Explore our Disease Directory to discover how to address certain conditions naturally and effectively without putting your health at risk.
Diseases Directory:
What to Do If You Have Any of These Conditions
Disponible en Español
I believe that virtually anyone can achieve good health and longevity by following holistic lifestyle strategies. Consuming a balanced, whole food diet, getting enough high-quality sleep, including a well-rounded exercise routine in your daily schedule, and effectively managing your stress – all these can help you stay physically and mentally healthy.
But there are instances when you just cannot avoid falling victim to certain illnesses. A malfunctioning immune system, hormone imbalances, genetic and/or environmental factors, and exposure to harmful organisms can subject you to health problems.
However, there’s a lot of information (and misinformation) out there on different ailments, and many people often become confused on which advice they should follow.
This is why I created this directory of some of the most prevalent illnesses that affect people today. Get to know their symptoms, causes and risk factors, natural treatment and pain relief options, and how you can protect yourself from these diseases.
I invite you to browse these articles, so that you may safeguard your well-being and stay disease-free. Get informed today!
(Please note that these articles are meant simply for information purposes. To ensure a proper diagnosis, it is still important to consult a qualified physician.)
An Introduction to Astigmatism
Astigmatism can occur both in children and adults. No one knows exactly what causes it, although genetics has been pinpointed as a primary cause.
Read More
Anxiety
Anxiety
The word “anxiety” is often associated with feelings of nervousness that arise because of challenging or potentially life-changing events.
Read more >
Appendicitis
Appendicitis
Any abdominal pain, especially if it’s persistent, extremely debilitating and occurs suddenly, is worrisome, as it may be a sign that you have appendicitis. But what exactly is this condition and why do people fall victim to it?
Read more >
Bacterial Vaginosis
Bacterial Vaginosis
One common misconception about bacterial vaginosis is that it can be transmitted through sexual intercourse. But this is not the case, as women who are not sexually active can also fall victim to this infection. So why does vaginitis occur and what are the risk factors involved? Read these articles and learn the basic facts about this health problem.
Read more >
Bell’s Palsy
Bell’s Palsy
Know more about Bell’s palsy, from its causes to treatments you can follow. With this guide, you can learn how to face any potential challenges caused by Bell’s palsy.
Read more >
Bronchitis
Bronchitis
Having bronchitis means that these passageways are swollen or inflamed. The patient eventually finds it difficult to breathe in air and oxygen into the lungs, and develops high amounts of mucus or phlegm in these airways.
Read more >
Canker Sores
Canker Sores
Canker sores are one of the most common health problems concerning the mouth, and chances are you’ve already had them several times throughout your life. Despite their prevalence, canker sores are actually easy to prevent. Learn different methods of protecting your mouth for long-lasting oral comfort.
Read more >
Celiac Disease
Celiac Disease
Celiac disease is defined as an autoimmune condition wherein patients experience a reaction in the small intestine after consuming products with gluten. If left untreated, celiac disease may trigger life-threatening complications among adults and children.
Read more >
Cellulitis
Cellulitis
Don't confuse it with cellulites, which are the unsightly, dimple-like fat deposits that form on your buttocks and thighs. Cellulitis is actually a more dangerous condition that requires your immediate attention. But how exactly does it start and what can you do to avoid it? Read these articles and discover everything you need to know about cellulitis.
Read more >
Chlamydia
Chlamydia
Chlamydia is a sexually transmitted infection that can affect both males and females. Common symptoms for both sexes include a burning feeling while urinating, rectal pain, and dyspareunia (painful sexual intercourse). Read here to learn the best methods to treat chlamydia symptoms, and prevent it from spreading to others.
Read more >
Crohn’s disease
Crohn’s Disease
An inflammatory bowel disease that wreaks havoc on your gastrointestinal tract, Crohn’s disease can lead to unpleasant symptoms, such as diarrhea and abdominal discomfort. Although it’s a chronic condition that you’ll have to deal with throughout your life, there are ways to effectively manage Crohn’s disease flare-ups. Read these articles to learn how you can deal with this illness.
Read more >
Cystic Fibrosis
Cystic Fibrosis
Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a genetic disease that is characterized by unnaturally thick and sticky mucus buildup that can harm the body’s organs, particularly the lungs and pancreas. If not diagnosed early or managed properly, cystic fibrosis can hamper a person’s quality of life and even lead to early death.
Read more >
Depression
Depression
Depression is a widespread global problem, with an estimated 350 million people dealing with this severe mood disorder today. Even in developed, industrialized countries, depression is rampant.
Read more >
Sugar level test
Diabetes
Find out what fuels the diabetes epidemic today – and simple diet and lifestyle strategies for diabetes type 2 treatment and prevention.
Read more >
Diarrhea
Diarrhea
When harmful bacteria and viruses enter your digestive system, you become predisposed to digestive problems, and diarrhea is one of the most common types. This occurs when the foods you consume pass too quickly through your colon. It usually goes away on its own, but be careful – there are instances when diarrhea can be harmful. Read important facts about diarrhea in these articles, so you’ll know what to do once it strikes.
Read more >
Diverticulitis
Diverticulitis
Old age can predispose you to many health problems, and diverticulitis is one of them. Known as a "Western disease," this painful ailment mainly affects your colon and, if not treated, may lead to complications. Learn everything you need to know about diverticulitis and how you can prevent it from affecting you during your senior years.
Read more >
Dysphagia
Dysphagia
Aging is the top risk factor connected to dysphagia. As people grow older, the ability to swallow becomes harder due to wear and tear on the throat and esophageal muscles.
Read more >
Eczema
Eczema
The skin is the largest and fastest growing organ in the body, with numerous functions. But what happens when it becomes predisposed to skin disorders? One common example is eczema, which affects more than 30 million Americans today. However, you can manage and treat it naturally. Read these articles and learn everything you need to know about eczema.
Read more >
Endometriosis
Endometriosis
Two to 10 percent of American women suffer from endometriosis, a condition that affects the tissue lining in the uterus. It causes debilitating pain and discomfort, and unfortunately, it cannot be completely prevented. The good news is there are natural ways to relieve this illness. Read these articles and find out everything you need to learn about endometriosis.
Read more >
Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia
Constant pain and fatigue, trouble sleeping, and cognitive problems – these are all hallmark symptoms of fibromyalgia, a chronic condition that affects 1 in 50 Americans today. If not addressed, fibromyalgia can cause extreme discomfort and hinder with your everyday activities. Read here how you can deal with and control this illness before it throws your life off balance.
Read more >
Genital Warts
Genital Warts
Genital warts look like flesh-colored or gray bumps that can appear anywhere and they typically form a cluster that looks like a cauliflower, but sometimes only a single wart may appear. They can also appear in nearby areas, such as the groin, anus and thighs.
Read more >
Gonorrhea
Gonorrhea
Any abdominal pain, especially if it’s persistent, extremely debilitating and occurs suddenly, is worrisome, as it may be a sign that you have appendicitis. But what exactly is this condition and why do people fall victim to it?
Read more >
Gout
Gout
Known as a “disease of kings” because it was usually seen in members of the aristocracy during the early times, gout is now a prevalent and complex disorder today, mostly affecting men. Immediate treatment is crucial, or else it may lead to severe and painful complications. Read these articles and find out what you should do if you become afflicted with this ailment.
Read more >
Graves' Disease
Graves’ Disease
According to the Graves’ Disease and Thyroid Foundation, about 2 to 3 percent of the American population has Graves’ disease. This means that roughly about 10 million people are affected by this condition; some of them remain undiagnosed.
Read more >
Hemorrhoids
Hemorrhoids
Hemorrhoids form because of increased pressure in your lower rectum, and while they're not exactly life-threatening, they are most definitely (and literally) a pain in the backside. Here's everything you need to know about hemorrhoids – how to treat them, symptoms to watch out for and the ideal diet that can help prevent them from affecting you.
Read more >
Hepatitis C
Hepatitis C
Hepatitis C is a dangerous liver infection that can spread through blood-to-blood contact. The good news is, it’s preventable and, if you have it, completely manageable. Read these important facts about hepatitis C and find out what you can do to prevent this illness.
Read more >
Herpes
Herpes
One of the most common sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) not only in the U.S. but also worldwide, herpes is an infection caused by the herpes simplex virus. Beware: not only is this disease extremely uncomfortable, but it's highly contagious as well. If you or someone you know suffers from herpes, check out these articles and learn how you can effectively manage it.
Read more >
Hiatal Hernia
Hiatal Hernia
Hiatal hernia occurs when a part of your stomach protrudes upward through the hiatus, which is an opening in your diaphragm. Learn more about hiatal hernia causes, symptoms and ways on how to properly treat them.
Read more >
Keratosis Pilaris
Keratosis Pilaris
Keratosis pilaris is a benign skin condition that’s usually referred to as “chicken skin.” Studies suggest that it occurs when there’s an excessive amount of keratin on the skin.
Read more >
Kidney Stones
Kidney Stones
Kidney stones look like crystals that can be as tiny as a grain of sand or as large as a pearl or a golf ball, and are typically found anywhere along the urinary tract, especially in the kidneys, ureters, bladder and urethra.
Read more >
Lupus
Lupus
Your immune system efficiently protects you from viruses, bacteria and other harmful organisms – but what happens if it does the opposite? Such is the case when you have lupus. There's a lot of misconception about this autoimmune disease, but don't fret – there are ways to avoid lupus or live with this condition.
Read more >
Lyme Disease
Lyme Disease
If you live in a tick-infested area, beware: you may be at risk of Lyme disease. Often misdiagnosed as fibromyalgia, this potentially dangerous illness causes vague dispersed pain, as well as other symptoms. You can easily avoid it by staying away from tick-infested areas – but what if you or a loved one is already infected? Read these articles to learn how to cope with Lyme disease.
Read more >
Measles
Measles
Also called rubeola, measles is a highly contagious, acute viral infection of the respiratory system that can lead to serious complications.
Read more >
Meningitis
Meningitis
Meningitis targets the meninges, a group of three important membranes surrounding your brain and spinal cord. But beware: conventional meningitis treatments may actually lead to more severe side effects. Find out everything you need to know about meningitis, including safe remedies, how to ease the symptoms and how avoid falling victim to it.
Read more >
Mononucleosis
Mononucleosis
Mononucleosis is a common disease caused by the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). Also known as the human herpesvirus, it’s one of the most common human viruses in existence.
Read more >
Myasthenia Gravis
Myasthenia Gravis
Know more about myasthenia gravis, its causes, symptoms and how you can prevent this autoimmune disease.
Read more >
Narcolepsy
Narcolepsy
Narcolepsy is a hypersomnia disorder that is usually characterized by increased sleepiness, tiredness and uncontrollable sleep attacks. Unfortunately, narcolepsy is permanent and lifelong. While symptoms may be minimized through treatment, patients will live with the condition for the rest of their lives.
Read more >
Pancreatitis
Pancreatitis
The pancreas plays an important role in your digestive system, but when it becomes swollen or inflamed, it can cause debilitating pain and other symptoms, and may even result in complications. Here are important facts about pancreatitis and what you can do to help ease, prevent or treat this condition.
Read more >
Pilonidal Cyst
Pilonidal Cyst
Pilonidal cysts are not dangerous and do not pose any serious threats on a patient’s life. However, if they become infected, they can cause debilitating pain.
Read more >
Pink Eye
Pink Eye
Pink eye is a common condition among children, and can be caused by bacteria, viruses, allergies or chemicals. Fortunately, it can be easily prevented through proper hygiene practices and a proper diet. Read this guide and find out how you or your child can avoid being affected by pink eye.
Read more >
Plantar Fasciitis
Plantar Fasciitis
The plantar fascia connects the heel bone to the toes, and is considered the largest ligament in the human body. It supports the arch of your foot and helps you walk – so just imagine how painful and debilitating it is when it becomes inflamed. This condition is known as plantar fasciitis. There are certain factors that put you at risk of plantar fasciitis, but the good news is effective exercises and natural remedies are available to help you alleviate it. Learn more about this illness by reading these articles.
Read more >
Pneumonia
Pneumonia
Millions of Americans (adults and children alike) develop pneumonia every year, and some of them unfortunately succumb to this condition. The good news is that pneumonia is treatable and avoidable, if you take the necessary precautions. Read these articles and find out how you can protect yourself and your loved ones from pneumonia.
Read more >
Psoriasis
Psoriasis
A chronic autoimmune disease, psoriasis occurs when skin cells tend to build up quickly, leading to scaling and inflammation. But its effects can go beyond skin deep, as people who have it may develop low self-esteem and even depression. Discover everything you need to know about psoriasis, how it can be prevented and what can be done to ease its symptoms.
Read more >
rheumatoid arthritis
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Painful, debilitating, and absolutely damaging, rheumatoid arthritis is now a common condition that plagues millions of people today. But what exactly causes it, and what are the symptoms you should watch out for? Get all facts about rheumatoid arthritis and find out how you can avoid – or even treat – this illness once and for all.
Read more >
Ringworm
Ringworm
There is an old belief that ringworm is caused by worms. In reality, this itchy and annoying skin disease is caused by fungi, and if you have it – and fail to treat it – chances are you may spread it to other people. Read up on ringworm, particularly its symptoms, the body parts commonly affected and how to get rid of it once and for all.
Read more >
Sarcoidosis
Sarcoidosis
Learn more about this potentially body-wide condition, particularly what causes it, the indicators you need to be wary of, the ideal foods you should be eating and the best ways to prevent it.
Read more >
Scabies
Scabies
Most people refer to it an "infection," but scabies should actually be called an "infestation." It occurs when Sarcoptes scabiei mites invade your skin. This highly contagious illness can be passed on via skin-to-skin contact, causing extreme itchiness, rashes and other uncomfortable symptoms. Discover everything you need to know about scabies by reading these articles.
