Dry skin, Asthma, Hay fever and dental decay are the main four trivial health issues an Indian migrant has to address soon after arriving in Australia. As moisturising creams and Claratyne fill our cupboards, we realise that it is a battle we have to concede defeat.  But wait; instead, you should be calling your grandma. The secret may be hiding Somewhere in Grandma’s little box of home remedies. If your grandma is someone who wears dark lipsticks, balances on high heels and speaks Hinglish at home and never goes out of house without her little Pomeranian, Do not worry. We are here for you. Below are the little tips and tricks to come out victorious.

Dry Skin

As winter chill makes its entry skin gets dry and hard. It is not just the low temperatures, but the hot shower and the soaps we use, all makes its own contributions. First and foremost cut down on long hot showers.  The cracked lips are annoying and painful. A simple remedy for all these winter issues is to do enough exercise. The thumb rule is, exercise enough, till you sweat on your face.  The cracked lips and dry skin on your face are then history.  Consult your physician if you have any physical condition that bars you from that level of physical activity.

But still you may face dry skin issues on other parts of your body like your legs. Coconut oil is the best remedy for dry skin. Apply coconut oil on your body before you take bath. Normal application of soap will remove the excess oil.  Coconut oil solidifies on cooler weather. It is best to put the oil bottle in a jug of hot water to melt it or microwave it.

Cure for Hay fever and runny nose

Hay fever and runny nose can be controlled through Nadi Shodhan Pranayama. It is a breathing exercise of breathing through both the nostrils.

Nadi Shodhan Pranayama

Below I have given a method to practise nadi shodhan Pranayama.  At the practise stage you may do this fifteen to twenty minutes a day. You will start with blocking your nose with your fingers .But to reach a stage where you will start seeing results; you should be able to do this without your fingers, by concentrating on your nostrils. Once you are able to breathe through alternate nostrils by concentrating on your nostrils, you will start seeing amazing results.

How to practise Nadi shodhan Pranayama.

Sit comfortably

Place the tip of the index finger and middle finger of the right hand in between the eyebrows, the ring finger and little finger on the left nostril, and the thumb on the right nostril. We will use the ring finger and little finger to open or close the left nostril and thumb for the right nostril.

Press your thumb down on the right nostril and breathe out gently through the left nostril.

Now breathe in from the left nostril and then press the left nostril gently with the ring finger and little finger. Removing the right thumb from the right nostril, breathe out from the right.

Breathe in from the right nostril and exhale from the left. You have now completed one round of Nadi Shodhan pranayama. Continue inhaling and exhaling from alternate nostrils.

After every exhalation, remember to breathe in from the same nostril from which you exhaled.

Once you practise enough to do it without the fingers. You may do it whenever  your  nose is blocked or you have runny nose.  Within a couple of minutes you will see both your nostrills open and the runny nose vanished and get perfectly clear nostrils.

If you practise it regularly, you will definitely win over hay fever too.

 How to prevent Tooth decay?

Do you love Mac , KFC, or / and Subway ? Do you eat too much of sugary food and meat. Definitely you have a problem with tooth decay.  First and foremost you should cut down on junk food.  The next step is to practise oral hygiene .Once again I will have to mention coconut oil. Coconut oil is scientifically proven to prevent oral decay. Here is a health regimen that will make tooth decay, history. Sesame oil is also good for this purpose.

 Oil pulling

Ancient Indian Ayurvedic physician Charakan mentioned oil pulling in his book Charaka Samhitha .

Take a teaspoon of good quality coconut oil or sesame oil .Take the oil in your mouth and swirl it around your teeth and tongue. Pull it in between your teeth and push it around from one side to another.  Ensure that you are pulling it in between each teeth through the gap between them , a few number of teeth together each time .  As you keep working it will mix with your saliva and become a white liquid.  Do it for ten to fifteen minutes and spit out the oil.

This will keep your mouth clean like flossed through each tooth and if you do it after food at night, you may never have to worry about tooth decay. If you have  fillings in your teeth, it is best not to follow this procedure as those fillings may come out as a result of oil pulling.