A healthy digestive system is a boon for any person, but very few people in the world have immaculate digestion. Disorders related to digestion can create serious issues, which may, in the future, lead to severe and chronic diseases. Here is a look at some of the most common stomach disorders that may plague you or someone you know.

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD): Many a time you may have heard people complaining about acidity. This acidity is the primary symptom of GERD. People suffering from the same can experience pain and a burning sensation in the center of their chests. This usually occurs after you have just finished off a meal. Ingesting spicy food may also lead to the condition. However, it is important to remember that not all acid reflux cases are indicative of GERD. If the frequency of such acid reflux increases, it could be a pointer for GERD.
Gallstones: Gallstones are small and hard crystalline deposits that are formed in the gallbladder. The main cause of gallstone is excess cholesterol and deposition of bile in the bladder, in case the gallbladder does not empty completely. Gallstones can cause sharp pain and need to be removed using laser surgery. Smaller stones may be passed out naturally with feces, by the help of medication, without the need for surgeries.
Celiac disease: Celiac disease is a disorder where the body s immune system reacts violently towards gluten. Gluten is a form of protein, which is often found in bread and any product containing refined flour. People suffering from celiac disease may need to be admitted to the hospital due to an allergic reaction to gluten. There is no permanent treatment for this disorder and people, who suffer from this disease, need to stay away from gluten forever.
Irritable bowel syndrome: As the name suggests, irritation in the digestive tract may be a sign of IBS. In such a case, you will feel terrible pain and discomfort. Other symptoms include constipation in some cases, while diarrhea may also be caused as a result of the disorder. If you are suffering from the disease, ensure that you stay away from dairy products, artificial sweeteners, alcohol and caffeine.
Ulcerative Colitis: The large intestine is affected in this condition It is caused when your immune system mistakes food for foreign particles and rejects it. If you experience pain and diarrhea or notice blood in your stool, it could be indicative of ulcerative colitis.

5 Common Stomach Disorders!

Since ages, meditation has been placed on a pedestal for its far reaching benefits. While on one end, it is known to bridge the gap between one's outer and inner self, on the other hand it is believed to be a pathway to enlightenment. Meditation has been scientifically proven to affect one's health positively. For a balanced lifestyle and a sorted outlook in dire circumstances, you must make meditation a part and parcel of your daily life.
The benefits of meditation can be laid down as follows:

1. The way you respond to pain can be altered through meditation: meditation makes you stronger and perhaps, more tolerant to body pains and aches. It empowers you to somewhat control how your brain feels the actions and processes in your body. People who face conditions like fibromyalgia, migraine or osteoarthritis can fight against the discomfort for a longer span of time through regular meditation.

2. Meditation can improve your cardiovascular health: a healthy heart can make you enjoy more than a couple of advantages. Meditation is known to regulate blood pressure levels; while your heart rate decreases, the amount of blood circulated into your heart increases, thus ridding you of acute stress. A happy heart has more potential to exercise to further maintain its well-being.

3. It will shun away your fears: the threat of a fear or a phobia can resist you from delivering to the best of your abilities. Fears are crippling. Meditation dwells on the principle of maintaining equilibrium between one's mind and body. A person is therefore endowed with the ability to deal with his or her personal problems. Meditation enables you to keep your fears on a leash.

4. Creativity and determination can be your key features: a person who meditates regularly will have wider access to his or her talents. Meditation is known to hone your softer skills by making you more creative and innovative. It gives you clarity of thought and thus you will find yourself more focused on your goals.

5. It makes you relax more and worry less: meditation soothes the brain neurons. It prevents you from being anxious. Meditation makes you so very engrossed in the moment that fretting over the future will slip your attention altogether. You live a happier life if you meditate regularly.

