Flowers can Help you in Improving your Skin

Flowers are widely used in the production of cosmetics which plays a crucial role in alleviating skin as they are high in vitamins and antioxidants. Flowers can also moisturize and minimize acne in addition to healing and repairing our skin.

Here are some flowers which you can include in your skincare routine and get that flawless skin:

Chamomile:-

Chamomile flower comes with relaxing properties along with anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties. These properties present in Chamomile flowers can be very effective in the preparation of a skin-calming face pack. 

How to Use

1.     Make a brew 100ml of chamomile tea in water and let it cool down. 

2.     Apply the mixture using a cotton ball all over your face and leave for 6-7 minutes.

3.     Rinse your face with clean water.

Jasmine:-

Jasmine is used in a variety of cosmetic products like lotions, soaps, and even face creams. Adding jasmine to your skin routine can help in repairing damaged skin.

 How to Use

1.     Soak some jasmine flowers in mineral water and strain the liquid into a spray bottle.

2.     Put it in the fridge and use it every day as a face mist.

3.     Repeat the process for a week.

Marigold:-

Marigold flower is available in the months of winter and it has anti-inflammatory effects. It can be used to alleviate skin when used regularly.

How to Use

1.     Grind the leaves and make a paste out of them.

2.     Apply the paste on your face and leave for 15 minutes.

3.     Rinse your face with clean water.

Rose:-

Roses are very hydrating and cooling in nature. When distilled in water, roses can help lock moisture in the skin and tighten the pores.

How to Use

1.     Mix a few tablespoons of rose water with warm milk, honey, and wheat flour to make a face pack.

2.     Apply the pack and leave it for an hour.

3.     Wash it off.

Lotus:-

The sacred lotus flower is hydrating and full of vitamins. It also has anti-aging and brightening effects on the skin. Vitamins present in the lotus can help to get rid of acne.

How to Use

1.     Grind a few lotus leaves and add a pinch of turmeric.

2.     Add few drops of water to make a thick paste.

3.     Use it as a spot treatment to decrease the inflammation that acne has left on your face.

Flowers can help you in Improving your Skin

Deep Relaxation

 Deep Relaxation - Soulful Meditation flow of the river

Relax your self sit comfortably on a cushion or a chair or you can lay down wh

ere no one can distribute you for 5 minutes. Close your eyes and take a deep breath twice and concentrate on the breath moving in and out of your nostrils, or on the rise and fall of your belly. If you notice your mind wandering, bring it gently back to the breath no matter what feelings or thoughts you have, simply bring your focus back to the breath again and again. After meditating don not try to open your eyes immediately. Rub both of your hand places them on your forehead and face and slowly open both of your eyes.

Deep Relaxation - Soulful Meditation

Nigerian govt joins Koo after Ban following the Twitter ban

Nigerian govt joins Koo after Ban following the Twitter ban

Less than a week after banning Twitter, the Nigerian government has joined Koo. What does this mean for the India-made rival microblogging website?

The government of Nigeria has created its official account on the Indian microblogging platform Koo, co-founder, and chief executive Aprameya Radhakrishna said on Thursday.

Less than a week after banning American microblogging site Twitter indefinitely, the Nigerian government has joined its India-made rival, Koo. Shortly after the ban, Koo had announced that it was available in Nigeria and was working to add local languages on its platform.

Nigeria’s decision to suspend Twitter in the country reportedly came as a result of the US-based social networking platform deleting a tweet by President Muhammadu Buhari for violating rules. The Nigerian government had alleged that the microblogging site was being used to undermine “Nigeria’s corporate existence” through the spreading of fake news that has “violent consequences”.

 In a statement, Twitter had said: “We are deeply concerned by the blocking of Twitter in Nigeria. Access to the free and #OpenInternet is an essential human right in modern society. We will work to restore access for all those in Nigeria who rely on Twitter to communicate and connect with the world.”

However, former US President Donald Trump, whose account has been suspended by Twitter, congratulated Nigeria for banning Twitter and said more countries should do so.

The Nigerian government on Thursday created its account on Indian microblogging platform Koo days after the African country banned Twitter. Koo co-founder Aprameya Radhakrishna welcomed the government onboard the platform. “A very warm welcome to the official handle of the Government of Nigeria on @kooindia! Spreading wings beyond India now,” he said on Thursday.

