Tuesday 31 July 2012

FOODS TO ENHANCE SEX DRIVE

FOODS TO ENHANCE SEX DRIVE:

There are certain foods that can be easily incorporated into everyday diet to enhance sex drive. These foods affect our senses, and elicit sensuality. Some may argue with the notion of food being associated with libido. But, foods can kick up the sex drive.

Take a look at the list of foods that you should be eating to revive your sex drive.

1. Eggs: Egg, enriched with vitamin B5 and vitamin B6, helps to reduce stress and sets the tone for the pursuit. A symbol of fertility, eggs help to raise energy levels.

2. Fruits: Fruits are full of vitamins, which is a libido booster. Bananas contain bromelain enzyme, which increases libido and reverses impotence in men. Fruits, such as mangoes, peaches and bananas, make you more interested in sex. It also contains potassium and riboflavin that raises body's overall energy levels. Watermelon contains phytonutrient citrulline that increases body's levels of nitric oxide to relaxe blood vessels and increase blood circulation. This decreases the time taken to become aroused.

3. Soy: Tofu and edamame helps to bind estrogen, and keeps the vagina lubricated. Soy foods promote prostate health in men.

4. Chocolate: .It has long been known for its sexually invigorating properties.Scientists say that chocolate contains  phenethylamine, among other chemical compounds that arouses the same feelings as those experienced by people when they fall in love. It can also be used in foreplay. Dark chocolates also contain anti-oxidants that protect you against infections.

5. Oysters: Oysters are rich source of zinc and dopamine, which evoke sensuality and increase the sex drive. Have oysters in your meal plan if night of a romance. Health experts advise avoiding raw oysters during pregnancy.The Romans placed the oyster high on their list of prized aphrodisiacs. Casanova, the legend goes, would eat 50 raw oysters for breakfast.

6. Nuts: Nuts, especially the one rich in L-Arginine, improve sexual functions in men. These improve blood circulation to energise you and help you with sexual issues, such as erectile dysfunction. Cashews, walnuts and peanuts are among common nuts to help you up revive sex drive.

7. Almonds: An excellent source of essential fatty acids, almonds ensure healthy production of hormones. Eat almonds raw or sprinkle crushed almonds on milk shake or salads when you need immediate dose of energy.

8. Garlic: Garlic increases blood flow to the sexual organs. Add garlic paste in delicacies to derive benefits. If you have trouble having raw garlic, try garlic capsules.

9. Avocados: Enriched with folic acid, avocados metabolise proteins and energise you. It has vitamin B6 (increases male hormone production) and potassium (regulates woman's thyroid gland), increasing libido in both men as well as women.

10.Bananas: Soft, creamy and around eight inches long. Now who wouldn’t consider that aphrodisiacal? But it also comes with high levels of potassium and vitamin B, which increase sex hormone production in our bodies.

11.Lychees: Juicy and succulent, lychees have been considered a libido booster. Research also says that polysaccharides in the fruit protect female sex organs from tissue damage.

Saturday 28 July 2012

STROKE---ARE YOU AT THREAT!!

STROKE--EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW
A stroke happens when blood flow to a part of the brain stops. A stroke is sometimes called a "brain attack."
Causes, incidence, and risk factors

If blood flow is stopped for longer than a few seconds, the brain cannot get blood and oxygen. Brain cells can die, causing permanent damage.

There are two major types of stroke: ischemic stroke and hemorrhagic stroke.

Ischemic stroke occurs when a blood vessel that supplies blood to the brain is blocked by a blood clot. This may happen in two ways:

A clot may form in an artery that is already very narrow. This is called a thrombotic stroke.

A clot may break off from another place in the blood vessels of the brain, or from some other part of the body, and travel up to the brain. This is called cerebral embolism, or an embolic stroke.

Ischemic strokes may be caused by clogged arteries. Fat, cholesterol, and other substances collect on the artery walls, forming a sticky substance called plaque.

A hemorrhagic stroke occurs when a blood vessel in part of the brain becomes weak and bursts open, causing blood to leak into the brain. Some people have defects in the blood vessels of the brain that make this more likely.

STROKE RISK FACTORS

High blood pressure is the number one risk factor for strokes. The other major risk factors are:

Atrial fibrillation

Diabetes

Family history of stroke

High cholesterol

Increasing age, especially after age 55

Race (black people are more likely to die of a stroke)

People who have heart disease or poor blood flow in their legs caused by narrowed arteries are also more likely to have a stroke.

