Living alone with safety - Medical Alarms

Unlike India, in the US, people like to live independently and also alone. In India, the parents and grandparents are taken care of by the family and they live with them. However, this is not the case in all other countries. People live alone even when they are in their late 60's or 70's, where they might need some physical help. Do you know someone who lives alone and you care about them? There are a lot of ways you can protect them.

There are new medical products which help to keep the life of elderly intact. Fall alert detector is one that alerts the emergency personnel that the person has fallen and is unable to push a button. This is a very useful product. Why? because, there is a high chance that when we fall we might break our bones. The bones of the old people are even more tender and has a high chance of getting injured. This being the case, it is difficult for the injured person to call for help.

Another helpful product is a GPS Tracking Bracelet with 2-way speakerphone. This helps them to call for help. When we are attacked, either by others or our own body, the first thing we do is panic. We go blank. This device is handy and calls can be made easily without any problem. Medical Alarm has become a necessity for many and if you have anyone living alone, it is better to insist them take precautions. After all, we love them!

Finding difficult to track your goals?

New year is in 2 weeks. Hope you have your next year's goals in mind. I have quite a few from loosing weight to saving money. It is not that we have to wait till New year to set our goals. We can set them whenever we want. The major issue is tracking them. Most of us, including me will be all excited and set unrealistic goals sometimes or even set goals and completely forget about them. But it is not going to be the case this year.

'Goal for it' is a website which helps us track our goals online. Not only for adults, it also helps us track the development of our kids through their kids goal charts. This is very inspiring and helps children learn their duties in a very fun way. I am pretty sure parents will love this. Not only New Year's resolutions, you can set any goal and track your progress. It is always helpful when someone is behind us and Goal for it is one such program, I would say.

You have free tools to set, manage and achieve goals. The process is very simple and they also have helpful video tutorials for teaching the beginners. You get support, motivation, the opportunity to work together and more. It is always easy when you do something in a group. All for free. Don't you think you should give it a try? This is perfect for people like me, who forgets their goals and find it difficult to track their progress. Let me know what your experience, it is always more room to learn.

What do you think of Online Pharmacy Escrow Service?

It is always good to know that there is a service which guarantees you something. Especially when you buy something online, you want to be pretty sure that you will get what you have paid for. Online transactions have become very common now a days, that we even try to do most of our grocery shopping online. Then why not our medicines? When it comes to medicine we need a trustworthy person to believe in. Online Pharmacy Escrow services are those which helps you connect with your favorite pharmacy online and assures you that you will receive what you have paid for.

One such service is Canadian Online Pharmacy. They provide the service world wide and accept the most popular method of payments. Sometimes I do feel that purchasing online is more comfortable. You can shop at your own pace. You can get medicine for almost any type of ailments through this service, as they just help you connect with your usual pharmacy.

Refills are also easy through this services. To make the ordering process simple, they have ordering through phone or live chat. Considering the shipping costs, I personally feel that it will be more profitable if we order in bulk. Not only shipping, ordering in bulk saves a lot of money in many ways. With online shopping becoming more popular I think we must give it a try and avail these services if it satisfies our needs. Do you agree?

Food that helps to get pregnant

When a couple decides to get pregnant, one of the few important things they consider is food. Food plays a major role throughout the pregnancy. What you eat before pregnancy is important too. There are few foods that will help you in conception and few which you need to avoid.

Food to eat :

Fruits and vegetables - especially citrus and leafy vegetables
Folic acid
Food containing Vitamin B6
8 liters of water
Zinc
well cooked egg

Food to Avoid:

Caffeine
more sugar diet
Alcohol
Soy
Sea food as they contain mercury

Few important links:

http://www.goodtoknow.co.uk/family/142797/Eat-to-get-pregnant

http://health.usnews.com/usnews/health/healthination/pregnancy.htm

http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/4753/should_pregnant_women_eat_soy/

http://www.mercola.com/article/soy/index.htm

100 Natural Ways to Overcome Anxiety

Recently, I was brought to the notice of an article which shares 100 Natural Ways to Overcome Anxiety. Here is the link for you. I have already written about how to overcome stress and in this busy world, we all have different reasons for getting anxious.

Getting anxious is very natural. You cannot prevent it. But sure can overcome without stress. Natural methods like Yoga, meditation are great ways to overcome your anxiety. A normal breathing exercise does help a lot. Through this process, Do not try to control your emotions. Let it free and try to overcome them. It is more effective than trying to control.

Here are few ways which I found very interesting in t he article I mentioned above.

• Learn to Say NO - The basic thing which causes emotional disorder.
• Journal - Keep a journal and let out your feelings. Do not try to suppress them. It adds fuel to the fire.
• Therapies - Acupuncture,Reiki etc helps a lot when done right.
• Sleep - If not enough can cause you major problems.
• Natural Diet - Taking proper food would definitely help you through this. Green tea, Avocado,Fish oil,mushrooms may help too.

Getting anxious is very normal. Every human being experiences anxiety. It is the way we use to overcome anxiety, that matters. Relax and enjoy every second of your life.

Pregnancy and Men

It is very clear that men, now a days, want to get involved more with the pregnancy. When a couple finds that they are pregnant, men are even more proud and happy than women and it is true. They get a sense of accomplishment and a living proof of their manhood. It is very important to them. Is it enough? Not at all.

They want to be a part of the pregnancy. They try to get involved in any way that is possible to show that they care and are equally anxious about it. Most of the women are sensitive and very expressive unlike men. Men keeps their anxiety with themselves. This doesn't mean they don't care.

Possible ways that men can participate in this journey of pregnancy

Before conception:

Every women wants to be cared for and spoken to when they are in pressure. And when a couple decides to enter the parenthood, more pressure is on the women. They are more obsessed and if at all they had to try more than one time, they get easily frustrated. This is where men plays an important role. It is very important for him to console and promise that he will be with her this entire process and they are in this together. Such love talk soothes women for sure.