Read more >
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is probably one of the most misunderstood mental disorders today, due to its negative portrayal in films and TV shows. This illness affects the way a person perceives reality, which then causes behavioral changes. Hallucinations, delusions and disorganized behavior are just some of the hallmark symptoms of schizophrenia. However, you should know that schizophrenia can be managed. Read these articles about schizophrenia so you’ll know how to deal with this disorder.
Read more >
Sciatica
Sciatica
Learn how to detect sciatica, how it occurs and how you can treat it safely. There’s a lot of confusion and misinformation out there regarding this condition, so it’s better to be wisely informed before you make any potentially harmful decisions.
Read more >
Scoliosis
Scoliosis
Scoliosis is known to affect 2 to 3 percent of Americans, or roughly around 6 to 9 million people. The primary onset of scoliosis is said to manifest when a person is between 10 to 15 years old. As highlighted by the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, it occurs equally among both genders.
Read more >
Shin Splints
Shin Splints
Shin splints are mainly caused by overuse and constant strain on your legs. learn all about shin splints, including which parts of your shin are affected, how to treat the symptoms and how to prevent the pain from returning.
Read more >
Shingles Infection
Shingles
Learn more about shingles, including its symptoms, causes, and treatment, and how you can build natural resistance to it without getting the shingles vaccine.
Read more >
Spinal Stenosis
Spinal Stenosis
Spinal stenosis refers to the narrowing of the spinal canal and compression of the spinal cord and nerves. It can have numerous causes, ranging from age-related bone degeneration to bone overgrowth.
Read more >
Staph Infections
Staph Infections
There are two types of infections staph bacteria can cause: skin infections and invasive infections. If you have a staphylococcal skin infection, various infections may arise depending on what part of the skin the bacteria will infect.
Read more >
Strep throat
Strep Throat
Often mistaken for or confused with sore throat, strep throat is a contagious disease that can affect people of all ages. While many simply ignore it, and wait for it to "go away" on its own, strep throat can actually lead to devastating complications if not properly treated. Learn the important facts about this condition, and what to do if you or a loved one becomes infected.
Read more >
Syphilis
Syphilis
Syphilis became known as the "French Disease," spreading quickly across Europe and claiming numerous lives. In 1496, mercury was first used to treat this STD, although it immensely backfired because it led to fatal cases of mercury poisoning.
Read more >
Trichomoniasis
Trichomoniasis
One of the trichomoniasis’ harmful long-term effects is a higher risk of being affected with or spreading other STIs, such as HIV. Furthermore, a trichomoniasis infection may trigger a genital inflammation that could make a patient become easily affected with HIV and/or trichomoniasis or pass it to another person.
Read more >
Ulcerative Colitis
Ulcerative Colitis
Ulcerative colitis is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that causes the colon and rectum to become inflamed and develop ulcers or small open sores, which produce pus and mucus. It may also cause inflammation outside the intestine, particularly on the skin, joints and eyes.
Read more >
Vertigo
Vertigo
If you experience a spinning sensation, dizziness and loss of balance, then you may have vertigo. But take note that vertigo itself is not a disease; rather it may be a sign that you have an underlying condition in either your inner ear or your central nervous system. Discover everything you need to know about vertigo, its causes and how to alleviate it in by reading these articles.
Read more >
Yeast Infection
Yeast Infection
If there is an overgrowth and imbalance of yeast in your body, chances are you may develop a yeast infection. Contrary to what most people think, this is not a sexually transmitted disease (STD) – but it can be just as uncomfortable and annoying. Discover everything you need to know about yeast infection, including its symptoms, risk factors and how to treat it naturally, in these articles.
Read more >
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Tuesday, 2 January 2018
Aiteo Group/Benedict Peters: Why Africa’s young people are the real winners at the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Awards
ACCRA, Ghana, January 1, 2018/ -- Why Africa’s young people are the real winners at the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Awards
by Benedict Peters, Executive vice president of the Aiteo Group
Almost nowhere on earth is football followed as passionately as in Africa. It is loved by Africans from all walks of life across the continent. This week, I am giving the opening address at the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Awards in Accra, Ghana. This has afforded me a good opportunity to reflect on Africa’s relationship with football and how it can help deliver a brighter future for our young people.
I believe we need only look to the Liberian presidential election for a fine example of the transformative power of football. Against the odds, football legend and opposition candidate, George Weah was victorious and today, is President-elect of Liberia, one of Africa’s most popular countries. Weah’s perseverance in the face of an initial unsuccessful attempt is a testament to the endurance football teaches.
Before he was a Presidential candidate, of course, Mr. Weah was an outstanding footballer whose career spanned great clubs like Paris Saint Germain, Marseille, Monaco and even English Premiership giants like Chelsea and Manchester City.
A striker of fearsome reputation, Weah has been described as the greatest footballer to emerge from Africa, confirmed in 1995 when he won both FIFA Footballer of the Year and the highly valued Ballon d’Or. Over a three year period, in 1989, 1995 and 1996, he claimed the top prize of African Footballer of the year, crowning that in 1996 with the African Footballer of the Century award.
The power of a footballer entering frontline politics cannot be overstated, for two reasons. First, it shows that politics is accessible to all, to the ambitious individual who dares envisage a way he or she can contribute to their country’s future. Second, it makes politics interesting and relevant to young people. If our continent is ever to reach its full potential, then it is our young people who are going to deliver it.
Africa’s youth are already shaping today and redefining tomorrow with their creativity, passion and innovation. I believe that the greatest gift that our generation can give them is to continue to provide platforms for aspiration, recognition and inspiration. But the idea of ‘opportunity’ or of ‘potential’ can be an abstract enough concept to adults never mind the younger generation, many of whom have been overlooked by the decisions of governments not to allow funds raised from investment to trickle down into stronger education systems, apprenticeships and advancement.
In football, the notion of opportunity is far from abstract. Football has always been a unifying factor and a great tool for promoting integration and development. But more than that, it is a global currency, a language spoken in the United Kingdom as much as in Brazil, China and Nigeria. And in football we see, most tangibly, the bold young role models and ambassadors of Africa who are inspiring others and have set the pace in their pursuit of excellence.
Of course, we must be careful not to set false expectations. Football is affected by the same attrition rate that applies to other sports in that very many are called but few ultimately make the dizzy heights that many dream of. President Barack Obama pointed out that youth in the United States may have good role models for economic empowerment and entrepreneurship in the music industry, but that it was unlikely that each child would grow up ‘to be the next Lil Wayne’, so children must also work hard in school. The same can be said of football: not all of our children will grow up to be the next George Weah, Abedi Pele, Dider Drogba or Jay Jay Okocha, but these role models still offer young people a concrete example of the hard work that goes into the pursuit of excellence.
The example of football goes far beyond the 22 men or women who stand on the pitch for 90 minutes each week. I know this because I have seen the extraordinary depth of support services that go into creating the finished product of a football match, and the transformative role they play when properly looked after.
Over the last year, Aiteo has been supporting sports development in Nigeria, leading a partnership agreement with the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) to provide financial Support to the technical team of Nigeria’s national team for the next five years. In the months since, Nigeria has won more games than they have lost and has qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Aiteo has also made significant contributions towards developing the local football by underwriting the costs associated with organising the Federation Cup, Nigeria’s equivalent of the English FA Cup, helping smaller teams grow and improve on the national stage.
With coaching roles, training roles, marketing, advertising, commercial partnerships and merchandising roles all part of the infrastructure of a newly-global Nigerian football team, no child need only grow up to be the next Alex Iwobi if they are to benefit from the transformative power of football. If a footballer can become the head of a nation, they why not a football coach, a medic or a marketing executive?
So, when I stand on the stage this week to open the CAF Awards, the winners will be very clear to me before the awards have even been handed out: the true winners will be every young person who sees that event; sees that the eyes of the world are on Africa and that a future for each one of them exists in which they can go beyond their school, their hobbies, their parents, and truly embrace their potential. Because the way we conceive the future sculpts the present.
Benedict Peters is the executive vice president of the Aiteo Group (www.AiteoGroup.com).
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Aiteo Group.
SOURCE
Aiteo Group
by Benedict Peters, Executive vice president of the Aiteo Group
Almost nowhere on earth is football followed as passionately as in Africa. It is loved by Africans from all walks of life across the continent. This week, I am giving the opening address at the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Awards in Accra, Ghana. This has afforded me a good opportunity to reflect on Africa’s relationship with football and how it can help deliver a brighter future for our young people.
I believe we need only look to the Liberian presidential election for a fine example of the transformative power of football. Against the odds, football legend and opposition candidate, George Weah was victorious and today, is President-elect of Liberia, one of Africa’s most popular countries. Weah’s perseverance in the face of an initial unsuccessful attempt is a testament to the endurance football teaches.
Before he was a Presidential candidate, of course, Mr. Weah was an outstanding footballer whose career spanned great clubs like Paris Saint Germain, Marseille, Monaco and even English Premiership giants like Chelsea and Manchester City.
A striker of fearsome reputation, Weah has been described as the greatest footballer to emerge from Africa, confirmed in 1995 when he won both FIFA Footballer of the Year and the highly valued Ballon d’Or. Over a three year period, in 1989, 1995 and 1996, he claimed the top prize of African Footballer of the year, crowning that in 1996 with the African Footballer of the Century award.
The power of a footballer entering frontline politics cannot be overstated, for two reasons. First, it shows that politics is accessible to all, to the ambitious individual who dares envisage a way he or she can contribute to their country’s future. Second, it makes politics interesting and relevant to young people. If our continent is ever to reach its full potential, then it is our young people who are going to deliver it.
Africa’s youth are already shaping today and redefining tomorrow with their creativity, passion and innovation. I believe that the greatest gift that our generation can give them is to continue to provide platforms for aspiration, recognition and inspiration. But the idea of ‘opportunity’ or of ‘potential’ can be an abstract enough concept to adults never mind the younger generation, many of whom have been overlooked by the decisions of governments not to allow funds raised from investment to trickle down into stronger education systems, apprenticeships and advancement.
In football, the notion of opportunity is far from abstract. Football has always been a unifying factor and a great tool for promoting integration and development. But more than that, it is a global currency, a language spoken in the United Kingdom as much as in Brazil, China and Nigeria. And in football we see, most tangibly, the bold young role models and ambassadors of Africa who are inspiring others and have set the pace in their pursuit of excellence.
Of course, we must be careful not to set false expectations. Football is affected by the same attrition rate that applies to other sports in that very many are called but few ultimately make the dizzy heights that many dream of. President Barack Obama pointed out that youth in the United States may have good role models for economic empowerment and entrepreneurship in the music industry, but that it was unlikely that each child would grow up ‘to be the next Lil Wayne’, so children must also work hard in school. The same can be said of football: not all of our children will grow up to be the next George Weah, Abedi Pele, Dider Drogba or Jay Jay Okocha, but these role models still offer young people a concrete example of the hard work that goes into the pursuit of excellence.
The example of football goes far beyond the 22 men or women who stand on the pitch for 90 minutes each week. I know this because I have seen the extraordinary depth of support services that go into creating the finished product of a football match, and the transformative role they play when properly looked after.
Over the last year, Aiteo has been supporting sports development in Nigeria, leading a partnership agreement with the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) to provide financial Support to the technical team of Nigeria’s national team for the next five years. In the months since, Nigeria has won more games than they have lost and has qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Aiteo has also made significant contributions towards developing the local football by underwriting the costs associated with organising the Federation Cup, Nigeria’s equivalent of the English FA Cup, helping smaller teams grow and improve on the national stage.
With coaching roles, training roles, marketing, advertising, commercial partnerships and merchandising roles all part of the infrastructure of a newly-global Nigerian football team, no child need only grow up to be the next Alex Iwobi if they are to benefit from the transformative power of football. If a footballer can become the head of a nation, they why not a football coach, a medic or a marketing executive?
So, when I stand on the stage this week to open the CAF Awards, the winners will be very clear to me before the awards have even been handed out: the true winners will be every young person who sees that event; sees that the eyes of the world are on Africa and that a future for each one of them exists in which they can go beyond their school, their hobbies, their parents, and truly embrace their potential. Because the way we conceive the future sculpts the present.
Benedict Peters is the executive vice president of the Aiteo Group (www.AiteoGroup.com).
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Aiteo Group.
SOURCE
Aiteo Group
Dr. Mercola: This Eating Habit Can Radically Shorten Your Life
Scientist discovers the eating habit that radically accelerates aging and premature death by activating two genes known to accelerate aging. Yet it's one of the most popular foods on the market. If you want a long and healthy life, you must ditch it and swap it for strategy No. 2.
Fasting Mimicking Diet — All the Benefits of Water Fasting Without the Drawbacks
January 02, 2018 • 13,625 views Disponible en Español
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Story at-a-glance
Fasting is an effective antiaging strategy, switching on your body's ability to promote cellular protection, regeneration and rejuvenation
The fasting mimicking diet, developed by Valter Longo and his team at the USC’s Longevity Institute, was developed to produce the same health benefits as water fasting, while making it safer and easier to comply with the restrictions
While starvation triggers the cleanout process of autophagy and activates stem cells, refeeding triggers rebuilding, and for optimal health you really need both; hence, cycling between fasting and feasting is important
The fasting mimicking diet lowers inflammation and inflammatory diseases, and reduces cancers by nearly 50 percent. Cognition and immune function are also improved
Overall, the fasting mimicking diet reduces risk factors for diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer, and improves markers for aging
By Dr. Mercola
Most of us want to live a healthy, long life. But what's the best way to switch on your body's ability to promote cellular protection, regeneration and rejuvenation? In this interview, Valter Longo, Ph.D., a researcher and director of the Longevity Institute at the University of Southern California (USC), helps answer that question, as he's investigated this topic for over two decades.
