Monday, May 07, 2018

Did you know that laughing can help you lose belly fat?

Indeed the deep-rooted belly laugh is one of the best feelings in the world, perhaps, the best medicine. Laughter strengthens your immune system, boosts mood, diminishes pain and even helps you lose weight and tone your belly. It is also a great antidote to stress. Of course, laughter is the best way to bring people together and form strong bonds. To raise awareness about laughter and its many health benefits, World Laughter Day is celebrated worldwide on the first Sunday of May of every year. With so much power to heal and repair, being able to laugh easily and frequently may be a tremendous resource for combating problems, and enhancing overall health - both physically and mentally. Science has shown that this involuntary reaction to certain external or internal stimuli can even add years to your life. So, if you want to yield those benefits, you better learn to laugh, even in times of struggle. So, keep laughing, this priceless medicine is fun and free, no charge required.

Health benefits of laughter
Here, we list some of the unbelievable health benefits of laughter you probably didn't know:
Lowers blood pressure
One study suggested that laughter is heart-healthy as it has been shown to lower the systolic blood pressure (the top number in the reading) in people who took part in bimonthly group sessions built around music or laughter. Lowering your blood pressure reduces your risk of stroke and heart attack.
Tones your tummy
You might be surprised to learn that laughing can also help you lose weight and reduce belly fat. The fact is that as you laugh, the muscles in your belly expand and contract fully, which is exactly like exercising your abs. Actually, one study showed that laughing for 10 to 15 minutes every day can help a person burn about 40 calories - which is equivalent to losing three or four pounds over the course of a year. Laughter can be a natural way to exercise various muscles in your body, and thus, aiding you in weight loss.
Improves metabolism
Laughter reduces the levels of stress hormone cortisol, which lowers the metabolism and stores fat in the midsection. This means, laughter will help improve your metabolism naturally, which in turn, influences your body to burn more calories and lose weight.
Boosts immune system
Studies suggest that people who regularly laugh have increased levels of T-cells, which help protect the body from infections, thereby improving resistance to sickness. Laughter can stimulate the antibody cells to develop at faster rates and help stop intruders from harming the body.
Helps you live longer
Considering how a good laugh can actually affect your health - be it your stress levels or overall wellness - studies suggest that indulging your sense of humour may help you live a healthier life and extend your lifespan. According to a large study published recently, women with a strong sense of humour were found to live longer in spite of illness, particularly cardiovascular disease and infection.

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.                                                                                                                                                                                                        PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO  VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                           https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com/  

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Saturday, February 06, 2016

Meditation lowers pain, anxiety in breast cancer biopsy

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Researchers from the Duke Cancer Institute in Durham, US found that during such period even music is effective, but only to a lesser extent.

Meditation also helps lower pain during biopsy, the study said.
"Listening to guided meditation resulted in significantly lower biopsy pain during imaging-guided breast biopsy, and both meditation and music reduced patient anxiety and fatigue," said Mary Scott Soo, associate professor at Duke Cancer Institute.


There are medical approaches to ease anxiety by providing anti-anxiety drugs but they may sedate the patients, the researchers noted, adding that meditation is simple and inexpensive, and can be seen as a good alternative. 

Anxiety and potential pain can also have a negative impact on patient care undergoing image-guided needle biopsies for diagnosing breast cancer, which are otherwise efficient and successful, the researchers indicated.

Patients who experience pain and anxiety may move during the procedure, which can reduce the effectiveness of biopsy, or they may not adhere to follow-up screening and testing, the researchers revealed in the study published online in the Journal of the American College of Radiology.

The researchers enrolled 121 women undergoing breast cancer diagnosis at Duke and randomly assigned them to receive one of three approaches as they underwent stereotactic and ultrasound-guided biopsy: a recorded meditation, music, or standard care with a technologist offering casual conversation and support.

The meditation was a guided "loving/kindness" script that focused on building positive emotions such as compassion towards oneself and others and releasing negative emotions. 

