Drinks/Fruits for Cool Summer

This Summer is the time of scorching heat. Even some of places in kerala also recorded a high temperature of 40 C. Also humidity is very high and sun is ruthless. But this is also the period of the flourishing time of fruits also. These fruits helps us on keep cool in this summer . But most of the young generation is addicted with Colas not with our natural Fruits. Natural Fruits has a chilling effect on us and and also helps to retain/regain the vitamins and minerals in our body. By having these drinks and fruits this summer will be best for our health. SA PARAVUR suggests/recommends some summer fruits/ drinks for this Summer

Tender Coconut

The water of tender coconut, technically the liquid endosperm, is the most nutritious wholesome beverage that the nature has provided for the people of the tropics to fight the sultry heat. It has caloric value of 17.4 per 100gm.
"It is unctuous, sweet, increasing semen, promoting digestion and clearing the urinary path," says Ayurveda on tender

HAVE U EVER HEARD ABOUT LPG CYLINDER'S EXPIRY DATE....!!

This information is useful.......
Have U ever heard about LPG cylinder's expiry date....!!

Do you know that there is an expiry date (physical life) for LPG cylinders? Expired Cylinders are not safe for use and may cause accidents. In this regard, please be cautious at the time of accepting any LPG cylinder from the vendor.

Here is how we can check the expiry of LPG cylinders:
On one of three side stems of the cylinder, the expiry date is coded alpha numerically as follows A or B or C or D and some two digit number following this e.g. D06.

The alphabets stand for quarters -

1. A for March (First Qtr),
2. B for June (Second Qtr),
3. C for Sept (Third Qtr),
4. D for December (Fourth Qtr).

Working On Your Computer In Healthy Way

Follow some basic tips to work in a better way on your computer.

• Do not work in total darkness where the computer screen is the only source of light, especially if you have to type or copy from a printed document.
• Ensure that the keyboard and the document you are typing from are adequately lit up. The keys and letters should be visible and they should appear in focus when you look at them. If you are looking at a sheet of paper while typing, keep a paper holder adjacent to the monitor and ensure the letters are visible. Contrast also affects visibility. Black letters on a white background are the easiest to read as opposed to light lettering on a dark background.
• Set the contrast correctly for your monitor, too. Outrageous colours such as red letters on a gray background are painful to even stare at. Set your desktop screen to a subtle colour and avoid pictures and graphics with fluorescent colours.
• Make sure the light you use does not cause a glare on the screen. Continuously staring at a monitor with a glare on it can cause a lot of stress to your eyes. Also, ensure that there are no harsh shadows falling on a part of your screen. Adjust your monitor brightness to a level where you can look at it comfortably and see letters on it without straining your eyes.
• If you have a CRT monitor (the fat ones that look like television sets), use a flicker filter because these screens flicker a lot. Since your pupils are really wide open while working in the dark or staring very hard at the screen, the constant flicker makes things worse.
• Mind your position if you are sitting in your room and working the night away. It is very tempting to recline and work with the laptop on your lap, but that is a bad ergonomic choice. After a while, you will realise that your back is hurting. Use a bedside table where you can keep your monitor at eye level and use a lamp to illuminate the keyboard.
• More importantly, take frequent breaks. Practice a focus pull: focus on an object close to you and then move your gaze to an object at a greater distance. Scanning across the various objects in the room also helps. Blink very frequently and use artificial tears if your eyes feel very dry. A few head rolls, too, will help keep the neck free of pain.
• Remember, taking frequent breaks and exercising your eyes is not unique to working in the dark. Try and practice these even during the day if you have to work for long periods continuously.
• Courtesy: http://www.investmentkit.com/

Home remedies to cure indigestion

Most people are known to overeat, especially when the food is irresistibly delicious. So occasions like parties, weddings, friends' birthday treats or simply trying out new restaurants are some of the many occasions where one tends to overeat.

