Beetroots are packed with nutrients and can be eaten raw, pickled or cooked. Beetroots can even be juiced. It has been used in a number of sweet and savoury recipes. When it comes to beetroots, the root as well as the leaf can be eaten. Here are a few great reasons why you should eat beetroot.

    It's good for the heart: Beetroots are rich in nitrates. This helps relax the arteries and reduces blood pressure. Being rich in fiber and antioxidants enables beetroots to prevent plaque formation in arteries. The antioxidants in beetroots also prevent bad cholesterol from being deposited on the artery walls. Thus it protects against heart attacks and strokes.
    It helps fight diseases: Beetroots are said to boost immunity and fight a number of diseases including cancer, Alzheimer's and liver disorders. Beetroot is rich in betanin that expels cancer triggering agents and prevents the development of tumours on both the skin and liver. It is also said to protect a person from breast cancer. It also helps detoxify the body.
    It helps build strong bones and teeth: Beetroots are rich in silica. This silica is a crucial component required for healthy bones and teeth. Along with silica, beetroots are also rich in magnesium, vitamin C and folate. Beetroots also help prevent osteoporosis.
    It helps control blood sugar: Beetroots are naturally sweet, but can help control blood sugar and help fight diabetes. Beetroots are also rich in soluble fibers that can help regulate blood sugar levels. Drinking beetroot juice thrice a week is the best way to use beetroots to stabilize glucose levels in the body.
    It aids in weight management: Beetroots have a very low calorific value and are rich in fiber. This makes it an effective tool in weight loss. It also helps rid the body of toxins and excess water.
    It slows the aging process: Beetroot adds a glow to your skin. It helps cleanse the blood of toxins and thus makes skin healthier. The anti oxidants in beetroot reduce free radicals and thus slow down the aging process. This pink vegetable also has anti septic and anti inflammatory properties that help heal skin.
    It makes hair healthier: Carotenoids in beetroot give hair a lustrous shine and help fight hair fall. Beetroots are also rich in protein, phosphorus and a number of other vitamin and minerals essential to healthy hair. It helps improve blood circulation in the scalp and helps remove dead skin and excessive oil from the scalp.

Beet Root: Chukandar - How and Why You Should Eat It?

Aches and pains are typical signs of fatigue, but sometimes these aches are constant and can affect your day to day life. Fibromyalgia is not a disease, but a syndrome that affects the muscles and soft tissues of the body leading to chronic pain, tiredness and insomnia among other symptoms. Though this syndrome cannot be cured, it is not life-threatening and can be managed without causing permanent damage. One of the ways to manage fibromyalgia is through massage therapy.

Massage therapy is one of the oldest forms of healthcare. It aims to improve circulation thereby, improving the flow of nutrients through the body and aiding in the elimination of waste material. When it comes to fibromyalgia patients, a massage not only calms tired muscles but also reduces heart rate, improves the range of motions possible in joints and increases the body s production of natural painkillers.
Most fibromyalgia patients benefit from deep tissue massages. During the treatment, a therapist may use his or her elbows, forearms and feet along with their palms and fingers. He or she will typically use long strokes while kneading the muscles in deep circular patterns. Your therapist will also be able to address specific tender points and ease muscle knots.
Massage therapy can be customised as per your requirements and sensitivity. Fibromyalgia patients are very sensitive to touch and hence, to benefit from a massage, it is essential, to be honest with your therapist and tell him or her the level of pressure you can handle.
Massage therapy not only helps deal with fibromyalgia-related pain, but can also help treat insomnia that accompanies it. After a massage, you are more likely to have a restful sleep that does not make you wake up feeling tired. Having a good night s sleep is important for fibromyalgia patients as it is during this time that the body restores and rebuilds itself.
Massage therapy can also help manage the stress and anxiety that results from fibromyalgia pain. As the therapist addresses the various pressure points on the body, stress, anxiety and depression are relieved. Some theories also suggest that a massage blocks pain signals from reaching the brain while others suggest that a massage can stimulate the release of serotonin or endorphins.
Though a massage may feel like a simple procedure, the wrong massage can cause worsen your pain. Hence, it is important to work with a professional masseuse to treat your aches and pains. Following a regular massage schedule can also help manage your discomfort better.

Fibromyalgia Pain - Can Massage Therapy Reduce It?

