The Benefits of Meditation for a Healthy Mind and Body

Meditation has been practiced for thousands of years as a way to cultivate inner peace, clarity, and focus. In recent years, modern science has also begun to uncover the many health benefits of meditation, including improved mental health, reduced stress, and enhanced physical well-being.

Here are some of the key benefits of meditation for a healthy mind and body:

1. Reduced Stress and Anxiety One of the primary benefits of meditation is its ability to reduce stress and anxiety. Meditation has been shown to lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which can help you feel more relaxed and calm. Regular meditation practice can also help you develop greater resilience to stress, allowing you to better manage challenging situations in your daily life.

2. Improved Focus and Concentration Meditation is also a powerful tool for improving focus and concentration. By practicing meditation, you can develop greater mental clarity and the ability to stay present in the moment. This can be particularly helpful for people who struggle with distractions or have difficulty focusing on tasks.

3. Enhanced Emotional Well-Being Meditation can also help improve your emotional well-being. By cultivating greater self-awareness through meditation, you can develop a more positive outlook on life and greater emotional stability. Meditation has also been shown to improve symptoms of depression and anxiety.

4. Lower Blood Pressure High blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart disease, stroke, and other health problems. Regular meditation practice has been shown to help lower blood pressure, reducing the risk of these serious health conditions.

5. Improved Sleep Meditation can also be helpful for improving sleep quality. By helping to reduce stress and anxiety, meditation can promote deeper, more restful sleep. Meditation can also help you develop greater mindfulness and awareness, which can help you better manage insomnia and other sleep-related issues.

6. Reduced Pain and Inflammation Meditation has been shown to help reduce pain and inflammation in the body. This may be due in part to the fact that meditation can help reduce stress, which is a major contributor to pain and inflammation.

7. Enhanced Immune Function Finally, meditation has been shown to enhance immune function, helping to protect against a range of illnesses and diseases. Regular meditation practice has been shown to increase the production of natural killer cells, which are important for fighting off infections and cancer cells.

Overall, meditation is a powerful tool for promoting health and well-being. Whether you are looking to reduce stress and anxiety, improve focus and concentration, or enhance your physical health, meditation can be a valuable addition to your daily routine. With regular practice, you can cultivate greater inner peace, clarity, and vitality, helping you to live a happier, healthier life.

Read More

High cholesterol for youngster - Easy way to save yourself from that

What is cholesterol ?

Cholesterol is a fat-like substance found in all cells of the body. Your body needs some cholesterol to make hormones, vitamin D, and substances that help you digest foods. Your body makes all the cholesterol it needs. Cholesterol also is found in some of the foods you eat.

Risk associated with cholesterol

1. High blood cholesterol will make a chance of getting coronary heart disease/coronary artery disease.

2. High Cholesterol Causes Heart Attack.

3. High Cholesterol Causes Stroke.

4. Can cause Chest pain as arteries that supply your heart with blood (coronary arteries) are affected.

What can cause high cholesterol?

1. Poor diet. Consuming saturated fat, found in animal products, and trans fats, found in some commercially baked cookies and crackers

2. Obesity. Having a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or greater puts you at risk of high cholesterol.

3. Lack of exercise. Exercise boost your body's HDL, or "good" cholesterol while increasing the size of the particles that make up your LDL, or "bad," cholesterol, which makes it less harmful.

4. Smoking. Cigarette smoking damages the walls of your blood vessels, making them likely to accumulate fatty deposits.

5. Diabetes. High blood sugar contributes to higher LDL cholesterol and lower HDL cholesterol.

How to control cholesterol

1. STOP eating foods full of saturated fats, trans fats, and dietary cholesterol.

Saturated fat foods include  butter, red meat, full-fat and low-fat dairy products, palm oil, and coconut oil.

Start using Omega-3-rich fish, such as salmon, sardines, herring, mackerel, and trout. select very-low-sodium or no-salt-added canned fish if using tin fish. Clams, oysters, mussels, scallops also good.

2. Eat a lot more fiber-rich foods

This include oats, oat bran, barley, peas, yams, sweet potatoes , legumes or beans, such as pinto beans, black beans, garbanzo beans, and peas.Vegetables such as carrots, Brussels sprouts, beets, okra, and eggplant. Fruit such as berries, passion fruit, oranges, pears, apricots, nectarines, and apples also good.

