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  MEN`S HEALTH MORE
9 ways to become a better dad
Balderdash myths on male balding
Weight gain and prostate cancerOne of the hormone therapies involves increasing the production of LH-RH. Luteinizing Hormone-Releasing Hormone (LH-RH) is a hormone which is produced by your body. This lessens the production of testosterone. The drug given induces the generation of this hormone. One of the side effects of this therapy is weight gain. Along with this, breast pain, hot flashes, nausea, and growth of male breast tissue might occur. Apart from hormone therapy side effects, the presence of fatigue can also stop a patient from regularly exercising, thus, resulting in gaining weight. However, it is important that this weight gain is averted as the chance of cancer returning is a possibility. You can keep your weight in check by following these tips: Ask your doctor if your hormone therapy can lead to weight gain. If you receive an affirmative answer, then ask for a diet chart to be followed. You can also keep a food and activity journal to get an idea of how your body is reacting to the treatment. Inculcate physical activity in your schedule. This will not only help to reduce fatigue, but also keep at bay the chances of becoming constipated or feeling nauseous. Medical studies have shown that cancer patients must have at least 2-1/2 hours of moderate physical exercise per week. Have about 2.5 cups of fruits and vegetables every day. Also, shift to whole grain food items. You should also consume at least a cup of legumes, for example, beans, to keep up your protein levels. It is best to opt for lean protein snacks like yogurt and chicken. You must stay adequately hydrated during your treatment. Drink about 10 to 12 glasses of water everyday. Do not consume excessive amount of sweetened beverages like coffee and cola. Have a small portion of nut and nut seeds. If you feel distressed due to the therapy, go for a massage. These have been proved to reduce anxiety and stress caused during the treatment of cancer. Most importantly, keep up with your appointments with the doctor and convey the bodily changes that you may notice. Have an optimistic outlook towards the treatment and do not repress any emotional disturbance. Weight gain in men who had been previously healthy often leads to depression regarding weight issues. Being proactive and focusing on keeping your weight under check is the key here. You could also approach a psychologist if you have been feeling low. The LH-RH therapy is also known as Androgen Deprivation Therapy (ADT). This therapy leads to a weight gain of around 9 pounds within a year of starting treatment. You can make sure that your weight is controlled by altering your lifestyle and getting adequate physical exercise everyday.
What causes male balding?They say there are 3 types of men: the ones that go bald at the top are thinkers, the ones who go bald at the back are lovers, and the ones who grow bald at both places... only think they are lovers. If pregnancy and menstruation are a female's burden, then baldness is a great inconvenience to men. Some men lose their hair in their youth and thus lose their confidence along with their hair. So what is with baldness and men? Men start having a receding hairline by the time they hit 30, though it could begin in their 20s as well. The most common type of baldness is the mid-frontal type resembling a horseshoe. Earlier it was thought that baldness is caused only by genetic factors, but apparently emotions, lifestyle and diseases also contribute largely to hair loss and baldness. This hair loss can be temporary or permanent. Some medications like anticoagulants, antidepressants, antifungal medicines, chemotherapy etc can cause baldness. Certain diseases like thyroid disease, Crohn's disease, lupus can cause hair loss and baldness. Poor nutrition is an important factor in hair loss. Vitamin and mineral deficiencies along with poor nutrition can pave the path sooner than most other things. Then there are some conditions like Alopecia Areata which cause baldness in patches -- on the head or beard. It is temporary and the hair grow back in about 6 months to 1 year. Corticosteroid injections are used to treat the condition. Air and water pollutants, environmental toxins, conventional styling products have the potential to build up on the scalp. These affect hair cuticle, cause dryness, and weaken the hair causing them to easily break off before their natural lifecycle has ended. If you notice your hairline receding more than usual, then check if you are getting enough nutrition. Exercises like the headstand and handstand send the blood rushing to the scalp and can help with hair growth. Massaging the head with warm oil helps to increase blood circulation as well. Use a shampoo that suits your hair along with a conditioner. Oil your hair overnight at least thrice a week. Keep yourself well hydrated and try vitamin C which can help arrest hair fall. Use a clean comb and ensure that you sun your scalp, as vitamin D is an essential tonic for skin, bones, teeth and even hair.    
