Why do we get Acne?

Acne is a common disorder among teenagers because of they are in their “peak” of their development. These are the outgrowths found in the face and around the neck that has sebaceous glands. But acne is not always caused by the normal development of the body but also from other sources.

A high level of androgen will sometimes produce acne in your body since it is a hormone that increases the “sebum” or oil in your skin.

Hyperkeratinization or the accumulation of the protein keratin in the upper layer of the skin is another reason why we get acne. The keratin accumulates since it is does not easily wear off because of its low quality, which is what we see as acne.

But the most common reason why we get acne is the presence of the natural microflora in our body. These are bacteria that live in our skin and even inside the body. Acne is caused by the increased number of the Propionibacteria species that feeds on the excessive oil in the skin and will then excrete products that causes acne.

Acne does not only appear in teenagers but potentially to all of us since we produce oil in our body. The only thing we can do is to manage the production of oil and be hygienic every day.

Want to know more what causes acne? What is acne?

Complications of Obesity

Millions of people worldwide are suffering from obesity, mostly because of improper diet and lack of exercise. Some culture also regards fatness as strength and wealth, but medically speaking, being obese is very bad for one’s health due to its many complications that may present in the long run.

Diabetes

Obesity instantly means that you will have diabetes, since the amount of sugar in your blood will greatly increase every time you consume food, especially sweet and fatty ones. Your pancreas, that produces insulin to control the blood sugar level, will malfunction due to the abnormal increase of sugar intake. This will then lead to more complications.

Heart Disease

When you are obese, then you have a lot of sugar and high-level of bad cholesterol (Low density lipoprotein) in your blood, that will cause problems in the circulatory system. High cholesterol is associated with heart attack, and even stroke; while having high sugar level in your blood will make it denser and can make your heart pump stronger and faster. This will then cause stress to your heart and may weaken it to the extent of stopping.

These are only two of the most common complications when you are obese. But do not wait for all of them to manifest, take action and lose weight to be healthy and enjoy your life without problems.

Article based on: What are complications of obesity?

How Can You Determine Good and Bad Cholesterol?

I recently read an article about differences between good and bad cholesterol.
Having cholesterol in your body is not always bad for your body since they are also vital to the body’s normal function. It is a lipid or fat that is produced from the liver, and can even be taken from fatty products such as milk, eggs, and even fish meat. They become bad only when there are excessive amount of cholesterol in your body, since they travel in our blood.

There are two types of cholesterol that differs in its function. High-density lipoprotein (HDL) is usually called as good cholesterol since it functions to remove the cholesterol away from the body. Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) is known as the bad cholesterol since it takes in cholesterol from the liver to the blood. When one takes in too much low-density lipoprotein, then more cholesterol will deposit in the blood and can cause narrowing of the blood vessels which can be fatal. This is usually the cause of a person suffering from shortness of breathing and can even cause stroke and heart attack when the blood vessel is blocked entirely.

Obesity, smoking and diet can greatly affect the amount of good and bad cholesterol in your body. You will have more of the good cholesterol if you exercise, and eat foods with high HDL level.

Is it Safe to Donate Blood?

Our blood is composed of different cells that has differs in function. Red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets and hemoglobin are some of these substances. Although we are all composed of the same cells in our blood, it is also classified into four types – blood type A, B, AB and O. You might have heard of this from your doctor or when you are filling up personal information sheets.

So is it safe to donate blood? Yes indeed, since the doctors and nurses are trained well to make an aseptic procedure when taking out someone’s blood. The only factor that may affect is your health when undergoing the blood donation. If you are overweight or underweight, or even stressed; then you are not advised to donate blood since it will have a negative effect in your body.

But be cautious of the syringes that the nurse or doctor use, because once a needle has been used to a person then it should be disposed and never be used again. There are grave cases that a person donating blood has suffered because another blood that is not compatible with his blood is mixed inside his body.

Other interesting readings are:

• Is blood donation safe?
• How often may I donate blood?
• Blood donation on wikipedia

Vitamins and Minerals - are they the same?

We hear these two names almost every time in our life, and most of us don’t know the difference between vitamins and minerals. We only know that they help in boosting our immunity and increasing our performance in our daily lives.

Vitamins

These are very complex organic compounds that are found in plants or animals. They are divided into two groups depending on the solubility or its ability to dissolve in a solvent, whether water-soluble or fat-soluble vitamins.

Vitamins B and C are water-soluble, and are usually allowed to be overdosed since the excess substances will only mix with water and can easily be excreted through urination. Vitamins A, D, E and K are fat-soluble vitamins and are usually stored longer compared to water-soluble vitamins.

Minerals

Minerals, on the other hand, are simple structures or inorganic compounds that are mostly found in plants. They are grouped into two according to the amount of consumption a person has to take.

Macro minerals are minerals that are needed by our body in bulk amounts. The most common and important macro minerals are Calcium, Potassium, Sodium and Magnesium. Micro minerals are the ones that are needed by our body in a smaller amount. Iron, Copper, Zinc, and Iodine are some of these minerals.

The vitamins and minerals’ difference are varied but they all perform the same in our body – to optimize the function of our body and promote good health to a person.

If you are looking for more info, you might consider visiting: more information on vitamins and minerals differences. You can also read more about vitamins and minerals.

Diabetes and Driving – a Lethal Combination

Diabetes is a chronic disease that is caused by the improper intake of sugar that may result in the malfunction of the pancreas which is the producer of insulin – the hormone responsible for controlling the blood sugar level of one’s body.  Once your body won’t produce insulin anymore, then you have to manually control the intake of sugar, since having an increased or decreased level of insulin could be fatal to your body and can even lead to complications if not treated immediately.

Diabetes and driving is a lethal combination since most of the symptoms really could result in driving accidents – blurry vision, hunger, thirst, and dizziness. So if you have diabetes and would want to drive then make sure to make preparations, in order to avoid accidents along the way.

Driving Safely

Provided that you are already aware that you have diabetes, then you should be extra careful when driving particularly on long distance travels. Taking a break once in a while can be helpful especially if you have increased blood sugar. Bringing light snacks can also save your life when you are having low blood sugar level. Biscuits and candies can temporarily increase your blood sugar level and you will be able to continue driving safely, although you might want to consume them in moderation to avoid excessive blood sugar level.

Diabetes and driving is very dangerous but only when you are not prepared. Your health should be optimized when driving, just like how you tune-up your vehicle so that there won’t be any complications along the way. And if there are any problems, then you are already prepared for it.