Are you one among those who is habitual to gulping and doesn’t remember what it feels like to chew rigorously? Do you insist on having your breakfast on the way to work rather than having it with your wife on the dining? …Or still worse, do you generally skip your breakfast on an excuse to have an early lunch? Any one or more than one of the above could prove to be disastrous on your digestive system. Or who knows, the disaster may have begun already! Read on to know more.

Acidity or hyperacidity is a common symptom which is observed since ages among human fraternity but is commonly neglected to worsen or cause more severe complications. With symptoms like heart burn, headache and burning sensation in the gastro intestinal tract (maybe you, yourself can add more), acidity disrupts the normal routine in ones life to quite some extent.

The food which we eat passes on to the gastro intestinal tract where it is acted upon by digestive juices and acids to break down complex nutrients to simpler forms. Infact, our stomach has acids to the ph level of 1 which actively take part in the first stage of digestion. Since the level of these acids in the stomach is stable and doesn’t vary , fasting for long time periods may result in an acidity attack as the acids in the stomach have no substrate to act upon. Hence, unusual fasting may not actually help your body the way you assume it to! Moreover, the speed at which you eat is also very critical. Gulping down doesnot help in the normal breakdown process as the food is not in the small particle size of digestible substrate but is only in big chunks. Hence, the acids don’t act on these chunks efficiently and the food remains undigested. This calls for problems like constipation, headache and unused acid causes heartburn too. Hence, the faster you may eat, the longer it might take for you to work productively. Another factor which is a rampant reason for acidity attacks is munching on fatty fast foods, spicy meals and other “rajasik” foods. These call for stronger digestive processes which your body may not be used to and hence the food remains undigested.

Conventional Antacid preparations offer a temporary solution to the problem of acidity by neutralizing the excess acid with a base, generally aluminium and calcium hydroxides. More severe symptoms are treated with H2 receptor antagonists to reduce the histamine released in the body and avoid the development of ulcers. However, there is a more productive alternative of trying to restore the normal body digestion by some naturally occurring foods. This would promote body healing naturally and you would do away with borrowed materials from sources other than natural.

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Tags: Kitchen Tips, Natural Cures, Ayurvedic Medicine, Natural Remedies, Herbal Supplements

Are you experiencing problems in sleeping like - not able to sleep or wakeup at the desired time or frequently waking up at night? The best reason might be that you are not following the basic guidelines for healthy sleep. Here, we explain you basic healthy sleep tips. These tips are for typical adults who are facing difficulty in sleeping. In case of children or those suffering from certain sleep disorders we suggest consulting sleep experts to get treated properly.

Maintain Regular Sleep Schedule

The sleep and wake cycle is regulated by ‘circadian clock’ in the brain. Maintaining a regular waking time strengthens this circadian clock, and helps get sleep at proper time in night. So, maintain a regular sleeping schedule, even during weekends when there is a temptation to sleep more.

Relax Before Going to Bed

It is important that you go to bed with a relaxed and stress-free mind. Avoid stressful activities like playing video games and working with your PC, right before going to bed. Instead, develop relaxing routines like listening to soothing music and reading an interesting book before going to bed. You can learn relaxation therapy from a professional, and practice it before going to sleep. Make sure there is no bright light in your bedroom as it can signal your neurons that it is time to be awake not to sleep.

Create Sleep-Friendly Environment

Make sure that your bedroom has sleep-friendly environment – slightly cool temperature, dark, noise-free and comfortable. You can also take help of earplugs, eye shades, air conditioner, and other devices.

Finish Dinner Early

Eating or drinking too much before going to bed may disturb your sleep. Avoid taking a heavy meal too close to bedtime. Don’t eat spicy foods as they can cause heartburn, and make it difficult falling asleep. Don’t take fluids close to bedtime as it can cause nighttime awakenings to go to the toilet. Drinking milk or herbal, non-caffeinated teas can be part of a healthy bedtime routine.

Do you want to learn a Sleep Secret, that not only DOUBLES your energy but also gives you 1-3 extra hours free, every day, starting from the first night ? Click Here

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Tags: Natural Cures, Herbal Supplements, Ayurvedic Medicine, Kitchen Tips, Natural Remedies

My grandmother has eight children, my mom has the three of us whereas I have a daughter. Grandma tells me she was never aware of what is infertility until I got married; my mom never heard of any friend or close relative suffering from infertility except one of my aunts whereas I have 4 close friends suffering from infertility. Though these may seem like simple statements, they have a hidden message which needs to be explored.