  WOMEN`S HEALTH MORE
5 health hazards in women
Excellent exercise options during pregnancy
Dilemma of a working woman - How to stay healthy!Women want to be healthy and beautiful. But most of us are not able to find the time to exercise or plan our meals. We pay more attention and money on therapies to look good externally. But good looks come from good health, and good health is an outcome of a healthy lifestyle. Healthy lifestyle helps in preventing illnesses and makes us more efficient. Improper and irregular diet, lack of physical activity, and stress are the chief causes of poor physical and mental health. Most working women today are occupied with their desk jobs, and as a result have a sedentary lifestyle. Eating junk food most of the times makes the matter worse. So if you want to stay healthy, here are some changes you can make. Add movement to life. Activities like walking, gardening, swimming or aerobics help build endurance and relieve stress. Choose something which you think you can consistently - Yoga, aerobics, cycling or even dancing. Balanced diet plays a pivotal role in fitness. Fruits, vegetables, and whole grains are a must in your diet. Antioxidants in fruits have an anti-ageing effect. Choose to eat in order to satisfy hunger and build healthy body, and not to feed your emotions. Avoid junk and processed food. They are empty calories. Drink water. Dehydration affects metabolism. Drink 8-10 glasses a day to flush out the toxins. Add liquids like milk, fruit juices to your diet. Positive thoughts help build a healthy mind and a healthy mind ensures healthy body. Do not smoke cigarettes or drink alcohol to deal with stress. Try yoga, meditation, listen to music, or take a nice shower to relax. Rest and relaxation helps to cope with daily stress. Making these lifestyle changes as a regimen will surely help working women to live a life of health, wellness and fitness.  
Pregnancy and HIVMothers with higher level of viral load have been found to deliver infected babies. However, no amount of viral load can be safe as infections can occur any time during pregnancy. A high level of precaution is necessary during this phase. Mostly infection occurs during delivery but that's not the only way through which it can spread. HIV-infected mothers should not breast-feed, as virus can transmit through breast milk too. Antiretroviral medications are used to reduce chances of transmission of HIV. Keeping delivery time shorter can reduce the risk of transmission. Most of the times babies born to positive mothers are positive for HIV. Babies infected with HIV will have antibodies made in their system and will continue to test positive. But if babies aren't infected, the mother's antibodies in baby's blood will eventually disappear and babies will test negative after about one to one and half year. HIV positive women should consider possible problems with antiretroviral medications for HIV before getting pregnant. Talk to the doctor about choice, indications, and contraindications of these drugs. There's a risk of missing doses due to nausea and vomiting during early pregnancy, hence giving HIV a chance to develop resistance. Some doctors prefer the practice of stopping or modifying medications during pregnancy to lower the risk of birth defects. Short course of treatments can help eliminate or reduce risk of transmitting HIV to a newborn; but, short treatments increase the risk of resistance to the drugs used too. There is a risk of birth defects due to antiretroviral drugs during the first 3 months of pregnancy. Pregnancy does not worsen mother's HIV disease, but any HIV positive woman planning to get pregnant should discuss treatment options thoroughly and all the pros and cons with her doctor.   
