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GOQii Doctor Consultations: All You Need to Know!

GOQii DoctorWouldn’t it be great to have a doctor assess your health or medical conditions online? Imagine having an online consultation with a doctor who is familiar with your issues, knows your medical history and is proficient enough to tackle the issues with simple lifestyle changes. You don’t have to look far! All you need to do is download the GOQii app and subscribe to get your own GOQii Doctor!

How Does It Work?

With the GOQii Doctor, users can have an online consultation. Before you begin with the consultation, an appointment is scheduled. GOQii Doctors acquaint themselves with the patient’s history, medical conditions and current lifestyle. Patients can also share their blood reports.

With this info, the consult with patients becomes thorough, which further promotes follow-ups and new appointments. After detailed research, if the issue is in the patient’s lifestyle, the GOQii Doctor can suggest lifestyle changes that will help. A GOQii Doctor will not prescribe medicines online.

What Can the GOQii Doctor Help With?

A GOQii Doctor can help you with a myriad of disorders. The issues handled by a GOQii Doctor fall in the following categories:

  • General Medicine: fever, cough, cold, weakness, fatigue, headache, anaemia, etc.
  • Lifestyle Medicine: weight management, stamina and immunity building, sleep issues, etc.
  • Endocrinology: Diabetes, thyroid, PCOD, Vitamin D deficiency, Osteoporosis, etc.
  • Orthopaedics: Joint pains, knee/back pain, exercise-induced injuries, spondylitis, etc.
  • Mental Health: Depression, anxiety, anger management, OCD, etc.
  • Cardiovascular: Heart care, high cholesterol, hypertension, etc.
  • Gastroenterology: Gut care, acidity, constipation, irritable bowel syndrome, GERD, etc.
  • Dermatology: Skincare, acne, hair fall, rashes, psoriasis, eczema, etc.
  • Gynaecology: Women’s health, pregnancy, fibroids, menses, menopause, etc.
  • Ophthalmology: Eye health, blurring of vision, retinopathy, etc.
  • Other cases like piles, kidney stones, prostatomegaly, oral care, etc.

According to the IndiaFit Report, there has been an increase in the number of consultations for sexual health. As consults happen over a call, it is much easier for people to clarify their doubts on an issue considered a taboo otherwise.

Chronic disorders such as diabetes, high cholesterol, thyroid and gut issues like acidity, constipation are the most sought after in the list of appointments. Poor and unhealthy lifestyle is the reason for these disorders and closely inspecting and making small alterations in the patient’s routine helps in providing long term benefits.

Do you agree that online consultation is the need of the hour? Want to know what else a GOQii Doctor can do for you? Drop us a message in the comments below!

#BeTheForce

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Know the health benefits of BUCKWHEAT- A Wonder grain

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All of us in India are familiar with the word ‘Kuttu Ka Atta’, the most preferable cereal during fasts. This is nothing but ‘Buckwheat Flour’. Since childhood, I have enjoyed various tasty dishes made out of Buckwheat Flour but only during fasts. I always wondered why this particular grain is eaten only during fast and not round the year? But, it was only after I took Nutrition as a subject of specialisation that I got my answers.

Buckwheat Flour is very rich in protein and during fasts, except milk or its products, no other protein-rich food is allowed to eat. Only foods rich in carbohydrates and fats are the delicacies to be enjoyed during the time of fast. So to balance the meals with a good blend of Carbohydrate, Protein and Fats and to fulfill the day’s protein requirement, Buckwheat Flour is eaten on fast days.

I sometimes wonder how intelligent our ancestors were who invented all these combinations to be eaten which is being followed by a tradition even today without knowing the reason. MAYBE THEY KNEW!! It is only after so much of scientific research on nutrition since the last two decades that we have got to know the facts of this wonder grain.

This wonderful cereal is packed with various nutrients providing amazing health benefits

  • As mentioned above, it is very rich in protein as compared to other cereals with a biological value of above 90. This nominates it under ‘first class protein’ category and also due to its essential amino acid profile.
  • It is rich in iron, a nutrient whose deficiency among women is maximum in the world. Other than iron, it also contains good quantities of Magnesium, Manganese, Zinc and Selenium which are needed for building immunity, strong bones, improving blood flow and maintaining the good texture of hair and skin.
  • It contains appreciable amounts of B complex Vitamins like Niacin which is needed for the breakdown of Carbohydrates and Fats.
  • It is loaded with dietary fibre which has a role in improving cholesterol and blood glucose levels.
  • It contains health benefiting antioxidants too like polyphenols which gives protection from Heart Diseases, Diabetes, various types of Cancer and also delays ageing.

