5 Amazing Natural Remedies for Adult Acne

Posted on 04/01/2015 by sbonham

Let’s face it, getting adult acne is no fun! However, it is a lot more common than you would think. In fact, a 2012 study published in the Journal of Women’s Health found that nearly half of all women ages 21 to 30, a quarter of women ages 31 to 12, and 12% of women ages 41 to 50 get acne. No matter how old we are, pimples usually form in the same time- honored way: Pores—which contain oil glands—become blocked, letting dirt, bacteria, and cells build up and form a plug.

Why We Get Adult Acne?

For most women, hormonal changes, either around the monthly cycle or during a menopausal shift, are the culprit. But dietary imbalances and stress also cause flare-ups. “Acne in adults is like a whistle blow. Often it’s a sign that something else not quite right is going on,” says Michael Murray, ND, a naturopath and coauthor of The Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine.

Home Remedies For Acne

Have no fear though! There are some amazing home remedies to treat adult acne that are very inexpensive. Below I list five tried and true examples of remedies that work !

1. Tea Tree Oil For Skin

Less irritating than its chemical cousin benzoyl peroxide, tea tree oil has a long history of fighting mild to moderate acne outbreaks. The oil, which comes from the leaves of a tree native to Australia, has antiseptic properties that help reduce acne-causing bacteria on the skin and quell inflammation in skin cells. “We’ve seen it work against a wide range of organisms, including 27 of the 32 strains of acne-causing bacteria,” says Murray.

Multiple studies, including a review last year in the International Journal of Dermatology, back the plant’s power. You can find tea tree oil in a wide variety of soaps, skin washes, and topical solutions. Look for a minimum concentration of 5% of the oil (up to 15% for more severe acne). Below is the tea tree oil cream that I use. It contains vitamin E and is less potent than others, but works 10 times better (according to me). Other tea tree oil creams are soo strong and leave the skin way to dry. This formula is geared more towards adult men and women, not teens.

2. Detox Tea

This is my number one suggestion!…and I bet you are surprised to see this on the list. Why detox tea? Well, a lot of the time we get acne is because of what we have been eating. A gentle detox can help clean your kidney and liver, flushing out the “gunk” which may be contributing to your skin problems.

Some detox’s tea like Ultra Slender Tea’s 15 day detox even have rooibus and dandelion root, which do miracles for acne.

The dandelion plant has a bad reputation as a weed, but it’s actually an excellent source of vitamins A, C, D and B, as well as the minerals iron, potassium and zinc…and zinc works miracles for your skin. Ultra Slender Tea has the highest concentration of dandelion root, compared to any other detox tea on the market.

According to a research that was published in 2009, the dandelion root is a natural agent used for detoxification on a very common scale. It has the ability to easily remove all toxins from your liver and kidneys. Apart from that, it also helps in curing acne that is caused to an excess of bacteria, or due to a hormonal imbalance.

When preparing a cup of Ultra Slender Tea, you should keep some tea aside for later use on your skin! Before bed try using the tea water on your face where the acne is present, allowing for a much cleaner and smoother skin. Since dandelion roots contain a number of detoxification properties, you can also be sure that very soon, it would suck out the toxins present in your skin, leaving you with smoother and clearer skin.

3. Aloe Vera

Aloe vera is often associated with wound healing and soothing of burns, but it is loaded with vitamins and can nourish your skin while preventing acne scars. Specifically, aloe vera will reduce the diameter of your acne boils and reduce their redness. How? Aloe Vera contains over 75 different nutrients and vitamins, minerals, enzymes, sugars, anthraquinones or phenolic compounds, lignin, saponins, sterols, amino acids and salicylic acid. Additionally, aloe Vera contains 19 of the 20 amino acids required by the human body for good health. The human body however produces only 12 of these. Then 8 outstanding amino acids (also known as “essential” amino acids) have to be consumed as food or drink.

For aloe vera to benefit the skin, one must either drink aloe vera juice or apply it topically. In a study by Dr. Davis et al. it was found that when animal drank Aloe Vera orally they experienced a 62.5% reduction in would diameter compared to animal who drank plain water for 2 months (control). Note, the mice received 100 mg/kg/day of aloe vera.

Dr. Davis, et al. and his team also published that when aloe vera is applied topically to mice, they experienced a 50.8% reduction in wound diameter. Although this is a 11.7% reduction in improvement compared to drinking aloe vera, it is still a significant improvement in would healing. Specifically, the scientist put a 25% w/v concentration in Eucerin cream.

