Happy New Year & Wish you Wellness !!!!

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Splitting Headaches and Migraines - Cause & Cure

It was quite annoying every time my head would ache when I was little and it would only be on the right side of my forehead or sometimes the right side of the head. Over a period of time of course the head ache stopped and rarely ever occurred. However the headaches weren't as a repercussion to something I did like lack of sleep or food but it would come out in the open from nowhere. Today as I understand better it felt right to share the basics of how a headache originates and how we can prevent or cure it with food rather than the analgesics we are often prescribed.


Is Headache = Brain ache ? - No. The brain cannot ache because it does not have pain receptors but the surrounding of the brain like meninges, neck muscles, nerves in the neck, etc can cause the headache to occur as the receptors in these regions called "Nociceptors". Several areas of the head and neck have these pain-sensitive structures, which are divided in two categories such as within the cranium - area of skull that houses the brain part, (blood vessels,meninges, and the cranial nerves) and outside the cranium (the periosteum of the skull,muscles, nerves, arteries and veins, subcutaneous tissues, eyes, ears, sinuses and mucous membranes). 

Types of headaches & Causes - Headaches occur in different regions of the head & neck. Cluster headaches, Migraines, Tension, Sinus are the classification based on the region of the headache. The International Headache Society classifies the headaches as primary headaches which include  migraines, tension-types headaches, cluster headache and other trigeminal (cranial nerve) autonomic cephalalgias. Headaches due to stabbing, cough, exertion and sexual activity are classified as primary headaches. The secondary headaches are those caused by an underlying problem like injury or trauma to head or neck, intracranial hematoma, intracranial fluid imbalance, hemorrhage, post head surgery, stroke, transient ischemic attack (mini stroke), vascular disorders, cerebral venous thrombosis. Some other secondary headaches are due to intracranial disorders that are not vascular like low or high pressure of the cerebrospinal fluid pressure, non-infectious inflammatory disease, intracranial neoplasm, epileptic seizure or other types of disorders or diseases that are intracranial but that are not associated with the vasculature of the central nervous system. Headaches caused by dialysis, high blood pressure, hypothyroidism, and cephalalgia and even fasting are considered secondary headaches. Headache are mainly caused due to traction or irritation of the meninges and blood vessels. The nociceptors in the surrounding area of brain may also be stimulated by other factors than head trauma or tumors and cause headaches. Some of these include stress, dilated blood vessels and muscular tension. Once stimulated, a nociceptor sends a message up the length of the nerve fiber to the nerve cells in the brain, signaling that a part of the body hurts. 


What happens next ? - Endorphin the happiness hormone plays a key role in the headache or rather preventing it. It has been noted through studies that those who have consistent high levels of endorphin in their blood have lesser occurance of headache than those with lower endorphins. People who suffer from chronic headaches or severe headaches have lower levels of endorphins compared to people who do not complain of headaches. The underlying cause and physiology of primary headaches are very vague and yet widely understood like those of migraines which is characterized by pulsating pain on one side of the head with a visual disturbance, nausea, and sense of smell this is known as the 'Aura', however some people who have migraine do not experience aura while the headache persists. It is also thought that the migraine is a result of the rebound to dilatation of the blood vessel. Many headaches that are primary in nature are caused as a result of blood vessel dilatation or sudden imbalance in the blood flow to the head region. 


Saving a Headache / Migraine - Natural remedies work as well as analgesics for headaches. The best known headache prevention is ample of fluids & exercise regularly. Migraines have to be treated with more regularity than when they inflict themselves on us. The vasodilation that enlarges the blood vessels in the head region stimulates the nerve endings surrounding the brain which in turn stimulates the sympathetic nervous system. Sympathetic nervous system stimulation causes stress and pain which is due to the response to flight, fight and fright. This gives sensitivity ot light and sound, slows gastric emptying into the intestine, slows the blood circulation. The best thing to do for treating a migraine is to devoid the body of any stimulant such as sound, light, caffeine, smoking, nicotine substance, spices, herbs that stimulate senses of smell and taste. Grape juice is a very good cure for migraine as well as beetroot juice mixed in cucumber juice and carrot juice, spinach and carrot juice of equal quantity mixed together helps curing it too. Lemon crust paste applied to the forehead during the headache helps ease it as well. Condiments, sauces and gravies should be avoided. Sleep and regular fluid intake of cold water helps quicker. Similarly for a tension type or cluster headache sleep without any stimulation to the nervous system like sound and light with plenty of plain cold water or vegetables juices gives instant relief. Secondary headaches need to be treated differently as their main cause should be treated first to get rid of the headache. 


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Merry Christmas and Wish you Wellness !!!

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays !!!

Wish you wellness. 

