Beauty and Personal Grooming

These days girls are hitting puberty at a very early age due to various reasons - (1) increased childhood obesity due to sedentary lifestyle and gorging on unhealthy, junk food, eating meat & poultry treated with antibiotics and hormones, soft drink consumption, exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs)  by usage of plastics containing BPA & phthalates for storing food  & beverages,  exposure to Dichlobenzene in moth balls, air fresheners and deodorizers, acute stress or extreme sensitivity to stress in childhood years,  in-utero exposure to excessive female hormones such as estrogen if the mother was administered the same during IVF or IUI procedures etc.   Precocious puberty (2) has become a huge issue in recent times.

I was reading this news about a man who had to go through catastrophic consequences when he suppressed a sneeze . Apparently he pinched his nose and clamped his mouth shut at the same time to prevent  a sneeze . And while doing this, the back of his throat got ruptured, leaving him barely able to speak or swallow, and in considerable pain. After seven days treatment, the man was discharged with the advice not to block both nostrils when sneezing in future.

Few years ago, my mother used to suffer from excruciating pain in her soles or rather her heels . The minute she put her foot down in the morning,  after she got up from bed, she used to scream in pain. It was a torture for her to get out of her bed with pain akin to pricking of pins and needles as soon as her feet touched the ground. But, somehow she pushed herself to move about and do her work. The pain would slowly subside as hours passed by and as she went about her work and as the feet muscles warmed up. The pain would also occur after she would stand up after a prolonged period of sitting.  An X-ray at the orthopedist revealed that she had a heel spur or calcaneal spur or heel spur .

Priya asks: I am a 17 year old girl who is afraid of smiling. This is because when I smile, I look awful and ugly. My cheeks puff up and my eyes crinkle, making me look like a clown. As I don't smile, I have gained the reputation of being a sourpuss in our college. Please tell me what to do.

Wishing All My Readers A Very Happy and Prosperous New Year. May all your wishes come true this year! Love you all! Do continue reading this blog and do keep dropping your valuable suggestions and tips in the comment section. Pic credits Pic Credits