The Complete Herbal Guide: A Natural Approach to Healing the Body - Heal Your Body Naturally and Maintain Optimal Health Using Alternative Medicine, Herbals, Vitamins, Fruits and Vegetables (15 page)

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What is a vaginal yeast infection?

A vaginal yeast infection is an excess growth of yeast cells in the
vagina
. Yeast infections are very common in women of childbearing age but can occur at any age. Although they can be uncomfortable, vaginal yeast infections rarely lead to serious health problems.

Causes of a Yeast Infection

A healthy
vagina
normally contains many bacteria and small numbers of yeast cells. The most common bacteria found in the vagina, Lactobacillus acidophilus, help prevent other organisms, such as yeast, from growing in excess and causing an infection. About 70% to 90% of yeast infections are caused by a strain of yeast called Candida albicans.

When there is a change in the normal balance of organisms in the vagina, yeast can overgrow, causing symptoms. This imbalance can be caused by many factors, including use of broad-spectrum antibiotics for other conditions, high estrogen levels (as during pregnancy or
hormone replacement therapy
), or certain medical conditions, such as
diabetes
or
HIV
infection.

Symptoms of Yeast Infections

• Vaginal itching
  
• Irritated genital skin
  
• Pain or burning in the genital area with urination or sexual intercourse
  

• In some cases, white vaginal discharge that is usually curd like and odorless. Some women have no noticeable discharge.
  

How do you diagnose a vaginal yeast infection?

Vaginal itching and a white vaginal discharge that is odorless and looks like cottage cheese are classic signs of a vaginal yeast infection. However, it is easy to misdiagnose a vaginal infection. If your symptoms are not typical of a yeast infection, you are not certain of your diagnosis, or you are pregnant and have symptoms, see your health professional. A vaginal exam and possibly a
culture
of vaginal discharge can help diagnose whether another type of organism is present.

Treatment

Take a tampon and dip it in yogurt. Insert in the vagina, twice a day. Continue this remedy for an extra day after your symptoms go away.

Tea Tree Oil

A few drops of tea tree oil poured on a tampon and inserted in the vagina can provide some relief.

Garlic
:
For non-vaginal yeast infections, you can apply garlic paste directly on the affected parts. This remedy is for other affected parts of the body and not for the vaginal yeast infection.

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Wrinkles are a by-product of the aging process. With age, skin cells divide more slowly, and the inner layer, called the dermis, begins to thin. The network of elastin (the protein which causes skin to stretch) and collagen fibers (the major structural proteins in the skin), which support the outer layer, loosen and unravel, causing depressions on the surface. With aging, skin also loses its elasticity, is less able to retain moisture, oil-secreting glands are less efficient and the skin is slower to heal.

Symptoms

• Lined and creased skin
  
• Sagging skin
  
• Areas that are more affected include sensitive skin near the eyes, lips and neck.
  

Though some creases are temporary, they may become deeper and more permanent due to ageing.

Causes

Facial Muscle Contractions

Lines between the eyebrows (frown lines) and lines jutting from the corner of the eyes (crow’s feet) are believed to develop because of small muscle contractions. Smiling, frowning, squinting and other habitual facial expressions cause these wrinkles to become more prominent. Over time, the expressions coupled with gravity contribute to the formation of jowls and drooping eyelids.

Sun Damage

Exposure to ultraviolet radiation (too much sun) can result in premature aging of skin. Premature aging of the skin is called photo aging. The ultraviolet sunrays cause photo aging damage collagen fibers and cause the excessive production of abnormal elastin. When ultraviolet light damages skin tissue, an enzyme called metalloproteinase is produced. This enzyme creates and reforms collagen. During the process, however, some healthy collagen fibers are damaged, resulting in a disorganized formation of fibers called solar scars. Wrinkles develop when the rebuilding process occurs repeatedly.

Smoking
Healthy skin perpetually regenerates. While old collagen is broken down and removed, new collagen is produced. Researchers have found that smoke causes a marked reduction in the production of new collagen. A lack of new collagen results in the development of wrinkles. 

Rapid weight loss can produce wrinkles

Treatments

• Apply egg whites to the skin under your eyes.
  

• Odor-free castor oil
  can be applied to the skin under the eyes or on that of the throat.
  

• Empty the contents of three
  Vitamin E capsules
  into a small bowl. Add to this 2-tablespoon plain yogurt, 1/2 tsp honey and 1/2 tsp lemon juice. Apply this mixture on the face using a cotton ball. Leave it on for 10 minutes and rinse.
  

• A mixture of 1/4 cup comfrey infusion, 1/4 cup witch hazel and 10 drops of patchouli essential oil is effective in treating wrinkles. This can be stored in a clean bottle and applied on affected areas with a cotton ball.
  

• Gently massage coconut oil on portions of skin prone to wrinkles every night a bedtime.
  

• A paste of turmeric made with sugarcane juice is great to get rid of wrinkles and slow down skin ageing.
  

