The throbbing in your head

Headaches may be a common ailment, but it is not widely known that there are different kinds of headaches. Dr Loh Pei Kee, consultant neurologist at Ara Damansara Medical Centre, breaks down headaches into two categories – primary and secondary.

JULY 21, 2019

Dr Loh Pei Kee.

Primary headaches are the most common form of headache. Some common subtypes include tension-type headaches, migraines, and trigeminal autonomic cephalalgias (TACs). Tension-type headaches are usually “band-like”, fairly diffused and often mildly to moderately painful.

Migraine is more severe, with the headache commonly throbbing over one side of the head and associated with nausea or vomiting and sensitivity to light and noise. TACs are characterised by attacks of moderate to severe unilateral pain in the head and face, commonly associated with symptoms such as nasal congestion, eyelid swelling, lacrimation and ptosis.

Secondary headaches occur when external sources cause the headache. Dr Loh classifies them as:

♦ Trauma-related headaches, which are caused by trauma to the head and neck.
♦ Vascular-related headaches, which stem from issues involving the blood vessels, including aneurysms, arteriovenous malformation, inflammation of the blood vessels or arteritis, artery dissection and haemorrhagic strokes.
♦ Non-vascular-related headaches, which comprise a broader scope and can be caused by tumours, increased or low cerebrospinal fluid pressure or inflammatory processes.
♦ Headaches attributed to infection, which include intracranial or systemic infections.
♦ Headaches caused by a substance or its withdrawal, or analgesia overuse.
♦ Headaches caused by other disorders, which include disorders of the eyes, ear, nose, neck and oral cavity.

Separating normal from abnormal

Because everyone has experienced a headache in his lifetime, it is easy to brush headaches off as something trivial. However, Dr Loh says that it is dangerous to believe that all headaches can be ignored.

She says, “Most people don’t take headaches as seriously as other conditions such as chest pain. This is because people relate chest pain to heart attacks, whereas headaches may be caused by stress or lack of sleep. Thus, they do not usually recognise whether a headache is normal or not.”

Dr Loh lists some red flags or associated symptoms that people should look out for when experiencing a headache, as some may point to something more dangerous.

♦ Sudden onset of the worst headache the patient has experienced
♦ Progressive or recurring daily headache
♦ Age of onset is above 50 or below five years old
♦ Fever
♦ Drowsiness
♦ Presence of focal neurologic symptoms such as visual disturbance, limb weakness or numbness, slurring of speech and incoordination
♦ Vomiting and nausea
♦ Pain worsens on exertion such as coughing and sneezing, or when it is more painful to lie down than sit
♦ Onset during pregnancy

If these symptoms occur, her advice is to see a doctor immediately to ensure it is not something more serious. “Even if you do not experience any of these symptoms, if your headaches are prolonged and so frequent that they start to interfere with your work and social life, you should still see a doctor to try and reduce the frequency of your headaches for better quality of life.”

Get a second opinion

According to Dr Loh, not all headaches need to be medically treated. There are some ways you can reduce the occurrence of some primary headaches. More importantly, you need to make sure it is not a secondary headache.

Sometimes, headaches, especially primary ones, are caused by external triggers.

She says, “Sometimes, headaches, especially primary ones, are caused by external triggers. Therefore, try to identify and avoid these triggers, which may include lifestyle changes such as avoiding certain food, reducing stress and getting enough sleep.”

However, she notes that we cannot rely solely on lifestyle adjustments to resolve our headaches and occasionally may need to resort to medication. Headaches often go undertreated because people do not see it as life-threatening, but the lack of treatment can lead to other problems such as deteriorating quality of life.

On the other end of the spectrum, unusual and prolonged headaches may be a sign of more serious conditions such as tumours or abnormalities in the blood vessels, which can lead to something life-threatening. The dysfunction of the brain can also potentially affect movement, vision, speech, sensation and balance.

“If you notice that your headaches are unusual or prolonged, see a doctor for early treatment as it could mean something more dangerous. As for parents, if your child frequently needs painkillers, it is best to send him to a doctor for further examination,” says Dr Loh.

More than a funny turn

It is a scary experience to see a child having a funny turn because it may mimic a seizure. Although it is understandable for parents to panic in such a situation, Dr Sangita Dharshini Terumalay, consultant paediatrician and neurologist) at Subang Jaya Medical Centre advises them to stay calm.

