Women’s Health: Natural Help for Hot Flashes

As a woman ages, her pituitary gland produces less and less of both the luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). These two hormones influence the amount of estrogen and progesterone the ovaries produce. When the hormone levels become low enough, the ovaries stop producing eggs. Thus you have menopause. Along with this, you may experience the discomfort and occasional embarrassment of hot flashes. The good news is that you don’t have to. There are preventative measures you can take, some of which are just common sense to good women’s health.

Interestingly, similar to the onset of labor in the childbirth cycle, no one knows precisely why hot flashes -- those sudden feelings of heat in the upper part, or all over your body, and the accompanying flushed skin, heavy sweat, and even heart palpitation -- occur. But it is known that fluctuating a estrogen level is the underlying cause.

Some women do not experience any hot-flash problems with menopause. Are those lucky ladies doing something different? More than likely, their healthy lifestyles include:

• Exercise. Even moderate exercise a few times a week can greatly reduce the frequency and intensity of hot flashes.

• Lowfat, high-fiber diet. A diet rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains is associated with decreased severity or elimination of hot flashes.

• Avoidance of triggers. Caffeine, smoking, spicy foods, alcohol, chocolate and sugar can set off those hot times.

In addition to healthy habits, if you’re trying to minimize hot flashes you could also seek help in the form of nutritional and herbal supplementation.

Phytoestrogens are substances found in plants that may behave like a weak form of estrogen in the body, moderating estrogen levels. They are found in cereals, legumes (beans), vegetables and some herbs.

Soy is the most well-known source. A soy supplement with a high concentration of isoflavones (the substance in soy that acts as a phytoestrogen) could help with hot flashes.
The wild yam is another food with phytoestrogens. Herbal sources are black cohosh and dong quai. Like soy, wild yam, black cohosh, and dong quai are also available as nutritional supplements.

Exercise, a lowfat diet high in natural fiber, the avoidance of known triggers these elements combined with the use of phytoestrogen-containing supplements, may be all you need to lessen or even avoid hot flashes all together.

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Women’s Health: Putting a 'Polish' on Your Healthy Appearance

A trip to the manicurist is one of life’s simple pleasures -- and for some women, a necessity. You come out feeling really 'polished.' But polished or not, your nails can provide clues to a your general well-being. In traditional Chinese medicine, examination of the nails is part of the diagnostic procedure, and heeding changes in your nails can contribute to maintaining women’s health.

Your nails are made from the same protein as your hair, called keratin, and they grow out from under the cuticle. Healthy nails are smooth, and even-colored. On the average, it takes about six months for a nail to grow out from the cuticle to the tip of your finger. Your nails grow faster and stronger when you're healthy. And when you're not, they will show it.

Hangnails are those little irritating pieces of dead, dry skin along the edges of a fingernail. Unsightly, but informative. If you have hangnails, you may need more vitamins or good oils in your diet. A hand cream with vitamin E and A is also helpful to keep the skin around your nails soft and supple.

Vertical ridges (running the length of the nail) could show a possible iron deficiency, while horizontal ridges, could mean you need more calcium. Nails that split or peel again could be a vitamin A deficiency.

Little white spots on the nail (not the 'moon,' which sits at the base of the nail) can indicate a lack of calcium or a zinc deficiency. (Other discolorations in your nails, such as yellow, green or blue areas, could indicate more serious conditions, such as infection, disease or illness) and should be examined by a health care professional.)

For everyday nail health, a good multivitamin, or a multivite compiled specifically for hair and nails can help keep your nails strong, smooth and attractive. Beautiful fingernails are actually an indication of a good women’s health!

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Women’s Health: Your Crowning Glory

Besides the soft curves of her body and softly featured face, a woman’s hair is the other prime asset in making her look distinctly 'feminine' and beautiful. Today there are a million ways you can alter your hair to fit your face and personality. How can your keep your hair healthy from the inside, and able to withstand the stresses of the sun, dry and polluted air, styling, and coloring? A woman’s health shows in her hair, and there is nutritional help available in the effort to improve the hair’s condition and resilience.

A wide spectrum of nutrients go into a healthy head of hair. A diet lacking in any of these could result in dull, weak or thinning hair:

- Vitamin A produces healthy sebum, the oily substance that helps to protect and waterproof hair and skin, and prevent dryness or brittleness.

- Vitamin C protects from free-radical damage, and assists collagen production for a healthy scalp.

- Vitamin E is an antioxidant that also enhances scalp circulation.

- Biotin helps produce keratin, your hair’s main constituent, which may prevent graying and loss of hair.

- Inositol keeps the follicles -- the tiny factories in your scalp responsible for ongoing hair production healthy.

- Niacin promotes scalp circulation.

- Vitamins B5 (pantothenic acid), B6 and B12 prevent hair loss and help melanin production, the substance that gives color to the hair.

- Magnesium and calcium are both essential for new hair growth.

- Potassium regulates circulation, which promotes hair growth.

- Silica strengthens your hair.

- Manganese helps your hair grow faster.

- Chromium, copper, iodine and iron are all influential in prevention hair loss.

- Selenium keeps the skin and scalp supple and elastic.

- MSM is a natural source of sulfur, which is a main component of hair.

- Zinc keeps your hair in good shape (a deficiency can lead to dry hair).

Many of these vitamins and minerals work together in the production of a healthy scalp and head of hair, and it's easy to find supplemental combinations of the above nutrients designed to bring out the best in your crowning glory -- because it is, after all the best statement of women’s health!

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Women’s Health: Enhance Your Body’s Largest Organ

Considering your skin, rather than look at the glass half empty as you get older, why not look at the glass as half full? You could embrace aging and the desire to stay youthful-looking as the impetus to maximize your physical health and your skin! The tone and beauty of this external organ largely stems from a woman’s internal health. Why not become proactive and give your skin the nourishment it needs? The 'anti-aging' area of women’s health, in regard to keeping the skin looking young, might be much more fun if it were thought of as the 'game of skin enhancement'.

What are the secrets to a radiant complexion? What do the experts recommend as the best skin care strategies to win this game? Exercise and good nutrition are the keys to your overall physical health, are also keys to keeping your skin’s youthful glow.

How does exercise help? It increases circulation and the delivery of nutrients to the skin cells, washing away potentially damaging toxins. You are, in essence, 'cleaning' your skin when you exercise enough to get your lungs and heart pumping.

Exercise also creates the ideal condition in your skin for the creation of collagen, the supportive fibers that hold the skin together and plumps it up. Fibroblasts are the cells in your skin that produce collagen. As you age, your fibroblasts get a bit lazy. When you exercise, you are pumping them with oxygen, inspiring them to get back to work!

Working up a good sweat also flushes out the pores, dislodging bacteria and toxins. Do you ever check yourself out in the mirror an hour or two after a workout and admire that fresh-faced, rosy-cheeked look? Regular exercise gets and keeps your skin supple and vibrant.

The other aspect to good physical health and its skin-enhancing effects is good nutrition. In addition to a balanced diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables, experts say that a good multivitamin will help your skin’s basic needs. Adding a good source of omega-3 essential fatty acids also helps. Omega-3 EFAs ensure the health of your skin’s natural oil barrier by preventing dry skin and providing protection. Flaxseed oil, evening primrose oil and fish oil are all good choices.

Last but not least, drinking plenty of water and the regular use of sunscreen are vital!

A few simple skin strategies, like regular exercise, proper nourishment supplemented with multivitamins and nutritional oils, sufficient water intake and the use of sunscreen, can keep your skin and you 'in your prime'. Your skin is a living, breathing organ that benefits from optimum physical health. Maximize your woman’s health and capture the prize of the timeless, enduring beauty.

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Women’s Health: The Secret of the French Paradox

hat is the key to a healthy heart and long life? What do the French do that we don't? They eat lots of bread and butter, rich sauces, delicious, sugary deserts… why is a French woman’s health typically better than that of her American counterpart?

Their secret is red wine. It contains a class of flavonols (healthy substances found in plants) called proanthocyanidins. Proanthocyanidins are found in high concentrations in the red wines of Southwestern France, and are the reason the French population have healthier hearts, lower incidents of diabetes (despite those delicious tarts, tortes and crème brûlées), and longer lifespans.

Along with cardiovascular strength and longevity, proanthocyanidins provide other benefits to a woman’s health:

- Proanthocyanidins are used in the treatment of allergies

- They improve circulation by strengthening capillary walls

- They work with collagen to repair and rebuild tissue, and help to reverse damage done over the years by injury or free radicals

- They keeps skin elastic, smooth and wrinkle-free

- They protect against environmental toxins such as radiation, pesticides, pollution, and heavy metals

- They protect the blood vessels in the brain, resulting in improved mental acuity and decreased risk for stroke

Does that mean that a daily dose of vino is your key to a healthy heart and long life? Not necessarily, but it does mean understanding ways you can get proanthocyanidins into your own diet. Where can these powerful nutrients, proanthocyanidins, be found? Bilberry, green tea, black currant, black tea, and cranberry are all sources. Other sources are pine bark, red wine, grape skin, and most, notably, grape seed.

Today, if you want to keep healthy, you don't have to compromise your sobriety or pick the seeds out of your grapes. There are excellent supplements available that extract the essence of these products, making strong hearts, soft skin and long-lasting women’s health just a daily capsule away.

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Women’s Health: Protect Yourself Against Age-Related Blindness

As you age, you become susceptible to a condition called macular degeneration, where the macula (the inner lining of the eye behind the retina) thins or, in extreme cases, bleeds. It's scary to think that blindness is a threat to older women’s health, but it doesn't have to happen to you.

