24, July 2014

Simple exercises to reduce eye strain

Do you find yourself squinting your eyes and rubbing them in irritation often? Owing to the exposure of the computer screens and mobile phones in our daily lives, a lot of people have started experiencing blurred vision, itchiness and headaches on a daily basis. 

Here are a few simple exercises to help rejuvenate and reduce the strain on your eyes.

Palming
Rub your hands together for about 10 to 15 minutes till they're slightly warm, now place them upon your eyes. Don't touch the eyeballs directly, instead just keep your hands lightly over your eyes.

Repeated blinking

Blinking every three or four seconds helps in reducing eye strain. When we watch television or work on the computer we tend to blink less, allow your eyes to rest by blinking every few seconds.

Focus on a distant object

Choose an object that is about six to ten meters away from you and focus solely on it for a few seconds without moving your head much. This gives some respite to the ciliary muscles that tend to be under a lot of stress.

Eye Rolling

Try rolling your eyes, tracing as big a circle as possible. Repeat about four times, then close your eyes, focus on your breathing and relax.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

24.07.2014

Asthmatic? Stop worrying about smells

Are you an asthmatic and constantly worried about scents and fragrances in the surrounding air? This thought alone can actually harm you more than you can think of.

A new research reveals that simply believing that an odour is potentially harmful can increase airway inflammation in asthmatics for at least 24 hours following exposure.

"Asthmatics often are anxious about scents and fragrances. When we expect that an odour is harmful, our bodies react as if that odour is indeed harmful," said Cristina Jaen, a physiologist at Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia.

In the study, 17 moderate asthmatics were exposed to the odour of phenylethyl alcohol (PEA) for 15 minutes.

Often described as rose-smelling, PEA is regarded as a "pure" odourant with no associated physiological irritant qualities.

Eight participants were told that the odour had potential therapeutic properties, while nine were told that it potentially could cause mild respiratory problems.

Individuals who were told that the odour was potentially harmful rated it as more irritating and annoying as compared to those who thought it might be therapeutic.

In addition, airway inflammation increased immediately following odour exposure in subjects who believed the odour might be harmful and remained elevated 24 hours later.

The findings suggest that some fragrance effects on asthma symptoms may be related to the expectation of harm as opposed to chemical properties of the odour.

"It is not just what you smell, but also what you think you smell," Jaen noted in a paper published online in the Journal of Psychosomatic Research.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

24.07.2014

Life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced

Søren Kierkegaard