Nigeria on June 5 banned Twitter after the social media company deleted President Muhammadu Buhari’s tweet threatening to punish secessionists. He referred to the 1967-70 Nigerian Civil War and to treating “those misbehaving today” in “the language they will understand”.

The Indian alternative to Twitter, Koo, took up the opportunity and announced its plans to expand into the African country. “@kooindia is available in Nigeria. We’re thinking of enabling the local languages there too. What say?” Radhakrishna said on Twitter on Saturday.

In India, many Union ministers have joined Koo amid a standoff between Twitter and the government over the new rules for the social media companies and taking down of posts.

Koo was among the first social media firms to announce compliance with the new rules.

Twitter has also assured the government that it is committed to complying with the new guidelines and sought a week’s time to implement most of the changes required, such as hiring a compliance officer.

Will seek G7 understanding over safe Olympics: Japan PM

Will seek G7 understanding over safe Olympics: Japan PM

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said on Thursday he will seek understanding from other G7 members over Japan's plan to hold a safe and secure Olympic Games by implementing thorough measures against coronavirus infection.

Suga made the comment shortly before leaving for the G7 summit in Britain.

The emotional cost of Covid-19 on infertile couples

The emotional cost of Covid-19 on infertile couples

Infertility is a condition of the reproductive system that is characterized by the inability to bear a child through natural ways. The emotional cost associated with infertility is best understood by individuals and couples who have been faced with the condition.

Our societies place great importance on conceiving and giving birth to a child. It is a societal norm that adults, especially married couples, start a family, and hence, there is mounting pressure when complications in the process arise. Infertility is a condition of the reproductive system that is characterized by the inability to bear a child through natural ways. The emotional cost associated with infertility is best understood by individuals and couples who have been faced with the condition.

The World Health Organisation has found that infertility afflicts one in every four couples in developing nations. In individuals and couples who are infertile, an outcome of their problems with reproductive health is an effect on their mental health. Both men and women have been found to have depression, anxiety, and feelings of loss of control, self-confidence, self-esteem, and isolation when they are unable to conceive.

A study conducted in 2016 that comprised 352 women and 274 men going in for treatments related to infertility has found that symptoms for depression are as widespread as 56 percent in women and 32 percent in men. In the same cohort, it was found that 76 percent of women and 61 percent of men had symptoms of anxiety.

It has also been found that women with fertility problems exhibit similar mental trauma as those diagnosed with diseases such as cancer and hypertension. Women who have miscarried in the past are more likely to be anxious about seeing through pregnancy to a successful live birth. Research and available data on the matter are more common about the consequences in women compared to their male counterparts.

The novel coronavirus pandemic that has hit the world has also had a grim impact on couples who were trying to conceive with the help of assisted reproductive technology (ART).

Globally and in India, IVF centers were closed when lockdowns were implemented so that the safety of both patients and staff can be ensured. The move that ensured patient and staff safety also left hundreds of couples stranded in the middle of treatment with no clarity when procedures will resume.

Now, with the second wave of Covid-19 and the increasing number of cases reported every day in the country and lockdowns implemented in different parts, infertile couples seeking treatment may find themselves at a difficult juncture yet again.

A study that was conducted in North America on the pandemic's effect on the mental health of women between ages 20 and 45 who were undergoing treatment found that 86 percent have observed a negative impact on their mental health and 52 percent have reported clinically significant symptoms for depression. This is true for people whose ART cycles were halted as clinics shut down around the world.

Not only this, research conducted by UK-based polling company Opinium on 533 women has discovered that three in five women who have just begun with their fertility treatment might consider taking intense healthcare. About half of those polled said they were willing to be overmedicated, with the knowledge of cons that include kidney failure, blood clots, and even pregnancy loss.

About seven in 10 women who took on such intensive medication said that they suffered from flashbacks, nightmares, and insomnia, all potential symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This has been triggered by the fear that Covid-19 is further shortening their reproductive window.

Although the aforementioned research was performed in countries other than India, the ground reality in our country could not be any different. In India, infertility is not a private medical condition but comes with a host of societal consequences. It is, thus, the only evidence that the inability to conceive naturally or otherwise will cause mental turmoil in couples. Many may even resort to unscientific means to have children.

