Acne is widespread issue being battled by many of us; these outbreaks may occur anywhere but most often occur over face, back, chest, and at times the neck and shoulders. Most of these outbreaks subside without any residual effect, but may occasionally leave behind ugly scars. 

It is a known fact that, skin secretes sebum which protects the skin from drying out; on the contrary excess production may lead to acne. Blackheads and whiteheads are kinds of sebaceous plugs, or comedones. These sebaceous plugs are formed by the accumulation of dead cells, oil or sebum, and bacteria which clog the pores of the skin. 

When the pore is clogged up and stays open, its contact with air oxidizes the fat or it accumulates dirt at its tip imparting it a darker shade thus called a Blackhead, since they are open pore these are extractable. When a clogged pore is closed it develops into a Whitehead, these are not extractable to squeezing. Normally, a whitehead does not become inflamed. If bacteria enter the comedone, however, it can become infected and turn into an inflamed papule or pustule.

The exact cause of acne is however still a mystery, hormonal changes are at the top of the list of causes. These can also be caused by certain cosmetics, perspiration or fabrics. Yet, another most common cause being the intake of high fatty food and seldom physical work. The best medicine is to gently wash your face twice a day with mild soap and lukewarm water, and also keeping away from the known culprits.

- Koya Satyasri

Vitamin D is also known as the Sunshine Vitamin, it is naturally produced within the body when the skin is exposed to sunlight. Vitamin D is synthesized in the epidermis by the action of UVB rays of sunlight on 7-dehydrocholestrol which is then further hydroxylated by liver enzymes, then again hydroxylated in the kidneys forming Calcitriol or 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3. It is also occurs naturally in a few foods - including some fish, fish liver oils, egg yolks, in fortified dairy and grain products.

Vitamin D is essential for strong bones, strong teeth as it aids in absorbing calcium from gut. The deficiency of this vitamin is associated with rickets especially in children, a disease in which the bone tissue doesn't properly mineralize, leading to soft bones and skeletal deformities. People who scare away from sunlight, suffering from milk allergies or people who strictly adhere to vegan diet are at higher risks of vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D deficiency is also seen in dark skinned people as high levels of melanin inhibit the synthesis of vitamin d in epidermis. The most common symptoms of Vitamin D deficiency are bone pain and muscle weakness.

Researchers have confirmed that adequate levels of vitamin D can prevent type1 and type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, hypertension, glucose intolerance, and multiple sclerosis. Low level of vitamin D are associated with risks such as cardiovascular diseases, cognitive impairment, severe asthma in children and cancer. The treatment modalities include, diet and supplementation, usually adequate exposure to sunlight suffices the deficiency, yet if the symptoms persist the doctor might prescribe topical ointments. 

-Koya Satyasri

Sjogren’s syndrome is an autoimmune disorder characterized by dry mouth and dry eyes. As in any other autoimmune disease, there is abnormal production of extra antibodies in the blood that are directed against various tissues of the body. This overactive and misdirected immune system causes inflammation of the tissues; these immune forces are particularly directed at the glands that produce tears (lacrimal glands) leads to decreased water production for tears and dry eyes, the glands that produce the saliva in the mouth (salivary glands, including the parotid glands) leads to decreased saliva production and dry mouth and dry lips.

Primary Sjogren’s Syndrome, it is solely characterized by the glandular inflammation and barring the inflammation of other connective tissues. While, Secondary Sjögren’s Syndrome is a combination of glandular inflammation along with inflammation of other soft tissues presenting as  rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus or even scleroderma. In certain patients there is only dryness of eyes and mouth without any other symptoms of Sjögren’s Syndrome.

Since it is an autoimmune disorder, the cause is not well known, it might be genetic cause. These are more commonly associated with other autoimmune illnesses, such as systemic lupus erythematosus, autoimmune thyroid disease, type I diabetes, etc. Most patients with Sjögren's syndrome are female.

Though there is no specific treatment for this syndrome, however the suffering can minimized by supportive treatment, such as artificial tear and intake of huge amounts of liquids.

-Koya Satyasri

Is there any mechanism which can help us to know that a person is in depression state?

