5 Simple Do's And Don'ts For Healthy Skin

Updated Feb 7, 2025 | 01:16 PM IST

SummaryDespite what social media tells you, using anti aging products early will not help prevent wrinkles. So what will keep your skin healthy? Read on to know.
Do's and Dont's Of healthy skin

Credits: Canva

Your skin tell a lot about your health. By just looking at someone's skin, one can tell if they are sick, unhappy, or completely healthy. This is because whatever happens inside, reflects on the outside, on your skin. But there are ways to take care of your skin otherwise and it always does not mean expensive products or complicated routine. A basic skincare regimen includes cleansing, moisturizing, and sunscreen. Beyond this, good food with enough nutrition, regular exercise, sufficient sleep and stress management too is the key.

Here's all you need to know about skincare:

Who all need skincare?

Despite what social media tells you, children do not need fancy skincare products. The best approach for them is, once they start approaching the pre-puberty time, they keep their skin clean and use a non-comedogenic moisturizer if necessary. For children with eczema or other skin conditions, following a doctor-recommended routine is important.

Fighting Acne

Everyone experience acne at some point, especially during puberty. The best hack is to use oil-free products like benzoyl peroxide that can help control breakouts. If acne are causing scars, it is best to first take advise from your doctor and only then apply something else. A treatment usually takes up three-months to finally show results, therefore before considering alternatives a three-month window must be given.

When Should you start using anti aging products?

Again, social media here tells you to use it as soon as possible. But did you know that using anti aging products early will not help prevent wrinkles? A simple routine with a good sunscreen is often the best approach. Those in their mid-to-late 20s may consider introducing a mild retinol product, but factors like sun exposure and individual skin needs play a role in determining the right time to start.

What Ingredients Work?

Certain ingredients have proven beneficial, these are:

  • Retinol for skin renewal
  • Sunscreen for preventing premature aging

There may be many trendy ingredients like hyaluronic acid, however, not necessarily does it penetrate the skin deeply, but instead it helps retain moisture on the surface. Expensive doesn’t always mean better—affordable products often work just as well.

Do's and Dont's

Be Cautious: It is important that you be cautious when you use new products. Before introducing a new product, always take a patch test, especially for sensitive skin. For instance, retinol should be used only in small amounts a few times a week to prevent dryness. However, if it creates irritation, you can reduce usage, or switch to a milder formation.

Popping Pimples: This could lead to scarring and worsen inflammation, this is when spot treatments with salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide could help. Also consider using face wash.

Use Sunscreen: Remember, sunscreen is a skincare essential! It also reduces the risk of skin cancer and prevent sun-induced aging. It is always best to apply a sunscreen with an SPF 50+. Remember to always go for a cream over spray and reapply every two hours.

Moles: Keep an eye on your moles. Though, mostly they are harmless, but if the size, shape, or color changes, then you must go see a doctors. While most moles are harmless, some could turn into cancer.

Lifestyle Changes: What really does well for your skin is when you start eating a healthy diet, rich in whole foods, healthy fats and variety of plants. Moreover if you are smoking, it accelerates aging and reduces blood flow to skin. Thus make these changes to make your skin radiant.

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Kidney Health Myths That Are Doing More Harm Than Good

Updated May 7, 2026 | 07:00 AM IST

SummaryStaying hydrated matters, but excessive water intake isn’t beneficial for everyone—especially in advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD), where fluid intake often needs to be carefully limited to avoid complications.
Kidney Health Myths That Are Doing More Harm Than Good

Credit: Canva

Kidney disease is one of those conditions where myths quietly cause a lot of damage. Misinformation about symptoms, diet, medicines, and treatment can delay diagnosis, worsen kidney health, and prevent people from taking simple steps that could protect their kidneys early on.

Myth: Kidney disease is rare.

Fact: It’s actually quite common, but many people don’t even know they have it.

Myth: You’ll feel it if something is wrong.

Fact: Early chronic kidney disease (CKD) is usually silent, and symptoms often appear only after significant damage has already occurred.

Even something as simple as a slightly raised creatinine is often ignored.

Fact: Even mild elevations can signal a meaningful loss of kidney function.

Myth: Dialysis cures kidney disease.

Fact: Dialysis does not cure kidney disease. It only replaces some kidney functions to help keep the body in balance.

Myth: If dialysis is needed in Acute Kidney Injury (AKI), it means lifelong dialysis.

Fact: Dialysis in AKI may be temporary. In advanced CKD, however, it is often long-term or lifelong unless a kidney transplant is performed.

Diet myths don’t help either

Myth: More water is always better.

Fact: Hydration is important, but too much water isn’t helpful for everyone—especially in advanced CKD, where fluid intake may need to be restricted.

Myth: All kidney patients should eat the same diet.

Fact: Kidney diets are highly individualized. High-protein diets, often seen as healthy, can increase stress on damaged kidneys. Plant-based proteins can be a suitable alternative in many cases.

Myth: Herbal or indigenous remedies can cure or prevent kidney disease.

Fact: Many of these remedies are unregulated and may actually worsen kidney damage because of hidden toxins or heavy metals.

Myth: Painkillers are harmless.

Fact: Regular use of medicines like NSAIDs can quietly damage the kidneys over time.

At the end of the day, kidney disease isn’t just about treatment—it’s about awareness. Getting the facts right can make all the difference.

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Weather Changes Can Spark Migraines and Sinus Trouble: Here’s How to Protect Yourself

Updated May 6, 2026 | 11:00 PM IST

SummaryWeather changes can cause chemical imbalances in the brain, specifically affecting serotonin levels, which are involved in migraine development. They can also cause inflammation or a "pressure difference" in the sinuses.
Weather Changes Can Spark Migraines and Sinus Trouble: Here’s How to Protect Yourself

Credit: AI generated image

There are many components of weather that are reported to affect migraine, such as barometric pressure, humidity, temperature, and seasons. A drop in pressure (often before a storm) can create a pressure imbalance between the environment and the sinuses/inner ear, stimulating nerves and causing headaches.

