health tips

Home remedies to get rid of tanning

As Indians, we are constantly worried about tanning. Understanding the process of tanning is important to prevent it and treat it in the future. So, instead of opting for the expensive de-tan or fairness facials, you could try using some natural methods to get rid of the tan. Here are three natural ways to do so. But before that, let’s understand a few basics of why does our skin tan.

Why do we tan?

It‘s simple, tanning is your body’s way of protecting your internal organs from damage brought on due to exposure to UV rays of the sun. Known to cause serious conditions such as cancer, UV rays are extremely dangerous to our internal organs as well. To help keep them from entering the body, our skin produces a pigment called melanin. On exposure to the sun, the skin automatically sends this pigment to the surface to help fight off the damage – the greater the sun exposure, the darker the melanin turns. This is because the sunlight breaks down the melanin leading to it getting oxidized and darkening the skin.

Why do some people tan more than others?

The amount and degree of darkness of melanin present in one’s body is determined by one’s genes. For example, people who are genetically fair, will have lesser and lighter melanin than darker people for whom the amount and color of melanin will change. What further worsens the situation is the fact that different people have different types of skin (varying in thickness and sensitivity); this again is a deciding factor for the amount of tanning.

How can home remedies help?

Lemon and glycerin face pack: This is a bleaching, blemish removal and skin softening pack. It can be made and stored for about three weeks. All you have to do is take about five tablespoons of glycerin and add the juice of one lemon to it. Make sure the consistency of the solution is not too thin. Now, apply this on your face – avoiding the areas around your eyes – and neck every night after washing your face with your regular face wash. Leave on for about half-an-hour and wash off with cold water. Make sure you gently pat dry. This pack gives best results when left on overnight. It will not dry and stretch your skin and will make your face glow the next morning.  You can even apply this pack on your hands and legs to get rid of tanning on them. Use this pack on a daily basis to see considerable difference in about one week.

Besan bleaching face pack: This is a scrub and facial glow pack all rolled into one. Take about two tablespoons of besan, add a pinch of haldi (the type that is used for application and not for cooking), a few drops of lemon juice and some milk (if you have very dry skin). You can add crushed orange peel to the mix for an added scrub effect. If you don’t have orange peel, use crushed masoor or moong ki daal to the mix. Now, mix all the ingredients and  make it a paste by adding cool rose water. Apply this paste all over your face and neck, carefully avoiding the areas around your eyes. Allow this to remain on the face till it dries up partially. Once dry, wet your hands and pat the areas that have dried out. This will make the area soft. Now, gently scrub your face and then wash away. This pack will give you glowing and supple skin. Continue doing this on a daily basis for a week to notice considerable difference.

Multani mitti and aloe vera face pack: This pack is great to soothe irritated and tanned skin. The aloe vera present helps to heal acne, remove blemishes, and soothe irritated skin. The multani mitti helps unclog pores and makes the skin glow. To make this pack, mix a few spoons of multani mitti with a tablespoon of aloe vera paste or juice. Add a pinch of haldiand make it a smooth paste. Add chilled rose water to dilute the pack. Apply this on your face and neck leave on for about fifteen minutes or till it dries. Pat with a wet hand to loosen the dried portions and scrub the face in gentle circular motions. Wash your face with cool water and pat dry. Use this face pack twice a week for desired results

Finally, while home remedies may seem a bit messy and time consuming, it is the best way to rid you of the tan without the side-effects of chemicals. Plus, it is much lighter on the pocket.

Source: health India

4 birth defects that could affect your oral health

It is likely that you have seen kids with a cleft in the lip sometimes continuing into the palate (or roof of your mouth) or tooth/teeth missing from birth. Well, these are what are called congenital anomalies or birth defects. In this post, we see how such defects often lead to oral health problems. Treatment in such cases is complex and involves multiple specialities in dentistry.

