MY WEIGHT LOSS JOURNEY - TRIAL AND ERROR METHODS

Believe it or not, I too have a weight loss journey. I'm still miles away from achieving that ( 'after' image of ) perfect weight, but, I must say I'm proud I've shed much of the excess baggage I had accumulated...which, I'm never going to get again - I've vowed. How did I manage to go down from almost 85kgs to hovering at 70, here's moi sharing it all here. Its not been easy, but, I'm getting there almost and that too, in a natural and organic manner.

Background Story : How did I even reach a whopping 85Kgs considering I was very skinny as a kid. I was so thin, I was constantly made fun of ~ given names, bullied, mocked, body shamed ( by my own famiy members besides others ) and what not, which no doubt had a very bad impact on my self-esteem ( making me almost suicidal ). I was body conscious and made to feel as if I had committed a big crime by being thin. It was a frustrating period, especially, when you face this ordeal as a teenager. My reasons for not gaining weight was well...I had a metabolism that ensured no fat was stored in my body, and we used to eat only basic stuff nothing fancy, plus, I was into sports like tae-kwon-do and other outdoor activities ( in school ); and also with our house being on top of a hill ensured a regular climb at noon ( after school ) - thus, sweating everything out. So, I ended up being tall, thin and quite gawky. I must admit here, I did take couple of files of vitamin B tablets and a haemoglobin syrup initially, to gain weight especially when I was harrassed, but soon gave up as it didn't work, or I didn't see any difference. However, after I had moved to Bombay especially when I was mostly on my own, I really caught the whiff of Bombay's street foods; and, I started gorging. So far I was used to only simple home cooked meals, but, suddenly I was exposed to outside food so delicious ( also unhealthy ) - there was no looking back. I went head on ~ eating everything, enjoying food like never before. I splurged all my pocket money only on food. And, in any event or gathering, food counter was the only place I'd be seen hanging around. Food became an addiction almost. Result was a rapid escalation to 85!

The Realisation : There came a time when I was starting to be referred to as 'moti' or 'fat'. Even fat people face body shaming and ridicule, see? Sigh! Its like people has no other work other than to judge others all the time, for their appearances or body types. Such a shame. Now, I was called names or teased for being fat. Phew! One day, I was on a date and the guy was like - 'you are so huge'. It did pinch esecially when I was later blatantly asked ( by someone else ) to lose some weight. I dropped those guys ( because of other reasons too ), but, the subseqent ones also made similar remarks on my weight. Like, I heard - oh she's overweight, or a direct - 'you'll be even cuter if you shed some weight'. So, yes, this time around I was constantly made to feel 'fat'. I stopped caring about these people - they only looked at body and didn't really love or cared about me. I bade all of them 'goodbye', and stuck with my love - food! Noway, I was going to give up on food. I loved it more than these nonsense suitors, lol. But, certain health scares did ultimately make me change my mind and my pre-occupation with food. Two back to back heart-attacks and hypothyroidism.

Fighting Back : My weight had unknowingly introduced me to hypothyoidism and I had heart attack when quite young ( in my early thirties ). I was depressed then - with what was going on in my life. I was out of shape too, and was facing health issues on a daily basis. I was constantly fatigued, tired and sleepy through the day with headaches and brain fog. I spent most of my time in my bed barely having the strength to get out of it. My tae-kwondo was long forgotten, I resembled a lazy, obese, diseased person. The heart attacks though, finally, woke me up. They shook me really hard to the core and I knew I had to do something quick, to heal myself. I learnt obesity can only lead to more problems and even death, in the end. So, I made it a resolve to reverse things. However, by now, I had a chronic hypothyroidism too that made it even harder to loose weight. So much so...even if I didn't eat anything, I'd still be gaining weight. I had to do something fast, before things went out of control. Losing weight was my priority. But, I didn't want to give up on food yet. My only option was to drastically cut down on portions. I still ate those delicious food, but, cut down the portions by many folds. So, if I used to have 3 pizzas earlier in a single day, I'd split a single pizza into two-three days...and so on. I'd have a bite of a samosa, and the next bite the next day. So this way, I satisfied my urge and taste-buds, but, only to a tiny extent. I'd not eat anything after 5-6pm. My eating window would be from 10-11am-5-6pm. It was kinda intermittent fasting of sorts. However, still, losing weight was a challenge.

Walk, Walk and Walk : I didnt go to any gym to lose weight. I was too conscious and didn't have time nor the discipline. I tried exercising at home instead. But, it was tough. I injured myself too. So, I started walking. Walking, walking and more walking - quick brisk ones. Slowly, I became obsessed with walking. Instead of lifts, I'd take the stairs. I'd walk to and fro the market and would avoid taking any rickshaw. So, my regular walking and cutting down on portions did ultimately start giving resuits. At times, I did do impulsive fasting of 24 hours...but, it was rare. And, its not recommended on a regular basis. One can try one or two times a week. But cutting down portions is a must. I still have pastry or sweet even - but, only a bite or so, not the whole thing. As a result I'm hovering around 70kgs now, which is progress no doubt. It took years, but, I did it :-) A whopping 15kgs weightloss, no less. How to stick to it...or reduce even further - walk walk, cut portions, no eating after sun-set ( and sometimes a 24 hour fasting ), and get proper uninterrupted sleep of 8-10 hours.

Resist Temptations. Be Motivated. Stay Focussed. Don't Take Stress ~ My Mantra!



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HOW TO GET RID OF ACNE/ PIMPLE/ BREAKOUTS IN A SINGLE DAY NATURALLY WITH JUST YOUR HAIR TIPS AND...

