It’s February and not only do we celebrate Valentine’s Day this month, but it’s also American Heart Month. In honour of these two occasions, here’s a rundown of my top 5 foods for keeping your heart healthy and strong.

5 Superfoods for Heart Health

Oatmeal

Oatmeal packs a hefty dose of soluble fiber. Soluble fiber absorbs water, which helps keep you fuller longer, and helps lower LDL (“bad”) cholesterol.

Salmon

Fatty fish, like salmon, are rich in omega-3 fat, Research has shown that people who eat more foods containing omega-3 fats, have higher levels of HDL (“good”) cholesterol and lower levels of triglycerides, or fat found in your blood.

Beans

Legumes like beans, peas and lentils are rich in potassium and have been shown to help keep blood pressure levels in check. And, like oatmeal, they are a great source of soluble fiber.

Tomatoes

Tomatoes are rich in lycopene, a powerful antioxidant that helps reduce inflammation in the body. Lower levels of inflammation help reduce the chance of stroke, heart attack, and heart disease.

Chocolate

Chocolate is made from cocoa beans, which are rich in flavonoids, a plant chemical thought to improve blood flow. Dark chocolate (versus milk chocolate) tends to have higher concentrations of flavonoids since it contains more cocoa. Choose dark chocolate with at least 60% cocoa to reap all the benefits.

Hundreds of millions of people across the globe live with one form of diabetes, which makes this one of the most common health conditions that doctors diagnose.

People with diabetes tend to have a higher risk of developing certain additional medical conditions, including problems with eyesight, heart disease, and other cardiovascular problems.

Now, emerging evidence also suggests that diabetes could elevate the risk of tumours metastasizing — or spreading — in cancer.

Recently, a team of researchers from Cornell University in Ithaca, NY, has explored the potential mechanisms underlying the relationship between diabetes and metastatic cancer.

"Cancer and diabetes are two of the worst health problems in developed countries, and there's a link between the two," says study author Prof. Mingming Wu.

"For cancer, half of the story is still in genetics. It's only recently we realized there is another half that we missed, which is the microenvironment," Prof. Wu adds.

In other words, the growth and spread of cancer might be highly dependent on the biological environment that surrounds it, and diabetes, the researchers believe, may create the right setting to increase the motility (ability to move) of cancer cells.

Older adults often lose bone density and muscle mass when they concentrate on shedding weight.

This unwanted bone and muscle loss can result in mobility issues and can even increase a person's risk of injury.

A recent study, which Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, NC, is the lead on, has shown that a high-protein, low-calorie diet can help adults avoid these problems.

Several peer-reviewed journals, which include Journals of Gerontology: Medical Sciences and American Journal of Clinical Nutrition have accepted four research papers from the study for publication.

The researchers randomly selected 96 adults over 65 years of age and assigned them to one of two groups.

They put the first group on a 6-month, a low-calorie meal plan that was also high in protein — more than 1 gram (g) of protein per kilogram (kg) of body weight. They assigned the other group to a weight-maintenance plan that included 0.8 g of protein per kg of body weight.

High-protein, low-calorie

Those in the high-protein, low-calorie diet group experienced the most weight loss, but more revealing was that those in this group maintained their muscle mass. They also lost weight on the stomach, hips, thighs, and rear, which can decrease the risk of certain medical conditions, including diabetes and stroke.

Furthermore, the researchers found that the participants in the high-protein group improved their bone quality, and they gained 0.75 points on their Health Aging Index scores, involving longevity and mortality biomarkers.

 Kristen Beavers, assistant professor of health and exercise science at Wake Forest and lead investigator of this study, led earlier, smaller studies where she scrutinized the planning and preparation of the participants' meals. For this study, though, with its greater number of participants, she wanted to find a more cost-effective method.

Consequently, the study asked those in the weight-loss group to use four meal replacements every day and to prepare two meals of lean protein and vegetables each day. The team allowed each participant one healthy snack per day to wrap up a low-calorie, high-protein meal plan. Those in the other group were instructed to maintain their regular diet and usual activities.

Older adults and nutrition

Older adults have unique nutritional needs and may need to make changes to their diets as the years go by. Muscle mass can decrease as a natural part of ageing, and people do not burn calories at the same rate as they do during their younger years.

Targeting nutrient-dense foods is essential for older adults, and avoidance of high-calorie foods that lack vital nutrients is crucial.

Beneficial foods include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, seafood, poultry, eggs, legumes, and low-fat dairy. Portion control may also be necessary — for older adults especially — as people may eat more food than they need.

It can be challenging to cook for a smaller family, so experts sometimes suggest cooking ahead and freezing portions to eat later when cooking is less appealing.

The particulars of this latest study seem to mirror the nutritional needs of older adults. However, the authors suggest that the addition of more protein may be the key to avoiding some of the unhealthful pitfalls that can take place when an older adult loses weight.

Turmeric has been linked to a wealth of health benefits. Last year, for example, Medical News Today reported on a study suggesting that turmeric could help to treat pancreatic cancer, while other research claims the popular spice may help to treat stroke and Alzheimer's disease.

