Surya Namaskar

Surya Namaskar – Learn the right way to practice itNani Rao Jan 15, 2015 at 02:30 pm





Surya Namaskar or the Sun Salutation is one of the most well-known yoga routines. For good reason, as performing surya namaskar early in the morning can have several health benefits. The routine consists of 12 forward and backward bending movements that stretch and flex the spinal column. It’s not that difficult to learn, and great for beginners who are looking to introduce themselves to yoga.

Surya Namaskar has a deep effect in detoxifying the organs through copious oxygenation and has a deeper relaxing effect.


The flowing series of 12 yoga postures are described below:

1. Pranamasana

Stand erect with feet together. Join the palms together in front of the chest in a namaskar mudra. Concentrate on standing straight, steady and in a meditative mood. This posture helps to induce a state of introversion, relaxation and calmness. It activates the anahata chakraor pranic centre – an energy centre located in the heart region. Breathing: Slow and steady breathing.

2. Hasta Uttanasana

Stretch both arms above the head, palms facing upward. Arch the back and stretch the whole body. This posture stretches the chest and the abdomen and lifts the prana (energy) upwards to the upper parts of the body. Breathing: Start inhaling as you stretch both arms, and hold breath (kumbhaka) in the stretched arm position.

3. Pada Hastasana

Bend the body forward and down, keeping the spine straight. Avoid collapsing the chest or over-rounding the upper back. Keep the legs straight and perpendicular to the ground. The knees may be allowed to bend a little, if needed. This posture massages the abdominal organs. The power of digestion increases and female disorders such as menstrual irregularities are relieved. A healthy flow of blood is sent to the spinal nerves as they are stretched and toned. The hamstring muscles at the back of the thigh and calf muscles are also stretched. Inversion increases blood flow to the brain. The prana is channelized to the lower regions of the body propelled by exhalation. Breathing: Start exhaling (rechak) as you bend forward. Exhale fully as you reach the bent position.

4. Ashwa Sanchalanasana

Extend the left leg back and drop the right knee to the ground. The right knee is bent up and kept between the palms and the right foot placed flat on the ground. Lift the spine and expand the chest. Look straight and concentrate at the centre of eyebrows. Breathing: Start inhaling (purak) and fill your lungs as you reach the position.

5. Parvatasana

Bring the right leg back to join with the left leg. Simultaneously raise the buttocks and lower the head between the arms so the body forms a triangle with the floor. Try to place the heels flat on the ground. Focus your awareness at the neck area. This posture strengthens the nerves and muscles in the arms and legs, stretches the calf muscles and makes the spine straight and taut. It relieves varicose veins and tones spinal nerves. Breathing: Start exhaling (rechak) and completely exhale as you reach the posture.

6. Sashtanga Namaskar

Gently drop both knees to the ground and slowly slide the body down at an angle as you bring the chest and chin to the ground. All eight limbs – toes, knees, chest, hands and chin should touch the floor. The buttocks are kept up. This posture develops the chest and strengthens the arms. It sends additional blood to this area helping to rejuvenate the nerves. Breathing: Keep the breath out in the exhaled position (bahya kumbhak) as you reach the posture and start inhaling (purak) as you move to the next posture.

7. Bhujangasana

Lower the hips while pushing the chest forward and upward with the hands, until the spine is fully arched and the head is facing up. The knees and lower abdomen remain above the floor. Focus your awareness at the base of spine and feel the tension from the forward pull. This pose gives dynamic expansion to the organs of the chest and abdomen, relieving many ailments such as asthma, constipation, indigestion, kidney and liver problems. It is very helpful in relieving tension in the back muscles and spinal nerves. Breathing: Start inhaling. Fill lungs and hold breath (purak and anthar kumbhak) as you stay in this posture.

8. Parvatasana

Move head backwards, keeping the palms flat touching the floor. Place both feet flat on the ground. Raise the buttocks and lower the head between the arms. This way you resume back to Posture 5. Breathing: Start exhaling as you reach the position.

