Reasons why coconut oil is perfect for hair treatment!

Zee Media Bureau/Salome Phelamei

Coconut oil is an amazing natural remedy for treating a wide range of hair issues. Since coconut oil contains no harmful chemicals and is 100% natural, it acts as an excellent home remedy for treating dry, damaged hair.

Here's why this wonder oil is considered as one of the best and safest options for hair treatment:

• Coconut oil can be used as a deep conditioning treatment as it penetrates hair more deeper and faster than other conditioners. Massage coconut oil into your clean scalp and tresses ensuring that every hair is properly coated. Leave it for at least 2 hours or overnight for the oil to soak in. Remember, the longer you keep it in your hair, the more conditioned your hair will be. For best results, use a plastic shower cap or a large sheet of plastic wrap or a towel to wrap up your hair. Wash your hair to remove the oil using a shampoo.
• It is also an excellent source for treating dandruff. Apply coconut oil into your scalp and let it stay for at least half an hour or overnight to treat that itchy, flaky dandruff. Wash off the oil using your favourite shampoo.
• Simply applying coconut oil mixed with lime water and lime juice can help prevent hair loss and lengthen the hair. Because coconut oil has lauric acid, capric acid, caprylic acid, which are responsible for maintaining good hair health.
• Applying a small amount of coconut oil on your tresses after showering will help keep your hair moisturised all through the day.

Anger management: Don't bottle up your anger!

Zee Media Bureau/Udita Madan

​New Delhi: The American Psychological Association defines anger as an emotion characterized by antagonism toward someone or something you feel has deliberately done you wrong.

Anger or wrath is an intense emotional response. It involves a strong uncomfortable and emotional response to a perceived provocation.

Some have a learned tendency to react to anger through retaliation. Others have the tendency to bottle their anger up inside.

It's a common perception that controlling your anger is better than spewing out bitter words which you might regret later, often resulting in crumbling relationships.

However, controlling anger can also lead to health problems later in life. This is because, anger is a very strong emotion and can greatly affect your physical wellness in ways you don’t even realize.

Many of us suppress our anger in order to escape the after-effects of venting it out. But bottling up this emotion can actually cause greater problems.

Apart from heart problems, anger can become the cause of numerous other problems. Take a look!

1. Headache:

Holding in anger is the biggest cause of headaches. According to studies, repressed anger, even more than depression or anxiety, was more likely to cause headaches.

2. Digestive problems:

Anger can affect every part of the digestive system. When you are angry, it activates the "flight or fight" response in your central nervous system. Your digestion can shut down because your central nervous system shuts down blood flow, affects the contractions of your digestive muscles, and decreases secretions needed for digestion.

3. Sleepless nights:

Anger can rob you off your peace of mind night after night, making you feel like it’s impossible to “let go” and leave it behind for the night. Repressed anger can make you restless and keep you wide awake after a stressful day.

4. Aggravates anxiety:

Anger is a powerful emotion that intensifies anxiety and compromises therapy leading to serious health consequences. Suppressing your anger can worsen the symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), a condition that affects millions of people.

5. Depression:

Anger, related with depression can be a reaction to the perceived hopelessness of a situation or even frustration over recurring states of depression. If you are facing a problem that doesn’t offer any effective solutions, holding the anger within yourself can make you angry and obsessively grieve over it, causing depression. 

6. Increase blood pressure:

Studies have indicated that angry people have higher blood pressure and increased risk of heart disease.

7. Skin problems:

Prolonged anger can harm your body's skin. People, who bottle up their anger, often have skin diseases such as rashes, hives, warts, eczema and acne.

8. Heart diseases:

There is a strong risk that the anger plays a role in heart diseases. In fact, a 2002 large study published in the journal Circulation stated that angriest people faced roughly twice the risk of coronary artery disease (CAD) and almost three times the risk of heart attack compared to subjects with the lowest levels of anger.

So, it's always better to resolve the issues that tend to get you angry.

World Osteoporosis Day: Nurture your bones with diet and exercise

Zee Media Bureau/Salome Phelamei

Our bones, like the rest of our body need special care as they continue to replenish our cells and support us.

The functions of the bones in the human body are abundant and critical. The bones play a vital role in supporting our bodies, giving us strong skeletal frameworks that enable us to live on land without collapsing under our own weight.

Our bones also act as a storehouse for calcium, an element that plays a vital role in the functioning of cells throughout our bodies, as well as in the transmission of electrical impulses along our nerves.

As the bones become thinner with age, the older you are, the greater your risk of osteoporosis – a common disease of the bone.

As per experts, women have an increased risk of osteoporosis then men because of genetic factors, age, menopause, and lifestyle.