Dr Sangita Dharshini Terumalay.

“People often mistake all funny turns in children as seizures, however not all funny turns are seizures. To ensure if it is a cause for concern, doctors need to know what happened before and during the event. To do that, doctors would need, eyewitness accounts to make a correct diagnosis in any child presenting with a possible seizure” she stresses.

According to Dr Sangita, as everyone usually carries a smartphone, the best possible step would be if the witnesses can record the child having a fit as it will then help the healthcare professional view the occurrence first-hand.

“By the time a child is brought in for examination, the child would be fine and hence, it becomes more challenging t to diagnose a seizure, especially in the absence of witness accounts. Knowing the details of the event is also important because we do not want to give anti-seizure medication to a child who had a non-epileptic phenomenon. Incorrectly diagnosing epilepsy can have adverse effect on a child’s schooling and social life, as well,” she adds.

The cause for fits, faints and funny turns can range from simple tantrums resulting in breath-holding spells to something more serious such as seizures. Seizures are transient clinical events that result from the abnormal, excessive activity of a set of cerebral neurons. Epilepsy is a neurological condition which affects the central nervous system and is usually diagnosed after someone has at least two seizures.

Funny turns are essentially non-epileptic events that may mimic epilepsy. The manifestations of funny turns differ according to age. “Infants may have single or repeated jerks in their sleep, known as sleep myoclonus. They can also have shuddering attacks that can be precipitated by feeding. Both these phenomena are not seizures.

“For toddlers, a possible cause of funny turns that can be mistaken for seizures are breath-holding spells. This is usually triggered by a trivial injury or emotional upset. Older children can experience psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES). While they may present as convulsions and can easily be misdiagnosed as epilepsy, there can be distinguishing features to differentiate the two. Is is also important to diagnose PNES as it may stem from a particularly stressful trigger that needs to be looked into,” adds Dr Sangita.

Digging deep

Based on the witness account, healthcare professionals might advice further tests to diagnose the root cause of the fit, which includes blood tests, electroencephalograms (EEG) or MRI scans of the brain.

Dr Sangita says, “A conclusive diagnosis is reached by collating the history of the patient, examining and reviewing the test results. If the results point towards epilepsy, treatment is started.”

It is important to take your child for a thorough check-up if the caregiver suspects a fit.

Better safe than sorry

If a child is diagnosed with epilepsy, there are treatments that can control the seizures. Your neurologist would start a suitable antiseizure drug based on the epilepsy syndrome diagnosed. There are other modes of treatment that can be considered if seizures are not controlled through medications, namely epilepsy surgery, ketogenic diet and vagal nerve stimulation.

“It is very important to know what to do when a child is having a seizure. We like to call this seizure first aid. For starters, do not panic and immediately call for help. The child must then be put in a lateral position by lying them on their side. Do not put anything inside the child’s mouth,” Dr Sangita advises.

Most seizures occur for a short duration, however, a seizure can sometimes be prolonged and result in irreversible brain damage. Other complications of uncontrolled seizures are learning difficulties and behavioural problems.

Hence, it is important to take your child for a thorough check-up if the caregiver suspects a fit, faint or funny turn, just to be sure, and start treatment immediately if it is indeed epilepsy.

https://www.star2.com/health/2019/07/21/rsd-hospital-head-aches/

Reduce stress by massaging these pressure points on your body

If you’re feeling stressed and worried, you can find instant relief by massaging certain points on your body.

Naya Din

July 10, 2019

This is known as pressure point therapy (acupressure). Ancient, traditional medicine used pressure points to improve blood and energy flow and bring relief to patients. It has been used to relieve tension, nausea and pain, improve digestion and sleep and help people heal faster.

“Science says there are thousands of pressure points. New pressure points are being discovered day by day,” he said. “Pressure point treatment began in China, but we Muslims have also been working on it since the beginning. Hijama therapy is based on pressure points.”

He said that in order for treatment to be effective, it’s important that you go to a consultant who knows what the pressure point connects to in the body.

Pressure points for back pain relief

A sedentary lifestyle or incorrect posture can lead to back pain. Tabrez demonstrated a pressure point on the arm that can be massaged to provide relief from upper and lower back pain. You can feel an improvement within three days.

