Archive for June, 2008

Avocados: Good for Youthful Skin

Friday, June 27th, 2008

Can something so sinfully rich and delicious possibly be good for you? Yes! Avocados are one of nature’s most complete foods. They are packed with nutrients and vitamincs C and E which is good for promoting fresh and more youthful skin, as well as protecting you from heart disease, cancer, as well as birth defects.

It is true that Avocados contain fat. However, this is one of the healthiest types of fat we can consume. Studies show that when we increase the amount of monounsaturated fat in our diet, we decrease the LDL cholesterol levels circulating in our blood. Consequently, lowering circulating levels of cholesterol decrease our risk of coronary heart disease, stroke and Atherosclerosis.

Also Avocados help in the fight against heart disease due to their fiber. Avocados contain more fiber than the majority of its fruit counterparts. Fiber reduces LDL cholesterol levels in our blood by attaching to bile acid forcing our bodies to use cholesterol to produce more. It may also helps in the fight against hypertension and certain types of cancer.

In addition, avocados contain 60% more potassium than bananas helping the fight against hypertension. Increased potassium levels are associated with decreased blood pressure. Not only does potassium decreases your blood pressure; it also decreases your chance of death in the event that you have a stroke.
Folate is also a member of the avocado package.

They contain more folate than oranges and green leafy vegetables. Most women fail to eat enough folate before pregnancy. Women who do have an adequate folate intake early in pregnancy protect their children from birth defects such as spina bifida. Folate is also linked to the prevention of heart disease by lowering homocysteine levels in our body. Homocysteine levels in high amounts can lead to heart disease.

Avocados are packed with phytochemicals that fight heart disease and cancer. They have no nutritive value. However, phytochemicals reduce our chance of heart disease and cancer.

Here are two examples Beta-sitosterol and Glutathione:

Beta-sitosterol found in twice the level as most plants. This prevents cholesterol from being absorbed, lowering our cholesterol, and inhibits tumor growth.
Glutathione is a powerful antioxidant that attacks free radicals thus preventing the development of cancer and heart disease.

If you are worried about the potential of heart disease, cancer or more youthful looking skin, this is the perfect fruit for you. Avocados are an important edition to your diet. Remember that variety is important. Each fruit and vegetable has different nutrients that will protect you against heart disease, cancer and many other diseases.

Hair plays an important role on one’s appearance

Wednesday, June 25th, 2008

Shining Hair

Hair plays an important role on one’s appearance. Almost all the individuals take much interest in their appearances especially in their hair. They want their hair to be healthier and shining. For that both the scalp and the hair must be maintained.

Shiny and healthy hair can be achieved only with the help of a protein rich diet. Drinking large quantity of water regularly also helps to make your hair good enough. Do you know how much protein is in the hair? The protein content in human hair is about 88%. One thing to keep in mind is that if you take much care for your hair in the younger age means then you come across only less hair problems in the later ages.

What are the essential vitamins needed for the hair growth?

Vitamin B and C are needed for the hair growth and hair color. A man feels proud when his hair is attractive. Vitamin A is required for a healthier scalp.

Food Sources For Hair:

In your diet, take more amounts of fresh fruits and fresh vegetables. Fruits rich in citric acid help to get more folic acid. To get more and more folic acid take plenty of whole grains and fortified grain products.

Proteins make the hair stronger and also prevent the hair from breaking and splitting. So protein source food like cheese, milk, fish and cereals should be added in your diet.

Types:

Generally hair may be differentiated as fine Hair, Normal Hair and Thick & Coarse hair

Fine Hair:

A Shampoo containing wheat proteins and polymers is recommended for a fine Hair. It makes the hair to appear thicker. Use the spray volumizers lightly which will deposits a light mist of shine in droplet forms and makes your hair shiny.

Normal Hair:

A Shampoo with silk amino acids is good for the Normal Hair. Amino acid softens the hair and also repairs the hair structure. Hair texture is restored by hecithin. The hair can be made shiny using gels and creams.

Thick and Coarse Hair:

Pomades will make the thick and coarse hair silky and also moisturize the hair.

How the hair was maintained during the olden days?

In olden days, tea and beer is used to make the hair shiny. After washing the hair with tea and beer take enough water and put tea leaves in it and then boil it. Let that water to cool and finally wash your hair in this water.

How can you make your hair shiny?

