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EDITORIAL ThUrSdAY, noVeMber 14, 2019 4 Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam e-mail: editor@thebangladeshtoday.com Thursday, November 14, 2019 Significance of increasing revenue collection The Finance Minister in a recent workshop drew attention to the need to strengthen the revenue administration. The reason for this should be obvious. The Finance Minister unfurled the budget for fiscal year 2018-19 some six months ago. The size of the budget was 4,64,573 crore It wasthe biggest ever budget in size in the country's history. Some analysts described the budget as ambitious and difficult to achieve. But other experts think that the revenue collection targets are not incapable of reaching if the government works with real determination to that end and the country's conditions remain reasonably conducive for greater revenue collection. But steady and sustainable improvement in revenue collection will have to depend essentially on strengthening the revenue administration appropriately and adequately, plus netting the tax dodgers and other offenders. Of course, there should be also maintained various persuasive campaigns to make eligible tax payers aware about their patriotic duty to pay taxes. In the long run, this psychological component can prove to be more fruitful in garnering the expected amount of revenues. The need of planned moves to improve revenue collection has become all the more important in the backdrop of the international aid climate. The developed countries are now saying that aid levels will not be allowed to drop substantially. But there cannot be so much reliance on such assurance. Thus, Bangladesh needs to adjust to the new situation by mobilizing its internal resources to fill the gap to be created from any unexpected slowdown in foreign aid. There is potential for Bangladesh to boost its revenue earnings substantially even under its present conditions with chances of fresh political volatility arising. Studies conducted by the National Board of Revenue (NBR) and the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) showed that some 10 million persons in Bangladesh earn more than the tax exemption limit. But income tax returns are submitted by less than one million of them which suggests that there is the prospect of realizing income tax from a vast number. Customs duties, so far, have been the greatest source of revenues. But earnings from this source is noted to be declining in the relative sense. This points to the urgent need of undertaking greater activities in the areas of income tax and value added tax (VAT) collection. A planned policy exercise will have to be conducted to increase collection of income tax by identifying new income tax payers and obliging them to settle their dues. A similar hard push will have to made and sustained to ensure the scrupulous payment of VAT by the existing VAT payers and expand the number of businesses who would pay this tax. VAT offices must be opened in each of the country's 64 districts. Many are still without VAT offices. Manpower and other facilities will have to raised and deployed swiftly in support of a revamped tax administration. Traditionally, an elected and political governmentis seen to be prone to be lenient in respect of revenue collection to keep pleased their supporters and vested interests as it nears the end of its tenure. But this will no more be possible in the changed circumstances of the country when the need for developmental or public financing has shot up a great deal. The government will be expected to go for vigorously increasing tax collection where the opportunities for the same exist explaining it to voters how crucial or patriotic it is for them to pay taxes well to prevent the economy from encountering serious stresses and strains in the future. world diabetes day on nov 14 : Concerted action needed to confront diabetes It may be his trickiest mission yet. US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark Milley is a dangerous-looking hunk of bone and gristle. Sternness marks his craggy mug; Special Forces and Ranger tabs decorate his uniformed shoulders; and under his bemedaled chest beats, no doubt, the heart of a boot-wearing, steakeating badass. But it will not be martial skills that Milley needs on his visit to South Korea. After a flying visit to Japan, he arrived in South Korea on Wednesday, and will be joined on Thursday by US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper. It's a safe bet that their visit will be marked by hand-holding photo-ops and predictable blather ("The alliance has never been stronger," etc, etc). But behind closed doors, it is to be hoped that both men packed their diplomatic A-games. The mechanics of the transfer of wartime operational control from US to South Korean command, expected around 2022, will hover in the background. In the foreground, the Americans want Seoul to cough up more for the 28,500 US troops stationed in South Korea. Above all they want Seoul to reverse its decision to nix an