Natural Health and Herbal Remedies Blog – information on herbal medicine

Hypo-allergenic creams. Some years ago it became evident that cosmetic products were producing allergic reactions in some users. Several manufacturers then began to produce cosmetic lines from which known sensitizing agents were excluded. These cosmetics were called ‘hypo-allergenic’. Since then the manufacturers of major brands of cosmetics have realized it is in their interest to omit ingredients likely to cause a significant number of allergic reactions among consumers. Thus at present there is little distinction among established cosmetic products concerning their potential to sensitize. Reactions to cosmetics, while relatively rare, occur with so called hypo-allergenic cosmetics as well as with those not so labelled. To date there is no known method of producing a true non-allergenic cosmetic.

Vitamin E cream. Vitamin E is currently in vogue for the treatment of various normal and abnormal skin conditions. Like the vitamins A, D, and K, it is fat soluble. Only about 400 units per day ore required, and these are easily obtained by eating eggs, margarine or vegetable oils. Various claims have been made for vitamin E, in particular that it is capable of the removal of wrinkles and stretch marks, the rapid healing of burns and wounds, the removal of underarm smells, that it can improve sexual potency, and, furthermore, that it can diminish the incidence of heart disease and diabetes. It is used both in capsule and in cream form. However, there is no evidence whatsoever that vitamin E is absorbed through the skin. Therefore, any effect it may have is due to its cream base, which once again is simply a variant of the good old cold cream. Furthermore, the effect, if any, of vitamin E on the skin is completely unknown, since there have been no controlled trials by which to evaluate its pharmaceutical or cosmetic effect. Consequently, its use continues to be based on recommendation rather than knowledge.

Recently, vitamin E has been investigated by the Consumer Union of the United States, and the New York State’s Consumer Frauds and Protection Bureau, and the A.M.A. Committee of Cutaneous Health and Cosmetics. The conclusion was that ‘there is absolutely no evidence that vitamin E applied to the skin is in any way beneficial to that organ’. Furthermore, none of the various American manufacturers that were contacted by the Union could supply any controlled studies on the efficacy of vitamin E with skin disorders. At this stage, it is probably best to consider it as a vitamin searching for a disease to cure.

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The G.I. factor is important in heart disease too. It has a role in the diets of people who already have heart disease, but perhaps of greater significance in the long term, it has a practical role in the prevention of heart disease.

Preventing heart disease: primary prevention. More and more people now get regular checks of their blood pressure, and tests to check for diabetes. Increasingly blood fat tests are done to check this risk factor too. All health professionals give lifestyle advice on stopping smoking, the benefits of exercise and the nature of a good diet. When specific risk factors are discovered, diet and lifestyle advice is given, but sometimes may not be followed for long. It is especially difficult to follow advice if the effect of not following it is likely not to matter for ten or more years, and if the changes needed are not attractive. The changes must be wanted by the individual who will be helped by encouragement from friends and relatives, and the changes must ideally be positive changes—’I want to do this’ not ‘They’ve told me to do this’. Any new dimension in heart disease prevention must be seen as a great positive change rather than as negative.

Treating heart disease and secondary prevention. When heart disease is detected two types of treatment are given. Firstly the effects of the disease are treated (e.g. medical treatment with drugs and surgical treatment to bypass blocked arteries) and, secondly, the risk factors are treated to slow down the further progression of the disease. Treatment of risk factors after the disease has already developed is ‘secondary prevention’. In people who have not yet developed the disease, treatment of risk factors is ‘primary prevention’. Obviously it would be better to give primary preventive treatment in all cases.

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Abdominal fat distribution is reflected in an extended abdomen or ‘pot belly’. This consists of expanded subcutaneous fat cells as well as increased visceral fat. Its extent could, therefore, presumably be measured through a measure of sagittal diameter, i.e. the width of the waist from back to front. This has recently been investigated and a device developed for determining the measure by Dr Henry Kahn from the University of Georgia. The device, called a sagittal diameter scale, measures the thickness of the abdomen at the umbilicus in either the lying or standing position.

The higher the SAD measure, the greater the risk of disease, and although norms have yet to be established for this measure, indications from the Georgia laboratory suggest that a SAD measure of greater than 25cm indicates an elevated health risk.

The abdominal diameter index, also developed by the Kahn team, is an attempt to compensate for the lack of perfect predictability of the SAD measure of visceral fatness.10 Because the sagittal measure includes not just visceral fat but bone, muscle and subcutaneous fat, the Georgia team have attempted to adjust for the non-visceral tissues that are incorporated in the SAD measure by dividing waist thickness by the girth of the mid-thigh. This also adjusts for overall body size as thigh thickness can be a good indication of total body size. ADI then becomes almost twice as powerful for the prediction of cardiovascular risk as the SAD alone.

Again there are, as yet, no well established norms for ADI. Early indications are that ADI measurements of over 0.5 (i.e. the cross-sectional thickness of the waist is over half the circumference of the mid-thigh) are highly predictive of risk for coronary heart disease.

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If the gland is underactive, a condition called hypothyroidism Occurs. In infants and children this is extremely important, for it may have an adverse effect on mental development and a condition called cretinism can take place. Symptoms may come on silently and be unnoticed for many weeks after birth. If left untreated, serious and severe mental defects are possible. (On the other hand, if too much hormone is produced, hyperthyroidism may occur, and this has another set of symptoms.)

The doctor or even a careful and watchful parent may not detect symptoms early, for they are often vague and ill defined. They include mental sluggishness, a pale grey cool skin, often constipation, a large tongue, and flabby muscles; the latter may cause the abdomen to protrude and there may be a swelling over the navel (called an umbilical hernia). The child’s cry or voice may be hoarse.

