The war against carbonated beverages in general and colas in particular seems to gather momentum both in the East and the West. There have been reports from the US, UK and India where some schools and universities have banned the sale of the fizzy drink on their campuses.
Patanajali Yog Peeth (PYP), the yoga and health crusader institution in India has virtually launched a countrywide diatribe against coke in particular and carbonated drinks in general.
The torchbearer of the yoga movement in India and the chief functionary of PYP, Swami Ramdev, quotes the institution’s findings that carbonated beverages cause a number of health disorders including arthritis, digestive and respiratory disorders and even serious pregnancy related conditions.
PYP and Swami Ramdev have often been accused of lashing unsubstantiated criticism against the soft drinks multinationals.
Almost no yoga camp organized by PYP and addressed by Swami Ramdev concludes without critical mention of the effects of carbonated beverages. Swami particularly discourages the children and asks them to resolve against the intake of cola drinks. He calls the drink ‘toilet cleaner’ for it has been found to be quite effective at it. Hence his slogan for the children and all – “the right place for your cola is not your refrigerator, it is your toilet.”
In this backdrop a recent US research report on the effect of carbonated drinks is opportune. Accordingly, the fizzy drink makes bones brittle in case of women. The brittle bone disease, called osteoporosis, in the case of women has been linked by the study to phosphoric acid found in cola drinks.
Three million Britons suffer from osteoporosis in which bones lose their density. An early menopause, lack of dietary calcium and low levels of physical exercise are among several factors which may lead to the condition.
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition study had 2500 men and women in the age group of 60 as volunteers. While each woman was drinking a minimum of four cola drinks in a week, men were consuming five. No real effect was observed in case of men when the volunteers were examined for their bone densities in the hip and spine region.
Well, that should not give carte blanche to men. For, a higher level of physical activity, which is men probably do, could well be the reason for their being not found affected by cola drinks.
PYP and Swami Ramdev have yet more evidence coming from the western world to support trheir stance against these drinks.
October 17th, 2006
Written by: lalitgambhir
Interesting research has been published which shows how your body image can affect your willingness to control your weight within healthy limits.
You can read more about the experiment here, but in essence the research found that subjects who were asked to think about their body image were more encouraged to slim and lead a healthy lifestyle than those who had no cause to consider how they looked.
I guess that these findings should not surprise many people, however it does tie in with thoughts that I have had previously about how people perceive themselves when they look in the mirror.
I know that if I look at myself in the mirror and think that I’ve put on a few pounds, I immediately think “uh oh I need to shed those excess pounds as soon as possible”. I’ll take care to do so until the image that stares back at me in the mirror looks “right”.
I guess that I have a strong body image.
I wonder, though, about those who are grossly overweight or obese. They haven’t just acquired that extra weight overnight, but have gradually gained pound after pound. Do they adjust their standards when they look at themselves ie “I look ok with those extra few pounds, I needn’t do anything about it”.
Then later “I look OK with that extra stone - I’m fine”.
I don’t know what goes through their minds, but as our series of articles on eating disorders show, the way in which people perceive themselves and the pressures that are placed upon them by society, can be very damaging.
It depends on the individual if they end up suffering from an eating disorder - either leading them towards anorexia or towards obesity - or steel themselves to lose weight until their actual image matches their perceived image, in a healthy way.
October 16th, 2006
Written by: chris
Chris has talked about Echinacea or purple coneflower in his blog as a
preventive against common cold. Diya, my daughter of seven, used to
get colds accompanied by high fever a bit too often until recently.
As a result she was put on antibiotics time and again, which gave her
serious problems whilst she was teething.
I used to be worried about her catching colds frequently so I put her
on Echinacea, which a herbalist had suggested. Whilst on the
supplement for more than a month Diya caught a cold and had a fever
shooting up to 105 degree Fahrenheit. I was asked to double the
dosage of the herbal supplement, which I did. But Diya was unable to
fight her cold and my worries did not seem to abate.
Echinacea, a native of America and southern Canada, has long been held out to
prevent and treat common cold, flu and other infections of the upper
respiratory system. It is believed to boost immune system.
But scientific studies carried out on the efficacy of the herb have some
discouraging findings. National Center for Complementary and
Alternative Medicine within the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services
funded two studies on Echinacea without establishing the benefits as
traditionally claimed.
Some long-term users of the herb have known to suffer from allergic
reactions including rashes and aggravation in existing respiratory
conditions like asthma. Clinical trials on the herb showed
gastrointestinal problems as among the most common side effects.
When it comes to using a particular herb it is important to know if it has
been in use under a recognised medicinal system. A herb simply for
its being natural does not qualify it to be safe. Herbs like kava and
comfrey have been known to cause liver failures. Spirulina, sometime
back was marketed to be a protein-rich ‘wonder’ lichen
that was claimed to end malnutrition all over the world. Several
gastrointestinal and other disorders were linked to the lichen in the
studies carried out later.
