Osteoporosis is a silent disease characterized by loss of calcium from bones resulting in loss of bone strength & bone making them prone to fractures.
On World Osteoarthritis Day today, LiveLifeMore presents this presentation on this disabling disease which can be naturally prevented & treated by simple diet & lifestyle measures.
Indian population is probably more scared of mosquitoes than tigers these days. With Dengue & Chikungunya prevalent this season, a bite by a mosquito sends more danger signals in the minds.
Not all the cases of these illnesses have to land in hospitals or prove to be fatal but the physical & mental agony of the patients & their family members is worth a consideration for all the preventive measures. Being a clinician for last 23 years, I have not seen this concern reflecting on many faces when the diagnosis is disclosed in clinics. Leaving the treatment, waiting and watching for the danger signs is what is usually advised by good physicians but why not prevent if it can be prevented so effectively.
Let me rather tell you how to prevent the mosquito bites which is the only way we can shun the chances of these diseases.
In fact, the mosquitoes find their victims through smell. Their sensory organs are trained to find the sources of carbon dioxide & lactic acid because these chemicals give them the whereabouts of warm-blooded animals, like you and me.
It is not that mosquitoes hate the smell of these mosquito repellents which makes the repellents work. Rather, it is because the usual chemical put in repellants namely ‘DEET’ which is very effective at masking the smell of carbon dioxide and lactic acid. When we apply DEET, the mosquitoes can’t smell us and so they leave us alone. There are natural repellents such as geranium oil or citronella that work the same way, but they just don’t seem to be quite as effective as DEET.
You might have probably noticed that certain people complain that they are bitten more by mosquitoes than others. Now that is also due to smell and not because the mosquitoes prefer certain blood-types, as people sometimes think.
Each one of us carry a unique smell, a type of aromatic unique identity code. There are around 400 different aromatic compounds which make up the human scent and aexert\
bout 30 out of them appear to have an effect which may help you hide yourself from the mosquitoes. If any of these 30 masking compounds happen to be prominent in your aromatic unique identity code, it tends to make us less visible to mosquitoes. One the other hand, the other compounds act as attractants, making some people not just visible to mosquitoes but favorite mosquito magnets. Around 10% of the population are mosquito magnets.
So, the question that arises now is, whether we can do something to manipulate our smell so that we become less appealing to mosquitoes? Is there scientific justification that eating garlic can repel mosquitoes? In fact, there is…
How garlic can help you keep mosquitoes away?
Eating garlic can give us mild protection from mosquitoes, both from the odor in our breath as well as sulfur compounds that we emit through our skin.
The smell of garlic is supposed to repel mosquitoes. So it might make sense to smell like an Italian restaurant full garlic recipes rather smelling like mosquito magnet. Applying or consuming more garlic during this season may help, although it probably may repel more than just mosquitoes. Eating has an added advantage of added protection, both from the odor on your breath as well as the sulfur compounds come out through your skin when you eat garlic.
Though, scientists estimate that the genetics are responsible for about 85% of our attractiveness to mosquitoes, so we mosquito magnets may have to pray for the good luck to be spared by the virus carrying mosquitoes.
Other ways to be less visible or less attractive to mosquitoes is not to indulge in exertion when mosquitoes are around. When you exert, you emit more lactic acid & more carbon dioxide, which attracts them to you. So, this will be the one season when I’ll be advising you to be more home bound or if you have to venture out, then do yourself a favour by wearing full sleeves light coloured clothing especially during the peak hours for mosquitoes bites which are early mornings & dusk time.
Every time you eat or drink, you are either feeding disease or fighting it. You have the power to change how your body looks and feels. Take your first step today by following these tips compiled by Dt. Pallavi Jassal & Dr. Sandeep Jassal.
