SoundsofNeworleans – Health Tips

Have you taken responsibility for your health and fitness? No. Then you need to. If you don’t, illness and lack of health will take responsibility for you. In this first part of a two part article, I explain why your current health and fitness is a direct result of your decisions and actions.

Who has influence over how fit and healthy you are? Whose decisions and actions have brought you to the level of health and fitness you have at the moment? The answer to both these questions is “You do” and “You.”

You are responsible for your health and fitness. You and no-one else. “What about my doctor, or gym instructor? Is it not their responsibility?”

No! They are merely responsible for prescribing or advising in very specific circumstances, and usually to correct a problem. Correcting a problem does not create health and fitness, it just removes a problem. You are responsible for your health and fitness, not your doctor or gym instructor.

It is very important for you to realize that the levels of health and fitness that you will enjoy (or suffer from) in the future, will be down to the decisions and actions that you take. It is your responsibility.

Your current and future health and fitness is not the result of chance. You have got the results you have chosen, and you will have the results you chose.

Look at these figures. Smoking, poor diet, and lack of exercise reduces your life span by about a decade. Not doing exercise for 30 minutes every day reduces you life span by about 5 years.

You decide not to exercise, not to eat healthily, and you decide to smoke. You decide to die a decade early.

You decide to exercise for half an hour a day, eat a good diet, and be a non smoker. You decide to live an extra decade.

Powerfully Positive People, know that your actions are like picking up a stick. You chose to pick up a stick by the near end, but when you pick up one end of the stick, you also end up picking up the other end. The two ends are inseparable. When you make a decision, you chose to act in a certain way today, here and now. You know the here and now result. The other end of the stick is often years off. The effects of your decision will be felt in the future but are for now out of sight (and out of mind?).

Let me give you an example. When I used to smoke, I picked up the near end of the stick, i.e. satisfying my nicotine craving. I also unwittingly was picking up the negative health effects of the other end of my decision. If I had kept smoking, one of these effects would have been to possibly go blind in my later years (smoking is one of the biggest causes of premature blindness in the western world. It was this fact that prompted me to successfully give up smoking).

So, you are responsible for your health and fitness results, and no one else. Where you are today is the direct result of what you have decided in the past.

In the second part to this article, I will show you how you weaken yourself by not taking responsibility, and how you automatically empower yourself when you do take responsibility. I also share the FIRST BIG STEP you need to take as soon as you have admitted, “I am responsible.”

A low carb diet plan can be a great way to help you in your weight-loss journey, but it is important to keep in mind that your dreams of meals filled with T-bones and bacon can cause more harm than good. If you have recently jumped on the low carb bandwagon, there are a few things you will need to consider before banning carbs from your life.

We all know that refined carbohydrates are bad for us. They cause insulin levels in our bodies to raise and fall too quickly, leaving us feeling tired and lethargic. These over processed foods have many health dangers and should be avoided or eaten very sparingly. However, there is such a thing as a good carb when you are on a low carb diet plan. Whole grain carbohydrates are what supplies our bodies with the energy we need to function properly. Complex carbohydrates metabolize slower than processed carbs, giving you energy without the dramatic highs and lows that processed carbohydrates cause. Eating whole grain carbohydrates in moderation is not only healthy, it will help with the energy slump that most low carb diets cause.

Fruits and veggies are also commonly forbidden on many low carb diet plan menus. While fruits can be high in sugar, the sugar is natural and metabolizes in the body much differently than refined sugars. Fruit also supplies much needed vitamins, minerals and fiber to the body. With such a small amount of complex carbs entering the digestive system, the body has to have fiber in order to work properly. When eaten in moderation, fruits and vegetables are a must have no matter what type of diet you are on.

Fat can be another concern when following a low carb diet plan. Many low carb diets urge the dieters to eat as much meat and fats as they like. While this may seem like a dream come true, this way of eating can cause many health problems. Red meat is hard for the body to digest and should be eaten in moderation. If you are low carbing it, choose proteins such as chicken, fish, and legumes that are low in fat rather than the tempting high fat foods that these diets say you can enjoy in unlimited quantities.

There is also no real need to add extra fat to your diet in the form of butter and cream. Too much fat in a diet can lead to high cholesterol, heart disease, stroke and other deadly diseases. The calories that excess fats bring to a diet are not only bad for your health, eating too many can create bad habits that will be hard to break if for some reason you decide that the low carb diet plan is not a good fit for your lifestyle.

With a little tweaking, a low carb diet can be a healthy diet plan to follow. The trick is to use common sense when making food choices and to listen to your body.

Health and fitness have become a big business and people are struggling to have best healthiest body. The people are spending money in huge value and doing something to improve their bodies and normal lifestyle. The health and fitness industries are earning millions of dollars every per year through fitness equipment, herbal supplements, gyms, and specific diets. Many media resources are promoting through different channels like TV, magazines, internet advertising they ask for spend money and make their body fit and smart.

The healthiest body required continually exercises and physical activity; if we want to stay fit we need it so much in our daily life, exercise burns fats as well as build muscles, remove stress and anxiety, decrease cholesterols, make us sleep easily. Exercises increase body temperature which helps to mobilize fats in the body used for energy and metabolic rate will be increased as well which will help to burn maximum fats and improve the ratio of the body’s fat percentage in the body. Aerobic (cardiorespiratory) exercises make the ability to use oxygen efficiently and depend upon the condition of your heart, muscles and lungs, these exercises increase the percentage of oxygen that is delivered to our muscles, which allows us to work longer. Walk is one important type of aerobic exercise.

The foods are the essential part of our health and fitness, it can be the as medicine, in this regard the organic food strongly recommended for growing the ones body and make it healthy, its provides more nutrition and contain vitamins, minerals etc and no additives are present, all physical, mental, chemical, metabolic, and hormonal activities required nutrition, and it repair and rebuild the body.

