Quotes

I have health. I have a wonderful support system. I have the admiration
of millions of strangers, which I do not underestimate.
-Kathleen Turner

We drink one another's health and spoil our own.
-Jerome K. Jerome

"Health is not valued till sickness comes."
- Dr. Thomas Fuller .

Muscles come and go; flab lasts.
- Bill Vaughan

So many people spend their health gaining wealth, and then have to
spend their wealth to regain their health.

The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don't want, drink
what you don't like, and do what you'd rather not.
-Mark Twain

The first wealth is health.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Happiness is nothing more than good health and a bad memory.
-Albert Schweitzer

Women in particular need to keep an eye on their physical and mental
health, because if we're scurrying to and from appointments and
errands, we don't have a lot of time to take care of ourselves. We need
to do a better job of putting ourselves higher on our own 'to do' list.
-Michelle Obama

Time and health are two precious assets that we don't recognize and
appreciate until they have been depleted.
-Denis Waitley

Effective health care depends on self-care; this fact is currently
heralded as if it were a discovery.
-Ivan Illich

Kokum

Kokum

I first tried kokum sherbet when I visited Goa. They sell kokum cordial (kokum syrups) in bottles. All you need to do is take some syrup, add water and enjoy the red sherbet. It indeed was such a tasty drink that I wanted to know more about it. Found ou the following:

Kokum is a fruit of the Mangosteen family which has culinary, pharmaceutical, and industrial uses. It is widely available in the kokan regions. Its fresh fruit is eaten as it is during the season and the dried fruit is used for cooking. It is used in place of tamarind to give a sour tang to curries. Kokum cordial/syrup/juice/sherbet is available all year around.
Kokum is a refreshing and cooling drink for summers. Its medicinal value includes-

-has rich amounts of anti-oxidants
-has a cooling effect on the body and shields the body against dehydration and sunstroke.
-used to relieve acidity and indigestion.
-Ayurvedic medicine also uses Kokum infusions to treat piles, dysentery and infections.
-strengthen the cardio-vascular system
-stabilize liver function
-appetite stimulant
-helps in suppressing the skin related ailments
-brings down the fever
-reduces burning sensation

If you want to know more about kokum and see the pictures have a look at:
http://www.aayisrecipes.com/2008/04/27/kokum/

Here Shilpa has explained about the kokum fruit very nicely with many beautiful pictures. Really lovely...

Curd/Yogurt

Yogurt/Curd

Yogurt, also known as curd or dahi is a custardlike food with a tart flavor, prepared from milk curdled by bacteria, especially Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus. It is the part of milk that coagulates when the milk sours or is treated with enzymes.

Our grandmothers always encouraged us to eat curd regularly.
Curd can benefit our health in a variety of ways.


Calcium
Since curd is a dairy product, it is very high in calcium which is beneficial for teeth and bone health. It reduces the risk of osteroporosis which affects women .People with a risk of osteoporosis should eat at least one serving of yogurt per day.

Strenghtens immune system
It has also been shown that the bacteria found in curd can strengthen the immune system. Daily intake of curd helps the white blood cells fight off disease.It defenses the body has against viruses. Studies have also shown that yogurt can help fight against bacterial infections as well, namely slamonella or food poisoning. It has also been claimed that yogurt may protect against some types of cancer but more investigations are needed.

Aids digestion
Some people have trouble digesting lactose, a carbohydrate in milk and milk products, because of the deficiency of enzyme lactase in the body. Live yogurt cultures produce lactase and break down the lactose. Yogurt is a healthy way to get the nutrient the body needs, for the people who can not tolerate milk products.
They encourage the right kind of bacteria to multiply in the gut. These bacteria help to digest food and prevent stomach infections.

Fights yeast infection
Yeast infections can also be helped by the bacteria in yogurt. Yeast infections are caused by a fungus that lives in the vagina suddenly multiplying, causing itching, burning, and other uncomfortable conditions. Consuming yogurt seems to keep the healthy balance of natural bacteria found in the vagina, not allowing the fungus to thrive. A study conducted at Jewish Medical Center backs these recommendations, showing that women who frequently had yeast infections dropped their rate of infection significantly by adding a cup of yogurt each day.

Anti-diarrhoeal food
It is the safest food to prevent and treat diarrhoea. Eating curd may also help recover faster from diarrhoeal infections. The bacterial cultures in curd inhibit the ability of infectious bacteria to survive and thrive.

