Watch Dr Padmaja Prasad, Nutritionist who dispels the myths about Cholesterol and how people get carried away by the word Cholesterol used on the food and oil packetssold in the market. She gives a detailed explanation about the cholesterol content in various foods and how it is actually absorbed in the body. What can be eaten, how much can that particular food be eaten, how do we cook it and when should it be eaten is elaborated in this video.  

      Almost one in 10 people will someday experience a kidney stone, which creates what is described as the most intense pain imaginable. This increasingly common condition leads to hundreds of thousands of surgeries each year.   A new device developed at the University of Washington would let doctors use ultrasound to move kidney stones inside the body and help them pass by natural means. “Ultrasound is used today to break up large stones. That’s not what we’re doing,” said Michael Bailey, an engineer at the UW Applied Physics Laboratory. “We’ve developed low-power ultrasound that could move small stones to reduce pain, expense and treatment times.” A 15-patient trial using this technology is now under way at UW Medicine. The research is supported by the National Institutes of Health and the National Space Biomedical Research Institute, which is interested in the project because astronauts have an increased risk of developing kidney stones during space travel. The UW team showed a prototype last spring at the American Urological Association‘s annual meeting, and Bailey was invited to give a keynote presentation. He was the only presenter in that session who was not a medical doctor. Kidney stones are crystals that develop in the urine. Shock-wave ultrasound has been used to treat big kidney stones for 30 years. That technique, known as lithotripsy, sends short pulses of high-energy ultrasound to shatter large stones. While the technique is noninvasive it usually requires general anesthesia and a hospital visit. It also leaves behind fragments that can grow and require another trip to the hospital or emergency room. In the lab, Barbrina Dunmire, an engineer at the Applied Physics Laboratory who helped build the device, points an ultrasound probe at a stone inside a latex kidney. She activates the ultrasonic pulse and the stone immediately swings away through the clear liquid. A doctor would put the probe on a patient’s lower back, then use an onscreen ultrasound image to locate the stone and direct the ultrasonic pulse. Urologists and urology residents at UW Medicine tested three successive prototypes on artificial kidneys and pigs, and helped to design the touchscreen user interface. The current Seattle trial is the first time the system is being tested on humans. Besides guiding kidney stones to help them pass naturally, other applications could be to reposition a stone before or during surgery; to displace a large stone obstructing the ureter to relieve the patient’s pain and avoid emergency surgery; and perhaps someday to escort small stones right down the ureter. If clinical trials go well, researchers believe the device could be used in an urologist’s office or by trained emergency room staff, potentially saving medical expenses. Source:University of Washington News

      A sleepy person's brain works harder -- and accomplishes less. A study using real-time, state-of-the-art imaging shows that sleep deprivation has dramatic effects on the brain and how well it performs.   Researchers expected to find only sluggish activity in the brains of healthy young people who took a simple word test after staying awake for 35 hours. They found instead that while parts of the sleep-deprived brains churned with activity during the test, another part of the brain -- the language center -- shut down. "Sleep deprivation is bad for your brain when you are trying to do high-level [thinking] tasks," study co-author J. Christian Gillin, MD, says, "It may have serious consequences both on performance and on the way your brain functions." Gillin's team at the University of California, San Diego, and the San Diego VA Medical Center found that the brains of some sleep-deprived study participants tried to overcome the language-center shut-down by shifting activity to another part of the brain. These individuals performed better on the memory test than their sleep-deprived peers, but not as well as they did when rested. This shows that the brain can move a task from one area to the other when you are sleep deprived, or when you get old. Jim Horne, PhD, director of the sleep research laboratory at Loughborough University in England, notes in a commentary accompanying the study that the part of the brain that overworks in the sleep-deprived people normally is one of the most active areas of the brain. It is involved in complex functions such as updating working memory, planning, attention, sense of time, dealing with novel situations, and verbal fluency. "Some years ago, we suspected that if sleep offers some sort of recovery process, then the parts of the cortex that works hardest during wakefulness may be those that suffer the deprivation initially," he tells WebMD. "But what seems to be happening is that the functional part of the brain appears to be working even harder during compensation -- to no avail, because performance shows deterioration." However, Horne says that this part of the brain gets its rest during the earliest stages of sleep. "Not all of sleep is for recovery. A particular part of sleep occurring in the early part of sleep is most important for [brain] recovery, and the latter part is not so important in that regard," he says. "As we can eat more food than we require and drink more fluids than we require, we may sleep more than we require. Rather than trying to extend one's sleep ? So you could try taking  short naps instead. Source: San Diego Medical Center  