3. Walk daily 30 minutes

4. Take plant sterol supplements

Note: High cholesterol typically doesn't cause any symptoms. A blood test is the only way to know if your cholesterol is too high. So it is always advisable to have a blood test every 6 months

Read More

Healthy Diet,Regular check up and Best time to eat

To have healthier is not a big deal. People who starts 30 should take care some basic and simple steps.

Food habits

Have more fruits and vegetables.
Start using brown rice instead of white rice.
Start using wheat pasta/tortilla/Chapathi.
Use lean proteins like poultry, fish, beans, and legumes.
Reduce processed foods, sugar, salt, saturated fat and butter.

Exercise

It you are able to spend 30 minutes of walking daily, it will really helps.

Regular check up on

1. Blood pressure
2. Blood sugar test
3. Cholesterol
4. Blood hemoglobin
5. Complete blood count
6. Routine Urine examination

Best time to eat

Breakfast
Ideal time: 7-8 am
Don't have it later than: 10 am
Must remember: Eat within 30 mins of waking up

Lunch
Ideal time: 12:30-2 pm
Don't have it later than: 4 pm
Must remember: An ideal time gap between breakfast and lunch is 4 hrs

Dinner
Ideal time: 6-9 pm
Don't have it later than: 10 pm
Must remember: The meal should be at least 3 hrs before you sleep

Read More

Difficulty in emptying the bowels? Use Olive oil for constipation - Home remedies

Constipation is caused by many reason. The first and the foremost reason would be lack of regular exercise,less water consumption by individual or by low-fiber diet. When the bowel is present in our intestine for longtime, the colon will start absorbing the water from present in it which makes the bowel movement difficult.Why olive oil is considered a healthy fat as it contains monounsaturated fats which will improve cardiovascular health. With the consumption of olive oil makes the gallbladder to release more bile, which helps to digest the fat in the food fast and easily. Bile also maintains the moisture of the stool, which will free the difficulty and pain during bowel movement. Some key points to note are olive oil strengthens the mucus lining of the colon. It stimulates the muscle contraction of large intestine to make it easy for the stools to pass. Olive oil is rich in vitamin E and K, antioxidants, omega 3 and 6 fatty acids which help to boost the health of digestive tract.

How to use Olive oil

• Consume 1 tablespoon of olive oil on an empty stomach in the morning and the same before going to bed as well for a week.

or 

• Warm milk with olive oil helps to loosen the hard stools.

or 

• Olive oil can be added to your morning coffee which acts as a laxative.

or

• Add olive oil in any vegetables or fruits juice that are rich in fiber. 

or 

• Drink 1 tablespoon olive oil with 1 teaspoon lemon juice and drink before going to bed.

or 

• Drink 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a cup of yogurt and drink 2-3 times a day.

Side effects of using olive oil

1. Olive oil contains a lot of calories (120 calories in 1 tablespoon), there is a chance to put weight if used for longtime.
2. Over doses of olive oil can lead to diarrhea.
3. Regular usage of olive oil can decrease your sugar levels,People with diabetes should speak to their doctor before trying.
4. Never use olive oil for constipation in babies or newborns.

Read More

Why junk food is harmful to your body?

Many of us are very fond of fast foods such as pizza, burgers and other junk food. Although food is fuel for your body excessive calories are not good for your health.Fast food is said to harm your health because it is highly processed and most of them contains large amounts of carbohydrates, added sugar, unhealthy fats, and salt. High calori in junk food leads to obesity and overweight which is a risk factor life threatening health problems such as heart disease, diabetes, and stroke. Junk food has very poor nutritional value.

Junk foods make you prone to diabetes

If you consume high amounts of carbs,it result in a spike in your blood sugar.That will modulate the normal insulin response.These frequent spikes in blood sugar can act as contributing factor in insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. 

Junk foods increases your bad cholesterol

Added sugar and fat in junk foods increases your LDL cholesterol and decreases your good cholesterol.

Effect of excessive sodium on your body

Excessive sodium increases water retension on your body and you appear edematous.It increases your blood pressure .Sodium also causes increased chance for renal stone and osteoporosis.

Effect on lungs

As junk food leads to obesity there is increased chance of shortness of breath.

