MEGA HEALTH - Relieving Seasonal Allergies

MEGA HEALTH - People who suffer from seasonal allergies would likely have a different response to the subtle changes between seasons. Instead of the usual happy anticipation, they would likely be tensed up and gearing for a whole new round of seasonal allergies, whether it’s that time when winter turns into spring or the cooling weather as summer turns into fall.

Seasonal allergies, faced by over 35 million Americans each year, are typically linked to pollen that makes their way from trees, flowers, grass, and plants, populating the air no matter where a person goes. Symptoms are fairly simple but hardly comfortable for the allergic person: wheezing, sneezing, runny nose, and red, itchy, and watery eyes are hardly welcome incidences on a daily basis.

Many allergy sufferers find relief only from over-the-counter drugs. However, more and more people are becoming more conscious about home remedies and would prefer natural ways of dealing with their symptoms. After all, drugs are known for having side effects, many of which may not yet have been studied adequately.

Doctors agree that nature-based remedies are a useful way of handling mild allergies, and may even be useful for more significant allergies. While some doctors may be more conservative, others believe that there are many possible treatments that are safe to try.

The following home remedies are recently causing a stir in terms of treating seasonal allergies:

1. Butterbur – This European herb has been shown to give impressive results in clinical tests. For example, one group of Swiss researchers tested one tablet of butterbur consumed four times a day and found it to be as effective in relieving symptoms of hay fever as a popular anti-histamine drug. The even better news is that the herb tablet did not give the expected drowsiness that usually comes with anti-histamines. Another study was done by some British researchers to test the effectiveness of the drug against symptoms of allergies to grass.

2. Freeze-dried nettles – This is another herbal supplement that some doctors recommend.

3. Goldenseal – This herb is known for being taken as a tonic. Most doctors recommend taking this with a saline nasal spray. Goldenseal has been known to have astringent as well as local antibacterial properties that help in the process of getting rid of seasonal allergy symptoms.

4. Saline nasal spray – More and more doctors are recommending a saline nasal spray for respiratory allergic symptoms. Saline simply means salt water, so basically the spray contains no other ingredient except sodium chloride mixed with water. It has been shown to be effective in washing out pollen as well as reducing or thinning mucous.

5. Grape seed extract – This nutrient occur naturally in many food items, and comes in especially abundant levels in red wine. This extract may be used as a supplement alongside vitamin C and give extremely helpful results in reducing symptoms of allergy.

6. Quercetin – This is a flavonoid compound which also occurs naturally in many food items. The compound is proven to control the release of histamines as well as other chemicals that trigger an allergic response.

7. Hot spicy food – Interestingly, home remedies for allergies are not limited to herbs and nutrients. Experts believe that spicy food helps in thinning mucous secretions and in clearing nasal passages. As such, you may be able to help relieve your allergy symptoms by using more cayenne pepper or hot ginger, or even by upping the onion and garlic you use in our cooking.

While these home remedies have been shown to be effective in treating seasonal allergies, experts point out that dealing with allergies not only include eating certain foods but also avoiding others. For example, when a certain food seems to cause stomach upset or occasional hives, it may be a good idea to steer clear of such food, particularly during season changes that cause you to be more sensitive to triggers. Among the foods that experts recommend avoiding if you happen to be allergic to weed pollen are bananas, cucumber, melons, chamomile, sunflower seeds, and herbal supplements with Echinacea, as these apparently make symptoms worse.

Lastly, you may opt to try an air filtration system in your home. This can help remove dust and irritating pollen from your personal space, thus giving you a better chance of avoiding seasonal allergies.

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MEGA HEALTH - Acne and Oily Skin Care Tips

