Irritated by Blackheads?

Follow these simple home remedies to get rid of them

Who says having clean smooth skin is a costly affair? If you don’t want to spend your hard earned money on gels and scrubs that are not even effective most of the time, here are some simple home remedies that work very well to eliminate blackheads.

Make a paste of fresh methi leaves and apply it on your face for 10 to 15 minutes every night. It drys the oil from the blackhead reducing the swelling around it.

Grind radish seeds with water to form a thin consistent paste. Scrub it gently on your face — this helps removing the blackhead completely.

Orange peels can be ground with water to form a thick paste. Apply and leave it overnight on the affected areas.

Mix mint juice with haldi powder and apply to affected areas. Keep it on for 30 minutes and wash off with lukewarm water.

Put a small bit of toothpaste on the blackheads. It drys them out!

Applying aloe vera to blackheads is another great remedy. It has soothing properties that are great for the skin and also speeds up the healing process.

Beat an egg white and add two tablespoons of fresh honey to it. Apply the mixture to your face and let it dry for 20 to 30 minutes. Rinse it off with warm water.

TOFU QABOOL KARO!

Tofu Qabool Karo!

Low in calories and cholesterol, and high in protein, tofu is the perfect food for veggies. Just add it to your salad, cook up a curry or eat it raw. This wonderful health food can indeed make you andar se strong…

• Tofu is rich in antioxidants, which help reduce the level of free radicals (harmful) in the body.

• A good source of iron, tofu helps in the process of energy production. The iron present in tofu aids in the transport and release of oxygen throughout the body.

• Tofu is quite easy to digest because the soya bean’s fibre is removed during the manufacturing process.

• Studies indicate that consuming tofu can bring a 30 per cent drop in cholesterol levels. One serving of tofu contains 15 per cent of the daily requirement of omega-3 fatty acids.

• Tofu contains properties that reduce the risk of osteoporosis, breast cancer and prostate cancer, and menopausal symptoms such as mood swings and hot flushes. A serving of tofu provides about 10 per cent of our daily need for calcium. TOI

TURN TO TURMERIC

Thought turmeric only adds colour to your food? Wrong! This wonder spice is a great antidote for various ailments. Rich in potassium, phosphorus, magnesium and calcium, it also has large quantities of iron, sodium, zinc, manganese and selenium. Need we say more more? A pinch of turmeric goes a long way...

• Turmeric powder, when taken every morning on an empty stomach, prevents blockage in arteries. A glass of hot milk with turmeric powder manages the cholesterol level in blood and reduces the risk of coronary artery disease.
• Turmeric cleanses the liver, purifies blood and also aids in digestion.
• Rich in anti-inflammatory properties, turmeric has a powerful anti-oxidant action that combats viral infection and arthritis.
• Turmeric has anti-cancer properties. It reduces the growth of cancer cells and the formation of tumors.
• To lower your sugar level, take 10–20 ml of turmeric juice every morning. To prepare the juice, soak some turmeric powder in water overnight. Stir before you consume it.
• Turmeric is a boon for skin diseases. Apply it as a paste to affected areas of skin. It helps you get rid of dark spots, pimples and eczema.
• To get rid of menstrual cramps, take turmeric extract twice a day for two weeks prior to expected date of menstruation. An antispasmodic, it rids you of cramps. —
Expert: Hakim Mohammad Tariq, Unani medicine /TOI

KITCHEN CURE

FENNEL SEEDS
Your kitchen is like a pharmacy. It is stacked with ingredients that can help counter ailments. We tell you how this spice more than just enhances the flavour of your meals...

• Fennel facilitates digestion and keeps bad breath away. It also acts as an antacid and appetiser.

• Consuming powdered fennel seeds also helps you get rid of constipation.

• Fennel seeds cure respiratory disorders such as congestion and bronchitis.

• Consuming fennel eases and regulates menstruation by regulating hormonal action in the body.

• Fennel increases the amount and frequency of urination, thereby removing toxic substances from the body.

• Rich in vitamin C, fennel ups your immunity levels

Monitoring Diabetes

Regular monitoring is the key to keeping your diabetes in check and living a healthy life.

The secret in being a productive diabetic is to monitor blood sugars and use it as a base to make informed decisions regarding dietary and life style modifications. So what is smart self blood sugar monitoring?

Help your diabetologist by taking a spread out of blood sugars - pre and post meal (two hours after the meal) on different days, coupled with one or two readings of 5:00 pm sugars, bedtime sugars and 3:00 am sugars.

Bedtime blood glucose level should be maintained between 100 and 140 mg/dl. If bed time glucose is less than 100 mg/dl consume a carbohydrate (CHO) snack before going to bed. If the 5:00 pm random blood sugar is less than 80 mg/dl, there is risk of going into hypoglycaemia at night.

If you are a physically active person, check your sugars pre-exercise. If it is less than 90 mg/dl, consume a carbohydrate snack and also check on your insulin dosage.

If the difference between pre and post meal sugars is less than 50 mg/dl, it indicates that the food choices are working well.

If blood sugars are more than 240 mg/dl, check back on food, medication and limit vigorous exercise.

Make notes on deviation in sugars with the changes in meal pattern or exercise schedule or eating out. Check out self-monitoring devices to achieve this.

What your self-monitoring device should have :
Pick a monitoring device that’s easy to use. You want to be able to monitor your glucose as easily as possible rather than it becoming another chore. Some of the latest devices have a variety of features, which include:
Auto-coding: The calibration code is embedded on each strip. One does not have to manually feed it and thereby eliminates coding related errors.
Results flagging: Some devices have the ability to separately store fasting and post meal readings, so you don’t have to maintain an additional log book to record results.
Small pricking devices: Another feature to look out for if you want to monitor your blood-glucose painlessly.
Temperature sensor: This sensor helps you get temperature-corrected results.

