Category Archives: Cure by Healthviser

High blood pressure or hypertension is one of the fastest growing health problems in the world.  It increases the risk of heart attack, stroke and heart failure. You may not show any symptoms of high blood pressure. That’s why it is given the name “silent killer”.  According to WHO, hypertension is one of the prevalent cause of premature deaths in the world.

This disease is not limited to adults only as children can also be suffering from high blood pressure.

What is Blood Pressure?

Blood pressure (BP) is the force with which the blood hits the artery walls when the heart circulates blood through the body. BP keeps on fluctuating throughout the day but if it stays elevated for a long time then it can cause problems. Blood pressure is recorded in mm Hg (millimeters of mercury). On an average people who have a healthy blood pressure usually have less than 120/80 mm Hg. The top number (systolic) shows the pressure in the arteries as the heart beats. The lower number (diastolic) indicates the pressure as the heart rests between the beats.

A consistent low BP state is called hypotension. In this state blood pressure is lower than 90/60 mm Hg. Pressure that is consistently elevated, exceeding 140 over 90 mmHg is hypertension or high BP.

Both have many causes and may last for longer duration. Long-term hypertension poses a risk factor for many diseases, including heart disease, stroke and kidney failure. Long-term hypertension is more common in comparison to long term hypotension and often goes undetected because of infrequent monitoring and the absence of symptoms.

Symptoms

• Severe headache or migraine
• Fatigue or confusion
• Chest pain
• Vision problems
• Blood in the urine
• Severe anxiety
• Shortness of breath
• Irregular heartbeat
• nosebleeds

Risk Factors

It is estimated that currently 20-40% Indians in urban areas and 12-17% in rural areas suffer from BP. The percentage of high blood pressure patients in India are expected to go up to 22.9 for men and 23.6 for women by 2025.

Various factors put Indian patients at a risk of hypertension. These factors include:

• Age
• BMI
• Alcohol consumption
• Obesity
• Smoking
• Chewing tobacco
• Sedentary lifestyle
• Lower consumption of vegetables and fruits
• High consumption of dietary fat
• Usage of higher amount of salt in food

Diet Tips

The blood pressure can be dangerously high or low. It is important to maintain normal blood pressure to lead a healthy life. It acts as a force that enables our blood to flow around the circulatory system, thus, allowing the essential nutrients and oxygen to get delivered through our arteries to the tissues and organs.

To reduce the risk of BP, it is advisable to exercise regularly. People who exercise daily have a lower risk of suffering from BP than those who lead a sedentary lifestyle. Other tips to lower the risk of BP are:

• Follow an active lifestyle
• Monitor your blood pressure weekly
• Prefer less salt in your food
• Have more fruits and vegetables
• Increase your daily water intake
• Follow a healthy diet like dash diet
• Maintain a healthy weight
• Quit smoking

If you control your BP then many complications that arise because of high blood pressure like heart failure, chronic kidney disease, heart attack, stroke, and possible vascular dementia can be delayed or even prevented.

Follow these diet tips and take a step towards healthy life.

Cancer is a disease in which the body’s abnormal cells divides uncontrollably. These abnormal cells can grow anywhere in the body. It can damage the immune system and destroy body tissues. It also prevents old cells from dying at the natural point in their life cycle.

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide and It is projected to continue rising. It accounts for 82 Lack deaths in the world.

Cancerous cells may occur in one area and then spread by direct extension or through a process called metastasis. In this process the malignant cells travel through the lymphatic or blood vessels and lodge themselves in other organs where they can again repeat the uncontrolled growth cycle. In some types of cancer there is rapid cell growth while in others cells grow and divide at a slower rate. Certain cancers result in visible growth of cluster of abnormal cells called tumors while others do not show such results for example, leukemia.

People often give up when they know that they are suffering from cancer. There is lack of awareness among people regarding cancer. They think that no medicine or treatment can cure it. However, if detected in the earlier stage of life, cancer can be cured. Many people are unaware about the diseases and its treatment through diets.

