Tag: Health

Healthy pink lips add extra charm to a person’s face. These naturally appealing lips don’t need regular application of lips balms or lipsticks to look luscious and healthy. But several factors like the suns UV rays, smoking, caffeine and age can affect our lips and darken them. Luckily, there are several natural solutions to lighten darker lips. Here is a list of natural home remedies that can lighten dark lips.’

Honey
Honey is an amazing natural ingredient, which can be used to treat dark lips. It not only lightens your lips but also makes them soft. Apply honey on your lips and leave it on overnight, everyday. Continue this practice for a couple of weeks and you will notice a change in your lip colour.

Lemon juice
Lemon is known to be a bleaching agent and it acts as an effective remedy to treat dark lips. Apply freshly squeezed lemon juice to your lips and massage them gently. Follow this ritual every night before bed. Sugar scrub: Sugar works as an excellent scrub to exfoliate lips and also helps get rid of unwanted dead skin. Take three spoons of sugar and mix it with two spoons of butter to make a thick paste. Use this mixture on your lips to exfoliate them. The added butter moisturises your lips. Like your skin, your lips also need to be exfoliated regularly. Try this scrub two or three times a week for lighter lips.

Beetroot
This deep purple ingredient helps cleanse and lighten lips. Beetroot juice has natural agents, which lighten lips. Use its juice on your lips for effective results.

Ice cubes
This simple method of rubbing ice cubes over your lips will help them remain moisturised and fresh as ice cubes not only hydrate your lips but also make them plump.

Milk cream
Try milk cream (malai) with a bit of saffron and apply this mixture to your lips. This is an age old remedy for treating dark lips. Continue this ritual several times a day and at night for effective results.

Do your accessories make you happy or are they there because you have had them forever? Go through every single thing you consider an accessory and decide why you have it. If it accents the colours in the room, if it has fond memories connected with it, if it works with your room, then keep it.

If it does nothing for the room and is not an emotional attachment, get rid of it! There are so many new things out there which will add punch to your rooms, that changing accessories may be all you need to update your look. New, updated picture frames for your favourite photos, fresh flowers for those tired arrangements, new lampshades, new candles; chenille throws to replace old worn ones, even new slipcovers! For those who are really tired of the look as they scan their homes, try replacing small furniture pieces like coffee tables, end tables, and some lamps.

It is amazing how much these touches can update and refresh a look. You don’t have to spend a fortune either. Buy used pieces and repaint them “your way”. Buy unfinished pieces and stain them or dye them! And the colour choices are endless. Now look at your linens. Do they look tired and boring? I can fall in love with a great comforter and a few years later, I am totally bored with it.

Tastes change. You change. So change things around you to reflect the changes. Find a new comforter that makes your heart sing. And your bedroom! A single comforter goes a long way. And while you are at it, treat yourself to some luxury linens. Nothing feels better than high thread count sheets. Yummy! Without breaking the bank, you can add and subtract some accessories to give your home a new fresh look.

Researchers have suggested that moderate drinking of alcohol may actually bolster one’s immune system and help it fight off infection. To conduct the study, the researchers trained a group of 12 rhesus macaques to consume alcohol — a 4 percent ethanol mixture — of their own accord. Researchers vaccinated the monkeys against small pox as part of the study. They then separated the animals into two groups — those with access to the 4 percent ethanol and those with access to sugar water.

All of the animals had regular access to pure water, and to food. The researchers then monitored the animals’ daily ethanol consumption for 14 months. And the animals were vaccinated again, seven months after the experiment began. The monkeys’ voluntary ethanol consumption segregated them into two groups. One group was made up of heavy drinkers, those that had an average blood ethanol concentration greater than 0.08 percent — the legal limit for humans to be able to drive a vehicle.

The other group was made up of moderate drinkers, with an average blood ethanol concentration of 0.02 to 0.04 percent. Prior to consuming the alcohol, all of the animals showed comparable responses to the vaccination. But after exposure to the alcohol, the two groups of monkeys responded in very different ways to the vaccination. The heavy drinkers showed greatly diminished vaccine responses compared with the control group of monkeys who drank the sugar water. But the more surprising finding: the moderate-drinking monkeys displayed enhanced responses to the vaccine compared to the control group. Moderate drinking bolstered their bodies’ immune systems.