First Trimester:

The important phase of Pregnancy. Most of the women will have morning sickness and it is very important that they take ample rest if required. So, men pitch in and cook for your lady. Do the laundry, she won't complain on the unwashed stain on her dress. She will be very happy and so will your child. Help in the household chores and make her feel comfortable. Talk to her whenever possible. Ask her how she feels.

Second Trimester:

Your baby is grown a little. You can see your lady with a big tummy. Make her feel that you love her however she looks. Most of the women feel very bad when they go out of shape. They think that this might make the relationship grow apart. But make her understand that it is not the case and you love her even more. Continue helping your lady with household chores and start to have a light walk with her. Be with her in all her ultrasounds and express how much lucky you are to have her as your wife.

Third Trimester:

Continue doing the chores and make sure that she does her regular pregnancy exercises. Make sure you are in the labor ward when she is giving birth. Hold her hands and soothe her. Make all the arrangements for your baby and be proud father!

More on Pregnancy and men here.

Lung Cancer- The most common cause of cancer deaths

When I was browsing through the net, I came across an article describing the struggle of a pregnant women from cancer. I was shocked. How could this even happen? I felt proud of her for being so brave. Then I started reading about different kinds of cancer and their effects. Did you know? Lung Cancer is the most common cause of cancer deaths.

Over 1/3 cancer deaths in US is because of Lung Cancer. This is huge! Lung cancer is a disease of uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. This growth may lead to metastasis, which is invasion of adjacent tissue and infiltration beyond the lungs. There are mainly 2 types of lung cancer namely mall cell lung carcinoma and non-small cell lung carcinoma. Both are different in the way they are treated.

There are many Lung Cancer Symptoms but, we all know Smoking is the main cause for Lung Cancer. Exposure to harmful chemicals and environmental conditions play a major role in causing this type of cancer.

As any other Cancer treatment, Lung Cancer Treatment also includes Chemotherapy and radiotherapy. In addition to this Surgery and Drug treatments such as erlotinib (Tarceva) are also prescribed.

For Diagnosing Lung Cancer, X-rays and CT scans are used. Sometimes doctors also conduct 'A bronchoscopy', to identify the cancer stage. A bronchoscopy is a hospital test in which a narrow tube with a light and lens on the end will be passed down the trachea and into your lungs.

These are just introduction to Lung Cancer. Do enlighten yourself with numerous articles and information found in the web and be well informed about this disease. Knowledge is power.

Top 10 Pregnancy symptoms

Every women is anxious when it comes to pregnancy. Every minute of pregnancy is a different experience; New and a lot to learn from. Before the doctor confirms that we are pregnant, we always have a confusion whether we are pregnant or not. We feel that we are but there is no solid proof to back us up. Do you feel the same? then here you go. These are the most common early pregnancy symptoms. Image source: apdk

1. Missed Periods - OK we all know this. Next!
2. Swollen or tender Breasts
3. Fatigue/Tiredness
4. Backache
5. Frequent Urination - This happens only after 3rd week or so.
6. Darkening of Areolas
7. Implantation Bleeding
8. Nausea/Morning sickness - There are many lucky women who skip this!
9. Constipation
10. Mood Swings - If you normally have mood swings, then it is difficult to differentiate!

Read more in detail about the symptoms here and here.

Food Poison - Diagnosis and home treatment

I was all ready to shop on Black Friday. You might have read my excitement here. But all messed up within few hours. For Thanksgiving Lunch we had Fish and thanks to salmonella(I think), my husband got affected by food poison that evening and I had to say bu-bye to my Black Friday shopping.

I wanted to share few observations and tips with you so that you could be prepared to fight Food poison.

Common causes for Food poison:

• Eating raw or undercooked Meat,seafood,Poultry
• Drinking Raw or expired Milk
• Eating unwashed vegetables/Fruits
• Eating without washing hands

Common Symptoms of Food poison:

• Diarrhea
• Vomiting
• Stomach pain
• Head Ache
• Nausea

Home Treatment for Food Poison:

• Drink plenty of water, preferably warm water.
• Boil water with 1 tsp cumin seeds and 2-3 cloves. Allow it to cool and drink when warm.
  
• Goggle with salt water. This comforts your throat and kills any germs that could reside.
• Avoid having solid food at least for the next 2 sessions and substitute with liquid food.
• Take bed rest and avoid eating out for at least a week.

These are some of my observations and learning. You could also learn more about Food poisoning here and here.

Can we exercise during pregnancy?

This is the first question that I got even before planning for motherhood. Why? because I am overweight and it is a must that I watch my weight so that I get into an easy labor. With having a bad experience with my first pregnancy, it is very difficult for me to even think that my second would be a normal one.

I had a miscarriage due to the amniotic fluid loss. Now I have to be at rest for my second pregnancy. So how can I watch my weight being at complete rest? It is challenging. I am figuring out a way so that it helps me and also people like me who have to take complete rest during their pregnancy due to special needs.

Till now I have figured out that healthy and low card diet will help me maintain weight and also provide the required nutrients for my baby. But what about exercises? As of now, nothing. If you know anything,do share it. I'll love you forever!

But for others who can lead a normal pregnancy period, the best ways are,

Yoga - before choosing this option, be sure that you learn this from a teacher/expert before trying it. There is a baby to think about now.

Usual exercises in GYM - You can perform the normal walking exercises in treadmill, but just be sure to stop when you are uncomfortable and also don't stress out!

Walking with your better half - This helps a lot. Having a slow long walk with your husband will not only be relaxing and helpful for your labor but also will be a chance to catch up with your loved one and satisfy your emotional needs that grow up during pregnancy.

Always consult doctor and do not assume anything. To know more on exercises, have a look at this article. I liked it very much. Very informative.

Now tell me, do you or did you exercise during your pregnancy? Share your experience so that we can all learn and be prepared to welcome our bundle of joy!

Eating right during Pregnancy

Are you ready enjoy the motherhood? Are you overwhelmed with the different advices you get on what to eat and what not to eat during pregnancy? Well then join me in watching this video. I saw this video while I was browsing today and found the information very clear and useful for every pregnant women or even women who wants to become pregnant.



