Author Archives: Lily Kiswani

About Lily Kiswani

I am an Integrative medicine practitioner. I transitioned into Integrative medicine after three decades of Gynecology practice and Endoscopic surgery. I was the first female Laparoscopic surgeon in India. I have co-authored a textbook, Endoscopic Gynecologic Surgery, available on Amazon. Now, after all these years, with the realisation that I can help people regain their lost health, I find myself inordinately excited and blessed to have this opportunity.

Everyone needs Magnesium supplementation

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Are your chocolate cravings so intense that you feel like it screams your name? Do you ever jump out of bed in the middle of the night because of a muscle spasm? Or, no matter what you try, do you have difficulty sleeping? There’s a good chance you’re deficient in magnesium, but most people have no idea that they’re missing this vital mineral. Nutritionists often call magnesium the master mineral because it affects over 300 different enzymatic processes that help your body function properly.
1. Muscle cramps or spasms

If you’ve had one of these, you know how awful they can be whether you’re sitting at your desk or awakened in the middle of the night with a painfully tight calf! Muscle cramps are a result of muscle spasms, which are involuntary muscle contractions. Magnesium helps relax muscles throughout your body, so when you’re deficient your muscles will contract involuntarily.

2. Trouble sleeping

Without sufficient magnesium, you may have difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep. Also, magnesium levels drop in your body at night, leading to poor quantity and quality of REM sleep, which is the most critical sleep cycle to recharge your body and mind.

3. Chocolate cravings

Dark chocolate is high in magnesium, and one square provides about 24% of your daily value of magnesium. Intense “I have to have it” chocolate cravings are another sign of magnesium deficiency. Your body actually craves what it needs sometimes.

4. Anxiety

Magnesium is the most powerful relaxation mineral. If you experience anxiety, this is a common early symptom of how your central nervous system is affected by magnesium deficiency. When you feel anxious, taking 200mg of magnesium may make you feel more relaxed.

5. High blood pressure

Many people wonder why they have high blood pressure even though they follow a healthy, whole food diet. Magnesium may be the answer; another important function of magnesium is relaxing and dilating your blood vessels. When you’re low in magnesium, your blood vessels constrict more, causing high blood pressure. Adequate magnesium levels also help balance your electrolytes. Unbalanced electrolytes can create high blood pressure as well.

6. Irregular heartbeat

People with heart arrhythmias are put on medications. Your heart is a muscular organ, making the cardiovascular system highly dependent on magnesium to function properly . If your heart is deficient in magnesium, it can’t contract properly, which may cause irregular heartbeats. So the treatment approach could be simple supplementation.

7. Constipation

If you experience constipation regularly, that’s another sign you’re deficient in magnesium. When you’re low in magnesium, your intestines contract more, making it harder for stool to pass. Not only will it relax your bowel to create a more regular bowel rhythm, but it also has an osmotic effect. Magnesium pulls water into the bowels, softening the stool. Choose magnesium citrate to help constipation.

How can you increase your magnesium levels?

First, stop eating foods that deplete nutrients, such as flour and sugar. Instead eat foods high in magnesium, such as meat, avocados, leafy green vegetables and nuts. If you’re eating chocolate to restore some of your magnesium, make sure it’s at least 70% cocoa, and keep your chocolate intake to one ounce or less per day.

Even if you eat a healthy diet, you will likely still need to supplement with magnesium. Look for a good-quality supplement in the form of magnesium glycinate, which is one of the most absorbable forms. Most people need about 400 mg, but you can go up to 1,000 mg per day if needed. Take magnesium at bedtime for best absorption and to provide deep, rejuvenating sleep!

Be Healthy!

Why a Sandwich is Not Health Food

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A sandwich is what one opts for when the hunger pangs strike and a wholesome home-made meal is not readily available, believing it to be a healthy option, right? 49% of people eat at least one sandwich per day, and believe it or not, many good folks are consuming MULTIPLE sandwiches per day… nothing short of a travesty.

Fact is, sandwiches are really bad news for your fat loss efforts and for two primary reasons:

1. Processed wheat.  Processed wheat is probably the biggest dietary contributor to America’s obesity problem and the contents of a sandwich lies between two grand slices of it.

But what about “healthy” whole wheat bread?  That HAS to be good for you.  Nope, think again.  Despite having more fiber than its “white” counterpart, 2 slices of whole wheat bread raise blood sugar far higher than a sugar-sweetened soda or even a sugary candy bar.  This is because the wheat of today is nothing like the wheat of generations ago, having been genetically modified by the food industry, mutated, and exposed to the likes of industrial toxins and radiation to force an unnatural higher yield at the expense of your health.

