Turmeric Side Effects

Turmeric has been used as an ayurvedic medicinal herb from ancient times to cure diseases. Turmeric is a perennial shrub that grows in tropical areas of Asia. In India, it is used as one of the hot spices in the food and is considered as a symbol of prosperity. Apart from that, it is also used for treating many health problems and is considered a cleansing herb for stomach. It is also taken as a home medicine for various diseases like fever, common cold, and so on. In China turmeric paste is made to stop bleeding and heal wounds. 

While turmeric consumed in small quantity has healing properties, excess of it can lead you towards its side effects. Consuming it for a prolonged period can result in gastrointestinal and stomach problems. Therefore, turmeric should be used only in a required amount. In the following lines, some of the adverse effects of turmeric are given.

Adverse Effects Of Turmeric

Consuming turmeric for a long time causes gastric problems. This happens because of its spicy nature. To overcome this problem, a supplement is taken that uses an enteric coating which allows nutrients to get absorbed in the small intestine itself and keep the stomach problem free.

Turmeric has platelet aggregation properties. Due to this, the blood clot formation is deceased. This leads to bleeding. Take pharmaceutical supplement which has natural nutrients and turmeric extracts ensuring the right amount of turmeric intake.

Turmeric is a uterine stimulant, which induces menstruation. So, pregnant and lactating women must take care of its intake. It may harm the baby.

Do not take turmeric if you are consuming any anticoagulant or antiplatelet medicines. It might be reactive and cause unnecessary reaction.

Studies say that turmeric has an ill effect on the chemotherapy. As such, avoid taking turmeric, both naturally and in supplement form in the diet, if chemotherapy is going on.   

Turmeric when absorbed orally does not absorb well.Take vitamin supplement containing piperine. It promotes absorption.

Continued application of turmeric powder on skin may cause skin problems. Some sensitive skin might experience allergy and irritation on the skin. If the problem is not solved, then it may lead to skin rashes.

It can cause indigestion and also diarrhea. Mild cramping in the stomach can also be one of the effects of turmeric consumption.

Due to high consumption of turmeric, it may encourage liver and gall bladder-related problems.

Intake of turmeric supplement for a long time can cause severe problem like unstoppable bleeding. It promotes congestive heart disease, if taken in large quantity

Consuming a large amount of turmeric, apart from that present in the dish, may also lead to nausea and sweating. Turmeric may also cause contact dermatitis.

If you intake over 1000 mg of turmeric in a day then, it may lead to heart burn and may have laxative effect.

Now that you have browsed through the side effects of turmeric, make sure that you stay away from large quantity of turmeric intake, lest you face any of the above mentioned adverse effects.

Treating Back Pain At Home

One of the most common causes of discomfort, back pain causes the nerves to go on an overdrive, shooting pain signals throughout the body. This is because the back contains the spine, which is a complex network of nerves, joints, muscles, and ligaments that are likely to produce pain at the slightest stress. Back pain comes as silent as a mime without you even knowing when you caused the strain to the back muscles. 

And the sudden pain that you experience in the back is more likely the cause of the strain that has occurred earlier. Lifting heavy things, bending down, twisting the body and sitting for long duration are the most common causes of back pain. The pain shoots up like a bolt of electricity that can sometimes be so strong to leave you paralyzed for a moment. Back pain is a cause of concern as even a slight pain can engulf your entire back leaving you almost incapable of mobility. Since, back pain is quite a common problem it is better to have remedies on hand so that the pain does not hinder you in your day-to-day work. In the article given below are the various home remedies for back pain.

Home Remedies For Back Pain 

If the back pain is the result of any injury then apply an icepack on the affected area within 24 hours. This will help contain the inflammation in the injured area. It will numb the nerves that send the pain signals and so ease the pain a lot. To make an ice pack, take some ice cubes in a plastic bag and then cover the entire bag in a thin towel. Place the ice pack in the affected area for 20 minutes and then remove it. Apply again after 30 minutes.

A hot bath is an excellent way to get rid of back pain as it increases the elasticity of the muscles. A shower won’t be of much help. Instead, you will have to soak in a hot water tub for 30 minutes. However, this should be avoided by pregnant women .

