Ganglion cysts are fluid-filled sacs that form on joints such as the wrists, ankles, feet, fingers, and knees.
Because they sometimes disappear on their own, physicians often adopt a watch and wait approach and simply use a brace to immobilize the joint. However, if the sac presses on a nerve,it can be painful, so patients would prefer to "do something" about it.
Doctors can puncture and drain the cysts, but that does open up the possibility of infection.
Strangely, many patients have found relief by the application of Frankincense oil - usually applied twice daily.One man reported disappearance of his knee cysts after just 4 days' use.
Frankincense is resin from Boswellia trees, which are known to have anti-inflammatory properties.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Adult Acne Linked to Stress
Dermatologists are reporting being "busier than ever" despite consumers pulling back on non-essential services such as liposuction and botox injections.
The source of their increased business: Adult acne, eczema, and warts. These are all hits from the immune system, and all come from the fact that the nervous system and hormone systems work together.
Stressful incidents set off a rise in cortisol that causes a breakout, and now that so many citizens are continually stressed, their bodies are producing more and more.
Doctors recommend over the counter products with salicylic acid or glycolic acid or cortisone products. If those don't work, try benzoyl peroxide. A cortisone injection at a dermatologist's office can help get you through a time when looks are most important - such as a job interview or public appearance.
Meanwhile, some doctors are recommending stress relieving measures such as yoga and meditation or strenuous physical activity like racquetball or weight lifting.
Personally, when I feel stress creeping up, I take a 3-pronged approach. I get outdoors - either to walk or work in the yard. Pulling weeds is definitely a de-stress exercise for me!
Next I engage in negative-energy releasing exercises such as "Big sigh, look up" that I learned from a tape set called "Manifesting Your Life" from Nightingale Conant.
Then, in addition, I turn to Bach Flower Essences, which serve to balance energies without the harmful side-effect of drugs. The product Feel5ive is specially formulated for stressful situations and extreme nervousness. You can take it every day, or when you know you're going into a stress situation.
My system must work, because people often ask me how I can remain so calm and centered when others around me seem to be falling apart.
The source of their increased business: Adult acne, eczema, and warts. These are all hits from the immune system, and all come from the fact that the nervous system and hormone systems work together.
Stressful incidents set off a rise in cortisol that causes a breakout, and now that so many citizens are continually stressed, their bodies are producing more and more.
Doctors recommend over the counter products with salicylic acid or glycolic acid or cortisone products. If those don't work, try benzoyl peroxide. A cortisone injection at a dermatologist's office can help get you through a time when looks are most important - such as a job interview or public appearance.
Meanwhile, some doctors are recommending stress relieving measures such as yoga and meditation or strenuous physical activity like racquetball or weight lifting.
Personally, when I feel stress creeping up, I take a 3-pronged approach. I get outdoors - either to walk or work in the yard. Pulling weeds is definitely a de-stress exercise for me!
Next I engage in negative-energy releasing exercises such as "Big sigh, look up" that I learned from a tape set called "Manifesting Your Life" from Nightingale Conant.
Then, in addition, I turn to Bach Flower Essences, which serve to balance energies without the harmful side-effect of drugs. The product Feel5ive is specially formulated for stressful situations and extreme nervousness. You can take it every day, or when you know you're going into a stress situation.
My system must work, because people often ask me how I can remain so calm and centered when others around me seem to be falling apart.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Health Freedom Could be Lost!
To tell your congressmen and President that you want your freedom to make health decisions yourself, without interference from government or big pharm, go here: http://tinyurl.com/cpp34c
Psoriasis Drug Raptiva Pulled from Market
According to an article in the Wall Street Journal, about 2,000 patients in the U.S. are taking this drug. If you're one of them, pay attention!
First, kudos to Genetech for doing the right thing!
After three cases of a potentially fatal brain disorder were linked to long term use of the drug Raptiva, and two patients died, the company updated its U.S. FDA approved label to reflect the danger. But then, the company determined that the risk of this disorder outweighs the potential benefits of the drug - and decided to pull it from the market.
Considering that the FDA did not require the drug to be removed, and that 2008 sales of Raptiva came in at $108 million, the company is to be commended.
