Ok, this is a topic I love the most. It pleases me no end to think that chocolates are not just ‘only taste’ but are a health food. It takes away the guilt feeling that one is eating plain fat, sugars & calories and sort of gives one the license to indulge. However, most of the benefits I am about to recount are associated with dark chocolates. So if you love dark chocolates, you are going to love this…

• Chocolates are a good source of energy and make for a good snack on the go.
• Cocoa liquor which goes into making chocolates is rich in polyphenols which are superb antioxidants. The concentration of these antioxidants in dark chocolate is more than that found in green tea or red wine! Dark chocolates have the highest Oxygen Radical Absorption Capacity.
•  Reearchers have found that flavonoids present in dark chocolate help bring down blood pressure. They stimulate the production of Nitric Oxide, which in turn acts as a vasodilator on arteries, relax the inner surface of blood vessels,  causing the blood pressure to lower.
• Dark chocolate is a good source of Calcium.  
• Chocolates can also help reduce the risk of certain types of cancers.

So what are you waiting for? Go grab a big bar of dark chocolate!

Tags: healthy eating

Developing countries are fast becoming dumping grounds for hazardous waste generated in the developing world. As the environmental laws become more stringent in the developing world and as more and more hazardous waste is being generated, exporting this waste to poorer countries, even at a cost to the exporter is a financially attractive alternative. Much easier and cheaper than setting up environment friendly waste treatment and disposal facilities. And for the countries importing it, it is a hard to resist offer, given their high levels of poverty. Did you know that Guinea Bissau, one of the poorest 20 countries in the world was to be paid $600 million for storing and disposing of imported hazardous waste? At the time of the offer, the amount was twice the country’s foreign debt!! And about four times its Gross National Product. One can see why it is therefore easy to find disposal grounds and convert them into potential disease and death traps for the natives. The high level of corruption in these countries, and little awareness among the local population of environmental and health hazards resulting from improper industrial waste disposal, only serves to facilitate the trend. 

Olurominiyi Ibitayo in his article Transboundary dumping of hazardous waste, talks about this and other factors that promote easy disposal of hazardous waste in the sub-saharan African countries.

The only way out as I see it, is for local community groups to generate more awareness and pressure the authorities into creating and implementing stringent regulations regarding disposal of hazardous waste. And also effect ban on such imports. In 2003, environmental groups in India, along with Greenpeace had succeded in sending toxic waste back to the sender, in this case Unilever. Hindustan Lever had set up a factory in 1983 in India to import all its mercury waste from the US and export products from the plant back to the US. Greenpeace and the local community groups had exposed the dumping of hazardous mercury waste at a local scrapyard. They had then started a very successful campaign to put pressure to send back the toxic waste to its country of origin.

Such efforts can happen and be successful only if the local community is sensitised to the perils of improper toxic waste disposal. As I write this, tonnes of toxic waste material (read old computers, old mobiles and other electronic parts) shipped from the first world may be getting offloaded at some port in India. Several thousand of unsuspecting workers at the scrap-yards will then break open, sort and recycle this e-waste with their hands in an open uncontrolled environment. What can’t be recycled will be burnt in the open, releasing toxic fumes in the air. Or will be dumped in open grounds, quite possibly next to a residential area! India and China are the world’s dumping grounds for electronic waste. As long as there is a lack of political will in enforcing regulations, lack of awareness amongst the scrap-yard workers & the local population and as long as it is financially attractive to the traders, this deadly business will continue to thrive.

Tags: environment conservation, Save Earth, save nature

Chapped hands result when our hands lose moisture and the natural oils present, because of over-washing, living in dry weather conditions. Some simple home remedies can be tried successfully to treat this condition. These are:

• Avoid using harsh soaps to wash hands.
• If you work too much with water, wear rubber gloves as far as you can.
• Moisturise your hands everytime you wash them.
• Use a mix of lemon juice and glycerine to moisturise your hands everytime you wash them. You can use 4 parts glycerine and one part lemon juice and store and keep for use.
• If they are too dry and chapped, you can use apply vaseline on your hands at bedtime.
• While moisturising, first apply a thin layer and let it soak into the skin. Follow it up with another thin layer. This works better on the skin.
• Once a day, dip your hands in lukewarm water for 4-5 minutes. Pat dry and apply almond oil or coconut oil. This provides nutrients and helps seal in the moisture.
• Olive oil or mustard oil can also be used in the above step.