Congenital defect #1: Cleft lip and/or palate

Cleft lip and/or palate are the most common birth defects of the mouth. Cleft lip occurs when the two structures or processes that make up the lip do not fuse completely before birth. When the two developmental plates of the skull that form the roof of the mouth (hard palate) fail to join completely cleft palate is formed. Clefts lead to a gap or opening in the lip and palate. In cleft palate there is a direct connection between the mouth and the nose.

What problems can this cause?

Cleft lip and cleft palate can cause problems with sucking, swallowing, speech and socialization.

There could be a risk of aspiration (food going from the mouth to the nose and/or respiratory tract).

Teeth may be missing, deformed or displaced. This could cause adjoining teeth to move into the space causing improper bite, irregular gaps between teeth and difficulty in chewing etc.

Soft tissue folds and irregularities in the palate or roof of the mouth can increase the risk of gum disease.

 

Congenital defect #2: Congenital absence of teeth or anodontia.

This is a condition is which some or all of the teeth are missing by birth.

What problems can this cause?

Partially missing teeth can create huge gaps into which opposite and adjacent teeth move. This causes improper bite which can lead to excessive teeth wear, injury to the supporting structures (periodontium) of the teeth and loss of bone around the teeth. Misaligned teeth can also make it harder to clean them thereby causing decay and gum disease.

Congenital defect #3: Tongue tie or Ankyloglossia.

Here the tongue is literally ‘stuck’ or ‘tied’ to the floor of the mouth.

What problems can this cause?

Ankyloglossia can cause swallowing and speech difficulty.It may also make maintaining oral hygiene difficult giving rise to gum disease, cavities etc.

Congenital defect #4: Congenital enamel hypoplasia or Amelogenesis Imperfecta

Amelogenesis imperfecta is a genetic disorder in which there is underdevelopment of tooth enamel causing it to be unusually thin, discoloured, pitted and fragile. Rarely, it may be associated with abnormally enlarged gums which make oral hygiene difficult.

What problems can this cause?

This condition causes teeth to be prone to rapid wear and breakage. Thin enamel increases the sensitivity of the teeth to temperature changes. There is increased risk for teeth decay. When associated with gum enlargement, it can cause bad breath as well as discomfort when chewing or talking.

Source: News India

Warning labels on cigarette packets could stop millions from smoking

Researchers suggest that the US would have several million fewer smokers if graphic warning labels similar to those introduced in Canada nearly a decade ago were imposed on cigarette packs.

The Canadian labels led to a 2.9 to 4.7 percentage point drop in smoking rates — which would mean 5.3 to 8.6 million fewer smokers in the U.S. if the same result were obtained, according to researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago and the University of Waterloo.

The researchers used statistical methods to compare smoking rates in the U.S. and Canada for a nine-year period before and after the graphic warning labels were introduced in Canada. The price of cigarettes was factored into the analyses.

The study found the “regulatory impact analysis” used by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to gauge the effectiveness of Canada’s graphic warning labels to be inaccurate.

The FDA had estimated only a 0.088 percentage point reduction in smoking rates after graphic warning labels were mandated in Canada.

Jidong Huang, research specialist at UIC’s Institute for Health Research and Policy and lead author of the new study, said when he and his collaborators corrected the FDA’s methodological flaws and took into account the purchase prices paid by smokers, they found that graphic warning labels reduce cigarette-smoking prevalence at much higher rates.

Graphic warning labels on cigarette packages have been implemented in more than 40 countries, but not in the US.

In 2009, the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act gave the FDA authority to regulate the manufacture, distribution and marketing of tobacco products, including requiring prominent warning labels for cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products.

However, the tobacco industry challenged the FDA’s requirement for graphic warning labels, and a US Court of Appeals ruled that the federal agency lacked evidence that graphic warning images would reduce the number of Americans who smoke.

Studies had shown that such labels increase knowledge of the harmful effects of tobacco products, motivate smokers to attempt quitting, and decrease relapse rates among smokers who have quit, but not whether they reduce overall smoking rates.

The UIC and University of Waterloo researchers hope the new study will provide support for a revised FDA proposal to require graphic warnings.

