Lupus, romantically named after the wolf, is a very dangerous disease that can often be fatal, and when it isn t, it makes the sufferers  life pretty much unlivable. Lupus is an autoimmune disease wherein the body s immune system becomes hyperactive and attacks normal, healthy tissues, thereby causing symptoms like inflammation, swelling, and damage to the joints, skin, kidneys, blood, the heart and lungs.

Signs you are suffering from lupus!

Out of proportion and persistent fatigue: This is the most common sign of lupus. Almost 90% of patients experience it, according to a research.
Slight to high fever: Low grade fever due to no justifiable cause can be another sign of lupus. The fever usually comes and goes. Talk to your doctor if you experience this symptom as this could be a sign of inflammation, infection, or imminent flare-up of the disease.
Thinning of hair: Thinning of the hair is often one of the first signs of lupus due to inflammation of the skin and scalp. Some people have hair coming out in clumps while others just have a less alarming thinning of the hair symptoms. Lupus can make hair feel dry and brittle. Doctors call this  lupus hair .
Unexplained skin rash called malar rash: Also called the butterfly rash, it appears on the cheek and the bridge of the nose. 50% of patients get this rash. It can appear suddenly or after exposure to the sun. Usually it appears just before a flare-up of lupus.
Chest pain which increases with breathing: The lungs and the blood vessels in them become inflamed. This makes breathing difficult and can also cause chest pains when you breathe. The lung size can also shrink due to lupus, causing shortness of breath.
Painful, stiff or swollen joints: Inflammation due to lupus can cause pain, stiffness, and swelling in your joints, particularly in the morning.
Blood in urine: This happens due to inflammation of the kidneys or nephritis, which causes swelling in legs and feet and high blood pressure (BP). If lupus is not treated, you can also die of end stage renal disease.
Persistent loss of appetite: Lupus causes acidity and indigestion and loss of appetite.
Thyroid problems: Patients develop an autoimmune thyroid disease which can cause both weight loss and gain. The thyroid helps control your body s metabolism and if it doesn t function properly, it can affect vital organs like your brain and heart.
Dry eyes and dry mouth: Some lupus patients develop Sjogren s syndrome, another autoimmune disorder. This causes malfunctioning of glands responsible for tears and saliva in our body, hence your eyes may feel dry and your mouth will also remain dry.
Lupus is unpredictable and patients often suffer flares, or active symptoms of the disease, followed by periods of normalcy. Because the signs of this disease are so general, it s easy to miss them; so, if you have been getting even three symptoms of lupus, it s time to see a doctor.

Lupus (Skin Disease) - 10 Signs You Are Suffering From It!

Everyone dreams of having a flawless and smooth looking skin but it is not just the looks that are impacted if the skin rough and cracked, it is also your skin health. There are many skin issues which people suffer from, dry skin being the commonest of all. Read on to know more about the condition.

Ques 1 - What is dry skin?
Rough, dry, red patches on the skin which are usually itchy can be termed as dry skin. Dry skin is medically known as xeroderma.

Ques 2 - What are the causes of dry skin?
Though long hot showers and seasonal changes are the main causes of dry skin. There are other factors which may lead to dry skin such as indoor heating, frequent hand washing, lack of moisturizing, dehydration, licking your lips and unhealthy eating habits.

A hot shower with some harsh soap washes out the amino acids, salts and oils from your body that are responsible for your skin s natural moisture protection barrier. This makes the skin lose its ability to hang on to water and stay hydrated.

Ques 3 - What are the main symptoms of dry skin?
Itching is the most annoying and noticeable symptom of dry skin. As your skin gets drier, the itching becomes worse. This leads to the  itch-scratch  cycle where you constantly scratch to get rid of the itch and it just causes more itching. Scaling and cracking of the skin are the other common symptoms. The cracking may be severe in some cases leading to bleeding.

Ques 4 - How do you treat dry skin?
The best way to handle dry skin is to be nice to your skin. Here are some tips that can help manage dry skin effectually.

Moisturise - Moisturizing is one of the best treatments for managing dry skin. No matter what the season is, you need to ensure that you use a proper moisturizer after a shower or after even washing your hands. Coconut oil is also a great substitute for a moisturizer.

