We all want to live a long and healthy life, but not everyone is successful in this pursuit. Here are a few tips for achieving this… 

Caloric restriction: Various experiments on humans and animals have shown that caloric restriction increases the lifespan. Dietary restriction is particularly effective when you star following it much before the onset of aging.

Methionine-Restricted Diets: It is a confirmed method for extending lifespan in mammals. Methionine is abundantly present in animal proteins, eggs, fish especially cod, red meat, seaweed , pork , poultry, sesame seed and certain nuts.

Regular exercise: It strengthens bones, muscles, organs and joints. Without adequate exercise, our body degenerates. As long as we have a body, it needs to be regularly worked on and exercised. A certain amount of physical work is good for the mind as it releases built up tensions, maintaining a harmonious link with body and environment, and giving a break to the overworked mind.

Practice meditation and yoga regularly: Regular meditation and yoga tune the body and mind so that they waste much less energy. This means your body and mind will last longer because the allotted amount of energy will carry you further. It is said by some that each person has a fixed number of breaths to their life. When you slow down the breathing during yogic practices, you extend the duration of your life.

– Dr. Deepak Vyas, 

BAMS, MD(Ayu.), DYA(Adv.), PGDCR, MA(San.) PhD Ayu.(Scho.)

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Have you been spending too much time in bed lately? Do you find it difficult to sleep due to disturbed sleeping patterns and often end up rolling on the bed? If your answer is a yes, then my friend, you are suffering from severe sleeping disorder. While you might find it normal to feel sleepy during the day, there are several risks involved in the sleep related disorder. For instance-

• Increased body weight (central obesity)
• Stress, Anxiety
• Changes in airway anatomy
• Increased airway collapsibility
• Decreased thyroid function

If you have been wondering about, why this happens, let me tell you the factors that contribute to sleep disturbances:

• Primary sleep disturbances (e.g. SDB, PLMS)
• Medical illness (e.g., hyperthyroidism, arthritis)
• Psychiatric illness (e.g., depression, anxiety disorders)
• Multiple medications
• Poor sleep hygiene habits

Following ‘Sleep Hygiene’ rules can help you overcome this disorder-

• Keep a regular schedule for sleeping and waking up
• Limit the amount of time spent in bed, particularly during the day
• Limit the frequent day time  naps to once a day for not longer than 30 min
• Keep regular meal schedule (do not eat while in the bed)
• Avoid caffeinated drinks, alcohol & cigarettes
• Limit liquid intake in the evening
• Spend time outdoors (without sunglasses), particularly in the late afternoon or early evening
• Ensure that your rooms are as dark as possible during the night
• Ensure that your environment is brightly lit during the day
• Indulge in regular exercise routine
• Go to bed only when tired or sleepy
• If you are unable to fall asleep within 20 min, get out of bed.
• While out of bed, do something quiet & relaxing.
• Return to bed when you feel sleepy again
• If you are unable to fall asleep within 20 min.,  get out of bed again
• Repeated until you fall asleep within a few minutes
• Wake up at the same time each morning (even if only a few hours of sleep)

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Most often than not, it is how we do things that have a huge impact on who we are? In today’s time and age, where we are struggling to meet deadlines, we completely ignore ourselves and most importantly our health. As opposed to spending time on ourselves, we choose to treat self as unimportant and not so urgent. For instance, if there is an important presentation or meeting lined up in the afternoon, we will skip our breakfast and lunch. Or, will grab something in hurry without enjoying what we are eating. This is unhealthy and might catch you unawares. Here are the tips to prevent any kind of digestive problems.

Avoid Hurry, Worry & Curry To Prevents Acidity

Today in India every 5^th patient visiting primary physician is suffering from acid peptic disease. The most of the time faulty life style is important cause for acid peptic disease. 

