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Friday, December 30, 2011

Medicinal benefits of Tender Coconut Water


[Photo credit : This photo is credited to Samurai - http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=1735]

Amongst all the juices coconut water is the most cleanest and nutritious drink. In India the variety Cochin China is the most sweetest coconut water.


Tender Coconut water we drink has Sugar, Fat, Magnesium, Calcium, Chlorine, Sulfur, Phosphorous and Vitamin C and B complex in it.

In summer season if we take 2 coconut water daily, urine will be passed freely and heat in the body will also be reduced. Coconut water has capacity to control the diseases caused by heat. It always keeps the body cool.

Ladies who go to beauty parlor can clean their  face with hot water mixed with small quantity of Coconut water. Blackspots on the face vanish and the face begins to glow.

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Ayurvedic Treatment for Keloids


Again, after several visits to different clinics, I did not find anything that would help reduce my son’s keloid. I felt the medicines in ayurveda are too mild to work on a keloid. Again, this is just my opinion. They are again slow and as per my search on the net, there is no proven record. 

Prev <--- Homeopathy treatment for Keloids                                                  Next --> Siddha treatment for Keloids



Homeopathy Treatment for Keloid


In the meantime, while was meeting different allopathic doctors, I also kept all other options open. I met a homeopathy doctor. He prescribed a combination of two medications Acid Flour and Silicea. He said that it would help in reducing the itching feeling first and then and may reduce the size of the Keloid. My son tried these medications for a few months but there was no change. I guess Homeopathy medications take time. The doctor also said that one would have to take the medication for 6 months to see if it is working in first place. There are also other restrictions like you cannot take other medications without consulting the homeopathy doctor. In all, I felt this was a slow process for my son and as there was no change in his Keloid for the time he took those medications, I decided not to go ahead with the treatment.

Prev <-- Allopathic Treatment for Keloids                                        Next --> Ayurvedic Treatment for Keloids

Allopathic treatment for Keloid


I have been to six doctors - some of them are famous dermatologists. The only place I got misguided was the first doctor when I didn’t know that it was a keloid. Because, the size of the scar was growing, I thought it would be something cancerous. The doctor told me there is nothing to worry but he also told me not to take any treatments and it would fade with time. I believed him and waited for sometime – almost an year and realized that I should been to some other good doctor and started with the treatments immediately. The below listed as the few treatments that are workable.


Surgery
I went to few others doctors and they suggested immediate plastic surgery. But believe me, after having done a lot of research and interacting with people who have got this surgery done, I will only suggest that never take a knife near your keloid. It will only come back bigger and uglier in less than 3 months. There are some places or some exceptions where in if the surgery is followed by laser and radiation treatment, the chances of reoccurrence are low. But from my understanding, it may help very few people and only those for whom the skin is supportive. 


Steroid Injections
Allopathic doctors also suggested steroid injections and silicon sheet. But what about the other treatments like Laser, Cyrotheraphy that we find on the web. Most doctors believe that they may not work. In Allopathic medicine, one of the safest treatments in the steroid injection. Doctors have told me that for a keliod of the size of my son, it would take atleast 6 injections, once every month to see significant change. I have been wondering if this will cause any side effect. I have read on the internet that sometimes the injections causes hyper pigmentation – which means if the keloid is blood red color, it may become dark after injections. In the US, every injection is followed by laser treatment to avoid this discoloration. 

My son's treatment
My major concern was, will the injections work for my son? I have looked on the net and there are cases reported when there is no response to injections and also for some people the keloid grows bigger in size. The doctors have prescribed 6 injections each with a gap of one month. The response completely depends on the skin type. For some people, there is significant difference just after the first injection itself and after a few more the keloid almost become flat. For some people though they become flat, but immediately reoccur and for some the keloids become flat and do not reappear for a long time. I am not sure in which category my son will fall. Remember chest keloids are the hardest of the keloids to treat. All I want it, the injections shouldn’t do more harm. I am going to be updating this space after every treatment. 

