Health Benefits of lemon grass
Lemongrass essential oil is extracted through the process of steam distillation of dried lemongrass. Lemongrass is known by the scientific names Cymbopogon Citratus or Andropogon Citratus. The main constituents of its essential oil are Myrcene, Citronellal, Geranyl Acetate, Nerol, Geraniol, Neral, Limonene and Citral.
As the name implies, lemongrass smells just like lemons, but it is milder, sweeter, and far less sour. This grass is used in countless beverages (including tea), desserts and other forms of culinary creations as a flavoring agent, where fresh lemon is not available or is not to be used because of its more potent flavor. It is widely used in Chinese and Thai recipes. It grows and spreads very fast like any other grass and fetches a good price in the market, which makes it a profitable and common item in organic and mainstream markets.
Lemon Water – Is It Good For You?
Even though lemons are the smallest of the citrus fruit family, they contain more healthy nutrients than other citrus such as oranges, tangerines, grapefruits etc. Lemons are the most popular citrus fruit in the world and have been used in recipes for centuries. The most common recipe for lemons is lemon water, which is simply lemon juice squeezed into a glass of cold water. Very refreshing on a hot day!
Lemons are thought to have originate. in the foothills of North-East India in the Himalayan district, but have spread through the Middle East, Africa, Americas, Pacific, and Europe to become the most widespread and prolific citrus tree in the world today.
The lemon tree itself grows to approximately 2-3 meters in orchards and plantations and prefers a temperate to tropical location. It is generally a hardly tree which only requires a moderate amount of water. Cold and frosty conditions tend to stunt their growth and ability to produce good quality large fruit.
Some lemon trees are known to have strong sharp thorns adorning their branches so beware when picking the fruit of the lemon tree. A mature fruit will generally measure between 5 – 8 cms and weigh approximately 50 – 80 grams.
The health benefits of lemons are nothing short of remarkable! They are pack. Full of nutrients and are low in calories and do not contain any saturate. fats or cholesterol. They are rich in dietary fiber and citric acid which aids digestion, and have been scientifically proven to help dissolve kidney stones.
Lemons are also a great source of ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) which is known to be natural anti-oxidant. It also helps to prevent scurry, a disease which plagued many ocean-going voyages around the world during the life and times of Captain James Cook.
Vitamin C also helps the body to resist infectious agents and helps with eradicating harmful free radicals from the blood. Lemons also contain a variety of phytochemicals which also assist this process.
Vitamin A is present in small levels together with flavonoids such as B-carotenes, beta-cryptoxanthin, zea-xanthin and lutein compounds which all have antioxidant properties. Vitamin A is essential for good vision, healthy skin and mucus membranes. Consuming lemons which are rich in flavonoids are known to help protect the body from lung and oral cancers.
The Benefits of Lemongrass Essential Oils
• As a medicinal benefit, the essential oil of lemongrass does a great deal to promote good health and wellbeing while treating many different conditions.
• In addition, it can be used safely in aromatherapy and can be consumed as well. However, it must be noted that it may irritate the skin and should not be used around the eyes or by pregnant women.
Top Benefits of Lemongrass Tea:
1. Rich in Antioxidants
2. Antiseptic
3. Anti-inflammatory
4. Fights Off Infections
5. Helps Heart Problems
6. Reduces Stress
7. Lowers Cholesterol
8. Helps Fight Cancer
9. Detox
10. Soothes Heartburn
11. Improves Sleep (helps treat insomnia)
12. Helps With Weight Loss
Care your Eyes
Having a comprehensive dilated eye exam is one of the best things you can do to make sure that you’re seeing the best you can and that you’re keeping your eyes healthy.
Millions of people have problems with their vision every year. Some of these problems can cause permanent vision loss and even blindness, while others are common problems that can be easily corrected with glasses or contact lenses.
THE SUN & YOUR EYES: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Did you know it’s just as important to protect your eyes from the sun’s harmful rays as it is to shield your skin?
The intense ultraviolet (UV) rays of the sun may damage sensitive cells in the eyes, potentially affecting vision. Experts say it is difficult to isolate the exact amount of damage that UV radiation imposes on the eye over a long period. However, a number of studies have shown that the effects build up and may increase the chance of developing eye problems later in life. These may include cataracts, a clouding of the lens of the eye. Cataracts are a leading cause of reduced vision in the United States in people age 60 and older.
