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?

Fatty liver or fatty liver disease refers to the accumulation of fat cells in the liver. The liver typically contains some amount of fat. The liver tends to convert usual food into protein, fats and sugar. Some fat in your liver is normal. However, in case that it makes up more than five to ten percent of the organ's weight, you may have a fatty liver.

The basic fatty liver is otherwise called steatosis. Over the top fat in the liver can cause the liver to get swollen and lead to liver damage. Fatty liver aggravation can be brought on by excessive alcohol abuse in which case the condition is known as alcoholic steatohepatitis. However, it can also be brought about by obesity and is then known as nonalcoholic steatohepatitis or NASH. As the ailment advances, liver irritation can prompt cirrhosis and liver failure.

Ayurveda is an old Indian medical system that makes use of herbs existing in nature to create homegrown cures using the intrinsic power present as a part of these herbs. Ayurveda uses the intrinsic power of normal herbs to bring results when it comes to curing various ailments. The herbs are natural and are hundred percent safe. They enhance the body s digestive system and help recover from various diseases and

disorders. The herbs enhance the immune system and strengthen the body in a healthy way.

Here are a few methods to treat fatty liver with Ayurveda:

Terminalia (Arjuna): The herbs of Arjuna have been used since ancient times for its radiant properties. It has unique healing effects on the heart as it tones the cardiovascular muscle and in this way protects it as well. It does so by reinforcing the cardiovascular muscles.

Boerhavia Diffusa (Punarnava): Punarnava is a brilliant Ayurvedic herb with diuretic properties and builds the renal blood stream. It has astringent, sharp, mitigating and calming properties.

Phyllanthus Niruri (Bhumi Amla): It is an exceptionally effective herb appropriate for the management of Hepatitis B and different types of Hepatitis. It has been utilised as a soothing agent for the kidney and liver damage. It is fit for taking out poisons and toxins from the body.

Andrographis (Echinacea): Andrographis is well known for its superb effects on the immune system. It boosts the immunity of the body. It has incredible control over the inflammatory responses in the body. Echinacea is found to have antimicrobial properties that function admirably in infective conditions. It gets rid of distinctive types of diseases and infections.

Cinnamomum Zeylanica(Dalchini): It is a typical Indian herb utilised mostly in each Indian kitchen. Its regular use reduces breathlessness and reinforces the heart muscles, vascular framework and acts as an antioxidant. Cinnamon  is also known to control nausea, sickness and diarrhoea.\

Fatty Liver - Effective Ayurvedic Ways to Treat it

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!

In general, fatty liver is considered synonymous with alcoholic liver disease. However, in reality it is not so. Fatty liver just indicates the presence of fat in the liver. It may or may not be harmful for the patient. Fatty liver is harmful only when it starts to damage the liver cells. Simple fatty liver does not cause inflammation, but when it starts doing so, it does not remain a simple fatty liver anymore.

Types of Fatty Liver Disease

There are two types of Fatty liver disease: Alcohol Related Fatty Liver Disease and Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.

Alcohol Related Fatty Liver Disease

Fatty liver does not always beget symptoms, although the liver may be enlarged. One may also feel discomfort or pain in the upper right quadrant of the abdomen. However, one can prevent alcoholic liver disease, since fatty liver owing to alcohol consumption usually gets better after stopping alcohol abuse. However, if a person doesn t do that, ALD can progress to more serious stages, like alcoholic hepatitis and alcoholic cirrhosis.

Alcoholic Cirrhosis
Alcoholic Cirrhosis occurs when there is formation of scar tissue in the liver. It can cause symptoms like bleeding, confusion, changes in mood and enlargement of spleen. Scar tissue formation can even lead to fatal liver failure.

Alcoholic Hepatitis
Alcoholic Hepatitis occurs when there is a swelling of the liver. It can precipitate nausea, fever, abdominal pain, vomiting, jaundice etc.

Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

This is of two types: Simple Fatty Liver and Non-alcoholic Steatohepatitis.

Simple fatty liver just indicates the presence of fat in the liver without inflammation. On the other hand, Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis is a much worse form of fatty liver. This indicates that there is fat as well as inflammation in the liver. Even some of the liver cells may have become damaged. It can cause the following problems:

Formation of scar tissue in the liver, called fibrosis.

Severe fibrosis can lead to cirrhosis in advanced stages. Cirrhosis can lead to liver failure

Liver cancer

Causes of Fatty Liver

In alcoholic fatty liver disease, the prime cause is consuming too much alcohol. Alcohol may precipitate fatty liver by promoting obesity, malnourishment and even chronic hepatitis.

For non-alcoholic fatty liver disease there may be a number of factors:

Obesity

Insulin resistance

High levels of LDL cholesterol or low levels of HDL cholesterol

Diabetes

Conditions that may precipitate Type 2 diabetes 

High blood pressure

High blood sugar

Symptoms of Fatty Liver

There is hardly any symptom of fatty liver disease. At most, one can feel pain or tiredness in the right upper quadrant of the abdomen. However, if fatty liver has advanced to cirrhosis, fibrosis or hepatitis, there can be a number of symptoms. Some of these symptoms are:

Swollen abdomen

Enlarged blood vessels under the skin

Abnormal breast size in men

Redness in palms

Yellowing of skin and eyes.

