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Tips to stay healthy in monsoon/ rainy season

Tips stay healthy in monsoon season

– If desired to eat road side food, the rainy season isn’t the time to indulge. water and raw vegetables is are not hygienic during the monsoon.
– Use a powerful insect repellent to hold mosquitoes away and prevent getting bitten. It’s furthermore good concept to take anti-malarial drug during this monsoon.
– Where likely, try to avoid walking through rainy water. It can lead to numerous fungal diseases of the feet and heels.
– Keep the items like Umbrella, rain coat etc when you are going out.
– Take moderately hot food and drinks in this monsoon.
– Keep away the children to play in the rain and rainy water.
– Also avoid walking where water is lying on the street, as traffic will propel by and spray it all over you. – Dry your feet when they get wet.
– Avoid colds and coughs by keeping your body moderately hot and dry.
– Don’t go in air conditioned rooms with wet hair and damp apparels.
– If you suffer from asthma or diabetes, avoid residing any place with wet walls. It encourages the development of fungus and can be especially hurtful.
– Drink many of heating herbal teas, particularly those with antibacterial properties

Choice of diet during monsoon
– During the monsoon season, it is advised not to consume fast food and the snacks from the roadside stalls. This can give rise to stomach infection. Most of the time people suffer from the problem of indigestion during the monsoon season as the airborne bacteria are very well active in the environment and can easily get inside your body with the food you eat. Since during the monsoon season, humidity is really high in the environment, the ability of body to digest comes down. It will be better for people to avoid the oily food which are prepared in street. Only the healthy food prepared at home must be considered.

Fruits
It is really essential for you to consume adequate fruits during the monsoon season as this helps you restore energy. But there is also choice of fruits as well. Go for the items like pears, mangoes, apples and pomegranate. Even there are some fruits that helps bringing out pimples on your face. On order to remove pimples from your face, you need to avoid the fruits like muskmelon and water melon. Even consuming excessive mangoes can give rise to pimples.

Dry food
It is better not to go for the watery food during the monsoons such as juices available outside, lassi ad other watery fruits. Instead go for the dry category of food such as pea, flour, corn etc. As consumption of too much watery food during monsoon can give rise to swelling in your body. So, it’s better to avoid.

Increase your immunity
One of the major problems suffered by people during the monsoon season is reduction of immunity level in body. Today, there are ways in which you can easily increase your immunity level through home remedies. Whenever you are preparing soup, add a clove of garlic at the beginning ones the oil is hot. This will increase immunity level of an individual during monsoon.

Water
Since water borne diseases are quite common during the monsoon season, try not to drink water that is not purified. Even after filtration, it is better to drink the boiled water as this will kill all germs and bacteria that have formed in water.

Stay away from high blood pressure
If you have a problem of high blood pressure, it will be better to consume very little salt in meal or else this will give a boost to the problem of high blood pressure. Thus, it is important to avoid those food items that have good amount of salt.

Bitter vegetables
You should definitely have a dish of bitter vegetables in your meal such as neem, bitter gourd etc to avoid skin infections and allergies. If you don’t like to consume it in a boiled form, make a fried form to add taste in your tongue. This is a wonderful remedy to stay away from all types of skin infections.

Stay away from stagnation
During the monsoons, stagnant water will be very well available at your home and outside. It is really important to avoid stagnant water as this will give rise to diseases like malaria and dengue. You should always throw away the water inside the unused tank, flower pots as well as water coolers. Since stagnant water is a place where the mosquito can breed, avoiding such stagnant water will be an important consideration when you are living in monsoons. Also don’t forget to place mosquito net or a repellent when you are asleep at night.

Medium low salt food
During monsoons when you are preparing meal for your family, it will be important for you to include low salt. During the monsoons people can get high blood pressure level due to salty food. Water retention is again another problem which can be checked with the help of low salt food.

Prefer dry fruit
Not all foods are good for all seasons. For example the watery fruits and juices are good during summer as we get dehydrated. But, during monsoons this can be a reason for trouble. The food such as watermelon, lassi, rice etc can create swelling in your body during monsoons. It is better consuming the food that is dry in nature. Other forms of milk
During monsoons it is better to avoid milk. Rather, it will be good to consume other forms of milk in condense form such as yogurt, curd, sweet etc. If you want to drink milk, it is better to boil it in 100 degree Celsius and then drink it. This will help you stay away from the harmful germs that are likely to attack your body.

Avoid spicy food
During monsoon since the weather is not too hot or too cold, you will be inclined towards the spicy foods. But this will be absolutely a wrong step for you. You must avoid having spicy food during the monsoon season. It can lead to skin allergoes and irritation.

