Beware of where you are eating!

Hopefully, you have seen Blood Brothers which I had posted a few days back. If you missed it, watch it here. Now, I was talking that I was having a discussion with my friend about HIV-AIDS. Durign the convo, he narrated an incident which happened almost a decade back in Banjara Hills, Hyderabad.

The incident went something like this. There was a panipuri guy who used to serve really good panipuris in Banjara Hills. One day he got a cut in his hand which he did not bother to cover or treat and obviously he could not stop serving panipuris coz of a cut so he continued with an open wound. And, a month later some person was detected positive for HIV. So, ultimately a trace was run on how he got the disease and it was found that the panipuri wala was the cause. That day around 80-85 people who ever had panipuri at that guy's stall were detected positive for HIV. This incident garnered a lot of media attention though I could not find any details on the net. If you do or know anything about the incident (even if I am wrong), please do share the news.

This incident whether true or not had raised a lot of questions in my mind. I am a person who loves to eat junk and all the road side crap (even if I stop you from dong so). I try to curb my junk food cravings but chat and panipuri are my loves and I can't leave them totally. Now, I donno how many of you would agree with me on this but I always found roadside items to be more tasty than the same items available at a posh restaurant. Well, that might be psychological too. But, whatever the case be, I wanted to warn everyone including myself from eating too much outside because the food can be unhygienic. Even the cutlery is enough to transmit the viruses and bacteria from one person to another.

I know that this post of mine would have an impact for at max a week. It is not easy to leave the habit of eating outside. So, I would just list down certain tips which can help you maintain a decent level of hygiene.

• Avoid using cutlery in places where you can. Going to road side stalls, sweet shops, small local restaurants and dhabas are places where you can avoid cutlery easily. 
• When the plates are put in front of you, wipe them with a tissue once on your own.
• Where you are doubtful about the quality of water, order a mineral water bottle or better yet, carry your own bottle of water. 
• Check the seal of mineral water bottle and always order bottles of cokes and other drinks. 
• Do not worry about the quality of water used in cooking coz temperature destroys many bacteria.
• Always wash your hands before you eat. Prefer to carry a small tube of hand wash or a cheap face wash will also do the job. Anti-bacterials are not as effective as soaps.
• Try to choose a hygienic place where self-service is allowed. 
• Avoid anything given in newpaper wraps (road side chats and other things).
• If you are really interested in eating them, carry your own tiffin box and ask him to put the item in your box. Newpapers have a lot of germs. 
• Similarly, do not ever put your hand in your mouth after handling cash. Cash notes change a lot of hands so always avoid handling cash before eating. 
• You can wear gloves to keep your hands clean when using public transports.

These are certain precautions which can be taken to avoid unnecessary diseases. And, I am not just talking about AIDS, Hepatitis and TB but also simple cold and coughs and other unnecessary complications.

Also Read:

Do you take care of your EARS?

Did you injure yourself?

Why not to get a laser surgery done?

Safe way of detecting Breast Cancer

How to help someone to quit smoking?

How to combat stress?

How much weight do you want to lose?

Have you watched "Blood Brothers"?

READ MORE - Beware of where you are eating!

Detox your home this Diwali

Diwali is just a week away. And, I am damn excited about it :) It is my favorite festival in whole of the year. And, it is a age old custom to clean our homes inside out before Diwali. I have seen that this custom has lost its importance over time due to our busy lifestyle and hectic schedules. But, there is more to this custom than just being a tradition. You can call this 'Detox your home' to make a more specific effect on people. In a sense it is what we do, removing all the junk piled up in the house over the course of year, taking the house inside out, buying new things for the house to welcome the new year. So, what all can be done while doing the detox of the house: 