Extend your right arm in front of you and locate the point on the middle of your forearm. Massage the point for 40 seconds on the first day, 30 seconds on the second day and 10 seconds on the third day. Then, massage using oils such as sesame oil.

Another point for back pain lies close to the wrist, in the centre of the forearm. Massage the point gently first and then press it three times. During the fourth press, hold for 10 seconds and then let go.

Pressure points for stress and migraine relief

Headaches, stress and migraines can be treated by massaging pressure points at the back of the neck. The first point is located at the base of the skull. Massage the two bony prominences on either side to relieve tension and improve blood flow to the brain.

Then, massage the point behind your ear. Press lightly between the two points three times to make your head feel lighter.

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https://www.samaa.tv/living/health/2019/07/reduce-stress-by-massaging-these-pressure-points-on-your-body/

Perfumes and Artificial Fragrances can Damage your Health

The scents all around us can trigger headaches and skin conditions 

From the inescapable cologne on a fellow train passenger to the diffuser sticks in our bathrooms and bedrooms, fragrances are all around us. They’re used to make us more attractive, to set a certain mood, and to mask natural odours - and they could be making us sick, according to a new book.

Friday 29 September 2017 

As many as one in three people experience symptoms including headaches, asthma and rashes due to a sensitivity to fragrances, according to research cited in The Case Against Fragrance by author Kate Grenville. A separate study in 2014 found that three quarters of women with migraines caused by odours said perfume was the lead cause. 

In the book, Grenville recalls how she was mesmerised by her mother’s perfumes as a child. But she was inspired to investigate the effects that artificials smells have on our health when she taped over the cracks in her hotel room doors to block the smell of diffusers in the corridor, fearing it would trigger a migraine.

What surprised her the most while researching the book was that almost all modern perfumes and scents are made using artificial chemicals, she told The Guardian in a recent interview. Perfume manufactures also don’t need to declare their ingredients as they are considered a trade secret: a minefield for those with allergies. 

In addition, the problems caused by natural essential oils that are the basis of many fragrances have toxic effects that have only recently been recognised, including how the properties which enable scents to travel can stimulate immune reactions, according to Ian Musgrave, a senior lecturer in pharmacology at the University of Adelaide writing for The Conversation.

B-damascenone, for instance, is a compound in rose essential oils and Kentucky bourbon which can cause allergic reactions in quantities larger than the average person would use, while  1,8-cineol - which gives eucalyptus its smell - can cause liver damage in vast quantities. 

“Read The Case Against Fragrance and you will never think about fragrance in the same way again. If you have been suffering fragrance in silence, you will know you are not alone,” writes Musgrave.

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/perfumes-artificial-fragrances-damage-health-headaches-breathing-kate-grenville-book-a7973491.html

Could this headband cure your migraine?

Chloe Lambert

10 June 2016 • 4:44pm

Mary Padfield’s migraines began when she was 27. “It feels like someone has put your head in a vice,” she says. “I saw flashing lights, and the pain was always in the same place, just above my right eyebrow. I was always totally exhausted afterwards and it would take me at least a day or two to recover.”

Mary, now 67 and a retired magistrate who lives with her husband Nicholas, a QC, in London, was soon having two such attacks a month. She identified certain triggers, such as white wine, red wine, cheese, chocolate and sleep deprivation, and tried her best to avoid them – but still experienced regular bouts of terrible, nauseating head pain. Like many migraine sufferers, she found they struck most commonly on weekends – changes in routine often set off the headaches – meaning she’d spend them lying down in the dark, recovering.

American researchers recently reported that women who have migraines are at raised risk of heart disease

She was prescribed sumatriptan, a medication that successfully stopped the headaches, although when she was pregnant with each of her six children, she had to come off it. “I couldn’t do anything about it, and they’d go on for three weeks at a time.”

One in seven people in the UK suffer with migraines – typically, a throbbing headache often associated with nausea, visual disturbances and sensitivity to light and sound – and twice as many women are affected as men.

Yet this highly debilitating condition is in desperate need of new treatments. The WHO estimates that 190 million working days are lost every year in the EU because of migraine, and American researchers recently reported that women who have migraines are at raised risk of heart disease. Last week came some welcome good news: trials of a new drug have shown it can cut by half the number of headaches endured by sufferers.