Top 10 Do’s and Don’ts Tips:
1. Do eat 4 to 6 small meals a day.
2. Don’t skip breakfast.
3. Do drink water.
4. Don’t drink too much alcohol.
5. Do keep healthy eating snacks handy.
6. Don’t sabotage yourself with sugar.
7. Do get very veggie.
8. Don’t serve super-sized portions.
9. Do combine lean protein and complex carbs at each meal.
10. Don’t go into the week without a meal plan.
Chikungunya has been discovered in recent times to be one of the most distressing diseases. It is a viral infection that can even prove fatal in some of the cases.
Chikungunya can be a life-threatening disease. However, the virus itself doesn’t lead to death. The virus drastically lowers the immune system, thereby increasing the body’s susceptibility to infections and complications related to the disease. So the most important aim of a diet prescribed for Chikungunya patients should be to improve the body’s resistance and decrease the severity and duration of symptoms.
A healthy normal diet including items from all the different food groups may be given to those suffering from Chikungunya.
FOODS RECOMMENDED
BENEFICIAL CONCOCTION
Have a concoction made from herbs like tulsi, amrutharista, sudarshanchurnam, mahasudarshanachurna, gutika, and amruthotharamkashayam may lessen the severity of Chikungunya symptoms.
AVOID
Avoid eating highly spicy and deep fried foods, drinking caffeinated beverages, smoking, and consuming alcohol as these can further weaken the body’s defenses and prolong the symptoms.
In this episode of LiveLifeMore Health Show, noted Health Presenter & Nutritionist Dt. Pallavi Jassal discusses ‘Heart Failure’ with eminent cardiologist Dr. HK Bali.
Heart failure, also known as congestive heart failure, occurs when your heart muscle is not able to pump enough blood it should so that the needs of the body can be fulfilled. Some conditions, such as narrowed arteries in your heart (coronary artery disease) or high blood pressure, gradually may lead your heart muscle to become too weak or stiff to fill and pump with optimum efficiency.
The good news is that getting diagnosed with heart failure is not a ‘DEATH SENTENCE’ as commonly thought. But, the bad news is that not all the conditions that lead to heart failure can be reversed, but treatments can improve the signs and symptoms of heart failure and can potentially help the patient live longer.
Certified Lifestyle & Wellness Consultant, Dr. Sandeep Jassal says that professionally guided lifestyle changes – such as a regular exercise regime, reduction in consumption of salt in your diet, stress and weight management can improve the patient’s quality of life.
One way to control heart failure is to control conditions that cause heart failure, such as coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, diabetes or obesity.
However, once diagnosed, there are some devices which can help the patient lead a near normal life & also prolong the life too. These technological breakthrough devices are called Pacemakers, ICDs (Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators), Combo Devices ( which have the features of both Pacemakers as well as ICD). Let us tell you a bit more about these devices.
Pacemaker: A pacemaker is a small device that can be placed in the chest wall or abdominal wall and it helps in controlling abnormal heart rhythms. This device uses low-energy electrical currents to prompt the heart to beat at a normal rate. Pacemakers are used to treat arrhythmias. Arrhythmias are problems with the rate or rhythm of the heartbeat. During an arrhythmia, the heart can beat too fast, too slow, or with an irregular rhythm.
Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators (ICD) : An ICD is an appropriate device for heart-failure treatment when the person is considered to be a high risk of dying from an abnormal heart rhythm called Sudden Cardiac Arrest or Sudden Cardiac Death. It is a small device which can be implanted in the chest and continually monitors the heart’s rhythm. Whenever the ICD senses an abnormal heart rhythm, it activates an internal electric shock to the heart which is equivalent of being shocked with paddles outside the body that hopefully restores a normal heart rhythm. In a way it is like moving aroud with your own Cardiologist with in your own body.
Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy (CRT): Cardiac resynchronization therapy is a new and promising treatment recommended in some patients with heart failure. in whom the electrical signals that control the pumping of the different heart chambers becomes erratic, making the heart unable to pump blood efficiently.
CRT devices are capable of restoring the coordination between the two sides of the heart and improving its function by delivering electrical impulses to both the right and left ventricles — the two large, main pumping chambers of the heart.
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