Shingles(Herpes Zoster) – Natural Treatment. Risks During Pregnancy.

Shingles (Herpes Zoster) – Natural Treatment
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Shingles (also known as herpes zoster) is an acute infection of the central nervous system. The virus that causes chicken pox, is the reason for its appearance.  The condition is painful, and usually occurs in people over 50s. It is not related to sexually transmitted diseases, such as genital herpes, oral herpes or herpes simplex. The most common complication is postherpetic neuralgia.

What causes herpes zoster (shingles)?

This is a rash, that occurs as a result of virus, causing chickenpox. It is called "varicella-zoster virus" and it part of group of the herpes viruses. The body can not throw him out, and it lie dormant  in our nervous system. But certain emotional states can activate it again, and:

• reaction to certain medications
• food allergies
• liver exhaustion
• constipation
• stress
• immune deficiency
• AIDS
• cancer, unhealthy eating
• diabetes
• recent surgery

If you've ever had chickenpox, you are at risk group, but most often it occurs in people over late 50s.

Signs and symptoms

Before rash is visible to the naked eye, you may notice burning pain, as skin becomes sensitive to touch. Shingles/herpes zoster starts with small bubbles with a red base,  and in the meantime new bubbles in the meantime, for 3-5 days. The duration of the rash may take three, four weeks. From time to time, one may feel pain, but without blisters.

More symptoms:

• pain on one side of the face or body, accompanied by fever, chills, headache or upset stomach
• tingling, redness, itching, skin irritation and rash, several days later
• burning, burning pain

Is it contagious herpes zoster?

The virus can be transmitted to children, adults, babies, who have not suffered from chickenpox, so the answer is - yes. Interestingly, instead of developing shingles, these people are infected with chickenpox. Shingles ( herpes zoster) is contagious until then, when the rash forms a scab, then it can not spread.

Is herpes zoster/ shingles dangerous to pregnant women?

Pregnant women are prone to herpes zoster, but fortunately, very rare. To be secured in later stages of pregnancy, pregnant women should not take NSAIDs. Attention !Women, who have vaccination for shingles, should wait 3 months before trying to get pregnant.

 It is known that chicken pox can cause birth defects in infants, depending on, when infection occurred. If you do not know, or do not remember whether you have chickenpox, it can be detected with a blood test.

Treatment of shingles (herpes zoster) with natural folk remedies

Echinacea

It strengthens the immune system by reducing inflammation of the nerve endings. It is effective against bacterial and viral infections.

Oats

It is used to reduce stress and strengthen the nervous system. The ability to manage stress  is important for control of sharpness and outbreaks of infection by herpes zoster.

St. John's Wort

It's incredibly nerve tonic and pain reliever. It can be used in the treatment of stress and depression with great success.

Note * Do not expose to sunlight and ultraviolet light when taking St. John's wort.

Common Balm

This herb fights various forms of herpes and has antimicrobial and antiviral effect. It can be used externally and internally.

Cayenne pepper and flaxseed oil reduce pain from shingles.

Old herbal recipe of Maria Treben treats  shingles !!!

Required herbs:

20 g. Oak bark

10 g. Alchemilla

20 g. Oats

10 g. Chamomile

25 g. Sage

10 g. White Melilot

Mix all herbs. Take 4 tablespoons of the mixture and put it into 1 liter of water. Let it to boil for 5 minutes and remove it from the stove. Leave for 3 minutes to soak. Apply this infusion several times a day. Wrap into a linen handkerchief the rest of the herbs (slightly warmed) and impose it overnight on inflammatory spots.

Diet

• Patients with shingles should avoid antibiotics, penicillin, tetracycline, aspirin. Go to cleansing diet.
• Consume carrot juice, rosehip tea, apple juice, celery, beets, cucumbers, cabbage and natural cranberry juice daily.
• Patients with shingles should avoid foods that are acid forming, fried foods, salt and soft drinks.
• Avoid refined foods with high sugar content.

