Changes in lifestyle and food habits have given rise to many diseases and many problems of eyes have a similar origin. Eyes need proper nourishment, rest and exercise. And these need to be provided through food and proper lifestyle so that eyes continue to sparkle and provide proper vision.

According to ayurveda gurus, eyes are the most important sense organs as they are the source of direct knowledge. So, a little thought for eye care would go a long way.

“It is important that we include a lot of fruits and leafy vegetables in our diet,” says S. Sunil Kumar, Associate Professor from the Department of Salakya Tantra, Ayurveda Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram. Pomegranates, green gram and leafy vegetables are among the most recommended food items that should be part of one’s diet for general eye care.

It is advisable to use an umbrella and footwear while moving outside the home and an oil bath is something that always helps in keeping the body and eyes in good care.

B. G. Gokulan, chief physician at Sudarshanam Netra Chikitsalayam, says that proper rest for the eyes is an important aspect. However, in today’s lifestyle there is no one who gets a proper rest.

Sleep in darkness

One needs to sleep in total darkness, he said. In many homes a bed-lamp is on or streetlight comes into the room. The photoreceptive cells of the retina would be active if one sleeps in a lighted room.

Eyes get hurt by too much illumination too. Dazzling lights used for decorations, hurt the eyes too.

There are sharp lights emanating from TV screens and computer screens too. In fact prevalence of myopia (short-sight) is mainly because of these reasons, said Dr. Gokulan.

Among the foods, one should have less of acidic food.

The intake of food should be such that it lowers the heat of the body. Banana stem (Vazhapindi), gooseberry (nellikka) and leafy vegetables like leaves of drumstick (muringa ela) are some of the items that help in maintaining a balance and provide nutrition too, said Dr. Gokulan.

Ayurveda is also one of the best methods for managing degenerative diseases of the eyes, he said. By Shyama Rajagopal, The Hindu

If you’re trying to keep your cholesterol in check, what should you eat?

Harvard HEALTHbeat offers some dietary options for lowering your cholesterol:

• Oats. An easy first step to improving your cholesterol is having a bowl of oatmeal or cold oat-based cereal like Cheerios for breakfast.

• Barley and other whole grains can also help lower the risk of heart disease.

• Beans. Beans are especially rich in soluble fiber. They also take awhile for the body to digest, meaning you feel full for longer after a meal.

• Eggplant and okra are low-calorie vegetables that are good sources of soluble fiber.

• Nuts. Studies show that eating almonds, walnuts, peanuts, and other nuts is good for the heart. Eating two ounces of nuts a day can lower LDL by about 5 percent. Nuts have additional nutrients that protect the heart.

• Vegetable oils. Using liquid vegetable oils such as canola, sunflower, safflower, and others in place of butter, lard, or shortening helps lower LDL.

• Apples, grapes, strawberries, citrus fruits. These fruits are rich in pectin, a type of soluble fiber.

• Fatty fish. Eating fish two or three times a week can lower LDL. The Miami Herald

Betty Corey first thought the hissing from her Lakebay, Wash., kitchen might be one of her dogs. Wrong. It was a 4-foot-long ball python. Not a fan of snakes, Corey called 911 and a Pierce County Animal Control officer removed the snake Tuesday morning. Officer Brian Boman said the agency will house the snake at its shelter, keeping it warm and close at hand if its owner is looking for it.

Boman says it’s likely a pet that escaped from a nearby house. He notes it needs a temperature between 80 and 85 degrees and couldn’t survive long in the wild this time of year.

Corey said the snake likely slithered into her home through the doggie door. The Guardian

Nowadays, the corporate employees not only stretch themselves beyond their responsibilities, but also stretch their muscles in the office gym.

A little bit of planning and a few small additions in one’s office routine can help one a healthier lifestyle. According to a World Health Organisation report, India could incur losses to the tune of $237 billion by 2015 due to rise in lifestyle diseases like heart disease, diabetes, stroke and cancer, because of unhealthy workplaces.

Here are some easy everyday things you can do to get healthy and fit while at your workplace: Stay hydrated: Water helps your body with physical and mental performance, detoxification and digestion. Keep a water bottle at your desk and you’ll find it much easier to drink the recommend eight glasses of water each day. It will ease stress and result in sustained energy throughout the day. You can also supplement it with fresh lemonade and coconut water, etc, to avoid monotony.

Make reasons to walk around: Give yourself several reasons to take a break and move around after every 40 minutes. Simply getting up and moving around for a few moments can keep you focused, less fatigued and feeling better. For example, avoid ordering a cup of coffee/ tea at your desk, go and get it yourself or while speaking with someone on cell phone walk around till you end the call. Get down from your car if driven by a chauffer a few blocks before your office and walk the remaining distance provided you leave home 10 to 15 minutes before your usual time.

Hit the office gym in lunch hours: Try to exercise for 30 minutes during the lunch time and grab a bite at your desk afterwards. Encourage having an area of a simple gym in your office. It could be jogger or a stationary bicycle or a treadmill.

Simple stretching: People often face stress, back and joint pains and weight gain problems at work. To get rid of such health problems, while sitting in your chair, flex your feet and circle your ankles, stretch your legs and arms as frequent as you can.

Take the stairs: Whenever possible, get moving and take the stairs rather than the elevator. Taking stairs will keep you fit and energetic.

Pack healthy snacks: Rather than buying chips, junk food and sodas during office hours, bring some granola, fruit or raw veggies to snack on. This healthy diet will keep your energy levels fit and steady.