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Treatment for Fatty Liver Disease without Alcohol

Previously I shared with you about the alcoholic fatty liver disease where the patient consumes more than 30 ml of alcohol per day. However the dynamics of the disease are also seen without any consumption of alcohol but have similar role as alcohol would have on the liver and that is an erratic lifestyle. Non alcoholic fatty liver disease is mostly observed in Indian men as well as some Asian genome as per a study done in New Haven, Connecticut.
How does an erratic lifestyle cause liver to become fatty again is the mystery but it all boils down to the same old story of a healthy lifestyle and yes genetics too has a role in it. Let us discover and unravel this face of the disease today.
Causes of Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease:
Insulin Resistance - The mother of all harm is also the reason why non alcoholic fatty liver disease occurs. Insulin resistance is the resistance by our cells to the hormone insulin due to the excessive presence of fat and free radical damage done to the cells due to stress. This also invariably causes non genetic diabetes of adult onset wherein the insulin secreted is not able to activate due to the receptors on the cells being damaged. This affects the metabolism of carbohydrates and fat which affects the liver ultimately.

Free Radical Damage - Once you have a lifestyle thats overt and out of order be assured you will be under immense and long term stress which will evolve into a viscous cycle of free radical damage to the body one day or another. By getting a non alcoholic liver disease is the last nail in the proverbial good health coffin. Free radical damage stems from wrong food habits, substance abuse or pollution and also mental stress. This leads to a lot of stress on the one organ that is meant to remove stress like that of drugs, substances, chemicals etc and if it is under a disease you need emergency professional intervention. Free radicals are no less than a atomic chain reaction within our body it is responsible for ageing, degeneration of brain cells, heart, food pipe, prostate gland and causing diabetes.

Excessive erratic weight loss - Sometimes people do go over the top losing weight and if they are overweight losing excessive weight in too less a time can prove to be hazardous. Certain cases tend to show this liver disease.
All in all the causes have one thing in common imbalance and disturbance of metabolism of fat which leads to fatty liver disease as discussed previously.

Treatment - Nothing heals a liver more than taking away the root cause of the problem. Liver diseases are to be healed by a well calculated diet plan which should vary as per the prognosis. What is mostly forgotten is that unlike alcoholic fatty liver disease the problem here is that of overall unhealthy lifestyle which needs to be addressed first and insulin resistance needs immediate attention. erratic lifestyle habits of untimely meals, frequent high fat or high sugar or high sodium food, smoking or alcohol use everyday, any other substance abuse like drugs, lack of exercise, disturbed sleep patterns, mental stress and physical as well. Many that I know of take a very blatantly just stop eating fat, opt for boiled veggies or steamed food, and of course no salt for like a month and declare they feel better because the bile test levels are normal. Voila! there you have it no need for any professional help. How convenient to not check if the fat metabolism and carbohydrate metabolism has returned to normal, liver is detoxifying, breaking down protein well, vitamin storage and supplement is done well. Almost everything we eat has to pass the liver at some point for metabolism and compromising its health just for our convenience isn't the solution that will help. Protein and fat are the most hit metabolisms and intake of these above a certain level won't serve well for its recovery. In addition not supplying the body vitamins that are otherwise stored in the liver like A, E and D as well. Boiled food fr months isn't the real solution because the entire course of prognosis could be reversed or relapsed into the same cycle if not handled carefully. A well planned and customized diet plan with variables to suffice the current nutrition and liver healing is a must have. Whilst the liver battles out its ill health and restores on the diet consumption of potent liver cells harming drugs should be avoided, chemicals in food should be stopped, strictly home cooked food should be consumed, preservatives of any nature should be avoided in food. Once the liver reaches a stage where recommended daily allowances of all nutrients can be consumed a plan of daily routine should be charted out to ensure no relapse due to faulty lifestyle.

This should get some light into the mystery of how a liver disease of this nature be cured for good and for more help on the matter please do visit the wellness programs suited for your customized lifestyle or at consultation@wellnessandi.com

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Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease & Nutrition Therapy

This isn't one of the most seen diseases in a population as a whole but yes I do owe the foundation of my career and nutrition counselling skills to this one disease. During my stint in hospitals I would have probably treated more fatty liver cases next to diabetes and heart disease itself and its quite bewildering to me as well. So while I retrospect on it, let me share with you some of the crucial must know facts about this disease and how it can become into a hedge maze if you don't follow the right path.


How does the liver get fat ? - The process is called 'steatosis' which means abnormal deposition of fat inside a cell. Small vacuoles of triglycerides are formed in the hepatocytes (liver cells) which may also accompany inflammation of liver or as commonly known hepatitis. This fatty deposition occurs when the energy or fat metabolism is disturbed or imbalanced so as to not break down fat properly. It can also be caused due to the fat metabolism hormone receptor being impaired or inhibited. Alcohol is metabolized by alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) into highly toxic acetaldehyde, then further metabolized by aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) into acetic acid which is oxidized into Carbon Dioxide (CO2) and water. Alcohol harms the mitochondria and other cellular processes. The mitochondria is the power house of the cell which generates energy and orchestrates metabolism inside the cell thereby the energy metabolism gets impaired. fat vacuoles are small in the early stages which do not cause any displacement of the cell's nucleus position, later stages the fat vacuoles contain more fat and grows larger in size causing obvious pushing of the nucleus to the periphery of the cell thus disrupting it. However as the disease progresses the fat vacuoles can coalesce to form fat cysts which are more irreversible lesions and can damage the liver cells for good.

