Fish Oil

Nirog Health Tips

Pollution and Lung Health Amid COVID-19

  Healthy lungs bring vitality (Prana), that’s why Ayurveda refers respiratory system as Prana vaha strotas. Lungs are constantly working to provide healthy oxygen to the body for its proper functioning. Just like other systems of the body, even the respiratory system is prone to wear and tear due to the increasing pollutants, toxins, and respiratory infections like COVID 19. Role of Ayurveda to maintain healthy lungs: Nasya This therapy includes the installation of herbal medication through the nostrils. You can do Nasya therapy on an empty stomach an hour before or after a shower or exercise. One should lie down with the head tilted back and put 5 drops of Nasya oil in each nostril. Nasya prevents nasal respiratory allergies, improves eye health, relieves fatigue, and alleviates Vata Dosha. Gandusha/ Oil pulling Humans may breathe through their nose and mouth as well. The nose has a filtering mechanism in preventing pollutants that entering the respiratory system. But in case of mouth breathing, Gandusha or oil pulling helps to maintain a healthy oral cavity and acts as a barrier to prevent the entry of pollutants and toxins through the mouth. Gandusha involves holding medicated oil in the mouth for 10-15 minutes and then spitting it out. It cleans the harmful toxins and bacteria and strengthens the mucous lining of the mouth and oral cavity. Ura Abhyanga/ Massage Ura abhyanga includes the application of medicated oils or sesame oil on the chest and back followed by hot fomentation or hot water bath. It helps to loosen the toxins and sticky adherent Kapha dosha in the lungs and expel them out thus maintain healthy lungs. Swedana Facial steam with medicinal herbs helps to liquefy and melt adherent doshas and pollutants and expel them out an inefficient manner thus removing pollutants and toxins from the respiratory system. Facial steam can be taken by adding eucalyptus oil, camphor, and tulsi drops to cleanse and strengthen the nasal and oral cavity. Diet Follow Kapha reducing diet- avoid oily fatty foods, heavy to digest, dense foods, and fried foods. Consume warm water throughout the day. Avoid curd, cold drinks, ice-creams. Do not overeat or drink in excess, have light to digest and freshly prepared food and regular meals in time. Include herbs like cardamon, holy basil, pippali, liquorice, turmeric, etc in the diet to strengthen the respiratory and immune system. Immunity Boosters Chyavanprash, Ayush Kwatha, and various other Ayurvedic medicines if taken as per the Ayurveda Physician’s advice can help to strengthen the respiratory and immune system and maintain healthy lungs and avoid respiratory infections and diseases. These Ayurveda tips will not only help prevent illness but also help nurture and maintain healthy lungs so that they can perform to their utmost capacity each and every day. Also, Read► Lung Cancer - Causes, Symptoms & Ayurvedic Treatment  
Research

People Inhale Up to 7,000 Microplastic Particles Daily: Study

People breathe in up to 7,000 microplastic particles every day from clothes, toys and furnishings, revealed a research. The total is 100 times higher than expected posing a potential health threat that could rank alongside asbestos or tobacco, the Daily Mail reported. The study led by Portsmouth Hospitals Trust in the UK, used highly sensitive equipment to count tiny particles less than 10 microns in size just a tenth of the width of a human hair. Bedding, carpet and soft toys made from synthetic materials, as well as polyester and nylon could be major contributors, they found. Microplastics were dangerous because they did not break down, Professor Anoop Chauhan, a respiratory specialist with Portsmouth Hospitals Trust, was quoted as saying. "Having these particles in your body can cause stress and changes in metabolism, it can affect immunity, the ability to fight infections, it can affect your reproductive capacity and potentially it could be carcinogenic causing cancer," Chauhan said. The study was carried out at the home of a British reporter in Beckenham, south-east London. Up to 28 plastic particles were found every minute in children's bedroom compared with two a minute in the kitchen, the report said. The team found that when children play with soft toys, the family is likely to each breathe in between 2,000 and 7,000 microplastics a day. "Things in an occupational setting asbestos, coal or cigarette smoke or anything you inhale has dangers and microplastics are a hidden danger in people's homes," Chauhan said. "And this is the first study that highlights the level of these that we breathe in everyday life." He said microplastics did not degrade in the body leaving them to potentially cause inflammation and stress to cells. "To date, the bulk of research has centred around pollutants outside of the home such as car emissions, but as this initiative proves, it's essential we widen our focus on the dangers in our homes," Chauhan added. Very small microplastics that are less than 10 microns in size, such as those measured in the new study, can float in the air making them harder to count. Read More► Gene Linked to Cognitive Resilience in Elderly Identified
Nirog Health Tips

