GOQii

Blog

By 3 Comments

Best Home Remedies for Ailments

natural-home-made-remedies

In my career as a nutritionist, I have come across three main issues that most people suffer from and these are Diabetes, Hypothyroid, and Acidity.

The reason for these issues to develop is only one—Unhealthy Lifestyle. But, unfortunately, while most are aware of this close to 90% are unable to make lifestyle changes and thus end up getting medicines as recommended by their doctors.

Popping pills seem easier than to bring about a lifestyle change and arrest the issue at the initial stages. Things get difficult when the results are not as expected and are slow. This is precisely when one starts searching for some natural remedies from natural foods.

I am listing down certain good home remedies which actually use natural food and cure your issues, help you get fit with proper healthy lifestyle.

Best home remedies for treating diabetes

  1. Mix 1/2tsp Turmeric + 1tsp Aamla (Gooseberry) powder+1/2tbsp Methi (Fenugreek) seeds powder in a half glass of water and take daily morning on empty stomach. (good for retinopathy)
  2. 1tbsp Methi (Fenugreek) seeds soaked overnight in ½ cup water and chew it next day in the morning empty stomach.
  3. Dry seed powder of Jamun (Balck Berry) fruits have to be used -1tsp twice or thrice daily with lukewarm water
  4. Take 40-80ml of decoction of banyan tree bark. Boil 20gm of bark in 4 cups of water, reduce till 1 cup and then drink daily.
  5. Using Tejpatta (Bay Leaf) in food helps to bring sugar levels under control.
  6. Juice of Karela (Bitter gourd) -20ml daily should be taken in morning. Bittergourd help diabetics with insulin secretion, glucose oxidation and other processes.
  7. Soak Ladyfingers (Okra) in water overnight and then drink that water on an empty stomach to control diabetes.
  8. Paneer Ka Phool” is also known as Rennet, is a kind of Indian flower very effective to control diabetes. You have to put 8-10 pieces of flower in a glass of water and soak it the whole night. In the morning squeeze the flower & filter it & and then have it. Its taste is not so good but effective. Regular use will give you the best results. First, try only 5 flowers, then gradually increase to 8-12.

Home remedies for thyroid

  1. Use cold pressed coconut oil as it contains medium chain TG, which improves thyroid function.
  2. Take 2 tbsp of Apple Cider vinegar, mix little honey and drink this solution daily.
  3. Omega 3 rich compounds like fish oil, fish oil supplements, flaxseeds, chia seeds reduce thyroid.
  4. Licorice Herb: The use of Licorice herb helps to promote balance within the thyroid gland and also promote more energy levels in the body –keeping fatigue at bay. It contains triterpenoid glycyrrhetinic acid which may aid in stopping the growth of more invasive thyroid cancer cells.
  5. Evening Primrose oil: This herb is full of Amino acids and these acids are critical for optimal thyroid health. They aid in improving thyroid function and alleviate the symptoms of an underactive thyroid, such as heavy menstrual periods and hair loss. Just a tablespoon a day is the general recommendation to decrease inflammation and promote thyroid health.
  6. Ginseng: This herb helps to improve underactive thyroid and it can also address the fatigue that is associated with it. It is best to take one dose prior to lunch and another prior to breakfast–about 100-200mg each time.
  7. Black walnut: This contains a high dose of iodine which is helpful for an underactive thyroid. You can have one –two of this nut.

Home remedies for acidity

  1. Mix one tsp of baking soda in a glass of fresh water and drink.
  2. After a meal pops up a piece of chewing gum for 30 min to relieve heartburn.
  • Natural antacid—full ripen banana acts as a buffer against acid reflux
  1. Sipping a cup of ginger water lukewarm, soothes your tummy and acts as an acid buffer.
  2. Being alkaline in nature, chewing 1 tsp of good quality yellow mustard helps to relieve acidity.
  3. Chamomile tea flavoured with honey or lemon is a very good remedy.
  • 1tbsp of Apple cider vinegar with a glass of water acts as a great antacid.

NOTE: These all remedies can be used with your current medications.

Let’s bring our natural food remedy into practice and keep levels under control along with practising a healthy lifestyle.