4. Aspirin Face Mask

Did you know that aspirin contains salicylic acid, which is one of the most commonly used ingredients in acne products today. Salicylic acid cleans out pores and exfoliates the skin (which is ideal for sloughing away fine lines and wrinkles too). Aspirin is so great for acne and is one of the strongest anti-inflammatory ingredients you can find in your cupboard. Hence, it will immediately reduce redness.

For it to be most effective as an “at home remedy for acne” you will need to crush it and use it as a face mask.

What You’ll Need:
5-7 Uncoated aspirin pills
Distilled Water (bottled water like Fiji or Evian)
1 tsp Organic Honey

Instructions:
In a mug, drop the aspirin in with just enough distilled water to create a paste consistency. Let the aspirin dissolve in the water (you can mix a bit if necessary). If it seems a bit too pasty, add more water. If it is too liquidy, add another aspirin. I’d advise not to use more than 8 aspirin. Once you have your paste at the consistency that you like, you can apply to skin as is. However, I find that by adding 1 teaspoon of organic honey, the mask is less drying to the skin. You also receive the added benefits of honey (and I love honey for acne-prone skin) so I have included honey in my directions. You could also sub the honey for olive oil if your skin is extra dry or irritated.

How to Use:
Apply to the face, jaw, chest, back – any area that is prone to breakouts. Leave on for 7-15 minutes. This is great for men too as aspirin is wonderful for ingrown hairs (i.e. beard acne). Use up to two times a week but make sure that you make a new batch each time you use.

*You will notice an immediate glow to the skin once you rinse off the mask. Skin will feel heavenly soft and look luminous. Blackheads should decrease after the first use as well. Enjoy!

5. Blue Light For Acne

It was found that some of the visible violet light, present in sunlight, in the range 405-420nm activates a porphyrin (Coproporphyrin III) in Propionibacterium acnes which damages and ultimately kills the bacteria by releasing singlet oxygen. A total of 320J/cm² of light within this range renders the bacteria non viable. This part of the spectrum is just outside the ultraviolet and produces little if any tanning or sunburn.

The Caribbean Sun Box Red and Blue Light Therapy Acne Treatment Professional Model RB-PRO is a highly effective light therapy light box that uses LED lamps of a specific wavelength to treat acne. Using the Caribbean Sun Box Red and Blue Light Therapy Acne Treatment Professional Model RB-PRO a few minutes a day can lead to beautiful acne-free skin. Measuring just 5.5″ x 9″ x 1.25″, it easily fits on a desk, table, or countertop.

Application of the light for 3 consecutive days has been shown to reduce the bacteria in the pores by 99.9%. Since there are few porphyrins naturally found in the skin, the treatment is believed safe except in patients with porphyria; although eye protection is necessary due to light sensitive chemicals in the retina. The light is usually created by fluorescent lamps, bright LEDs or dichroic filament bulbs.

Treatment is often accompanied with application of red light which has been shown to activate ATP in human skin cells (essentially a photobiomodulation effect), and seems to improve response rates. Overall improvements of on average 76% for 80% of patients occurs over 3 months; most studies show that it performs better than Benzoyl peroxide but treatment is far better tolerated.

Note: if the above blue light acne treatment is too expensive for you, maybe start with the Illumamask? I included the link below:

How To Remove Plantar Warts

Posted on 29/12/2014 by sbonham

Plantar Wart

A Plantar wart can be difficult to detect and is often ignored for a period of time before one will decide to treat it. When done properly, home treatment with the correct medicine (i.e. Wartol) is less of a hassle and pain-free.

While many start by suffocating a plantar wart with duct tape for six days, this isn’t recommended. Why? Well, often the roots can be embedded deep within the skin and it will be hard to know if the wart is 100% removed. Therefore, even if a wart appears to be gone, it may come back at some point. I highly recommend using a clinically proven natural product called Wartol to remove plantar warts. If you are interested in buying this product, just click on the product below.

What Are Plantar Warts?

Before I get into the treatment for Plantar warts, it is important you know what they are to begin with, so you understand how important it is to treat them over-the-counter medicines like Wartol.

Essentially, Plantar Warts are a variant of the HPV – Human Papilloma Virus – and on their own, can take years to disappear. Hence, if you don’t have a couple of years to wait it out, there are a few thing you can do to remove those unsightly plantar warts. However, before the warts are treated make sure to follow read these pointers:

Be careful to avoid touching, picking or scratching warts.
Make sure to let your partner know of your condition –always adhere to safe sex.
Be sure to wash your hands often with hot water and soap.
Warts can spread from contact – so do not touch them.