To relieve an aching back, another good option is to lie flat on your back with two pillows underneath the knees. However, too much of bed rest can be detrimental so it is better to get up and move around so that continuous rest doesn’t weaken the muscles.

Massaging the back with herbal oils is another effective remedy. The masseur should massage the back using the knuckles while increasing the pressure gradually. This will get rid of the pain as it relaxes the muscles.

When you are suffering from back pain, never bend down from the waist. If you want to lift something, then bend the knees first so that the lower back doesn’t get tense, causing stress to the spine and back muscles. Also, don’t try to twist your back and lift heavy objects.

Sit and sleep in firm chair and bed. Support your lower back with a pillow to keep it in proper position.

Mix equal amounts of khas khas (poppy seeds) and sugar cubes into powder. Mix 6 grams of the mixture in milk and drink a glass twice a day. This will provide relief against the pain.

Exercises provide excellent relief against back pain. When the back pain starts, the best exercise that you can do is to lie on your back and slowly raise both legs upwards as far as you can and then hold your breath. Keep the legs up for some time and then bring the legs down.

Another exercise is to lie on your back and keep the hands slightly apart from the body. Place both the feet together. Take a deep breath and then relax your entire body. Stay relaxed for 30 seconds and then turn your feet in one direction and the head in the other while inhaling. Hold the breath and hold that position. Exhale and then reverse the process. Return to the original position and then repeat this exercise in the other direction.

Stomach Ulcer Diet

Stomach ulcers are painful sores that occur within the lining of the stomach or in the duodenum (as is most often the case). They occur when there is a break in the lining of the stomach, primarily due to hyper-acidity, and the digestive juices and acids damage the tissues that lie beneath the lining. A person suffering from stomach ulcer will undergo severe pain and in more advanced cases, suffer from vomiting and bleeding. If left untreated, stomach ulcer can progress into something much worse. 

However, along with treatment, it is necessary to eat the right foods, so as to help the stomach heal itself. If you suffer from stomach ulcers, it is necessary for you to follow a good diet regimen of healthy foods. Restrict the use of foods that irritate the stomach and consume the ones that soothe the body and aid in healing, as well as those that provide you with the proper nutrition. While a stomach ulcer diet may not be very attractive, you should bear in mind that it is just temporary, whereas the bad effects of stomach ulcers can be long lasting, if you do not take the needed care. Therefore, following a proper stomach ulcer diet, along with recommendations by a good physician, will help your stomach heal itself.

Peptic Ulcer Diet Plan

Basic Guidelines

Follow a bland diet religiously.

• Eat food in small portions. This will make the digestion simpler. Eating three heavy, full meals will put an unnecessary strain on the already sore stomach. So, divide them into six smaller meals.
• Do not starve or miss meals. This will aggravate the condition. If there is no food in your stomach for the gastric juices to work on, they will continue to eat up the lining of your stomach.
• Relax before and after each meal.
• Avoid spicy and fried food. They hamper the healing process.
• Avoid citric fruits and juices, as they increase acidity.
• Avoid caffeine, along with chocolate, cola and alcohol. 
• Foods That Can Be Eaten
• The following foods can be eaten in case of stomach ulcer. However, caution needs to be exercised, since some of the foods in this list may not be suitable for those with high cholesterol. 
• Eggs - always boiled, never fried.
• Refined cooked cereals, such as cornflakes and rice crispies
• White bread and plain rolls
• Milk and milk products, with the exception of chocolate milk
• Vegetable soups, without spices and pepper
• Meat, fish and poultry - fresh or boiled
• Cream cheese - plain, not spiced
• Carrots, green beans, peas, spinach and asparagus - cooked without oil
• Cooked or fresh fruits that are non-citric
• Fresh, non-citric fruit juices
• Butter, margarine, sweet cream and mayonnaise - plain, not seasoned
• Plain ice cream, sherbet, puddings, cakes and custard
• Plain cookies, smooth peanut butter, honey and jelly.

Smoking And Women

More than 140,000 women worldwide, die of smoking and other related causes every year. This should be a wakeup call to all you women who keep puffing on that cigarette, day in and out. Women smokers suffer the smoke as much as men do, even worse with knowledge that it might affect their progeny! America, China and India are the top three producers of tobacco and target the female audience with expensive marketing brands and adverts. The “Tobacco Epidemic” that first began with men, has now shifted to women. 