Junk foods may result in depression.

Carbohydrate rich foods can increase the chance of acne 

When you consume food rich in carbohydrate the bacteria in your mouth produces acid which will destroy your tooth enamel and result in dental cavities.

Read More

Home Remedies - How to get pink beautiful lips by natural method ?

Pink and beautiful lips will make your smile pretty and attractive , that make your personality more impressive. Natural remedies give long lasting effect. It is without any side effects. If you wish to have pink and soft lips you can try these easily at home and they are cheap also.

Why lips need special care?

Lips are the only part of face that cant produce oil itself to moisturize it. So dryness and chapping occur easily and if you fail to treat it at right time it causes pigmentation and darkness. So you need to apply moisturizer and give special care to keep it pink and soft. Pink lips also is an indicator of good health. Here are the most effective ways to get pink soft lips.

Basic things you need are 

Exfoliation with lip scrubs make it soft

Exfoliation means removing dead cells from the lips that will make it soft and supple.It should be done at least 2 times a week.

How to do scrub

(a) Honey and  sugar lip scrub - Dip finger in a mixture made of one teaspoon of honey two teaspoon of sugar and one teaspoon of olive oil. Rub it on your lips in circular movements and leave it there for sometime then wipe off with damp cloth or cotton.

(b) Take a toothbrush with smooth bristle with a bit of toothpaste, remove the dead cells with gentle rubbing in circular movements on lip, and wash the lips.
Moisturization of the lips hydration external and internal 

Since lips cant produce oil itself it will become dry easily, dryness take away all its beauty. To avoid dryness you need to apply moisturizer. Dryness can lead to dark lips. Following are the best lip moisturizers. Well hydrated lip has juicy appearance,while dry lip appears dull.

(a) Apply glycerin on your lips before you go to bed at night. Glycerin help to keep the lip hydrated. It will prevent darkness.

(b) Adequately hydrate your body, drink 8-10 glass of water daily.

(c) Application of Vitamin E to the lip also keep it soft.

(d) Lip balm also help to maintain hydration. Avoid Petroleum containing Lip balms. It is better to use lip balm containing Natural Beeswax, Cadillac Wax, Almond Oil and Vitamin E,  glycerin.
Lightening agents-Remove the darkness and give pink colour to your lips.

(a) Lemon honey lip serum - Mix  equal amount of lemon juice and honey and coat it  on your lips, keep it for 1 hour and wipe off with soft wet cloth. Do it daily to remove the tan from lips. This lip serum can be kept in refrigerator and used for 1 week. 

(b) Take the slice of beetroot and rub gently on your lips.

(c) Almond oil application at bedtime lighten the lips.

(d) Cucumber juice if applied daily removes tan from your lips.
Protection from harmful things

(a) Avoid lip products that are cheap and allergic

(b) Avoid excessive sun exposure

Read More

Foods that keep you young

Most beautiful phase of human life is youth. While you are young you will have fit body beautiful skin, and a healthy mind. It is the most energetic phase of life. Even then we don't realize its significance and value. We rapidly loss this phase due to wrong diet and lifestyle. If you want to prolong this you should follow healthy food habits.

Experience the change, your food can cause magic. There are several foods that prevent ageing. To avoid fat accumulation eat low calorie foods. Do not eat up to a level that your stomach is completely filled.

1. Antioxidants - Food that contain antioxidants are the strongest anti ageing agents. Fruits that are dark colored and vegetables are rich in antioxidants. Consume vegetables and fruits of different color. Examples are apple, orange, papaya, beetroot, grapes, mango, capsicum. This food habit is called rainbow food.Weekly fruits and vegetables of 3 different colors are advised.

2. Vitamin C - Vitamin C rich foods help to prevent pigmentation of skin. Citrus fruits are rich in vitamin C. Drink lime juice daily. Eat a gooseberry daily.

3. Daily drink at least 8 glass of water. Body should be adequately hydrated.

4. Green tea - Green tea is a rich source of antioxidants. If you drink it daily, it will increase the antioxidants level in the blood. Green tea is more effective if it is mixed with a teaspoon of lemon juice.

5. Garlic improve the immunity of the body. Can be consumed with or food or can be chewed.

6. Red wine helps to prevent ageing. It enhance the absorption of food. Daily consumption of grape wine 15 ml will give good result.

