Effective Home Remedies for an Aching Throat

The throat itches, is swollen and burning, and even the simple act of swallowing becomes a scary prospect? You're not alone! Throat aches are some of the most common phenomenon as we move into the winter season.

Here are 10 ways you can calm that aching throat down without having to go see a doctor:
 

1. Keep your nasal passageways open

 

Doctors agree that two of the most common causes of throat pain are the buildup of snot and dryness, that occur mostly from breathing too much through the mouth when the nasal passageways are closed. 

There are materials that fight nose congestion, especially those containing Pseudofrin (no need to doctor's note) which will help open the nasal passageways.

Using nose sprays (with a salt water solution) may also help keep those passageways open and breathing easier.

2.  Home remedies to gargle with:

Salt Water: This is the old favorite, and you can create it by mixing 1/4 teaspoon of salt in 1 cup of warm water (the warmer the better, within your tolerance levels, don't let it get cold or loses effectiveness). If you have it at home, this is a good time to add 1 tablespoon of Listerine for its germ killing benefits. This you gargle several times a day, and will help you to rinse and neutralize acids in your throat. You will notice that the burning sensation is going down and the area will usually start to heal. Don't let up on the gargling.  

 

Raspberry Tea: Pour a glass of boiling water on 2 tea spoons of raspberry dried leaves, soak for 10 minutes and then filter. You can add 1 tea spoon of apple vinegar and/or honey, and then gargle 4 times a day.

Sage Leaves: Mix 1 spoon of sage leaves with 1 cup of boiling water, soak for 10 minutes and then filter.  You can add 1 tea spoon of apple vinegar and/or honey, and then gargle 4 times a day.

Turmeric: For a burning sensation in your throat, mix 1 cup of boiling water with 1/2 a spoon of turmeric (anti inflammation) and 1/2 a spoon of salt. Gargle twice a day. If you hate gargling, you can also mix 1/2 a spoon of turmeric with 1 glass of hot milk, and slowly sip it.

 

Hot sauce and water: Hot peppers containt a material called capsicum which alleviates pain and reduce inflammation. You can prepare this by grinding a cayenne pepper and adding 5 shakes of the ground material to a cup of hot water. Warning: it WILL burn, buy try to gargle this every 15-30 minutes and see if it does the trick. 

When the body is aching and weak, logic dictates that you rest. Same goes for throat ache. It's very important to save up your energy, to allow the body to fight the infection. If the throat pain doesn't require medical attention, resting will help cut down the healing time.

3. Rest

 

What does resting have to do with a sore throat? A lot. While you rest, your body has more energy to fight the infection in your throat. If you've taken some of our home remedies, be sure to rest between to give your body a fighting chance.

4. Vinegar

A useful home remedy based on apple vinegar: Take 1 cup of hot water and mix 1 table spoon of honey and 1 table spoon of apple vinegar.  Sip slowly without letting the liquid cool down. Drink as often as possible.

For gargling: Mix 1 spoon of salt, 1/2 a cup of vinegar and 1 cup of hot water. Drink every 15 minutes as needed. 

* Be sure to melt the salt in the vinegar before adding the water.

5.  Horseradish Cocktail

 

A traditional Russian remedy: Mix 1 cup of hot water with 1 table spoon of pure horseradish (or a horseradish root) with 1 table spoon of honey and 1 table spoon of cloves. Sip slowly over the course of an hour.

6. Citrus Fruits

Lemon Juice: Mix 1 cup of hot water with 1 table spoon of honey and 1

table spoon of squeezed lemon juice. Sip slowly.

Lime Juice: Mix 1 table spoon of lime juice with 1 table spoon of honey in hot water, and drink as needed.

7. Steam 

An old remedy for an aching throat is a steam tent. Sit with your face over a steaming bowl of hot water and cover your head with a towel to keep the steam in. Add 1-2 drops of Eucalyptus extract for a much greater help.

8. Lozenges

Some doctors say that sugar can help reduce throat ache and accompanying cough, but even Lozenges without sugar can calm down an aching throat by keeping your mouth and throat moist, which will make you feel less pain.

9. Popsicles

An ice popsicle can calm down a burning throat. Make sure you aren't sucking on the popsicle, but cutting small pieces and letting them melt in your mouth.

10. Drink plenty of liquids

This may go without saying, but when you suffer from an aching throat, you should drink at least 8-10 cups of water a day (preferably not cold water). This will keep your throat well oiled, will prevent the dry feeling you get and even aid the fight against inflammation.

 

 THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.

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Researchers, including one of Indian-origin, have developed a smartphone app that checks for jaundice in newborns and can deliver results to parents and pediatricians within minutes.

Jaundice is a common condition in babies less than a week old. Skin that turns yellow can be a sure sign that a newborn is jaundiced and isn't adequately eliminating the chemical bilirubin.

However, that discolouration is sometimes hard to see, and severe jaundice left untreated can harm a
baby.

The new app, developed by the University of Washington engineers and physicians, could serve as a screening tool to determine whether a baby needs a blood test - the gold standard for detecting high levels of bilirubin.