MEGA HEALTH - If you have oily skin, you are likely prone to acne as well. This is just one of the disadvantages of having this skin type. Other downsides are having visibly larger pores and the embarrassing shine on the nose, forehead and cheeks, also known as the T-zone. Summertime is the worst season for someone who has oily skin hence the appropriate skin care regimen is needed to keep excess oil at bay. The right products are also needed to prevent acne from developing. In the following paragraphs, you will learn tips for proper acne and oily skin care. Finding the right facial wash is a must for someone who has oily and acne-prone skin. Skin experts advise the use of a gentle cleanser that is oil-free and formulated with 2 percent salicylic acid to fight acne. This ingredient works by unclogging the pores with oil and dirt without leaving the skin dry. Remember to pick out a cream-type cleanser for the cold season and a foaming cleanser during the hot season. Cleanse your face twice a day, in the morning and evening. If acne leaves your skin reddish, you can use Aloe Vera gel as a natural facial cleanser. It is effective in reducing skin redness and contains natural ingredients that can treat pimples quickly. The next step to an acne and oily skincare regimen is toning and moisturizing. Be careful in using products on oily skin type because harsh products can leave the skin dry. You don’t want this to happen because once the skin misses on moisture, the sebaceous glands will act double time to produce more sebum. So, to avoid this from happening, learn to treat your skin well by avoiding alcohol-based toners, hyrdroquinone and mineral oil. Serum or light lotion should be used as moisturizers for oily skin. Oil-free, water-based and hypoallergenic preparations are also recommended as to not leave the skin oilier. If there is a moisturizer brand that has acne-fighting formulations and SPF15 or higher, then that would be hitting two birds with one stone. Exfoliation is also essential in keeping the skin shine and blemish free. Large pores, excess oil, dirt and dead skin cells are the perfect ingredients for pimples. Exfoliating your skin once or twice a week can clear pores with dead skin cells and stimulates new cells to form. Remember to use a gentle exfoliating scrub and be careful around blemishes as to not irritate and inflame your face all the more. After this, go ahead and pamper yourself with a facial mask. A deep-cleansing, clay-based mask can help tighten the pores, absorb excess oil and make your skin feel refreshed. Moving on to makeup, a lot of women know how to care for oily and blemish-prone face but most of them fall short in choosing the right makeup for their skin type. For oily skin, using liquid foundation is not a good idea. Especially under the hot weather, oil-based liquid foundations will easily melt. If your face is oily and you don’t want to end up with blemished skin, it’s best if you use oil-free makeup like tinted moisturizers and mineral makeup. For a just-pinched look that lasts a long time, a powder or gel blush does the trick. Be sure to cleanse your face completely from makeup before retiring to bed. Blotting paper is one of the niftiest beauty inventions. Use these to blot your face everytime you feel that you’re already shining with oil. It works well in touching up your makeup without smudging it. It is also better if you wear your makeup light to keep it from caking in the middle of the day. Another beauty trick to make your cosmetics intact all day and night is to use a makeup setting spray. Spray some on just before leaving the house. Lastly, use acne spot treatments only if you have seasonal acne. Otherwise, consult a trusted dermatologist for prescription acne medication to address severe acne problems. Be careful in using acne treatments because most of them are too strong. It can also make the skin dry and sun sensitive so be sure to follow instructions carefully (acne medications are usually applied minimally and at night) and apply sunblock lotion. Following these helpful tips will ensure skin that is glowing with health and not with too much oil.

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MEGA HEALTH - Cystic Acne – Causes and Treatment

MEGA HEALTH - Cystic acne or what you call nodulocystic acne is the most serious form of acne vulgaris. Its main characteristics are swollen red pustules with pus and sore nodules that can be really painful. Acne scars are very common results of this type of acne once they are not treated properly through pricking and use of ineffective medications. It also requires a longer length of time to heal as compared to milder types of acne. It is usually mistaken as acne rosacea because of their similarity in appearance. Acne Rosacea is pimples and skin blemishes seen on the forehead, chin, cheeks and nose and is very distinguishable because of its reddish color and nodules. The difference between rosacea and cystic acne is that the former do not result from blackheads or whiteheads which the latter result from. Rosacea pimples are not extractable as well unlike blackheads and whiteheads. With cystic acne, there are three things to consider that when altogether may result to cystic acne. First are agitated oil glands that most acne-prone individuals have. Their sebaceous glands produce more oil than usual and soon enough clog pores, hence resulting to outbreaks when infected. Research shows that the sebum produced through oil glands of people with bad acne breakouts have high compositions of squalene and wax esters, and low composition of free fatty acid and linoleic acid. This setting allows the P. acnes bacteria (or Propionibacterium acnes) to proliferate fast. Second is increased production and reduced shedding of skin cells. Acne-prone individuals create more skin cells than the average person. However, when too many skin cells die, they need to be removed by the skin but this does not happen regularly. The result, dead skin cells block the follicles and result to clogged pores. Third is the increased amount of acne bacteria that happens when a pore gets blocked and oxygen is zapped out. This is the perfect breeding ground for bacteria. Although the skin has a certain number of P. acnes, once the bacteria explodes in number, pimples break out and the infection can spread to other pores through frequent touching of the face. P. acnes live on sebum and they create a substance that can damage the pore’s lining which result to redness and inflammation. Acne bacteria cannot be destroyed with regular face washing. Certain chemicals are recommended to be included in your skin care product to kill acne bacteria. Benzoyl Peroxide is on the top of the list. Others are tetracycline and antibiotics. Retinoids such as Accutane is also considered an effective treatment for severe acne like this one. It prevents scarring and is proven to treat ninety percent of serious problems of the skin. Also known as Isotretinoin, it is a doctor prescribed oral medicine that is advised to be continuously used for a period of five months and to be taken twice daily. What Accutane does is that it reduces the oil glands’ size thus making it produce smaller amounts of oil and lesser growth of bacteria. Another option in treating cystic acne is a cortisone shot. Steroidal cortisone shots are commonly used to treat severe skin conditions since it can successfully halt inflammation, expedite healing and stop the condition from resulting to unsightly acne scars. The hormone cortisone is produced by the body and works by reducing inflammation, but the amount released by the body is not sufficient when it comes to severe swelling of the skin because of nodulocystic acne. This is where steroid hormone shots come in. As explained earlier, cystic acne is not primarily caused by having poor hygiene but it is a condition caused by internal factors such as abnormal oil production and hormonal imbalance). This fact makes topical acne treatments futile when it comes to addressing this type of acne. Aside from the abovementioned acne treatments, another possible cure that may help improve the condition is multivitamins. Vitamin B5 and Zinc capsules for acne are vitamins that can help break down oil by limiting sebum production while improving the system’s metabolism of skin oil. Compared to Accutane, results may not be seen as fast and may not be as effective for others. Of course, do not fail to visit a licensed dermatologist who can give the right assessment and medication for your situation. Having patience and a good attitude can also help a person suffering from cystic acne build up their self-confidence as they wait for their skin to finally clear up.

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