Conduct meetings on the go: When it’s practical, schedule walking meetings or brainstorming sessions. Do laps inside your building or take your walking meetings outdoors.

Participate in different office games: Office games such as table tennis, basket ball are an interesting way to keep healthy and fit. These games not only keep your energy levels high but also keep your body in good shape. By Norbert Rego, The Times Of India

Alcohol abuse cost New Mexico 993 lives and nearly $2.5 billion in 2006 in lost productivity, health care expenses and costs associated with property loss from crashes and fires, a new report shows.

The report, released Tuesday by the state Health Department, showed costs associated with alcohol abuse averaged $1.25 per New Mexican and were 26 times higher than the $97 million in tax revenue collected from alcohol sales.

The report covers 2006, the latest year for which data are available, and gives amounts in 2006 dollars.

“You have to examine it both from the human side and the financial side,” Chris Minnick, a spokesman for the department, said Wednesday. “It’s pretty shocking.”

The 993 deaths attributed to alcohol that year represent about 27,000 years of potential life lost, the report said.

The leading cause of alcohol-related death was chronic liver disease, which killed 271 people. Other alcohol-related deaths were attributed to vehicle accidents, falls, suicides, murders, injuries and other chronic diseases.

New Mexico had one of the highest alcohol-related death rates in the United States in 2006, totaling 1.7 times the national rate.

The loss of productivity due to death, illness and incarceration accounted for 71 percent, or $1.7 billion, of the economic cost of alcohol abuse.

Sixteen percent of the cost, or $415 million, came from health care costs, including alcohol prevention and treatment programs. By Heather Clark, The News Tribune

Oil prices fell two percent on Tuesday after data showed the US economy grew at a slower-than-expected pace last quarter and ahead of weekly US inventory data expected to show crude stocks rose.

A slower recovery from the worst US recession in seven decades may hurt demand for crude. The world’s largest economy grew at an annual rate of 2.8 percent last quarter, the Commerce Department said, revising downward its earlier estimate of 3.5 percent growth.

Consumer spending, which typically accounts for more than two-thirds of US economic activity, also lagged behind estimates last month, the Commerce Department said.

“We don’t like the GDP figures, and we’re worried about a potential build in crude stocks,” said Tim Evans, oil analyst with Citi Futures Perspective in New York. “Consumer spending is weaker than expected — and that’s where we hoped to see a pickup in petroleum demand.”

US crude for January delivery fell $1.54, or 2 percent, to settle at $76.02 a barrel. In London, Brent crude settled down $1.00 at $76.46.

Data may show that US crude oil and fuel stocks rose last week, as Gulf of Mexico production recovered after a tropical storm shut platforms in the previous week.

Crude stocks likely rose 1.2 million barrels in the week to November 20, while stocks of gasoline likely rose slightly and distillates fell slightly, according to the average analyst estimate in a Reuters poll.

Inventory data from the private industry group American Petroleum Institute was due at 4:30 p.m. EST Tuesday, followed by official data from the Department of Energy early Wednesday.

Oil prices have risen from below $33 a barrel last December, although they are still around 48 percent lower than a record above $147 reached in July 2008.

Prices have risen amid rallying stock markets and a weaker US dollar, which makes crude cheaper for holders of foreign currency. The S&P 500 index rose into positive territory in late trade after falling earlier Tuesday. The dollar index was slightly stronger.

Global oil demand growth will outpace new oil supplies in 2010, eroding stockpiles of crude that have risen during the economic crisis, according to a Reuters survey on Tuesday.

The poll of 10 top oil-tracking analysts and organisations forecast oil demand to rise by 1.3 million barrels per day next year.

US consumer confidence rose in November, after an unexpected drop in October, industry group The Conference Board said on Tuesday.

But analysts remain worried about the pace of fuel demand recovery. US retail gasoline demand fell 1.6 percent last week versus the previous week, and it was down 1.4 percent from the same week of 2008, according to a report from MasterCard SpendingPulse on Tuesday.

Opec, the exporters’ group that pumps one in three barrels of oil worldwide, must be careful not to collapse oil prices by oversupplying the market, Nigerian Oil Minister Rilwanu Lukman told reporters in Washington on Tuesday. Members of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries next meet to discuss output policy in Angola on December 22. The group has not changed its production targets this year. By Joshua Schneyer, Business Report.

Japanese auto major Toyota today said it is considering to set up an engine and transmission plant in India as it looks to use more vehicle parts made here in its cars than import them.

The company, which has a joint venture ~ Toyota Kirloskar Motor ~ with the Kirloskar Group for its Indian operations, may set up the new plant at its upcoming second factory in Bangalore.

“In order to localise production (more), in future I am very keen to set up a transmission and engine unit in the second plant,” Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) managing director, Mr Hiroshi Nakagawa said on the sidelines of Environmentally Friendly Vehicles Conference here.

TKM is investing Rs 3,200 crore in the second facility, which will have an initial capacity of 70,000 units as it gears to launch a small car in the Indian market by early 2011. Depending on demand the firm may increase the installed capacity to 200,000 units. “The initial production (at the second plant) will be 70,000 units and depending on demand we will ramp it up to 200,000 units,” Mr Nakagawa said.

Asked if hiking the installed capacity from the proposed 100,000 units to 200,000 units will call for extra investments, Mr Nakagawa said, “if it requires we will consider, but we will do it step by step.”

He said the idea of having an engine and transmission plant in India was to increase localisation levels from the current average of 50 per cent.

The company currently produces its vehicles, including the popular multi-utility van Innova and sedan Corolla Altis, from its first plant in Bangalore that has an annual capacity of 80,000 units. The Statesman