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ACNEMost people with acne attempt to treat their irritated skin with external face washes, soaps, lotions and treatments. Yet, according to a number of natural health authors, the best way to treat acne is by changing your diet and getting rid of acne-causing ingredients such as fried foods. According to some, the prevalence of acne in the United States is built into the typical American diet. Americans tend to eat fried foods in large quantities, usually cooked in the most harmful of fats and oils. Not all fats are bad, but the fats that typical Americans eat make them more prone to develop acne and skin problems than those living in other countries, according to Acne Can Be Cured author Dr. Gustave H. Hoehn. "The common ingredient found in the native diets of Italians, Koreans, Japanese and Eskimos is thin oils – olive oils, fish oils, peanut and vegetable oils – while we Americans eat heavier fats, which are found in milk, cheese and ice cream as well as in bacon, ham and pork, and lard used in many fried foods." Hoehn also points out that Italians living in Italy – not those residing in the United States – have "beautiful" complexions, largely because they consume diets rich in healthy oils and low in unhealthy fats. The same goes for native Koreans, Japanese and Eskimos. However, when these people move to America, they – along with their descendants – develop acne just like Americans. Acne cannot really be treated using creams and soaps because the root of the condition lies beneath the skin. According to Dr. Gary Null in Complete Encyclopedia of Natural Healing, pimples are caused by "bacteria and other irritants embedded underneath the skin's oil glands and hair follicles. It is generally a result of improper hygiene and poor diet, i.e., excessive amounts of processed, fatty and fried foods, as well as dairy, meat and sugar." Drinking excessive amounts of coffee and soda – especially cola – also contributes to acne. Since some of the heaviest soda drinkers in the United States are teenagers, who simultaneously are being affected by hormones, they tend to have the most prevalent skin problems. "Acne, a common problem in teenagers, results from a combination of hormone stimulation, production of irritating fatty acids by certain bacteria, stress and poor diet," writes Dr. Elson M. Haas in Staying Healthy With Nutrition. Since acne is caused by overproduction of oil beneath the skin, Haas recommends drinking more water, eliminating fried foods and hydrogenated fats from the diet and getting extra vitamin A and zinc to reduce acne breakouts. Acne isn't the only skin problem that improves with a healthy diet. Richard Mabey, author of The New Age Herbalist, asserts that eczema and dry, flaky skin can also be healed through healthful foods and supplements. "[Eczema can] be caused by nutritional deficiencies and the skin will quickly return to normal once the deficiency is made good," writes Mabey. "Vitamins A, B, C and E are all necessary for healthy skin." Mabey also recommends cold-pressed vegetable oils like sunflower oil and safflower oil, as well as fruits, vegetables, carrot juice and kelp. Things to avoid include fried foods, junk foods, alcohol, sugary foods and drinks and artificial coloring and flavoring. But skin isn't the only organ that benefits from eliminating fried foods from the diet. Healthy hair also depends on the amounts of greasy, fried foods consumed. Joseph B. Marion, author of Anti-Aging Manual, recommends avoiding fried foods, butter, shellfish, nuts, chocolate, iodized salt and alcohol in order to have healthy hair. Similarly, Alternative Cures author Bill Gottlieb writes that lowering the amounts of fried food and saturated fat in the diet will treat one's hair internally, which in turn makes it healthy on the outside. So for healthy skin and hair, stop eating fried, fatty foods. Instead, turn to a diet rich in whole foods like fruits, vegetables, healthy oils and grains. The experts speak on fried foods, skin and hair: The experts speak on fried foods and skin health Eruptions
on the surface of the skin usually indicate an acidic condition in the blood.
This comes from eating too much meat, fried food, sweets, and white flour
products, as well as drinking a lot of coffee, colas, and soft drinks.
Watermelon juice flushes a lot of this acid from the system and renews the
blood. When this happens the skin starts looking and feeling better. Fat
foods result in sluggish digestion, cloudy thinking, and blemishes. A diet high
in fried foods, butter, cheese, nuts, or tahini congests the Wood element (the
liver and gallbladder organ systems), making it harder for the body to clear
wastes. The
Chinese believe that acne is tied to inefficient and incomplete digestion,
which results in toxic metabolites that show up on the skin. A skin-healthy
diet emphasizes raw and lightly cooked vegetables, especially green leafy
vegetables that contain valuable trace minerals and are rich in fiber. Fresh
green vegetables are essential. Also include in your diet lean protein sources
and complex carbohydrates, such as rice, whole-grain bread, potatoes, and
legumes (legumes may be omitted if they cause a digestive problem). These
fiber-rich foods help ensure a clean gastrointestinal tract, which is
especially important in the management of acne. Eat three healthy meals daily
to provide important nutrients and to decrease your appetite for sugary or
greasy fried foods. This
common complaint—commonly referred to as pimples—is caused by bacteria and
other irritants embedded underneath the skin's oil glands and hair follicles.