Source: https://beautyhealthtips.in/best-healthy-health-tips-monsoon-rainy-season/

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Working over 8 hrs a day raises stroke risk by 33%

It’s now official -working over 8 hours a day increases the risk of stroke by 33%.

Scientists have for the first time quantified the number of hours of work that could cause serious harm. Working 55 hours or more per week is linked to a 33% greater risk of stroke and a more modest (13%) increased risk of developing coronary heart disease compared with working a standard 35 to 40 hour week. The largest study till date on the issue, involving over 6,00,000 individuals will be published in The Lancet on Thursday .

It clearly shows that the longer people worked, the higher their chances of a stroke. In the study , data from 25 studies involving 6,03,838 men and women from Europe, USA and Australia were looked into, with each of them studied for nearly nine years.

The study was carried out by Mika Kivimaki, professor of epidemiology at University College London.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/science/Working-over-8-hrs-a-day-raises-stroke-risk-by-33/articleshow/48550484.cms

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How to Keep Your Kidneys Healthy

Kidneys maintain a balance of bodily fluids and control the formation of urine to excrete toxins. The right kidney is situated a little lower than the left one. They are placed in the upper abdominal cavity touching the back muscles as support. Kidneys play an important role in waste excretion, blood pressure regulation, water level balancing, acid regulation and the formation of red blood cells. Therefore, it is very important to keep our kidneys clean and healthy so that all these functions can be performed smoothly. Here are few things you can ensure to help your kidneys function well:

1. Drink lots of water

Water helps in detoxifying the body and flushes out toxins. It is also one of the simplest ways to keep the kidneys clean. It dilutes the minerals that can cause harm and helps in their excretion. Drinking water with baking soda may help in relieving discomfort caused due to infections in the urinary tract.

Drinking lime water helps in the filtration of blood. Dr. Varun Verma, Senior Consultant (Nephrology) at Fortis Hospital in Faridabad suggests that you must drink at least 2 liters of water every day. He says, “Start your day with 2 glasses of water and end your day with a glass of water. If you have stones in the kidneys, you should drink at least 3 liters of water daily”. 

2. Have less salt, sugar and soy

The sodium in salt increases the calcium content in the body which has a negative effect on the kidneys. Excess calcium in the body may lead to the formation of stones. Similarly, too much sugar absorbs more calcium and magnesium which also contributes to kidney stones. Soy and soy-related products may have a high content of oxalate that can be harmful for the kidneys. According to Dr. Verma, Indian meals contain 25-30 grams of salt in our daily diet, while one shouldn’t consume more than 5-10 grams. 

3. Have a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar early morning

Apple cider vinegar is known for its antioxidant properties that fight oxidative stress and it also helps in controlling your blood pressure and sugar levels in the body. 

4. Exercise regularly

Any form of exercise is good for you as it it keeps the heart healthy, burns unwanted fat and helps with the flow of blood to other organs which includes the kidneys. Dr. Deepak Kalra from the Nephrology Department at Fortis Hospital stresses on maintaining your weight, “It’s important to eat healthy, drink healthy and maintain a healthy body weight for your kidneys to be able to function well.”

5. Cut caffeine 

Coffee has its benefits, but excess intake of caffeine can harm your health. Caffeine tends to dehydrate your body and absorb all the moisture which can lead to kidney stones.

6. Eat green vegetables and avoid meat

The minerals present in green vegetables reduce the oxalate levels in the body that can have a damaging effect on your kidney. One should also avoid consuming too much meat and shellfish as they may contain harmful uric acid that can affect the functioning of the kidneys.

7. Eat berries and beets

Berries are a powerful source of antioxidants which help prevent the risk of kidney diseases. Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries are great for your kidneys. Similarly, beetroots contain betaine which is an antioxidant that helps in the removal of calcium phosphate build-up and increases the acidity of urine. The iron, magnesium and folate present in beetroots helps in the flow of blood.

Apart from these simple tips, people who are diabetic need to take extra care as it can affect their kidneys. In fact, it is recommended, that every individual above the age of 50 years should undergo a full body check-up twice a year and those who are younger should get it done at least once a year. 

Source: http://food.ndtv.com/health/how-to-keep-your-kidneys-healthy-1707050

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Sleeping More On Weekends May Lead to Obesity, Diabetes and Hypertension

Irregular sleep time has long been linked to a host of health ailments. Sleep plays a pivotal role in regulating some of the most vital processes in our body. Experts suggest that not sleeping for at least 7-8 hours every day may have severe health repercussions. Also, sleeping late at night – even though you may end up meeting the 8-hour sleep mark – is also linked with health issues.