• Obese patients are advised to lose weight
• Dieting also helps patients avoid fatty foods
• Bedtime snacks should be avoided
• Avoid Tobacco & alcohol consumption
• coffee, tomatoes, citrus fruits, spicy foods should be avoided
• Fatty foods, chocolate & carminatives (spearmint, peppermint) should be avoided
• Avoid recliningwithin 2 hours of meals
• Excessive use of pain killers should be avoided
• Oral Pain killer medicines should not be taken empty stomach   
• The head of the bed should be elevated on 4- to 6-inch blocks Tips for Keeping Digestive Tract Healthy
• Food must be fresh & grown locally, or at least seasonally
• Food must be eaten with attention & awareness.
• Avoid reading, driving, computers, and use of phones while eating. Our sense of taste prepares and ignites the digestive process before food reaches the stomach, as does our sense of composure and calm.
• As per Ayurveda Eating is best done during Pitta period, between 10 A.M. and 2 P.M.; this is when the enzymes are the strongest and digestion will be the most effective. Eating at other times will eventually compromise the body’s ability to digest and assimilate nutrition and give energy over a long period.

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Here’s a list of ways to help you keep your digestive tract trouble free. Read on!

– Food must be fresh & grown locally or at least seasonally

– Food must be eaten with attention & awareness.

– Avoid reading, driving, computers, and use of phones while eating. Our sense of taste prepares and ignites the digestive process even before the food reaches the stomach, and so does our sense of calmness.

– As per Ayurveda, the best time for eating is during Pitta period i.e. between 10 A.M. and 2 P.M. This is when the enzymes are the strongest and digestion will be the most effective. Eating at other times will eventually compromise the body’s ability to digest and assimilate nutrition and give energy over a long period.

Avoid Hurry, Worry & Curry To Prevent Acidity

Today in India, every fifth patient visiting primary physician suffers from acid peptic disease. Most of the time faulty lifestyle is an important cause for acid peptic disease. 

– Obese patients are advised to lose weight
– Dieting also helps patients avoid fatty foods
– Bedtime snacks should be avoided
– Avoid Tobacco & alcohol consumption
– coffee, tomatoes, citrus fruits, spicy foods should be avoided
– Fatty foods, chocolate & carminatives (spearmint, peppermint) should be avoided
– Avoid reclining within 2 hours of meals
– Excessive use of pain killers should be avoided
– Oral Pain killer medicines should not be taken empty stomach
– The head of the bed should be elevated to 4- to 6-inch blocks

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Constipation is either a decrease in the frequency of stools or an increase in the difficulty of passage of stool. The person suffering with constipation generally complains of hard bowel movements, small actions, inability to evacuate, or the sensation of incomplete evacuation. Some studies have demonstrated that 95% of healthy adults will have a minimum of three bowel movements per week. Those with fewer than three stools a week are considered to have constipation. It is more common in female than in male. As per Ayurveda most of the diseases especially digestive tract related disorders are caused due to an upset digestive system. New researches in medical science support the fact that there might be some relation between neurological disorders and constipation. In some cases it is associated with an endocrinal disorder like hypothyroidism or some surgical illness.

Preventive measures for constipation

• High fiber diet
• High fluid intake
• Eat fresh & seasonal fruits daily
• Keep regular sleep–wake schedule
• Daily exercise
• Avoid stress
• Avoid bakery products
• Avoid Processed products of refined cereals such as refined flour & maida e.g. noodles, pasta, cake, white – bread, pizza, macaroni etc. are low in roughage and fibre.
• Avoid junk food
• Avoid tobacco chewing & smoking

