Dhaka, Mar 2 (UNB)-  It's finally that time of the year when we pack all our woollens back into the stash and bid goodbye to winters only to welcome spring. As we make a shift from cosy sweaters to cool tees, we also need to change our skin care routine. There is no better time to start prepping our skin for the impending (read: highly-welcomed) pleasant temperature but with sticky and humidity that lies ahead, reports NDTV. To ease your search, we have laid down a few skin care tips to help you decipher the change you require in your skin care routine due to the change in weather.

Here Are 5 skin care tips for spring:

Start Exfoliating

Exfoliation is the name of the game in this change of season for your skin. Since extreme cold and rains may have caused a long build-up on your skin of dead cells, it is important for you to scrub your face and body once a week in order to remove all the dirt, oil and dead cells. A natural exfoliating scrub like sugar and coffee scrubs can nourish your skin and clear clogged pores to give you a fresh and glowing skin.

Protect Yourself From Sun Damage

Post spending months bundled-up in hoodies, mufflers, scarves and beanies, using a nice sunscreen is very important. As per various health and beauty experts, spring is the time where people complain of sunburns and sun damage. Since our skin is preparing itself to adjust with the warm weather outside, sometimes it is not able to cope with the strong sun rays that may result in sunburns or sun damage. Therefore, using a nice SPF may protect the skin from such sun damages. Better still, use natural ingredients to protect your skin from sun damage. Take your pick from a wide range of ingredients to make natural face masks, scrubs and packs to soothe your skin this spring; for example, mix masoor dal powder with milk. Scrub it for 5 minutes in circular motion and then wash off. This face mask will not only protect you from sun damage but will also help remove tanning and dark spots from your skin. Another great natural ingredient is lemon, which acts an excellent bleaching agent.

Hydrate Yourself

During season change, our skin gets extremely vulnerable to the extremities of the weather. Although weather is warmer in summers, but we don't realise that our skin is lacking moisture and needs to be hydrated. Drink at least 7 to 8 glasses or 2 litres of water every day; you may carry a bottle of water wherever you go. Alternatively, you can clean your skin with rose water after concluding your day and before going to bed. Rose water is known to soothe our skin, protect from the sun damages and hydrates our skin. Moreover, rose water has anti-inflammatory properties and can balance the pH of our skin. Other natural foods that you can apply to hydrate your skin are milk, honey and curd.

Use Natural Ingredients Rich In Vitamin C

Vitamin C acts as an antioxidant that helps keeping wrinkles and ageing at bay. Moreover, it helps the production of collagen, which generally diminishes due to various reasons like stress and age - extreme change in weather is one of the reasons too. You may use natural ingredients like orange peel, lemon juice, strawberries or blueberries to give your skin its fill for vitamin C. Make a natural face pack by taking 1 tsp ground orange peel and mix it with 1 tsp aloe vera gel and half tsp lemon juice. Apply it on your face and wash off once it dries off.

Eat A Nutritious Diet

Last but not the least; eat a well-balanced nutritious diet, filled with all the seasonal vegetables and fruits. It is because what you eat reflects on your face, and skin is the first thing that tells a lot about your eating habits. Add more fibre and protein to your diet so that you do not eat foods that are bad for your body as well as for skin.

There you have it; five important skin care and wellness tips for spring! Spring is the best time to plan outdoor trips. While you enjoy your time on beach or pool, make sure your skin doesn't suffer.

Washington, Feb 25 (AP/UNB) — With health care a top issue for American voters, Congress may actually be moving toward doing something this year to address the high cost of prescription drugs.

President Donald Trump, Democrats trying to retire him in 2020, and congressional incumbents of both parties all say they want action. Democrats and Republicans are far apart on whether to empower Medicare to negotiate prices, but there's enough overlap to allow for agreement in other areas.

High on the list is capping out-of-pocket costs for participants in Medicare's popular Part D prescription drug program , which has a loophole that's left some beneficiaries with bills rivaling a mortgage payment.

The effort to cap out-of-pocket costs in Medicare's prescription plan is being considered as part of broader legislation to restrain drug prices.

Limits on high medical and drug bills are already part of most employer-based and private insurance. They're called "out-of-pocket maximums" and are required under the Obama-era health law for in-network services. But Medicare has remained an outlier even as prices have soared for potent new brand-name drugs, as well as older mainstays such as insulin.

