Study shows pine bark reduces jetlag

Working in an Oil & Gas company with a rotation of 8 weeks / 2 weeks causes me to experience this so called “Jet Lag” every time I travel. Good news for those of you who also experience this, a research and study on how to reduce jet lag was published in the journal of Minerva Cardioangiologica on November 5, 2008 reveals Pycnogenol, pine bark extract from the French maritime pine tree, reduces jetlag in passengers by nearly 50 percent.

The two-part study, consisting of a brain CT scan and a scoring system, showed Pycnogenol lowered symptoms of jetlag such as fatigue, headaches, insomnia and brain edema (swelling) in both healthy individuals and hypertensive patients. Passengers also experienced minimal lower leg edema, a common condition associated with long flights.

Jetlag is a temporary disorder that causes a variety of temporary mental and physical impairments as a result of air travel across time zones. It is caused due to the body’s inability to immediately adjust to the time in a different zone while traveling. As the body struggles to cope with the new schedule, temporary conditions such as insomnia, fatigue, irritability and an impaired ability to concentrate may set in.

“This study could not have come at a better time for the upcoming holiday travel season,” said Gianni Belcaro, a lead researcher of the study. While more research needs to be conducted on this topic, Pycnogenol is emerging as natural, yet safe option for long distance travelers.

The researchers attributes Pycnogenol’s combined activities for better circulation and antioxidant potency to such remarkable results.

Source: Xinhua

Toyota Develops Another Airbag for Rear-seat Passengers

Toyota Motor Corp. has developed a new airbag to help reduce damage on backseat passengers in side-on collision.

The newly developed rear-seat center airbag, the first of its kind in the world, is fixed and flushed in a back seat center console.

When the vehicle is struck at the side, the rear-seat center airbag deploys. It acts as a safety barrier to reduce injuries when passengers collide with each other.

Toyota’s new airbag will see service in a domestic market model that will be launched in Japan in the near future.

No word yet, though, if the center rear-seat airbag will deploy if someone was actually occupying the center position on the rear seat.

Toyota actively develops and makes available collision safety technology, such as the SRS curtain shield and knee airbags, to ensure its vehicles are more responsive to a wider range of road accidents. (Courtesy of TopGear Philippines)

GPS Navigation System

AVT 800

AVT Intelligent Car Multimedia has just recently launched its first locally supported GPS navigation system – the AVT Navigator A800 or simply AVT 800. It can point you anywhere, directions from known street, establishment and villages within metro manila, all major highways in the Philippines, Shopping Malls, Gas Stations, Hospitals, Hotels and Restaurants to Villages and Barangays.

Features:– Touch screen Operation
– Turn by Turn Voice Direction
– Multi-Destination Search
– (Address, Street, Barangay, City Names, etc.)
– More Accurate Route Calculation
  (Fastest, Priority Hi-way, Avoid Hi-way, Shortest)
– Automatic Route Recalculation
– 2D / 3D Map Display w/ Auto Zoom Function
– Multilingual (English & Chinese)
– Picture Viewer
– MP3 Player

Baguio City