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Diabetes is one of the major crippling disease in the world. According to a survey, the global prevalence of diabetes is estimated to increase from 4 percent in 1995 to 5.4 percent by year 2025. It is calculated that there are approximately 33 million adults suffering from diabetes in India. This number is likely to increase up to 57.2 million by 2025. Diabetes mellitus (DM) is known to India from ancient era. An ayurvedic physician in ancient times, Charaka diagnosed this disease by observing that ants were attracted to a patient’s urine. He named it ‘Madhumeha’. In ayurveda, diabetes is known as ‘Madhumeha Kshaudrameha’ which means excessive urine with a sweet taste. Diabetes is a disease caused by a defective metabolism leading to derangement in the process of body tissue transformation. Various etiological factors related to our life style is mentioned in Ayurvedic text but according to the current study free radicals are one of the important etiological factor for the development of diabetes and its complications. Antioxidant is capable of protection against the damage induced by free radicals and has a role in reducing the effects of diabetes. There are many herbal medicinal plants like fenugreek(Methika), Karela, Gudmar , Babul, Bilva , Davana, Neeam , Jambuetc. with proven antidiabetic and related beneficial effects. A thorough scientific investigation incorporating modern approaches may result in development of new strategies to reduce the ill effects of diabetes especially in India.

Role of diet in diabetes

1. Weight control
2. Blood glucose control

Dietary recommendations for diabetes

1. Eat starchy foods regularly
2. Eat more fruit & vegetables
3. Reduce animal or saturated fat
4. Cut down on sugar
5. Reduce salt

Choose more high fibre foods

–       To help maintain blood glucose levels and cholesterol levels

–       Helps to maintain a healthy gut

High fibre containing foods

•   Fruit
•   Vegetables
•   Pulses
•   Oats
•   Whole grain cereals
•   Whole meal bread
•   Whole wheat pasta
•   Brown rice

Reduce animal or saturated fat intake

• Use low fat milk
• Use low fat spread instead of butter
• Use oil high in unsaturated fat, eg olive oil, rapeseed oil

Use less fat in cooking

• Grill
• Dry-roast
• Microwave
• Steam

Choose the right sort of fat (mono- unsaturated)

• Olive oil
• Rapeseed oil
• Groundnut oil 

Cut down on sugary foods

• Not a sugar free diet
• Cut out sweets
• Cut out sugary drinks

Reduce salt intake

• Cut down on added salt
• Use alternative seasonings
• Look out for reduced/low sodium foods, eg bread
• Avoid salt substitutes

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Let me break one more myth about salt intake in food and make your life healthier and better. While it’s ok to use toothpaste with namak, it can be extremely unhealthy for you too. Though salt is an indispensable ingredient in cooking and most of our food contains sodium, the added salt (sodium 40%, chloride 60%) is the major source of sodium in our diet.  

 
What does sodium do?

• It helps in the maintenance of water balance & equilibrium.
• It helps in nerve conduction & fluid balance
• It helps in the electro-physiological functions of the cell  

Sodium balance depends on the kidney function. High intake of salt (sodium chloride) is associated with high blood pressure and at times leads to stomach cancer. According to the 7^th report of joint national committee on prevention ,detection ,evaluation & treatment of high blood pressure NIH publication no. 03-523333 the reduction of dietary sodium intake to no more than 100mmol/d (2.4 g sodium or 6gms sodium chloride) can approximately reduce 2 to 4 mmHg of systolic blood pressure. The Sodium requirements of our body can be met with moderate salt intake and can be balanced by potassium intake.

Our body has powerful in-built mechanisms that maintains blood pressure even on minimal sodium intake. Sodium is rapidly absorbed from the digestive tract & a positive balance is achieved on intakes just above minimal requirements. Most of the sodium requirements depend on its losses through urine, faeces & sweat. The sweat loss varies according to climatic conditions. High ambient temperatures & vigorous physical exercise increase sodium loss through sweat. Even after 6 hours of hard physical exercise, which may generate 3 litres of sweat, the requirement of sodium chloride may not be more than 6 g/day. Natural diets, in general, provide about 300-400 mg of sodium a day. Cereals, pulses, vegetables, animal & sea foods are the major sources of sodium. Indian data indicate that per capita consumption of salt ranges from less than 5g to 30g/day in different States with almost 40% of population consuming about 10g/day.

Assuming that most of you reading this article will benefit from the read, I would like to add that balancing your salt intake will not only help you lose wight, but also bring down the levels of hypertension.

