I once read that bamboo floors are recommended for those with allergies due to their anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties. I knew of one father actually change the whole flooring of his house to bamboo for the sake of his 2-year-old daughter with severe eczema. While it is hard to say that bamboo flooring can actually provide relief to eczema, its anti-bacterial properties is a fact.

A recent article says that there are clothing and linens made of bamboo, which quality surpass organic cotton and silk in every way, especially in relation to dry skin conditions and eczema. According to experts, due to its unique qualities, bamboo clothing actually addresses some of the factors which result in dry skin conditions. Some of these unique qualities are:

* Bamboo are 4 times are absorbent than cotton. Thus bamboo can absorbs sweat quickly and you will stay dry and cool even in hot days.

* On a microscopic level, bamboo fibers are round and smooth, thus bamboo clothing and linens are soft, smooth and silky. It does not cling to the skin and cause friction which can be very painful for eczema skin.

* Bamboo’s porous qualities ensure your skin can breath through it. Bamboo fabrics is cooler than others. In fact, they are 2 to 3 degrees cooler than other clothing.

* Although our skin is designed to fight bacteria and fungus, this is damaged in dry skin conditions such as eczema and psoraisis. Tests done on bamboo fabric found that it kills 99.8% of bacteria. So bamboo clothing helps keep you fresh and cool.

* Since bamboo plant is not prone to pests, it is grown organically without any chemicals which irritates the skin.

Bamboo clothings seems to offer a good solution to those with dry skin conditions. It is worth a try definately. Unfortunately, bamboo fabric is not widely available in the market yet. If anyone knows where to find bamboo fabric, please share here as I am interested to know too. Having said that, even with bamboo clothings, a good daily routine of cleansing and moisturizing, a healthy diet, and adequate exercise are still important for dry skin healing.

Do you know that alcohol and tobacco, which is commonly available, is more dangerous than illegal drugs, ecstacy pills and marijuana? Alcohol and tobacco actually cause more diseases than other illegal drugs. So the question is should alcohol and tobacco continue to be legal and easily available in the market? For your information, here are the top 10 most dangerous drugs according to a study published by The Lencet this month:

Ranked from most to least dangerous, the ten most dangerous substances were deemed to be:

1. Heroin - popular street names include smack, skag, and junk.
2. Cocaine - often referred to as snow, flake, coke, and blow.
3. Barbiturates - popular slang names include yellow jackets, reds, blues, Amy’s, and rainbows.
4. Street Methadone
5. Alcohol
6. Ketamine - a powerful hallucinogen, often referred to as Special K.
7. Benzodiazepines - a family of sedative drugs.
8. Amphetamines - known as greenies among baseball players.
9. Tobacco
10. Buprenorphine - also called bupe or subbies.

The remaining drugs that were assessed in this study ranked as follows:

1. Cannabis - includes marijuana.
2. Solvents - volatile substances that can be inhaled, such as glue, nail polish remover, paints, hair spray, and lighter fuel (gas).
3. 4-MTA - is a derivative of amphetamine and has similar effects to ecstasy.
4. LSD
5. Methylphenidate - central nervous system stimulant, commonly sold as ritalin.
6. Anabolic steroids
7. GHB - short for Gamma hydroxybutyrate, a powerful central nervous system depressant, most commonly known as the date rape drug.
8. Ecstasy
9. Alkyl nitrates - group of drugs commonly referred to as poppers.
10. Khat - an amphetamine-like stimulant.

Source:http://www.drbenkim.com/ten-most-dangerous-drugs.html

I always thought that we should drink as much water as possible to stay healthy. Water is known to flush out toxins in the body which is absolutely important to those with eczema. While it is true that we need a certain amount of water every day, the yardstick of 8 to 10 glasses of water a day could be inaccurate. According to Dr. Ben Kim, the safe amount of daily water intake actually depends on many factors, such as your diet, environment, activity and so on.
Read his informative article on Why Drinking Too Much Water Is Dangerous

If canned tuna is a part of you or your child’s regular diet, you need to watch this video. Mercury, which is known to present in canned tuna, is one of the more serious allergen which cause serious allergies and eczema. Pregnant ladies and young children, especially, should keep their intake of canned tuna in check.

Infant formula containing hydrolysed casein proteins reduced the development of eczema by 33 per cent, says a three-year study from Germany. The researchers, from Marien-Hospital Wesel, Ludwig Maximilians University, Neuherberg’s Institute of Epidemiology, and Technical University of Munich, recruited 2252 newborns with a family history of allergy and assigned them to one of four intervention groups: formula containing only cow’s milk (control), or formulas with partially hydrolyzed whey, extensively hydrolyzed whey, or extensively hydrolyzed casein.

Cow’s milk proteins, which are the most widely used in routine infant formulas, are the most common allergen in infancy, so the study examined formulas in which the proteins were broken down to decrease the chances of allergy.

The German Infant Nutritional Intervention Study (GINI) found that after three years, the partially hydrolyzed whey formula and the extensively hydrolyzed casein formula reduced the period prevalence of eczema by 48 and 47 per cent, respectively, while the cumulative incidence for the extensively hydrolyzed casein formula decreased by 33 per cent, compared to the cow’s milk formula group.

Infant formula is a highly emotive area, with watchdogs keeping a close eye on companies’ marketing tactics lest they drift towards promoting their products as preferable to breast-feeding.

While it is agreed that breastfeeding is the best way to ensure an infant receives the nutrients it needs in its first months, formulas are indispensable in cases where mothers are unable to feed their children - be it for health or logistical reasons. Mothers’ desire to give their children the best possible start in life means that there is scope for fortification.

Read the Original Article here