intelligence-sharing arrangement with Japan that Seoul has made clear will expire on November 23. Seoul, however, has recently stated that it will not do a U-turn. The pact, the GSOMIA (General Sharing of Military Information Agreement), is the only bilateral, securityrelated agreement linking two nations that are often - wrongly - dubbed "allies." True, both nations boast bilateral alliances with the US. True, they are both democracies that share related values and cultures. True, they are economically closely interlinked. And true, they both face off against a rising China and a dangerous North Korea. But they are convulsed by historical and historiographical disputes that - in South Korea at least - may trump all considerations listed prior. Korea's national gut is deeply roiled by anti-Japanese sentiment, dating back to 1910-45, when Japan colonized the Korean Peninsula. There is no question that it was an exploitative and often brutal rule. Japan invested in its colony for its own economic benefits. In the twilight years of that era, it suppressed native culture. It also mobilized countless Koreans into military service, forced labor and, most infamously, military brothels. Today, Koreans rightly accuse Japanese school textbooks of whitewashing history, and point fingers at revisionist figures in the political Prof. dr. GobindA ChAndrA dAS On November 14 this year, people around the world will unite to mark the World Diabetes Day, the global awareness campaign of the diabetes community led by International Diabetes Federation (IDF). Diabetes is one of the major health and development challenges of the 21st century. No country, rich or poor, is immune to the epidemic. According to the IDF, diabetes is a leading cause of blindness, amputation, heart disease, kidney failure and early death. Simple action can reduce the risk. Created in 1991 by IDF and the World Health Organization (WHO) in response to growing concerns about the escalating health threat posed by diabetes, the World Diabetes Day became an official United Nations Day in 2006. It is marked every year on Nov 14, the birthday of Sir Frederick Banting, who co-discovered insulin along with Charles Best in 1922. The theme for World Diabetes Day 2019 is 'Family and Diabetes'. In 2018, IDF selected the same as World Diabetes Day theme. It indicates that the family is important regarding the disease. IDF says it is raising awareness of the impact that diabetes has on the family and support network of those affected, and promoting the role of the family in the management, care, prevention and education of diabetes. The issues of management, care and prevention of diabetes and the role of family regarding education on this has been emphasized again in campaign on diabetes. It is very expensive for a family to buy insulin and monitor the disease every day. So, now it is being regarded as an urgent issue for a family to acquire knowledge for preventing diabetes for family members. It may be mentioned here that though Nov 14 is observed as the World Diabetes Day every year, WHO selected 'diabetes' as the theme of World Health Day three years back. It indicates how much importance is given to the issue of diabetes disease. There are three reasons behind placing emphasis on diabetes marking the World Health Day. Firstly, it is to raise awareness on increasing trend and health burden of diabetes and its consequences in lower and middle income countrirs. Secondly, it is to determine specific, effective amd cost-saving strategies for facing diabetes, which will be helpful in prevention, diagnosis, treatment and cure of diabetes. Thirdly, it is to place the first global report on diabetes, inorming us about the burden condition of the disease and its consequsnces. It would ensure monitoring for developing health style, improve preventive capacity of the disease and build an effective management of diabetes. According to a survey of IDF, the number of people with diabetes reached over 42 crore across the world at the momemnt. It is important to identify the disease. Risk increases manifold if it is undetected. In Bangladesh, the number of diabetes-affected people is about one crore. Every year 1 lakh patients is being added to this number. If effective measures are not taken to prevent diabetes, the number of diabetes affected people will cross 55 crore by the year 2030, apprehended experts. If a patient leads a disciplined life, he/she will be able to control diabetes, they said. At present, Bangladesh is in 10th position in the world in terms of number of diabetes patient. People of all ages are being affected by the disease mainly due to lack of awareness. It is not sufficient to control sugar level as part of treatment of the disease. It is possible to be saved from future complications if the problems caused due to increase in sugar level are brought under control. Changing food habit and regular physical labour can play an important role in this regard. It is necessary to mention here that intake of medicine is not sufficient to cure the disease. The matter of physical