When blood supply to the brain is interrupted, a person suffers a stroke. The brain cells do not receive the oxygen and glucose needed to survive and so they die. A stroke can be fatal and life-threatening. The brain can be permanently damaged. Many surveys reveal that 50% of people who suffer a stroke do not live for more than a year. A stroke usually happens to people aged 65 years or above.

How does a stroke occur?

There are two types of stroke caused by two different reasons-

1. Ischemic stroke: Clots are formed in the brain s blood vessels or in the vessels in any part of the body which travel to the brain. These clots obstruct the flow of blood to the brain. The chief reason for the development of clots is deposition of fatty acids and cholesterol.

2. Hemorrhagic stroke: This kind of stroke happens when a blood vessel in the brain ruptures. The blood from the ruptured vein flows into the brain and damages the brain cells. The chief cause of hemorrhagic strokes is high blood pressure and aneurysm (thinning of the walls of the vein)

What are the symptoms of stroke:

The following are the usual symptoms that can tell you if are about to or just have suffered a stroke-

  The arms or legs on either side or the face feels numb
  Loss of vision in one or both eyes
  Difficulty of speech
  Sudden and splitting headache
  Disorientation and feeling unbalanced while walking
  Altered consciousness

Risk of strokes:

High blood pressure is the most common cause of strokes. If your blood pressure exceeds 140/90 you are at a risk of suffering a stroke. Diabetes or people with a family history of strokes have higher chances of suffering a stroke. More men suffer a stroke than women. Certain lifestyle choices like excessive smoking or alcohol consumption can actually increase the risk of strokes.

Ayurveda and the treatment of stroke

In the ayurvedic parlance, stroke is called paksha pakshaghata. The cause is Vata dosha (Vata is responsible for the sensory and motor activities of the body)

Ayurveda treats strokes by easing or relieving the symptoms or effects of a stroke. The most popular course of treatment consists of a combination of Basti, Nasya and Shirodhara-

  In Basti, a person goes through an enema to cleanse the body of internal toxins
  Nasya aims to clear the sinuses, nose and head.
  For a Shirodhara treatment, a person has to lie on her/his back and liquids mixed with medicins are poured down her/his forehead which the bloodstream absorbs through the skin.
  Dhanadanayanadi Kashayam, Dhanwantara Kashayam, Ashtavarga Kashayam, Bala Arista treatment restore the motor and sensory functions of the brain.
  Balaswagandhadi taila,Ksheerabala taila, Dhanvantara taila help rejuvenate the damaged brain cells.
  Some other forms of treatment include Ashwagandharishtaa, Brahmi Vati and Ashwagandhachurna.
  An effective home remedy is boiling 3-4 garlic cloves in 100ml of milk. Keep boiling till the mixture is reduced to half its original volume. This concoction should be taken right before going to bed. It helps to keep blood pressure and cholesterol under check.

After the treatment is completed, a person can expect relief from the symptoms of stroke.

Ayurveda can treat the effects of stroke efficiently with a combination of physical therapies and medication.

Stroke And Ayurveda!

With the growing market for organic products, there is a widespread confusion on which product to choose. The same dilemma holds good in selecting the type of bread. White bread or Brown Bread? People are not sure which one to eat to stay healthy. A few quick facts about the two types of bread and which one should be consumed to stay healthy, are given below

White Bread
White bread is made out of refined wheat flour that has nothing to offer for the body. During the process of making white bread, the bran and wheat germ is removed from the wheat flour and Potassium Bromate, Benzoyl Peroxide or Chlorine Dioxide gas are used for bleaching to generate the whiteness. Potassium Bromate is highly dangerous if consumed in large doses. Chlorine dioxide is also used as a pesticide and is considered hazardous to the environment. When a large amount of white bread is consumed, the refined carbohydrates generate high levels of insulin thus, resulting in higher chances of weight gain. In spite of being globally popular, white bread is highly unhealthy for your body. It is completely devoid of nutrients and it is as harmful as table sugar for the digestive system.

Brown Bread
The American Academy of Pediatrics has revealed that whole wheat brown bread is rich in nutrients compared to the white bread. One major factor contributing to the above-mentioned fact is the amount of fiber present in whole wheat brown bread. The increased fiber content slows down the digestion process and thereby, reduces the effect on blood sugar and production of insulin. Other nutrients that are present in brown bread include vitamin B6, E, Folic acid, Zing, Copper and Manganese. Brown bread has lesser amount of calcium as compared with brown bread. Many manufacturers claim that they produce brown bread with the same amount of calcium as in white bread. Whole wheat bread contains Phytonutrient also called as plant lignans that have been observed to protect against heart diseases and breast cancer.

