1 EAT RIGHT | Don’t go more than four hours without eating to prevent cravings. Keep your blood sugar up to make better food choices. Combining an apple with cheese or with 12 almonds will leave you satisfied longer

2 FEWER CALORIES TO LOSE | A US dietitian uses the following formula to calculate the number of calories to be consumed daily to gradually lose weight while maintaining energy to exercise — Multiply your goal weight by 10. Add 20% of that number if you sit at a desk all day; 50% if moderately active; or 70% if you are moving all day. Add the number of calories burned during workouts. For example, running at a pace of 12 minutes/mile, if you weigh 160 pounds, burns 582 calories/hour. Reduce the total by 15%

3 KEEP TRACK | Record what you eat and calculate the calories you consume. Make a list for your fridge of the 20 foods you eat often. Eat before you get too hungry

4 ELMO RULE | The strategy of eating less more often (ELMO) does work. Studies have shown that those who follow ELMO lose more weight than those who do not.

5EVEN OUT YOUR CALORIES | Each meal should contain veggies and/or fruits, whole grains, and protein such as lean meats, low-fat dairy, fish or vegetable proteins. Break that habit of scraping your plate clean

6 WHERE DO YOU EAT | Many calories can be consumed while standing at the kitchen counter, watching television or sitting in the car. They can add up quickly

7 GET MOVING | Find an activity or sport that you enjoy doing at least five times a week. Don’t slack off

Courtesy : Times of India

The market is flooded with great hair accessories: headbands, tortoise clips, rhinestone barrettes and colourful scrunchies. They’re not all the same, however. High-quality hair accessories will cost more, but in the end they’ll go the distance and be a little easier on your hair. Here are tips on how to chose the right accessory.

• Stretch all elastic hair bands, scrunchies and ponytail holders. Make sure they are taut. Look for finished seams on scrunchies and headbands and secure metal clamps on ponytail holders.
• Try on all headbands to see if they mold to the shape of your head and hold your hair firmly in place. Spread the arms a little to check for resilience. Look for proper finishing, including secure seams, and make sure that any adornments are secure.
• Open and close all barrettes and hair clips to check the hinge mechanism and clasp. Try them on to ensure that they hold your hair in place. Look for hard plastics and chip-resistant metals.
• Inspect all accessories that have rhinestones, beads and jewels. Look for secure attachments and prongs. Check for bead holes that are evenly drilled.
• Choose bows and ribbons that have finished edges and tails. Opt for velvet accessories with a thick, plush nap.
• Check hair chopsticks for splinters or chips that could snag your hair or scratch your scalp. Check the spring mechanism on butterfly or claw clips — it should be tense and should spring back to the starting position very easily.

Courtesy : Times of India

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Hair experts advise that an individual must keep their skin tone in mind before going in for a hair colour. Here are a few tips: For dark skin: It is important to respect the nature of the hair. Colours recommended include dark brown, reddish brown and warm brown. For tanned skin: Go for cinnamon, tobacco, cashew nuts, gold blond or cold blonde. Both fit well. You can even go for an orange or red tone. Fair skin: It is important to avoid red tones or shades, instead go for some warm shades of brown.
With inputs from Jerome Oberhauser, colour bar specialist

Talk about body art and the first thing that comes to your mind is the tattoo. BT gives some gyan to help you get your tattoo basics right

First thing you need to do is to narrow down on an artist and this requires research. Look into the artist’s profile thoroughly and go with an artist who is a certified art student. Also make the time to go to the studio and have a look at his/her work for yourself.

• Hygiene cannot be stressed enough. When deciding on a parlour make sure it’s clean as this reduces your risk of catching a nasty infection. Also, a reputed tattoo parlour will ensure the use of brand new needles.
• When you’re deciding on a design, refer to the artist’s catalogue, yet remember that if you have a particular design in mind, you must provide a clear brief to the artist who will then sketch it out for you.
• Once the design is sketched on paper, ask the tattoo artist to stencil it in non-permanent ink on to your skin. This way, you still have one last chance to make changes to the design before it’s too late!
• Choose the colours of your tattoo based on your own skin tone. While a good tattoo parlour will have a range of colours for you to choose from, remember that not all these colours will suit you.
• If you’re given a choice between metal based ink and natural organic ink, go with the latter as it is safer on the skin with a very low probability of an allergic reaction.
• Tattoos are not as painful as the layman wrongly assumes. If you’re still not convinced, ask the tattoo artist for a numbing cream. TNN

Courtesy: The Times of India

‘Thyroid causes hair loss in women’

Trichologist Dr Shahid Shamsher talks about patterned baldness in women.

Does thyroid and PCOD trigger hair loss problems in women?

