How to Keep Yourself Warm During Winter – Healthy Food Intakes
The Winter season is always filled with challenges. If you have elderly relatives or toddlers living in the house, you know they are the ones who suffer the most in any extreme season. In the cold, bone-chilling weather, whatever we eat decides how energetic and motivated we would be throughout the day. When lying in a cosy warm blanket with many snacks is everything one could ever ask for, choosing healthy snacking options is a task.
Ginger Tea
A cup of hot ginger tea can do wonders. It provides stimuli for thermogenesis (production of body heat) and boosts the metabolism activity too. If not ginger, you can also go for teas with spices, vegetable soups, and dals. All these options work well in providing heat to the body, making you feel warmer.
Eggs
Eggs are a great source of vitamins and protein. They also help in fighting infections and building immunity. As winter is infamous for cough and cold, eggs are of great help in constructing barriers for pathogens. Eggs are versatile, and you can make numerous dishes with them. Taste-wise, it’s something everyone likes.
Dry Fruits
Well, they are the best snacks. Dry fruits like almonds, apricots, walnuts, peanuts, dates, etc. can boost immunity and help you overcome dry and rough skin. They expel cold and provide the much-needed nutrition effortlessly.
Bananas
Rich in magnesium and Vitamin B, consumption of bananas, help in regulating body temperatures. They also improve the working of various glands of your body. The best part is, it’s easy to incorporate in any meal, and kids love bananas.
Spices
Turmeric, cumin, sesame, cinnamon, and pepper; these spices will offer the best winter flu-fighting mechanism. Turmeric in milk can make your body warm and boost the working of antibodies. Pepper, cinnamon, and cumin help in building barriers against flu and cold infections. Sesame is an incredible remedy for respiratory congestions and illnesses. Pneumonia, bronchitis, asthma is quite common to get triggered during winter. Make sure you have access to multi-speciality hospitals at times of need.
Caffeine
For coffee lovers, the winter season is an absolute bliss. Caffeine is a promising warming agent that keeps you active throughout the day. It helps to improve the rate of your body metabolism. You can combine and experiment with many flavours in your cup of coffee.
Honey
Consumption of honey during winter can work wonders. It reduces muscle pains and fatigue. Moreover, it’s great for sore throat, coughing, and wheezing. You can replace the bitter syrups with honey easily, and kids would love it.
There are times when we get excited about food more than anything. Winters, for example, make you so comfortable that getting out of bed seems impossible. But it’s crucial to maintain the right balance of nutrients and vitamins in the body.
If you are looking for the best hospitals in Kolkata or eastern India, ILS Hospitals is one of the torch bearers of the future of healthcare. We provide specialised treatments in nephrology, gastroenterology, diabetology, dentistry, etc. Check out their emergency helpline numbers for various cities all over India and get access to a safe medical treatment option.
To know more, visit www.ilshospitals.com or call ILS Care +91 90514 60000.
Want To Be Healthy? Sip A Cup Of Green Tea
After healthy drink of fruit and vegetable juices, another healthy beverage that must become a part of your life has to be green tea.
Green tea has many advantages to the health and it has been observed that the ones who regularly consume green tea are far healthier than the ones who do not. Everyone wants to be healthy. Today, ILS Hospitals, one of the best hospitals in Kolkata and Agartala will tell you some superb health benefits of green tea.
Helps in losing extra pounds
Green tea has been proven to burn fat which further aids in weight loss. If you’re planning to shed extra pounds, drink a cup of green tea twice a day.
Boosts the immune system
A strong immune system ensures that you do not fall sick often. The polyphenols in green tea help in building the immune system.
Good for the heart
Drinking green tea regularly will lower your blood cholesterol and keep the blood pressure under control. If you have hypertension, then consuming green tea is definitely recommended.
Might prevent cancer
Antioxidants destroy free radicals checking oxidative stress. Due to the high content of antioxidants, green tea might help in preventing some types of cancer.
Great for diabetic patients
Green tea has polyphenols and polysaccharides. Both of them aid in lowering the blood sugar levels. Consumption of green tea is beneficial for the ones suffering from diabetes.
Can relieve stress and anxiety
Any herbal tea can reduce stress and anxiety. But still, green tea is highly preferred because of its high l-theanine (amino acid) which helps in alleviating stress and anxiety.
Green tea even helps in detoxifying your body. Make the most of green tea by brewing it the right way. It’s very easy to prepare a cup of refreshing green tea. All you need is boiled water and fresh green tea leaves or tea bags and a good strainer. You can even flavour your green tea with a teaspoon of honey or a few drops of lemon juice.
