Dr. Anju

Sedentary lifestyles have taken a toll our health, impacting the stamina of our body. Whether you are an athlete or a regular person who requires building physical and mental stamina in order to easily perform daily tasks, try these 5 highly effective ways to do so.

1. Stay hydrated: Drinking adequate quantity of water goes a long way in maintaining a good stamina level and also building it gradually. Water also helps fight muscle fatigue and you can also combine its consumption with certain sports drinks such as gatorade.
2. Maintain a stable sleep schedule: Chronic sleep disorders have been known to lead to troublesome issues such as rapid weight gain and high blood pressure. It is very essential to get sound sleep for an adequate time period on a daily basis in order to keep your body fresh and increase stamina.
3. Follow a strict exercise regime: Exercise is the best way to help your body build up stamina and increase energy levels. People who exercise on a regular basis are likely to develop an improved endurance level and stamina. Also, these people have lower fatigue levels. Try and work out for at least half an hour every day.
4. Maintain a healthy diet: Food products rich in nutrients are bound to give a credible stamina boost to your body. Include foods in your diet that are rich sources of carbohydrates and starches, such as vegetables, fruits and lean meats. Also, eat small meals and consume them throughout the day.
5. Keep a positive attitude: A positive attitude helps a lot in keeping your brain cells energetic and excited. Try and focus on the work at hand and complete it in the best way possible. A healthy mind is bound to keep you feeling good and healthy, thus boosting your mental stamina.

From lybrate: if you found this tip useful, please thank the doctor by clicking on the heart icon below. Also, spread good health by sharing this tip with your loved ones over whatsapp, facebook and other media.

What is Acne?

Acne is a chronic inflammatory disease of the pilo sebaceous follicles (i.e. Hair with oil producing glands attached to hair) characterized by comedones (blackheads and whiteheads), papules, pustules, nodules and ultimately leading to scars.

Who gets Acne?
Close to 100% of people between the ages of twelve and seventeen have at least an occasional whitehead, blackhead or pimple regardless of race or ethnicity. Acne starts between the ages of ten and fifteen years of age and usually lasts till twenty years of age; however, acne can persist into the late twenties or thirties or even beyond. Some people get acne for the first time as adults and this is known as adult acne.

What are the causes of Acne?

• Bacteria: Bacteria that normally lives on the skin plays a role in acne development. The bacteria are known as propionibacterium acnes (p. acnes). The bacteria content can increase in people whose faces are not clean. 
• Hormones: During the teen years increased levels of sex hormones causes the oil glands of the skin to produce increased amount of oil. These excess skin oils tend to bind with cellular debris causing a blockage and producing a fertile environment for the bacteria to grow. 
   

The bacteria causes inflammation, pus, swelling and redness. In adult acne, excessive hormones produced due to polycystic ovaries and other hormonal imbalances causing excess oil production and inflammation, which leads to acne.

What are the factors that precipitate or aggravate acne?

• Stress- Stress is frequently implicated in aggravation of acne while acne itself induces stress. 
• Sweat- Sweating in a hot and humid environment causes deterioration in 15% of acne patients. 
• Menstruation- Pre menstrual flare of acne occurs in 70% of female acne patients. 
• Friction and pressure- Friction and pressure from helmets, backpacks and tight collars can induce blackheads and papules. Pressure from face massages or facials can aggravate acne.
• Pregnancy- Pregnancy has an unpredictable effect on acne. Pre-existing acne may aggravate or remit during pregnancy.
• Diet- High glycemic load foods (sugar loaded and starchy foods), oily foods may aggravate acne.
• Drugs- Oral contraceptives, anti tuberculosis medication, oral steroids, anti depressants may aggravate acne.

It is advisable to visit a board certified dermatologist for treatment of acne instead of over the counter treatment as the dermatologist treats the root cause of acne.

Stretch marks cannot be treated easily. Though there are many treatments that can help in the removal of stretch marks, but you got to choose the right one that suits your preference and is affordable as well. These marks need to be thoroughly diagnosed in order to detect the mark type and then only the correct treatment procedure can be chosen without any confusion. Choose the safest treatment option that can help you to get success in a natural manner.

Treatments available for removing stretch marks:

1. Topical options: These options are the most favourable ones as they gives you guaranteed results. It is advised to only choose verified topical solutions, which are also some of the most prominent ones which include moisturizers, Retin-A, glycolic acid, vitamin-E oil, egg oil and several others. These solutions are to be applied directly over the targeted areas in order to get desirable results. This should be followed for at least 6 months in order to get expected results.
2. Supplemental options: You can also start taking organic supplements that are highly enriched with vitamin E. These supplements are now available in form of pills that have to be taken at least twice every day. If you use oral supplements together with topical applications, the stretch marks will slowly fade in a short span of time.
3. Natural options: There are many home remedies that can offer you outstanding results in treating stretch marks. Essential oils are the most highlighting examples that can cater you greater benefits in this regard. Other probable remedies are sugar, potato juice, water, aloe vera, olive oil, lemon juice, castor oil, cocoa butter, alfalfa leaves, egg whites, apricots, lemon and glycerine.
4. Laser options: These options are now treated as one of the most powerful solutions that can offer speedy results. In fact, the researchers have said that these options are the most reliable and convenient of all, and they can provide immediate effects. Old stretch-marks can be well treated by laser resurfacing while the new ones can be treated by vascular laser.
5. Surgical options: These options can be chosen for extreme cases. If you fail to implement post-surgical caring tips, these options may have certain side-effects. But you will get highly customized effects as a result of the same. These options are chosen only by few people as they are comparatively expensive.