Tags: home remedies, natural cure

Corns can be very painful. While it is best to avoid the corn forming in the first place by wearing proper, comfortable shoes, when they do form, you can try one of these home remedies to treat corns.

Corns and calluses however, will take time to peel off with these remedies and you can try one of the following to alleviate the pain in the meantime…

• Make a mix of 4 tbsp. of epsom salt and half a bucket of luke warm water. Soak feet for 10 minutes. Pat dry and apply lemon juice or one of the other home remedies.
• Boil one bowl of finely powdered oatmeal with 3 bowls of water for 10 minutes. Let it cool till its lukewarm. Soak feet for 10 minutes. Pat dry and apply castor oil on corn or calluses. 

Tags: ayurvedic cure, ayurvedic remedy, home remedies, Natural Cures

Chanced upon some information on the web, which I think is of immense help to those of us suffering from frquent bouts of acidity. Apart from our lifestyle (read constant stress and meal skipping), the type of food we have has a significant effect on the levels of acid in our body. Certain foods are by nature acid forming while others have an alkalizing effect on the body. It is interesting to note that foods that taste acidic may not actually be acidic. So if you think orange juice has an acidic effect on your body, you couldn’t be further from truth. The reason these seemingly acidic foods have an alkalizing effect is that post-digestion, they leave certain minerals which help remove hydrogen ions and thus counter acidity.

Too much of acidity in the body (acidosis) can lead to an impairment of cell metabolism, weak bones and several other diseases. Therefore, one must have knowledge of acidity and alkalinity of various foods in our diet so one can make sensible food choices. It is important to know that no foods are bad. Our body needs both acid causing food and those that have an alkaline effect.

Foods like cheese, chocolates, cashewnuts, pistachio, barley, beans, eggs, chicken, butter, honey, wheat flour, peas, oats, mushrooms, sugar, wine and foods rich in animal protein are acidic.

Bananas, apples, apricots, oranges, lemons, broccoli, carrots, celery, coconut, onions, pineapple, raisins, walnuts are alkaline forming.

If you want to know more about acidic and alkaline foods and how they affect our bodies, I highly recommend this Acid and Alkaline Food List.

Tags: healthy eating, natural cure, natural health

Lets take up from our January article on Color Therapy, and dig a little deeper. We did some research and found that color therapy is being used to treat common ailments like colds to those like typhoid fever. As you read the list below, you will notice that the principle color therapy works on, is to expose the affected body part to colors that it is deficient in.

• Gout: Orange, which is a mix of red and yellow colors is thought to have high heat inducing powers. Exposure to orange colored light is supposed to help break down uric acid crystals. It has an anti-spasmodic effect and thus is helpful in cases of muscle cramps.
• Laryngitis: Blue colored light is thought to be cooling and exposure to blue colored light is expected to soothe inflammations.
• Tonsilitis: For the same reason as above, patients are exposed to blue colored light to soothe tonsil inflammations.
• Anaemia: To treat anaemia with colors, the patient is exposed to red light. The theory being that red, being the color of blood, helps in tackling the deficiencies of blood and helps build haemoglobin. Red colored light is also thought to increase circulation of blood.
• Paralysis: Expose the affected body part to red rays to stimulate and improve blood circulation.
• Respiratory Troubles, for example bronchitis: Red colored light produces heat that energises the respiratory muscles.
• Common Cold: Red is associated with heat and so exposure to red colored light is supposed to generate heat in the body and also vitalizes the immune system of the body.
• Physical strain and Mental stress: Green is the color of nature – the trees, the plants, the grass. And green colored light is considered cooling and soothing, and is thought to produce the same effect that we feel when we go for a nature walk. It helps in cases of both physical and mental exhaustion.
• Insomnia: Because of its relaxing effect, green colored light is supposed to help induce sleep.
• Typhoid, Red fever, Hay fever: Expose to green colored light.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any proof that exposure to different colored light has beneficial effects in specific diseases. However, if the topic is of interest to you and if you would like to explore it further, try this. The series here is interesting too though again does not quote any specific research to prove the claims. It would be interesting to know feedback of someone who has actually used color therapy to treat a condition. Anyone out there…?