Diet and physical exercise play a vital role in ensuring healthy bones.

Diet and osteoporosis

• Foods rich in calcium, vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin K, strontium, boron, magnesium, phosphorus, and potassium are important to help maintain healthy bones as well as to reduce your risk of fractures.
• Dairy products like milk, cheese and yogurt are the best source of calcium.
• Other foods such as green vegetables, cereals and juices also have calcium.
• Fatty fish like as mackerel, salmon, and tuna are a great source of vitamin D.

Exercise

• Weight-bearing and muscle-strengthening exercises can help maintain bone density while preventing osteoporosis.
• However, high-impact weight-bearing exercises such as dancing, running, and jumping rope should be avoided if you've already broken a bone.
• Low-impact weight-bearing activities such as speed walking stair-step machines, light weigh lifting, walking, etc, can be incorporated as an alternative.

World Osteoporosis Day is celebrated annually on 20 October to raise awareness of the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis and metabolic bone disease.

Seven ingenious ways to use fruit and vegetable peels!

Zee Media Bureau/Udita Madan

Imagine you're eating a fruit. You peel the fruit, devour the juicy, delicious pulp, enjoy every second of it, relish it and you're done.

Now what do you do with the fruit peel? Why, throw it of course, what a question to ask!

This is exactly where you're going wrong. Stumped? Don't be.

It's second nature for everyone to throw away those fruit skins and peels away right after you're done enjoying the benefits of what's inside it. But what you weren't probably aware of, was that fruit skins are also helpful and can aid you in everyday life.

Want to know what they are? Then you need not look any further!

Given below are seven amazing ways you can use those fruit skins or peels for your benefit. Take a look!

1. Revitalizing your skin: Soft, fuzzy peaches have skin that is rich in vitamin A and potassium, which are great for your skin. So, next time you treat your taste buds with the fleshy fruit, don’t forget to pamper your skin. Add a little white sugar to the inside of the peach's skin and then use it as a gentle scrub on your face. Your skin will feel hydrated and revitalized.

2. Keep brown sugar from solidifying: Lemon zest is great for keeping brown sugar from turning hard. You can simply throw a piece of lemon peel in the brown sugar jar, ensuring that you completely remove the pith and pulp. It will help in keeping the brown sugar moist and soft for months in the cabinet.

3. Plant pots: Watermelon, grapefruit, coconut and avocado shells make perfect plant pots to grow your seeds. After you scoop the pulp out of your favourite citrus fruits or avocados, use their shells to make your own biodegradable seedling pots. Put mud and seeds in the shells and hang them to let your seedlings to start sprouting in spring. Once the seeds begin to grow, you can plant the entire pot in the ground and save yourself a little time, space and money!

4. Cracked heels: Papaya peel is rich in vitamin A and papain which can help remove dead skin from your soles and make them feel refreshed. Just rub the pulpy side of the papaya skin on your feet soles for cleaner, softer heels.

5. Soothing the eyes: Tired and puffy eyes are a daily beauty hang-up and nothing seems to work on them. Potato peels to the rescue! Yes! All you have to do is gently press the inside of the peel onto your eyes and let it stay for 10 to 15 minutes. The vitamins in potatoes are great for relieving inflammation.

6. Making jelly: If you like your apples peeled, you could use the rind to make jelly. It will involve some of your time but the delicious homemade apple jelly/jam will be worth it. And all you need is the apple peels, lemon zest, water and sugar.

7. Treating diarrhoea: Strange as it may sound, fruit peels have an amazing effect on diarrhoea, especially pomegranate skin. Boil pomegranate skin in water, add a cinnamon stick and allow it to cool. Drink the mixture and it will help to cure diarrhoea. You can make this in advance if you want and stick it in the fridge.

Snake bite: Quick tips that you should follow

Zee Media Bureau

New Delhi: We often feel scared and shocked at hearing if someone has been bitten by a snake. Well, have you ever thought what should be the first-aid given to such a person? We tell you what you must do when you are bitten by a venomous creature. Take a look:

Dos

Call the ambulance immediately.

Victim should stay calm and still as movement can cause the venom to move quickly through the body.

Clean the wound, but don't flush it with water.

Cover the wound with a clean, dry dressing.

One should remove jewellery and tight clothing before the infected area starts to swell.

Don'ts

Do not use a tourniquet or apply ice.

Do not cut into the wound or try to remove the venom.

Do not attempt to suck the venom out by mouth.

Do not use a cold compress on the bite.

Do not give the victim any medications unless directed by a doctor.

Do not raise the area of the bite above the victim’s heart.