Complications of AFLD - When the liver is laden with fatty tissue or even fat cysts it can also get inflammed to an extent where hepatitis can ocur. This condition is more severe and harmful to the body. In this stage the hepatocyte can balloon up or undergo necrosis (die). As the hepatocytes necrose and the liver scars the blood vessles in hte liver become narrow leading to increased pressure in hte blood entering the liver (portal hypertension). The veins need to develop collaterally and thus form a network of collateral portal veins which are fragile and can easily rupture causing bleeding or varices. Varices can lead emergency situation of internal bleeding. The increased blood pressure creates backlog of the blood which the veins try and match up with the collateral system but it doesn't prove enough. This leads to excess body fluids retention in the abdominal area in the peritonial cavity (abdominal wall cavity) and is termed as 'Ascites'. Ascites puts pressure on the diaphragm making breathing laboured. The later stages of alcoholic fatty liver disease leads to toxic substances ammonia as protein isn't metabolized well and can cause disorientation and loss of brain activity leading to sudden death.


Therapy and Care - The liver has main functions of detoxification, fat metabolism and protein metabolism which suffers during any liver disease. Therefore the diet that is administered should make sure the protein, fat and other substances are calculated as per the disease stage after liver function test. The medium chain fatty acids bypass liver and enter directly to be metabolized in the intestine therefore these are good substitutes for fat in the diet. Easily digested peptides and amino acids in the diet should be given rather than the usual protein foods. Protein and fat percentage in the diet should be as low as possible depending upon the stage of the disease and can be modified as the therapy and healing progresses. Liver is the only regenerative organ of our body and it needs ample of simple sugar to do so in order to heal itself back to original health therefore glucose is the best remedy as well as soft fruits and organic home made fruit jellies. Since the ascites is due to water backlog the fluid administration should be measured as per urine quantity daily and fluid drainage done at the health care center or hospital. Excess fluids can also become fatal. the liver is highly susceptible to any kind of infection or toxicity in this disease therefore a complete avoidance of processed, canned or outside food should be the mantra. fat soluble vitamins like A,D and E cannot be administered as their normal doses as they are stored in the liver but can be given in reduced amounts. Potassium and sodium content needs to be measured as it influences the water retention and blood pressure. The liver is in dire need of antioxidants like Vitamin B, C and minerals to heal the stress it suffers and more of fruits that are easily digested and chewed (preferentially soft) should be eaten in merrily. Complete abstinence of alcohol and drugs like paracetamol should be observed. The patient should be under thorough medical care and observation with a total bed rest for couple of months.


If you would like to know more about a disease & its treatment please do write to me at contact@wellnessandi.com and I shall be happy to share with you. For more on custom made personalized wellness management please see our wellness programs offered.

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30 days to slip into New Year Eve Dress

Thanksgiving left overs are now over and done with. Lose that festive weight .....

 Take a weight loss challenge with our Fat Loss Program to slip into your favorite New Year Eve Dress. Waltz into the new decade with a healthy New YOU by regular live video counseling, ebook, fitness videos and motivational counseling to maintain a steady wellbeing through life. Get your own personal wellness coach to be with you whenever, wherever by a click of an appointment. No barriers of geography or time zones will stop you to connect live with your very own personal lifestyle coach.

Contact on mailer details above or email us at consultation@wellnessandi.com

Wish you wellness.

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Is drinking water before a meal bad for digestion?

How many times have you been asked or told this while discussing the usual health tips amongst your friends, family or colleagues. I know so many people personally who defend this theory like they know the inside of a human gastrointestinal tract better than itself. The reason behind this theory is that 200 ml of water dilutes 1 liter gastric juices and acidity therefore it doesn't help normal digestion infact it dilutes or causes harm. Let us find out today if this theory has relevance or it is yet another theory amongst many such cases that we've been discussing.

pH of Stomach - Just off the mind let me remind you that the acidity counted in pH is between 0 to 7 and anything above or equal to 7 is considered alkaline or simply not acidic at all. Water has a neutral pH of 7 and blood has a pH of 7.3. The pH of our gastric juices is 2 which is extremely acidic on a scale of acidity. So lets understand what really happens either before we ingest a single morsel of food and while eating our meal. Gastric juices is comprised of Hydrochloric acid (HCl), pepsinogen and mucus which is secreted once the hormone gastrin is secreted by the presence of food or protein in food. The acid does not physically digest the food it only provides the pH for the enzyme pepsin to denature or breakdown the protein chain. Now almost a liter of pH 2 HCl needs a sufficient quantity of water to neutralise or increase the pH.

