Month: May 2014

6 Simple and Relaxing Stretches

relaxWhen you’re feeling tense, a good stretch can go a long way toward helping you relax. But you may not always have time to drop into a yoga class or hit the mats at the gym. Learn a few simple stretches to do on your own time, whether at work or at home, to help improve flexibility and ease mental tension.

Before you stretch, take five to 10 minutes to warm up with some light, limbering activity, such as walking or jogging. Try to hold each stretch for about half a minute before switching sides and repeating.

Shoulder Stretch
You can do this easy stretch to take a break from the computer in your office, or any time you need to relax and loosen your upper body. Simply bring your right arm across your body, holding it tight with your left arm–you can grasp it either above or below your elbow. Hold the stretch for 30 seconds, then release and repeat on the other side.

Neck Stretch
This is another good way to relax when you need a break from deskwork or have been sitting too long on the sofa. Tilt your head slightly to the left, and a little forward, using your left hand to gently pull your head in a downward direction. If you’re doing this stretch properly, you should feel a gentle stretch along the back right side of your neck. Repeat on the other side.

Upper Back Stretch
You can use this stretch to help with your posture and to ease back tension: While standing in a relaxed pose, stretch both arms out in front of you. Your arms should be parallel to the floor. Then move your shoulder blades together, bending slightly at the elbows. Hold for 30 seconds, then relax and repeat.

Hamstring Stretch
To stretch your hamstrings, lie on your back near the outer corner of a wall. Lift your right leg up, with your knee slightly bent, and place your right heel against the wall. Your left leg remains on the ground. Then slowly straighten your right leg–you should feel a stretch in the back of your right thigh. Switch legs and repeat.

Calf Stretch
You can get a good calf stretch by standing in front of a wall at arm’s length. Use the wall for support, as you place your left food about a step’s distance behind your right foot. This will bring you into a gentle lunge. Bend your right leg forward in a controlled manner, while keeping your left knee straight, with your left heel flat on the floor. Your back should be straight and your hips should be forward. Switch legs and repeat.

Do What You Can
You may not always have time to make it to a yoga class, but you can usually find a few minutes each day to do some basic stretches. Not only will stretching help you feel more limber, it’s also a great way to put your mind at ease. Remember to avoid the temptation to stretch further than your bodily will allow. You shouldn’t feel any pain – if you do, you’ve stretched beyond your limits. Over time, you’re flexibility will improve, and you may notice that you can reach further than ever before

Source: health line

Eating grapes reduces knee pain

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Suffering from knee pain? Adding grapes to your diet can help you lessen that excruciating knee pain.

Daily grape consumption may help alleviate pain associated with symptomatic osteoarthritis of the knee and improve joint flexibility and overall mobility, a research said.

This is possible because of polyphenols (antioxidants) found in grapes.
“Our findings provide promising data that links grape consumption to two very important outcomes for those living with knee osteoarthritis: reduced pain and improvements in joint flexibility,” said Shanil Juma from Texas Woman’s University, US.

During the study, researchers assigned 72 men and women with knee osteoarthritis (OA) to either consume grapes in the form of a whole grape freeze-dried powder or a placebo powder.

The results showed that both men and women consuming a grape-enriched diet had a significant decrease in self-reported pain related to activity and an overall decrease in total knee symptoms.
This beneficial effect was more pronounced in females.
Evidence of increased cartilage metabolism was observed in men consuming the grape-enriched diet, the study noted.
Osteoarthritis is more likely to occur in people over 45 years of age, and women are more likely to have osteoarthritis than men.

Source: Yahoo news

Top 15 Juice Recipes for Good Health

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Give your body a much-deserved makeover with these healthy and refreshing juices with amazing benefits from clear skin to healthy detox.

Healthy juices are a great snack to tide you over between meals. All you need is a blender, fresh fruits or vegetables and milk. Juices will not only fill you up but are also healthy. We list out 15 top juice recipes that work well at anytime, any season.

organ cleansing detox juice recipe
Ingredients:
• 2 grapefruits
• 1 medium-sized beetroot
• 1 green apple
• 1 small lemon
• 1-inch ginger root (optional)
Method:
Mix all the above ingredients together in a blender and consume the juice immediately.