It is generally a result of improper hygiene and poor diet, i.e., excessive
amounts of processed, fatty, and fried foods, as well as dairy, meat, and
sugar. Angry-looking
red pimples filled with a yellowish discharge are a sign of excess pitta dosha,
says Vasant Lad, B.A.M.S., M.A.Sc, director of the Ayurvedic Institute in
Albuquerque, New Mexico. (For more information about the Ayurvedic doshas, see
"All about Vata, Pitta and Kapha" on page 28.) To control acne, he
suggests adopting a diet that includes plenty of bland foods such as oatmeal,
applesauce and basmati rice and eliminates fried foods, spicy foods and citrus
fruits. Other
foods that block the healing of psoriasis, says Dr. Pagano, are shellfish, junk
foods such as soda or potato chips, fried foods, alcohol, pickled and smoked
foods, and processed foods with coconut oil or palm oil. He also recommends
avoiding excess sweets such as sodas, candy, pastries, and pies. Eczema
can also be caused by nutritional deficiencies and the skin will quickly return
to normal once the deficiency is made good. Infantile or children's eczema may,
for instance, be due to lack of gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), present in breast
milk but absent in cow's milk. Always consult your doctor on skin ailments in
babies or children. Including cold-pressed vegetable oils such as sunflower and
safflower in the diet will also help. Vitamins A, B, C, and E are all necessary
for healthy skin. Drink carrot juice every day for a good dose of betacarotene,
a precursor of Vitamin A. A supplement of Vitamin B6 can sometimes heal dry
flaky skin. Eating kelp will also help to provide necessary trace elements and
minerals. If you suffer from eczema, avoid fried food, alcohol, junk foods, and
foods and drinks which contain sugar, artificial colouring and flavouring. Eat
instead a wholefood diet with plenty of fresh vegetables and fruit. The New Age Herbalist by Richard Mabey, page 232 A
healthful diet rich in natural whole foods like vegetables, fruits, whole
grains, and beans is the first recommendation for treating acne. …Foods
containing trans-fatty acids, such as milk, milk products, margarine,
shortening, and other synthetically hydrogenated vegetable oils, as well as
fried foods, must be avoided. Gustave
H. Hoehn, M.D., author of Acne Can Be Cured, does not agree. "Diet is the
answer to the acne problem," Hoehn says. The common ingredient found in
the native diets of Italians, Koreans, Japanese, and Eskimos is thin oils—olive
oils, fish oils, peanut and vegetable oils—while we Americans eat heavier fats,
which are found in milk, cheese, and ice cream as well as in bacon, ham and
pork, and lard used in many fried foods. He points out that Italians, in their
native country, have beautiful complexions, as do Koreans, Japanese, and
Eskimos. But when these peoples move to the United States, their descendants
develop acne like other Americans. Eat
right. Help clear your skin by eliminating fried foods and foods with added
sugar and artificial color and flavoring from your diet. Acne,
a common problem in teenagers, results from a combination of hormone
stimulation, production of irritating fatty acids by certain bacteria, stress,
and poor diet. Acne vulgaris (the medical name) is tied to an overproduction of
the oil in the sebaceous glands of the skin. More water intake, eliminating
fried foods and hydrogenated fats from the diet, and taking extra vitamin A and
zinc will often reduce acne outbreaks. To
control acne, the diet should consist mainly of fresh vegetables and fruit.
Avoid refined carbohydrates, sugar, fried foods and animal fats, including
cheese and butter, but do include cold-pressed vegetable oils. Chocolate,
sweets, crisps, and other junk foods, are also likely to make the skin worse. Avoid
alcohol, sodas, chocolate, fried foods, and refined sugar. Each of these
contributes to an acidic internal environment, which may foster the development
of acne. "To
decrease the oil production from your scalp and reduce the oiliness of your
hair, I think you should lower the amount of fried food and saturated fat in
your diet," says Janssen. Then, once you're treating your oily hair
internally, she believes that the best external way to reduce oil is with a
natural rinse.