Age-related macular degeneration, or ARMD, is the leading cause of blindness in people over fifty. It can cause a loss of central vision, resulting in an inability to see fine details, or to read. Ten percent of people between the ages of 66 and 74 show evidence of macular degeneration, and this figure increases to 30% of those over 75. What are the risk factors? And what are the preventative measures can you take?

Risk factors for AMRD include:

• Aging

• Race (it most commonly occurs in Caucasians), and genetic predisposition

• High blood pressure

• Poor cardiovascular health (obesity and/or high cholesterol), and high fat intake (over 20-25% of your daily calories)

• Exposure to 'high energy visible light' light in the blue/violet range of sunlight (some sunglasses now block against HEV check with your optometrist)

You can't stop age or change your genes, but there are other things you can do to safeguard against AMRD.

• Find out if you're in a healthy weight range for you height, and if not, take steps to reduce your weight. [Editor's Note: See Shaping Up for Summer for tips on how to do this easily.]

• Make sure you're getting sufficient exercise -- this will improve your cardiovascular health and blood pressure.

• Eat the right fats [Editor's Note: see The Facts about Fats -- the Good, the Bad and the Ugly! for more info.]

Nutritional help is also available from lutein and zeaxanthin. These two compounds absorb blue light (they look yellow or orange-red), and concentrations of each are found in the macula. The current theory is that they help to protect against HEV damage by absorbing the harmful rays.

There is also a growing body of evidence that lutein and zeaxanthin can protect your eyes from forming cataracts.

If you don't have enough lutein and zeaxanthin in your diet (they occur naturally in green, leafy foods), or if you have a genetic predisposition to this condition, it is wise to supplement. Women’s health should include good eyesight in those years when there's finally time to relax and enjoy it!

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Information on Hearing Impairment

Hearing impairment is the decreased ability to hear and discriminate among sounds. It is one of the most common birth defects. Each year in the United States, about 12,000 babies (3 in 1,000) are born with significant hearing impairment (1). Hearing impairment that is present at birth is called congenital hearing impairment. Hearing impairment also can develop later in childhood or during adulthood.

Normal hearing thresholds are not the same for all frequencies in any species of animal. If different frequencies of sound are played at the same amplitude, some will be loud, and others quiet or even completely inaudible. Generally, if the gain or amplitude is increased, a sound is more likely to be perceived. Ordinarily, when animals use sound to communicate, hearing in that type of animal is most sensitive for the frequencies produced by calls, or, in the case of humans, speech. This tuning of hearing exists at many levels of the auditory system, all the way from the physical characteristics of the ear to the nerves and tracts that convey the nerve impulses of the auditory portion of the brain.

It can be caused by many physical conditions (e.g., childhood illnesses, pregnancy-related illnesses, injury, heredity, age, excessive or prolonged exposure to noise), and result in varying degrees of hearing loss. Generally, hearing impairments are categorized as mild, moderate, severe, or profound. An individual with a moderate hearing impairment may be able to hear sound, but have difficulty distinguishing specific speech patterns in a conversation. Individuals with a profound hearing impairment may not be able to hear sounds at all.

Hearing impaired student shows an ever increasing gap in vocabulary growth, complex sentence comprehension and construction, and in concept formation as compared to students with normal hearing. Hearing impaired students often learn to "feign" comprehension with the end result being that the student does have optimal learning opportunities. Therefore, facilitative strategies for hearing impaired students are primarily concerned with various aspects of communication. Other problems arise because deafness is an invisible disability.

Syndromes deafness accounts for the other cases of genetic deafness. Some syndromes have a particular inheritance pattern (eg, autosomal dominant for Gernet syndrome, autosomal recessive for Winter syndrome, X linked for Rosenberg syndrome). Others are sporadic (eg, cat-eye, Turner, or Klinefelter syndrome). Physical findings usually indicate the presence of a syndrome; however, children with some syndromes develop the associated physical findings late in childhood.

The ear consists of three parts - the outer ear, the middle ear and the inner ear. The outer ear is made up of the visible part of the ear on the side of your head, the ear canals that go into your head, and the eardrum, a thin layer of tissue that Sep rates. It is easy for teachers to "forget about it" and treat the student as not having a disability. It has also been shown that hearing impaired students with good English skills also have good science concept formation.

Hearing loss can be inherited. Both dominant gene and recessive genes exist which can cause mild to profound impairment. If a family has a dominant gene for deafness it will persist across generations because it will manifest itself in the offspring even if it is inherited from only one parent. If a family had genetic hearing impairment caused by a recessive gene it will not always be apparent as it will have to be passed onto offspring from both parents.

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What is Hansen's Disease?

Hammertoes usually start out as mild deformities and get progressively worse over time. In the earlier stages, hammertoes are flexible and the symptoms can often be managed with noninvasive measures. But if left untreated, hammertoes can become more rigid and will not respond to non-surgical treatment. Corns are more likely to develop as time goes on--and corns never really go away, even after trimming. In more severe cases of hammertoe, open sores may form.

It is still not known exactly how leprosy is transmitted from one person to another. It is believed that the disease is spread through respiratory droplets but this has not been proven. Preventing the spread of Hansen's disease is, for the present, limited to treating individuals after they contract the disease. Some of the vaccines used to treat tuberculosis may offer some hope in this area since the bacteria that cause Hansen's disease are similar to those that cause tuberculosis.

Hansen's disease was once a widespread disease but is now generally classified as a tropical disease, with the larger numbers of cases concentrated in Brazil, India, Nigeria, Indonesia, Bangladesh and Myanmar. Only about five percent of the people who are infected with the bacteria actually develop the disease. The immune system generally prevent the development of leprosy. However, it has been found that some people are naturally more susceptible to the infection, while others carry a natural immunity. When an individual does develop symptoms, they are usually mild. The disease is only fatal in rare cases or in cases where other complications have taken hold.

Hansen disease is caused by a bacillus, Mycobacterium leprae, first described by G. Amauer Hansen, MD, of Norway in 1874, that multiplies very slowly and mainly affects the skin, nerves, and mucous membranes. They have a predilection for the cooler areas of the body. This acid-fast rod has never been grown on artificial media or tissue culture, but, in 1960, Shepard successfully grew M leprae bacilli in mouse foot pads. Studies have shown that solid staining bacilli were infectious to mice, while beaded were not.

The good news is that Hansen's disease is curable. In 1981, the World Health Organization recommended the use of a combination of three antibiotics- -dapsone, rifampin, and clofazimine--for treatment, which takes six months to a year or more. During the course of treatment, the body may react to the dead bacteria with pain and swelling in the skin and nerves. This is treated with pain medication, prednisone, or thalidomide (under special conditions).

Compiled statistics reveal that Hansen's disease (leprosy) is rare in the U.S. There are currently approximately 6,500 cases; about 3,300 require active medical management. People with Hansen's disease (leprosy) can generally continue their normal work and other activities uninterrupted while they are under treatment, which may last several years. Yet Hansen's disease (leprosy) remains the most misunderstood human infectious disease. The stigma long associated with the disease still exists in most of the world and the psychological and social effects may be more difficult to deal with than the actual physical illness.

Hansen's disease has very characteristic clinical features but the diagnosis must be confirmed because of the need for prolonged treatment with antibiotics. A skin biopsy may show characteristic granulomas (mixed inflammatory cell infiltrate in the deeper layers of the skin, the dermis) and involvement of the nerves. Special staining of the tissue may show acid fast bacilli, the number visible depending on the type of leprosy.

The bacteria may also be found in lepromatous leprosy on smears taken from skin slits made in the ear lobes, but the smears will be negative in the tuberculoid or borderline forms of the disease.

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Men’s Health: Folate and Sperm

A ‘seminal study’ has been released that shows how men’s health and reproduction is affected by sub-optimal levels of folate (folic acid, one of the B vitamins). It has long been recognized that folate deficiency in women leads to higher rates of birth defects, particularly ‘neural tube’ defects that result in brain and spinal malformations. Any woman who intends to become pregnant is told to supplement with folate to prevent these problems. Now, men are also instructed to take additional folate well before attempting to become fathers. This is based on new evidence that a diet rich in folic acid helps in the formation of normal sperm cells.

Each of the B vitamins plays a role in the energy production within cells. They are needed for everything from good nerve transmission to bone formation. It appears from latest research that folate has a ‘special’ role and benefit for men’s health.

In the normal production of the male reproductive cells, it is considered typical to have up to one in twenty sperm cells be abnormal, having either too many or too few chromosomes (a condition called aneuploidy). Scientists at UC Berkeley discovered a link between folate levels in men and the rate of abnormal sperm. The more folate consumed the better chance of having normal sperm cells and conversely, those whose folate was low had many more defective sperm.

The BBC reported that for men with ‘fertility problems’ (difficulty conceiving), supplementing their diets with zinc and folate increased their overall sperm counts, as well as helped prevent the formation of abnormal sperm. This helped prevent certain genetic abnormalities in their offspring.

Researchers in Holland evaluated men who had been clinically infertile for no known reason and compared them with a control group of normally fertile men. Half were then given vitamin supplements of folate and zinc. The previously infertile men who took the supplements showed a 74% increase in the number of normal sperm cells in their semen, while the fertile men also had increases, although smaller in comparison.

It’s clear that our bodies require adequate levels of nutrients to function properly. Although we’ve often overlooked this vital aspect of men’s health, we now know that the next healthy generation depends on us having proper genetic expression through optimal nutrition.

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Heart Health: Improve Your Heart Health Odds

Here are five things you can do to improve your odds against heart disease:


1.Offset your risks. Risk factors for heart disease include diabetes, smoking, metabolic syndrome, being overweight and a family history of heart disease (HD). Understanding your risk profile can help you develop strategies to best protect you from heart disease. By age 50, annually you should:

• Have your blood pressure checked.


