How to Protect Yourself from Toxic Smog

Delhi-NCR is experiencing thick layer of toxic smog. Air pollution is worst ever since last 17 years. Visibility has gone down to 200-300 meters. Reasons behind this toxic smog are - Crackers used in Diwali festival, dust from construction sites, dusty roads, smoke from burning waste, smoke from fields and last but not the least - growing number of vehicles on the roads.

If air pollution is in worst condition, people are prone to get infected quickly. In long run, air pollution is very dangerous and deadly. People develop respiratory problems, asthma, cancer, TB, early aging, eye problem, skin problem and many more health problems over time. We should protect ourselves as much as possible. Here are some tips to protect yourself from smog and air pollution:

Avoid Exercise Outside

When air pollution is on rise, try to avoid going outside for morning and evening walk either on road or nearby park. Say no to jogging and exercise also in open areas. While exercising, we breathe aggressively and this way we take too much toxic air inside. People who have asthma or other respiratory problems may get more complications.

Stay Inside

Avoid venturing outside unnecessarily. Go out only it is required. Staying inside your house is better for your health.

Keep House Gate and Windows Closed

If outside air is too polluted, better to keep your house windows and gates closed. Before opening them, check outside air quality. If not required, keep them closed.

Avoid Congested Routes

If you have to go out, try to avoid congested routes to reach your destination. Better to use metro if available rather spending hours in crawling traffic and inhaling toxic air.

Use Air Conditioner

Either at home or in car, if outside air is in worst condition, use AC. Your air conditioner will filter some toxic air to some level. Also, make sure you clean your AC's air filter on regular basis.

Use Air Purifier

Install air purifier in your house. It will help you in making air inside your house clean to some extent. Now a day, you can find it in the market.

Plant Air Purifier Plants

Plant some air purifying plants inside your house for cleaning your surroundings. These air purifying plants are Tulsi (holy plant), Snake plant or Mother in laws tongue, Spider plant, Bamboo palm, Boston fern, Aloe Vera plant, Peace Lily and Golden Pothos. Plant which are easily available in your market.

Cover Your Skin

Air pollution affects your skin also. Toxic substances in the air is harmful for your skin. So, keep it covered when going out.

Use Face Mask

If going out, wear face mask. It will filter air what you inhale and protect you from taking toxic pollutants inside. Mask is available on any medical stores.

All of the above are tips to protect yourself from smog and air pollution and stay healthy. Air pollution is killing millions of people world wide every year. Only prevention is in our control so, be serious!

All About Dengue Fever

Dengue fever is a viral disease that is spread by infected Aedes type mosquitoes, principally A. Aegypti. When a mosquito carrying dengue fever virus bites a healthy person, the virus travels in the blood stream and starts multiplying itself in the whole body. Dengue fever is not contagious, which means one person can't pass it directly to another person. Mosquitoes typically bite during the early morning and in the evening but they may bite any time of the day. After the mosquito bite, it takes 4 to 7 days in showing symptoms and in some cases it may surface in upto 14 days.

Dengue fever can occur to people of all ages. Children usually have a milder disease than adults.

Dengue Symptoms

Symptoms of dengue fever include high fever (usually above 104°F), headache, abdominal pain, vomiting, low blood pressure, loss of appetite, pain behind the eyes, mild joint pain, low level of blood platelets, swelling, muscle pain, skin rashes and mild nose bleeding or internal bleeding. In some rare cases, shock and coma also noticed. Dengue fever can be a severe and life-threatening.

Please note that Dengue has some common symptoms with Chikungunya, and can be misdiagnosed in areas where dengue is common. The common symptoms of Dengue fever may subside in around 10 days, but complete recovery from the disease can take more than a month.

Dengue Treatment

There is no specific antiviral drug or medicine available for Dengue. Treatments are given to Dengue patients are based on symptoms to control the complications. Patients are advised to take complete rest, drink plenty of water, take more liquid food and medicines to relieve pain (paracetamol). Cold water patti (pad) can be applied on forehead to reduce body temperature.