His findings are detailed in the recently released book, "The Longevity Diet: Discover the New Science Behind Stem Cell Activation and Regeneration to Slow Aging, Fight Disease, and Optimize Weight," which also provides the research framework to support his recommendations.
Early on in his career, during his doctoral work, he studied calorie restriction with the late Dr. Roy Walford, who was a pioneer in this area at the time. Calorie restriction involves restricting your calorie intake on a daily basis independently of the types of foods you eat.
As a general rule, you eat just 30 percent or less of your normal calorie amount, until you reach a body mass index (BMI) of about 19. Needless to say, it's quite extreme. And, for all its benefits, it also causes quite a few problems. They eventually discovered that a form of intermittent fasting, dubbed the fasting mimicking diet, provided long-lasting benefits without the drawbacks of long-term calorie restriction.
"I think where the fasting mimicking diet, the periodic nature of what we're doing … is this idea of keeping the benefits by eliminating the problems," Longo says. "And, of course, I had the advantage of having [a background in] molecular biology and the biochemistry, which Walford didn't have, so at the time there was not much known."
Sugar Is a Potent Aging Accelerator
By studying the effects of starvation on yeast, Longo discovered that sugar accelerates aging and premature death, in part by activating two genes known as Ras and PKA, both of which are known to accelerate aging. Longo explains:
"At Walford, we were working with human samples and mice and it was very clear that not knowing about the genes and the molecular biology was going to greatly limit us in moving forward. The gamble was, let's move back to a very simple system and hope that what we learn about aging in this simple system applies back to humans. And I think the gamble worked. We did identify what I call the sugar pathway or the PKA or Ras/PKA, and then the protein pathway, the TOR-S6 kinase. "
Research has demonstrated that these initial findings in yeast hold true in other animals as well, including worms, flies, mice and a group of people in Ecuador who have Laron syndrome, a rare genetic disorder where they lack the receptor for growth hormone. As a result, they cannot grow taller than 4 feet.
Interestingly though, this genetic anomaly also appears to protect them against chronic diseases such as diabetes and cancer — even when consuming a less than ideal diet. According to Longo, there's reason to believe the findings apply to most other people as well, as we now know growth hormone and growth hormone receptor in humans regulates both the TOR and MPK pathways.
"We now suspect there is a network pathway starting with the growth hormone and ending with these transcription factors that we described. These are what I call the captains of protection, that are regulated by the food that you eat," Longo says.
Sugar Avoidance and Fasting Are Powerful Longevity Boosters
Longo was one of the first researchers to identify sugar as an aging accelerator and fasting as a process for improving longevity. In 1997, he published a paper showing yeast could be made to live a lot longer when starved. Shortly after that, they discovered the sugar and protein pathways responsible for this phenomenon.
In essence, what he found was that if you knock out both Ras/PKA and something called LCH-9, which is the S6-Kinase gene in yeast, you could obtain up to a fivefold extension in lifespan. As noted by Longo, "It was clear that the effects of fasting were caused in part by shutting down these two pathways." The question was, does the same apply to humans?
To answer this, Longo looked for equivalents to what they'd identified in yeast. Work done by John Kopchick and Andre Barki showed that, in mice, growth hormone deficiency and growth hormone receptor deficiency caused record longevity extension of 40 to 50 percent. They were also far healthier than normal mice. Half of them were completely disease-free at the time of death. As noted by Longo:
"This is very impressive and remarkable. So, we knew that this was true for yeast and this was true for mice, and the Laron [study] was our way to demonstrate that this is also true for people. To summarize, health and longevity are promoted by either a) having low levels of growth hormone, or b) lack of receptors for growth hormone, so it doesn't matter whether you remove growth hormone or the receptor."
Like Insulin, You Need Growth Hormone, but Not Much
Strength training is typically recommended as a way to optimize health, and one of the effects of this type of training is a boost in growth hormone. So, how do you reconcile the need and health benefits of growth hormone, and its dampening effect on longevity? Longo explains:
"Insulin is a good analogy. You need insulin but a lot of insulin all the time gives you insulin resistance and diabetes, so … it's not so much growth hormone, but IGF-1 and insulin, downstream … [Y]ou can approximate growth hormone activity in general [by the] IGF-1 level, so for example, the Larons have very low growth hormone activity and they have very low IGF-1.
Usually, they say if you go on a low protein diet, you're going to have low growth hormone production, or certainly more growth hormone receptor activity and low IGF-1. So, they usually go together but there are some cases where they can separate … Growth hormone acts on TOR directly, [and] on insulin, and probably in almost any pathway that you can think of. So, they're certainly not the same thing, but it's a lot easier to measure IGF-1."
The Benefits of Protein Restriction
Like me, Longo promotes radically reduced protein consumption. I've often warned that most Americans eat far too much protein for optimal health. Longo recommends limiting protein to 0.31 to 0.36 grams of protein per pound of body weight. For most, that would mean cutting down their protein consumption by about two-thirds. If you weigh 150 pounds, you'd need just 50 grams of protein a day.
As I've mentioned on many occasions, the reason for this recommendation has to do with the way protein interacts with the mTOR pathway, which is involved in aging and age-related diseases. Protein controls the growth hormone, IGF-1 pathway, which also controls TOR signaling and PKA signaling.
When the TOR pathway is deactivated — either by a low protein diet, a drug such as metformin or the supplement berberine — you are therefore protected against the ravages of aging. In recent years, they've also discovered that deactivating the TOR and PKA pathways helps boost regeneration. What this means is that if you eat a lot of protein, a lot of food in general, and have high growth hormone and TOR, then your regenerative potential is placed on hold.
Once you remove these blocks, your stem cells are turned on, and then, during the refeeding phase, your body undergoes a major regeneration and rejuvenation phase. This is in part why intermittent fasting or fasting mimicking is so much better than chronic calorie restriction. The "magic" actually happens during the refeeding phase, after you've gone through a period of starvation.
If you just cut calories but never enter refeeding, you miss the opportunity to rebuild your body. So, while starvation triggers the cleanout process of autophagy and activates stem cells, refeeding triggers rebuilding, and for optimal health, you really need both. According to Longo, the fasting mimicking diet is a real solution for cancer for this reason, as "we've shown clearly that it can selectively remove disobedient cells … [I]t's really clearing a lot of damaged cells."
When and Why Higher Protein Intakes May Be Beneficial
The devil's in the details though, and intermittently giving your body an anabolic burst with extra protein, above the one-third of a gram per pound of body weight, is important for the preservation of muscle mass, and helps optimize your strength training sessions.
As a general guideline, I suggest boosting your protein by about 25 percent on strength training days for this reason. However, going above the recommended one-third of a gram per pound of body weight on days when you're not strength training does not appear to provide any muscle building benefits.
"[O]f course you need sufficient protein … There is no doubt about it. [But] if you're training, the data indicates that above the … 0.31 to 0.37 grams [of protein] per pound, it doesn't really do much more [for] muscle building. So, when they gave athletes that amount or a little bit more than, and then gave them a lot more, a lot more did not make any difference.
It was really about 30 to 35 grams of good quality protein per workout that optimized the muscle synthesis … [C]ertainly, giving excess protein in several studies did not result in higher muscle building. Part of this could be the stem cells.
It could be the cellulite cells, and that's another study we're doing right now, so the high level of protein may in fact block cellulite cells from being activated and that may be part of the problem … It's possible that if you keep [your protein intake] at the normal level and then together with the training, you increase it by 20 to 25 percent … this will help you increase muscle mass."
The elderly and frail may also need higher protein intakes to prevent sarcopenia (age-related muscle loss), but not by a whole lot. Longo recommends boosting protein intake by 10 to 20 percent around the age of 65, which is when most seniors start losing lean body mass. "I think as long as they maintain [their lean body mass] they don't have to worry about it. But if they start losing it, then both muscle training and increasing protein a little bit is important."
Fasting — A Powerful Metabolic Intervention That Extends Lifespan
While I was initially hesitant, I now believe multiday water fasting is one of the most powerful metabolic interventions out there. There's really nothing that comes close, and the reason for this is because it switches your cells to a protected "antiaging mode."
It promotes autophagy and replaces cell components with newly generated functional ones, thanks to the activation of stem cells. I now do a five-day water-only fast once a month, and recommend it for most people — as long as you've prepared yourself properly first. A key step that made water fasting easy for me was getting into the habit of intermittently fasting 20 hours a day for at least a month.
If you're on medication, you also need to work with your doctor to ensure safety, as some medications really need to be taken with food and/or can become toxic when your body chemistry normalizes. Those taking hypoglycemic or antihypertensive medication are particularly at risk, as they may end up overdosing.
It's also recommended to continue taking nutritional supplements during your fast. If you take magnesium be aware that it may cause severely loose stools. You also need to take a high-quality salt. Certain health conditions may also need more stringent medical supervision to ensure safety when fasting.
Longo, on the other hand, is not quite as keen on water-only fasting, or even 20-hour intermittent daily fasting, citing findings suggesting intermittent fasting beyond the 13-hour mark raises the risk for gallstones by about 5 percent, as well as other unintended side effects. He also notes that 20-hour intermittent daily fasting is not a strategy used among centenarians, people over 100 years of age.
Water Fasting Versus Fasting Mimicking Diet
It bears mentioning that Longo's fasting mimicking diet is not a water-only fast. The fasting mimicking diet involves restricting your calories to 800 to 1,100 calories per day for five days each month, opposed to no-calorie fasting. It was primarily developed to improve compliance, as many find a five-day water-only fast to be too difficult. The low-calorie strategy also helps reduce the likelihood of adverse side effects, while retaining the benefits.
"We first started with cancer patients about 10 years ago … [T]he National Cancer Institute … funded the research to develop a fasting mimicking diet … The reason it's simple is [because] there's an issue of compliance, but also an issue of safety. [F]irst of all, water-only fasting, or very low calorie fasting … has been done exclusively in clinics. Now, people could do it but they do it in clinics for a reason.
It really revolutionizes your metabolism and to a lot of people, it's going to be dangerous. Hypertension [and] hypoglycaemia [are possible side effects]. The purpose of the fasting mimicking diet was to make it easier on people, but also to make sure they don't go to an extreme state in which then they start having problems, and we saw it in the clinical trial.
We saw, even with the fasting mimicking diet, people can get weaker and can have some problem, but with the water-only fasting, these problems go up by another magnitude … This is why I think the fasting mimicking diet is the way to go.'"
People who should not water fast or be on the fasting mimicking diet include pregnant women, people who are seriously underweight (have low body mass index) and/or suffer from anorexia, seniors over the age of 70 (unless you're exceptionally healthy), anyone who is fragile or people with liver or kidney disease. If you have a chronic disease, be sure to work with your doctor and have him or her closely monitor your condition.
Fasting Mimicking Diet Boosts Effectiveness of Cancer Treatment
The fasting mimicking diet, which is a very low calorie diet, was developed to match the effects of water-only fasting, including the beneficial effects on autophagy, stem cell activation, ketone body production, IGF-1 level, IGFBP1, glucose and more. While Longo is an expert in this field of many years, I am not yet convinced that a very low calorie diet provides as much metabolic benefit as a full five-day water fast as long as one has no contraindications.
One of the strong recommendations in Longo's book is to actively incorporate the fasting mimicking diet if you're undergoing treatment for cancer. Not only will it radically improve the effectiveness of the cancer therapy, but it will also decrease its side effects.
"This has been a difficult battle. We work with the top oncology hospitals in the world: MD Anderson, Mayo Clinic, USC Norris Cancer Center. So, we really didn't want to be the rebels here. We really fought for the patients. We fought very hard, but also, we wanted them to agree with us. We wanted the oncologists to basically say, 'Yes. This is a good way to do it.' And in the end, I think, what we all agreed on was the following.
Now there are a number of new clinical trials that are almost finished, with hundreds of patients and fasting mimicking diets. So those, I think, are going to be conclusive … [In cases of] more advanced cancer, metastatic, [where] there are really not many options … we said the oncologist should seriously consider doing the fasting mimicking diet together with standard of care. And that's the beauty of this [diet]. It works very well with standard of care.
We've now shown it for kinase inhibitors, we've shown it for chemotherapy. All kinds of chemotherapy, all kinds of cancers, and now we have more data coming up with all kinds of new therapy. For example, now we're looking at immunotherapy … It makes the cancer visible to the immune system, and [can then be] attacked by the immune system, so I would say, yes, absolutely [talk] to your oncologist … At least they should read the clinical trials that are already published …
The safety concerns, I think now, are really minimal and the potential benefits are very high … In mice, we consistently see cancer-free survival even in the metastatic models. Meaning that the mice are essentially cured in combination with the chemo or the therapy … I think it's important to talk to patients about this, and give them an opportunity, particularly where they don't have any viable options."
Fasting Mimicking Diet as an Antiaging Strategy
In his book, Longo cites animal research showing the fasting mimicking diet in combination with treadmill exercise resulted in greater maintenance of muscle mass and a decrease in sarcopenia. Interestingly, neither strategy worked on its own. In this case, the mice got a low-calorie diet twice a month for four days at a stretch. In between, they ate normally.
As a result, they lost visceral fat but not muscle mass. This, Longo says, "really separates the fasting mimicking diet from most, if not all of other diets, in which there is always fat and water and muscle lost in the weight loss process. "Longo's research also shows the fasting mimicking diet reduces inflammation and inflammatory diseases such as dermatitis.
