Many diseases share the same symptoms, causing people to get confused and either undermine or overwhelm themselves with worries. With the current flu season on the rise, people in the United States are being very careful about their health and are taking necessary precautions to make sure they do not catch any more respiratory illnesses. Often these diseases show symptoms like coughing and wheezing, nothing that warrants anything more than a general doctor’s visit, sometimes people even think it it is a simple cold, but it could be something worse!

The Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report on 28 February, last Friday on Respiratory Virus Activity Levels reported a moderate number of people are seeking medical help for respiratory illnesses. The flu is sending many people to the emergency room, RSV Respiratory syncytial virus has been sending many people to the ER along with COVID-19.

While flu test results are slightly less positive than last week, COVID-19 and RSV test results are about the same. In our community's wastewater, the flu virus is still very high, COVID-19 is moderate, and RSV is low. Looking forward, we expect COVID-19 emergency room visits to stay low. While flu visits are still high, they should start to go down soon.

So, even though it might feel like winter is ending, these viruses are still active, and we need to be careful. They are not going away quickly and can still spread easily. Here are some symptoms that should be treated with urgency right now.

Severe Dehydration

When you're really sick, you might not feel like eating or drinking. This can lead to dehydration, which is when your body doesn't have enough water. If your pee is dark yellow, or you feel dizzy, you might be dehydrated. If you pass out, get confused, or your heart beats really fast, you need to go to the hospital right away. Healthcare professionals can give you fluids through a needle to help you feel better. Being dehydrated is very dangerous, and it is important to take it seriously.

Breathing Difficulties

If you're having trouble breathing, or if you're breathing really fast, that's a big sign. It could mean that you have pneumonia or that your body isn't getting enough oxygen. Shortness of breath is always a reason to go to the emergency room. Your body is telling you that something is seriously wrong. It is very important to seek help right away. Do not wait it out at home.

Low Oxygen Levels

If your lips or fingers start to turn blue, that means you're not getting enough oxygen. Also, if you're so tired that you can barely get out of bed, that's another sign that you need to go to the hospital. These are serious symptoms that mean your body needs help right away.

Who’s Most at Risk for Severe Symptoms?

Some people are more likely to get very sick from these viruses. Pregnant people, little kids, and older adults are at higher risk. Also, people who have health problems like heart or lung disease, or people with weak immune systems, are more likely to have serious problems. Older adults are often hospitalized with the flu, COVID, and RSV. These groups need to be extra careful to avoid getting sick. It is very important that these groups get vaccinated.

RSV is especially dangerous for babies and young children. It's one of the main reasons why young kids end up in the hospital. This virus can make it very hard for them to breathe. It is very important to protect young children from this virus, especially in the first few years of their lives.

The most frustrating skincare experience is breaking out a week after using a new product. Niacinamide serum is the most common one that people blame when it happens. But the real question is: does Niacinamide cause purging? The answer is no, but understanding what happens in your skin when you introduce it can help you.

A well-formulated Niacinamide Serum at the right concentration is very gentle on the skin.

And pairing it with a Niacinamide Moisturizer helps your skin adjust if you are using it for the first time.

What Is Skin Purging and How Is It Different from Breakouts

Skin purging is the result of an active ingredient accelerating your skin's natural cell turnover cycle. Your skin renews itself every 28 days. Retinol, AHAs, and BHAs speed up this process, which pushes microcomedones, trapped sebum, and dead cell buildup up to the surface faster.

Your skin may appear like it is experiencing a sudden flare-up of pimples, but it is your skin clearing all the buildup in one go. True purging:

• Happens only with ingredients that increase cell turnover
• Appears in the same areas you normally break out
• Resolves within four to six weeks
• Involves small whiteheads and blackheads rather than deep cysts

A regular breakout appears in new areas with any product and does not follow the same predictable timeline. Understanding this difference is important before you blame any ingredient.

Does Niacinamide Cause Purging?

Dermatologists say no, and the reason comes down to how niacinamide works at the biological level. Purging occurs only when an ingredient accelerates cellular turnover, forcing the skin to shed faster to clear hidden congestion.