        The Mid eastern fruit may not be easy to munch and certainly not recommended for its sugar content –dates are also known to have certain health benefits. Here are some health benefits of dates.   1. Promoting Digestive Health, Relieving Constipation – Fiber is essential for promoting colon health and making for regular bowel movements. The insoluble and soluble fiber found in dates help to clean out the gastrointestinal system, allowing the colon to work at greater levels of efficiency. Some other benefits relating to fiber and colon health are reduced risks of colitis, colon cancer, and hemorrhoids. (Dates could even be coupled with other home remedies for hemorrhoids.) 2. Boosting Heart Health – In addition to promoting colon health, fiber is also known to boost heart health. 3. Anti-Inflammatory – Dates are rich in magnesium – a mineral known for its anti-inflammatory benefits. One study found that ”inflammatory indicators in the body such as CRP (C-reactive protein), TNF (tumor necrosis factor alpha), and IL6 (interleukin 6) were all reduced when magnesium intake was increased.” Further, inflammation in the arterial walls was also reduced with magnesium intake. Based on magnesium’s anti-inflammatory properties and the findings of this study, magnesium can effectively reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease, and other inflammation-related health ailments. 4. Reduced Blood Pressure – Magnesium has been shown to help lower blood pressure – and again, dates are full of the mineral. Additionally, potassium is another mineral in dates that has several functions within the body, aiding with the proper workings of the heart and helping to reduce blood pressure. 5. Reduced Stroke Risk – After evaluating 7 studies published over a 14 year time period, researchers found stroke risk was reduced by 9% for every every 100 milligrams of magnesium a person consumes per day. The research can be found in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 6. A Healthy Pregnancy and Delivery – Further adding to the health benefits of dates, one study performed by researchers at the University of Science and Technology set out to discover how the date fruit impacted labor parameters and delivery outcomes. After studying 69 women for a year and 1 month, the researchers found that “the consumption of date fruit in the last 4 weeks before labour significantly reduced the need for induction and augmentation of labour, and produced a more favourable, but non-significant, delivery outcome. The results warrant a randomised controlled trial.” Source: Natural Society

        A Montana State University professor and a team of students have found that drinking water with a high content of minerals might be beneficial to one's health.   MSU Health and Human Development professor Dan Heil and a team of graduate and undergraduate students conducted a study that found that individuals drinking mineral-based alkaline water, along with a water company's supplement, were better hydrated and had higher pH levels than those who consumed water without a high mineral content. The findings suggest that certain mineralized water may impart some health benefits, Heil said. In the early 2010 study, the research team split 38 young adult volunteers into a control group and an experimental group. Members of the control group drank only non-mineralized bottled water over the course of four weeks. Members of the experimental group drank alkaline water containing a naturally high mineral content, as well as a water company's supplement that is designed to stabilize pH and minerals, during the second and third weeks of the study. During the first and fourth weeks, experimental group members consumed non-mineralized bottled water in order to help measure results. The study participants received all of their water from the researchers and were not informed about which group they were in. Throughout the study, the research team collected blood and urine samples from each individual three times each week to measure blood and urine pH and osmolality, a measurement method of mineral concentration. They also measured each participant's total daily urine volume. Study participants kept records of the food and water they consumed and maintained regular levels of exercise. Part of why the research is important is because every chemical reaction in every part of the human body is highly sensitive to changes in both temperature and pH, Heil said. As a result, the body has tight control mechanisms in place to keep temperature and pH relatively constant. In general, pH is a measure of how acidic -- which equals a relatively low pH -- or alkaline -- which equals a relatively high pH -- a liquid or solution is. Human bodies work to maintain a fairly neutral pH, Heil said, because it is most conducive to chemical reactions that need to occur. "It was good to see how an in-depth research study worked," he said. "It reinforced what I had learned in classes about research design and why things were done in a certain way... it was nice to apply and understand why things have to happen the way they do."Even though more research needs to be done, Heil said the research results were unexpected and could be significant."They may show something more than a performance advantage," he said. "There may actually be a health advantage.

