You may be leaving out vital nutrients as you peel your food

PEELING BAD Nutritionist Dr Nandita Shah shares more such tips to give your food a plant-based makeover  Granted, you're living in a concrete jungle where you have no control over pesticides in your baingan and adulteration of your milk. You are also too busy to bother about what you feed yourself, often rushing to grab a burger, gorge on a pizza and wash these down with a cola. Indeed, the reasons trotted out for treating our body to junk are many. Health foods? — Too expensive. Counting nutrients? — impractical. Organic and natural food? — not always possible in a city like Mumbai. But the wrong diet is the root cause of all illnesses. The way out? Make small changes in your eating patterns. Don't make a 360-degree change, go one step at a time. Try to be as natural as possible, gradually include more raw foods and get rid of unhealthy eating patterns. Here are easy-to-adopt plant-based diet practices that can help ward off (and in most cases, reverse) ailments like obesity, diabetes, gastric problems etc.  NO TO ANIMAL PROTEIN  Don't pack in protein from animal sources — cheese, milk, meat, butter, eggs etc. Unlike plant-based protein sources, these take more time to digest, making you feel heavy and bloated. To make matters worse, unknowingly there is a tendency to have acidic food to help digest the protein (eg. gulping cola along with a cheesy pizza or alcohol with meat). And as is commonly known, one of the bottomlines of a good diet is to avoid acidic food (animal products, sugar, dairy, sugar and colas) and have more alkaline stuff (fruits, vegetables). Too much acid also leads to long-term thinning of the bones and lower muscle mass. Moreover, meat contains huge amount of animal fat that's a direct cause of obesity, heart diseases, cholesterol etc.      Moral of the story? If you want to avoid the afore-mentioned diseases, give your body a protein shake up with normal greens and fruits.  DAIRY CAN BE AVOIDED  Have soya milk or almond milk if you can't do without your daily glass of milk. Dairy products, especially the ones available after all the processes and adulteration in cities these days, do your body no good.  OILY FACT  You can fry onions in water. Watch your oil consumption. The best way to consume oil is through nuts and seeds rather than the refined form where all fibre is lost. Think you cannot make your sabji without a generous dollop of ghee? Here's how you do it. Add a little salt to soften the onions and fry them in a pan without oil or fat. If you feel it sticks, just sprinkle a little water. Your onions will get fried just as well.  CHANGE YOUR COOKING STYLE  Healthy, oil-free cooking might take a little longer than usual, but it's worth the wait. Begin using vegetable broth to cook your sabjis and curries. Can't do without tasty (oily) temptations like ragda patties or cutlets? Simply coat your patties in fine peanut powder and roast them. It might take a while, but the oil released from the peanuts is enough to cook them. Try it to believe it.  HAVE WHOLE FOODS  Eat only whole foods because most of the nutrients and flavour is in the skin and when you peel them, you throw away the nutrients. Ever wondered why you add sauces and masalas to spice up vegetables? It's because while peeling the skin,you are ridding it of its flavours too. If you learn to cook with whole foods, you won't feel the need to artificially flavour them with sauces. Similarly, have unpolished rice instead of white rice, atta instead of maida.  USE WATER SPARINGLY  Washing vegetables, grains and fruits well is necessary but don't overdo it, else you'll lose all nutrients. Steam your veggies instead of boiling them, you'll require less water and retain nutrients too. Also, never wash vegetables after chopping them.  HAVE FRUITS SEPARATELY  Do not combine fruits with a meal. Fruits digest very quickly compared to other foods, is very sugary and therefore 'ferments' in your stomach. This is fine normally, but if you eat fruit after eating a lot of other foods that digest more slowly, then the fermenting fruit sits in your stomach a lot longer and can cause bloating, gas and discomfort. Also have fruits whole, instead of juices. The calories are higher in juices and with fruits, you'll get your fibre too.  FOLLOW THE MONKEY  Nature is the best teacher and among all animals, man's closest relative monkey leads the way. Ever seen a monkey peel an apple? But it certainly does so for a banana or an orange. Follow the principle in your diet too! Never peel fruits and vegetables that don't need peeling. (Dr Nandita Shah is the founder of SHARAN, an organisation promoting healthy lifestyle and organic farming). CO-ORDINATED BY LEKHA MENON

