Take Care as Weather is Changing

Weather is changing and changing weather can be very harmful for health as we become easygoing in term of clothing and food.  Indeed, winter is ready to say good-bye and spring season is greeting but fevers like typhoid, malaria, flu, and viral can make our lives difficult.

Wear proper clothes: Let the winter finally says good-bye loudly before you take off your woolens and stroll in light cottons.

Food: In this climatic condition, you should drink lots of water, and eat fresh and homemade foods. Don’t hook on cold drinks and ice-cream madly.

Hygiene: Hygiene should be maintained in all season without any compromise. However, you have to extra careful when you witness weather change.

See a doctor: If you feel symptoms like weakness, fever, sore throat, fatigue, don't hesitate to consult a doctor. These symptoms are alarming. 

Symptoms That Suggest You Need to Boost Your Immune System?

Remedy for Dry and Cracked Skin around Nails

Keep Skin Around Your Eyes Healthy and Glowing

Shocking Facts about Lipstick

Lipstick contains many more harmful ingredients than we think. Sleeping with lipstick stay put on lips is definitely not a healthy practice as it increases the chance of its harmful effect. You must remove all pigments from your lips before you hit the bed.

Let us know few shocking facts about lipstick:

Lead: Lead is commonly found content in almost all lipsticks. Lead affects the nervous system and harms the hormonal system. Apart from that, it may block pores, and male them dry and chapped.

Heavy metal: Heavy metal present in minute quantities in lipsticks are poisoning. Certain harmful ingredients are known to cause cancer.

Pigments: Some pigments contain harsh chemicals that irritate the skin. They can lead to blackening of lips. Lipstick can also cause leucoderma due to melanocyte destruction.

Mineral oil: mineral oil substances are also known to block pores.

So, be careful while buying lipstick. You should check the ingredients of lipstick before making selection. If a lipstick contains heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, mercury, arsenic, chromium,  and antimony, then you should avoid buying it.

A research has found that average lipstick or lip gloss use resulted in women exceeding daily intake guidelines for aluminium, cadmium, chromium and manganese among women. These harmful substances accumulate in their body over time and cause toxicity.

·         L’Oreal, Maybelline, Revlon, Cover Girl, MAC, Chanel, Lancome and NARS were found to have the highest amount of lead in a study conducted in 2012.

·         Avon Ultra Color Rich Cherry Jubilee, Clinique Long Last Lipstick Merlot, The Body Shop Lip Color , Dior Replenishing Lipcolor Red Premiere, MAC Matte Lipstick Viva Glam 1, Revlon Superlustrous Love That Red, Revlon Superlustrous Bed of Roses, Revlon Colorstay Lipcolor Red Velvet, Tarte Inside Out Vitamin Lipstick, Wet N Wild Mega Colors Cherry Blossom are safe to be used as they are lead-free. 

Cornea Blindness can be Treated with Stem Cells from Wisdom Teeth

Remedy for Dry and Cracked Skin around Nails

Cornea Blindness can be Treated with Stem Cells from Wisdom Teeth

A new research has revealed that stem cells from wisdom teeth may help treat cornea blindness. Most of the blindness across the world occurs due to disease in cornea.

The researchers said "Stem cells from the dental pulp of wisdom teeth can be coaxed to turn into cells of the eye's cornea and could one day be used to treat corneal blindness."

The study shows the stem cells of the dental pulp obtained from the routine human wisdom tooth are capable of being turned into Keratocytes, the corneal stromal cells.

The team injected engineered Keratocytes in the corneas of healthy mice and the keratocytes integrated without any signs of rejections. Also, they used cells for developing constructs of corneal stroma similar to natural tissues.

James Funderburgh, senior investigator and professor of ophthalmology at University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine said. "Corneal blindness, which affects millions of people worldwide, is typically treated with transplants of donor corneas."

He added "Shortages of donor's cornea and rejection of donor's tissue do occur, which might result in permanent blindness. Our work is promising because using the patient's own cells for treatment could help us avoid these problems."

The study was reported in journal Stem Cells Translational Medicine.

Facts about H1N1 Virus: You Must Know

Shouting Loudly Makes Your Own Brain 'deaf'

Shouting Loudly Makes Your Own Brain 'deaf'

You may be speaking loudly but your brain remains quiet. A study has revealed that the part of the brain which is identified as command centre for human speech does not function when we speak loudly.

