Dr. Mehul Sanghavi

So you love your job and don't mind working after hours, every once in a while. Are you plagued by hypertension, stomach disorder and sleeplessness often? It's probably about time that you started paying more attention to the dual functioning of your mind-body. Stressing on one, while neglecting the other will only bear dire consequences in the near future. This will render your body weak and your mind restless.

The regulation of the mind-body dualism is the most integral aspect of your being. Your mind has the potential of affecting your health in more ways than one. Having a better outlook towards life helps deal with health issues such as depression, headache, pain and stress. The dual functioning of mind-body is bound to have greater implications on your health and one needs to be well aware of that facet:

Your mind reflects what your health has to say
The brain creates gamma globulin and endorphins, which toughen your immunity and serve as natural painkillers, respectively. The production of these substances depends significantly on how you're feeling at the moment. Having a positive outlook even when you're down with fever, pain or stress enables your body to create better regulatory hormones which accelerate healing.
On the other hand, if you're being too hard on yourself as a result of work overload, emotional crisis or any personal mishap, and adopt a negative perspective towards most things, your body will know and slow down its mechanism for creating endorphins and gamma globulin. This means you'll take longer to regain normalcy.

What you are doing to your body affects how your brain works 
On the flip side, if your body is under extreme pressure to perform and as a result, you're missing out on your regular, healthy regime, your mind is guaranteed to function differently. Eating differently, losing sleep, exercising less, and burn-outs will affect your mental well-being, negatively.
The fight-or-flight reaction and blood pressure levels are considerably influenced by how you're feeling and how you are dealing with things in life. As a result, you might feel depressed, moody, restless or sick. 

Therapies that improve your mind-body functioning
Practicing therapy and exercise, improves the dual functioning of your mind-body and is, therefore, indispensable for keeping well. The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) has suggested, some integrative measures that are sure to have a positive impact on your overall well-being: 

1. Meditation
2. Cognitive & behavioral management
3. Yoga and relaxation
4. Proper diet and regular physical exercise
5. Active involvement in music, art or dance
6. Avoiding a sedentary lifestyle

Despite everything else, if you're still willing to work beyond your deadline, at least don't forget to eat the salad that you had packed for lunch!

Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin which 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 antioxidation process and is believed to improve the overall ageing process.

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

1. 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).
2. 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.
3. Vitamin E is also shown to dilate blood vessels and prevent platelet clogging.
4. Vitamin E is useful in preventing and treating diabetes and its related complications. Of note, diabetes is also considered as a chronic inflammatory process.
5. 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
6. Women are particularly benefitted from vitamin E, including premenstrual cramps, painful periods, hot flashes with breast cancer, eclampsia during pregnancy, and pregnancy complications
7. Given their role in energy formation, they help improve endurance, energy levels, and improv muscle strength and reduce muscle damage.
8. 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.
9. It is useful to control hair loss, which could be due to multiple reasons, including chemotherapy or side effect of drugs.
10. It is useful in treating allergies, asthma, respiratory infections, and skin allergies.
11. Eye diseases like cataracts and macular degeneration which are generally age-related can be controlled with adequate intake of vitamin E.
12. 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.

1. Green leafy vegetables, legumes, and vegetable oils
2. Whole grains and fortified cereals
3. Fruits and nuts and seeds
4. Seafood, poultry, and meat
5. Eggs
6. Dairy products including fat-free or low-fat milk
7. 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.

The secret to consuming more antioxidants is simple: Eat more organic fresh fruits and vegetables.

The simplest and most effective way to expose yourself to more antioxidants is through your diet. By incorporating at least five servings of fruit and vegetables a day into your diet, you may be helping your body reduce its chances of heart disease, neurological diseases, cancer and lowered immunity.

Studies show that it is more effective to get antioxidants through diet, as opposed to taking supplements. So, enjoy eating a variety of these fruits and veggies daily!!