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Today, olive oil is known as one of the healthiest oils for cooking food because of its low level of saturated fats. Olive oil is also said to be able to aid in weight loss, reduce cholesterol, lower the risk of cardiovascular diseases, slow down the ageing process and protect against certain types of cancer. However, not all types of olive oil are the same. Olive oil is extracted by crushing olives and is categorised on the basis of the type of pressing, acidity levels and extent of processing undergone.

Some of the common types of olive oil available are:

1. Extra virgin olive oil: This refers to oil produced by the first ‘pressing’ of olives. This oil is extracted using only mechanical or other physical means and does not involve the use of heat or chemicals. The only processing is subjected to is washing, decanting, centrifuging and filtering. The maximum acidity level of this oil is 0.8%. Extra virgin olive oil has no added flavours or aroma and is said to have a superior taste.
2. Virgin olive oil: This is the second grade of olive oil. It has slightly higher level of acidity than extra virgin olive oil. It may seem to have a slight flavour imperfection as compared to the earlier oil. This is most commonly used type of olive oil.
3. Refined olive oil: Oil that is produced by subsequent pressings of the remaining olive flesh is known as refined olive oil. It has a lighter colour and is less viscous as compared to virgin olive oil. Unlike virgin olive oil, refined olive oil is bleached and deodorised. It may also be mixed with a little virgin olive oil. This type of oil has the same levels of monosaturated fat, but has very little antioxidants.
4. Olive pomace oil: The crushed flesh and pits left over from the extraction of olive oil is known as pomace. This may further be used to extract oil known as pomace oil. Pomace oil is an inferior oil that may be mixed with olive oil to improve its taste and texture.
5. Unfiltered olive oil: As the name suggests, the unfiltered olive oil contains bits of olive flesh. While this may enhance the flavour of the oil, it also causes a sediment to be formed at the bottom of the bottle. This sediment may become rancid over time and lower the shelf life of the oil. Unfiltered olive oil should ideally be used within 6 months of being bottled.

Apart from the above, there are a number of other types of olive oil such as early or late harvest olive oil, hand picked olive oil, single estate olive oil and flavoured oil.

Anxiety often leads to the development of phobias. An unreasonable fear of being in social situations is known as social anxiety or social phobia. People suffering from such a phobia may be afraid of specific social settings like public speaking or generic social events such as eating with others or using public telephones.

They are afraid that they will embarrass themselves or be humiliated in front of others. Being in such a situation can often build up into a panic attack. In many cases, the person himself is aware that his fear is irrational but cannot overcome it. Hence, here are a few tips to overcome social phobia:

1. Relax: The first thing you need to do is learn to relax. People with phobias often anticipate them and stress themselves out before the situation can present itself. Being anxious heightens sensitivity and worsens your response to a social situation. Hence, before stepping out or meeting someone, take a deep breath and relax. Instead of focusing on the stressful situation, think about something in the future like getting home to a nice cup of tea.
2. Test yourself: Make a list of the situations that you are afraid of and anticipate the level of anxiety you think it would cause. Then test this hypothesis by putting yourself in the situation. For example, if you fear walking into a crowded room, try doing it once. You may find that you cope with the situation better then you anticipated. Keep a record of these hypothesis and test results.
3. Practice doing what scares you: Some situations may scare you too much to dive straight into them. In such cases, practice what you would do if you were in such a situation by yourself or with someone you trust. Run the situation in your head and imagine what you would do if it were actually happening.
4. Look around: Social awkwardness is often caused by imaging that people can read your thoughts and thus focusing on them rather than the people you are talking to or the space you are in. Train your mind to notice things around you and be aware of your situation. Focusing outwards can lower your anxiety and enhance your ability to hold a conversation with people. To make this a habit, whenever you walk into a room, make a mental note of three things in the room.
5. Ask questions: An easy way to shift focus from yourself to people around you is by asking questions. When you ask someone a question, listen to their response and if you still aren't comfortable talking about your own views, ask another related question. This will not give your mind time to dwell on any negative thoughts and can even increase your social circle.

