Ayurvedic Home Treatments For Acidity

Gastric acids are chemicals provided by your stomach to aid digestion. But the corrosive effects they induce are counteracted by the secretion of other chemicals. It is when the secretion of these chemicals is impaired that it leads to damaged stomach lining, causing acidity, also known as acid reflux.

Ayurveda promises some easy home treatments for acidity which are quite efficient in ensuring fast recovery for you. You can use any of these listed Ayurvedic treatments if you suffer from acidity.

1. Amla powder (Indian Gooseberry) and honey: Soak one teaspoonful of amla powder in half a cup of water. Add honey and stir and drink empty stomach in the morning. Repeat similarly for the evening. 
2. Cumin seeds: You can reduce cumin seeds to their powder form, then you have to add half a spoon of it to water; presumably, one liter. Then, keep the solution boiling then filter it. You will have to make sure that you drink this solution instead of normal water. Take this water based solution everyday till recovery. This is quite an effective remedy for acidity. 
3. Mulethi (liquorice) and honey: You can reduce liquorice root to powder, then to half a spoon of this powder add little honey to form paste. Lick to consume this paste twice daily after meals. Liquorice neutralizes the acids quickly to give relief.
4. White pumpkin juice: Take white pumpkin peel and slice it and make a pulpy juice out of it. Half a cup twice daily gives fast recovery from gastritis and acidity. Alternatively you may eat sweet made of pumpkin (peetha ki methai) after meals. 
5. Buttermilk: You can take half a glass of buttermilk and add a pinch of each asafetida and turmeric to it. With it, also take care to add a tiny amount of fenugreek and drink it at night, to make the most of its benefits.
6. Jaggery: You can try taking boiled ash gourd with jaggery. This relieves the burning sensation in the stomach to a considerable extent
7. source:lybrate.com.

Tips for Better Sleep

. Power Down

The soft blue glow from a cell phone, tablet, or digital clock on your bedside table may hurt your sleep.

Tip: Turn off TVs, computers, and other blue-light sources an hour before you go to bed. Cover any displays you can't shut off.

 Nix Naps

You’ll rest better at night. But if you have to snooze while the sun's up, keep it to 20 minutes or less. Nap in the early part of the day.

Tip: Overcome an afternoon energy slump with a short walk, a glass of ice water, or a phone call with a friend.

Block Your Clock

Do you glance at it several times a night? That can make your mind race with thoughts about the day to come, which can keep you awake .

Tip: Put your alarm clock in a drawer, under your bed, or turn it away from view.

Try a Leg Pillow for Back Pain

Your lower back may not hurt enough to wake you up, but mild pain can disturb the deep, restful stages of sleep. Put a pillow between your legs to align your hips better and stress your low back less.

Tip: Do you sleep on your back? Tuck a pillow under your knees to ease pain.

Put Your Neck in 'Neutral'

Blame your pillow if you wake up tired with a stiff neck. It should be just the right size -- not too fat and not too flat -- to support the natural curve of your neck when you're resting on your back. Do you sleep on your side? Line your nose up with the center of your body. Don’t snooze on your stomach. It twists your neck.

Tip: Use good posture before bed, too. Don't crane your neck to watch TV.

 Seal Your Mattress

Sneezes, sniffles, and itchiness from allergies can lead to lousy shut-eye. Your mattress may hold the cause. Over time, it can fill with mold, dust mite droppings, and other allergy triggers. Seal your mattress, box springs, and pillows to avoid them.

Tip: Air-tight, plastic, dust-proof covers work best

 Save Your Bed for Sleep and Sex

Your bedroom should feel relaxing. Don’t sit in bed and work, surf the Internet, or watch TV.

Tip: The best sleep temperature for most people is between 68-72 degrees.

Set Your Body Clock

Go to sleep and wake up at roughly the same time every day, even on weekends. This routine will get your brain and body used to being on a healthy snooze-wake schedule. In time, you'll be able to nod off quickly and rest soundly through the night.

Tip: Get out in bright light for 5 to 30 minutes as soon as you get out of bed. Light tells your body to get going!

 Look for Hidden Caffeine

Coffee in the morning is fine for most people. But as soon as the clock strikes noon, avoid caffeine in foods and drinks.  Even small amounts found in chocolate can affect your Zzzz's later that night.

Tip: Read labels. Some pain relievers and weight loss pills contain caffeine

Work Out Wisely

Regular exercise helps you sleep better -- as long as you don’t get it in too close to bedtime. A post-workout burst of energy can keep you awake. Aim to finish any vigorous exercise 3 to 4 hours before you head to bed. 

