Favorite of most Indian households, ghee is indeed a superfood. Apart from being widely used in Indian cooking, it has also been used as a remedy for cough and cold. Sadly, due to the misconceptions that surround the use of ghee, it is often underutilized. While some are worried that it may make them put on weight, others feel that it is bad for their heart. Little do they know that these misconceptions are not true, and ghee actually has limitless health benefits.

Let us read on to know more about the benefits that ghee has to offer:

Packed with nutrients: Many-a-times, people love the taste of ghee but have strike it off from the diet owing to popular belief that ghee is unhealthy and fattening. However, the opposite of it is actually true and the short-chain fatty acids found in ghee offer several health benefits and keep your gut healthy. Ghee obtained from grass-fed butter consists of fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, K. Fats present in ghee are free of oxidized cholesterol, trans-fats and hydrogenated oils, thus, the fat present in pure ghee is healthy.
Great for immunity and bone strengthening: Including ghee in your daily breakfast not only boosts your physical and mental strength, but also ensures that your body stays fit and gains the potential to fight against several illnesses. Being a rich source of fat soluble vitamins, ghee supports in the growth and development of bones. It is also known to strengthen your muscles and tendons.
Lowers cholesterol: It is considered as an excellent option for people with high cholesterol levels. Since ghee contains Vitamin K2, it prevents plaque formation in the arteries, which in turn prevents the blockag that may obstruct blood flow and lead to complication. It also increases the level of good cholesterol and lowers the level of bad cholesterol in the blood.
Promotes weight loss: An excellent source of medium chain triglycerides (MCTs), is known to boost the metabolism which in turn promotes weight loss. It also improves digestion, makes you feel full and increases the oxidation of fat; all of which help in reducing weight.
How to differentiate if the ghee is pure or not?

Ghee is stocked in every Indian household, but the thought of whether it is pure or not often crosses our minds. Adulterated ghee may contain vegetable oils and other greasy elements which are bad for your heart and health. So, here are some methods that can help you check the purity of your ghee at home.

Pure ghee normally melts at body temperature. You can check it by putting a spoon of ghee on your palm if it melts then it is pure, if not, it is best to get rid of it.
Pure ghee melts within seconds and turns brown when heated. If the ghee takes longer to melt and appears light yellow in color, it is impure.

It has been established that ghee is indeed good for your health, but only if it is pure. The simple tests mentioned above can help you determine whether the ghee is pure or not. So, eat safe and stay healthy!

Ghee In Your Daily Diet - Did You Know It Has More Benefits Than You Can Think Of?

Potassium is an essential mineral which is known as an electrolyte. Electrolytes are responsible for maintaining the ionic balance of your body. Other electrolytes are sodium, calcium, magnesium, phosphate, chloride. These electrolytes bear an electric charge which manages the electrical activity of your health system. Potassium also helps the muscles of the body to function properly. In fact, it has its contribution in regulating blood pressure; a crucial role for a healthy heart.

Potassium deficiency is a kind of medical condition which is known as hypokalemia. The normal level of potassium in the human body should be in between 3.5-5.0 mmol/L. But the deficiency in potassium can cause severe problems including muscle weakness, nerve disorders, heart problems, etc. Kidney is the organ which is known to manage the potassium balance by removing the extra potassium through urine.

Causes of potassium deficiency:

Lack of potassium in diet
Dehydration
Diarrhoea
Too much sweating
Several medicines also cause potassium deficiency

Signs of potassium deficiency:

You are getting wiped out too often: Like it is discussed before that potassium is responsible for your muscles to work actively. Each and every cell needs the required amount of potassium to work effectively. So, a little deficiency of potassium can leave you exhausted throughout the day. If your normal working routine leaves you exhausted and if you are sweating too often, then there is a chance that you are suffering from hypokalemia.
High blood pressure: Potassium plays an important role in maintaining the blood pressure by helping in relaxing the blood vessels. Low potassium can cause the blood vessels to get constricted, due to which your blood pressure increases.
Muscle weakness: Potassium plays a significant role in building the strength of your muscles. Lack of potassium can easily cause muscle weakness, aches and spasms.
Irregular heartbeat: Anything regarding your heart problem can scare you badly; especially when you experience sudden skipped heart rate or when your heart rate doubles. Low potassium can cause such palpitations and skipped heartbeat.
Feeling dizzy: Lack of potassium in your body can slow down your heart rate and make you feel dizzy or you may feel that you are going to faint. Though many other medical conditions can be responsible for such symptoms but hypokalemia is one of them.
Constipation: Potassium deficiency can affect your overall health. You might encounter symptoms like bloating, abdominal cramping etc.
Numbness and tingling: Potassium is significant in keeping your nerves healthy. Potassium deficiency can make you experience numbness, needle sensations on your feet, wrist, etc.
These are the signs that people encounter when they suffer from hypokalemia. Hypokalemia can make you feel extremely sick and it causes several diseases which are discussed above. It is always advisable to visit a doctor when you encounter any of these above mentioned symptoms.

Potassium Deficiency - 7 Signs You Are Suffering From It!

