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How to Treat summer cold & cough

As temperatures soar, you tend to gravitate towards anything cold – be it an air conditioned room or car, or even cold water and juices. This drastic change causes chaos in your body and gives rise to problems such as a cold, cough, fever, body ache and more.
Depending on allopathic medicines all the time isn’t a good idea as they are bound to cause unnecessary side effects in the long run. Instead, try home remedies that are easy, quick and effective in curing those irritating sneezes, runny nose and other symptoms without causing any side effects.
A speedy recovery depends on what you eat, how much fluid you drink and what activities you engage in. Thus, the chances of recovering improve if you rest as well as maintain a diet that is a mix of fluids and healthy home-cooked food.

Here are a few tips that can help you cure your summer cold and cough:
1. To cure a sore throat, gargle daily using hot water with a pinch of salt in it.

2. Wash your hands throughout the day with warm water and soap to avoid spread of germs. Keep hand sanitizers handy in case you are at a public place.

3. Drinking ample liquids such as water, fresh fruit juices, etc. These will help you maintain your body fluids and prevent dehydration.

4. Warm water mixed with a spoon of turmeric, ginger and honey can help relieve body ache, cold and head ache.

5. You can even try steam inhalation to get rid of a blocked nose. Adding eucalyptus oil in hot water can bring an instant relief as well.

6. Adding Tulsi leaves, crushed ginger and a pinch of black pepper while preparing tea is a tasty and sure way to relieve a cough and cold.

7. Spend some time out in the sun as its rays can help kill cold viruses. However, do not engage in any strenuous activity.

8. Though it is tough to keep indoors when there is so much going on in the outside world, exercise your self-control to allow your body to heal.
The next time you catch a cold, try these home remedies before popping a pill.

References:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/health-news/Tips-for-curing-cold-during-seasonal-change/articleshow/32542357.cms

http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-treat-summer-colds.html

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Jacqueline Fitness

Having a toned, fit and firm body like our favorite Bollywood actresses is always a dream. But getting there requires ample mental strength and focus. For, to have toned arms and flat bellies like them, you have to follow a rigorous workout regime and a diet plan that will provide you substantial nutrients and energy to carry on for the day. Bollywood actress, Jacqueline Fernandez explained her fitness mantra clearly through her social media account and here is how you too can follow her fitness goals:

1. An hour long workout daily will help you stay fit and active. If you do not like heading out to the gym, do some cardio or dance to your favorite numbers – which is an exercise in itself.
2. Yoga and stretching is the best way to attain flexibility. Either you opt for yoga classes or do it on your at home. Yoga is one exercise that can be done from any place and with hardly any equipment except a yoga mat.
3. Diet also plays an important role in your fitness regime. Protein shakes post a hardcore workout will help you regain your strength. Meanwhile, your three course meal should include a good mix of carbs, proteins, and veggies.

4. Keeping nuts and dry fruits in your bag can help you get over those hunger pangs during long travel, or those extra-long hours at work or can be a good snack in between your meals.
5. Walking as much as possible is another good way of keeping your body active. Avoid vehicle where you can simply walk a few miles.
6. Drink plenty of water to keep yourself hydrated and energized throughout the day.

7. Do not push yourself too hard. While having a fitness regime is good, overdoing it is not. Start with a half an hour walk and yoga to get your body in sync, and slowly get on with doing core workouts.
There is no rocket science involved in getting a healthy and toned body. It is just a conscious following of a workout schedule on a djaily basis, eating the right food, and keeping up with it that finally matters.

Picture Courtesy:

getmascular.blogspot.com

yimg

gngmagazine.in

References:

http://www.idiva.com

http://www.vogue.in/

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/

http://www.bollywoodshaadis.com/

Stress Eating

We’ve all been there, done that. At some point of time, even if it was the shortest possible time like a few minutes, stress eating affects almost every single person. Food is comforting and at times when nothing else seems to give your brain comfort, it turns its attention towards its most basic need, food! While rewarding oneself with food may not be a bad thing, (duh, celebration dinners wouldn’t exist then), the problem comes when food is the primary source of comfort.

Statistically, stress eating is a lot more common amongst women, but the incidences in men are increasing these days. Recently, slower rate of weight loss and attending to children for working mothers are leading to stress eating. Men, while incidences are lower in comparison, are not immune. Long work days, lack of holidays, stressful and long meetings are the most common causes for stress eating. For both sexes, boredom is the next reason for stress eating.

Invariably people seem to know that they are stress eating, but if you don’t, the following are reasonably accurate benchmarks.