Travelling Often? Know How to Keep Your Eyes Healthy
The central Fixation eye exercise is a good visual habit that induces clearer eyesight. It is based on the concept that we see best when we focus on the central part of our visual field. However, the opposite is the case when we tilt our heads and eyes to the sides of our visual fields; a visual habit that induces eye strain and causes us to lose the eyes natural focus of the line of perfect eyesight. Therefore, it is helpful and beneficial to get into the habit of focusing on the center. This is due to the fact that this is a healthy visual habit that relaxes the visual system, induces clearer eyesight, and ultimately improves our eye health.
Omega-3 Fatty acids
Omega-3 fatty acids are essential fatty acids, a class of nutrients needed for our body to function normally. These are the fats of life which help our cells to function properly. Omega-3 cannot be produced be our body and should be supplied through the diet. There are two very important types of Omega 3 acids, namely EPA and DHA, which have amazing health benefits.
Omega-3 fatty acids are much beneficial in the following health conditions:
• Acne
• Cancer
• Kidney Disease
• Psoriasis
• AIDS
• Cystic Fibrosis
• Learning Disorders
• Reyes Syndrome
• Allergies
• Dementia
• Leukemia
• Schizophrenia
• Alzheimer’s
• Diabetes
• Lupus
• Stroke
• Angina
• Eczema
• Malnutrition
• Vision Disorders
• Atherosclerosis
• Heart Disease
• Menopause
• Arthritis
• High Blood Pressure
• Mental Illness
• Autoimmunity
• Hyperactivity
• Metastasis
• Behavioral Disorders
• Infection
• Multiple Sclerosis
• Breast Cancer
• Immune Deficiencies
• Neurological Disease
• Breast Cysts
• Inflammatory Conditions
• Obesity
• Breast Pain
• Intestinal Disorders
• Post Viral Fatigue
Health Benefits of Omega 3
⦁ Natural Hormone Replacement
⦁ Nervous System
⦁ Immune System
⦁ Helps to Suppress Appetite
⦁ Helps to Burn Stored Body Fat
⦁ Heart
⦁ Liver
⦁ Brain Function
⦁ Healthy Skin
⦁ Joints
⦁ Reduces Inflammation related to many disease
⦁ Important for Pregnant Women and Nursing Mothers
Omega 3 benefit and Brain
Stem Omega-3 fatty acids and brain Omega-3 fatty acids are beneficial for health in general
Some of them are present as building blocks in the brain cells
Adequate supply of omega-3 fatty acids helps to support brain functions
These compounds improve memory and cognitive function
They have anti-aging effect and slow down the onset of age-related brain disorders such as dementia and Alzheimer’s disease
Several foods such as oily fish and tofu are reach with these nutrients.
Yoga
Yoga (in Sanskrit योग) is a group of Physical, Mental and Spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in Ancient India. The origin of this practise have been speculated to date back to Pre – Vedic Indian Traditions, it is mentioned in the in the Rigveda. In Vedic Sanskrit, this means “to add”, “to join”, “to unite”, or “to attach” in its most common literal sense.
One of the beauties of the Physical Yoga is that the poses support and sustain you no matter how old or young, or fit or frail, you come to your mat. As you age, your understanding of Asana becomes more sophisticated.
Enigma of cholesterol
Most of us feel that cholesterol are bad for health and try to avoid them. Few of us know that there exists good cholesterol too, which can do miracles for our body. Still fewer know the ways to increase this good cholesterol level in the blood and derive the benefits.
Cholesterol are a specific class of fat which are required in optimal quantity for maintenance of a healthy cell. If the intake exceeds, their concentration will rise in the blood stream causing the formation of plaques and finally resulting in arterial blockages. Those specific types of cholesterol which cause such blockages are the LDL or low density lipoproteins notoriously known as the bad cholesterol. Lower the concentration of LDL, lesser are the chances of arterial blockage and coronary artery disease.
There exists another type of cholesterol called HDL or high density lipoproteins which are popularly called good cholesterol. They carry the LDL away from blood stream to liver and promotes their destruction there. Thus, they act as a mediator to reduce blood LDL level. Higher the HDL, lesser will be the LDL, and lesser will be the chance of arterial blockage and coronary artery disease.
Good Cholesterol Sources
Now, how to decrease the LDL and increase the HDL in blood stream?
To keep a check on the LDL level, one should reduce the daily intake of fat in the form of butter, ghee and other processed dairy products. Vegetable oils used should be on rotational basis everyday. This means olive oil, soya bean oil, mustard oil, sunflower oil etc. should be used one after another on different week days. Regular exercises and yoga are also found to reduce LDL level in blood.
HDL are found to increase with regular exercises. A person more physically active has higher concentration of HDLs in the blood stream. Regular intake of almonds and walnuts increase the blood HDL level. Smoking reduces the HDL level.
