In which position do you sleep? If you sleep on your stomach or on your left side, you are putting pressure on your heart with the extra body weight, while the heart has to continue pumping blood as usual.
This additional burden wears the heart out more quickly. Think about it - you spend more than one third of your life sleeping!
To reduce the strain on your heart, sleep on your right side, or on your back. This simple technique will add years to your life.
COLDS Mix a gram of dalchini/cinnamon powder with a teaspoon of honey to cure cold. Prepare a cup of tea to which you should add ginger, clove, bay leaf and black pepper. This should be consumed twice a day. Reduce the intake as the cold disappears.
GINGER FOR COLDS. Ginger tea is very good to cure cold. Preparation of tea: cut ginger into small pieces and boil it with water, boil it a few times and then add sugar to sweeten and milk to taste, and drink it hot. DRY COUGHS.
Add a gram of turmeric (haldi) powder to a teaspoon of honey for curing dry cough. Also chew a cardamom for a long time. BLOCKED NOSE. For blocked nose or to relieve congestion, take a table spoon of crushed carom seeds (ajwain) and tie it in a cloth and inhale it. SORE THROAT.
Add a tea spoon of cumin seeds (jeera) and a few small pieces of dry ginger to a glass of boiling water. Simmer it for a few minutes, and then let it cool. Drink it twice daily. This will cure cold as well as sour throat. CURE FOR BACKACHE.
Rub ginger paste on the backache to get relief. GARLIC FOR HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE.
Have 1-2 pod garlic (lasan) first thing in the morning with water. HONEY AND GINGER FOR HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE. Mix 1 table spoon and 1 table spoon ginger (adrak) juice, 1 table spoon of crushed cumin seeds (jeera), and have it twice daily. MIGRAINE. For the cure of migraine or acute cold in the head; boil a tablespoon of pepper powder, and a pinch of turmeric in a cup of milk, and have it daily for a few couple of days. BITTER GOURD/KARELA IS GOOD.. A tablespoon of amla juice mixed with a cup of fresh bitter gourd (karela) juice and taken daily for 2 months reduces blood sugar. TURMERIC/ARAD CURE FOR INJURIES For any cut or wound, apply turmeric powder to the injured portion to stop the bleeding. It also works as an antiseptic. You can tie a bandage after applying haldi/turmeric.
CRAMPS You must do a self-massage using mustard oil every morning. Just take a little oil between your palms and rub it all over your body. Then take a shower. This is especially beneficial during winter. You could also mix a little mustard powder with water to make a paste and apply this on your palms and soles of your feet.
HEADACHES.
If you have a regular migraine problem, include five almonds along with hot milk in your daily diet. You could also have a gram of black pepper along with honey or milk, twice or thrice a day. Make an almond paste by rubbing wet almonds against a stone. This can be applied to forehead. Eat an apple with a little salt on an empty stomach everyday and see its wonderful effects. OR When headache is caused by cold winds, cinnamon works best in curing headache. Make a paste of cinnamon by mixing in water and apply it all over your forehead.
TURMERIC....
FOR ARTHRITIS. Turmeric can be used in treating arthritis due to its anti-inflammatory property. Turmeric can be taken as a drink other than adding to dishes to help prevent all problems. Use one teaspoon of turmeric powder per cup of warm milk every day. It is also used as a paste for local action. GOOD FOR THE HEART Turmeric lower cholesterol and by preventing the formation of the internal blood clots improves circulation and prevents heart disease and stroke. Turmeric can be taken as a drink other than adding to dishes to help prevent all problems. Use one teaspoon of turmeric powder per cup of warm milk every day. It is also used as a paste for local action.
GOOD FOR INDIGESTION Turmeric can be used to relieve digestive problems like ulcers, dysentery. Turmeric can be taken as a drink other than adding to dishes to help prevent all problems. Use one teaspoon of turmeric powder per cup of warm milk every day. It is also used as a paste for local action.
HONEY IS A GOOD CURE FOR ALL DISEASES
Mix 1 teaspoon honey with ? teaspoon cinnamon powder and have at night.
HICCUPS
Take a warm slice of lemon and sprinkle salt, sugar and black pepper on it. The lemon should be eaten until the hiccups stop.