• Start with the entrance of the house. Do you wash your door mats regularly? They becomes so dirty due to constant usage and dirt being accumulated. They are potential source of infections in the house so it is advisable to either wash it regularly with an antiseptic solution using a vacuum cleaner or you can even replace it with a new one every year. 
• Do you place door mats in front of your bathrooms? I know most of the people do but do not know how regular they are in washing it. So, same goes for washing these bathroom mats.
• Now, lets go for bathrooms first. We do wash bathrooms really regularly. But, do you remember to wash the walls of the bathrooms, the shower head, the taps, soap holders and other cabinets in the bathroom. Do not forget it this time. Oh, by the way, do wash the shower curtains too if you have one. Of course, toilet rims are most prominent places to wash but do you wash inside the commodes? Then, again the buckets and mugs and other things we use. 
• Lets move to the bathing accessories. The flannels, loofahs, scrubbers, dry brushes, combs, hair brushes, makeup brushes and any other accessory which you use should be washed regularly and kept in sunlight for some time every week. Even 15 minutes is enough. That kills the bacteria in them. And, dry them every day before storing. 
• Do not forget to dry the tooth brush with hair drier or in sunlight before storing it to prevent molds and bacteria growing in it.
• By the way, do you open the windows in your bathroom if you have any? Do open them at least once a week for a complete day to allow fresh air circulation. It also allows sunlight to come into your bathrooms.
• Now, let us go to laundry. You wash clothes then put them in the drier. Today's automatic washing machines give you fully dried clothes which you can simply put on and go. But, drying them in shade once a while or even in sunlight for 15-290 minutes helps them smell fresh and last longer.
• Same goes for bed sheets. Change the bedding every week. And, if you suffer from acne and other breakouts, change bedding in 3 days at max making sure to use clean pillows almost everyday. 
• Do you launder your carpet? Do not forget to expose it to sunlight for a day this Diwali for a clean floor. Removing the carpet also helps the cleanign of the floor properly and removing the dirt in the carpet.
• Same goes with the mattress. You can not launder your mattresses so keep them in sunlight for a day or two at least twice a year or once in three months.
• Lets move to curtains. Curtains are ones which go completely beyond attention unless one day you are trying to remove it and find a plethora of dust settled on it. Change the curtains once in three months. That brings freshness to your rooms also in matters of look. You can use dark colored curtains or double curtains for bedrooms and light curtains for drawing room. 
• Now, cupboards are one places which are dark and become smelly quite easily. So, take out all the material from the cupboard, clean it nicely once in three months or every season change. Use a disinfectant with water while cleaning. After cleaning, leave the cupboards open to let lot of air inside. Then, after half a day, you can replace all the things inside the cupboard again. This way you can get the unnecessary junk out of the house regularly too. And, do not forget to donate the things which you do not need. 
• Place moth balls inside your cupboard every month. Always try to keep the cupboards in an orderly way but I know it is very difficult because I face the same problem. The more I try to be methodical, the more messy the place becomes.
• When you remove the things from your cupboards whether it is clothes, suitcases, blankets, simple accessories, keep them in sunlight too for a day. This is again a nice way to freshen up things.
• Before winters, always keep your winter clothes in sunlight for a week to freshen them up. This also includes the blankets and your jackets and other stuff too. 
• Open all the doors and windows in the morning to allow maximum natural light inside. Do this daily to reduce the usage of artificial light and hence, electricity. 
• Avoid using air fresheners as they have chemicals which are not good for you. Instead, keep your houses clean by using dried neem (margosa) leaves or homemade potpourri from rose petals and jasmine flowers. Also, keep lots of plants outside the house. Plants purify the air. If you can keep some inside, you should do that too.
• There is a tradition of using mango tree leaves int he houses before any festival. The reason for this is because mango tree leaves are considered auspicious and control the evil elements for one and the second is because they are anti-bacterial and prevent the insects from entering the houses. 
• Use soap nuts or baking soda to clean your homes instead of any chemical detergents. You would be surprised by the results!!

Thus, detoxing your home is as good an idea as detoxing your body. Obviously, it is the basic hygiene which should be observed. A weekend is a perfect time to do this. So, happy detoxing and do share with me your own tips for cleaning out your houses.

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What do you know about warts?

What are Warts?