2. High-fat and/or high-sugar, high-calorie sauces.  Whether its mayonnaise, thousand island dressing, garlic aioli, BBQ sauce, or some other sort of “special sauce”, these high calorie sauces further bombard your blood stream with more sugar and fat, throwing your fat-storing hormone, insulin, into overdrive.

Any way you slice it (pun intended), most sandwiches are your waistline’s worst nightmare.  Although convenient, there are much better, just-as-delicious options for your belly, such as a cheese-smothered grass fed beef burger patty topped with a fried egg — yum!  Just remember to ditch the bread and you’ll be A-OK.

Optimise Vitamin D and Reduce Heart Disease

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Another reason to maintain Vitamin D levels in optimum range.

In a study on 375 patients undergoing coronary angiography for heart disease, “vitamin D was the most significant predictor for coronary artery disease” according to the authors of the study.  In another study published in the same journal, low vitamin D levels reduced activity of the gene that works to make vitamin D bioactive, essentially creating a ‘double-whammy’ – low vitamin D stores and less incentive for the body to convert what vitamin D it has to its bioactive form.  In addition, low vitamin D levels increased the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6, etc), thus exacerbating the coronary artery disease further.

Optimum levels are 50 – 100 IU/ml, in the higher range -70+ – in case of existing illness, and a lower level -50- being acceptable in ‘healthy’ individuals.

Vitamin D can be obtained with 20-30 min of sun exposure daily with arms and legs uncovered, 3-4 times a week, in summer, with direct rays. In case of dark skinned individuals, or northern latitudes where the sun’s rays are not so strong, longer exposure is needed.

In general, supplementation is recommended, 2000-5000IU/day. This is a safe dose.

Simple steps to Stay Healthy.

 

MRI Shows Cancer Cells Thrive On Processed Sugar

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MRI Shows Cancer Cells Thrive On Processed Sugar in5d in 5d in5d.com www.in5d.com http://in5d.com/ body mind soul spirit BodyMindSoulSpirit.com http://bodymindsoulspirit.com/

 Amanda Froelich

Want to improve your health? Change your diet! This message is slowly permeating mainstream society, but has yet to convince fast-food lovers and sugary-treat fanatics. Largely unaware of food consequences, many still dive into high-fat, high-sugar food options without a second thought; but a recent study affirming that Cancer cells grow and thrive on processed sugar may change that.

Nature Medicine recently confirmed that processed sugar is one of the primary driving forces behind the growth and spread of cancer tumors. The results were so conclusive, in fact, that future cancer screening may rely on scanning the body for accumulated sugar for signs of the disease.

The University College London (UCL) in the U.K. made this discovery after experimenting with a new cancer detection method that involves utilizing a unique form of MRI. The scientists sensitized a MRI scanner to look specifically for glucose in the body, and it revealed that cancer tumors – which have been shown to feed off sugar – light up brightly as they contain high amounts of sugar.

Explained by a recent UCL announcement, “The new technique, called ‘glucose chemical exchange saturation transfer’ (glucoCEST), is based on the fact that tumors consume much more glucose (a type of sugar) than normal, healthy tissues in order to sustain their growth.” On the update given by the university, it was noted that tumors appear as “bright images” on the scanner.

What may be most shocking, as reported by the study’s senior author, is that the amount of sugar in “half a standard sized chocolate bar” is all it takes to effectively identify the presence of tumors using the glucoCEST method. This finding is astounding, as it suggests that even relatively low amounts of sugar have the potential to promote cancer proliferation.

UCL is not the first source to connect processed sugar with diseases like cancer. Dr. Robert H. Lustig, M.D. and Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Endocrinology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), cites that the bulk of chronic illnesses prevalent today are caused by sugar consumption. Lustig is a famed author of “Sugar: The Bitter Truth”, and speaks openly in videos to describe his findings.

The main culprits contributing to sugar load  include: white sugar and flour, sweetened and processed foods, and fast food. The way these break down in the body (compared to natural sources of fructose from fruit), is that they cause an increase of hormones to be released (specifically insulin), and in effect, signal for cancer cells to feed and continue to grow in size.

Dr. Lewis Cantley, head of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) at Harvard University, shared during a CBS interview the sugar-cancer connection:“What we’re beginning to learn is that insulin can cause adverse effects in various tissues, and a particular concern is cancer.”

