Dandruff is not life threatening or even a serious health concern, but it can cause damage to your self-esteem. Skin cells on the scalp generally die and fall off every month or so, which rejuvenates the scalp. But in cases of dandruff, the skin cells turn-over at an accelerated rate, resulting in the unsightly white flakes in your hair and on your shoulders. Certain types of dandruff itch and the scalp can be irritated.

What Causes Dandruff?

Dandruff is usually caused by a fungus or bacteria. But different types of dandruff have different causes:

• Fungus: The fungus known as Pityrosporum ovale is the principal cause of most cases of dandruff. This fungus is present in most people, and can grow out of control, causing dandruff. If you have dandruff but your scalp does not itch, it is most likely caused by this fungus.
• Seborrheic dermatitis: When your scalp is itchy, red, flaky, or when you have rashes or redness around your nose and eyebrows, you may have seborrheic dermatitis. This condition can be aggravated by cold air and stress.
• Dry scalp: Contrary to popular belief, dry scalp is not the cause of dandruff. In fact, most dandruff sufferers have oily scalps, along with topical fungal infections. Drying out the scalp can actually help reduce dandruff flakes by helping to kill the fungus, which thrives on moist environments.
• Psoriasis: Most likely a mild type of autoimmune disorder, psoriasis is difficult to diagnose and more difficult to cure, and it can be the cause of dandruff and other skin problems. See Autoimmune Disorders for more information.
• Anxiety: Stress and emotional anxiety have been linked to skin and scalp problems, and are known to make dandruff worse.

Treatments for Dandruff

A great herbal cure for dandruff: Mix equal amounts of the dried herbs, dandelion root, chamomile, burdock root, horsetail, chaparral, rosemary, coltsfoot, and lavender, and two parts nettle. Boil sufficient water for a hair rinse in a saucepan, then remove the pan from the heat. Sprinkle the mixture of herbs over the top and let cool. (Do not add the herbs while the water is boiling.) Strain the herbs and pour the decoction over your hair after shampooing. Many people don’t wash their hair with shampoo at all (it causes dryness) and exclusively use the hair tea daily. Bye, bye dandruff!

Here are some other things you can try:

• Nutrients: Zinc has been found to reduce dandruff in some people, bran, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds are good sources. Vitamin A and all of the B vitamins are also effective against dermatitis.  Dark green leafy vegetables, squash and sweet potatoes are good sources of vitamin A; beans, lentile, chilis, and yeasts are full of B vitamins.  Also, get enough selenium and vitamin E for better overall skin health. Whole grains  and nuts and seeds are rich in both.
• Herbs: You can combat fungal and bacterial infections that cause dermatitis and yeast infections with apple cider vinegar, oregano oil, and tea tree oil (all topical). St. Johns wort is also an antifungal and antibacterial. Some people claim to have cured their dandruff and dermatitis using apple cider vinegar baths and rinses.
• Reduce antihistamines: Antihistamines can exacerbate dandruff problems, especially in cases of seborrheic dermatitis.

The Amazing Cucumber This information was in The New York Times several weeks ago as part of their “Spotlight on the Home” series that highlighted creative and fanciful ways to solve common problems. 1. Cucumbers contain most of the vitamins you need every day, just one cucumber contains Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Zinc. 2. Feeling tired in the afternoon, put down the caffeinated soda and pick up a cucumber.  Cucumbers are a good source of B Vitamins and Carbohydrates that can provide that quick pick-me-up that can last for hours. 3. Tired of your bathroom mirror fogging up after a shower?  Try rubbing a cucumber slice along the mirror, it will eliminate the fog and provide a soothing, spa-like fragrance. 4. Are grubs and slugs ruining your planting beds?  Place a few slices in a small pie tin and your garden will be free of pests all season long.  The chemicals in the cucumber react with the aluminum to give off a scent undetectable to humans but drive garden pests crazy and make them flee the area. 5. Looking for a fast and easy way to remove cellulite before going out or to the pool?  Try rubbing a slice or two of cucumbers along your problem area for a few minutes, the phytochemicals in the cucumber cause the collagen in your skin to tighten, firming up the outer layer and reducing the visibility of cellulite.  Works great on wrinkles too!!! 6. Want to avoid a hangover or terrible headache?  Eat a few cucumber slices before going to bed and wake up refreshed and headache free. Cucumbers contain enough sugar, B vitamins and electrolytes to replenish essential nutrients the body lost, keeping everything in equilibrium, avoiding both a hangover and headache!! 7. Looking to fight off that afternoon or evening snacking binge? Cucumbers have been used for centuries and often used by European trappers, traders and explores for quick meals to thwart off starvation. 8. Have an important meeting or job interview and you realize that you don’t have enough time to polish your shoes?  Rub a freshly cut cucumber over the shoe, its chemicals will provide a quick and durable shine that not only looks great but also repels water. 9. Out of WD 40 and need to fix a squeaky hinge?  Take a cucumber slice and rub it along the problematic hinge, and voila, the squeak is gone! 10. Stressed out and don’t have time for massage, facial or visit to the spa?  Cut up an entire cucumber and place it in a boiling pot of water, the chemicals and nutrients from the cucumber with react with the boiling water and be released in the steam, creating a soothing, relaxing aroma that has been shown the reduce stress in new mothers and college students during final exams. 11. Just finish a business lunch and realize you don’t have gum or mints?  Take a slice of cucumber and press it to the roof of your mouth with your tongue for 30 seconds to eliminate bad breath, the phytochemcials will kill the bacteria in your mouth responsible for causing bad breath. 12. Looking for a ‘green’ way to clean your faucets, sinks or stainless steel?  Take a slice of cucumber and rub it on the surface you want to clean, not only will it remove years of tarnish and bring back the shine, but is won’t leave streaks and won’t harm you fingers or fingernails while you clean. 13. Using a pen and made a mistake?  Take the outside of the cucumber and slowly use it to erase the pen writing, also works great on crayons and markers that the kids have used to decorate the walls!!

