Stop multi-tasking

People often take pride in their ability to do multitasking and still deliver. These are some exceptional people who have the skills to keep their focus intact on their goals and objectives. But then everyone is not alike. So, to begin with – work on only one task at one time. Do not let anything come in between your task and your goal. Until the task is completed, you shall not take another task otherwise you lose attention and since attention is the key to concentration, you will lose your concentration. Having said that, it’s not possible for everyone of us to avoid multitasking. In such cases, keep a written list of tasks and look at them several times a day but not while you are working on them. This will help you gradually improve your memory and concentration.

Over a period of time, when you concentration improves, you will notice that your ability to multi-task and still maintain your attention on every task also improves.

Keep the stress away

One of the important factors that affects a person’s ability to concentrate and remember the tasks is stress! There are many ways to stress management. One of the easiest way to relieve stress is listening to music of your liking. Music helps you lose stress. If you have a MP3 player, load it with soft music and carry it wherever you go. Whenever you feel stressed, listen to music for few minutes and then continue with your task. Another way of losing stress is by exercising. Exercise helps you lose stress.

It’s all in the mind

Don’t feel like doing a task? Do you want to postpone a task for tomorrow? It’s all in the mind. Just think through these words “It’s all in the mind – I can do this task and I will do it now“. Repeat those words in your mind for 3 times and immediately begin with your task. If you are unable to concentrate for more than 10 mins, take a short break and talk to yourself. Tell yourself about the benefits of doing the task. This will increase your mental concentration, motivate you and keep you going with the task until it’s completed.

Mind exercises are great

They not only improve your memory but also enhance your ability to maintain focus on a particular activity. The mind exercise is quiet simple – Close your eyes, visualize a pencil, pen or any other object of your choice and keep visualizing it till you can. I recommend against visualizing very large objects. You can even think about people whom you like. Once you have decided the object that you are going to visualize in your mind, visualize it and stay focussed on that object only. Don’t let anything come in between.

Other simple mind exercise is trying to empty your mind by not thinking of anything. It’s a very simple mind exercise but very beneficial to not only your mind but your overall health as well.

There are several other ways to increase your concentration. Some of the popular ones are meditation, exercising and maintaining a task list. The tips that we mentioned above are easy for anyone to follow and we hope they will be of a great help to you. Please feel free to communicate with us and tell us what you think, use the comments form below.

Symptoms of adolescent depression

The following are the common depression symptoms that are easy to diagnose so that help can be offered in early stages of teen depression.

• Lack of confidence, motivation, energy and interest in daily activities.
• Unsual temper – you might know when your son or daughter start reacting for even minor issues.
• Staying locked in their rooms and not making contact with family members and friends.
• Change in appetite – they either eat more or very less (something you can notice easily).

Other depression symptoms are change in weight, quick reaction to criticism, ignoring parents and close friends, angry mood, easily frustrated etc.

What causes depressions in adolescent

There are both direct as well as indirect causes of depression in teens. Some of the causes of depression in teens are as follows:

• Depression is caused by the influence of sex hormones in teens.
• Strong conflict of opinion with close friends and family members can lead to depression.
• Excessive criticism by friends and family can lead to severe depression.
• Teens undergo normal maturation process and due to the stress associated with it, depression is caused.

Adolescent depression treatment

Let whatever the cause be, depression can be treated by either medication or therapy or both.

Medication mostly involves antidepressant in small doses. Some antidepressant are not approved for use in children and teens. You may want to consult the doctor about potential side effects and risks of using antidepressant to treat your teen. Therapy is used in situations when depression has been caused because of conflicts with family members. Psychotherapy often helps to a large extent and treatment can be delivered without any medications.

Consult a doctor immediately if you spot any of the above symptoms in your teen.

This anti cancer diet or the cancer prevention diet aims at stopping the food supply to cancer cells that it needs in order to multiply itself. Please also note that the timelines mentioned against breakfast, lunch and dinner are also very important and should be strictly followed to make this cancer diet more effective.

When you wake up in the morning

For first week, drink 1 liter of purified water and then do not consume anything for next an hour. In the second week, you will start drinking 1.5 liters of water every morning as soon as you wake up and third week onwards, increase the intake of water to 2 liters. Initially you might find the urge to urinate one or two times an hour after you drink water which is normal.

Have a healthy breakfast [preferable breakfast time 7AM to 9AM]

Everyday, your breakfast should consist of the following.

One glass of fresh fruit juice of your choice. Don’t drink canned or bottled fruit juices as they may contain preservatives and sugar. Even if they don’t, please don’t use them. Completely stop the consumption of sugar in any form, not even chocolates. Don’t drink tea or coffee, for that matter stop taking all milk based products if you can. But if you can’t, have one small glass of unsweetened soy (soya or soybean) milk. Eat vegetables, raw or cooked, that’s your choice. Avoid cooking vegetable in oil and don’t use table salt. Use sea salt instead.

