All posts by HealthyLife

HealthyLife is a part of www.WeRIndia.com, an all India – centric website (https://healthylife.werindia.com) and is solely owned and operated by WeRIndia.com. It is a Indian nutritional portal providing educational articles.This nutritional port was launched on February 5th, 2015.
3 Reasons Why Sleeping On The Floor Is Healthy For You

3 Reasons Why Sleeping On The Floor Is Healthy For You

Staying fit and healthy these days can seem like quite the challenge. There are countless issues to worry about, from weight gain to heart disease. However, sometimes, protecting yourself and your family is as simple as changing your habits.

For instance, we all know that getting plenty of high-quality sleep is a good way to protect ourselves from illness and disease. However, did you know that sleeping on the floor could be better than snoozing on a bed in some cases? Here, we’re going to look at three of the reasons why sleeping on the floor could be a good idea.

1. It Could be Good for Your Back

A lot of experts agree that sleeping on a firm surface, such as a harder mattress, could be better for you if you have problems with spine alignment and back pain. Sleeping on a soft mattress means that you’re more likely to sink through the layers, causing a curve in your spine that’s bad for your long-term back health.

However, if you need to improve your night’s sleep, then you could find that sleeping on the floor is better for you than any hard mattress. Some experts even believe that sleeping on the floor could help with eliminating sciatica pain too.

2. It Helps with Temperature Regulation

If you’re the kind of person who struggles to sleep each night soundly because you’re constantly waking up sweating, then sleeping on the floor could be a good idea. When you sleep on the floor (particularly a non-carpeted space), there isn’t piles of cushion to absorb your heat. This means that you’re less likely to get overwhelmed and sweaty.

Additionally, some people believe that because you’re more likely to wake up early when you’re sleeping on the floor, you’ll reduce your chances of oversleeping too. In many studies, scientists have shown that sleeping too much can be just as bad for your health as sleeping too little. When you’re not tempted to snuggle up under the covers for an extra half an hour, you could overcome this issue.

3. It Leads to Better Posture

Finally, sleeping on the floor can also help with giving you the right posture, so you’re less likely to slump and slouch through your day. Because sleeping on a hard surface encourages your spine to fall into its natural position, you’re less likely to slump in an attempt to compensate for back and hip pain. Many people struggle to stand up properly due to pain.

Thanks to the alignment assistance that you get, your back becomes straighter, and you begin to stand up taller. Additionally, if you’re getting a better quality of sleep from being on the floor, instead of your uncomfortable bed, then you might not feel as exhausted. Tiredness is one of the many factors that can lead to slouching.

Should You Try Sleeping on the Floor?

Sleeping on a floor instead of an uncomfortable or lumpy mattress could help you to achieve a better quality of sleep and overcome common problems with pain. However, it’s important to remember that floor sleeping isn’t a strategy that works for everyone. You might find that it’s more difficult for you to sleep on the floor if you have a lot of allergies, or joint pains, for instance. Because of this, if you’re considering leaving your bed behind, it might be a good idea to speak to a doctor about your options first. Medical experts can give you plenty of advice on how to make the most of your sleep hygiene strategies.

Good luck and sweet dreams!

Author: HealthyLife | Posted on: April 20, 2020
« »
« »

Recommended for you

Coronavirus VS the Flu: How Are They Different?

Coronavirus VS the Flu: How Are They Different?

The COVID-19 disease and the flu may cause similar symptoms, but these two are completely different. These illnesses both cause respiratory problems and are transmitted from person to person. So, many people may be confused and will think that the new coronavirus is just another type of flu. To make things clearer, this article will provide in-depth information on COVID-19 and the flu and how they are different.

Causes
Both the flu and COVID-19 are caused by viral infections. These viruses survive by invading living cells, which become host cells. These cells will then multiply and transfer to other cells in the body.

There are two kinds of viruses that cause the flu – Influenza A and Influenza B. Influenza A further has several subtypes. Meanwhile, there are different coronaviruses that cause respiratory problems and infections. The SARS-CoV-2 virus is responsible for the COVID-19 illness that is now considered a pandemic.