But hogging all that yummy food also gives one the problem of indigestion. Indigestion also known as dyspepsia occurs when the digestive juices in the stomach are not secreted properly and as a result causes one discomfort. Here are some remedies for digestion:

- One of the most common remedies is to take two spoons of lime and ginger juice, and honey mixed in a glass of warm water, after your heavy-duty meal.

- Add a teaspoon of roasted and ground coriander seeds to a glass of butter milk and have it.

- Munching a teaspoon of aniseed after your meal, will provide relief.

- Another effective remedy is to have a teaspoon of ajwain seeds along with a pinch of black salt.

- Mix a teaspoon of roasted cumin or jeera powder in a glass of water and drink it.

- Drinking green tea or herbal tea after your meal is a great way to aid in digestion.

- Drink a glass of water to which a few drops of peppermint extract has been added.

- Add about two teaspoons of coriander juice to a glass of buttermilk. Drinking this will provide relief.

- If you know that you are planning to pig out for a meal, chew on some fresh ginger slices with a pinch of salt. Doing this will help stimulate the digestive juices.

- Place a packet of ice over your stomach to seek relief.

- Add about a teaspoon of baking soda to half a glass of water and drink it. This is known to provide instant relief. 

Source:-The Times of India

Cows’ milk protects against HIV, says study

Cows’ milk can be potentially developed into affordable creams that can help protect humans against HIV, a study has claimed.

Lead scientist from University of Melbourne Marit Kramski found that when pregnant cows were vaccinated with an HIV protein, the first milk produced by the cow after giving birth, called colostrum, produced high antibodies to protect its newborn against disease.

Researchers were now planning to test the effectiveness and safety of the milk before turning it into a cream which will hopefully allow women to protect themselves against contracting the virus during sex, without relying on men, theHerald Sun reported.

However, the final result could be a decade off.

The researchers were able to inhibit the virus from infecting cells when combing the virus cells with milk.

“We think the antibodies bind to the surface of the virus and blocks the protein which needs to be freed to get in contact with human cells — like a key and lock system. If the key’s not accessible or you change the key, you can’t open the door,” Kramski said adding “It’s a very cheap and easy way to produce a lot of antibodies.”

Kramski had partnered with Australian biotechnology company Immuron Ltd to develop the milk, and would continue working with them to produce a preventative cream.

“We have the antibodies at the moment — the next step will be formulation,” Kramski said.

Condoms were “cheap and easy” but not an option for everyone with millions of people getting infected with HIV every year, she added.

“A lot of women, especially in Africa or South America they don’t have the power to say you need to use a condom before we have sex.

“This milk looks like it can be a cheap, easy new prevention tool, because if you use drugs it’s really expensive,” she said.

Source :www.thehindu.com

Do not re-use mineral Water bottles : Wellness For You: Water bottles..

How to avoid:
Check on the bottom of the bottle 
There is a triangle sign 
And 
There will  be a number on it. 

If the number is higher than or equals to 5 -- 
Then, this bottle is safe to use. 

Whatever number under 5, 
Will release the chemical. 
For most bottle water, 
The number is 1. 

  
-----------------For more details----------------  

Did you know chemical released 
By 
Plastic water bottles can cause cancer 
(It is not the water that affecting you 
But 
The chemical releasing from the bottle)  

How to think positive and improve your life

Most of us do no have the perfect job or the perfect life that we have dreamt of living in the big city. 

Hence, to pull through the day and do your best at your make-do job, you need to be motivated and encouraged to think positively. A lot can be achieved if you are an optimist, ask the big dreamers who believed and put their heart and soul in achieving their dreams. We give you the top 5 mantras for positive thinking.
Learning and growing: To begin our journey, we asked Life Coach, Malti Bhojwani, about her mantras for getting through life's difficult moments. She talks about one of her role models, Oprah Winfrey, and her mantra - Live your Best Life, "I love Oprah Winfrey, she has inspired me for decades and even more so when I chose the path of personal development and became a life coach."

