The holiday season is just around the corner. For the most part, that’s good news. But for eczema sufferers, it can be a disaster. Cold, winter weather with its harsh winds is especially hard on severe dry skin and eczema and we’re often at our wits’ end trying to find a solution. A good shielding lotion can protect us all year long – thousands of doctors now recommend it as an effective dry skin and eczema treatment - but here are a few other hints and remedies that will help make your winter a pleasure.

* Keep your body dry – especially those parts that tend to have eczema flares. If you’re playing winter sports or just out having a good old-fashioned snowball fight, wear a shielding lotion on the areas that are giving you trouble, and on your face, hands and feet. Since a shielding (lotion) won’t wash off, you’ll be protected all day.

* Stay hydrated – dry winter air tends to wick moisture from the skin and body. Drinking plenty of water will provide enough moisture for you and the thirsty air.

* Stay away from chemicals – inside and out. Not only are they toxic, which can cause eczema flares all on by itself, they also dry the skin.

* Wear silk against the skin – other fabrics stay wet; silk dries quickly, so your body stays dry. Silk undergarments and liners for gloves and socks feel great, don’t snag, and keep you warm and dry. Fortunately, silk is no longer the expensive luxury item it once was. Check the stores, you’ll find some beautiful, affordable items. Silk is a key item in the dry skin and eczema treatment arsenal. If you have to handle chemicals and wear rubber gloves, you can use the silk liners under them, too.

* Keep your pH balance in check - the normal pH balance for the body is about 7.3. A body that’s too acidic tends to be toxic. Those toxins are eliminated through the skin and cause eczema flares. A body that’s too alkaline leeches moisture. Do a little research on foods that don’t cause high or low pH. The skins natural pH is a little more acidic so it can fight environmental pollutants and bacteria. When you’re shopping for cosmetics or skin care products, look for something with a pH between four and six. This is especially important for any dry skin or eczema treatment products.

* Load up on essential fatty acids – fish oil and oil of evening primrose are your best supplements. Did you know that essential fatty acids were the primary eczema treatment prescribed by doctors before hydrocortisone and other steroids were developed? They worked great then, and still do. And they don’t have the dangerous side effects of drugs.

With the exception of silk liners for gloves, which you’re probably not going to wear in the summer, the guidelines above are good eczema tips for any season. In fact, they may be enough to prevent flares altogether, and may be all the eczema treatment you need.

Source: http://www.theopenpress.com/index.php?a=press&id=23670

*This is a sponsored post

This is an all-in-one solution for those who love taking photos. You need a Kingston Photo Loader card which comes with Photo Loader software to allow auto transfer of photos from your PC to your ShutterFly account. Just take picture as usual and when you are ready to transfer, just insert the SD card into your PC card reader. Photo Loader will then transfer the photos to your PC, and upload them to ShutterFly. Easy!

Candida yeast infection is one of the many causes of skin disorder such as eczema, seborrhea dermatitis and psoriasis. Besides that, candida yeast infection is also a cause for conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome, gyneacological problems such as vaginal itching, thrush and discharge, glandular inflammation such as cysts and endometriosis, kidney infection, chronic fatigue, thyroid problems and so on. If candida infection is left untreated, it will cause more serious degerative diseases, such as cancer and diabetes. One of the best candida natural remedies is consuming raw garlic. Garlic consists of potent anti-fungal properties. This article explores some facts on using garlic for candida infection.

According to Herbal Antibiotics: Natural Alternatives for Treating Drug-Resistant Bacteria garlic is the strongest natural antibiotic or antifungal known to men. According to Buhner, if you are new to taking raw garlic, the best thing is the start slowly. Do not take a high dosage in the beginning to avoid vomitting. Garlic is best taken fresh. Eat 1 clove 3 times a day if your infection is considered mild. But if you have acute infection, then increase
your dosage to up to 9 bulbs. Juicing the garlic will make it easier to eat. Juice it and mix with tomato or carrot juice. Or you can choose to mix it with honey.

According to the book, another alternative to eating raw garlic which may turn off some people is Teeter Garlic Tincture. Garlic tincture consists of fresh bulb 1:2 in 95% alcohol. For serious infection , it was recommended to take up to 40 drops 6 times a day. Since this consists of alcohol, it may not be suitable for everybody especially if you are allergic to alcohol.

If you want to kill bacteria in your gut, you can swallow a clove of garlic cut into half. Alternatively, if you want your body to absorb it, cut it into small piece and swallow. The advantage of swallowing is that you can enjoy the benefits of garlic without the smell. If you have infection on your skin or ears, you can boil the garlic and use it on your skin.

