Are you ready to hear the one lifestyle change I’ve made that has improved my energy levels more than any other? Hold on to your seats: It was switching over to a Low GI Diet.

Intro to Low GI Diet

Low GI (or Low Glycemic Index) is a diet that emphasizes eating foods that are low on the index and, even more importantly, avoiding foods that are high on the index.

The glycemic index rates foods from 0 to 100, with 100 being the highest and meaning it will spike your blood sugar levels the most. This is reserved for pure glucose.

The lower you go on the scale, the less effect the food will have on your blood sugar.

How It Can Benefit You

This is why sometimes after you eat a big meal you feel tired. This sleepy feeling will be even stronger if you eat a lot of sugar or carbohydrates in the meal.

Your blood sugar rises rapidly in response to the sugar and carb heavy meal. Next your body releases insulin to lower your blood sugar. Your blood sugar levels then plunge downwards, the perfect scenario for a nice afternoon nap.

Eating foods that are mainly low on the glycemic index reduces the up and down fluctuations in blood sugar that lead to that crashing feeling. Once I started paying attention to the foods I was eating and consciously making choices to avoid high GI foods, my energy levels throughout the day felt so much better.

I had steady energy and my mind was much clearer, the foggy feeling that I often have had faded. Many others have also experienced the same thing, and the science backs up why this is happening.

Over time, insulin resistance can eventually lead to type 2 diabetes, among other health problems. Minimizing the amount your blood sugar fluctuates is one of the best things you can do for proper energy levels throughout the day.

Foods to Eat in Low GI

So you might be asking yourself, what foods should I eat that are low on the glycemic index? While the exact answer is somewhat complicated due to the way the scale works, there are some basic principles and foods you can easily implement in your diet.

I wouldn’t recommend going to crazy trying to find low GI foods, but instead stick to these principles and try not to eat high GI foods.

At its core, the Low GI diet is generally high in good carbohydrates (such as vegetables, fruits and whole grain) and low in bad carbs (such as cakes, cookies, etc).

Here is a list of Low GI foods, which will give you a better idea on what you want to be eating most days:

• Non-Starchy Vegetables (lettuce, leafy greens, broccoli, spinach, etc)

• Nuts and Seeds

• Beans and Legumes

• Yogurt, Fermented Foods (unsweetened yogurt, raw whole milk)

• Whole Grains (Steel cut oats, brown rice, whole-wheat pasta)

• Fresh Fruit

• Healthy Fats

• Good Quality Protein (salmon, free range eggs, lamb)

• Acidic Foods (Vinegar, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice)

Foods Not to Eat

• Refined Grains

• Processed Foods

• Dried Fruits (like raisins, craisins, dates)

• Starchy Vegetables (Potatoes, winter squash)

• Fast food and fried foods

Complexity of GI Diet

Implementing the Low GI diet exactly can be quite tough in practice. Some books will tell you that carrots are safe, while others will say to avoid carrots because they spike your blood sugar too much. I say don’t get too bogged down in the specifics.

Avoid refined grains, processed foods, foods and drinks high in sugar and fast food. Focus on eating whole grains, high quality proteins and healthy fats. Try paying attention to how your body reacts when you eat certain foods.

You can also try keeping a journal where you can record how you feel after certain meals to get an idea of what foods work for you and what foods don’t.

Overall, focusing on eating a Low GI diet has done WONDERS for my energy. Most days I no longer need a mid-day siesta and my mind is clearer. Try this diet out for a week or two and let me know if you feel the same!

Opting for surgery as a medical solution is often a huge, life-altering decision – not just for the patient but for his caretakers and for the doctors as well! Be it a minor correction or a major intervention, chances of success can be greatly weighed down by a number of factors. An important factor affecting the rate of success is cleanliness and hygiene. While this may not seem like a big deal, maintenance of cleanliness can actually be the deciding factor even in cases of minor injuries. In case of surgeries, the quality and cleanliness of surgical instruments are two factors can actually aid in advancement of the disease instead of curing it. The significance of these factors is often undermined.

