Sunday 28 February 2016

LUNG CANCER

WHAT IS LUNG CANCER?

Lung cancer is among the fastest growing cancers. Every year 1.8 million people fall prey to it, and 1.6 million die due to it. In India, the number of new cases increased from around 65,000 in 2009 to 90,000 in 2013, registering 15-20% increase annually," said Dr BK Sharma, acting director of the hospital. This increase, he said, is worrisome in India where people hesitate to consult doctors at the earliest or do not have access to them.



MAIN CAUSE:

Smoking tobacco contributes up to 90% of all lung cancer deaths. Men who smoke are twenty-threetimes more likely and women thirteen times more likely to develop lung cancer than nonsmokers. And smokers aren't just harming themselves; thousands of deaths each year have been attributed to secondhand smoke. Nonsmokers have a 20-30 percent higher risk of developing lung cancer if they're regularly exposed to cigarette smoke.
If, despite all the evidence and warnings, you are still a smoker, the most important step you should take is to stop! Please. Just stop. It's difficult for you but think of yourself and love yourself. Do not waste your life. The benefits of quitting are immediate. Just twenty minutes after quitting, your heart rate and blood pressure drops. Within a few weeks, your blood circulation and lung function improve. Within a few months, the sweeper cells that help clean the lungs, remove mucus, and reduce the risk of infection start to regrow. And within a year of quitting, your smoking-related risk of coronary heart disease becomes half that of current smokers. The human body possesses a miraculous ability to heal itself as long as we don't keep reinjuring it. Simple dietary changes may help to role back the damage wrought by the carcinogens in tobacco smoke. 
Please everybody, this is a request from my side to every smoker to please stop harming yourself. Please quit smoking. Normal cigarettes and electric cigarettes both are bad for health. 
Our next post will be about how to prevent Lung cancer and other respiratory diseases like Asthma!Again readers, eat healthy, stay healthy!

Saturday 27 February 2016

IS CANCER REVERSIBLE?

CAN CANCER BE REVERSED????

Even if it's possible, then how do we exactly reverse it?Is it difficult? Will it be through painful chemotherapies, surgeries or radiation?The answer is NO. You can prevent, arrest and even reverse almost every disease by following a healthy, vegetarian diet.Other leading killers, like heart disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes can be prevented, so why not cancer?For example,A study has been conducted and it has been proved that PROSTRATE CANCER IS REVERSIBLE THROUGH DIET!
Ninety three men with prostrate cancer had chosen not to undergo any conventional treatment. They chose to be placed in a medical holding pattern called "watchful waiting" to avoid chemotherapy and other surgeries that often leave men impotent or incontinent . Hence, doctors try to delay their treatment as long as possible.The prostate cancer patients were divided in two groups: First group, which was not given any diet or lifestyle advice beyond what their personal doctors told them to and the second group was prescribed a strict, plant-based (veg) diet and they were allowed to eat fruits, vegetables, beans, whole grains along with other healthy practices such as walking for half an hour everyday.Cancer progression was tracked using PSA levels. After a year, the first group's PSA levels increased by 6% (The cancer tends to grow). But the PSA levels in the second group were DECREASED by 4%, suggesting an average shrinkage of their tumours without any medical treatment. This is a great example which shows that without any surgical methods or therapies, the cancer decreased only by following a healthy, vegetarian diet!!! 

This is one of the first demonstrations that changing what you eat and how you live can make a huge difference!!
SO PEOPLE, EAT HEALTHY, STAY HEALTHY! THANKS FOR READING SUCH A LONG POST! SHARE IT WITH EVERYBODY AS IT WILL HELP MANY PEOPLE!! THANK YOU!

PUMPKIN ISN'T JUST FOR HALLOWEEN!

If the only thing you have ever done with pumpkin is carve it out and put a candle in it as a halloween decoration, then, perhaps you should try new things with it! I mean that you should try eating it... Not that I like pumpkin. It's because it has many health benefits. After all, this blog is for benefitting as much people as it can. Today's post is discussing about how eating this delicious fruit can improve your health!

Pumpkin is an extremely nutrient dense food, meaning it is chock-full of vitamins and minerals but low on calories. There are many creative ways pumpkin can be incorporated into your diet, including desserts, soups, salads, preserves and even as a substitute for butter. Next time pumpkin season comes around, don't carve it, cook it up and eat it!