It was May2010, summer and very hot in Bombay/Mumbai. I was hiding in my home. I couldn't dare to go out. Not with my face looking like how it did then. What started with a single pimple, had spread all over my face. Not one or two, there were clusters of them, everywhere. They itched, I scratched, they spread like wild fire.....till I had no plain space left in my face. It was horrible. My face was both painful and itchy at the same time. And I was miserable. My mother suggested remedies. I tried them. They failed. Google and Youtube suggested various remedies as well. I tried. They failed too. It was a dire situation and I had tried everything. From my mom's suggestions of antiseptic creams like boroline, neosporin, aspoline, vicco etc to Youtube/Google's various suggestions of putting raw eggs, castor oil, turmeric, coconut oil, honey, curd and what not. Instead of improving - the condition went worse. I looked horrible and my neighbours too got alarmed at seeing my face. In the end I decided to stop everything. I removed all the muck and debris left from all the various experimental concoctions I had plastered on my face to demolish those pimple clusters. I decided dumping all. Those things were not letting the clusterrs dry out, instead, were trapping whatever germs or bacteria there were, inside. So, taking a soft cotton ball, I started to clean with simple dettol and water solution. I'd keep the dettol soaked cotton ball on top of the clusters for some time. I changed the ratio few times. I found that increasing dettol can even burn the skin ( and scar your skin brown ). So, perfect ratio is a must - not too strong or too mild. And thats what I did the following days. I found the clusters drying up and eventually healing. So, dettol was my cure - and not those other ointments and kitchen ingredients.



So, I found the cure - my saviour ~ the very common 'dettol' from our medicine cabinet. But how about preventing appearance of a pimple in the face altogether for life? From that May in 2010, till 2025 almost, I've never had a single pimple in my life. Of course, I had those itch moments, but, they stopped instantly and never went on to become the dreaded ugly bump called pimple. Its the most amazing find. I don't know the science behind it. But it works like a miracle. So, whenever we feel the slightest itch in any part of our face ( it works mostly on our face ) - take a small bunch of your hair tips - the ends in your hand - like a brush ( see the picture above ), then brush those strands vigorouly on the itchy spot. I guarantee the itch will stop within seconds and no pimple will ever appear!

HEALING TMJ/TMD - TEMPORO MANDIBULAR JOINT DISORDERS ON YOUR OWN? ITS POSSIBLE! THE DO'S & DON'TS...

'Managing' is the right word!

Sometimes, we go about our daily life gleefully, everything is good. But then, suddenly, something happens that you never ever imagined. Not in your wildest dreams. You are amazed that such a thing could ever occur. That there's even such a possibility. And when it happens to you, you are like - has it only happened to you? Am I the only one who is suffering from this. You make a mad search in the internet to see if there's anyone else on this planet that might have faced it too. And, finally, after lot of googling you heave a sigh of relief - no, you haven't found the cure. You are just happy that you are not the only one. You discover an entire community almost, who's going through the same - and are at different phases or stages. You follow their experiences and advices. Try to see what you can adapt and what to reject. For me, any physical intrusion ( examination or surgery ) by doctor is a complete no-no, so, I go about searching the whole internet upside down to see if anyone got any relief naturally.

So, what happened actually? It was just few days after I reached my native home. I had done a cross-country road trip, and was exhausted from it. Too tired and lazy to unpack, I went to sleep. So, on my right side the air-cooler blew air directly into my right ear. I tried to block the air out - by using the wrong ear plug instead. There are two kinds of ear plugs that I use. Foam ones when I sleep, and, the silicon ones when I'm out on walks. I was too lazy to take out my foam ear plugs, and ended up positioning the silicon one into my right ear. And here it went so wrong. Silicon ones are hard, and during sleep movements it pushed the soft cartilage disk ( I discovered this only later ) that sits in the jaw joints right in midde of front ear - behind that flap ( called tragus ) you see near the face and ears.



The next moring I yelled out in pain. My entire right face was paining severely. Of course at the time I didn't know what had happened. I thought, I might have some tooth problem - so, applied clove oil in my teeth. No respite. And I didn't really have any teeth or gum problems as such. For long time I couldn't fathom what went wrong. I was just fine till that night I arrived. Only after I rewinded all the events did I reach the culprit - that could be those silicon ear plugs. But the damage was done. Something bad had already happened and I was in excruciating pain. I searched on google causes of face pain. I also noticed, that the back of my ear, somewhere inside, felt bit heavy too. I included that too in my searches. It was then that I came across the term TMJ/TMD. I could finally grasp what actually might have happened. Why my face was paining so bad especially my right cheeks so much.

So, it happened, while I was sleeping the cartilege disc got displaced ( pushed behind ) by those silicone ( grrr... ) plugs that pressed against the tragus of my ear, pulling the tendons that were in turn attached to the muscles in my cheeks. Thus, the pain. Because my muscles got pulled. It all made sense. But, I would never go to any doctor, so, tried my 'self-ilaaz' like I always do. I somewhat succeeded when I had a leg issue not long ago, so, I guess it was time to tackle this problem my way too. After a few trial and error efforts, I found certain things that helped me 'manage' ( not cure ) this condition. Here, I'd also like to mention that in my case the cartilege had slipped into my throat and had blocked my breathing for some time. I pushed, till I swallowed it. Yes, I swallowed it. Because either that or die...it was stuck somewhere in my throat and I could feel it blocking the air. So, its safe to say, its not trapped behind my ears anymore. But my tendons are still pushed, stretching my face muscles and I have that typical popping/clicking sound in my jaw ( a regular symptom of TMJ to suggest the cartilege is not in its place anymore ) when I open and close my mouth.


hi there...


So, here's how to manage a TMJ(D), my way. What works for me may not work for others, so, do consult an expert. Here are mine :-)

1. Don't move your face too much. Keep it closed and don't talk moving the jaw too much.

2. Don't eat hard things - nuts or fruits. Try soften them before eating.

3. Always be chin-down and not chin-up. Keep your chin pressed closer to your throat rather than keeping it the air, which stretches the muscles and tendons. Earlier when I didn't know, it pulled at my jaw pretty bad, and nearly deshaped few teeth from their position ( ripping the gum a bit - it was bloody painful ). Keeping chin-down has helped prevent further damage.

