Health and nutrition of certain foods may vary based on when they are consumed, how much is consumed and the macronutrients present in these foods. Along with exercise, individuals would love to set right their eating habits too to gain maximum beneficial results. When pre- and post-workout nutrition quality is adhered to high standards, the results might be even more amazing.
Most individuals are recommended to drink adequate water and eat meals that contain more carbs with some protein and fat before and after workout to maintain the required energy levels. Macronutrient proportions vary depending on the person involved and a registered dietitian nutritionist is the best person to gauge the exact quantities. Get in touch with a registered dietitian nutritionist at www.firsteatright.com to get your personalized macronutrient levels suitable for your energy needs. Beyond this, individuals do need to have an idea about the foods they can/cannot eat while undergoing training which can help them reap long-term health benefits: Healthy Carbs for Energy We are sure to run out of energy stores after an intense workout session and must ensure to replenish the lost glycogen stores to equip ourselves with energy for the upcoming training sessions. It is here that one must choose prudently-go for high-quality carbs like fruits, whole-grain breads, crackers and pasta that help our body convert carbs into glycogen and store them in muscles for future energy. Avoid simple carbs that contain high sugars such as refined bread products, high-sugar protein bars and candy that cause blood glucose levels to shoot up providing instant energy, but all this energy is depleted too as fast as it entered the body. A Big ‘No’ to Calorie-dense Foods Many individuals are tempted to indulge in high-calorie foods after a workout. Some people are aware that the body is subjected to post-workout oxygen consumption where it continues to burn calories post-workout due to various factors such as intensity and duration of the exercise. These people would love to use this to their advantage and eat high-calorie foods. But, consuming such high-calorie foods can negate the post-workout calorie burn and can also set the individuals on the path of unhealthy eating habits and diets. Fit to Fat Individuals wish to splurge on high-fat foods too post-workout similar to their high-carb indulgence. But doing this can impact the effectiveness of glycogen replenishment as a high-fat diet slows digestion and also the conversion of carbs into glycogen. Reduced glycogen replacement means less energy available for training again. Reject Veggies ‘Shocking’ could be the word when we say that eating veggies post workout is not good for health. Veggies are wholesome foods that carry plenty of nutrients with them but what they lack is the macronutrients that help to replace lost energy stores after a workout. Please don’t munch on high-nutrient cucumbers or carrots after your physical activity class but stick with meals that contain adequate carbs, proteins and fats to fuel energy stores. Reap the benefits of eating the right foods at the right time by making wise choices in your food selection. Stay active with energy all through the day with an effective meal plan. Avoid the above-mentioned foods after a workout session saving them for consumption sometime later. Gyms, Zumba classes and fitness centers (that boast of providing all types of physical activities right from kick boxing to boot camps, all under one roof) are proximal to us and occupy a prominent role in our lives. That’s the way we prioritize physical health and I am 100% happy about it. Our mental health is as important as physical health and we need to take immense care of it as well. But we don’t find much activities and centers that cater to our mental health needs. Its understood that mental well-being and a stress-free life must come from within every person. But what has the world to offer in contributing to our inner peace? Crimes, violence, sexual assaults, cyber bullying and human rights violation? If this is the response to human wellness and existence, we are for sure not catering to our mental and emotional well-being as good as our physical health. What is Mental Health? Mental health is not just the absence of mental health problems but the ability to maximize your potential to cope with life and play an active role in your family, office and community. It’s the ability to learn things, make new friends, express your feelings openly and cope with changes in a positive way. Humans are humans and each of us have our high and low tides in life that take a toll on our emotions and well-being. No human remains untouched by stress but the way in which each of us handle it defines our emotional well-being in life. Some people bounce back much more stronger in a short period while some others take a longer time to process the facts. When your child does not perform well in school, a ‘C’ bucket from your boss or financial problems can also stress you and keep you worried daily. Serious health problems, life-threatening diseases and irreversible problems such as death can devastate the quality of life and put you under tremendous mental health crisis. World Mental Health Day The World Federation for Mental Health defined a day exclusively for upholding mental health and insisting on emotional wellness in the year 1992. Since then, we celebrate World Mental Health Day on October 10th each year. The theme for 2018 is ‘Young People and Mental Health in a Changing World’. This is not like Children’s day or World Rabies Day which are simply one day events. The preparation and hard work that goes into making this day a success can be days or months together of hard work and efforts by people living worldwide. Life is a complex web that has layers and layers of emotions, wellness and health attached to it. Even if one part of the web comes off, it remains incomplete and stands the risk of falling apart anytime. It remains in our hands to take care of this complex web by adhering to our mental and physical health requirements. Tips here can help you achieve emotional well-being:
Nail paints and nail arts beautify our nails and are a style statement. Choosing radiant colors such as plum, pink, lavender or yellow adds charm to our dressing. But overuse of these nail paints can cause our toenails to turn naturally yellow indicating some underlying infection.
