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Geriatric Health Maintenance-A Systematic Approach

healthy-living

I recently participated in the 100 km OxfamTrail walk and the one thing that I was overwhelmed about is the number of senior citizens who were participating in this challenge. It’s nice to see senior people fitter than many youngsters. One fine example was that of Milind Soman’s mother who at 76 years old looked fit and completed the 100 km trail walk in 40 hours along with her daughters. That was commendable.

Growing old is great but along with that maintaining your health is equally important. At some point in our life many of us have faced and dealt with an old parent’s illness. And therefore I feel that staying healthy as a senior citizen is very important.

Your mental and physical health plays a crucial role in the latter years of your life. Staying healthy means eating nutritious foods, exercising, and getting regular medical check-ups. Prevention and early detection are the best defense against illness and disease.

As people get older, physiological changes occur in their body as a natural part of aging.Due to aging mostly all organs are affected and some diseases and co morbid conditions become more prominent in the elderly.

Psychological issues can also play a role in physical and mental health of older adults. At senior stage a balanced diet and regular exercise are strongly linked to better health outcomes. Regular medical checkup and important preventive measures at home help to improve the safety and health of seniors.

As health needs change with age, one thing remains the same: healthy living (healthy lifestyle), one of the best way to avoid disease (related to Skin, Bones, joints, and muscles, mobility and balance, body shape, face, teeth and gums, Hair and nail, memory, immunity, hearing, vision and sleep).

 Living a longer, healthier life can be made easier with these simple steps.

Healthy Eating Habits: Always try to have natural foods, avoid the artificial source and opt for fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, fiber-rich foods—bean, spinach, and romaine lettuce, for example—lean cuts of meat, fresh fish, and poultry instead. Processed food usually filled with unhealthy things like high-fructose corn syrup that leads to overconsumption. Secondly, contains lot of artificial Ingredients. Most processed foods are Low in Nutrients.

It requires less energy and time to digest processed foods. Processed foods contain MSG (Monosodium glutamate – to enhance flavor), it also contains lots of sodium and typically all the wrong heart-clogging oils. Therefore it is always good to go with natural food available, if possible go with homemade food.

Activities:Physical activity is vital for developing the strong bones and muscles. This would help in avoiding falls or accidental injuries. Exercise is add on as part of overall healthy lifestyle and to avoid obesity, which is the root cause of other diseases. So if you have not started your activity, please get and include some physical activities into your routine before it gets too late.

Stop Smoking, tobacco:Dump the cigarette/tobacco habit before this dumps you. And stay away from those who do smoke, as second-hand smoking is more dangerous than direct smoking.

Meditation: I personally believe in meditation, as it really help to avoid stress because like obesity – stress is also a main cause of 70% diseases. So Meditation really helps you in terms of Psychological&Physiological. To get more information about Meditation you can also check my blog at:

https://goqii.com/blog/myths-and-health-benefits-of-meditation/

So what are you waiting for get up and change your lifestyle from sedentary to Active and live healthy long life.

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THE BEST WAYS TO TREAT A MINOR SPORTS INJURY

 

sports-injury

In my childhood I have often had minor injuries while playing sometime or the other. And, getting hurt was just natural while playing a sport or otherwise with friends. My mother used to come up with home remedies in some cases where the injury was not too big. Mother’s remedies also helped my injuries to heal and recover quickly.

Now, I am a professional physical trainer and have studied and gained professional knowledge about how to treat minor sport injuries. Treatments for a sports injury depends on how severe the injury is and which part of the body is affected.

If your injury does not require medical treatment /Minor Sports injuries – for example, a mild sprain or strain – you can treat it at home using PRICE therapy.

PRICE stands for protection, rest, ice, compression, and elevation.

Protection – protect the affected area from further injury – for example, by using a support.

Rest: Rest is vital to protect the injured muscle, tendon, ligament or other tissue from further injury. If injured, stop playing and protect the injured part from further damage. Avoid putting weight on the injured part, get help moving to a safe area off the field. Resting the injured part is important to promote effective healing.

