Fitness | GOQii

July 27, 2017 By Saaimah Parkar Leave a Comment

ALL ABOUT VERTIGO!

It came across strange initially when I said that the world around was spinning and that my entire room seems to be in constant motion. Basically I used to find the floor of my bedroom, the bed and the room itself was in constant motion (not literally spinning or in constant motion, but I felt that way). I had to walk around supporting myself using the wall, furniture, in fact anything that was close by, and if nothing was available literally crawl. Finally, I was diagnosed with something called Vertigo.

Vertigo is the feeling that you or your environment is moving or spinning. It differs from dizziness in that vertigo describes an illusion of movement. When you feel as if you yourself are moving, it’s called subjective vertigo, and the perception that your surroundings are moving is called objective vertigo.

A few causes and types of Vertigo are:

Benign Paroxysmal Postional vertigo: Tiny calcium particles called canaliths clamp up in the canals of the inner ear. This could also be caused due to sudden movement of the head resulting in dislodgement of the crystalline structures in the ear’s balance detectors.

Meniere’s Disease-This is an inner ear disorder caused by changing pressure of the ear and built up of fluid in the ear.

Labrynthitis-Inner ear viral/bacterial infection

Bleeding in the brain:

Vertigo can be caused by decreased blood flow to the base of the brain. Bleeding into the back of the brain (cerebellar hemorrhage) is characterized by vertigo, headache, difficulty walking, and inability to look toward the side of the bleed. The result is that the person’s eyes gaze away from the side with the problem. Walking is also extremely impaired.

Some other less evident causes: Head or neck injury.

Stroke/tumor/diabetes mellitis/Atherosclerosis

Migraine

Certain medications

Hormonal fluctuations in menopausal women.

Most common symptoms are: Spinning, loss of balance, headache, sweating, nausea, and yes I have experienced all of this at one go.

Treatment for Vertigo : Treatment depends mainly on what’s causing it. There are a variety of treatments for vertigo including self-care remedies, medications, and physical therapy maneuvers.

Let us look at some of the treatments

Benign Paroxysmal Postional Vertigo- Posture correction exercises, head and neck strengthening exercises help this type of vertigo. It has helped me too. Apart from this Vitamin D supplementation may be beneficial for patients diagnosed with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. But, before that you need to check if you have a Vitamin D deficiency.

Meniere’s disease and Labrynthitis- These two are usually treated with anti-inflammatory and diuretic medicines. However, natural foods like ginger root and Curcumin aid speeding up the recovery process.

Stroke/Atherosclerosis/Diabetes/hypertension- Dietary modifications like avoiding junk, simple sugars, refined flours, and incorporating complex carbohydrates, more fruits and vegetables and whole grains can help improve symptoms of vertigo.

Avoiding red meats, packaged and preserved foods like frozen meats like salamis and sausages, various sauces, chips and wafers (foods high on sodium) and replacing them with fatty fish and lean meats can improve both vertigo or any of the cardiovascular and lifestyle diseases mentioned above.

July 25, 2017 By Komilla Pareek Leave a Comment

Is Apple Cider Vinegar Panacea for All Diseases?

Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) is gaining popularity these days as a wonder cure for diabetes, weight loss, heart disease and much more. The question however is – Is there science behind these claims or is it a classic case of excellent marketing?

Vinegar has been used as a medical therapy for thousands of years. Recorded vinegar history starts around 5000 BC when the Babylonians were using the fruit of the date palm to make wine and vinegar. Vinegar residues have been found in ancient Egyptian urns traced to 3000 BC. As well, recorded vinegar history in China starts from texts that date back to 1200 BC.

During biblical times, vinegar was used to flavour foods, as an energising drink, and as a medicine, and it is mentioned in both the old and new testaments.

In ancient Greece, around 400 BC, Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, prescribed apple cider vinegar mixed with honey for a variety of ills, including coughs and colds.

Scientific evidence adds to age old wisdom by inferring vinegar’s significant role in key biochemical metabolic pathways –

