It's the month of Phagun again and time to prepare for the most colourful and vibrant festival of India - Holi. As the festive cheer spreads and people get ready to paint the town red with colours, dance to rocking beats at Holi bashes, and gorge on Gujiya and Thandaai, it s good to remember that you need to play it safely and naturally. The biggest reason for this is the synthetic agents, which are used to make the colours of Holi. What used to be a festival played with flowers, natural dyes and herbs have now transformed into a celebration of colours made from chemicals that are harmful for our body. 

Apart from the allergies to the skin, there is also the risk of increased blood pressure after the Holi festivities due to the high intake of bhaang, the official Holi drink. To avoid the harmful effects of such materials used during the festival, here are some must-follow health tips for you.

Tips to care for your skin

Use organic colours: Skin is the most sensitive body part and synthetic colours are a big no-no for it, as they can lead to rashes and other skin allergies. Therefore, it is advisable that you opt for organic colours, considering they are not only chemical free but are made from natural ingredients. Organic colours are safe for children too, as they are softer on the skin and easy to wash off. It is crucial that you protect kids from synthetic colours as they contain lead oxide, mercury sulphide and aluminium bromide, chemicals which not only damage the skin but can also cause various health issues.
Skin and sun protection: To avoid any kind of damage to the skin from colours, apply a good amount of Vaseline, any other petroleum jelly or mustard oil to your skin. You can also apply this to your child s skin as it is completely safe for their sensitive skin. When playing outdoors, opt for a waterproof sunscreen to protect your skin against sun damage.
Choose the right clothes: Wear long pants and full-sleeved shirts. This will help you stay safe from the harmful effects of colours. 
Tips to care for your hair

Oil your hair: You can apply a generous amount of oil to your hair, this will not only moisturize your hair but also safeguard the scalp and hair from the chemicals in the colours.
Cover your hair: Tie a ponytail and cover your hair with a shower cap to prevent your hair from dreadful damage. For a trendy look, you can also tie a bandana over your hair and safeguard them at the same time. 
Tips to care for your eyes

Wear sunglasses: Synthetic or organic, colours can be harsh on your eyes. You can protect your eyes by wearing sunglasses as they will help in preventing your eyes against any sort of damage. If your eyes come in contact with the colour, rinse them immediately to avoid infections. 
Moisturize around the eyes: Applying a good cream around your eyes will shield them from getting the colour into your eyes.
Avoid wearing contact lenses: You should refrain from wearing contact lenses while playing Holi. In case you cannot do without them, wear the eyeglasses. 
Use rose water: Rose water is known for its antiseptic and antibacterial properties and can do a great job in removing colour from the eyes. It can also be used to reduce irritation cause by the chemicals present in the colours.
Other health tips

Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of water before, during and after the festivities. Staying hydrated will not only keep you energetic but will also prevent your skin against the absorption of harmful chemicals. Drinking fluids will also ensure that all the toxins are flushed out of the body. 
Check your sweets for purity: Adulteration is at all-time high during the festive season. Therefore, make sure you buy your sweets from a reputed brand. In case, you are preparing your own sweets, buy your ingredients from a reputed shop, especially in case of products like khoya or if you can you even make that at home.
Keep your hands clean: Keeping your hands clean during the festivities can be a daunting task but since the colours used during Holi come as a fine powder and can easily get mixed with food, they can lead to different health problems. Make arrangements for snacks and drinks away from the festivity area. Make sure you wash your hands every time you touch the food.
Preventing asthma attacks: If you are an asthmatic patient, you must avoid playing with dry colours as they can aggravate breathing problems. The particles can enter your lungs and trigger an asthma attack. Asthmatic patients are also advised to carry inhalers, in order to avoid complications.
Apart from the above mentioned problems, these synthetic colors can also cause health problems like nausea, headache and vomiting in many people. Follow these tips and enjoy the festival to the fullest, while steering clear of all the harmful effects. So, forget all your worries and storm in the riot of colours. Be safe and be healthy! Have a great Holi!

This Holi Let's Paint The Town Red While Keeping Yourself Safe

Tip for eye care

This is the worst time of the year, for your eyes. Pollution from firecrackers, smog due to weather change and generally ever increasing vehicular pollution adds up to be the worst for your eye health. 

Protect your eyesight and take care of your eyes by following these simple daily eye care tips.

1. Eat Well: Protect your eyes from within. Eat for good vision. Eat foods that have various nutrients such as omega 3 fatty acids, zinc and lutein, vitamins A, C and E to keep eye problems at bay. Green leafy vegetables, salmon and other oily fishes, eggs and nuts, orange and citrus fruits are great for eyesight.

2. Quit Smoking: For better eye-care leave smoking. This simple activity can make you likelier to get optic nerve damage, macular degeneration and cataracts.

