Beauty benefits of papaya

Whether it's the harsh summer sun or the humid monsoon weather, the fruit papaya can be effective for soothing, toning and moisturising your skin, which will leave your skin glowing naturally. So instead of opting for those expensive over-the-counter creams, why not use papaya? Its natural properties will remove skin blemishes, pimples, dark patches and do much more!


Beauty uses of papaya

Since the fruit is a good source of Vitamin A and Papain which is a kind of protein, it helps in removing dead skin cells, along with breaking down the inactive proteins.

If you apply a finely grounded paste of raw papaya on your face, it will help reduce pimples and blemishes!

Mashed papaya can be used for treating the sore and cracked heels.

The peel (skin) of the papaya can not only be used on the face, but it should also be used for whitening the skin on your legs.

Using papaya on your face regularly will reduce the signs of ageing.

If you have rough and dry skin, mash a papaya with honey and apply this mixture for hydration of the skin.

Papaya also helps in controlling dandruff. Frequent use of its paste on your hair will improve its texture.

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Skin care: Home remedies for acne

Acne is a skin condition that is characterised by pimples, scaly red skin, pinhead and black heads.

Sadly, the scars remain even after acne diminishes. Acne is a condition that is synonymous with adolescence and can spill into adulthood. Here are the best home remedies for acne.

Acne is a skin condition that is characterised by pimples, scaly red skin, pinhead and black heads. Sadly, the scars remain even after acne diminishes. Acne is a condition that is synonymous with adolescence and can spill into adulthood. Here are the best home remedies for acne.

References: RealAcneTreatment.net, Jiva Ayurveda

What are the causes of acne?

- Hormones
- Stress
- Pregnancy
- Cosmetics
- Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Firstly, improve the hygiene of the facial skin. Wash your face frequently with warm water to wash off the dirt and excess oil. Wash the oil off with a mild soap and a loofa or mild sponge. Avoid oil-based cosmetics or completely avoid cosmetics to reduce acne.

To reduce acne your skin needs three important things:

- Water
- Sunlight
- Fresh air

Follow a balanced diet to reduce the inflammation of the skin. According to ayurveda, have food that you can digestion easily, chew your food properly, and avoid oily, spicy and pungent food. Consume vegetables and drink a lot of liquids.

Ayurveda treatment for acne:

1. Mix lodhra - lodh tree, dhanyaka - coriander and vacha - acorus calcmus with water and apply it to face. Leave the mixture on for 20 minutes and wash it off with luke warm water.

2. Apply a mixture of haridra/haldi - turmeric, chandana - sandalwood and water. Keep the paste on your face till it dries and wash it with warm water.

3. Consume one teaspoon of amla or Indian gooseberry powder, once in the morning and once again in the evening. Amla will help cleanse the system internally.

4. Make a mixture of neem, haldi, saffron, red sandalwood, tulsi and fuller's earth or clay-like material with milk. Spread this paste evenly across your skin.

5. Tomatoes have beneficial properties that will reduce acne and reduce suntan. Prepare a mixture of ripe tomatoes and cucumber juice and apply it to your face.

This mixture will benefit you in several ways:
- absorb excess oil
- well-toned skin
- fights bacteria to prevent acne

6. Apply a paste of apple and honey to reduce pimples and acne. This mixture also makes your skin healthier and rejuvenates your skin.

7. Keep aside some amount of your ice tea and prepare a few ice cubes by freezing the tea. Gently rub the green tea ice cubes on your skin. Green tea has strong properties to fight bacteria. Use the green tea ice cubes twice or thrice a day. Plus green tea flushes out the toxins.

8. Cut an aloe vera leaf and apply the gel on the surface of your skin to reduce acne. If you do not have an aloe vera plant, there are several aloe vera gel products available in the market.

9. Today, neem is parcelled in various ways - oil, powder, soaps, paste and it is also used in toothpaste. Neem has antiseptic and anti bacterial properties that makes it an effective for reduce acne.

10. Prepare a mixture of nutmeg and raw milk to fight acne and reduce it. But this is a long process, after applying the paste made of raw milk and nutmeg; leave it on for two hours.

11. Papaya is a fruit with several health benefits. For acne, squeeze the juice from raw papaya and apply it to the acne affected area. Raw papaya juice reduces swelling and fights bacteria on the skin.

12. Pomegranate is available all year round, but now you can use it to fight acne. Here you need to peel off the pomegranate skin, roast it and make it into a powder. Add few drops of lime juice to the pomegranate powder to make a paste.

13. Consume lime water or nimbu paani and green tea often to eliminate toxins from the body. Besides reducing acne, lime water and green tea purifies the systems and even cools the body, especially during summer.

