Hey all fellow busy mothers around, I have an interesting info to share with you all this weekend which will help you a lot in your time management for the day!

It was such a pleasure to come across  http://myprojectme.com on the internet and that too accidentally. The website is motivational booster website which gives tips and guidance to keep mothers motivated. Project me says “Treating your life like the important, ongoing project it will make you happier, fulfilled, in control and balanced. You’ll have energy and enthusiasm for the ones you love. You’ll shine and the world will get to see the real you.”

Meet the team behind Project me-Suzie & Kelly and they are passionate about helping others find a happier balance in life.Two friends, Kelly and Suzie, teamed up to create a powerful website designed specifically for helping busy moms gain control and live happier, fulfilled lives. To the question how Project Me was born they reply-

“Project Me was born out of the belief that we can all be the project managers of our
own lives. No matter how busy life is, carving out chunks of planning and solution time is the best investment you can possibly make.” 

Now here is the best gift from the website which is an idea of creating Action Sheets.There are action sheets regarding writing about your goals, your desires, your gratitude, even for meal plans, brainstorming your ideas. There are all types of action sheets which you can download and pen it down in order to organize your thoughts systematically.

Team Project Me shares -“We developed our Action Sheets over the years to help ourselves to get better organized, prioritize time, overcome overwhelm, meal plan and problem solve on paper.We began sharing them with friends and then handing them out in our workshops and the feedback we get is amazing.When we created www.myprojectme.com last September, it felt natural to include our favorite printable Action Sheets on the site so busy mothers everywhere can benefit from them.

Too many busy women have jumbled-up heads with all that they have to remember, plus problems they are constantly thinking about in the back of their mind. Suzie and I are big believers in getting things ‘out of your head and onto paper’. It frees up an enormous
amount of headspace!

Hats off to the incredible idea by Project Me team. Women have to be a multitasker in multitude ways in today’s times and websites like Project Me is definitely going to boost her skills and prepare to face life in better way.

Charu Mehrotra

Promoting Excellence in Women!

Womenlines proudly shares guest write up on importance of Toys by Charu Swaroop  who  contributes to Toy Tasting, a video review channel on toys by mothers

“The Importance of Play lies in Promoting Healthy Child Development and Maintaining Strong Parent-Child Bonds”. American Academy of Pediatrics.

Gone are the days when toys were considered a luxury and not indulged in by parents because of the price factor. The ‘learning’ angle has managed to change that entire single-handedly and the association of a toy with learning and creativity has reached new levels.

Entertainment has taken a back seat rather reluctantly while ‘learning’ is at the wheel. Motor skills are boosted, role-play and imaginative play enhanced and cognitive skills developed. The possibilities are endless and so are the toys.

Also, today when you see Indian parents buying toys for kids in a toys shop, their focus is mainly on toys that foster imagination and creativity. Parents today prefer more open-ended and educational toys for their kids. But do you think toys are a luxury or a necessity?

Toys are a must for a child when it comes to creative play and so very instrumental to help parents and children bond better. Toys like Lego toys, pretend to play toys and much more are helpful in enhancing the creativity of the child. Looking especially in the Indian market, education is expensive so no wonder that most toys are educative and come with a nice price tag.

Toys have become a necessity simply because they enhance the development of infants. In fact, a play is the most important factor when it comes to personal development. The question: When do you buy developmental toys for babies? The answer: Before they’re born!

There’s a thin line between necessities and luxuries in today’s fast-paced world especially when it comes to children. What might appear to be a luxury for an adult might be a necessity for a child. That’s what makes parenting especially challenging. But toys are more of a necessity rather than a luxury and it’s essential to create a separate family budget for toys so that things get easier in terms of money management.

Consider this- If tiger cubs don’t wrestle and fight with each other in the wild, they’re never going to survive. Similarly, if children don’t play with toys during the early developmental years, they are never going to fit into the learning process where the ‘survival of the fittest’ theory is equally applicable. Unless playtime is free and unstructured, a child will not reach that critical milestone in terms of socializing with others.

Neither will emotional and cognitive development takes place in the desired manner without toys. Toys and other construction toys can also help children deal with stress and enable them to become resilient to battle the emotional challenges which life will throw at them constantly.