Liked the information? I am trying to get a lot of information on pregnancy and I will be sharing it in this blog. Do not miss, please Subscribe in a reader to the blog and enjoy a healthy pregnancy period.

8 Things to do before getting pregnant

Pregnancy - the goal of womanhood. It is a blessing to become a mother. Not all get the opportunity. Few get pregnant immediately and few have to work hard. Whatever be the case, there are few things that you must do before getting pregnant.Few important things. Photo :karindalziel

Intake Folic Acid

By taking 400 micrograms of folic acid a day for at least one month before you start trying and during your first trimester, you can cut your chances of having a baby with neural-tube defects such as spina bifida by up to 70 percent, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Say No to Drugs, Drinks, smoke

If you are a person who loves to party and enjoy drinking and smoking. Well, it is high time you put a stop or atleast a pause to these activities. Drinking/Smoking during pregnancy affects the baby and has high possibility of preventing you from getting pregnant.


Say Bubye to Caffeine

Caffeine is considered as a drug that the absorption of Iron which is vital during pregnancy. It is suggested that you stop taking caffeine in any form. There is a high possibility to increase your risk for stillbirth. So start weaning yourself off of coffee, tea, and colas or switch to decaf.

Check your weight

It is very important that you are fit to become pregnant. It is found that people having a BMI of more than 30 or less than 20 have harder time in getting conceived. Check your BMI here. Be cautious and stay fit.

Eat healthy Food

This is very important. Change your diet from frozen food, junk food etc to healthy fruits and vegetables. Cook your food. Avoid eating outside.

Figure out when you Ovulate

It might sound very difficult to figure out when you ovulate but there are methods to help you. If you have a regular menstrual period, it is easy to figure out your ovulation period. Check out this ovulation calculator. You can also determine your ovulation period with the help of basal temperature. You can also check the ovulation period using the kits available in the market.


Throw your Birth Control Pill

Duh! A very obvious thing to do before getting pregnant.

Contact your doctor

Stay in touch with your doctor. She/he might help you figure out problems, if any.

Getting pregnant is more commitment in life, more responsibilities. So be sure that you are ready for this journey and then get pregnant. Good Luck!

Coronary bypass surgery

Recently my uncle was asked to undergo the Coronary bypass surgery. Any family would panic hearing this news, and so did we. We had no doctors in our family to make us understand what a heart bypass surgery is. We were scared. At that point I decided to do some research on the Internet and share this news with my friends through this blog, so that, all, at least those who read this will become more aware.

Creating awareness is my main motto here. Not everyone knows about Coronary bypass and I felt it like it is my duty to spread the news and create some awareness. There are a lot of websites and articles about this but let me just brief you on the

- What?
- How?
- Who?

Photo from : UMM.EDU

What is Coronary artery bypass surgery?

This is a medical term used for the bypass surgery performed on a patient whose heart stops functioning or is suffering from severe heart attack. Not all will be asked to undergo this surgery. This surgery will be done only when the coronary arteries are blocked by fat and cholesterol which in turn stops the blood flow to the heart causing in severe heart pain or makes the heart to stop functioning.

How is the surgery performed?

There are different methods followed. It depends on the patent's condition and also the Doctors preference. But I found this procedure in Wiki,

1.The patient is brought to the operating room and moved onto the operating table.

2.An anaesthetist places a variety of intravenous lines and injects an induction agent (usually propofol) to render the person unconscious.

3.An endotracheal tube is inserted and secured by the anesthetist or assistant (e.g. respiratory therapist or nurse anesthetist) and mechanical ventilation is started.

4.The chest is opened via a median sternotomy and the heart is examined by the surgeon.

5.The bypass grafts are harvested - frequent conduits are the internal thoracic arteries, radial arteries and saphenous veins. When harvesting is done, the patient is given heparin to prevent the blood from clotting.

6.In the case of "off-pump" surgery, the surgeon places devices to stabilize the heart.

7.If the case is "on-pump", the surgeon sutures cannulae into the heart and instructs the perfusionist to start cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). Once CPB is established, the surgeon places the aortic cross-clamp across the aorta and instructs the perfusionist to deliver cardioplegia to stop the heart.

8.One end of each graft is sewn onto the coronary arteries beyond the blockages and the other end is attached to the aorta.

9.The heart is restarted; or in "off-pump" surgery, the stabilizing devices are removed. In some cases, the Aorta is partially occluded by a C shaped clamp, the heart is restarted and suturing of the grafts to the aorta is done in this partially occluded section of the aorta while the heart is beating.

10.Protamine is given to reverse the effects of heparin.

11.The sternum is wired together and the incisions are sutured closed.

12.The person is moved to the intensive care unit (ICU) to recover. After awakening and stabilizing in the ICU (approximately 1 day), the person is transferred to the cardiac surgery ward until ready to go home (approximately 4 days).

Who can be a victim for this?

- Diabetic patients are more prone to this.

- Women has a higher risk

- Old people, by old I mean people who are 70 years or more.

- A person with history heart problems

- Obese person

More information can be found on the Internet or you can discuss about the causes and effects with your doctor. Hope these information was useful and helped to create awareness. There is nothing to be deeply worried, technologies have improved and so is our possibilities to survive. Do share your thoughts and experiences with us.

Toothache - Homemade Medicines/Immediate Remedy

As I already mentioned, here are the homemade medicine/remedy for immediate relief of Toothache.

Garlic clove - Take one garlic add a pinch of salt and crushed peppercorns and keep them on the tooth which aches. This is an immediate relief. Garlic has so much power!

Cloves - These are very handy and easy.Just place them on the tooth that aches and after sometime you will get some relief for sure.

Salt and pepper - Take a pinch of each and rub it slowly on the gum of the aching side.

Clove oil - This is also very effective. Just rub it on the Gums and with a help of sponge/cotton apply it on the tooth.

Onions - Place a small piece of onion on the tooth. It helps killing the germs.

As always goggling with warm salt water also helps to some extent.

Do let me know if you are aware of any other Home medicine for toothache.

Tooth Ache - ouch! it hurts.