Keep yourself happy because stress can damage your mental and physical health, don’t be sad always try to be happy, as well as cut down smoking because its stop growing ones body as need, drinks lot of water at least 7 to 8 glass of water daily, water also one of the important tool to loss your weight. Sleep well because its changes hormone levels and ability to metabolize carbohydrates, so research shows that good and deep sleep causes cell repair and help to growing cell and burn calories by speed up the metabolism so its recommended sleep at least 8 hours in a night.

For more details visit: :

http://www.ehealthdirectory.net/health-fitness.html

We all strive to be healthy, however unless it is right at the top of your list of priorities you will always give in to temptation, whether that is a slice of mud cake or sleeping in and missing your morning fitness session. So first of all we must make health and fitness a goal that has priority in out lives. How?

First of all let’s define, what exactly is a goal? The word goal is defined as a purpose to which your energies are directed toward a specific outcome. Whew! How about this a goal is an intention you have to create a specific result within a particular time frame. Goals can either short term, or long term and the time frame you set needs to be in direct proportion to the goal set. There is no point setting a goal to lose 20 kilos in a week, as this is near impossible and if it is, it just might kill you.

Setting a goal with intention gives you direction, clarity and a quantified outcome. Think of it as dangling a carrot in front of you – and for this reason goals need to be something you really want or the payoff will not be enough to keep you motivated and on track. You have to want it. One way to do this is to make your end result clear; it must also be reachable and very importantly exciting for you. So if the idea of being healthy doesn’t light you up, what will that gives you the same result?

Could you give yourself the goal of being fit and healthy enough to run your local annual marathon? Or to play soccer on the beach with your kids? What about being able to run to the top of your stairs without puffing, or dance the night away without feeling completely washed out and sore the next day, or fit into your favourite sexy jeans?

Find something that is exciting to you as your goal that represents the more mundane goal you really have in mind. Remember, all goals need to have a payoff, something you want enough to keep you motivated and a way for you to reward yourself at the end.

Let’s get some clarity on each of the facets of good goal setting:

- Your health goal must be clear State your goal clearly. If your goal is to lose weight, in which part of your body do you particularly want to lose weight and how many kilos do you want to lose and by when? Clarity prods you on your path to create a strategy.

- Make your goal reachable Our goals also have to feel and be reachable for us because if we don’t meet up, we run the risk of tripping up and beating ourselves up. And we lose momentum, could end up as couch potatoes and run far from the goal. So, start with the end in mind and work back from there giving yourself smaller steps until you are back to now. You will now have a calendar of events to reach for that makes it seem so much easier to do.

- Be focused Be clearly focused on the goal you want to achieve, know exactly what you want and why you want it and then know what your reward is for hanging in there. Lack of focus or too many choices leads to indecision and poor results.

- Make your goal exciting If the goal doesn’t motivate you to get up, energise you to get into action and get into momentum, then I don’t think it will take you a long way. You’ve got to want it so much you can imagine it happening and how great your going to feel when you achieve it.

Now you know this, go out and set your goal. Write it down. Stick it on your wall, put it on your computer. Be reminded of your goal and most importantly, take action on the strategy to achieve your goal. Most of all spend 5 minutes morning and night imagining your end result in every detail to keep your motivation high.

Ask any medical doctor if there is a connection between diet and acne and almost all of them will claim there is none. Quoting from the Journal of the American Medical Association: “Diet plays no role in acne treatment in most patients…even large amounts of certain foods have not clinically exacerbated acne”.

With years of medical education and clinical experience behind these claims, how can we the simple folks who suffer from acne challenge these statements and think otherwise? The answer is: doubt. Doubt, if its stays in the borders of reason, can open many doors otherwise will stay forever shut. Believe it or not, doubt can change reality. Doubt can cure your acne and doubt can even save your life.

Fact is, countless of acne sufferers have reported that their acne seemed to get worse when they consumed certain foods and saw dramatic positive change over their acne condition when they eliminated the same foods from their diet and when certain foods with specific nutritional value were incorporated into their diet.

So why do dermatologists so stubbornly insist that diet does not cause acne? The answer: you can’t make a profit promoting a healthy diet. At least not as much money as you could make by selling drugs and over the counters. There is a huge pressure upon doctors coming from the drug and pharmaceutical companies to prescribe expensive medications and lotions that create dependency. The truth is, that your doctor is in a way, a hostage by the trillion dollar drug companies. Did you know that the drug companies, who have no interest in producing something that they cannot control financially, sponsor most medical schools?

The right diet, although not a solution by itself, can, in many cases, dramatically reduce inflammation and even completely clear one’s acne (if you’re one of the lucky ones who’s acne is triggered by allergic response to food). Promoting a clear skin diet simply means less profits for the drug and pharmaceutical companies.

The truth is that conventional medications will never cure your acne, simply because they are pre-designed NOT to fix the internal cause of acne. They are pre-designed to deal with the external symptoms of a disease as they create more and more dependency and more dependency means making more money all at our expense and ignorance.

The Theory That Diet Doesn’t Cause Acne Is A Myth

The dogmatic theory that diet does not cause acne and that acne is merely an incurable genetic disorder was based upon two dated researches published in 1969 and 1971 that were aimed at studying the connection between diet and acne.

These studies were the foundation of the ‘acne symptoms treatment strategy’, meaning, because acne is a genetic disease that cannot be prevented, the only way to deal with acne would be to tackle its symptoms (bacteria, inflammation, puss, redness, greasiness), by applying creams, antibiotics, taking prescription drugs and over the counters.

Surprisingly enough, years after the above studies were published, clinical trials and in depth researches experimenting the acne diet link have found that the studies from 1969 and 1971 had came to the wrong conclusions and were in fact seriously flawed.

Recent studies have clearly found a significant connection between diet and acne. It appears that the wrong diet is now thought to be one of the leading acne contributing factors that can negatively affect hormonal regulation and the natural process of toxic elimination, which can seriously aggravate one’s existing acne.