Vegetable juice recipe
Ingredients:
• Fresh cabbage (band gobhi) – 125 gms
• Fresh lemon ( nimbu ) – 1
• Celery ( ajmoda shaak ) – 25 gms
• Fresh pear ( naashpati ) – 250 gms
• Ginger root (adrak)- 1 inch
• Filtered Water – 500 ml
• Fresh Mint (pudina ) – 4 to 5 leaves
Method:
1. Chop the pear, cabbage, celery and ginger into small pieces and put it in a blender along with a cup of water; blend well for 1 minute.
2. Add the fresh lemon juice to the blended juice. Pour the juice in a glass and serve chilled with mint leaves.

Beetroot and Carrot Juice
If you love juices then introduce yourself with a nutrient-abundant beetroot-carrot juice. This juice provides health benefits from head to toe, especially for good vision. Try this juicy recipe to colour your diet with fibre, minerals and carotenoids.

Ingredients:
• 1 beetroot
• 1/2 kg carrots
• 1/2 piece of ginger (adrak)
• 2 tbsp (chopped) mint leaves (phudina)
• Black salt (sanchal) to taste
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
Method:
1. Blend all the ingredients in a mixer with some water except black salt and lemon juice.
2. Strain the liquid.
3. Pour in a glass add black salt, lemon juice and ice cubes.
4. Garnish with mint leaves.

Ingredients:
• 1 ¼ (chopped) spinach leaves (without stems and tough rib)
• 1 cup chilled fresh orange juice
• 1 ¼ cup cubed mango
• ¼ cup (chopped) fresh mint
• 2 medium ribs celery (finely chopped)
• ¼ cup (chopped) flat-leaf parsley

Method:
1. Combine all ingredients in a blender.
2. Keep blending it, until it is a smooth puree.
3. Pour into two chilled glasses and sip it.

Cabbage, Cucumber, Grapejuice recipe
Ingredients:
• 1/2 head purple cabbage
• 2 large cucumbers
• 2 handfuls purple grapes

Method:
• Wash all the ingredients thoroughly.
• Juice the cabbage, cucumbers and grapes in a juicer and drink immediately.

Watermelon Smoothie

Ingredients:
• 1 ½ cup roughly chopped watermelon
• 1 ½ musk melon (if you have some. Or you could add some more watermelon)
• Juice of 2 lemons
• 1 cup skimmed yogurt
• Some ice cubes

Method: Add all ingredients to a blender and blend into a smooth consistency. Enjoy your watermelon smoothie!

Natural Peanut Butter and Banana Smoothie

Ingredients:
• 100ml ice
• 200ml skimmed yogurt
• 1 tbs natural preservative-free peanut butter
• 1 chopped (ripe) banana
• 1 tsp honey

Method:
Blend all ingredients together, and add a little milk (if needed) to get a thin drinking consistency for this natural peanut butter and banana smoothie.
Green tea and mango splash
Experience the island winds as you sip this cooling concoction prepared with a mixture of fresh mangoes and green tea.
You can add strawberry or any other fruit you like.

Ingredients:
• 1 cantaloupe
• 1-2 Tbsp of raw ginger

Method:
• wash cantaloupe well. Slice.
• Slice of outer rind.
• You can juice the cantaloupe with or without the seeds. I juiced it with the seeds and loved it. It is a tad sweeter without the seeds.
• Juice in the ginger as well.
• Serve or chill.

