Serious Skin Care: Beyond the Basics of SoapWritten by Dr. Edward F. Group III, DC, Ph.D, ND, DACBN
Skin care means different things to different people. Some consider merely washing their face on a daily basis to be a good skin care routine. Others would not leave house without cleansing, toning, moisturizing, applying sun block, and concealing blemishes. For those of you who are ready to move beyond basics of soap, this article is for you. Read on to learn more about serious skin care, serious skin care products, and what you can do to solve serious skin care dilemmas.Serious Skin Care Routines Serious skin care doesn’t mean that you have to spend endless hours in bathroom. It means taking time to look at your skin and what products and techniques can keep it looking and feeling great. Here’s a serious skin care routine that can be completed in minutes: 1.Clean Up: Soap may be great for rest of your body, but many dermatologists agree that it can be too drying for even heartiest facial skin. You don’t have to spend a lot of money to find a natural facial cleansing gel or face wash that is specially suited to your skin type. Wash your face twice a day with warm purified water and a facial cleanser to remove any perspiration, pollutants, and debris that may accumulate there. 2.Get Toned: If you have dry, sensitive or combination skin, your skin may be irritated by drying ingredients like alcohol and acetone found in most skin toners. Skip this step if you have a problem with irritation. However, if you have oil or combination skin, you face will likely benefit from extra cleansing and pH restoration of a alcohol and acetone free skin toner. 3.For Your Eyes Only: Eye cream can do wonders to improve condition of delicate skin around your eyes. It can also help imperfections such as dark circles and bags, and it can minimize appearance of fine lines. A good all in one natural eye and facial cream is “Parfait Visage”. 4.Use Protection: Serious skin care means not only washing, but also protecting your skin from potential damage. Moisturizers and sun block provide good skin protection. Moisturizers hydrate your skin and help to keep dust, debris, and environmental pollutants out of your pores. Sun block protects your face from sun’s damaging rays. Ultraviolet radiation can lead to damage such as wrinkles, age spots, freckles, moles, rough spots, and even cancer. To save time, use a moisturizer that contains sunscreen with at least an SPF 15. Serious Skin Care Solutions Even with a flawless skin care routine, you are likely to encounter blemishes and other skin care dilemmas. Acne: Acne is term for a skin condition that includes pimples, blemishes, whiteheads, blackheads, and cysts. The most important rule to remember if you develop acne is that you should never pick or squeeze acne blemishes. This can lead to spread of acne and development of acne scars. Instead, there are a number of herbal, homeopathic, and traditional preparations that can be used to treat this condition. For more information on natural acne remedies visit www.acne-answers.org.
| | Weight Loss SurgeryWritten by Dr. Edward F. Group III, DC, Ph.D, ND, DACBN
Weight loss surgery as a last resort can successfully help severely overweight or obese people lose excess weight. There are several different types of weight loss surgeries to choose from. Consult your health care provider to discuss whether or not you make a good candidate for weight loss surgery, and which procedure would work best for you. Natural methods always work best.How Does Weight Loss Surgery Work? There are two basic types of weight loss surgery that are currently used for weight reduction. Restrictive procedures work by decreasing food intake. Malabsorptive procedures, on other hand, alter digestion, and cause food to be poorly digested and incompletely absorbed so that it is eliminated in stool. Restrictive Procedures: Restrictive weight loss surgery works by altering size of stomach, to reduce amount of food that can be consumed at one time. It does not, however, interfere with normal absorption or digestion of food. A restrictive weight loss surgery involves creation of a small stomach pouch in upper portion of stomach. The capacity of this pouch is about one half to one ounce. The pouch then connects to rest of stomach through an outlet known as a "stoma." The reduced stomach capacity allows patient to feel fuller with less food, and by decreasing overall food intake, patient can achieve sustained weight loss. The success of this weight loss surgery ultimately depends upon ability of patient to alter his or her eating habits. After surgery, it is likely that patient will only be able to consume a maximum of one half cup full of food at each sitting. Compliance with these requirements is necessary to avoid stretching pouch and defeating purpose of surgery. •Vertical Banded Gastroplasty: This is restrictive weight loss surgery in which upper stomach near esophagus is stapled vertically for about 2-1/2 inches to create a smaller stomach pouch. The outlet or stoma that connects to rest of stomach is restricted by a band or ring that slows emptying of food and allows patient to feel fuller with less food consumption. After 10 years, studies show that patients can maintain at least fifty percent of targeted excess weight loss. •Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Banding: This restrictive weight loss surgery, also called stomach banding, utilizes a band to divide stomach into two portions. The band is placed around upper most part of stomach, dividing stomach into a small upper portion and a larger lower portion. Because food is regulated, most patients feel full faster. Food digestion occurs through normal digestive process. This surgery can be reversed as band can easily be removed from stomach. As with other weight loss surgeries, success of this procedure is dependant on compliance of patient with a restricted diet and development of an exercise regime.
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