By 5 Comments

Tennis Elbow: Symptoms, management and its prevention

How often have you heard or read in news about a sportsman suffering a tennis elbow or your friend saying I am suffering a tennis elbow? Many a time I am sure. But, are you aware of what is ‘Tennis Elbow’ and how can you prevent it. 

The elbow is known as the “funny bone” but if you suffer from tennis or golfer’s elbow, the pain you undergo when you hit the elbow is unbearable.

Tennis elbow can be caused by sudden injury of the muscle and tendon area around the outside of the elbow where the muscles and tendons of the forearm attach to the outside bony area- the lateral epicondyle of the elbow. Another common term, “golfer’s elbow,” refers to the same process occurring on the inside of the elbow called as medial epicondyle. It does not happen with the sportspersons only, it’s just the term which is referred to the sport as it can be a significant problem for some tennis players.

What Are the Symptoms of Tennis Elbow?

  • Pain around the outside of the elbow.
  • Pain is worse by moving the wrist with force. Examples include lifting, using tools, opening jars, or even handling simple utensils such as rolling pin, using a toothbrush or knife and fork.

How do you manage a Tennis Elbow?

Tennis elbow is treated primarily by physiotherapy which includes some exercises of forearm and wrist along with their strengthening progressively, bracing for resting the muscles, topical anti-inflammatory gels, topical steroid gels, and steroid injections. Surgery is needed in rare cases.

Immediate line of treatment to reduce the pain and inflammation of tennis elbow should be:

  • Rest
  • Avoid any activity that causes pain.
  • Apply ice to the affected area. Holding a cold compress, such as a bag of frozen peas wrapped in a towel, against your elbow for a few minutes several times a day can help ease the pain.
  • Massaging and manipulating the affected area may help relieve the pain and stiffness, and improve the range of movement.

Exercises:

It is important to maintain the fitness levels with performing some light exercises like:

  • Aerobic exercises like walking, running or jogging that are good for overall fitness
  • Gentle stretching exercises can help in rehabilitating the elbow and some of the good exercises for tennis elbow include gentle wrist extensions, flexes and rotations, wrist curls and extensions with the help of light dumbles.
  • Isometric exercises such as squeezing a ball, are also a good cure for tennis elbow.

Tennis Elbow prevention through nutrition

Apart from the above-mentioned treatment options, it is also important to support the connective tissues’ health with nutrient-rich, anti-inflammatory food:

  • Have plenty of colourful fruits and vegetables daily in your diet.
  • Consumption of Pineapples is beneficial as they are rich in vitamin C that helps in building collagen. They are also rich in bromelain, which contains powerful anti-inflammatory properties that can reduce pain and swelling caused by tennis elbow.
  • Having good quality protein which contains a high biological value like eggs, lean meat which serves as the “building blocks” for tissue repair.
  • Having supplements with vitamin C, vitamin A, zinc and copper.
  • Having anti-inflammatory foods and supplements such as barley, ginger, curcumin, omega 3 rich foods like fish such as mackerel and salmon, walnuts, flaxseeds etc.
  • Limit the intake of processed and canned foods and sugar.

Precautions to be taken

To help lessen the stress and abuse on tennis elbow:

  • Use the proper equipment and technique in sports.
  • Use of a counter-force brace, an elastic band that wraps around the forearm just below the injured elbow (tendon) may help to relieve pain in some people.
  • Avoid tight gripping and overuse of the wrist.

 

By Leave a Comment

Max Bupa launches ‘GoActive’ : A digitally enabled ‘Everyday Use’ Health Insurance Plan  

 

Sania Mirza, the 1st Max Bupa GoActive customer in India Max 

WhatsApp Image 2018-02-13 at 17.14.47 (2)

  • A truly cashless OPD product– built into base premium plan where customers don’t self-finance the OPD coverage
  • Incentivizes young Indians to get medical cover by offering lifetime discount of 10%
  • Introduces ‘Personalized’ Health Coaching for customers and up to 20% premium discount on achieving their health score
  • A ‘future safe’ product with ‘uncapped’ 10% increase in sum insured every year to offer inflation-protection
  • Comes with Max Bupa’s established network of cashless hospitals and 30-minute cashless authorization

In a first of its kind, Max Bupa, a health insurer has combined the strength of several premier health tech brands- GOQii, Practo and 1mg to come up with a holistic health insurance offering –‘Max Bupa GoActive’ health insurance to fulfil customers’ daily health needs.