Reduction in Postprandial Blood Sugar and Insulin Levels – When taken with or just before meals, ACV inhibits enzymes necessary for the digestion of starches and other complex carbohydrates, thus preventing them from being broken down into glucose and absorbed into the bloodstream. Vinegar also slows gastric emptying, so it delays the uptake of glucose and other nutrients. (Yusoff et al, Nutrients 2015, 7(8), 7012-7026 )
Like Metformin, Stimulates AMPK – Vinegar stimulates an enzyme called AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) that is a key player in glucose and fat metabolism, insulin signalling, and energy balance. AMPK increases fat oxidation, improves glucose uptake and insulin sensitivity, and lowers gluconeogenesis, or glucose production in the liver. This is similar to how common diabetic drug Metformin works (Zhou et al, Role of AMP-activated protein kinase in mechanism of metformin action. J Clin Invest. 2001 Oct 15; 108(8): 1167–1174).
Nitric Oxide Mediated Protection Against Heart Diseases – Vinegar-induced AMPK activation boosts nitric oxide (NO) release in the endothelial cells lining the blood vessels.NO relaxes the arteries, protects against an atherosclerosis-the usual cause of heart attacks, strokes, and peripheral vascular disease. (Sakakibara et al, BiosciBiotechnolBiochem. 2010;74(5):1055-61).
Blood Pressure Regulation – Animal studies demonstrated vinegar decreases blood pressure by down‑regulating AT1R expression via the AMPK/PGC‑1α/PPARγ pathway (Na Lixin et al, Eur j Nutr, April 2016, Volume 55, Issue 3, pp 1245–1253).
Protection Against Cancer – Vinegar is also a dietary source of polyphenols, compounds synthesised by plants to defend against oxidative stress. Ingestion of polyphenols in humans enhances in vivo antioxidant protection and reduces cancer risk.
Reduces Belly Fat – Researches demonstrated vinegar (pomegranate) consumption resulted in marked reduction in visceral fat as confirmed by CT scan(Park et al, Journal of functional foods, Volume 8, May 2014, 274-281).

While the evidence behind apple cider vinegar and other vinegar seem promising, there are a few things to keep in mind. Always take your vinegar diluted (1 tablespoon in 180 ml water). Undiluted shots have been known to wear away tooth enamel and damage the oesophagus. Also, too much apple cider vinegar may lower potassium levels in the body. If you are on medications, discuss with your doctor before starting vinegar supplementation.

Lastly, and most importantly – Making vinegar a daily habit won’t cancel out the effects of unhealthy eating. Think of it as one piece of your wellness puzzle, and not a panacea.

July 24, 2017 By CHARMI GOGRI Leave a Comment

Stop feeding your emotions!!

Gone are those days when our ancestors considered food as a basic source for well being. They used to EAT to LIVE, but things have changed thereafter and now it’s LIVE to EAT. Eating is more than something we do to nourish our bodies with vital nutrients. We don’t always eat simply to satisfy hunger. We now turn to food for comfort, stress relief, or as a reward. It’s like an activity we do out of habit, like nail biting, hair twirling, or finger tapping. Recent trends show that we habitually turn to food in response to certain emotions. Like for instance some have the habit of gorging on chocolates when they are sad or depressed. Whether you feel angry, sad, bored, or even excited—food can act as a buffer against these emotions.

Emotional eaters know that it’s easier to stuff down our feelings with each bite rather than spilling the emotions and create nuisance. Unfortunately, emotional eating doesn’t fix emotional problems. It usually makes you feel worse. Afterwards, not only does the original emotional issue remain, but you also feel guilty for having overeaten. Compounding the problem, you stop learning healthier ways to deal with your emotions, you have a hard time controlling your weight, and you feel increasingly powerless over both food and your feelings.

So coming to the point, where do you start if you want to stop eating emotionally?

But, before that ever wondered why we turn to food when emotionally distressed? Here is a short explanation to make you more aware. When we eat food, chemicals are released from the food in the body. These chemicals have a strong impact on our emotional health, since food and mood are intricately connected. We feel sadder when we’re hungry due to lack of neurochemicals in the brain. To elaborate, through eating we experience changes in serotonin, endorphins, and dopamine levels in our brain – all of which control our moods. Sugar, for example, causes serotonin in the brain which makes us feel more balanced and equitable. Anti-depressants uses this same chemical mechanism to improve moods. So coming back to point, How and what do we do to deal with this?

The first step is awareness, recognizing what triggers you to eat emotionally—and WHY?

As I mentioned earlier, People eat for many different reasons. What situations, places, or feelings make you reach for the comfort of food? Each time you reach for foods (or even feel a craving come on), ask yourself, “Am I really hungry or am I just responding to something else that is happening?” If hunger isn’t the reason, it’s not always easy to pinpoint the reason why you feel like eating. By tracking your food (and related notes) more regularly, you could notice trends, like a tendency to overeat on Mondays, for example, and then pinpoint your true feelings from there. Ask yourself what it is about Mondays that leads to overeating (Stress from getting the kids to school? Anger over going to a job you hate? or holiday deprived ?) Notice if you tend to munch in the evenings. Is it out of boredom, loneliness, anger, sadness, anxiety or an unhappy relationship? Once you identify your emotional eating triggers, the next step is identifying healthier ways to feed your feelings.

