Friday, 3 October 2014
Friday, 22 August 2014
How to deal with Acne
“Puberty
Did Them Well”, a popular phrase on Twitter that best
describes the A-list American actresses and female stars who have maintained
their perfect pores and clear smooth skin until adulthood. Before you burn with
envy and deem yourself a zit factory with peanut coated skin, you have to
understand that pimples and acne are normal in your teenage; adolescence and
early adulthood stages.
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| scienceofhealing.blogspot.com |
According
to health writer Tom Scheve our bodies produce high levels of sex hormones such
as androgen and testosterone. These hormones prompt glands in the skin that
promote higher levels oil called sebum that clogs up and results in acne. Acne is
a disorder that causes outbreaks of skin lesions known to us as pimples, (health.howstuffworks.com).
Why make-up isn’t always the best solution to deal with acne
Make-up doesn’t
always have serious negative effects but could cause a few skin allergy reactions.
These reactions can come in two types:
1.
Irritant contact dermatitis:
an itching or burning reaction to a product irritating the skin
2.
Allergic contact dermatitis:
an allergy to specific ingredients that results in swelling, itching or
blisters.
Both types
are usually caused by fragrances or preservatives in make-up and other skin
products. Acccording to beauty writer,
Sarah Kirkpatric , make-up isn’t a great solution to treat or cover-up acne because
there are certain oils that can worsen acne. This type of acne is called acne cosmetic
which is characaterised by blocked pores, reddened bumps on chin, cheeks and
forehead.(blog.zenmed.com)
Dermatologists
are able to assist with preventing and treating acne depending on the kind of
acne a patient is diagnosed with.
Here are
some three basic tips to get rid of acne
(health.howstuffworks.com)
·
Wash your face twice a day:
washing your face prevents outbreaks and removes all the grease and grime.
·
Take a look at your make-up:
buy oil free make-up or buy non-comedogenic make-up (make-up with ingredients
that do not clog up your pores). Make sure you wash off your make-up at the end
of your day. Do not go to sleep with make- up on your face
·
Buy Benzoyl Peroxide: ask a
dermatologist or chemist for a proper prescription. Mostly found in a cream or
gel that is applied to broken-out portions of the face. Benzoyl peroxide kills
the P. acnes bacteria
that causes inflammation in a blocked
pore.
Keywords
Acne
Seblum; oil
Clogged pores
Acne cosmetic
References
Kirkpatrick, S. 2014. Do You Have Acne Cosmetica?. [online]
Available at: blog.zemed/do-you-have-acne-cosmetica/ (Date Accessed: 18 August
2014)
Scheve, T. n.d. 15 Ways
To Get Rid of Acne. [online]. Available at: health.howstuffworks.com/skin-care-/problems/treating/15-ways-to-get-rid-of-acne.htm.(Date
20 August 2014)
Womens Health.n.d. [online]. Available
at:womenshealth.gov/publications/fact-sheet/acne.pdf. (Date Accessed: 20 August
2014)
Wednesday, 20 August 2014
How to prevent Heart Attack
By Vanessa Lebepe
Many people around us tend to die every day because of heart attacks. Heart attack has become one of the most over populated diseases which is a very big problem. When a woman has a heart attack, her symptoms are different than a man’s. Heart disease is the No 1 killer of women, and they usually think its breast cancer. People need more education about heart diseases. (Deb Peterson)
Heart attack is the death of a segment of heart muscle caused by the loss of blood supply. If some of the heart muscle dies, the person experiences chest pain and electrical instability of the heart muscle tissue. Heart attack is caused by several things; age is the largest risk factor. When a man is over 45 years, and a woman is over 55 year, their risk of having a heart attack starts to rise.www.nhlbi.nih.gov...causes
Apart from all this, heart attack can also be prevented; you can prevent heart disease by following a heart healthy lifestyle. Heart disease may be a leading cause of death, but that doesn’t mean you have to accept it as your fate. There are some key heart disease prevention steps you can take,
Don’t smoke or use tobacco
Smoking or using tobacco of any kind is one of the most significant risk factors for developing heart disease.
