Wednesday, January 6, 2016

Papayas Benefit for Health

Allah Almighty gives us different fruit to protect different Diseases for humans.

Papayas refreshingly sweet in taste, papayas is actually nutritious, having numerous health benefits. Here’s why you need to include these ‘fruits of angels’ in your diet. Papayas are bright, pear-shaped, exotic fruits that you can easily find in the market throughout the year.

The Following reasons you should eat Papaya.
1- Lowers cholesterol: Papayas are rich in fibre, Vitamin C and antioxidants that prevent cholesterol build up in your arteries. Too much cholesterol build-up can block the arteries completely, causing heart attack. Papaya extracts have also found to reduce lipid and triglycerides in diabetic rats.

2- Helps weight loss: One medium sized papaya contains just 120 calories. So, if you’re planning to lose weight, don’t forget to add this light fruit to your diet. Besides, it also packed with a good amount of dietary fiber that aids weight loss by promoting a feeling of fullness and controlling cravings.

3- Boosts immunity system: Your immune system acts as a shield against various infections that can make you really sick. A single papaya can fulfill more than 200% of your daily requirement of Vitamin C, making it great to build a stronger immune system.

4- Good for diabetics: Despite being sweet in nature, papayas are low in sugar content (8.3 gm in one cup of sliced papaya) as well as glycemic index. This property makes papayas excellent fruits for diabetics. The vitamins and phytonutrients present in them prevent development of heart disease in diabetes. Also, people who don’t have diabetes can eat papaya to prevent it from happening.

5- Great for eyes: Papayas are rich in Vitamin A and flavonoids like beta-carotene, zeaxanthin, cyptoxanthin and lutein which keep the mucus membranes in the eyes healthy, preventing them from damage. Vitamin A in them also prevents the development of age-related macular degeneration. The best thing about papayas is that the carotenoids present in them are more bio available that carotenoid present in other vitamin A rich foods like tomatoes and carrots.

6- Protects against arthritis: Arthritis can be a really debilitating disease and people who have it may find their quality of life reduced significantly. Eating papayas are good for your bones as they have anti-inflammatory properties along with Vitamin C which helps in keeping various forms of arthritis at bay. A study published in Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases showed that people who consumed foods low in Vitamin C were three times more likely to have arthritis than those who didn’t. Also read

7- Improves digestion: In today’s times, it is near impossible to avoid eating foods that are bad for your digestive system. Often we find ourselves eating junk food or restaurant food prepared in excessive quantities of oil. Eating a papaya daily can make up for such occasional mistakes, as it has a digestive enzyme known as papain along with fiber which helps improve your digestive health.

8- Helps ease menstrual pain: Women who experience menstrual pain should help themselves to several servings of papaya, as an enzyme called papain helps in regulating and easing flow during menstrual periods.

9- Prevents signs of ageing: All of us would love to stay young forever, but no one in this world has managed to do it. Still, healthy habits like eating a papaya daily will prolong the process and may make you look 5 years younger than you are. Papaya is rich in vitamin C, vitamin E and antioxidants like beta-carotene which helps prevent your skin from free radical damage keeping wrinkles and other signs of ageing at bay. Here’s how you can use papaya to keep your skin beautifully glowing. Try this papaya face pack on dry skin.

10- Promotes hair growth: Apart from keeping the skin healthy, papayas are very effective for maintaining healthy hair. Vitamin A in them is utilized in production of sebum, a compound that is crucial for keeping the hair smooth, shiny and moisturized. External application of papaya extract to the scalp can help you get rid of dandruff. The nutrients present in them help hair loss. They boost hair growth and strengthening. Although there is no scientific evidence, papayas are also thought to prevent hair thinning.

10- Prevents cancer: Papaya is a rich source of antioxidants, phytonutrients and flavonoids that prevent your cells from undergoing free radical damage. A study conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health’s Department showed the richness of beta carotene in papayas protected against prostate cancer and colon cancer growth.

11- Helps reduce stress: After working hard for the whole day, it is a good idea to come home to a plate a papaya. The wonder fruit is rich in several nutrients like Vitamin C which can keep you free from stress. According to a study conducted in University of Alabama, found that 200 mg of Vitamin C can help regulate the flow of stress hormones in rats.

All of this makes papaya a wholesome fruit that is excellent for your entire body.
 

Pakistan's First Baby Health Care Smartphone App

I have been working in medical field since last 12 years and i usually spend most of my time in study of research articles and initiatives taken by various independent, government owned or private organizations towards making new advancements in various areas related to human health. The most disappointing thing i ever feel is our insignificant contribution in the development and advancement of this field. You would agree that just like many other important sectors, health sector has also been victimized by our corrupt system. However, this is first time i heard a news about a really good and serious development in the field of child health.

I don't know much details but its a non-profit organization named as PAPHC who is actually working to educate women of Pakistan on various child health related issues through the use of technology. For this purpose, they have launched a Smartphone app which you can install on your Android based mobile phone and it helps you to manage vaccination of your child, keeps you aware of various child health related issues and gives access to hundreds of healthy food recipes for your baby. Good thing is that this app is absolutely free.

Go to Google Play store and search for "SmartMom Baby Care" app and you will find it.

If you read about the app on Google Play store, it says that they are also working to deliver following features in the app which is amazing:

1) Tips for mothers on various issues related to babies.
2) List of child doctors with their rating.
3) Order medicine through app for home delivery
4) Book appointment of a doctor using app.
5) A complete guide and chart to check if your baby is healthy and growing properly.
6) Baby Food Guide to assist parents in making a healthy diet plan for their babies and will also provide healthy food recipes.

The most interesting thing for me is their mission statement which is as follow:
"Saving life of every single child through the smart use of technology!"

As we know that we have millions of smartphone users in the country and it really makes sense to use this solid platform to outreach all over the country to educate people on health related issues and save many precious lives. Well done PAPHC!