For the past two weeks, my husband was suffering from tooth ache. He was developing his wisdom tooth and oh! it was painful. Also he has sinus problem which had aggravated his pain. I did give home some home medicine, which I will be sharing with you all soon. But, no relief. The next immediate thought is to find a dentist.

We live in the suburbs of IL and our main concern was dental expenses aren't covered in our insurance. That being said, you know how much we have to pay out from our pocket if we visit a dentist. But, how long can he suffer? Another big issue is, he hates going to a dentist. He says it is more painful than the tooth ache. So, either I have to drag him to the dentist or he must be given conscious sedation. My motto is to get his tooth ache fixed.

For the first week, I just gave him some home medicine. A quick remedy. The next week was OK. He was getting better and now he is alright. He is very happy that he made it through this situation without going to the dentist! My friend always compares him with her son, in this aspect. She lives in NY and her son always throws a tantrum, every time they visit the Rochester NY dentist. She says, Rochester Dentist needs a lot of patience to treat her kid. And same goes with my husband. A lot of patience is required.

Sure do come back for the details of home medicine that I gave my husband to get a quick relief from the pain. Do share your experiences related to tooth ache or dentist whichever you feel is real funny!

How about some water therapy?

Everyone wants to be fit. Both Physically and mentally. How often do you exercise to make this happen? If you ask me the same question, I would say 'I am lazy to hit the Gym and exercising is no fun.' But, will you consider exercising if it is more fun? Ya, Of course!

Now, the next question. How many of you have been to Spas? For a women Spa is heaven. A great place to relax and meet up with friends. How cool it would be if you could exercise in you spa along with your friends?- A swim spa. I would say super cool.

But...there are always buts in everything. Are these hydrotherapy pools hygienic? Are the water being changed after every customer? A point to be noted. Not all spas do this and it is not affordable too. Also there is a high possibility that they use a highly chlorinated water for these pools. More chlorine content is not good for our skin. So I would suggest you all to think twice and also do your research properly before joining any therapy classes or trainings.

Recently I came across many Aquatic therapy classes, trainings. Also home pools, where you can install these equipments at home and practice it all by yourself. One advantage of having a home pool is that you can avoid spreading of infections and also take care of the water. But can you afford it? It is 100% your call.

Indoor exercises are becoming more popular these days. With having to work all day, having a Gym at home is the easiest and best way to keep your body fit. How efficient is this water therapy? Do you go to any aquatic therapy or do you know someone who participates? Do share your comments here so that it will be useful for all our readers.

Sprint Fidelis Defibrillator Leads Recalled?

Do you know what a Defibrillation is? Ofcourse, a laymen would never know these medical terms. If you are a doctor, or a patient who has suffered Cardiac Arrest or a close relation to a heart patient, you will be knowing a lot of information, enough to write an essay. But for all others,

Defibrillation is the definitive treatment for the life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias, ventricular fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia. Defibrillation consists of delivering a therapeutic dose of electrical energy to the affected heart with a device called a defibrillator. This depolarizes a critical mass of the heart muscle, terminates the arrhythmia, and allows normal sinus rhythm to be reestablished by the body's natural pacemaker, in the sinoatrial node of the heart

Says Wiki. To know more on this check out Wiki.

But, did you know Medtronic Inc. has removed its Sprint Fidelis defibrillation leads from the market? The reason being,there was five related deaths. Medtronic Defibrillator Recall, which happened recently was a shock to many.

Defective Defibrillator Leads were called off to prevent any future mishap. Know more about Defibrillator Lead Lawsuit. Do you know someone who has been using this device?- consult a Medtronic Recall Lawyer. Sometimes, medical field can be more scary than Halloween!Share your experience with us and educate our readers.

Do you suffer from Acne?

Whenever I hear the word Acne, it kind of pisses me off. It is one of the major contributors of social insecurity among kids, teenagers or adults. Affects everyone invariably. Especially the teens. Already they are going through a tough time, and acne makes the life even worse.

More than physical, I think Acne has a more emotional effect. Whiteheads, Blackheads, pimples,Cysts are common form of acne. ok, we all know this. So, what causes this acne? - An important question. They say, mostly due to hormones, dirt, heredity, stress, deficiency of vitamin A and E. It varies from person to person.

How can we prevent Acne? - I really do not know how we can prevent it. May be we can be more hygienic. But, I would be more interested in how to cure them.


We really do not have the control over the acne, per say. But sure is curable. There are a lot of treatment for acne complex. We just have to find out which suits us the best. Various treatments like Murad acne complex etc are available. Consult your doctor before deciding on which medication to follow.

Have you ever tried Murad Acne? If so, please share your views and experience. I really appreciate it and would love to know more about the product. My friend is in need of a good treatment. She is suffering from acne for the past 6 months.

Do you suffer from Dandruff Problem?

Dandruff has been a recurring problem in my house. Both me and my husband suffer from dandruff. We have tried many Health and Beauty products. They were of little help but not cured our dandruff problem completely. When we browsed the Internet we came to know many things about Dandruff.

Dandruff or scurf is termed Pityriasis capitis. It is due to the excessive shedding of dead skin cells from the scalp. It might be due to dryness or excessive oil. Either way there is a lot of possibility for dandruff. Minor dandruff problems can be cured by Anti Dandruff shampoo. Though we have a lot of anti dandruff medicines available, if it is due to fungal infection, it is better to get checked with a doctor first.

There is no convincing evidence that food (such as sugar or yeast), excessive perspiration, or climate have any role in the pathogenesis of dandruff. However, certain oily foods or excessive intake of 'junk food' can trigger the appearance of dandruff . Dandruff can be caused by stress.

says Wiki.

Do you know any handy medication for treating dandruff? Have you suffered from dandruff problems before? I would really appreciate if you could share your experience here with us.

Urinary Tract Infection - Causes and Prevention

I am hosting an event called Eat Healthy - Fight Diabetes in my food blog. While doing research about the side effects of diabetics, I found that UTI - Urinary Tract Infection is one among many. UTI is a bacterial infection that is easily curable. Phew! What a relief! There are many cures for UTI.

