The mouth or oral cavity area is an excellent indicator of the whole body’s health, says a University of Maryland Dental School professor.
Professor Li Mao insists surface tissues inside the cheek could be checked to detect tobacco-induced damage in the lungs.
This could prove to be an important advancement in designing future lung cancer prevention trials.
“We hypothesized that tobacco-induced molecular alterations in the oral epithelium are similar to those in the lungs,” said Mao.
The expert added: “This might have broader implications for using the mouth as a diagnostic indicator for general health.”
“I feel that dentists should play a major role in prevention of cancer and Dr Mao is the leading oral cancer researcher in the country. He crosses the bridge between medicine and dentistry,” said University of Maryland Dental School Dean Christian S Stohler, DMD, DrMedDent, a leader in the movement to retool dental education.
“Being a physician helps expand dental health care and he wants to change how patients are being treated because his background is in head and neck cancer,” Stohler added.
The study is published in the journal Cancer Prevention Research.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Mouth can indicate body’s overall health
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Want a shapely butt? Here's help
Want to have the perfect and shapely butt a la Hollywood star Jennifer Lopez and Bollywood's very own beauty Malaika Arora Khan? If yes, then eat healthy, exercise, do yoga or else go under the knife, suggest experts.
According to Leena Mogre, it takes a good combination of a balanced diet as well as the right weight and fitness training for a woman to get a firm posterior.
"Women in India do have an innate tendency to put on weight on the butt. To keep them fit, it is very important to eat a balanced diet. Besides, one must get into a routine of weight training, squats, lunges, step-ups and cardiovascular exercises," suggests Leena, who is the fitness trainer to Bollywood actresses like Katrina Kaif, Kangana Ranaut and Sameera Reddy among others.
"Even uphill running is a good option," added Leena.
Shiv Inder Singh, managing director, Firefox Bikes Pvt Ltd that offers a range of cycles designed for the body structure of women, feels that among cardio exercises cycling can really help in getting a well-shaped butt.
"There are various important benefits that cycling can offer to women, out of which the main one being shaping their butt. Moderate cycling helps reduce 35 calories in about an hour that makes cycling an effective weight control activity," Singh explained.
Leena agrees that cycling does help in shedding extra pounds, but weight-training does the additional bit of shaping up the posterior.
Another option to get a perfect butt is yoga.
"More than men, women come to me for butt sculpting, but one has to first determine things like the body structure of the person, the requirement and the limitations of the person to chart a right module," said Yatharth Sehajpal, a Delhi-based yoga expert.
"If the person is overweight and has flab, then first we have to work on tightening that extra fat and only then we can emphasise on the backside and there are various set of asanas and exercises that one can use for butt sculpting," he added.
Sehajpal's clients who emphasise a shapely butt are mostly women in their early 30s. Many of them are married. Some wish to get rid of their post pregnancy fat.
Thanks to increasing awareness, women in India have started talking about their dissatisfaction with their butt and are consulting cosmetic surgeons to solve their problem.
"One model came to me and said her backside was darker than the rest of her body. And to be able to confidently wear swim wear and bikinis, she wanted them to be lighter. I had to do spa peels on her backside to solve her problem. So yes, women are getting extremely conscious about their bodies," said Anup Dhir, senior cosmetic surgeon at Apollo Hospital.
The trend of going under the scalpel for butt enhancement, lift and liposuction has emerged in the past five to 10 years, but it isn't so popular yet, said Dhir.
These procedures are more of a Brazilian or American concept where people can and are used to roaming around in thongs and bikinis on beaches. But such an acceptability has not seeped into India yet. Here breast enhancement is still 10-20 times more in demand than surgical treatment for butts.
Such surgical treatments cost anywhere between Rs.60,000 and Rs.150,000, depending upon how complicated the procedure is.
What's more, with the summer season setting in, women are preparing themselves to fit into sexy swimwear, shorts, chiffon saris or the favourite short black dress. So ladies, pick your way to shape your derriere and flaunt your clothes with panache.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Stick out your Neck...
It holds up the head and is a convenient place to hang pretty pieces of jewellery from. But it’s more important than we think.
Neck to neck
“The neck area does not have much fat, so it is prone to wrinkles,” says Dr Vinay Singh, MD and senior consultant dermatologist with Max Healthcare. “Bad posture, heavy jewellery and sudden weight loss can cause the skin of the neck to become loose.”
The skin of the neck is also thin, adds Sneha Sriram, head dermatologist, Kaya Skin Clinic. “So it is susceptible to sun damage and ageing because the sun can penetrate deeper into the deep skin layer,” she says.
Certain diseases also cause the skin of the neck to change colour. “A person suffering from diabetes could become insulin resistant,” says Dr Singh. “So, the skin of the neck may become thick and dark.”
Skin is in
“Stop thinking that your face stops at your chin,” says Vandana Sundra, director of Eminence, an organic skincare brand. Apply a nourishing cream to your neck and throat every night, using upward strokes, she says. Drink as much water as you can and, to avoid flabby neck muscles or a double chin, hold your head high with your chin up and slightly forward.
Stand up straight
Our posture has a major effect on the muscles of our neck. Apart from spondylosis, a largely sedentary lifestyle makes the neck muscles weak and prone to creases, say experts. “Set your computer screen at eye level and when you read, look straight ahead,” says Dr Singh. “Also, consciously hold your head up while walking.”
Sleep studio
Many of us like sleeping in a pile of pillows. This accelerates the onset of wrinkles in the neck. “Make sure your pillow is neither too hard nor too small for your head,” says Meeta Awatramani, training manager, Clarins. “When lying on your back, put a 2 to 4 inch cushion beneath the groove between the back of your head and neck. This will lengthen the neck, improve breathing and limit the formation of wrinkles.”
Exercise routine
Do exercises to stretch your neck and tighten the muscles. “Breathe slowly and bring your neck down to rest on your chest. Then raise your head slowly and bend it backwards as far as you can,” says Sriram of Kaya. Next, breathe deeply and turn your neck to each side as far as you can without moving your shoulders and body. “Repeat these exercises at least 10 times daily,” suggests Awatramani. Now, sitting on a chair, stretch your neck upwards as much as you can and make a pout as if you are about to kiss. “Repeat this four to five times daily,” says Sriram.
Take care
“Use masks like blueberry, coconut, chocolate and peach as they improve hydration,” says Sundra. Use anti-ageing creams with ceramides if your neck is already wrinkled. “These accelerate the production of collagen. Avoid creams with retinol,” warns Sriram.