How to take care of your cough & cold

Drink warm fluids. Inhale warm mist. (Reason? Both relax the airway and loosen up the phlegm). Suck on cough drops or hard candy to coat the irritated throat. Drink plenty of liquids – about six to eight glasses of water daily. Avoid tobacco smoke. Smoking or being exposed to smoke makes the cough worse.

Some home remedies for your cough:

Grapes tone up the lungs and act as an expectorant, relieving a simple cold and cough in a couple of days. A cup of grape juice mixed with a teaspoon of honey, is advised for cough relief. Also, use onions. This vegetable should be chopped fine and its juice extracted from it. One teaspoon of the juice should then be mixed with one teaspoon of honey and kept for four or five hours – it will make an excellent cough syrup and should be taken twice daily.

Mobiles linked to brain tumours

The potential link between mobile phones and brain cancer could be similar to the link between lung cancer and smoking — something tobacco companies took 50 years to recognize, according to a warning by US scientists. Researchers are currently split on the level of danger the biological effects of the magnetic field emitted by cellphones poses to humans. However, society "must not repeat the situation we had with the relationship between smoking and lung cancer where we ... waited until every ‘i' was dotted and ‘t' was crossed before warnings were issued," said David Carpenter, director of the Institute of Health and Environment at the University of Albany, in testimony before a subcommittee of the US House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Reform. "Precaution is warranted even in the absence of absolutely final evidence concerning the magnitude of the risk" — especially for children, said Carpenter. Ronald Herberman, director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute — one of the top US cancer research centers — said that most studies "claiming that there is no link between cellphones and brain tumors are outdated, had methodological concerns and did not include sufficient numbers of long-term cellphone users." Many studies denying a link defined regular cellphone use as "once a week", he said. "Recalling the 70 years that it took to remove lead from paint and gasoline and the 50 years that it took to convincingly establish the link between smoking and lung cancer, I argue that we must learn from our past to do a better job of interpreting evidence of potential risk," said Herberman. A brain tumour can take dozens of years to develop, the scientists said. Carpenter and Herberman both told the committee the brain cancer risk from cellphone use is far greater for children than for adults. The committee were shown several European studies, particularly surveys from Scandinavia — where the cellphone was first developed — which show that the radiation emitted by cellphones have definite biological consequences. For example, a 2008 study by Swedish cancer specialist Lennart Hardell found that frequent cellphone users are twice as likely to develop a benign tumor on the auditory nerves of the ear most used with the handset, compared to the other ear. A separate study in Israel determined that heavy cellphone users had a 50% increased likelihood in developing a salivary gland tumour. In addition, a paper published this month by the Royal Society in London found that adolescents who start using cellphones before the age of 20 were five times more likely to develop brain cancer at the age of 29 than those who didn't use a cellphone. "It's only on the side of the head where you use the cellphone," Carpenter said.

Source: TOI

PERFECT FAT-BURNER

If you want to drop a dress size, then cycling is one of the best ways you can do it. Biking provides a great overall workout, burning calories and reducing body fat. Plus, it can’t be beaten when it comes to getting great thighs and a perfectly pert bottom.

GETTING STARTED

You don’t have to spend a fortune on a top-of-the-range new bike. Chances are, the one you may have got tucked away at the back of your verandah is just fine. Remember, if your feet fully touch the ground when you’re in the saddle, the bike is either too small or the seat needs raising. Other safety essentials, (which most people do not adhere to) recommended are: a helmet, padlock, bicycle pump, plus lights and reflective gear if you plan to cycle at night.

YOUR BIKING PLAN

Begin with three 30-minute bike rides for the first week, building up to longer sessions each week. Start on flat terrain, then introduce a few hills to challenge yourself. By week three, you should aim for four 35-minute sessions. By week five and six, you should be aiming for four 45-minute bike sessions per week to really see a difference.

SIX MORE REASONS TO GET ON THE SADDLE

1 Cycling keeps your knees and hips flexible. Plus, because you have to rise out of the saddle with any bumps on the road, it also strengthens your lower back and stomach muscles.

2 Regular aerobic exercise such as cycling has been shown to be more effective than some of the pills in beating mild depression, as it releases the ‘feel good’ chemicals in the brain.

3 Studies show that people who regularly cycle have the fitness level and body age of someone about 10 years younger.

4 Cycling is the perfect exercise if you’re overweight because your body weight is carried by the bike, not you, so excess pounds don’t put pressure on your joints.

5 As part of a healthy lifestyle, regular cycling can reduce your risk of Type 2 diabetes and heart disease by around 50 per cent.

6 Cycling is credit-crunch friendly as it requires no gym membership fees, and saves money on petrol or public transport. It’s also pollution-free and better for the environment.

How to walk 10,000 steps a day

To appease your conscience that’s been nagging you to increase your activity level so you can lose a little weight, just keep these simple steps in mind:

Park farthest away at parking spaces. This will force you to walk more and though you might not like it initially, you’ll soon start enjoying the bit of exercise it gives you.

Always use the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator at work or shopping. Take 10 minutes off from your lunch break and take a walk. After all, every step helps.

And even otherwise, remember, every step you take throughout your day benefits your health and gets you moving. Start out slowly with little changes. Record your daily steps for a week.

Take the average of the 7 days and decide what little changes you could make to reach up to 10,000 steps a day.