Super Sinus Juice

Ingredients:
• 1 large orange or minola, peeled
• 1/2 lemon, de-seeded and peeled
• 1 medium sweet or tart apple, chopped
• 1 Tbsp fresh ginger, skin removed
• Cayenne spice

Directions:

Wash all your ingredients.Peel your orange and 1/2 lemon – and remove the lemon seeds. Orange seeds are OK, since they aren’t as bitter. Chop your apple into chunks that will fit in your juicer. You can juice the entire apple – core and all. Chop ginger into small chunks. Before you start juicing, be aware that there are two procedures for this juice. You can use just your electric juicer. Or you can use both an electric juicer and a citrus juicer: Add the citrus directly to your juicer and juice it pulp/skin and all. This will result in a ‘thicker’ juice since some of the pulp/skin juice will be extracted and is a bit thicker than pure citrus juice. Juice the citrus in a citrus juicer/squeezer separately and add it to the apple/ginger juice. This will result in a thinner, less pulpy juice. Your choice. Start juicing all your ingredients. Stir gently to swirl the flavors. Pour into serving glasses and top with cayenne. One tiny pinch to a few bold dashes will work. You can always add more later.

Almond Papaya and Banana Smoothie

Ingredients:
• 100ml ice
• 200ml skimmed yogurt
• 1 chopped (ripe) banana
• 1 cup chopped (ripe) papaya
• 5-8 almonds
•1 tsp drinking chocolate or coffee (for the strong hearted)

Method:
Blend all ingredients together for an icy cold and smooth almond papaya and banana smoothie.

Peach lychee Juice

Ingredients:
•1 (20-ounce) can lychees in syrup, drained and rinsed (or 20 peeled and seeded lychees)
•1 cup frozen and thawed sliced peaches (7 ounces)
•3/4 cup coconut water (or water)

Preparation:
In a blender, combine lychees, peaches, and coconut water; blend, scraping down sides occasionally, until smooth. Strain juice and, if desired, thin with water. Refrigerate up to 2 days (shake before serving).

Berry Green Smoothie

Ingredients:
• 1/2 cup Greek yoghurt (or normal yoghurt without whey)
• 1 cup berries (strawberries, blueberries, blackberries etc)
• 1 cup spinach
• 1 tbsp bran
• Ice cubes as required

Method:
1. Add yoghurt and spinach and blend until blended
2. Add the berries, bran and ice cubes to this and blend until smooth
3. Serve immediately

Mango Juice

Ingredients:
• 1 banana
• 1/2 cup yogurt
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1 cup ice cubes

Method:
Add 1 banana, 1/2 cup yogurt, 1 cup orange juice, and 1 cup ice cubes to a blender and blend. Now add 1 large, chilled mango (chopped) and pulse till it blends well.

Source: yahoo news

Tips To Repair Split Ends

cure-split-ends

Split ends means your hair is not getting enough nourishment and lacks moisture. Harsh shampoos, sun exposure , blow drying, straightening, dyes and bleaches dry out the hair and damages the amino acids in your hair. Dry and damaged hair breaks easily while styling or brushing. If you think your hair is not growing fast then split ends could be the possible reason.

Here are some easy tips to cure split ends:

Alcohol Free Shampoo :

Avoid using shampoos that contain alcohol as it dries out hair. Use shampoos that contain natural ingredients. Also, Excessive washing with harsh shampoos makes your hair ends dry. You should not shampoo more than 3 times a week. It is better to wash your hair every alternate day than everyday. ALso, do not use hot water to wash your hair.

Let It Dry Naturally :

Avoid heat as much as possible. Heat is the worst enemy for your hair but its hard to completely avoid hair dryers and flat iron. It is best to apply a heat resistant serum to your hair before using heat. Towel dry your hair before drying, this way you minimize the damage of heat on wet hair. Also, use flat irons and curlers occasionally instead of everyday.

Get a Trim:
The best solution for split ends is to get a trim. You get split ends when you dont trim your hair for a long time. Always trim your hair once every 6-8 weeks to get rid of dry & weak parks and promote hair growth.

Treatments:
There are many treatments available which repair hair damage and provide moisture and nourishment. They can seal the split ends but not completely cure them so its better to use them with regular trimming to keep off split ends and help prevent future damage. Use a deep conditioner twice a week after you shampoo your hair. There are many easy homemade treatments that you can do to repair split ends.

Here are some easy homemade treatments for split ends :

Egg Mask :
Mix egg yolk in 3 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp honey. Gently massage this mask in your hair and cover with a shower cap. Leave it on for half an hour and wash it with a mild shampoo.

