Most of these microalgae species produce unique products like carotenoids, antioxidants, fatty acids, enzymes, polymers, peptides, toxins and sterols. Microalgae such as microphytes constitute the basic foodstuff for numerous aquaculture species, especially filtering bivalves. They provide them with vitamins and polyunsaturated fatty acids, necessary for the growth of the bivalves which are unable to synthesize it themselves.
Microalgae have a high content of Astaxanthin, a carotenoid belonging to a larger class of phytochemicals known as terpenes. It is classified as a xanthophyll, which means “yellow leaves”. Like many carotenoids, it is a colorful, lipid-soluble pigment. Professor Basil Weedon was the first to map the structure of astaxanthin. Unlike some carotenoids, it does not convert to Vitamin A (retinol) in the human body. Too much Vitamin A is toxic for a human, but astaxanthin is not. However, it is a powerful antioxidant; it is claimed to be 10 times more capable than other carotenoids. However, other sources suggest astaxanthin as slightly lower antioxidant activity than other carotenoids.


Chlorella is a fresh water single-celled microalga. Chlorella emerged over 2 billion years ago, and was the first form of a plant with a well-defined nucleus. Because Chlorella is a microscopic organism, it was not discovered until the late 19th century, deriving its name from the Greek, “chloros” meaning green and “ella” meaning small. In fact that chlorella contains the highest amount of chlorophyll of any known plant.It is thought to boost the immune system and help fight infection. It has been shown to increase the good bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract, which helps to treat ulcers, colitis, diverticulosis and Crohn’s disease. It is also used to treat constipation, fibromyalgia, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Chlorella has been used to treat cancer and also help protect the body from the effects of cancer radiation treatment.

The algae, which is a popular food supplement in Asia and has been used as energy-producing food for centuries, is often used to prevent or curb the spread of cancer, enhance immunity, promote a good balance of bacteria in the gut, and lower blood cholesterol. In Japan, it is traditionally used as a treatment for duodenal ulcers, gastritis, hypertension, diabetes, hypoglycemia, asthma, and constipation. More recently, it is has been treated as an effective therapy for elevated cholesterol levels, a prophylactic to ward of infections and, and adjunct treatment for cancer.

Chlorella is now used as an adjunct supplement during radiation treatment for cancer. Its abundance of chlorophyll is known to protect the body against ultraviolet radiation.

It is a nutrient-dense superfood that contains 60% protein, 18 amino acids (including all the essential amino acids), and various vitamins and minerals. One of its unique properties is a phytonutrient called CGF.
• Chlorella is a powerful detoxification aid for heavy metals and pesticides. Numerous research projects in the U.S. and Europe indicate that chlorella can also aid the body in breaking down persistent hydrocarbon and metallic toxins such as mercury, cadmium and lead, DDT and PCB while boosting the immune system response. In Japan, interest in chlorella has focused largely on its detoxifying properties – its ability to remove or neutralize poisonous substances from the body.
• Chlorella gets its name from the high amount of chlorophyll it possesses. Chlorella contains more chlorophyll per gram than any other plant. This makes chlorella great for blood cleansing and a great stimulator for the production of red blood cells in the body.
• Chlorella stimulates the activity of macrophages and T-cells by increasing interferon levels thus enhancing the immune system’s ability to combat foreign invaders whether they are viruses, bacteria, chemicals or foreign proteins.
• Chlorella is Alkaline and Helps Balance Your Body’s pH.
• Studies have shown that chlorella tends to normalize blood sugar in cases of hypoglycemia.
BUY CHLORELLA FROM HERE

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1. 2 – Seaweeds: their benefits on health and nutrition
2. 4 – Seaweeds: popular types of brown seaweeds
3. 5 – Seaweeds: Blue-green algae and Spirulina

Melatonin is a naturally occurring bodily hormone, whose levels rise at night and fall during the day. It is produced by our pineal gland, responsible for your body’s patterns and rhythms, During the day, the pineal is inactive, however, as the sun goes down, darkness activates the pineal, and melatonin production begins. When melatonin levels in our blood rise, we become sleepy and the next morning, with daylight, melatonin decreases and we are alert again.