"The issue has my attention," said Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, which oversees Medicare. "Out-of-pocket costs are a concern of ours, particularly at the catastrophic level." His committee has summoned CEOs from seven pharmaceutical companies to a hearing Tuesday.

While Grassley said he hasn't settled on a specific approach, the committee's top Democrat, Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden, recently introduced legislation that would cap out-of-pocket costs at about $2,650 for Medicare beneficiaries taking brand-name drugs. One co-sponsor is Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Democratic presidential candidate.

In Des Moines, Iowa, retired special education teacher Gail Orcutt is battling advanced lung cancer due to radon exposure. Although she has Medicare prescription coverage, she paid $2,600 in January for her cancer medication and will pay about $750 monthly for the rest of the year. She said it cost more last year for a different drug — $3,200 initially and then about $820 monthly.

Someday her current drug may stop working, said Orcutt, and then she'd have to go on a different medication. "What if that is two or three times what I'm paying now?" she said. "It's not sustainable. The country needs more problem-solving for the common good and not the corporate bottom line."

At a recent House Ways and Means Committee hearing, three expert witnesses with varied policy views concurred on limiting drug costs for Medicare beneficiaries. "This is still the only program that does not provide that protection to its beneficiaries," testified economist Joe Antos of the business-oriented American Enterprise Institute. The House committee also oversees Medicare.

Before the hearing, the committee's chairman and top Republican released a joint statement unusual in polarized times: "We agree that the time is now to take meaningful action to lower the cost of prescription drugs in the U.S. health care system," said Reps. Richard Neal, D-Mass., and Kevin Brady, R-Texas.

John Rother of the National Coalition on Health Care is a longtime participant in national health care debates, and his organization represents a cross-section of interest groups. "There is a common recognition of a problem, and also a sense that they want to move something this year," he said.

At issue is the Medicare prescription benefit's "catastrophic" protection. Experts say it was intended as a safeguard but isn't working that way, either for beneficiaries or taxpayers.

Catastrophic protection was enacted before the advent of drugs costing $1,000 a pill. It kicks in after beneficiaries have spent about $5,100 on medications, under a complex formula.

After that, the beneficiary is only responsible for 5 percent of the cost of the medication, and taxpayers' share rises to 80 percent. The patient's insurer covers the remaining 15 percent.

The problem for beneficiaries is that there's no dollar limit to what they must pay. For example, 5 percent of a drug that costs $200,000 a year works out to $10,000.

Numerous experts also say there's a problem for taxpayers.

Generally, the Medicare prescription benefit is financed with a mix of government subsidies and beneficiary premiums. But in the catastrophic portion, most of the bill is passed directly to taxpayers. That neutralizes the incentive for insurers to negotiate lower prices with drugmakers. Catastrophic is the fastest growing cost for Medicare's Part D.

The administration has supported an approach recommended by experts that would shift most of the responsibility for high-cost medications onto insurers, while capping what beneficiaries must pay. That would force insurers to seek lower prices. But it may well raise premiums.

About 3.6 million Medicare beneficiaries with Part D coverage — or 9 percent — had "catastrophic" costs in 2015, according to the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation. Of those, about 1 million had to pay their share in full because they didn't qualify for financial assistance provided to low-income beneficiaries.

"This affects people with serious conditions such as cancer and multiple sclerosis," said Tricia Neuman, a Medicare expert with Kaiser. "People on Medicare can still face huge expenses for their medication because the Medicare drug benefit was designed without a hard cap on out-of-pocket costs."

Kuala Lumpur, Feb 7 (UNB)- Malaysia, with a score of 95 out of 100, was ranked first in the Best Healthcare in the World category of the 2019 International Living Annual Global Retirement Index.

According to the International Living website, among top six countries that obtained the best ratings in the category of Best Healthcare in the World for this year, Malaysia ranked first with its world-class healthcare services and sophisticated infrastructure.

It said that with 13 hospitals in the country accredited by Joint Commission International (JCI), where almost all doctors – majority of whom were trained in the United Kingdom, the United States or Australia – were fluent in English, thus communication was flawless.

“There are both private and public hospitals for expatriates to choose from, to suit one's needs though the private hospitals tend to be a bit more expensive but are more up to Western standards than the public hospitals,” it said, adding that even at the private hospitals, the treatment was affordable for minor visits.

