IMPORTANCE OF IODINE

You had your baby, and he or she was a breach baby. Several months or even years later, you learn that you have thyroid . Both of these events could be due to the fact that you didn’t get enough iodine during your pregnancy. Other problems can occur as well, and while some problems can be treated, some problems are fairly profound and life altering.

The Importance of Iodine for Pregnant Women... 

Low thyroid function is the greatest concern for women who do not get enough iodine during pregnancy. Unfortunately, women don’t get enough iodine for two reasons. First, pregnant women are advised not to eat fish due to mercury concerns – and that fish is vital for iodine, and second women are not prescribed the prenatal VITAMINS that contain iodine.

Thyroid disease can be treated with medication, but it is a lifelong disease with no cure, and even if treated, it can lead to other health problems as well. Lack of iodine during pregnancy is not the only way to develop thyroid disease. It can also be inherited, and can occur for no apparent reason at all as well.

The Importance of Iodine for Unborn Babies

Aside from being a breach baby, your baby could also have diminished brain function due to lack of iodine while he or she was in the fetus. Cognitive function could also be severely diminished. Simply put, lack of iodine during the gestation period could mean "mental retardation" for your child.

Unfortunately, you cannot increase your child’s intake of iodine after he or she is born in an effort to undo any damage that may have been done due to the lack of iodine during the pregnancy.

In order to get the Iodine that you need, check with your doctor to make sure the he is prescribing you a prenatal vitamin that contains iodine. You can also sprinkle your food with Keep to increase your iodine intake, and this is considered safe for pregnant women.

Potassium Iodide is the type of iodine that you need the most. It is vital that you talk about iodine intake with your doctor to determine the best way to introduce it to your system, and also to determine how much iodine you need to be introducing to your system each day.

Intake of iodine should continue for your entire life, for good health, but increased levels are also needed if you are breast feeding.

From : pregnancy guiide for indian women health

HEART DISEASE

 

The heart is an amazing structure, tough yet fragile. A muscle, its network of arteries and veins transport blood through your body, nourishing organs and tissues. When the heart is working as it should, you barely notice it. But when your heart starts acting strangely, you have cause to worry. Thankfully, you live in a day when heart disease can be treated very successfully, and in some cases, the condition can even be reversed. Several home remedies can assist in keeping your heart healthy.

 

Heart Trouble
Heart disease is any condition that keeps your heart from functioning at its best or causes a deterioration of the heart's arteries and vessels. Coronary heart disease (CHD), also known as coronary artery disease, is the most common form of heart disease, affecting 12.6 million people in America. If you are diagnosed with CHD, it means you have atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries on the heart's surface. Arteries become hard when plaque accumulates on artery walls. This plaque develops gradually as an overabundance of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (the bad stuff) makes itself at home in your arteries. The plaque builds and narrows the artery walls, making it more and more difficult for blood to pass through the heart and increasing the opportunity for a blood clot to form. If the heart doesn't get enough blood, it can cause chest pain (angina) or a heart attack.

Not treating coronary heart disease can also lead to congestive heart failure (CHF). CHF happens when your heart isn't strong enough to pump blood throughout the body -- it fails to meet the body's need for oxygen. This often causes congestion in the lungs and a variety of other problems for your heart and the rest of your body.

 

Honing In on Heart DiseaseThere are many risk factors for heart disease, some you can do something about, and some you can't. A family history of heart disease puts you at much greater risk for developing it yourself. While you can't do anything about your genes, there are a number of risk factors that you can control. These are the ones you can do something about:

• High levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (the bad stuff), and low levels of high-density lipoprotein (the good stuff).
• High levels of triglycerides. Triglyceride levels increase when you eat too many fatty foods or when you eat too much -- excess calories are made into triglycerides and stored as fat in cells. Having an abundance of triglycerides has been linked to coronary heart disease.
• High blood pressure
• Smoking
• Lack of regular exercise
• A high fat diet
• Being overweight or obese
• Diabetes
• Ongoing stress or depression

 

How to Know If You Have Heart DiseaseAbout 25 to 30 percent of people who have heart disease don't even know it until something serious happens. That's why it's a good idea to see your doctor for a regular checkup and to have your cholesterol and triglyceride levels and your blood pressure checked and monitored. If you have any of these symptoms, schedule a checkup as soon as you can.

• Chest pain (angina). If you feel like you have an elephant sitting on your chest after climbing the stairs, your body could be giving you a warning signal.
• Nausea or stomach upset. This could be more than the guacamole you ate at dinner, especially if you have recurrent bouts of tummy trouble.
• Sweating. Even when you haven't been exercising.
• Feeling weak or tired.

Heart disease is a serious medical condition, and requires medical attention. Even so, there are natural home remedies that will improve your health in conjunction with proper medical care. Go to the next page to read about foods that make a difference for patients with heart disease.

