5 natural herbs to improve hair growth...

New Delhi: Do you often face one of those mornings where your bath drain is blocked because of all the hair you’re shedding? It is true that losing hair is really heart breaking and the sight of seeing yourself going bald during your heydays is really a nightmare.

Hair fall is a common problem that people face these days. Now, hair loss can be due to various reasons as in this hectic life we hardly get any time to maintain a beauty regime.

Here are a few herbs that help in promoting hair growth naturally:

Aloe Vera gel: Aloe vera contains antibacterial and antifungal properties which help a lot in keeping a check on dandruff. Take some aloe vera gel and apply it on your scalp for around 30 minutes and later wash it off. It helps in blood circulation and also fights against alopecia.

Neem leaves paste: Take some neem leaves and boil them for 30 minutes. Now, crush them and make a paste. After this, apply this paste on your scalp for around an hour and then rinse it off later. Neem helps in fighting hair thinning and greying.

Amla: Amla works as a hair tonic and is an essential ingredient for hair care. It does not just help in strengthening roots of hair, but also enrich hair growth. It also prevents dandruff and premature greying of hair.

Ginseng: Ginseng helps in stimulating blood circulation, thereby promoting healthy hair follicles. It can be consumed either as supplements or can be applied to the scalp with some hair oil.

Rosemary: Rosemary can stimulate hair growth. Rosemary herb extractions, when applied over the scalp, are known to stimulate hair-bulbs and help prevent premature baldness.

Why athletes likelier to need pacemakers during old age

Washington: A new research from the University of Manchester has found as to why athletes are more likely to have abnormal heart rhythms.

Elderly athletes with a lifelong history of training and competing in endurance events like marathons, triathlons and iron man challenges can have heart rhythm disturbances, known as arrhythmias.

The Manchester research in rodents, funded by the British Heart Foundation, shows molecular changes in the heart's pacemaker occur in response to exercise training.

The finding overturns the commonly held belief that an increased activity of the autonomic nervous system causes this specific reaction to endurance training.

While normal adults have resting heart rates between 60-100 beats per minute, hearts of endurance athletes can beat only 30 times per minute or even lower at night time when there can be long pauses between heart beats.

"The heart rate is set by the heart's pacemaker, but this is controlled by the nervous system. The 'vagal' nerves lower the heart rate and therefore it was assumed the low heart rate of athletes is the result of over activity of the vagal nerves," Dr Alicia D'Souza, from The University of Manchester and first author on the paper, said.

"But our research shows this is not the case. Actually the heart's pacemaker changes in response to training and in particular there is a decrease in an important pacemaker protein, known as HCN4, and this is responsible for the low heart rate," she added.

The researchers say these molecular changes in the sinus node - the cardiac structure responsible for generating heart rhythm - may help us to understand the more frequent occurrence of heart rhythm disturbances or even loss of consciousness in athletes.

The findings are published in the journal Nature Communications. 

Prolonged high intensity workouts can be detrimental to heart health

Washington: Studies have revealed that overdoing vigorous exercise can lead to risks of major health issues even death.

A German and a Swedish study has pointed out that the intensity and duration of exercise are critical factors to determine person's physical health.

They also stated that a similar U-shaped or reverse J-shaped curve pattern for the dose responses to the effect of exercise and maximum cardiovascular benefits are achieved if performed at moderate doses.

Existing facts propose that heart disease patients should do up to an hour of moderate intensity aerobic activity at least five times a week.

The study also suggested that genes may also play a crucial role in determining health safety limits and that there is a thin line that separates the accurate information and pointless alarmism leading to inactivity and following heart disease.

However, it was concluded that benefits of exercise are definitely unquestionable and that it needs to be reinforced but the further study on the subject is required to obtain results on how to achieve maximum benefits from exercise by averting undesirable health risks.

Both the studies were published in the journal Heart.

Walking may help prolong life of kidney patients

Washington: Suffering from kidney diseases? Take up walking at the earliest as researchers have found that walking may help patients with kidney disease prolong life and reduce the risk of needing dialysis or a kidney transplant.

“A minimal amount of walking - just once a week for less than 30 minutes - appears to be beneficial, but more frequent and longer walking may provide a more beneficial effect,” explained Che-Yi Chou from China Medical University Hospital in Taiwan.

Physical inactivity is common among patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD).

During the study, the researchers studied 6,363 patients. Just over 21 percent of patients reported walking as their most common form of exercise.

During follow-up, the researchers found that those who walked were 33 percent less likely to die and 21 percent less likely to need dialysis or a kidney transplant.

The more patients walked, the more they benefited, the study, appeared in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, noted.

Two mins of high intensity workout twice a week can help curb diabetes

London: A new study has revealed that two minutes of high intensity workout twice a week provides positive fitness results especially for people who might or already suffer from diabetes.

The study suggests that the regime needs to be performed only twice a week and it can help reduce the risk of developing the disease, the Daily Express reported.

Dr John Babraj, head of the research team said that maximum strength put even into the sprints can help improve the health.