  KIDS CARE MORE
Tips to prevent thumb sucking
Help your teenage boy make a smooth change
High blood pressure in the little onesIf you are asked to paint a picture of a patient of hypertension, how would it look? Leave the details aside, would you paint an old person, a young person or a child? Most likely, you will paint an old person or may be a middle-aged person. But a child, who would think of a child to have high blood pressure! It may be difficult to believe for most but not only is it possible, its incidence is also increasing gradually. In fact, hypertension in kids is becoming quite common. Studies in USA show that up to 5% children and adolescents have hypertension. What is it? High blood pressure in children and adolescents is also called as pediatric hypertension. Pediatric hypertension is defined by the blood pressure recorded on the mercury, in comparison to the given standard range. As a child grows, there is rapid development in all the milestones. For children, there are percentiles defined for all parameters for various age groups. In children, when the blood pressure is above the 90th percentile but below the 95th, it is called prehypertension. When it is above 95th percentile, it is diagnosed as hypertension. There are no distinguishing symptoms of pediatric hypertension, so it may easily be missed. Please make it a practice to get your child's blood pressure checked on routine visits for medical examination. Why does it happen? High blood pressure in children under ten years of age is usually secondary to some other health condition. It could be due to an underlying heart disease, kidney disease, hormonal disorders or genetic abnormalities. This demands treatment of the main problem. Primary hypertension is noted in older children, over 6-10 years of age and adolescents. There is no specific cause identified for this, other than lifestyle, obesity, rich foods and family history. How bad could it get? Children may show a disordered sleep pattern when they have hypertension. They may suffer from sleep apnea, reflected by snoring or abnormal breathing. Besides sleep, the other effects of hypertension are the known ones. In the long run, it could lead to heart disease, stroke or kidney disease. What to do? It is very important to control the blood pressure from a young age. Regular check-ups and monitoring of the BP is needed. Thorough examination is a must to identify whether the hypertension is primary or secondary. Treatment by medicines is recommended in secondary hypertension, where the underlying condition is to be tackled along with the management of blood pressure. In cases of primary hypertension, medication is suggested only in extreme cases. Otherwise, lifestyle management is the key. It is not a healthy option to start anti-hypertensives this early in life. Give your child healthy food, help him/her maintain the ideal body weight and make sure he/she gets enough exercise physically. The sooner we identify the problem, the better are the results with a disciplined lifestyle. The unhealthy lifestyle is creating chaos in all our lives. How long the kids would have escaped? Our lifestyle reflects on our kids. Follow a healthy routine and keep the family healthy!
Activities to help your toddler talkWe understand how eager parents are to talk to their kid. They want to hear their soft voice and babble talks. So start teaching them as soon as possible to help them to speak fast and clear. Here are some activities which will help you to teach your kid to talk. The playful ways: The best way of teaching your kid to speak is to, well,play. Most of the learning is done through playing. Be a child with your child. Act playfully foolish --kids enjoy that a lot. And when the kid is happy and in playful mood, they try to talk. Building vocabulary: Use a word in more than one sentence to make them understand the meaning of the word. For example, 'The color of leaves is green' and 'Your father is wearing a green colored shirt.' If the kids hear a word used often in different sentences, it becomes a permanent part of their vocabulary. Give them practical examples: Teach them the names of the things they see around. Or get actual objects and be descriptive to teach them the name of the object and talk about the object's features. Use a toy phone: You must have seen kids trying to talk over phone to their dads or friends. They try to copy you the way you talk over phone. It can be a great way to teach them to speak. Pretend that you are talking to the kid's dad or grandparents, and pass over the phone to the kid and encourage them to chitchat over the phone. Story telling: Kids listen to the stories very carefully. Show them the pictures in the storybook and describe them with the story. Then repeat the same story the next day. Ask your child if she/he remembers what was there in the story by showing them the picture. Help them if they get stuck. Sing together with the child: Music is another amusing way to teach the child to speak. Listen to a song, sing and dance along. Encourage the child to dance and sing with you. Children are great at learning lyrics of a song. Reward the child on completing a task: When you reward the child with his/her favourite toy or snack, they understand the benefit of performing the task. And they take effort to get the reward. Ask your child to recite a poem for you, or speak a certain word or sentence and entice the child by showing him the reward he will get on completing the task.  