They warned that stopping treatment abruptly could worsen the psoriasis, so users should see their doctors to find alternative treatments. Current users will be able to get the drug, which is administered as a once-weekly injection, until June 8.
The brain disorder, progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) is the same disorder linked to the multiple sclerosis drug Tysabri, which is sold by Biogen Idec Inc. and Elan Corp.
First, kudos to Genetech for doing the right thing!
After three cases of a potentially fatal brain disorder were linked to long term use of the drug Raptiva, and two patients died, the company updated its U.S. FDA approved label to reflect the danger. But then, the company determined that the risk of this disorder outweighs the potential benefits of the drug - and decided to pull it from the market.
Considering that the FDA did not require the drug to be removed, and that 2008 sales of Raptiva came in at $108 million, the company is to be commended.
They warned that stopping treatment abruptly could worsen the psoriasis, so users should see their doctors to find alternative treatments. Current users will be able to get the drug, which is administered as a once-weekly injection, until June 8.
The brain disorder, progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) is the same disorder linked to the multiple sclerosis drug Tysabri, which is sold by Biogen Idec Inc. and Elan Corp.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
If it says "Sugar Free" leave it in the store!
Well, that's a little radical. Some fruits are packed in their own juice with no sugar added - and no artificial sweeteners either. So sugar-free is good for you, as long as the sugar hasn't been replaced by artificial sweetener.
So... Here I go again - passing along something from an e-mail. "Anonymous" will again tell me not to believe everything I read.
However, since I did considerable research on this subject a year or so ago when I was writing for a natural health client, I know it isn't just empty scare tactics.
Artificial sweeteners are dangerous.
Therefore, even though this e-mail doesn't name the doctor/scientist/researcher who supposedly wrote it, I urge you to consider it seriously, and then do more research on your own.
Here's the e-mail:
I have spent several days lecturing at the WORLD ENVIRONMENTAL CONFERENCE on 'ASPARTAME,' marketed as 'Nutra Sweet,''Equal,' and 'Spoonful.'
In the keynote address by the EPA, it was announced that in the United
States in 2001 there is an epidemic of multiple sclerosis and systemic
lupus. It was difficult to determine exactly what toxin was causing this to be
rampant.
I stood up and said that I was there to lecture on exactly that subject.
I will explain why Aspartame is so dangerous:
When the temperature of this sweetener exceeds 86 degrees F, the wood
alcohol in ASPARTAME converts to formaldehyde and then to formic acid, which
in turn causes metabolic acidosis.. Formic acid is the poison found in the
sting of fire ants.
The methanol toxicity mimics, among other conditions, multiple sclerosis and
systemic lupus.
Many people were being diagnosed in error.
Although multiple sclerosis is not a death sentence, Methanol toxicity is!
Systemic lupus has become almost as rampant as multiple sclerosis,
especially with Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi drinkers.
The victim usually does not know that the Aspartame is the culprit.
He or she continues its use; irritating the lupus to such a degree that it
may become a life-threatening condition. We have seen patients with systemic lupus become asymptotic, once taken off diet sodas.
In cases of those diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, most of the symptoms
disappear. We've seen many cases where vision loss returned and hearing loss
improved markedly...
This also applies to cases of tinnitus and fibromyalgia.
During a lecture, I said,'If you are using ASPARTAME ( Nutra Sweet, Equal, Spoonful, etc ) and you suffer from fibromyalgia symptoms, spasms, shooting, pains, numbness in your legs, Cramps, Vertigo, Dizziness, Headaches, Tinnitus, Joint pain, Unexplainable depression, anxiety attacks, slurred speech, blurred vision,or memory loss you probably have ASPARTAME poisoning!'
People were jumping up during the lecture saying,
'I have some of these symptoms..
Is it reversible?' Yes! Yes! Yes!
STOP drinking diet sodas and be alert for Aspartame on food labels!
Many products are fortified with it!
Dr. Espart (one of my speakers) remarked that so many people seem to be
symptomatic for MS and during his recent visit to a hospice; a nurse stated
that six of her friends, who were heavy Diet Coke addicts, had all been diagnosed with MS. This is beyond coincidence!
