Symptoms of eczema

Eczema, also known as atopic dermatitis, is characterized by a red itchy rash that is scaly and is oozing in some cases. The condition can appear on the arms and legs, cheeks, forehead, and in body parts such as knees and elbows where there are creases. In some cases, skin will have a leathery feel and even crack or blister. Some people also experience a thickening of the skin, red patches and even a slight color change when they have eczema.

1. Skin Conditions

This refers to the skin’s inflammation, while atopic means an allergic, and usually genetic or inherited, tendency. The condition is common for infants, although eczema is typically outgrown. The child’s condition could be chronic, or recur with regularity, if the problem persists beyond the second birthday, when eczema usually disappears. Eczema can worsen during winter, when dryness pervades the house, and summer, when temperatures could rise to extremes.

2. Treatment

The rashes are easy to eliminate, although they return sometimes even with proper treatment. To prevent eczema, bubble baths, exposure to extreme heat, strong soaps and other triggers must be avoided. In cases where these triggers are sometimes hard to avoid or identify, moisturizers may be the most important weapon one can use to prevent any flare-up of the condition. Since atopic dermatitis can accompany dry skin, individuals with this skin type will benefit from taking a daily bath – of about 5-10 minutes – with lukewarm water and using only a mild soap with moisturizing properties. This helps locks the moisture into the skin, limiting the likelihood of eczema development. Some people benefit from having topical medications as the first layer of treatment, with moisturizers or lubricants applied on top as the second layer, following a bath. This two-pronged approach should be enough to maintain healthy and hydrated skin.

3. Ointments & Creams

Greasy ointments are one of several moisturizers available in the market. Aquaphor and Vaseline are probably the more popular choices, although consumers should also consider other brands and similar products to determine which one works best for their skin. For more extreme eczema break-outs, individuals may need to turn to topical steroids and Protopic and other non-steroidal treatments. Hydrocortisone creams are among the very mild over-the-counter topical steroids one can use, even on facial eczema. Drug stores will already ask for a prescription for Dermatop, 0.1% Triamcinolone, Cutivate, Elocon and other more potent topicals. These stronger products are generally not advisable for children, as they could have adverse effects.

4. Medications

Protopic, Elidel and other non-steroidal medications, or immunodulators, are preferred for children with eczema. These milder topicals can be used twice daily, and even on the face and other more sensitive areas. However, steroid-free medications take a longer time before producing results compared to topical steroids. Some doctors recommend antihistamines as part of eczema treatment. Atarax, Benadryl and other antihistamines with a sedative effect are particularly effective in cases when itching is already hampering sleep. Other solutions that can also help are cold compresses, wet dressings, ultraviolet light therapy, oral steroids and cylcosporin and other immunosuppressive drugs.

5. Other Factors

Some individuals may find that the condition is common within the family. One who is genetically disposed to having sensitive skin could easily trigger bouts of eczema due to an allergy, stress or other specific environmental factor. Asthma, allergic rhinitis and other similar disorders tend to accompany eczema in these individuals. When this happens, the allergen or source of the allergy must be identified first and properly addressed. These sources could include shrimp and other seafood, strawberries, nuts, cow’s milk, eggs and other types of food. Pollen, dust mites and other airborne agents are also possible triggers. Eczema can also be driven by irritation to specific substances such as detergents, products containing chlorine, earrings and jewelry containing silver or nickel, woolen fabrics, synthetic materials, latex rubber, and formaldehyde and similar chemicals.

6. Treatment Tips

Eczema may not require continuous treatment, as most people generally outgrow the condition as they become older. However, antibiotics may have to be used when infections set in and hamper treatment of the flares. A dermatologist, allergologist or other specialist should be consulted after reasonable time and treatment fails to eliminate eczema or improve skin condition. Consultation should be immediate particularly if the affected individual develops fluid- or pus-filled blisters, which are symptomatic of eczema herpeticum – a rare complication attributed to the herpes simplex virus.

Do You Want to Lose 6 Pounds Quickly

Do you want to lose 6 pounds quickly? While many diets are geared at people who want to lose 20 pounds or more, the plan I’m presenting here will help you lose 6 pounds quickly – perhaps in just one week.