• Get a lipid profile (an assessment of blood fats).


• Actively manage your weight in other words, change that ‘spare tire'!


• Alter your diet to include more fish and vegetables.


• Stop smoking.


• Avoid other bad habits, like snacking on junk food, for example.


2.Exercise. Numerous clinical studies have shown that getting just moderate-intensity exercise most days of the week really helps. Even thirty minutes of some form of moderate exercise (like fast walking, jogging, tennis, swimming or anything else aerobic) three to four times a week will help to ‘recharge your mental batteries,’ lower your blood sugar, help control your weight and keep your heart healthier.


3.Rest. Make your health a priority. Get to bed earlier. Relax and de-stress with an after-dinner walk (rather than watching TV). Admittedly, making lifestyle modifications like an improved diet, taking supplements, getting enough sleep and exercising do take some time and effort. Everyone says, "I don’t have time." But, you can either fit it in your schedule, or fit it on your headstone!


4.Take nutrients for your heart. Your heart never stops working, even when you sleep, so give it the nutrients it needs to work well. Omega-3 fish oils like EPA and DHA are an ideal place to start. Take Co Q10 daily, along with vitamin B6, folate, vitamin C, magnesium and vitamin E. Or, for convenience, find a supplement that contains most of these nutrients all together. Your heart will thank you by serving you for many additional years!


5.Get a ‘Health Coach.’ Find someone who knows something about being healthy (and is healthy himself). Nutritionists, chiropractors, and medical doctors are the obvious professionals you could seek out. Find a holistic doctor that can assist you in getting healthy and staying healthy, without just focusing on your ‘conditions.’


Your long-term heart health and general well being are directly related to how much you can incorporate these suggestions. Start now!

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Information on Female Infertility

There are many different types of infertility experienced by women. Many of the fertility problems can be easily treated. However, the sooner you get a diagnosis, the better your prognosis will be. In this section, you'll find explanations for numerous female infertility disorders. Many women trying to conceive for the first time panic if their periods continue for even three or four months. But the standard definition of infertility is unsuccessful conception after an entire year of unprotected intercourse.

Infertility is usually defined as not being able to get pregnant despite trying for one year. A broader view of infertility includes not being able to carry a pregnancy to term. Problems with ovulation account for most infertility in women. Signs of problems with ovulation include irregular menstrual periods or no periods. Simple lifestyle factors, including stress, diet, or athletic training can affect a woman's hormonal balance. Follow the links below to find information on the causes, diagnosis and treatment of female infertility.

A basic infertility evaluation includes a history focused on fertility factors, physical examination, and laboratory evaluation. The evaluation should determine if the partner can produce normal semen, if the fallopian tubes are open, and if the ovaries are able to produce eggs that are likely to establish a pregnancy. The three most important laboratory evaluations are a semen analysis, baseline (day 3) FSH to determine the "ovarian reserve," and a hysterosalpingogram (HSG) to insure that the tubes are open.

If getting pregnant has been a challenge for you and your partner, you're not alone. Ten percent to 15 percent of couples in the United States are infertile. Infertility is defined as not being able to get pregnant despite having frequent, unprotected sex for at least a year.

If you've been trying to conceive for more than a year, there's a chance that something may be interfering with your efforts to have a child. Infertility may be due to a single cause in either you or your partner, or a combination of factors that may prevent a pregnancy from occurring or continuing.

Blockage of the fallopian tubes can be suggested on a hysterosalpingogram (HSG), but it is important to do a laparoscopy to confirm whether this is the case or not. Sometimes inadequate pressure when inserting the dye during a HSG can lead to a suggestion of blockage when one doesn�t exist. Laparoscopy also gives the opportunity of taking a close look at the tubes to decide on the usefulness of tubal surgery to open them. The most common cause of blocked tubes is infection, and the most common infection implicated is chlamydia. About 70% of women who have blocked tubes have had a chlamydia infection, though half the time it will have been silent and they will not have even been aware of it.

In the past several years, fertility specialists have made great strides in diagnosing and treating infertility. Surgery and hormone therapy can correct some infertility problems. If those methods fail, doctors now have access to more advanced procedures, collectively known as Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART). For many couples, ART is the best chance and last hope for achieving pregnancy. The evaluation and treatment of infertility requires a great deal of time, resources, and energy. It requires the participation of the couple, physicians, nurses, technicians, counselors, and many others.

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Information on Urinary Incontinence in Children

Parents or guardians of children who experience bedwetting at night or accidents during the day should treat this problem with understanding and patience. This loss of urinary control is called urinary incontinence or just incontinence. Although it affects many young people, it usually disappears naturally over time, which suggests that incontinence, for some people, may be a normal part of growing up. Incontinence at the normal age of toilet training may cause great distress. Daytime or nighttime incontinence can be embarrassing. It is important to understand that many children experience occasional incontinence and that treatment is available for most children who have difficulty controlling their bladders.

The bladder is made of two types of muscles: the detrusor, a muscular sac that stores urine and squeezes to empty, and the sphincter, a circular group of muscles at the bottom or neck of the bladder that automatically stay contracted to hold the urine in and automatically relax when the detrusor contracts to let the urine into the urethra. A third group of muscles below the bladder (pelvic floor muscles) can contract to keep urine back. A baby's bladder fills to a set point, then automatically contracts and empties. As the child gets older, the nervous system develops.

Inadequate control of urination in children who have reached an age where they should be capable of control (usually over the age of 5). Children with the condition often suffer from nighttime bedwetting but can also have urinary accidents during the day. Urinary incontinence is common and most outgrow the condition without any treatment. Many factors may contribute to the incontinence such as anxiety, overproduction of urine, small bladder capacity and sleep apnea.

Potty-trained children often get constipated simply because they refuse to go to the bathroom. The problem might stem from embarrassment over using a public toilet or unwillingness to stop playing and go to the bathroom. But if the child continues to hold in stool, the feces will accumulate and harden in the rectum. The child might have a stomachache and not eat much, despite being hungry. And when he or she eventually does pass the stool, it can be painful, which can lead to fear of having a bowel movement.

Some changes in eating habits may be necessary too. Your child should eat more high-fiber foods to soften stool, avoid dairy products if they cause constipation, and drink plenty of fluids every day, including water and juices like prune, grape, or apricot, which help prevent constipation. If necessary, the doctor may prescribe laxatives.

Bacterial urinary tract infections and viral infections that lead to bladder irritation (viral cystitis) are common infectious causes. To prevent urine from leaking, many children with incontinence cross their legs or use other postures, which may increase the chance of developing a urinary tract infection. Sexually active adolescents can have urinary difficulties from certain sexually transmitted diseases. Caffeine and acidic juices, such as orange and tomato juice, can irritate the bladder and lead to leakage of urine.

Certain inherited genes appear to contribute to incontinence. In 1995, Danish researchers announced they had found a site on human chromosome 13 that is responsible, at least in part, for nightime wetting. If both parents were bedwetters, a child has an 80 percent chance of being a bedwetter also. Experts believe that other, undetermined genes also may be involved in incontinence.

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Inguinal Hernia – Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

Inguinal hernias occur when soft tissue — usually part of the intestine — protrudes through a weak point or tear in your lower abdominal wall. The resulting bulge of this common condition can be painful — especially when you cough, bend over or lift a heavy object. In many people, the abdominal wall weakness that leads to an inguinal hernia occurs at birth when the abdominal lining (peritoneum) doesn't close properly. Other inguinal hernias develop later in life when muscles weaken or deteriorate due to factors such as aging, strenuous physical activity or coughing that accompanies smoking.

The most common location for hernias is the groin (or inguinal) area. There are several reasons for this tendency. First, there is a natural anatomical weakness in the groin region which results from incomplete muscle coverage. Second, the upright position of human posture results in a greater force occurring at the bottom of the abdomen, thereby increasing the stress on these weaker tissues. The combination of these factors over time breaks down the support tissues enlarging any preexisting hole or leads to a tear resulting in a new hole.

Causes

There is often no apparent cause. Heavy lifting, straining when using the bathroom, constipation, excessive coughing or sneezing, vigorous exercise or sex can be contributory factors.Some people are at more risk than others; those with a family history of hernia, people with cystic fibrosis and those with an undescended testicle.

Although abdominal hernias can be present at birth, others develop later in life. Some involve pathways formed during fetal development, existing openings in the abdominal cavity, or areas of abdominal wall weakness.

Symptoms

Inguinal hernias appear as a bulge or swelling in the groin or scrotum. The swelling may be more noticeable when the baby cries, and may get smaller or go away when the baby relaxes. If your physician pushes gently on this bulge when the child is calm and lying down, it will usually get smaller or go back into the abdomen.

In developing baby boys, a hole in the abdomen allows the testicles to descend into the scrotum. In girls, a similar opening may exist even though the ovaries do not descend out of the abdomen. Normally, this hole closes before a baby is born. A hernia results when a sac protrudes through the opening and the lining of the abdominal cavity.

Some inguinal hernias don't cause any symptoms, and you may not know you have one until your doctor discovers it during a routine medical exam. Often, however, you can see and feel the bulge created by the protruding intestine. The bulge is usually more obvious when you stand upright, especially if you cough or strain.

Treatment

Treatment is important to avoid a potentially serious condition called a strangulated hernia. This is when the bulging through the muscle wall obstructs the flow of blood to the intestine or stops the flow of intestinal contents leading to tissue death. An inguinal hernia can often be reduced, pushed back into place. If it is nonreducable then surgery is required under a general anaesthetic. Usually done on an out patient basis the segment of bowel is put back in the abdominal cavity and the muscle closed. A piece of plastic mesh is sometimes used to reinforce the weakened muscle area. A dry dressing protects the incision area for a few days.

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What is Hydrocephalus?

