Diet and Good Nutrition
Good nutrition is the foundation for healthy skin. A well-balanced diet will ensure that your body receives the vitamins and mineral it needs to support and maintain the health of the skin. Foods rich in sulphur, such as onions and garlic, may be particularly helpful to those who suffer from acne. There are also several nutritional supplements that may be helpful in the maintenance of healthy skin. Supplements of b-complex vitamins as well as vitamin C, and A are very important for the strength, growth, and vitality of the skin. Vitamin E and the mineral zinc orotate are also useful supplements as they both contain antioxidants that can help protect the skin from damage. And don't underestimate the power of water. Water helps to hydrate the skin, plump up the glands, and move waste and nutrients through the system. Plan on drinking at least six to eight glasses of purified water each day to keep skin healthy and deter the development of acne. We recommend using a Wellness Water purification system available at www.ghchealth.com.
Cleansing
In order to prevent or alleviate acne, you need to keep you skin nourished from the inside and clean on the outside. People who suffer from acne need to be especially careful about the methods and products used to cleanse the skin.
Choose gentle herbal facial cleansers and moisturizers, and use them at least twice throughout the day to remove debris, oil, perspiration, and pollutants that have built up on the skin. There are several products on the market that are made exclusively for acne-prone skin. These products are designed to reduce the incidence of acne breakouts. The best product available is Oxy-Skin™. A non-oily face wash that contains tea tree oil or echinacea can also help to slow or halt the development of acne. Excessive washing will not help reduce acne, and in fact it can actually aggravate it. Rather, wash your face twice a day in the morning and evenings and rinse thoroughly with warm water.
Moisturizers and Cosmetics
As with facial cleansers, be sure to choose moisturizers and cosmetics that will work well with your skin type. Avoid oily cosmetics or any facial products that contain socetyl stearate, isopropyl isostearate, isopropyl palmitate, isopropyl myristate, parabens and sodium chloride, as these ingredients can cause acne. Cosmetics are a major cause of acne breakouts for adult women. Wear the least amount of makeup you feel comfortable with, to avoid irritation to your skin and allow your skin to receive an ample supply of oxygen.
Hands Off!
As hard as it can be to resist, picking or squeezing at pimples or blemishes will really only make them worse. In fact, it can cause open sores that lead to infection. Normally, a pimple will last any where from one to four weeks. But it will go away on its own. And picking or squeezing it will not make it go away any faster.
Herbal Acne Remedies
Herbal remedies can be very useful in the treatment and prevention of acne. Chamomile, lavender, juniper, bergamot, dandelion root, and burdock root can all be used to reduce toxicity in the skin and improve its overall condition. Other herbs like echinacea and poke root have anti-inflammatory properties that can help to reduce the swelling and reduce of the blocked oil gland. Red clover may be beneficial for its estrogenic action and witch hazel has excellent astringent properties and may be very effective for cleansing acne prone skin.
Homemade Acne Remedies
In addition to store bought herbal and conventional acne preparation. There are several recipes that you can make at home to treat your acne prone skin.
Poultices: You can make a poultice out of several natural ingredients and apply it to the affected area. Here are a few poultice combinations that are useful in the treatment and prevention of acne. Unless the directions state otherwise, apply these poultices directly to the acne affected area and wash off thoroughly after twenty to thirty minutes.
•Ginger and milk
•Honey and cinnamon (Use this poultice at night and remove it the next morning with warm water.)
•Ground orange peel and water
•Salt and vinegar
•Turmeric and vinegar
•Lemon juice and cinnamon
•Ground sesame seeds and water (This poultice is especially effective at reducing inflammation.)
Topical Acne Treatments: You can use the following treatments to target specific acne related problems like swelling or redness.
•Rub fresh garlic on acne at frequent intervals to acne to reduce both redness and swelling.
•Use the juice of a fresh, raw papaya to relieve swelling acne.
•Rub fresh mint juice over acne to shrink inflamed acne.
•Drink wheat grass juice to prevent and cure acne.
Showing posts with label FAQ. Show all posts
Showing posts with label FAQ. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Monday, April 5, 2010
Acne at my age?
