5 Essentials Foods To Boost Your Immunity Upcoming Monsoon

Top 5 Essentials Foods To Prepare Your Body For The Upcoming Monsoon

Monsoon diet: With the onset of monsoon, it is essential to boost your immunity to prevent infections. Here are some essential foods you can add to your diet for a healthy immune system.

Most of the cities have already started to experience the pre-monsoon showers and it's predicted that the monsoons should be here in full swing anytime! While this season is such a respite from the heat, the monsoon season comes with its own set of problems like viral fever, cough, cold, stomach infections, dengue, and malaria. Usually, with the onset of heavy reasons, your immune system tends to get compromised due to bacterial or viral infections. It goes without saying that a strong immune system and taking precautions is what's going to help you recover quickly and protect you against infections.

Whether it's prevention, recovery, healing - all that matters is your immune system as it's the first and last line of defense. Your immune system is made up of immune cells and each of these cells needs to have the right amount of energy through the food you eat, the water your drink, and the air you breathe. This is how one maintains a strong immune system.

There are foods that can help you enhance your immune system through this season, but these don't magically boost your immunity. They assist. Your immune system is a function of your overall lifestyle - right nutrition, quality and quantity of water, rest, recovery, sleep, emotional detox, and an active lifestyle to help circulate all the nutrients to all the trillions of cells in your body.

Simple, easily available, and inexpensive foods you can add to your diet this monsoon season

1. Hot Soups

Think monsoons, think hot soups. You can make pumpkin soup, tomato soup, moringa soup, green pea soup, mixed vegetable soup, or even something as simple as rasam. Pumpkin is a fantastic immunity booster due to a high concentration of beta carotene; vitamin C. Make sure you add garlic and ginger as they are highly anti-inflammatory and garlic literally works as an antibiotic and antifungal food. To this preparation, you can also add chilies, unless you have an acidity issue. Chilies are extremely rich in vitamin C too. In case you are a non-vegetarian, a simple chicken broth with spices and vegetables is fantastic immune-boosting food.

2. Oregano

Do you know why? Because of its extremely potent antifungal properties. Monsoons bring the risks of even acquiring fungal infections because the dampness and moisture provides a perfect and conducive environment for them to thrive.

You could simply brew oregano tea or season your salad and food with dried/fresh oregano leaves depending on what's available. Even 1-2 drops of edible oregano essential oil mixed in your water or soup works great. Oregano also benefits the respiratory system and helps loosen up the mucus and phlegm, especially when sipped warm.

3. Nuts and seeds

Whether it's hot or cold, you cannot go wrong with unsalted almonds, walnuts, peanuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds. Make sure you have some amount of these in a day. It could be a handful or less than that, but do not overdo them. Keep them balanced.

4. Cooked Crucifers

These are cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, radish and are fantastic for controlling inflammation, fighting bacterial infections, and powerful immune boosters. Make sure they are well cleaned and cooked/steamed/blanched especially if you have a thyroid condition due to its goitrogenic effect. You can turn them into soups, stir-fries, soups, or vegetable preparations. 

5. Masala box/spice kit

Stock up on common kitchen spices because these are your go-tos during monsoons. Make use of common kitchen spices to boost immunity, such as turmeric, cumin, methi seeds, ginger, garlic, cloves, cinnamon, curry leaves, tulsi/basil leaves, and black pepper. You can make a concoction or a water infusion, or simply add these to your daily cooking.

You can also brew all of it together into a steaming cup of chai, without refined sugar. Instead, replace that with jaggery and you will notice how it only enhances the taste. So, in case your body craves that cup of chai this monsoon, you know you can go for it. Only make it the right way and add spices!

Mirror Placement at Home

Mirror Placement at Home for Influence Wealth And Health Status

A mirror is a very small object, but it plays an important role in bringing positive energy to your house. It has a significant Vastu component, which is capable of affecting positive as well as negative energy. It is capable of affecting the energies at home, if not placed in the right direction. Traditionally, the mirror is used as looking glass, but few know about the effect it can have on positive and negative energy. Vastu experts state that mirrors can stagnate the flow of energy through your home. Mirrors also have the power to Influence in bringing prosperity and health, while sucking up the negative energy lurking around you when used right. Read on to find out how you can use this accessory in the correct way, to ensure that you reap the benefits it has to offer.

Applying simple changes in mirror placement could increase wealth in your house. Following are few Vastu tips regarding mirror positions.

