Natural help to heal scars

As someone who has been naturally careless since childhood, I have obtained a number of small scars, not least from my propensity to iron over my hands instead of the garment and despite the longest oven gloves on the planet I can still manage to burn myself getting things out of the oven, so I have investigated natural remedies for some time. Recently I was talking to a client and the subject came up, and as I passed on what had worked for me I realized it might also be helpful for you too – so here goes.

Obviously scars will heal and diminish over time, but you can take action by using the following natural remedies to minimize them:

ACE is the combination nutrition supplement you need first, as vitamin A is essential to maintain healthy skin, collagen is vital for your skin and comes from an adequate supply of vitamin C, and to reduce inflammation and reduce your risk of scarring you can’t do better than vitamin E. Some people take this as a separate supplement and squeeze the oil out directly onto the skin.

Raw, organic honey – such as Manuka – applied directly to the skin will moisturise and its antibacterial qualities help heal scarring.

If you have an aloe vera plant you can cut the tip of a leaf and smooth the liquid gel directly onto cuts and burns to soothe and minimise scarring.

Herbal help comes from lavender oil and comfrey to promote healing and comfrey to help stop scar tissue forming.

Why a bump on the head is never trivial

I am indebted to Dr Ben Kim for the following information, as it serves as a timely reminder never to shrug off any injury to the head as trivial and to alert you to what to look out for. It has been prompted by the death of the actress Natasha Richardson, on the 18th of March from what initially seemed like a minor bump when on a nursery ski slope in Quebec. She laughed off the incident, felt fine with no symptoms, and refused any medical treatment, but that minor blow to her head had caused internal bleeding which formed a clot (an epidural haematoma) which in turn placed pressure on her brain and within a short period of time caused her death.

Along the sides of your head in the area around your temples, your epidural space houses an artery called your middle meningeal artery, whose job is to provide steady blood supply to your meninges. The portion of skull that protects this area is quite thin and weak compared to the rest of your skull which is why even a low force blow to this area could lead to a fracture and tearing of your middle meningeal artery. If this happens then blood can quickly begin to pool in your epidural space and because your heart would continue to send blood to the area, and this blood wouldn’t be drained by your veins, the result is increased pressure on your brain tissues, which could lead to death of brain cells from oxygen deprivation.

What to look out for: A fall, a casual blow to the head, that may seem unimportant can be fatal and it always pays to be checked out. About 50% of people who experience epidural hematomas briefly lose consciousness, but appear to be just fine when they come to. If pressure in the head continues to build, then over a period of just a few hours, a searing headache tends to develop as increased intracranial pressure causes the dura mater to tear away from the skull. Other signs and symptoms that may develop include:

* Lethargy
* Nausea
* Dizziness
* Drowsiness
* Weakness on one side of the body

Vigilance is the only safeguard; you need to be carefully monitored after any blow to the head and be prepared to seek immediate medical help. However fine you feel, don’t ignore it.

Lack of vitamin D weakens young girls’ muscles

Another reason not to neglect eggs, particularly for teenage girls, is that new research in the USA and Germany has found that having insufficient vitamin D may cause weaker muscles.

A lack of the vitamin causes problems with calcium absorption, and can lead to bone weakness, fractures and osteoporosis as well as increasing the risk of cancer, heart disease and autoimmune disorders. Certainly it is known to impact our muscular and skeletal system and cause weakness, but what’s news it that it can also affect muscle power and force. The researchers tested their theory on nearly 100 girls between 12 and 14 at inner city schools and found that overall 75 percent of them had less than ideal levels of vitamin D, but were not showing any symptoms related to deficiency.

The girls were put through a variety of sport exercises, mainly involving jumping, and it was found that there was a direct correlation between vitamin D blood levels and the girls’ performance on the muscle strength tests. Recent studies suggest that as many as 55 percent of apparently healthy U.S. adolescents might be vitamin D deficient and so it would be worth making sure that girls include the best sources every day such as oily fish, eggs and fortified foods like breakfast cereals and powdered milk. Plus that basic, free source good old fashioned sunlight.

Fried eggs can benefit cholesterol!