Anti-ulcer
Yogurt maybe helpful in the battle against ulcers. Ulcers are now known to be caused by bacteria living in the stomach, which is usually treated with large doses of antibiotics. However, some evidence shows that eating lots of live active culture yogurt keeps ulcer-causing bacteria under control. When yogurt is consumed, the beneficial bacteria take up residence in the digestive tract and begin to compete with the harmful ulcer causing bacteria.

Other gastrointestinal conditions
Yogurt with active cultures may help a wide variety of gastrointestinal conditions, including lactose intolerance,constipation ,diarrhea, colon cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, H. pylori infection etc.


Eating Curd/Yogurt

Yogurt is quite popular and ingested in nearly all areas of the world. People in several regions utilize lots of yogurt in their food.

In India,various regions make use of curd in some form or other and make a tasty dish. For example-

Shrikhand in maharashtra
Lassi in punjab
Kadhi in gujrat,punjab,rajasthan
Curd rice in south india
Mishti doi in bengal

Many people in India end up their meal with some curd or buttermilk. It balances out all the spices and creates a cooiling effect in the stomach.


How to make curd at home

11 Healthy Ways to De-Stress With Food | Healthy Habits | Reader's Digest

Very interesting article on destressing foods- comfort foods.

11 Healthy Ways to De-Stress With Food | Healthy Habits | Reader's Digest

Almonds

Almonds are one of the most nutritious of all nuts.
Almonds has vitamin E and it is a very important antioxidant.
Almonds forms a vital part of many tonic preparation in Ayurveda and unani medicines.

Here are the advantages of eating almonds:

Loose weight - Almonds can also help you lose weight. Because they contain fiber, protein and the good type of fat, they help keep you full, making them an ideal healthy snack.  It has even been noticed that almonds reduce the risk of weight gain, if taken twice a week.

Good for heart - Almonds are very beneficial for heart health. It reduces the risk of heart attack. You may decrease your risk by as much as 50 percent just by eating almonds five times a week!


Blood sugar- Almonds assist in controlling diabetes, by lowering blood sugar after meals.This offers protection from diabetes. Almonds also helps hypoglycemic people.

 Anti-oxidant- Almonds provide essential anti-oxidants and help in the clean up of the free-radicals in the body. They also contain lots of fiber, which is good for the system.

Good for brain-  Almond is a source of many nutrients which help in development of the brain. Almond induces high intellectual level and has been considered as an essential food item for growing children. In India, many mothers give almonds soaked in water to their children daily in the morning (2-3 pieces of soaked almonds are good enough ). It is highly beneficial in preserving the vitality of the brain.

Regulates blood pressure- Potassium present in almond helps to regulates blood pressure.

Good in pregnancy- Almond contains folic acid. Folic acid helps to reduce the incidence of birth defects in newborn babies.

Boosts energy- The presence of manganese, copper and riboflavin helps in energy production.

Prolong life- Almonds helps physical and mental health and prolong life. It helps in the formation of new blood cells and hemoglobin. It also helps in maintaining smooth physiological functions of brain, nerves, bones, heart and liver.

Loss of memory- Almond is valuable food for increasing memory, strengthening the brain and curing disorders of the nervous system.

Beauty aid-  Almonds are good for hair and skin health.
     Skin:  Face pack made from almond paste mixed with milk cream and rose bud paste is an effective beauty aid. It softens and bleaches the skin and nourishes it.
     Soak almonds overnight and then boil and blend them with whipped cream. This acts as a natural moisturizer and gives soft and supple skin.
     Hair: One type of food that can fight against hair loss is almonds. They are a good source of protein, and contain abundant amounts of iron and vitamin E. A teaspoon of almond oil mixed with a teaspoon of amla juice messaged over scalp is valuable remedy for hairfall, dandruff.

Actress karishma kapoor has been snacking on almonds since childhood. Maybe this is the secret of her ever glowing face!

Acidity and acid reflux - A few almonds chewed very well have been hailed as the new miracle treatment for acid reflux by some people. The oil in almonds helps neutralize the acidity in the stomach.

Teeth and bones-  The phosphorus in almonds helps build strong bones and teeth.



Disadvantage-
 But just like any other food, even almonds have their cons. They contain oxalates and excessive oxalates can cause crystallization. So people having kidney or gallbladder problems should avoid eating too much almonds.