Researchers have claimed that caffeine shortens and alcohol lengthens telomeres — the end points of chromosomal DNA, implicated in ageing and cancer. Now Prof. Martin Kupiec said that for the first time they’ve identified a few environmental factors that alter telomere length, and they’ve shown how they do it. Telomeres, made of DNA and proteins, mark the ends of the strands of DNA in our chromosomes.

They are essential to ensuring that the DNA strands are repaired and copied correctly. Every time a cell duplicates, the chromosomes are copied into the new cell with slightly shorter telomeres. Eventually, the telomeres become too short, and the cell dies. Only fetal and cancer cells have mechanisms to avoid this fate; they go on reproducing forever. An earlier study had revealed that the longer your telomeres are, the longer you will live – dependent, of course, on not dying accidentally, from disease or from lifestyle factors. The researchers set out to expand on a 2004 study by Nobel Prize-winning molecular biologist Prof.

Elizabeth Blackburn, which suggested that emotional stress causes the shortening of the telomeres characteristic of aging, presumably by generating free radicals in the cells. The researchers grew yeast cells in conditions that generate free radicals to test the effect on telomere length. They were surprised to find that the length did not change. They went on to expose the yeast cells to 12 other environmental stressors. Most of the stressors — from temperature and pH changes to various drugs and chemicals — had no effect on telomere length. But a low concentration of caffeine, similar to the amount found in a shot of espresso, shortened telomeres, and exposure to a 5-to-7 per cent ethanol solution lengthened telomeres.

Ateam of researchers have claimed that women suffering from moderate to severe menstrual cramps may find relief in a class of erectile dysfunction drugs. Primary dysmenorrhea, also called PD, is the most common cause of pelvic pain in women. Sildenafil citrate, sold under the brand name Viagra, may help with pelvic pain because it can lead to dilation of the blood vessels. The researchers looked at administering sildenafil citrate vaginally, which had not yet been tried, to treat PD.

They compared pain relief from use of sildenafil vaginally with that of a placebo. Penn State College of Medicine researchers worked with researchers at Nova Gradiska General Hospital in Croatia. They recruited women 18 to 35 years old who suffered from moderate to severe PD. Of the 29 women screened for the study, 25 were randomized to receive either sildenafil or a placebo drug. Patients rated their pain over four consecutive hours.

Sildenafil citrate administered vaginally alleviates acute menstrual pain with no reported side effects. Researchers hypothesized that the drug would alleviate pain, which it does, but also that is does so by increasing blood flow. However, because uterine blood flow increased from both sildenafil and the placebo, the reason it alleviates pain is not yet known.

Spending too much on expensive shampoos, but not getting the desired results that you see in TV ads? It is mostly possible and very common, because we see overly exaggerated results on TV, since these ads are designed to attract customers. But, reality speaks a different story. Instead of spending on those branded shampoos and conditioners, Dr. Sandeep Suttar – Hair Restoration and Skin Rejuvenation surgeon at Hairrevive, Mumbai, shares some natural ways to get great hair. Follow these easy and simple steps to give that luster and shine to your hair, and flaunt your hair like the models do…

Egg treatment
Use the entire egg to condition your hair. If you have dry or brittle hair, use egg whites to moisturize your hair. Use ½ cup of any egg mixture (egg white, entire egg) and apply to clean, damp hair. Leave it for 20 minutes and rinse with cool water.

Cleanliness is important
The most important reason for hair fall is dandruff and itchy scalp. Therefore, maintain good cleanliness for beautiful and healthy hair.

Avoid hot water
Skip hot water showers, because hot water will make your hair dry and brittle as it strips protective oils from your hair – says Dr. Suttar. Thus, prefer a temperature which is just a bit warmer than your body temperature.

Bottle gourd treatment
Extract some bottle gourd juice and apply it into your hair. Keep this solution for half an hour and wash it off thoroughly.

For that shiny soft hair
Prepare a mixture of 1 cup of your daily conditioner and 2-3 tablespoons of honey. Apply this mixture evenly on your wet hair. Leave it for 30 minutes and wash it off thoroughly. This mixture will close down your hair’s cuticle and give your hair that amazing shine.

