All posts by Sumana Rao

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Home remedies for Leg cramps

Home remedies for Leg cramps

Reasons for leg cramps are many – Not drinking enough water, tired muscle, standing longer hours, sitting leg crossed, swimming for long time, not stretching after exercise etc.

Sometimes leg cramping happens due to inadequate supply of blood to legs.

It happens when the muscles in calves, quadriceps or hamstrings involuntarily contract.

Either the muscle will feel sore or tenderness sets in resulting in intense pain.

Muscle locks and we will be unable to move the legs.

Few home remedies one can try to improve strengthening of muscle as well as to reduce leg cramps.

  1. Pineapple juice: Drinking pineapple juice helps to reduce muscle inflammation and swelling. The bromelain enzymes help in recovery of muscles fast
  2. Black cohosh: This herb has antispasmodic property and helps in relaxation of muscle and relieves cramps.
  3. Ginkgo biloba: This gymnosperm helps to increase the blood circulation by dilating the arteries. Ginkgo supplements are available in market. If you are taking any type of medication then don’t mix Ginkgo and allopathy medicine.
  4. Turmeric and honey: Drinking warm turmeric water (1 tsp to one cup of water) with 2 tsp of honey helps in reducing inflammation and legs will come back to normalcy soon. Drink this three times a week before going to bed.
  5. Chamomile tea: Drinking chamomile tea before going to bed relaxes the body and helps to sleep. Most of the time cramps happens while we sleep and chamomile tea helps to recover.
  6. Ginger and honey: Add an inch of grated ginger to water and boil it. Add little milk and a tsp of honey, drink. Have this afternoon or at night for better results.
  7. Cayenne ointment: Applying cayenne pepper ointment on the surface helps to stimulate blood circulation and reduces pain.
  8. Lavender essential oil: Mix lavender essential oil with castor oil and coconut oil. Apply on legs and massage in circulation motion. This relieves leg pain and leg cramp.
  9. Rosemary essential oil: Add few drops of rosemary essential oil to hot water and take bath. Other option is to mix with coconut oi and applying by means of massaging helps.
  10. Molasses: To a cup of warm milk add one or two tea spoon of molasses and drink. Molasses contains calcium and potassium – both help in strengthening muscle.
  11. Other herbal supplements: Peruvian bark and cramp bark both have anti-inflammatory properties. Cramp bark is antispasmodic and helps to relax the muscle as well as nervous system.
  12. Drumstick leaves: For severe cramps, collect drumstick leaves and warm it for few minutes and tie around the leg muscle using a muslin cloth. One can apply drumstick leaves juice too to get relief from cramps.
  13. Castor oil and beetle leaf: Apply castor oil on beetle leaf and place it on cramp and pain area for some time. This is similar to stomach ache curing method in children and infants.
  14. Drinking water: Drinking recommended amount of water and keeping yourself hydrated helps. Dehydration is a reason for leg cramps.
  15. Eucalyptus oil: Sometimes leg cramp can be due to winter or cold weather. Applying Eucalyptus essential oil mixed with coconut oil/ olive oil helps.
  16. Epsom salt: Add Epsom salt to hot water and take bath. Or in bucket or bath tub add Epsom salt and water. Soak legs in this water for half an hour to get relief from cramping.
  17. Yellow mustard: Add 1 tsp of yellow mustard to 1 cup of warm milk and drink at night. Consume this every day till you feel the improvement.

Avoid standing longer hours, wearing uncomfortable and high heel shoes. Practicing drinking lot of fluid are always recommended. Once a week massage your legs using warm castor oil/olive oil/coconut oil and take bath – these practices help to get stronger legs.

www.healthylife.werindia.com : Grandma online

 

Image credit: https://www.needpix.com/photo/download/730803/leg-foot-body-limb-female-female-leg-woman-woman-leg-body-part (Free for commercial use)

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on: April 2, 2018
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5 good ways to keep exercise in our life

5 good ways to keep exercise in our life

There are five good ways to keep ourselves going with exercise and to make fitness regime a part of our lifestyle.

It is helpful and important for our heart and body.

Instead of hating exercise, get into routine and make it every day hobby and you will love to exercise every day.

  1. Fitness regime that suits you

To motivate yourself, find out the exercise that suits you. If you are a social person and likes to be in the midst of people, then group fitness class should suit you as it is fun. If you prefer to be alone, walking, treadmill, cycling, jogging would be a better fit for you. Connect with friends and siblings to share your goals, lifestyle and hobbies. Challenge yourself and make change for better.