Hydrocephalus can be defined broadly as a disturbance of formation, flow, or absorption of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) that leads to an increase in volume occupied by this fluid in the central nervous system (CNS). This condition also could be termed a hydrodynamic disorder of CSF. Acute hydrocephalus occurs over days, subacute over weeks, and chronic over months or years. Conditions such as cerebral atrophy and focal destructive lesions also lead to an abnormal increase of CSF in CNS. In these situations, loss of cerebral tissue leaves a vacant space that is filled passively with CSF.

The ventricular system is made up of four ventricles connected by narrow passages.. Normally, CSF flows through the ventricles, exits into cisterns (closed spaces that serve as reservoirs) at the base of the brain, bathes the surfaces of the brain and spinal cord, and then reabsorbs into the bloodstream. CSF has three important life-sustaining functions: 1) to keep the brain tissue buoyant, acting as a cushion or "shock absorber"; 2) to act as the vehicle for delivering nutrients to the brain and removing waste; and 3) to flow between the cranium and spine and compensate for changes in intracranial blood volume (the amount of blood within the brain).

The causes of hydrocephalus are still not well understood. Hydrocephalus may result from inherited genetic abnormalities (such as the genetic defect that causes aqueductal stenosis) or developmental disorders (such as those associated with neural tube defects including spina bifida and encephalocele). Other possible causes include complications of premature birth such as intraventricular hemorrhage, diseases such as meningitis, tumors, traumatic head injury, or subarachnoid hemorrhage, which block the exit of CSF from the ventricles to the cisterns or eliminate the passageway for CSF into the cisterns.

Symptoms of hydrocephalus vary with age, disease progression, and individual differences in tolerance to CSF. In infancy, the most obvious indication of hydrocephalus is often the rapid increase in head circumstance or an unusually large head size. In older children and adults, symptoms may include headache followed by vomiting, nausea, papilledema (swelling of the optic disk, which is part of the optic nerve), downward deviation of the eyes (called "sunsetting"), problems with balance, poor coordination, gait disturbance, urinary incontinence, slowing or loss of development (in children), lethargy, drowsiness, irritability, or other changes in personality or cognition, including memory loss.

Normal flow and absorption through the subarachnoid space is dependent on proper CSF pressure in the head (called intracranial pressure). A build up of CSF often causes a dangerous increase in pressure. The combination of CSF buildup and the subsequent increase in intracranial pressure can stress brain tissue and can cause the characteristic symptoms of hydrocephalus, though they also may occur with normal pressure.

Hydrocephalus produces different combinations of these signs and symptoms, depending on its cause, which also varies by age. For example, a condition known as normal pressure hydrocephalus, which mainly affects older people, typically starts with difficulty walking. Urinary incontinence often develops, along with a type of dementia marked by slowness of thinking and information processing.

The most common treatment for hydrocephalus is the surgical insertion of a drainage system, called a shunt. It consists of a long flexible tube with a valve that keeps fluid from the brain flowing in the right direction and at the proper rate. One end of the tubing is usually placed in one of the brain's ventricles.

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Vitamin ABCs: Lutein May Prevent Macular Degeneration and Save Your Sight

As we get older, our bodies invariably undergo physical degeneration. We might not care about a lot of it -- a few wrinkles here and there and a little gray hair doesn’t have to be a life-changing experience. But there are some parts of the body we should go to great lengths to preserve and protect, and our eyes are at the top of the list. Proper care of the eyes, including taking vitamins like lutein, can often prevent degeneration. April is Women’s Eye Health and Safety Month, and now is the time to find out about leutin, other vitamins that are good for the eyes, and tips you can implement to protect your sight.

If someone were to ask you to list the organs in the body, the eyes would probably not immediately come to mind. But of all our organs, the eyes are probably the most fascinating: Their complex structure captures light and transforms it into impulses which are then interpreted by the brain as images -- images of all the things we most value. The eyes are also called the windows to the soul -- no matter what body language is being used or what words are being said, the eyes tell the truth.

Is this something you really want to risk losing? Probably not. But, unfortunately, many people not only use visual aids like glasses and contact lenses, they even lose their sight, or part of it, by not giving their eyes the proper care.

How can you protect your eyes and safeguard your vision?

- If you are already wearing corrective lenses or contacts, make sure you have your eyes examined regularly to ensure your prescription is always correct.
- Protect your eyes from excessive UV rays. You don’t have to wear sunglasses all the time you’re out -- sun coming into the eyes enables the body to produce vitamin D -- but make sure you use sunglasses when in the sun for extended periods.
- Make sure you read with enough light.
- Eat an eye-healthy diet: broccoli, walnuts, pecans, almonds, wheat germ, spinach and other leafy green vegetables are especially good for the eyes.
- Supplement your diet with the right nutrients beta carotene, vitamins C and E and, especially, lutein.

Why is lutein so important? Lutein is a natural part of the eye. It’s found in the macula, the part of the retina that enables fine, detailed vision. A number of studies have shown that lutein is related to the pigmentation in the eye, and that pigmentation decreases the risk of macular degeneration the number-one cause of vision loss in people over sixty.

Many people have excellent vision throughout their entire life. If you want to be one of them, start protecting your vision now. Give lutein a try.

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Anti-Aging: Noni Juice Offers Potential Benefits For Many Conditions

Noni is the Hawaiian name for Morinda citrifolia, a fruit-bearing tree found throughout the tropical Pacific where it has been used for tens of centuries as a native cure-all. Called ach in India, nono in Tahiti, and by as many other names as there are places it grows, people around the world are turning to anti-aging noni juice extracts for improved health.

Extracts of the small, oval fruit with the almost unbearably bitter taste are available to consumers in capsule form, and as a bottled juice, usually mixed with other berry juices to improve the flavor. Noni juice has been cited by health practitioners for addressing so many anti-aging concerns that it’s impossible to list them all. A few of the medicinal uses include digestive problems such as diarrhea, intestinal worms, nausea and food poisoning; respiratory problems such as coughs, chest colds and sore throats -- even tuberculosis and cholera.

Noni juice also has been used in the treatment of tumors and broken bones, and in jaundice and other forms of liver disease. It has been used to treat asthma and dysentery, menstrual cramps, gastric ulcers and even diabetes.

Of special interest are its apparent anti-aging properties, such as helping to normalize cardiovascular problems, including high and low blood pressure and hypercholesterolemia (high cholesterol), helping ease inflammatory joint problems such as arthritis and gout, and improving the health, elasticity and appearance of skin. In fact, noni juice is used to treat all sorts of skin conditions, from ulcers, abscesses and ringworm to boils, cellulitis and sores of every description. And noni juice is also an effective pain reliever.

Noni juice doesn’t interfere with other supplements or medications, has no side effects, and offers a wealth of potential benefits that are often seen within just a few weeks. These should be enough reasons for anyone to give anti-aging noni juice a try.

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How to Get Rid o Gallstones

Gallstones can be as small as a grain of sand or as large as a golf ball. We can develop one large stone or a multitude of smaller ones. Many people with gallstones have no symptoms at all. Others go through life relatively symptom free, experiencing minor symptoms such as abdominal bloating, intolerance to fatty foods, belching, intestinal gas and indigestion. For others, however they may suffer what is called a gallstone “attack”. Gallstone attacks often follow a fatty meal. Symptoms of an attack include steady, sever pain in the upper abdomen that can last from 30 minutes to several hours.

Gallstones can be reversed, but it’s something that takes quite a bit of time. After all, they have been formed in your body over a period of decades, so it's not something you can get rid of overnight from a nutritional standpoint. At the same time, I know that a lot of people are experiencing extreme pain when it comes to passing gall bladder stones. So obviously, those people are looking at surgical procedures as a more immediate technique for getting rid of the pain.

People who are overweight or who are attempting to lose weight quickly are more likely to get gallstones. Gallstones generally pass in families, pointing to a possible genetic link. Gallstones have different appearance, awaitning of their contents. The two kinds of gallstones are cholesterol stones and pigment stones. Cholesterol stones are normally green, but are occassionally white or yellow in color and account for around 80 percent of gallstones. They are primarily composed of cholesterol. Pigment stones are petite, dark stones made of bilirubin.

One of the most popular ways to get rid of gallstones naturally is a liver "cleanse". With a liver cleanse you are rewarding your liver for its daily work and in the process you are helping to alleviate the possibility of additional strain being placed on the gallbladder with the excess cholesterol and bile salts that can accumulate with an under-functioning liver. The liver works hard to remove the toxins (impurities) that build up in your body. These toxins include a wide array of pollutants, including excess fats, alcohol and anything we eat that needs to be filtered. A liver cleanse will usually last about a day and uses a variety of ingredients to flush out the liver.

Epsom salt dissolved in 1/4 cup warm water. You may then return to your normal eating schedule.Your next bowel movement you will see small gallstones in the toilet. They are light to dark green in color and sized from tiny sesame seeds to about the size of a large pea. If you see a lot of stones repeat the flush in about a month! This liver flush should be done once a year. After a flush make sure you keep the fiber flowing in your diet or your bowels might become a little sluggish.

Diet: Identify and avoid all foods to which you are allergic or sensitive, especially eggs, milk and dairy products, gluten, wheat and dairy products. Also reduce your saturated and overall fat intake, keeping it below 20 percent of the total foods you eat, and eliminate all processed and hydrogenated fats. But do not cut fat completely, as this can actually increase your chances of developing gallstones. Monounsaturated fats (olive oil, coconut oil) are the best fats to include in your diet.

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How to Treat Asthma

As my asthma got worse I became increasingly reliant on inhalers, pills and antihistamines as well as upon the oral steroid prednisone to stay out of hospital. I tried all the drugs and therapies available. As it was by the time I was in my late 30s I was a frequent visitor to the emergency room. As anyone who has experienced a severe asthma attack can tell you they are terrifying.