HIGH BLOOD CHOLESTEROL
In 1 glass of water, add 2 tbsps of coriander/dhania seeds and bring to a boil. Let the decoction cool for some time and then strain. Drink this mixture two times in a day. OR Sunflower seeds are extremely beneficial, as they contain linoleic acid that helps in reducing the cholesterol deposits on the walls of arteries.
PILES Radish juice should be taken twice a day, once in the morning and then later in the night. Initially drink about 2 cups of radish juice ; once in the morning and then later in the night. OR Soak 3-4 figs in a glass of water. Keep it overnight. Consume the figs on an empty stomach, the next day in the morning.
VOMITING Take 2 cardamoms/elachi and roast them on a dry pan (tava). Powder the cardamoms and thereafter add a tsp of honey in it. Consume it frequently. It serves as a fabulous home remedy for vomiting. OR In the mixture of 1 tsp of mint juice and 1 tsp limejuice, add 2 tsp of ginger juice and 1 tsp honey. Drink this mixture to prevent vomiting. OR Limejuice is an effective remedy for vomiting. Take a glass of chilled limejuice and sip slowly. To prevent vomiting, drink ginger tea. OR In 1 glass water, add some honey and drink sip by sip.
WARTS Apply castor oil daily over the problematic area. Continue for several months. OR apply milky juice of fresh and barely-ripe figs a number of times a day. Continue for two weeks. OR Rub cut raw potatoes on the affected area several times daily. Continue for at least two weeks. OR Rub cut onions on the warts to stimulate the circulation of blood.. OR Apply milk from the cut end of dandelion over the warts 2-3 times a day. OR Apply oil extracted from the shell of the cashew nut over the warts. OR Apply papaya juice OR Apply pineapple juice.
URINARY TRACT INFECTION In 8 oz of water, put 2 tsp of baking soda and drink it. OR Drink plenty of water, as it aids in flushing out the waste products from the body. OR Drink Cranberry juice. You can also add some apple juice for taste.
SINUSITIS Mango serves as an effective home remedy for preventing the frequent attacks of sinus, as it is packed with loads of vitamin A. OR Another beneficial remedy consists of consuming pungent foods like onion and garlic, as a part of your daily meals. OR Fenugreek/methi leaves are considered valuable in curing sinusitis. In 250 ml water, boil 1 tsp of Fenugreek seeds and reduce it to half. This will help you to perspire, dispel toxicity and reduce the fever period. OR Tie a tsp of black cumin seeds in a thin cotton cloth and inhale. TONSILITIS Take a fresh lemon and squeeze it in a glass of water. Add 4 tsp of honey and ¼ tsp of salt in it. Drink it slowly sip by sip. OR Milk has proved beneficial in treating tonsillitis. In 1 glass of pure boiled milk, add a pinch of turmeric powder and pepper powder. Drink it every night for about 3 days.
Drinking a decoction made of fennel seeds soaked in warm water first thing in the morning could prevent you from catching swine flu says a study published in a Chinese medical research magazine.
According to report published in Al Khaleej a local Arabic daily, the study has resulted in an increase of fennel seeds sales by 50 per cent in some Asian countries.
The report read that similar increase in sales was also visible in countries like Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
The fennel seed warm drink is being distributed to people who are making pilgrimage to the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah.
Original article from http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/09/07/05/10328712.html
H1N1 FAQ and Update from the President of the Malaysian Medical Association
1) Can we distinguish between regular and H1N1 flu, without a lab test?
No, the flu is the flu, but there are variations in presentation. Some symptoms such as cough, runny nose, fever, body aches, fatigue, vomiting, diarrhoea occur more or less in every flu patient, but may present differently by different people. Some infected people have very mild symptoms, some in between, and a small minority, probably less than 10 per cent, have severe features including the dangerous pneumonia.
However, from sentinel testing and surveillance by the Ministry of Health the last few weeks have shown that almost 95 per cent of all flu-like illness are now caused by the H1N1 virus. Earlier some months ago, seasonal flu variants caused by the B and other A virus were the main causes, the bug causing most flu these few days is the A(H1N1). This appears to be the case also in neighbouring countries, meaning that the new virus is causing more havoc and symptomatic illness than previous types of flu (which are still in the community).
