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Sendha Namak – Indian Rock Salt Beauty Benefits

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I do not know how many of you are aware that Sendha namak is the pure rock salt of India and is a little costlier than the normal salt because it is found in very less quantities in the Indian sub-continent. The commercial salt available is iodized where as the rock salt is pure from nature, is more granular, has less salty taste as you would have already noticed and is not chemically processed. It is rich in lot of minerals and if used in regular cooking as a substitute of common salt, it can control all the health problems posed by common salt like high blood pressure, puffiness in the body or the eyes, is cooling for the body, helpful in digestion, relieves gas and soothes heartburn and helps in weight loss.
Not only health but many beauty benefits can also be acquired from rock salt.
  • Rock salt can be used as a body scrub. Since high in mineral content, it is a perfect substitute for spa standard products made at home.
  • Drop a table spoon of rock salt in your bath every time and enjoy a relaxing bath. It also detoxifies your body externally as well as internally. Eases stress and body pains.
  • Can be used as a teeth whitener or a mouth freshener. Also clears a sour throat if used for gargling.
  • Can be used as a foot soak, foot scrub or a hand scrub too. It is not drying on the skin.
  • Removes the yellowness under the nails and makes your nails shine beautifully.
  • Use it to cleanse your skin at night. Mix a table spoon of rock salt with your cleanser or face wash and rub it gently into the skin. Make sure to remove make up before this routine.
In Pakistan, there is a salt range of Himalayas, called the ‘Himalayan Salt Range’, which has the purest form of rock salt in the whole world. It is sold as ‘Himalayan salt’ but it actually is just a rock salt too. The only specialty of this salt is that it is pure and does not need any kind of filtering. So, those who have easy access to Himalayan salt or Pakistan rock salt, make sure you use it regularly in your food and beauty routines.
Do not forget to differentiate between Epsom salt and Rock salt. They have different mineral contents and Epsom salt is the best for skin. If you have access to Epsom salt, you can use it for

You can read about more uses of Epsom salt here.

We have always heard that salt is not good for hair but it is not so. The common salt is not suitable because it has many chemicals in it where as naturally occurring salts are as good for hair as they are for other parts of your body.

How to help someone to quit smoking?

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There has been a consistent increase in the number of people addicted to smoking year by year and it is not just restricted to men but also women and teenagers. Many start as fun and become enslaved to the nicotine. And, then, it can be hell to make a person quit it. Probably, the person might start hating you for battering him regularly on his habit instead of quitting. So, there are some habits which can help a person quit smoking. Encourage your loved ones in the right way and help them leave this habit. The first rule is always to make them want to quit the habit by themselves.
Habits which can help you leave smoking
  • Chewing peppermint or a menthol toffee as it makes your brain crave less for something hot.
  • Chewing a mint-flavored or other bubblegum keeps the mouth busy and keeps your cravings away.
  • Drink water or fruit juices very slowly at the time of cravings will make the craving go away by the time you finish the drink. A moment of weakness is enough to hook on to bad vices and a moment of strength is enough to develop new habits.
  • Eating grapes is a good idea at time of cravings.
  • Make sure that you do not smoke for 21 days and it will become a habit. It is said that it takes only 21 days for a habit to foster into routine so stick to your determination through thick and thin for just 3 weeks. Starting days are hardest but your will power should carry you through.
  • A very useful thing which I read in one of the comments is that think about the money you poured for the smoking habit just to help the companies let you die and what you could have done with that kind of money.
Give support to your loved ones to discourage their habit
  • If it is a relative who has this habit and you want him to leave it, this especially helps in intimate relations. Be honest with a person and make them understand you reasons for hating their habit. That will strike a chord somewhere inside.
  • Do not get angry with their habits and comment on them. This makes people more determined to stick to the forbidden habits.
  • Explain them your worries about their health. Be reasonable and not pushy. That will yield better results.
  • A psychological condition with the smokers is that they feel they would fail if they do not smoke. Understand this fear and work around it. Show them the strengths if they leave the habit. Tell them how their family would fare better without the smoke. Talk especially about small children.
  • Do not make them feel bad about their habit. Instead motivate them to work on their good ones.
  • Do not force. This might sound repetitive but this is the most common of the pitfalls one can fall into because of losing temper or patience. And, the results the opposite of what was intended.
  • Motivate them to seek professional advice. It easier to leave such habits while in a group of people who are undergoing same things instead of going through it alone.
  • Reward the person for their efforts. A special trip or something they wanted to have since a long time, any thing special would shift the focus towards the benefits of leaving the habit.
  • Do not give up or expect them to stop in just one day. It is not possible. It is a consistent effort depending on the emotional state of the person involved with smoking. Some smoke just for fun but smoke because it takes them away from their problems, many are trying to hide something behind the facade of smoking so understanding the psyche of a person is important when you want them to give up smoking.
  • Do not ever chide them for their weakness.
Instead of ignoring the bad habits of someone you love, work with them to lose such habits. The working would take time but a step how so ever small is a step instead of not starting at all. And, this fact would apply in any kind of a situation and any kind of problem you are trying to deal with in your life. Understanding the person, their fears, their strengths and weakness would help you help them.

