The sun emits ultra violet rays. The sun rays are beneficial to us in many ways. They are the vital source of vitamin D. They have also proved good for treating many diseases. Insufficient exposure to sun rays may lead to the disease called Rickets.
Though these rays are very useful to us excessive exposure to UV rays [sun’s rays] results in increasing pigmentation and melanin. As a result, it leaves a dark coloration [skin tan] or skin tanning.this will lead to dark patches on the part of the body exposed to sun rays. So we should always avoid excessive exposure to sun.Not only this excessive exposure to sun rays may lead to skin cancer.
Simple ways to prevent Sun Tanning:
1. Cover up your body as much as you can. Reduce the area exposed to sun.
2. Use umbrella while going out in sun. Umbrellas not only protect us from rain but also prevent us from getting tanned.
3. Avoid moving in sun between 10am to 3 pm as it is this time when the maximum amounts of ultra violet rays reach the earth’s surface.
4. Always prefer using a sunscreen lotion. Make sure that you go out in the sun only after 15 minutes from the time of applying a sunscreen lotion. The SPF (sun protection factor) of the sun screen lotion should not be less than 15.
5. Apply the sunscreen lotion to all the parts which are exposed to sun. Don’t restrict it to your hands and face.
6. Drink plenty of water
Herbal treatment to Sun tanning:
• Keep cool tea bags, cucumber slices, or a soft cotton towel dipped in cold milk over your face.
• Mix sandalwood powder with coconut oil and almond oil to make a paste. Apply this paste on your skin and leave it for half an hour before washing off with cold water
• Make a paste of an egg white and a tea spoon of hazel and honey. Apply this on the affected area and then leave it on for a few minutes. After 5-10 minutes, wash it gently with lukewarm water
• Grate a potato and extract some fresh juice. Apply this to the affected area. Rinse with tap water after 15 minutes.
• Mash the papaya pulp and massage the sun tanned area.
• Make a paste of sandalwood with milk and little turmeric. Apply it on affected area.
• Rinse skin everyday with coconut water.
• Make a thick pate of turmeric powder with yoghurt and honey. Apply this paste on your skin for about 15-20 minutes and rinse it off in cold water.
• Mix grounded powdered almonds, oatmeal, plain yogurt, milk and allow it soak for few minutes. When they are mixed well apply to your face. Leave it for 30 minutes and when fully dried wash it warm water. Repeat it twice in a week
Soaking up the sun is a major priority for many when the warm weather finally arrives. Little do we realize that sun damaged skin ages faster than skin which is not exposed to Ultra violet rays of the sun. UV skin damage makes you look way older than your years. When it comes to the sun burn, prevention is the best method.
There are many ways by which we can reverse the skin damage caused by sun rays.
The first and fore most things to be kept in mind if you want to protect your skin from harmful sun ray is to apply sun screen. Sunscreen comes in different forms with the most popular being lotions, spray and gels. These have different SPF (sun protection factor) levels to suit your needs. Moisturizers are also available in the market which have sun protector factor in them. Even if you apply them it is beneficial.
Even if you are to stay outside in the sun during summers try to stay in a tree shade or under a covered patio. This will protect your skin from the harmful ultra violet rays of the sun.
If you have already burnt your skin by the sun rays you will have to pay extra attention to your skin. You have to keep the burnt area moisturized and cool. This will reduce the pain of burns and help in healing of skin faster. When the burnt has healed a little, remove the damaged skin cells so that new cells grow in their place.
Protecting your skin from the sun is essential year-round and particularly important during the summer months.
Herbs which help in to reversing sun damaged skin
Green tea: Green tea contains compounds called polyphones. These help in getting rid of damaging free radicals that tend to cause sun damage in your skin. Using green tea orally and topically can help to protect and heal your sun-damaged skin. Applying green tea extracts on the burnt skin reduces the burnt skin.
Aloe Vera: Aloe Vera is a popular topical remedy for treating sunburns and typically offers soothing effects on the skin.
Chamomile: Prepare a bath remedy by boiling 1 lb chamomile flowers with 5 its water and steep covered for 10 minutes. Strain and add infusion to bath water. This will help in reducing the skin irritation. The tea prepared from Chamomile leaf is an excellent wash for sun burn.
Dandruff to a common man is the white flakes which shed from the scalp.The skin of our body regenerates itself on regular basis by shedding off it outer cells. Generally this shedding goes unnoticed. But sometimes when the shedding from the scalp is noticeable, we call it as dandruff.