.

Symptoms

Symptoms
Source: ​Freepik

There are some differences in the symptoms of COVID-19 and flu. If you have the flu, the symptoms will generally appear between 1-4 days. But, if you have COVID-19, the symptoms will appear between 1-14 days. However, based on a 2020 research, ​the median incubation period for the new coronavirus illness is 5 days

Let us take a closer look at the symptoms of COVID-19 and the flu.

  COVID-19 FLU
Incubation Period 1-14 days 1-4 days
Onset of Symptoms Gradual Abrupt
Cough Common Common
Fever Headache Common
Nasal Congestion Sometimes Sometimes
Runny Nose Sometimes Sometimes
Fatigue Common Common
Body Aches Sometimes Common
Sore Throat Sometimes Sometimes
Diarrhea Sometimes Sometimes
Headache Sometimes Common
Shortness of Breath Common Sometimes
Loss of Appetite Sometimes Common
Respiratory Issues Common Sometimes

.

Severity and Mortality

The symptoms of both flu and COVID-19 can be mild or severe. Both infections can also lead to pneumonia.

According to WHO, the mild cases of COVID-19 mean that the infected person does not require hospitalization. Mild cases include the following symptoms:

● Headache

● Sore throat

● Fever

● Fatigue

● Cough

● Nasal congestion

● Loss of appetite

In all reported COVID-19 cases, 5% are critical and about 15% are severe. In critical cases, a ventilator is required for patients to breathe. There is a higher chance of severe and critical cases of COVID-19 compared to the flu. The new coronavirus is also deadlier. There is a higher rate of mortality of this infection compared to the flu.

Transmission

Transmission
Source: ​Freepik

Both the flu virus and the SARS-CoV-2 virus can transmit through direct contact. An infected person can pass tiny droplets containing the viruses generally through the nose and mouth when they sneeze or cough.

The viruses can also thrive on surfaces, however, it is not sure yet for how long. It is believed that ​the coronavirus can last on surfaces for days​.

According to the CDC, infected people can spread the virus within six feet. So, you have to be at least six feet away from people who are sneezing or coughing to help avoid the spread of the COVD-19 infection.

The World Health Organization also noted that people who have the flu can spread the virus even before the symptoms appear. This is the same case with COVID-19.

Treatment

Treatment
Source: ​Freepik

Since flu is not new to us, it has more treatment methods. Moreover, many flu patients do not need medical treatment and if they do, doctors typically prescribe them antiviral drugs to alleviate the symptoms by one to two days.

Currently, antidrugs to treat COVID-19 are still not available and research is still on-going. As this illness is new, scientists need more time to study it. In the future, there will be more antidrugs available to treat COVID-19 when enough research has been done.

Fortunately, there are methods that can help in managing the coronavirus illness. For mild symptoms, healthcare experts may provide antipyretics to manage fever. People with mild cases are advised to stay at home and observe social distancing. For severe symptoms, people
may need mechanical ventilation or supplemental oxygen to treat serious respiratory problems, such as difficulty in breathing.

Prevention

The best way to prevent flu is by getting vaccinated. There are various strains of the influenza virus depending on the season. Doctors will try to determine which influenza strains are common in a particular season to choose the right vaccines.

Prevention
Source: ​Freepik

For COVID-19, there is no available vaccine yet. The best way to prevent contracting the disease is through the following:

● Social distancing

● Proper handwashing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds

● Bring alcohol or a hand sanitizer with 70% alcohol content, such as those from www.becleanse.com​ in case soap and water are not available

● Prevent touching the face

● Covering the mouth when coughing or sneezing

● Avoid gatherings and crowds

● Staying home when feeling sick

● Work from home, if possible

Summary

The flu and COVID-19 may share similar symptoms, but those who have the flu exhibit symptoms compared to those infected with the new coronavirus. COVID-19 is also more severe and has a higher mortality rate. Both viruses spread through direct contact, but the influenza virus spreads faster and is more common in children.

