Know Commonly Used Essential Oils to Rejuvenate

Every shrub, flower, bush, seed or root contains natural oils. They are often aromatic and usually volatile substances, which help in protecting the plants against insects, diseases and other environmental conditions.

These essential oils can be extracted from their sources using steam distillation process and obtained in concentrated and potent forms. Contrary to their names, essential oils are not oily and are in fact clear liquids with strong aromas, though a few essential oils such as orange, lemongrass or Pratyusha Sen patchouli do have a yellow or amber tinge.

Varied applications

• Essential oils are used in aromatherapy as their aroma has physiological and psychological therapeutic properties.
• Essential oils are used in the preparation of several cosmetic items as they have skin benefits and provide fragrance as well.
• They are used in compresses for their healing properties.
• Essential oils are used as natural air fresheners in homes.
• They are used topically for treatment of insect bites or wounds
   
  Know your oils
  The quality and prices of essential oils vary according to the rarity of the oil source, the country of its origin, the climate in which the plant grows best, the distillation quality and the oil yield. Essential oils are also available as blends of two or more oils. Essential oils are packaged in very small bottles made for individual use. They are sold in small quantities since they lose their scent and therapeutic properties if stored for long periods of time.
  
  Essential oils provide natural healing. These oils are synthesized through highly complex procedures retaining their molecular structure to deliver the best results. Using essential oils leaves no side effects and delivers slow but sure results!
  
  Essential oils should not be confused with perfumes or other fragrant oils. Perfumes are artificially created whereas essential oils are natural plant derivatives and have a stronger scent. In fact, just a dab of any essential oil goes a long way in ensuring that the fragrance lingers for long. 
•  Browse our website ApolloLife to know what are the different essential oils? 

Rice Milk And Its Pros And Cons

A lot of people are lactose intolerant or vegan and are constantly looking for dairy-free options of food and beverages. Thus, almond milk, soy milk, tofu etc. have become extremely popular choices. One other such alternative option that has recently taken the health world by storm is rice milk.

It is prepared by processing the rice grains and can be bought from stores or even made at home. But before adding something new to your diet, it’s essential to know everything about it. So here is a list of pros and cons of rice milk to make your decision easier.

Pro: It is a very safe alternative to milk
Rice milk is hypoallergenic. Since it is not made using nuts or any other allergy inducing ingredients, it is very safe to drink for those who are lactose intolerant as well as those who have nuts allergies. It also has sufficient nutrients to be consumed as a healthy alternative.

Con: It is not suitable for diabetics
Like rice, rice milk is high in starch and a single cupful has more carbohydrates than regular or soy milk. In case of diabetes, rice milk may cause a sudden sugar spike which can cause problems. Hence, it is best to avoid rice milk if you are a diabetic.

Pro: It does not contain saturated fats or unhealthy cholesterol
When compared to other milk based products or alternatives, rice milk has the least amount of fats and is considered the healthiest option. It contains minimal fats which are unsaturated and hence it is an excellent option for those who have to follow dietary restrictions due to cholesterol problems.

Con: It is low in protein
Dieticians recommend that we need to consume milk daily to get the essential intake of protein. Rice milk only has two grams of protein per cup, as compared to regular or soy milk which has seven to eight grams. Protein helps with the taste and also leads to a feeling of fullness. However, due to its low protein content, rice milk may not lead to a feeling of satiety and appetite control.

Source: Bpositive Magazine

Curry Leaves : Freshness In Every Splutter

Curry leaves are loaded with potential for use in food and medicine. The next time you see it floating in your dal, just chew it and enjoy the benefits.

I am one of those who always recommend a garden patch or a green balcony spot around the house. The cook that I am, I may even say make it only beds or pots of tulsi and kadipatta! Cleaner air, lesser insects and a mild appealing fragrance are all yours to enjoy. The kadipatta or meetha neem or curry leaves plant, for that matter, is easy to maintain; just water it daily and enjoy fresh leaves whenever you need them.

Our cook of many years is a grand old lady from Andhra, who is still emphatic about using only tender fresh kadipatta in dal and sambhar. No stale leaves will do – that for her are not kadipatta but kadva patta (bitter leaf)! Thanks to her stand, a few stalks of fresh kadipatta, as compliments from the vendor, have for long been a part of every batch of fresh vegetables delivered to our house. If at all they are stored in the refrigerator the whole stalk goes into a ziplock bag (shelf life two days).

