 Hives  or  urticaria  can be defined as an outbreak of reddish swollen bumps on the skin surface. This happens because of the body s response to involuntary histamine release by the skin s blood vessels (which in turn, cause a leakage of blood plasma). The infection generally lasts for about 5-6 weeks, varying significantly in sizes and shapes. Although it is not a serious medical condition, hives can posit considerable discomfort to the affected person (coupled with severe itching and a constant burning sensation near the spot).

Although the exact reason behind the development of this condition is still unknown, researchers suggest that there are some factors that initiate the disorder.

Hives can occur as a result of insect or parasite bites.
In some cases, this disorder might occur as a side effect of painkillers or anti-inflammatory drugs.
Excessive intake of alcohol or foods rich in proteins such as eggs, fish, nuts, chocolate, berries etc. might also cause hives.
Excessive exposure to the harmful UV rays of the sun or high levels of stress can also result in hives.
Also, suffering from serious underlying medical conditions such as cancer, hepatitis or thyroid disorders might drastically aggravate chances of chronic hives as well.
Symptoms

Development of numerous reddish welts around the face or the arms along with a severe itchy sensation, recurrent feeling of tightness around the chest and constant dizziness.
Oral inflammation
If not treated immediately after diagnosis, this disorder might cause life- threatening allergic reactions such as Anaphylaxis (a condition which narrows down the bronchial tubes and causes significant breathing troubles) and auto-immune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis.

The homeopathic preparations useful for treating hives have been mentioned below:

Apis mellifica: This medication works best for a case of hives that has resulted from insect or parasite bites. Other symptoms that are taken care of by this medication include severe itching and a stinging sensation that worsens at night or with exposure to cold, coupled with mild fever.
Arsenicum album: This homeopathic preparation is effective to cure hives that include symptoms of a burning sensation, abnormal swelling, and constant restlessness.
Ichthyolum and Astacus: This preparation is effective to cure chronic hives caused due to serious medical conditions such as uric acid, tuberculosis, or excessive alcohol consumption. People suffering from this particular type exhibit symptoms such as a large appetite, irritability, and a constant itchiness.

Can Homeopathy Treat Hives?

Hives, also called urticaria are swollen welts or bumps that appear on your skin suddenly.

They itch, burn and sting and can happen anywhere on your body. You can get them on your face, lips, tongue, ears or chest. And in size, they can be as small as an eraser to as large as a plate. They also form plaques and can last for hours or up to several days.

Types

Acute urticaria - These type of hives last less than six weeks. The most common causes are allergies due to certain foods and medications, or infections. These hives can also happen due to diseases or insect bites.
Chronic urticaria - Hives lasting more than six weeks come under this category. What causes them is usually more difficult to identify than what causes acute urticaria. In some cases, chronic hives are caused due to thyroid disease, hepatitis or even cancer. This type can affect your internal organs like lungs, muscles, and the gut. Thus, symptoms include muscle soreness, shortness of breath, vomiting, and diarrhoea.
Physical urticaria - These types are caused due to direct physical stimulation of the skin due to cold, heat, sun exposure, vibration, pressure, sweating, and exercise.
What causes hives?

Hives happen mostly due to allergies. Some of the common hive triggers are-

Certain foods, especially peanuts, eggs, nuts and shellfish- Fresh foods are more likely to cause hives as compared to cooked foods. Certain food additives and preservatives can also play culprits. Medicines like penicillin and sulfa- based antibiotics, aspirin and ibuprofen which are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications, high blood pressure drugs like ACE inhibitors, and painkillers such as codeine can also trigger hives. Other things that may cause it are:

Insect bites
Latex
Transfusion of blood
Bacterial infections, including urinary tract infections and infected throat
Viral infections- common cold and hepatitis
Pollen grains
Plants like poison oak and poison ivy
Sunlight
Cold weather
Pet dander 
If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a dermatologist.

What Are Hives? What Causes Them?

