There are many of us who are caught in the trap of losing weight. We try to perform exhaustive exercises in a gym or at home, undertake crash dieting and get into the figure we have in our minds for the best friend’s wedding or just before Christmas. However soon after Christmas the loads of cakes, pastries and candies call for a nuisance when the body regains more than the weight lost before the festivity. This is nothing but a vicious cycle which we get into every year and spend a few months getting out of.

However, now we can comfortably put an end to these vicious traps. The art of losing weight is more than a science and a little of an art. It is not only about burning calories and storing less of them. The main ideology behind the science of losing weight is to do so consistently and to imbibe these habits for a lifetime. This requires a change in lifestyle and these changes can’t be very drastic in nature. Some tips which call for changes in food and lifestyle habits are described below which would help most of us lose weight healthily, without sacrificing anything and avoiding exertion to an uncomfortable extent too.

1. You can eat a double portion of your meal, if you load it with plenty of fresh vegetables. Not only will this be very healthy for you but also make for a more satisfying meal and that too without adding any extra calories to your daily intake.

2. You can cut down approximately 100 calories a day, if you reduce a can of soda or eat one cookie less. This way you will not need to suppress your cravings nor binge on high calorie foods.

3. Studies show that irrespective of how hungry you may feel, you tend to eat what is laid on the table. So more food in front of you means the more you will eat. Thus it would be better if you switch from your regular dinner plates to salad plates. The same applies to the huge coffee mugs and glasses.

4. Avoid drinking coffee from coffee joints, since they are packed with loads of sugar, cream and calories. Instead revert to ordinary coffee made with skimmed milk or low fat powder milk.

Drinks are a basic necessity for everyone of us. A slight change in our preference for drinks can do wonders on our body. Lets have a look at a few of these tips:

Good Drink Options Your Family Will Enjoy

Water. Whether it is flat or fizzy, flavored or plain, water is a fundamental component of your family fitness plan and is the perfect beverage for everyone. It helps to fill you up and is important for many bodily functions. There are many drinks masquerading as water that still have sugar or artificial sweeteners added. Check to be sure the label lists no calories or artificial sweeteners so you get the real deal. Show your kids that the ever-present water bottles that lots of pro athletes, teenagers, and health-conscious young adults carry with them are healthy and cool! Here are some ideas for making water more appealing to your kids.

• Have plenty of flavored seltzer waters available as an alternative to plain water.
• Use fresh lemon, lime, or other citrus fruit slices in your water. Or try cucumber slices for a refreshing taste.
• Always keep water bottles in the car or in your kids’ backpacks to encourage water consumption.

Milk. Low-fat and fat-free milk are healthful beverage alternatives. Next to water, low-fat or fat-free milk and soy milk are the best beverage options for your family. Milk contains calcium, which we often don’t get enough of, as well as protein. Soy milk is a great alternative to cow’s milk, especially if you are lactose intolerant, have problems with chronic upper respiratory infections (sinus infections or ear infections), have asthma, or are just looking to include more soy in your diet. Chocolate milk is okay for an occasional treat; just try to control the amount of chocolate added to keep the sugar under control.

100 percent fruit juice. 100 percent fruit juice is just that — it is made solely from fruit with no sugar added. Fruit juice has the added benefit of being full of the vitamins that are naturally found in fruit, such as vitamin C and folate. It’s very important to remember, however, that a serving is only 4 ounces. The typical juice box is 8 ounces, and many bottles can be up to 20 ounces. I would suggest limiting the total amount of juice for the day to 4 to 8 ounces. If 8 ounces is much less than your family is used to drinking, dilute the juice with water. Start with 25 percent water and 75 percent juice, then slowly increase the percentage of water to 50 percent. Or try mixing juice with seltzer water for a fizzy treat.

Retired Hurt!

Bursitis and Tendinosis are common injuries that affect sports persons. Bursitis is seen less common than the latter. Bursitis and Tendinosis can curb the performance of the sports stars or put an end to their careers. They easily affect people who have to make rapid movements of the joints or those who have to twist or apply constant pressure to these areas. They cause pain and swelling in areas like legs, knees, hips, wrists, elbows and shoulders.

Bursitis is an injury that occurs due to the overuse or constant pressure on a joint. The affected areas swell and redden with increased temperature. In simple terms, Bursitis is the inflammation of the bursa. A bursa refers to a small fluid-filled sac that functions as a gliding surface to reduce friction between tissues of the body. It cushions the joint and helps with the joint glides. The bursa can get injured due to an injury, infection, old age or by the underlying rheumatic condition of the person. Bursitis develops quickly and is repetitive. People with activities like gardening, carpentry, shoveling, painting, scrubbing, tennis, golf, skiing, throwing, and pitching are at a great risk of developing Bursitis. Your bursa can get injured also due to ignorance and negligence- incorrect postures during activities or not doing stretching before physical activities. People with rheumatoid arthritis, gout, diabetes, thyroid diseases etc. also are susceptible to tendon injuries.

When a tendon is inflamed or irritated the condition is referred to as Tendinitis. Tendons are thick rope like fibers which connect muscles to bones. Tendinitis aggravates into Tendinosis. Tendinosis occurs due to the wear and tear of tendons which do not heal. Most commonly found in middle aged people and elders, Tendinosis can develop at any age in relation to an injury of the tendons. If your hips ache as you climb stairs or as you rise from a chair then you probably have Bursitis or Tendinosis. It has symptoms similar to those of Bursitis. Tendinosis patients suffer from severe pain as they move their affected joints. Some may also have a lump formed in the area.