5 Benefits of Meditation

You might be surprised to know that unknowingly you are consuming poisons in your daily meal. Forget getting nutrients from these items, you end up troubling your health by consuming these food items. White rice, pasteurized cow milk, refined salt and refined sugar are the 4 white poisons, which are not good for your health. As they don t have the right amount of protein, vitamins or minerals to keep your body healthy. Moreover, they increase the risk of developing other diseases like hypertension and diabetes. It has also been found via research that eating white rice increases the risk of diabetes by 17 percent.

Here is why you should stop eating these poisons:

    Pasteurized Cow Milk: The only good thing about this milk is that it has a longer life. The process of pasteurization keeps the milk good for a longer period, but harms its nutritive value. It removes enzymes, vitamin A, B 12 and C from the milk. The process also transfers hormones and antibiotics into the milk. Researchers have found that the process also destroys essential and good bacteria like lactobacillus acidophilus. Moreover, about 20% of iodine gets removed from the milk and thus after consuming it, you are more likely to develop constipation.
    White or Refined Rice: The process of refining rice leads to the removal of the outer layer and germ from it. The rice is left with endosperm, only. This layer contains starch in a huge quantity which can increase your blood sugar or glucose levels to a great extent.
    Refined Sugar: White sugar or refined one is full of chemicals. It has no nutritional value. The chemical is derived from sugar cane or beet. Then, the juice of this substance is extracted to get fibre free sugar. The juice is mixed with lime during the refining process. This kills all vitamins present in the juice. Calcium sulphate and sulphuric acid are also used for bleaching of the sugar. This is done to make the sugar look more white than natural.
    Refined Salt: Normal table salt contains iodine. This is needed for a healthy body. But refining of salt removes iodine from the salt. Fluorides are added during the process of refining. The fluorides are bad when consumed in excess. Consumption of refined salt also increases blood pressure.

4 White Poisons that We Eat Unknowingly

Post-pregnancy weight can be difficult to get rid of. It is a gradual process and often takes time. Experts are of the view that hormonal imbalance and a sudden increase in the diet are the major cause of the additional weight. This being said, shedding weight is possible if a consistent effort is made on a daily basis. Here is a list of hat tips to get you started:

Walk every day: Walking 5 minutes a day does the world of good in the endeavor of shedding weight. Post the 6-week check-up after the arrival of the baby, the duration of walking can be increased. Brisk walking for half an hour can help the body to weight as much as 300 calories a day.
Weight training- Weight training is one of the best forms of exercise to lose weight quickly. If hitting a gym is a problem, a personal trainer can be hired for working out. Certain exercises such as lifting small weights, doing lunges is a good way to start.
Breastfeed: Breastfeeding for a time duration of 30-45 minutes (about3-4 times a day) helps to lose 600-800 calories per day. Some women even report of shedding all their extra weight just through breastfeeding. This is by far the easiest way of losing weight.
Say no to calories- Calories, by all means, will have to be avoided. Certain fast food items such as soda, chocolate, and chips should not be consumed at all. Instead, meals rich in nutrient, fresh vegetable, fruits, whole grains etc. should be consumed on a daily basis.
Frequent meals- 2 to 3 heavy meals a day are detrimental to a person trying to shed weight. Frequent meals, on the other hand, maintain a steady blood sugar level, reduce the tendency of over-eating and do not let fat store in the body.
Frequent naps- Studies show that frequent naps can help a great deal of weight. It reduces the craving of eating food with high calorie. It also revitalizes the metabolism and refrains a person from long term self-deprivation. Naps will also help to gather enough energy to perform other physical activities.
Healthy snacks- Home-made snacks containing whole wheat, low-fat milk and yogurt are good snack options for post pregnancy weight loss. These snacks block hormones that are responsible for storage of fat in the body.
Yoga or meditation- Yoga has proved to be extremely effective for women trying to shed post-pregnancy weight. It especially helps in toning down the fat in the upper and lower abdomen which is extremely difficult to get rid of. Yoga also relaxes the mind and helps to focus more.
Consumption of warm water- Drinking warm water after every meal serves two purposes. 
It doesn t let the fat store inside the body.
It helps in better digestion. It has to be ensured that the water is mildly warm and drinkable.
Avoid stress- Nurturing a baby is exhausting enough. Stress on top of this can be disastrous. It leads to depression resulting into junk eating. It has to be ensured that stress is avoided by engaging in activities such as cooking, painting or listening to music.