It is turmeric's abundance of a compound called curcumin that makes it so special. Studies have shown that curcumin is an antioxidant, meaning that it can protect our cells against damage caused by free radicals. It also has strong anti-inflammatory properties.

The new study — recently published in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry — provides further evidence that curcumin can protect the brain.

First study author Dr. Gary Small, of the Longevity Center at the University of California, Los Angeles, and colleagues tested the compound on 40 adults aged between 51 and 84, all of whom had mild memory problems.

For a total of 18 months, the participants were randomized to one of two groups. One group took 90 milligrams of curcumin twice daily, while the other group took a placebo.

The curcumin used in this study was a bioavailable form called Theracurmin, which the researchers describe as a "form of curcumin with increased intestinal endothelium penetrability."

Curcumin may have cognitive benefits

At study baseline, all participants underwent standard cognitive tests, and these were repeated every 6 months throughout the study, as well as at the end of the study.

Additionally, 30 of the subjects — 15 of whom who were receiving curcumin — had positron emission tomography (PET) scans of their brain at the beginning and end of the study.

Results revealed that the subjects who took curcumin twice daily demonstrated a 28 per cent improvement in memory tests over the course of the study, while those who took the placebo showed no significant memory improvements.

Subjects who received curcumin also experienced slight improvements in mood, unlike those who took the placebo.

What is more, participants who took curcumin also had lower levels of beta-amyloid and tau in the hypothalamus and amygdala brain regions, which are regions that play key roles in memory and emotion.

"These results suggest that taking this relatively safe form of curcumin could provide meaningful cognitive benefits over the years."

Dr. Gary Small, first author

The side effects of curcumin were mild, the team reports; four people experienced abdominal pain and other gastrointestinal symptoms, but so did two of the placebo-treated participants. One subject who received curcumin experienced "a temporary feeling of heat and pressure in the chest."

According to Dr. Small and colleagues, a follow-up study is in the pipeline. It will involve a larger number of participants, including people with mild depression and individuals with a genetic risk for Alzheimer's disease.

The aim of the research will be to determine whether certain factors — such as age, the severity of cognitive problems, and the presence of Alzheimer's-related genes — might influence the effects of curcumin on mood and memory.

On one fine evening, we were discussing different entrepreneurial ideas and as the discussion went on, we ordered pizza. One of the friends had a health issue and he wanted certain medicine. We searched online to order the medicines, as we didn't want him to go out leaving the discussion. But we couldn't find any ecommerce site that could do home delivery of medicines. We could easily order a pizza, biryani and everything else but not medicines. What if it was an emergency and the patient is alone at home? How can he/she get the medicines in such a case? At that moment it became absolutely clear to us that, we have found the idea that we wanted to pursue. A trusted online pharmacy.

As days passed by, we worked on the business model and operations. We were told by lot of advisors that there are lot legal hurdles in starting an online pharmacy. It's like that scene in Munna bhai MBBS, the patient is seriously injured and about to die and he is asked to fill the form, just because it is legal process. Similar laws are being followed with regard to pharmacies. The Medical Council Act was written in 1956 and hasn't been updated since then. We did a careful study of the act and came to a conclusion that, the act allows online pharmacies with certain conditions. The main conditions being, (1) the delivery of the medicines has to be done by the pharmacist and (2) the pharmacists has to physically verify the prescription.

For next four months, we created contacts with several medical shops and medical product sellers. And on 13rd May 2014, we launched the pilot program of BookMEDS in specific areas of Hyderabad.

Most of the orders we have got so far, have been related to rare medicines that customers were not been able to find in medical shops. It is very fulfilling experience for us to deliver such orders. In a way, we are not only doing business but also helping the customer in the time of need.

We often discuss this within the team. What if we get an order from the patient, who hasn't been able to find a medicine anywhere and it's an emergency? Will we be able to deliver the order within time? We don't have a perfect answer to this question. However, we make a promise to our every customer that, we care for you and we would do everything possible to make sure you get medicines on time. Life is too short to just do business. Our bond and commitment with our customers is more than business. That's what makes us work each day.

Regards,

BookMEDS Team.

Here's a common story across families in India. While playing children fall down or hit something and get cuts. The parent or guardian of the kid then rushes to the nearby medical shop for purchasing a bandage. By the time bandage is applied, the wound has already been exposed to the environment and infection has occurred. Various medical studies have indicated that, infection occurs within the first 5-10 minutes after the cut has occurred.

 Another grave mistake that several people do is, letting the wounds exposed to air. Exposing a wound to the air so it can breathe is a terrible mistake, experts say, because it creates a dry environment that promotes cell death. A handful of studies have found that when wounds are kept moist and covered, blood vessels regenerate faster and the number of cells that cause inflammation drop more rapidly than they do in wounds allowed to air out. It is best to keep a wound moist and covered for at least five days.