4. Don't turn your face to the opposite side of the disorder. If you have problem in the right jaw joint, avoid turning your face frequently to left and vice versa.

5. If you have the cartilege still stuck - you might try doing some jaw exercises recommended by TMJ experts. However, in my case, I swallowed my cartilege, so, it didn't help anymore. I did try clicking my teeth together every few minutes to get them used to their new positions.

6. For facial muscle pain, close your fist and rub the knuckles in clockwise and anti-clockwise movements around your cheeks to loosen the fascia layer of your muscle. It gets entangled resulting in pain. The smooth massaging helped in reiieving my pain.

7. Sleep it out. Sleep slowly but surely heals.

P.S : I myself would not go to any doctor, as this condition doesn't really have a cure as such; unless, surgically the jaw is pushed back to its place. I would not do it, but, if you prefer to go that way, don't hesitate. For me, my methods are keeping my pain away ( and its still a 'work in progress' - it might go either way in future - better or worse ), and I'm happy with that for the time being; also, I'm aware my jaw will never be the same again.



TMD, TMJD are a group of conditions that affect the jaw joints, muscles, and nerves that control jaw movement with symptoms like Pain in the jaw, face, shoulder, neck, or back, headaches, earaches, limited mouth motion, jaw clicking, popping, or locking.

SLEEP HACKS - HOW TO GET A GOOD NIGHTS SLEEP

When someone said that we spend almost half our lives sleeping, I was almost offended and immediately started to defend that - no, we don't. But later, when I started to really think and reflect on it, it seemed somewhat true. I counted my own hours of sleep - 10-11 hours ( I used to sleep much less earlier ); that'd be almost half the day of 24 hrs. So, if I'm a certain age now, then, yes indeed - almost half that age I've spent sleeping. Not just me, every creature in this world sleeps. A baby would sleep whole day infact baring the little time it wails for its feed. As it grows slowly, only then the sleep time reduces as it starts activities like play and interactions with other humans. As it becomes a child going to school, further, it's sleep reduces - but still average would be around 10-11 hours ( or maybe even more ), that he'd sleep. So, why do we sleep at all, when we've come to this world. Its like God designed it intentionally - and those who doesn't believe in God - lets say our body was designed to sleep. During day time, when sun is up - wake and do things; and once its night time, and sun disappears, we too need to retire for the day. But question remains - why sleep at all? Whats the greater purpose behind it. Is there anything related to health? Many science studies have said that proper sleep is important and have its benefits - and there's definately a purpose behind it; although, the whole process still remains somewhat a mystery and nobody has clear answers.


However, intense observation, research and studies show that sleep is important because it -

It rests your body and also, brain.

It freshens you up.

It rejuvenates you.

It heals you.

It repairs you internally.

It obliterates your bad memories or experiences.

It reduces your pain.

It conserves your energy.

It boosts metabolism.

It helps in new cell generation.

On the other hand, lack of sleep is dangerous to your body - it can lead to cell-degeneration, feeling bad/tired/fatigued/irritated the whole day, can lead to heart attack and escalate diseases like diebetes/cancer, and sometimes even death. Its said, when you don't sleep properly and new cell doesn't get generated then the existing cells in brains starts attacking each other which can result in ill-health and other cognitive problems. Over-sleep too however can have its drawbacks - affects metabolism and increase diseases.


Sleep Types : There are two types of sleep - rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and non-REM sleep, and we experience both in our entire sleep cycle several times through the night :

1. Non-REM sleep has two stages where in first stage its the zone between being awake and falling asleep. We may or may not see dreams in this time and most sleep paralysis or occult experiences happen in the light sleep that follows, when our breathing and heart rate regulates and body temperature drops. This is followed by deep sleep, when we don't see any dreams and it is when the body actually heals and is most important part of sleep cycle. The NREM lasts about two hours overall.

2 REM sleep is after the deep sleep state, and lasts about an hour or so and the eyes move rapidly behind closed eyelids. The breathing becomes irregular, and the body temporarily paralyzes to prevent acting out dreams. Both NREM and REM together is a sleep cycle that can last 2-3 hours each.



Try some of my tried and tested sleep hacks for a good nights sleep. They really work :-)

¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪¸¸ Avoid caffeine like coffee and tea in the evenings; also, strong drinks like alchohol. Instead, one can drink sleep inducing warm Chamolie tea or have a banana an hour before sleep. There's melatonin food or supplements to help if you have extreme sleep disorders. Avoid the blue light ( mobile/tv ) atleast 1 hour before sleeping. Take a light warm shower before going to bed, avoid cold baths. Don't keep any strong lights on. Dim light in a corridor is perfect. Dark is best. Use soothing soft sleep music or white noise ( optional ). You can take foam ear plugs if you don't like any noise. Relax your body when going to sleep. Drop your shoulders, hands on the sides, legs - all parts from tip to toe. Close your eyes and gently lift your eyebrows - it'll instantly lessen any tension. Don't do it forcefully. Slowly drop them. Relax your face. Take long breathes and take pauses of 5 secs between each. Try not to think of anything. If any thought comes just try to imagine a blank slate. Try counting mentally the numbers 1-7 slowly, and then backwards, taking pauses between each. Visualise a picture of nature, water body, hill, clouds or anything serene; and then, slowly try to blur it mentally ( its possible ). IMP Note : Never sleep with your head in north direction; also avoid west - north's magnetic pull can be dangerous and west sleep is not wholesome and you feel irritable and it takes longer to heal. Try south, and east is best to make you feel healthy and refreshed. Avoid alarm clocks. Try to wake up naturally. -: I try these often, and sleep like a log :-

THE HULLABALOO OVER NAVJOT SINGH SIDHUS CLAIM OVER CANCER CURE

Someone tells you a list of to-dos for a healthier you and recieves a 850crore law suit. It happened to the famous cricketer we all know as Siddhu paji's wife. Why? Hmmm...lets see where it went wrong!