Solutions of Vaginal discharge

Vaginal discharge or Fluor Albus is abnormal vaginal secretion in women. Female vaginal discharge caused by infection which is usually accompanied by intense itching in the vagina and around the outer labia, which often led to this women vaginal discharges include bacteria, viruses, fungi or parasites as well. These infections can spread and cause inflammation of the urinary tract, causing pain when the patient urinates.

Some important tips you can do to overcome vaginal discharge are:

• Clean the sex organs with the vaginal cleaning that does not interfere with the pH stability around the vagina. One of these cleaning products or vagina drugs made from natural ingredients or herbs. Such products can maintain the pH balance while enhancing normal flora growth and suppress the growth of unfriendly bacteria. Commonly used antiseptic soap is hard and can be normal flora in the vagina. This is not beneficial for vaginal health in the long term.

• Avoid the use of talc in the female organs with the aim of vaginal fragrant and dry throughout the day. Powder has a fine particles are easily tucked here and there and eventually invited fungi and bacteria lodged in the place.

• Always dry the vagina before dressing.

• Use dry underwear. If wet or damp, try to quickly replace with a clean. Nothing wrong you bring a spare pair in a small bag just in case when you need to change.

• Use fabric underwear to absorb sweat, like cotton. Satin pants or other synthetic materials make the atmosphere around the intimate organs hot and humid.

• Outer clothing is also noteworthy. Jeans are not recommended because the pore is very tight. Choose a skirt or pants as a non-jeans material for air circulation around the intimate organs to move freely.

• When menstruation, frequently changing the bandage to prevent vagina discharge.

Positive benefits of Mushrooms (Mushroom Food)

Based on the results of research conducted by mushroom experts, mushroom has positive benefits for our bodies and highly recommended for consumption.

Mushrooms (Mushroom Food) contain many anti-bacteria efficacy, antiviral, antioxidant, antitumor, can normalize blood pressure, lower cholesterol, boost immunity, strengthen the nerves and reduce stress.

Ear fungus

High blood pressure or hardening of blood vessels due to blood clotting: 3 grams of dried ear mushrooms, soaked overnight and discard the water leaving wet mushrooms, place in hamper, add water until soft, add sugar for taste then eat once a day.

Less blood can be solved. Cook ear mushrooms (Mushroom Fried) 30 grams, plus 30 grams of fruit and dates, plus 5 cups of clean water cooked until the remaining 1 cup water. It can also be applied above to treat hemorrhoid pain or ambeian.

If women’s period is not well and not smooth bowel movements, cook ear mushroom with other ingredients such as vegetables.

Shitake Mushrooms

Shitake also known as food which has potential as a drug. This fungus has been reported as potential antitumor and antiviral compounds that contain lentinan. Shitake has also been reported for lower blood cholesterol levels with activities that have eritadenin.

High glutamic acid is in shitake. Amino acids are associated with the resulted taste of seasoning foods (Fried Mushroom). Besides having high glutamic acid contained, shitake also contains 5 ribunukleotida large amounts of 156.5 mg/100 ml.

Maitake Mushrooms

Maitake is estimated have came from chemicals called polysaccharides Glukan Beta 1.6, which is contained in the mushrooms. These elements are then considered to distinguish Maitake mushrooms with other types of fungi.

Maitake mushrooms are also started to be used as an alternative remedy for HIV or AIDS. The basic concept is the CD4 cells which re-grow on the patient, which is known decreasing. In a final experiment in New York, USA on 26 AIDS patients, 13 patients had experienced an increase in CD 4 cells rapidly. Maitake also eliminate the symptoms of AIDS, such as dry cough, insomnia, dermatitis, weight loss, and constipation.

