Phosphorus: 6 important facts 🙌

1. Phosphorus is an abundant mineral present in the body. It is found mostly intracellular and in bones and teeth. We get ample amount of Phosphorus from dietary sources. The kidneys remove the excess Phosphorus. Though mostly ignored, this mineral is essential for many vital functions in the body.


2. Functions are primarily :
– Strengthen bones along with Calcium
– Detoxifies the body by helping the kidneys to eliminate the wastes.
– Maintain the ph balance
– Improves digestion
– Assists in the production of energy molecules ATP and releases the energy by breaking the phosphate bonds
– RNA and DNA synthesis
– Needed for growth and development (especially children)
– For Cognitive health
– For dental health

3. Phosphorus level is essential in the body with a standard range of 2.5 to 4.5 mg/dl. Usually, excess Phosphorus gets eliminated by the kidneys. But when the kidneys are weak like in chronic kidney diseases, the extra level in the body can cause damage to organs. High level of Phosphorus can pull the Calcium from the bones, making them weaker and brittle. High level of Calcium and Phosphorus can cause calcium deposits in the heart, blood vessels, eyes and lungs. Such an individual has a higher risk of stroke and heart attack.

4. Sources: Plant sources are mainly in the form of phytates. Other sources are dairy, cereals, meat and fishes.
Familiar sources available: Lentils, cheese, yoghurt, almonds, halibut, turkey, chicken and beef.
A healthy adult requires about 700mg/day.
Growing children, pregnant and breastfeeding women require more of Phosphorus for proper growth and development.

5. Hypophosphatemia: When the serum level is below 2.5mg/dl.
Causes: Usually, the deficiency is rare as enough of Phosphorus is available from food sources.
Certain Conditions where Hypophosphatemia occurs:
Reduced intake in the diet,
Alcoholism,
Vitamin D deficiency, alkalosis,
Diabetic ketoacidosis,
Hyperparathyroidism
People who have renal insufficiency (acute tubular necrosis)
People on renal therapies.
People on parenteral nutrition
Hypomagnesemia/ Hypokalemia
Anabolic steroids
Diuretics
The symptoms are Fragile bones, bone pain, stiff joints, irregular breathing (arrhythmia), anxiety, fatigue, loss of appetite, irritability, tingling and numbness.
Usually, dietary sources are advised for deficiency. If severe, clinically treated with parenteral supplementation.

6. Hyperphosphatemia: When the serum level is more than 4.5mg/dl.
The causes are:
Excess oral sources,
Renal insufficiency like in Chronic kidney diseases
Cellular necrosis,
Excess use of laxatives,
Diabetic ketoacidosis
Hypoparathyroidism
Cell lysis like in tumour lysis syndrome,
The symptoms are Anorexia, neuromuscular cramps, tingling, calcification of soft tissues, joints, cornea, blood vessels (like in ESRD end-stage renal disease), Arterioslecrosis,
It is usually recommended by Physician to limit the dietary sources, use of phosphate binders, renal replacement therapies like Haemodialysis depending on the actual cause.
This post gives general information about understanding the importance of Phosphorus in our body. It’s not for clinical purpose or recommendation.

Thanks for reading.

Blessings and much love to all 💐

 

 

 

 

Lung cleansing: 8 natural ways 🙌

Hello everyone ! Have a wonderful and safe day 🙋🏻

Our lungs are contaminated every day with environmental toxins, pollutants, dust, second-hand smoke, chemicals, microbes (bacteria, viruses) and the list goes on and on. During this corona virus pandemic, the risk is even higher. Such health hazard, often, lead to various chronic and acute lung issues like Asthma, pneumonia, bronchitis, COPD, lung cancer. Usually, our lungs can detox and heal themselves once the sources of pollutions are eliminated or significantly reduced. So, nowadays, we often hear about shifting home location towards the outskirts or semi-rural areas rather than staying in urban cities. Whether, we have the option of moving site or not, but we can take necessary steps of detoxifying and cleansing the lungs easy ways and prevent us from chronic respiratory issues and diseases. Lung cleansing can promote healing, normal lung functioning, reduces inflammation of bronchial lining, clear mucus and improves lung circulation.