Treatment

For alcoholic fatty liver disease, the best treatment is cessation of drinking when the fatty liver has still not progressed to more serious forms. For non-alcoholic fatty diseases, weight loss is an effective treatment. If there is Cirrhosis or Liver Failure, liver transplant is the only option.

As the treatment may vary from patient to patient, it is important that one should always consult a doctor before going for any option.

Fatty Liver - Types & Treatment Of It!

Ulcerative colitis is a disorder that causes inflammations and ulcers inside your colon, affecting the entire digestive system. The disease grows over time and symptoms start to worsen over a prolonged period, rather than the problem showing up suddenly. Severe cases of ulcerative colitis may even be fatal if treatment does not resolve some of the complications arising from the condition.

Causes of Ulcerative Colitis-
The exact cause for the inflammatory bowel disease is unknown. Improper diet and lifestyle can aggravate the symptoms, but do not cause the condition. Some possible causes for the disease include-

Improper functioning of the body s immune system causes it to recognize the colon as a foreign body.
Genetic factors and hereditary may also be held accountable in some instances.
Risk factors for the condition include old age and family history of the condition.

Symptoms of Ulcerative Colitis-
Here are some common symptoms associated with the condition-

Bloody diarrhoea
Rectal pain
Weight loss
Pain in the abdominal region along with cramping
Fever
Urgency to defecate
Inadequate bowel movement despite the feeling of urgency
How can you prevent ulcerative colitis?
Ulcerative colitis cannot be prevented as the exact cause for the condition is unknown. However, there are simple steps that will help manage the symptoms.

Diet change- You need to stop eating certain foods, such as, dairy products, beans, broccoli, cabbage and anything spicy. Instead, fibre intake must be increased drastically.
Exercise- Mild exercise or activities have a profound impact on managing the condition.
Avoiding stress
Drinking plenty of fluids
Role of Homeopathy in Managing Ulcerative Colitis-
Homeopathy follows a natural and holistic approach to deal with the condition. It does not merely treat the symptoms, but looks to cure the underlying cause for those symptoms. Homeopathic remedies will greatly bolster the overall condition of the body s immune system. Furthermore, the bloody diarrhoea accompanying the disease will also stop with proper homeopathic treatment.

Ulcerative Colitis - Does Homeopathic Treatments Work?

The liver performs over 500 functions and is considered to be one of the most important organs in the human body. The functions liver perform include regulating cholesterol and blood sugar, filtering out blood toxins, storing energy and making hormones and proteins. There are many diseases which liver can catch and most prominent being alcoholic liver disease

When a person consumes alcohol in excess, it leads to building up of fats, inflammation and scarring of the liver   which results in alcoholic liver disease.

The damage that occurs due to this disease in the liver can affect the whole body. Since the liver is generally highly effective in repairing and regenerating itself so the damage takes longer to come into notice. It often becomes distinctive by the time the damage is already irreversible.

This disease usually takes place in people between 40 and 50 years of age. This disease is most commonly seen in men. Certain cases have been seen where people may have inherited the risk for the disease.

Liver disease related to alcohol consumption fits into following 1 of 3 categories:

Fatty liver: This takes place due to acute consumption of alcohol. This state is generally reversible if alcohol isn t consumed.
Alcoholic hepatitis: This is an acute type of alcohol-induced liver injury which takes place when alcohol is consumed excessively over a long period of time. It can lead to liver failure and death as well.
Cirrhosis: Cirrhosis is a late stage of scarring (fibrosis) of the liver caused by over consumptions of alcohol. It can also occur due to other reasons as well.
Some Facts about Alcoholic Liver Disease

It is the main cause of chronic liver disease in Western nations and the third most common cause of liver transplants.
Staying away from alcohol is the only way to the patient s recovery.
Jaundice and tremors are the most common symptoms of this disease.
Medication, lifestyle changes, and surgery are some available treatments.
Early signs of the Disease
The early signs of alcoholic liver disease are not much noticeable and affect many systems in the body.

Pain in the abdomen
Nausea and vomiting
Diarrhea
Decreased appetite
If these signs are left unattended and the patient continues to consume alcohol, it can lead to a faster damage to the liver.

The symptoms of this disease become noticeable usually during the later stage of liver disease. The symptoms of this disease include:

Jaundice
Edema or swelling of the lower limbs
A build-up of fluid in the abdomen, known as ascites
Fever and shivering
Extremely itchy skin
Clubbing of fingernails
Loss of weight
General weakness
Blood in vomit and stools
Bleeding and bruising more easily
More sensitive reactions to alcohol and drugs
In most patients with the alcoholic liver disease, the illness is not severe. You may not require hospitalization immediately as long you take necessary precaution like stopping the consumption of alcohol, take good nutrition and follow the advice of the doctor. However, in more severe cases, the doctor may be able to suggest the best line of treatment.

Alcoholic Liver Disease - Know The Symptoms!

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