Health and Fitness

I have been using ProActive skin care for about a month and a half now. It works wonderfully! For about three weeks. Now I’m starting to break out again. Could my skin be growing immune to it? The same thing has happened with other products, I use them until they stop working. I’m 25, and would really like the acne to be gone.

I am a coordinator for a university and was just given permission to start my own fitness program. It can be for anyone, students, community, staff. I wanted to know ideas of things people would want in a fitness program. How can I make the best one possible. Any ideas or suggestions are much appreciated.

Nutrition as it applies to our daily lives means that we take in what we need to maintain our body’s healthy state. Nutrition has become an important word thanks to the involvement of the USDA in our daily food requirements, and the FDA’s involvement in determining what is and is not dangerous for us to consume.

But what is our responsibility in the nutrition game? Do we understand what our nutritional requirements are, how to fulfill those requirements, and how to look for real nutritional value in our foods?

I’m not sure that nutrition has been successfully addressed in its own right. We hear nutrition in relation to our vitamin intake, our fortified cereals and milk, and in the context that we need “nutritional value” from our food choices. But what really is nutrition when applied to our daily bodily functions?

Today, we must determine how much nourishment we need, how much physical exercise we need, and how best to accomplish those ends. Calorie needs, nutritional needs, physical needs, and education about those needs now is information we should all understand, at least as it applies to our individual self.

If you will visit your local doctor, library, or fitness center, there is massive amounts of information available to help educate and to help you make good health choices, no matter what the age group.

Nutrition refers to the nurturing of our body, in our ability to keep it healthy and functioning as it is supposed to do. Our ability to provide the body with all it’s necessary food, vitamins, and minerals so that we continue to thrive in our daily life processes.

If you were to take a cross section of the population, and check for adequate levels of the most used and fortified vitamins and minerals, you would probably find that as high as 80% or the population is lacking in a least one of the vitamins and minerals.

Now, that doesn’t sound too bad, until you stop to think, what if it’s calcium? A calcium deficiency brings on osteoporosis, a deteriorating of the bone. This disease alone costs millions in medical expense to the population.

Can you see how a little more cooperation and open-minded participation on the part of our medical field could result in far fewer health problems? It would also have provided the general population with a viable way to discern their nutrition, vitamin and mineral needs, accurately.

So how do we determine that we are providing the essential nutritional needs? That knowledge comes by educating ourselves about what our individual needs are, the needs of our family, and then taking that knowledge and applying it to the foods we buy, that we prepare, and that our families consume.

Quite often, our vitamin and mineral needs outweigh our caloric needs. In those instances, we turn to manufactured vitamins and minerals to fill the gap. This is a part of our nutritional needs, also.

Nutrition is one of the most complex areas to gain useful knowledge about, because there are so many components, and because each person has their own individual needs.

Women needs differ from those of men, and older women’s needs differ from those of a young girl. As we age, our needs constantly change; therefore continual education about nutrition is a fact of life. The nutritional needs of a cardiac patient are different than those of a healthy, middle-aged hiker.

Can you see the complexity of the situation now? What we really need is to develop a scale that determines the nutritional needs of our bodies on a cellular level, so that as we age, as our physical condition changes, or our health changes, we can recalculate our needs, based on cellular changes and content in our body.

Individuality is the key to understanding each person’s nutritional needs, and then working to educate us is the key to fulfilling those nutritional needs. Good nutrition should be the ultimate goal of every person alive.

When medications fail to adequately control allergy symptoms and avoidance of the trigger is not easy or possible, an allergist may recommend immunotherapy or “allergy shots”. This treatment consists of a series of injections containing small amounts of the substances to which a person is allergic. After a course of allergy shots, 80 to 90 percent of patients have less allergy symptoms, and in many cases their allergies have completely resolved. Allergy shots can be given for allergic rhino-conjunctivitis (nose and eyes), allergic asthma and insect sting allergies.

Are allergy shots experimental therapies?

No. Allergy shots have been given for nearly 100 years and are FDA approved therapies. Numerous well-designed medical studies show the efficacy of allergy shots.

And allergy shots do not contain steroids, which can have adverse long-term side effects.

How do allergy shots work?

Unlike allergy medicines, which act only to “cover up” allergic symptoms or prevent them temporarily, allergy shots fix the underlying problem of allergies. This occurs because the body treats the injection much like a vaccine, resulting in the production of infection-fighting antibodies against the pollen, dust, mold or pet dander. The body then stops producing as much allergic antibodies against the triggers, and therefore won’t have as much, or any, allergic response when exposed to the allergens. These changes can last for many years even after stopping allergy shots. Recent studies show that allergy shots can also prevent people from developing new allergies, and reduce the risk of developing asthma in children with nasal allergies.

How are allergy shots given?

The method of immunotherapy consists of starting at a small dose that will not cause an allergic reaction, with slowly advancing the dosage until the person becomes tolerant to large amounts of the extract. These injections are initially given once to twice a week until a maintenance, or constant dose, is achieved. This usually takes approximately 3 to 6 months. Once the maintenance dosage is reached, the allergic symptoms are largely resolved in most patients. Thereafter, the injections are given every two to four weeks.

How long must I take allergy shots?

Therapy is continued for 3 to 5 years total, after which the patient continues to get benefit for another 5 to 10 years or longer, even after the shots are stopped. If the shots are stopped prior to a total of 3 years, the allergic symptoms typically return more quickly.

What are the risks of allergy shots?

The risks of immunotherapy consist of the possibility of experiencing an allergic reaction to the allergy shot. Most allergic reactions consist of mild to moderate swelling and itching at the site of the injection. These reactions occur frequently, but rarely require any change in treatment. A large swelling may require an adjustment of the immunotherapy dosage or a change in the frequency and amount of the shots.

Less commonly patients experience whole-body allergic reactions, sometimes called “anaphylaxis”. Most of these reactions are mild and consist of itching of the skin, hives, or runny nose. Others are more severe and can present as cough, chest tightness, wheezing, throat tightness, shock and rarely can be life-threatening.

For this reason, it is normally required that patients remain in the physician’s office for 20 to 30 minutes after the injection since most reactions occur during this time. These reactions are typically easily reversed with medicines such as injectable epinephrine and anti-histamines.

Should I take allergy shots?

Obviously, this is a question that only you and your doctor can answer. There are many reasons to consider allergy shots:

- Medicines don’t work: Many patients go to the allergist because they still have symptoms despite having tried numerous allergy medications, with little to no relief of their symptoms. Sometimes allergy shots are the only therapy left for these patients.

- Go for the cure: Other patients like the idea of a “cure”, and opt for allergy shots for that reason. Remember, immunotherapy is the only treatment for allergies that fixes the underlying problem of the immune system, much like a vaccine.

- Don’t like medicines: Some patients experience severe side effects from medications, or don’t like taking medications on a daily basis – the idea of a “once a month shot” is a better option for them.

- Cost of medicines: Medications can be expensive, and since allergy symptoms typically return soon after medications are stopped, patients may require medications for many, many years. Allergy shots can alleviate much of the need for medications and can be a significant cost savings measure in the long run.

I have sensitive skin from head to toe. I am looking for multiple experiences with skin cleansers, lotions, toners, exfoliants and any kind of skin care stories. What works best for you? What keeps dry skin, specifically on the face at bay? What brands do you prefer? How many times per day do you wash your face? What is your routine?