General Health

Have you ever heard about baking soda and its effects to acne? I found an article from Buzzle that baking soda can be used to treat your acne. How could it be possible? Let’s have a dig!

It was mentioned that the best way to deal with acne is by making homemade remedies from baking soda. This way gotta be easy and cheap, well, you can make it yourself at home. In the article, Buzzle reported that there have been some people who have successfully get rid off their acne with baking soda.

Let’s see from the chemical ingredients. Baking soda, otherwise known as bicarbonate of soda, sodium bicarbonate, is a chemical salt with diverse practical uses. It is weakly alkaline. As such, it acts to neutralize acids and break down proteins,  commonly used for baking soda is as a leavening agent in baking.

Baking soda’s finely gritty texture makes it an excellent, gentle abrasive cleaner. As an acid neutralizer, it has long been favored for its various first-aid applications.

Well, perhaps this is the main reason of using baking soda to get rid off acne. It is inexpensive, and has a good drying capability, include drying your acne. But ofcourse, too much this chemical will not good, since it will also dry your skin :-D

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There are seven important culprits for most of the food allergies that we experience. They are - corn, eggs, milk, soy, wheat, yeast and sugar. And thankfully, I am allergic to none. What a complete life, I can eat anything I want! :D

Allergy, exaggerated and sometimes harmful reactions to external substances, called allergens. So, food allergies are caused by the consumption of food items (containing common allergens) that the body considers as a threat. It is then obvious that egg allergies are an allergic reaction of the immune system, against the consumption of eggs. Eggs are one of the most common allergy-causing foods. Although egg allergy can affect adults, it’s more common in children. Most children outgrow their egg allergy by the time they’re 5 years old.

In an allergic reaction, the immune system mistakenly interprets a harmless substance as a harmful one. The immune system responds by producing antibodies called immunoglobulin E (IgE). These IgE antibodies are designed to help neutralize specific parasitic invaders and protect the person from future exposures. Upon first exposure to an allergen, no allergic symptoms develop. But when the person is exposed to the same substance at a later time, the IgE antibodies against the allergen activate an allergic reaction.

Egg allergy symptoms can be seen anytime, within minutes of consumption or even hours later. They appear in symptons like skin reactions, oral symptoms, sinus symptoms (respiratory tract), gastrointestinal symptoms, and anaphylaxis.

Egg allergies show up first on the skin. They can be bumpy, red rashes to hives. Near your mouth or lips area, there can be redness and swelling. It can also start with a runny nose and then leads on to itchy, watery eyes, sneezing to the point of triggering asthma and coughing and wheezing., swelling of blood vessels, under the skin, near the hands, face, tongue and genitals. Migrain headache can also be a sympton of egg allergy.

The most fatal reaction to egg alergy can also be seen on those people that are especially sensitive to eggs, even egg fumes and skin contact. Anaphylaxis is basically the swelling of the mouth and throat, that obstructs the airways leading to the lungs and makes breathing extremely difficult.

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Chronic bronchitis is the irritation and inflammation of the airways to the lungs that leads to the formation of thick mucus in these airways called the bronchial tubes. It causes breathing difficulties because Recurrent infections cause accumulation of mucus, which blocks the airways.

The symptons of bronchitis could be persistent cough with wheezing, fever, chest pain, severe coughing, and often the secretion of sputum (mucous material coughed up from the respiratory tract), etc. Chronic bronchitis can affect people of all ages, but it is commonly found in women and those who are above the age of 45.

For the treatment, doctors usually suggest antibiotic. If specific bacteria are suspected, one round of antibiotics may be worthwhile, but only when the cough has lasted for more than 10 days. But for chronic bronchitis, the treatments could be not just oral medications, but also bronchodilators, oxygen supplementation and lifestyle changes and in some rare cases, surgery is also suggested, depends on age, the severity of the disease, overall health condition of the patient, etc. The treatment aimed to relieve the symptoms and prevent further complications.