Niacinamide is a form of Vitamin B3, and its action is fundamentally different. It works in the following manner:

• Regulates sebum production through the sebaceous glands
• Strengthens the skin barrier by supporting ceramide production
• Niacinamide reduces redness and inflammation caused by acne
• Stops the transfer of melanin so that pigmentation reduces

Why Niacinamide Is Less Likely to Trigger Purging

No Cell Turnover Acceleration

Can niacinamide cause purging? Purging occurs when the old skin cells are shed, and new ones form at a faster pace. Niacinamide has no effect on this process. It works on controlling oil and improving barrier function. It does not work on exfoliation or renewal rate. There is no mechanism through which Niacinamide could cause purging without accelerating cell turnover.

Regulates Sebum, Doesn't Exfoliate

Niacinamide signals the sebaceous glands to produce less oil over time, whereas salicylic acid dissolves the sebum inside pores, and AHAs dissolve the bonds between dead skin cells. It reduces the congestion that leads to breakouts. Niacinamide for pimples works by calming the conditions that create them.

Reduces Inflammation Instead

The anti-inflammatory action of Niacinamide calms the redness and swelling around active breakouts. So, does niacinamide cause pimples? Its inflammation-reducing properties make it the safest active for acne-prone skin, which you can introduce at any concentration between 5% and 12%.

What Could Actually Be Causing Your Purging

If you started a niacinamide product and broke out, here are the more likely reasons for it.

New Product Adjustment

Any new skincare product can cause a temporary adjustment period as your skin gets used to a new formula or ingredients. This is not purging, but your skin reacting to change. It settles within one to two weeks if the formula is compatible with your skin.

Reaction to Other Formula Ingredients

Many niacinamide serums contain additional actives, such as AHAs, BHAs, Retinol, or exfoliating enzymes, which increase cell turnover in your skin. If your Niacinamide serum contains these ingredients as well, the purging may result from them. So, always check the full ingredient list before blaming a reaction on any single ingredient.

Wrong Concentration for Your Skin

Using a 20% Niacinamide formula directly when your skin has never used actives before can cause irritation that looks like a breakout. It's your skin reacting to a concentration that it is not ready for. A safe way is to start between 5% and 10% and build up slowly to prevent flare-ups.

How to Add Niacinamide Properly to Your Skincare Routine

The chances of a reaction reduce a lot when you introduce Niacinamide correctly.

1. Patch test first: Take a small amount and apply it to your inner arm or jawline, and observe for any reaction in the next 24 hours before using it on your full face. Gentle ingredients can react differently on certain skin types, so you must do a patch test.

2. Start at a lower concentration: 5% to 10% is the best starting point if you are a beginner. Give your skin four weeks at this level before going with anything stronger.

3. Introduce one product at a time: If you add multiple new products all at once, you will never know which one is causing a reaction. Add Niacinamide on its own first and give it two to three weeks before introducing other active ingredients.

4. Apply after washing your face: Niacinamide works best when the skin is fresh. Apply it after your face wash and before your moisturizer so that it absorbs better into the skin.

5. Be consistent: The oil-regulating and pore-refining benefits of Niacinamide show only after four to eight weeks of daily use. So, you may not get the results if you stop using it abruptly because of an unrelated reaction.

Conclusion

If you are still wondering, does niacinamide cause purging? It does not. An increase in cell turnover results in purging, and Niacinamide does not work that way. The main reasons for breakouts can be your skin trying to adjust to a new product or another active ingredient in the formula. Higher concentrations can also be tough for your skin to tolerate, which may result in breakouts.

Researchers have found that up to 25 per cent more adults could be classified as obese, even if their body mass index (BMI) score falls under the normal category. As per the current rules, a BMI score of 18.5 to 25 is considered healthy, 25–29 is overweight, and 30 onwards is considered obese. Obesity can contribute to a long-term risk of serious illness, but according to an international team of experts, BMI may not be the most reliable measure for ascertaining obesity levels in an individual.

Why is BMI not a reliable parameter?

Researchers have found that adding the weight-to-height ratio and waist circumference could be a good way to ascertain unhealthy body fat levels. Fat, according to scientists, builds up in people who are not considered overweight or obese under the current rules, depending on where it is stored. Older bodies have a higher fat build-up around the waist, which, when combined with loss of muscle mass, means that there is no change in total weight. This means that the fat that accumulates, known as "skinny fat," does not always raise an alarm.

The new study from scientists at the University of Southern California analysed data from 5,642 adults in the US and discovered that a quarter of them had a normal BMI but actually met the obesity criteria. Furthermore, over 50 per cent of overweight people, according to their BMI, also met the updated obesity criteria. These findings, according to experts, suggest that millions of Americans with obesity-related health complications could be missing much-needed health interventions.

