drone for Medical Supplies Delivery? The answer is quite surprising me that Rwanda, an African country. The program started in 2016.

“No one in Ghana should die because they can’t access the medicine they need in an emergency,” said Ghana’s president to follow Rwanda steps.

Ghana extensively use drone as tools to deliver medical supplies, may be the largest in the world to make everyone in the country to access lifesaving medicines.

After these two African countries, the USA relate institutions study the possibility to use drones for medical transportation, especially for organ transplants.

As reported by Freeman (2019) that “There are now more than 113,000 people in need of an organ transplant. According to the most recent data, an average of 18 people die each day while waiting for one.”

Engineers, researchers, aviation experts and medical doctor collaborated to develop daytime and nighttime organ drones to access to transplants as low cost and quick as possible.

The result that Americans able to transport an organ transplant, a kidney by a drone in April 19, 2019. Doctor successfully to transplant the kidney into a patient in southwestern Baltimore hospital.

The organ transplant delivery by a drone was the first time in the world.

Reference

Freeman, D. 2019. A drone just flew a kidney to a transplant patient for the first time ever. It won't be the last. NBC News. Retrieved from https://www..msn.com /en-us/news/us /a-drone-just-flew-a-kidney-to-a-transplant-patient-for-the-first-time-ever-it-wont-be-the-last/ar-AAARarx?ocid=spartandhp

What Jobs that Many People don’t Want, but Pay Well?

Washing a dog, credit to 123RF

Just for illustration that USA GDP per capita is US$ 65,062, nominal and PPP are the same for USA case in 2019 (Please see statisticstimes.com).

There are many jobs with salary more than average, and off course much more below average.

You might not imagine that these 3 jobs have salary above US$ 65 thousands per year. No college degree required, but appropriate licenses:

1. Dog Cleaners

Many dog owners pay for their pets cleaning service, this attitude is source of income for dog groomers.

Dog groomers refer to people who provide services for cleaning and hygienic caring of dogs. The job included to bath, clean ear and eye, nail clipping, hair cut and dryer.

If owners want to show their dogs for competition, then the groomers will enhance physical appearance of dog as well.

Hourly wage for groomers is U$$ 45, the average income per year is around US$ 67,500, even higher if groomer would like to work long hours.

2. Truck Driver

A truck driver, especially a long distance driver is hard work for who don’t like harsh weather, heavy traffic and stay away from families and friends.

Salary for truck driver reaches average of US$ 82 thousands per year. No need college degree, but an appropriate driving license.

3.Crime Scene Cleaners

Cleaning and sanitizing of crime sites are part of Crime Scene Cleaners job descriptions.

Sites related to industrial accidents, car accidents, homicides, brutal injured or suicides.

Salary reach up to US$ 80 per year, and average is around US$ 75 thousands. Not only in the USA, a crime scene cleaners may get AU$ 62,400 per year in Australia.

Finally, what is well pay job without college degree and not many people want in your country?

Beautiful Dresses of Quechua Tribe, Peru

Women of Quechua Tribe, Andean Mountains, Peru,

credit to Threads of Peru

I saw Peruvian’s culture and traditions first time in a festival in Germany several years ago. They played traditional music and dance, and sold some foods.

I did not pay attention too much to what they were wearing. After reading several tour brochures, it is quite surprising me that their clothes so beautiful.

Quechua is a remote tribe that scatters in several countries such as Argentine, Bolivia, Ecuador, Chili and Colombia. However, They live mainly in Peru.

Beautiful clothes of Quechua Tribe, Credit to Jimmy Nelson

Quechua Tribe was part of Inca empire, and Inca empire spoke Quechua. Language still spoken today. It is estimated 8 to 10 million people speaks Quechua across America continent.

Quechua languge is considered endangered because language is categorized as “polydialectal nature,” dialect within a language.

However, Quechua is co-official language in Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia. Spanish recognized as official language in almost countries in Southern America. 

Women, a kid and animals, credit to Machupichu.org

Quechua Tribe clothing is considered as “the traditional custom of Peru.” The cloth looks very colorful, bright and thick. One of most beautiful traditional clothes in the world.

Interestingly, they made the clothing as handicrafts. High quality textiles from wool of animal surrounding them: llama and sheep. Wool are dyed in bright colors, then woven into clothing or blankets.

The blankets and clothing are important both for economic and cultural of Quechua communities.

