Arthritis Supplements
September 30, 2008
Cartilages are present inside the body to provide a smooth surface for the movement of bones. Normal cartilage consists of substances called Glucosamine and Chondroitin sulfate. They rouse the body to prepare more cartilage. When the amount of these elements decreases, cartilage is damaged and the person develops Arthritis. Natural Arthritis supplements reinforce the cartilage and joints. Their use leads to better bone strength, arthritis pain relief and enhanced flexibility.
Examples
Glucosamine and Chondroitin are the most popular Arthritis supplements used. The supplements are readily available in pharmacies and health food stores, without a prescription. They seem to be safe to use. However, so far there has been no long-term record, which verifies their safety and effectiveness. Physicians recommend a trial period of their use. If there is no benefit after 3 months use, it becomes appropriate to stop the treatment. It is also essential to consult the doctor before taking any arthritis supplement. There are several brands of these supplements and the government has not standardized them. People buy them by considering the company’s repute. It is essential to follow the instructions on the label of these supplements. Methyl sulfonylmethane or MSM is another less used supplement. It is claimed that it is useful in arthritis. MSM is tasteless and odorless and present in all living things. Sulfur is required for tissue and joint function and has pain relieving and anti-inflammatory properties. MSM is present in meat, some fruit, fish, grains and vegetables but is ruined when foods are processed. Although some people have reported a decrease in pain with MSM, there is less research to promote the use of it as an arthritis supplement.
Precautions
Those having diabetes should not take Glucosamine as it increases the blood sugar. The arthritis supplements make the blood thinner. So those consuming these should test their blood periodically. Those who are allergic to shellfish should note that Glucosamine is extracted from shellfish. The supplements are not advised for children, pregnant women and women who can become pregnant. The common side effects of these supplements are nausea, Constipation, Heartburn, raised intestinal gas, Diarrhea, Skin rash, Fatigue and Headache.
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Arthritis Pain Relief Balm
September 29, 2008
Arthritis pain relief balms are available as patches or plasters for offering relief from minor arthritis pains. There is a speedy and calming pain relief, accompanied by a cool and refreshing sensation. They can provide a temporary pain alleviation, which lasts for some hours. They are strictly for external use. They can be used in the initial stage of the disease. Whenever excessive exertion leads to arthritis pain, they offer a safe method to get rid of it.
Properties and Use
Arthritis Pain Relief Balms are soft, flexible and self-adhesive. The patches stick to the skin and are not greasy or messy. The patches are ventilated and stretchable. To maintain the potency they are resealable. When applied, its constituents penetrate through the skin. After getting absorbed inside the skin, these constituents stimulate blood circulation. They show analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties. They decrease swelling caused by chronic diseases. Its deep heating causes an improvement in blood flow and metabolism of the paining area. Some can effect a pain relief in a few seconds. This relief lasts for some hours. Some varieties have a fast and warm effect and do not have bad odor. The inflammation in the affected area is considerably reduced. Hands should be washed with soap and water after application. There may be a fleeting burning sensation after application. This sensation ceases after using the balm for many days. If it persists, stop the application and refer to the instructions on the pack.
Advantages
Arthritis pain, if chronic, occurs several times in a day. It is not advisable to take pain killer tablets every time the pain is felt. At this juncture, the arthritis pain relief balm comes in useful. Also, it can be applied directly to the affected areas. It relieves the muscle discomfort and rigidity. The balms are very handy and can be carried to places of work. It is useful for a wide range of people from the common persons to sports professionals. People having arthritis pain can carry on their regular work, by periodic application of these balms. It is not very expensive and easily available with any pharmacist.
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Arthritis Medicine
September 28, 2008
Illness of Arthritis is mainly associated with joints of bones. The illness causes pain and swelling in the joints. Further the illness also leads to inflammation and stiffness. Arthritis is largely seen in individuals between the age group of 40 to 60. However, this problem can also arise in youths and children. Various medicines and treatments have been developed to cure the painful ailment. All three major streams of medicine have developed treatments. All three Allopath, Homeopathy, and Ayurveda offer a range of medications for treating the unbearable pain and inflammation arising due to arthritis.
Allopath Medicine
Allopath medicines are extensively used all around the globe and are prescribed by most doctors. Celecoxib also known as Cox-2 is an effective drug on relieving the pain and inflammation of arthritis. Naproxyn is also an effective drug for relieving the pain arising due different arthritis conditions. Allopath medicines are a result of extensive research and experimentation. On the same time they are reputed of providing with instance relief. However, there is one common problem that is associated with any allopath medicine that is of side effects. The above-mentioned medicines may lead to side effects such as gastric erosions and ulcers.