Caution
is the word before using herbal supplements. Nursing and pregnant
women should specially need to be careful.
Upper respiratory problems are among the first ones which respond to now
the-much- talked-about breathing exercises called Aalom Vilom
under yoga. Diya could get rid of her frequent bouts of cold thanks
to yoga. Even if she took liberties like finishing off the 250 ml
bucket of her favourite ice-cream on a winter night and caught a
cold, she seldom has had a fever. High fever in her case is a history
for sure.
October 13th, 2006
Written by: lalitgambhir
I like walnuts and I was delighted to see that not only are they good to eat, but they can help prevent coronary heart diease.
The humble walnut looks like it should be a super star amongst healthy foods for not only does it contain a range of healthy Omega 3 oils, as found in oily fish, but it can also reduce cholesterol levels too.
According to the study in the Journal of Nutrition, eating about 1.5 ounces of walnuts each day brings many cardiovascular benefits, reducing many of the risk factors that can cause heart disease.
Of course nuts are infamous for their high calorific properties, which can help put on those extra pounds, however it appears this small amount of walnuts eaten daily should not have adverse affects on your weight, particularly if you are following a healthy balanced diet anyway.
October 11th, 2006
Written by: chris
Modern medical science has bad news for women. According to a German study, women’s skin ages faster than men’s. The study was carried out using a new laser-based technique to measure damage from sun exposure and aging.
The findings of the study have been published in Optics Letters, a journal of the Optical Society of America. The findings are based on a new technique in which pulses of laser light are used to look at the deeper layers of the skin and measure its aging.
The process of aging of the skin is associated with the degeneration of collagens and elastins leading to wrinkles and loss of suppleness. Collagens and elastins are groups of proteins found in the dermis layer of the skin. Dermis is present under the uppermost layer of the skin called epidermis. Strands of collagens and elastins form mesh architecture thus providing strength to the skin.
The process of degeneration of the proteins “appeared to be sex-dependant with women’s skin losing collagen at faster rates than men’s,” according to the researchers from Germany’s Freidrich Schiller University in Jena and the Fraunhofer Institute of Biomedical Technology in St. Ingbert.
The co-author of the Optic Letters paper, dermatologist Dr Jahannes Koehler informs that skin of a healthy 35-year old person in some areas of his body can appear like that of a 25-year old and in some other areas like someone who is 50.
In your youth your body keeps up with a consistent supply of collagens. The production of the proteins decreases with age making the skin becoming flaccid.
The German researchers have been credited with the non-invasive skin testing technique, which could pave the way to checking anti-aging cosmetic products and investigating skin diseases that affect the skin proteins.
In this context I would like to share that yoga is known to restore blood supply to the connective tissue of an aging skin. Thus on practising yoga your skin is able to regain its suppleness and strength. Blemishes and other surface marks on the skin are among the first ones to disappear, as found in number of individuals who have been practising for at least six months. Skin is one of the last organs of your body to show the good effects of yoga though.
The technique used by the German researchers could well be used to verify the effects of yoga on your skin.
Yoga may come to the rescue of women after all.
October 10th, 2006
Written by: lalitgambhir
October is bringing in autumn to the UK and it hasn’t taken me long to go down with my first cold.
I’ve spent the last week with a moderate cold, which has been more annoying than debilitating. The trouble is, though, that I seem to be susceptible to colds and I can suffer from quite a few during autumn and winter.
One of my colleagues mentioned that she takes a big dose of Echinacea every day from September onwards until about Easter, and she hardly ever goes down with a cold now, even though she works in an air conditioned office and is susceptible to colds also.
When I worked at the hospital, I remember some of my colleagues swearing by Echinacea saying that this miraculous herb protected them from colds, even when working with ill people every day. I started taking it and thought that it was amazing. I don’t think I went down with a cold once that year.
I continued to take a low strength Echinacea tablet during the last two winters, but stopped last year after I went down with a really bad cold and it seemed to be made worse by the “wonder tablets”. I chucked the remaining Echinacea tablets away, thinking they were a waste of time and money.
The big dosage of Echinacea that my colleague takes has got me thinking again though.
She gave me the web address of a firm supplying large dose tablets so I ordered some. They arrived today.
Maybe the high dosage will be more beneficial. I’m going to try them this autumn and winter. If I don’t get any major colds, I’ll be delighted and they’ll be part of my flu and cold protection from now on.
If I do continue to get colds then that’s it. No more Echinacea for me.
October 9th, 2006
Written by: chris
Enzymes are vital to the metabolic processes that take place in your body. They work as catalysts in assisting the chemical processes involved in converting one substance
into another.
For instance, a proteolytic enzyme will convert proteins into peptides and amino acids so that the latter being smaller molecules could be readily absorbed in your intestine.
