3 reasons why sun is good for you

A little sunshine can boost your mood and help prevent serious illnesses, says Averil Nunes.
Outwit Osteoporosis: Given that one in three women will break a bone or two at the hands of osteoporosis and the bone-building Vitamin D is best synthesized in the presence of the sun, it's advisable to get your daily dose of sunlight. It's even more important to get these doses of sunlight in your pre-30 years when your body is building bone faster then it is losing it. The bigger your bone density bank, the longer it will take for menopause to bankrupt it. Dr Ambrish Mithal, of Medanta Hospital, New Delhi, who is board member and lead author of the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) Asia-Audit, 2013, tells us, "The sun remains the single largest source of Vitamin D, and contrary to popular belief, catching some sun between the hours of 11 am and 3 pm is highly recommended". Yes, you read right! The noon time sun is good for you.
Beat the Blues: Sting has sung about the healing power of the lithium in sunlight. Now, while sunlight may contain too little lithium—known to be effective at treating depression—to have the same effect as the physician-prescribed version of it; sunlight does release good doses of the feel-good hormone serotonin into your blood, making you feel happy. Perhaps even happy enough to sing, dance and clap along to Pharrell's Happy, like half the world seems intent on doing at present. With one in four women thought to be afflicted by depression, it seems wise to get some light before you become a statistic.

94% of Indian dermatologists recommend sunscreen to prevent skin problems: Study

New Delhi: Skin problems are one of the most common issues that many people face during the hot summer season. But, the good thing is that most of these problems can be dealt with a good sunscreen and a good cleansing routine.
According to a press release by L’Oréal India, based on their study, 94% of Indian dermatologists recommend use of sunscreen as the first line of defense against skin problems.
To better understand Indian skin concerns and the importance of sun protection, the survey was conducted amongst 900 leading Indian dermatologists.
The survey concluded that 94% of them recommend regular use of sun protection as an essential skin care regime to protect against skin ageing and pigmentation.
While sunscreens were the most popular skin care product recommended by dermatologists, 72% of them recommended broad spectrum sun protection against both UVA - Ultraviolet A (long-wave) and UVB -UltravioletB (shortwave) rays.
The study also found that 91% of skin experts felt Sun Protection helped in preventing skin aging. 75% of dermatologists recommended SPF 30+ to their patients and 72% of them also suggested application of sunscreen 2-3 times a day.
According to Francois Pradier, Director, Research and Innovation, L’Oreal India, “L’Oréal has been involved in photo protection research for over thirty years. Our study, 'New insights into skin pigmentation - an Indian

Say goodbye to cracked heels

Our feet- the most overworked and often the most ignored part of our body bear the entire burden we carry with us. Besides, their close contact with ground and eventually, dust and mud makes it more vulnerable for cracked heels. Gunjan Gaur, Permanent Makeup Expert and Executive Director of Alps Beauty Clinics, share the mantras to make your feet beautiful…and heels smoother in no time.
Cleaner is Better: A major reason of cracked heels is lack of cleanliness of feet. Therefore, make sure to indulge in home-made pedicure every month. For this, add one teaspoon shampoo, one teaspoon table-salt along with few drops of antiseptic liquid in a two litres of warm water. Soak your feet in it for 10 minutes; scrub-off the dead skin using a pumice stone and rinse-off. When it dries, massage with moisturizing cream and sleep-on with socks for overnight to catch hold of fantastic feet, the very next morning!
Paraffin Power: It is also advisable to keep taking paraffin-wax sittings at a reputed salon to remove tan as well as to endow your feet with a soft, velvety finish. It removes the uppermost, dead layer of the skin while revealing glistening feet.

Monsoon Special: How to keep your little ones safe and healthy!

