Dr. Hemalatha

Increase the intake of milk and milk products which contain high levels of calcium during the third month of your pregnancy as the baby's tooth buds are developing at this point.

Sleep hygiene tips:

1. Getting good sleep is important in maintaining health. There are several things that you can do to promote good sleep.
2. Sleep hygiene help promote good sleep using behavioral interventions.

Sleep hygiene tips:

1. Maintain a regular sleep routine
2. Go to bed at the same time. Wake up at the same time. Ideally, your schedule will remain the same (+/- 20 minutes) every night of the week.
3. Avoid naps if possible.
4. Naps decrease the ‘sleep debt’ that is so necessary for easy sleep onset. Each of us needs a certain amount of sleep per 24-hour period. We need that amount, and we don’t need more than that. When we take naps, it decreases the amount of sleep that we need the next night – which may cause sleep fragmentation and difficulty initiating sleep, and may lead to insomnia.
5. Don’t stay in bed awake for more than 5-10 minutes.

If you find your mind racing, or worrying about not being able to sleep during the middle of the night, get out of bed, and sit in a chair in the dark. Do your mind racing in the chair until you are sleepy, then return to bed. No tv or internet during these periods! that will just stimulate you more than desired. If this happens several times during the night, that is ok. Just maintain your regular wake time, and try to avoid naps.

1. Don’t watch tv or read in bed.
2. When you watch tv or read in bed, you associate the bed with wakefulness.
3. Drink caffeinated drinks with caution
4. The effects of caffeine may last for several hours after ingestion. Caffeine can fragment sleep, and cause difficulty initiating sleep. If you drink caffeine, use it only before noon. Remember that soda and tea contain caffeine as well.
5. Avoid inappropriate substances that interfere with sleep
6. Cigarettes, alcohol, and over-the-counter medications may cause fragmented sleep.
7. Exercise regularly
8. Exercise before 2 pm every day. Exercise promotes continuous sleep. Avoid rigorous exercise before bedtime. Rigorous exercise circulates endorphins into the body which may cause difficulty initiating sleep.
9. Have a quiet, comfortable bedroom

Set your bedroom thermostat at a comfortable temperature. Generally, a little cooler is better than a little warmer. Turn off the tv and other extraneous noise that may disrupt sleep. Background ‘white noise’ like a fan is ok. If your pets awaken you, keep them outside the bedroom. Your bedroom should be dark. Turn off bright lights. Have a comfortable mattress.

1. If you are a ‘clock watcher’ at night, hide the clock.
2. Have a comfortable pre-bedtime routine
3. A warm bath, shower, meditation.

Some who are struggling with sleep regularly find it helpful to print out these recommendations and read them reularly. If you accidentally miss some of recommendations, or have a bad night, do not fret. By following these sleep hygiene recommendations, you will help yourself to get into a routine that promotes good sleep opportunities.

Yoga is not simply a set of exercises, but a lifestyle. When practicing yoga, asanas and nutrition go hand in hand to improve your quality of life. Your digestive system, immunity and energy levels are directly linked to the food you intake. If there is a problem with any of these, yoga asanas can help resolve it.

1. Digestion: Not all food is easy to digest. Instead of popping laxatives and antacids after every meal, change the food you're eating. Citrus fruits and leafy vegetables that are rich in fiber aid digestion and prevent constipation. Some foods like yogurt, bananas and garlic are probiotics that support the growth of gut bacteria and keep your stomach healthy. Also include carminatives or foods that prevent the formation of gas like cumin, ginger and oatmeal.Yogic asanas such as the spinal twist, Apanasana and Paschimottanasana can help smoothen the digestive process.
2. Immunity: Eating the right food can help boost your immunity. Citrus fruits are rich sources of vitamin C that directly strengthen the immune system. Herbs like turmeric, ginger and garlic are rich in antioxidants and linked to the prevention of a number of diseases including several types of cancer. Proteins also help nourish your immune system and hence should not be ignored. A combination of asanas and yogic breathing techniques can help boost your immunity. Some asanas to try include Viparita Karani, Bhujangasana, Matsyasana and Adho Mukha Svanasana. These poses help lower stress and boost immunity by pumping rich oxygenated blood to all the parts of the body.
3. Energy: The food you eat is turned into glucose to fuel the body and maintain a constant supply of energy. Soy and green leafy vegetables that are rich in iron can effectively boost your energy levels. Fruits like apples, bananas and oranges can also help increase your energy. Yogurt rich in magnesium does not directly contribute towards the creation of glucose but helps the body release this energy whenever needed. Yoga asanas help increase blood flow and increase the heart's capacity to pump blood through the body. A few yoga poses that can boost energy are the camel pose, tree pose and warrior asana.
4. Relaxation: Sipping on a cup of green tea is a good way to end the day and relax. Other food like honey, milk, celery and oatmeal can also help calm the body and fight off the day's stress. Apart from being delicious, dark chocolate also releases hormones that ease stress and help relax a person.