exercise is very important. Excess stress has a direct role in inviting diabetes. According to research, stress is a major risk factor of diabetes. So, join chatting with friends, listn to music, do meditation and neurobic gym and make visits in order to reduce stress. It is needed to refrain from The issues of management, care and prevention of diabetes and the role of family regarding education on this has been emphasized again in campaign on diabetes. it is very expensive for a family to buy insulin and monitor the disease every day. So, now it is being regarded as an urgent issue for a family to acquire knowledge for preventing diabetes for family members. class who play down Japanese aggression or - as per the narrative at the infamous Yasukuni Shrine Museum - paint Japan as a victim. They also accuse Japan of not apologizing sincerely, of undercutting its own apologies, and of not being as fulsome with its apologia as Germany. Still, Germany committed genocide. It is difficult to point to a former metropole on the global scene that has said sorry more, or offered more compensation to a former colony, than Japan has to South Korea. Japanese officials - from emperors, prime ministers and cabinet secretaries on down - have apologized scores of times. Tokyo has granted hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation packages. And in the public domain (if not textbooks), there is plentiful information, and debate, about Pacific War-era atrocities. Most problematically - and perhaps puzzlingly - for Washington, South Korean sensitivities look lopsided given the lack of fury aimed over the Demilitarized Zone. Japan's 35-year rule was less destructive (in terms of both life and property) than the 1950-53 Korean War initiated by Pyongyang. North Korea today is an isolated, family-run, nuclear-armed dictatorship that suppresses millions of Koreans; Japan is an open democracy with constitutionally trammeled armed forces that oppresses nobody. But though the dictatorship in Pyongyang has proved longer-lived than Japanese colonialism, and North Korea has neither apologized for nor compensated for the war, South Koreans despise Japan more than their brother nation up North. A poll for a state-run think-tank last week discovered that, were war to break out between Pyongyang and Tokyo, 45.5% of South Koreans would help North Korea, and only 15.1% Japan. In sync with these sentiments, the leftleaning Moon Jae-in administration has focused on trying to upgrade ties with North Korea while firing relentless salvos smoking and drinking wine. We can do exercise and go out for regular walk for reducing the risk of diabetes. Research finding says, exercise increases the number of insulin receptor in body cell. Human body is excited when stress increases. Slight relaxation exercise and other strategies for facing stress can control blood sugar level. From a research in Yale University, USA it has been found that those who sleep regularly less than six hours at night are in the risk of diabetes 2 times more than those who sleep 8 hours. For sound sleep you should stop tea, coffee and chocolate after afternoon. Leave your work at office. Don't bring office work at home. Don't watch TV at late night. Keep your mobile off when you sleep. For controlling diabetes, the matter of maintining healthy life style has been against Japan. Last year, the South Korean state unilaterally undercut two bilateral deals (both packaged with related compensation): a 2015 agreement on "comfort women" and a 1965 agreement on forced labor. In response, in July this year, Tokyo introduced trade curbs on exports to South Korea - slowing, but not halting, the flow of key materials. That infuriated South Korea. Citizens reacted with consumer boycotts, while Seoul retaliated with its own trade curbs. Seoul then punted the dispute from the historical, diplomatic and economic spheres into the security space, announcing it was ending GSOMIA. The surprise move prompted Washington to aim some undiplomatic language against Seoul. But Seoul was still not finished with Tokyo. It complained to the International Olympic Committee that Tokyo would not ban the "Rising Sun" flag at the 2020 Olympics, while a new lawsuit brought by comfort women against Tokyo kicked off on Wednesday in a Seoul court. The ever-widening rift between the capitals represents a major headache for the United States, which seeks to forge a united front in Northeast Asia. Yet however much Seoul's bottomless fount of anti-Japaneseism exasperates them, Milley and Esper would be well advised to restrain their voices and not hammer too loudly upon the negotiating table. First, South Korea is, geo-strategically, part of a critical perimeter for the United States - the frontline of a deeply echeloned Pacific defense that is layered back through Japan, Guam and Hawaii before reaching the continental US itself. At the epicenter of Northeast Asia, South Korea is also well sited as a launch pad to interdict the assets of regional American competitors such as China, North Korea and Russia. And the Moon