  MENTAL HEALTH MORE
6 Common causes of fatigue
The amazing effects of music on health
Healing yourself after a broken relationshipThere is no singular formula to get over a relationship. Moreover, you cannot 'get over' a relationship like you get over a broken phone. Every relationship is like a grown tree. When it breaks, you have to let it molder into the Earth - the time period between the breaking of the relationship and your comeback as 'you' is the time for transformation - this is your time to understand yourself, your relationship with others, and reach out to the world. Did you know the over 50% of people undergoing breakup tend to resort to emotional eating to rescue themselves from sadness and rush in the comfort hormones? Keep an eye on what you eat to trace the emotional signs you are disguising. Keep a tab on your diet and pamper your body with care. Here are seven basic stages through which you can consciously walk to recover through your broken relationship. Such a process is not linear and you could be undergoing various stages at the same time or in a different order. However, make sure you go through each stage. Missing any stage could result in residual and subconscious anger or denial. Stage 1: Let it outDon't be afraid to accept that you are heartbroken, that you feel like a mess and just wish that your ex-partner was around again. Accepting your emotional state is the first step to being able to unravel yourself out of it. Stage 2: Pondering over the causeThe initial stage post-breakup is primarily spent trying to distract oneself from the absence of the ex-partner by busying oneself with other activities. However, the nagging question 'why did our relationship not work? why did it have to be this way?' lingers, ready to barge in at the very instance you have your moment of peace. The first thing to understand during a breakup is that there is a distinction between analysing and understanding on one hand and obsessing on the other. Try to go through the stages in your relationship which you intuitively trace as being of significance to the break-up. However, remember not to be biased towards yourself and to weigh your responsibility towards the breakup as much as you do your ex-partner's. Stage 3: Taking a hard look at the relationship and learningYou might have had other relationships before where you did not feel the kind of intimacy you felt with this particular person. However, if you feel that you are up to a large part responsible for the break up, then look for the pattern of behavior or thinking which was causing such a breakup. Taking a hard look at your relationship will help you to recognize your mistakes and learn readying yourself to become a more sensitive person with greater understanding of human emotions. Stage 4: Reaching out to the WorldWhile you are working yourself through reasons for breakup and your role in it, don't step back from reaching out to people. Communication is the basic balm that will heal the wound of a broken relationship. Your inner communication with yourself is one dimension of it while talking things out with your friends and close ones is another important dimension. During a conversation about the breakup, don't simply blame your ex-partner completely to blind yourself towards healing. Be honest to yourself and attempt to talk to those friends who can help you through the hard time with care. If you love animals and nature, then reach out to the wild. Take time off from your usual routine and follow your interests. Stage 5: The Bigger Picture of the Break-up Having pondered over the reasons particular to your past relationship, understand that the fundamental reason for any relationship to break up is that the two people involved in it have different ways of looking at the world. Remember that differences do not imply a hierarchy. Differences are essential to human nature. This will help you to forgive your ex-partner, catalysing your redemption from the land of anger and despair. The world is a beautiful place full of diverse kinds of people. Do not let your breakup make you give up on humanity. Stage 6: Letting yourself freeNow is the time to have a relationship with yourself. Explore your interests and dip yourself in them. It is not a crime to be happy with yourself. However, do not use these activities to escape the pain. Let your activities be your company in pain - slowly the pain will fade and you will reconcile with the reality of your broken relationship. Join hobbies which will help you have some time for yourself: pottery, nature watching, animal care, voluntary work. Remember that your identity does not depend on the opinion of your ex-partner: you create who you are. Most importantly, take care of your body - we tend to mess up our body cycles during a breakup. Stage 7: Giving yourself time to become complete before starting off with another relationshipDo not rush into a relationship before you have completely healed from the past relationship. There is a high tendency to try to fill the gap of the absence by moving onto the next most intimate person you know. Give yourself time to recover and answer the following questions before entering into a relationship again: What kind of relationship do you want to have? How would you like to spend your day with her/him? (Remember that a whole day is a series of small activities that you will share with your love - don't focus just on the big stuff like finance, house, and others, emphasis on shared interests). What future do you expect from a relationship? These are the three basic questions. Be free to add on the relevant questions according to your needs and answer them honestly before writing a new chapter into your life. Having pondered over the reasons particular to your past relationship, understand that the fundamental reason for any relationship to break up is that the two people involved in it have different ways of looking at the world. Remember that differences do not imply a hierarchy. Differences are essential to human nature. This will help you to forgive your ex-partner, catalyzing your redemption from the land of anger and despair.