7.Include nuts(almond, cashew nut, ground nuts ) in daily menu. Consume one spoon (30 gm) of nuts daily. This will keep the skin tight by maintaining the collagen level.

8. Broccoli the magic food prevent ageing. This will give you good mood.

9. Wheatgerm in whole wheat Prevent ageing of skin.

10. As the salads and soups are poor in protein, to get adequate protein consume skimmed milk,low fat meat, soya beans and fish.

11. To protect your heart omega 3 fatty acids are essential. Include omega 3 rich foods mackerel, sardines and tuna twice weekly.

12. Avoid white poison that is sugar, trans fatty acid example vanaspathy, oily foods and sauce.

Read More

Need of patient education about osteoarthritis.

Helping the patient to understand about osteoarthritis is important. It is a progressive wear and tear disease of old age. Poor understanding of the disease will lead to negative attitude in patients. For example ignorance about the disease may lead to lack of activity which further aggravate the disease. Patient education is an essential component of  treatment due to the following reasons.

Psychological and social factors will alter the effect of disease, proper education of the patient regarding the disease and effect will reduce the pain, distress, disability and it will improve the treatment compliance.

To protect the affected joint from excessive loading

1. Reduce the weight.

2. Patient should consume low fat, carbohydrate rich low calorie food for weight reduction.

3. Avoid inappropriate daily and occupational activities example knee lifts.

4. Use walking sticks.

5. Wear shock absorbing footwear.

6. Correct the disparity in leg length with shoe rise.

7. Tubular loose knee support may reduce the pain.

8. Use wedge insoles.

9. Proper advice should be given to maintain the normal joint function.

10.Advice aerobic fitness such as walking and swimming to maintain the joint motion and stability.

11. Do muscle strengthening exercise.

12. Regular physical activity.

13. Avoid over activity on good days because that may increase the pain and reduction of activities on subsequent days.

Proper modification of work place and home activities are required.

Advice regarding sexual activities should be given to the patient and the partner with hip osteoarthritis.

Read More

Role of vitamin C in the body and its deficiency disorders

Vitamin C is also called Ascorbic acid, which is an important dietary antioxidant. It is required for collagen synthesis in the body. Traditional cooking method destroy it as vitamin C is very heat sensitive.

Actions of vitamin C include

1.Antioxidant activity.

2.Help the absorption of non heme iron .

3.Carnitine biosynthesis.

4.Required for the conversion of dopamine to norepinephrine.

5.Help the production of  of peptide hormones.

6.Vitamin C is important  for collagen synthesis .

7.It is a part of many drug-metabolizing enzyme systems.

Significance of vitamin C in  the body

1. During stress and hospital admission and disease need of vitamin c increases. It may be due to decreased  absorption  or increased catabolism.

2. Need of vitamin c is increased during trauma and surgery for  extra collagen synthesis.

3. Vitamin C supplementation (e.g., 1–2 g/d) may slightly reduce.

 the symptoms and duration of common cold .

4.Vitamin C supplementation is also useful in Chédiak-Higashi syndrome and osteogenesis imperfecta.

5. It is proposed that high dose of vitamin C intake will increase the anti oxidant property of body. So it will delay the development of degenerative disease such as cataract and  atherosclerosis

6. High vitamin C will help to prevent certain cancers especially stomach cancer and esophageal cancers. It may be because vitamin C prevent the conversion of nitrites and secondary amines to carcinogenic nitrosamines..

7. Parenteral ascorbic acid  is also tried in the treatment of advanced cancers.

8. Those people with past history of kidney stone  and chronic kidney disease should not use high dose of vitamin C ,because  in these patients.plasma Vitamin C  can reach  to levels above the normal range.

9. Absorption of Vitamin C enhances the non-haem iron absorption that is taken at the same time. Thus help to prevent iron deficiency anemia.

