Healthy Skeptic Podcast and Reader Questions

Chris Kresser, Danny Roddy and I just finished recording the podcast that will be released on May 24th. It went really well, and we think you'll find it informative and maybe even practical!

Unfortunately, we only got around to answering three of the questions I had selected:

1. How does one lose fat?
2. What do I (Stephan) eat?
3. Why do many people gain fat with age, especially postmenopausal women?

I feel guilty about that, so I'm going to answer three more right now.

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Freckles : Causes, Prevention and Home Remedies

Freckles are flat, tanned circular spots that typically are the size of the head of a common nail. The spots are multiple and may develop randomly on the skin, especially after repeated exposure to sunlight. These are particularly common in people of fair complexion on upper-body skin areas like the cheeks, nose, arms, and upper shoulders. Freckles may vary somewhat in color -- they may be reddish, yellow, tan, light brown, brown, or black -- but they are basically slightly darker than the surrounding skin.

There are two basic types of freckles: simple freckles and sunburn freckles. Simple freckles are usually tan, round, and small -- about the size of a common construction nail head. Sunburn freckles are often darker, have irregular jagged borders, and may be larger than a pencil eraser. Sunburn freckles are more common on the upper back and shoulders where people frequently get their most severe sunburns.

Even though freckles are not harmful or dangerous to your health, they take away your full skin beauty. If you're looking for easy, natural home remedies to treat freckles at the comfort of your home,here are some of effective home remedies to remove freckles.

. Apply sour cream on your face. Do not rinse this mask off completely. Gently wipe off with a soft tissue and top it up with a moisturizer.

. Apply lemon juice with your fingers on the affected area. lemon juice bleaches the dark spots.

. Wash your face with sour milk. Lactic acid promotes gentle peeling of skin minus the irritation or dryness.

. Slice a red onion in half and rub on the spots twice daily. Continue until the spots fade.

. Regular use of fruit and vegetable masks such as those made with apricots, strawberries, cucumbers and red currant will help lighten freckles.

. Grind yellow mustard in milk and apply to the face during the night. Wash your face the next morning.

. Mix a spoon of honey with fresh lemon juice. Add a pinch of salt to it and apply it all over the affected area. Wash it off with warm water.

. Ground a handful of mint in a blender with one ripe banana. Apply the paste all over the affected area and wash it off when the pack begins to melt on your face.

. Soak a few almonds over night and grind the paste. Mix with fresh cream and apply to the affected area. Wash it off after an hour.

. Apply odorless castor oil or vitamin E at night before going to bed.

. Increase your Vitamin C intake. It makes your skin less sensitive to the sun.

. Use a good quality sunscreen that offers a high level of 'sun protection factor'. Use it whenever you have to go out in the sun.

. Taking 2-3 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar with a little water 2-3 times daily will also help cleanse your body from the inside out.

Laser treatment is the only known method to help you remove your freckles permanently. So if you have tried many different methods before and your freckles are stubborn and keep coming back, laser freckle removal may be just right for you.


~source:medicinenet.com~

Ingrown Toenail : Causes, Prevention and Home Remedies

An ingrown toenail, also known as onychocryptosis or unguis incarnates, is a painful condition of the toe. It occurs when a sharp corner of the toenail digs into the skin at the end of or side of the toe. Usually it is the nail in the big toe. This can be very painful. Ingrown nails can be caused by shoes that are very tight, or because the person has not been clipping nails properly. Nails should be cut in a straight line and not on a curve.

An ingrown toenail is a common disorder that most often affects the outer edge of the big toe. However, the nail on any toe, or the nail on both sides of a toe, can become ingrown. The most common signs and symptoms are pain, redness, and swelling at the corner of a toenail.

If the ingrown nail case is very severe there is no other solution than going to the doctor and have a small surgery done. But to relieve pain and swelling, here are some home remedies.

. Salt and hot water. Put feet in a basin with hot water and salt for 15 to 20 minutes. You can also use chamomile tea instead as chamomile relieves inflammation.

. This oil is a natural antibiotic that helps prevent infection. Rub a few drops of oil on the affected nail and toe.

. Do not wear high heels or tight-fitting shoes. Consider wearing sandals, if possible, until the condition clears up.

. Soak the foot with the ingrown nail in two pints of warm water and add two teaspoons of marigold (calendula) tincture.

. If your toenail has become thick and brittle you can apply some petroleum jelly mixed with lemon juice.

. Apply an over-the-counter antibiotic ointment and cover the tender area of your ingrown toenail with a bandage.

