How do
we choose the shampoo that we use? Or for that matter, any of the cosmetics
that are on the dresser? It is funny to hear the answers: Many of us will
answer that it is the strength and quality of the advertisement campaign that
did the trick.
For some
it is the shape of the bottle, for others it is the fragrance and yet others
fall prey to door-to-door salesmen. How many of us actually look at the
ingredients on the back of the bottle to get an idea as to what you are
exposing your body to?
How
to Choose Shampoos – What Ingredients to Avoid
Some
of the harmful ingredients that are added to shampoos are listed below.
·Formaldehyde:
Used as a preservative
·Coal
Tar: Found in anti-dandruff shampoos
·SLS's
Sodium Laureth and Sodium Lauryl Sulphates: Used as degreasers and strip the
natural oils from your skin and scalp paving the way for dandruff and other
scalp problems to arise.
·Ethylene
diamine (tetracetic acid): Used as a stabilizer
·D&C
Green 5: Coloring agent
·Ketoconazole:
A synthetic antifungal drug
·Selenium
sulfide: Active ingredient in anti-dandruff shampoos
Apart
from these there are also other toxic substances like Alkyl-phenol ethioxlades,
Propylene glycol, Voriconazole, Calcipotriol (INN), or calcipotriene (USAN)
that are poison for our skin and body.
All
these toxins are causing agents of various irritants like itching, fungal infection, lowering of sperm count,
fertility problems in women, liver infection, cancer of skin... the list is
endless.
Most
of the anti-dandruff shampoos just act to temporarily address the problem that
is in hand by masking the symptom. They do not act in replenishing the irritated itchy scalp with the lost nourishment it
needs, and in fact man aggravate the problem further so after a certain dormant
period the problem resurfaces.
All
of the above natural products are soothing to the skin and act as an herbal
analgesic or have anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and antiseptic properties. Some
of them help to bring down inflammation. Most of them are filled with vitamins
and minerals that are important to maintenance of a healthy body. A lot of
these natural remedies help in detoxification of the body.
So,
the next time you buy a shampoo or any hair care product, see what has
gone into making it. It is very important to go in for products that have no
side effects and those that eliminate your problems right from the roots.
There
are so many shampoos that have naturally derived ingredients that are just as
if not more powerful than their drug-based counterparts. Once you know what to
avoid and what to look for instead as ingredients you will be well on your way
to a healthy scalp and beautifully conditioned hair.
And if
you use natural plant & nut oils you can give your hair and scalp an
effective treatment that many people report to cure dandruff and itchy scalp -
without the need for any other treatment whatsoever. After all our hair &
scalp deserves a treat too and why not if it is easy and costs peanuts to do.
This
article is written by Mia Wadsworth. Mia Wadsworth who founded DryItchyScalpRemedies.com
to help hundreds of sufferers of Itchy Scalp, Dry Scalp, dandruff & other
scalp conditions relieve & eliminate their condition fast &
permanently. After curing her own painful condition using her own remedy for
dry itchy scalp, Mia now helps sufferers learn what causes itchy scalp, other
scalp infections & how to use powerful home remedies & dry itchy scalp
treatments to regain confidence & beautiful shiny hair.
To find out how you can go about curing scalp
conditions and scalp infections, visit her website -DryItchyScalpRemedies.com
There
are many definitions and symptoms commonly described as "scalp infections". There are in fact quite a
few quite different reasons why your scalp may be sore, itchy, inflamed burning
red or infected.
If
you are like many people with chronic scalp issues - it may be driving you
completely up the wall and not knowing what it is or how to treat the problem
effectively after many unsuccessful attempts to eliminate it can make it seem
far worse - like you are never going to get to the bottom of the problem. Well
that need no longer be so! It can be simple to diagnose and treat it now and
for good.
So,
if you are dealing with any of these symptoms lets first identify the problem
and then some of the underlying causes.