Since the flu has is not new, it is easier to treat and there are many treatments available. For COVID-19, it is new and there is no vaccine for it yet. The best way to battle this infection is social distancing and overall proper hygiene.

Author: HealthyLife | Posted on: April 13, 2020
« »
« »

Recommended for you

How Healthcare Can Become More Innovative in The Upcoming Years

How Healthcare Can Become More Innovative in The Upcoming Years

With many changes in the world, things are being discovered and improved across day to day life, technology, medical care and more. With technology being a big part in our daily lives, it is used more for many different things including medical care.

In this article, we will discuss how healthcare can become more innovative in the upcoming years. Keep reading to find out more about this.

More Research

One of the ways that healthcare can become more innovative in the upcoming years involves the research that can be done. This can help healthcare innovation because the more research that is carried out, the more healthcare specialists and scientists will be able to find out about different health-related things such as; infections, diseases, illnesses, how medical treatments can be improved and much more. Since there are so many different things that can be learned from research it can make healthcare as we know it a lot more innovative and successful in the future.

Artificial Intelligence

Another way that healthcare can become more innovative in the upcoming years is by introducing artificial intelligence to the healthcare industry. With technology becoming more and more advanced, it can be a very useful tool to use in industries such as for business and even medical believe it or not. Artificial intelligence can be used in the medical industry as robots, resources to store important data and even as interactive tools.

Drone Medical Supplies

The next way that healthcare can become more innovative in the upcoming years is by considering the use of drones to deliver medical supplies. Drones can be used in many different ways from, entertainment use, to getting images of things from a bird’s eye view and now, they could help and become useful in the medical industry. This is because they could be used to deliver test samples of blood, transfusable blood or other medical supplies from hospital to hospital in a certain distance range. However, this is still working progress so, this might not be used for another few years.

Online Patient Records

If you are a regular hospital visitor and you see a lot of doctors then, you will probably not be able to remember every treatment you have a hand or who carried them out. However, to make things easier, doctors can consider using software to find out information from patients records online as well as store them in a safe place rather than have paper copies. This also means they doctors can check quickly if you have any allergies before they give you treatments or medicines.

Keep This Information in Mind and Do Some Research

Overall, there are a lot of ways that healthcare can become more innovative and we expect this to improve even more in the future. If you are interested in innovation in this industry, make sure to stay up to date with the latest tech news.

Image; Pixabay

Author: HealthyLife | Posted on: March 27, 2020
« »
« »

Recommended for you

Apple rose pastry for Valentine's day

Apple Rose For Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day is around the corner and people love to express their feeling with everyone. In fact, Valentine’s day is for everybody who wants to bring change in the world by sharing and showing love.  Flowers and fruits are part of Valentine’s day. Roses and apples make a perfect combination to celebrate Valentine’s Day. While you give rose flowers to your loved ones, think of giving edible apple rose pastry with it. Prepare apple rose pastry and share with people you love to fulfill the joy of sharing love and affection.

Apple rose recipe

Ingredients for baking:

  1. All-purpose flour – 1 cup
  2. Butter – 75 grams
  3. Saffron – a pinch
  4. Cinnamon powder – 1 teaspoon
  5. Sugar – 2 tablespoons
  6. Water – 3 tablespoons
  7. Apricot spread

Ingredients for apple roses:

  1. Apple – 1 medium sized, cut into very thin slices
  2. Lemon juice – 1 tablespoon
  3. Water – 1 glass
  4. Butter – 40 grams
  5. Sugar – 3 tablespoons
  6. Cinnamon powder – 2 teaspoons

 Preparation:

1. In a bowl, add butter, saffron, sugar and cinnamon powder and mix well.

2. Add all-purpose flour into a mixing bowl and little by little add water and mix well to make a smooth dough. Mix well and keep aside.

How to make apple rose

3. Cut apple into thin slices, sprinkle lemon juice and water. Microwave apple slices for 3-4 minutes. Cool the apple slices to room temperature.

