Worms in your Gut causing Digestive Problems

Our gut is gateway to our health. If you are suffering from some digestive problems and no medical approach is able to cure you, then it might be a parasite. According to WHO, 10% population of developing countries is infected with intestinal worms, and contaminated water is the primary reason for that. If you have returned from a tour of any developing nation and not feeling well since then, then it might be due to a parasite residing in your gut. Several unexplained and unresolved digestive disorders are often diagnosed as parasites (worms) in gut.

When we refer to intestinal parasites or worms in your gut, then it means tiny organisms that feed on your nutrition. These worms often enter your body as larvae and then grow in your gut. They come in different sizes and shapes and cause a wide variety of symptoms. Usually these worms feed on your nutrition and your blood, which sometimes causes anemia. Most of these worms ever start reproducing  there.

Symptoms of Intestinal Worms

Common Symptoms

• Abdominal Pain
• Gas / Bloating
• Nausea or Vomiting
• Fatigue
• Rashes or Itching around rectum

Severe symptoms

• Diarrhea with blood and mucus in the stool
• Blood or pus in your stool
• Vomiting daily or frequently
• Elevated body temperature
• Extremely fatigued and dehydrated

Following symptoms can also be considered as suspected Intestinal Worms

• Unexplained constipation, diarrhea, gas, or other symptoms of Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
• History of food poisoning and you are having digestive problems since then.
• If you suffered from diarrhea while abroad
• Diagnosed with iron-deficiency anemia
• Never feeling full after your meals
• Grinding your teeth in your sleep

Toxins released by worms in your body can go into your blood stream and cause very different symptoms such as joint pain, muscle pain, skin irritations. These toxins can interact with your neurotransmitters and blood cells and then cause depression, frequent feelings of apathy, mood swings, anxiety, trouble falling asleep, wake up multiple times during the night and even insomnia.

Never fall prey to myth that intestinal parasites are not found in developed countries. They are found everywhere but the count may vary. Sometimes intestinal worms can survive in your body for years without showing any symptoms. 

How does intestinal worms enter your body ?

• Contaminated food and water.
• Undercooked meat.
• Poor hygiene
• While swimming in lakes, ponds, or creeks.
• Unclean or contaminated fruits and vegetables.
• Some parasites enter the body through foot and then travel upwards into the body.
• Contact a parasite when handling animals.

Treatment of Intestinal Worms

Once presence of Intestinal Worms is confirmed after stool test and blood test, anti-parasitic medication is prescribed by doctors.
Oral medication like praziquantel (Biltricide) is used for Tapeworm infections.
Mebendazole (Vermox, Emverm) and albendazole (Albenza) are used for roundworm infection.

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Humans are Evolved to Eat Cooked Food - Fire is the Key

"Controlling the Fire" is one of the most important discoveries that evolved us to be Homo sapiens, the latest and best species on earth. The best proof of the above fact is that no other species eat cooked food, as they tend to run away from fire. Even the strongest wild animals run away from fire as they are fearful of it. But human ancestors learned the art to control fire and that fear was long gone. This art helped us in roasting the meat and then cooking the food. But how does cooking helped us in evolving as humans ? You will get an answer to this question in this article.

The Calories

Our ancestors like monkey, chimpanzee and apes used to eat raw veg food gathered from plants and tree. Their body used to struggle hard to extract sufficient energy from that type of food. If you have studied biology then you must be aware of the fact that plant cells have cell wall, known as cellulose, which hard to digest. That raw veg food made our ancestors eat more and increased their gut size. Chimpanzee and apes have got 60% bigger gut then humans only due to this fact.

Importance of Time

As our ancestors were eating more so they need to keep searching for food, which was not only time consuming by also making them deficient of calories. As their brain was not getting sufficient calories, it was not developing as much as it should. A developing brain also needs some time, that it can spend in some creative activities, but it was impossible to get due to their always searching and eating schedule. Do you know that gorillas and orangutans keep eating for nine hours per day.

In the beginning our ancestors diverted from veg to non-veg diet as it was richer in calories and kept them full for longer duration. It made them indulge in other creative activities and during that time we learned to control fire. It was a milestone in human evolution.

