Skin Conditions Guide

Itching is a tingling or uneasy irritation of the skin that makes you want to scratch the affected area. When itching is generalized and persistent, medical help may be needed to determine and treat the cause. Generalized itch, for obvious reasons, is more difficult to treat. Itches can also occur with or without skin lesions (e.g., bumps or blisters). An uncomfortable sensation in the skin that feels as if something is crawling on the skin or in the skin, and makes the person want to scratch the affected area. Dry skin, especially in older people, can cause generalized itching. In some women during the later months of pregnancy, itching may occur without any skin lesions. Many drugs, including barbiturates (sleeping pills), can cause itching.

The treatment of pruritus is based on the identification of the cause, insofar as that is possible. Your dermatologist will ask you to be as specific as possible about such questions as: When do you itch – morning, evening, all day, etc? Where do you itch? Are there identifiable events that trigger your itching? How much and how deeply do you scratch? Do you perceive your itching as a major problem that must be relieved?

For very dry hands, try this for a night: Apply a thin layer of petroleum jelly, and wear thin cotton gloves to bed.

Specific treatment of itching depends on the underlying condition that causes it. In general, itchy skin should be treated very gently. While scratching may temporarily ease the itch, in the long run scratching just makes it worse. In addition, scratching can lead to an endless cycle of itch—scratch—more itching.

The seeds of the butea have excellent effects in controlling itching caused due to a variety of skin diseases such as ringworm, scabies and Eczema. It can also cure boils, pimples and swellings that itch. For better results, these seeds are ground and mixed with lemon juice and used as an external application on the affected part.

Linseed is a good household remedy for itching. A hot poultice of its seeds is applied on the affected part.

Medications also may be part of your treatment plan. An over-the-counter (OTC) cream or ointment containing hydrocortisone (Cortaid, Preparation H), applied sparingly to the affected area may reduce inflammation and itching. A protective ointment that contains zinc oxide (Desitin, Balmex) also may help. If your symptoms are worse at night, your doctor may also prescribe an antihistamine to reduce itching until topical treatments take effect. With proper treatment, most people experience complete relief from anal itching in less than a month.

Soothing baths can also help with itchy skin. Try using bath additives like oils, milks, clays, and baking soda to soothe itch. Avoid salts and other drying bath additives, which will leave the skin feeling like a dry, crackling mask. Oatmeal baths will also help to soothe itchy skin and leave the skin firmer and healthier as well. Keep soothing baths tepid, rather than hot, and remember to gently pat, not rub, dry and moisturize afterwards.

What skin itching treatment can people choose in other cases of irritating skin itching? First, try not to scratch; the less damaging remedy for you can be rubbing in some soothing cream. The most appropriate creams are those containing camphor or menthol. For some time you should avoid wool against your skin till itching is gone. Remember that skin itching becomes more annoying when you are warm. So, don’t overdress, try to keep cool. Many doctors advice taking cool shower or just applying cool compress on the affected body area.

Corwin Brown
http://www.articlesbase.com/alternative-medicine-articles/how-to-stop-itching-400979.html

Stress always goes hand in hand with health. Depending to the stress level of a person, the impact of stress in the body can range from minor sweaty palms right through to being fatal and causing death. In order to manage stress and health better, you must first be familiar with the severe effects of stress in the body.

*Physical & Behavioral Signs Of Stress*
Stressors can be either external or internal. External stressors involve situations in the workplace, death or illness in the family, or by simply becoming angry. On the other hand, most of the stress that people experience is self-generated or internal. A person usually creates his or her own stress but this indicates that the person has the choice or doing nothing or something about it.

Your major body systems are all affected by stress.
When a person feels stressed, there will be an increase in heart rate, and an elevation in the blood pressure levels. The continuous pressure in the heart can also make a person vulnerable to cardiac arrest and other cardiac-related problems.

The digestive system is also affected when you are stressed. Some people can experience diarrhea, constipation, vomiting, dryness of the mouth and the throat. Stress may also cause sleeping disorders, nausea and in some cases even a tightness of the chest, neck, jaw and the back muscles. You may also experience tooth grinding.

Often there are also changes in behavioral patterns noticeable in a person experiencing chronic levels of stress. Smokers normally experience an increase in smoking patterns. Aggressive behaviors and hostility towards others and even inanimate objects are sometimes linked to a person being easily startled. A person?s diet can also be affected by the irregular eating habits caused by stress.

