Black pepper is one of the oldest spices known to mankind. It is found in abundant quantities in the Southern states of Kerala. Its medicinal qualities can successfully counter disorders such as indigestion, pyorrhea, cough, dental problems and cardiovascular diseases. Black pepper is extensively used for food preservation owing to its antibacterial properties. Being rich in fiber, vitamin C, manganese, vitamin K, it acts as a great anti-inflammatory agent as well.

Here are some of the well-known benefits of black pepper:

Beneficial for stomach: Black pepper enhances the secretion of HCL i.e. hydrochloric acid in the stomach which in turn facilitates digestion. This ensures proper digestion and keeps away diseases such as colic and diarrhea. Pepper enhances urination and sweating which in turn ensures that external toxin has a safe way out. It also has the capability to limit gas formation within the body.

Weight Loss: Black Pepper’s outer layer helps in breaking fat cells. Also, foods that are made with pepper are an effective way to shed weight. Once the fat cells are broken down, the body uses it as a component of enzymatic reactions. The excess fats are eradicated from the body. Black pepper can be used in curries or consumed daily in the morning along with hot water to fetch rich benefits.

Skin Health: Pepper is a very good agent in curing skin diseases such as vitiligo. The latter is a condition where patches of skin lose the normal pigmentation and become white. Recent studies have shown that pepper combined with UV therapy is a better alternative compared to chemical-heavy treatments. Furthermore, black pepper can successfully prevent skin cancer.

Respiratory Relief: Pepper is known to be extremely effective when it comes to cough and cold. It is known to be a great agent for nasal congestion and sinusitis. The expectorant property of the black pepper is known to attack the phlegm and mucus and give instant relief. The fact that it is a natural irritant, helps the mucus to get out of the body through the nostrils. This helps the body to heal quickly.

Peptic ulcer and whooping cough: Quite a few studies have shown that black pepper is beneficial for patients suffering from peptic ulcer and gastric mucosal. The anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties also help to treat respiratory diseases such as asthma and persistent cough.

Anti-oxidant properties: The anti-oxidant properties of black pepper help to counter the effects of the free radicals, helps in fighting cardiovascular diseases successfully and counter life-threatening diseases such as cancer. Furthermore, it can help the body fight premature ageing conditions such as macular degeneration, spots, wrinkles etc. Studies have also proved that black pepper enhances memory and impair memory loss.

The first drops of rain, the lush greenery, the landscapes all rain drenched - the monsoon makes it truly enchanting, bringing the best out of nature. While most of the people enjoy the monsoon, some people often end up being at the receiving end. The season can be quite punishing triggering a host of digestive and skin problems and infections. In this article, we will discuss some important tips to help keep your skin healthy and problem free during the monsoon.

Common dermatological problems synonymous with the monsoon:

The onset of monsoon may not be at all welcoming for the skin. With an increase in the humidity levels, fungal infections, intertrigo, ringworms, skin rashes, and irritation become inevitable. A study suggests that diabetic patients need to be extra careful as they stand a greater chance of suffering from skin infections and other related problems triggered by the monsoon. Mentioned below are some of the skin problems and infections that are often known to affect people during the monsoons:


Eczema: It is a non-contagious dermatological condition characterized by skin inflammation, redness, and itchiness. The affected area of the skin also appears rough and cracked with the formation of blisters. Monsoon is known to act as a catalyst, aggravating the condition and the associated discomfort to a great extent. People with eczema or sensitive skin should be extra careful during the monsoon.

Scabies: A contagious skin infection caused by the Sarcoptes scabiei (parasitic mites), scabies results in the appearance of a rash along with severe itching (which often worsens at night). The humidity and temperature fluctuations during the monsoons serve as a perfect environment for the mites to thrive. If left untreated, the condition will result in extreme discomfort.

Athlete's foot: A contagious fungal infection that is known to affect the skin mostly around the feet, toenails (the fungus grows on the feet) causing itching and blisters formation. The affected skin and toenails appear rough, cracked, and at times, even discolored.

