by Dr. Edward F. Group III, DC, Ph.D, ND, DACBN
Acne affects people of every age, gender, and race. It usually strikes in plainly visible locations such as the face, neck, chest and back. Acne can be caused by a number of factors such as contact with an oily substance, use of certain medication, steroids, or the secretion of certain hormones.
Over ninety percent of acne patients respond to treatment, although the treatment may need to be continued for months or even years. Here are a few natural remedies that you can use to cure acne.
What Causes Acne?
As mentioned above, acne can be caused by a number of factors. Common causes of acne include contact with an oily substance such as mineral oil, vegetable oil, or petroleum and the use of certain medication such as steroids or the contraceptive pill.
However, acne is most often caused by the secretion of androgens, or sex hormones that are initially secreted at the onset of puberty. Androgens are male hormones but they are secreted by females as well. They stimulate the production of oil from the skin's oil glands. When these oil glands become overactive and the exit from the gland is blocked, oil builds up in the gland and they begin to swell. This is how acne forms.
A bacteria called Propionibacterium acnes normally colonizes this swollen gland causing the development of inflammation and pus. In particularly severe cases, the glands may burst into the skin and produce cysts. Recently health practitioners are associating acne with a fungus on the face. A clogged colon can also contribute to acne.
We recommend using a colon cleanser like Oxy-Powder to keep the bowel clean.
How Can I Cure Acne?
Home Remedies:
•A non-oily face wash that contains tea tree oil or echinacea can help to reduce the incidence of acne breakouts. Wash your face twice a day in the morning and evenings and rinse thoroughly with warm purified water.
•Avoid oily and chemically ridden cosmetics or any facial products that contain socetyl stearate, isopropyl isostearate, isopropyl palmitate, isopropyl myristate, and sodium chloride, parabens as these ingredients can cause acne.
•Give dry skin extra care, being sure to wash and rinse your face thoroughly and using products
especially made for dry skin.
•Natural astringent cleansers work to remove the oil buildup that may become blocked in the skin's glands. These products may cause dryness, itching, and redness, so be sure to use them only on problem areas.
•Oxy-Skin™ is also a very effective natural remedy for the elimination of acne.Herbal Remedies: Herbs such as chamomile, lavender, juniper, bergamot, dandelion root, and burdock root can be used to reduce toxicity and improve the overall condition of the skin. Echinacea and poke root are often used for their anti-inflammatory properties and red clover may be beneficial for its estrogenic action. Witch hazel has excellent astringent properties and may be very effective on acne. Here are a few natural herbal recipes to cure acne.
•Combine ground ginger with milk and apply to the affected area.
•Make a paste of honey and cinnamon and apply to the affected area at night. In the morning, wash this paste with warm water. Continue for one-two weeks.
•Mix lemon juice with cinnamon and apply to acne
•Mix ground orange peel with water to form a paste and apply to the affected spots. Wash with warm water after twenty to thirty minutes.
•Rub fresh garlic on acne at frequent intervals to acne.
•Use the juice of raw papaya to relieve swelling acne.
•Make a paste of salt and vinegar and wash off after twenty to thirty minutes.
•Rub fresh mint juice over acne.
•Make a paste of turmeric and vinegar and apply to acne. Rinse with lukewarm water after twenty to thirty minutes.
•Drink wheat grass juice to prevent and cure acne.
•Apply a poultice of ground sesame seeds and water on acne to reduce inflammation. Complementary Treatment
•Acupuncture: Stagnant of Chi in the channels of the face is said to be the cause of acne. Acupuncture performed on these points of the face may help relieve acne.
•Homeopathy: For patients with pustules and blind boils, especially on the face, neck, and back, may be helped by Kali brom. Selenium is often used for acne sufferers with oily skin, blackheads, and pustules.
Conventional Treatment- These treatmens we do not recommend.
Medication: Conventional acne medications may be topical- applied directly to the skin- or they may be systemic- taken internally. Medications include benzoyl peroxide, retinoic acid, steroids, antibiotics, oral contraceptives, and isotretinoin (Accutane.)
Therapeutic Injections: In severe cases of acne where cysts form and scars have developed, doctors have had some success with injecting steroids directly into the cyst to resolve the cysts and diminish the appearance of scars.Surgery: In moderate to severe cases of acne, doctors may use surgery to open up the blemishes and remove blackheads and whiteheads. Unlike medication treatments, the effects of acne surgery are usually more immediate.