Mary admits migraine “ruled her life” – disrupting her ability to work, and to attend social occasions. “There was a permanent dread of the next attack,” she says.

Migraines affect twice as many women as men Credit: Getty Images

After some years, Mary was advised to stop taking sumatriptan because long-term use could be harmful. Next, she tried Botox injections around the forehead, which have been proven to prevent migraines.

“It worked fine – until it wore off, and it was too expensive to keep paying for it every six months,” she says. “It also made me look a bit funny.”

Around eight years ago, she read about a new device for migraines – a headband, worn for 20 minutes a day across the forehead, which prevents attacks by sending electrical pulses to the brain.

The headband, called Cefaly, has been available for some years, but got a major boost in 2014 when it was approved by the US health regulator, the Federal Drug Administration (FDA).

Last month NICE, the UK regulator, published guidance stating that Cefaly is safe to be used for the treatment and prevention of migraine – meaning doctors can recommend it to patients. This doesn’t necessarily mean that it will become available on the NHS, though. The device can be bought online without prescription for £249 – and if it does not work, the manufacturer offers a partial refund.

In one study regular use of Cefaly provided relief in around 40 per cent of migraine sufferers

As for effectiveness, in one study regular use of Cefaly provided relief in around 40 per cent of migraine sufferers, compared with 50 to 60 per cent of those using medication. Other studies have shown the device allows migraine sufferers to significantly reduce the amount of medication they were taking for their head pain.

Cefaly is also attracting attention because of its non-invasive nature and few side-effects (aside from some discomfort and tingling while it is being used). This means it’s safe to be used even by pregnant women and children over the age of eight.

“I was a bit sceptical at first,” says Mary, “but I would have tried anything. It turned out to be absolutely brilliant.

“I have only had one migraine since I started using it. I can eat all the things that used to set me off, too.

“I’d read that it can make you look younger, which I didn’t care about really, but actually it does – because you’re no longer crunching your face up from all the migraines.”

Mary immediately told her daughter, Tabitha, who also suffers with migraine (the condition is thought to have a genetic link and often runs in families).

Tabitha, now 44 and a lawyer, had her first migraine when she was nine – however she also has epilepsy and so the mainstream treatments were not safe for her to use. She had to try and cope with regular over-the-counter painkillers.

In migraine, certain areas of the brain seem to be oversensitive to changes, which might be internal – such as menstrual periods or stress – or externalDr Andrew Dowson

“We were concerned that the electrical pulses that Cefaly uses could be harmful to my epilepsy, but we contacted the manufacturer and were told it was safe,” says Tabitha.

The device again had a dramatic effect, reducing Tabitha’s migraines from once a week to once every six weeks – the attacks have also become much less painful and debilitating.

Tabitha uses Cefaly preventatively, but also finds it helpful to use the device during an attack.

It’s not completely clear how neuro-stimulation devices like Cefaly work, says Dr Andrew Dowson, director of headache services at Kings College Hospital and a leading migraine specialist.

“In migraine, certain areas of the brain seem to be oversensitive to changes, which might be internal – such as menstrual periods or stress – or external, such as bright lights.

“We think that this sensitivity activates a nerve in the brain called the trigeminal nerve and its surrounding blood vessels, and this activation triggers messages that are felt as pain.”

Cefaly delivers electrical pulses to the trigeminal nerve, and seems to “retrain the brain” so it doesn’t respond to changes in such a way, Dr Dowson says.

The band reduced Tabitha's migraines from once a week to once every six weeks Credit: Julian Andrews

He says there’s still a need for more, better quality studies of Cefaly, comparing it directly to a placebo and to medication. “We haven’t found it universally helpful in our patients, but I think we should be cautiously optimistic.

“We have something here that’s relatively cheap, and works on a proportion of patients with very few side-effects – it has good evidence and obviously the FDA and Nice agree.”

Mary Padfield is delighted that she and her daughter have been able to free themselves from the tyranny of migraines.

Although she has not had a migraine for many years and thinks she’s “probably grown out of them”, she still uses her Cefaly headband twice a week and says she will continue to do so for the rest of her life.

“I am able to make plans and stick to them, stay up late if I want, eat what I want to and not spend my time worrying about when the next headache will hit.