Some people who cannot handle stress unfortunately resort to increased levels of alcohol and drug use. Additionally, unhealthy compulsive behavior, impatience and carelessness are also the behavioral effects of stress.

* Long Term Implications of poor stress management *
Long term stress in your life will badly affect your health and wellbeing overall. During stress the body produces hormones that enable the body to cope with the current situation. Short term effects of adrenaline, noradrenaline, and corticosteroids include tense muscles, queasiness and an in increase in breathing and heart rates.

The long term implications of these hormones include allergic reactions, digestive disorder, heart disease, fatigue headaches and migraine. Even some cases of impotence and premature ejaculation can occur in men or erratic menstrual cycles for some women. When the body continuously releases these hormones your sleeping patterns can also be affected and can sometimes lead to chronic insomnia. With severe cases of stress, it can cause Eczema, ulcerative colitis, mouth and peptic ulcers and recurring muscular aches and pains.

* Healthy Lifestyle to reduce stress levels in your life *
How a person identifies stress is important to their overall health. When the stress becomes too much to handle, the damage to their physical and mental well-being can be irreversible. Living a healthy life can help a person cope with stress easily.

* Tips for Better Managing Your Stress *
Although a build up of stress can result in major risks, it can also be a positive catalyst for change in your life. Do not let stress accumulate without making the necessary lifestyle changes, otherwise the result can be fatal. By recognizing the stressors, you can put each of them in place and deal with them one by one. Remember that stress can be a healthy signal that you need to make some positive changes in your life, and that now is the best time to make decisions.

* Breathing And Relaxing to Control Stress *
Oxygen is obviously very important to the body. Taking a deep breath adds oxygen to the system, which can help you relax.

Take a short walk in some fresh air, go get a glass a glass of filtered water and do something that can change your focus onto something positive. Try smiling and take a short moment focusing on something else other than your problem. Watch some funny videos before you start your day or listen to comedy audio tapes when you drive in traffic. By the time you get back to your problem, it would not seem nearly as undefeatable.

* Enjoy The Good Things Of Life And Be Positive *
When you let stressful events build up, you can forget to enjoy the good things of life. Remember that life offers many more important things other than work. Reserve some time to actually recognize the good things in your life. Practice being grateful for what you have in your life.

* Know Yourself and Work on Your Limitations *
By recognizing your limitations, you can evade situations that can usually lead to the piling up of work. And you do not need to take responsibility for the work that some one else has left undone. Do not burden yourself with the problems of other people.

If you continuously beat yourself up with needless guilt, not only will you be unable to manage your stress but you will instead worsen the situation.

There are other several ways to help you manage your stress. If you are into self help books, sometimes taking time reading your favorite book can help you in putting the problem out of your mind, or help you to come up with creative solutions. Taking a warm bath and watching your favorite show on TV can also help you. Always remember that the keyword in better stress management is Relaxation.

* Strategies to Use for Avoiding Stress Build Up*
Stress build up can pose major health risks to you in the long term if you do not start to deal with it now. Often times, people who do not know how to handle stress find themselves in rehabilitation facilities that offer twelve-step programs that could help them recover. So have a policy that stress avoidance is always better than cure. Learn to avoid stress build up through simple strategies that you could practice in your free time.

* Learn To Have Fun *
Look into yourself and find something that you are into. There are bound to be some games or fun activities that you can enjoy by yourself or with friends and family. Find the things that you enjoy the most. Hobbies are helpful activities to enhance the overall relaxation process.

Drawing and gardening are great stress relievers but you are not limited to these two. You can practically put your hands on anything that you enjoy doing. Maybe start collecting something of interest as a hobby. Take some craft classes, or learn to dance. If there was a sport you enjoyed in school, you might be able to start getting back into shape with that interest again. Learn that it is fine to have a little fun after hard days of work.

* Taking Better Care Of Your Health *
If you have a predetermined health condition, stress can greatly aggravate that condition. Maintaining a healthy diet and physical activity levels can help you in avoiding the health risks from stress.

Healthy eating at home can help you lose some spare pounds around the stomach, since most people who are stressed-out tend to gain more weight than others. Planning ahead is an important step in eating healthy. Do your shopping for weekly groceries, and plan your home meals every week. Keep your cooking simple and fast to reduce your daily stress. Eating healthy does not mean that you need to prepare a four-course meal. A simple balanced meal with the combination of protein, fresh fruits, green vegetables, wholegrain bread and not too much fat is enough to get you going. You can even find healthy recipes online. Eating organic produce also helps to eliminate many of the toxins that can stress your body. Drink plenty of filtered water and reduce your caffeine and soda drinks.

