Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Oats - Nutritional Facts...

Oat (Scientific Name: Avena sativa L.) is a cereal just like wheat, barley etc. and originated in Scotland. It is still a national diet of the people of this country. This cereal can be used in many forms as food product though is not a refined product and rather is termed as ‘whole food’. The Oat groat (kernel) is rolled or crushed into oatmeal or may be crushed in fine oat flour. Ideally this should be having for breakfast, cooked with water or milk (as porridge) and one can add fruits and nuts to it. It can be eaten hot or cold and is an ideal way to provide the body with energy through the morning. It digests slowly, thus keeping you feeling full longer, and studies have shown that it can help in many diseases like diabetes, high cholesterol, and helps women through mood swings during menopause. It also has a cancer fighting properties.

Oats contains more soluble fibre than any other cereals and it is the only cereal which contains protein, avenalin, which is of globulin or legume category. 100 gram of oats provides 390 Kcal of energy level.

Other than porridge, you can make several other salty dishes with oats. I will write such easy recipes using oats next day.

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Tinnitus – troublesome but not so serious...

Tinnitus is a disease in which the patient hears a ringing or other type of sound continuously and it seems that the sound is originating in the ear or adjoining areas of one’s head. Though the disease is not so serious and may go away over time, in some cases it needs medical attention as the patient is continuously disturbed by the sound which is taking away his/her ability to continue daily normal life.

To know the causes of tinnitus more clearly you have to first know the inner structure of human ears. The inner ear part cochlea is lined by hair cells and in normal situations it moves while stimulated by the sound waves. This stimulation activates those hair cells to produce signals to carry over to our brain. But when this area is damaged by either a loud noise or other type of accidents, the cochlea part moves randomly and hence produce such a signal which our brain interprets as a noise. At this situation the patient is suffering from tinnitus.

Some causes of temporary tinnitus are impacted ear wax or some infections of our ear drum. Some aspirin like medicines and some antibiotics may also cause temporary tinnitus. Continuous exposure to loud music, fire arms or other sources is the very common causes of tinnitus in today’s world. In these types of tinnitus both ears are affected.

If there is tumor formed on the nerves of inner ear area, a complicated form of tinnitus may cause the complete hearing impairment and need immediate medical treatment. Head or neck injury and the aging are also the causes of tinnitus in human body.

The only way to prevent tinnitus is to protect your hearing from unwanted sound, continuous exposure to loud noise, especially the sound of lawn mower, hair dryer and those which are bothering you. Wear an ear plug to protect yourself in these occasions. Do not allow your child to hear loud music wearing an ear plug for more than one hour continuously. With some precautionary measures you may keep the tinnitus at bay though it may occur at any time and at any age in spite of taking preventions.