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Stress is an unavoidable part of life, and while it often carries a negative connotation, it is actually a fundamental survival mechanism. When faced with a perceived threat, whether physical or emotional, the body instinctively reacts to protect itself. This automatic response is commonly known as the "fight, flight, or freeze" response. While it serves an essential function in dangerous situations, chronic activation of this response due to daily stressors can have significant consequences for mental and physical health.
The body’s response to stress is rooted in human evolution. When our ancestors encountered a predator, their nervous systems immediately prepared them to either confront the threat (fight), escape to safety (flight), or become still and unnoticed (freeze). While modern-day stressors may not include wild animals, our nervous system reacts similarly to job pressures, financial worries, or social conflicts.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, stress is the body's response to change, activating a physiological reaction that helps us adapt and protect ourselves. While short-term stress can be beneficial, prolonged exposure can lead to an overactive stress response, negatively impacting overall well-being.
The fight response prepares the body for direct action. When triggered, the nervous system releases adrenaline, increasing heart rate, blood pressure, and muscle tension. While this reaction once helped early humans fend off predators, today it manifests as irritability, frustration, or aggression.
For instance, the employee who has experienced too much workload may work extremely long hours just to succeed. In short term, the action may produce good results but mostly ends in burnout, anxiety, and physical illness, for example, tension headache or digestion problems.
The flight response triggers an intense need to remove oneself from a stressful situation. Just as our ancestors would flee from danger, modern individuals may avoid conflict, quit jobs impulsively, or detach from relationships when overwhelmed.
Flight mode is linked with restlessness and anxiety. Individuals may have a sense of needing to get up and go-pacing, changing environments constantly, or avoiding tasks that seem too overwhelming. Someone with a flight response might have the desire to change jobs constantly, relocate constantly, or become reclusive in order to avoid perceived dangers.
The freeze response occurs when the nervous system perceives a threat as too overwhelming to fight or flee. Rather than taking action, individuals shut down, feeling numb, disconnected, or paralyzed by fear.
Unlike fight or flight, which involve heightened activation, freeze mode slows down physiological functions. A person experiencing freeze mode may feel physically unable to move, struggle to make decisions, or find themselves dissociating from their emotions. This can manifest in situations such as public speaking anxiety, where someone might "blank out" or feel stuck in the moment.
When faced with a stressor, the autonomic nervous system (ANS) activates, triggering physiological changes, including:
For those experiencing the freeze response, the body undergoes a different reaction, often reducing heart rate and causing physical immobility rather than heightened activation.
While the stress response is necessary for survival, frequent activation due to daily stressors can take a toll on health. Recognizing your default response—whether fight, flight, or freeze—can help in developing effective coping mechanisms.
If possible, changing your environment can help signal to your brain that the threat has passed. Stepping outside for fresh air, finding a quiet place, or distancing yourself from overwhelming stimuli can help regulate emotions.
Deep, slow breathing can be used to counteract the stress response by engaging the parasympathetic nervous system, which promotes relaxation. Techniques such as diaphragmatic breathing or the 4-7-8 method (inhale for four seconds, hold for seven, exhale for eight) can be particularly effective in calming the body.
This helps release pent-up energy and aids in the endorphin cascade, natural boosters for our mood.
Relieving oneself from stress can come in many ways, but sharing it with trusted friends, a family member, or a good therapist will sure give that psychological boost of hope. Social support is an especially effective way of cushioning people against the stressors that they are subjected to in chronic forms.
While occasional stress is normal, chronic activation of the fight, flight, or freeze response can indicate underlying mental health concerns, such as anxiety disorders or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). If stress is affecting daily life—leading to sleep disturbances, difficulty concentrating, or persistent feelings of fear—it may be time to consult a mental health professional.
Vitamin C is a star ingredient in the skincare world for some very good reasons. It can be hailed as a magic wand to evaporate your stubborn marks and give you a brighter complexion.
However, no matter what product you use, the results do not appear overnight. So, what do real results look like? What does a before-and-after journey of using a Vitamin C serum actually entail?
This guide covers everything about the before-and-after results of using the Vitamin C serum.
It is a potent antioxidant that can be applied to your skin directly. It neutralises the effects of free radicals, which are tiny and unstable molecules caused by pollution and UV rays. They can easily damage your skin and accelerate ageing.
