http://consumer.admanya.com Online news coverage of the latest consumer related top stories. http://consumer.admanya.com/news_L'Oreal_Paris_introduces_TOTAL_REPAIR_5-478.html The 1st Total Repair for damaged hair with Ceramide cement that fights five hair problem-Hair fall, dryness, roughness, Dullness and Splits Ends. This technology replicates the hair's natural cement. It helps repair and strengthen the hair's fibre and smoothen its surface. Damaged hair loses its cement that keeps it strong and healthy. L'Oreal laboratories have developed a repairing formula with Ceramide Cement that works similarly to natural ceramide that fills the cracks, seal the scales and the hair is repaired <b>Fills in the cracks:</b> Penetrate into hair and fills in the cracks for strengthened more resilient hair. Hair fibre is replenished, intensely repaired from roots to tip. Split ends prevented <b>Seals the scales:</b> Locks moisture inside of hair to ensure the ultra smooth touch with ultra shiny hair surface, and a long lasting protection <b>Proven results:</b> Day after day, it fights the 5 signs of damaged hair to become: Strong, Shiny, Smooth, Silky, Repaired tips Total Repair 5 range includes Total Repair 5 Repairing shampoo Price Rs. 130 for 200ml and Rs. 72 for 100ml shampoo Total Repair 5 Repairing Conditioner. Price Rs.150 for 180g and Rs. 80 for 90g conditioner Total Repair 5 Repairing Masque. (Rs. 325 for 200ml) Try the Total repair 5 total repairing masque for 2 min intensive treatment. <b>The other categories in L'Oreal Paris hair care range that you are already familiar with are</b> <b>NUTRI GLOSS:</b>Pearl Protein technology offers dual action that gives the hair fibre balanced nourishment and acts as a shine concentrate on your hair. Smoother the surface of your hair captures and reflects light better. Mirror shine and cashmere touch. <b>SMOOTH INTENSE:</b> The L'Oreal laboratories have succeeded in combining Argan oil and silk protein which gives deep nourishment and 48 hours protection. Your hair is intensely smooth, controlled and manageable. Use the Smooth Intense instant smoothing leave in serum for ultra smooth manageable result <b>COLOUR PROTECT:</b> This formula with UV filter works on 2 levels that nourishes hair and transforms the surface of the hair. It protects the hair fibre from external aggressions and accentuates your colour's radiance and the colour is visibly prolonged <b>The above variants are available at all leading stores at Rs. 130 for 200ml shampoo and Rs.150 for 180g. Rs. 72 for 100ml shampoo and Rs. 80 for 90g conditioner. Total Repair 5 masque available at Rs. 325 for 200ml and Smooth Intense serum at Rs. 240 for 100ml. Available at all L'Oreal Paris counters across India. Total Repair 5 is also available in departmental stores.</b> http://consumer.admanya.com/news_L'Oreal_Paris_introduces_TOTAL_REPAIR_5-478.html http://consumer.admanya.com/news_Unfair_game:_The_Indian_obsession_with_skin_colour-474.html "Looking for a slim, homely and fair girl for our son" - that is usually how most matrimonial ads read, the stress being on the word "fair". Many say it is proof of our obsession with a person's skin colour. Twenty-five-year-old Anuradha Nigam (name changed) had to pay the price for being dusky when her boyfriend's mother rejected her because she was "not fair". "I felt dejected! It was a terrible feeling that skin colour was given preference over my feelings for the person whom I was in love with. Unfortunately, he too succumbed to the pressure from his family and we parted ways. It is ironic but true," said Nigam. "Though he chose to marry a fair-skinned girl, he regretted it later when they realised there was no compatibility between them," she said. Samir Parikh, consultant psychiatrist at Max Healthcare in New Delhi, told IANS: "Perception of what is desirable and not desirable in a prospective bride is to a large extent based upon the information that we receive and form our opinions on. As a result, a number of biases can creep into our way of thinking and the way we look at situations and think about the way things are." Anup Dhir, senior cosmetic surgeon at New Delhi's Apollo Hospital, says obsession with fair skin has something to do with the British colonial era. "Indians are usually obsessed with fair skin as they acquired this legacy from the British era. As our rulers were fair skinned, we also run after fair complexion," Dhir said. According to experts, a fair skinned person is considered attractive regardless of whether that person has a symmetrical face or a healthy figure. "People are generally obsessed with a thing which they adore but do not have," Dhir added. Markets too are loaded with fairness creams that promise to turn your complexion fair. Psychiatrist Sanjay Chugh agrees and says the craze for fair skin has been aggressively marketed. "Over the years many Indians have been programmed to equate fair skin with beauty, success and happiness. This craze for white skin has been aggressively marketed. In advertisements, it is always shown that in order to be successful, liked and approved by others, one needs to have fair