Dead Sea Herbs

Accutane is a medication used for the treatment of severe cases of acne, especially those linked to permanent and disfiguring scarring such as acne vulgaris, acne conglobata and acne fulminans.

This drug is related to vitamin A, which makes it classified as a retinoid. Most dermatologists and physicians prescribe Accutane for management of acne. Since there are high risks for developing side effects, it is often not used as the first course of treatment. Deep facial cleansers, herbal skin care creams and topical ointments are usually the first round of treatments patients will receive. These alternative methods have become more popular due to the side effects one can develop from using drugs such as Accutane.

Physicians have also utilized the drug to treat Harlequin-type-ichthyosis, a rare condition that causes the skin to present plating as thick as armor after birth. Accutane has also been used sparsely to treat certain types of cancers including pancreatic and brain cancer. However, the drug may work throughout the body in killing cells not related to cancers.

Accutane is linked to the development of severe side effects, including inflammatory bowel disease, which has prompted many patients to file an Accutane lawsuit to seek compensation for medical bills, pain and suffering. In a 2006 study conducted by The American Journal of Gastroenterology, treatment with Accutane was noted as a possible “trigger” for inflammatory bowel disease. Frequently referred to as IBD, inflammatory bowel disease is a gastrointestinal disorder that refers to two chronic conditions that cause inflammation of the digestive tract, known as ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease.

According to a 2010 study published in The American Journal of Gastroenterology, Accutane may nearly quadruple a patient’s risk of developing ulcerative colitis, a chronic inflammatory bowel disease that requires the surgical removal of the colon in 25 to 40 percent of all cases. The study also reported that the risk of developing ulcerative colitis was highest in patients who used Accutane for more than two months.

Despite the fact that a possible association between Accutane and IBD was first discovered in the early 1980s, Accutane contained no warning of an increased risk of IBD for the majority of the time it was available on the market. A number of patients who have suffered these side effects argue that Roche Pharmaceuticals did not adequately warn them about Accutane’s risks. Please be sure to speak or receive a checkup with a dermatologist prior to making a decision.

By providing FDA alerts, drug information and drug side effects about prescription and over the counter medications, we can ensure an environment where patients have the best knowledge on their medical treatment and health. Additional information may be found on DrugWatch.com.

Time Magazine issue July 19 2010

By Bryan Walsh

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Acne treatment

Pycnogenol® for skin disorders

Dr. Lester Packer of the University of California (Berkeley USA) has discovered the mechanism how Pycnogenol®, the famous French maritime pine bark extract, may act to improve psoriasis and other dermal disorders. Since years people with psoriasis have reported that the occurrence of the itching red blotches was dramatically reduced when they took Pycnogenol®. But until now, it was not clear how Pycnogenol® does it.

Dr. Packer pinpointed the action for Pycnogenol®’s help for skin disorders in the genes of human skin cells. The skin of patients with psoriasis and various other dermatoses have high levels of particular proteins called calgranulins. These proteins are typically associated with inflammatory conditions, prevalent in various skin disorders. According to Dr. Packer, Pycnogenol® would dramatically decrease (nearly 22 times) the activation of genes in skin cells encoding these unfavourable proteins. In consequence, dermal inflammations are counteracted and skin conditions are brought back to normal, argues Dr. Packer.

This result is an agreement with a recent clinical study conducted by Dr. Ronald Watson (University of Arizona, Tucson) and published together with Dr. Packer. In this study it was shown that human volunteers irradiated with UV light were more resistant against getting sunburn when they took Pycnogenol®. Exposure of the skin to UV-light causes production of harmful free radicals, which are quickly removed by Pycnogenol®. But more than that, cells of the skin were prevented from initiating an inflammation by Pycnogenol®, thus preventing further harm to the skin. This is how Pycnogenol® prevents the process known as photo-aging of the skin.

Pycnogenol® is among the most powerful antioxidants, but unlike the multitude of other antioxidants, Pycnogenol® provides immediately visible benefits to the consumer. The current studies of Dr. Packer point at the value of Pycnogenol® for a normal, beautiful and healthy skin.

Sun is good for you

I have a question to all of you:

How do you feel about sunlight? Does it cheer you up.

Do you like to be tan? Does sun tan look good?

Of course we have to be aware of the possible risks and damages from sun (especially for tanners, who overexposure themselves), but we can’t be let to believe that sun doesn’t do anything good. Sun is the reason we live!

Because of sun this planet is alive!

This is the reason you feel good about the Sun. Sun made all of us.