Squeezing a teddy bear might appear silly to some. But it is vital to boost hand-eye coordination as well as to teach how a child should interact with one’s environment. Even chewing on a toy (non-toxic of course) is not inconsequential and must not be discouraged simply because it has a big impact on a baby’s mental and physical growth.

The best part about the best toys is that they don’t come with an instruction manual. Just hand it over to a baby or child and they’ll know exactly what to do with it. It doesn’t matter if it’s a comfortable blanket or a toy car or a stuffed animal, the kids will figure it out all right.

About the author:Charu Swaroop contributes to Toy Tasting, video review channel on toys by mothers. When time permits, Charu loves dreaming up and trying new dishes. She has been promising herself to get over her sweet tooth (since 2003), and to trek in Nepal (since 2009).

Charu Swaroop

Its really a blessing that we get to celebrate New Year many times a year as different races celebrate on different dates!  

As Chinese New Year is being celebrated currently and celebrations will be on for next 2 weeks I am taking this opportunity to have a look on my resolutions. For last few years I jot down few points in the name of resolutions in the beginning of the year and focus on implementing it. Diet care, exercise, time-management, family and kids care, career goals are the general ones which as women I want to excel every year if  I am able to follow. But I have realized with time that most important resolution in today’s times should be ‘To be disciplined’. Discipline normally takes us to the definition which says training to act according to rules’.

Life suddenly has become very active and busy for most of the people. The proper time management for the day leads one to success or failure path. Smartphones, social media, whats app, so many things are there to occupy anybody in their daily life and mind you, this is beside your work, family, and other regular affairs.Mr. Google itself takes away so much time as while searching on Google often one gets distracted and land on some other surfing page instead of what one was supposed to. Because of whats app one miss the personal call touch to friends and relatives which give more warmth in the relationship.Facebook has definitely been boon to keep in touch with whole friend and family clan, especially when one is residing in some foreign country but that also requires discipline to surf. Once somebody is on FB page one start following others link, status, updates by websites to which one is subscribed and with so many notifications to follow. Time gone doing all this can never come back, in spite of this its difficult to kill the urge.

Like to fulfill resolutions for diet, exercise we have to follow few rules same way we have to develop discipline in using social media platforms. All these platforms help in gaining the abundance of knowledge and connections, but it’s a waste if any gained knowledge is not applied. Therefore disciplining oneself for using social media platforms in a more organized way is the requirement of the day. One way can be following timers for all activity. Readers of this blog please feel free to share your tips which you follow in your life to use social media in an organized way.

So my resolution for this year is to be disciplined in all activities and be mindful about it:)!

Charu Mehrotra

Promoting Excellence in Women!

Bullying is such a big problem I never realized until I attended a seminar organized by The Kidz Parade magazine in Singapore. The seminar was addressed by Andrew Matthews (Australian motivational speaker and self-help author) and Julie Matthews (famous author and speaker), who drew the concern of parents towards the gravity of bullying repercussions.

I always considered bullying as a part of growing up. But the amount of trauma it causes to victims particularly to the generation today who is so sensitive by nature cannot be expressed in words. Bullying is when a person is picked on over and over again by an individual or group with more power in terms of physical strength. Some bullies attack their targets physically, which can mean anything from shoving or hitting. Others use psychological control or verbal insults to put themselves in charge. Cyberbullying is the latest addition to a category which can lead to severe consequences. It is done by sending cruel texts, messages, or posting insults about a person on Facebook or other social sites. To open your eyes towards Bullying please go through some facts which I came across in seminar-

1. Bullying can lead to the death of victims. Students who are bullied may also experience depression, thoughts of suicide and, in extreme cases, may react with violence or self-harm

2. Bullying also affects students’ sense of safety, which can impact their grades, their ability to study and, as a result, their future prospects

3. Studies show that people who are abused by their peers are at risk for mental health problems, such as low self-esteem, stress, depression, or anxiety. They may also think about suicide more.

4. Decreased academic achievement—GPA and standardized test scores—and school participation. They are more likely to miss, skip, or drop out of school.

Julie Mathews shared various ways how parents can deal with this problem-

• Always listen to children. Children must be encouraged to talk about school, social events, about other kids in school. Certain time of the day should be fixed when parents can have open chat with kids, like walk or ride to school.
• If a child has complained about some bullying issue at school, always take it seriously. Children are often afraid or ashamed to tell everybody that they have been bullied so always listen to their complaints.
• Tell the school or organization immediately if you think that your children are being bullied. Alerted caregivers can carefully monitor your children’s actions and take steps to ensure your children’s safety
• Cyber workshops can be organized by schools to monitor and guide students for healthy cyber habits.