Anyone who has spent time skiing, hiking, or just relaxing outdoors has probably experienced chapped lips at some point. This condition, which ranges from slightly annoying to extremely painful, is associated with drying of the lips from weather exposure. Lip salves and balms can help prevent and even heal chapped lips.

If you suffer from painful, even bleeding cracks and splits in your lips, especially at the corners of the mouth, then you may have developed angular cheilitis, a condition brought on not by weather or dryness, but by a virus or fungus.

What Causes Chapped Lips?

Your lips are prone to chapping because they are covered with epithelial tissue, the same sensitive material that lines your intestines. Exposure to cold, windy weather can cause chapping, as can excessive moisture (licking the lips) and allergenic lipstick.

Angular cheilitis is usually caused by a fungal, viral or bacterial infection. It also can be brought on by biting or excessive licking of the lips.

Treating Chapped Lips

Stop putting petroleum-based products on your lips. They feel slick but actually dry your lips, which is why you need to keep applying them—which is a good way for the manufacturer to get more of your money. Instead, use lip balms or gloss made from shea butter, beeswax, and vegetable or nut oils. Also use vitamin A, D, and E oils or ointments (preferably the concentrated 32,000 IU/ounce variety of vitamin E). Use a generous amount and your damaged lips will heal in nearly an instant. Also, B vitamins can help prevent chapping.

Tea tree oil is a natural antiseptic and antibacterial that can be an effective treatment against angular chelitis. It can be used in combination with vitamin E.

The best bet for treating and preventing chapped lips is to stay properly  hydrated by drinking plenty of water. Keep you whole body running in good condition by getting enough vitamins, minerals and all of the necessary nutrients from organic whole food sources.

A sun-kissed complexion used to be considered a sign of health, but now we know that that golden tan is just a sign of sun damage to the skin. It may look great now but the damage that basking in the ultraviolet light has done to your skin will show later in life. While some effects of sun exposure, like freckles and wrinkles, might be harmless the various forms of skin cancer are definitely not. Not that the sun is completely to blame, the UV light from tanning beds is just as harmful.

Sun exposure causes:

• Freckles
• Benign tumors
• Elastosis – the destruction of the elastic tissue causing lines and wrinkles.
• General skin discoloration
• Telangiectasias – the dilation of small blood vessels under the skin
• Pre-cancerous (actinic keratosis) and cancerous (basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma) skin lesions, which are caused by loss of the skin’s immune function

There are three main types of skin cancer:

• Basal Cell Carcinoma: The most common type of skin cancer and is rarely fatal and easily treated if caught early. It usually appears as a flat pink, red or brown lesion on the torso or limbs, or as a small, smooth pearl-like bump on the neck, ears or face.
• Squamous Cell Carcinoma: This type is also highly treatable if caught early on. It can appear as a scaly flat lesion that my bleed, crust over or itch, or it may be a firm reddish nodule on the skin.
• Melanoma – The most serious type of skin cancer. Although it only makes up about 5% of all skin cancers, it does cause roughly 75% of all skin cancer deaths. This type usually appears as pigmented bump that may resemble a normal mole or as an irregularly shaped patch. The signs to watch for when looking for a melanoma lesion are: asymmetry, blurred edges, uneven color (usually shades of black, brown, red, white or blue), and a significant change in size or diameter.

Prevention: As they say an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and this is very true when it comes to protecting yourself from the sun’s ultraviolet light. There are several ways to protect one’s self:

• Apply sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of ant least 15 a half hour before sun exposure and every 2 hours thereafter
• Avoid direct sun exposure as much as you can during peak UV radiation hours between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p. m. Use lotions and make up with UV protection
• Remember UV radiation is just as harmful during overcast days and in the winter as it is when it’s sunny in the summer
• Wear sunglasses with 100% UV protection to avoid possible cataracts later in life
• Wear wide brimmed hats to protect neck, ears and face (as funny as they may look)
• Consistently check your skin for irregularities or growths

A note about sunscreen

While sunscreens are improving many don’t protect skin from sun damage sufficiently. The FDA has set guidelines for UVB protection but not for UVA. The difference between the two is that UVB rays are associated with sunburn and skin cancer, while UVA rays are associated the deterioration of elastin and collagen that causes wrinkling and sagging of the skin. However, we now know that both UVA and UVB cause premature aging and cancer of the skin, so when looking for sunscreens, be sure to get one that has both UVA and UVB protection.

