Dr Pranjal Shamsher talks about, THE BACTERIAL LINK TO PSORIASIS

The link between Psoriasis and the “long lived” streptococci bacteria has opened up wider options in treating Psoriasis. A study conducted in Jaipur few years ago revealed that the remnants of streptococci bacteria which were left in the body following throat infection had the potential of causing psoriasis after a gap ranging from few months to several years. This was confirmed when the doctors found that when killed streptococcal material was injected in the skin of normal persons, psoriasis developed at the site of injection. Further confirmation of this happened when psoriatic patients started responding more favourably to an anti-streptococcal line of treatment.

Dr. Pranjal Shamsher is a Multi-Therapy Consultant & a pioneer in skin friendly treatments. She can be contacted at Dr. Health Clinics on 42067474 - 75 or 23568290 - 91. To read her articles log on to - skinarticlesbydrpranjalshamsher.wordpress.com

Watermelon Works!

Watermelon is not only delicious but extremely healthy as well. Watermelons are a great snack for both children and adults, for the reason that they contain practically no fat. Watermelons are in nature an excellent source of vitamins A, C and B6. They are also a great source of potassium and extremely low in sodium. In fact there is evidence that watermelons were grown by the ancient Egyptians. It was founded in 4000 B.C. and is still an universal fruit that continues to be a favourite of many.

Watermelon has a higher water content and lower calorie content than many other fruits. A whole cup of watermelon contains only 48 calories but it delivers more nutrients per calorie! Researchers believe that beta-carotene and vitamin C that are present in watermelons are capable of preventing heart disease, cancer and other chronic conditions. Watermelon is also a valuable source of lycopene which has been extensively studied for its antioxidant and cancer-preventing properties which can fight diseases like prostrate cancer, breast cancer, endometrial cancer, lung cancer and colorectal cancer.

So whether you choose watermelons for their health benefits or simply for their good taste, they can be an excellent snack, summer dish or gardening project.

Why do we get more Sunlight in the summer than in the Winter?

You might not have noticed this, but the Earth tilts over slightly. If you have a globe at home or in school, you can see that the line between north and south poles that goes through the centre of the Earth is not vertical. It 's actually tilting over by about 23 degrees. In Summer, the North Pole is pointing towards the sun so the sun rises and sets roughly from due east to due west. In winter, the Earth is on the other side of the sun so the North Pole is pointing away from the sun. This means the Sun rises and sets more towards the southeast and southwest. You might notice this as you look out of thw window. Think back to how high in the sky the sun was during summer.

STAY COOL THIS SUMMER

Scorching summer heat can sometimes be very intolerable. Not only does it lead to a series of minor and major health problems, the high temperature during the season can increase your energy bills as well. There are many ways to stay cool in the summer season, prevent a heat stroke and save a lot of money on utility bills. The following tips given below can help you keep the heat at bay, naturally.

Try These Environmentally-Amicable Alternatives to Keep Your Home Cool-

· Install heat-reflecting sheets on windows. These reduce glare and UV rays and cool the house by 2-3° C
· Open and close windows according to the change in temperature. During the day, close the sun-facing windows. During the evening, open the doors and windows to allow air ventilation. Early morning is a good time to let some fresh oxygen into your home
· Reduce indoor humidity by minimizing mid-day washing, showering and cooking. Switch on the exhaust fans to help extract moist air. Unless you absolutely need them, turn off lights and any heat generating appliances
· Grow creepers on the exterior walls of your house. Air pockets between the wall and the creepers act as insulators
· Paint the walls white
· Indoor plants also helps in bringing down the temperature inside the house
· Install lattices (Jaali) for easy air ventilation
· Don’t put lamps, TV or other heat generating appliances next to your air-conditioner
· Keep the roof and walls clear of dirt; the whiter the surface, the better it reflects heat
· Instead of concrete or marble flooring, think wood, ceramic or slate tiles. While wood is an insulator, ceramics and slate will keep the place cool.

