"Health Articles"

There can be little doubt that acne is probably one of the most stressful and soul-destroying skin complaints known to man. Most sufferers will tell you that it makes them introspective, extremely self-conscious and ashamed about how they look. Many say that they feel so dirty and extremely unattractive that they just want to stay at home and hide from the outside world.

But what is acne? What exactly is the cause of the condition that blights the lives of so many people?

Although the condition is generally thought of as one that affects those going through puberty, it can affect anyone who is between 11 and 30 years of age. According to statistics, it affects about 80 in100 people worldwide, the symptoms of which are whiteheads, blackheads, red or yellow spots and greasy, often scarred skin

The skin contains numerous small sebaceous glands situated just below its surface. To keep the skin smooth and supple, the glands produce an oily substance called sebum which comes up to the surface of the skin through tiny holes (pores).through which hair also grows. It has been found that people with acne are especially sensitive to normal blood levels of the hormone testosterone, which is found naturally in both men and women. This sensitivity triggers the sebaceous glands to produce excess sebum. Dead skin cells lining the openings of the skin pores which house the hair follicles are not properly shed and a build-up of sebum takes place, resulting in the pores becoming completely clogged, whereupon blackheads and whiteheads begin to form. This form of acne is the most common and does not usually progress beyond this stage.

In some people, the build-up of scurf (dead skin) and oil in the hair follicles provides an ideal environment for Propionibacterium acnes. Normally, this bacterium lives on the skin without causing any problems. However, when an ideal environment is created, such as blocked skin pores, it begins to grow. By feeding off the sebum, the bacteria produces certain substances that trigger an autoimmune response within the body. The skin becomes inflamed, resulting in spots. In severe” inflammatory acne”, cysts develop beneath the surface of the skin where they may rupture, spreading infection into nearby skin tissue, ultimately leading to considerable scarring.

Contrary to general belief, blackheads are not caused by dirt getting into the skin pores. They get their color from excess skin pigmentation. Therefore, washing does not help, although the lack of washing will allow the bacteria to multiply still further! I am often asked if acne is contagious, to which my answer is a definite NO - it cannot be transmitted from one person to another!

It is a fair bet that many acne sufferers have a tendency to pick at or squeeze the spots in an attempt to quickly heal the offending blemishes. However, interfering with the spots often leads to further inflammation and scarring - the last thing anyone wants!

Because medical science is beginning to understand more and more about how the mind can affect bodily functions (mind affecting body), it is now fairly clear why chronic stress and anxiety can make acne much worse or bring on the symptoms in some people. It goes without saying, therefore, that psychological treatment in such cases is the remedy of choice to effectively treat the cause, not the application of skin creams and ointments that do nothing more than treat the symptoms.

The hormonal changes that take place during the menstrual cycle may make acne worse or bring on the condition in some women. Also, some contraceptive pills may exacerbate a skin problem. This is often due to the type of progesterone hormone in some formulae. Conversely, some contraceptive pills have been found to considerably improve acne in the short or long term.

Although it may be stating the obvious, every disease and chronic condition has a cause and because I prefer to treat my patients in a holistic (treating the whole body) manner, the symptoms are of secondary importance, so to speak. Nevertheless, there are certain basic rules that should be followed when suffering from acne. In particular, the areas that are prone to spots should be kept clean using a non-perfumed skin cleanser. Avoid aggressive washing with strong soaps as it is essential that the skin has a certain amount of natural oil to maintain condition.

Even though you have suffered from the physical and mental trauma often associated with acne for a longt ime, , there is, indeed, light at the end of the tunnel, for there are new and effective forms of natural treatment and dietary information now available to relieve and cure the condition.