Baking soda therapy
Make a mixture of 3 tbsp. of baking soda and some water. Rinse your hair with this solution after shampooing. Let it set in for at least 5 minutes before the final rinse. This therapy will help to remove the excess shampoo and styling product from your hair.

For bouncy hair
Apply a one to one mixture of warm water and apple cider vinegar to your hair. Rinse it thoroughly after 5 minutes to get rid of the apple cider smell.

Don’t wash your hair frequently
Wash your hair every 2-3 days, for proper regulation of natural hair oils. Washing your hair less often will also help regain your hair’s natural body and luster.

Make your conditioner
For a protein packed conditioner, mix eggs and yogurt and rub it into your scalp. Leave on for five or 10 minutes, and then wash it off completely.

For strong hair
Use almond oil to treat dry and damaged hair. It is a very simple procedure, pour some almond oil in a bowl and heat it for 40 seconds. Then evenly distribute on your hair. Leave it for 30 minutes and then rinse normally with shampoo and conditioner using cold water.

Say bye-bye to dull hair with lemon juice
After the final rinse, apply 1 tsbp lemon juice to your hair. Simply towel dry your hair and style as normal to get rid of dry hair.

Use protection before you jump into the pool
Pools can do great damage to your hair as it contains harsh chemicals – says Dr Suttar. He says; prevent your hair from the pool damage by simply applying a little conditioner to your hair before you swim. This will protect your hair before it comes in contact with the pool water.

Treat sun damaged hair
Make a mixture of ½ cup honey, 1-2 tbsp olive oil and 1-2 tbsp of egg yolk. Apply this mixture on your hair for 20 minutes and then rinse with warm water. This treatment will help to replenish keratin protein bonds – says Dr. Suttar.

Tight is NO-NO
To prevent breakage due to brittle hair avoid using bands and do not tie your hair too tightly.

The proper brushing technique
Avoid using a comb with plastic bristles to prevent hair breakage from static electricity. The best way to brush your hair is by first brushing the ends to remove tangles and then take the long stokes from the roots of the hair to the ends. This technique will help proper spreading of natural hair oil and thus prevent breakage.

Moisturize your hair
Pour a little beer in your wet hair. Distribute evenly and massage your scalp with your fingers for 20 minutes. Then rinse it thoroughly to get rid of the beer smell. Do this procedure once a week for salon smooth hair. Dr. Suttar says- it is recommended that people with sinus and cold should avoid using this treatment.

Trim your hair regularly
Get your hair trimmed at least every six weeks to eliminate dry, split ends.

Do not brush wet hair
Wet hair is three times weaker and thus more likely to break – says Dr. Suttar. He recommends, towel dry your hair first and then gently detangle your hair using a wide tooth comb

Let your hair air-dry
Allow your hair to dry by itself instead of using a blow-dryer or hot rollers. Using this artificial mode of drying technique will make your hair more brittle and dry. If you have no time to let your hair air dry, then use blow-dryer sparingly and make sure you use a warm setting instead of a hot setting.

Regarded as a great form of aerobic exercise, cycling is an activity any one can take up. It’s also the best way to take in the countryside… When it comes to your fitness, it’s time to reinvent the wheel, pun intended! More people are finding cycling a way to boost stamina levels, with some even cycling to work every day. Today, more folks are pedal pushing their way on offbeat tracks and scenic routes around the city. Here’s more on the sport…

It can save the environment
For cycling enthusiasts in the country, the going isn’t easy because of chaotic streets, the poor condition of roads and a lack of dedicated cycling tracks. They hope cycling will become a dedicated sport so that things change. “So often we see a hike in petrol levels, so a cycle is a transport option. We have a lovely sea coast and if they can make a track right from Nariman Point to Borivali, about 100 kms up and down, it might save the environment.

We are actually breathing poison today, owing to the crazy carbon levels and we can reduce the carbon footprint this way,” says Vishal Sharma, of a cycling club in Mumbai. Adds cyclist Dhawal Shah, “Being on wheels is also a nice way to take in the sights. I think more people are opening up to cycling and we must move toward it in an effort for a clean and green environment.”

Warm up before starting
Always do an initial bike check for brakes and check for tire air pressure. Also, clean the reflectors.