  1. You can mix a small quantity of Baking soda in your shampoo which will remove dirt and grease from the hair and automatically the hair looks shiny.
  2. Take one fourth of apple cider vinegar and mix with one gallon of condensed water. Store it in the refrigerator and you can use it whenever you need. Once in every two weeks you follow this method. Wash your hair with shampoo in warm water and then pour two cups of the mixture (above) in the hair and allow for sometime. Finally rinse the hair with cold water. Clean and shiny silky hair can be obtained.
  3. Flat beer is a great and good conditioner for the hair
  4. Mix three teaspoons of honey in little water and this honey lotion keeps the scalp good and it moisturize the hair
  5. Egg Shampoo Preparation: 1 Egg, 1 teaspoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, 1 tablespoon castile soap; ½ a cup of water or herbal tea, 5 drops of essential oils. Mix the all above and apply it in the hair which works on the hair and makes it shining.
  6. For super shine, brew with one cup of strong espresso and allow it to cool. Pour the espresso in the dry hair and leave it for about 20 to 30 minutes. After that rinse your hair and your hair becomes shiny.

How can you maintain the cuticle?

To maintain the cuticles the best water to be used is cold water and it makes the hair shiny. There is two ways to close and smooth the cuticles. One way is after shampooing the hair, apply gently the acid conditioners and this is good for the hair and the hair looks healthier and silky.

Another way is mixing 1 gallon of distilled water and 1 tablespoon of vinegar. Once when the hair is washed with shampoo, apply the mixture on the hair and rinse it. Though the odour is not pleasant, the hair is very silky and shiny.

For making the hair healthy and shiny, vitamin E is essential. Leafy green vegetables, nuts, wheat germ etc are some food materials which nourishes your hair.

The simplest and easiest way to get shiny hair is after washing the hair with deep conditioners, simply use some natural oil and just brush or comb the hair.

Tips For Silky Hair

  1. Avoid cutting your hair whenever you wish since you should live with your hair only.
  2. Try to use different brands of conditioners and shampoo and try to get the best
  3. Use only cold water for the hair and use all the above tips to get best result.
  4. Use ice cubes on the hair for little time and immediately wash it with cold water.
  5. Hairstyling tools such as blow dryers and strengtheners may dry out your hair and cause damage to the hair. So little use of these tools is preferable.
  6. If you brush when the hair is wet, then it will stretch and break the hair. So normally comb your hair when it is dry.
  7. Check whether the shampoo and conditioner contains sodium Lauryl sulfate and sodium laureth sulfate since it is not good to the hair.
  8. Every day conditionering the hairs is nice but check it whether it is away from your face especially for the person having oil skin.
  9. To great extent avoid bleaching your hair because it is not good to the hair.
  10. For gorgeous shiny hair, eggs play in important role. Simply pour few eggs on the head and leave for about two to three minutes and rinse thoroughly with cold water. Thus your hair will have more natural look.

Blonde Hair:

Rinse the blonde hair with the cold water in which few tablespoon of lemon juice should have mixed in order to attain a shiny look.

Brown and Red Hair:

Mix few tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in the cold water and rinse your hair with it.

By following all these tips you can make your hair shiny and silky and make it more attractive.

Healthy hair can make everyone glamorous

Tuesday, June 24th, 2008

Healthy Hair

Healthy hair can make everyone glamorous. But many have problems like dandruff, hair loss, and white hair at young age itself. All these problems are because of not having a healthy hair. So to get a healthy hair some methods are there to make your hair healthier.

Generally, the different types of hair are

  1. Normal hair
  2. Greasy hair
  3. Dry hair
  4. Greasy dry hair

Normal Hair:

It is shiny yet not greasy hair. You can manage this kind of hair easily.

Dry Hair:

When the hair ends are dry and split then it is dry hair. After shampooing, the hair looks dull and also it is difficult to control.

Greasy Hair:

After shampooing the hair looks good for two or three hours and after that it becomes greasy.

Greasy Dry Hair

A long hair and the hair nearer to the scalp are greasy whereas the ends are dry.

Now you might have got an idea about your hair and you can follow the following tips to maintain a healthy and shining hair.

  1. Mix egg white, 2 spoon of castor oil and 1 spoon of glycerin. Apply this paste in the scalp and hair and then wash after sometimes.
  2. Applying castor oil in the hair makes to grow the hair healthier.
  3. Once in a week you wash your hair with tea.
  4. Massage your hair for one hour with warm coconut oil and cover your head with towel dipped in hot water. Then you wash your hair.
  5. Use a mixture of shikakai, amla and lemon peel to wash your hair.
  6. Put juices of curry leaves and hibiscus flower in coconut oil and boil it. Apply this oil on hair and leave it for sometimes and then wash.
  7. To control hair loss and thinning of hair, boil some hibiscus flowers in coconut oil and then filter it. Regularly use this oil.
  8. For conditioning your hair use egg white and curd. It makes the hair shiny.

Dandruff Control:

Many people have dandruff problem in their hair. So to avoid dandruff you can follow some of the tips given below.