Positive Effect

1. If mirrors are placed opposite the locker of your house, this can double wealth.
2. Placing mirrors in the north direction is fruitful. As the north is the center of Lord Kubera- God of Wealth, it is important to keep this direction energetic and positive.
3. To sustain good energies that help increase wealth, any kind of businessman can place mirrors adjacent to the cash box. This will not only increase the wealth but will also attract more customers.
4. For better health, mirrors in the bathroom should be on the east or north walls. This helps in removing negativity and bring in brightness.
5. In dressing rooms, mirrors should be placed within 4 to 5 feet above ground level.

Negative Effect

1. Southeast is a fire direction. If you enhance this by placing a mirror, chances of quarrels and tiffs will become greater. So, avoid fixing looking glass in this direction.
2. Vastu Shastra advises not to place mirrors as opposed to each other. This will encourage restlessness.
3. According to Vastu, the kitchen should not be in the northeast direction. This direction magnetic energy. So, fire can easily destroy positive magnetic energy.
4. According to Vastu, mirrors should not face north or east. This may reflect away positive energy entering from the north or east direction.
5. For good health and peaceful sleep, mirrors should be avoided in bedrooms. According to Vastu, if there is a mirror in the bedroom then it should not face the bed.
6. Mirrors should not face the entrance or the entry gate of the house, as they reflect the energy entering the house.

Mirror Vastu Tips

Mirror Vastu tips

Tip No.1:- Right Placement Matters

As per Vastu shastra, the wrong placement of mirrors at home can do a lot of harm. Never place two mirrors opposite to each other, since they can harbour negative feelings. Ensure that the mirror has been placed at a height of around four to five feet above the ground. Keeping a large side table or dressing table alongside the bed is considered to be auspicious. But make sure that none of the body parts are reflected into the mirror while sleeping.

Tip No.2:- Shape Play 

Go for a square or rectangular mirror, since they are considered auspicious according to Vastu. Avoid buying oval, round, or other irregular-shaped mirrors. Play around with the size of mirrors, since Vastu does not impose restrictions on that. You can create interesting patterns using square or rectangle-shaped mirrors.

Tip No.3:- What Should Reflect 

If you have a beautiful view outside your window, then place a mirror opposite to that window, such that the landscape is reflected in that. This replicates the positive energy and the beauty of the view, filling your home with it. If you feel negative energy creeping in your home or something feels negative, then placing a mirror in front of it will ensure that it sucks the negativity out of it. Also, never place a mirror, glass object, or any shining thing in front of the main gate.

Tip No.4:-  Should Yoy Placed it in the Dinner Room 

The answer is yes! Vastu shastra experts suggest that placing a mirror in the dining room, such that it reflects the dining table is very auspicious. It aids the doubling up of health, food, and wealth. At Livspace, our designers can help you by giving you various options for placing mirrors in this room. One popular way to make your dining room stylish and Vastu compliant is to install a mirrored wall that reflects the entire dining room.

Tip No.5:-  How to Double up Prosperity

If you have a cash locker at home and want to double up prosperity, then make sure you place a mirror in front of it to attract more wealth. Ensure that the mirror is clean and does not show a distorted image of the locker. A clear reflection is a must when you’re using mirrors as per Vastu shastra rules. 

Tip No.6:-  How about the Bathroom  to Double up Prosperity

Do not forget your bathroom when thinking about placing mirrors in accordance with Vastu shastra. When you are putting up a mirror in the bathroom, make sure that you light up the area. Do not place mirrors in the darkness. It is considered inauspicious according to Vastu shastra. Also, try placing the mirror on the North or East wall in the bathroom.

Other Vastu Mirror Tips

1. Square and rectangular mirrors are good for the house; oval and round-shaped mirrors should be avoided.
2. For positive results, individuals suffering from sleeplessness, headache, or heart problems could place a three-inch mirror between the mattress and the bed, facing upward.
3. Mirrors in the bathroom should be sufficiently lighted and should be never kept in the dark. 
4. Mirrors reflecting sunlight, a bed, or the main door attract negative energies. Hence, they should be carefully placed.
5. Discard broken, rusted, or unused mirrors in the house. These can be a source of a hindrance for the overall positive environment.
6. It is believed that using large mirrors on the dressing table and looking at oneself in it early in the morning increases positivity and is regarded auspicious.
7. However, care should be taken while placing the dressing table in the bedroom. The mirror should never reflect the person on the bed that can lead to health issues.
8. Never hang mirrors on the ceilings or the south walls as they can bring negative energies.
9. Window panes and doors made of glass also act as mirrors. Cover them with curtains to avoid any ill effects.
10. Mirrors should not be positioned opposite to one another which can cause restlessness, impatience, or anger.