Some of the previously conducted studies note that loss of sleep incurred during the week cannot be compensated by sleeping for longer time over the weekend. A latest study conducted by American experts explains that sleeping for long hours over the weekend may actually be adverse for the health and trigger heart issues and weight gain.Experts called this phenomenon ‘social jet lag’ described as a situation when one goes to bed and wakes up much later on weekends than during the week. This ‘social jet lag’ is associated with an 11 per cent increase in the likelihood of heart disease. The study was published in the journal Sleep and assessed sleep pattern and associated effects on health in close to 984 adults ageing 22 to 60 years.

“Results indicated that sleep regularity, beyond sleep duration alone, plays a significant role in our health. Regular sleep schedule may be an effective, relatively simple, and inexpensive preventative treatment for heart disease as well as many other health problems,” lead author Sierra B. Forbush, from the University of Arizona in the US.

Sleep deprivation may affect the brain activity, trigger memory problems, induce moodiness, anxiety and depression; it may also lead to lack of concentration, lethargy. Prolonged sleep deprivation is also tied to risk of heart disease, diabetes, weakened immune system, hypertension among others.

source: http://food.ndtv.com/health/sleeping-for-long-on-weekends-may-lead-to-obesity-diabetes-and-hypertension-1708090

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New gene therapy may ‘turn off’ asthma

The findings showed that the single treatment may give life-long protection from asthma as well as those who have severe allergies to peanuts, bee venom, shell fish and other substances by de-sensitising the immune system to tolerate the protein.

Researchers have developed a new gene therapy that may help to ‘turn-off’ the immune response which causes allergic reaction such as asthma, or potentially lethal food allergies, researchers have found.

“When someone has an allergy or asthma flare-up, the symptoms they experience results from immune cells reacting to protein in the allergen,” said Ray Steptoe, Associate Professor at the University of Queensland in Australia.

The findings showed that the single treatment may give life-long protection from asthma as well as those who have severe allergies to peanuts, bee venom, shell fish and other substances by de-sensitising the immune system to tolerate the protein.

“The challenge in asthma and allergies is that these immune cells, known as T-cells, develop a form of immune ‘memory’ and become very resistant to treatments,” Steptoe said.

“We have now been able ‘wipe’ the memory of these T-cells in animals with gene therapy, de-sensitising the immune system so that it tolerates the protein,” he added.

For the study, detailed in the journal JCI Insight, the team took blood stem cells, and inserted a gene which regulated the allergen protein and put that into the recipients.

“Those engineered cells produced new blood cells that express the protein and target specific immune cells, ‘turning off’ the allergic response,” Steptoe noted.

The eventual goal would be a single injected gene therapy, that is simpler and safer which could be used across a wide cross-section of affected individuals, he said.

Source: http://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/health/new-gene-therapy-may-turn-off-asthma-4690204/

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Daily insulin shots for diabetes may be replaced by a monthly treatment

By creating a controlled-release mechanism for a drug and optimising its circulation time in the body, the new biopolymer injection has the potential to replace daily or weekly insulin shots with a once-a-month or twice-a-month treatments for type 2 diabetes, researchers said.

Scientists, including one of Indian origin, have developed a technology that may provide weeks of glucose control for diabetes with a single injection, which would be a dramatic improvement over current therapies.

In primates, the treatment has been shown to last for weeks, rather than days, researchers at Duke University in the US said. By creating a controlled-release mechanism for a drug and optimising its circulation time in the body, the new biopolymer injection has the potential to replace daily or weekly insulin shots with a once-a-month or twice-a-month treatments for type 2 diabetes, they said. Many current treatments for type 2 diabetes use a signalling molecule called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP1) to cause the pancreas to release insulin to control blood sugar. However, this peptide has a short half-life and is cleared from the body quickly.

Researchers, including Ashutosh Chilkoti, from Duke University, have created a technology that fuses GLP1 to a heat-sensitive elastin-like polypeptide (ELP) in a solution that can be injected into the skin through a standard needle. Once injected, the solution reacts with body heat to form a biodegradable gel-like “depot” that slowly releases the drug as it dissolves. In animal experiments, the resulting therapy provided glucose control up to three times longer than treatments currently on the market. Researchers systematically worked to vary the design of the delivery biopolymer at the molecular level and found a sweet spot that maximised the duration of the drug’s delivery from a single injection.