Children should be taught good social skills they need to make friends. A confident child who has friends is less likely to be bullied. Praise children’s kindness toward others. Let children know that kindness is
valued. It’s all about being a mindful parent and spends quality time with kids.

It was such a learning experience attending a seminar on ‘Bullying’. The Kidz Parade is an edutainment magazine and I love their motto that they stand for Igniting Curiosity, Promoting Creativity and Providing Inspiration to children. I also like their belief that 21st-century education is a collaboration between educators, parents, students and the community. Magazine often organizes workshops, talks and presentations for parents, teachers, students and the community, which are a really good source of getting information regarding parenting. For parents, it also gives various ideas to engage children creatively and intellectually. Best wishes to The Kidz Parade for its future initiatives!

Charu Mehrotra

Promoting Excellence in Women!

As it is said, “For those who dare to dream, there is a whole world to win.”Shalima Motial’s entrepreneur journey proves this quote that always dream big, you will never realize in your life journey when your dream converted into reality. Shalima Motial is CEO of Dream Catchers Vision, Singapore. Dream Catchers is a Singapore headquartered talent showcase platform, with global ambitions.It gives people opportunity to get closer to their dream.This platform hosts creative talent’s videos; be it in singing, dancing, playing an instrument, acting or being a stand-up comedian. A combination of judge’s ratings, combined with fan votes determines whether participants emerge among the top talents and upcoming artists.With a motto Dare to dream big Dream Catchers welcomes creative talent to a world of stardom!Womenlines proudly shares Shalima’s entrepreneurial journey in her own words-

1. Please share with our readers a little bit about yourself?       

Hi, I am Shalima Motial, Founder, and CEO of Dream Catchers Vision. I am a very positive, fun-loving, God-Loving and an out and out people’s person. My dad, who was in the Indian Air Force, had a transferable job and as a result, I completed 13 years of my schooling in 8 different schools across India! So, that’s the kind of exposure that shaped my life; growing up in different cities & meeting so many different people in my life. I believe life is a journey and one is meant to live every second of it with full enthusiasm.

In my working life, I’ve had the opportunity to venture into diverse fields from Fashion Designing, to flying as Cabin Crew and working in the PR Industry. But I’ve always had this entrepreneur streak in me which led me to set up my own Employment Agency in India as my first venture. After moving to Singapore I found my calling in the form of Dream Catchers which is now in its 3^rd year.

2. So when did you venture into this venture and what inspired or motivated you to take a plunge into this venture?

Dream Catchers is a global Online platform to discover and promote performing artists. Our aim is to be a stepping stone in an artist’s journey to fame and earnings. We use the power of the web, online tools, and online contests to help great upcoming artists ‘Get Discovered, From Home’.The idea of ‘Dream Catchers’ came to me in April 2011 and I was excited by the possibilities of building a ‘Global Idol’ akin to an ‘American Idol’. Only that this can be far more scalable and way more convenient for artists to join.

The prospect of starting something new in an unchartered territory motivated me to take the plunge. So, within 3 days of hitting upon the idea, I registered the company and we were on our way. Today we have over 500 artists in the community who are supported by over 13,000 fans on Facebook. We’ve run over 12 global online contests with our brand ‘Most Wanted Entertainer’ and hosted online auditions in Singapore for SingTel Mio TV-Radio Masti and for NUS Stardust.

Know more about us and join us at www.dreamcatchersvision.com

3. Can you share with us some of the challenges you faced during your initial days?

As with all Entrepreneurs, I’ve had my share of challenges. First of all, as this is greenfield, there are no clear benchmarks or revenues reported from other competitors based on which I can easily assess market size. So this means really backing your belief with strong conviction and putting your money where the mouth is. The recent nomination for SICCI’s ‘Most Successful Entrepreneur’ and the successful concert “Bandwidth” organized by Dream Catchers was a shot in the arm to prove we are on the right track.

The second challenge, common to most entrepreneurs, is striking the right balance of how much cash to invest vs. burn. So, in the first two years, I’ve focused mainly on Singapore with smaller pilots in Philippines and India. Now that we are beginning to see the success we will scale, including onboarding the right investors.