Well, what kind of mushroom or mushroom food you like best?

Spa using Natural Materials

There are many materials used for spa;

1. Turmeric

Turmeric for Spa can be used as an antioxidant, antiseptic, antibacterial, antifungal and allergy. Eliminate itching of the skin, and also serves as a stimulant to the blood circulation smoothly.

2. Powder

To refine the skin, treat irritated skin tissue, as antiseptic, get rid of body odor, and helps eliminate fatigue.

3. Coffee

As a thrower toxin (detox). Coffee used in spa such as coconut spa to eliminate scars or mosquito bites, improve blood circulation, improve skin metabolism so that the skin becomes healthier and stronger.

4. Green tea

These antioxidants can be used in a natural spa.

5. Chocolate

As anti-aging substance because chocolate contains antioxidants that can fight damaged cells. Likewise coconut spa is used.

6. Milk

Bleaching, softening, rejuvenating, and accelerate the regeneration of skin tissue in a way likewise it is used in spa services.

Healthy Chocolate

Many types of chocolate are available in the market. Some are expensive, some are cheap. What are the differences? Here is a comparison of chocolates and benefits of each.

* Dark Chocolate

Dark Chocolate contain cocoa beans (cocoa) is highest that at least 70% contains cocoa. Dark chocolate has the most cocoa or chocolate seeds, without a lot of sugar and no trans fats or hydrogenated vegetable oil (HVO).

* White Chocolate

While white chocolate has only 33% cocoa atau chocolate seeds, the rest is sugar, milk and vanilla. This sugar content can give negative effects, such as tooth decay and diabetes. This types of chocolate usually made for souvenirs.

* Milk Chocolate

Milk chocolate is cocoa mixed with milk and sugar added. This type of chocolate is also very popular because it tastes delicious. And also of course be great demand souveniryang chocolate.

What Makes Failure on Diet Program

What makes a diet / lose weight go up and down like a yo-yo is the excessive desire to eat every time when having a problem. So it is needed special tricks to resist the temptation to be an emotional eater. Here's a guide:

Remember that every success must be accompanied by a strong effort. It means, if we allow ourselves to sink into the emotions, the food business would be two times heavier than the first time we run diet programs.

Basically every healthy diet has the same message that we are able to provide the best. So do not ever want to be defeated by circumstances. When problems roared, face and find the solution to finding a natural diet.

Do it for yourself. We can make a maximum result of diet programs in natural ways, if we do it for ourselves. So find a reason why we should make a healthy diet and do it wholeheartedly.

Do not let the fear of failure descend away too long. Remember the fear of failure before the war, will never lead us to the goal.

Magnetic Medical Bracelet

Earth is the natural magnetic field. The human body is also a magnetic field as a result of bio-electrical processes in the body. In normal conditions, electrons and ions work in balance. If the balance is interrupted, then the flow and distribution in the cell will be affected and this is usually the root of many diseases caused by organ dysfunction.

Medical bracelet that contains a magnet can help you restore the damaged organs by balancing bio-magnetic in the body. Healthy people have positive and negative ions which are balanced. Nowadays, people do some activities inside the vehicles and tall buildings. Many of them use electrical tools, high voltage cables and computers, cellphones which makes us always associated with positive magnetic field, which is not good for our health.

In addition, consuming too much meat and acidic foods, will affect the balance of positive and negative ions, making us connect with the positive magnetic field (positive and acidity). This affects our metabolism so that the various symptoms of the disease will appear, and there are uric acid, stomach acid, etc.. Conversely, a negative magnetic field (negative, weakly alkaline) will normalize the metabolism and acid base balance in the body, and regulate organ functions well.

If you usually do health & beauty treatments with spa, including coconut spa, you can now try to use this bio-energy as a solution to health & beauty problems.