To update on my son’s progress, he has taken two shots of injections and the doctor feels that the skin underneath the keloid is becoming soft. The good news is, it has not affected the keloid in any other way, meaning making it big or uglier. And I did not notice any hyper pigmentation so far. There we actually 4 keloids on his chest, 2 small and 2 big. The smaller ones are almost thinning out and fading. The bigger ones look a bit smaller, but the doctor feels that there is still more time and eventually after few more injections we will see a flatter keloid. The doctor has also prescribed two creams that he should apply at night. He initially suggested the use of silicon sheets but that my son is already taking injections, he said the creams would be enough. I am just praying for the best to happen.

Prev <-- Treatment for Keloids                                                      Next --> Homeopathy Treatment for Keloids



Treatment for Keloids


My 27 year old son has two keloids on his chest. It was like a pimple three years ago and I initially thought it is one of those big pimples which will fade with time. I only realized when the size was growing and now it is 1inch by 1inch.
We have been to several doctors and have done extensive research on this topic and only to realize that there is no permanent cure. The keloid can fade with treatment or time but the mark would still remain. The size can definitely be reduced (if the treatment works for you).

I am going to be sharing some tips and my experience with Allopathic, Homeopathy, Siddha and Ayurveda. I did extensive research and met several doctors and I felt Steroid injections are the best. They are safe and gradualy help reduce your Keloid. This is out of my own experience. I would like to take you through my research and journey of my son's Keloid treatment. To read more, please click on the below link.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Siddha treatment for Anemia


Anemia is condition in which the body does not have enough red blood cells in it or is decrease in the number of Hemoglobin cells. Blood contains the main type of cell called Red blood corpuscles (RBC). RBC takes oxygen to all the cells and body tissues. In fact Hemoglobin which is found inside RBC carries the inhaled oxygen from lungs to all the body tissues. Hemoglobin is a complex mixture Protein-Iron.
In general the amount of Hemoglobin in blood is
  • Men -13 percent
  • Woman - 12 percent
  • Pregnant women – 11 percent
  • Children from age 6 months to 6 years – 11 percent
  • Children from age 6 years to 11 years – 12 percent
To form the right amount of Hemoglobin the body Iron, Vitamin B12 and Folic Acid are needed.

Symptoms of Anemia
If you have some of the symptoms, it is recommended to get checked for Anemia. By default all pregnant women become anemic.

  • Gradually increasing tiredness in the body
  • Weight loss and loss of appetite
  • Eyes, Lips and Tongue becoming white
  • Mouth rashes, Genital Rashes
  • Delay in menstrual cycle without any proper reason
  • Weakness and frequent mood changes and anger
  • Miscarriage and premature birth of the bay with weight loss
  • Breathing problem
  • Fainting along with vomiting and Drowsiness
  • Jaundice
  • Stomach ache and increase perspiration
  • Ulcers which take a long time to heal
  • And frequently becoming ill
  • Trouble while swallowing food
  • Constant headache without any reason
  • Palpitation
  • Hand and leg pain
  • A confused mind
   

How is Anemia Diagnosed?
Different types of test are available to find out the degree for Anemia.
  • RBC count
  • Hemoglobin count
  • Total serum Iron, serum Ferritin, serum Transferrin.  
  • Hemoglobin electro phoresis, finding amount of low quality Hemoglobin presence.
  • Bone marrow biopsy
  • Liver scan

Anemia is medically caused of different reasons, few of them being
  • Defect in manufacture of RBC
  • Iron deficiency
  • Vitamin B12,Folic acid deficiency
  • Blood loss

Home and Siddha treatment for Anemia. Doctors generally prescribe Iron supplements if the RBC and Hemoglobin count is too low and for pregnant women. For others, they advise an increase in the intake of Iron rich foods. Below are some of the Iron rich foods

Iron rich foods for Anemia

  • Pulses - All Pulses,Wheat,Ragi, Jowar, Fried gram, Soyabeans, Peas.
  • Fruits - Watermelon,Banana,Strawberry,Pomegranate,Custerd apple, Pineapple.
  • Dry fruits - Dry Grapes, Dates, Walnut.
  • Juices - Apple juice, Tomato juice, Orange juice, Pineapple juice.
  • Vegetables - Drumstick leaves, Spinach, Cauliflower, Bitter-gourd, Beans,
  • Meat- Liver, Fish, Goat meat, Broiler

Things which help in absorbing iron

  • Meat, Fish, Chicken
  • Orange, Grapes, Strawberry, Banana
  • Tomato, Potato
  • Vitamin C rich foods

Things which are against absorbing iron are Coffee and Tea

Friday, November 11, 2011

power of drumstick leaves

drumstik leaves has all the medicinal properties.One glass of drumstick leaves contain calcium equivalent to four glasses of  milk,it has vitamin c which is equivalent to seven oranges,it has potassium which is equivalent to three bananas,vitamin A which is four times of carrot and protein which is two times of milk.It is very good for all eye related diseases and it is treated for infertility.