Because almost every flu-like illness (influenza-like illness or ILI) is due to H1N1, the MOH is now recommending that no testing to confirm this H1N1 will now be offered.
Treat as if this is H1N1 for ILI — symptom relief for mild symptoms (paracetamol, hydration, cough medicines, etc) and self-quarantine, social distancing, be alert for complications.
Most (70 per cent) do not need any anti-viral medications such as Tamiflu or Relenza. Only severe cases need to be referred to hospital for further treatment.
2) How should doctors decide if a person be given further specific treatment for H1N1?
If after 2-3 days, fever and cough symptoms do not improve, a recheck with the doctor is recommended, especially if there are features of difficulty breathing, severe weakness and giddiness, or, if the following risk factors are present:
1. obesity (fatter patients seem to have poorer outcome and more complications) 2. those with underlying diabetes, heart disease 3. those with asthma, or chronic lung disease 4. pregnant women 5. those with reduced immunity, cancer patients, etc 6. those with obvious pneumonia features
3) Many anxious people with flu-like symptoms want to be tested or treated for suspected H1N1, but are kept waiting or sent home, without being tested. Is this practice right?
There is no right or wrong practice as this outbreak is extensive and is stretching our resources to the limit. This is also the case not just here in Malaysia, but also elsewhere around the entire world!
The recommendation is now not to spend too much time and effort trying to get tested at designated hospitals or clinics — there is probably no need to do so. I have been informed that as many as 1,000 patients queue anxiously at Sungai Buloh Hospital for testing, due to fear of the H1N1 flu.
So the message must be made clear: Most flu illness do not require confirmatory testing, and are mild and self-limiting. More than 90 per cent will get better on their own, with symptomatic treatment — just watch out for possible complications, and risk factors as mentioned above.
Our resources are limited especially for testing. This is not just for Malaysia, but globally as well. The global demand for test kits and reagents for the H1N1 (PCR) is overextended and are rationed due to this extreme demand. Some 200 million test kits have been deployed worldwide, but this supply is critically short because of excessive demand, so most countries have to ration testing to confirm only the worst cases, so as to monitor the pandemic better.
4) Are doctors confused as to what to do in this outbreak, especially when they do not have ready access to confirmatory lab tests?
Not really. Earlier on there was some confusion as to what to do next and who to test or who to refer for further testing and admission. Now the rules are clearer.
There is no need to do any testing to confirm the H1N1 virus for any ILI — just assume that this is the case in the majority of cases. Treat symptomatically when symptoms are mild, reassure the patients and ensure that these infected patients practice good personal hygiene, impose self-quarantine and social distancing, wear masks if their coughing or sneezing become troublesome, and keep a watchful eye on whether the infection is getting better or worse.
If there is difficulty breathing and gross weakness, then patients should quickly present themselves for admission. Understandably this phase of worsening is not always clear or easily understood by everyone... But there is not much more that we can do — otherwise we will be admitting too many patients and this will totally overwhelm our health services.
But prudent caution would help to determine which seriously ill patients need more attention and more intensive care. Unfortunately however, there will be that odd patient who will progress unusually quickly and collapse even before anything can be planned — hopefully these will be few and far between.
A more important note is that all doctors and nursing personnel should be very aware that they too have to take precautions, and employ barrier contact practices, if there are patients with cough and cold during this period of H1N1 outbreak, which is expected to last a year or two. Carelessness can result in the physician or nurse or nurse-aide becoming infected!
5) Are there sufficient guidelines from the Ministry of Health to address this situation?
I think there are sufficient guidelines from the MOH. Although some politicians have blamed the MOH and the minister for being inept at handling this pandemic — in truth this is not the case.
It is useful to remember that this is an entirely new or novel virus, which no one previously had encountered before — thus its infectivity and contagiousness is quite high and almost no one is immune to this virus. Perhaps, there will come a time when all the resources from both public and private sectors can be put to more efficient use. Some logistic problems will invariably occur, because human beings differ in their capacity to understand or follow directives, whatever the source or authority.
Also patient demands have been extraordinarily high and at times very difficult to meet — every patient necessarily feels that his flu is potentially the worst possible type and therefore requires the most stringent measures and testing...