Tip: Gentle mind-body exercises, like yoga or tai chi, are great to do just before you hit the sack.

Eat Right at Night

Don’t eat heavy foods and big meals too late. They overload your digestive system, which affects how well you sleep. Have a light evening snack of cereal with milk or crackers and cheese instead.

Tip: Finish eating at least an hour before bed.

Rethink Your Drink

Alcohol can make you sleepy at bedtime, but beware. After its initial effects wear off, it will make you wake up more often overnight.

Tip: Warm milk or chamomile tea are better choices

 Watch What Time You Sip

Want to lower your odds of needing nighttime trips to the bathroom? Don’t drink anything in the last 2 hours before bed. If you have to get up at night, it can be hard to get back to sleep quickly.

Tip: Keep a nightlight in the bathroom to minimize bright light.

Lower the Lights

Dim them around your home 2 to 3 hours before bedtime. Lower light levels signal your brain to make melatonin, the hormone that brings on sleep.

Tip: Use a 15-watt bulb if you read in the last hour before bed

Hush Noise

Faucet drips, nearby traffic, or a loud dog can chip away at your sleep. And if you're a parent, you might be all too aware of noises at night long after your children have outgrown their cribs.

Tip: Use a fan, an air-conditioner, or a white noise app or machine. You can also try ear plugs.

Turn Down Tobacco

Nicotine is a stimulant, just like caffeine. Tobacco can keep you from falling asleep and make insomnia worse.

Tip: Many people try several times before they kick the habit. Ask your doctor for help.

Beds Are for People

A cat's or a dog's night moves can cut your sleep short. They can also bring allergy triggers like fleas, fur, dander, and pollen into your bed. 

Tip: Ask your vet or animal trainer how you can teach your pet to snooze happily in its own bed.

Free Your Mind

Put aside any work, touchy discussions, or complicated decisions 2 to 3 hours before bed. It takes time to turn off the "noise" of the day. If you’ve still got a lot on your mind, jot it down and let go for the night. Then, about an hour before you hit the sack, read something calming, meditate, listen to quiet music, or take a warm bath.

Tip: Even 10 minutes of relaxation makes a difference.

. Use Caution with Sleeping Pills

Some sleep medicines can become habit-forming, and they may have side effects. Ideally, pills should be a short-term solution while you make lifestyle changes for better Zzzz's. Ask your doctor what’s OK

Know When to See Your Doctor

Let her know if your sleeplessness lasts for a month or more. She can check to see if a health condition -- such as acid reflux, arthritis, asthma, or depression -- or a medicine you take is part of the problem.

source:Web MD

How to Lose 100 Pounds or More

Too Good to Be True?

Lose weight while eating steak, burgers, cheese, and bacon? High-protein, low-carb plans like Atkins and the Zone can work. But you should consider the pros and cons before you decide to try one.

How Much Protein?

Women need at least 50 grams of protein a day -- men about 60 grams per day. With a high-protein diet, it can be much more than that. This extra protein can come from meat, eggs, seafood, cheese or vegetarian sources like soy. These diets often restrict carbs like cereals, grains, fruits, and possibly vegetables.

How Do High-Protein Diets Work?

When you cut out carbohydrates, you lose weight quickly because you lose water. Then, with no extra carbs, the body begins burning more fat for fuel. This can lead to ketosis, which may make losing weight easier because you feel less hungry. Ketosis may cause temporary headaches, irritability, and nausea but appears to be safe long-term.

Pros and Cons

You can lose weight on a high-protein diet. Choose lean meats and dairy for your proteins. Find a program that includes vegetables, so you don't miss out on fiber and other important nutrients.

Starting a High-Protein Diet

Be choosy. The best high-protein plans focus on lean proteins and include some carbs. Avoid huge helpings of fatty meats and make sure to include vegetables. Ask your doctor, or a dietitian, to help you pick the right diet.

Choose Lean Beef

Nothing says protein like a nice, juicy steak. And if you choose a lean cut, you will get all of the protein with far less unhealthy fat. In fact, a lean cut of beef like a top round steak has barely more saturated fat than a similar-sized skinless chicken breast.

Tips for Picking Poultry

If you choose white meat when you're buying chicken or poultry, you’ll get a lot less fat than if you eat dark meat. Also, remove the skin, which is loaded with saturated fat.