For more information on acne remedies go to http://www.acne-answers.org.
About the Author
Dr. Group, the founder/CEO and clinical director for the Global Healing Center, heads a research and development team producing advanced, new, natural health protocols and products. To learn more visit http://www.ghchealth.com.
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
An overview of the MRSA problem in the USA by MRSAinfection.org
The Centre For Disease Control (CDC) estimate that there are about 90,000 deaths per annum related to Hospital Acquired Infections (HAI's) most commonly MRSA, also known as Staph infections.
About one in twenty Americans will contract a HAI during a stay in hospital but most states are not required by law to provide this information. Apart from the incalculable human cost the CDC estimate that this adds $5 billion to the national healthcare bill.
Other estimates put the real figure at twice this amount. States where it is mandatory to supply this information include Illinois, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Florida and New York.
A recent report from one of these states, Pennsylvania , came up with the following figures. Number of hospital-acquired infections in 2004: 11,668. Number of deaths associated with hospital-acquired infections: 1,510. Extra number of hospital days associated with these infections: 205,000. Additional hospital charges: $2 billion.
The survey was carried out by the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council (PHC4). Incredibly, these figures are almost certainly understated, as sixteen hospitals reported no infections at all! It is all the more unbelievable when it is a matter of record that the hospitals billed for some 115,631 hospital acquired infections whilst only reporting 11,668!
If these figures are mirrored ac ross the country, the scale of the problem would beggar belief.
The Archives of Internal Medicine, estimate that between 40 percent and 60 percent of hospital MRSA infections are resistant to first-line antibiotics and the percentage is increasing. This is based on examined records from 7 million hospital stays at one-fifth of U.S. hospitals.
As in other countries, MRSA infections occur most frequently among persons in hospitals and healthcare facilities (such as nursing homes and dialysis centres) who have weakened immune systems. There is a second type of MRSA infection and it is called Community Associated MRSA (CA-MRSA) and d ata from a prospective study in 2003, suggests that 12% of clinical MRSA infections are community-associated, but this varies by geographic region and population.
This is an unusually high figure when compared to a country like the UK , which has a high rate of MRSA but a very low incidence of CA-MRSA. The CA-MRSA infections are defined as infections that are acquired by persons who have not been recently (within the past year) hospitalised or had a medical procedure (such as dialysis, surgery, catheters) are know as CA-MRSA infections. MRSA infections in the community are usually manifested as skin infections, such as pimples and boils, and occur in otherwise healthy people.
There have recently been clusters of CA-MRSA skin infections involving Alaskan Natives, Native Americans, men who have sex with men, and prisoners. Factors that have been associated with the spread of MRSA skin infections include: close skin-to-skin contact, openings in the skin such as cuts or abrasions, contaminated items and surfaces, crowded living conditions, and poor hygiene.
The CDC is implementing a range of measures to prevent the spread of MRSA:
- CDC is collaborating with state health departments and academic medical centres to identify and promote effective strategies to reduce MRSA transmission in healthcare and community settings.
- CDC has launched a national evidence-based educational Campaign to Prevent Antimicrobial Resistance in Healthcare Settings .
- CDC is conducting proficiency testing to assist public health laboratories in determining the antibiotic susceptibility of staph bacteria.
- CDC is building a national resource library of MRSA (PulseNet) to identify genetic patterns or relationships among different types MRSA that could be used to take public health action.
- CDC is researching the role of staph toxins that may provide answers to questions about why some MRSA infections are more invasive, or lead to rapid death.
But without an accurate picture of the scale of the problem, how successful can their efforts be?
The UK has a big MRSA problem but it is at least serious in its attempt to tackle it. One of the most effective approached taken so far is the mandatory requirement for all hospitals to publish MRSA infection data.
This has been successful in focussing the politicians and health managers on the MRSA problem. Results are being seen already. More successful again are the Dutch, who had a big MRSA problem but now have it under control. They took it very seriously, very quickly and implemented a rigorous hygiene and segmentation protocol nationwide.
The US needs to follow suit but not everybody thinks so.