Oil :
Message your scalp with oil. Oiling regularly can restore moisture of your hair. Use olive oil, almond oil, coconut oil or a combination of these oils. Apply oil on your hair and message gently. Leave it on for about an hour then wash with shampoo.

Papaya Mask :
Papaya is rich in proteins which your hair needs in order to maintain its shine, moisture and growth. Mash 2 medium slices of papaya with a fork or in a blender. Mix 2 tbsp yogurt in it, apply it your scalp and hair.Cover your hair with a shower cap to lock the moisture. Leave it on for 30 minutes then wash with shampoo.

Honey rinse :
Another easy homemade conditioner for hair is honey. Mix 2 tbsp honey in 4 cups warm water and apply it to your hair after you shampoo/ condition your hair. Leave it in your hair. It will control hair dryness/frizz.

Source: 7beauty tips

 

Bone marrow stem cells show promise in stroke treatment, UCI team finds

bone-marrow-stem-cells-stroke-public

Stem cells culled from bone marrow may prove beneficial in stroke recovery, scientists at UC Irvine’s Sue & Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center have learned.

In an analysis of published research, neurologist Dr. Steven Cramer and biomedical engineer Weian Zhao identified 46 studies that examined the use of mesenchymal stromal cells – a type of multipotent adult stem cells mostly processed from bone marrow – in animal models of stroke. They found MSCs to be significantly better than control therapy in 44 of the studies.

Importantly, the effects of these cells on functional recovery were robust regardless of the dosage, the time the MSCs were administered relative to stroke onset or the method of administration. (The cells helped even if given a month after the event and whether introduced directly into the brain or injected via a blood vessel.)

“Stroke remains a major cause of disability, and we are encouraged that the preclinical evidence shows [MSCs’] efficacy with ischemic stroke,” said Cramer, a professor of neurology and leading stroke expert. “MSCs are of particular interest because they come from bone marrow, which is readily available, and are relatively easy to culture. In addition, they already have demonstrated value when used to treat other human diseases.”

He noted that MSCs do not differentiate into neural cells. Normally, they transform into a variety of cell types, such as bone, cartilage and fat cells. “But they do their magic as an inducible pharmacy on wheels and as good immune system modulators, not as cells that directly replace lost brain parts,” he said.

In an earlier report focused on MSC mechanisms of action, Cramer and Zhao reviewed the means by which MSCs promote brain repair after stroke. The cells are attracted to injury sites and, in response to signals released by these damaged areas, begin releasing a wide range of molecules. In this way, MSCs orchestrate numerous activities: blood vessel creation to enhance circulation, protection of cells starting to die, growth of brain cells, etc. At the same time, when MSCs are able to reach the bloodstream, they settle in parts of the body that control the immune system and foster an environment more conducive to brain repair.

“We conclude that MSCs have consistently improved multiple outcome measures, with very large effect sizes, in a high number of animal studies and, therefore, that these findings should be the foundation of further studies on the use of MSCs in the treatment of ischemic stroke in humans,” said Cramer, who is also clinical director of the Sue & Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center.

The analysis appears in the April 8 issue of Neurology

Source: UCI rvine

5 ways to stop snoring

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There’s no miracle cure for snoring, but lifestyle changes may help.  As snoring can be related to lifestyle, there are some simple changes you can make to minimize it.

Snoring self-help tips:

Maintain a healthy diet and weight. Being overweight by just a few kilograms can lead to snoring. Fatty tissue around your neck squeezes the airway and prevents air from flowing in and out freely.
Try to sleep on your side rather than your back. While sleeping on your back, your tongue, chin and any excess fatty tissue under your chin will probably relax and squash your airway. Sleeping on your side prevents this.

Avoid alcohol before going to bed. Alcohol causes the muscles to relax more than usual during a normal night’s sleep. This added relaxation of the muscles makes the back of the throat collapse more readily, which then causes snoring.

Quit or cut down on smoking. Cigarette smoke irritates the lining of the nasal cavity and throat, causing swelling and catarrh. If the nasal passages become congested, it’s difficult to breathe through your nose because the airflow is decreased.