Diet soda is NOT a diet product! It is a chemically altered, multiple SODIUM(salt) and ASPARTAME containing product that actually makes you crave carbohydrates.
It is far more likely to make you GAIN weight!
These products also contain formaldehyde, which stores in the fat cells,
particularly in the hips and thighs. Formaldehyde is an absolute toxin and is used primarily to preserve 'tissue specimens.'
Many products we use every day contain this chemical but we SHOULD NOT store
it IN our body!
Dr. H. J. Roberts stated in his lectures that once free of the ' diet
products ' and with no significant increase in exercise; his patients lost
an average of 19 pounds over a trial period.
Aspartame is especially dangerous for diabetics. We found that some physicians, who believed that they had a patient with retinopathy, in fact, had symptoms caused by Aspartame.
The Aspartame drives the blood sugar out of control. Thus diabetics may suffer acute memory loss due to the fact that aspartic acid and phenylalanine are NEUROTOXIC when taken without the other amino acids necessary for a good balance.
Treating diabetes is all about BALANCE.
Especially with diabetics, the Aspartame passes the blood/brain barrier and
it then deteriorates the neurons of the brain; causing various levels of
brain damage,
Seizures,
Depression,
Manic depression,
Panic attacks,
Uncontrollable anger and rage.
Consumption of Aspartame causes these same symptoms in non-diabetics as
well.
Documentation and observation also reveal that thousands of children diagnosed with ADD and ADHD have had complete turnarounds in their behavior when these chemicals have been removed from their diet.
So called 'behavior modification prescription drugs' (Ritalin and others) are no longer needed. Truth be told, they were never NEEDED in the first place!
Most of these children were being 'poisoned' on a daily basis with the very
foods that were 'better for them than sugar.'
It is also suspected that the Aspartame in thousands of pallets of diet Coke
and diet Pepsi consumed by men and women fighting in the Gulf War, may be
partially to blame for the well-known Gulf War Syndrome.
Dr. Roberts warns that it can cause birth defects, i..e. mental retardation,
if taken at the time of conception and during early pregnancy.
Children are especially at risk for neurological disorders and should NEVER
be given artificial sweeteners.
There are many different case histories to relate of children suffering
grand mal seizures and other neurological disturbances talking about a
plague of neurological diseases directly caused by the use of this deadly
poison.'
Herein lies the problem:
There were Congressional Hearings when Aspartame was included in 100
different products and strong objection was made concerning its use. Since
this initial hearing, there have been two subsequent hearings, and still
nothing has been done.
The drug and chemical lobbies have very deep pockets.
Sadly, MONSANTO'S patent on Aspartame has EXPIRED! There are now over 5,000 products on the market that contain this deadly chemical and there will be thousands more introduced. Everybody wants a 'piece of the Aspartame pie.'
I assure you that MONSANTO, the creator of Aspartame, knows how deadly it is.
And isn't it ironic that MONSANTO funds, among others, the American Diabetes
Association, the American Dietetic Association and the Conference of the
American College of Physicians?
This has been recently exposed in the New York Times. These [organizations] cannot criticize any additives or convey their link to MONSANTO because they take money from the food industry and are required to endorse their products.
Senator Howard Metzenbaum wrote and presented a bill that would require
label warnings on products containing Aspartame, especially regarding
pregnant women, children and infants.
The bill would also institute independent studies on the known dangers and
the problems existing in the general population regarding seizures, changes
in brain chemistry, neurological changes and behavioral symptoms.
The bill was killed.
It is known that the powerful drug and chemical lobbies are responsible for
this, letting loose the hounds of disease and death on an unsuspecting and
uninformed public. Well, you're informed now!
YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO KNOW!
So... Here I go again - passing along something from an e-mail. "Anonymous" will again tell me not to believe everything I read.
However, since I did considerable research on this subject a year or so ago when I was writing for a natural health client, I know it isn't just empty scare tactics.
Artificial sweeteners are dangerous.