First wrong is definately the fact that he is a famous person. His words can influence many. However, was he really wrong? I read the contents in his tweets as well as saw his press conference on the topic. He did claim what he did, but, he also did admit that his wife underwent various treatments as well. His wife was suffering from stage 4 breast cancer. But his speech stressed more that she became cancer-free following that particular lifestyle and a strict diet routine. So, it did give an impression that following the regime alone one can be cancer-free too. Maybe, his way of speaking got it all wrong, as he kept stressing on the diet and lifestyle. Had his wife not undergone other treatments and was cured naturally only via that particular diet routine, things then would have been different. But the fact that she did take usual treatments ( a lot of them, infact ), along with the diet, made them eligible for the case initiated by the Chhattisgarh Civil Society and other petitions. However, he does have freedom of speech, and, he did mention the other treatments too albeit not stressed as much as he did the diet - so, didn't really commit a crime per se. And we can just choose to listen or not listen, and move on!

There are many videos on youtube and social media these days with tonnes of cures and remedies. There's always someone or the other prescribing this or that diet or lifestyle change or exercises/yoga, therapies etc for various diseases. Many follow them, and maybe its helping a lot too. But we need to take these with a grain of salt. Not everything we see on internet is believable; yet, we shouldn't ignore all either. There's both good and the bad. I so so wanted Siddhu's claims to be truth, because, I also seek natural treatments. But the fact that his wife underwent a multitude of usual medical treatments somewhat dashed my hopes. Because, although the diet may have helped, so might have the treatments - thats the glaring possibility. So, thats where lies my disillusionment. I'm happy she is cured; only I wished, she was cured solely by the diet. Thats where precisely Siddhu's claims fell flat.

Like I mentioned, I seek natural cure too and am great follower of natural therapies and genuinely believe a lot of it helps. I've never been to a doctor myself all my life esp adult life, because, I'm scared of handing over my life's reign to them or get dependent on medicines. I also believe, God has built a healing mechanism within our system, that largely fights off number of diseases and gives us immunity all through our lives. We hardly notice it, but, its there. Also, the food we eat, makes us what we are. Healthy food nourishes us, unhealthy food damages our system slowly. Our body constantly heals and keep our system going. But cancer is another ball game altogether. Its when the inbuilt defence mechanism fails to fight and protect, that cancer thrives. Hence, claims like Siddhu did becomes hard to digest. Like I said, ( I know I'm repeating ), had his wife not taken other treatments and got cured solely on the diet, I'd have been much happier. It'd have stamped my conviction that nature can cure without the intrusion of technology or science. Because, for me, Nature is the biggest Science there is! In the past too I had come across similar claims that ~ cannabis or marijuana cured cancer ( thats why its banned to aid the pharmaceutical industry ); someone got cured by solely being dependent on carrot, garlic and black grapes diet etc. So, there's nothing wrong in considering what Siddhu claimed, but, we can't say for sure that it's the ultimate cure. Maybe, we can include those items in our lives and eat healthy and in moderation and hope for the best that cancer doesn't touch us. My own 'gharelu' remedy to live a healthy life is to cut the stress and negativity and live a positive and happy life. I ignore negative people and it has helped me so much. Thats the best cure infact, along with good amount of undisturbed sleep and little sweaty exercise or walks!

What is cancer - In our body, each cell undergoes a life-death cycle and new cells are produced. There are trillions of cells that make up the body. The cells we had in our birth or childhood are not the cells that we have now, or, won't be the same during our old age. They die and produce new ones. Thats the system or protocol it has to follow. But, if some cell doesn't die but keeps multiplying, it eventually forms a lump thats called a cancer or tumor. And, if such cells reaches other parts of the body, thats metasizing, which is a dangerous situation when other organs in the body get affected and ultimately fail. Similarly, in blood cancer, white blood cells multiplies and changes the algorithm of the body.

Navjot Singh Siddhu's Tweets on Cancer-Cure
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GdOAivcaUAAvki5?format=jpg
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GdOAivcaAAAIxOC?format=jpg