Who gets this Infection?

Women are much prone to this infection than men. Especially, sexually active women. Adding to it, people who have diabetes have greater chance to be affected by this. Unhealthy toilet habits play a major part in inviting this infection.


How can it be treated?

Most cases can be treated with oral antibiotics. As alternative medicine, D-mannose powder are advocated as a herbal remedy for urinary tract infections. With all these medicine self - discipline is a major way to treat this infection.

Is is ok to Use D Mannose for Urinary Tract Infection in diabetic patients? This is the question I got when I read about D Mannose. But, I was convinced that this doesn't increase the blood sugar level. The best way is to consult your doctor!

What can we do to prevent?

- Having a healthy toilet habits helps a lot!

- Breast feeding reduces the chances of this infection in the new born.

- Acupuncture has proved to be an effective way.

- Recent study shows that cranberry juice can decrease the incidence of UTI!

Facial Paralysis/Bell's Palsy - Did you know about this nerve disorder?

Recently I happened to read an article about Facial Paralysis. Though I was just skimming through the article, the first time, it made a huge impact on me. I never knew facial paralysis could be caused from viral infections such as mumps,chicken pox etc or even HIV. Even a neurological disease like brain tumor can cause this.

It is really very emotional when something happens to our face. Face reflects every thing and if people avoid us because of the facial disorder, it is going to affect us way deep. The viral diseases are very common and I felt that everyone must be educated with its after effects.

Bell's Palsy is a form of temporary facial paralysis and its onset is usually sudden. Imagine, if suddenly you are not able to blink or move your lips! How horrible would you feel? I am appalled! It affects 40,000 people in the US every year. Can you believe it? To diagnose this, the patient has to go through a complete checkup. Sometimes Doctors can diagnose Bell's palsy by just looking at the person because the face has a 'certain look'.

There are a few ways with which Bell's Palsy is treated. One of which is Facial Nerve Retaining & Therapy. Do not hesitate. Nothing is too late.Contact your doctor immediately when you suspect something unusual. There are Facial Paralysis surgeons to help you! You deserve better!

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About me

Thanks for stopping by. You are very important to me. I am Sangeeth Raghunathan. I am an Indian living in the US. As the unwritten saying goes ' A pampered child is a spoiled child' - I am pampered and I am spoiled.

I quit my job and now a full time homemaker trying out new things. I love cooking and crocheting. They have become a part of my life. I have a Food and Recipe Blog through which I share my recipes.

My Writings

I love to write and share my opinion. I try to write regularly, or at least whenever I find time in ezine articles and associated contents. Click on the images to read my articles.

If you need me to write about something, (by something I mean anything and everything under the sun) please feel free to contact me.

My Crochet works:

I do sell my crochet work, but only if requested. So, if you want anything, feel free to write to me at scribblingsangeeth(AT)gmail(DOT)com Here are some of my crochet works.

Scribbling Scribe- My new blog

I have always wanted to write about topics other than food and I found 'Art of cooking Indian food' or 'Mind Manage' is not the place to write them. Hence I decided to start a new blog and named it Scribbling (As this blog is like my diary where I share my views) Scribe (I love to be a journalist!). Here is the link to my new blog,

http://www.scribblingscribe.com/

I would be more than happy if you give me the same support that you give this blog. You are the one who made me feel that blogging is my life and I owe to each one of you. I take this opportunity to thank each one of my readers, subscribers for giving me your full support.

I have started a event, more like a personal goal to achieve in my new blog. This is to reduce weight. If you are interested please do join me there and give me your full support and encouragement. Hoping to see you all in my new blog soon.

Advertise

To advertise in this blog, you may contact me at scribblingsangeeth(AT)gmail(DOT)com

Want your body back post-pregnancy?

Pregnancy – A boon considered most of the times, is a blissful journey that every women wants to experience. But, there is also an significant change in every women in this process that makes them think twice or even more before getting pregnant - ‘The uninvited extra pounds’. Today’s women are more ‘appearance conscious’ than ‘health conscious’. They want to look beautiful and they are willing to do anything to achieve this.

Who said it is impossible to get your body back post- pregnancy? We have real time examples. Look at the celebrity moms, JLo, Katie Holmes, Britney spears. They got their body back almost immediately post- pregnancy. This very thought in the public, lead to an unhealthy way of reducing weight irrespective of pre or post pregnancy. I am not saying that they are bad influence, but I would, without any doubt, say that women are not thinking. These celebrities have additional luxury like expert personal trainers, diet conscious chef, which other ‘normal’ women are deprived of.

Experts say that it is unhealthy to reduce your weight in such a lightning speed. It may not only affect your health, but also your next pregnancy, if at all you have one in mind. So, the next most commonly asked question is ‘when should we begin exercising post-pregnancy?’ The best way is to consult your doctor before implementing anything. It is obvious, that each and every individual is different and will require a different way of treatment or exercise to reduce their extra pounds gained during pregnancy.

Did you know breast feeding burns your calories? There is a thought prevailing among major women that breast feeding degrades the outer beauty. But is it true? We are not here to argue about this, but breast feeding sure does help both the mother and the child in many ways. I would like to suggest a few simple exercises that every mother can do without spending much time.

1. A simple push up would suffice. You can do this along with your new born. Place your child on a flat surface and do your pushups by placing your hands above the baby’s head. By this way you can play with your baby and stay fit.
2. Drinking enough water. This is considered to be the ‘secret mantra’ of reducing weight. Pre or post pregnancy, drinking a lot of water is very good for health. The minimum consumption must be 8 liters per day.
3. Walking. Of course you can do this with your baby in his/her stroller.
4. Diet. Consult your dietician for this, as each one requires a different diet based on their body composition.

Spend a minimum of 15mts practicing the above mentioned exercises along with the ones advised by your doctor, you can get back into shape gradually, may be in 6 months or 1 year’s time. More than reducing your weight, staying healthy is what is vital.

