Be Oblivious, Most People Are, When They Jog Too! September 29, 2009

I went for my regular jog, today, as a part of my post partum weight loss plan. Then I found myself getting conscious about my fat and didn’t do the jog because when fat people jog or run they shake and the world shakes with them. With every time I passed someone I thought, “will this person be laughing at me?” That got me to wondering what goes on in the minds of my fellow fitness freaks as they walk and jog their fat away. Then somewhere in the tunes, I got lost in trains of thought about -

My favorite type of music is Rock. Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park, Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, Bryan Adams. Just then I realized “The Only Thing That Looks Good On Me”; “Take A Look Around”; “Bad Medicine”; “Don’t Speak”; Represent Cuba (by Orishas) – are some of my favorite favorite songs and certainly mood uplifting. And that my Favorite Pass time is thinking about my labor and the first time I held my baby and the first time I fed her and how it felt and the tiny little thing that she was and how much she has matured in the past 6 months. Oh in the past 6 months, I found that post partum weight loss WAS INDEED not a myth contrary to what the ‘old fat ladies’ said (They once told me I’d be fat after pregnancy and it’d remain. HELLO! I’ve lost 19 pounds already. Do I hear you muffle your “I told you so?”)  Then I thought of good dance moves to this Orishas song, one of those songs that makes me feel 16! And then I thought of me in my previous slim body and that brought to mind my Zahra dancing and smiling.

I realized I was smiling.

Again I was blessed with a Happy Realization. If I was lost in my thought, maybe others are too. And there are other fat women and men trying to work it off.. And may be some were, but not every one was LOL’ing at me!

Welcoming myself to this new world of oblivion.

Why Do Babies Hiccup? September 26, 2009

My baby hiccups after every feed. And it is pretty uncomfortable for her. Hubby and I kept wondering why this happens and then one time he suggested it could be because she isn’t getting enough water.

Concerned, I looked it up on the net. Yes, water does play a part, but in easing the hiccups.

For an explanation go here:

Hiccups After Feeding

Diane Sacks

Why nursing babies get hiccups is easily explained: We burp babies to help them with air they swallow during feeding. Swallowed air causes hiccups if the air irritates the diaphragm or the nerve to the diaphragm. Babies who gulp tend to swallow more air and probably need more frequent burping before they get air trapped under the diaphragm.

What to do about the hiccups is a little trickier. They do disappear on their own, but if they persist, a few sucks of water from a spoon tip may help alleviate them. Some say the trick is to try feeding when your baby is calm and not extremely hungry. However, since most babies get excited by feeding and are almost always extremely hungry, especially in the evening, this isn’t the easiest thing to do.

Paediatrician Diane Sacks spent 20 years at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, and is currently on staff at North York General Hospital.

October 2002

Hiccups After Feeding - Diane Sacks

Why nursing babies get hiccups is easily explained: We burp babies to help them with air they swallow during feeding. Swallowed air causes hiccups if the air irritates the diaphragm or the nerve to the diaphragm. Babies who gulp tend to swallow more air and probably need more frequent burping before they get air trapped under the diaphragm.

What to do about the hiccups is a little trickier. They do disappear on their own, but if they persist, a few sucks of water from a spoon tip may help alleviate them. Some say the trick is to try feeding when your baby is calm and not extremely hungry. However, since most babies get excited by feeding and are almost always extremely hungry, especially in the evening, this isn’t the easiest thing to do.

Paediatrician Diane Sacks spent 20 years at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, and is currently on staff at North York General Hospital.

October 2002

Heaviness, Anybody? May 13, 2009

Okay. So I’m finally asking this question to a whole blogosphere of women who got pregnant and had their babies with a normal delivery.

“Did you by any chance, feel as if, even after losing out those extra pounds with delivery, there was a 100 kg sack of cement on your body? – which made it difficult to move, walk at normal pace, do any house hold chores as fast as you’d normally do.. which made it difficult to even turn in bed.. “

I feel this way. There’s this strange heaviness in my body which is so difficult to deal with.