Plant Wart Treatment

Some plantar warts go away on their own, while others require treatment. Salicylic acid medications and cryotherapy (freezing the warts with liquid nitrogen) are traditional ways to get rid of plantar warts. However, now there are more safe and effective ways for you to remove unsightly warts form your legs, hands, arms and personal areas in the comfort of your own home without a prescriptions. For example covering the warts with duct tape is an alternative method of treatment that has been proven effective, but will not guarantee 100% removal. The most effective treatment we recommend is called Wartol.

How to Remove Plantar Wart

Wartrol is clinically proven and uses FDA approved ingredients to remove common and plantar warts caused by HPV. In fact, the ingredients in the product have long been used to remove warts safely and effectively. What’s amazing is that never before have these ingredients been combined in such a complete formula for wart removal. In our opinion, this is the ultimate Wart Removal Product on the Market. Wartrol is a fast acting, painless liquid that comes in a convenient drop applicator and is simple to use.

Benefits of Detox Tea’s versus Energy Drinks

Posted on 02/09/2014 by sbonham

Obviously many people these days love to have an energy drink for many various reasons whether it be before or after working out, getting energy for that long
shift of work, or if its just one of those days you need a little bit of a boost.

However, their are some disadvantages of energy drinks that we should all consider now and again. For starters, they contain a very high caffeine content with close to 300 mg per serving. This is enough caffeine to cause serious headaches, insomnia, nervousness, increased blood pressure ad disrupted sleep patterns as described by The Medical Journal of Australia in August 2012. Secondly they contain a very high sugar content with most containing up to 35 grams of sugar per serving. The recommended amount of added sugars per day is 25 grams for women and 37.5 grams for men so consuming this amount of added sugars drastically increases your risk for obesity and even diabetes.

Have no fear though, there are many alternative, fantastic options on the market!

Ultra Slender Tea eliminates harmful toxins from your body, restores your system to the way it should be operating, and contains the extra energy benefits
of an energy drink! Not to mention it acts as a powerful weight loss alternative. Ultra Slender Tea contains Burdock Root, Licorice, Cinnamon, Rooibus, Dandelion Root, Fennel, Anise Seed, Juniper Berries, Coriander, Cardamom, Black Pepper, Sage, Cloves, Turmeric. All of these ingredients have many, many benefits which would be too lengthy to write about here but they are listed on their website here. The Anise Seed, Ginger, Coriander act as excellent energy boosters in this fantastic tasting tea!

Shocking Effect Sitting Has On Your Health

Posted on 12/05/2014 by sbonham

Did you ever think that chair you sit in at work for endless hours could pose a significant threat to your health and fitness? Guess again.

According to a poll of nearly 6,300 people by the Institute for Medicine and Public Health, it’s likely that you spend a stunning 56 hours a week planted like a geranium – staring at your coputer screen, working the steering wheel, or collapsed in a heap in front of your high-end TV. And it turns out that women are often more sedentary than men, since they tend to play fewer sports and hold less active jobs.

Sitting and Diseases

When you sit for a long time, your body starts to shut down at the metabolic level, says Marc Hamilton, Ph.D., an associate professor of biomedical sciences at the University of Missouri. So when muscles- particularly the big ones that are designed for movement, like those in your butt or legs – are immobile, your circulation slows and you burn fewer calories. As a result, key flab-burning enzymes that break down triglycerides (a type of fat) start switching off! What more, if you sit for a full day, those fat burners plummet by 50%!

A Unique Temporary Solution Lies In A Tea

Well, let’s face it, if your stuck sitting in the job you have all day and don’t have time for a few walking breaks a day, we found a temporary awesome solution -tea!! One great option is to have this tasty tea called “Vein Vanish“. Don’t let the name throw you off. It contains key ingredients such as Hawthorn Leaves which promote circulation in your legs; reducing blood clot formation and spider veins. It’s 100% natural too and contains yummy anti-inflammatory ingredients such as cinnamon, rose, safflower, ginger and cloves! You can buy the tea on Ultra Slender Tea’s website by clicking here.

Another option is to buy a “standing desk”. I know, I know sounds strange but they are becoming more and more affordable. Check out this option from Kickstarter.

Does Exercise Even Help After Long Hours Sitting?

Shockingly, we have become so sedentary that “30 minutes a day at the gym may not do enough to counteract the effects of eight, nine, or 10 hours of sitting”, according to Genevieve Healy, a research fellow at the Cancer Prevention Research Centre of the University of Queensland in Australia. This is one big reason why so many women struggle with weight, blood sugar and cholesterol woes despite keeping consistent workout routines.

