All posts by Sumana Rao

Don't worry about the people in your past; There's a reason they didn't make it to your future.
No Breakfast & skipping meals?

No Breakfast and Skipping Meals

Skipping meals, breakfast and restricting calorie intake is not a good idea. This will lead to unhappiness in blood sugar and hormones in the system. Consistently skipping meals will lead to a consistently low metabolism, which will result in consistently gaining fat. Skipping breakfast has harmful effect on brain and body strength. Moreover it sends wrong signal to brain and you will end up eating unhealthy snacks!

What you can do? To develop lean muscle and to burn fat have smaller meals  4 or 5 times a day. Control your portion. This keeps your blood sugar and hormones happy and results in a consistently stable and strong metabolism and lean muscle.

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on: July 30, 2021
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Short Term Diet and No Weight Loss

Short Term Diet and No Weight Loss

If you are aiming for a sudden weight loss by eating healthy and going on a diet – you still may not able to reach your goal. If you are looking at short-term solutions to reduce weight – this will not work too. Once you stop dieting you will gain back weight – it may increase more. Reason for this is quick starvation diets can wreak metabolism by damaging the long term weight loss. It is like cheating your body and  once body realizes that you are cheating – it will come back to same weight. It is as simple as that.

What you can do? Have patience to reduce weight. Stop looking at short-term solution.  Look for healthy habits when it comes to diet. Let the weight loss be gradual – slow and steady. If you start losing 2 pounds a week, steadily it is better and you will find it easy on your body.  Have confidence and eat healthy, limit your portion, include more vegetables and fruits in your diet and exercise. Let your body know that you are really would like to take care and make it understand – it will listen to you! Enjoy good and healthy meal while losing weight.

Tried fad diets? All those commercials and fad diets – eating cabbage salad, drinking grapefruit juice, consuming apple cider vinegar – these miracle diets you tried and it did not work? – It means your body is not understanding what you are trying to do. And, it might be damaging your metabolism.

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on:
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Calorie Intake

Calorie Intake

Calories play a big role in our weight loss program. One can go meatless, consume organic food, gluten free, protein diet, eat super food etc and still will not lose weight. When you gain weight, it is the case that you have necessarily eaten more than you expended.  If you overeat and consume more calories than you should have fat storing enzymes will become active. These enzymes store fat and will make it more hard for you as you feel discouraged.

Remember: Food selection: Your food selection matters for weight loss. Not all calories are equal in all foods and moreover, “you are what you eat”.  If you plan to lose weight, then eat healthy, high quality nutritious food and watch for your calorie intake.

Recent studies show that people generally plateau early in the weight-loss process, not because of a metabolic slowdown, although that does occur, but because they do not adhere to calorie-reduced diet plans consistently long term.

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on:
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Men Are Successful In Losing Weight

Men Are Successful In Losing Weight

Even though it does not seem to be fair – it is nature. You both started dieting together and your man eats more than you eat and still is able to lose weight while you are unable to catch up with him. Don’t blame yourself for this.

Here is the reason for men lose weight fast: Men tend to naturally burn more calories than woman, because they are larger than women and have more muscle mass. Added to this is they have elevated levels of the hormone testosterone, which promotes muscle growth. Male body is genetically designed for more muscle and less fat. Female body is designed to store more energy and fat – reason is they need to bear children.  So, consider it as a healthy competition – ask your doctor or dietitian how much calories and what food you need to consume to lose weight steadily while being healthy.

Here is a link to understand the research behind the Body Weight Planner:

https://www.niddk.nih.gov/research-funding/at-niddk/labs-branches/LBM/integrative-physiology-section/research-behind-body-weight-planner/Pages/default.aspx

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on:
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Hair care tips

Eleven Routine Hair Care Tips To Maintain Healthy Hair

Not all hair types are same. To have a shiny and healthy growing hair one must put some effort. To keep hair in good condition following a routine hair care tips will help.