Saturday, October 29, 2011

How to maintain Silk Sarees ( Pattu Sarees)

Tips to maintain Silk Sarees


A Silk (pattu) saree in your wardrobe undoubtedly would be the most expensive dress. And not only this, it also has some memories attached to them. They may be your wedding silks, engagement sarees and one you were gifted for one of your relatives wedding. Behind every saree there is a tale to tell.
But if you have noticed, you do not get to wear these sarees often especially the ones with heavy jari work. So what happens if I do not use them often? Or if I do not use them often how do I maintain them? Maintenance is very important when it comes to your costly silk sarees. And lack of it made me lose a very beautiful saree. It was my engagement saree – called Vairu oosi silk. Something in the dark blue-violet color. I did not use it for many years and it was in the same bag in the alamerah for many years. One day I wanted to badly wear it and when I opened, I noticed that all the Zari’s stuck together and they started coming out. There were patches and patches in the saree without the zari portion. I was heart broken and I decided that I wouldn’t let that happen to any of my other sarees. Here are the tips. Now after following them for over years, I am happy to tell you that my sarees look fresh and I do not fear losing them.

How to maintain Silk Sarees
  • In most of the cities you get cotton covers for Sarees. Place your Silk Sarees in them. The Sarees need to get fresh air as often as possible.
  • Once in 3 months, dry the Silk Saree in an airy place. Do not dry them in hot sun as they would lose their color.
  • Make sure that you do not fold the saree in the same fold as before. If the sarees are folded along the same lines as before, then over a period they would tear along that line.
  • Do not hang the Silk Sarees in iron hangers. They may stain the sarees.
  • Do not store the sarees in a suitcase. Make sure they are kept wrapped in a cotton cloth/cover and left on the cupboard/Alamerah directly on the shelf.
  • Naphthalene balls should not be placed directly in contact with the Saree. These chemicals can harm the Saree and also stain them.

How to wash Silk Sarees

  • Do not wash the sarees frequently. You could give them for dry cleaning but even lot of dry cleaning is not recommended.
  • Use a mild soap, detergent.
  • Do not wash in hot water. Use only cold water.
  • Do not soak the sarees in detergent. Just apply a mild detergent and gently wash with hands.
  • Do not squeeze or twist the sarees while washing. They should be handled as gently as possible.
  • Do not use any brush. They may tear the Zari and leave unpleasant marks on the saree.
  • Dry the saree immediately after washing. Do not squeeze the saree to remove water. As mentioned above, dry in a shady place and never directly under the hot sun.
  • Always iron the sarees with medium heat. Do not iron along previous folding lines of the saree. 
  • To remove stains,
o    as a first aid – use a paper towel or cotton cloth on the stain and absorb as much as you can before the stain dries on the saree. Wash the saree immediately after stain.
o    For hard stains, dry clean the saree. Dry cleaning is the safest method for hard stains. You will be required to be very careful while clearing hard stains at home.
o    You could use a mild stain remover. Do not apply the stain remover directly. First apply only on a small portion to see the results. Once you are satisfied, apply on larger areas.
o    All mid usual stains like sweat, blood, oil can be cleaned with mild detergent.
o    Try not to dry clean for every small stain.

Vepam Poo Rasam ( Neem Flower Rasam)


As you may all know that neem has a great medicinal properties. Vepam Poo Rasam(Neem Flower Rasam) is very healthy for it consist of the neem flower and the rasam water absorbs the sourness and the excellent medicinal properties of neem.