Therefore, even though this e-mail doesn't name the doctor/scientist/researcher who supposedly wrote it, I urge you to consider it seriously, and then do more research on your own.
Here's the e-mail:
I have spent several days lecturing at the WORLD ENVIRONMENTAL CONFERENCE on 'ASPARTAME,' marketed as 'Nutra Sweet,''Equal,' and 'Spoonful.'
In the keynote address by the EPA, it was announced that in the United
States in 2001 there is an epidemic of multiple sclerosis and systemic
lupus. It was difficult to determine exactly what toxin was causing this to be
rampant.
I stood up and said that I was there to lecture on exactly that subject.
I will explain why Aspartame is so dangerous:
When the temperature of this sweetener exceeds 86 degrees F, the wood
alcohol in ASPARTAME converts to formaldehyde and then to formic acid, which
in turn causes metabolic acidosis.. Formic acid is the poison found in the
sting of fire ants.
The methanol toxicity mimics, among other conditions, multiple sclerosis and
systemic lupus.
Many people were being diagnosed in error.
Although multiple sclerosis is not a death sentence, Methanol toxicity is!
Systemic lupus has become almost as rampant as multiple sclerosis,
especially with Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi drinkers.
The victim usually does not know that the Aspartame is the culprit.
He or she continues its use; irritating the lupus to such a degree that it
may become a life-threatening condition. We have seen patients with systemic lupus become asymptotic, once taken off diet sodas.
In cases of those diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, most of the symptoms
disappear. We've seen many cases where vision loss returned and hearing loss
improved markedly...
This also applies to cases of tinnitus and fibromyalgia.
During a lecture, I said,'If you are using ASPARTAME ( Nutra Sweet, Equal, Spoonful, etc ) and you suffer from fibromyalgia symptoms, spasms, shooting, pains, numbness in your legs, Cramps, Vertigo, Dizziness, Headaches, Tinnitus, Joint pain, Unexplainable depression, anxiety attacks, slurred speech, blurred vision,or memory loss you probably have ASPARTAME poisoning!'
People were jumping up during the lecture saying,
'I have some of these symptoms..
Is it reversible?' Yes! Yes! Yes!
STOP drinking diet sodas and be alert for Aspartame on food labels!
Many products are fortified with it!
Dr. Espart (one of my speakers) remarked that so many people seem to be
symptomatic for MS and during his recent visit to a hospice; a nurse stated
that six of her friends, who were heavy Diet Coke addicts, had all been diagnosed with MS. This is beyond coincidence!
Diet soda is NOT a diet product! It is a chemically altered, multiple SODIUM(salt) and ASPARTAME containing product that actually makes you crave carbohydrates.
It is far more likely to make you GAIN weight!
These products also contain formaldehyde, which stores in the fat cells,
particularly in the hips and thighs. Formaldehyde is an absolute toxin and is used primarily to preserve 'tissue specimens.'
Many products we use every day contain this chemical but we SHOULD NOT store
it IN our body!
Dr. H. J. Roberts stated in his lectures that once free of the ' diet
products ' and with no significant increase in exercise; his patients lost
an average of 19 pounds over a trial period.
Aspartame is especially dangerous for diabetics. We found that some physicians, who believed that they had a patient with retinopathy, in fact, had symptoms caused by Aspartame.
The Aspartame drives the blood sugar out of control. Thus diabetics may suffer acute memory loss due to the fact that aspartic acid and phenylalanine are NEUROTOXIC when taken without the other amino acids necessary for a good balance.
Treating diabetes is all about BALANCE.
Especially with diabetics, the Aspartame passes the blood/brain barrier and
it then deteriorates the neurons of the brain; causing various levels of
brain damage,
Seizures,
Depression,
Manic depression,
Panic attacks,
Uncontrollable anger and rage.
Consumption of Aspartame causes these same symptoms in non-diabetics as
well.
Documentation and observation also reveal that thousands of children diagnosed with ADD and ADHD have had complete turnarounds in their behavior when these chemicals have been removed from their diet.
So called 'behavior modification prescription drugs' (Ritalin and others) are no longer needed. Truth be told, they were never NEEDED in the first place!