Vishwaroopa - Bring the universe inside you

VISWAROOPA - This is expansion of our physical structure by imagination. Any one can feel the expansion of his physical structure by practicing the yoga I am going to explain now. Daily u practise this viswaroopa dharsanam early in the morning before sunrise. After your morning ablutions , take bath and sit in a calm place, legs folded, placing right palm over left palm, near the naval point. close your eyes. Focus your mind on ANAGADHA CHAKRA - i.e. near heart .Know more about chakras here. Now imagine you are expanding to the size of your physical body. Then to the room size. Then to your house size, then to your street, then to your area. Then to your city, then to your State, then to your country, then to your continent, then to entire world, entire planet, then one by one all planets, then to the galaxy, then above all the planets, then to the space above all the planets.. Now u feel entire THINGS WITHIN YOU. This is VISWAROOPA. U be there for some minutes. Then slowly feel the reverse order step by step. Finally focus your mind to your self-life force.Sit calmly for some minutes. This way you can see your VISWAROOPA.

Do send in your experiences to psraghunathan@gmail.com or leave a comment here.

Thought watching - A basic type of meditation

THOUGHTS are one of the deciding factor of human beings. Everyday, while you wake up in the morning, sit on your bed in a convenient posture and close your eyes. Place your right palm on your left palm and keep them on your legs near your navel point. Do not open your eyes. WATCH YOUR THOUGHTS. Let them flow one by one. Do not brood over. Do not analyse. Just watch them and do not follow them. It is not as easy as you think. Watching your thoughts without following them takes time and is an art.




At a point of time, you will feel no thoughts. This state will last for only fraction of seconds.This is TRANQUILITY- the state of Non-duel. Attaining tranquility is difficult, but not impossible. If you practise regularly, you can master this. If you ask me, I would suggest you to watch your thoughts daily for a minimum of 15mts in the morning when you wake up and in the night before you go to sleep. This will help you in self realisation and also keeps you brisk throughout the day. Doing this before going to sleep will help you get deep sleep.

Thought watching is a type of meditation, where you need not involve any action. You may experience tranquility any day. Even the very first time you do this. When you attain this state of tranquility, you are enlightened with knowledge. You are newly born soul with full of joy. Whatever you do will blossom with full of love. Wherever you go, you will be surrounded with sweet aroma. All other living things, including human, will long to be by the side of you . You will always be in a state of bliss. Your approach towards every living and inert thing will be equal. You will become impartial. What else do we need in our life except this? Love and peace will surround us wherever we go. Meditate and try achieving this state and free your soul. Share your experience by writing to psraghunathan@gmail.com or leave a comment here sharing your experience.

Meditation - Getting started

It is not only me, there are thousands of people who started to meditate and one fine day gave up. When I wanted to know why I gave up on meditation, I had no valid reason. Mostly people answer 'just like that. I was not feeling anything'. I learned meditation from my father and was very curious to know how it works. I had to practice everyday at least for 15mts. I had the patience for 1 week. After that, all gone in air. When he asked why? I had no answer. I knew I gave up because I felt lazy and this lead to a point where I was frustrated and depressed with myself for not realising my inner self through meditation.

No art can be mastered in a day. All of us know this, but still want to be the best overnight. Could this happen? No way. Any art comes to you only if you practice and meditation is an art. An art of realising oneself. This can be achieved if and only if you practice.

The first basic thing in meditation is to find a Guru. Go in search of a Guru. There are a lot of gurus waiting to help you. You know that anything and everything can be googled. However, I would suggest you to consider gurus whom you have heard of or to whom your friend/family is going to. Choosing your Guru is the main and most important step in this process of self realisation. You can learn Technology online with online guides and tutors. But as for as meditation, you need a real Guru who can teach you and guide you through this process. Each one will have a different expectation from their gurus. You are the better person to find out what you desire.

The next step is contact your guru in person and discuss what exactly you want. This is the same as anywhere. You get what you ask. There are many kinds of meditation and you might not know what exactly suites you. Your guru knows. Ask your guru what is best for you and start practicing the same according to his instruction.

The next important step is to practice. This is where most of us will fail. We will start great, but to continue you need perseverance. This is the stage where a lot of people will loose hope and start cursing themselves or their guru. Even to eat a delicious food you need to wait till it is cooked. Similarly, you need to wait till your mind is evolved. For some people it happens within days and for some it takes years.

You get evolved to the next stage without your knowledge. Discuss it with your gurus and they will surely help you get through this stage.When you start feeling that you are hopeless and you have not progressed much, discuss it with your gurus. One more way which I follow whenever I feel frustrated about my progress, I will think of a situation and write down what my reaction would be now and what it would have been before I started practicing meditation. If both are same you need your guru's help. If there is even a slightest difference, you can be sure that you have progressed. However, positive or negative progression can be identified with your answers. You are your best judge.

Meditating is not easy but surely is not that difficult. It is the basic way for realising oneself and it does help you mould you characters. With Meditation, you are one step closer to success.

How to Escape your Suffering - The Blind Man vs. The Cripple

There is a famous Indian story about the great battle between the blind man and the cripple which I think you will all enjoy. I came across this story first is Osho’s book on Courage, The Joy of Living Dangerously. Here is how it goes. In a remote village in the outskirts of Punjab there lived 2 sworn enemies. One chap was blind and the other was a cripple. They just could not get along. No matter what one did, it would upset the other and visa versa. For years this battle raged on and the animosity between them grew fierce and caustic.

As fate would have it though, during one very hot and dry summer a terrible fire broke out in the village and began consuming everything in its path. The villagers began to flee in fear as there was no stopping the inferno. In the panic, the blind man and the cripple were forgotten about and left to fend for themselves. They now had a big problem. The blind man did not know which way to go in order to escape the fire, and the cripple, who could see the path to safety, could take no action regarding it. So both were stuck. Luckily for them, the desire to live was greater than their hatred for each other, so they decided to work together in order to save their lives. The blind man put the cripple on his shoulders, who then directed him on which way to go in order to escape. Thus, working as a team, they were successful and even ended up becoming friends. Who is the blind man and who is the cripple? The blind man is your mind and the cripple is your heart. What is the fire? The fire is your suffering.

