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CAFFEINIC ACID , not to be confused with
caffeine, exerts a stimulating effect upon the heart and central nervous
system.
CALMATIVE - a substance that has a
soothing or sedative effect.
CALORIE , by definition, is the amount
of heat required to raise the temperature of one kilogram of water one degree
Celsius. The Calorie is the standard unit for measuring food energy; it is a
unit measure for heat and is not a nutrient. The Calorie used in nutrition is
the kilocalorie (kcal) or large calorie (Cal).
Nutrition Notebook uses Calorie and calorie
both to mean kilocalorie.
The caloric value of different food elements
are: one gram of protein equals four calories, one gram of fat equals nine
calories, and one gram of carbohydrate equals four calories. Nearly 80% of all
food intake is used solely to maintain a body temperature of 98.6 degrees
Fahrenheit.
CANDIDA is one of the many different
species of yeast. Each has distinct characteristics. Candida thrives in
warm-blooded animals, and brewer’s yeast does not.
Candida has a voracious appetite and multiples
rapidly. It also has the ability to change shape - to turn into a hard-edged
arrow. Once transformed, it aggressively plunges far into the cells in mucous
membranes, pushing the cells’ own nuclei to one side as it enters.
CARBOHYDRATES , one of the three classes
of nutrients, are a group of chemical substances including sugars, glycogen,
starches, dextrins, and cellulose. They contain only carbon, oxygen, and
hydrogen. Usually the ratio of hydrogen to oxygen is 2:1. Carbohydrates can be
classified as either a simple carbohydrate or a complex carbohydrate.
Digested carbohydrate enters the circulatory
system in the form of monosaccharides, primarily glucose. Lesser amounts of
fructose and galactose are also absorbed, but these are eventually converted to
glucose in the liver. Before they can be absorbed into the bloodstream,
polysaccharides and disaccharides must be broken down into monosaccharides by
specific enzymes during the digestive process.
CARCINOMA - A carcinoma is a malignant
growth consisting of epithelial cells which tend to infiltrate the surrounding
tissues and give rise to metastasis.
CARDIOLOGIST: Circulation manager
CARMINATIVE - an agent which assists in
expelling gas from the intestines.
CARTILAGE is found in various parts of
the body. It is composed of chondrocytes, mucopolysaccharides, and fiber.
Hyaline cartilage is the most common cartilage
in the body. It contains collagen fibers arranged in a loose network. This
smooth cartilage is found on the joint surfaces of bones. Hyaline cartilage
serves as a precursor to bone in the embryo. Fibrocartilage is the least common
type of cartilage. It is composed of dense bundles of collagen and elastic
fibers. Fibrocartilage cushions bone-to-bone junctions, for example, the
vertebral discs.
Elastic cartilage is composed of dense bundles
of collagen and elastic fibers. The arrangement of the fibers is similar to
that of a tendon giving the cartilage extreme flexibility. Elastic cartilage is
found in structures such as the nose and outer ear.
CASCARA SAGRADA (Rhamnus Purshiana),
Family: Anacardiaceae - Cascara sagrada is a small deciduous tree that grows
from 15-20 feet in height. It has pubescent stems covered with reddish-brown
bark and often gray lichen. The tree bears dark green elliptic to oblong-ovate
leaves with prominent veins and toothed margins. The leaves are rounded at the
base and have somewhat hairy undersides. Short-stemmed clusters of small,
greenish-white flowers grow from the upper leaf axils; they eventually produce
black, pea-sized drupes that are poisonous.
Common Names : Bearberry, Bearwood,
California buckthorn, Chittem bark, Christ’s thorn, Holy bark,
Persian bark, Sacred bark, Shittimwood
Habitat : found in Europe and western Asia,
and in North America, from northern Idaho to the Pacific coast; mountainous
areas.
Medicinal parts : bark- dried, collected at
least a year before use.
For more information see the HERBS section of
the Nutrition Notebook
CATABOLISM is the breaking down phase of
metabolism, the opposite of anabolism. Catabolism includes all the processes in
which complex substances are progressively broken down into simpler ones. Both
anabolism and catabolism usually involve the release of energy, and together
constitute metabolism.
