Tuesday, November 24, 2009

How to Take Care of Health in Winter - How to Deal With the Change in Season

The inception of cold breeze; frosty nights; biting chilly mornings and starts the winter woes that come along with it as a twin sibling-agitating the body to hell and disturbing the immune system. Some experience a rashness in the skin, some undergoes a flaky skin, some feel an itching numbness in the feet and palms while someone's nose pours like a stream through out the season. Name it as seasonal sickness or an allergy, it definitely irks!

Explains Dr. Sanjay Saini, a physician, 'People don't understand that one has to tame the body with the upcoming change in the season, don't we prepare and check our memories for the coming examinations? Why not check and scrutinize our bodies? Generally, everybody takes the seasonal change for granted and ultimately join the unending queue of the viral victims. No concern for health and one end in the bed with prescribed medication. It is nothing but a bad reaction to a bad action.'

During this season, the human body, in order to keep itself warm, generates a lot of energy as a protection against the cold weather and chilly winds. This warmth intensifies the fire of the stomach which helps to digest the food and strengthens the digestive system of a healthy and strong person. It is then able to digest heavier food taken in large quantity. Therefore, during the winter season nutritious food should be taken. Though, with seasonal fruits and vegetables available throughout the year to meet the ingredients of junk food-be it frozen peas or cabbage grown with agro technology, the Gen next no longer experiences the bliss of enjoying the seasonal delicacies. Result: An imbalance in the metabolism and sickness. Here are a few tips to not to fight but copout the woes:-

1) Avoid extreme changes in temperature. With Ac's becoming a norm in every household; comforting oneself to room temperature and switching immediately to the coldness can make the matters worse.

2) Include rich supplements to your diet such as millet, maize, gram, moong, black gram and masoor. Besides, milk, clarified butter and mawa are foods that provide energy. Juices of amla, carrots and tomatoes are also highly beneficial.

3) For someone who experiences extreme numbness, a few sips of beer, red wine and alcohol can help increase the blood rotation.

4) Pamper your skin with glycerin or a number of moisturizers available. Remember, a dreary skin is a signal of an ailment about to pounce.

5) With winters, comes the season of taking vows. Be in vogue with overcoats, pullovers and scarves. Showcasing your worked up attire in biting cold may leave you loosing all the fervor of the occasion .Being comfortable and appearing trendy is much better than rubbing hands and shivering all the while in front of a wood fire.

6) Be it winters or summers, the best time to exercise is still dawn. Engage yourself in brahstika and suryabhedi pranayam. Also, suryanamaskar helps increase the blood rotation thereby bringing heat in the body. Yes, it feels like being cozy in a warm blanket but a workout in the morning is worth it. After all, it is no one else you are doing it for and don't they say sound health is the first state of happiness.

7) Beat the winter blues. According to The National Organization for Seasonal Affective Disorder (NOSAD) Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a type of winter depression which affects millions of people every winter, especially during December, January and February. If you think that you may suffer from SAD try to get out in the daylight for a while each day. If possible get some winter sun. Make the most of it, it's a lovely season!

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Natural Remedies and Herbs For Depression

Depression can be an energy-sapping experience and it's understandable that the tendency often is to find a quick solution. This being the case, not everyone with depression opts for prescription medication. Natural remedies and herbs for depression are another alternative that can often provide a more long term solution.

The most effective natural treatment for depression for your particular case may include consulting a natural health care provider. The following are some natural remedies that are commonly used and are backed by clinical studies.

St John's Wort

By far, the most used herbal remedy for depression is St John's wort. One of the current theories is that St John's wort works in part by stimulating serotonin production in the brain, which is a factor in its ability to support emotional stability and lower stress. In research studies, St John's wort has been shown to be as effective as prescription drugs for moderate to mild symptoms, plus there are no negative side effects.

Herbs for Depression

  • Passionflower
  • St. John's wort
  • Valerian
  • Gingko biloba

5 HTP

5 HTP is a natural amino acid that the body converts into serotonin. The most current theory of brain function involves the neurotransmitter serotonin, which is involved in regulating many bodily processes including emotions, sleep and sexuality. 5 HTP is available in certain foods in low levels. Supplementation can be helpful for depression.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Specific fats are essential to healthy brain function and overall health. Omega-3 fatty acids are a type of healthy fat that the body cannot produce, but is very helpful for mood issues.

The most common way in increase levels of this healthy fat is through including more fish like salmon in the diet, or through supplementation with fish oil capsules.

SAM-e

SAM-e is a nutrient that is helpful for depression and to be effective it must be taken with b vitamins.

Natural remedies and herbs for depression are an alternative that can often provide a more long term solution without the side effects associated with prescription drugs. Along with other tactics like diet adjustments and stress reduction, natural remedies can provide a holistic way to manage the symptoms of depression.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

How Varieties of Exercises Are Important to Our Health

Proper exercise is important for our health. This is something you probably already understand. But did you know the type of exercises you do is just as important as which exercises you do?

It is very important you get varieties of different exercise to give yourself the best chance to have long-term and sustaining health. What are those kinds of exercises and what are the proper ways of doing them? It has been well documented that elevating your heart while doing aerobic exercises produces great benefits for the body. And if you couple this with building and strengthening of your muscles with different anaerobic exercises can be very important to your longevity and health.

If you are concerned how this might affect you and possibly causing injury or you're not sure of which routines you should be doing, consult a doctor and get a professional opinion to make sure you don't over exert yourself.

Your physician or specialist should be able to lead you to the correct program that fits you best. By ensuring you get both aerobic and anaerobic exercises built into your routine you can feel confident you have a well rounded program for fat burning, lung health, heart health and keeping your muscles strong.

By incorporating a routine that encompasses both types of exercises provides you the best possible benefits. If you exclude one of these exercises you are taking a one sided approach and will not yield the overall best results that could have been achieved with a simple all encompassing plan.

This gives you the best opportunity to cover the important factors that go into making you healthy in a work out routine. It has been proven combing aerobic and anaerobic exercises together not only yields immediate benefits with how you feel but your overall long term health. So as you figure out a work out routine and regimen make sure you include something that will get your heart levels up as well as different types of muscle training. Keep your workouts consistent and well rounded and you give yourself a great chance to have a long lasting healthy life.