The cool breeze and the refreshing rains in monsoons come as a huge relief after the hot summer season. But these gleeful moments can also bring along humidity, mosquitoes, diseases, etc, which in turn can give you a lot of anxiety and worries regarding your little one's health.
Below are a few tips to help you keep your kids healthy during this season:
Hygiene and Cleanliness: Since this season brings with it a lot of challenges, hygiene comes first. Keep your room and surrounding areas clean and dry.
Due to humidity, your little ones may sweat a lot, which can lead to fungal infections, skin rashes or allergies. Keep your baby clean by bathing him/her atleast once a day. Adding a few drops of neem oil in the bathing water works as a disinfectant.
Wash your hands as well as your baby's after changing nappies and after he eats, to keep diseases at bay. Cut your baby's nail short to keep him/her clean and healthy. .
Food and Drink: Always serve your little ones moderately hot/warm food. Make sure your children drink only boiled or filtered water. Even when you go out, carry water bottle from your home. Avoid giving them food, fruit juices and drinks with ice from outside. Not just your kids, but adults should also avoid eating from outside during this season.
If you have a baby who's on formula milk, always use boiled and cooled water to make his feed. And if your are breastfeeding, keep breastfeeding your baby. This will strengthen the baby's immune system as well as help protect from illness. Your breastmilk contains antibodies that can keep your baby strong and healthy.
Also, make your child drink plenty of boiled water to prevent dehydration.
Clothes: During this humid season, dress your child in loose cotton clothes that will absorb the sweat and let his skin breath. Avoid synthetic and nylon clothes.
Make sure that your child does not wear damp clothes as this can lead to fungal infections. Remember even slightly wet cloth can lead to flu. Keep his/her skin dry to prevent prickly heat.
During day time, be sure to cover your baby's arms and legs to avoid mosquito bites.
And if you have a school-going kid, make sure that his/her raincoat, school bag, gumboots, socks and other items are dry and clean.
Avoid Mosquitoes: As monsoons bring along a lot of illnesses, keeping your home and surroundings clean can help avoid your child from mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue, malaria or chikungunya. Applying mosquito repellants/creams on your baby's skin or using a mosquito net will help avoid mosquito bites.

Five bad skin habits to avoid!

 
Zee Media Bureau/Salome Phelamei
You cleanse, moisturise and you do everything you can to keep the skin, especially on your face looking supple, soft and young. But it doesn't help and you wonder why your skin still looks patchy, dull and dry besides doing so much.
May be it's because you do not follow the correct skincare techniques. Below are some bad skincare habits that you need to avoid:
Over exfoliating: Regular exfoliation can help you avoid blemishes. But overdoing it can actually exacerbate oil production and worsen breakouts by spreading bacteria.
Not using sunscreen: To keep your skin from getting wrinkled and saggy, use a sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher. Apply all over your face and other parts of the body exposed to the sun. Not just in summer, but we should know that sunscreen should be worn every day and everywhere.
Using the wrong products: Using products that is wrong for your skin type is an enormously common mistake. So go for a product that will suit your skin type.
Sharing makeup: It is highly advisable not to share makeup with other people. Sharing makeup is really harmful as it is essentially swapping germs. Also, people have become infected with diseases like pink eye from sharing makeup.
Picking at your skin: Avoid picking at blemishes, pimples, moles and other spots as doing so can cause bleeding, creating an open wound that's susceptible to bacteria, and leave you with scars.

Skin care: 5 easy ways to keep pimples at bay

Zee Media Bureau/Shruti Saxena
New Delhi: Acne is amongst the most common skin problems that people of all age groups, especially teenagers face. There can be many reasons that attribute to the cause of acne like stress, puberty, hormonal changes, menopause etc.
Here are a few acne defense tips:
-Wash your face properly. It is recommended to clean your face twice a day and not more than that as it can leave your skin more oily.
-Always remember to wear sunblock as the sun has UVA and UVB rays which initially may worsen those pimples.
-Don't use make-up all the time or if required switch to water based make-up.
-Caffeinated drinks like coffee and tea are a strict no-no as they harm the skin a lot and further aggravate acne problem.
-Avoid using soaps as they damage skin by making it drier, rougher and more permeable to bacteria.