Pink Pastels Our nails are actually translucent highlighting the pink flesh underneath them. Humans are created naturally beautiful, but we keep adding layers and layers of artificial colors and make up to highlight our features and showcase our curves! If we start admiring our natural self and inner beauty, we would automatically start using less of these beautification tips and tricks. However, our world has gone far past the ‘nature’ look and almost entered the irreversible stage where everything is artificial starting right from artificially ripened fruits and vegetables to plastic surgeries. Nail Anatomy Nails cover fingertips and toes and are made of a tough protective protein called keratin which is also present in our hair and skin. Nourish this special protein by seeking tips from the website www.firsteatright.com. The nails consist of the nail plate (hard outer shell), nail bed below it (skin beneath the nail plate), nail folds (skin surrounding the nail plate), cuticle (skin tissue covering nail base and protecting keratin) and lunula (crescent-shaped base of the nail). Several factors contribute to yellow toenails: Ageing: As people grow old their nail color, thickness and shape changes and the nails may become yellowish in color due to the age factor. Nail polish: Frequent use of nail polish, especially red, orange or yellow color ones, can cause the toenails to turn yellow. These look unpleasant and might give you the feel that your nails looked better before using nail paints. Discontinuing the use of nail colors for a while or taking a break from coloring your nails should solve this problem as the yellow color goes away with time. Underlying medical conditions: Yellow toenails are not dangerous on their own but can be indications of an underlying dangerous health problem such as psoriasis, thyroid condition, sinusitis, jaundice, tuberculosis and diabetes. Yellow nail syndrome: This is classified as a rare disease characterized by toenails and fingernails that turn yellow. The nail may appear thickened and often stops growing forever and might also fall off the finger totally. Respiratory problems, swollen lower limbs and shortness of breath are common symptoms. The cause of the condition is unclear, but the syndrome usually strikes people above the age of 50. Infection: A fungal infection called onychomycosis can cause the nails to turn yellow or have yellow spots. This is predominantly seen in the elderly population and in sports people/individuals who spend ample time in hot or moist conditions. Treatment Unless you know that excess nail polish use is the underlying condition for yellow toe nails, it is better to meet a doctor and get the condition diagnosed. It becomes even more critical to meet a doctor when the individual experiences symptoms such as pain, bleeding, swelling and changes to nail anatomy alongside the yellow coloration of the nail. Yellow toenails are treatable as they are mainly due to overuse of nail paints or an underlying fungal infection. If the problem is due to nail polish, discontinuing nail polish use for at least a week will solve the problem. Fungal infections can be treated using antifungal medications, but the treatment duration can prolong up to a year or so. Although home remedies such as using tea tree oil, applying vinegar or using baking soda has been prescribed, none of them are scientifically proved until now to be successful. While it is always not possible to prevent yellow toenails from occurring, we can take all possible steps from our end to reduce the risk of these symptoms. Wash your toenails regularly using soap or shower gel, dry them properly after washing, wear clean shoes and socks, leave your shoes exposed to fresh air after using them, use clean nail cutters and avoid swimming in contaminated water to safeguard yourself from yellow toe nails. Treat cough and cold with none of the antibiotics as the infection lingers on until it feels like releasing you from its clutches after a week or two. Also, prescribing antibiotics is rarely helpful as they mostly don’t do much to improve your condition. On the contrary, they only welcome viruses and bacteria with warm open hands due to antibiotic resistance.
Come Home Honey A glass of hot water mixed with honey, ginger and lemon is a time-tested home remedy for cough and sore throat strongly supported by our mothers, grandmothers and great-grandmothers but our physician’s community were apprehensive about it until now. Recently, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and Public Health England (PHE) have come up with limited evidence backing up honey’s use in treating cough. There are much more interesting facts about honey and its use available at www.firsteatright.com. Frankly, coughs are the result of virus attack which cannot be treated by antibiotics but often hoped to settle down on their own in course of time. Despite repeatedly reinstating the policy of abstaining from antibiotic prescription, physicians keep prescribing antibiotics for cough and cold. Antibiotic resistance is manifesting as a monumental problem which needs to be curbed immediately with the joint efforts from the physician’s community as well as the general public. The latest guideline might help physicians reduce antibiotic prescriptions and also instill confidence in patients to follow up on their physician’s self-care recommendations. We are generally aware of cough, runny nose and sore throat symptoms. If the symptoms continue to get stronger even after consuming honey and if the person starts experiencing breathlessness, then it necessitates a visit to the physician. The study guidelines also recommend using antibiotics for people suffering from chronic conditions, weakened immune system or when cough is a reason for some other serious illness. Whatever might be the case, one must never give honey to cure cough in babies under the age of one as it might contain bacteria that can cause infant botulism. It is always advisable to meet the pediatrician and follow the instructions as given by him/her Accidentally I came across the Nutrition Facts of sparkling water online and instantly was reminded of the Nutrition Facts of regular water both of which possess ‘0’ calories! Then why is there so much controversy, hype and opposition surrounding the consumption of a zero-calorie drink which is as normal as regular water? People comment on bone density, tooth enamel erosion and its not-so-hydrating effect on humans. I wonder how a zero-calorie and zero-sugar drink can spark