#CHHOTEKADAM TO A HEALTHY HEART WITH SUFFOLA LIFE

..¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪¸¸ Our whole lives, we are focused on everything under the sun ( our dreams, ambitions, entertainment, sports, politics, weather/nature, friends/relatives infact the whole society and its surroundings etc ), except, one very important thing – Our health. We all know that there are some really very simple steps ( #ChhoteKadam ) to take care for it, but, we’d rather ignore them, and instead, choose to save the world. Hah! That seems more easier task, ain’t it? We don’t realize the toll all these has on our little heart – the engine of our body. Not just our heart, every organ, infact every cell of our body bears the brunt of our ignorance and carelessness. But our heart is the one that actually keeps it all running, hence, is at most risk. Recently, I was reading an article about what exactly happens to our body once it dies. It revealed that - our heart stops beating first, and then the rest follows ( i.e lungs, brain etc stops functioning ) via – pallor mortis, algor mortis, rigor mortis, livor mortis, putrefaction, decomposition, skeletonization etc ( whole process the body undergoes ). So, it all starts with the heart. So, our 'life' simply depends on its beating, doesn't it? Once it stops, we go through all these ‘scary’ mortises, mentioned above. Anyways, we all know it – that good way to a healthy heart is staying active, eating better and being happy. Simple, right? But, how exactly do we do these? Lets see... Yes, we are very active --- almost all day, our eyes, ears and fingers, that is. We’d rather exercise our eyes whole day watching Television/computer screen or keep our hands busy typing into our mobiles ( doing a facebook/twitter etc ), or chatting/gossiping all day on phone. While we seem so active keeping up with rest of the world, ( feeling important & connected ), are we really so? Don't we realise, all these activities actually have us sitting on our lazy bums the whole day, and hence, we aren't really active as we think ourselves to be. Without realising, we bloat out too not to mention our organs and body parts doesn't receive its required amount of movements. While, we don't really need to stop doing these activities, why not simply cut down on it? TV Soaps/shows telecast so many times in a day, facebook or twitter ain’t running away anywhere either, so, it won’t really harm to take a break – and move your ass out of your house. Walk, exercise ~ little by little ( 1 hour daily, if not more – start with 10 minutes ), drink plenty of water in doing so, and that #chhotekadam will indeed make your heart and whole body refreshed, happy and energised. We are also active in our daily food intake, aren’t we? But do we really watch what we eat? There was a time I survived on only burgers, pizzas, fries, cokes, chips, savouries and sweets via home-delivery 24x7, until one day I fell really ill. I ate some outside food and suffered from food-poisoning. Though, I still love outside food and have occasionally, I cut down drastically on those, after that horrible incident. These food are so so wrong for our heart ( and body ), what with the over-dose of calories and cholesterol that clogs it, and which can block the arteries and risk heart attack. Yes, they are tasty and very tempting, and not wrong to have them --- but, how about just once a week, say a Sunday, indulge yourself. Rest of the week. be strict and eat the healthier stuff. There are also options ( tricks ) to really cut down the oil content in junk-food by squeezing the oil out. For instance, I love eating medu-vadas but to my horror, they are always so dunked and deep fried in huge quantity of oil, so, what I do is either try wrapping them with tissue papers to soak the extra-oil or simply squeeze it in the palm of my hand ( the latter can be little messy ). Do the same with samosas, cutlets or anything deep-fried, if you simply are a junk-food addict. But know the perils of food cooked in such oil/ghee. it is really the enemy of your heart. Realising it, and taking precaution is a #chhotekadam to a healthier heart. We are also active in our pursuit of happiness. What don't we do to be happy - shop, eat, romance etc etc. But do we really get happiness? We seem to be more stressed-out wanting more and more. Not content with what we have, we simply go chasing - for success, either in earning money/career or getting the love of our life ( don't we all have that phase ;-) to attain what we call happiness. We don't realise, we spend our time worrying more, than we actually attain happiness. We fret and cry if we fail, or worse, go into depression not realising how depression and stress do more damage to our heart than we can ever imagine. When we are sad, our body's hormones react in such a way, that it starts affecting our heart ( with added blood-pressure problems ). Any extreme state of depression can actually cause heart attack too, because, such negativity affects our cells ( we do not realise it, but whatever we do - good or bad - every cell in our body gets affected in a good way or bad way ). So, chuck all that negativity from your life, and you'll be indeed happy. Keep your dreams realistic, don't go berserk if something doesn't work out - there's always a next time, and more importantly, remember the 'temporariness' of life, that such stress or tensions are really not worth given any time. You can be happy, if you choose to be happy - a #chhotekadam really! So, follow the #ChhoteKadam ( s) above, you'll have a healthy heart for sure. You can thank me later :-) And yup, while we are at this topic of having a healthy heart, don't forget to cook your food with Suffola Life that is especially made for your heart :-) Love Yourself, Take Care & Stay Healthy... ..¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪¸¸

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FIGHTING HYPOTHYROIDISM, SYMPTOMS, TREATMENT NATURALLY

Last November'15, I wrote a piece on the heart-attacks I had gone through. Seems, I started having more repercussions in the months that followed, which led me to understand my problem, without having visited a doctor yet ( I'm shit-scared of them ).

As I was travelling to my home-town in Dec, I noticed an unusual thinning of my eye-brows in the train's mirror. I wondered about it, because, I always had thick ones. At home, I started noticing it thin-out further. It was winter, and I'd feel unbelievingly cold as well, inspite of wearing multiple layers of clothing/woolens. The mystery of my vanishing eye-brows, made me try and recollect, if I had done or experienced something unusual in the past months. I remembered, I had a heart-attack type condition, and soon after had visited the poisonous grounds of Bhopal Gas Tragedy site. I wondered, if going to that place was somehow having a side-effect on me. To make sure, I tried searching net ~ the causes for thinning eyebrows.

It mentioned that it happens if over-plucked, metal poisoning or due to hypothyriodism. The middle one was what I feared, as the Gas Tragedy site was indeed toxic. But, me being not satisfied easily, wondered if it was due to the my heart predicament just before I went to MP ( as I did have a throbbing head-ache that time ). I googled for information again. But more I googled, more I came across the term hypothyriodism. I began researching about hypothyrioidism then. And it did mention, loss of eye-brows ( one third, on the outer side ) as a symptom; also, intolerance to cold and unexplained weight gain. I remembered, how abnormally cold I was feeling all the time, and how I was unable to lose weight, although, I didn't eat that much. Thus, the same was happening to me - hypothyriodism, perhaps. Meanwhile, my mother who had treated her own hair-loss issue ( due to the air-condition at my sister's place ) with onion, suggested me the same. Taking her advice, I started putting onion juice on my eye-brows. To my surprises, my eye-brows did grow back, although, it was still sparse. Onion juice has sulphur, that trigger's hair growth. So, go for it if you have hair-loss issue, in your head or anywhere.

I was still hesitant to accept though, that I was suffering from hypothyrioism. But one article forced me to finally believe and accept it. The causes of my heart attack was due to hypothyrioidim as well, as I found out; as stress/depression is the ultimate trigger in case of thyroid. I was, however, still reluctant to go to a doctor for a proper check-up. If you suffer the same, please do not hesitate to take the necessary thyroid tests. Me being me, I try to find cure myself. So, I researched what food should I take. A natural cure was what I was seeking. Soya was a strict no, I learnt, along with cabbage, cauliflower, brocolli type vegetables. Lots of iodine-based foods like fish, kelp, sea-weed, sorrel was suggested instead.

I'm following this routine as of now, although, I must say it is not really doctor recommended. It my own experiment, and it seems to work...i.e atleast, it does not make me feel lethargic, fatigued, anxious, fog-headed etc the whole time, which are typical signs of hypothyroid. BTW, deep long breaths ( meditation ) and plenty of sleep, 8hrs, is advised as well.