How Fire helped us in evolution ?

• As the time progressed we learned to eat roasted food, which made both veg and non-veg food easily digestible. Heat made the food softer and lesser time was spent in chewing.
• We started to extract more calories from same food and got more time to explore more and develop our brain. Our brain also started to get sufficient calories and nutrients to develop itself.
• Heat treated food was also safer, as a number of pathogens were killed by heat and there was lesser chance of food poisoning. It must have given our ancestors relief from some diseases.
• Fire also acted as a tool to save ourselves from wild animals and our ancestors started to live on land.
• Fire also helped in making tools, that were later used to cut woods and make a good habitat on land.
• Fire was also used to make utensils of soil and mud, which were used for cooking and storing purpose.
• Evolution of Agriculture made humans store grain and provided them a food security. It gave them relief from hunting schedule and they reverted back to a mixed diet of both veg and non-veg.
• Fire helped them in cooking the cultivated food and made stay at a single location. It also made them using some cattle as their pet, and utilizing their milk.
• Cooked food reduced the size of our gut by 60%, when compared with our ancestors of similar stature.
• Even the size of our intestine has reduced. It is because of the fact that cooked food is easily digestible and consumes lesser time and lesser calories for digestion.
• Our smaller teeth and jaw tell about the same evolution attributed to cooked food. 

Read More about Evolution of Human Diet and Brain

Today we have evolved so much that we can't survive on raw food alone, as we don't have bigger jaws, teeth and intestine to extract sufficient energy from it. Now our digestive system and enzymes is designed to eat cooked food. Some uncooked salad won't hurt.
Sometime people tend to go towards completely uncooked food, with no salt and sugar, to be slim and get more near nature and live a disease free life. Such steps can sometimes have a negative effect on your body. So don't be your own doctor and always consult a good dietitian before making any drastic changes in your diet.

Note: Today we have become so good at processing food, that we are eating more calories than needed. It is affecting the whole humanity with a disease named Obesity. 

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Drinking Cold Water : Good or Bad ?

Drinking cold water is favorite task of most of the people after returning home on a hot day. But have you ever tried to find if it is a healthy habit or not. Normally we feel that cold water reduces the body temperature and helps in relaxing, which is true up to some extent. If you are doing a workout and drinking cold water during intervals then it keeps your core body temperature low and also keeps you hydrated. But the truth is that drinking cold water have an overall negative effect on your health.

Negative effects of Drinking Cold Water

• Temperature of stomach plays an important role during digestion. Drinking cold water just after a meal hinders the digestion as it reduces the temperature below the optimum temperature required for digestion.
• Cold water makes stomach muscles unable to work properly unless body raises their temperature. Proper functioning of stomach muscles is necessary to break the food before passing it into the intestine. If you have got a little knowledge of workout science, then you must have known the fact that warming-up of muscles is necessary before a workout (especially during winters), as cold muscles can't contract and relax easily and may result in muscle damage.
• Drinking cold water can decrease the sterilization capacity of gastric acid. It can make some germs in your stomach food to be passed to your gut which may result is typhoid, dysentery, infectious diarrhea or enteritis.
• When we drink the cold water, it disturbs the organs which come in direct contact with that water. So it affects respiratory system and the gastrointestinal system the most. Thus long term drinking of cold water makes our oral cavity and respiratory system mucous membrane more fragile. It may also result in inflammation, cough, pneumonia and bronchitis.
• Cold water shrinks the blood vessels and reduces blood flow. It can increase the blood pressure temporarily. If you have got a bad habit of drinking cold water then are at increased risk of hypertension and cardio-vascular diseases. If you are already a patient of hypertension then drinking cold water increases your chances of cardio-vascular diseases.
• If you drink cold water just after a meal then it results in excess mucus build-up, which may result in other side effects. An old study done during 1978 which involved 15 human subjects, found that drinking cold water made nasal mucous thicker.
• A 2001 study found that drinking cold water can trigger migraine pain in those people who are already a patient of this disease.
• According to Ayurveda and ancient Chinese medicine system, cold water with hot food creates imbalance in body. Drinking luke-warm water is recommended by these old traditional systems to get best results and better health.