Prepare Yourself

· Take A Shower: A cool shower will help a great deal in combating the scorching summer heat. Take a cool shower at least twice a day. Fill a spray bottle with rose water and use it while bathing. Cool essential oils also help soothe your body

· Wear Light Clothes: Wear light, loose fitting and airy clothes, especially when you go out on a hot sunny day. Cotton is the best natural fabric for summer. Avoid wearing clothes made of synthetic stuff, like nylon and polyester. Silk is a strict no-no fabric for summers

· Protect Yourself From Sun: Do not forget to wear sun block while going out. It can be a sunscreen moisturizer, lotion or cream. The product should contain SPF, which protects the body from harmful UV rays

· Eat Less: Instead of three heavy meals in a day, inculcate the habit of eating five to six small meals, during summer. Eat food high in water content, like fresh fruits and vegetables. Water melon is the best fruit for summers

· Drink Plenty Of Fluids: Drink plenty of water and fluids like fruit juices. Avoid aerated drinks like soda and cola. Do not consume sugary drinks, as their high sugar content can lead to dehydration. Instead, consume juices made of fresh fruits and vegetables. Sports beverages are also good to keep your energy levels high

· Exercise: Light intensity exercises can help you a great deal in staying cool. Indulge in exercise either early in the morning or late in the evening. You will sweat during the workout, which is a natural way of cooling down the body.

Sleep Well.........

Health Tips on Insomnia

Insomnia is "difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep or both" and it may be due to inadequate quality or quantity of sleep. Insomnia is not defined by a specific number of hours of sleep that one gets, since individuals vary widely in their sleep needs and practices. Insomnia is generally classified based on the duration of the problem, but generally:

• Symptoms lasting less than one week are classified as transient insomnia


• Symptoms between one to three weeks are classified as short-term insomnia


• Those longer than three weeks are classified as chronic insomnia.

Causes of insomnia can include:

• Significant life stress


• Illness


• Emotional or physical discomfort


• Environmental factors like noise, light, or extreme temperatures (hot or cold) that may interfere with sleep


• Some medications (for example those used to treat colds, allergies, depression, high blood pressure, and asthma) may interfere with sleep


• Interferences in normal sleep schedule.

Symptoms of insomnia can include:

• Sleepiness during the day


• General tiredness


• Irritability


• Problems with concentration or memory.

Here are some tips to beat insomnia:

• It is necessary to follow a sleep routine, like going to sleep at the same time each night and getting up at the same time each morning


• Avoiding caffeine, nicotine and alcohol is proving to be beneficial. As Caffeine and nicotine are stimulants and can keep away from falling asleep


• Alcohol can cause waking in the night and interferes with sleep quality


• Regular exercise also helps


• To have healthy sleep, it is necessary to make the bedroom comfortable


• It is also helpful to follow a routine to relax before sleep like reading books, listening music, etc.

Dr. Pranjal Shamsher, the Multi-Therapy Consultant at Dr. Health, Bangalore says, Combining various streams of therapy intelligently can work wonders

Dr Pranjal Shamsher at Dr. Health Clinic, Bangalore is a Multi-Therapy Consultant and a pioneer in skin friendly acne treatments. Dr. Pranjal Shamsher believes that combining various streams of therapy intelligently can work wonders. Dr. Pranjal Shamsher wanted to be a homoeopath but now she practices aromatherapy, nutrition therapy and even acupuncture. Dr. Pranjal Shamsher calls her approach "Multi-therapy".

Check out her unique mode of treatment. When a patient walks in complaining of arthritis, Dr. Pranjal Shamsher first recommends needle-less acupuncture and then homoeopathy. She says that the first provides quick relief and the second long-lasting relief. Dr. Pranjal Shamsher runs her clinic, Dr. Heath at Bangalore with her husband Dr. Shahid Shamsher, a trichologist, who also practices the same type of therapy. She strongly feels that diet plays a major role in overall heath, and hence, her emphasis on nutrition therapy.

Dr. Pranjal Shamsher believes that “Eating and drinking the right things makes a bigger difference to the speed and quality of recovery than we realize. There are people who take the right drugs but eat the wrong food and are totally unmindful of the effect of the latter on their health. Many even think food is irrelevant as long as they are ingesting the right medicine. So we make them understand and then enforce a carefully customized diet regimen.”

Her decision to add aromatherapy to her spectrum of qualifications came after she trained and set up practice in homoeopathy. As a skin consultant, Dr. Pranjal Shamsher had been recommending oral homoeopathic medicines for skin problems but constantly felt the need to supplement this with a skin application that would speed the recovery and also give the patient visible evidence of treatment. Aromatherapy seemed to be the answer since it is one that basically works by external application. She also realized there were too few serious and knowledgeable practitioners of this art. "Aromatherapy applications are easy to use. We use highly concentrated oils which are blended in a base. This base can be a greasy or non-greasy depending on the nature of the problem and its area of occurrence. I always do a patch test on patients before application despite using aromatherapy oils known to be free of side-effects” says Dr. Pranjal Shamsher, Dr. Health Clinic, Bangalore.

