Common Skin Conditions: Dermatitis and Moles

Two of the most common skin conditions are the presence of moles and dermatitis. Moles can have more serious consequences than the irritation of dermatitis.

Moles occur when the cells in the skin that give it its pigment, called melanocytes, grow in clusters. These cells normally grow throughout the skin, but when too many grow in the same place a mole occurs. Most moles appear before the age of 25, but some may appear much later. Moles can remain static or change over time. Although most are not dangerous, some can be malignant and lead to melanoma. Any mole that oozes or becomes painful or sensitive should be checked out by a dermatologist. Moles that suddenly appear after the age of 25 or begin to change or grow should also be evaluated.

When evaluating your moles, keep the following in mind. Moles should be round. If your moles are asymmetrical, or irregular in shape, have it evaluated. If you find a mole that is larger than ¼”, mention it to your doctor or dermatologist. If you find that your mole has an irregular or jagged edge, or is not all one color, have your doctor look at it. Finally, any mole that is red or blue may be cause for concern.

Treating moles is not difficult. If a mole is embarrassing, or becomes irritated under your clothing, you may ask your doctor to remove it. Moles can be frozen with a chemical, after which they dry up and fall off. Other moles can be simply cut off of the skin. Often, doctors will remove entire moles that seem suspicious and test the tissue for cancer. If any malignancy is found, they may cut out a slightly larger area of skin and then suture the site closed.

Check your skin regularly for changes in your moles. If any seem suspicious, or any changes have occurred, let your doctor know. Preventing a problem is as easy as going on “mole patrol.”

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Alternative Approaches for Down Syndrome

There are a number of revolutionary treatments to maximize the learning potential and physical capabilities of those with Down syndrome that have shown significant success and have been gaining increasing scientific attention in recent years.

NUTRITIONAL APPROACH

The use of nutritional supplementation to help boost the metabolism of those with Down syndrome began with North American physician Dr. Henry Turkel in the 1950s. To address the unique biochemistry of those with Down syndrome, he began treating affected children with a combination of vitamins, minerals, and hormones. Although his program achieved some success, his work was generally rejected or ignored by mainstream scientists.

However, a growing population of parents of children with Down syndrome continued to use Dr. Turkel’s nutritional program. Eventually, Kent Macleod, a pharmaceutical biochemist and owner of Nutri-Chem labs in Ottawa, Canada, learned of Dr. Turkel’s formula after a number of parents asked him to evaluate the protocol. Macleod and the biochemical team at Nutri-Chem joined with Dr. Turkel and other researchers in further developing and refining the original supplement. A nutritional formula known as MSBPlus was the eventual result.

MSBPlus is a formula of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, antioxidants, and enzymes that targets essential

nutrients missing from the biochemical makeup of the person with Down syndrome. This supplement, which can be custom-formulated to meet individual age and metabolic needs, has met with marked success. Research is ongoing. The University of Miami School of Medicine is now collaborating with Nutri-Chem on clinical trials and studies on Down syndrome. One long-term, double­blind study will examine the cognitive development and language skills of children with Down syndrome who are taking MSBPlus.

Nutri-Chem is also working with Dr. Marie Peeters, a pediatrician and former member of the Institute de Progenese in Paris. Dr. Peeters was an associate of Dr. Jerome leJeune, the scientist who discovered the cause of Down syndrome. In an effort to further study the effects of nutritional supplements (particularly amino acids) on those with this disorder, Dr. Peeters is involved in clinical trials.

For additional information on MSBPlus formula, or to receive information on the connection between nutrition and Down syndrome, you can write to Nutri-Chem labs, 1303 Richmond Road, Ottawa, Ontario K2B 7Y 4, Canada; or call them at 613-820-9065 or 613-829-2226.

The work of Dr. Turkel also influenced Jack Warner, M.D., F.A.A.P., founder of Warner House, Inc., a not-for­profit center for the clinical study and treatment of Down syndrome. Together with medical colleagues, biochemists, and other medical professionals, Dr. Warner developed a metabolic treatment called HAP CAPS for children with Down syndrome. This formula is a supplemental yet integra. part of a multidisciplinary treatment approach that includes examination and evaluation by a physical therapist, a developmental optometrist, a clinical psychologist, a speech advisor, and a nutritionist, under the recommendation of a primary care pediatrician, plus a system of periodic reports, tests, and doctors’ observations. In addition to seeing patients regularly at the clinic in Fullerton, California, the Warner House staff also travels across the United States to meet with patients in many cities.

