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.

A recent study has found proof that an autoimmune reaction is triggering certain neurological symptoms seen in some long COVID patients. The study, conducted in healthy mice, found that the mice exhibited symptoms mirroring those of affected patients to some extent.

What is Long COVID?

While it has been a long time since the end of the COVID pandemic, its effects continue to linger even today. Several patients who contracted COVID continue to suffer.

Autoantibodies Behind Long COVID Symptoms?

A US NIH-funded research group, directed by Drs. Akiko Iwasaki and Tamas L. Horvath of the Yale University School of Medicine and Dr. David Putrino of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai recently found that autoantibodies could be triggering these neurological symptoms in some long COVID patients.

Antibodies, in a healthy person, help fight infections. In patients with autoimmune diseases, these antibodies target the body’s own tissues. They are called autoantibodies.

The study also discovered that patients who had these autoantibodies are more likely to experience similar symptoms. For example, people with autoantibodies are more likely to face symptoms like loss of taste and smell. They are also more likely to experience nausea and joint pain.

The Mouse Experiment

The researchers conducted the study by transferring purified antibodies from long COVID patients into healthy mice. It was discovered that the mice developed the following changes that resembled the donors' symptoms:

• Antibodies from patients with chronic pain caused increased pain sensitivity

• Antibodies from patients with dizziness caused balance problems

• Antibodies from fatigued patients reduced treadmill endurance

The recent breakthrough in long COVID research has brought the healthcare industry one step closer to personalizing care for those affected.

Dr. Putrino says, “Our study now shows that if you are in a subgroup of Long COVID patients who have autoantibodies circulating in your body, this is a quantifiable sign that you may be a good candidate for these drugs.”

Long COVID Patients More Likely To Develop Heart Diseases

The study finds that cardiovascular diseases were more common among long COVID patients. It concluded that 11.9% of those with long COVID have CVD compared to 6.8% without this condition.

Specifically, it further revealed that long COVID was associated with a higher risk of chest pain and heart attack, but not coronary heart disease and stroke.

There is a growing belief that ‘sugar feeds cancer.’ Because of this, many people think that stopping sugar and carbohydrates completely can starve cancer cells and help defeat the disease. However, the trend may have side effects. This half-truth is becoming dangerous for many patients. This trend is making it even more difficult for patients to cope with the side effects of chemotherapy.

This fact is not entirely unscientific, but it is incomplete. In 1924, the German scientist Otto Warburg found that cancer cells consume more glucose than normal cells. This phenomenon is known as the Warburg Effect.

This finding has subsequently been validated in numerous studies. This is also the reason why cancer cells appear clearly in PET-CT scans. They absorb glucose-like substances more aggressively than normal cells. But this does not mean cancer can be “starved” by reducing sugar in food.

Why The Body Still Needs Glucose?

Glucose is an essential fuel for the human body. The brain, heart, red blood cells, and immune system all depend on it.

If a person completely stops eating carbohydrates, the body starts producing glucose on its own. It breaks down muscles and proteins to make energy. This process is known as gluconeogenesis. This means the cancer cells still receive fuel, but the patient’s body becomes weaker day by day. This condition is described as ‘cancer cachexia.’

In this condition, body weight and muscle mass reduce rapidly. Such patients often cannot tolerate chemotherapy and surgery properly. In some cases, their protein levels and white blood cell counts had dropped too much.

As a result, doctors had to delay treatment, reduce medicine doses, or even stop some treatment cycles. Irony is painful. In trying to starve cancer, patients sometimes end up weakening their own bodies so much that proper treatment becomes difficult.

In my clinic, I see it almost every week. In such a case, a cancer patient walks in visibly frail. She almost had lost several kilograms over the past month. When I asked about her diet, her IT professional son said that she has cut out sugar entirely. The reason behind this was the same reel-based knowledge about sugar and cancer cells. His son strictly follows this half-truth. Due to her weakness, we had to push back her treatment for a few weeks.

What Cancer Patients Should Eat

We simply suggest avoiding foods that rapidly increase blood sugar levels. These include refined sugar, sweets, soft drinks, maida, and highly processed foods. We advise cancer patients to eat complex carbohydrates, whole grains, pulses, vegetables, healthy fats, and enough protein. The best way is not to cut sugar entirely, but to lower the glycemic load.

Will Fasting help?

Some animal studies have shown the benefits of fasting during cancer treatment. However, there is still not enough evidence in humans. For patients who are already weak or losing weight rapidly, long fasting can become harmful.

The Goal Is to Stay Strong During Treatment

Cancer cells use more glucose, but starving the body cannot stop cancer. If you want to help your body, then avoid refined sugar and junk food, but continue eating balanced meals. Because sufficient protein and calories are extremely important. Practising long fasting without medical advice is harmful. The goal should be to keep the body stable and strong, not weak.

The purpose of cancer nutrition is to nourish the patient, not to starve them. Proper nutrition helps the body tolerate treatment and fight disease more effectively. What is needed is to reduce the intake of refined sugar and foods with a high glycemic index, not to declare every carbohydrate an enemy. After all, one cannot win the battle against disease by weakening the body.

A new oral weight-loss drug is showing promising results for people living with obesity or who are overweight. In a phase II clinical trial published in Nature Medicine, participants taking the experimental medication aleniglipron lost up to 12% of their body weight over 36 weeks.

The study included contributions from Robert Kushner, MD, professor emeritus of medicine at Northwestern University and a longtime expert in obesity treatment.

Aleniglipron belongs to the GLP-1 family of drugs, the same class as popular medications such as Ozempic and Wegovy. These treatments help people lose weight by mimicking a natural hormone that reduces appetite, increases feelings of fullness, and helps regulate blood sugar levels.

What makes aleniglipron different is that it comes in pill form. Most currently available GLP-1 medications require injections and often need special storage, which can make them less convenient and more difficult for some patients to access.

Researchers believe an oral option could make treatment easier for many people. Because aleniglipron is a small-molecule drug—meaning it is chemically manufactured rather than peptide-based—it can be produced more efficiently and potentially at a lower cost.

“Aleniglipron is different because it’s a small molecule that can be taken with or without food,” Kushner said. “Most medicines people take every day, from aspirin to blood pressure drugs, are small molecules. That also creates opportunities to combine it with other treatments in the future.”

If further studies confirm its safety and effectiveness, aleniglipron could offer a more convenient alternative to injectable GLP-1 medications and help expand access to obesity treatment.

Why Is GLP-1 Drug A Medical Breakthrough?

Dr Shubham Vatsya explains that it took 20 years of research for scientists to come up with these medicines. This drug underwent proper lengthy trials, and have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), "which is not obtained by giving any bribe".

He also noted that when a person is not able to lose weight, Ozempic and drugs alike give a "head start" to them, along with a hope.

Talking about side effects, he says that every drug has its side effects, this is where a doctor's role comes in.

"Now, the person who is not able to lose weight, if you tell him 'you hit 100 kg bench press', he will break his shoulder. He needs a kickstart somewhere. This is what weight loss drugs allow," he says.

He also points out that the scientists who made GLP-1 agonists got a Nobel Prize, which "cannot be a scam". This is what makes weight loss drugs truly different.

Also Read: Raising Sons Linked to Faster Cognitive Decline in Later Life, Study Find

What Are GLP-1 Drugs?

GLP-1 Drugs stand for Glucagon-like peptide 1, a naturally occurring hormones that helps regulate blood sugar and appetite after eating. It was first identified almost 50 years ago and scientists have since uncovered its role in type 2 diabetes.