Effective measures to avoid the skin problems during the monsoon:
The following tips can go a long way to ward off the annoying the skin problems.

Practice a good personal hygiene. Keep yourself and your clothes (especially under garments) clean.

Keep yourself dry. Avoid staying in wet clothes for too long. Rain or no rain, keep a raincoat or an umbrella with you all the time.

As some of the skin problems are contagious, one should avoid sharing their clothes and personal belongings with others.

Your diet can also play a pivotal role in minimizing the incidences of skin infections. Avoid hot and spicy food. Instead, opt for more fruits (avoid mangoes, watermelon), vegetables, yogurt, almonds, garlic, brown rice, oats, to name a few.
Keep your body well hydrated. Sip water (preferably purified or boiled) at regular intervals.
The use of medicated soaps, antifungal and antibacterial creams and powder may be helpful.

Over the years, a sizeable number of people have expressed their affinity for brown rice as the healthier alternative to plain rice. Doctors are growingly recommending brown rice to all those, who are keen on losing kilos or keeping type 2 diabetes in arrest. Brown rice essentially undergoes less processing as compared to white rice, hence it retains all the essential nutrients. Brown rice contains the side hull and bran and consequently, it helps in replenishing the crucial body nutrients like proteins, thiamine, calcium, magnesium, fiber and potassium. The growing popularity of brown rice not only stems from its nutritive values, but also from the myriad healthy diet options that revolve around it. Unlike white rice, brown rice does not require artificial fortifications like synthetic vitamins in order to conform to the required standards of FDA. Brown rice enables you to enjoy the health benefits without compromising on the taste of rice. Brown rice is advantageous for not just the fitness fanatics, but is also the preferred meal for those with specialized dietary preferences like vegans.

Some of the rationale for consumption of brown rice are listed as follows:

1.Controls insulin spike: Brown rice has extremely low glycemic rating because of which the blood sugar level in our body can be adequately controlled. While plain rice enhances the risk of developing diabetes, brown rice goes a long way in nullifying the glucose fluctuations in our body.

2.High in fiber: Brown rice is one of the most important sources of essential body fibers. It helps in preventing colon cancer by supplying the necessary fibers and it also detoxifies the colon walls by eliminating the cancer causing substances from the body.

3.Promotes weight loss: Brown rice regulates the bowel movements and thereby stimulates better metabolism. It is also considered to be one of the most wholesome dietary supplements because it remains a whole grain, unlike plain rice. Therefore, it is one of the most opted for food items for those wishing to lose the extra kilos.

4.Rich in salts and naturally occurring oils: Brown rice is rich in body salts like selenium and manganese, which nourish your nervous and reproductive systems, thereby reducing the occurrence of diseases like cancer, arthritis and other cardiovascular syndromes.

5.Ideal as baby food: Given that brown rice is replete in necessary body fibers and health boosting nutrients, it is ideal for baby food because it promotes fast growth in babies and also averts any nutrition deficiency diseases. It also protects the baby from any synthetic vitamins that emerge from the consumption of white rice.

It was believed by Dr Peter D’Adamo that the unique antigen markers of different blood group types react to different kinds of food. The consumption of the wrong kind of food may lead to various health conditions. The right kind of food, when consumed according to the blood types can help prevent chronic diseases, maintain an optimum body weight and act as defence against a large number of diseases. It was also believed that stomach acid levels and digestive enzymes are related to blood types.

Blood type diet:

1.Blood Type A should only consume a vegetarian, in fact vegan diet.

2.Blood Type B is recommended a balanced diet of meat, dairy products and vegetables.

3.Blood Type O should consume high amounts of animal protein along with lots of fruits and vegetables. The carbohydrate, dairy and wholegrain intake must be low.

4.Blood Type AB should stick to a vegetarian diet mostly, with occasional inclusions of meat and dairy products.