  1. Make a paste of fenugreek and mustard in the scalp and then wash it. It controls dandruff.
  2. Put a little camphor in coconut oil and heat it slowly and apply this oil in the scalp. Massage your hair for sometimes. Leave for half an hour and then wash your hair with a good herbal shampoo.
  3. On the scalp, apply the mixture of almond oil and gooseberry juice with the help of finger tips. Cover your hair with a towel dipped in hot water for 10 to 15 minutes and wash your hair with shampoo.

For Graying Your Hair:

Mix one tablespoon of instant coffee powder, a juice of half lemon, an egg and a little mehandi. Mix all the above and apply on the hair and wash your hair after one hour.

Take four cups of water and one cup of dried gooseberry and then boil it. In it add a pinch of sugar. Keep on boiling till it reduces to one cup. This is the solution of gooseberry. To this take 2 cups of mehandi, an egg and juice of lemon and mix well. Apply this in your hair; leave it for 2 hours and wash.

Avoid:

  1. Unprofessional and over the counter hair care products makes your hair worse. So avoid it.
  2. In the future if you want a very short haircut then you can use sun lightening products like lemon juice or over the counter hair care products. Otherwise avoid it all.
  3. Though if you use best hair care products, avoid chlorine and salt water during summer, excessive exposure to sun causes severe damage to your hair. Avoid hair color, which comes in a box.
  4. When your hair is wet avoid brushing as it causes breakage.

Easy Tips For Hair Care:

  1. Shampoo your hair at least once in a week.
  2. To avoid split hair trim your hair once in four or five weeks.
  3. Back brushing or combing may damage your hair.
  4. Eat fresh fruits and vegetables which have more proteins.
  5. Prevent your hair from sunshine pollution by conditioning your hair.
  6. Soft nylon brush or comb is good to use.
  7. Massage will increase blood circulation to hair roots. So regularly do massage to have a good hair growth.

Trim the hair every 6 to 8 weeks. Trimming will save you from headaches.

Washing:

Wash your hair when it is dirty but it is not needed to wash daily as it makes your hair dry and hard.

Hair Care Products Containing Sunscreen Is Advisable:

Using hair care products having sunscreen is preferable since it protects the hair from the sun.

Combing:

Wide toothed comb is advisable and preferable for combing your hair. Don’t comb your hair when it is wet. It is advisable to comb when your hair is barely damp or dry.

Using The Right Care Products:

Identify your hair type and select the hair care product. When the hair is damaged, select and use the right hair care product which could be formulated to repair this damage and make it shiny. If your hair is oily then use a shampoo which deep cleans and a light conditioner to make the hair best.

General Hair Care Tips

  1. First of all regularly brush your hair before you go to bed.
  2. Avoid dyes for coloring. Instead use mehandi for conditioning and coloring.
  3. Don’t comb your hair backly and tightly.
  4. Two glasses of milk everyday or take calcium supplements which helps the hair to grow healthier.
  5. When you use hair dryer it makes your hair harsh since it lost its moisture. So avoid it.
  6. Take much iron and minerals in your diet.
  7. Drink plenty of water. Avoid fried foods and fats especially persons having oily hair.
  8. Diet with vitamin B, C and E make the hair healthier.
  9. Relaxation is must. Avoid stressing as it makes hair loss.
  10. Avoid rubber band since it pull and damage the hair.

To read more Medical Questions, keep visiting us.

Treating Acne though Hormonal Therapy

Monday, June 23rd, 2008

Acne is a common skin problem in teenagers during puberty stages. It is also prevalent in adults. Research has shown that the primary reason for acne is hormonal changes in the body during puberty. The body secretes androgens during the puberty phase which affects the sebaceous glands in the skin. The sebaceous glands in the skin are responsible to produce oil for lubrication and moisturizing the skin cells. The androgens make the sebaceous glands bigger and hence cause overactive sebaceous cells producing more than necessary amount of oil in the skin. Blockage of pores further results in concentration of this oil in the sebaceous glands. The bacteria then cause inflammation and infection causing acne which becomes visible as pimples.

Hormonal treatments have been discovered by dermatologists through research and analysis. Hormonal therapy is recognized as a very effective home treatment for acne nowadays. Hormonal therapy for acne controls the effect of hormones on the sebaceous cells and helps to control acne. The hormonal therapy includes oral contraceptives and non-contraceptive anti-androgen medicines. This article will bring out the important aspects of hormonal therapy in dealing with acne.

Oral Contraceptives: The oral contraceptive medicines contain estrogen and progesterone hormones. These hormones directly affect the production of androgen in the body during puberty phase. The control of androgen helps to control acne. The tests have proven that the estrogens and progesterone hormones decrease the production of adrenal and androgens. These hormones also help to reduce the androgenic or testosterone activity and reduce the androgen production. Certain progesterone hormones which result in low androgen production are used in treatment of acne. Alternatively, anti-androgenic progesterone based medicines in combination with estrogen components are also effective in treating acne. These oral contraceptives are more effective option for women with acne problems. Along with the hormonal medicines topical creams are also prescribed in cases of mild and non-scarring acne. These medicines are also very effective in cases of scarring and severe inflammatory acne. However these hormonal medicines do have side effects. The most common side effects of these oral contraceptive medicines are headache and nausea. These oral contraceptives can also be used by adult women fro protection as well as curing and preventing acne.