"Virtually every baby gets jaundiced, and we're sending them home from the hospital even before bilirubin levels reach their peak," said James Taylor, a UW professor of pediatrics and medical director of the newborn nursery at UW Medical Center.

"This smartphone test is really for babies in the first few days after they go home. A parent or health care provider can get an accurate picture of bilirubin to bridge the gap after leaving the hospital," Taylor said.

The app, called BiliCam, uses a smartphone's camera and flash and a colour calibration card.

A parent or health care professional would download the app, place the card on her baby's belly, then take a picture with the card in view. The card calibrates and accounts for different lighting conditions and skin tones.

Data from the photo are sent to the cloud and are analysed by machine-learning algorithms, and a report on the newborn's bilirubin levels is sent almost instantly to the parent's phone.

"This is a way to provide peace of mind for the parents of newborns," said Shwetak Patel, a UW associate professor of computer science and engineering and of electrical engineering.

A noninvasive jaundice screening tool is available in some hospitals, but the instrument costs several thousand dollars and isn't feasible for home use, researchers said.

Currently, both doctors and parents assess jaundice by looking for the yellow colour in a newborn's skin, but this visual assessment is only moderately accurate.

The UW team developed BiliCam to be easy to use and affordable for both clinicians and parents, especially during the first several days after birth when it's crucial to check for jaundice.

The team ran a clinical study with 100 newborns and their families at UW Medical Center.

They used a blood test, the current screening tool used in hospitals, and BiliCam to test the babies when they were between two and five days old.

They found that BiliCam performed as well as or better than the current screening tool. Though it wouldn't replace a blood test, BiliCam could let parents know if they should take that next step, researchers said.

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.

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How to Keep Your Bones Strong

 The base on which our whole body is built is the skeleton,  from which we get our stability, our ability to move and  function. Our bones are also a factory for manufacturing red  and white blood cells. It's extremely important to keep  bones strong and healthy, especially in more advanced ages,
 when calcium seems to drain away.

  A little about bone depletion:
 Bone depletion, or osteoporosis, is a disease that occurs as  a result of dwindling bone mass and a decrease in the levels  of calcium. Along our whole life, our bones are in a  continuous process of construction and destruction. However,  at a young age, there is more construction than destruction.
 Things even out as we grow older until, in our fourth decade, destruction finally overtakes construction. As a  result, our bone density drops and our bones become more prone to fractures. When this process happens in an extreme way, it is known as bone depletion. It's important to note that losing calcium also makes the bones more  sensitive, even if it happens slowly. At an older age, when our balance is not what it used to be, the danger only gets worse.

Because women start with a bone density that is already  about 30% less than men, and because they produce less  estrogen as they grow older, they must face a bigger risk when it comes to bone depletion.
  
What is the recommended calcium amount?
 The process of bone depletion in the body is a natural one  and cannot be prevented. But it can be minimized in volume  and influence, by maintaining our bones and building bone mass through correct nutrition.

 The daily calcium amount recommended for the general  population is 1000 mg a day. For adults it is 1200-1500 mg a day. In addition, vitamin D is also important, as it helps the calcium absorb in the body. So if you want to keep your bones strong, you should also consume vitamin D rich foods. You can get it from the sun or from food, but it's  important to have.

  10 Tips to Keep Our Bones Strong

  1. Consume milk products - Every child knows that milk is  rich in calcium and is essential for strengthening bones.  This goes for all milk products, including cheese, yogurt and alike. If you don't like cow's milk, try soy milk enriched with calcium.


 2. Add nuts to your diet - Although milk has the highest  ratio of calcium to volume, it is not the only source. Some nuts and seeds have handsome amounts of calcium. A 30 gram course of almonds contains 75mg of calcium, 30 grams of sesame seeds contains 37mg of calcium and sunflower seeds
 have 33mg of calcium.

 3. Eat dark green vegetables - Broccoli, Chinese cabbage,  arugula, parsley, lettuce and others are excellent sources of calcium, and contain many additional health advantages.  This will help you to also diversify your sources of calcium, which is important to maintain your health.

 4. Take the right Vitamin A - Vitamin A appears in two  forms. The first is retinol, which appears in animal products, such as the liver. The second is beta carotene and it is the way the vitamin comes from plants, especially orange vegetables like carrot, squash or sweet potato. Studies have found that consuming too much of retinol vitamin A raises the risk of bone fraction, while vitamin A in its plant form, Beta Carotene, does not damage the bones.

 5. Strengthen your bones with Vitamin K - This vitamin helps activate 3 essential proteins that are crucial for bone health. As in the case of calcium that comes from green vegetables, vitamin K also comes from the same sources. Two daily helpings of green vegetables a day give the body as
 much as it needs.

 6. Physical activity strengthens the bones - Sorry, you knew  this was coming and its of very little surprise. When we carry out a physical activity, we create pressure on our  skeleton. While it is bad to overdo it, a moderate pressure is actually very health, as it sends the body signals to create more bone cells, increase the density and make it  stronger. Operate the body with moderation, and don't go
to far with it.