Your route to Beauty

Hectic life, unending tasks - make it difficult to concentrate on our own selves. Consequently, we all need few quick remedies to revive our skin and body without putting much effort or time. Gunjan Gaur, Permanent Makeup Expert, comes to rescue and reveals few such tips:
Scrub it off: To invent a home-made exfoliating scrub you may combine equal proportions of gram flour, orange peel powder, Calamine Powder and poppy seeds and store the mixture after adding few pinches of turmeric in an airtight jar. Use this preparation weekly as body and face scrub with curd or papaya pulp as base – it will infuse a fresh feel along with a new glow onto your skin.
Bleach Preach: You may also catch hold of an all-natural bleach. For this you just ought to add few drops of lemon and rose water to an ounce of milk powder – and, your homemade bleach for a fairer skin is ready to use.
Get Glowing: For infusing an instant glow on your face prepare a paste of Semolina (Suji), raw milk and honey; add a teaspoon of bran and a banana into it. Apply this paste until it dries and rub-off with soft hands. This will leave your skin looking softer and younger
Lips do Light!: To lighten dark lips one can opt for this ultimate remedy. Create a paste of rose petals, malai and honey; apply this ‘lip-pack’ two times in a day for few weeks to feel the difference.
‘Fair-o-fy’: If you are a victim of dark elbows you may try rubbing them with used lemon pieces – after adding half teaspoons of salt and sugar both. Wash off and be ready to flaunt those clean and fairer looking elbows.
(The author is the Executive Director of Alps Beauty Clinic)

5 natural herbs to improve hair growth

New Delhi: Do you often face one of those mornings where your bath drain is blocked because of all the hair you’re shedding? It is true that losing hair is really heart breaking and the sight of seeing yourself going bald during your heydays is really a nightmare.
Hair fall is a common problem that people face these days. Now, hair loss can be due to various reasons as in this hectic life we hardly get any time to maintain a beauty regime.
Here are a few herbs that help in promoting hair growth naturally:

Aloe Vera gel: Aloe vera contains antibacterial and antifungal properties which help a lot in keeping a check on dandruff. Take some aloe vera gel and apply it on your scalp for around 30 minutes and later wash it off. It helps in blood circulation and also fights against alopecia.

Does skipping breakfast impact weight loss?

Breakfast is often regarded as the most important meal of the day. It is the food that kickstarts the body after a long period of inactivity and prepares you for the rest of the day to come. It is commonly recommended that we eat breakfast as part of a healthy lifestyle, but a new study led by the University of Alabama at Birmingham aims to challenge this assertion.
It has been regularly argued that skipping breakfast leaves an individual more open to the risk of snacking unhealthily and eating too heavily at future meals. In an article on dieting myths, the British Heart Foundation (BHF) stated:

9 Natural Cures for Prostate Cancer

Prostate gland is a small gland in men which is situated below the urinary bladder. The size of this gland increases with age and at times it can cause pain and discomfort while urinating. However, prostate cancer is not related to the enlargement of this gland. It is a condition in which the cells within the gland start growing uncontrollably.
During the initial stages, urinary problems are usually the only symptoms of a prostate cancer. Old men are mostly prone to this disease and its development is rather slow. Mostly, it doesn’t cause any serious issue but in certain cases it may spread to other regions.

Treatment For prostate cancer

Radiation, surgery and chemotherapy are the major treatments available for prostate cancer. These procedures might cause certain side effects but they can be resolved with the help of certain natural cures that are quite simple and that have a potential to heal prostate cancer at its initial stages.

Natural Cures For Prostate Cancer

1.    Ginger

• Ginger is a powerful herb and its roots posses certain antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties. When consumed on a regular basis, it inhibits the proliferation of cancerous cells and thus helps in treating prostate cancer.
• Taking ginger is also good for patients who are undergoing chemotherapy. Ginger can help them in reducing the side effects of chemotherapy such as vomiting and nausea.
• You can either drink its raw juice or mix it with honey to make it sweet.

2.    Tomatoes

• Tomatoes contain an active ingredient known as lycopene which is a strong antioxidant. This ingredient helps in preventing the occurrence and spread of cancer.
• You can either eat raw tomatoes or take processed tomatoes in the form of ketchup, tomato soups or spaghetti sauce.

What To Eat Now: Eggs, cholesterol and my fridge

Nutritionist Ian Marber weighs on the eggs-in-the-fridge storage debate, and foods that can help lower cholesterol absorption

What To Eat Now: Eggs, cholesterol and my fridge Photo: Cala Molden

I had friends from the country to stay in London last week and, being a good host, I made them breakfast. Over eggs and coffee the husband asked why I kept my eggs in the fridge. The conversation moved to other burning questions about eggs - should one eat the yolk and do eggs lead to high levels of cholesterol.