News and Articles on Health. Medical research topics.

Is the idea of having a rosacea free skin just a pipe dream or can you beat rosecea using natural acne treatments or are conventional methods the way forward in beating acne? Suffering from rosacea cannot be underestimated in any way, shape or form. For the non sufferer it would be difficult to even begin to comprehend what the impact of living with rosacea on a daily basis has. With the symptoms being so visible beating rosacea by any methods is something of a priority.

What is rosacea? If you mention acne, people have some understanding as to what the visible signs of the condition are, rosacea is a form of acne and it is a specific name given to this type of acne within the condition.

Rosacea is characterised by red, inflamed, dry itchy skin which affects mainly the t zone of the face but, the back and neck can also be affected. So, if you suffer from it any help in beating rosacea and getting rid of the unsightly outward symptoms or at least some help in easing the painful, tight dry skin can only be longed for.

So, what can be done to help beat rosacea? The causes of rosacea as a condition are very complex but, it is certain that the visible outward symptoms are the body’s way of indicating that something inside is wrong, out of balance and needs some help to overcome this.

The over the counter treatments of choice that are used to beat rosacea are only one dimensional in as much as they mask the visible outward symptoms and do not have any impact on the previously mentioned internal imbalance.

So, is there a natural acne treatment that could be considered in an effort to beat rosacea? The answer has to be yes. If conventional medicine cannot help in the long term, you have to help your body help itself. Why use harsh chemicals that actually stop excess oil production and dry the skin even further?

In this fast, furious 20th century lifestyle, we have moved away from natural treatments for many things. We all look for a quick fix and instant results in everything we do, but at what cost to ourselves?

Because of the inflamed, irritant nature of the skin that comes with rosacea, the more kind and gentle you are to it, it stands to reason the healthier it will be. This where natural acne treatment is so useful, the antiseptic properties of diluted tea tree oil or the soothing, gentle cooling effect of an aloe vera gel cannot be undervalued. They will work with your skin and not against it.

Because everybody is different what helps one person beat rosacea may not necessarily have the same impact for somebody else in beating rosacea. But, with a little trial and error what is to be gained by using natural acne treatment is a clear, glowing rosacea free skin along with self confidence that has long been missing and a huge boost to self esteem. What could be more amazing than that?

Looking for an allergic bronchial asthma natural treatment? Look no further because I’ll share with you just one very effective natural treatment that drug companies don’t want you to know.

Did you know that 1 out of 4 people suffers from asthma and is evident in all age groups? Your asthma can be caused by allergies, emotions and stress. Many individuals experience warning signs that an attack is approaching and treat it by taking some prescription medications.

This condition is really distressing and it can force individuals to drastically change how they live just to avoid the attacks. Some of you have to stay away from stress, dust or allergens, which is really next to impossible to achieve most of the time. Many people get regular attacks no matter how many prescription drugs they take and how much they stay away from the triggers.

Having allergic bronchial asthma is really hard but the good thing is that some kids can grow out of it. But if you’re one of those who regularly suffers from attacks I’m sure you’re looking for anything that could give you some relief.

What if there’s a natural way to reduce your chances of suffering from regular asthma attacks? A research study back in 2005 found that 57% of the patients studied found more relief from a mix of conventional and natural treatments, than prescribed drugs alone. One of the natural treatments that was tested was aloe vera. This is really not shocking because since 1951 to the middle of the 80′s there have been documented studies on the benefits of aloe vera for asthma.

The aloe vera plant has natural steroids and other substances that prevent and relieve inflammation. It was interesting because there were studies in Japan back in the 1980′s that demonstrated some substances in aloe helped in removing some of the contaminants that triggered the attacks. This is one very good reason why aloe vera can help relieve your asthma attacks.
It’s important to remember that you should not take aloe vera if you’re having an asthma attack. It’s only been proven to be very effective if used as a preventive measure. So, even when you’re having some positive results with aloe vera, it’s still helpful to have your inhaler beside you in case of attacks.

Too much focus is often put on high cholesterol levels as the major risk factor for heart disease when in fact more than 50% of people with heart disease do not have high cholesterol levels. Something else must also be at work. More and more evidence is pointing towards chronic inflammation as the culprit. So what is chronic inflammation, and what can you do about it?

Normal inflammation occurs when you have an infection or cut your finger. It is your body’s natural healing response. Overt symptoms of inflammation are redness, swelling, and soreness. The problem happens when your body remains in an inflammatory state when it is no longer needed. This is called chronic inflammation, and it is a problem because the immune system starts attacking healthy tissue as is the case with such autoimmune diseases like lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and Type I diabetes. In addition, there is increasing evidence that chronic inflammation may be the main underlying cause of heart disease, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.

So what causes your body’s natural healing system to get out of balance? Inflammation is greatly influenced by the kinds of foods you eat and the lifestyle you live. Below are 4 tips on what you can do to control inflammation:

Reduce Waist Size: Visceral fat contributes to inflammation and heart disease. Visceral fat accumulates around the belly and internal organs to create the apple shaped figure. One excellent way to help reduce visceral fat is to exercise regularly.

