Best, natural, and instant home remedy for acid reflux

Dilute yogurt with water and add a pinch of salt.
Drink it up for instant relief from acid reflux.

Ingredients and tools:

1. Fresh homemade yogurt (1 teaspoon),
2. A pinch of salt,
3. A glass
4. A fork

Two steps for diluting yogurt are:

Step 1: Stir yogurt (1 tspn) with a fork,
into a smooth paste for 1 minute.

Step 2: Add a glass of water and mix well.
              Diluted yogurt is ready to drink. 

Diluted fresh homemade yogurt with a pinch of salt is the best instant remedy for acid reflux, ulcers, or acidity because:

1. Homemade yogurt contains friendly bacteria.
   It  is free of vinegar and preservatives.
   So, it pacifies the irritated digestive tract's surface layer.
2. The salt neutralizes the acid in the hyperactive stomach.

Wondering how to make yogurt  at home?
Use this link for easy steps: http://www.iamnew2america.com/2012/10/easy-way-to-make-yogurt-at-home.html

Easy way to make yogurt at home

• Fresh yogurt is the best medicine for many digestive ailments, such as acid reflux, ulcers, and indigestion.  
• Yogurt is rich in protein and calcium.
  Yogurt might not be vegan because it contains bacteria called Lactobacillus bulgaricus.and Streptococcus thermophilus.
•  It is very easy to make the best yogurt at home with whole milk or 2% milk. 
• Only 4 simple steps and two ingredients are needed.

  

  Yummy fresh homemade yogurt

    

Ingredients and tools:

1. Milk,
2. Premade yogurt (Dannon),
3. Steel container,
4. Stove and a tea spoon.  

Four simple steps to make yogurt are:

Step 1: Boil milk for 30 minutes on medium
heat on the stove.

Step 2: Let it cool down for 50 minutes.

Indicators that hint when to add premade yogurt are:
1.The layer of cream floating on the top.
2.You can touch the container with your fingertips, but it won't burn your hand.

Step 3: Add 4 teaspoons of pre-made yogurt
or Dannon yogurt (brought from store),
and mix well with a teaspoon.
Cover the container with a lid.

Step 4: Let it sit still overnight.
Avoid shaking or tilting the container.

Your homemade yogurt is ready in the morning.

Indicators for perfect yogurt are:
1.the formation of  light green water floating on the top of yogurt.
2.There is no liquid milk anymore but there is semisolid yogurt.

Is American education system better or Asian?

My friends and relatives back home in India often ask me, how is the education system in America? They also ask how American and Indian education systems are different from each other and which one is better?

This article is for all my friends who are curious to find the answer. My friend Nudrat Shahnila from Pakistan also contributed to this article and has added many interesting points.  Thanks Nudrat.

First, I go into shock because I really don’t know how to answer this question.  I haven’t been to elementary, middle and high school here. I did my Masters at the University and it is so different. I have to answer anyways so I start by giving examples of how my daughter is studying and what sort of things are emphasized in schools in US. Gradually I started to clearly understand the differences. Finally, I came to the conclusion that comparing these two education systems would be as if I am comparing apples with oranges. If I cannot compare then naturally I cannot draw a conclusion and rate one against another.

Answer: They are different and they have unique characteristics. Both are good as long as the kid is inclined to learn. 

I have seen from my experience from Indian schools:

	Asian Education system:	American education system:
1.	There is a set syllabus with heavier content that students are responsible to learn and remember	Syllabus is set but the teacher  has some liberty to decide the pace at which the schedule goes
2.	Exams  questions are mostly short and long essays	Exams are mostly multiple choice and short response
3.	Memorization is mandatory. When I went to school, back in 1900s, because Math was so hard for me, regurgitation helped me majorly to pass till 9th grade ;) Things might have changed now, I am not sure.	Hands-on activities and kinesthetic learning, gain priority over memorization. Education is made interesting and fun, not a responsibility. Emphasis is on application of concepts not on ability to remember theories and repeat it without looking at the text book
4.	Competition is heavy. It acts as a motivating factor. So, parents get fewer chances to worry that kid is not studying efficiently.	Self-motivated students read more and choose the topics of their interest.  There is nothing like competition because grades are confidential
5.	Solving math problems in a given time is part of preparation for the tests	Math is not the major part of the school curriculum but reading, comprehension, analysis, critical reasoning are broadly covered. Development of cognitive skills is the major goal of the system.
6.	Writing comes naturally because the system is designed such. Even a 3rd grader has the ability to write a long response of 2 pages	Writing a long response is a task for my daughter.  She saves one or two lines in homework, what a saver right?
7.	Parents start to stress out when a second grade son and 4th grade daughter have quarterly exams. Poor kid, he is not even asked how he is feeling because parent can see only the enormous syllabus that she needs to get her son prepared for the exam	The least stress for the kid and parent till 5th grade.
8.	Creativity is encouraged	Creativity is part and parcel of every class and subject.