1. Stress eating is usually for specific foods. Like wanting biscuits in front of the TV for a late night TV show or eating a bowl of ice-cream after a break-up. For hunger, usually any food would suffice.
2. Stress eating doesn’t stop once your full and you may end up eating much more than you normally do.
3. Usually after a heavy celebratory meal, you may feel full, but after a bout of stress eating, you may feel guilty.
4. Stress eating can cause you to want food immediately compared to physical hunger which can usually wait.

Stress eating can cause a number of problems like overeating, obesity and increased cholesterol levels among others. It can cause depression after a while, though it feels like it is curing your depression at the moment. Stress eating, like other forms of temporary pleasure, can cause a habit as bad as smoking!

Once you identify stress eating, the next step is to be proactive in your approach to end it.

Things You Can Do:

1. Reduce access to junk food. If you are the type who stocks ice cream stop stocking up. Reduce the access to food and this would cut off your source.
2. Find alternative foods to feed the immediate need. If you eat some nuts and healthy food, it will not feed the stress and hence the brain will not look for it.

3. Find alternative feeds. Once the immediate food is fed and brain is doused, the brain will ask for something to combat the stress. If depressed, talk to a friend, if bored, read a book or watch a movie or anything that distracts you. If you are anxious about something, take a walk and if you are tired, get yourself something nice to drink.
4. Work on the problem. If stress eating is a way of life, then you need to identify the root cause. While some problems cannot be wished away, there will definitely be ways that makes it less stressful. A working mom who had severe episode of stress eating found that when she took a break between work and heading home, like stopping at a coffee shop or taking a walk on the beach for a few minutes. Her stress eating stopped and her energy levels rebounded! Sometimes simple things like that can make a big difference.

Sometimes small things like this can make a huge difference.

Our collaborator, is preventive care and wellness physician, Dr. Wasim Mohideen. A medical professional with an MBA and Post Graduate training in Allopathy as well as Alternative medicine, he strives to bridge the gap between modern medicine, traditional treatments and healthcare management.

Picture Courtesy:

livingfresh.com

popsugar-assets.com/

lifecdn.dailyburn.com/

content.everydayhealth.com/

http://www.elle.sg/

World Autism Awareness Day 2016

April 2nd was celebrated as World Autism Awareness Day. This year’s theme was “Autism and the 2030 Agenda: Inclusion and Neurodiversity.” The United Nations through this theme has stressed on the need to mainstream disability in the organization’s development agenda through quality education, decent work and economic growth and reduced inequalities to name a few.
Let us understand first a little more about the Autism Spectrum Disorder. It is a basically a developmental disability that is visible from early childhood and can restrict a person’s interaction with the outside world. Autism is called a spectrum disorder mainly because it affects people in a variety of ways. An autistic person will see, hear and feel the world in a different way from others. The problems that autistic people face may vary from over or under sensitivity to sound, touch, speech to learning disability and even Asperger Syndrome in which one has difficulties with understanding and processing language.
It is not like any other illness or disease that has a cure.

Diagnosis
There are three main indicators from which a person with autism can be identified. These are:
1) Restricted and Repetitive behavior: It is difficult for an autistic person to take a different approach or adjust to a change once they are used to a certain kind of routine.
2) Difficulty in social interaction: An autistic person may find it difficult to understand a person’s feelings or emotions or even expressing their own. Thus, it may be difficult for them to form friendships, or even interact with anyone around.
3) Difficulty with communicating: An autistic person will have difficulty grasping both verbal and non-verbal communication. Due to their limited speech, though they might understand what others say to them, they are unable to speak back. They may even use sign language or visual symbols to communicate their feelings.

Treatment
For an autistic person to develop to their full potential, early diagnosis and treatment helps. As symptoms, behavior, family resources vary from people to people; treatment is customized on an individual basis.
According to the American Association for Pediatrics, the following treatment strategies can help an autistic person to improve overall and reach his potential:
1- Behavioral training and management: This treatment method uses self-help, positive reinforcement, and social skills training to improve behavior and communication
2- Specialised Therapies: This includes speech, occupational and physical therapy. While speech therapy can help improve a child’s communication and make him communicate effectively, occupational and physical therapy helps improve motor and coordination skills, and process sensory information.
3- Medicines: These are used to treat either related conditions or behavioural problems such as depression, hyperactivity, anxiety etc.
Here is how you can support people with autism and create an inclusive society:
– Use clear language and be as direct as possible.
– Wait for the person to process the information.
– Do not use words that having multiple meanings.
– Follow a routine that the person will relate to.
– Keep the environment as calm as possible.
– Listen to them carefully and respect their repetitive behaviour.
– Do check with parent or guardian about any other support that they may need.

