3 Ways to Ease Joint Pain this Winter

"Every mile is two in winter" said poet George Herbert. A big chunk of our Facebook fans couldn't agree more, particularly the ones who have arthritis or joint pain. We polled them to find out what triggers their hip and knee pain, and 42 percent blamed cold weather -- by far the leading cause. But can the elements really make your joints ache?

The scientific evidence is conflicting. Some studies find a strong relationship between short, cold, damp days and arthritis flare-ups. Research from Tufts University suggests changes in barometric pressure worsen knee pain in people with arthritis, while colder temps can cause painful changes in joint fluid thickness. Other studies have found little or no link between weather and joint pain.

Whether your aches are sparked by the weather or something else, these three steps can help you feel better.

Eat Healthy - Load up on foods rich in:

Omega-3 fatty acids. Think salmon and nuts to curb inflammation.

Vitamin K. Make meals that feature greens, such as spinach, kale, and cabbage, for their pain-soothing properties.

Vitamin C. Add color to your diet with juicy oranges, sweet red peppers and tomatoes, and other C-rich foods to halt cartilage loss (and resulting pain) that comes with arthritis.

Avoid foods high in omega-6 fatty acids, such as corn oil, which may trigger painful inflammation. Also swap refined grains for whole grains. Early research suggests refined grains have an inflammatory effect, whereas high-fiber whole grains may help reduce inflammation.

Take Supplements:

Glucosamine sulfate and chondroitin may help by nourishing cartilage and increasing lubrication in your joints. A large-scale study funded by the National Institutes of Health found that a daily combo of 1,500 milligrams of glucosamine and 1,200 milligrams of chondroitin might help ease symptoms in people with moderate-to-severe joint pain.

Also make sure you're getting plenty of vitamin D to help keep your bones strong and prevent joint pain. Look for a supplement with 1,000 milligrams of D3 (the kind your body manufactures from sunlight), but check with your doctor first because some supplements can interact with prescription and over-the-counter drugs.

Keep Moving:

One reason cold weather is linked to joint pain is people are less likely to work out when it's chilly and damp. Being a couch potato is bad news for your joints because exercise helps lubricate them to prevent pain. Try these 6 safe, easy exercises for arthritic knees.

Too cold out? Bring your workout indoors -- and don't overdo it! Choose low-impact aerobic moves that are easy on joints, such as walking, and yoga or tai chi, which enhance your range of motion. Lifting weights can also help because it builds joint-supporting muscles.

Ayurvedic Way of Respiration Can Cure Asthma

Proper ways of breathing can cure serious diseases like asthma. One should pay attention to breathing along with practicing yoga asanas. Some important exercises are being mentioned below, which are helpful in controlling this disease.

1. Always sit straight. Whenever you stand, keep your back straight. Fold your lips in the manner they are folded to blow whistle. Then apply pressure and exhale. Count the breaths and slowly double the capacity to stop the breath but do not do it forcibly. Do not stop breath in between the process of inhaling and exhaling because irregular breathing pattern should not be followed in case of asthma.

2. If you are unable to breath and the shoulders and neck muscles become stiff then follow this technique. Bend the left ear downwards so that it touches the left shoulder, repeat the same technique with the right ear. Lift the shoulders in such a way that they touch both the ears. Slowly bring down the shoulders as far as possible and rotate them forward, backward, up and down in a circular motion. Keep the pace of rotation fast at sometimes and slow at other times. When the muscles get relaxed, the breathing also becomes normal and stops the irregular respiration pattern, congestion in the chest, and anxiety.

3. Lie down straight and keep a book on the stomach. Breath through the diaphragm and see that the book moves upwards when you exhale and comes down when you inhale. This exercise should be done everyday for five minutes, it improves the health of the lungs and strengthens the muscles. Gradually increase the duration of the exercise and the weight on the stomach.
A simple exercise to expand the skeleton:


1. Spread the legs equal to the distance of the shoulders, take the hands forwards and exhale, then spread the hands and take them on either side of the body and then backwards. Keep the elbows on the back and try to expand the skeleton and inhale slowly.

