Goodness of tea

Here the benefits of tea for good health are outlined:

Tea is the second most consumed beverage in the world. A hot cup of tea, when you wake up in the morning, is hard to resist. Although, in India,black tea with milk and sugar is the most common way of drinking this beverage, in recent times, green tea and herbal tea have also become popular in urban areas. Uncommon varieties of tea are white tea and oolong tea. Green tea undergoes minimal oxidation and processing whereas black tea is highly oxidised.

ANTIOXIDANTS IN TEA:

For centuries man has been drinking tea, but the science behind its goodness has been discovered only some years ago. The most talked-about beneficial substance in tea is its flavonoids.Flavonoids are a group of antioxidants that are present in tea and many other foods. Catechins (a sub group of flavonoids) are found in large quantities in green and white tea. Black tea contains theaflavins and thearubigins (both antioxidants).

HEALTH BENEFITS:

Several research studies have been conducted on tea and its influence on reducing the risk of diseases. Some of these studies look very positive.

· Antioxidant properties in tea help protect cells from oxidative damage. Those who are at risk of heart disease or stroke might benefit from drinking tea regularly because it has a positive effect on blood vessels.

· Black tea has attracted some attention in India due to its role in fighting inflammation. Tea is a good source of fluoride which contributes to dental health.

· Emerging research says there might be a connection between tea and mental function. Although some people claim that green tea helps in weight loss, more evidence is required.

· Moreover, tea all by itself cannot help in losing weight, if the rest of the lifestyle is not conducive to weight loss.

Skincare

Here are some common monsoon-related skin conditions we should be familiar with and how to deal with them

Heavy rains remind us of staying put at home, eating pakodas, sipping hot tea, umbrellas and lazy days. The rains bring not only a welcome respite from the scorching heat but they also bring a whole set of problems for your skin.

Long hours of staying in wet clothes, repeated immersion of feet in contaminated water and constant high environmental humidity cause a myriad of skin problems. Humidity is a very familiar breeding ground for a host of bacteria, fungi and other infections that grow on the skin unchecked. Also the high acid content of the first showers of rain cause further to the skin and various skin infections. Here are some common monsoonrelated conditions we should be familiar with and how to deal with them:
Fungal infection of the toes or toe web spaces – Athlete’s Foot
This problem is more common in men as they usually wear closed footwear. There is itching, scaling and discolouration of web spaces and the toenails may become discoloured or brittle. Prevention: Wear open footwear when out in the rain and change into dry socks and footwear when you get indoors. Always wash your feet with soap and water after exposure to puddles or rainwater. Apply anti-fungal dusting powder – Absorb prior to putting on socks and apply an anti-fungal ointment at night. If the condition does not improve, consult a dermatologist.
Fungal infection of other body parts especially skin folds – Ringworm or tinea
The skin feels itchy and round dry red skin patches are formed. This is more common in diabetics.Prevention: Visit a dermatologist at the earliest and avoid using steroid ointments as they give immediate relief, but a bad relapse later.
Infections caused by mites – Scabies
This causes intense itching especially at night and a rash in the finger web spaces and body folds. It is most common in children. Prevention: Consult your doctor for treatment. Also since it spreads by contact, isolate the person and his belongings. All family members need to be made aware of the disease.
Lice infestation of the scalp and body
Usually occurs in females when damp hair is tied for too long.
Prevention: Anti-lice treatments are available.
Acne and dandruff
Preventions: Regular hair wash with an anti-dandruff shampoo containing ketoconazole is good to keep the scalp dandruff free. Other bacterial infections of the skin are common as bacteria thrive well on the skin in this season. Apart from these diseases, there are usually many non-specific complaints like wrinkling of the skin, body odour, dull, lifeless complexion or frizzing of hair – all due to excess humidity.


    

Nutrition tips in managing waterborne diseases

Five nutrition tips to stay away from waterborne diseases this monsoon

1 Any microbial infection (bacterial), which is accompanied with fever should be treated with antibiotic therapy to kill the microorganisms, but nutritional support during this phase helps recover faster. 

2 Feed the diarrhoea and fever. Research indicates that even during diarrhoea the activity of digestive enzymes is intact and feeding helps in boosting the immunity and strength of the individual and helps in faster recovery. The form of food can be changed as per the person’s tolerance. Small frequent nutritional dense (more nutrients in less quantity) foods are recommended. 