Cancers are reduced by nearly 50 percent. Importantly, cancers are also significantly postponed, and many tumors are also benign rather than malignant. Cognition is also improved. In mice that received the fasting mimicking diet twice a month were cognitively doing much better than the mice on the regular diet.
Another area of improvement is the immune system, which undergoes a transformation to a more youthful state. Overall, there's a reduction in risk factors for diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer, and an improvement in markers for aging. "So, as expected, [the diet] is really going after multiple systems and causing multisystem regeneration and rejuvenation, leading to improved performance," Longo says.
More Information
In summary, one of the primary messages in Longo's book is the importance of cycling — the episodic fasting and refeeding is really part of the key that makes this strategy so beneficial. Importantly, it also helps circumvent the negative effects that can occur during continuous fasting or chronic underfeeding. Longo adds:
"I would also point out that it's not cycling that needs to be every month. It can be, but we basically say, if you're obese and have high cholesterol and high blood pressure, yes, you probably have to do it every month, until you're healthy. But if you're the average person who may have high cholesterol and that's it, this could be once every three months. So, every 90 days, you do it for five days, and I think that's very reasonable.
From the clinical trial, we show there are long-lasting effects. If we measure the effects of three cycles of the fasting mimicking diet, three months after the end of the third cycle, we still see about 60 percent of the changes there. So … it might take three to six months for these changes to be completely wiped out."
To learn more about this beneficial "antiaging" strategy, be sure to pick up a copy of Longo's book, "The Longevity Diet: Discover the New Science Behind Stem Cell Activation and Regeneration to Slow Aging, Fight Disease, and Optimize Weight." If you are like me and are really interested in living healthier, longer, it can point you in the right direction.
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Monday, 1 January 2018
Does Apostle Kojo Sarfo Kantanka Hold The Key To Ghana's Future?
It is said that health is wealth. Before the advent of the first Europeans in Africa, we lived in harmony with Mother Nature, and grew food using organic agricultural methods. It made it possible for us to avoid many of the illnesses then plaguing Western societies.
Sadly, over the decades since our nation gained its independence from the British occupiers of our country in 1957, we have spent hundreds of billions of dollars importing synthetic agricultural inputs - including carcinogenic pesticides banned elsewhere - in an effort to boost agricultural production.
Today, many discerning Ghanaians will agree that from a public health standpoint, it makes no sense at all for our nation to continue allowing the production of food containing chemical residue - that at worst cause cancer to those ingesting such agricultural produce: and at the very least weaken the immune systems of consumers of such produce.
We must end the power and baleful influence of the vested interests that profit mightily from the importation and distribution of synthetic agricultural inputs in Ghana, once and for all, for common-good reasons to do with ensuring public health in our country.
It is time our educated urban elites started taking Apostle Kojo Sarfo Kantanka - who is a polymath and genius - seriously. Any Ghanaian who does lateral thinking will realise that he actually holds the key to providing the wherewithal to sustainably fund free education in Ghana. Ditto state funding for free quality healthcare and genuinely affordable housing for ordinary Ghanaians.
Perhaps it is no accident that President Akufo-Addo became the first president of the Republic of Ghana to attend the annual exhibitions organised by Apostle Kojo Sarfo's Kristo Asafo Church to distribute produce from the Church's many farms and exhibit its technological and scientific innovations to the world. Providence must have willed it.
If our leaders are sincere about their commitment to sustainable development, then this blog humbly suggests that those who currently govern our nation should task the cabinet committee overseeing Ghana's implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), with getting the relevant state research institutions to collaborate with Apostle Kojo Sarfo Kantanka, as soon as practicable.
The state must enter into a win-win public private partnership (PPP) with Apostle Kojo Sarfo Kantanka to turn Ghana into a global power in the production of organic agricultural produce using his natural growth-enhancers, natural growth mediums, natural weedicides and pesticides. Ditto enter into a PPP to enable his Kantanka Automobile Limited to retrofit all state vehicles with chargeable electric systems - both old (but not above 5 years in age) and new - and turn them into self-charging electric vehicles.
Will the trillions of old cedis such a development will save the state - which it currently spends annually purchasing fuel to power the public-sector's fleet of government-owned vehicles - not be sufficient to fund free second-cycle education sustainably, if the government awards a sole-sourced (for strategic national security reasons) contract to Kantanka Automobile Limited to retrofit all its vehicles into electric vehicles, one wonders? Haaba.
And will Ghana not quickly become the world's biggest producer of organic agricultural produce - including cocoa beans and sundry organic cocoa products made from it - were the government to ban the importation and use of synthetic agricultural imputs for farming in Ghana, and pass new laws sanctioning the use of only Apostle Kojo Kantanka's natural plant growth enhancers, natural growth mediums, natural pesticides and natural weedicides?
Will that not create jobs galore for our dynamic and much-talented younger generations, and wealth that stays in our country? With respect, if 2018 is the year that President Akufo-Addo intends to move "with supersonic speed" to fulfill his transformational agenda for Ghana, then surely the time has come for Apostle Kojo Sarfo to be taken seriously by our nation's educated urban elites? He holds the key to Ghana's future. Literally.
Sadly, over the decades since our nation gained its independence from the British occupiers of our country in 1957, we have spent hundreds of billions of dollars importing synthetic agricultural inputs - including carcinogenic pesticides banned elsewhere - in an effort to boost agricultural production.
Today, many discerning Ghanaians will agree that from a public health standpoint, it makes no sense at all for our nation to continue allowing the production of food containing chemical residue - that at worst cause cancer to those ingesting such agricultural produce: and at the very least weaken the immune systems of consumers of such produce.
We must end the power and baleful influence of the vested interests that profit mightily from the importation and distribution of synthetic agricultural inputs in Ghana, once and for all, for common-good reasons to do with ensuring public health in our country.
It is time our educated urban elites started taking Apostle Kojo Sarfo Kantanka - who is a polymath and genius - seriously. Any Ghanaian who does lateral thinking will realise that he actually holds the key to providing the wherewithal to sustainably fund free education in Ghana. Ditto state funding for free quality healthcare and genuinely affordable housing for ordinary Ghanaians.
Perhaps it is no accident that President Akufo-Addo became the first president of the Republic of Ghana to attend the annual exhibitions organised by Apostle Kojo Sarfo's Kristo Asafo Church to distribute produce from the Church's many farms and exhibit its technological and scientific innovations to the world. Providence must have willed it.
If our leaders are sincere about their commitment to sustainable development, then this blog humbly suggests that those who currently govern our nation should task the cabinet committee overseeing Ghana's implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), with getting the relevant state research institutions to collaborate with Apostle Kojo Sarfo Kantanka, as soon as practicable.
The state must enter into a win-win public private partnership (PPP) with Apostle Kojo Sarfo Kantanka to turn Ghana into a global power in the production of organic agricultural produce using his natural growth-enhancers, natural growth mediums, natural weedicides and pesticides. Ditto enter into a PPP to enable his Kantanka Automobile Limited to retrofit all state vehicles with chargeable electric systems - both old (but not above 5 years in age) and new - and turn them into self-charging electric vehicles.
Will the trillions of old cedis such a development will save the state - which it currently spends annually purchasing fuel to power the public-sector's fleet of government-owned vehicles - not be sufficient to fund free second-cycle education sustainably, if the government awards a sole-sourced (for strategic national security reasons) contract to Kantanka Automobile Limited to retrofit all its vehicles into electric vehicles, one wonders? Haaba.
And will Ghana not quickly become the world's biggest producer of organic agricultural produce - including cocoa beans and sundry organic cocoa products made from it - were the government to ban the importation and use of synthetic agricultural imputs for farming in Ghana, and pass new laws sanctioning the use of only Apostle Kojo Kantanka's natural plant growth enhancers, natural growth mediums, natural pesticides and natural weedicides?
Will that not create jobs galore for our dynamic and much-talented younger generations, and wealth that stays in our country? With respect, if 2018 is the year that President Akufo-Addo intends to move "with supersonic speed" to fulfill his transformational agenda for Ghana, then surely the time has come for Apostle Kojo Sarfo to be taken seriously by our nation's educated urban elites? He holds the key to Ghana's future. Literally.
Investopedia/Alan Farley: How To Think About Seasonality Trends
Investopedia
How To Think About Seasonality Trends By Alan Farley | October 13, 2015 — 7:03 AM EDT
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When analyzing a company’s prospects as a short-term trade or long-term investment, it's important to note that seasonality trends impact performance expectations. These well-documented periods of strength and weakness affect all sectors, which is why it's crucial to examine the best times of year to open new positions, even if one is buying for the long haul.
In additional to seasonal trends, quarterly earnings mark a regular calendar influence that can yield big losses when investors place ill-advised bets. While careful research may tell you if a company is likely to beat expectations, it can’t accurately predict the subsequent reaction, which can trigger price swings in excess of 10%, even in blue chips and Dow components.
Index Seasonality
Major indices grind through broad ranges each year. Statistics going back for decades show the strongest gains are usually posted in the first five months of the year and the fourth quarter, with the June through September period marked by corrections and shakeouts. This data tracks the classic market wisdom to “sell in May and go away”.
SP-500 Monthly Performance 1980-2014
MONTH
RETURN
January
0.95%
February
0.17%
March
1.05%
April
1.59%
May
0.92%
June
0.07%
July
0.56%
August
-0.06%
September
-0.77%
October
0.99%
November
1.45%
December
1.52%
Sources: Standard & Poor's 500 Index and Money Chimp
Seasonal trends start with the January effect, in which profit and loss calculations are wiped clean, encouraging risk-taking in companies that booked poor returns in the prior calendar year. The year ends with the Santa Rally, when institutions review their holdings, often buying the biggest winners to bolster their annual reports. In-between, summer markets can be frustrating, with the main market groups often grinding through their weakest price action of the year.
Sector Seasonality
In addition to seasonal trends that impact the broad averages, sectors transit through relatively strong and weak periods that show persistence over decades. Choosing to buy when these influences are favorable can significantly add to first-year returns. While poorly-timed entries can rob confidence while undermining the annual profit and loss statement.
Small caps get bought more aggressively in the first quarter due to the resumption of risk appetite triggered by the new calendar year. Positive seasonality ends on March 31 with relatively weak performance expected until the middle of the fourth quarter, when these stocks can get bought aggressively in anticipation of a year-end rally.
The Oil and the energy sector shows well documented seasonal patterns. For example, for the last 25 years, the NYSE ARCA Oil & Gas Index (XOI) has posted relatively strong gains from the middle of December into the late spring or early summer. This trend originates from the run-up to the U.S. summer driving season, with a noticeable peak around Memorial Day. XOI has no ETF equivalent, but SPDR Select Sector Energy Fund (XLE) offers a closely aligned proxy.
Technology Seasonality 1994 - 2013
Technology Seasonality
Technology is traditionally strong in the fourth quarter, lasting into January of the following year. It enters a second seasonally strong period between April and July, with performance then decreasing until the October buying spurt. One useful strategy is to buy the sector’s biggest names during strong periods while focusing on special situations during weak periods.
Not surprisingly, bonds and precious metals show seasonal strength in opposition to major equity indices. This is a result of the risk-on-risk-off mindset that rotates capital based on relative greed and fear levels. Gold shows the greatest annual strength between July and October at the same time the SP-500 books its weakest performance of the year while bonds enter seasonal strength in May and relinquish it in October.
The Bottom Line
Investors benefit when company research incorporates seasonality trends that predict relative strength and weakness throughout the calendar year. Also, it pays to follow Standard & Poor's 500 Index and broad market trends to determine the likelihood of higher prices at the time you want to take exposure.
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How To Think About Seasonality Trends By Alan Farley | October 13, 2015 — 7:03 AM EDT
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When analyzing a company’s prospects as a short-term trade or long-term investment, it's important to note that seasonality trends impact performance expectations. These well-documented periods of strength and weakness affect all sectors, which is why it's crucial to examine the best times of year to open new positions, even if one is buying for the long haul.
In additional to seasonal trends, quarterly earnings mark a regular calendar influence that can yield big losses when investors place ill-advised bets. While careful research may tell you if a company is likely to beat expectations, it can’t accurately predict the subsequent reaction, which can trigger price swings in excess of 10%, even in blue chips and Dow components.
Index Seasonality
Major indices grind through broad ranges each year. Statistics going back for decades show the strongest gains are usually posted in the first five months of the year and the fourth quarter, with the June through September period marked by corrections and shakeouts. This data tracks the classic market wisdom to “sell in May and go away”.
SP-500 Monthly Performance 1980-2014
MONTH
RETURN
January
0.95%
February
0.17%
March
1.05%
April
1.59%
May
0.92%
June
0.07%
July
0.56%
August
-0.06%
September
-0.77%
October
0.99%
November
1.45%
December
1.52%
Sources: Standard & Poor's 500 Index and Money Chimp
Seasonal trends start with the January effect, in which profit and loss calculations are wiped clean, encouraging risk-taking in companies that booked poor returns in the prior calendar year. The year ends with the Santa Rally, when institutions review their holdings, often buying the biggest winners to bolster their annual reports. In-between, summer markets can be frustrating, with the main market groups often grinding through their weakest price action of the year.
Sector Seasonality
In addition to seasonal trends that impact the broad averages, sectors transit through relatively strong and weak periods that show persistence over decades. Choosing to buy when these influences are favorable can significantly add to first-year returns. While poorly-timed entries can rob confidence while undermining the annual profit and loss statement.
Small caps get bought more aggressively in the first quarter due to the resumption of risk appetite triggered by the new calendar year. Positive seasonality ends on March 31 with relatively weak performance expected until the middle of the fourth quarter, when these stocks can get bought aggressively in anticipation of a year-end rally.