2. Spread the legs equal to the distance of the shoulders and stand straight. Now lift both the hands upwards and try to contract the body in the same position. Take slow and deep breaths in this position. You should feel that the skeleton is moving above the spine. Exhale while bringing down the hands and concentrate only on exhaling. 

Yogic,Nature & Home Remedies for High Blood Pressure

Causes of High Blood Pressure:

Excessive mental stress and a stressful daily routine are the main reason for high blood pressure. Wrong eating habits and irregular life style develop negative thoughts, and a competitive life style increases the risk of this disease. Sometimes high blood pressure could also occur due to the side-effects of some medicines.

Addiction to smoking and alcohol for a long time, consumption of non-vegetarian food, mental stress, anger, feeling of loneliness, lack of exercise, excess intake of salt, continuous medication, obesity, kidney diseases, sleeplessness, being awake till late hours, and holding very high ambitions are the main reasons for hypertension.

Symptoms of High Blood Pressure:

Overweight, headache, heaviness and restlessness, palpitation, weariness, sleeplessness, fast heart beat, discomfort, reddishness on face and ears, panicky, short tempered nature, giddiness, nose bleeding are the common symptoms of high blood pressure. It is also known as silent killer, a disease that causes harm slowly. The major health problems that could arise due to high blood pressure are paralysis, brain hemorrhage, heart attack etc.

Yogic Cure for High Blood Pressure:

Yoga has special importance in controlling high blood pressure and regular practice of yoga is very beneficial. Light relaxing exercises are also beneficial in case of this problem.
Deep breathing and Kumbhak should be avoided and postures like Sukhasana, Vajrasana should be used for practicing breathing exercises. Practice Shavasana in case of weariness.
Chandrabhedi pranayam is beneficial in reducing high blood pressure.
Katichakrasana, Tadasana, Bhujangasana, Shalabhasana, Dhanurasana, Pavan muktasana and Shavasana are very beneficial in case of normal blood pressure level. Body purification processes and Jalaneti are very beneficial.
Regular practice of yoga nidra is helpful in controlling the increased blood pressure levels. Regular practice of meditation reduces the risk of high blood pressure.

Nature Cure High for Blood Pressure:

Nature cure gives instant results and controls high blood pressure. It includes keeping wet bandage on stomach and forehead, enema, hot water bath and spine bath. Cold water spine bath is very beneficial in this case. Placing cold bandage on spine is also equally effective.
Keeping a wet mud bandage or lep on whole body once a week is also beneficial.
Water prepared in green bottle after keeping it under sun (during sunset) is ideal. Drink half cup of this water twice daily to control high blood pressure.
The patient of high blood pressure should begin his day with morning walk and try to lead a natural
Diet and Regimen for High Blood Pressure:
Food has an important place in any illness especially in case of high blood pressure.
Food should not cause constipation, and in fact relieve it. Fruit diet is ideal for sometime and then begin the treatment.
Reduce the intake of salt.
Eat seasonal fruits at least three to four times during the day.
Concentrate on food while eating and chew it properly.
The patients of high blood pressure should not eat hot, spicy, stale, heavy food and items made with gram flour, sugar, meat, and avoid smoking, drinking alcohol.
Try to get rid of any negative thoughts at the time of eating food. Negative thinking has bad effect on digestion of the food.
Drink one glass lukewarm lemon water with two spoons honey in the morning.
Eat seasonal fruit like papaya, guava or sprouts and fenugreek or fruit juice in breakfast.
Eat chapatti made with whole wheat flour, one or two boiled green vegetables, salad and curd.
Take any seasonal fruit or fruit juice or lemon water mixed with honey in the evening.
Take one or two chapattis made with whole wheat flour or coarse meal and boiled vegetable along with salad at night.

