How to tackle the problem of acidity (if I get it) after starting this diet plan?

A: A few persons who have hyper-acidity are afraid to start our diet plan. They feel that their acidity problem will increase if they eat only twice.

The fact is exactly opposite! Due to this diet plan, acidity gets cure

People with this problem should follow my suggestions:

1)Eat twice when you are most hungry.
2) Don't adjust meals for work but adjust work for meals!
3) Keep meal times fixed.
4) Drink ample of water.
5) Avoid spicy and fried food in meals.
6) Once in a while take tablet Aciloc/Rantac 150mg.

You will settle down in a few days! And soon share your success of acidity getting cure

What is Saccharin?

It is a substance obtained by chemical process. It is 400 times sweeter than sugar. Patients with diabetes use it to sweeten their food. It does not provide any calories. There is a controversy as regards whether it causes cancer.. Best way for diabetics is to get used to food items without taste of sugar or sweetness. It is a matter of developing habit. If you start drinking tea without sugar slowly in a week or so you will start liking it!

As our research proves, saccharin also causes insulin secretion so we don't allow tea with saccharin in between two meals. There are other artificial sweeteners like aspartame, monellin and cyclomate. These are used in cold drinks, fruit juices and canned food items. It is always better to either avoid such food items or consume them sparingly. 

Are products like green tea, herbal tea, slim tea or special juices in market good for weightloss?

Weightless industry is flourishing in India. It exploits the psychology of obese and overweight people.

These people want a magical pill or solution and do not want to make efforts for sufficient time to lose weight!

It is expected by such people to lose weight within days or weeks (the weight which they have gained over many years

Such products have tall claims and huge cost. They have following problems:
1) Doubtful scientific evidence
2) They keep you starved
3) They cause deficiency of vitamins and minerals
4) They exploit you financially
5) You can not follow it for life time...once you stop using the product you again put on weight

Hence it is advisable to keep away from such products.
Remember there is no short cut for good health and fitness.....one has to make committed efforts to remain fit

What is meant by basal metabolic rate? It depends on which factors? What is it's effect on our weight?

Basal metabolic rate is the amount of energy expressed in calories that a person needs to keep the body functioning at rest. Some of those processes are breathing, blood circulation, controlling body
temperature, cell growth, brain and nerve function, and contraction of muscles.

Metabolism is the process by which your body converts what you eat and drink into energy. During this complex biochemical process, calories in food and beverages are combined with oxygen to release the energy your body needs to function.

Even when you're at rest, your body needs energy for all its "hidden" functions, such as breathing, circulating blood, adjusting hormone levels, and growing and repairing cells.

The number of calories your body uses to carry out these basic functions is known as your basal metabolic rate - what you might call metabolism.

Several factors determine your individual basal metabolic rate, including:
1) Your body size and composition:The bodies of people who are larger or have more muscle burn more calories, even at rest.
2) Your sex: Men usually have less body fat and more muscle than do women of the same age and weight, burning more calories.
3) Your age: As you get older, the amount of muscle tends to decrease and fat accounts for more of your weight, slowing down calorie burning.

Your basal metabolic rate accounts for about 70 percent of the calories you burn every day.
In addition to your basal metabolic rate, two other factors determine how many calories your body burns each day:

1 Food processing (thermogenesis): Digesting, absorbing, transporting and storing the food you consume also takes calories. This accounts for 100 to 800 of the calories used each day. For the most part, your body's energy requirement to process food stays relatively steady and isn't easily changed.

2) Physical activity:
Physical activity and exercise-such as playing tennis, walking to the store, chasing after the dog and any other movement - account for the rest of the calories your body burns up each day.
Physical activity is by far the most variable of the factors that determine how many calories you burn each day.

Metabolism and weight:

It may be tempting to blame your metabolism for weight gain. But because metabolism is a natural process, your body has many mechanisms that regulate it to meet your individual needs. Only in rare cases do you get excessive weight gain from a medical problem that slows metabolism, such as Cushing's syndrome or having an underactive thyroid gland (hypothyroidism).

You gain weight when you eat more calories than you burn - or burn fewer calories than you eat.

One more important factor that decides whether your body will use glucose or fatty acids for energy is the insulin level in blood.

 If high, body uses glucose and if low, body uses fatty acids for energy. Our diet plan by reducing eating frequency lowers insulin level in blood. This facilitates burning of fats by body for energy. As a result you lose weight and tummy😊

So, don't blame your metabolism and come into action to lose weight👍

Can people with acidity follow this diet plan?

Many people with acidity (gastritis) problem have this apprehension. Actually due to 👉this diet plan the problem of acidity gets cured!

If you eat something stomach produces HCl (Hydrochloric acid) for digestion of proteins. The secretion of acid is in response to food.. so if you don't eat, acid will not get secreted. 😊

Also, irrespective of quantity of food consumed, almost a similar amount is secreted at the beginning. If you continue to eat, there is a fine tuning done in acid secretion.

When you eat twice in the day, whatever acid is produced it gets utilized. If you eat small frequent meals then acid produced is not completely utilized and the remaining acid causes acidity.
As a result, people with acidity problem get rid of it by eating twice.😎

First few days such people should drink cold water, buttermilk or coconut water if they get some acidity. In a week or so, they will settle down on the diet plan.

Best weight loss tips for fast results

Many members want to know what food items they should consume in two meals and what should be the sequence...

The beauty of this diet plan is that you can eat everything you like in 55 minutes of mealtime.
 My suggestion will be that out of your two meals make one meal as major meal and other as minor meal.
 60 to 70% of your food you should take in major meal and remaining in minor meal.
You can eat everything you want to eat.
If you are nondiabetic, you can eat sweets too...but reme
mber that Sugar and sweets are generally not good for health.