The baby may develop at a slower rate than normal, the eyes may seem to be widely spaced, and mental development is noticeably slow. Mental reaction is below normal. As the infant becomes older, the symptoms become more apparent, the skin tends to be dry and coarse, the hair dry, brittle and coarse.

Treatment

Today, in most Australian cities, new-born babies are ‘screened’ for thyroid deficiency, and in time this will become universal in hospitals before mother and baby leave. At present, hypothyroidism affects about one baby in 4000.

Treatment is invariably successful. The thyroid hormone (usually in the form of the artificially produced product thyroxine) is given. This must be supervised carefully and perhaps continued for a long time. But it will avoid the serious consequences of untreated thyroid deficiency.

Babies who have missed the screening system, and who develop any of the symptoms described, should have prompt medical investigation by the doctor. The earlier treatment is commenced, the more successful will be the results and the less likely is the risk that the baby will develop serious mental handicaps.

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Chicken pox, or varicella (for those who like tortuous unpronounceable names), is an acute, highly contagious disease caused by a virus which also produces shingles. It is readily spread by infected droplets from person to person, usually from one who has an upper respiratory tract infection. The incubation period (the time from infection until first symptoms appear) is between 14 and 21 days, usually 15 on average. There is usually no prodromal period; symptoms simply set in rapidly. A person is infectious and may readily spread the virus to others. This capacity starts from 24 hours before the onset of the rash, and for six days after. Once a child has sustained one attack of chicken pox, immunity to further ones appears to be lifelong. But an unfortunate aftermath, often in later life, is that shingles (herpes zoster) may occur. The virus may lie dormant in the nerves for many years, and suddenly become reactivated for reasons unknown, causing extremely painful blistery sores, often on the trunk or face.

The rash is typical. It usually commences on the face, and mucous linings, including the lips, oral cavity and even the tongue, and this can be very uncomfortable and make eating and drinking difficult. The rash then spreads to the body, and the blisters may be extremely numerous over the chest, back and shoulders. They are less common on the arms and legs, and fairly rare on the hands and soles of the feet.

The lesions tend to come in waves, two to four crops, usually in two to six days. They commence as small red blotches. These become raised, and the typical blisters form. They look much like droplets of water with a thin skin over them. These are easy to break. Gradually, the blisters dry out, and scabs form; and these finally fall off, usually by the ninth to thirteenth day. Scabs are said to be highly contagious; and for this reason, pupils are often not readmitted to school until the last scab has vanished.

As the illness progresses, the skin may become itchy. This is usually mild at first, but intensifies as the days pass, and the blisters worsen. As the blister stage advances, a fever often develops.

The blisters often become infected, but apart from this complications are rare, and the disease usually clears up rapidly and leaves little aftermath. Sometimes depressions are left and if on the face they may be lifelong, much to one’s annoyance in later life! On rare occasions a viral encephalitis may take place. In some children who may be on special medication, such as steroids for asthma, and in whom, the body’s normal immune response to infections is reduced, the disease may run a severe course and present a high risk.

Treatment

Treatment is usually simple. Many cases are very mild, some children having only a dozen blisters or fewer. But others are covered with hundreds of them. Most cases may be treated at home with simple measures.

Bed rest for a few days is suggested, especially if there is a fever and the child is obviously off-colour. Most children are sensible and know when it is time to hit the cot. They are excellent barometers of their own illnesses, as most parents know.

Plenty of fluids are advisable. This replaces fluids lost from sweating when feverish. It also helps to rid the system of dead germs and debris that inevitably collect in the system during any acute infective illness. Water, fruit juice, lemonade and similar drinks are suitable. Adding glucose D to fluid equals food; and if the appetite is reduced, this is a good idea.

There are no food restrictions. But in the acute stages, lack of appetite is common. Also, if the mouth, tongue and lips are severely blistered, eating may be difficult. In fact, the oral cavity often looks a mess, and soggy, yellowish sores look extremely uncomfortable. Jellies, junkets, custards, ice-cream, mashed vegetables, soft stewed fruit, clear broth (but nothing too hot, for it may burn) are best. Eggs, done in a variety of ways, are high in protein, easy to eat and digest and highly palatable.

A daily bath is advisable. Luke-warm water is best. Some advocate adding condy’s crystal to the water to make it a very faint pink. This may help check infections if they are present in the blisters. But a note of caution: Condy’s is notorious for staining white baths a dirty brown; so very faint pink is adequate—and get rid of the water and clean the bath promptly when finished. The child should be dabbed dry with a soft towel, and put back to bed. Do not rub the body vigorously, for this may break the blisters and encourage added infection, which may prolong convalescence.

If the itch is maddening, relief may be given in the form of the many antipruritic (anti-itch) lotions and creams readily available from the pharmacist. Apply if and when the itch becomes particularly trying. The warmth of the bed or of heaters may aggravate itching.

If there are obvious skin infections, antibiotics in the form of ointments for local use, and occasionally capsules by mouth, may be prescribed by the doctor. Call the doctor if there are any aspects that worry you, or if the disorder is not responding fairly well to simple home remedies.

Occasionally, mixtures (for infants) or tablets (for older children) may be required to reduce elevated temperatures and relieve pain and discomfort. Paracetamol elixir is effective. It is readily available at pharmacists, and dosage is usually written on the label (it varies with age). Paracetamol or aspirin tablets are suitable for children aged 6 years or older. The dosage is usually on the label for these too, and varies with age.

Complications are unusual, except skin scarring from large blisters, especially if they become infected. On very rare occasions, viral encephalitis (a viral brain infection) may occur, which is extremely serious. A return to normal with most cases of chicken pox is the usual rule.

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