Before we discuss the causes of asthma, I would like to know what explanation you actually are expecting to find here. Are you looking for a longwinded, terminology-laden story about the might of modern medicine? Or perhaps you are wondering how modern medicine has managed to discover ways to contain asthma but failed, in all these decades of research, to find a cure? You definitely will not find any of the first in here, and relatively little of the second. What this article concentrates on is real, tangible, practical ways you can help yourself get rid of asthma once and for all.

Often symptoms get started or "triggered" by something that bothers your lungs. These things are called asthma triggers. There are many kinds of triggers. They can range from viruses (such as colds) to allergies, to gases and particles in the air. Given this range, you may find it hard to figure out what starts your asthma attacks.

There is no magic cure for Asthma....no saintly procedure, no elixir, no god can help. You can improve your symptoms by avoiding the things that trigger asthma attacks (everyone has different triggers) and you can improve your lung function through exercise. Having an air purifier and a humidifier in the home can help as well;

Long-term control medications are taken daily to maintain control of persistent asthma. They primarily serve to control airway inflammation. The quick-relief medications are taken to achieve prompt reversal of an acute asthma “attack” by relaxing bronchial smooth muscle. Many asthma medications can be administered orally or by inhalation. Metered-dose inhalers (MDI’s) are the most widely used method, but dry powder inhalers are becoming popular.

People diagnosed with asthma as children sometimes seem to grow out of it so in that sense I guess for some it does go away. For others it gets worse as they grow up. If you're dealing with asthma in a child I would recommend seeing a pediatric pulomologist because there are other issues that can cause similar symptoms in children.

Dust mite droppings in the air after vacuuming, which can take hours to settle. The Baxi Clean Air System claims to starve dust mites by reducing air humidity.
Constipation. Pressure from the tummy area affects breathing. That, together with the effect of toxic build-up in the colon, demands action. Poor digestion is common with asthma. Eat little and often so that the digestive tract does not get clogged up. Nuts can have an inflating effect on the system of an asthmatic.

There are other asthma triggers that you can get rid of or avoid. Good examples of these triggers are cold air, dust, feathers or molds.
Cigarette smoking is another trigger that must be avoided. If you smoke, you need to quit. Smoking cigarettes will make your asthma worse, and if you breathe the smoke from someone else's cigarette, you may get an asthma attack.

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Get Benefits of Wearing Perfumes

Firstly, the effect of perfume on our brains is not necessarily recognised though the effects are certainly enjoyed. Each scent, whether natural or synthetic, emits molecules which enter the nasal passages and eventually reach the olfactory epithelium. This part of the nose has a vast amount of receptor neurons which are each covered in hairs called cilia. These cilia trap the scent and send a message to the brain which enables a person to recognise the perfume. The ability to smell immediately has a positive impact. This is important as some research has shown that people without a sense of smell have a less happy life than those who can smell; scents trigger emotions and affect our mood.

Firstly, the effect of perfume on our brains is not necessarily recognised though the effects are certainly enjoyed. Each scent, whether natural or synthetic, emits molecules which enter the nasal passages and eventually reach the olfactory epithelium. This part of the nose has a vast amount of receptor neurons which are each covered in hairs called cilia. These cilia trap the scent and send a message to the brain which enables a person to recognise the perfume. The ability to smell immediately has a positive impact. This is important as some research has shown that people without a sense of smell have a less happy life than those who can smell; scents trigger emotions and affect our mood.

A particular fragrance can become a signature of the person who wears it regularly. This leads some fragrance divas to hide the name of her favorite perfume the same way she hoards information like her weight or her true age. Simply spritzing that scent in the morning can show the world what you are made of. Other women love to use fragrance to reveal her inner mood each day. Whatever your reason for selecting a fragrance, you can be sure that your choice will say something about you. Make it say something positive and pretty to give you a leg up on your image.

When you visit the fragrance department in a department store, sample perfumes by spraying a couple of fragrances on your skin in areas located far apart from one another. For example, spray one type on your hand and the other on your upper arm. Don't try spraying on more than two fragrances in a single trip. Then, leave the store or at least the perfume section for a few minutes to smell the fragrances on your skin. This will allow you to smell the scents without them blending with others from the fragrance section.

The good news is that because a perfume allergy can produce such a serious reaction as asthma or an anaphylactic shock, you will find a number of products now on the market that are fragrance free. Many of these items are found in organic stores although traditional grocery stores are now trying to cater to all customers. Because you cannot control who does and does not wear perfume, you have to take steps to protect yourself if you have a perfume allergy. This might include letting a job interview know, wearing a mask, or perhaps taking medication.

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Glucagonoma – Information on Glucagonoma

Glucagonoma is a rare pathology. Incidence is probably 1% of all neuroendocrine tumors. From 1942, approximately 250 cases are described in the literature. Incidence of this pathology is estimated on an annual basis, with 1 case occurring in every 20 million people. This number is probably an underestimation of the actual occurrence because of the relative lack of specificity of the symptoms. An additional factor contributing to this underestimation is the time during which the tumors are clinically silent.

Necrolytic migratory erythema (NME) is a classical symptom observed in patients with glucagonoma and is present in 80% of cases. Associated NME is characterized by the spread of erythematous blisters and swelling across areas subject to greater friction and pressure, including the lower abdomen, buttocks, perineum, and groin.

Glucagonoma is usually malignant (cancerous). The cancer tends to spread and get worse. The cancer affects the islet cells of the pancreas. As a result, they produce too much of a hormone called glucagon. The excess glucagon causes symptoms such as glucose intolerance and hyperglycemia (elevated blood sugar).

Glucagonomas not associated with the syndrome are diagnosed in various ways. The tumor may appear as a malignant pancreatic tumor discovered because of local growth, with or without metastases. Glucagonoma very rarely is a member of multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN I) syndromes, and, in such cases, it appears as a single lesion and is biologically inactive. Similar to other islet cell tumors, the primary and metastatic lesions are slow growing.

Patients usually present with nonspecific complaints, such as weight loss, diabetes, diarrhea, and stomatitis. Unexplained weight loss and the onset of NME, especially with new-onset diabetes mellitus, often hasten the correct diagnosis. Still, because mild early lesions may exhibit only subtle changes in histology and because inadequate sampling can miss the diagnostic changes, the skin eruption itself often is interpreted as a nonspecific dermatitis. It is not uncommon for several years to elapse before the correct diagnosis is found.

The most important of these factors is the reduced blood concentration of glucose. Acetylcholine and catecholamines elevate serum levels of glucagon and somatostatin, and serotonin reduces these levels. Physiological glucagon activity includes (1) glycogenolysis activation with contemporary glycolysis inhibition and activation of the gluconeogenesis; (2) stimulation of lipolysis and catecholamines secretion; (3) inhibition of the gastric secreting activity, the pancreatic secreting activity, and the gastrointestinal motility; and (4) the stimulation of urinary excretion of water and phosphates as well as sodium, calcium, and magnesium ions.

Currently, 72 months after transplantation, our patient is in complete remission, which has been verified by somatostatin receptor scintigraphy monitoring, computed tomographic scanning and glucagon serum control. Increased awareness of the clinical symptoms and visible polymorphic mucocutaneous and nonspecific histopathologic features of glucagonoma syndrome is needed to avoid unnecessary delay in the diagnosis of this syndrome.

Weight loss induced by the catabolic effects of glucagon. Antibiotics, steroids, and both amino acid and zinc supplementation may improve the skin rash when it is severe, but cure of the rash is achieved only with the return of glucagon levels to normal. Octreotide also is useful in helping to improve the perioperative condition of these patients. Prophylactic measures to prevent venous thrombosis, including low-dose subcutaneous heparin or intermittent pneumatic compression stockings, are mandatory for all patients during the perioperative period.

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How to Cure a Sinus Infection

Sinus infection, or sinusitis, is an inflammation of the sinuses and nasal passages. Symptoms of a sinus infection include headache or pressure in the eyes, cheeks, nose, or on one side of the head. Other symptoms may include nasal congestion with thick nasal secretions, cough, fever or bad breath.

Mix 1-2 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar in a glass of water and gulp the mixture at once. Use it 3-4 times a day for 4-6 days. Improvement occurs often in 1 hour, latest in 1 day. If you don't notice any ease of the sinus infection after 2 days, stop taking the remedy.

First, drink plenty of water and other liquids. Mucous can thicken but keeping hydrated can help to thin the mucous. Drink water, tea or other clear beverages. Stay away from dairy products. Some doctors believe that dairy products, including milk, cheese and even ice cream, may actually cause more mucous to form. Try avoiding these products when you have a sinus infection.
Chiropractor. This was a pure desperation move on my part and I have no one to blame but my self. I wanted the pain and pressure to stop so badly that I let the goofy owner of my local health food store talk me into seeing his buddy the chiropractor. Unlike acupuncture this didn't even make my back feel better.

Look out for sinus symptoms, mainly headache and blocked nose. Herbal remedies that use ingredients such as licorice, eucalyptus, ginger and peppermint may help initial stage infections. See Resources for more information.

Essential oils have been used for centuries to cure everything from headaches to ant bites, so it stands to reason that they are also a way to cure sinus infection at home naturally. Oregano oil is a popular essential oil used to treat sinus problems as it has some great anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties. Just put a few drops of oregano oil in some water or juice several times a day and within a few days, your sinus infection symptoms typically go away.

Stay away from dairy products. Some doctors believe that dairy products, including milk, cheese and even ice cream, may actually cause more mucous to form. Try avoiding these products when you have a sinus infection.