How much harm can a glass of water do? - Honestly depends how big is your 1 glass. If it is 200 ml standard glass and you consume it over the whole meal with some sips not gulps, then it doesn't affect at all since the pH change from 2 to 3 needs a good amount of a neutral or alkaline substance. Of course food and its pH matters too and nobody ever considers that while spreading a myth however point is you can have a glass over the entire length of the meal and not concentrated at a given point alone. Besides we eat our meal for enjoying it not to drown our appetite with water, now do we? Hosing down your stomach with a glass of water entirely just before eating could of course spoil your appetite and also mildly increase the pH.

Moral of the story - You may drink water while having your meal. Since it can't do much harm with a little over 1.5 pint of gastric juice every meal. However do not load water more than a glass while eating but can do so after ingesting the whole meal. Infact some amount of water will help bulk the fiber content in the intestine and provide better motility.

For further information visit Wellness & I and get your personalized lifestyle plan. 

Wish you wellness.

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Lemon Juice in warm water help Weight Loss ?

I am always hounded with so many myths floating around weight loss and its secrets, so I decided to put an end to one of the most annoying yet popular tips to weight loss and that is drinking lemon juice in warm water early morning to burn fat in the body. If you are one those who practise it and believe that this figuratively burns the fat read closely to the real reason behind it.

Firstly you are waking up from slumber when you have this cup of warm water and lemon juice which means your body is awakened by the tangy taste of lemon. Lemon and water especially warm water is a gastrointestinal function mover. The concoction helps in bowel movements, which is invariably helpful for proper excretion and also helps in future digestion since it avoids bloating, pain, diarrhea, constipation. It helps to stimulate the gastrointestinal tract to function normally by stimulating adequate motility and thus completing digestion. Good digestion is the key to most metabolic basic needs to kick start each day. A good metabolism ensures faster breakdown of energy or fat stores. We all are aware that metabolism kicking is the most important aspect of weight loss which is based on great digestion of food without any hiccups of bowel movements that leads to unnecessary weight retention in form of fluid, gas or solids.

Well all one needs to get a healthy and easy weight loss is to keep your basics clear and rooted. Lemon in warm water or any of the tips are not solely or entirely going to aid in weight loss or fat burning as they might have told you. If the body which takes time to fatten up would have lost weight so easily it would be extremely hazardous for us. You must thank your body it takes a while to lose the weight or the repercussions aren't pleasant to watch. Hopefully I have demystified some myth about everyday weight loss and if you truly need to lose the excess baggage you can do so without any barrier of time, distance yet have a custom made plan for you with personalized counseling online at Wellness & I.

Wish you wellness.

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Have you lost weight with only Exercise & No "DIET" ?

  

So are you one of those many people who proudly boast about how they lost oodles of weight by just exercising and not restricting themselves of all the goodies in food? Well unfortunately this post will burst that happy bubble you've lived in so far.

Lets unravel the whole Non restricting Diet concept shall we?

Is it all about your calorie intake really? - When people say " I eat whatever I want to but I make sure I burn it out with exercise" who are they kidding ? If only the body needed calories and used calories we'd be living on alcohol, candy  or sugar syrup all our lives and no harm would be done so long as we exercise it out. The fundamental principle of energy in = energy out is a must to maintain your ideal body weight however we have a human body and mind to run here and it ain't no calorie counter alone. Our body essentially converts one form of energy into another and whatever it can't, it stores up as fat. Now having said that it completely depends on our food to provide it with essential nutrients it cannot produce on its own like peptides, amino acids, fatty acids, certain saccharides (carbohydrate molecules), antioxidants like vitamins, minerals, acids, and many more. These are essential not only because the body cannot produce it, but also because these are molecules that are used for building, strengthening, repairing, rejuvenating, flushing out toxins, fighting pollution or any harmful agents externally/ internally. If you do not focus on providing these to your body, well it has no choice but to show you the ugly picture eventually. By eating excess fat, sugar, preservatives, not organically fished or produced sea food, meat, milk, dairy or eggs you are bringing in more pollutants to your body than you could naturally possess. Make no mistake these pollutants are the root cause of all our diseases apart from high fat/ sugar diets we consume.

Are you being fooled?  So what really happens when they lose weight ? Sure enough they at first like everyone who loses weight undergo water loss in the first 2-3 weeks because it takes the body a month to acclimatize to the amount of energy lost each day due to exercise and therefore also a week or two for accommodating water loss due to dehydration . Yes some amount of fat loss does occur but it won't be a steadily declining one since the intake of energy isn't going down or remaining constant either. What you often see as a weight loss is nothing but fluctuating water content in the body and some amount of fat loss. What you don't notice in these cases is the exhaustion the body has to be put under due to not good nutrition and a lot of exercise. Most of the times these people are so aware of their bad eating habits that they exercise over an hour everyday without a weekly break of 48 hours. This sends the body to plateau and exhaustion since it doesn't get enough nutrients to repair and rejuvenate after the exercise instead it gets the same food as it did before which is devoid of nutrients due to the way of cooking. One of the two is happening here either you are fooling your body or your body is fooling you. In the long run nothing constructive comes out.