Turn to The Humble Coconut

When it comes to skin and hair care, products find it hard to compete with multitasking coconut-based products. While coconut-based hair and skin oil is known to have pre-grooming and conditioning effects on hair, its varied components such as Vitamin E make it an ideal agent for skin-care benefits. From the earliest of times, plant-based oils have been used in skin care. There is a renewed interest in coconut-based skin oil in recent times, both to restore skin surface and in skin ailments. Coconut-based skin oil is a very able moisturizer, with studies concluding it's at par and in some cases superior to mineral oil as an emollient. Regular application of coconut-based skin oil has been found to improve skin hydration and strengthen the barrier lipids in the skin. Its small particle size allows for easy absorption in the skin, penetrating to deeper layers easily, providing thorough moisturizing. By reducing water loss from the skin, coconut-based skin oil also helps moisturize the skin for longer. Environmental pollution, over-sanitizing in Covid-times and climatic changes, have a drastic downside of drying out the skin surface. Coconut-based skin oil is a simple, easily attainable and cost-effective product to tackle these side effects. Interestingly, the absorption of coconut-based skin oil into the skin and subsequent breakdown into Monolaurin and Lauric acid -- which are known antimicrobial agents, has been observed to improve skin-barrier function in low birth-weight babies. The skin barrier function improvement leads to improved weight gain by better thermo-regulation. Thus, regular massaging with coconut-based skin oil will help fight infections in premature infants and help keep them safe. Touted as an anti-bacterial agent, coconut-based skin oil reduces bacterial colonization in people with extremely dry skin, prone to itching and rash. Regular use of coconut-based skin oil, an inexpensive and widely available agent, on skin keeps it healthy, moisturized and supple. In cellular studies, coconut-based skin oil has also exhibited anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties. What adds to the glorious properties of coconut-based skin oil is its remarkable safety, low irritancy, non-toxic and non-sensitizing nature. With the method of double-cleansing totally in trend, coconut-based skin oil has been successfully used as the first step in the removal of make-up or sunscreen before cleaning the face with a regular cleanser. It is especially gentle to eyes when removing eye makeup, hydrating the delicate area around the eye instead of stripping the natural oils like with make-up removers. Caution is advised while using coconut-based skin oil on the face for acne-prone skin since it is a comedogenic substance. The ultra-hydrating properties of coconut-based skin oil make it an easy option as a body moisturizer, lip balm and to hydrate the cuticles around the nails. In conclusion, it has properties that protect and repair your skin barrier. It is an easily available, economical, safe and effective moisturizer for the body skin. (By Jushya Bhatia Sarin) Read More► The Best Time to Apply Body Lotion?
Nirog Health Tips

Does Using Oil on Your Hair Cause It Fall?

Oiling your hair dates back centuries; hair needs some amount of natural oil to maintain its colour, shine and lustre and to help protect it from the harmful sun. "When you oil your hair, it helps to improve circulation in the scalp and stimulates the hair follicle. While there is no direct relation to oiling and hair growth, proper oiling can protect your hair and prevent it from getting dry," believes Rinky Kapoor, Consultant Dermatologist, Cosmetic Dermatologist and Dermato-Surgeon, The Esthetic Clinics. Oiling the Hair Helps: By preventing the hair from becoming dry By sealing the cuticle and helping the hair strands heal. Oiling needs to be done in the right manner for it to actually benefit your hair. Make sure that you don't rub the oil in too harshly and don't leave it for more than one hour. If you leave the oil for a long time, it can clog the pores and cut off the oxygen reaching the hair leading to damaged hair, boils on the scalp and eventually hair fall. Also, oiling is not suitable for people who are suffering from dandruff or have a naturally oily scalp. Leaving the oil on for too long attracts dust and particles to the scalp. Different hair oils have different benefits and you can select one according to your hair concern just don't go overboard with it. Read More► All You Need to Know About a Cellular Detox And Cleansing
Nirog Health Tips