Clinical  features of vitamin deficiency

Vitamin C deficiency produce the following clinical features 

1. Scurvy.

2. Bleeding around the hair follicle (Perifollicular petechiae).

3. Bleeding gums-Swollen spongy gum with bleeding ,loosening of teeth.

4. Follicular hyperkeratosis ( Thickening of skin around the  hair follicle )

5. Delayed wound healing.

6. Infection.

7. Anemia.

Read More

Use turmeric to get fair and beautiful skin

Natural treatment for skin gives long lasting effect, turmeric is a herb known as curcuma longa. It has many beauty benefits.
How turmeric will help you to get a fair beautiful skin?
1. Turmeric  lightens your facial hair.
2. Enhances your skin tone.
3. Turmeric has anti inflammatory action  that reduces skin pigmentation and tanning.
4. It has anti bacterial action so cure pimples and skin breakouts thus help you to get a glowing skin.
5. Turmeric can lighten stretch mark.
6. It has moisturizing effect that is good for dry skin.
7. It can reduce the wrinkles and fine lines.
8. Turmeric has exfoliating effect that remove dead cells and gives glow to skin.
9. Turmeric remove the facial hair.

How to make turmeric fairness face pack for oily skin?
Make a paste mixing the following.
1. ½ tablespoons of sandalwood powder (Act as astringent).
2. A pinch of ground turmeric (Controls the sebum oily substance in the face).
3. Tablespoons of orange juice (ource of vitamin C ,reduces blemishes).
Apply this paste on the face, wash with warm water after 15 minutes.

How to make turmeric fairness face pack for dry skin?
If you have dry skin make a face pack with
1. Egg white.
2. Drops of olive oil.
3. Fresh lemon juice.
4  Rose water.
5. A pinch of turmeric.
This is applied in the dry areas, allow to dry and wash with lukewarm water.

To reduce pigmentation.
1. Make a paste with turmeric powder and cucumber juice or lemon juice.
2. To use as body scrub make a paste with turmeric powder, gram flour, rose water. 

Read More

Hot oil massage for hair fall

Thick beautiful shiny hair is a dream of every women. But hair loss is a cause of  headache to many of them. There are several methods to prevent hair loss. One of the most effective method is hot oil massage. Good massage with essential oils will help you to get thick beautiful hair. It is the first step to prevent hair fall.

How to do hot oil massage?

Hair oil that are effective are the following

Coconut oil - Prevent hair fall, strengthens your hair.

Almond oil - This is a source of vitamin E  which help to reduce hair fall, and promote hair growth and make it shiny.

Olive oil - Destroys the bacteria in the scalp reduce dandruff and promote hair growth.

Wheat germ oil.

Castor oil.

Amla oil.

Jojoba oil.

Mustard oil.

Lavender oil.

If you add a few drops of rosemary to your oil you will get faster and more effective results.

How often it is done?

Do this once or twice a week for better result.

Right way to do oil massage.

You will get maximum benefit if the oil massage is done in specific method.

1. Apply the oil   at least 1 to 2 hour before  washing your hair or for better result  apply the oil  overnight. 

2. Take lukewarm oil in your hand. Oil should not be very hot.

3. It should be applied on your scalp(not on the hair) with tip of your finger.

4. Do not apply over pressure, should be done gently with light pressure.

How does massaging help to prevent hair fall?

1. Massaging increases  the blood flow to the hair follicle, which gives nutrition to hair.

2. Strengthen your hair root.

3. Decrease the stress and gives relaxation.

4. Oil promote hair growth.

5. Oil reduces the damage to hair because of the lubricating effect.

6. Removes dandruff.

Read More

How sports injuries are managed?

Sports injuries are so common nowadays. It may be in the form of injury to muscle, joints, ligaments and bones. Immediate attention is required for early recovery. Principles of  management of sports injuries are given here.

• First aid - Here we assess whether the patient has breathing difficulty,or low blood pressure.
• RICE (Rest,Ice,Compression,Elevation)
  (a) Rest - Relative rest of the injured part with activities to maintain the overall fitness.
  (b) Ice and analgesic - Done immediately after injury,ice is wrapped in a towel use for 10 minutes at a time.
  (c) Compression - Strapping or taping to prevent acute sprain.
  (d) Elevation of affected part  will help to reduce the swelling and edema.
• Detailed examination and x-ray if required.
• Early treatment as per the cause,should not be delayed.
• Rehabilitation -include measures to regain fitness ,strength and flexibility.
• Correction of cause of injury such as poor technique or equipment.
• Team of sports physician,sports physiotherapists and coach  is essential in deciding most appropriate treatment.
• Graded return to activity after discussion with coach.
• Prevention of further injuries,this require suitable preparations and training .That is suitable footwear,safety equipment,warm up exercise.