These disorders can cause two types of hair loss in women— one’s a short term hair loss known as telogen effluvium in which the hair loss primarily occurs even as the disease is not under control. But it becomes alright once the condition is treated. The other is a long-term hair loss, known as patterned baldness in which the hair loss starts with the onset of the disease but continues even after the disease condition has been treated.

What is patterned baldness?

In this type of hair loss there is a pattern when one starts balding. Typically, the hair loss starts first with the receding of the hair line and thinning on the sides of the head. As the condition progresses, there is hair loss from the top and back of the head. This resembles hair loss pattern seen in most men where the top of the head goes bald.

What causes this kind of hair loss?

Apart from the two hormonal causes, hereditary or genetical factors also play a major role. Most people think that hereditary hair loss is inherited only in men; but that’s not true. Both men and women inherit 50 per cent of the genes from each parent and therefore, a woman is as much at risk of developing this condition as a man.

When does a woman start showing signs of patterned baldness?

In women, patterned baldness often starts with some trigger factor. These include peri-menopause, after delivery — where it becomes quite evident by the time the child is 2-3 years and during menarche — the onset of periods. This is why many young girls develop this condition by the time they reach 20.

Dr Shahid Shamsher is India’s leading Trichologist certified from UK, Australia and India. He can be contacted at Indiranagar on 25201175 to 78, at Jayanagar on 26639935 to 38 and at Malleswaram on 23568290 to 93.

Dr Pranjal Shamsher, multi-therapy consultant talks about the symptoms of lichen planus and the treatment approach

What is lichen planus?

Lichen planus is a skin eruption which is very itchy. The eruptions are usually pink to purple in colour and flat topped. As the name suggests, they resemble a flat tree moss — Lichen refers to tree moss and Planus is Latin for flat. The most common areas are the lower legs which often look severely wounded due to violent scratching by the patients. Apart from the legs, the eruptions are also seen on the forearms, inner aspect of the wrist, lower legs, ankles and waist. However, in few cases the lesions can cover almost the entire body skin.

What causes lichen planus?

It’s caused by an abnormal reaction of the body’s immune system which mistakes the skins own cells as foreign and attacks them. It’s known to be provoked by a viral infection or a drug. The onset of lichen planus can be sudden or gradual. The first attack may last for weeks and recurrences may happen for years.

Can it cause any complications?

During the active stage, itching can be intense and constant. In fact, itching is the most distressing symptom in lichen planus. New lesions may appear while older ones are clearing. As the eruptions clear, they leave behind blackish pigmentation which may take a long time to heal. This is the second most distressing factor for patients. In some cases, the eruptions tend to become thick, hard and rock solid, almost resembling cement crusts. This can cause a lot of embarrassment to patients especially if they occur on exposed areas of the skin.

What is the approach to treat this condition?

Relief from itching and improvement in the appearance of the skin are the most important parameters of treatment. Mild cases may respond to external applications alone, severe cases with newer lesions may need internal medication. Change in skin care, diet and lifestyle modification may be required for a few patients suffering from severe and recurring form of lichen planus.

Dr Pranjal Shamsher can be contacted at Indiranagar on 25201175 to 78, at Jayanagar on 26639935 to 38 and at Malleswaram on 23568290 to 93.

Courtesy: The Times of India

Regular foot care can help in keeping your feet clean and pretty. Here’s how you can do a pedicure at home:
Start with choosing a neat place where you place a small water tub and towels. You can add a bit of fragrance by placing some rose petals in the water. Mix 5 tablespoons of oil, essential oil or lemon juice and sugar. Prepare the foot bath with warm water, 4 tablespoons of oil. Pedicure time. Wipe away the nail polish and cut your nails and file them to your desired shape.

Put your feet into the warm, soapy water and soak them for 10 minutes.

Clean your cuticles. Apply scrub on your feet. Wash it out with the foot bath water, dry your feet and move the foot bath to the side.

Gently apply some oil or cream to the nail and massage the cuticles. Apply nail paint and feel just great.

Courtesy: The Times of India

Here are some simple cosmetic tips you should follow

Getting the make-up right is essential. At the same time it is important to ensure that you use the right products to avoid any damage to your skin.

Make-up timeline

To ensure your eyes stay healthy and free of infection when using make-up, heed the following due-date rules. Throw out your mascara after three months, powder eye shadows every nine to 18 months, and cream eye shadows every six to 12 months. Sharpen your eyeliners often to keep them clean.

Mascara mistakes

To avoid mascara flake-off or smudging on your face, apply a thin cost of mascara to top lashes only. Then run an eyelash brush through lashes to prevent clumpy mascara build-up.

Get a rosy glow

Want your face to radiate a healthy glow? Try using a gel blush or cream (instead of powder) in a rosy shade of pink to create a more natural look. Gels or creams are more transparent and blend smoothly rub it on the apples of your cheek and blend up towards the eye for a glowing complexion.