Building self confidence by improving body languageSo what have they told you? That only physically attractive people have the right to self-confidence? That you either have it in you or you don't? Let's face it, confidence is the key to anything and everything. Right from driving a car to handling work to dating, confidence is what separates the proverbial wheat from the chaff. What you need to remember is that the mind speaks the body language. Conversely if you change your body language, then it has an impact on the mind as well. Mr.Hunched Over This guy is the classic example of a person who just doesn't like himself. The world is a mighty dangerous place for him. Just look at the way he walks. Shoulders all hunched over, head down as he shuffles rather than walk. Mr. Hunched Over generally finds it difficult to look people in the eye as he speaks and he last is handshake is as limp as his mind. He crosses his arms tightly, touches his nose all the time to see if it has grown since he lied through it. Mr. Walk the Walk and Talk the Talk This chap is diametrically the opposite of the first kind. He exudes an air of confidence in his walk, manner and speech. He has a confident stride which is helped by the fact that he stands to his height with his head held high, chin tucked in and shoulders squared back. This is what gives him the confidence as this posture is designed for efficiency. Mind you, he isn't ram rod straight, just straight enough so that his ears are in line with his shoulders and hips. The chest is also out since the shoulders are drawn back towards the hip. This facilitates deep, even and diaphragmatic breathing which prevents anxiety. His hand shake is firm. As he offers his hand, he exerts just the right pressure on the other person's hand to indicate a strong grip. This is no wrestling bout, so the confident man always exerts just the right kind of pressure in a hand shake.  He maintains eye contact with the person he is talking to; not a staring about, but normal eye contact, one which won't make the other person conscious of being stared at. He looks away from time to time to give his eyeballs a rest. This is why he comes across as genuine and not shift eyed and restless. To be Mr.-Or- Ms. Walk the Walk Always square your shoulders and keep your head held high when you walk. You might seem imperious or high handed at first, but then it will work wonders on your self-esteem and you will begin to feel differently about yourself. You needn't even be a tall person to come across as cool and confident-just stand up to your own height and see the miracle. Breathe slowly steadily and deeply. Use your abdominal muscles to draw in your breath rather than engaging your neck muscles which end up making you a shallow breather and plus you also tend to hunch easily if you don't feel your rib cage and stomach expand as you breathe in. Practice standing and speaking in front of the mirror. It will show you exactly how you appear to others. Practice your walk in front of a video camera and keep a record of your metamorphosis.
  BEAUTY AND FITNESS MORE
Fighting obesity with tasty food: 5 Fatty foods which burn fat
Interesting food facts
Sunburn: Overview and treatmentSunburns could also be accompanied by allergic responses to medicines, exposure to sun and sunscreen products, sight-related issues like reduced or complete loss of vision, as well as heatstroke. Over a long period of time, frequent cases of sunburn can result in cold sores, cataracts, skin cancer, and lupus.  The factors which will decide the vulnerability to sunburns are: Type of skin - The type of skin determines the vulnerability and intensity of the sunburn. The most vulnerable groups are those with freckled and fair skin as well with blonde or red hair. Regardless of the color of the skin, all skin types are vulnerable to skin cancer and proper sun protection must be used during times of sun exposure. Season - Summer days carry with them a higher probability of burning the skin. UV Index - This refers to the forecast of the strength of UV light on a particular day. This will let you know the cautionary measures you need to take in order to avoid skin damage. This is put forward on a scale of 0 to 11+ with 0 being the lowest exposure. Latitude - As you move to locations closer to the equator, the sunlight directly passes through the atmosphere to a greater extent. Age - Those who are younger than 6 years of age and those over 60 years are at a greater risk of getting sunburns. Altitude - As you climb higher and higher, the chances of sunburn are also greater since the amount of Earth's atmosphere to keep away the sunlight reduces. Every elevation of approximately 1000 feet, the UV exposure is amplified by about 4%. Location - If you are close to reflective surfaces like snow, water, ice, concrete and white sand, rays of the sun which get reflected off these might