4. So how do you balance your personal and professional life?

A great part of being an Entrepreneur is that you can define your own rules for work-life. So I’d say I am balancing personal and professional life very well. I am able to take out time for family, friends and all the important personal moments like my children’s school events while being effective at work. I am up till midnight working too sometimes when there is a need, we have contest deadlines and things have to be done. So, I work hard and I get to party hard too!

5. What would you suggest to other aspiring women who want to venture out on their own?

I would strongly suggest them to just go ahead and do it. Whatever it is that their heart desires, one small step at a time and the path gets created on its own, as they say, where there is a will there is a way J! And being your own boss helps you juggle work and life the best!

6. Is there any person who has mentored/supported/inspired you?

I wouldn’t have done this without the support from my husband Himanshu, he has been so encouraging, a good mentor and a critique too. I also want to acknowledge my friends, they have loved, supported and encouraged me always and last but not the least my 2 daughters who are my biggest fans and take major pride in Dream Catchers.

7. What do you have in the pipeline for your venture’s future development?

Expanding our artist base and growing presence in South East Asia are our next priority. If you are an artist, we invite you to join us atwww.dreamcatchersvision.com and look out for updates on our Facebook page www.facebook.com/dreamcatchersvision

Currently, we have 3 contests running, one is a Dream Catchers Production called “Most wanted Entertainer-Season-4”, it is for singers, musicians and dancers World Wide. The other 2 are in association with Singtel Mio and Radio Masti 96.3 Fm called “Mio Masti Showcase 2014” for Hindi singers in Singapore and “Ms. Personality” search for the woman of substance.

Womenlines wish all the best to Shalima Motial for her future!

Charu Mehrotra

Promoting Excellence in Women!

I love reading tips for improving health, beauty and live life in excellence and I am so surprised in most of the readings I come across the usage of this wonder plant Aloe vera!   

It’s quite strange that Aloe vera is such a multi-purpose plant especially for woman:). I got curious to know more about this multi-tasking and health-promoting plant on this planet and here are my findings-

Aloe Vera is an Arabic word, which means bitter. It is a  succulent plant that is found only in cultivation, having no naturally occurring populations. Extracts from Aloe vera are widely used in the cosmetics and alternative medicine industries, being marketed as variously having rejuvenating, healing, or soothing properties. The spiky, green gem has a rich history of various cultures and personalities who used the plant’s moist middle in a plethora of practical uses.  Cleopatra used to apply the gel to her body as part of her beauty regimen, the ancient Greeks used it to cure everything from baldness to insomnia to the Native Americans who called Aloe vera the “Wand of the Heaven.There is nothing on this planet that offers the amazing variety of healing benefits granted by Aloe vera. It could be considered a superfood, the leaf is filled with a gel containing at least 75 nutrients, 20 minerals, 12 vitamins, 18 amino acids, and 200 active enzymes.

These compounds have tremendous benefit and potential in external and internal applications.In a single plant, aloe vera offers potent, natural medicine that:

1 )Cures ulcers, IBS, Crohn’s disease and other digestive disorders

2) Reduces high blood pressure natural, by treating the cause, not just the symptoms

3) Nourishes the body with minerals, vitamins, enzymes, and glyconutrients

4) Lowers high cholesterol.

5) Aloe vera gel has frequently been cited for its powerful antioxidant effect

6) As may be expected, the beneficial components, including antioxidants, amino acids, and enzymes, increase as plant size increases.

7) Halts the growth of cancer tumors

This is an amazing plant which can be a good solution to all beauty woes.I came across some interesting tips for hair and skin care-

1. Aloe vera can help moisturising hair. Purchase aloe gel or use a limb from an aloe vera plant and squeeze  directly into the palm of your hand and apply it to your hair. Wrap your hair in  shower cap and let the aloe vera set for about 30 minutes. Wash it out and style  hair as normal

2.Aloe does healing benefits, which increase the strength of skin tissue. It provides good oxygen to skin to the deepest layer. It’s possible to stimulate cell rejuvenation, giving skin a youthful appearance. The gel obtained from an aloe plant is absorbed quickly by skin and cleanses pores, while moisturizing skin at the same time

3.Prepare a mixture of Aloe vera gel and coconut oil(boil together for 10 mins) and store it in a bottle for regular hair massage. It will do wondersin control of hair fall.

