Health And Healing

ACNE

*********

Large persntage of young people in their teens suffer from acne.

Acne starts when the sebaceous glands overproduce oil, or sebum, secreted through the pores.

Sebum carries dead cell debris away with it, but its overproduction blocks the pores with a sticky mass of oil and dead cells.When this happens, the bacteria normally present in skin convert the mass into compounds that irritate and rupture small glands, causing inflammation and unattractive pustules. Some people are genetically predisposed to acne, but the most common causes are emotional stress and the increased activityof sex hormones, or androgens.

These hormones stumulate the oil glands typically on the face, shoulders, back and chest, and are especially active during puberty. Boys ate more prone to acne than girls because they have higher androgen levels,but many girls also suffer, usually in the week before their period.

Research has suggested that many acne sufferers are deficient in zinc.

While burgers and chicken nuggets contain plenty of this mineral, healthier sources include shellfish, nuts, lean meat and skinless poultry. Yougert and skimmed milk supply zinc in smaller amounts.

Vitamin A, which helps to maintain a healthy skin, is abundant in liver and eggs, while beta carotene, which the body converts to vitamin A, is found in dark green or orange vegetables such as spinach and carrots, and in orange fruits, including apricots and mangoes.

People with acne should ensure that their dietcontains plenty of polyunsaturated fats, which have also been claimed to counteract acne. Several of the B vitamins, normally supplied by a well-balanced diet, are believed to prevent blackheads and leave the skin less greasy, while a lack of vitaminC is known to make people more vulnerable to infection. Vitamin E, found in wheatgerm, eggs, and cold-pressed vegetable oil, helps to heal the skin.

EAT PLENTY OF:

******************

- Shellfish, nuts, poultry and lean meat, for zinc

- fresh fruit and vegetables for vitamin C

***********************

CUT DOWN ON:

*****************

- CHOCLATE AND SWEETS

- HIGHLY SALTED SNACKS

- ADDED SUGAR

*************************

ASTHMA

********

Asthma is a chronic, potentially serious respiratory condition that kills around 2000 in Britain every year. Some experts divide asthma into two broad groups, extrinsic and intrinsic. The vast majority of cases are run in families along with other allergic conditions such as eczema and hay fever, and to appear first in childhood. Symptoms may be produced by a variety of triggers, such as anxiety, physical stress, infection, environmental pollution, pollen, sust mites and animal hair. Food allergies may also prompt attacks or make them worse, especially among children who have eczema. Intrinsic asthma appears to begin in adult life; external factors do not cause it, but they can trigger attacks. However, many health professionals now believe that there is little difference between the two types, and that all asthma may in fact be extrinsic.

An asthma attack, which can last for minutes or days, makes breathing difficult, and may cause wheezing and coughing, along with a sense of tightness in the chest due to the swelling of inflamed bronchial passages.

POTENTIAl TRIGGER

**********************Because an allergy is a highly individual condition, it is not possible to give a definitive list of good and bad foods. Those who suspect that foods ae triggering their asthmatic attacks should keep a food diary and seek expert medical help.Common foods that may trigger asthma in susceptible inividuals, however, include cow's milk, wheat and other cereals, yeast and foods containing mould, such as blue cheeses.Nuts (especially peanuts), fish and eggs can produce the most immediate and dangerous reactions.Certain food additives may also be potential triggers in some people. In the United States, sulphites, once widely used as preservatives on raw fruit and vegetables, have been implicated in the deaths of a very small number of asthmatics. Their use on fresh fruit and vegetables was banned in America in 1986.

Injthe European Union, sulphites are not allowed to be used on fresh produce. However, they may be used in low levels in burger meat, British sausages, dried fruit, jams, vinegar, processed and frozen begetables and preserved shellfish. The presnse of sulphites must, by law, be indicated on the label of packaged foods, but it is not obvious when such foods are served in delicatessins or restaurants, where of couse they do not have any labels.

HELPFUL FOODS

*******************

Food containing the B vitamins,for example leafy green vegetables, and pulses, may help asthmatics whose attacks are provoked by stress. There is also some evidence that asthmatics may have a tendency to be deficient in niacin and vitamins B6 and C.

Antioxidants which include vitamin A from foods such as liver; beta carotene from brightly-coloured fruit and vegetables such as apricots, carrots and red or yellow peppers, and dark green leafy vegetables such as spinach; vtamin C from citrus fruits; and vitamin E from soya beansand olive oil may strengthen the lungs defences .

EAT PLENTY OF:

- Foods rich in the B vitamins such as green leafy vegetables and pulses.

- Good sources of magnesium such as sunflower seeds and dried figs.

AVOID:

**********

Food that trigger attacks (according to your susceptibility), such as:

- Foods containing the additives benzoates (E210-19), sulphites (E220-8) or galates(E310-12).

- Cider, wine and beer.

- Foods containing yeast or mould, such as bread and blue cheese.

- Foods, drinks and snackscontaining colourings E102, E104 and E110.

Cow's milk, cereals,eggs, fish and nuts (especially peanuts).