BENEFITS-


  • It may help treat diabetes
In scientific tests, pumpkin has been shown to reduce blood glucose levels, improve glucose tolerance and increase the amount of insulin the body produces. More testing needs to be done before we can say for sure what pumpkin's benefits for diabetics will be, but if you have diabetes, munching on pumpkin certainly won't hurt.
  • Younger-looking skin
Sure, eating pumpkin can help you look younger (beta-carotene in pumpkin helps protect us from the sun's wrinkle-causing UV rays), but the pulp also makes a great, all-natural face mask that exfoliates and soothes. All you need is 1/4 cup pureed pumpkin (not pumpkin pie), an egg, a tablespoon of honey and a tablespoon of milk. Mix, then apply it, wait for 20 minutes or so and wash it off with warm water.
  • Sharper vision
Pumpkin's brilliant orange coloring comes from its ample supply of beta-carotene, which is converted to vitamin A in the body. Vitamin A is essential for eye health and helps the retina absorb and process light. A single cup of pumpkin contains over 200 percent of most people's recommended daily intake of vitamin A, making it an outstanding option for optical health.
Pumpkin also contains lutein and zeaxanthin, two antioxidants that are thought to help prevent cataracts and may even slow the development of macular degeneration.
  • Improves your immunity
Plant foods like pumpkins that are high in both vitamin C and beta-carotene offer an immunity boost from their powerful combination of nutrients.
  • Lower your blood pressure
Eating pumpkin is good for the heart! The fiber, potassium and vitamin C content in pumpkin all support heart health.
Consuming adequate potassium is almost as important as decreasing sodium intake for treatment of hypertension (high-blood pressure). Other foods that are high in potassium include cantaloupe, pineapple, tomatoes, oranges, spinach and bananas.
Increased potassium intakes are also associated with a reduced risk of stroke, protection against loss of muscle mass, preservation of bone mineral density and reduction in the formation of kidney stones.
  • Prevents Cancer
One particular type of cancer where research has shown a positive benefits of a diet rich in beta-carotene is prostate cancer, according to a study conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health's Department of Nutrition. Beta-carotene has also been shown to have an inverse association with the development of colon cancer in the Japanese population.

So, people eat healthy, stay healthy!! I'll be posting another post soon, probably about cancer reversal! Till then, good-bye!

Friday 26 February 2016

STROKE AND ITS PREVENTION


In about 90% of strokes, blood flow to part of the brain gets cut off, depriving it of oxygen and killing off the part fed by the clogged artery. This type of stroke is called an ischemic stroke.

A small minority of strokes are hemorrhagic strokes, which are caused by bleeding into the brain when a blood vessel bursts. People who experience brief strokes might only need to contend with arm or leg weakness, while those who suffer a major stroke can develop into paralysis, lose the ability to speak or may even die. 

Sometimes, the blood clot last only a moment- not long enough to notice but still long enough to kill a tiny part of your brain. These so-called silent strokes can multiply and slowly reduce cognitive function until full-blown dementia develops. 
Our goal is to reduce the risk of both the massive strokes that can kill you instantly or the other mini strokes that kill you over a course of years. 
A healthy diet might do the trick!

FIBER! LOADS OF FIBER!

In addition to its well-known effects on bowel health, high fiber intake appears to reduce the risk of cancers of the colon and breast, diabetes, heart disease and premature death in general.
A number of studies also show that high fiber intake may also help ward off stroke!
It apparently doesn’t take much fiber intake to cut stroke risk. Increasing fiber intake just by seven grams a day may lead to 7% risk reduction!!

HOW DOES FIBER PROTECT THE BRAIN?

Scientists are not sure about it. But they do know that fiber helps control your cholesterol and blood sugar levels which intern reduces the amount of artery clogging plaque in your brain. High fiber levels may also lower your blood pressure, which reduces the risk of brain bleeds.


CITRUS

Here’s a good news for those who love citrus fruits!! Citrus fruits intake has been associated with reduced stroke risk- even more than fiber !
Thanks to the citrus phyconutrient called hesperidin, which increases the blood flow throughout the body, including the brain. 

There are many advantages of citrus fruits which i will be posting in my upcoming posts!

WHY NOT EAT BANANA?

Yes, you read it right! Eating banana, means taking in potassium and that’s what you need to reduce the risk of a stroke!What does potassium have to do with stroke? Through reviews of all best studies on the relationship between potassium and our top two killers, heart disease and stroke, determined that a 1,640 mg increase per day in potassium intake was associated with a 21% reduction in stroke risk. 



It’s never too early to start eating healthier!! So people, share it with your loved ones and have healthy food!!! Processed food is NOT good for health!!! Have a nice day!



ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE AND ITS PREVENTION


Alzheimer’s disease is one of the most physically and emotionally burden-some diseases, for both sufferers and caregivers. Unlike stroke, which can kill instantly and without any warning, Alzheimer’s involves a slower, more subtle decline over months or years. Instead of cholesterol-filled plaques in your arteries, plaques made of a substance called amyloid develop in the brain tissue itself, associated with the loss of memory and, eventually, loss of life. I won’t be going in detail of what exactly happens in Alzheimer’s disease. The main question is how do we prevent it? If it’s in a person’s genes, is it necessary that he will surely be affected by Alzheimer’s?
The dietary concept may be surprising, because most of the popular day treats Alzheimer’s as a genetic disease. They say that it’s your genes rather than your lifestyle choices, that determine whether or not you’ll succumb. However, when you examine the distribution of Alzheimer’s disease around the world, that argument begins to crumble.

