Lifestyle Choices

The Human Hazard

It sometimes happens, as is well known, that a perfectly healthy person can carry disease germs in the gut, nose and even on the skin without being aware of it. Those who have recently suffered such diseases as dysentery can carry the germs for several months after recovering completely from the original infection. Indeed, a famous case was that of “Typhoid Mary,” an American cook, a typhoid carrier, who was paid a pension by the U.S. Government for nearly fifty years in order to keep her away from the kitchen. She was, of course, an exceptional case. (more…)

Infection

Certain food poisoning bacteria other than staphylococci can infect food and grow in it without detectable taste or smell. Then, when the food is eaten, these germs gain access to the gut of the consumer, multiply there and cause a typical gastroenteric form of poisoning.

An example of this type of infection is that caused by the Salmonella group of bacteria. These germs are normally carried in the gut by pigs, poultry, cows, bullocks, sheep, domestic animals and rodents, and, to a lesser extent, human beings. Eggs (especially duck), egg powder and milk can also be affected. (more…)

For the protection of your family, watch for the unsuspected dangers that lurk in your kitchen

“The standard of food hygiene in this I country must be raised.” That statement has been voiced in the press, on the radio, in Parliament, even on the village green, with increasing frequency during the past few years. And rightly so, for it concerns us all. But it is the housewife particularly who has it in her power to see that the standard is raised. (more…)

People often begins with the fat dieting and extreme exercising hoping just to lose weight — but soon extraordinary, unexpected things begin to happen. Frequently depression, migraines, insomnia, muscle pains, their joint pain, asthma, or eczema. When we experience a weight loss like this, we are failing ourselves instead of trying to evoke healing and vibrant health. (more…)

Unlike sunscreen (which everyone absolutely needs), not everyone needs a moisturizer, especially on the face. If you have oily skin, you are often better off without. As a dermatologist, I see many problems stemming from excessive or inappropriate use of moisturizers on the face. If you have an oily complexion but feel you need a moisturizer for non-oily parts of your face, use an oil-free formulation. Everyone should beware of exotic oils, fragrances, protein extracts, or enzymes; rarely useful, they are often irritating. (more…)

Everyone suffers at some time from dry skin. When your skin is dry, you reach for a moisturizer. But effective moisturizing involves more than just day cream or lotion.

When doctors look at dry skin under a microscope, they see that it is actually an accumulation of dead cells adhering to the skin’s surface. These cells are made of the protein, keratin, which can absorb water, changing from dry, tile-like flakes to smooth, plump cells. Natural, moist, supple skin depends upon the complex interaction of these surface cells with the environment, with water, with your body’s secretions, or with moisturizers you apply. (more…)

Normally, you don’t think that much about blinking your eyes. Yet it’s something you do between eleven and twenty times every minute. Blinking has much in common with another bodily function, breathing: both are done regularly, rhythmically, and automatically. Proper blinking is especially important for contact lens wearers since it can mean the difference between comfort and discomfort, clear vision and cloudy vision, and being a successful wearer and an unsuccessful one. (more…)

There are two types of sweat glands. The eccrine glands which are most numerous on the palms, soles, and forehead, and the apocrine glands which are in the armpits, anogenital area, nipples, eyelids, ear canal (secreting ear wax) and around the belly button. The apocrine secretions are regulated by sex hormones that activate at puberty and decline with old age. It is the apocrine sweat which breeds the bacteria that causes body odor, explaining why pre-adolescents and the elderly usually suffer less from this problem. (more…)