Dr. Babu Rao

Oil pulling, a popular folk remedy can be useful for whiter teeth and as a flossing agent. Slosh your mouth with coconut, sunflower or sesame oil for 15 minutes and then spit it out. It lubricates the gums and provides that extra shine to your teeth.

Asthmatic patients often find that the frequency and intensity of asthma attacks increase with a change in weather, as the challenges two-fold for asthmatic patients. If they are indoors, they inhale triggers such as dust mites, mould etc. and if they step outdoors, the outside air acts as a trigger for an asthmatic attack. However, there are ways to make your life easier.

1. Curb allergy triggers inside your house: While you can’t do much about the weather, you can control the environment inside your house. Limit your time around pets that could trigger an attack and try keeping them outside the bedroom. Use dust proof covers on mattresses and pillows and changes your bedding regularly. Though it may look cosier, avoid using a lot of pillows and throw cushions on your bed. Clean and replace the filters of your home’s heating or cooling system before you start it up for the first time. The filters should also be regularly checked and cleaned throughout the winter.
2. Ventilate the house: Keep your house dry and cool at all times to prevent the growth of mould and dust mites. To do this, run an exhaust fan in the bathroom while having a shower and in the kitchen while cooking. As far as possible, do not dry clothes indoors.
3. Avoid too cold or too hot air: As far as possible avoid going outdoors especially on windy days. Instead of going for a walk outdoors, exercise at home or in a gym. When you go outdoors, drape a scarf over the lower half of your face to cover your nose and mouth. This will ensure that you do not breathe in too cold air or too hot air.
4. Breathe correctly: As children, we’re told to keep our mouths closed. Not only is this good social etiquette, but it also prevents you from breathing through your mouth. The nostrils have tiny hair inside them that act as filters and keep dust particles and pollen from being inhaled. This also warms up the air while being inhaled. Thus avoid breathing through your mouth and instead only breathe through your nose.
5. Take your medications: Create an effective plan of action to be followed in case of an asthmatic attack and get regular check-ups throughout the season. If you notice your symptoms worsening as the weather gets colder, talk to a doctor about changing your medication and its dosage. Do not skip your medication or stop it unless your doctor tells you to.

Menopause is one of the most significant transitions in the life of a woman. While it is a natural process, it often entails a lot of discomfort and re-adjustment. A woman’s body undergoes a lot of hormonal changes, it is therefore essential to maintain a healthy sociological and physiological ambience around the woman to minimize the distress that can potentially arise in times like these. During menopausal changes, the body tends to amass a lot of impurities.

Ayurveda recommends specific diet plans and lifestyle decisions to ease out the transition. Ayurvedic methods are aimed at reducing the enormous emotional stress that a woman is likely to endure during these times. Some of the practices that can mitigate the anxiety caused by menopause have been enlisted below:

1. Balanced Diet: Having the necessary nutrients in the rightful quantity is extremely necessary to soothe the menopause induced agitations and trauma. Ayurveda recommends that you avoid food items that trigger off indigestion problems. Extremely salty and sour foods as well as spicy and oily foods can prove to be detrimental for you during menopause. Dressings and condiments like ketchup and mustard are known to not resonate well with the digestive system when your body is undergoing hormonal changes. Ideally, you must follow an astringent diet. Food items which are sweet and bitter to taste have benefiting properties. Wheat based foods as well as sweetened dairy products are extremely favorable. You may also look at leafy vegetables for purifying the system from within and acting as a rich source of protein. One of the most foremost guidelines to follow during menopause is the increased intake of water.

2. Lifestyle Choices: To facilitate an easy transition of the bodily systems, you need to advocate certain conscious lifestyle changes as well. It is important to adapt to a healthier way of living so as to avert any physiological consequence of menopause. You need to get sufficient amount of sleep in the course of a day. Sleep rejuvenates and refreshes the body for a healthy mechanism and provides the requisite amount of rest. Hot oil massages can also prove therapeutic during menopause and palliate pains and irritations that are likely to occur in such times. A timely intake of the meals is yet another mandatory routine that you must follow to battle the menopausal discomforts. Finally, Ayurveda recommends regular exercising for leading a happy and healthy life ahead.