Dr. Warner reports that data from over twelve years of research and treatment show the Warner House treatment protocol has resulted in changes in the physical features of children with Down syndrome, a reduction in the frequency of infections that typically affect these children, and an improvement in their cognitive ability.

More information about Warner House can be obtained by writing to The Warner House, 1023 East Chapman Avenue, Fullerton, CA 92631; or by calling 714-441-2600.

DEVELOPMENTAL STIMULATION APPROACH

The Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, offers parents of children with Down syndrome a specialized program for helping their children develop and maximize their potential. In this program, parents are the key players in a home therapeutic approach that involves providing simple yet intensive neurological stimulation for their children. A carefully designed nutritional regimen is also an integral part of the program.

Before beginning the program, parents attend a five-day course of lectures and demonstrations at The Institutes. They learn about the Developmental Profile, a measuring instrument that clearly shows visual, auditory, tactile, mobility, language, and manual abilities a child should attain by certain ages, and they learn specific techniques to use in working on different skill areas with their children. Once home, the parents carry out an individualized brain­development program tailored to the needs of their child. Carried out properly, these techniques have produced most encouraging results, often leading children with Down syndrome to perform even above levels exhibited by most average children.

More information on this program can be obtained by writing to The Registrar, The Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential, 8801 Stenton Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19118; or by calling 800-736-4663.

For more information on Down Syndrome 

Common Causes of Lung Cancer

There are a various risk factors that are linked to lung cancer. The most common known causes are as follows:

Cigarette Smoking
Cigarette smoking is probably the most closely related link to developing lung cancer. A person who smokes two packs or more of cigarettes per day has a one in seven chance of developing lung cancer. Those that smoke one pack of cigarettes per day have a twenty-five times greater chance of developing lung cancer than a non-smoker. In addition, those people that smoke a pipe or cigar have a five times greater chance of developing lung cancer than a non-smoker.

The risk of developing lung cancer increases with the number of cigarettes smoked over your lifetime. Cigarette smoking damages the cells in your lungs. The moment you stop smoking, your lungs begin healing themselves, replacing damaged cells with healthy, normal cells. Your risk of developing lung cancer begins decreasing almost immediately when you quit smoking. Every year that you do not smoke, your chances of developing lung cancer drop further. By the fifteenth year, your chances of developing lung cancer are about the same as those of a person who has never smoked.

Secondhand Smoke
Also known as passive smoking, people exposed to secondhand smoke on a regular basis will have a higher risk of developing lung cancer, even if they do not smoke themselves. Studies have shown that those who live with a smoker have a 24% greater risk of developing lung cancer than most non-smokers. Doctors estimate that about 3000 lung cancer deaths a year are related to secondhand smoke.

Asbestos Exposure
Exposure to asbestos is another well-known cause of lung cancer and mesothelioma - cancer of the pleural lining of the lungs. Asbestos was widely used in construction and everyday products in the late 1800s through the 1960s. Asbestos separates into fine silica fibers that become trapped in the tissues of the lungs. Mesothelioma is inextricably linked to asbestos exposure. There are no reported cases of mesothelioma in people who were not exposed to asbestos either in the workplace or through their environment. A non-smoker who was exposed to asbestos has a five times greater risk of developing lung cancer than a non-smoker who was not exposed. Smoking increases the risk dramatically - a smoker who was exposed to asbestos has a risk of developing lung cancer that is 50 to 90 times greater than that of a non-smoker.

Radon Gas
It is estimated that about 12% of lung cancer deaths can be attributed to radon gas, a colorless, odorless gas that is a natural byproduct of the decay of uranium. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that as many as 15% of homes in the United States have unsafe levels of radon gas, which will account for 15,000 to 22,000 deaths from lung cancer annually.

Air Pollution
Scientists estimate that as many as 1% of all lung cancer deaths are attributable to air pollution. They believe that prolonged exposure to very polluted air can raise the risks of developing lung cancer to about the levels of a passive smoker.

Home Remedies

Healthy Hair Vitamins

here a number of different specific hair vitamins and minerals that can play a major role in helping a person have a healthy head of hair. If a person does not have sufficient hair vitamins then the deficiencies can lead to thinning hair or even total baldness in the most severe cases. The fact is that the state of a person’s hair reflects the overall condition of their body. Extra hair vitamins are likely to be needed if a person is generally unwell or is undernourished as their hair will show damage too and may even stop growing.

