6 YOGA STEPS TO EASE JOINT PAINS

6 yoga steps to ease joint pains.

Joint pain affects most of us. Our joints ache excruciatingly either due to inflammation or as a result of constant wear and tear.
Other causes include spicy or fried food, a sedentary lifestyle (which makes the supporting muscles flaccid and thus overburdens the joints), wrong exercise, obesity (which places uneven and undue burden on our joints), bad posture and repetitive action.

Those most vulnerable to this malady include assembly line workers and those required to be on their feet constantly like nurses, doctors, policemen and surgeons. Others like cooks and gardeners suffer pain of the wrists and hands. Attempting exercises without proper warm-up or with ill-fitting shoes can also cause joint pain.

In yoga, joint pains are symptomatic of an uneven or poor flow of energy throughout the body. The first line of defence in yoga is to open up these blocked parts, which are usually at our joints.
Shameem Akthar, a certified yoga acharya with the internationally acclaimed Sivananda Yoga Centre, Kerala (headquartered in Canada) recommends six poses to help tackle this painful condition. The advantage of these poses is that they provide a full body workout by undoing the knots that block the transport of blood, nutrients and energy throughout the body. These poses strengthen the support systems around a joint, like the muscles, tendons and improve bone density.

Points to note: You may not be able to reach the full extent of these poses initially. You could try them with props or some kind of support and gradually work towards perfecting the pose.






Supta Padangushtasana (Leg raise)

Lie on your back and inhale. Raise right hand. Simultaneously raise right leg up in the air. The raised leg must be at right angles to the body. Reach right hand to right foot, grasping the big toe. Hold for as long as you can, breathing normally. Initially, if you have stiff joints, you may not be able to hold the leg up straight. In which case, bend it slightly at the knee. If your hand cannot reach the foot, just place your hand wherever you can on the raised leg. Relax after a while. Repeat five times. Rest. Repeat entire sequence for the other leg.

Benefits: Tones the legs. It is the most important therapeutic exercise for knee pain. It also realigns the spine, improving posture. Also tones hands and trims a sagging abdomen.



Dwipada Supta Pawanmuktasana (Lying leg hug)

Lie on your back. Inhale. Fold both legs at the knee. Exhale. Hug the knees as tightly as you can to the abdomen. Ensure hips do not rise off the floor. Hold this pose for as long as you can, breathing normally. Release legs back to starting position. Repeat five times.


Benefits: This pose, like the previous one is therapeutic. Pawanmuktasana also means wind or energy release. Apart from removing acidity from the body, this pose also allows it to resume normal flow of energy by undoing joint stiffness. All joints are powered in this simple but most effective pose. It also relieves most spinal problems and hikes metabolism, aiding in digestion and weight loss.




Supta Udarakarshanasana (Lying abdominal twist)

Lie on your back. Interlock fingers, placing them under your head. Keep elbows straight out. Inhale. Fold legs at the knees, placing the feet close to the hips. Exhale. Turn knees towards the right side, dropping them on the floor, creating a twist at the abdomen. Simultaneously turn head to the left, focusing eyes on left elbow. Hold for a few minutes, breathing normally. Release. Return to centre and repeat pose thrice. Relax. Repeat entire sequence for opposite side.

Benefits: Same as the previous exercise but more intense.

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Ardha Salabbhasana (Half locust, advanced)

Lie on your stomach. Interlock hands, place them under your chin. Inhale. Lift right leg up in the air. You can prop it up with your left sole as shown in the photograph or place right foot on a stool behind. Hold for a few seconds, exhaling return to starting position. Repeat three to five times. Rest. Repeat for the other side.


Benefits: Tones the limbs. Is a powerful therapeutic pose for knee pain and spinal problems. Strengthens the pelvis, spikes metabolism and boosts digestion.


Parvatasana (Mountain pose)

Get down on all fours like an animal. Inhale. Exhaling, lift off hips. Keeping the palms flat on the ground, push down both heels to stretch the legs completely. Push down at the shoulders so the head drops further down. While making all these adjustments, continue breathing normally. Hold for a few seconds. Relax back on all fours. Repeat thrice.


Benefits: Parvatasana is part of the sun salutation series and the most powerful healing pose in yoga. It impacts the knees by strengthening the legs. By toning the abdomen, it helps take the weight off the hips. It is an entire body workout, releasing energy flow superbly.


