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We Can I Can

WCD-messages

“We can I Can” is the theme for this year’s World Cancer Day and this theme will continue through 2018. The idea of ‘We Can I Can’ is to explore how everyone –together and individually- can do their part to reduce the global burden of Cancer.

Today is World Cancer Day and experts say that one of the best ways to reduce the risk of Cancer is by adopting a healthy lifestyle. It is said that you can reduce the risk of many common cancers such as bowel, breast, uterine, ovarian, Oesophagus, kidney and liver by maintaining a healthy weight, eating right and making physical activity part of your daily routine.

As individuals ‘I Can’:

  • Make healthy lifestyle choices that include avoiding tobacco, getting plenty of physical activity, eating a healthy diet
  • Learn to detect signs and symptoms of cancer it only makes it easier to treat
  • Support Cancer patients and survivors with physical and emotional impacts of cancer after treatment
  • Share stories of own cancer experiences, communicate with decision makers and join support groups to help make positive changes for all people affected by cancer
  • When possible return to work after cancer treatment to restore normality, routine, stability, social contact and income.

As community ‘We can’:

  • Educate people about the link between lifestyle behaviors – including smoking, poor diet, and lack of physical activity – and cancer risk.
  • Dispel myths that lead to stigma and discrimination against people with cancer in some communities.
  • Encourage schools and workplaces to implement nutrition and physical activity policies that can help people to adopt healthy habits for life.
  • Improve access to affordable cancer health care for all populations.

(source cancer.org)

We all can do our bit. I remember there is an organization in Mumbai called Ugam, a voluntary support group formed by Childhood Cancer survivors. UGAM means “To Rise” underscoring their determination to rise above all obstacles in life & be VICTORS. UGAM, based in Mumbai is the youngest unit of the oldest & most prominent NGO, The Indian Cancer Society( ICS) under its survivorship programme.

Ugam’s vision is to ensure that every childhood cancer survivor finds his/ her way to celebrate life after winning the battle with cancer. Ugam helps in self-empowerment of the survivors. It helps in fulfilling their dreams that were put on hold while they were battling this tormenting disease and the hardships of the treatments. Helping in overcoming social fears and hindrances, overcoming their physical and mental disabilities and moving ahead despite them, Educational and career related assistance and guidance.

Ugam provides a platform for them to talk about their experience and problems and help in building their confidence and self-esteem. Ugam tries and gives them a reason to lead a social and personal life in the future.

We at GOQii are advocates of a healthy lifestyle and doing Karma. So let make a beginning…..

Here is another interesting read….

http://goqii.com/blog/foods-for-breast-cancer-prevention/

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Home remedies to remove dark circles under your eyes

how-to-remove-dark-circles

Are you a workaholic, stressed out at work or due to other reasons and seldom sleep well at night? Then you must have also noticed dark patches under your eyes at times and wondered what are those dark patches and how can you get rid of them?

Dark circles occur when the skin under the eyes becomes discolored or dark. They are mainly caused due to insufficient sleep, genetics, stress and also aging. Dark circles can appear to both men and women, regardless of their age.

Although dark circles are not a serious problem, people find that it comes in the way of their looks. Of course the market has an abundance of expensive cosmetic products that promises to alleviate the problem but, the chemicals they contain can affect the delicate skin underneath your eyes in a negative way. In order to avoid these harsh chemical based cosmetics to cure the dark circles why don’t you try some simple and easy home remedies to get rid of those dark circles.

The causes of dark circles are:

* Lack of sleep

* Mental or physical stress

* Crying for long period of time

* Too much work on the computer

* Certain medications

Home Remedies for Dark Circles:

  • Tomato

Is a brilliant home remedy that can erase the dark circles under your eyes as it naturally helps in lightening the skin. Mix 1 teaspoon of tomato juice with a teaspoon of lemon juice and apply it under your eyes.  After applying it, leave it on for about 10 minutes and wash it off with water. Repeat this remedy at least 2 times a day. You can also drink tomato juice mixed with some lemon juice and mint leaves in order to

D get rid of dark circles.

  • Cucumber

Is another home remedy that will not only help in removing the dark circles, but also acts as a soothing agent for the eyes. Cut 2 slices of a fresh cucumber and keep them in the refrigerator for a while. Then place the cucumber slices over your eyes for about 10-15 minutes. You can also mix cucumber juice and lemon juice and apply it under your eyes. It is a natural remedy that will help you get rid of dark circles.

  • Rose Water

Soak cotton pads in rose water and put them over your eyes and leave them there for some time. You can also use rose petals and milk to make a paste and apply it over the dark circles. Rose water is one of the best home remedies for quick removal of dark circles under the eyes as it lightens the skin and also acts as a natural soothing agent.