Now about the sequence:
Start meal with fruit/dry fruit/sweet then salad, then sprouts followed by chapati, rice, dhal and vegetables or nonveg items. In between enjoy pickle, chutney etc! If you are fond of milk take at the end.

Remember:

1) You may not eat all these items
2) Eat as per your liking
3) Restrict sweets
4) Increase proteins
5) Reduce carbohydrates
6) Increase salads and sprouts

Why you should get HbA1C and fasting insulin done?

HbA1C tells about the average blood glucose level of last three months. Its value should be up to 5.7. 5.8 to 6.3 is labeled as prediabetes.

 Fasting insulin is a proxy indicator of insulin resistance and impending diabetes. Its normal range is 2 to 25. But when one is fasting it should be near zero, or as low as possible.

Our diet plan has four benefits:

1) You lose fats/weight
2) You lose tummy
3) Your HbA1C decreases...meaning from prediabetes stage you become nondiabetic
4) Your fasting insulin level decreases, indicating that your body is becoming more sensitive to insulin or you are postponing your diabetes!

Hence to monitor your progress we advise you to repeat weight and waist circumference every month and HbA1C and fasting insulin every three months.

So please get the tests done to monitor all benefits of the diet plan

How to Calculate Body Mass Index (BMI) ?

BMI means body mass index.

To calculate this you must know your weight in kilogram and height in meters. Now get square of your height in meters. Divide your weight in Kg by square of your height in meters.

This value is expressed as Kg per meter square. The normal value is up to 25. More than this till 29.99 is called overweight. After 30 it is called obesity.

For Asians it should be preferably below 23. Overweight and obesity is associated with hypertension, diabetes and heart attacks etc.
I hope now you know about BMI.

Migraine Frequently Asked Questions - Diseases and Health Care

What is the migraine pain?

A migraine is a severe, painful headache that can be preceded or accompanied by sensory warning signs such as flashes of light, blind spots, tingling in the arms and legs, nausea, vomiting, and increased sensitivity to light and sound. The excruciating pain that migraines bring can last for hours or even days.

Where does a migraine come from?

Migraine tends to affect people between 15-55 years of age. Some people who suffer from migraines can clearly identify triggers or factors that cause the headaches such as allergies, light and stress. Some people get a warning prodrome, preceding the onset of a migraine headache.

Where does it hurt when you have a migraine?

A migraine is usually an intense pounding headache that can last for hours or even days. The pounding or pulsing pain usually begins in the forehead, the side of the head or around the eyes. The headache gradually gets worse. Just about any movement, activity, bright lights or loud noises seem to make it hurt more.

How do you know if you have a migraine headache?

Symptoms associated with a migraine headache include:

» nausea.

» pain behind one eye or ear.

» pain in the temples.

» seeing spots or flashing lights.

» sensitivity to light and/or sound.

» temporary vision loss.

» vomiting.

Migraine Treatment

Migraine treatments can help stop symptoms and prevent future attacks.

Many medications have been designed to treat migraines. Some drugs often used to treat other conditions also may help relieve or prevent migraines. Medications used to combat migraines fall into two broad categories:

Pain-relieving medications. Also known as acute or abortive treatment, these types of drugs are taken during migraine attacks and are designed to stop symptoms.

Preventive medications. These types of drugs are taken regularly, often on a daily basis, to reduce the severity or frequency of migraines.

Your treatment strategy depends on the frequency and severity of your headaches, the degree of disability your headaches cause, and your other medical conditions.

Some medications aren't recommended if you're pregnant or breast-feeding. Some medications aren't given to children. Your doctor can help find the right medication for you.

Signs and symptoms

Migraines typically present with self-limited, recurrent severe headache associated with autonomic symptoms. About 15–30% of people with migraines experience migraines with an aura and those who have migraines with aura also frequently have migraines without aura. The severity of the pain, duration of the headache, and frequency of attacks are variable. A migraine lasting longer than 72 hours is termed status migrainosus. There are four possible phases to a migraine, although not all the phases are necessarily experienced: 

The prodrome, which occurs hours or days before the headache

The aura, which immediately precedes the headache

The pain phase, also known as headache phase

The postdrome, the effects experienced following the end of a migraine attack

Cause

The underlying causes of migraines are unknown. However, they are believed to be related to a mix of environmental and genetic factors. They run in families in about two-thirds of cases and rarely occur due to a single gene defect. While migraines were once believed to be more common in those of high intelligence, this does not appear to be true. A number of psychological conditions are associated, including depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder, as are many biological events or triggers.

Pathophysiology

Migraines are believed to be a neurovascular disorder with evidence supporting its mechanisms starting within the brain and then spreading to the blood vessels. Some researchers believe neuronal mechanisms play a greater role, while others believe blood vessels play the key role. Others believe both are likely important. One theory is related to increased excitability of the cerebral cortex and abnormal control of pain neurons in the trigeminal nucleus of the brainstem. High levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin, also known as 5-hydroxytryptamine, are believed to be involved. 

Diagnosis

The diagnosis of a migraine is based on signs and symptoms. Neuroimaging tests are not necessary to diagnose migraine, but may be used to find other causes of headaches in those whose examination and history do not confirm a migraine diagnosis. It is believed that a substantial number of people with the condition remain undiagnosed. 

The diagnosis of migraine without aura, according to the International Headache Society, can be made according to the following criteria, the "5, 4, 3, 2, 1 criteria": 

» Five or more attacks—for migraine with aura, two attacks are sufficient for diagnosis.