Cholesterols are good as well as bad. You can like them; you can dislike them; but you cannot ignore them. So better ;manage them.
Eat healthy….
Live healthy……!
Understanding DOTS
TB is a kind of bacterial infection, manifesting itself primarily in the people with weak immune system. Such weakness is in turn linked to poor nutrition which finally finds its root in poverty. In developing nations like India, poor hygiene, malnourishment, poverty and lack of proper health facilities are compounding the statistics behind the disease.
What to talk about the downtrodden, the disease is finding its dwelling ground even in the elite of Chai-Samosa culture. The strange thing that most of us don’t know that the bacteria of TB is much popular in the air all around us attacking each one of us every moment. But our body is mighty enough to kill any such infection. Only when the weak immune system of few of us loose the battle, the symptoms appear.
Of course, tuberculosis is fully curable. But this requires proper and regular medical intervention. Regularity of medication is very important because any such gap could make the bacteria drug resistant to that particular type of antibiotic. A new line of treatment for longer duration is required in case of drug resistant tuberculosis.
Hence, in a country like India, which is having majority patients who are illiterate and unaware about the significance of regularity of medication, doctors and medical staffs always face a challenge.
To counter this challenge, the strategy of DOTS was formulated which stands for Directly Observed Treatment, Short-Course. Under this, a designated person from the community, not necessarily a healthcare professional, is appointed who just ensures that the patient takes the prescribed medication daily and regularly. The observer makes the patient take the medicine in his own supervision. This ensures that there don’t occur any gap in the course of medicine and thus, any chance of the disease turning resistant is reduced.
Most of us confuse that DOTS is the medication for TB. However, the fact is that this is just a strategy to appoint a monitor who makes the patients take all the medication in front of him daily.
Come on…
Don’t stigmatize the disease !
Fight it….
Kill TB…….!
Ignorance is not always a bliss
One of the hallmarks of a developed nation is providing “healthcare to all”. Has India achieved it so far? The answer is a big NO. There are many reasons for it. One of the biggest concerns is the Lack of Awareness. People are still dying of the diseases like tuberculosis that are fully curable. Many people suffer from hypertension but have never bothered to check their blood pressure.
I am not interested in discussing the reasons for our abysmal healthcare, but want to share a very sad experience of my maid. She suffers from hyperthyroidism with Graves disease and also has infertility along with some cysts in the uterus. Pooja (name changed) has been admitted for removal of these cysts in a premiere hospital in Delhi three times but discharged every time without surgery because of her hyperactive thyroid. For the poor lady preparing herself mentally, physically and financially for the surgery is a difficult task. I do not doubt the doctor’s credibility and I do believe that they must be doing the best for her but I pity her state of helplessness and above all her lack of awareness. She stops taking medicine whenever her thyroid profile is normal presuming that she no longer needs it, without seeking doctors’ advice. She is not aware of her health condition properly, she does not understand the nature of the treatment she is receiving and how the surgery will help her. All she understands is getting her surgery done and getting well as soon as possible so that she can get back to work and earn her bread and butter. I felt so sorry at her ignorance when she asked me “Didi ! Thyroid, liver mei bhi hota hai”. That is what somebody had told her that she has a thyroid in her liver!! This is a relatively simple case; at least Pooja knows that she has a health condition that needs attention. There are countless number of people in the world who are ignorant about their health problems.
In developed nations health is the first priority but here in India everything else seems to be more important than health. Last few months witnessed too much of hue and cry over pollution in Delhi and a welcome step like odd even formula was implemented. But how many people stayed indoors to avoid the toxic air? We need to give it a serious thought!!!
Hypertension – A silent killer
A young boy, 21 years old goes to his friend to congratulate him on getting selected for a prestigious medical college. He envy’s seeing his newly bought sphygmomanometer, what we call the B.P. apparatus in easy language. They both play with the new toy checking their own pressures. The findings are not normal. “Koi nahi…..abhi nausikihiye hai….jaldi seekh jayenge” says the boy undermining the data found. But the findings remain the same till the doctor friend completes his graduation. Now the finding raised some amount of concern. Blood tests done……findings alarming! Raised serum creatinine level! What does this imply? This means that the persistent raised blood pressure over years has damaged the kidneys. O my God!! Kidney failure at 26!
Hypertension is a problem so prevalent that 20-40% urban adults and 12-17% rural adults suffer from it in India. This difference between the urban and rural figures itself suggests that this is a lifestyle disease.