  • Potato:

Grate a raw potato, strain it and extract its juice. Soak a cotton ball in the juice and place it on your eyelids. Apply it properly so that it covers the dark area under your eyes. Leave it for about 15 minutes, and then wash it off with water. Potato is a natural bleaching agent, which makes it one of the best home remedies for reducing dark circles under the eye.

  • Mint leaves:

A paste made of Mint leaves and tomato juice is another good cure for dark circles. Apply this paste on the area under the eyes. This remedy will eliminate the dark patches of skin.

  • Orange

Who ever thought that orange juice can also do wonders to remove dark circles but it   indeed does? Mix some orange juice with a few drops of glycerin and apply the mixture over the dark circles. It will diminish the dark circles and will also give a natural glow to the area around your eyes.

  • Turmeric Paste

Make a paste using pineapple juice and turmeric powder. Apply the paste on a regular basis to get rid of the dark circles fast.

  • Practice Yoga or Meditate

While, yoga and meditation can bring down the dark circles in your face, it also helps in rejuvenating our body and also brings a natural glow on your face while, at the same time, removing the dark circles under your eyes.

So instead of spending loads of money on expensive cosmetics to get rid of your dark circles try these easy home remedies and be rest assured that you will be back to looking beautiful in few days.

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An “ATTITUDE” of “GRATITUDE”

 

healthy-habits-harbor-happiness-zero-dean

I vividly remember myself humming these few lines back in school:

“Thank you for the world so sweet,

Thank you for the food we eat,

Thank you for the birds that sing,

Thank you GOD for everything.”

WAIT a second! This is not a religious blog but, simply about being thankful for the good in our lives focusing on the positives rather than the negatives. Seeing the cup of life as “half full” than as “half empty”.

Sadly, I could not continue saying those 4 lines as I grew up. But why should I not feel grateful about things that are around me or happen to me now?

This thought stuck my mind a month back and since then I became serious about being “grateful” in life and making it a lifelong habit. Of course, it was going to be something beyond these few lines considering the amount of experience I’ve had or the number of things that I should be grateful for. Best thing about it was that it was doable and it required no inventory.

Just 5 min of your day, but in turn provides great rewards in happiness, healthy, mind-fullness, career, personality, deeper relationships. The benefits are endless but, doing so takes a bit of practice (talk about HABITS !) .

Speaking about its benefits on Health & Well-Being (since that’s my forte), here are some of the ways it affects us:

  1. HAPPINESS:

Experts say that practicing gratitude can increase health and happiness levels by about 25% ! And we all know that to achieve optimum health we need a healthy body, but we also need a healthy mind. Like muscle building, your mind also takes a while to build up and get strong. For this essentially practicing gratitude certainly helps.

  1. POSITIVE ATTITUDE:

Gratitude also turns what we have in to enough, shrinking away our worries, negativity, comparisons. You end up with a more positive outlook towards your goals and your life.

  1. SLEEP :

It improves sleep quality, time required to fall asleep and increases sleep duration. Just thinking about a few things we should be grateful for induces melatonin (sleep-inducing hormone) and knocks us out. Gratitude and positive emotion in general are among the strongest relaxants known to man. A safe and free sleep aid!

  1. INCREASES LONGEVITY:

Indirectly of course. Gratitude is strongly related to a positive emotion and we all know that the optimists live a few years longer than the pessimists! So, gratitude —-> positive emotion —-> extra months / years on earth!

  1. STRESS:

Gratitude reduces feelings of envy, makes our memories happier and lets us experience good feelings. All of this helps us bounce back from stress. Whenever I am under this funk , feel down or demotivated, all I do it’s : grab my journal and start counting my blessings !

  1. YOU ARE MORE LIKELY TO EXERCISE !

While there is no strong evidence that supports this, it should not surprise you if being grateful for your health would increase the tendency to want to protect it by exercising more. (Start practicing and let me know if it works for you! )

In a nutshell: Gratitude is no one-stop-shop , but it is a massively under utilised tool for improving the quality of life . You will be amazed to realise that all the goodness we take for granted.

Now you should be asking me, HOW can I bring more gratitude in my life???

Well, while there are many ways to practice this, one way that I follow and find the most practical is: Maintaining a gratitude journal.

All it requires is noting 1 or more things ( I write 3 everyday ) you are grateful for on a daily basis . No fancy notebook or App required. The real work goes on in your head. But if using a tool is helpful, go for it.

Here are a few handful of apps / websites that specialise in Gratitude:

Thankfulfor.com ( http://thankfulfor.com/) , Gratittude Journal for Iphone , Gratitude Plus for Ipad , Treater for IOS and Android .