» Four hours to three days in duration

» Two or more of the following:

» Unilateral (affecting half the head);

» Pulsating;

» Moderate or severe pain intensity;

» Worsened by or causing avoidance of routine physical activity

If someone experiences two of the following: photophobia, nausea, or inability to work or study for a day, the diagnosis is more likely. In those with four out of five of the following: pulsating headache, duration of 4–72 hours, pain on one side of the head, nausea, or symptoms that interfere with the person's life, the probability that this is a migraine is 92%. In those with fewer than three of these symptoms the probability is 17%

Thalassaemia Frequently Asked Questions - Diseases and Health Care

Thalassemia is an inherited blood disorder in which the body makes an abnormal form of hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is the protein molecule in red blood cells that carries oxygen. The disorder results in excessive destruction of red blood cells, which leads to anemia. Anemia is a condition in which your body doesn’t have enough normal, healthy red blood cells.

What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Thalassemias?

1. A pale and listless appearance.
2. Poor appetite.
3. Dark urine (a sign that red blood cells are breaking down)
4. Slowed growth and delayed puberty.
5. Jaundice (a yellowish color of the skin or whites of the eyes)
6. An enlarged spleen, liver, or heart.

Is thalassemia blood cancer?

Thalassemias are inherited blood disorders that cause the body to make fewer healthy red blood cells and less hemoglobin than normal. Mild or severe anemia can also be present in people with thalassemias. The two major types of thalassemia are alpha and beta, named after defects in the hemoglobin protein chains.

What is the disease thalassemia?

Thalassemia is an inherited blood disorder in which the body makes an abnormal form of hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is the protein molecule in red blood cells that carries oxygen. The disorder results in excessive destruction of red blood cells, which leads to anemia.

What is beta thalassemia major?

Usually, they are mildly anemic and their red blood cells are smaller than normal. Beta thalassemia major (Cooley's anemia) happens when both of the beta globin genes are mutated (changed) and the mutations are severe. This is the most severe form of beta thalassemia.

What is thalassemia major disease?

Thalassemia Major. Thalassemia major occurs when a child inherits two mutated genes, one from each parent. Children born with thalassemia major usually develop the symptoms of severe anemia within the first year of life. They lack the ability to produce normal, adult hemoglobin and experience chronic fatigue.

Is there a cure for beta thalassemia?

People with severe thalassemia depend on blood transfusions to give them working red blood cells. A type of bone marrow transplant has been used to try to cure thalassemia, but it's hard to find compatible donors. And even if a donor can be found, there's still a risk that the patient's body will reject the transplant.

What is the thalassemia trait?

Thalassemia is an inherited blood disorder in which the body makes an abnormal form of hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is the protein molecule in red blood cells that carries oxygen. The disorder results in excessive destruction of red blood cells, which leads to anemia.

Can you give blood if you have thalassemia minor?

Yes it is possible for carrier to donate blood if their hemoglobin (iron) level meets the international criteria for donation. Yes it is ok for carriers to donate stem cells, such as those in bone marrow, for his/her diseased sibling. The problem is that carriers could have thalassemia major children.

Is thalassemia more common in males or females?

If both genes are affected, the result is moderate to severe anemia. The severe form of beta thalassemia is known as thalassemia major or Cooley's anemia. Thalassemias affect males and females. The disorders occur most often among people of Italian, Greek, Middle Eastern, Southern Asian, and African descent.

Wine Consumption: The Pros and the Cons

Drinking Wine

Should you or shouldn’t you?

The Plusses to Drinking Wine:

• 1-2 glasses of wine per day appear to reduce stress and the effects of chronic inflammation.
• Red wine contains polyphenols and this can be helpful to combat arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries)
• When you drink wine with a meal it makes the meal seem like a special occasion and thus you may eat more slowly (which enhances digestion)
• It is a better choice than sugary mixed drinks because these mixed drinks contain more sugar and thus spikes insulin.
• Wine drinkers tend to sip rather than guzzle their beverage which means fewer intakes of alcohol, sugar and calories.
• A moderate amount which is equivalent to 5 oz. per day has been shown to lower your risk of heart disease.
• Moderate amounts of red wine (1-3 glasses per day, 3-4 times per week) may reduce your risk of dementia, depression, and some cancers.
• Good News for you white wine drinkers!  White wine has been shown to have many of the same positive health benefits as red wine.

Downside to Drinking Wine

• If you drink alcohol in excessive amounts it can increase your risk for breast cancer, cause brain damage and damage to the liver and other organs
• Red wine does contain the antioxidant resveratrol that is found in the skin of grapes.  Resveratrol is good for fighting inflammation, heart disease, blood clotting, and cancer.  However the amount of resveratrol in wine is very low and to get the benefits of this powerful antioxidant, you would need to consume several bottles-not a good idea!  Add purple and black grapes to your diet and supplement with resveratrol for heart disease instead.
• Those who consume more than 5 oz. of red wine per day have a greater risk of heart disease.  Other studies show that 1-2 glasses of red wine per day can also lower your risk of stroke but more than this amount can increase your risk.
• When you start to go beyond moderate amounts of wine, the negative effects outweigh the benefits-for those who drink 2-3 glasses of red wine every day they have increased risk of liver disease, depression, weight gain and diabetes.
• Wines are still mostly empty calories that you may consume instead of healthy food choices so be cognizant if wine is replacing food in your diet.
• A glass of red wine (5 oz.) contains on average 125 calories.  So if you are consuming say 2 glasses 4 times per week that is 1,000 added calories per week.  It can easily cause the weight to creep on.

Sources: http://blogs.naturalnews.com/wine-consumption-pros-cons/

A Complete Guide to Thalassemia: Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

A genetic disorder, thalassemia is a blood disorder passed down through families in which the body makes an abnormal form of hemoglobin. 

What is Thalassemia?

1. Thalassemia is a group of inherited blood disorder
2. The genetic defect result in reduced and defective synthesis of hemoglobin
3. Characterized by anemia of varying severity.