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Trikonasana (Triangle)

Stand up straight with feet about a metre apart. Inhale, stretching out arms at shoulder-level. Adjust feet, so the right foot is aligned with the right arm and flared out fully. The left foot should be slightly flared out. Exhaling, twist at the abdomen, turning towards the right. Reach left arm to the floor, touching right foot. The right arm should remain up in the air. Focus eyes upwards, on the right hand. Hold for a few seconds, breathing normally. Inhale, returning to centre. Repeat thrice. Rest. Repeat entire sequence for the other side.



Benefits: Powers the joints at the knees and hips. Tones arms and legs, works out the spine and improves posture and balance. Boosts digestion.

BRAIN DAMAGING HABITS

BRAIN DAMAGING HABITS


1. No Breakfast

People who do not take breakfast are going to have a lower blood sugar level. This leads to an insufficient supply of nutrients to the brain causing brain degeneration.

2.Overeating

It causes hardening of the brain arteries, leading to a decrease in mental power.


3.Smoking

It causes multiple brain shrinkage and may lead to Alzheimer disease.


4. High Sugar consumption.

Too much sugar will interrupt the absorption of proteins and nutrients causing malnutrition and may interfere with brain development.


5. Air Pollution.

The brain is the largest oxygen consumer in our body. Inhaling polluted air decreases the supply of oxygen to the brain, bringing about a decrease in brain efficiency.


6. Sleep Deprivation.

Sleep allows our brain to rest. Long term deprivation from sleep will accelerate the death of brain cells.


7.Head covered while sleeping.

Sleeping with the head covered increases the concentration of carbon dioxide and decrease concentration of oxygen that may lead to brain damaging effects.


8.Working your brain during illness.

Working hard or studying with sickness may lead to a decrease in effectiveness of the brain as well as damage the brain.


9. Lacking in stimulating thoughts.
Thinking is the best way to train our brain, lacking in brain stimulation thoughts may cause brain shrinkage.


10. Talking Rarely.
Intellectual conversations will promote the efficiency of the brain.
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7 Pains You Should'nt Ignore

Pains You Shouldn't Ignore.

Experts describe the types of pain that require prompt medical attention.

No. 1: Worst Headache of Your Life.

Get medical attention immediately. "If you have a cold, it could be a sinus headache," says Sandra Fryhofer, MD, MACP, spokeswoman for the American College of Physicians. "But you could have a brain hemorrhage or brain tumor. With any pain, unless you're sure of what caused it, get it checked out."
Sharon Brangman, MD, FACP, spokeswoman for the American Geriatrics Society, tells WebMD that when someone says they have the worst headache of their life, "what we learned in medical training was that was a classic sign of a brain aneurysm. Go immediately to the ER."

No. 2: Pain or Discomfort in the Chest, Throat, Jaw, Shoulder, Arm, or Abdomen

Chest pain could be pneumonia or a heart attack. But be aware that heart conditions typically appear as discomfort, not pain. "Don't wait for pain," says cardiologist Jerome Cohen, MD. "Heart patients talk about pressure. They'll clench their fist and put it over their chest or say it's like an elephant sitting on their chest."
The discomfort associated with heart disease could also be in the upper chest, throat, jaw, left shoulder or arm, or abdomen and might be accompanied by nausea. "I'm not too much worried about the 18-year-old, but if a person has unexplained, persistent discomfort and knows they're high risk, they shouldn't wait," says Cohen. "Too often people delay because they misinterpret it as heartburn] or GI distress. Call 911 or get to an emergency room or physician's office. If it turns out to be something else, that's great."
He tells WebMD that intermittent discomfort should be taken seriously as well. "There might be a pattern, such as discomfort related to excitement, emotional upset, or exertion. For example, if you experience it when you're gardening, but it goes away when you sit down, that's angina. It's usually worse in cold or hot weather."
"A woman's discomfort signs can be more subtle," says Cohen, who is director of preventive cardiology at Saint Louis University School of Medicine. "Heart disease can masquerade as GI symptoms, such as bloating, GI distress, or discomfort in the abdomen. It's also associated with feeling tired. Risk for heart disease increases dramatically after menopause. It kills more women than men even though men are at higher risk at any age. Women and their physicians need to be on their toes."

No. 3: Pain in Lower Back or Between Shoulder Blades.