Things to consider while buying Brown Bread
The declining demand for white bread has forced a lot of manufacturers to use caramel as a coloring agent to darken white to brown bread. So buyers need to carefully look for the ingredients mentioned in the packing to ensure that they are buying the right product. It is important to check the first ingredient to see whether it is whole wheat or whole meal flour. If the word "enriched" is used, it means that the same flour used for white bread is used. Look for the bread with the minimum ingredients to ensure that you get maximum nutrients and very little additives. Also, make sure the amount of the following ingredients are as given below; sodium should be lesser than 401mg, saturated fat should be 1gm and fiber needs to be 4gm per 2 slices of serving.

To conclude, when it comes to organic and fitness oriented scenarios, brown is always better than white.

White Vs Brown Bread - Which One Should You Eat ?

Some people have a sore throat which they think will go away sooner rather than later. Well, while it may not seem serious, rheumatic heart disease means that it could potentially be! But, how exactly?

A sore throat usually comes about on account of bacteria affecting the region of the throat.

Sometimes what can happen is that the same bacteria can go all the way to the heart and damage the valves of it. This is very serious as the health of a person fundamentally depends on the health of his or her heart!

When a sore throat does not seem to be getting better even after about three days go by, the first thing which is to be done is to see a doctor. This is due to the fact that delays can result in the situation getting worse. As a result of this, treatment can get more complex. And who wishes to compound their own miseries, after all?

Children who are aged between five and fifteen years of age are at risk of rheumatic heart disease. Now, while it is true that children are likely to fall sick more often than adults as their immune systems may not be all that strong, a special eye is to be kept out for rheumatic heart disease. The general symptoms which a parent should look out for are a sore throat, a cough and a fever. The tough part is that these symptoms appear which a range of other conditions!

When it comes to knowing that rheumatic heart disease is what is affecting a person, a special blood test is taken and if there is a need, an ECG and some other measures confirm rheumatic heart disease. Penicillin is a wonder drug and it is used in the treatment of rheumatic heart disease, as well. It is the general form of treatment, in fact, and people with the disease are often put on a course of injections. This means that they need to have an injection every 28 days for a month so as to make sure that there is no further damage which can affect the valves of the heart. The importance of this cannot be impressed enough.

It is unfortunate that in many cases, people only discover that they have rheumatic heart disease once they reach adulthood. The valves of the heart may be leaking or significantly damaged by the time that the discovery is made. Is it not a lot better to save oneself from this sort of situation?

Things To Know About Rheumatic Heart Disease

Cumin, also known as 'jeera' in the Indian subcontinent, is an ancient seed that has been prized for more than 3000 years. Ayurveda holds this spice in high regards and uses it for treating a host of health disorders including burning of excess fat.

Why are cumin seeds considered to aid in weight loss?

An effective detoxifier: Ayurveda considers the accumulation of toxins to cause weight gain and other medical conditions. While certain toxins are easily removed with water, fatty toxins stick to cells and disrupt cell metabolism resulting in weight gain. To detox such hard-to-remove toxins, cumin seeds are predominantly used in Ayurveda. The seeds remove excess kapha from the intestines and detox liver effectively.
Lowers cholesterol that aids in burning fat effectively: Black cumin is rich in phytosterols which are plant fats resembling cholesterol present in animal fats. When consumed, they limit the amount of cholesterol absorbed by the body. Taking a tablespoon of cumin seeds every day has been medically proven to lower the amount of cholesterol up to 10 percent and bad cholesterol up to 14 percent. This reduction in addition to the cholesterol-lowering measures that you may have adopted would be helpful in burning fat much faster. Taking about 2 grams of cumin seeds combined with light freehand or aerobic exercises can lead to subsequent weight loss in people who lead a sedentary lifestyle.
Lowers blood sugar levels and regulates metabolism: Any person with high blood sugar levels is aware that low insulin levels tend to create a craving for sweets and carbs while high insulin levels can cause extreme thirst and fatigue. Cumin seeds have been proven to lower the blood sugar levels. It lowers blood sugar levels by increasing insulin and glucose sensitivity. In this way, black cumin seeds can aid you to shed off extra pounds by improving the blood glucose levels as well as glucose absorption. In addition to all these benefits, black cumin seeds contain high amounts of oleic acid which is a fatty acid causing acceleration in the way in which the body burns fat.
Other benefits from cumin seeds: Constipation and indigestion are other common reasons for weight gain. An excellent source of fiber, antioxidants, and that has anti-flatulent properties, the cumin seeds can cure constipation, bloating and heaviness, thus, aiding in weight loss. Lack of sleep may also be causing weight gain. Cumin seeds can cure you of insomnia, thus. regulating your sleep pattern and metabolism.
Hence, cumin seeds are a simple and effective ayurvedic remedy for weight loss. Cumin seeds are more potent, and you can take a spoon of roasted or plain cumin seeds every day. Obese or normal, irrespective of your weight, taking cumin seeds regularly have quite a few benefits.

