All posts by Sumana Rao

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Cluster Headache - what is it?

Cluster headache what is it ?

One of the worst painful headaches that humans can experience is cluster headaches that consists of group of headaches on one side of the head.

It is an excruciatingly painful headache disorder one can have. It is severe than migraine.

It is very rare to have both migraine and cluster headache coexisting.  15 to 22% people who suffer from cluster headache will have suicidal thought during cluster headache attacks. For this reason, it is also called suicidal headache.

Cluster headache is a rare chronic condition. During the pain one feels pain attacks in group or clusters means headaches occurring back to back over subsequent hours and days.  These attacks can occur on consecutive days for 6 to 8 weeks. Everyday on specific time it appears and generally it will be during night time.

Cluster headache affects around 0.3% of the population. It develops in the age group of 20 to 40, occurs rarely in children and extremely rare after age 70-75. Cluster headaches has been described by patients as boring, bearing, burning, like a hot poker in the eye as well as suicide headaches. From a doctor’s note – some of the ways pain clusters are described by patients are:

“Jabbing eye socket with white hot poker and holding it there for 45 minutes”

“Just got shot in the face”

“Papercut in the eye, in the center of my head”

“Sharp and excruciating pain”

“Feels like running away from pain”

Symptoms:  Cluster headache is a rare condition and misdiagnosed in many cases. It is not like migraine. Reports reveal that “most headache doctors have had patients with cluster headaches who have committed suicide from the worst pain”

  • Severe headaches on unilateral side
  • Headache near the orbit, the bone framing the eye, supraorbital (above orbit), temporal (at temple) or in a combination of all these sites. Sometimes it appears towards back of head.
  • Red eye, eyelid swelling, forehead and facial sweating, tearing, abnormal small size of the pupil, nasal congestion, runny nose, drooping eyelid
  • Restless or agitated during headache attacks.
  • Attacks are one sided only and almost always the same side of the head and duration of attack is generally 15 minutes to 3hours

Hypothalamus is the brain part that involved in this pain. Hypothalamus is part of the brain involved in circadian rhythm or body clock.

Diagnosis: There are no diagnostic tests to confirm someone has cluster headache. Diagnosis is accomplished by reviewing family and personal medical history and associated symptoms. People who suffer from cluster headache should be carefully assessed. Brain imaging, vessels and diagnosing primary headache like migraine with prominent *autonomic features is essential.

*Autonomic neuropathy controls important bodily functions such as breathing rate, body temperature, heart rate.  Some of the autonomic symptoms are closely associated with cluster headaches (like nasal congestion, swelling around eye, watering in eyes).

Causes of cluster headaches:

Exact cause of cluster headaches is currently unknown. Research shows that genetics may contribute to triggering the attacks. Alcohol is the only dietary trigger of cluster headaches. Strong odors may also trigger cluster headaches. Researchers have found a strong link between smoking and cluster headaches. Bright light, exertion, heat, foods high in nitrites, cocaine –  can trigger cluster headaches. Another possibility is sudden release of histamine or serotonin in the hypothalamus region of brain.

Treatment:

As per American migraine foundation If the pain is acute following treatments can be used to shorten or abort a cluster attack.

  • High flow of pure oxygen by mask
  • Sumatriptan nasal spray or injection
  • Zolmitriptan nasal spray
  • DHE -45 injection or nasal spray

For prevention:

  • Physical activity can relieve cluster headaches
  • Lithium
  • Topiramate, melatonin is recommended.
  • There is no curative treatment available for cluster headaches.
  • Preventive medicines like verapamil are prescribed for this pain.

Cluster headache symptoms can be confusing. If anyone feels and cannot bear the pain, instead of taking pain killers contact physician and going through proper diagnosis is critical.