Exercise for 30 min on most days of the week
Getting some regular, daily exercises can reduce your risk of fatal heart disease
Eat a heart healthy diet
Eating a healthy diet can reduce your risk of having heart disease.
Maintain a healthy weight
Being overweight, especially if you carry excess weight around the middle, ups your risk of heart disease.
Get enough sleep
Sleep deprivation can do more than leave you yawning through the day; it can also tend to harm your health.
Get regular health screenings
High blood pressure and high cholesterol can damage you heart and blood vessels if you don’t go for screening regularly.read more.......
So clearly heart attack risks can also be reduced only if you make sure you maintain your health and stay on the safe side. So if you’re suffering from heart disease know that it can be reduced, avoided and prevented.
key words
heart disease
prevention
healthy diet
maintainance
exercise
Sources consulted
www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/151444.php, accessed on 18 august 2014
www.mayoclinic.org/diseases.../heart-disease/...heart-disease-prevention/... accessed on 18 august 2014
D. Peterson, (healthhowstuffworks.com/diseases.../heart/10-ways-to-avoid-heart-attac...)
By Vanessa Lebepe
Many people around us tend to die every day because of heart attacks. Heart attack has become one of the most over populated diseases which is a very big problem. When a woman has a heart attack, her symptoms are different than a man’s. Heart disease is the No 1 killer of women, and they usually think its breast cancer. People need more education about heart diseases. (Deb Peterson)
Heart attack is the death of a segment of heart muscle caused by the loss of blood supply. If some of the heart muscle dies, the person experiences chest pain and electrical instability of the heart muscle tissue. Heart attack is caused by several things; age is the largest risk factor. When a man is over 45 years, and a woman is over 55 year, their risk of having a heart attack starts to rise.www.nhlbi.nih.gov...causes
Apart from all this, heart attack can also be prevented; you can prevent heart disease by following a heart healthy lifestyle. Heart disease may be a leading cause of death, but that doesn’t mean you have to accept it as your fate. There are some key heart disease prevention steps you can take,
So clearly heart attack risks can also be reduced only if you make sure you maintain your health and stay on the safe side. So if you’re suffering from heart disease know that it can be reduced, avoided and prevented.
key words
heart disease
prevention
healthy diet
maintainance
exercise
Sources consulted
www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/151444.php, accessed on 18 august 2014
www.mayoclinic.org/diseases.../heart-disease/...heart-disease-prevention/... accessed on 18 august 2014
D. Peterson, (healthhowstuffworks.com/diseases.../heart/10-ways-to-avoid-heart-attac...)
Spread the word to stop the spread
By Kopano Moeketsi
Over a million women have lost their lives due to a
deadly virus known as breast cancer. Before understanding what breast cancer
is, it is important to understand, what cancer is?
According to the MediLexicon website
(www.medicalnewstoday.com/infor/cancer-oncology), Cancer is a class of diseases
characterized by out of control cell growth.
Spreading the word to stop the spread could be
considered as a way of making more women aware. Not only making modern women
aware but also taking into consideration women in rural areas aware, getting
the message across to them. Breast cancer has claimed a lot of women’s lives
and spreading the word can help.
They are certain
symptoms that occur that need a woman to pay full attention and should consider
going to the doctor to check for breast cancer. The most common signs of breast
cancer according to the MedicineNet.com website (www.onhealth.com) , are new lumps or mass in
the breast. In addition, the following are possible signs of breast cancer
shown on the website such as:
1. Nipple discharge or redness
2. Breast and nipple pain
3. Swelling of part of the breast or dimpling of skin
over the breast
Once you recognise these signs, you should consult
with your doctor. It might not be anything to worry about but it is better to
know than to wonder. It is always said that “prevention is better than cure.”
