Month: December 2015

Gearing Up for The New Year’s Eve

The party season is here again! Are you ready to get drunk and groove to the latest tunes? Or, are you scared that this party season is going to spoil all your efforts to stay fit and healthy? Don’t you worry, we are here to tell you how you can get the most of the New Year’s party without compromising on your health targets. Let’s look at some expert tips you can follow for an exciting as well as healthy New Year’s party.

  1. Remain focussed – As Christmas and New Year come only once a year, indulging in food and drinks during parties may not seem to be a big deal. But in order to achieve a healthy BMI, you should still practice the principles of healthy eating to reduce the risk of unwanted weight gain. Besides, try to maintain your daily workout routine.
  2. Avoid alcohol – Yeah yeah…this is too much to ask for, that too on the occasion of New Year’s eve. But, it is important to watch your alcohol consumption, particularly if you suffer from a neurological condition. If you are on certain medication, we suggest you to go for mocktails that are made without alcohol. C’mon, you don’t have to get drunk in order to welcome New Year.
  3. Don’t skip meals – Don’t let your social calendar thwart all your efforts. You might be tempted to skip lunch or dinner in an attempt to keep your room for party food, but it may backfire! Skipping meal is a bad idea since it may lead to extreme hunger and you may end up eating more than you intended. Even at the party, try to do a mercy on yourself by keeping in mind the calories of the food you are eating. Getting enough sleep is also important for a fresh new day.
  4. Don’t drive after drinking – A lot of cases are registered of drinking and driving on the New Year’s eve. It’s likewise a major cause of accidents on this day. Here are few things you can do to avoid drinking and driving on the New Year’s eve.Drink-and-drive
  5. Post party recovery plan – Celebrations with lots of boozing can take a serious toll on your health. Waking up with puffy and swollen eyes on the next morning is one thing you might like to avoid. Moreover, too much alcohol can result in excessive dehydration in the body and also make the blood pressure to rise above the normal levels. Here are some tips to detoxify your body post any party.

Post-Party-Recovery-Plans

While you certainly want to enjoy the food and drink, you don’t want to compromise on your health targets too. Hope this article helps you in planning your New Year’s party while keeping your health at priority.

We wish that every day of the New Year be filled with success, happiness and good health for you and your family. HAPPY NEW YEAR!

HIV or AIDS – Knowing Is Everything

A lot of people are confused between HIV and AIDS. Despite being similar to an extent, there are a few differences between them which everyone should know. Since, there is so much stigma attached to these terms in our society, ignoring any awareness and knowledge about them would only lead to discrimination.

Human Immunodeficiency Virus or HIV is a virus that affects a person’s immune system, making them more vulnerable to infections and diseases. It is found in the infected person’s body fluids (blood, semen and vaginal fluids, and breast milk). The virus can be passed from one person to another through blood and sexual contact and also, by an infected mother to her child during pregnancy, at the time of delivery and during breastfeeding.

AIDS is the condition that occurs after being infected with HIV. It is the final stage of the HIV. At this stage, the virus has progressed to a level where the body has lost significant number of white blood cells resulting in a weakened immune system.

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Therefore, HIV is a virus that causes AIDS. Not everyone infected with HIV advances to this stage. Though there is still no cure for HIV/AIDS, but we can always protect ourselves from progressing to AIDS. If detected early and intervened with medication, the pace of the virus spreading all over the body can be slowed down which can even delay the onset of AIDS.

How can one get infected with HIV virus?

HIV can be transmitted through –

  • Sexual transmission: Sexual contact between two people that involves  sexual secretions from rectal, genital or oral mucous membrane, unprotected sex or sharing sex toys with someone infected with HIV are the main causes of this transmission.
  • Perinatal transmission: HIV can be passed on from an infected mother to her child during pregnancy, at the time of delivery or during breastfeeding.
  • Blood Transmission: The virus can also be transmitted when one shares or reuses needles and syringes contaminated with HIV-infected blood.
How can one lower the risk of getting HIV?
  • Practice safe sex – Choosing less risky sexual behaviour and using condoms regularly and correctly can help lower the risk of getting infected.
  • Know your partner’s health – Talk to your partner if he/she has already been tested for. Also, reduce the number of partners you chose to be physical with.
  • Get tested for other STDs and encourage your partner to do the same – If you are sexually active, get tested at least once a year.
  • Don’t share needles – Firstly, taking drugs is not the right thing at all. Sharing of needles and syringes should be avoided in any case.

At one time in history, a diagnosis of HIV or AIDS was considered a death sentence. Thanks to research and development of new treatments today, people diagnosed with HIV and AIDS are living long and productive lives. However, there is still a vital need to increase awareness, fight prejudice and improve education.

Why You Should Know About Cancer?

Being diagnosed with Cancer can be one of the most frightening experiences anyone can have. Studies reveal that 1 million new Cancer cases are being diagnosed in India every year. The news of being diagnosed with Cancer can leave you in a state of emotional turmoil which is enough for anyone to lose all hopes to live and surrender to this disease.

We often think, that we are completely healthy and immune from Cancer as there is no history of Cancer in our family. But as a matter of fact, anyone with a normal and healthy lifestyle and healthy genes can get Cancer. Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the world, particularly in developing countries.

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Few reasons why knowing about Cancer helps:

  1. Be aware – Being prepared and taking preventive actions can only do well to your health. Most people still think Cancer is a deadly disease which has no cure. Their knowledge about the disease is very limited which can only worsen the situation.
  1. Know about warning signs – Do you know 80% of Cancers are curable if they are diagnosed at an early stage? Cancer can be prevented if you know the warning signs in advance. When should you visit a doctor? What are the risk factors that cause Cancer? Information like these can make you more familiar with the disease and help you get rid of fears and clear the myths around Cancer.
  1. Know about Carcinogens – Carcinogens are substances in the environment that can cause Cancer. By Knowing about them, you can avoid them and lower your risk of getting Cancer.
  1. Remove the stigma around Cancer – Talking about Cancer is still a social stigma in India, which has increased the burden of this disease. A lot of people take Cancer as a synonym of death. It’s high time we start talking about it and make people aware about it.
  1. Be an emotional support to cancer patients – Cancer patients go through a lot during their treatment. Treatment has an intense effect on their health and personality. If nothing, one can definitely provide emotional support to them and motivate them to not lose their hope during this tough journey. Assure them that you have their back and will not let them fall.

One such initiative is Crab Curry – a Cancer support group, in which one gains knowledge about Cancer not only for himself but for others as well. Anyone can join Crab Curry on Facebook and become a part of this community.