Bronchodilator medications are prescribed to dilate the air passages of the lungs and to reduce the inflammation. These medications can be in the form of aerosol sprays or oral drugs. In some cases, steroids are used to reduce the severity of symptoms. Used as aerosol sprays for inhalation, these medicines may cause side-effects like high blood pressure, diabetes, etc.

But, since chronic bronchitis is associated with difficulty in breathing and some patients may require supplemental oxygen, studies show that regular physical activity is very much beneficial. It can also be prevented by avoiding allergens, like dust, smoke etc. Prevent viral infections by maintaining personal hygiene and by staying away from people with cold and flu.

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As you know that junk food is not good for our health, can we just avoid it all the time? You know, the temptation is so strong when the people surround you eat junk food, or when your family have to order junk foods where you all are trapped in home, while it is raining outside and you all feel so hungry for food :-p

But recently, a more surprising news came up upon a research done by Dr. Aviv Goldbart of Soroka University Medical Center in Beersheba, together with researchers from the University of Louisville in the US. The research found that junk food has as much negative effect on memory as sleep apnea. How this could be?

The experiment took rats as the object. Half of the participating rats were fed a normal diet, and the other half was given junk food. The rats had to recognize colorful signs over a clear plastic platform that would serve as “dry land” in a water-filled aquarium. The ones that were fed a high-fat, highly-refined diet took twice as long to find the platform than those fed a conventional rodent diet. They took a long time to learn where the platform signs were, and the learning process was very slow.

Dr. Aviv concluded, in rats that were fed a high fat diet, the amount of certain brain protein connected to memory declines. This supports the theory that eating fatty, processed food hurts memory. Wow! Such a surprising report, ya?

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Botox® is a trade name for botulinum toxin A, that has been successfully used to treat blepharospasm, strabismus, and cervical dystonia — these are all conditions that in some way involve spasms, involuntary muscle contractions. Botulinum itself Bis a kind of food poisoning usually caused by ingesting the neurotoxin produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum; characterized by paralysis; can be fatal.

Basically, the botulinum toxins block the signals that would normally tell your muscles to contract. You may be wondering why anyone would want to have a botulinum toxin injected into his or her body. The answer is simple: If an area of the body can’t move, it can’t wrinkle.

So, how’s botox works for our body and our health? Can we say that actually, botox is a poison? Yes, we can. But, this poison can heal, indeed. FDA licensed botulinum toxin as Oculinum in December 1989 for treating two eye conditions—blepharospasm and strabismus—characterized by excessive muscle contractions. It is now marketed under the trade name Botox. Bill Habig, Ph.D., the recently retired deputy director of FDA’s division of bacterial products in the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research said that, Botulinum toxin has “an amazing safety record. Considering it’s one of the most toxic materials known and there was a lot of concern about it, it’s turned out to be very safe.

Well, a new study also said that at 4 weeks, 12 weeks, and 24 weeks after treatment, the researchers found that, overall, people’s quality of life (how much they got out of life) improved. Specifically, people who’d had botulinum toxin injections said that their incontinence had less effect on their lives, they were less likely to limit their activities because of incontinence, and felt happier.

However, it’s important to note that the treatment didn’t completely get rid of everyone’s incontinence.

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In recent years, teeth whitening has become a huge phenomenon. Teeth whitening is the process of removing stains and discolouration from teeth and improving their colour through a bleaching process to make them look “whiter”.

In the blossoming world of cosmetic dentistry, teeth whitening reigns supreme. Universally valued by men and women alike, whitening (or bleaching) treatments are available to satisfy every budget, time frame and temperament.

Teeth whitening can be done by visiting a dentist. Usually, dentists use bleaching agent with an activated light for whitening teeth. This method conducted by a dentist may lighten the teeth stain to about 3 - 8 shades. One of the inexpensive ways to whiten teeth is by using a whitening toothpaste. It can lighten the teeth color to about 1 - 2 shade.