Vitamin C helps by boosting collagen production and improving skin tone. This is why the results of Vitamin C on the face are so dramatic. It changes the flat look of your skin to a healthy glow.
Key benefits include:
· Brightening: It blocks the enzyme responsible for producing pigment, leading to more radiant skin.
· Fading Marks: A remarkable ingredient for targeting sun damage and acne scars.
· Collagen Stimulation: It keeps your skin bouncy and firm.
· Protection: It provides a second layer of defence against environmental stress.
Consistent use of the serum for several weeks, along with daily application of sunscreen with SPF 50 can yield noticeable results. Here’s what you can expect from it.
Before Using Vitamin C Serum
Your skin may show signs of environmental wear and tear before you start using a serum. The following are some common complaints:
· Your skin looks tired, even after a full night's sleep.
· You may have patchy skin or dark areas around the mouth and forehead.
· Old acne spots or sun freckles that refuse to fade.
· Skin that feels slightly rough or looks congested.
After Consistent Use
The changes in your face before and after using a vitamin C serum become evident after your skin integrates the serum into its renewal cycle:
· It will give you that lit-from-within look.
· Dark spots become significantly lighter and blend into your natural skin tone.
· Your skin feels more elastic and youthful due to increased collagen.
· The surface of your skin looks smoother.
First Week: Initial Freshness & Surface Glow
There is little change in dark spots during the first few days. However, you may notice an immediate glow on your skin surface. The serum hydrates and smoothens the skin's surface, helping makeup sit better. Vitamin C for dark spots before and after signs are clearly visible.
2–4 Weeks: Brightening & Early Spot Lightening
You will start to see the before-and-after progress of vitamin C on dark spots around this stage. Its pigment-blocking properties start to kick in. You may notice that your overall skin tone looks fresher and that the edges of your dark spots are now fading.
4–8 Weeks: Visible Even Tone and Improved Texture
The difference between your face before after vitamin C serum will be more obvious by the end of the second month. The deeper layers of the skin benefit from the antioxidant protection. You can expect the following changes:
· Visibly less sun damage
· Even complexion, so you may not need concealer
· Fewer rough patches
8–12 Weeks: Long-Term Transformation
After 90 days, your skin has gone through multiple renewal cycles. Your Vitamin C serum before-and-after photos may show significant improvement in hyperpigmentation. Fine lines may reduce because of the increased collagen, as your skin looks the healthiest it has in years.
If you want your before-and-after vitamin C serum results to be impressive, you need to follow these simple rules:
1. Morning is Best: Apply your serum in the AM. This allows the antioxidants to protect your skin from pollution and sunlight throughout the day.
2. Pair with Sunscreen: Always follow up with a sunscreen. Vitamin C is not a replacement for sunblock, but it actually makes your sunscreen with SPF 50 more effective by neutralizing the rays that slip through.
3. Storing the Serum: Vitamin C is sensitive to light and air. Keep your bottle in a cool, dark place (such as a drawer) to ensure it does not lose its potency. If your serum has become dark or orange in colour, it may have been oxidised. So, it may not work well.
4. Consistency: You do not need a huge amount of serum. 3–4 drops are enough. You need to apply it every single day without skipping.
The journey of your face before and after Vitamin C serum can feel long, but the results are worth it. It can be exciting to see the initial glow. However, the real changes, such as fading deep dark spots and firming the skin, take time. Stick to a routine and pair your skin with a high-quality sunscreen to stay radiant and youthful.
The Healthandme team was not involved in authoring this story
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Can Chinese medicine cure baldness? Baldness has long been dealt as a matter of shame over health. Products focus on hiding the bald patch rather than curing it. Baldness has in the past made global headlines when South Korean president Lee Jae Myung said 'Baldness is the new enemy' and suggested that insurance should cover the treatment as a part of medical treatment.
Androgenetic alopecia (AGA), better known as pattern hair loss, is the most common form of hair thinning worldwide. While medications like finasteride and minoxidil remain the standard line of treatment, concerns around side effects, lifelong use, and mixed results have led many people to explore gentler, more holistic alternatives.