9. Ashwa Sanchalanasana

Extend the right leg back and drop the left knee to the ground. The left knee is bent up and kept between the palms with the sole of left foot flat on ground. Look straight and concentrate at the centre of eyebrows. Remember in Posture 4 the right leg was bent and the left leg was stretched backward. Breathing: Start inhaling as you take the position, hold breath (anthar kumbhak) for a few seconds.

10. Pada Hastasana

Bring the stretched right foot forward. Join both legs and come back to Posture 3 i.e. bend forward bring the head between the knees. Breathing: Start exhaling as you take the position. Remain in Bahya Kumbhak for a few seconds. You can also try this yoga asana for weight loss.

11. Hasta Uttanasana

Stretch arms backwards. Come back to Posture2. Breathing: Start inhaling as you reach position. Stay in anthar kumbhak (lungs filled) for a few seconds.

12. Pranamasana

Straighten the body and bring the hands in front of the chest. Resume Posture 1. Breathing: Start exhaling as you bring the arms forward. Keep breathing normal in this position. Try hatha yoga to soothe your body mind and soul.

The above constitutes one round of Surya Namaskar. Rest for few seconds before starting the second round. Surya Namaskar, like most asanas, is recommended to be performed on an empty stomach. It is generally practiced in the morning before breakfast or in evening.

Practising up to 6 rounds is more beneficial. However, increase rounds gradually and steadily and never go beyond your capacity.

Synchronizing your breathing with the movements of the body is very important. The basic breathing principle is to inhale during backward bending postures and exhale during forward bending postures.

It is recommended that Surya Namaskar be done slowly with complete awareness of breathing. When the exercises are done a little quickly, the gain is more physical whereas if they are done slowly with breath awareness, the gain is more mental and spiritual. Perform Shavasana or Yoga Nidra after completing Surya Namaskar. (Readshitali pranayama to relax your body).

Images courtesy: Yoga Niketan, Getty Images

Calcium rich vegetables

Calcium rich vegetables

One bowl of a calcium rich vegetable is a must in everyday meals to fulfill the calcium needs of the body, apart from dairy items like milk, yogurt and cheese. Here’s a list of vegetables that are among the top sources of calcium.


Cauliflower leaves: While most people discard cauliflower leaves, it is one of the most calcium rich sources in vegetables. 100gm of cauliflower leaves gives you 600mg of calcium. Add them to rotis or paranthas and dals just like you would use methi or spinach leaves. You can even use them in salads and sprinkle some on soups.Cauliflower leaves: While most people discard cauliflower leaves, it is one of the most calcium rich sources in vegetables. 100gm of cauliflower leaves gives you 600mg of calcium. Add them to rotis or paranthas and dals just like you would use methi or spinach leaves. You can even use them in salads and sprinkle some on soups.




Colocasia leaves: Commonly known as arbi leaves, a 100g portion of this has 450mg of calcium. It is the base ingredient in patras (Gujarati dish) and can also replace spinach in palak paneer or palak corn recipes.




Broccoli: A 100gm serving of broccoli adds 118mg of calcium to your body. You can use it in stir fry or sautéed vegetables, soups and pastas or salads.




Methi or Fenugreek leaves: Commonly available during monsoons, methi or fenugreek leaves include 305mg of calcium per 100gm serving. A basic vegetable preparation is an ideal way to incorporate it in your diet.




Shepu or Dill: Shepu is easily available in the Western region of India. It’s strong taste and odour demands it being used as a filling in paranthas or as a vegetable preparation with onions and moong dal. 100g of Shepu has about 190mg of calcium.

Reduce High Blood Pressure Without Medications In Only 5 Minutes

What is high blood pressure?

High blood pressure (HBP) is a serious condition that can lead to coronary heart disease, heart failure, stroke, kidney failure and other very serious medical conditions.

“Blood pressure” is the force of blood pushing against the walls of the arteries as the heart pumps blood.
If this pressure rises and stays high over time, it can damage the body in many ways.

Overview

About 1 in 3 adults in the United States has HBP. The condition itself usually has no signs or symptoms. You can have it for years without knowing it. During this time, though, HBP can damage your heart, blood vessels, kidneys, and other parts of your body.