Home Remedies for High Blood Pressure

Mix onion juice and pure honey in equal quantities and take two grams once daily to cure high blood pressure.
Onion juice reduces cholesterol level in the blood and prevents heart attack and controls the stiffness of blood veins. It helps in reducing high blood pressure. Honey makes the heart strong and healthy. Use this remedy for five to seven days and note the difference. Continue it for few days in case of benefit.
Grind watermelon seeds and poppy seeds separately and mix in equal quantities. Take three gram on empty stomach with water twice daily. This controls high blood pressure and helps in getting proper sleep. It also overcomes headache. This should be taken three to four times.
Take three grams of dry fenugreek powder twice daily on empty stomach for 10-15 days with water to reduce high blood pressure. It is also beneficial in case of diabetes.
Chew one or two peeled garlic pods after meals with water. Alternatively, eat the garlic pods wrapped in dry dates (seedless).
Grind wheat and gram in equal quantities and prepare the flour. Make chapattis made with whole wheat flour and eat daily. This controls high bloodpressure within one or two days.
Store water in copper vessel at night and drink it in the morning. This is very beneficial to control high blood pressure.
Grind four basil leaves and two neem leaves with water and take on empty stomach for five to seven days to control high blood pressure.
Eat ripe papaya on empty stomach regularly in the morning and do not eat anything up to two hours after this.
Use onion and garlic in food to overcome heart disease. Using onion and garlic in proper proportion reduces cholesterol level and regulates high blood pressure level.
Diluted curd is very beneficial in case of low and high blood pressure. Patients of low blood pressure should take two grains of asafetida along with diluted curd. Drink a glassful of diluted curd one hour after meals; it acts like nectar.
Cholai vegetable and its juice is beneficial in controlling high blood pressure, like diluted curd.

Harmful Foods for High Blood Pressure:

Heavy food made with milk, butter, oily food, clarified butter, salt, brinjal, potato, half ripe banana, raw jack fruit, pulses, refined flour, sweets, jaggery, oil, dry mango powder, spices, polished rice, sugar, coffee, tea, sitting in the same position or standing for long time, running up the stairs, eating in excess and frequently are all harmful.

Suitable Foods for High Blood Pressure:

Sweet lime, apple, watermelon, myrobalan, lemon, papaya, are suitable. Green vegetables, spinach, gourd, onion, tomato, carrot, salad, carrot juice, bathua are all beneficial. Soak stale chapatti in milk and eat. Mix glucose in curd and eat. Do not drink water while eating food. Mix juice of half lemon in half cup of water and drink twice or thrice for immediate effect. 


61 Health Benefits of Omega 3 Fatty Acids

1. There is strong evidence that omega-3 fatty acids have a beneficial effect in bipolar disorder.

2. Omega-3 fatty acid supplementation is associated with reduced mania and depression in juvenile bipolar disorder.

3. Clinical studies have reported that oral fish oil supplementation has beneficial effects in rheumatoid arthritis and among some asthmatics.


4. Fish oil improves tubular dysfunction, lipid profiles and oxidative stress in patients with IgA nephropathy.

5. Dietary supplementation with flaxseed oil lowers blood pressure in dyslipidaemic patients.

6. Omega 3 fatty acids improve the cardiovascular risk profile of subjects with metabolic syndrome, including markers of inflammation and auto-immunity.

7. Omega-3 in modest doses reduces cardiac deaths, and in high doses reduces nonfatal cardiovascular events.

8. Dietary supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids reduces the incidence of sudden cardiac death in patients with myocardial infarction.

9. Omega-3 fatty acid reduce the total mortality and sudden death in patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction.

10. Raising blood levels of omega-3 fatty acid levels may be 8 times effective than distributing automated external defibrillators (AEDs), and 2 times more effective than implanting implanting cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) in preventing sudden death.

11. Omega-3 fatty acid supplementation reduces total mortality and sudden death in patients who have already had a heart attack.

12. Consuming small quantities of fish is associated with a reduction in coronary heart disease.

13. Omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D supplementation results in a substantial reduction incoronary calcium scores and slowed plaque growth.

14. Omega-3 fatty acids prevent atrial fibrillation after coronary artery bypass surgery.

15. Omega-3 fatty acid supplementation has a therapeutic effect in children with ADHD.

16. A combination of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids as well as magnesium and zinc consumption provide a beneficial effect on attentional, behavioural, and emotional problems of children and adolescents.

