Health Pulse Royal foot treatment Your feet deserve your attention – and not just for kicks; small foot problems can grow more serious if you let them slide. Here’s a good start: Wage war on wetness: The moist, sheltered spaces between your toes provide just the right home for fungi, which can lead to athlete’s foot. To keep the fungi out, give your feet a daily washand-dry – including between the toes. A sprinkle of cornstarch or talcum powder will help them stay dry. Toe a straight line: Cut your toenails straight across. An angled cut can lead your toenails to grow into your skin, causing pain and possible infection. If you insist on that graceful curve, smooth the corners with an emery board or nail file. Boost the blood flow: Just a few minutes of daily activity can improve the circulation to your feet. For good measure, wiggle your toes for five minutes twice a day and move your ankles around – but don’t spend a lot of time with crossed legs, which stanches the flow. Keep it cool: Avoid walking barefoot on the hot pavement, which could scald your soles, and remember the tops of your feet – a common site for sunburn – when applying sunscreen. Source: www.webmd.com Natural heart care There’s lots that you can do for your heart without swallowing a pill, and you don’t have to do it all in one day: go gradual, so that the new behaviours will stick: Put one foot in front of the other: Walking for 40 minutes four times a week can lower your blood pressure, cholesterol and body weight – all risk factors for heart disease. As much as possible, walk in fresh air as pollution raises the risk of heart attacks. Have a heart-to-heart – or any type of conversation – with a friend: Feeling lonely and disconnected harms your heart as much as the risk factors mentioned above. Reconnect with an old friend or reach out to someone new. Better still, join a walking group so that you can mingle and move at the same time. Go nuts: The fibre and unsaturated fats in nuts can slow down plaque buildup in your blood vessels – and possibly protect against the blood clots that cause strokes. Grab a handful four times a week and you’re good. Minus the salt, please. Press the om button: Meditation, yoga or other calming activities can ease anxiety and stress, bring your heart rate down and lower blood pressure – all good for the heart. Your heart rate and blood pressure also drop while you sleep. Aim for no fewer than seven hours a day. Source: www.webmd.com Mineral marvel That would be potassium. Your heart, other muscles and nerves depend on potassium to do their jobs. In addition to these business-as-usual functions, potassium can slow down the bone loss that often comes with age. Age also raises the risk of high blood pressure – a factor in heart attacks and strokes – and potassium comes to the rescue here too: by helping your body get rid of excess sodium, it relaxes the walls of your blood vessels and keeps pressure in check. Most adults need about 4,700 mg of potassium every day. That may sound like a lot, but a medium baked potato (with skin) has close to 1,000. Sunflower squash, oranges, beets, black or white beans, canned salmon, yogurt, sunflower seeds and tomatoes (especially in purée form) can round out your potassium-rich diet. Despite the banana’s reputation as a potassium powerhouse, the foods mentioned here contain more of it. If you still aren’t getting enough, ask your doctor about supplements. Source: www.prevention.com CSANews | SUMMER 2018 | 37
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MzMzNzMx