Ok, so you’ve looked in the mirror and you have acne all over the place. You look in your wallet and there’s no money. What to do? Well, having suffered from acne for many years I found out that you don’t actually need much money to clear up severe breakouts…

Instead you change your diet. The reason this works is because acne is CAUSED by certain foods. These foods cause hormonal imbalance, leading to acne. The best way (and cheapest) is to avoid certain foods…

The worst food for acne is vegetable oil. When I stopped eating it my cystic acne cleared up. You can do the same. Vegetable oil is commonly eaten as a cooking oil, like sunflower oil. The best thing you can do right now is stop cooking with these. It’s amazing how easy it is to clear up even the worst acne when you know this about vegetable oil. When I first found out I immediately checked the foods I ate to see what was in them…

…And you have to check the foods you eat to make sure that you aren’t eating any with this. If you are, swap to an alternative without vegetable oil. Some foods that commonly contain it are chips (crisps), cookies (biscuits) and pesto. Don’t eat these IF you want clear skin.

Acne vulgaris is an extremely complex disease involving various defects in the skin. Elements of pathogenesis include abnormal epidermal keratinization, excess androgen secretion, defective sebaceous function, bacterial growth and inflammation. Although, in recent years, there has been a greater understanding of the disease there is still a great deal more to learn before we fully understand the causes of an acne pimple.

Acne begins with a fault in the follicular lining which causes the it to shed in sheets rather than particles which causes the material to have difficulty in exiting. This leads to the formation of a plug, called a comedo, consisting of keratin squamae and sebum. Comedones can be classed as “open” or “closed”, A comedo is open when the black tip is visible without maxnification, open comedones are commonly referred to as blackheads. A comedo is closed when the black tip is not visible without the aid of maxnification, closed comedones are commonly referred to as whiteheads.

Although acne is common in teenagers comedones have been demonstrated before puberty. This leads us to assume that the activation of sebaceous secretion is not the key event (in triggering the formation of comedones). In the laboratory it has been proven that a number of compounds can induce comedones, such as coal tar and sulphur, but these are not really relevant to the natural formation of acne.

Acne is usually associated with inflammation as the follicle becomes red and enflamed. To make matters worse it has been noted that it is common, in severe cases of acne, for increased formation of comedones around the area of inflammation. Bacteria is also associated with acne and certainly bacteria can act upon sebaceous triglycerides releasing comedogenic fatty acids however studies have shown that prepubertal children also suffer from comedones and yet they do not have follicular microflora or sebum.

There does appear to be some correlation between sebum production and the severity of acne. It has been shown, in various studies, that teenage acne patients suffer from higher levels of bacteria in their follicles than the control subjects of the experiments. This is accounted for by the increased levels of sebum production seen in the teenage sufferers of acne when compared to the controls. However there is an amount of overlap between the two groups and another point worth noting is that the differences are less pronounced in older individuals with the disease.

Looking at the points above it is clear that further investigation is required in the causes of comedones before we can begin to fully understand the causes of acne. There does appear to be a family tendency to suffer from the disease as it is common to see the brothers and sisters of sufferers also suffering from the problem.

Certain factors are known to aggravate the the condition such as scratching (which can increase inflammation), use of opiates and opioids, use of anabolic steroids and abnormal hormonal activity. There are also a number of diet related factors such as the fact that an iodine rich diet can make existing acne worse.

While we do not fully understand the complex causes of the disease by avoiding things which will make it worse will help with recovery and there are a number of treatments available such as hormonal therapy, the use of oral contraceptives and antibiotics. Benzoyl peroxide (BP) is a topical disinfectant often used in skin care/acne creams but it can cause irritation.

Topical and oral erythromycin and topical clindamycin have been in use for a long time but, as the bacteria (P. acnes.) gains resistance it becomes less effective as a treatment. The tetracycline family of antibiotics are also used as they have an anti-bacterial action but also an anti-inflammatory effect.

As the medical establishment continues to grow more concerned about the over use of antibiotics it is important that we develop alternative treatments for acne. One of the most interesting skin care treatments that have been shown to be effective in treating acne is [url=http://www.microdermabrasioninfo4u.com/]microdermabrasion[/url].. However it is important to note that the treatment should never be used on active acne but only on skin clear of pimples.