3. Have eye-care routine: Most of us don’t have an eye care routine, which is essential for keeping them fit. So, develop a good eye-care routine. In this routine, practice eye exercises, focusing eyes on a point far away to promote muscle development. Clean eyes everyday with fresh, clean water to reduce eye mites and other problems.

4. Wear Sunglasses: Wearing sunglasses on a regular basis will protect eyes from UV rays and ensure protection. This will help in reducing the chances of getting cataracts and developing macular degeneration.

5. Use Safety Wear: It is important that you regularly wear safety wear problems. For instance, for sports, wear eye protection products, sports goggles or protective face masks.

6. Look away from computer: A lot of us use computers too much for work and recreation. Now is the time to look away from it. Staring at the computer for long can cause eyestrain and blurry vision, trouble focusing at a distance and result in dry eyes as well as neck and shoulder pain with headaches. So, take regular breaks from that computer.

If you would like to consult with me privately, please click on 'Consult'.

Doctor's Advice On How To Keep Your Eyes Safe This Diwali

4 effective tips for improving your eyesight

You'd be shocked to know that 1/3rd of the blind people of the world are Indians, which amounts to about 15 million people in India alone. Moreover, the risk of cataract is also high in India, with about 3 million people developing this condition, annually. Even the number of people with power in their eyes in India has gone up considerably. Thus, proper eye care is the need of the hour.

Here are some useful tips to maintain your eyesight, while improving your overall eye health.

1. Ensure that your eyes remain hydrated
You can do so by drinking the standard 8-10 glasses of water a day. Moreover, opting for a pair of sunglasses having a UV filter also proves to be useful in this regard. The reason behind is that sunglasses prevent the wind from robbing the moisture away from your eyes. Alternatively, you can ask an optometrist to prescribe a simple saline solution to hydrate your eyes and give them a soothing feel.

2. Don't keep looking at the computer screen continuously
Staring at the computer screen for a long time at a stretch can affect your eyes negatively. So, implement the 20/20/20 rule into your daily routine. According to this rule, you should remove your gaze from the computer screen every 20 minutes and then direct your vision towards an object kept at a distance of 20 feet for 20 seconds. This break helps your eyes to relax and refocus, consequently avoiding the occurrence of blurry vision.

3. Give your body a balanced diet and correct amount of sleep
Ensure that your daily diet contains green, leafy vegetables and fruits and food rich in antioxidants. These food products help in improving your vision to a large extent. Moreover, sleep for around eight hours every night to prevent eyestrain.

4. Make it a daily habit to perform eye exercises
The most effective technique to naturally improve your eyesight is performing eye exercises. Regular eye exercises not only enhance your vision but also give strength to your eyes.

Here's a simple exercise you can try. This works by applying heat to your eyes in order to relax them. For this, you can rub your palms together till they become warm and then place them on your eyes. Let your palms remain there for 10 seconds and then open your eyes.

It is also very important that you take care of your existing health problems like diabetes, hypertension, neurological problems or allergies and be regular with exercising such that it keeps your body fit and does not bear any impact on other organs like eyes.

If you would like to consult with me privately, please click on 'consult'.
Related Tip: 7 Easy Ways to Get Relief from EveryDay Computer Eye Strain

Why India Has POOREST Eyesight? + 4 Tips for Improving Your Eyesight

Sunglasses are an important part of the accessories you use in summer or any time of the year. They help you to look fashionable and stylish and also make a pretty good style statement. But is that the only job of sunglasses? Or do they have something more to them? Here are a few reasons why sunglasses are more than just a style statement:


1. Decrease in eye problems: Generally, you use sunscreen to protect your skin from the Sun s glare. Similarly, sunglasses protect your eyes from the harmful UV rays of the sun. It is extremely important for you to protect the eyes so that the harmful UV rays cannot enter the sensitive eye tissue and harm them. If you do not use sunglasses, then you have a higher chance of damaging your eye tissue than a person who uses them regularly. Bear in mind that the strong UV rays can cause serious permanent damage to your eyes.


2. Protection from other environmental components: Not only is the sun harmful to your eyes, but also the wind can be extremely dangerous for them. Dirt, sand, dust particles can fly into your eyes even when just a breeze is blowing. On a windy day, damage can be much more. If you are wearing sunglasses when out on a windy day, they act like a shield to your eyes against the wind and the particles,which might enter your eye.


3.  Helps clear vision: It s often difficult to have a clear vision when out in the Sun. The bright sunlight doesn t give you the clarity in vision. Without protection, you will have reduced vision as the bright glare of the Sun might cause you discomfort in your eyes and limit your vision as you will have to squint in the bright light.