Always ride on the correct side of the road
Make sure you always ride on the correct side (left for India/UK and right for US) of the road. Also, do not listen to music while cycling. Do not overtake other cyclists unnecessarily.

Health benefits of cycling
A fun exercise, cycling is said to improves cardiovascular fitness, so there is a lower risk of heart attack and stroke. Since pedalling is a lowimpact activity, you can improve muscle tone without stressing your knee and ankle joints. Says orthopaedic surgeon, Dr Vivek Shetty, “Cycling helps build cardiac stamina and strengthens lower limbs.

However, someone with an osteoarthritis knee should get an evaluation done by a doctor before starting to cycle. Also, someone with an injured tissue should not cycle for more than half an hour a day,” he says. Adds orthopaedic specialist and joint replacement surgeon, Dr Nilen Shah, “One can strengthen the muscles of legs through it, tackle osteoarthritis of the knees in the early sages as well as fight obesity.”

Diet dos and don’ts

While we all know water is essential to our basic wellbeing, not many of us can manage to gulp down more than a daily dose of one or two litres. Water, after all, is plain and can tend to get boring beyond a point. But with a little imagination and initiative, you can easily increase your daily water consumption. Here are some tips…

1. First things first. So, as soon you wake up in the morning, down a glass of water. Coffee, tea, milk — whichever you prefer — can follow a little later. Apart from making you feel good about sticking to your resolution, it also kickstarts your metabolism.

2. Make that water bottle your constant companion. No matter where you are — at home or office — keep taking small sips. Go for a water bottle in your favourite colour. That will make the idea of drinking from it more appealing. Fancy glasses will also do the trick.

3. Water can be made interesting and healthier. Add a flavour of your choice and relish the taste. Squeeze half a lemon, crush some berries, add a few mint leaves or fruit slices — the options are many.

4. Try to have some fun while drinking water. For example, lay a bet with a colleague, friend or spouse on who will drink more. You can also compete with yourself, increasing the quantity each day. Also, keep taking small water breaks with friends and colleagues while at work. It’s called ‘healthy’ bonding.

There are some foods that you must avoid if you want six pack abs. Generally, we tend to consume these foods out of laziness and availability, but you can’t be careless when you’re working on your six pack. We have listed the foods that you should avoid if you want a toned defined midsection.

Whole milk:
To build abs you need to cut down on calories. So consume low fat milk and avoid whole milk due to its high calories.

Commercial peanut butter:
Peanut butter is one of the best foods you can consume if you want to build muscle, due to its high protein content. Peanut butter is also a great post workout snack. But try and avoid consuming commercial peanut butter. The packaged and ready-to-eat peanut butter is rich in fats, calories and additives.

Diet foods:
In order to build muscle, it is important to have a balanced diet which includes carbohydrates, proteins and fats. Diet foods and diet meal plans prevent you from consuming a balanced diet. Plus there is an urge to consume far more calories when you are on a diet.

Crackers:
Crackers are recommended for good digestion, but they are prepared with refined flour and sugar, both of which are not good for building muscle.

High fructose corn syrup:
This is the main ingredient in several processed foods, but this sugar has a different method of processing in the body compared to regular sugar. It doesn’t have nutritional benefits and does nothing for building muscle.

Processed cheese:
There is a different between fresh organic cheese and processed cheese. The worst enemy for building abs is processed cheese – it lacks nutritional value, contains fats, salts and excess calories.

Processed starch food:
Potatoes are rich in starch, which is healthy. But processed starch has no nutritional value and loads of calories. Avoid processed starchy food to build abs without gaining weight.

Sausage:
This again is a processed food and rich in calories and fats. Stay away from processed meats like bacon, sausages and salami if you want toned and defined abs.

Artificial sweetener:
Artificial sweeteners have no nutritional value and get you addicted to sugar and junk food. These sweeteners make you gain weight and prevent you from developing abs.

High sugar breakfast cereals:
Breakfast cereals that have additional flavours and artificial sweeteners only increase weight. Instead, buy wholegrain healthy cereals.

Ice cream:
It may be a tempting way to cool off, but it can prevent you from building abs. Ice cream is rich in calories, artificial sweeteners and flavours.

Refined flour:
Unlike flour sourced from wholegrain, refined flour lacks nutritional value. Refined flour increases your sugar levels and increases the storage of fat in the body.

