USEFUL INFORMATION~~~

[tana]

Om Sai Ram~~~


Why do fingers and toes wrinkle in the bathtub?
     
    The outermost layer of the skin swells when it absorbs water. It is tightly attached to the skin underneath, so it compensates for the increased area by wrinkling.
There are various theories of why fingers and toes wrinkle in water. Most biologists suggest that the tough outer layer of skin made up of dead keratin cells is responsible. Keratin is a protein found in hair, nails, and the outermost layer of our skin.
 
Our skin is made up of three layers:
 
The subcutaneous tissue is the deepest layer. It contains fats and connective tissue along with large blood vessels and nerves.
The dermis is the middle layer. It contains the blood vessels, nerves, hair roots, and sweat glands.
The epidermis is the topmost layer. It helps to prevent evaporation of water from the body and to protect the internal layers from harm.
The epidermis is made up of four layers:
 
the stratum corneum
granular layer
squamous cell layer
and basal cell layer
The stratum corneum is the outer layer of our skin - the part that we can see and feel. This is the layer with the dead keratin cells.
 
While a person is in the pool or a bathtub for a long time, the dead keratin cells absorb water. This absorption causes the surface area of the skin to swell, but the outer layer is tightly attached to the living tissue. So, to compensate for the increased surface area, our skin wrinkles.
 
So why does this happen to hands and feet and not to other parts of the body? Because the hands and feet have the thickest layer of dead keratin cells. Our hands and feet are subjected to a lot of wear and tear. Imagine if the palm of our hands had skin as thin as that on our backs. No fun playing basketball with skin that thin!

Jai Sai Ram~~~

[tana]

Om Sai Ram~~~

Headache or Migraine??


Read on to find out the symptoms and triggers for both so that you know what you're suffering from...
For some people the words are interchangeable, and every headache is described as a migraine, but the two things are different in important ways. So what are the differences between them?

WHAT'S WHAT??

The vast majority of non-migraine headaches are tension headaches. These are caused by tension or spasm in the muscles of the head and neck. The common areas of tension are the back of the neck, the temples, and the forehead. Tension from the neck muscles can spread across the scalp to give a headache that comes over the top of the head. Migraine is caused by oversensitivity of blood vessels in and around the brain and outside the skull. The blood vessels first constrict (close down), then dilate (open up).

TRIGGERS~~

Both types of headache can be triggered by tension, stress, anxiety, fatigue and hormonal changes. Migraine can also be triggered by a whole host of other things that wouldn't normally provoke a tension headache, eg, going on holiday, change of climate, getting up late, loud noises, intense smells, dieting, smoking, missed meals, bright sunlight and a flickering TV. Certain foods may trigger migraine, the most common culprits being chocolate, cheese, red wine, citrus fruits and fried food.

SYMPTOMS~~

Tension headaches can be severe and last for long periods of time. They are usually felt on both sides of the head, and are commonly described as a tight band going around the head or a feeling of something pressing down on top of the head. Severe tension headaches can produce some nausea. Tension headaches occur in almost everyone at some time, and many people suffer them recurrently.

Migraine is three times more common in women than in men. It is very rare to develop migraine after the age of 50, and 60 per cent of migraine sufferers have their first attack before the age of 20. An attack often starts with some visual symptoms, due to bloodvessel constriction, before the headache begins. Flashing lights, colour distortions, halos, or even, occasionally, loss of one half of the visual field may precede the headache. These symptoms (known as the prodrome) last from 15 minutes to an hour or more. The headache is usually very severe, is often one-sided and commonly causes vomiting. It can be totally disabling while it lasts. Some severe episodes may lead to tingling, numbness or slight weakness of one side, all of which resolve after the headache has passed. A migraine episode can last anything from two hours to two days.

