Studies Show That Sleeping On Your Side Could Reduce The Risk Of Alzheimer's

Developing a simple practice of sleeping in the side-position, as compared to sleeping on one's back or stomach, may help you reduce the chances of developing Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and other neurological disorders, says a study.

The side or the lateral sleeping position is the best position to most efficiently remove waste or other harmful chemical solutes from the brain, the results said.

The build-up of brain waste chemicals may contribute to the development of Alzheimer's disease and other neurological conditions.

via Shutterstock

While it is increasingly acknowledged that sleep disturbances may accelerate memory loss in Alzheimer's disease, "our finding brings new insight into this topic by showing it is also important what position you sleep in", said one of the researchers Maiken Nedergaard from University of Rochester in New York, US.

The researchers used dynamic contrast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to image the brain's glymphatic pathway, a complex system that clears wastes from the brain.

"The analysis showed us consistently that glymphatic transport was most efficient in the lateral position when compared to the supine or prone positions," Helene Benveniste from New York's Stony Brook University said.

"The lateral sleep position is already the most popular in human and most animals -- even in the wild -- and it appears that we have adapted the lateral sleep position to most efficiently clear our brain of the metabolic waste products that build up while we are awake," Nedergaard said.

The study, therefore, adds further support to the concept that sleep subserves a distinct biological function of sleep and that is to 'clean up' the mess that accumulates while we are awake.

The findings were detailed in the Journal of Neuroscience.

Source : Indiatimes.com

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6 Beauty Recipes Using Coffee That Guarantee Clear Skin And Stronger Hair

via nutritionstripped

Exfoliation is very important for the skin as it clears all the dead cells, acne marks and gives you glowing skin. It also facilitates better absorption of moisturizer on the skin. Now there are a range of exfoliators in beauty shops that promise the above, but we suggest you stick to something natural. It is cheap, effective and has no side effects. So how about an ingredient you use almost everyday? Yep, we're talking about coffee. Coffee is an antioxidant and promotes blood circulation for energized skin. Sounds tasty, isn’t it?

Well, here you go!

1. Coffee body scrub

via Shutterstock

You’ll need: 1/4th cup coffee, 1/4th cup grounded sugar, 2 tbsp extra virgin oil

Method: Mix well and scrub away. You can do this when you shower to avoid a mess. Wet your skin and take a fair amount and scrub your skin. Gently massage for 10-15 minutes until your skin is soft and silky. Wash using lukewarm water.

2. Cocoa Coffee face scrub

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You’ll need: 1 tbsp cocoa powder, 1 tbsp honey, 1 tbsp coconut oil, 1/4th cup milk and 1 tbsp of grounded coffee

Method: Wipe your face using a handkerchief dipped in hot water to clear your pores. Apply the mask evenly on our face and have a small dance party for 20 minutes and then sprinkle some water on your face and massage the scrub. Rinse your face using lukewarm water.

3. Coffee and lemon mask

Via thedcladies

You’ll need: Used recycled coffee beans or brewed coffee beans for acne proned skin, extra virgin olive oil, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp water

Method: Mix well. Prepare your skin by cleansing it. Apply it evenly on your face, scrub well. Later, cleanse it using lemon juice mixed with extra virgin oil and water. In the end wash your face and close your pores using ice cubes.

Via essiebutton

4. Coffee mask for dark circles

via simplecareproducts

You’ll need: 1 tbsp finely ground coffee beans and  2 tbsp of milk

Method: Mix both the ingredients and apply it evenly under the eye area once a day. Allow to dry and rinse off.

5. Coffee hair mask

via Shutterstock

You’ll need: 2 tbsp of hot water, 1 tbsp of coffee, 2 tbsp of ground mustard, 2 tbsp of olive oil/ coconut oil, 2 tbsp of grounded sugar, 1 tbsp of cinnamon powder and 1 egg yolk.

Method: Mix well, and apply it thoroughly on your scalp only, let it sit for 20 minutes. Wash it off using an organic shampoo.

Via cashmereandcamo

6. Hair colouring mask

via epochinspired

You’ll need: 3 tbsp of olive oil, 8 cups of water and 8 tbsp grounded strong coffee.

Method: Brew the coffee and add olive oil to it. Now apply this mixture on your hair evenly and let it stay for one and half hour. Wash it using an organic shampoo. 

