Ayurveda believes health is managed by 3 components i.e. pitta, vata and kapha dosha. The type of skin that a person has also depends on which of these is predominant. Accordingly, in people where pitta is dominant, it is warm to the touch and more prone to breakouts and moles and freckles. In people where vata is dominant, the skin is thin and remains cool, gets dehydrated easily and is easily affected by dry weather. In people with kapha dominance, the skin is thick and greasy and is more tolerant to sun exposure.

Allergy is when the body responds adversely to a component which might have reached the system either through air, food or contact. Various substances cause allergies and with most allergies, skin rashes are common, can be of mainly 4 types:

Contact dermatitis: When the skin comes in touch with an allergy-causing agent, the skin breaks out into a rash. The inducing agent could be rubber, chemicals, metals, pets, etc.
Bites and stings: When insects such as bees or other insects sting or bite, the surrounding area develops a rash.
Warm weather: When the weather is too warm, there is prickly heat effect, which produces a rash.
Food induced: When certain food items like peanuts or eggs are consumed, some people develop a skin rash.
Whatever the reason, the mode of management would be to try to achieve a balance between the three components.

Poppy seeds: A paste of poppy seeds powder mixed with lemon juice and water can help get rid of rashes.
Buttermilk and baking soda: Use a cotton swab to apply a mixture of buttermilk and baking soda on the affected skin area and see the rashes disappear. The soothing effect and relief will be felt immediately.
Basil leaves, garlic and olive oil: Crush some basil leaves and add some garlic, salt, pepper, and olive oil to form a smooth paste. Apply over the skin rash for 1 to 2 days until the rashes disappear.
Oatmeal bath: Adding a cup of uncooked oatmeal into the bath water and using this water for a bath after 5 minutes is a great way to get rid of rashes and their redness and itching.
Essential oils: Almond oil, chamomile oil, and tea tree oil can be mixed in equal proportions to get relief from rashes of almost all causes.
Cold tea bags: Using cold tea bags on the skin helps relief of the rashes through tannin contained in the tea, which has great healing properties.
Just as skin rash is very common, so is the treatment. These substances are readily available in the kitchen and so treating a skin rash is very easy.

Rashes on Skin - Ayurvedic Remedies for Treating it!

What are Warts?

Warts are infectious outgrowths that may appear on any part of the body. For example, the most common warts occur on fingers. They are caused by virus, most typically the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) and several of its subtypes. They appear as dense painless rounded nodules of about 0.3- 1 cm in diameter. The mode of transmission of this virus is usually by contact. You can also contract warts by sharing objects like razors, towels or other personal items. They can be sexually transmitted if the warts are present on genitals.

Usually, they are benign outgrowths but sometimes, they may be cancerous if present on genitals.

How To Prevent Warts?

Earlier, the only way to prevent contracting warts was avoiding contact with infected people. But now-a-days, vaccines against HPV are present that are given in teen years to prevent genital warts and cancer caused by them.

How are they diagnosed?

Your doctor can easily tell if the outgrowth is a wart just by having a look at it. If it is not clear, your doctor may take a sample of your skin and look at it under the microscope to ensure that it is a wart.

Treating Warts-

CAUTERIZATION

Cauterization is a medical procedure wherein a part of the body is burnt in order to damage some tissue in order to prevent an outgrowth. Cauterization can be done by medicine, cryotherapy (using localised or general low temperatures to treat benign or malignant tissues), radio frequency cauterization or laser. The method applied depends on size and location of the outgrowth or the choice of you dermatologist as well.

It is recommended to get warts removed at its earliest to prevent spreading of the disease.

Several myths are present in the market that state cure to warts by various homemade remedies but these can do more harm than good. Treating warts must be done by practised medical personnel. Incomplete removal of warts can cause recurrence of warts due to secondary infection.

Warts - How To Get Rid Of Them?

If stressed, consuming certain food and medications can trigger skin rashes. This kind of rash is called hives. It is also known as urticaria. Anyone can be affected by hives, at least 20% of people are affected by hives at some time or the other in their lives. The itching could be severe or mild. It starts as a patch of scaly white skin that develops into red welts over time. To make sure the itching does not worsen, scratching, emotional stress, alcoholic drinks and exercise should be avoided.

Symptoms
1. Itchy bumps that are raised and are either red or flesh coloured
2. If the hive is pressed in the middle, the skin whitens this symptom is called blanching.
3. The hive formation can appear anywhere, disappear and then reappear somewhere else.

Common Triggers
1. Certain food like shellfish, eggs, peanuts and other nuts
2. Certain medicines like antibiotics, ibuprofen and aspirin
3. Insect bites or stings
4. Physical causes like pressure, sun exposure, cold, exercise and heat
5. Latex
6. Blood transfusions
7. Bacterial infections
8. Pet allergens
9. Viral infections like the common cold, hepatitis and infectious mononucleosis
10. Certain plants like poison ivy and poison oak
11. Pollen

Treatment
There is no distinct cure for hives. But you can control its symptoms in the following ways:
1. Antihistamines help in blocking histamines, which cause the allergy symptoms. Non sedating or low sedating Antihistamines will be mostly recommended by your doctor.
2. If episodes of hives are several, it may require limited treatment with prednisone. Prednisone will be able to lessen the symptoms.
3. If the symptoms get severe enough so much so that it swells up your tongue and you have problem breathing, then the doctor might prescribe an epinephrine. However, these symptoms can mean another thing, an anaphylaxis shock. Epinephrine is the only treatment for an anaphylaxis shock.

