Cholesterol is a type of fatty acid that is produced by the liver. The body uses cholesterol to perform various activities such as synthesizing of hormones, bile acid and vitamin D. Ayurveda views it as an important component of the body in terms of lubrication. The Ayurvedic approach of balancing cholesterol is not only to curb the cholesterol amount, but also to strictly control diet so that the secretion of cholesterol can be curtailed. Here are a few Ayurvedic hat-tips that can help to lower cholesterol and restore normal body function of the body:

Medicago satina: They are better known as Alfalfa and is famous for their ability to deal with artery-related diseases. They are capable of clearing arteries that are congested with cholesterol. They can be consumed daily as a whole or by mixing them in juice.
Arjuna: Arjuna is yet another powerful Ayurvedic herb that is mighty powerful in dealing with cardiac conditions such as heart blockages, heart attacks etc. The bark of the Arjuna tree can be taken and consumed in the form of powder. They have the capability to dissolve cholesterol and prevent heart blockages. This should be consumed earlier in the morning, before breakfast with lukewarm water.
Coriander: Coriander is considered to be one of the best herbal diuretic agents. It can revitalize the kidneys and help them perform better in terms of excretion of waste. The kidney, therefore, can flush the excess cholesterol from the body. Coriander can be consumed along with food on a daily basis.
Garlic: Garlic again has been known to mankind for centuries and is extremely beneficial for people suffering from high cholesterol. Two cloves of garlic on a daily basis can completely neutralize the effect of high cholesterol in the blood. Apart from freeing up arteries, garlic has multiple other health benefits.
Guggulu: This herb is one of the popular herbs among ayurvedic practitioners for treating high blood pressure and high cholesterol in the blood. They contain guggulsterones, which is known to be an active blocker of bad cholesterol in the blood. Consumption of 25 mg of this substance can make a person totally free from high cholesterol. They can be taken after any meals.
Holy basil or tulsi: Holy basil is another popular and traditional Indian hub that is extensively used by ayurvedic practitioners to treat high cholesterol in the bloodstream. They can eliminate excess cholesterol through the kidneys. It is used for preparing multiple medicines. It is a proven medicinal herb that is very efficient in dealing with excess cholesterol in the blood. They have the ability to disintegrate cholesterol from the body. 2-3 leaves of tulsi can be consumed on a daily basis.

High Cholesterol - 6 Top Ayurvedic Remedies to Lower It!

The 4 types of kidney stones and their common symptoms

Defined as hard and small mineral deposits that develop inside your kidney, kidney stones are made up of acid salts and minerals. The causes of this disease are not well-defined, although risk factors include drinking very little amounts of water and having a diet rich in sodium, protein and oxalate (chocolate and green leafy foods for example). However, knowing the type of kidney stone you suffer from can help ascertain the cause.

Here are the common types of kidney stones.

Struvite stones

This type of kidney stone is usually a response to certain kind of infection, such as a urinary tract infection for example. Characterised by rapid growth and a large size, struvite stones can develop without any warning signs.

Calcium stones

These are the most common type and are caused by a diet rich in oxalate. Risk factors for calcium stones include a diet consisting of plenty of nuts, chocolates and certain fruits and vegetables; metabolic disorders, high doses of vitamin d and intestinal bypass surgery, all of which can increase the amounts of calcium or oxalate in your urine, indicating the development of kidney stones.

Cystine stones

Those individuals with a hereditary disorder that causes their kidneys to produce certain amino acids (cystinuria to be precise) in excess are most likely to get cystine stones.

Uric acid stones

These are common in those whose diets are lacking in water or those who suffer from the excess fluid loss. People with a high protein diet and those who suffer from gout are also at risk. Genetic factors play a major role as well in increasing your risk of getting uric acid stones.

Apart from these, there are other rarer types of kidney stones that can also arise depending on a combination of an individual's lifestyle and genetic make-up.

However, to determine whether you're suffering from any of the aforementioned types of kidney stones, you must first know its common symptoms, which are:

  excruciating pain in your sides, and back, especially below your ribs

  feelings of pain in the groin and the lower parts of your abdomen

  intense and fluctuating pain that comes and goes in waves

  pain while urinating

  urine that is red, brown or pink in colour
  urine that's cloudy or has a foul odour

  vomiting and nausea

  constant urge to urinate

  increased frequency of urination

  urinating in small amounts

  chills and fever in case of an infection

If you would like to consult with me privately, please click on 'consult'.
Related Tip: 20-Year-Old Indians Experiencing Kidney Failure! 4 Killer Reasons.