17. Fish oil supplementation has a significant therapeutic effect on children with autism.

18. Omega-3 fatty acids appear to be an effective treatment for children with autism.

19. The consumption of omega-3 fatty acid supplements decreases homocysteine levels indiabetic patients.

20. Omega-3 fatty acids improve macro- and microvascular function in subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

21. In patients with stable coronary artery disease, an independent and inverse association exists between n-3 fatty acid levels and inflammatory biomarkers.

22. Omega-3 fatty acids improve endothelial function in peripheral arterial disease.

23. Fish oil has a beneficial effect on blood viscosity in peripheral vascular disease.

24. Fish oil supplementation improves walking distance in peripheral arterial disease.

25. The omega-3 fatty acid docosapentaenoic acid (DPA) reduces the risk of peripheral arterialdiseaseassociated with smoking.

26. An 8-month treatment with omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA) has a positive effects, such asdecreasing inflammation, in patients with cystic fibrosis.

27. Omega-3 fatty acids may have a protective effect against mucus over-production caused by pulmonary bacterial colonization in cystic fibrosis.

28. Omega-3 fatty acid supplementation reduces inflammatory biomarkers, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and interleukin-8 concentrations in cystic fibrosis patients.

29. DHA increases resistance to Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection.

30. EPA supplementation has therapeutic value in the treatment of chronic hepatitis C patients.

31. EPA and DHA have therapeutic value in the treatment of systemic lupus erythmeatosus.

32. Omega-3 fish oil reduces the severity of symptoms in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

33. Fish and long-chain omega-3 fatty acid intake reduce the risk of coronary heart disease and total mortalityin diabetic women.

34. Higher plasma concentrations of EPA and DPA are associated with a lower risk of nonfatalmyocardial infarction among women.

35. Omega-3 fatty acid consumption is inversely associated with incidence of hypertension.

36. Fish oil, but not flaxseed oil, decreases inflammation and prevents pressure overload-induced cardiac dysfunction.

37. The consumption of fish reduces the risk of ischemic stroke in elderly individuals.

38. A moderate intake of EPA and DHA may postpone cognitive decline in elderly men.

39. Omega-3 fatty acids may have a therapeutic effect on postpartum depression.

40. Omega-3 fatty acids may have therapeutic value in the treatment of dry eye syndrome.

41. Omega-3 fatty acid supplementation exhibits therapeutic value in the treatment of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptomatology.

42. Fish consumption reduces the risk of ischemic stroke in men.

43. Omega-3 Fatty acids supplementation prevents and reverses insulin resistance.

44. Omega-3 fatty acids prevent the formation of urinary calcium oxalate stone formation.

45. Omega-3 fatty acids are beneficial for children with bronchial asthma.

46. Omega 3 fatty acid supplementation may contribute to the prevention of early preterm birth in both low-risk and high-risk pregnancies.

47. Fish consumption is associated with a 63% reduction in prostate cancer-specific mortality.

48. Omega 3 fatty acids decrease the severity of autoimmune disorders.

49. Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) may have a therapeutic role in attenuating pulmonary hypertension.

50. Omega-3 fatty acids resulted in an improvement in weight bearing in dogs with osteoarthritis.

51. Primary open-angle glaucoma patients have reduced blood levels of DHA and EPA.

52. Omega-3 fatty acids alleviate insulin resistance and fatty liver in obese mice.

53. Intake of eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids from fish may be associated with areduced prevalence of allergic rhinitis.

54. Cod liver oil (omega-3 Fatty Acids) reduces the need for NSAIDs in patients withrheumatoid arthritis.

55. Omega-3 Fatty Acids has significant therapeutic benefits and drug sparing activity in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.

56. Diets containing EPA and DHA have an inhibitory effect on breast cancer growth and metastasis.

57. Dietary Omega-3 fatty acids may protect smokers against chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

58. Omega-3 fatty acids were shown to be more effective than placebo for depression in both adults and children in small controlled studies and in an open study of bipolar depression.

59. The omega-3 fatty acid EPA is as effective as fluoxetine (Prozac) in treating major depressive disorder.

60. A diet low in trans-unsaturated fat and rich in omega-3 fatty acids and olive oil may reducethe risk of age-related macular degeneration.

61. Higher intake of omega 3 fatty acids may reduce the risk of pneumonia.