Natural Medicine
Various types of herbs have been discovered to cure the ailment of arthritis. Science of Ayurveda uses several kinds of herbs that have medicinal properties as well as are supplements of essentials nutrients. The most popular herbs recommended by Ayurveda for arthritis include Caster Seeds (Ricinus communis), Shunthi (Zingiber officinalis), Devdaru (Cedrus deodara), Giloye (Tinospora cordifolia), Shuddha Guggulu (Strychnos nux vomica), Krishna Marich (Pepper), Ashwagandha (Winter Cherry), and Karpura (Cinamonum Camphora) and many more. Alfalfa is also an effective herb on arthritis.
Homeopathic Medicine
Homeopathy aims at understanding the symptoms and causes of the problems and then treats the problem from the root cause.
Alternative medicines
Along with medication there are several other ways through which the illness of arthritis can be curbed. Balanced diet is the best approach to treat the problem internally by increasing the resistance power and overall strength of the bones. Further even exercising especially yoga and acupressure will greatly help in combating the problem of arthritis.
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Glycemic Index For Strawberries
September 25, 2008
The myth about gylcemic index-
The glycemic index is the method of classifying foods according to their glycemic effects, or simply stated, it measures the effect that a particular food has on our blood sugar. The standard against which foods are measured for the glycemic index is 50 mg of glucose.
Foods that have a high glycemic index (GI) can cause a greater amount of fat to be stored, while those foods with a low GI have less effect on how much fat your body stores. Glycemic index is a useful tool for selecting foods that do not raise the blood sugar as much as others. Thus the bottom line is to look for foods, which are as low on the index as possible. Be sure to consume protein with a carb in each meal and this will position the carb (sugar) to enter your bloodstream slowly and thus raise your blood sugar more slowly.
Lastly, only because foods like carrots rank high on the glycemic index, one must not avoid them. It should be kept in mind that they provide disease-fighting nutrients also, which will make it silly to stop eating them. A great time to eat higher GI foods is after an intensive cardio workout.
Glycemic index for strawberries-
A Glycemic index of less than 55 is supposed to be low. Generally fruits have low glycemic index and so have strawberries. Fresh strawberries, raspberries, black berries have a glycemic index of 32. Thus one must eat fresh fruit and vegetables. They have a low GI, so they break down into sugar slowly in your body. It is recommended that one takes five to ten servings of fruits and vegetables every day.
It is a good idea to get to know and understand the Glycemic Index as it comes in handy which choosing foods. A food item with a low GI rating helps you to:
• Control blood glucose levels
• Control cholesterol levels
• Control appetite
• Lower the risk of getting heart disease
• Lower the risk of getting type 2 diabetes
Zinc Acne
September 24, 2008
Zinc acne treatment is effective for acne symptoms even though there is a small percentage where it is not found to be satisfying. Zinc is one of the natural acne treatments. Zinc is a mineral found naturally in foods. Acne is caused by hormonal imbalance combined with congesting blood toxins. Zinc plays a very key role in hormonal balance.
Zinc in combination with a few other key nutrients helps to balance out hormonal production. Zinc acne treatment normalizes your skin’s oil production. In addition, it will help your body kill off any over growths of acne bacteria.
In retinol metabolism in the body the mineral zinc plays an important role. Tissue regeneration and healing processes occur in body in the presence of zinc. Not only that is it an important co-factor for many biochemical processes in the body, but also important for optimal resistant function.
Some substances will drastically impair the action of zinc in your body. And some actually “deactivate” zinc in your body. If these substances are found in your body zinc acne treatment may not be helpful for you. Zinc does not act independently. It will only be effective in normalizing hormone production and normalizing skin oil if used in combination with the zinc co-factors.
There are only 2 forms of zinc that consistently work for zinc acne treatment, Zinc gluconate and Zinc Monomethionine. From among these two, Zinc Monomethionine is the best. Copper is a competing mineral for zinc. And with the widespread use of copper piping and birth control pills (very high in copper), copper toxicity has become more and more common. If you have high levels of copper in your system then you will need to take zinc in as high as 300 mg a day for before you will get results with zinc acne treatment.
While zinc is a very key mineral for normalizing hormone production, realize that hormones are one half the acne puzzle. Congesting blood and lymph toxins are the others
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Vitamin B5 Acne
September 23, 2008
A certain doctor named Lit-Hung Leung has proposed a theory that acne is caused by a deficiency in vitamin B5. The vitamin B5 acne theory states that Coenzyme-A is necessary for the metabolization of fat. Coenzyme-A is formed from adenosine triphosphate, cysteine, and pantothenic acid(B5). And of those pantothenic acid is often the deficient one. So if you don’t get enough pantothenic acid your body will not be able to make enough coenzyme-A.
