Exercise can benefit your digestive system. The benefit, however, depends upon your time and type of exercise. When you exercise, your body slows down the process of digestion. Maximum supply of blood is directed towards the muscles and lungs. Thus it is to be kept in mind that you shouldn't exercise after having heavy meals. You may suffer from heartburn or vomiting if you take heavy meals before exercising. However, if you exercise empty stomach, you can see health benefits. Your digestion time must not be the same as your time for exercise.

There are several relaxation techniques, physical activities and exercises to help absorption of essential nutrients. Exercise can help your digestive system in the following ways:

1. Boosts Blood Circulation: Exercise improves the flow of blood through our entire body. Thus the supply of blood to the digestive systems is also improved. The digestive system starts functioning better. With regular exercising, the digestive system starts functioning faster. An individual gets rid of gastric problems like gas, heartburn, constipation and stomach cramps.

2. Digestive Routine: It is important that you exercise at the right time. Proper exercising before having meals is a very healthy habit. It will encourage you to develop a healthy and effective digestive routine.

3. Yoga for Digestion: It is a low-energy exercise. It helps in strengthening of the stomach muscle and facilitates digestion.

Precautions
One should keep in mind a number of things while exercising for a healthy digestive system. You must fix up a proper schedule for exercising. You can't take larger and heavier meals, rich in proteins and fats, just before exercising. Drink adequate amount of water after exercising as it causes dehydration. Patients who suffer from frequent attacks of diarrhea should avoid caffeine intake while exercising or later.

How Exercise Affects Your Digestion

Yummy delicious food definitely has the potential to make you drool and most foods taste best when served hot. Another common habit that most people have is that of reheating the food, before eating. But have you ever given it a thought that it can be a highly unhealthy practice? Yes, you read it right, it is the most unhealthy practice, especially when it comes to certain foods. 

A quick list of foods is mentioned below, which should never be reheated :

Mushrooms: Mushrooms can enhance the taste of any dish and it is common that the leftovers are stored aside to be savored the next day. This unknown mistake can cost you dearly. Mushrooms are a rich source of protein. On reheating, some of the proteins break drown, which not only changes the flavor of the food but also produces certain toxins. These toxins can lead to upset stomach and digestive problems. Eating reheated mushroom repeatedly can even result in cardiac problems.
Chicken: Having chicken on this list can be quite a heartbreak, as many people use the cooked chicken for 2-3 days. Again, chicken is another excellent source of protein and reheating it will produce toxins, which can result in health complications such as digestive problems. If you want to stay healthy, avoid reheating the cooked chicken.
Celery and spinach: Spinach and celery are both commonly used in soups and are rich in nitrates. Therefore, when you reheat the soup to make it more palatable, the nitrates present in the ingredients are converted to nitrites. Nitrite is carcinogenic in nature and is actually toxic to the body. Thus, you must never reheat any dish containing celery, spinach and other nitrate-rich foods like turnips, beet, and carrots.
Eggs: Seldom will you find a person who does not like eggs. Be it breakfast, lunch or dinner, eggs can be consumed as boiled, scrambled or in form of a curry. Like chicken, meat and mushrooms, eggs are an excellent source of proteins, which is a reason enough to include them in your diet. However, reheating egg preparations will destroy all the associated health benefits, as the protein in the egg deteriorates it can lead to digestive problems. The best idea would be to prepare the dish and have it immediately.
Rice: Almost everyone reheats the rice before eating with the belief that having cold rice can cause health problems. This is a misconception that will do you no good. Cooked rice should be eaten immediately. It is believed that uncooked rice contains bacterial spores that often causes food poisoning. When you keep the cooked rice unrefrigerated at room temperature, these spores undergo rapid multiplication. Reheating will do the spores no harm. If you want to store cooked rice, always refrigerate it.
Potatoes:  Storing the cooked potatoes at room temperature can act as a catalyst in enhancing the growth of Clostridium botulinum, a bacterium responsible for botulism (a type of food poisoning that can result in flaccid paralysis of muscles). Thus, if you have to consume them at a later stage, its best to refrigerate them and not leave them at room temperature.
Oil: Certain oils such as avocado, grapeseeds, walnut and hazelnut can become smelly with an unpleasant taste when reheated, as these have a low smoke point. Oils when heated above the point of 375 degrees F, they produce a toxin 4-hydroxy-2-trans-nonenal or HNE, which can increase the bad cholesterol i.e LDL, thus increasing the risk of heart diseases.
It is evident that reheating certain foods can be a slow poison to your health, thus avoid reheating foods as much as possible. In case you a concern consult an expert and get your answers.

