Seeing is Believing

Like physical exercise strengthens and de-stresses the body from fatigue, similarly a few simple exercises go a long way in strengthening eye muscles and provide relaxation. The first step is to strengthen visual concentration. Sit comfortably with your back and neck straight but not stiff. Start by holding each below mentioned posture for a few minutes and gradually increase the time. Focus your gaze on the tip of your nose without blinking. Remain in this position for as long as you can. Then close your eyes and relax. Focus on your “third eye” without blinking. This is the area between the eyebrows above your nose. Then close your eyes and relax. It may feel uncomfortable or hard to do at first, but do not give up. Keep your focus on that area and with time, you will find this posture easier to do. Without turning your head, focus both eyes on your left shoulder. Remain in this position for as long as you can. Then close your eyes and relax. Repeat this sequence with the right shoulder. After you are finished, place the palms of your hands on your closed eyes and rest for some time. This will help eye muscles relax. lie on your back facing up. Your palms should face the ceiling and your legs should be about shoulder-width apart. Close your eyes. Breathe into your stomach. Feel it expand as it fills with air. Continue breathing in and out for a few minutes and then open your eyes. Pick a stationary object to look at. Close your eyes again and continue “looking” at that object. This exercise helps to relax your eyes. It also balances mental focus with imagination. Eyes, as we all know, are subjected to so many ordeals that cause various forms of discomfort and sight problems the most common being headache. The following set exercises that form a part of yoga aim to provide relief and strengthen eye muscles.

1. Sit at the edge of your chair with your back straight. Close your eyes and place the palm of each hand over an eye, so you feel your palms warming your eyes.
2. Remove your hands, keeping your eyes closed. Inhale deeply through your nose. Exhale and let your head drop forward than rotate it from side to side. Then shrug your shoulders, making circles with them forward and backward.
   
3. Close your eyes tightly and lift and tighten your shoulders as much as you can. Hold for a few seconds and then exhale, suddenly releasing your shoulders and opening your eyes. Repeat this several times.
   
4. Blink repeatedly, fluttering your eyelids until your eyes become moist. Repeat this several times.
5. Breathing naturally and focus on an object far away from you for about half a minute. Try to maintain your focus, blink rapidly several times. Then focus on a nearby object for about 15 seconds. Try to maintain your focus and blink rapidly several times.
6. To counteract the tendency to squint, look up while exhaling with eyes half open.
7. This exercise helps the extrinsic muscles that move the eyes. Try to keep your head straight and in line with your spine. Roll your eyes into all of the directions below while exhaling. Hold for a few seconds and then return your eyes to the center while you inhale.
8. Keep your head straight and look at the object ahead. Exhale and look from side to side without turning your head. Now try to exhale and turn your head from side to side several times letting your eyes follow the head movement. Then turn your upper body from side to side and let your eyes follow the body movement.
9. Place your palms over your eyes to warm them. When you are ready, remove them and open your eyes.

All these exercises done at regular intervals with proper care on inhaling and exhaling of air provide satisfactory results. For safeguard eyesight and de-stress eyes from strain one should take a break from work for a few minutes that exposes to potential things that cause eyestrain.