Thalassemia Major:

1. The patient suffers with severe anemia, stunted growth & bony deformities.
2. It usually presents and get diagnosed within first six months of life.
3. If untreated, it is not compatible with life.
4. The only treatment is regular blood transfusion every moth throughout life.
5. The patients usually succumb to various complications in second or third decade.

Difficulties of Thalassemic patients and their parents:

Psychological stress-

The patient have to get admitted in hospital every month for blood trasfusion. It is psychologically very traumatic to both the patient & the parents of getting admitted every month in hospital for blood transfusion

Pain of needle prick-

During every blood transfusion, patient suffers at least two pricks. In addition they have to take injections to avoid iron overload.

Cost of the treatment-

Average cost of medical management of thalassemia is 700 USD/- per month.

Logistic problems-

Every month either of the parents have to take leave from their routine duties and make logistic arrangements for admission in hospital, finding blood donor, take the blood beg from blood bank to hospital, and again take the child back to home.

Complications-

Pain of the Thalassemic patient does not end here. They suffer many complications in their life due to disease itself and its treatment-blood transfusion.

Iron overload-

Iron overload result from the disease itself & also from frequent blood transfusions. Iron get deposited in various organs like heart, liver & endocrine glands & damage them. To reduce iron overload these patients have to take regular and adequate iron chelation therapy throughout their life.

Transfusion transmitted infections-

Risk of transmission of transfusion transmissible infections like HIV, Hepatitis B & C through blood transfusion is very high in the Thalassemia major patients. Transfusion of 'NAT tested blood' to Thalassemic patients every time almost avoids the risk of TTI.

Alloimmunization & adverse transfusion reactions-

These are common in Thalassemic patients as they are exposed to multiple blood donors. By restricting exposure to limited number of blood donors & by transfusion of only 'leukodepleted components' to Thalassemic patients, can avoid these complications.

Splenomegaly and Infections-

These are other frequent complications for which these patients may require surgical or medical help.

Thalassemia Minor-

It is carrier state. Person suffering with Thalassemia Minor carries abnormal gene of hemoglobin synthesis, but lives normal life, only presentation may be mild anaemia. Thalassemias also occur in descendants of people from Latin America and Mediterranean countries (e.g. Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and others)

How does one get Thalassemia?

When both husband and wife are thalassemic minor, there are 25% chances during every pregnancy of their baby being thalaseemic major. There are 25 % chances of their baby being normal and 50% chances of their baby being thalassemic minor during eacy pregnancy.

If only one parent is thalassemic minor then there are no chances of their baby thalassemic minor. Their baby may be normal or thalassemic minor.

Prevention of Thalassemia-

If we can avoid marriage of two thalassemic minors, Thalassemia can be eradicated from the region. Thalassemia Care Centre provides blood testing facility to screen the population for thalassemia minor totally free of cost.

Economics-

1. For management of thalassemic patient
2. Average cost of managing thalassemic child is 700 USD /- per year
3. For prevention of thalassemia
4. The cost per test for detection of thalassemia minor is 3 USD /- as actual. 

How can you support to thalassemia patient?

1. By Voluntary blood donation
2. By organizing blood donation camps & motivate others to donate blood
3. By donating something from your hard earned money to thalassemia society.

You can adopt one or more Thalassemia children for financial support by donating 700 USD/- child/year to thalassemia society

-VISION-

“To eradicate Thalassemia disease from the Region by 2020. In the process serve all Thalassemia patients in our region by way of catering to various needs of these patients and thus minimize their problems and difficulties. ”

Donating Blood – You Must Know This!

 Before Blood Donation:

1. Your diet needs to contain high iron level which can be maintained by consuming iron rich foods like spinach, fish, red meat, poultry, raisins and iron-fortified cereals.
2. Taking proper sleep at night is a must.
3. You need to drink extra 16oz (or 2 glasses) of water and fluids prior to donating blood.
4. In case, you are donating platelets, check if your body is aspirin free for 2 days before the blood donation day.
5. Don’t forget to bring your donor card or any other form of identity card on the donation day.   

During Blood Donation:

1. Wear clothes with sleeves that can be raised above the elbow or simply wear sleeveless clothes.
2. Tell the phlebotomist about your preferred arm or good veins that have been used earlier for successful donations.
3. While the donation process starts relax, talk to the donors, listen to music or read a book to take your mind away from the activity.
4. After you finish donating blood, ensure you take some snack or drink some juice in the refreshment area.

After Blood Donation:

1. Since after blood donation your body is deficient of fluids, intake plenty of fruits or fruit juices over the next 24-48 hours.
2. Don’t perform strenuous physical activity like heavy weight lifting for at least 5-6 hours after donation. 
3. Lie down with feet elevated if you feel light headed, until you feel better.
4. If in case bleeding occurs after the bandage removal, apply pressure to the site and keep your arm raised for 3-5 minutes. If bleeding or bruising is seen under the skin, applying cold pack to the area regularly during the first 24 hours would be better. 
5. At last, enjoy the feeling which comes after donation that you might have saved as many as 3 people’s lives.

The gift of blood is the gift of life!

Medical technology has provided many life-saving discoveries but there is still no substitute for blood. In a medical emergency, the most important element is the availability of blood. The donated blood can help a variety of individuals: surgery patients, trauma victims, cancer patients, thalassemia patients, and individuals with anemia, premature babies and many more. Every year our nation requires about 5 Crore units of blood, out of which only a meager 2.5 Crore units of blood are available.

Who is eligible to Donate Blood?