Amblyopia is commonly known as'lazy eye. It is a vision development disorder, which affects eyes and the brain during infancy and childhood. It signifies that the eye does not achieve a normal visual acuity even with refractive correction in form of glasses or contact lens. During normal visual development, the eye and brain learns to'see' and develop binocularity, that is the ability to perceive depth (stereoacuity). This occurs in the first 8 to 10 years of life. 

Each eye transmits a clear and identical image from retina to the brain, which fuses the two images into a single image with 3 dimensions (adding depth). When the image is formed on the retina of two eyes is too dissimilar, the brain cannot fuse the two images and suppresses the more blurred image. As a result, the worse eye does not learn to'see' and becomes'lazy. This condition is seen in 1-4% of population.

The common causes for dissimilar images or amblyopia are:
1. Misalignment of the eyes or squint: it is the primary reason for amblyopia is misalignment of the eyes. In case, both your eyes are not aimed in the same direction, the image captured by each eye is different, resulting in diplopia. The brain will see from the dominant eye and suppress image from the other eye. Over a prolonged period of time, the eye dissociates from the visual cortex of the brain.

2. Refractive amblyopia:
A. Unequal refractive error in both eye. When the eye power of both eyes differ by more than 1.5d of spherical equivalent, which results in dissimilar images between the two eyes. As a result, the visual development in restricted in the worse eye.
B. High refractive error or astigmatism in both eyes, since there is a blurred image in both eyes, the normal vision development does not occur in either eyes resulting in bilateral lazy eyes.

3. Cloudiness in visual system or visual deprivation amblyopia: any kind of obstruction or cloudiness in the normal visual axis of the eye tissues can lead to amblyopia. Disorder of any kind, which blocks a clear image from being focused blocks the formation of a clear image on your retina. Commonly due to congenital or developmental cataracts or corneal opacities or prolonged closure of one eye in early childhood (drooping of one eyelid, eyelid swelling, patching of one eye).

Treatment for amblyopia
For treatment of amblyopia, a child must be compelled to utilize his affected, weaker eye. This can be done by correction of causative factor such as, treating refractive error with glasses, surgical correction of misalignment of eyes followed by patching and vision therapy, cataract surgery.

Patching or occlusion of the good eye
This is done to force the brain to pay attention to visual input from the worse eye. This allows nerve connections between affected eye and brain to develop due to, which the eye'learns to see. Eye drops such as atropine are also used for blurring the vision of the good eye. Some form of vision therapy may also be required to train both eyes to see together and develop some degree of depth perception.

To be effective, treatment should be implement as early as possible, within the period of normal visual development best within first 8 years of life. Some visual gain has been seen in selected patients up to age of 14 to 18 years. This also highlights the importance of a comprehensive eye examination as a routine in young children.

About Amblyopia or Lazy Eye

Osteoporosis is a disease of the bones. It occurs when the mesh-like structures present inside the bones becomes thin. This is a condition in which the bones become extremely fragile and have a tendency of breaking easily. The broken bones cause extreme pain. There are artificial medicines available in the markets for treating this condition. However, treatment of osteoporosis can be best done by the naturally produced Parathyroid hormone (PTH). 

It is secreted by the parathyroid glands in our body. It is an 84-amino acid polypeptide. The most interesting thing about PTH treatment is that it actually builds new bones. Other medications for osteoporosis only reduce the rate of loss of bones. PTH helps in increasing the amount of calcium in body. It also prevents bone loss due to osteoporosis. It is often considered to be an anabolic agent. If an osteoporosis patient is given low doses of PTH, his or her bones get strengthened. It also helps in increasing the bone mass.

Why a doctor recommends PTH for osteoporosis? Is it better than other drugs?
Traditionally, bisphosphonates were used to treat osteoporosis. However, it has been observed in a number of cases that bisphosphonates only help in slowing down the loss of bone density. However, PTH increases bone mineral density. Therefore, it is a better option for the treatment of osteoporosis. It is usually given to patients who have extremely low bone mass. It has been found effective in cases where other medications failed to show results. Moreover, it also works for postmenopausal women. 

Doctors believe that it can also be used for treating men with osteoporosis who are at high risk for fracture. It improves the microarchitecture of the bone and can do wonders in altering the bone size. Moreover, it has lesser side-effects on the health of the patient. It is known to cause dizziness and nausea and no major discomfort. It has also been noticed that patients who are being treated with PTH develop less back pain. These are also cost-effective for the long term treatment of osteoporosis.