Today, too much positive magnet, while negative energy magnet issued by the bracelet & health jewelry will manage and help to improve your blood circulation and make the nervous system work properly. Some people call it also as an alternative treatment solutions, or also known as spiritual health.

Keep Your Heart Health with Yoga

Yoga exercises for eight weeks is proved to benefit patients with heart disease who had a heart attack and reduce the signs of a risk of inflammation which is often associated with death, according to a recent study published recently.

More than five million U.S. citizens suffer from chronic heart disease one condition, in which in the long run will come to the heart can not pump blood efficiently to the body.

Health problems and deaths from the disease remains in high levels even now already uses drugs effective therapy to cope with these conditions.

Researchers at the School of Medicine at Emory University in Atlanta who assess the effectiveness of spiritual practice of yoga for six weeks by 19 patients who had suffered heart attacks, get the physical exercise of yoga to reduce the signs of inflammation associated with heart failure, while it also has increased tolerance of physical exercise and quality of life.

"Many people believe that the additional practice of spiritual health yoga will also benefit heart health recovery," said the researchers who carried a presentation on their findings at the annual meeting of Heart Disease. "In addition, yoga exercises also give effect to the mechanism of action involving the advancement of the patients who had experienced heart failure.

The study also found striking differences in the levels of biological signals in the blood - interleukin-6, reactive protein-C and cellular extra dismutase superoxide between patients who underwent a spiritual practice of yoga with health patients who only received standard therapy. Patients who do yoga exercises, receive medical treatment without experiencing complications.

In addition patients who follow the practice of yoga has decreased symptoms or biological signs in the blood by 26 percent who set the standard quality of life compared with 3 per cent decline from just patients undergoing medical therapy alone.

"Yoga is a type of aerobics, because it is not surprising such impact in terms of signs of the inflammation," said Dr. Nieca Goldberg, who suggested the spiritual practice of yoga and tai chi a martial arts traditional come from China to the patient, thus Reuters.

Know Leeches for Your Health

Leeches can live in brackish water fields. These animals have a habit of sucking the blood of other animals or humans. Therefore you must becareful when you are in a puddle of water, swamps or rivers. If it's sucking human blood, these animals will continue to stick to the skin even if you are not going to pull off with all his strength, it just let go of the victim when it was satisfied, and his body full of blood bubbled prey.

If bitten by leech quickly take the ashes, the ashes scattered, or alcohol in his body then it’s going to die. These leeches cut off his body for reproduction, he will not die, cut his body will become a new leech.

A good type of leeches for treatment is a brownish-black and clean. Leeches contain protein and anti-blood clotting, it’s a scientific substance called hirudin or hemaphilin, the main specialty of those substances is to prevent blood clotting.

1. Managing Leeches

Leech is usually taken in the dry season, how to catch it is by using ashes, or ditties with kerosene then dried with drying it under the hot rays of the sun or in baking.

Leech that had been cleaned fried with sesame oil until yellow, then dry it. There is also a difference between the original leeches’ oil and that does not.

2. Some Benefits Leeches

a. Solve blood

b. Launched an irregular menstrual

c. Raising and tense balls

d. Live leech used to suck a sick body parts such as itching, rashes and scabies, scabies is difficult to recover.

3. Use

a. Drunk in powder form from 2 to 4 grams

b. For topical medications such as oil leeches (leech oil), soaked and leeches taken alive fluid

4. Abstinence

a. For those who have weak body, less blood, who does not have frozen blood, pregnant women are prohibited from using this drug.

b. Leeches should not be mixed with salt

Acupuncture Therapy Benefits to Health

One of usage of Acupuncture therapy is therapy which has provided success way for relieving pain or anesthetics. Patients usually conscious when they receive Acupuncture anesthesia therapy.

Acupuncture therapy or accupunture is also used to treat children affected by autism. It has been shown to restore the behavior of children afflicted with autism to be normal.

