Tag: Wellness

Ways To Prevent Viral Infections This Season

Viral Infections

Air-borne, water-borne and mosquito-borne diseases are rampant in this season, and everyone should take proper precautions to avoid getting sick in this season!

Here we bring you some of the ways which can help prevent these viral infections:

  1. Check the water you are drinking! Go for clean, boiled water and avoid drinking regular water from cafes or anywhere you go to hang out with friends next!
  2. Always keep your mouth and nose covered with a handkerchief while sneezing.
  3. Avoid eating out as much as possible. Your body needs fresh food during this season. No matter how much you crave for pakoras and junk food, try to avoid it for some time and eat healthy!
  4. Wear full sleeves clothes as there are chances of Dengue, Zika, and Chikungunya in this season, and these mosquitoes bite only during day time.
  5. If you are traveling, don’t compromise with your health. Carry a hand sanitizer wherever you go.

Prevention Tips for Kids

  1. Don’t let your child get wet in these rains, as it contains acidic elements which can make your child get sick.
  2. If any child in your neighbourhood is sick, don’t let your child play with him/her till he/she fully recovers, as viruses can spread easily this season.
  3. Keep the nails of your little ones clean to avoid the accumulation of dirt.
  4. Ensure that your child doesn’t eat from roadside this season.

If you or your loved one still catches viral infections, make sure to visit a doctor! A simple blood test can tell if you have a virus or a bacterial infection. You can also avail Oncquest’s health tests for the right treatment.  The best thing is – you can easily get your samples collected at your doorstep and view the reports online. Oncquest’s hassle-free, easy and convenient service is what you should go for to keep yourself healthy this season!

Viral fever, throat infections, cold and cough are common in this season. No need to panic, take all possible measures, and if you still get sick, visit a doctor. 

 

Top 6 Foods To Eat This Summer

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Summer is not just the time to change your wardrobe, but also your diet. Check out some foods that you should definitely eat this season!

  1. Curd/Yogurt

Curd is an excellent food for summer as it works as a delicious coolant in this weather. Make curd a part of your daily nutritional regime, and beat the terrible summer heat!

You can have buttermilk or lassi or you can even add fruits in your curd to make it taste better.

  1. Watermelon

Watermelon is another amazing summer food as it keeps you hydrated and energized. Loaded with vitamins & minerals, watermelon helps fight various diseases! Don’t miss out on this juicy and healthy fruit this season!

Remember not to buy the already chopped slices of watermelon by roadside vendors, as it can cause health problems like diarrhoea.

  1. Onions

Onions are magical in summer; they help us stay away from summer infections and diseases, if consumed daily. Eating raw onions also help prevent sun stroke!

Stay away from illness and keep your body cool by consuming lots of onions this season.

  1. Cucumber

From preventing constipation to reducing blood pressure and keeping us hydrated, cucumbers do it all! Additionally, it also helps people with diabetes and arthritis.

Have cucumber slices in your salad this summer and stay as cool as a cucumber!

  1. Green veggies

Green vegetables like Bitter gourd (karela), Bottle gourd (lauki), Ridged gourd (turai) etc. are very essential to have in summer because of their high water content, and also because of their power of fighting various diseases like digestive issues, hypertension, etc.

  1. Melons

Melons are considered to be the favourites of this season. With their high water content, they keep us fresh and refreshed in the scorching summer heat.

Don’t let summers drain you out, munch on these superfoods and stay fresh this season!

5 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT MALARIA

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Malaria is a mosquito borne infectious disease, and the name of this disease is derived from the Italian word mal’aria, meaning “bad air”.

WHO reports that 1 in 7 Indians are at risk of developing Malaria.

Let’s know some lesser known things about this disease!           

  1. It’s only transmitted by female mosquitoes

Not all mosquitoes can cause Malaria.

Mosquitoes of Anopheles genus and only females of these species can transmit Malaria. A one-celled parasite called a Plasmodium causes Malaria. Female anopheles mosquitoes pick up the parasite from infected people by biting them in order to get blood to nurture their eggs.

  1. Malaria can be transmitted from one person to another

Although, nobody can catch Malaria like a common cold, but still it be passed through blood transfusions or organ transplants, or through the shared use of needles or syringes contaminated with blood.

  1. Symptoms of Malaria can range from none to very mild to severe

Depending on the type of parasite, it can take 9-30 days for the symptoms to appear.  However, early symptoms of Malaria are headache, muscle ache, sweating, cough, fever, nausea and chills. If the symptoms are not taken seriously and are not treated, this disease can worsen and even lead to death.

  1. Malaria can be cured

Malaria can be cured if the right drugs are taken at the right time. Malaria parasites can be killed off from the body with the usage of right drugs.

  1. Prevention is the best cure of Malaria

Stay inside when it’s dark, and use mosquito repellent or bed nets while you are at home. Chances of malaria are higher in children and pregnant women. So, they must avoid traveling to areas where there are more cases of Malaria.

Malaria is a serious disease; therefore, it is very important to take proper precautions! Protect yourself, your family and friends!