For any health-related consultations, visit ILS Hospital.
Let’s Know More About Juvenile Diabetes
Juvenile diabetes or simply called diabetes in children is on the rise today. It was earlier believed to be the disease effecting only the elderly. But now it is found in children and younger people as well.
Diabetes – two types – Type 1 and Type 2. In type 1 diabetes, the pancreas does not make insulin while in type 2 diabetes, the body does not make sufficient insulin or does not use the produced insulin effectively. Significantly, type 1 diabetes is more common in children.
The primary cause of juvenile diabetes is genetics. Let’s discuss the symptoms of diabetes in children.
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Frequent urination
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Increased hunger and thirst
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Fatigue
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Fruity-smelling breath
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Sudden weight loss
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Hazy vision
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Irritability.
Diagnosis
Although symptoms are enough to prove diabetes mellitus in children but for proper confirmation, certain diagnostic tests are recommended by the paediatric diabetologist. So, the question arises, what are the diagnostic tests performed to confirm juvenile diabetes.
The diagnostic tests for diagnosing diabetes in children are as follows:
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Blood Sugar Test (both fasting and random)
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Glycated Haemoglobin (A1C) Test
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Urine Test.
Treatment
Diabetes treatment in children as generally prescribed by the paediatric diabetologist includes the following:
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Medications
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Insulin injections
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Regular monitoring of blood sugar levels
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Changes in diet and lifestyle.
Prevention
We believe prevention to be always better than cure. Is there any way to prevent diabetes in children? Sure, there are many ways you can prevent your children from getting diabetes. Some of them are as follows:
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Encouraging them to be more active
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Feeding them healthy meals
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Cutting back on their sugar intake.
Getting timely diabetes treatment is vital for your child. Hospitals in Kolkata and Agartala offer Juvenile diabetes treatment from the best diabetologists.
Stay Away From These Foods If You Have Diabetes
Diabetes is a chronic medical condition of high blood sugar or glucose levels, which leads to various other health-related complications, if not controlled on time. Diabetes treatment involves certain medications, weight loss, lifestyle changes, and dietary instructions.
Related: On This Diabetes Day, Let’s Triumph Over Diabetes By Following Some Simple Tips
Foods that are high GI (glycaemic index), which means foods with high glucose content, needs to be kept at arm’s length while managing diabetes. Today, we will discuss some foods that you should avoid consuming with diabetes. Let’s find out what you should not eat when dealing with diabetes.
1. Sugar and Sweets:
As you must have heard from everyone around you, people with diabetes should refrain themselves from having sweets or sugary foods and added sugar. Commercial honey is not safe either, choose safe and organic honey and consume it in moderation as advised by the doctor. You need to avoid cakes, pastries, ice creams, chocolates, packaged fruit juices, cold drinks, jaggery, sugar syrup, jams and certain dried fruit (raisins, figs, apricots, dates etc.). Eat fruits with a high glycaemic index like banana, pineapples, grapes etc. in moderation.
2. White Rice:
You should avoid white rice if you have diabetes as it is rich in carbohydrates and has low fibres. White rice can increase your blood sugar levels due to its high glycaemic index. Choose whole grain rice or brown rice as a substitute for white rice. Opt for roti more than white rice.
3. White Flour:
Never consume white flour if you have diabetes, white flour has nothing good to offer the body. Go for wholegrain bread or products made of wholegrain flour. If you want, you can even use buckwheat flour that is used to make dishes for fasting in India.
4. Red Meat:
Avoid red meat (mutton, lamb etc.) if you are suffering from diabetes. Red meat increases your body weight due to its high-fat content that further aggravates diabetes. Best sources of animal protein for diabetics would be eggs, seafood etc.
Next time when you visit your supermarket, refrain yourself from purchasing baked and canned foods, do not eat oily or deep-fried foods at all. Also, try to eat home cooked food when you have diabetes. For your diabetes treatment and proper diet chart you can come to ILS Hospitals, one of the best hospitals in Kolkata to get proper diagnosis and treatment.
Why Are Indians So Vulnerable To Heart Diseases?
We only have one heart and it’s our sole responsibility to take the best care of our heart to make it healthy and keep it in good physical condition. Sadly, there’s an incessant upsurge in heart-related conditions among Indians.
The question that comes to our mind after knowing this fact is why Indians are more susceptible to heart diseases and cardiac emergencies than any other ethnicity? Today, we will talk about 6 reasons why more people are suffering from heart-diseases at an increasing rate in the Indian sub-continent.