harm you. Time of the day - The rays of the sun are strongest between 10 in the morning and 4 in the evening. Though, the probability of getting sunburn are lower on cloudy days, it is possible for the UV rays of the sun to pass through the clouds and negatively affect your skin health. Here are the precautionary steps you can take to avoid getting sunburn: Avoid staying in the sun for a long period of time. Make use of sunscreen and choose clothing which cover your skin. In case you are suffering from sunburn, here are ways to treat it: An over-the-counter pain reliever: In order to lower the inflammation and relieve pain, use ibuprofen or aspirin. Anti-inflammatory condiment: Cortisone cream and aloe vera are two primary ways of reducing the inflammation. Cool bath: Take bath for about 10-20 minutes in water of cool temperature (make sure the water is not too cold). This will cut back the pain and irritation in affected area.  Do not use any bath oil, soap or detergent as this might increase the chances of allergic reactions and irritation to the injury. When drying yourself after the bath, do not rub with towel. Cold compressions: Try application of cold and wet compressions on the concerned region for about 20-30 minutes. Adequate hydration: Make sure you drink at least 8-12 glasses of water to help your skin to recover from the sun damage. Moisturizer: Once your skin begins to heal, use a gentle moisturizer without any scent. Blister treatment: In case you have blisters, do not try to pop them. This will lead to infection and marks.However, if you have large blisters which require to be drained, then pop them using a sterilized needle. Follow this by cleaning the area dry with gauze. After applying ointment to the area (Aloe vera or antibiotic ones like bacitracin and polymyxin B), wrap the area loosely using a gauze bandage. Make sure you do not tie it tightly and change the gauze daily to avoid infection. Medical attention: In case you feel nauseous along with fever, rashes and chills, then make a visit to the doctor. The following symptoms also require you to seek medical attention immediately: Pain in eyes with sensitivity to light, dizziness, high thirst without proper urination, painful blisters, and pale/cool skin.
Exercise, a healthy way to deal with hypertensionYou have not exercised for a long time. You took it easy when it came to physical activity. Now that you are diagnosed with high blood pressure, you will do anything to control it. Even exercise! Exercise, weight management, and a healthy diet are important ways to help prevent high blood pressure and lower the blood pressure that is already high. Benefits of exercise for people with hypertension include: Improve blood and oxygen circulation in the body Promotes sound sleep Improves stamina and endurance Keeps heart healthy Reduces stress and promotes mental health Exercise enhances the effectiveness of medication So how much should one exercise? An exercise session of atleast 30 minutes per day is important. Get started Start slowly and increase gradually. Start with 10 to 15 minutes of exercise and increase it, as youget comfortable. Choose exercises you enjoy and will do consistently. Avoid sudden vigorous activities; they can cause injuries and hamper the routine. Warm up Warming up helps the body adjust slowly from rest to exercise. A warm-up will reduce stress on the body muscles, increase heart rate and respiratory rate, and body temperature slowly. It will also decrease soreness of muscles. Best exercises for lowering blood pressure Stretching: It is the best. It relaxes and helps prepare the body and muscles for activity and prevents injury and muscle strain. Stretching regularly will make you flexible and improve motility. Aerobic exercise: This helps to improve circulation to the entire body. It improves heart function. It gives maximum benefits to the heart. They also help to reduce heart rate and blood pressure by improving breathing pattern thus lowering blood pressure. Walking, swimming, jogging, and skipping are all aerobic activities. Do aerobics for at least 30 minutes three times a week. Strengthening exercises: These include exercises that have repeated muscle contractions till the muscles are tired. These include side balance crunch, climbing a rope, and push-ups. Join a gym. Here are some  exercise guidelines for a better exercising routine in the gym:  Schedule a fixed time for exercise. Find a buddy to exercise with you. Select an exercise that you like. Make variations to avoid getting bored. Boredom can make you stop exercising. Start slowly and increase gradually, especially if you do not exercise regularly. You should wait for an hour after eating before you exercise. Ten minutes of warm up and ten minutes of cool down sessions are must Keep a record of daily exercise.
  LIFESTYLE PROBLEMS MORE
Top 5 reasons for foot pain and tips to fix them!