      Training for U.S. Navy SEALs, the special operations force, follows a warrior tradition that harkens back to Samurais, but fitness experts say the tough regime is gaining popularity with entrepreneurs, corporate executives, lawyers and elite athletes.     “We look at training as being as important to our life as eating and sleeping,” said retired Navy SEAL commander and fitness instructor Mark Divine, the author of “8 Weeks to SEALFIT: a Navy Seal’s Guide to Unconventional Training for Physical and Mental Toughness.” SEALFIT draws on the varied, high-intensity interval training of CrossFit, Olympic weightlifting, plyometrics, powerlifting, gymnastics, calisthenics, strongman exercises, yoga, and martial arts. “CrossFit is baked into the SEALFIT model,” said Divine, “but our workouts are much longer: two hours if you go through the whole thing.” Divine believes if you lean into hard work it becomes enjoyable, even transformational, although he admits the rigorous type of training has become rare in modern society. Breathing exercises, concentration drills and visualization exercises are as crucial as physical prowess to Divine, who is trained in Ashtanga, a rigorous form of yoga, and in martial arts. Working in as well as working out, he said, cultivates the warrior spirit, or kokoro, a Japanese word he defines as the merging of heart and mind in action. A word of caution, this kind of a work out is only for those who can handle tough fitness regimes and is certainly not for the faint-hearted or those who have small weight loss goals to achieve! 8 Weeks to SEALFIT: A Navy Seal’s Guide to Unconventional Training for Physical and Mental Toughness.  

      The latest in fat removal techniques and blessing for the overweight souls is the nonsurgical process of fat removal called Lipolysis. It is one of the safe and non invasive methods of fat removal from specific areas of the body and combating cellulite.   Now the science behind lipolysis is a topic in itself. It uses a fat-dissolving material called phosphatidyl choline injected into the targeted fat layer beneath the skin. But it is a proven technique to reduce cholesterol and improve the body’s metabolism’s its just not into removing fat but also into prevents the storage of fat and improves the fat burning capacity. Now who can get this done? It can be done for both men and women who have fat deposits in specific areas. They should be of sound health and people who have had heart problems, cancer, blood clotting history and serious medical conditions should not get this done. Results can be immediate to gradual depending on the age , skin type, weight and lifestyle. Since it is a non-invasive procedure, you can get back to normal work routine. Hot showers and baths should best be avoided for eight hours after treatment and also refrain from excessive exercising and massages for the first week after treatment. And the sessions can vary from 1 to 3 sittings for effective results. People who are committed to a healthy lifestyle of regular exercise and a balanced diet will see a long term improvement in their body.