4. Take dough and make a rectangular sheet by rolling it. Cut strips of 8-inch long and about less than an inch wide.

5. Apply butter, little apricot spread and sugar-cinnamon powder on it.

6. Arrange the apple slice on the dough, overlapping one another. When you arrange let the skin portion stick out of the strip.

7. Now, fold the bottom part of the dough. Roll the sheet with arranged apple slices gently to make a beautiful rose.

8. Similarly, prepare more apple roses and sprinkle some cinnamon and sugar on top of the apple roses.

9. Preheat the oven at 200-degree centigrade for 10 minutes.  Place parchment paper on the baking sheet or in baking cups. Place the apple roses on trays.

10. Bake for 35 minutes – edges of pastry should become brownish and crispy.

11. Serve apple roses with tea or as a dessert item.

Image courtesy: Pinterest

Recipe: www.werindia.com

Author: HealthyLife | Posted on: February 11, 2020
« »
« »

Recommended for you

How Therapy Can Help You Achieve Your Goals in 2020

How Therapy Can Help You Achieve Your Goals in 2020

While January is nearing a close, 2020 is still a fresh new year, and many of us are wondering how we can have the most successful 2020. We all have goals in mind, but we may not know how to reach them.

One way you can reach your goals is by talking to a therapist or counselor. For many years, therapy has been associated with people who are at their lowest point, but this is an outdated way of looking at things. Here are some common goals that therapy can help you with.

…

Getting Fit

Many of us want to gain muscles or have weight loss as our goal, but oftentimes, that’s a challenge if you’re don’t have someone to hold you accountable. Many people quit the gym after the first month, or try a diet and quickly slip back into it. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

If you actually want to know what diet will work best for you and how you should work out, talk to a nutritionist or personal training. However, if you need help staying motivated, a therapist can help you. From writing down your goals and having a plan to reach them, to identifying triggers that can break your diet, a therapist is here to help.

Improving Your Relationship

If you’re in a relationship, you may have goals for it. Maybe it’s to have  more sex or to argue less. There are many challenges that come in a relationship, and quite often, you may find yourself overwhelmed on how to fix it. One way you can do so is to go to couples counseling.

Couples counseling is not just for couples who are having trouble keeping their relationship up. It’s also for people who just want to improve an already healthy relationship. Why not talk to a couples counselor and see how they can help you.

Saving Money

If your goal this year is to save more money, then a counselor can help you. Obviously, counseling can cost money, but if you’re going to one anyway, they can help hold you accountable for saving money. Once again, they can do this by setting goals and telling you how to fulfill them. If you splurge and end up spending more money than you wanted, a therapist can be the one who teaches you where you went wrong and what you can do next time.

Fixing a Broken Family

If your goal this year is to reconnect with a friend or family member who you lost contact with, usually because of a fight, a counselor or therapist can help you. Just like a relationship counseling, counseling or therapy can teach you how to manage conflict and can teach you how to resolve one’s differences.

For Getting a Better Night’s Rest

Some of us have not gotten enough sleep, and we’re wondering how we can sleep better. Many of us could use an extra hour or two to feel better and to stay focused.

Poor sleep can have many triggers, from stress, depression, anxiety, or too much phone use. Whatever the reason, a therapist works with you to identify several triggers, improve your sleep rituals, and get you back on the right track to a better night’s rest.

For Your Mental Health Woes

Perhaps the biggest reason to see a counselor or a therapist is because they can help you with your mental health woes. If you have depression or anxiety, it can be a challenge to get out of bed. This is the sad truth of it. However, with therapy, particularly online therapy that lets you get help from home, you can learn to heal and learn how you can prevent extreme bouts of depression or anxiety in the future.

Just Someone to Talk to

Finally, a counselor can help you talk to someone, and sometimes, that may be a noble enough goal for the year. Many of us don’t talk to someone who understands us or supports our dreams, but a therapist can. They’re more than people who get paid to talk to you; they care about your well-being and want to see you succeed.

