5 hidden causes of acne, revealed!

Acne is a skin condition that occurs when the openings of oil glands become clogged with oil and dead skin cells. Acne usually appears on the face, neck, chest, back and shoulders. The pimples and bumps heal slowly, and when one begins to disappear, others seem to crop up. Depending on its severity, acne can cause emotional distress and can also scar the skin. But what causes the recurrence of breakouts?

These are attributed to certain hidden causes, which are:

1. Your drug prescriptions

Steroids found in prescription drugs are a key offender, whether taken internally or topically. If taken internally, the offending ingredient will be listed as prednisone, which is the tablet form of steroid. Prednisone is used to treat inflammatory diseases like poison ivy, allergies and arthritis. If medications are taken topically, it could aggravate acne or cause steroid acne. Oral contraceptives are also a common cause of acne.

2. Your beauty routine

Acne caused by topical lotions, creams and makeup are known as acne cosmetica, commonly appearing on face, neck, hairline and scalp. Applying a product regularly to an acne-prone area can do more harm than good. Some people go to bed with ointments or oils in their hair that can get on the pillowcase and then rub on your face. It's best to put a clean towel over your pillowcase every night to prevent buildup.

3. Your cell phone

Cell phones gather all kinds of dirt and bacteria and are a big cause of acne on the chin and around the mouth. Wiping down the screen of your smartphones every day with alcohol or cleaning wipes will keep your phone and your face clean.

4. Using toothpaste to treat a zit

Certain toothpaste can actually cause you to develop acne or an acne-like eruption on the lower parts of your face, including your chin. Fluoride and other whitening and anti-cavity ingredients are quite abrasive and could potentially burn your skin, cause irritation and initiate breakouts.

5. Your workout gear

It's not the act of exercising that is causing breakouts but other issues. If you are using a communal yoga mat, you may be on the side that someone else's feet or perspiration had touched before, with the physical contact causing breakouts. It's best to put a clean towel over it before working out, even if it is your personal mat.

Also, workout gear that constantly rubs in a certain area can cause frictional acne. Constant rubbing ends up making you sweat, causing skin irritation and eventually developing into tiny red bumps. Though it looks like a heat rash, it is actually acne.

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Related Tip: Do You Know that Dandruff Causes ACNE?

5 Hidden Causes of Acne, Revealed!

Being overweight is becoming a common sight. However, opting for bariatric surgery is not the first option for everyone who is obese. Also to remember is that morbid obesity is not an isolated condition. It affects a person s overall physical and mental health in various ways, and therefore bariatric surgery becomes an option only as a last resort. 

Some defining criteria for this surgery would be:

A male who is at least 100 pounds overweight for his height or a female who is at least 80 pounds overweight for her height. This puts them at a body mass index (BMI) of more than 40.
If the BMI is in the range of 35 to 39 and if there are significant health issues like metabolic syndrome, then bariatric surgery can be done. For BMI less than 35, other conservative measures are usually tried before resorting to a surgical approach.
Most people with BMI in the range of 35 and above will have health issues like sleep apnoea, heart disease, lipid disorders, and metabolic syndrome.
Conservative measures to lose weight including diet changes and exercise have failed to produce any desired results.
The person, in addition to physical health, should also be emotionally strong to undergo the demands of bariatric surgery. There are changes involving almost all body systems including digestive, respiratory, cardiac, and musculoskeletal, and so the person needs to be prepared for a lifestyle change.
Strict lifestyle changes including diet and exercise are required, so the person needs to be counseled and convinced about these. A person who can see the long-term benefits will be willing to take the effort.
It is also essential that the person has a strong social support system. For immediate post-op care when skin flaps need to be managed, and for long-term emotional support to manage emotional issues, it works wonders if there is a strong social network. The results are usually better in such people.
A person s overall health would be screened to make sure the lab tests are well within acceptable limits before surgery. It would be unreasonable to get these numbers within limits, if they are way too beyond acceptable limits.
Not the least consideration, but bariatric surgery is an expensive affair. It requires not just surgical costs, but also post-op costs. The good thing, however, is that overall healthcare costs would come down, once the results are visible.
Identifying the right candidate for a bariatric surgery is very essential, as doing this extensive surgical approach on an unsuitable candidate would be a failure.

Bariatric Surgery - Who Is Eligible For The Same?