Nutrients Missing in Food - When people are on a non - restrictive diet they usually take leisure in their food and don't pay attention to how it was cooked. In a restrictive diet specific for weight loss or otherwise only the bad stuff is restricted but not completely avoided and is self taken care of the correct amount of micro nutrients as well as macro nutrients. While eating all you want and exercising later lets you munch through all the wrong varieties like deep fried, sugar coated, salty, preserved or canned, buttered or cheese laden, you name it and you have it. Like in my previous posts I have repeatedly mentioned that anything with excess fat will run into trouble while getting absorbed in the intestine. Similarly excess of anything that will not allow bio-availability (available for absorption) of nutrients like protein, vitamins, minerals is doing you no good to eat it. It isn't only important to eat in limits of calories but also what is available in the form of nutrients to your body. Losing and gaining weight depends on how healthy your body is overall not just what shows on the scale. There are many people who are fooled by the thought and idea that since one loves food the only way out to a healthy lifestyle is burn it out but if only it were this simple many people like me would be out of work. If you need proper customized plan for your lifestyle to take care of your health needs do take a free trial consultation over live video / voice chat or discover the Online Wellness Programs.

Wish you wellness.

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Lose the flab on Abs without crunches

Lets face it for once, you can hide it, deny it but you can never escape the fact from yourself that like everyone you'd also like to be a proud possessor of those fab abs without folding them in any exercise form. Is it true that you can have a lean physique without doing a single crunch? If you have seen any of my pictures or sneak preview of my fitness videos on Wellness & I you'd know that I am lean and my workout does not include any crunches session. I do advice it as a part of exercise routine for core strength, but if you are one of those who hate crunches exercise in order to cut into great looking abs you are in luck. Today we'll explore what is our core strength all about and how can we bypass crunches and get into alternative form of workout to get fab abs if not 6 pack.

The Abdominals - This is that portion of the body which covers the most delicate of organs that are not protected by the human skeleton. These organs are therefore protected by the abdominal wall and muscles which help in the lateral and forward flexion of the spine as well as its rotation. Abdominal muscles are also the reason our back is supported and has a correct posture. Transversus abdominis, obliques, rectus abdominis, pyramidalis are muscles of the abdomen. For those who refer to abs as the famous 6 pack the muscle is rectus abdominis and is the most superficial muscle in the abdomen. The transversus abdominis is the deepest muscle and it lies between the inner obliques therefore cannot be felt by hand on the outside and so are the inner obliques. The transversus abdominis and internal obliques help the spine in its rotation and lateral flexion and affect the posture to a great extent. The external obliques are superficial but have equal role same as the internal obliques. The back muscles and their pain and injury is dependent on these muscles and their strength. Also the spine and its movement and overall body flexibility.

Fat Burning - If your core strength area which literally is the fulcrum of the fact if you'd be able to stand and sit upright is laden with fat what do you think will be the outcome? Firstly the cells of muscles and other tissue would be deprived of complete nutrition and energy due to excessive deposition of fat on it. Any cell that has excess fat deposition suffers period! The muscle group is small and therefore cannot be too worked out to burn fat and thus it will take a longer time to lose fat on the abdominals. The fat on the abdomen is also taken up as an energy source to breakdown by the nearest large muscle group i.e. the femoral and gluteal aka thigh and buttocks. In order to burn fat on the abdomen one needs to workout the lower body muscle group as much. Most people do not tend to work them out as needed and concentrate only in the abs area which leads to stiffness and spasm or even back injury. The more the fat on the abdominal area the more longer it will take to burn and equal amount of leg workout needed.

Core Strength Exercise - Now comes the part where core strength exercise needed to lose the flab on your abs does not involve a single crunch. Crunches are exercise where in the upper, mid or lower abdominal region is flexed. To get the same or more effective result we can do many other exercises that excludes crunches and involves more legs, medicine ball, resistance tubes. The plank, bridge, reverse crunch, floor cycling on your back, leg extension, free squats, oblique resistance are just some of the exercises one can incorporate in your regime to lose flabby abs. Core strength is your ultimate motive for gaining fab abs because no good loking abs will help you if they are weak. Core strength also must be done with back strengthening exercises which enables the entire core area to gain flexibility, strength and hence support to the body. Back injuries due to weak abdominals and back muscles are solely responsible debilitated life after or inability to due any form of exercise and thus become obese. Exercises like swimming, volley ball, cycling, hiking, rock climbing are also beneficial to get great looking abs without crunches. Also people with slip discs who are forbidden from bending their posture forward can incorporate safer forms of exercises for their abdominals.

If you wish to learn step by step each form of exercise in your routine while maintaining your diet the fitness training videos at Wellness & I programs will show you how along with regular personalized diet and lifestyle counseling. If you wish to start take a free trial consultation.

Wish you wellness.