 Malti says, "To Live your Best Life is to: Be more splendid, more extraordinary. Use every moment to fill yourself up, use what you already have to move towards being better, to evolving and growing your life."

To feel empowered: Empowering yourself involves positive thoughts and self-belief. Malti speaks highly of Helen Reddy's song - I am strong, I am invincible, I am woman, "She's Australian and her song though was popular since it came out in 1975, but then it was revived when Samantha, Carrie, Charlotte and Miranda performed it in the 2nd Sex And The Citymovie."

She says "Whenever you feel like you are unsure about doing something, try singing this in your head or out loud, if I had to, I can do anything, 'I am strong, I am invincible, I am woman'."

Replace negativity: When problems are thrown at us, pessimism automatically creeps in. We feel the problem is too overwhelming for us to solve and often go into depression.

In her upcoming book Don't Think of a Blue Ball, in the chapter on "replacing negativity," Malti writes, "Your self-talk means well, it just needs to be trained to use language effectively to help you manifest your desires instead of perpetuating your current results.

Not entertaining the negative chatter is great, but it is impossible to do unless you give yourself new scripts. You need to become like a sentry or watchman of your chatter and notice each disempowering one when they come up and then replace them with empowering ones. If I asked you now, 'whatever you do, DO NOT think of a blue ball,' what is the image you conjured up in your head? A blue ball! You cannot not think of something, without first thinking of it. Can you?

So as Mike Dooley says, Thoughts become Things, choose the good ones." 

Combat stage fright or cold feet: Most of us feel tongue tied in front of an audience; we choke and the embarrassment is just too much to handle. Here, Malti gives us her secret, "My personal mantra when fearful or nervous 'Oh What The *#@+, go for it anyway'. I learnt this at a personal development intensive program I did many years ago, when I was younger, and it felt OK to swear when "pumped" up...now I say "Ohhhhhhhhhhhh what the heck, go for it anyway" and then chant it as I go for it. I often teach this to my clients and when I start it sounds like I'm about to say Om, so it is quite funny."

Perseverance: Obama believed in Yes We can, so did millions of Americans; this positive attitude made him the first African American President. But does perseverance simply mean that you think you can, or that you persist and keep trying till you do?

Bhojwani's mantra is, "I can and I will - I am not sure who coined this mantra, but I like this one for when I need to be focused and keep at a job or a practice to achieve a very specific goal.

Whether you think you can or think you can't, you are right.- Henry Ford

Saying 'I can' gives you the belief that you are capable and saying you will affirms that you have the desire to do it. Combined this is a super-powerful mantra to support you in shooting your target just like a archer on the battlefield, no matter that chaos is going on around him."

Source : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Control your BP with a healthy lifestyle and diet.

Control your BP with a healthy lifestyle and diet.

Increased blood pressure is possibly one of the most common health concerns; medically referred to as hypertension. Blood pressure is the force of blood against the artery walls. It is expressed as systolic and diastolic pressures. Both numbers must be maintained within normal values. A normal reading should be less than 120 mmHg for systolic and less than 80 mmHg for diastolic pressure.

Pre-hypertension is a stage when the systolic reading is between 120 and 139 mmHg and when the diastolic is between 80 and 89 mmHg. Stage 1 hypertension is indicated by a systolic reading between 140 and 159 mmHg and diastolic between 90 and 99 mmHg. Stage 2 is when the systolic reading is 160 mmHg and diastolic 100 mmHg.

Many people with high blood pressure have no significant signs or symptoms and are often diagnosed as hypertensive during a routine medical examination. So it is important to monitor blood pressure regularly, especially for those over 50 years even when they’re feeling fine. High blood pressure does not happen overnight. It typically takes some years to develop. In some people, there is no known or identifiable cause for the chronic elevation of blood pressure and this is referred to as essential or idiopathic hypertension.