Another tip for teeth whitening is to make a paste of table salt, baking soda and hydrogen peroxide and use it as toothpaste while brushing. It is to be noted that dilute hydrogen peroxide should be used for preparation of the paste. The smoke resulting from cigarette contributes a lot in causing discoloration of the teeth. Hence, those who indulge in smoking can regain the original color of their teeth (to some extent) after quitting the habit of smoking.

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Almost everyone in this world have trouble with acne. This change of skin condition often change someone’s mood, and perhaps, affecting our performance. How to treat your acne so that it doesn’t get worse?

Actually, talking about acne, we’re talking about different type of skin. That’s why, the treatment may differ, depends on the skin type.  There are many treatments we can do, but knowing the condition and choosing the best treatment may be one best way to help solving this problem.

Finding the perfect counter measure for your acne is most often a difficult task. As with any other infection, the correct cure can only be found out by finding the symptoms and identifying the crisis. In this the first step would be, knowing the type of your skin, which can be found out by a simple tissue. All you have to do is use a tissue on your skin and find out that if you have oily parts on your entire face or not.

One of the oldest and most effective acne treatment is sulfur. This treatment has been thoroughly studied. Sulfur reduces the oiliness of your skin, when applied as it makes the skin dry. The primary use of sulfur in acne treatment is as exfoliating or pealing agent. It is often used as one of the ingredients in the skin toned medicated concealers. It is in use in adult acne treatments today as an alternative to harsher less appropriate treatments. Lotions and cleansers also have sulfur in them or you can get it from the products which are used to reduce the swelling of acne.

What about the side effects?

Seeing the benefits above, you may think that sulfur is quite suitable for oily skin. But of course, you need to check the side effects, read the instructin before using one f sulfur products. Starters are recommended to wash their skin after few minutes of usage, as sulfur dries your skin which can result in itching or irritation. If any of the symptoms like redness, dryness, peeling or skin irritation occurs, then you should give a thorough wash and stop further usage. With everything kept in mind and done in a proper method, sulfur treatment is a boon for the people suffering from pimples or black heads.

Have a trial with sulfur soap, then! I’d like to try one :-D

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The Engineers at Kansas State University are now working on a research combining biological materials with graphene, a recently developed carbon material that is only a single atom thick, ScienceDaily reported.

They have seen the possibilities of using this thick material as the DNA sensor to identify cancer, in the form of electrical sensor. The researchers are collaborating with researchers from Harvard Medical School to sense cancer cells in blood.

Well, hopefully the research goes on well, so that it really can help the cancer sufferers someday, ya? :)

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A new study by researchers at Brown Universitysuggests that the nicotine effects for health may be more scary than what we thought.

It was reported in ScienceDaily that the effect may also interfere with dozens of cellular interactions in the body, cause an effect to the bodily processes — and perhaps the actions of other commonly used drugs.

Edward Hawrot, professor of molecular science, molecular pharmacology, physiology and biotechnology at Brown University team that included graduate students William Brucker and Joao Paulo set out to provide a more basic understanding of how nicotine affects the process of cell communication through the mammalian nervous system.

Source : ScienceDaily 

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For those people who love to consume junk food, this information may be the warning for you, especially for them, the steak and hot dog addict.

A study of more than half a million Americans has found that consuming steaks, hot dogs and other red and processed meats significantly increased participants’ chances of dying during the decade in which they were tracked. The study led by researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in Rockville, Maryland, followed about 545,000 men and women between the ages of 50 and 71. Between 1995 and 2005, 47,976 men and 23,276 women participating in the study died.

From the research, it was found that women who consumed the most red meat – 66 grams (2.3 ounces) per 1000 calories – were roughly 36% more likely to die than women who ate the least red meat – 9.1 grams (0.3 ounces). For men, a similar difference in red meat consumption, upped death rates by 31%.

Well, this sounds like a dead scary sentences for red meat lovers, huh? But I guess, the red meat and hot dog companies must have been worried first :p

Source : NewScientist, Image : Petitjeanmeats

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