Acne

Facts about Acne:

Acne is a disease that affects the skin's oil glands. The small holes in the skin (pores) connect to oil glands under the skin. These glands make an oily substance called sebum. The pores connect to the glands by a canal called a follicle. Inside the follicles, oil carries dead skin cells to the surface of the skin. A thin hair also grows through the follicle and out to the skin. When the follicle of a skin gland clogs up, a pimple grows.

Most pimples are found on the face, neck, back, chest, and shoulders. Acne is not a serious health threat but, it can cause scars.
Acne is not just a problem for teenagers, it can affect people from ages 10 through 40. It is not unusual for women, in particular, to develop acne in their mid-to-late 20's, even if they have not had breakouts in years (or ever). Acne can appear as congested pores, whiteheads, blackheads, pimples, pustules, or cysts (deep pimples).
Sources:
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases 
http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Acne/acne_ff.asp  
MedicineNet.com: http://www.medicinenet.com/acne/article.htm  

Types of Acne:
Here are four common types of acne:

1. Nodules are the most severe form of acne. These are called cysts because of their pus-filled, sac-like formation. These cysts are the worst infection which spreads under the skin to the adjoining tissue around the primary infection site. cystic acne contains large amounts of pus and runs deep in the skin. These are very painful and the scarring caused by cystic acne is much more frequent than caused by any other form of acne.
   
   
2. Cystic Acne is often cause by the pinching or squeezing of small pus-filled acne. This causes the pus to burst deep into the skin tissue. This triggers a body mechanism which sends white blood cells to the infected site to fight off bacteria. This results in swelling, causes deep rooted inflammation, and this deep infection causes pain. So keep in mind to keep your hands off your acne-infected skin, otherwise you will be spreading the infection deeper and creating more trouble for yourself.
   
   
3. Acne Vulgaris is the most common form of acne is called acne vulgaris, which comprises of both whiteheads and blackheads. This form of acne is incredibly easy to treat, as many don't know. 2.5% Benzoyl Peroxide is one of the most recommended solutions available. 
   
   
4. Acne Rosacea is often suffered by middle aged adults .This is characterized by flushing of the face and red nose caused by inflamed bumps. This infection takes place on chin and forehead. Because of the flushing face, it gives rise to wrong perceptions of the person being drunk, although this type of acne has absolutely nothing to do with drinking. In the severe form, Acne rosacea causes red nose or bulbous nose (rhinofima), especially in men.

Sources: 
WrongDiagnosis: http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/a/acne/subtypes.htm  
AcneResource.org: http://www.acne-resource.org/acne-skin-care/types-of-acne.html  

What are the causes of Acne?

The cause of pimples is unknown. The process by which a pimple develops is highly intricate. While we do know that a pore collapses on itself and blocks sebum (oil) from escaping, we do not fully understand why this process takes place in one sebaceous gland versus another. 
The main culprit is horomonal changes which influence oil production. It is thought that our hormones play a big part in developing acne, especially in teenagers. This is because our hormones have been known to be responsible for the maturation of the oil glands. This means that any hormone differences can cause acne to flare up. 
Stress can contribute to acne because when you get stressed, it stimulates our body enzymes and immune systems and in turn stimulates the oil glands. These then produce more oil and that is when acne can flare up.
Other causes may include diet, evolutionary biology, vitamin deficiency, and more. The real explanation may be a complex mix of many of these factors. 
 Sources:
MedicalNewsToday: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/71611.php 
MedicineNet.com: http://www.medicinenet.com/acne/article.htm  

What are the symptoms of Acne?
There are two main types of acne: non-inflammatory and inflammatory. 
In non-inflammatory acne, there are usually just a few whiteheads and blackheads on the face. A relatively mild type of acne, it can often be treated effectively with nonprescription medicines. The majority of people with acne have this type of acne. 
With inflammatory acne, the whiteheads become inflamed, and red pimples and pustules develop. In its most severe form, inflammatory acne can cause disfiguring cysts and deep, pitting scars of the face, neck, back, chest and groin. Prescription drugs and sometimes surgery are needed to treat inflammatory acne.
Sources: 
Mayoclinic: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/acne/DS00169/DSECTION=symptoms 
HealthScout: http://www.healthscout.com/ency/68/131/main.html 

What treatments are available for Acne?
Here are a few common treatments for acne: 
Cosmetic procedures - Chemical peels and microdermabrasion may be helpful in controlling acne. These cosmetic procedures -- which have traditionally been used to lessen the appearance of fine lines, sun damage and minor facial scars -- are most effective when used in combination with other acne treatments.

