Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Living with Eczema

Living with Eczema
By John Vanse

Eczema is one of the most widespread skin disorders in the world. As such it is a part of life for many people.

Although there is at present no cure for this skin condition the symptoms can be controlled reasonably well if care is taken.

Eczema affects people of all ages and does not discriminate on the basis of sex as statistics show it is equally common among females as it is in males.

Eczema symptoms can range from mild to moderate and, at times, to severe.

The most common kind of eczema is atopic eczema (or atopic dermatitis) and this kind affects approximately one in every eight children under the age of five in the United States every year.

It is estimated that at least 30% of babies are very likely to develop atopic eczema although many eventually grow out of this skin problem.

For some children the condition disappears by the time they are two or three years old, while for others it may not decline until they enter school.

Unfortunately however there are still some children who continue to suffer the symptoms of eczema into their teenage years and some carry it into their adult life.

For those child sufferers who still have eczema in their adult life, the symptoms are often only mild or moderate rather than being severe.

Eczema is usually much worse in the early years of a child's life than it will be later in adulthood.

There are a number of types of eczema and they are usually categorized into two major groups - allergenic eczema and non-allergenic eczema.

Allergenic eczema results, as the name suggests, from allergies and medical research suggests that it has a genetic connection, similar to other disorders such as hay fever and asthma.

Often people prone to eczema are more likely to have these other disorders as well.

It is also believed that eczema can, in some instances, be caused by sensitivity to certain kinds of foods or to contact allergens such as for example, dust or mold.

Also allergenic forms of eczema can be made worse by sweating or overheating as well as exposure to the extremes of hot or cold temperatures.

Allergic forms of eczema include atopic eczema, which is the most common type, allergic contact eczema, and irritant contact eczema.

Non-allergenic forms of eczema include:

• infantile seborrhoeic eczema, also known as cradle cap;

• adult seborrhoeic eczema, of which dandruff is one of the milder forms;

• varicose eczema, which generally affects older individuals, particularly on the lower legs and around the ankles; and

• discoid eczema - roundish patches which can appear on many different parts of the body.
A number of factors which induce flare-ups of existing eczema conditions have been identified.

These include:

• high levels of stress;

• fluctuating hormone levels in women such as those that occur naturally during the menstrual cycle, during pregnancy and during menopause; and

• low humidity is also sometimes a factor in eczema flare-ups.

Eczema affected skin is dry, itchy, red, swollen and very sensitive. The best methods of managing these symptoms are by:

• applying moisturizing cream several times a day using emollient creams and lotions that do not contain perfume or alcohol;

• avoiding letting irritants such as harsh detergents and cleaning chemicals touch your bare skin;

• avoiding contact with some materials such as nickel;

• not allowing yourself to become overheated or too stressed; and

• wearing clothes that are made of predominantly cotton fabric

source http://ezinearticles.com/?Living-with-Eczema&id=1136993

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Use Cherry For Your Body Lotion Scent

Use Cherry For Your Body Lotion Scent
by Joanne Schlacter

Have you ever encountered a cherry bark scented body lotion? Lotions are more than just some skin application whose primary purpose is to provide skin nourishment and smoothness.

Nowadays, lotion products are beginning to recognize the beauty of using natural products as a means of providing scents into their lotion.

It used to be the scents in lotion are being used so as to entice the market to buy this product.

But with the challenges that the environment suddenly poses to everyone's health, skin lotions have started to look into the healing properties which scents can provide.

What Makes the Cherry Bark One of a Kind?

Body lotions nowadays are beginning to utilize fruits more than just an edible product.

And yes, even cherries are useful when it comes to skin protection and preservation.

However, aside from the fruit itself, the bark of cherry trees have also been found out to provide great natural medical benefits to people.

It also helps that it has a distinct earthly smell which some users will be very interested to try.

For starters, the cherry bark gives off an exotic yet relaxing scent to those who will use it.

It really gives a refreshing feeling that one is taken into the middle of the forest to relax and enjoy the wonders of nature.