It was well-established that exercise plays a powerful role in treatment and prevention of Type 2 diabetes but only 40 percent of men and 28 percent of women in the UK achieved the recommended 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise on five days of the week because of lack of time.

Therefore, researchers suggested that high intensity training offers a really effective solution to the problem because there is an apparent relationship between the intensity of workout and the magnitude of health improvement.

The study is published in the journal 

Five quick tips to keep your eyes healthy...

“The eye is the mirror to your soul” goes the popular saying. Eyes are an essential part of your life, giving sight and yet we tend to ignore it very often. This can lead to a lot of problems and eyesight can deteriorate fast with neglect and age.

Here are things you can do to keep them healthy and make sure you are seeing your best.

1. Wear sunglasses for good vision

Sunglasses are a must for healthy eyes especially during summers. It is proven that UV rays can seriously damage your eyes, but good sunglasses can prevent this damage. The right kind will help protect your eyes from the sun's ultraviolet (UV) rays.

When buying sunglasses, make sure that they are UVA and UVB rays proof. Finally, remember that you would need sunglasses even if your contact lenses offer UV protection.  

2. Look away from the computer for good eye health

Staring at a computer all day can lead to dry eyes, eye strain, blurry vision, headaches, neck, back and shoulder pain. Position your computer in a way so that your eyes are at level with the top of the monitor. Try to avoid glare on your computer from windows and lights. Use an anti-glare screen if needed.

3.Eat well for good vision

Eating a well-balanced diet is a must for healthy eyes. Include a lot of green, leafy vegetables as well as fish like salmon and tuna to keep many eye related diseases at bay.

4. Care for the lenses

Contacts lenses are great but one must take care of them properly. Wearing your contacts when your eyes are irritated can turn a simple problem into a significant one like a corneal ulcer. To avoid the risk of infection one must always make sure that lense solution is not expired. Always keep your contacts clean. Clean your hands and contact lenses before putting them on or removing to avert the risk of infection.

5.Give your eyes rest.

If you spend a lot of time at the computer or focusing on any one thing, you sometimes forget to blink and your eyes can get fatigued. Try the 20-20-20 rule: Every 20 minutes, look away about 20 feet in front of you for 20 seconds. This trick helps the eyes to relax and helps maintain a healthy level of moisture and reduces eye strain.

Bikini beautiful...

What’s summer without those itsy-bitsy bikinis? Renowned beauty expert and cosmetologist Bharti Taneja gives you a quick lowdown on how to keep it smooth and silky down there during this sizzling season.

1. Start with cleansing – The comfort takes the priority when we talk about the bikini area. The excessive sweating can lead to infection, so you should always keep the area clean. Pick a mild cleanser, which is not very harsh on this sensitive area and keeps it infection free at the same time.

2. Use Wet wipes – During the day you can use wet wipes to keep the area cleans and nourished as well. The wet wipes are not only come handy for the purpose (can easily be stacked in your handbag) but also offer a rejuvenating feel. Plus, they keep the bikini area disinfected.

3. Powder power – It’s important to keep the area dry as excessive sweating can become the cause of infection, rashes or skin irritation during the hot months. Puffing the area well with a fragrance free powder can help absorb the moisture. A baby powder is an ideal pick.

4. Cotton cool – Cool and super comfortable, cotton lingerie is perfect for the summer. It keeps you at ease throughout the day and is absolutely kind to the skin.

Get wonderful with waxing

For many women, the summer beauty regimen is incomplete without the bikini wax. It not just gives you freedom from those unwanted hair but also gets you beach ready in your body flattering swimwear. Moreover, hair in the bikini area can lead to bacteria build up due to humidity and excessive sweating. Let’s have a look at varied hair removing techniques and things to keep in mind before getting a bikini wax done:

Hot and Cold wax

The most commonly used options for bikini wax, hot and cold wax are time tested and trusted options for the pubic area upkeep. However, it’s important to go to a professional for waxing.

Ricca and Aloe vera wax

Mild and soothing, these waxes are less painful for the skin and give you silky-smooth fell in minutes. They also help in getting rid of the in-grown hair.

Points to remember

The aesthetician should apply the wax in the direction of the hair and pull it out from the opposite direction, otherwise your hair growth will go for a toss. This also makes the procedure less painful.

Always stress upon using a pre-wax lotion, which helps minimize pulling & tagging of the skin during waxing and post-wax lotion, which disinfects the area after waxing.

Make sure fresh wax is being used for bikini wax.

Ask the aesthetician to use a disposal spatula to avoid infection.

Avoid using razors for that sensitive area as it can cause infection, increases in grown hair and make the hair growth dense.

Permanent hair removal

Already popular around the world, Intense Pulse light is extremely safe and most widely recommended hair removal technique, especially for the bikini area. It gives you maximum coverage with minimum pain, or should say no-pain in comparison to other traditional waxing methods. It doesn’t involve deep penetration and works smoothly on the hair.