Home Remedy Treatments for Heart Disease

Healing the heart is not only possible, but also within your reach. Here are some home remedies you'll find in your very own kitchen.

TREAT DIARRHEA WITHOUT MEDICATION

If you have ever been to a tropical country, you have probably experienced diarrhea: frequent and  uncontrolled evacuation of liquid
stool caused by bacteria in local water, milk or food.Diarrhea can also be caused at home by excesses in diet (a diet that is too rich) or an allergic reaction to certain foods or medication or even by stress.
To treat diarrhea, avoid all solid food on the first day. Drink liquids like water, apple juice, meat or vegetable boullion and tea. These will compensate for your loss of water - dehydration being one of the main dangers of diarrhea - and will give your intestines a period of rest.
If you have stomach cramps, rub your hands together for about a minute. Then place both palms on your abdominal region. The heat will soothe the pain.
On the second day, eat small quantities of solid food. Among the least irritating are cooked cereals (especially rice), biscuits and soft boiled eggs. You can also try charcoal. It comes in tablet or capsule form (you
can also get it off burnt toast!) Chinese medicine has always considered ginger one of the best remedies for diarrhea. Dilute a tablespoon in hot water and add honey.

Steamed Orange for Cough.....

This method had been tested by many people. One of the best methods to stop cough.
Cut off the top part of the orange, put some salt into the orange, and put back the top part. Steam it 10 minutes and eat all the fresh including the juice at the bottom of the bowl. Taste not very nice but cures your prolonged cough in days.
Cut off a little shelf of top.  Add ½ teaspoon of salt

Place in a bowl and steam it 20 minute and finish the whole orange.

 Place in a bowl and steam it 20 minute and finish the whole orange.

Happy Mothers Day

Thank You Mum

Parsley :

 The good leaf

This herb comes packed with taste and health benefits.

Parsley, a member of the celery family, is a native to the Mediterranean region. Its scientific name -- Petroselinum is derived from the Greek word petros which means stone; referring to the plant's habit of growing in rocky places.
It resembles coriander, but has a milder flavour. It is cultivated in numerous forms such as curly, plain Italian, flat-leaf or turnip-rooted Hamburg parsley. Flat-leaf has more flavour and essential oils than curly-leaf parsley and hence is often preferred for cooking.

Due to its significant therapeutic benefits, parsley was first used as herbal medicine and later as food. Parsley has been reported to be an anti-oxidant, anti-microbial, anti-clotting, anti-hyperlipidemic (reducing blood fats and cholesterol) , anti-rheumatic and anti-hepatotoxic (liver protective) properties.

Parsley is both nutritious and a storehouse of several vitamins, minerals and many other valuable substances. In fact, parsley consumption has been associated with reduced risk for a number of diseases, including cancer, cardiovascular diseases and digestive disorders particularly indigestion, constipation and flatulence.

Parsley is a good source of vitamin C, vitamin E and flavanoids including quercitin, apiole, myristicin and luteolin. It also possesses terpenes, phthalides, iron, calcium, phosphorous and manganese. Vitamin C and E are powerful antioxidants that help in building a strong immune system, fight chronic diseases and slow ageing. Quercetin and myristin have been shown to possess anti-oxidants and disease fighting properties. Myristin, a volatile aroma constituent of parsley, is a potential cancer protective agent and has been shown to cause nearly 65 per cent inhibition of tumour growth in animal studies. Parsley also contains high levels of flavone 'apigenin', a mutagenic agent which helps suppress lupus, a chronic auto-immune inflammatory condition.

Parsley is a wonderful aid to digestion. Parsley is known to have laxative effects, relieves flatulence, reduces stomach cramps and stimulates appetite. It has also been known to have the ability to shrink small blood vessels and is helpful in treating piles.

Parsley is also known to have liver protective properties. A recent animal study reported that degenerative changes observed in the liver cells of diabetic rats were significantly reduced or disappeared on treatment with parsley.

Its antiseptic properties make it useful in cystitis (inflammation of urinary bladder). Parsley has a tonic effect on the reproductive system and is sometimes used during labour. It is known to be an effective emmenagogue: a substance that induces or hastens menstrual flow and helps to regulate the menstrual cycles.

Folk medicine has a tradition of using parsley to treat different health conditions. Tea made from leaves or roots (of parsley) can be used to treat jaundice, coughs, menstrual problems, rheumatism, kidney stones and urinary infections. Juice from parsley soothes conjunctivitis and other eye inflammations.

Both seeds and dried roots of parsley are used as spices. The essential oil, distilled mainly from seeds, has a warm, spicy, herbaceous scent. The parsley leaf oil is also used extensively for garnishing and seasoning. Parsley leaves are used as a flavouring and as a garnish either dried or fresh, in soups, meat dishes, poultry, fish and as stuffing.

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