The cherry bark scent also lasts for a long time, so if used as a lotion, the extracts will be able to provide a long lasting scent therapy to the user.

Women nowadays are starting to appreciate the effect of cherry bark scents as it tingles the senses.

The Good Effects on the Skin

The cherry bark has been firstly made famous for its medicinal properties in terms of treating diseases.

It has gained popularity in the field of treating bronchial illnesses from simple coughs to complex cases of bronchitis.

It has also been a popular ingredient among cold decongestants as well as medications for other illnesses such as diarrhea.

But recent studies have shown that the cherry bark is more than just a medicine which can treat internal problems.

Studies revealed that the cherry bark is a great source of antioxidants which can easily repair damages on the skin.

Being an antioxidant is also a great feature added on skin lotions because it helps prevent the skin from toxic build up due to daily and prolonged exposure to various external factors like pollution.

The cherry bark can effectively trigger the release of skin fibers and therefore preserve the natural beauty of the skin.

The obvious effect of this ingredient is that the skin is made more supple looking and vibrant in color.

It also helps make the skin more elastic therefore making it stronger and flexible especially when rigorous daily activities are being engaged in.

Cherry bark scented lotion is also known to contain some unique components such as amino acids and fructose.

These substances help tone and nourish the skin which in turn makes the person's complexion look fresh and rejuvenated.

Monday, April 7, 2008

Practice Anger Management

Practice Anger Management
Shanat Kuphur

Man is governed by too many emotions that he is actually under the firm grip of these emotions and often fails to deliver his best.

He at times doesn't know the mind set that give rise to these feelings that overtake his normal attitudes and activities.

Anger is one of such emotions that come as a result of too many similar emotions. It happens in such a way that often anger is an outcome of many other emotions or it give birth to several other emotions.

It is a mixture of several feelings simultaneously dominating human mind. Anger management becomes a risky job because of this influence of those tender feelings.

Man exhibits anger in various circumstances.

It might be due to a severe mental tension that disturbs him in office or at home.

Otherwise it can be a way of expressing intolerance towards any particular matter.

The reason can be a dislike of anything that surrounds him.

There are still different classes of people who show anger for no solid reasons.

They take it as a mask to hide something in them.

When people show anger to dominate others, anger management comes up as something that deserves due attention.

This happens in offices and at home, and is a common phenomenon.

There are people who shout at their sub ordinates at office for no reason.

This might be to show an unnecessary domination over the other. But the net effect that it has on both of them is not negligible.

Again there are similar happenings occurring in several houses also. When parents show anger towards each other frequently, it interferes with the growth of the children.

There are situations where children brought up in such a noisy atmosphere turn to disturbed behaviour in the latter part of their life.

This is a threat not only to the family, but also to the entire society and even to the nation.

Anger management requires immediate attention because a failure in the earlier stages will cause the habit to grow to such an extent that recovery will be impossible at that advanced stage.

By that time, the individual might turn to be a nuisance to those who are acquainted with him.

They hesitate to talk or mingle with him as they expect misbehaviour at any time. The person himself will be humiliated when he burst out of his anger in public.

He will forget even his surroundings when anger conquers him.

When tension conquers him, he will find refuge by showing this anger towards someone else. He fails to find a solution to his problem and this adds to his tension.

This process continues as a chain.

Anger management requires special effort from the part of the individual himself as he is the master of his emotions.

It is difficult for others to control him at the time of anger as they are afraid to approach him at that time.

The most effective anger management technique is hypnosis.

Hypnosis starts the therapy by training the person to deviate his concentration to something else when he bursts with anger.

The anger management techniques help him to relax his tensions and worries.

He learns to take the challenges of life easily and thus prevents himself from being controlled by his anger.

In a relaxed mind, he can respect others and understand their individuality.

Thus he avoids shouting at others by overcoming his anger with positive thoughts.

Anger is an emotion that is hidden in all individuals.

But managing it properly requires special abilities.

No one should let it go beyond the limits as it is harmful not only to him but to the entire group of people surrounding him