Experts say that , though Depression varies from person to person, there are some common signs and symptoms. It’s important to remember that these symptoms can be part of life’s normal lows. But the more symptoms you have, the stronger they are, and the longer they’ve lasted—the more likely it is that you’re dealing with depression.

These are the sample symptoms which will say that you are in depression mode:
 

·Seems like, nothing will ever get better in life and there’s nothing you can do to improve your situation.

·You develop,  "don’t care anymore attitude"  about your hobbies, pastimes, social activities, especially love life will go for  a toss.

·You often feel fatigued, sluggish, and physically drained. Your whole body may feel heavy, and even small tasks also look so exhausting and  take longer time  to complete.

·Significant weight loss or weight gain will be shown.

·Drastic change is seen your body metabolism..

·You have extreme variations in your sleeping pattern. either total sleeplessness or oversleeping is observed.

·An increase in physical complaints such as headaches, back pain, aching muscles, and stomach pain are often seen.

·Feeling agitated, restless, or even violent. tolerance level will become low and  your temper becomes short.

·Everything and everyone gets on your nerves.

If these symptoms are observed in one own self or others, it’s time to consult doctor on priority basis.

-Bhavana

When you’re trying to prevent or control diabetes, you need to pay attention to some of your food choices to avoid deficit in your nutritional needs.  Taking steps to prevent or control diabetes doesn’t mean living in deprivation; it means eating a tasty, balanced diet that will also boost your energy and improve your mood. You don’t have to give up sweets entirely or resign yourself to a lifetime of bland food.

Here mentioned below are few tips, help you to take pleasure from your meals without feeling hungry or deprived.

Dos:                                                   

   *  Increase your intake of healthy fats from nuts, olive oil, fish oils, flax seeds, or avocados
   * Eat fresh fruits and vegetables often. Consume whole fruit rather than juices.
   * You can also have high-fiber cereals and breads made from whole grains
   * Fish and shellfish, organic chicken or turkey fish are good for you.
   * Always say yes to quality protein such as eggs, beans, low-fat dairy, and unsweetened yogurt

Don’ts:

*  Never eat fats from  deep-fried foods
* Strict “NO” to Packaged and fast foods, especially those high in sugar, baked goods, sweets,  chips, desserts
*  Never go for White bread, sugary cereals, refined pastas or rice. Put processed meat and red     at at last in your menu.
  * Reduce consumption of low-fat products that have replaced fat with added sugar, such as fat-        free yogurt

-Bhavana

Most of the  parents with young children will have fear to travel along with kids. But family vacation or functions are the ones which cant afford to miss... Remember,  exposing our kids to such events and celebrations right from young age will help them develop bonding with family members. 

However, any parent knows that traveling with young children is not the easiest of  things. In such situations, here are few tips for parents to make the travel smooth and comfortable one. 

Discuss with your kids about your travel plan , purpose of travel and the importance of the event you are going to attend.
Prepare them physically and mentally for the upcoming activities.

Explain to your kids where you are heading and who all they will get to meet and the fun part they are going to have. This will create excitemnet in them.

 Carry their toys and belongings with which kids are attached with. These things make them feel home away from home.

In your travel agenda, include kids activities/ celebrations, so that the children will have something to look forward to.
Make sure their medical kit is ready with all the necessary medicines. Carry medicines for pain, upset tummies, fevers and allergies.

Ensure that your lugguage is as less as possible and organised with all sorts of attires needed for the occasions and events you are going to attend.

Tell them the health problem they will get if consume roadside food or junk food.
Always available to your child. When you are in new crowd, hold on to your children’s hands and keep an eye on them at all times.

Try to stay relaxed and cool all the time . Enjoy and try to make the best out of the time you are investing in the holiday. Make memories.

-Bhavana

This is the season of weddings and festivals; Mostly we all  tend to eat calorie based  food  during  this season; on the otherhand  would  think  of reducing weight . Is there any magical technique to reduce the weight in short period? If you are thinking of the same then, here are few tips , to reduce weight in a weeks time.

Individuals can lose weight in a week  by following these tips. This diet can be done once in 6 months only and you should never starve during the said period.

* One can loose weight by drinking six to eight glasses of water  in a day.

* Also cut down all liquids and  juices which   contain high amounts of sugar .

* You should  cut out  all white-grain products and fried food  items. Take high end protien, fibre based  foods and leafy vegitables.