References:

  1. Dodick DW, Rozen TD, Goadsby PJ, Silberstein SD. Cluster headache. Cephalalgia 2000; 20:787.
  2. https://americanmigrainefoundation.org/understanding-migraine/cluster-headache/
  3. https://www.theatlantic.com

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

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on: December 27, 2018
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Designing a simple life for better living

Designing a simple life for better living

We all have that thing in mind “looking for more, more and more” whether we need it or not. We want more of everything.

Do we really need it? Is it worth living a  life with all the clutters around us? What benefit we get from it – satisfying our status, ego or looking for attention? How it helps to get happiness?

Even if you get happiness from owning many materialistic things will it be temporary or permanent – you need to decide on this at one point of your life. Sooner the better. This is where designing a simple life can help you out.

Simple life does not mean that go for minimal use or lead a poverty filled life. It means find out what it takes you to find out inner peace and happiness in the life.

Simple life means not throwing all your stuff, it means you will keep only things that you wanted.

You will remove those stuffs that clutters your schedule, mind and home!

Suggestions to design a simple life

  • Be open to change: If you don’t want something and feels strongly about it, instead of holding onto it let it go – let the distraction go. It can be stuff, person who causes distraction or anything that you can let go.
  • Watch less television: To give more work to brain, use less television for entertainment. This saves your time and helps on focusing on matters that is important for you. Less noise means more productivity time for you.
  • Focus on completing fewer tasks at a time: Instead of rushing to finish ten different work at a time, focus on what work needs immediate attention and complete the task. This gives better, tension-less sleep too.
  • Don’t focus on negative thoughts: Warning is good, but too much caring about negative thoughts and imagining the worst always leads to complexity. Instead, learn to live not give importance to negative thoughts. Approach the problem in a simplest way and create a stress-free zone to your mind. Have less stimulation helps you to understand matters much better.
  • Have less clutters around you: If you don’t need things take them out – give away or store in the box. If you have not used things/stuffs in past 2 years, then it is unlikely you will use them. Less clutter means more place, more place means more creativity especially if you have children.
  • Less technology: Limit use of your smartphone, desktop or tablet. The more you online, more your time is restricted to focus on important aspects of your day to day life. With technology, there is always a pressure to focus on doing more stuffs that too faster.
  • More focus on nutrients: Spend your time learning about nutrition, wellness and right way to exercise. Focusing on your health instead of watching TV or smart tools helps you to achieve a better health.
  • Reduce, recycle, reuse: This has a huge benefit on environment too. Reduce usage, recycle things that you can and reuse materials that you can. It saves you money in a big way and helps the environment too.
  • Cook at home: instead of going to restaurant often or fast food chains, invite friends and families for a potluck and learn to cook at home. Cooking at home gives a trustworthy food, family time and saves you money.
  • Exercise: Any form of exercise is good for the body. Living simple lifestyle saves tons of time. Use the time to exercise and meditate. This reduces chronic stress.
  • Have fewer credit cards: More credit and debit cards means you are inviting more complexity into your life. Have fewer, best credit cards.
  • Get rid of expenses that is not needed: Consider your monthly expenses and note what expense is worth and what not. Act on it and you will be surprised to see how much you can save.
  • Have gratitude: Practicing gratitude helps in improving well-being. Admire your surroundings and be grateful for your opportunities and good life.
  • Generosity: Once you have less clutter and less things, you will start realizing you have more than enough and more to give. It can be your stuff, time or money. You will have resources to help others.

When you design a simple life, it has several benefits.

  • Peace of mind
  • Less stress, less distraction and less frustration
  • Concentrate on your goals
  • More time in hand to spend time on your interests
  • Lower cost of living
  • Smaller, better home
  • Focus on family and children
  • Focus on wellness of mind
  • Time to do charity work
  • Spending more mindfully, being able to be flexible with spending
  • Conscious about eating and keeping good health
  • Time to exercise
  • You will have less clutter
  • More energy in life

And, many more…

There is no need to go to extreme levels to achieve a simple life. You don’t need to give up on job, money, tv, relationship, travel etc. It means get rid of things that you don’t need. It is more about living a mindful life with less cluttered mind and surroundings to achieve peace. It means your actions should match up with your values. Your choices should be able to free yourself from things that complicates your life and helps you to focus on your and others happiness.