  1. Wash hair using lukewarm water: Hot water removes the oil and makes hair dry and dull. This causes hair fall and breakage at hair end. Use lukewarm water to leave some oil content behind and keep hair intact.
  2. Apply hair oil regularly: Coconut oil is good for hair. If you apply coconut oil you can leave hair without washing for three to four days. If you are using any other oil you need to wash hair after few hours. Applying oil to hair helps to keep its color and texture. Oil nourishes growing hair.
  3. Use herbal shampoo: Use natural herbal shampoo to wash hair. Apply shampoo on scalp and it will help to remove any dead scalp skin cells. Using herbal shampoo with protein further nourishes the hair. One can use shikakai, soapnut, hibiscus leaves to wash hair.
  4. Condition your hair: Hair conditioning helps to keep moisture and same time keeps oil content. Conditioning hair helps to protect the hair from heat. Applying conditioner gives silky, smooth hair and regular conditioning helps protects the locks from the possible damage caused by curling irons,  blow dryers, and flat irons.
  5. Do not comb wet hair: To avoid hair fall, avoid combing wet hair. When hair is wet, root of hair will be damaged and could lead to hair pulling from scalp.
  6. Never blow hair dry using high heat: It is always better to dry hair by exposing to sun light. If you would prefer to use blow dry, then avoid setting blow-dryer to high. High setting can burn the hair and damage the hair.  Use warm or cool setting and keep distance from hair.
  7. Do not use abrasive hair ties: Use hair clip to instead of hair bands. Hair clips are better options as there won’t be tension and stress on hair stands.
  8. Avoid alcohol products: If you are into hair spray, and use chemicals to keep hair intact and to look shiny, beautiful then avoid products that contain alcohol as ingredient.
  9. Do not sleep with hair tied up: This could lead  breakage of hair as the hair tugs. Leave the hair down or use simple braid to tie up lose hair before going to sleep.
  10. Release and relax hair: If you are lot into ponytails, then note that too much pulling hair for longer period causes strain on root hair. After your day run, release the hair and wear a loose ponytail or tie the hair using simple braid or use a hair clip to tie. This will release all the tension that the scalp went through.
  11. Maintain hydration: Hair needs to be hydrated. Dampen your hair using leave in hair cream or practice oil sealing. This protects the hair from damage and improves hair texture and health.

Image credit: Image by annafill28 from Pixabay (Free for commercial use)

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on: July 27, 2021
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Pain killer from mud fungus

New pain killer from mud fungus

Do you know the soil we step on everyday contains millions of microbes that are beneficial for us? There is mycorrhiza, actinomycetes, nitrogen fixing bacteria etc. all perform their role quietly.  Researchers from University of Sydney and The University of Queensland recently found marine fungus that has molecule like opioids. What is astonishing is the fungus they found is present in mud.

Bilaids- Bilorphin pain killer molecule

A sample of estuarine mud that was collected 16 years ago yielded this new class of painkiller. The fungus found in the mud contains this pain killer molecule! The molecule is as potent as opioids but without the opioid disadvantages!

Scientists team while investigating sample of mud that also included a sample collected next to a boat ramp in Tasmania, came across the Penicillum fungus that yielded new type of molecule.

Professor Rob Capon from University of Queensland Institute for Molecular Bioscience said, “we came across a fungus that yielded a new type of molecule and named it bilaids which is similar to endomorphins – natural peptides produced by the human body that activate opioid receptors and provide pain relief”

Professor Capon teamed up with his colleague Professor Paul Alewood and Professor Macdonald Christie from University of Sydney to study the details and harness of the molecules that could be a new painkiller.  The chemical modification was observed by Prof Alewood.  The chemical modifications delivered a new molecule based on bilaids named bilorphin is as potent as morphine and is more suitable as a pain drug. Morphine and other opioids cause side effects such as addiction, depression, respiratory issues.

Painkiller with no side effects!!

According to Professor Christie, “No one had ever pulled anything out of nature, anything more ancient than a vertebrate, that seemed to act on opioid receptors – and we found it. If this proves successful and leads to a new medication, it will significantly reduce the risk of death by overdose from opioid medications such as codeine.”

The molecular structure of Bilaids consists of a chain of four of the amino acids and has an interesting ‘handedness’. Almost all amino acids in nature are left handed where as the bilaids are unique with alternating left handed and right handed amino acids. Researchers believe that this unique structure of the bilaids makes it a potential safer pain drug.

