Swine flu on the decline?

Has the human race has proven to be resilient yet again? Rumors are surfacing that while scientists are struggling to find a cure for swine flu, many are recovering on their own.

It is whispered that thousands around the world are being found to recover on their own with just bed rest and isolation. Although they still say that there are those at risk of it being fatal, such as the pregnant and those who have other resistance-weakening diseases.

Treat your dandruff, treat your acne

It sounds simple, but it's really easier said than done. If you find that you're constantly breaking out with blackheads, pimples, boils, etc, try washing your hair every second day to keep oil and dander off of your face.

Earlier I'd written on how it's important to change your pillowcases and sheets often to cure dandruff. The same remedy can be applied to treating acne.

Rose water - natural make-up remover

Not many people know this, but rose water is an excellent natural make-up remover for both men and women. Not only does rose water act as a perfect tonic for your skin, it is also a natural remedy for making your skin look clear, fresh and alive. Using rose water on your skin at least once a day, leaves your skin looking healthy and glowing.

All you need is a cotton ball and a few dabs of rose water. Gently dab - not rub - it onto your skin and let it work its magic. The best way to use it is right before bed. That way it has all night to sink into your skin and leave it looking fresh and pure again.

Rose water is also a great skin 'healer' from the everyday wear and tear of dust, pollution, heat, etc.

Does drinking more milk prevent osteoporosis?

No, drinking more milk, scientific research has found that taking a more calcium-rich diet does NOT help to prevent the much dreaded old-age symptom of osteoporosis, which is more common among the women species. It is just an old myth.

To prepare against the eventualities of this deterioration disease, one must instead build up muscle mass which instead helps strengthen the bone.

Calcium rich diets will only help you to build bone mass up until you are fully grown. After this, your body no longer needs to have excess milk (especially cow's milk) pumped into it. It is good as a protein yes, but not as a way of building bone mass. Only resistance training can do that for you.

If you are trying to combat osteoporosis now, try seeking consultation from your doctor, or for going for some light aerobics and gradually working your way up to exercising with weights.

Take dancing classes if you have to, but do something rigorous that will get your heart pumping and those muscles building.

Eye care - guard against 'crow feet'

As much as this may sound like your mother giving you unsolicited advice.. ;) take care of the skin around your eyes. Treat it as gently as you can.

The skin around your eyes is the most delicate skin on your body and takes wear and tear less easily than other parts of your body. As it is less elastic than other areas of skin, it wrinkles easier and once wrinkled, only plastic surgery and extreme care can help it to look as untouched as it once was.

For you women, use cotton balls and lotion, toner or make-up remover to wipe away the cosmetic products used.

For you men, use cotton balls and facial toner to wipe away dirt, dust and any concealer or eye-liner you may be wearing.

Using cucumber helps to de-stress the eyes, but it is just a myth that it can help cure wrinkles.

Take care of your eyes and the gentle, smooth skin covering around them. They are the only pair you've got.

Cure menstrual cramps the natural way

For all you women out there who have yet to find a way around your monthly set of menstrual cramps, these tips should help you find pain relief.

Daily aerobics - Exercising daily helps to strengthen your body's muscles and keeps them flexible. Asides from strengthening your body, it helps to reduce the pain of the cramps.

Back stretches - This helps guard against the pain of the back muscles contracting during menses.

Stomach crunches - Doing tummy exercises helps to toughen you up for those painful cramps you experience when your uterus muscles contract.

Eat a high protein/ calcium diet.

Avoid taking iron supplements during your period.

Try eating chocolate to help ease the cramps. This is no old wives tale. It actually works :).

Sleep extra.

Drink plenty of water and liquids to help restock your body with fluids.

Avoid doing exercise during the first one or two days of your bleeding. The above mentioned exercises should be done throughout the month and on a regular basis, although not on the first one or two days of the actual period.

Be positive. It sure helps!

Stop hair fall now

Is your hair falling out? Were you one of those who used to wake up in the morning to brush your thick hair and now, thanks to your hair fall, you are reduced to waking up to seeing at least 50 strands of loose hair spread out over your pillow?