You can’t entirely blame Edwina Currie, though anyone who writes as badly as she does ought to be blamed for something, but we have steadily been eating fewer and fewer eggs. The dreaded phrase ‘high in cholesterol’ have sealed their fate, but ironically it now seems that new research shows they could actually reduce a risk factor for heart disease.

We have been warned over and over again about the dangers of eggs producing cholesterol that will clog up your arteries – though as cholesterol is essential to our health and wellbeing it has always been a mixed message.

The main target has been those people who have high blood pressure, and instead of a natural regime of exercise and diet many doctors have been prescribing an Angiotensin- Converting Enzyme (ACE) inhibitor drug. How about a couple of fried eggs instead? Two splendid Canadian researchers at the University of Alberta recently ran lab tests to see whether eating fried eggs or boiled eggs would produce greater amounts of ACE inhibitory peptides and the fried eggs were the winners!

They found that cooked eggs could generate a number of potent ACE inhibitory peptides and although I am not advocating you have them every day, do not remove them from your diet because of the cholesterol scare but eat in moderation – as you should do with all things in your diet.

Incidentally, the research that led to the egg/cholesterol scare was done on powdered eggs and the problem has always been cholesterol that has been heated and exposed to air for an extended period. This does not occur with ‘real’ eggs as the yolk sac insulates the cholesterol from oxidation. Many doctors believe that there is no link between eggs and having high cholesterol levels and in fact if you don’t have enough cholesterol from food sources then your body is forced to manufacture it as it is essential for your health. This form of cholesterol that the body produces is more likely to be deposited in blood vessel walls than any form of cholesterol found in eggs.

Egg and chips anyone?

New hope for infertility treatment

It has just been reported in the Society for Endocrinology journal that the hormone kisspeptin shows promise as a potential new treatment for infertility. Research carried out at Imperial College London, have shown that giving kisspeptin to women with infertility can activate the release of sex hormones which control the menstrual cycle. For women with low sex hormone levels this could be a breakthrough for a new fertility therapy. Kisspeptin sounds like a loving form of antacid, but is actually a product of the KISS-1 gene and a key regulator of reproductive function. If we do not have this then gene, then puberty does not occur and we do not achieve sexual maturity.

The research was primarily concerned with a small group of ten women whose periods had stopped due to a hormone imbalance and who were injected with either kisspeptin or saline as a control measure. All the women gave blood samples to measure their levels of the two sex hormones essential for ovulation and fertility: luteinising hormone (LH) and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH).

The group who were given the kisspeptin showed to a 48-fold increase in LH and a 16-fold increase in FSH, when compared to the control group who were given only saline. The lead researcher, Dr Waljit Dhillo, said that this discovery offers huge promise as a treatment for infertility as it suggests that kisspeptin treatment could restore reproductive function in women with low sex hormone levels.

Oxygen therapy showing hope for autistic children

Many studies have suggested treatment that might help autistic children but the majority of them are anecdotal and not generally provable or applicable. Each child is different, but a new oxygen therapy has been put through a controlled trial and is reporting definite clinical improvements.

Six centres in the US that specialise in treating autistic children have been running a controlled trial on 62 children aged from two to seven. They have been using something they call hyperbaric therapy which involves the child being put into a pressurized chamber and then breathing in pure oxygen.

The children were divided randomly into two groups; one who got 40 hours of treatment in the chamber with an atmospheric pressure of 1.3 atm and the second group who had a much less pressured chamber and a lower dose of oxygen. Changes in their behaviour were monitored using three different criteria; the Clinical Global Impression (CGI) scale, the Aberrant Behavior Checklist (ABC), and the Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC).

Those children who had the treatment level of oxygen and pressure were found to have experienced significant benefits in terms of their overall functioning, eye contact, and social interaction when compared to the children in the non-treatment group.

As this is the first control study to be reported, it is worth investigating whether similar treatment is available in the UK. If your doctor or specialist wishes further information this report appeared in MLA BMC Pediatrics (2009, March 16). As Hyperbaric Treatment For Autism Reports Significant Clinical Improvements.

Yet another difference between men and women

Well apart from the obvious ones we all know about; that men need more of the duvet and don’t eat as much as chocolate, it seems our aspirin response is different too. A daily aspirin for those men over 45 and women over 55 is often recommended as a preventive for heart attacks, but it seems that the benefit differs by gender.