The Oil and the energy sector shows well documented seasonal patterns. For example, for the last 25 years, the NYSE ARCA Oil & Gas Index (XOI) has posted relatively strong gains from the middle of December into the late spring or early summer. This trend originates from the run-up to the U.S. summer driving season, with a noticeable peak around Memorial Day. XOI has no ETF equivalent, but SPDR Select Sector Energy Fund (XLE) offers a closely aligned proxy.
Technology Seasonality 1994 - 2013
Technology Seasonality
Technology is traditionally strong in the fourth quarter, lasting into January of the following year. It enters a second seasonally strong period between April and July, with performance then decreasing until the October buying spurt. One useful strategy is to buy the sector’s biggest names during strong periods while focusing on special situations during weak periods.
Not surprisingly, bonds and precious metals show seasonal strength in opposition to major equity indices. This is a result of the risk-on-risk-off mindset that rotates capital based on relative greed and fear levels. Gold shows the greatest annual strength between July and October at the same time the SP-500 books its weakest performance of the year while bonds enter seasonal strength in May and relinquish it in October.
The Bottom Line
Investors benefit when company research incorporates seasonality trends that predict relative strength and weakness throughout the calendar year. Also, it pays to follow Standard & Poor's 500 Index and broad market trends to determine the likelihood of higher prices at the time you want to take exposure.
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Investopedia: What is the 'January Effect'?
Investopedia
January Effect
Share
What is the 'January Effect'
The January effect is a seasonal increase in stock prices during the month of January. Analysts generally attribute this rally to an increase in buying, which follows the drop in price that typically happens in December when investors, engaging in tax-loss harvesting to offset realized capital gains, prompt a sell-off. Another possible explanation is that investors use year-end cash bonuses to purchase investments the following month.
BREAKING DOWN 'January Effect'
The January effect is a hypothesis, and like all calendar-related effects, suggests that the markets as a whole are inefficient, as efficient markets would naturally make this effect nonexistent. The January effect seems to affect small caps more than mid or large caps. Since the beginning of the 20th century, the data suggests that these asset classes have outperformed the overall market in January, especially toward the middle of the month.
Investment banker Sidney Wachtel first noticed this effect in 1942. This historical trend, however, has been less pronounced in recent years because the markets seem to have adjusted for it. Another reason analysts consider the January effect less important as of 2016 is that more people are using tax-sheltered retirement plans and therefore have no reason to sell at the end of the year for a tax loss.
Beyond tax-loss harvesting and repurchases, as well as investors putting cash bonuses into the market, another explanation for the January effect has to do with investor psychology. Some investors believe that January is the best month to begin an investment program or perhaps are following through on a New Year's resolution to begin investing for the future.
Studies and Criticism
One study, analyzing data from 1904 to 1974, concluded that the average return for stocks during the month of January was five times greater than any other month during the year, particularly noting this trend existed in small-capitalization stocks. The investment first Salomon Smith Barney performed a study analyzing data from 1972 to 2002 and found that the stocks of the Russell 2000 index outperformed stocks in the Russell 1000 index (small-cap stocks versus large cap stocks) in the month of January. This outperformance was by 0.82%, yet these stocks underperformed during the remainder of the year. Data suggest that the January effect is becoming increasingly less prominent.
An ex-Director from the Vanguard Group, Burton Malkiel, the author of "A Random Walk Down Wall Street", has criticized the January effect stating that seasonal anomalies such as it don't provide investors with any reliable opportunities. He also suggests that the January effect is so small that the transaction costs needed to exploit it essentially make it unprofitable.
Calendar Effect
Share
A collection of assorted theories that assert that certain days, months or times of year are subject to above-average price changes in market indexes and can therefore represent good or bad times to invest. Some theories that fall under the calendar effect include the Monday effect, the October effect, the Halloween effect and the January effect.
BREAKING DOWN 'Calendar Effect'
Most of the evidence for these effects is anecdotal, although there is a slight statistical case to be made for some of them, which is more than enough to encourage some investors to place their faith in them.
Proponents of the October effect, one of the most popular theories, argue that October is when some of the greatest crashes in stock market history, including 1929's Black Tuesday and Thursday and the 1987 stock market crash, occurred. While statistical evidence doesn't support the phenomenon that stocks trade lower in October, the psychological expectations of the October effect still exist.
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About Us Advertise With Us Contact Us Careers
© 2018, Investopedia, LLC. Feedback All Rights Reserved Terms Of Use Privacy Policy
January Effect
Share
What is the 'January Effect'
The January effect is a seasonal increase in stock prices during the month of January. Analysts generally attribute this rally to an increase in buying, which follows the drop in price that typically happens in December when investors, engaging in tax-loss harvesting to offset realized capital gains, prompt a sell-off. Another possible explanation is that investors use year-end cash bonuses to purchase investments the following month.
BREAKING DOWN 'January Effect'
The January effect is a hypothesis, and like all calendar-related effects, suggests that the markets as a whole are inefficient, as efficient markets would naturally make this effect nonexistent. The January effect seems to affect small caps more than mid or large caps. Since the beginning of the 20th century, the data suggests that these asset classes have outperformed the overall market in January, especially toward the middle of the month.
Investment banker Sidney Wachtel first noticed this effect in 1942. This historical trend, however, has been less pronounced in recent years because the markets seem to have adjusted for it. Another reason analysts consider the January effect less important as of 2016 is that more people are using tax-sheltered retirement plans and therefore have no reason to sell at the end of the year for a tax loss.
Beyond tax-loss harvesting and repurchases, as well as investors putting cash bonuses into the market, another explanation for the January effect has to do with investor psychology. Some investors believe that January is the best month to begin an investment program or perhaps are following through on a New Year's resolution to begin investing for the future.
Studies and Criticism
One study, analyzing data from 1904 to 1974, concluded that the average return for stocks during the month of January was five times greater than any other month during the year, particularly noting this trend existed in small-capitalization stocks. The investment first Salomon Smith Barney performed a study analyzing data from 1972 to 2002 and found that the stocks of the Russell 2000 index outperformed stocks in the Russell 1000 index (small-cap stocks versus large cap stocks) in the month of January. This outperformance was by 0.82%, yet these stocks underperformed during the remainder of the year. Data suggest that the January effect is becoming increasingly less prominent.
An ex-Director from the Vanguard Group, Burton Malkiel, the author of "A Random Walk Down Wall Street", has criticized the January effect stating that seasonal anomalies such as it don't provide investors with any reliable opportunities. He also suggests that the January effect is so small that the transaction costs needed to exploit it essentially make it unprofitable.
Calendar Effect
Share
A collection of assorted theories that assert that certain days, months or times of year are subject to above-average price changes in market indexes and can therefore represent good or bad times to invest. Some theories that fall under the calendar effect include the Monday effect, the October effect, the Halloween effect and the January effect.
BREAKING DOWN 'Calendar Effect'
Most of the evidence for these effects is anecdotal, although there is a slight statistical case to be made for some of them, which is more than enough to encourage some investors to place their faith in them.
Proponents of the October effect, one of the most popular theories, argue that October is when some of the greatest crashes in stock market history, including 1929's Black Tuesday and Thursday and the 1987 stock market crash, occurred. While statistical evidence doesn't support the phenomenon that stocks trade lower in October, the psychological expectations of the October effect still exist.
Work With Investopedia
About Us Advertise With Us Contact Us Careers
© 2018, Investopedia, LLC. Feedback All Rights Reserved Terms Of Use Privacy Policy
Investopedia/Jason Fernando: Bitcoin Vs. Litecoin: What's The Difference?
Investopedia
Bitcoin Vs. Litecoin: What's The Difference? By Jason Fernando | Updated December 22, 2017 — 10:41 AM EST
Share
More on Blockchain and Bitcoin
Bitcoin Price Slides Further; Ripple Builds Lead Over Ethereum
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Over the past several years, public interest in cryptocurrencies has increased dramatically. The main focus of this interest has been Bitcoin, which, following the release of its first public client in 2009, has become the dominant name in cryptocurrency. In recent years, however, many other cryptocurrencies have entered the scene. Among these, one name which has garnered increasing interest is Litecoin. Indeed, Litecoin’s own developers have long stated that their intention is to create the “silver” to Bitcoin’s “gold”. In this article, we will explore the similarities and differences between these two leading cryptocurrencies.
On the surface, Bitcoin and Litecoin share a lot in common. At the most basic level, they are of course both cryptocurrencies. Whereas state currencies such as the U.S. dollar or the yen rely on political and legal mechanisms for value and legitimacy, cryptocurrencies rely only on the cryptographic integrity of the network itself. Yet Bitcoin and Litecoin also differ in important respects. In what follows, we will address four of their most important differences, progressing from the most straightforward differences to the more complex. (Read more What Is Litecoin And How Does It Work?)
Market Capitalization and Popularity
At the time of writing, Bitcoin’s market capitalization sits at roughly $217 billion. Whether this figure strikes you as either high or low will depend largely on your historical perspective. When we consider that Bitcoin’s market capitalization was barely $42,000 in July 2010, its current figure seems staggering. While Bitcoin remains by far the most highly valued player in the cryptocurrency space, others such as Ethereum, Ripple and Litecoin are catching up.
We can now ask the question, what other characteristics set Bitcoin and Litecoin apart?
Total Amount of Coins
One of the main differences between Bitcoin and Litecoin concerns the total number of coins which each cryptocurrency can produce. The Bitcoin network can never exceed 21 million coins, whereas Litecoin can accommodate up to 84 million coins. Although in theory this sounds like a significant advantage in favor of Litecoin, its real-world effects may be negligible. This is due to the fact that both Bitcoin and Litecoin are divisible into nearly infinitesimal amounts. In fact, the minimum quantity of transferable bitcoin is one hundred millionth of a bitcoin (0.00000001 bitcoins) known colloquially as one “satoshi.” Users of either currency should therefore have no difficulty purchasing low-priced goods or services, regardless of how high the general price of an undivided single bitcoin or litecoin may become.
Despite this, Litecoin’s greater number of maximum coins might offer a psychological advantage over Bitcoin, due to its (so far) smaller price for a single unit. In a video interview posted by IBM’s banking division in November 2013, IBM executive Richard Brown raised the prospect that some users may prefer transacting in whole units rather than in fractions of a unit—a potential advantage for Litecoin.Yet even assuming that this is true, this problem may be solved through simple software changes introduced at the level of the digital wallets through which Bitcoin transactions are made. As Tristan Winters points out in a November 2013 Bitcoin Magazine article, “The Psychology of Decimals,” popular Bitcoin wallets such as Multibit and Electrum already offer users the option of displaying the value of their bitcoins in terms of official (or fiat) currencies such as the U.S. dollar. This can help circumvent the psychological aversion to dealing in fractions when using bitcoin.
Transaction Processing Speed
Although technically transactions occur instantaneously on both the Bitcoin and Litecoin networks, time is required in order for those transactions to be confirmed by other network participants. According to data from Blockchain.info, the Bitcoin network’s long-term average transaction confirmation time is just over 9 minutes per transaction. The equivalent figure for Litecoin is roughly 2.5 minutes, according to data from BitInfoCharts.com. In principle, this difference in confirmation time could make Litecoin more attractive for merchants. For example, a merchant selling a product in exchange for Bitcoin would need to wait nearly four times as long to confirm payment as if that same product were sold in exchange for Litecoin. On the other hand, merchants can always opt to accept transactions without waiting for any confirmation at all. The security of such zero-confirmation transactions is the subject of some debate. However, recent innovations such as Bitpay’s proposed Inter-Channel Payments system (nicknamed “Impulse”) may make these kinds of instantaneous transactions significantly more secure, mitigating Litecoin’s faster confirmation time advantage.
Different Algorithms: Bitcoin’s SHA-256 vs. Litecoin’s Scrypt
By far the most fundamental technical difference between Bitcoin and Litecoin are the different cryptographic algorithms which they employ. Bitcoin makes use of the longstanding SHA-256 algorithm, whereas Litecoin makes use of a comparatively new algorithm known as Scrypt.
The main practical significance of these different algorithms is their impact on the process of “mining” new coins. In both Bitcoin and Litecoin, the process of confirming transactions requires substantial computing power. Some members of the currency network, known as miners, allocate their own computing resources toward the task of confirming the transactions of other users. In exchange for doing so, these miners are rewarded by earning units of the currency which they have mined. (Read more What Is Bitcoin Mining?)
SHA-256 is generally considered to be a more complex algorithm than Scrypt, while at the same time allowing a greater degree of parallel processing. Consequently, Bitcoin miners in recent years have utilized increasingly sophisticated methods for mining bitcoins as efficiently as possible. Today, the most dominant method for Bitcoin mining consists of the use of Application-Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs). These are hardware systems which, unlike the simple CPUs and GPUs which came before them, can be tailor-made for the sole purpose of mining bitcoins. The practical consequence of this innovation has been that Bitcoin mining has become increasingly out-of-reach for the everyday user.
Scrypt, by contrast, was deliberately designed to be less susceptible to the kinds of custom hardware solutions employed in ASIC-based mining. This has led many commentators to view Scrypt-based cryptocurrencies, such as Litecoinm as being more accessible for users who also wish to participate in the network as miners. In recent years, however, companies such as Zeus and Flower Technology have brought Scrypt AISCs to the market, suggesting that Litecoin’s vision of easily accessible mining may become a thing of the past.