How To Get Rid Of Seborrheic Dermatitis Naturally? Useful Foods. 6 Tips For Overcoming The Symptoms.

How To Get Rid Of Seborrheic Dermatitis Naturally?
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It is a disorder which affects the scalp.It is characterized by flaking of the scalp (small red flakes), face, eyebrows, eyelids, skin behind the ears and chest.

Seborrheic dermatitis does not worsen your overall health, but it is inconvenient, because can affect the visible parts of the body. It is not contagious and it isn’t due to poor hygiene.

Signs and symptoms

It can be seen calm and active phases of this disease. Typically, activity increases in winter. The active phase is characterized by:

• inflammation, redness, burning
• peeling, yellow and white flakes, dandruff
• oily skin, itchy, sometimes painful
• white and yellow skins and other body parts
• candida overgrowth

Seborrheic dermatitis most commonly affects skin of the head (scalp), but can occur in skin of the thighs, the eyelids, between the folds in the body. It can affect eyebrows, to appear on both sides of the nose and behind the ears, over the sternum, groin, and sometimes in the armpits.

 In most people it is a chronic condition. Seborrheic dermatitis can also affect babies, but to the age of a year goes away.

Causes of seborrheic dermatitis

Doctors still do not know the exact cause of this disease, but factors that can play a key role are:

Fungi - they inhabit oily secretion that comes out of the skin,  but dermatitis isn’t considered to be  infectious, and it is not contagious, as well.

Seasons - seasons affect its appearance, especially it deteriorates during winter time.

Neurological conditions - often can affect people who have Parkinson's disease, or other neurological diseases.

HIV / AIDS - it occurs more often in people with weakened immune systems.

Stress and fatigue - stress can trigger it, as well as strong debilitating fatigue.

Prevention

Still, there is no cure for seborrheic dermatitis, because it is not known the reason yet. Some routine and daily care can help - washing skin and hair to reduce oiliness.

Nutrition and diet for seborrheic dermatitis. Foods to avoid.

In many cases, food may be responsible for the deterioration of our condition. Knowing the proper diet can save us a lot of nerves and problems. It can reduce oily hair and dandruff.

Foods to exclude from your diet:

milk and milk products (cheese, yogurt, cheese)

eggs

Foods that need to be careful  with:

These are foods which are associated with food allergens. It is important to observe what effects produce this type of food. Foods that can cause food allergy are:

• seafood (fish, crabs, algae)
• walnuts, chocolate
• corn, peanuts, wheat
• strawberries, tomatoes, cabbage
• citrus fruits (lemons, bananas, grapefruit, oranges) 

Recommended foods for seborrheic dermatitis

1.Foods rich in vitamin A

Vitamin A promotes healthy skin and is useful in various conditions such as:

eczema, dry skin, oily skin, psoriasis, wounds, acne, burns, baldness, herpes

Deficiency of this vitamin leads to dry, scaly skin and bad teeth. Foods rich in Vitamin A are:

carrots, lettuce, spinach, squash, beans, tomatoes, asparagus, peppers, watermelons, melons, sprouts, apples, plums

2.Foods rich in vitamin E

Vitamin E is characterized by its antioxidant properties and improves skin condition. It is assumed that foods with low fat content may lead to dermatitis. Foods rich in vitamin E are:

dark green leafy vegetables

seed

nuts

olive oil

salmon

3.Foods rich in vitamin C

Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that helps to prevent diseases such as psoriasis and eczema. It neutralizes free radicals and lack of it can cause you health problems in the future. Foods rich in vitamin C are:

• sweet red pepper,
• parsley, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, tomatoes, celery, spinach
• grapefruit, kivi, orange, lime, pineapple
• raspberries, blueberries, watermelon, cantaloupe, strawberries

4.Foods rich in vitamin B

It was found that vitamin B deficiency can cause dermatitis. Among the foods rich in vitamin B are:

• rice, wheat, oats
• soybean, peas, beans, lentils

5. Foods rich in protein.

Among some studies seborrheic dermatitis can be caused by a lack of sufficient quantities of protein. Foods rich in protein are:

• chicken meat
• fish, eggs
• soybean oil, peanut oil

6 Tips for overcoming the symptoms

1.Avoid stress

2.Extremes in temperature - low humidity, or excessive heat can aggravate symptoms

3.Often changing your job, or place of residence, may also badly reflect on dermatitis

4.Drink at least 2 liters of water (especially in summer), not let it get dehydrated. Use a humidifier in winter.