When your body is produces large amounts of hormones (for instance during puberty) your body will need more coenzyme-A to synthesis them, and if coenzyme-A is lacking your body will choose to synthesize hormones rather than metabolize fats. According to the vitamin B5 acne theory fats start to accumulate in the skin’s oil gland causing an increase in sebum which leads to acne.
If in fact vitamin B5 acne was caused by its deficiency then it wouldn’t take nearly as much of the dose being advocated to correct the deficiency. B5 is used as a treatment for several diseases, yet well under 2 grams and usually less then 0.5 grams are typically used with results for these other various diseases.
Lastly, 50 mg of Vitamin B-6 (pyridoxine) taken daily will aid the metabolism of hormones that are responsible for acne. Vitamin B6 deficiency will cause an increase in uptake of androgens as well as increased sensitivity. For improving the metabolism and excretion of androgens and other steroid hormones from the body, vitamin B6 is very effective. Vitamin B6 can effectively reduce the occurrence and severity of the flare-up in women who get premenstrual flare-ups of acne. Vitamin B3 which includes niacin, nicotinamide, niacinamide, NADH has been shown to be a justifiable treatment for acne. It can act as an effective antioxidant since it prevents cellular breakdown by free radicals and lipid peroxidation and can also protect the cell membrane.
Some of the studies have shown that the B vitamin coenzyme NADH was used in a 1% concentration to Vaseline. In other studies, it is shown that other B-complex vitamins are effective in treating provocative acne. Niacinamide was shown to be as effective as topical clindamycin for treating this condition by applying it to the affected area twice daily.
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Treat Acne
September 21, 2008
Acnes are known to be caused by blocked skin pores. During puberty, male hormones known as androgen are found in both sexes. This hormone stimulates the production of sebaceous glands. Sebum, which is a natural lubricant secreted by the skin gets trapped in these blocked pores resulting in bacterial infection Acnes are not only a painful experience physically, but also mentally, since acnes can lead to disfigurement and scarring. Acnes are more prevalent among the teenage bracket.
It is most important that treatment methods be adopted to treat acne even at an early stage. If untreated the condition can lead to not only physical scarring, but also can affect the mental state of the person. Dejection and attitude problems can arise and a self inflicted stigma can give rise to serious mental depressions.
Advancement in this field has given rise to various procedures to treat acne. Herbal, Homeopathy, Allopathic and other alternate treatment methods are followed. They are determined by the health professional who determines the appropriate steps to be followed to treat acne for different persons.
Since acne is formed as a result of bacterial action, it is important that, we need extremely effective cleansing products to kill off the bacteria. Today, many kinds of cleansing products, such as antiseptic bath soaps, lotions and creams are available in the market. Generally, these products contain antifungal and antibacterial agents. Maintaining a healthy skin can be an effective first step to treat acne.
It is important to keep your face well cleansed and free from dogging oils. Do not over cleanse the skin since it can only lead to stripping off its natural protective layer of oils. This can make things worse by encouraging the body to produce even more oil and leaving the skin without its natural protection from pollutants and bacteria.
Many ’spot creams’ used to treat acne contain benzoyl peroxide and sulphur, antiseptics which effectively help control the growth of bacteria. Use all creams containing these substances carefully and with medical supervision. Herbal remedies now available in the market to treat acnes could always be a safer bet. Yoga, naturopathy, and homeopathy are effective remedies to counter the bane of acne.
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Teen Acne
September 20, 2008
Eighty five percent of individuals between the ages of 12 and 24 are affected by teen acne. As a result of the increased hormone production, it commonly begins during puberty. The primary hormone that affects acne by causing increased sebum production is Androgen (testosterone).
Teenagers invariably are those most anxious about their appearance. Teen acne tends to strike them most because, during this period the oil glands in the body start making more sebum (oil). Some people also have too many “sticky” skin cells.
It’s tough being a teen for a lot of reasons, and teen acne is a big one. No one likes going to school or beach with pimples. And, as many teens know, acne can cause problems that go beyond skin-deep, driving them to the edge of virtual depression. This will be all the more so since teen acnes can start hurting their self confidence, social life or even their school life.
It is not always the mental or emotional part, but also because acne can lead to permanent scarring, if it is not treated in time. It may seem like just a part of growing up, but acne should always be taken seriously. The oil-producing glands in the skin are over-stimulated in the body’s male hormones (present in both men and women).