Practising yoga breathing techniques like pranayama can effectively release tension. Supta Baddha Konasana, Viparita Karani and the Supta Matsyendrasana can also help increase energy levels.

1. Useful in preventing infections during seasonal changes:

When winter sets in or monsoon starts, the weather undergoes drastic changes, bringing new bacteria, germs and living organisms into the air. Some people fall prey to infections and fevers during these months. Taking chyawanprash helps your body in fighting such fungal and bacterial infections.

2. Enhances the digestive system:

If you have a weak digestive system, taking chyawanprash regularly may help you enhance it. It helps streamline bowel movements and digestion of foods. The cinnamon and amla in this formulation have carminative properties, and they help prevent flatulence. It also helps prevent constipation, a condition affecting a major part of human population.

3. Helps fight respiratory issues:

The herbs present in this ancient formulation can help people suffering from long term and chronic respiratory ailments. It actually aids lung functioning to an extent.

4. Helps keep skin radiant and healthy:

Contrary to what many people think, applying beauty products externally on the skin is not enough to look youthful and attractive. What you take in also reflects on your skin. Chyawanprash contains a number of herbs including amla that has vitamin c in good amounts. Those herbs, when taken internally, help skin stay healthy and radiant. So, in a way, eating chyawanprash helps you thwart signs of aging to an extent. The saffron present in this elixir may aid in improving your complexion.

5. Aids in purifying blood:

People who lead a hectic life, get less sleep or gorge on junk foods frequently get excess toxins in their body. These toxins, when stored in the body, lead to the onset of several complications and ailments. They also hamper with natural blood purification process in your body. Eating chyawanprash helps in purifying the blood and eliminates those excess toxic elements from the body.

6. Enhances sexual prowess:

While this is not well known, eating chyawanprash can help boost sexual prowess and help cope with sexual problems better. For example, the herbs present in this formulation help keep menstruation cycle in shape.

7. Assist in coping with stress:

The herbs present in this ayurvedic formulation actually have a calming effect on your nervous system. So, eating it may help you cope better with stress.

8. Sharpens memory and aids brain function:

You have to keep track of so many things in your life and career. It is not uncommon for anyone to forget things at times, even at a young age. Eating chyawanprash makes your body fortified with herbs that aid in boosting brain functions and sharpening memory. Apart from adults, kids can also better focus on their studies and concentrate on various activities by eating this ayurvedic elixir.

9. Offers energy for daily chores:

Owing to workload, incessant multitasking and tension, a lot of people feel a lack of energy in doing things, including daily chores. Chyawanprash contains plenty of herbal extracts that provide your body with enough energy to sail through the daily chores without feeling fatigued or worn out.

10. Aids weight loss:

A lot of obese individuals fail to shed excess pounds because their metabolism is not at an optimal level. Eating chyawanprash helps in stimulating the metabolism and thus aids in losing weight.

11. Heart health boost:

Eating chyawanprash regularly can benefit heart health, say ayurveda experts.

12. Cholesterol regulator:

Chyawanprash intake can help lower the high levels of cholesterol in the blood. It also regulates blood pressure.

13. Helps improve nails and hair:

Eating this elixir may help improve the health of your hair and nails. The antioxidants present in chyawanprash help slow down premature hair graying and prevent brittle nails.

14. Helps combat cold and cough:

Chyawanprash has vitamin c and other ingredients that help your body stave off virus and bacteria that lead to cold and cough.

15. Urinary infections:

Taking chyawanprash is likely to benefit those suffering from urine infection and other related ailments.

Did you know your nails could reveal a lot about your health?

When there’s something wrong with your health, your body reveals it in the form of different signs. Changes in the normal colour, texture and shape of your nails can be counted among these signs. You might not often closely observe your nails, but did you know that the changes in your nails are often caused by different medical conditions? Read on…

1. Discoloured Nails

If you observe that your nails are turning into a different shade than the normal pinkish-red, it might be indicative of these conditions:

Yellow nails: This may happen due to continuous use of nail paints, but in most cases it’s a sign of fungal infection or psoriasis. Also, it may happen due to some other conditions like jaundice, lymphedema, and sinusitis to name a few.

Blue nails:The nails generally turn blue due to lack of oxygen in the fingertips.

Brown nails: This type of colouration in nails generally occurs due to malnutrition or thyroid. Moreover, if your fingernails have a brown tone close to the tips and are whiter at the bottom, you may have increased chances of kidney failure.

2. Pale nails

Pale or whitish nails suggest that there’s lack of oxygen in your blood,which might have happened due to anaemia (lack of iron). Moreover, pale nails may also point towards diabetes or any liver disease in its initial stage.

3. Cracked, Dry, or Brittle nails

Cracking and splitting of nails are the result of exposure to chemicals like detergents, and nail polish removers among others or fungal infection or thyroid. Also, if your body is not getting adequate amount of vitamins A, B and C, your nails might become brittle.

4. Nails with Dark Patches or Lines

If you notice black streaks, lines or painful growths on your nails - this could be the sign of melanoma (a type of skin cancer).

'Consult'.

Miracle Effect of Amla