When the 30s hit, you worked to raise little Johnnie or Suzie to be a model kid. Now that your hitting the fabulous 40s, you should be coasting through life, right. Well, why are you suddenly dealing with the cosmetic double whammy of acne and wrinkles? Even your insurance company figures that you should have gotten rid of acne by the age of 25.
The number people over 30 needing acne treatments has climbed to the extent that a report published in Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology recommends raising the age for insurance coverage of the acne drug tretinoin to at least 40. The authors of the report, Drs. Steven Feldman and Alan Fleischer, add that many insurance companies refuse to pay for tretinoin prescriptions for patients older than 25.
Cosmetic Catch 22 Even if your insurance company leaves you to fend for yourself, you still have options for freeing yourself from acne and wrinkles. At first, coping with acne and wrinkles may seem like a cosmetic catch 22. Do you dry your skin with acne cleansers containing benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid, and worsen your wrinkles? Or, do you smear on the moisturizer to smooth the wrinkles, but cope with the zits brought on by the extra oil or sensitivity to a new product?
There’s a smarter way to handle acne and wrinkles.
1. Interpret the acne
2. Allow your skin to improve as you use self-awareness to remove zits.
Interpret the acne
While dealing with acne and wrinkles, target the acne first because acne is an autoimmune disease. Having an autoimmune disease means that your thoughts, emotions, and/or environment are affecting you in an adverse way and require immediate attention. Thus, acne may reveal that you need to relax more, change your eating habits, reframe your interpersonal dialogue, stop dating that jerk from the office and/or make another beneficial alteration to your lifestyle.
Zits arrive on your face to report on some unpleasant activities within your body and life. Once you get feedback from these zits, you can take action to send the zits away while augmenting your health in the process.
Acne is usually an indication various hidden or overlooked health problems. Here’s a sample of the questions you should ask yourself when dealing with acne so that you can unravel the mystery behind your zits. Are you:
Regular?
About 70% of your immune system is located in your intestines. If this area is blocked with waste, your immuno-defenses are down. So, instead of waste leaving your body via the rectum, it chooses to leave through the skin. Waste leaving the skin can cause an infection that presents itself as acne.
Tense?
Tension likewise reduces the vigor of the immune system. Take a few deep breaths throughout the day to calm your body. Take a long walk in the fresh air to wind down.
Eating nutritionally?
Cases of acne have been improved with consuming foods containing zinc, essential fatty acids, vitamin A and a host of other nutrients. All of these vital nutrients are available in leafy green vegetables, fruits and olive oil.
Worried about unresolved issues?
Not resolving personal issues creates conflict and tension in the body. Again, these issues most be addressed to avoid undue stress within the body.
Exercising daily?
Exercise reduces stress and gives you an opportunity to subconsciously contemplate challenges that you may be facing. Physical activity also keeps your muscles and intestines toned, which keeps encourages regularity.
Changing pillowcase frequently?
Using a dirty pillowcase aggravates an acne condition. Your face naturally secretes oils during the night. These oils are sticky. So if you pillowcase if dirty, you are allowing your face to collect extra waste during the night, which could further clog your pores.
Moving or changing your job/career?
New demands or feelings of lose can sometimes accompany change. Transfer these emotions into something constructive by writing in a journal or envisioning how these changes are going to benefit you. Find comfort in these changes and opportunities for new beginnings.
Experiencing excessive facial hair growth and erratic periods?
Conditions such as acne, excessive facial hair, and erratic periods could indicate an androgen disorder or other underlying hormonal imbalances. Your doctor can provide you with a series of endocrine tests to ascertain your hormone levels and what corrective actions you should take. Ricardo Azziz, M.D, who serves as Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Director of the Center for Androgen-Related Disorders at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, estimates that 80 percent of women with excessive androgen levels suffer from an endocrine disorder called polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Dr. Azziz adds that women with PCOS often have insulin resistance and are at increased risk for developing Type II diabetes, hypertension and heart disease.