Non-contraceptive anti-androgen medicines: These medicines are different from the hormonal contraceptive medicines. The non contraceptive, anti androgen medicines consist certain type of synthetically derived steroids. These synthetic steroids have anti-androgen capabilities. These steroids attach themselves to the androgen receptors in the body. Then these steroids block the androgens from affecting the skin cells, particularly the sebaceous glands. The synthetic steroids also help in reducing the enzyme activity in the body and therefore reduce the production and synthesis of androgen in the body. Since these medicines do not hamper with the hormonal activities of the body, they produce less side effects than the oral contraceptive medicines. Further research in this field is still progressing. These research and analysis are trying to find more viable steroids that do not produce side effects and are effective in curing and treating acne problems.

Tips For Perfect Hair Coloring

Monday, June 23rd, 2008

Hair Coloring:

A person can become much beautiful and graceful by coloring the hair. Hundreds of hair coloring shades are available in the market and choosing the best one is important according to your hair:

Choosing A Hair Color:

Consider different factors while choosing a new hair color such as your skin tone, eye color etc.

How to choose the best hair color?

Select the best hair color according to your skin tone. Do you want to highlight your natural hair color or try to change your hair with new color? Know much about the following categories of selection and follow it.

Light Warm Skin Tones:

When your eye color is green, brown or amber and when your skin has warm yellow red undertones and also when your skin is ivory, peach and cream or light golden tan in appearance then you could follow this.

In this category the best is lighter hair color with warm undertones. Here hair colors are strawberry blonde, light brown with golden or reddish highlights and beige blondes.

Deep Warm Skin Tones From Medium:

Best color from medium to dark golden is dark golden brown, honey brown, copper or mahogany and chestnut. When your skin has warm, yellow-red undertones and golden brown or coppery in appearance then use the above colors. When your eyes are dark brown or green or amber you can follow this method.

Light Cool Skin Tones:

Skin should have a cool or blue red tone and skin color is as rose beige or light pearl or rosy pink and also eyes are light blue or grey-greener grey-blue, you can use the best color as silvery blonde or light brown with wheat-colored tones or platinum blonde which are ashy and cool. By pairing lighter ash and platinum blonde the hair is much shiny.

Medium To Deep Cool Skin Tones:

It suits for light olive or dark olive or dark brown skin. Those who are having eye color of bluish green or cool brown or deep green then the best hair color is dark brown, plum or black highlights.

Do you know the types of hair color?

Permanent tints, semi-permanent color and semi-permanent vegetable colors are the types of hair color.

Permanent Tints:

Permanent tint is a mixture of hydrogen peroxide to get the hair color. First the peroxide will opens from the hair cuticle and allow the color to the cortex of the hair. Thus the hair gets the color and a higher concentration of peroxide gives quicker result.

Semi-Permanent Colors:

Semi permanent colors have less peroxide which will open the cuticles of the hair a very little. These will never lift the color and they only change the tone of the natural hair color to darker. These colors will long last for about 20 washes and then it will fade lightly.

Semi-Permanent Vegetable Colors:

Semi-permanent vegetable colors are of only vegetable extracts and of natural ingredients. No color is removed and the color is only on the surface of the hair. It will long last about eight washes with shampoo.

Why hair color is necessary?

When you got a light haircut, your hair needs a hair color, which has become a fashion today. You can also change it with season of times and according to your taste. Simply redhead is normally used and you could do it easily in the home itself.

Choose The Right Shade:

Before choosing the color and shade for your hair; consider your skin, skin under tones and eye color also. When you try the cloth look, black hair is only necessary and it doesn’t matter about your skin color and eye color. Do you have cool blue eyes? Then try the black cloth hair color, which makes you attractive.

If you want a nice color, which is not too strong, only to cover your grey hair and looks to close as your own natural hair color then you can add caramel for sunlissed look on your hair. If skin under tones is yellow then it is preferable to use ashy silvery shades on your hair. If the skin tones are red then you are in warm mode and try golden hued color. When your skin is very ruddy then make the hair redder.

Cleaning Make Up Brushes:

There is no need for a professional stylist only when your chosen product doesn’t often makes allergy on your skin. People with sensitive skin can color their hair using henna. It comes in many varieties of shades.

Some Hair Color Tips For You:

  1. Most attracted color and sexiest shade is the red hair color. Most hair suits red hair color.
  2. Brown hair color is commonly used for everybody because it suits all. When you vary the shade of brown with highlights, you get large range of colors.
  3. For all types of hair, black hair color suits for the people who are with dark skin color.