Gradually, we are taking small steps towards accepting and living in the new normal. It is, therefore, established that over and above ensuring that couples are able to meet their reproductive health goals, specialists in ART must also look to ensure that the mental wellbeing of their patients is catered to.

It is imperative that the patients' mind is put to ease, not only in terms of their reproductive health but also their mental health with the aid of counseling and proper COVID-19-related standard operating safety procedures. Evidently, in addition to championing the cause of helping couples with their aspirations to have a family, fertility treatment providers also have to champion the cause of easing the mental burden of such individuals.

ENG vs IND: Virat Kohli will always be in doubt facing Anderson, says Irfan Pathan

Pathan, who was revered for his ball swinging abilities during his playing days, stressed that pace is no longer a fear factor for batsmen, and moving the ball in the air will always come in handy.

Doubts regarding Virat Kohli's susceptibility to England conditions were cleared once and for all when the Indian skipper returned the highest scorer of the five-match Test series back in 2018 with 593 runs to his name. The same would be expected of him this time around, in fact, more give India conceded the series 4-1 as other batsmen failed to match half of his effort.

However, past success or failure -- as we saw back in 2014 -- will mean nothing in the upcoming five-match series in July-August, feels former Indian pacer Irfan Pathan, who believes Kohli will still be in doubt facing English pacer James Anderson.

“You ask Virat Kohli, he will never worry about Mitchell Johnson bowling fast because he knows he can come in line, but he will always have doubts about James Anderson. No batsman in the world is comfortable when the ball is moving. The corridor of uncertainty, remember? It will remain open forever,” Pathan wrote in his column for the Playfield Magazine.

Pathan, who was revered for his ball swinging abilities during his playing days, stressed that pace is no longer a fear factor for batsmen, and moving the ball in the air will always come in handy.

“We have seen Rishabh Pant and Jos Buttler playing lap shots and reverse sweeps to Pat Cummins and Jofra Archer. Speed alone cannot guarantee success, because batsmen no longer fear pace. The equipment is so good and bats have become better, one touch and it’s out of the ground feeding off the pace of the ball. You need the skill to survive and trust me, swing is a great skill,” Pathan wrote.

Second Made-In-India vaccine soon

Second Made-In-India vaccine soon: Centre finalizes advance to deal with Hyderabad-based firm for 30 crore doses

The COVID-19 vaccine of Biological-E is currently undergoing Phase-3 clinical trials after showing promising results in Phase 1 and 2 clinical trials.

The Union Ministry of Health has finalized arrangements with Hyderabad-based vaccine manufacturer Biological-E to reserve 30 crores of COVID-19 vaccine doses. These vaccine doses will be manufactured and stockpiled by M/s Biological-E from August-December 2021. 

For this purpose, the Union Ministry of Health would be making an advance payment of Rs. 1500 crore to M/s Biological-E. 

The COVID-19 vaccine of Biological-E is currently undergoing Phase-3 clinical trials after showing promising results in Phase 1 and 2 clinical trials. The vaccine being developed by Biological-E is an RBD protein sub-unit vaccine and is likely to be available in the next few months.

The proposal of M/s Biological-E was examined and recommended for approval after due diligence by the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for COVID-19 (NEGVAC). 

The arrangement with M/s Biological-E is part of the wider government's endeavor to encourage indigenous vaccine manufacturers by supporting research & Development (R&D) and financial support.  

Biological-E COVID Vaccine candidate has been supported by the government from the Preclinical stage to Phase-3 studies. Department of Biotechnology has not only provided financial assistance in terms of grant-in-aid of over Rs 100 cr but has also partnered with Biological-E to conduct all animal challenge and assay studies through its Research Institute Translational Health Science Technology Institute (THSTI), Faridabad.

This has been undertaken as part of the government's ‘Mission COVID Suraksha- the Indian COVID-19 Vaccine Development Mission’ which was launched to reinforce and accelerate COVID-19 vaccine development efforts as part of the third stimulus package, Atmanirbhar 3.0.

The Mission aims to bring to the citizens a safe, efficacious, affordable, and accessible COVID-19 Vaccine. The Mission is supporting the development of 5-6 COVID-19 vaccine candidates. Some of these are now closer to licensure and introduction in public health systems. It has accelerated COVID-19 Vaccine development efforts and fostered a robust end-to-end vaccine development ecosystem in the country that will be available for other ongoing and future research and developmental activities for other vaccines.