INSAF

Think you know a lot about skin and skin care? You might be surprised at how much “common knowledge” about how to keep your skin clear and healthy is simply not true. Here, we debunk 10 common myths about skin. 1. The right skin cream can keep your skin looking young. There are hundreds of skin treatments that claim to help you look younger or slow the aging process. For reducing wrinkles, the topical treatment with the best evidence behind it is retinoic acid (as in Retin-A). Many over-the-counter products contain retinoic acid as well, but it’s difficult to say if one is better than another. But the best ways to keep wrinkles at bay are using sunscreen and not smoking. 2. Antibacterial soap is best for keeping your skin clean. Skin normally has bacteria on it. It’s impossible to keep your skin completely free of bacteria for any amount of time. In fact, many experts are concerned that the use of antibacterial soap could lead to more antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Antibacter

If you suffer from anxiety, the constant, nagging feelings of worry can be troubling and hard to control. These feelings are usually intense and out of proportion to the actual troubles and dangers in your everyday life. They can make it hard to function at home, at work, or in social situations. Anxiety can be treated with medication, but several mind-body approaches may also be effective. Hypnosis   is sometimes used along with cognitive behavioral therapy to treat anxiety. It can help people focus their attention, rethink problems, relax, and respond to helpful suggestions. Hypnosis relies mainly on your ability to concentrate and on the trust you have in the therapist. If you are interested in hypnosis, discuss it first with your psychiatrist or psychologist. She or he can help you find a qualified practitioner. Biofeedback   measures specific body functions, such as heartbeat or breathing, and feeds this information back to you in the form of sounds or lights. This can hel

You may have heard of mindfulness but what is it exactly? Mindfulness is a way of paying attention to the moment by focusing on your breath and on your senses of sight, taste, touch, smell and hearing. You observe your feelings and thoughts as if from a distance, without judging them. There are many mindfulness techniques and exercises. One is as simple as conscious breathing – being fully aware of all your senses as you breathe in and breathe out. Janetti Marotta, Ph.D.,   a clinical psychologist who teaches mindfulness classes at the   Palo Alto Medical Foundation   and the author of the new book “ 50 Mindful Steps to Self-Esteem ,” offers this simple meditation on the breath to get started. Meditation on the Breath By focusing your attention on your moment-to-moment experience of breathing, you’ll learn how to cultivate mindfulness qualities such as non-judgment, non-striving and patience. Try this practice for a few minutes. Sit in an upright, relaxed position, whethe

A study from the Harvard School of Public Health, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Microsoft showed that holding a tablet too low in your lap can place the small, interlocking bones at the top of the spine (the cervical vertebrae) and the neck muscles into an unnatural posture. This can strain muscles, nerves, tendons, ligaments, and spinal discs. How can you limit the damage? The first step is simply to become aware of your posture. If you spend a lot of time on a handheld phone or using a desktop computer, laptop, or tablet, pause occasionally to notice how your body is situated. Is your back curved? Shoulders hunched? Head bent downward? Chin jutting forward or head slumped toward one shoulder? Legs crossed, hiking one hip higher than the other? Good ergonomics, regular posture checks, and flexibility exercises designed with the deskbound in mind can help correct these problems. Ergonomics for computers, phones, and tablets If you use a laptop or desktop computer: C

Chronic pain and insomnia are an unhealthy combination. According to the National Sleep Foundation, chronic pain disturbs the slumber of one in five Americans at least a few nights a week. Whether it’s from a bad back, arthritis, or headaches, chronic pain puts you in double jeopardy: the pain robs you of restful sleep and makes you more fatigued, and thus more sensitive to pain. But you can start to break this vicious circle. “For chronic pain conditions, what you need is good sleeping habits from the beginning — things that will last,” says Dr. Padma Gulur, a pain medicine specialist at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital. That means relying on the brain’s natural sleep drive as much as possible. Try “relaxing distraction” Dr. Gulur recommends “relaxing distraction” to her patients. Some relaxation techniques use basic rhythmic breathing meditation; others focus on guided imagery, in which you imagine being in a calm, peaceful location. Find something that

Mary's story Mary couldn't find her car keys. She looked on the hook just inside the front door. They weren’t there. She searched in her purse. No luck. Finally, she found them on her desk. Yesterday, she forgot her neighbor’s name. Her memory was playing tricks on her. She was starting to worry about it. She decided to see her doctor. After a complete check-up, her doctor said that Mary was fine. Her forgetfulness was just a normal part of getting older. The doctor suggested that Mary take a class, play cards with friends , or help out at the local school to sharpen her memory. What is mild forgetfulness? It is true that some of us get more forgetful as we age. It may take longer to learn new things, remember certain words, or find our glasses. These changes are often signs of mild forgetfulness, not serious memory problems. See your doctor if you're worried about your forgetfulness. Tell him or her about your concerns. Be sure to make a follow-up appointment

Ashtanga Hrudaya Sutra Sthana Chapter 1: Basic Principles of Ayurveda Ashtanga hridayam is an Ancient Ayurvedic text book. It is one of the basic text books that every Ayurveda student reads in the first year. Here, we are covering the details of the First chapter. Chapter name: Ayushkameeya Adhyaya  “Desire for long life” 1.  Salutations  to The Unique and Rare Physician, who has destroyed, without any residue all the diseases like Raga (lust, anger, greed, arrogance, jealousy, selfishness, ego), which are constantly associated with the body, which is spread all over the body, giving rise to disease, delusion and restlessness. This salutation is done to Lord Dhanwantari. 2. Purpose of life: Essential quality to learn Ayurveda आयु : कामायमानेन धर्मार्थ सुखसाधनम् । आयुर्वेदोपदेशेषु विधेय : परमादर : ॥ āyu: kāmāyamānena dharmārtha sukhasādhanam | āyurvedopadeśe ṣ u vidheya: param ā dara: || To achieve the purpose of life, that is ·          Dharma – following the