Firstly,
if you want to get to the root of your problems, so to speak, you need to be
able to identify what your problem actually is. Of course, many scalp
infections & conditions look alike, so here is a brief description of some
of the most common scalp conditions:
Red burning itchy
scalp can
be characterized as any tingling, burning, prickly, and sensitive to the touch
or a fiery hot sensation. Often associated with an allergy, sunburn, chemical
burn (sensitization of the scalp), or fungal infection.
Dandruff as most of
us know is the process of continual shedding of skin cells on our scalps. Often
the cause of dandruff is simply the result of toxins,
pollutants and products that have built up on the scalp particularly products
like silicone- a cheap commonly used artificial shine enhancer in conditioners
sold in supermarkets.
When
the natural balance of our scalps is disturbed, this creates the perfect
environment for the yeast fungus Melassezia Globbosa to move in and thrive.
This is when the natural process of shedding our cells gets a little out of
hand resulting in an unsightly condition known as "Seborrhoeic
Dermatitis" (fancy name for dandruff) and we see the highly visible
tell-tale signs of flaking and crusting.
The
accompanying itch and urge to scratch are often made worse by the
multiplication of the fungal yeast pityrosporum-ovale (having one big party on
your scalp). Another follow-on effect of this is that the relentless scratching
by the sufferer can cause small lesions which weep and ooze or become infected
resulting in scalp infections.
Lumps
bumps and sores are also common when the scalp is highly irritated or
sensitivity has been aggravated. Candida can be an underlying cause of yeast
infections of the scalp.
Ringworm of the scalp
(tinea capitols) is a superficial fungal infection of the scalp. Scalp
ringworm is caused by mold-like fungi called dermatophytes.
Ringworm infection occurs when a particular type of fungus grows and multiplies
anywhere on your skin, scalp, or nails.
It
is far more common in children and symptoms include red, itchy patches on the
scalp, leaving bald areas. The skin might itch and be red and peel or be scaly,
have swollen blisters or a rash (that can spread) and looks like black dots.
The rash is highly contagious.
It
is normally treated with over the counter products containing miconazole,
clotrimazole, or similar. Sometimes prescription anti-fungal skin medications,
such as ketoconazole are needed to clear it up. There are also products direct
from nature's factories that can aid the healing process and act as natural
antibiotics, although it must be said that ringworm is an aggressive fungus
which needs to be monitored closely and treated accordingly.
Dry scalp can feel
"tight", a sensation that is sometimes accompanied by flakiness. It
is often the result of natural oils being stripped from our scalps by the
frequent use of shampoos, hair dyes and or other hair products.
Dermatitis of the
scalp (Seborrheic
dermatitis) is an inflammatory disorder affecting areas of the head and body
where sebaceous glands are most prominent. It can vary from mild dandruff to
dense flakey and greasy scale. Once again it is often an accumulation of toxins
and products built up on our scalps that our body is trying to rid itself of.
Eczema of the
scalp similar
in appearance to Seborrheic dermatitis but instead has the name Atopic
dermatitis.
Scalp Psoriasis commonly
occurs on the back of the head however multiple areas of the scalp or the whole
scalp may be affected. Scalp psoriasis is characterized by thick silvery white
scales on patches of very red skin and can extend slightly beyond the hairline.
Scalp psoriasis, despite being partially hidden by the hair is often a source
of social embarrassment due to flaking of the scale and severe 'dandruff'.
Scalp
psoriasis may be extremely itchy or on occasion have no itch symptoms. It can
also cause temporary baldness on the affected areas. It is a common, chronic,
inflammatory skin disease and is associated with increased risk of melanoma,
squamous cell carcinoma, and basal cell carcinoma.
Folliculitis of the scalp
is a superficial bacterial infection of the hair follicles. It is characterized
by pustules around the hair follicles and symptoms include painful brushing of
hair and tenderness when rubbing your scalp around the hair follicle sites.
Treating with antibiotics for the particular bacteria is the usual course of
action but can eventually cause resistance to the antibiotic used.
Options
include applying Evoclin Foam which is topical. Folliculitis is commonly caused
by staph bacteria which also reside inside the nose and sinus cavity. Natural
oils such as tea tree and lavender have good antibacterial properties and can
also be used to treat this condition.