Don't Overlook Pork

Pork offers plenty of protein without too much fat, if you know what type to buy. Look for tenderloin, top loin, rib chops, sirloin steak, or shoulder blade steaks. Pork cuts are much leaner than they were decades ago.

Fish Offers Healthy Fats

Fish is loaded with protein and almost always low in fat. Even the fish that have more fat, such as salmon and tuna, are good choices. Those fish generally have omega-3 fatty acids, which are good for your heart. Most people don't get enough omega-3s.

Eggs for Low-Cost Protein

Eggs are a good source of lean protein. You can keep calories down by choosing egg whites. But even though the cholesterol is in the yolk, experts now say the cholesterol you eat does not raise levels in your blood. Saturated fats and trans fats are more likely to raise your cholesterol numbers.

Try Soy

Protein doesn't come only from animals. Tofu, soy burgers, and other soy-based foods are plant-based sources of protein. Bonus: Eating 25 grams of soy protein daily may help lower cholesterol.

Eat More Beans

A cup and a half of beans has about as much protein as 3 ounces of broiled steak. Along with protein, the fiber in beans helps you feel full longer and also helps lower your LDL ("bad") cholesterol

Low-Fat Dairy Adds Calcium

Milk, cheese, and yogurt give you protein and calcium for strong bones and a healthy heart. Low-fat, nonfat, or reduced-fat dairy products can help you keep calorie counts down.

Go Whole Grains, Go Fiber

Most high-protein diets limit grains, so make sure the grains you do eat are pulling their weight. Favor whole grains. You'll get fiber and nutrients. If you're buying products made with whole grains, check the labels to make sure they're not high in sugar or fat.

Leave Room for Fruits and Veggies

Most low-carb diets still include some vegetables but often limit fruit. There's no known harm to cutting out fruit temporarily to keep your carb count down. However, for your long-term health choose a plan that includes fruit after you reach your weight goal.

source:webmd

Are Organic Foods Worth It?

  

To increase food production to match the growing population, chemicals are used to accelerate the amount of produce obtained from the land. However, the chemicals soon show their harmful effects. Though used in very minor quantities, over a period of time, their cumulative effect has detrimental effects on the consumers. Especially in homes with children, the aged, and the health conscious people, the concern about the harmful effects of conventional foods has grown quite a bit over time. That is where the concept of organic foods gained momentum.
Organic foods are produced by using approved techniques, promoting recycling of resources, which are not harmful to the environment and preserve biodiversity. These are foods which are grown without the use of chemicals, be it synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, hormones, or prophylactic antibiotics.
There are permissible levels of chemicals defined by food agencies whose limits when exceeded can cause harmful effects with prolonged use such as birth defects, respiratory problems, reproductive issue, etc. So the question you need to ask is - if pesticides are used to kill insects, can the same do any good to the human body? Also, you must consider the quantity and if it is within the permitted limits.
Organic foods have been proven to be more beneficial relatively, since they are more nutritious, reduce allergies, digestive infections, reduce the risk of cancer, etc. However, bear a word of caution in mind. There are no long-term studies to prove this aspect.
Also, it is advised not to overdo on the 'organic' part. A lot of times, there are organic junk foods available also. And then there are the organic foods which are produced in one part of the world, and are shipped over long distances. Do they really retain their nutrients and benefits over this duration? That needs to be answered.
Another thing to consider is the cost effectiveness of buying organic products. Because they take their natural cycle time to grow, the growth rate is slower and therefore they are expensive. Affordability becomes a question again, and you may think if such foods can be conveniently purchased by all?
The trick is to use locally grown, seasonal fruits which are easily available and grown without using much chemicals. You can be assured of their freshness and the reduced use of chemicals in this case.
Use organic for sure, but please be careful not to fall for it all the time with all the products.
lybrate.com

When Should You Use Viagra?

Viagra is a very common drug prescribed for treating erectile dysfunction. It works by enhancing the flow of blood to the penis during sexual intercourse to bring about erection. Viagra actually contains the active ingredient Sildenafil Citrate which is a selective inhibitor of Cyclic Guanosine Monophosphate (cGMP)-specific phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5).

This drug works efficiently with sexual stimulation. Erectile dysfunction is very common among older men whose sexual function tends to fall after they reach their 50s. But these days even younger men in their 30's and 40's are experiencing an increased incidence of erectile dysfunction.

Doctors can even recommend the drug to both younger and elder men who suffer from erection problems.