The findings are published online in the journal Tobacco Control.

Source: DNA India

Medical cosmetic tourism in Taiwan lures high-end mainland Chinese travelers

Winnie checked into a cosy Taipei clinic one recent afternoon for a full facial rejuvenation – a few Botox injections to tackle wrinkles and then filler gels to plump up folds and lips.

It took the 39-year-old business woman, just arrived that morning from Shanghai, slightly more than three hours to complete the treatment before she headed back to a five-star hotel, feeling radiant.

Winnie, who declined to give her full name during a telephone interview with the South China Morning Post, is typical of the mid- and-high-end mainland tourists that Taiwanese tour providers are targeting to cushion the drastic impact that a new travel law implemented on the mainland has had on their business.

The law, the first introduced by the mainland to address such issues as tourist safety, unfair competition and “forced shopping”, has certainly taken a rapid and heavy toll on Taiwan’s tourism industry – the number of mainland group visitors has slumped since the regulation came into force on October 1.

Soon after Taiwan began to allow mainland tourists to visit the island in groups in 2008, cut-throat competition broke out among local travel agencies to lure their business, mainly by offering dirt-cheap tours and then recouping the costs through commissions paid by partner shops to which the tour groups were shepherded.

Since 2008, more than 6.2 million mainland tourists have visited Taiwan, a huge new revenue source worth US$15.68 billion for the island, according to the Beijing-based Association for Tourism Exchange Across the Taiwan Strait.

But along with the new influx has come a wave of complaints from the tourists. Their grumbles include being forced to get up before dawn, eat food that even farm animals would refuse, and sleep in accommodation not fit for pigs.

They also lash out at the number of forced shopping tours, which cut into sightseeing.

Now, with the introduction of the travel law, group tour prices have increased by 20 to 50 per cent – and the number of mainland group visitors has dropped, totaling just 54,705 in the first 20 days of October, a drop of 35.7 per cent compared with the same period last year, Taiwan’s Tourism Bureau said.

“To cope with the new situation, local operators are encouraged to find new revenue sources, and medical cosmetic tourism is seen as one of the sources with a promising outlook,” said Lai Cheng-yi, head of the Tourism and Hotel Business Association based in Taipei.

Walter Yeh, executive vice president of the Taiwan External Trade Development Council  , said that in addition to allowing mainland visitors to travel here in groups as well as individually, the island also eased regulations in January last year to permit them to visit Taiwan for medical treatment, including for cosmetic procedures.

“This is a good time for local operators to develop this field of tourism,” he said, adding that Taiwan’s medical care is noted for its good quality and relative cheapness.

Some 100,000 medical tourists visited the island last year, up 156 per cent from 39,000 in 2011, generating revenue of around NT$70 billion (HK$18.4 billion), of which at least 40 per cent came from mainland tourists, Yeh said.

The profitable business has prompted hospitals and medical cosmetic clinics to work with Taiwanese travel agencies to organize cosmetic tours.

Compared with South Korea, whose cosmetic surgery is rated among the best in the world, such procedures in Taiwan mainly involve gel injections and very limited invasive surgery, medical cosmetic operators said.

“But with mainland standards at least five years behind Taiwan, many mainland tourists are eager to have facial rejuvenation and skin tightening treatment here,” said Dr Chu Chih-kai, head of Taipei-based Beauty Plus, one of the island’s leading medical cosmetic clinics.

Dr Chu said Taiwan’s high efficiency, convenience, its adherence to international standards as well as transparency and safety were major reasons why mainlanders were keen to take advantage of the services available in Taiwan.

“Ten per cent of our clients come from the mainland,” Dr Chu said, adding they include men as well as women.

Several big travel agencies in Taiwan have worked with major hospitals and clinics to offer medical cosmetic services to mainlanders. Some agencies have offered packages ranging from NT$45,000 to NT$180,000 for trips that include stays at five-star hotels and sightseeing tours.