If
you have a bump or lump under the skin (commonly a lump behind the ears with no
broken skin or rash developing, then this could be a cyst. Cysts are liquid
filled pustules which can be painful when they become infected.
If
you have such symptoms, I recommend seeing a doctor to be safe. Doctors can
also treat cysts with antibiotics if they have become infected or incise them
as a further but uncommon procedure if the antibiotics are not sufficient.
Stress Related
Itching Stress
can contribute to or worsen scalp itching as it plays havoc with our immune
system and hormones which have an effect on production of sebum from your
sebaceous glands. Although it can contribute to the problem it is still
somewhat of a myth.
It
may appear that you have a "stress rash", but it is more likely that
the problem was already there in a less noticeable way, then aggravated by
increased stress levels making it harder for your body to deal with the problem
on its own and eliminate the problem. Many of the treatments below include
stress relieving properties - like Lavender oil for example which calms the
mind and soothes the body.
Solutions - what
YOU can do about it
Going
to your doctor may be the best way to get an accurate answer to diagnosing your
problem, but I understand that many of you may have already done this, been
prescribed some form of medication of cream (even "heavy duty"
cortisone based ones where the cortisone potency may need to be increased after
time).
Often
the problem either doesn't go away from the start - or seems to subside but comes
back with full a vengeance later leaving you wondering with more unanswered
questions and a VERY unhappy scalp!
Well
the good news is if you don't like using these expensive and often impotent
products- or even want to help them along you can use natural remedies and
essential oils known to be super effective anti-bacterial busters such as tea
tree oil for instance to inhibit or stop the growth of the infection and assist
healing/re balancing of the scalp.
Something
that is also important to understand in curing scalp conditions and scalp
infections - a factor that is missed by so many doctors, and something not
disclosed by companies who sell hair products and treatments is the number of
people who are allergic or sensitive to commonly used ingredients in shampoos,
dandruff treatments and other hair products. In fact, MOST hair products (as
many as 90%) contain at least one ingredient that is used in engine degreasers,
another is a common ingredient in antifreeze.
These
ingredients are cheap to produce foaming agents that make shampoo foam up, and
do a fantastic job of stripping dirt and oily build up from hair. Problem is
that they sometimes do SUCH a good job that they remove all of the natural oils
and sebum from the scalp thus removing the scalps natural against bacteria etc.
Another
little-known fact is that the most common ingredient (Sodium laureth sulphate)
is used to induce skin irritation in test patients by drug companies to test
the effectiveness of their itch relief skin creams. When first produced and for
a year's afterwards manufacturers did not know that skin was not a barrier but
an absorber of ingredients & that they caused skin irritation in so many
people.
So
sometimes the beginning of a scalp condition can have originated from something
as simple as an imbalance to the skins (scalps) sebum or an allergy to an
ingredient that can easily be rectified.
Like
your immune system, if your skin has an opportunity to rebalance itself and not
be subjected to "incoming foreign matter" and the daily stripping of
its natural oils that further aggravates the problem you can allow your body to
re balance and heal itself. Obviously buying products that do not strip your
hair and scalp is an obvious step in the right direction.
Fortunately,
there are a lot of manufacturers such as Aveda and Akin (Purist Company) who
know what consumers are suffering from these issues so have addressed this
problem. They have applied this knowledge to produce some amazing products with
all of the benefits of natural ingredients, with none of the side effects at a
price we can afford (Akin especially). It need not be difficult, nor expensive
to make these choices and a move to healthy hair and scalp long term.
So
yes, you can eliminate harsh shampoos containing sodium sulphates and go for
natural Sulphate and paraben free shampoos that contain ingredients such as
macadamia, wheat germ or jojoba oils. These oils mimic our natural sebum to
some extent to help to re moisturize and nourish our scalp.
Then
there are lavender, rosemary and tea tree oils which contain antibacterial,
healing properties.
Neem
oil great for its antiquing and stops itching. You can apply these topically to
your skin for fast relief, to assist healing as well as looking out for
shampoos with these natural ingredients in them.
Lavender
calms the skin (as does chamomile tea cooled and used as hair rinse).