  1. Make it a Habit

Anything that we try takes some time to become a habit. Give yourself the time and slowly get into routine. But be firm and exercise around same time each day. It becomes addiction to your body in a positive way.

  1. Let exercise be part of your lifestyle

Make exercise one of your routine in your lifestyle. If you prefer to exercise morning hours and it is convenient for you, do it morning itself. If not, evening hours also should be good as there won’t be rush. Find a suitable time for your good hobby and fit it into your lifestyle. Don’t disrupt your lifestyle and don’t invest too much money into fitness. Find out what it best for your lifestyle and your body and go with it. One can watch YouTube video, borrow videos from public library or practice yoga, Pilates at home.

  1. How much exercise?

Start with 10-15 mins of exercise and increase it slowly. A 30 minutes’ exercise every day is good for heart and muscle. Wherever it is possible walk, don’t sit for longtime and move around to completed those 10,000 steps (recommended)

  1. Get back to track:

Missing one day workout is okay – no body is perfect and sometimes schedule may upset. However, get back to your routine soon or next day. Don’t give a long gap for your fitness routine. If not, body becomes lethargic and laziness occupies mind.

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Reference: www.werindia.com 

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

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on: April 1, 2018
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GUAVA - MIRACLE TREE

Guava – Miracle Tree

Guava (Botanical name: Psidium guajava) is a tropical tree and fruits are available throughout the year.

There are many varieties of guava based on the pulp and skin color – red, pink, green, white and yellow.  All varieties have sweet and slight sour taste. Guava belongs to Myrtaceae family.

Guava has many medicinal properties and makes it very unique plant. Flowers of these plants are beautiful and attractive. Fruits have unique fragrance and spreads for away.

Tender leaves are slightly bitter and during summer in many households of India, special dishes will be prepared using leaves.

Guava jam, smoothie, juice, fruit salad, ice-cream,  sweets all are made out of its delicious fruits.

Some of the medicinal properties of this wonderful plant are listed below:

  • Guava is one of the richest sources of Vitamin C.
  • Bitter young leaves are medicinal -good for diabetic condition.
  • Guava fulfills about 12% of our daily folate.
  • It makes up for significant nutrition in form of Magnesium, Manganese, Potassium and Phosphorus.
  • Guava -known for strengthening our immune system to regulating a healthy and ideal blood pressure.
  • It is a known anti-oxidant and vitamin rich composition makes it healthy for your eyes, skin and hair.
  • Fruit has lycopene content which controls tumor growth. Research shows lycopene content in Guava is as high as 5204 microgram.
  • The potassium in Guava is full fills 9% of our daily requirement.
    Because of its good content of potassium, it is considered as good electrolyte.
  • Potassium and vitamin C content helps in cardiac health.
  • Heavy antioxidant contents present in guava makes it suitable anti-agent. It decreases ageing process of skin and hair.
  • Guava is a good friend for diabetic patients. Guava sans skin helps in reducing the absorption of sugar. It has a very low gylcemic index and makes it more valuable.
  • Guava tender leaves and fruits help in relieving constipation. Both fruits and leaves are good source of fiber.
  • Vitamin A and beta- carotene present in Guava helps in eye health.
  • Because of astringent properties, Guava helps in keeping mouth, breath and gums clean.

Next time when you see Guava in the market or on road side market do not neglect, buy and eat to get all the good qualities of this fragrant fruit.

Image credit: Tamilexpress.in

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on: March 28, 2018
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You are what you eat

You are what you eat: Chakra way

There are so many different ways to eat, contained in the plethora of bestselling diet books that are overflowing on shelves. You’re probably familiar with eating for your blood type, genes or body type. But, how does one make sense of it all? Or, to put it simply, how do you really know how to eat?

Our subtle energy is constantly sculpting in every moment which calls into question the validity of following a plain, prescriptive diet for a lifetime. If we are a dynamic being, shouldn’t our eating be as fluid and flexible? Subtle energy moves faster than matter and sets the template of the physical body. What if we were to consciously redefine our physical body by assessing our subtle energy needs? One of the ways we might venture to do this is through one of our internal subtle energy gauges – our chakras, or the portals in our being that align to the seven major endocrine glands. “Chakra” is an ancient Sanskrit term that means “wheel”. Essentially, these gateways are moving spirals of energy exchange. But they are more than that literal meaning – they can also be interpreted symbolically, aligning to the seven aspects of the self:

The root chakra, which is associated with the adrenal glands, corresponds to instinct and survival;

The sacral chakra (ovaries and testes) to emotions and creativity;

The solar plexus chakra (pancreas) to empowerment and transformation;

The heart chakra (heart and thymus) to love and gratitude;

The throat chakra (thyroid) to truth and authenticity;

The third eye chakra (pituitary) to wisdom and intuition;

The crown chakra (pineal gland) to interconnection and spirituality

Based on the chakra conditions you can decide what you want to eat and balance your mind and body: 

RED for ENERGY, Instincts and survival (Root Chakra) – If you are feeling run down, fatigued, burnt out, lazy or lethargic, red foods such as tomatoes, strawberries, raspberries and beets will help to boost your energy levels and body temperature.