Reference:

http://www.un.org/en/events/autismday/

https://www.autismspectrum.org.au/content/what-autism

http://www.autism.org.uk/about/what-is/asd.aspx

http://www.autism-society.org/what-is/

Mood Swings

20-year-old Anita suddenly found herself in a foul mood one evening. She hit her brother, snapped at her mum and stormed out of the house in a huff. However, just a few hours earlier, she had felt happy and cheerful, and had enjoyed the pleasant weather with a cup of tea. This sudden change in character is a classic case of mood swings. While there is no exact reason to state why a person has mood swings, it is believed that chemical reactions in the brain play an important role in determining a person’s mood.

A mood swing can be a consequence of lack of sleep, change in diet, medication and other lifestyle habits. For example: teenagers often have mood swings during puberty, issues regarding their self- image, bullying etc. Stress can trigger mood swings in adults too. They can be symptomatic of a number of medical and psychiatric conditions such as depression, bipolar disorder and borderline personality disorder. It can happen to anyone!

Therefore, adopting a lifestyle that will help you cope with mood swings is a must. Here is how you can do it:
1. Cultivating optimism can help you steer away from negative thoughts. This will help in looking at everyday life from a different perspective and thereby, give you the space to breathe and get going.

2. Take out 15 minutes from your busy schedule and incorporate exercise in your daily routine.

3. Drinking water is more important than gulping down cups of coffee. Water helps in organ function and can stimulate “Happy Hormones” in the brain.

4. Watching what you eat can also be a good lifestyle change. A healthy lifestyle should focus on eating food that is a balance of proteins, carbohydrates and fat.

5. Ensure a proper sleep pattern. Lack of sleep can cause headaches and lead to an irritable mood.

6. It is always a good idea to talk it out with your friends and family if there is something bothering you from within. They are the best when it comes to giving you support and helping you come out of your bad mood.

Mood swings can have a significant impact on your health. Hence, if at any point in time you feel it is going beyond your control, it is advisable to seek the help of a mental health professional.

Reference:
www.goodtherapy.org/learn-about-therapy/issues/mood-swingss
www.indiatimes.com/health/healthyliving/an-unhealthy-lifestyle-is-the-cause-of-your-mood-swingss-here-s-how-to-fix-it-252167.html
seekspark.com/blog/lets-talk-about-stress/
www.howtolearn.com/2012/01/5-ways-to-maintain-a-healthy-lifestyle/
www.wikihow.com/Control-Mood-Swingss

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Yoga for Pregnancy

Yoga is one of the easiest forms of exercises to import into your lifestyle. It involves creating a dynamic state of evolution in your body – in that your breathing and movements assist in flexibility of your muscles and a stronger and suppler body. When you are pregnant and do yoga, the benefits don’t just accrue to you, but to your little one, too. Here are ten reasons why you should do yoga for a fitter and more comfortable pregnancy:

1. Yoga helps improve your stamina and strength, particularly your core strength. This enables you to carry the weight of your little one without much ado. With constant practice,your hips, back, arms and shoulders get stronger.

PC: www.yogakulaleeds.co.uk

2. Yoga also helps you with your balance, internally, and physically with your hormones.Pregnancy increases progesterone and oestrogen, which in turn causes fluctuations in yourmental and physical balance. Focusing on holding and breathing through each pose will helpfine tune the balance, both physically and emotionally.

3. Yoga helps relieve tensions – particularly from the back, neck and shoulders. This isespecially important for pregnant women, since they carry their baby’s weight in their bellies.

4. Yoga is a good way to relax the nervous system. By breathing deeply, one goes into the parasympathetic mode, and this helps one to relax, allowing all body processes to operate smoothly.

PC: www.parentherald.com

5. Yoga is also a good way to prepare for labour, and to help your body transfer into a state of comfort through breathing.

PC: www.cleartrip.com

6. Doing Yoga regularly helps one connect with themselves, and to focus their attention on what is going on within themselves. For pregnant women, with the tremendous changes in mind and body that are going on, Yoga is a good way to stay in touch with oneself in peace.

PC: www.yogaexpertguru.com

7. Yoga helps improve blood circulation and keeps the muscles supple and strong.

PC: www.callhealthylife.com

8. It also helps women manage their breathing, which comes in handy to keep the blood pressure levels and the heart rate regulated without any difficulty.

9. Yoga also has specific asanas or postures for specific issues, and constant practice can help address these issues in advance while also guaranteeing foetal health.

PC: www.fittamamma.com

10. Yoga offers a way to stay in shape during pregnancy, by burning away all the calories that you don’t need to pile on, and keeping your body both fit and healthy.