“The prescriptions in Malaysia cost a fraction of what you pay at home. But it's not just the cost that is attractive – it's the service.

“Pharmacists, similar to rest of medical staff in Malaysia, are well-trained and informed. The Malaysians are friendly people, but it's the genuine interest they take which impresses,” it said. - Bernama

Dhaka, Feb 5 (UNB) - The presence of gas in the digestive system is part of the normal process of digestion. Getting rid of this excess gas, either by burping or passing gas, is also normal. The gas not moving well through the digestive system or getting trapped may lead to gas pain.

Gas normally enters the stomach when we swallow air while eating or drinking but most of it is released when we burp. Gas forms in large intestines when bacteria break down some of the undigested food. In addition to other signs and symptoms, digestive system disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome or celiac disease may intensify gas pain.

Often, simple eating habit changes can help lessen the gas. But yoga can help, too. Certain yoga poses can help release excessive gas and improve the digestive system.

Here are five poses to help relieve gas-

Wind-Relieving Pose

Lie on your back with legs and arms extended. Take a deep breath and exhale, draw both the knees to the chest and clasp them with the hands. Hold on to the right knee and release the left leg and extend it along the floor. Maintain this pose for 30 seconds to one minute. Now, draw the left knee towards the chest and clasp your hands around the knees again. While holding the left knee, release the right leg and extend it along the floor. Hold this pose for the same amount of time. Finally, bring both knees to the chest and press the thighs on the abdomen, clasp hands around the legs as if hugging the knees. Then, try to touch the knees with the chin. Hold here for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Gently release the hands and keep legs straight. Take rest for 30 seconds.

Wide legged forward bend

From a standing position, step the legs 3 to 4 feet apart into ‘Five Pointed Star’. Exhale and lean forward, bring the palms to the floor under the shoulders. Use the arms to pull the forehead down towards the floor, bending the elbows towards the back wall. Now press into the feet, lengthening the legs to press the hips up towards the ceiling. Feel the spine being pulled in opposite directions as you press the head down and lift the hips up. Breathe normally and hold the posture for 30 seconds to 1 minute. To release, reach the arms out to the sides and inhale back up into standing position.

Child Pose

From standing position, drop your knees to the floor and spread them as wide as your mat. Keep the toes on the floor with the big toes touching each other. Now, make fists and place them on the thighs to touch the lower abdominal area. Take a deep breath, exhale slowly and drop your head on the floor or mat. Try to put pressure on the abdominal area with fists by touching the floor or mat with your forehead. Breathe normally and hold the pose for 1-2 minutes.

Half Spinal Twist

Sit erect with your legs stretched out. Make sure that your feet are placed together and your spine is absolutely straight. Now bend your left leg so that the heel of the left foot lies next to the right hip. Then, place the right leg next to the left knee by taking it over the knee. Twist your waist, neck and shoulders towards the right – make sure your spine is straight. Hold the pose for 30 seconds to 1 minute and breathe normally. Exhale and release the right hand, waist, chest and neck. Repeat the steps on the other side and then exhale and come back to the front.

Bow Pose

Lie on your stomach with your feet, hip width apart and your arms by the side of your body. Fold your knees, take your hands backwards and hold your ankles. Breathing in, lift your chest off the ground and pull your legs up and back, look straight ahead with a smile on your face. Your body is now curved and taut as a bow. Breathe normally and hold the pose for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Now exhale and gently release your legs, chest and relax.

(Saldin Yogi is a registered Yoga teacher with the Yoga Alliance, USA. The opinion expressed in this article is the writer’s own. To learn more about Saldin, please visit www.saldinyoga.com)

Dhaka, Jan 31 (AP/UNB) -The first generic version of the popular Advair asthma inhaler has been approved by U.S. regulators.

The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved Mylan's version in three strengths for ages 4 and up.

The inhalers are used twice daily to keep airways open and prevent flare-ups of wheezing, shortness of breath and other symptoms of asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. About 42 million Americans have those conditions.

The device contains two medicines, inhaled in a precise mixture. That complexity has stymied a couple of other companies developing generic versions of GlaxoSmithKline's Advair Diskus inhaler, which costs about $400 a month.

Generics generally are cheaper. Mylan didn't immediately respond to queries about when its inhaler, called Wixela Inhub, will be available or what the price will be.