Acupuncture points have electrical characteristics that are very unusual. These points can flow around the electric flow to the skin and the adjacent or related areas. However, the amazing thing is the point changes following the emotions of Acupuncture patients.

Chinese Medicine also linked the weather relationship with the 5 elements of wood, water, fire, metal, and earth with one's health and disease. When the organ in the body is associated with the 5 elements and the Yin and Yang, for example, wood is associated with liver, heart with fire, lymph nodes with the earth or land.

However, the most important thing in managing Acupuncture is pulse diagnosis. This is an important thing because it can diagnose the disease which has been experienced by the patient. This allows acupuncture practitioners knowing the background easily one disease.

In addition, practitioners of traditional acupuncture or Acupuncture can also measure the organ abnormalities, in the meridian with the pulse of the radial artery at the wrist. Abnormalities in the organs, these meridians can reach 14 kinds of arterial pulse on both wrists. Acupuncture is also used for Acupuncture Beauty.

However, experts argue that only Acupuncture pulses 5 or 6 are usually the subject of diagnosis for treatment purposes. In addition, traditional Acupuncture Therapists will also examine the tongue, skin color, hair, and the position and movement of body gestures, breathing and the sound of voices in acupuncture or acupuncture therapy. In addition, style and lifestyle, diet, adequate sleep habits, stress thoughts, and reactions to the disease include disease-level affect someone. This process is known as 'Pelpitating or pulse palpitations' that diagnose the Qi flow disorders or often called chi and diseases of internal organs. You can find acupuncture points for depression here.

Healthy with Candle Therapy

Have you ever heard Ear Candle therapy? Ear Candle therapy is the therapy candles that use a special candle burned.

Ear Candle therapy has been already done centuries ago. It is said that this therapy comes from ancient Indian tribes in South America. Initially using corn skin dipped in a beehive. Now it is used special candle made of quality linen coated wasp nest. There is holes in the middle.

How to use it is putting a candle in a container such therapy coasters that have been drilled, so the candle can be through. Place the tip of the candle in the ear canal, while the other end was burned. After about 15 minutes, make the fire of candle off, then repeated for the other ear.

After that, cut both ends of the candle and there will be visible dirt. That's the dirt from the ears of the reach of ear cleaning. How? Smoke or steam from the candle takes all the dirt.

Ear Candle therapy is best done by experts or mistakenly you can burn your ear. Besides ear discharge, ear therapy can eliminate insomnia, vertigo, overcome ear infections, hearing sharpens, overcoming insomnia, reduce sinusitis, overcome ear buzzing, cure asthma, coughs and colds, and respiratory relief.

This therapy was not only useful for ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat). We have a lot of beauty salons as well as providing care services Ear Candle Therapy. This therapy can help to eliminate acne and gives freshness to the face. Besides, this therapy also can be used for relaxation. The smoke produced from burning candles can make us relax.

If undertaken regularly, this therapy can get rid of ear diseases mentioned above. After Ear Candle therapy, the effect will be felt immediately, you'll sleep even more soundly.

‘Low-cal’ foods are everywhere, but if you pick the wrong ones you could end up fatter.