4 Types of Kidney Stones and Their Common Symptoms

Sputum production and chronic cough for at least three months in a year, consecutively for two years is termed as Chronic Bronchitis. Emphysema and Chronic Bronchitis are different from each other but are covered under the same umbrella COPD, which means Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary disease and that is because both are diseases related to respiration.

How is Chronic Bronchitis different from Emphysema?
Both of them occur when the airways in the lungs get damaged due to the inflammation of the airways. Emphysema is the result of air sacs break down whereas Chronic Bronchitis is the result of excessive mucus formation and inflammation in the Bronchi. Some people show either of the symptoms while some people show combined symptoms.

Symptoms of Chronic Bronchitis:
The following symptoms are seen in people with Chronic Bronchitis:

Long-term cough
Excessive mucus production
Sudden weight gain
Tight chest
Feeling breathlessness even when you are taking rest
Sometimes, these symptoms will be neglected by many people treating them as symptoms of cold weather, or attributing these symptoms to the presence of too much smoke or fumes around them. But it is always good to consult a doctor if the symptoms persist for a long time.

Physiotherapy and Chronic Bronchitis:
The main goal of your physiotherapy involves exercises that improve tolerance, education, mucus clearance, increase lung volume, reduce exacerbations, and reduce hospitalization.

Exercises that improve tolerance:
Upper and lower limb tolerance training have shown tremendous results in preventing, controlling and managing Chronic Bronchitis. This training helps in airway clearance, reduces airflow obstruction, mucus removal, and increased energy levels.

Postural draining:
Usage of different postures for moving the mucus through the throat and removing it through the mouth. There are different postures used for different patients. It is basically done by placing the affected part at a lower height and the unaffected part comparatively higher.

Autogenic draining:
This technique will help in proper and normal airflow through the bronchi. There will not be any blockage of the airway. Retention of carbon dioxide in the lungs will be reduced, the mucus will be removed and airflow through the airways will improve with this technique.

Percussion:
This technique is used by the physiotherapist along with the postural drainage technique. This is also a technique used for clearing the mucus that got stuck in the airways. Many patients find this technique really useful in mucus removal. In Percussion, the physiotherapist claps on the chest of the patient or on the back of the patients. It depends on how the patient prefers. This gives a relaxing and soothing effect on the patients and helps them release out mucus that got stuck in the airways.

Educating:
Finally, educating the patients about its causes and physiotherapy treatments can help them recover faster.

Chronic Bronchitis - What Should You Expect From A Physiotherapist?

The year 2014 has seen a massive increase in the number of patients affected by Gonorrhoea. The most infected age group is between 15 and 24. This is mainly due to lack of knowledge in this age group about the disease. Here are some facts about Gonorrhoea that one must know.

Gonorrhoea Transmission
Gonorrhoea, also known as drip, is transmitted when a normal person comes in contact sexually with an infected person. Infected fluid of a mother can also pass to her newborn infant during delivery. The disease can affect both the genders.

Cause of Gonorrhoea
Neisseria gonorrhoeae bacteria cause the disease. The bacteria grow in mucus membranes and usually grow in the warm and moist areas of humans' reproductive tracts such as uterus and fallopian tube of women. These can also grow in anus, mouth as well as throat. As a matter of fact, the infection can be passed even via oral or anal sex.

Symptoms of Gonorrhoea
An infected person will develop symptoms of the disease in 2 to 14 days. Men may feel burning or painful sensation while urinating. Other symptoms are as follows:

1. Swollen and painful testicles
2. Swollen or redness at the tip of the penis
3. Penis may have a drip or discharge
4. Frequent urination
5. Recurrent soreness of throat

Females have milder symptoms of the infection. This makes it difficult to diagnose, and is sometimes misinterpreted as common vaginal yeast or other bacterial infection.

Following are a few symptoms of the disease in women:

1. Burning or painful urination
2. Frequent urination
3. Vaginal discharge
4. Soreness in throat
5. Fever
6. Lower abdominal pain
7. Pain while sexual intercourse

If the disease is not treated, infection spreads in blood stream leading to rashes, fever and even pain in the joints. Such unnoticeable symptoms make it difficult to treat.

Testing Methods of Gonorrhoea
One method is that penile or vaginal discharge samples are taken from patients and examined under a microscope by adding reactive stain. However, this is not an accurate assessment.
Another test is conducted where exposing samples are incubated. In case of infection, colony of gonorrhoea shows growth. Preliminary test may take 24 hours. Final assessment may take around three days. Samples can be from the patient's anus, joint fluid, blood, throat, vagina or tip of the penis.

