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Innovative combinations of natural fibres in outdoor clothing is becoming trendy . The German start-up Pally’Hì (meaning a nice way to shear sheep in Celtic) has developed a line of clothing made of merino-bamboo fabric, designed by snowboard pioneer Peter Bauer. The idea is to make clothing that is functional but also appeals to a lifestyle—the bamboo-merino t-shirts are beautiful, with a 59-69 euro price tag that seems to be targeted to urban hipsters rather than teenaged snowboarders.

The seven-year old Swedish company Röjk is one of the few companies that develops its own fabrics in close cooperation with factories and manufactures most of its clothes in Sweden: the Badlands series uses 100% merino wool and the Rover series is made of bio-degradable and anti-bacterial biopolymers based on inedible plants that grow in the wild in Sweden, as the company is moving away from synthetic fabrics. The small German company MaxFred are offering knit hats and neck-kerchiefs made of bamboo jersey with a small percentage of polyester. Why bamboo? Because it is an abundant and readily sustainable natural material that also makes a soft and comfortable fabric. Tencel is another plant based fabric that is being integrated into performance wear for biking and hiking.

There are many companies that use natural fabrics in outdoor wear and we expect the trend to increase as consumers become more aware of natural fibres in their clothes and more brands offer a line of natural fibre based clothing.

Laurence F. Hopper

Alicament is food that has active medicinal properties that help the body protect itself from disease.

The benefits of a varied diet based mainly on vegetables or other plant based food are immense because they are an Alicament. Those who eat fruits and vegetables daily get sick less often, dont suffer from obesity and seem to have less cancer. Many studies confirm that the beneficial effect of a plant based diet depends largely on phytochemical compounds in plants that perform an antibacterial, antifungal and provide insecticide protection to the plant or tree.

Chemical compounds that occur naturally in plants are phyto means “plant” chemicals. Some are responsible for color and other organoleptic properties, such as the deep purple of blueberries and the smell of garlic.

Plants create special compounds to defend themselves against infection and damage caused by microorganisms, insects or other external aggressors. The plant production and activation of phytochemical compounds is linked to the stress suffered by the plant. Evidence suggests that if plants or trees are cultivated in a natural way, ie without any use of chemicals or pesticides, rendering the plant more exposed to external attack, the plant reacts to the added stress by becoming more capable of producing higher quantities of compounds that are good for the plant and for humans when eaten. The phytochemical compounds are good for humans since they directly or indirectly help cell proliferation which is important for keeping us healthy. Two of these very important compounds are angiogenesis and apoptosis. The first helps the development of blood vessels through which the food for our cells passes through; Apoptosis is a form of necrosis. Necrosis is a form of cell injury which results in the premature death of cells in living tissue. Necrosis is caused by factors external to the cell or tissue, such as infection, toxins, or trauma which result in the unregulated digestion of cell components.

You understand, then, how it is important to look into these areas of research, and for us as consumers to know more and more about the properties of certain foods in order to guide our choices for our health. Some foods are particularly rich in these phytochemicals so when they are in season, try to make sure they are on the table! Having said that: good health to all! Some great Alicaments : CABBAGE, GARLIC, ONIONS, CHIVES, SCALLIONS

We all know that exercising is good for the body and the mind, but is there a limit to how beneficial too much exercise may be?Exercise and good health go hand in hand. Exercise and physical activity have been linked to protection against heart attack, stroke, diabetes, some types of cancer, dementia, and more. A little bit of exercise is better than none, and more than a little is even better.

If I push myself more and more, run further and further are the results for the body’s health better and better or do the benefits taper off at a certain point? For example, walking an hour a day is great for you but is walking three hours a day even better for you or does it make no difference? What about running? Does running 100 kilometers a week do more for your heart and body than running 50 kilometers a week?

Over the years, hundreds of studies have shown that exercise and physical activity are associated with lower rates of heart disease and longer life. We think this is due to exercise itself. But none of these studies has ever been able to exclude the possibility that people who choose to exercise are genetically and physiologically hardier. That might be especially true for endurance and elite athletes.

In the JACC article, we explored four recent studies that suggest exercising a lot may not be as good for the heart or long-term health as exercising more moderately. In these studies, people who exercised strenuously appeared to lose most of the cardiovascular benefits that exercise provided to more moderate exercisers.

It’s important to keep in mind that the number of people at the upper end of the exercise spectrum in these studies was very small. So the results should be used to generate new hypotheses, not to make recommendations about exercise. Unfortunately, the media attention these studies generated has sown some confusion among the public about the benefits — and hazards — of exercise for preventing heart disease.read more….

Over long distances, stretching for days and weeks, the time of completion between men and women is narrowing significantly. There seems to be some physical reasons for this. The article does a good job of describing the completion time differences of a women racing across the Appalachian trail.

selon cette article sur le New York Times