The Bottom Line
While Bitcoin and Litecoin may be the gold and silver of the cryptocurrency space today, history has shown that the status quo in this dynamic and emerging sector can change profoundly in even a few months. It remains to be seen whether the cryptocurrencies with which we have become familiar will retain their stature in the months and years to come. (Read more The 5 Most Important Virtual Currencies Other Than Bitcoin)
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Bitcoin Vs. Litecoin: What's The Difference? By Jason Fernando | Updated December 22, 2017 — 10:41 AM EST
Share
More on Blockchain and Bitcoin
Bitcoin Price Slides Further; Ripple Builds Lead Over Ethereum
Bitcoin Price Moves Sideways: Ripple Briefly Was 2nd Most Valuable Cryptocurrency
Overstock Goes ‘All In’ on Bitcoin, Stock Climbs 300% In 2017
Bitcoin Price Down After South Korea Moves To Reduce Cryptocurrency Mania
Over the past several years, public interest in cryptocurrencies has increased dramatically. The main focus of this interest has been Bitcoin, which, following the release of its first public client in 2009, has become the dominant name in cryptocurrency. In recent years, however, many other cryptocurrencies have entered the scene. Among these, one name which has garnered increasing interest is Litecoin. Indeed, Litecoin’s own developers have long stated that their intention is to create the “silver” to Bitcoin’s “gold”. In this article, we will explore the similarities and differences between these two leading cryptocurrencies.
On the surface, Bitcoin and Litecoin share a lot in common. At the most basic level, they are of course both cryptocurrencies. Whereas state currencies such as the U.S. dollar or the yen rely on political and legal mechanisms for value and legitimacy, cryptocurrencies rely only on the cryptographic integrity of the network itself. Yet Bitcoin and Litecoin also differ in important respects. In what follows, we will address four of their most important differences, progressing from the most straightforward differences to the more complex. (Read more What Is Litecoin And How Does It Work?)
Market Capitalization and Popularity
At the time of writing, Bitcoin’s market capitalization sits at roughly $217 billion. Whether this figure strikes you as either high or low will depend largely on your historical perspective. When we consider that Bitcoin’s market capitalization was barely $42,000 in July 2010, its current figure seems staggering. While Bitcoin remains by far the most highly valued player in the cryptocurrency space, others such as Ethereum, Ripple and Litecoin are catching up.
We can now ask the question, what other characteristics set Bitcoin and Litecoin apart?
Total Amount of Coins
One of the main differences between Bitcoin and Litecoin concerns the total number of coins which each cryptocurrency can produce. The Bitcoin network can never exceed 21 million coins, whereas Litecoin can accommodate up to 84 million coins. Although in theory this sounds like a significant advantage in favor of Litecoin, its real-world effects may be negligible. This is due to the fact that both Bitcoin and Litecoin are divisible into nearly infinitesimal amounts. In fact, the minimum quantity of transferable bitcoin is one hundred millionth of a bitcoin (0.00000001 bitcoins) known colloquially as one “satoshi.” Users of either currency should therefore have no difficulty purchasing low-priced goods or services, regardless of how high the general price of an undivided single bitcoin or litecoin may become.
Despite this, Litecoin’s greater number of maximum coins might offer a psychological advantage over Bitcoin, due to its (so far) smaller price for a single unit. In a video interview posted by IBM’s banking division in November 2013, IBM executive Richard Brown raised the prospect that some users may prefer transacting in whole units rather than in fractions of a unit—a potential advantage for Litecoin.Yet even assuming that this is true, this problem may be solved through simple software changes introduced at the level of the digital wallets through which Bitcoin transactions are made. As Tristan Winters points out in a November 2013 Bitcoin Magazine article, “The Psychology of Decimals,” popular Bitcoin wallets such as Multibit and Electrum already offer users the option of displaying the value of their bitcoins in terms of official (or fiat) currencies such as the U.S. dollar. This can help circumvent the psychological aversion to dealing in fractions when using bitcoin.
Transaction Processing Speed
Although technically transactions occur instantaneously on both the Bitcoin and Litecoin networks, time is required in order for those transactions to be confirmed by other network participants. According to data from Blockchain.info, the Bitcoin network’s long-term average transaction confirmation time is just over 9 minutes per transaction. The equivalent figure for Litecoin is roughly 2.5 minutes, according to data from BitInfoCharts.com. In principle, this difference in confirmation time could make Litecoin more attractive for merchants. For example, a merchant selling a product in exchange for Bitcoin would need to wait nearly four times as long to confirm payment as if that same product were sold in exchange for Litecoin. On the other hand, merchants can always opt to accept transactions without waiting for any confirmation at all. The security of such zero-confirmation transactions is the subject of some debate. However, recent innovations such as Bitpay’s proposed Inter-Channel Payments system (nicknamed “Impulse”) may make these kinds of instantaneous transactions significantly more secure, mitigating Litecoin’s faster confirmation time advantage.
Different Algorithms: Bitcoin’s SHA-256 vs. Litecoin’s Scrypt
By far the most fundamental technical difference between Bitcoin and Litecoin are the different cryptographic algorithms which they employ. Bitcoin makes use of the longstanding SHA-256 algorithm, whereas Litecoin makes use of a comparatively new algorithm known as Scrypt.
The main practical significance of these different algorithms is their impact on the process of “mining” new coins. In both Bitcoin and Litecoin, the process of confirming transactions requires substantial computing power. Some members of the currency network, known as miners, allocate their own computing resources toward the task of confirming the transactions of other users. In exchange for doing so, these miners are rewarded by earning units of the currency which they have mined. (Read more What Is Bitcoin Mining?)
SHA-256 is generally considered to be a more complex algorithm than Scrypt, while at the same time allowing a greater degree of parallel processing. Consequently, Bitcoin miners in recent years have utilized increasingly sophisticated methods for mining bitcoins as efficiently as possible. Today, the most dominant method for Bitcoin mining consists of the use of Application-Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs). These are hardware systems which, unlike the simple CPUs and GPUs which came before them, can be tailor-made for the sole purpose of mining bitcoins. The practical consequence of this innovation has been that Bitcoin mining has become increasingly out-of-reach for the everyday user.
Scrypt, by contrast, was deliberately designed to be less susceptible to the kinds of custom hardware solutions employed in ASIC-based mining. This has led many commentators to view Scrypt-based cryptocurrencies, such as Litecoinm as being more accessible for users who also wish to participate in the network as miners. In recent years, however, companies such as Zeus and Flower Technology have brought Scrypt AISCs to the market, suggesting that Litecoin’s vision of easily accessible mining may become a thing of the past.
The Bottom Line
While Bitcoin and Litecoin may be the gold and silver of the cryptocurrency space today, history has shown that the status quo in this dynamic and emerging sector can change profoundly in even a few months. It remains to be seen whether the cryptocurrencies with which we have become familiar will retain their stature in the months and years to come. (Read more The 5 Most Important Virtual Currencies Other Than Bitcoin)
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Investopedia/James Garret Baldwin: Understanding a Private Equity Fund's Structure
Investopedia
Understanding a Private Equity Fund's Structure (HLT, BX) By James Garrett Baldwin | Updated December 26, 2017 — 3:35 PM EST
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Private equity funds allow high-net-worth individuals and a variety of institutions to directly invest in and acquire equity ownership in companies. Funds may consider purchasing stakes in private firms or public companies with the intention of de-listing the latter from public stock exchanges and taking them private. After a finite period, the private equity fund will divest its holdings through a number of options, including initial public offerings (IPOs) or sales to another private equity firm.
Although minimum investments vary for each fund, the structure of private equity funds historically follows a similar framework that includes classes of fund partners, management fees, investment horizons, and other key factors laid out in a Limited Partnership Agreement (LPA).
Before investing in a private equity fund, investors need to have a good grasp of these funds' typical structures. (For an overview, read: What Is Private Equity?)
Partners and Key Responsibilities
Private equity funds can engage in leveraged buyouts (LBOs), mezzanine debt, private placement loans, distressed debt or serve in the portfolio of a fund of funds (see Can mutual funds invest in private equity?). While many different opportunities exist for investors, these funds are most commonly designed as limited partnerships.
Those seeking to better understand the structure of a private equity fund should recognize two classifications of fund participation. First, the private equity fund’s partners are known as general partners (GPs). Under the structure of each fund, GPs are given the right to manage the private equity fund and to pick which investments they will include in its portfolios. GPs are also responsible for attaining capital commitments from investors known as limited partners (LPs). This class of investors typically includes institutions (pension funds, university endowments, insurance companies, etc.) and high-net-worth individuals.
Limited partners have no influence over investment decisions. At the time that capital is raised, the exact investments that will be included in the fund are unknown. However, LPs can decide to provide no additional investment to the fund if they become dissatisfied with the fund or the portfolio manager.
The Limited Partnership Agreement (LPA)
When a fund raises money, institutional and individual investors agree to specific investment terms presented in a Limited Partnership Agreement.
What separates each classification of partners in this agreement is the risk to each. LPs are liable up to the full amount of money that they invest in the fund. However, GPs are fully liable to the market, meaning that if the fund loses everything and its account turns negative, GPs are responsible for any debts or obligations.
The LPA also outlines an important life cycle metric known as the “Duration of the Fund.” PE funds traditionally have a finite length of 10 years, consisting of five different stages. These are the organization and formation; the fund-raising period (typically two years); the period of deal-sourcing and investing (three years); the period of portfolio management; and the up to seven years of exiting from existing investments through IPOs, secondary markets or trade sales.
Private equity funds typically exit each deal within a finite time-period due to the incentive structure and a GP's possible desire to raise a new fund. However, that time-frame can be affected by negative market conditions, such as periods when various exit options, such as IPOs, might not attract the desired capital to sell a company.
Notable private equity exits include Blackstone Group's (NYSE: BX) 2013 IPO of Hilton Worldwide Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: HLT) that provided the deal's architects a paper profit of $12 billion.
Investment and Payout Structure
Perhaps the most important components of any fund’s LPA are obvious: the return on investment and the costs of doing business with the fund. In addition to the decision rights, the GPs receive a management fee and a “carry.”
Traditionally, the LPA will outline management fees for general partners of the fund. It's common that private equity funds will require an annual fee of 2% of capital invested to pay for firm salaries, deal sourcing and legal services, data and research costs, marketing, and additional fixed and variable costs. For example, if a private equity firm raised a $500 million fund, it would collect $10 million each year to pay expenses. Over the duration of the 10-year fund cycle, the PE firm would collect $50 million in fees, meaning that $450 million would actually be invested during that decade. (For more, read: Private Equity Management: Fees and Regulation.)
Private equity companies also receive a carry, which is a performance fee that is traditionally 20% of excess gross profits for the fund. Investors are usually willing to pay these fees due to the fund's ability to help manage and mitigate corporate governance and management issues that might negatively affect a public company.
Additional Restrictions and Structural Components
The LPA also includes restrictions imposed on GPs regarding the types of investment they might be able to consider. These restrictions can include industry type, company size, diversification requirements, and the location of potential acquisition targets. In addition, GPs are only allowed to allocate a specific amount of money from the fund into each deal it finances. Under these terms, the fund must borrow the rest of its capital from banks that might be lending at different multiples of a cash flow, which can test the profitability of potential deals.
The ability to limit potential funding to a specific deal is important to limited partners because several investments bundled together improves the incentive structure for the GPs. Investing in multiple companies provides risk to the GPs and could reduce the potential carry should a past or future deal underperform or turn negative.
Meanwhile LPs are not provided with veto rights over individual investments. This is important because LPs, which outnumber GPs in the fund, would commonly object to certain investments due to governance concerns, particularly in the early stages of identifying and funding companies. Multiple vetoes of companies might reduce the positive incentives created by the commingling of fund investments.
The Bottom Line
Private-equity firms offer unique investment opportunities to high-net-worth and institutional investors. But anyone seeking to invest in a PE fund must first understand their structure so that he or she is aware of the amount of time they will be required to invest, all associated management and performance fees, and the liabilities associated. Typically, PE funds have a 10-year duration, require 2% annual management fees and 20% performance fees, and require LPs to assume liability for their individual investment, while GPs maintain complete liability.
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Understanding a Private Equity Fund's Structure (HLT, BX) By James Garrett Baldwin | Updated December 26, 2017 — 3:35 PM EST
Share
Add To Watchlist
HLT
Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc
79.86
-0.73%
BX
BlackStone Group LP
32.02
-0.78%
View Watchlist
Private equity funds allow high-net-worth individuals and a variety of institutions to directly invest in and acquire equity ownership in companies. Funds may consider purchasing stakes in private firms or public companies with the intention of de-listing the latter from public stock exchanges and taking them private. After a finite period, the private equity fund will divest its holdings through a number of options, including initial public offerings (IPOs) or sales to another private equity firm.
Although minimum investments vary for each fund, the structure of private equity funds historically follows a similar framework that includes classes of fund partners, management fees, investment horizons, and other key factors laid out in a Limited Partnership Agreement (LPA).
Before investing in a private equity fund, investors need to have a good grasp of these funds' typical structures. (For an overview, read: What Is Private Equity?)
Partners and Key Responsibilities
Private equity funds can engage in leveraged buyouts (LBOs), mezzanine debt, private placement loans, distressed debt or serve in the portfolio of a fund of funds (see Can mutual funds invest in private equity?). While many different opportunities exist for investors, these funds are most commonly designed as limited partnerships.
Those seeking to better understand the structure of a private equity fund should recognize two classifications of fund participation. First, the private equity fund’s partners are known as general partners (GPs). Under the structure of each fund, GPs are given the right to manage the private equity fund and to pick which investments they will include in its portfolios. GPs are also responsible for attaining capital commitments from investors known as limited partners (LPs). This class of investors typically includes institutions (pension funds, university endowments, insurance companies, etc.) and high-net-worth individuals.