Ice – Cold will reduce pain and swelling. Apply an ice or cold pack right away to provide short-term pain relief and also limits swelling by reducing blood flow to the injured area. When icing injuries, never apply ice directly to the skin (unless it is moving as in ice massage) and apply the ice or cold pack for 10 to 20 minutes, 3 or more times a day. After 48 to 72 hours, longer exposure can damage your skin and even result in frostbite.

Compression – Compression refers to the application of pressure to keep the swelling down. Compression helps limit and reduce swelling, which may delay healing. Some people also experience pain relief from compression. An easy way to compress the area of the injury is to wrap an ACE bandage around the swollen part. If you feel throbbing, or if the wrap just feels too tight, remove the bandage and re-wrap the area so the bandage is a little looser.

Elevation – Elevating an injury help control swelling. For example, if you injure an ankle, try lying on your bed with your foot propped on one or two pillows.

After 48 hours of PRICE therapy, stop compression and try moving the injured area. If, after this time, your symptoms are worse, visit your doctor. PRICE therapy can be useful for any sports injury, but some injuries may require additional treatment.

Once the healing process has begun, light massage may reduce the formation of scar tissue, and improve tissue healing.

Gentle stretching can be begun after all swelling has subsided. Try to work the entire range of motion of the injured joint or muscle, but be extremely careful not to force a stretch, or you risk re-injury to the area. Keep in mind that a stretch should never cause pain.

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One-Stop Shop Workout – Swimming

swimming
Swimming is a sport or activity of propelling oneself through water using the limbs. Swimming is an activity that burns lots of calories, is easy on the joints, supports your weight, builds muscular strength and endurance, improves cardiovascular fitness, cools you off and refreshes you in summer, and one that you can do safely into old age.

Some people who enjoy swimming want to take it to a competitive level. This can provide the health benefits of a vigorous workout as well as the fun and thrill of competition. The main strokes used in competitive swimming are breaststroke, freestyle, backstroke and butterfly. The distances swum in competition swimming can vary from 50 meters in a pool to much further distances in open water such as the sea.

Swimming can offer people of all ages a huge range of health benefits. You might just feel and look younger, have stronger muscles, and (according to a long time swimmer) better hair. Although you might not have awesome, shiny and chlorine enriched hair, you can find at least ten other reasons to swim.

Swimming gives your body the workout minus the harsh impacts. Another benefit is the living longer factor. You prolong your life and have higher brain activity with a regular swimming program. Control your weight and have a healthier heart plus lower your risk of diabetes, stop asthma symptoms and have a higher quality of life.

Swimming is a great workout because you need to move your whole body against the resistance of the water. There are plenty of reasons to swim! Swimming is a good all-round activity because it:

  • Keeps your heart rate up but takes some of the impact stress off your body
  • Builds endurance, muscle strength and cardiovascular fitness
  • Helps maintain a healthy weight, healthy heart and lungs
  • Tones muscles and builds strength
  • Provides an all-over body workout, as nearly all of your muscles are used during swimming.

Swimming has many other benefits including:

  • Being a relaxing and peaceful form of exercise
  • Alleviating stress
  • Improving coordination, balance and posture
  • Improving flexibility
  • Providing good low-impact therapy for some injuries and conditions
  • Providing a pleasant way to cool down on a hot day
  • Being available in many places – you can swim in swimming pools, beaches, lakes, dams and rivers. Make sure that the environment you choose to swim in is safe.

Before you dive in, Make sure you know how to swim, choose a safe environment, warm up and stretch your muscles and joints before entering the water and don’t overdo it if you’re just starting out.

There you have it. Swimming is an activity that builds strength, endurance, and tones muscles. It’s an activity that you can do all year long, inside or outside, it burns lots of calories, you can share it with your family, it’s low-impact (just in case your bones are creaky), and you can do it until you’re 100! It’s not too late to start if you never learned how (learning new stuff is cool even when you’re adult!). All in all, swimming is a winner, and if you have the inclination, I suggest that you go for it!