BMI is problematic because it does not evaluate body fat but reflects total body weight, including muscle and bone. Therefore, a muscular person is likely to have a high BMI but not much fat. However, a person with a normal BMI can have excess body fat, which can lead to complications later. The good news, experts say, is that these obesity-related issues can be addressed. Either lifestyle changes, medication, or both can be effective in reducing body fat levels and lowering the risk of future health problems. The sooner it is diagnosed, the better it is for long-term well-being.

Read more: Why 'Normal Weight' Doesn’t Always Mean Healthy

Does obesity risk increase with age?

Researchers estimate that 30 per cent of adults living in England aged 16 years and above are obese. This increases with age, with over 35 per cent of people aged 55 to 74 years living with obesity. Under the new rules, obesity would be defined as a BMI of 30 and above, or at least one elevated measure, such as a high waist circumference, a high waist-to-height ratio, or a BMI of 40 and above. Researchers have labelled these obesity subtypes as BMI-plus-anthropometric obesity.

What is an unhealthy waist circumference?

According to the NHS, an unhealthy waist circumference is 37 inches in men and 31.5 inches or above in women. An unhealthy waist-to-height ratio occurs when the waist circumference is half or more of a person's height. According to the British Heart Foundation, BMI is calculated by dividing weight by height squared. There are multiple BMI calculators available online. It is classified as follows:

1. Underweight – below 18.5
2. Healthy weight – 18.5 to 24.9
3. Overweight – 25 to 29.9
4. Obese – 30 and above

If BMI is in the overweight category, it is linked with a heightened risk of heart disease and incidents such as stroke or heart attack. If it falls within the obese category, the risks are higher. Underweight people are not exempt from risk, as they have a greater likelihood of developing long-term health problems.

Millions of Indians are increasingly turning to mental health apps to manage stress, anxiety, loneliness, and other emotional challenges. These digital platforms offer a range of services, from mood tracking and mindfulness exercises to AI-powered chatbots designed to provide conversational support that can feel similar to therapy.

The growing adoption of such apps comes amid a significant shortage of mental health professionals in India. Data from the National Mental Health Survey indicate that nearly one in ten Indian adults lives with a diagnosable mental health disorder, while more than 85 percent of people with depression do not receive adequate treatment. Other studies have also highlighted a large gap between the demand for mental healthcare services and the availability of trained psychiatrists, psychologists, and counselors, particularly in rural and underserved regions.

Against this backdrop, mental health apps position themselves as a convenient and relatively affordable way to access support anytime and from anywhere. However, researchers and mental health experts caution that the rapid rise of these platforms has also sparked concerns about data privacy, the clinical effectiveness of digital interventions, and the level of oversight and accountability surrounding AI-driven mental health tools. While some studies suggest that digital mental health programs can help reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression, experts emphasize that they should complement—not replace—professional care, especially for individuals with moderate to severe mental health conditions.

Also Read: India's Maternal Mortality Ratio Drops From 130 To 87 In Last 10 Years: Govt

How Mental Disorders Are Impacting Life Worldwide?

Mental disorders are on the rise worldwide, and nearly 1.2 billion lives are now affected by them. A recent study published in The Lancet has revealed this very crucial trend. The study was conducted by researchers at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) in collaboration with the University of Queensland.

This study shows that the number of people affected by the mental disorder has almost doubled since 1990. It also emphasizes the role of mental disorder in the case of disability, as the research suggests that it has crossed cardiovascular disease, cancer, and musculoskeletal conditions, leading to disability. Notably, the study has revealed that mental disorders affect people of different sexes and ages disproportionately.

The research was done on a massive scale from 1990 to 2023. The researchers studied the impact of mental disorder on both sexes, in 25 age groups, 21 regions, and 204 countries and territories.

Over the years, mental disorders have caused more and more mayhem in people's lives. Disability adjusted life years (DALYs) show the very impact of mental disorders on life. DALYs measure the health loss. It calculates the years lived with disability and years of life lost due to premature death.

According to this very measuring system, we can see that the mental disorder and its impact on overall life reached another zenith in 2023. That year, mental disorders alone caused 171 million disability adjusted life years (DALYs). This made mental disorder the fifth biggest contributor to total disease burden. Notably, in 2023, mental disorders had a 17 percent share of total life lost due to disability throughout the world.