The skin is an outward reflection of our internal health. Dull skin, for instance, may indicate dehydration, a lack of essential nutrients, or an inconsistent skincare routine. As the most visible organ, the skin also provides insight into the health of the body tissues it protects. It's more than just an aesthetic aspect—it’s a window into overall well-being. Disorders of the gut, blood, hormones, and even the heart can manifest as skin issues, such as rashes.

Ayurveda has long emphasized the importance of skincare. In today's fast-paced world, a proper skincare routine is indispensable, not only for physical health but also for mental well-being. While modern skincare offers a plethora of products, many come with side effects. Ayurveda provides a holistic solution, addressing skincare concerns naturally and sustainably.

Ayurvedic Skin Types

Ayurveda classifies skin types based on the three doshas:

1. Vata (Wind) Vata

Vatadominant individuals tend to have dry, rough skin that wrinkles easily if not properly moisturized.

• Oil application: Pinda taila is ideal for moisturizing dry skin.
• Internal care: Mahatiktaka ghrita helps reduce dryness.
• Face pack: Use Eladi churna or Navara rice face packs to moisturize and reduce dryness.
• Hydration: Drink plenty of water to combat dehydration.

2. Pitta (Fire) Pitta

Pitta dominant individuals often have oily skin, prone to acne, rosacea, and discoloration.

• Oil application: Nalpamaradi tailam is best for pitta skin.
• Cleansing: Wash your face with Eladi or Manjishtadi water to reduce discoloration and tone the skin.
• Cooling elements: Use aloe vera, turmeric, and sandalwood to combat inflammation, pimples, and redness.

3. Kapha (Water and Earth)

Kapha skin tends to be cold, oily, and prone to pimples, whiteheads, and water retention.

• Avoid oil-based creams: Use face masks regularly to control sebum production.
• Therapy: Dhara with Triphala churna or Eladi water is beneficial.
• Oil application: Eladi coconut oil is ideal.

Panchakarma for Healthy, Radiant Skin

Panchakarma therapies help detoxify the body and enhance skin health. Key treatments include:

Abhyanga and Pizhichil: These therapies pacify doshas, enhance skin tone, and act as natural moisturizers.

Navara Kizhi: Improves skin softness and complexion.

Snehapana: Internal lubrication with ghee to maintain hydration and promote a natural glow.

Ubtan: A traditional herbal paste for exfoliation and nourishment.

Lepam: Herbal poultices to soothe inflammation and heal skin conditions.

Garshan/Udwarthanam: Dry brushing to stimulate circulation and exfoliate dead cells.

Shirodhara: Oil pouring therapy to relax, de-stress, and improve sleep quality.

Panchakarma Detox: A five-step detoxification process to cleanse the body and rejuvenate the skin.

Internal Routine for Healthy Skin

1. Stay hydrated and drink 2–3 liters of water daily. Incorporate water-rich fruits and vegetables like watermelon, cucumber, and oranges. Herbal teas with ginger, lemon, or chamomile aid digestion and promote glowing skin.

2. Follow a balanced diet based on your Ayurvedic prakriti and elevated doshas. Include whole grains, dairy, seasonal fruits, and antioxidant-rich foods like tomatoes, broccoli, and papaya. Avoid fried, refined, and processed foods, as well as excessive sugar, salt, and red meat.

3. Regular exercise promotes blood circulation, detoxification, and skin nourishment. Activities like yoga, walking, or dancing improve oxygen flow, flushing out toxins and revitalizing the skin.

4. Maintain a consistent sleep schedule. Restful sleep stimulates growth hormones, promoting collagen and elastin production, which keeps skin firm and youthful.

Small, gradual adjustments in daily routines can lead to healthier, more radiant skin. Embrace an Ayurvedic skincare regimen, complemented by panchakarma therapies, to achieve sustainable and natural skin health.

Many people carry the thalassemia gene without knowing it because they may not have any symptoms. A simple carrier screening test before pregnancy can help couples understand risks and make informed decisions while planning parenthood.

Importance of Genetic Screening

Parenthood planning today is not only about financial preparation or healthy lifestyle changes, but also about understanding genetic health risks that can impact the child’s future. And one such condition that tends to go unnoticed is thalassemia carrier status.

Did you know? Many individuals discover they are carriers only after facing difficulties during pregnancy or after the birth of a child with thalassemia major.

What Is Thalassemia?

Thalassemia is an inherited blood disorder that affects the production of hemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen throughout the body. People who are carriers usually live normal and healthy lives and may not experience major symptoms. Because of this, many remain unaware of their carrier status for years.

However, it becomes a matter of concern when both partners are carriers of the thalassemia gene. In such cases, there is a huge risk that the child may inherit thalassemia major, a severe condition that may require lifelong blood transfusions, regular hospital visits, medications, and continuous medical care.

Why Thalassemia Often Goes Undetected

These are some of the challenges faced by families: So, challenges are that the thalassemia carrier status is often detected very late. Mild tiredness or anemia may be ignored or mistaken for iron deficiency, and many will not seek help.

So, couples do not consider genetic testing before marriage or pregnancy because they feel healthy and have no family history of the disease. When a child is born with thalassemia major, families may face stress, anxiety, repeated hospital visits, financial burden, and long-term treatment responsibilities. The condition can also affect the child’s growth, immunity, and overall quality of life.

