The neck consists of vertebrae, which extends from the skull to the upper torso. The shock between the bones is absorbed by the cervical disc. The ligaments, muscles and the bones of your neck support the head and its motion. Generally, neck pain is caused by any inflammation, injury or abnormalities in the neck region.

Sometimes due to poor posture, people feel pain in the neck. But with proper rest, the pain subsides in few days. It can also be caused due to an injury in sports or from a fall or a whiplash (injury caused due to sudden jerking of the neck). Usually, neck pain is not serious. However, if the pain doesn't go down even after few days, it is better to seek a doctor's advice. And if the pain is accompanied by other symptoms, then it indicates some serious illness or an injury. You should not overlook the pain and symptoms and seek medical intervention immediately.

What causes neck pain? Normal neck pain or the stiffness in the neck is caused by many reasons including:

• Bad posture
• Working for too long at a desk without changing positions
• Sleeping in the wrong position
• Neck jerking during workouts

The neck is prone to serious injury during sports, accidents and falls where the ligaments and the muscles of the neck move forcefully out of their normal range.

Conditions like rheumatoid arthritis where the joints and the bone spur swell, osteoporosis where the bones are weakened, fibromyalgia where you feel pain in the muscles throughout the body, cervical disc degeneration, and spinal stenosis can cause severe pain the neck.

What does prolonged neck pain mean? If you do not experience neck pain relief in a week's time, it means there is some underlying medical problem that needs immediate attention. Neck pain followed by shortness of breath, vomiting, nausea, sweating, and pain in the jaw or arm can mean heart attack. Let your friends and family know of your condition and rush to emergency immediately.

If you feel stiffness in the neck along with a headache and fever that does not come down, you may have meningitis. Meningitis is a condition where the thin tissue around the brain and the spinal cord gets inflamed. This condition can be fatal and need medical attention as early as possible.

Treatment for neck pain Neck pain relief is quite achievable when you know how to deal with it. Normal neck pain can be treated at home with some remedies. You can use pain relievers and also try using heat or ice. This will help you ease the pain to a great extent. Apply a heating pad on the painful area on low setting for 15 to 20 minutes every 3 hours. You can also use single-use heat wraps. Similarly, you can also use an ice pack for 15 minutes once in every 3 hours.

Once you start feeling better, get back to your normal routine slowly. Avoid heavy activities and exercises until you start feeling normal again.

Eggplant is a versatile ingredient which when cooked makes the raw fruit tender to be used in recipes creatively. Here are 10 best eggplant recipes for vegans: Roasted eggplant: A very simple and tasty dish to prepare using a limited number of ingredients featuring the eggplant as the star of the dish. An elegant appetizer which is also vegan that incorporates the creative use of olive oil and ricotta cheese, roasted to a nice crisp. Baked eggplant crispy sticks: All you need to do is slice up the eggplant into nice finger sized chips and coat them in a batter of breadcrumbs and eggs with seasoning as per your taste. Bake them to a nice golden brown crust and enjoy delicious eggplant finger sticks with a dipping of your choice. The innovative use of ingredients to make delicious vegan delicacies puts this recipe in the top 10 best eggplant recipes for sure. Vegetable Casserole: A simple yet tasty vegan dish featuring the star ingredient, eggplants! Roasted with a layer of parmesan cheese, garnished with finely chopped parsley. The casserole is a colorful and flavorful use of ingredients with delicious flavor, featuring it in the top 10 best eggplant recipes. Eggplant condiment: A Serbian based red pepper condiment made from red bell peppers. The eggplant and red bell peppers are roasted to be then mashed and combined with few spices and can be used as a salsa verde. Vegan wraps: A vegan version of your loaded meat and cheese filling, but featuring deliciously cooked eggplant coated with parmesan cheese, rolled in arugula wraps. Roasted eggplant dip: Eggplant roasted to a crisp making it a nice smokey and tender mash drizzled with sea salt, pepper, and olive oil finally topped off with fresh lemon juice for that citrus to cut through the flavors ever so delicately. This recipe is a must have feature on the ultimate list of 10 best eggplant recipes. Eggplant parmesan: A classic cheesy comfort food, featuring cooked eggplant topped with melted parmesan cheese immersed in a delicious tofu, tahini, and soy milk sauce base. The sauce compliments the eggplant well. Eggplant sandwich: A sandwich with a twist with the use of gluten free pancakes as the bread base and a couple of charred eggplants as the patty in between, to be topped off with your favorites making it a creative option in the list of 10 best eggplant recipes. Eggplant Ratatouille: A twist on the classic, featuring eggplant as the star of the dish. Indian eggplant dip: Alternatively referred to as "baingan ka bharta," this recipe from the sub continent of India makes it an excellent option to go well with flatbreads.

Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) affects about one million people in our country. It is a kind of arthritis that affects those with a skin disorder known as psoriasis. Usually, patients have psoriasis years before arthritis develops. However, the good news is that one can manage the symptoms of psoriatic arthritis, such as stiffness, swelling, and joint pain. Here are a few treatment options, nutrition tips, lifestyle changes, and other remedies psoriatic arthritis patients must follow: Treatment options RINVOQ is a popular oral treatment for adults with active psoriatic arthritis. It is generally used when traditional options have not been effective. Note that RINVOQ may not be safe and effective for children below 12. Its side effects include allergic reactions and immune system problems. Otezla is another treatment option for active psoriatic arthritis that helps relieve inflammation caused due to the disease. It inhibits a particular enzyme, which helps control inflammation inside the cells. The common side effects of Otezla include diarrhea, nausea, and upper respiratory tract infection. A proper meal plan Patients must avoid fatty red meats, dairy products, refined sugar, and processed foods because these can trigger inflammation. Nightshade vegetables like potatoes, eggplants, and tomatoes also have the same effect. Instead, one should eat fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids like salmon, mackerel, and tuna, which help relieve inflammation. Blueberries, sweet potatoes, carrots, and green leafy vegetables like kale and spinach are also suitable. Lifestyle changes Patients must incorporate light physical activity into the daily routine that does not put too much pressure on the joints. Gentle and low-impact exercises like swimming, yoga, and walking are good starting points. Exercises that help strengthen the muscles are crucial so that the joints do not have too much pressure. Hydrotherapy Hydrotherapy is a popular remedy for arthritis. Soaking in warm water eases joint stiffness and strengthens the muscles. However, after the pool session, patients must follow an appropriate skincare routine for psoriasis to prevent flare-ups. Besides hydrotherapy, heat and cold therapy can temporarily relieve inflammation and joint pain. A heat pack eases muscle stiffness and soreness, while a cold pack numbs swelling or pain.

A good night's sleep is extremely important for overall well-being and health. However, there's a lot more to getting proper sleep than going to bed on time. Hence, it's suggested to always opt for a comfortable mattress. That said, it is not very easy to ensure you're picking up the right mattress since there are lots of things that can confuse you. Read on to know more about the sales traps used to sell mattresses. Buying the right mattress - Sales traps to avoid Most people buy mattresses as an investment for at least a decade. This means while buying the mattress, these customers ensure that the product serves its purpose for at least the warranty period mentioned. However, retail sellers usually focus more on selling their mattresses than on the welfare of their customers. Thus, they come up with a few traps to force or cajole their customers into buying the goods. Here are some of the traps and tips on how to avoid them. Claims about the premium quality of the mattresses Most mattress retailers, both online and offline, often use the word "premium" to describe their goods. Moreover, they may also use the word to detail the quality of the mattress's materials. This may include coils, cover materials, and even foam. Furthermore, some other vague words used to describe the mattresses are "high performance," "natural," and "advanced." These words are often employed as traps to lure in customers. Hence, experts suggest that the customer always ask for specific information regarding the mattress; this can include the number of layers, the number and gauge of the coils, and even the density of the foams. As different people have different needs, retailers must provide the customer with the information needed to help them choose the best mattress. Pillow top softness that does not last Usually, when one goes to the store to select mattresses, they may find the pillow top mattresses incredibly soft and comfortable. This happens because the mattresses have soft and thick layers of fiber above the springs. However, these soft layers are prone to developing deep indentations, which can affect the sleeping posture. Hence it's suggested to opt for "plush top" mattresses instead. These mattresses have two or three layers of blended foam and fiber. Furthermore, they are less prone to indentions and are quite cost-effective compared to pillow tops. A promise of exclusive products In most cases, departmental stores and mattress chains offer their customers exclusive mattresses from a certain brand. Moreover, the sellers may also add that the products are available only with them. However, these exclusive mattresses are often a clone of the brand's product, and the original ones can be found elsewhere for a far lesser price. This may often make shopping for mattresses quite difficult. Hence it's advised to always conduct a thorough study of the brand, its products, offerings, and also its basic components. This may help one spot similar models in different stores, which can then be bought according to the analyzed needs, wants, and budget. Product warranties and guarantees At times, when one walks into a mattress store and voices their concerns about a certain mattress, the seller may provide information about the satisfaction guarantee offered by the store. During these times, the customers can quiz the seller about the guarantee details, such as the availability of a cashback or exchange, the presence of a restocking fee, and the amount charged for pickup/shipping of the products. This not only ensures the customer makes an informed decision but also helps them see right through the loopholes of the product's guarantee. In addition to the above, one should also pay attention to the warranty, as it may only cover major defects during the warranty period. Provision of discounts after an increase in prices Most mattress sellers often increase or decrease the prices of their products throughout the year. Sometimes they even sell the mattresses at a price higher than the manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP), only to slash it down after a few days. Furthermore, online retail stores market these instances as a sale across their website to lure in more customers. Hence, experts suggest researching the MSRP of the mattresses across brands and stores to decide the minimum price one is willing to pay for the products. Furthermore, customers can also try shopping for the needed mattress towards the end of the month, when salespeople are more willing to negotiate prices and fulfill their set targets. An oversell of user reviews One must always take online reviews, either positive or negative, with a grain of salt. However, it's equally important to read through them carefully and weed out the products or stores with negative reviews. These reviews may help one know more about the mattress's size, durability, overall quality, and edge support. But, the reviews do not aid prospective buyers in knowing about the mattress's subjective qualities, such as firmness and comfort. Hence one must always be aware of user reviews and steer clear of making decisions based on the number of positive product reviews they find online. In addition to avoiding the sales traps mentioned above, one must also lie on the mattress for at least 10-15 minutes in the store. This gives the customer an idea of the spinal support and comfort provided by the mattress.