Once the acne is under control you can move on to the wrinkles. Another reason for treating the zits first is because if you alter your lifestyle in such as way as to free yourself from acne, and you doing this in a healthy and patient fashion, you will actually lessen the number of wrinkles you have.
Health is wholeness and beauty is a reflection of robust health. You’ll never buy robust health in a jar. It is a mind, body, spirit and environmental support system that garners full-bodied health. Lets look at want you actually need from a “beauty cream”.
Face Cream Education There are five basic ingredients in any given anti-aging or anti-wrinkling cream.
1. The oil or moisturizer
2. The preservatives to keep the cream from spoiling.
3. A scent or flavor
4. A color
5. The active ingredient.
Only one of these components is essential, the oil. The preservative is only needed to keep the cream useful. Your face does not need preservation because the skin is alive. Since some people have allergies to scents and colors in cosmetics, the body says that these two ingredients are not necessary. The active ingredient is usually the latest cosmetic drug or multivitamin that is supposed to lift or dramatically reverse your age by 5-20 years.
Researchers S. Jay Olshansky, Leonard Hayflick and Bruce A. Carnes bluntly comment on the antics of cosmetic companies in their report No Truth to the Fountain of Youth, published in the June 2002 edition of Scientific American. The authors warn everyone aiming to reverse the signs of times on their face that, “… anyone purporting to offer an anti-aging product today is either mistaken or lying”.
I bet you are thinking, “Won’t that oil make acne worse?” The answer is not if you are using the right oil. Some essential oils such as bergamont, lavender, lemon, neroli, sandalwood, tea tree and ylang ylang have cleansing and antibacterial properties which help combat acne infections. Other essential oil like geranium, clary sage and orange regulate the production of oil on the face. When mixed with a carrier oil such as jojoba or camellia, these essential oils are ideal moisturizers.
Nothing that you put on your face will truly change your appearance. Creams are useful, but they are only one instrument in an orchestra of anti-aging concerts. Health starts on the inside. If you want to improve your beauty start with how you treat yourself and feed yourself. I mean not only what foods you eat but what thoughts you eat.
You may eat thoughts of the sort, “I can’t…”, “I had a stressful day”, “I’m tired of…”, “I can’t wait until…”, “I’m getting old”, “My body isn’t as healthy as it used to be”. The menu is endless. If you want to look young and healthy, you have to think young and healthy thoughts. Here’s steps to jumpstart your quest:
Start by changing your thinking. Develop your own youth model, i.e. with steps you’ll take to maintain your vitality and stick to it.
Enjoy nutritious foods. A study in the Journal of American College of Nutrition found that eating a variety of fruits and vegetables and using olive oil every day could help keep wrinkles away. The researchers found that people who ate a diet rich in green leafy vegetables, beans, olive oil, nuts and multigrain breads, while avoiding butter, red meat and sugary goodies, were less predisposed to wrinkling. Researchers believe that antioxidant vitamins, such as A, C and E, which are found in fruits and vegetables, may help protect the skin from environmental damage.
Use a gentle cleanser each day.
Steam your face everyday for 5-15 minutes, especially if your have acne. The steam removes waxy build-up on the skin while it stimulates circulation. This combo of benefits cleans to pores to reduce the possibility of acne while firming up the skin and facial muscles.
Exfoliate your skin daily.
Moisturize your face in the morning and evening with natural oils. In addition to the acne fighting oils listed above, you can mix essential oils such as frankinsense, myrrh, neroli and rose to help encourage the growth of new skin cells. You can create a moisturizer by diluting 1-3 of your favorite essential oils in a carrier oil such as jojoba or camellia oil in a ration of 1 part essential oil to 3 parts carrier oil.
Massage your face daily when you apply your facial oil.
Lie down on an incline bench for 5-20 minutes each day to let the blood flow to your head.
Wear a sunhat in the sun.
Give yourself a light skin peel once a month.
Finally, forty can still be fabulous and your beauty-plan a lot less enigmatic. Just remember the basics, interpret the messages of your zits, and educate yourself about wrinkle creams- you don’t need them.