Green Tea Might Help Tackle Covid

Green Tea Might Help Tackle Covid: Indian-Origin Researcher

Green Tea 

As India continues to be ravaged by the coronavirus pandemic, a team of researchers is investigating how green tea could give rise to a drug capable of tackling Covid-19.

The initial findings suggested that one of the compounds in green tea could combat the coronavirus behind Covid-19, said lead author Suresh Mohankumar, who researched during his time at JSS College of Pharmacy in Ooty before taking up his current role at Swansea University Medical School.

"Nature's oldest pharmacy has always been a treasure of potential novel drugs and we questioned if any of these compounds could assist us in battling the Covid-19 pandemic?" said Mohankumar.

"We screened and sorted a library of natural compounds already know to be active against other coronaviruses using an artificial intelligence-aided computer program," he added.

Mohankumar emphasized that the research was still in its early days and a long way from any kind of clinical application, in the study published in the journal RSC Advances.

"The compound that our model predicts to be most active is gallocatechin, which is present in green tea and could be readily available, accessible, and affordable," the researcher said.

There now needs to be further investigation to show if it can be proven clinically effective and safe for preventing or treating Covid-19.

"This is fascinating research and demonstrates that natural products remain an important source of lead compounds in the fight against infectious diseases," said Andrew Morris, Professor, Swansea University.

"I am also really pleased to see this international research collaboration continuing now that Mohankumar has joined the Pharmacy team," Morris added.

Green Tea Video Link 

Plastic Shields Don’t Stop Aerosol Transmission of Coronavirus

Plastic Shields Don’t Stop Aerosol Transmission of Coronavirus

Plastic Shields

• New researchTrusted Source finds that while wearing a surgical face mask can provide protection against airborne infection, face shields offer little or no protection.
• EvidenceTrusted Source suggests that SARS CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is transmitted when people expel virus-containing droplets when they sneeze or cough.
• StudiesTrusted Source has found that breathing and talking can expel droplets containing the virus. These particles remain airborne and may spread widely through a room.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, people have used plastic visors and face shields for protection against potential infection in shops and other places where crowds gather.

However, a new researchTrusted Source presented at this year’s European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases finds that while wearing a surgical face mask can provide similar protection against airborne infection as wearing a respirator, face shields offer little or no protection.

The study, conducted by researchers at Philipps University Marburg in Marburg, Germany, compared 32 types of masks intended for use in hospitals, including cloth and surgical masks, respirators, and face shields.

Researchers found that surgical face masks had the lowest drop in pressure, providing the least resistance to breathing. Respirator-type masks had the highest pressure drop.

The cloth masks and the noncertified surgical masks performed the worst, only filtering out between 11.3 and 14.2 percent of particles. Surprisingly, a type II surgical face mask had similar “as worn” filtration results at 47 percent as KN95 respirators at 41 percent. The FFP2 respirators showed the best filtration, blocking 65 percent of particles.

Face shields were found to have no significant effect at all. the public should wear certified surgical face masks of good quality rather than cloth masks or face shields, which performed poorly in our study.

Second Made-In-India vaccine soon

Second Made-In-India vaccine soon: Centre finalizes advance to deal with Hyderabad-based firm for 30 crore doses

The COVID-19 vaccine of Biological-E is currently undergoing Phase-3 clinical trials after showing promising results in Phase 1 and 2 clinical trials.

The Union Ministry of Health has finalized arrangements with Hyderabad-based vaccine manufacturer Biological-E to reserve 30 crores of COVID-19 vaccine doses. These vaccine doses will be manufactured and stockpiled by M/s Biological-E from August-December 2021. 

For this purpose, the Union Ministry of Health would be making an advance payment of Rs. 1500 crore to M/s Biological-E. 

The COVID-19 vaccine of Biological-E is currently undergoing Phase-3 clinical trials after showing promising results in Phase 1 and 2 clinical trials. The vaccine being developed by Biological-E is an RBD protein sub-unit vaccine and is likely to be available in the next few months.

The proposal of M/s Biological-E was examined and recommended for approval after due diligence by the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for COVID-19 (NEGVAC). 

The arrangement with M/s Biological-E is part of the wider government's endeavor to encourage indigenous vaccine manufacturers by supporting research & Development (R&D) and financial support.  

Biological-E COVID Vaccine candidate has been supported by the government from the Preclinical stage to Phase-3 studies. Department of Biotechnology has not only provided financial assistance in terms of grant-in-aid of over Rs 100 cr but has also partnered with Biological-E to conduct all animal challenge and assay studies through its Research Institute Translational Health Science Technology Institute (THSTI), Faridabad.