Wow! This Aloe vera plant is really like a wonder plant.My new year resolution is now to grow Aloe vera plant at home and keep it handy to use  for so many other benefits.

Charu Mehrotra

Promoting Excellence in Women!

I accidentally landed upon Wyne Dyre Youtube video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uak_97-tqz   in which he is talking about the topic ‘If you correct your mind then rest of things will fall into right place!    

I must say I will never regret listening to this video as what Mr. Wyne has shared is so thoughtful. Every day we are running whole day in the rat race to achieve certain goals, ambitions targets and throughout the day so many thoughts come to our mind. Nobody can say from where thoughts originate and from what it is made.We have the capability of thinking many thoughts in just a few seconds which can range from frustration, happiness, fear, and worry. Scientist says that even we are sleeping our mind continues to contemplate and observe various thoughts. If we are unaware we waste so much time in unnecessary thoughts. Thoughts about past happenings, thoughts about a troubled relationship, thoughts about anger on somebody, so many thoughts get repeated multitude of times in our mind we ourselves are not aware.

Its all about being mindful. Mindful of being in present and choosing correct thought. This power can be developed by practice and can help us save our precious time and energy in the irrelevant thinking process.Then thoughts can appear like on the television screen and it’s our choice which channel we want to watch. Why not pick up a channel for humor and laughter. Channel of gratitude and respect. We can also choose the channel of self Improvement and live life in excellence:).

Definitely, it requires lots of practice and mindfulness, but once developed it can certainly help in making life worth living!

Charu Mehrotra

Promoting Excellence in Women!

Whats app is buzzing a lot as an instant messaging subscription platform and is getting popular day by day!

I am full of gratitude to Brian Acton and Jan Koum for coming up with such an innovative app which has become very important part of my life and is helping in building up good relationships with my relatives and friends as I am far away from my native place.

The concept of chatting online for free with friends and family members was actualized when Whats App in 2009 came as a dream come true as it allowed talking to friends sitting ocean apart on the go and absolutely free.Sending messages was very costly and was between 5 Rs -15 Rs. Whats App came as such an incredible solution as it made the direct entry on Smartphone users where one can stay connected round the clock with friends and loved ones without doing anything.

I myself was benefited a lot because of this App. I can communicate with my close ones with ease and comfort and anytime. This charm of a possibility of using the app without any logins and just blurting out what we want to communicate was absolutely brilliant. Not only one to one communications, whats app made it possible to include multiple people in one time chatting. Ease of making groups lead to the formation of so many friends group, cousins group, office group etc which became a cool platform for sharing thoughts and bonding. Organizing parties and get together, picnics has become so easy as one can make groups on whats app and invite everybody and check their availability. It’s so popular that instead of asking for other details while meeting the first time people check availability at whats’ app.:)

Whats App was founded by Brian Acton and Jan Koum in 2009. Both are ex-Yahoo employees and both shared passion of building something which people are excited to use and can improve their lives.And both hated advertising, that’s why whats app is still out of clutches of adds.The question arises how whats app makes money?

WhatsApp makes money in two ways. They charge iPhone users a one-time $.99 fee upon installation. They charge Android users $.99 every year (after the first year). Lots of people have paid Acton and Koum $.99. It doesn’t take a very complicated estimation to figure out that 250 million people paying $.99 once or annually add up to a lot of money – millions and millions of dollars.Anybody can estimate the huge percentage of that money is going straight into their pockets.  The company has taken little to zero outside investment. Their company does all its development in Russia, where there is cheap talent.

On 13th June 2013, WhatsApp announced on Twitter they have made a new record by processing 27 billion messages. Its a record unbelievable.  WhatsApp CEO Jan Koum recently announced that his company has 350 million active users each month.

In today’s time’s  apps that provide “a deeper and richer experience” will win the fragmented mobile messaging space. Thinking along those lines, it remains to be seen if simplicity will continue to triumph over multimedia. What lies in the future is not known. There have been rumors that Whats App may soon be chargeable. With the rapid technological advancements, we may expect free video calls via Whats App.

Womenlines wishes all the best to Whats App team for more creative innovations!

Charu Mehrotra

Promoting Excellence in Women!