up so much opposition and contradictory opinions. Sparkling Water Carbonated water is one that has been infused with carbon dioxide gas under pressure and popularly sold as sparkling water, club soda, soda water, seltzer water or fizzy water. Posh restaurants, cafes and even theatres sell natural sparkling mineral water which comes in a chic bottle, looks sparkling, clean, inviting and great to drink although the cost too is pretty much on the higher side. Standing by its name, these waters are fetched naturally from a mineral spring and tend to contain minerals and sulfur compounds along being carbonated as well. Various myths surround the advantages and disadvantages of sparkling water which have no boundaries. Sadly, not much research exists on these controversies but there are studies that show by and large that sparkling water is as hydrating as regular water. If you think on simple lines, it does make sense. After all, carbonated water is just regular water infused with carbon gas. Effects on the Stomach ‘Gulping down carbonated water affects your stomach’ is a historic myth but actually the reverse is true! It relieves constipation symptoms and there is a study proving this. In a 2-week study of 40 elderly people who were diagnosed with stroke, the group of people who drank carbonated water experienced nearly doubled average bowel movement compared to the other group that drank tap water. Also, the participants experienced a 58% decrease in symptoms. Evidences also exist that sparkling water may improve other symptoms of indigestion such as stomach pain. While overconsumption of sparkling water might make a person feel bloated, even this side effect has been converted into an advantage! Researchers in Japan requested a group of women to fast overnight and then slowly drink either still or sparkling water. Once done, they found that 900ml of gas was released just by drinking 250 ml of water. This made the women feel full even without having eaten anything or feeling uncomfortable. But this was a study made on a small group and we need further studies to confirm this. Bone Health It is a well-known fact that carbonated water has higher acid content, but this cannot be the reason for detrimental bone health as suggested by people. A huge study of more than 2,500 people found that cola was the only beverage linked with significantly lower bone mineral density and carbonated water had no effects on bone health. Cola drinks contain ample phosphorus without much calcium which can contribute to bone loss. Yet another study found that teenage girls who consumed carbonated drinks were lacking bone mineral density. When probed into the problem, it was noticed that these girls replaced milk with these beverages resulting in inadequate calcium consumption and affected bone health. Another study found that women (only women and the effect is null on men) who drank cola-flavored fizzy drinks thrice a week had hip bones with a lower average bone mineral density. Though other carbonated drinks had no effect, the discouraging result could be attributed to caffeine and the action of phosphoric acid (though not present in sparkling water). Maybe there is something that blocks the absorption of calcium! Only further research can provide answers to these questions. All these show that drinking carbonated cola drinks might affect bone density/health, but the effects of plain sparkling water are either null or positive. Tooth Enamel Many people constantly talk about the effects of carbonated water on tooth enamel owing to its direct exposure to acid. There is scarce evidence on this and one study found that sparkling mineral water damaged enamel only slightly more than still water. At the same time, it is 100 times less damaging that a sugary soft drink. Most studies reveal that only when the carbonated drink is combined with sugar, will it result in tooth decay or enamel loss. If you are not convinced still, try drinking sparkling water with your meal or drink some plain water immediately after drinking sparkling water. Tug of War-Carbonated Vs Normal Water Drinking water, at least eight glasses daily, is mandatory for good health. It seems to be much of a strenuous task than decoding a scripting bug for some of you, but the good news is that you need not drink all the required water in liquid form. Almost 20% of our water intake comes from solid foods such as fruits and veggies. Attack some juicy watermelons, cantaloupes or sweet lime and quench your thirst! ‘Eat your water’ is an interesting way to meet some of your water requirements through the foods we eat. Learn new ways and know different foods rich in water content by visiting the website www.firsteatright.com. Another interesting and positive fact is that, sparkling water (even the flavored ones) is as hydrating as normal water and also serves as the best answer to your taste fatigue. Gas in our body is excreted via a solution in the stomach. A much higher quantity of carbonated water present in the stomach might accelerate the process of how quickly the beverage is emptied from the stomach, absorbed in the small intestine and excreted from the body. Ingredients in plain water and carbonated water remain the same and theoretically, both are equally hydrating. The difference is that, the bubbles/flavor in carbonated water help some people drink more while some others feel full/bloated and consume less. This takes us to an important issue-effect of sparkling water on athletes. It is always recommended to drink normal water during exercise as carbonation might cause bloating during physical activity and restrict an athlete from consuming enough water. Likewise, normal water is better for patients recovering from gastrointestinal surgery and for those patients who feel full quickly than normal. After analyzing and going through the various myths surrounding the consumption of carbonated water, we understand that it is a calorie-free beverage that is as simple as H2O until it is corrupted with sugar, salt or extra ingredients. There is no harm in enjoying this bubbly beverage that is calorie-free and in fact, assists in improving overall health without any guilt or doubt! In olden days people used to worry about surviving through the night, eating food and finding a good soul mate who can enhance your quality of life. Yes! food, peace and quality life were the top three priorities of our fathers and forefathers. But now, we have abundant of these, yet we don’t live hassle-free and relaxed. In fact, we are stressed more than ever.