Blood flows within the vessels energizing and rejuvenation every nook and corner of our body. There is a specific diastolic and systolic pressure within the vessels i.e. 120/80. Any elation in this stats mean extra burden upon all the organs of of the body- extra burden on heart, extra pressure with brain vessels, extra pressure within eyes and so on…! What’s follows when the pressure is high? A permanent damage to the organs which is a totally irreversible. Heart attack, brain strokes, blindness, kidney damage etc. are some of the repercussions.
Thus it is very much necessary to keep it under check through lifestyle modification, diet selection, exercises and medication. Yoga and meditation have also been found helpful in control of high blood pressure.
Mental Depression- Treatment
Mental Depression- Treatment:
A significant progress has been made during the last decade of twentieth century regarding the treatment of depression.
Drug Treatment:
Drugs have been used to treat depressive disorders for over three decades, with considerable effectiveness. Various studies suggest that 60-70 % of depressed adults are helped by antidepressant medications. Typically, antidepressants bring about various therapeutic effects like brightening mood, improved sleep and increased energy level. All this positive modification in the patient virtually leads to minimize the depression within.
Electro-convulsive therapy
Electro-convulsive therapy:
E.C.T. can be used in the cases of severe depression. Though, the precautions now being taken have eliminated most of the side effects of E.C.T., however, memory disorientation and memory loss are still common. Therefore, it’s use is recommended only when other options of intervention are closed.
Be social and cheerful
Psychotherapy
Although, drugs are important aspect of treatment for depression, medication alone doesn’t address the social, emotional or personality factors that may also underlie patient’s problem. Therefore, psychotherapy that emphasizes psychodynamic, behavioral, cognitive or interpersonal approach are used to treat adults with depression.
Dance- reduce depression
A Final Say- Why depressed? Say Cheese!
Life is like a cricket match. You are there on the pitch with a bat in hand. Stadium full on! But the game is a bit different. There don’t lie a wicket, nor a fielder who could take you a catch. Just a ball comes out of the darkness and you have to make a strike. This ball is just like an opportunity. If you make a strike, you won that opportunity, if not, it’s missed! No worries! Another ball comes and again another one innumerable times. What if this opportunity is missed! Of course life gives another ball with different pace and so on. Its only you who could make yourself out of this game. Don’t decide to quit. Play it…..enjoy it. Wont this life become monotonous and boring without problems. Challenge them….face them….enjoy them. When the UMPIRE declares the inning…….look back and say……wao!…..what a life I have lived. Remember the so many obstacles you faced but still never left the game, rather enjoyed them.
Feel proud…..
enjoy loud !
Love yourself…
Live life….!
Mental Depression – Causes
Causes Of Depression:
Psycho-social causes:
According to Sigmund Freud, the father of psycho-analysis, unresolved conflicts involving relationships with care givers in infancy and childhood leads to depression. Individuals who receive parental overprotection or parental neglect might not be able to develop adequate competencies for coping with various life stresses. This is likely to make them dependent on others as their presence are likely to provide the individual the sense of security. This will make the child hypersensitive in social relationships and also hypersensitive to their losses as the loss might activate in him, the feeling of insecurity and anger. This hostility is internalized leading to depression. The feeling of depression becomes more severe if the person is in some way responsible for the loss. According to Freud, for the people with rigid super-ego i.e. high ego ideal and rigid conscience, if the behavior are not able to match with super-ego expectations, then it is likely to cause moral anxiety and may lead to depression.
Bowlby, a Neo-Freudian, gave the concept of attachment to explain the emotional bonding between between the child and his parents. Attachment has two functions- First, it forms the basis for future interpersonal relation; and second is that it provides security to child to explore his environment. All children form attachment which can either be secure or insecure. When the attachment is secure, , the child feels confident to approach others for social support and help. But in the case of insecure attachment, the child doesn’t approach the others for social support as the past experiences of the child informs him that others are not usually available for help. People with insecure attachment are isolated and therefore, because of absence of social support , they feel lonely and depressed.
depressed and sad
Behavioral causes:
To participate in the life events successfully, one needs positive reinforcement. When positive reinforcements are inadequate and punishment is often provided, it is likely that the person will get demotivated and depressed.
Learned helplessness is another cause for depression. The feeling of helplessness or the inability to control the events in the world around, causes response passivity ultimately leading to depression.
Biological causes:
Disturbances in the level or functioning of the three neurotransmitters namely serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine are responsible for depression.
Genetic factors also play an important role to make a person more depression prone.
Irregularities in the way neurons fire their messages may also be responsible for these disorders.