Generalized anxiety disorder is a health condition associated with excessive worry about daily life events for no clear or rational reason. People with anxiety will normally worry too much about school, work, family, money or health. The worry is often out of proportion and unrealistic. Anxiety becomes a problem when it starts to interfere with the person's daily function at work and at home. His relationship with his family and friends will also be jeopardized. The symptoms of anxiety includes sleeping disorders, being startled easily, frequent trembling, tiredness, nausea, difficulty in focusing or concentrating, excessive and frequent sweating, headaches, muscle tension, irritability and unrealistic views of common problems. Anxiety is also often linked to other more serious conditions like depression, certain phobias, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder and even alcohol and drug abuse. There are different theories as to the cause of anxiety. Medical experts suggest that some people are more genetically inclined to develop anxiety. Studies show that a person's family history can play an important role in the development of anxiety and researchers found that the condition can be passed on from generation to generation. Brain chemistry is also linked to the risk of developing anxiety. Environmental factors like stressful events, trauma, history of abuse, divorce, problems at work, home and school, and the death of a loved one can also lead to anxiety. What is Fatigue? Fatigue, in general, is characterized by the lack of energy to perform daily tasks both physically and mentally. Though different from drowsiness, fatigue can also result to a desire to sleep even during at work, or while performing important tasks. According to statistics, around 20 percent of Americans are diagnosed with fatigue that is serious enough to interfere with living a normal and healthy life. There are two main classifications that causes fatigue. Around 40 to 80 percent of fatigue is due to mental or emotional causes while 20 to 60 percent are caused by physical factors. The common causes of fatigue are metabolic and endocrine problems, infection, pulmonary and cardiac disorders, certain medications, psychiatric problems, sleeping disorders and many others. What is Depression? Depression, on the other hand, can be a more serious case of anxiety and fatigue. The common causes of depression include sleeping problems, health conditions like hypothyroidism, cancer and chronic illnesses, certain medications, and tragic life events. The symptoms are: excessive sleep or the lack of it, suicidal thoughts, withdrawal from usual activities, self-pity and feelings of self-hate and worthlessness, feelings of helplessness and hopelessness, lack of energy, easy fatigability, difficulty concentrating, change in appetite that results to weight gain or weight loss, irritability, restlessness and agitation. The advice of medical health professionals is needed to find a suitable treatment for anxiety, fatigue and depression which will often include a combination of medication and cognitive-behavioral therapy. But besides this, numerous studies had found natural ways to treat anxiety, especially advantageous because it doesn’t have side and adverse effects. A study conducted by Swiss researchers found that meditation can treat and relieve the symptoms of anxiety. Meditation Against Anxiety, Fatigue and Depression A study conducted by researchers from Switzerland found that meditation can help alleviate anxiety, fatigue and depression in patients with multiple sclerosis. Mindfulness meditation has been recommended by medical experts as an alternative treatment for people suffering from chronic conditions. In practice, mindfulness meditation aims to develop and improve the person's perception of the now; the practice is commonly described as the objective awareness of moment-to-moment experience. The study was conducted at the University Hospital Basel and lasted for a period of 8 weeks. The researchers randomly selected 150 patients to receive either standard medical care or mindfulness meditation program for 8 weeks. At the end of the study, the researchers found that the patients who practiced meditation had lower levels of depression and fatigue compared to those who received medical care only. Around 50 percent of patients with multiple sclerosis report that fatigue is the most disabling symptom of their health condition. The participants of the study reported improvements in fatigue, depression, anxiety and their overall quality of life. Author of the study, Paul Grossman, said that their mindfulness meditation program received a high attendance rate of 90 percent. Natural Ways to Alleviate Anxiety, Fatigue and Depression Anxiety, depression and fatigue can be controlled by eating starchy foods. It's common knowledge that eating carbohydrate-rich foods can give a temporary feeling of calm. A study conducted by a team of researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology found that a certain amino acid, which increases in production with the intake of carbohydrates, can stimulate the production of serotonin, an enzyme responsible for creating a sense of calm. Carbohydrates also supply the body with its much needed energy to overcome fatigue. A study conducted by the US National Institute of Health in 2003 found that eating fish can reduce depression and anxiety. Fish like herring, mackerel, sardines and salmon are rich in EPA or Eicosapentaenoic acid, a long-chain unsaturated fatty acid which promotes brain health and improves its response to stress. Food supplements containing high concentrations of fish nutrients are also available for people who are not fond of eating fish. Herbs like St. John's Wort, valerian root, peppermint and lemon balm had also been found to be beneficial in alleviating anxiety, fatigue and depression. Though these herbs help increase the levels of serotonin in the body, medical experts discourage the use of these herbs, especially St. John's Wort, for people who are already taking antidepressants and other medications for anxiety and fatigue. Try to ask for the advice of a naturopath or herbalist before taking any herbal medication. Proper nutrition can greatly help in alleviating anxiety, fatigue and depression. Eating foods rich in vitamin B complex can help stimulate the creation of new neurotransmitters to improve mood and control the communication between the nerve cells of the brain. Foods rich in vitamin B complex are oranges, beans, wheat, nuts, and cantaloupe. It is also available in supplement form. Certain
relaxation practices like yoga, aromatherapy, getting a massage and mindfulness
meditation have also been found to help overcome these conditions by reducing
stress and improving the person’s response to stressful situations.
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