7 Foods You Should Never Reheat!

Pregnancy is definitely a new and beautiful phase in a woman s life. During this time, the woman s body goes through multiple changes during the nine months and post-delivery, extra care is needed for the body to get back to its pre-pregnancy state. The following are some tips to care for your post-partum body immediately after delivery and through the first six weeks after childbirth.

Perineal soreness: The area between the vagina and the anus stretches a lot during labour and can be sore for quite a while. In some women, this area may even be cut to enable easy passing of the baby (episiotomy). This would be more painful and can be managed with topical creams, ice packs, Kegel exercises and warm baths.
Uterine shrinkage: The uterus enlarges to accommodate the developing baby shrinks back to its original stage after delivery. This causes severe cramps, especially during the first six weeks and if required, pain medications can be taken for the cramps.
Breast fullness: The breasts fill with milk after birth to enable feeding, and the woman feels engorged. This is relieved with feeding, but if the baby is not on mother s milk, warm soaks on the breasts and a supportive bra can help. It will stop once the breasts stop making milk.
Constipation: This is common post pregnancy, and so foods rich in fibre should be consumed. Lots of vegetables, fruits and whole grains should be included in the diet. If required, stool softeners can be used.
Body swelling: In preparation for the delivery, the hands and feet swell due to fluid accumulation. This naturally subsides over the first week to 10 days. Lying on the left side and keeping the feet elevated can help.
Urination problem: Experiencing a burning sensation or pain while urinating and inability to start or stop a stream of urine are common urination problems, especially immediately after childbirth, which will subside in a couple of weeks. Drinking lots of water, Kegel exercises and warm baths are helpful measures that can be undertaken.
Fatigue: Taking care of the newborn can leave you drained. Get adjusted to the baby s routine and try to sleep with your baby. Get friends and family to help you take care of your child so that you don t feel the entire strain.
Emotional health: Changes in the hormone levels again affects your emotional health, so try and stay positive. Post-partum depression is very common in women, as they feel overwhelmed with caring for the newborn.
It is important to realise that while pregnancy is an important phase, it is a natural process. The body will adapt to these short-lived changes and allow you to bond with your baby by staying close to your child, responding to its needs, spending time together, and taking care of your newborn.

Post-Partum - How To Take Care of Your Body?

World Health Day, celebrated on the 7th of April every year, is sponsored by the WHO and several other health organizations. It is observed by all the member states of the World Health Organisation. This World Health Day, we're calling for action to eliminate health inequities, as part of a year-long global campaign to bring people together to build a fairer, healthier world.

Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin that in total has 8 compounds, of which only one compound is useful to humans. This is also known as alpha-tocopherol and plays a vital role in the antioxidation process and is believed to improve the overall ageing process.

Read on to know more about its benefits, functions, and sources.

Vitamin E that is absorbed by the intestine is transferred to the liver, from where only alpha-tocopherol gets re-released into the system in small amounts. So, if your diet contains the other 7 variants, they are excreted by the liver (not required in humans).
This active vitamin E controls the oxidation process in cells and prevents the release of free radicals, which is the culprit in all inflammatory processes. These can cause heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and stroke. This process is also accelerated by the environmental factors like pollution, UV rays, smoking, etc.
Vitamin E is also shown to dilate blood vessels and prevent platelet clogging.
Vitamin E is useful in preventing and treating diabetes and its related complications. Of note, diabetes is also considered as a chronic inflammatory process.
The nervous system diseases including Alzheimer s, Parkinson s, and epilepsy can benefit from Vitamin E. It reduces overall cognitive declines and helps in these disease conditions
Women are particularly benefitted from vitamin E, including premenstrual cramps, painful periods, hot flashes with breast cancer, eclampsia during pregnancy, and pregnancy complications
Given their role in energy formation, they help improve endurance, energy levels, and improv muscle strength and reduce muscle damage.
The antioxidant effect is useful in reversing ageing skin changes including wrinkles and fine lines. Vitamin E is used widely in skin care products including creams and lotions and helps in regeneration of skin and tissue.
It is useful to control hair loss, which could be due to multiple reasons, including chemotherapy or side effect of drugs.
It is useful in treating allergies, asthma, respiratory infections, and skin allergies.
Eye diseases like cataracts and macular degeneration which are generally age-related can be controlled with adequate intake of vitamin E.
Taken with other antioxidants like niacin, it is helpful in controlling the buildup of cholesterol.
Sources:
Natural food sources contain enough amounts of this vitamin to meet normal daily requirements, and so consume the following.