There are data and studies that support the fact that almost 60-90% of illnesses that physicians come across have stress as a major underlying factor. Modern day stressors include: Jammed with Information Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram and Twitter keep jamming us with ample information. If you are one who keeps looking into it every time you get a notification and watch all the mind-disturbing news that happen worldwide, you are sure to be stressed out as a result. Proverbs exist that says the world to frown at a person who lacks knowledge but at the same time, overburdening a person with knowledge can also make him/her perish in life. Measure don’t Compare Earlier, we used to compare our marks with our fellow classmates at school, parents used to compare us with our cousins and comparisons happened over petty things. But now, we have the opportunity to gauge and compare ourselves with thousands of strangers who earn, live or enjoy better than us. Some others compare themselves with their ideal self and actual self. They brood over the inability to achieve what they dream of. Social media is too full of people who compare each and every aspect of theirs with that of others and waste their time and energy. Take a break from the gadget world and surround yourself with people who motivate and encourage you. These are the ones who make you understand that another person’s win or loss has nothing to do with your personal life. Each of us are different, we all come from different backgrounds and have different experiences. Anyone can post a pic of themselves smiling. But who knows what’s going on behind that smile? Cut-throat competition at workplace Stress at office existed since people started going to office, but in recent times getting a hefty paycheck does not solve all problems. Entrepreneurs are rising at staggering rates and crossing all barriers to succeed. One thing they need to remember is that, if they don’t do it carefully they can be pushed down the dumps. Learn to recognize how stress can affect you physically in the form of cold, reflux or anxiety attacks. Realize hat your body is trying to convey this message that you are stressed, and you need time off to relax in some way. Listen to such signs and start embracing coping techniques such as going for a walk, spending time with a close friend, reading a book or meditating. Sleep is indispensable and the body’s most natural way to succeed in life. Concerned about the world The world is becoming less safe to live day by day with terrorism, violence and inhuman acts happening around us every day. Many are concerned about their future. One thing we all need to remember is that we cannot control other people’s behavior and actions, but we can control our reaction and behavior to some issue. Likewise, we cannot predict our future and take precautionary measures right now, but we can do what can be done to control violence and disharmony existing among individuals in today’s society. Chic & Fashionable Earlier, only celebrities and popular people were photoshopped or paid to stay beautiful and thin. But now, with social media playing an integral role in every person’s life, even common individuals want to pose and click like models. The stress experienced by these individuals is even higher. Body-shaming issues and low self-esteem can trigger physical stress and enhance negative health outcomes. Overweight and obese people who are shameful of their body composition are sure to fall a prey to ill health and increase their stress levels. The best way to beat stress is to practice mindfulness and promote positive thinking. At the same time, there are quite a few other ways to combat stress apart from meditation and to know which suits best for you, please visit the website www.firsteatright.com. Concentrate on your job at hand, look at the positive aspects in your life and never compare your life with that of others. Remember that the grass on the other side is always greener. Humans are remarkably different from other species in this universe as they are blessed with thinking abilities. People worldwide follow different traditions, cultural practices and eating habits as per their upbringing. During early ages man hunted animals for food and survival, started farming for growing crops, ate the different produce and grains he/she reaped advancing to our present eating habits. Eating insects became popular sometime back and people now eat everything from ants, crickets and cockroaches to beetles and bugs. Get an idea on the most-popular insects preferred by people worldwide from the website www.firsteatright.com. Even cannibalism was practiced during early centuries as a means of self-defense, occult culture, revenge or during famine. While cannibalism is the act of eating another human’s flesh and organs, there are a strange few who love to eat their own flesh and body parts! It does sound weird, horrifying and terrorizing but its true.
Lesch-Nyhan Syndrome A type of rare disease, Lesch-Nyhan syndrome is characterized by the deficiency/absence of the activity of the enzyme hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT). We call it rare because only 1 person of every 3,80,000 people are affected by this disease and rarely these individuals live past their 40th birthday. Hypoxanthine and guanine are purines (nitrogen-containing compounds found in foods such as meat and poultry) and the absence of the HPRT enzyme prevents these purines from building into nucleotides. Further, they are degraded and excreted as uric acid which accounts for unusually high uric acid levels in people with this syndrome. Gene Inheritance Lesch-Nyhan disease predominantly strikes the male gender (85%) and is inherited in an X-linked recessive manner. X chromosomes is one of the two sex chromosomes. Females have two X chromosomes and males have one X and one Y chromosome. Females who have one mutant copy of the gene do not have the diseases but are called as carriers as they have one copy of the gene responsible for the disease. The female carrier possess a 25% chance to give birth to a carrier daughter just like herself, a 25% chance of giving birth to a non-carrier daughter, a 25% chance of giving birth to a son who has the disease and a 25% chance to give birth to a perfectly normal son. Males with one mutant copy of the responsible gene show signs and symptoms of the syndrome as they don’t have another X chromosome with a normal working gene as present in the female population. That’s the primary reason why X-linked recessive disorders such as Lesch-Nyhan syndrome mostly strike the male population. Such affected males will surely pass this disease onto their daughters (all of them) as the dad always passes the X chromosome to his girl child who then becomes a carrier of the gene. Likewise, a male can never pass over this disease to his son as it is always the Y chromosome that the father passes onto his son. The only gene associated with Lesch-Nyhan syndrome is located on the X chromosome and called as HPRT1. Signs & Symptoms Neurological and behavioral abnormalities and overproduction of uric acid are the three-most common characteristics of this disease. Different symptoms occur due to this disease at different stages of life. During Infancy/Childhood