Most of these children were being 'poisoned' on a daily basis with the very
foods that were 'better for them than sugar.'
It is also suspected that the Aspartame in thousands of pallets of diet Coke
and diet Pepsi consumed by men and women fighting in the Gulf War, may be
partially to blame for the well-known Gulf War Syndrome.
Dr. Roberts warns that it can cause birth defects, i..e. mental retardation,
if taken at the time of conception and during early pregnancy.
Children are especially at risk for neurological disorders and should NEVER
be given artificial sweeteners.
There are many different case histories to relate of children suffering
grand mal seizures and other neurological disturbances talking about a
plague of neurological diseases directly caused by the use of this deadly
poison.'
Herein lies the problem:
There were Congressional Hearings when Aspartame was included in 100
different products and strong objection was made concerning its use. Since
this initial hearing, there have been two subsequent hearings, and still
nothing has been done.
The drug and chemical lobbies have very deep pockets.
Sadly, MONSANTO'S patent on Aspartame has EXPIRED! There are now over 5,000 products on the market that contain this deadly chemical and there will be thousands more introduced. Everybody wants a 'piece of the Aspartame pie.'
I assure you that MONSANTO, the creator of Aspartame, knows how deadly it is.
And isn't it ironic that MONSANTO funds, among others, the American Diabetes
Association, the American Dietetic Association and the Conference of the
American College of Physicians?
This has been recently exposed in the New York Times. These [organizations] cannot criticize any additives or convey their link to MONSANTO because they take money from the food industry and are required to endorse their products.
Senator Howard Metzenbaum wrote and presented a bill that would require
label warnings on products containing Aspartame, especially regarding
pregnant women, children and infants.
The bill would also institute independent studies on the known dangers and
the problems existing in the general population regarding seizures, changes
in brain chemistry, neurological changes and behavioral symptoms.
The bill was killed.
It is known that the powerful drug and chemical lobbies are responsible for
this, letting loose the hounds of disease and death on an unsuspecting and
uninformed public. Well, you're informed now!
YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO KNOW!
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Can asparagus cure cancer?
As well all are painfully aware, the medical community isn't always open to natural cures, and my suspicion is that they don't much like prevention. After all, for them to profit, people have to be ill.
Thus I wasn't too shocked at the contents of an e-mail I received today, telling about the long-known benefits of asparagus. Rather that paraphrase, I'll copy part of it here. The message ended with the statement that this bio-chemist believes that a cure is also a prevention, so he and his wife take 2 Tablespoons of asparagus puree each day. Neither of them has cancer, but other aspects of their health have improved.
He ended with "It won't hurt...and might help. So why not do it?" I agree, and since I love asparagus, it will be on my menu more often.
He referenced the existence of an article - "Asparagus for cancer" printed in Cancer News Journal, December 1979. Also note the dates on the case studies ...
From the e-mail:
Case No. 1, A man with an almost hopeless case of Hodgkin's disease (cancer of the lymph glands) who was completely incapacitated. Within 1 year of starting the asparagus therapy, his doctors were unable to detect any signs of cancer, and he was back on a schedule of strenuous exercise.
Case No. 2, a successful businessman 68 years old who suffered from cancer of the bladder for 16 years. After years of medical treatments, including radiation without improvement, he went on asparagus. Within 3 months, examinations revealed that his bladder tumor had disappeared and that his kidneys were normal.
Case No. 3, a man who had lung cancer. On March 5th 1971 , he was put on the operating table where they found lung cancer so widely spread that it was inoperable. The surgeon sewed him up and declared his case hopeless. On April 5th he heard about the asparagus therapy and immediately started taking it.By August, x-ray pictures revealed that all signs of the cancer had disappeared.. He is back at his regular business routine.
Case No. 4, a woman who was troubled for a number of years with skin cancer. She finally developed different skin cancers which were diagnosed by asking specialist as advanced.... Within 3 months after starting on asparagus, her skin specialist said that her skin looked fine and no more skin lesions. This woman reported that the asparagus therapy also cure her kidney disease, which started in 1949. She had over 10 operations for kidney stones, and was receiving government disability payments for an inoperable, terminal, kidney condition. She attributes the cure of this kidney trouble entirely to the asparagus.