“In short, migraine no longer puts limitations on my life.”

cefaly.co.uk

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/wellbeing/health-advice/could-this-headband-cure-your-migraine/

A Simple Way to Help Ward Off Mental Decline and Dementia

When you're old and still have a sharp-as-a-tack mind, you'll be glad you did this today. Brain scans show it's better than mind training to deliver expanded signaling among attention-controlling parts of your brain. Also calms and focuses your mind while energizing your body.

Yoga Benefits Your Brain Function and Mental Health

Story at-a-glance

• Yoga has been shown to combat cognitive decline. In one 12-week long study, volunteers who did yoga improved memory and mood to a greater degree than those who performed conventional brain training
• Regular yoga practice has also been shown to have a positive effect on mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, ADHD and schizophrenia
• Other health benefits from regular yoga practice include improved immune function, reduced risk for migraines and heart disease, improved sexual performance, better sleep and reduced stress

June 17, 2016 

By Dr. Mercola

Low-impact exercises such as yoga have a number of benefits. Not only can it provide the physical benefits of exercise, yoga may also help stave off cognitive decline, according to a recent study of older adults with early warning signs of waning memory.

While I believe most benefit from high-intensity interval training (HIIT) for optimal health, there's no doubt that yoga can also be beneficial. It has mental, emotional and even spiritual benefits that can be very helpful for those struggling with stress-related health problems.

Yoga can be viewed as a form of moving meditation that demands your full attention as you gently shift your body from one asana (yoga position) to another. 

As you learn new ways of moving and responding to your body, your mind and emotions may shift and change as well. In a sense, you not only become more physically flexible, but your mental outlook and approach to life may gain some needed flexibility as well.

Yoga Helps Mitigate Cognitive Decline

Studies have repeatedly demonstrated that physical activity helps keep your mind sharp with age, and this goes for activities such as yoga as well. Overall, inactivity is enemy No. 1 if you seek to optimize your cognitive function. According to The New York Times:1

"There also is growing evidence that combining physical activity with meditation might intensify the benefits of both pursuits.

In an interesting study2 ... people with depression who meditated before they went for a run showed greater improvements in their mood than people who did either of those activities alone.

But many people do not have the physical capacity or taste for running or other similarly vigorous activities. So for the new study ... researchers ... decided to test whether yoga, a relatively mild, meditative activity, could alter people's brains and fortify their ability to think.3,4

They began by recruiting 29 middle-aged and older adults ... who ... were anxious about the state of their memories and who, during evaluations ... were found to have mild cognitive impairment, a mental condition that can be a precursor to eventual dementia.

The volunteers also underwent a sophisticated type of brain scan that tracks how different parts of the brain communicate with one another."

The participants were divided into two groups. One group enrolled in a brain-training program consisting of mental exercises for one hour per week. They were also asked to practice at home for 15 minutes a day.

The second group participated in a Kundalini yoga class for one hour per week. They were also taught Kirtan Kriya meditation, which involves the use of mantras and fluid hand movements. They were asked to practice this meditation at home for 15 minutes each day.

Yoga Outperforms Standard Brain Training

After 12 weeks, all subjects again underwent cognitive tests and brain scans. Overall, all participants had improved to some degree, but the yoga group not only fared slightly better on memory tests, they also reported improvements in their mood. As reported in the featured article:

"The brain scans in both groups displayed more communication now between parts of their brains involved in memory and language skills.

Those who had practiced yoga, however, also had developed more communication between parts of the brain that control attention, suggesting a greater ability now to focus and multitask.

In effect, yoga and meditation had equaled and then topped the benefits of 12 weeks of brain training. 'We were a bit surprised by the magnitude' of the brain effects, said Dr. Helen Lavretsky ... who oversaw the study."

Why Yoga Is so Beneficial for Your Brain

Over the years, a number of studies have honed in on the brain benefits of yoga. For example, studies have found that:

•Twenty minutes of Hatha yoga improves your brain function (speed and accuracy of mental processing) to a greater degree than 20 minutes of aerobic exercise (jogging).5,6 Potential mechanisms include enhanced self-awareness and reduced stress.

•Yoga helps improve mental health, including psychiatric disorders like depression, anxiety, attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and schizophrenia.7,8,9,10

Some of the studies suggest yoga can have a similar effect to antidepressants and psychotherapy.