TREATMENT~~

Both types of headache can be treated with simple painkillers or nonsteroidal tablets such as ibuprofen, for those who know they can take this type of medication safely - if in doubt, ask your pharmacist. With a migraine attack, it may also be necessary for the sufferer to take an anti-sickness tablet. Migraine sufferers are advised to lie down in a quiet, darkened room, as this removes certain possible triggers, but it isn't always practical.

The treatment of migraine has been greatly improved in recent years by the development of a group of drugs called triptans. These act on blood vessels in and around the brain, and can be dramatically effective for severe, recurrent migraine, but aren't useful for non-migraine headaches. In addition to the treatment of individual attacks, there are several drugs that can be taken daily as migraine prevention.

Jai Sai Ram~~~

[fatima]

Or, here’s the next best thing to do. Fool your body into thinking you’re feeling great

First, we’re going to slowly ease that tension out of the body. Sit on a chair with legs crossed. Pretend that your ankle is a pen and use it to write the alphabet. Repeat with the other ankle.

Next, place your thumbs at the edge of your eyebrows, on each side of our head. Slide them up, stopping at the corner of the head, almost into the hairline. Press the thumbs into each side of the forehead; hold for a few seconds and then release. Repeat five times. By doing this, you release emotional stress because these pressure points are linked to the emotional centre of the brain.

Eat an orange. The vitamin C helps detoxify the body. Chewing on a handful of roasted cashew nuts can also be a good upper. Nuts contain magnesium and essential fatty acids that help boost moods.

Change the breathing. Lie on your back, with the fingertips of one hand nesting between the breastbone and the solar plexus. Place the other hand on the belly. Taking deep breath through your nose push out your stomach as you inhale, thus filling your lungs. Hold for a few seconds and then slowly exhale. As oxygen replenishes your brain, use your fingertips to lightly stimulate the calming areas of your body and you’ll feel more relaxed.

The brain believes in the images it receives. So creative visualisation can quickly top up your happiness levels. Imagine the sun sending heat and light to your arms and legs. Soak in that sensation and feel the joy slowly seeping in.


The following stretching exercises help release tension. To make the most of each stretch, hold each position for 20 to 30 seconds and repeat each exercise two or three times.

Slowly bend your head down and up, looking down at your chest and then up to the ceiling.
Slowly bend your head side to side as though you are going to touch your ear to each shoulder, while keeping your shoulders down.
Slowly rotate your head from side to side as though you are going to look over each shoulder.
Interlace your fingers behind your head and press your elbows toward the wall behind you.
Do these exercises at least twice a day, and see and feel the difference. If they still don't work, go and see your doctor. He might be able to suggest other ways to beat the stress, so that it does not affect your efficiency at work.

[tana]

Om Sai Ram~~~


How To Heal With Aloe Vera Plants: Tips Guide

If you're thinking about introducing a new houseplant to your home, the Aloe Vera plant offers a wealth of benefits since it's a plant that gives and gives, then gives some more!
Here is a large list of notes for first aid and healing treatments you can benefit from, tomorrow I'll have information for growing your own plant and some tips for using it.
How To Treat A Wound With Aloe
Clean wound thoroughly
Apply Aloe Vera pulp in the wound
Wrap tightly with a bandage
Keep bandage soaked in Aloe Vera juice
The wound should quickly heal with little or no scarring, bandages will remove easily. There is also a much reduced risk of infection when using Aloe.
For minor scar removal, keep applying Aloe Vera juice morning and night (daily). This may take several months to see great results (six months or so).
For painful scrapes and abrasions, gently slide a split leaf over the area and reapply several times during the next 24 hours.

Burns & Sunburns~~
Good for soothing and healing burns and sunburns, simply apply juice from an aloe leaf directly to burned area. See also Sunburn Relief Home Remedies. Especially handy in the home for kitchen burns!

Home Remedy For Digestive Problems~~
Three times daily take 1 to 2 TBS of aloe juice/gel. This will act like a general tonic and mild regulator of the bowels.

