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Spirulina: An Algae Which is a Superfood (No, Really!)

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It looks a little bit like pond scum, but – as they say, never judge a book by its cover – if you stick with that theory you’ll quickly learn that the blue-green algae, known as spirulina, is truly the earth’s biological gift to vitamin supplement takers everywhere. Did you know that it grows naturally in alkaline water in warm regions around the world. India though, has its own dedicated centre for clean-grown spirulina in Auroville, Pondicherry, where the climate is perfect for the algae to develop, filled with just…

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Is It Possible to Be Too Flexible?

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Can you actually be too flexible? It depends. Some people are just naturally bendier than others. Flexibility, in general, comes down to the range of motion of your joints and the elasticity of your muscles and connective tissues. Your muscles and some connective tissues are malleable and can lengthen and become more flexible if you stretch regularly. So it’s not necessarily a bad thing to be, say, a yogi who is becoming more lithe, if you’ve been working at your flexibility safely. On the other hand, joints are stabilized by…

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Why Crawling Is the Ultimate Total-Body Exercise

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Photo: Getty Images When you think of crawling, you probably think of adorable little rugrats. But according to Mayo Clinic physical therapist Danielle Johnson, crawling is an essential move for grown-ups too. She actually does it every day—and she’s not alone. Health and fitness experts are ravingabout the benefits of crawling, and other so-called fundamental movements. Squatting, jumping, running, hanging, balancing—they all fall into the same category. Essentially, fundamental movements are things we master as kids, but stop doing as we age. And that’s a shame because these activities engage our…

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Power Yoga: Is it Really Worth the Hype?

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In the words of Yogacharya Anoop of the Chaitanya Foundation, the traditional form of yoga focuses on correcting and strengthening the nervous system in order to benefit the body. Edit out the pauses, the breaks and trim down the necessity to hold a posture and you get Power Yoga. The practice entails doing asanas back-to-back, without stopping. “The traditional form of yoga requires you to focus on breathing and holding a posture for a number of breaths. This not only affects the nervous system but has an impact on your…

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Is Cardiac Health All in Your Genes?

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The good news: Healthy behaviour appears to slash the risk of coronary disease in people at high genetic risk for events. The bad news: Folks with “good genes” cant expect their genetic makeup to offset bad habits, warns a senior cardiologist here. Basically, it means that the foundation for prevention has to be lifestyle, because it makes a difference regardless of your genetic risk factor. If you were at high genetic risk, you are not fated to have the problem. Lifestyle is important regardless of whether your genetic risk is…

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Risk to Human from Bird Flu Sub-Type H5N8 is Low: Government

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The risk to human population from avian influenza sub-type H5N8 is “low” but the government has issued advisories to states and Union Territories to minimise bird-human interface as a matter of “abundant caution”, Rajya Sabha was informed today. Outbreak of bird flu was first reported on October 18 among wild birds in National Zoological Park in Delhi and since then samples from Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Punjab and Haryana have been tested positive at Bhopal-based National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD). Minister of State for Health Faggan Singh…

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