Dr. John's Health Matters
Welcome to Dr. John's Health Matters blog.
The articles posted here are from various sources who are duly acknowledged. I would appreciate being immediately notified, if any copywritten material needs to be removed. This blog is not intended to replace the qualified advice of a licensed health practitioner. Readers should exercise their own judgment. Enjoy, subscribe, participate and tell others :)
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Posts tagged "skin"
Sunday, Aug 30th, 2009 ↓Aged skin found more prone to cancer →
Aug 30, 2009 (Presstv.com)—Deficiencies in mobilizing the cells responsible for defending the body contribute to the higher vulnerability of seniors to skin cancer and infection.
Previous studies had reported that defects in a type of immune cell known as T cells account for the reduced immunity and subsequently a higher risk of skin cancer in older individuals.
A new study, however, finds there is nothing wrong with the T cells in the elderly.
According to the study published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, the signals responsible for directing T cells to the right place is missing in this group.
“At the outset we thought it would be the cells responsible for combating infections that might be at fault, but the surprising thing was the T cells were fine but they couldn’t get into the skin - the signals were missing,” said lead researcher Arne Akbar.
As the skin is believed to be capable of sending the required signals when forced, by boosting the immune system in seniors scientists can help them fight infection and reduce their risk of skin cancer.
Scientists hope their findings will pave the way for the development of effective treatments for the reversible condition.
PKH/HGH
Defend Against Disease with Broccoli Juice →
Aug 28, 2009 (NaturalNews.com)— Broccoli is a member of the cauliflower family or a Brassica. It is a diverse super food that is delicious when steamed or can be finely chopped and sprinkled on food for added nutrition. Juicing is a great way to get the most out of this amazing food. By drinking broccoli juice daily, we can prevent disease and transform our health.
Broccoli juice offers a whole array of amazing benefits that help us to enjoy optimum health. It contains glucoraphanin that converts into sulphoraphane, a powerful anticancer agent. It contains isothyocyanate, the chemical that activates our natural cancer inhibiting genes. The sprouted seeds and the broccoli juice help to fight prostate cancer. It contains compounds that help to detox the liver from cancer causing toxins.
With high levels of selenium and fiber, the juice of Broccoli offers protection from stomach and bowel cancer.
Broccoli juice contains compounds that protect cells from ultraviolet light. It helps to increase the production of protective enzymes that protect cells against different aspects of UV damage by working inside the cells. It helps in prevention of skin cancer.
Glucoraphanin present in the broccoli juice promotes antioxidant defenses in the body that help lower blood pressure and harmful inflammation in the heart and arteries.
The phytochemical sulforaphane helps the body defend against H. pylori, a bacteria that causes gastrointestinal problems. Thus, it helps to prevent stomach ulcers and painful bloating.
Broccoli juice contains fibers which help to maintain a healthy gastrointestinal GI tract. It reduces cholesterol levels in the blood. Calcium present in the Broccoli juice promotes healthy bones and helps to burn fat. It decreases the production of cortisol, which is a stress hormone, relating to food cravings and stomach fat.
For full article, see link above.
Tags: prevention disease broccoli juice benefit glucoraphanin sulphoraphane antioxidant anticancer cancer prostate detox liver selenium fiber stomach bowel uv damage skin bacteria gastrointestinal inflammation heart arteries bloating ulcer pain cholesterol blood
Most parents ignorant of children's eye protection →
Aug 19, 2009 (Presstv.com)—The latest findings show 75 percent of parents are risking their children’s eyesight by exposing them to sun without appropriate protection.
Experts from the College of Optometrists ran a poll of 2,000 people to find out the level of parents’ concern over the harm sun can do to children.
The researchers said 75 percent of parents had told them their children do not always wear glasses with UV protection.
The shocking number comes alongside of poll results saying 76 percent of the participating parents apply sun cream to their children to protect them.
Sun exposure can damage the skin and cause dryness, wrinkles, rashes and blisters. Doctors suggest individuals stay out of the sun as much as possible and use sunscreen on all areas exposed to the sun.
Researchers say prolonged sun exposure in childhood and early in life can cause gene mutations later in life that are linked to the deadliest form of skin cancer, melanoma.
The survey shows 29 percent of parents never buy sunglasses for their youngsters and if they do, only 25 percent buy a trustworthy brand and 46 percent put the price before the level of protection.