.

Reference: www.werindia.com

Image credit: https://www.pexels.com/photo/architecture-chair-color-decoration-280471/ (Free for commercial use)

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on:
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Importance of Family

Importance of Family

Instead of texting and sending messages, sit and talk to your parents and grandparents. This festival season do not forget to visit and spend quality time with your family! 

A good family bonding is important in everyone’s life.  Family is your blood and they are the people who accept you for who you are, who would do anything to see you smile and who love you no matter what. Family is important because no matter what they will be with us and support us. Family influences the future of generation. In present day we are losing the family values for various reasons. The more we focus on making money and are career oriented,  the way we are moving with technology, the fast life these are few reasons that are making family to move apart. This is resulting in more nuclear families with no support system. What matters in the family is love, affection that binds its members. The less we spend time with family members the more chances of members are becoming strangers.

“Spending time as a family is a wise investment. How is that possible? A family usually plays a big role in children’s emotional, social and physical maturation” 

Family influences the growth of children: Happy family means happy kids!

Children in families that participate in various activities together are more likely to report having parents who show affection, and those with involved parents tend to fare better in school and are less likely to engage in risky behaviors. Those activities can be anything -watching movie, sports, playing games, going on hiking, exercising, singing and dining together. Family activities do not have to be expensive or luxurious to be meaningful. Families help children to build their self-esteem. When children feel that their parents value them, they feel more positive about themselves. The important part is just being together and enjoying each other’s company. Children academic performance also depends on parents and mostly mother. As they say mother is the first Guru of all children. Spending time with teenagers as a friend and participating in their discussion helps the teenagers to get better grade and solve any problems including bullying at school and society. Adolescents whose parents are involved in their lives tend to exhibit fewer behavioral problems. Studies show that teens that frequently have dinner with their families are at a lower risk for substance abuse.

Happy memories for lifelong

Family time creates warm memories for all. Children with happy family memories are more likely to create a loving environment for their own children when they grow up. Those memories will help to guide future younger generation in a better way for better society. Learning to work and play as a family unit, is one of the best lessons children can be taught so they can develop into competent adults as well as good parents in the society.

Reconnecting with family

Spending time together as a family helps both parents to reconnect with their children. During family activities, children open up and both parents can participate in discussions. This very good quality of both parents will have influence on children. Children grow and change quickly, so family time is a wonderful time to get to know the child better.

Bonding with grandparents

Wherever the grandparents are, it is always good to spend some time with them- during weekends or as often as possible. Instead of texting and sending messages sit and talk to your grandparents. Grandparents shower unconditional affection and love towards their grandchildren. Their stories about struggle in their lives, love, career or other interesting stories like great depression, war, building house or career will help both parents and children to bond much stronger. If parents show respect and love to their (grand) parents, children will mostly likely to follow their parent footsteps. This teaches them how to be humble, give respect and seek respect. By nurturing and teaching children during their early years, elders play an important role in making sure children are ready to learn when they enter school. Children thrive when parents are able to actively promote their growth and development.

This festival time do not forget to visit your family!

References:

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on: December 26, 2018
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Mediterranean style yogurt soup

Chilled cucumber yogurt with herbs

Yogurt is probiotic and good for digestion. Having yogurt during lunch has beneficial effect on health. Add cucumber, avocado and herbs to increase the taste and consume yogurt to get added benefit. This below health recipe,  chilled cucumber yogurt with herbs is from Mediterranean cuisine.