The time to stop your hair fall is now. It can be a thing of the past. Start by understanding the core root of the problem.

Why does your hair fall out?

o A common myth is that a severe case of dandruff makes your hair fall out by handfuls. This however, is a myth and not a fact. Dandruff is a condition of the scalp caused by dead skin cells being shed. This does not affect the hair to a point where it falls out in handfuls.
o An important thing to remember is that losing or ‘shedding’ upto 100 strands of hair in a day is normal. The body easily replaces the fallen hair and as such, is part of a natural process.
o It could be due to a poor intake of vitamins – namely, the vitamin B6 and folic acid which is essential for hair repair and healthy skin.
o Hair fall often occurs due a non-balanced diet.
o It can occur after a prolonged illness, constant stress or unhygienic living conditions.

Treat your hair loss the natural way

o Massage your hair daily to encourage good blood circulation below the scalp.
o Eat a vitamin rich diet.
o Eat carrots, spinach, cabbage, nuts, wheat germ, liver, etc.
o Rub lime juice on your scalp with a cotton ball and allow it to steep into your scalp at least one hour prior to washing your hair.
o Apply coconut milk on your scalp and massage at least one hour before washing your hair.
o Try changing your shampoo.
o Change your pillow case and sheet often so as to promote good hair and skin hygiene.
o Wash your hat and hair scrunchies often.
o Apply henna to your hair at least once a week.

Before not too long, with the proper hair care, you should have noticed a visible change in your hair health. Hair loss will cease, and you will be a happier, healthier person because of it.

What works for you? Do you have a secret hair care recipe that you’re willing to share with us all? We’d all love to hear it!

Soften your feet with cocoa butter

Especially in summer months and dry climates, it can be quite a feat (no puns intended) to keep your feet soft and pleasant-looking. For women who wear open shoes, and men who wear sandals, keeping your feet clean and neat can be difficult when all day the sun and dust are working against the best of your efforts.

I read an article that a friend of mine had written in which she said that she found an effective feet softener – easy to use, quick and result-friendly. She said that she applies cocoa butter to her feet at night and wears socks to keep the moisture cream from rubbing off while it works its magic. By morning, you can remove your socks and actually feel the difference in and on your feet.

I found my friend’s advice to be spot on. Needless to say, if you need this remedy for any other part on you, just make sure you remember to wear a covering that is not too loose so as not to rub off the cocoa butter moisturizing cream. If you need to cream up your legs, wear tights or stockings to help keep that moisture in place. If you need to soften your hands, wear gloves.

For those of you who have cracks on the heels of your feet that bleed or pus, you may want to try a medical path before you jump to this easy remedy right away. This works great for dry and calloused feet, but deep cracks and bleeding may require something more antiseptic till they heal up a bit more. Get your doctor’s advice.

The benefits of Aloe Vera

Did you know that Aloe Vera is one of THE best purifiers for your skin? Among other benefits, this wonder plant has provided skin relief since time immemorial. It is also one of the only known natural vegetable sources of the crucial vitamin B12.

Other benefits of Aloe Vera include:
- Natural support to the immune system
- Helps energy levels to rise
- Maintains healthy skin and combats effects of aging
- Natural way to replenish the body with vital mineral and vitamins
- Has natural detoxifying abilities
- Improves digestion
- Increases protein absorption
- Anti-inflammatory agents
- Anti-bacterial/ viral
- Weight loss
- Curing digestive tract irritations such as colitis, ulcers and irritable bowel syndrome
- Natural body cleanser
- Curing cancer, constipation, diverticular disorders, haemorrhoids, heartburn, heart disease, HIV, immune stimulation, indigestion, insomnia, kidney disease, leg cramps, vaginitis, vaginal douche
- Aids in white blood cell production
- And is a general health tonic.

Wikipedia.com describes Aloe Vera as: "A stemless or very short-stemmed succulent plant growing to 60–100 cm (24–39 in) tall, spreading by offsets. The stems are thick and fleshy, green to grey-green, with some varieties showing white flecks on the upper and lower stem surfaces."