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About 80 % of kidney stones are composed of calcium oxalate & phosphate crystals, 5 – 10 % are formed due to Uric acid & about 5 – 15 % stones are formed due to struvite , whereas cystine , xanthin are the rare causes of stone formation . Whatever the cause be, these nine tips will surely help you combat the painful ailment.

Increase water intake: – Increasing water intake is one of the most effective way to prevent stone formation. Increase water intake to at least 2-3 liters/day this will help in the sufficient urine output.

Increase citrus fruits or juices: – Add adequate citrus fruits or juices of fruits like Lemon ,orange ,sweet lemon in your diet.

Tea & coffee: – Caffeine has a mild effect on increasing urine volume. Epidemiological studies show that coffee ingestion reduces stone formation, whereas tea is higher in oxalate content than coffee and should be avoided.

Include potassium in your diet: – Make your diet potassium rich and include fruits and salads in your meals. But if the patient has had kidney failure, caution must be taken.

Include calcium in your diet: – Food containing calcium should be taken. Various studies have shown that higher dietary calcium has been associated with lesser stones. Although, the older recommendation to restrict it remains popular, one should not restrict the intake. Calcium restriction also leads to decreases in bone mineral demineralization and worsens osteoporosis. Patients should ingest at least 800 mg of calcium per day in their diet.

Vitamin B6 rich food or supplements: – vitamin B6 rich diet prevents the stone formation.

Include dietary fiber: – Increased dietary fiber prevents stone recurrence in patients with hypercalciuria. It increases urinary oxalate excretion; selection of fibers with lower oxalate content may improve the efficacy of therapy. Increasing fiber intake via fruits & vegetables may increase intestinal transit time, which reduces oxalate absorption & excretion. 

Avoid oxalate rich food: – High oxalate rich food like spinach, potato ,green beans ,ground nuts, white bread tea should be avoided. 

Restrict animal protein: – Many data link increased dietary animal protein intake to increased stone incidence.

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Every child treasures his parents and loving and caring parents give them the feeling that they are special and irreplaceable. Parents provide children a sense of belonging and a unique identity. Parents are, or should be, a source of emotional support and comfort, warmth and nurturing, protection and security. This relationship provides children with a critical sense of being valued and with a vital network of historical linkages and social support. Within every healthy family there is a sense of reciprocity—a giving and taking of love and empathy.

While parents are always over protective about their children, whether it is their health or studies or friend’s circle because it’s is all apparent, sometimes there are changes happening with or around children that they fail to register. Like ADHD, which is the Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. It is most commonly found in the kids of 6 to 12 years of age group. Children suffering from ADHD are inattentive, hyperactive & impulsive. Most of the time ADHD child are academically underachievers or have behavioural problems. It is normal for children, at one time or another, to have trouble focusing and behaving. However, in children with ADHD, the symptoms continue instead of getting better, and they can make learning very difficult. For the confirmation of this disorder your child is taken through DSM IV criteria & direct supporting evidence from parents, caregivers & classroom teachers.

What is DSM-IV Criteria for ADHD?

• Criteria A & B

Criteria A: If six or more of the following symptoms of inattention have been present for at least 6 months to a point that is disruptive & inappropriate for developmental level.

Inattention: 
                
In this case, a child-

1) Does not give close attention to details or makes careless mistakes in schoolwork or other activities. Gets distracted easily and becomes forgetful.

2) Does not pay attention or listens when spoken to directly.

4) Does not follow instructions & fails to finish schoolwork, chores, or duties given (not due to rebellious behaviour or failure in understand instructions).

5) Faces trouble in organizing activities.

6) Avoids, dislikes, or doesn’t want to do things that take a lot of mental effort for a long period of time such as schoolwork or homework.

7) Often loses things needed for tasks and activities (eg, toys, school assignments, pencils, books, or tools).

Criteria B: If six or more of the following symptoms of hyperactivity-impulsivity have been present for at least 6 months to an extent that is disruptive and inappropriate for developmental level.