Spending a day out at the beach or going up on a hike is something most people love to do. What they, however, do not want is the after effects of being out in the sun the sunburn. While sunscreen lotions do help to a large extent, being in the sea can wash off the sunscreen, leaving the skin exposed to the imminent damage. Also, the effect of most sunscreens wears off with time, thereby, invariably producing some damage to the skin. However, there are simple ways to reduce the damage and in some cases even reverse the damage done by the sunburn.

Listed below simple ways with which you can treat a sunburn:

The minute you realize sunburn has set in, reduce further damage by getting out of the sun.
If you were out in the beach, rinse off with regular water as early as possible to clear the chlorine and sand and salt water. The salt water irritates the skin and aggravate the damage further.
Take a pain-killer which will reduce the inflammation and control the overall effect of swelling and pain. This can also help the mild headache that can develop because of being out in the sun.
The sun dries the skin and therefore, make sure you make an extra effort and moisturize your skin. Use creams that contain aloe vera, glycerin or hyaluronic acid. Keeping them in the fridge for a while produces an extra-refreshing effect.
Make a compress containing egg white or green tea and skimmed milk. The green tea will reduce inflammation and the egg white will supply the necessary proteins for the skin to recover.
Not just the skin, the sunburn also leaves you dehydrated overall. Ensure the water intake is increased and consume water rich food like watermelon, grapes, and cucumber.
If there are sun blisters as a result of the sunburn, do not touch them. Peeling them can produce scars, which can be permanent.
On spots that are painful after the sunburn, slices of potatoes or cucumber can be used to rub the area. This will produce a cooling effect and also reduce swelling.
Vinegar contains acetic acid and reduces pain, swelling, and inflammation that happens subsequent to a sunburn. Towel soaked in vinegar can be used to wipe the area or vinegar can be added to the water for a bath.
Mint is another wonderful agent to manage sunburn. Include it in tea or add peppermint oil to lukewarm water for that healing drink.
These are some tips to treat a sunburn and reduce the damage (sometimes permanent) that can happen as a result.

10 Easy Ways to Treat a Sunburn

Green Tea is often referred to as the elixir of health. It is refreshingly light, has minimal calories and provides so many health benefits that you would love introducing this to your everyday fitness and health regimes. Check out some of the wonders of Green Tea-

1) Cuts Your Risk of Cancer - Major researchers from all over the world agree that drinking Green Tea regularly can reduce your risk of cancer. Several polyphenols found in Green Tea are potent antioxidants that can prevent the growth of cancer cells and reduce the opportunities for tumors to thrive!

2) Protects Skin - Consumed or applied Green Tea has several benefits as well. For instance, Green Tea, when applied directly on the skin can help block skin cancer and reduce tanning. That's the reason why growing number of companies now use green tea extracts in their moisturizers and sunscreens. At the same time, it soothes your skin from cuts and scrapes when applied directly.

3) Increases Metabolism - You have heard it before! But we will remind you of the same again. Green tea is often known for increasing metabolism, which in long run, with exercising and healthy dieting can help you lose more weight. Drink a cup about half an hour before exercising and you will feel more powerful.

4) Stay Young - Green Tea, when consumed at least two cups a day regularly can help you stay younger, by giving your skin a natural glow and ensuring that your arteries don?t clog fat and cholesterol.

5) Steadies your Blood Pressure - Sipping even a single cup of Green Tea every day can help in reducing your chances of getting hypertension and high blood pressure. This is because of polyphenols, which can keep vessels from contracting and raising blood pressure.

If you have any more questions, click on consult privately to ask me.

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Top 5 Reasons to Start Drinking Green

Alternative medicine is fast picking up with its beneficial treatment for several skin disorders. Vitiligo or patchy skin is a common skin problem that can be effectively treated by the ancient Unani system of medicine.