The best advice for all is when you are going to color for the first time then rightly consult a beautician who is well good in this field and know about your skin color, skin tone and then your propitiate hair color.

Hair Coloring In Home:

Some more varieties of shades of hair colors are available in the market and you can choose after consulting the best professional beautician. Permanent and semi permanent forms are those that could fade after some shampoo washes.

Oral Health: Tips To Tackle Toothache

Sunday, June 22nd, 2008

The oral parts such as mouth, gums and teeth have to be healthy for attaining overall good health. Researches indicate that the health of the oral parts has definite impact on the overall health. The oral diseases have become more and more common these days. Therefore one has to be aware of his/her oral health for attaining an overall good health. This article presents the impact of oral health on overall health and oral health problems and it also deals with the most common oral problem, the toothache.

Impact Of Oral Health On Your Overall Health

A recent research shows that the oral health has an impact on the overall health of a person. It shows that if you have a bad oral health, it could lead to some systemic diseases in you. If a person has a poor oral health, then he/she is at a high risk of getting diabetes and respiratory diseases. But this condition is more common among the older persons. Recent researches also points towards the impact of oral health on health problems such as heart disease, premature babies with low birth weight etc. Apart from its impact on overall health, the oral disease itself causes toothache, bad breath, tooth loss etc.

Oral health problems:

The most common oral health problems include throat and mouth diseases. These diseases can range from simple oral problems like cavities to lethal problems like cancer. These oral problems lead to pain, and discomfort in the oral parts. Cavities are the problems that are most common in children. Cavities, if not treated can lead to distress, dysfunction, etc. It also has a negative impact on a child’s life quality.

The most serious consequence of oral problems is the oral cancers. It is estimated that about 7,550 people are dying from oral cancers every year.

The oral problems faced by most of person are the toothache.

Toothache:

The toothache is usually accompanied by pain in the face and jaws. The cause of toothache is the inflammation of the tooth’s pulp. This is known as pulpitis. If the pulp is not treated properly, it dies and gets infected thereby forming a dental abscess.

What are the causes of toothache?

The most common cause of a toothache is the dental decay. A crack or fracture in a tooth also leads to toothache. After a dental treatment, one could face possible irritation in the pulp. Also, if you do brushing vigorously it causes the tooth root to be exposed, causing pain.

How can you prevent toothache?

Always keep your gums and teeth healthy. This will ensure that no toothache occurs.

Avoid consuming too much drinks and foods that are sugary. This will prevent the formation of cavities. Toothache can be best avoided by brushing twice a day using a toothpaste containing fluoride. Usage of dental floss, inter-dental brush or wood sticks to clean between the teeth will prevent any infection leading to toothache.

How could you tackle toothache?

Obviously, consulting a dentist will help in a great deal. However here are some tips to tackle tooth ache.

Avoid sweet, hot or cold stimuli to avoid pain due to pulpitis. If the pain persists and becomes more and more severe, taking pain killers such as ibu profen like nurofen relieves pain to some extent.

Toothpaste, which is for sensitive teeth can be used normally or even can be rubbed on tooth’s root which is exposed. This will relieve pain due to root surfaces that are exposed.

If the oral problem is due to tooth erupting, then rinsing the painful area with a saltwater which is hot will always help. This saltwater mouthwash also avoids the infection due to mouth ulcers.

Above all, as mentioned earlier visiting a dentist, makes any treatment earlier. Especially pulpitis which is usually reversible, if found and treated by a dentist makes toothache to disappear. The treatment to pulpitis usually involves a simple filling. A toothache could also lead to dental abscess, which requires the tooth to be extracted, if it is to be saved. But in most cases, the dental abscess can be treated by root canal treatment. The root canal treatment is nothing but a much complicated filling process.

Tooth loss has become a common problem in most of the older adults. The main cause for the tooth loss is the tooth decay. Tooth loss can have negative impact on ones self esteem. It may also cause nutrition problems by the limiting the food type which a person eats. Therefore one needs to be more aware of his/her oral health. This ensures a good healthy life in that person.

Hair Loss And Its Treatment

Saturday, June 21st, 2008

The excessive loss of hair from the scalp leads to baldness. This can be resulted due to heredity factors, some medications or even due to underlying medical factors. Hair loss can happen in men, women and even in children. For some people their baldness doesn’t bother them and they leave it unhidden and untreated. Some try to cover their baldness with hats, makeup, hairstyles or scarves. Others prefer to treat the hair loss with surgical procedures and medications. Before you look for various treatment options, consulting a doctor will help you very much.