A theatre director, scriptwriter, assistant director for travel shows on Zee TV  and Sony Entertainment Television, producer of several Ad films, a music video with legendary singer Asha Bhonsle, director of a 3 part series for Mediacorp, ‘Grill Please”, author of a book Barnabas – Bombay’s First Private Detectiveabout unravelling of a murder mystery set in pre-independent India, …..(wait list is not over)……..She has done a hilarious musical play “Emo! Singapore” delving on ‘emotionless Singapore’.Her first feature film A Gran Plan won her several accolades and got her international recognition and now her latest play The Silent Shadow speaks about domestic and sexual abuse that women face and is getting very positive reviews.Meet multitalented, expert multitasker, and immensly creative Ms Sangeeta Nambiar, sharing her creative journey with Women Lines-

1. Please share with our readers little bit about yourself ?

I started working in television in my mid 20’s. I wrote and assistant directed for a popular travel show called Namaste India, on Zee TV. I then moved on to Associate Producing another travel show called Indian Holiday on Sony TV. I also did a few corporate films before moving on to Associate producing an indie film, “SNIP!” directed by Sunhil Sippy. It gave me the opportunity to work with industry stalwarts like Ravi K Chandran and oscar winner, Resul Pookutty. After that, I did a 2 year stint producing ad films, with Phat Phish Productions. After my move to Singapore, I took a break. I restarted my media career in theatre, with a play I wrote and directed, called MAGIC FOR MAYA. After that, I started Playacting Productions and since then, I have directed 9 other plays, 5 short films and 1 full length feature film. I also direct ad films. I’m also the recipient of the 2012 Mira Nair award for rising female film maker at the Harlem International Film festival.

2. So when did you venture into this venture  and what inspired or motivated you to take a pluge into this venture?

The passion for theatre started 4 years ago but the need to tell a story has been with me for years! I enjoy the many mediums of conveying a message or telling a story. Film is a different animal, as is theatre. And they’re all enjoyable. I wouldn’t say I took a plunge. I’d say I’m enjoying swimming happily in this sea of creativity.

3. Can you share with us some of the challenges you faced during your initial days?

When I first started work in television, I knew the medium as something I had studied but never dabbled in. So yes, it did feel rather challenging. It was the same with producing. And ditto for directing. Every project brings with it challenges and I think the adrenaline is what makes all of this so enjoyable! I wouldn’t, therefore, restrict challenges to only the early days. It’s ongoing.

4. So how do you balance your personal and professional life?

Running a company means having to sacrifice social and family time. I hardly have a social life to write home about. I do try and make weekends and the weekday 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm time sacrosanct. That’s family time. With my husband. And my daughter who’s in Grade 6 and needs my attention and time. Before 7:30 pm, I belong to Playacting Productions.

5. What would you suggest to other aspiring women who want to venture out on their own?

I know a lot of women who have brilliant ideas. My suggestion: Just do what your heart’s telling you to do. Don’t wait for the money or the time. If you have the inclination, it’ll all come to you. And the path is full of hard work. Which is in itself, quite fun!

6. Is there any person who has mentored/supported/inspired you?

I have a lot of support in terms of family and friends. My husband, Mihir and my daughter, Rhea, are massive supports. My colleagues, Sarah Bloor and Shagun Chand allow me all my idiosyncrasies at work. And that is massive support! I am hugely inspired by J K Rowling. The more I see her films, the more I realize just how supremely clever she is!

7. What do you have in the pipeline for your venture’s  future development?

We have opened the second branch of Playacting Productions at Parkway Centre. It’s going to be a huge challenge to grow it. But we’ve done it before and so we’ll do it again. And of course the 2nd film.

Women lines wish best of luck to Ms. Sangeeta Nambiar for her future initiatives!

http://www.playacting.net/

Charu Mehrotra

Promoting Excellence in Women!

Womenlines welcome Mrs Ritu Khanna , a Singapore based Homeopathic Practitioner as a guest writer for womenlines.In this article she is sharing about Hyperthyroidism and its cure-

Hyperthyroidism or Overactive Thyroid Gland refers to the over secretion of thyroid hormone by thyroid gland .It  is the opposite of hypothyroidism, as the name suggests. It is a condition where in the thyroid   gland increases   in size with abnormal secretion of thyroid stimulating hormone. It is defined by weight loss, increased BMR and sensitivity to tremors. An overactive thyroid gland, or hyperthyroidism, can trigger restlessness, hyperactivity, insomnia and irritability .