Infertility- Its growing abruptly and ruthlessly as generations are advancing!

What is infertility? Infertility is the condition when a couple is not able to give rise to a new being, their child. The reasons could be many. Prolonged use of medications, stress, pollutants, obstruction in the uterus(in form of polyp, fibroids etc.), poor sperm motility or poor concentration of the semen are few of them. Most of these reasons are reasons of today and were absent yesterday. Pollution was not there as much in the yester years as much it is today. Our parents and grandparents were not required to pop up pills to boost our immune and fight infections the way we do today. The brutal truth is that we are interfering with nature and its most precious offering- our bodies and its functioning.

The mind of man is progressing but whatever be the rate of progress there are some things which would always remain eternal. The birth of a new being is one of them. The advancement in science and technology would not be able to change some eternal truths and laws of nature. However, these laws and principles have there own assumptions and conditions wherein they are productive. A plant will not grow in an AC apartment where sunlight exposure is not enough. Similarly, we may try to have a superior standard of living by planning our family and undergoing contraceptive surgeries and taking medications. However any foreign treatment is recognized by the body and is resisted too! Afterall, we cant expect mother nature to bless us with a child when we want her too. This is not mathematics and hence a minus of the contraceptive pill may not always work. This is where nature supercedes human technology.

A basic fundamental which needs to be well understood is that we need to understand how our body needs to function and not expect to control it. Other factors which are responsible for frustration on the family front are stress which may be professional or personal, abuse of antibiotics and other drugs including steroids which alter the metabolism of the body, poor diet regimen in a craving to remain as thin as a butter paper and the like. Stress would give rise to response factors in the body which would interfere with the normal functioning of the reproductive hormones namely follicle stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, estrogen and testosterone. An overdose of the medications like steroids would alter the metabolic activities of the body and more often the drugs like antibiotics inhibit the factors like nutrients in form of nitrogen which favour life as such!

A beggar is never robbed. Similarly a malnourished woman is never transformed into a mother by the principles of nature.

Hence the most important consideration to fight infertility is to lead a normal and healthy lifestyle as close to nature with minimum foreign adjuncts as possible. More inputs are required to explain the dietary implications on fertility.

In order to ensure that a healthy being is brought to life , it is vital to ensure that all nutrients responsible for normal functioning of a body are made available to the body who wishes to become a mother/father. Glycosugars in form of fruits and simple sugars provide energy to the cells of the body which are expected to divide and produce sperms or ova which should be healthy enough. This wont be possible without enough oxygen supply which is ensured by the intake of good amount of glycosugars. Carbohydrates, both simple as well as complex would also enhance the energy released as they are the richest source of energy. Vitamins like vitamin E and essential oils like fatty acids help in restoring the normal composition of the reproductive hormones and hence attain a healthy thriving environment in the ‘would be parents’ body.

You would become what you eat…..This is a common saying which has special relevance here. If you eat only potatoes, you become a couch potato, so if you want to be fertile and productive it is important to include items which are productive in your daily meals like fresh curd, milk, sprouts, leafy vegetables etc. which are bestowed with all nutrients and minerals vital for restoring fertility.

In Ayurveda, it is said that all satvic meals help in restoring fertility. All food items which have a capacity to give rise to new life or grow further are termed as ‘’kapha’’ genic. Milk, yogurt, legumes are under this category. Those fruits which allows the creation of ovum and sperms are rich in ‘shukra’ dhatu . Almond, mango, apricot, coconut and grapes are examples. All items which strengthen the semen are ‘vrisya’ genic and black gram, horse gram, milk, bananas etc are under this category which also facilitate early morning erection in males. Garlic, whole grains, honey, milk, fish, oil and ghee are also important to maintain a healthy reproductive cycle.

- Gunjan Bhatia, Contributing Editor on this Blog.

Click Here to find the Popular myths about infertility, exposed!

Finally, they find some use of an organ which was earlier found to be vestigial. The Human Appendix. After a study done at the Duke University Medical School, it is now believed that the Human Appendix produces and protects good bacteria in the digestive tract. Though, Appendix does not have much of a use in today’s society with seldom outbreaks of cholera and dysentry. People have other ways to repopulate the good bacteria like probiotic foods, or through contact with other human beings.

Lets hope that other Vestigial organs (organs lacking a function) like Tonsils etc, might be rediscovered as something to make good use of.