Minute manicure

Need a fast fix for unpolished nails? File nails into a square shape, buff them to create a bit of shine and apply a clear coat of polish. Next rub in cuticle oil around the edges of the nail and moisturise your whole hand. It takes less than 15 minutes and will give your nails a polished look.

Brow etiquette

The trend in eyebrows for this season is natural looking, not sparse and skinny. Use a tinted brow definer or eye-shadow to fill in scanty brows.

Fix tired feet

Pamper your tired feet with a luxurious footbath. Fill a basin with warm water and add a few drops of essential oils. Next place marbles or small stones into the basin. Run your toes and soles of your feet over the marbles, and relax for 15 minutes.

Eye/lip pencil care

Before sharpening your eyeliner or lip pencil, place them in the freezer for 10 minutes. They will harden slightly and not break when sharpened.

Eyeliner hint

Women with deep-set eyes should use liquid liner instead of regular pencil eyeliner, to prevent smudging in the crease of the lid. Liquid liner does not smudge as easily.

Nail polish know-how

Is your nail polish from last season too thick? Chances are the polish has begun to thicken at the bottom of the bottle. Add a bit of nail polish thinner to the bottle to get the maximum use of your nail polish.

Foundation tester

When picking out a concealer or foundation, always test the colour on the inside of your wrist. The skin there is the most unblemished and will give you a good idea of how it will look on your face.

Extend your foundation

Want to extend the life of your foundation and cut down on heavy concealer? Mix a drop of it with your natural moisturiser to create a luminescent look for your skin.

Curl your lashes

Before curling your eyelashes, heat the curler with a hair dryer for a few seconds. Test to make sure it is not too hot, then apply to eyelashes. The heat will lock in the curl on your extra long eyelashes.

Foundation secret

Apply foundation to your face after you have done your eye make-up. This helps you to fix any last minute smudging from mascara or eyeliner under the eyes.

Lipstick trick

Love matte lipstick, but feel your dry lips wreck the look? Apply a lip balm to lips before starting your make-up routine. By the time you have done your eyes and rest of the face, your lips will be moisturised and ready for the matte lipstick.

Manicure tip

If you have been sloppy applying nail polish, simply soak nails (when dry) in warm water for a few minutes and then rub off extra nail polish gently with a finger.

Courtesy: The Times of India

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It may not ensure that you live a hundred years, but it sure can help you fight age-related problems

Large doses of a compound in red wine can ward off multiple ravages of age as trials with midlife mice have found, according to a new study. However, these improvements conferred by resveratrol — cardiovascular benefits, greater motor coordination, reduced cataracts and better bone density — don’t necessarily extend the animals’ lifespan. The study by a team led by David Sinclair and Rafael de Cabo further showed evidence that resveratrol mimics the beneficial effects of eating fewer calories. In mice, they found that resveratrol induces gene activity patterns in multiple tissues that parallel those induced by dietary restriction and every-other-day feeding.

“From a health point of view, the quality of life of these mice at the end of their days is much better,” said de Cabo. It suggests that resveratrol may “extend productive independent life, rather than just extending life span”.

“I was most surprised by how broad the effects were in the mice,” added Sinclair. “Usually, you focus on slowing down or ameliorating one disease at a time. In this case, resveratrol influences a whole series of seemingly unrelated diseases associated with ageing.”

Sinclair expected some of the effect noticed in mice would have even greater impact on humans. That’s because, unlike people, mice usually don’t die as a result of heart disease, or suffer from weakening bones.

Earlier studies showed that reducing calorie intake by 30 per cent or eating a nutritious diet every other day can delay the onset of age-related diseases, improve stress resistance and decelerate functional decline, the researchers said.

Although dietary restriction has beneficial effects in humans, such a diet is unlikely to be widely adopted and would pose a significant risk to the frail, critically ill, or the elderly.

Therefore, researchers are on a quest for “dietary restriction mimetic” — or mimicking — compounds that provide some of the benefits without cutting calories. One contender has been resveratrol that activates SIRT1, a protein linked to long life in many species, from yeast to mammals.

Indeed, studies have shown resveratrol can extend the lives of yeast, worms, flies and fish. It also improves the health and survival of obese mice fed a high-calorie diet.

Resveratrol produced changes in the gene expression profiles of key metabolic tissues, including liver and muscle that closely resemble those induced by dietary restriction, they report.

Overall, the animals’ health improved under all dietary conditions, as reflected by a reduction of osteoporosis, cataracts, vascular dysfunction, and declines in motor coordination. However, the mice lived longer only when they were fed a high-calorie diet, consistent with earlier reports.

Resveratrol treatment is already being tested in clinical trials for type II diabetes, the researchers noted, and more potent molecules with effects similar to resveratrol are also under development.

Courtesy: The Times of India