Ayurveda Remedy

Papaya leaves are very beneficial in controlling dengue fever. It elevates blood platelets count significantly. Dengue patient's situations worsens when blood platelets count goes down drastically.

Tulsi (Basil leaves) has medicinal properties and has soothing effect on nervous system and strengthens stomach. Tea prepared with tulsi leaves, ginger and cardamom can be taken throughout the day after couple of hours intervals. Also, boil tulsi leaves with black pepper in water and drink that water throughout the day to improve immune system.

Fenugreek (Methi) Leaves are beneficial in reducing fever, pain and improves sleep of the patients. You can soak the dry leaves in water and then drink it or you can  mix methi powder with water and have it.

Pomegranate (Anaar) or black grape juice can be taken to increase blood count.

Homeopathic Remedy

Eupatorium Perfoliatum: For fever with bone breaking pains
The alternative name of Dengue is "Break Bone" fever due to terrible pain in bones. This medicine is very effective in relieving terrible bone pain in Dengue fever. Usually throbbing type of pain occurs in the head and limbs. Pain may be felt in the back part of the head and also on the top of the head.

Bryonia: For Dengue fever with body pain and intense thirst
Muscle pain leads to pain in whole body. Whenever the patient tries to walk or move or even turn in bed, the pain becomes intolerable. Patient feels better while at rest and does not want to move. Bryonia is helpful in easing out body pain and reduce intense thirst.

Phosphorus: For hemorrhagic dengue fever
In this type of Dengue fever, burning and numbness of the hands, arms and feet and intense thirst accompany the fever. In this case, the patient wants to have cold water or even chilled water. Phosphorus homeopathic medicine is useful in such conditions.

Carica Papaya: For increasing platelet count
Carica Papaya is a homeopathic medicine made from papaya fruit. Papaya is used in Ayurveda too for increasing platelet count. It improves the platelet counts in patients significantly.

Dengue Prevention and Control

Currently, there is no vaccine commercially available to protect against dengue fever. Hence, prevention is the only protection from Dengue. The Aedes albopictus mosquitoes use indoor sites like flower vases and water storage vessels for breeding. The mosquitoes also breed in outdoor areas like stagnant water, coconut husks, water in pots and coolers. It is important to keep these areas clean and dry. People should use insect repellent, wear long-sleeved clothing, put mosquito screens on windows & doors, use mosquito nets during day for small children and elderly people. Since Zika, Dengue and Chikungunya viruses are transmitted by mosquitoes mostly active during daytime, it is important to take protective measures to prevent mosquito bites throughout the day.

June 15 is being observed as International Anti-Dengue Day. The main objectives and goals are to increase public awareness about dengue, mobilize resources for its prevention and control.

Note: Please consult your doctor before taking any medicine.

All About Chikungunya Fever

Chikungunya (pronounced as chiki-en-gun-yah) is a viral disease spread by Aedes aegypti / albopictus mosquito bites. This is the same mosquito that transmits Dengue and Yellow Fever. The illness occurs usually between 4 to 10 days after the mosquito bite and infection lasts for next 7 to 10 days. Chikungunya disease is not life threatening but in older people, the disease may cause death. Patient gets life long immunity from infection so re-infection is very rare.

Chikungunya Symptoms

Usual symptoms in chikungunya are - shivering, high fever, vomiting, nausea, head ache, muscle pain, rashes (on face, arms, legs & back), swelling in joints and joint pain. The fever usually subsides in 2-3 days, but other symptoms may last for a longer time. The main symptom, severe joint pain is the most problematic symptom of Chikungunya. Hands, wrists and ankles are most frequently affected areas. In some cases, joint pain may be prolonged to weeks/months/years.

Chikungunya has some common symptoms with dengue, and can be misdiagnosed in areas where dengue is common.

Chikungunya Treatment

There is no specific antiviral drug, vaccine or medicine available for Chikungunya. Treatment is focused on relieving the symptoms. Patients are advised to take complete rest, take more liquid food and medicines to relieve pain (paracetamol).