Acne can be treated effectively by a dermatologist. Options may include:

• Topical treatments such as retinoids (tretinoin, tazarotene, or adapalene) or antibiotics (benzoyl peroxide, clindamycin)
• Oral antibiotics
• Hormonal medications like oral contraceptives
• In severe cases, an oral medication called isotretinoin (Accutane) may be prescribed. This is extremely effective, but side effects may include severe birth defects, changes in blood fats and cholesterols, and mood changes. Because of these side effects, Accutane is usually used only for patients with severe acne, or, in patients who have failed all other treatments.

Laser and light therapy reach the deeper layers of skin without harming the skin's surface. Some laser systems are thought to damage the oil (sebaceous) glands, causing them to produce less oil. Other laser and light therapies target Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes), the bacterium that causes acne inflammation. These therapies can also improve skin texture and lessen the appearance of scars, so they may be good treatment choices for people with both active acne and acne scars.

Combination therapies, for example, using prescription creams and oral antibiotics, target all the causes of acne, which makes the treatment plan more successful. Several combination therapies have been shown to be effective in controlling acne:

Here are some tips given by doctors to treat acne:

• Get a nonprescription acne medicine and apply regularly. Over-the-counter drugs containing sulfur, resorcinol, salicylic acid, and benzoyl peroxide, are all effective for treating mild acne.
• Use ordinary hygiene on affected areas, washing your face once or twice daily with your usual soap or cleanser. Deodorant soaps may be used, but they are of no particular value for acne.
• Do not scrub or use a loofa. Friction makes acne worse.
• Do not pick or squeeze. This may worsen scarring.

As with most diseases, acne responds best if treatment is begun early in the course of the disease. Treating your acne before it becomes severe may also help to reduce permanent scarring.

Sources:
HealthScout: http://www.healthscout.com/ency/68/131/main.html  
MayoClinic: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/acne-treatments/SN00038  

 
HerbaCall Acne Testimonials:

• Anee-Kit Littler says, "I am 47 years old, and I suffered from Acne Rosacea for 10 years prior to using Herbalife's nutrition products... started on the Herbalife Nutritional Programme in June 1999. I was using F1, F2, F3, F5, F6, NRG, Thermojetics Beverage, Aloe Concentrate and Herbalifeline . Three weeks into the programme and after gradually stepping down my skin medication I threw away the antibiotics altogether. The symptoms are gone and my skin has never looked better!" 
  
  
• Valerie Morris tells HerbaCall, "Before Herbalife I was overweight, asthmatic for over 30 years and had terrible acne scarring. I went on the Quick Start Weight loss programme, rose ox andschizandra plus, herbal aloe drink and florafibre. I added some awesome Dermajetics Skin care products to that. In 4 months I lost over 26 lbs, 6 dress sizes, all my allergies, threw away my prescription asthma medication, discovered I no longer needed to wear glasses...... but THE MOST amazing thing for me was THE SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN MY SKIN!"
  
  
• Roger Schie proudly said, "My skin problems started in 1989 whilst living in far north Queensland. I suddenly developed severe acne and highly sensitive skin on my face and neck, made worse by the intense humidity of that environment. I was so impressed by these results that on my return home, I started using the Dermajetics Natures Mirror Hydrating System (cleanser, toner and moisturiser) morning and night. I had been using the Ultimate Nutritional Program and all the targeted products for a period of six months before including the Dermajetics products. I used the products regularly and consistently and, after three and a half months, you wouldn't even know I had had a skin problem. My face is clear of blemishes, my skin tone healthy and there is no scarring."
  

Pastoral Ministry And Health

There are very few things as rewarding to me as pastoral ministry. I love helping people, it's what I was designed to do, but it does take a toll on my health. While I was in Salamanca, NY I weighed a respectable 197 lbs. I was active mostly because the ministry I was engaged in at the time was centered around youth. We were always on the go so calories were being burned. This is not to say that I ate healthy... far from it.  I consumed lots of processed and fast foods and even though I didn't know it at the time, it was taking a toll on my body. Still, I wasn't overweight so I didn't realize there was a problem. 