“By doing so, we managed to triple the duration of this short-acting drug for type 2 diabetes, outperforming other competing designs,” said Chilkoti, senior author of study published in the journal Nature Biomedical Engineering. Researchers optimised their solution to regulate glucose levels in mice for 10 days after a single injection, up from the previous standard of 2-3 days. In further tests, the team found that the optimised formulation improved glucose control in rhesus monkeys for more than 14 days after a single injection, while also releasing the drug at a constant rate for the duration of the trial.

“What is exciting about this work was our ability to demonstrate that the drug could last over two weeks in non- human primates,” said Kelli Luginbuhl, a PhD student in the Chilkoti lab and co-author of the study.

Source: http://www.dnaindia.com/health/report-now-a-monthly-treatment-for-diabetes-may-replace-daily-insulin-shots-2463129

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Healthy diet plan for diabetic patients

A diabetic patient can have all fruits. Rest depends on parameters like blood sugar levels (fasting and PP), HBA1C, Weight, physical activity any co morbidity etc

SAMPLE MENU

EARLY MORNING:    Fresh coconut water / lemon water

BREAKFAST        :    Egg / Porridge / sprouts / stuffed chapatti + curd

                               Besan Cheela / Jowar / Bajra / Boiled chana

                               a glass of milk

MID MORNING  :    Fruit (No Salt)

LUNCH  :    salad (No salt)

                           2 multi grain chapatti

                           Dal

                           Seasonal vegetable

EVENING  :    Tea / coffee / green tea

                        5 – 7 almonds / roasted chana

PRE DINNER  :     Fruit (No Salt)

DINNER  :     salad (No salt)

                                2 multi grain chapatti

                                Seasonal vegetable

                                Curd

Bed time  :     Milk  + Haldi

Food to Have

– Single toned milk & its products – 500 ml / day

– Multigrain atta –  (7Kg Wheat Atta + 2kg Black Chana atta + 1 Kg wheat Bran)

– Prefer mustard oil as a medium for cooking around 3 – 4tsp / day

– Have 2 – 3 servings of fruits at least in a day

– Restrict salt intake to about 3 grams / day

Food To Avoid

– Deep Fried Foods

– Junk Foods

– Full Cream Milk, Cream, Butter, Ghee

– Processed cheese, Khoa

– Sugar, Sugar Free, jam, Honey, Gur

– Sweets, Mithai, Puddings, Cakes, Pastries, chocolates, ice cream etc

– Cold Drinks, Rasna, roohafza, tang, Sherbet etc

– Bournvita, Horlicks, Boost etc

– Cornflakes, Tomato Ketchup –

– Maida and its products including bread

– Biscuits, Chips, Kurkure, Namkeen, Bhujia, Rusk etc

– Packaged Food products e.g. packaged Juices, packet soups, Ketchup etc

– Different Sauces like soya sauce, chilli sauce etc

– Achar, Chutney, papad and other accompaniments

– Vegetables like aloo, arbi, yam, zimikand etc

– Starchy foods like sago, Makhana etc

– Alcohol 

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Major Health Risk in Using Heater-Cooler Devices for Heart Surgeries

Heater-cooler devices are often used during open heart surgeries and also for those involving the lungs. They help in warming or cooling the patient as required. It includes of two devices – a tank that provides temperature controlled water and an external heat exchanger that has been linked with devices that keep circulating blood and organs at a specific temperature depending on the type of surgery being performed. However, a new study suggests that they may pose a major health risk to patients. As per as the research presented at the annual conference of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC), one in three heater cooler devices may may be contaminated with deadly bacteria.

The research was presented by John Rihs, vice-president of laboratory services at Special Pathogens Laboratory who along with his team examined 89 heater-cooler units used across 23 hospitals in Canada and the United States between 2015 and 2016. Shockingly, it was found that 33 units out of the total (or 37 per cent), tested positive for a certain type of bacteria called M. chimaera, while four units were colonized with Legionella. 

Mycobacterium chimaera has been recognized as a cause of endocarditis, severe disseminated infection and chronic sternal wound infection in patients who have undergone heart surgery. It may manifest many years after the surgery was conducted and this study shows that it is likely to be transmitted from the heater cooler units used during the surgery.

Concerns about contamination of these units have been raised in the past which led to health organisations like  Health Canada, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the he U.S. Federal Drug Administration issuing warnings regarding the risk of infection and tightening the guidelines around safety measures. 

The water does not come in contact with the patient directly but it can aerosolize, and if it is contaminated, it can transmit the bacteria through the air into the environment, and to the patient. 