Try to treat a cold as soon as you get it. Lingering colds may make conditions right for a sinus infection. Use zinc supplements to help shorten the life of a cold and get plenty of rest.

Garlic contains many components that help fight infection, for example, allicin. Normally, if you are looking for sinus remedies, then eat one fresh and raw garlic bud everyday. However, the strong taste of garlic bothers many people so you can consume garlic in the form of tablets or tinctures. These are freely available online or over the counter in your local chemist shop.

A cure for sinus infection will thus relate to unblocking this cavity and ensure drainage. The sinus infection cure can vary depending on the cause of the inflammation. The causes of sinusitis may be an infection in the upper respiratory track, allergen-prone reactions, asthma-linked effects, other conditions affecting the immune system, presence of bacteria and/or fungi, and nasal polyps and a deviated septum.

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The Quickest Ways to Build Muscles

The best way to build lean muscle mass while burning fat is to perform cardio, either before or after a workout. Since the goal is to try to build mass, you only need cardio about once a week or once every 2 weeks max. Performing too much cardio can take away from quality muscle gains and cause you to get smaller in size.

The main essential thing you'll need for the fastest way to build muscle is the correct diet, and correct quantities of food. It doesn't matter if you work out for 5 hours a day, if you don't get the calories you won't get bigger! Many people make the mistake of thinking they will only need to eat lots of protein, as protein is the main substance to help your muscles heal and grow...BUT if you don't support it with an increased amount of carbohydrates, you'll have no fuel to support that growth and so won't get the gains.

Increase weights as you go. If you are going to make your muscles bigger, you must make them do harder and harder work. If you learned to add and never moved on to subtraction, your math ability would simply never increase. The same is true with building muscle. You have to keep on doing harder things, and the simple way to do that is to add more weight. Focus on all the muscles in your body.

Something for every one at every skill level: a 6-week introductory program, a 4-week intermediate program and a 16-week advanced training phase. Each workout program transitions smoothly into the next for, providing months of effective, structured exercise.

Another way to get more results from these exercises is, right after a set flex hard the muscles just worked, flex as hard as you can and hold for at least a count of 10. Arnold talked extensively about "Posing as exercise" and the use of "Iso-Tension"(Iso means - Equal; the same, and Tension means - To tighten; stiffen; contract. So Iso-Tension is simply contacting the muscles and holding in the same place - no movement.

Workout - A solid workout plan provides the tools for your body to use the building materials from your nutrition plan. We provide free workout plans designed to build muscle mass or burn fat.

The best way to build muscle fast is to apply the greatest amount of stress possible to the muscles and you want to do this in the shortest possible time. The best way to achieve this is to do the heaviest weight you can do over the fewest repetitions. I would recommend that you do the heaviest weight you can do no more than 5 to 7 repetitions each set. I would also recommend you do 3 sets, you can do 4 but 3 is better with heavy weight.

The deadlift does not require any fancy machinery for you to work with. All you need is a good barbell and a flat ground surface, and you can start to work on the fastest way to build muscle as humanly as possible.

The king of all upper body exercises will work your entire body from finger to the neck and to the toe. Yes, it is a basic powerful motion that will practically put every single muscle in your body to the test.

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Hot Tub - buying and selecting

Why do producers of Hot Tubs and Jacuzzi style Spas produce a wide range of different designs in various sizes, shapes, and specifications?

Is it just because it is impossible to make just one model that suits everyone for specification and price. Not only are people different shapes and sizes so of course are the proposed locations chosen by clients. Again, in people their height and body weight can vary considerable.

Before one visits a Hot Tub dealer, it always pay to phone them first to see if they know what they are talking about. For example, do they have a proper showroom or are they merely working out of their garden or a garage. How many working models do they have on display?

Ask them if the spa has Balboa controls and if not, why not, perhaps it is a cheap and nasty import from the east.

Ask what the electricity consumption and running costs will be, Ask them if the spa is fully foamed because, if it is, it is old style construction. Equally, if it has a steel frame that usually means that the shell is weak as it needs steel to support again in my view a very outdated mode of construction. Ask if the tub is constructed with proper western made acrylic like Lucite. Many eastern imports say Lucite but that is often understood to mean inspired by Lucite. There is a lot of difference between inspiration and the real thing it's a bit like chalk and cheese.

The water jets in a Hot Tub should obviously be planned to provide muscle massage, but like all things, they need to be properly designed and thought out. It is not just simply a question of sticking some Jets here and there in the naïve belief that the more Jets the better, as it simply does not work like that.

This is usually the very area of design where cheap imported spas sometimes incorporate bad designs that in many case may look good but in reality are just not good for the end user. When a specific therapy seat is planned, American designers have had many years of real experience of being able to consider the very many choices and ideas and of course have feed back from a very considerable number of satisfied clients. With cheap imported Hot Tubs, they do not consider or give any real thought as to how the human body is going to be positioned in front of the jet patterns. In more cases than not it is as if they just want them solely for their cosmetic appearance that is simply to make it "look attractive" a bit like mutton dressed as lamb. Twenty properly designed and thought out Jets will be much better than forty badly designed Jets.

If one does not know about jets and how they work you can easily be fooled into thinking that more Jets are a good thing, which is not true if they are badly designed. A multitude of many jets, which may simply look wonderful, can often prove to be painful and sometimes even very annoying.

One of the worst lay outs is where the seats that have small penetrating jets, none of which are adjustable.

What may look inviting in the showroom under a spotlight can sometimes simply turn into a form of abuse.

We know a client who had a spa like this some years ago and he has told us that it used to bruise him and he had no control of the water pressure or flow through those Jets. It was of course a cheap eastern import.

If you have a reinforced steel back, perhaps you might enjoy that kind of massage but for us more normal mortals we need fully adjustable Jets so that we may select exactly what we need as otherwise the spa I am describing simply proves to be far too much for most people.

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Estepona Hot Tub - Thinking of buying

Here are just a few pointers to take into account to make sure that you do not buy a dog dish looking spa!

The way to avoid that is to make sure that the shell of the Hot Tub is made of a branded American Acrylic such as Lucite or Quarite.

Not just that it is Lucite inspired or based on a Lucite design. Get the dealer to show you his colours chips marked Quarite and Lucite as appropriate.

If it is not made of these materials then one has to ask one self why not, as these two makers of Acrylic are acknowledged as making some of the best acrylic for Hot Tub Jacuzzi Spas in the world.

If the shell is made out of these materials it is of course your very own assurance that your choice of a Hot Tub Jacuzzi Spa will give you many years of beauty, pleasure, and satisfaction.

I always suggest that one should try the lipstick test and simply apply lipstick on the shell and see if it just wipes off with a tissue as it should? If it does not, then that shows that the surface is slightly porous and therefore will provide a home for germs and bacteria.

When these materials are not used then it is usually a clear sign that that cheaper materials are being used (quite often at 25% of the cost of ABS backed acrylic) in the shell, then to provide support to this weaker material the manufacturer blasts the cabinet full of structural foam.

If you have a leak, good luck finding it and the job of ripping out the foam will take hours. Once the spa is out of warranty, you can pay the engineer 5 hours labour to source and repair the leak. Usually it also means that where sprayed foam has been used as structural support, the maker cannot cannot pull the spa shells very deep, since the shell material is thin and cheap to begin with.

One particular maker claims that they fully foam the shell so as to minimise the noise from the pipes and plumbing and all I can say is that is must be a badly designed Hot Tub if they have to do that

If you can feel under the shell of the Hot Tub do so and try and feel its strength or possible weakness, if it feels damp to the touch or perhaps slightly crumbly this gives one a clue that the shell is not properly cured. I personally would not buy a Jacuzzi if the shell felt like that and I have seen many that fit that description usually cheap eastern imports.

It always pays to probe beneath the surface and just do not listen to the patter of some zombie like sales man or woman just repeating a script.

Another good idea is that you should always buy a Hot Tub with Balboa Controls a company from California, which is undoubtedly one of the worlds leading manufacturers and very well known for reliability and accessibility of spares.

It is best to buy a spa which is made by a leading American or Western manufacturer preferably one with decades of years of experience and therefore they will have had the time and experience to be able to design and construct models where the components naturally work well together.

Leading Western manufacturers have been able to adopt and improve on their technically advanced systems so as to be able to maximize the performance from the pumps, heaters and blowers to give you the very best water flow to provide an excellent Hydro Massage.

In the latest designs, Water Jets are placed scientifically so as to maximize the flow of water to your body's pressure points, while allowing one to control the intensity of the flow and pressure as required.

It speaks for its self that a well-engineered and designed product will lead to an outstanding hydrotherapy massage where perhaps one is able to enjoy a vigorous or perhaps soothing massage. It is great to have the ability to be able to customize and modify your massage experience to suit your mood.

In summary buy, the best spa you can afford but make sure that you do not buy a cheap eastern import or one that looks like a dog dish hot tub.

One should look for Balboa controls and proper branded acrylic and aim for a manufacturer who has been making spas for many years. A very good acid test is to see if your dealer is on first name terms with the owners and directors of the manufacturers obviously that is much harder if they based are in China!!!!

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Cosmetic Surgery Abroad ? Making the Right Choice

The past few years have seen a dramatic change in the public perception of cosmetic surgery in Britain, leading to a sixty five per cent increase in demand in 2004 alone. In fact, so popular has cosmetic surgery become that it is hard to turn on the television or open a magazine without encountering stories of lives transformed as a result of work being done. Vastly improved treatments and increased social acceptance has lead to cosmetic surgery becoming a normalised practice, as viable and realistic to the housewife as it is to the Hollywood star. None of which is surprising, considering the very real and immediate benefits cosmetic surgery can bring to the patient’s appearance and self-esteem.