The Broca's area of brain has been recognized for more than 150 years as the command centre for human speech. But the scientists at the University of California Berkeley and Johns Hopkins University in Maryland are challenging this long-held assumption. Their study has come with new evidence that Broca's area actually switches off when we talk out loud.

"Broca's area shuts down during the actual delivery of speech, but it may remain active during conversation as part of planning future words and full sentences," said study lead author Adeen Flinker. 

According to Flinker, "This finding helps us move towards a view that Broca's area is not a centre for speech production but rather a critical area for integrating and coordinating information across other brain regions.”

The discovery can be of great help in diagnoses and treatments of stroke, epilepsy, and brain injuries that result in language impairments in suffering patients.

The study was reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Facts about H1N1 Virus: You Must Know

Food That Can Help You Fight the Swine Flu

Facts about H1N1 Virus: You Must Know

·         Swine influenza (H1N1) is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza virus. These days, it has become fatal for humans.

Till now, the disease has claimed 812 lives across India in 2015. Majority of cases are found in Jammu and Kashmir, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Delhi and Telangana.

·         Swine influenza is contagious. It spreads quickly from person to person through air, mucus and saliva particles.

·         Symptoms of swine flu are similar to the symptoms of seasonal flu - cough, fever, headache, sore throat, muscle pain, chills, vomiting or diarrhea.

·         People at the risk include: children below three years of age, pregnant women, adults above 60 years of age, people with weakened immune systems.

·         Swine flu can be diagnosed only through test in a specialized laboratory by identifying the particular antigens associated with the virus type. 

·         Rs 4500 is the charge fixed by Delhi government for H1N1 test. Private labs are charging up to Rs 10,000. 

Test kits for swine flu are available with Dr Lal Pathlabs and SRL Diagnostics. These two private laboratories are authorized by the government.

·         Oseltamivir - trade name Tamiflu, is the recommended anti viral drug to treat swine flu.

GOVERNMENT AUTHORIZED HOSPITALS FOR TREATMENT OF SWINE FLU

Food That Can Help You Fight the Swine Flu

Symptoms That Suggest You Need to Boost Your Immune System?

Food That Can Help You Fight the Swine Flu

Symptoms That Suggest You Need to Boost Your Immune System?

Are you prone to cold?

If you get into the trap of cold very easily, your immune system is not operating at top speed. You need an immune boost up. The average adult picks up one to three colds each season that typically last 3 or 4 days. If cold continues more than 4-5 days, you need to concentrate on immune boosting foods.

Is your liquid intake insufficient?

Body needs plenty of water to flush out toxins. So, we should drink ample fluid to meet the need. How much fluid one should drink varies from person to person. But a healthy individual can take 2 – 2.5 L as an average limit. Drink right amount of fluid and stay away from diseases.

Is your drinking water potable?

Cleanliness of water is very important. Higher percentage of arsenic in water is unsafe for health.  Arsenic affects the immune response to swine flu as well. Those drinking arsenic-tainted water developed suppressed immune systems. Go for hygienic drinking water. Don’t rely on roadside water vendor. Opt for bottled water when you are outside.

Swine Flu: Symptoms & Cure

Are you a sugar addict?

If you are sugar addict, you need to boost your immune system a bit more. According to a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, eating 100 g of sugar (three cans of soda) extensively hamper the ability of WBCs to kill bacteria up to 5 hours afterward. Either cut your sugar intake or boost your immune.

Are you fat?

Obesity is root cause of all diseases. It is unhealthy for heart, brain, and other organs. So, keep cheek on your weight. Maintain a healthy body mass index (BMI). Maintain an active lifestyle. Go for morning walk. Exercise. Excess weight can also lead to hormonal imbalance in the body.

Do you have dry nose?

If your nasal passages are too dry, germ can easily invade your system. If your nasal passage is excessively dry you should irrigate your nasal passages with a squeeze bottle. A runny nose is actually a good defense against colds and the flu. Mucus traps viruses and clears them from the body. 

Are you stressed?

Long-term stress weakens the responses of your immune system. Laugh out loud and beat the stress. 

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Remedy for Dry and Cracked Skin around Nails

Hands are the most used body part of a human being. Our hands deal with many irritating substance and situation. So, we should take extra care of our hands in order to make them presentable and healthy. Dry skin around fingernails is very common. It can be both unaesthetic and painful. Here, we will go through the tips to fix that dry and cracked skin around nails.