Preventing
breast cancer is very important, which is why the Eating Well website
discussed the 8 food for breast cancer
prevention by Holly Pevzner (www.eatingwell.com/nutrition_health/immunity/9-foods-for-breast-cancer-prevention)
- Broccoli
- Salmon
- Olive oil
- Parsley
- Coffee
- Plums and Peaches
- Beans
- Walnuts
Jill is a woman who was diagnosed with breast cancer
in 1999 at the age of 39 and it later came back in 2002 and has spread to the
bones, liver and brain. Jill says “I’ve planned all kinds of ways to celebrate
my metsiversary over the years. I have decided to dance with cancer” said Jill
Try your best to avoid breast cancer. Join the Pink
Drive cancer awareness campaign to learn more about breast cancer and find ways
to avoid it. Do not forget SPREAD THE WORD TO STOP THE SPREAD
Key words
- Breast cancer
- Prevention
- Symptoms
- Dancing with cancer
- Diet
Sources consulted
Jill. 2014. Dancing
with Cancer Living with meds, the new normal. Available: www.jillscancerjourney.blogspot.com.
Accessed 12 August 2014
MedicalLexicon. Nd What is cancer? What causes cancer? Accessed
11 August 2014
Medicine.Net.com. nd. Common signs of cancer. Available www.medicalnewstoday.com/infor/cancer-oncology
Accessed 10 August 2014
Pevzener,H.2011.9Food
For Breast Cancer Prevention. Available: www.eatingwell.com/nutrition_health/immunity/9-food-for-breast-cancer=prevention
Accessed 10 August 2011
Body dysmorphic disorder
“Imagined ugliness”
By: Nyakallo Tefu
Do you ever look in the
mirror and all you see are imperfections? Your eyes are too small, your
forehead is too big and your ears are sticking out too much? According to
(Barlow and Durand, 2012:186), most people fantasize about improving something,
but some relatively normal-looking people think they are so ugly they refuse to
interact with others or otherwise function normally for fear that people will
laugh at their ugliness. This curious affliction is called “Body dysmorphic disorder” which is also referred to as “imagined ugliness”.
We all have an image in our
head of so-called “perfection” and that so-called “perfection” affects our
self-esteem hence we feel the need to change our physical appearance. “It is natural
for someone to have a low self-esteem and dislike their appearance or an aspect
of their body. For example women may wish they had longer legs or men will want
toned arms. Body dysmorphic disorder however is a type of mental illness that
causes the sufferer to obsess over a specific flaw in their appearance” (Clinic, 2010) .
At times we ignore such
things, but I mean how would you know if you have never encountered such, if
you don’t even know that such disorders exist? According to (Challis, 2013) symptoms include:
- · preoccupation with one’s physical appearance,
- · excessive use of makeup
- · refusal to pose for photographs
- · constant comparison of self to others
Take a look at most
celebrities lately, they are so obsessed with portraying a perfect image to
their fans whereas they resort to plastic surgery. For example Michael Jackson,
to us he seemed what we would refer to as “normal”, but clearly he thought
otherwise hence he wanted to change the colour of his skin and his nose. “Most
common areas of the body that are obsessed about by people with body dysmorphic
disorder include nails, hair, skin, complexion, acne, wrinkles, breast size and
genitalia” (Clinic, 2010) .
This is one of those
disorders where you ask yourself “are you serious? Body dysmorphic disorder is
seen equally in men and women. Generally there are differences between what
they obsess about. Men tend to be more focused on body build and genitals
whereas women are more focused on a variety of body parts and women are more
likely to suffer from an eating disorder then men are (Barlow & Durand, 2012) .
As humans, we need to learn to accept ourselves as we are and remember that no one is perfect. Focusing on our imperfections can eventually lead to distortions about our bodies and going through costly procedures to “fix” what we feel is wrong – procedures which never leave us satisfied anyway. Embrace who you are and your imperfections.
Consulted sources:
·
Barlow, D. H. & Durand, V. M.,
2012. Abnormal Psychology: An Intergrative Approach. 6th ed. United
States of America: WADSWORTH CENGAGE Learning.
·
Challis, S., 2013. Body dysmorphic disorder. [Online]
Available at: http://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/body-dysmorphic-disorder/#.U_TwJMWSzko
[Accessed 15 August 2014].
Available at: http://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/body-dysmorphic-disorder/#.U_TwJMWSzko
[Accessed 15 August 2014].