I was not surprised at this result, as `The elements of materia medica', edited in 1854 by a Professor at the University of Pennsylvania , stated that asparagus was used as a popular remedy for kidney stones. He even referred to experiments, in 1739, on the power of asparagus in dissolving stones.
We would have other case histories but the medical establishment has interfered with our obtaining some of the records. I am therefore appealing to readers to spread this good news and help us to gather a large number of case histories that will overwhelm the medical skeptics about this unbelievably simple and natural remedy.
For the treatment,asparagus should be cooked before using, and therefore canned asparagus is just as good as fresh.
Place the cooked asparagus in a blender and liquefy to make a puree, and store in the refrigerator. Give the patient 4 full tablespoons twice daily, morning and evening.
Patients usually show some improvement in from 2-4 weeks. It can be diluted with water and used as a cold or hot drink. This suggested dosage is based on present experience, but certainly larger amounts can do no harm and may be needed in some cases.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Fear & Anxiety Can Cause IBS Symptoms
Sometimes, problems snowball until they appear to be something completely different.
Take the case I recently read about: A man had a serious bout with a stomach virus about 2 years ago. Even when it appeared to have passed, he began experiencing headaches, fatigue, stomach cramps, nausea, bloating, gas, loss of appetite, serious weight loss and more.
All this worried him, so he began going to doctors and undergoing one test after another. Everything else looks normal, so the doctors diagnosed Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
Because of his fear of vomiting, the man has almost stopped eating, and has dropped 75 pounds - although he was not overweight to begin with.
Now, because he eats irregularly, his intestines react irregularly too - so he experiences even more of the discomforting symptoms that started the whole problem. It's a problem that has taken on a life of its own.
This gentleman was advised to take anti-anxiety medication, but refuses to do so because he fears the side effects of pharmaceuticals even more than he fears his present condition.
I wish I could meet him. I'd suggest Bach Flower Essences, starting with the Feel5ive formula for stress. Had he been taking it two years ago when all this started, his original stomach virus would likely be a distant memory.
If you suffer from stress, try it before the anxiety begins to affect your physical health as well as your emotional well-being. Bach Flower Essences are natural - there are no harmful narcotics or pharmaceuticals of any kind. There are no side effects - only beneficial changes in your body as it begins to heal.
If you're unfamiliar with them, go to the FeelBach! website and read about Dr. Bach and the Flower Essences. They could be just what you need - and a bonus is that they cost nothing compared to prescription medication.
Take the case I recently read about: A man had a serious bout with a stomach virus about 2 years ago. Even when it appeared to have passed, he began experiencing headaches, fatigue, stomach cramps, nausea, bloating, gas, loss of appetite, serious weight loss and more.
All this worried him, so he began going to doctors and undergoing one test after another. Everything else looks normal, so the doctors diagnosed Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
Because of his fear of vomiting, the man has almost stopped eating, and has dropped 75 pounds - although he was not overweight to begin with.
Now, because he eats irregularly, his intestines react irregularly too - so he experiences even more of the discomforting symptoms that started the whole problem. It's a problem that has taken on a life of its own.
This gentleman was advised to take anti-anxiety medication, but refuses to do so because he fears the side effects of pharmaceuticals even more than he fears his present condition.
I wish I could meet him. I'd suggest Bach Flower Essences, starting with the Feel5ive formula for stress. Had he been taking it two years ago when all this started, his original stomach virus would likely be a distant memory.
If you suffer from stress, try it before the anxiety begins to affect your physical health as well as your emotional well-being. Bach Flower Essences are natural - there are no harmful narcotics or pharmaceuticals of any kind. There are no side effects - only beneficial changes in your body as it begins to heal.
If you're unfamiliar with them, go to the FeelBach! website and read about Dr. Bach and the Flower Essences. They could be just what you need - and a bonus is that they cost nothing compared to prescription medication.
Friday, April 3, 2009
Fake-bake: the tan is not worth the risk
According to a study released in 2002, one quarter of teens aged 15 to 18 had used tanning beds within the previous year - and they're taking a huge risk.