The mind is the instrument through which you can move, act — but it is blind, in that it does not know which way to go. It endlessly debates, weighing pros and cons, wobbling between what will be gained and what will be lost if certain action was to be taken. It cannot see how to escape the suffering. The heart, on the other hand, can see clearly the way out, but does not have any means to act. In order to act, it needs the mind. So they need each other. But, more importantly the heart needs to sit on top of the mind, as the cripple sat on the shoulders of the blind man. With the heart leading the way, the mind becomes intelligent. Give the heart its precedence and wisdom will then emerge and guide you safely out of your suffering.

Reincarnation - Myths and Facts

I really do not know whether to believe in reincarnation or not. I have heard both sides. There are people who absolutely believe in rebirth and there are others who are skeptical about it. What is reincarnation? According to Wikipedia "literally "to be made flesh again", is a doctrine or metaphysical belief that some essential part of a living being (in some variations only human beings) survives death to be reborn in a new body. This essential part is often referred to as the spirit or soul, the "higher" or "true" self, "divine spark", or "I". According to such beliefs, a new personality is developed during each life in the physical world, but some part of the self remains constant throughout the successive lives."

Before the 1960s, it was called "Transmigration of the Soul". This belief is rooted in Eastern religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism. Many cultures have myths and legends telling about heroes or other characters who die and then come back to life. When they reappear, though, it is not as their former selves but as other people, as animals, or even as plants. The concept of reincarnation—a reappearance of a spirit or soul in earthly form—is based on the belief that a person's soul continues to exist after death and can transmigrate, or move, to another living thing.

However what does the Bible say? I have not read the bible fully, but when I browsed on the Internet, I came across few verses that state for and against reincarnation. For example, Hebrews 9:27 states "It is appointed unto man to die once, then judgment." Since the Bible is God's spoken word to man, then this verse should emphatically prove that reincarnation is a myth. What are some other Bible verses that plainly show "Reincarnation" to be a lie? How about Second Corinthians 5:8 which says 'We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.' What does this mean? That at death, believers in Christ are immediately in the presence of God..their bodies go to the grave but their spirit and soul go to God. Non-believers go to a place to await judgment.

Here is one which supports reincarnation. All the verses in which the Lord refers to John the Baptist as been Elijah. Also Bhagavat gita, the Hindu Bible strongly support reincarnation.

A Russian woman who claims to be able to speak 120 languages says many of them are from her previous lives.Linguists claim to have identified that she speaks 16th century English,Chinese, Persian, Egyptian, Mongolian, Vietnamese, Korean and Swahili, reports Komsomol'skaya Pravda.

There are many people who have claimed to have known their past lives and have reincarnated. But, it is upto us to believe or not. We can do many researches, read many books related to this topic and improve our knowledge. Unless we experience, we will still be skeptical.

I believe meditation is a means of realising oneself. Hoping that we can have even more clear picture when we realise ourselves, I strongly recommend all to practice some kind of meditation which might answer a lot of our unanswered queries.

If anyone had reincarnation experience/knowledge or who knows about their past lives please do leave a comment. I am very eager to learn more in this topic.

Information: Statistics world-wide are difficult to obtain, but in the US the Gallup Organization made a survey in October 2001 of Americans' belief in psychic and paranormal phenomena. For this survey, they asked adults 18 and over amongst other things if they believed in "Reincarnation, that is, the rebirth of the soul in a new body after death". In the results, 25% said they did believe in reincarnation, 20% didn't know, 54% didn't believe in it and 1% had no opinion. Belief was only slightly higher among males than females, while it varied significantly between age groups: belief amongst 28-29 year-olds was at 25%, 30-49 year-olds were at 22%, while people 50 and over were at 28%

References:

http://www.enotes.com/myths-legends/reincarnation http://www.anunseenworld.com/reincarnation.html http://science.krishna.org/Articles/2003/12/001.html http://www.144000.net/reincarn.htm

Teen depression - Facts and Tips to handle

Teen depression has become very common now a days. Most of the parents are thrown to jeopardy due to Teen depression. We need to create more awareness in this topic so that we can save more innocent kids/teens from spoiling their like. Though it is very difficult to find if a teen is in depression, we have more proven methods to find them these days. Though parents take responsibly for most of their child's actions, teens must also try to co-operate and discuss about their problems to their parents or guide, so that we can reduce most of the problem from going out of control. 'Medicinenet.com' is a very good site creating awareness in this topic. Below is an article from their site and I thought it will be good to share it with you. Please Click here to read the article.

Why do we get Disturbing and Violent Dreams?

Everyone loves to dream. Sometimes we do get upset when we dream of something we do not want to see. Few dreams haunt us. I have many times woken up by a same dream. Dreams are ways through which your subconscious mind try to communicate with you. If you understand what subconscious mind try to say, you can rule! It is not very easy. You need to master the art of dream interpretation. As it is always believed by me 'Nothing is impossible. You just need to try!'. So here is an article about disturbing dreams which I came across in www.psychic-aus.com . It is a good start to read our dreams which surely helps in solving our emotional problems.

Here is the link to the article

Do you feel depressed?

"Depression is extremely complex," explains London-based psychoanalyst Jean Allen, "And can be very hard to diagnose and evaluate". Who on earth would have thought that a video game can help doctors to find your depression level. According to a team at the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) in Bethesda, Maryland, however, a video-game could provide crucial clues not only in diagnosing depression, but also in gauging the severity of that depression. Interesting huh? Technology has improved so much that you can do wonders with it.

The game in question is Duke Nukem, a hugely popular virtual reality adventure in which the eponymous Duke -- a muscular, crop-haired, womanizing macho-man in the Arnold Schwarzenegger mold -- defends the earth, and in particular its female inhabitants, against an unpleasant array of aliens, mutants and other physically malformed aggressors.

Battle is joined in a variety of virtual environments, ranging from urban cityscapes to military bases and space stations, with the Duke navigating his way around these environments shooting, bombing, incinerating, stabbing, shrinking, freezing and otherwise terminating (with extreme prejudice) his hapless opponents.