Some people believe that drinking cold water make our body use some calories to rise its temperature to body temperature and thus helps in reducing weight. But in reality that type of calorie consumption is very less. The benefits of drinking cold water are lesser than disadvantages, so we don't recommend to drink cold water to reduce weight.

So if you ever have an urge to drink cold water then don't gulp it fast, instead sip it slowly and keep it for sometime in your mouth and then drink it. It will help in better relaxation from hot with least side effects on your body. You may drink cold water if you feel necessity but don't make it a habit. 

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Diabetes and Indigestion : Gastroparesis

Diabetes is itself something problematic to live with, but when indigestion comes with it then it becomes even worse. If you are a patient of Diabetes (either type 1 or type 2) for more than 10 years then you have chances of developing Gastroparesis, which causes indigestion and causes more fluctuations in blood sugar level. The meaning of word Gastroparesis means "Paralysis of Stomach", which itself describes the condition. The food moves very slowly through the stomach as if the stomach has paralyzed.

What is Gastroparesis ?

If you have studied about Diabetes then you must have come across a term "Diabetic Neuropathy", which is damaging of our nerves due to diabetes. This damage can also affect "vagus nerve", which plays an important role in digestion and controls the amount of time for which the food stays in our digestive system. This condition of slow down of digestion due to damage in Vagus Nerve is known as Gastroparesis.

Symptoms of Gastroparesis

• Reflux (content of stomach comes back into esophagus)
• Nausea and Vomiting (in some cases it may happen daily)
• Inability to control blood sugar even after a balanced diet
• Feeling fullness of stomach in comparative lesser amount of food
• Bloating (abdominal discomfort)
• Weight loss

Bacterial Growth due to Gastroparesis

When food stays for longer duration in stomach then it provides good environment for bacterial growth. These bacteria can itself cause the problem of Gas, which is very painful sometimes and you may incorrectly diagnose it as stone pain, appendicitis or some heart problem. The longer the food stays in your stomach, it becomes harder and can't move properly in small intestine. 

As soon as the food enters the small intestine the blood sugar goes up instantly.

Gastroparesis Diagnosis

Gastroparesis can be diagnosed using Barium X-ray. In this type of X-ray the patient is asked to eat food with barium, a radioactive substance, in it. It makes the food detectable inside your digestive system with the help of a X-ray machine. If half of the food stays in your stomach for more than 90 minutes then you are suffering from Gastroparesis. Apart from that several other techniques are also used for diagnosis, such as ultrasound and endoscopy. Wireless motility capsule is also used in some advanced diagnosis, where the patient swallows a tiny capsule with diet which measures the temprature, ph level and pressure in different parts of digestive system.

Gastroparesis Treatment

There is no particular cure or medicine to treat gastroparesis but treatment is often done by treating the symptoms. Sometime changing the insulin dosage or medication used to treat other medical conditions can help in lowering the symptoms.

Sometimes dietary changes can help a lot in getting relief from gastroparesis. Instead of three diets, your doctor may suggest you to take six small diets to keep the food moving. Slightly liquid diet and low-fat diet can also help you in digestion.

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How to feel full without eating too much - Fool your digestive system

A number of people search for tricks to fool their digestive system. Most of the times these people are those who want to limit their food intake but they feel it impossible to stop themselves while eating. "How to feel full without eating" is a common question that such people ask google. The reason behind this question can be anything ranging from being overweight or fighting to get rid of diabetes or some heart disease or just to remain in good shape. The reason may be any but the main motive is to stop ourselves from eating extra calories that can increase our weight. We have done some research on this question to know if it is really possible to fool your digestive system and feel full without eating too much. We hope that once you read this article your question will be answered.

It is harder to draw a line for the adequate amount of food a person needs as it depends on your height, gender and lifestyle. Two person with same physic may need different amount of food depending on how they spend their day. A person with more physical workload will need more food than a person with a sitting job. So it is our body which can tell us how much to eat. We just need to listen to it.

There are two terms used in this article, you should know before you read further.