Limited partners have no influence over investment decisions. At the time that capital is raised, the exact investments that will be included in the fund are unknown. However, LPs can decide to provide no additional investment to the fund if they become dissatisfied with the fund or the portfolio manager.
The Limited Partnership Agreement (LPA)
When a fund raises money, institutional and individual investors agree to specific investment terms presented in a Limited Partnership Agreement.
What separates each classification of partners in this agreement is the risk to each. LPs are liable up to the full amount of money that they invest in the fund. However, GPs are fully liable to the market, meaning that if the fund loses everything and its account turns negative, GPs are responsible for any debts or obligations.
The LPA also outlines an important life cycle metric known as the “Duration of the Fund.” PE funds traditionally have a finite length of 10 years, consisting of five different stages. These are the organization and formation; the fund-raising period (typically two years); the period of deal-sourcing and investing (three years); the period of portfolio management; and the up to seven years of exiting from existing investments through IPOs, secondary markets or trade sales.
Private equity funds typically exit each deal within a finite time-period due to the incentive structure and a GP's possible desire to raise a new fund. However, that time-frame can be affected by negative market conditions, such as periods when various exit options, such as IPOs, might not attract the desired capital to sell a company.
Notable private equity exits include Blackstone Group's (NYSE: BX) 2013 IPO of Hilton Worldwide Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: HLT) that provided the deal's architects a paper profit of $12 billion.
Investment and Payout Structure
Perhaps the most important components of any fund’s LPA are obvious: the return on investment and the costs of doing business with the fund. In addition to the decision rights, the GPs receive a management fee and a “carry.”
Traditionally, the LPA will outline management fees for general partners of the fund. It's common that private equity funds will require an annual fee of 2% of capital invested to pay for firm salaries, deal sourcing and legal services, data and research costs, marketing, and additional fixed and variable costs. For example, if a private equity firm raised a $500 million fund, it would collect $10 million each year to pay expenses. Over the duration of the 10-year fund cycle, the PE firm would collect $50 million in fees, meaning that $450 million would actually be invested during that decade. (For more, read: Private Equity Management: Fees and Regulation.)
Private equity companies also receive a carry, which is a performance fee that is traditionally 20% of excess gross profits for the fund. Investors are usually willing to pay these fees due to the fund's ability to help manage and mitigate corporate governance and management issues that might negatively affect a public company.
Additional Restrictions and Structural Components
The LPA also includes restrictions imposed on GPs regarding the types of investment they might be able to consider. These restrictions can include industry type, company size, diversification requirements, and the location of potential acquisition targets. In addition, GPs are only allowed to allocate a specific amount of money from the fund into each deal it finances. Under these terms, the fund must borrow the rest of its capital from banks that might be lending at different multiples of a cash flow, which can test the profitability of potential deals.
The ability to limit potential funding to a specific deal is important to limited partners because several investments bundled together improves the incentive structure for the GPs. Investing in multiple companies provides risk to the GPs and could reduce the potential carry should a past or future deal underperform or turn negative.
Meanwhile LPs are not provided with veto rights over individual investments. This is important because LPs, which outnumber GPs in the fund, would commonly object to certain investments due to governance concerns, particularly in the early stages of identifying and funding companies. Multiple vetoes of companies might reduce the positive incentives created by the commingling of fund investments.
The Bottom Line
Private-equity firms offer unique investment opportunities to high-net-worth and institutional investors. But anyone seeking to invest in a PE fund must first understand their structure so that he or she is aware of the amount of time they will be required to invest, all associated management and performance fees, and the liabilities associated. Typically, PE funds have a 10-year duration, require 2% annual management fees and 20% performance fees, and require LPs to assume liability for their individual investment, while GPs maintain complete liability.
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How To Start Your Own Private Equity Fund
Here's a how-to guide on starting on starting a private equity firm.
Managing Wealth
Private Equity's Returns Are Tempered By Its Risks (BX, KKR)
Private equity firms adopt approaches to quickly hike up earnings and boost returns, but these investments come with big risks too.
Investing
What Is Private Equity?
Everything you always wanted to know about private equity, from the players to the varieties to how you the average investor can get in on the action.
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Effects Of Interest Rate Hikes On Private Equity
Private Equity firms would be wise to lock in current interest rates on their debt payments in anticipation of rate hikes.
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Carried interest is the percentage of a private equity or a hedge fund’s profits that its general partners receive as compensation.
Financial Advisor
This is Where Most Pension Funds Invest
Pension funds have moved beyond traditional investments in bonds and stocks. The new order includes private equity and alternative investment pools.
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Is Private Equity the Right Move Now? (PSP, PEX)
With equities extremely volatile, does it make sense to move to private equity?
RELATED FAQS
Why are private equity investments usually reserved for rich people?
Learn what investors without a high net worth can do to invest in private equity investments, and discover the benefits and ... Read Answer >>
Can mutual funds invest in private equity?
Learn about the mutual funds that invest in private equity by buying shares of investment holdings firms that specialize ... Read Answer >>
What are Major Differences Between Investment Banking and Private Equity?
Private equity and investment banking both raise capital for investing purposes, but they do so in very different ways. Read Answer >>
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Dr. Mercola: Add This to Your Salads, Helps Banish Fatigue
Mercola.com
Add This to Your Salads, Helps Banish Fatigue
Containing potassium and enzymes that boost your energy, plus a plethora of amino acids to prevent the buildup of lactic acid in your body - there may be no easier way to ward off fatigue. Added bonus: It may also help you eat less and offload 1.5 pounds a
Try Apple Cider Vinegar and Black Cumin Oil as Your Go-To Salad Dressing
January 01, 2018 • 8,037 views Disponible en Español
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Either apple cider vinegar or black seed oil, or both, can be used as substitutes for other oils and vinegars to make a delicious salad dressing packed with health benefits for the whole family
Apple cider vinegar has many useful benefits, including improved blood sugar control, heart health, weight management, easing sinus congestion, sore throat and digestive ailments, detox and immune support and more
Apple cider vinegar is made through a fermentation process that renders it rich in bioactive components like acetic acid, giving it potent antioxidant, antimicrobial and many other beneficial properties
Black seed oil (Nigella Sativa) may be helpful for Type 2 diabetes, reducing asthma symptoms, enhancing memory and lowering stress, alleviating symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis and more
True to its old Latin name, “Panacea,” which means “cure all,” Nigella Sativa has at least 20 different pharmacological actions, which helps explain how it can be useful for so many different and varying ailments
30 Tips in 30 Days Designed to Help You Take Control of Your Health
This article is part of the 30 Day Resolution Guide series. Each day a new tip will be added designed to help you take control of your health. For a complete list of the tips click HERE
By Dr. Mercola
Vinegar, said to have been discovered around 5,000 B.C., was originally used as a food preservative. In time, a number of medicinal uses became apparent, and in the 1700s it was used to treat everything from poison ivy and croup to stomach aches and diabetes. While vinegar can be made from virtually any fermentable carbohydrate, including grapes, dates, coconut, potatoes and beets, one of the most widely used is apple cider vinegar, made from apples.
Black seed oil (Nigella sativa) is another healthy household staple revered since ancient times for its medicinal qualities. Either apple cider vinegar or black seed oil, or both, can be used as substitutes for other oils and vinegars to make a delicious salad dressing packed with health benefits for the whole family. But first, let's review some of the benefits of each of these ingredients.
Apple Cider Vinegar Has Many Valuable Health Benefits
Traditionally, apple cider vinegar is made through a long, slow fermentation process that renders it rich in bioactive components like acetic acid, gallic acid, catechin, epicatechin, caffeic acid and more, giving it potent antioxidant, antimicrobial and many other beneficial properties. "Mother" of vinegar, a cobweb-like amino acid-based substance found in unprocessed, unfiltered vinegar, indicates your vinegar is of the best quality.
Most manufacturers pasteurize and filter their vinegar to prevent the mother from forming, but the "murky" kind is actually best, especially if you're planning to consume it. With its wide variety of health benefits, a jug of raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar is easily one of the most economical and versatile remedies around. I recommend keeping it in your home at all times. Some of the health benefits associated with apple cider vinegar consumption include:
Blood sugar control — Vinegar is said to be antiglycemic and has a beneficial effect on your blood sugar, likely due to its acetic acid content, which prevents the complete digestion of complex carbohydrates. Another theory is that vinegar helps inactivate digestive enzymes that break down carbohydrates into sugar, thus slowing the conversion of complex carbohydrate into sugar, preventing a spike by giving you more time to pull sugar out of your blood.
There are studies supporting the use of vinegar as a diabetic treatment as well. One study1 found vinegar treatment improved insulin sensitivity in 19 percent of individuals with type 2 diabetes and 34 percent of those with prediabetes.
Heart health — Polyphenols such as chlorogenic acid help inhibit oxidation of LDL cholesterol,2 while acetic acid helps lower blood pressure.3 Vinegar has also been shown to lower triglyceride levels and VLDL (very low density lipoprotein) cholesterol in animals.4
Weight management — Vinegar may aid weight loss by increasing satiety, another effect attributed to acetic acid. For instance, when volunteers consumed a small amount of vinegar along with a high-carb meal (a bagel and juice) they consumed less food for the remainder of the day. The reduction equated to about 200 to 275 calories a day — an amount that would result in a monthly weight loss of up to 1.5 pounds.5
Sinus congestion — Apple cider vinegar's ability to break up and reduce mucus in your body can help clear your sinuses. It also has antibacterial properties, making it useful for infections. Here's what to do:6
Add one-half to 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar to a cup of warm filtered water. Stir until thoroughly mixed.
Using a neti pot, pour the mixture into one nostril at a time, while plugging the other nostril with the other hand.
Sore throat — The antibacterial properties of apple cider vinegar may be useful for sore throats as well. Gargle with a mixture of about one-third cup of apple cider vinegar mixed with warm water as needed. Apple cider vinegar with honey and ginger for a sore throat is also a popular and effective remedy. Another mixture for sore throat, recommended by Bonnie K. McMillen, a nurse from the University of Pittsburgh, includes:7
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon raw honey
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
Optional: 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Digestive ailments — Acid reflux typically results from a lack of stomach acid. You can easily improve the acid content of your stomach by taking 1 tablespoon of raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar in a large glass of water daily. The pectin in apple cider vinegar may also help to soothe intestinal spasms. For everyday gut health, a mixture of 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar with 1 teaspoon of raw honey in 1 cup of warm water can help.
Skin irritations and warts — Apple cider vinegar also works for a variety of skin ailments, from bug bites and poison ivy to sunburn and even warts. You can either apply it directly to the irritated area or try soaking in a bath with about 1 cup of vinegar added. For warts, soak a cotton ball in vinegar and apply it to the wart, covered, overnight. Repeat until the wart disappears.
Energy boost — Apple cider vinegar contains potassium and enzymes to help banish fatigue. Plus, its amino acids may help prevent the buildup of lactic acid in your body, further preventing fatigue.8
Detox and immune support — Studies have shown apple cider vinegar can be beneficial for liver detoxification and helps cleanse your lymphatic system, which can contribute to improved immune system response. According to The Truth About Cancer:9
"Cider vinegar was … determined to be a strong antimicrobial agent … One of the most fatal bacterium, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, is resistant to disinfectants but is found to be killed by acetic acid. Especially in patients who are immunosuppressed, apple cider vinegar is an excellent natural antimicrobial tonic to rid of harmful bacteria and provide immune support."
Candida — Candida overgrowth in your gut has been linked to many different health issues, including yeast infections, fatigue, poor memory, depression, headaches and sugar cravings.
Candida overgrowth usually happens when your body is too acidic from excessive consumption of processed foods or sugar, or if there are insufficient healthy bacteria in your system. Because apple cider vinegar is fermented with a beneficial yeast, it can serve as a prebiotic for healthy bacteria, essentially helping good bacteria grow.
The Many Health Benefits of Black Seed Oil
Black seeds and black seed oil — also commonly known as black cumin seed, which is a bit unfortunate as there's also black cumin (Bunium bulbocastanum), which is another plant family altogether — have a long history of use in traditional systems of medicine, including Ayurveda and Siddha.
A tincture of black seeds was traditionally used to treat indigestion, loss of appetite, diarrhea, parasitic infections and skin problems. Traditionally, black seed has also been used for immune-system support, general well-being, digestive health, respiratory issues, kidney and liver support and heart health. In Asia and the Middle East, the seeds have long been used to treat asthma, bronchitis, rheumatism and other inflammatory diseases.
The most abundant active plant chemical in black cumin is thymoquinone; other bioactive compounds in the seed include α-hederin, alkaloids, flavonoids, antioxidants and fatty acids. As for its antioxidant activity, black cumin seed has been found to be far more potent than vitamin C.10 In modern times, researchers have confirmed Nigella sativa may indeed be helpful for:11
Type 2 diabetes. In one study, Nigella sativa improved glucose tolerance as efficiently as metformin.12 It's also been shown to improve the performance of antidiabetic medication13
Reducing asthma symptoms. In one study,14 thymoquinone was found to be instrumental, by reducing two inflammatory mediators of asthma and other inflammatory processes.