The colon is a part of the digestive system of your body, which extracts the vitamins, nutrients, water and salt from the indigestible food. This helps in getting rid of solid waste from your body. Now, you may wonder why colon cleansing is necessary. It is required when there is some disorder in the normal colon function, such as when the colon absorbs the toxins in place of removing them from your body, you may experience colon problems. These results in syndromes like gaining weight, fatigue, lack of energy, constipation, bloating and many more.

Cleaning the colon in a natural way is one of the earliest processes by which you can get a normal colon. This process is also called autointoxication. There are some ways by which you can go for natural colon cleansing.

One of the easiest and best ways for colon cleansing is drinking plenty of water. Regular intake of water will keep your body hydrated and the body organs functioning. It will also help your body to get rid of various toxins.
Intake of apple juice is yet another process of colon cleansing. Apple juice normalises your bowel movements and keeps your liver fit. It keeps the digestive system functioning as well. One glass of raw apple juice followed by one glass of water half an hour later works best for colon cleansing.
Lemon juice with a high amount of vitamin C is excellent for the digestive system. A glass of warm water mixed with lemon juice and honey keeps your liver, colon and the entire digestive system fit and fine.
Stay away from fried and processed food for a couple of days. It is better if you drink fresh vegetable juice for a number of times in a day. Green and leafy vegetables remove toxins from your body. They have high amount of minerals and enzymes which provides energy to your body.
Yogurt is your best companion when it comes to colon cleansing. It contains some bacteria, which are good for your body and helps accelerate the digestion process. It is one of the best way by which you can cure every stomach and digestion-related problems.

Colon Cleansing - 5 Ways You Can Do it At Home

Terms like ileostomy and colostomy really sound a bit too scientific, don t they? Well, it is true that may seem to be pretty scary to almost anybody who is not professionally familiar with them! That being said, it is quite important to know what these things are, as it is always good to be informed of things like these. After all, one never knows when he or she may need to consider the possibility of having one.

The similarity which exists between these two procedures is due to the fact that both of them require the surgeon to cut an opening into the intestine from the skin of the abdominal wall. To be more specific about each of the procedures, the ileostomy involves the removal of the entire colon as well as the rectum of the person who is undergoing it. When this operation is performed, the small intestine s end is adapted so as to expel the faeces which are produced as a result of the digestive process.

Now, this does seem like quite a daunting prospect, does it not? Well, it does and with good reason as it is really not a small matter, at all. That is why the surgery is performed on people who suffer from diseases such as Crohn's disease, who have a condition in which entire sections of their gut cannot be linked in a proper manner!

On the other hand, a colostomy refers to a follow-up surgery to a colectomy, in which the surgeon creates an opening which is known as a stoma. A colectomy is when there is a removal of a part of the large intestine. In many cases of colostomies being performed, they are intended to be temporary in nature.

Now, taking into account just how serious these operations are, a person may wonder just what unfortunate thing needs to happen to warrant a surgery of this sort to be performed! Well, essentially, if there is an occurrence of bowel cancer which is significantly bad, then there may be a need which arises as a result of the same.

Advanced medicines do have some interesting facts; contrary to what most people think, a stoma does not hurt. This is because there are no nerves in the area! While a person may hopefully never need either surgery performed on oneself, that surely does not mean that awareness about them should not be widespread.

Colostomy And Ileostomy - What's The Difference Between Them?

Colorectal cancer is otherwise known as cancer of the colon or the rectum. This can affect both men and women with age being a major risk factor. Majority of such cancers are seen to occur after age of 50 years.

Type: colorectal cancers can present as one of the following types: 

Adenocarcinomas are the most common type of colorectal cancers. These cancers begin in the cells making mucous and other fluids. Certain colorectal cancers begin as adenomatous polyps (adenomas) that turn cancerous over a period of time. This is precisely why the adenomas are regarded as pre-cancerous or pre-malignant.

Gastrointestinal (GI) carcinoid tumors, GI stromal tumors, primary colorectal lymphoma, leiomyosarcoma, melanoma & squamous cell carcinoma are certain other colorectal cancers

Carcinoid tumors: start in specialized cells that produce hormones, in the intestine.

GI Stromal tumors: start in the interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC), in the wall of the colon.

Lymphomas: start typically in the lymph nodes but they may also start in colon or rectum.

Sarcomas: can start in the muscle and the connective tissue in the walls of the colon and rectum.

Gender: it affects both male and female populace.

Etiology: mostly, the factors that are associated with increased risk of colorectal cancer include the following  

Age exceeding 50 years.

Racial & ethnic background such as African Americans, in the USA, are known to have the highest incidence of colorectal cancer, and mortality rates.

Low fibre and high fat diet. Excessive consumption of red meat (e.g. goat meat, beef, pork, lamb, or liver), processed meats, butter, refined grains, sweets, sugary drinks etc all can increase the risk of colorectal cancer.

Personal history of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) (e.g. ulcerative colitis), Crohn s disease, adenomatous colorectal polyps, colorectal cancer etc all.

Family history of colorectal cancer or adenomatous polyps etc all.

Inherited syndromes such as familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) and Lynch syndrome (hereditary non-polyposis colon cancer or HNPCC).