administration has kept faith with its overthrown predecessor, the Park Geun-hye administration, and maintained the US Terminal High emphasized across the world. Maintaining healthy life means intake of healthy foods, exercise and keeping mind healthy. Putting pressure on mind should be avoided if we want healthy mind. Holistic system of treatment, the combination of modern technology and ancient natural method, has now become poupular for prevention and control of diabetes across the world. There are two main key factors of this treatment: one is taking healthy diet and the other is physical exercise. Daily food taking depends on patient's age, state of disease and his/her present situation. And the matter about taking physical exercise is miscellaneous. Before all these, meditation in a proper method is needed to control mind. Mental stress is the main cause of illness and unhappiness. To lessen the mental pressure it is very much important. It has also been stated to collect the ray or life power from the cosmic power. To gain all these is not an easy task at all. By playing a leading role for the past one decade in holistic treatment (known as natural system of treatment), Holistic Health Care Centre has brought good news for thousands of patients with diabetes and coronary artery disease. As a result, the risk of diabetes is reducing. And those who are suffering over a long time with diabetes are now leading a happy life. Many patients have been able to reduce the level of taking insulin and many others have completely stopped taking insulin. In Bangladesh, holistic treatment is working as a helpful friend for the patients of diabetes and coronary blockage. Recently, workshops on method of fully controlling diabetes within 72 hours have been held successfully in the country. Many patients, who took part in the events, got a unique experience of facing diabetes by fully leaving insulin. The author is Director, Holistic Health Care Centre 43R/5C West Panthapath, Dhaka US brass parachutes into Japan-Korea conflagration Andrew SAlMon Today, Koreans rightly accuse Japanese school textbooks of whitewashing history, and point fingers at revisionist figures in the political class who play down Japanese aggression or - as per the narrative at the infamous Yasukuni Shrine Museum - paint Japan as a victim. They also accuse Japan of not apologizing sincerely, of undercutting its own apologies, and of not being as fulsome with its apologia as Germany. Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) antimissile system on Korean soil. That decision has come at massive national cost. A furious China, which asserts that THAAD radars can snoop on its own territory, has banned K-pop concerts and refuses to permit Korean online games. Korean corporations, notably Lotte Group, have taken a drubbing in the market. Looking back, South Korean soldiers have done what Japanese troops never have: Shed blood alongside GIs. After its joint effort with Washington in the Korean War, Seoul dispatched the largest national contingent to fight for South Vietnam. It subsequently deployed a major contingent to northern Iraq. Most recently, South Korea has built, mostly at its own cost, the massive US bastion in Pyeongtaek, south of Seoul - America's largest overseas base. Alliance management is no easy task. South Korea's peculiarities, perhaps, make it a trickier ally than most. But its strategic value remains. If the US top brass strong-arm Seoul into emptying its coffers to cover joint defense costs, while also demanding a humiliating about-face on GSOMIA, they run significant risks. Currently, South Korea is one of the few nations on Earth where both the right - who admire his conservative stance - and the left - who admire his engagement with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un - respect US President Donald Trump. Meanwhile, nationalist furies are deployed in full cry against Japan. But if currently quiescent anti- Americanism - which exploded in 2002, after the gruesome death of two schoolgirls in a road accident with US troops - reignites alongside anti-Japaneseism, Washington is in uncharted waters. That so-far-unrealized double whammy could seriously endanger long-term US strategic interests in Northeast Asia. Korean conservatives already fear that South Korea could be leveraged away from maritime, democratic Northeast Asia - Japan and Taiwan - toward continental, authoritarian powers - China, North Korea and Russia. That fear is bolstered by two issues. Economically, China has long replaced the United States as South Korea's main trade partner. Strategically, there are worries that an isolationist America could turn its back on the region, leaving the field to a rising China. Source : Asia times