• Soak your hands in lukewarm water every night if skin around nails is excessively dry and cracked.  Give overnight treatment with heavy moisturizing oil/cream or petroleum jelly to the skin around nails. You can put a pair of cotton gloves on your hands.
• Apply moisturizer/hand lotion to your hands with concentration on skin around nails after every hand wash. Massage the lotion into your cuticles and nails as well.
• Massage yogurt/curd over hands with special attention to dry and cracked areas near fingernails. Let the yogurt/curd sit on hands for 10- 15 mins. Rinse off with lukewarm water and apply lotion. You can do this treatment once or twice in a week.  
• Massage cuticles with olive oil or coconut oil twice in a week to avoid peeling of skin around nails.
• You should wear dish gloves while cleaning utensils or doing similar tasks that involves detergent. Harmful chemical in detergent irritates hands’ skin.
• Don’t bite skin around your nails. If skin is peeling, use a nail clipper to trim the skin out. 

Why Hand Care is Important for Your Overall Beauty?

Keep Skin Around Your Eyes Healthy and Glowing

Home Remedies for Swine Flu

Keep Skin Around Your Eyes Healthy and Glowing

• Remove eye makeup properly at night. Makeup residue should not be left onto the skin. Wash your face with special attention to the area around your eyes.
  
• Apply toner. You can use rose water. This will close/reduce the opened pored. 
• Apply a thin layer of almond oil on your lids, lower lash area, and corners of the eyes. You can wash it off after 20 minutes. If your skin is not oily, you can leave it overnight twice in a week. It will make your eye skin healthy.
• Use used green tea bags for puffy eyes: Cool the used bags for some time and then put them over your eyes. Green tea contains polyphenol particles known as tannins. Tannins are an astringent and are able to shrink skin; making them appear fresh and tones. The cool tea bags will reduce the swelling and tighten the skin around your eyes. 
• Dab eyes with cotton ball dipped rose water to get rid of the puffiness
• Place sliced cucumber or potato to reduce under-eye bags and dark circles.

How to Apply Eye Liner

Two types of liquid eye liners are available in market: felt tip (pen liner/ bottled liner) and dip brush (bristle brush)

I am learning with dip brush eyeliner.

1.    Get in the right position so that you can have steady hand while applying liner. You can rest your elbow on a table to avoid wavy or uneven line.

2.    Try to hold a small mirror in other hand. It will help you get a good view of eyelid while application.

3.    Draw dots or dashes on the lid as close as possible to the eye lashed. Don’t try to make one fine line in initial day else you will end up with wavy or uneven application.

4.    Try connecting the dots/dashes smoothly.

6.    Create a small tail at the outer edge to give great shape. You 

     can style the tail in a way you want.

7.    Don’t get panic if you have created mess on your lids. Just keep ear buds handy. It will help you clear out the mess.

5.    Keep the eye closed while applying liner. Get the view with the other eye. 

8.    Don't dream to learn in a day or two. Keep trying 7-10 days continuously to learn the basics. 

9.    After you learn the basics you can move on to advanced stage of styling. 

Learning Basic Makeup

Hey beauties,

I  am a no-makeup- girl and I am about to get married (blush). I am bit tensed how would I manage pre-wedding, wedding, and post-wedding glams. I don’t know the ABC of makeup application. 

To me make up is - washing face, applying rose water, and then top it with aloe vera gel (Patanjali). How can I forget to mention lip balm? I use lip balm on regular basis as I have very dry lips. 

Therefore, I have planned to learn some makeup basics. I would love to share my learning experience with all such ladies as I progress. 

Home Remedies for Swine Flu

The fear of swine flu is increasing with every passing day, people are trying all kinds of traditional and alternative medicines to keep H1N1 virus at the bay. Here are some home remedies to fight swine flu virus:

Remedy 1:  Take ample vitamin C to boost immune system and increase the number of white blood cells. One can take vitamin C supplement. 

Remedy 2: If you symptoms of swine flu, start taking Zinc lozenges. It boosts the immune system.

Remedy 3: Consume garlic to decrease the growth of virus. Ways to Eat Ginger

Remedy 4: Make a herbal tea using: Bayberry bark, ginger root, cayenne pepper powder and take it twice of thrice a day to combat H1N1 virus. 

Remedy 5: Mix two tablespoons of vinegar, one tablespoon of honey, and one cup of warm water. Drink this mocha each morning to prevent and kill microorganisms that can lead to swine flu.