Nudrat Shahnila has seen from her experience from Pakistani schools:

Asian Education System	American Education System
A lot of emphasis is on strict discipline and behavioral aspect. Students are criticized for their weaknesses	Students are relatively relaxed and provided a lot of encouragement and positive feedback  for their achievement
Teacher is the authority and must be respected	Students do challenge the teacher and the teachers are very open to new ideas and ways of looking things differently
Too much emphasis on learning what is written in the text book. Students are mostly graded on the basis of how well they memorize and perform in exams	Curiosity and creativity is encouraged from the very beginning.  Students are graded on their daily performance and approach
Separate schools /classes for boys and girls. The students have very close friendship/ share activities with the same gender	Coeducation at all levels. Interest in opposite gender develops at a tender age, may lead to lowered interest in studies
Competition is higher because education is the way to get access to necessities of life and grow as a nation. Professional and white collared jobs are aspired by all for a decent living	No need of fierce competition as lot of support from the state is provided.   Dignity of labor is seen everywhere so students are not pressurized to do exceptionally well in studies in order to live a decent life
Religious education given in schools to develop moral values	Religious education cannot be given because multiple religions are equally respected without any differentiation
Less emphasis on Music/Physical education (PE)	Music/PE are given importance
There are different medium of instruction such as local Urdu medium or Hindi medium,  and there is a stark contrast between the quality of education given at public and a expensive private schools	Medium of education is the same so the students are almost at the same level.  The private schools are not very common and not much striking difference between the education systems

How to impress your life partner?

For a couple or family, who live in America, social interaction is quite occasional.  Husbands mostly go to work. Therefore, they do not get as bored as women at home do. Non-working women or full time moms get really lonely after a while. Trust me, life in America is not at all similar like back at home. In such times, husband and wife become sole entertainers for each other, while 'sharing life and crossing the hurdles of life'.

Women are smart and sensitive. It is not hard for a husband to understand wife, who puts an effort into the relationship. Being a woman I can understand a wife’s perspective better so I collected some tips to help my family, friends, and readers. I guess some of these can be used for husbands as well.  Take some of your precious time out for her and use these easy tips if you want to genuinely impress her:

1.People are attracted to confidence/success/positivity: Market yourself, if not your life partner who else would you impress, right? So, don’t be shy…..to boast about your skills and achievements either from childhood or your work. Remember, everybody likes to hear a story. Talk about great (Ex: math) skills you have and how you won people’s praise by ‘XYZ act’.

2.Teach her a skill she is longing to learn: Some women like to learn driving or things that her husband has an expertise at. In America, driving a car is a billion dollar skill for a full-time mom. Unless she knows driving, she feels disabled and depressed because she is dependent on every little thing on her husband. Teaching her to drive a car is definitely a 100% heart winning gift that a husband can give to a wife.

3.Share stories that add to her knowledge: Women like to hear something new; things that they do not indulge in naturally. Tell her interesting stories about politics, sports, your work, etc. Absolutely avoid house politics or sensitive issues.

4.Cook FOR her: Women are vexed of cooking every day. It became such a ‘mandatory monotonous chore that it makes them feel as if they are in an inescapable trap’. Cook something that they might like from your kitchen. This shows that you truly understand that they need a break from daily routine. Cook something that you can make easily without stressing out yourself, after all you too are looking forward for spending good time with her, and you do not want to dose off when its time ;)

5.Cook WITH her: This is a nice time to strengthen or revitalize the bond. Women always appreciate a helping hand.

6.Praise : Not their dress or looks, it is an old way to impress. Praise about the unique qualities they recently developed or how they still look so young. If your wife is full-time mom then she needs more praise, in fact excessive praise.

7.Ask her opinion about the issue you are facing at this point of time in life, ex: generation gap, how to stop aging, articles you read this morning on how to grow muscles, etc.
This shows that you care for her perspective. People are different from each other because they have different set of knowledgeable points. Life is wonderful because of these differences; otherwise it would have been boring. So, enjoy the differences you both have and learn and grow from each other. Husbands do not realize but wife is a best counselor ever. They have the exact suggestion that you have been looking everywhere but forgot that it is right here.

8.Discover her interests: Remember, women have some interesting topics on which they have intense knowledge, and when someone initiates a conversation on that topic they jump up and participate with all the enthusiasm. Use these hints to initiate good conversation next time.

9.Make her laugh: For this ‘sense of humor’ is required. Secret tip for developing sense of humor is- ‘always joke about yourself or inanimate objects only, never joke about the other person.’

These are some tit-bits from my treasure. Hope you enjoyed.

Success and Sense of humor

America is the land of opportunities for people from various cultures.Universal key to success is our personality or attitude. A person with a great aptitude and charming personality is quite impressive. But, the easy way to attract people is our sense of humor.
1. Good sense of humor is when we joke on our self. This is used by professionals and all highly accomplished celebrities. The surroundings we grew up in, have a great influence. People laugh for different things based on their culture. Therefore, we need to be little careful when we are interacting or communicating with different people. Its good to joke on ourselves because others are not a target of our joke and people can laugh without being hurt.

Ex: I am a vegetarian and I teach undergrad Biology courses.
When my students ask me, if they can get partial credit for 'not so correct answer' they wrote in the test. Guess what I answer. I say "I am a vegetarian. I do not munch on your points. Don't worry.You will get the partial credit". All my students seem to have enjoyed this joke.
Ex: I always joke on, how I forget to see the pointer which is right in my hands.
Ex: Most of my jokes are on my Indian accent, such as, I pronounce words 'year' and 'ear' both as EAR, out of habit that doesn't go easily. Therefore, they have to pay attention in my class.
2. Bad sense of humor is quite risky because nobody likes being ridiculed. So, beware.
.when we joke on others,
.respond with a joke when others joke on themselves,
.joking about others culture.
3. Worst sense of humor is when people talk ill about others and make fun of them. No one enjoys this kind of joke except the one who cracked the joke. This is sadism or torture.