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Diwali Festive Wellness Offer

Book your Free Consultation Appointment now to discover a customized wellness program only for you.

Wish you wellness.

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Effects of Estrogen on Woman's Health - Angels and Demons

There are things in life that save us from every little danger like a guardian angel looking over us and never letting us feel insecure. But when the angel sets to flicker with the wind the demons don't wait to descend. God made sure there shouldn't exist anything more beautiful than a woman but he also made sure she is tortured through it all and needless to say people around her. But all that can be brought under fair amount of control if females from age 15 to 50 understand what really goes underneath the beauty they behold within. Estrogen can be quite a blessing for a young girl and also the woman but take away a little or fluctuate it in blood stream and hell hath no fury like a troubled woman. So what is the secret of estrogen's effect on women's health and why take away something so blissful ? Let us discover........

Angel Eyed Estrogen - As it can protect a woman's heart from any kind of an attack or disease it can also give her more lean shape around the waist, keep her metabolic rate high, along with androgens keeps her sexual arousal going, and her appetite for food and sex steady. It helps in skin care, prevents the bones to lose calcium into the blood stream. It does however increase fat stores but not allow obesity. It also helps in protein synthesis and especially those that are binding proteins helpful to connect or prohibit excess of hormones or enzymes or cellular agents.It is also responsible to increase your immunity to diseases, increase coagulation agents and decrease antithrombin agent. Estrogen protects your heart in a way that it maintains vascular tissue and increases HDL cholesterol (good) and helps keep under control the LDL cholesterol (bad) and thus you never see a woman suffering from heart problems except for a heartbreaks until menopause hits. Estrogen also helps the female body balance fluid retention and electrolytes thereby you see swollen ankles and hands when there is slight change in the estrogen levels even in younger females. It maintains gastric health by reducing motility and allowing the food to be absorbed well and increasing the cholesterol in bile, the enzyme that breaks down fat in the food we consume.
The most important effect of estrogen is the one that prevents all hell to break loose in the brain and thereby outside. Estrogen is the key factor in the brain function of a woman. It is part of the brain’s signaling system. Studies have shown that estrogen helps direct blood to parts of the brain that are more active. The idea that female hormones are needed for the brain to work well is backed up by reports that some have more memory problems after menopause. Apart from all these it also helps in lung function support its units.

Demons of estrogen dwindling in Menopause - If estrogen is responsible for more than half the female's body function the fact that it is taken away after 45 - 50 years just because reproductive mechanism stops as the ovary stops ovulating. But so much for not ovulating the world around each menopausal woman suffers this estrogen withdrawal and how. Firstly the thermostat of the body is shaky and there are gushes of heat inside that makes the woman feel irritated. Add to that is the misery that tops all miseries the brain gets anxious, obsessive, compulsive and is troubled with fears, doubts, non existent crisis which leads to bouts of depression and agitation. These of course are mildly termed as mood swings but the real life terrors are something we all go through once our mothers or wives or sisters or girlfriends are even near this phase of life. Withdrawals to estrogen was also seen as OCD in some research studies which may exhaust them into mild to severe depression or unprovoked arguments and agitations with loved ones. Aromatase deficiency is ultimately suspected which is involved in the synthesis of estrogen in humans and has therapeutic implications in humans having obsessive-compulsive disorder. Beyond the mental illness women suffer heart disease post 55 years, they lose great amount of bone calcium resulting in osteoporosis and multiple bone fractures of hip, spine and legs. This is very debilitating physically than the mental health. The withdrawal also leads to fat deposition around abdomen and further loss of strength and zest due to slowing down of metabolism. Lethargy is very common in menopausal women and so is water retention and sodium imbalance, vaginal dryness and irritation. Sexual drive is lost and so is uterine muscular tissue.

What can be done to reduce this mess in life ? Firstly all females from the age of 20 should be a great fan of resistance training as it is the only way they can achieve happiness hormonally by endorphin and balance in other hormones plus weight maintainance. Secondly in their 30's females should consume a hormonal balance formula which contains wild oats, netties, ginseng, saw palmetto but from a authorized store only under prescription. These formulas are made up of herbs and have shown great impact in men and women to balance hormones in 30's to lead a normal and healthy life. When menopause is nearing around mid 40's I urge all females to get your estrogen levels checked and get either estrogen replacement therapy or medication for same to replace it. Unless you intend to wreck a havoc in your personal life for no apparent reason or inflame an already sensitive situation which does cause a lot of irrevocable hurt in your loved one's life please get yourself diet and exercise therapy and medical help.


A woman is best known for her smile and her sensibilities why challenge that theory and make a mess of your 10 years in life when you can control it. Make life as easy as it should be to be happy because you deserve it. For menopause & osteoporosis management you can take a free trial consultation by registering your appointment.


Wish you wellness.