•Yoga helps improve teenagers' emotional resilience and ability to manage anger. As noted by yoga educator and writer Iona Smith:11

"During adolescence, the frontal lobes of the brain (the seat of language and reason) are still being formed, leaving teens to overly rely on their amygdala (the seat of emotions) ...

The brain's malleability during adolescence marks a crucial stage in both cognitive and emotional development.

Luckily, researchers are now able to paint a clearer picture of some of the factors that allow students to thrive throughout high school and into adulthood, such as self-awareness, managing distressing emotions, empathy, and navigating relationships smoothly.

When students hone these skills, they are not only happier and healthier emotionally, but are also better able to focus on academics."

•By improving stress-related imbalances in your nervous system, yoga can help relieve a range of symptoms found in common mental health disorders.

Researchers also believe yoga can be helpful for conditions like epilepsy,chronic pain, depression, anxiety and PTSD by increasing brain chemicals like gamma amino-butyric acid (GABA).12

Other Mind-Body Benefits of Yoga

Other studies have demonstrated that regular yoga practice can impart a number of different physical, mental and emotional benefits, including the ones listed below.13,14,15,16

One explanation for yoga's wide-ranging effects is that it actually alters genetic expression — through its beneficial effects on your mind! In fact, the relaxation response triggered by meditative practices has been shown to affect at least 2,209 genes.17

Improved immune function18	Improved sleep19,20
Reduced risk for migraines21	Lowered risk of hypertension and heart disease22,23
Lowered cortisol (stress hormone) level by down regulating hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and calming sympathetic nervous system24	Improved sexual performance and satisfaction in both sexes25,26

How Yoga Aids Weight Loss and Promotes Good Health

Perhaps somewhat surprisingly, yoga has also been shown to aid weight loss. In one study,27 overweight yoga participants lost an average of 5 pounds whereas the non-yoga group gained 13 pounds. This held true even when accounting for differences in diet. Typically, HIIT is the most effective for weight loss, and the key to its effectiveness is the intensity. So how can the effectiveness of yoga — which is the converse of HIIT in terms of intensity — be explained?

According to Tiffany Field, Ph.D., director of the Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, yoga's benefits are related to the fact that it does the opposite of more strenuous exercise. Rather than boosting your heart rate and stimulating your nervous system, yoga puts you in a parasympathetic state that lowers both your blood pressure and heart rate, and this helps promote a positivecascade of health effects.

This makes sense if you consider the adverse biological effects of stress. By promoting systemic inflammation, chronic stress can be a factor in everything from weight gain to high blood pressure and heart disease. It's also been shown to trigger the onset of dementia. What's worse, stress-induced weight gain typically involves an increase in belly fat, which is the most dangerous fat for your body to accumulate as it increases your risk for cardiovascular disease.

Stress actually alters the way fat is deposited because of the specific hormones and other chemicals your body produces when you're stressed. For example, recent research28 shows that chronic stress stimulates your body to produce betatrophin, a protein that blocks an enzyme that breaks down body fat. So by reducing stress you reduce inflammation, and along with it your risk for any number of health problems, including stubborn weight.

A 2011 review29 of published clinical studies on yoga also concluded that yoga movements stimulate skin pressure receptors that boost activity in your brain and vagus nerve, both of which influence the production and release of various hormones. As vagus nerve activity increases, the levels of stress hormones like cortisol decrease. It also triggers the release of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that plays a role not only in your mood, but also in appetite control and sleep patterns.

The Importance of a Comprehensive Fitness Program

Yoga and other simple restorative exercises tone and strengthen your body, increase circulation and oxygen flow, energize you for the day and help you unwind in the evening. However, studies support the use of yoga to strengthen brain function and improve common psychiatric disorders (along with many other health benefits, including pain relief and increased flexibility and strength).

I believe it's important to incorporate a variety of exercises into your routine for optimal results. Ideally, you'll want acomprehensive fitness program that includes HIIT and resistance training, along with flexibility- and core-building exercises like yoga. Daily non-exercise movement is also important, and simply walking more each day can go a long way toward warding off many common health problems.

http://fitness.mercola.com/sites/fitness/archive/2016/06/17/yoga-for-brain.aspx