3 The nutrients to be emphasised in all these stages in order of priority are – carbohydrates to provide energy and spare proteins for tissue building as all these states are catabolic in nature. In addition to this giving good quality protein through milk products like curds, paneer, and non-vegetarian options like eggs, fish or soya protein help in better utilisation of proteins in the body. Ensure the food is prepared in such a manner that it is easy to digest and evenly distributed throughout the day. Some options can be porridges, gruels, curd rice, soft puddings, custards, paneer sandwiches, shikran, shrikhand etc. 

4 Enhance the intake of immune boosting nutrients like vitamin C, vitamin A, zinc, selenium and magnesium. Rainy season is marked with the availability of fruits like amla and guava that are loaded with pectin, vitamin C; bitter gourd – an excellent source of vitamin C; green leaves like patra, mayalu, chaulai, which are excellent sources of Vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, magnesium and calcium. An add on of sprouts, nuts and oilseeds can take care of selenium, zinc, magnesium. 

5 It is a good idea to use medium chain triglycerides, which are dairy fats like homemade ghee, butter, cream, as they are easy to digest and add to the total caloric intake. It has a lot of importance in individuals recovering from states like diarrhoea, jaundice and typhoid as the person has a poor appetite but yet needs calories and nutrient density to recover faster.


    

Social rejection linked to poor physical health

Says a recent study

People who are socially rejected and isolated tend to have poor physical health, and die sooner than people who have the support of others, according to a new study. 

“People who feel lonely and excluded tend to have poor physical health,” said Nathan Dewall, a psychologist at the University of Kentucky. They don’t sleep well, their immune systems sputter, and they even tend to die sooner than people who are surrounded by others who care about them. People with depression may face exclusion more often because of the symptoms of their disorder and being rejected makes them more depressed, said DeWall. A feeling of exclusion can also contribute to suicide.

Daily Eye Care

Splash your eyes with cold water first thing in the morning.

Apply cotton wool pads, soaked in warm milk, witch hazel, rose water or weak tea solution on your eyes, press gently, and leave for ten minutes.

Now fill an eye bath with eye lotion, place it on your eye, tilt your head back, open your eye and let the eye lotion flow into your eye.

Repeat the same process for the other eye. Wash each eye, two or three times and it will sooth and refresh your eyes.

You can repeat the same process following any activity,, which has strained your eyes.

After a couple of weeks of such eye care, you will find your eyes looking brighter.

To avoid eye strain do not work in a poor light.

Do not read continuously in buses or trains.

Do not stare too long at anything without blinking. Blinking provides lubrication and relief from light.

Do not rub your eyes too hard. To give momentary relief to your eyes, close your eyes with your palms so that no light can enter. Now open up your eyes in your palm cup and stare into this darkness for a minute.

How Many Hours Do You Need to Sleep?

Sleep is an essential part of our lives. Our bodies collapse with fatigue unless we sleep enough hours every day. Some people are like camels -- they can sleep very little for 6 days and then sleep for 24 hours on the last day, others need to have their sleep spread equally over all days of the week. It's also known that with age, our sleep patterns change. The question everybody asks is: How much sleep is enough?.

How much sleep is enough?

Many people don't assess how much sleep they need to function at their best; they just know they don't get enough. Each person's sleep requirement is different. Some people find that they only need 5-6 hours of sleep, while others need 10-11 hours for optimal performance. The average adult functions best with 7-8 hours of sleep a night; however, it is important to consider how much sleep you need on an individual basis.

The number of hours needed to sleep is a matter of "circadian rhythm," or the biological clock function which regulates our sleep-wake cycles.

Humans are evolved to be "diurnal" creatures, as opposed to nocturnal, that is we are hard-wired to operate optimally in the daytime; sleeping at night.

As newborns, we are essentially neither diurnal or nocturnal, having sleep-wake cycles which are frequent and evenly spaced during any 24-hour period; sleeping for 3-4 hours, waking for 1-2 hours, around the clock.

During the first year, this pattern progresses toward consolidation of the sleep period, trending toward increased nocturnal sleep and daytime wakefulness. At one year the infant typically sleeps about 10 hours from around 7 pm until about 5 am, with a couple of naps in the early and late afternoon, respectively.

By age 4-5, the child has lengthened the nocturnal period to about 11-12 hours with one nap in the afternoon.