Types

There are more than 100 types of cancers. Most common among them are:

• Breast cancer
• Lung cancer
• Prostate cancer
• Skin cancer

Based on where it begins, cancer is divided into four types:

• Leukemia– It is cancer of the blood. It occurs when healthy blood cells change and grow uncontrollably. The four main types of leukemia are acute myeloid leukemia, acute lymphocytic leukemia, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, and chronic myeloid leukemia.
• Lymphomas– It is cancer of lymphocytes that begins in the lymphatic system. The lymphatic system is a network of vessels and glands that help fight infection. Main types of lymphomas include Hodgkin lymphoma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
• Sarcomas– It emerges in bone, muscle, blood vessels, nerves, fat, joints, cartilage or other soft or connective tissues of the body.
• Carcinomas– These cancers originate in lungs, skin, breasts and pancreas and other organs and glands. It includes prostate cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer and colorectal cancer.

Causes of Cancer

Imbalanced diets, infections, environmental factors or poor lifestyle can be the cause behind cancer. Other causes include:

• Smoking
• Poor lifestyle choices and imbalanced diets
• Exposure to chemical or toxic compound
• High alcohol consumption
• Obesity
• Physical inactiveness
• Inherited genetic factors
• Chronic inflammation

At times some people with genetic links to cancer may not develop it while others may be affected by it. It happens because some people may have a heightened immune response that controls or eliminates cells that are or potentially may become cancer cells. Certain dietary lifestyles may also play a significant role in concurrence with the immune system to allow or prevent cancer cell survival. For these reasons, it is difficult to state specific causes of cancer to many different individuals.

Symptoms

The symptoms of cancer and its signs depend on the specific type and grade of cancer. People suffering from different types of cancer will show different symptoms. Although general symptoms are not very specific, the following symptoms can be found in patients with different cancers:

• Persistent coughor blood-tinged saliva
• Fatigue
• A change in bladder or bowel habits
• Skin changes
• Blood in the stool
• Breast lump or breastdischarge
• Lumps in the testicles

Diet tips  

• Take diet that is high in protein. One can add spirulina, quinoa, chicken and eggs in their diet.
• Consume food that is good in building immunity like extra virgin olive oil, B complex, E bacillus.
• Anti cancerous foods include berries and mint leaves. Make sure that these are part of your diet.
• Turmeric, ginger and citrus fruits activate the defense mechanisms of body against cancer.
• Avoid excessive intake of oil, sugar and salt, red meat and alcohol consumption.

It’s high time to initiate preventive measures against cancer. Different people react to different stimuli so it becomes difficult to say if certain symptoms are of cancer or not. Some people may not show symptoms and may not be aware that they are having cancer until the diagnosis is done. Remember not to panic because with right guidance and awareness this disease can be prevented, detected and treated.

Do you become sad all of a sudden? Are there days when you don’t want to get away from your bed and just lie there doing nothing? Does it happen that you simply lose interest in daily activities?  Having these feeling once in a while is normal as it happens to everyone. But if these symptoms persist more often then there is high probability that it is depression.

Depression is a mood disorder that can get worse without proper treatment. It can be recurrent or it can last for several weeks, months or even years. It can affect individual’s ability to function at work or school and to cope with daily life. People suffering from severe form of depression can even commit suicide.

World Health Organization (WHO) states that depression is the most common illness around the world and around 264 million people suffer from depression globally. The number of women who suffer from depression is double in comparison to men.

Depression can strike at any time in your life, but on an average it first appears during the late teens to mid twenties. An estimated one in 15 adults (6.7%) suffers from depression in any given year. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 7.6 percent of individuals who are over the age of twelve have depression in any two week period.

What are the Symptoms?

• Getting irritated easily
• Feeling low and sad all the time
• Losing interest in things which once gave pleasure
• Having suicidal thoughts
• Feeling of low self worth
• Having problems in concentrating or thinking
• Speaking and understanding slowly
• Feeling tired
• Low appetite
• Weight gain/loss
• Loss of sexual desire
• Insomnia

Factors that contribute to Depression

Complex interaction of social, psychological and biological factors is the reason behind depression. People who have faced adverse life events are more likely to suffer from depression. These events may be loss of a loved one, psychological trauma, childhood trauma, physical or mental abuse or unemployment.

People with low self-esteem, who easily get stressed or who are generally pessimistic in life are more prone to experience depression.

Depression and physical health are interrelated. For instance, cardiovascular disease can lead to depression and vice versa.

If someone in your family was depressed then chances are that it can happen to you as well. Genes can play a vital role in contributing to depression.

Following conditions may get worse due to depression:

• Cardiovascular disease
• Arthritis
• Diabetes
• Asthma
• Obesity
• Cancer

Diet Tips

Following tips can help in lowering the risk of depression.

