Is It True That Chili Pepper Got A High Concentration Of Vitamin C?

Unfortunately the answer to this question is no. :) (Unless you got another paper which says yes).

How so? This means that you need to eat at least 10 percent of a kilo of chili pepper fruit just to get half the amount of an ordinary vitamin C tablet (500mg per tablet concentration).

Vitamin C is an important water soluble vitamin that our body needs in order to do some basic bodily repair and serve as an antioxidant. Please see other related articles on Vitamin C, Can Too Much Vitamin C Cause Kidney Stones? and  How Much Vitamin C Do We Really Need?

Vitamin C is naturally occurring to both plants and animals.   Here is the summary of fruits/vegetables/animals with their corresponding vitamin C content in terms of milligrams of vitamin C per 100 grams (taken from Wikipedia).

The highest is Kakadu plum (3,100mg/100g of fruit), followed by Camu Camu (2,800 mg/100g), Rose hips (2000mg/100g), on the ninth place is Green chili pepper (244mg/100g), 12th and 13th place goes to Red pepper (190mg/100g) and Red chili pepper (144mg/100g).  There are 73 plants/vegetables/fruits overall on the list (for the complete list, please click Wikipedia).

Here is the local variety of chili pepper in the Philippines which is commonly known as Siling-labuyo.  For more interesting information on this plant, please click Fasting Site.

Can Too Much Vitamin C Cause Kidney Stones?

This is a scary thought, if this were true.

Kidney stones can be made by several factors depending on the causative agents may it be external or internal in origin.

Kidney stones can be created with the deposition of oxalate crystals, uric acid crystals, drugs, bacterias and etc.,

The main argument for the development of kidney stones from vitamin C is the formation oxalate crystals and the step in doing so is evident in the Krebs Cycle.

However, based on the article of Mr. Stephen Lawson, LPI administrative office (LPI Oregon State), the case against vitamin C and kidney stones is weak.  This is in accordance to the researchers and to the study that  they made (during the time that this blog was written).

Also look at DoctorYourself's materials regarding this argument, the site cited some article regarding the myth and how this argument is not true.

OK so what's my stake on this?

Since the need for taking vitamin C is limited only to 45 milligrams per day  according to WHO and that the amount is readily available with the fruits and vegetables that I eat everyday.  Over dosage of vitamin C in my personal opinion is unnecessary.

Well hydration daily is important (meaning take 8 glasses of water at least per day), if you want to avoid or minimize kidney stone formation.

The picture below of a lady shows where the referred pain (in black shades) of a potential kidney stone diagnosis.

How Much Vitamin C Do We Really Need?

Basically, there are two types of vitamins in terms of solubility.  Water soluble vitamins which include vitamin C and B complex and the oil soluble vitamins or vitamin A, D, E, and K (ADEK).

The notion that since water soluble vitamins are not stored and eliminated quickly from the body does not warrant the over usage of this and this does not literally translate to being really safe when abuse.

Among the common uses of vitamin C are:  Use as antioxidant, crucial to the maintenance of bones, teeth, gums, tissues, ligaments and blood vessels, key in ensuring a normal immune system response to infections (nutritional-supplement-guides), necessary for normal growth and development (Medline Plus) and prevention of scurvy.

The normal limit or the minimum daily requirements of taking vitamin C is dependent on the country that requires it. It can be as low at 40 mg/day to as high as 95 mg/day (Adult dose).

The government daily intakes are as follows as outlined by Wikipedia:

Recommendations for vitamin C intake have been set by various national agencies:

• 40 milligrams per day: the United Kingdom's Food Standards Agency^[3]
• 45 milligrams per day: the World Health Organization^[111]
• 90 mg/day (males) and 75 mg/day (females): Health Canada 2007^[112]
• 60–95 milligrams per day: United States' National Academy of Sciences.^[107]

The United States defined Tolerable Upper Intake Level for a 25-year-old male (also for female) is 2,000 milligrams per day.

As you can see, there is even a tolerable upper intake levels for both male and female in the United States.