It goes on to say that "The margin of the stem is serrated and has small white teeth. The flowers are produced in summer on a spike up to 90 cm (35 in) tall, each flower pendulous, with a yellow tubular corolla 2–3 cm (0.8–1.2 in) long. Like other Aloe species, A. vera forms arbuscular mycorrhiza, a symbiosis that allows the plant better access to mineral nutrients in soil."

Asides from all of that though, it tastes foul. Frankly, the first time I bought myself a big jar of it, I was surprised that the Guardian cashier threw in an extra bottle along with it. I soon found out though, for it really tasted bad!

After mixing various concoctions together trying to find something that would drown out the flavor of the putrid smelling plant, and yet retain the vitamin qualities that were luring me to do a bottom's up with it in the first place.

I found that mixing two-three tablespoons of Tang orange juice (I'm sure any juice powder will work) in a glass of cold water, mixing in the Aloe Vera juice, and topping it with a couple of ice cubes was THE best way to drink it. The taste blends together so well that you hardly notice you are drinking strange smelling liquid. Of course, the orange color of the juice drowns out the opaque look of the A. Vera juice.

In order to fully see the benefits of this, drink it on an empty stomach and twice a day. I chose drinking it at least half an hour before I had my breakfast in the morning, and at least an hour or two after my dinner/ half an hour before I slept at night

Drink up and appreciate that nature is keeping you healthy and beautiful.

Are manicures and pedicures important?

Without a doubt, the answer is a yes. How well you maintain your hands and feet is a sure sign to others of the level your general personal hygiene and the importance you place on it. Sporting unkempt hands or feet is the quickest way to convey to those around you that you are untidy, careless or consider your outward appearance a non-priority.

They say that God looks on the heart, but I’m sorry to say that we humans aren’t quite so forgiving. We judge character by the outward appearance and right or not, there isn’t one man or woman alive that doesn’t look at you and in an instant assume you are something or another. Well okay.. maybe there are a few who don't do that. There still are some pure folk left on this earth. But that said, the majority of us aren’t quite so agreeable. For those lot, if you want to come across as 'together' make sure your extremities are well looked after.

Maintaining and giving care to your hands and feet doesn’t need to take forever. I do it while listening to music or while on a hands-free call with a friend. I wouldn’t recommend you boast of that to everyone, but it definitely does help you to do what you need to without skimping on anything else in your day.

If you can’t find the time to do it yourself, or you’ve just never learned how, go to a parlor or a men’s salon. And again, it is not gay to watch out for your appearance and to aim to look sexy. Going to a professional place to get it done may also help you sneak in that head and shoulders massage you’ve been dying to have for awhile now.

Manicures and pedicures can be done at the same time at a beauty spa, parlor, salon, or what have you. They can take an hour at the maximum, though that’s if you go in for the massage as well ;).

Teaching yourself to do a home remedy for your beautification process is not at all difficult. Watch some youtube.com videos and learn to be a do it yourself pro!

Happy beautifying!

Lose weight in two weeks with 8 meals a day!

It’s the next big thing happening in Hollywood, Bollywood and among those in the fashion industry. Our very own Kareena Kapoor was said to have taken this route to her trim and slim size-zero figure!

But how does one make the change from eating 3 meals a day to being able to fit in EIGHT? That’s exactly what I asked myself when I began to plan for a healthy way to losing weight. It takes time, and most of all, discipline.

Now don’t get me wrong. I am not fat, I am not thin, I am a normal individual. I am 5.6 ft and I weigh a healthy 53-55 kgs on any given day. I do not go on diets to loose weight, but to feel good about myself and to feel confident and convinced that I look good.

You may wonder why I’m telling you this. Well, I have to say that it’d be to encourage those of you who are like me – rarely able to find the time/ space for a good workout, but who are still appearance-conscious, that this diet is for you too! Us and the folk like us, look for an easy alternative that can be incorporated into our everyday routines and schedules, without feeling the strain of it.