This is an article from CNN.com. An interesting and informative article must be shared and here it is. Many people suffer from depression and few of them still struggle to find out the cause. Depression is very critical. It can lead you to heights of stupidity.

The use of such virtual games to assess mental condition is not in itself new. A team from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem has used navigation through a virtual reality maze to help in the diagnosis of schizophrenia, while another study from the U.S. National Institute on Aging, Baltimore, has employed a similar system to quantify the mental deterioration caused by old age.

The NIMH experiment, however, is the first of its kind to apply such technology to the problems of depression.

The study combined 30 male and female volunteers from the in-patient and out-patient psychiatric units at NIMH, ages ranging of 21-65, with 19 healthy "control" volunteers. People displaying a "high expertise" in video games were excluded.

The volunteers were allowed to familiarize themselves with a virtual reality town such as that used in Duke Nukem, before being given 20 minutes to navigate their way around that town locating various landmarks.

The results proved extremely instructive. The healthy control group were able to find their way to significantly more locations (an average of 3.8) than those suffering from depression (an average of 2.4).

Within the latter group there emerged a clear correlation between severity of depression and navigational ability, with those suffering from the most acute depression displaying the least ability to find their way around the virtual town.

I have quoted few findings from the article and to read the entire article do CLICK HERE!

Mood Swings during Pregnancy - Why do we have them?

I couldn't stop thinking about this topic. Not because I am pregnant, it is because I am surrounded by my pregnant friends. It is pregnancy time in our neighbourhood. Almost all of my friends are pregnant and each one acts differently. The one and only topic that we discuss when we all meet is about pregnancy. I have been observing most of them from their day one of pregnancy and to my surprise I see the fun one becoming dull and the shy one becoming overwhelmed.

Suddenly everyone reads about pregnancy symptoms, baby growth and want to be the expert in this field. Each one talks as though they have a PhD in this department and they are not to be blamed. Their mood swings. There are people who does things deliberately during their pregnancy and puts the blame on their mood swings. But, 99% of the mood swings are real and genuine. Why is there a mood swing all of a sudden? What is its cause? Most of us know it is hormonal imbalance. For those who are new to this, Click Here

The Art of Cooking!

Cooking is not a duty. It is an art. Those who have understood this have always cooked scrumptious food. I used to work for a software company and cooking was a duty for me. I have always whined about cooking and never was happy to cook. Now that I quit my job, I have no other option than to cook. Initially, I was lazy and always complaining.Time went on and nothing changed. I had to cook! Finally, I decided to make cooking a delight. I tried out various recipes and finally found that cooking is an art!

Most of my friend's moms are great cook. They cook both breakfast and lunch in less than 45mts. I used to wonder how they do it. When I asked about this to one of my friend's mother,she said without any hesitation,"I love to cook and Challenge myself daily to cook a dish which is more delicious than what I cooked yesterday!". Wow! I never thought people take part in these kind of challenges. She also gave me few tips which I will be sharing with you.

Do you know you can talk to your vegetables and fruits? I didn't, till I met my old school friend. She used to be the fun and freaky one. But now, She is a mom of 2 kids and an awesome cook. She told me an interesting news about vegetables. If you talk to the vegetables while you are cooking them, you get a very delicious food cooked. The taste of the food you prepare completely depends on your mood. Have you ever wondered why the same dish you cooked last week was more delicious than what you cooked today? Taste does depend on your emotions. When you are happy, the radiations from your body are positive and they make the food taste great. When you are dull,angry or not feeling well, your body produces negative energy which in turn spoils your food. Taking all these into consideration, we must have a clear mind when we start cooking. Think about food and how delicious it is going to taste after you prepare them. This will surely help to crown you as a great cook.

Now let us go for the tips and tricks in cooking. These are very useful for working women. These tips are generally for Indians. Others can change them according to their needs.

1. Cut your vegetables the day before and store it in an airtight container.
2. Cut your cilantro and curry leaves the day you buy them and store in a box so that you can use them whenever necessary.
3. When you start to cook, always place the rice first in the rice cooker. You can do other dishes when the rice is cooking. Guess what?After some days you will complete the entire cooking before the rice is done.(It takes 30mts to cook rice in the rice cooker)
4. Cut all vegetables that are required for that session's cooking at one time. By doing so, you can cook two dishes at a time and you need not worry about the ingredients.
5. Last but not the least, if you can, do sing while cooking. Music makes you feel happy and in turn helps your dishes to taste yummy.

There are a wide range of recipes in the web. I collect them and also share my own recipes in my blog Let Us All Cook!

Does our attitude affect our way of living?

As I was browsing, I came across this article. We all have a lot of questions about our health and how we can be more healthier. Just read this article and you will find out that 'YOU' are the reason for your body's wellbeing. The below is an article by Chris Woolston from http://healthresources.caremark.com

Curious about your health and your future? You can put yourself through a battery of medical tests, fill out stacks of questionnaires, and see every specialist in town. But for a simple and surprisingly reliable prediction, just ask yourself a simple question: How healthy do you feel?

Do you want to know more about this article. Do Click here

Overcome emotions during pregnancy

One of the most random things to deal with for expectant mums, is the roller coaster ride of emotions during pregnancy. These emotions are sometimes very difficult to control and usually come at us with no notice, so one minute we may be fine and relaxed, the next we might have turned into a wailing banshee.

Obviously this can be a confusing time, not just for us but our loved ones too. Our partners maybe looking forward to spending some time with their loving wives, only to be greeted by a tired and irritable women in her place. This is why it is worth taking some time to understand the different emotions during pregnancy and why it's important to stay strong. Clearly having some form of expectations is better than not being prepared for certain changes.

Probably the best way to deal with changing emotions during pregnancy is to keep an open, honest and constant dialogue with those around you. Our family is probably as confused or apprehensive as we are, try to take the time and describe how you are feeling, perhaps agree some exclusive "me time" where you do nothing but put your feet up. To read further do visit Pregnancy Wizard