A new scientific review now suggests that Polygonum multiflorum—a root used in traditional Chinese medicine for over a thousand years—may hold real promise in managing AGA. Historically described as a remedy that can “blacken hair and nourish essence,” the herb is gaining renewed attention as modern research begins to unpack how it actually works at a biological level.
Most conventional hair-loss treatments target a single biological mechanism. Polygonum multiflorum, however, appears to work on several fronts at once. According to the review, the herb helps reduce the activity of dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a hormone strongly associated with hair follicle shrinkage in AGA.
At the same time, it protects hair follicle cells from premature cell death and activates key growth-related signalling pathways, including Wnt and Sonic Hedgehog (Shh), both crucial for maintaining a healthy hair growth cycle. The herb may also improve scalp blood circulation, potentially enhancing the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to hair follicles—an often overlooked factor in hair thinning.
“Our analysis bridges ancient wisdom and modern science,” said Han Bixian, the lead author of the review published in the Journal of Holistic Integrative Pharmacy. “What surprised us was how consistently historical texts—from the Tang Dynasty onward—described effects that align closely with today’s understanding of hair biology.”
The researchers examined a wide range of evidence, including laboratory studies, clinical observations, and historical herbal literature. Together, these sources suggest that Polygonum multiflorum does more than simply slow hair loss—it may actively support healthier hair function.
One of the most striking findings is the herb’s potential role in hair regeneration. Rather than only delaying further thinning, Polygonum multiflorum appears to influence multiple growth factors involved in restarting and sustaining the hair cycle. This broader mode of action could give it an edge over treatments that focus on just one biological target.
The review notes that when properly processed—a critical step in traditional preparation, the herb shows a relatively favorable safety profile. This could make it more appealing to patients concerned about side effects such as sexual dysfunction or scalp irritation commonly linked to existing medications.
That said, the authors stress the need for more high-quality clinical trials to confirm effectiveness, establish safe dosing, and standardize preparation methods. Even so, the findings highlight how rigorous scientific study of traditional remedies can uncover new possibilities for treating common conditions like androgenetic alopecia.
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As artificial intelligence becomes a go-to source for quick answers, a new University of Oxford-led study on AI chatbots and medical advice is raising serious concerns about how safe it is to rely on these tools for health guidance.
The research suggests that while AI chatbots can provide medical information, their advice is often inaccurate, inconsistent, and difficult for users to interpret, potentially putting people at risk—especially when dealing with symptoms that need urgent care.
The study involved 1,300 participants who were given realistic health scenarios, such as experiencing a severe headache or being a new mother feeling constantly exhausted. Participants were divided into two groups: one group used AI chatbots to understand their symptoms and decide next steps, while the other did not.
Researchers then assessed whether participants correctly identified what might be wrong and whether they made appropriate decisions, such as seeing a GP or visiting A&E.
The results were troubling. People who relied on AI frequently failed to identify the severity of their condition and were often unsure about when to seek professional medical help.
According to the researchers, one major issue is that people don’t always know what to ask. The study found that chatbot responses varied widely depending on how questions were phrased. Even small changes in wording could lead to completely different answers.
The AI often produced a mix of helpful and misleading information, leaving users to decide which advice mattered. Many participants struggled to distinguish between reliable guidance and unnecessary or confusing details.
As one of the study’s authors explained, when an AI lists multiple possible conditions, users are left guessing which one applies to them—precisely the moment where mistakes can happen.
Dr Rebecca Payne, lead medical practitioner on the study, warned that asking chatbots about symptoms could be “dangerous”, particularly when users delay seeking professional care based on AI responses.
Dr Adam Mahdi, the study’s senior author, noted that while AI can share medical facts, people often share information gradually and leave out key details—something chatbots struggle to manage effectively.
Experts also point out that chatbots are trained on existing medical data, which means they may repeat long-standing biases baked into healthcare systems. As one psychiatry expert put it, a chatbot is only as accurate as human clinicians—and humans are far from perfect.
That said, not everyone is pessimistic.
Digital health experts argue the technology is evolving. Health-specific versions of general AI chatbots have recently been released by major developers, and these could perform differently in future studies.
The consensus among experts is clear: AI in healthcare should focus on improvement, regulation, and guardrails, not replacement of doctors. Used responsibly, it may support healthcare—but without safeguards, it risks doing more harm than good.
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