Shocking Research

One very interesting study conducted by Dr. Healy and her colleagues , found that regardless of how much moderate to vigorous exercise participants did, those who took more frequent breaks from sitting throughout the day had lower MBIs (body-mass indexes), slimmer waists and healthier blood-fat and blood-sugar levels than those who sat the moist.

In another extensive study of 17,000 people, Canadian researchers drew an even more succinct conclusion: The longer you spend sitting each day, the more likely you are to die an early death – no matter how fit you are! Yikes!

At the end of the day, if exercise isn’t an option there are plenty of solutions. As previously mentioned Ultra Slender Vein Vanish Tea will help increase blood flow throughout body (especially legs), or you can try buying an exercise ball to sit on, or even a stand up desk. At night, limit TV time to two hours a day or less. Better yet, watch it from a treadmill or exercise bike.

4 Surprising Foods That Will Help You Sleep

Posted on 04/01/2014 by sbonham

Natural Solutions For Insomnia Suffers

Are you someone who takes hours to fall asleep? Or perhaps your so stressed from your job and busy life that you can’t shut your brain off? Maybe it’s to much out of your control and you suffer from severe insomnia or jet lag? Why not consider a natural alternative? For example, did you ever think that the foods in your diet could help aid in a better night’s sleep? This article focuses on four key foods high in melatonin, to help promote a better night’s sleep.

What Is Melatonin?

If you aren’t sure what melatonin is, let me explain. Melatonin is a natural hormone produced in our body by the pineal and pituitary glands at the base of the brain (the part that regulates sleep and wake cycles). Melatonin plays a key role in maintaining a healthy immune system and is great for sleep regulation. It is also a very powerful and unique antioxidant.

The natural production of this hormone is greatly affected by light. Usually, the levels of this hormone begin to rise in the mid-to late evening, remaining high for most of the night, and then decline in the early morning hours.

Can Foods High In Melatonin Help You Sleep?

Our bodies naturally produce melatonin at night when we sleep. In fact, according to the Society for Light Treatment and Biological Rhythms, approximately 5-25mcg of melatonin circulate in the blood stream of healthy young and middle aged men at night time. If we take an average of 15 mcg (which equals 15000 ng), this number can serve us as a comparison to foods with melatonin.

If our body produces approximately 15 000 ng of melatonin when we sleep, you can see how “tart (sour) cherry juice concentrate” could be very effective at helping us get to sleep (refer to infographic below). In fact, cherry juice concentrate has even more melatonin in it than our bodies produce at night! Therefore, if you want to have a good night’s sleep, you will only need as little as 100g before bed. I added a link to tart cherry juice concentrate below, if interested:

Melatonin Dosage

Generally, when you go to the store and get a natural supplement of “melatonin”, a single dosage can be way to strong and overbearing for what you actually need. Indeed, most melatonin supplements can be of animal origin (made of ground up pineal glands of cows or sheet) and synthetic (man-made).

Keep in mind the the daily dosages of synthetic melatonin vary greatly depending on the age and medical condition of a person and typically are in the range of 0.25-10 milligrams (the most common doses are 2-5 mg) to be take 20 to 120 minutes before bedtime.

Foods High In Melatonin Versus Supplements

What most people don’t realize is that even the smallest dose of synthetic melatonin is much higher than the amount normally circulating in one’s natural blood stream at night. Human blood contains between ~5-25 mcg of melatonin at night, so even the smallest dosage available synthetically (aka sold to you in the store) is 10-15 TIMES HIGHER than what is normally found in your blood!

It is important to remember that melatonin is a synthetic “hormone” and hormones can be quite scary. Even the smallest doses can offset in your body and result in unwanted implications such as abnormal health rhythms, dizziness, irritability, mood changes, itching, seizures, sleepwalking, stomach problems, vivid dreams, reduced sperm count.

Why not just consume foods high in melatonin? It makes complete sense. Scientific studies even show that higher doses of 10 mg/day (400 times higher than normal) do not produce better results than 0.25mg/day. This means that the most commonly used doses of 2-5 mg/day are then 80-200 times higher than melatonin normally found in the blood. YIKES!

This just shows you, how natural alternatives can sometimes be all you need. TART CHERRY ORGANIC JUICE CONC. is definitely something to consider or Ultra Slender Tea, as it is high in ginger – which contains lots of melatonin.

Eco-Savy

Tag Archives: health