The nontuberculous mycobacteria grow slowly and the symptoms may appear gradually over time. These include fever, night sweats, weight loss, muscle aches and fatigue. As a result of this, the diagnosis of these infections may be missed or delayed, sometimes for years, which makes them difficult to treat and imposes a major health risk for the patients.

Source: http://food.ndtv.com/health/the-major-health-risk-in-using-heater-cooler-devices-for-heart-surgeries-1712454

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Listen to Your Gut: 4 step Formula to Cleanse Your Digestion

How to Cleanse the Gut

The 4 step formula to cleanse and repair your gut rests on these basic principles –

Remove: All possible toxins, allergens and gut-unfriendly substances from your diet.

Replace: The diet with all essential micronutrients like magnesium, good fats, complex carbs, fibre, vitamins, protein as well as digestive enzymes like proteases, lipases, cellulases and amylases among others.

Reinoculate: It is important to ensure that your gut’s flora flourishes and that can be done with the help of pro/prebiotics. Add as much of these to your daily diet at spaced intervals.

Repair: Make relevant changes to your diet to fix and patch up the leaky gut.

“Gut health is extremely essential for good health. There is enough research that validates that lifestyle diseases are associated with poor digestion. Leaky gut is a condition many people suffer from and as a result skin conditions, IBS, asthma, slow metabolism and other health issues,” Shilpa Arora ND, a renowned Health Practitioner, Nutritionist and certified Macrobiotic Health Coach.

Few Points to Keep Handy

– Make eating a visual and a mindful process. You need not count calories if eighty percent of your meal comprises fresh vegetables and twenty percent good quality protein and essential fats.

– Have smaller, frequent meals and take time to chew your food properly.

– Food combinations matter, pair your food wisely: Always pair veggies and greens with protein but never combine animal protein (seafood, fish, poultry and meat) with vegetable protein (beans and lentils).

– Cut down on the big three – alcohol, caffeine and sugar.

– If possible, add vitamin B complex supplement in your routine after consulting with your doctor.

– Drink plenty of natural fluids and exercise regularly.

– Drink a glass of water with lemon juice first thing in the morning. Go light on dinner. Sleep on time, keep stress at bay.

– Add green tea to your routine.

– Maintain a diet journal and notice what dietary switches or inclusions made an impact on your gut health.

“You can include coconut water, apple cider vinegar, curd, buttermilk, fermented beverages, fermented veggies, kanji and bananas in your diet to ensure that your gut is clean and healthy,” shared Shilpa.

Although some of the basic rules remain same for all, every person’s physical composition differs. There is no one formula that should ideally fit all. Diet should be tailor-made to suit an individual in the best possible way. Get in touch with a certified nutritionist to get your personal clean gut programme.

Source: http://food.ndtv.com/health/listen-to-your-gut-a-four-step-formula-to-cleanse-your-digestion-1712748

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Ebola Vaccine May Soon Become a Reality

An experimental Ebola vaccine has been found to be safe for humans, according to the results of an early clinical trial developed at the Canadian National Microbiology Laboratory of the Public Health Agency of Canada. The researchers also found that high antibodies were present in participants six months after immunisation, indicating its potential to protect people from the deadly virus. This VSV (vesicular stomatitis virus)-Ebola vaccine brings new hope.

“The results of this trial were positive and very promising,” said May ElSherif from the Canadian Centre for Vaccinology. “All three dose levels of the VSV Ebola vaccine were well-tolerated by participants, and no safety concerns were identified,” added ElSherif. The study published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).

The trial involved 40 healthy people aged 18 to 65 years and looked at the safety of the vaccine and the lowest dose required for an immune response after injection with one of three doses. Out of the 40 people, 30 participants received the vaccine and 10 received placebo injections. The researchers found that adverse events were mild to moderate, with only three severe reactions, including headache, diarrhea and fatigue, which were completely resolved. This study shows the importance of further investigation, according to the researchers.

There have been some recent clusters of Ebola cases in Africa and more are expected as survivors may still spread the virus to uninfected people. The research team conducted the clinical trial “as part of a coordinated, international effort to expeditiously evaluate candidate EVD (Ebola virus disease) vaccines and make them available to control the epidemic,” said ElSherif.

An upcoming study at two sites in Africa, as well as in Montréal and Ottawa in Canada, will test the safety and protection levels of the VSV-Ebola vaccine in HIV-infected adults and adolescents. The vaccine was earlier found to be effective in preventing EVD in contacts of recently confirmed cases in a major trial.

Source: http://food.ndtv.com/health/ebola-vaccine-may-soon-become-a-reality-1714184

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