When it comes to financial planning, people tend to assume that the term only encompasses a systematic method of saving money. While saving money is one of the aspects of financial planning, there are some of the other factors such as investing wisely to improve returns on investments, protecting these returns from taxation, providing for one’s funeral expenses to be covered etc. Here are some of the FAQs on financial planning that are useful to understand how can you plan your savings: Does financial planning involve only saving money? Directing a portion of your income towards saving is important in financial planning, but equally important is wise investments that fetch good returns and also risk protection in the form of life insurance and health insurance. Should I invest in debt funds or equity funds? Making a choice to invest in debt funds or equity funds depends on how much you wish to invest and what degree of risk you are willing to take. Generally, if your financial planning requires you to be very prudent with your investments, then you would do well to opt for a debt based fund, where the firm is legally bound to pay the investors. By contrast, equity funds are very closely tied in with the market and rates of interest could vary when the stock market is volatile. What kind of insurance should I opt for? Taking out a whole life insurance policy is considered an important aspect of financial planning because it offers some measure of protection to your dependents owing to the death benefit that is tied up to the policy. Further, senior life insurance policies also cover the cost of funeral and burial expenses, thereby reducing the burden on one’s family. Do I need health insurance? Given the skyrocketing rates of primary health care services, not to mention nearly astronomical costs of surgical interventions, it is essential that you protect yourself and your family with a sound health insurance policy. Speak to your agent about what is covered under the policy so that you get the maximum protection for the premium paid by you.

A lot has been said and written about Americans and electric kettles. Yes, it is a fact that most American households do not have electric kettles. How do we survive then? Well, we use kettles on gas tops! Electric kettle is a rarity in America as the water takes longer to boil on electricity than gas. Why is that? It all boils down to the voltage difference. However, fair and genuine this reason may be, people from across the world are not convinced. This is simply because electric kettles are an indispensable part of most British and Asian households! It's true electric kettles enjoy mass appeal across the other half of the globe. People go gaga over these literally power packed pots and here's why. One of the primary reasons why kettles or hot pots are so popular is because they save on lots of time and time they say is money. Efficient, quick and compact electric kettles have sundry qualities to boast about. It is the sheer convenience and ease kettles working on electricity offers, that makes them supremely popular. They are a boon for most tea drinking nations as boiling water becomes just a button away. This is not it. It works wonders for people who do not have access to kitchen supplies or the kitchen itself! Students and working professionals who are living away from the comforts of their homes, often find great utility in these electric hot pots that enable them to quickly boil a wide variety of easy to make food items. Electric kettle may not cook like traditional stoves and hot plates but they can surely do some eggs, potatoes, milk, soups, oatmeal, boiled veggies and noodles in seconds! The best part is that you can even multitask while your food gets boiled and cooled, all on its own. Automatic turn off buttons enable one to step away and go about one's errands. Electric kettles are hugely popular among students living in hostels who find mess food difficult to gulp down! Not just students, even the hospitality industry seems to be a fan! All European hotel rooms for instance come with a table stocked with sachets of tea and coffee and of course, an electric kettle! Travelers who find a tough time adjusting to the local taste, find electric kettles a great help. People on tours can easily make prepackaged meals, cup noodles and other quick meals to keep up their energy levels. Owing to its umpteen advantages, electric kettle's heroism and glory, is totally understandable.