* Choose vegetables and fish over saturated fats.

* Performing 30 minutes of cardio exercise like running and swimming.

* Never take harmful diet supplements for quick results.

* Try to loose weight  in Natural way  with proper diet and exercise. This can help  to  shed weight  with a long term results.

* Maintain a food diary to keep track of what you eat and how much you exercise. This will help you to understand your body metabolism in a better way, eventually helps you to reduce weight in a faster way.

* People  who have challenges with health  should always  consult a doctor before starting any type of weight loss program.

Bhavana

Cold, cough and  flu are very common health disturbances in this season.  Mentioned below are few tips which will give you relief from  the cough and sore throat..

Use cough drops or hearbal mint candies which can  soothe your sore throat. Try a teaspoon of honey which is a  traditional remedy for sore throat and may helpful to  soothe coughs too. Drinkingc hot water  will keep your throat wet and will prevent from dry cough. Sip some warm tea or soup to heat up your throught. This  will  hydrate you, and warmth helps break up mucus and makes it easier to cough up.

Use cough medicine. Sometimes you need to cough to get out nasty mucus. But other times you need to calm your cough, like when you want to sleep. Cough syrups reduce your urge to cough. But please check with your doctor on the type of drug you need to take inside..

Take steam often using Vaporiser .  Try breathing in steam from a hot shower. steam can keep your nose and throat from being too dry and get rid of that back-of-the-throat irritation. Gargle with salt water for 6-8 times in a day. This will surely give you relief from sour throat. 

If you want to get rid of your flu fast then  you need to take it easy. Your body needs energy to fight off the virus. So take as much rest as  possible to get quick recovery.

 -Bhavana

In our last month get-together party, my friend mentioned about her sleeping problems and her inability to catch up proper sleep not only during the weekdays but  weekends as well. Work presuure could be one of the reasons for our sleeplessness, and  fear of getting late to attend the daily chores can also create disturbance in finding sound sleep . However, if you are unable to stay on bed eventhough your physical body asking for some more rest, then you need to attend this issue with some seriuosness. Even after having a hectic day, if you sleep poorly at night, there’s a good chance that you’ll be more reactive to stress the next day.

If you understand that your sleeping disorder is  due to stress  then  same stress can be the reason for your  sleeplesness. Here mentioned are some clues your body and mind are likely to give you to confirm the above:

If you’re experiencing muscle tension and pain, or stress-related aches such as neck and shoulder pain or headaches, it can be difficult for you to fall asleep or stay asleep. If your busy mind can’t be turned off the worries, and frustrations, contemplating them from various angles, this increases the stress in the system.

Variable heart rate, greater physical tension that are not conducive to falling asleep or sleeping well.
In this scenario,taking a warm bath or having a soothing cup of caffeine-free tea can be of your help and will set yourself up for a good night

If you spend some time doing relaxation exercises such as progressive muscle relaxation or deep breathing before turning in for the night, you can help your body and mind reduce  the stress which effects in to a sound sleep.

 -Bhavana

Heel pain, a common foot complaint among most of us now a days. It may occur for a variety of reasons, including heel spurs.

Here are few scenarios where your  heel pain  becomes unbearable :

* First in the morning when you get out of bed.
* After sitting at your desk or in your car for a long time.
* When you exercise without warm -up activity.

In few cases if a person is diagnosed with flat feet, then  heel pain may be caused by heel spurs or an inflamed plantar fascia.  Heel spurs can only be seen on an X-ray, so consult with your foot and ankle specialist for a definitive diagnosis.

If you are getting heel pain with the first few steps you take after getting out of bed in the morning or when you resume back  to another activity  after  walking   for long or  after sitting / standing for a long period, then its adivised to consult your doctor immediately.

If this problem is ignored and  untreated, your heel pain will likely  to grow worse over time. It can even become disabling and might  prevent  you from enjoying your regular chores of work.

However, below mentioned are few tips help you to get some relief from pain till the time you visit your mediacal expert:

* Rest your feet as much as possible for a few days. Try to refrain yourself  from activities, like running and standing or walking for long hours as this might aggravate your pain.

* Use ice-pack on  your heels to reduce inflammation and pain.