It is interesting to note that allicin, a component in garlic, is the most powerful antibiotic and antifungal. Allicin is a powerful antibacterial and anti-fungal compound obtained from garlic. Allicin is also the chemical constituent primarily responsible for the hot, burning flavor of fresh garlic. Allicin is not present in garlic in its natural state. When garlic is chopped or otherwise damaged, the enzyme alliinase acts on the chemical alliin converting it into allicin. Alliin is an amino acid that does not build proteins. Allicin is not a very stable compound. It degrades slowly upon standing and is rapidly destroyed by cooking. Therefore, eating cooked garlic is not as effective.

The garlic odor can be quite a turn off. A lot of people take odorless garlic supplement to avoid the strong smell. However, unfortunately, the part of the garlic which contains the odor,also contains allicin. Therefore, whether this odorless garlic pill is effective, is highly questionable. You can read more about this here. (http://www.allicin.com/) There are plenty of debate on this. In my opinion, garlic pills can be costly, and I would not spend my money on something which I am not fully confident it will work. Fresh garlic is so much cheaper and effective.






To take fresh garlic minus the strong odor, try chopping up (some say crushing it is more effective) the garlic into small pieces and swallow without chewing, then rinse with water. Eating some parsley afterwards helps to get rid of the smell too. If you are conscious, don’t eat it before or during work when you need to socialize with people.

Besides eating , there is another way to infuse garlic into your blood directly. Mash up a couple of garlic cloves, use virgin coconut oil as medium, tape it at the bottom of your feet (your sole). Let it there for 15 minutes. Not longer than that to avoid chemical burns. The garlic juice will be absorb by your feet into your blood stream and you can feel instant relief.

For best results, you need to rotate garlic with other antifungal ingredients. Candida can become immune to one type of antifungal after a while so you should switch to alternate them. Other antifungals you can use are oregano oil and grapefruit seed extract. In fact, it is recommended to take these two antifungals after stopping garlic to promote probiotics, as garlic can kill off probiotics.

*This is a sponsored post

If you have not heard of medical ID jewelry before, or think that it is just a fad, you may want to think twice. This is especially important for people with certain medical conditions, such as hypertension, epilepsy, diabetes, stroke and people who take multiple medications. Medical ID jewelry speaks for you in case of emergency when you are not able to speak for yourself. Medical ID jewelry does not confine only for those with chronic conditions, it is especially useful for people with food allergies as well, especially children. If your child has food allergies, the Medical Alert Tag speaks on behalf of your child when children are not able to articulate themselves. This will definitely save you a lot of talking as well as making sure others knows about your child’s condition whenever you are not around.

Rash and eruptions on the leg are very common. They can occur as an isolated phenomenon, or as part of the skin disease of the body. Some of the common conditions , which come with itching and scaling on legs, are:

Eczema

There are several different types of eczemas, but one variety which is seen only on the legs and very rarely elsewhere on the body, is neurodermatitis. In this condition, there is a persistent dry patch mostly around the ankles, which itches especially at night or whenever the patient is sitting idle. It is a psychosomatic condition, which often comes when the patient is under stress. In such cases, making a conscious effort not to scratch and lubricating the patch liberally provides relief from itching.

Another common cause of eczema on the lower legs is varicose veins. Varicose veins are enlarged, twisted veins that appear near the surface of the skin and are caused by weakening of the vein valves. Eczema due to varicose veins causes the legs to appear dry, red and scaly. Apart from moisturisers, support stockings may be required in such cases.

Lichen Planus

Lichen Planus is another chronic skin disease commonly found on the legs and is caused by an abnormal immune reaction provoked by a viral infection. It appears as small violet coloured bumps, which are extremely itchy. These eruptions often form raised and thick plaque-like eruptions, which can be very unsightly in their appearance. The disease may come in episodes lasting for six to nine months and often re-occur . Lichen Planus can persist longer in people who are severely affected. Along with treatment , it’s important to provide relief from itching and improve the appearance of the skin.

Ichthyosis

Also known as fish skin disease, Ichthyosis is an inherited skin disorder that causes dead skin cells to accumulate in the form of thick dry scales on the skin’s surface. It is caused by an abnormality in the normal lifecycle of the skin. While in most people the growth, dying and shedding of skin happens unnoticed; people with Ichthyosis reproduce new skin cells at a faster rate than they can shed it. Symptoms usually worsen or are more pronounced in cold and dry environments and tend to improve during summer. People with Ichthyosis need to bathe, moisturise and exfoliate their skin on a daily basis.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/HealthScience/Itchy_rash_on_legs/