Treatment
The disease is treatable under proper medical supervision. However, the bacterial resistance to Azithromycin drug has made it more difficult for treatment.

Protection
It is highly recommended to have a protected intercourse. Women of age group less than 25 need to have STI evaluation once a year.

Know All About Gonorrhoea

Somebody in the world suffers a stroke every two seconds. Stroke affects physical as well as mental health gravely. It can be a life- altering situation leading to new limitations overnight. Such limitations can be physical or mental, affecting mobility and cognition. According to psychologists, cognitive functions of the brain encompass speech, language, functional memory, spatial- motor systems, ability to switch between tasks, executive functions like task organization, attention, and being able to employ tools and symbols.

When the stroke strikes, it irreversibly damages a part of the brain. It happens due to hemorrhage or blocked supply of blood. However, the brain can be trained and taught compensatory strategies. These compensatory strategies consist of attention increasing activities that require neurological utilities. These activities and exercises are formed in a way to improve the memory. Both pictorial and hearing skills are engaged in these activities.

Memory, attention span, and executive activities are dependent on each other and any problem regarding these affects an individual s daily life. That is why to improve the complete mental capacity, exercises are required. These exercises help to improve memory and attention span. In cognitive rehabilitation, goals are set as per the requirements of the patient and treatment is then followed. This requires some plans and strategies to carry out daily activities. These plans may consist of planning and analysis of the task.

The recovery varies from individual to individual depending upon the restoration of the damaged neurological functions supporting specific cognitive area. However, there are very limited types of treatments for cognitive rehabilitation, mostly generic treatments which depends on doctor s experience.

Evidence is found by researchers which supports the cognitive rehabilitation after stroke, in which the areas discussed are smaller than the issues faced by the stroke survivors. The studies fail to talk about the long-term results and common treatments for daily tasks. It is now really important for us to have a serious innovation in the field of cognitive rehabilitation with the amount of stroke patients increasing day by day.

Before one going for rehabilitation, he/ she should ensure that why they need it and what are their needs that are to be fulfilled through rehabilitation. Experts recommend rehabilitation so that patients are able to lead as normal lifestyle as possible post stroke strikes them.

Who are more prone to stroke?

Old age people, alcoholics, people with high cholesterol levels, active smokers, Diabetic patients, people who consume drugs, people suffering from Hypertension, patients going through transient ischemic attack (TIA) are all very much prone to a stroke.

It is also very important to consult a doctor after stroke. He will advise you the best possible way to treat the problem. 

Take away

Stroke these days can happen to anyone which although largely depends upon the age factor, but one's lifestyle can also make him/her the target of stroke. There is cognitive rehabilitation which can help a person to recover post stroke through activities and exercises and change in lifestyle. It is important for an individual to consult a doctor if he/she finds any difficulty in carrying out daily activities with one side of the body.

Cognitive Rehabilitation Post Brain Stroke!

Your daily intake of delicious foods might not be enough for a healthy life. Your health largely depends on the consumption of right amount of vitamins. You can be protected from a plethora of disorders by the intake of foods rich in vitamin B12 and D. Here s why you need vitamin B12 and D:

    Prevention: Vitamin B12 prevents us from certain cancers, including cancers in prostate glands, lungs, breast and colon. It also provides protection against heart diseases. Vitamin B12 also helps in prevention against Alzheimer s disease. Intake of vitamin D reduces the risk of developing multiple sclerosis, heart disease and flu.
    Booster of happiness and health: It has been found that vitamin B12 boosts up your energy levels to a great extent. There are health drinks enriched with Vitamins to provide energy to your tired body. But it is best to have foods rich in vitamin B12 and other vitamins.
    Forget depression: Vitamin D and B12 are known to benefit your health by keeping away depression. Therefore, it is very important to keep a check on the vitamins level of your body.
    Helps protein metabolism: One of the primary functions of vitamin B12 is to boost protein metabolism in your body. If you are suffering from vitamin B12 deficiency, you will suffer from improper protein metabolism. However, the symptoms may get noticed after several years.
    Protect your bones: It is the most essential function of vitamin D to absorb calcium and promote the growth of bones. Deficiency of vitamin D can lead to bone related diseases like rickets.
    Help your brain: Vitamin B12 is good for the overall health of the human brain. It can prevent you from developing dementia in old age or brain shrinkage.
    Good for digestive system: Vitamin B12 helps in the smooth functioning of digestive system. It provides protection against constipation.
    Beauty matters: Vitamin B12 and D are known for their contribution towards gifting you a healthy skin, shiny hairs and beautiful and strong nails. 

Importance of Vitamin D & Vitamin B12

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