Give a warm new look to your home. If the lingering nip in the air isn’t reason enough, what is? There is a lingering nip in the air and it is the right time to give your home a warm look. Architect Ekansh Bansal of Ekansh Bansal Design gives us some tips to do up our homes this season. Winter is as good a time as any to redecorate your home, and the right visual elements will have your interiors looking chic, warm, inviting and cosy; even in the coldest months.

Keep colours simple
Paint is perhaps the best starting point for redecorating your home, and you should begin with a neutral and earthy colours like white, beige or very light blue. Keeping the colours simple gives you a lot of freedom to play with the rest of the elements.

Bring in some warmth
Decorating for winter is all about giving extra comfort and warmth to your interiors, especially since it’s so cold and harsh outside. Stock up on items like plush throws and rich quilts and place them on your couches and sofas.Decorating for winter is all about giving extra comfort and warmth to your interiors, especially since it’s so cold and harsh outside. Stock up on items like plush throws and rich quilts and place them on your couches and sofas.

Use traditional furniture for glamour
Add warmth to your interiors by breaking the straight lines of contemporary furniture with some more traditional pieces. The curves of the traditional pieces add a ‘glam’ factor to a space when used as a focal point.

Use furniture with raw unfinished looks
Use pieces which reflect the outside on the inside. By using accessories and furniture with raw and unfinished looks, we bring a bit of the nature and greenery outside, into our houses; especially a good idea for those who live in apartments and don’t have access to private gardens. Area rugs and reversible curtains Curtains, like area rugs, offer you a very simple way to add dramatic changes to any room. Because you’ll probably want to change the design every so often, you may want to get reversible curtains so that you just need to flip the curtain to get an entirely new look. But make sure to remember to get these in nice colours, to add to the cosiness.

Opt for low height furniture
Open spaces are interactive and cosier. Restrict using large and heavy space dividers; instead opt for low height furniture, like bookshelves or consoles to dictate your space divisions. This not only makes the overall space seem larger, but also the interaction between the spaces makes it nice and warm. Use more candles Accessories add the final but allimportant touches to your interiors for winter. Candles, for example, are particularly dramatic pieces in winter because they suggest light and warmth – two things that Mother Nature doesn’t provide that time of year.

If you’ve been wondering how to Feng Shui your living room. Here are some ways. The living room of any house is where all the occupants of the home gather, thus the atmosphere of the living room should be peaceful and calm. Follow these points to maximise the positive influences in your home.

Paintings for your living room:
Landscapes depicting sunrise, water or mountains signify hope. Portraits of people with serene and smiling faces encourage positive feelings. Cascading water symbolises good luck. Paintings based on geometric shapes increases destructive feelings. Keep them at bay. Paintings depicting wild and vicious animals induce poor health. Do not put up such paintings. Refrain from painting your living room with the colour red. It invokes irritability. Lambs are symbolic of luck. Images of swimming fish signify longevity.

Plants for your living room:
Most plants are said to have a positive influence as long as they are not wilting. Cacti and plants with sharp and spiky leaves are best kept out of your house. Plastic or artificial plants are neutral and do not affect Feng Shui.

Carpets for your living room:
Choose carpets and rugs in colours that correspond to the direction you place them in. Carpets that cover your whole room should suit the direction of the room itself.

Pets for your house:
Cats are said to be the element wood, so the colours for their bedding should be black, blue or green. Red is a bad choice for a cat’s bedding. If you have front doors opening to the northeast, south or northwest will make your cat strong and healthy. While the southwest and north are bad considered to be bad openings for cats. Dogs are said to belong to the element earth. Choose a brown or a yellow basket for them. White baskets are said to make them fall ill. Main doors which face the southwest, northeast or south makes a dog healthy and stronger while those facing east or southeast can make them fall ill.

Petroleum jelly has been around for years and most of us have used petroleum jelly at some point to moisturise our skin. But it is not just an ordinary skin cream, there are several other interesting ways you can use petroleum jelly in your beauty routine. We have listed down a few. Lengthens eyelashes: Have you ever wished your eyelashes were longer? Try coating them with petroleum jelly and leave it overnight. Many people have found that doing this makes eyelashes longer and thicker over time. Taming the frizz: Sometimes unwanted and frizzy strands can ruin your super straight hairdo.