• Consume 2-3 cups of chamomile tea throughout the day. It contains flavonoids that may have an antidepressant effect.

Perform deep breathing exercises and practice yoga.

• It is found that if you consume fruits, vegetables, fish and olive oil in abundance then your depression may reduce.
• Take black coffee, peppermint tea, lemon water and sugar-free yogurt.
• Eat foods that are rich in Neurotransmitter like almonds, walnuts, dark chocolates and eggs.

People with diabetes may carry mental burden with them. Just because you have diabetes does not mean that you have to restrict your life. If we tell you that diabetes can be treated with natural diet will you believe it? Well, it is possible. If your lifestyle becomes healthy, you reduce the fat content in your body and manage the stress in your life then it is possible. Read all about diabetes and how to treat it naturally.

Diabetes is a long-standing disease that occurs when the pancreas is no longer capable of making insulin or when the body is unable to use the insulin it produces.

When we digest our food, the carbohydrate (sugars and starches) in the food is broken down into a type of sugar called glucose. Insulin is a hormone that helps glucose pass from the blood stream into the cells to produce energy. Without insulin glucose stays in the bloodstream resulting in high blood sugar levels. This is known as hyperglycaemia.

Over the period of time high glucose levels are associated with failure of various organs and tissues of the body.

Type 1 diabetes- Occurs most frequently among children and adolescents. It is also called juvenile diabetes or insulin dependent diabetes. If you are having type 1 diabetes then your body will produce very little or no insulin at all. You will need daily insulin injections to keep blood glucose levels under control.

Type 2 diabetes– More common among adults. It is also called lifestyle disease. It can occur if you are obese or under immense stress. It accounts for around 90% of all diabetes cases. If you are having type 2 diabetes then your body will not make good use of the insulin that it produces. People with type 2 diabetes will require oral drugs and/or insulin to maintain their blood glucose levels.

Gestational diabetes- Consists of high blood glucose during pregnancy. It involves complications to both mother and child. It generally goes away as soon as the pregnancy ends but the woman and her child are at increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life.

People having diabetes are at a higher risk of developing a number of serious health problems. One can easily treat diabetes with proper diet. You can also use kitchen ingredients for the same.

• A particular threat in terms of risk of developing type 2 diabetes is the consumption of high sugar foods, particularly sugar-sweetened beverages. Therefore, avoid soda or other sugary beverages.

• Make sure that you take jamun vinegar before breakfast and lunch. Mix 1tbsp of jamun vinegar in half glass of water and have it fifteen minutes before your meal.

• Eat at least three servings of vegetable every day. Try to include green leafy vegetables as much as possible. Avoid all starchy foods which get converted to carbohydrates very quickly like potato, colocasia root (arbi), sweet potato and yam (jimikand).
• Eat up to three servings of fresh fruits every day. You can eat watermelon, cantaloupe, pomegranate, kiwi and strawberries but stay away from fruits like mango, banana and dates. It is a myth that watermelon, pomegranate and pineapple are not good for diabetic patients as they are very sweet in taste. Sweetness is not the problem but those foods which break down into glucose very quickly and get converted into energy are the main problem. So avoid those food rather than these fruits.

• Try to have small meals and have these meals frequently. If you don’t eat every two three hours then your sugar level can increase or decrease. But the question remains what to eat?? Take a fruit or methi infused water early in the morning. You can also take 1 tbsp Gond Katira (Tragacanth Gum Herb) as it is good for the summers. Then have your breakfast. The lower GI (glycemic index) food you take, the better it is for you. Jau, oat bran and oats are good for diabetes patients.

• Fenugreek (methi) seeds contain low glycemic index. They are very useful in treating diabetes. Soak 2 tbsp of methi seeds in six glasses of water. Let it sit overnight. You can boil them and include in your diet.

• If you consume alcohol then either stop it or limit its intake to a maximum of two drinks per day.

• Choose unsaturated fats (olive oil, sunflower oil or canola oil) instead of saturated fats (butter, coconut oil, ghee or palm oil) for cooking purpose.

Follow these easy tips regularly and treat your diabetes at home.

In this fast paced life, people don’t even have time to cook a proper meal so they heavily depend on instant food and junk food. They prefer takeout food so that they can save their precious time. These unhealthy food habits have resulted in obesity among people which is the root cause of many health related problems. Many diet plans are introduced so as to help people reduce weight and lead a healthy life. Low carb diet is one such diet.