The dead skin cells that are found near the skin surface also slow down their rate of shedding, and clog up the pores, from where sebum normally escapes. This then forms a blockage, and offers the perfect environment for acne bacteria, which normally live on the skin, to multiply. This leads to infection and inflammation - in short, spots. If the blockage doesn’t become infected, it remains a solid plug - a blackhead.
Now the question that arises is that how common teen acne is among the teenagers. According to the Acne Support Group, over 85 per cent of teenagers will develop some form of acne. There is no reason to feel worried during this period. Even famous people get spots. There are people who celebrate their beauty even as they suffer from acnes. People like Cameron Diaz and Calista Flock Hart are examples.
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Tea Tree Oil Acne
September 19, 2008
Tea tree oil is a natural extract from the leaves of Melaleuca Alternafolia. The tea tree grows in Australia and Asia. This tall evergreen tree has a white, spongy bark. Tea tree oil from the leaves is used medicinally and is credited with powerful anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, and anti-viral qualities. The product has been traditionally used for such conditions like athlete’s foot, body odor, bad breath, cold sores, and acne conditions.
Though it has proven itself to be effective in killing acne bacteria when topically applied, some people have been found to be sensitive to it. However, it is often used as a replacement to benzoyl peroxide, which is a wide spread substance used for the treatment of acne. As an anti-bacterial it can help lesson the symptoms of skin inflamed with acne bacteria.
Tea tree oil acne treatments may be tried out cautiously since the danger of reaction for some people is there. When applied topically, the oil should be substantially reduced in its concentration. Tea tree oil acne treatments do not ensure a complete cure anyway. It reduces the symptoms and controls the bacterial attack.
Tea tree oil acne treatments have been popular in the health supplement industry for many years and gradually becoming known by mainstream Americans. It now comes in the form of creams, oil and even as an ingredient in various skin care lotions. Tea tree Oil penetrates the skin totally, leaving no oily film, and as it penetrates through the epidermis, down to the Basal Cell Layer, it kills bacteria on its way. Skin analysis shows that Tea Tree Oil still remain active in the fatty cells for 21 to 28 days after application
The tea tree oil acne treatments are used as a supplement for benzoyl peroxide which has been widely recommended. However, tea tree oil reduces the side effects that are associated with benzoyl peroxide. Tea tree oil acne treatments effectively reduce dryness, burning, and stinging. A 5- 7% concentration applied twice daily is what is recommended.
Tea Tree oil’s effectiveness is the presence of two important chemical constituents. Cineole and Terpinen. Both of these main constituents of Tea Tree are bactericidal and germicidal. However, cineole can be a powerful skin irritant, for this reason tea tree oils with low cineole and high terpinen contents are preferred.
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Sulfur Acne Treatments
September 17, 2008
Sulphur has long been considered a disinfectant and used in skin treatments for eczema, psoriasis, acne etc. Sulfur acne treatments come in the form of topical applications like lotions, creams and soaps. In treating acne, these preparations work in many ways. It loosens and dislodges the blackheads from skin pores by causing the skin to peel including the dead skin cells which clog the pores.
Though, in sulfur acne treatments it is not known how sulphur affects acne conditions, it has been used effectively for more than 50 years. Sulphur is mostly used in combination with other substances like zinc, resorcinol etc. Sulfur acne treatment products such as Acne and Pimple Gel, Acnederm Ointment and Clearasil Cream
Medication can assist in various other treatment procedures also. Sulphur is a keratolytic and helps suppress bacteria that may make the acne worse.
Sulphur is also often combined with other ingredients, besides resorcinol and zinc, like salicylate acid and benzoyl peroxide. It is not usually used by itself because of its strong, unpleasant odor. Using harsh chemicals such as Benzoyl Peroxide only serve to damage the natural moisture balance of the skin. Though they may be effective for a short while, it may actually cause the acne to get worse over time.
Locally available face masks and creams using sulphur based preparations can support the skin by maintaining a healthy moisture balance and destroying the bacteria that is the real cause of the acne at the same time. Sulfur based face masks not only removes everyday dirt and oil, preparing it for other topical treatments, but also contains ingredients which fight skin blemishes.
Local home made applications can also be tried out. These sulfur acne treatments consist of one teaspoon pure sulphur powder made to a paste, two tablespoons Fuller’s earth and one egg white. This can be applied as a mask every day to cure acne.
Since some people are however allergic to sulphur, a skin test should be conducted before use. In case of no reaction to this test, the preparation can be used safely everyday. The skin shows an improvement in its tone and health usually within two to three weeks. The Eskamel cream available in the market is a very potent sulphur drug preparation for acne.