Don't drink caffeine or alcohol, as it could speed the rate at which your body absorbs venom.

First time Sex: Tips on how to get it right

Zee Media Bureau/Udita Madan

​New Delhi: Are you about to or deciding to step into marital bliss? Are you feeling the pangs just thinking about your first night? If that's the cause of your anxiety, there's no need to worry.

Most couples foster nervous speculations and deep seated performance anxiety about their first night of closeness and this is not unusual.

Every man wonders whether he will be able to make a good impression on his spouse on their first night together and vice versa.

Maybe it's because of your friend's experiences on their respective first nights or other things that you might have read on the internet, that you're getting anxious and understandably so. After all, this part of a married life holds high importance too.

Knowing the exact way to get it right is a complicated task and if gone wrong, you may end up facing a catastrophic situation in your bedroom.

The anxiety can stem from a number of factors like self–doubt, fears, misconceptions, unawareness and lack of information and it can also be due to unrealistic expectations. Below are some simple tips ways to deal with it:

1. Don't harbour any expectations:

Remember that the first night is not about proving yourself. This goes especially for men. This has nothing to do with proving your manhood. Don’t get trapped in that cycle.

2. Premarital sex counselling:

If you're worried because you're not a virgin and think this will put a dampener on your first night, this is for you. Counselling helps in reducing the anxiety and in understanding yourself better. You can be assured that your fears and anxieties will be addressed in a professional manner, providing you with the insight you require.

3. Talk to your friend or close ones:

Sharing things that worry you with people whom you are close to is equivalent to therapy. Tell them about what is making you anxious. You may get their perspective as well as suggestions on how to handle the anxiety.

4. Introspection:

Setting aside some alone time to tackle this issue head-on may help you in figuring out the main reason for your anxiety. Ignoring it or pretending that it is not important will not make your anxiety go away.

5. Talk to your partner:

Even tough today's generation doesn't think twice before engaging in premarital sex, there are couples around, who prefer to consummate their relationship after they get married. Talk to your respective others about what you expect the first night to be like. Talk even about birth control methods. Try to be open and confide about what you are looking forward to and what you are apprehensive about. This won’t just make you aware about each other, but will also help your partner to be sensitive to your needs and vice versa.

6. Be honest with yourself: 

Ask yourself what exactly is making you anxious? Is it the idea of sex or the act in itself? Is it your inhibitions and shyness? Is it self-doubt? Is it that you are afraid of it? Or do you feel it is an act establishing approval or accomplishment?

7. Information is the key:

Get proper information about what to expect, especially if you haven’t been involved in a sexual relationship before. Clear your doubts and become aware of what you can expect.

Always remember that you have the rest of your married lives to find out more about each other at every level – mentally, emotionally, physically, spiritually and sexually. It is not necessary you consummate your marriage on the first night itself. That is an expected notion and it doesn’t exactly have to be yours too.   

Tips that will help you shed extra kilos!

Zee Media Bureau/Salome Phelamei

If you are someone working on weight loss, you probably would want results fast. And to achieve that, you need to follow a pattern of healthy habits although it might sound tough for you.

But, that doesn't mean you'll have to give up all your favourite sweets or cut out entire food groups, it's all about small sacrifices combined with specific techniques like - cutting down on calories, being physically active, making lifestyle changes that will aid in healthy weigh loss plan.

However, you should also remember that taking baby steps - and not giant leaps - can give you that lasting results.

Here are a few tips that will help you lose weight quickly:

Workout: Try to do cardio for at least 30 minutes a day. Any workout that gets your heart rate up will burn calories. Activities such as dancing, aerobics and swimming are a good option.

Yoga and meditation: Certain yoga poses and practicing meditation are believed to aid in weight loss naturally as doing these help you reduce cravings by lowering your stress levels.

Walk: Experts suggest that 45 minutes of daily walking is important to lose weight and fat in most relatively sedentary people.

Water: Drink plenty of water to lose weight fast - yes , you heard it right. Unlike sports or energy drinks and other beverages that contain about 100 calories in each serving, water has zero calories and carbs making it the perfect drink for weight loss.

Drinking water also helps flush out toxins from the body while keeping you hydrated throughout the day.

Breakfast: Make sure that you have your breakfast everyday no matter how busy you are. The fact that many people skip breakfast thinking that it might help them lose weight, but the practice does much more harm than good. Skipping breakfast can make you to eat more later in the day.

Healthy diets: Stick to a healthy diet focusing on vegetables, fruits, fish, skinless poultry breasts, non-fat diary foods and water-rich foods. Limit intake of starches, added sugars and animal fat from meat and diary foods.