My 15-year-old son has psoriasis — patchiness and scales on the skin. Earlier, his bed would be covered with scales in the morning. But since he started treatment, he is much better. The doctor says it's due to stress. Could you guide us? Are there home remedies he could follow?

Dipti R.

I'll give some simple things he could do to further ease the condition:

Massage the affected areas with medicated oil. The oil removes the scales, the massage tones the skin. Tip: Avocado oil is recommended by naturopaths.

No soap. While bathing, washing, avoid soap, shampoo, chemicals.

Compress. Apply curd on a cloth. Clean and dry the affected spot. And wrap the compress around it and secure it. You can keep it on overnight.

Cleansing. Please understand, skin disorders occur when the body accumulates toxins because it is unable to flush them out as rapidly as required. So, avoid greasy food and refined flour that are tough on the digestive system. Have raw carrot, karela , radish, lettuce, spinach, cauliflower, cabbage. Soak figs, prunes, raisins, apricots or plums overnight in milk or water and have at night or early morning. Among fresh fruits, papaya, mango, grapefruit, oranges, pomegranate are great. Tip: water stored in copper containers is considered beneficial.

Exercise. Run until your body breaks into perspiration, your cheeks glow and your mind freshens. Running is a great stress-buster. Running makes you aware of your breath, your power. Running is a way of giving all your pressures, your stress to the wind. “Take them!” you command it. It will, readily, joyously. Leaving you light, free, relaxed and healthy.

Cognition. Look at studies, sports, socialising, meditating, praying, hobbies, exercises as ways to experiment what living is all about. Don't compete with anybody, just concentrate on doing your best. Every time you do your best, whether you win or not, you grow inside — that's important. Practise being relaxed with the skin condition, not tense, not worried. When you are relaxed, others are too.

Whenever you worry, remember you've given your worry to the wind. Now relax. And heal.

I'm 47, type 2 diabetic, having a chronic sinus problem for five years now. I use a nasal spray twice daily. But at bedtime, one nostril gets blocked and it's difficult to breathe. Due to this, I get chest pain and feel cold. This happens only when I lie down. Please advise a remedy for sound sleep.

Mani M.R.

Add on a couple of pillows so that you sleep with your head elevated. Find the sleeping position most comfortable and conducive and practise lying in that position. Practise correct breathing: stand straight in a restful posture. Exhale strongly to a count of 10, then breathe in to 10. Move your stomach in while exhaling, extend it out while inhaling. Do this 3 times initially, then increase it gradually to 5…10…15 times. It's a wonderful practice to be done once in the morning, once at night. It should open out your sinuses. Learn to do a nasal wash from a Yoga teacher. It's a simple sinus-cleansing technique. Using a little vessel with a spout that fits into the nostril, you let warm salt water fill one nostril and run out of the other. Then you tilt your head the other way and let it run in the opposite direction. This needs to be done once a day. It's a sure-fire cure for sinus and congestion. Avoid maida , white bread, milk products as they cause congestion. Replace sugar with honey — a great de-congestant. With these practices, you'll have very nice, restful nights.

I have diabetes. Though it's controlled by medicines, I've been told to be careful not to become hypoglycemic. Are there any early warning signals and any way to prevent it? Also, please let me know if I can fast without any serious repercussions.

Srikala K.

You may already know that when the blood sugar level falls below normal, it's called a hypoglycemic condition. It's to be avoided because you can faint. The warning can be subtle — a sad, sinking feeling as though something is going terribly wrong in your life. Or it can be more obvious like uncontrollable craving for food, dizziness, blurring of eyes, excessive sweating, palpitations. The best and immediate way to combat it is to eat a teaspoon of sugar, crunch some candies or drink water with GluconD dissolved in it.

To prevent becoming hypoglycemic, live like a meditator — with high awareness: Make sure you take your insulin dose on time. If you've been told to eat within a specific time-span of taking the dose, eat! Don't get distracted by a call or a to-be-done task. Always, always carry sachets of sugar or fruit juice in small handy tetra packs wherever you go, including travelling to work daily. Eat something every 2 hours. Have an orange/apple before exercising. Avoid stressful people and situations.

I don't recommend fasting at all. But, if it's important to you, ask your doctor or dietician to help you plan ‘a fasting-diet'. If it's possible, why not?

The writer is co-author of the book Fitness for Life.Queries may be sent to life@thehindu.co.in

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