  • Protein, Minerals, Root Vegetables, Edible and Medicinal Mushrooms, red-colored foods.

ORANGE for CONFIDENCE & SELF-WORTH (Creativity Chakra) – If you are low on confidence, doubting yourself or feeling unworthy of love, get yourself some oranges Things. Like mandarins, mangoes, carrots, squash, pumpkin and yams will all make a big impact on your feelings.

  • Foods for flow and feelings: Fats and oils (especially omega-3s), fish, tropical fruits, seeds, nuts, orange-colored foods.

YELLOW for JOY, empowerment and transformation (Solar Plexus Chakra) – If you are feeling depressed, sad or emotional, eat  bananas, sweet corn on the cob, some fresh pineapple or some yellow peppers and watch how your mood changes. Yellow is a natural mood enhancer and relieves you from that mood swing!

  • Foods for power and transformation: Complex carbohydrates, fiber, whole grains, legumes, yellow-colored foods.

GREEN for REJUVENATION, love and gratitude (Heart Chakra) – Feeling low on vital energy? stressed? Overworked? fatigue, acidity or toxicity? Consume cucumbers, lettuce, cabbage, baby spinach -make  salad and feel what happens to your feelings of stress. Likely they will melt away due to the enzymes, oxygen and chlorophyll.

  • Foods for love and compassion: Vegetables, sprouts, raw foods, foods rich in chlorophyll, any green-colored foods.

BLUE/BLACK for CALMING, truth and authenticity (Throat Chakra) – If you have anxiety in your body then enjoy a bowl of blueberries or blackberries. Blue and black foods help to tonify the kidneys and help to elicit honest communication.

  • Foods for communication and truth: Sea plants, soups, sauces, juices, fruits.

VIOLET for PEACE (Third-Eye Chakra) – These foods will help to calm your energy and bring you peace if you are feeling frustrated, angry or unable to forgive. Foods like eggplant, purple kale, grapes etc., will help to bring you peace and calm. Egg plant dishes would help you out.

  • Foods for intuition and insight: Herbal tea, blackberries, blueberries, purple color vegetables.

WHITE for STRENGTH (Crown Chakra) -What you can eat ? There are many foods here in the list: garlic, ginger, onion, lychee, rice, coconut, guava, radish and other tropical fruits help to give you strength and power. If you are feeling  down enjoy dosa and idli  and some white foods and gain back your strength.

  • Foods for unification and interconnection: Sun- and moon-light, clean air, unconditional love and of course what is mentioned above!

References: curejoy.com, giamtv.com, http://www.thirdeyeonline.com/

Image credit: https://www.needpix.com/photo/1634824/chakras-rainbow-chakra-new-age-symbol-yoga-crown-circle-center (Free for commercial use)

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on: March 27, 2018
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Ten must health screenings for women

Ten must health screenings for women

Healthy habits are important for healthy life. All of us should dedicate sometime for healthy habits.

Stress management, daily exercise routine, healthy eating, sleeping on time, getting up early etc.

Apart from these habits we as women seriously should consider including routine health checkups every year to detect and avoid potential health problems at early stages itself. This should be one of the must added habit to our list.

Testing and screening of health for various conditions can save our life.

This prevents complications and reduces stress on oneself and of family. What are the different tests women should consider for screening?

Here are 10 Health Screenings strongly suggested for women (of all age group).