The chance of stroke is higher in people who live an unhealthy lifestyle by:

Being overweight or obese

Drinking heavily

Eating too much fat or salt

Smoking

Taking cocaine and other illegal drugs

Birth control pills can increase the chances of having blood clots. The risk is highest in woman who smoke and are older than 35.

For more information, see: Stroke risk factors
Symptoms

The symptoms of stroke depend on what part of the brain is damaged. In some cases, a person may not know that he or she has had a stroke.

Symptoms usually develop suddenly and without warning. Or, symptoms may occur on and off for the first day or two. Symptoms are usually most severe when the stroke first happens, but they may slowly get worse.

A headache may occur, especially if the stroke is caused by bleeding in the brain. The headache:

Starts suddenly and may be severe

Occurs when you are lying flat

Wakes you up from sleep

Gets worse when you change positions or when you bend, strain, or cough

Other symptoms depend on how severe the stroke is and what part of the brain is affected. Symptoms may include:

Change in alertness (including sleepiness, unconsciousness, and coma)

Changes in hearing

Changes in taste

Changes that affect touch and the ability to feel pain, pressure, or different temperatures

Clumsiness

Confusion or loss of memory

Difficulty swallowing

Difficulty writing or reading

Dizziness or abnormal feeling of movement (vertigo)

Lack of control over the bladder or bowels

Loss of balance

Loss of coordination

Muscle weakness in the face, arm, or leg (usually just on one side)

Numbness or tingling on one side of the body

Personality, mood, or emotional changes

Problems with eyesight, including decreased vision, double vision, or total loss of vision

Trouble speaking or understanding others who are speaking

Trouble walking

Signs and tests

A complete exam should be done. Your doctor will:

Check for problems with vision, movement, feeling, reflexes, understanding, and speaking. Your doctor and nurses will repeat this exam over time to see if your stroke is getting worse or improving.

Listen for an abnormal sound, called a "bruit," when using a stethoscope to listen to the carotid arteries in the neck. A bruit is caused by abnormal blood flow.

Check your blood pressure, which may be high.

Tests can help your doctor find the type, location, and cause of the stroke and rule out other disorders.

Angiogram of the head can show which blood vessel is blocked or bleeding

Carotid duplex (ultrasound) can show if the carotid arteries in your neck have narrowed

CT scan of the brain is often done soon after symptoms of a stroke begin. An MRI scan of the brain may be done instead or afterwards

Echocardiogram may be done if the stroke could have been caused by a blood clot from the heart

Magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) or CT angiography may be done to check for abnormal blood vessels in the brain

Other tests include:

Lab tests will include:

Bleeding time

Blood cholesterol and sugar

Blood clotting tests (prothrombin time or partial thromboplastin time)

Complete blood count (CBC)

Electrocardiogram (ECG) and heart rhythm monitoring -- to show whether an irregular heartbeat (such as atrial fibrillation) caused the stroke

Treatment

A stroke is a medical emergency. Immediate treatment can save lives and reduce disability. Call 911 or your local emergency number or seek urgent medical care at the first signs of a stroke.

It is very important for people who are having stroke symptoms to get to a hospital as quickly as possible. If the stroke is caused by a blood clot, a clot-busting drug may be given to dissolve the clot.

Most of the time, patients must reach a hospital within 3 hours after symptoms begin. Some people may be able to receive these drugs for up to 4 - 5 hours after symptoms begin.

Treatment depends on how severe the stroke was and what caused it. Most people who have a stroke need to stay in a hospital.

TREATMENT IN THE HOSPITAL

Clot-busting drugs (thrombolytic therapy) may be used if the stroke is caused by a blood clot. This medicine breaks up blood clots and helps bring back blood flow to the damaged area. However, not everyone can get this type of medicine.

For these drugs to work, a person must be seen and treatment must begin within 3 hours of when the symptoms first started. A CT scan must be done to see whether the stroke is from a clot or from bleeding.

If the stroke is caused by bleeding instead of clotting, clot-busting drugs (thrombolytics) can cause more bleeding.

Other treatments depend on the cause of the stroke:

Blood thinners such as heparin or warfarin (Coumadin) may be used to treat strokes due to blood clots. Aspirin or clopidogrel (Plavix) may also be used.

Other medicine may be needed to control symptoms such as high blood pressure.

In some situations, a special stroke team and skilled radiologists may be able to use angiography to highlight the clogged blood vessel and open it up.

If bleeding occurred, surgery is often needed to remove blood from around the brain and to fix damaged blood vessels.

Surgery on the carotid artery may be needed.