Ingredients:
1. Seedless cucumbers – 2
2. Lemon juice – 1 Tbsp
3. Freshly chopped dill – 1/3 cup
4. Freshly chopped mint – 1 Tbsp
5. Freshly chopped parsley – 2 Tbsp
6. Garlic cloves – 2 crushed
7. Avocado – half
8. Cumin – 1 tsp
9. Salt – as per taste
10. Olive oil – 1 Tbsp
11. Yogurt – 2 Cups

Preparation:
1. Peel cucumber skin and grate cucumber
2. Add chopped mint, dill leaves. Parsley, avocado followed by crushed garlic, salt and olive oil. Mix well
3. Add Yogurt and mix well using a blender.
4. Transfer blended mix into a container and store in refrigerator for few minutes
5. Remove chilled mix add lemon juice and add cumin seeds. Mix well
6. Serve chilled yogurt-cucumber mix for lunch

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on: December 14, 2018
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Amla Thokku

Delicious Amla Thokku

Amla, Indian gooseberry is known for its rich nutrients and medicinal properties. It contains vitamin C in abundant.

Benefits of consuming amla is : It is good for eye sight, hair health, reduces blood sugar, good for skin, supplies digestive fiber, cures sore throat, has diuretic activity, increases metabolic activity and it is an immune system booster.

Gooseberry also has culinary properties and many traditional dishes are prepared using amla. Today we are presenting a delicious traditional recipe “gooseberry or amla thokku”. It is a variety of chutney and goes well as a side dish with several main dishes like dosa, rice, roti etc.

Ingredients:

  1. Indian gooseberry – 10
  2. Green chillis – About 15
  3. Fenugreek seeds – 1 Tbsp
  4. Salt – As per your taste
  5. Asafetida – ½ tsp
  6. Turmeric powder – 1 tsp
  7. For seasoning:
  • Oil – 1 Tbsp
  • Mustard – ¼ tsp
  • Curry leaves – few
  • Red chilli – 1 or 2 broken

Method:

  1. Wash gooseberries and dry them on a paper towel. There should not be any water content left.
  2. Grate or cut gooseberries into small pieces. Discard seeds
  3. Dry roast fenugreek seeds and prepare powder.
  4. Add all ingredients – green chilli, asafetida, salt, fenugreek powder, turmeric powder and grated gooseberry into grinder and prepare spicy gooseberry paste. Do not add water.
  5. Heat oil on a seasoning pan, add mustard, curry leaves and red chilli – prepare seasoning.
  6. After cooling add seasoning to gooseberry paste. Mix well.
  7. Transfer spicy, gooseberry tokku to a clean, dry jar and store in refrigerator.

Gooseberry tokku can be mixed with rice and ghee, idli, dosa, chapatti. When you prepare lemon rice add little gooseberry tokku to enhance the taste.

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on: December 3, 2018
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Kids stomach pain relief

Home remedies for kids stomach pain

Young children might not be able express their pain well. When it comes to stomach pain, toddlers feel pain for several reasons. If parents know the reasons and can try few home remedies for stomach ache in toddler to give relief and bring back smile.