      Presenting the top 5 summer foods that you could have to beat the heat and add to your diet. 1.     Pineapple. This sweet, tropical fruit is the perfect ingredient for smoothies, raitas , kashmiri pulaos and fruit salads. It’s packed with vitamin C and manganese; a mineral which helps build muscle tone and boosts bone health. It contains an enzyme called  bromelain which  breaks down protein and helps in digestion and even help to reduce inflammation.   2.     Blueberries. Which we are also available in the canned format now in India also has concentrated amounts of flavonoids, the natural substances responsible for giving blueberries their deep blue colour. They help in inhibiting cancer, preventing urinary tract infections, improving eyesight and inhibiting short-term memory loss and other effects of ageing. Toss them into your cereals, salads or top with a little natural yoghurt.   3.     Seafood. Fresh fish which is easy to cook and delicious to eat is provided you get them fresh. Take any of your favourite local  fish available and marinate them for an hour in your typical salt,pepper and lemon mix and  then grill them and eat. Seafood is a great source of protein and a source of healthy omega-3 fatty acids.   4.     Tomatoes. They are high in vitamin C, beta-carotene and potassium, their high lycopene content puts them in the nutritional spotlight. There is actually more of this prostate cancer-preventing antioxidant in the more concentrated tomato products like tomato puree and tomato juice. But since it is summer, go for the fresh whole fruit, with only 25 calories per tomato which makes it agreat low calorie option in your soups and salads. 5.     Cantaloupe melon. It’s the season of the fragrant cantaloupe melon . It has more vitamin A than apricots, more potassium than bananas, a full day's supply of vitamin C, and it's lower in calories than most fruits - 57 calories per serving. A good cantaloupe beats a glass of orange juice any day. However, cantaloupe is high GI Glycemic Index and may not be suitable for people who are prone to high blood sugar levels.  

      Dr. Rob van Dam, Assistant Professor in the Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health suggests that coffee may have some beneficial health effects after all...Research over the past few years suggests that coffee consumption may protect against type 2 diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, liver cancer, and liver cirrhosis. And the latest study on coffee and mortality found that people who regularly drank coffee actually had a somewhat lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease than those who rarely drank coffee; this result needs to be confirmed in further studies, however. So looks like the latest Harvard study on coffee and health seems to offer good news for coffee drinkers.   We looked at the relationship between coffee consumption and overall mortality in the Nurses’ Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study, which together included about 130,000 study volunteers. (1) At the start of the study, these healthy men and women were in their 40s and 50s. We followed them for 18 to 24 years, to see who died during that period, and to track their diet and lifestyle habits, including coffee consumption. We did not find any relationship between coffee consumption and increased risk of death from any cause, death from cancer, or death from cardiovascular disease. Even people who drank up to six cups of coffee per day were at no higher risk of death. This finding fits into the research picture that has been emerging over the past few years. For the general population, the evidence suggests that coffee drinking doesn't have any serious detrimental health effects. It’s an important message because people have seen coffee drinking as an unhealthy habit, along the lines of smoking and excessive drinking, and they may make a lot of effort to reduce their coffee consumption or quit drinking it altogether, even if they really enjoy it. Our findings suggest that if you want to improve your health, it’s better to focus on other lifestyle factors, such as increasing your physical activity, quitting smoking, or eating more whole grains. Source: Harvard School of Public Health

      A universal fact known to us is that the right cooking oil can save you from heart diseases, cholesterol blockages, obesity and digestion problems. As Indians we have been using the traditional peanut oil, ghee or clarified butter, sesame oil & mustard oil in our cooking and by the turn of the 20 century we have started incorporating vegetable oils like sunflower, olive and rice bran oils in to our cooking. These different oils which have come to us from different countries are essentially filtered or cold pressed in case of olive oil. But studies show that for the Indian environs and body conditions traditional oils like ghee and ground nut oil are good for health. And the added advantage is that they come in the filtered form too. Now with these new types which have invaded our markets the dilemma would be as to which oil should we use? The key is to use the oil that suits you and preferably the filtered ones.   The regularly used oils like Sunflower oil and others each have their distinctive healing properties. Sunflower oil reduces cardiovascular diseases, is good for cancer patient and a healthy option for arthritis patients and sunflower is an antioxidant. Groundnut oil which is slowly fading is actually known to boost energy levels and contains monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. It contains Omega 3 fatty acids, lowers the risk of heart diseases and fights against cancers, & degenerative nerve diseases. Mustard oil used in the Northern parts of India is good for coughs and colds and eases inflammation and  Sesame oil improves oral hygiene and dental health .The nutty Coconut oil which is extensively used in Kerala is known to fight bacteria, build immunity and increase metabolism. Oils like ghee which has been perceived by Ayurveda is good for digestion and brain functions and are known for their high levels of saturation .So choose the right oil  and gain benefits from their distinctive properties and use in moderation.  

