Health tips for care in winter

Win the winter and go into the spring with health tips:

- In general, immunity-boosting foods include those that are fresh, organic, easy to digest, pure and wholesome. These include fresh, organic milk and yogurt, vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and ghee (clarified butter).

- Foods that nourish and balance the body in the cold, dry, winter season are the sweet, sour and salty tastes. It's best to eat less of the astringent, bitter, and pungent tastes in winter, although all six tastes should be included in the diet.

- Warm, home-cooked, unctuous foods are ideal, as long as they are not deep-fried and are cooked with easy-to-digest oils such as ghee or olive oil.

- Drinking ginger tea helps to keep the body warm.

- Chew a small slice of fresh ginger root dipped in sea salt before meals to keep the digestive fire balanced.

- Avoid heavy foods & eating in excess to exaggerate kapha humor.

- Avoid cold drinks and drafts.

- Add ghee or good oils to your food to counterbalance dryness.

- Avoid excess mucus forming foods such as dairy and sugar;

- Add warming spices to your diet

- Maintain a disciplined routine that includes exercise, yoga and meditation;

- Practice Pranayama (breathing techniques) to strengthen and cleanse your respiratory tract.

- Doing a daily self-massage (Abhyanga) will also help enhance immunity. Self-massage stimulates all of the organs of the body, flushes out impurities, and builds resistance to stress and disease.

- Pamper your skin in winter with face mask of paste made from one teaspoon of honey with half a teaspoon of lemon juice. The paste imparts bright color usually masked by the cold temperature.

- To get rid of Dryness apply mixture of rose water & turmeric with few drops of olive oil.

So this winter, try giving your immunity a shot in the arm--and spend the cold season staying warm and healthy!

Facts about Honey & Cinnamon

Simple……but it just might help you.

It is found that mixture of honey and cinnamon cures several diseases. Honey is produced in most of the countries of the world. Scientists of today also accept honey as a "Ram Baan" (very effective) medicine for all kinds of diseases. Honey can be used without any side effects for any kind of diseases. Today's science says that even though honey is sweet, if taken in the right dosage as a medicine, it does not harm diabetic patients.Weekly World News, a magazine in Canada, in its issue dated 17 January, 1995 has given the following list of diseases that can be cured by honey and cinnamon as researched by western scientists.

HEART DISEASES: Make a paste of honey and cinnamon powder, apply on bread, chapati, or other bread, instead of jelly and jam and eat it regularly for breakfast. It reduces the cholesterol in the arteries and saves the patient from heart at tack. Also those who already had an attack, if they do this process daily, are kept miles away from the next attack. Regular use of the above process relieves loss of breath and strengthens the heart beat.In America and
Canada, various nursing homes have treated patients successfully and have found that as you age, the arteries and veins lose their flexibility and get clogged; honey and cinnamon revitalizes the arteries and veins.

BLADDER INFECTIONS: Take two tablespoons of cinnamon powder and one teaspoon of honey in a glass of lukewarm water and drink it. It destroys the germs in the bladder.

TOOTHACHE: Make a paste of one teaspoon of cinnamon powder and five teaspoons of honey and apply on the aching tooth. This may be applied three times a day until the tooth stops aching.

CHOLESTEROL: Two tablespoons of honey and three teaspoons of cinnamon powder mixed in 16 ounces of tea water, given to a cholesterol patient, was found to reduce the level of cholesterol in the blood by 10% within 2 hours. As mentioned for arthritic patients, if taken 3 times a day, any chronic cholesterol is cured. As per information received in the said journal, pure honey taken with food daily relieves complaints of cholesterol.

COLDS: Those suffering from common or severe colds should take one tablespoon lukewarm honey with 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon powder daily for 3 days. This process will cure most chronic cough, cold and clear the sinuses.

UPSET STOMACH: Honey taken with cinnamon powder cures stomach ache and also clears stomach ulcers from the root.

GAS: According to the studies done in India & Japan, it is revealed that if honey is taken with cinnamon powder the stomach is relieved of gas.

IMMUNE SYSTEM: Daily use of honey and cinnamon powder strengthens the immune system and protects the body from bacteria and viral attacks. Scientists have found that honey has various vitamins and iron in large amounts.Constant use of honey strengthens the white blood corpuscles to fight bacteria and viral diseases.

INDIGESTION:Cinnamon powder sprinkled on two tablespoons of honey taken before food, relieves acidity and digests the heaviest of meals.

INFLUENZA: A scientist in Spain has proved that honey contains a natural ingredient which kills the influenza germs and saves the patient from flu.

LONGEVITY: Tea made with honey and cinnamon powder, when taken regularly, arrests the ravages of old age. Take 4 teaspoons of honey, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon powder and 3 cups of water and boil to make like tea. Drink 1/4 cup, 3 to 4 times a day. It keeps the skin fresh and soft and arrests old age.