The first thing you want to do is clear out your pantry of all the foods that make you fat. Clean out your refrigerator and throw things away. Donate the packaged food in your pantry to a local food bank.

Then, go to the grocery store and buy the following sixteen things only:

1. Whole wheat bread
2. Tuna
3. Any and all fruits
4. Any and all vegetables
5. 8 oz. steak
6. Two chicken breasts
7. Salad vegetables
8. Balsamic vinegar
9. Special K Cereal
10. Skim milk
11. Brown rice
12. Instant oatmeal (not the sweetened packaged kind though)
13. Sliced turkey breast
14. 3 servings of fish
15. Low fat yogurt
16. Eggs

Using these foods as the basis for your diet, write out a diet plan for the next seven days. After that, you will be fully committed to sticking to it. Part of the motivation for clearing out your kitchen ahead of time is that there will not be any food that you can “cheat” with.

Next, you want to get a pedometer and make sure that you walk at least 10,000 steps each day. That may seem like a lot, but here are some ways that you can get extra steps in.

1. Park far away from the front door of your work or a store. Not only will you get extra steps in, but you will have a much easier time parking.
2. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. If you work above the fourth floor, get off of the elevator at least two floors early and walk the rest of the way.
3. When you have to contact a colleague at work, don’t phone or email them, walk over to their office or desk.
4. If you take the bus or other form of mass transportation, get off a stop or two early and walk.
5. Walk the dog. If you don’t have a dog, volunteer to walk the neighbor’s dog.
6. Take a walk before dinner. Not only will you increase the number of steps you take that day, but a walk before dinner will reduce your appetite.

Finally, try to drink at least eight, 8 ounce glasses of water each day when you are trying to lose weight. You can do this by drinking one liter of water at work and another liter at home. If you don’t like water plain, it is okay to substitute unsweetened iced tea or sugar free lemonade or punch.

It is possible to lose 6 pounds in a week. Try radically altering your diet, walking more, and drinking a substantial amount of water. It’s not a lifetime that you will be restricted to this plan, it’s just a week. And, you’ll be able to lose 6 pounds in that time.

Doctors Shocked Acid Reflux Caused By THIS

 

Acid Reflux has nothing to do with the foods you eat, your stomach
acid, or your lower esophagus…


But there’s a 78% chance this “thing” is inside of you
right now.


Not only is this “invisible killer” the reason for your burning
throat, your acid “burps”, and the 
disgusting regurgitation
of food…


Scientists and other health experts now say it’s also responsible
for over
80% of all incidents of stomach cancer.   

Watch this short, free video to see exactly what this hidden
killer is and how it works.


You’ll also be shown the only known proven way to permanently
destroy this aggressive internal killer – 
and eliminate your acid
reflux for good.

 

PS If you prefer to read the info, rather than watch a video,
click to close the video, then click “stay on page”

Magnifying Acid Reflux

Gastro Esophageal Reflux Disease (GERD), the medical term for “Acid Reflux” is defined as the product of abnormal reflux of gastric contents into the esophagus thus, creating a mucosal damage, likewise known as the chronic symptom.

This disease strikes adult primarily, while infants and children can also be affected. Normally spurred by eating certain foods, if not pregnancy, or taking a sleep right after eating a heavy meal, a large number of persons suffer from acid reflux at one time or another.

Heartburn or acid indigestion is another name that refers to acid reflux. Heartburn, the major symptom of Acid Reflux in the esophagus, is described to cause a burning uneasiness at the back of the sternum.

The symptoms may come as coughing, voice transformation, hoarseness, constant ear ache, or sinusitis. The complications brought upon by acid reflux may lead to esophageal ulcers or worse this can lead to esophageal cancer.

However, constant heartburn sensations do not necessarily mean that one has captured GERD already. The risk occurs when heartburn happened more than once a week, this occasion could possibly lead in developing GERD.