However, cosmetic surgery can still be beyond the budget of many, which is why there is a growing trend for people to travel to parts of the world where the standard of expertise and post-operation care is just as good as in the United Kingdom, but up to sixty percent cheaper. Such savings are made due to favorable exchange rates This is particularly significant when you consider that medical health insurance doesn’t cover the cost of elective cosmetic surgery. So now patients are choosing to enjoy holidays to exotic destinations such as Malaysia and Thailand in addition to improving their appearance.


No country is more suited to this combination than Brazil, land of sun and sea and the body beautiful, and second only to the United States in terms of the number of surgical operations performed every year. The 3500 plus members of the Brazilian Society of Plastic Surgery are renowned for their experience and expertise, which makes sense when you consider that 80% of all plastic surgery in the United Kingdom is reconstructive, whereas 80% of all plastic surgery in Brazil is cosmetic, and that cosmetic surgery magazines clutter up the shelves in newsagents the same way that computer and golf magazines do here. The level of service in the Brazilian private health sector is extremely high, to mention all of those wonderful beaches you can strut your stuff down after you’ve made a full recovery!


Of course, another benefit of having cosmetic surgery abroad is that it guarantees total privacy, so that you won’t need to worry about friends, neighbours and work colleagues seeing you in the immediate aftermath of the operation. You can recover in a relaxed environment, choose who you want to see and have all manner of complementary therapies and additional work done while you’re at it. In order to make the most of your stay in the country and feel confident you’ve hired a surgeon with the sufficient level of expertise to carry out the work, it is advisable to engage the services of a cosmetic surgery company who regularly deals with sending clients from the United Kingdom to Brazil, or your country of choice. This will also insure that you are given the appropriate level of follow-up care, including careful monitoring in the days immediately following surgery. Not only will this give you piece of mind, but it will save you money as the company uses contacts that have been built up in the country over a number of years.



Regardless of this, it is worth understanding that all types of surgery carry a degree of risk and that surgical results differ from person to person and depend on many factors, including the patient’s age, medical history and health, and that results may be slightly different from those that you were expecting. As such, it is a good indication of the responsibility and professionalism of the surgeon that such things are discussed in detail before any operation takes place and you are aware of any complications or side effects that may occur, no matter how rare. Also, that the surgeon is available to discuss and treat side effects or complications as and when they arise. If such things are not immediately offered it is advisable to consider this a warning sign and start looking for a different surgeon. After all, you can take as long as you want selecting a surgeon you feel comfortable with, but you will be living with the results for the rest of your life.

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Acne Treatments: Renova, Retin-A, Tazorac, And Benzaclin

Is acne bothering you? What is acne? Acne can be characterized by occurrence of spots. Acne mainly affects people in the age group of 15- 25 years. Acne can victimize people of all skin types. It is a non-contagious skin condition but if left unattended, it can lead to scarring. Although, acne does not have a cure, but it can definitely be treated. You don’t need to worry about your acne any longer. Effectual topical acne treatments such as Renova, Retin-A, Tazorac, and BenzaClin are now available in the market to help you to tackle with acne effectively.

Renova by making the cells to generate more collagen keeps skin plump. By acting on the outer layers it also makes rough skin smooth and strips off age spots by lessening the amount of melanin produced by the skin cells. Renova works continuously to overturn aging process of the skin and maintains improvement in the skin's appearance even after ten years of initiating the treatment. Apply a thin coat of Renova on the affected and surrounding skin area. In accordance to the package leaflet pat in gently.

Retin- A is a derivative of vitamin A, which is a fat-soluble vitamin. Vitamin A can be absorbed through the intestines and stocked up in the liver. It is essential to maintain a healthful skin, the intestinal lining, mucous membranes, immune system, organs, and the inhibition of tumor growth. Retin-A should be applied at bedtime. Apply a thin layer of Retin-A on the affected and surrounding skin area. Massage it in gently and immediately wash your hands afterward. Ensure to keep it clear of your eyes, nose, mouth, and mucous membranes. Usage of Retin- A affects the dispersion and depletion of melanin along with strengthening and thickening and the tissues. Retin-A enhances the development of blood vessel and cell nutrition, reducing clogged pores and making cells separate more rapidly.

Tazorac is made use of to treat acne, psoriasis, and symptoms and signs of untimely aging of the skin sourced by overexposure to the sun referred to as photodamage. Usage of Tazorac helps acne by maintenance of clear skin pores. Even though the results will differ, improvement in the Tazorac treated skin initiates in about two weeks. Do not discontinue with Tazorac medication without a prior consulting with your doctor.

BenzaClin is an effectual acne treatment. BenzaClin constitutes ingredients such as the antibacterial agent benzoyl peroxide and the antibiotic clindamycin, which targets the bacteria, that source acne. BenzaClin is used to treat mild to moderate acne roughly within a span of two weeks. It should be applied on the affected skin area twice a day. It can be worn beneath the make-up. In this way you can easily incorporate use of BenzaClin in your daily skin care routine.

With the emergence of online pharmacies, buying acne treatments has become convenient. You can buy acne treatments such as Renova, Retin-A, Tazorac, and BenzaClin with the aid of these pharmacies that too on an affordable price range. An online order of acne treatments can save you the running around to different pharmacists to purchase the desired acne treatment.

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Homemade Beauty Recipes for your Skin

Herbal remedies are very popular. Beauty Recipes are easily prepared at home provides best alternative to costly makeup products. Sensitive skin can be easily irritated. Typical reactions to sensitive skin includes itching, burning, chafing and stinging. It feels very dry after a wash and occasionally break out in spots or pimples. Do not use makeup atleast once a week so as to let your skin breathe fresh air. Skin that feels great when you take off for work in the morning but feels greasy by lunch; these are all too familiar scenarios for those of us with oily skin. Oily skin type has over reactive sebaceous glands that make the face shiny, particularly down the central panel-your nose, forehead and chin, also known as the T-zone. For normal skin, toning, daily cleansing and nourishing should be done. For this use a mild or balanced soap. Soft water should be used to wash the face daily.

Following are the variety of homemade beauty recipes:

1. Use witch hazel as an astringent instead of pricey products. It also cleans makeup from skin without drying it.

2. Make a mixture of crushed fennel seeds [for oily skin] and apricot kernel oil [for dry skin] to cleanse your skin.

3. Cucumber juice patted on face and left to dry will deminish the appearance of wrinkles.

4. To avoid black color of your lips and get soft and rosy lips you should apply lemon juice or coriander leaf juice on your lips.

5. To prevent sunburns on your skin you can apply grated cucumber juices, mix it with glycerin and rose water.

6. Tomato pulp tightens skins and is a great remedy for blackheads.

How to make homemade facial Scrub Masks

1. Make a perfect facial scrub from grapes. Mash a handful of grapes. Strain them to separate the pulp from the juice. Remove the skins and mash the pulp and juice with 1 tablespoon of almond flour.

2. Make a facial mask with honey and bananas Make sure the bananas are not overripe. Mash 1 banana with 3 tbs. honey.
For a skin softening bath, add 1/4 cup honey to the water.

3. Apples and pears are mild astringents. Make a quick mask by grating a large apple or pear and mixing it with 1 tbs. of honey.

4. Use aloe vera gel as an astringent for oily skin. Aloe vera gel is also great for thickening hair. Massage it into your scalp then leave it for 15 minutes before rinsing. Mix it with glitter for sparkly, softening body gel.

5. Add a tsp. of baking soda to your shampoo. It helps remove hair-product buildup! Baking soda can also loosen blackheads. Combine equal parts soda and water and rub the mixture into your skin, let sit until dry, then rinse.

6. Mix 1 tbs. sugar with a few drops of olive oil for a sweet facial exfoliant. This can be mixed in larger quantities for full body exfoliation.

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Dry Skin Care for the Nose Rubbed Raw

No matter what they add to tissues – aloe vera, vitamin E, eucalyptus – they still have not managed to find an ingredient that prevents the raw nose that inevitably results from the constant blowing during winter colds. Using a shielding lotion for dry skin care treatment will help prevent and treat the red, chapped skin phenomenon, but there are also things you can do to reduce the duration of the cold and thereby minimize unsightly skin damage.
· Take lots of Vitamin C. Many health care practitioners recommend taking about 2 grams every hour. In addition to boosting the immune system, Vitamin C reduces mucous considerably. You may stop blowing your nose for hours. As it also increases circulation and fights free radicals, Vitamin C is a must for dry skin care treatment and prevention in any season.
· Rinse with salt water to clear the nasal passages. Dissolve ¼ teaspoon of salt into a glass of warm water. Hold one nostril closed and, with a bulb syringe, squirt the warm salt water into the other nostril two or three times letting it drain in between each squirt. Then squirt the other nostril. This helps clear the passages and also fights against bacteria. Gargling with salt water can also help relieve congestion in both the nose and throat.
· Drink lots of hot liquids. Half a lemon, a teaspoon of raw honey and about ¼ teaspoon of cayenne in hot water is a great mixture for relieving congestion, boosting the immune system, increasing circulation and keeping you hydrated. In fact, this healthy drink is good for dry skin care and prevention overall.
· Take a steam bath. It’s a great cure-all – clears the sinuses and any other congestion, and cleans you right out. You can take a hot, steamy shower, use a facial steamer or lean over the sink with the hot water running and a towel over your head. This is another great dry skin care treatment any time.
· While you’re trying to get things under control, don’t forget to keep applying a little shielding lotion. Colds can be terribly dehydrating and that rough, dry skin is easily infected. A good shielding lotion locks in the natural moisture and protects the damaged skin from being invaded by bacteria.
They are, no doubt, still trying to develop a tissue that does not rub you raw and I’m sure the lines will be long when they finally come up with something. However, until that time, using the above methods to relieve congestion and a shielding lotion for dry skin care should shorten the duration of the cold and minimize the damage.