I do not know about the frequency of appearance of warts as a dermatological problem. But, if they appear, you should really take special care of them and nip them in the budding stages rather than letting them grow. They can occur any where on your body so it is very important for you to know about your body very intimately. Check your genital areas especially. Coming to warts, they are caused by a virus and the problem is extremely contagious. You can infect yourself on different places not to mention anyone else. 

They are of many types and range from being flat on the body and whitish in color to real solid outgrowths of any color generally yellow. They can bleed and be very painful. So, taking proper care is very crucial. The warts, generally, occur in children aged 10-16. So, mothers should be extra cautious of their children skin too as they can easily contract the disease being most in contact with them.

Precautions and Home Remedies

• Proper Hygiene is the first thing which should be taken care of
• Wash the infected areas with dettol (anti-bacterial solution) and warm water properly every time you go for bath.
• Do not handle the areas with bare fingers. Wear gloves or use cotton pads.
• Pour 5 drops of dettol (anti-bacterial) in your bath and take bath from it. Always bath with warm water. Stay away from cold. Water boiled and then cooled is the best as it kills the germs.
• You can also use neem water decoction in your bath as it is a purifying and strong anti-bacterial agent.
• Use separate towels for the affected areas. Wash them separately in disinfectant daily.
• If you have warts on genital areas, avoid wearing clothes till the area dries fully. That will avoid any inflammation due to humidity and spreading of the infection.
• The warts should be soaked in warm water and any loose skin should be removed every few days with a mild abrasive like a pumice stone. 
• Home Remedies which might help (use only fresh ingredients)
• A very sticky Duct Tape should be applied daily and keep the area covered. This somehow works most of the time. Couple this remedy with others listed below specially the aspirin.
• Apply Apple Cider Vinegar. This is probably the best home remedy which will work.
• Dissolve Aspirin in water and apply the solution to the warts. Let it dry for 5 minutes and then scrub the skin off. Use a brush or a dedicated loofah or wash cloth for it.
• Take a slice of raw potato. Rub it on the wart for about ten minutes each day.
• Take the peel of a banana and keep its inner side on the wart. Tie it up like a bandage. Change it twice a day. Keep this constantly on the wart until the wart disappears.
• Mix garlic juice, onion juice, pepper powder and apply it on the warts.
• Apply pineapple juice on the warts.
• Take a teaspoon of juice of the coriander leaves along with a pinch of turmeric in it. Ingest this on a daily basis.
• Eat neem leaves every day. It cleans your system from the inside. You can accompany them with honey.  
• Certain changes in diet can help
•  Dark Green Vegetables like spinach, lettuce, kale, fenugreek, curry leaves, capsicum, brocolli dissolve warts from inside. So, eat all green leafy vegetables.
• Red and Yellow vegetables and fruits are helpful. Tomatoes, red and yellow capsicum, mangoes, banana, beetroot, corn or maize, pineapple, strawberry, orange, water melon, carrot are some. Can be taken in juice form also (for those possible).
• Yeast is very helpful so eat breads made in the bakery. Fresh breads would help a lot. 
• Beans, peas, all lentils (pulses) and seeds (cumin, sesame, sunflower, pumpkin) are very good foods for warts.
• Sweet potato, potatoes, baby potatoes are again very useful for warts.
• Treatment
• If your warts are bleeding or painful, you should visit a doctor.
• Diabetic people with warts on the feet should be treated by doctors.
• There are many ways to treat the warts but none of them are 100% because the warts can reappear any time. The virus inside your body has to be eradicated to get rid of warts.
• Topical application of salicylic acid helps with warts but it also takes a very long time.
•  Laser Treatment is one of the treatments but it is very painful.

READ MORE - What do you know about warts?

Acne: How to take care of your skin

Acne is one of the most afflicting skin disorders. Getting rid of acne is not very difficult if a strict routine is followed. The only thing to be kept in mind is to be strict with yourself whether in diet or skin care routine.