Issued in public interest by Shroff Eye Hospital, Bandra, Mumbai

Healthy Hair

Some foods like meat, fish, egg, cheese and milk contains nutriens that are good for healthy hair. Salmon fish loaded with omega-3 fatty acids, this high-quality protein source is also filled with vitamin B-12 and iron. Essential omega-3 fatty acids are needed to support scalp health. A deficiency can result in a dry scalp and thus hair, giving it a dull look. If you are vegetarian? Include one or two tablespoons of ground flaxseed in your daily diet for some plant-based omega-3 fats. Spinach, like broccoli and Swiss chard, is an excellent source of vitamins A and C, which your body needs to produce sebum. The oily substance, secreted by your hair follicles, is the body's natural hair conditioner. Dark green vegetables also provide iron and calcium. Legumes like kidney beans and lentils should be an important part of your hair-care diet. Not only do they provide plentiful protein to promote hair growth, but ample iron, zinc, and biotin. While rare, biotin deficiencies can result in brittle hair. Brazil nuts are one of nature's best sources of selenium, an important mineral for the health of your scalp. Walnuts contain alpha-linolenic acid, an omega-3 fatty acid that may help condition your hair. They are also a terrific source of zinc, as are cashews, pecans, and almonds. A zinc deficiency can lead to hair shedding, so make sure nuts are a regular on your healthy hair menu. Chickens and turkeys may have feathers, but the high-quality protein they provide will help give you the healthy hair you crave. Poultry also provides iron with a high degree of bioavailability, meaning your body can easily reap its benefits. eggs are one of the best protein sources you can find. They also contain biotin and vitamin B-12, which are important beauty nutrients. Sink your teeth into hearty whole grains, including whole-wheat bread and fortified whole-grain breakfast, cereals, for a hair-healthy dose of zinc, iron, and B vitamins. Oysters may be better known for their reputation as an aphrodisiac, but they can also lead to healthy hair. The key to their love and hair-boosting abilities is zinc. Low-fat dairy products like skim milk and yogurt are great sources of calcium, an important mineral for hair growth. They also contain whey and casein, two high-quality protein sources. Carrots are an excellent source of vitamin A, which promotes a healthy scalp along with good vision.

DHA

DHA is found in cold water fatty fish, including salmon, tuna (bluefin tuna have up to five times more DHA than other types of tuna), mackerel, sardines, shellfish, and herring. Although some of these fish contain low levels of mercury, the Food and Drug Administration has found that consuming several servings of fish each week poses no risk to healthy people and conveys many health benefits. Women who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant should avoid Atlantic mackerel, shark, swordfish, and tilefish, and should limit consumption of white albacore tuna to under 6 oz. per week. (High-quality fish oil supplements made by manufacturers who test for mercury and other toxins do not pose the same risk of mercury contamination. Read labels carefully and check for purity, or ask your doctor to help you find the best quality DHA supplement.)

Omega-3 Fatty Acid Consumption Linked to Better hearts

A Japanese study comparing native Japanese men, American men living in the United States, and Japanese born men living in the United States has found that men with the highest consumption of omega-3 fatty acids, such as that typically seen in the native Japanese diet had far superior (two-fold higher) levels of omega-3 fatty acids. Given pollution concerns that surround many forms of fresh fish, it was recommended that supplementation with 'safe' sources of omega-3 fatty acids is an ideal way to promote cardiovascular health.

AHA Recommendation

Omega-3 fatty acids benefit the hearth of healthy people, and those at high risk of-or who have-cardiovascular disease. We recommend eating fish(particularly fatty fish) at least two times a week. Fish is good source of protein and doesn't have the high saturated fat that fatty meat products do. Fatty fish like mackerel, lake trout, herring, sardines, albacore tuna and salmon are high in two kinds of omega-3 fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid(DHA). We also recommend eating tofu and other forms of soybeans, canola, walnut and flaxseed, and their oils. These contain alpha-linolenic (LNA), which can become omega-3 fatty acid int he body. The extent of this modification is modest and controversial, however. More studies are needed to show a cause-and-effect relationship between alpha-linolenic acid and hearth disease.

Fish oil is one of suplement recommended for healthy diet for it is contains of the omega-3 fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid(EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), precursors to eicosanoids that reduce inflammation throughout the body. Fish itself do not produce omega-3 fatty acids, but instead of accumulate them from either consuming microalgae that produce these fatty acids, as is the case with fish like herring and sardines, or as is the case with fatty predatory fish, by eating prey fish like mackerel, lake trout, fluonder, albacore tuna and salmon may be high in omega-3 fatty acids, but due to their position at the top of the food chain, these species dan accumulate toxic substances. For this reason, the FDA recommends limiting consumption of certain fish species (e.g. albacore tuna, shark, and swordfish) due to high levels of toxic contaminants such as mercury, dioxin, PCBs and chlordane. There are vegetarian, DHA Omega-3 products made from algae available if toxic contaminants are of concern.

There is healthy mind inside the healthy body. Let's start our day with fifteen minutes of jogging. The simple activitf we can do around our home. Take a deep breath while doing this exercise and feel the fresh oxygen flow in your body. This fresh oxygen come in to the blood and restore some of part of it that is need to be mend.