But the irony is, the consumption of this amazing cereal is only restricted during fasts. In spite of containing so many health-promoting nutrients, it has not been able to attain the status of a staple food in our country.

A country like India where Diabetes and Obesity have become epidemic and more and more population is getting diagnosed with ‘Metabolic Syndrome’, a condition characterized by a cluster of health conditions such as central obesity, insulin resistance, high blood pressure, high triglyceride levels and low HDL levels. Apart from a sedentary lifestyle and excessive intake of junk food as the main reasons, I think the major culprit is our excessive intake of cereals especially rice which has very high carbohydrate content and less protein content. The habit of eating polished rice further adds to the havoc as polishing takes away all the vitamins and minerals present in rice.

So what, if we replace our rice intake with buckwheat, ‘The Wonderful Grain?’

Buckwheat is beneficial in various health conditions like diabetes, celiac disease, heart disease, anaemia and the list goes on. Buckwheat helps in managing blood glucose levels as it is rich in protein which promotes the synthesis of more insulin in the body. It is a boon for people suffering from celiac disease i.e. gluten intolerance since it does not contain gluten. It is beneficial for heart patients also because of its high antioxidant content. People suffering from anaemia can also be benefited from this cereal due to its high iron content. Buckwheat flour is widely available everywhere and is mostly consumed either as grains or flour.

Hence, after knowing amazing health benefits of buckwheat flour, I am sure you would like to add this cereal to your daily diet and will not only use it during fasts. Generally, everybody thinks that ‘HEALTHY FOOD DOES NOT taste GOOD’. But, I am sure this wonderful cereal would prove this statement wrong with its finger-licking taste.

For tasty recipes made of buckwheat flour, wait for my next blog! Till then HAPPY EATING!!

#BeTheForce

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Power of Your Immunity – Part 1

Power of Your Immunity

Over the years my work has led me to believe that we need a fundamentally different way of looking at health care. We need a system that works beyond simply just looking at the symptoms that brings people into the clinics and instead is actually able to look and improve health where it begins. Health does not begin in the 4 walls of a doctors’ office or a hospital, but where we live, we work, we eat, sleep, learn and play.

Are you struggling with disease, pain, taking more medicines and spending more time with the doctors? Are you still sick?

Are you scared of the onset of disease, of flu’s, of cancers ?

We may be living in a polluted world, with pesticide laden foods, water that we think is clean and pure, but may not be, breathing in oxygen that consists or several deadly carcinogens, using cosmetics and hair colours laden with chemicals, microwaves, eating toxic junk food… the list goes on..

And we keep running around, like headless chickens, searching for the next best healthiest option, getting sucked into fads, diet programs, dangerous exercise programs, believing in the media, in what our social circles say, in what Bollywood and Hollywood blinds us with.

Eminent Doctors/Nutritionists across the U.S have T.V. shows that inspire the masses with their latest take on weight loss pills that work… first there was green bean coffee extract, then there was raspberry ketones, then Garcinai Cambogia. If these worked, there would be no one struggling with weight issues.

Stop all of this, step back and really slow down.

Yes it’s a crazy world, and people are going to get sicker by the day, and there are going to be more Antibiotics, Cancer, Diabetes, Thyroid drugs that pharmas will continue to flood our communities with. But, guess what, it’s all of this that is not allowing us to get healthier.

Your body is designed to heal itself, if you give it a chance. I’m not saying stop medication. If it works, do it. But, aim to understand what got you on that medication, what’s the trigger and then sort that out so you don’t have to stay on medicines. Don’t get reliant on the medication and continue to live without making changes in your lifestyle.

The answer to disease prevention and cure is ‘IMMUNITY’. It is your body’s first and last line of defense against all diseases .

We all know that Nutrition, Exercise, Stress and Sleep are the aspects that work together to contribute towards a strong immunity.

Over and above this my first recommendation would be for everyone to understand their ‘lymphatic system, and how it works in each of our body’s.

Having a lymphatic system that works well, is the first step towards a super strong immune system.