1. If you have Bursitis or Tendinosis the best thing to do is to stop the physical activity for a while until you get better.
2. Give adequate rest to yourself and change your way of doing the activity. It is also important to remember that the condition might still be there even if the pain has subsided. So healing time is important.
3. If you start the activity again, do it slowly and for shorter periods. You can try increasing the duration gradually if it does not pain anymore.
4. Ice packs for 10-15 minutes usually make you feel better.
5. Applying heat for 15-20 minutes will relieve you of pain.
6. Find out an exercise that suits the condition best, that is the exercise should not give you any pain at the same time it should serve to strengthen the muscles around the joint. For elbow or shoulder injury swinging exercise or pendulum exercise works well.
7. Physical therapy may help.
8. Take anti-inflammatory pills.
9. Avoid pressure on your joints by taking necessary precautions. Ex: Use a cushion as you kneel down.
10. Remember to warm up before exercise.

Now you know why you need to warm up and stretch before beginning an exercise.

-Aparna K V

Tags: aryuvedic, therapeutic, herbal, alternative medicine, native remedies

Ever wondered about your numb fingers that interfere with your day to day activities? It could be due to Carpal Tunnel Syndrome which you never in the world have imagined about.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

The sensations to the palm side of the thumb and fingers (except the little finger) are controlled by nerves called the median nerves. The median nerves control the movements of these areas with the help of certain muscles. The carpal tunnel refers to the narrow passageway of ligament and bones in the wrist through which the median nerves and the tendons pass from the forearm. Carpal tunnel syndrome develops when the median nerve becomes pressed or squeezed at the wrist. This exerts pressure on the nerve causing pain and tingling in the area. It usually affects the dominant hand first. People with diabetes are more at risk than non-diabetic people. Carpal tunnel Syndrome is kind to kids as they affect only the adults.

You may have

• Gradual but frequent burning, tingling, or itching numbness in the palm of the hand including the fingers. The pain could be so fierce that it could wake you up in the night as you sleep on your hands.
• Some may have pain in half of the ring finger with no pain in the little finger.
• On and off pain in the arm between your hand and elbow.
  
• The pain increases as you use your hands and wrist trying to hold objects or while flexing the wrist.
  
• Your gripping strength may weaken making it difficult for you to grip things, form a fist etc.
• In the advanced stages people lose sensation to heat and cold.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome worsens with hand movements like typing, sports activities and the like. A while ago, the newspapers were filled with news on a famous player who had to retire from international sports due to Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

To prevent this, you will have to curtail too much of hand movements as in typing, working with tools and machinery like drills. If you have to use your hands for long durations remember to take frequent breaks, do stretching exercises and maintain the right posture. Keep your wrists warm and protected using fingerless gloves, if need be. You should also keep your wrists healthy by doing wrist exercises regularly. Consult an expert for advice on wrist exercises.

If you already have the symptoms of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome you can alleviate the pain by taking some extra care at home. On normal conditions, you do not require surgery for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Home treatments and certain drugs can help you out.

1. Avoid activities that need bending of your wrists. Try to keep your wrists straight or bend them lightly. Immediately stop the activity if you feel numbness or pain. You can continue with it slowly and gradually if the pain subsides.
2. Take of your posture and the positioning of your wrists. Use your chair’s arm supports. It works better if your fingers are kept lower than your wrists.
3. Repeated hand movements need to avoided to save trouble. Swift hand movements can worsen pain.
4. Take frequent rests.
5. Avoid sleeping on your hands so that you don’t wake up with a radiating pain.
6. If your fingers stiffen, try exercises.
7. Additionally, reduce salt intake and alcoholic beverages.
8. Smoking can also worsen the symptoms.
9. Lose weight!

However, you should not hesitate to consult your doctor if you have a very weak thumb and cannot hold on to things at all and if you have repetitive pains or numbness in the fingers or hand.

-Aparna K V

Tags: obesity, natural, herbs, blood pressure, herbal

Old age is perhaps the most testing time in one’s life when the health is most uncertain. Apart from general weakness and tiredness, there are several chronic diseases like high blood pressure, alzheimers disease and benign prostate hypertrophy (in men). Just in line with these diseases is another devil again chronic in nature…arthritis. Arthritis can be in the form of osteo arthritis or rheumatoid arthritis.

“Osteoarthritis” is derived from the Greek word “osteo“, meaning “of the bone”, “arthro“, meaning “joint”, and “itis“, meaning inflammation, although many sufferers have little or no inflammation. A common misconception is that OA is due solely to wear and tear, due to the fact that OA typically is not present in younger people. However, while age is correlated with OA incidence, this merely illustrates that OA is a process that takes time to develop. There is usually an underlying cause for OA, in which case it is described as secondary OA. If no underlying cause can be identified it is described as primary OA. “Degenerative arthritis”, often used as a synonym for OA, but the latter involves both degenerative and regenerative changes.

OA affects nearly 21 million people in the United States, accounting for 25% of visits to primary care physicians, and half of all NSAID (Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs) prescriptions. It is estimated that 80% of the population will have radiographic evidence of OA by age 65, although only 60% of those will be symptomatic.

What causes osteoarthritis? . Researchers are also investigating the possibility of allergies, infections, or fungi as a cause. There is some evidence that allergies, whether fungal, infectious or systemically induced, may be a significant contributing factor to the appearance of osteoarthritis in a synovial sac

Primary osteoarthritis is mostly related to aging. With aging, the water content of the cartilage increases and the protein makeup of cartilage degenerates. Repetitive use of the joints over the years irritates and inflames the cartilage, causing joint pain and swelling. Eventually, cartilage begins to degenerate by flaking or forming tiny crevasses. In advanced cases, there is a total loss of the cartilage cushion between the bones of the joints. Loss of cartilage cushion causes friction between the bones, leading to pain and limitation of joint mobility. Infl