Dandruff, also called as seborrhea is the most common form of skin eczema occurring in the parts of the body with high oil production. Scalp seborrhea is thick, flaky and is generally found in patches.
Age is not a factor for its occurrence. It can occur to anybody at any age. Dandruff weakens the root of the hair and finally becomes a cause for its fall. It also sticks to the scalp and blocks the air from reaching the roots.
Causes:
Mild dandruff is the result of too much oily skin.
If the flakes of dandruff are big in size and you have symptoms around the nose, naval, then it is due to seborrhea dermatitis. Human skin has a yeast-like organism (pityrosporum ovale) on its outer surface. If the number of it increases rapidly, it leads to seborrhea dermatitis
Severe dandruff may be the result of psoriasis of the scalp.
Too little oil or too much oil may result in the occurrence of dandruff on the scalp.
Dandruff in some cases may be due to deficiency of minerals in the diet (especially zinc).
Herbal treatment for scalp dandruff:
Take 1 part almond oil, 1 part pure sulphur powder, 2 parts ’surgical spirit’ and 4 parts distilled water or rose water and mix well. Rub on the scalp.
Massage of warm olive or sesame oil and then wrap a warm cloth or a towel on head for few minutes is very helpful in getting rid of dandruff.
Massage the scalp with almond and olive oil for five minutes, leave it for some time and then rinse off.
Expose your scalp to sunshine. It will reduce the dandruff in the scalp
Mix 100g each of amla (Indian goose berry), reetha, and shikakai, and boil in two liter of water until the liquid reduces to half. Use this mixture to wash your hair (whenever necessary) for a month. The dandruff will vanish.
Gently rub warm coconut oil mixed with one hundredth of black pepper to get rid of dandruff.
Massage the scalp with a mixture of curd, limejuice and amla. Leave it over night and rinse it next morning.
From very ancient times people are in search of a mythical fountain of youth. If there is something which can give you beautiful glowing skin, diminish those fine lines and wrinkles, increase your energy level, and help your overall health, it is nothing but water!Although water has no nutrients in itself, it plays a vital role in maintaining your body health.
Some facts about your body:
Your blood is 83% water, muscles are 75% water, your brain is 74% water, and your bone are 22% water. Also 2/3 of our body weight is water. All of this water is needed by our bodies, and a 1% loss of our body weight due to fluid loss can cause dehydration which can lead to serious medical complications. As we are constantly losing water from our body by sweating or urinating, we need to put the water back in your system. When you drink enough water to maintain good health, your are providing enough water to keep your internal organs and systems running smoothly. If you don’t drink enough water, you will begin to feel tired and weak.
Some of the role of water in your body:
Body transports nutrients from one part to other through water
Water helps in maintaining body temperature
It lubricates your joints and eyes
It flushes out toxins and wastes
Keeps your skin healthy and beautiful
It acts as the fuel for your body and organs
It also helps in loosing weight and keeping it off!
It helps in suppressing the appetite naturally
It helps in suppressing the appetite naturally
It helps the body in metabolizing the stored fat
It helps in fluid retention
What happens when you drink less water?
You will face the constipation problem which in turn is the cause of various diseases.
You will feel tired very easily
You will very often get the muscular cramps
Your skin will lose moisture and look dry
You may have headache or back ache
How much water Should you drink?
The Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) recommend adult males should drink a minimum of 2.6 liters, and adult women 2.1 liters per day.How ever the amount of water to be taken should be in accordance to the climate and exercise. On an average one should drink 8 glasses of water every day.
In this modern age, when everybody is so much concerned about his looks, teeth are not to be neglected. Everyone wants to have perfect and beautiful smile. But the most common hindrance in attractive smile is yellow teeth which is most common in people these days.
Staining of teeth can be due to several reasons:-
Smoking
Excessive consumption of tea or coffee
Improper brushing habits
High water fluoride concentrations
Some medication
Dead pulp or nerves of teeth.
However, water stains are difficult to take off but stains due to tea, coffee, or smoking can be easily removed. Proper oral hygiene measures should be followed that is brushing twice daily, and use of mouth wash, and regular visit to dentist for clean up.
Some people complain of yellowing of teeth which is natural in them. They want white shining teeth. The only answer to it is bleaching. Bleaching is the procedure by which use of certain chemicals give shine to your teeth. You can compare it to facial bleach.
Bleaching can be done by various aids…bleaching strips, bleaching pen, bleaching gel, laser bleaching, and natural bleaching. It can be done at home also by applying bleaching gel to the teeth with thin trays available in market or by applying small strips that go over the front teeth. Certain rinses, gums are also available with dentists which help in whitening of teeth to certain extent.