Use mild soaps - Most shower gels and soap now days are loaded with harsh chemicals. You should opt for milder soaps or go for the organic and natural shower gels to avoid the problem of dry skin. Excessive use of soaps and cleansers can also lead to dry skin.

Avoid extreme weather conditions - Extreme hot or cold can both have an adverse effect on the skin resulting in acne breakouts, itchy skin, rashes, bumps and dry patches.

Ques 4 - What are the most common areas of dry skin?
Your legs are the first to get affected. Dry skin is commonly seen on the hands and forearms as well. Although all parts of the body can present with dry skin.

Dry skin is just a skin condition reminding you to care for your skin and pamper it. Cleanse and moisturize daily to have a smooth and healthy skin. 

Healthy Skin! Happy You!

5 FAQs About Dry Skin!

Vitiligo is a disorder in which the skin starts losing its original color in the form of unequal shapes and sizes. This problem of skin pigmentation means that the melanocytes in the skin get damaged. This leads to the development of the white patches on the skin.

The hairs which grow on the affected area start losing their color and become gray. This problem also causes psychological disorders which related to appearance and many times, the adolescent's high dose of medications if this disorder develops in the visible areas like face, hands, arms or the feet. The adolescents start feeling embarrassed, depressed and worried about what the others might think of them and how they would react to seeing them.

Causes

Though the exact causes of vitiligo are not clear, the researchers assume that this disorder is just like an autoimmune disorder. This means that the pigmentation or the element which gives color to the skin get destroyed by the antibodies of the person s own body.

In some cases, it has also been observed that the initial stage of this disorder relates to an event which causes psychological stress to the person. People whose parents or other family members suffer from this disease are also likely to suffer from the same. This can be said that this disorder passes down the genes from generation to generation.

If people have suffered sunburns, rashes and other disorders related to the skin where the hair turns gray before the person turns thirty-five, are also some of the causes of this disease.

Role of homeopathy in treating Vitiligo

Homeopathy aims at treating the problem from the root, over a period of time yet in an effective manner. This field of medicine works at building the immunity of the patients and restore their health. As per homeopathy, it is important to understand the constitution of the patient before prescribing any type of medicine. Also, homeopathic medicines prescribed to an individual are related more to the constitution of the individual, the symptoms it is indicating and the overall psyche of the patient. 

Further, it is required that the formation of the melanin in the body is improved, in order to treat the problem. Since all patients are different, thus they respond differently to the treatment provided. And, the course of the treatment can only be decided once the underlying root cause is determined. Homeopathy treatment goes beyond the general and medicinal aspects of the vitiligo treatment. 

All these medicines listed above are only suggestive in nature and can change with the change in symptoms. Therefore one should only take homeopathic medicines as prescribed by the doctor. 

Vitiligo - Know Why Homeopathy Is The Best Choice Of Treatment!

It is a common knowledge that beer has health benefits when used in masks, scrubs, as conditioners, etc. This reason is good enough for even non-drinkers to stock up their fridges with cans of beer. 
Here are a few ways by which we can use beer to make our skin and hair better:

Use beer as a conditioner - Beer happens to be an excellent conditioner. Mixing one cup warm beer with a teaspoon of jojoba oil makes a natural, non-greasy conditioner. Wash your hair with your regular shampoo and use this mix as a conditioner. The beer in it will give volume to your hair while jojoba oil will add shine and luster.
Use it for a face pack - Take two to three strawberries mash with a fork, add few drops of beer and make a paste. Rub this paste all over your face in a circular motion. Rinse after 15-20 minutes and apply moisturizer on your face.
Soak in beer laced water - Beer can be used in bubble bath too! Mix some soap with beer of your choice and add the mix to the running bath water. Soak in this water and feel your skin become soft and smooth.
Use beer as a hair-pack - Wash your hair with your usual shampoo. Now pour the mixture made of distilled water, beer, two teaspoon apple cider vinegar and few drops of essential oil (any scent), on your hair. Make sure it reaches the hair that is inside as well. Rinse this mixture with lukewarm water. You can do this once a month.
Get the beer glow - Take half a teaspoon of beer, one egg white and a drop of almond extract. Whisk them together and keep aside. On your washed and dried face, apply the mask and let it dry until your skin feels tight. Wash it off with lukewarm water.
From Lybrate: If you found this tip useful, please thank the doctor by clicking on the heart icon below. Also, spread good health by sharing this tip with your loved ones over Whatsapp, Facebook and other media.