For years we have been told to cover up in the sun to cut the risk of getting skin cancer. But now it has come to light that sun is actually good for the body.
Recent studies have shown that a sensible amount of UV light reduces your risk of several cancers and health conditions. It’s all thanks to Vitamin D, which is made through our bodies through the action of UVB rays on our skin.
Professor Michael Holick of Boston University School of Medicine is the author of “The UV Advantage” book. “We get about 90 to 95% of our vitamin D from the sun,” says Holick.
He advises people should get 5 to 15 minutes of sun exposure three times a week to boost vitamin D levels.

Tanning controversy

More recently, some researchers have advised that tanning in moderation may be healthier than is commonly believed. Edward Giovannucci, professor of medicine and nutrition at Harvard states that according to his research, people who have sufficient vitamin D due to UV exposure, and other intake, may prevent 30 deaths for each one caused by skin cancer.[14] His research also suggests that diet accounts very little for vitamin D3 necessary for curbing cancer. Michael Holick, Boston professor of dermatology, claimed that moderate exposure to sunlight probably reduces risk to many forms of cancer, diabetes, seasonal affective disorder, and other diseases.[15] These researchers are vigorously opposed by most dermatologists, for example, Dr. Elewski, president of the American Academy of Dermatology, argued that minutes of exposure to sunlight can be dangerous, and that people can get all the vitamin D they need through supplements. Large clinical studies have found vitamin D produced both through exposure to sunlight and through dietary supplements dramatically decreases cancer risk, and helps cancer recovery. See Vitamin D for more details.

So what do we do?

We do need the sun exposure for vitamin D production but how much sun is too much?

Here are some suggestions from US News and World report.

Summer is here!
Let’s go to the beach. Get some suntan. Most of us like to be tan.
It looks good.
But than the controversy.
Too much sun is bad. Is it? How much is too much?
Is it sun tan or sunburn that is bad?
Or maybe the sun screen lotion?
In my opinion in many cases the remedy is creating more problems that it is solving.
Especially for small kids.

BOSTON — A new study shows many sunscreens may not protect your skin, and some are even dangerous to your health.
NewsCenter 5’s Shiba Russell reported that researchers inspecting nearly 800 different brands of sunscreens found that barely one-quarter of them offered adequate sun protection.
According to the Environmental Working Group, more than half of the products they looked at broke down after minutes in the sun, according to a Boston Herald report.
Some products contained questionable substances, such as oxybenzone, which mimics the hormone estrogen which doctors have linked to cancer. Only 13 percent were found to block UVB rays and not UVA rays.
The study only gave three of the top 10 selling brands good ratings and all were for babies. They included the Blue Lizard Australian Suncream SPF 30/Baby, California Baby Water-Resistant Hypo-Allergenic Sunscreen SPF 30-plus and Aveeno Baby Sunblock Lotion Continuous Protection SPF 55.

Do Chemical Sunscreens Increase Cancer?
Worldwide, the greatest rise in melanoma has been experienced in countries where chemical sunscreens have been heavily promoted  The rise in melanoma has been exceptionally high in Queensland, Australia  where the medical establishment has vigorously promoted the use of sunscreens. Queensland now has more incidences of melanoma per capita than any other place on Earth. (Garland, Cedric F., et al. Could sunscreens increase melanoma risk? American Journal of Public Health, Vol. 82, No. 4, April 1992, pp. 614-15).

Dr. Gordon Ainsleigh in California believes that the use of sunscreens causes more cancer deaths than it prevents. He estimates that the 17% increase in breast cancer observed between 1981 and 1992 may be the result of the pervasive use of sunscreens over the past decade (Ainsleigh, H. Gordon. Beneficial effects of sun exposure on cancer mortality. Preventive Medicine, Vol. 22, February 1993, pp. 132-40). Recent studies have also shown a higher rate of melanoma among men who regularly use sunscreens and a higher rate of basal cell carcinoma among women using sunscreens (Garland, Cedric F. et al. Effect of sunscreens on UV radiation-induced enhancement of melanoma growth in mice. Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Vol. 86, No. 10, May 18, 1994, pp. 798-801 :Larsen, H.R. “Sunscreens: do they cause skin cancer.” International Journal of Alternative & Complementary Medicine, 1994; 12(12): 17-19; Farmer K.C. & Naylor, M.F. “Sun exposure, sunscreens, and skin cancer prevention: a year-round concern.” Ann Pharmacother, 1996; 30(6):662-73)
So the short answer-nobody knows for sure. Unfortunately.