10 Tips To Lose Post-Pregnancy Weight

How to avoid dehydration in any season. 

We assume that dehydration to the body happens only in the summer. And it’s not without a reason - Summers in India are so hot; every ounce of water in the body gets used up in the heat. A body gets dehydrated when it doesn't get enough water intake. In summer there is an added factor of more sweating i.e. losing water. Dehydration happens in all seasons and you need to hydrate yourself adequately according to the loss of water.

In winters our skin is dry, we sweat but it doesn't stay on the skin. The body feels dehydrated even if there is a marginal drop in percentage of water in body weight. We need to stay hydrated to digest food properly and for smooth functioning of all organs. When a body is dehydrated, the blood flowing through its veins become thicker and the heart needs to put a lot of effort to pump it. Irrespective of the weather or season, our body loses a minimum of eight cups of water which must be replenished.

2 ways to keep yourself hydrated:

1. Have lots of fruits: Consume more fruits and vegetables which are rich in water content. Even in winters when it is cold and we avoid drinking water instinctively; eating foods with high content of water will help.

2. Take Your Water With You: The most important thing which should be actually a year-round habit - carry your own water bottle around. Refill when needed, but if you have water available to drink, chances are that you will drink more than otherwise.





Did you know you can be dehydrated in any season?

One of the most important aspects of staying healthy is to keep your body hydrated by drinking enough water. When it comes to drinking water, we stress on purifying it but do you ever stop to think about how you are storing your water? The vessel in which water is stored in not only contains it but also interacts with it and influences the chemical elements in it. In the old days, water was stored in earthen matkas but today, water bottles have become more popular. These bottles are commonly made of glass or plastic both of which can be harmful in the long run. Instead, Ayurveda suggests the use of copper vessels to store water. Here are a few reasons for this.

Plastic vs Glass vs Copper

One of the chemical elements present in all plastic bottles is Bisphenol A or BPA. This chemical has been linked to a number of diseases including cancer. They also contain a number of other toxins that are gradually absorbed by the water inside the bottle. Exposure to BPA when pregnant can lead to a woman giving birth to an underweight baby. This chemical can also affect the development of the brain and behaviour. Disposable mineral water bottles should never be reused for this reason. Plastic bottles also absorb odors and tend to leak after repeated use.

The glass is an inert material and hence when used to store water, does not influence it in any way. The two things you should look for, if you choose to buy glass bottles is that they are lead and cadmium free. However, glass bottles are not cheap and have a tendency to crack or break. Once broken, these bottles cannot be reused.

Copper also influences the chemical balance in the water. However, this does not harm the body in any way, but in fact, has a number of benefits. Copper acts as a natural sterilizer and has an oligodynamic effect on water stored in it. It has the ability to destroy a number of harmful pathogens that are commonly found in water. Copper is an element needed by the body and drinking water stored in a copper vessel supplies our body s daily copper requirement. 

Copper can also help regulate cholesterol, heart rate and blood pressure levels. Copper has also been associated with an ability to regulate thyroid functioning, ease joint pains, improve fertility, heal internal wounds, help in hemoglobin synthesis and in maintaining the proper acid-alkaline balance in our bodies. A copper bottle may seem a little expensive when you buy it but there is no chance of breakage. Hence, if handled properly, a copper bottle can last a lifetime. 

From the given arguments it is clear that using a copper vessel is the best way to store water.

Plastic Vs Glass Vs Copper - Which Type Of Vessel Should Be Used To Store Water?

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