How many almonds to eat:
The Almond Board of California  recommends eating 23 almonds a day for maximum health benefits.
According to Ayurveda about ten almonds a day is the general recommendation, but if you have a Kapha imbalance, then eat about five almonds per day.

How to eat almonds:
There are two ways of eating almonds. Either eat it as it is or soak in water, remove the outer skin and eat. Ayurveda recommends the latter.
According to Ayurveda, the skin of almond is hard to digest for some and to make it easy to digest we should remove the skin after soaking and eat. It is also said the almond skin can cause allergy for some so these people also benefit by eating with without skin. And I have found that a general belief in Ayurveda is soaking nuts makes it more nutritious and imparts a cooling tendency in the nut so they recommend pitta people to soak nuts and eat. But I am still somewhat skeptical about this! I have a pitta tendency too but never felt worse by eating almonds as it is. It is so tasty as it is:) why soaking and remembering to eat after few hours! Eat whenever you feel like. Moreover I think almond skin may also contain some nutrients and why leave that out! If anyone has any suggestions, recommendations or personal experiences regarding this please share. I would really like to hear from others.




Almond Halwa

Here's a very tasty recipe of badam halwa. The pictures look so yummy that you can't resist to try some. Its very tempting and why should you resist it when you now know that almonds are so good for you. This recipe is of Saffron from Saffron hut. Thank you Saffron!

http://saffronhut.blogspot.com/2006/10/good-nut-almondbadam-halva.html

Laugh

Wisdom Teeth Extraction and Pregnancy

Most doctors do not advise having dental extractions during pregnancy because of the procedure itself and mainly the medications after that.The first trimester is when there is disagreement. The baby is forming during the first three months of life.During the second trimester, baby is just growing so there's very little to be disturbed. The last trimester is a problem for the mom, not the kid. Sitting in a dental chair for a hour or two in the same position can cause a mom's legs to go out. In case of emergency the 2nd trimester is the preferred time to have it done.But it is safe to avoid any procedures and medicines during pregnancy especially if you have issues with miscarriages.But if your ob thinks its okay, then just try not to stress as much as you can.It depends on how impacted your teeth are and how much they are bothering you.

Wisdom teeth extraction and menstrual cycle

It is recommended to schedule your wisdom teeth extraction in the end of your menstrual cycle (unless you are ttc) because the hormones that time can help in quicker recovery.

For reasons not properly known wisdom teeth removal seems to effect menstrual cycle in some women.The menstrual cycle can be notoriously prone to external factors such as stress,illness,medication,antibiotic,diet,trauma,infection,etc and these may be a possible reason.

You can also view this link
http://ehealthforum.com/health/wisdom-tooth-extraction-and-vaginal-bleeding-t201954-a1.html

Changes in the Menstrual Cycle Relative to Antibiotics

In a 1947 medical study, conducted by British medical officers A. McLachlan and Donald D. Brown, tests were conducted on female subjects to discern the effects that penicillin might have on sexual cycles, including menstruation. In their findings, a pure grade Oxford penicillin was found to have certain effects including heavier bleeding, alterations in levels of menstrual pain and changes in the start of the menstrual cycle itself. While the authors felt that their findings demonstrated a provable connection between the use of penicillin and the menstrual cycle, they were unable to find any correlative research to back up their conclusions.


Also see my post :Antibiotics and Vitamin K

Wisdom teeth Extraction

My Wisdom Tooth Extraction


Every month I used to get some pain in my wisdom tooth area. The pain used to last two to three days.Dentists advice was removal of the tooth since it is impacted. It was not in alignment.So I decided to go for it.Thought,let the pain end once and for all!

Day before extraction-

I had been reading a lot about wisdom teeth extraction online. It was recommended to stock up soft foods for yourself as the first few days you won't be able to eat something properly. So I went shopping and brought yogurt,fruit juices,and yes ice cream! They say the only benefit of wisdom teeth extraction is that you can eat lot of ice cream without guilt! I was also reading about other peoples experience with wisdom teeth extraction and convinced myself that it was no big deal!

Day of extraction

It was scheduled in the afternoon. Had my breakfast and got ready. Reached there on time and the surgeon started the wisdom teeth extraction procedure. He explained to me that it would take about 20 minutes and that I wont feel any pain or anything as the anesthesia would be numbing that area and the after wisdom teeth extraction pain would be taken care of by the medicines.