"Most often it's arthritis," says Brangman, who is professor and chief of geriatrics at SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, N.Y. Other possibilities include a heart attack or abdominal problems. "One danger is aortic dissection, which can appear as either a nagging or sudden pain. People who are at risk have conditions that can change the integrity of the vessel wall. These would include high blood pressure, a history of circulation problems, smoking, and diabetes."

No. 4: Severe Abdominal Pain.

Still have your appendix? Don't flirt with the possibility of a rupture. Gallbladder and pancreas problems, stomachulcers, and intestinal blockages are some other possible causes of abdominal pain that need attention.

No 5: Calf Pain.

One of the lesser known dangers is deep vein thrombosis (DVT), a blood clot that can occur in the leg's deep veins. It affects 2 million Americans a year, and it can be life-threatening. "The danger is that a piece of the clot could break loose and cause pulmonary embolism [a clot in the lungs], which could be fatal," says Fryhofer. Cancer, obesity, immobility due to prolonged bed rest or long-distance travel, pregnancy, and advanced age are among the risk factors.
"Sometimes there's just swelling without pain," says Brangman. "If you have swelling and pain in your calf muscles, see a doctor immediately."

No. 6: Burning Feet or Legs.

Nearly one-third of the 20 million Americans who have diabetes are undiagnosed, according to the American Diabetes Association. "In some people who don't know they have diabetes,peripheral neuropathy could be one of the first signs," says Brangman. "It's a burning or pins-and-needles sensation in the feet or legs that can indicate nerve damage."

No 7: Vague, Combined, or Medically Unexplained Pains.

"Various painful, physical symptoms are common in depression," says psychiatrist Thomas Wise, MD. "Patients will have vague complaints of headaches, abdominal pain, or limb pain, sometimes in combination."
Because the pain might be chronic and not terribly debilitating, depressed people, their families, and health care professionals might dismiss the symptoms. "Furthermore, the more depressed you are, the more difficulty you have describing your feelings," says Wise, who is the psychiatry department chairman at Inova Fairfax Hospital in Fairfax, Va. "All of this can lead the clinician astray."
Other symptoms must be present before a diagnosis of depression can be made. "Get help when you've lost interest in activities, you're unable to work or think effectively, and you can't get along with people," he says. "And don't suffer silently when you're hurting."
He adds there's more to depression than deterioration of the quality of life. "It has to be treated aggressively before it causes structural changes in the brain."

Afternoon Nap

Afternoon nap 'is good for heart'

Working men seem to benefit the most from a siesta

Taking 40 winks in the middle of the day may reduce the risk of death from heart disease, particularly in young healthy men, say researchers.

A six-year Greek study found that those who took a 30-minute siesta at least three times a week had a 37% lower risk of heart-related death.

The researchers took into account ill health, age, and whether people were physically active.

Experts said napping might help people to relax, reducing their stress levels.

It is known that countries where siestas are common tend to have lower levels of heart disease, but studies have shown mixed results.

The researchers in the Greek study looked at 23,681 men and women aged between 20 and 86. The subjects did not have a history of heart disease or any other severe condition.

This study has four advantages - it's large, prospective, limited to healthy people and we have been very careful to control for physical activity
Dr Dimitrios TrichopoulosHarvard School of Public Health
Participants were also asked if they took midday naps and how often, and were asked about dietary habits and physical activity.

The researchers found those who took naps of any frequency and duration had a 34% lower risk of dying from heart disease than those who did not take midday naps.

Those who took naps of more than 30 minutes three or more times a week had a 37% lower risk.

Working men
Among working men who took midday naps, there was a 64% reduced risk of death compared with a 36% reduced risk among non-working men.

The researchers said taking a siesta may reduce stress, hence the more notable finding in working men.

Lead researcher Dr Dimitrios Trichopoulos, from the Harvard School of Public Health, said: "In countries where mortality from coronary diseases is low, siesta is quite prevalent.

June Davison, cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, said: "These interesting findings identify that having a siesta is associated with a reduced risk of dying from a heart problem, particularly in working men.

"Having a nap in the middle of the day may help people to unwind and relax - which is important for our overall health.

"However it is important to get a balance between rest and activity, as being regularly active can help reduce the risk of coronary heart disease."

She added that people who felt stressed might be more tempted to have less healthy behaviour, such as smoking, eating a poor diet, drinking too much alcohol and not getting enough exercise. This would add to their risk of suffering a heart-related death.