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Eczema Treatment Advances with New Desensitization Methods

Although 80 percent of eczema is a reaction to chemicals that would irritate anyone, the remaining 20 percent is caused by a specific sensitivity to something which may not be a problem for others - an allergic reaction. The reaction could be to something either in the diet or the individual's environment. Thousands of doctors now recommend shielding lotion as topical eczema treatment, but for those who do suffer from allergies, new desensitization techniques may also be beneficial.

The most common allergy diagnosis and treatment for eczema involves testing for sensitivities by subcutaneous injection of a small amount of potential offending substances, watching for a reaction, then avoidance of or desensitization to the substances found to cause a reaction.

Desensitization, also known as hyposensitization, has traditionally been accomplished by injecting increasingly larger amounts of the allergen in the hopes that the person will build up a tolerance. It takes up to six months to have any positive response at all and treatment can continue for three to five years. It is expensive and unreliable, and is done only as a last resort in severe situations. Those undergoing desensitization for eczema treatment can spend a lot of time and money for little or no results.

However, there are new desensitization methods now available that make this a viable option. Nambudripads Allergy Elimination Technique (NAET) is one of the most common, although not necessary the fastest. Most involve a form of muscle testing - the practitioner exposes you to the substance without injections and, gauging by changes in muscle strength during exposure, determines whether there is a reaction. Several substances can be tested this way in just a few minutes.

Desensitization techniques vary, but don't involve needles and sometimes don't take any longer than the diagnosis. These methods are light years ahead of traditional desensitization and, for those who suffer from allergies, can't be beat. It completely eliminates years of expensive trial and error.
The jury is still out on the effectiveness of these methods as eczema treatment. They seem to work much better for some than others, but anecdotal evidence indicates that they are at least as effective as traditional desensitization, and possibly more.


As topical eczema treatment, regardless of the cause of the problem, a shielding lotion is the most advanced technology available. A good shielding lotion bonds with the outer layer of the skin to form a protective layer that keeps out the chemicals. Again, this is light years ahead of steroid drugs and irritating chemical treatments and, for those without allergies, it may be all the eczema treatment needed. However, if you suffer from allergies, you may want to find a natural health care practitioner to also discuss desensitization.

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Psoriasis Treatment Using Natural Remedies

If you have Psoriasis or any other skin problem, I know you are always looking for a solution. With psoriasis, the skin breaks out in itchy rashes, unsightly blemishes, and white flakes.

In psoriasis, the skin cells multiply quickly causing rashes to appear quickly. Normal skin renews itself in 30 days, but in psoriasis, skin cells move from the innermost layer of skin to the skin surface in 3 days, causing red and itchy areas. In addition, as cells accumulate on the surface they die, turning white and flaky.

Finding a psoriasis treatment that cures is not easy since there doesn’t appear to be one. Most doctors or dermatologists do not know what causes psoriasis and consider it incurable. But there are many different natural remedies that can give some relief to psoriasis but at far as a natural psoriasis treatment that is a cure, there is none.

Here is a list of psoriasis treatments that you may want to try.

Give your skin some sun to give your body additional energy and Vitamin D to fight your psoriasis. You can add Vitamin D supplements to the list of vitamins you take. The psoriasis sun treatment works better with UVB rays but these rays also cause sunburn. So you may want to put sunscreen on those areas that do not have psoriasis.

Drink teas or take capsules of sarsaparilla, milk thistle or nettle leaves.

Take a regular dose of fish oil or flax seed. Start with 1500 mg per day of fish oil

Use a couple tablespoons of granular lecithin. You can add it to your soups, salads, morning cereal, or smoothes. Never add it to boiling water or use it as cooking oil since it oxidizes rapidly and becomes rancid.

Take large dose of inositol, a B vitamin, around 1.5 grams or more and see how it affects your psoriasis.

Use a diluted apple cider vinegar over your psoriasis to reduce itching. Start with 10 parts apple cider vinegar to 90 part of distilled water. No known pathogen can survive in apple cider vinegar.

Keep stress down if possible, stress lowers the immune system and a weak immune system cannot keep up with the activity of psoriasis.

There is another herb that appears to be an excellent psoriasis treatment. It’s called mahonia quifolium and is better known as Oregon grape or holly-leaved barberry, which is a natural plant extract

This extract is a,

A strong antibacterial

A strong antifungal

Inhibits the excessive abnormal skin cell growth

Reduces inflammation

Activates the release of histamine

You can find mahonia aquifolium in a product called M-Folia. This product comes in various forms – ointments, shampoos, sunscreen, and cream preparations

Keep your psoriasis area open to air and don’t allow jewelry or tight clothing to press against it. Stay of away from harsh chemicals sprays and liquid irritants.

Keep stress down if possible, stress lowers the immune system and a weak immune system cannot keep up with the activity of psoriasis.

Use a psoriasis treatment as mentioned above to help give you psoriasis relief. You can use a combination of these remedies, so experiment to see which works the best for you.

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Dry Skin Treatment in Ayurvedic Medicine

Ayurvedic medicine is the traditional medicine of India. Treatment consists largely of herbs, fruits and spices, but much of it also revolves around self-care - living a lifestyle designed to prevent illness. Although India is quickly changing, daily life in India does not revolve around chemicals as does much of the West. They are therefore not as susceptible to dry skin caused by contact with harmful chemicals. In the Western world, thousands of doctors are now recommending a shielding lotion as dry skin treatment, but Ayurvedic medicine also offers some good advice.

In Ayurveda, defined as “the science of life,” health is defined as an active state of wellness. In other words, you are not merely disease free, you are able to live life to the fullest. Ayurveda approaches wellness by adjustments in diet, daily routine and environment as required for your age, stress level, and lifestyle.

Basic to Ayurveda is the theory of the Five Elements – spirit, air, earth, wind and fire. It is believed that everything in the material universe is a combination of these elements. The ratios differ in each of us, and determine our spiritual, mental and physical constitution. Skin that is dry and tight is ‘air predominant’, and dry skin treatment consist of diet, skin protection, and a lifestyle appropriate to an ‘air’ skin type.

Here are a few key things that would be recommended:

 Cook with clarified butter or olive oil.
 The most beneficial foods are rice, oatmeal and buckwheat, mung dai lentils, asparagus and zucchini, stewed apples and pears (for breakfast), seasonal fresh fruits, soaked walnuts, and soaked and blanched almonds.
 The recommended spices for dry skin treatment are turmeric, cumin, coriander and fennel in a ratio of 2/3/6/6. This spice mixture is sautéed in clarified butter and added to food after or during cooking.

The lifestyle suggested includes going to bed early, walking for 20 minutes in the morning, taking regular short breaks while working, and deep breathing.

Protecting the skin from harsh chemicals and retaining moisture are the two most prevalent recommendations for air predominant skin. Drinking lots of spring water with a pH balance of 7.5 to stay hydrated and staying away from chemical-laden skin care products are at the top of the list. Ayurvedic healing also recommends wearing a protective coating such as a moisturizer on your face and hands, and lip balm to protect your lips.

While moisturizers do coat the skin, they are not an effective dry skin treatment because they usually contain drying chemicals and greasy substances that prevent the skin from breathing. A good shielding lotion is the best alternative. It bonds with the outer layer of the skin to form a protective barrier that allows the skin to breath, protects it from harsh weather and environmental chemicals, and locks in the skin’s natural moisture. It is the best dry skin treatment available, and fits very nicely into the treatment recommended by Ayurvedic healers.

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Are Alpha Hydroxy Acids Safe for Dry Skin?

Alpha hydroxy acids have become standard treatment for a variety of skin problems – including dry skin. Lotions containing low concentrations of the acids are available over the counter, and in higher concentrations from your doctor. The acids are also used for skin peels, administered by a professional. Using a good shielding lotion as a moisturizer prevents and treats dry skin on a daily basis, but, used correctly, alpha hydroxy acids may also be beneficial.

The most common alpha hydroxy acids (AHA’s) are lactic acid, a derivative of sour milk, citric acid, from oranges and other citrus fruits, and glycolic acid, a derivative of sugar cane. Although they have been used for centuries – Cleopatra used to bath in sour milk – they have now been refined, and are included in many cosmetic and beauty products.

How do they help dry skin? Their primary function is exfoliation. Dry skin is often caused by an excessive build-up of dead skin cells on the surface. Alpha hydroxy acids weaken the bonds that hold dead skin cells together, loosening their hold on the surface and leaving the skin fresher, smoother, and younger looking. They also stimulate production of collagen, giving the skin more support and increasing the thickness.

Many studies have shown that using a product with an alpha-hydroxy acid concentration of at least 8 to 10 percent is effective in restoring elasticity, diminishing fine lines and wrinkles, lightening areas that have become dark as we age, and reducing dry skin.

How do you choose the right product? Remember that these are powerful acids. They seep into the skin, and can do so too deeply. When first applied, they will sting for 20 or 30 seconds, but if the sting lasts longer, the product you’ve chosen is too strong. They can also increase sun-sensitivity so you should definitely use sunscreen. It’s best to start with a product of low concentration to ensure you don’t damage the skin, and choose a product with other natural ingredients so you don’t exacerbate the situation by using chemicals that cause dry skin. Applying two to three times a week should suffice.

Although alpha hydroxy acids may be helpful, they do expose the skin to the elements and make it more sensitive, so it’s important to also use a shielding lotion. A good shielding lotion bonds with the outer layer of the skin to form a barrier that protects against harsh environmental pollutants, and locks in the natural moisture. It’s your first defense against dry skin. Using the AHA lotion a few times a week, and the shielding lotion daily, you could start looking younger in just a few days!

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