Stay away from Malaria!

5 Healthy Ways to Beat the Heat

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The mercury levels are shooting up to new heights, and it is very important to keep your cool in these scorching summers.

We bring you a few ways to beat this summer heat:

  1. Quench your thirst with water – It’s important to stay hydrated in summers as you can experience symptoms such as headache, fever, constipation, dizziness etc. if you’re not consuming enough water.

Alleviate summer burn by consuming at least 10 glasses of water per day.

  1. Drink green tea – Green Tea can be magical for you in these summers. The antioxidant properties of green tea fight wrinkles, age spots and other forms of sun damage. Excessive exposure to sunlight can cause skin redness; green tea is also a saviour in such a situation as it reduces all those redness.

Have two cups of green tea in a day for a healthier summer!

  1. Cut intake of fried foods – Don’t munch on fried foods like samosa, vada, bread pakora etc. especially in summers. As fried foods take longer time to digest, they should totally be avoided in summers.

Have fresh veggies and fruits instead of all these junk food, as they will keep you energetic all day in summers.

  1. Drink lemon juice, coconut water and buttermilk – Including healthy drinks like lemon juice, coconut water and buttermilk in summers will keep you hydrated and would also improve your digestive health.

Say bye-bye to summer blues with healthy drinks.

  1. Snack at work – If your work involves sitting in front of a computer for 9 hours, you must put your favourite healthy snacks like fruits, yogurt, dark chocolate on your desk.

Having these nutritious snacks at regular intervals will nourish your body and help you beat the summer heat!

With the sun shining bright upon us, adopt these healthy ways to bid adieu to the summer heat!

 

Tuberculosis – Symptoms, Treatment and Prevention

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Tuberculosis, commonly referred to as TB, is caused by the airborne bacterium called Mycobacterium Tuberculosis. It can affect different areas of the body, but mostly, it affects the lungs.

According to WHO, TB is one of the top 10 causes of death globally.

Let’s know about different types of TB

  1. Latent – In latent TB infection, people don’t feel any symptoms, because the bacteria live in an inactive form inside the body. Latent TB can’t be transmitted.
  2. Active – When the immune system gets weakened, latent TB can convert into active TB. Active TB can affect lung, as well as joints, bones or central nervous system. This is highly contagious.

How does TB spread?

TB spreads from one person to another, through the air. When someone with active TB of throat or lung coughs, sings, speaks or sneezes, they send germs into the air. And when you breathe in the same air, you are most likely to catch those germs and become infected.

Mostly, it is spread if you spend a lot of time with the infected person. You can get if a family member has it or if you are spending too much time with a friend who has active TB.

Common symptoms of TB

Cough, which lasts at least 3 weeks is one of the most widely known symptoms of TB. Other symptoms include:

  1. Pain in the chest
  2. Mild fever
  3. Fatigue
  4. Chills & sweating at night

Diagnosis and Treatment

TB can be diagnosed with a simple skin test, and can be cured with antibiotics.

How can you protect your family and friends if you have active TB?

  • Don’t go out and mingle with people. Stay home till you don’t recover completely.
  • Cover your mouth with a tissue while sneezing & coughing, and put the tissue in some plastic, and throw away.
  • During the initial weeks of your treatment, wear a surgical mask while interacting with other people.

Studies reveal that approx. 5,00,000 Indians die every year of TB.

Let’s practice good hygiene like washing hands regularly and using a tissue while sneezing, etc. to change this statistics!

 

Increasing Prevalence of Diseases in India

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Unhealthy diet, sedentary lifestyle and alcohol consumption have led to a sharp rise in the number of diseases in India.

According to World Health Organization (WHO), 1 in 4 Indians are at risk of dying from non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like heart diseases, lung & respiratory diseases, high blood pressure and Cancers, before they turn 70!

Communicable diseases like cholera, malaria and polio have been replaced by lifestyle diseases.

Do you know that heart diseases have become the number one cause of death in India?  It is shocking, but true! Not only heart diseases, but thyroid and kidney related diseases are also increasing day by day.  According to the reports by Indian Thyroid Society, 1 in every 10 adults suffer from hypothyroidism in India, and 1 in 10 adults also suffer from chronic kidney disease, according to Sanjay K. Agarwal, Head of Nephrology, AIIMS.

Younger lot is experiencing more and more diseases because of the lifestyle they are living, and also because younger people hardly go for preventive check-ups in India.

The earlier the disease is diagnosed, the easier the treatment becomes! So, to avoid such diseases, people must go for preventive check-ups and take proper cautions.

Fitness Health Package by Oncquest is an easy and convenient package to protect you and your loved ones’ health. This package is at half the MRP Price, and includes all tests from kidney function test, thyroid profile test, blood test to lipid profile test and more.  With this package, you can get tested at the comfort of your home as they have the option of home collection service, and also you don’t have to travel long distances to take your reports as they are available online!

A delayed diagnosis is harmful for your health. Make regular check-ups a part of your life, because there’s nothing more important and precious than your health!