Why Noni is So Special: Staph Infections

What is a Staph Infection?

Staphylococcus, originates from the Greek word "staphyle" meaning bunch of grapes, and "Kokkos" meaning berries.

• Staphylococcus (also known as "staph") is a group of bacteria that can cause a multitude of health issues if not treated.
• Staphylococcus can cause skin diseases such as impetigo and scalded skin syndrome.
• Signs of a staph infection can be a boil or an abscess.

Did you know? People can contract Staph via food infected with the Staphylococcus bacteria. Foods most often associated with Staphylococcus are eggs, dairy, meats, poultry, and cold deli salads such as potato and macaroni.

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Noni Fruit Leather for Dogs

We love our furry four-legged friends! Unfortunately, they get sick just like people do. Not to worry, below is a list of common skin conditions frequently found on dogs as well as a holistic way to treat them.

Pruritus

What is it?

Clinical name for itchy skin. Persistent scratching can consume a dog’s life making them feel miserable. Itchy skin can develop secondary skin issues such as lesions, infections, and hair loss.

Staph Infection

What is it?

Staphylococci or Staph are found in bacterial skin diseases (pyoderma's) in dogs. Fortunately, Staph is not contagious to people or other pets. Common symptoms are itchy skin, yellow pustules, skin redness, hair loss, and lesions in the affected area as the infection progresses.

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Natural Weight Loss with Noni Fruit Leather

What Causes Weight Gain?

Weight gain is fat accumulation along with fluid retention caused by excess protein deposits in the body. To put it plainly, if we eat more calories (in the form of food and drink) than we burn in a day the excess calories is stored in the body as fat.

Below are common reasons individuals may gain weight:

• Prescription medication
• Childbirth/hormone changes also known as “baby weight”
• Excessive alcohol consumption
• Menopause/hormonal changes
• Choosing convenience food over home cooking
• Food sensitivities causing bloating, inflammation, and water retention
• Thyroid deficiency causing a decreased metabolism
• Lack of fatty acids used to maintain the body’s metabolic rate causing food cravings (Fries anyone?)
• Anxiety triggering the fight or flight response in the body causing the body to release cortisol.

Maintaining a healthy weight is important for your health.

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Noni and Orac Values

What does ORAC stand for?

ORAC stands for Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity.

How is ORAC measured?

1. Molecules that are vulnerable to oxidation (such as beta-phycoerythrin or fluorescein) are added to a sample of food.

2. The sample receives a dose of molecules that generate free radical activity (such as an azo-initiator compound).

Did you know? Azo-initiators produce free radicals by using heat. Heating the sample damages the vulnerable molecules resulting in oxidation.

3. After oxidation occurs which can take up to 40 min, a lab measures how successful the food sample protected the vulnerable molecules from the free radicals.

What are free radicals?

A free radical is an oxygen molecule that is in need of another molecule to pair with. This “free radical” will “steal” a molecule from another cell creating another “free radical”. Oxidative stress caused by free radicals are produced during normal cell function, pollutants in our air, water, and even food.

Why are ORAC values important for my health?

As described at the beginning of this article, antioxidants can offer powerful protection against oxidative stress by protecting the body from the damaging effects of free radicals. Foods high on the ORAC scale effectively help to neutralise free radicals, slowing the damage caused by the oxidative process.

Studies have shown that eating foods with a high ORAC value can raise antioxidant levels in the blood by 10 to 20% depending on the source. The recommended antioxidant intake for the American diet is between 3,000 to 5,000 ORAC units per day. However it is estimated that 10,000-12,000 units per day may be required to provide adequate protection from all sources of free radical damage. (Prior, Gu et al. 2007) Using the ORAC scale will help guide your food choices for a healthy diet.

According to Tufts University, while pomegranates have 3,037 ORAC units and blueberries 2,400, noni juice has only 433 ORAC value per serving.

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Combat Age Spots Naturally with Noni

Age spots, also known as hyperpigmentation are a common skin problem. This condition can be frustrating to deal with as age spots seem to appear out of nowhere!

Other kinds of hyperpigmentation:

• Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, a skin discoloration following an inflammatory skin condition such as acne.
• Melasma, commonly known as pregnancy mask.
• Riehl's Melanosis, a form of dermatitis thought to be caused by excessive sun exposure.
• Poikiloderma of Civatte, a skin condition turning the back of the neck a reddish brown color.
• Solar lentigines, commonly known as liver spots.

What Causes Age Spots:

The color of an individual's skin is partially determined by the biosynthesis of melanin (skin pigment). This process is called melanogenesis. Tyrosinase is one of the key enzymes in the synthesising of melanin. Excessive UV light exposure (tanning beds included), aging, and genetics can lead to abnormal tyrosinase production. When this occurs, abnormal melanin is produced depositing on the skin causing hyperpigmentation.

Age spots can develop anywhere, but they are mostly likely to appear on parts of the body that receive the most UV exposure, including:

• Face
• Back of neck
• Back of hands
• Shoulders
• Arms
• Back

Different things that can affect age spots:

• Estrogens
• Tetracyclines
• Amiodarone
• Phenytoin
• Phenothiazines
• Sulfonamides

Am I at risk?

Anyone is at risk of developing age spots. However, age spots are more common in people with certain risk factors. These include:

• 40 years of age and older
• Fair complexion
• Excessive sun exposure
• Excessive tanning bed use

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