Sap Extraction For Bowel Regulation~~
The sap is a yellow bitter fluid that flows between the skin and the pulp of the Aloe and acts as a laxative.
Place green peelings of an aloe leaf in a jar of water and refrigerate. The more leaves in the jar, the stronger the tonic will be.

Take a few sips once or twice a week to help regulate your bowels. Top up the jar with fresh aloe leaves as needed.

Scalp & Hair Treatments~~
Aloe juice can add lustre, richness and manageability to hair as well as heal some scalp abrasions and diseases:
Before bedtime wet hair thoroughly with aloe vera juice and allow to dry. Rinse thoroughly in the morning (may suds up a bit).

Poison Ivy, Poison Oak & Allergies~~
Use Aloe Vera as a pain inhibitor and reduce itchiness, also enhances healing of rashes and sores:
 
For relief apply aloe vera juice directly to area that is irritated.
 
Pregnancy Stretch Marks~~
Apply Aloe Vera juice directly to skin while pregnant, after birth keep applying to encourage healing.

Insect Bites, Jellyfish Stings, Etc.
Bees, mosquitoes, ants, wasps, yellow jackets, scorpions, centipedes and other insects Also see these home remedies for mosquito bites.:
As soon as the bite or sting occurs, split open a leaf and apply it directly to the bite area.

Arthritis Treatments~~
Dice up Aloe Vera leaves and place pieces in a jar of water, refrigerate. Drink 4 Tablespoons per day and top up water in the jar as consumed. The drink can be bitter but it does go away over time. Some may find relief right away, many don't find relief until a couple months later. Make a fresh jar of leaves as needed.

For aching joints and muscles, rub Aloe Vera on the skin, relief should be felt within a few minutes and can be repeated as necessary.

Age Skin Spots~~
Apply Aloe Vera juice to the spots twice a day, spots will be reduced or completely removed after several months of treatment. Also see Home Treatment for Age Spots.

Acne Treatments~~
Give your skin a good cleansing morning and night. Apply juice directly from the leaf. Can also apply to pimples and other sores.

For removing old acne scars, apply a little Aloe Vera juice morning and night until the scars are gone. This can take several months. If skin is dry, apply with a moisturizing cream.
 
Asthma~~
Boil Aloe Vera leaves in a pan of water and breathe in the vapor.
 
How To Tell If You're Allergic To Aloe Vera
Before applying any first aid treatments, find out if you have an allergy to it first. If you're allergic to aloe vera, you may experience the results opposite to what you were hoping for. Here's how you can quickly find out if you're allergic to aloe vera:
Apply a small amount of aloe vera juice on the inside of your arm or behind your ears. If a rash appears or you experience a stinging sensation within a few minutes, do not use aloe vera for first aid.

Did You Know:
After removing an aloe leaf to treat a burn or cut, you can refrigerate it and it will keep for 2 to 3 weeks.

Aloe Vera is an astringent and may cause skin to dry. You can apply baby oil or other lubricant along with the aloe to help prevent dryness.

What leaf is best to use in first aid treatments?
The lowest leaves (closest to the ground) should be used first. These leaves are older and larger so they have more juice and greater potency.

Caution For Diabetics:
Drinking Aloe Vera juice might enable the pancreas to produce more of its own insulin. Before taking aloe vera internally, diabetics should have their physician monitor their need for extra insulin since too much is dangerous.
 
Source - Much of this information is found in the booklet:
The Ancient Egyptian Medicine Plant Aloe Vera Hand Book
Author: Max B. Skousen
Aloe Vera Research Institute (1982)
Note: Please remember this is not professional medical advice, use due diligence and speak to your doctor before implementing any of these home remedies and treatments.

Jai Sai Ram~~~

[tana]

Om Sai Ram~~~

Burn More Calories - Take the Stairs~~~


Are you trying to burn more calories without spending more time at the gym?
If your answer is yes, then get yourself to the nearest set of stairs!