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Neem and its Health Benefits

neem-leaves
Have you ever come across a lady or a man chewing a stick as a method of brushing his or her teeth. Well this is very common in the villages of India. They ain’t chewing any stick they are chewing Neem (Azadirachta indica A. Juss) sticks.

Neem (Azadirachta indica A. Juss) tree commonly seen and available in India everywhere yet, only a few are aware about neem and know that it is an integral part of Ayurveda for the benefits associated with it. The beneficial properties of Neem (Azadirachta indica A. Juss) have been recognized in the Indian tradition for thousands of years. Each part of the Neem tree has some medicinal property. It is an herb that is commonly available, throughout the year and has benefits that only a few natural products can provide.

Neem is known by many different names, Nimm, Arya Veppu, Azad Dirakht, DogonYaro, Neeb, Nimtree, Vepu, Vempu, Vepa, Bevu, Kohomba, Vembu, Tamar, Paraiso, Antelaea azadirachta, Arishta, Arishtha, Azadirachta indica, Bead Tree, Holy Tree, Huile de Neem, Indian Lilac, Indian Neem, Lilas des Indes, Lilas de Perse, Margosa, Margosa Tree, Margousier, Margousier à Feuilles de Frêne, Margousier d’Inde, Melia azadirachta, Neem Oil, Neem Tree, Melia azadirachta, Nim, Nimb, Nimba, Persian Lilac, Pride of China.

In East Africa it is also known as Muarubaini (in Swahili), which means the tree of the 40, as it is said to treat 40 different diseases.

Neem has anti- bacterial; anti- parasitic, anti- fungal, anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties that not only benefits your health but can help you get rid of common beauty problems that you face in your daily life. All parts of neem are used for preparing many different medicines, especially for skin disease.

Neem leaf is used for leprosy, eye disorders, bloody nose, intestinal worms, stomach upset, loss of appetite, skin ulcers, diseases of the heart and blood vessels (cardiovascular disease), fever, diabetes, gum disease (gingivitis), and liver problems.

The leaf is also used for birth control and to cause abortions. Various parts of the Neem tree have been used as traditional Ayurvedic medicine in India. Neem oil and the bark and leaf extracts have been therapeutically used as folk medicine to control leprosy, intestinal helminthiasis, respiratory disorders, constipation and also as a general health promoter.

Neem which is rich in Vitamin C also helps in getting rid of skin problems like blackheads, pigmentation, dullness and ageing thus leaving the skin with a youthful glow.

Some Ayurvedic use of Neem:

Leaf: Leprosy, eye problem, epistaxis, intestinal worms, anorexia, biliousness, skin ulcers,

Bark: Analgesic, alternative and curative of fever.

Flower: Bile suppression, elimination of intestinal worms and phlegm.

Fruit: Piles, intestinal worms, urinary disorder, epistaxis, phlegm, eye problem, diabetes, wounds and leprosy.

Twig: Cough, asthma, piles, phantom tumour, intestinal worms, spematorrhoea, obstinate urinary disorder, diabetes.

Gum: Scabies, wounds, ulcers, skin diseases.

Seed: Leprosy and intestinal worms.

Oil: Leprosy and intestinal worms.

To throw more light on the importance of having Neem can be seen through this that on the auspicious occasion of Gudi Padwa which is mainly celebrated in Maharashtra as a new year, after the Gudi is worshipped the offering or prasad as they call it in local parlance is made of Neem leaf paste, tamarind, Ajwain, pulses and jaggery is distributed. The Neem leaf paste is said to purify the blood and build immunity against diseases.

A traditional Indian plant medicine has now led to several therapeutically useful preparations and compounds, due to which the scientists are exploring more information about this medicinal plant. After have read all the above information it’s now time to make good use of centuries-old knowledge on Neem through modern approaches of drug development.

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