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Importance of healthy liver

Very rarely do we keep this one vital organ in our radar of good health and more than any other organ except kidney our entire body thrives on its good health. Liver mostly our source to secrete bile an enzyme that breaks down fat in the food we ingest. But liver has more functions than one can imagine and it is also the grave yard of our blood cells. One of the key functions of our liver is protein metabolism, vitamin metabolism and storage, mineral metabolism and storage, glucose chain synthesis and storage and fat metabolism. Detoxification of the body and blood is one of the results of these functions. Keeping the liver healthy is keeping the entire body healthy. Your liver will always showcase how unhealthy or stressed your body really is even if you don’t see it outwardly or the other blood parameters are masked.

A healthy liver will never have fatty deposits like it’s loaded with blobs of fat neither will it have stocks of clogged toxins like our drug chemicals, food preservatives, additives, coloring agents, food substitutes etc. Liver was designed to breakdown protein and then help body build up its biomolecules, breakdown fat into fatty acids and further into triglycerides and lipoproteins. It is well equipped to store fat soluble vitamins like Vitamin A, D and E while also metabolizing them for the body. Minerals such as zinc, selenium, copper etc are also broken down from food and metabolized by the liver. When the liver isn't receiving organic, fresh and well cooked food it is not going to function in its best way after repeated abuses. Alcohol and smoke are the most common substances that cause problems for the liver functioning as the particulate matter from the smoke and other polluting molecules once pass the lungs can harm the liver by depositing in it. The liver cannot get rid of many such pollutants as it cannot process alcohol beyond a limit. 

To make sure you detoxify your liver you can incorporate herbs, condiments and fresh fruits and vegetables that contain polyphenols, vitamins that can wash out the toxins in the liver and thereby the body. Make sure you ingest raw vegetables everyday as much as raw fruits as it is one of th best medicines to detox your liver and of course nutmeg has also been seen to detoxify liver. Liver is the primary organ which supplies our body the biomolecules it needs to strengthen, repair and discard if our supply and trash can is over loaded with trash itself it won't do us any good now can it ? Get on a diet that will not only help your overall goals for the body but also take care of these minute yet significant details of the body's normal functioning. To do so you may sign up with a customized wellness program or even get your free trial consultation. 

Wish you wellness. 

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Post Exercise Diet – 45 minutes or less

Exercise is such an integral part of our lifestyle and mostly people take it as some burden rather than any other daily activity to have fun. But what becomes criminal for those who do exercise regularly is that they forget to eat the right kinds of nutrients after their workout. Your post workout diet is like a key factor if your body fat would burn and muscles would be energized or your body fat wouldn’t burn fast enough and your muscles wouldn’t be energized. I intend to make this fact crystal clear in your system once and for all.

Mechanism of your workout – When you begin any form of exercise it takes your body 10 – 15 min to warm up and by doing so its circulation speeds up, metabolic rate increases, heart rate increases, depth of breathing increases, vasodilatation occurs to accommodate the increased blood flow. Blood glucose is taken up in the cells much quicker than usual. At the peak of any exercise the body uses the muscle glycogen if the glucose in the blood is exhausted due to poor nutrition pre workout. Glycogen is a chain of glucose molecules which is stored in the body for precisely such situations of energy source depletion or starvation. Nevertheless the body fat although begins to burn only towards the end of the exercise and mostly post workout as the body would always prefer to spare protein and glycogen, but since fat takes a longer time to burn completely it needs to initiate the glycogen breakdown sooner until the stored fat breakdown begins. By the time your workout is through the body muscles have also had depletion of energy and breakdown of some protein while continuous exercise. At this point the body also faces immediate rehydration, fuelling to replenish the worn out muscles by shunting the blood circulation in the areas where the body has had rigorous training.

Why 45 minutes? – Within the first 45 minutes of ending your exercise whatever you eat or drink is directed towards your worked up muscles for repair and rejuvenation. This helps the muscle groups energize and get back to storing their depleted glycogen stores not to mention they also trigger fat catabolism after being energized which helps you shed down stored fat faster post workout. Now if this does not happen for some reason like you miss out on eating or rehydrating within 45 minutes or forget about it completely then the repercussions are well not exactly what you desire. If you eat an hour after ending your exercise you have just let all that energy in your post workout meal diverted all over the body including the parts of the body that weren’t worked up. Your muscles are not given first priority to be energized and thereby even the fat breakdown post workout takes slower time to burn.

What is the ideal post exercise meal? – Your post workout meal will depend on your body’s custom needs and exercise intensity. One needs to know however that meal needs to high in protein (20 – 25 %), high in carbohydrate, both simple (25%) and complex (30 %) and minimum in fat (15 - 20%). The meal needs to be complemented with 500 – 600 ml isotonic solution comprising of slightly cold water, glucose, sodium, potassium and magnesium apart from plain water.

Remember this mantra while you workout and you’ll be sure to never go wrong while staying fit through life. It’s a matter of just 45 minutes and either you’ll make gold out of your exercise efforts or throw it down the drain. Of course now you know better and if you need more in depth empowerment for your aspired lifestyle be it fitness training or diet or positive thinking be sure to discover Wellness & I for personalized wellness.