The use of microdermabrasion has been proven to reduce the amount of open pores. The process involves the use of fine abrasive crystals which are blown onto the skin to remove dead skin cells and, in some cases the very top surface of the skin. Obviously by the clearing of the pores and the removal of dead skin matter there is less chance of the skin developing comedones. Thus, by treating areas that are not, yet, suffering from pimples the likelihood of a new pimple forming is decreased. As inflammation subsides and the pimple is healed that area of skin can then also be treated. By a process of elimination all of the skin can be treated.

In countries such as the United States, weight control is a very serious issue that is quite literally a matter of life and death. The U.S. population has one of the largest numbers of obese and overweight people. For this reason, there is now a huge and growing demand for quick, easy schemes to lose weight. Despite the seemingly countless “miracle” diet schemes available to the public, a product or method has yet to emerge which allows for quick, easy and physically safe weight-loss such as herbal supplements.

The most well-known herbal supplements are ephedrine or ephedra, guarana, St. John’s Wart, and Senna. They generally act as “fat burners” by boosting the metabolism. They may be successful weight loss supplements — but only in the short term. One should be warned early on about the possible side effects of these so-called “miracle” diet supplements. Like any other medications, herbal supplements are not without adverse effects. A lot of over-the-counter (OTC) herbal supplements that are readily available in pharmacies and health food stores lack the literature about the product.

Moreover, shoppers searching for dietary supplements in health food stores may get useless or even deadly advice from store clerks who are not really well-versed about the products they are selling. Some only know that the products are for weight loss and that they are needed to be sold and dispatched for business’ sake, convincing every shopper that it is, in fact, the best weight loss pill.

In the wake of Congress deregulating the health food industry with the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA), the business of handing out unproven remedies has mushroomed to a $15 billion industry. Medical doctors and legitimate herbalists alike are becoming concerned that many people are spending their money for substances that will not help and may even hurt them.

Until recently, government oversight and consumer protection were very limited to products that were classified as dietary supplements. But new regulations contained within the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act give the FDA, the federal agency responsible for overseeing the safety of U.S. food and drug products, the authority to oversee the manufacture of domestic and foreign-made dietary supplements, including herbal supplements. The regulations require supplement manufacturers to evaluate the identity, purity, strength, and composition of their dietary supplements to ensure that they contain what their labels claim and are free of contaminants. The new regulations will be phased in over the next three years, so not all supplements are currently tested.

The fine line between selling and giving medical advice is of concern to the health food industry too, researchers say. Those who sell supplements should know their product but they should not dispense any medical advice. To be on the safe side, retailers should not go much beyond label statements.

In the current deregulated climate, consumers should educate themselves before even setting foot in a health food store, and should read up on supplements before going to the store. They should also get information from someone who is not selling the product. So when it comes to getting advice at the health food store, the quality of the advice being dispensed is anyone’s guess, and the environment is definitely agreeing one of the principles of commerce…”caveat emptor,” or “let the buyer beware.”

Life, by general consensus, is a complicated affair that can be tackled in as many ways as there are people. It is possible to cruise by it without worrying too much, blatantly ignoring aspects and factors that can cause abrupt changes in one’s life. On the other extreme, it is also possible to experience such levels of stress and anxiety that one is unable to find security only in certain areas of personal comfort. For others, life gets to them and they simply lose touch with reality itself, their mental imploding. Yet, all of the approaches that people have come up with to cope with life tend to be rooted firmly in stress.

The fact is, stress is a prevalent and natural component of life. Even during simpler, more idyllic times, there was always a certain level of pressure that people had to deal with. The triggers that cause states of extreme duress differ from person to person, mainly because people have different levels of tolerance for it. Some may find a certain level of pressure to be absolutely intolerable, while others would be able to get through it relatively unscathed. Perspective and perception, in this particular case, appears to be the key factor in determining how much stress a person can handle. However, regardless of how one views the pressures that modern life piles up on a person, it still has to be dealt with somehow.

Complete avoidance of it is not the answer. Abandoning duty and ignoring things that cause stress would inevitably be a bad move. Stress, in smaller and more controlled amounts, can be used as a personal signal. It can act as a reminder that something needs to be done and certain situations need immediate attention, which can help someone in assessing his immediate and long-term priorities. So long as the cause of the problem is approached properly and the person doesn’t let the problem blow itself out of proper context, then a bit of pressure is not necessarily a negative thing.