Another study15 found black cumin seed also acts as a relaxant, and displays both anticholinergic (reducing spasms in smooth muscle) and antihistaminic (blocking allergic reactions) effects. Here, thymoquinone was found to be superior to the asthma drug fluticasone (a synthetic glucocorticoid)
Enhancing memory and reducing stress. The results showed black cumin seed inhibited stress-induced biochemical changes in a dose-dependent manner. Memory and cognition was also dose-dependent16
Reducing damage caused by cadmium poisoning. May also serve as prophylactic against chemical warfare agents17
Protecting against and attenuating aflatoxicosis18
Alleviating symptoms of allergic rhinitis19
Candidiasis20
Rheumatoid arthritis21
Cancer22
Black Seed Oil Has Over 20 Pharmacological Actions
True to its old Latin name, "Panacea," which means "cure all," Nigella sativa or black seed oil has at least 20 different pharmacological actions, which helps explain how it can be useful for so many different and varying ailments. These medicinal actions include:23
Antidiabetic
Anticancer
Immunomodulatory
Analgesic (pain relief)
Antimicrobial
Anti-inflammatory
Spasmolytic
Bronchodilator24
Hepatoprotective
Renal protective
Gastroprotective
Antioxidant
Culinary Uses for Black Seed
Black seed can be purchased both as whole seeds and as oil, and both make valuable contributions in the kitchen. A popular addition to North Indian, Pakistani and Iranian cuisines, black seed gives the dish a warm, slightly bitter flavor that tastes something like a blend of thyme, oregano and nutmeg.
The seeds can also be added to casseroles, stir-fries, smoothies and baked goods. You can also make tea by pouring hot water over the seeds (about 1 tablespoon) and letting it steep for 10 minutes.25 A mixture of black seeds, honey and garlic also makes a powerful tonic for soothing coughs and boosting immunity, especially during cold and flu season or if you feel like you're coming down with an infection.26
All of that said, keep in mind that, like all seeds, black cumin seeds are high in polyunsaturated fats. So, when taken in excess, they could make your mitochondrial membranes more susceptible to oxidation. For this reason, I suggest limiting your daily intake to 1 to 2 tablespoons or less.
Apple Cider Vinegar and Black Seed Oil — Healthy Substitutes for Homemade Dressing
With their plethora of health benefits, apple cider vinegar and black seed oil are two staple ingredients well worth keeping on hand at all times. Aside from the culinary suggestions already mentioned above, here are a few more tips for how to get these healthy ingredients into your diet on a regular basis by using them in your homemade salad dressing:
Try mixing apple cider vinegar, black seed oil, fresh lemon juice, cilantro and tahini. Experiment with the ratios to enhance the flavor you enjoy the most
A simple and yummy dressing that goes particularly well with broccoli, asparagus or salad greens includes: 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic, a dash of ground black pepper and a few fresh basil leaves, chopped
Alternatively, you can use apple cider vinegar and/or black seed oil as substitutes for other oils and vinegars in whatever dressing recipe you're already using. Keep in mind that the black seed oil does have a spicy kick to it, so substituting the full amount may make it too spicy. Start by adding just a small amount, and experiment to find the ratio of vinegar, olive oil and black seed oil you enjoy
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Add This to Your Salads, Helps Banish Fatigue
Containing potassium and enzymes that boost your energy, plus a plethora of amino acids to prevent the buildup of lactic acid in your body - there may be no easier way to ward off fatigue. Added bonus: It may also help you eat less and offload 1.5 pounds a
Try Apple Cider Vinegar and Black Cumin Oil as Your Go-To Salad Dressing
January 01, 2018 • 8,037 views Disponible en Español
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Either apple cider vinegar or black seed oil, or both, can be used as substitutes for other oils and vinegars to make a delicious salad dressing packed with health benefits for the whole family
Apple cider vinegar has many useful benefits, including improved blood sugar control, heart health, weight management, easing sinus congestion, sore throat and digestive ailments, detox and immune support and more
Apple cider vinegar is made through a fermentation process that renders it rich in bioactive components like acetic acid, giving it potent antioxidant, antimicrobial and many other beneficial properties
Black seed oil (Nigella Sativa) may be helpful for Type 2 diabetes, reducing asthma symptoms, enhancing memory and lowering stress, alleviating symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis and more
True to its old Latin name, “Panacea,” which means “cure all,” Nigella Sativa has at least 20 different pharmacological actions, which helps explain how it can be useful for so many different and varying ailments
30 Tips in 30 Days Designed to Help You Take Control of Your Health
This article is part of the 30 Day Resolution Guide series. Each day a new tip will be added designed to help you take control of your health. For a complete list of the tips click HERE
By Dr. Mercola
Vinegar, said to have been discovered around 5,000 B.C., was originally used as a food preservative. In time, a number of medicinal uses became apparent, and in the 1700s it was used to treat everything from poison ivy and croup to stomach aches and diabetes. While vinegar can be made from virtually any fermentable carbohydrate, including grapes, dates, coconut, potatoes and beets, one of the most widely used is apple cider vinegar, made from apples.
Black seed oil (Nigella sativa) is another healthy household staple revered since ancient times for its medicinal qualities. Either apple cider vinegar or black seed oil, or both, can be used as substitutes for other oils and vinegars to make a delicious salad dressing packed with health benefits for the whole family. But first, let's review some of the benefits of each of these ingredients.
Apple Cider Vinegar Has Many Valuable Health Benefits
Traditionally, apple cider vinegar is made through a long, slow fermentation process that renders it rich in bioactive components like acetic acid, gallic acid, catechin, epicatechin, caffeic acid and more, giving it potent antioxidant, antimicrobial and many other beneficial properties. "Mother" of vinegar, a cobweb-like amino acid-based substance found in unprocessed, unfiltered vinegar, indicates your vinegar is of the best quality.
Most manufacturers pasteurize and filter their vinegar to prevent the mother from forming, but the "murky" kind is actually best, especially if you're planning to consume it. With its wide variety of health benefits, a jug of raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar is easily one of the most economical and versatile remedies around. I recommend keeping it in your home at all times. Some of the health benefits associated with apple cider vinegar consumption include:
Blood sugar control — Vinegar is said to be antiglycemic and has a beneficial effect on your blood sugar, likely due to its acetic acid content, which prevents the complete digestion of complex carbohydrates. Another theory is that vinegar helps inactivate digestive enzymes that break down carbohydrates into sugar, thus slowing the conversion of complex carbohydrate into sugar, preventing a spike by giving you more time to pull sugar out of your blood.
There are studies supporting the use of vinegar as a diabetic treatment as well. One study1 found vinegar treatment improved insulin sensitivity in 19 percent of individuals with type 2 diabetes and 34 percent of those with prediabetes.
Heart health — Polyphenols such as chlorogenic acid help inhibit oxidation of LDL cholesterol,2 while acetic acid helps lower blood pressure.3 Vinegar has also been shown to lower triglyceride levels and VLDL (very low density lipoprotein) cholesterol in animals.4
Weight management — Vinegar may aid weight loss by increasing satiety, another effect attributed to acetic acid. For instance, when volunteers consumed a small amount of vinegar along with a high-carb meal (a bagel and juice) they consumed less food for the remainder of the day. The reduction equated to about 200 to 275 calories a day — an amount that would result in a monthly weight loss of up to 1.5 pounds.5
Sinus congestion — Apple cider vinegar's ability to break up and reduce mucus in your body can help clear your sinuses. It also has antibacterial properties, making it useful for infections. Here's what to do:6
Add one-half to 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar to a cup of warm filtered water. Stir until thoroughly mixed.
Using a neti pot, pour the mixture into one nostril at a time, while plugging the other nostril with the other hand.
Sore throat — The antibacterial properties of apple cider vinegar may be useful for sore throats as well. Gargle with a mixture of about one-third cup of apple cider vinegar mixed with warm water as needed. Apple cider vinegar with honey and ginger for a sore throat is also a popular and effective remedy. Another mixture for sore throat, recommended by Bonnie K. McMillen, a nurse from the University of Pittsburgh, includes:7
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon raw honey
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
Optional: 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Digestive ailments — Acid reflux typically results from a lack of stomach acid. You can easily improve the acid content of your stomach by taking 1 tablespoon of raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar in a large glass of water daily. The pectin in apple cider vinegar may also help to soothe intestinal spasms. For everyday gut health, a mixture of 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar with 1 teaspoon of raw honey in 1 cup of warm water can help.
Skin irritations and warts — Apple cider vinegar also works for a variety of skin ailments, from bug bites and poison ivy to sunburn and even warts. You can either apply it directly to the irritated area or try soaking in a bath with about 1 cup of vinegar added. For warts, soak a cotton ball in vinegar and apply it to the wart, covered, overnight. Repeat until the wart disappears.
Energy boost — Apple cider vinegar contains potassium and enzymes to help banish fatigue. Plus, its amino acids may help prevent the buildup of lactic acid in your body, further preventing fatigue.8
Detox and immune support — Studies have shown apple cider vinegar can be beneficial for liver detoxification and helps cleanse your lymphatic system, which can contribute to improved immune system response. According to The Truth About Cancer:9
"Cider vinegar was … determined to be a strong antimicrobial agent … One of the most fatal bacterium, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, is resistant to disinfectants but is found to be killed by acetic acid. Especially in patients who are immunosuppressed, apple cider vinegar is an excellent natural antimicrobial tonic to rid of harmful bacteria and provide immune support."
Candida — Candida overgrowth in your gut has been linked to many different health issues, including yeast infections, fatigue, poor memory, depression, headaches and sugar cravings.
Candida overgrowth usually happens when your body is too acidic from excessive consumption of processed foods or sugar, or if there are insufficient healthy bacteria in your system. Because apple cider vinegar is fermented with a beneficial yeast, it can serve as a prebiotic for healthy bacteria, essentially helping good bacteria grow.
The Many Health Benefits of Black Seed Oil
Black seeds and black seed oil — also commonly known as black cumin seed, which is a bit unfortunate as there's also black cumin (Bunium bulbocastanum), which is another plant family altogether — have a long history of use in traditional systems of medicine, including Ayurveda and Siddha.
A tincture of black seeds was traditionally used to treat indigestion, loss of appetite, diarrhea, parasitic infections and skin problems. Traditionally, black seed has also been used for immune-system support, general well-being, digestive health, respiratory issues, kidney and liver support and heart health. In Asia and the Middle East, the seeds have long been used to treat asthma, bronchitis, rheumatism and other inflammatory diseases.
The most abundant active plant chemical in black cumin is thymoquinone; other bioactive compounds in the seed include α-hederin, alkaloids, flavonoids, antioxidants and fatty acids. As for its antioxidant activity, black cumin seed has been found to be far more potent than vitamin C.10 In modern times, researchers have confirmed Nigella sativa may indeed be helpful for:11
Type 2 diabetes. In one study, Nigella sativa improved glucose tolerance as efficiently as metformin.12 It's also been shown to improve the performance of antidiabetic medication13
Reducing asthma symptoms. In one study,14 thymoquinone was found to be instrumental, by reducing two inflammatory mediators of asthma and other inflammatory processes.
Another study15 found black cumin seed also acts as a relaxant, and displays both anticholinergic (reducing spasms in smooth muscle) and antihistaminic (blocking allergic reactions) effects. Here, thymoquinone was found to be superior to the asthma drug fluticasone (a synthetic glucocorticoid)
Enhancing memory and reducing stress. The results showed black cumin seed inhibited stress-induced biochemical changes in a dose-dependent manner. Memory and cognition was also dose-dependent16
Reducing damage caused by cadmium poisoning. May also serve as prophylactic against chemical warfare agents17
Protecting against and attenuating aflatoxicosis18
Alleviating symptoms of allergic rhinitis19
Candidiasis20
Rheumatoid arthritis21
Cancer22
Black Seed Oil Has Over 20 Pharmacological Actions
True to its old Latin name, "Panacea," which means "cure all," Nigella sativa or black seed oil has at least 20 different pharmacological actions, which helps explain how it can be useful for so many different and varying ailments. These medicinal actions include:23
Antidiabetic
Anticancer
Immunomodulatory
Analgesic (pain relief)
Antimicrobial
Anti-inflammatory
Spasmolytic
Bronchodilator24
Hepatoprotective
Renal protective
Gastroprotective
Antioxidant
Culinary Uses for Black Seed
Black seed can be purchased both as whole seeds and as oil, and both make valuable contributions in the kitchen. A popular addition to North Indian, Pakistani and Iranian cuisines, black seed gives the dish a warm, slightly bitter flavor that tastes something like a blend of thyme, oregano and nutmeg.
The seeds can also be added to casseroles, stir-fries, smoothies and baked goods. You can also make tea by pouring hot water over the seeds (about 1 tablespoon) and letting it steep for 10 minutes.25 A mixture of black seeds, honey and garlic also makes a powerful tonic for soothing coughs and boosting immunity, especially during cold and flu season or if you feel like you're coming down with an infection.26
All of that said, keep in mind that, like all seeds, black cumin seeds are high in polyunsaturated fats. So, when taken in excess, they could make your mitochondrial membranes more susceptible to oxidation. For this reason, I suggest limiting your daily intake to 1 to 2 tablespoons or less.
Apple Cider Vinegar and Black Seed Oil — Healthy Substitutes for Homemade Dressing
With their plethora of health benefits, apple cider vinegar and black seed oil are two staple ingredients well worth keeping on hand at all times. Aside from the culinary suggestions already mentioned above, here are a few more tips for how to get these healthy ingredients into your diet on a regular basis by using them in your homemade salad dressing:
Try mixing apple cider vinegar, black seed oil, fresh lemon juice, cilantro and tahini. Experiment with the ratios to enhance the flavor you enjoy the most
A simple and yummy dressing that goes particularly well with broccoli, asparagus or salad greens includes: 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic, a dash of ground black pepper and a few fresh basil leaves, chopped
Alternatively, you can use apple cider vinegar and/or black seed oil as substitutes for other oils and vinegars in whatever dressing recipe you're already using. Keep in mind that the black seed oil does have a spicy kick to it, so substituting the full amount may make it too spicy. Start by adding just a small amount, and experiment to find the ratio of vinegar, olive oil and black seed oil you enjoy
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