Are you Pregnant.? Say NO to caffeine

Researchers are looking at whether consuming caffeine during pregnancy might affect the unborn baby’s risk of developing leukaemia in childhood.

Marcus Cooke of University of Leicester, who leads the study, sees it as an opportunity to determine the sources of chromosomal alterations during pregnancy, with the ultimate aim of reducing the risk of childhood leukaemias.

Their research will involve working with a group of 1,340 pregnant women. After birth, a blood sample is routinely taken from each newborn baby’s heel. It is these samples that will then be tested for DNA changes. By comparing any DNA changes to the levels of caffeine the mother consumed, the team will try to find out if the two are linked.

Leukaemia is a cancer of the bone marrow and white blood cells. It can affect people of all ages and around 7,000 cases are diagnosed each year in Britain. While it is the commonest type of childhood cancer, accounting for 35 percent of cases, it is still rare.

Only one out of 10 of leukaemia patients are children, accounting for 500 child diagnoses a year in Britain.

‘We want to find out whether consuming caffeine could lead to the sort of DNA changes in the baby that are linked to risk of leukaemia,’ said Cooke. ‘This is an important area of research because it is vital that mothers are given the best advice possible.’

While childhood leukaemia could be initiated by DNA alterations in the unborn child, it is thought that leukaemia would only develop if there was another secondary trigger.

There is currently no single proven cause of childhood leukaemia, though exposure to radiation and/or a rare response to a common infection are thought likely to play a part, said a University of Leicester release.

Hair Care Tips

How to take care of hair.? how to have a beautiful hair..? how to maintain hair..? here are the answers for these questions.. Here are some tips to take care of your hair. Go through it and comment if you find it useful. You can use any of these tips that suit your lifestyle
1. Apply olive oil (or Musturd Oil) at bed time and wash off the hair next morning.
2. Boil mustard oil. A regular massage of this oil is helpful.
3. Always maintain a balanced diet with exercise for healthy hair. Drinking plenty of water and eating plenty of raw fruits and vegetables is probably the best way to achieving healthy hair.
4. Wash your hair with a paste of cooked Urad dal (black beans) and fenugreek (methi) 2-3 times a week.
5. Trim the hair every 4 to 5 weeks even if you are growing it.
6. Coconut oil mixed with lime- juice on the hair applied daily is also good for hair health .
7. Don’t use any old rubber band as they tend to break or split hair. Instead just use a scrunchy or a fabric coated elastic band.
8. Don’t brush wet hair too harshly because its three times weaker and more likely to break off mid strand. Towel dry hair first, then gently detangle using a wide toothed comb.
9. Rinsing your hair with lemon juice can bring life and shine back to dull hair.
10. If you have dandruff then apply a mixture of vinegar and water on the scalp before you go to bed. Keep it overnight. Rinse your head with vinegar water again in the morning. You will see the result within few weeks.
11. Another good way to get rid of dandruff is to soak ground fenugreek seeds overnight in water and massage the paste on the head, leaving it for a few minutes and then wash it.
12. Mix Banana in Honey and apply on hair for 30 – 40 min, and then wash it for that sheen in your hair.
13. For stopping your hair from getting grey, you can mix Bhringraj (Eclipta elba), Amala, corals, iron and black sesame seeds. It is very useful and even stops the graying of hair.
14. Another good way is to keep head of healthy hair is to Apply juice of green coriander leaves on the head.
15. Massage of olive oil and almond oil on your scalp is a good cure of dandruff.
16. Mash eight strawberries with one tablespoon mayonnaise. Massage into washed, damp hair. Cover with a shower cap, then a warm towel. Wash out with a shampoo/conditioner combination. This luscious mix of rich acidic berries will leave your hair both conditioned and with rich gloss.

Kindly note that Diet and lifestyle are two leading factors that affects the health of your hair. There are some foods that you could avoid like too many sweets, chocolates, cakes and cookies. Always remember Whatever goes into your body is reflective on the outside including your hair & skin. Poor diet, illness and deficiencies of any particular vitamin and mineral affects the quality of hair and problems like dandruff, thinning hair, balding, premature graying etc. spoil the hair.