* Give your feet extra support with supportive shoes,  heel pads or cushions or arch supports that help relieve pressure on your plantar fascia and heel.

* Stretch your calf muscles to reduce the muscle tightness that inflames your plantar fascia. Keep your calf muscles and plantar fascia stretched out overnight by using a night splint.

Bhavana

Today I came across a famous film personality’s interview,where he stated  “however busy he and his wife( who is aparently a busy film star)  are  with  their daily work schedules, they come together to have a talk with their 13 year old son  for 15 minutes without fail. If they are in different places then video call is must for all  three of them to close the day. This one single family activity helps them to increase their  bonding  and able to increase their creativity/ productivity  at work as family is a place where he draws energy from” he adds.

In most of the cases , when both parents work, children might feel neglected. No matter how hectic your life becomes, you need to set aside some time each day for your youngsters. This activity surely  gives them assurance and  they feel they are  loved so much. Telling  how  important they are for you   through words or gifts  is not sufficient . convey this  through a commitment of time. Two-parent working families may have more money, but material things and access to costly activities are no substitute for a parent's time. By dedicating  few hours from your daily calender can help your kids to be confident and  develop positive attitude towards life.

When both parents are working in a  family there can be definitely a positive influence on children.

Both Parents and children will enjoy the benefits of  “time management” and “being organized”.

Boys and girls will tend to develop positive attitude towards their future as they see  both Mom and Dad are succeeding in the workplace as well at personal relationships.

Girls in particular move ahead with lot of self confidence and see themselves having greater career options when  they have a mother who works.

Children will become self sufficient, more exploring, if at all their after-school child care setting is properly made. Middle aged kids also have greater exposure to other youngsters and new social experiences, which can contribute to their development.

Any kind of situation in life can become favorable to us provided we have a clarity on what we are doing and why? When we explain children about our need to work or our passion or whatever the other reasons, they will surely cooperate with parents and kids not only  encourage parents  but eventually  get motivated by self.

So, when both of you parents work, never work with guilt ; work with Grace! All the best!!

Bhavana

“If you have love for fish food  then eating  of cooked salmon fish is the best way to get Vitamin D” say medical experts:

People live in rural areas and specially who work in the fields and expose to Sun are having sufficient D-Vitamin , however, in Urban cities  65 people out of 100 are suffering from “D Vitamin” defficiancy   and main cause for this problem is their life style  which will not allow them to expose to Sun rays.

As you all know lack of D-Vitamin causes  so many health issues like artheritis,  obesity and skin related problems as well.

According to experts, regular morning and evening walks exposing to sun  and sun baths are very much helpful in gaining required D-Vitamin for the body. However, food suppliments also can help for a speedy recovery: Here is the list of foods that provide vitamin D :

* Fatty fish, like tuna, mackerel, and salmon
* Foods fortified with vitamin D, like some dairy products, cottage cheese.
* orange juice, soya milk, and cereals
* Beef liver
* Cheese
* Egg yolks

Bhavana

The loss of hair from any part of body, especially head is known as baldness in layman’s terms, medically termed as alopecia. The severity of hair loss can vary from a small area to the entire body, as it is usually occurs physiologically, thus scarring and inflammation are absent, unlike the infection leading to hair loss.

Baldness can occur equally in both the sexes, but the outcomes are dramatic in males. There are few types of alopecia like, male-pattern baldness, alopecia areata and telogen effluvium. Male-pattern baldness is very common, caused due to androgens. Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disorder, when the immune system produces antibodies against the hair follicles. Telogen effluvium is usually thinning of hair occurring due to physical and psychological stresses, usually following pregnancy.

Pattern hair loss by age 50 affects about half of males and a quarter of females. Hair loss can occur due to; thyroid disorders, anemia, protein and vitamin deficiencies, radiation therapy and certain chemotherapies prescribed for HIV/AIDS. As a part of screening the cause of hair loss a number of blood test such as complete blood picture, vitamin B levels, iron levels, thyroid function tests and rarely biopsy of scalp.

Best way is to prevent, by maintaining good hygiene, regular cleansing and nourishing the strand, and maintaining a well balanced diet. Off late the advancements in the field of pharmacology has introduced us with drugs for hair re-growth such as minoxidil (Rogaine) and finasteride (Propecia)