As part of marketing strategies to attract more mainlanders to take medical cosmetic tours, Kuan Chou Travel Service will hold a three-day seminar from December 8 in the southern city of Kaohsiung to discuss medical cosmetics and its trends on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.

“Participants will include physicians, treatment operators and tour providers from Taiwan, the mainland, Hong Kong and Macau,” Silvia Hu, marketing and PR manager of Kuan Chou Travel Service.

To ensure quality and good service, the Health Ministry has approved 38 hospitals and clinics to treat mainland tourists, while the Taiwan Joint Commission on Hospital Accreditation, a non-profit hospital accreditation agency, has certified 19 medical cosmetic clinics for their quality of treatment.

Winnie, who came on a five-day tour, certainly has no complaints about the quality of service. On the contrary, she declared herself “highly satisfied” with what she described as an “afternoon tea” treatment. It made her look great.

Source: South China Morning post

 

Biocon & Mylan get approval for biosimilar of breast cancer drug

Mumbai: Biocon Ltd said on Tuesday that the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has given it permission to sell a biological copy of Herceptin, the world’s best-selling breast cancer drug.

The biosimilar trastuzumab, a biological copy of Herceptin, was developed jointly by Biocon and US generic drug maker Mylan Inc., and will be sold in India under the brand name Canmab, Biocon said in a statement on Tuesday.

It will be available in India by the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2014.

Trastuzumab, a medicine originally developed and patented by Swiss drug maker Roche Holding AG, is sold by Roche in world markets, including India, under the brand name Herceptin. DCGI’s approval comes three months after Roche relinquished its Indian patent on it.

A biosimilar is equivalent to a copycat version of a biological drug. But such versions are not called generics because they are not an identical copy. Trastuzumab is used for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer.

“The regulatory approval for biosimilar trastuzumab in India is an extremely important milestone for Biocon as it is the world’s first biosimilar version of Herceptin to be brought to the market,” Biocon said on Tuesday.

“This is a major milestone for both partners as it is the world’s first biosimilar Trastuzumab to be accorded regulatory approval,” said Biocon chairman and managing director Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw in a statement.

“The Indian approval is an encouraging milepost as we plan to leverage this data to support regulatory filings in several countries across the globe,” she added.

Roche said in August that its decision to let the Indian patent for trastuzumab lapse was part of a new strategy for the high-value biological drug in the local market. It has no plans to seek a restoration of the patent.

“Regular reviews of our patent portfolio are a routine business practice. In this connection, Roche has come to the conclusion not to pursue the Indian patent for trastuzumab,” Roche India’s director corporate affairs, market access and compliance officer G.K. Raman had said in August.

Mint reported on 14 August that if Roche does not restore the patent in six months through a separate process, generic firms can legally produce the medicine in India.

In July, Roche had also decided not to pursue two of its applications for patenting new variants of Herceptin in India. This followed Roche’s decision to partner with local drug maker Emcure Pharmaceuticals Ltd for producing this drug in India and making it available at a lower price.

Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in India, with over 100,000 patients diagnosed with it every year. The cost of biologics in cancer treatment is extremely high, which makes access to drugs unaffordable to many patients. The biosimilar is expected to offer an affordable alternative in India and other countries.

The global sales for trastuzumab were $6.4 billion in 2012, while in India it recorded sales of $21 million, according to data available with the industry.

Since 2009, Biocon and Mylan have been co-developing a high value portfolio of biosimilar monoclonal antibodies and complex biologics, comprising five drugs, including trastuzumab.

The global market in biosimilars will be worth $22 billion by 2020, according to industry estimates.

Source: live mint

External artificial lung used to save woman from critical lung disease

Patient of ECMONew Delhi: A team of doctors, led by Dr Vivek Nangia, head and director – pulmonology, at Fortis Flt Lt Rajan Dhall Hospital here, have treated a critically ill patient suffering from interstitial pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and chest infection resulting in ARDS (acute respiratory distress syndrome) using extra-corporeal membrane oxygenator (ECMO). This makes her the first and the only IPF patient in India to survive after being mechanically ventilated and weaned off using ECMO, according to the doctors.