Doctors are also unsure as to the seriousness or severity of this new ailment — and we are only now beginning to understand this better — so our less than reassuring style when encountering this new H1N1 flu is sometimes detected by an equally anxious patient and/or their relatives. But there is only so much that we can do under such a pressure cooker of an outbreak which is spreading like wildfire! But nevertheless we should not panic, and remember that most (more than 90 per cent) of infected people will recover with very little after-effects. Possibly only one in 10 patients develop more serious problems which necessitate hospitalisation.
6) Is limiting H1N1 testing only to those who have been admitted to hospital justifiable?
I have explained the worldwide shortage of such testing kits and reagents. Also it is near impossible to test everyone, the world over. Besides, knowing now that almost all the flu-like illness in the country is due to H1N1 makes it a moot point to want to test for this, especially when most are mild.
The rationale for testing only those who need hospitalisation is to ensure that we are dealing with the true virus, and also help to isolate possible changes or mutations to this viral strain. The MOH is also constantly doing sentinel surveillance (random spot-testing at various sites around the country to determine more accurately the various virus types and spread that are causing ILI).
7) Are we short of anti-virul drugs (Tamiflu, Relenza)? Should I take Tamiflu?
These antiviral drugs were available to most doctors during the earlier scare of the bird flu virus, but now are severely restricted, although some orders are still entertained from individual doctors, clinics or hospitals. Remember that these have been block-booked by more than 167 countries which have been shown to have been penetrated by the H1N1 flu bug.
Our MOH has actually stockpiled some two million doses of the Tamiflu or its generic form. In the last inter-ministerial pandemic influenza task force meeting, this stockpile will be bumped up to 5.5 million doses to cover some possible 20 per cent of the population.
Right now there is no shortage in the country. It is just that it is not readily available on demand for anyone just yet. The MOH is still of the opinion that thisantiviral drug be used prudently and would like to register every patient given this drug.
The private sector on the other hand would like to have a looser control over the use of this drug — but we acknowledge that we should be meticulously prudent in its use. There is a genuine fear that resistant strains to this drug may develop with indiscriminate and unnecessary use — then we will all be in trouble with a drug-resistant H1N1 virus run amok!
Drug-resistant strains have been detected in Mexico, border-towns in the US, Vietnam, Britain, Australia even. So we have to be vigilant and closely monitor the situation. Right now, the very limited usage of Tamiflu gives us good reason to be optimistic.
However, because of some unusual patterns of seemingly well people dying or having very critical infections, some people and doctors are wondering if these new strains have already reached our shores... or have we been too late in instituting proper treatment... ?
The rising number of deaths now is quite worrisome, but our health authorities are watching this development very closely and are also checking the virus strain to see if this has mutated. We can only hope that this is not the case, for now.
8) What are some of the problems faced by doctors in dealing with the H1N1 problem?
It would be good if every medical practitioner keeps a close tab on the H1N1 pandemic, and remain fully aware of the developments and changes, which are evolving daily. Every doctor has to be learning on the trot, so to speak, to keep up with the progress of this outbreak and its management, so that we can serve our patients better.
Logging in to the Internet regularly for more updated information will certainly help, instead of lamenting that not enough is being disseminated via the media thus far... Every doctor has to be more proactive and practice more responsible and cautious medicine during this trying period which is expected to run into at least one to two years. Importantly, look out for lung complications, and the above stated higher risk profiles, and refer these patients quickly for further care.
Easier access to antiviral drugs and their responsible use and monitoring would help allay public fears of delay in treatment, but this should be tempered with care and not over-exuberance to dish out to one and all, the precious antiviral drug, just for prevention — this may be a very bad move which can inadvertently create a worse outcome of drug-resistant bugs. However, in the light of the very quick deterioration of some young patients who have died, it might be prudent to use antiviral treatment earlier and more aggressively.
We look forward to the specific H1N1 vaccine, when it does come our way, probably towards the end of the year. In the meantime, encouraging those in the front-line, heart or lung patients and frequent travellers to have the seasonal flu vaccination is a useful adjunct to help stem the usual problems from other flu types.
9) Are we doing everything that should or needs to be done?