The main causes leading to hyperthyroid are  :-     

General Causes

• Life style today is one of the major cause of thyroid imbalance. Chronic  stress is one of the root cause. Psychological trauma, emotional disturbance or prolonged illness are few reasons.
• Bad eating habits. Eating too many refined foods and sugars which causes problems with blood sugar levels which affect adrenal gland and also cause malfunctioning of of thyroid gland.
• Environmental Factors like pollution and toxins all around even at home i.e. toxins present in the form of chemicals in food which our body can not handle. There are many food products for which we do not have awareness of the ingredients before we consume them which act as toxins for our body.

Therapeutic Causes

• Excess secretion of thyroid stimulating hormone.
• Other causes could be Grave’s disease, Plummer’s disease
• Toxic adenoma (Benign non cancerous lump)
• Post-par tum thyroditis (after birth of a child)
• Thyrotoxicosis (addiction to thyroid hormones)
• Problem with the pituitary gland

Symptoms of Hyperthyroidism :-

• Extreme nervousness, fear, restlessness, anxiety, irritability, excitability
• Speech defects , Speech is rapid ,and temper alternating with weeping in women.
• Loss of weight despite good appetite
• Trembling hands while holding cup
• Palpitations, dyspnea, and angina on slight exertion.
• Swelling in the neck (Goitre).
• Bulging of eyeballs and photo phobia.
• Diminished menstrual flow .
• Pulse and heart rate are increased.
• Increased metabolic rate so canine hunger but there is weight loss.
• Patient looks ill.

Most Common Treatment suggested and  it’s Consequences

Allopathic line of treatment is Beta blockers in mild cases and in some cases the oral intake of Radioactive Iodine, which not only destroys many cells of Thyroid but also have to be taken for rest of life. Taking RAI long term can lead to hypothyroidism . It makes the immune system weak which may lead to other autoimmune diseases in future. When hyperthyroid is detected then intake of RAI should be the last option. A very effective answer to thyroid imbalance is Homeopathy .

Homeopathic Treatment For Hyperthyroidism

For the treatment of hyperthyroidism , the symptoms of the body are always kept in mind as we consider for every other case. The most common homeopathic remedies that play an important role in the treatment of hyperthyroidism are: –

Belladonna

Belledona best acts on  heart and the circulation, nerves , the brain, and the eyes. For Easily excitable , emotional patients. There is throbbing, dilated pupils, dry mucous membrane. The patient is plethoric, aggressive and intellectual  individuals. The patient complains of violent heat, Burning and redness .The patient has a sensation of dryness. The patient has an irritable state of mind affecting the urinary tract.The patient’s symptoms are aggravated from exposure to draft of air , wants to be wrapped up, light and noise aggravates suffering.

Calcarea Flour

Swelling of thyroid , constricted feeling in thyroid region, digestive troubles

Ferrum phos

The remedy ,basically for anaemic and extremely nervous patients.Even the least excitement causes flushing of face. The remedy to be used in first stage of all inflammatory infections.In women, the menses are too frequent and too profuse . The patient is worse at night, early morning , by touch, jar, motion and lying on the right side and feels better by cold applications. The remedy to be taken in acute state of thyroid dysfunction and that has to be followed by a proper constitutional remedy.

Lycopus virginicus

It helps to normalise the overactive thyroid.  In goitre also , it is well indicated . A good remedy for overactive thyroid gland and for patients with irritability and mental tiredness. Patients with increased heart rate and palpitation  It’s good for hyper thyroids patients who have ongoing respiratory problems and coughs.The remedy also useful in lowering the blood pressure. Sensation of eye being pushed out.

Pilocarpus  microphyllus

It’s  a powerful remedy for glandular stimulation.It is useful for goitre, with increased heart action and pulsation of arteries; tremors and nervousness; heat and sweating. Excessive salivation and perspiration is a leading symptom of the remedy.

Thyroidinum

Remedy good for thyroid dysfunction . Patients with lot of emaciation and trembling hands. Nervous Temperament

Lapis Albus

Good for hyperthyroidism where in symptoms include enlargement of the thyroid gland , fatigue , sluggishness , and mental dullness.