Procedure

He gave two anesthesia injections near the tooth and waited for the numbness to occur fully. The injection was just a pricking sensation and no pain. But I felt a bitter taste in my mouth and that was yuck. Once I lost all my sensation in that area he started the procedure. I closed my eyes and waited for the 20 minutes to end soon. I tried to sleep it off as this way I won't feel anything. Things were going fine for few minutes until he started the actual extraction! There was tugging and pushing and grinding. It was impossible not to unnotice what was going on. My face was getting pushed here and there. No wonder it is called a traumatic procedure. The surgeon was trying hard with all his strength to unroot my tooth. He tried pulling and pushing two three times and succeeded the fourth time. Alas!
Then the next thing he was cleaning all the blood out with cotton gauze and he stitched up the area. Then he placed a thick cotton gauze on the area and asked me to bite on it. By this time my cheeks were swelled up and I had a pukish sensation. The cotton had to be kept there for 1 hour.Keeping a thick cotton gauze at the back of the teeth near my throat was making the vomiting sensation worse. I was given the medicine prescription and sent home with few advice-

Eat soft and cold foods for next few days.
Eat liquid food for lunch.
Do not spit today.
Press the gauze firmly for 1 hour.

Day1
After reaching home,I was starting to get mild pain. For an hour I was not able to talk or laugh normally as the anesthesia had numbed one side of my lip and I had no control on the lip movement. After an hour I removed the cotton,had some juice and took the medicine. Tried to sleep,but still had some pain but was bearable. Problem came at dinner time. I hadn't eaten anything since 8 hours. Was hungry,dizzy,pukish. Tried to eat soft curd rice,but I just couldn't! Nothing was there which I could eat. I just could not open my mouth. Could only drink water and juice. Had some ice cream and vomited. Somehow took the medicines and slept.

Day 2

Almost same as day 1. Pain in opening mouth. Could not eat anything. They say if you are on antibiotics you should eat well. But this sounds paradoxical here. How can u possibly eat anything when your mouth pains on opening and chewing!! As a result,I had lot of side effects..nausea,dizziness,headaches...to name a few. I realized how important role teeth plays in our lives.

Day 3

Little better. Could eat mashed foods. Pain going down. But had to stuff my food into the mouth with a spoon as jaw movement was painful.Swelling increased.


Day4

Again soft foods like mashed potatoes,mashed rice.Swelling reducing. Felt better.

Day 5

Was able to open mouth little better. Felt better.

Proper jaw movement came back only after 2 weeks. And from this time was able to eat all kinds of food.

Summary

Everyones experience is different. In my case I had lots of swelling. The first 2 days were miserable. Had side effects of antibiotics. The worst thing was it messed up my menstrual cycle for 2 cycles.
The good news is that I no more have that recurring tooth pain.

My suggestion:

-Bring someone along with you.

-Ask for all the advice from your dentist beforehand as after the procedure your wont be comfortable talking.

-Its better to buy the painkillers and antibiotics beforehand ( coz it wont be a pleasure waiting in the pharmacy with a gauze in your mouth and a swollen face,and what if there is no stock!!!!)

-Stock up juices and soft foods


Whether to go for wisdom teeth extraction or not-

The best answer I saw in a yahoo forum- "The advantage to having them removed is to rid yourself of the discomfort and for some, the pain that comes with having them. A disadvantage of the actual surgery is the recovery. It can be painful and uncomfortable for a while, but as long as you have someone to help you out, and a few days to rest (I gave myself 5) you should be fine.
Comparing myself to family and friends who have had it done, I had more pain, but the main complaint I heard was the soft diet...it gets annoying!
If you're having pain or discomfort now, I say go for it! If not, perhaps you can wait a while. That's something to discuss with your doctor."

Funny Fact

It is said that you must go to a male dentist for teeth extractions as they have more muscle power to unroot the tooth. Female dentist are not able to do it in one go and often extract tooth in pieces! Teeth are really strong dude!

Light Jokes

Judge (in dentist chair) - "Do you swear that you will pull the tooth, the whole tooth, and nothing but the tooth?"

Victim - "Hey, that wasn't the tooth I wanted pulled." Dentist - "Calm yourself, I'm coming to it."

Dentist - " Once the wisdom teeth are out would you like to remove the stupid teeth as well?"