Dr Jeremy Kaslov, a biochemist and Ellen Cutler have authored a book ‘Micromiracles: Discover the Healing Power of Enzymes.’ In the book they underline that our current diets and lifestyles lead to deficiencies of essential enzymes which in turn result into food cravings, weight gain, premature ageing, lowered immunity and food intolerances.
Being “essential to every bodily function including breathing, circulation and immune response,” says Cutler, “poor diet, digestive stress, metabolic imbalance, illness and medications lower the enzyme levels.”
The authors explain three basic groups of enzymes and their functions. The systemic enzymes maintain blood and tissues, keep your heart beating in the right rhythm and your senses, mood and memory in order. The systemic enzymes are made by your body when you are healthy. Your body faces deficiency of systemic enzymes during stress and sickness. Hence your healing power is affected.
The digestive enzymes help your body absorb food nutrients. Hence, the need for your body to keep producing digestive enzymes to help digestion.
The food enzymes are the enzymes which are present in the food naturally. They are vital supplements to the stock of enzymes present in your body. But if they are deficient in your food your body has to work so much more to make up for the deficiency, thus curtailing the supply of enzymes to some other vital bodily functions.
Your diet therefore needs to be watched for unhealthy attributes.
Since digestion of food starts in your mouth, the authors of the book recommend that you chew your food 30-40 times and not just 3-5 as normally done. This will help the food enzymes to help complete digestion in your mouth.
October 6th, 2006
Written by: lalitgambhir
I like tea, and in fact I like it even more now that I’ve learnt that black tea can help relieve stress.
Of course as a British person, I’m used to the ritual cup of tea that is offered whenever there is a crisis, and even when there isn’t. Perhaps this is the reason - it helps sooths our fevered brows in time of need.
Actually, according to the research, it seems that drinking black tea helps to reduce cortisol in your blood. Cortisol is one of the stress hormones, so reducing its blood levels could explain how the subjects in the experiment could de-stress more quickly and effectively after a stressful event.
I am intrigued that it was black tea that seems to exhibit these beneficial properties during the experiment and tea with milk doesn’t seem to have been tested - presumably to ensure standardisation of tea “dosage”. It is reassuring, however, that tea can be so beneficial, given the huge quantities that are consumed worldwide.
So for those with busy and stressful lives, we can now prescribe the perfect solution - a session practising yoga followed by a nice cup of tea!
October 5th, 2006
Written by: chris
The All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS), India’s biggest medical research institution, has conducted a study on the remarkable benefits of Winter Cherry in preventing heart attacks in rats.
Winter Cherry or Withania somnifera has been known to Ayurveda for centuries for its effectiveness in arthritis and respiratory and nervous disorders. The heart protective properties of the herb, which came to be known only recently, are now the subject of the study.
The AIIMS study, having completed its first stage of pre-clinical animal investigations, demonstrates that the Winter Cherry has strengthening effect on heart muscles. The herb is effective in preventing heart attacks and boosting the endurance of heart muscles.
The herb extract has been demonstrated to reduced necrosis. Necrosis is the death of living cells and tissues during a heart attack. The herb is also effective in reducing the release of the chemical agents from the necrotic cells which damage other cells.
In the study, heart failure was induced in the rats after they were put on a monthly dose of the herb. The animals which were fed the herb extract survived longer than those who were not. The rats fed on the herb extract had intact heart muscles while the others suffered damage.
A couple of years back I had a rich crop of Winter Cherry growing at my farm. The roots of the herb are commonly used as a tonic to improve general health, for which it was grown. A number of local doctors, I was told by my manager, visited the farm to collect their raw material for heart patients. I came to know that although Ayurveda does not specifically prescribe the herb for heart patients, the doctors of traditional medicine knew its additional usage through practice.
The AIIMS researchers are preparing to take their investigations to the first human trial very soon.
This is good news for those with heart conditions.
October 4th, 2006
Written by: lalitgambhir
It looks like I’m not the only one who tries to keep fit and healthy, as apparently the British are spending £1.4 billion pounds (close to $2bn) each year on gym memberships and eating healthily.
I find it encouraging that so many people are taking their health and fitness seriously, however there seems to be a polarity developing in the UK society, at least, if not elsewhere.
On the one hand, we have this level of spending on health clubs and good diet and on the other hand we have increased obesity followed by increases in related conditions such as heart disease and diabetes.
Of course many people cannot afford expensive gym fees and costly healthy foods, however if we could only find a way to raise the general levels of health and fitness, then I’m sure that a wave of other benefits would follow.
Our range of articles and blogs about how Yoga can dramatically improve some people’s conditions, some quite serious, and how it makes you feel less stressed, show that this is a way of improving health without incurring high costs.
The trouble is it takes time, determination and commitment, and thats at the root of the problem.
It makes me smile when I park in the car park at my gym. There are parking spaces available now, however in January and February all those new year resolutions materialise in an overflowing car park.
Perhaps that 1.4 billion pounds is mostly spent in those few months directly after Christmas when resolutions are at their strongest.
October 3rd, 2006
Written by: chris
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