The physician usually requests for a detailed patient history and specialized blood tests. Genetic testing for the HPRT1 gene can also determine the specific disease-causing mutation. Carrier testing and prenatal diagnosis is also possible. Treatment Treatment depends on the symptoms exhibited. It might require the combined effort of a team of pediatricians, orthopedics, physical therapists and other health care professionals to understand and plan the child’s treatment procedure. No definite treatment plan/drug is said to be helpful in treating neurological problems and there is minimal positive effect found in reducing self-mutilation rates with the help of behavior-modification techniques. The self-mutilation behavior might decrease or even stop as the adult reaches adulthood. Certain drugs do ease pain to a certain extent. Genetic counselling might work for families who have children with Lesch-Nyhan syndrome. Affected individuals mostly don’t survive past their first or second decade of life due to renal failure. Humans spend around 25-35% of their lives sleeping. Sleeping is imperative to help an individual sail through the next day with energy and strength as it is a functionality that allows the body and brain to rest and recover from the stress of daily life. As children, we hate to sleep and love to keep our mommies too awake all the time. Growing up, as adolescents or teenagers, our sleep schedules change and we start falling in love with sleep. Weekends are majorly spent in sleeping through and sleepovers are celebrated. As adults, our sleep quality and quantity decrease drastically as we are pressurized with monetary issues, overburdened commitments and restless nights. Sleeping troubles can land a person with a host of health problems and when this is left untreated, it can end in dire consequences. ‘More or Less’ Don’t be Stressed Most people recommend around 7-9 hours of sleep for adults as a part of a completely healthy lifestyle. This is a common misconception and the quantity depends entirely upon the individual. It can be as little as five hours or as much as nine hours to function properly. Sleeping less or oversleeping, both can land a person in trouble. We usually sleep more for an hour or two during weekends to compensate for lost sleep during weekdays, but this turns out to have the opposite effect. While we think that this can keep us feeling more relaxed and rested, this extra sleep makes us feel groggy, still tired and less rested. Especially for migraine patients, oversleeping or under sleeping can trigger more migraines. Naps too can affect sleep quality during the night. How Much Vs How Effective You might sleep for a good-enough time, but you still feel drowsy and out of sleep. This might be due to poor sleep quality. Every time a person is interrupted from sleep, it takes at least an hour to reach the restful part of the sleep cycle. Yet another intrusion before reaching this restful sleep can cause further delay in the cycle. If a person wakes up multiple times during sleep at night, he/she can be termed to have zero hours of restful sleep technically. Poor sleep quality/quantity can cause drowsiness in the daytime, headaches, chronic fatigue, headaches, mood issues, irritability and poor memory. Trying to relax yourself and maintaining a calm atmosphere at home before bedtime can put you to sleep easily and improve sleep quality. Relaxation techniques that create a serene and calm atmosphere are mentioned at www.firsteatright.com. You can use these tips to get yourself into deep slumber. Urine Intrusions Waking up to use the bathroom is one of the common reasons quoted by people for disturbed sleep. Actually, bladder fullness is rarely a reason for waking up people and it is the spontaneous arousal that wakes them up. Only after waking up these people realize that their bladder is full. To better accept this, try going to bed with reduced fluid intake and checking out. Still, you would be waking up for the same number of times. Pets Aside You might love your pet, cuddle with it when you go to sleep and even share your bed with your cats and dogs while sleeping. It is best to keep your pets in a separate room while you sleep peacefully on the bed. Initially, for a day or two you might hear clawing noises and other major sounds near your door, but in a while these will subside and you get a good night’s rest with less fatigue. Sleep Apnea This is a serious sleep disorder in which breathing stops and starts often during sleep. This pushes the brain to repeated moments of suffocation. People make fun of the person snoring aloud but in reality, the loud snort is an indication that the person is gasping for air as the brain lacks sufficient oxygen supply. Sleep apnea is dangerous to the sleeper and disturbing to the sleep partner. It is the partner’s duty to bring the snorer to the physician and get it treated. While the snoring person might act defensive and be adamant that he/she has been snoring this way all these years, poor sleep is like alcohol. Drinking in the 20s might leave you groggy only until the next morning but drinking in your 50s might take an entire week to recover and resume normal activity. Apart from affecting memory, cognition and mood swings untreated sleep apnea can lead to increased risk of stroke, heart attack and dementia. These cases motivate many people suffering from sleep apnea to get themselves treated and also relieve their bed partner from insomnia. Sodium is an essential mineral for life but consuming more than the essential amounts can make life miserable. Needed for controlling our body’s fluid balance, muscle function and nerve impulses, too much of the mineral can increase blood pressure. The excess sodium in the bloodstream can pull water into your blood vessels and increase the amount of blood flowing through your blood vessels. When there is more blood flowing through your blood vessels, blood pressure increases and this puts more pressure on the heart and forces it to pump blood harder. Also called as the ‘silent killer’, this blood pressure increase is a major risk factor for heart disease, the No.1 killer worldwide. The primary element here is to reduce sodium intake (specifically those above the age of 50 and people having elevated BP levels and diabetes) that is the root cause for a series of health consequences. Food List: Top Picks It is not our daily salt that we use in the kitchen for cooking, but mostly our processed, prepackaged and restaurant foods that add unimaginable quantities (almost 70%) of sodium to our body. The rest is added from natural foods (approximately 15%) or from the foods that we cook. United States’ leading national public health institute has released the top 25 foods (purchased from/eaten outside) that add most sodium to an individual’s diet and surprisingly, even foods that we have assumed till now to be least salty contain more sodium.