The Governor of California has just recently vetoed a bill which would have required public disclosure of hospital infection rates! I guess he's not ready to say hasta la vista to the superbugs just yet!
There is a public campaign underway and you can join their efforts at www.stophospitalinfections.org
About the Author
© MRSAinfections.org 2005
MRSAinfection.org is a website dedicated to bringing you up to date with all the latest information on MRSA and the threat it poses to you
About one in twenty Americans will contract a HAI during a stay in hospital but most states are not required by law to provide this information. Apart from the incalculable human cost the CDC estimate that this adds $5 billion to the national healthcare bill.
Other estimates put the real figure at twice this amount. States where it is mandatory to supply this information include Illinois, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Florida and New York.
A recent report from one of these states, Pennsylvania , came up with the following figures. Number of hospital-acquired infections in 2004: 11,668. Number of deaths associated with hospital-acquired infections: 1,510. Extra number of hospital days associated with these infections: 205,000. Additional hospital charges: $2 billion.
The survey was carried out by the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council (PHC4). Incredibly, these figures are almost certainly understated, as sixteen hospitals reported no infections at all! It is all the more unbelievable when it is a matter of record that the hospitals billed for some 115,631 hospital acquired infections whilst only reporting 11,668!
If these figures are mirrored ac ross the country, the scale of the problem would beggar belief.
The Archives of Internal Medicine, estimate that between 40 percent and 60 percent of hospital MRSA infections are resistant to first-line antibiotics and the percentage is increasing. This is based on examined records from 7 million hospital stays at one-fifth of U.S. hospitals.
As in other countries, MRSA infections occur most frequently among persons in hospitals and healthcare facilities (such as nursing homes and dialysis centres) who have weakened immune systems. There is a second type of MRSA infection and it is called Community Associated MRSA (CA-MRSA) and d ata from a prospective study in 2003, suggests that 12% of clinical MRSA infections are community-associated, but this varies by geographic region and population.
This is an unusually high figure when compared to a country like the UK , which has a high rate of MRSA but a very low incidence of CA-MRSA. The CA-MRSA infections are defined as infections that are acquired by persons who have not been recently (within the past year) hospitalised or had a medical procedure (such as dialysis, surgery, catheters) are know as CA-MRSA infections. MRSA infections in the community are usually manifested as skin infections, such as pimples and boils, and occur in otherwise healthy people.
There have recently been clusters of CA-MRSA skin infections involving Alaskan Natives, Native Americans, men who have sex with men, and prisoners. Factors that have been associated with the spread of MRSA skin infections include: close skin-to-skin contact, openings in the skin such as cuts or abrasions, contaminated items and surfaces, crowded living conditions, and poor hygiene.
The CDC is implementing a range of measures to prevent the spread of MRSA:
- CDC is collaborating with state health departments and academic medical centres to identify and promote effective strategies to reduce MRSA transmission in healthcare and community settings.
- CDC has launched a national evidence-based educational Campaign to Prevent Antimicrobial Resistance in Healthcare Settings .
- CDC is conducting proficiency testing to assist public health laboratories in determining the antibiotic susceptibility of staph bacteria.
- CDC is building a national resource library of MRSA (PulseNet) to identify genetic patterns or relationships among different types MRSA that could be used to take public health action.
- CDC is researching the role of staph toxins that may provide answers to questions about why some MRSA infections are more invasive, or lead to rapid death.
But without an accurate picture of the scale of the problem, how successful can their efforts be?
The UK has a big MRSA problem but it is at least serious in its attempt to tackle it. One of the most effective approached taken so far is the mandatory requirement for all hospitals to publish MRSA infection data.
This has been successful in focussing the politicians and health managers on the MRSA problem. Results are being seen already. More successful again are the Dutch, who had a big MRSA problem but now have it under control. They took it very seriously, very quickly and implemented a rigorous hygiene and segmentation protocol nationwide.
The US needs to follow suit but not everybody thinks so.
The Governor of California has just recently vetoed a bill which would have required public disclosure of hospital infection rates! I guess he's not ready to say hasta la vista to the superbugs just yet!
There is a public campaign underway and you can join their efforts at www.stophospitalinfections.org
About the Author
© MRSAinfections.org 2005
MRSAinfection.org is a website dedicated to bringing you up to date with all the latest information on MRSA and the threat it poses to you
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