Water intake- Easier than you think

 Water, naturally abundant fluid that is essential for living. But apart from this fact water is essential for proper functioning of our body. If we include water in our regular diet with conscious effort, we will not be facing most of the common problems that become disorders later like gastric, acidity, skin problems etc.

-          Drink water before and after exercise to keep your self-hydrated

-          Drink Luke warm water early in the morning to detoxify your body

-          Drinking a glass of water before meal prevents you from over-eating

-          Add water to your alcoholic drinks instead of adding sparkling water

-          Keep a bottle of water with you and drink water in every half hour or so

Drinking water will become a habit after conscious effort. Once it happens you will feel thirsty of your own. Water is essential for human body as 50-75% of human body composes water. Therefore it keeps joints lubricated and digestion proper. Water also removes waste materials from the body and keeps skin moisturized.

 

Let's reduce the pain of Arthritis

Arthritis; a common ailment that most of us have seen people suffering with.  The pain and inflammation is unbearable and this gets worse with age. Medications give relief over a period of time and pain killers do release the pain but only until the medicine works. These days’ people are looking out for herbal and natural remedies to cure arthritis.

Weight is definitely a cause which aggravates the problem; therefore it is advised to keep your weight in check. There are few other ways which can provide major relief to those who are suffering from arthritis. One of such a treatment is called Hot and Cold Therapy. In this method, the patient is advised to take hot water bath in the morning. They can also use blanket or hot or cold water bag around the joints. This not only provides immediate relief but also helps in making the joints loosen up.

Some natural and readily available items like turmeric and aloe- vera are also popular in curing arthritis. These products are known for their anti-inflammatory properties. Turmeric can easily be added in the food and is one of the known spices that are present in almost all Indian food items.

Aloe-vera on the other hand is widely used for soothing sunburn skin. What is not known is that, this product can be also used to soothe achy joints. Similar to Aloe-vera, Eucalyptus is a also easily available. It reduces the welling and thereby the pain subsided. 

Many people go for message which also relieves the pain over time. Eucalyptus oil can be used for messaging of arthritis joints. Message reduces pain and also improves the movement of joints.

Tale of the Nail

Nails are considered to be the dead cells which do not have use. But there are important facts about these dead cells which most of us are not aware of. Did you know that nails keep on growing even after a person is dead?

But considering nails absolutely useless or merely something just for beautification of the body would be wrong. Nails do tell a lot about our health. We sometimes notice white spots on the nails. At times the color of the nail may also seem different. All these are signs of improper functioning of the body.

1-      Pale nails- Pale nails are the early sign of diabetes or liver disease.

2-      Brittle nails- If your nails break easily by even slightest touch then this means your thyroid glands are not functioning properly.

3-      Blue nails- Pink nails are sign of proper blood flow in the body. If the nails are turning blue then probably you have respiratory problem due to which there is deficiency of oxygen in your body. In extreme cold temperature lack of oxygen is obvious, but if otherwise you should definitely go for a physical checkup.

4-      White Spots- Nails with white spots indicate deficiency of zinc in the body.

5-      White nails- White nails indicate improper blood circulation and lack of iron in the body.

6-      Horizontal lines- If you notice horizontal lines crossing the entire nail then it show that you have highly stressed.

Nails reflect your health and may give early signs of some diseases or disorders. We usually ignore such signs as we think that they will disappear on their own. Most of the time they do, but sometime the disorder if ignored for long may create a bigger problem. If the change you notice on your nails persist for a longer time, then it would be better to take a doctor’s opinion.

Which cookware should we choose?

Well, this article is the result of a comment I received on my last post. Our doubts are obvious when we are talking about non-stick cook wares. They have made cooking so efficient and economical, and now cooking is no more a struggle. Thanks to these non- stick vessels. But when there are raised concerns about their bad effects, they cannot be ignored just like that.

So in this post we will talk about various Cookware and their ill effects, if any:

1-      Teflon or Non-stick vessels-

Non-stick utensils have a coating which actually prevents substances to stick to the vessel. This coating is called Teflon. Researchers have their concerns about the effect of Teflon on environment. If overheated, the chemical present in the coating starts fuming which can cause irritation in humans as well as pets. Many articles if you search in the internet also relate the coating with various forms of cancer. New kind of non-stick has now been introduced in the market which has ceramic coating, which is considered to be a better option.

2-      Cast Iron-

Cooking in an iron vessel is considered to be a good option since it increases the iron content in the food. Usually there is very little amount of iron in our daily diet and since it is important element for the development of the brain, cooking in an iron pot saves our effort to search food rich in iron. Problem with such vessels is that, you should transfer the cooked food in another vessel since too much of iron will leach out if the food is kept in the same pot for a long time.

3-      Stainless Steel-

Stainless Steel cook wares are known for their evenly heating quality. They are stable in heat and do not release any harmful element in the food. Generally a thick bottom vessel is better than a thin bottom pan. Overall a good option for a cook ware.

4-      Aluminum-

Aluminum vessel should also be avoided if the vessel is uncoated. Uncoated aluminum vessel can have harmful effects on human brain. It is also increases the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Although the aluminum vessel coated with stainless steel should be preferred.