Surgical instruments are the tools that make contact with bodily fluids and tissues. These tools must therefore be properly sterilized both before and after the surgery. Improperly sterilized tools can become carriers of many micro-organisms and aid in transmission of nosocomial (hospital-acquired) infections. While standard protocols for sterilization and cleanliness are in place in most hospitals worldwide, their importance must be re-emphasized from time to time. The quality of surgical instruments and other equipment is yet another factor that is often overlooked but critical to success of the surgery. A surgical instrument must be made to the exact specifications and should undergo a critical examination procedure. Faults even at the micro-level can prove life-threatening: crevices or cracks can become breeding grounds for several microbes, faulty edges can puncture the gloves while working or the worst scenario of all being the deposition of pieces of poor quality instruments within the patient’s body!

“In 2009 at Nottingham City Hospital several patients who underwent surgery contracted life-threatening antibiotic resistant infections because of faulty surgical instruments: these tools caused micro punctures in the surgeons’ gloves which in turn became home to drug resistant pathogens. In 2009, Dorothy Brown underwent heart surgery at Nottingham City Hospital. While the operation was a success, she contracted an antibiotic-resistant infection that nearly claimed her life. Ten other patients operated on by Brown’s surgeon around the same time contracted the same lethal infection.” – Mercola.com

Several such cases have been reported in India as well.

“Doctors at the Government Medical College recovered a part of a surgical instrument from a woman’s body, which had broken off and fallen into the abdominal cavity while she underwent a hysterectomy at the Nedumangad taluk hospital on Thursday morning.” – The Hindu

The U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reports at least a 1,000 incidences every year as a result of poor quality surgical instruments. Investigation into the Nottingham city hospital case study revealed that at least 20% surgical instruments are faulty and the entire network of manufacturers-inspectors-administrators is to be blamed. Many instruments are recycled by re-welding, coated with corroded and pitted metals, may have faulty edges or screw heads and have pieces breaking off.

So what can you do at the consumer level? Buy products only from the trusted manufacturers, repeatedly ask them about their inspection procedures, use disposable products, ensure cleanliness protocols are followed at your clinic/hospital and buy good quality products to protect your patients from these unwanted complications.

Asterias Biotherapeutics is a biotechnology company, which is dedicated to regenerative medicine. Recently they have launched a new medicine AST-OPC1 that offers embryonic stem cell based treatment for patients with spinal cord injuries. The medicine was under trail for a while and now it has been declared completely safe and highly effective for patients with spinal cord diseases.

The trial involved injecting the medicine into the affected area and patients showed improvement in their upper body function within 3 to 6 months after the therapy. Asterias Biotherapeutics conducted a press release in June, 2017, in which they have clearly stated the effectiveness of the medicine. It also recorded the detailed results after 9 months of the trial.

It was conducted on 6 patients. Each one of them received an injection of 10 million AST-OPC1 cells after 2 to 4 weeks of their injury. After 9 months, it had been noticed that all the patients showed improvements in their finger, arm, and hand movements.

Spinal cord injuries affect more than 17,000 people around the world every year. With the announcement of AST-OPC1, certainly they now have hope to restore their upper body movements. Dr. Edward Wirth, Chief Medical Officer of the trial said, “The new efficacy results show that previously reported meaningful improvements in arm, hand and finger function in the 10 million cell cohort treated with AST-OPC1 cells have been maintained and in some patients have been further enhanced even 9 months following dosing.”

Coming back to the trial, it involved patients who were suffering from severe spinal cord injuries in the neck that resulted into lack of feeling and loss of neck down upper body movement. The team at the Asterias Biotherapeutics quantified the results of the therapy by referring them as “motor levels” of improvements. These motor levels were associated with different levels of movement abilities. In the press release, the team confirmed that restoring the movement abilities, “can result in lower healthcare costs, significant improvements in quality of life, increased ability to engage in activities of daily living, and increased independence.”

After 9 months of clinical trial, the researchers at the Asterias confirmed that 50% of the patients (3 out of 10 patients) showed two motor levels of improvement. And all the 6 patients involved in the trail, showed at least one motor level of improvement. However, some of the experts might say that recovery from spinal cord injuries is possible without stem cell therapy. This is true. But no other study or therapy showed patients regaining their two motor levels of improvement within 9 months of the treatment.

