Jan 13

JANU SIRSASANA: Correct foot placement
Sit up straight with legs evenly extended in front. Bend the right leg at the knee and place the foot so that the heel is in the right groin and the front of the foot touches the left thigh. Turn the foot so that the bottom of the foot is facing upward and press the knee back to form an obtuse angle with the body. This position will be difficult at first; don’t force it. Put a folded blanket under the knee and also under the hips. Gradually the knee will move farther back. Just keep the foot correctly positioned.

JANU SIRSASANA: Correct, perfect posture
Having positioned the foot and knee correctly, stretch the left leg out, keeping the leg firmly on the mat. Settle the heel firmly and stretch the toes up. (The heel should pull gently away from the ankle.) Now inhale and bend forward over the straight leg, catching the foot with both hands if possible. Beginners should bend only as far as they can without rounding the back. When this posture is done correctly and completely, the body will roll forward over the extended leg, absolutely flat from the tail bone to the head. Stay there breathing normally for as long as you can. Inhale, release the handhold, come up smoothly, straighten the bent leg and relax. Repeat on other side.

JANU SIRSASANA: Wrong posture
The heel is not positioned against its own thigh. The knee has not been pushed back as far as possible to form an obtuse angle. The back is humped and curved because the pelvis is jammed and unable to lift properly. Instead of a smooth, complete stretching of the spine, the lumbar is over-stretched and the rest of the spine constricted. The left leg is not flat on the floor.

TRIANG MUKHAIPADA PASCHIMOTTANASANA: Sitting, forward-bending pose over one leg

This posture generally follows the previous one. Sit with your legs stretched in front. Bend the right leg so that the right foot is near the right hip. The toes should point back. The right calf presses against the right thigh. The body will tilt in this position so put a small folded towel under the left buttock to keep the hips level and the forward stretch even and extended. Hold the left foot with both hands, inhale and bend forward, keeping both knees together as you stretch forward over the straight leg. Many students will find it difficult in this position to even take hold of the foot of the outstretched leg. Do not despair. Just hold the knee, shin or ankle, and sit, breathing deeply, in whichever position represents your best extension. If the back is tight and the spine inflexible, this will take time. Release the hold and straighten the bent leg. Repeat on the other side.

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Jan 13

As we all know, toothaches and any type of oral injury can be extremely painful and should be seen by a dentist immediately.  Dental emergencies should be seen immediately by a dentist, day or night. These emergencies include broken teeth, teeth that have been knocked out, or teeth that have been forced out of the socket.  With some emergencies, the cheeks, lips, or gums will have cuts or abrasions on them from where the teeth come out of the socket.

If you’ve had a tooth recently knocked out, the first thing you should do is look for that tooth.  When you’ve found the tooth, gently scrub it to get rid of any dirt or debris.  Once you have cleaned it, you should place it back in your mouth between the cheek and gums.  Whatever you do, you should never try to put it back in the socket.  If you can make it to the dentist in time, he may be able to put the tooth back in place.

If you’ve had a tooth come out of place, you can normally reposition it with your fingers.  You shouldn’t use a lot of force, simply because it could damage the tooth.  You shouldn’t force the tooth into place, rather try and jiggle it around.  You can also use moist tissue to hold the tooth in place, until you can get to a dentist.

If you’ve got a fractured tooth, the treatment will all depend upon how bad the booth has been fractured.  No matter how light the fracture may be, it is very important that you get to a dentist as soon as you can.  Minor fractures aren’t that bad, as they can normally be smoothed out using sandpaper.  Sometimes, the tooth can also be restored with a composite.  Either way, you’ll need to make sure that you use extreme caution with the tooth for the next few days.

The more moderate fractures, normally include damage to the dentin, pulp, and even the enamel.  These fractures can be nothing to worry about at times, yet painful with other cases.  Providing the pulp hasn’t been damaged, your dentist will be able to restore the full shape and function to the fractured tooth.  In cases where pulp damage has occurred, the dentist may need to do a root canal or other type of serious surgery to repair the tooth.

Whenever you encounter a dental emergency, you shouldn’t hesitate to contact a dentist immediately.  Your dentist will be able to assist you, fix the problem, and stop the pain.  Dental emergencies can happen at any time, so you should always the emergency number of a dentist who will be there at a moments notice.  Tooth pain can be very excruciating - and you’ll obviously want to get the problem fixed immediately.

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Jan 13

A Guide to the D Vitamin

The D vitamin is the only vitamin that is not obtained from foods that are consumed. Instead, the D vitamin is actually obtained by sunlight on the skin. There has been a lot of media coverage about the dangers of getting too much sun but it is essential that the skin is exposed to sunlight to obtain the recommended daily allowance of the D vitamin. In reality, the amount of time that a person has to spend in the sun to receive a sufficient dose of the D vitamin is extremely small and just a few minutes a day will be sufficient and not have any adverse effects from the amount of ultra-violet light received.

The most important function of the D vitamin is to help control how much calcium is absorbed from food. The majority of the calcium is used to build strong teeth and bones but it is also needed to send messages along the nerves and to help muscles, such as the heart muscles, to contract. It is the D vitamin that ensures that there is always sufficient calcium in the blood to perform these tasks. Other functions that require the D vitamin relate to the immune system and it is believed that it is also a contributing factor in reducing the risk of contracting cancer and, in particular, colon cancer.

The variant of the D vitamin that is formed under the skin is known as vitamin D3, or cholecalciferol. This D vitamin is created when the ultraviolet in the sunlight reacts with a type of cholesterol that is found under the skin naturally. The D3 is converted into a more active form of the d vitamin in the liver and is then diverted to where it is needed the most. Some of the D vitamin remains in the liver and kidneys to help reabsorb the calcium from the blood. The rest of the D vitamin is dispersed to the bones to help them retain their calcium and the intestines to aid absorption of calcium from food.

Even though the majority of the D vitamin is formed through the exposure of the skin to sunlight there are some foods that do contain some of the vitamin naturally. This form of the D vitamin is known as vitamin D2, or ergocalciferol. This is used in the same way as the other D vitamins and is the type used to create the majority of D vitamin supplements.

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