Safeguard yourself against high blood pressure
Flash the pearliesRemember the lines from the song, Words? Smile an everlasting smile, a smile can bring you near to me.  Well, ideally, you wouldn't want your teeth to be yellow when you flash that smile. So for those who have shades of yellow on their teeth, here's how you can go back to white. It's first important to understand what causes yellowing of the teeth. Eating habits: Carbonated drinks dissolve teeth enamel. Tea, coffee and other caffeinated drink stain the teeth yellow.In addition, alcohol and cigarette smoking too can stain teeth. Tobacco chewing especially produces stains that are difficult to remove.Food rich in artificial sweeteners are harmful for teeth. They not only make the teeth yellow but also produce cavities. Chocolates, pastries, ice-creams and all such sugar-rich foods are sticky. They stick to teeth and have corroding effect on tooth enamel and dentin and cause yellow teeth, decay and toothache. Oral hygiene: Poor hygiene of oral cavity leads to stains and caries. Take good care of your teeth. Brush teeth twice. Floss them and use a mouthwash. Ageing: Gradual loss of enamel and wear and tear lead to yellow teeth. Medicines: Medicines like iron tablets, tetracycline too can lead to yellow teeth. Injury: Trauma to teeth can sometimes lead to yellowing. This is common amongst kids. Preventing yellowing of teeth Maintain a good dental hygiene. Brush twice for atleast 3-4 minutes. But be gentle while brushing teeth. Gargle every time after you eat.This removes the leftover food particles and keeps the teeth clean. Avoid use of local powders or corrosive substances. They damage enamel. Fruits like apple, cucumber, and carrot act like cleansing agents and keep teeth clean. Fruits like sweet lime are rich in vitamin C and help to keep gums and teeth healthy.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!Small mistakes that we keep committing become, over a period of time, serious health problems that are potentially life threatening. Given here is a list of the 10 most common mistakes that we make when it comes to heart health. Ignoring the health check-up: Your last reports said you were fit as a fiddle. So you haven't gone for a check-up since then? Our health becomes the first thing we sideline in today's fast-paced lives. Most of the heart diseases do not show any signs and symptoms in the early stages and when the signs and symptoms come up, too much of damage has already been done. So it becomes very essential to go for regular health check ups. If you are in your twenties it would be advised to get your cholesterol checked every 5 years, blood glucose every 2 years. Beyond 45 years though the frequency of health, check-ups should increase. Body Mass Index is something that you should get checked every time you visit your doctor. Skipping breakfast: Breakfast is the most important part of what you eat the whole day. Most of us tend to skip breakfast due to lack of time, fear of weight gain. But starting your day without breakfast is like driving on reserve fuel. You will start fine, but end up feeling dull and sluggish towards the end of the day. Skipping breakfast has been associated with development of diabetes mellitus and obesity. These two have a strong co-morbidity with cardiovascular diseases. No wonder then it is said, breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper. Too much of sun-blocking: We are people obsessed with fairness and it is understandable that one wouldn't want to get tanned by going out in the sun. Some amount of sunlight exposure is very vital for health. Vitamin D is synthesized by the body from cholesterol with the help of sun rays. Recent studies reveal that people with little or no exposure to sunlight tend to develop arterial plaques that end up in heart attacks, high blood pressure or strokes! Going for the fizz : Aerated drinks are loaded with triglycerides that are a part of the bad cholesterol. They thicken the blood and it becomes difficult for it to flow through the arteries. This leads to several complications. Not watching what you eat: Often we are so caught up in our work that we just grab a quick bite to eat without paying heed to what actually we are eating. Fast foods are extremely unhealthy and wreck havoc onour systems. Missing fruits and fibres: Fibrous food are extremely heart friendly. The fibres help in pushing out the cholesterol out of the body. Beans, oats and barley are all extremely fibre-rich. Fruits are a rich source of vitamins and minerals. They contain potassium that is extremely essential to neutralize the effects of sodium. By doing this they help in regulating the blood pressure. Citrus fruits too have a high amount of potassium in them. Avoiding walking: Walking is the simplest form of exercise the body can get. 10 minutes of brisk walking is extremely helpful for the heart to keep functioning efficiently. Not sleeping well: The body needs 6 to 8 hours of undisturbed sleep for it to reboot and get back its full functioning capacity.  A sound sleep at night reduces the blood pressure and regularizes the heart beats. People compromising on sleep are the ones most prone to suffer from heart attacks and high blood pressure. Not flossing your teeth: Gingivitis is the inflammation of gums. This inflammation hosts large number of germs that leak into the bloodstream and reach the heart causing a number of heart problems. People who floss daily not only have good oral hygiene, they also have a healthy heart. Forgetting the Family: Many heart diseases tend to run in the family. It is very important to know the medical history of your parents and grandparents. The risks of you developing heart diseases are high if someone in your family already has them.