Any healthy adult, both male and female, can donate blood, Men once in every three months and women every four months. The universally accepted criteria for donor selection are:

• Age between 18 and 65 years
• Hemoglobin: not less than 12.5 g/dL
• Pulse: between 50 and 100/minute with no irregularities
• Temperature: Normal (oral temperature not exceeding 37.5 DC)
• Body weight: not less than 46 Kg

What happens during blood donation?

Blood donation is a simple four-step process: registration, medical history and mini-physical, donation and refreshments.

• Your medical history is noted first
• A small sample of blood is collected to ensure you are not anemic
• The actual blood donation takes less than ten minutes

Does it hurts during blood donation?

There may be a little sting when the needle is inserted, which can be minimized by using a good quality needle but there should be no pain during the donation. The actual blood donation typically takes less than 10-12 minutes. 

How long will the body take to replenish the blood I donate?

The body will replace the blood volume (plasma) within 48 hours. It takes four to eight weeks to completely replace the red blood cells.

A healthy donor may donate red blood cells every 56 days, or double red cells every 112 days. A healthy donor may donate platelets as few as 7 days apart, but a maximum of 24 times a year.

What are the facts of blood components?

In modern medicine there is no room for whole blood. By making blood components the usage of blood can be optimized.

• Blood makes up about 7 percent of your body's weight.
• There are four types of transfusable products that can be derived from blood: red cells, platelets, plasma and cryoprecipitate. Typically, two or three of these are produced from a unit of donated whole blood – hence each donation can help save up to three lives.
• Donors can give either whole blood or specific blood components only. The process of donating specific blood components – red cells, plasma or platelets – is called apheresis.
• One transfusion dose of platelets can be obtained through one apheresis donation of platelets or by combining the platelets derived from five whole blood donations.
• Donated platelets must be used within five days of collection.
• Healthy bone marrow makes a constant supply of red cells, plasma and platelets. The body will replenish the elements given during a blood donation – some in a matter of hours and others in a matter of weeks.

Is the collected blood tested?

Yes every unit is tested for HIV (I and II) Virus (AIDS), Hepatitis B & C virus (Jaundice), Malaria parasite, Syphilis and also Blood groups.

What care should I take after donating blood?

• Eat and Drink something before leaving
• Drink more liquids than usual in next 4 hours
• Don't smoke for next 30 minutes
• Avoid strenuous work for the next 24 hours
• If there is bleeding from the phlebotomy site, raise the arm and apply pressure

What type of blood is needed the most?

O positive donors are needed more frequently than any other blood type. O positive is the most common blood type and most likely to be transfused. O negative donors are the “Universal Donor.” People with O negative blood are universal red blood cell donors.

How many people have O negative blood type?

Only 7 percent of people in the U.S. have O-negative blood type. O-negative blood type donors are universal donors as their blood can be given to people of all blood types. Type O-negative blood is needed in emergencies before the patient's blood type is known and with newborns who need blood.

How much is a pint of blood?

The average adult has about 10 pints of blood in his body. Roughly 1 pint is given during a donation. A healthy donor may donate red blood cells every 56 days, or double red cells every 112 days. A healthy donor may donate platelets as few as 7 days apart, but a maximum of 24 times a year.

What does it mean if your blood type is O positive?

If you fall into the O blood group, you have neither A nor B antigens on your red cells, but both A and B antibodies in your plasma. O positive is the most common blood type; O negative is the universal donor type, meaning those with this blood type can donate red blood cells to anybody.

So don’t wait just Donate!

Infographics: Top 7 Important Facts of HIV/AIDS

1. HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus)

Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Following initial infection, a person may not notice any symptoms or may experience a brief period of influenza-like illness.

Typically, this is followed by a prolonged period with no symptoms. As the infection progresses, it interferes more with the immune system, increasing the risk of common infections like tuberculosis, as well as other opportunistic infections, and tumors that rarely affect people who have working immune systems. These late symptoms of infection are referred to as AIDS. This stage is often also associated with weight loss.

What is HIV?

What is AIDS?

Hiv is not transmitted by:

You can get Hiv via:

What Hiv looks like:

How do you prevent Hiv/Aids:

Country with highest Hiv aids population:

Top 6 Important Facts of HIV/AIDS: Symptoms, Prevention & Treatment

 1. HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus)

Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Following initial infection, a person may not notice any symptoms or may experience a brief period of influenza-like illness. Typically, this is followed by a prolonged period with no symptoms. As the infection progresses, it interferes more with the immune system, increasing the risk of common infections like tuberculosis, as well as other opportunistic infections, and tumors that rarely affect people who have working immune systems. These late symptoms of infection are referred to as AIDS. This stage is often also associated with weight loss.

2. Requires a medical diagnosis

Within a few weeks of HIV infection, flu-like symptoms such as fever, sore throat and fatigue can occur. Then the disease is usually asymptomatic until it progresses to AIDS. AIDS symptoms include weight loss, fever or night sweats, fatigue and recurrent infections.

3. Hiv/aids Symptoms:

• Pain areas: in the abdomen
• Pain circumstances: can occur while swallowing
• Cough: can be dry
• Whole body: fatigue, fever, loss of appetite, malaise, night sweats, or sweating
• Gastrointestinal: nausea, persistent diarrhoea, vomiting, or watery diarrhoea
• Mouth: ulcers or white tongue
• Groin: sores or swelling
• Throat: difficulty swallowing or soreness
• Also common: headache, opportunistic infection, oral thrush, pneumonia, red blotches, severe unintentional weight loss, skin rash, or swollen lymph nodes

4. Treatment of hiv/aids

• Spreads by sexual contact
• Can't be cured, but treatment may help
• Chronic: can last for years or be lifelong
• Requires a medical diagnosis
• Lab tests or imaging always required

5. How HIV/AIDS spreads?

• By blood products (unclean needles or unscreened blood).
• By mother to baby by pregnancy, labor, or nursing.
• By having unprotected vaginal, anal, or oral sex.