The fifty-five year old woman had been suffering from IPF, a chronic lung disease which results in worsening breathlessness due to progressive shrinkage of the lungs. She was on regular oxygen and BPAP (bilevel positive airway pressure) at home for more than two years. She arrived at Fortis, Vasant Kunj with severe chest infection resulting in a total white-out of both lungs. She also suffers from other illnesses like diabetes, hypertension, hypothyroidism and coronary heart disease. Despite extensive medication, her condition continued to deteriorate and she had to be put on invasive mechanical ventilator, according to a statement by Fortis Hospital.

“There is no definite treatment for this disease and such patients usually survive for only 2-3 years. Death usually occurs due to respiratory failure and it has always been a great ethical dilemma whether to put such patients on mechanical ventilator or not, as the chance of being liberated from the ventilator is hardly any,” said Dr Nangia.

This is when the team decided to use ECMO, a modality that has never been used in India in such a patient before. ECMO is a system which provides heart-lung bypass support outside of the patient’s body. It is a technique which uses a pump to circulate blood through an artificial lung and then back into the bloodstream after correcting the blood gas balance, the statement said.

“Within 3-4 days of initiating the treatment, the patient started showing dramatic improvement and could be taken off the ventilator. On the seventh day, she was weaned off the ECMO and discharged on the sixteenth day,” according to the statement.

ECMO not only protects the patient from complications associated with the ventilator but also provides the patient the freedom to speak, eat and perform all routine activities. From mechanical ventilation and a grim prognosis, the patient was able to walk out of the hospital with her family on the day of discharge, the statement said.

“We were prepared for the worst as her surviving the ventilator seemed almost unlikely. However, this treatment saved her life and my wife was back on her feet on the day of her discharge,” said the husband of the patient.

Source: India medical Times

White Tea Facts and health benefits

Many people who want to lose weight and improve their overall health in general have been turning to tea to help them be healthier and prevent many different types of diseases. The health benefits of tea have been proven time and time again, and people have used it for centuries to help them live longer and stay healthy.

There are many different types of tea, from white tea to black tea to green tea. One of the rarest types of tea is white tea, which is found only in China and is actually harvested from the same plants that green and black tea come from as well.

White tea is harvested from the leaves before the buds have completely blossomed; this makes it so the tea is as close to its natural state as possible and goes through less processing than other types of tea. Where black and green tea have both been cured and oxidized, white tea has not.

White tea provides the body and the mind with a number of benefits, many of which are more powerful than green or black teas. Some of the facts about white tea, especially in relation to green and black teas, are:

• Higher anti viral properties. White tea provides more antiviral properties than both green tea and black tea, as a result of its minimal processing.

• More amino acids. Because it is harvested from buds and leaves that are much younger than when black and green tea are harvested, it also has more amino acids.

• More antibacterial abilities. White tea also contains a stronger concentration of antibacterial qualities than do green or black tea. High levels of catechin and gallic acid are also beneficial to the body.

• Higher antioxidant capabilities. Most teas contain antioxidants that are good at cleansing the body of toxins that accumulate throughout the years as a result of pollutants in the air, undigested particles of food, and waste build up. The high levels of antioxidants found in white tea are better at flushing out these toxins, leaving you healthier and more energized.

• Greater cancer fighting abilities. Certain types of teas have been shown to help fight harmful cancer cells and build up cancer-fighting cells within the body. White tea contains the most properties of the various types of tea to help ward off certain types of cancer.

• Greater effect on stress levels. The higher levels of amino acids found in white tea have a better effect on stress levels than black and green teas as well. These acids contain more properties that enhance the mood and lower the stress levels.

Because it is rare, white tea is frequently more expensive than black, green, and other types of tea. However, the health benefits you will receive from drinking white tea are worth it!