1. Satiation : feeling of fullness at the end of a meal.
2. Satiety : a measure of how long it takes before you feel hungry again. Different types of food have different satiety value.

No matter how hard you try, it is nearly impossible to fool your body. You may succeed in some aspects of your experiment but in the end you will find that you were fooling yourselves. The tips given below will help you in making a better coordination between you and your digestive system. It can help you in reducing your weight or keeping it at an optimum level. We have divided these tips in to sections named how to eat and what to eat.

How to eat ?

• Drink a glass of water 30 minutes before a meal. Water rich foods like soup, fruits and vegetable will make a satiation feeling without consuming excess calories.
• Instead of using a big plate for dinner with regular amount of food, use a small plate which can be filled full with lesser quantity of food that you eat regularly. You will feel full in that lesser amount once you empty your plate. Try it some time. This trick works better if someone else do it for you.
• If you chew your each bite just 3 seconds extra, then you will eat less. When you chew your food more then some oro-sensory factor activates and sends satiation signals to brain much before your regular amount of diet.
• Avoid distractions like television, music, mobile phone or computer while eating. These activities make you eat for a longer duration. Distraction while eating interrupts the satiation signals between your brain to stomach and you end up eating more than required.

What to eat ?

• Fiber has high satiety value as it takes longer to get digested. Fiber rich food can help you better in maintaining a gap between two meals.
• Same applies on fat as well. Adequate amount of fat is also necessary to slow down the digestion process and let your body absorb some fat soluble vitamins from your diet.
• Protein is given most importance by bodybuilders as it is a muscle building food. Protein in diet also increases the peptides level in stomach which talks with brain to send satiation signals. 20 to 40 grams of protein is must in every meal.
• Refined carbohydrates should be avoided as they are the satiety killers due to absence of fiber and some other essential nutrients. You might have noticed that once you start eating some processed food (rich in refined carbohydrate), the feeling of satiation comes when you have eaten much more than required.
• Don't eat too much sugar in a single diet as it causes rapid spike in insulin and after some time you crave for more food.
• Even if hunger hits in between your regular meal timings then you may eat some snacks. But your snack should be rich in fiber and protein and must be under 200 calories limit.

If you have got a healthy body then it will tell you what you need and when you need. Just listen to it. You never need a timer to drink water, your thirst is the inbuilt mechanism in the body to tell you that it needs water. Some people may consider these tips as way to fool the digestive system but these are mere tips to eat good and stay fit with lesser amount of burden for your digestive system.

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Acidity and Antacids are making you Unhealthy !

Most of the pharmaceutical companies advertise for their antacids and make people believe that acids in stomach are harmful for you, as if their is an acid attack occurring on your stomach and you should neutralize it as soon as possible. But the truth is much different from whats advertised. Reality is that antacids are making your sick and their side effects are causing numerous diseases. Here betterhealthfacts.com will bring much researched information from internet on the topic of Antacids and tell you why you should keep yourself away from using unnecessary antacids.

What are Antacids ?

Antacids are a class of medicines meant to neutralize the acid in your stomach. They are meant to give you relief from heartburn, indigestion or stomach upset. When excess amount of acid is produced in stomach then it can damage the lining of stomach. Antacids contain alkaline ions which can chemically neutralize the gastric acid of stomach and thus reduces the damage and gives relief from pain. There are various brands of antacids with different elements in them. Most commonly used elements are magnesium, calcium or aluminium.

Why do our stomach generate acids and how it works?

Gastric Juice produced in stomach usually consist of hydrochloric acid (HCl), potassium chloride (KCl) and sodium chloride (NaCl). Acids in our stomach help in digestion of food. Various nutrients from the food can't be extracted out of the food if there is no acid in stomach. Gastric Acid secretion can start only if we wish to eat something. Smell and Taste of food are other major activities to start secretion. 30% of total gastric acid is secreted by these activities. 50% of the gastric acid is released by amino acids present in the food that we just ate. Here are a few function of stomach acids.

• Acid in Stomach kill various disease causing bacteria that comes in with the food.
• HCL in stomach converts the inactive enzyme pepsinogen into the active enzyme pepsin which helps in digestion of proteins.