Root Canalling or Filling?

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Dental problems continue to hound you for life, if given a chance to start. And, worse still, your dentists are not to be believed. Now, why do I say this? Well, yesterday, I went with my friend for getting her filling done. She already had a filling in her cavity but she was getting pain so she went for a simple check up. She could not visit the same doctor who did her filling so we went to the one nearest in our vicinity.
When we went for consultation, he was pretty insistent on root canalling which was not required in my friend’s case as the cavity in her teeth had not reached the roots. Yes, you can tell that by looking at the X-ray. And, she was also told so by her previous doctor. Look at the X-ray, you can easily find the demarcation between a cavity and the teeth. I shall ask for X-rays and scan them and put them up so that it would be a visual help. In root canalling, the teeth is killed by pulling all the nerves from the root and desensitizing the teeth which is required only when the cavity reaches the root nerves. You can see that in the X-ray too.
To speak of the doctor, he was young and quite inexperienced as my friend said. He was not at all confident of his work but that at least was well in a sense that she got a very good quality filling done. Now, when she already had a filling, why did she get another filling? Reason is the doctor. When we went for the check up, they said the already existing filling is really good. Only, it has chipped from the top. They said they can fill that up and bring the filling in proper shape again. We thought that they would apply a little bit of filling over the existing filling so we went ahead with the idea. When my friend went on the dentist chair (which you should be really afraid of), there was no looking back. I was, very ruthlessly, thrown out of the room. And, my friend re-emerged from the chair after a full two hours! Any one would say that when does filling take so long. What I come to know then is that her existing filling was removed and a new filling was put in place just to fill the above chipped part!! I was shocked. But, I think whatever happens, happens for the best. Why? Coz the doc was uncertain of his work, he did a very good job of the filling and another reason is that my friend’s earlier filling was silver mixed with mercury which got replaced with a tooth color cement filling.
I am very sure that you are already aware of the toxic effects mercury has on the body. Well, if you do not, let me just say this that mercury is used to melt silver and then, the mixture is poured into the filling. Thus, metal fillings should never be done as mercury is always used to melt the metal and then mixed and poured into your tooth or jaw. That keeps on sipping slowly into your system and badly affects your kidneys, brain, liver and spinal cord. General problems are breathing problems, nausea, memory loss, hallucination, personality disorder and skin allergies among others. And, mind you, there is always a danger of exposure to mercury in the environment itself so it is not only a dental filling which introduces mercury into your body.
Secondly, metal fillings look really bad when you open your mouth for eating or laughing or talking purposes 🙂 A tooth color cement is also used for fillings. I would not say that they do not use chemicals. The procedure goes something like this. A layer or two of chemical is added then dried with a UV light bulb. And, this process is repeated till the whole of your cavity fills up. There are lot of chemicals used in this method but they are less toxic than mercury.
Now that you have heard of toxic effects of mercury, please do not rush to the doctor to get your fillings replaced immediately. See for yourself that have you been really having any problems and allergies after the fillings, get yourself tested for mercury allergies and then approach the doctor. And, people going for fillings, opt for porcelain or other kinds of fillings which do not involve mercury.
So, coming back to the incident of my friend, I would like to say do not believe what your doctor tells you. There is free information available today. Search on the topic, ask your friends and other doctors you know, ask people who have the same problems, these things help a lot in getting a correct diagnosis and proper treatment. Many doctors tend to treat the symptom instead of the cause. So, unless its your family doctor, always be skeptical of what you are being told. There is no harm in taking second opinion for serious things. Always be skeptical of your doctor and do not hesitate to ask a reason. You are not a guinea pig. If they fail to give an answer, run from there never to return and if they give an answer, take time to counter check. There is always some or the other doctor whom your acquainted with or related to. Always take advice from them. They are the ones who can give you the best advices.
After covering this incident and my advices, I would stress that prevention is always better than cure. So, start taking care of your teeth from today. And, stay away from sweets. Trust me they harm you (at least your teeth) real bad. I do have another incident about it which I would save for another post but you have been warned!! Floss regularly. Buy Oral-B toothbrush and floss. It was recommended by the same dentist. Flossing is difficult if you are new at it. Getting at the teeth at the back of the jaw, especially, the upper jaw is really difficult but you need to have patience and slowly you would master it. And, then flossing would take you no more than 5 minutes each time. If you do have cavities and other dental problems, I would recommend flossing after every meal. Otherwise, two times a day is fine. I would also add that if you are flossing for the first time, you would notice the blood on the floss. It is perfectly fine. It just indicates that your gums are not healthy and the situation would improve with every time you floss. Make your children learn this habit early in life to prevent their dental problems. Lastly, eat these foods to keep your teeth healthy and white.