The treatment is focused on relieving joint pains using anti-pyre-tics, analgesics and fluids. The symptoms are common in chikungunya and dengue so, it's difficult to differentiate symptoms from Dengue. Therefore, it is advised not to take any non steroidal anti-inflammatory medicine like aspirin, diclofenac and ibuprofen until Dengue is ruled out. Else these medicines can cause platelets to fall.

Ayurveda and homeopathy have specific treatments for Chikungunya. Most of the treatments are helpful in reducing the symptoms specially the joint pain.

Prevention and control

We all know that Prevention is the better than cure. The Aedes albopictus mosquitoes use indoor sites like flower vases and water storage vessels for breeding. The mosquitoes also breed in outdoor areas like stagnant water, coconut husks, water in pots and coolers. It is important to keep these areas clean and dry. For protection during outbreaks, insecticides may be sprayed to kill flying mosquitoes and to treat water in containers to kill the immature larvae.

Chikungunya causing mosquitoes are active during daytime, mostly in the early mornings and late afternoon. So it is important to wear long-sleeved clothes to minimize skin exposure. Use repellents, mosquito coils to prevent mosquito bites. For people specially babies and children who nap during the day, using mosquito nets can also prevent from mosquito bites.

Why Soaked Almonds Are Better Than Raw Almonds?

Everyone knows that almonds are beneficial for health. We should have it daily because almonds are a good source of antioxidants, essential vitamins and minerals like vitamin E, zinc, calcium, magnesium and omega-3 fatty acid. Daily dose of almonds helps in losing weight, reducing bad cholesterol (LDL), increasing good cholesterol (HDL), delaying ageing, improving memory, reducing birth defects and fighting cancer.

Many of us must have got advice that we should eat soaked almonds instead of raw almonds. Choosing soaked almonds over raw or normal almonds is a healthier option? Yes, having soaked almonds is definitely a better choice.

Why soaked almonds are better?

The peel of almond contains tannin, an enzyme inhibitor that is meant to protect the seed until it has perfect conditions for germination. Our body can't breakdown tannin, not only making the digesting almonds difficult, but also restricting your body from absorbing almonds nutrients. In order to absorb almonds nutrients, it should be soaked in water overnight.

Besides the above, soaking almonds also softens the seed, making it crunchy, easy to chew and digest.

How to soak almonds?

For an adult, having a handful of almonds (50-60 grams) per day is sufficient. At night, put almonds in any cup or small utensil and fill it with water. Cover them and soak it for overnight (8 hours). In the morning, drain the water and now, your daily dose of almonds are ready for munching. You can have it directly or slice them in small pieces and have it with curd, oats or even porridge.

Almonds contain monounsaturated fats that reduce your appetite and make you feel full for longer time. So, make a habit, soak a handful of almonds every night and have your daily dose of nutrition in your morning breakfast. Happy munching!

Trans Fats: How Safe to Eat or Just Avoid Completely

Now a days everyone is concerned about fats so let’s discuss about one fat that is not considered healthy at all and should be avoided. Yes, this is Trans Fat.

 

Trans fats or trans fatty acids are uncommon in nature and can be artificially created in an industrial process. It’s a kind of unsaturated fat that is created by adding hydrogen to liquid vegetable oil to make it more solid. However, trans fats are edible and widely used in food production across the world. All those food whether it’s continental, fast or even locally made mouth-watering food contain trans fat.

 

Tran fats is generally used in food products to enhance its taste, texture and shelf-life. Pizza dough, burgers, french fries, chicken nuggets, canned foods, baked products, cookies, cakes, muffins, pie crusts, margarine, buttery popcorn, some fast-food meal… all contain artificially made trans fats. That is more dangerous than natural trans fats. Look at the packaged food’s label for the amount of trans fat you are going to consume and if possible just avoid it.

 

Trans fat increases risk of having Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) and stroke by elevating your LDL and lowering your HDL. LDL is called “bad cholesterol” and HDL is called “Good cholesterol”. Primary health risk of trans fats is heart disease and beyond this some other diseases are also be considered a result of trans fats consumption. These are: Alzheimer’s disease, Cancer, Diabetes, Obesity, Liver disorder, Infertility in woman and some others.