The usual cause of GERD is the increase in acidity or gastric acid production in the body, obesity, pregnancy, or tight-fitting apparels, these all can add to the problem. The yeast infections are also thought to be one of the causes of GERD-like symptoms.

An added ironical cause of the GERD is the insufficient production of stomach acid in the body. The explanation says that the valve, the hollow organ with a flap that insure the one-way course of fluid through the organ, once emptied triggers acidity in the intestines. If the valve fails to open, the contents of the stomach will be blended into the esophagus, and then irritation occurs.

Meanwhile, there are already several treatments for GERD today, one of which is the balance and healthy eating habits. Now if proper diet fails to work, one can shift to medication therapy or surgery as suggested by the doctors. Below are the lists of several selections of Acid Reflux treatment:

1) Proper Diet: the natural way to cure Acid Reflux is through change in their eating habits. A good number of people affected by GERD found success in following this method. Avoid the food ingredients which can intensify heart burn such as caffeine, soft drinks, and smoking. Avoid eating two hours before sleeping; likewise, avoid lying down after taking meal. These are the regular suggested change in lifestyle.

2) Another easy way to treat GERD is to elevate the head of the bed. The pharmacologic therapy, the combination of prevention of food two hours before sleeping and the rise of the head of the bed, there is a great chance for a patient to gain a 95 percent relief. The rise of the head of the bed is suggested to range for only 6 to 8 inches or 20 cm. Using this method the backflow of gastric fluids will be hampered.

3) Drug Treatment: Drugs reduce the secretion of the gastric acid, for instance and famotidine and omeprazole lessen the secretion of gastric acid and the Antacids counteract the acid.

4) Surgical treatment: the Nissen fundoplication, the standard surgical treatment for Acid Reflux, the medication process will only cover a short period of time. The function of this is to support the sphincter, a spherical bond of muscles that opens and closes to let the food or waste to pass, as well as stop Acid Reflux, and of course restore the hiatal hernia.

Understanding Diabetes for Helping You Live a More Normal Life

So, just what is diabetes and why are many people so worried about this disease affecting them? For starters, diabetes is a condition where the body doesn’t produce enough insulin. Insulin is produced by the pancreas which helps the body cells absorb blood sugar or glucose to convert it in to energy. What the insulin does is that it keeps the blood sugar level in the body normal and at a healthy level.

If you have diabetes, it basically means that your body is not able to produce enough insulin or that your body isn’t able to properly use the insulin that your pancreas produces. When this happens, your body’s blood sugar level or blood glucose level rises to dangerous levels, which if left untreated, can have serious complications to your overall well-being.

There is still no cure found for diabetes. But, it can be managed. You have to remember that diabetes can increase the risk of heart diseases, stroke, blindness and even kidney damage. Any wounds you get takes longer to heal and are more likely to get infected. People with diabetes can develop skin disorders and foot problems that may end up in amputation.

You can prevent or at least minimize these things from happening to you through proper management with the correct diet, medication, and exercise.

Living with diabetes is not easy. You need to change your lifestyle. You have to be aware of the food you eat, when you eat, and you also have to exercise and strictly follow your medications. Managing diabetes also means that you need to constantly and regularly monitor your blood sugar level. This means that you have to get your own glucose meter device, which will be able to help you monitor your blood sugar level.

You need to keep in mind that diabetes is a disease where you don’t necessarily feel anything. But, there may already be bad things going on inside your body if you don’t get it treated. The best way to treat diabetes is by regulating or by keeping your blood sugar level at an acceptable level.

Hyperglycemia isn’t the only problem that you will experience if you have diabetes. You will also experience hypoglycemia or low blood sugar level. These two can be potentially life threatening, which is why you need to follow a string diet and exercise plan. You also need to follow doctor’s orders and keep up with your medications.

By keeping your blood sugar level at an acceptable level, you will be able to minimize the risk of diabetes-related complications, such as kidney disease, heart disease, stroke, blindness and foot and skin disorders.

To make it easier for you to manage the disease, you have to learn how to accept the disease. Most people are left in denial that they have the disease and often neglect proper treatment until it is too late. If you accept that you are going to put up with this disease for the rest of your life, the easier it will be for you. Always keep in mind that proper management is the key to living a normal life with diabetes.