. Following each foot soaking, place small sections of a cotton ball or dental floss under the edge of the ingrown toe nail, which most often occurs on the big toe.

. Application of some hydrogen peroxide on the affected area helps cure the infection. Make sure you dry your feet well before using hydrogen peroxide.

. Add 6 teaspoons of powdered licorice to 1 cup of boiling water. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Strain and then allow to cool. Use a cotton ball and apply to the infected area three times a day.

If you have diabetes, poor circulation or nerve damage in the foot or leg you should see your doctor promptly to have the problem evaluated.



~source:home-remedies-site.com~

Administrative Note

My blog is being mercilessly ripped off by cheesy feed aggregators that are using my material for commercial gain, often without attribution. I was able to ignore them when there were only one or two, and when they appeared far down the list on Google searches. But at this point, there are 20+ rip-off sites that ride my coattails under questionable circumstances, and are getting decent Google rankings, so I've had enough. I'm changing my feed settings so that I only partially syndicate my posts, and I'm adding a short plagiarism warning to each post.

What that means is that if you're using an RSS reader, you'll have to click through to my blog to read my material in full. I apologize for the inconvenience, but I don't see any other solution.

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Hemorrhoids : Causes, Prevention and Home Remedies

Hemorrhoids also known as piles,are swollen and inflamed veins around the anus or in the lower rectum. The rectum is the last part of the large intestine leading to the anus. The anus is the opening at the end of the digestive tract where bowel contents leave the body.

The most common symptom of internal hemorrhoids is bright red blood on stool, on toilet paper, or in the toilet bowl after a bowel movement. Internal hemorrhoids that are not prolapsed are usually not painful. Prolapsed hemorrhoids often cause pain, discomfort, and anal itching. Excessive straining, rubbing, or cleaning around the anus may make symptoms, such as itching and irritation, worse.

Hemorrhoids are not dangerous or life threatening. Symptoms usually go away within a few days, and some people with hemorrhoids never have symptoms. Swelling in the anal or rectal veins causes hemorrhoids. Several factors may cause this swelling, including

.chronic constipation or diarrhea

.straining during bowel movements

.sitting on the toilet for long periods of time

.a lack of fiber in the diet

Another cause of hemorrhoids is the weakening of the connective tissue in the rectum and anus that occurs with age. Pregnancy can cause hemorrhoids by increasing pressure in the abdomen, which may enlarge the veins in the lower rectum and anus. For most women, hemorrhoids caused by pregnancy disappear after childbirth.

Any rectal bleeding needs to be evaluated by a health professional. In some serious cases, surgery may be needed. Home cures for hemorrhoids are safe and gentle and surely end up producing healthy results.

. Take a thick gruel of rice, glass of buttermilk and a ripe banana. Mix them and take it twice a day. This is very effective home remedy for hemorrhoid.

. Make juice of leaves of bitter gourd. Take three teaspoons of it, mix with a glass of buttermilk and take it early morning.

. Dab a small amount of Petroleum Jelly or Zinc Oxide on a cotton ball and apply to the swollen area.

. By applying Aloe Vera directly into the anus region you sure can get instant relief and get rid of the itching.

. Drinking green tea with the beneficial different blends can also act as the best home cures for hemorrhoids.

. Dry figs are the most important food remedy for piles. 3-4 figs should be soaked overnight in water and taken empty stomach in the morning along with the water in which they were soaked.

. Boil 20g of sesame seeds in 500 ml of water and drink it. This is another effective home remedy for hemorrhoids.

. Cold-water treatment also helps the veins to shrink and tones up the walls. The treatment should be taken twice a day by sitting in a tub filled with cold-water .

. A cup of milk boiled with mashed banana and taken thrice a day is also beneficial for hemorrhoids.

. Make a mixture of half-teaspoon fresh ginger juice, half-teaspoon fresh limejuice, a tablespoon honey, and a half-teaspoon mint leaves and take this mixture once a day. This is one of the simple and effective hemorrhoids cure.

. Cherries and berries are rich in proanthocyanidins, antioxidant flavonoids that strengthen the veins.

. Apple cider vinegar or just plain vinegar can be applied to hemorrhoids to stop the itching and burning sensations. Vinegar acts as stringent that can help in shrinking the engorged blood vessels.

. Eating fruits and vegetables that are rich in Vitamin C is important to strengthen and tone down the blood vessels.

. Pomegranate peels can be used to prepare a hemorrhoids remedy, by simply boiling the peels in water. The water must then be drunk, and this practice should be done twice a day.