 

On 7^th November 2013, The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has proposed to ban trans fats in food production. If this is fully implemented then it can save thousands of people dying from obesity, cancer, heart disease, diabetes like diseases every year.

 

But if trans fats fully banned… will you find the same taste in chicken nuggets, french fires, pizzas? Certainly NOT… but your health will be in good shape, after all you have to enjoy the food throughout your life and lead a healthy life.

What is the ideal Height and Weight ratio for Man and Woman

Here is an ideal chart of height and weight ratio of man and woman. This is a generic range and may vary according to ethnicity of a person. You can plan your weight loss program accordingly.

Ideal Height (In Feets)	Ideal Weight (Man)	Ideal Weight (Woman)
5'-0"	51 - 54 Kgs	46 - 51 Kgs
5'-1"	52 - 55 Kgs	47 - 53 Kgs
5'-2"	54 - 58 Kgs	49 - 55 Kgs
5'-3"	57 - 62 Kgs	50 - 56 Kgs
5'-4"	59 - 64 Kgs	51 - 57 Kgs
5'-5"	61 - 65 Kgs	53 - 59 Kgs
5'-6"	62 - 67 Kgs	55 - 61 Kgs
5'-7"	64 - 69 Kgs	56 - 63 Kgs
5'-8"	66 - 71 Kgs	58 - 65 Kgs
5'-9"	68 - 73 Kgs	60 - 67 Kgs
5'-10"	69 - 74 Kgs	62 - 69 Kgs
5'-11"	71 - 76 Kgs	64 - 70 Kgs
6'-0"	73 - 79 Kgs	66 - 72 Kgs
6'-1"	73 - 81 Kgs	68 - 76 Kgs
6'-2"	78 - 84 Kgs	71 - 79 Kgs
6'-3"	80 - 86 Kgs	75 - 84 Kgs

How to Lose Weight Naturally

Now a days most of the people are getting lifestyle related diseases. Their diet, lifestyle, work environment everything adds-up to the worst and get lifestyle related disease very easily.

Being over weight is one of the condition one should avoid. Because once you are obese, you are more prone to get heart attack, stroke, diabetes, blood pressure and many more. So, before getting sick, make a plan to reduce your weight and stay fit. Here are some tips to reduce your weight naturally.

What to do for weight loss:

• Regular exercise: Body movement is must for obese or over weight people. So, plan for at least half an hour exercise daily. If daily is not possible, try to complete at least 2-3 hrs of exercise in a week. You can go to gym, do some aerobics, or just do normal walking, brisk walking, jogging or yoga. Ultimate aim is to give some movement of your organs by exercising.Consistency is must so you must do exercise regularly even if you reduced your weight.
• Set your eating habit: Try to eat something after a certain interval and avoid eating too much at a time. Better to eat 4-5 times daily rather eating heavy meal twice. Also, don't go for dieting plan. It is noticed that people who are on diet, eat more food.
• Include these food in your diet: Eat fresh fruits, leafy vegetable, lettuce, spinach, whole grain cereals, oatmeal, almonds, walnuts, berries, apple, honey, fish, etc. These foods give necessary vitamins and minerals to your body and rich in fiber.
• Drink plenty of water: Water flushes out toxins from your body and keeps you stay healthy. Eat 3-4 glasses of water in the morning when you get up. Drink water half an hour before your meals and at least one hour after your meals. Don't drink water with your meal. Drinking at least 4-5 liters of water daily is recommended.
• No junk and fried food: Say NO to junk food like pizza, burger, pasta, maggi and deep fried foods. Junk foods are made of refined floor, butter, cheese, margarine, MSG and other avoidable stuffs. You can choose baked food over fried food. Baked food keeps the nutritional values of the food intact but when it is fired, it loses its nutritional values and you end up eating more oily food that adds weight in long run.
• No processed food: Processed foods are generally high in sugar, salt and unhealthy preservatives. People are busy and have no time for cooking so they  choose to get ready of eat processed food. Such foods are harmful in long run.
• No TV while eating: Don't eat while watching your favorite programs on your TV. People eat more while watching TV and that leads to weight gain.
• Manage stress: Stressed people are prone to eat more. So, to reduce your weight, you must do stress management.
• Keep checking: Keep checking your weight after a regular intervals and adjust your weight loss program accordingly. When you get perfect weight and shape, just continue doing this and adapt this lifestyle for your entire life.

