Blame stress for shaky gums, common colds

Blame stress for shaky gums, common colds
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/ET_Cetera/Blame_stress_for_shaky_gums_common_colds/articleshow/2688354.cms

NEW YORK: Stress kills. Its potentially fatal effect on the heart is well documented. But new research suggests that it is probably the reason for everything from decaying gums to common colds.

An article in Observer, the monthly magazine of the Association for Psychological Science, cites new research across psychology, medicine, neuroscience and genetics to conclude that stress is at the root of a whole range of health problems.

Stress encompasses the strains experienced by living organisms in their struggles to adapt and cope with changing environments. When danger is perceived, a chain reaction of signals releases hormones like epinephrine (‘adrenaline’), norepinephrine and cortisol from the adrenal glands.

These hormones kick up the heart rate, increase respiration, and up the glucose levels in the blood — enabling the ‘fight or flight’ reaction. As these responses take a lot of energy, cortisol tells other physical processes — including digestion, reproduction, physical growth and some aspects of the immune system — to shut or slow down.

When the threat passes, the body’s stress thermostat adjusts accordingly.Cortisol levels return to normal and the body resumes its usual functions.

But problems occur when stresses don’t let up, or when, for various reasons, the brain continually perceives stress even if it isn’t really there.

This causes prolonged exposure to cortisol, which inhibits the growth of new neurons and can cause increased growth of the amygdala, the portion of the brain that controls fear and other emotional responses. It also affects the hippocampus, an area that helps form new memories.

Researchers now say these brain changes are at the heart of the link between stress and depression as well as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Besides heart disease, PTSD, and depression, chronic stress has been linked to ailments as diverse as intestinal problems, gum disease, erectile dysfunction, adult-onset diabetes, growth problems, and even cancer.

Chronic rises in stress hormones have been shown to accelerate the growth of pre-cancerous cells and tumours; they also lower the body’s resistance to HIV and cancer-causing viruses.

Home remedies to prevent hairloss and dandruff

1. Applying juice of neem or margosa leaves to scalp prevent dandruff and hair loss caused by it.

2. Washing hair and scalp with decoction of neem leaves helps to prevent hair loss and stabilizes color.

3. Boil few pieces of amla, curry leaves and neem leaves in pure coconut oil till it becomes crisp. Massage this oil on scalp. This is best tonic for hair growth.

4. Rubbing scalp with equal quantity of amla juice and lime juice after washing hair help in hair loss and increases the luster.

5. Consuming fresh lettuce leaves or lettuce juice helps in growth of hair.

6. After washing hair with cold water, rub the scalp vigorously with finger tips till you feel the heat. This effectively controls hair loss.

7. Applying a pack of soaked and ground fenugreek seeds for half an hour help to prevent dandruff.

Tired techies turn to ayurveda

Tired techies turn to ayurveda

BANGALORE: There are ways and ways of deleting stress. But techies in Bangalore are logging on to the country’s ancient wisdom to de-stress: they are increasingly finding solace in ayurvedic remedies.

And this year-end, they are heading straight to ayurveda therapy centres, hospitals and nature spas in Kerala. Like Nimesh Chary and Pavan Vangaroo. They are all set to board a flight to Kochi where they will go through a five-day ayurvedic rejuvenation and relaxation therapy.

"There is hardly any balance between work and life today. At the end of every year, I feel like a balloon filled with stress. I roped in a friend to join me on this de-stressing tour," says Chary. After having chased series of project delivery deadlines and unrealistic business goals round the year, software engineers feel they need this annual soothing break.

"Over 90% of our clients in the last one year have been IT professionals, and over 70% of them were from Bangalore. Most of them come with stress while some come with chronic cases like heart ailments," says Gopala Krishnan, MD of an ayurvedic centre based in Alappuzha.

According to Babu Vincent, MD of a firm that books leisure and spa holidays for IT professionals, the demand for ayurvedic rejuvenation packages has been on the rise. "The number has been exceptionally high this year and 95% of our bookings for Xmas and New Year are from the IT sector."

Quoting a recent study conducted by Lady Harding’s Medical College in New Delhi among tech workers, A M Anvar of a Kochi hospital says: "The study found that 93% of IT people were morbid and had high chances of falling chronically ill. Ayurveda is viewed as a medicinal system for the old. But now the young tech community is changing that notion."

According to Dr Nilakandan Moose of a Trichur-based ayurveda firm, "Everything that works needs periodic service. Human beings tend to wait for a breakdown. Thankfully, this tendency is slowly changing."