PIMPLES: Mix three tablespoons of honey and one teaspoon of cinnamon to make a powder paste. Apply this paste on the pimples before sleeping and wash it next morning with warm water. If done daily for two weeks, it removes pimples from the root.

SKIN INFECTIONS: Apply honey and cinnamon powder in equal parts on the affected parts to cure eczema, ringworm and all types of skin infections.

WEIGHT LOSS: Daily in the morning 1/2 hour before breakfast on an empty stomach and at night before sleeping, drink honey and cinnamon powder boiled in one cup water. If taken regularly, it reduces the weight of even the most obese person. Also, drinking this mixture regularly does not allow the fat to accumulate in the body even though the person may eat a high calorie diet.

CANCER: Recent research in Japan and Australia has revealed that advanced cancer of the stomach and bones have been cured successfully Patients suffering from these kinds of cancer should daily take one tablespoon of honey with one teaspoon of cinnamon powder for one
month 3 times a day.

FATIGUE: Recent studies have shown that the sugar content of honey is more helpful rather than being detrimental to the strength of the body.Senior citizens who take honey and cinnamon power in equal parts are more alert and flexible.

Dr. Milton who has done research says that a half tablespoon honey taken in a glass of water and sprinkled with cinnamon powde r, taken daily after brushing your teeth and in the afternoon at about 3:00 p.m. when the vitality of the body starts to decrease, increases the vitality of the body
within a week.

BAD BREATH: People of South America first thing in the morning gargle with one teaspoon of honey and cinnamon powder mixed in hot water, so their breath stays fresh throughout the day.

PLEASE DO CONSULT YOUR DOCTOR/PHYSICIAN BEFORE TRYING ANY METHOD AS WRITTEN ABOVE.

FLU : Simple home remedies as prevention tips

Flu spreads like wildfire. So what can you do to protect yourself? Stay calm and practice these simple home remedies as prevention tips :

Consume amla regularly. Amla is the highest source of vitamin C and is used to prevent many diseases. It is available in many forms like powder, juice, candy & churan (tablets). Make ginger & garlic a regular part of your diet. They are powerful antibiotics & antibacterials. Onions is also a good antiseptic. Meat can be disinfected by coating it with a paste of garlic and salt.

Clean the atmosphere of the house by burning NEEM, INCENSE (Lohbaan) & Camphor. Neem is a very powerful antiviral and antibiotic. Also use Alum in water. Bathing with neem-infused water was common in India before we got modern filtration & clean water.

Drink an infusuion of Tulsi water daily. Boil 25 leaves of Tulsi in 4 cups of water and let it cool. Adults can have half cup and give babies no more than 10 drops.

Half cup of cinnamon water in morning is a good antiviral drink. Boil an inch of cinnamon in 2 cups of water.

Eucalyptus oil prevents the nasal tract from harbouring dangerous viruses. Carry a few drops of it in your handkerchief. Also use eucalyptus oil during steam inhalation.

Black pepper in meals or a combo of black pepper, honey & ginger is a good antiviral.

Haldi (Turmeric) in meals and as a decoction is very effective in controlling viral infections.

Use the antibacterial soaps to cleanse your hands. Wash them often, at least 15 seconds and rinse with running water.

Apart from being a mood depressant, alcohol is an immune suppressant that can actually decrease your resistance to viral infections like swine flu. So stay away from alcoholic drinks so that your immune system may be strong.

Moderate exercise can support the immune system by increasing circulation and oxygenating the body. For example brisk walking for 30-40 minutes 3-4 times a week will significantly perk up your immunity.

All these are preventive measures and apart from these you need to maintain a standard hygiene and a positive frame of mind.

FLU : Hype, Truth & Precautions.