Increase Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Most people are eating too few Omega-3 fatty acids and too many Omega-6 fatty acids due to high meat and polyunsaturated vegetable oil consumption (corn, safflower, cottonseed, soybean, and peanut oil). To help improve your ratio, eat more foods that contain Omega-3 fatty acids like fatty fish, walnuts, and flax seeds and reduce your consumption of meat and store-bought packaged foods which often use polyunsaturated vegetable oils. If you choose to eat meat, choose meat from grass-fed instead of grain-fed animals to increase the Omega-3 content of the meat.

Greatly Reduce Sugar Consumption: Most of your diet should consist of foods that are low on the glycemic scale because these foods will trigger an inflammatory response in the body. Examples of high glycemic foods include white potatoes, tropical fruits like pineapple, sugar, juice, high fructose corn syrup, refined or pulverized flours found in bread, many cold cereals and baked goods.

Eat More Turmeric and Ginger: These two spices are anti-inflammatory spices that should be incorporated more frequently into the diet.

Cancer. We do our best to avoid talking or even thinking about being a victim. But if something else doesn’t get us first, all of us are likely to develop some form of the disease or, at a minimum, harbor a latent form. Is there anything we can do to stack the cards against this?

• Genetic Deck

There is no question that certain forms of cancer are heritable. Whether children of parents with some cancers develop them also depends on a unique arrangement of the nucleotides, the constituents associated with specific genes involved in the disease’s development. In other words, the same genetic mutation has to be passed on, too.

Even for those who have been dealt a “genetic hand” with a significantly higher risk factor, recent studies show there are ways to reshuffle the deck, so to speak. 

• Common Causes

Researchers from various scientific and medical disciplines are demonstrating the importance of inflammation as causal in the development of a variety of conditions, including heart disease, neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, type II diabetes, peripheral artery disease and colon, liver and prostate cancer.

Scientific, clinical and epidemiological studies suggest that many diseases are also associated with certain lifestyles and, in particular, the types of foods commonly consumed by a population. 

These observations recently led a group of investigators to more closely examine the connection between the foods we eat, inflammation and the development of disease, specifically prostate cancer. Their results present strong evidence that links an anti-inflammatory nutritional component with reduced risk. (See this issue’s “Research Update.”) 

• Inflammation Information

But what, exactly, is inflammation and why does the body have this mechanism if it contributes to disease? Here’s the short answer:

The cells of the immune system are called into action at a site the body believes is under attack by a “bad guy,” a pathogen such as a virus, bacteria or aberrant cell like a cancer cell. Pathogen-fighting immune cells (macrophages) migrate to the compromised tissue and immediately activate biochemical pathways that produce inflammatory molecules and proteins.

Some of these molecules function as messengers to attract other types of immune cells (neutrophils, mast cells) to the tissue under attack. The defending immune cells start producing a number of toxic substances (hydrogen peroxide, free radicals, superoxide radicals), supposedly directed at the pathogen.

As with any “weapon of mass destruction,” not only are the pathogens negatively affected by the toxins, but there is also significant “collateral damage” to normal cells. This constitutes what is referred to as inflammation: swelling, damage to cells including their genetic material (DNA) and an increase in blood vessel permeability, with subsequent leaking of fluids into the area.

When the inflammation occurs on an exposed part of the body, such as the skin, it appears swollen and red and is often painful. As we age, the inflammatory response becomes even less targeted, accounting for a higher, age-associated incidence of tissue inflammation.

• Omega 3 Protection

Now back to the study mentioned earlier and its answer to how it may be possible to avert one of the diseases associated with an over-exuberant immune system reaction and resulting inflammation.

Prostate cancer accounts for about 30% of cancers in the U.S. The researchers examined the relationship between the incidence of this disease in people and their consumption of the omega 3 fatty acids present in fish. Subjects who had the highest plasma levels of the omega 3s had the lowest incidence of prostate cancer, compared to controls who consumed little or no omega 3-rich fish.

The researchers also found that those people with an inherited gene variation, which would normally make them more susceptible to aggressive prostate cancer, also responded to the omega 3 diet. There was a dramatic decrease in the incidence of cancer in these subjects and a significant inhibition of pre-existing cancer growth.

• Omega 3 Interference

Not only did the research suggest that the omega 3s had a protective effect, but the study also identified its mechanism.

The previously mentioned gene, which confers prostate cancer susceptibility, codes for an enzyme, COX-2 (cyclooxygenase-2). COX-2 is involved in the synthesis of mediators of inflammation, the prostaglandins. It appears that the omega 3 fatty acids interfere with this enzyme, preventing it from converting omega 6 fatty acids to prostaglandins.

• More 3 Less 6

This study and others point to the need for a healthy 1:2 ratio of omega 3s to omega 6s in what we eat. The problem? The omega 6 fatty acids are found in many foods prepared with vegetable oil—bread, crackers, cakes, fried foods—that are favored in western diets. The solution may be as simple as substituting olive oil for vegetable oil, whenever possible, and including at least one fish meal per week in our diets.