What is vitiligo?
Also referred to as leucoderma, it is a patchy loss of skin colour that occurs due to acquired depigmentation of the skin. The absence of skin cells called melanocytes leads to nonproduction of the melanin pigment and as a result, manifests itself as patchy skin in several parts of the body. It can affect any area of the body including the face, neck, back, hands, and legs.

Unfortunately, conventional medicine has not been able to discover a full-proof treatment for this skin disorder, except for surgical intervention. Thanks to the yesteryear s Unani medicine system, which has its foundations in the ancient Greek, Roman, Persian, and Indian medicine, certain herbal formulations help to treat conditions of vitiligo or leucoderma. The Unani system of medicine aims to create the right balance in the body by stabilizing the four humours   blood, phlegm, yellow bile and black bile, which constitute insulin, hormones and other fluid releases.

Herbal powder and capsules are prescribed for the patient s consumption depending on the severity of the disorder.
Herbal ointment for external application   The affected individual must apply the topical ointment or balm before 10:00 am and then expose it to sunlight for around 10 to 15 minutes. After that, it should be shown back in shade and kept for one hour before washing it off.
Diet for vitiligo
Certain food items like banana, beef, sea food, poultry, citrus foods, pickles and dairy products are to be restricted during treatment. Foods with excessive tamarind and cashew nuts are also to be avoided. Recommended food includes all vegetables, fruits, eggs, and organic chicken.

How effective is Unani in treating vitiligo?
For years together, Unani compound formulations for systemic as well as topical usage are catering to the needs of patients. It helps to treat and induce re-pigmentation. There are several treatment modalities available to control the spreading of the disease and minimize the chances of a relapse of the skin condition.

There have been no reported side effects of Unani medicines and they are well tolerated even after prolonged use. It usually takes about 2 to 3 months to see a visible improvement of the condition. The disease tends to become stable after regaining pigmentation.

The Central Research Institute of Unani Medicine located in Hyderabad, India has taken several measures to eradicate Vitiligo. While conventional medicine does try to offer remedies to treat vitiligo, Unani medicine offers a cost-effective approach that is more promising.

Best Unani Medicine for Vitiligo Treatment

In today s world, females have advance techniques available for shaping up their breasts. It is a part of their overall persona and beauty. Breast augmentation is one of the greatest plastic surgery operations that is done in hospitals across the globe. 

Gone are the days, when you would sit back at home and blame nature for your saggy breasts. You have the gift of plastic surgery at your rescue. Breast augmentation can enhance the beauty of your breast and uplift its features. In this process, the implant is put under the pectoral muscle so that you can still breastfeed your infant if needed.
The process is executed with the help of a small 4 cm incision. The recovery process takes a week s time. Breast augmentation can be carried out in a surgical centre or in any hospital s outpatient facility. It doesn t require a hospital stay in most cases. In some selected cases only, the procedure is done using local anaesthesia. In those cases, the patient stays awake. The breast region is made numb.

What to expect during the procedure?

The woman opting this must know what all are expected to happen during the procedure. The surgeon will insert the breast implant by making a single cut in one of the following three areas:

1. In the crease under breast 
2. Underarm (axillary)
3. Around the nipple (periareolar)

After the incision is done, the surgeon will try and separate the breast tissue from the patient s muscles and connective tissue. This will lead to the creation of a pocket either behind or in front of the pectoral muscle. After this, the surgeon will put the implant into the newly-created pocket. It will be centred behind the nipple. 

Saline implants are put in an empty form and then filled with sterile salt water. Silicone implants are, however, pre-filled with silicone gel. After the implant is over, the cut is stitched with sutures and the skin is bandaged with adhesive and tape.

What to expect after the procedure?
For a few weeks, the patient might experience Soreness and swelling. It is also possible to develop bruises. Your scars will fade away with time. It is quite possible that the scars will not vanish permanently ever in your lifetime. You must wear a compression or sports bra at the time of healing. You might be required to take painkillers, as advised by the surgeon.

Breast Augmentation - What to Expect from the Procedure?

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