Sedentary lifestyle/ associated Obesity.

Type 2 diabetes.

Tobacco and alcohol abuse.

Features or symptoms can vary from person to person depending on the size and location of the tumour. Following are the signs & symptoms mainly -

Changes in bowel habits, diarrhea or constipation or an alternating diarrhea and constipation.

Occult/ blood in the stool, and 

Problems related to blood loss (e.g. anemia, weakness, fatigue, intolerance to exercise, shortness of breath, increased heart rate, chest pain etc all),

Abdominal discomfort (frequent gas/ flatulence, bloating, fullness, cramps, and pain), vomiting etc.

Unexplained weight loss,

Pain with bowel movement,

Feeling that bowel does not empty completely,

Stools are narrower than usual.

Diagnosis: Following are the diagnostics employed. Abnormal blood test results may be indicative of malignancy, but a follow-up imaging/ biopsy is always the gold standard for accurate diagnosis.
Blood: fecal occult blood test, Carcinoembryonic Antigen (CEA) assay values are raised, Hb/ RBC counts may be low.
Imaging: Colonoscopy, Endorectal Scan/ CT Scan followed by Biopsy clinches the diagnosis and the nature of the disease.
Apart from the above-mentioned barium enema X-Ray, USG, Chest X-ray, PET CT scan etc all help detect metastasis, if any. An increase in level of the serum tumor marker  CEA  is indicative of metastatic spread/ proliferation that can be ascertained through a PET CT scan.
Treatment: Conventional treatment includes surgery, radiation and chemotherapy as contextually appropriate. Simultaneously, an adjunctive/ integrative naturopathic treatment with suitable complementary & alternative medicines (CAM)/ therapies too can help improve clinical outcomes and facilitate recovery as feasible contextually.
Prognosis: preventive measures, earlier diagnosis and right early treatment is key for better prognosis and efficient/ effective therapeutic management. Usually, the chances of cure for an early stage cancer are more. Above-mentioned apart, recovery chances are influenced by the grade, stage of cancer, recurrence and the patient s general health & vitality etc all too.

Prevention: rightly said, prevention is always a better choice. Although genetic risks are difficult to modify, still an adherence to a Mediterranean diet, maintaining an ideal body weight and an active lifestyle with due emphasis on regular exercising (for at least 30 minutes daily), de-stressing and relaxation is highly recommended for prevention or reducing the risks of colorectal cancer. A healthy eating plate comprises essentially a low fat diet, fibre rich foods including whole grain cereals, green leafy vegetables cooked using healthy vegetable oils, fresh fruits of all colours as seasonally available and healthy proteins/ fats including fresh fish, poultry, beans, nuts etc all. It is advisable to limit milk/ dairy, preferably of low fat content, to 1 to 2 servings max daily. Although alcohol is optional and is not for everyone, the consumption of the same, if any, has to be strictly in moderation, and is best avoided. Smoking is to be avoided as well. Again, red meat, butter, refined grains, sweets, sugary drinks including carbonated beverages and other high calorie foods etc all, if any, are to be taken sparingly or are best avoided too. Apart from the generic preventive measures as mentioned above, certain pre-malignant conditions, of which adenomas are the most common, can be successfully treated with complementary and alternative medicines too.

Colorectal Cancer - In a Nutshell!

If you notice blood in the stool or the toilet bowl, it could be a case of rectal bleeding. There are many reasons why rectal bleeding can occur, the most common one being haemorrhoids. If the rectal bleeding is not significant then it is not a cause for concern. But if you lose a lot of blood then it can be a major problem.

What are the signs?

The most obvious one, in this case, is the presence of blood in your stool. But it's not just the presence of blood that is important here, the colour of the blood is also a very important indicator of what is wrong.

Black colour indicates that you are bleeding from the upper region of the small intestine

A bright red colour is an indication of the blood loss from the lower part of the gastrointestinal tract   rectum or colon

Dark red indicates that the bleeding is taking place at the initial region of the colon

Some other symptoms you may experience are  

Confusion

Pain in the rectum

Stomach cramps

A sensation of dizziness

Causes of rectal bleeding

Causes of rectal bleeding can be divided into mild and serious. 

Mild causes  

Constipation 

Small tears in the anal lining (anal fissures)

Haemorrhoids

Small growths of tissue in the rectum or colon

Serious causes  

Cancer of the colon and anus

Inflammatory bowel disease

An infection of the intestine such as salmonella

How is it treated?

If you lose a lot of blood, then it is a medical emergency. You should rush to the doctor if you experience the following   fainting, intense pain in the stomach, confusion, and rapid breathing.

The doctor will prescribe treatment based on the cause of your rectal bleeding. For example, if the cause is haemorrhoids then warm baths will help soothe the pain. If the haemorrhoids are large then invasive methods such as laser treatments and surgery are prescribed. 

Or if it is constipation then stool softeners are a good option. In addition, you may have to eat a high fibre diet and exercise regularly to normalize your bowel movements. 

Rectal bleeding can be a minor inconvenience or a major problem depending on the cause. So it is best to consult a doctor and seek immediate treatment.

Rectum Bleeding - How To Administer It?

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