 

So the simple steps that we can regularly adapt to detox and keep our lungs healthy:

1. Perform deep breathing exercises daily. Though breathing is normal but deep breathing involves diaphragmatic breathing which helps to strengthen the diaphragm and oxygen-carrying capacity of the lungs. Oxygen is nourishing for all cells and all vital processes to carry out smoothly. As we age, diaphragm, which is a muscle, start to become weaker. So, when we perform diaphragmatic breathing, it’s like trying to deep breathe into the belly. In the process, the diaphragm gets contracted, and air fills up. Slowly, as we exhale, the diaphragm relaxes. It creates a back pressure in the alveoli, which in turn improve the lung compliance and help to detox the lungs. Deep breathing also reduces stress significantly. It is essential to do daily 9-10 times of deep breathing exercise. You can get more information on this type of breathing technique from my previous post https://healthhappinesshealing.org/wp-admin/post.php?post=3659&action=edit

2. Another critical factor is to improve air quality at home. It is just not possible to control the external environment, but we can maintain the quality of air in the space we live every day. We need to make sure to change the air filters of the electrical appliances at home regularly. It’s essential to limit the use of air fresheners and scented candles as they contain harsh chemicals which may be harmful. Ensure adequate air ventilation and regular vacuum cleaning to maintain clean airflow at home.

3. Quit smoking: Cigarette smoke contains more than 7000 toxins. Researches have shown a direct link of smoking associated with lung cancer. Smoking also causes chronic inflammation of the bronchial linings and the lungs. So, there is a lot of health hazard associated with smoking rather than any health benefit.

4. Second-hand smoke: Even if you or I do not smoke, but, we are exposed to second-hand smoke, then we carry the same risk of health hazard like smoking a Cigarette. So, it’s essential to stay away from exposure to second-hand smoke. Therefore, always avoid places where you have a risk of inhaling second-hand smoke.

5. Apart from breathing exercise, doing physical activity regularly outside of your home, preferably in a park or open area, to ensure that your cardiovascular system is activated and you can breathe the fresh air every day.

6. Personal care: Having a hot shower, or using a heating pad on the back eases the intercostal muscles of the rib cage and help to soothe during breathing. Getting percussion or vibration on the backside will also accelerate breathing and healing process of the lungs during chronic ailments.

7. Food: Like all organs, lungs also required proper nutrients, vitamins, antioxidants for healing and proper functioning. Adequate nourishment from food rich in vitamin C, D, antioxidants, polyunsaturated fatty acids, drinking enough water, exposure to sunlight and limiting the intake of sugar and dairy products, all helps in the proper functioning of the lungs.

8. Some familiar sources which are nourishing and healing for lungs are ginger, green tea, oregano, peppermint leaves, liquorice, and lemon. Measures like eucalyptus oil steam inhalation and castor oil packs found to have a beneficial effect on the lungs.

Thanks for reading.

Blessings and much love to all 💐

 

6 natural ways of Thyroid care 🙌

Hello everyone ! Have a wonderful and safe day 🙋🏻

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The thyroid gland is butterfly-shaped in the neck, which is responsible for metabolism and growth. This gland mainly secretes hormones, thyroxine and triiodothyronine. It is controlled by the pituitary gland which is called the master gland of the hormonal axis. Thyroid problems are widespread and experienced by millions, but about 60% of such cases remain undiagnosed. Thyroid problems are elevated these days because of high stress in day to day life, unhealthy food habits, sedentary lifestyle, and perhaps increase in top environmental toxins. Though thyroid problems can appear in both men and women, but women are most likely to be affected than men. Although there is no specific cause, the reason can be due to estrogen dominance, a state where the estrogen level is elevated than the progesterone level.

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Thyroid issues can be broad as
#dietary deficiency like iodine deficiency such as in case of goitre  

#autoimmune in origins like hypothyroidism called Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and hyperthyroidism called Graves disease.

#Thyroid nodules.

Symptoms depend on different conditions. Common symptoms for thyroid problems can be:
tiredness,
fast heartbeats,
fatigue,
weightloss (hyperthyroid) or weight gain (hypothyroid),
irritability,
anxiety,
heat intolerance and 
irregular menstrual cycle.
The association of thyroid issues with irregularity or imbalance in women reproductive hormones have been quite relevant. There is a significant association of thyroid issues with conditions like uterine fibroid, endometriosis, menstrual irregularities, premenstrual symptoms (PMS), polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and difficulty in menopause.

