5 simple home remedies to cure common cold during change of season
Frequent during change of season, the common cold can be a nuisance, leading to disruptions in your daily activities. Although it’s true that the common cold cannot be prevented, there are certain sure shot ways of getting rid of it through simple home remedies. Read on to find out 5 home remedies for common cold, free from side effects.

1.  Put an extra pillow under your head: Do this at night when you’re ready to sleep. Adding an extra pillow under your head can help in relieving congested nasal passages. If you bit too uncomfortable, or if the angle is too high, then you can place the pillow between the mattress and the box spring. This would create a gradual slope and prevent any sort of discomfort during sleep.

2. Make your own saline nasal spray: For this you’ll need to mix 3 teaspoons of iodide free salt with 1 teaspoon of baking soda. Add this mixture to 230ml of distilled or lukewarm boiled water and fill a bulb syringe with the mixture. Stand at your basin and lean your head over. Hold one nostril close by applying pressure with your finger and gently squirt the mixture into your open nostril and let it drain. Repeat for the other nostril.Just be sure to use distilled or previously boiled water at all times. Also remember to rinse the bulb syringe thoroughly and let it dry to prevent any infections.

3. Chew on raw garlic: Garlic has antiviral and antibacterial properties, which can greatly help in getting rid of common cold. Besides it is also good for your immune system and aids in opening up your respiratory passage and in cleaning out the toxins from your body. Just chew on raw garlic cloves or add a few drops of garlic oil in your food or drinks to cure yourself of common cold.

4.  Treat yourself to some chocolate: Hot, dark chocolate sweetened with a little bit of honey can help in reducing cough. Research found out that chocolate contains theobromine, which can suppress the nerve that is responsible for coughing, and is also more effective in curing persistent coughs than codeine. Here’s the catch though: milk chocolate doesn’t work. Honey, on the other hand, can help in soothing a sore throat.

5. Have red onion syrup: Red onions can help providing relief to sore throats and other common cold symptoms. To make this syrup at home, you need to chop 2-3 red onions horizontally and one slice of onion with honey at a time in a bowl until its full. Then cover the bowl and let it stand for 12-15 hours; when you open it you’ll find thick syrup ready. Consume of a spoonful of it several times a day to cure yourself of common cold the natural way.

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5 Simple Home Remedies to Cure Common Cold @ Season Change

If you are concerned about your heart s health, it is important for you to make some dietary modifications. Simple changes in your everyday diet may offer benefits, which help in preventing future heart problems. If you suffer from high blood pressure or high cholesterol or have atrial fibrillation.

Here are some tips regarding the best diet for protecting your heart:

Believe in the food hype: Having healthy meals is certainly beneficial and makes a big difference to your heart health. Consuming meals which contain vegetables, grains, low fat dairy and lean meat will allow you to live a longer and healthier life.
Avoid crash diets: A crash diet may be effective, if you want to fit in a dress within one month. However, for improving your heart health, undertaking different fad diets is not useful. Meals in which a certain type of nutrients such as carbohydrates or fats are ruled out are not beneficial as well. You should have a sensible approach towards your diet and focus on food products such as vegetables, whole grains and lean meat.
Do not overeat: Overeating will lead to weight gain and commonly, many people get heart attack after taking a big meal.
Eat less salt: You should consume less amount of salt in your diet and do not eat more than one teaspoon of salt a day. Avoid any food item which contains high amounts of sodium. Salt is responsible for increasing blood pressure.
Limit your intake of alcohol and caffeine: In case you suffer from atrial fibrillation, you should avoid caffeine and any other stimulant as they tend to trigger the symptoms. You must drink moderately as consuming more than one drink a day increases your risks of having heart problems.
Choose meat wisely: You should avoid red meat, which contains large amount of saturated fats as these are not good for the heart. You should choose the leanest cuts of meats and trim all fat from it. You should opt for cuts such as flank, rump roast, tenderloin and sirloin. Pork tenderloin, chicken and turkey breast are other alternatives.
Add fish to your diet: Fish is essential for improving your heart health. Try to avoid having deep fried fish and choose grilled fish or roasted fish, which are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids. Consume fishes like tuna, salmon, trout and sardines.
You should also add whole grains to your diet. They are effective in controlling blood sugar and lower the chances of diabetes. Hence, the risks of heart diseases are less if you do not have diabetes. Whole grains also help with weight loss, which is beneficial for the heart.

