London : Scientists have discovered why eating a Mediterranean diet rich in fruits, vegetables and particularly olive oil can help protect women from developing breast cancer. The key is oleic acid, the main component of olive oil.

Dr. Javier Menendez, of Northwestern University Feinberg  School of Medicine in Chicago, said oleic acid blocks the action of a cancer-causing oncogene called HER-2/neu, which is found in about 30% breast cancer patients.

"We have something now that is able to explain why the Mediterranean diet is so healthy," Menendez said.

Doctors and researchers had been aware that eating a Mediterranean diet reduced the risk of breast cancer and other illnesses such as heart disease. But until now they did not know how.

Menendez and his colleagues in the US and Spain studied the impact of oleic acid in laboratory studies of breast cancer cells. "We are able to demonstrate that the main component of olive oil, oleic acid, is able to down-rgualte the most important oncogene in breast cancer." Menendez explained. 'The most important source of oleic acid is olive oil."

They found that oleic acid not only suppressed the action of the oncogene, it also improved the effectiveness of the breast cancer drug Herceptin, a targeted therapy made by Swiss drug-maker Roche Holding AG that works against the HER-2/ neu gene.

Breast cancer patients with HER-2/ neu positive tumours suffer from an aggressive form of the disease and have a poor prognosis.

Come winter and everybody is faced with the problem of dry, taut and acratchy skin. It's a natural phenomenon. Some of the causes of dry and parched skin are : hereditary, not enough supply of lubrication by glands, deficiency of Vitamin A and B, exposure to harsh winter cold or sun, extreme in temperatures, over use of chemical cosmetics, excessive bathing, poor diet and nutritional supplements, skin problems, mal functioning of thyroid gland, diabetic condition etc.

Some remedies :-
- To treat extremely dry skin, take a tablespoon of honey, mix it into a mashed banana. Apply it on the skin, leave on for 10 minutes and wash off.

- Take 1 egg, 1 teaspoon of honey, half a teaspoon of olive oil and a few drops of rose water and mix all the ingredients thoroughly and use as a mask.

- Take 1 cup of milk and add 1 tablespoon of Badam (almond) oil and add the mixture to a small tub of warm water to prepare a milk bath. Milk bath nourishes your skin from dryness.

- For dry or falling hair, massage your scalp with warm coconut or castor oil twice a week. - Massage with the tips of your fingers in firm circular movements. - Leave the oil on over-night and shampoo the hair the following morning. This helps in counteracting dryness and prevents dandruff and falling hair by improving the circulation and strengthening the hair roots.

Ear-ache is miraculously relieved by putting in a few drops of gingelly oil warmed together with a couple of cloves of garlic.

The oil should not be too hot but cooled to a comfortable warmth.

During an asthama attack, mustard oil mixed with little camphor should be massaged over the back of the chest. This will loosen up phlegm and ease breathing.

The patient should also inhale steam from the boiling water mixed with Caraway seeds, known as ajwain in vernacular. It will dilute the bronchial passage.