How to Increase Hemoglobin Naturally

There is an iron-containing protein in our blood cells that carries oxygen is called Hemoglobin (Hb).

Normal level of hemoglobin varies in men and women. Normal Hb level men is 14–18 mg/dl and 12–16 mg/dl in women.

Main reason for low hemoglobin levels (Anemia) is nutritional deficiencies in the body. Deficiency may be of iron, vitamin C, B12 and folic acid. But there are several diseases also cause hemoglobin deficiency. A doctor would prescribe iron supplement and vitamins for increasing the Hb level but we should not be dependent on medicine for long. We should focus on proper healthy diet and changing lifestyle so that we can increase the hemoglobin level naturally.

Here are the ways to increase Hb level naturally

Iron rich food: Beatroot, gram (chana) and moong sprouts, leafy vegetable like spinach (Palak), fenugreek (Methi), whole grains like dalia, barley (Jaw), brown rice are good source of iron. In fruits... banana, apple and pomegranate have good amount of iron. Dry fruits like almonds (Badaam), date (Khajoor), peach (Anjeer) and raisin (Kismis and Munakka) are iron rich.

Avoid Calcium rich food: Until your Hb level gets normal, try to avoid taking calcium rich food like dairy products... milk, cheese, butter, etc. Calcium restricts absorption of iron in the body.

Vitamin C food: Vitamin C helps our body to absorb iron from food efficiently. Try to eat fruits like orange, grapes, kiwi, guava. There are some vitamin C rich vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, tomato, lemon, capsicum and leafy vegetable.

Folic acid and vitamin B-complex: Folic acid and vitamin B-complex help body to produce red blood cells. If your Hb level is low then you may have deficiency of Folic acid and Vitamin B-complex. Include these vitamins in your daily diet.

How to Avoid Wrinkles Naturally

Wrinkles is a sign that shows that you are getting old. Everyone wants to be young forever. But it is not possible. But we can delay aging. Some people get old quickly and some try to delay the aging process. Facial wrinkles first get noticed. Here are some tips to delay the aging process and you can avoid wrinkles.

Drink plenty of water: Water maintains moisture level of your skin and keeps you hydrated. Apart from drinking water, you can have fruits and vegetables which have water content.

Balance diet: Maintain balanced diet in your daily meal. Include foods containing Iron, Zinc, Vitamin A, B-complex, Vitamin C and specially Vitamin E. Also munch on dry fruits like almond, walnut, apricot for additional nutritional support. Dry fruits are rich in Vitamin E and other minerals. You can get all these Vitamins and minerals from leafy vegetable, salads, whole grain cereals, fruits and dry fruits.

Check eye sight: Facial  wrinkles are more visible on faces with poor eye sight. So, get your eye checked, follow doctor's advice and eat Vitamin A rich diet.

Protect from Sun: Long exposure to sun is harmful to your skin. UV rays from sun is absorbed by skin and create free radicals. These radicals causes wrinkles. Though, we get Vitamin D from sun. But it is recommendable to get morning sunlight until 9am to get Vitamin D. When sun is hot, just avoid going out in for longer time. If necessary, use sunglasses and try to cover you body to reduce sun exposure.

Sleeping habits: Getting 7-8 hours of sleep is must for your overall health so for your skin. Your sleeping posture plays more important role in wrinkle formation. Sleeping postures make some pressure on your facial skin and after a long time facial skin gets wrinkle according to the facial lines. Try to sleep on your back.

Quit smoking: If you are smoking then stop it to delay aging. Heavy smokers are more likely to get wrinkles than non-smokers.

Be happy: And at the end, be happy. Happiness is necessary to delay the aging process and wrinkles.