Knowing your blood pressure numbers is important, even when you are feeling fine. If your blood pressure is normal, you can work with your health care team to keep it that way. If your blood pressure is too high, treatment may help prevent damage to your body’s organs.

Blood pressure numbers

Blood pressure is measured as systolic (sis-TOL-ik) and diastolic (di-ah-STOL-ik) pressures. “Systolic” refers to blood pressure when the heart beats while pumping blood. “Diastolic” refers to blood pressure when the heart is at rest between beats.

You most often will see blood pressure numbers written with the systolic number above or before the diastolic number, such as 120/80 mmHg. (The mmHg is millimeters of mercury—the units used to measure blood pressure.)

The table below shows normal blood pressure numbers for adults. It also shows which numbers put you at greater risk of getting health problems.

The ranges in the table apply to most adults (aged 18 and older) who do not have short-term serious illnesses.

Categories for blood pressure levels in adults (measured in millimeters of mercury, or mmHg)



Blood pressure does not stay the same all the time. It lowers as you sleep and rises when you wake up. Blood pressure also rises when you are excited, nervous or active. If your numbers stay above normal most of the time, you are at risk of health problems. The risk grows as blood pressure numbers rise. “Prehypertension” means you may end up with HBP, unless you take steps to prevent it.

Outlook

Blood pressure tends to rise with age. People who have HBP can take steps to control it and reduce their risk for related health problems. Key steps include following a healthy lifestyle, having ongoing medical care and following your treatment plan.

You are not the only one! The hypertension (or high blood pressure) is one of the most widespread diseases of the modern age. It is associated with increased alcohol consumption, smoking, salty food, obesity, increased stress and sleep deprivation. Also, due to the excessive physical activity or stress, muscles get tense, the blood vessels contract and the blood pressure increases. It is obvious that in order to get the blood pressure back to normal we need to relax the muscles.

Lu Hun Sen, a doctor of the Moscow soccer club “Spartak” brings to light the secret of ancient Chinese medicine.

According to Chinese medicine, the proper flow to the muscles and tissues is the most important thing.
If somewhere in the body a stagnation of blood appears, then that point is the starting point of development of a disease. If all points provide proper blood flow and there is no stagnation, then the body is able to cure the disease quickly. The massage of key points is very helpful. Keep reading and find out more about these key points.

Points 1 – 2

This is not a point, but rather a line. It stretches from behind of the earlobe to the middle of the collar bone.

Do not press nor massage this line, but caress it very slowly instead. Do almost imperceptible movements of the hand from top to bottom, barely touching it with the tips of the fingers. Do it 10 times on one side and then repeat the procedure on the other side for 10 times as well.

Point 3

This point is found on the part of the face at the same height with the earlobe, at about half inch distance from the ear in the direction towards the nose.

You should massage this point with the fingertips for about one minute on each side, continually. Push hard, but not that hard so that you feel pain. The movement can go clockwise, but it does not matter that much since the direction is irrelevant. What matters the most is that you feel pressure up to a point.

http://womansvibe.com/how-to-reduce-high-blood-pressure-without-medications-in-only-5-minutes/

Local anesthesia affects children’s teeth

Local anesthesia affects children’s teeth
Sep 8, 2015, 08.00 PM IST





A study led by Dr Bing Hu at Plymouth University Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry and involving other researchers from China and Switzerland, suggests for the first time that the use of local anaesthetic may affect tooth cell growth and the development of children's teeth.

The study is published on Monday in Cell Death Discovery, a new leading translational medical research journal from Nature Publishing Group, and comes at a time when more children than ever before are subjected to dental surgery — and local anaesthetic — because of tooth decay or the other orthodontic conditions.

Using pig teeth and human young permanent tooth pulp cells, the research has identified that local anaesthetics commonly used in clinics can affect the proliferation of tooth cells. It is the first time that evidence has been found to suggest that local anaesthetic could affect tooth cell growth and potentially impact upon tooth development. 

According to the research team, dental treatment involves more frequent use of local anaesthetic than any other clinical area. Although the maximum dosage of various local anaesthetics is established, their side effects on dental tissue have until now not been fully investigated. 