As
well as buying quality shampoos containing these ingredients, you can
create your own combinations of remedy or remedies to soothe your scalp.
You
can also help it along by using natural remedies to treat your scalp such as
this scalp treatment containing natural oils to assist healing, detoxify and
stimulate hair growth: (Add to water (4 parts water 1part oil) and spray onto
scalp and you can add to your shampoo and conditioners also).
Oils
to Relieve Itching: Lavender, German Chamomile and Eucalyptus Oils
(Mixed together and dabbed locally on effected areas has a soothing effect).
Neem oil is also a very good dandruff preventative
which can be added to any of the formulas detailed below and is excellent for psoriasis and eczema & scalp infections.
Scalp
massage with lavender oil (not scented - the real oil) is another
wonderful way to relieve the tension from a sore scalp as well as treat the
issue. It also helps to re grow hair and repair the damage done to your
follicles by chemicals in shampoos causing thinning hair. (Lavender is known to
stimulate hair growth too).
There
are many more powerful scalp remedies you can use to treat your scalp as well
as many shampoos that are excellent value, contain no nasties to aggravate your
scalp and hair follicles. It can be really simple to treat scalp problems by
treating yourself to your own pampering session using natural oils to help heal
your scalp infection.
And
then be kind to your hair and scalp by using only products that nourish your
hair and scalp such as Aveda or Akin brand shampoos. You can assist the healing
process and help restore balance back to your scalp and your hair will
appreciate and reward you for it too by becoming less brittle, stronger and
shinier.
As
with all-natural remedies please patch test first. It is not intended for this
information to replace a doctors’ medical advice, so please see your doctor for
diagnosis and treatment. The responsibility of obtaining doctors diagnosis and
using remedies is yours.
This
article is written by Mia Wadsworth. Mia Wadsworth who founded DryItchyScalpRemedies.comto help hundreds of sufferers of Itchy
Scalp, Dry Scalp, dandruff & other scalp conditions relieve & eliminate
their condition fast & permanently. After curing her own painful condition
using her own remedy for dry itchy scalp, Mia now helps sufferers learn what
causes itchy scalp, other scalp infections & how to use powerful home
remedies & dry itchy scalp treatments to regain confidence & beautiful
shiny hair.
To find out how you can go about curing scalp
conditions and scalp infections, visit her website -DryItchyScalpRemedies.com
Reversing
Dementia and Boosting Brain Health - Dementia Triggered by Popular Supplement
Vitamin
and mineral supplements can be great and are often highly regarded alternative
health treatments recommended by doctors.
But
sometimes supplements can do more harm than good.
This,
according to a research team from University of Gothenburg, is true for one of
the world’s most popular and recommended supplements on the market.
In
fact, this one supplement can double your risk of dementia!
In
2001, 700 dementia-free women aged 70-92 were recruited, 98 of whom had been
taking calcium supplements.
Comprehensive
physical and neuropsychiatric examinations were carried out at the beginning of
the study in 2001 and then at the end in 2006.
By
the end of the study, 14.3 percent of the supplement takers had developed dementia, compared to only 7.5 percent of
non-takers.
However,
when they analyzed their data further, they realized this applied only to women
who had previously had a stroke, and to women who had some other
cerebrovascular disease.
Now,
just to remind us that medical science is an ongoing conversation and thereby a
work in progress, a new study in the journal Alzheimer’s Disease suggests that marijuana may
actually affect the brain in ways that may causeAlzheimer’s disease.
But
the real finding wasn’t about Marijuana at all. It may carry the cure for Alzheimer’s.
Scientists
from the Amen Clinic did functional neuroimaging scans on the brains of 982
marijuana users and 92 non-users to compare the amount of blood that flows
through them both while performing a concentration task and while at rest.
Several
areas of the brains of the marijuana users, most notably the hippocampus,
showed markedly less blood flow than the brains of the non-users.
The
hippocampus is one of the most important parts of your brain. It is responsible
for both short-term and long-term memory, and for spatial coding, which refers
to your ability to map and remember physical spaces like your home or street
or, mind you, the shapes of letters or buttonholes on your clothes. These are
the first areas of the brains of Alzheimer’s sufferers that start to shrink.