7 Tips for a Healthy Heart

Do you have a habit of secretly picking your nose? This is a very common bad habit, which many people carry out, in spite of it being a habit which is frowned upon. There is a certain amusement that people seem to enjoy about picking the nose. However, on top of being a very unhealthy and unhygienic habit, it is harmful for the body as well. 


Why should you stop picking your nose?
Picking your nose is quite dangerous for your body. Your fingers contain many harmful germs, which are transmitted into your nostrils when you are digging into your nose. A specific germ known as Staphylococcus aureus can live in the front part of your nose. Combining the habit of nose picking along with the germs, may lead to the development of abrasions. These abrasions can bleed and promote more germs. As a result, the crust and irritation increase the more you keep on picking your nose. Based on where you are and what you have touched with your hands, some seriously dangerous germs may enter your body, causing health hazards and complications. 


Children are notorious by nature and it is very common among children to pick their nose resulting in nose bleeding. The blood supply to the nose is quite vigorous in nature and there are five arteries that reach to the front part of the nose or Kisselbach s plexus. When an abrasion takes place, there are chances of severe bleedings, due to damage to these fragile arteries. 


Other reasons
Picking your nose may lead to the development of pimples in the nose hair follicles.
In case a small pimple in the nose develops into a boil, the infection may travel to the brain through your bloodstream.
In case you are suffering from cold and your sinus is blocked, picking your nose may lead to the development of sinusitis. This happens because of the introduction of various bacteria present beneath your fingernails into the nose. They may proceed to the sinus cavity from your nose. Due to insufficient drainage, the bacteria will multiply and cause a sinus infection.
Picking your nose on a regular basis makes your nose a breeding group of dangerous germs. If you do not wash your hands after picking your nose, these germs may be transmitted to others. 


If you feel some irritation in your nose or feel a constant stuffiness, you should use a tissue paper to soothe your nostrils. Avoid using your fingers for picking and if the irritation lasts even after cleaning it, you should consult a doctor. 

Picking Your Nose Secretly - Can It Be Harmful for Your Body?

Shingles is a type of skin infection that results in rashes on certain parts of the body. It is characterized by a single stripe of blisters that may occur on either side of the body. The varicella-zoster virus that causes chickenpox is also responsible for causing shingles. Once you have had chickenpox, the virus remains in a dormant state in the body. If the virus gets reactivated, it might cause shingles.

The symptoms of shingles are:

1. You may experience sensations of numbness and burning on the affected area
2. The affected area may be sensitive to touch
3. Symptoms of red rashes on the body
4. Blisters that are filled with fluid
5. Bursting of blisters and crusting
6. You may experience fever and headaches
7. You may have difficulties in vision

The first symptom of shingles is the pain that results from the rash. In some cases, rashes may occur around the eyes.

Causes

Shingles is caused by the virus that is responsible for chickenpox. After lying dormant for certain period of time, the virus may get reactivated and travel through the nerve pathways on the skin. This is more likely to happen if your immunity level is somehow affected, which makes it easier for the body to get infected.
The disease is contagious in nature, so it is advised to stay away from people who have shingles. Remember that if you are not immune to chickenpox, then coming in contact with a person who has shingles, might result in you developing chickenpox.