Solidification of the arteries, the blood vessels that supply blood to the penis, can occur during the teen years. The problem then develops by the time they reach the age of 20-30 years and more, hindering their ability to get and maintain an erection. Men suffering from diabetes and facing the problem of Erectile dysfunction can be assisted by this drug.

The drug should be ideally taken an hour before the sexual intercourse.

On the other hand, you can also take Viagra half an hour to 4 hours before the sexual intercourse. You don't require having food in order to take the drug. But you need to keep in mind that if you take it after a meal high in fats, it can take a little bit longer for you to experience its effects.

Most importantly, the misuse of Viagra should be avoided. It should be taken only under medical supervision. The drug doesn't have the power to help you ejaculate easily if you suffer from problems related to orgasm or even enhance your sexual appetite. It does not enhance sexual timing, so should not be used to treat premature ejaculation. Men also shouldn't expect the drug to take the erections to unexpected heights.

Word of Caution:

One should never take the drug for recreational purposes. One can end up suffering from minor erectile dysfunction due such abuse

source:lybrate.com

If You Diet for Weight Loss, Here are 5 Myths You Might be Living With!

  

 diet myths debunked!

The term 'diet' immediately makes you think of a starving and depriving weight-loss regimen. But diet simply means what food we eat in the course of 24 hours, one week or one month. Nonetheless, certain myths have arisen surrounding this term too and which have been debunked here:

Myth 1: cutting carbohydrate helps you lose weight

You need carbohydrates for energy. A minimum of 130 grams of carbs is recommended each day which is a far cry from low carb diets that start with 20 grams or less. Fat diets aside, what matters is how refined the carbohydrates are. Refining removes grain's fibrous coating, which leads to faster food digestion. That’s why whole fruits with their fiber and nutrients are good choices despite their simple carbohydrates. The idea is to cut back on refined carbs such as soda and foods made with white flour while loading up on healthier carbs like whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.

Myth 2: diet foods help you drop pounds

If you scan labels for the lowest calorie and fat counts you might be doing yourself more harm than good. Pre-packaged diet foods have a lot more sugar and trans fat. As with carbs, it is the quality of fat and not the amount that matters. Monounsaturated fats (nuts, olive oils, avocados) and polyunsaturated variety (in corn, soybean) help your cardiovascular system and improve weight loss. Trans fat and saturated fat have been linked with heart disease and even cancer.

Myth 3: the more you cut calories, the more weight you will lose

If you cut your calories too far you'll end up decreasing your metabolism and muscle mass. To get the most out of calories you should choose whole foods like fresh meat and fish, and whole grains that are as close to their natural state as possible. They have higher nutrient density than refined foods as they pack more vitamins and minerals into fewer calories.

Myth 4: dairy products make you fat

A dairy-rich diet can double fat reduction and weight loss, and help prevent weight gain. Three servings of low or non-fat dairy a day is recommended every day. A cup of milk or yogurt or 1 and a half ounces of cheese equals one serving.

Myth 5: brown equals whole grain

Whole grains reduce your risk of many chronic ailments, from obesity, diabetes to cardiovascular disease. The extra fiber in whole grain is essential. Whole grain foods tend to be richer in vitamin b and e than, refined grains.
source:librate.com

3 Symptoms to Identify Vitamin D Deficiency

3 symptoms to identify vitamin d deficiency

Vitamin d deficiency is caused when your body does not get enough exposure to the sun that is the primary source of vitamin d for your body. It is crucial for the health of your bones, skin and neurological system, therefore, its deficiency may lead to a number of problems and risks such as rickets, osteoporosis, multiple sclerosis etc.

Here is a list of four symptoms that can help you to identify if you suffer from a deficiency of vitamin d.

1. Bone pain and muscle weakness

Adults who suffer from a deficiency of vitamin d feel a lot of achiness and pain in the bones and muscles of their body. Also, they are troubled with joint stiffness and fatigue that lowers the overall quality of their life.

2. Fits of sadness and grief

Exposure to the sun (and hence, vitamin d) improves the level of the neurotransmitter serotonin in your body that is responsible for lifting your spirits. However, deficiency of vitamin d prevents you from having a more positive outlook towards life. So, another symptom that can help you identify that your body is deficient in vitamin d is that you've got a lot of blues.

3. A lot of head sweat

If your head sweats a lot, you can be assured that you suffer from an acute deficiency of vitamin d. Head sweating is another prominent symptom associated with vitamin d deficiency.
source:librate.com