·
Clinic, M., 2010. Body Dysmorphic Disorder. [Online]
Available at: http://edition.cnn.com/search/?query=body+dysmorphic+disorder&x=37&y=17&primaryType=mixed
[Accessed 13 August 2014].
Available at: http://edition.cnn.com/search/?query=body+dysmorphic+disorder&x=37&y=17&primaryType=mixed
[Accessed 13 August 2014].
imagined ugliness
disorder
Men body dysmorphic disorder
women body dysmorphic disorder
disorder
Men body dysmorphic disorder
women body dysmorphic disorder
Child Solders of the insect kingdom
Child Soldiers of the
Insect Kingdom
Biology has taught us how Snakes are said to be more dangerous when they
are young, because of the lack of control they have on their venom. In the
kingdom of mammals most creatures aren’t a threat until they grow to be adults.
However in the kingdom of insects there is no taking candy away from these
babies.
Wasps, bees, and hornets come with stingers. Mosquitoes carry and
transmit malaria pathogens. The Bot Fly are the stout bodied hairy flies that
resemble bumble bees. Unlike its peers that are well equipped with stingers,
have different type of ammunition.
The Bot fly’s weapon is its young. The larvae stage of this insect’s
life uses its parasitic abilities to feed off a host (which is usually a mammal
in most cases human beings). (www.ambergriscaye.com)
The bot fly’s egg is either deposited by the fly itself or by mosquito.
Once deposited the larvae grows in the host’s body until it is fairly large. It
is only the female bot fly that deposits the egg near the opening of the host,
and the larvae itself burrows into your skin.
In human beings once the larvae has entered the skin and you are the
host of the parasite it will feed on the tissue and the fluids until it develops
into a pupa and burrows out of your skin.
(www.ncbi.gov) Myiasis is the term applied to the infestation of
live humans and vertebrae animals with the larvae (maggots) In humans
affections may occur on the skin as wounds. Myiasis is traumatic and boil-like, the lesion is termed
furuncula. The infestation of bot flies has been an epidemic in west Africa for
the last 135 years.
(www.ncbi.gov) reported a case of a woman from South East Nigeria
whose name they kept confidential. She
came complaining of a swelling on her right breast. Because the Bot Fly (in
this case scenario “Tumbu fly”) is an endemic in the area. Upon the day of
diagnosis they extracted 14 matured larvae from her right breast. The larvae
had fed on her breast tissue as well as being well nourished by the fluids in
the mammary glands.
Prevention
(www.ncbi.gov) also details
how the patient often never ironed her clothes after washing them. Bot flies
easily lay their eggs on moist un-ironed material.
As a safety precaution one must always iron their clothes after they
have been on the clothesline to dry.
(www.ncbi.gov) also states
how medicines like ampicillin / cloxacillin pills in conjunction with a tetanus
toxoid injection can suffiently combat the ailment
Key Words
Bot Fly
Myiasis
Larvae
Ampicillin
Cloxacillin
Wednesday, 9 October 2013
CHEERS TO THAT
By Yolanda Mabanga
There is nothing more amusing than the effects of alcohol. The personality shifts I’ve witnessed before and after intoxication are astounding. I mean what happened to just being on a natural high as it was intended from the start? More and more individuals are exposing themselves to alcohol and even more outrageous personalities are unleashed. People really do spontaneous things out here, things they wouldn’t dare entertain if sober. I guess that’s the irony of it all.
I have witnessed friends jump out windows, hurl at random even preach without the slightest memory of it all in the morning; then the typical occurrence of the occasional hangover that portrays the intention of demolishing ones soul. Alcohol is really on a league on its own I must say.
What I can establish from this is that people love their “extrovert” personalities. If that was not the case then they wouldn’t be entertaining such, right? It’s these unfamiliar personalities that people find amusing, which gives them the drive to speak about them the next day. I would assume if no effects were witnessed, life would be utterly boring.
I respect it though; it really does have an underlying force, a power. I’m still yet to live and witness more dramatic stories so let the unpredictable good times roll.
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