Is there any internal mechanism in stomach to fight acidity ?

Gastric Juice (or so called stomach acid) is produced by cells in lining of stomach known as parietal cells (also called oxyntic cells) and its production can be increased depending on the usage. The pH of the gastric acid produced in our stomach is 1.5 to 3.5. Some other stomach cell release bicarbonate, a base, to neutralize acid to save you from the excess acidic environment. Mucus is produced by some cells to protect your internal stomach skin from acid. Cells in the beginning of small intestine produce large amount of bicarbonate to completely neutralize the gastric acid. All these mechanisms are sufficient to save you from the extra acid produced by your stomach.

Why do people suffer from Acidity ?

There are two types of Gastric Acid problems. One is secretion of very heavy amount of gastric acid and second is secretion of very less amount of acid. Betterhealthfacts.com always tell it readers about proper balance inside body. Such problems occur when our internal system gets disbalanced, and mostly it happens due to our own ignorance. Sometimes it may occur due to some other medical condition or side effect of some other medication, but most of the time acidity is a result of imbalanced lifestyle and eating habits. The main question is why do we suffer from Acidity ? The answer lies in what you eat and how you eat. If you are eating processed and cooked food mostly then congratulations! you have already decreased the nutritional value and digestive enzymes of your food. Most of us don't even chew the food properly, as if its the duty of our stomach to grind it with teeths. Our stomach neither have teeth nor saliva, which are necessary to properly break the food and mix enzymes from saliva. Now when this unbroken and enzyme-free food reaches our stomach, it tries to compensate for the above loss by secreting excess amount of gastric acid to break it down. It causes acidity. And as soon as acidity happens we run for antacids, another unhealthy practice. So the list of our lifestyle factors responsible for acidity are:

• Improper Diet Schedule
• Mostly eating processed or cooked food.
• Not chewing the food properly
• Alcohol, coffee, tea and high sugar foods can double the production of acids in stomach.
• Taking over-the-counter antacids without and prescription makes the condition more severe.

What are the side effects of Antacids ?

Antacids don't actually solve the problem but just suppress the symptoms. The acid when was meant to digest the undigested and enzyme-less food was neutralized by antacids. 

•  It can easily lead to gas, bloating, bad digestion.
• Acid blocking drugs can cause Nutrient deficiency.
• Iron and Zinc deficiency and easily occur if you are taking antacids on regular basis.
• Vitamin B12 also needs a good acid level in stomach for proper absorption.
• Some antacids contain sodium, which is not suitable for people on a sodium restricted diet.
• Nutrient deficiency can easily result in some other diseases and doctor will recommend more medicines and thus more side effects and the chain continues. 

Some unknown facts about Antacids and Gastric Acid

• Antacids are different from acid-reducing drugs.
• Antacids can't kill the bacteria Helicobacter pylori, which is responsible for most of the ulcers.
• Eno is the oldest antacid brand marketed by James Crossley Eno which dates back to 1852.
• Main components of Eno were sodium bicarbonate, sodium carbonate, and citric acid. It is also used as baking powder.
• The pH of the gastric acid produced in our stomach is 1.5 to 3.5. Lowest pH can be up to 0.8 but stomach lumen dilutes it to remain between 1 and 3.
• An adult human stomach can secrete 1.5 liters of gastric acid per day.
• Gastric Acid concentration in stomach can reach up to 3 million times of concentration in Arterial Blood.

What should i do if i feel acids in my stomach ?

If the condition is not severe then try changing your lifestyle and eating habits as told above. You may try some herbal treatment for acidity for a few days. If the condition is severe then instead of being your own doctor, visit a doctor and get the prescribed medicine for correct duration.

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Dessert / Sweet Dish after Meal - Why?

People often go for sweet dessert after having meal. There are various reasons why people do so. Every civilization and every country follow this tradition in one or other way. Different types of sweet dishes are used in different countries as per taste and availability of food items. The question is why do we have dessert after meal ? There are various social and scientific reasons behind this tradition.

Here are a few social reasons. Some of them might make you feel surprised.