I have picked up a few examples from my journal to give you an idea about how can you start:

  1. I am grateful for being able to sleep on a clean white bed sheet.
  2. I am grateful for the comfortable shoes I am wearing right now.
  3. I am blessed to have access to technology.
  4. I am lucky have my own bedroom space.
  5. I am grateful for a day off!
  6. I really enjoyed the lunch today.

Start off with small and simple things and gradually get deeper and complex. All of this takes less than 5 mins a day. It’s that simple! Trust me, once you start, you will want to go on and on and start falling short of space!

Keep a few things in mind, before you made a decision to go ahead:

Be genuine, No false praises, Be as specific as possible, Try to actually “feel” that feeling of gratitude.

So do you have 5 minutes to change your life forever ?

Thought so!

Go ahead and let’s make GRATITUDE PRACTICE a daily habit!

(WARNING: This exercise is super powerful and can make you feel really good. You might also find yourself smiling while filling up your journal.)

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Nutrition for Skin!!

Skin-Tips-Blog

One is always on the lookout for that “miracle cream” that will make our skin glow and make us fair. Most of us in literal sense abuse our skin, especially our facial skin exposing it to various creams, lotions and treatments. No matter how we take it, but our skin regulates our body’s temperature, protect us from bacteria’s and viruses causing infectious diseases.

We often give much attention to our facial skin for obvious reasons. But, we should definitely try to maintain and keep our entire covering (skin) healthy rather than focusing only on face.

There are number of superficial treatments available in the market to bring a glow on your skin, however as a dietician, I will be showing you ways to keep your skin healthy by foods found in your kitchen itself.

You will be surprised to know that there is a strong link between the food choice you make and skin health. Your choice of food is revealed on your skin.

Vitamins:

Vitamins like B complex, A, D, E, and C have known to play an important role in maintaining healthy skin. They have chemical called photochemical which helps in preserving the body from various bacterial, viral, free radical invasions. They also have anti-oxidant properties which helps skin from the oxidative damage caused by stress, pollution, body’s own reaction etc.  

Tip–

  • Eat at least 5-6 servings of fresh fruits and vegetables daily.
  • Make your salad more colourful, the more colours you add, the more beneficial it is to your skin.
  • Try having Amla (Indian gooseberry) juice every day. I would say, “An Amla a day keeps dermatologist away”
  • Drink fresh fruit juices. Try different juice every week for example- Cranberry, blueberry, orange juice etc.

Supplementation:

Supplementation helps in maintaining healthy skin. Apart from the cosmetic point of view, many dermatologists now recommend nutritional supplements to tackle issues like acne. Supplementation of multivitamins and omega 3/ fish oil capsules have shown positive effects on skin.

Supplementation is needed when a person’s daily requirement of a certain nutrient is inadequate. Hence, before starting off with any nutritional supplement, consult your dietitian.
Avoiding certain foods:

As mentioned above, the kind of food we eat reflects on our skin, avoiding eating junk food, fatty foods, carbonated drinks, alcohol, and refined products affects your skin. This can be attributed to the fact that these foods have a negative impact on health by hindering with the absorption of certain nutrients. Also smoking can accelerate aging process causing wrinkles even before time.

Water:

This is tried and tested all over and also considered as “gharelunuska”-meaning home remedy. Drinking enough water and keeping good hydration status retains moisture of the skin. Also drink adequate water clears out toxins and waste from the body keeping body healthy and which is indirectly seen through skin.

Stress and Sleep:

Ever wondered why when you’re in stress you see acne on your face?

Research has shown a positive link between people who take too much of stress and its effect on skin. Getting a good night’s sleep and de-stressing yourself from everyday routine can be helpful and also improve your skin. Insufficient sleep causes dark circles around the eyes.

Early morning yoga outdoors will not only reduce your stress level but will also give you your daily dose of Vitamin D. There is a research that shows a strong link between stress and skin ageing. I am sure nobody wants look old, right? Try de-stressing yourself everytime you find it’s taking a toll on your health.

Exercise:

It is the key to healthy skin. We all are aware of the benefits of exercise and cardio respiratory fitness, but little do we know about its effect on skin. Regular exercise helps in regulating blood flow to our body especially skin. Blood not only carries oxygen but also the nutrients to our cells. Thus, exercise keeps your skin healthy by increasing blood flow and keeping nourishing skin cells and healthy and vital.

Nutrition is one the important component to modulate the vibrancy of your skin. As a dietician, I believe we should stop taking our skin for granted and that it’s just a covering over our body. But, think of it beyond creams, make ups and laser treatments. Nourish your skin not through chemicals but through foods found in your very own kitchen

 

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As we observe World Cancer Day under the powerful theme ‘United by Unique’ (2025-2027)**, we are reminded that every individual’s journey with cancer is distinct, yet united by shared resilience, hope, and the collective fight against this disease. This theme places people at the centre of care and their stories at the heart of the […]