HEALTH THURSDAY, novemBeR 14, 2019 5 The sunny winter morning is here so shake off your stress and focus on staying positive. Photo: Alamy How neuroscience can help educators from being less stressed Judy Willis Weeks into the winter holiday, many of us may be experiencing the stressful fallout of last term. For some, this is the exhaustion of burnout. For others, worries about the upcoming school year are already on the horizon. But there are simple steps you can take to build a positive mindset, strengthen your stamina and approach the new year with less anxiety and greater expectations of success. The approaches I offer here come from my background as a neurologist and teacher. The methods I suggest have been helpful for my own students in overcoming exam and work stress, and they are useful for teachers who face similar challenges. Teachers often hold themselves responsible for problematic student behaviour, failure to cover every required topic in depth or not adapting instruction to suit the needs of individual students. If you feel this way, know that you are not alone but part of a growing number of dedicated and resourceful educators who feel oppressed by increasing pressure and dwindling resources. Teachers who question their ability to fulfil excessive demands are often those who hold themselves to the highest standards. But when circumstances limit one's ability to be in control, self-doubt builds, confidence drops and burnout can emerge. Start rebooting your positive mindset by recognising that these concerns are not a reflection of your teaching skill. The brain has a system that strengthens the memories and emotions that are most frequently used or experienced. The term for this, neuroplasticity, refers to the brain's ability to change or adapt in response to thoughts and experiences. A little background on neuroplasticity: all memory is held in the brain's neurons and each neuron only holds a tiny bit of a memory. But when connections form among neurons holding the information, it becomes a brain circuit holding a retrievable idea. Neuroplastic construction is the brain's response to its own electrical activity. As neurons communicate through their connections (axons and dendrites) the information travels as electrical impulses. The more a circuit is activated, the greater the neuroplastic response of constructing We've barely any idea how AI will predict someone's death. thicker, stronger and faster connections. Thus the expressions "neurons that fire together wire together" and "practice makes permanent." It is this neuroplastic response that builds skills when learning is practised and applied. However, neuroplastic strengthening also takes place when emotional circuits are activated. When stress is frequent, the circuit producing that response becomes stronger - which means that after repeated frustrations and unachieved goals, your brain becomes more efficient at dropping into its stress response mode. If you've repeatedly experienced failure in your classroom, your brain will have built up a strong stress response circuit. But you can reboot your brain by strengthening the circuits needed to activate motivation and effort. Your weapon of mass reconstruction comes from one of your brain's own chemicals - dopamine. The satisfaction you feel when you persevere through a challenge or achieve a goal is a response to an increased level of dopamine, which brings feelings of pleasure and heightened motivation. You can build a more positive mindset circuit simply by setting yourself achievable challenges. Photo: Burger AI can predict if someone will die soon Donna Lu Artificial intelligence can predict a person's chances of dying within a year by looking at heart test results - even when they look normal to doctors. How it does so is a mystery. Brandon Fornwalt at healthcare provider Geisinger in Pennsylvania, US and colleagues tasked an AI with examining 1.77 million electrocardiogram (ECG) results from nearly 400,000 people to predict who was at a higher risk of dying within the next year. An ECG records the electrical activity of the heart. Its pattern changes in cardiac conditions including heart attacks and atrial fibrillation. The team trained two versions of the AI: in one, the algorithm was only given the raw ECG data, which measures voltage over time. In the other, it was fed ECG data in combination with patient age and sex. They measured the AI's performance using a metric known as AUC, which measures how well a model distinguishes between two groups of people - in this case, patients who died within a year and those who survived. The AI consistently scored above 0.85, where a perfect score is 1 and a score of 0.5 indicates no distinction between the two groups. The AUCs for risk scoring models currently used by doctors range between 0.65 and 0.8, says Fornwalt. For comparison, the researchers also created an algorithm based on ECG features that doctors currently measure, such as certain patterns from the recordings. "No matter what, the voltagebased model was always better than any model you could build out of things that we already measure from an ECG," says Fornwalt. The AI accurately predicted risk of death even in people deemed by cardiologists to have a normal ECG. Three cardiologists who separately reviewed normal-looking ECGs weren't able to pick up the risk patterns that the AI detected. "That finding suggests