However, allowing the pressures of life to get to you is just as bad as simply ignoring them altogether. The human mind, while clearly a fine example of finely-tuned machinery, has limitations. Having too many things to do and not having enough time to do them can sometimes be seen as an example of poor time management, but for some people, having “too little time” means exactly that. Taking in too many tasks and attempting to multi-task beyond one’s mental ability to coordinate can lead to rapid burn-out for some people, and irreparable insanity in others. It is people and situations like these that give stress the “entirely negative” reputation that it has, with people taking the whole thing entirely out of proportion.

In the end, stress is very similar to fear. Both are taken by modern society and culture in highly negative light, but both are components of the human psyche that are as integral to being human as love and happiness. Both can effectively cripple someone and prevent them from living, but only if the person allows that to happen. Both of the above need not be feared, so long as the person is capable of recognizing that moderate amounts can be used in a positive manner. Stress and fear, in and of themselves, are not positive, but like anger, can be used to point someone in the right direction.

On July 28, 2006, actor Mel Gibson was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol after being stopped for speeding in his 2006 Lexus LS 430 on Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, California. Gibson was stopped on the coast highway at 2:09 a.m. Friday after a Los Angeles County deputy sheriff allegedly observed him driving his car at more than 85 mph. A breath test indicated Gibson’s blood-alcohol level was 0.12 percent, based on police records. In California, a driver is considered legally intoxicated at 0.08 percent.

Mel Gibson is just one of the famous celebrities who were apprehended because of drunk driving. Other celebrities who were arrested for such an act are Nicole Ritchie, Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohay, and Nick Nolte whose now infamous mug shot has become almost a symbol for Hollywood’s out-of-control lifestyle and culture.

Drunk driving is the act of operating or driving a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs to the degree that mental and motor skills are impaired. Drunk driving is a serious misdemeanor in the United States. The specific criminal offense is usually called driving under the influence of alcohol and/or other drugs (DUI).

In 2005, according to the Department of Justice, nearly 1.4 million drivers were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics. That’s less than one percent of the 159 million self-reported episodes of alcohol–impaired driving among U.S. adults each year. More than half of the 414 child passengers ages 14 and younger who died in alcohol-related crashes during 2005 were riding with a drinking driver, based on statistics given by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). In 2004, an estimated 16,654 people were killed in alcohol-related crashes. This is an average of one death almost every half-hour. Drunk drivers were responsible for 30 percent of all fatal crashes during the week in 2003, but this percentage rose significantly over the weekends, during which 53 percent of car accidents were alcohol-related.

DUI is perhaps the most preventable traffic safety problem. No one is compelled to drink alcohol and drive. But alcohol and driving are so deeply connected in American culture that the problem is unlikely to stop. This act, since drivers are impaired, can easily be one of the main cause for self-destruction.

Still, there has been success in recent years in reducing the incidence of DUI. In 1980, nearly 60% of fatal crashes had alcohol as a factor. By 1993, that number had dropped to 43%. In the ensuing years the frequency of DUI as measured in the fatal crash index remained relatively steady overall. But it now appears to be on the rise overall, with marked spikes among certain groups. Recently, alcohol-related deaths are reported to have risen for the third year running, according to the latest statistics from the NHTSA.

Driving while consuming alcohol is generally illegal, though driving after drinking remains legal. In some jurisdictions it is also illegal for an open container of an alcoholic beverage to be in the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle or in some specific area of the compartment.

A lot of studies has constantly giving us alarming data on alcohol-related accidents and deaths. Alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes killed nearly 17,000 people in 2002 alone. Alcohol is a factor in 6% of all traffic crashes, and over 40% of all fatal crashes. The only way to prevent these types of accidents is to simply refrain from drinking and driving. Charged to the experiences of famous celebrities who were apprehended because of their irresponsible acts, drunk driving can also be considered a form of suicide.