It is a long list that covers most of the items that any of us wish to eat. This does not mean that you must avoid eating any of these foods. It is up to you to select the foods that contain minimal sodium or cut down portion sizes of your favorite foods, at least to begin with. Such small changes and inclinations to change can make big differences. The suggestions below can help you select the foods with the least amount of sodium:
Mankind is neither short of diseases nor remedies for them. Acupuncture, Ayurveda, Siddha and Yunani are alternative medical practices; yoga for improved digestion, laughter therapy for reduced stress levels and anxiety and music therapy for healthier mind and body are different approaches apart from the regular allopathy practices and medications to heal the body and soul.
Music for Life Music is beyond language barriers and people worldwide enjoy and appreciate any good music, be it Hindustani, Classical, Ghazal, Pop, Jazz, Rock or instrumental. It is a part of every culture which pleases people, makes them dance to their favorite tunes, boosts their mood, uplifts happiness quotient and even helps recall a distant memory! All the more, music can also bring about other health benefits. Musical Brain Our brain has two hemispheres namely, left and right. We categorize people as left- or right-brained people based on their thinking type. Right-brained individuals are described to be versatile in arts and music. Left-brained or right-brained, if you are curious to know what you are versatile in, please visit the website www.firsteatright.com. Science and technology improvements help scientists learn more about human brain, how it works, which part of the brain responds to music in a better way and how music might be put to use to ease diseases and mental problems. Sound is an integral part of human lives and music is the most vital sound. Ears receive music and other sounds as sound waves that create vibrations on our eardrum thereby transforming them into electrical signals. These signals move through the auditory nerve to the auditory cortex which interprets the sound as something we understand (music). Music does not restrict itself to the brain areas that process sound but spreads its influence on other areas as well. There are studies showing that music “lights up’ brain areas dominant for emotions, memory and even physical movement. Music for Health Music soothes people’s mind and can even aid in movement. Parkinson’s disease cripples the affected individual by barring him/her from walking and moving over a period and research studies shows that when a particular beat is embedded in music, it can help a person with movement disorder to walk. Mind-related disorders such as Alzheimer’s, dementia, autism and traumatic brain injury, hearing loss and stroke also improve with music. Even hearing loss can be procrastinated as we age. Ability to hear decreases over time and music helps fight against this. Kids reap huge benefits when introduced to music at a young age as their brains are still developing. Music has a positive impact on their ability to focus, learn, grasp a new language and improve overall brain development. Studies prove that when music was introduced as a part of school curriculum for two years in a certain school, those kids garnered improved learning ability and reading and writing skills that can last a lifetime. Once the brain finds its way to respond to sound appropriately, the benefits are carried far beyond the music classes and even when the classes stop. But, the longer you are in touch with music, the stronger you become. Musical Therapy Music goes way beyond entertainment and is an established health profession in the form of ‘Music Therapy’ to address social, physical, emotional and cognitive needs of individuals. This is not a new-age therapy but is as old as the writings of Aristotle and Plato. There are board-certified therapists who treat patients with different medical conditions using techniques that go way beyond making them hear music. Depending on the health concern, the therapist might choose different ways to address the problem-melody or rhythm might be used to reinstate lost abilities due to brain injury or developmental disability. Some people connect over music, for instance shared musical experiences can help a friend connect with her/his bestie who has dementia and try reviving memories. Behavior disorders in youngsters who are unable to control their emotions can also be brought under control with music. One must also be aware that not all people respond to music therapy in a similar way and it might benefit some people but affect certain others. Brain-related injuries or disorders might impact people in unknown ways. Some of them might find music to be overstimulating while some others hate listening to music as it reminds them of negative/traumatic memories. Music therapists can help identify and understand when music can be helpful or harmful. Similar to your daily exercise routines and healthy diet meals, include a bit of music too in your daily life! This helps you to add joy to life, stay connected, boost your mood and improve your health. There is no age barrier and no one is too young or too old to add a bit of music to his/her everyday routine. A urinary tract infection (UTI)/bladder infection is an infection of microbes (mostly bacteria) in the urinary tract. A UTI happens in the body’s urinary system which comprises of the kidneys, ureters (tubes that carry urine from kidney to bladder), bladder and urethra (a tube that carries urine from the bladder to outside your body).
