Tips for your glowing skin...

For skin that feels like rose petals,
here are some quick care tips.
- Boil cabbage in water. Strain it
and use the water to wash your face
to make your skin look radiant.
- Mix yoghurt with cucumber water.
Apply on your face and wash it off.
- Coconut milk is excellent for skin
care, especially in winter. Take half
a cup of coconut milk. Use half of it
to apply it over the face and body.
Mix the rest with red sandalwood
powder, apply the paste on the face.
It can also be applied all over the
body. It exfoliates your skin.
- Is your skin looking dull and
lifeless? Mix coconut water and
thick pineapple juice. Add multani
mitti and apply it over your face
and body. Do not scrub vigorously;
wash it off with ice cubes or cold
water.
- Here's a way to refresh tired skin:
Mix one teaspoon vinegar with one
teaspoon rosewater. Apply on skin
and leave for 10 minutes. Wash it
off with ordinary water.
- Mix one teaspoon honey with one
teaspoon tomato juice. Leave it on
the face or body for 10 minutes and
wash it off with ordinary water.

Snoring! don't take it lightly...

If you or your close ones snore
regularly, it is time you stop
considering it a minor problem and
seek medical help
Laugh and the world laughs with you,
snore and you sleep alone. This wise
quip by an English literary great
sums up how difficult snoring can be
on those living with a snorer.
Sleeping with a snorer can cause the
partner fragmented or lack of
sleep; in the case of spouses, it is
known to hamper their relationship
as well. But for the snorer himself,
snoring can be the tip of an iceberg
of sleep-related disorders that need
medical attention.
Loud, unpleasant and embarrassing
snoring happens due to obstructed
air movement during breathing. Like
any sound, snoring too is caused by
vibrations that causes particles in
the air to form sound waves. Just as
our vocal cords vibrate to form our
voice, turbulent airflow cause the
tissues of nose and throat to vibrate
which results in snoring. However,
the health hazards are often
overlooked. Excessive snoring, for
instance, can mean sleep apnoea - a
disorder where one suffers
extremely low breathing during
sleep.
Snorer's woes
While deep sleep is key to normal
body functioning, snoring obstructs
you from getting there. Sleep
quality is important for secretion of
essential hormones such as growth
hormone, melatonin and cortisol.
When sleep quality suffers and
harms hormone functioning, it leads
to several problems such as obesity,
early ageing, lethargy and
hypertension. A snorer's body
struggles to breathe, leading to drop
in oxygen supply to the blood which
in turn triggers faster heart rate to
prevent oxygen deprivation.
Contrary to popular perception
snorers are not always fat with thick
necks, and can have any body type.
Thin people with slim necks are prone
to snoring just as loudly. Sleep
medicine specialist Dr Preeti
Devnani says snoring must always be
medically investigated. "Examining
one's snoring can unravel complex
sleep disorders. A hyper tensive who
snores, for instance, is likely to have
sleep apnea which can cause
premature stroke, reduced immunity
and heart ailments," she says. So it
is advisable that a snorer consults an
Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT)
specialist and undergoes a few tests
to assess its seriousness.
How it happens
When we sit or breathe at ease, air
flow from our nose or mouth to
lungs is steady. Under exertion, like
while exercising, air quickly glides
through the nose or mouth
generating audible breathing sounds.
In sleep, the area at the back of the
throat narrows at times. The air
passing through the breathing
apparatus causes tissues surrounding
the opening to vibrate, producing
snores. Various types of snoring too
indicate what the problem could be;
closedmouth snoring points at a
tongue problem, openmouth snoring
could be due to throat tissues,
snoring while sleeping on your back
is often mild snoring that is easily
curable; while snoring in all postures
may indicate that it needs serious
treatment. With age, snoring only
worsens.
Snap out of it
Simple lifestyle alterations can
greatly reduce snoring. Lose weight,
quit smoking, avoid alcohol and
heavy dinners to conquer snoring.
Sleeping on your side helps reduce
snoring and as does using higher
pillows that help deconstrict your
throat. You can also try nasal strips
that aid in breathing or a throat
spray that softens the soft tissues.
As for medical treatments, dental
appliances such as oral devices and
jaw-positioners help open up the
airway. Serious snorers may resort
to Continuous Positive Airway
Pressure (CPAP), which is a machine
that blows pressurised air into a
mask that you wear over your nose
or face. This keeps your airway open
during sleep. In extreme cases,
surgery can increase the airway size
by removing or rectifying tissues.
Sleepless nights
A few months ago, software
engineer Sachin Mahamuni moved to
Mumbai from Pune. He shares his
experience of living with a 'snorer'
in a rented accomodation: "For the
first week, I couldn't sleep a wink.
My roommate would snore
incessantly and in the silence of the
night, it sounded amplified. All I
needed after a long day's work, was
a night's rest and I just couldn't get
myself to sleep. I spent many
restless nights and slept only in the
wee hours of the morning. I'm so
tired that I've learnt to sleep
through it."

World Sight Day..Some facts»

Approximately 284 million people
worldwide live with low vision and
blindness
Of these, 39 million people are blind
and 245 million have low vision
90% of blind people live in low-
income countries
Yet 80% of blindness is
avoidable - i.e. readily treatable
and/or preventable
Restorations of sight, and blindness
prevention strategies are among the
most cost-effective interventions
in health care
The number of people blind from
infectious causes has greatly
reduced in the past 20 years
An estimated 19 million children are
visually impaired
About 65 % of all people who are
visually impaired are aged 50 and
older, while this age group comprises
only 20% of the world's population
Increasing elderly populations in
many countries mean that more
people will be at risk of age-related
visual impairment.

What is Arthritis?

Arthritis is a term that includes a
group of disorders that affect your
joints and muscles. Arthritis
symptoms include joint pain,
inflammation and limited movement
of joints. When a joint is inflamed it
may be swollen, tender, warm to the
touch or red. Surrounding each joint
is a protective capsule holding a
lubricating fluid to aid in motion.
Cartilage, a slippery smooth
substance, covers most joints to
assure an even, fluid motion of the
joint. With joint arthritis, the
cartilage may be damaged,
narrowed and lost by a degenerative
process or by inflammation making
movement painful.
For most people arthritis pain and
inflammation cannot be avoided as
the body ages. In fact, most people
over the age of 50 show some signs
of arthritis. Joints naturally
degenerate over time. Fortunately,
arthritis can be managed through a
combination of medication, exercise,
rest, weight-management, nutrition,
and, in some cases, surgery. Your
doctor can tell if you have arthritis
through blood tests and x-rays. He
or she will then be able to help you
decide on the best treatment for
your case.
Arthritis is a chronic disease that
can stay with you for a long time
and possibly for the rest of your
life. Your treatments will probably
change over time and medication
may be adjusted. Having a positive
mental outlook and the support of
family and friends will help you live
with arthritis and be able to
continue to perform your daily
activities. Arthritis is not just 1
disease; it is a complex disorder that
comprises more than 100 distinct
conditions and can affect people at
any stage of life. Two of the most
common forms are osteoarthritis
and rheumatoid arthritis.