  1. Blood pressure screening: High blood pressure increases the chance of having heart disease and stroke. Have your blood pressure checked once a year. If the top number is greater than 140 and bottom is more than 90 schedule an appointment and take corrective action. If you are suffering from diabetes, heart disease, kidney problems you may need to have your blood pressure checked more often.
  2. Blood glucose: From age of 45, women should undergo blood glucose test to check for diabetes. If you are overweight, ask your doctor whether you should have been screened at younger age. If your blood pressure is above normal then risk of getting diabetes is more. Watch for diabetes symptoms and get the screening done. Check your body mass index (BMI) to understand your risk of getting blood glucose.
  3. Cholesterol screening: After 30 it is better to get tested for cholesterol level. Cholesterol is a waxy, yellowish fat found in cells and travels through blood stream in tiny protein covered particles called lipoproteins. The good cholestrol is HDL and bad cholesterol is LDL that clogs the arteries. To make sure your heart health is good, during annual physical ask for vertical auto profile (VAP) test. It is a detailed lipid blood test that helps to identify plaque buildup in the arteries. Once cholesterol test started, it should be checked every 3 years. If you have diabetes and other conditions then go through this screening often.
  4. Pap smears: Pelvic examination and pap smear every 3 years is highly recommended. This helps to detect Human papilloma virus that causes genital warts and cervical cancer. In case your uterus and cervix removed by hysterectomy then talk to your gynecologist about the tests that need to be done.
  5. Bone density: All women over age 50 with any type of fractures should have DEXA scan or bone density test. You also should be screened for risk factors that is involving osteoporosis.
  6. Colon cancer: if you have a strong family history of colon cancer or polyps, and if you are reaching 50 you should be screened for colon cancer or polyps . If you are between ages 50 to 75 you should be screened for colorectal cancer. A fecal occult blood test, Flexible sigmoidoscopy (every 10 years), colonoscopy (every 10 years) are suggested for women.
  7. Skin examination: Signs of skin cancer can be done after looking at change in skin pattern. People at high risk include who have had skin cancer in the past or if it is in the family history or a weekend immune system. If you find any change or development on skin talk to your doctor and get it tested.
  8. Dental exam: Visiting dentist twice every year is highly recommended. Our health depends on the health of oral cavity. Dentist will exam, clean and evaluate oral health. If needed more visits should be scheduled with dentist.
  9. Eye exam: Every 2 to 4 years from age 40 to 50 and from 55 to 65, 1 to 3 years eye examination must be done. It is recommended to avoid glaucoma risk. Having eye examination once a year is strongly recommended for diabetic patients.
  10. Breast exam: Women should do self breast examination. However, once a year visit your gynecologist and get mammogram done for a better and reliable test. It is a preventive exam and helps to find out whether you are at risk of developing cancer or any other changes that is happening in your health. Women ages 40 to 49 may have a mammogram every 1 to 2 years. Women with a mother or sister who had breast cancer at a younger age should consider yearly test and they should begin test earlier than their age.

Even if you feel good and confident about your health, get the screening done by seeing your doctor. Many conditions might not show any outwardly symptoms or you might not feel it. This is where health screening helps. Screening will help to detect conditions at early stages and precautions can be taken to improve the situation and health.

Reference: www.werindia.com

Image courtesy: Photo by Sanaea Sanjana on Unsplash

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on: March 9, 2018
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Smartphone App to detect food poisoning

Smartphone App to detect food poisoning

Are you afraid of eating out or traveling because of food poisoning? A new App developed at University of Massachusetts, Amherst by food scientists soon will solve this issue as they have come up with a technique that can help us avoid food poisoning!

Smartphone App to detect food poisoning !

What is this technique? Smartphone is the solution. How it is done? By finding presence of bacteria using chips covered with microbes and using smartphone camera! Now, smartphones are becoming more smart and helpful too!

At present, to identify microbes like bacteria that can make us sick, especially the ones’ like E. coli or Salmonella food scientists are using DNA testing. Generally, in the food labs, to find out which bacteria is causing problem scientists to collect the samples from the food like spinach, chicken skin or by rinsing egg etc. They collect small, tiny number of bacteria. These bacterial will be culture 24 hours on Petri dishes to get more colonies. All these tests take time and specialized environment and equipment. Later using DNA testing microbes will be identified. This method is time consuming because it needs more number of bacteria.

In nature a tiny amount of microbe is enough to cause food poisoning and illness. It means the detection need to detect low numbers of bacteria or in micro quantities. Microbiologist Lynne McLandsborough from Massachusetts working with Science professor Lili developed a much simpler technique that is more accessible to detect harmful bacteria in food that we eat.

It is a smartphone app that uses a $30/- microscope attachment!! This device works with a chemically coated chip that binds to bacteria in tiny amounts. For example, the chip will be dipped into contaminated water for half an hour to reveal the bacteria. Chip will be clipped right onto the camera of iPhone or smartphone.

During demonstration of their invention, Adam Salhaney, an undergraduate student pointed the microscope at a gold chip they have coated with Salmonella. Image enlarged showed the number of black dots set against the gold background of the chip and black dots were bacteria. Their hope is that consumers will buy this testing kit for kitchens and use it when they want including to test drinking water during natural disaster. Hope is that the average consumer should be able to figure out without much difficulty whether food is contaminated.