Rapid shifts in temperature or intense cold/heat can trigger migraine attacks. Both high humidity and very dry air can trigger migraine symptoms. Bright Sunlight or Intense sun exposure, especially reflecting off snow or water, is a significant trigger for migraine.

Weather Changes: Brain Imbalances

Weather changes can cause chemical imbalances in the brain, specifically affecting serotonin levels, which are involved in migraine development. They can also cause inflammation or a "pressure difference" in the sinuses.

Both spring/summer (due to heat and allergens) and winter (due to cold/dry air) can trigger migraines and sinus problems. While many studies report weather as a trigger, some studies suggest that our perception of the trigger can exceed the actual statistical impact.

Often, it is a combination of factors, such as allergies in the spring or the flu in autumn, that triggers the headache, rather than just the air pressure.

Maintaining a migraine diary for at least 90 days helps identify specific weather patterns that trigger your attacks.

Seasonal Allergies And Sinus

Seasonal allergies do not cause migraine attacks, but migraine is commonly misdiagnosed as a sinus headache, because some symptoms can overlap. It is common for migraine to be associated with forehead and facial pressure over the sinuses, as well as a blocked or runny nose.

However, sinus issues may be accompanied by a fever rather than a migraine. Migraines can cause activation of the nerves in the face (referred to as cranial autonomic activation), which can lead to the blocked, congested feeling.

How To Stay Safe

If weather changes are a trigger for you, this can be difficult to avoid, and beyond your control, but it can be useful to keep an eye on the weather forecast. A preventive treatment may be needed to reduce the overall sensitivity to such changes, allowing you more freedom to plan your daily activities. When you think the weather might increase the risk, it is useful to treat early to shorten and completely stop the migraine attack.

Attacks that are treated early will have fewer debilitating symptoms by not becoming fully developed and severe. Drink enough water to make up for extra fluid loss on warmer days and during physical activities.

Consider taking water with you when out to remain well hydrated and to compensate for excessive sweating. Consider staying indoors during the peak hours of brightness if that is an option.

If going out, be prepared by wearing protective sunglasses or a hat to minimize glare and light. Use a humidifier to maintain indoor humidity between 40-50% to prevent nasal passages from drying out, especially in winter.

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Just One Psilocybin Use May Lead to Lasting Positive Brain Changes, Study Finds

Updated May 6, 2026 | 07:00 PM IST

Summary​The study participants noted that they had experienced more psychological insight after taking the 25 mg of psilocybin than they had after the 1 mg placebo, and noted "feeling optimistic about the future".
Just One Psilocybin Use May Lead to Lasting Positive Brain Changes, Study Finds

Credit: AI generated image

Psilocybin is the active ingredient found in magic mushrooms, and a new study shows that just one high dose (25 mg) is enough to cause alterations in the brain’s structures and help improve mental health.

The changes could explain why some people report psychological benefits from the experience, revealed the study published in the journal Nature Communications. The study found that the effect may last for up to a month after the experience.

In the study, researchers from the University of California, San Francisco, and Imperial College London argue that the effect may lead to “subsequent improvements in mental health”.

"Psychedelic means 'psyche-revealing,' or making the psyche visible," said senior author Robin Carhart-Harris, Professor of Neurology at UCSF.

"Our data shows that such experiences of psychological insight relate to an entropic quality of brain activity and how both are involved in causing subsequent improvements in mental health. It suggests that the trip—and its correlates in the brain—is a key component of how psychedelic therapy works," Carhart-Harris added.

How A Psychedelic Trip Improved Brain Health

Psilocybin has been the subject of several studies in people that have found it appears to alleviate symptoms of depression and anxiety. It has also shown promise in addiction medicine.

In the latest study on 28 people, none had a diagnosed mental health condition. The team gave the participants a 1 mg dose of psilocybin, which the researchers regarded as a placebo, and then monitored them with electroencephalography (EEG), which records brain activity from electrodes on the scalp.

One month after the placebo, the subjects were given 25 mg of psilocybin, a dose capable of eliciting a strong psychedelic trip.

After each experiment, the researchers measured the participants’ psychological insight, well-being, and cognitive ability. They also examined brain activity with functional MRI (fMRI) and brain connectivity with diffusion tensor imaging (DTI).

The results showed that within 60 minutes of taking the 25 mg dose of psilocybin, the EEG revealed higher entropy — which means that the brain was processing a richer body of information under the psychedelic.

A month later, the researchers looked at their subjects' brains with DTI, which measures the diffusion of water along neural tracts in the brain, and found that they were denser and had more integrity. This is the opposite of what happens in aging, which makes these tracts more diffuse.

Also Read: Ibogaine: Why Donald Trump Is Pushing US FDA To Fast-track This Psychedelic

While the result is a never-before-seen sign of how psychedelics can change the brain, the researchers cautioned that more work needs to be done to better understand the meaning of this change.

The participants noted that they had experienced more psychological insight after taking the 25 mg of psilocybin than they had after the 1 mg placebo, and noted "feeling optimistic about the future".

A month after the study, they also did better on a test of cognitive flexibility.

"Psilocybin seems to loosen up stereotyped patterns of brain activity and give people the ability to revise entrenched patterns of thought," said Taylor Lyons, a research associate at Imperial College London and the first author of the paper. "The fact that these changes track with insight and improved well-being is especially exciting."

The findings could improve treatment for people with mental illness with psilocybin, for example, by ensuring that the right dosage is used to produce the right amount of brain entropy to promote insight.

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