At age 10, time of sleep onset is somewhat delayed to 8 or 9 pm, and sleep lasts until 6 or 7 am; the nap disappearing.

For most adults, 7 to 8 hours a night appears to be the best amount of sleep, although the amount ranges from 5 hours to 10 hours of sleep each day depending on the individual. It should be noted that a recent research study conducted by Boston University School of Medicine found that study participants that reported sleeping less than 6 hours or more than 9 hours a day had an increased incidence of diabetes, compared to those who slept 7-8 hours

Senior adults were long considered to have further shortened sleep requirements, but it is now thought that this is only because they tend to get less sleep due to increasing intrinsic sleep disturbance, such as sleep apnea, or musculoskeletal pain, which may interrupt or truncate the sleep interval.

The need to nap is not a clear-cut issue, as some cultures agree that a "siesta" in the afternoon is "natural," and people of all ages in those cultures normally take a mid-day snooze.

Sleep lab data suggest strongly that if adults get 8.1 hours of undisturbed sleep in a 24 hour day, that a nap will not be needed. This varies based upon the quality of sleep obtained, and other factors such as state of general health, levels of stress, or fatigue due to prolonged exertion.

There are as Many Sleep Pattern Preferences As People Out There

Here are some ideas about personal preferences from posts on the sleep-related forums.

On a work night I sleep 7-8 hours. In the holidays or at the weekend, I sleep about 9 hours. I also have a nap every day after work! I need to nap when I feel tired, sometimes 1-2 times a day. I think it may just be a bad habit, though. 7-8 hours definitely isn't enough for me.

About 8 is my ideal, but I rarely get it. Being a carer I am often woken several times a night by my mother. As it can take a long time for me to get back to sleep and only a short while before I am called again. I get very irritable when it gets to 4-5 hrs sleep. However when I am alone and get my 8 hrs - I soon rebound and feel good and well balanced. In winter it would be more with dark mornings and less in summer when it is a bright sunny morning.

You should not always follow the '8 hour rule'. It does not apply to everyone. Remember everyone's body chemistry is different. The important thing is if you're tired the whole day after even 8 hours of sleep. This means that you need more. If you feel fine with 6 hours of sleep and you're fresh everyday, you're fine.

I get about 5 - 6 hrs a night and find it takes ages to get to sleep - I definitely need more and when on holiday or without children and left to sleep until I naturally wake I seem to have 9-10 hours. I have always needed a lot of sleep but have not got enough for years now. I could nap every afternoon but often don't get the chance. If it gets really bad with many nights of little sleep and no afternoon nap for a week or so then I am literally tearful with needing sleep. I can drop off in minutes in the day if I lie down but it takes hours at night sometimes.

I used to thrive on 6 hours a night of sleep, now I need 9! That's been since having a child. I don't feel like I've ever gotten over those first couple of years of sleepless nights (breastfeeding on demand too, to a gal with a hearty appetite!) I'd dearly love to get back to thriving on fewer hours a night. I dream so much too - every morning I can remember at least 3 different dreams; so sometimes I feel as if I have never slept.

Sleep is a real problem for me. Very often I only get about four hours and I'm doing well if I get 6 off and on. I'd love to be able to get 8 hours, preferably unbroken, just to see what it's like! I'm reluctant to take sleeping tablets although I have done from time to time. I've tried the usual alternative therapies but they don't seem to work either. The problem is waking up frequently and/or too early. I'm not expecting any of you to have a magic answer but I do feel that I'm far from being alone and that it's a big problem for many people. I'm convinced that many people in this day and age and for many divers reasons do not get enough sleep and that it could be a contributory factor in a lot of our society's problems.

I have never slept well. For one reason or another, sleep has always seemed like a grand waste of time. I work out of my home, so going to sleep and waking up has never been an issue. I get maybe 3 to 4 hours of sleep per night. I have never been cranky, never felt tired or un-rested. Some people need sleep, some people don't. If my wife doesn't get her 8 hours, she is a raving bitch (as an example, and it is not reflective of her wonderful nature) Maybe it is genetic, my father never needed to sleep either.

So, as you can see, each person sleeps different hours and they feel different about it. What's important is to find your own sleeping pattern that works for you. If your body demands more sleep you may just have to give it those hours.

Courtesy: stason.org