6. How do you prevent hiv/aids?

• Use a new condom every time you have sex.
• Consider the drug Truvada.
• Tell your sexual partners if you have HIV.
• Use a clean needle.
• If you're pregnant, get medical care right away.
• Consider male circumcision.

Sources: Apollo Hospitals, avert.org and others

Adopt These 10 Tips for Healthy Pregnancy

Pregnancy care

1. Don't forget breakfast.

Try fortified ready-to-eat or cooked breakfast cereals with fruit. Fortified cereals have added nutrients, like calcium.
If you are feeling sick, start with whole wheat toast. Eat more food later in the morning.

2. Eat foods with fiber.

Choose a variety of vegetables and fruits, like carrots, cooked greens, bananas, and melon.
Eat plenty of beans and whole grains. Try brown rice or oatmeal.

3. Choose healthy snacks.

Low-fat or fat-free yogurt with fruit
Whole grain crackers with fat-free or low-fat cheese

4. Take a prenatal vitamin with iron and folic acid every day.

Iron keeps your blood healthy. Folic acid helps prevent birth defects.

5. Eat up to 12 ounces a week (2 average meals) of fish or shellfish.

A 3-ounce serving is about the size of a deck of cards.
Avoid fish and shellfish with high levels of mercury. Don't eat shark, swordfish, king mackerel,
or tile-fish.

If you eat tuna, choose canned light tuna. Albacore (white) tuna has more mercury.
Common fish that are low in mercury include shrimp, salmon, and catfish.

6. Stay away from soft cheeses and lunch meat.

Some foods may have bacteria that can hurt your baby. Don't eat:

Soft cheeses like feta, Brie, and goat cheese
Uncooked or undercooked meats or fish (like sushi)
Lunch meats and hot dogs unless they are heated until steaming hot

7. Limit caffeine and avoid alcohol.

Drink decaffeinated coffee or tea.
Drink water or seltzer instead of soda.
Don't drink alcohol.

Nutrition during pregnancy

During the early stages of pregnancy, since the placenta is not yet formed, there is no mechanism to protect the embryo from the deficiencies which may be inherent in the mother's circulation.[citation needed] Thus, it is critical that an adequate amount of nutrients and energy is consumed.

Multiple micronutrient supplements taken with iron and folic acid can improve birth outcomes for women in low income countries. These supplements reduce numbers of low birth weight babies, small for gestational age babies and stillbirths in women who may not have many micronutrients in their usual diets. Undernourished women can benefit from having dietary education sessions and, balanced energy and protein supplements.

A review showed that dietary education increased the mother’s protein intake and helped the baby grow more inside the womb. The balanced protein and energy supplement lowered risk of stillbirth and small babies and increased weight gain for both the mother and baby. Although more research is needed into the longer term effects on the mothers’ and infants’ health, the short term effects look promising.

Supplementing one's diet with foods rich in folic acid, such as oranges and dark green leafy vegetables, helps to prevent neural tube birth defects in the fetus. In addition, prenatal vitamins typically contain increased amounts of folic acid, iodine, iron, vitamin A, vitamin D, zinc, and calcium over the amounts found in standard multi-vitamins.

Zinc supplements have reduced preterm births by around 14% mainly in low income countries. The World Health Organisation does not routinely recommend zinc supplementation for pregnant women because there is not enough good quality evidence.

For women with low calcium diets, taking calcium supplementation can reduce their risk of preeclampsia. It has also been suggested that calcium can reduce numbers of births that happen before the 37th week of pregnancy (preterm birth).

Pregnant women are advised to pay attention to the foods they eat during pregnancy, such as soft cheese and certain fish, in order to reduce the risk of exposure to substances or bacteria that may be harmful to the developing fetus. This can include food pathogens and toxic food components, alcohol, and dietary supplements such as vitamin A and potentially harmful pathogens such as listeria, toxoplasmosis, and salmonella. Dietary vitamin A is obtained in two forms which contain the preformed vitamin (retinol), that can be found in some animal products such as liver and fish liver oils, and as a vitamin A precursor in the form of carotene, which can be found in many fruits and vegetables. Intake of large amounts or, conversely, a deficiency, of retinol has been linked to birth defects and abnormalities.

It is noted that a 100 g serving of liver may contain a large amount of retinol, so it is best that it is not eaten daily during pregnancy. Excessive amounts of alcohol have been proven to cause fetal alcohol syndrome. The World Health Organization recommends that alcohol should be avoided entirely during pregnancy, given the relatively unknown effects of even small amounts of alcohol during pregnancy.

Folic acid

Folic acid, which is the synthetic form of the vitamin folate, is critical both in pre-and peri-conception. Deficiencies in folic acid may cause neural tube defects; women who had 0.4 mg of folic acid in their systems due to supplementing 3 months before childbirth significantly reduced the risk of NTD within the fetus. The development of every human cell is dependent on an adequate supply of folic acid. Folic acid governs the synthesis of the precursors of DNA, which is the nucleic acid that gives each cell life and character. Folic acid deficiency results in defective cellular growth and the effects are most obvious on those tissues which grow most rapidly.

Water

During pregnancy, one's mass increases by about 12 kg. Most of this added weight (6 to 9 L) is water because the plasma volume increases, 85% of the placenta is water and the fetus itself is 70-90% water. This means that hydration is an important aspect of nutrition throughout pregnancy. The European Food Safety Authority recommends an increase of 300 mL per day compared to the normal intake for non-pregnant women, taking the total adequate water intake (from food and fluids) to 2,300 mL, or approximately 1,850 mL/ day from fluids alone

Sources: Wiki, Medicinenet.com

How Much Water Should You Intake Every Day ?