Though it is often worse in adolescence, and to be somewhat expected due to hormonal changes at that time, acne can happen to anyone at any time, and is a signal the body gives that something is out of balance. Getting embarrassed just adds to stress, which is one of the causes of acne–so smile anyway!

Causes of Acne

Acne begins in the follicles in the skin. At puberty, testosterone starts to circulate in the oil glands of the face and other parts of the body (but the face is the greatest concern). More oil (sebum) is produced. Everyone’s pores react differently to this increase in oil. For some, skin cells proliferate at an increased rate near the opening of the oil ducts. This higher production of cells, mixed with the higher production of oil, clogs the pores of the skin.

Here’s a summary of the causes:

• Hormonal cycles of not only adolescence, but also of women’s menstrual cycles, can cause acne, as well as stress, poor elimination (constipation), drugs, too much sugar leading to overgrowth of bacteria, and overly acidic blood.
• Blackheads and whiteheads can worsen, not only from the skin not being cleaned often or thoroughly enough, but also because of deficiencies such as magnesium, vitamin A, and B vitamins.
• Poor digestion can cause a buildup of toxins throughout the body, which often comes out through the pores; irritating the skin and leaving it open for acne infection.
• Anything put on the face can clog the pores, especially commercial products that are filled with chemicals that can cause the skin to react.
• Food allergies can manifest as acne.

Treatments for Acne
There are many natural treatments for acne, but not all of them are effective. Here are some of the essentials for clearing up your complexion:

• Cut down on the problem foods: sugar, fried foods, meat, processed food, soft drinks, and dairy products.
• Increase water, raw foods, and eat plenty of watermelon. Be sure to get a good allowance of vitamin C and al of the B vitamins through food sources. Rose hips, red peppers, guavas and kiwi are good sources of Vitamin C; meats, potatoes, bananas, chile peppers and beans have  good amount of B vitamins, although they are present in all whole, unprocessed foods.
• Reduce stress.

Internal Work
Whatever the severity, one aspect of controlling acne is to interfere with the retention of the faster-forming, extra cells clogged with the extra oil in the pore. First, avoid eating foods that add to the problem. This means staying away from foods high in trans-fatty acids and animal fats, as well as refined carbohydrates. Many experts say that acidic blood is a main cause of acne, and this is a product of ingesting too much fried food, meat, sugary foods, white flour products, and soft drinks (big shocker!). Trans-fatty acids, such as margarine and heated oils prevent you from digesting the vitamins and minerals necessary for smooth skin. Avoid eating foods you are allergic to, the most common being wheat and dairy. And reduce stress and slow down when you eat.
Once you stop consuming foods and beverages that add to the problem, the next step is to fix the acne already on your skin. Here are some suggestions:

• It is important to drink eight 12-ounce glasses of pure water per day. This helps your skin flush out oil, cells, and bacteria. Remember, water is the universal solvent.
• Watermelon juice is another skin-healthy beverage.
• Another way to help your body eliminate wastes that help cause acne is by adding a variety of fiber-rich foods to your diet. Lightly cooked or, better yet, raw vegetables are a great source of fiber. They make a healthy contribution to any meal and they also make a satisfying and tasty midday snack to ward off hunger. Complex carbohydrates such as brown rice, whole-grain bread, and legumes are also great sources of fiber. These fiber-rich foods keep your digestive tract moving and clean, leading to acne-free skin and a healthier body overall.
• Add the vitamins and minerals your skin needs to be healthy to your current diet. Adding vitamin C, vitamin A (in the form of beta-carotene which can be found in carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin and spinach) can go a long way toward clearing up your acne. NOTE: Women who are pregnant or may become pregnant should not take more than 8,000 IU/day of vitamin A. Consult your doctor if you fall into this category.

External Cleansing
In order to beat acne, you also need to fight the buildup of excess oils on your skin from the outside. Wash your skin with a mild soap and rinse with hydrogen peroxide, let dry, then wash with clean water again. Finish your washing regimen by spraying your face generously with lignite-activated water (also known as Willard Water). The addition of alpha hydroxy acid (fruit acid) speeds up the removal of dead cells, leaving a smoother complexion. At night, you can cover your face with a bentonite clay mask and let dry, and then wash off–pulling out impurities.

You’re Just Making it Worse

The more you touch your acne, the worse it will get. Oils and bacteria from your fingers can infect acne or, at the least, cause it to spread. Resist the temptation to touch your face. If you must squeeze a pimple, be sure to do so under sterile conditions. Wash your hands with an alcohol-based antibacterial gel and be sure to have witch hazel ready for cleanup. Better yet, have a professional do it for you. That’s what they are paid for.
Avoid shaving if you have serious acne on your face. If you must shave, use an electric razor if possible.