Do You Know What Beer Does To Your Hair & Skin?

Skin irritants are everywhere. Even in your house, there is practically no place where there are no skin irritants. Laundry detergents, air fresheners and floor polishes are just a few factors that cause skin itching. The reason why this happens is because products like air fresheners and floor polishes take away essential oils and water from the skin which leads to dryness and irritation.

This type of dry, itchy skin can also progress to skin conditions like eczema. Here are some ways you can stop your skin from becoming dry and itchy:

1. Wear gloves: The ideal thing to do would be to wear soft, thin cotton gloves and wear rubber gloves on top of that. Do not touch a bucket or sponge without it. If you cannot wear soft, thin cotton gloves underneath, at least wear the rubber gloves as this protects your hands from irritants.

2. Take a shower after swimming: Chlorine is one of the principal causes of itchiness in your skin. It is absolutely essential that once you have finished swimming you take a shower with water and a little soap. Even more importantly, use a moisturizer with glycerin in it, as this will keep the moisture trapped inside. Glycerin is particularly good at holding on to moisture.

3. Petroleum jelly: Petroleum jelly has been proven to reduce the chance of dry, itchy skin because it contains only one ingredient. This one ingredient formula is especially great when it is applied to sensitive skin. The reason why one ingredient is better than a moisturizer with many chemicals is because a one ingredient formula is gentler and therefore creates a protective barrier against irritants.

4. Oatmeal bath: For this kind of treatment, grind oatmeal in a blender and then sprinkle it in your bath water. Oatmeal has an anti-inflammatory substance known as Avenanthramide, which decreases itching and redness of the skin.

5. Cleanliness: This is perhaps the most important tip, which can be given. If you do not regularly clean your floors or wash your bed sheets in hot water than you are at a high risk of getting mites and these are one of the most common irritants of your skin.


5 Tips To Subdue Itching Of The Skin

Psoriasis can be defined as a skin condition, which is caused due to autoimmune disorders within the body. This is a condition where the skin on the body develops raised and dry areas which are reddish in colour while also being bordered by silvery scales. 

Treatment of psoriasis in ayurveda
Ayurveda has a different slant to conventional medicine with regards to the treatment of psoriasis. According to ayurveda, it is the impurities in the blood, which cause the immune system to react adversely and cause this condition. Ayurveda concentrates on treating the underlying problems through the combination of changes in diet, home remedies and certain medications to treat this disorder. Some of them are mentioned below:

Changes in diet which will help purify the symptoms: 
Some advice that is usually given to patients to clean up their diet and include certain other items are as follows:
1. Avoid spicy food and try to eat food, which can be easily broken down within the digestive system
2. Inclusion of more fruits and fruit juices in your diet
3. Also include vegetables and also have a mix of boiled vegetables daily.
4. It is better to avoid animal products such as animal fats, eggs, canned and processed foods from your diet.
5. Regular consumption of butter milk and curd are known to be very good in blood purification and thus should be consumed in large quantities. 

Some ayurvedic tips and ingredients, which can help treat psoriasis: 
Other tips that can be implemented as skin applications to treat psoriasis are as follows: 
1. Use avocado oil to rub on the affected areas as it is known to be an effective treatment when applied long term.
2. Ensure that the skin is always moisturized by applying a soft, cream or gel.
3. Periodic baths in sea water if possible is also good for lessening the symptoms of psoriasis.
4. Aloe vera cream applied specifically on the patches is known to also lessen them overtime.

Few other tips to follow
1. Get into deep breathing and meditation to ensure that your body and mind are relaxed as this is very important during the healing process
2. Expose the affected areas of your skin to mild sunlight for about half an hour daily as it is known to improve symptoms. 


Ayurveda and Psoriasis

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