14. Indians love to have rice everyday. Now you can use rice flour to cure acne. Make a paste of rice flour with milk and apply it to the acne affected area. Let it dry for 30 minutes and wash it off with warm water.

15. Take some lime juice and add some honey to it to fight acne. Lime juice has strong properties to fight bacteria while honey helps improve your skin.

16. Acne is a result of inflammation of the skin. Hence try gently rubbing your skin with ice cubes to reduce inflammation. It does not burn your skin and reduces scars.

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Dr Wagle returns home: Treatment ‘impossible’

Dr  Prasad Sharma Wagle, who had been undergoing treatment for appendix cancer at a New Delhi-based hospital, was discharged on Monday, doctors said his treatment is impossible.

'The cancer cells have spread to my liver and there is a risk of them spreading to my chest,' Dr Chitra Wagle explained of his condition.

After spending 14 months in the Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Hospital, Dr Chitra Wagle flew back to Nepal with his wife and father-in-law. The treatment and the hospital stay cost him around Rs 7 million. The Nepal government had provided Rs 500,000 for his treatment, while the Nepal Medical Association had also extended financial support.

Dr Chitra Wagle had to sell most of his property, including an X-ray machine and medical equipment in his possession, to arrange money for his treatment.

Meanwhile, Nepali people from around the globe have collected around Rs 1.5 million through campaigns on social networking sites to educate the three children of Dr Chitra Wagle.

“I am grateful for all the support that me and my family have received,” he said.

Dr Chitra Wagle, who hails from Rupandehi, had been serving as the medical superintendent in the Arghakhanchi District Hospital before he left for treatment. Under his initiative, the district hospital had started providing round-the-clock service, emergency blood facility and facilities related to child delivery and surgery.

Upon his return, Dr Chitra Wagle said he wishes to dedicate the rest of his life to social service.

“I could offer my service to senior citizens in Ashrams at Devghat, as the place is near the Bharatpur Cancer Hospital, where I could go for my check up regularly.”

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Bam Dev Gautam blames Indian imports for bird flu

Vice-chairman Gautam has claimed that fowls brought from India are responsible for the bird-flu epidemic in Nepal.

Speaking at an event on Thursday, Bam Dev Gautam, the chairman of the party's All Nepal Peasant's Association, said that lifting the dumping charge on Indian agriculture products was the main reason for the spread. "The chicken of the KFC seized in Dhading was laced with bird-flu,' said Bam Dev Gautam.

Poultry farmers in Dhading had taken two containers of processed chicken under control at Dharke on December 15 last year. The two vehicles with Indian registration delivering chicken for the restaurant chain Kentucky Fried Chicken in the Capital were seized by local farmers.

Bam Dev Gautam also said many chickens infected with bird-flu were being sold in the market. In a statement, the All Nepal Peasant's Association demanded that the dumping of the dead chickens should be done scientifically, affected farmers be compensated and those selling infected fowls booked.

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Outrage grows over Indonesian proposal to give female high school students virginity test

Indonesian officials on Tuesday dismissed as excessive and unethical a proposal by an education official on Sumatra island that would require female senior high school students to undergo virginity tests to discourage premarital sex and protect .
Muhammad Rasyid, head of the education office in South Sumatra's district of Prabumulih, said he wants to start the tests next year and has proposed a budget for it. But other officials and activists have criticized the plan, arguing it is discriminatory and violates human rights.

Provincial education chief Widodo, who uses only one name, said Tuesday he will suggest that Rasyid drop the plan.

Social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook lit up with outrage, with some people calling the tests a form of child abuse that could emotionally scar the students.
"There are many more important and useful things that need to be cared for rather than such a test," he said. "As students, they need to be nurtured more than be judged."

In the capital Jakarta, Aris Merdeka Sirait of the National Commission for Child Protection, said the plan was "just aimed for popularity."

"Loss of virginity is not merely because of sexual activities. It could be caused by sports or health problems and many other factors," Sirait said. "We strongly oppose this very excessive move."

When disclosing his plan Monday, Rasyid said the idea would attract criticism but defended it as "an accurate way to protect children from prostitution and free sex." In order to pass, it would need approval from the district council of lawmakers.

Nurul Arifin, a female legislator from the Golkar Party, said the plan was unethical and "discrimination and harassment against women."
But Education Minister Mohammad Nuh described it as a violation of common principles.
A similar plan was scrapped in another Sumatran province in 2010 amid widespread criticism.

Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim country of 240 million, is a secular nation where most practice a moderate, tolerant form of the faith. However, some conservatives are worried rapid modernization is eroding morals.

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