Men do get fewer heart attacks with a daily dose, but it doesn’t affect women in the same way. Their benefit lies in the fact it reduces the risk of stroke, not of heart attacks.

New research published this month in the Annals of Internal Medicine has also focused on the possible dangers of regular aspirin use in causing gastrointestinal bleeding. This risk gets higher as the dose increases and the new recommendation is that no more than 75mg a day is just as effective as higher amounts. If you already have heart disease then taking 100mg or more of aspirin a day will not be of any benefit for the existing condition.

Astrological health profiles – Sagittarius

Sagittarius 23 November-21 December

Sagittarians pride themselves on their brain power, but you need to balance this with physical activity. Watch out for: * Being a fire sign, with all the impulsiveness that goes with that element, minor accidents can be a problem

* You are most likely to damage your hips and thighs – especially through sporting accidents.

* Sagittarians need to watch their diet as you do enjoy eating, drinking and being merry. Over-indulgence can lead to liver problems

* Freedom is important for your wellbeing and if you feel restricted then physical symptoms can arise

Care seems to be the watchword here; being aware of your surroundings to avoid those minor accidents and not overstraining your body with over vigorous exercise. Food lovers that you are do need to be kind to your liver and not overload it with too much rich food and drink and monthly detox of a day just on a single type of fruit would give your body the rest it probably needs.

The hidden breast cancer women must be aware of

This warning came to me this week from one of my health groups, and I think it is important that we pass on this information to as many women as possible. There is a rare form of breast cancer called inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) and although it accounts for less than three per cent of all breast cancers it has a much lower survival rate. Typical breast cancer survival over five years is now almost 90 percent, but for this particular form it is only 40 percent and the highest risk group for it are women under 50 and black women.

One of the issues with this cancer is that it does not have a good rate of diagnosis and it is essential to catch it in its early stages. Most women are aware of the sense of undertaking regular breast examination, usually in the shower, and to be aware of feeling a new lump.

BUT, IBC first presents as a swollen area near the surface on your breasts and when the skin is dried it will feel red, tender and warm to the touch. This is caused by blocked lymph vessels in the skin and most doctors will not immediately connect this with breast cancer; you are more likely to have it diagnosed as an infection and given antibiotics to treat it.

Unfortunately, this means that the majority of women with IBC are not diagnosed until they are at stage III (locally advanced) and stage IV (advanced to other organs) which means it has to be treated very fast and aggressively with a regime of chemotherapy, followed by surgery and radiation.

On the natural front, it seems that adding L-glutamine during chemotherapy could be helpful. This key amino acid is essential to immune function and a 1980′s study found that it. According to a study conducted in the late 90s, when l-glutamine is given with chemotherapy, it significantly reduces the toxicity of the chemicals. I would also add in the very good homoeopathic remedy that counteracts the side effects of chemotherapy and is available by mail order from Galen Pharmacy in Dorset on 01305 263996 who are always happy to discuss any remedies with you.

At last – An accurate calorie counter – Even in your sleep!!

Anyone who has ever tried a calorie counting diet knows what a nightmare it can be – particularly trying to compute the calories you burn through your everyday activities and exercise. Now help is at hand from some bright students at Georgia’s Institute of Technology in the USA.

Your gym may have a fancy piece of equipment that will tell you how many calories you are burning as you exercise, but what about walking upstairs or hovering the floor? Well there is now the ‘Happy HR’, a device that gives you total fitness monitoring and management – even while you sleep. This personal monitor straps onto your ankle or wrist and collects data continuously on all your activities that are related to your heart rate and exercise. All you have to do then is to upload that information to your PC and then and analyse it through web-based software.

The project came through a senior design student who was a keen runner and wanted a really accurate reading of his calorie output during the day. Most monitors on the market are either very cheap and simple pedometers, or expensive health monitors and he is looking to develop this for sale at around $100 and aimed at the growing health and fitness market.

He co opted other students in electrical engineering, biomedical engineering and industrial design to bring his concept to fruition. It’s a simple, subtle device that is smaller than an MP3 player and is due on the market in the autumn. Any British students out there working on innovative health projects? If so, let’s hear from you.

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