The problems started when we began ministering full time in Buffalo, NY. The physical activity level dropped, my eating habits remained the same and as a result I gained nearly 80 lbs in a year. As you can imagine I felt awful in every fiber of my being, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I knew I needed to make a change and so I began attending Weight Watchers. It worked for a while, but the problem with Weight Watchers, and so many other diet plans today, is that they teach you its ok to consume garbage food. So let me be perfectly frank here and say that its a lie. You may not realize it, but our bodies become addicted to the high carb, chemically processed foods we've eaten for years. The only way to be free of it is to make a decision to be free from it. Change your fuel, your body wasn't designed for chemicals it was designed for Food. However, that proves to be a challenge as more and more of the food we eat is either chemically processed or chemically infused. Organic food is wonderful if your a Trump heir, but for most of us its too expensive to consider as a viable solution. Yet, continuing on with poor eating habits will more than likely shorten your life and rob you of the quality of life that God intended for you to enjoy.

So with Weight Watchers I lost nearly 60 lbs... and then I put 70 lbs back on. The reason is simple, the body was designed for good, pure, nutrition from the ground up. Everything about us needs to be nourished properly, especially our cells. Our cells make up our entire physical being. Skin, hair, teeth, bones, it all has its foundation rooted in cells and that's what separates the Herbalife programs from every other program on the market today: Targeted Cellular Nutrition. The theory behind targeted Cellular Nutrition is simple: Nourish the body on a cellular level. Seems simple enough, but as someone who uses the system can tell you, the results are profound. Now the truth is that if your diet has been corrupt for some time, then your cells are also corrupt. Instead of being formed by pure nutrients, your cells have been formed and even influenced by man made chemicals and processes. This leads to illness, exhaustion, lack of mental clarity and all sorts of negative physical conditions. The good news is that Shapeworks, by Herbalife, will infuse the body with the proper nutrition it needs and as a result, your body will began to produce healthy cells and healthy cells mean healthy cellular activity. You will improve. You'll feel great, and you'll began to realize that stewardship of your body is as much a spiritual issue as preaching a sermon. I would love to help with a free consultation. I give a special discount for the Shapeworks weight management program for anyone engaged in ministry. 

Blessings,

Jim Brennan

Nature's Provision

The Nutrition Nature Intended

http://herbal-nutrition.net/the-brennans

Some Health Stats Info Etc

Health and Product News

A new report by Duke University researchers says childhood obesity has risen to a point that it can be considered a modern-day epidemic. 


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For up to one-third of the world's population, vitamin and mineral deficiencies are keeping children from reaching their full physical and intellectual potential, according to two reports by UNICEF, reports USA Today. 


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In 2000, poor diet - including obesity and physical inactivity - caused 400,000 U.S. deaths, more than 16 percent of all deaths and the No. 2 killer. That compares with 435,000 deaths, or 18 percent, attributed to tobacco, the leading preventable killer. 


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The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports that obesity is gaining on tobacco as a leading cause of death in the U.S., CNN.com reported. A government study found that inactive Americans are eating themselves to death at an alarming rate, with their unhealthy habits fast approaching tobacco as the top preventable cause of death. 


In 2000, poor diet - including obesity and physical inactivity - caused 400,000 U.S. deaths, more than 16 percent of all deaths and the No. 2 killer. That compares with 435,000 deaths, or 18 percent, attributed to tobacco, the leading preventable killer.


The ShapeWorks™ Nutritional Index found that 66% of people in the U.S., Italy, France, Germany and Russia consider themselves to be overweight. Surprisingly, only 37% of these people think they'll be overweight in five years.


A new report by Duke University researchers says childhood obesity has risen to a point that it can be considered a modern-day epidemic.


For up to one-third of the world's population, vitamin and mineral deficiencies are keeping children from reaching their full physical and intellectual potential, according to two reports by UNICEF, reports USA Today. 


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A study presented at the North American Association for the Study of Obesity showed that people who followed a meal-replacement plan for 10 years weighed, on average, about 33 pounds less than people who didn't use a meal-replacement plan.



