Archive for June, 2008

Heat Rash Treatment - Popular Techniques

Heat rash or prickly heat, as it is popularly known as, refers to the development of rashes on the skin due to excessive sweating after running, working out, aerobics and other similar activities. It is accompanied by the sensation of prickles all over the skin. It is caused due to deviation of sweat, which causes it to flow inside the skin, rather than escaping from the skin. This leads to blockage and inflammation of sweat ducts.

You can treat heat rash by following some simple treatment procedures. In order to understand how to cure heat rash, you must learn the techniques discussed below:

  • Ice cubes - In order to cool down the skin, you must apply ice cubes to affected areas. You may prefer to apply these cubes directly or wrapped up in a cloth. It is beneficial to repeat this procedure after regular intervals of 3-4 hours.
  • Hydrocortisone cream - It is advised to use products like hydrocortisone cream over affected areas of skin regularly. Also, dusting powder must be applied to these areas to ease out with rashes as well prickles. However, one must avoid oil enhancing creams and ointments.
  • Water - It is often advised to drink a lot of water during the appearance of heat rashes. This will enforce the sweat to move out of the skin pores and relieve the body from prickling sensation.
  • Backing soda - It is beneficial to use baking soda in the form of paste, prepared in water, to recover from heat rashes. You must apply the paste gently over affected area and wash after sometime. It will help the heat inside body to dissipate to the surroundings.
  • Antibacterial soap - It is advised to take a bath with antibacterial soaps. Also, you must use lukewarm water for bathing and may add little quantity of baking soda in it.
  • Fresh air - It is advised to expose your skin to fresh air, so that the blocked sweat ducts may get unplugged and release the sweat outside. It is not at all a wise act to apply bandage over the infected area.
  • Oatmeal - Just like baking soda, oatmeal powder also exhibits the quality to treat heat rashes over skin. You may also add this substance to your bathing water.
  • Cornstarch - You may also apply cornstarch over affected area of the skin. This will relieve the skin from rashes and also, help the sweat ducts to get unclogged.
  • Cotton clothes - It is also recommended to wear loose cotton clothes to keep your skin cool. You must also keep the cool surroundings around you to save your skin from heat and high temperature.
  • Cleaning - It is of great importance to clean your skin on regular basis to avoid regular blockage of sweat pores and formation of heat rashes.
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Fighting Swimmer’s Ear with Useful Home Remedies

Swimmer’s ear is the common infection of ear, caused by exposure to water for along time. This disorder mainly appears on the scene, due to swimming and other water-related activities. Bacteria and fungus are main contributors towards this ear infection. It affects the outer canal of the ear, when waxy substance of this portion is washed away by extensive exposure to water. The moist and damp setting created in the ear feeds the growth of microbes inside ear, leading to wrinkle formation on the inner skin. This completes the picture for swimmer’s ear or otitis externa, the other name for this infection.

The symptoms for swimmer’s ear include pain, itching, discharge of milky content, hearing inability, experience of humming sound and swelling and heaviness in the ear. It is possible to treat swimmer’s ear by following some of the most apposite home remedies listed below:

  • Apple Cider Vinegar - In case, you feel existence of water insider ear, it is advised to put few drops of apple cider vinegar inside the ear. You must add water or alcohol to this product before starting the treatment. This is the most admirable home remedy for swimmer’s ear.
  • Sweet oil - Addition of sweet oil to the infected ear is another great home remedy for swimmer’s ear. After pouring this oil in the ear, it is advisable to cover the ear with cotton ball to restrict the flow of oil out of your ear. You can try this remedy, only if you are fortunate enough to find rarely existing sweet oil.
  • Coarse Salt - In order to extract water out of the ear, it is recommended to prepare a sock of coarse salt and put it in the ear. This remedy is effective in reducing the pain and level of swelling. It is beneficial to keep the salt in microwave for few minutes, before applying it to the infected ear.
  • Rubbing Alcohol - A mixture of isopropyl rubbing alcohol and hydrogen peroxide is a trusted home remedy for swimmer’s ear. This mixture forms bubbles inside in the ear, letting the water inside ear to evaporate.
  • Vinegar - Vinegar, specifically the white vinegar, must be poured in each ear alternatively in the form of few drops. You must keep it in one ear for 5-6 minutes and then, repeat the procedure for other ear. Keep in mind to remove the drops from ear, after accomplishing the procedure.

Apart from these remedies, you must follow the procedure to dry out the water present in ear. This could be achieved by using a hairdryer or exposure of ear to sun rays.

Also, it is of great importance to avoid the water from entering ears, while swimming or related activities. In order to do so, you can put oil in your ears before landing in a pool. You must swim in clean and clear water, free from contamination.

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Neuromarketing from the Inside

Posted by Zack Lynch

Jeffrey Goldberg undergoes a pretty extensive neuromarketing brain scanning process with the people at FKF Research which he explains in a most hilarious fashion in his new article My Amygdala, My Self in this month's The Atlantic.

Home remedies for stuffy ears

Painful at times, stuffy ear is very annoying thing that cause discomfort to its maximum. The major cause behind this stuffy ear is nothing but the impurities that start building up inside the ear due to lack of care. This helps the earwax to grow and swell. It is then that you find you ear to be stuffy.

There are a few home based remedies to this stuffy ear. If you ever encounter the problem, you can try these out. Probably, you may find them helpful. If they don’t, then the best way to get rid of it is to see a doctor and ask him to clean up the mess built inside your ear.

The remedies are listed below. A word of caution is important. Please don’t try those treatments if you are afraid of losing your hearing ability or even if you think that there is an infection inside your ear.

  • Ear-candling: This is an ancient method and is used to bring out the earwax and other impurities present inside the ear. In this method, a waxed cloth is rounded up to forma cone or a cylinder. One end of that cone or cylinder is placed in the ear canal and the other end is lighted. The vacuum generated inside the hollow of the cylinder or the cone pulls out the earwax and other impurities present inside the ear. This gives a relief from the stuffy ear. Caution is to be taken while doing this so that not even small amount of wax enters the ear. Normally, the hollow candle is stuck outside by a paper plate or an aluminum pie tin.
  • Another better option is to warm up some olive oil a little above the body temperature and pour a few drops in the ear. This will dissolve the wax that is built up inside the ear. You can then tilt your head so that the oil can flow out of the ear. Wash your ear using warm water (make sure that the water is just above the body temperature to avoid burning).
  • You can also use a solution of a spoonful of baby oil or hydrogen peroxide and warm water to wash off your ear wax. Make sure that there are no infections inside your ear because hydrogen peroxide can increase the infection and the situation can be worse.

Ear is a very sensitive organ. A little bit of neglect can lead to deep trouble and the days to come can be full of agony. Please ensure that you take care of your ear properly to avoid discomfort and pain which can actually hamper your regular lifestyle and day to day activities.

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An Anti-Shyness Drug

Posted by Zack Lynch

The King of Trust, Paul Zak, touts oxytocin as a potential drug for shyness: "Tests have shown that oxytocin reduces anxiety levels in users. It is a hormone that facilitates social contact between people. What's more, it is a very safe product that does not have any side effects and is not addictive." The article contends that millions of people in the UK suffer from shyness, and one-in-10 people say it seriously affects their daily life.