5.Use herbal soaps or glycerin base

6.Hormonal problems (especially women) can also worsen or "unlock" this condition


Recommended products 

Types Оf Еczema. Dermatitis.Causes And Risk Factors.Treatment.

Types Оf Еczema. Dermatitis.
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Eczema is a general term for dermatitis, related to inflammation, swelling and itching of the skin. It is not contagious, but creates discomfort and inconvenience.

Dermatitis signs and symptoms

There are several types of dermatitis, characterized by the following signs and symptoms:

• redness and swelling
• itching and skin lesions

Types of dermatitis

1. contact
2. neurodermatitis
3. seborrheic
4. stasis
5. atopic
6. perioral

1.Contact dermatitis

The condition is characterized by direct contact with one or more irritants, and allergens. The irritants can include:

toilet soaps, skin soaps, synthetic detergents

Possible allergens could be:

• rubber, metals (nickel), jewelry
• perfumes and fragrances, cosmetics and antibiotic creams
• Weeds (ivy)

Some  allergens may cause dermatitis for shorter period, unlike some other irritants. Once you have developed sensitivity to given allergen, it can remain during your whole life.

2.Neuro dermatitis.

It is characterized by intense itching in certain areas of the body, ankles, wrists, forearms, back, neck. It affects children and adults and looks like eczema. Possible factors that trigger it are:

• a chronic inflammation
• eczema
• dry skin
• synthetic clothes
• exhaust gases
• insect bites

3. Seborrheic dermatitis. 

This condition is characterized by redness on the scalp (sometimes face) around the eyes and nose. Yellowish flakes are formed. This type of dermatitis often occurs in people with oily hair and skin, and may be seasonal. Factors that trigger it:

• stress
• neurological disorders

Seborrheic  dermatitis is not contagious or related to diet, but could be worsen by stress, fatigue, excessive drinking, neurological disease (Parkinson's) change of seasons, or general health problems.

So, well known dandruff is inflamed form of seborrheic dermatitis. Seborrheic dermatitis can occur at any age after puberty. The disease varies in severity and duration, and may be a "harbinger" of psoriasis.

Psoriatic plaques are thicker, redder and larger. It often affects the elbows, knees and scalp. Sometimes it is very difficult to make a precise distinction between seborrheic dermatitis and psoriasis, because there are cases, where they overlap. It can be made by doctor-dermatologist.

Seborrheic dermatitis in infants

It occurs in infants aged of 6 months and can affect skin - armpits, groin etc.Pink flakes can still occur on face, body and limbs. Fortunately, it goes away quickly and rarely lasts until the age of 1. 

4. Stasis dermatitis.

It occurs when there is an accumulation of fluid in tissues under skin (usually in lower part of legs). This happens because blood moves sluggishly from  leg veins back to the heart. This additional fluid impede blood (to nourish the skin), putting additional pressure on the skin.

Possible risk factors include:

• varicose veins
• obesity
• chronic or recurrent infections that affect blood circulation in the feet (eg pregnancy or thrombosis)

5. Atopic dermatitis

This type of dermatitis is associated with allergy and affects family members who have some eczema, asthma or hay fever. Starting at an early age, it can be with variable intensity during adolescence. In adulthood it decreases (unless you are exposed to allergens).

Causes:

The exact cause of atopic dermatitis is unknown, but it is presumed to be due to a combination of dry and sensitive skin, a weak immune system. More risk factors:

• dry and sensitive skin
• genetic predisposition
• stress

Treatment of atopic dermatitis

To reduce itching and soothe inflamed skin, try a few simple things:

1.Try to find out what is worsening your condition. For example, rapid changes in temperature, sweating or stress are among the risk factors.