      Diabetic eye disease refers to a group of eye problems that people with diabetes may face as a complication of diabetes. All can cause severe vision loss or even blindness. Diabetic eye diseases may include: -Diabetic retinopathy—damage to the blood vessels in the retina. -Cataract—clouding of the eye's lens. Cataracts develop at an earlier age in people with diabetes. -Glaucoma—increase in fluid pressure inside the eye that leads to optic nerve damage and loss of vision. A person with diabetes is nearly twice as likely to get glaucoma as other adults. Diabetic retinopathy Diabetic retinopathy is the most common diabetic eye disease and a leading cause of blindness. It is caused by changes in the blood vessels of the retina. In some people with diabetic retinopathy, blood vessels may swell and leak fluid. In other people, abnormal new blood vessels grow on the surface of the retina. The retina is the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye. A healthy retina is necessary for good vision. If you have diabetic retinopathy, at first you may not notice changes to your vision. But over time, diabetic retinopathy can get worse and cause vision loss. Diabetic retinopathy usually affects both eyes. All people with diabetes--both type 1 and type 2--are at risk. That's why everyone with diabetes should get a comprehensive dilated eye exam at least once a year. The longer someone has diabetes, the more likely he or she will get diabetic retinopathy. If you have diabetic retinopathy, your doctor can recommend treatment to help prevent its progression. During pregnancy, diabetic retinopathy may be a problem for women with diabetes. To protect vision, every pregnant woman with diabetes should have a comprehensive dilated eye exam as soon as possible. Your doctor may recommend additional exams during your pregnancy. So remember if you have diabetes get a comprehensive dilated eye exam at least once a year and follow up with your doctor stringently .  

      Have you heard of getting wrinkles using a phone or gadget! According to CACI international, a firm that specialises in ”non-surgical beauty solutions” has identified a new problem while using smart phones and other phone gadgets. It can give you wrinkles. Now this could be a scary proposition for all women and men who use these phones.   They have further elaborated that using Smart phones/gadgets  can give you wrinkles as looking down at handheld devices and computers for countless hours develops a line around the neck and chin. This terrifying new gadget related affliction has been dubbed “tech neck” and could affect anyone who owns a hi-tech gadget. The “tech neck” is a line around the neck and chin which is caused by looking down at handheld devices and computers every day. The bizarre latest face furrow was identified after a surge of neck-related enquiries for non-surgical, knife-free face-lifts by CACI international, a firm that specialises in”non-surgical beauty solutions”. “We noticed a surge in enquiries for our product, specifically to combat lines around the neck area,” Dean Nathanson, Managing Director of CACI international, said. “We’ve identified a correlation between the rise of technology in recent years and the growth of the ‘tech neck’,” said Nathanson. So for those who are constantly on the phone and addicted to these hi tech gadgets should either reduce talk time to avoid these wrinkles even though they are for a short period.

      This Women’day and in celebration of women hood we present a study on Ovulation in women and how the study shows that women are more aggressive when they ovulate. ACCORDING to the new research by the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) and the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management, ovulation alters women’s behaviour on a subconscious level, prompting them to focus more on social standing in comparison to other females.   Researchers from The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) and the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management conducted three studies, one of which featured the popular “dictator game experiment”. Fifty-eight ovulating and non-ovulating women were each given a set amount of money, which they could share with another if desired. Non-ovulating women shared about 50% of their money with others, while ovulating women shared about 25% of funds and kept the rest. “We found that ovulating women were much less willing to share when the other person was another woman. They became meaner to other women,” said Kristina Durante, assistant professor of marketing at the UTSA College of Business and lead study author. In another experiment, 309 women were asked to choose between “Option A” – to have a US$25,000 car while other women received US$40,000 cars – and “Option B” – a US$20,000 car while the other women received US$12,000 cars. Ovulating women preferred “Option B,” which provided “higher social standing” compared to the others. “What’s interesting about this finding is that ovulating women are so concerned about their relative position that they are willing to take less for themselves just so that they could outdo other women,” said study coauthor Vladas Griskevicius, associate professor of marketing at the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management. Ovulating women had different reactions when playing the same games against men. While ovulation seemed to make women meaner to one another, it resulted in “nicer” behaviour towards men. The results, entitled “Money, Status, and the Ovulatory Cycle,” were published in the February issue of Journal of Marketing Research. It builds on previous studies from Durante and colleagues, including the role of ovulation in consumer choices and behaviour towards men. Such studies found that ovulation subconsciously encourages women to choose “sexier” outfits in hopes of outdoing other attractive women, and to flirt more heavily, especially with men who have assorted genetic fitness markers. Source: AFP/Relaxnews  