Benefits of drinking water

You have likely heard that drinking 8 glasses of water each day is a must if you’re looking to be healthy and to maintain a healthy body weight. But who came up with that number? Is there any merit to drinking that much water per day?

Do You Need To Drink More Water?

Recent research has shown that most adults are chronically dehydrated. In fact, estimates reach as high as 75% when describing how many people simply aren’t drinking enough water to optimize their health. Staying well-hydrated is especially important if you are looking to lose weight. Why?

1. Boost Your Metbolism

Your body’s metabolism cannot function at full throttle when your cells are lacking water. Your body is built to survive, and when there is a shortage of water your body copes by slowing down many internal processes that would otherwise use up plenty of energy. In other words, you stop burning as many calories as you would if you were hydrated.

2. Replace Sugary Drinks

Drinking more water generally means that you will be drinking less high-calorie-drinks. Less soda, juice, and sweetened coffees and teas is always a positive move for weight-loss.

3. Feel Full, Reduce Food Cravings

The more water you drink, the less hungry you will feel. There is actually a good likelihood that you mistake signs of dehydration for hunger – This leads to more eating even though your body doesn’t actually need those extra calories.

How Much Water Do You Need?

The 8 glasses per day is a very general rule of thumb, and can often leave you lacking even if you hit that goal. Three factors can affect the amount of water you really need: Your gender, the size of your body, and your activity level.

As you might have guessed, men need more water than women, primarily because they are larger and have more muscle mass, which consumes water more quickly than fatty tissue.

People who are physically active also need more water than those who live a sedentary lifestyle. If exercising regularly, you need to replace the fluids that you lose through sweating.

Putting It All Into Practice

Since most people drink far less water than they realize, it’s important to have “triggers” to help you remember that it’s time to drink up.

The above video mentioned one example of a water trigger (i.e. use a large pitcher and empty it each day), but there are others you can try as well.

For example, for dinner each night it is important to prepare a healthy meal that will fuel your body with the nutrients it requires. But, before you take your first bite, why not commit to drinking a full glass of water?

Even better, you can set a bottle of water beside your bed each night. When you wake up in the morning your first task can be to drink the entire bottle. This is an easy way to get a jump-start on hydrating before you do anything else in your day.

However you approach it, drinking water is crucial for maintaining a healthy body weight and staying healthy in general. So fill up your bottle right now and get drinking!

Source: blogs.naturalnews.com

15 Top Secrets of Drinking Warm Lemon Water Every Morning

How does lemon water work?

If you are looking for an easy trick to improve your life and overall health, than look no further. Drinking lemon water first thing in the morning is a pretty simple routine to get into and will have tremendous effects on your overall health.

Since I started this simple and surprisingly healthy habit a few years ago, I definitely noticed the difference. Not only does the refreshing taste wake me up in the morning, it helps to kick start digestion and finalizes my body’s natural detoxification processes… And lemons are packed with vitamin C, B, calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, enzymes, antioxidants, and fibers.

According to the Ayurvedic philosophy, choices you make regarding your daily routine either build up resistance to diseases or tear it down.

So what are you waiting for to jump start your day with this incredible easy morning routine. Its benefits are endless and I listed the 15 most important ones for you in this article.

1.    Improves Digestion

Lemon juice has a similar structure to your stomach’s juices and helps to loosen and flush out toxins from the digestive tract. Lemon juice can help ease indigestion, heartburn, and bloating. It also helps to move your bowels in the morning, hydrates your colon, stimulate bile production, and infuses water in your stool.

2.    Boost Immune System.

Lemon juice is rich in vitamin C, which helps strengthen the immunes system and fights cold and flu. But not only vitamin C is important for a good working immune system, iron is another important nutrient, and lemons improve the ability to absorb more iron from the food you eat.

3.    Hydrates Your Body

It is important to stay hydrated. Especially during the summer months. Plain water is best, but many people find this boring and are not drinking enough of it. That’s where lemon comes into play to make things more interesting. So feel free to not only start your day with lemon water, but drink as many glasses as you wish during the day to stay hydrated.

4.    Boost Energy

Lemon water gives you an instant boost of energy and improves your mood right at the start of your day.

5.    Promote Healthy And Rejuvenated Skin

Lemons are a rich sources of antioxidants that prevent free radical damage. These free radicals are responsible for pre-mature aging of your skin. Vitamin C helps to maintain your skin’s elasticity to prevent the formation of wrinkles and decrease blemishes.

6.    Reduce Inflammation

Lemons have the ability to remove uric acid from your joints. Uric acid built-ups are one of the major causes of inflammation.

7.    Weight Loss Aid

Although lemon water on its own is no weight loss miracle, it can definitely help you to achieve faster and long term results. Lemons assist in fighting hunger cravings, boost metabolism, and give you a stuffed feeling, making it less likely to snack in between meals.

8.    Alkalize Your Body

Although lemons have a sour taste, they are one of the most alkalizing food sources on Earth. Too much acids can cause inflammation, obesity, and major diseases like cancer, diabetes and Alzheimer’s. Click here to learn more about the importance of alkalizing your body.

9.    Cleansing Properties

Lemons help your entire body to flush out more toxins to prevent built-ups and damage to your cells, tissues, and organs. It stimulates your liver to produce more enzymes and work more efficiently. Lemon juice works as a diuretic to keep your urinary tract toxin-free and can also change the pH levels which discourage bacterial growth. This is very helpful for people who often suffer from UTI (urinary tract infection). And like mentioned before, lemons loosen and flush out waste from your digestive tract and cleanse your colon.

10.Antibacterial and Antiviral Properties

Lemons have antibacterial and antiviral properties. They help fight the flu, cold, and soothe a sore throat. Although people who drink their daily lemon water every day are less likely to get these in the first place.