PREVENTING ALZHEIMER’S WITH PLANT FOODS

Alzheimer’s manifests as a disease of the elderly, but like heart disease and most cancers, it’s a disease that may take decades to develop. Dietary decisions you make now may directly influence your health much later in life, including the health of your brain.Based on thousands of autopsies, pathologists seemed to detect the first silent stages of Alzheimer’s disease- what appear like tangles in the brain- in half of people at the age of fifty and even 10 percent of those in their twenties. The good news is that Alzheimer’s like heart disease and stroke- can be prevented. It was found that higher saturated fat intake, eg- processed foods, was associated with a significantly worse trajectory of cognition and memory. Also, whole plant foods contain thousands of compounds with antioxidant properties, some of which can traverse the blood-brain barrier and may provide neuro protective effects by defending against free radicals that is protecting the rusting of your brain.


BERRIES

It is found that women who consumed at least one serving of blueberries and two servings of strawberries each week had slower rates of cognitive decline- by as much as two and a half years - compared with those who didn’t eat berries. Why not eat berries everyday when they are so useful to us?!


VEGETABLE AND FRUIT JUICES

Even just drinking fruit and vegetable juices may be beneficial. Those people who drink fresh vegetable and fruit juices have a low chance of developing Alzheimer’s disease.

TREATING ALZHEIMER’S WITH SAFFRON

Some remarkable benefits have been reported in anecdotal case studies with the spice turmeric, the best data we have on spice based interventions for Alzheimer’s is for saffron. A spice derived from the flower of Crocus sativus, saffron was found in a double-blind trial to help diminish the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. In a study, Alzheimer’s patients with mild to moderate dementia who took saffron capsules displayed significantly better cognitive function on average than a group of patients who took a placebo.
There is no proven way to halt Alzheimer’s but if you do know someone suffering with this disease, then regularly cooking him or her saffron-spiced paella may help!

CAN COGNITIVE DECLINE HALT WITH EXERCISE?

There’s a good news for people on the verge of losing their mental faculties. In 2010 study published in the ARCHIVES OF NEUROLOGY, researchers took people with mild cognitive impairment- those who are starting to forget things, for example, repeating themselves- and had them engage in aerobic exercise for 45 minutes a day, four days a week, for six months. The control group was instructed to only stretch for same period of time. Memory tests were performed before and after the study. Researchers found that in the control (stretching) group, cognitive function continued to decline, while the exercising group not only didn’t get worse, they got better.
AEROBIC EXERCISE CAN HELP IMPROVE CEREBRAL BLOOD FLOW, IMPROVE MEMORY PERFORMANCE, AND HELP PRESERVE BRAIN TISSUE.
Thanks readers for reading such a long post! I hope you’ll start applying this soon in your life if you have not applied it yet! My next post will be about another MAJOR BRAIN DISEASE I.E. STROKE AND ITS PREVENTION!

BRAIN DISEASES



Today, I am going to discuss something about Brain Diseases. The two most serious diseases are stroke and Alzheimer’s disease. Most strokes can be thought of as “brain attacks”- like heart attacks, but the rupturing plaques in your arteries cut off blood flow to parts of the brain rather than to parts of the heart. Alzheimer’s is more like a mind attackAlzheimer’s disease is one of the most physically and emotionally burden-some diseases, for both sufferers and caregivers. In my point of view, I am more scared of Alzheimer’s disease than I am of cancer. Yes. It isn’t just because of psychological toll to come for the patient but because of the emotional toll that would be placed on loved ones.While the pathology of Stroke and Alzheimer’s disease are different, one key factor that unites them: Mounting evidence suggests that a healthy diet may help prevent them both.


USUALLY NEGLECTED SYMPTOMS OF BRAIN DISEASES

We often neglect something like headache, pain in shoulder, fatigue etc. But have we ever thought that these may be symptoms of big diseases? Today's post is about symptoms of brain disease and how preventable diseases can become fatal on lack of recognition!One of the earliest signs of neuro or brain degeneration is fatigue, most specifically brain-based fatigue.
When you start to get symptoms of tremors, changes in ability to walk, difficulty in speaking, very poor balance then you have a more progressed level of brain impairment.
By understanding that brain changes can be detected way before of clinical development such as Dementia an Alzheimer's, these conditions can be prevented. After all, they all are PREVENTABLE DISEASES.

Symptoms of brain-based fatigue are things like getting tired when you drive, or getting tired when you read. Basically, getting tired when using the brain to do some sort of activity.Overtime, you may start to lose your memory, lose your balance, lose your ability to perform well in sports or you can't concentrate or even see the changes in your handwriting. These are symptoms of early degeneration.

THE KEY POINT TO PREVENTION IS EARLY RECOGNITION. Once the brain damage has gone too far, then even curable disease become fatal.

In my next post I am going to discuss what exactly ALZHEIMER'S Disease and Stroke are and how such fatal diseases can be prevented.