Pros of a diet based on blood group

1.Food that agrees with your body system is essentially beneficial to your body.

2.Blood type dieting makes exercising the most important part of your daily health regimen. This helps to promote fitness.

3.It is effective as far as weight loss is concerned.
It discourages the consumption of processed food and junk meals.

4. Healthy fresh vegetables, fruits or dairy products will always be beneficial.

5.Does not allow the intake of fatty, sugary food items.

6.You can choose different food for your diet from a variety of food items suitable for your blood type.

Cons of a diet based on blood group

1.It does not include food from all food groups.
Many nutritionists and scientists have not been able to establish a connection between blood type and food suitability.

2.Cutting out certain essential food groups can be quite dangerous.

3.The theory of Dr D’Adamo is quite questionable and disputable.

4. It does not have a medical backing.

5.Following this diet can be quite tedious.

6.There can be varying results from following such diet and this makes it difficult to analyse the outcome of following such diets.

The word depression in itself is terrifying. One of the deadliest mental health disorder, it has been on a rise, especially among the LGBTQI community. In order to create mental healthcare awareness, Keshav Suri, executive director, The Lalit Group, who himself is a strong advocate of LGBTQI rights, recently collaborated with Dr Prasad Raj Dandekar, founder of HPQI (Health Professionals for Queer Indians).

“I am happy to collaborate with HPQI for an important cause, such as this and glad that Dr Prasad has taken the initiative to educate us all on this crucial subject. Over the years, I have realised that mental healthcare is non-existent for LGBTQI people in this country. It is yet another of the initiatives from our #PureLoveCampaign and we want to tell people we are here to support them and spread the message of love”, said Suri in a statement.

Depression among LGBTQIA is a rising problem
Creating awareness is one of the solution to this problem, says Bhubhaneswar-based psychiatrist, Dr Amrit Pattojoshi. “Firstly, we have to see what causes depression. If I consider myself not normal, then how will the society perceive me?” It’s also a matter of one’s own perspective. So one has to change their own mindset.

Making everybody comfortable, whether a person is gay or lesbian is equally important. “When a parent knows about their child’s sexuality, they are sometimes unable to accept the truth. Many a time, they come to a psychiatrist, thinking they will cure their child of the problem. But we are trying to make everyone aware that it is a normal thing and is not a disease or problem”, says Dr Pattojoshi.

Depression is also related to how others perceive an individual who is coming out as gay, lesbian or transgender. “Coming out is a very personal experience and one needs to consider many factors like what is the mental health of the individual and who is he going to talk to. For example, if it’s his parents, are they amenable to receiving that information? If he comes from a very conservative family, the fear of his parent’s rejection may take a toll on his mental health”.

Hence, such individuals with the help of healthcare professionals, need to deal with it together and make a proper plan. LGBT community first needs the support of a medical professional or if they are in school or college, they need the support of an authority. Every school should have a counselor where students can come out and talk about their problems. And once an authority figure, who remains unbiased in such situations, stands behind a victim, then a lot is sorted.

When a parent says my son is gay, the reaction of a teacher or psychiatrist should be “so what” and not “what!”. That makes the difference. And if that individual is going through depression, it’s better to start treating it at an early stage.

After people become aware about the individual’s sexuality, they need to acknowledge it. “From the point of a healthcare professional, the way to deal with a depressed patient is to start talking to the patient. Once you diagnose that the person is going through depression there are two things we need to do — one is to treat the depression with pharmacotherapy or medication. There has to be a plan in action that how many months would you treat or temper those medications. That will help the individual immediately to reach a level where he/she will become a little comfortable”.

“When a person is severely depressed, no amount of counselling helps. They are not in the mental frame of mind to undergo counselling, to understand and follow. After few weeks of pharmacotherapy, the person will become amenable for therapy and then the counseling session should start. We, then, refer the patient to a trained counselor, who can help him through the problem and overcome it”.