Tags: color therapy, natural cure, natural health

Brittle nails are often caused due to a lack of calcium in body. And so consuming calcium rich foods like figs, milk and dairy products, dates, sesame seeds, almonds attack the root cause and help one get healthier nails.

Exposure to too much water, for example in case of those who do dishes or swim for long hours, can also lead to brittle nails. This can be avoided by wearing rubber gloves when working with water. 

Some other simple steps that can help in this condition are:

• Consume a biotin rich diet, that is cauliflowers, lentils and peanuts. Biotin thickens nails and prevents easy breakage.
• Apply moisturiser to your nails everytime you wash your hands.
• Use sesame oil to massage your fingertips and area around the nails.
• Almond oil or Olive oil can also be used to massage and help build stronger nails.
• Use a mixture of lemon juice and glycerine to massage and nourish the area around the nails.
• While they are brittle, keep your nails neatly trimmed.

Tags: home remedies, natural cure

Do you experience heartburn, have a bloated feeling? Belching, acidic burps? Feel like throwing up even after consuming small portions of food? You might be suffering from acidity. Acidity can be naturally cured and is easy to prevent. So before you start taking allopathic medicines, you may want to try one of these easy home remedies:

• Have a banana.
• Have a glass of cold milk. Be careful while trying this one. Some people find their acidity to get worse with milk. Works for most people I know though.
• Coconut water, coconut milk have a very soothing effect.
• Mix a tsp. of baking soda in water and have it while its still fizzing.
• Popping 2-3 walnuts or almonds helps (personal experience).
• Yogurt, fresh curd cool the linings and thus help counter acidity.
• Consume 2-3 dates.
• Orange juice or lemon juice help in acidity. 

To prevent acidity from occuring, keep in mind these preventive measures:

• Avoid stress. This is probably the most common reason for acidity.
• Avoid having meals at irregular timings.
• Do not go hungry for long periods of time. Keep a protein bar or some biscuits handy. Even if you don’t have time to have a sit down meal, be sure to pop in a biscuit anytime you begin to feel hungry.
• Avoid caffeinated drinks.

Remember to consult a doctor if acidity persists.

Tags: healthy eating, home remedies, home remedy, natural cure, Natural healing, natural health

Here are some simple home remedies for eczema:

• Apply coconut oil on the affected area.
• Apply lemon juice. Be careful though and avoid if there are wounds from scratching.
• Crush a few garlic cloves and use the juice to apply on the eczema. [Avoid applying if there are wounds].
• Apply un-boiled, cooled milk on the affected area for a soothing effect. 
• Boil a few neem leaves in water for 5-10 minutes. Let the water cool. When it has cooled, use this to wash the affected area. You can also ice-cool this water and use as cold compress on the eczema.
• If you have access to some sandalwood and can make fresh sandalwood paste, mix 1 tsp. of this paste with 1 tsp. of camphor. Apply on affected area. Will really soothe the skin.

Tags: ayurvedic remedy, home remedies, natural cure, Natural healing

A study published in the Journal of Neuroscience has found that chronic backaches can result in shrinkage of gray matter by about 5-11%, which is the equivalent of shrinkage that takes place in 10 to 20 years of aging! 

The shrinkage, it appears, is related to the duration of the pain. It is a 1.3 cu. cm. of gray matter loss for every year of chronic pain.

Well, who could have thought of that! But now that we know, don’t take that back pain lightly. 

Again, remember that chronic back pain may not necessarily be because of bad posture. It is advisable to consult a qualified orthopaedic doctor when you have back pains. Osteoporosis (weakening of bones) is one of the major causes of back pains. If you have chronic back pains, consult your doctor now.

Tags: healthy living, natural health