Melatonin levels rise for about 12 hours, from around 9:00 p.m until approximately 9:00 a.m. Although the time of the night and day affects melatonin levels, light and darkness can be even more important factors. In addition to sunlight, artificial indoor lighting can be bright enough to prevent its release. This may be a special problem for shift workers, particularly those who work late night/early morning rotations. First, natural body rhythms encourage night time sleepiness, but bright indoor lighting can help them stay awake. At the conclusion of their shifts, they go into the daylight, which further inhibits the release of the melatonin needed to help them sleep when they get home.


One of the major functions of melatonin supplements is to readjust the body’s biological clock thereby treating insomnia, jet lag and other sleep disorders.
In addition to its hypnotic properties (inducing or maintaining sleep), melatonin may also act as a chronobiotic (or circadian) drug, since if taken at appropriate times, it has been found to advance or delay the sleep-wake cycle. Depending on when it is taken, melatonin can re-set the circadian clock that affects alertness and sleepiness, a characteristic that can be helpful for travelers suffering from jet lag.

People who decide to take melatonin should stick with the recommended dosage because like all hormonal supplements, it also has potential side effects but there are natural products on the market that contain melatonin in safe, recommended dosages along with other therapeutic nutrients that can enhance its effectiveness.

The appropriate dose can vary enormously from person to person. For example with tablets (or capsules) of 1 mg and 3 mg the initial dose should be a 1mg tablet (or capsule) each night before bed-time, increasing it gradually if needed.
People who take melatonin should normally wake up refreshed and full of energy. Waking up feeling a little tired you should reduce your dosage until you wake up feeling well refreshed.
Melatonin should only be taken at nighttime, usually about thirty minutes prior to going to bed. If you are traveling on a long trip you may want to take a dosage prior to getting on your flight and a higher dosage pill prior to going to bed.
Melatonin is one of the least toxic substances known. The only consistent side effect of high doses has been drowsiness and a slower reaction time. However pregnant or nursing women should avoid it (since whether excessive exposure to the hormone might affect a fetus or infant is unknown) as well as people with severe allergies or autoimmune diseases (melatonin could exacerbate such conditions by stimulating the immune system) and healthy children (who already produce it in abundance).
Women trying to conceive should also think twice about taking the hormone, since high doses can act as a contraceptive.
As with any substance introduced into your body, if you have a medical condition you should always consult your physician first before taking melatonin.
Melatonin is claimed to have also anti-aging properties.
Some tests on mice have shown that melatonin caused a significant 20% increase in their lifespan.
If melatonin does allow you to live longer and healthier it could do so because melatonin may reduce free radical damage; stimulate an aging immune system; protect the cardiovascular system; preserve a youthful circadian rhythm; stimulate the production of growth hormone.

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3. 5 – Seaweeds: Blue-green algae and Spirulina

1 Eat before a night drinking: alcohol without food gets absorbed much more (as if it was poured directly in the bloodstream) and while the liver works hard to deal with it, it cannot metabolise glucose well with the result that blood sugar levels drop producing shakes and sweats. The heart pumps harder, resulting in a rise in blood pressure (which is also why some people suffer heart attacks the morning after).
Munching on fatty food (kebabs, hot dogs etc.) on the way home will only worsen the situation.

2 Do not underestimate genetics: there is a different quantity of enzymes in the stomach to break down alcohol between sexes (women have less therefore they get drunk quicker).
The good news on that is women as they get older catch up with men in terms of fat-muscle (and enzymes) ratio and their brain shrinks slightly too making them less prone to headache.


3 Prevent dehydration: alcohol has diuretic properties, so while drinking kidneys produce more urine than normal which will deplete the blood levels of sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium.
Alcohol causes swelling in the brain which results in the typical headache. This can be avoided by alternating an alcoholic drink with a soft drink to maintain hydration. Drinking a pint of water before going to sleep actually works.