At present the experiment tests are preliminary. However, several food processing companies have contacted the research group after their work published beginning of this year. It will take few more years to get into the market. Reason is, as of now bacterial image can be obtained but to understand whether it is pathogenic or nonpathogenic, harmful or harmless and, to find out exact type of bacteria, scientists need to develop further technique.

There are millions of consumers who use smartphone for various purposes. Eventually using smartphone in the kitchen to help prevent family from eating contaminated food is a possibility. It keeps everyone healthy and smart!

Reference sources:

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on:
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Parents health knowledge

Test your knowledge about kid’s health

Test your knowledge about kid’s health

  1. Parents should start cleaning their child’s teeth as soon as the first tooth appears.

True

False

2. Children younger than 6 years should use enough toothpaste with fluoride to cover the toothbrush.

True

False

3. A parent or other family member’s attitude about tobacco influences a teen’s likelihood to try tobacco products.

True

False

4. Less than 25% of all rapes of females occur before age 18.

True

False

5. Birth defects are the leading cause of death in children and adolescents.

True

False

6. Vaccines protect children against nine potentially serious diseases.

True

False

7. Kids should wash their hands vigorously together for 20 seconds to remove germs.

True

False

8. For babies under 6 months of age, sunscreen is the best defense against sunburn.

True

False

9. Children should get at least 20 to 30 minutes of physical activity on all or most days of the week.

True

False

 10. By the age of 20, the average woman has acquired most of her skeletal mass.

True

False

Question 1 – Parents should start cleaning their child’s teeth as soon as the first tooth appears.

True: Start cleaning as soon as the first tooth appears. Wipe teeth every day with a clean, damp cloth. Switch to a small, soft toothbrush as more teeth come in.

Question 2 – Children younger than 6 years should use enough toothpaste with fluoride to cover the toothbrush.

False : Young children should use only a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste. Fluoride is important for fighting cavities, but if children younger than 6 years swallow too much fluoride, their permanent teeth may have white spots.

Question 3 – A parent or other family member’s attitude about tobacco influences a teen’s likelihood to try tobacco products.

True : Research suggests that parental attitude is very important. If a parent is indifferent or permissive toward the issue of tobacco use, a teenager’s likelihood of smoking increases. The value a parent places on a tobacco-free lifestyle—regardless of whether a parent uses tobacco—carries significant weight.

Question 4 – Less than 25% of all rapes of females occur before age 18.

False : More than half (54%) of all rapes of females occur before age 18; of those, 22% occur before age 12.

Question 5 – Birth defects are the leading cause of death in children and adolescents.

False : In the United States, injuries are the leading cause of death and disability for people aged 1 to 44 years. Most deaths among children and adolescents aged 5-19 years are from the following injury-related causes: motor vehicle crashes, all other unintentional injuries, homicide, and suicide. Highly associated with these injuries are certain adolescent behaviors, such as physical fights, carrying weapons, and not using seatbelts.

Question 6 – Vaccines protect children against nine potentially serious diseases.

False : Vaccines protect against 12 potentially serious diseases: measles, mumps, rubella (German measles), diphtheria, tetanus (lockjaw), pertussis (whooping cough), polio, Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib disease), hepatitis B, varicella (chickenpox), hepatitis A, and pneumococcal disease. At least one shot is needed for each of these diseases, and for some of them several doses are required for the best protection.

Question 7 – Kids should wash their hands vigorously together for 20 seconds to remove germs.

True : By the way, it’s not just for kids. Everyone should wash their hands for 20 seconds (or about the length of a little tune) to remove germs. It is the soap combined with the scrubbing action that helps dislodge and remove germs.

Question 8 – For babies under 6 months of age, sunscreen is the best defense against sunburn.

False.

Your baby’s best defense against sunburn is avoiding the sun or staying in the shade. However, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics sunscreen use on babies less than 6 months old is not harmful on small areas of a baby’s skin, such as the face and back of the hands.

Question 9 – Children should get at least 20 to 30 minutes of physical activity on all or most days of the week.

False : It is recommended that children and adolescents participate in at least 60 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity most, preferably all, days of the week.

Question 10 – By the age of 20, the average woman has acquired most of her skeletal mass.

True : By the age of 20, the average woman has acquired most of her skeletal mass. It is important for young girls to reach their peak bone mass in order to maintain bone health throughout life. A person with high bone mass as a young adult will be more likely to have a higher bone mass later in life. Not getting enough calcium or exercise early on could result in a failure to achieve peak bone mass in adulthood.

See more here : https://www.cdc.gov/

 

Image credit: Photo by CDC from Pexels

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on: February 21, 2018
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