The number people over 30 needing acne treatments has climbed to the extent that a report published in Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology recommends raising the age for insurance coverage of the acne drug tretinoin to at least 40. The authors of the report, Drs. Steven Feldman and Alan Fleischer, add that many insurance companies refuse to pay for tretinoin prescriptions for patients older than 25.
Cosmetic Catch 22 Even if your insurance company leaves you to fend for yourself, you still have options for freeing yourself from acne and wrinkles. At first, coping with acne and wrinkles may seem like a cosmetic catch 22. Do you dry your skin with acne cleansers containing benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid, and worsen your wrinkles? Or, do you smear on the moisturizer to smooth the wrinkles, but cope with the zits brought on by the extra oil or sensitivity to a new product?
There’s a smarter way to handle acne and wrinkles.
1. Interpret the acne
2. Allow your skin to improve as you use self-awareness to remove zits.
Interpret the acne
While dealing with acne and wrinkles, target the acne first because acne is an autoimmune disease. Having an autoimmune disease means that your thoughts, emotions, and/or environment are affecting you in an adverse way and require immediate attention. Thus, acne may reveal that you need to relax more, change your eating habits, reframe your interpersonal dialogue, stop dating that jerk from the office and/or make another beneficial alteration to your lifestyle.
Zits arrive on your face to report on some unpleasant activities within your body and life. Once you get feedback from these zits, you can take action to send the zits away while augmenting your health in the process.
Acne is usually an indication various hidden or overlooked health problems. Here’s a sample of the questions you should ask yourself when dealing with acne so that you can unravel the mystery behind your zits. Are you:
Regular?
About 70% of your immune system is located in your intestines. If this area is blocked with waste, your immuno-defenses are down. So, instead of waste leaving your body via the rectum, it chooses to leave through the skin. Waste leaving the skin can cause an infection that presents itself as acne.
Tense?
Tension likewise reduces the vigor of the immune system. Take a few deep breaths throughout the day to calm your body. Take a long walk in the fresh air to wind down.
Eating nutritionally?
Cases of acne have been improved with consuming foods containing zinc, essential fatty acids, vitamin A and a host of other nutrients. All of these vital nutrients are available in leafy green vegetables, fruits and olive oil.
Worried about unresolved issues?
Not resolving personal issues creates conflict and tension in the body. Again, these issues most be addressed to avoid undue stress within the body.
Exercising daily?
Exercise reduces stress and gives you an opportunity to subconsciously contemplate challenges that you may be facing. Physical activity also keeps your muscles and intestines toned, which keeps encourages regularity.
Changing pillowcase frequently?
Using a dirty pillowcase aggravates an acne condition. Your face naturally secretes oils during the night. These oils are sticky. So if you pillowcase if dirty, you are allowing your face to collect extra waste during the night, which could further clog your pores.
Moving or changing your job/career?
New demands or feelings of lose can sometimes accompany change. Transfer these emotions into something constructive by writing in a journal or envisioning how these changes are going to benefit you. Find comfort in these changes and opportunities for new beginnings.
Experiencing excessive facial hair growth and erratic periods?
Conditions such as acne, excessive facial hair, and erratic periods could indicate an androgen disorder or other underlying hormonal imbalances. Your doctor can provide you with a series of endocrine tests to ascertain your hormone levels and what corrective actions you should take. Ricardo Azziz, M.D, who serves as Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Director of the Center for Androgen-Related Disorders at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, estimates that 80 percent of women with excessive androgen levels suffer from an endocrine disorder called polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Dr. Azziz adds that women with PCOS often have insulin resistance and are at increased risk for developing Type II diabetes, hypertension and heart disease.
Once the acne is under control you can move on to the wrinkles. Another reason for treating the zits first is because if you alter your lifestyle in such as way as to free yourself from acne, and you doing this in a healthy and patient fashion, you will actually lessen the number of wrinkles you have.
Health is wholeness and beauty is a reflection of robust health. You’ll never buy robust health in a jar. It is a mind, body, spirit and environmental support system that garners full-bodied health. Lets look at want you actually need from a “beauty cream”.