As most of you must have guessed, low carb diet means restricting the amount of carbohydrates and increasing the intake of protein and fat in your diet.

Carbohydrates are macronutrients that can be found in many foods and beverages. They are one of the sources of calories and are of two types: simple and complex. They are the main source of energy for the body. At the time of digestion, complex carbohydrates (starches) break down into simple sugar which is then absorbed into the bloodstream as blood sugar (glucose). Generally, natural complex carbohydrates take more time to digest and they don’t have much effect on blood sugar.

In low carb diet there is low consumption of sugar and starch because of which the blood sugar level is stabilized and the level of insulin drops in the body. Then the fat stored in the body is used for energy, resulting in weight loss.  As the insulin level drops the kidneys shed extra sodium and water. Therefore, it is advisable to drink more water while on this diet so as not to dehydrate yourself.

Natural carbohydrates are found in fruits, vegetables, grains, milk, seeds, nuts and legumes while refined carbohydrates are added to pasta, cake, cookies and white bread as sugar or white flour.

It is a widely believed misconception that if one reduces fat consumption in low carb diet then it will make the diet much healthier. In fact, it does just the opposite. As the intake of carbohydrates is reduced so fats should be increased so as to compensate for less carbs. If you do not consume fats in your diet then you will not get adequate nutrients and will feel hungry all the time. Just remember to stay away from trans fats and opt for healthy fats.

People follow this diet for different reasons. Many of them do it to lose weight. Others may follow it to change their way of eating. Whatever are your reasons to diet may be, remember to consult your doctor before starting this diet program especially if you have heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes or if you are currently breastfeeding. In the beginning of this diet you may face different temporary health issues like weakness in body, cramps in your muscles, headache, constipation or diarrhea because of sudden cut in carbohydrates. But don’t worry as the body takes some time to get accustomed to new routine. Everything will be normal within a week or two.

Parents need to pay special attention and note that this diet is not meant for preteens and high school students. This is due to the fact that low-carb diets may not provide necessary nutrients that their growing bodies need.

• Reduces risk factors related to type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome.
• Improves blood pressure and cardiovascular disease
• Helps in losing weight
• May alleviate your blood sugar levels
• Lowers inflammation
• Boosts metabolism as it is high in protein
• Keeps the digestive problems away from you

Low carb diet includes protein rich foods like fish, eggs, poultry and meat and vegetables which don’t have starch content. Milk, tea and coffee (without sugar) and vegetables that grow above the ground like broccoli, bell pepper, asparagus, zucchini, cauliflower and lettuce are also part of this diet. Coconut oil and olive oil are low carb diet friendly so they can be used instead of any other oil.

Fruits like watermelon, cantaloupe, avocados, blackberries and pears are low in carbs. Therefore, they are a healthy option.

If you are following a low carb diet then avoid the intake of starchy vegetables and processed foods like rice, potatoes, beans, corn, beets, sweet potato, bread, pastry and pasta.  Also, stay away from chocolates, candies, banana, donut, sugar, sugar induced beverages and all those food items that contain saturated and trans fats. Low carb diet restricts some fruits, breads, legumes, grains and some nuts and seeds.

Oats and wheat contain high amount of carbohydrates so their consumption should be either limited or restricted.

In low-carb diet 20 to 60 grams of carbohydrates are allowed per day which provides 80 to 240 calories. There are many variations of this diet. The type and amount of carbohydrates you can take differs depending on the variety of low carb diet chosen by you and your personal preferences.  In some low-carb diets carbs are restricted during the initial period and then slowly their consumption is increased.

Healthy fats both monounsaturated and polyunsaturated and unprocessed carbs like legumes, whole grains, fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products are a good choice for people following low carb diet.

If you get hungry between meals and want to eat snacks then fruits like apple and strawberry, nuts, carrots and boiled eggs can be a good option for you.

Get rid of all those unhealthy foods that can tempt you. Give your chips, ice cream, juices, cereals and chocolates to your partner or friends or your next door neighbor. Just make sure that all these items are not in front of you to lure you. Keep a grocery list with you so that you don’t buy foods that are not part of low carb diet. You can also plan your meals in advance so that you don’t cheat on your meals.

Top of Form

Low carb diet can be good for weight loss but at the end of the day it depends on individual’s body. Some may take more time to lose weight than others. But one should not lose hope. Keep on motivating yourself to be the better version of yourself.