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12 Surya Namaskar Steps You Should Practice Every Morning To Kill That Fat

Sun Salutation is considered a complete body workout. Yoga experts say that doing 12 sets of Surya Namaskar translates into doing 288 powerful yoga poses in a span of 12 to 15 minutes.

A workout for ‘busy bees’

Facing a time crunch? Want to feel fit but don’t know how? Welcome to the world of Surya Namaskar. Literally translated as sun salutation, Surya Namaskar comprises a sequence of 12 yoga postures. The best part about Sun Salutation is that it works well for those ‘super busy’ people who often complain about not being able to do yoga because of a time crunch. Doing at least 12 sets of Sun Salutation, preferably at sunrise, at a fast pace provides a good cardiovascular workout. If done at a slower pace, these postures help tone the muscles and can be relaxing and meditative. Moreover, it allows you to enjoy the stretch and makes the body more flexible

via Bollywoodlife.com

An exercise in itself

Sun Salutation forms an excellent link between warm-ups and intense yoga postures. Start your early morning yoga routine with some warm-up stretches to ease out body stiffness. You can then do a few rounds of Sun Salutation to help increase body flexibility and also prepare the body to stretch more during the intense yoga posture sequence.

Why Sun Salutation is good for you?

But that’s not all. Regular practice of Sun Salutation offers a lot of interesting benefits for every part of the body. These powerful yoga poses have a great impact on the heart, liver, intestine, stomach, chest, throat, and legs – the whole body from top to bottom. It purifies the blood and improves blood circulation throughout the body and ensures proper functioning of the stomach, bowel, and nerve centres. Practicing Sun Salutation daily helps balance the three constitutions - Vata, Pitta and Kapha - that the body is made up of. 

Your guide to Sun Salutations

 
Step #1: Pranamasana (Prayer pose)

Stand at the edge of your mat, keep your feet together and balance your weight equally on both the feet.

Expand your chest and relax your shoulders.

As you breathe in, lift both your arms up from the sides and as you exhale, bring your palms together in front of the chest in a prayer position

Step #2: Hastauttanasana (Raised arms pose)

Breathing in, lift the arms up and back, keeping the biceps close to the ears. In this pose, the effort is to stretch the whole body up from the heels to the tips of the fingers.

How to deepen this yoga stretch?

You may push the pelvis forward a little bit. Ensure you're reaching up with the fingers rather than trying to bend backwards.

Step #3: Hasta Padasana (Hand to foot pose)

Breathing out, bend forward from the waist, keeping the spine erect. As you exhale completely, bring the hands down to the floor, beside the feet.

How to deepen this yoga stretch?

You may bend the knees, if necessary, to bring the palms down to the floor. Now make a gentle effort to straighten the knees.

It's a good idea to keep the hands fixed in this position and not move them until you finish the sequence.

Step #4: Ashwa Sanchalanasana (Equestrian pose)

Breathing in, push your right leg back, as far back as possible. Bring the right knee to the floor and look up.

How to deepen this yoga stretch?

Ensure that the left foot is exactly in between the palms.

Step #5: Dandasana (Stick pose)

As you breathe in, take the left leg back and bring the whole body in a straight line.

How to deepen this yoga stretch?

Keep your arms perpendicular to the floor.

Step #6: Ashtanga Namaskara (Salute with eight parts or points)

Gently bring your knees down to the floor and exhale. Take the hips back slightly, slide forward, rest your chest and chin on the floor. Raise your posterior a little bit.

The two hands, two feet, two knees, chest and chin (eight parts of the body touch the floor).

Step #7: Bhujangasana (Cobra pose)

Slide forward and raise the chest up into the Cobra posture.You may keep your elbows bent in this pose, the shoulders away from the ears. Look up.

How to deepen this yoga stretch?

As you inhale, make a gentle effort to push the chest forward; as you exhale, make a gentle effort to push the navel down. Tuck the toes under. Ensure you're stretching just as much as you can; do not force your body.

Step #8: Parvatasana (Mountain pose)

Breathing out, lift the hips and the tail bone up, chest downwards in an 'inverted V' (/) posture.

How to deepen this yoga stretch?

If possible, try and keep the heels on the ground and make a gentle effort to lift the tailbone up, going deeper into the stretch.