One way to get enough white tea is to try White Tea with Acai, which combines the power of white tea with the super fruit Acai berry to give you even more powerful health benefits.

Source: Healthy lifestyle

Delhi dengue cases rise to 5,212

New Delhi: Dengue cases in the national capital have raised to 5,212, a municipal health official said Monday.

The number of dengue cases Nov 18 was 5,115.

This year, the vector-borne disease has killed six people in the capital.

In Delhi, most cases have occurred in the north corporation (2104) area, followed by the south (1,568), and the east (1,405) corporations.

An additional 67 cases have been reported from the National Capital Region, which includes parts of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh adjoining Delhi.

Source: sify

Number of adolescents with HIV jumps by one-third: UN

Geneva:  The number of adolescents infected by the HIV virus has jumped by one third over the past decade, the United Nation’s health agency said on Monday, blaming gaps in care programs.

“More than 2 million adolescents between the ages of 10 and 19 years are living with HIV,” marking a 33 per cent rise since 2001, the World Health Organization said.

“Many do not receive the care and support that they need to stay in good health and prevent transmission. In addition, millions more adolescents are at risk of infection,” it warned.

In the world’s most AIDS-affected region, sub-Saharan Africa, the majority of adolescents with the virus are girls who have had unprotected sex, sometimes under duress.

In addition, many of those born with the virus or infected at birth in sub-Saharan Africa are becoming adolescents.

In Asia, meanwhile, young drug-users were the worst affected.

The WHO said that the failure to provide proper adolescent-focused programs had also resulted in a 50-per cent increase in reported AIDS-related deaths in the age group from 2005 to 2012.

In 2005, 70,000 adolescents died of AIDS. Seven years later, the figure was 104,000.

That contrasted starkly with the 30-per cent decline in the general population, the WHO underlined.

The year 2005 marked the high point of global AIDS deaths, which hit 2.3 million. Last year, the toll was 1.6 million.

“Adolescent girls, young men who have sex with men, those who inject drugs or are subject to sexual coercion and abuse are at highest risk,” said Craig McClure, head of HIV programs at UN children’s agency UNICEF.

“They face many barriers, including harsh laws, inequalities, stigma and discrimination which prevent them from accessing services that could test, prevent, and treat HIV,” McClure added.

“About one-seventh of all new HIV infections occur during adolescence. Unless the barriers are removed, the dream of an AIDS-free generation will never be realised,” he insisted.

The data was issued as the WHO released its first adolescent-specific care guidelines ahead of World AIDS Day on December 1.

“Adolescents face difficult and often confusing emotional and social pressures as they grow from children into adults,” said Gottfried Hirnschall, head of the WHO’s HIV/AIDS Department.

“Adolescents need health services and support, tailored to their needs. They are less likely than adults to be tested for HIV and often need more support than adults to help them maintain care and to stick to treatment,” he added.

Among the measures needed, the WHO said, is an end to the requirement for parental permission to have an HIV test.

In sub-Saharan Africa, it is estimated that in the 15-24 age bracket, only 10 percent of young men and 15 percent of young women know their HIV status.

In other regions, although data are scarce, access to HIV testing and counseling by vulnerable adolescents is consistently reported as being very low, the WHO said.

Source: NDTV

 

Malaria, jaundice claim 20 lives in Arunachal in a week

Diseases like malaria and jaundice have claimed 20 lives since last week in Longding district of Arunachal Pradesh, an official report said today.

“This is not the first time when such an epidemic has broken out in Wancho area. In the past, too many such epidemics have been reported.

The reason may be due to the unhygienic way of living and lack of proper health-care facilities,” the report said.

“Though medicines have been rushed they are hardly adequate,” it said. When contacted, Parliamentary Secretary for Information and Public Relation Department, Thangwang Wangham, said that the situation is alarming as every day new cases are being reported.

Wangham, who is the local MLA, said though health workers were in the field there was no tangible respite. The MLA, who is camping at Longding to monitor the situation, has appealed the state government to send relief and more medicines.
Source: one India News