skin," Chugh told IANS. "Unfortunately, people are only concerned about surface level beauty and pay little attention to a person's character, intelligence and other essential personality traits that make people complete as individuals," he added. Dhir says he receives queries from around five to eight women every week who want to become "fair". Is it really possible to become fair? "Well, all these fairness creams normally have sunscreens that protect your skin from harsh ultraviolet rays. But they can't make you fair just like that. Even what we promise is that with chemical peels skin can become fairer and even toned to the extent of non sun-exposed skin," Dhir said. "But one can't achieve impossible results like becoming fair like foreigners," he added. http://consumer.admanya.com/news_Unfair_game:_The_Indian_obsession_with_skin_colour-474.html http://consumer.admanya.com/news_From_jeans_to_T-shirts,_silk_gets_a_new_spin-472.html Donning denim could soon mean slipping on silk. The Central Silk Board is trying to give a whole new meaning to the material which is predominantly associated with women's wear in India. As part of product diversion, the government-promoted organisation for development of sericulture and the silk industry is planning to introduce fabric spun out of silk that will be used for making jeans. "We will soon introduce some special fabric made of natural silk into the market. The special denim yarn has been developed by our scientists at the Central Silk Technological Research Institute at Bangalore," board chairman H. Hanumanthappa said here. The institute has also developed fabrics that will be used for making everyday-wear like T-shirts other than saris and women's dress material, he said. "Indian silk is often associated with women's wear. Also, it is often said that silk wear is meant for the rich and the well-to-do. We are trying to revamp this image," Hanumanthappa told IANS on the sidelines of an exhibition of silk products here. "We are going to have diverse silk products other than the sari and dress materials for women. We will have different types of products to cater to a cross-section of buyers." As part of a move towards product diversification, a slew of items like carry bags and visiting cards made out of soft yarn developed by the Bangalore institute have been introduced in the market. "We have developed a special type of soft pure natural silk fabric, which is being used in making T-Shirts by some private garment companies in Ludhiana and Tirupur," added Dinkar Bhatt, an official from Bangalore's silk research institute. The silk board believes that the new experiment will not only help promote Indian silk but also help beat the double whammy of the economic slowdown and slump in demand. "Due to the recession, the demand for Indian silk has gone down drastically. Exports have fallen by about Rs.1,000 crore in the last one year. It has hurt about 63 lakh (6.3 million) people working in this sector. Weavers are the worst hit as most of them are poor," said Hanumanthappa. The silk board is gearing up to not only raise demand in the domestic market but also to face competition from China. "Cheap Chinese silk is giving us stiff competition. Considering the slump in demand in both domestic and foreign markets, this is like salt in a raw wound," he said. Faced with the situation, the ministry of textiles has taken an initiative to promote the "Silk Mark", an official mark or series of marks on items made of silk, on the lines of "Hallmark" for precious metals and "Woolmark" for wool and woollen products. "Sometimes silk traders cheat consumers by peddling cheap imitations. We are hallmarking silk products to differentiate pure silk from fake silk. All products made of pure silk will carry the Silk Mark," said textiles ministry secretary Rita Menon. http://consumer.admanya.com/news_From_jeans_to_T-shirts,_silk_gets_a_new_spin-472.html http://consumer.admanya.com/news_Synthetic_eye_implant_developed_by_Indian_scientists,_to_be_marketed_abroad-471.html A synthetic implant developed as a substitute for lost natural eye ball by scientists at the Central Glass and Ceramic Research institute (CGCRI) here is being marketed in South Asia and European countries, an official said Thursday. "This integrated orbital implant is 70 percent to 75 percent porous with pore sizes ranging from 100 to 300 microns providing for vascularisation. As a result, within six months of surgery, tissues and blood vessels encompass it and thus enable good movement," said CGCRI head of bio-ceramics and coatings division D. Basu Thursday. Marketed by IFGL Bio Ceramics, the hydroxyapatite-based orbital implant has no side effects and the socket remains 'very healthy' even after years. "It's a lifelong implant with no side effects," said IFGL Bio Ceramics director G. Banerjee on the sidelines of a discussion on such implants. IFGL company secretary Rajesh Agarwal said there were 7.5 million people with one eye in India and 15 million all over the world. "Excepting the US, which has an implant in someway close to the CGCRI product, in other countries the available ones are made of