According to modern medicine, depending upon the thyroid hormone levels in the blood, physical examination, ultrasound and physical symptoms, the diagnosis is confirmed. Drugs are given as a substitute for thyroid hormones in case hypothyroidism.

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But in general, the thyroid gland can be maintained healthily by changing our food habits and lifestyle. 6 natural ways are: 
1.Food: Apple, coconut, yoghurt, beans, spinach, onions, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, mango, olive oil, garlic, mushroom, nuts, sea fishes like sardines and salmon, using natural rock salt in meals.

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2. Avoiding junk food and soya products.

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3. Daily yoga and meditation are beneficial;

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4. The message of the gland with pure cold-pressed walnut oil or red onion (antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties) can help significantly to reduce inflammation around the organ.
5. Vitamin D, Selenium and magnesium supplementation are helpful.

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6. Detoxifying: our body is highly equipped with organs (liver, kidneys, skin, lungs) to eliminate toxins. We do not require expensive therapies or sessions or any special diet for detoxification. We, need to stick to a clean diet, plenty of fluids, proper sleep, no excess processed food, sugar and alcohol to enhance the natural detoxification process.

Thanks for reading.

Blessings and much love to all 💐

Post: Daily detox diet 🙌

Dear friends, hope you all are doing good !

Leading a healthy life isn’t enough to maintain a state of wellbeing or make us disease-free. A lot has to do with our mental state of health too. Daily, we feed ourselves with a lot of unwanted, unhealthy emotions which not only harm us mentally but detriment our physical health too, causing a diseased state in the long run.

Normally, people, like you and me when in emotional good health, are aware of our behaviour, thoughts, feelings and emotions. We have learned to deal with the daily stress and grind of our daily lives. However, sometimes, some sudden disruptions may happen in life which may greatly affect our emotional health. Certain unwanted situations, like the death of a loved one, suffering from an illness, fired from a job, financial issues, divorce and a lot more. All such kind of situations can build up trapped emotions in us like a looming sadness, stress, anxiety, depression. Even good news like the arrival of a baby, or joining a new job can build up unwanted stress in the body.

Now, we all know that thoughts and emotions greatly affect our both physical and mental health. Feelings of worthlessness, helplessness and hopelessness can build up chronic stress in the body. It is directly indicating that something isn’t right in our mind and body balance. That is the reason, people with chronic stress state suffer from high blood pressure, hormonal imbalance, thyroid issues, insomnia, gastric ulceration and so on. We are already aware that chronic stress can increase inflammatory processes in the body. And chronic inflammation is the most common causative factor of diseases like Cancers.

So, how do we do detox daily from this emotional baggage ?

1.Wider Perspective about life: From the time you are born, you start having a defensive mechanism against threat or loss in life. So, it is your natural tendency to give more importance to the bad than the good. You always keep worrying about the bad and forget about the good side of life. So, we have to have a broader perspective about life, understand the realities. Death is inevitable to all of us. So, instead of worrying about the bad of what has happened or what is going to happen, focus on the positive aspect of life, all the good things around us, the Gratitude and the Blessings. Feeling the present moment as much as we can. All of them have a powerful impact on both physical and emotional health. So, every day and throughout the day be in awe of your Blessing and gratefulness. This gives you an emotional resilience and strength to deal with potential threats and stress. Build upon your creativity, the talent which you have never explored. The more you open up to life, the more resilient you become. So, daily give yourself time, do whatever you enjoy doing, forgetting all your worries and stress. Though it is easy to say than done, it’s a practise, a habit, we need to form and follow.

2.Trapped Emotions: Never let any negative emotion to be build up within. Let go your anger, pain, hurt, stress, sorrow, frustration. Always remember, nothing is permanent here in this life, not even the life itself. We all have to go one day. So, what is the point in holding back emotions which seems meaningless afterwards? What is the point in holding anger or frustration which harm us from within? So, letting go of your negative attitude and emotions is the only solutions. Every day, make sure you release, forgive and forget all the negative emotions that you felt for the day before going down to bed.

3.Invest in your health: We need to invest in our health both physically and mentally. Take out time every day for your wellbeing. Exercise, meditate, go for Nature’s walk will help you let out your strong emotions within you. Talking to your friend, your partner or anyone whom you rely upon can help you let out the negative emotions. This is important because sharing helps you to lessen your emotional baggage. Last but not least, love yourself, eat healthily and try having a good night sleep every day.

Thanks for reading.

Take care. Much love to all 💐