Diet Shapes Who You Are (Including Your Acne)

In the same way that crashing waves shape beach cliffs and just like the wind shapes the canyon walls, slowly and methodically over time, so does eating shapes and effects our physic, our internal system, our physical and mental being, from the organ down to the cellular level.

The idea that an object foreign to our body that is inserted by the food that we eat, has no effect on us, or has no impact on chronic conditions such as acne is absurd. Diet is the primary thing that affects and shapes who we are.

Diet has cumulative effect on our bodies, and that includes our skin condition and acne, which is a manifestation of a chronic internal problem slowly shaped and built by the wrong daily dietary choices over the years.

Acne Diet and The Kitavan Islanders

While in the U.S, more than 80% of teenagers between 16 and 18 have acne and more than 17 million Americans suffer from some form of acne, there is an interesting evidence that native people that live and eat in traditional ways, have significantly lower to no occurrences of acne.

In 2002, Dr. Cordain and his colleagues published a landmark study that examined 300 people living in the Kitavan Islands off the coast of Papua New Guinea that showed that none of the islanders had even one blemish on his or her face. Similar to the Kitavans, no case of acne had been observed when the same experiment had been conducted upon the South American Indians called the Ache, living in a remote jungle in eastern Paraguay.

The natives of Kitavan and the South American Indians had no access to the latest over the counters, topical creams or conventional acne medications and they had no dermatologist to consult with. The only vast difference between them and American or European citizens is their diet.

Acne Diet and Sugar: The Sweet Poison

Aside from the fact that sugar is a 100% pure chemical with zero nutritional value, recent studies have clearly shown a connection between the consumption of sugar and the aggravation of acne.

When you consume any form of refined carbohydrates (white sugar, white flour, white rice) here’s what happens: right after you insert that ’sweet poison’ into your body, it rapidly spikes up your blood sugar levels. Your body needs to bring those levels down so it secrets a surge of insulin, other male hormones and an insulin-like growth factor called IGF-1. The excretion of these hormones overwhelms your liver and your internal system in general. The excess of male hormones encourages the skin to excrete large amounts of sebum oil: The greasy substance that encourages the p.acne bacteria to grow, resulting in the aggravation of your acne.

Acne Diet and Dairy Products: Got Milk? Got Acne

If you thought sugar can aggravate your acne, here’s another major nutritional player in the formation of acne: behold the miracles of milk. Milk (all dairy products included) is the most harmful, mucus forming, allergenic and acne aggravating food you can find. Surprised? I thought so. After years of constant brainwashing by the media, who can blame us for thinking milk is good for strong bones and healthy teeth? The truth is: every sip of milk contains 59 different raging hormones, (which trigger the hyper-production of sebum oil resulting in more acne), saturated animal fat, steroid hormones, dead white blood cells, and cow pus in abundance!

Did you know that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allows 750 million pus cells in every liter of milk (about two pounds) produced in America? Think about it, the next time you pop a pimple.

Scientific studies already point the finger at milk as one of the worst acne aggravating foods: “As pointed out by Dr. Jerome Fisher, ‘About 80 percent of cows that are giving milk are pregnant and are throwing off hormones continuously.’ Progesterone breaks down into androgens, which have been implicated as a factor in the development of acne…Dr. Fisher observed that his teenage acne patients improved as soon as the milk drinking stopped.”

If there’s one element you should remove from your diet in the quest for clear skin make it this one. Not only will you see an immediate improvement over your acne, you’ll feel a huge weight has been lifted from your body. If you worry about calcium intake, don’t! Milk being acidic forming food creates a leeching effect where calcium is taken from your bones to balance the acidity. Milk actually deprives your body from its calcium resources. Green leafy vegetables, nuts and seeds are not only excellent sources of calcium they also have the powers to help you fight your acne symptoms.

Diet Is Only One of The Factors That Cause Acne

Dairy products and sugar are not the only acne aggravating foods. The two above cannot sum up the list of western made acne triggering foods. There are several other foods you should clearly stay away from if you ever wish to clear your acne. The good new is that there are tons of other foods such as essential fatty acids that are not only excellent for your skin, they can actually help you clear your acne, by re-balancing your body and promoting to an acne-free environment.

The right nutrition plays an important part in the complex process of acne formation. When doctors claim there is no link between diet and acne because certain individuals can eat specific foods and get acne while others eat the same foods and don’t, these doctors have failed to realize that there are several factors involved in the formation and aggravation of acne and diet is only ONE of them.

The Final Verdict On The Acne Diet Connection: How To Finally Overcome Your Acne Challenge

Acne is a complex condition that is triggered by several underlying factors. The only way to neutralize your acne condition is to tackle all these acne-contributing factors-holistically. Since the wrong diet is only one of these acne-triggering factors, in most cases no special diet can cure acne.

There is a however, a tight connection between diet and acne formation. Dietary factors can trigger and aggravate your existing acne. Avoiding the wrong foods such as milk, sugar and hydrogenated oils, and eating cleansing and hormonal balancing foods such as green leafy vegetables and essential fatty acids, can help your skin heal itself from the inside out and dramatically reduce your acne symptoms.

There are also several important dietary principals that you must understand and follow if you ever want to cure your acne for good.

Taking responsibility over your body and adhering to these dietary principals along with taking the necessary steps to tackle all acne contributing factors, holistically, will not only cure your acne permanently and give you the flawless acne free skin you deserve, following these principals will also significantly improve your overall health, mental well-being, look and feel.

There was a time, not too long back, when it was not considered macho for men to be using skin care products. However, in modern times, it is quite acceptable by men as well as women to be using skin care products because men are equally aware about their skin requirements. Nowadays there is a plethora of beauty skin care products available for both men and women and for all possible skin types, soft, sensitive, rough, dry and even hypoallergenic products. So you will have no difficulty in finding a beauty skin care product which will suit your skin type, whether you are male or female and whatever your skin type may be.

What Kind Of Skin Type Do You Have?