I confess that kadipatta does not play a big role in a North Indian household. We are used to fresh coriander in everything! But in South Indian cuisine kadipatta is a vital ingredient. In recipes for chicken, mutton, fish, chutneys, vegetables, dals, rice dishes, rasams, poha, wadas, aloo wadas, sambhars – you name them and all the other great dishes – and the kadipatta is there. Dried kadipatta is also an essential ingredient in certain spice mixtures.

Source: Apollo Life

Hypnosis for Coping with Fear of Death

Hypnosis is a scientifically acknowledged psychological and therapeutic discipline and is the most expedient way to access the Subconscious Mind. It is a method by which any person may be guided into an altered state of conscious awareness in which psychological and physical changes beyond normal conscious capability can be achieved.

 "Our Mind controls absolutely everything about us." It creates every disease that manifests in the physical body as everything starts with a THOUGHT. According to the conventional medical world wisdom, a number of diseases are what are called psychosomatic, which means mainly in the mind.

How the mind works
The mind is divided into two parts – the Conscious Mind and the Subconscious Mind. The Conscious Mind is our logical, reasoning, thinking mind that we use all the time when we are awake.

The Subconscious Mind is a repository of all our experiences and memories. It permanently stores everything that we ever see – hear – smell – feel – every thought – every emotion.

Who we are - how we respond – and what we believe - are functions of the subconscious mind. The Subconscious Mind has all the information about us - knows everything about us, and looks after and protects us all the time. We however, do not have direct access to the information in the Subconscious Mind.

The Conscious Mind has access to the Subconscious Mind and uses this information to reach its own decisions, and many times, manipulates the information it obtains from this base. Our behavior is a combined response of our conscious and our subconscious mind. Our conscious mind has set up the 'rules' for our behavior, based on our belief system, which originates from our subconscious mind which has the memories of all our prior experiences, thereby telling us what feels good and what does not.

Source: Apollo Life

Skin Wounds - Diagnosis and Treatment

A wound is an injury to the skin. The skin may be torn, cut, punctured or bruised. In pathology, it refers to any injury that damages the dermis of the skin. It is a common injury and nearly everyone has experienced one type of wound or another. Minor wounds are especially common in childhood.

Types of Wounds:
Based on duration

• Acute Wound: Acute is a new wound resulting from an acute injury or trauma.
• Chronic wound: It is typically a long-standing wound which takes a long time to heal, usually existing for six weeks or more.

Based on appearance

• Open Wounds
• Closed Wound

Open Wounds:-
These are wounds that present as raw open areas and are of various types:

• Cut wounds or incision wounds are a result of cuts by a clean, sharp-edged object such as a knife or a glass cutting into the skin.
• Lacerations are irregular tear-like wounds caused by blunt trauma.
• Abrasions are superficial wounds in which the topmost layer of the skin is scraped off. They are often caused by sliding or falling on a rough surface.
• Puncture wounds are caused by an object puncturing the skin, such as a nail or needle. t Penetration wounds are caused by an object, such as a knife, entering and coming out from the skin.
• Missile wounds, also called velocity wounds, are caused by an object entering the body at a high speed, typically a bullet.
• Avulsions occur when an entire structure or part of it is forcibly pulled away; such as the loss of a permanent tooth or an ear lobe.

From a purely clinical point of view, abortion is a safe procedure when performed under the supervision of a qualified medical professional and under appropriate sanitary conditions. There is no scientific evidence to show that a woman going in for an abortion risks infertility. An improperly done abortion can, however, lead to infection and result in sub-fertility.

Closed Wounds:-
Closed wounds are wounds beneath the skin where the skin surface remains intact despite the injury. They are of few types but are just as dangerous as open wounds. The types of closed wounds are:

• Contusions, more commonly known as bruises, are caused by blunt force trauma that damages tissues under the skin.
• Hematoma, also called a blood tumor, is caused by damage to a blood vessel that causes blood to collect under the skin. t Crush injury or crush wounds occur when a heavy object falls on a person, splitting the skin and shattering or tearing underlying structures.

 Source: Apollo Life

Ways to Manage High Blood Pressure

Normal blood pressure is usually between 110/70 up to 120/80. Anything above that and up to 140/90 is often referred to as borderline or mild hypertension, numbers above that may be referred to as high blood pressure.

What is Blood Pressure?