Why is uncorrected hypertension a health risk? Uncontrolled hypertension can cause damage to the heart, brain, kidneys and even the eyes. When diagnosed as hypertensive, the doctors may prescribe medication. In addition to pharmacological interventions, there are other ways to control blood pressure. Of these, lifestyle changes and diet are perhaps the most important.

Lifestyle changes

This includes maintaining a healthy weight, regular physical activity, limiting the alcohol intake, quitting smoking and managing stress. Yoga, meditation and deep breathing exercises all help manage blood pressure.

Maintain a healthy weight: If you are overweight or obese, shed a few pounds to reach the ideal weight. This is possible through a healthy eating plan and sustained exercise. For Asians, the recommended BMI is < 22.9 kg/m2. A waist measurement of less than 72cm for women and less than 78 cm for men is best. Work towards 30 to 40 minutes of moderate physical activity daily. If that’s not possible, divide the 30 minutes into shorter periods of 10-15 minutes each.

Healthy eating: What you eat influences your blood pressure. Choose foods low in salt and sodium. Lower your salt intake to as low as possible. The WHO recommends a daily salt intake of no more than 5 gm, while a committee set up by the Institute of Medicine suggests 3.75 gm as adequate to ensure nutrient adequacy. One teaspoon of salt is about six gm. Many packaged and processed foods contain added salt. Check labels for salt content. If you feel that food is less appetising, add spices like cinnamon, cloves and ginger and herbs like mint and coriander to make it tasty. Combining the DASH eating plan with a low sodium diet gives the biggest benefit in preventing and managing hypertension.

Deficiencies: Deficiency of potassium can cause retention of sodium and elevate blood pressure. Foods high in potassium include sweet lime, musk melon, peaches, plums, many green leafy vegetables, brinjal, drumstick and most dals and pulses. Food that contains calcium and magnesium also help lower blood pressure. Go for low fat dairy products for calcium and pulses, nuts and leafy vegetables to supply the magnesium. The higher the protein intake, the lower the blood pressure. This is especially true of vegetable sources of protein like soya bean.

Other foods: Dark chocolate (not milk or white) contains high amounts of a phytochemical called flavonol, which induces vaso-relaxation and lowers blood pressure (both systolic and diastolic). Garlic, green and black tea contain many compounds that can have beneficial effects on hypertension while aerated drinks, including the diet drinks, could pose an increased risk. Omega -3 fatty acids, found predominantly in fatty fish, walnuts, flaxseeds and canola oil, also help.

Serving size: It is not only what you eat, but how much you eat that contributes to your calorie intake, overweight status and blood pressure.

Note: Drugs prescribed by the doctor have to be taken regularly. Do not stop just because you feel better.

Risk factors

Family history

Increasing age

Being overweight or obese

Physical inactivity

Smoking

Excessive consumption of alcohol

Constant stress

High intake of salt and fat

Abnormal cholesterol levels

Diabetes mellitus

Conditions like atherosclerosis

DASH diet

The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension diet is high in potassium, calcium, and magnesium, as well as protein and fibre. It has low amounts of fats and red meat. Here’s how it goes:

Eight to 10 servings of fruits and vegetables a day

Use whole grains instead of refined cereals

Include poultry, fish, nuts and 2-3 servings of low fat dairy foods

Source : thehindu dtd 07/08/2012,sapost

8 Health Reasons You Should Never Skip Breakfast

Break-the-fast, after going hours without food you, finally get up in the morning and need lots of energy to kick start the day. Only breakfast can provide you with this energy.

If you’re of those who’re still not having your breakfast, now is the time to change that habit. Here are some extremely important reasons why! 

Why you should never avoid breakfast

1. Breakfast improves your metabolism:

Your blood sugar level drops down in the morning. You need food that can provide you energy to get through the morning. Body needs fuel to keep it running and the night is the longest gap in the refuelling process. To make sure your metabolism keeps on going you need to have something within 2 hours of waking up.

Dengue: Prevention better than the bite, say Doctors

With the monsoon season setting in, public health experts and doctors say the number of dengue cases will be on the rise.