If you do not know what type of skin type you have, you should find out. If your skin feels constantly oily, even a little while after you have washed it, you will know that you have oily skin and so you do not want to use a beauty skin care product which is oil based. If you do, you might just break out with pimples or acne. You will require something which will reduce the oiliness of your skin. On the other hand, if you have a dry skin, you will need a beauty skin care product which will replenish the moisture in your skin and help keep it supple and soft. If you have normal skin you should use a beauty skin care product for normal skin. There are also beauty skin care products which have herbs in them or those which are fragrance free for sensitive skins.

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Seek Help

If you are still confused as to what skin type you have you can check out at your nearest department store or supermarket which has a cosmetic counter. Most people manning these counters or sections know about beauty skin care products and they usually have a wide range of products to choose from. They can guide you after checking your skin type. Most beauty skin care products of good quality are not cheap, so you don’t want to buy something which will not suit your skin type. Alternatively, you can even check out at any beauty or skin care salon that you visit – the staff there will be able to help explain what your skin type is and what health and beauty skin care product you should use.

A Dermatologist Can Guide You

In case you have already been through the above steps are still not satisfied with the results, it would be best to seek the advice of a beauty skin care specialist, a dermatologist who is a medical expert. If you have never been to one then ask your doctor to refer you to one. It is worth spending the money on a dermatologist who will guide you as to your skin type and the best health beauty skin care product which will be ideal for your skin. Beauty may not just be skin deep, but it pays in the long run to take care of your skin and use a good beauty skin care product.

Acne is a disease rarely associated with systemic medical problems; however, the importance and morbidity of acne should not be underestimated because its disfiguring can have important negative psychosocial consequences for affected individuals including diminished self-esteem, social embarrassment, social withdrawal, depression and even unemployment [1, 3].

Risk factors/Triggers

1. Food/Diet

Foods such as nuts, cola, milk, cheese, fried foods and iodised salts have been implicated as triggers of acne vulgaris; however, the connections between nutrition and acne has not definitely been proven as they are rarely supported by good analytical, epidemiological or therapeutic studies [4, 5]. On the other hand, recurrent acne as noted by Niemeier et al (2006) may be a cutaneous sign of an underlying eating disorder.

2. Genetics

A genetic background is supported by a case control study by Goulden et al, as noted by Rzany et al (2006). This stated that the risk of adult acne vulgaris in relatives of patients with acne as compared with those of patients without acne is significantly higher [4].

3. Hormones

According to Rzany et al (2006), hormonal influences on acne vulgaris are undisputed as shown by the higher incidence of acne in male adolescents. Premenstrual flare has also been recorded as causing acne [5].

4. Nicotine

Smoking has also been named as a risk factor for acne vulgaris; however, conflicting data exists as to the link between smoking and acne. Some population based studies have found links between smoking and acne whilst some others have not [4].

Important!

Contrary to popular misconceptions by young patients and occasionally their parents, acne does not come from bad behaviour nor is it a disease of poor hygiene. It also has nothing to do with lack of cleanliness [2].

Types of acne vulgaris

There are two main types of acne vulgaris, inflammatory and non-inflammatory; these can be manifested in different ways,

1. Comedonal acne, which is a non-inflammatory acne

2. Papules and pustules of inflammatory acne

3. Nodular acne (inflammatory acne)

4. Inflammatory acne with hyperpigmentation (this occurs more commonly in patients with darker skin complexions) [1]

Clinical manifestations

In general, acne is limited to the parts of the body, which have the largest and most abundant sebaceous glands such as the face, neck, chest, upper back and upper arms. Among dermatologists, it is almost universally accepted that the clinical manifestation of acne vulgaris is the result of four essential processes as described below [1, 6],

1. Increased sebum production in the pilosebaceous follicle. Sebum is the lipid-rich secretion product of sebaceous glands, which has a central role in the development of acne and also provides a growth medium for Propionibacterium acnes (P acnes), an anaerobic bacterium which is a normal constituent of the skin flora. Compared with unaffected individuals, people with acne have higher rates of sebum production. Apart from this, the severity of acne is often proportional to the amount of sebum produced [1, 6].

2. Abnormal follicular differentiation, which is the earliest structural change in the pilosebaceous unit in acne vulgaris [1].

3. Colonisation of serum-rich obstructed follicle with Propionibacterium acnes (P acnes). P acnes is an anaerobic bacterium which is a normal constituent of the skin flora and which populates the androgen-stimulated sebaceous follicle [androgen is a steroid hormone such as testosterone or androsterone, that controls the development and maintenance of masculine characteristics]. Individuals with acne have higher counts of P acnes compared with those without acne [1, 6].

4. Inflammation. This is a direct or indirect result of the rapid and excessive increase of P acnes [1].

Non-inflammatory acne lesions include open and closed comedones, which are thickened secretions plugging a duct of the skin, particularly sebaceous glands. Open comedones, also known as blackheads, “appear as flat or slightly raised brown to black plugs that distend the follicular orifices”. Closed comedones, also known as whiteheads, “appear as whitish to flesh-coloured papules with an apparently closed overlying surface” [1].

Inflammatory lesions on the other hand include papules, pustules, and nodules; papules and pustules “result from superficial or deep inflammation associated with microscopic rupture of comedones”. Nodules are large, deep-seated abscesses, which when palpated may be compressible. In addition to the typical lesions in acne, other features may also be present. These include scarring and hyperpigmentation, which can result in substantial disfigurement [1].

Psychological Aspects

Numerous psychological problems such as diminished self-esteem, social embarrassment, social withdrawal, depression and even unemployment stem from acne. However, differential diagnosis from a psychosomatic point of view indicates two serious psychological problems, which can arise from acne. These are,

1. Psychogenic excoriation, and

2. Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD)

Psychogenic excoriation also referred to as neurotic excoriation, pathological or compulsive skin picking “is characterised by excessive scratching or picking of normal skin or skin with minor irregularities” [5]. According to Niemeier et al (2006) it is estimated to occur in 2% of dermatological patients. Patients with this disorder can also have psychiatric disorders such as mood and anxiety disorders, as well as associated disorders such as obsessive compulsive disorder, substance abuse disorder, obsessive compulsive personality disorder, compulsive buying, eating disorder, and borderline personality disorder, to mention a few [5].

Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) “is a condition characterised by an extreme level of dissatisfaction or preoccupation with a normal appearance that causes disruption in daily functioning” [3]. Niemeier et al (2006) described it as “a syndrome characterised by distress, secondary to imagined or minor defects in one’s appearance.” The onset of BDD is usually during adolescence, and it occurs equally in both male and female. Common areas of concern include the skin, hair and nose, with acne being one of the most common concerns with BDD patients [3].

According to the Diagnostic and Statistics Manual of Mental Disorders (2000), BDD has three diagnostic criteria,

1. A preoccupation with an imagined defect in appearance; where a slight physical anomaly is present, the person’s concern is markedly excessive,

2. The preoccupation causes clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning,

3. The preoccupation is not caused by another mental disorder (e.g. Anorexia Nervosa)

Characteristic behaviours include skin picking, mirror checking, and camouflaging by wearing a hat or excessive make up. Apart from these, patients often seek reassurance frequently by asking questions such as “Can you see this pimple?” or “Does my skin look okay?” Some patients also have a tendency to doctor shop, which is essentially going from one specialist to another in search of a dermatologist or plastic surgeon, willing to carry out a desired procedure or dispense a certain drug, to improve their perceived defect [3, 5].

Although it is a relatively common disease, BDD is still an under diagnosed psychiatric disorder and is estimated to affect 0.7 to 5% of the general population. Other psychiatric conditions associated with BDD include major depression, anxiety, and obsessive compulsive disorder. It is also associated with high rates of functional impairment and suicide attempts, high levels of perceived stress, and markedly poor quality of life [3, 5, 8].

Acne Treatment

1. Topical treatment, particularly for individuals with non-inflammatory comedones or mild to moderate inflammatory acne (See types of acne vulgaris). Medications include tretinoin (available as gels, creams, and solutions), adapalene gel, salicylic acid (available as solutions, cleansers, and soaps), isotretinoin gel, azelaic acid cream, benzoyl peroxide (available as gels, lotions, creams, soaps, and washes), to mention a few [1, 2].

2. Oral treatment, particularly for acne that is resistant to topical treatment or which manifests as scarring or nodular lesions. Medications include oral antibiotics (e.g. tetracycline, doxycycline, minocycline, erythromycin, and co-trimoxazole), oral isotretinoin, and hormonal agents (e.g. oral contraception, oral corticosteroid, cyproterone acetate, or spironolactone) [1, 2].

3. Physical or surgical methods of treatment, which are sometimes useful as adjuvant to medical therapy. Methods include comedo extraction, intralesional injections of corticosteroids, dermabrasion, chemical peeling, and collagen injections, to mention a few [1, 9].

4. Sun exposure, reported by up to 70% of patients to have a beneficial effect on acne [10].

5. Light therapy, which is becoming more popular due to the growing demand for a convenient, low risk and effective therapy, as many patients fail to respond adequately to treatment or develop side effects, from the use of various oral and topical treatments available for the treatment of acne [11]. Methods include the use of visible light (e.g. blue light, blue/red light combinations, yellow light, and green light), laser treatment and monopolar radiofrequency [11]. Many of these light therapy treatments can be used at home.

Recommended Products for Acne

References

1. Brown SK, Shalita AR. Acne vulgaris. Lancet 1998; 351:1871-1876.

2. Webster GF. Acne vulgaris. Br Med J 2002; 325: 475-479.

3. Bowe WP et al. Body dysmorphic disorder symptoms among patients with acne vulgaris. J Am Acad Dermatol 2007; DOI: 10.1016/j.jaad.2007.03.030.

4. Rzany B, Kahl C. Epidemiology of acne vulgaris. JDDG 2006; DOI: 10.1111/j.1610-0387.2006.05876.x

5. Niemeier V, Kupfer J, Gieler U. Acne vulgaris-Psychosomatic aspects. JDDG 2006; DOI: 10.1111/j.1610-0387.2006.06110.x

6. Gollnick H. Current perspectives on the treatment of acne vulgaris and implications for future directions. Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol 2001; 15 (Suppl. 3):1-4.

7. American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistics Manual of Mental Disorders. 4th Ed. Accessed via: BehaveNet® Clinical CapsuleTM; http://www.behavenet.com/capsules/disorders/bodydysdis.htm. Accessed on: 28th June 2007.

8. Phillips KA et al. A retrospective follow-up study of body dysmorphic disorder. Comprehensive Psychiatry 2005; 46: 315-321.

9. Taub AF. Procedural treatments of acne vulgaris. Dermatol Surg 2007; 33: 1-22.

10. Cunliffe WJ, Goulden V. Phototherapy and acne vulgaris.Br J Dermatol 2000; 142 (5): 855-856.

11. Dierickx CC. Lasers, Light and Radiofrequency for treatment of acne. Med Laser Appl 2004; 19: 196-204.

Disclaimer

This article is only for informative purposes. It is not intended to be a medical advice and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult your doctor for all your medical concerns. Kindly follow any information given in this article only after consulting your doctor or qualified medical professional. The author is not liable for any outcome or damage resulting from any information obtained from this article.

Find out more information: http://www.allergymatters.com/acatalog/Acne_learning_Centre.html

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Zinc is a mineral and it is believed that it has curative properties on a skin where there are acne growths. It is believed that zinc can reduce the symptoms of acne. However on the other hand, many studies have indicated that this is not the case. So is there a connection between the two? Let us find out.

According to research carried out in recent years, zinc has the same properties of antibiotics such as tetracycline and it can fight the acne bacteria efficiently. And that too without the negative effects of antibiotics. Reportedly, zinc also enhances the immunity of the body.