Tips To Maintain Your Hair, Healthy And Normal

Many of you know that eating a healthy balanced diet is vital for many reasons. The interesting thing is that the good diet will also benefit your hair. If you find your hair falling day-by-day, some doctors suggest you to use baby shampoo once a week with lathering gently. Rubbing your hair vigorously using a towel should be avoided. Most of the hair experts recommend you to avoid the use of blow dryer to your hair. If you find hard to put away your blow dryer, you can possibly use it on a setting mode which produces low heat. If you want to style your hair, then do it when the hair is damp or dry. This is because styling the hair when it is wet can lead the hair to become stretched and this eventually causes the breakage. Always avoid tearing the hair because this causes the hair damage. When you deal with chemicals like color on the hair, you should be very careful as it could have negative impact on your hair. Repeated usage of chemical treatments should be avoided to prevent any possible damage.

What are the treatment options you have for hair loss?

If you have hair loss problem don’t be depressed. Here is an encouraging fact for you. There are many treatments available to treat hair loss which promotes the growth of hair or hides your loss of hair. Here are some of the medications to treat hair loss. The medications like minoxidil and finasteride treat the hair loss problem by slowing down the loss of hair from scalp. Let’s see them in detail.

Minoxidil:

The brand name of minoxidil is rogaine. This is a non prescription medication. It is an approved medication for curing of alopecia areata and androgenetic alopecia. Minoxidil is over-the counter medication. Minoxidil is nothing but foam or liquid that should be rubbed onto your scalp for the growth of hair. The rubbing should be done twice a day to avoid further hair loss. The effect of minoxidil is maximum on the crown and minimum on the frontal region. The disadvantage of rogaine is that it has some side effects, like scalp irritation and has less effect on the head’s front region. This frontal region is where the baldness occurs in men that worries them most. It is available in a lower strength, i.e. as a solution of 2% and also available in a higher strength 5%. This higher strength solution is much effective than its lower strength counterpart.

The new hair that has grown due to the use of minoxidil is shorter and thinner than the previous hair. After using rogaine, enough hair grows that is large and dense enough to hide the bald areas. If you stop the use of this medication, the growth of new hair stops. It requires a period of 12 weeks for the growth of new hair. If you experience least effects, then it is best to discontinue using this medication.

Finasteride:

The brand name of finasteride is propecia. Unlike rogaine, it is a prescription medication and it treats baldness which is male-patterned. It should be taken in the form of pill daily. This medication when taken slows down the hair loss and causes the growth of new hair. It takes several months for it to produce positive results. The conversion of testosterone into dihydrototosterone is stopped by finasteride. Dihydrotestosterone is a hormone that causes the shrinking of hair follicles. This hormone is a vital factor for the loss of hair in men. The disadvantage is that it reduces the sex drive leading to diminished sexual function. Women are not encouraged to take this finasteride, as it is not approved for women’s usage. This is because it poses a threat to childbearing age in women.

Apart from minoxidil and finasteride, the other medications to treat hair loss includes corticosteroids and anthralin. Corticosteroids, in form of injections, creams or ointments can be used to treat alopecia areata. Anthralin is nothing but an artificial tarry substance that must be applied to the scalp and washed off. This should be done daily. Antriralin can be obtained as an ointment or a cream and it also treats some skin disorders.

What are the other treatment procedures apart from the above mentioned medications?

If your natural system doesn’t respond to the medications, then the best possible thing to do is wearing a hairpiece or a wig. This provides a temporary solution for your baldness. There are quality hairpieces with color similar to that of human hair. The other approach towards hair loss includes treatment with surgical procedures. The various surgical procedures include cutting the bald areas away and the rest is stitched together. This is called scalp reduction. The other surgical procedure is hair transplantation. This produces more natural looking scalp than produced by other treatment procedures.

So, it is important to consult a doctor before pursuing any of the treatment procedures. The doctor finds a treatment that suits you the most.

Tips To Keep Your Teeth Healthy

Saturday, June 21st, 2008

To achieve an overall good health condition, a good oral health is important. By taking care of the teeth, tooth decay due to formation of cavities can be prevented. Also plaque which is a film that attaches to the teeth can be avoided by giving a good oral care. The film of plaque is very much sticky so it attracts bacteria and sugar to be accumulated in the teeth. Therefore teeth care prevents the formation of unhealthy gums and cavities which makes the mouth to be sore.

How are teeth affected by poor teeth care?

As mentioned above, poor teeth care invites bacteria and sugary substances into your mouth. The bacteria break down the sugar into acids. These acids produced by the bacteria eats away the enamel of the tooth causing holes in the teeth. This formation of holes is called as cavities. Also plaque causes a disease in gums called gingivitis. As a result of gingivitis, the color of the gums turns red. The gum also becomes sore and swollen. Usually the gums are pink in color and these gums help in holding the teeth at the right place. Thus poor oral care causes an unhealthy gum which affects the teeth.

How does brushing help you to maintain oral health?