Step #9: Ashwa Sanchalanasana (Equestrian pose)

Breathing in, bring the right foot forward in between the two hands, left knee down to the floor, press the hips down and look up.

How to deepen this yoga stretch?

Place the right foot exactly between the two hands and the right calf perpendicular to the floor. In this position, make a gentle effort to push the hips down towards the floor, to deepen the stretch.

Step #10: Hasta Padasana (Hand to foot pose)

Breathing out, bring the left foot forward. Keep the palms on the floor. You may bend the knees, if necessary.

How to deepen this yoga stretch?

Gently straighten the knees and if you can, try and touch your nose to the knees. Keep breathing.

Step #11: Hastauttanasana (Raised arms pose)

Breathing in, roll the spine up, hands go up and bend backwards a little bit, pushing the hips slightly outward.

How to deepen this yoga stretch?

Ensure that your biceps are beside your ears. The idea is to stretch up more rather than stretch backwards.

Step #12: Tadasana

As you exhale, first straighten the body, then bring the arms down. Relax in this position, observe the sensations in your body.

288 yoga poses in 12 minutes!

One round of Sun Salutation consists of 12 yoga poses. One set consists of two rounds of Sun Salutation:first stretching the right side of your body and then the left side. So, when you do 12 sets of Sun Salutation, you are completing 12 sets x 2 rounds in each set x 12 yoga poses in each = 288 yoga poses within 12 to 15 minutes.

Surya Namaskar calorie calculation:

One round of Surya Namaskar burns upto 13.90 calories for an average weighing person. You can now set a target for yourself.  You can slowly increase the number of rounds of Surya Namaskar to 108. By the time you reach this number, you will become more toned and fitter.

30-minutes workout calorie meter: How many calories are you burning in your 30 minute workout?

Weight lifting = 199 calories

Tennis = 232 calories

Basketball = 265 calories

Beach volleyball = 265 calories

Football = 298 calories

Bicycling (14 – 15.9 mph) = 331 calories

Rock climbing = 364 calories

Running (7.5mph) = 414 calories

Surya Namaskar = 417 calories

*Data Courtesy:  Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Artofliving.org

*Card Image Courtesy: Artofliving.org & Shutterstock

Source : Indiatimes.com

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People with ALS May Consume More Calories, But Weigh Less

by Rachael Rettner, Senior Writer   |   August 17, 2015 02:04pm ET


People with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are known to experience changes in their metabolism after their diagnosis — for example, they burn more calories while at rest. But a new study from the Netherlands suggests these changes happen even before patients have symptoms of the disease.

However, it's too soon to know whether these changes represent a cause or an effect of the disease, experts say.

In the study, the researchers surveyed about 670 people with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, shortly after their diagnosis. The patients were asked to report the foods they ate in the month before they started to experience symptoms. Their answers were compared with those of about 2,000 other people in the general population who did not develop ALS.

The researchers found that before their symptoms started, the people with ALS had a higher calorie intake — consuming an average of 2,258 calories a day — than those who didn't develop ALS, who consumed an average of 2,119 calories per day. But despite higher calorie consumption, ALS patients had a slightly lower average body mass index (BMI) before their symptoms started, compared with those who didn't develop ALS.

The study also found that the people who developed ALS consumed slightly more fat and cholesterol, and slightly less alcohol, than those who did not develop the disease.

Because the study was conducted at a single point in time, the researchers cannot say whether any of these aspects of people's diets could be causes of ALS or whether they are effects of having the disease.

But the findings lend support to the idea that "altered energy metabolism may already be present in patients with pre-symptomatic ALS," said the researchers, from the University Medical Centre Utrecht. [Top 10 Mysterious Diseases]

Dr. Robert Baloh, director of the ALS Program and Neuromuscular Medicine at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, said research like the new study is important because so little is known about how people's diets and other environmental factors might influence their risk of ALS.

However, the patients in the new study were asked about their diet only a month before they showed symptoms, and patients almost certainly already had ALS at this point, Baloh said.

"This change in dietary habits and metabolism could actually just reflect the earliest stages of ALS, rather than before they had ALS," said Baloh, who was not involved in the study.