Tags: child children kid eyesight exposure sun eye protection sunlight uv ray sunscreen sunblock damage skin wrinkle rash blister skin cancer melanoma sunglasses
White Tea Could Keep You Healthy And Looking Young →
Aug 10, 2009 (Sciencedaily.com)—Next time you’re making a cuppa, new research shows it might be wise to opt for a white tea if you want to reduce your risk of cancer, rheumatoid arthritis or even just age-associated wrinkles. Researchers from Kingston University teamed up with Neal’s Yard Remedies to test the health properties of 21 plant and herb extracts. They discovered all of the plants tested had some potential benefits, but were intrigued to find white tea considerably outperformed all of them.
Professor Declan Naughton, from the School of Life Sciences at Kingston University in South West London, said the research showed white tea had anti-ageing potential and high levels of anti-oxidants which could prevent cancer and heart disease. “We’ve carried out tests to identify plant extracts that protected the structural proteins of the skin, specifically elastin and collagen,” he explained. “Elastin supports the body’s natural elasticity which helps lungs, arteries, ligaments and skin to function. It also helps body tissue to repair when you suffer wounds and stops skin from sagging.” Collagen is a protein found in connective tissues in the body and is important for skin, strength and elasticity, he added.
Results showed white tea prevented the activities of the enzymes which breakdown elastin and collagen which can lead to wrinkles that accompany ageing. These enzymes, along with oxidants, are associated with inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. Professor Naughton said: “These enzymes and oxidants are key components of normal body processes. However, in inflammatory conditions, suppressing the activities of these excess components has been the subject of decades of research. We were surprised to find such high activity for the white tea extracts in all five tests that were conducted.”
For full article see link above.
Tags: white tea prevention consumption cancer aging wrinkle antioxidant heart disease skin elastin lung arteries ligament wound collagen drink
Durian is the Healing King of All Fruits →
Aug 8, 2009 (Naturalnews.com)—Durian is a little known fruit from Asia that has an extremely pungent smell and an amazingly sweet taste. The smell of the durian fruit is so bad that many hotels in the areas where durian grows will not allow their guests to have the fruit in their rooms. But those who brave the smell are quickly won over by its beautiful taste and amazing health benefits. Unlike most fruits the durian is left to fall from the tree as this is a sign that it is ripe to eat. People in the local villages of South East Asia, where the durian is most common, call it “The King of Fruits,” and they will clear the floor under the trees near to harvest time and then camp near them for up to two months just to make sure they get the fruit at its peak. This is a truly exceptional and healing fruit.
Traditionally the durian fruit was seen as a powerful aphrodisiac, while women would eat the ashes from burnt durian skins to help them recover after child birth. But concoctions made from the leaves of the durian tree were also used to help reduce swelling and cure skin disease. More recently nutritionists have claimed that the durian fruit can help lower cholesterol and cleanse the blood as well as cure jaundice and alleviate fevers.
Experts even say that you can rid yourself of yeast infections such as thrush through eating the durian fruit. This is because of the durian’s high iron content that helps the white blood cells in our body make specific chemicals that kill off the infection.
The durian is also packed with amino acids as well as Vitamins B, C and E and many people are even comparing the sweet custard like centre of the durian fruit to the goji berry for its high levels of anti oxidants. These anti oxidants help slow down the destruction of cells from free radicals such as pollution and smoking; in doing so, they decrease the effects of aging on the skin giving you a younger more refreshed look.
For full article see the link above.
Tags: fruit durian aphrodisiac swelling skin disease cholesterol blood cleanse jaundice fever yeast infection iron vittamin b c antioxidant aging prevention
New products help you sleep and wake refreshed →
Aug 5, 2009 (Healthzone.com)—Sleep is a precious commodity. And in our ever-quickening lifestyle it’s no wonder we’ve started to put those twilight hours to use: Getting your beauty sleep is now a more literal phrase than ever, from youth-restoring serums to hair repair creams, our beds are the new beauty salons.
The concept of nighttime-specific creams is not new. It’s common knowledge that, when free of makeup and sweat, our skin can absorb and benefit from a richer cream, especially if it’s packed with antioxidants, peptides and all the hi-tech and natural ingredients that promise to do their duty in maintaining youth. But the technology behind the latest batch of overnight beautifiers does cover new ground, offering formulas that address more than one concern at a time and venture beyond the face and into the hairline.
Not only are these products meant for multi-tasking when it comes to a beauty routine, but some of these same formulas work to induce a natural fountain of youth: a solid night’s sleep. In fact, recent findings in Medical News Today show that sleep deprivation actually speeds up the physical decline of old age. The state of deep sleep activates growth hormones, which restore skin’s elasticity, helping smooth out wrinkles and strengthen the hair and nails.