That
is why people afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease have such poor
memories, become easily disoriented, and need help to dress and feed
themselves.
In
this new study, the right hippocampus suffered the worst reduction in blood
flow.
Interestingly,
many of the study participants were former marijuana smokers who had given it
up years before the brain scans. In other words, if these researchers are
right, marijuana does permanent damage to cerebral blood flow that does not
reverse when you stop smoking it.
Reversing
Dementia and Boosting Brain Health - New High Blood Pressure and Dementia
Connection Discovered
High blood pressure has long been a prime suspect as one
of the causes of Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.
But
a recent discovery has shed a new light on this issue. And it’s scarier than
most doctors were led to believe.
The
good news is that this discovery also reveals a way to completely reverse dementia, even after
some damage is done.
But
you must act fast, or it may be too late.
In
a recent edition of the journal Hypertension, the
American Heart Association released a statement that linked high blood pressure during middle age to
dementia in senior years.
Scientists
have long suspected that dementia is a condition that only starts to display
symptoms once it has been developing for around 30 years.
This
is primarily because our brains can adjust to gradual damage by relocating its
important functions from the damaged to the undamaged bits of brain tissue.
When
the destruction becomes too great, however, there is no longer enough undamaged
tissue to operate brain functions, and that is when dementia kicks in.
After
pulling together a large team of their researchers who all reviewed the
scientific literature in their areas of specialization, the American Heart
Association released a statement that claims that high blood pressure during your 40s and 50s
makes it much more likely that you will suffer from dementia when you are
older.
Over
time, high blood Pressure compromises the brain in several ways:
It
damages and hardens the large arteries that take oxygen-rich blood from your
heart to your brain. These are situated to the sides of your throat where you
can feel your pulse. Without receiving fresh blood, your brain cells die.
It
compromises the ability of the small blood vessels inside your brain to
distribute the blood properly.
Reduced
blood flow damages the white matter that your brain needs to think, feel, and
control other operations in your body.
Reduced
blood flow may also lead to Alzheimer’s disease by ruining your brain’s ability
to control the amount of beta amyloid that is present. Excess beta amyloid then
forms plaques and tangles, which are the chief characteristics of Alzheimer’s
disease.
It’s
therefore essential not to wait. Take actions today to lower your blood pressure and prevent
dementia down the road.
But
the most important message from this study for me was that it confirmed what
I’ve been preaching for years: that the main cause of Alzheimer’s and other
types of dementia is the lack of oxygen reaching your brain cells.
This post is from the Brain Booster Exercise
Program created for the purpose of helping to reverse Alzheimer’s, boost
memory.It was
made by Christian Goodman Blue Heron health news that has been recognized as
one of the top-quality national health information websites.This is an all-natural system that utilizes
the power of exercises to slow down, prevent, or even reverse memory loss and
boost your brain with energy and power. These exercises work to deliver as much
nutrition and oxygen to your starving brain as possible and begin the restoring
of the damaged brain cells.
Get
Rid of Your Hemorrhoids for Good - This Asian Tea Treats Hemorrhoids
Hemorrhoids are horrible. And the traditional treatment
for it can be even worse.
So,
a new study published in The Srinagarind
Medical Journal is welcoming.
It
reveals that a specific Asian tea can drastically improve, even eliminate hemorrhoids in days.
Pluchea
indica, which is usually sold as a tea, may not be widely known in the West,
but it is available in some natural health stores.
Rich
in phytochemicals, it packs a punch when it comes to its powerful antioxidants and their ability to protect
them from free radicals and the diseases these cause.
Researchers
noted that the tea was being used as a folk medicine for the treatment of
hemorrhoids, so they decided to study its scientific properties and effects.
They
used rats with hemorrhoids.
The
rats were given 50 milligrams per kilogram of their body weight in tea each day
over a 10-day period.