Patients in the music group listened to their choice of instrumental jazz, classical piano, harp and flute, nature sounds or world music. Standard-care patients received supportive and comforting dialogue with the radiologist or technologist.

Immediately before and after biopsy, participants completed questionnaires measuring nervousness and anxiety, ranking biopsy pain between a low of zero to a high of 10, and assessing feelings of weakness and fatigue.

Patients in the meditation and music groups reported significantly greater reductions in anxiety and fatigue after biopsy than those receiving standard care. The standard-care patients reported increased fatigue after biopsy, the researchers concluded.

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Sunday, February 01, 2015

6 absolute reasons why you should soak up the sun

The air is laden with the smell of winters. Winters are finally here with their chill. The image of cosying up in bed in a blanket with a hot cup of coffee is what this season brings. But aren't you forgetting the best thing about winters? The blissful sunshine? Yes! All that we want in winters is to just lazily relax in the sun without a care in the world and fight the winter blues. So don't cocoon yourself in that snug blanket but go out and soak up all that wonderful sunshine for a little while.

That said, one should be careful about the duration of time we expose ourselves to the sun. The sun's rays feel pleasant but long exposure to sun causes most of the wrinkles,age spots and skin cancer. So one should be careful about safe sun exposure.

Small amounts of sun exposure offers many health benefits so everyone should aim to spend at least 15 minutes in the sun every day. Here are some reasons why you should:

Your body needs the sunshine vitamin:

We need vitamin D to absorb calcium and phosphorus from our diet which in turn are important for healthy bones.Vitamin D also protects against muscle weakness, is necessary for thyroid function and is involved in the regulation of the heartbeat. Our body creates most of our vitamin D from direct sunlight on our skin. Various research have shown promising associations between our vitamin D consumption and decreased risks of developing a variety of conditions including autoimmune diseases, cardiovascular disease, chronic inflammation, certain cancers and diabetes.So it is essential that we have enough of this sunshine vitamin.

Boosts your immunity

Vitamin D is crucial in activating our immune defences as it triggers and arms the body's T cells, the cells in the body that seek out and destroy any invading bacteria and viruses.

Brightens up your mood:

It has been found out that 1 in 6 people develop SAD (Seasonal affective disorder) who live in cold or rainy climates. For some, winters can be a depressing time. The right amount of sunshine is the perfect remedy for it as it effectively recharges you. Spending a little time outside can help increase the levels of serotonin and create extra endorphins in your body. Sunlight exposure can affect your emotional well-being and help you ward off depression and stress. So make sure you take a little walk in the sun whenever you can because sunlight is the most abundant and easiest to absorb anti-depressant you will ever find.

Reduces risk of serious diseases:

Many studies have revealed the links between vitamin D and its association with protection against colon, kidney, and breast cancer. Vitamin D has also been associated with improvement in the conditions like diabetes, heart disease, autoimmune disorder, obesity, infertility, PMS etc. Sunlight also improves liver function in your body and assists the breaking down of body waste thus effective in curing jaundice. Effective sunbathing can help prevent more than 25 chronic diseases and help save lives.

Aids in minimizing pain: 

Soaking up the sun can reduce the risk of rheumatoid arthritis. It has been found that women regularly exposed to sunlight reduced their risk of developing the condition by a fifth. Sun exposure can lower pain levels and assist in natural healing. Also moderate exposure to sunlight can help make the recovery process after a surgery less painful.

Helps you sleep better:

If you are battling insomnia, it's a good idea to step out in the sun. Exposure to natural light during the day can assist you to sleep better at night. Sunlight shuts off the body’s production of melatonin, a hormone produced at night that makes you feel drowsy.

All said, it should be noted again that like everything else, sunlight should be enjoyed in moderation to reap the benefits of the essential sunshine vitamin. So step out and enjoy the advantages of this free commodity!


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








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