      Body Weight Training   People need to get over the Gym fad and get back to the basics of simple exercises and working with body by not usingweights and gym equipment.Alterate forms like Yoga, and Oriental therapies are suggested for better mental and physical health. Flexitarianism Many of us will go ‘flexitarian’ this year, according to the British Dietetic Association (BDA). ‘Someone who follows a flexitarian diet tends to follow a vegetarian diet for most of the time but will eat meat on occasion,’ says BDA’s Sioned Quirke. ‘With this, and an apparent increase in public awareness about meat production,’ says Quirke, ‘it is fair to say we will see a marked rise in the number of people following a flexitarian diet. Technology for  Fitness David Stalker, CEO of UK Active, (www.ukactive.com), says the health and fitness sectors will find new ways to get people engaged with exercise this year. ‘This includes wearable technology, mobile phone apps and videogames,’ he says. ‘For those looking to measure all facets of their lifestyle, from their calorie intake to their sleep patterns, wristbands can measure your habits and point out where you’re going wrong. ‘The key thing about these devices is the way they are designed to link up with your mobile phone via apps.’ Stalker says this will make measuring progress easier and means people will be able to share their achievements, or failures, with friends on social media. ‘Microsoft’s next-gen gaming console, the Xbox One, is another revolutionary way to help you break a sweat,’ he says. ‘The console has made great strides in virtual technology. Studies have shown that games such as Kinect Sports Boxing can boost heart rates by 194 per cent compared to traditional, controller-held games, and the game can increase energy expenditure by 263 per cent on resting values, comparable to light cycling.’ These types of technology are accessible to everyone and are an alternative for those too daunted to go to the gym. Eating Sprouts No, this isn’t about existing on a diet of Brussels sprouts. Sprouted seeds, pulses and beans are collectively known as ‘sprouts’ and they’re going to be big in 2014. ‘Nutritionist Vicki Edgson (www.vickiedgson.com) says ‘Sprouts are effectively living foods and one of the richest forms of nutrients known.’ Edgson says people are becoming more anxious and inquisitive about the origins of their food and health blogs are all talking about ‘real’ (ie unprocessed) and sprouted foods.‘And they have gained the name “sprouts” from the fact that, when soaked in water, rinsed, drained and placed in a dark space, they produce a shoot. Green Juices We saw a surge in people opting for healthy green juices last year but in 2014, market research company Mintel says there will be a big move towards ‘functional green vegetable juices’ over caffeinated energy drinks. ‘In late 2014, new EU food and drink labelling legislation will see drinks containing more than 150mg of caffeine per litre having to change the labelling to show a more explicit warning,’ says Mintel’s Richard Cope. ‘It will also require additional labelling for high-caffeine drinks and foods where caffeine is added.’ Cope says it will affect brands such as Rockstar, which is 32.1mg of caffeine per 100ml, and energy shots that are more concentrated doses of caffeine.  