The pressure exerted by the flow of blood inside the blood vessels is known as blood pressure. When this pressure is abnormally high, it is referred to as high blood pressure or hypertension. The pressure inside the artery rises and falls with every beat of the heart. Maximum pressure is exerted when the heart contracts and pumps blood into the arteries. This pressure is referred to a Systolic pressure. When the heart relaxes between contractions and is not pumping blood into the arteries, the blood pressure within the arteries falls, this is known as Diastolic pressure and is the lower of the two numbers.

Is It Harmful?

If ignored, yes it is. Hypertension puts a considerable strain on the heart and blood vessels and is often referred to as a silent killer because it displays no clear symptoms. Untreated hypertension is the leading cause of stroke, heart attack, heart failure, kidney damage and severe eye damage. About 20 percent of our population is affected by High Blood Pressure which is categorized either an Essential Hypertension or Secondary Hypertension.

Tips to Manage High Blood Pressure:

1. Medical Check up: Since High Blood Pressure is a silent killer and has no discernable symptoms, the first thing to do is to have a medical check-up every year to monitor your blood pressure.
2. Medication: Is often prescribed by the physician to reduce fluid retention, relax the artery muscles etc.Make sure you don’t miss even a single dose of medication and have it on time, to avoid further complication or even serious situations.
3. Lose Weight: In case you are overweight, you must shed your excess weight. You can do this by containing your dietary intake to not more than 1200 calories per day. Include sufficient fruits, vegetables and dietary fiber in your meals to lose 2 to 3 kilograms per month.
4. Avoid Saturated Fats:   These include butter, ghee, whole cream milk, meat fats, eggs, coconut oil, margarine and other hydrogenated fats. Instead, use moderate quantities of unsaturated oils including mustard oil, olive oil, rice bran oil, groundnut oil, sunflower oil etc.
5. Reduce Salt Intake: All foods contain natural sodium and potassium salts. Avoid salted snacks like chips, nuts, salted popcorn and other fast foods, all of which contain large amounts of salt, sugar, fat and other chemicals and preservatives.
6. Exercise Regularly: For at least one hour a day, 5 to 6 days a week. The easiest exercise is brisk walking, yoga is excellent so is swimming. Avoid weight lifting and active competitive sports.
7. Quit Smoking: This includes all types of cigarettes including cigars, pipes, hookahs.
8. Control Alcohol: Never exceed one or two units of alcohol per day. A unit is a 60ml peg of spirits, 200ml of wine, or 400 ml of beer. Do not drink more than once or twice a week and never drink on two consecutive days.
9. Manage Stress: Stress and mental tension are caused by over ambition, at work, problems at work, difficult relationships, home problems, financial problems, health problems etc. These daily tensions are the prime cause for hypertension. Daily exercise, support from family and friends, helps to manage and reduce the effects of stress.
10. Rest and Relaxation: Sleep for at least 8 hours every night. Spend the weekends with family and friends. Cultivate a hobby and take a 10 to 15-day break from work and give yourself a well-deserved holiday at least once or twice a year.

Yoga and Naturopathy for Hypertension

Hypertension or increased blood pressure is a staggering health problem today. It has become very common and about 20 percent of adults all over the world suffer with hypertension without even knowing, as it remains asymptomatic until late in its course. Hence it is called a silent killer.

 Its effects when unattended are devastating, affecting every system of the body, and could be fatal. 50 years ago, hypertension or high blood pressure was a relatively uncommon condition.Today, it has become more than just a chronic complaint. It has become a disease of the affluent and middle class population. It still poses a challenge for the medical world for its dependency on continuous medication, and is the most common risk factor for heart attacks."

Blood Pressure and Hypertension
The force with which the heart pumps blood through arteries to reach various parts of body is called blood pressure. The pressure is greatest when the heart contracts and pumps blood into the arteries. This is called systolic pressure. The pressure is lower during the relaxation phase of heart and is known as diastolic pressure.

Blood pressure in an adult male (20 – 50 years) during systole when a left ventricle contracts is around 100 - 140 mm of Hg, and during diastole when left ventricle relaxes is around 60 - 90 mm of Hg. Without this pressure, blood will not be able to supply the body oxygen, food and essential nutrients. The pressure varies with physical and mental activity and from person to person with an average of 120 / 80mm of Hg. When the blood pressure is constantly recorded above 140/90 mm of Hg in successive intervals, then it is called hypertension.

Source: Apollo Life