Face Cream Education There are five basic ingredients in any given anti-aging or anti-wrinkling cream.
1. The oil or moisturizer
2. The preservatives to keep the cream from spoiling.
3. A scent or flavor
4. A color
5. The active ingredient.
Only one of these components is essential, the oil. The preservative is only needed to keep the cream useful. Your face does not need preservation because the skin is alive. Since some people have allergies to scents and colors in cosmetics, the body says that these two ingredients are not necessary. The active ingredient is usually the latest cosmetic drug or multivitamin that is supposed to lift or dramatically reverse your age by 5-20 years.
Researchers S. Jay Olshansky, Leonard Hayflick and Bruce A. Carnes bluntly comment on the antics of cosmetic companies in their report No Truth to the Fountain of Youth, published in the June 2002 edition of Scientific American. The authors warn everyone aiming to reverse the signs of times on their face that, “… anyone purporting to offer an anti-aging product today is either mistaken or lying”.
I bet you are thinking, “Won’t that oil make acne worse?” The answer is not if you are using the right oil. Some essential oils such as bergamont, lavender, lemon, neroli, sandalwood, tea tree and ylang ylang have cleansing and antibacterial properties which help combat acne infections. Other essential oil like geranium, clary sage and orange regulate the production of oil on the face. When mixed with a carrier oil such as jojoba or camellia, these essential oils are ideal moisturizers.
Nothing that you put on your face will truly change your appearance. Creams are useful, but they are only one instrument in an orchestra of anti-aging concerts. Health starts on the inside. If you want to improve your beauty start with how you treat yourself and feed yourself. I mean not only what foods you eat but what thoughts you eat.
You may eat thoughts of the sort, “I can’t…”, “I had a stressful day”, “I’m tired of…”, “I can’t wait until…”, “I’m getting old”, “My body isn’t as healthy as it used to be”. The menu is endless. If you want to look young and healthy, you have to think young and healthy thoughts. Here’s steps to jumpstart your quest:
Start by changing your thinking. Develop your own youth model, i.e. with steps you’ll take to maintain your vitality and stick to it.
Enjoy nutritious foods. A study in the Journal of American College of Nutrition found that eating a variety of fruits and vegetables and using olive oil every day could help keep wrinkles away. The researchers found that people who ate a diet rich in green leafy vegetables, beans, olive oil, nuts and multigrain breads, while avoiding butter, red meat and sugary goodies, were less predisposed to wrinkling. Researchers believe that antioxidant vitamins, such as A, C and E, which are found in fruits and vegetables, may help protect the skin from environmental damage.
Use a gentle cleanser each day.
Steam your face everyday for 5-15 minutes, especially if your have acne. The steam removes waxy build-up on the skin while it stimulates circulation. This combo of benefits cleans to pores to reduce the possibility of acne while firming up the skin and facial muscles.
Exfoliate your skin daily.
Moisturize your face in the morning and evening with natural oils. In addition to the acne fighting oils listed above, you can mix essential oils such as frankinsense, myrrh, neroli and rose to help encourage the growth of new skin cells. You can create a moisturizer by diluting 1-3 of your favorite essential oils in a carrier oil such as jojoba or camellia oil in a ration of 1 part essential oil to 3 parts carrier oil.
Massage your face daily when you apply your facial oil.
Lie down on an incline bench for 5-20 minutes each day to let the blood flow to your head.
Wear a sunhat in the sun.
Give yourself a light skin peel once a month.
Finally, forty can still be fabulous and your beauty-plan a lot less enigmatic. Just remember the basics, interpret the messages of your zits, and educate yourself about wrinkle creams- you don’t need them.
Friday, April 2, 2010
Acne and Vitamin Supplements
Since the majority of the worlds population suffer from acne at some point in their lives, there is no surprise that such efforts are invested in finding out how to it. While there have been some definitive answers on whether acne is hormonally induced (yes), and what can be done to prevent it (prescription drugs, certain herbal remedies, etc), there are still many unknown factors that cause acne.
However, of all the many acne questions that science is yet to find answers to, the most controversial is whether or not diet has an effect on acne.