The female anatomy makes urinary tract infections more common among women in comparison to men. The bacteria in the vagina or rectal areas can easily enter the urinary tract as they are all closely held together. Also, urinary tract infections remain one of the most common medical complications during pregnancy. Why are UTIs Common During Pregnancy? Urinary tract infection (UTI) during pregnancy is common because the growing fetus exerts pressure on the bladder and the urinary tract. Beginning in the sixth week up to the 24th week, a pregnant woman faces the greatest risk of attack from a UTI. This can cause urine to leak or bacteria to get trapped inside. Also, as early as the sixth week of pregnancy, almost all pregnant women experience ureteral dilation during which the urethra expands and continues to expand until delivery. A larger urinary tract along with increased bladder volume can cause urine to become still in the urethra paving way for bacterial growth. Thirdly, a pregnant woman’s urine is much more concentrated with certain types of hormones and sugar that can step-up bacteria growth. While most infections are restricted to the urethra and the bladder, some can lead to a kidney infection. If this happens, preterm labor can happen which can in turn lead to low-birth-weight infants. Read more on the risks posed due to low-birth-weight of infants at www.firsteatright.com. UTIs during pregnancy pose such increased risk to both the fetus and the mother, including pyelonephritis. Pyelonephritis is a common urinary tract complication in pregnant women, affecting almost 2% of all pregnancies. Acute pyelonephritis poses symptoms such as fever, flank pain, nausea, vomiting and frequent urge to urinate. Symptoms
Treating a UTI Physicians prescribe antibiotics for 3-7 days once the infection is confirmed. If you complain irritation or discomfort meanwhile, the doctor will start your treatment even before the results come in. Once medications start, symptoms tend to disappear in 3 days. Even if symptoms disappear, take all your medications until the prescribed date. There is no need to panic at the sight of medications as the doctor is sure to suggest only those that are considered safe during pregnancy. It is better to avoid a UTI before it strikes you. Take these precautionary actions to hold yourself together and prevent a urinary infection:
Every household has that one multipurpose towel which is used to clean utensils, wipe hands and tidy the kitchen counter. This towel would not mind crying aloud by end of day, if only it had a mouth! There is never shortage of milk spills owing to the glasses of chai and coffee that we drink, liquid stains from dhal or sabzis or even more, the effort it takes to clean up after cooking beef, meat or other non-vegetarian foods. For every such purpose, the only savior is our kitchen towel that hangs in a lonely corner in the kitchen or might even lie down on the floor somewhere. In between all this chaos, kids come running around and grab our prized possession to wipe off their dirty color palette or the extra glue sticking onto the study surface. Kitchen Towels Stay As Reserve Banks for Parasites Each of us know that kitchen hygiene goes a long way in making us stay healthy, safe and disease-free. Despite these advantages, laziness and carelessness overpower us and we fail to give our 100% to do our chores. Result of such a hasty behavior-improperly cleaned kitchen towels start developing friendship with germs! A new research study suggests that our kitchen towels contain hosts of pathogens that can open the gates for food poisoning. Apart from our handling methods there are plenty other reasons such as family size and food type that impact pathogen numbers. Tidying Hands or Embracing Pathogens? Scientists conducting the research on these kitchen towels examined 100 towels that were used for a month. These researchers cultured the bacteria present on these towels to identify each of them and analyze the bacterial load. Of the total towels collected, 49% of them contained bacterial growth and this percentage further grew exponentially with increasing family size and presence of children. Of this 49% (49 samples), 36.7% grew coliform bacteria (E. coli is included in this category). E. coli is a type of bacteria which is mostly harmless but a few of them can cause severe food poisoning and serious infection. Present in large numbers in human feces, the presence of E. coli indicates unhygienic practices. Coliform bacteria and staphylococcus were predominantly present in towels used in meat-eating households. Staphylococcus is likelier to find its presence in families that are of low socio-economic status and have children. These bacteria too cause food poisoning as the bacteria multiplies quickly at room temperature and produces a toxin responsible for food poisoning. If you wonder why meat-eating households have increased presence of bacteria, the reason is simple. Raw meat contains bacteria and when you place the meat on the cutting board and later, use a towel to tidy off your board, there is no way that your towels can keep off bacteria from them, especially wet towels. Try to avoid using moist towels as much as possible and also never use the same towel for different purposes. Coliforms were higher in number in humid towels than dry ones, multipurpose towels than single-use ones and in families consuming a non-vegetarian diet. Previous research already has proved that kitchen items and towels serve as bacteria reservoirs, especially sponges, towels and drains. The present study goes one step further and tells us about the type of diseases that might attack an individual in such scenarios.
Safeguard From Germs It is extremely easy to suggest someone to avoid using towels in the kitchen, but is it feasible? Absolutely not! Rather than providing unrealistic solutions, lets try to make life simpler and germ-reduced by following the below given tips:
You feel exhilarated that your physical activity level is in par with your expectations as you walk, swim, spend hours in the gym and cycle every day. You even congratulate yourself for being such a great fitness person and living a disciplined lifestyle! A new study focused just on this prediction-how well people gauge themselves on their level of physical activity. Are you as physically fit as you believe yourself to be?