Hernia surgery is performed for the correction of a hernia which refers to the bulging of internal organs or tissues through an abnormal opening. It is easy to detect hernia through any pain or discomfort while lifting heavy objects, cough and strain during urination or bowel movements or during prolonged standing or sitting. It can be found in both men and women. The Hernia can be congenital or can be developed over a period of time. If it doesn t get better over time and also does not go away by itself, then surgery becomes the only option.

Types of Surgery
There are two types of surgery for hernia treatment. One is the conventional open method, which requires an incision in the skin directly over the hernia. The other one is the Laparoscopic hernia repair in which surgery is performed using a small telescope known as a laparoscope. In this type of surgery minimal invasions are made and the hernia is repaired with only small incisions adjacent to the hernia. Most hernia operations are performed on an outpatient basis, which means that you can go home the very same day.

Tips for early recovery

    Wear comfortable clothing with expandable waistbands.
    Keep yourself active by moving around as much as you can as it increases circulation, which further speeds up healing.
    Eat a diet rich in fibre, fresh fruits and vegetables.
    Drink lots of water and other fluids to avoid constipation.
    Do not lift any objects even if it is very light as it can bring back pain.
    Do not to pick up things from the floor as it will be difficult to bend.
    Hold a pillow against your stomach while sneezing or coughing to lessen the pain.
    Use stool softener for a few days before and after surgery to help you with your bowel movements.
    Avoid driving till the time you feel any pain and as long as you are taking narcotic pain medicines.
    Band-Aids which cover the incisions should be changed as and when needed.
    Refrain yourself from intercourse as it can be painful.
    Check with your doctor when to take a shower so as not to hurt your incisions, and make sure to gently dry your incisions and replace the Band-Aids after taking a shower.
    Do not consume any alcoholic drinks for at least 24 hours.

The tips mentioned above will definitely provide help to cope up with post surgery blues. However, in case of fever, excessive sweating, difficulty in urinating, bleeding or any prolonged pain consult your doctor immediately.

Hernia Surgery - 13 Tips to Help You Recover from it

The prostate gland in a man begins to grow in size on reaching 25 years of age quite naturally, and this is known as benign prostatic hyperplasia abbreviated as BPH. Now the problem arises when the enlargement of the prostate is more than normal.

In men, the urine flows through the urethra from the bladder. An abnormally enlarged prostate blocks the flow of urine through the urethra. The cells of the prostate slowly multiply to cause it to enlarge. This puts pressure on the urethra thereby giving rise to a number of problems, most of which manifest as symptoms.

Common Symptoms of an Enlarged Prostate Gland
The condition of enlarged prostate gives rise to some noticeable symptoms which provide the signs that you need to visit a doctor to get it treated. A weak or slow urinary system is one of the most common symptoms of being affected with an enlarged prostate. This includes urinating more often, an increase in the urgency to urinate, difficulty in starting urination and a feeling of incomplete bladder emptying immediately after urinating. At times, it is seen that passing urine becomes very strenuous. All these above symptoms indicate that there is an enlargement of the prostate gland and medical help should be sought immediately to prevent the condition from worsening.

Steps to Manage an Enlarged Prostrate

Effective medication is usually the first step in the management of an enlarged prostate gland. Alpha blockers are the drugs that are most commonly used in this situation. These drugs do not reduce the size of the prostate, but they are great in relieving the symptoms to allow free and painless passage of urine. Another group of drugs known as 5-alpha reductase inhibitors can help in shrinking an enlarged prostate. The drugs work by the reducing the levels of the male hormone called dihydrotestosterone.
In some advanced stages of prostate enlargement, minimally invasive treatments are used for the effective management of the condition. Transurethral Microwave Thermotherapy or TUMT is used to treat mild blockages that reduce the frequency of urination, the urgency, and straining. However, it is not able to correct the bladder emptying issues. Transurethral Radio Frequency Needle Ablation or TUNA helps in the destruction of the prostate tissues resulting in an improvement in the flow of urine.
Prostatic stents are also sometimes used for the management of the condition of an enlarged prostate. In this treatment procedure, a small metal coil is inserted into the urethra for widening it and keeping it open. In most severe case of prostate enlargement, only surgical methods remain as the opted method of treatment. Laser surgeries are performed to destroy the tissues of the prostate for easing of the condition. Ultimately, an open prostate surgery is performed when the transurethral procedure cannot be used. In this surgery, the tissues of the prostate are removed by the surgeon in case of great enlargement.
The condition of an enlarged prostate gland requires medical attention and treatment for the most effective management, and it is best that a medical professional is consulted as soon as any of the symptoms surface.
Enlargement starts usually after 50 years. Surgery 'Transurethral resection of prostate (TURP)' either by monopolar or bipolar electrocautery. Enucleation of prostate by laser is also an option.