Poor oral hygiene invites many oral problems. The simplest possible way of giving oral care is by brushing regularly because regular brushing eliminates many oral problems. Let us see how brushing helps us. Plaque is a film of bacteria that is very much sticky. This plaque is constantly formed inside the mouth. Even though, this bacterium is not potentially dangerous, if it remains in the teeth’s surface for more than a day, it forms colonies and secretes enzymes that are very much harmful to us. Therefore if the plaque is removed, we can maintain our gums and teeth healthy. It is here, the brushing comes into play. Brushing does the role of eliminating the plaque. Regular brushing removes the plague from the surface of the teeth and thereby protecting it from decay.

How to do brushing rightly?

Brushing should be done twice a day. If you brush your teeth excessively it also leads to some negative effects. This is because brushing excessively causes your teeth to erode. This leads to the breakdown of the whole periodontal structure. Also you must brush with a tooth brush that is soft and don’t forget to change the brush often.

To have a good effect of brushing, place the brush at an angle of 45 degrees and start brushing with short strokes directing downwards. This should be done gently. Brush up to ten strokes in each section of teeth for a period of about 4-5 minutes. Also clean up your tongue because the tongue has some bacteria.

During the brushing, if your gums start to bleed then there is a definite problem in your teeth. While brushing, handle the gums gently. This will prevent any damage to gums. To check whether your teeth are clean after brushing, scrape the surface of your teeth with your nail. On scraping, if a white film emerges out then the brushing is not effective. If your tooth is clean then no white film emerges out.

Tips To Keep Your Teeth Healthy

  • Brush regularly twice a day one after your breakfast and the other before you sleep. If possible brush your teeth after your lunch or sweet snacks.
  • Brush each and every tooth. Some people tend to brush only the front teeth.
  • Take minimum of 3 minutes time to brush.
  • Always use a soft tooth brush i.e. the tooth brush must have bristles that are soft. Also make sure to change your tooth brush periodically.
  • Flossing the teeth is vital to keep the teeth healthy. Because flossing cleans away the food that is present in the places where the tooth brush can’t enter.
  • Above all, consulting a dentist at least twice a year is very much important. The dentist will make sure that your teeth are clean and healthy. The dentist will provide suggestions on how to brush and floss your teeth.

Apart from brushing and flossing, the food you eat and drink also has impact on your oral health. Avoid sugary foods as it attracts plaque to your teeth. Consume foods that need sufficient chewing. This is because chewing produces saliva that restores lost calcium due to plaque. Add a lot of proteins, calcium, vitamin B and C in your diet. This provides a good teeth care.

Tips To Prevent Hair Fall

Friday, June 20th, 2008

Hair Cycle:

Each hair grows, rests and finally falls out. Yearly once this cycle occurs. A person’s scalp hair has two phases. At one phase about ninety percent of the scalp hair is growing and lasts for two to six years. Another phase of about 10% of scalp hair is in resting stage that lasts for two to three months.

How is your hair made?

Hair is made up of protein and proteins only. The same material protein which is found in fingernails and toenails is also present in the hair. So compulsory take a protein rich diet for a healthier hair. Dried Beans, tofu, nuts and eggs are rich sources of protein.

Hair Loss:

Because of many different causes you may loss your hair and it also becomes thinner and thinner. Hereditary is also another cause of hair loss and baldness. Hair is also lost due to improper care. So remind that prevention is better than cure. Maintain your hair from the younger age itself which helps to avoid hair loss and baldness.

Nutritious food with more protein is very essential. Take enough calcium in your diet which is also essential for healthy hair and it can avoid hair loss. Drinking plenty of water is very must for prevention of hair loss. Having good and deep sleep makes the body to function properly and automatically hair loss is prevented.

Feeling:

Many persons feel painful and also become pathetic when hair loss is increased which in turn leads to baldness. So the person looks older than they are. So to tackle this problem correct treatment is required.

Medical Products:

When you experience hair loss immediately consult a dermatologist. Now a day drugs are available and using these hair growth can be moderately increased and hair loss can be stopped. While consuming these drugs, follow the advice of the dermatologist to avoid the side effects of the drugs. Prior knowledge of the drug helps to minimize the side effects.

Natural Products:

Slow and steady treatment for hair loss is using natural products. The effect of natural product will differ from one person to another person. Popular Herbal cinkyo biloba is used to improve the blood circulation in the brain and the skin and automatically the hair loss is prevented. Green tea is used in the hair to prevent hair loss i.e. it is thought to inhibit enzymes – alpha – reductase. Enzymes – alpha – reductase converts testosterone into hair unfriendly DHT. Pygeum works similar to green tea which is derived from the bark of an ever green tree.

Palmetto is the currently available treatment for many men since it protect the prostate and reduces hair loss and encourage hair re growth. Hair loss is prevented when it is able to stop the conversion of testosterone into DHT.