All these materials contain oxidizing agents (hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide) that lighten the color of teeth by penetrating deep inside enamel and oxidizing stain deposits present there.
Effect of bleaching stays for months to years depending upon food habits, frequency of consumption of tea, coffee etc. , and maintenance of oral hygiene.
But the process of bleaching is ineffective against stains due to medicine like tetracycline. To such stains veneers are the answer. Veneers are very thin caps or crowns. They are cemented to the teeth after some preliminary procedures done by dentist. Or such stains can be hidden by use of composite fillings.
Discoloration of teeth can also occur due to trauma to teeth which may lead to its death. Nerves get dead after the trauma and teeth turn black. These teeth can’t be turned white at home, but a procedure called internal bleaching is apt for these teeth. In this procedure, first root canal treatment of the concerned tooth is done to remove dead nerves, blood clots, then the pulp chamber is filled with bleaching agent (carbamide peroxide or hydrogen peroxide) and the tooth is temporary filled. This procedure is also known as “walking bleach” as results appear after the patient is moved out of the dental clinic.
There are certain harmful effects of bleaching also which should be well understood before you go for this procedure…
Proper care should be taken to cover the gums and soft tissue before starting this chemical treatment to teeth as the oxidizing agent burns the tissue if comes in contact with it causing ulcerations, pain and sensitivity.
Over bleaching may result in decalcification and white deposits on teeth surface. It can be due to use of over concentrated chemicals or excess time duration for bleaching.
There can be temporary post operative sensitivity to teeth or irritation to gums. It subsides itself after 2-3 days.
It is not recommended for children below 16 years as nerves of the teeth are enlarged up to this age and bleaching process may permanently irritate the nerve of teeth causing sensitive teeth.
Hydrogen peroxide used in various bleaching agents is known to cause cancer as it has a potential to interact with DNA. Various studies have found higher cases of gum and tongue cancer in persons who were exposed to higher concentration of hydrogen peroxide during bleaching procedure.
Some herbal and home Remedies to Whiten Teeth:
The leaves of the holy basil after being dried under the sun and powdered can be used for brushing the teeth. This will help make the teeth whiter and maintain good dental hygiene as well.
Banyan: The aerial roots of the banyan tree can be used as tooth brush. Its astringent properties can help in whitening the teeth and at the same time prevent tooth decay.
Neem: Use Neem twig as a tooth brush and rub it on the teeth so as to remove the plague present on the teeth and leave them whiter.
Include pungent, bitter and astringent foods in your diet. These tastes have astringent effects on the teeth which will make them clean.
Prepare a paste of charcoal of babul wood, roasted alum and some rock salt. Rub this on the teeth to have shining white teeth.
Strawberries, tomatoes and amalaki contain good vitamin C content. These can be directly applied on the teeth. Vitamin C helps in removing the plaque on the teeth and makes them whiter.
Wisdom tooth is most commonly a third molar and is the last tooth to erupt in oral cavity. It erupts at the age of 17 to 25 years – which is the generally the age when teenage turns to adult and is believed to gain wisdom, and so it is named thus. Otherwise it has nothing to do with ones wisdom. It is biggest misconception among people that along with the removal of this tooth, wisdom is also gone. In fact it has to be removed.
Need of wisdom teeth:
In ancient time early man used to have lots of raw food like raw vegetables, fruits, uncooked meat for which he had to have larger jaw size and better chewing efficiency. At that time they used to have up to four molars but now with progressing evolution food habits have changed, modern man is more dependent on processed food which requires less chewing efforts. So the jaw size has decreased and molars have reduced to two in number. But due to inheritance, normally, certain people have third molars in their mouth which is a vestigial (waste) organ. It only creates problems and affects the oral hygiene.
Impacted wisdom teeth:
Wisdom teeth which could not erupt due to space limitations and are not visible in mouth are called impacted teeth. They don’t get enough room to grow and are often found lying beneath the gum (soft tissue impaction) or bone (bony impaction).
Harms of wisdom teeth:
Most common side effect of keeping a wisdom tooth is inviting the poor oral hygiene. This tooth, due to its location, is not easily approachable and difficult to clean that will lead to food accumulation which will ultimately cause caries not only in the same tooth but also damages the adjacent tooth. It may also cause bad breath. Continuous severe pain will be there as the tooth can impinges the soft tissue of cheek area leading to ulceration of that area. Crowding is also the common problem as the erupting third molar exerts pressure on front teeth leading to its displacement causing misalignment of existing teeth.