Enlarged Prostate - How Can It Be Managed?

Obesity is a medical condition where the body accumulates excess fat to the extent that it adversely affects your health. People having a Body Mass Index (BMI) equal to or greater than 30 are considered obese. BMI is the measure of your body fat based on your height and weight. While some people may have a genetic background of being obese, others may gain excess weight due to underlying health conditions.

What causes obesity?
People who do not take part in physical activities or exercise on a regular basis are prone to excess weight gain. Those who have a family history of obesity are likely to be obese. Consumption of high-fat and high-calorie food like processed/fried food, pulses, rice, potatoes, red meat etc. Lack of sleep and sedentary lifestyle also play a huge part in unhealthy weight gain. As you age, your body undergoes many hormonal changes and loses muscle mass as a result of which metabolic rate becomes slower. This makes it easier for you to gain weight. A number of medical conditions like Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), diabetes, hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid gland), Prader-Willi Syndrome etc also cause your body to gain excess weight.

What are the symptoms of obesity?
People who are obese, experience symptoms such as- tiredness, fatigue, exhaustion, shortness of breath, increased sweating, inability to keep up with physical activities etc. These symptoms, if not paid attention to, can lead to serious health issues such as sleep apnea, heart ailments, high blood pressure.

Role of homeopathy in treating obesity-
Homeopathy can proficiently manage the symptoms of obesity, and also prevent the condition from relapsing. Homeopathic remedies are extracted from different plants, herbs and natural substances that are absolutely safe for you. This branch of medicine attempts to improve your metabolism, correct your digestive system and easily eliminate waste products- which are the three basic prerequisites for weight loss. Homeopathic medicines, unlike conventional medications which restrict nutrient absorption and promote a feeling of fullness, aim to cure the symptoms responsible for excess weight gain naturally. The homeopathy component most commonly used to treat obesity is impure calcium derived from the middle layers of the shells. Homeopathic components like Clubmoss plant extract and sodium chloride are prescribed to those who have excess fat accumulated in the buttocks and thighs.

One major advantage of homeopathy is that they are non-addictive, and can be adopted by people even when they re on other conventional treatment medications.

Obesity - How Homeopathy Can Help?

The humble, easily available banana is not as humble when it comes to its contribution to your health. And once you learn how much good it can do to your body, you will be compelled to add it to your daily diet. This god of a fruit protects you from innumerable diseases, keeps your hair, heart and head well as well as fights chronic diseases - and the list has just begun. 

Here are just 15 reasons for you to have a banana every day-

1) This fruit is high in potassium and low in salt, it is your protective shield against blood pressure, heart attack, and stroke.

2) Iron rich banana is extremely good for anemic people.

3) The calcium-rich bananas are excellent for your bones and help in increasing bone density.

4) For people who exercise, bananas are an energy booster and sustain your blood sugar as well as protect against muscle cramps post workouts or leg cramps.

5) Bananas help beat depression due to high levels of tryptophan, which is converted into serotonin: the feel-good brain neurotransmitter.

6) It also enhances your moods and relieves PMS symptoms as well as stress levels in body and mind.

7) Due to high levels of vitamin B-6, bananas produce white blood cells and help in building immunity as well as strengthen nervous systems.

8) Weightloss - If you swap your junk foods with bananas, you might be inching towards losing weight. As an added bonus your energy will be become more steady and consistent.

9) Improve your mood and reduce PMS symptoms by eating a banana, which regulates blood sugar and produces stress-relieving relaxation.

10) Bananas reduce swelling, protect against type II diabetes, aid weight loss, strengthen the nervous system, and help with the production of white blood cells, all due to high levels of vitamin B-6.

11) Extremely caring about your stomach, Banana not only soothes your digestive tract to restore lost electrolytes after diarrhoea, it also helps in relieving constipation due to ts high fibre content.

12) Rich in pectin, bananas aid digestion and gently chelate toxins and heavy metals from the body.

13) Fever too? A banana can bring down your body temperature to cool your temperature off.

14) Bananas make you smarter! It makes you very alert. The high levels of potassium help your memory as well. Think about it before an exam.

15) Smoke? High levels of B-vitamins as well as potassium and magnesium in the fruit, help in speedy recovery from the effects of withdrawal.



15 Reasons Why Banana is Healthier Than Apple

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