Perhaps with a short introduction to this form of toning your body you will be inspired to do it yourself. It’s called pilates and is somewhat similar to yoga. If you reap the benefits as I have, you will wonder how you got along without it.

How Pilates Affects Your Body

Pilates takes a holistic approach to body, mind and spirit. Here I will describe the physical aspect of it for rank beginners. Hey, I was one too not long ago! Strengthening and stretching muscles with a focus on the important core muscles of the torso is what sets it apart. It is a method of body control and is not for building bulk or big muscles in limbs.

Generally, it does not cause much of a rise in body temperature or an increase in circulation. Back in the 1920’s a man named Joseph Pilates developed this system which originally consisted of 34 moves. No special equipment is needed for many of the moves. Only a towel or exercise mat, a scarf of stretchy exercise band and a small cushion for your head is what you need to assist you. If you’ve sustained any injuries, especially to your spine or neck, get medical advice first.

Benefits of Pilates

A rundown of ways pilates benefits your body is as follows:
1) Gain flexibility and balance.
2) Improve body awareness.
3) Reduce stress and fatigue and injuries.
4) Causes you to reexamine your current exercise and lifestyle habits.
5) Gives you excellent muscle control.
6) Lengthens and strengthen muscles.
7) Has proven body shaping results
Tests your current level of strength or weakness.

To receive real results form pilates you must concentrate, as all movement is carefully controlled. Always do slow, precise movements. Breathe appropriately so tension will not build up. The muscles being worked must be isolated from other muscles.

A Sampling of Movements

Finding Neutral means that you must maintain a neutral spine while in all positions of standing, sitting or lying down. This is how you gain from the precise execution of all the other movements. Standing in neutral is with your spine in alignment and weight evenly distributed over both feet. Feet are hip-width apart, knees directly over your ankles. Your head is directly on top of your spine.

Make sure it is not jutting forward. Drop shoulders downward. They should not be too far forward. Sitting in neutral is sitting on chair’s edge with feet hip-width apart flat on the floor.

Flatten out your back enough so that there is a slight natural curve to it. Lying in neutral is lying on your back with fee (yes, you guessed it) hip-width apart, knees pointing to the ceiling. Place your arms by your side palms down. Relax your back. As a beginner you’ll need to remain dedicated to doing it as a regular routine. A minimum is only 60 minutes per week, at least 2 sessions per week; which would be 30 minutes each. I suggest working at a progressive pilates program where you perform specified movements until you master them. Work at beginner level exercises and then switch to intermediate level and then switch to advanced.

This should give you some idea of the variety of moves available to work various parts of your body. An example of an easier movement is called The Hundred. It works your abdominal core. You begin lying in neutral and lift a leg so shin is parallel to the floor and hold it. Drop your shoulders and lengthen your arms. Lift and lower with a pulsing action to a count of 100. An intermediate movement is called The Saw. It is stretching that mobilizes your upper back. Sitting in an upright position with legs apart 45 degrees raise both arms and reach you left arm toward your right foot and take your right arm behind you.

Keep your hips relaxed as you are only working your upper body. Inhale and return to center. Repeat 10 times each side. Now to an advanced movement called The Leg Pull that is a demanding exercise to strengthen the abdominal core, buttocks, arms and shoulders. It involves sitting on the floor with legs extended. With your hands behind you lift your hips to straighten your body. Raise your right leg slowly up while keeping the rest of your body in a line. Inhale and slowly lower it back down. Repeat with your left leg. Do a sequence of 5 to 10 times.

Some movements use a stretchy band or scarf. One called Chest Stretch requires that you stand grasping the band out in front of you 18″ apart and stretching and releasing 30 times. Another movement called Swan Dive uses an exercise ball. This is an inflatable ball about 2 feet in diameter. Kneel down with your knees and ankles together.

Place your hands behind your ears and curve your body over the ball. Contract your abdominals and raise toward the ceiling. Lower and repeat 10 times. These are outlining some movements for you to give you the basic idea of what you do in pilates. Another method uses a pilates machine to provide a force to work against in various movements. This would be done at a pilates studio.