LOW& BEHOLD  Here are some which are worthwhile and those that aren't WORTH BUYING Diet drinks  A standard can of cola has around seven teaspoons of sugar and about 130 calories. By comparison, artificially sweetened versions are virtually calorie and sugar-free, so there's really no contest if you're watching your weight. But it's worth remembering that additive-free water is still the healthiest drink.  Low-fat spreads  Fats you spread on bread make up a significant proportion of the total fat in the average diet, so choosing a low-fat one is a very easy way to make a significant impact on how much fat you eat.  Skimmed milk  If you consume half a pint of milk daily you can cut your saturated fat intake by 6.5g daily (one-third of the daily maximum recommended for women) by swapping from full fat to skimmed. Choosing semiskimmed instead gives a 2.3g reduction. MAYBE WORTH IT Reduced fat crisps  These have a third less fat than the standard ones, but with more than 20 per cent fat they are still a high-fat food.  Healthy ready meals  These can be a good bet if you want convenience and low calories. But you can find healthy meals in the standard ranges too. As a guide, look for those that have less than 20g fat and 5g saturated fat and fewer than 400 cals. Better, do yourself a quick chicken and veg stir fry which can be ready in virtually the same time as a microwave meal.  Low-fat sausages  If you love sausages these represent a much healthier choice. But they are still high in fat compared with lean meat. Have them no more than once a week.LEAVE ON THE SHELF Diet yoghurts  Diet yoghurt is likely to be loaded with artificial sweeteners, starch and gelatine. Natural yogurt with added ripe, sweet fruit is healthier, tastier and no higher in calories.  Reduced-fat biscuits  Although reduced-fat biscuits contain 25 per cent less fat, their sugar content is higher, and the overall calorie saving per biscuit is too marginal to bother about. A reduced fat digestive has only four calories fewer than a full fat one for example. — DAILY MIRROR

10 m Indians suffer food allergies

Mumbai: The nightmare began even before three-year-old Piyush Patil had finished his cupful of a popular health drink. Clutching his throat as though choking and his skin breaking into hives, the child collapsed even as panic-stricken members of the Mulund household ran helter-skelter looking for doctors' numbers.      It was Piyush's mother, Sheela, who recognised the signs immediately: an allergic reaction to peanut. The Patils, who live in New York but were visiting relatives in Mulund when the accident occurred, had known about Piyush's allergy for a year. Piyush—who was in a condition called anaphylatic (neartoxic) shock that many people fail to recognise—was rushed to a nearby nursing home for a life-saving shot of steroids. He was fine after the injection, but the Patils, who returned home a few days ago, are scarred.      "I have been meticulously avoiding anything that even vaguely mentioned peanut, but in Mumbai I found no labels on food or drinks to suggest the inclusion of peanut,'' says Sheela. For instance, the health drink that she had bought from a local shop in Mulund only mentioned "edible oils''. "Had it specifically mentioned groundnut oil, I would never have forced Piyush to drink it,'' she says. What got her worked up is the fact that packets of, say, Glucose biscuits or Kurkure chips exported to New York from India compulsorily carry a special label delineating the kind of edible oils and salts used in the product. "One wonders why the same labelling system isn't practised in India,'' she asks.     The Patils' experience underlines the inadequate labelling system in India and also shows how widespread food allergies are. "Food allergies affect 1% of the population, a sizeable one crore people,'' says Dr Pramod Niphadkar, the specialist who treated Piyush. Lax labelling on food items abets allergies  Mumbai: Food allergies account for 5% of all allergies in India. In the United States, studies show that one in every 25 adults suffers from some form of allergy to food items such as eggs, nuts and milk (see box alongside).      According to Dr Pramod Niphadkar, many Indians are unaware that they could be allergic to besan or chickpea (chana dal) or even amla. He suggests that people who have suffered episodes of food allergy should carry an alert card. "Not only medical staff but even the public should be educated about an anaphylatic attack, which is a serious allergic reaction and can result in death,'' he says.      Niphadkar recollects the case of an engineer, son of a well-known doctor, who suffered an anaphylatic shock twice in one week. Detailed history-taking revealed that the Silicon Valley engineer, who was visiting his parents in Dadar, was allergic to alma and has been avoiding the Vitamin C-rich fruit.      The other serious issue is the inadequate labelling mechanism. While India has the Food Safety and Standards 2006 Act in place, the labelling mechanism is still nascent. "We have achieved some success,'' says Bejon Misra, CEO of Consumer VOICE, a New Delhi-based NGO.      "At present, many foodstuffs carry labels detailing the presence of colours and additives as well as the nutritional value of ingredients. There is a move to help patients with diabetes and cholesterol by stating details of sugar and cholesterol.''      However, Misra concedes that India still lags far behind other countries who are members of the CODEX Alimenatrius Commission of the Food and Agriculture Organisation and the World Health Organisation, which was set up two decades ago to draw up standardised guidelines for foodstuff.      "If the United States has detailed labels even on Indian imports, it is because of the local laws there. Only when India follows it will people with food allergies benefit,'' says Misra.  WHAT IS A FOOD ALLERGY?      It is the body's immune system response to a food that is mistakenly perceived as harmful      Ingestion of the offending food may trigger the release of chemicals, including histamine, resulting in symptoms of an allergic reaction      Symptoms may be mild (rashes, hives, itching, swelling, etc) or severe (trouble breathing, wheezing, loss of consciousness etc)      One could be allergic to any food, but eight foods—milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts (walnuts, cashews etc), fish, shellfish, soy and wheat—account for 90% of all reactions      Anaphylaxis is a serious allergic reaction that is rapid in onset and may cause death      According to US stats, one in 25 adults suffers from some form of food allergy. The corresponding figure for children is one in 17  (Source: American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology)