Hypothyroid is a condition, when the butterfly-shaped thyroid gland, situated in our throat, do not produce enough thyroid hormones needed by the body, to upkeep its metabolism. ( there's also hyperthyroidism, whose symptoms are exact opposite of hypo )

So, my routine consists of gulping down Apple cider vinegar mixed with little honey and water every morning, on an empty stomach. Wait 30-45 minutes. Then, a carrot and dark ( purple concord are preferred ) grapes follows next, along with a cucumber and tomato ( seeds removed ). I take some raisins, walnuts, almonds, pistachios, apricot, cranberries, fig etc. After which, goes a banana and boiled egg. So, that's my breakfast. And yeah, Vitamin D is a must, so I try to catch the morning 8am-12pm sun ( though, I'm not very successful in waking up that early ). I hear exercising is a must. I'm bit lazy on that, so, try to replace it with 1 hour fast-walking instead. ( This routine is good to prevent cancer as well ).

I have changed to brown bread and strain the rice-water, to remove the starch. One is advised to avoid wheat/grains altogether, but what do we eat then? DUH! Beans, green peas along with eggplants, capsicum, lady finger are must, juggling them with potato or legumes. I try to eat raw onion, and use ginger and garlic, as well. I do cheat with an occasional dosa or pizza, and some ras-malais too. Better eat and die, lol. Anyways, I think, once or twice cheating in the week is okay. But the morning routine is compulsorily followed. One day, I read up on Levothyroxine, so am taking a small 25mgs dose of it, every alternate day ( yeah, unprescribed , but then that's me ). No side effects so far.

Do suggest any other routines, if there's any for hypothyriodism. Would love to know.

UPDATE : I shifted to another house since April, and since then, I've felt tremendous changes in my health ~ for the better. The fresh air and open spaces are doing me lot good, compared to the claustrophobic 4th floor flat I was earlier in. So, I guess, I took the right decision.
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WHEN DOCTORS GAVE UP AND SAID, ONLY PRAYERS CAN SAVE HER NOW!

If my previous article was grim, this one would be grimmer. This incident too happened, like the others, and prior than those. It was during the time when my sister was living in Calcutta ( much before they shifted to USA permanently ). I was just out of college, and after dabbling a bit in a corporate job, I had decided to start my own business. It was related to computers and I was all set to be a business-woman ( until, my interest shifted to something else, that is - yeah, I'm fickle minded ). So, every morning I'd go to my office ...errr computer-shop, and customers would throng in. I was making money, and life was good.

During afternoon, our purana driver used to bring me my tiffin - that was mostly burgers or any random eatable things that he'd find, from nearby restaurants. Things were still good. In between though, my feet got itchy to return to Bombay ( where I had spent my entire college years ). So, I got in touch with one of my college friends, who arranged my stay in a hostel. Thus, now, in a span of few months, I was juggling two careers - one, in my hometown ~ as a business-woman, and the other, in Bombay, again in the corporate jungle! My mother started looking after my business, as I started spending more and more time in Bombay. Once, taking a short-break for a couple of months, I went to my hometown and resumed my work there. So, again our driver started bringing me my afternoon food. At first, I did not notice much, but gradually, the food I ate, started to taste bitter. It included the food my mother made. Except for sweet food, everything else tasted bitter. Days passed, and my taste buds seemed to find everything bitter, including 'biriyani' that I so enthusiastically hogged. I just could not taste anything anymore. My return date was approaching, and I could not figure out what was wrong with me. Till then, I didn't even realize anything was wrong with me :| I forced the food in somehow, but it would be the most bitterest thing I ever tasted.

I hoped things would get better once I returned to Bombay; as usually, Bombay's food always did wonders for me and my tummy. My mother's cooking is a little bland, so I suspected, maybe it was just the food that I didn't like much, hence, it tasted so weird. In my return, I had my ticket via Calcutta. Its when things really went wrong. The bitter taste followed here too, and this time with my sister's cooking. It was as though, my tongue had lost all sense of taste except sweet. And my sister cooks pretty well, so, I knew instantly something was severely wrong. And soon, I became weak, as my food intake got lesser by the day. I had severe dehydration too, but shocking thing was, as though, my entire food-pipes were gradually melting everyday, and coming out in some strange grayish-sticky-mucus pulp form. I was so weak by then, that I could barely get up from my bed, much less clean those yuck stuff. Yeah...sounds terrible now, but when I think back, I shudder the situation I was in.

A doctor came twice. When his first set of medicines couldn't control what the ailment was, after all the stool-sample testings he had done; on his second visit he said on a sad note ~ only prayers could save me from death now, and that my time was near! I could not believe my ears. Meanwhile, I had a little feud with my sister, who all along accused me that I was pretending to be sick. WTF! I still don't understand why she thought that way, when I could not possibly pretend such scary things coming outta me, which my mother too was a witness. I felt offended at her behaviour, so thought it best to get out of her place, and shift somewhere else, lest, she was feeling troubled or bothered by my presence or illness. She later realized her mistake, and pleaded me not to go; but I decided to move out anyways. The doctor's words too were dangling in my ears, and the last place I wanted to die was there. So, I asked my mother to bring a cab and we went to a hotel near Howrah station. I was so weak, I could barely walk those 2-floor stairs to the cab :-(

Once in a new place, I, then, decided to fight back, come what may. A doctor can't just write me off this way, I thought. What kind of a doctor was he? Sure, I was not well...but, it was hardly incurable, was it?! I doubted his credentials and insisted on another doctor. My father too had arrived by then, and we shifted to yet another hotel, then another :o The last one, much posher than the other two - being his office-sponsored. Thankfully, the new doctor's medicine, along with my determination, worked! After weeks of suffering a tasteless tongue, and a very very weak body; I finally got my sense of taste back, and my health too bounced back slowly. Of course, Bombay's ( where I landed next ) food did its share of wonders. In all of this I wonder, if it was food-poisoning that had happened to me? My driver used to bring me food from various restaurants, and just before this incident, he had brought a 'mughai-paratha' dish, that I distinctly remember. Was it the culprit? Was it intentional or my driver had no clue? That's still an unsolved mystery....
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HOW TO KNOW YOU ARE AT RISK OF A HEART ATTACK?