1. Chronic stress and hypertension:
Our modern lifestyle is comfortable but stressful. People are constantly stressed about their career, daily commute, personal life and financial conditions. Constant stress is the supreme cause of hypertension or high blood pressure. Healthy blood pressure for an average human is 120/80 mmHg. To manage stress, you should do the following things
– Maintain healthy relationships
– Participate in physical activities
– Eat clean and healthy food
– Get adequate sleep every night
– Practice relaxation techniques.
2. Unhealthy lifestyle choices:
We all know that an unhealthy lifestyle does not benefit our body but still we indulge in them then and now. An unhealthy lifestyle is a lifestyle in which you have harmful habits like smoking, consuming alcohol, eating junk and fast food, and being physically indolent. Take an oath that you would not choose or try to avoid this afore-mentioned lifestyle for yourself.
3. Diabetes:
Diabetes has become a common disease in India and that leads to many cardiovascular diseases. Getting diabetes treatment is paramount as uncontrolled diabetes cause impaired blood vessels of the heart and other vital organs.
4. Obesity:
Indians are getting obese day by day due to various reasons. Many people are suffering from class 3 obesity which can be treated with a bariatric or weight loss surgery.
5. Congenital heart defects:
Many children in India are born with heart abnormalities that lead to serious cardiovascular conditions if not timely diagnosed. It is one of the main factors of increasing heart diseases in our country.
6. Genetic makeup:
Many heart diseases are hereditary and nobody can undo it. Your genetic makeup determines the risk of you or your children inheriting heart-related conditions.
Regrettably, we Indians match the criteria of all the above-mentioned points, and that leads us to be more vulnerable to cardiovascular diseases. If you’ve any heart-related conditions you can easily come to ILS Hospitals, one of the best heart hospitals in Kolkata for your diagnosis and treatment. We will provide you with proper medical advice appropriate for your condition.
On This Diabetes Day, Let’s Triumph Over Diabetes By Following Some Simple Tips
Living with diabetes is never easy, once you have diabetes there’s nothing you or doctors can do to cure this sad disease. However, you can surely control it by adopting some lifestyle modifications and by getting regular check-ups from a diabetes clinic.
On the occasion of World Diabetes day, let’s take a pledge to beat diabetes against all odds by following these measures:
1. Embrace a diabetes-friendly diet:
There’s a saying, “watch what you eat”, and this is exactly what you need to do if you have diabetes. You should make eating a healthy and properly balanced diet, a significant part of your daily life. Go for foods that regulate your blood sugar levels. Foods that are beneficial for you when you’ve diabetes (either type 1 or type 2) are as follows:
– Fatty fishes
– Eggs
– Leafy Greens like spinach, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, etc
– Dry fruits like cashew nuts, almonds, pistachios and walnuts
– Whole grains like brown rice, millet and whole wheat
– Low portions of fruits like strawberries, pears, bananas, apricots, oranges, cherries, guava etc.
2. Eating small and frequent meals:
Skipping your meals is the last thing you want to do if you have diabetes. If you do not want to have large meals, eat small meals frequently to control your blood glucose levels.
3. Shun your sedentary lifestyle:
Living an inactive lifestyle is a strict “no” for people with diabetes, as a sedentary lifestyle leads to serious health concerns like obesity and cardiovascular diseases. Maintaining a healthy weight is your first step to win over diabetes. Certain times, the doctor might suggest bariatric surgery to highly obese diabetic patients. So do include some physical activities of your choice in your life.
4. Abstain from sugary foods:
Diabetics probably know that “sugar” is their worst enemy. Though sounds difficult, you need to abstain from your favourite sweets, chocolates and sugary beverages if you’re dealing with diabetes. Choose sugarfree sweets instead if you have a sweet tooth.
5. Be serious about medications:
Take your medicines on time as prescribed by the doctor to normalize your blood sugar levels.
6. Watch your diabetes:
Keep an eye on your diabetes by getting regular check-ups from a good diabetic clinic. You can always avail our Decoding Diabetes health check up packages.
Do not let your diabetes keep you stressed and distressed. We understand how diabetes can be the worst experience for anyone, so we provide effective diabetes treatment at ILS Hospitals to help our diabetic patients. You are welcome to our hospital for proper diabetes’ diagnosis and treatment.
Diabetes And Its Harmful Effects On Overall Health
Diabetes is a medical condition which is becoming so prevalent around us these days. Until 2-3 decades ago, it was considered to be the old people’s disease, but now, young people are also seeking diabetes treatment. Many diabetes clinics, report having young children falling prey for diabetes as well. Let’s discuss what harmful effects diabetes has if it is left untreated for long or is poorly managed.