Earlier data from 62 untreated patients showed that 29% patients got back two motor levels of improvement with 1 year whereas AST-OPC1 promises massive improvements within 9 months. Dr. Edward Wirth also confirmed it when he said, “We are increasingly encouraged by these continued positive results, which are remarkable compared with spontaneous recovery rates observed in a closely matched untreated patient population.”

Two motor levels is equivalent to higher quality life. For any person suffering from spinal cord injuries or upper body paralysis, achieving two motor levels is a dream and with AST-OPC1 it does not seem a distant dream at all.

You already know how it feels to sneezing – you sense that threatening tickle in the back of your nose first followed by the gasping intake of breathing and a cathartic blast in the end. Anything that irritates your nasal passages could allow you to sneeze. Discomfort in your nasal passages signals the brain, and then your body responds by managing the muscle tissue in your nasal passages to expel air powerfully. There are several myths and interesting facts associated with sneezing. Some people say sneezing makes your heart stop. Is it true?

Does Your Heart stop when you sneeze?

The simple reality is no! Sneezing does not make your heart stop. There is an increase in the intrathoracic pressure when you sneezing. When this happens, the blood circulation to your heart is decreased. This consequently creates your heart modify its regular heartbeat for a short time to adjust. What it means is that your heart does not stop when you sneezing, and actually, there is a change in the rhythm of your heartbeat, which may make you feel that your heart has skipped a beat. Does your heart stop when you sneeze? Now you know the response.

A sneezing is an involuntary nasal reaction caused by irritation to the mucous membranes. There are many traditional beliefs about sneezing, such as the notion that the heart stops beating momentarily during a sneeze, essentially “killing” you for an instant, which is why it’s common for someone to “bless you” after a sneezing. The truth, though, is a little different.

Just before sneezing, a lot of people relax slowly. This improves pressure in the chest and briefly inhibits the blood flow to the heart, which can reduced hypertension and boosts the heart rate. But as you exhale, your blood pressure improves and heart rate, consequently, goes down. At one time, sneezing arouses the vagus nerve, which operates from the brain through the stomach. In general, any moment the vagus nerve is stimulated, the body’s reaction is to reduce the heart rate. The effect of this is minimal, however, slowing the heart perhaps only a single beat.

• No Sneezing with Sight Open

Have you ever asked why you can’t be on the lookout while sniffling? Your eyes reflexively shut every time you have a coughing scene, and specialists have diverse clarifications for this. Some belief in it is a transformative modification primarily to defend your eyes from anything that leaves your nose or mouth as a result of coughing. Others are from the perspective that it happens because of muscle withdrawal. At any rate, the old spouses’ story about eyelids shutting to defend your eyes from taking out is surely not genuine.

• Numerous Factors can Cause Sneezing

You may think just dirt and spice up could allow you to sniffle, yet the truth is several elements could allow you to wheeze.

Dust, clean, and spice up are the typical guilty parties, however, you may wheeze when you sniff impactful smells. Any modification in temperature, particularly colder air could allow you to wheeze. You may furthermore sniffle while culling your eyebrows predominantly in light of which it bothers the nerves associated with your nose. Many people may furthermore wheeze while popping pimples or rubbing their eyes. A number of people even wheeze when they are presented to brilliant lights, and this is because of an acquired characteristic called photic sniffling.

• Sniffling and Superstitions

Strangely, significant amounts of superstitions are connected with wheezes. The old Romans and Greeks were of the viewpoint that coughing to the privilege would bring you luckiness, while something awful would happen for sniffling to one side. Many people say “favour you” when they hear somebody wheeze, while others may say “to your wellbeing” in the same circumstance. Those people believe in that coughing is your spirit’s approach to leave your body, however, it packs back in when somebody says “favour you”.

• No Sneezing in Sleep

The mucous layers swell when you rest, which allows you to touchier to the dust particles noticeable all around, so you should sniffle more in relaxing. In nevertheless, all muscle tissue other than the ones that management your eyes get to be deadened when you enter profound relax, such as muscle tissue that management a sniffle. Amid superficial relax, the nerves that cause a sniffle are furthermore stifled, so you are additionally not prone to wheeze in shallow rest.