that the model is seeing things that humans probably can't see, or at least that we just ignore and think are normal," says Fornwalt. AI can potentially teach us things that we've been maybe misinterpreting for decades," he says. It's still unclear what patterns the AI is picking up, which makes some physicians reluctant to use such algorithms. This research was based on historical data, and it will be important to demonstrate in clinical studies that such an algorithm improves patient outcomes, says collaborator Christopher Haggerty. The research will be presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions in Dallas on November 16. Healthy step-parents relationship are a precursor to happy family Lizzie Cernik Tales of wicked stepmothers may be common in storybooks, but they are often a far cry from reality. Despite the potential challenges with step-parenting, many children develop close bonds with their mum or dad's new partner. The actor Dakota Johnson, now 30, is still on great terms with her stepfather, Antonio Banderas, who divorced her mother, Melanie Griffith, in 2014. At the Hollywood Film awards this month, the Spanish actor revealed just how close they still are. "She calls me Papi, and I love that, you have no idea." The Fifty Shades of Grey star described her childhood growing up with him as "the most fun a kid could have". They may present a contrast to the evil step-parent stereotype we see depicted in movies, but they certainly aren't alone. Since divorcing her husband six years ago, Frances Rose has maintained a close friendship with his daughter, Louise. "I first met her in 2003 when she and her siblings were very young," she says. "Her mum handled the breakup extremely well with a lot of maturity, which made it easier to get to know her children." Aged five at the time, Louise didn't realise there was anything unusual about her situation. "We would go to Frances's house with Dad and it felt normal to me. I grew up having two houses, two support systems and a more varied upbringing." She quickly formed a strong relationship with her new stepmother, and the family was close. When Frances's marriage broke down 10 years later, she was devastated at the prospect of losing the connection with her stepchildren. "You're not biologically related, so you don't have any rights," she says. "I couldn't have my own children, and they really felt like my family. After we split up, I had no idea what was going to happen." She needn't have worried because maintaining that relationship was equally important for Louise. "I think it's good for any couple splitting up to put children first. Dad was supportive of my decision to stay in touch with Frances, which made the divorce easier. Knowing I could see her whenever I wanted without anyone being upset was great." After the breakup, Louise's mother regularly took her to see Frances before she got her driving licence. "She knew how important she was to me. I am very close to my mum and feel really lucky to have two incredibly strong female influences in my life." In the past few years, she has been on regular trips to festivals and galleries with her former stepmother, where they bond over their shared love of music and fashion. For her 18th birthday three years ago, Louise was treated to a trip to Thailand with her mum, followed by a break to New York with Frances. "Ever since I was young, both sides of the family have made an effort to do things with us. It's almost like my family time gets doubled." Frances also stays in touch with Louise's younger brother and sister, but says she never wants to force a bond with her stepchildren. "I'm always here and available for them if they want me." It's something that resonates with Andy, who split up with his wife in 2003 after a 10-year relationship. Although Andy was close to his stepdaughter Helen (not their real names), he was reluctant to push their relationship too hard after the divorce. "When my ex-partner and I got together, Helen was 16 and quite grown up," he says. "She's a wonderful person, so laid-back and respectful. We got on very well." The couple had been living in South Africa, but Helen was based in the UK when they separated. "I was really disappointed at the thought of not being able to spend time with her again, but I didn't want to risk coming between her and her mum or damaging that relationship." However, Helen was keen to reach out to her stepfather. A few years after the split, she visited Durban to see him. "She made a point of coming to see me, which was wonderful," he says. "I was so happy to spend time with her and properly reconnect." The visit wasn't long after the death of Helen's father, who Andy had been friends with throughout his marriage. "Years earlier, I had lent her dad some money. After he died, Helen not only reimbursed me, but also gave me some extra money from her inheritance. She didn't have to give me anything and it wasn't something I was ever expecting." They now chat regularly on WhatsApp, and Helen goes to visit Andy whenever she is in South Africa. "She is just a