In many cases a flap of soft tissue lies above the impacted tooth which gets inflamed. It is called as pericoronotis. It is associated with food lodgment, severe pain, which may radiate up to ear, forehead, and throat. Pain can be relieved by thoroughly irrigating the area with hydrogen peroxide or rinsing the mouth with mouthwash containing the same. Pain killers and anti- inflammatory drugs can also be helpful.
Treatment:
Wisdom tooth should be removed if it is paining a lot. Dentist should be consulted before the condition worsens. Extraction should be done under proper antibiotic coverage and post extraction instructions, given by the dentist, should strictly be followed.
Herbal Remedies to Wisdom Tooth Ache:
Apply clove oil on the tooth. It will bring immediate relief from the pain.
Cut a slice of cold onion equal to that of the affected area. Place the cut slice on the tooth and chew gently. Let the juice drip into the affected area. The anti bacterial property of the onion will destroy the bacteria which causes the pain.
Take a clove of garlic, sprinkle salt on it and apply on the aching teeth. It will bring immediate relief from the pain.
Gargle with the mixture of water and fresh lime juice. It will help in reducing the tooth ache.
Dry skin is a term used to describe the rough, scaly and flaky skin that is dry to the touch and less elastic than normal skin. It has a low level of sebum and can be prone to sensitivity. The skin has a parched look due its inability to retain moisture. It usually feels “tight” and uncomfortable after washing unless some type of moisturizer or skin cream is applied. Dry skin appears on surrounding areas of mouth, under eyes, and cheeks.More over dry skin is easily prone to skin diseases like psoriasis and eczema etc. So we should be more careful about our skin
Dry skin is a common thing found in elderly people in all season and among people of all generations in the cold weather season (because of cold air)
Symptoms:
Skin is dull in appearance
Skin has a rough and dry texture instead of smoothness.
Skin looks and feels tight after shower or a swim
There are cracks in the skin which sometimes bleed
Skin is covered with scales
Chapping and cracking of skin
Causes:
Usage of Harmful detergents, soaps, ointments, drugs, powder, perfumes Prolonged diseases like kidney and liver problem
Excess bathing or water usage. This destroys all protective natural oil
Less consumption of water.
Frequently cleaning hands, washing face using hot water and chemical-based soaps.
Nutritional deficiencies, especially deficiencies of vitamin A and the B vitamins, can also contribute to dry skin
Skin gets exposed to the elements especially in winter
The oil glands do not supply enough lubrication to the skin.
Herbal and home remedies to dry skin:
Apply the paste of ripe papaya and banana on your face. Leave it for 15 minutes. Wash it with luke warm water. This will help in removing the dry skin and clearing scars on your face.
Apply a paste of cucumber on the places where the skin is dry. Leave it for 15 minutes. Wash it. This moisturizes the skin and makes the skin supple and soft.
Make a mixture of half a table spoon of honey and rose water. Apply it on the places where the skin is dry. This mixture cleans the skin, tones it, and makes it glowing.
Take one teaspoon lime juice and one teaspoon avocado, mix it well and apply on face and let it dry for 10-20 minutes Wash it with cold water. It will remove the dry skin.
Apply plain whole milk on the areas where you find dry skin. Leave it for 10 minutes. Wash it with tap water. This will make your skin soft and glow.
Make a paste of yogurt, 1/2 tsp. Of almond oil and a tablespoon of honey. Apply it on the affected skin lightly and let it dry. Wash it with warm water. This will moisturize the skin and make the skin supple and soft.
Make a paste of fresh turmeric (a small piece) one teaspoon of mustard seeds grinned together with a little water can also be applied on the dried skin to make the skin soft.
Almost 90% of the world population is facing with vision problem. Today we find small children wearing eyeglasses as an aid to improve their vision. The most common reason behind this is the normal strain of daily life and the modern technologies that we stare at constantly-T.V., computers or mobile phones. All these stress our eyes beyond the normal para meters which results in decrease in the vision. So people take the help of the eye glasses to rectify their vision. But the fact is that while glasses and contacts may help one see more clearly right now, their eyes are constantly changing and they will never be able to find the perfect prescription to adjust for these changes.