For a lot of people, this goes unnoticed. But in certain cases, when you sneeze, it can slow the heart rate or lower the blood pressure to such an extent that it causes a person to pass out. In the medical literature, this is known as sneezing syncope. Some people may also have an exaggerated reaction to a sneezing or a cough if they have a genetic heart abnormality, or if they are taking medications affect their heart rate, like beta blockers.

Given the important role played by the digestive system in ensuring proper functioning of the human body, every individual must take an interest towards improving digestion.

While a good digestive system has a positive impact on the overall functioning of the body, the reverse is equally true. There are several ways in which poor digestion can throw your system out of gear and this in itself should provide sufficient motivation for you to learn how to improve digestion.

Poor Digestion – Causes and Effects

Digestion is described as being poor if it is slow and this has two-fold implications. Firstly, the body is unable to absorb nutrients from the food in quantities that it should, eventually leading to deficiency within the body. Secondly, food left undigested in the stomach for longer duration soon becomes a breeding platform for harmful bacteria which in turn can lead to several illnesses.

If ignored over a period of time, poor digestion assumes a chronic nature and can lead to problems like fatigue, constipation, bloating and even allergies. But what causes digestion to slow down? Some factors that contribute towards poor functioning of your digestive system are –

· Eating habits – Living in an era which is dominated by fast foods and processed foods has its repercussions in form of inefficient digestion. On being constantly bombarded with excess sugar, salt and unhealthy oils your digestive system has little choice but to slow down.

· Lack of exercise – Given the sedentary nature of contemporary lifestyle, most people do not indulge in as much physical exercise as they should. This causes their metabolism to slow down which in turn has an adverse impact on digestion.

· Insufficient water and fiber intake – Water is the best catalyst for your digestive system in addition to being the ideal cleansing agent. From this it draws that drinking insufficient water would interfere with proper breakdown of food and also flushing out of toxins. Likewise, not consuming fiber in sufficient quantities has been found to lead to constipation which is indicative of poor digestive health.

Ways of Improving Digestion

An ideal digestive cycle is defined by four Rs’, namely remove-repair-restore-replace. Removal entails flushing out of toxins from within the body followed by repairing of tissue and digestive track. Next, you must try to restore digestive health by including probiotics and fiber in your diet and making it a point to drink water in sufficient quantities. Having restored it, further improving your digestive system entails replacing unhealthy food groups with organic and healthy choices.

How About Using Digestive Health Supplements?

Diet and lifestyle changes notwithstanding, another way by which you can improve digestive health entails using digestive supplements, preferably those that are based on natural elements. There are indeed natural ingredients, like licorice, chamomile, peppermint and ginger that are capable not just of sorting out your digestive problems but also improving the overall condition of your digestive system. Mint and cinnamon are other natural products that soothe your digestive system and hence are recommended for improving digestion.

How would you react if told that many of these natural ingredients can be combined to form an effective digestive? Yes, it is indeed possible to combine several ingredients like licorice, black salt and certain species of leaves to form a powder that can play the role of a digestive. All you need to do consume a teaspoon or two with a glass of hot water for improving digestion and enjoy the benefits without any fear of side effects.

Final Word

Natural digestive supplements are based on the premise that the best way to restore good health is for the body to be as close to its original mechanism as possible. Combine this with the fact that digestion is one of the most important processes that can ensure good health for many long years to come. So, to use one to achieve the other does seem to be the logical path to take to enjoy long-term benefits.

What if the unthinkable happens? You have an accident, but you are nowhere near a hospital. What do you do?

Is there such a thing as “natural trauma care”? The answer is a resounding YES.

1. Small nicks, cuts or scratches: You can dab on cornstarch. It will stop the bleeding almost immediately. Additionally, oddly enough, spider webs work very well if you can find some. Grab a good sized spider web, blow off the spider and any other bugs or debris and wrap it around or place over the injured area. Once the bleeding stops, remove the web and clean the cut thoroughly.