It would be interesting to know whether these metabolic changes were present many years before a person developed ALS, Baloh told Live Science. But it is difficult to look at this question — because ALS is such a rare disease, researchers would have to follow hundreds of thousands of people for many years just to wind up with a few patients who developed the disease, Baloh said.

Studies in mice and in people have shown that those with ALS experience an increase in the energy they burn while at rest. Higher fat consumption in ALS patients may be the body's way of compensating for this increased energy expenditure so that people don't lose weight and muscle, the researchers said.

However, it's also possible that a high-fat diet may actually cause the increased energy expenditure at rest, they said.

"It remains uncertain whether these findings are part of a disease-causing chain of events in ALS" or whether they happen in people who are already developing the disease, the researchers said. To determine the reason for the link, future studies must follow patients forward in time, they said.

The study also cannot say why a higher alcohol intake was linked with a decreased risk of ALS, but some earlier studies have found that antioxidants in red wine protect against brain cell death. (In patients with ALS, neurons in the brain and spinal cord that control voluntary movement degenerate or die.)

The researchers noted that the participants in their study were asked to think back to the foods they ate during a prior month, which might not be entirely accurate if people misremembered what they ate.

Baloh also noted that people who are diagnosed with ALS may be more vigilant than people in general about the events that happened in the months before their diagnosis, which could bias the results.

The study is published online today (Aug. 17) in the journal JAMA Neurology.

Source : www.livescience.com

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Drinking Alcohol: Health Boost or Health Risk?

By Beth W. Orenstein | Medically reviewed by Cynthia Haines, MD

When it comes to alcohol, how much is too much? Find out what the experts recommend and how to recognize the signs that you're drinking too much.

A large number of studies have shown that moderate alcohol intake can lower the risk of cardiovascular disease in men and women. Moderate drinking means one drink per day for women and one to two for men, says Donald Novey, MD, an integrative medicine physician with the Advocate Medical Group in Park Ridge, Ill. “The difference in amounts is because of how men and women metabolize alcohol,” Dr. Novey explains.

“When you say one drink, the size of that drink matters,” Novey adds. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture one drink is equal to:

12 ounces of beer or
5 ounces of wine or
1½ ounces of spirits (hard liquor such as gin or whiskey, 80-proof)
The Dangers of Drinking Too Much

Unfortunately, some people can’t stop at just one or two drinks. Too much alcohol can result in serious health consequences. Heavy alcohol intake can damage the liver, causing cirrhosis, a fatal disease. Excessive drinking also can raise blood pressure and damage the heart, and is linked to many different cancers, including mouth, esophagus, breast, prostate, and colorectal cancers. The health risks are even greater for those who not only drink but smoke as well.

The consequences of excessive drinking can be serious not only for the alcoholic, but also for their friends, family, and even innocent bystanders. According to the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, more than 16,000 people die each year in automobile accidents that involve drunken drivers. Other data indicates that one in three violent crimes involves the use of alcohol and as many as three out of four violent incidents against a spouse involve alcohol. “Alcohol is a depressant. It makes people sad over time, not happy,” Novey says. When depressed, people can do some rather unfortunate things to themselves and their loved ones.

Signs of Alcohol Abuse

How can you tell if you or someone you know might have a drinking problem? Physicians often use the CAGE test, which involves four simple questions, Novey says:

Cutting down. Have you ever felt you should cut down on your drinking?
Annoyance by criticism. Have people annoyed you by criticizing your drinking?
Guilty feeling. Have you ever felt guilty about drinking alcohol?
Eye-openers. Have you ever had a drink first thing in the morning to steady your nerves or to get rid of a hangover (an “eye-opener”)?
If the answer to just one of these questions is yes, a drinking problem is likely and professional help is needed, Novey says.

Other signs of a drinking problem:

You find you can’t stop drinking once you start.
You’re having problems at work or at school.
Other people notice your drinking and comment on it.
You can’t remember what you did when you were drinking alcohol.
Moderation Rules

Consuming no more than one drink a day for women and no more than two drinks for men is safe, and perhaps even heart healthy. On the other hand, excessive drinking can have serious consequences. If you think you may have a drinking problem or suspect that someone you love does, seek professional help. Contact your family physician or a support group for substance abuse before irreparable damage is done.

Learn more in the Everyday Health Healthy Living Center.

Last Updated: 5/20/2009


Source : everydayhealth.com

 

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