So, apply a little petroleum jelly on the frizz to tame it. Don’t go overboard or you will end up with greasy hair. Makes fragrance last longer: Apply a little petroleum jelly on your wrist and neck before your spray it with perfume. This is a proven trick to make the fragrance last longer. Chafed nose healer: Due to cold and flu, the area around your nose tends to get chafed and it could get very uncomfortable. Dab a little petroleum jelly around that area and it will do the trick. Protects skin from hair dye: When you apply hair dye at home, it sometimes lands up on your skin and stains it.

This can be very annoying as these stains don’t vanish soon. Use petroleum jelly along your hairline and neck line before you apply the dye. This protects your skin from getting stained. Highlighter: Petroleum jelly can be applied on the top of your cheekbone to give you that highlighter effect. It makes your cheekbones appear radiant and shiny. You can also use it on your eyelids before you put on your eye shadow to give you that wet eye make up look.

Insomnia and lack of sleep are the biggest factors for developing different health problems. But excessive sleeping can also pose a problem to health. Dr. Ravindra Gupta of Internal Medicine from Columbia Asia Hospital at Gurgaon, explains the signs and negative health effects of oversleeping.

What is Excessive Sleeping?
According to Dr. Ravindra Gupta, “It is a state is which one feels dozing off in the waking hours and lethargic during the day even after having a sufficient amount of sleep. And feel fatigued all the time. Unpredictable mood swings.”

Signs of Excessive Sleeping:
Fatigue and irritability
Dozing off in office or while driving
Inability to concentrate.
Seen in those who are obese
Those who have obstructive sleep apnoea.

Negative health effects of Excessive Sleeping:
Gaining weight
Irritability
Hypertension
Increase risk of accidents.
Excessive sleeping is also called hypersomina and is caused by medication, inadequate sleep, working in shifts, sleep disorders, and psychological problems.

Almonds are a superfood, which are high in vitamin E and good fats, which are beneficial for the hair, skin and the body. Nutritionist, Suman Agarwal who is also a fitness consultant and founder of Selfcare in Mumbai lists the health benefits of almonds for the skin, hair and body.

Great for hair
Almonds are a rich source of vitamin D and magnesium and it are used in a variety of cosmetics and creams. Deficiency of magnesium in the body can lead to hair fall. Almond oil applied once in a week can help to moisturise the scalp, improve the hair quality and reduce hair fall.

Superb for skin
Almonds can benefit the complexion as they contains a good amount of vitamin E. Vitamin E is an antioxidant, which helps in preventing cell damage and also helps in preventing the damage caused by the sun’s rays. Almond milk is also rich in proteins and vitamins and helps hydrate and soften the skin.

Marvelous for memory
Almonds are a rich source of B vitamins and minerals and may help to improve memory. B vitamins also help in improving the communication between the brain cells.

Good for hangovers
Almonds are high in fat and will slowdown the absorption of alcohol in the blood and are a good cure for hangovers.

Fit for weight Loss
Almonds contain phytosterol and mono unsaturated fatty acids which help in reducing cholesterol and LDL. Raw almonds are a good source of proteins and fibre, which will help curb your appetite, as they make you feel full. What is the best way to eat almonds? Raw, roasted or soaked? Soaked almonds have a lesser amount of phytates and help in promoting good digestion. Whereas, bitter almonds cannot be eaten raw as they contain toxic substances called prussic acid.

Anew study led by Indian origin researcher has suggested that cigarette smokers who are over 65 years of age may be able to lower their risk of cardiovascular disease-related deaths to the level of never-smokers when they quit faster than previously reported. A study by Ali Ahmed, M.D., M.P.H., senior researcher and professor of cardiovascular disease at the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s School of Medicine, showed that older people who smoked less than 32 “pack years”- 3.2 packs (20 cigarettes per pack) a day for no more than 10 years or less than one pack a day for 30 years – and gave up smoking 15 or fewer years ago lowered their risks of developing heart failure or dying from heart failure, heart attacks and strokes to the same level as those who had never smoked. Previous research showed it may take up to 15 years or more of abstinence for smokers to reach similar cardiovascular death risks as people who never smoke. But many of the people in the study were able to reduce their risk in less than 15 years.