Health Benefits of Aloe Vera

Aloe vera is a species of plants that grow in arid climates in Africa, India, an other arid places. The leaf juices of the aloe plant has important medicinal properties and is commonly found in many gels, creams and lotions. It can be used on the skin to heal wounds, especially first and second degree burns, and to treat sunburn. It has compounds that work together to decrease and prevent inflammation and control pain. It also stimulates collagen synthesis and skin regeneration. It has anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties to help prevent wound infections. It also contains vitamins and amino acids that help to repair damaged tissues.

Aloe vera extracts are also useful at improving glucose levels in diabetics and treating elevated blood lipids. It is non-toxic and has no known side effects.

Reduce Skin Cancer Risk with Black Tea

Black tea is made from the dried leaves of the Camellia evergreen shrub that is native to southeast Asia. Green tea and oolong tea also come from this plant. In 2007, Partmouth Medical School did a study and found that drinking at least two cups per day of black tea can cut the risk of skin cancer in half.

The tea has polyphenols that could protect the body against UV radiation. Tea has an antioxidant called catechins that can inhibit the growth of cancer cells. Both black tea and green tea has 10 times the amount of antioxidants found in fruits and vegetables. The antioxidants have a detoxifying effect that protects cells from free radicals. Free radicals can cause damage to cells that can cause blood clot formation, atherosclerosis, and cancer. Studies have shown that when tea extracts are applied to the skin, the risk of skin cancer due to sun damage is decreased.

Improve Memory with Apples

It is found that eating apples could help to improve and prevent Alzheimer's disease. Eating two or three apples a day causes the levels of acetylcholine to increase. Acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter that is important to maintaining memory that decreases with age. Neurotransmitters are chemicals that are released from nerve cells that transmit messages to other nerve cells. Apples also have an antioxidant called quercetin, which has been proved in studies to help prevent Alzheimer's disease and it improves memory. Quercetin is found in the flesh and skin of an apple. The juice in apples may protect against oxidative damage that contributes to age-related disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease.

Slow Aging with Tea

White tea is good at slowing down the aging process of the body. It has ingredients that are effective at boosting the immune function of skin cells and protecting them against the damaging effects of the sun. It also has an extract that protects the skin from oxidative stress. Oxidative stress of the skin causes a breakdown in cellular strength and function. The extract has antioxidant properties that make it very effective. Antioxidants rid the body of free radicals that speed up the aging process. White tea has a high amount of the antioxidant called catechin, which is believed to help prevent stroke, diabetes, cancer, and heart failure.

In a study done on 21 different plant extracts, scientists have found that white tea was better than all of the other botanicals at stalling the activity of the enzymes that wear down elastin and collagen, which are two proteins that help to prevent wrinkles. Elastin helps maintain the elasticity of the skin, lungs, and arteries. Collagen is commonly found in the connective tissue and it is important for the strength and elasticity of the skin.

White tea also has anti-viral and antibacterial properties. It has a considerable amount of both caffeine and the amino acid theorine, both have mood enhancing qualities.

Ease Stress with Scents

It is found that the scents of lavender, lemon, orange, grape, mango, and basil are good at easing stress. They all contain linalool, which is a chemical that can offset the effects of stress. Linalool has a calming effect on the limbic center of the brain, which is involved in processing emotions.

Lavender is a good scent that is good at aiding relaxation and reducing anxiety. Lavender oil can be used to treat pain from tension headache when it is breathed in as a vapor or diluted and rubbed on the skin. When it is added to a vaporizer, it can help to treat cough and respiratory infection. The scent of lemon has shown in studies to enhance mood and ease stress and depression. Basil can help to ease depression and relieve headaches and migraines.

Health Benefits of Licorice

Licorice is a flavorful herb that has been used for food and medicinal purposes for thousands of years to treat several illness from the common cold to liver disease. It grows wild in some parts of Europe and Asia and usually grows 3 to 7 feet high. Licorice roots are brown on the outside and yellow on the inside and contain a compound that is nearly 50 times sweeter than sugar. Licorice supplements are made from the roots and underground stems of the plant. Licorice candy that is commonly sold in stores is flavored with licorice root extract and is considered a healthier snack choice because it contains almost no fat per serving.

Licorice is considered a demulcent because of its soothing and coating properties. It is considered an expectorant because it can remove phlegm and mucous from the respiratory tract. It is commonly used by health care professionals to relieve respiratory ailments, allergies, bronchitis, colds, sore throat, tuberculosis, stomach problems, heartburn from reflux, inflammatory disorders, skin diseases, stress relief, hepatitis, and liver problems.