Read More

Smoking cessation for the prevention of heart attack.

Smoking cessation is one of the important step in prevention of heart attack. Smoking  has several effect on the risk factors for heart attack. Smoking increases the heart attack risk 6 fold in women and 3 fold in men. It is the most important modifiable heart attack risk factor and a preventable cause of death due to heart attack.

Adverse effect due to smoking is

1. Dose dependent.

2. More for high tar than low tar cigarettes

Effects of smoking on coronary risk factors are given below.

1. Smoking causes increase in blood pressure

2. It decreases the good cholesterol that is HDL cholesterol. HDL cholesterol will protect from heart attack.

3. Smoking predispose the blood clotting which is the  key factor in  heart attack.

4. Reduce the effective lysis or removal of clot.

5. Increase the fibrinogen and C-reactive protein both of them are risk factors of heart attack.

6. Smoking change the function of wall of blood vessel thus predispose to clot formation.

7. Smoking  causes spasm of blood vessels and thus reduce the blood supply.

8. It causes increase in heart rate.

9. There is increased risk of  recurrent infection of oral cavity and lungs.

Following cessation of smoking, there will be immediate beneficial effect in people of all age groups. Smoking cessation thus help to reduce the heart attack  incidence. But the problem is that smoking cessation is very difficult.

Read More

Glow like sun with Galvanic spa - remove wrinkles,reduce ageing

Everybody like radiant glowing and fresh skin, which improve your confidence and give you an attractive personality. Spa beauty treatment will give your skin good glow and freshness. As age advances your skin start showing signs of aging, which can be treated with galvanic spa. Galvanic spa is the newest wonderful one in the spa beauty treatment and is done with galvanic machine. This article is aimed to give you information about  advantages ,method and precautions after galvanic spa.

Why Galvanic spa?

Following are the benefits of galvanic spa facial.

1. It improves skin complexion gives glow to your skin and make it baby soft.

2. Removes the wrinkles, tightens the skin and reduce the signs of ageing.

3. Removes impurities from skin thus cleanses exfoliates skin .

3. This fades away scars and wrinkles.

4. Massaging help to regain the muscle tone , improve the blood circulation nourishes the skin  and make the skin firm and tight. 

5. Can be done on any  part of the body face,hands and legs or bull body spa.

6. Its antibacterial cleansing action fights with acne and blemishes. 

7. Lightens dark under eye circles

8. It has anti-inflammatory action and helps in skin repair.

How it is done?

This  beauty treatment is done after assessing the skin type with skin tester.
.First, with cleanser skin is cleaned, for dry skin creamy cleanser is used. Apply galvanic gel to desired body part. With flat surface of galvanic machine massaging is given to skin for 5 minutes.

Galvanic gel 

The key ingredients in galvanic gel include:

1. Magnesium improve cellular energy

2. Arginine helps the recovery from daily stress

3. Aspartate balances pH of your skin

4. Vitamin E is an antioxidant which moisturizes skin.

Next step is to give cool compression to skin. While doing galvanic spa there is increased blood circulation which may appear as redness in face. Cool compression will prevent it. This is done with a cold mask, then galvanic pack is applied. Clean the face after 20 minutes and apply moisturizer. Usually one or two sitting in 15 days is required.

Precautions after galvanic spa

1. Reduce the sun exposure after galvanic spa, if going out use sun protection cream.

2. If exposed to sunlight after one hour of spa clean the face and use sun protection cream.

3. Avoid soap for 2 days after galvanic spa.

Read More

How to overcome tiredness

Increased tiredness is one of the most common health problem that is experienced by many people in their day to day life. Cause of tiredness vary. 

The most common causes are

1.Lifestyle changes.

2.Distressing hard work.

3.Competition and stress in the professional field.

4.Lack of sleep .

If you have excessive tiredness consult a doctor make sure that the tiredness is not due to any physical illness,then make some change in the lifestyle,that will help you to become energetic.

Here are few tips that will help you to become more energetic

1.Ensure adequate sleep,on an average 6 to 8 hours sleep is required.Both excessive and reduced sleep causes tiredness.

2.Eat food that is balanced and nutritious,it should contain adequate vegetables and fruits.Avoid fatty food and fried foods.