Historically, diet was thought to be linked to acne. Doctors and housewives alike believed that a high fat content in ones diet would cause an oilier complexion, and this in turn would create acne breakouts.
However, as time went on, science found no directly link between a diet high in lipids (fat), and acne. Since acne is caused by a bacterial growth in sebum trapped in clogged pores, there is no such thing as “extra oil secretion”. So, for at least the last 15 years, western medicine has claimed there is no connection between diet and acne.
However, a study conducted in 1997 has rekindled the flame in the “diet causes acne” argument, and this time, with a bit more heat.
This study, conducted by Dr. Lit Hung Leung, states that Acne breakouts are because the body cannot create enough of Coenzyme A to break down the fatty acids that create sebum. The reason is, Coenzyme A is probably the single most needed enzyme in the body. This Coenzyme-A is what synthesizes sex hormones, and what breaks down fatty acids.
The only part of Coenzyme-A that the body does not produce itself is vitamin B5. So, if there is a shortage of B5, there is a shortage of Coenzyme-A. And if there is a shortage of Coenzyme-A, the body will use it to synthesize sex hormones, not break down fatty acids.
So, you can see where this is going…more fatty acids, more sebum production, more acne.
Now, the interesting thing is that Dr. Lit Hung Leung substantiated this claim by testing it on 100 people. The group took 10 grams or more per day of pantothenic acid ( B5 ), and used a B5 topical cream of 20% by weight. After 2-3, sebum production was reduced, and many people with acne noticed a reduction. For those with more extreme acne, a higher dosage of B5 was used (approx. 15-20 grams per day), and treatment was prolonged to see an effect, sometimes up to 6 months.
So, while one study does not definitively prove whether B5 can prevent or reduce acne, it may well be worth considering, particularly for those who want a natural or herbal cure for acne, and do not want to use chemicals such as benzoyl peroxide, or other prescription acne treatments.
As with any medical treatment, it is best to consult a doctor before trying a B5 regimine.
However, of all the many acne questions that science is yet to find answers to, the most controversial is whether or not diet has an effect on acne.
Historically, diet was thought to be linked to acne. Doctors and housewives alike believed that a high fat content in ones diet would cause an oilier complexion, and this in turn would create acne breakouts.
However, as time went on, science found no directly link between a diet high in lipids (fat), and acne. Since acne is caused by a bacterial growth in sebum trapped in clogged pores, there is no such thing as “extra oil secretion”. So, for at least the last 15 years, western medicine has claimed there is no connection between diet and acne.
However, a study conducted in 1997 has rekindled the flame in the “diet causes acne” argument, and this time, with a bit more heat.
This study, conducted by Dr. Lit Hung Leung, states that Acne breakouts are because the body cannot create enough of Coenzyme A to break down the fatty acids that create sebum. The reason is, Coenzyme A is probably the single most needed enzyme in the body. This Coenzyme-A is what synthesizes sex hormones, and what breaks down fatty acids.
The only part of Coenzyme-A that the body does not produce itself is vitamin B5. So, if there is a shortage of B5, there is a shortage of Coenzyme-A. And if there is a shortage of Coenzyme-A, the body will use it to synthesize sex hormones, not break down fatty acids.
So, you can see where this is going…more fatty acids, more sebum production, more acne.
Now, the interesting thing is that Dr. Lit Hung Leung substantiated this claim by testing it on 100 people. The group took 10 grams or more per day of pantothenic acid ( B5 ), and used a B5 topical cream of 20% by weight. After 2-3, sebum production was reduced, and many people with acne noticed a reduction. For those with more extreme acne, a higher dosage of B5 was used (approx. 15-20 grams per day), and treatment was prolonged to see an effect, sometimes up to 6 months.
So, while one study does not definitively prove whether B5 can prevent or reduce acne, it may well be worth considering, particularly for those who want a natural or herbal cure for acne, and do not want to use chemicals such as benzoyl peroxide, or other prescription acne treatments.
As with any medical treatment, it is best to consult a doctor before trying a B5 regimine.
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