If you don’t lead a sedentary lifestyle, it does not mean that you are physically active. There are many reasons beyond our control that impede our thoughts of staying active. Maybe we fall sick, walking or cycling to our workplace is impossible due to its extravagant distance or we have injured our self, the reasons are countless! Leaving all these apart, we still assume that we are active and fit. A person doing his/her walk, yoga, choosing stairs over elevator and taking a walk every hour at work might feel good that he/she is doing justice to his/her health requirements. Question such a person about physical activity levels and pat comes the reply, ‘I meet moderate activity levels’. A new study on self-assumed activity levels by people suggests that such self-assessment is the result of wishful thinking rather than unbiased evaluation. The study involved around 1500 people aged above 18 years amongst which 50% were women and they were from three different countries. To check out the accuracy of self-evaluation, the researchers questioned the participants on their activity levels and also measured the activity levels using wrist-worn accelerometers. All of them were requested to rate themselves on the activity scale with 1 contributing as ‘least active’ and 5 denoting them as ‘most active’. They were simultaneously measured on the accelerometer over a 7-day period. Results showed that all participants from the different countries overestimated their activity levels. Older people marked themselves as active as their younger generation, but as a matter of fact, just the opposite of it was true. As people became less physically active, the older they grew. In general, health and fitness surveys rely on person-dependent information rather than on devices to measure the results. Data would be a lot more accurate if we rely on wearable devices instead. That’s because primarily people can’t exactly remember the activity they performed or its intensity level and secondly, all people don’t have the same understanding of the survey terms. Each one thinks from his/her own perspective and replies, and this can lead to contradictory results in the long term. There is yet another study that shows that people tend to overestimate the amount of exercise they do by almost an hour a week and underestimate the amount of time they spend sitting by almost two hours a week. Hopefully you choose a fitness tracker/device as your preferred gift the next time someone gives you an option to choose a gift. This helps you realize your activity level and helps to make future studies a lot more reliable. Gifting options for motivating an individual to be healthier is given at www.firsteatright.com and you can use them to purchase the best gift for your gym buddy for his/her birthday or anniversary. Traditional heart attacks attack male population generally and now the scenario seems to change gradually where researchers have discovered a heart condition called myocardial infarction with non-obstructive coronary arteries (MINOCA) which is more commonly present in females.
MINOCA A completely blocked or severe narrowing of a heart (coronary) artery due to cholesterol plaque causes myocardial infarction (MI) (commonly called as heart attack). But, in 5-20% of cases angiograms reveal that the arteries are less than 50% blocked and termed as MINOCA. Causes Coronary artery spasm (CAS) is the most common epicardial cause of MINOCA. Existing at a localized segment of an epicardial artery, there might be multiple segments of the same artery involved or multiple different arteries involved. Microvascular cause of MINOCA includes Takotsubo syndrome (TS). TS is predominantly present on post-menopausal females who suffer from physical or emotional stress. Coronary embolism is also included in microvascular causes of MINOCA. Here, the coronary artery appears abnormal due to abrupt vessel stump or some thrombotic material inside epicardial coronary artery. Paradoxical embolism (PE) is rarely a cause of MINOCA which is present when there is an arterial embolism without any source present in the left heart, embolism is present in the venous system and when there is a communication taking place between venous and arterial circulation. Treatment depends on factors such as patient characteristics, time of occurrence and the presence/absence of embolic sites. Treatment is often missed in patients with MINOCA as many of them with angiogram-specific normal-coronary arteries are labeled as non-cardiac patients. This normally worsens the situation of the patient as treatment procedure is often delayed and inappropriate. The Latest Study A new study has found that 1 in 10 heart attacks in younger patients are not caused by blocked coronary arteries but experienced similar outcomes as those with heart attack whose common source is blockage. Such attacks are termed as MINOCA and research shows that women face 5-times higher risk of MINOCA compared to men. The pity is that, even after one year of MINOCA, 5% of these patients suffered from yet another heart attack or died from heart attack. Patients with coronary artery have 9% chance of repeat death. MINOCA worsens with time, after 5 years 11% of these patients were affected again or died compared to 16% of patients with blocked arteries. While only 25% of regular heart attack patients are females, almost 50% of MINOCA patients are females. The study collected data from 2,690 heart attack patients aged between 18 and 55 years of age. Data was collected from various sources, almost 103 hospitals. Any non-obstructive heart attack defines 6%-14% of all heart attacks and in this study, it contributed to as much as 11% of those analyzed. MINOCA patients are mostly non-smokers and don’t possess most of the specific characteristics such as diabetes or high blood sugar that denote heart disease. Here, blood clotting was a regular affair when compared to heart attack patients whose artery stemmed from artery obstruction. While causes are not known exactly, some common ones include a tear in the coronary artery wall wherein the blood is collected between the inner and outer layers of the body. Such blood collected can also form a blood clot which prevents blood supply to the heart. Coronary artery spasm (CAS), discussed above is yet another cause of MINOCA. Even leadings doctors and experienced physicians miss the presence of MINOCA and send patients back home assuring them of good health. The diagnosis is often overlooked or the patients are either undertreated or overtreated. While doctors should take double care while treating these patients, patients should also consider themselves to be at risk for a repeated heart attack and take precautionary measures. Leading a healthy lifestyle, staying active, doing exercise, eating a healthy diet and keeping cholesterol, blood pressure and diabetes levels in check play a great role in preventing a heart attack. Get in touch with a nutritionist/dietitian at www.firsteatright.com who can help you chalk out a healthy diet plan satisfying your nutrition needs. What remains surprising is the absence of any strong reason showing the higher frequency of MINOCA in female patients comparatively. Hope to find a satisfying answer in the near-future with some great research done! |
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Dr. Nafeesa Imteyaz of First Eat Right clinic, is the Best Dietitian Nutritionist in Bangalore. Best Dietitian Nutritionist in Pune. Best Dietitian Nutritionist in Hyderabad. Best Dietitian Nutritionist in Chennai. Best Dietitian Nutritionist in Mumbai. Best Dietitian Nutritionist in Delhi. Best Dietitian Nutritionist in Kolkata.