It’s not enough to understand the cycle of emotional eating or even to understand your triggers, we need to proceed to step 2 which explains you to feed your feelings better. In order to stop emotional eating, you have to find other ways to fulfill yourself emotionally. You need alternatives to food that you can turn to for emotional fulfillment.

Some alternatives you can test out are: Call someone who always makes you feel better, play with your pets or kids, or look at a favorite photo or cherished memento whenever you feel low, depressed or lonely. If you’re anxious, expend your nervous energy by dancing to your favorite song, squeezing a stress ball, or taking a brisk walk in fresh air. If you’re exhausted, treat yourself with a hot cup of tea, take a bath, go to a spa or massage, light some scented candles, wrap yourself in a warm blanket or take a break and enjoy the weekend getaway. If boredom kills you, read a good book, watch a comedy show, explore the outdoors, or turn to an activity you enjoy (woodworking, playing the guitar, shooting hoops, scrapbooking, etc)

Last step to deal emotional eating requires long term modification i.e. healthy lifestyle habits. When you’re physically strong, relaxed, and well rested, you’re better able to handle the stone and lime that life inevitably throws in your path. But, when you’re already exhausted and overwhelmed, any little hiccup has the potential to send you off the rails and straight towards the kitchen>> refrigerator>>food. Exercise, sleep, and other healthy lifestyle habits will help you get through difficult times without emotional eating. Make daily exercise a priority.

Physical activity does wonders for your mood and your energy levels, and it’s also a powerful stress reducer. Give yourself permission to take at least 30 minutes every day to relax, decompress, and unwind. This is your time to take a break from your responsibilities and recharge your batteries for the next day. Connect with others. Don’t underestimate the importance of close relationships and social activities. Spending time with positive people who enhance your life will help protect you from the negative effects of stress.

With an arsenal of activities you can do besides eating, trekking, journaling and distracting yourself in a positive way, you’ll overcome your emotional eating problems once and for all. You might not be successful every time, but if you accept your mistakes and move forward, continuing to work on your issues consider you’re on the right path to stop the emotional eating cycle.

June 27, 2017 By Farida Gohil Leave a Comment

Sleep Deprivation linked to High-calorie food choices

Photo Credit: iStock

There is more science supporting that getting a good night’s is best for your health.

A new study published in the journal Food Product Design, by Author Colin Chapman, MSc, of Uppsala University says that obesity found in people who were deprived of one night’s sleep purchased more calories and grammes of food in a mock supermarket on the following day.

Sleep deprivation also led to increased blood levels of ghrelin, a hormone that increases hunger, on the following morning; however, there was no correlation between individual ghrelin levels and food purchasing, suggesting that other mechanisms such as impulsive decision making may be more responsible for increased purchasing.

The Uppsala University of Sweden is the oldest university of the Nordic countries and offers courses in Science and Technology, Medicine, Humanity and Social Sciences. Researchers at Uppsala University investigated whether sleep deprivation may impair or alter an individual’s food purchasing choices based on its established tendency to impair higher-level thinking and to increase hunger.

They hypothesised that sleep deprivation’s impact on hunger and decision making would make for the ‘perfect storm’ with regard to shopping and food purchasing-leaving individuals hungrier and less capable of employing self-control and higher-level decision-making processes to avoid making impulsive, calorie-driven purchases.

On the morning after one night of total sleep deprivation, as well as after one night of sleep, the researchers give 14 normal-weight men a fixed budget (approximately $50). The men were instructed to purchase as much as they could out of a possible 40 items, including 20 high-caloric foods and 20 low-caloric foods. The prices of the high-caloric foods were then varied to determine if total sleep deprivation affects the flexibility of food purchasing. Before the task, participants received a standardised breakfast to minimise the effect of Hunger on their purchases.

Sleep-deprived men purchased significantly more calories (+9%) and grammes (+18%) of food than they did after one night of sleep. The researchers also measured blood levels of ghrelin, finding that the hormone’s concentration was higher after total sleep deprivation; however, this increase did not correlate with food purchasing behaviour.

Their finding provides a strong rationale for suggesting that patients with concerns regarding caloric intake and weight gain maintain a healthy, normal sleep schedule.

This study supports a link between sleep loss and Obesity.

Findings from a study published in the journal Nature Communications that found losing sleep can make you more likely to crave junk foods rather than healthy foods. Other studies have linked poor sleeping habits to increased appetites.

Results from the study show that sleep deprivation significantly decreased activity in appetitive evaluation regions within the brain during food desirability choices, combined with increased activity in the amygdala. This change in brain activity is further associated with an increase in the desire for weight gain promoting high-calorie foods following sleep deprivation.