Marie Miguel Biography

Marie Miguel Biography

Marie Miguel has been a writing and research expert for nearly a decade, covering a variety of health- related topics. Currently, she is contributing to the expansion and growth of a free online mental health resource with BetterHelp.com. With an interest and dedication to addressing stigmas associated with mental health, she continues to specifically target subjects related to anxiety and depression.

Author: HealthyLife | Posted on: January 27, 2020
« »
« »

Recommended for you

Cucumber idli recipe

Healthy cucumber idli recipe

Idli is a healthy breakfast as it contains balanced amount of Protein, carbohydrate and fat. For a change, sometimes we can add other healthy stuffs into idli and make it little more interesting. Adding vegetables, healthy leaves like spinach or palak or adding cucumber to idli makes it taste different in a good way. Try cucumber idli recipe for a change for breakfast or dinner.

Ingredients:

  1. Cucumber – 3 grated
  2. Coarse rice – 1 cup (rice sooji)
  3. Coconut – ½ cup grated
  4. Ginger – 1 inch grated
  5. Cilantro – 2 Tbsp, finely chopped
  6. Green chilli – 2 finely chopped
  7. Salt – as per taste
  8. Curd – 2 Tbsp (optional)

For seasoning: Oil, mustard, cumin, pinch of asafetida

Preparation:

  1. Wash, peel and grate cucumbers
  2. In a bowl mix coconut, rice sooji, salt, cilantro, curd (optional), green chilli, ginger and cucumber with two to three cups water. Keep the batter aside for half an hour
  3. Prepare seasoning using oil, mustard, cumin and asafetida
  4. Add seasoning to idli batter and mix well
  5. Grease idli plates/ cup and pour one ladle of idli mix in each plate/ cup
  6. Steam cook idli batter on medium heat for about 15-20 minutes
  7. Using a cold spoon remove hot idlis.
  8. Serve hot cucumber idlis with butter, sambar and coconut chutney!
Author: HealthyLife | Posted on: October 30, 2019
« »
« »

Recommended for you

Reverse namaskar pose

Reverse Namaskar Pose

Tadasana Paschima Namaskar or reverse namaskar pose is a beginner/intermediate pose that helps to strengthen abdomen, shoulder and arms. It is a chest opener pose and one should be careful while bending and taking hands back. This pose is good for those who suffer from back pain. It eases hand movements and gives flexibility -Healthylife

LEVEL :Intermediate

Anatomy

  • Abdomen|Arms|Chest|Shoulders

Pose Type

  • Arm Variation|Backbend

Sanskrit :

Tadasana Paschima Namaskar

paschima = backside of the body  namaskar = to join the hands in prayer

tada = mountain tah-dahs-anna  pah-she-mah nah-mah-skar-ahs-anna

Benefits

  • Opens the chest and abdomen
  • Lessens stress and quiets the mind
  • Enhances flexibility in shoulders, arms, chest, and upper back
  • Improves posture

Contradictions:

How To

  • From standing or seated, rest your arms loosely by your side
  • Find minor core engagement
  • Tuck your chin in slightly towards your chest
  • Lengthen your spine
  • Reach your arms behind you with palms facing each other
  • Bend your elbows and reach your fingertips towards one another
  • If accessible, keep your shoulders relaxed and broaden your chest as your palms meet behind your back
  • Rest your palms together and your pinky fingers against your spinal column
  • Modify or Replace
  • Look toward the floor if any strain is felt in the neck.
  • Practice the pose with the feet hip-distance apart.
  • Widen the arms into a cactus position to lessen the stretch in the shoulders.

Sequencing Tips

Before:

  • Mountain Pose (Tadasana)
  • Easy Pose (Sukhasana)

After:

Teaching Cues

  • Draw your shoulder blades, scapula, together
  • Find core engagement and knit your low ribs inward
  • Keep the hands pressed together from fingertips to the base of the palm
  • Variations
  • Bring your hands to grasp your wrists or forearms
  • Find a standing posture, such as pyramid pose, and move into the full expression with your hands in namaskar

Watch Out For

  • Shoulder strain
  • Chest puffing out
  • Loss of core engagement
  • Neck strain

This article and image is published here with prior permission from beyogi.com

Author: HealthyLife | Posted on: October 24, 2019
« »
« »

Recommended for you

Food fraud prevention network

Network to prevent food fraud in Asian Nations

There is a need to create an IT-enabled platform to exchange information related to frauds in the food industries in the Asia region –  Rita Teaotia, Chairman of FSSAI, India

Why Food Fraud is a concern?