 7. Eat fish - 100 grams of sardines contain an amazing  amount of over 400mg of calcium! It's recommended to consume the fresh fish of course and not the canned variety.  The little bones are also edible and contain a lot of calcium. Sardines, like the salmon, are also a great source of
vitamin D.

 8. Reduce your consumption of carbonated drinks and treats -  The acid that exists in some of the popular carbonated  drinks raises the amount of acid in the blood. To  compensate, the body uses the body's minerals, including  calcium. If the calcium is not readily available in the  blood, the body will take it from the bones and this will lessen the density and strength of the bone. There is no  problem drinking them once in a while, but if they are a  daily habit then you can do a lot of damage to your bones  over time.

 9. Avoidance measures - Like a lot of other health problems,  we return to smoking. Studies have shown that smoking harms bone density, as well as over consumption of alcohol and  caffeine.

 10. Resource allocation - We must carry out our calcium  consumption in a smart way. Our body absorbs calcium best when it is no more than 500mg at one time. So, if you are  planning on consuming a large amount of calcium rich foods or drinks, try to perhaps divide the meal or eat again
 later, to make sure the body is able to absorb all you are  giving it.
 
THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.

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8 Early Signs of Parkinson's Disease

Degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's represent some of the largest challenges facing medical researchers today. These diseases not only rob us of control over our own bodies, but slowly sap our mental capabilities as well. Like most diseases, however, they are best detected early on, when we can at least slow down the progress of the disease, hopefully until better treatments are found. To do this, we must be aware of the early symptoms and signs that point to Parkinson's.

Note: Don't panic if you have one or more of these symptoms, as they can be related to other issues. However, to stay on the safe side, if you think there is even a small chance you are showing early signs, please get tested, if only for your own peace of mind. If you do have it and you catch it early, the prognosis will be much better for you.

Here are 8 early symptoms of the onset of Parkinson's disease.

 

1. A change in handwriting

If a person's handwriting starts to go from big and free to small and cramped, this may well be an early sign of Parkinson's. The telling signs are letters that get smaller and words that seem crowded together with letters almost written on each other. Many patients also take longer to write and have trouble with repetitive tasks.

 

2. A reduced sense of smell

If someone is suddenly having trouble smelling pungent foods or picking up on scents, they should go see a doctor. Most times it has to do with sinuses, and it's definitely not one of the most obvious signs of Parkinson's, but doctors say patients with Parkinson's claim it is the earliest sign they had of the disease. While studies haven't proven the link between the symptom and the disease, a working theory is that certain proteins form clumps in the brain and may form in the olfactory area, reducing our sense of smell.

 

 

3. Trouble sleeping

Another symptom that can be easily ignored because it's so common, is the sudden inability to sleep well, even if you're usually a sound sleeper. Suddenly you toss and turn, your limbs move and twitch during sleep, or you may even wake up on the floor, having fallen from bed. Ask your significant other if you are making a lot of movements at night, and go see a doctor if it persists. 

 

4. A quieter, softer voice or an expressionless face

A softer voice and a masked face are common signs of Parkinson's. Some will not notice they are speaking at a softer tone, and they definitely won't notice their face losing expression, so it is up to the people around them to be aware of these signs. Speaking too rapidly or stammering a lot is also a symptom. 

 

 

5. Depression

Obviously many patients develop depression after learning they have Parkinson's, but there is a physical link between the deterioration that comes with Parkinson's and depression. Some patients get depressed years before the other symptoms of the disease appear. Lower-than-normal secretions of serotonin and dopamine, the neurotransmitters invovled with many bodily functions as well as mood, can cause this effect.

 

 

6. Constipation

If you find that you've seriously reduced the number of times you move your bowels, sometimes even skipping a day - that's not a good sign, even if it's not Parkinson's, and so you should check it out. The disease has an effect on the autonomic nervous system, which is responsible for unconscious processes such as digestion and bowel function. Constipation on its own is usually nothing to worry about, but if it comes with some of the other symptoms on this list - go get checked immediately.  

 

 

 

7. Shaking or having tremors while perfectly relaxed

Shaking is perfectly normal under certain circumstances. We may be excited or anxious, have just finished a workout or are feeling restless. But small shakes in our fingers, our hands, our chin, lip of full limbs while we're at rest could be a strong sign of Parkinson's, according to the National Parkinson Foundation. This symptom appears in about 70% of patients and can become more noticeable during stress or excitement. This symptom usually arrives AFTER the other symptoms on this list though. However, many a time it is the first one truly noticed, as the others can all have other explanations. 

 

8. Stiffness and slowness of movement

Stiffness in the joints that doesn't go away, coupled with muscle weakness that's here to stay can spell bad news. Suddenly everyday tasks like buttoning your shirt, walking or fixing things around the house become bothersome and difficult. You stop swinging your arms as you walk and your legs and feet feel heavy and 'stuck to the floor'. If you start hesitating before taking steps, or people are commenting that you look stiff or sore - please see a doctor.

 THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.

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