Through these tips, you can be sure that you will be able to conquer diabetes and let you live a full and a life that is as normal as possible.

Reverse Your Diabetes…….http://www.myhealthbusiness.info/reversediabetes

You Should Develop A Healthy Eating Habit

Of all the habits we tend to get into, few of us suffer from a healthy eating habit. Most of us have bad habits we’d like to break. We smoke, or drink too much, or eat too much chocolate. We have good habits, too, we just think about them much less often. We might hang our keys in the same place every day so we never lose them, or walk a mile after dinner every day. Those are good habits that get much less attention from us as the bad ones we’d like to get rid of. Healthy eating can become one of those good habits. It just takes a little preparation.

How often have you gone to the grocery store with the plan of eating only healthy, nutritious foods and purchased things like celery, grapes, lettuce, carrots, bananas and a variety of other produce? It’s all too easy, then, a week or so later to be throwing away many of those foods purchased with the best intentions because they’ve started to go bad.

Maybe you bought chicken breasts and fish for those healthy dinners you planned to make, too. And instead you ended up eating out almost every night because by the time you got ready to make dinner you were already starving, and didn’t have a healthy eating habit in place. Cooking seemed like too much of a chore, or it seemed too time consuming, so you ate at a restaurant.
You just didn’t have a healthy eating habit yet. But you can change that. Next time you’re ready to go to the grocery store, stop. Decide on a few meals and snacks you’ll have over the next few days or week, depending on how far you like to plan ahead. Make a list of some things you’ll need to have those meals, and stick to the list.

If you need some chicken breasts for a dinner, get just enough for the dinner. Don’t buy three packages thinking you’ll use them if there’s a chance you won’t. You can do that once you have a healthy eating habit, but not yet. Don’t buy carrots and celery thinking that you’ll have them as snacks if you really don’t think you’ll use them. If you’ll be using them to cook with, then there’s a bigger likelihood that you’ll use them up.

When you do buy healthy snack foods like fruits and vegetables, make it easier for yourself to develop a healthy eating habit. When you get home from the grocery store (or you can pick a time soon after that, in the next day or so) immediately wash the grapes and put them in a bowl, wash and chop the celery and carrots, clean the melon and cut it into chunks and do other preparation. Then next time you want a snack, you won’t be discouraged by the idea of having to wash, peel and chop. It’s easier to have a healthy eating habit when all you have to do is grab and go.

Accomplish Your Weight Loss Goals With This Advice

Anything worth having is never easy, but when it comes to weight loss, having some good information really makes the journey a whole lot easier. Use the tips, tricks and advice offered in this article to help you avoid some of the stumbling blocks that dieters inevitably face along the way.

Enjoy the occasional serving of avocado. When dieting, most people tend to avoid avocados, due to their fat content, but feel free to enjoy an occasional serving. Avocados are a great source of beta-carotene, potassium, folacin and Vitamin C. Also, the primary fat in avocados is the good’ fat: monounsaturated. That being said, if you are watching your weight, don’t go overboard. Half an avocado contains up to 15 grams of fat.

The best time of day to exercise is in the morning, before breakfast. When you exercise before your breakfast meal, you are burning stored fat, instead of the energy from your breakfast. This helps you have energy throughout the day, so you do not feel depleted of energy before lunchtime.

Replace whole milk with nonfat or 1% milk. They both contain the same essential vitamins and minerals that you find in whole milk. The only thing missing is the fat. A cup of non-fat or 1% milk contains 5 to 7 grams less fat than a cup of whole milk. It also has 30 to 50 fewer calories. Over the space of a year, this can really add up. Which can lead to greater weight loss.

Counting calories to loss weight? Don’t replace sugar with honey when choosing a sweetener. Teaspoon for teaspoon, honey actually has more calories than sugar. A teaspoon of honey contains 21 calories, whereas a teaspoon of sugar contains 15. Honey has slightly more nutrients, but in the amounts that people use, it’s not significant enough to make it worth the extra calories.

