One of the secrets to having friends is to be generous with your praise and moderate with your criticism.
Most people love themselves more than you can imagine and have an ego to match.
People tend to remember unflattering words spoken in jest and banter for many years after.
Unfortunately most of us love to receive compliments, but are reluctant to give any ourselves.
We guard carefully the compliments we give others, but we are quick to criticise.
Especially when we are younger, because we suppose, wrongly, that by speaking well of others, we put ourselves below them.
The young also mistake tactlessness and forthrightness for courage and fearlessness.
I have learnt as I have gotten older that most successful people, are good with people.
Their success is largely based on their regular practice of complimenting people frequently and easily.
It is wise to accept that everyone has faults, and to acknowledge that you can never make people better by focusing too much on their weak points.
You probably know someone who draws people to themselves like a magnet and you have always wondered why?
Take some time to observe how they deal with people and you will probably go some way in understanding their charm.
One area in which people, especially women love to receive compliments is the quality of their skin.
If you inspect the wardrobe of the average woman you will find a barrage of skin creams designed to achieve this effect.
When the skin begins to itch or feel dry it is a bad sign that the skin may not be in good health.
Many people have no doubt, had an itch at one time or the other.
It is especially bothersome when it is in an exposed areas such as the face, neck or limbs, but it is also troublesome in private areas of the body.
To scratch any part of your body in public, is generally considered bad etiquette.
Especially if this happens to be in private parts of the body.
•What causes itchiness?
•Which types of itch needs hospital attention?
•How can I deal with a persistent itch?
What causes itchiness?
While working as a young Doctor in 1991, I suddenly and unexpectedly developed a terrible itch.
In the past I had suffered from itchiness before, but this one was particularly severe.
I tried to work out the cause by going over new things that I had been doing. After drawing several blanks on creams, clothes, bedding, towels and lodgings, I stumbled onto the fact that I had changed work areas.
From the section of Obstetrics (Pregnancy and deliveries) to the section of Gynaecology (Diseases of the female reproductive system).
Obstetrics had been a busy unit, with the delivery ward always abuzz, and no chance to sit.
We run from one delivery room to the next with no respite.
So I was glad to change to the Gynaecology section which allowed you to sit, because this time the patients came into the consulting room to you. However the place was so busy it did not allow you to stand once you were seated.
I figured I could be allergic to the disintegrating wooden chair on which I spend most of my day.
So on one of my duty days I turned it upside down, and found to my shock that it’s under surface crevices were embedded with bed bugs.
I changed the chair had it treated with paraffin and my itch quickly subsided.
The causes of an itch can basically be divided into two. These are local causes and systemic or generalised causes.
By local causes is meant, that a specific area of the body may come into contact with a chemical, physical or biological irritant, which provokes a body response only confined to that site.
On the other hand if  the chemical or biological irritant  provokes this response within the blood stream, then the response is spread throughout the body  and triggers an itchy feeling all over the body.
The body has an immune system, which is like a military defence unit. This defence unit has several divisions, which deal with different threats to the body.
The group of White Cells, which deal with irritants are called Eosinophils and Basophils.
They are named this way because they have granules  within the cells, that   stain either blue(Basophils) or pink(Eosinophils).These granules contain the anti-irritant substance called histamine.
It is the breakdown and release of this chemical substance by these cells that causes itchiness.
Which type of itch needs hospital attention?
Not every itch that you get should require attention from the hospital.
If you were to go to the hospital each time you have an itch, you would spend all your time there and you would not be able to do anything else. Many people have seasonal itches that tend to come and go.
Especially when it gets rather windy and dry in the months of August, September and August. Children in particular are especially prone to itchiness of the skin and the eyes.
Many are the result of allergic reactions to things in the air like pollen grain, house dust, ground dust and so on.
So be aware of your own type of itch.
If you know you get a seasonal itch, that disappears after a short space of time and is improved by avoidance, take practical steps to make yourself comfortable and you need not seek hospital attention.
However, if your itch persists for too long and your general measure do not help, then you can seek medical attention.
If the itch is associated with other problems like, watery eyes, yellowness of the eyes or fever you should go to the hospital. Be careful of an itch that is so severe that you are scratching all the time, and it causes damage to the skin.
Itching in the very young children and the elderly should also be taken more seriously.
If you begin to develop an itch, with a rash, due to medicines prescribed to you from the hospital, then you should stop the drugs and go back to the hospital to have them changed.
Some people begin to scratch different parts of the body, when they feel nervous. This is more of a learned habit and does not usually signify a physical disease process.
However, when it is persistent it may cause injury to the skin. Beware of someone who has an existing chronic disease like Sugar Disease(Diabetes), who suddenly begins to complain of itchiness.
This may suggest poor control of the disease and warrants a trip to the nearest clinic.
When someone has yellowing of the eyes and an itch, they are likely to have liver disease and will need hospital attention.
How can I deal with a persistent itch?
The first piece of advice is that everyone will have an itch sooner or later. Most of the itching will be self-limiting and will not last for more than a week or two. Beware of your habits, behaviours and practices.
These will help you to determine the source of any itch. Keep a mental or written record of things which have caused you itching in the past. This will help you to avoid them in the future.
You should also be aware of the more common causes of itchiness.
The most common is an allergy to a common irritant.
Common irritants which people react to include fungal infections, insect bites, garden chemicals, soaps/body creams, food (especially fish based food), meats (especially wild meat) and synthetic clothing material (this includes bedding, pillows and blankets). Many people will also react to pets, plants (potted or wild, including grass), carpet dust, and insecticide spray.
Young children will sometimes get an itch from their mum’s hair extensions. When you have a persistent itch, try to work out the possible source of the irritant and avoid it.
If it is a local itch apply an anti-irritant cream which you can obtain from your local chemists. These include anti insect bite cream or Chlorpheniramine cream. If the itch occurs in the body creases which are very moist such as between the toes, fingers, groin, arm pits and  neck, it tends to be due to fungi. So you should keep the area dry and exposed.
You should also apply an antifungal cream such as miconazole cream. Make sure that your beddings are regularly air dried. Sweep under your bed and turn the bed upside down regularly looking for bed bugs.
Treat the bed base presumptively for bed bugs. Many houses have cracks in the walls, with water seepage, these are sources of fungi and a source of chemical irritation.
Have the roof work redone from time to time to prevent water getting into the walls.
Be careful about treatment of your undergarments and soak them in antiseptic from time to time.
Avoid carpets, they tend to be difficult to clean.
Try to have smaller rugs that can be cleaned easily and air dried.
Make sure you use antiseptic in your bath and always change your towels frequently. Children who are constantly having watery eyes should be taken to the nearest clinic and have anti allergy eye drops.