It is now proved that your vision can be affected by many numbers of things -including the weather, your mood, your mental state, and anything else that can be distracting you. This means that your eyesight doesn’t just change from year to year, but from day to day as well. So it is always advisable to improve the vision naturally without glasses. But how to do it is a question asked frequently which is dealt with below:
1. Reduce the amount of stress in your life. Stress can be directly linked to the amount of strain you put on your whole body, and it definitely affects the eyes as well.
2. Do not keep staring at a thing for a long period of time. Relax your eyes frequently if you have long working hours demanding continuous staring (like working on a computer, long hours of studies etc)
3. Soak triphala in a small pot at night. Distil the water early in the morning and wash your eyes with it. This will improve your vision.
4. Sit before the rising sun when the red and orange rays of the sun directly fall on your eyes closed
5. Consumption of 250ml of carrot juice daily also helps in improving the vision
6. Sit before the rising sun. Close your eyes and allow the red and orange rays of the sun directly fall on your closed eyes.
Other than this you can practice some simple exercises daily which will help in keeping your eyes healthy. Some of them are:
1. Concentrating on an object -Hold a pen in your hand and concentrate on its tip for a couple of seconds. This will strengthen your eye muscles
2. Rolling your eyes- Roll your eyeball, five to seven times from extreme right, up, extreme left and down. Repeat it in the reverse direction for equal number of times.
3. Palming-Sit comfortably in front of a table, resting your elbows on a stack of cushions high enough to bring your palms easily to your eyes without stooping forward or looking up. Close your eyes and cover them with your cupped palms to exclude light, avoiding pressure on the sockets. Breathe slowly and evenly, relaxing and imagining deep blackness. Begin by doing this for 10 minutes, two or three times a day.
4. Color Day- Choose a color and look out for it throughout the day. When you see that color, be aware of the color and experience it. For example, if you see a red car, experience the shade of red, not the car.
5. See Clearly Method – Hold a small object in your hand at arm’s length and slowly move it towards your face till it touches your nose,, ensuring that your eye follows the object and retains focus upon it. Slowly move it to its original position. Repeat it 5 times.
The issue of wrinkles is a common feature with increase in age among the humans. Only those who are not sanctified with astonishing genes do not face these problems. There are some basic reasons for the occurrence of wrinkles can be stated as follows:
The skin becomes dry and scaly as time passes
It is caused by the loss of subcutaneous fat and water in the epidermal layers of the skin and exposure to the sun over many years.
The elasticity of the skin decreases and the glands produce less sebum .
The inability of the body to make the essential chemicals needed for a healthy and glowing skin.
There are a very many other causes due to which wrinkles develop very fast. Smoking is one the main reason due to which we can face the wrinkle issue. It gives harm to lower as well as upper lip skin. It gives a very bad effect near to your eyes. Those people who take tensions also face this issue. There are some reasons like heredity which are not in our control and these factors give the wrinkles to our body.
As is seen the parts which are exposed to sun the maximum, like the backside of our hand and face maximum are affected the most.
Can you avoid wrinkles?
When we now know the reasons for the occurrence of wrinkles we also want to know if they can be avoided. Although we cannot completely avoid wrinkling we can delay it and keep it to the minimum by doing some simple things.
Never bathe with hot water. Use warm water instead.
Always use oil based soap.
After bathing, avoid the use of dusting powder. Instead apply an emollient lotion
How to treat Wrinkles?
You can use an anti-aging cream which is found in the market in plenty. But the best ones are those which are prescribed by the dermatologists and those which suit your skin. But the simplest thing is to accept it as a fact and enjoy aging. However you can follow the following simple steps to delay or sometimes even avoid Wrinkling.
Put an end to smoking and drinking as research has linked smoking to the formation of wrinkling below the eyes and around the mouth.
Keep off fried and fast foods as much as possible and include more vegetables and fruits which are anti oxidants and are known to bolster skin cells and tissues to withstand the biological aging process.
Home remedies for wrinkling:
Apply egg whites to the skin under eyes to reduce wrinkles.
Empty the contents of 3 Vitamin E tablets into a small bowl. Add to this 2 tablespoonful simple yogurt, 1/2 tsp honey and 1/2 tsp lemon juice. Apply this mixture on the face with the use of a cotton ball. Remain it on for 10 minutes and wash.
Make a mixture of 1/4 cup comfrey infusion, 1/4 cup witch hazel and 10 drops of patchouli essential oil. Apply on the affected areas.
Massage coconut oil softly on the wrinkled skin at bed time.
Apply a paste of grounded turmeric and sugarcane juice to delay wrinkling.
Massage the core of pineapple on the face and rinse after 10-15 minutes.