Growing need of food in developing countries in past two decades has resulted in food fraud and adulteration. Food fraud is a term used for altering food for economic gain by intentional substitution, addition, tampering or misinterpretation of food, food ingredients, food packaging, making false claim and statements. Food fraud misleads and deceives consumers for financial gain of vendors.

Food safety net services or FSNS is an organization that helps and assures consumers safe food delivery. According to FSNS food fraud can happen in many ways:

  • By substituting one product with another
  • Using government unapproved additives and enhancements
  • Misrepresenting the food origin or information of food
  • Misbranding and purposefully mislabeling
  • Delivering stolen food
  • Contaminating food with chemicals and biological agents that cause bad health to consumers.

The effect of food fraud on human body is not very clear and hence the food fraud investigations and reports does not get much attention the way it should. Food fraud is not detected in most cases because health consequences are often subtle.

Which are the foods that get adulterated?

Global examples are: Coffee, cooking oil, apple juice, vanilla extract, milk, honey, saffron, tea powder, maple syrup, milk, vegetables (with chemical dye), sweets, lentils, spices, butter, cream, clarified butter.  

Some of the economically motivated adulteration (EMA) can result in severe public health consequences. For example Adding melamine in dairy products has lead to infant deaths, adding industrial grade rapeseed oil into olive oil has caused illness in many and resulted in 300 death. Delivery of fishes grown in polluted water has caused mercury poisoning in pregnant woman.

For those who love to eat meat, many times meat products have come from undeclared species – In Europe horsemeat scandal happened in 2013, dog meat supplied to many food restaurants and in 1970’s horsemeat and kangaroo meat was used in frozen beef trimmings!

Some of the cases that were strongly condemned food frauds locally and globally are:

  1. Italy: 2011 Supplying illegal organic produces,
  2. Mexico: 2005 – supplying meat from undeclared species
  3. Russia:2015 Adding palm oil in milk
  4. Australia: 2013 Free range eggs from caged hens
  5.  China: 2008 melamine in baby food
  6. China: 2015 Zombie frozen meat
  7. USA: 2009 Often salmonella contamination in foods, honey laundering, meat from undeclared species
  8. India: Using artificial colors in foods : green color on vegetables, adding artificial colors in prepared foods like biryani

There are millions of foods trade happens between the countries and to prevent the food fraud FAO and WHO has named six codex regions as regional coordinating committees. Each committee is responsible for defining the problems and needs of the region concerning food control and food standard.

Even though FSSAI, has made strong rules and laws against food fraud, businesses are finding ways to cheat consumers. In 2015 alone out of 49,290 samples of food items tested, 8469 (nearly one fifth) were found misbranded or adulterated.

Recently in its 21st session coordinating committee of the UN bodies (WHO and FAO)  Mrs. Rita Teaotia Rita Teaotia, Chairman of FSSAI, India in her inaugural address had mentioned “ There is a need for creating a network of scientific and research institutions for collection and assimilation of scientific facts and data for the region and worthwhile, to create an IT-enabled information platform to ex hange information regarding food frauds and other areas of core interest”

While calling for increased dialogue between countries in Asia codex regions Mrs. Taeotia also mentioned that “countries trade extensively with each other and at least in food, almost 60 per cent of food trade is within the region (Asian). To my view, this alone is enough reason for us to develop a common ground for cooperation”

Networking between not just Asian region, all six regions could have great impact in controlling and stopping food fraud and could save millions of lives.

References:

https://www.fssai.gov.in/in-the-media-recent.php

http://www.newindianexpress.com

https://www.cbsnews.com/

Author: HealthyLife | Posted on: September 30, 2019
« »
« »

Recommended for you