Nutrients and fluids may be needed, especially if the person has trouble swallowing. These may be given through a vein (intravenously) or a feeding tube in the stomach (gastrostomy tube). Swallowing trouble may be temporary or permanent.

Physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, and swallowing therapy will all begin in the hospital.

LONG-TERM TREATMENT

The goal of treatment after a stroke is to help the patient recover as much function as possible and prevent future strokes.

The recovery time and need for long-term treatment is different for each person. Problems moving, thinking, and talking often improve in the weeks to months after a stroke. A number of people who have had a stroke will keep improving in the months or years after the stroke.

Friday 27 July 2012

REDUCE EFFECTS OF STRESS

Reduce Effects of stress

1. Take a Break to Break your Routine


Taking time out of your daily schedule for recreation, or a vacation is an effective stress buster.
  • Breaking the schedule takes off anxiety from mind and provides much-needed peace to the mind.
  • Break gives you enough time to rest without getting worried for work.
  • Moreover, you can break your sleep pattern of limited sleep and enjoy sound sleep of 8-10 hours.
  • With all the time on your side, you can switch to healthy eating options for betterment of health.

2. Don’t Avoid
the situation

Most of the individuals living with stress complain of time constraint. This is also their reason of avoiding the situation. Stress gets better along with its complications if ignored. Therefore, one needs to manage time in order to keep away from stress and its effects. Time-management involves setting priorities, keeping pace and taking time out for self.

3. Physical Activity

Getting involved in physical activities, either by simple exercising methods or by participating in sports/games provides relief from stress. Physical activities should be made a part of life in order to keep stress at bay.

4. Sharing


Expressing yourself with someone you trust takes gives relief to your mind. Keep things to self will surely affect. Alternatively, you can also a note of things bothering you along with daily activities.

5. Talk to Yourself


Another way of claiming peace is talking to self. This can be best done by facing mirror and telling self to calm, peace and confronting you.



6. Develop Reading Habit
 Look for a literary subject that interests you. Pick up a book, connect with its characters and discover several aspects.

MISTAKES IN DIETING WE USUALLY MAKE:-Your Health Your life

MISTAKES IN DIETING WE USUALLY MAKE:
Dieting  is regulating one’s food intake for the purpose of improving one’s physical condition, especially for the purpose of reducing obesity, or what is conceived to be excess body fat. 
 People try multiple diets in name of dieting but many a times nothing seems to work. Some manage to stick to a rigid diet for a few days, but crack before the week is out. Though some people avoid the common dieting mistakes such as skipping breakfast and not drinking enough water, but something still seems to be wrong.

Here are dieting mistakes that one might not realise they are making but one of these could be the key to why attempts to lose weight aren’t succeeding.
  1. Monotonous Diet: Many dieters fall into the trap of working out a few “good” (nutritious, easy-to-prepare, low calorie) meals, and rotating between them on a daily or weekly basis. Diet plans often encourage this monotonous behaviour. But the problem is most of us; get pretty bored with eating the same thing day-in-day-out. If your brown-bagged lunch is exactly the same as it was for the last four days, you’re going to be much more tempted to visit the nearest fast food joint. So the only solution is to go for variety. Include different coloured vegetables and fruits in your diet. This will not only help in removing monotony but will also control calorie intake.
  2. Impulse Eating: This is also one of biggest dieting mistakes and it’s a tricky one to guard against; eating on impulse. Maybe one of your colleagues has brought in a gorgeous birthday cake, perhaps you’re making tea and your hand reaches for the cookie jar without you really noticing. When you find yourself reaching for food that you’ve not planned to eat, stop. Don’t ban yourself from having foods, but do stop and think about it.
  3. Worrying About Waste: Have you ever had eaten something because you “didn’t want it to be wasted?” Whether it’s finishing up the kids’ leftovers, or eating out those small portions of food that was left when everybody finished eating; that unneeded food is just as wasted as extra pounds on your body as it would be if it ended up in the garbage. Eating unnecessarily is a common and the biggest dieting mistake we make. Respect your body and don’t treat it like a waste disposal bin.
  4. Energy Bars or Replacement Drinks: There is no substitute for whole foods. Your body needs the wide variety of phytonutrients and fiber found in real fruits, vegetables and whole grains. No "meal replacement" bars or drinks provide the variety that nature does. Use these convenience foods only when necessary. Increase the intake of dried fruits and nuts rather than having them processed and pressed into a bar.
  5. Belief that Exercise will take care of the extra calories: Many people exercise to lose weight but they need to keep track of what they eat if they want to lose weight. It is very easy to make up for calories burned with a single extra 'treat' after your workout. To lose weight, controlling your diet portions and choice of food are equally important. Eating too less or too much after exercise is equally dangerous.