It may surprise you, but, I had not one, not two, but three heart-attacks in the recent years. Which, however, even I hadn't realized; until, I went through various articles to understand what I was going through or suffered from. Yes, I'm still yet to go to a doctor for a proper diagnosis. Only thing being, I'm shit-scared of doctors and hospitals. Till date, I've never visited any doctor and self-treated myself, reading many cures on net. So, when I had these attacks, my natural instinct was to search in the net first. Although, I must suggest, if you suffer the same like I did, donot hesitate to go to a doctor asap.

So, what exactly happened to me? I'm somewhere in my thirties now ( yeah..I am that old! ); so, I think, its not really impossible for a heart-attack to occur specially due to the extreme stress and depression I went through, over the last few years. ( Can't disclose them, as they are too personal. But, that also explains my rather unnaturally growing curiosity/interest in death/spook/after-life etc, which wasn't so strong earlier; although, it did always exist ). So, getting back to what exactly happened ~

I got my first attack in the year 2010. It was morning time, and I was very upset over some recent developments in my personal life. It was around 11 am or so, and I was just beginning to do my house-hold work, before going out for the day. The night before, I had cried a lot; and, was slowly trying to forget my pain ( emotional ). And I did too for a while, or so I thought, when a very different pain - a physical pain, suddenly clutched me right at my chest. It was as though something had grabbed my heart and twisted it. The pain was so debilitating, that I had to stop all my work. I couldn't move an inch, and just sat still at the edge of my bed. I felt as though, my life was being squeezed out. It was nothing I had ever experienced before in my entire life ( though, I faced couple of life-death situations earlier too, but of a different sort ), and lasted several minutes, until, things slowly became normal again. The most strangest thing that occurred that day was, my neighbour who was suffering from cancer for long, died during the exact same time, I was going through all these ( which I found out later ). I wondered, if whoever came to take him had tried taking me instead, by mistake. Its still a mystery to me - why I felt such severe pain in my chest that day. Of course, then, I didn't realize I just had a heart-attack.

Nothing happened over the next few years, and my life was going fine or was it? Yes, I still had personal sadness, but I learnt to live with it. However, I failed to take note of the gradual shortness of breaths, I experienced, which wasn't the case before. Shortness of breath, even when you are relaxed, can be a sign of heart-issues. I used to have difficulty breathing properly, but, never took it as a serious problem. I also started getting pain around my left shoulders and down my body ( left side ), from time to time ~ which is another sign. Once, the left side pained so severely, I wondered, if I dislocated my shoulder or something. But still, I ignored them as nothing serious. And then....

The pain of the past, came back with a force - the emotional one, that is. I discovered something recently, that sent me livid with rage. I could barely control my anger, my anxiety; and it was directly affecting my health once again. My mind was really troubled at what I had seen. My head had started paining constantly, and within two days I had two heart-attacks back-to-back. The pain was glaringly similar to the one I had 5 years ago, only it was much much stronger this time. Not just my heart, I felt my whole chest being twisted from inside, and the pain was spread across my whole upper-body. The first attack occurred when I was typing an article. It was so excruciating, that I had to stop all work and lie down in my bed. By morning I was okay; but, in the evening as I was shopping in the market, the pain suddenly came back. ( Yes, my mind was still clouded in worrisome thoughts, all the while I was in the market ). I became almost paralyzed with the pain, but, somehow managed to drag myself home. It lasted for more than one hour, even after I reached home. I knew something was wrong and started going on net immediately, to check what on earth was wrong with me. Soon after, I went on a trip to MP, and travelling somewhat made me forget lots of things that I was going through; although, at night, in the train I did feel a little discomfort throughout.

Now, there are many other symptoms of heart-attacks too ( common ones being - Chest pain or discomfort - in the center or left side of the chest/pressure, squeezing, fullness, or pain, heartburn or indigestion, Upper body discomfort - in one or both arms, the back, shoulders, neck, jaw, or upper part of the stomach ( above the belly button ), Shortness of breath - with or without chest discomfort ), Breaking out in a cold sweat, Feeling unusually tired for no reason, sometimes for days ( especially if you are a woman ), Nausea ( feeling sick to the stomach ) and vomiting, Light-headedness or sudden dizziness, Any sudden, new symptoms or a change in the pattern of symptoms already mentioned )

....And here, I, not just had some of the symptoms already, but had this pain over and over too, three times till now. I'm still hesitant to go to doctor, but trying to follow all the possible advises given :

- Take long walks, atleast 30 minutes each day, in open space ( which I was neglecting ).
- Keep food intake and type of food, in check.

- Importantly, I guess, stress and emotional pain is the biggest trigger, so, am trying to follow 'Ignorance is bliss' formula, for however long I live, and will advise the same to all :-)

Heart attacks can be either caused by building up of plaques, cholesterol etc in the arteries, that blocks the blood-flow into the heart or can also be caused by sudden spasm/contraction of the arteries, that cause blood-flow/oxygen to be blocked. The second, can be triggered by extreme stress or emotional grief too ( saw movies? where, after the actor gets a shocking news or feels extreme sadness, they get a heart-attack; mine was something similar, only, it happened 1-2 days after I was aggrieved ), besides other reasons. ( Blood Pressure, Obesity, Diabetes, Physical Inactivity, Smoking etc are other causes, that are largely related to the two primary reasons given, of heart-attacks ). While for the former, caused by build-up of plaques, one may need treatments like angioplasty, no ideal treatment is known for the 2nd type ( which I assumed I had; although, I have not checked yet in a clinic, to determine which exactly I suffer from ).