The study found that the longer duration of exposure to high concentrations of local anaesthetic was most harmful because it interferes with the function of mitochondria, the 'batteries' of the cell, and induce a cell death mechanism named "autophagy". The research team investigated the majority kind of local anaesthetics currently used in dental clinics in the UK, Switzerland and China.

While the study has identified a potential harmful effect of local anaesthetic on developing teeth, the research team is keen to emphasise that further clinical studies are required before there is enough data to change clinical guidelines, and that parents should not be alarmed or withdraw their children from treatment if they need it.

The study was led by Bing Hu, associate professor in Oral and Dental Health Research at Plymouth University Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry. He said: "Our study has shown for the first time the evidence that local anaesthetic may affect the development of children's teeth in cellular and molecular levels. We accept that we need to carry out further clinical studies and we do not wish for our findings to alarm parents unnecessarily, but we do expect, in time, to improve clinical guidelines through our research to minimise the dosage of local anaesthetic drugs."

He added: "Our findings emphasise the need for parents to help their children to avoid the need for dental surgery, such as tooth extractions, in the first place by paying attention to diet and good oral hygiene, and regular visits to the dentist." A GB patent application has been filed by Plymouth University for the technology.

Diabetes drugs substantially increase risk of bone fractures

ANI

Diabetes drugs substantially increase risk of bone fractures

A new study has revealed that diabetes drug boosts bone fat and fracture risk and exercise can partially counterbalance the effect.

First author Maya Styner said that these drugs weren’t first or second-line choices of treatment for type-2 diabetes but some patients do take them, adding that the doctors and patients need to better understand the relationship between diabetes, certain drugs and the often dramatic effect on bone health.

According to the study, rosiglitazone affects bone fat by enhancing a critical transcription factor called PPAR – peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor – which regulates the expression of specific genes in the nuclei of cells. Essentially, rosiglitazone takes glucose out of blood to lower blood sugar and treat diabetes. But that glucose is then packaged into lipid droplets – fat.

Styner said that many of her patients have been surprised to learn that some diabetes drugs can adversely affect bone health. She also said that diabetes itself can harm bones.

She said that more bone fat means less actual bone, which increases the risk of bone fractures and added that exercise might trigger marrow stem cells to create more bone cells instead of fat cells.

In the study, Styner’s team added a running wheel to mouse cages. They measured the effects of running. Even on a high dose of a power drug, such as rosiglitazone, the mice that exercised showed a significant decrease in bone fat.

Styner further added that she would still advise patients at risk of declining bone health to find an exercise that suits them.

The study is published is the Journal Endocrinology

Substance in your soap may increase miscarriage risk

Beware! Substance in your soap may increase miscarriage risk

• IANS, Beijing
| 
• Updated: Sep 04, 2015 19:27 IST

Long-term exposure to certain substances commonly used in personal-care products such as soap and shampoo, food packaging, and other everyday products could be linked to pregnancy loss, warns a new study. (Shutterstock)

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A new study warns that long-term exposure to certain substances commonly used in personal-care products such as soap and shampoo, food packaging, and other everyday products could be linked to pregnancy loss.

In this study involving more than 300 women, researchers from Peking University in Beijing, China, have found that certain phthalates - substances commonly used in everyday products - could be associated with miscarriage, mostly between five and 13 weeks of pregnancy.

The study provides evidence that exposure to these substances can affect the general population and not just those who work in factories of these products.

Researchers Jianying Hu and colleagues tested urine samples from 132 women who had miscarriages and 172 healthy pregnant women in China.

They found pregnancy loss was associated with exposure to higher levels of certain phthalates.

Many of these substances are included as ingredients in paints, medical tubes, vinyl flooring, soaps, shampoos and other items.

Previous research on phthalates had shown that long-term exposure to low levels of the some of these compounds harms lab animals' health and can increase their risk for pregnancy loss.

Additionally, at least one study found that female factory workers exposed to high levels of phthalates through their work were at a higher risk for miscarriage.

The new study provides evidence of phthalates' effects on pregnancy among women with non-occupational exposure.

The study appeared in the journal Environmental Science & Technology.