A message is being circulated on WhatsApp that says, 

Swine Flu: 6 Fresh Cases Reported In Delhi; Symptoms & Cure

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Natural Body Scrub Recipe for Everyday Use

Here are few recipes of simple yet wonderful body scrubs for everyday use. These scrubs can be made in a little time and are easy to use. 

Coffee, sugar, olive oil: Mix 2 tablespoon of used coffee grounds, 1 tablespoon of finely grind sugar, and 2 tablespoon of olive oil. Massage the scrub in circular motion onto your body while taking shower. Concentrate on cellulite rich areas: elbows, knees, knuckle, feet, and other fry areas of the body. You will experience amazing difference in few days. You skin will become soft, tender, and velvety.

Gram flour (Besan), curd/raw milk: Make a paste with 4 tablespoon of besan and 2 tablespoon of curd or raw milk. You can add 2-3 drops of fresh lemon juice and a pinch of turmeric for added result. Massage the paste gently all over the body while bathing. You will get soft, fresh, and clear skin after few days of application. Your complexion will also enhance with this natural scrub.

Rice flour, raw milk: Mix 2 table spoon of rice flour with raw milk. Massage your body with the paste for 1-2 minutes and rinse off with water. 

Also read: 

Sugar Lip Exfoliating Scrub

Coffee for Beautiful Hands

Morning Beauty Ritual for Your Face

Cleanse your skin: Cleansing removes dirt, oil, and bacteria from your skin. It stimulates the blood circulation in face, making them look fresh and rejuvenated.

Option 1: Simply wipe your face with raw milk in the morning using a cotton ball. You can add cucumber juice in the milk for better result. Rinse your face with cold water after 2 mins.

Option 2: If you don’t have sensitive and redness prone skin, you can use ice cubes every morning on your face to freshen and rejuvenate the skin. Simply rub the ice cube on your face for 1-2 mins. Isn't it simple way to get glowing face all the day?

Option 3: You can go for skin cleanser suited for your skin type. You can find variety of skin cleaner in market today.

Tone your skin: Many people skin toning routine in the morning, which is not at all good. It is very important step; toner balances the pH of your skin.

Dab toner onto a cotton ball and apply to your face and neck. Let the toner dry on its own. Don’t wipe them with towel or cotton. You should prefer alcohol free toner.  

Moisturize your skin: It help skin stay soft, smooth, and hydrated.

Use a moisturizer according to your skin type. White moisturizing, pay special attention to the area around your eyes and lips, which can get excessively dry. If you have oily skin, pay little more attention in selecting a moisturizer for your skin. Companies are offering a wide range of oil-free moisturizer these days.

Homemade Beauty Tips for Dry Skin Beauties

Cleanse your body from inside:

Drink a glass of warm water with the juice of half lemon each morning. This morning ritual cleanses the system, boosts your immune system, and balances pH levels. They are also abundant in vitamin C, which is vital for healthy and glowing skin. 

Also read:

Tips to Tackle Oily Skin

Used Green Tea Bags for Beauty Benefits

Home Remedies to Get Rid of Blackheads and Whiteheads

Coffee for Beautiful Hands

My hands are ugly. Yes, you read it right. My hands are dry, dull, and unappealing. Recently, I gave a try to coffee grounds and I can see the difference. Coffee grounds are natural exfoliator. Caffeine helps reduce calluses and banish dry, rough skin. Exfoliation with coffee powder removes dead and dry skins from the skin surface. If you follow the process religiously, your hand’s skin will look healthy and glowing.

Here a recipe: Mix coffee grounds with olive oil (you can use other oils such as coconut oil, almond oil, etc) and massage it onto your hands. The duration of massage should be 7-10 mins. Use circular motion to massage the mixture so as it gets absorbed into the skin. You can let the mixture sit for 5 mins more for added result; else you can rinse your hands with lukewarm water.

Follow this, twice in a week. This will soften hands, making them look wonderful.

Also read: 

Why Hand Care is Important for Your Overall Beauty?

Lip Care Regime for Pink and Soft Lips Naturally

Tips to Tackle Oily Skin

Consistent face wash schedule:

If you wash your face too frequently, your facial skin will dry out. It will cause your body to try and compensate by creating more oil. If you don’t wash your face at required time, it will cause old oil to build up

So, follow a consistent face wash schedule to tackle oily face. Wash your face twice daily – in the morning and before going to bed.