Hyperactivity:

In this case, a child-

1) Often fidgets with hands or feet or squirms in seat.

2) Gets up from seat when remaining seated is expected.

3) Runs about or climbs when & where it is not appropriate (adolescents or adults may feel very restless).

4) Has trouble playing or enjoying leisure activities quietly.

5) Is often “on the go” or acts as if “driven by a motor.”

6) Talks excessively.

Impulsivity:

         
In this case, a child-

1) Often blurts out answers before questions have been finished.

2) Faces troubles waiting for one’s turn.

3) Interrupts or intrudes in other conversations (eg, butts into conversations or games).

• Some symptoms that cause impairment are present before 7 years of age.

• Some impairment from the symptoms are present in two or more settings (eg, at school/work and at home).

• There must be a clear evidence of significant impairment in social, school, or workThe symptoms do not appera only during the course of a Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Schizophrenia, or other Psychotic Disorder. The symptoms are not better accounted for by another mental disorder (eg, Mood Disorder, Anxiety Disorder, Dissociative Disorder, or a Personality Disorder).

If your child seems to be meeting with any of the above given criteria, it’s time to talk to your child’s doctor. If you or your doctor has concerns about ADHD, take your child to a specialist or a child psychologist or developmental pediatrician, or you can contact your local early intervention agency (for children under 3).

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India is the world capital of diabetes, withover 30 million people being diagnosed with the disease. The prevalence of diabetes is higher in the urban cities than the rural areas.A person with the diabetes risk factor is more likely to develop prediabetes and type-2 diabetes. If yo have prediabetes, research shows that doing just two things can help you prevent or delay type-2 diabetes – lose five to seven per cent of your body weight and get at least 150 minutes each week of physical activity, such as brisk walking.

Risk factors for developing diabetes

1. Being overweight or obese.
2. Having a family history of diabetics.
3. Having a prior history of gestational diabetes or birth weight more than nine pounds.
4. Having high blood pressure measuring 140/90 or higher.
5. Having abnormal cholesterol with HDL (“good”) cholesterol being 35 or lower, or triglyceride level being 250 or higher.
6. Being physically inactive — exercising fewer than three times a week.

What is prediabetes?

People with blood glucose levels higher than normal, but not yet in the diabetic range have prediabetes. Doctors sometimes call this condition impaired fasting glucose (IFG) or impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), depending on the test used to diagnose it. Insulin resistance and prediabetes usually have no symptoms. You may have one or both conditions for several years without noticing anything. If you have prediabetes, you have a higher risk of developing type-2 diabetes. In addition, people with prediabetes also have a higher risk of heart disease.

 How to prevent diabetes

1. Research has proved that healthier eating, moderate weight loss and exercise can prevent or delay type-2 diabetes among adults at a high risk of diabetes.
2. Anyone aged 45 years or older should consider getting tested for diabetes, especially if you are overweight. If you are younger than 45, but are overweight and have one or more additional risk factors, you should consider getting tested.
3. Eat small and frequent meals.  
4. Eat fibre-rich foods like breakfast cereals made up of 100% whole grains, oatmeal, whole grain rice and whole-wheat bread.
5. Eat a variety of fruits and vegetables every day.
6. Choose fresh, frozen, canned, or dried fruit and 100% fruit juices most of the time.
7. Eat plenty of veggies like broccoli, spinach, Brussels sprouts, carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, winter squash, black beans, garbanzo beans, kidney beans, pinto beans, split peas and lentils.
8. Avoid eating foods those are high in sugar, such as fruit-flavored drinks, sodas, tea or coffee sweetened with sugar.
9. Use less salt in cooking.
10. Avoid consuming foods that are high in salt, such as canned and package soups, canned vegetables, pickles and processed meats.
11. Choose fewer high-fat foods and use less fat for cooking. You especially want to limit foods that are high in saturated fats or transfat like fatty cuts of meat, fried foods, whole milk and dairy products made from whole milk, cakes, candies, cookies, crackers and pies.

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