materials like metal, glass, polymet etc which are inferior in certain respects," Banerjee said. IFGL has targeted selling 5,000 implants in 2009-10, 25,000 in 2010-11 and 125,000 in 2011-12, Agarwal said. With each implant costing Rs.3,500, the company expects to generate business worth Rs. 437.5 million by 2011-12. "We are targeting the South Asian countries like Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, besides Europe's Denmark and the South American nation of Ecuador to reach our target, besides tapping all parts of India," he said. "In 2011-12, we will endeavour to enter markets like USA, where approval of Food and Drug Administration is required," Agarwal added. http://consumer.admanya.com/news_Synthetic_eye_implant_developed_by_Indian_scientists,_to_be_marketed_abroad-471.html http://consumer.admanya.com/news_'Good'_bacteria_in_food_can_help_gastric-bypass_patients_lose_fat-470.html Use of probiotics after a gastric bypass can help obese patients lose weight at a faster pace and avoid vitamin-B deficiency, according to the latest study. Probiotics are the so-called 'good' bacteria found in yoghurt as well as in over-the-counter dietary supplements that help in digestion of food. John Morton, associate professor of surgery at the Stanford University School of Medicine (SUSM), found that patients who take probiotics after the gastric-bypass, tend to shed more pounds than those who don't take them. The researchers followed 44 patients on whom Morton had performed the surgery from 2006 to 2007. Patients were categorised into either a probiotic or a control group. "Surprisingly, the probiotic group attained a significantly greater per cent of excess weight loss than that of the control group," said Morton. Both groups received the same medical care and nutritional counselling, as well as the support of weight-loss study groups. Both groups were also allowed to consume yoghurt, a natural source of probiotics. In addition, the probiotic group consumed one pill a day of a probiotic supplement available in stores. The study showed that after three months, the probiotic group registered a 47.6 per cent weight loss, compared to only 38.5 per cent of the control group, said an SUSM release. The study also found that levels of vitamin B-12 were higher in the patients taking probiotics - a significant finding, since patients often show deficiency of vitamin B-12 after having gone through gastric-bypass surgery. These findings were published in the July issue of the Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery. http://consumer.admanya.com/news_'Good'_bacteria_in_food_can_help_gastric-bypass_patients_lose_fat-470.html http://consumer.admanya.com/news_Obesity_may_also_bring_on_osteoarthritis:_Study-469.html Obesity, among other things, is strongly linked with a heightened risk of rapid cartilage loss which is a precursor to osteoarthritis, says a new study. "We have isolated demographic and MRI-based risk factors for progressive cartilage loss," said the study's lead author Frank W. Roemer of Boston University School of Medicine. "Increased baseline body mass index (BMI) was the only non-MRI-based predictor identified." Tibio-femoral cartilage is a flexible connective tissue that covers and protects the bones of the knee. Cartilage damage can occur due to excessive wear and tear, injury, misalignment of the joint or other factors, including osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis, affecting 27 million Americans, according to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. In osteoarthritis, the cartilage breaks down and, in severe cases, can completely wear away, leaving the joint without a cushion. The bones rub together, causing further damage, significant pain and loss of mobility. The best way to prevent or slow cartilage loss and subsequent disability is to identify risk factors early. "Osteoarthritis is a slowly progressive disorder, but a minority of patients with hardly any osteoarthritis at first diagnosis exhibit fast disease progression," Roemer said. Researchers examined 3,026 people, aged 50 to 79 years, at risk for osteoarthritis or with early x-ray evidence of the disease. Excess weight was significantly associated with an increased risk of rapid cartilage loss. For a one-unit increase in BMI, the odds of rapid cartilage loss increased by 11 percent. No other demographic factors-including age, sex and ethnicity-were associated with rapid cartilage loss. These findings are slated for publication in the August issue of Radiology. http://consumer.admanya.com/news_Obesity_may_also_bring_on_osteoarthritis:_Study-469.html http://consumer.admanya.com/news_Power_water_woes:_Dikshit_warns_of_tough_days_ahead-468.html Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit Thursday warned people in the national capital of possible water and power shortages in the coming days, following delay in monsoon. "We are asking people to conserve water and power. I am warning everybody of tough days ahead if it does not rain in coming days in Delhi," Dikshit told reporters. Delhi Thursday faced a gap of 378 MW of power between availability and demand against national shortage of more than 5,000 MW due to the prolonged heat wave, an abnormal maximum temperature and delay in arrival of the monsoon. Worried over the increasing water and power shortages, the chief minister has called for an all-party meeting on power Monday and on water Tuesday. Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislators walked out of the Delhi assembly Thursday - for the second consecutive day - to protest the water and power shortages in the capital. The assembly budget session is being held at present. "The situation is very grim and we are not able to meet demand. Nothing is hidden from you," Dikshit told the assembly. Angry over the power and water shortages, people in several parts of the capital organised protests and vandalised public property. http://consumer.admanya.com/news_Power_water_woes:_Dikshit_warns_of_tough_days_ahead-468.html http://consumer.admanya.com/news_Thanks_to_n_deal,_US_and_India_poised_to_become_global_partners-467.html With the India-US civil nuclear deal establishing a new level of trust between the two countries, New Delhi and Washington are poised to become "global partners" to help shape the 21st century, says a senior US official. The recent visit of Undersecretary of State William Burns to India had paved the way for the Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to visit "and underscores our commitment to an expanded partnership with India," Robert O. Blake, Jr, the new US pointman for South Asia, told a panel of the House of Representatives Thursday. President Barack Obama and Clinton "have both expressed a deep commitment to building stronger ties with India, a commitment based on mutual respect and mutual interests," Blake, the new assistant secretary of state for south and central Asian affairs, noted. As "Clinton recently put it in her speech before the US India Business Council 'we see India as one of the few key partners worldwide who will help us shape the 21st century,'" he said giving a regional overview of South Asia to the House Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia. Noting that the ruling Congress Party won a substantial victory in India's recent elections and "formed a coalition supportive of a stronger US-India relationship", Blake said the US looked forward to working with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's government to make that vision a reality. "The US-India relationship has been on a positive trajectory for over a decade, he said. And Both Clinton and Obama "hope that the next stage in our country's relationship will see a dramatic expansion in our common agenda, and a greater role for India in solving global challenges," Blake said citing Clinton. "The implementation of the Civil Nuclear Cooperation Initiative established this new level of trust between our countries and set the stage for the next level of US India cooperation in which we can become global partners while also focusing on India's still huge development needs," he said. The US also continued to support dialogue between Indian and Pakistani leaders, he said. But "the timing and scope and content of any such dialogue are strictly matters for the Indians and Pakistani to decide." Earlier, the sub-committee's Democratic chairman Gary Ackerman noted that "with India we are moving forward on what I believe can be and will be a true strategic partnership, one built on both shared values and genuine cooperation across a broad range of shared interests." Referring to the India-US nuclear deal, he said: "Though people tend to focus on cooperation on nuclear energy, I believe the potential of the relationship is much, much greater." "The recent Indian elections hold out real hope of a strong government in New Delhi that is ready and willing to address the many political and economic challenges facing a country that, despite it shining achievements in the 'new economy,' remains overwhelming rural, agrarian, and impoverished," Ackerman said. He saw "a tremendous opportunity for us to engage successfully with this government across the full spectrum of our interests." "Special relationships aren't announced, they're built one agreement and one success at a time," Ackerman said. "It's time for New Delhi and Washington to get to work." http://consumer.admanya.com/news_Thanks_to_n_deal,_US_and_India_poised_to_become_global_partners-467.html http://consumer.admanya.com/news_Michael_Jackson,_the_King_of_Pop,_dies_at_age_50-466.html Pop star Michael Jackson died yesterday following a cardiac arrest at his home in Los Angeles, officials said. He was 50. The King of Pop, whose life of stardom and scandal kept him permanently in the headlines, was found unconscious at his rented Bel Air mansion and was rushed to the UCLA Medical Centre. "We were notified by LAPD that Michael Jackson was transferred from his house to the hospital," said Los Angeles County Coroner Fred Corral. "He was unresponsive and pronounced dead at approximately 2.26 this afternoon." Corral said an autopsy would be performed to check for toxicology and other problems. The results are to be released Friday. A large crowd