1. Slow Healing
Slow healing is the most common condition among diabetic people. Carrying out any invasive medical treatment is very challenging for the same reason. Any minor or major cut, burn, blister, etc does not heal quickly for the diabetic patients. This mostly happens in hands and feet. In rare cases, it can also lead to foot or toe amputation, when it is left untreated over a long period.
2. Kidney Damage
Having kidney failure or severe kidney disease is also a likely scenario in the case of diabetes. The patient might end up needing dialysis regularly or seeking advanced renal transplant.
3. Heart Conditions
Diabetes affects how the heart and its surrounding blood vessels work. As a result, risks of having high blood pressure narrowed blood vessels due to plaque built up is quite common too.
4. Eye Disease And Damage
Diabetes brings many vision-related complications as well. Cataract, glaucoma, eye nerve damage, etc. are some of them. In many cases, it can also lead towards blindness that can only be managed but cannot be cured.
5. Skin Diseases
Diabetes cause dry skin, skin irritation, itching, and many other complications. Moreover, slow healing often leads to cracked skin which in turn brings fungal and bacterial infections.
6. Nerve Damage
Prolonged or mismanaged diabetes causes numbness, tingling sensation in the finger and toes. It damages the foot primarily and the affected area keeps on expanding gradually. When the sensation in the feet gets severely damaged, it leads to a condition called the diabetic foot.
7. Gums And Jaws Condition
Having excessive blood sugar can cause gum disease and loose teeth. Diabetic people often complain of bad breath as well, in spite of maintaining good dental hygiene.
8. Frequent Urination
Diabetes can cause frequent urination as well, but it is more frequent among diabetic patients. Though it is not a life-threatening condition, it does hamper the quality of life and professional life of patients, especially who are engaged in work that requires them to travel a lot, on a daily basis.
Most of the complications of diabetes develop slowly, over the period, but they can be life-threatening as well. Thus it is always advised to every individual to keep an eye on the blood sugar level, from time to time. Moreover, people who are diagnosed with high blood sugar, are advised to keep a check on the other aspects of diabetes and possible complications. ILS Hospitals offer diabetes check-up package that offers immense help to diabetes patients.
Most Common Diabetic Foot Conditions You All Need To Know About
Diabetes is one of the most widespread diseases in today’s world. Diabetes clinics, all around the world are addressing hundreds of new diabetes patients each year and the number is rising at an alarming rate. Needless to say, having a timely diabetes treatment is quite crucial, as many of you must be aware that untreated (or poorly managed) diabetes can lead to many complications like damage to eyes, kidneys, skin, nerves along with causing cardiovascular conditions and hindrance in the natural healing process. Today, we are going to discuss one particular condition, the diabetic foot.
Diabetic foot is an umbrella term for the foot conditions that arise due to prolonged diabetes. Let’s list out some of the most common conditions related to the foot that is caused by diabetes.
Diabetic Neuropathy
This causes numbness and loss of sensation in the feet, particularly in the extremities. Eventually, it leads to nerve damage and makes the person unaware of having wounds, infections, irritation, blisters or sore in their feet. Often it happens, that people become unaware of the facts that they are wearing tight shoes or if the shoes are rubbing.
It left unaddressed for long, it leads towards having gangrene and ends up needing an amputation.
Peripheral Vascular Disease
Prolonged diabetes affects the structure and function of the blood vessels. In peripheral vascular disease, the fat starts to get decomposed on the blood vessels reaching hands and feet. As a result, the adequate blood supply to the feet gets hampered and results in pain and infections. If left unresolved, it too can lead to foot amputation in the future.
Athlete’s Foot
It is a fungal infection that leads to cracking of foot skin while making it red and itchy as well. If left untreated, germs can enter through the crack skin and spread infection. Thankfully, it can be easily treated with topical creams and oral medicines.
Foot Calluses
It is the hard skin build upon the underside of the foot. It often occurs due to uneven bodyweight distribution, poorly fitted footwear, prolonged diabetes or some underlying skin condition. Wearing footwear with padding and using a pumice stone to remove calluses regularly is a big help. However, one can consider taking medicine to address it effectively as well.
Foot Corn
It is a hard skin build-up either between toes or on a bony area of the underfoot. It may also happen due to uneven pressure distribution on the foot. It happens mostly on dry skin, due to friction between toes or because of the shoe. Using any sharp object to remove them forcefully is highly unadvised. Instead, proper medication is more useful for the same.