  Sexual Health MORE
15 Fun facts about sex you surely don\'t know!
5 exercises for great sex
Your questions about contraception, answeredFew couples want to have babies as soon as they are married. Most want to enjoy their sex life without having to worry about conceiving a child in the process. If you are in this group, then here are answers to the most commonly asked questions about contraception. What is contraception? Contraceptionis use of various methods to control and prevent the pregnancy. It allows you to choose when you want to have a baby. What are the various methods of contraception? There are two main methods. Temporary contraception: Caps, combined pills, male condoms, female condoms, contraceptive implant, contraceptive injection, contraceptive patch, diaphragms, intrauterine device (IUD), intrauterine system (IUS), natural family planning, progesteron-only pill, vaginal ring. Permanent contraception: Female sterilisation(tubectomy), Male sterilisation (vasectomy). No contraceptive is 100% reliable and some can have side effects. Find out about all the methods listed here, so you can decide which method is right for you. How soon can I conceiveafter stopping the birth control pills? It is difficult to predict exactly how long it will take for a woman to start ovulating again. Some women are fertile as soon as the pills are stopped and others might take couple of months. Once the periods return and are normalised with normal ovulation, you can conceive a child. What if my period doesn't resume after I stop taking oral contraception pills? If you don't get your periods for several months, you may have what's known as post pill amenorrhea. The pill prevents your body from making hormones involved in ovulation and menstruation. When you stop taking the pill, it can take some time for your body to return to normal production of these hormones. Normally, periods should start again within three months of stopping the pill. But some women, especially those who took the pill to regulate their menstrual cycles, may not have periods for many months. If you don't have a period within three months, take a pregnancy test to make sure you're not pregnant, and then see your doctor.
Smoking causes impotence!Men who smoke heavily are twice as likely to suffer from impotence or erectile dysfunction. The link between smoking and ED has been established beyond reasonable doubt. Smoking causes a hardening of the arteries or blood vessels. For a penis to grow erect or tumescent there has to be a healthy blood supply. Now imagine the cross-section of a smoker's penis where there are plenty of blockages and hardening of the blood vessels. Can the penis then grow erect with so many hindrances to the blood? There is also an acute loss of sensitivity to the penis which is a direct contribution of smoking! Previously, alcohol was a hot favorite of the medical lobby when it came to 'impotence.' Wish smokers could say the same thing about moderate smoking! Even moderate smoking can make an existing condition of impotence worse. One could make changes to one's lifestyle and diet and curb stress to treat ED (erectile dysfunction), but all these will come to naught unless one really resolves to give up smoking permanently. Just within a few hours of kicking the butt, the body starts to repair itself. Of course, it may take longer for the blood vessels to actually undo the blockages and have a free run for the penis, but it will certainly happen, slowly and surely. Smokers may have an underlying condition of anxiety, which is made worse by nicotine, which in turn causes performance anxiety, not greatly helped by blocked blood arteries. So smoking not just makes you physically impotent, but also mentally impotent too. It is a powerful narcotic which is hateful to the body and spiteful to its salubrity. Please enroll into a 'stop smoking now' campaign with the help of friends or family. Check for any 'nicotine anonymous' programs in your neighborhood or just do it all by yourself. Otherwise, the only thing hard about your penis will be hardened arteries and lots of hard luck!
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