  1. Compress: Use hot compress like heating pad with low heat and apply on child’s stomach. Before placing the compress check the temperature of compress to ensure child feels comfortable with heat.
  2. Curd: Curd or yogurt is a probiotic food. It contains good bacteria that has a friendly effect on digestive system. Give half a cup of probiotic to child when there is pain.
  3. Asafoetida : Asafoetida is also known as hing. Add ¼ tsp hing into little warm coconut or sesame oil, prepare a paste. Apply this paste around child’s belly button. Do not apply this paste on navel. Give light massage around the belly in clockwise motion. This reduces pain.
  4. Honey: A teaspoon of honey with very little fresh grated ginger. Give this to kids, they like honey taste. Ginger and honey both reduce not only inflammation, reduce gas too.
  5. Castor oil: Warm 1 tsp of castor oil and apply around belly button. Massage gently, slowly.
  6. Betle leaf & castor oil: On low flame warm betle leaf on both sides. Apply couple of drops of castor oil on the upper surface. Place it on the child’s stomach. It helps to relieve the pain.
  7. Gentle massage: Use your fingertips to give gentle massage around the stomach area in clockwise direction. This not only enhances the blood circulation and relieves nerve pain.
  8. Mint: Boil a cup of water with 2 mint leaves. Cool and give 2-3 tsp of light mint water to baby. For child over 2/3 years add very little grated ginger in the tea while boiling.
  9. Foot reflexology: By holding child’s left food in hand, apply slight pressure on the central arch using thumb for couple of minutes. This method has a therapeutic effect on baby’s stomach pain. Left foot central arch is linked to tummy region.
  10. Exercise: Help child to move the body. Taking small stroll inside the house while holding your hands gives a comfort. Moving body helps to move digestive muscles and releases gas.
  11. Constipation related pain: If child has constipation, give one or two prunes. This helps in motion. Give adequate liquid to child. Teach them to learn drink water and fresh juices. Drinking liquid solves dehydration and constipation problem. Constipation is one the reason for stomach pain in children. Keeping them hydrated reduces constipation and stomach ache.
  12. Carom seed water: Also known as ajwain water, carom seed water reduces gas, indigestion, heaviness and stomach pain in children and adults. Add ¼ tsp carom seed to 1 cup water and boil on low flame. Let the color turn slight brown. Strain and give 1 or 2 tsp of water to child.

If any of these remedies does not work and the child’s pain is consistent then talk to your child’s pediatrician to understand what could be happening. Stop home remedies if you are planning to OTC or prescribed medicines or if there is any allergic reaction.

Image credit: Image by  Image by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay  (free for commercial use)

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on: November 30, 2018
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Indoor plant care

Tips to keep indoor plants happy during winter

Indoor plants not only help decorating house, also give clean environment inside the house. During winter time change in light and lower temperature has impact on indoor plants. It is hard for many indoor plants to adjust and survive. Plants need help in adjusting to changed weather conditions to survive.

Here are tips to keep indoor plants happy and healthy during cold, winter days.

 

  • Light: During winter days day light is short and temperature inside house drops. Light levels near windows also drops. Transfer plants near windows that are in South or West side of the house. During winter both these directions will have more filtered light that is like summer and will be able to withstand direct Sun.
  • Artificial light: Fluorescent bulbs give good amount of light for plant growth. Look for plant lights and position bulbs half feet away from plants.
  • Clean windows: Dusty, dirty windows will hold sun rays entering through windows. Before winter sets in and shifting plants, clean windows and let light fall on plants without any block.

 

  • Remove dust from plant leaves: Dust off plant leaves using water or duster. Clean will absorb light easily.
  • Humidity: Humidity is less during winter. Indoor plants near 40-50% humidity to be healthy. If not, insect pets will survive on plants. Place humidifier often in the plant rooms.
  • Temperature: Temperature inside house should be between 66 to 73 F during day, if temperature is below 62 F plants will wilt and die. If you have heat vents, do not place plants near heat vents.
  • Watering: Do not overwater plants. When the soil is dry up to 2 inches water plants. Another way to test is, when there is not enough water and soil is dry, pot feels lighter. Wet soil adds weight to pot. Some plants need watering consistently. Ferns and citrus plants need water. Do not allow water to collect in in drainage saucer as it can root health.
  • Pruning: Winter growth gives less leaves and longer stem. Cut plant tips to promote side branching.

 

  • Repot: Adding new soil or changing soil of indoor plants should not be carried in winter. Wait for spring or summer.
  • Fertilizer: In harsh winter do not fertilize indoor plants. You can add fertilizers to soil during spring when other plant start coming up. If winter is mild where you live, then fertilize plants once or twice a month.

Keep indoor plants healthy and happy. This not only adds beauty to house, also gives positivity in your life and helps to beat winter blues.

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

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on:
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