Shingles may result in certain complications in the body such as:

1. Vision loss: shingles, if present around the eyes, may lead to infections in the eye causing vision problems.
2. Post herpetic neuralgia: in some cases, the pain that occurs from shingles may continue well after the infection has subsided.
3. Neurological complications: shingles may cause inflammation in various nerves, resulting in neurological disorders such as facial paralysis and balance problems.
4. Infections in the skin: shingles may also cause infections on the skin.

All About Shingles

Acoustic neuromas are tumors that develop on the nerves connecting the ear to the brain. Being non-cancerous in nature, they do not spread to other parts of the body. However, they are characterized by symptoms such as gradual or sudden hearing loss, more pronounced with either of the ears, a ringing sensation in the affected ear, weakness, facial numbness and dizziness.

Causes:

Acoustic neuroma can be of two types: one is sporadic in nature and the other is associated with a condition known as neurofibromatosis type II (NF2). NF2 is basically an inherited disorder identified by benign growth in the nervous system. NF2 being a rare disorder, makes the sporadic type the dominant one. Although the causes behind this type of neuroma are still unknown, long term exposure to radiations, especially around the neck and the head, could be one of the most important triggering factors.

Treatments:

Once the diagnosis is done, treatments for acoustic neuroma depend on the growth and size of the tumor.

Diagnosis with the help of monitoring: Small tumors exhibiting no such symptom or slow signs of growth need to be monitored with the use of hearing tests and regular imaging. In case, the MRI scans are able to trace any sort of development on the part of the tumor or if the tumor poses subsequent difficulties, opting for treatment becomes the need of the hour.

Stereotactic Radiosurgery: Also known as Gamma Knife, radiosurgery is a treatment method wherein controlled radiations are used to treat tumors, thus doing away with the need of making any incision.

Surgical Removal: Surgery performed under general anesthesia is directed towards removing the tumor; that helps to preserve the facial nerve and thus inhibit facial paralysis and hearing loss. The tumor is usually removed either through the ear or through the skull.  

Experiencing Dizziness? It Could Be A Sign Of Acoustic Neuroma

Asperger's syndrome has recently come under the umbrella of autism spectrum disorder. This syndrome usually affects the social skills of the patient, most heavily. The patient may seem normal and even intelligent at first glance. But on closer interaction, several social skill problems will come to the fore including an obsessive focus on certain topics and issues. Repetitive behaviour is also a part of this disease. Let us find out more about asperger's syndrome.

Symptoms: the symptoms usually begin to show up early on in one's childhood. The patient will not be able to make eye contact while speaking with others. Also, a perfectly normal person may seem inordinately shy and reserved during social interactions. This awkwardness may come to the fore in the form of looking for expression cues on other people's faces and even the body language. The patient may not be a very happy and lively soul, with hardly a smile to crack at the funniest of jokes. The lack of emotions or the emotionally numb state is also a major giveaway of the condition. Other symptoms may include a strong aversion towards change in food habits and routine.

Diagnosis: the diagnosis is usually done by mental health specialists like a developmental paediatrician, a psychiatrist, a psychologist or even a paediatric neurologist. These specialists can put the child through a variety of tests that will study the neurological health as well as the speech and emotional behaviour of the child.

Educating the parent: once the diagnosis has been done, the parents of the patient will have to appraised of the condition and its implications. The symptoms and treatment will have to be duly discussed even as the parents are put through training and therapy to learn techniques with which they can help the child in progressing along more normal lines. The therapy will also help the parents deal with the challenge of living with someone suffering from this condition.

Treatment: there are varied forms of treatment that aim at fixing the specific areas and symptoms that the patient is learning to live with. Social skills training, speech and language therapy, cbt or cognitive behavioural therapy and other forms of treatment can help the child overcome many symptoms that come from this condition.

In the course of the treatment, it is important for the child, parent and therapist concerned to realise that there is no single approach that can be applied to all patients suffering from asperger's syndrome. Individual care and therapy will be required for individual cases. At the same time, most of the skills will need to be repeated at home so that the child takes them more seriously.

What Is Asperger's Syndrome?

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