I've now learnt that, during attack, the other part i.e the blocked part of the heart-muscle dies rapidly, and doesn't grow back or recover/regenerate ( only a scar is left ); so, the heart literally shrinks with each attack. Hence, take the warning signs seriously.
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WHY DRINKING WATER IS SO IMPORTANT

When I was young, my mother used to run around after me with a glass of water. She'd keep insisting me to drink it, at every few intervals. And I'd be like, 'Mom, I'm not thirsty yaar. I'll drink when I get thirsty.' But still, she'd insist a certain amount of water was drank every day, thirsty or not. Of course, she told me the benefits and all, of drinking water, but everything went over my head. As restless kids, we hardly any pay attention to such advises now, do we?

Today, of course, is another story. I do realize its so important to drink water. As per our body structure, certain amount of water is daily needed by our body. For my 5feet.5inch' frame, I require 4 litres daily. And if I tend to ignore this schedule, my body goes haywire. And why not? Think, our body is made of 75% liquid, so, if we cut out the sweat/
urine that expels certain amount of water from our body, where do the new liquid come from? Of course, by drinking water.

I've found FIVE major benefits ( besides others ) of drinking water, and that sums up why water intake is so important.

1. Water cleanses our body of toxins.
2. Water keeps us hydrated, else, dehydration will make us find ourselves in the loo most of the times with loose motions.
3. Water keeps our body metabolism in check.
4. Water is a natural moisturizer - it keeps our skin, soft and supple; replenishing it naturally.
5. Warm water ( mixed with few drops of honey+lemon ), drank early morning on an empty stomach can make you loose weight.

Now, with the above pointers, you know why you should drink water regularly. Make sure you boil and filter it though, and take as per your body proportion required, to stay fit and healthy.
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CHILD LEUKEMIA

Blood Cancer or Leukemia specially in kids is a very touche' subject for me. I have seen atleast 2 children suffer from it from quite a close range. And in both the cases the children suffered due to extreme negligence or ignorant fault of their parents which infuriates me no end. Due to extremely selfish nature of the parent their child had to suffer.

Case One : A 2 year old baby died at such a young age due to blood cancer. Why? The mother when pregnant took innumerable sleeping pills and other unprescribed drugs/tablets. If she had any fight with her husband she would gulp down all sorts of pills in an attempt to commit suicide while still being pregnant. As a result the child born to her ( a boy ) was extremely weak since birth.As he grew a bit, he remained a sick child. And on top of that he was never fed properly. A child normally cries or behaves irritatedly, that does not mean that you do not feed or ignore it. Whole day the only food he got was some biscuits or little milk. When asked why the baby is not fed, the mother carelessly answers that he cries a lot hence he does not want to eat. Couldn;t the mother force feed even if the baby cried? Ultimately he became very ill and had to be hospitalised where he had a neumonia attack. While in hospital, the doctors were unable to cure him. Blood tests revealed that he had blood cancer and needed urgent treatment. However, the little baby's tiny body could not take in the strong chemotherapy drugs and ultimately breathed his last at tiny age of 2 yrs and few months.
The mother cried a lot on his death, but what's the use of it? Why did you take so many unprescribed medicines while you were pregnant? Why did you not feed him properly? Didn't you kill your own child slowly because of your own foolishness?

Case Two : 8 year old kid. Now his parents were extreme show offs. When still a baby both ( husband+wife) went on long bike rides even during freezing winter without proper protection to the child. If there is a monster mom then this child's mother surely was one. She beat up her own little boy ever since he was a little baby. Though the father objected this, mommy showed no mercy and beat up the boy at every occasion. As a result the boy grew up being extremely scared of his own mother. The parents dragged the little boy to any and every party or social gatherings. If he grumbled that he didn ot want to go mommy would beat him so hard that he had no option but to go in the end. Talk about selfish parents. Normally parents try to do as per their child's conviniences but these parents esp the monster mother tried to mould him as per her own wishes only. If the boy dared to object he was trashed. Moreover this lazy selfish mommy fed this boy only junk and unhealthy food. She would be too lazy to cook, hence would order ready made stuff from restaurants. The boy as such got not much healthy home cooked nutrituous food but instead grew up on a burger and pepsi diet, which made his body weak. He frequently had bouts of fever and cold. Once he had a fever and for 2-3 months he was not recovering. Doctors then revealed that he was suffering from blood cancer. Then at a tender age of 8 this little boy had to undergo cancer treatment.

Who's fault was it that he had to ultimately suffer?
Both cases mentioned above are true real life incidences of well-to-do families and it is sad that in both the cases the child had to pay for their parent's selfish and insensitive behaviours.

What do we learn from it :
1. If you are pregnant then for god's sake dont take unprescribed medicines just b'cos you have some domestic issue with your spouse.
2. If your baby shows disinterest in eating, force feed if required ( without any beating ) but make sure that the baby get some food every 1-2 hours. Don't make it skip any meal. Till around 6 years donot feed junk food,instead try to feed healthy nutrituous things.
3. Please don't harass a child. Just because you want to go to a party, donot assume that your child want to go to one as well especially if he grumbles that he does not want to go or says that he is not well. Don't forcefully take him. While it may be a show off thing for you, it may be simply harassment for the kid.
4. Please don't beat up your kid. Children are the most precious gifts from God. While you may have given birth to them, that still does not give you the right to beat them up mercilessly. They are young only once, donot scare them at such young age with a violent nature, it gives a very bad example to the children. Instead shower them with love and understanding. Dont beat up your child at small mistakes. A child is bound to make a mistake. Be patient with them.M ake their childhood pleasant. Donot be a monster parent.

UPDATE
Incidently, this monster mommy's husband too eventually died of cancer. She is really a monster of worst kind who makes everyone around her cancer patients.