Thursday 26 July 2012

Fruity Beauty Tips---Your Health Your Life

FRUITY BEAUTY TIPS:
Fruits are good for health. We all knew that. But they are great for your skin, your face, and in general for several beauty treatments; and not all of them involve eating the fruit. They’re natural, do not have harmful chemicals, and one doesn’t have to look very hard to find them. That is why fruit treatments are a very healthy and effective way to home groom ourselves.Read on:


Apples:

The apple is an excellent skin toner. Add one cup of apple juice to your bath water to help soften your skin. If you use it in the final rinse while you shampoo your hair, it acts as an anti-dandruff agent. An apple a day, indeed!


Bananas:

Aside from making a breakfast healthy, bananas make our skin and hair supple too. Mash up a banana, apply it all over your face, and leave it for about 20 minutes. Rinse off with lukewarm water, and moisturise for smooth, beautiful skin. For using as a conditioner for the hair, mix some mashed banana with a little honey and apply evenly to hair after you shampoo. Rinse well, and what you’re left with is glowing shiny hair.


Papaya:

Rich in Vitamin A, use mashed papaya, mixed with aloe vera gel once a month as an excellent exfoliating agent. Leave the mixture on your skin for about 5 minutes and rinse thoroughly. If your skin is sensitive, be careful to not leave it on too long for the first time to ensure it doesn’t irritate your skin.

Peaches:

Sufferers of dry skin, celebrate! Mash a ripe peach, mix it with curd, add a few drops of rose water, and make a smooth paste. Apply on your face and leave it for about 20 minutes. Rinse with lukewarm water. That should bid goodbye to dry skin for a while, leaving it moisturised, supple, and smooth.

Avocados:

These are excellent for reducing puffiness around the eye. Apply a peeled slice of avocado under each eye for 20 minutes to reduce redness, irritation and puffiness. For people with oily skin, a face mask made by mixing half an avocado (mashed), the white of one egg, and one teaspoon of lemon juice will do wonders. Leave on for 20 minutes and rinse.

Plums:

Plums are rich in Vitamin A and C and have anti-wrinkle properties. A face pack of mashed plum and lemon juice is very good for oily skin, helps reduce acne, and restores a healthy glow to the skin. For dry skin, try peaches instead. Mash a ripe peach, mix it with curd, add a few drops of rose water, and make a smooth paste. Apply on your face and leave it for about 20 minutes. Rinse with lukewarm water. That should bid goodbye to dry skin for a while, leaving it moisturised, supple, and smooth

Strawberries:

Strawberries contain salicylic acid that is excellent for skin that is prone to acne and tends to get oily. It also has mild bleaching qualities that are perfect for brightening up your face and arms before that big party. Mash five strawberries with a teaspoon moong dal, the whites of two eggs and a little curd, and apply it on your face for 15 minutes. Rinse with lukewarm water and you’re all set.

But before you sell out full scale on any of these remedies, remember to try a patch test on a small part of your skin to make sure you’re not allergic and the treatment suits your skin.

WATER THERAPY---Your Health Your Life

WATER THERAPY:
Early morning, after you get up from bed, (without even brushing your teeth) drink 1.50 liters of water i.e. 5 to 6 glasses. You may wash your face thereafter. This is called water therapy.
Relief from stress, weight loss, glowing skin, feeling fresh and energetic throughout the day and good digestion are some of the major benefits of water therapy.
For old and serious diseases as well as modern illnesses, the water therapy had been found helpful by a Japanese medical society for cure for the diseases like Headache,Body Ache,Heart problems,Arthritis,Epilepsy,Excess Weight,Bronchitis,Asthma,TB,Meningitis,Kidney and Urinary diseases,Vomiting,gastritis,Diarrhea,Piles,Diabetes,Constipation,Eye Diseases and Menstrual Disorders.

Water Therapy - Method of Treatment

1.As you wake up in the morning before brushing teeth, drink 4-6 glasses of water each of 160 ml.
2.Brush and clean the mouth but do not eat or drink anything for 45 minutes.
3.After 45 minutes you may eat and drink as normal.
4.Upto 15 minutes after breakfast, lunch and dinner do not eat or drink anything.
5.Those who are old or sick and are unable to drink four glasses of water at the beginning may commence by taking little water and gradually increase it to four glasses per day.
6.The above method of treatment will cure diseases of the sick and others can enjoy a healthy life.