Prevention
If what caused hives to break out is figured out, then measures should be taken to avoid or eliminate the triggers.
1. Avoid eating food items that triggered the symptoms in the first place
2. If harsh soaps, frequent bathing cause hives, they should be avoided
3. Tight clothing should be avoided
4. If cold triggers hives, then wear warm clothing, wrap a scarf and do not swim in cold water.
5. Avoid sun exposure and wear sunblock
6. If a specific medication is causing the hives, inform your doctor.

All About Hives

Homeopathy for hair loss

We suffer from hair loss because of multiple reasons. While for some it is genetic, for others it is the quality of water used to wash hair, and for some others it is side effects of medicines/ailments. Hair growth on the other hand will either happen naturally, or with particular treatments. Homeopathy has certain very effective medicines which assist hair growth in individuals. The process is slow but the result is extremely satisfactory. These medicines are mixed and matched and dosage is given according to your hair and scalp condition. 

Know about these medicines and when are these most relevant:

1. Lycopodium: this medicine is prescribed to those who are suffering from premature balding, including pregnant women and new mothers. The medicine is made from the spores of plants like club moss and is effective on both men and women.

2. Silicea: this is made from sandstones and human tissues and happens to be one of the most prescribed homeopathic medicines. It aids in making the hair stronger and nourishing the hair, thus taking its dryness away.

3. Natrum muriaticum: made from table salt, this medicine helps in hair growth for cases hair loss results from dry scalp and dandruff, skin and menstrual problems. Women suffering from menstrual problems also suffer from hair loss. This medicine is prescribed to them too.

4. Kalium cabonicum: this is prescribed a lot, specifically to stop thinning of hair, aiding growth of hair in this process. It also cures brittle hair condition. Kalium cabonicum is made from the compounds which are used to make glass in egypt.

5. Phosphorus: scalp disorders at times result in loss of hair in clumps. Phosphorus is prescribed for such situations.

6. Kali sulphuricum: as the name suggest, parts of this medicine is sulphur. It is available in liquid form and tablets as well. It should not be taken more than twice a day and should be discontinued after taking for a couple of weeks.

If you would like to consult with me privately, please click on'consult.

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Homeopathy Offers Permanent Solution for Hair Loss

Being able to conceive and give birth to a new life is something that most women dream about. The natural instincts of motherhood give a lot of joy to women after they reach a certain age and this is something that is hormone driven so that they are inspired to get pregnant and give birth, keeping the life cycle of humans regular and growing.

A lot of women may be able to easily conceive and go through a natural pregnancy without any major glitches or problems, but everyone may not be as lucky and there may be those women who may be suffering from health issues that make it difficult for them to conceive.

One problem in women that may lead to difficult in conceiving or infertility may be the problem of endometriosis. This is a health issue that affects the uterus and it is defined as a problem in which the lining of the uterus grows outside of it, disturbing menstrual cycles as well as the ability to conceive and carry a foetus in the uterus.

Is it possible to get pregnant?
There is widespread misconception that women who suffer from endometriosis may never be able to conceive because the uterus lining that is needed for the inception of the embryo in early pregnancy may be missing. However, the truth is that the problem is a treatable one and with the right medical help and guidance, it may be possible to make sure that the problem is brought under control or reversed and that a successful pregnancy may be achieved.

While it is possible to reverse the problem, it is also important for aspiring couples to choose the right gynaecologist for the treatment, because it is a complex issue that can be resolved only with expert and experienced interference. The medical professionals may put you under medication that works on the hormones and creates ways to reverse endometriosis. However, in patients who suffer from severe endometriosis, a surgery may be one of the alternative treatments.

The relation with pregnancy:
As it is suggested by experts in the field of gynaecology, finding difficulty in conceiving may be a real possibility. However, with the help of modern medical practices such as in vitro fertility, it may be possible to conceive when all other forms of treatment fail and in order to achieve such a feat it may be important to trust a doctor that has a perfect backing of knowledge and experience in the field.
The modern world of medicine is no shorter than a marvellous miracle, however, the success or failure of any treatment depends a lot on the kind of medical aide and specialist that you decide to opt for.

Endometriosis - How it Affects Pregnancy?

Bathing soap vs. Body wash: what's better when you take a shower?

The most important part of skincare is keeping your skin cleansed and fresh. But before that, it is imperative to find the right product for the same. Skin type varies from person to person, and hence finding skincare goods most suited to your skin makes all the difference.

Bathing habits directly affect the quality of your skin, which involves picking the appropriate cleanse; i. E. Choosing between a body soap and body wash. Each has a different set of characteristics and comes with its own set of advantages and disadvantages. Let's find out which one is better for your skin.

Why you should choose bathing soap bar:

 it is more effective in removing dirt through deep cleansing

 it is suited to skin that is excessively oily in nature as it contains ingredients that are highly effective in stripping off excess oil from the skin

Why you should not choose bathing soap bar:

 it tends to strip the skin of its natural oils and moisture, making it dry and flaky

 it is unhygienic in case of sharing between individuals as soaps tend to accumulate the dirt from your skin due to direct body contact

Reasons to pick a body wash:

 it has a very mild and gentle effect on the skin in comparison to soaps

 it keeps the skin moisturized by preserving natural oils

 it is more hygienic than bar soaps in case of interpersonal sharing

 it is the most suitable option for dry skin

Reasons to ditch a body wash:

 it contains a large amount of artificial additives and preservatives that can do more harm to your skin than good, giving rise to allergic reactions in some cases

So, who's the winner of the two?

You must certainly base the choice on what's best for your skin type. Body soap is more compatible with oily skin while dry skin is better suited for body wash. A body wash, however, is much more gentle on your skin. 

If you would like to consult with me privately, please click on 'consult'.
Related Tip: Soap Vs Hand Wash - What Should You Wash Your Hands with?

Bathing Soap vs. Body Wash: What's Better When You Take a Shower?

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