Clear Up The Facial Fat

Perhaps the biggest lifestyle drawback of this lockdown was the extra 'fat' that we all have seemed to gain. With no access to gyms and parks, people have gained many kilos. Though the body fat can still be hidden while clicking selfies, one can't hide the facial fat. Thanks to the stressful life and ongoing pandemic, that we look more aged than we actually are. If you have also accumulated fat around the chin area, then these simple facial exercises by Fitness Coach and Sports Nutritionist, Hasti Singh can be of use. Chin Pull: This is a very basic exercise that can help your face look slim. Sit in a comfortable position and try pulling your chin in an upwards position looking at the ceiling or the sky. This will help in stretching your nerves that will help in toning the chin area. Try Making Fish Face: Just suck your cheeks in like you do while contouring the face in your make-up sessions. Hold the position for five seconds and try smiling with that face. This pose will not only remove your facial fat but will give you a selfie worth face. Lift Your Face: Another best way to get rid of facial fat easily, place your hand in a punch form just beneath your chin and hold the posture for few seconds. Repeat the exercise and you are done. Mouth Washing Exercise: A very simple exercise which can be done while you go to brush your teeth. You just have to fill the air in your mouth and then bounce it from one side to another. Repeat the process for 20-30 seconds and relax for a bit. This process will help in enhancing the laugh lines and reduce the bubbliness around the cheek. Rock and Roll: This effective and simple activity not only tones your chin, jawline, and neck muscles but also tightens the neck area, and helps in reducing the sagging skin. All you need to do is sit comfortably and keep your head facing forward. Now, bend your head towards one side in line with your chin and turn your head in a circular motion. Keep your back straight and shoulders down while doing so. Make the motions in both clockwise and anticlockwise directions for a few minutes. Read More► The Male Partners Involvement in a Couple's Fertility Journey
Nirog Health Tips

Should You Oil Your Belly

It is the navel that provides the essence of life and growth. It supplies nutrition, blood, and oxygen to babies in the womb through the navel. Even as an adult, your navel, which is also the core of your body, is one of the key points of sustenance and growth. So like other parts of our boy which benefit by oiling does the navel as well? Not just the belly button, but the entire body, including our skin, benefits when you oil the navel. It is a primitive tradition described in our Vedas and Ayurveda, in which women and men oil their navels to nourish their entire bodies. Your belly button has been medically proven to be related to various veins throughout your body, and oiling it can help you heal from a variety of ailments. Preeti Chadha, Founder, IREMIA shares the importance of oiling the belly button: Why Navel Oiling? If we talk about the technique of navel oiling in general, it has a lot of benefits, as most mothers have taught their children it can help with correcting, balancing, and repairing neural connections in their bodies. Benefits of Oiling People commonly use mustard, cow ghee (desi ghee) or coconut oil on the navel, but it is ineffective due to the lack of ayurvedic qualities with heating elements. Massage should be with an oil that contains extracts such as neem, tea tree, lemon, grapeseed, and almond oil, which helps cleanse your belly button, for the greatest effects. Oiling the navel helps to detoxify the body and promotes healthy, radiant skin, free from radical damage. Furthermore, the navel absorbs oil more quickly and supplies sustenance from within. How to Practice it? This procedure takes only two minutes. Pour oil over your belly button and that's all there is to it. Massage your belly button in a circular motion for 5-10 minutes after applying it to your navel. For the best outcome, do so every day before going to bed or after bath. Also, oiling at night can make you feel more relaxed when you wake up in the morning. During the menstrual cycle also, you can apply coconut oil on your navel, it helps soothe cramps. The belly button is more than just a little dot on your navel it's the chamber that has the answer to a slew of cosmetic issues. The belly button is connected to many veins throughout the body, and when it is nourished with oil, it aids in the treatment of a variety of health issues. Whatever carrier or oil you choose coconut, mustard, or rosemary it will be beneficial to you! Helps to remove dirt: Cleaning the belly button removes bacteria and filth that has accumulated and keeps the stomach and navel regions clear of any potential ailments. Helps to purify the skin: Massaging and routinely oiling your belly button should be on your to-do list if you desire a radiant face and healthier skin texture. Oiling your belly button might help clean your blood and get rid of pollutants and blemishes. Therapeutic oils such as neem oil, rosehip oil, coconut oil, and lemon essential oil can help. Lightens lip shade: Coconut oil applied to the belly button every night before bedtime lightens and protects your lips from chapping. Good for eyes: If you suffer from poor vision then you must try out oiling your belly button with a diluted solution mixed with mustard oil and so it will improve your eye health. Also, for those who constantly strain their eyes on the screens, it is a good way to reduce the appearance of puffy eyes and dark circles. Read More► Neem and Aloe Vera, Your Skin Care Essentials