The concept behind eating 8 meals in a day is that the body feels reassured in the constance of available food that it begins to shed the extra fat that it was hanging on to for those ‘just incase’ times that you weren’t able to eat up well.

I’m going to add my tried and proven daily diet plan here. With this diet plan, I lost more weight than I intended to, but the result was the same - I lost weight. You may like to try this diet plan for two weeks and then reevaluate how you feel after that. Different people’s bodies are different and we can’t all look like an Angelina Jolie or Madonna!

Take care that at every step you are faithful to watch your body for any signs it may be giving you. Listen to your body when it speaks to you. If something doesn’t feel right – don’t do it.

The most important thing to keep in mind when you attempt my diet plan is that I am giving you this advice because I saw it work for me. Within two weeks I was able to lose 5 kgs. I have seen it work and I’d feel selfish to keep it all to myself!

Remember to consult your doctor, listen to your body and for heaven’s sake, if you know your body can’t take something – don't even go there.

Without further ado, here is my diet plan. Don't forget that this is just a sample diet plan. See what's best for your body and plan accordingly.

Meal 1 (7 am) – Glass of fruit juice or milk or lassi
Meal 2 (9 am) – Bread and cheese or bread and egg (if you take out the yolk, make sure you compensate your iron intake in the rest of your diet plan)
Meal 3 (11 am) – Piece of fruit
Meal 4 (1 pm) – 1 roti, 1 serving of proteins, 1 serving of cooked vegetable, 1 serving of salads, 1 serving of curd
Meal 5 (3 pm) – Green/ herbal tea, 2 biscuits or other light snack
Meal 6 (5 pm) – Piece of fruit
Meal 7 (7 pm) – 1 serving cooked vegetable, 1 serving salads, 1 serving of non-veg (if you’re a non-veggie) or paneer, dhal, etc (if you’re a veggie)
Meal 8 (9 pm) – Glass of milk or lassi

You’ll notice that I’ve spaced each of my meals to be two hours apart. The diet will ONLY work if you are regular and consistent with feeding your body at a routine time daily. At 7 am in the morning you may not be hungry, but I guarantee you that after a week of drinking/ eating something at that time, your body will whine for it when it’s not been given.

If you find yourself getting too full by the time the next meal comes around, shrink your meal size. This worked for me, but it may not do so for you. Evaluate and plan your own dietary plan.

Remember that each meal need not be big. You may start off being able to eat an entire pizza for a meal, but with time, you’ll find that your stomach has shrunk and you can fit no more than a piece or two per meal.

I hope it works for you, and if it does, do let the rest of us know!

Note: This is not a girl’s diet. Anyone can do it.

Happy No Tobacco Day!!

Yesterday was No Tobacco Day. I missed it by a coupla hours, but I still wanted to encourage those of you who are fighting the urge to light up to kick the habit while you still can!

Trust me...it’s NOT easy, but it IS worth it! I should know.. it wasn’t easy for me, but it WAS worth it!

Good luck with that! Do let the rest of us know how you’re able to pull out of it. Everyone uses a different route, and it’d be nice to know which one you took.

Important diet tip

The most important asset you can make use of when trying to maintain a healthy weight is self-control. You can go through various rigorous diets, multiple eating plans, dieticians, health experts, yoga, therapy, liposuction, etc, but without self-discipline, it will all come to naught. 

I came to find this out when I began my diet-conscious outlook on life. I found it was much easier to just skip a meal, rather than to ensure that my meals were healthy, balanced and regular. 

In my next post, I'm going to be including a 8 meal a day diet plan that I made for myself a while back. I found it to be extremely helpful, and after just two short weeks, I found I had already lost 5 kgs! But more on that later!

If you want your diet to yield good results, remember that regularity and self-discipline is a must. Without this you will find itextremely difficult and possibly even impossible to attain your healthy-you goal. 

Stay focued and maintain your self-discipline!

Lord, I love my lassi!