1 Tablespoon Of Cumin - Know How It Can Work Wonders!

A heart attack is caused if the blood flow to the heart is somehow obstructed by fat deposits, cholesterol or other substances, thereby, forming a plaque in the arteries. The disruption in this flow of blood destroys a part of the heart muscle and may prove to be fatal if not treated right on time.

Not every heart attack starts with a sudden crushing pain in the chest. In fact, about 30 per cent of the cases haven t yielded any such symptom. However, the signs may vary from one person to another:

Heart attack might start slowly causing only mild discomfort or pain initially. The symptoms happen to be sudden and intense, persisting for several hours.
Mostly heart attack induces pain on the left side or the center of the chest. The discomfort generally persists for a few minutes. It can even result in a feeling of indigestion or heart burn, fullness, squeezing and pressure which can turn from mild to severe.
One might also experience an aching sensation in the upper stomach, jaw, neck, shoulders, back or both of the arms.
Shortness of breath is one of those very common symptoms.
Other common symptoms include excessive sweating, exhaustion, vomiting, nausea, sudden dizziness or light-heartedness.
How can you tell a heart attack from a mere panic attack?
Panic attack occurs even more suddenly and induces intense fear, extracting extreme reactions for something relatively harmless. Once the attack subsides, one usually feels week on the knees and tender near the gut. Some of the symptoms exclusive to a panic attack include a feeling of detachment, numbness, hot flashes, chills and tightness experienced in and around the throat, tremors (primarily of the hands) and a constant fear of losing control or of an impending danger.

Although many indications of a heart attack might happen to overlap with those of a panic attack, there are still a few noteworthy differences between the two. Watch out for those signs and get yourself diagnosed properly.

Heart Attack - Signs to Watch Out For!

The mere thought of biting into a chilled watermelon or sipping chilled watermelon juice during summer is a refreshing thought. What many do not readily realise is that not just they are not just a refresher, but they are also loaded with multiple health benefits. Another surprising fact is that they have been in use since 5000 years ago and are referred to in ancient literature. There are about 300 varieties and are easily available during summer.

Many may think that watermelon is loaded with water. However, there are also multiple compounds including vitamins and minerals; vitamins C, A, B1, B5, and B6; minerals like potassium and magnesium, and compounds like carotenoids and lycopene. These have multiple benefits on the health and so watermelon can be consumed without any second thought in abundance.

Read on to know some of the wonders of this melon.

Hydration: One of the best remedies to avoid the ill effects of summer is to improve hydration levels, and there could be no better way to do this than with watermelon (eat it or drink it!) It is 92% water, and therefore leaves you refreshed and rejuvenated.
Heart health: Lycopene helps reduce cholesterol, reduce thickening of artery walls, and reduces oxidative stress. The various minerals and vitamins also add to the heart health qualities of watermelon. The citrulline in it also increases nitric oxide level in the body, which expands or dilates blood vessels and improves blood pressure.
Anti-inflammatory benefits: The lycopene and vitamin C reduce the levels of C-reactive protein which are responsible for inflammation. The antioxidant levels also lower inflammation, thereby reducing the onset of degenerative diseases like Alzheimer s.
Eye health: Watermelons, through their anti-inflammatory effects, reduce the onset of age-related macular degeneration. Those who already have it can also see the delayed progression of the condition, thereby prolonging vision loss.
Muscle soreness: Those who have muscle soreness should reach out for a slice of watermelon to get instant relief from this soreness. Watermelon also improves exercise endurance and performance, and the added benefit on the heart also improves exercise tolerance.
Skin and hair benefits: These benefits come from multiple sources in the melon. The vitamin A helps improve skin regeneration, vitamin C helps collagen formation and improved skin tone. Lycopene and beta-carotene help control the damage caused by sun exposure and pigmentation.
Digestive benefits: The very nature of watermelon almost completely water and high fibre directly benefits the stomach. It cleanses the stomach and promotes bowel movement. Not just the red portion, even the rind and seeds are beneficial as there is a lot of citrulline and chlorophyll which are also healthy.

Watermelon - One Fruit, Many Benefits!

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