If you can’t avoid tea or coffee, please replace it with green tea without milk and sugar. Green tea is known to have cancer fighting properties.

For lunch and dinner [lunch between 12PM to 2PM and dinner between 7PM to 9PM]

Just half an hour before you have your lunch or dinner, drink a full glass of water. Eat a mixture of fruits and vegetables. Eat as much as you can and till your stomach is full. There is no limit as to how much you should eat.

Avoid cooking vegetables in oil. If you can’t, we recommend cooking them in a small quantity of Olive oil. You may also include rice in your diet, but in a small quantity. If you can’t eat fresh or raw vegetables, use vegetable juice instead. Make a mixed vegetable juice for yourself.

You should not consume meat as meat based diet is acidic and is harmful to people with cancer. Replace red meat with sea food such as fish is much healthier than even chicken. But even then consume less sea food and more vegetables.

Between your lunch and dinner, drink at least 1 liter of purified water. Don’t avoid it.

Bottom line, your diet should primarily consist of fresh vegetables and juice, whole grains, seeds and nuts. Stop consuming sugar, replace it with natural honey in small quantities. Replace red-meat with sea food.

If you have any questions, please use the comments form below and let us know.

Here are some basic tips for dental care.

1. Brush your teeth twice a day.
We have been drilling this habit to ourselves and our kids. But, often fail to implement. Brush your teeth twice with fluoride toothpaste for good dental care. It prevents tooth decay, gum diseases and of course bad breath. Brushing properly removes the plaque from the surfaces of teeth.

2. Floss your teeth once a day
Flossing is the process of removing the food particles that stuck between the teeth using thin nylon filaments. Flossing removes the food debris that a brush cannot. It cleans the plaque between the teeth. Recent studies show that flossing reduces the risks of a heart disease or stroke. Floss your teeth gently without hurting the gums for good dental care.

3. Meet dentist twice a year
Do not wait for something drastic to happen to meet a dentist. Make sure that you visit your dentist twice in a year. Take suggestions from the doctor and get your teeth professionally cleaned. Report any gum bleeding or other tooth decays and take appropriate medications to ensure dental care.

4. Limit coffee, tea, sweets, alcohol and no smoking please
It is better to avoid coffee, tea, alcohol, soda, sweets and smoking for good dental care. High levels of phosphorous can damage your teeth. They make the teeth appear dull and discolored. Instead take milk which is high in calcium and is good for your teeth. Smoking is not good for your teeth. Smoking stains the teeth and avoids calcium absorption in the body. So, stop smoking and enjoy good dental hygiene and a healthy smile.

5. Increase your calcium intake
Take more calcium rich products like milk, cheese, other dairy products and green leafy vegetables. Take daily doses of vitamin C and D for good dental care.

Vegetable juices – Preparation

Vegetable juices keep your stomach filled at the same time does not increase the calories in the body. It is recommended to wash the vegetables thoroughly before preparing the juice. Add little water and salt to retain the taste. Avoid adding sugar and other preservatives. Vegetable juices are better consumed immediately after preparation.

Vegetable juices – Benefits

The benefits of different vegetable juices are given below:

1. Carrot juice is good source for minerals and antioxidants
2. Cabbage juice heals ulcers
3. Cucumber juice cleanses kidneys, lowers blood pressure and improves skin
4. Beetroot juice purifies the blood and strengthens gall bladder and liver
5. Celery juice is rich in potassium and lowers BP
6. Garlic juice acts as an antibiotic and reduces cholesterol levels
7. Ginger juice protects stomach from irritation
8. Bitter guard juice is a medicine for diabetes
9. Bottle gourd juice treats acidity and indigestion
10. Wheat grass juice detoxifies the walls of piles

Remember that vegetable juices do not replace raw or cooked vegetables. They give your body essential materials that promote healing and energy.

The surgical guidelines aim at reducing infections and minimising surgical deaths. WHO involved professional groups from different countries to prepare the surgical checklist.

The team conducted a pilot research in different countries to identify whether the checklist would help reduce the surgical risks. The report showed that the use of checklist increased the adherence to standards to 68 percent from 36 percent.

Here are some of the guidelines:

• Identifying roles and responsibilites of the surgical team involved
• Marking the correct site for surgery
• Operating the correct patient
• Following the correct procedure
• Giving an antibiotic within sixty minutes of incision
• Checking for drug allergies
• Checking for blood supply
• Ensuring the correct number of sponges and needles post surgery

The checklist is passed through several revisions before the final version.

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