I wanted to find out the truth and so I carried out experimentation for 7 long years. And after my research, I have been able to find out the zinc and acne connection.

So what is zinc and what is the zinc acne connection all about? How does the zinc acne treatment affect the sufferers and what is the best way to use this treatment to get relief from this terrible disease? And can the zinc acne treatment give permanent relief? This report discusses all these issues in detail.

Get all the zinc for acne information here

You will find traces of the zinc mineral in various food items such as mushrooms, soybeans, legumes, fish, sunflower seeds, egg yolks, soy lecithin and also in whole grains. Zinc is also present in many herbs such as dandelion, eyebright, cayenne, chamomile, mullein, nettle, milk thistle, alfalfa and in the burdock root. Zinc forms a part of insulin and can be found in the tissues.

There are many useful properties of zinc like providing the person with energy, prohibiting blindness, aiding the process of digestion by being a part of enzymes, supporting the reaction of more than 30 enzymes, strengthening the immunity, regulation of Vitamin E in the blood, helping the body absorb Vitamin A and B, speeding up the process of healing, regulating insulin, and it also fights bacteria. Zinc also present in estrogen, testosterone and growth hormone.

Yes, there are many utilities of zinc, but how does it help a person suffering from acne? To understand this, you will have to know the zinc acne connection.

What are the zinc and acne connection and the co-workers?

The causes of acne are all internal and they are imbalance in the level of hormones and build up toxic materials within the body. The hormones are responsible for producing oils, and the zinc can regulate the oil glands, and so if you can take them correctly (that is in the right quantity, quality and the correct essential fatty acids) you will be able to have some control over the level of hormones and this will ease the symptoms of your acne greatly.

Plus there are more benefits of the zinc for acne treatment. It helps absorb the Vitamin A, fights the bacteria that causes acne by strengthening the immunity, helps the body heal wounds and the zinc also has anti oxidant properties. All these are useful in tackling the secondary causes of acne and will help you reduce the symptoms of acne.

Another ability of zinc for acne is that it can regulate the production of hormones, which is a main reason why someone gets acne. However for this to happen, it needs to be taken in the correct quality and combination with essential fatty acids. This needs to be properly absorbed within the body and work together with some nutrients for the hormones to be balanced.

Here is something important that you will need to remember: zinc as an acne treatment may be effective, however take care not to mix it with some chemical substances, supplements and food items because they will make zinc less effective and its impact will go down by quite a bit.

So what are these inhibitors of zinc that does not let zinc function properly?

Zinc acne treatment: here are the various inhibitors

As mentioned above, there are some food items, supplements and conditions that can come in the way of the zinc being properly absorbed in the body. This may significantly reduce the impact of zinc on the acne.

So what are these inhibitors? Phytic acid that you will find in high level grains has been found to be one of them in recent studies. The acid can reduce the absorption by about 15%. And thus, those who are suffering from acne need to have fewer grains just about one to two servings a day. Grains may lead to mucus and acidity and taking them with zinc for acne can be a challenge.

Another zinc inhibitor is soy protein. If you are on the zinc for acne treatment, you need to take less soy as it can bind to minerals and lead to less zinc absorption.

Then there are other minerals like copper and inorganic iron. They also come in the way of zinc for acne bio-availability. However this issue can be solved easily, unless of course you are suffering from copper toxicity. Try not to take copper more than 2-3 mg a day and also do not take inorganic iron supplements.

Too much of physical exertion may lead to an increased demand by the body for zinc and thus, when you are exercising, you need to also take more zinc for acne treatment.

Strictly follow these rules to maximize the zinc acne treatment results:

1. Always take several nutrients like fatty acids, cod liver oil and coconut oil along with the zinc acne treatment as they will aid the establishment of the hormonal balance. You diet may not be enough and when this is the case, you will need supplements for these nutrients.

2. The food you are eating should not have zinc inhibitors such as excess copper and inorganic iron because this will come in the way of absorption. Also, if you engage in excessive physical activity, you need increase your intake of zinc.

3. Restrict the zinc intake daily to 100 mg; it is best taken with food. Remember, if you have more than that, it may lead to toxicity.

4. You will find zinc in many foods but it is basically a mineral and it is present in the same soil where cultivation takes place. And so the quality of the food depends greatly on how good or poor the soil is. Thus, getting your vegetables that have come from organic farming is always a good idea.

5. Food items often have little amounts of zinc in them and because of this, supplementation becomes necessary for the zinc acne treatment. Now there are basically 2 kinds of zinc supplements and they are Zinc gluconate and Zinc Monomethionine (Opti-Zinc). Zinc Monomethionine is better because it is more effective for the acne. It can also be better absorbed by the body.

6. Before you begin this line of treatment, always check for copper toxicity because if you have this, then the zinc cannot be absorbed properly. Ask for a blood test or muscle testing (Kinesiology). Caucasian people having brown nipples may indicate copper toxicity.

Zinc acne treatment offering a permanent solution to your acne problems.

Though it may help, but zinc alone cannot work wonders. This is because the acne did not occur from a deficiency in the level of zinc, but a lot of primary and secondary factors.

But this does not mean that the zinc acne treatment will not give you results. You need to just ensure that you are not encouraging any zinc inhibitors and that, you are taking it with the right nutrients in the correct quantity. Yes, the zinc acne treatment can control the level of hormone and reduce the symptoms of acne.

But the only surefire and permanent way to get rid of acne is by adopting the holistic path. Get rid of all the root causes of acne such as the toxicity in the blood and lymph and the hormonal imbalance and you can sure forget about acne. The zinc acne treatment and the holistic remedy can work together to create an environment that is unsuitable for the acne to flourish. And at last, you will be able to completely eradicate your acne worries.

Essential oils and herbs offer so many benefits in your skin care regime.  Below are common essential oils and herbs commonly found in skin care products:

Almond and Almond Oil – A great vegetable oil for dry skin.  Commonly used as a carrier oil to blend with other essentials oils.  Easily absorbed into the skin and is an excellent emollient with nourishing properties.  Safety Precautions:  People with nut allergies should avoid almonds and almond oil.

