Thursday, 18 December 2014

How Smartphones viewing posture will lead to many health issues??

Today we have total 1.8 billion smartphone owners worldwide. India had third largest smartphone base with 117M users in 2013, and it's growing rapidly with 45% in 2014.

Our 48% young generation 18-24 age group people spending almost 4-5 hours daily on their phones in checking mails, SMS, Facebook, twitter, Pinterest, online shoppings, whatsapp etc.


Today in the buses, bus stops, train, metro, home almost everywhere people would be seen busy with their smartphones.Just take a pause and look at their posture and behavior while they are looking at their phone. You would easily figure it out the severity of their health problems specially strain in the neck,spinal cord and back area.

How Looking at Your Screen Increases Strain



Humans were designed to stand up straight, but now we don’t. Walk down any street or through any shopping mall, and you’ll see countless people with their heads down, looking at the screen of their smartphone. It might not seem like that much of a strain, but for every inch your head moves forward or tilts down, it’s an added 10 pounds of pressure on your neck. So even three inches creates a 30-pound strain and gravitational pull on your neck, shoulders, and upper back. All of this can result in some very uncomfortable pain.

Combine that with the estimate that people with smartphones spend an average two to four hours a day looking down at them, and you can see why this is cause for concern.

What is the Proper Posture? 



As far as your posture goes, you want to be able to draw a straight line from the middle of your ear, down through your shoulder, the middle of your hip, and your ankle. If you hunch over, you’re not going to see this straight line. Most likely, your head will hang forward, your shoulders may hunch inward, and your upper back will lean in, too. 


What you should Do - "Straighten Up and Straighten Out"

In order to combat poor posture and reverse the effects of too much text messaging, there are a couple of things you can do:

* The first is to put your phone down and give yourself a break.

* You can also try to restrict usage to when you’re sitting, then brings the phone up to your    face so you don’t have to pull your head down.

* Getting out for some activity also helps.

* Going for a walk and keeping your body in an upright position can strengthen muscles.

* Moderate exercise is a great way to combat poor posture.

Lastly, you can slowly roll your neck from shoulder to shoulder, or lay back on an exercise ball to stretch out, decrease tension, and counteract strain.

Smartphones have their many advantages, but being aware of their negative effects and doing what you can to perfect your posture will go a long way in giving your overall health the advantage.

Wednesday, 10 December 2014

9 Foods That Fight Arthritis


Calcium And Your Bones: An Orthopedic Doctor's Perspective

In our childhood day's one can remember that our mother forcing us to drink milk everyday without fail. Because she better knows that our body needs calcium to keep our bones dense and strong. Low bone density can cause your bones to become brittle and fragile and leads to break easily, even without an obvious injury.

The information included here will help you to learn and educate yourself about two most important nutrients for our bone health.


What is Calcium and What Does it Do?

Calcium is the major building block of bones. It’s deposited as a crystal in our bones and gives them their hard strength. Bone also acts as a storage bank for calcium so when we don’t get enough calcium in our diets, the body will snatch the calcium it needs  from our bones to use for other important functions. If it is not replaced our bones will become porous and lose their strength.


That’s why it’s so important to have a daily supply of calcium, throughout our lives. Different ages, genders and stages of life require different amounts of calcium.

Facts We should know that:

  • Bone building is at its peak during childhood and adolescence, and bone density is at its maximum by your twenties.
  • Bone calcium begins to decrease in young adulthood and is progressively lost as we age, particularly in women. However, if we continue to look after our bones we can help to maintain our bone strength.
  • Teens, especially girls, whose diets don't provide the nutrients to build bones to their maximum potential are at greater risk of developing the bone disease osteoporosis, which increases their risk of fractures from weakened bones.
  • When kids get enough calcium and physical activity during childhood and the teen years, they can start out their adult lives with the strongest bones possible.

Calcium: Beyond your bones

  • It helps your body send and receive nerve signals.
  • It helps muscle contraction.
  • It helps release hormones.
  • It helps keep a normal heartbeat.
  • It helps with blood clotting

How much Calcium do We need daily?


Source of rich calcium food:  

Milk and dairy products are the best sources of calcium. This includes yogurts, cheeses, and buttermilk, which contain a form of calcium that your body can absorb easily.

Adults should choose fat-free (skim) milk or low-fat (2% or 1%) milk, and other lower fat dairy products. Removing some of the fat does not lower the amount of calcium in a dairy product.

Yogurt, most cheeses, and buttermilk come in fat-free or low-fat versions.
Vitamin D helps your body use calcium, which is why vitamin D is often added to milk in the production.
If you eat very few or no dairy products, you can find calcium in other foods. It is often added to orange juice, soy milk, tofu, ready-to-eat cereals, and breads. Check the labels on these foods for added calcium.


Green leafy vegetables -- such as broccoli, collards, kale, mustard greens, turnip greens, and bok Choy (Chinese cabbage) -- are good sources of calcium.

Other foods that can help you get enough calcium are:

Salmon and sardines that are canned with their bones (you can eat these soft bones)
Almonds, Brazil nuts, sunflower seeds, tahini (sesame paste), and dried beans
Blackstrap molasses.

Vitamin supplements are another source of calcium—either in a multivitamin or in a calcium or calcium with vitamin D supplement. The National Institutes of Health says to check the label of your supplement, because calcium is best absorbed when taken in amounts of no more than 500 mg at a time.

Tips for adding more dairy to your diet—even if you don’t like milk

  • Use milk instead of water when making oatmeal or other hot breakfast cereals.
  • Substitute milk for some of the liquid in soups such as tomato, squash, pumpkin, curries, etc.
  • Milk can be added to many sauces or used as the base in sauces such as Alfredo and Béchamel sauce.
  • Make whole-wheat pancakes and waffles using milk or yogurt.
  • Get creative with plain yogurt. Use it to make a dressing or a dip, or try it on potatoes in place of fattier sour cream.
  • Add milk or yogurt to a fruit smoothie. You can even freeze blended smoothies for popsicles.
  • Enjoy a small piece of cheese for dessert or as a snack. Try cheddar, mozzarella, Gouda, jack, Parmesan, or a type of cheese you’ve never had before.
Getting enough calcium in your diet is not just important for older people. It’s vital for children, teens, and young adults under the age of 30 to get enough calcium to build bone mass. Making smart choices now will help you avoid serious bone loss later in life. But no matter your age, you can take steps to protect your bones and put the brakes on any kind of bones related problems.