Exercising can help you cope with stress easily. You can also enroll yourself in weekly gym classes or dance classes depending on how much free time you have. Through gentle and consistent exercise your body releases more of the endorphins that increase your feelings of wellbeing. It does not have to be overly strenuous, just enough to get a slight sweat and glow to your skin.

* Ask For Support When you Need it. *
Never blame yourself for the cause of stress as this will only worsen the stress that you are already feeling. Do not build a wall around you whenever you are feeling stressed and never let yourself feel helpless. Ask family or friends to assist you to cope. Stress is an enemy that you can triumph upon with the help of loved ones.

* You can use Spiritual Practices For Avoiding Stress *
Practicing meditation can help you clear you mind in stressful situations. Seniors use prayers as stress reliever. Prayers can also maintain emotional stability. Learn what you need to maintain your Mind, Body, Spirit Balance for your overall wellbeing.

Gen Wright
http://www.articlesbase.com/alternative-medicine-articles/master-the-skill-of-stress-management-to-improve-your-health-wellbeing-683766.html

Microdermabrasion is a cosmetic procedure in which the outermost surface of the skin is partially removed by light abrasion. This form type of cosmetic procedure is to remove or lessen the appearance of scars and dark spots on the skin, smooth away leathery sun-damaged skin, and stimulate the production of new and healthy skin cells. Additionally, microdermabrasion can even out skin tone and diminish the look of fine lines, wrinkles and age spots. In essence microdermabrasion is a form of advanced exfoliation, or skin resurfacing, in which the surface layer of the skin is removed and new skin cells are brought to the surface.

There are various methods of microdermabrasion: they are crystal microdermabrasion, diamond microdermabrasion, and at-home microdermabrasion.

Crystal microdemabrasion is much like sand blasting the skin. It involves spraying the skin with the crystals. This method can be somewhat uncomfortable around the nose and mouth due to their sensitivity. After the spaying of the crystals, the technician or dermatologist will vacuum away any remaining crystals.

Diamond microdermabrasion uses an exfoliation tool. During the treatment the technician or dermatologist will rub the diamond tool against the skin to slough off the top layer of dead skin cells. The diamond machine will then vacuum the surface. This type of microdermabrasion stimulates collagen and elasticity which promotes stronger skin and it stimulates blood flow to give a healthy glow to your complexion.

At-Home microdermabrasion kits are widely available and range in price and effectivness. What once was a spa procedure can now be done in the comfort of your home. Spa treatments would range from $75 to $200 per treatment. Most at home kits use the same crystals as used in the spa. Depending on the kit; the crystals are applied to the skin with your hands or a cloth, or applied with a massager. At home kits are available as a full body treatment or kits just for the face. Naturally the facial microdermabrasion kit will offer a much gentler exfoliation. Home systems contain active ingredients that are focused on skin renewal, and to acceleate the rebuilding of collagen skin cells.

The benefits of microdermabrasion are many. This non -invasive treatment will gently remove the epidermis – the outmost layer of the skin, and bring new skin cells to the surface leaving a more even toned complexion. Additionally, microdermabrasion will stimulate blood flow, and reduce the signs of aging, eliminate white and blackheads, reduce the appearance of large pores and provide visibly brighter skin.

Microdermabrasion however may not be for everyone. If you suffer from Roseacea, open sores, Eczema, dermatitis, psoriasis, and/or other skin conditions. Additionally, for those that suffer from diabetes, skin cancers, broken capillaries or are using blood thinners should not use a microdermabrasion skin treatment. Do not use if you suffer from Vitaligo, Lupus or hypopigmentation and if you are using Acutance, Retinol, Retin-A, Glycolic or Salicylic Acid or other topical or prescription medicines. Note that the above warning list is not inclusive of those that should not use a microdermabrasion skin treatment. As with any new skin care product always do a patch test first.

For more skin care articles, how to videos, and homemade skin care recipes, visit Complete Skin Care Therapy 

Carol Belanger
http://www.articlesbase.com/anti-aging-articles/diy-microdermabrasion-bringing-beautiful-skin-to-the-surface-725506.html