Eat Cloves Daily to Enjoy These Great Health Benefits , Boosts oxygen levels now !

Cloves are a pungent spice that is native to Asian countries like Indonesia, India, Pakistan, and even parts of East Africa. Made from the flower buds of an evergreen tree called the clove tree (Syzygium aromaticum), cloves have been used in India and China for over 2,000 years as a spice both to check tooth decay and to counter bad breath.

Cloves have a strong and flavorful aroma and are often used in a number of savory dishes, desserts, and drinks. It’s an important spice that gives many dishes that extra kick. In fact, ground cloves are often used to spice up curries and season meats and are also used to enhance the flavor of many sauces and spiced baked goods. 

 

However, are you aware that cloves have many medicinal virtues as well? In fact, having cloves on a daily basis can be really advantageous to your body. Find out how.

 

1. They are chock-a-bloc with vital nutrients

Cloves are loaded with fiber, vitamins C, and vitamin K, along with various other minerals. According to the USDA Food Data Central, some of the nutrients found in cloves are carbohydrates, protein, energy, and dietary fiber. They also contain minerals such as potassium, calcium, sodium, and magnesium. Cloves are a great source of beta-carotene, a nutrient too that the body readily converts into vitamin A.

Thus, including cloves in your diet will only help improve your overall health. 

 

2. They are high in antioxidants

Cloves are full of antioxidants, compounds that help protect your cells against free radicals. Free radicals are molecules that are produced when your body breaks down food. They can damage the body’s cells and even cause many diseases. Antioxidants, however, can help reduce oxidative stress which is described as harmful as it’s an imbalance between free radicals and antioxidants in your body. 

 

Furthermore, the active ingredient in cloves is eugenol, a compound that is known to act as a natural antioxidant and can even help lessen signs of liver cirrhosis and fatty liver disease. 

 

3. Aid in good digestion

Cloves have been used in several traditional medicinal cultures to cure different stomach issues. According to the book ‘Herbs that Heal: Natural Remedies for Good Health’, cloves promote enzymatic flow and boost digestive functioning. They are even used in various forms of gastric irritability and dyspepsia. Moreover, licking the powder of fried cloves mixed with honey is known to be quite effective in controlling vomiting. This is because the anesthetic action of cloves numbs the gullet and stomach and hence stops the vomiting.

 

4. Helps improve dental health

Clove bud extracts are known to help control the growth of oral pathogens that can cause different oral diseases. According to a study, cloves can also be taken for a reduction in gum diseases such as gingivitis and periodontitis. Because of its antiseptic properties, it helps to decrease any oral infection.

Clove is great for decreasing toothache as well. Just place one piece of clove in your mouth and gently start chewing it. If the toothache is too severe, then crush some cloves and rub the powder on the affected area. You can also use clove oil and apply it to a cavity in a decayed tooth to help relieve pain.

5. Fights inflammation

Evidence suggests that cloves may have anti-inflammatory properties and can also relieve the pain associated with arthritic inflammation. Eugenol, the active ingredient in cloves, has been shown to reduce the inflammatory response in the body. It has been particularly helpful in reducing the symptoms related to diseases such as arthritis. 

 

You can add two to four whole cloves to a bowl of warm soup or add them to your morning smoothie to boost its anti-inflammatory effects.

6. May help reduce stomach ulcers

As we have already mentioned above, cloves have anesthetic properties and can be helpful to treat various forms of gastric irritability. Research shows that some compounds found in cloves can also help treat stomach ulcers. The essential oil from cloves has been shown to increase the production of gastric mucus that helps prevent erosion of the stomach lining from digestive acids. This hence protects the stomach lining from developing any sort of ulcers. 

 

Another study in animals found that clove extract helped treat stomach ulcers and showed effects similar to anti-ulcer medications.

 

7. They are great to fight off a headache

Clove has cooling and relieving properties that can be great for fighting off headaches. If the headache is too intense, then make a paste of clove and salt crystals and have it with milk. Alternatively, you can also crush some cloves and put them in a handkerchief. Keep inhaling it every few minutes and you should get some relief in a short while. Another trick that might help is to add some clove oil to the crushed powder and then rub it gently on your forehead.

 

8. They are good for your liver health

As we have mentioned, cloves contain high amounts of antioxidants. These antioxidants are great for protecting the liver because of their ability to help decrease oxidative stress. Moreover, the compound eugenol found in cloves has been found to be particularly beneficial for the liver. Some trials have found that eugenol helps reduce signs of liver cirrhosis and fatty liver disease. 

