Seaweed Health and Adult Stem Cells!

How Spirulina, Astaxanthin, Lutein, L carnitine and Bladderwrack are saving eyesight globally!

How Spirulina, Astaxanthin,Chlorella, and Bladderwrack are saving eyesight globally!

Spirulina contains a high concentration of zeaxanthins, an important nutrient linked to eye health. As such, spirulina helps reduce the risk of cataracts and age-related macular degeneration. And the reason it does this is that it helps the body generate new thriving adult repair stem cells! A cocktail of Spirulina, Astaxanthin(a red keto-carotenoid with various uses including dietary supplement)Although technically not a seaweed in its own right, but a pigment derived from seaweed, Astaxanthin is nature's very own health and beauty store, this is the king when it comes to the seaweed rankings. The natural sources of astaxanthin are algae, yeast, salmon, trout, krill, shrimp and crayfish. Chlorella is also extremely rich in a powerful antioxidant called astaxanthin. This carotenoid pigment hitting the headlines that we can find in most seafood that has a light pinkish color when they're cooked. Some health experts recommend avoiding over-cooking!

Astaxanthin (pronounced asta-zan-thin) is often referred to as “The King of Carotenoids,” and is becoming increasingly popular for its potent antioxidant benefits. Carotenoids are a class of plant pigments that act as powerful antioxidants and give plants their bright colors. One carotenoid you may already be familiar with is beta-carotene, the antioxidant form of vitamin A, which gives pumpkins their bright orange hue. Astaxanthin is found in coral colored pigment in algae and certain marine animals such as salmon, lobster, and shrimp. But astaxanthin has far more antioxidant power than beta-carotene. Studies have shown that the antioxidant activity of astaxanthin is significantly stronger than beta-carotene, vitamin E, lycopene, and lutein. Because bladderwrack includes a lot of beta-carotene, it's great for people who want to improve their vision.

Beta-carotene is an antioxidant that prevents and slows macular degeneration, cataracts, and blindness by directly neutralizing free radicals in the eyes and cornea. Bladderwrack is high in alginic acid, which is a system cleanser and is a type of dietary fiber. Fiber helps with constipation, but it can also reduce diarrhea and help you have more regular bowel motions in general. Despite its unattractive moniker, bladderwrack is high in vitamins (11), minerals (46), and amino acids (16), all of which work in different ways to nourish and improve the condition of your body. Squalene is also a chemical substance found in bladderwrack. The immune system is stimulated by squalene.

Chlorella is another seaweed essential to date, chlorella appears to be the most effective natural solution for the removal of heavy metals, dioxins and PCBs. Chlorella cleans our fluids (blood, lymph), our tissues, our emunctories (intestines, liver, kidneys, skin, lungs). This cleansing is an essential prerequisite for any recovery of our health. Chlorella can be used to help develop a healthy white blood cell population, originating in the marrow as stem cells. The stem cells then have the opportunity to become immune cells.

Depending on its needs, astaxanthin can be taken in combination with chlorella and spirulina. Doses of 4-18 mg daily have been used for up to 12 weeks. Taking astaxanthin might cause increased bowel movements and red stool color. Astaxanthin also increased the secretion of estrogen and progesterone in follicles, and relieved the inhibitory effects of BPA on the synthesis of hormones so it may cause hair growth.

The last ingredient of benefit to eye health is something found most commonly in seafoods like shrimp! Lutein! Found in most red seaweeds, a large body of evidence

shows that lutein has several beneficial effects, especially on eye health. In particular, lutein is known to improve or even prevent age-related macular disease which is the leading cause of blindness and vision impairment Winter squash, which includes butternut, Hubbard, and acorn squash, are very high in lutein .Kale and Spinach also have high amounts of Lutein!

Regular consumption of these nutrients may decrease the incidence of cataracts and age-related macular degeneration, according to the American Optometric Association. Lutein and zeaxanthin concentrate in the macula lutea or central region of the retina, where they filter blue light, act as antioxidants and help maintain health of the macula, according to the American Macular Degeneration Foundation. Foods rich in lutein have been found to increase pigment density in the macula. The greater pigment density in the macula, the better protected your retina is and the lower your risk for macular degeneration. Add these food to a diet that increases production of adult stem cells and you have the recipe for lifelong good eyesight. The Nobel Prize recognizes two scientists who discovered that mature, specialized cells can be reprogrammed to become immature cells John Gurdon, 79, of the Gurdon Institute in Cambridge, Britain and Shinya Yamanaka, 50, of Kyoto University in Japan, discovered ways to create tissue that would act like embryonic cells, without the need to collect the cells from embryos. They found that spirulina can negate the negative effects of inflammation on neurogenesis.

Neurogenesis is the process by which new neurons are formed in the brain. Neurogenesis is crucial when an embryo is developing, but also continues in certain brain regions after birth and throughout our lifespan. Adult stem cells can replace cells within tissues that have either high turnover such as blood, vascular endothelium and epithelium of skin, intestine, and respiratory tract, or those that have low turnover but a high regenerative potential upon injury or disease such as skeletal muscle, liver, pancreas and bone up until recently it was thought that retinal tissue could not be repaired in mammals until A team of scientists led by Dr. Tom Reh at UW Medicine in Seattle investigated ways to encourage neuron regeneration in the adult mouse eye. The study was funded in part by NIH’s National Eye Institute (NEI). Results were published in the July 26, 2017, issue of Nature. The RPE65 protein is a key enzyme in this cycle as it converts all-trans retinal to 11-cis retinol. Other enzymes then produce 11-cis retinal, so that the visual cycle can begin again and capture light. The Nobel Prize recognizes in 2012 the two scientists who discovered that mature, specialized cells can be reprogrammed to become immature cells capable of developing into ALL tissues of the body. Their findings have revolutionized our understanding of how cells and organisms develop in the human body.

Seaweed Soup Recipe

Seaweed Soup is an incredible Cantonese dish, not only because it's a staple of the cuisine and so good for your body, but also because of the way it can be easily adapted to include whatever ingredients are available.

2 lbs Dried bladderwrack or kelp

3 teaspoons dried shrimp

2 egg

6 oz kale

1lb fresh shrimp

Shrimp Marinade

1/2 tsp salt

1 finely chopped yellow onion

1 tsp cornstarch

1 tbsp water

1 tsp fish sauce (Can use low salt vegan soy sauce instead if fish sauce is not available.)

Soup Ingredients

1 tbsp grapeseed oil (Specifically for stir-frying.)

14 oz vegetable broth

6 cup water

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp fish sauce (Can use low salt vegan soy sauce instead if fish sauce is not available.)

1 dash white pepper

1. Dry the top of the bladderwrack in a dehydrator. Alternatively, use an oven heated to 200 degrees Fahrenheit for 12 hours, keeping the door half-open. It is imperative to use dried seaweed – if you don't, you will end up with seaweed slime instead of seaweed soup!

2. Wash the dried shrimp twice to make sure they're clean.

3. Cut the kale into manageable bites

4. De-vein and chop fresh shrimp

5. Marinade the fresh Shrimp mix marinade ingredients in bowl stir in de veined shrimp

6. Stir fry dried shrimp in oil in soup pot until aromatic. approx. 1 minute

7. Add broth to soup pot and then add stir fried dried shrimp

8. Add water and kale to pot boil with lid 20 minutes

9. Aftrer 20 minutes add rest of soup ingredients including seaweed

10. After 15 minutes turn the heat down to medium mix two eggs, slowly stir the eggs in soup while continuously stirring. At the end taste test and add additional seasoning to your liking!