Spongia

The remedy good for hyperthyroidism .Protruding eye with heart symptoms. Other symptoms may be palpitation , contracting pains, faintness , anxiety , worse in warm room .

Magnesium Flouratum

Hyperthyroidism , metabolic complaints , Chronic suppuration, Neuralgia.

Bach Flower Remedies for Hyperthyroidism

In the case of Thyroid dysfunction we could think of giving individual flower remedies or a combination of the remedies depending on the individual patients  requirement . The disease of Hyperthyroidism has been linked with an exaggerated sense of service and suppression of self-centred impulses .

Hyperthyroidism is also linked with the stressful mental state , a stress of higher altitude leading to emotional breakdown. Here in the Bach Remedy ” Vervain “ is of great help as it helps release muscle tension.

Aspen, Cerato, Hornbeam, Olive, Larch Mustard, Mimulus, Star of Bethlehem are some of the remedies which could be thought of considering the mental symptoms of the patient of thyroid disorders.

A combination of Cherry Plum, Impatiens, Pine, Vervain and Willow helps a hyperthyroidism patient  to focus and concentrate better.

Managing Hyperthyroidism

Natural Herbs  and Diet Good for Hyperthyroidism

-Bugleweed ( Homeo Remedy Lycopus is from this herb)

-Vitamin D (Avoid Sunblocks)

-Selenium (Source : nuts)

-Vitamin B (Source : Whole Foods)

-Magnesium (Source : Organic Vegetables)

-Omega 3 Fatty Acids

-Increase Calcium intake

-All those with hyperthyroidism are prone to pernicious enema so intake of Vitamin B along with

other nutrients should be taken good care of.

-Fish contains iodine, omega-3 fats, and vitamin D. Mustard, and other dark leafy greens contain

vitamin A.

Do’s And Don’t

-Avoid tea, coffee,

-No smoking, alcohol and caffeine .

-Avoid Sour and deep fried eatables.

-Never Skip meals as it may lower blood sugar levels which lead to tiredness

-Positive Thinking

-Anger Control

-Control of Anger

Yoga

Yoga helps in the balances of the neuro hormones and metabolism besides improving the endocrine metabolism.The most effective yoga exercise for thyroid dysfunction is “Ujjayi Pranayam” and “Kappal Bhati Pranayam “.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9LgQmQ-ATU

Home Remedies

-Mixture of Pudina (Mint) paste and Saunf (Fennel Seed) powder .. 1 table spoon to be taken with

water every morning , empty stomach.

-Silver has very good healing powers for treating hyperactive thyroid. Having milk at bedtime

especially when it is heated in a silver container will yield better results.

-Brahmi powder mixed with half teaspoonful of honey should be taken in the morning

Ref:http://healingsforall.blogspot.sg/

I am full of gratitude to Ramji who gave an opportunity to start this festival celebrated every year:). His character has been described as an ideal human being and same way Diwali celebrations give us an opportunity to start our life following ideal values.What a refreshing start it brings in our homes and within ourselves.!

Diwali, for most of the families, is considered to be a  big festival for which preparations have to be started weeks before. Decluttering of the house is the first goal for every woman of any house, to start the Diwali preparation. We are amazed ourselves while decluttering our houses, there are so many things which we are not using. It helps in taking pause and rethink about our spending habits. Every corner of the house is cleaned to bring fresh positive energy and pray to goddess Laxmi to bless our families with abundance and prosperity.

With changing times,  perspective is also changing. It’s no more cleaning of the house only. If we change the way of thinking we can take this an opportunity to declutter our mind and let go negative feelings to welcome positive feelings which can help us in excelling in life. This line of thought if followed by all members of families can help in better understanding amongst each other and having a more stable environment in-house.This way we recognize and value our own and each other thoughts and values and when we harmonize together we play great music. I landed on a very interesting blog article of a fellow indiblogger Ms Swapna Thomas http://www.themomviews.com/5-ways-to-declutter-your-mind-this-diwali/. She has described various ways how you can declutter your mind effectively following few steps.

This message has to be passed to next generation so that they don’t become materialistic and learn skills in life how to be happy with contentment. Let’s take the pledge this Diwali that we will take a pause and think how to declutter mind while decluttering house!

Charu Mehrotra

Promoting Excellence in Women!