formed outside the medical centre and his home, playing Jackson's music, as news crews and reporters jostled for stories and as news helicopters hovered overhead. Corral said that he had suffered a cardiac arrest and local media reported Jackson had not been breathing when paramedics reached him. Reports from hospital first said he was in a coma, before numerous media reported his death. "We are just stunned - I can't tell you what has taken place but everyone is just stunned," family spokesman Brian Oxman told CNN. Referring to reports that Jackson was in ill health, Oxman said he "feared and warned about" the level of medication that Jackson was taking, though he stressed that "he was in fine condition. We have never seen him in any kind of weakened condition". Jackson is survived by three children: Michael Joseph Jackson, Jr., Paris Michael Katherine Jackson and Prince "Blanket" Michael Jackson II. Jackson had appeared increasingly frail and financially-challenged in recent years. Despite earning hundreds of millions of dollars he was reported to be $500 million in debt thanks largely to his eccentrically extravagant lifestyle. Jackson's rented home was roped off after paramedics arrived to transport the King of Pop to the hospital. Born in 1958 in Gary, Indiana, Jackson was a child star with the Jackson 5 and became one of the most successful recording artists of all time with the release of the album "Thriller" in 1982 - the best selling album of all time. His successful songs redefined the modern music video and forced MTV to start showing black performers, and paved the way for the acceptance of rap and hip-hop as mainstream musical styles. Elevated to the stardom level of the Beatles and Elvis, he also introduced a new level of mega-stardom through his music and clothes, his dance moves, and his massive live concert tours. "Michael Jackson made culture accept a person of colour - way before Tiger Woods, way before Oprah Winfrey, way before Barack Obama," said black leader Al Sharpton. "Michael did with music what they did in sport politics and music. No controversy will erase his impact." He raised consciousness about the plight of Africa with the supergroup recording "We Are the World" in 1985. But after that most of his headlines were dogged by scandal - from his marriages to Lisa Presley and former nurse Debby Rowe, to his eccentric lifestyle behind the gates of his fantasy childhood estate, named Neverland, after the setting of the book Peter Pan. He managed to settle an allegation that he molested a boy there in 1993, but was forced to face a sensational "trial of the century" 10 years later. He was ultimately acquitted of the charges, but the exposure caused huge damage to his career and financial situation. At the time of his death he had been preparing for a 50-concert run in London that was meant to represent his comeback and secure his financial future. http://consumer.admanya.com/news_Michael_Jackson,_the_King_of_Pop,_dies_at_age_50-466.html http://consumer.admanya.com/news_Water_hunting_satellite_to_reach_moon_today-461.html NASA will take a giant step toward bringing humans back to the moon Tuesday as a new orbiting satellite arrives there to search for water. The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) is expected to reach the moon's orbit at 0943 (GMT). The LRO will send back data to help scientists find the best location for a manned landing. The question of whether there is water on the moon, in the form of ice deep inside lunar craters, is key to the mission. The new lunar mission is to pave the way for the next stage of the US space programme - building a base on the moon as a launch pad for further space exploration. In 2010, NASA is to retire the 28-year-old shuttle programme which has helped to build the orbiting space station. The new moon-bound spacecraft Orion is to be ready by 2015. The LRO is the first stage of a two-part mission launched on a single rocket Thursday. When the LRO reaches the moon early Tuesday it will enter an elliptical orbit so its seven-instrument payload can be tested. After about 60 days, it will move into a low orbit over the moon's poles to conduct its observations. The second part, the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Spacecraft (LCROSS), will circle the Earth for about four months before crashing into a permanently dark crater on the lunar surface, kicking up a cloud of dust that can be analyzed to see if it contains water. The LCROSS separated from the LRO craft shortly after lift-off Thursday to follow a different course. Along with a piece of the Atlas rocket that boosted it into space, it is to enter into an elongated, sweeping orbit that will take it around the Earth and moon for the next four months. In October, LCROSS and its rocket piece are to slam into a dark crater near a lunar pole, kicking up a cloud of debris more than 10 km above the surface. NASA hopes that if debris from the shadowed crater contains ice, hydrocarbons or other organic materials, it will vaporize when it hits sunlight. http://consumer.admanya.com/news_Water_hunting_satellite_to_reach_moon_today-461.html