A New Better Botox

This a new product called Dysport that is suppose to be better than Botox. It has been FDA approved to treat facial lines and cervical dystonia. It temporarily restricts the muscle actions that cause creasing and frown lines. It suppose to be better than Botox because it lasts approximately 4 months instead of 3 days and works faster. Dysport is made from the same active ingredient as Botox, called Clostridium botulinim toxin type A. It is also similar to Botox in that it is injected into the skin at the site of forehead wrinkles. There are side effects, such as nose and throat irritation, headache, pain and skin reaction at the injection site, upper respiratory tract infection, eyelid swelling and drooping, sinus inflammation, and nausea.

How to Relieve Mosquito Bites

Mosquito and other insect bites can be itchy and very annoying but there are simple methods that can be used to relieve the itching. Good ways to relieve an itchy mosquito bite include rubbing a wet bar of soap over the area or placing an ice cube or very cold water over the area. Taking a cold shower can help by reducing the swelling of the welts that can be caused by mosquito bites and it helps to reduce swelling by the constricting the capillaries near the surface of the skin and causing fewer antigens and antibodies to cause a reaction. You can also use common household items to relieve the itch, such as nail polish, toothpaste, mouthwash, vinegar, honey, underarm deodorant, rubbing alcohol, ammonia, bleach, or a hot tea bag placed on the area.

The Benefits of Olive Oil

Olive oil can have a positive effect on blood cholesterol levels, heart disease, skin cancer, earaches, constipation, colon cancer, upset stomach, dry skin, and stretch marks. It also contains vitamins E, K, A and hundreds of micronutrients. Many of its health benefits are due to its high amount of monounsaturated fatty acids, antioxidants, anti-inflammatory properties, and moisturizing properties.

Olive oil has a positive effect against heart disease by controlling LDL (bad) cholesterol levels and increasing HDL (good) cholesterol levels. It is good at activating the secretion of bile and pancreatic hormones and lowering the chance of the formation of gallstones. When it is taken orally, it can increase metabolism, help digestion, and lubricate mucous membranes. Putting extra virgin olive oil on skin after sunbathing can help to prevent skin cancer.

Ease Burns with Aloe Vera

Aloe vera gel has soothing and anti-inflammation properties that act like a second skin to protect a burned area from air, which can irritate exposed nerve endings. It also helps new skin to form and provides important nutrients that are needed to produce healthy tissue growth. It reduces inflammation and kills bacteria and other foreign organisms at a burn site. It also decreases the time it takes a burn to heal. Aloe vera works on any type of burn, including sunburns, burns from hot surfaces and liquids, and steam burns.

Use Oatmeal to Soothe Skin

Oatmeal can be used to soothe dry skin, inflammation, rashes, and eczema. It contains oats that contain avenanthramides, beta-glucan, and silicon that cause the soothing effect. It can also help to heal sun burns and relieve itching. When it is mixed with lemon juice and milk and applied to the face, it can be used to reduce the appearance of pores on the skin and tighten them.

Cotton Candy Used to Grow Tissue

It is found that the sweet treat cotton candy can be used to help scientists grow replacement tissues for people who need it. It can also be used in creating networks of blood vessels in laboratory-grown bone, skin, muscles, or fat for breast reconstruction.

The process would work by first putting a thick liquid chemical over a wad of cotton candy. The liquid would then solidify into a chunk. The chunk would be placed into warm water to dissolve the candy. Tiny channels will then be left where the strands of candy used to be. These channels would be lined with cells to make artificial blood vessels. The solid chunk would be seeded with immature cells of whatever tissue that is meant to be made. The block would be biodegradable and would eventually be replaced by growing tissue as it disappears. In the end you would get a piece of tissue permeated with tiny blood vessels.

Researchers are testing this method and have used rat blood to run through the channels to test it. Eventually, they plan to use something other than cotton candy as the research progresses.

Use Music to be Heart Healthy

It is found that listening to music can be healthy for the body. Music can create a sense of euphoria and have a positive effect on the endothelium, which is the inner lining of the blood vessels. Endothelium that are in good condition have a positive effect on blood flow and blood vessel tone. Higher amounts of the protective chemical nitric oxide are also produced, which helps to reduce inflammation and keeps platelets in the blood from getting sticky. Music also has been shown to lower blood pressure. Any type of music from any artist can generate the same positive effects.