3.During menstruation,pregnancy and lactation special attention should be given.

4.Adequate water intake is necessary,during summer season drink 2 liter of water daily.Avoid carbonated drinks.

5.Regular exercise will make you energetic.

6.Reduce the time spent for for watching television and computer.

7.Avoid alcohol and smoking.

8.Control coffee intake,

Read More

Food sources of vitamin C

All fresh fruit and vegetables  contain Vitamin C. Unfortunately, vitamin c is easily leached out of vegetables if they are placed in water and is also easily destroyed  during cooking or exposure to copper or alkali. So fresh fruit and juices and salads are encouraged. Also advised to cook vegetables lightly and quickly. Vitamin  is lost during storage. About  40% of the U.S. population consumes vitamin C as a dietary supplement in which “natural forms” are no more bio available than synthetic forms.

The recommended  nutrient intake for adults

90 mg/day for males  in the United States - for healthy people.

75 mg/d for females

Following  are the rich sources of vitamin C.

1. Blackcurrants, guavas.

2. Rosehip syrup, green peppers.

3. Oranges, other citrus fruit, strawberries.

4. Cauliflower, broccoli.

5. Sprouts, cabbage, watercress.

6. Potatoes.

7. Liver and milk.

Absorption  of vitamin C

If the dose of vitamin C administered in a single dose is < 100 mg,  complete absorption occurs. At doses more than  1 g less than 50% is absorbed, this is because of increased degradation and fecal and urinary excretion of vitamin C at higher doses. As already mentioned above good dietary sources of vitamin C include citrus fruits, green vegetables (especially broccoli), tomatoes, and potatoes. People get recommended daily allowance by consuming five servings of fruits and vegetables a day. There are several drugs that interfere and cause vitamin C deficiency such as  corticosteroids, aspirin, indomethacin, phenylbutazone, and tetracycline. As the requirement of vitamin C increase during major surgery it is advisable to supplement vitamin C upto 250 mg  a day to cover major surgery. Bottlefed infants are advised to give orange juice. In the elderly scurvy can be avoided by consuming adequate  fruits and vegetables. Careful observation is required  in the elderly people who live alone. Rarely vitamin C supplementation is required.

Vitamin C requirements increase in the following situations.

1. Smoking,

2. Hemodialysis,

3. Pregnancy,

4. Stress

5. Infection

6. Trauma

Read More

Diet for Heart disease - A must read for every one

Coronary artery disease (Heart attack) is  a multi factorial disease. Here the strongest environmental factor is diet. Basic abnormality that lead to coronary artery disease is  is atherosclerosis. Major constituent of atherosclerosis is cholesterol esters,which  are carried by LDL (Law Density Lipoproteins ) in the blood. LDL cholesterol is affected by the type of  dietary fat.
Saturated fatty acid raise the blood cholesterol,while polyunsaturated fatty acid decreases the cholesterol. Cholesterol is found only in  animal food.

Following are the dietary recommendation in patients with coronary artery disease.

• Balanced diet is recommended.
• High fiber content (Complex carbohydrates) - Effect is determined by the type of dietary fiber. Soluble fibers such as pectin, guar and oat fibers can produce moderate reduction of cholesterol. Wheat fibers (wholemeal breads or bran) wont reduce the plasma cholesterol, but those who consume more wheat fibers and whole grain food the incidence of CAD  is decreased.
• Weight reduction to achieve optimal BMI (Body Mass Index) - Overweight, especially abdominal obesity is an independent risk factor for CAD. Weight reduction will reduce the cholesterol.
• More vegetables and fruits - Soya protein if included in the diet help to reduce the total and LDL cholesterol. Vegetables and fruits are law in fat and contain pectin other dietary fibers ,flavanoids and antioxidants. Five servings of different vegetables and fruit per day (400 g/day average weight)  is recommended.
• Avoid excessive caffeine intake - Coffee contains small amounts of diterpenes (lipids), cafestol and kahweol - not caffeine - it raise plasma total and LDL cholesterol. Since the diterpenes are removed  filtered or instant coffee does not raise the cholesterol.
• Avoid junk food.
• Avoid  foods with high fat content especially MUFA, excess salt ,cholesterol.
• Fish oil (omega 3 PUFA), garlic, plant sterols, antioxidants all help in reducing the cholesterol.
• Salt (NaCl)   should be restricted to 6 gram/day for the general population this is more important for CAD  patients.
• Fish  at least twice a week preferably fatty fish is recommended, it should not be fried in saturated fat. EPA (eicosapentanoic acid) help in reducing  CAD.
• Alcohol one or two drinks per day may be beneficial in middle aged people at risk for CAD, because of complications of over intake not recommended in general population.
• The following dietary components reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. Fruits and vegetables, cereal fiber,  PUFA, linolenic  acid, alcohol and fish, nuts, vitamin E, folate.