Keep your nasal passages clear so that you breathe in through your nose rather than your mouth. Try rubbing a few drops of eucalyptus or olbas oil onto your pillowcase. If an allergy is blocking your nose, try antihistamine tablets or a nasal spray. Ask your pharmacist for advice, and see your GP if you’re affected by an allergy or condition that affects your nose or breathing.

Source: NHS

 

Plugging leaky blood vessels to save vision

Red-Eye-1-200x300A new drug approach has been developed for safer clean-up of deformed blood vessels in the eye by a research team at the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto.

The growth of malformed blood vessels that can burst is a leading cause of vision loss in North America. Retinopathy and retina degeneration are associated with premature birth, with diabetes, and with increasing age.
Research just published by Dr. Andras Nagy and co-authors shows both safety and effectiveness in their bioengineered compound when treating retinopathy in mice. The therapeutic, which they called “Sticky-trap,” shuts down tiny deformed blood vessels in the eye without affecting healthy vessels in other sites of the body.

The research appears in EMBO Molecular Medicine, which published a separate editorial stating that the compound “holds great promise as a strategy that could be rapidly translated into clinical practice. […] We expect that Sticky-trap and future related molecules will have significant impact on the field of tumour biology in local control of recurrent disease. […]”

Dr. Nagy is a Senior Investigator at the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum and holds a Canada Research Chair in Stem Cells and Regeneration. He is a Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynacology at University of Toronto and an Investigator at the McEwen Centre for Regenerative Medicine. Co-authors include colleagues from University of California Los Angeles, The Scripps Research Institute (La Jolla CA), University of Toronto, and the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum.

Selective action is key to safety
Like some other treatments for retinopathy, Sticky-trap is injected into the eye. The potential game-changer is Sticky-trap’s safety profile. It is stable and long-lasting once in the eye. If the compound gets into the circulation, it quickly inactivates — ensuring that it does not affect other blood vessels, tissues, and organs.
A problem in this research arena — called antiangiogenesis — has been finding a compound that is selective, closing off abnormal blood vessels only in the diseased organ while leaving all others intact. “That’s difficult, and it’s what makes this research high-risk as well as high-impact,” Dr. Nagy says.

Type 2 diabetes illustrates the challenge. “Patients with diabetic retinopathy are losing vision because blood vessels in their eyes overgrow, become deformed and burst, often tearing the retina in the process. Drugs that suppress the excess vessel formation in the eye could negatively affect healthy organs if they escape into the blood, causing kidney function problems, poor wound healing, and hypertension,” Dr. Nagy adds. These side effects are serious health threats that the Sticky-trap approach can avoid.

Advanced bioengineering
Over the nine years it took to bring the project to fruition, Dr. Nagy’s team used cutting-edge genetic and pharmacological techniques to engineer the new two-step biologics. Sticky-trap includes a binding component that attaches to the surface of cells, ensuring that it remains in place and is stable, as well as the biologically active component. “That’s important when a treatment involves injection directly into a diseased tissue,” says first author Dr. Iacovos Michael, a post-doctoral fellow in the Nagy lab.

“The longer-acting it is, the fewer injections a patient will need.” He adds that the project “is just the beginning for the establishment of a new class of pharmacological entity, ‘sticky’ biologics, characterized by localized, targeted activity. The same principle could be used to develop similar local-acting biologics for other conditions such as inflammatory and autoimmune diseases.”
Dr. Nagy is renowned for his work in stem cells, blood vessel biology, and creating genetic tools in cancer cells, among other areas. His team is also working on applications of the two step Sticky-trap for solid tumours.

Upon publication on May 6, Sticky-trap became available to biotech and pharmaceutical companies to adapt and develop.
“The significant advance in this approach is its built-in precision guidance system,” says Dr. Jim Woodgett, Director of the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum. “Worldwide research efforts have developed powerful agents that can treat diseased tissues but if they cannot be steered to where they are needed, they can also cause collateral damage. The initial application to diabetic retinopathy shows proof-of-principle in a very important disease, but the approach can be adapted to other powerful drugs and diseases where localized activity is needed.”