• Cut a green Thompson seedless grape in half and gently crush it on your face on the wrinkles. Leave it for 20 minutes, rinse with warm water, and let it dry in natural air.
  

• Rub the core of pineapple on the face and leave it for 10-15 minutes before rinsing off. This works well on fine wrinkles.
  

• Applying juice of green pineapples and apples on the face daily for 10-15 minutes is good for fine wrinkles and cracked skin.
  

• Application of pure castor oil regularly prevents wrinkles.
  

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Before vomiting, usually one will feel nauseous.  Nausea is an unpleasant wavelike feeling in the back of the throat and/or stomach that may or may not result in vomiting. Vomiting is the forceful elimination of the contents of the stomach through the mouth. Retching is the movement of the stomach and esophagus without vomiting and is called "dry heaves." Even though treatments have improved, nausea and vomiting continue to be worrisome side effects. Nausea is sometimes far more distressing for people than vomiting.

Symptoms

• Increased saliva
  
• Dizziness
  
• Light-headedness
  
• Difficulty in swallowing food or liquid
  
• Changes in skin temperature
  
• Increase in heart beat rate
  

Causes

Some of the common causes of vomiting are:

• Overeating
  
• Drinking excessive alcohol
  
• Pregnancy
  
• Migraine
  
• Infections
  
• Flu
  
• Stomach upset
  
• Stomach virus
  
• Food poisoning
  
• Poisoning
  
• Accidental poisoning
  
• Acute gastritis
  
• Reflux
  
• Intestinal obstructions
  
• Chronic digestive conditions
  
• Peptic ulcers
  
• Stomach cancer
  
• Intestinal obstruction
  
• Kidney failure
  
• Cholera
  

Treatment

• Have a cup of
  ginger tea
  
• Eat a mixture of
  honey and powder of 2 roasted cardamoms
  
• Have a glass of
  chilled lime juice
  
• Have a mixture of 1 tsp
  mint juice
  
• 1 tsp
  lime juice
  
• 1/2 tsp
  ginger juice
  and 1 tsp
  honey
  
• Slowly sip a glass of
  honey water
  ,
  
• Have one tsp
  onion juice
  in regular interval
  
• Slowly sip a glass of
  chilled cola
  

Relax for some time.

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Peeling skin is an issue for all of us. Many older people suffer from peeling skin particularly on their lower legs, elbows, and forearms. The skin feels rough and scaly and often is accompanied by a distressing, intense itchiness.

To understand the reasons behind peeling skin one needs to understand the structure of the skin.
The skin consists of three basic layers:

• outer layer or epidermis
  
• middle layer/dermis
  
• inner layer referred to as hypodermis
  

Each of these layers provides a particular function and is in a continuous state of change. Every 28 days the epidermis, or outer layer of the skin, is completely replaced once. The 28-day change, in the outer cover of the skin, is influenced by various factors such as hydration, friction, sun exposure and various other environmental issues.

Peeling skin is therefore a temporary problem and is known to heal in a few days as the new skin surfaces.

Though there are few exceptions such as: in case of infections or medications that cause the skin to peel or a hereditary disorder known as Peeling Skin Syndrome.

Peeling skin syndrome is an extremely rare inherited disorder characterized by continual, spontaneous skin peeling (exfoliation). Other findings may include reddening of the skin (erythema) and itching (pruritus). At least one group working on this disorder distinguishes between a non-inflammatory form called type A and an inflammatory form known as type B. Type B is associated with congenital erythroderma, a condition in which the skin has an intense red color. There is mounting evidence that the inflammatory type B is a variant of Netherton syndrome.

Symptoms

• Erythroderma may cause thickening and flaking of the skin
  
• Exfoliate dermatitis, causes the skin to flake.
  
• Hand eczema, lead to rashes and itches on the hands due to increasing use of harsh soaps and detergents.
  
• Eczema causes chronic skin rash which progresses to skin inflammation and may lead to skin peeling
  
• Psoriasis surfaces on the skin by scaling and inflammation of the skin causing it to peel
  
• Ichthyosis is a rare disease caused mainly due to dryness, the resulting roughness leads to scaly fish-like skin
  
• Kawasaki disease, a disorder usually found among in infants and young children causes rash and swelling of the hands.
  
• Scarlet fever sometimes causes rashes over the upper body, which spreads through the entire body.
  
• Vitamin A overdose shows symptoms of skin peeling.
  

Causes

• Heavy perspiration due to tight gloves or boots
  
• Certain blisters contain fluid between the two layers of skin. When the blister breaks, it leaves the skin open to be peeled.
  
• Rashes may cause skin peeling
  
• Dry skin and extreme cold weather can make the skin peel.
  
• Sunburn is a commonly known reason for skin peeling -Allergy to specific chemicals or irritation from chemicals can cause skin peeling.
  
• TEN (Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis) or blisters which cover the whole body, is a rare disease that causes the skin to peel.
  
• The Peeling Skin Syndrome or Skin Peeling Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that causes continuous skin peeling may also be a probable cause.