Every year millions of people die of influenza in this world unnoticed and uncovered by our holy media. May be the virus has mutated a bit this time round. These are very small germs that might, under some circumstances, produce diseases. Mutation, in simple language, means that these viruses are like chameleons. They change their genetic make up sometimes very fast. This is our bane of controlling them. It only takes a few days for a virus to mutate and when it does that all our efforts to identify them drugs against the virus as also the vaccine lose their meaning. Mask will not protect healthy people against the disease in society. If one is attending to the infected, one needs to have the mask to avoid direct droplets from the patient falling into the nose or eyes etc. This virus does not float in the air all by itself for the mask to stop it. The virus is carried in small droplets from the patients' mucus secretions. Mask is a must for every patient to avoid spraying the droplets in his/her surroundings, especially if one is in a crowd or a closed aircraft cabin etc. Over crowding helps the virus to spread easily. Shaking hands is a deadly exercise in this setting. Door knobs, railings, utensils used by an infected person, kissing someone with the virus, close contact with infected people who are incubating the virus, table tops etc carry the virus even up to 48 long hours. Indian system of “Namaste” (greeting with hands folded, palms touching each other) is very healthy practice. Your best bet is to meticulously clean your hands with simple soap and water (not chemical detergent soaps) as frequently as is possible or, at least, before touching your nose, eyes and mouth. During travel or hospital visits one does well to carry a bottle of alcohol hand cleaners for use where soap and water are scarce. They are very effective. Plenty of rest, adequate sleep, nourishing but, simple foods like fruits and vegetables, not too much spoiled by over cooking and frying, avoiding cooked meat to the extent possible; plenty of water to keep the mucus membranes wet; regular non-strenuous exercise that boosts the immune system, avoiding smoking and alcohol, happy disposition with Yoga and adequate oxygenation of all the cells including those in the immune system by Praanaayaama should help to prevent this dread. Try to do proper Yoga under a professional teacher. Do not pay heed to rumours and baseless advices OR crowd talks.

Home Remedy for CONSTIPATION

HOME REMEDY -- CONSTIPATION

For a healthy and fit lifestyle a person should have his food

with the required calories and nutrients daily. He/she should

evacuate his bowels daily. But in some cases this is not so. And

when it is not so we say that this person is suffering from

Constipation. Constipation is no fun. Some times it can be pain_

ful. But the cause of constipation is not easy to find. It may

include lack of fiber in the diet, insufficient liquid intake,

stress, medications, lack of exercise and bad bowel habits. The

foremost thing to be considered as the cause of constipation is

to check your diet and your daily liquid intake. But how much

fiber and liquid do you need? Let's start with liquid. A minimum

of 8 glasses of liquid should be a part of every adult's diet.

While any fluid will do the trick but the best fluid is water. A

daily consumption of 20 to 35 grams of dietary fiber for all

adults and at least 30 grams for those suffering from constipa_

tion is a must. Where does this fiber come from? Top sources of

fiber are legumes, fruits, whole grains and vegetables. It is not

difficult to get 30 grams if fiber in your daily diet, if you

choose your food carefully. eg. A half cup of cooked kidney beans

(rajma) will give 9 grams, half cup of cooked dals will give 5.2
grams, a bowl of bran cereal will give 13 grams, 1 sweet potato

will give 3.4 grams, 1 apple will give 3 grams, 1 large pear will

give 6.2 grams, etc. Others rich fiber foods include prunes,

figs, raisins popcorn, nuts, strawberries, carrots and cereals.

If your fiber intake has been low, build it up gradually so as to

avoid gas attacks. Think about the oil slick in your stomach and

match it with the one in Alaska. It will give you cramps if the

same was in your stomach. Eliminate oil from your diet such as

liquid vegetable oil, soy oil or olive. It's not the oil but

eating in it's free state that causes constipation and many other

digestive problems. These oils form a film in the stomach which

makes it difficult to digest carbohydrates and proteins there and

in the small intestine. Adequate digestion is delayed which

causes putrefecation, gas and toxins. But oils eaten in their

natural form, locked up in whole nuts, avocados and corn are

released slowly into the body so that no oil slick occurs to

block digestion and create constipation. Regular exercise tends

to combat constipation faster. One of the best exercise is walk_

ing. Good body tone, good bowel tone. Exercise strengthens the

body, relieves stress and calm your irritable bowel.If you sus_

pect stress and tension is one of your reasons for constipation

then avoid it. Relax and listen to relaxation music. Do not

strain during constipation. Because straining raises your blood

pressure and lowers your heartbeat which results to blackout and

a fall in the toilet. Instead of chemical laxatives try the

"natural" or "vegetable" laxatives. Isabghol is a superconcen_

trated form of fiber and hence is non-addictiveand safe. But they

should be taken with a lot of water. Juices are also beneficial.

Juice of spinach, carrot or a mixture of juices of potato, cucum_

ber and apple. One can also have juices of fig, guava or orange.

The body is well cleansed if lemon juice mixed warm water and

honey is taken on an empty stomach early in the morning. This

will releive you from constipation. It's tough to be serious

about flatulence, though we may try to without invoking laughter.

If you are adding fiber to your diet start with a small dose so

that bowels get used to it. That lessens the increase of flatus.

Activated charcoal tablets are effective in eliminating excessive

gas. It's not only what we eat but also how we eat. Digesting a

lot of food eaten all at once over stimulates the digestive

system. That is why it is much better to eat frequent smaller

meals than infrequent larger meals. And always remember that

"AFTER LUNCH NAP A WHILE AND AFTER DINNER WALK A MILE"