CATHARTIC - an agent which produces
active bowel movements, often accompanying cramps; it is usually combined with
an antispasmodic.
CATION - a cation is the element of an
electrolyte in electrochemical decomposition appearing as a positive ion at the
negative pole or cathode.
CELERY is a biennial plant indigenous to
southern Europe, Asia, and Africa. It is also found in North and South America.
Celery grows in damp places and resembles domestic celery, except that it has a
less agreeable taste and is smaller in size. In its second year the plant
produces an angular furrowed stem reaching three feet in height. It bears dark
green leaves that are opposite, shiny, and primate, having wedge-shaped,
incised, toothed leaflets. From July to November, white to gray-white flowers
appear in paniculate compound umbels. The fruits are dark brown, elliptic-ovate
seeds. The medicinal parts are the roots, leaves and seeds.
Other common names: Garden Celery, Smallage,
Wild Celery
For more information see the HERBS section of
the Nutrition Notebook
CELIAC DISEASE (Sprue) or Catarrhal
Dysentery (tropical or nontropical) is an intestinal malabsorption syndrome
characterized by diarrhea, electrolyte depletion, malnutrition, bleeding
tendency, and abnormally low blood calcium. Persons with celiac disease are
unable to properly absorb gluten. The only treatment for celiac disease is a
gluten-free diet, an example of which is the Gluten Restricted Diet, for an
indefinite period. Antibiotics and folic acid may help keep the disease in
remission.
CELLULOSE is a major polysaccharide of
high molecular weight. It is a straight chain polymer which is a major
structural component of cell walls. It is very abundant in nature, forming the
skeleton of most plant structures and plant cells. Cellulose is not
water-soluble but holds water and thereby produces bulk. It is not digested by
pancreatic or small bowel enzymes.
CEMETERY: A home for the Terminally
Still.
CHAMOMILE is an annual herb found in
southern Europe and northern Asia. It grows along roadsides and fields. The
plant produces a round, furrowed, and branched stem which grows one to two feet
in height. The leaves are pale green, incised, and sessile, with thread-shaped
leaflets. The flower heads consists of yellow disk flowers and white
petal-shaped ray flowers that are bent downward to make the disk flowers more
prominent. The medicinal part is the flower.
For more information see the HERBS section of
the Nutrition Notebook
CHEILOSIS refers to angular stomatitis
seen in riboflavin deficiency and other vitamin B-complex deficiencies. It
begins with a small fissure, without much inflammation, and accumulation of
dried serum. It may eventuate in deep fissures. Characteristics of cheilosis
are swollen lips which crack easily and cracks which develop at the corners of
the mouth.
CHEMOSIS is edema in the ocular
conjunctiva around the cornea.
CHLOASMA - Irregular brown or black
spots on the skin, often on the face, that may occur during pregnancy, and in
disorders of or functional changes in the uterus and ovaries.
CHLOROPHYLL is the major
light-absorbing pigment in green plants. It is located within the membrane of
the chloroplasts, which are small, green organelles found in plant cells.
Chlorophyll is a large molecule composed of hydrogen, carbon, oxygen, and
magnesium coordinated with four central nitrogen atoms. It functions to
initiate photosynthesis, a complex biochemical pathway in which solar energy is
used to convert water and carbon dioxide to glucose and other
carbohydrates.
CHOLAGOGUE - a substance which
increases the flow of bile to the intestines.
CHOLECALCIFEROL is part of the vitamin D
Complex, identified as vitamin D-3.
CHOLESTATIC - The checking or failure of
bile flow.
CHOLERETIC - a substance that stimulates
the production of bile.
CHOLESTEROL - an important basic
material for making hormones, for synthesizing vitamin D, and for building cell
membranes. Some of the hormones made by your body from cholesterol have crucial
roles in body chemistry. Almost 10% of the dry weight of the brain tissue is
cholesterol. It is so essential to nutrition that the liver and brain
synthesize about 1.5 grams a day to insure you get enough. If you overindulge
in cholesterol rich foods such as eggs, synthesis in the liver shuts down.