fantastic person to be around," he says. For stepfamilies, making the choice to stay in contact after a breakup is important. "Even though I don't speak to my ex-husband, Louise and I have formed a better friendship on our own terms since we split up," says Frances. "She is such a go-getter, and really career focused. We may not be related but I see parts of myself in her." While they were always close, Louise believes that the lack of pressure to spend time together has helped their relationship. "I don't think we would be as close as we are now if she hadn't split up with my dad. I am grateful to her for supporting me and making me feel like I can be independent and strong." When Frances remarried in 2017, all three of her former stepchildren joined the celebrations. "It was really nice to have them there with me. I've now got two adult stepchildren with my new partner and I get on well with them, too." Like Frances, Amanda Kane loves spending time with her stepson Daniel, despite splitting up with his father in 2011. "The first time I met Dan, he travelled with us from his home in Ipswich to his dad's house in Preston. He was only six at the time, so it must have been a bit daunting." As soon as they were introduced, she invested time in their relationship, taking him on walks and trips to the cinema. "I remember being really excited to go up north," he says. "When I first got Dakota Johnson being carried by her stepfather Antonio Banderas in 1998. Photo: Ron Galella to know Amanda, we did lots of fun activities together. I really appreciate the effort she made with me while I was growing up because it benefited me so much." As Daniel got older, the couple moved to Norwich so they could spend more time with him. Over the years, their bond continued to develop, and he became closer to Amanda than his biological dad. By the time the couple split up, Daniel was in his early 20s. "There was never any doubt that I would carry on seeing Amanda. It's like I've grown up with two mums, and I am really close to them both. My mum offers me lots of emotional support and Amanda has always helped to drive me to succeed in what I do." Although she was initially worried about not seeing Daniel and his grandparents, Amanda has kept in touch. Since the divorce, she has enjoyed plenty of nights out with her stepson, and even took him to his first Download festival. Eight years on, Daniel has a child of his own, and she and her new partner regularly go for meals with his family. "We treat him and his partner to dinner and go to see his son. I am really proud of him. He's such a lovely dad." Many people who form close bonds with their stepchildren say that amicable relationships with their biological parents are important. Avoid sleeping in your make up Amy Fleming "A lot of my acne patients think that, because they have oily skin, they can't use a moisturiser," says Bav Shergill, a consultant dermatologist based in Sussex. But if you scrub the oils off your skin, it will end up producing more to compensate. "Moisturise your skin so that it is well hydrated and that will turn off your oil production more effectively than trying to scrub away the oil." "The usual suspects are sunscreens," says Erica MacCallum of facialists Eve Lom in New York. So if you use one daily, look for one labelled non-comedogenic (non-clogging) or oil-free. "And never sleep in your makeup." Sandy Skotnicki, a dermatologist based in Toronto, says that even hair products - "in particular argan and coconut oils" - can contribute to facial acne, so "it is important to wash them out before you sleep". Washing your face will help to get rid of spots. Photo: Chakrapong Worathat Exfoliation will help to keep pores clear and Shergill recommends skin products with 2% salicylic acid "and a little more glycolic acid, which can help exfoliate dead skin cells that could cause blockages". "People think acne is an infection, but it's not," says Shergill. "It is inflammation of the skin that allows an overgrowth of bacteria. The body tries to kill the bugs and causes the big red reaction, which is the spot." If one lasts for longer than 10 days, it can scar. "We need to get on and treat spots when they come up," says Shergill. "We often use drugs such as benzoyl peroxide. If you prefer an alternative treatment, tea-tree oil can be effective." As well as killing germs, tea tree has anti-inflammatory properties. To avoid irritation, Shergill recommends diluting it to 5%. "Never squeeze a spot," says Shergill. "The spots will express themselves when you wash your face." And squeezing "blind spots", where skin has grown over the top, is futile and can lead to scarring. When you eat cake, or other high-glycaemic-index (GI) foods, you are likely to produce extra insulin. There is evidence, says Shergill, that high-GI diets and insulin spikes "correlate with facial serum excretion - you make more oil. Whereas a low-glycaemic-load diet significantly reduces lesion counts. So a low-glycaemic-index diet is apparently very effective."
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