Sources:

http://www.fitpregnancy.com/exercise/prenatal-workouts/10-benefits-prenatal-yoga

http://www.artofliving.org/in-en/yoga-for-women/yoga-and-pregnancy

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/fitness/Yoga-poses-for-pregnant-women/articleshow/50962134.cms

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/fitness/Top-8-Yoga-postures-for-

pregnant-women/articleshow/14820868.cms

Be Active!

Trying to get active? A good lifestyle is one that involves a lot of healthy activity that not only sharpens your body, but your mind as well. It is a big deal to have to juggle work and fitness, and to remain committed to a dedicated fitness routine – so one of the ways to remain fit is to stay active. It gets tough if you have erratic schedules and crazy workloads that make it difficult for you to gauge, comfortably, what your schedules are like ahead of time.

Here are some ways to ensure that your body gets enough activity without you having to set time for it!
1. Never skip breakfast! An active lifestyle comes from a healthy breakfast. Eating your last meal only at dinner, you shouldn’t be waking up to an empty stomach – besides, skipping breakfast will lead you to be sluggish and binge-eat later in the day.

2. Start by consciously including more activity in your lifestyle. You can opt to walk to work, or walk back home from work, or if you are adventurous enough, perhaps even bike it to work. Use the stairs instead of the lift, and walk about to get your stuff done. You can also make an effort to walk about to do your own tasks rather to have a subordinate bring you things to your desk.

3. Include the five core activities in your day consciously: Always make sure that you bend, stretch, squat, reach and twist. Keep your things in a way that you will have to get off your chair to reach out to get them – use shelves, use place holders under your desk, and even arrange your things in a wider setting that helps you get up and walk to it.

4. Walk your pet! If you are a pet owner, nothing works better than to walk your pet and get some exercise into your regimen. Even if you don’t want to do it for yourself or for your own workout or wellbeing, your pet needs to get out of its confined spaces into the outdoors and that is more than enough of a way to help you get your day’s workout quota in order.

5. Use a gym ball instead of a chair: Sitting on a gym ball makes more sense than on a chair – the continued process of balancing yourself on the gym ball will help you keep your core working, and strengthen your back and leg muscles ably. It is a clever way to keep your body running, and to sustain the metabolic rate.

6. Keep track of your mind: Being active in mind is as important as it is to be active in body. Do a bunch of puzzles every now and then, look at nature, look at optical illusions, indulge in drawing or doodling, and it will help you expand your mind capacity.

7. Play a sport: Blow off steam and get into circulation with your friends by playing a sport of your choice. Whether it is badminton or a good round of tennis, competitive swimming or even volleyball, keeping some activity alive on your front can help your heart health improve, and keep your weight in check. Competition brings your adrenaline to fore, and even if it is just an informal sport, being at it helps!

References:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com
http://www.indiatimes.com/
http://www.indiatimes.com/
http://food.ndtv.com/

Picture Courtesy:

healthywesttexas.org/

Pixabay

mychicagotherapist.com

Gluten Foods

Team Slice of Health had a quick chat with Shonali Sabherwal on going gluten free. (Shonali is a Macrobiotic Nutritionist, Chef and Author of the books: The Beauty Diet and The Love Diet.)

1. Can you give our readers an insight into Gluten & what role it plays on the Indian diet?
Indians have been eating gluten for ages, and had quite a resilient system to this protein. Our whole wheat chapattis are a staple and mainstream in Indian diets. Gluten is a protein made up of gliadin and glutenin found in many grains like maida, semolina (rava), barley (jov).

2. What is gluten intolerance?
The word itself is a Latin word meaning “glue” that which binds. It is used as a binding agent in many products not just patisserie. If you suffer from gluten intolerance, it does mean you may have celiac disease – an autoimmune disorder, where people are predisposed to not digesting gluten.

3. However, Indians have been eating it for ages, then why are all Indians going wheat free?
Primarily it’s the weight loss industry that has pushed us over the edge, first with its influx of the foreign grain quinoa (now we Indians are making it, but it sells at the same price as the foreign grain) and second, with making a big deal about how gluten leads to weight gain. Please remember nothing adds to fat in the human body, if you are assimilating it well.

4. What’s your take on celiac disease and how far is the Indian diet from this disease?
According to me, celiac disease is more a Western concept, as the consumption of white refined flour is higher in the West than in India. Therefore most studies (for lack of anything better to pin it on) put it down to hereditary factors. The hybridization of the whole wheat grain has produced issues with its digestion in the West. It is estimated that 5% of the proteins found in a hybridized grain are new, and difficult to digest. In India, we tend to keep our whole wheat close to our hearts, and try to retain it in its 100% form.