The WHO or World Health Organization only recommends 45 milligrams per daily use.  Meaning, a tablet of OTC (Over the Counter) vitamin C is already more than necessary.  That is 500 mg tablet of vitamin C at the very least (I don't know if there are still 100mg or 250mg of vitamin C tablet or capsule available in the market today).

Fruits and vegetables are a good source of vitamin C as outlined again by Wikipedia.(Click this to see more)

Technically, if you are eating what is required in the food pyramid, you won't be needing vitamin C supplementation.

Come to think of it, if you eat a variety of healthy fruits and vegetables in a day, you will be rewarding yourself with not only one vitamin but a multitude of them including dietary fibers, proteins, carbohydrates, minerals and the like. and best of all, the taste. :)

Some good sources of vitamin C are oranges and rose hips.

Is Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) or Vetsin (Popular Brand) Bad For You?

The Japanese people found a 5th tasting area in the tongue and they called this umami (According to MB)
.They said that it is responsible for "tasty" or the "tastiness" of certain food.  This was the main reason why this chemical was developed and used in the first place.

According to Wikepedia , there is no evidence that it causes "Chinese Restaurant Syndrome" or "MSG symptom complex". However, the relationship of MSG and neuronal activity (if this can affect memory capacity) has little study.

The article says, that if you need to use this, just use the daily or allowed recommended amount.

In my professional opinion, there is a possibility that this could be an allergic reaction from the continued usage of this chemical.  This chemical (mono sodium glutamate) is very similar in structure to one of the neurotransmitters in the body which is glutamic acid.  Glutamic acid is a neurotransmitter linked to memory and learning functions.  If the chemical in some way or form changes its chemical appearance, it can act as an agonist (improved the memory functions), antagonist (decrease memory functions), mixed agonist/antagonist (may increase or decrease memory functions) or do other things other than what is expected.

I am not a food expert but in my opinion, the tastiness of the food should come from the combine flavor of all the ingredient in the dish and not by something else. :)  "Peace to you all!"

                                                                                                                                       

Can Iodine Protect You From Radiation?

Well, according to the article that I will be referring to you now, the answer is partly yes or no (from the Health and Physics Society) .

Here is the scenario: Nuclear reactor leakage with radioactive iodine spillage and with human population.

Iodine (radioactive or nonradioactive) when metabolize to the human body has an affinity with the thyroid gland formation.  Iodine is a necessary component to produce T3 and T4 hormones (thyroid hormones).  The use of iodine (sodium iodide) works by overloading the thyroid gland with normal iodine before the invasion of the radioactive iodine. So the function only is limited to the thyroid gland and not to the other site of the body.

If radioactive iodine or any radioactive materials goes into the body and reacts with the other parts of it, then that's another story altogether.  Sodium iodide can't protect the other parts of the body and interact with other forms of radioactive materials.

     Nuclear Plant, Sodium Iodide in 3D and Thyroid Gland Images

Is Paracetamol (or Acetaminophen) Safe?

There was a commercial capitalized by the biggest drug company in the Philippine which says "******** is the world safest pain reliever!" , "hmn..., well, to some extent, the claim was true, but we really need the assistance of the professionals and not to be loomed to the notion that it is really safe and nothing will happen to us or our family or worst our kids if the drug was suddenly ingested in bulk.

The drug can be taken initially at 500 mg or up to 1000 mg in one taking to relieve the pain or headache for adult. One can not exceed 8 tablets (4000 mg) in a day (for more info on the matter see Wikipedia).

If one exceeded the maximum dose or if you were one of the few people who were sensitive to its side effects, liver failure may ensue and this is not good for you.

It should be the first line of treatment if pain removal is desired (not accompanied by inflammation) or as prescribed by your physician.

Several western countries are having a high number of over dosage of this drug due to its accessibility.

There are alternative remedies to relieving pain as long as it's not complicated and can be traced to a known cause.

For instance, lack or inadequate sleep (take a nap), skipping breakfast (eat a little) , alcohol intake (rest, sleep, coffee and water) , pain from mechanical exertion (massage and rest), stress (relax and talk to someone) etc.,

We can use also some alternative medicine to relieve pain like Yerba Buena (Clinopodium douglasii), see image below, which is popularly use as analgesic.

                                       
                                         Yerba Buena (Clinopodium douglasii)