According to the American Cancer Society, overexposure to ultraviolet radiation early in life can increase the risk of getting cancer later. No one knows if tanning beds are the reason, but approximately 500 people aged 19 and under were diagnosed with skin cancer in 2005.
In reaction to this and findings from other studies, 17 states, including Hawaii and Florida, are considering laws that would restrict indoor tanning by minors. The World Health Organization, California-based Aim at Melanoma, and the American Academy of Dermatology all support a movement that would require parental consent for use of tanning beds in all states.
Opponents of the new regulations argue that sunshine is just as damaging, and no one regulates how much sun children can be exposed to.
However, it is more likely that children going out to work or play in the sun will be wearing a sunscreen - whereas teens using tanning booths are there to get the tan.
Some time ago I was having my hair cut by an independent salon owner who said she had gotten rid of her tanning bed. She said she didn't want to be a part of doing to other people what it had done to her. She didn't mention skin cancer, but said that at her age - early 30's - she certainly shouldn't have the thick, wrinkled skin that she did have. She attributed it to overuse of the tanning bed over too many years.
I understand wanting to look nice in a swimsuit - and sport a nice even tan. And we all know that kids think about how they'll look today - and not about how they'll look in ten or twenty years.
I also have friends who tell me that using a tanning bed in winter is wonderful because it warms you clear to the bone. I still would never try it - not because I'm afraid that occasional use at my age would cause trouble, but because I can't imagine laying down and having a lid lowered over me. Tight spaces are not my cup of tea!
According to the American Cancer Society, overexposure to ultraviolet radiation early in life can increase the risk of getting cancer later. No one knows if tanning beds are the reason, but approximately 500 people aged 19 and under were diagnosed with skin cancer in 2005.
In reaction to this and findings from other studies, 17 states, including Hawaii and Florida, are considering laws that would restrict indoor tanning by minors. The World Health Organization, California-based Aim at Melanoma, and the American Academy of Dermatology all support a movement that would require parental consent for use of tanning beds in all states.
Opponents of the new regulations argue that sunshine is just as damaging, and no one regulates how much sun children can be exposed to.
However, it is more likely that children going out to work or play in the sun will be wearing a sunscreen - whereas teens using tanning booths are there to get the tan.
Some time ago I was having my hair cut by an independent salon owner who said she had gotten rid of her tanning bed. She said she didn't want to be a part of doing to other people what it had done to her. She didn't mention skin cancer, but said that at her age - early 30's - she certainly shouldn't have the thick, wrinkled skin that she did have. She attributed it to overuse of the tanning bed over too many years.
I understand wanting to look nice in a swimsuit - and sport a nice even tan. And we all know that kids think about how they'll look today - and not about how they'll look in ten or twenty years.
I also have friends who tell me that using a tanning bed in winter is wonderful because it warms you clear to the bone. I still would never try it - not because I'm afraid that occasional use at my age would cause trouble, but because I can't imagine laying down and having a lid lowered over me. Tight spaces are not my cup of tea!
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
A Natural Remedy to Reduce Alcohol Cravings?
I'd never heard of this before - and didn't know there were prescription drugs to discourage alcohol consumption. But according to a news story I just read, there are, and there's also a natural herb that works well for some people.
The herb is kudzu root extract - it contains compounds that appear to be similar to an old drug called disulfiram that is prescribed to help alcoholics avoid drinking. The article referenced findings reported in the Journal of Medicinal Food, September 2007.
One woman quoted in the article said that the herb worked immediately to stop her habit of drinking wine all evening, every evening - but that it did cause constipation. (Was that the herb, or was that her body's reaction to going without the wine it had become accustomed to?)
The herb is kudzu root extract - it contains compounds that appear to be similar to an old drug called disulfiram that is prescribed to help alcoholics avoid drinking. The article referenced findings reported in the Journal of Medicinal Food, September 2007.
One woman quoted in the article said that the herb worked immediately to stop her habit of drinking wine all evening, every evening - but that it did cause constipation. (Was that the herb, or was that her body's reaction to going without the wine it had become accustomed to?)
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