GoActive is a digitally enabled ‘Everyday Use’ health insurance plan has been designed to give customers 360-degree coverage including inpatient hospitalization and on-the-go access to OPD, diagnostics, personalized health coaching, 2nd medical opinion, behavioural counselling and much more.

Max Bupa GoActive Health Insurance Plan offers savings to customers from day 1 including a complimentary complete body check-up up to INR 2500 and cashless OPD. The plan also offers services such as renewal discount of up to 20% on achieving the pre-defined health targets. Additionally, it introduces AdvantAGE- a 10% discount on the base premium at the time of buying and on all future renewals if the age of the eldest enrolled person is below 35.

Ashish Mehrotra, MD & CEO, Max Bupa said, “With 1 in 4 Indians being plagued by lifestyle diseases, health insurance is not an option anymore. Over 60% of healthcare expenses are still out of pocket and self-funded by customers. Our aim with the GoActive Health Insurance Plan is to bridge this gap and bring more and more people into the ambit of health insurance.”

“We are very excited with the opportunity of combining digital health and insurance on the same platform and creating a consumer-centric offering. The GOQii partnership with Max Bupa is unique as it guides, empowers and motivates consumers to adopt a healthy lifestyle with the help of a Health Coach. This healthy behaviour leads to benefits in their insurance plan which is a game changer.” said Vishal Gondal, Founder and CEO, GOQii. “

“We have all heard multiple instances of lifestyle diseases plaguing not just the old, but also the young and fit. So being financially fit by investing in the right health insurance plan is as important as being physically fit for every Indian. I think Max Bupa GoActive is THE health insurance product that India needs today as it is aimed to keep people healthy and out of the hospital, while still being there in case of contingencies,” said Sania Mirza. “It can take care of my everyday health needs on the go and gives me a coach to track my health even when I forget. It also rewards starting young in multiple ways through its AdvantAGE feature, which gives India a big reason to start early and make health insurance their first investment,” she adds.

 

 

By 1 Comment

Hidden dangers of sugary drinks

640x392_1532_223293

Sugar… as sweet as this word sounds one needs that much more careful. Behind all that shine there is a deep dark secret.

Sugar is an empty calorie. Empty calories are foods that provide high amounts of energy with very little or zero nutritional value.            Sugar that does not get broken down by the body will be converted to fat. Sugar makes you very hungry and gives rise to what is known as ‘hunger craving’. In this case, you may not be physically hungry, but your body demands more food or more sugar to bring your blood sugar levels back into balance.

Sodium benzoate, which is derived from benzoic acid, has been used for years by the carbonated drinks industry to prevent moulds from developing in soft drinks. The ingredient has been a subject of concern for cancer because when mixed with Vitamin C, it turns into a carcinogenic substance called benzene. An international news report once said that the Cola drinks lead to the formation of stones in the kidney which can gradually damage the kidneys. The acid and radical mineral imbalances in dark-coloured sodas affect the kidneys. The phosphoric acid in the drinks’ absorbs calcium from bones and is eliminated through the passage of urine. This slowly forms stones in the kidney. 

The phosphorus acid content takes away calcium from the bones thus leading to bone loss. Well, this is not enough!! There is more to learn about SUGAR.

It makes your body acidic which is a house for the pathogens to breed in.

  • Phosphoric acid present in drinks damages the enamel of the tooth and drains calcium from bones.
  • It has aspartate, an artificial sweetener which makes us feel hungry and craves for food, which leads to weight gain.
  • It gives empty calories and no nutrients.
  • Contains lead acetate damages kidney and nerves.
  • Soft drinks contain sugar which means less oxygen to your cells.
  • Increases risks of heart diseases
  • Risk of diabetes as it can cause insulin resistance.

Sugary drinks do not make you feel full and are strongly linked to weight gain. Large amounts of sugar are turned into fat in the liver. Sugar also increases belly fat as it contains no essential nutrients… Sugary drinks are highly addictive because of its delicious yet devilish taste.

It leads to high risk of cancer, damage dental health and increased risk of gout.

The next time you take a can in your hand to consume it, try and think what its taste and bubbles can do to your body.

 

 

From Terminal Illness To Complete Wellness! Ananda Mukherjee Health Story

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 […]