Glossary

1. BMI - Body mass index
2. CAD - Coronary artery disease
3. LDL - Law density lipoproteins
4. MUFA - Monounsaturated fatty acids, plant-based fats found in avocado, nuts and seeds, oils, olives, and dark chocolate
5. PUFA - Cutting off all vegetable oils except coconut oil, olive oil and palm oil. 

Read More

Tips to keep your heart young and healthy

Here are few tips that will help to keep your heart healthy and young

1. Avoid fried foods.
2. Avoid fatty foods such as beef, pork and mutton.
3. Eat small fish such as sardine that is good for your heart.
4. Take un cooked vegetables daily such as cucumber ,carrot, tomato and onion.
5. Reduce salt intake.
6. Take high fiber diet including green leafy vegetables and legumes such as . Soybeans, fava beans, peas ....
7. Avoid egg yolk which has high cholesterol content.
8. Avoid eating fried foods and salty foods such as chips and corn while reading and watching television.
9. Better avoid milk and dairy products.
10. Avoid hotel foods and if inevitable take only vegetarian food.
11. It is better to prevent diabetes and if already present strict control is necessary.
12. Strict control of blood pressure is advised.
13. If possible avoid using lift and climb the staircase.
14. Better to walk small distances rather than using a vehicle.
15. If your work demands sitting for long hours better to take rest and walk in between.
16. Walk for 40 minutes daily.
17. Avoid smoking and alcohol consumption.
18. Maintain body weight , weight should be in proportion to your height.
19. Better to go to bed early and wake up early in the morning.
21. Even if you have to do heavy work do it systematically and ensure adequate rest and enjoyment in between.
22. It is better to practice yoga and meditation.
23. For a happy family environment healthy sexual life is inevitable, avoid extramarital relationships which is a frequent source of mental stress and risk factor for heart disease.

Read More

Lifestyle changes recommended for hypertension control

Healthy lifestyle will help to reduce the hypertension and pre-hypertension ,the effect is more on hypertensive than pre-hypertensive. Even if it wont completely eliminate the need of drugs this will reduce the number of drugs and their required dose.

Dietary modification that may  help to reduce the blood pressure are the following

1.Weight reduction

2.Decrease the salt intake.

3.Increased potassium intake.

4.Moderation of alcohol consumption.

5.Healthy diet.

1. Weight reduction.

This is important for reducing blood pressure and heart disease. Even moderate reduction in weight help to reduce blood pressure and increases the insulin sensitivity.With a reduction of 9.2 kg weight loss blood pressure decreases 6.3/3.1 mmHg. Blood pressure may be reduced by 30 minutes of moderately severe exercise such as brisk walking 6 to 7 days a week.

2. Decrease the salt intake.

Reduced  salt intake.Effect of reduction in salt intake show individual variation. If the salt intake is reduced to less than 6 gm a day it will decrease the blood pressure and long term risk of heart disease in pre-hypertensive people.

3. Increased potassium intake - Potassium and calcium supplements

Both have mild anti-hypertensive effect. Potassium supplements will  also help to reduce the death due to stroke.

4. Alcohol consumption and hypertension.

High alcohol consumption is associated with high blood pressure,reduction in alcohol consumption is associated with low blood pressure.

DASH diet (dietary approach to stop hypertension).

Diet given for 8 week period show promising results.

It will lower the blood pressure in people with high blood pressure.

5. Healthy diet 

Diet should be rich in

1.Fruits.

2.Vegetables.

3.Low fat dairy products.

• The effect of diet is augmented by salt restriction to less than 6 gms a day. 
• Fruits and vegetables are enriched with potassium ,magnesium and fiber
• Dairy product contain calcium.

Read More