Commercial Products:

While purchasing commercial product compulsorily check the ingredients of the product. Prefer those commercial product based on natural ingredients.

Ayurvedic Means for Hair Loss:

In Ayurvedic, hair oils could be prepared for maintaining the hair to be healthier. The major component in Ayurvedic hair oil is Amalaki. This prevents the hair loss and a gentle massage on your scalp using these oils will give a better result.

Which are the supplements that help in preventing hair loss?

Everyone come across the problem of hair loss and it could be prevented by taking supplements like kelp, lysine, B Complex, Evening primrose oil, Centrum Silver Multivitamins and multi minerals and vitamin C.

Precautions:

  1. Frequently don’t comb your hair
  2. Compulsory avoid combing wet hair
  3. Check whether the comb is neat and clean
  4. You should comb in the direction of the growth of the hair and not in the opposite direction.
  5. Apply coconut oil or sesame oil on the hair, wait for 30 minutes and wash with good shampoo and condition it regularly.
  6. Use a clean towel after bathing and allow the hair to dry naturally and do not use any dryer.
  7. Shampoos containing chemicals is bad for hair. Select natural shampoos prepared from grounded small green pea, henna, hibiscus leaves and so the hair loss is controlled. Chemical shampoo will destabilize your hair and it is better to use natural herbal shampoo.

Everyday shedding 50 to 100 hairs is quite considered as normal because when a hair is shed, a new hair is replaced from the same follicle which is just located beneath the skin surface. So don’t bother about the hair fall while taking care of your hair as given above.

Tips To Prevent Bad Teeth

Friday, June 20th, 2008

Bad Teeth

A good oral health is very much necessary for attaining overall good health. The common dental complication that most people come across is rotten teeth or bad teeth. This rotten teeth or bad teeth arise as a result of tooth decay. The dental caries usually causes the tooth decay. ‘Caries’ is a term in Latin that represents rot or rotten. To get better oral health, treatment of bad teeth is important.

What are the consequences of bad teeth?

The bad teeth or the dental caries is a damaging dental disorder that can lead to the formation of holes or cavities in the teeth. These dental caries, if left untreated can reach till the nerve endings of the tooth. This causes severe pain in the tooth. In addition, the bad teeth can lead to unhealthy lifestyle in adults.

What are the causes of bad teeth?

Bad teeth are caused due to the interaction of three factors. These three factors include the specific type of bacteria that is found in plaque, sugar and finally a tooth surface which is highly sensitive or susceptible. Bacteria contained in plaque secrete acid as a by-product of sugar intake. When sugar is taken in by plaque as energy, it becomes much hard to stop consumption of sugar. Also the bad teeth result, when bacteria found in plaque produces the acid which clings to the teeth of the person. The acid which is produced starts to eat away the teeth’s outer most layer known as enamel. This causes the formation of bad or rotten teeth.

How to prevent the bad teeth?

Although, the dental industry has a number of treatment procedures and solutions for the bad teeth, it can be best avoided by following the preventive measures. Maintenance of a good dental hygiene is the best possible way to fight dental disorders. Brushing the teeth twice a day and flossing it daily should be done regularly. This gives a good oral care to a person. Consulting a dentist periodically for checking and cleaning of teeth gives a good professional oral care to a person who is looking for a better oral health.

In addition, the usage of sealants daily is a good means to prevent the occurrence of bad teeth. Sealants are nothing but a plastic like thin coating that is provided to the molar’s chewing surfaces. The sealants are commonly applied to the teeth of a child after the eruption of their molars. The advantage of sealants is that they avoid the accumulation of plaque in the groves that are deep in the mouth of the users. Another way of preventing bad teeth is the usage of fluoride. They prevent the persons from acquiring bad or rotten teeth. Because of this, dentists usually advice the patients to use a tooth paste that has a high percentage of fluoride content in it. This fluoride fights against the bad teeth.

Who are the persons more susceptible to bad teeth?

Usually, an unhealthy lifestyle in adults causes bad oral health in the later years. Recent researches indicate that adults who have the smoking habit are more susceptible for bad teeth. Also the research shows that people deprived of social circumstances are more susceptible to tooth loss and eventually bad teeth. The individuals those who do not brush their teeth frequently and those who do not have regular dental attendance are also more likely to get bad teeth.

Tips To Maintain A Good Oral Health

  • Use toothpaste that has more fluoride content.
  • Don’t eat food that is sugary. Especially avoid it between your meals.
  • Quit the smoking habit, if you have it.
  • Look out for a dentist to have a professional advice for caring your teeth.
  • After having your meals, chew a gum that is sugar-free. The sugar-free gum has sweetener called xylitol that refreshes your teeth. This can prevent your teeth from tooth decay.