First things first. Never exfoliate your face. That just worsens the problem. You want to slough off the dead skin. Use milk. Apply raw milk on face with cotton very gently and wait for it to dry. Wash off with cold water (as cold as you can bear). It gives a relaxing effect to your skin.

Do not ever touch your face and do not let your hair fall on your face. The dirt and oil form the fingers and hair does cause bad outbreaks. You might also want to make a change in your hair products if you have outbreaks near forehead or chin. This might happen if your skin is giving allergic reactions to the ingredients of the products.

Use a separate hand towel or wash cloth for your face. Do not use your body towel to clean the face. Use a very very gentle cleanser. Best if you can get a dermatologist recommended cleanser which is more gentle as compared to over-the counter products. A cleanser with bacteria fighting abilities would be preferred. Be very gentle while cleansing your face. Any rough movement can cause an outbreak. Wash in circular motions.

Lets talk about your skin care products. First thing is a very light moisturizer. Preferred if it has spf properties also so that you do not have to cake your face in lot of product layers which will lead to closed pores. Makeup products should be water based and best if in a powder form or if you can avoid them totally, that would be the best. At night, try to keep your skin completely naked instead of slathering any anti-aging cream. That would allow your skin to breathe.

Change your pillow covers every day. The dirt and oil is soaked up easily by the pillow covers and if you use the same ones night after night even for a week, they would cause some outbreaks. Hygiene is a very big part of your skin care regime. Change the face towel also daily and wash in an antiseptic like dettol or savlon. That would keep it bacteria free and dry them in direct sun light. That would prevent any humid bacteria build up.

Now, lets talk about your diet. Cut on junk, oily and spicy food. That just increases the outbreaks from the inside. Decrease the amount of sugar and salt too. Also cut down on alcohol, coffee, carbonated beverages and smoking. They all contribute to your aggravated acne condition. No energy bars or energy or fruit drinks too. They are just full of sugar and nothing else. Reduce the chocolates too even if it is the dark chocolate you prefer.

Drink lots and lots of water and eat lots of fresh fruits and veggies. Drink lots of fresh fruit juices made at home. Keep your body light and exercise for a hour or two daily or thrice in a week. Drink fresh lemon juice every day in the morning. Follow all the tips I talked about today and you should see some improvement in a week or two.

READ MORE - Acne: How to take care of your skin

Are your salons hygienic enough?

Today, I would like to share with you a new article I read few days back. It talks about hygiene at salons. How much do we know about the cleanliness of the salons? Every thing that glitters is not gold. This cliche applies to the cleanliness of the salons too. Yes, we all go to the high class ones present at some posh area of the city and which charges accordingly for the services. But, what do we know about the lurking bacterias present in the wax used or the hair and skin tools.

The article says specifically that the wax should never be left open to air. It can attract a lot of bacteria which can enter during the waxing procedure. I read it after my visit to the salon and I remember distinctly that the utensil containing wax had been left open. Moreover, the hygiene practiced by the therapist. What if she has some bacteria on her hands. We all know that everyone is not used to the too hot wax temperatures on the body and everyone's body has a different adaptability. If you find that a therapist is not doing her services according to your comfort, immediately request a change. Or, better, never go back to the salon. It has happened with me and believe me, that shows its effect later. And, I am sure, many people would have faced this.

Many of the tools used are not disposable in the salons like the wash basins, hair combs and brushes, manicure and pedicure sets. And, God knows, how many times they have been used on what kind of people. So, prefer to carry your set of tools with you. Of course, you can not carry a wash basin. I am talking about manicure and pedicure sets and the hair combs and brushes and anything else according to the service you are getting done like a blackhead remover for a facial. The article stresses on the fact that maximum brunt is born by the people who get manicures and pedicures.

“A previous client could have had a wart or fungal infection and if the tools are not washed properly, the infection can get transferred,”

And, the best way to judge the cleanliness of the salon can be to have a look at the bathroom. So, next time you visit a salon, do not forget to use the bathroom and inspect it closely. After all, its going to be you who will suffer for any misgivings of the salon.  

Read the article here.

READ MORE - Are your salons hygienic enough?