The lymphatic system is closely related to the cardiovascular system and is sometimes referred to as the body’s secondary circulatory system. Its major function is that of a defense mechanism and it is a key to the body’s immune defenses. The lymphatic system includes the lymph vessels (four times more than blood vessels), lymph nodes, tonsils, spleen and thymus gland. Lymph is the colorless fluid containing white blood cells that bathes the tissues and drains through the lymphatic system.

The lymphatic system:

– Distributes fluid and nutrients throughout the body

– Assists in draining off excess fluids and protein left behind by capillary circulation activity, preventing tissues from swelling

– Removes toxins

Furthermore, when toxins are produced within the body faster than the body can process and release them, the body suspends those toxins in fat and interstitial spaces in an attempt to protect the organs. This toxic buildup results in soft and connective tissue inflammation and excessive buildup of lymph fluid which contributes to fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, cancer and a multitude of immune system disorders.

To be continued ….

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Celebrate Occasions with Health: Tips for Eating Well at Parties, Festivals, and Weddings

always eat healthy

We Asians relate food to almost every occasion. Be it any occasion- happy times or sad, food plays an important role in our lives.

Birthdays remind us of cakes, weddings of a large buffet spread of delicious food and desserts and festivals of all the goodies. India is such a vast country with so many cultures and religions that we celebrate one festival almost every other week. Secondly, we Indians are highly social people and we have loads of relatives who visit us or we visit them, we also have a lot of business meetings taking place over food.

Given this background how does one stay fit? People are constantly making excuses to not exercise or eat healthy. The list is never ending and neither are the excuses to not stay fit.

Why do we make such excuses? The biggest reason being the perception that most have about dieting. Diet to most Indians means eating just salads, fruits and tasteless food and that they are forbidden from eating their favourite foods or desserts. But, little do we realise that dieting is not all about salads or fruits, instead, it is all about achieving the right balance of all the nutrients required in your diet. You can also have that occasional junk but, we need to maintain a right balance between junk and wholesome food.

An average Indian also lacks basic knowledge of foods and is easily fooled by the junk market and not to forget some less aware doctors, dieticians, newspaper articles add more to the confusion. In such a scenario what does one do?

If you ask me I would say anything in excess is bad. You eat too much of salads and raw foods you will end up with a bloated stomach. Therefore the best way to lead a healthy life is to maintain a good balance of the healthy and the not so healthy.

Not all our traditional food is bad. In fact, we have such a unique cooking culture that every region has different cooking styles and this is something that is influenced by the climate, soil fertility and the crops grown and yes, that is what is healthy!

The olive oil that travels from Italy or middle-east is not the trend we should follow, we should stick to our local grown peanut oil (Gujarat/Maharashtra), Sesame (Til) oil (Punjab), Coconut oil (south). So why are we fat and not fit compared to our grandparents and ancestors, despite having so much access to all the information about health and nutrition?

We eat the non-traditional foods such as burgers, pizzas, pasta etc too often and our grandparents traditionally stayed in joint families and worked in farms all day, the food was limited and physical exercise in the form of working on the farm was very high. We have now come down to nuclear families and abundance of food. To cut it short, we need to eat local wherever on the globe we are, because local food is customised to suit local people for better health.

Some tips to eat healthy when eating on many above illustrated occasions:

  • Eat the traditionally fried, baked or sweet foods but in controlled portions
  • Drink more water, at least 3 litres every day, if you stay outside in the sun a lot then you definitely need more water intake.
  • Make the traditional delicacies at home so you know there is no adulteration in the ingredients.
  • On festive occasions like Holi, Eid, Lori relish the milk based sweet drinks (Thandai and Shirkurma, Lassi) all of which contain really healthy spices and nuts.
  • Do not force anybody to eat more, change the trend by avoiding fried food and offering healthy sweets. Also, if someone says they are on a diet, help them follow it and don’t push food down their throat.
  • If possible take tasters of food and appreciate healthy food. However, never mention you are on a diet, trust me you will be the biggest target at the party to eat.
  • If the food is heavy, avoid the dessert. But, if you have a major sweet tooth, eat a smaller main course to accommodate the sweet.
  • Limit alcoholic drinks to 1-2. Banning soda is the best thing you can do for your body.

Embrace the joy of celebrations without compromising on your health. Follow these tips to enjoy traditional foods in moderation and maintain a balanced diet during parties, festivals, and weddings. Share your own healthy eating tips in the comments below! For personalised guidance on nutrition and wellness, connect with our experts through GOQii’s Personalised Health Coaching here. Start making healthier choices today!

#BeTheForce

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 […]