I’ve been getting into this habit of drinking 400 ml of salted lassi every morning before I start my day. (Mother Dairy has these 6 rupee packs of 200ml each.) I know it ends up making me feel refreshed, but I wanted to get the ‘inside scoop’ on what it really does for a person. I ended up using Google to research it and here’s what I found.

Wikipedia says: “Traditional mild salted lassi - This form of lassi is more common in villages of Punjab. It is prepared by blending curd with water and adding salt, pepper and other spices as per the requirements. The drink thus produced is known as Salted lassi.”

Some health benefits of lassi:
o Summer coolant – helps to rehydrate and refresh the body. It is especially helpful during summers where the body needs coolants to guard against excessive heat.
o Gastroenteritis cure – Gastroenteritis is an inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract. Lassi helps to cure the acute diarrhea caused by this illness.
o Helps the digestive process.

 Well, that’s pretty much all I found on it. I was hoping to get at least 10 different lassi benefits off the net, but I guess this’ll do. 

All I can say is that it’s good! Try it, I’m sure you’ll like it!

Women use public bathrooms? Ew!

Are you one of those women who find using public toilets against the grain of your being? Do you walk into a public restroom and go ‘Ew!’? Is your first reaction to stop drinking liquids on a long trip so that your visits to the less-than-hygienic restroom stops along the way are infrequent? If you are, shake my hand on it. I’m another one of those germ-conscious, I-hate-using-public-restroom people. 

Unfortunately though, no matter what precautions we take, there will always be that inevitable ‘I gotta go now!’ situation where your mind simply does not yield to taking control over the matter. In those odd and sometimes freaky situations (local public restrooms and the like) there are ways in which you can keep yourself clean and still do your thing. 

Here are some methods I’ve found to be especially clean and helpful. I hope it’s a help to those of you out there who are conscious and find it awkward to deal with such situations. 

Take ‘The Stance’
The Stance is something every mother teaches to her daughter. If not, some kind friend while growing up will show you the way. It’s just one of those ‘must have’ skills. 

Using The Stance skill, is not difficult at all. Anyone with legs that can reach the floor can do it. You just do your thing without actually sitting on that seat. 

Always carry tissue paper 
In my experience in India, it’s a 50/50 chance as to whether or not you will actually find this ‘luxury’ in many public restrooms. 

Make it a point to ALWAYS carry some with you. If not for this, then it’ll come in handy in some other way – as a first-aid help, as a way to dry your hands, etc. Keep it handy.

Another way you can use your tissue stash, is by laying it out over the toilet seat so you can actually sit down on that seat without having to wonder if the woman before you had anything you may catch.

Wet/ Antibacterial wipes
I used to carry a box of wet wipes with me everywhere I went, although my handbag would often get heavy and I have to admit that I ended up chucking it out of my daily carry-on luggage. Instead I found a nice alternative to that: antibacterial wipes. 

Antibacterial wipes are perfect for wiping your hands after using a public restroom, especially if there is no running water or clean soaps available (which I have often found to be the case). 

See if you can get the individually wrapped antibacterial wipes, as it’s more practical and hygienic this way.

Hand disinfectant
Now I carry this along with me just incase I run out of wipes, but I should think that if you have the antibacterial wipes with you always, you wouldn’t need this as well. 

I picked up a Pure Hands Herbal Hand Sanitizer by Himalaya at a local Guardian pharmacy the other day and though I’ve yet to use it, just the thought of it being there 'just incase' is reassuring. 

So… there’s my little piece of advice to you fellow women when faced with such dire everyday situations. But it’s not unique for us women, you men can find some good tips in here too!

Can Green Tea Extracts Treat Leukemia?

According to those researching in this field, it IS possible. Mayo Clinic researchers have demonstrated that patients were able to tolerate a fairly high doses of the chemical epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) found in green tea. 

Apparently, many were even able to see some regression as far as their chronic lymphocytic leukemia went. Some of the recline went as far as a 50% reduction in the lymph node size!

Further testing is now on to add stability and exactness to the program.