Ingredients
  • Vepam Poo( Neem Flower) – about 2 tablespoons
  • 1 tomato finely chopped
  • Toor daal ( Tuvaram Paruppu) – 1 tablespoon
  • Red Chillies – about 4-6
  • Asafoedita
  • Turmeric
  • Mustard seeds
  • Ghee – about 2-4 spoons. Remember this rasam tastes good only if you add more ghee.
  • Tamarind
  • Curry leaves – 6 leaves

Preparation
  • Step 1 - In a pan, add ghee and once the ghee is hot, fry toor daal(tuvaram paruppu), Red Chillies, Asafoedita, Turmeric, Chopped Tomato. Let the tomatoes become tender. Switch off the gas and keep this aside
  • Step 2- In another pan, add ghee, Mustard seeds, Asafoedita and Vepam Poo(Neem Flower) and sort of Vepam Poo for some time. Make sure they become dark brown but not black. If you sort them for less time, your rasam will be really sour. The more you sort in ghee, the Vepam poo will fry and lose the real neam sourness. But make sure they do not become burnt and black. Switch off the gas and keep aside.
  • Step 3 - Boil water, add tamarind, Asafoedita, Curry leaves. Let this boil for 5 minutes. Add the mixture from Step 1 and boil for another 10 minutes. Then add the mixture from Step 2 and just boil for 3 minutes. Because if you boil for a longer time, the rasam will become really sour. Switch off the gas and your tasty rasam is ready !!

Try this and let me know how it turns out for you !

Friday, October 28, 2011

Maanga Rasam(Raw Mango Rasam)


One of the tastiest Rasam I have ever made. My daughter likes it badly and I try to make it whenever I have a good raw mango. For Maanga Rasam, it is important that your raw mango(Maanga) is really sour. A little sweet is okie, but remember the raw mango is going to form as a substitute for tamarind. You may ask me, that pineapple is sweet and sour. Yes, if you use a sweet raw mango, you may get a Rasam tasting similar to pineapple Rasam but as each fruit has its own taste, the flavor of that fruit will dominate. Here is the recipe and a picture.



Ingredients

  • Take a full Maanga(raw mango). Cut into small pieces and keep the seed. The seeds adds a lot of sourness to your rasam. or alternatively you could just keep some raw mango pieces and or only the seed. This means that you need any one portion either the pulp or the seed of the raw mango for the rasam
  • Rasam/Sambar Powder – 1 tablespoon
  • Turmeric – ¼ of a tablespoon
  • Mustard, cumin, Asafoedita(Hing), 2 red chilles, curry leaves and coriander leaves for garnishing

Preparation

  • Take the raw mango seed and the pulp (or which ever you have) and boil in water. Make sure you add water based on the quantity of raw mango you have. If you have only the seed or the pulp, then add about 3-4 cups of water. If you have the whole raw mango, then you could add 10 cups of water.
  • Boil for 10-15 minutes or until the raw mango seed/pulp becomes tender.
  • Add turmeric, rasam/sambar powder and salt. Make sure you add rasam/sambar powder based  on the quantity. If you are making more rasam with a full raw mango and the seed, the add about 2 tablespoons of the powder. Let this boil for another 5 minutes.
  • Now add seasoning. In a pan, add ghee and wait till the ghee becomes hot. Add mustard seeds, cumin, little Asafoedita(Hing), Red Chillies, curry leaves. Add to the rasam and boil for 1-2 more minutes in medium flame.
  • Switch off the stove and add chopped coriander leaves.

Trust me, it tastes like Heaven !!

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Medicinal Properties of Carrot

Carrot has Vitamin A in excess. It has Carotin in it that is why it is called Carrot.
Carrot has all the necessary ingredients in it which is necessary for body growth. Carrot makes Digestive parts like Liver, Intestine and Spleen very healthy, makes the blood circulation normal
and is good for the eye, kills the disease germs in digestive tracks.Brain and heart become very active.
We can eat carrot raw or boiled, it has the same effect, very near to the outer layer of carrot we have carotine, therefore we should not peel the carrot.
Use of eating carrot
----------------------
1)It Stimulates the blood flow, increases the blood flow and removes the toxin
2)It helps in body growth and is easily digestive
3)EyeSight increases, more urine wil be passed, liver is
cleansed, fat in blood is reduced, Night-Blindness is cured, Diabetes is controlled,
During Menstrual Cycle correct amount of Blood will be expelled, Cough will be cleared
4)Ladies or Gents impotency is cured
5)Patients will be saved from Cancer and Osteroporosis((Bone Narrow)
6)Constipation cured, Large intestine inflamation and digestive ulcer cured
7)Unwanted Uric acid in the blood will be expelled
8)Kidney Stones removed
9)TB Cured
10)Jaundice is Cured
11)Quickly increases memory power, acne will vanish