Wish you wellness. 

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Wellness & I goes live

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Diet during Lactation

Previously I posted about pregnancy diet and busted a few myths about them, this post I will throw in some light over the diet recommendations during lactation and of course the wrong notions about them. Breast feeding is a divine gift only a mother can give her child and it stays on with him/ her for life. It is truly speaking a complete protection and strength for the growing child which will determine the adult growth and immunity. Women who compromise on breast feeding for any reason compromise two most important aspects of motherhood 1. The triggering of motherly gene and hormones that develop the bond between her child and her. 2. Essential building blocks for immunity, nervous system, intelligence, digestion, prevents obesity and diabetes.

Composition of Breast milk - The early milk secreted within first week post delivery is called colostrum and is high in protein like casein, a - lactalbumin, lactoferrin, Immunoglobulin A & G, lysozyme, essential fats like omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids. It is thick and yellowish and helps in preparing the infants digestive system to grow & function. It is also responsible for the immune system of the infant to develop and it is here that the baby receives cancer and infection preventing antibodies Ig A & Ig G that help to stay healthy not just during infancy but also determine the adulthood immune system. In an acidic environment of the stomach, alpha-lactalbumin unfolds into a different form and binds oleic acid of the breast milk to form a complex called HAMLET that kills tumor cells. This is thought to contribute to the protection of breastfed babies against cancer. After 4 days the milk produced is sweeter as it contains higher percentage of carbohydrates in the form of lactose. The nourishment of antibodies in the form of Ig A is seen high upto 7.5 months post delivery. Breastmilk also helps the infant with minerals that are essential for bone health like calcium, phosphorous and the nervous tissue and cardiac tissue like sodium, potassium. Besides these breast milk also contains molecules like nucleotides and hormones and enzymes.

Diet influencing the composition - It is but obvious that the breast milk produced will be the outcome of the diet ingested by the mother and of course the diet doesn't majorly vary from that of the third trimester of pregnancy. The energy requirement during first 6 months of a lactating mother was earlier thought to be an extra 550 kcal/ day but recent studies have suggested that an add on of 400 kcal / day in the first 6 months is what is sufficient. The protein content is around 60 - 70 gm /day and should mainly comprise of high biological value proteins which contain essential amino acids sources like fish, chicken, egg, turkey, lean lamb, cottage cheese, feta cheese, yogurt. Now the most important aspect in a lactating mother's diet is the source of fat. Most women stand on either side of the fence, one is the weight losing side and the other is fat laden side. But either side is wrong as primarily the act of nursing itself stimulates the body to shed out the gained weight during pregnancy and helps the uterus to return back to its size and shape. Thereby a very low fat diet is not recommended during the first 6 months postpartum however low fat options in food can be incorporated like lean meat, low fat butter, low fat dairy products other than milk, when essential fats like nuts, vegetable oil, grains are accounted as per recommendation. The most important aspect of a mother's diet is that she gets her share of nutrients first so as to provide enough nourishment to the baby, unlike common notion the body will never spare the mother her nutrition just so that the baby is developing in the womb or post delivery. The body will always choose self preservation before anything else and therefore the mother should equally be as nourished as the baby. Cultures of various parts of the world incorporate fenugreek seeds as it is known to stimulate increased milk production. These food items are termed 'galactogogues' and cultures like Asia are known to have these practiced like a drill.

Unwanted substances in breast milk - The milk producing cells are most permeable to drugs during the first postpartum week. Drug characteristics that increase excretion in milk are, not plasma protein binding, non-ionized, low molecular weight, lipid solubility rather than water solubility, weakly alkaline rather than weak acid. Drugs are transferred from blood plasma across ductal cells to the milk by diffusion or active transport. The latter may result in higher concentration of the drug in the breast milk than in the plasma of the mother. The amounts of most drugs in milk do not exceed 2% of the total ingested dose. Medications should be screened through the physician for safety levels during lactation. Pollutants that are of most concern are pesticides, organic mercury and lead. DDT and dieldrin are unavoidable, and can also be detected in infant formulas. Pesticides and other toxic substances bio magnify, i.e. creatures higher up the food chain will store more of them in their body fat. This is an issue particularly for theInuit, whose traditional diet is predominantly meat. Studies are looking at the effects of polychlorinated biphenyls and persistent organic pollutants in the body; the breast milk of Inuit mothers is extraordinarily high in toxic compounds. Alternatively mothers who suffer from HIV infection can also provide breast milk to their child via milk bank or externally pumped milk that is from an uninfected mother.

Is Formula better ? - Of course like everything else we have tried to play god or nature and create baby formula that could replace breast milk. This had become a trend and in vogue practice in the west and developed countries but research has proven us wrong and there does not exist a better replacement to breast milk and it works well not just for the baby but for the mother too. For planned diets for pregnancy & lactation discover your personal wellness coach. 

Wish you wellness.

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