Leg Pain Symptom of Deadly Blood Clot

It is found that having leg pain can be a symptom of having a deep vein thrombosis. A deep vein thrombosis forms in large veins and it is usual for them to develop in the leg and groin area. It can kill a person quickly if it moves up to the lung area where it would become a pulmonary embolism.

Symptoms of a deep vein thrombosis in the leg area includes swelling, pain, a warm spot, or discoloration of the skin. Other symptoms may include shortness of breath or having pain when breathing deeply. There are many things that can cause a thrombosis, including recent surgery, broken bones, falling, pregnancy, birth control pills, menopause hormones, and being immobile for a long period of time, and the risks increase with age, especially in people over 65, and with those who smoke or are obese.

New Botox Alternative for Frown Lines

There is a new Botox injection alternative that is made for vertical frown lines that are between the eyebrows called Glabellar furrow relaxation. Its effects supposedly last longer than Botox and works by directing radio-frequency energy at the nerves that are connected to the forehead muscles to keep the muscles and skin from creasing. After the doctor injects local anesthesia, they would insert a pen like device under the skin and around the temple. The procedure would relax the frown muscles immediately.

The cost of Glabellar furrow relaxation costs more than Botox injections. Glabellar furrow relaxation costs $1,000 to $3,000 per treatment and Botox injections can cost between $400 and $800 per treatment.

Therapeutic Light Used to Repair Skin Damage

There is a procedure called LED photography that exposes skin to therapeutic light to repair sun damage without causing pain or taking much time. The procedure uses light that stimulates collagen and elastin production. It has fewer side effects than using lasers or peels, even though the results aren’t as fast.

Nightly Face Washing Helps Skin

It is found that if a person doesn’t wash their face at night it can make them look older. Leaving dirt, excess oil, and makeup on the skin during the night can cause pores to get larger and can irritate dry skin. It is recommended to rub facial cleanser onto damp skin for 2 minutes and rinse 10 times with lukewarm water.

Save Your Skin With Antioxidants

Antioxidants are very important in achieving healthy skin. They work by turning free radicals into benign compounds and stop them from causing inflammation, DNA mutation, and loss of collagen. They can help to prevent wrinkles, spots, and possibly skin cancer. Green Tea, Vitamin C, Idebenone, Pomegranate, and CoffeeBerry are all rich in antioxidants.

Green tea is made from the steaming and drying of fresh leaves. The antioxidant properties in it are preserved very well. It is 100 times more effective than vitamin C and 25 times more effective than vitamin E at neutralizing free radicals. It also protects against DNA damage that is caused by the sun.

Vitamin C is an effective antioxidant source. Increasing the amount of vitamin C in the diet can repair some signs of aging on the skin. It does this because it plays apart in the metabolism of collagen. Vitamin C can also produce free radicals by itself.

Idebenone is an antioxidant that is a little different than others because instead of canceling out one free radical per molecule, it can cancel out multiple free radicals or stop them from forming. This would cause the skin to be protected longer and decrease fine lines and wrinkles.

Pomegranate is a fruit that is high in polyphenol, which makes the cell membrane stronger and less prone to damage and loss of moisture. This would help the skin stay hydrated and moist longer and help to prevent premature wrinkles. It can also help to prevent skin cancer because there is an extract in it that has been proved to prevent skin tumors and increases the effectiveness of sunscreen.

CoffeeBerry is the extract of the cherries of the coffee plant. It is considered to have the most potent mixture of natural antioxidants and is able to neutralize a wide variety of free radicals. It can also reverse some signs of UV damage and is good at decreasing fine lines and wrinkles. Dermatologists say that it can help with skin pigmentation problems, such as dark spots, red spots, and rosacea.

Smoking Can Cause Acne

Researchers from the San Gallicano Dermatological Institute in Rome found that cigarettes can cause acne as well as cause dull and wrinkled skin. They found that noninflammatory acne affected eight times more smokers than nonsmokers. Most of the nonsmokers that had acne lived or worked in environments with heavy smoke. Cigarette smoke can cause skin cells, called keratinocytes, to proliferate and clog pores.

New Wrinkle Fighting Pill

There is a new supplement called L-Skin Care, currently only available in Korea, which has a special formulation that has proved to drastically reduce the effects of wrinkles and crow’s feet on the skin. It also blocks collagen-destroying proteins and increases collagen production.