This has been undertaken as part of the government's ‘Mission COVID Suraksha- the Indian COVID-19 Vaccine Development Mission’ which was launched to reinforce and accelerate COVID-19 vaccine development efforts as part of the third stimulus package, Atmanirbhar 3.0.

The Mission aims to bring to the citizens a safe, efficacious, affordable, and accessible COVID-19 Vaccine. The Mission is supporting the development of 5-6 COVID-19 vaccine candidates. Some of these are now closer to licensure and introduction in public health systems. It has accelerated COVID-19 Vaccine development efforts and fostered a robust end-to-end vaccine development ecosystem in the country that will be available for other ongoing and future research and developmental activities for other vaccines.

Vitamin D May Not Prevent COVID-19 Risk

Vitamin D May Not Prevent COVID-19 Risk

A New Study Says Vitamin D Supplement May Not Prevent COVID-19 Risk

A study made by Bonnie Patchen, a Ph.D. student at Cornell University finding the link between vitamin D and COVID-19. In her findings of the new study are similar to what she and her colleagues found with their research, which was published May 4 in the journal BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health. Patchen said that in their research, she and her colleagues looked at how well the genetic variants predicted vitamin D levels across different populations. Their results were consistent for people of European ancestry, she said, even when taking into account other factors that can affect vitamin D levels such as body mass index (BMI) and older age. But the associations were less consistent in African ancestry individuals. Patchen said the level of variation is similar to a change that might be seen with taking a low-level supplement, around 400 to 600 International Units (IU) of vitamin D. But it doesn’t necessarily address the kind of acute changes in vitamin D levels that you might get with a high-dose treatment, Patchen explained. In another study, which was published on June 1 in the journal PLOS Medicine researchers at McGill University in Canada focused on genetic variants that are linked to increased vitamin D levels. People whose DNA contains one of these variants are more likely to naturally have higher levels of vitamin D, although diet and other environmental factors can still affect those levels. 

This type of analysis called Mendelian randomization study is like a genetic simulation of a randomized controlled trial, the “gold standard” for clinical research. Researchers found that people who have one of these variants - who are more likely to have higher vitamin D levels didn’t have a lower risk for coronavirus infection, hospitalization, or severe illness due to COVID-19.

Dr. Martin Kohlmeier, a professor of nutrition in the Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina, said “If you feed somebody a vitamin D supplement, it doesn’t matter how much you change the bound amount, it’s how much you change the free amount that matters for innate immunity.” The problem, he explained, is that the genetic variants used in Mendelian randomization studies of vitamin D are mainly related to the gene-binding protein for vitamin D.

Another study that was published February 17 in the journal JAMA, was carried out in Brazil. Where doctors gave patients COVID-19 patients a single oral dose of 200,000 IU of vitamin D, which is a very high dose, one that should only be taken under medical supervision or an inactive placebo. Researchers found that the large dose of vitamin D had no effect on patients’ length of stay in the hospital.

Dr. David Meltzer, a professor of medicine at The University of Chicago Medicine and his colleagues did their own analysis of the data from this study. They found that for people with low vitamin D levels, there was no effect of vitamin D levels on COVID-19 outcome. But it was a different story for people who entered the hospital with higher levels. The people with high vitamin D who were given additional vitamin D actually did better. 

Like Kohlmeier, Meltzer thinks it’s important to test the effect of vitamin D supplementation on COVID-19 risk, rather than just look at the levels in the blood. The vitamin D intake that you have on a daily basis or the amount you produce through sun exposure probably matters to some degree, he said, independently of your blood levels.

The results from these studies, which may not be available until later this year may provide a better idea of whether vitamin D can prevent respiratorily infections such as COVID-19.

Vajra Kavach

Vajra Kavach - Disinfection System

Mumbai-based start-up, Indra water has developed “Vajra Kavach Disinfection System” removes scourge of viral particles from equipment used by Corona warriors front line workers. This Vajra Kavach has been installed at multiple government hospitals in Maharashtra and Telangana, according to a statement by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoH&FW).

Vajra Kavach Disinfection System

   What is Disinfection System

1. The disinfection system removes any possible traces of SARS-Cov-2 virus from Personal Protective Equipment, coats, gloves, N95 masks, and gowns.
2. Thus, it enables the reuse of PPEs and other equipment used by healthcare workers.
3. In a way, it will protect the environment too, by reducing biomedical waste generation.
4. It will make personal protective equipment more available, affordable, and accessible.
5. Disinfection can be done in just a few minutes.
6. The system can achieve a 1,00,000-fold reduction in the number of microorganisms.