Diabetic Foot Ulcers
Diabetes makes the healing process quite slow, and any cut or injury in the foot can often lead to infection. Diabetic foot ulcers are the condition in which the skin breaks deep on the underfoot. It eventually scrapes out the flesh and if left untreated for long, it keeps on causing damage heavily to the foot.
In case you are suffering from diabetes for a long period and encountering some foot condition, get in touch with our expert diabetic foot specialist to get quality treatment and care.
Include These 5 Foods In Your Everyday Diet To Manage Your Diabetes
Diabetes is one of the most common medical conditions throughout the world. In India too, its statistics are alarmingly high. The treatment approach is determined by the doctor after evaluating the type and severity of the condition in a reliable diabetes clinic. However, patients suffering from all the types of diabetes are advised to consume certain healthy food and adopt healthy habits to manage diabetes more effectively.
Today, we will discuss a few food items that one should include in their diet to manage diabetes. So let’s begin the countdown
1. Bitter Gourd
As the name itself indicates, this vegetable is quite bitter to taste and people usually avoid it, if they can. However, they include a component commonly known as p-insulin that controls the glycaemic level in the blood. Including them in the everyday diet is an extremely effective way to deal with diabetes-associated complications such as kidney, heart and nerve damage.
2. Green Leafy Vegetables
These are rich sources of nutrients and antioxidants along with being low on carbs and calories. Many of the green leafy also contain vitamin and minerals. In a nutshell, it replenishes eye cells from degeneration and protects it against cataract, which happens to be few common diabetes-associated complications.
3. Protein-rich food
Protein from healthy sources such as eggs, fish, and meat helps to keep blood sugar in check. Moreover, food items like Paneer, Dals, Rajma, etc also happen to be an excellent source of protein as well. Having them in adequate amount controls diabetes.
4. Amla
It is one of the most used ingredients to manage diabetes since ages, particularly as an Ayurvedic remedy. It regulates carbohydrate metabolism in the body, which in turn makes the body more receptive to insulin.
5. Yogurt
Every individual should ideally consume one serving of yogurt to aid one’s digestion and to attain weight loss. It is particularly beneficial for individuals with diabetes, as a controlled body weight can contribute towards the healthy management of diabetes. Moreover, the yogurt contains probiotic and thereby it reduces the risk of heart diseases as well.
These food items have been found to aid in better management of diabetes. However, before adding these in your everyday diet, it is best to seek consultation from a reliable diabetes clinic as well. The diabetologist not only will help you make a perfect diet chart but will also evaluate you from time to time to ensure that diabetes does not lead to any severe consequences.
4 Screening Every Man Should Have Since His Early 40s
With the process of aging, several body parts become more and more difficult and upon the onset of a severe illness, a long series of treatment begins in hospitals. However, the entire episode of this unpleasant occurrence can be avoided if some people start taking care of their health condition from time to time.
Read more – 4 Must-have health screening for every woman above 35
Thus, we bring a list of 4 screening every man should regularly have in his late 30s to ensure a good health in his later years.
1. Colon Screening
The onset of colon cancer among elder men is a very common. Due to age, the regenerative and healing property decreases significantly. Thus early screening can keep the complication at bay, which may occur in the advanced stages. Faecal occult test, Sigmoidoscopy, and Colonoscopy are namely the tests that are usually employed.
Ideally, early 50 is the age for doing the same, but for individuals with family or personal history of inflammatory diseases, polyps, ulcerative colitis etc. should do the test by the age of 40.
2. Prostate Screening
Prostate cancer among men is kind of analogous to cervical cancer for women. It claims several lives throughout the world. Because of ignorance and lack of awareness at an early stage, many patients skip screening and eventually at an older stage, suffer severely,
Screening for prostate health include PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) test and digital rectal examination (DRE)
3. Diabetes Test
Despite the fact that diabetes affects both men and women, the symptoms differ significantly. The consequences are more severe in case of men as compared to women. Thus, every man in 40s, if not already affected by diabetes till present, should go for diabetes screen at least annually.
Complicated diabetes can lead to several other complications such as blood clot, urine inconsistence, weakness and possible amputation.
4. Pulmonary and Cardiac Screening
Similar to the previous condition as compared to women, men tend to be more engaged in regular alcohol consumption and smoking. In a long run, it leads to several respiratory and cardiac ailments.
Thus every man in their 40s, who are particularly into drinking and smoking should go for regular screening to ensure the good health of their heart and chest. There are a group of tests that come under this screening.
Apart from the mentioned tests, one can go for additional ones as well, depending on the current health situation. However, the suggested screenings yield the best result for the overall health of the individual.