“Intermittent rain that causes stagnation of water is the main cause for the disease,” says Sudha Menon, a physician at Fortis Hospital. Dengue is caused by the bite of a species of mosquito called Aedes aegypti. These mosquitoes normally breed in water and are responsible for the spread of the dengue virus.

TWO TYPES

When your Heart beats faster, Consult a Doctor

It's something like listening to Trance. A genre of chest thumping music, which maintains a tempo of 125 beats per minute steadily. Imagine when your heart beats like that continuously albeit for a minute or so. The inevitable conclusion, obviously, is that something is wrong with the heart.

Increased heartbeat is natural when someone is excited, frightened, anxious or exercising. The moment anxiety wears off or the person takes rest, heart beat returns to normal. But what if, it starts beating faster and faster for no apparent reason? Just like the steady beat in Trance music!

Modern living

Well! That does happen to many people and they call it palpitation, a condition which is being reported widely among youngsters and the elderly alike, thanks a variety of reasons, mostly attributed to the ways of modern living. It's not uncommon nowadays to hear about someone being rushed to hospital with the complaint of palpitation.

Power pods

Garlic's medicinal properties are well known; so go ahead and add it to your diet.

For centuries garlic has been used as a medicinal and culinary substance in India, China, Greece and other countries. It has been used as a salve for everything from headaches to colds to infections and healing wounds. To some, however, the strong flavour of garlic is not very appealing; in fact repelling. Therefore, although garlic is a widely available spice, it is not very popular in some households.

Garlic does not make significant nutritional contribution to the diet because the quantities added to recipes are small. But even these nano amounts make a big difference to one's health.

The biological benefits and the distinct odour of garlic are attributed to the many sulphur containing compounds; one of which is Alliin. This compound is converted to Allicin when garlic is crushed. Allicin is, perhaps, the principal bioactive compound present even in processed garlic.

When work can be a risky pain in the neck

RSI is a work-related disorder that affects the neck, lower limb, lower back, legs, jaws, chest and vocal chords.

If your work involves prolonged sitting or computer usage, be sure to take breaks at appropriate intervals. For, continuous sitting and poor office ergonomics can not only affect your eyes but also result in repetitive strain injuries (RSI).

RSI is a group of ‘overuse disorders' affecting muscles, tendons and nerves of the neck, upper and lower back, chest, shoulders and hands.

Doctors say that if a person is finding it hard to move the neck after a hard day's work or gets shooting pain in fingers and hands frequently, he/she should seek immediate medical advice.

Health & Beauty Tips

Beauty does not necessarily come from the usage of expensive cosmetics and skin treatments. You can use these easy to follow beauty tips and bring out your natural beauty with the help of these excellent beauty tips which will allow you to look stunning!

Sleep 8 Hours

8 hours of sleep every night is a must. The body needs this time period for the production and regeneration of many substances which cannot take place otherwise. Ample amount of sleep every night will also prevent the formation of dark circles or eye bags, which in some cases cannot be concealed even with the help of makeup. The key to looking fresh and healthy is as simple as getting a good night’s sleep.

Drink plenty of water:

For a healthy, glowing skin you must drink plenty of water. Drinking eight glasses of water daily can give you a perfect, flawless skin which will not require any artificial beauty enhancement.

Why Should we Walk ?

Acupressure

 

  Acupressure is derived fromAcupuncture, which brings about the balance in Yin & Yang, Five Elements and QI. This is achieved by the judicial application of finger pressure on acupuncture points relating to the energy channels instead of using acupuncture needles.

Acupressure is effective in relieving the stagnation of body fluids caused by improper lifestyle habits and stress metabolites like lactic acid.

Acupressure is more effective with appropriate lifestyle changes. 

Walking could be a useful tool in treating depression

Walking can play a vital role in fighting depression, a study has claimed.

The study in the journal Mental Health and Physical Activity showed walking had a “large effect” on depression.