Don’t be under the impression that margarine contains less fat than butter – they contain exactly the same amount: 11 grams per tablespoon. Although margarine has less saturated fat than butter and contains no cholesterol, it contains trans fatty acids that have been linked to heart disease. For fewer calories, choose a diet or reduced-fat margarine.

Designate a particular area of your house for eating. Whether it’s the dining or kitchen table, it should be used solely for eating. This way you will only associate a certain location in your house with food, and won’t be tempted to eat when you are in other areas of the home, such as in front of the television, or in bed.

Serve meals straight from the stove. If you put the food in serving dishes before placing it on the table, it can be way too tempting to reach for a second or third serving. Put the desired amount of food on your plate, and when you are done, remind yourself that you are going to avoid the temptation of going back for seconds.

Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and use the information you learned here to start your weight-loss journey armed and raring to go. Knowing is half the battle, and now that you know what you should and should not do, you are better equipped to get your weight under control once and for all.

Eczema is an inflammatory, Chronic, Noncontagious Disease

Eczema is an inflammatory, chronic, noncontagious disease of the skin caused by allergy and hypersensitivity. The term is loosely used to include many skin conditions more properly included under dermatitis. Eczema is characterized by a number of cutaneous lesions, such as macules, papules, pustules, vesicles, scales, and crusts.

Macules are nonelevated skin spots. Papules are hard, circular, and elevated. Pustules are papular like lesions that contain pus, and vesicles are small skin blisters that contain fluid. Eczematous lesions are usually accompanied by an exudation of serous fluid and by intense itching. One-third to one-half of all cutaneous conditions are eczematous.

There is no known cure for eczema, but new treatments are helping people to manage, and even prevent flares, better than ever before. Treatment is most effective when people with eczema work closely with a physician, preferably a dermatologist, who will customize a treatment approach based on the person’s age, symptoms, and overall health. With the right treatment, most flares can be brought under control in less than three weeks.

In more severe cases of eczema, where other treatments have failed, systemic steroids may be used. Instead of applying the steroidal medication to the top of the skin, it is injected into the body, or taken in pill form. These medications should only be used for a short time.

Side effects can include skin damage, weakened bones, high blood sugar and/or blood pressure, infections, and cataracts. It is also dangerous to stop systemic corticosteroids abruptly, and patients must work closely with a doctor when changing doses or stopping treatment.

Antibiotics can be prescribed by a doctor to treat secondary infections associated with eczema. Medications used to fight infection can come in ointment or pill form and are taken for a set period of time.

Sedating antihistamines, which are best to take at bedtime, can help ease severe itching associated with eczema, and help restless sleepers and “scratchers” to sleep. The sedating antihistamines are more effective at relieving itching than the newer, non-sedating antihistamines, but these drugs cause drowsiness, and can affect an adult’s ability to work and think, and childrens’ ability to learn if taken during the day.

Phototherapy uses ultraviolet A or B light waves, and is reserved for children over 12 and adults.

It is very much like a tanning bed, and, like tanning beds, can cause skin cancer if used too much, for too long. Doctors use the minimum exposure necessary to ease itching and reduce inflammation.

In severe cases of eczema that do not respond to any other treatment, an immunosuppressive drug, like cyclosporine, may be used for a short time although the safety and effectiveness of cyclosporin in children has not been clearly established by clinical trials. These drugs block the production of some of the body’s immune cells and curb the effect of others.

They can provide relief from very serious eczema flares, but this improvement while on the drug often does not continue after the drug course is over. Side effects include hypertension and kidney problems, nausea, tingling or numbness, headaches, and a possible increase in cancer risk.

Keeping the skin happy and healthy is the first rule of good eczema care. This includes avoiding flare triggers, and sticking to a skin care routine that keeps the skin moisturized, and minimizes itchiness. Still, flares do happen. If inflammation cannot be reduced with good lifestyle and skin care habits alone, there are a wide variety of both over-the-counter and prescription medications available to manage the flares.