Jojoba –.Jojoba oil makes a great scalp cleanser and hair conditioner.  Additionally, because of its absorption properties it is commonly used in skin care propducts as a cleaning agent, makeup remover and moisturizer…  It has a great effect on fighting wrinkles, as well as having an anti-bacterial effect on the skin.  Jojoba oil can be used as base carrier oil into which other essential oils can be diluted before applying it to the skin. Safety Precautions: No reports of toxicity

Aloe Vera – Aloe is used externally for skin irritation, burns, sunburn, wounds, eczema, psoriasis, acne, and dermatitis.  Aloe Vera has good astringent qualities.  When used with other ingredients it soothes the skin and stimulates cell regeneration. The oil is combined in massage therapy for its healing and rejuvenating properties. Safety Precautions: When used topically, some individuals may have an allergic reaction and a skin patch test (behind the ear or on the forearm) is advised before use.

Anise – Cooled down tea made from anise can be sponged on the face to help lighten the complexion.   Safety Precautions: On the whole, anise is a safe herb to use but due to its trans-anethole estrogen-like action, it may be best avoided during pregnancy or when suffering from endometriosis or any estrogen dependant cancers.

Avocado – Moisturizes, reduces appearance of age spots, heals sun damage and scars.  Additionally, avocado regenerates and rejuvenates the skin. Avocado increases collagen in the skin and therefore is an anti-aging ingredient in skin care.  Avocado oil has superior moisturizing qualities.  

Carrot – A superb skin-nourishing essential oil, carrot seed helps balance both oily and dry complexions, heals damaged skin, and helps aged skin by reducing age spots and wrinkles. Safety Precautions: Carrot seeds and carrot seed oil should not be used excessively during pregnancy.

Chamomile – Tones all types of complexions. The anti-inflammatory effect of this essential oil applied topically improves skin regeneration, and a cold compress does wonders for puffy eyes. Chamomile is used in facial steams to reduce puffiness and cleanse the pores of the skin. Safety Precautions: Handling fresh chamomile plants may cause dermatitis in some individuals. It should not to be used when using anti-coagulant drugs. Please note that the essential oil is said to stimulate the uterus and should be used with care in pregnancy. Allergic reactions may occur for those that are allergic to daisies.

Green Tea – has an antioxidant effect that helps to keep wrinkles at bay.  External use: Green tea is often included in anti-aging skin care products for the antioxidant properties contained in the herb.  Green tea is a powerful antioxidant, a potent anti-inflammatory agent thereby reducing inflammation in the skin, and having a inhibitory action on collagens – an enzymatic action in the skin where the collagen is broken down, resulting in more firm and elastic skin.  In hair care, it can be used with great success to improve the gloss and shine of the hair.   Safety Precautions: When pregnant or nursing only limited amounts of green tea should be used, and it can also interfere with MAO inhibitors and blood thinning medication.  It should not be consumed together with other medication, as it may interfere with the absorption of such medicine.

Geranium – Wonderful oil for mature and troubled skin and brings a radiant glow and promotes circulation. Safety Precautions: Geranium essential oil is well tolerated by most individuals, but since it helps in balancing the hormonal system, care must be taken during pregnancy.

Ginseng – Ginseng is used in cosmetics for its rejuvenating properties. The vast amount of properties gives Ginseng an almost unlimited use in cosmetics. Its activity makes it useful in nourishing creams, in treating wrinkled and aged skin and in all cosmetic products used to retard the onset of age.  Ginseng may be used in products for weak hair and lotions for preventing hair loss as it stimulates growth and gives strength.  Safety Precautions: May worsen the side effects of stimulants such as coffee, and should best be avoided when consuming alcohol.  Not normally used by pregnant women and is not indicated for use by young children, people suffering from depression, high blood pressure, anxiety or any acute inflammatory disease.  Excess may cause headaches, restlessness, high blood pressure, and nausea.

Honey – Refines pores; tightens skin; moisturizes; retards wrinkles; anti-blemish

Jasmine – On the skin, it is used with great effect to treat dry, stressed and sensitive skins and also helps to increase elasticity. Safety Precautions: Although well tolerated, this heavy scented essential oil should be used sparingly, and specially so during pregnancy.

Lanolin – Moisturizer; softener; emollient

Lavender – Lavender skin care products are ideal for oily and combination skin. It has antiseptic and stimulant properties.  Lavender is useful in treating skin conditions such as abscesses, acne, allergies, athlete’s foot, boils, bruises, burns, dandruff, dermatitis, earache, eczema, inflammations, insect bites and stings, insect repellant, lice, psoriasis, ringworm, scabies, sores, spots, all skin types, sunburn and wounds. Safety Precautions: Although the essential oil is well tolerated by all skin types, it must be, like all essential oils, used with care – remember essential oils are powerful and very concentrated.

Mud – (including clay, fuller’s earth) reduced large pores; absorb excess grease in oily skin; improves circulation. Safety Precautions: No Toxicity Reported

Nuts – (almonds, cashews, pecans): Scrub to refine pores, combat wrinkles, blackheads and dryness 

Oats – Excellent emollient properties.  Oats have a softening effect on sensitive skin. It helps to reduce the irritation caused on the skin by harsh climatic conditions or on skin with this kind of problem. It plays an important role in the treatment of older skin as well as problem skin.  Safety Precautions: No Toxicity Reported

Patchouli – It can be used for inflamed and itching skin.  The oil promotes cell rejuvenation, tightening of loose skin and heals wounds and sores, while sorting out rough, cracked skin.  Safety Precautions:  The essential oil of patchouli is well tolerated, but its heavy fragrance indicates use in low dosage.