4. Helps prevent aging: Although it might sound a bit surprising, but wearing sunglasses actually helps in prevent aging. The bright glare of the sun causes you to squint and this causes the age lines to appear. So, if you wear sunglasses and your eyes are protected from the bright sunlight, then you will not be squinting anymore, and hence it will not cause the age lines to appear before time.


So now, before you think that sunglasses only make you look good, think again about how they actually do much more than that.

4 Reasons Why Sunglasses are More than Just a Style Statement

Most of us take our eyes for granted. It has been often noticed that an individual splurges on expensive sunglasses for looking smarter. But, when it comes to the health of eyes, he or she is either ignorant or simply reluctant to do anything. This tendency is bad for the health of your precious eyes.

Remember, how you use them to stare at the screens of your gadgets all day long. Take out some time from your busy schedule and take care of your eyes. They are precious and vulnerable too.

Follow the tips below to keep your eyesight intact till your dying day:

Eat right for a good vision: It is very important to provide the right and sufficient amounts of nutrients to your body for developing or maintaining a good eye sight. Include nutrients such as omega-3 fatty acids, lutein, zinc, and vitamins C and E in your regular diet to boost your eyesight. Food items like green and leafy vegetables, salmon, tuna, and other oily fish, eggs, nuts, beans, and other non-meat protein sources, oranges and other citrus fruits or juices and oysters and pork are excellent for the eye. The intake of a balanced diet keeps you away from diabetes, which causes blindness.
Give up smoking: Cigarettes or other tobacco products are bad for your eyes. They make your eyes more vulnerable to diseases like cataracts, optic nerve damage, and macular degeneration.
Guard your eyes from sunlight: It has been found that long exposure to sunlight leads to damage of the eyeballs. This happens as the UV rays in sunlight have an adverse impact on our eyes. You must put on sunglasses when you are outdoors for a longer period. You must choose sunglasses which give you 90 to 100 percent protection against sunlight. UV rays can cause cataracts and macular degeneration.
Avoid the screen: It is advisable to not spend long hours sitting in front of the computer screen or TV. Take breaks while working on the computer. Also, remember blinking your eyes while staring at the screen to avoid drying up of the eyes. Blinking increases tear production, keeping the eyes moist and healthy.
Use safety devices: If you work with hazardous substances, it is advisable that you put on safety devices on your eyes for their protection.
Hydrate your eyes: In order to have a good vision, you must hydrate your eyes by splashing water on your eyes wide open at specific intervals in a day. When you wash your face after returning from outside, don't forget to wash your eyes as well. As you splash water on the eyes, the dust particles on the surface of the eyelid, gathered from outside, gets washed away. f you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a ophthalmologist.

Tips for Improved Eye Health

5 myths about eye health and the real facts behind them

Your eyes are an important part of your health. There are many things you can do to keep them healthy and make sure you are seeing your best. However, there are a number of myths regarding what you should do and what you shouldn't do when it comes to maintaining good eye health.

Here are 5 of those myths busted:

Myth #1: reading in dim light and sitting too close to the tv hurts your eyes

Fact: sitting too close to the tv, you may feel eye strain or get a headache from reading in the dark, but it will not weaken your eyes. It fatigues your eyes but does not harm your eye health in any way.

Myth #2: eating carrots will improve your vision

Fact: carrots are rich in vitamin a, a nutrient essential for good vision. But eating carrots will only provide a small amount of vitamin a. To get the optimum amount, you need to include other sources of vitamin a in your diet as well, some of which are milk, cheese, egg yolk and liver. Spinach is best for eye health. It has lutein and zeaxanthin, both of which can help prevent cataracts.

Myth #3: if you wear glasses or contacts for a continuous period, your eyes will weaken

Fact: your eyes will not grow weaker by using corrective lenses. The prescription may change over time due to aging or absence of disease but it has nothing to do with your current prescription. Some children have correctable eye problems that do require glasses to improve the condition.

Myth #4: when you get something in your eye, rub it out

Fact: this is not true for everything that gets in your eyes. If any particle falls in your eyes dust it off. But if it is sand and small debris that gets in your eye, don't touch it. Use an eye wash for flushing it out. If an object gets stuck in your eye, don't remove it or rub your eye constantly. Visit a doctor at the earliest because some serious injuries may seem minor at first.

Myth #5: dark sunglasses can protect your eyes from the sun

Fact: the color of sunglass does not ensure eye protection. Look for sunglasses that block both uva and UVB rays. Exposure to the UV-rays of sunlight can have cumulative effects on your eyes. It increases your risk for cataracts, solar retinitis, and age-related vision loss. Even if your contacts have UV protection, wear sunglasses that block 100% of uva and UVB rays for full protection.

If you would like to consult with me privately, please click on 'consult'.
Related Tip: Here's What CRYING Does to Your Body

Sitting Too Close To TV Will Weaken Your Eyes? FALSE.

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