How To Succeed With Your Healthy Eating Weight Loss Diets

If you need to lose weight, you’ve probably looked at some healthy eating weight loss diets and groaned in disappointment each time. You’ve looked at diets that are supposed to be good for you while letting you lose weight. Some claim you can eat things like fatty cheeseburgers and even fatty milkshakes (made with sugar substitutes). While other diets claim that you can eat whatever you want as long as you keep your fat intake low. But chances are that they all restrict or forbid something you really enjoy, and you’re not looking forward to going without that favorite food.

What some people overlook is that you don’t necessarily have to follow a healthy eating weight loss diet that someone else claims is the best. You can figure out how to eat on your own. The first step is to look at how you’ve been eating. Obviously, if you need to lose weight you’ve been following a diet that provides you with too many calories. If your diet is healthy overall but you’ve been eating too many calories, then you might not even need to change the way you eat much at all. Increasing your daily exercise could be enough to help you lose weight.

If your diet needs an adjustment to become a healthy eating weight loss plan, though, you should look at the parts of your diet that seem unhealthy and adjust them. If you make too big a change from the way you like to eat, you’re setting yourself up to be unhappy with your new diet plan. Instead, try to incorporate the things you enjoy into your new plan.

Your healthy eating weight loss plan might not be able to include doughnuts 3 or 4 times a week like you’ve been eating. But the occasional doughnut as a treat might be acceptable if it fits within your allotted calories for that day. You might be able to have a substitution for a doughnut a couple of times a week, though. A whole grain bagel with fruit-flavored low-fat cream cheese, for instance, is a sweet treat that you could enjoy instead of a doughnut. It might give you the same satisfaction while remaining healthier and truer to your healthy eating weight loss plan.

If you eat a lot of sweets like chocolate, you can still enjoy them in moderation. Dark chocolate can be part of a healthy eating weight loss plan. Dark chocolate contains more antioxidants that many fruits and vegetables. So try dipping some of your favorite fruits like bananas, pineapple or strawberries in some high-quality melted dark chocolate for a powerful anti-oxidant punch that should satisfy your sweet tooth and keep you on your diet.

Almost any unhealthy treats you’re use to having can be substituted with a healthier food that gives you at least some of the satisfaction of the unhealthy treat. Mashed cauliflower instead of buttery mashed potatoes, thin-crust vegetable pizza instead of take-out and other tricks can make your healthy eating weight loss plan more enjoyable.

Handicap people and animal assisted therapy

There are different ways in which a person can have a handicap. There are many people that are not always able to do the things that they want to for themselves and they may find that they are feeling somewhat alone in the world. When this happens, they may want to think about getting animal assisted therapy.

Having a friend like a cat, dog or some other type of furry animal is a great way to make someone smile. Allowing them to feel good about themselves is something that is very important. Making sure that every person in the world is happy is very crucial. When a person is handicap, they need to something in life that makes them feel good. Many pets are designed to do just that.

If a person is handicap and living in a facility, there are special organizations that will come around with the pets and let the people spend time with them. This is a great opportunity and one that the person will totally enjoy. They can sit with the animals and take them for walks if possible if they would like. In addition, a person will be able to play with the furry pets and make time to cuddle with them. This is a very special feeling for the animal and the person. It will be a good method of therapy for both and can help to get the handicap person up on their feet again and feeling good.

When a person is handicap, they may feel a little bit bad about themselves. They may also feel depressed at times and need someone to help him or her along. Sometimes people are not enough and they may need to take the opportunity to have an animal assisted therapy pet to be there with them and help get over the tough times that they are feeling. Usually these animals are lovable and want to be cooed over and given special treatment. The person will also receive a great feeling because a special animal loves them.

Making friends is not always easy when you have a handicap or disability. It is not always easy to find people that will want to spend time with them. This is the main reason why the animal assisted therapy program is such a great success and has helped so many people. There are not only programs out there that are able to help people through with these special programs. These programs are there to help people with their animals and help them get over emotional or physical problems.

Animal Assisted Therapy Free Ebook to download here http://www.dogobediencetrainingguides.net/dog-ebooks (scroll to bottom of page)

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