Source: science daily

Indian-origin scientist makes leadless pacemaker

VIVEK REDDYThe world’s first leadless pacemaker, developed by an Indian-origin scientist Vivek Reddy, has shown promising results after one year of human trials on 32 patients who received the pacemaker.

“This is the first time we have seen one-year follow-up data for this innovative, wireless cardiac pacing technology. Our results show the leadless pacemaker is comparable to traditional pacemakers,” said Reddy, director of arrhythmia services at the Mount Sinai Hospital here.

The findings further support the promising performance and safety of this minimally-invasive, non-surgical pacing device.

The follow-up study evaluated 32 patients with a slowed heartbeat (bradycardia) who successfully received St. Jude Medical’s “Nanostim” leadless pacemaker at two hospitals in Prague and one in Amsterdam.

“There was no experience of infections or failure to sense, pace or communicate with the pacemaker,” Reddy noted.

The leadless cardiac pacemaker is placed directly inside a patient’s heart without surgery during a catheter-guided procedure through the groin via the femoral vein.

The device, resembling a tiny, silver tube and smaller than a triple-A battery, is only a few centimetres in length, making it less than 10 percent the size of a traditional pacemaker.

It works by closely monitoring the heart’s electrical rhythms and if the heart beat is too slow it provides electrical stimulation therapy to regulate it.

“More long-term follow-up of these ‘leadless’ study patients will further our understanding of the potential advantages, benefits, and complication risks of leadless pacemaker technology, along with additional ongoing, larger trials,” Reddy said.

leadless-pacemaker

More than four million patients globally have a pacemaker, and 700,000 new patients receive one each year.

Reddy presented the one-year ‘leadless’ study data findings at ‘Heart Rhythm 2014,’ the Heart Rhythm Society’s 35th annual scientific sessions in San Francisco city in the US May 9.

Source: Times of India

Healthy recipe: Oats upma

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Oats may seem boring to eat due to its bland taste but by adding spices to it, one can make it not only more tasty but also more nutritious. What’s even better is that it makes for a healthy breakfast as well as a dinner option. This oats upma is low-fat, nutritious and delicious.

The main ingredient, oats, contains a legume-like protein, avenalin, known to be equivalent to soy protein. It is also rich in soluble fibre, vitamin E, fatty acids and antioxidants. It aids in weight loss, satiates hunger, cures constipation and has cholesterol-lowering properties. With so many health benefits, it makes for a wonderful nutritious meal which everyone should have, every week if not every day. Here’s the recipe.

Ingredients

Rolled oats – ¾ cup
Finely chopped onions – 1
Chopped, cooked carrots (optional) – 1
Cooked corn (optional) – ¼ cup
Chopped ginger – ½ inch
Chillies – 3
Water – 1 ¾ cups
Oil – 2 tsp
Salt to taste

For seasoning

Curry leaves
Mustard seeds
Cumin seeds
Roasted peanuts
Method

Step 1: Dry roast oats in a pan till their whiteness disappears and they turn golden brown. Take them out of the pan.

Step 2: Heat oil in the same pan. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves and green chillies.

Step 3: Add onion and sauté till it turns golden brown, and then add ginger and sauté again.

Step 4: Add water, salt and cooked veggies. Cover the pan with a lid, and bring water to boil.

Step 5: Add oats and mix well. Lower the flame and simmer till the water is absorbed.

Step 6: Add roasted peanuts and mix.

Plate it, and relish for breakfast or dinner.

Source: The health site

One bottle wine a day keeps the doctor away!

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Scientists have revealed that a bottle of wine a day is not bad for the health and abstaining is worse than drinking.
Former World Health Organisation expert has claimed that alcohol is only harmful when it is consumed 13 units in a day, the Independent reported.

Kari Poikolainen, who has analysed decades of research into the effects of alcohol on the human body, revealed that drinking more than the current recommended daily intake may in fact be healthier than being a teetotaler.

Poikolainen added that the weight of the evidence shows moderate drinking is better than abstaining and heavy drinking is worse than abstaining, but moderate amounts can be higher than the guidelines say

Source: Yahoo news