Yes, if you check what other nations are doing, we are doing relatively well. We are not overstating the dangers and we have been quite transparent on the possibilities of this pandemic. Earlier, many agencies and even the public and doctors have accused us of exaggerating the pandemic, and our response was dismissed as being too much, even over the top! Unfortunately, it was only when some deaths occur that many are now decrying that we have done too little!
Also if you are quite honest about it, just compare with the countries globally, and you will notice that no one health or government authority has got this right, spot on.
We are all learning about this novel flu pandemic, and each country's response is coloured by its past experiences. In Hong Kong, China, Vietnam, Singapore and Malaysia we have had the SARS outbreak, so we are necessarily more paranoid! Also here the experience is that flu does not usually cause death in our community, unlike the west where seasonal flu kills some hundreds of thousands every year!
So the fear factor for this H1N1 flu is not nearly as great in the West, although it is slowly sinking in that its contagiousness and infectivity is far greater, and fears of its reassortment to a more virulent mutant form are growing, into the so-called second and/or third wave of this pandemic, but we will not know until a year or so down the line.
10) Is the public in general doing enough to help in controlling the outbreak?
I think the public is now reasonably well-informed as to this H1N1 pandemic. Perhaps, they are too well-informed, that they have a fearful approach to this virus. But the proper thing is not too over-react and to panic, although I know this does sound easier said than done.
It is almost a certainty that this flu will spread within the community — in schools, universities, academies, factories, work places, offices, etc. WHO has projected that possibly some 20-30 per cent of the population worldwide will become infected by this novel flu bug, after studying various models of spread of past infections — the huge and very rapid spread worldwide is mainly due to air travel. While older flu pandemics took six months to extend to so many countries, this H1N1 flu did so in less than six weeks!
In the worst-case scenarios of course, this outbreak will be alarming — hospitalisations may be required for 100,000 up to 500,000 Malaysians, with perhaps as many as 5,000 to 27,000 infected patients (depending on the case fatality rate or either 0.1 to 0.5 per cent) succumbing to this illness. But because we have been monitoring closely and containing the outbreak thus far, with heightened awareness and greater social responsibility, it is possible to ameliorate the infectivity, spread and fatality that will unfortunately accompany this pandemic... Just how successful we will be in limiting these adverse outcomes remains to be seen, but we can be hopeful.
How can the public help? First learn and acquire good personal hygiene. If sick, please be responsible and stay at home, even in your own room where possible, wear a face mask (a cheap three-ply surgical mask will do, because large droplet spread is the main danger). Do not go out, practice what is now known as social distancing (about three metres from anyone), and be socially responsible, don't go to public places and infect others — for young people this would be hard, but absolutely necessary — the spread is most rampant in this age group between 16 and 25 years.
When the illness does not go away after a few days or when you are deteriorating, get to the nearest hospital. Most importantly, be very aware and responsible!
Finally, keep abreast of all new developments, because these are evolving all the time. With keen awareness, prudent care, early detection and social responsibility, correct and prompt use of antiviral and other support medical care, and later mass specific vaccination, we can overcome this novel H1N1 flu! But it will take time, patience, public cooperation, much concerted effort and consume great resources.
There was a study done where a control group of 100 people were divided into two : 50 people watched a very funny, tears-of laughter type movie ; and another 50 watched a very sad and tears of compassion type movie.
At the end of the sessions researchers collected the 'happy tears' and the 'sad tears' with eye droppers.
They found that 'happy tears' are made up of brine...salt water and not a great deal else. However the 'sad tears' were found to contain the very same chemicals and enzymes that are found in tumors, ulcers and other such lumps and bumpsand sicknesses through out the body.
This test concluded that the body, when crying in sadness etc isliterally flushing out all of the toxic-chemicals that accumulate and are a part of the sadness /heartache experience. Therefore if one holds back those tears, those toxic-waters will find somewhere else to deposit themselves... .and prolonged lack-of-crying-release will guarantee that the body will accumulate a huge amount of internal pollution and toxicity that should have been releasedthrough the tears........is it any wonder that the eyes sting so much when we hold back our tears?'
LESSON FROM THE STUDY : CRY YOUR HEART OUT WHEN YOU ARE SAD, LONELY, ALONE, DEPRESSED, ETC.....