Use right face wash or face soap:

Use face wash/soap that is made especially for oily skin. Don’t apply very harsh soap on your face. It will destroy natural oil and will damage the skin.

Wash your face with water at right temperature:

Using hot water will break out the oil. It will also open the pores and clear out the excess oil. Always remember to splash the face with cold water at the end; this will close the pores and tightens the skin.

Apply toner:

Toner is a must have for oily skinned beauties and gentlemen. It closes up the pores and dries up excess oil when applied after face wash. Put few drops of toner on a cotton ball and dab onto face after washing.

Exfoliate with baking soda:

 Mix a tablespoon of baking soda with little water so as to form a paste, and scrub your face for 1-2 minutes. Rinse off with cold water.

Apply fuller’s earth (multani mitti):

Fuller’s earth is boon for oily skin. Mix a tablespoon of multani mitti with required amount of rose water to form a paste. You can also add 2-3 drops of fresh lime juice. Apply the paste on face and let it sit for 15-20 minutes. Rinse off with cold water. You can follow it twice or thrice in week to keep excess oil away.

Take steam:

Take boiled water in a broad mouthed bowl. Hold your face over the steaming water and cover the head with a towel. This will open the pores and cleanse the impurities such as dust and oil build up from the face.

Eat right:

Avoid oily foods. Include salads and fresh fruits in your fruit. Nuts can also cause oiling on your face.

Keep your hair away from the face:

Scalp oil for the hair can easily transfer to your face. Some hair oil and shampoo also creates oil in hair. Oil from hair will worsen the condition of your oily face.

Use blotting paper to remove excess oil:

Whenever you feel excess of oil on your face, blot the oil using blotting paper. A single-ply tissue paper will also absorb the excess oil effectively.  

Use clean pillow cover:

Wash your pillow case every week. Else, the dirt and oil on your pillow cover will get transferred to your face. Cotton pillow case is safe for oily skinned people. 

Food Cooked at High Temperature May Increase Alzheimer's Risk

According to a study published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, eating food cooked at high temperature increases the risk of Alzheimer's Disease.

When a food is cooked at high temperatures; the content of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) increases.

(AGEs) are a group of compounds that are combinations of sugars, proteins and other large molecules. AGEs increase the risk of various chronic diseases including increased inflammation and oxidative stress. They can also combine to the receptor for AGEs (RAGE). RAGE transports beta-amyloid proteins across the blood-brain barrier and contributes to the development of Alzheimer's disease, the researchers explained. 

The researchers found that the higher the cooking temperature, the higher the AGEs content in food. Meat made the highest contribution of AGEs, followed by vegetable oils, cheese and fish. The diet containing larger quantities of AGEs were correlated with higher incidence of Alzheimer's Disease. The study was conducted by researchers at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York. 

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Alzheimer’s Disease in India: Awareness

Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is an illness in which the mental ability of persons gradually declines and brain stops to function in a normal way; is the most common type of dementia. It adversely affects memory, thought process, and behavioral mannerism. It is generally seen in elderly people. It’s more harmful for people over 55.

Symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease usually develops slowly, and gradually worsen over time. It starts with minor forgetfulness and transmutes into a serious mental disorder. At an advanced stage of AD, it becomes difficult for the person to lead a normal life. Patients can’t even identify the people close to them. They lose both visual and verbal memories. They forget recent conversations, names of recent acquaintances, misplace objects, and lose way in familiar surroundings. The progression rate of this disease is different for everyone. However, people with Alzheimer’s live for around eight years after symptoms begin.  

Short-term memory loss is very common symptom of the people suffering from AD. 

Currently, there are no cures for Alzheimer’s Disease. Many countries have day care centers for such patients. But in India, the family is the care-giver. 

Globally, one out of 10 persons who are above 80 years and one out of four persons who are above 90 years suffer from Alzheimer’s. In India, we have nearly 50 lakh dementia patients, of which around 70 to 80 % have Alzheimer’s.

Associate professor, Department of Neurology, NIMS, Dr. K. Rukmini Mridula says, “AD occurs due to abnormal and toxic protein accumulation in neurons. We lose the capacity to remove toxic proteins with age and that’s why such ailments manifest in older age”. AD is the most common neuro-degenerative disease.

Common symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD):

• Problem in completing tasks that were once easy to do
• Complexity in planning and difficulty in solving problems
• Frequent mood swings or changes in personality
• Problems with communication
• Confusion about places, people, and events
• Trouble in understanding images
• Schizophonic thoughts

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