Rose – Astringent and luxurious, rose oils and rose waters are welcome additions to almost any skin care formulation   has an astringent effect on oily skin, reducing puffiness, edema and has a slight tightening effect. The oil most effective for moisturizing and hydrating the skin while having a general stimulant and antiseptic action which is good for all skin types, but especially so for dry, mature and irritated skin. It is used to repair broken capillaries, inflammation, as well as skin redness and is useful in eczema  Safety Precautions: None noted.

Rosemary – Antioxidant properties, and secondly has a remarkable stimulating effect on the skin.  Traditionally used for hair and scalp stimulation, as well as anti-aging products.  Safety Precautions: Rosemary essential oil has a highly stimulating action and may not be suitable for people with epilepsy or high blood pressure. The essential oil should also not be used during pregnancy.

Seaweed – very good cellulite reducing capabilities All seaweeds are rich in compounds that are of specific use in the cosmetic industry 

Yogurt – Cleanser; bleach; for normal and oily skin 

As with any new skin care or hair product, a patch test is recommended.

For skin care recipes, visit Complete Skin Care Therapy

Top 10 Myths About Acne

I have been treating acne in my patients for over a decade.  And during that time many patients have asked me questions related to myths that they have heard, that simply aren’t true.  Here I will address the top 10 acne myths that I have heard over the years with detailed explanations of why they are false.

Acne Myth 1 – Washing your face more often will help clear up acne

Facial blemishes are not caused by dirt. Contrary to what you may have seen in commercials, pores do not get blocked from the top down due to “impurities”. Rather, the walls of a pore stick together deep within the skin, starting acne formation. Far from preventing acne, frequent washing may actually irritate pores and cause them to become clogged. A washcloth can add even more irritation. The best bet is to wash very gently with bare hands, and only wash twice a day.

Acne Myth 2 – Stress causes acne



Stress may have an effect on hormones and theoretically can promote acne. However, an effective acne treatment regimen is more powerful than a bout of stress any day. Some psychiatric medications may have acne as a side effect, but stress itself is no big deal. Your time is better spent determining the right course of acne treatment rather than feeling guilt about stress.

Acne Myth 3 -Masturbation or sex causes acne

This antiquated notion, originating as early as the 17th century to dissuade young people from having premarital sex, is just plain wrong. Don’t believe the hype.

Acne Myth 4 -The sun will help get rid of acne

Although a tan may temporarily mask acne, the sun can make the skin dry and irritated, leading to more breakouts in the future. In fact, there’s no link between sun exposure and acne prevention, but the sun’s rays can cause premature aging and skin cancer. Always protect your skin by choosing a sunscreen of at least SPF (sun protection factor) 15 that says noncomedogenic or nonacnegenic on the label, which means it won’t clog pores.

The sun also reddens your skin, blending your skin tone with red acne marks. However, a sun burn is actually skin damage, and sun exposure can cause irritation which will make acne worse. People will often notice their skin breaking out as it heals from sun damage. The sun is a short-term band-aid which will often bite back with more acne in the weeks following exposure. However, some sun exposure is not evil. It is actually important, and we get our vitamin D from the sun. Limiting sun exposure on acne prone areas of your body is most likely prudent, but some exposure from time to time is not only unavoidable, but is perfectly okay.

Acne Myth 5 -Diet and acne are related

The bottom line is we need more research. We do know that people in some indigenous societies do not experience acne at all. This is in contrast to the widespread presence of acne throughout all modern society. It leaves us to question whether the indigenous people’s diet contributes to their acne-free skin. Discovering a dietary way of preventing acne may be a future reality.

Although eating too many sugary, high-fat foods is never a good idea, studies show that no specific food has been proven to cause acne. Every individual is different, though. Some people notice their breakouts are worse after eating certain foods — and these foods are different depending on the person. For example, some people may notice breakouts after eating chocolate, while others are fine with chocolate but notice they get breakouts after drinking too much coffee. If that’s the case for you, it can help to cut back on that food and see if it makes a difference.

Acne Myth 6 -Popping pimples will help them go away faster

Popping a pimple may make it seem less noticeable temporarily, but popping can cause it to stay around longer. By squeezing pimples and zits, you can actually push bacteria, dead skin cells, and oil further into the skin, causing more swelling and redness — and sometimes causing a red or brown mark or scar to form. Sometimes marks can last for many months and true scars (dents and pits) will last forever.

Acne Myth 7 -Don’t wear makeup if you want clear skin.

As long as you choose cosmetics that are nonacnegenic or noncomedogenic, they shouldn’t cause breakouts. In fact, some concealers now contain benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid, which help to fight acne. You can also try tinted benzoyl peroxide creams that hide pimples while helping treat them.

If you’ve had moderate to severe acne, though, talk to your doctor or dermatologist about the best cosmetics to use — he or she may recommend avoiding cosmetics altogether or only using certain brands so you’re acne isn’t aggravated.

And even if a product is labeled nonacnegenic or noncomedogenic, you should stop using it and talk to your doctor if you notice that it’s irritating your skin or seems to cause breakouts.

Acne Myth 8 – If you keep getting breakouts, it helps to use more acne medication until the breakouts stop.

Because acne medication contains drying agents like benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid, using too much medication may cause overdrying, leading to irritation and more blemishes.

If over-the-counter acne medication doesn’t seem to work on your acne, it’s a good idea to talk to your doctor or dermatologist. Also, if you’re taking a prescription acne medication, make sure you follow your doctor’s instructions — some medications may take up to 8 weeks to make a significant difference.

Acne Myth 9 – Acne is just a cosmetic disease.



Yes, acne does affect the way people look and is not otherwise a serious threat to a person’s physical health. However, acne can result in permanent physical scars–plus, acne itself as well as its scars can affect the way people feel about themselves to the point of affecting their lives.

Acne Myth 10 – You just have to let acne run its course

The truth is, acne can be cleared up. If the acne products you have tried haven’t worked, consider seeing a dermatologist. With the products available today, there is no reason why someone has to endure acne or get acne scars.

For more information on acne, including: medication reviews and skin care tips, click here, or visit: www.skincarehelp.me.