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

How to make Andhra Pesarattu

I have had Pesarattu few times with my Telugu friends and wondered how healthy and tasty a simple recipe can be. Whenever I run short of ideas and want a healthy dinner or breakfast, Pesarattu is the first thing that comes to my mind. Below is the recipe.

Ingredients
  •  Soak 1 cup of green moong daal(Pairu) and 1 cup of rice together for about 6 hours. You could also soak them in hot water for about 4 hours.
  •  Half onion – cut in 2-3 pieces
  •  Another Half onion – finely chopped
  •  Green Chillies – 4 chillies – Not chopped
  •  Green Chillies – 4 chillies finely chopped
  •   Coriander leaves – finely chopped
  •   Ginger – Finely chopped
  •   Cumin Seeds
  •   Salt

Preparation
  •  Take a small bowl and mix the finely chopped onion, half of finely chopped ginger, half of finely chopped coriander and finely chopped green chillies. This mixture will be used for seasoning the Pesarattu. Set this aside for now.
  •  Filter out all the water from the soaked daal rice mixture.
  •  In a mixie, grind the full green  chillies, Ginger, Onion cut in 2-3 pieces, some coriander leaves, cumin seeds, salt, soaked daal and rice.
  •  Add water as necessary and make sure that the ground mixture is not too coarse. If finely ground, it is easier to make Pesarattu.
  • Once the batter is ready, switch on the stove and make sure that the dosa pan is hot.
  • Take optimum amount of batter and lay them in round shape on the pan. Add oil around the round Pesarattu.
  • Now add the finely chopped mix of onion, ginger, coriander and green chillies over the Pesarattu.
 
  • Let the bottom of the Pesarattu turn brown.
  • Remove the Pesaretu from the pan and serve hot with pickle and idli milagai podi.

Let me know how this turns out !!

How to clean Silver Ornaments and Idols


You may notice your very favorite silver jewelry/decorative items/Idols lose their fresh new look and gradually become dark and less shiny. This happens when Silver comes in contact with substance containing Sulfur.
I am generally conservative in my approach when it comes to handling jewelry. Though dipping Silver in cleaning lotions is one of the easiest methods, I always have the belief that they somehow also eat away some Silver in the process.

Methods to remove Silver tarnish
  •  The first thing I always do is clean Silver with powder ash (Vibudhi). Take a paper towel or cotton or a nice thin cloth. Take Vibudhi/Ash and rub on Silver. You would notice that the Silver starts getting back its original color. Below is an image of Ash and the before-after images of cleaning a Silver item. 
    Image of Vibudhi(Powdered Ash)
                                                Before                                                                           After

  • The other safe way of cleaning Silver is using Aluminum Foil and Baking Soda. It is easiest and quickest way to clean silver safely.
            
1.     Take a pan, add enough water to completely immerse the Silver item. Boil the water for some time. The hotter the water, the quicker the reaction
2.     After the water boils, add an Aluminum foil at the bottom of the pan.
3.     And add few teaspoons of baking soda.
4.     Now dip the Silver item. The Silver has to be in contact with Aluminum and should rest on the foil.
                                    5.  You would instantly notice that the Silver regains its original shine and color. 
                                        To get more desirable results, rotate the silver item few times to make sure every 
                                        side gets in touch with the Aluminum Foil
  • Some also suggest cleaning Silver with Toothpaste but I am vary of the idea as Toothpaste contains other ingredients and good amount of baking soda. I have never tried this option personally.
  •  You could also wash Silver with a very mild detergent and hot water. Make sure that the detergent is very mild.
  • Some may suggest taking Silver items to Silversmith and have it polished. Too much polishing can wear down some of the Silver.