Where this System was Developed?

Validation and testing of the system was done by the Department of Biosciences & Bioengineering at IIT Bombay.

How testing was done?

It went through a long trial and testing process. Testing was done with Escherichia virus MS2; which is a single-stranded RNA virus similar to human respiratory viruses like influenza virus and coronavirus; and E.coli strain C3000. While testing it, full loads of virus and bacteria samples were placed PPE kit and were then placed inside Vajra Kavach. After disinfection cycle time, PPE was removed and the sample was rechecked to assess the growth rate and log reduction of the virus.

How this system disinfects materials?

The system comprises of multistage disinfection process having advanced oxidation, corona discharge, and UV-C light spectrum which inactivate viruses, bacteria, and other microbial strains from materials.

'Potentially hazardous'? An asteroid the size of the Space Needle will pass near the Earth on Tuesday

 'Potentially hazardous'? An asteroid the size of the Space Needle will pass near the Earth on Tuesday

published by - USA Today at 4:17p.m. ET May 31, 2021 | Updated on 4:45p.m. ET May 31, 2021

A massive asteroid is expected to whiz by Earth in a relatively close encounter – 4.5 million miles –  on Tuesday, according to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. 

The asteroid, known as 2021 KT1, is about 600 feet, the size of the New York Olympic Tower or the Seattle Space Needle.

NASA classified the asteroid as a “potentially hazardous object” because it is larger than 492 feet and within 4.6 million miles of Earth. It will fly near Earth at 40,000 mph, according to the laboratory, which tracks objects that drift close to Earth's orbital area. Though the asteroid is not expected to make a direct hit, NASA is keeping a close watch.

This asteroid is not the only one to come close to the Earth. An asteroid is known as 2021 GW4 was 12,000 miles away from the Earth's surface, traveling 18,700 mph in April. Astronomer Gianluca Masi, the founder of the Virtual Telescope Project said it was "an exceptionally close encounter."

Four smaller asteroids as big as an airplane or house are expected to pass the Earth from Monday to Wednesday;  none of them is potentially hazardous.

NASA defines an asteroid as “rocky fragments left over from the formation of the solar system 4.6 billion years ago.” This space matter is supposed to orbit the sun but occasionally strays from its orbital path because of the gravitational tug of planets. 

Scientists say the evolution of the planet could have stemmed from collisions of near-Earth objects, including comets and asteroids. One such theory holds for the extinction of dinosaurs 66 million years ago. The objects hitting the Earth can potentially hold water ice or carbon-based molecules, which are needed for animals and plants to thrive and cause geologic change.

Though Earth hasn't experienced a massive hit from an asteroid in decades, small asteroids pass between Earth and the moon's orbit several times every month, according to the Planetary Defense at NASA. Meteoroids, which are fragments of asteroids, less than 3 feet, can hit Earth's atmosphere and explode, creating bright meteor showers that people can watch from the balcony of their house. 

NASA is studying ways to deflect hits from asteroids in case one does pose a huge threat. One of these techniques, called the gravity tractor, would involve a spacecraft using mutual gravity attraction from a satellite to change the path of the asteroid. This method is still in the works.

Doctor Killed the Patient and then makes the patient alive

Doctor Killed the Patient and then makes the patient alive

Now the doctor can make death patience alive. Don’t worry if you have a serious injury, a heart attack, or a serious head injury. You can be saved even after death. 10 patients have been successfully getting their life back. Doctors at the University Of Maryland School Of Medicine in Baltimore, USA, has done this amazing thing. The report of the experiment was published in the New Scientist magazine. The test was performed by Dr.Samuel Tisherman, MD, professor of Surgery and director of the Division of Critical Care and Trauma Education, and his surgical team. According to the doctors, many people brought to the hospital with critical injuries and few are saved due to lack of time. In this situation, patients are made to be dead for this doctor gets the time to save people. This technique is called Emergency Preservation and Resuscitation or EPR.

According to EPR techniques, the severely injured are kept at 10 to 15 degrees Celsius. The blood of the whole body is replaced by saline. The blood is removed and stored in a safe place. The brain then stops working. In this case, the person goes to the dead. After 2 hours of treatment, the patient's body is again kept at a temperature of 36 degrees Celsius, and blood is released into the body. With the help of heat, the patient's body begins to function and the blood reaches the brain. In this way, patients improve slowly and return to normal condition, and get recovered.