 

That being said, eugenol is toxic in high amounts and hence we shouldn’t consume too many cloves at the same time as that might have an adverse effect on the liver.

9) Sucking 2 cloves increases your oxygen levels !
Now, due to pandemic,  what is most tested is your oxygen levels. Well, though they say below 95 isn't good, mine is usually 92-93. I tried sucking 2 cloves, within a minute it went up to 97 ! Cloves is supposed to fight the virus. Always, carry a few in your pocket, as it will come handy to you or anyone else who needs to boost their oxygen levels !

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.   

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Pulse oximeters: How they work, may help fight COVID-19 and more

As coronavirus testing efforts continue to ramp up and face masks become part of everyday life, a tiny diagnostic tool that clips to your finger is quickly becoming a must-have gadget in the fight against COVID-19. It's called a pulse oximeter, and it checks your blood oxygen level.

The device was already beginning to surge in popularity as the public learned that people with the coronavirus often arrive at the hospital with abnormally low oxygen levels. After an op-ed piece in The New York Times on April 20 recommended that pulse oximeters be used to identify the sickest among COVID-19 patients and detect the frightening condition known as "silent hypoxia," sales of the devices skyrocketed. Right now, most are sold out in stores and online.

But questions and controversy have arisen around the at-home use of pulse oximeters, which painlessly measure heart rate and oxygen levels. It's not entirely clear if pulse oximeters can help detect a coronavirus infection or whether their widespread use can help curb the spread of COVID-19.

Whether you already have a pulse oximeter or you're thinking about buying one, here's what you need to know about what they do, how they work, what the results mean and how accurate they might be.

Pulse oximeters: Vital signs, at your fingertips

A pulse oximeter is a small medical device that measures heart rate and blood oxygen saturation. It's usually clipped to your finger, but it can also attach to your ear, nose, toe or forehead. Some are battery powered and provide real-time results on a small LED display on the device itself. Others connect with a wire to a separate vital sign monitor that records even more precise information about your heart rhythm, body temperature and blood pressure using other sensors connected to your body.

How pulse oximeters measure heart rate and oxygen

A pulse oximeter measures your blood oxygen saturation and heart rate by shining a light through your skin and detecting both the color and movement of your blood cells. Oxygenated blood cells are bright red, deoxygenated cells are dark red.

The pulse oximeter compares the number of bright red cells to dark red cells to calculate your oxygen saturation as a percentage. So, for example, a reading of 99% means only 1% of the blood cells in your bloodstream have been depleted of oxygen.

Every time your heart beats, it pushes your blood through your body in a quick pulse (which is why "pulse" is another word for "heart rate"). A pulse oximeter, using light, detects this movement and calculates your heart rate in beats per minute, or BPM.

What's a healthy oxygen level and heart rate?

According to the Mayo Clinic, a normal pulse oximeter oxygen level reading is between 95% and 100%, and anything less than 90% is considered dangerously low, or hypoxic. Some doctors have reported COVID-19 patients entering the hospital with oxygen levels at 50% or below.

A normal resting heart rate is between 60 and 100 BPM. Typically, lower is better, as a slower heart rate is usually an indication of a strong cardiovascular system.

Can a pulse oximeter detect COVID-19?

Not exactly. Although many doctors report that patients with COVID-19 are presenting with dangerously low blood oxygen levels, COVID-19 isn't the only disease that can cause such a problem. Chronic lung diseases, like COPD, asthma and other non-COVID-19 lung infections can also result in a low oxygen count.

A low oxygen reading by itself is not enough to diagnose COVID-19, but your doctor would want to know about it, especially if you notice the level decreasing over time. And if you've been diagnosed with COVID-19, your doctor may want you to monitor your oxygen level to determine whether your condition is worsening or improving.

How accurate are over-the-counter pulse oximeters?
Like with any electronic equipment, not all pulse oximeters are created equal. A 2016 study of low-cost pulse oximeters concluded several inexpensive consumer-grade devices provided highly inaccurate readings.

Some pulse oximeters have been cleared by the FDA, which means they should meet FDA standards for accuracy. Note that there is a distinction between "FDA-approved" and "FDA-cleared," with "cleared" being the less rigorous of the two. That said, Class II medical devices like pulse oximeters are usually "cleared" rather than "approved."

You can look for pulse oximeters on the FDA-cleared list by visiting the FDA's Premarket Notification website and searching for "pulse oximeter" in the Device Name field, with or without a manufacturer's name.

