Weekly Nepal

Tips to beat that back-ache

Between being on a long-haul flight and working in your office, guess what's the common hazard?

It results in back-ache, impacts your back -specifically, the spinal cord, as a result of wrong posture. Shilpa Pandya offers a few suggestions on avoiding back-aches.

Most back-aches and related problems are illeffects of wrong posture, which manifest after hours of incorrect posture while standing, moving around while working or even while seating. "Sometimes, long hours of office work results in poor posture and causes strain to the lower back," says Dr Aruna Deshmukh, a physiotherapist. "Most people work sitting in an office chair that does not properly suit their body and does not provide enough lower back support," she adds.

"Over a period of time," explains Dr Sandeep Shet, an expert on Ayurvedic Medicine who also conducts Yoga classes, "bad postures while standing or sitting in sloppy chairs or even by sleeping in cushioned beds create a situation where the spine tends to become crooked, as the supporting muscles have been weakened. Wrong postures and curvatures of spine alter the line of weight transmission. This creates greater pressure/ strain on some muscles that fall in this wrong line of weight transmission," he explains.

It is not just seating in the work-place or sleeping in a cushioned bed that does not support your back properly, back-ache can also occur in relation to your annual holiday, says Dr Aruna Deshmukh.

So, most instances of pain in the spine due to underlying injuries is caused has a major contribution by the add-on in form of 'postural muscle spasm', says Dr Sandeep Shet. Acute injuries with severe pain can be treated with rest, local heat, painkillers etc. for a period of a week to four weeks.

"The major concern here," adds Dr Sandeep Shet, "is the problem of recurrent and chronic pain - this is the major concern. This happens when the patient returns to the same life style - sedentary working in wrong postures."

Ensuring that you have the correct posture is the simplest way to keep away most of the causes of back-ache, says Dr Aruna Deshmukh.

"This goes beyond mere cosmetic stuff -good posture and back support are critical to reducing the incidence and levels of back pain and neck pain. Back support is especially important for patients who spend many hours sitting in an office chair or standing throughout the day," she adds. The simplest add-on solution is to use an ergonomic office chair; this provides better support than a regular chair and in some cases, might be more comfortable for the patient."Correct posture means keeping each part of the body in alignment with the adjoining parts. Proper posture keeps all parts balanced and supported.

In the 'ideal' scenario, appropriate posture when standing is loosely defined as it being possible to draw a straight line from the earlobe, through the shoulder, hip, knee, and into the middle of the ankle," she explains.

Yoga exercises are among the 'alternate therapy' options for a patient suffering from back-aches, but the ideal scenario is one where the patient learns the correct posture and avoids the back-ache in the first place," he concludes.

9 Things you should never tell your hubby

Do you fake an orgasm when you actually didn't? Or find faults with the your husband's way of handling the kids, or pester him to find a new job? You may not realize it, but by saying so, you are making irreparable damages to your relationship.

Following is a list of nine statements compiled by Judy Ford, psychotherapist and author of 'Every Day Love' that you should never utter to your significant other, reports the Mother Nature Network.

First comes: "Yes, I had an orgasm."

Another statement that is a strict no-no is "You're just like your father." It's nasty and belittling, says Ford.

The third forbidden statement is actually very common: "When are you going to find a new job?"

The fourth hurtful statement is: "My mother warned me you'd do this!"

The fifth line, which is never a good idea to say, is "Just leave it - I'll do it myself!" Just because he's doing something differently than you would doesn't mean that he's doing it wrong.

The sixth statement, which can be heart breaking, is "You always... [fill in the blank]" or "You never... [fill in the blank]"

Then seventh statement that can be a serious blow is "Do you really think those pants are flattering?"

Saying so, you're insulting his looks without showing any genuine concern for his health, according to Ford.

Then eighth harsh statement is "Ugh, we're hanging out with him again?, which is an insult to your man's choice of friends.

The last but not the least is "Please watch the kids. But don't do this, take them here or forget that..." Let Dad-be-dad.

Tips to treat whiteheads

A form of acne brought on by clogged hair follicles, whiteheads can look hideous.

Often mistaken for pimples because of their white tips, whiteheads are actually quite similar to blackheads. Here's how to prevent those ugly, inflamed and clogged hair follicles from making you miserable:

-The most important thing while treating whiteheads is to cleanse your skin thoroughly. Mild steaming is the only way to open the clogged pores properly. Steaming facilitates the easy removal of oil, dirt and bacteria stuck in the pores.

-Avoid using scented soap or cleansers. Use cleansers that have salicylic acid or alpha hydroxyl acid as these ingredients are famed for unclogging pores.

-Do not wash your face more than twice daily as that will just worsen the situation. Use a pea-sized amount of exfoliator with micro-beads only twice a week. Do not overzealously scrub while exfoliating.

-You might think that you don't need to moisturise, however you need to replenish the moisture lost during cleansing or exfoliating.

Easy chocolate cookies

The most delicious aspect about a simple chocolate cookie is its taste and appearance. As it bakes, cracks form in the top of the cookie exposing dark chocolate cracks across the surface of the cookie. Sounds yum? 

Ingredients: 

2 cups white table sugar 

4 eggs, scrambled 

Melt these two ingredients gently on very low heat so that they don't scald 

¼ cup butter 

4 ounces (4 squares) baking chocolate 

2 cups sifted flour 

2 teaspoons baking powder 

½ teaspoon salt 

½ cup chopped nuts (you can use almonds) 

½ cup confection sugar for the decoration. 

Procedure: 

- Mix the eggs and the white sugar and mix them well. 

- Then add the melted butter and chocolate after they cool down a little. Later add the flour, baking powder, nuts and salt and stir to combine. 

- Chill the batter for a few hours or overnight, so that it will be easy to handle for the next step. 

- Roll the dough into small balls of 1 to 2 tablespoons of batter each. Then roll each ball of batter across a plate dusted with the confection sugar to cover the entire ball. 

- Place each ball on a greased cookie sheet and bake in a slow oven (300 degrees) for 18-20 minutes. 

- You need to be careful about discolouration of the confection sugar coating. Check out how the cookies expand and crack to give that pretty chocolate design! Serve warm.