I asked my gynac and anesthetist and they had assured me it would take some time to recover and go back to NORMAL.

My brother, also a doctor, said the same.

But it’s been 7 weeks and there is no change.

And most women I ask, say they didn’t experience this heaviness in their body. Which frightens me a million.

So any one to assure me that I’m gonna be okay?

Acute Viral Nasopharyngitis & The Best Way to Cure it. January 20, 2009

Being pregnant and in my last days of pregnancy, I’m having to take particular care of my health and baby.

Now the moment I landed in India, I got sick with Acute viral nasopharyngitis. I went crazy because there’s no health problem I’ve had in life worse than breathing and panting for breath with a blocked nose. And it is only the botheration of a blocked nose that gives me fever and headaches and tension and shivering and negative attitudes towards everything, lack of tolerance etc. The whole world falls around my ears.

I took the meds my gynac prescribed. I completed the course. Nothing happened. I started getting tensed and wanted to bang my head and saw the beginning of a fever. Really, I just can’t deal with this. But my mom did.

She gave me the following.

Before bed.
She kept to boil a whole huge crock pot of water.
On the side was a whole leaf of cabbage chopped up fine.
Once the water was boiled, she turned off the gas and added the cabbage to the water.
I have been taking the cabbage steam vapors twice a day.

After 5 – 10 minutes of taking cabbage steam, I add a quarter teaspoon of mentholated balm – Vicks – to it.
And start taking in the vapors again.

Finding the water cooled off. I stopped taking the steam.

Before bed time, I put in a drop of Otrivin in each nostril. And then applied a good amount of Vicks over the nose.

Guess what? A whole night of sleep.

P.S. – My mommy cured me!

Sacred Heart Medical Diet January 6, 2008

This is the best diet in the world. I tried it cuz at one time in my life I was over weight by 4 kilos and I needed to lose them. (This is after my anorexic stage) I followed the diet for 4 days only. Within four days, I was 4 kgs slimmer. After that, I was back on normal food. If I’d carried on with the diet, I would have fainted, surely.

Here you go:

Sacred Heart Medical Diet

This 7-day eating plan can be used as often as you like. If correctly followed, it will clean out your system of impurities and give you a feeling of well-being. After only 7 days of this process, you will begin to feel lighter by at least 10 pounds and possibly 17 pounds, and experience an abundance of energy.

SOUP:
1 or 2 cans of stewed tomatoes
3 plus large green onions
1 large can of beef broth (no fat)
1 pkg. Lipton Soup mix (chicken noodle)
1 bunch of celery
2 cans green beans
2 lbs. Carrots
2 Green Peppers

Season with salt, pepper curry, parsley, if desired, or bouillon, hot or Worcestershire sauce. Cut veggies in small to medium pieces. Cover with water. Boil fast for 10 minutes. Reduce to simmer and continue to cook until veggies are tender.

This soup can be eaten anytime you are hungry during the week. Eat as much as you want, whenever you want. This soup will not add calories. The more you eat, the more you will lose.

You may want to fill a thermos in the morning if you will be away during the day.

DRINKS:
Unsweetened juices
Tea (also herbal)
Coffee
Cranberry juice
Skim milk
Water, water, water

DAY ONE Any fruit (except bananas). Cantaloupes and watermelon are lower in calories than most other fruits. Eat only soup and fruit today.

DAY TWO All vegetables. Eat until you are stuffed with fresh raw, cooked or canned veggies. Try to eat green leafy veggies and stay away from dry beans, peas or corn. Eat veggies along with the soup. At dinnertime tonight reward yourself with a big baked potato and butter. Don’t eat any fruits through today.

DAY THREE Eat all the soup, fruit and veggies you want. Do not have a baked potato. If you have eaten as above for three days and not cheated, you should find that you have lost 5-7 pounds.