However, the brain must have this material at all times, thus cholesterol
synthesis in the brain goes on continuously. The link between dietary
cholesterol and heart disease is fairly weak, while the real connection with
heart disease comes from saturated fats. Since dietary cholesterol in animal
foods usually exists with cholesterol, cholesterol gets blamed for things it
does not cause. In the transport of cholesterol from the liver to the arteries
it is not the cholesterol that forms the thick, clogging plaque deposits, but
the saturated fats you eat.
CHOREA - Nervous disorders of
infectious or organic origin marked by spasmodic movements of the limbs and
facial muscles, and lack of coordination. It is also called Saint Vitus'
dance.
CIRRHOSIS is a chronic and irreversible
condition in which liver cells are progressively destroyed. As the cells
undergo necrosis, the liver attempts to regenerate itself. The necrotic cells
are replaced by new ones, but also by extensive connective tissue. Liver
structure is altered so much that the flow of lymph and blood through this
organ is much less efficient; the liver eventually stops functioning.
Cirrhosis affects twice as many males as
females.
The primary treatment is to remove the
underlying cause. This can involved eating a well balanced diet and abstinence
from ethyl alcohol. Rest, frequent and small meals, and prevention of infection
aid in recovery.
COBALT is a grey, hard metallic element.
It is an essential trace element and a vital part of the vitamin B-12 molecule.
Cobalt is complexed to form the reactive site of vitamin B-12. Cobalt
stimulates red blood cell production but use as a therapeutic agent is
frequently not effective and may be toxic. Other forms of cobalt exist, i.e.
cobalt 60 which emits beta particles and energetic gamma rays and is used in
radiation therapy and diagnosis, in place of radium and X-rays.
COLLAGEN is composed of complex protein
fibers which strongly resist being pulled apart. Collagen, which comprises over
half the protein of the mammal, can be found in bones, ligaments, and
cartilage. It is high in glycine, alanine, proline and hydroproline.
COMFREY is a perennial plant native to
most of North America, Europe, and western Siberia. It is found in moist,
watery places. The rootstock is fleshy, branched, and white internally. The
plant produces an angular hairy stem which grows up to three feet in height,
branching only near the top. It bears large, oblong, lanceolate leaves, which
are green, rough, and covered with short hairs. Basal leaves are also present,
usually lying along the ground. Whitish, pale purple flowers grow in racemes
from the upper leaf axils, blooming from May to August. The fruit consists of
four small nuts located at the bottom of the calyx.
Other common names for this plant are:
Blackwort, Bruisewort, Gum Plant, Knitback, Slippery Root, Wallwart,
Healing Herb, Salsify
For more information see the HERBS section of
the Nutrition Notebook.
COMPLEX CARBOHYDRATES consist of three
or more monosaccharides bonded together; these are also known as
polysaccharides. Complex carbohydrates are found in foods of plant origin. An
example of a complex carbohydrate is the starch found in grains.
Because their conversion to monosaccharides
requires many consecutive enzymatic reactions, complex carbohydrates provide
energy more slowly and evenly than simple carbohydrates while avoiding large
fluctuations in blood sugar levels. Complex carbohydrates have other benefits
as well; many natural sources of complex carbohydrates contain significant
amounts of vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, and other nutrients.
CONDOM: Planned parent hood.
CONGENITAL is that which is present at
birth.
CONJUNCTIVITIS refers to the
inflammation of the conjunctiva, the delicate membrane that lines the
eyelid.
CORYZA is profuse nasal mucous membrane
discharge.
COUMARIN is a white, crystalline
substance, C9H6O2, with the odor of vanilla.
COUMESTROL is a coumarin found in
alfalfa and other plants. Coumestrol has estrogenic properties.
CROUP is a childhood disease
characterized by a resonant barking cough, suffocative and difficult breathing,
laryngeal spasm, and sometimes by the formation of a membrane.
CUSHING'S SYNDROME results from
hypersecretion of the adrenal cortex, within which there is excessive
production of glucocorticoids. It may be caused by hyperfunction of anterior
pituitary or tumor of the adrenal gland. The syndrome is characterized by
symptoms related to protein loss, and adiposity, fatigue, and weakness.
CYMENE is a monoterpene hydrocarbon
found in cinnamon and nutmeg. High levels or chronic exposure to cymene can be
toxic. |