The Need For Awareness And Early Action

This is why screening is important for couples: Carrier screening is a simple blood test that helps identify whether a person carries the thalassemia gene. If one partner tests positive, the other partner is advised to get tested as well.

Early screening before pregnancy helps couples understand their risks and explore available options with proper guidance. Thalassemia carrier screening is a small step that can make a major difference in parenthood planning.

Increasing awareness and encouraging timely testing can help families make informed decisions and reduce the burden of severe thalassemia in future generations. So, it is imperative to go for timely screening as advised by the expert and improve the quality of life.

Mental health issues among doctors remain a serious but rarely discussed concern within the medical community, said Dr. Cyriac Abby Philips, popularly known on social media as the LiverDoc.

In an exclusive interaction with HealthandMe, the noted hepatologist highlighted the rising cases of burnout, depression, and suicide among healthcare professionals and the urgent need to address them.

He stated that doctors are among the major communities affected by mental health disorders, although the topic is often ignored within the profession.

“We have had very senior doctors die by suicide because of burnout,” he said, citing incidents involving highly successful doctors recently reported from parts of India, including Kerala.

Mental Health Of Doctors Impacts Patient Care

Liver Doc stressed that addressing doctors’ mental health is as important as treating patients’ mental health.

“A doctor who has good mental health will be a much better ally for the patient when it comes to treatment,” he said.

He also urged the medical community and regulatory authorities to introduce more interventions and support systems to prevent burnout and mental health disorders among doctors.

According to him, the emotional burden of treating critically ill patients and witnessing deaths regularly can deeply affect healthcare professionals.

“It’s depressing to treat patients and see them die. It’s depressing to see another human die,” he said.

The expert noted that doctors should find ways to openly discuss and process emotional stress and mental health struggles.

New Book On Burnout And Emotional Stress

Dr. Philips also addressed the issue in his recently released book, The Liver Doctor: Stories of Love, Loss and Regeneration.

He told HealthandMe that he has “very thoroughly and in very raw format addressed in the book” the mental health disorders affecting doctors, as it directly impacts patient care.

“Like every other doctor, I have also gone through that, and it's depressing to treat patients and see them die. I have this book to channelize that, and I feel less burdened when I do that, but other doctors also should find ways to do this. So this book also tells doctors to be more open about their mental health,” he said.

Deep Burnout Among Doctors

Doctors in teaching hospitals often endure long, unregulated shifts with little time for rest, especially during residency. Such exhausting work conditions not only increase the risk of medical errors but also significantly contribute to burnout, emotional exhaustion, and mental health problems among young doctors.

As per a recent nationwide survey on doctors’ mental health and morale, nine in ten doctors said they would not want their children to become physicians.

Also read: Global Mental Disorders Double In 33 Years, Affecting 1.2 Billion People: Study

The study, conducted by the Debabrata Mitalee Auro Foundation, surveyed 1,208 doctors across metropolitan cities and smaller towns over six months and found deep levels of burnout, fear of violence, and rising medico-legal anxiety among medical professionals.

Parliamentary Panel Flags Excessive Duty Hours

Further, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare also raised concerns over “excessive continuous duty hours” for junior and senior resident doctors in April.

In its latest report, the panel warned that fatigue-driven errors and burnout could compromise care.

The Panel recommended that the government introduce and strictly enforce a formal “Clinical Duty Hours Regulation” policy. This would mandate fixed rest periods and monitored duty rosters, with oversight mechanisms to prevent violations.

India’s cell and gene therapy ecosystem is beginning to attract a different kind of attention that is driven not just by healthcare demand, but by proprietary science and platform-led innovation.

For investors, however, the larger story may not be the funding round itself. It may be the problem the company is trying to solve.

CAR-T therapies have transformed outcomes for several difficult-to-treat blood cancers globally. But despite strong initial responses, relapse remains one of the field’s biggest limitations. One reason is antigen escape, which means cancer cells can change the markers that therapies use to identify them, making them harder to detect over time.

In an analysis of 4,129 CAR-T treated patients, relapse remained a substantial issue after single-target therapy, with 42.1% of relapses associated with loss of the CD19 target itself. The finding points to a larger issue: precision may not be enough if therapies lose visibility over time.

The response increasingly appears to be a move toward multi-target and more durable platforms. A bispecific CAR-T platform designed to recognize more than one tumor marker, to reduce relapse is crucial.

The science itself is becoming increasingly platform-oriented. Beyond broader targeting, recent work explored why immune cells themselves lose effectiveness over time and identified pathways associated with stronger persistence and memory. While still early, the broader implication is that future therapies may need to be designed not only to attack disease, but also to remain active longer.

For India, that creates a larger opportunity. Historically, advanced therapies such as CAR-T have remained expensive and heavily dependent on technologies developed elsewhere. The aim is to significantly reduce treatment costs while building indigenous capabilities across design and manufacturing.

The shift matters because biotech investing is increasingly moving beyond services and generics toward intellectual property and platform science. The transition from bedside observations to translational platforms may be where the next phase of healthcare innovation and investment gets built.