 Proactively investing a small amount in having a First Aid Box at home can save not only lot of medical expenses but also help in quick healing. It is for this reason, BookMEDS has introduced a First Aid Box with 20 essential medical items. First Aid Box contains (1) Digital Thermometer (2) Crepe Bandage (3) Scissor (surgical grade) (4) Band Aid (5) Gloves (6) Cotton (7) Dressing Pad (8) Dettol Sanitizer (9) Dettol Liquid (10) Ear Buds (11) Moov (12) Soframycin (13) Itch Guard (14) Strepsils (15) Saridon (16) Paracetemol (17) Limcee (18) Eloper (19) Electrol (20) Gauze Bandage.

 Also, our market survey has indicated that, each month every family in Hyderabad visits a medical shop 4 times. Out of these 4 times, 3 visits are for general items. 20 items included in the First-Aid Box are part of 25 best-selling general items in Medical shops. The general items left out are things such as Glucose, Mosquito coils, etc. The key thing here is that, this First Aid Kit will avoid 2-3 visits to Medical shop each month, saving not only fuel charges but also your valuable time.

Check this link for more details on First Aid Box: http://www.bookmeds.com/first-aid-box-by-bookmeds

In case of a wound or minor cut, do the following:

Step 1: Rinse the wound with clean water or Dettol. This will reduce the risk to dirt causing infection.

Step 2: Apply an antibiotic ointment. This will further reduce the chances of causing infection.

Step 3: Cover the wound with bandage. This will keep the bacteria coming in contact with the wound.

Step 4: Remove the bandage when the skin has regenerated at the cut.

 Note: If the wound is serious, consult the doctor after following the step 1-3.

In Dec’2013, founders of BookMEDS.com participated in India Med Expo held at HITEX, Hyderabad. It was this exhibition that convinced us to start BookMEDS.com. A year later, it was a proud moment for us to showcase our work to the medical fraternity. We got an opportunity to interact with hundreds of doctors, medical practitioners, hospital administrators, distributors of products, wholesalers and manufacturers. We collected lots of valuable feedback, which we will take into considerable as we build BookMEDS.com as the most trusted healthcare brand. One feedback that resonated across the spectrum was that ‘the concept of free home delivery of medicines is much needed in India and we must continue it no matter what’.

Following were the key highlights of the event:

• We interacted with 50+ potential suppliers (manufacturers or distributors) of medical products. We will soon have majority of these products on our site.
• We registered over 200 potential customers during the 3 day event.
• We advertised our Hospital & Doctor Social functionality to over 100 Hospital Administrators and Doctors.

Dec 25, 2014,

Hyderabad, India

BookMeds raises $100,000 in angel funding from a private investor in Singapore

A little less than a year on from its inception, BookMeds announced that it has raised a seed funding of $100,000 USD from a private investor in Singapore.

Founded by Mohammed Abubakr, an ex-Microsoft and a young entrepreneur, BookMeds is an ecommerce portal for medicines and medical products.“BookMeds is revolutionizing the way people take care of their health, the whole experience of standing in a line at a medical shop and getting your order filled by someone who may not have even passed high school is about to change”, says Mr. Abubakr. BookMeds allows you to order medicine and medical products from the convenience of your home. Your order is filled and delivered by a qualified and trained pharmacist to your doorstep within twenty four hours. “To make BookMeds a household name in Hyderabad, we’ve reached out to 3 investors whom we knew were thrilled by the idea, we were very delighted to quickly raise the angel round from Fabella Singapore Pvt Ltd” said Abu.

“Ecommerce in India is growing tremendously, while the generic ecommerce space is already crowded, niche players like BookMeds are very attractive as they can build on the ecommerce habits Indians are developing” said Krish Datta, founder of Fabella. “The impact BookMeds is going to have as it helps the senior citizens and people who need to purchase medicine regularly is phenomenal, now you can expect the ‘care’ in ‘healthcare’” Mr. Datta said. A resident and a Citizen of Singapore, Mr. Datta is the CEO of BackOffice Associates for the Asia Pacific, Japan and the Middle East region, after spending 16 years with SAP, last as the President of SAP South East Asia and Emerging Markets.

The company will use the capital to drive sales and marketing and to take the idea to the masses. The pharmaceutical market in India is the third largest in the world, the ecommerce is an emerging channels for medicine and medical equipment and products. Many companies like HealthKart, MedPlus and Appollo pharmacy are vying for the piece of that pie. BookMeds will make its mark through reliable service, care and customer service.

About BookMeds

BookMEDS is an online healthcare company that enables customers to order prescriptive and non-prescriptive medicines as well as surgical & medical products. It delivers the medicines under qualified pharmacist and helps administer the consumptions. Headquartered in Madhapur, BookMeds is focused on the Hyderabad market but plans to expand to other cities across India soon.

About Fabella Singapore Pvt Ltd,.

Fabella Singapore is an investment firm managed by Krish Datta. Fabella aims to help start ups that are in very early stage of incubation, through funding, advisory, market knowledge and ideas. It leverages top quality business leadership and the Singapore infrastructure to help promising start ups grow and expand its markets and reach.

For further information, please contact info@bookmeds.com or visit www.bookmeds.com