Do you know about Quechua Tribe, Peru?

How Many Pizza Eaten by American Daily?

Pizza, credit to Times Food

Do you know that pizza is the most popular photographed in social media? The most popular cuisine in the world is Italian foods, then Chinese and Mexican cuisines. Of Italian, Pasta and Pizza are on the top.

What is the popular food in the USA? The answer is depend on sources you read. Wonderpolis organization said that the top 3 popular foods in America are pizza, steak and then chicken.

Pizza is the second popular in America according to Fox News. Hamburger is the top. Days when American ordered pizza are: New year eve, Super bowl Sunday and Thanksgiving day

How Many Pizza Eaten by American Daily? Americans eat million pizzas or equal to 100 acres (41 hectare or 400 thousand square meters) daily. In term of time measures, American consume 360 slices of pizza per seconds.

Hundred of franchises sell pizza across the USA. Some of them are:

- Blaze pizza

- Domino pizza

- Papa John’s

- Little caesars

- Pizza hut

Actually, I am not big fan of pizza. When I was student, I always buy “little caesars” pizza, since the price and size are appropriate for me. Now, sometimes, I consume “pizza hut,” because it close to my house.

Pizza is one of big industries world wide and in the USA. The industry size is US$ 134 billion in the world and US$ 45 billion in the USA.

Do you like pizza? How many pizza are eaten in your country?

Was Dunkleosteus terrelli the Most Dangerous Predator in the Ocean?

Approximately mouth size of Dunkleosteus terrelli

compared to a standing man, credit to Tumblr

Dunkleosteus sp was a prehistoric fish, its size quite big, length reached 33 feet (10 m) and weight size is 8,000 pound (4 tons).

The fish is bigger than average size of shark. Size of shark is 15 feet (5 meters) and weight is around 2000 pound (1 ton).

The different between Dunkleosteus terrelli and other predators is its biting force. One of the strongest biting force ever lived in the world, at least in the ocean.

Mouth of Dunkleosteus terrelli, credit to Carnivoraforum

Dunkleosteus sp biting force, especially of its the fang tip, 80,000 pound per square inch (psi). As comparison, other animals biting force are following:

- Dinosaurus, Tyrannosaurus rex, biting force of 8,000 pound per square inch (psi).

- Great white shark, biting force of 4,000 pound per square inch (psi).

- Saltwater crocodiles, biting force is 3,700 pounds per square inch (psi),

- Hippopotamus, biting force of 2,000 pound per square inch (psi).

- Jaguar, biting force of 1,500 pound per square inch (psi).

- Polar bear, biting force of 1,200 pound per square inch (psi).

- Lion and tiger, biting force of 1,000 pound per square inch (psi).

- Gray wolf, biting force of 400 pound per square inch (psi).

What mean of biting force? An animal with biting force of 200 pound per square inch (psi) could tear down its preys into pieces of steaks.

Dunkleosteus sp biting force of 80,00 per square inch (psi) will divide the sharks into two parts immediately.

The predator terrorized any marine creatures about 400 million years ago.

Yes, Dunkleosteus sp is the most dangerous predator in the ocean, however, the fish extincted along time ago.

Why do Americans Find Difficulty to Retire at 65 Years Old?

M any Americans can’t afford to retire early,

credit to GoBankingRates

Human Lifespans increase worldwide, even in the countries we never heard before, from developing countries to industry countries.

Four Asian countries, they are Japan, Singapore, Macao and Hong Kong included top 10 countries with the highest life expectancy in the world recently.

The retirement age followed the life expectancy. As an example that Japan retirement age increased from 55 years to 68 age years old.

However, government allows Japanese to claim social security benefit as early as 60 years old age.

How about in America? If you read newspapers or magazines, young Americans “dream” to retire before 40.

In fact, around 64% women and 57% men took social security benefit before 62 years old. Since 2014 (5 years ago), the number is declining.

The declining to take early retirement could be due to American lifespan, increasing from 78 years to 84 years for men, and from 80 to 87 to women.

However, the main reason is FINANCIAL. More than 50% of American will brook when they retire, especially at early age or before 65.

Other financial matters will be faced by people to retire early, some of them are following:

- Not saving anything or nor saving enough (30% have less than US$ 5 thousand when reach retirement age)

- Have mortgage to pay

- Have to pay student loan

How about in your country? How old is retirement age?