5-      Copper-

Just like stainless steel, copper also has the quality of even heating. Copper vessels are generally coated with some other metals to avoid copper from dissolving into the food. This is because large amount of copper can cause nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Therefore the old copper vessels in which the coating has been scratched off should not be used for cooking. 

Non-Stick Cooking- Helpful or Hazardous?

Non-stick cooking vessels have made our lives so easy. Isn’t it? Not only the cooking has become easy, the cleaning of the vessel is no more a big headache. But should the convenience be a bigger concern than health? If no, then you should also be aware of the disadvantage of non stick cooking.

Certain researchers and environmentalists have shown their concern about the chemical that is been used for making the inner coating of non stick cookware. Due to excessive use or heat the coating starts releasing toxic chemical into the air which is hazardous. So the utmost suggestion is to use non coated vessels as much as possible.

If you cannot avoid using them, then make sure you take the following precaution:

-          Never pre-heat the vessel empty

-          When you are pre-heating with oil then do not allow the oil to smoke

-          If the coating has started to wear off then discard the vessel

-          Do not use metallic spoons or ladles in nonstick vessel to avoid any scratching of the coating

-          Cook in medium or low flame

Health conscious people prefer using nonstick cookware as they can use a lot lesser oil for cooking than they would use otherwise. But at the same time it can expose you to higher risks. Cooking will no more be helpful if you get exposed to some potential risks. After all helpful cooking should also be healthy cooking. 

For a Balanced attitude towards life- Watch a Tragedy Movie

This may sound absolutely opposite of what one would like to do while going through a difficult phase, but some great people think it works. When we feel blue or nothing seems nice, we tend to do something which would uplift our spirits. Watching a tragedy movie or a tragic play is not what we would go for. But the legendry philosopher and one of the greatest thinkers- Aristotle differs. Aristotle believed that a tragedy gives pleasure because it excites pity and fear.

There have been many view points on this theory of Aristotle, but researchers and many critics agree with him for two major reasons:

1-      Relative emotions:

When you are in an emotional state of mind you are able to relate to the emotions of a tragedy. At many instances even you feel that you have experienced something similar to what is exhibited on stage. Therefore you respond in a similar way. Tragedy not only excites the negative emotions like pity and fear, but also provides a vent so that it can get out of your system. Hence you feel a pleasurable relief after watching a tragedy. The tragic process is a kind of illumination of the soul which gives you a balanced attitude towards life.

2-      You can count your blessing:

An exhibition of a tragic story on the stage also gives you an opportunity to see the positive aspect of your life. While in a negative frame of mind, we neglect the other aspect of the incident which could have a brighter side. But due to our excess of emotion we turn blind to those possibilities. Hence a story depicted on screen gives us a chance to count our blessings, see what we have along with the darker side on which we are already brooding.

Again the theory so stated is limited to only on stage enactment of a tragic story, and not an actual or real tragedy. While watching a movie or a play even though we get engrossed and emotional, we are aware that it is just a fine presentation of a story by good actors.

I am not sure how effective this trick would be. On the belief that Aristotle is well known philosopher and keeping him in good faith, I might try this as well the next time I feel blue. If it works I have no idea how would I thank him, but definitely another article would get posted on my blog detailing my experience.

A Breath of Life

Breathing is a process that is continuous even when we are in an unconscious state. This process is giving us oxygen and hence keeping us alive. But there are very few people who are aware that breathing right is more important than just breathing. Most of us breathe shallow and because of this are not in a complete state of wellness.

There are group of ‘breatharians’ who are actually learning to breathe in the right way. Deep breathing can be cure of multiple ailments like asthma, allergies, heart disorder, insomnia etc. Breathing deep comes from a continuous practice. A conscious effort will help you in making deep breathing your habit.

There are multiple practices like yoga, martial arts and meditations which focuses of proper inhaling and exhaling. Four easy practices which are taught in yoga can help you to practice proper breathing even at home.

1-      Chanting of ‘Om’- This is a very easy exercise in which you have to chant the word ‘Om’, while you exhale. You have to stress the word while you utter it loud. This increases your inhaling and exhaling time. The more you will inhale; the exhalation time will also get extended automatically.

2-      Count while breathing- In this process you have to count while inhaling and exhaling. Initially start with smaller number and then with practice increase the numbers slowly.

3-      Anuloma-Viloma- This breathing exercise will not only help you in practicing a proper breathing but will also keep your brain healthy. In this exercise you have to use alternate nostril while inhaling and exhaling. As we all know that left side of our brain is responsible for thinking, while right side helps us to sense and feel. When we close our right nostril and inhale from the right side, oxygen reaches our right brain and same thing happens when we inhale from left nostril keeping the right nostril close.

4-       Ujjayi- Ujjayi is a breathing process which is also known as Ocean Breath. In this process we have to make hissing sound while inhaling and exhaling.

You have to focus on your breath while practicing these exercises. Proper breathing also increase the blood flow and oxygen flow to your brain and body. The rhythm that is created due to controlled breathing keeps the mind relaxed and also energizes the body. It might take a longer time for few people to bring the whole process in daily practice, but once it is achieved you can feel the difference in your body and state of mind.