He continued, “If you happen to have a tumor that has insulin receptors on it, then it will get stimulated to take up the glucose that’s in the bloodstream. So rather than going to the fat or to the muscle, the glucose now goes into the tumor, and the tumor uses it to grow.”

These sources conclude and relay the importance of choosing wholesome, unprocessed, and predominantly plant-based foods to keep the body healthy, and the mind nourished. Start by adding more greens, vegetables and plant-based proteins, while decreasing the amount of processed foods you consume. The body truly is capable of healing itself, and the necessity to make such changes for it to happen is becoming increasingly evident.

Laakh dukhon ki ek dawa – Omega 3 Fatty Acids in Fish

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Fish is one of the most nutrient dense foods on the planet. Omega 3 fatty acids in fish offer multiple benefits:

1. Fish is High in Important Nutrients That Most People Don’t Get Enough of

Some fish are better than others, and the fatty types of fish (like salmon, trout, sardines, tuna and mackerel) are considered the healthiest because they  are higher in fat-based nutrients.This includes the fat-soluble vitamin D, a nutrient that most people are deficient in. Fatty fish are also much higher in omega-3 fatty acids. These fatty acids are crucial for your body and brain to function optimally, and are strongly linked to reduced risk of many diseases.

2. Fish May Lower Your Risk of Heart Attacks and Strokes

Heart and Stethoscope

Many large studies have shown that people who eat fatty fish regularly seem to have a lower risk of heart attacks, strokes and death from heart disease, because of their high amount of omega-3 fatty acids.

3. Fish Contains Nutrients That Are Crucial During Fetal Development

Omega-3 fatty acids are absolutely essential for growth and development. The omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is especially important, because it accumulates in the developing brain and eye. For this reason, it is often recommended that expecting and nursing mothers make sure to eat enough  omega-3 fatty acids.

However, there is one caveat with recommending fish to expecting mothers. Some fish is high in mercury, which ironically is linked to brain developmental problems. Therefore it is important to select a trusted source, free of mercury.

4. Fish May Increase Grey Matter in the Brain and Protect it From Age-Related Deterioration

One of the consequences of ageing, is serious neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s disease. Studies have shown that people who eat fish every week have more grey matter in the centers of the brain that regulate emotion and memory.

5. Fish May Help Prevent and Treat Depression, Making You a Happier Person

Depression is currently one of the world’s biggest health problems.

Numerous controlled trials have also found that omega-3 fatty acids are beneficial against depression, and significantly increase the effectiveness of antidepressant medications. Fish and omega-3 fatty acids may also help with other mental disorders, such as bipolar disorder.

6. Fish is The Only Good Dietary Source of Vitamin D

Fish and fish products are the best dietary sources of vitamin D, by far. Fatty fish like salmon and herring contain the highest amounts. A single 100 gram serving of cooked salmon contains around 1000 IU of vitamin D.

7. Fish Consumption is Linked to Reduced Risk of Autoimmune Diseases, Including Type 1 Diabetes

Autoimmune disease occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys healthy body tissues. A key example is type 1 diabetes, which involves the immune system attacking the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas.

Several studies have found that omega-3 or fish oil consumption is linked to reduced risk of type 1 diabetes in children, as well as a form of autoimmune diabetes in adults.

The results are preliminary, but researchers believe that this may be caused by the omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D in fish and fish oils. Some believe that fish consumption may also lower the risk of rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis.

8. Fish May Help Prevent Asthma in Children

Studies show that regular fish consumption is linked to a 24% lower risk of asthma in children).

9. Fish May Protect Your Vision in Old Age

Eye on White Background

A disease called macular degeneration is a leading cause of vision impairment and blindness, and mostly affects older individuals.

There is some evidence that fish and omega-3 fatty acids may provide protection against this disease.

10. Fish May Improve Sleep Quality

Sleep disorders have become incredibly common worldwide.

In a 6-month study of 95 middle-aged men, a meal with salmon three times per week led to improvements in both sleep and daily functioning. The researchers speculated that this was caused by the vitamin D in the salmon.

11. Fish is Delicious and Easy to Prepare

This last one is not a health benefit, but still very important.

It is the fact that fish is delicious and easy to prepare. For this reason, it should be relatively easy to incorporate it into the diet.

If possible, choose wild-caught fish over farmed. Wild fish tends to have more omega-3s and is less likely to be contaminated with harmful pollutants.

That being said, even if eating farmed fish, the benefits still far outweigh the risks. All types of fish are good for you.

Take Simple Steps and Stay Healthy.