Why does a woman’s heart skip a beat?

On World Heart Day, doctors advise Indian men to have a heart and look after their wives  Empowerment at the price of a healthy heart? More Indian women than ever before are joining the workforce, their hearts are skipping more than just a beat and it's not always because of a man. It's part of the global picture, which has women accounting for 15-20% of heart disease.      Dr Ashok Seth, chairman of Delhi's Escorts Hospital, says, modern women face more stress than their mothers and grandmothers. "More of them are coping with high-pressure jobs, and also looking after their homes, giving them heart disease 10 years earlier." Seth warns women to "pay more attention to themselves" because heart disease is likely to be the number one killer within five years.      Doctors agree heart disease afflicts women at least a decade before they could expect it. Earlier, it would strike women over 60, but now, it's hitting them at 50, says Dr Praveen Chandra, director of Cardiac Cath Lab of Delhi's Max Hospital.      Stress is often compounded by neglect. Dr Kushagra Kataria, CEO and chief cardiothoracic surgeon of Gurgaon's Artemis Hospital says it is very noticeable "that when women come in with their sick husbands, they wait till they have get treated first and then tell me they too have the same symptoms." Perhaps the best advice for Indian men on World Heart Day should be 'Have a heart' and look after your women.      Do they face the same risks? Women initially have the advantage because the female hormone, estrogen, protects the heart. But menopausal women have declining estrogen levels and the risk equals that of men, say cardiologists. Women who pop the pill are more at risk because oral contraceptives are thought to increase the risk of blood clots, says Chandra.  The changing mindset of the Indian woman means the rise of what Kataria calls "the Type A" personality (aggressive, ambitious, impatient), often seen in men. Type As are more prone to heart disease.  Most scary is women exhibiting atypical symptoms of an attack. Seth says "women may not always show typical angina symptoms, but could just suffer from breathlessness." He adds this "is often dismissed as lack of fitness. Their treadmill exercise test too shows greater negative results."  Women need to know that the pain preceding a heart attack could be just about anywhere – the upper arms, shoulder, back, jaws, tooth, groin, head, adds Kataria. This, because the heart itself has no nerves but the outer membrane does and "when the heart is deprived of oxygen during an attack, these nerves send out signals to nerves elsewhere and the pain manifests itself in any of these areas."      But the heart of the matter is that women respond worse to angioplasty and bypass, says Seth, probably due to their smaller arteries. Chandra adds that a woman generally has a more severe heart attack than a man, so it is more likely to be fatal.  FOR A SAFE HEART  Have a check-up once you're over 30, or if you have a family history of heart disease  Check your cholesterol and sugar levels and have a Treadmill Exercise Test  Breathlessness and indigestion, which is unrelieved by medicine, could be symptoms