Papaya Leaf Juice – Extremely Useful in Dengue Fever

Papaya, a common fruit you can find everywhere in India and several parts of the world as well. Locally this fruit doesn’t have good repo among other so-called healthy fruits. But when summer season is around, and Dengue (kind of fever caused by mosquito bite) is around, Papaya takes the stage and becomes great in demand. In dengue, platelets count drop sharply and papaya juice proved to be very effective in increasing platelets count and normalizing it.

Dengue is a kind fever that is spread through the bite of an infected Aedes Aegypti mosquito. Symptoms of dengue emerge in 5 to 7 days after an infected mosquito bites a person. It is possible to get infected by dengue several times in life of a person and each time the infection gets dangerous. Dengue symptoms are like: high fever, muscular pain, joint pain, headache, eye pain, rashes, liver dysfunction, nausea, vomiting and sudden drop in platelet count.

Platelets are very important part of your blood. Whenever our body gets any injury or cuts, these platelets rush to that part of the body to stop the bleeding. When platelet count is under 150,000, it is considered as low. A healthy person should have platelet count between 150,000 and 450,000 per micro liter. Apart from dengue fever, there are several other health problems like Vitamin B12 & Folic acid deficiency, cancer and some viral infections when platelet count is generally fall.

Papaya leaves have emerged as a big relief to the dengue patients. There is not any particular medicine available in the market for dengue. Doctors prescribe general fever medicines and if situation worsens then platelets are transmitted. In such condition, papaya leaves do miracle. It is packed with great medicinal properties. Papaya leaf extracts not only normalizes platelets but also repairs liver that is damaged by dengue.

Leaf juice can be extracted easily. Leaf should not be either too old or too young. Take only young papaya leaves for juice. Crush it or grind it and extract juice from it by using clean cloth. One or two spoon juice twice a day is sufficient. Continue this dose until platelet level gets its normal level. Any person can have papaya leaf juice, just to be healthy and make immune system strong. There is no side effect of papaya leaf juice yet reported. But yes, too much of anything can be harmful… even love!

Now a days, some pharmaceutical companies introduced pills made of papaya leaf extract. So, if papaya leaf is not available in your vicinity, you can take pills of papaya leaf extract.

Papaya leaf juice is believed to be helpful in other diseases also. Due to its great medicinal properties, people around the world have reported benefits in maintaining blood sugar level in diabetes, dengue, chikungunya, cancer, Parkinson’s, constipation, skin care, and boosting immune system.

Therefore, a kind request to the readers of this blog—Please plant some papaya trees where you live. This way, we can increase greenery and lead a healthy life as well.

Benefits of Flaxseeds

Flaxseeds (also called Linseed), a simple crop but full of nutrients that is grown in many parts of the world. India is a major producer of flaxseeds. Until recent past, no one was aware about its nutritional values and how beneficial it can be in keeping our body fit and healthy. It’s a super food that prevents a number of diseases and keeps us healthy. In Hindi, Flaxseed is known as Alsi or Tisi.

 

Nutrients:

In every 100 gram of serving, flaxseed contains high levels (> 19%) of protein, dietary fiber, vitamin B, Selenium and other important minerals. Flaxseeds are very rich in thiamine, magnesium and phosphorus.

Flaxseeds contain 54% (highest) omega-3 fatty acids, 18% omega-9 fatty acids and 6% omega-6 fatty acids; the seeds also contain 9% saturated fat, including 5% as palmitic acid. Flaxseed oil contains 53% omega-3 fatty acids and 13% omega-6 fatty acids.

Benefits:

1. Helps in Losing Body Weight
2. Prevents Breast, Colon and Prostate Cancer
3. Prevents Heart diseases
4. Lowers Risk of Diabetes
5. Lowers Blood Pressure
6. Lowers Cholesterol
7. Enhances Immune System
8. Strengthens Digestive System
9. Maintains Hormonal Imbalance
10. Improves Eye health
11. Detoxifies Intestine and Colon
12. Gives Nutrition to Hair, Nails and Skin
13. Prevents Depression
14. Prevents Hot Flashes
15. Helps in Arthritis and Joint Pain