A statistical survey shows that in the 21st century, about 15% of women in the industrialized countries and developing nations, taken together, smoke cigarettes. A very surprising thing is that women even chew tobacco in some areas. The effects are almost the same. And this is a cause of worldwide concern. An awareness campaign must be run, informing showing women how risky smoking could be to their bodies and their lives. Explore this article to educate women around you of what they’re getting into!

Effects Of Smoking In Women

New research has found that breathing difficulty due to smoking is more prevalent in women than men.

The risk of stroke is higher in pregnant women who smoke or have smoked before pregnancy because there is an increased blood pressure, increased blood loss (during delivery) and a high production of blood clotting factors. Strokes have symptoms such as severe headaches, trouble speaking and vision impairment.

Another very serious consequence is with women who use oral contraceptives (or the pill) as a measure for controlling childbirth. They run the risk of cardiovascular diseases, such as blood clots, considerably more than the others. A mild increase in blood pressure is also noted and highly significant.

Pregnant women also run the risk of having mentally impaired babies, abortions and still births etc if they continue smoking till their pregnancies. Others would include having a premature or low weight baby.

Smoking right after delivering a baby can cause the secondhand smoke to reach your child and cause harmful effects of the child as well. For example, if a woman smokes while breastfeeding her child, the milk will contain impurities and will adversely affect the child.

Smoking in women can cause breast cancer. Oral cancer is more common though. The risk is found to be higher in premenopausal active smokers and postmenopausal passive ones. The reason being a gene called NAT2 that responds very slowly to removing the toxins from the body, thereby causing damage to the cells.

Osteoporosis or brittle bones can be the result of excessive cigarette smoke.

PID or Pelvic Inflammatory Disease is very high in women smokers. What happens here is that the reproductive system gets infected with virus, bacteria or fungus. This leads to an inflammation (swelling) of the uterus, fallopian tubes or ovaries.

Fertility issues such as a decreased ovulatory response as well as impairment of the zygote are very common in women who smoke. The cervical fluid maybe altered due to the chemicals in the smoke making it toxic to the sperm. The relationship between infertility and smoking has not been confirmed but statistics have shown that 72% of women smokers have infertility issues.

Teenage women are seen to be more affected in the long run as its affects menstruation. There might be bleeding difficulties such as abnormal bleeding, amenorrhea (no periods) and vaginal discharges.

Remedies For Dry Cough

Coughing is the natural reflex of a body to feeling of irritation in the throat. There are basically two types of cough - Wet and Dry. The wet cough is often accompanied by mucus or phlegm while dry cough is one where there is no mucus and the throat hurts a lot due to dryness. Dry cough can arise due to plenty of factors like smoking, excessive exposure to pollution, dust or any other allergy, etc. The most effective treatment for dry cough is by natural and home remedies. These remedies have been proven useful much before medicines came into existence and became popular. Check out some popular natural and home remedies for treating dry cough.

Natural and Home Remedies for Dry Cough 

• Extract the juice of ginger and mix it with honey. Take this 3-4 times a day for quick relief from coughing.
• Gargles are always effective for treating dry cough. Take some lukewarm water with a bit of salt and gargle. Alternatively, you can prepare a decoction of henna leaves for treating dry cough.
• Take a small and fresh piece of ginger and peel off the skin. Sprinkle a pinch of salt on it and chew it, taking the juice inside. It is very effective in treating dry cough.
• Take 3-4 balls of black pepper and with of caraway seeds with a hint of common salt. Suck on it for some time and you will notice instant relief.
• Take one gram of turmeric powder and mix it with a teaspoon of honey. Take this 3 times a day and dry cough will vanish away quickly.
• Prepare ginger tea by adding ginger when the water begins to boil and before you add tea leaves. Put in a pinch of pepper powder and 3-4 basil leaves. Drink hot and feel your throat soothing down.
• Before going to bed, drink hot milk with some honey. This will provide instant relief from dry cough and also make sure that you have a sound sleep.