• Sweet Dish in the end is a reason for kids to finish their meal first, else they will not get it. It makes kids to eat the meal which is necessary to keep them healthy.
• If any body in the family don't like the main course and he/she didn't eat enough then sweet dish will be a thing to fill their appetite. 
• There are 5 types of flavors sweet, salty, bitter, sour, and umame. All of them are necessary for healthy body and complete nutrition. Mostly sweet is not a part of main course and hence its necessary in the end as a sweet dish.

Now lets come to scientific people, here are a few reasons for you.

• One of the most famous scientific explanation is that our body spends a lot of energy to digest the food that we eat. Thats why we feel sleepy after a heavy meal. Its due to low energy level just after having meal as most of our energy is consumed in digestion. In such a situation a sweet dish can add fresh energy as sweet get converted into glucose instantly. 
• Some scientific studies found that sugar enhances the absorption of some amino acids(especially tryptophan) in our food. It indirectly increases the level of a feel-good compound in our body known as serotin. So in simple language you can say that sweet dish in the end will create a feel good feeling in your body.
• According to a study done by National Institute of Health, sometimes heavy metals in our meal can result in a condition called postprandial, a state of low blood sugar. Sweet Food in the end is one of the best ways to get relief from low blood sugar.

I hope that these explanations will answer your query that why most of us need something sweet just after having lunch or dinner. Our body only asks of those things which are really necessary for it. We just need to listen to its demands. However it might not be true in every case. For example a diabetic person should control his desire for sweet.

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Constipation Home Remedies, Cure and Precautions for Kids and Adults

Constipation is a condition of Hardened stool and problem in passing it through. This problem can occur in both Kids and Adults. Here we will provide some simple cures and treatment for constipation to help you out.

Constipation in Adults

Constipation is not something that we like to discuss with our family and friends. We often try to get relief from it either by drinking a lot of water or trying some other home remedies. It better to solve this problem by using home remedies before the condition become worst.


Here are few home remedies for constipation in Adults:

• Olive Oil: Olive Oil is lot more that just a coking oil. If if take 1 tablespoon of Olive Oil in the morning before eating anything else then it can lubricate your digestive track and help you in getting a motion. If you don't like the taste the add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice in it. 
• Lemon Juice: Squeze 1 lemon in 1 cup of warm water and drink it. Lemon acts as a stimulant for our digestive track and clears all toxins and walls of colon.
• Coffee: 1 cup of coffee can get you moving but don't overdo it. Caffeine is a stimulant for digestive system but excess of coffee can create opposite effect as well. Excess Coffee is diuretic and it can make you urinate more frequently and causing dehydration. So don't go for more than one cup.
• Flaxseed Oil: Flaxseed oil acts as a good lubricant. It coats the walls of intestine and stool passes through easily. You can also have it with orange juice (with pulp). 1 tablespoon of flaxseed oil in a glass of orange juice with pulp. Pulp contain fiber so it helps in digestive system, This process may take up to 5 hours for working.
• Blackstrap Molasses: You can take 1 table spoon of Blackstrap Molasses to ease constipation. If you don't like its taste then you can have it with warm water of tea. Some people might not like its taste.
• Aloe Vera: In morning mix 2 tablespoons of pure Aloe Vara gel (taken from aloe vera plant) in fruit juice and drink it. If you don't have aloe vera plant then drink 1 cup of Aloe Vera juice. It will create the same effect and help you get relief from constipation.
• Epsom Salt: Epsom Salt is a good home remedy for Constipation. It draws water from its surroundings and soften the stool, thus allowing a better bowel movement. Take 1 teaspoon of Epsom Salt with 1 cup water and it will help you with motion.
• Prune: Prune or Prune Juice can help you in Constipation. Prune is a natural laxative and contain fibre. Prune also contain sorbitol which softens the stool.

Constipation in Infants and Kids

Infants and Kids can't describe the problem to their elders. So parents need to notice their potty habits in the starting phase of life. Kids only on milk diet have to poop a number of times in a day. As they start to eat some solid food the count may decrease to just two times. But if the count is less than that or just once in two days then it means something is wrong. It means that either the kid is not eating sufficient food or suffering from constipation. Here are a few remedies for constipation in Infants and Kids.