On
day 11, they examined the rat’s spleens and rectums. They noticed definite
improvements in the rats that were given the extract, with their rectums being
lighter with smaller hemorrhoids. The rectal damage was substantially less as
well.
While
future studies are needed to confirm the way in which this extract works as a
hemorrhoids treatment for humans, you can try it if you can get hold of it.
Get Rid
of Your Hemorrhoids for Good - This Food Heals Hemorrhoids
The
Journal of Nutraceuticals and Food Science has just published a literature
review on how one natural food supplement treats the most severe hemorrhoids.
Researchers
traced the causes of hemorrhoids back to three habits that they called deranged
defecation habits (beautiful term, isn’t it?).
But
they found that this natural food supplement counteracted this habit.
Psyllium
husk, a type of fiber commonly sold in powder form, is the secret. According to
a study published in the Journal Minerva Gastroenterologica E Dietologica
psyllium husk can be used to treat even the most severe hemorrhoids.
But
first it’s important to understand how your bathroom habits are causing
hemorrhoids and also making your pre-existing ones even worse.
These
habits, which were also found to be responsible for the development of new
hemorrhoids, were excessive straining, prolonged defecation time, and too
frequent bowel movements.
If
these are the causes, the solutions are surely straightforward. Adopt some new
defecation habits – do it for a short time once a day, and do not strain. But
how does one do that?
Their
answer is eat enough fiber in the form of psyllium husk. They recommend 5-6
teaspoons with 600 ml of water per day (around 20 ounces of water).
They
recruited 85 patients with severe hemorrhoids who had been referred for
surgery.
After
40 months of taking psyllium husk supplements and following new defecation
habits, 68 percent of patients were highly satisfied with a huge improvement
and hemorrhoids improved in 56.5 percent of all cases.
So
why does psyllium husk work so well?
It’s
a soluble fiber. When consumed, it absorbs water in your intestines and
therefore softens stools and reduces constipation, which is the main
reason for the straining that can lead to hemorrhoids.
Chronic
diarrhea, a less common but possible cause of hemorrhoids, can also be treated
with psyllium husk because it bulks up your stools.
Get Rid
of Your Hemorrhoids for Good - One Hemorrhoids Relieving Lifestyle Factor
Discovered
Itchiness,
bleeding, constipation, and a chronic cough are just
a few of the well-known symptoms of hemorrhoids. In short, they’re horrible.
The
traditional medical system has many invasive treatments, most of them very
ineffective.
But
according to a new study published in the Journal of Advanced Medical and Dental Sciences Research, there is one habit
that separates those with hemorrhoids and those without it.
The
Scientists recruited 87 adults who had been diagnosed with and treated for
hemorrhoids.
When
they crunched the numbers to examine the characteristics of the typical hemorrhoid
sufferer, there were some surprises.
Men
were more likely than women to have hemorrhoids, which is consistent with
previous studies.
But
the surprising finding was that young people between the ages of 20 and 40 were
more likely to be affected than older people.
This
is not the first time researchers have drawn this conclusion, but most studies
seem to suggest the opposite.
One
major lifestyle habit that proved significant was exercise, with people who
performed regular exercise being less likely than their peers were to develop
hemorrhoids.
If
you however suffer hemorrhoids already, exercising the wrong way can actually
make your problem worse.
This
post is from the Hemorrhoids Healing Protocol Guide. It is a 3-week plan to get
rid of hemorrhoids permanently. As per the creator Scott Davis, the issue of
hemorrhoids can be tackled by taking care of two habits. The first habit is
food which is directly related to our digestion and bowel movement. The food we
eat has its medical benefits and healing properties.
Hemorrhoid
mechanism works around unhealthy bowel movement, weak blood vessels, and
inflammation according to the Hemorrhoids Healing Protocol review. Many foods
are known to relieve and remove hemorrhoids permanently.
In
the Hemorrhoids Healing Protocol guide, a list of foods and the plan on how and
when to consume is mentioned very clearly. The second habit is related to
exercise. Exercises that will nurture the healthy bowel and relieve hemorrhoids
are mentioned in this guide. It is nothing related to heavy exercises; it is
something to be done with sitting and lying down.