Green leafy vegetables, legumes, and vegetable oils
Whole grains and fortified cereals
Fruits and nuts and seeds
Seafood, poultry, and meat
Eggs
Dairy products including fat-free or low-fat milk
Seafood
Given its wide availability, deficiency is rare, but supplements may be required for premature babies with low-weight and in people with some genetic disorders. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a dietitian-nutritionist.

World Health Day - 12 Reasons Why Vitamin E is Important!

How Acupuncture can help beat Indigestion?

Indigestion or dyspepsia may not be a disease in itself, but it may be symptomatic of digestive tract diseases such as peptic ulcers, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), etc. If you are among the individuals who suffer from acute bouts of belching, nausea, heartburns and discomfort after eating, take action before it becomes a nuisance to the quality of your life.

Mostly related to unhealthy dietary habits, clinical statistics show indigestion, especially functional dyspepsia, can be potentially cured by ancient Chinese acupuncture techniques. In the rare cases of research that has happened in this field, acupuncture showed greater effectiveness compared to the use of conventional medicinal drugs such as mosapride.

Causes of Indigestion

Indigestion may result from various factors that cause an imbalance in our body. Acupuncture relies on the ability of the acupuncturist to detect the cause of indigestion and treat it likewise. The major causes of indigestion include -

  An unhealthy diet including excess alcohol, excess caffeine, fatty foods etc.
  Chronic physiological conditions such as GERD.
  Stress eating

How acupuncture cures indigestion

  Acupuncture is an 8000-year-old technique that uses needles inserted at specific points in the body, depending on the ailment, to ensure a balanced flow of energy or qi. When this flow of energy is disrupted, we suffer from physiological disorders.
  In acupuncture, it is believed that indigestion results from increased energy flow to the liver that impairs the functioning of the spleen. Specific puncture points on the abdominal region help to redistribute this energy imbalance.
  Besides curing indigestion, acupuncture improves your overall digestive health by stimulating blood flow to the various organs related to digestion.
  The efficiency of acupuncture in curing indigestion has been verified by research to have substantial and long-lasting effects in combatting indigestion.
  Although acupuncture sessions can cause mild soreness and fatigue, it is often a better alternative to using medications regularly.
  The role of the acupuncturist is crucial in the treatment of indigestion as the efficiency of a session depends on the correct identification of the underlying cause.

If you are suffering from chronic indigestion that leaves you uncomfortable and irritated for large parts of the day, consulting an acupuncturist can relieve you from having to resort to medicines regularly. Acupuncture cures indigestion by focusing on your specific needs and improving the overall efficacy of the concerned organs and consequently our general wellness.


How Acupuncture Can Help Beat Indigestion?

Tummy tuck also known as an abdominoplasty, a tummy tuck surgery is a form of cosmetic surgery, which is used to remove excess fat and skin from the abdomen as well as tighten the muscles in your abdominal regions. Similar to 'mommy makeovers' (a procedure applicable after pregnancy, which helps women restore their figure). 


Tummy tuck surgery is used to help patients treat that loose and sagging skin who have experienced excessive weight loss within a relatively short period of time. Although, it is usually done for cosmetic reasons, it does provide a large number of medical benefits, such as:


1. Reduction in stress urinary incontinence: Stress Urinary Incontinence is a bladder control problem that is characterized by involuntary urination because of exercises or normal bodily functions such as sneezing or coughing which might put pressure on the bladder. In some women, (SUI) can develop after a vaginal birth. The condition does not generally require a surgery. However, research has shown that in severe cases, abdominoplasty is helpful in patients who do not have a caesarean section. A slight bladder obstruction is made during the procedure using soft tissue which reduces the incontinence.


2. Better posture and improved abdominal tone: Strong muscles tend to become weak after multiple pregnancies and extreme weight loss. In these cases, diet and exercise are not enough. Abdominoplasty surgically removes excess fat and skin thereby, tightening weak muscles and flattening the abdomen. It is noticed that after the surgery, the patients develop an improved posture due to the tightened muscles supporting the spine. This helps in relieving a variety of back pains.


3. Correction of ventral hernia: Ventral Hernia is the bulging out of tissues through a defect, opening or past incisions within the wall muscles of the abdomen. In such a case, the surgeon may opt for Abdominoplasty to support the abdominal wall and prevent recurrences.


Medical Benefits of Tummy Tuck Surgery 

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