Vigorous exercise has already been shown to alleviate symptoms of depression, but the effect of less strenuous activities was unclear. One in 10 people may have depression at some point in their lives. The condition can be treated with drugs, but exercise is commonly prescribed by doctors for mild symptoms.

Researchers at the University of Stirling scoured academic studies to find data on one of the mildest forms of exercise, walking. They found eight studies, on a total of 341 patients, which fitted the bill.

Tips For Cool Summer

Heat and humidity can cause a host of skin problems. Here's how to deal with them.

With the mercury rising every day, heat and humidity now play a major role in our lives. This also causes a host of skin problems, most of which can be dealt with quite easily.

Prickly heat

Excessive sweating and increased dead cell turnover blocks sweat glands and causes a rash commonly known as “prickly heat”, especially in the folds of the skin and on the trunk and back.

Treatment

Take cool showers.

Wear loose clothes.

Apply talcum powder after a bath.

Apply calamine lotion on the rashes

Take anti-allergy tablet at night.

Acne

Heat, humidity, dead skin cells and oil tend to clog the skin's pores leading to comedones or blackheads and eventually acne.

Five Drinks to Help You Lose Weight

The secret to losing weight isn’t just watching what’s on your plate; it’s also about watching what’s in your glass. Popular soft drinks, fruit juices, and energy drinks can be loaded with added sugars and carbohydrates that can sabotage your weight-loss strategy. Here are five tasty ways to drink up without packing on the pounds.

1. Water

We all know this one, but it’s important to remember that water is the single best choice for effective weight loss. Whether it’s still or sparkling, aim to make water your go-to beverage choice. Think water is boring? Try adding fresh lemon slices, lime, cucumber, and even a slice of tomato to add flavor without adding many calories.

2. Vegetable juice

Whether in a can, bottled, or homemade, vegetable juice is an excellent way to get the fiber and nutrients your body needs to fuel your weight loss. If you can find a low-sodium variety, even better. The veggies will keep you fuller longer and the tangy flavor will keep your taste buds happy.

3. Unsweetened tea

9 Great Reasons to Drink Water, and How to Form the Water Habit

We all know that water is good for us, but often the reasons are a little fuzzy. And even if we know why we should drink water, it's not a habit that many people form. But there are some very powerful reasons to drink lots of water every day, and forming the habit isn't hard, with a little focus.The thing about it is, we don't often focus on this habit. We end up drinking coffee, and lots of soda, and alcohol, not to mention fruit juices and teas and milk and a bunch of other possibilities. Or just as often, we don't drink enough fluids, and we become dehydrated -- and that isn't good for our health.

I've made drinking water a daily habit, although I will admit that a couple of years ago I was more likely to drink anything but water. Now I don't drink anything but water, except for a cup of coffee in the morning and once in awhile a beer with dinner. I love it.

Here are 9 powerful reasons to drink water (with tips on how to form the water habit afterwards):

1. Weight loss
   Water is one of the best tools for weight loss, first of all because it often replaces high-calorie drinks like soda and juice and alcohol with a drink that doesn't have any calories. But it's also a great appetite suppressant, and often when we think we're hungry, we're actually just thirsty. Water has no fat, no calories, no carbs, no sugar. Drink plenty to help your weight-loss regimen.

Coffee’s Anti-Cancer

WASHINGTON: Coffee has been shown to reduce the risk of skin cancer by helping kill off damaged cells that could otherwise turn into tumors, according to a US study published on Monday.

The findings indicate that moderate caffeine drinking, or perhaps even applying coffee to the skin, could be useful in warding off non-melanoma cancer, the most commonly diagnosed of all skin cancers.

Using mice that had been genetically altered to suppress a protein enzyme called ATR, researchers showed that the mice were able to fend off cancer even when exposed to ultraviolet light.

Previous studies have suggested that drinking about a cup of caffeinated coffee per day has the effect of suppressing ATR and triggering the die-off of cells harmed by UV rays.