The opioid receptor sends out two signalling cascades, with opioids such as morphine activating the receptor with a bias towards one cascade – in contrast, bilorphin activates the receptor with the opposite bias.

The molecule has been patented now and scientists are creating new painkillers. “Although our discovery of an analgesic from an estuarine mud fungus was serendipitous, it does beg the question – with an almost infinite diversity of fungi in the soils, plants, animals and waters of the planet, perhaps we should be exploring other fungi for analgesics?” Professor Capon said ‘The studies of soil samples and the diverse microbe population present in the soil will benefit the development of drugs for conditions that do not have effective treatments’

References:

https://www.pnas.org/content/116/44/22353

https://www.technology.org/

https://ghscientific.com/

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on: July 23, 2021
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China monkey virus

China Reports First Human Infection And Death By Monkey B Virus

Last week China reported the first human infection and death caused by BV virus also called ‘Monkey B Virus’.

Other names for the Monkey B Virus are herpes B, monkey B virus, Herpesvirus simiae, and herpesvirus B.

According to the media reports,  a 53-year-old vet, who worked with non-human primates in an institution, had dissected two dead monkeys in March.  In April, the deceased had shown early-onset symptoms, including vomiting and nausea.

This news created panic and rage because the current Covid-19 pandemic that is not over and not slowed down yet.

Local media reported that this was China’s first recorded human infection of the Monkey B virus. The virus was identified first in 1932 and infected only 50 people till 2020. Of these, 21 people died.

The first indications of B virus infection are typically flu-like symptoms:

  • fever and chills
  • muscle ache
  • fatigue
  • headache

Those who get infected by monkey might develop small blisters in the wound or area on your body that had contact with the monkey. Symptoms typically start within one month of being exposed to a monkey with B virus infection,  but could appear within  three to seven days.

Some other symptoms which may appear in rare cases are:

  • Difficulty breathing
  • Nausea
  • Stomach ache
  • Hiccups

According to CDC, Macaque monkeys very commonly carry these viruses and can be found in Macaque monkeys feces, saliva, urine, or spinal cord or brain tissue. Viruses can survive on the surfaces for many hours and especially on moist surfaces. When monkey scratches or bites humans, virus from the infected  monkey gets into system through skin, eyes, nose, or mouth. Similarly, any exposure to an infected monkey’s brain, spinal cord or skull can transfer virus to humans.

Symptoms usually appear within a month of the exposure, but could also occur within three to seven days. Initially flu -like symptoms -including fever and chills, fatigue, muscle ache, and headache are usually the first signs of the infections. These symptoms are followed by small blisters in the area on the body or the wound that came in contact with the monkey. Other symptoms include shortness of breath, vomiting and nausea, hiccups, and abdominal pain.

As the infection spreads, inflammation of the spinal cord and brain, leading to inflammatory and neurologic symptoms. The infected person may also face problems with muscle coordination. The virus is also known to cause damage to the brain and the nervous system, and in extreme cases, death.

If anyone exposed to a macaque monkey by bites or other means, they must begin first aid immediately.

  1. First, thoroughly wash and gently scrub the wound or area on your body that had contact with the monkey with soap, detergent, or iodine for 15 minutes.
  2. After, run water over the wound or area for 15 to 20 minutes more.
  3. Then, immediately see a healthcare provider for treatment. Tell the healthcare provider that you have been exposed to a macaque monkey that may be infected with B virus.

Treatment :

If your healthcare provider determines that you need treatment for B virus exposure or infection, you may be treated with antiviral medications. Timely first aid and treatment for high-risk exposures is thought to be crucial to preventing life-threatening disease.

There is no approved vaccine for the virus. Veterinarians and veterinary lab workers are at a higher risk and are encouraged to use protective equipment such as lab coats, gloves, and face shields.

References and for more read:

https://www.cdc.gov/herpesbvirus/firstaid-treatment.html

https://www.cdc.gov/herpesbvirus/index.html

Image credit: Image by Erik Karits from Pixabay (Free for commercial use)

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on: July 21, 2021
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