Parathyroid Hormones - Is It a Better Treatment For Osteoporosis?

One of the most common problems to affect men and women of all ages is high blood pressure. If your blood pressure consistently shows a reading that is higher than 140 over 90 you may be suffering from high blood pressure. High blood pressure on its own is not fatal, but it can lead to a number of problems including strokes and higher vulnerability to heart attacks. 

An unhealthy lifestyle is one of the biggest causes for high blood pressure. Thus making conscious lifestyle changes such as leading a more active life and eating more fruits and vegetables can help manage high blood pressure. Ayurveda also has a number of ways to manage and treat high blood pressure. Some of these are:

Garlic cloves: Garlic has a number of antiseptic properties and is also beneficial towards slowing down the pulse rate and helps smoothen the heart s rhythm. To use garlic, include it in your regular food or better still, chew 2-3 fresh, raw cloves of garlic a day.
Watermelon: Watermelon is rich in L-citrulline, an amino acid which has the ability to lower blood pressure. It is also loaded with fiber, vitamin A, potassium and lycopenes which also help lower blood pressure levels. To benefit from watermelon, it can be eaten as it is or dried watermelon seeds can be crushed and mixed with cuscus powder and water to be drunk twice a day. The powder made from dried watermelon seeds can also be steeped with boiling water to create a tea that should be consumed every morning and evening.
Amla or Indian gooseberries: This herb is associated with a number of health benefits and can help lower cholesterol, hypertension and help stabilize blood circulation. To use amla in the treatment of high blood pressure, crush and extract the juice of 4-5 amlas and have 2 teaspoons of this juice mixed with 1 teaspoon of honey every morning. This also strengthens the digestive system and prevents the build up of toxins inside the body.
Yoga: Yoga asanas can also help stabilize the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system and thus regulate blood pressure. To treat high blood pressure, begin by sitting in the Siddhasana posture and practising the Anjali Mudra. This helps reduce stress and anxiety. Follow this by the Supta Padangusthasana and then the Matsya Kridasana. Simple anulom vilom and other such breathing exercises can also help lower high blood pressure.

High Blood Pressure - 4 Ayurvedic Remedies For It!

The most common dietary problem that every vegetarian comes across is protein deficiency. It was a widely acknowledged fact that animal products are the best protein sources. However, it is no longer so, and vegetarians everywhere can now rejoice!

Here are the 13 best sources of protein for vegetarians:

Green peas: Green peas are legumes, which are a very good protein source. They contain 7.9 grams of protein per serving.

Quinoa: Grains usually contain very little protein, but quinoa is unique. It contains 8 grams of protein per serving, and contains all nine important amino acids that your body needs for repair and growth.

Nuts and nut butter: Nuts are a good source of proteins and healthy fats. However, eat them with caution, as they do contain 160 calories per serving. Butter made from nuts like peanut butter and almond butter is also a good source of protein.

Beans: Beans are available in a variety of colours and shapes, but all of them have one thing in common that is the high level of protein.

Chickpeas: Chickpeas are also from the legume family, so they also contain high amounts of protein; 7.3 grams of protein in only half of a serving.

Tofu and tempeh: Tempeh and tofu are both soy products and they have the highest amount of vegetarian proteins, about 15-20 grams per serving.

Edamame or soybean: Edamame or soybean is excellent for snacking. They contain 8.4 grams of protein in just half a cup.

Leafy greens: Vegetables usually do not contain much protein, but eating green vegetables will significantly add to your protein consumption. For example, you can eat one cup of cooked broccoli as that contains 8.1 grams of protein.

Hemp: Blend hemp seeds in smoothies or baked goods to get your daily dose of protein. Hemp contains 10 grams of protein per tablespoon.

Chia seeds: Chia seeds contain 4.7 grams of protein per two tablespoons, making them excellent sources of protein.

Seitan: This is a meat substitute made from wheat gluten and it contains 36 grams of protein per serving (about half a cup).

Non-dairy milk: Milk made from soy (best non-dairy protein source), almond, rice and hemp are good dairy substitutes.

Unsweetened cocoa powder: This will surprise you, but bitter cocoa contains nearly 1 gram of protein per serving (1 tablespoon)! 
All the above-mentioned food items are the best source of proteins for vegetarians. So, enjoy them with no worry.

Know Excellent Sources Of Protein For Vegetarians!

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