You often consume a much higher amount of sugar than you should actually, as it is widely present in a very high number of foods and beverages. Research suggests that this excessive sugar consumption may ultimately be very harmful for your health - and that it may badly harm your skin. Experts believe that too much intake of sugar can make your skin look wrinkled or dull, and also lead to a host of other skin-related disorders. Here are the ways in which excessive sugar consumption affects your skin:

1. Causes inflammation: Inflammation, caused by excess sugar intake, can be really damaging for the body - especially because it negatively impacts your immune system, and may lead to frequent breakouts on the skins and increased chances of pimples or warts.
2. Increases wrinkling: Sugar's inflammatory properties not only lead to breakouts on the skin, but also cause wrinkles. Collagen, which is essential for healthy, supple skin, is broken down by sugar, which makes the skin look dehydrated and dull, also increasing the chances of premature wrinkling.
3. Causes imbalance in blood sugar level: Excessive sugar consumption causes irregularities in blood sugar levels by initially increasing sugar levels, which then reduces when insulin in released into your cells. It often ends up making you hungry, moody or shaky and increases stress levels leading to dull looking skin.
4. Leads to occurrence of acne: Increased intake of sugar results in stimulation of hormone levels which raises sebum production and in turn affects growth of skin cells. This may be a reason of acne.

Complications in the heart valve occur when the functioning of the heart valve is impaired. Valves of the heart allow the blood in one direction and prevent the blood from flowing back into the ventricles of the heart.

Heart valve diseases can be classified as follows:

1. Valvular stenosis:
This condition occurs when the valves of the heart do not open completely due to stiffness. As the opening is narrow, the heart has to work hard to pump blood. This condition may lead to heart failure.

2. Valvular insufficiency:
This is a condition where the valve does not close tightly. This causes some of the blood to flow back to the valve. As this condition deteriorates the heart has to work harder to pump blood. 

Types and Causes of valve diseases:

1. Acquired valve disease 
The structure of the valve changes due to various infections or rheumatic fever. Rheumatic fever is caused by bacterial infection that had not been treated. It tends to occur in children and cause inflammation of the valves of the heart.

2. Congenital valve disease
This condition usually affects the pulmonary valve where the size of the valve is abnormal.

3. Bicuspid aortic valve disease
It is a type of valve disease that impairs the aortic valve. Instead of the regular three cusps, the bicuspid valve only has two. This may cause the valve to be stiff or cause it to leak.

4. Mitral valve prolapse
This condition causes the valve to flop back when the heart contracts. This condition also causes the leaflets of the valve to turn irregularly and cause it to stretch. This condition causes the valve to leak.

Symptoms:

The symptoms of valve disease are as follows:

1. Weakness: This condition may cause weakness and cause severe discomfort while performing daily activities.
2. Palpitations: Symptoms such as irregular heartbeats, skipped beats and rapid heart rhythm occurs in this condition.
3. Rapid weight gain: This condition can cause you to gain weight very rapidly.
4. It may cause swelling in your ankles, abdomen and feet.
5. This condition causes shortness of breath
 

Botox is a wrinkle treatment but is used for treating a range of medical conditions. It has been in use for well over 18 years and is considered to be safe when performed under the guidance of a medical practitioner. Apart from aesthetics, a range of other facial, migraine and dermatological problems can be addressed by Botox.

Myth #1

Botox limits facial expression: The primary objective of a Botox treatment is to enhance the look of a person and not the contrary. When administered by a skilled physician, you can still smile and animate like before. Botox in no way affects the sensory nerve. The muscle beneath the point of injection gets relaxed and remains active. The apprehension of limited facial activity is baseless.

Myth #2

Botox travel through your body: This again is a myth. Botox diffuses not more than 1cm into the skin. Due to its localized nature, it does not affect any other parts of the body other than the intended area.

Myth #3

Botox has toxic content: Botox-like any other drug is safe when taken under supervision. Like other drugs, it too gets scanned by the drug regulatory authorities. It is neither dangerous nor contains any toxic substance.

Myth #4

Dermal fillers involve intense pain: Dermal fillers are not as painful as advocated by many people out there. It does have its fair share of discomfort but a medical practitioner always uses a topical anesthetic and other anxiety related medications during the treatment.

Myth #5

Downtime for Botox is fairly long: Botox is known as the afternoon injection for its convenience and easy procedure. Botox procedure has no downtime at all. Doctors often suggest against lying down for a good 2-3 hours after the injection. Dermal fillers might result in minor swelling but there are medicines to counter that too.

Myth #6

Botox is permanent in nature: By far this is the biggest myth of all. Botox shots last for no more than 3 months. For people who take Botox shots regularly, the effect might last a little longer. As soon as Botox is discontinued, the muscles go back to their own position. This phenomenon is known as atrophy.

Myth #7

Dermal fillers and Botox are the same: While people these days use them interchangeably, they are not the same. For instance, Botox lessens the effect of wrinkles by relaxing the facial muscle whereas dermal fillers add volume to the tissue and restores the muscle.

Myth #8

Botox is applied only when Facial lines are visible: This is not necessarily true. If the family of an individual has a history of facial lines, it makes sense to start Botox for facial line prevention. This delays the actual facial line appearance and requires fewer Botox shots going forward.