      Diseases like Alzheimer’s and dementia which have been linked to genetics and associated with lifestyle behavior patterns have afflicted many people around the world. The signs of Alzheimer’s start off with symptoms of forgetfulness and memory impairment which is neglected at the beginning stages and once this aggravates is when people start rushing to the doctors for the checkups and tests. Identifying the disease at the early stages is critical and this can happen only when people start taking notice of their memory issues.   Erin Abner, an assistant professor at the University of Kentucky's Sanders-Brown Center on Aging and member of the faculty in the UK Department of Epidemiology, asked 3,701 men aged 60 and higher a simple question: "Have you noticed any change in your memory since you last came in?" That question led to some interesting results. "It seems that subjective memory complaint can be predictive of clinical memory impairment," Abner said. "Other epidemiologists have seen similar results, which is encouraging, since it means we might really be on to something." This  shouldn't necessarily worry everyone who's ever forgotten where they left their keys or papers and start panicking about Alzheimers or Demential but it's important to distinguish between normal memory lapses and significant memory problems, which usually change over time and affect multiple aspects of daily life. The results are meaningful because it might help identify people who are at risk of developing Alzheimer's Disease sooner. If the memory and thinking lapses people notice themselves could be early markers of risk for Alzheimer's disease, we might eventually be able to intervene earlier in the aging process to postpone and/or reduce the effects of cognitive memory impairment. So if there is a repetitive memory degeneration don’t ignore it and visit the Physician.

      It has been shown in certain studies about oral hygiene that tooth decay is not caused by sugars and starches that remain on the teeth or when the bacteria that thrive in the mouth after the leftover food particles stuck in our mouth, produce acids that destroy tooth enamel. But studies on people who do not brush or floss show that many have teeth almost completely free of tooth decay. Research conducted by Dr. Westom Price and other dental pioneers suggest that the real cause of tooth decay is because of 1) the Intestinal system unable to absorb nutrients properly 2) Lack of fat-soluble vitamins (A,D,E & K) 3) Presence of phytic acid from grains, seeds, nuts, and legumes and 4) Lack of minerals in the diet and not because of left over bacteria in the mouth .   Over time, minerals are removed from the bones, causing bone and tooth decay because of the blood chemistry and ratio of calcium and phosphorous becoming disproportionate . It is important to consume a diet rich in minerals and vitamins which will restore the balance in the body and enable minerals to work on our teeth. This will develop a hard dental structure and protect our teeth. You could start including the following foods in your diet for healthy mineral and nutrients for healthy teeth: ->Fibre-rich fruits and veggies like celery, apples and carrots massage the gums, and improve circulation ->Fruits like oranges and other citrus fruits are also great for the mouth as they contain vitamin C which keeps the gums healthy ->Organic vegetables and meats, all dairy products and seafood ->Limit processed foods like flours and sugars that de-stabilise blood sugar balance ->Use certain oils like coconut and sesame oil which are rich in calcium Make the healthier choice and switch to a diet of whole, unprocessed foods for healthy teeth and a happy dentist !

      Forgiveness means letting go of our suffering. It has much more to do with our own well-being than that of the person we forgive. When we hold on to our resentment, hurt and anger our suffering doubles. It becomes a veil through which we see ourselves and others; it becomes something we have to justify. And if we don't, we think that we have let the other person to be right in their unfair treatment of us. Getting to forgiveness is perhaps the most challenging & powerful thing that we can do to go "beyond ourselves."   Why should I forgive ? When you are in a state of unforgiveness there is a lot of stagnation in life and this show up as blocks in your health, career, relationship and finances as issues. You could probably never connect that unforgiveness could block all these aspects in your life and when you forgive, the energy emanated will open up these blocks which in turn will allow good to flow in your life. All states of ill health come from unforgiveness. Anger, irritation and deep rooted resentment are all forms of an unforgiving state which cause ill health in a human body like boils in the body and also cancer in the long run. When you forgive, it is like coming out of a prison into sunshine. It is empowering to forgive and let go. You open the doors to abundance and love which were hitherto blocked because of unforgiveness. Most of us are so often trapped in a habit of negative thinking and unforgiveness that we move on in life without actually forgiving the person who has hurt us. All you need is a pen and paper to acknowledge and write your feelings towards that person. You could just write points or if the feelings are more intense you could write a sheet or two. This could be on a day-to day basis or as and when you feel that you need to forgive if the feelings hurt very bad. “When you forgive you are free”