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According to the head of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), obesity is the No. 1 health threat in the United States today. Obesity is a leading contributor of the three top causes of death in the U.S. - heart disease, cancer and stroke. 


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Reuters News Service reported that the ever-increasing waistlines of young adults in the U.S. have led to more and more cases of Type 2 diabetes in young people. And new research suggests that these young people are having far too many heart attacks and strokes.



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The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports that obesity is gaining on tobacco as a leading cause of death in the U.S., CNN.com reported. A government study found that inactive Americans are eating themselves to death at an alarming rate, with their unhealthy habits fast approaching tobacco as the top preventable cause of death. 


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The ShapeWorks™ Nutritional Index found that 66% of people in the U.S., Italy, France, Germany and Russia consider themselves to be overweight. Surprisingly, only 37% of these people think they'll be overweight in five years. 

It's A Weight Loss Challenge!

Digestion

Let's Talk Digestion

 Our digestive processes aren't something we usually think about until we began experiencing an issue with them in one form or another. But research suggests that our digestive processes, and the many components involved, are in fact a major key for maintaining good health. Yet despite all of the reports that are surfacing about the importance of digestive health, information about how to care for our digestive systems is scarce.

With this in mind, the Doctors at Herbalife have designed a number of products targeting digestive health. A full digestive health program can be tailored for your specific needs. If you would like to know more about digestive health and our digestive health program simply contact us for more information. 

Health is Spiritual Too

About a year ago I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes... not good to say the least.  So to make a long story a bit longer, I was told that I could reverse the condition by controlling my diet. Ugh...

I say ugh because I have tried diets in the past, and while I'm not willing to say they didn't work, they didn't seem to have what it took to help me sustain my diet. Each time I promised myself would be different from the last, and each time I eventually gained more weight than I had initially started with. I felt like a failure and I started going down the road of self pity and depression. Then my DOCTOR told me about a weight management program called Shapeworks. Great... another diet, no thank you. Turns out, Shapeworks isn't a diet at all, it is a full health and weight management program. Still I had my doubts, but it was recommended to me by my Doctor so I decided to give it a shot. Since I've been on the program I've lost nearly 50 lbs... I feel much better, and I'm not hungry. It was the not being hungry element of the program that really surprised me. Every weight loss program claims that you can lose weight, never be hungry, eat what you want, etc and it turns out to all be lies. A couple programs start out well enough (point tracking etc) in some regards, but at the end of the day you still end up with the same problem... you're ready to gnaw off your left arm. After a while you're always hungry and the cycle starts all over again. Why? The simple answer is this: the body needs good nutrition and the food we eat today is garbage. Here's how this works in a nutshell:

The body needs certain nutrients in order to function properly. When its missing those nutrients it asks for those nutrients to be supplied which means we eat something. Now here is where the issue with our food becomes crucial... the food we eat today is nutrient deficient and so we have to eat much more food to get the nourishment the body needs. But it goes even beyond quantity... the type of nutrients that much of our food is infused with today is chemically engineered... our bodies were not designed to be fueled by chemicals... they were designed to run on good, natural, nutrients and substances. Chemical nutrients are not absorbed well by our cells and so even though we eat, and we eat, and we eat... our bodies are still in a state of nutrient starvation and so the "eat" alarm from the brain almost never stops being sounded. 

And this is exactly what makes Shapeworks different... At the core of the program is Cellular Nutrition. The Doctors and Scientists at Herbalife have discovered that supplying the proper nutrients to the cells is the key for not only good weight management, but good health management as well. 

And I can tell you from first hand experience that they are right... the program works and it works well. Like I said I've lost 50 lbs, I feel great, and my type 2 diabetes has vanished. If you're like me, and you've tried every other diet under the sun without success, if you've given up hope that anything can work, if you've tried everything from starving yourself to eating nothing but meat, I want to encourage you with two things:

1) You're not a failure. Not many people are aware of the condition of our food today... its causing more harm than people know

2) You can not only lose weight, but you can have better health than you've experienced in years.

Up above is a link for my herbalife website and a link for my email address. I am willing to discount any product 10% for new customers, but not only that... I will help you design a weight management program that will work for you and will coach you through your journey. Let me know if I can help...

Jim