4 Know what you are dealing with: despite brands and types all alcohol works the same way when it comes to hangover. What counts is actually what is mixed with it: browner drinks (such as rum, brandy, whisky and port) generally cause heavier hangover than transparent spirits (vodka in particular is least likely to cause a heavy hangover because it’s repeatedly filtered to remove impurities). Beer is the least dangerous to drink but the most calorie-rich (1 pint equals more or less 170/200 calories)

5 Know that taking painkillers to cure hangover is dangerous: aspirin irritates the stomach and can cause bleeding while paracetamol triggers liver damage if combined with alcohol.

Apparently there is no evidence of the effectiveness of artichoke extract and yeast (main ingredients in hangover pills).

The best way to avoid hangover is taking the precautions above the night before as the only cure for it is waiting until it goes .

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1. 8 glasses of water a day: a myth
2. Toxins in our diet
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The link between what happens to a person and how they feel as a result depends on how they relate to it. That gives us an insight into why depression occurs.

Events can be seen to be a trigger for depression, but depression is not actually caused by what happens to us in life. It’s about how we respond and make sense of events. Much of clinical depression is about how we interpret reality, how we explain things to ourselves. And when we start to develop depression symptoms, a depressive thinking style can seem impossible to break.

When we ruminate, or introspect in a negative way, we create emotional arousal that causes the release of stress hormones. The trouble with this sort of emotional arousal is that it doesn’t do anything. The thought creates the emotional reaction (usually anxiety or anger) and it leave an uncompleted ‘loop’ in the brain’s limbic (emotional) system.

Usually, the emotion would be ‘played through’ by action being taken (eg. I’m in danger-> I run away).When these emotionally arousing introspections remain incomplete at the onset of sleep then the brain needs to ‘complete’ with the emotional ‘loops’ that have been started and it creates scenarios that allow those loops to complete. These scenarios are our dreams, that ‘act out’ a situation that will allow the emotional loop to be completed (creating an imaginary experience whose pattern creates the same emotional reaction) and consequently ‘archived’ from the brain.

Normally, this does its job, and everything stays in balance.

However, because you do so much more ruminating, or introspecting, when depressed, the brain has to increase the amount of dreaming you do. This results in: spending too much time in dream sleep (Rapid Eye Movement – REM) and missing out on physically-rejuvenating Slow Wave Sleep, depleting your hormonal system with extended night-time emotional arousal and exhausting your ‘orientation response’ – a crucial brain activity that allows you to change your focus of attention and so motivate yourself. It is also a key part of concentration (from Dream and depression research by Joseph Griffin of the European Therapy Studies Institute).

This is the CYCLE of DEPRESSION: feeling hopeless and anxious leads to depressive thinking styles that lead to emotionally arousing rumination that induces over dreaming (REM) and less deep sleep that results in tiredness or exhaustion by morning that inevitably (by increasing the level of stress hormones and producing a physical imbalance) leads to depressive thinking styles and creates a loop.

The key to curing depression is, first of all, to break this cycle and it lies in trying to switch our thinking style. Depression itself, to be ongoing, has to be maintained. Otherwise, depression will simply evaporate over time. This maintenance is performed by thinking styles that encourage any introspection to be emotionally arousing.

Therefore relaxing the mind and the body would definitely make a difference as well as focusing on anything that can make life pleasant (increasing natural serotonine) which is obviously subjective.

Some types of therapy are very helpful towards breaking the depression cycle and these are: behavioral therapy (on what we do), cognitive therapy (on how we think about things), interpersonal therapy (on how we relate to others), solution focused therapy (how things are going to be better in the future), therapies helping you getting your basic emotional needs met in the wider world and those helping you find solutions to your immediate problems.

Therapies that don’t help towards this issue are those investigating why you are depressed, or what went wrong in the past. These types of therapy (psychodynamic therapy), far from overcoming depression, will tend to make it worse.

Special thanks to http://www.clinical-depression.co.uk/, a very valuable learning resource on the subject.

For further information visit also http://www.assessment.com/mappmembers/avoidingburnout.asp, http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/mentalhealthinformation/mentalhealthproblems/depression.aspx

For immediate support and helplines (worldwide) visit: http://www.befrienders.org/

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