11.Reduce Mucus And Phlegm

Lemon water helps to reduce mucus and phlegm formation. People who drink cow’s milk are often more sensitive for mucus production. So starting your day with lemon water can definitely help to lessen mucus if you’re not ready to go dairy-free.

12.Freshen Breath

Lemons freshen your breath and fight mouth bacteria. Although lemons are great for your overall oral health, avoid drinking or using it undiluted. The citric acid can erode tooth enamel, so don’t brush your teeth with it, but have a glass of lemon water instead.

13.Boost Brain Power

The high levels of potassium and magnesium show beneficial effects on our brain and nerve health. Lemon water can give you the boost you need to fight depression and stress. It creates mental clarity and more focus, making it a great drink for students or people with busy and stressful jobs.

14.Anti-cancer

Lemon’s antioxidants not only protect your skin from ageing, but also reduce the risk of several types of cancer. They are great in neutralizing acids as well. Cancer loves to grow in an acidic environment. Alkalizing your body may stop cancer cells to grow and may reduce the risk of getting cancer in the first place.

15.Get Of Caffeine

Many people are able to get off caffeine by replacing their morning coffee by lukewarm lemon water. It gives a similar energy boost to wake your body and boost energy as one cup of coffee would.

How to Prepare Lemon Water

Making lemon water is super simple. It takes less than 5 minutes of your precious morning time. Just squeeze half a lemon in lukewarm water. If you weigh more than 150 pounds, use a whole lemon.

Why use lukewarm (or room temperature) instead of cold or hot water to make this healing morning drink? Well, hot or cold water takes more energy to process, so your first glass in the morning should be lukewarm or at room temperature to slowly wake your body and kick start digestion.

If you love the taste feel free to add more lemon water to your diet during the rest of the day, cold or hot. It adds up to your daily water need, is less boring than plain water, and adds tons of benefits for body and mind.

Source: blogs.naturalnews.com

Top 6 Evidence-based Health Benefits of Pomegranate -

Are pomegranates healthy?

If you want to consume one of the healthiest fruits on the earth, it’s pomegranates as they comprise a range of beneficial plant compounds, incomparable by other foods.

As per some studies, pomegranates offer incredible benefits to your body and have the ability to lower the risk of all sorts of diseases.

Here are 12 evidence-based health benefits of eating pomegranates -

1. Pomegranates Contain Loads of Important Nutrients -

Also called as Punica granatum, the pomegranate is a shrub that producing a red fruit. It’s categorized as a berry, it measures about 5-12 cm (2-5 inches) in diameter, round in shape and looks kind of like a red apple with a flower-shaped stem. Though the skin of the fruit is thick and inedible the inside of it comprises of hundreds of edible seeds called arils.  Arils are eaten by people, either raw or processed into juice.

Pomegranates have an impressive nutrient profile:

One cup of arils (174 grams) comprise of:

Fiber: 7 grams.

Protein: 3 grams.

Vitamin C: 30% of the RDA.

Vitamin K: 36% of the RDA.

Folate: 16% of the RDA.

Potassium: 12% of the RDA.

Being sweet in taste, one cup of arils contains 24 grams of sugar and 144 calories.

2. Pomegranates Contain Two Plant Compounds With Powerful Medicinal Properties

There are two unique substances in pomegranates that are responsible for most of their health benefits.

Punicalagins

Found in the juice and peel of a pomegranate, Punicalagins are extremely powerful antioxidants. They are so powerful that pomegranate juice has been found to have three times the antioxidant activity of red wine and green tea. The extract and powder of a pomegranate is typically made from the peel, due to its high antioxidant and punicalagin content.

Punicic Acid

Also known as pomegranate seed oil, Punicic acid is the main fatty acid in the arils. It is categorized under conjugated linoleic acid with potent biological effects.

3. Pomegranate Has Impressive Anti-Inflammatory Effects

One of the leading drivers of many killer diseases is the chronic inflammation including heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease and even obesity. The potent anti-inflammatory properties of a pomegranate are largely mediated by the antioxidant properties of the punicalagins.

As per some lab tests, it’s been shown that it can reduce inflammatory activity in the digestive tract, as well as in breast cancer and colon cancer cells. Additionally, some study in diabetics, found that 250 ml of pomegranate juice per day for 12 weeks decreases the inflammatory markers CRP and interleukin-6 by 32% and 30%, respectively.

4. Pomegranate May Help Fight Prostate Cancer

One of the most common type of cancer in men is the Prostate cancer. Results of the laboratory studies show that pomegranate extract can slow down cancer cell reproduction and even encourage apoptosis (cell death) in cancer cells. In prostate cancer, the PSA (prostate specific antigen) is a blood marker. If the PSA levels double in a short period of time in men, they are at high risks of death from prostate cancer.

One more interesting fact about a human study found that 237 ml (8 oz) of pomegranate juice per day increased the PSA doubling time from 15 months to 54 months, which is huge. A follow-up study also resulted into similar improvements using a type of pomegranate extract called POMx.

5. Pomegranate May Also be Useful Against Breast Cancer

The most common type of cancer in women is breast cancer. The extract of pomegranate has shown to prevent reproduction of breast cancer cells and might even kill some of them. However, this is currently limited to laboratory studies and so, more research is needed for proven results.

6. Pomegranate May Lower Blood Pressure

One of the leading drivers of heart attacks and strokes is high blood pressure or hypertension. According to one study, people having high blood pressure had a significant decrease after consuming 150 ml (5 oz) of pomegranate juice daily for 2 weeks.

Other studies also had proven similar results, especially for systolic blood pressure (the higher number in a blood pressure reading).