Since 40 per cent of Canadians report trouble sleeping, does that mean we’re all aging faster too?
According to Nadine Pernodet, executive director of research and development at Estée Lauder, getting your Zzz’s can, in fact, stave off the aging process.
“Many studies have shown that at night skin’s activities are different than during the day,” she says. “Nighttime is the optimal time to support the skin to maximize existing natural processes that occur because the skin is not trying to fight off all the external environmental aggressors at the same time, as it does during the day.”
With no disturbances from the environment, she goes on, the skin is more receptive to ingredients that help it to repair itself naturally.
But while Toronto dermatologist Dr. Lisa Kellett agrees that sleep is a regenerative state, she says there’s no difference between how the skin functions at night or during the day.
“Your skin is constantly regenerating,” Kellett says. “It regenerates during the day as well as during the night. Anything otherwise doesn’t make any scientific sense.”
For full article see link above.
Tags: antioxidant product regeneration skin sleep aging peptide hormone wrinkle hair nail strengthen
Tanning beds rated as top-tier cancer risk →
July 29, 2009 (Sciencedaily.com)—Tanning beds are as deadly as mustard gas, arsenic, plutonium and other known carcinogens, international cancer experts have ruled.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer yesterday moved UV tanning beds and ultraviolet radiation to its highest cancer risk category, removing any ambiguity about their threat by labelling them “carcinogenic to humans.”
The move was based on a comprehensive review of studies, which found the risk of skin melanoma increases by 75 per cent when the use of tanning devices starts before the age of 30.
The report, by the agency’s Cancer Monograph Working Group, was published online yesterday in the medical journal Lancet Oncology. The agency is the cancer arm of the World Health Organization.
Until now, ultraviolet radiation and UV tanning equipment have been classified as “probably carcinogenic to humans.” The new classification places them alongside other known cancer-causing agents, including asbestos, benzene and the human papillomavirus.
Cancer experts and advocacy groups welcomed the elevated classification.
“This is important … it is another piece of evidence one can point to from a very conservative and eminent body,” said Dr. David Hogg, a cancer physician at Princess Margaret Hospital. “It doesn’t change my opinion, which is tanning beds are a dangerous carcinogen and should not be used at all.
For full article see link above.
Irish Moss is a Revitalizing Super Food →
July 21, 2009 (Naturalnews.com)—Irish moss is not moss at all. It is in fact seaweed that grows along the rocky coast lines of the Atlantic Ocean. It is especially found in Ireland where it has a long history in Irish folklore as a good luck charm to be taken on long journeys, or to be placed under the rug at home to bring money and prosperity to the household. Irish moss was also used as stuffing for mattresses and cattle feed, but in the 19th century the people of Ireland underwent a horrific famine and Irish moss became one of the main sources of food and nutrition. More recently, Irish moss is becoming known as a healing and exciting super food.
Irish moss is now thought to contain 15 of the 18 essential elements that make up the human body. This includes great amounts calcium, iodine, sulphur, and potassium as well as Vitamins A, D, E, F and K. This is why this most amazing seaweed is thought to be able to cure everything from bladder disorders, bronchitis, halitosis (bad breath), intestinal disorders and glandular problems to swollen joints, lung difficulties, thyroid conditions, tuberculosis, tumors, and ulcers. Recent studies have found that Irish moss does in fact have some great anti-viral properties and can help fight the Influenza B and mumps viruses.
For full article see link above.
Tags: a antioxidant bladder breath bronchitis d e f haliosis healing immunity influenza k lung mumps prevention skin thyroid tuberculosis tumor ulcer vitamin supplement nutrition
Psoriasis Treatments May Increase Malignancy Risk →
July 17, 2009 (Medscape.com)—Psoriasis therapies can increase patients’ risk of cancer, according to a review article in the June issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.
Noting that patients with moderate to severe psoriasis may need life-long alternating systemic therapies to relieve symptoms, Dr. Jeffrey M. Weinberg, of St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center, New York, and colleagues discuss the rates of malignancy associated with long-standing treatments: psoralen and ultraviolet A (PUVA), narrowband and broadband ultraviolet B (UVB), methotrexate (MTX), cyclosporine (CsA), and mycophenolate mofetil (MMF). They also consider the cancer risks of the newer biological therapies (alefacept, efalizumab, infliximab, etanercept, adalimumab, and ustekinumab).
For full article see link above.