2. A bloody nose: If you are experiencing a bloody nose open a bottle of vinegar and inhale deeply through your nose. Keep doing so and the bleeding should stop within a short time. Vinegar burns the blood vessels cauterizing them closed.

3. For a bleeding wound: Apply a little sugar and let it melt over the wound. This will stop the blood from continuing to flow.

4. If you suspect a blood clot: You can take the herb Dong Quai to help break up the clot but do try and seek out medical attention as soon as possible as blood clots can be incredibly dangerous depending on location.

5. Ice: Reducing the temperature drastically slows bleeding as well as helps prevent future inflammation and bruising at the site of injury.

6. Small wounds: Cayenne pepper sprinkled into the wound will help to stop the bleeding as well black pepper.

7. Splinters: To remove small splinters from the skin easily, wet a bar of soap and rub the sharp end of a sewing needle in it, so that the needle has a liberal coating of soap. Then rub the soapy needle in the opposite direction of the splinter. As soon as the splinter has some soap in it, squeeze it, and it should come right out. This method is painless and is good for use on children. For removing splinters of glass from the skin pour some hydrogen peroxide on the skin. The splinter will bubble itself out after a few minutes. Do not squeeze as more tissue damage may occur.

8. Burns: The best thing for a burn is to apply cool water liberally. Do ensure that the water is not too hot or too cold. Blisters will be formed, but that is a part of the natural healing process. If you want to avoid blisters you could try one of these home remedies. Cut a tomato into wedges and rub one slice on the burn. The acid from the tomato takes the pain away and the burn will not blister. You can also use cold water and vinegar compresses until the pain goes away and then apply potato slices on the area.

9. After any injury for overall healing – Arnica Montana 1M (trauma care blend) Specifically designed to speed recovery from a major physical trauma, TraumaCare™ is generally considered too strong for a minor bump or bruise.

Pediatricians are an important part of the society and they come in handy in any place where there are children in need of medical assistance. Just like different physicians, a pediatrician needs to have traits such as patience, dedication, perseverance and so on.

Extra traits for pediatricians

There are other traits that pediatricians should possess so as to make them ideal for their post. They should be easy going in their profession, sensitive, a personality that is good-natured, outgoing, enjoy activities, comfortable with children even when they are sick, tolerant of the faults they may see in others, enjoy interacting at a very high level, be willing to give direct care, able to accept gratification even when it is delayed, enjoy teaching and also they should be able to accept any kind of schedule disruptions. The above are some of the qualities you should look out for when you are choosing the ideal pediatrician.

Pediatric Endocrinologist

As with other areas of medicine, there are pediatricians who are able to specialize in different areas. If your child has got specific issues, then specialized treatment may be recommended by your doctor.

Just like other people, children sometimes suffer from very specific ailments. Endocrinology is a medical specialty that deals with endocrine system kind of disorders that may affect human beings. There are pediatric endocrinologists that handle this particular area and who should be contacted should your child be in need of such services.

Endocrine system comprises the thyroid, pituitary, hypothalamus and the parathyroid glands. The adrenal cortex, gonads, and pancreas are also a part of the system. These are actually glands that are responsible for the production of hormones and they are also responsible for a set of different functions like growth, metabolism, and sexual development and so on. If the hormones were to fall out of balance, then abnormalities may occur. Disorders can also occur and they can be fatal at times.

If your child is diagnosed with such issues, then you may be redirected to a pediatric endocrinologist. The child will be diagnosed, evaluated and then treated for the specific condition that they may be having. Most of the conditions come as a result of a deficiency in the endocrine system as well as overactivity.

You need to choose a specialist or hospital that has all the facilities that are needed for the investigation as well as the treatment of the issues in pediatric patients.

Why they are important

Pediatric endocrinologists are very important especially when a child has hormonal conditions that need to be handled. This is not the kind of scenario where you stick to the primary doctor and if a suggestion is made to see a specialist, then the step should be taken as quickly as possible.

Endocrinologists are true specialists and they have had time to study different hormonal conditions and so they are well capable of giving the best treatments. The best professional in the filed should be aware of all the latest developments in his area of specialization and be able to offer this and so much more to the pediatric patients.