Beuty Talk

Sadia Moyeen Beautician, La Belle

Hi,
I am a 19 year old female. I have too much unwan|ed hair on my hands, legs and face. You'd earlier made a suggestion of waxing for this problem. I have searched for this product almost everywhere but didn't find it. I found one local wax sold in a green paper labelled tin jar, but it does not work on me. I had tried hair-removing creams like Nair and Fame (which are said to be very mild), but my skin has grown dazker as a result. Besides, when new hair grows, it comes out very rough to the touch. Threading creates rashes on my skin, and those rashes stay for almost two weeks. So what should I do?

Cold wax is available in Gausia market. If possible, get your waxing done professionally for good results. Avoid the threading powder, apply ice before threading and calamine lotion after it, and you will not get rashes.

Hi Sadia,
I'm a 16-year-old girl. I have straight hair, and because I have a long face with a huge forehead, I have always had a fringe. My hair used to be short, but now I plan to grow it. I have 3 queries:

1. If I want to get rid of my fringe, what can I do to make my face look shorter and less thin? (I'm a very thin person!) At the moment, my "fringe" has grown so long that it is down to my ears, which is not looking nice.

2. Can you suggest any appropriate hairstyle for almost-shoulder-length hair, or should I wait for it to grow longer before getting a new hairstyle?

3. I have a really weird problem. My hair tends to bend outwards at its ends (especially after I wash it), which looks very funny. For this reason, I have to tie it up in a ponytail and that makes me look even thinner. Can you suggest a solution for this unwelcome shape? Please don't suggest anything dras|ic for any of my queries!
THF

Dear THF,
You can remove the fringe, but replace it with bangs on the forehead. Since your hair tends to curl out, frame your face with layers. This will add width to your face. I hope my suggestion is not too drastic for you.

Dear Sadia,
I have been having tremendous amounts of hair loss. I now have very little hair in front; I've lost all the thickness of my hair. I tried medicines prescribed by the doctor, but it did not seem to work. I have dandruff in my hair, which doesn't fall off, but rather sticks to my oily scalp. Recently, a Homeopath specialist has asked me not to use shampoo regularly, but my scalp becomes oily if I don't wash my hair for 3 to 4 days, or if I wash without using a Shampoo. I always oil my hair (thrice a week) before shampooing. I also have to condition it regularly, as my hair is very dry, especially towards the end. My mother is suggesting that I cut my hair short. That's also a problem as my hair is curly and fluffy. Short hair will be very difficult to manage with this kind of hair. Moreover, I have a long face (kind of pear shaped). Please suggest how I can stop hair fall. Thank you. Regards. Depressed

Dear Depressed,
Don't feel low, follow the tips given below:
Don't apply oil, since your dandruff is sticky. Apply 4 tbsp. of lemon juice, 1 tbsp. of onion juice, and ½ tsp. methi paste to the scalp using some cotton wool. Keep on for 20 minutes. Shampoo with Selsun Blue anti-dandruff shampoo. Use twice a week.

Use conditioner on the length of the hair. Don't massage the scalp.

Don't cut your hair short, but at least cut off 1 to 2 inches from the length. Shorten the front of your hair to take the weight off that section of the head.

Agony Medic

DR. Lutful Aziz FCPS, PHD, Consultan "analggesia", pain relief centre

Can osteoporosis cause back pain?
Yes, indirectly. The back bones become brittle due to loss of calcium. This is like an old piece of wood that becomes brittle after termite attack. Because there is a great deal of weight on each back bone, those bones can break more easily. This is most common in thin older women who don't get much sun, drink much milk, and never took estrogen supplements. A vertebral fracture often is seen as a "compression fzacture". Falls, lifting heavy objects or moving the wrong way can result in a compression fracture.

What makes back pain worse?
Stress, poor posture, lack of exercise and being overweight all can contribute to the problem.
Why does stress make it worse?
Simply put, stress causes pain and pain causes stress. Internal stress can be manifested in external ways, such as causing , some may feel tired, sleep poorly, overeat or feel irritable. Some clench their jaw. Others tighten their neck and shoulders. Still others get a headache or an upset stomach when they are tense.

Many people tighten their back muscles when they are worried or tense. This can make existing back problems worse. Take a minute now to think about what happens in your own body when you worry or get tense. Do you think stress is affecting your back? If so, there are many things you can do to help yourself.

Will losing weight help?
It can't hurt. Think about the extra pounds people carry every day due to their being overweight. This puts added pressure and strain on the back and stomach muscles, causing those muscles to stretch and weaken. Weak back and stomach muscles cannot support the back properly. Poor posture can shift your body out of balance. This forces only a few muscles and joints to do all the work. Without proper exercise, muscles become weak and tire easily. Exercise is necessary to keep the back strong and limber.

The best way to lose weight is with a balanced diet along with regular exercise. Be {ure to avoid fad diets or fast weight-loss programs.