5. Finally could you tell our readers how one knows if he/she is gluten intolerant?
The best way to find out if you are gluten intolerant is to take it out of your diet for 30 days; then re-introduce it and look for significant changes in the in-between phase. Signs would include: bloated feeling, acid reflux, feeling of fullness, lethargy, mental fogginess. Take it out of your diet only if this happens. You are okay to eat it, if you digest it well, and NO it will not make you fat.

For updates on macrobiotic way of living, follow Shonali Sabherwal on
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/ShonaliSabherwalSoulFood/
Twitter – https://twitter.com/sh_oulfood
Blog – http://soulfoodshonali.com/Blog

Picture Courtesy:

Webmd

Five Dishes. Zero Oil

Zero Oil cooking is not a misnomer – and is not just an attempt to push for salads or natural food alone. You can actually delight in the wholesome goodness of food with perfect taste, texture and quality without adding any oil. Here are five cool recipes you can try out!

• Potato chips that are baked offer you the best of taste without compromising on your health needs. Take two potatoes, some salt, and some seasoning. Peel and slice the potatoes into razor thin chips. Pre heat the oven to 175 degrees F, and line a baking sheet on a tray, and arrange a single layer of sliced potatoes, sprinkle salt and the seasoning, and bake for an hour till crisp!

• Dahi vada: Wash and soak Urad dal and Moong dal in water for four hours. Drain out water from the dal and put it in a mixer and grind without water to make a coarse paste. Take out the grounded dal into a bowl. Add salt, ginger, Heeng to the grounded dal and beat the mixture. Add eno salt to the mix and beat. The mixture for Dahi Vada is prepared. Spoon them into the holders in an Idli stand, and steam them for 10 minutes. Cool and place them in a bowl, and pour cold curd, add plain salt, black salt, sweet chutney and green Dhaniya chutney. Sprinkle some red chilli powder, roasted Jeera and coriander, and serve.

• Sabudana Fritters: Soak some Sabudana in water for four hours and then boil, peel and mash potatoes. Dry roast peanuts and garlic for two minutes and ground to a powder in grinder. Mash everything together to smooth dough and make it into balls of a lemon’s size. Put them into an air fryer and enjoy!

• Burritos: On one end of a corn tortilla, place some of refried beans, cabbage, spring onion and paneer with some chaat masala and a tiny bit of pepper. Roll up the tortilla and cook it on a non-stick pan without any oil. Serve with salsa!

• Aloo Mutter: Heat a non-stick pan on a medium flame. When hot, add the cumin seeds and dry roast for about 10 seconds. Add onions and cook till they turn brown while stirring continuously. Add some ginger-green chilli paste, garlic paste and tomatoes and simmer till the tomatoes are cooked. Add the turmeric powder, chilli powder, garam masala, sugar, peas and potatoes and cook for 4 to 5 minutes and add 1/2 cup water and salt and simmer till the gravy thickens. Serve hot!

References:

http://www.tarladalal.com
http://www.idiva.com/
http://nishamadhulika.com

http://www.bhaskar.com/

Picture Courtesy:

Appybistro.com

pakkashalee.com

Unite to end TB

Tuberculosis is one of the most common issues that continues to remain a cause for concern. In order to curb its spread and to engage with the public through awareness, March 24 was designated as the World Tuberculosis Day by the World Health Organisation. March 24 each year, is marked and designed to build public awareness about the global epidemic of tuberculosis and to expand efforts to eliminate the disease. In 2012, 8.6 million people fell ill with TB, and 1.3 million died from the disease, mostly in developing countries.

World Tuberculosis Day falls as one of eight official global public health campaigns marked by the World Health Organization. In 2016, the World Health Organisation has devised a campaign that will run under the strong and action-oriented tagline of “Unite to End TB”. The idea underlying this is that people should come together to not only spread awareness, but to work closely as partners in putting together efforts of strong mobilization on ground, to undertake high level advocacy and to call for all focal groups of people, regardless of their nationality, age, gender or profession, to work towards bringing an end to tuberculosis.

The motto of “Unite to End TB” will also be augmented by supplementary materials that carry specific messages that adjusted to the different partners’ local contexts. In 2014, there were 9.6 million cases of active TB which resulted in 1.5 million affected deaths. But, the number of new cases each year has decreased since 2000, and globally, tuberculosis has begun to come down in number thanks to awareness efforts such as this. This only indicates the power in global awareness campaigns that drive action and effort.

References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/
http://www.timeanddate.com/
http://www.who.int
http://www.tbonline.info/

Picture Courtesy:

cdc.gov

aids.gov/

userscontent2.emaze.com/

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