Muscle Rubs: Use For Pain Is Questionable, Review Finds →
July 8, 2009 (Sciencedaily.com)—There is not enough evidence to support using gels and creams containing rubefacients for chronic and acute pain, according to a systematic review by Cochrane Researchers. Rubefacients cause irritation and reddening of the skin, due to increased blood flow. The review focused on formulations containing salicylates, which are widely prescribed or sold over the counter as topical treatments for sports injuries and muscle pain.
“At present, due to a lack of high quality evidence, we can’t say exactly how effective rubefacients are for acute injuries and there are certainly other more effective treatments which could be prescribed for use in chronic conditions like osteoarthritis,” says lead researcher Andrew Moore, of the Nuffield Department of Anaesthetics at the University of Oxford in the UK.
For full article see link above.
Tags: muscle rub pain use gel cream rubefacient chronic acute irritation blood circulation skin salicyate injury osteoarthritis
How Safe and Effective Are Sunscreens? →
July 2, 2009 (Therapytimes.com) — Sunscreens are improving, but three of five brand-name products either don’t protect the skin from sun damage sufficiently, contain hazardous chemicals, or both, according to a report by the watchdog organization Environmental Working Group (EWG).
“I’d give the industry a C minus,” says Jane Houlihan, EWG’s senior vice president for research. “They have moved from a D to a C-minus in my book.”
Overall, however, she says the industry is “not doing enough to protect consumers from UVA radiation.”
For full article see link above.
Smog Stresses Your Skin Cells →
June 29, 2009 (mercola.com)—Research suggests that ozone, a key component of smog, puts stress on human skin cells. Cars and factories emit pollutants into the air that combine with the sun’s rays to form photochemical smog. Ozone in the lower atmosphere contributes to the smog that’s visible to the eye. Researchers exposed human skin cells to the smog-related ozone in the laboratory, and found that it turned on cellular machinery that normally responds to stress, suggesting ozone may be toxic to human skin. Smog breaks down into free radicals when zapped by the sun. These free radicals bounce around destructively inside cells. Free radical damage has been implicated in diseases such as cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.
Sources: 
Live Science June 25, 2009
Skin Brushing Shown to have Amazing Benefits →
June 29, 2009 (Naturalnews.com)—Skin care is literally a billion dollar a year business. Thousands of people are drawn in to buying creams, scrubs, soaps and oils every day by the promise of younger, firmer, wrinkle free skin. Many of these products do have their uses. They can stop the skin from becoming dry, sore and cracked; many can even reduce acne and help smooth out fine lines. But none of them can boast the all around cleansing benefits that are associated with the age old practice of dry skin brushing.
The skin is the body`s largest organ. It receives 1/3 of all the blood pumped from the heart. It eliminates up to two pounds of waste acids a day and is responsible for 1/4 of the body`s detoxification. The skin is also the last organ to receive nutrients but the first to show signs of any deficiency. Simply put, the skin is one of the most important organs in the body and needs caring for in the proper way. This is where dry skin brushing can have amazing benefits.
For full article see link above.
Licorice Heals Ulcers, Inflammation, and Skin Conditions →
Oct 9, 2008 (NaturalNews.com)— Most of us have fond memories of those black and red licorice whips we ate as kids. Now we are finding out that licorice is a lot more than a treat for the sweet tooth. Licorice root has recently been shown effective against allergies, hepatitis, inflammation and swelling, hypertension, excessive potassium in the body, skin conditions, viral infections, and tumor formation and cancer.
History of a healing superstar
Licorice root has been used since ancient Egyptian, Greek and Roman times in the West, and since the second and third centuries B.C. in the East. In traditional Chinese medicine, licorice is one of the most frequently used drugs. In Japan, the oldest specimen of licorice introduced from China in the middle of the 8th century still exists in the Imperial Storehouse.
For full article see link above.
Tags: ulcer licorice inflammation skin allergy hepatitis swelling hypertension potassium infection cancer antioxidant prevention heal stomach supplement
Use Natural Cures for Athlete's Foot, or Fungal Skin Infections →
June 18, 2009 (Naturalnews.com) —Tinea is a fungal infection of the skin more commonly known as athlete’s foot. Although the name suggests that only the feet can be affected, athlete’s foot can in fact attack any part of the body. As with all fungi infections all that tinea needs to thrive is a hot, moist area of the body, which is why the groin and underneath the breasts are also prone to this infection.
Fortunately there are some natural ways to alleviate this problem. Tinea feeds on the dead skin that is shed by the body, but if that skin is in short supply the fungus will start to attack healthy skin as well. It is when this happens that we see many of the symptoms associated with athlete’s foot such as itching, stinging, reddening, a scaly rash and in more serious cases cracks, splits and blisters may also appear in the skin.
For full article see link above.