. Apply chamomile ointment directly to the hemorrhoids as often as needed for relief of symptoms.

. Apply witch hazel with a sterile cotton pad, 3 times daily to shrink the swollen veins.

. Cut up two full garlic cloves and put them in 2 cups of boiling water for 25 minutes. Once the water is at room temperature, the patient should use it as a enema to help treat their internal hemorrhoids. This hemorrhoids home remedy can be used once per day.

These natural and home reliefs for hemorrhoids help in preventing hemorrhoids and easing the discomfort if you already have them. However, seek and ask for your physician�s advice if home remedies are not enough in controlling your hemorrhoid problem.



~source:home-remedies-for-you.com~

Hives : Causes, Prevention and Home Remedies

Hives are raised, often itchy, red welts on the surface of the skin. They are usually an allergic reaction to food or medicine. Allergic reactions cause your body to release chemicals that can make your skin swell up in hives. People who have other allergies are more likely to get hives than other people. Other causes include infections and stress.

Hives are very common. Hives usually cause itching, but may also burn or sting. They can appear anywhere on the body, including the face, lips, tongue, throat, or ears. Hives vary in size (from a pencil eraser to a dinner plate), and may join together to form larger areas known as plaques. They can last for hours, or up to one day before fading.

If hives or angioedema occur with any of the following symptoms, contact your doctor right away:

.Dizziness
.Wheezing
.Difficulty breathing
.Tightness in the chest
.Swelling of the tongue, lips, or face

While the condition is of no serious medical concern, it can be significantly uncomfortable and unsightly. Because of the fact that it is so common all over the world, a number of home remedies have been used over decades to fight off the condition.

. Parsley is known to inhibit the secretion of histamine that causes hives. Eat it raw or juice it up.

. If you tend to get hives on a regular basis, green tea can help. Drink 1 cup twice per day.

. Another very calming and soothing hives treatment is to apply lavender essential oil directly on the hives.

. By applying the cool compression it may help to provide some relief from the pain and itch.

. By applying calamine lotion it can grant you relief from the itchy feeling.

. Applying aloe vera gel or vitamin E oil to the affected area at least twice a day can benefit you a lot.

. Avoid food like eggs, strawberries, berries, peanuts, nuts, chocolates, cheese, tomatoes, soy products, shellfish and many more. Find out the food that is allergic to you and avoid having it.

. Consume vitamin E, vitamin C, zinc or cayenne pepper capsules for speeding up the healing process.

. Get 1/2 a tub filled with warm water, add 1/2 cup cornstarch and 1/2 cup baking soda. Soaking yourself at least once a day can make a lot of difference.

. Make a paste by mixing 2 cups of oatmeal and 3 teaspoons of cornstarch to a little water and apply the resulting paste over the affected regions. Allow the paste to harden for about half an hour before you wash it off your body.

. Add some drops of sandalwood essential oil on cotton and then apply it on the infected areas every three hours. This oil helps in calming and cooling effects of hives.

. Add a few drops of grapefruit seed extract in a teaspoon of vegetable oil or olive oil. Apply this mixture over the affected area for lessening or eliminating hives.

. Swimming in chlorine water is also good for treating hives.

. Avoid wearing tight cloths as it can rub against the affected area and cause them to spread as well.

. Make a concoction of ginger with boiling water and add this to your bath. Soak yourself in this water for 30 minutes and you will feel better. You can also take ginger as supplements to get rid of hives.

. Apply diluted cider vinegar directly to hives to get rid of itching and restore the skin�s natural pH balance.

. Drink plenty of water and fluids to flush away the toxins from the body.

. There are a lot of cortisone creams available over the counter. Apply this cream directly on to the hives to get relief from itching and swelling of hives.

If these methods do not help, then you must be suffering from chronic hives and hence you will need to seek the advice of a doctor.



~source:webmd.com/hives-treatment.com~

Ask Me a Question

On May 13th, I'll be recording a podcast with Chris Kresser of The Healthy Skeptic. Chris interviewed me about a year ago, and I thought it went well. Chris is a good host and asks interesting questions.

This time around, we're going to do things a bit differently. I'll start with a little overview of my current thoughts on obesity, then we'll answer reader questions. The show is going to be mostly about obesity and related matters, but I may answer a couple of questions that aren't related to obesity if they're especially interesting. There are two ways to leave questions: either in the comments section of this post, or the comments section of Chris's post. The show will air on May 24th.
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