Walking up and down the stairs is great exercise and burns calories. You can
burn about 300 calories for 30 minutes of walking the stairs depending on
the intensity of your workout. But, beware, 30 minutes is a lot of time to
spend walking up and down stairs. It is hard work.



The advantages of walking the stairs? They are many:

• You can walk the stairs anywhere there are stairs – offices, homes, stores
• We all know how to do it, no special training is needed
• No special equipment is needed, though if you are going to walk up
multiple flights as exercise you need good shoes. I used to walk the stairs
at work in high heels, but it was only for a floor or two. I had some scary
moments, especially going down stairs where I almost catapulted myself over
the edge a few times.
• You can do this exercise in short spurts. If you only have time to run a
report up to a colleague two floors up from you that still counts as
exercise even if you do not take the stairs again for another couple of
hours.
• Stair climbing will exercise your legs particularly your quadriceps (front
of the thighs) and your butt.
• Your heart will get a good workout
• It is low impact and safe for your knee joints

But…….

• If you are walking stairs at a public facility make sure the stairs are
safe, clean, well-ventilated and have enough light. Stairwells in public
buildings can hide a wide variety of nasty smells and icky things.
• Let someone know if you are going to be taking an exercise break at work
to walk the stairs for 10 or 15 minutes. That way if something happens,
whether an injury or getting locked out, someone will notice if you are not
back at your desk.
• Take your time, especially coming down the stairs and make sure you hold
on to the railing for balance.
• Make sure the doors don't lock behind you and that you can get out of the
stairwell when you want. I walked down the stairs at work only to find that
the bottom three floors had doors that locked and could not be opened from
the stairwell so I had to walk all the way back up again. Aside from the
inconvenience it caused a few moments of panic. I thought I would be in the
stairwell until the next fire drill.
• Beware if you have knee problems, walking down stairs may cause pain. If
your knees bother you going down stairs you can take the elevator down and
walk back up or walk down one flight and walk around the floor, go down
another flight and walk around that floor, etc. Giving yourself a little
break every few minutes is easier on your knees than running down the stairs
in one spurt of activity.

After your stair walking make sure you stretch your quads, hamstrings and
calves. Those are the parts of your body that will work the hardest climbing
stairs.

There is a Canadian web-site <http://stairway.hc-sc.gc.ca/calcalc.aro> which
will show you how many calories you burn going up and down the stairs. It
will inspire you to step out of the elevator and on to the stairs.

Since most of us no longer smoke and water coolers are a thing of the past
take a break from staring at your computer and take an exercise break to go
walk the stairs. You will be surprised by what good exercise it is and just
keep thinking about all those calories you are burning.


Jai Sai Ram~~~

[tana]

Om Sai Ram~~~

Why does pepper make you sneeze?

A sneeze is a reflex that is triggered when nerve endings inside the mucous membrane of the nose are stimulated.

Pepper, be it white, black, or green, contains an alkaloid of pyridine called piperine. Piperine acts as an irritant if it gets into the nose. It stimulates (or irritates) the nerve endings inside the mucous membrane. This stimulation will cause you to sneeze. Actually, the nose wants to kick out this irritant and the only way it knows how to do this is by sneezing."

Did you know ...

~Sneezing is called sternutation.
~When you sneeze air rushes out your nose at a rate of 100 miles per hour!
~There are an estimated 5 million scent receptors in the human nose.
~Our noses produce an estimated one to two pints of mucus a day.

Pepper facts~~

~Known as the "king of spices" because it is one of the oldest and most popular spices in the world.
~Pepper was so valuable that in ancient Greece and Rome it was used as currency.
~It is believed that when the Goths defeated Rome in 410, they demanded a ransom of 3,000 pounds of pepper, along with other valuables such as silk.
~During the middle ages, peppercorns were accepted in lieu of money for dowries, rent and taxes.
~During the 19th century, Salem, Massachusetts played an important role in the world pepper trade

Jai Sai Ram~~~