2.Avoid direct contact with wool products (carpets, bedding, clothing), as harsh soaps and detergents.

3.Avoid scratching, apply cold wet compresses.

4.Moisturize skin and apply lotions and creams while the skin is damp.

5.Buy a humidifier, it will improve your condition.

6. Perioral dermatitis

This type is associated with a form of skin disorder known as rosacea, acne (in adults) or seborrheic dermatitis. It can be affected  the skin around the mouth and nose. Possible risk factors include:

• makeup
• humidifiers
• local corticosteroids
• complications of dermatitis
• infection

Sores and fissures that appear on the skin during the dermatitis may be contaminated with bacteria (staphylococcus), viruses and fungi.

Cellulite

Thin red stripes on the skin appear when it is swollen and tender to touch. Cellulite affects most people with weakened immune systems.

Scarring and changes in skin color are other possible complications.

9 Herbs That Lower Blood Pressure

Herbs That Lower Blood Pressure  

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For the past two decades, the percentage of deaths associated with high blood pressure have risen quite sharply, which means that enough people are aware of the causes and dangers of high blood pressure. Fortunately, there are proven herbs that lower blood pressure.

We belong to modern societies, living an intense life, pursuing higher living standards. Nowadays we work more and eat less healthy. Pursuit of our aims at any cost, leads to stress and high blood pressure.

What is high blood pressure?

It is really simple: because blood in your body travel through the arteries, it exerts pressure or tension on the walls of blood vessels. In the body of a healthy person, this pressure is sufficient to allow the blood to reach all cells of the body. In a person with high blood pressure, this pressure is higher than normal, causing unnecessary strain on blood vessels, which may be dangerous to your health. How does weather affect blood pressure and why people with low/high blood  pressure must be careful - more info - here.

Which blood pressure range is considered normal?

 Without going into technical details, we can say that blood pressure is measured with two values - "systolic blood pressure" and "diastolic blood pressure." So, in a man with blood pressure 120 / 80, systolic pressure is 120 and diastolic - 80. These figures show the ideal blood pressure. However, this varies, depending on a number of factors, such as age, diet etc.

So, do not panic if your blood pressure is slightly higher, or lower than that limit. In summary, I can say that blood pressure of 140/90 mm Hg  is considered high and the patient needs treatment.

Herbs that lower blood pressure

1.Garlic – it’s well-known its ability, that help blood circulation in the body and this is probably the most used herb, lowering blood pressure.

2.Ginkgo Biloba – it is known as the only plant survived after the atomic bomb on Japan, during World War II. It has unique properties, contributing to the reducing of free radicals from the body. Plays a role of an anti-oxidant and helps blood circulation in the body.

3.Rhaphiolepis - this herb is known for treatment of cardiovascular diseases, but it also helps to lower blood pressure. It tones the entire cardiovascular system.

4.Mistletoe - normalize blood pressure by strengthening the heart. You can use the extract from the leaves to regain normal heart rhythm.

5.Infusion of raisins – boil 100 g. of raisins within 10 minutes in 250 ml water. Drink on a small sips within one day.

6.Tea fennel, lemon balm and calendula - one teaspoon fennel seeds are boiled for about 3-4 minutes in 250 ml. water. Finally, add a teaspoon of lemon balm leaves and a teaspoon of calendula flower. Leave to soak for 2 hours, strain. Drink two tablespoons, three times a day, before meals.

7.Beetroot juice, carrot juice and horseradish juice

Mix a cup of beetroot juice, a glass of carrot juice and one cup of horseradish juice. Add juice of one lemon, mix it with a cup of honey and drink from this mixture one tablespoon, three times a day, one hour before, or three hours after eating. Treatment duration - two months.

8.Honey and pollen

Blood pressure is affected by the consumption of a combination of honey and pollen in equal proportions.

9.St. John's Wort

Drink half a cup of this herb, three times a day.