DAY FOUR Bananas and skim milk: Eat at least 3 bananas and drink as much milk as you can today, along with the soup. Bananas are high in calories and carbohydrates, as is the milk but on this particular day, your body will need the potassium and carbs. Proteins and calcium to lessen the cravings for sweets.

DAY FIVE Beef and tomatoes: you may have 10 to 20 ounces of beef and a can of tomatoes, or as many as 6 tomatoes on this day. Eat the soup at least once today.

DAY SIX Beef and veggies, eat to your heart’s content of the beef and veggies today. You can even have 2-3 steaks if you like with green leafy veggies but no baked potato. Be sure to eat the soup at least once today.

DAY SEVEN Brown rice, unsweetened fruit juice and veggies, again, be sure to stuff yourself and eat the soup. You can add cooked veggies to your rice if you wish.
By the end of the 7th day, if you have not cheated on this diet, you should have lost 10 to 17 pounds. If you have lost more than 17 pounds, stay off the diet for two days before resuming the diet again.

This diet is fast. The secret lies within the principle that you will burn more calories than you take in. It will flush your system of impurities and give you a feeling of well-being. This diet does not lend itself to drinking any alcoholic beverages at any time. Because of the fat build-up in your system. Go off the diet at least 14 hours before any intake of alcohol.

Due to the variety of digestive systems in individuals, this diet will affect everyone differently. After day three, you will have more energy than when you began, if you do not cheat. After being on the diet for several days, you will find that your bowel movements have changed. Eat a cup of bran or fiber. Although you can have black coffee with this diet, you may find that you don’t need caffeine after the third day.

The basic fat burning soup can be eaten anytime you feel hungry during the seven days. Eat as much as you wish. Remember the more you eat, the more you will lose. You can eat broiled, boiled or baked chicken instead of the beef. Absolutely no skin on the chicken. If you prefer, you can substitute broiled fish for the beef on only one of the beef days. You need the high protein in the beef for the other days.

Continue on the diet as long as you wish and feel the difference both mentally and physically.

DO NOT – DO NOT No bread, alcohol, carbonated drinks (including diet drinks). Remember, absolutely no fried foods.

DO – DO – DO – DO Drink plenty – at least 6 to 8 glasses – of water a day, as well as any combination of the following beverages: black coffee, unsweetened fruit drinks, cranberry juice and skim milk.

This diet comes from the Sacred Heart Memorial Hospital that is used for overweight heart patients in order to lose weight rapidly, usually prior to surgery.

For a variety of diets to choose from, visit: http://www.idiet4u.com/diets/

BUT, remember, eating healthy with moderate activity/ exercise is living healthy. So, don’t go down the roads of any Eating Disorder and don’t go down the road to obesity either.

The Tooth is Gone. December 4, 2007

My wisdom tooth is gone.

Dr. George managed to pull it out after I gave him a really hard time. I forced him to give me an extra huge shot of anasthesia. My claim was that I didn’t want to feel a single thing he did nor the pressure he applied to my jaw.

I could see my husband wincing in his chair. He was there for moral support – especially after every horror had its design on my face.

To be really frank, I was bit of a cry baby. It was actually no big deal. I could have done it bravely – like I did my root canal. (That is if people hadn’t filled my head with horror stories of wisdom tooth extraction disasters.)

Thankfully, there is no pain. I’m just eating Neoclav as the doctor advised me to. I’m eating a good dose of ice cream. And I’m really missing my cup of Tea.

I ain’t gonna miss any wisdom. December 3, 2007

I AIN’T GONNA MISS ANY WISDOM. – This is the slang version of what my dentist out here – in Sharjah, told me.

The verdict after testing my teeth was that I needed to be free of the wisdom tooth on the left upper jaw. I freaked out because I have no dentist I trust, here.

And I’ve heard loads of stories where dentists have done bad jobs on Wisdom tooth extractions and its cost the patient pain and loads of different surgeries and what not.