Some of the most important hair vitamins that a person needs to have healthy hair include B6, biotin, inositol and folic acid. The best way to ensure that a person receives enough of these essential hair vitamins are for them to be taken as vitamin supplements. It is not just hair vitamins that are necessary for healthy hair though as there are a number of minerals that are essential, including magnesium, sulphur, silica and zinc.

The most essential hair vitamin is vitamin a but the best form of this is to include in the diet is beta-carotene. This is because the hair vitamin A can be toxic if consumed in large quantities but beta-carotene has no such problems and is converted by the body into vitamin A that can be used to promote healthy hair. Of course, vitamin A is not just a hair vitamin, it is also needed for a number of other functions including normal growth of bones, skin, nails and the protective sheath surrounding nerve fibres.

Protein is another essential hair vitamin. This is because hair itself is essentially protein. The amount of this hair vitamin that a person consumes in their diet can affect the hair directly. If a lot of protein is included in a person’s diet then this hair vitamin will lead to improved hair growth and a far fuller head of hair. However, a person who has a diet that is lacking in this hair vitamin will suffer from thinning hair and slow hair growth.

Of course, it is not just hair vitamins and minerals that are needed to ensure that a person has healthy, strong hair. There are a number of researchers who have found that there are direct links between the overall health of a person and the condition of their hair. If a person is under a lot of stress or suffers from a lack of sleep then their hair is also likely to suffer and it is likely that their diet will not provide enough hair vitamins to counter these effects. Hair vitamin and mineral supplements can be the solution to weak and damaged hair.

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Is Fibromyalgia a disease, a collection of symptoms or is it all in your head?

For weeks you have been aching from head to foot. You have no energy, you can’t concentrate and you can’t remember the last time you got a good night’s sleep. You have been to the doctor a few times already and all he can tell you is what you DON’T have. You have read about fibromyalgia and even talked to others that have been diagnosed with the disease. Yet, so far, no one can tell you whether you have it or not?

Sound familiar?

Well welcome to the world of fibromyalgia diagnostics. It is bad enough that there is no cure or significantly effective treatment for this condition, but it is even more frustrating when it takes so long for anyone to tell you that the problems you are having are caused by fibromyalgia.

There is no debate as to the validity of fibromyalgia as a disease. In fact, the World health Organization has recognized the disease for many years. It is the diagnosis that is debatable.

Fibromyalgia is a very confusing and misunderstood condition. It has been known by many different names for well over a century but was not termed “fibromyalgia” until the 1970’s. The term is derived from the actual experience of the condition. “Fibro” – which represents the fibrous tissues affected (i.e. ligaments and tendons); “Myo” – representing the muscular system; and “Algia” – meaning “pain,” which is the dominant manifestation of this disease. Essentially, fibromyalgia means being in pain almost everywhere.

Fibromyalgia must be diagnosed through a process of elimination. In other words, before a complaint can be labeled fibromyalgia, it must first be determined that there is not some other cause. If your appendix is inflamed, you have appendicitis. If you fall and bang your head a CT scan will indicate if you have a concussion. But if you ache all over and suffer from chronic fatigue for months on end, have trouble focusing and struggle with anxiety and depression, it must first be determined what you DON’T have rather than what you DO have. Because if you have fibromyalgia, there is no test that will indicate that you have it.

In other words, diagnosing fibromyalgia is difficult.

This process is very contrary to the health care system as currently structured. The optimal level of testing and analysis to reach a confident diagnosis of fibromyalgia can be cost prohibitive. As a result, the symptoms of fibromyalgia can be conveniently dismissed as psychosomatic. Conversely, fibromyalgia can become the catchall diagnosis when there is resistance to traveling the long road to a conclusive diagnosis. Either way, the patient loses.

Sometimes, a patient receives great relief when they are told what the problem is, even if a solution is unclear. Receiving a confidant diagnosis of fibromyalgia may not provide relief but at least it allows the sufferer to move forward to explore treatment alternatives.

The American College of Rheumatology has made this diagnostic process easier for patient and physician by developing criteria for fibromyalgia that can be used in diagnosing the disorder. According to the criteria established by the ACR, a person is considered to have fibromyalgia if he or she has experienced widespread pain for at least three months in combination with tenderness in at least 11 of 18 specific tender point sites. While this may not be as definitive as a blood test or X-rays for other conditions, at least there is guidance that results in diagnosis with a high degree of confidence.

As for treating fibromyalgia… well that’s another story! (I’ll deal with treatments in a subsequent article. Stay tuned.)

Home remedies

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