Dr. Pranjal Shamsher, also narrates an interesting tale about the origin of Aromatherapy. "It is a 6,000-year-old science that actually was rediscovered in 1920 when a French scientist Maurice Gattefosse had an explosion in his lab, and as a reflex, he put his hand in a jar of lavender oil. Later he saw that the healing was quicker and more complete on the parts that came in contact with the oil." How does the multi-pronged approach work? Dr. Pranjal Shamsher illustrates it with an example. In the case of leucoderma, she first prescribes homoeopathic medicine to act as immune modulators and then uses aromatherapy to re-pigment the skin.

Then there is also Nutritional Therapy says Dr. Pranjal Shamsher, Dr. Health Clinic, Bangalore, "We recommend lotus stems in one's diet along with a mixed juice of watermelon and black currant." Finally, acupuncture is used to control damage to the melanocytes. This method is most useful for people suffering from chronic illnesses because they can make available treatment from different branches of medicine at the same time.

To conclude with Dr. Pranjal Shamsher, Dr. Health Clinic, Bangalore says, "I am happy that I chose this career. I love my treatment because it is complete and is holistic in nature. I feel I have gained much more professional success and satisfaction in treating patients using this approach than I would have if I had restricted myself to homoeopathy alone."

Dr. Pranjal Shamsher, the Multi-Therapy Consultant at Dr. Health Clinic, Bangalore has her clinics located at R.T Nagar, Indiranagar, Jayanagar and Malleswaram. Dr. Pranjal Shamsher can be contacted at 42067474/75 or 23568290/91.

THE ACNE TRIGGERS says Dr. Pranjal Shamsher at Dr. Health, Bangalore

Sometimes my skin looks really clear and at other times it suddenly breaks out into a lot of pimples. How do I find out what triggers them? I have tried to follow a lot of diet restrictions, but the fluctuations continue to happen. Geetha, 29 yrs asks Dr. Pranjal Shamsher

Dr. Pranjal Shamsher says,
Studies have shown that high glycemic diet or foods that produce high levels of blood sugar can aggravate acne. These foods include breads, highly refined grains and cereals, French fries, potato chips, dairy products, sodas and other aerated drinks etc. The more high-glycemic foods a person ingests, the higher their insulin levels rise. As the insulin levels rise, so do the sebum levels, leading to clogged pores and the perfect environment for bacteria to grow, thrive and cause the development of acne. Apart from diet, stress and hormonal imbalances are the other triggers. When one is tensed, the body releases stress hormones including cortisol, which increases the oil secretion in turn causing acne. It is seen from the fact that most students with acne have worsening of their condition during examinations.

How do I know what is my skin type? Daisy, 22 yrs. asks Dr. Pranjal Shamsher

Dr. Pranjal Shamsher says,
Identifying your skin type is the first step to choosing the right skin care. There are 5 different skin types – normal, dry, oily, combination and sensitive or problem skin. Dry skin feels rough and coarse to touch. It feels tight and stretchy without a moisturizer and tends to have fine lines around the mouth and eyes. Dry skin is prone to premature ageing. Oily skin appears waxy and has large and visible pores. By midday it starts appearing waxy and absorbs make-up quickly. It easily breaks out into pimples, whiteheads and blackheads. Combination skin is dry mostly on the cheeks and oily on the T-zone. After washing some areas feel dry and some smooth. By afternoon the T-zone appears shiny and greasy. Sensitive skin can be dry, oily or normal. It reacts adversely to environmental factors like sun exposure and also to cosmetics containing alcohol, fragrances and artificial colors.

Dr. Pranjal Shamsher is a Multi-Therapy Consultant and a pioneer in skin friendly acne treatments. Dr. Pranjal Shamsher can be contacted at Dr. Health Clinics located at R.T Nagar, Indiranagar, Jayanagar and Malleswaram. She can be contacted at 42067474/75 or 23568290/91.

Links to other articles by Dr. Pranjal Shamsher:

http://consumerconnect.wordpress.com/2010/03/12/the-summer-itch/

http://consumerexpress.wordpress.com/2010/03/12/stress-triggers-your-acne-says-dr-pranjal-shamsher/

http://consumernewsonline.blogspot.com/2010/03/middle-age-acne-by-dr-pranjal-shamsher.html