If I was in India, I know Dr. P would have really taken care of my mouth and even explained the procedure in the most simplest way so as to calm my anxieties. Just the way he calmed me before he started to perform the root canal. Plus, I have to worry if the dentist here will be nice to my uneven temperament, while I’m in his patient’s seat.

Thanks be to God who will be with me. I know he’s laughing at me now. But how won’t he when I’m also laughing at myself and at all my queer reactions and thoughts of my beloved teeth.

Thanks be to my husband, without whom I just won’t step into the dental clinic. (I went for my root canal all alone) The upper wisdom tooth is another issue.

The Royal Ache December 3, 2007

The 1st Of December 2007.

We all notice in life often, that of all the aches and pains we endure, the worst and most unbearable is a tooth – ache. That’s why it’s what I call a Royal Ache.

And this is just how royal my tooth ache got.

I woke up at 3:30am to quench my thirst. I also woke up with excruciating pain in my mouth. I had two pain relievers to douse my pain and nothing happened. My pain was drug enough to induce sleep.

That morning, I dreamed of my dentist. (He’s been my dentist since my first cavity at the age of 7.)

I dreamed that I had pain in my mouth and went to him with it. He told me I had a cavity and filled it and yelled at me for not brushing my teeth enough. “Do you want your beautiful smile to be ruined,” he asked me. In my dream, I saw him clean all my teeth, including the tooth which he had performed a root canal on. After my treatment, I felt better. I went home. The same day I asked him to dinner with my family to express my gratitude. He came home. While eating, he lectured me on keeping my teeth clean in front of my family. I let him know that I have been brushing my teeth twice a day religiously and if ever I ate sticky food I’d brush them thrice. I flossed them when ever I was out and sometimes when I was at home. My family supported me in that. And I heard my dentist say, “Well you got to try harder.” I said okay. He went on to advice me on the foods good for the teeth and those that were not. Hmmmm. I listened to him. Then my dad broke in to let him know that I really idolized him. Dad told him I thought he was the only trustworthy doctor ever and I really appreciated everything he’d done for me and my mouth so far. My dentist was so taken aback that he told my father he was falling in love with me. I was really happy about it.

My eyes opened to a sunny UAE morning and a horrible tooth ache. I couldn’t help myself to some laughter though. I told Iqbal about it. I realized I couldn’t ignore the pain anymore. Iqbal begun to understand just how pathetic a state of mouth I was in. He stopped forcing me to go to a dentist and took me to one himself.

Re-Learning – Blood Pressure. November 10, 2007

This is one of the newest questions to have popped into my head. What is blood pressure?

This is a term we come across since childhood and then we study about it in school. We write about it in our exams and then once we clear the semester we forget all about it unless we keep practicing or using what we have learned and applying it to our lives.

Though I love Science and remember most of what I’d studied in the subject in my tenth grade, I’d completely forgotten what it is and why it is until I went to the gynacologist for a routine check after having given up birth-control pills. Never has my blood-pressure been examined other than while being injected with Preventive medicines.

This was the first time and I was terrified. The doctor was concentrating on the scale and pumping away. This made me quite nervous and I asked her if I was normal. She said I was. I was relieved.

(I’ve always been a healthy person and a happy person, I take care of my health, I keep my health free of risks.. so I always know that I’m as normal as when I was born – I guess I just had a case of nerves when I thought she was concentrating)

Anyway, here’s about Blood Pressure:

What is Blood Pressure?
Blood is carried from the heart to all parts of your body in vessels called arteries. Blood pressure is the force of the blood pushing against the walls of the arteries. Each time the heart beats (about 60-70 times a minute at rest), it pumps out blood into the arteries. Your blood pressure is at its highest when the heart beats, pumping the blood. This is called systolic pressure. When the heart is at rest, between beats, your blood pressure falls. This is the diastolic pressure. Blood pressure is always given as these two numbers, the systolic and diastolic pressures. Both are important. Usually they are written one above or before the other, such as 120/80 mmHg. The top number is the systolic and the bottom the diastolic. When the two measurements are written down, the systolic pressure is the first or top number, and the diastolic pressure is the second or bottom number (for example, 120/80). If your blood pressure is 120/80, you say that it is “120 over 80.” Blood pressure changes during the day. It is lowest as you sleep and rises when you get up. It also can rise when you are excited, nervous, or active. Still, for most of your waking hours, your blood pressure stays pretty much the same when you are sitting or standing still. That level should be lower than 120/80. When the level stays high, 140/90 or higher, you have high blood pressure. With high blood pressure, the heart works harder, your arteries take a beating, and your chances of a stroke, heart attack, and kidney problems are greater.

What causes it?
In many people with high blood pressure, a single specific cause is not known. This is called essential or primary high blood pressure. Research is continuing to find causes. In some people, high blood pressure is the result of another medical problem or medication. When the cause is known, this is called secondary high blood pressure.

This section National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

What is high blood pressure?
A blood pressure of 140/90 or higher is considered high blood pressure. Both numbers are important. If one or both numbers are usually high, you have high blood pressure. If you are being treated for high blood pressure, you still have high blood pressure even if you have repeated readings in the normal range. There are two levels of high blood pressure: Stage 1 and Stage 2 (see the chart below). Categories for Blood Pressure Levels in Adults* (In mmHg, millimeters of mercury)

* For adults 18 and older who:
-Are not on medicine for high blood pressure
-Are not having a short-term serious illness
-Do not have other conditions such as diabetes and kidney disease

Note: When systolic and diastolic blood pressures fall into different categories, the higher category should be used to classify blood pressure level. For example, 160/80 would be stage 2 high blood pressure. There is an exception to the above definition of high blood pressure. A blood pressure of 130/80 or higher is considered

What is Low Blood Pressure?
Blood pressure is the force exerted by circulating blood on the walls of blood vessels, and constitutes one of the principal vital signs. Blood pressure is generated by the heart pumping blood into the arteries and is regulated by the response by the arteries to the flow of blood.
By convention, an individual’s blood pressure is expressed as systolic/diastolic blood pressure, for example, 120/80.The systolic blood pressure (the top number) represents the pressure in the arteries as the muscle of the heart contracts and pumps blood into them. The diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number) represents the pressure in the arteries as the muscle of the heart relaxes after it contracts. Blood pressure always is higher when the heart is pumping than when it is relaxing.

Systolic blood pressure for most healthy adults falls between 90 and 120 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). Normal diastolic blood pressure falls between 60 and 80 mm Hg. Current guidelines define normal blood pressure as lower than 120/80. Blood pressures over 130/80 are considered high. High blood pressure increases the risk of developing heart disease, kidney disease, hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis or arteriosclerosis), eye damage, and stroke.
Low blood pressure (hypotension) is pressure that is so low that it causes symptoms or signs due to the low flow of blood through the arteries and veins. When the flow of blood is too low to deliver enough oxygen and nutrients to vital organs such as the brain, heart, and kidney, the organs do not function normally and may be permanently damaged.

Unlike high blood pressure, low blood pressure is defined primarily by signs and symptoms of low blood flow not by a specific blood pressure number. Some individuals may have a blood pressure of 90/50 with no symptoms of low blood pressure and therefore do not have low blood pressure. However, others who normally have high blood pressure may develop symptoms of low blood pressure if their blood pressure drops to 100/60.

You can read more on Blood Pressure, Ways to Control High Blood Pressure and Prevent Low Blood Pressure on the following sites:

1. LifeClinic.com – Health Management Systems – High Blood Pressure
2. Medicinenet.com – Low Blood Pressure

*P.N.: The following information on Blood Pressure has been taken from the above sites. You will find more information on the same topics upon visiting the provided links.