How much should I spend on a pulse oximeter?

In the 2016 study that found most low-cost pulse oximeters to be relatively inaccurate, "low-cost" was defined as costing less than $50. Pulse oximeters that have been cleared by the FDA tend to range in price from around $50 to $60 to well into the hundreds and even thousands of dollars.

Where can I buy a pulse oximeter?

You can still find pulse oximeters on sale online at Walmart, Amazon and eBay, but most of the name-brand devices you'll find on various best lists, like those at DigitalTrends, The Wirecutter and Consumer Reports, are either sold out completely or on backorder, with shipping estimates weeks or sometimes months away.

This week, the CDC added five more official COVID-19 symptoms for a total of seven, which are detailed here. However, symptoms, vital signs and statistics aren't the only way to track the pandemic: Memes and social media chatter are relevant data points, too. Depression and anxiety may not be symptoms of the disease itself, but as the pandemic continues, you're not the only one feeling down about it.

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.     

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High Frequency of Benzodiazepine Use in COPD Concerning

Previous studies have linked benzodiazepines—a medication class that may be used in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) to treat symptoms of insomnia, depression, anxiety, and shortness of breath—with adverse outcomes, but until now there has been little information on how frequently it’s prescribed or who is using it.

COPD, also known as emphysema or chronic bronchitis, is most commonly caused by smoking in North America and is estimated to affect 5% to 10% of the Canadian population. American Thoracic Society-European Respiratory Society guidelines recommend that benzodiazepines be avoided in these patients because of potential respiratory-related side effects.

Dr. Nicholas Vozoris is the lead author of a study published in Drugs and Aging looking at the scope of benzodiazepine use in the older adult COPD population to determine just how many people are using the drug.

“I see a large number of COPD patients taking this medication class to help relieve disease-related symptoms like insomnia, depression, and anxiety,” said Vozoris, a respirologist at St. Michael’s Hospital. “But considering the potential respiratory side effects, and the well-documented neurocognitive side effects like memory loss, decreased alertness, falls, and increased risk of motor vehicle accidents, the high frequency of benzodiazepine use in COPD is very concerning.”

Vozoris and colleagues looked at more than 100,000 adults 66 years and older with COPD in Ontario between 2004 and 2009 to see how many new benzodiazepines were dispensed and the severity of each patients’ COPD while on the drug.

The results found that new benzodiazepine dispensing was common and occurred in more than a third of the adults. Use of the drugs was 40% more common among those with more severe COPD. This group also had the highest number of repeat prescriptions and early refills, and benzodiazepines were also commonly dispensed to patients while they were having flare-ups of the disease.

“These findings are new, and they are concerning because they tell us that the patients most at risk to be affected by the adverse effects of this drug are the same ones who are using it with the most frequency,” Vozoris said. “This medication could be causing harm in this already respiratory-vulnerable population.”

Although benzodiazepines can be effective for helping patients sleep, this medication class has been previously found to affect breathing ability and oxygen levels at night.

“Patients need to hear this, and health care providers need to give thought into who they are prescribing this medication class to,” Vozoris said. “We’re talking about a very vulnerable sub-group and we may be inappropriately prescribing this medication class to those patients.”

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.     
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Now, study finds a way to reduce jet lag

Reducing oxygen levels in an aeroplane cabin may help combat jet lag in travelers, suggests a new study which found that variation in oxygen levels can reset circadian clocks of mice and help them adapt eating, sleeping and running habits to the new time faster.

Lead author Gad Asher, scientist at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, and his colleagues studied that changing the concentration of oxygen in cells by just 3%, twice a day, will synchronise mouse cells to a circadian rhythm. They suspected protein HIF1a was the link between oxygen and the circadian clock because HIF1a plays both a role in oxygen homeostasis in cells.

They found that cells with low HIF1a levels will not synchronise in response to oxygen variations. "It was extremely exciting to see that even small changes in oxygen levels were sufficient to efficiently reset the circadian clock," said Asher.

Researchers further explored oxygen's effect on circadian rhythms with jet lag experiments. Just like humans, mice are prone to jetlag. Mice were first left to eat, sleep and run on their wheels in air-controlled environments. Altering oxygen levels alone did not change their circadian rhythms but once mice experienced a six-hour jump ahead in daylight hours, varying oxygen levels could help them adapt their eating, sleeping and running habits to the new time faster.

this is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.

https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com. one can see my crochet creations
https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com. feel free to view for easy, simple and healthy recipes

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