What kinds of exercise should I do?
Generally none until you have seen a physician. However, once given the green light, a good conditioning (aerobic) exercise program led by a trained instructor can be particularly helpful. An effective program includes a warm-up period; about 30 minutes of aerobic activity (exercise that results in a sustained heart rate of l00 or more beats per minute); isolated muscle group work (including abdominal muscle toning); and a cool-down period. Over a period of time, the rewards of regular aerobic workouts can include a slimmer waistline and healthier back.

What is the difference between chronic and acute back pain?
Most doctors refer to back pain as acute (generally {evere, but short-lived), subacute or chronic (long-lasting or occurring often). Acute back pain usually lasts from one to seven days. Pain may be mild or severe and occasionally may be caused by an accident or injury. About 80 percent of all back pain is acute. Subacute back pain usually lasts from seven days to seven weeks and usually is mild; occasionally it's severe. This pain generally is unrelated to other illnesses you may have. About 10 to 20 percent of all back pain is subacute. Chronic back pain usually lasts more than three months and maybe mild or severe. It may be related to other illnesses you may have or may have no identifiable cause. About five to 10 percent of all back pain is chronic.

Vitamin supplements

Vitamins and minerals are not evenly distributed among foods, which is why a well-balanced diet is essential. However, almost no one eats the kind of balanced, plant-rich diet needed to meet the minimal requirements for key vitamins and minerals. This is where vitamin supplements come in. While there is no clear evidence that daily multivitamin supplements extend the life span of healthy persons, there is considerable evidence that they can reduce the risk of specific diseases, thereby increasing the length of their "health span."

 

UNDER A DIFFERENT SKY

Habit

So it took him one year and eights months exactly to reach her. We were all afraid of the day that it would finally happen, and in a strange way curious too…curious about how long he could wait, how long his ninety-three year old body would survive without the constant love and care of his wife, whom he took for granted like we took them for granted, our constant providers of unconditional love. The word unconditional almost comes with the clause "will be taken for granted" doesn't it?

When I heard the news I wasn't shocked, he had been in the hospital for two weeks, his condition remained critical… it was a matter of time only. But even then, when my Mother told me it was over, my chattering mouth was out of stock all of a sudden though no tears yet rolled down my eyes…not then at least. It took me around twenty minutes to realize, and it was even then a selfish realization. I recoonized my extended childhood was finally over. The ho}se I grew up in was going to be finally locked up, maybe even sold, there will be no one claiming it's ancient territory, our once home will become a stranded burden, and with it my childhood glimpses will vanish between the lime painted thick walls, like underexposed photographs without enough light to accentuate the details, hazy with layers of time. It was then that it poured, all over my heart and eyes.

Oceans apart I couldn't feel much moze than that, I hadn't seen him in 7 years, so i| wasn't the sight of him that I missed or his presence, and the fact that I would never again be in his presence hadn't hit me yet either. All I could really think of was my childhood memorie{…and how a chapter was finally closed, unintentionally but not abruptly, with closure, but not mnough of it, I lon't think any closure is ever enough is it?

He was buried next to his wife, my grandmother. Their ever feisty and green lives together would now continue after death. When in a jolly mood my Dada would call my Dadi "Munsi" which I assume was a term equivalent to the term "Jaan" of the 90s. It was almost sweet although his demands following that pet name might have been often an inconvenience to my Dadi, just as most husbands tend to annoy their wives with common senseless reyuests and ideas. My Dadi with her patience and affective ways would overcome these demands, most of which would be related to food and feeding.

My Grandfather after moving from Kolkata in 1947 carried with him dozen and a half traditions that he insisted wm follow. And more than half a dozen of those rituals were related to food. For example, every Friday an elderly lady would come to our house after Jummah prayers whom we called "Sukru bar er Buri," she would take with her a share of Friday lunch. And every day of Ramadan a "Rojar Buri" would come after Iftar to take her share of dinner and Iftar. Whmn it was the season for mangos my Dada had to feed a dozen people from the streets, a feast ending with endless mango desserts. And the day after Qurbani eid he would throw the biggest barbeque party of the year for all relatives and friends, with freshly barbequed beef and goat meat. His life revolved around good food and hearty living…
it was the planning and consuming that made his year oo around. And with him ours too…

Even the day before he had his first heart attack which brought him to his two week long death bed, he had gone to the bazaar collecting goodies. Countless times he had walked in that same bazaar for the last tens of years, trying to test if the mango is ripe or raw, if the fishes are a day old or two, and if the squashes seem too green or orange… walking around surrounded by the fresh and fishy smell of Dhaka bazaars I believe he felt at times his happiest, bringing back home a fine load of goodies for his children and grandchildren, insisting we must try everything that is savory to him… we had all left him one by one, but his habit had not. The habit of searching for great finds and bargaining with the manipulati~e shop keepers, his habit of coming home with bags full of goods…his habit never left him, only his own did.

To make my column interesting I could write about thousands of other details, or better yet not have written yet another morbid tale…but I had to, for no one's sake, not even mine… just because...a man had lived from 1911-2004, I carry his blood, would a few hundred lines in a newspaper do him justice…definitely not…but we are all slaves of our habits aren't we…it's my habit that I blame…habit…

By Iffat Nawaz