• Usually Breastfeeding babies don't face the problem of constipation. But if the face it then you can experiment with some water or fruit juices to treat it. in the beginning try to give the baby few feeding of water. If it doesn't work then give them pure apple, prune or pear juice (60 to 120 ml).
• If your kids has started eating then you can try some pureed pea or prune.
• Change the wheat or rice flour with barley. Such changes can stimulate the digestive system and clear constipation.
• If its been a few days then place infant glycerin suppository into baby's anus. It should be only used if dietary changes are not making any progress.
• Enemas or Stimulant laxatives should not be used for babies.
• Must consult your doctor if the changes in diet are not making any progress. Babies body is not meant for much experiments.
• If babies show symptoms like vomiting or rectal bleeding the consult your doctor immediately.

Precautions for Constipation

As we know that precaution is better than cure. So it better to not get constipation by following some simple advice given here.

• Move you body: Sometimes laziness is the reason behind constipation. Only a active and moving body can have a good digestion. So change you lifestyle and get moving to get a better motion in the morning.
• Eat Fiber: Fiber is better for our digestive system. Fibrous food creates a better bowel movement and keeps th food flowing in intestines. So eat more fiber and never have constipation.
• Potty Schedule: Make a habit to go for loo at a fixed time in the morning on a daily basis. Potty scheduling is a good habit for kids. Its a good habit which help you for a lifetime. Potty scheduling makes some changes in your biological clock and automatically creates pressure at a fixed time.
• Answer the call: Whenever you feel pressure for a motion, don't ignore or delay it. The longer you hold it, the stool will dry as intestine will soak water from it and it will be harder to pass it out. The pressure you feel is for a reason. So never delay in answering a natural call.
• Eat Yogurt: Eating yogurt at least once in a day as it contain the good bacteria that helps in digestion

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Deadly Food Combinations that may Harm Your Body

There are two types of people, first those who care about what they eat and second those who don't. If you are not careful about your diet then you might lose a few years of your life suffering from some stomach problem. My view is that we earn to live a healthy and prosperous life, but we can't be healthy if we don't look at what we eat. Here we are listing a few deadly combinations of food that should be avoided to keep ourselves healthy. Most of us, even those who care about their food habits, are not aware of these deadly food combinations.

Food Combinations that may Harm Your Body

Bananas and Milk

According to Ayurveda this combination is heaviest and toxin-forming. It creates heaviness in the body. But still if you like it then make sure that banana is very ripe and add cardamom and nutmeg to make it digestible.

Yogurt with Fruit

Ayurveda don’t advise mixing any sour fruits with dairy products. It diminishes digestive fire, produce toxins and cause sinus congestion, cold, cough and allergies. If you like the taste of Yogurt with fruit then make sure that Yogurt is not cold. You can mix honey, cinnamon, and raisins. 

Fruit after a Meal

A regular meal contain fat, protein, starch and other elements that need to stay in stomach to get digested. While most of the fruits contain sugar, which needs no digestion and it passes through stomach after very short period of time. If your eat fruits after meal then that sugar stays in the stomach for a longer period and get fermented. 

Protein and Starch

Protein and starches need different enzymes and different levels of acidity to be digested. If we eat them together then our body make a choice to digest protein. Undigested starch undergoes fermentation and leads to poisonous end-products. Grilled Cheese Sandwich is one of the best examples of such combination.

Tomato and Starchy Carbs

Tomatoes are acidic and should not be mixed with starchy carbs such as pasta. Carbohydrates should not be mixed with acids. It takes a lot of energy from body to digest this combination which cause digestive problems and after-meal fatigue. 

Beans and Cheese

It will lead to gas and bloating. None of them alone can do that, but this combination.

Some other deadly food combinations according to Ayurveda:

• Buttermilk with Cucumber
• Milk with a salty food
• Fish with yogurt or milk
• Fruit with milk
• Milk with meat
• Don't drink buttermilk during night
• Always use uncooked honey. Cooked honey turns into sticky glue.

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