What are kidney stones?

A common complication among people when it comes to their kidney, uterer, and bladder are kidney stones. This is due to many people having an unhealthy diet with a laid back living lifestyle, with minimal physical movements and lack of exercise.

Experts say that anyone may encounter kidney stones at one point of his or her life. But, with early diagnosis, healthy lifestyle, diet to prevent the condition, and regular exercise, one can recover from it.

However, recovering might be easy but if people do not follow the preventative steps to avoiding kidney stones, chances are, they will have it again within the next 10 or 15 years of their life.

Many people tend to neglect kidney stones because they think that they can easily recover from it with all the medications and medical procedures available today.

One thing that they don’t realize is that if they continue to have their kidney stones unchecked or undiagnosed, they are more prone to develop related diseases which will make their health conditions more complicated.

To avoid further complications when it comes to kidney stones, it is best that you arm yourself with all the knowledge that you can get, especially if you think that you are prone to the condition.

The first thing that you need to know about kidney stones is what it really is. Kidney stones are made up of minerals and other excess substances in body. It is the product when these substances and minerals are formed in the person's urine.

The process of developing kidney stones involve the crystallization of minerals and other related substances that form "lumps" which can be hard as a real stone. It most cases, kidney stones can be very tiny when they initially form but can grow, as they remain undiagnosed.

From a stone that can be compared to the size of grain, kidney stones can grow in size up to a quarter inch or even larger. Ouch!

Experts say that people who have kidney stones don't have to worry so much about its size but should more focus on where its is located. The location of the kidney stone is very important because it can cause the kidney and other related organs not to function very well.

Doctors agree that kidney stones that sit in the kidney itself are not much of a problem. But if it's located it the uterer, the tube that connects to the bladder, is a very big problem.

This is because the stone, regardless of its size, can block the path where the urine should pass. When this happens, it will cause the person a great deal of pain because it will stretch the kidney. The pressure caused by this stretching can build up and can even result to other related symptoms such as blood in the urine or hematuria, nausea, vomiting, and slight fever or chills especially if there's already an infection.

The next thing that you should pay attention to is the possible causes of the condition. Experts say that there are a number of factors that may cause the development of kidney stones. These factors may include the Urinary Tract Infections (UTI), kidney failure, diseases that may have been inherited that involves the kidney, foods that contain high levels of calcium, sodium, oxalates, and others, as well as lack of regular movement or exercise.

Charles

Importance of Vitamin K

Vitamin K is essential for the blood to clot to repair injuries. Whenever a person has a bleeding wound, it is vitamin K that is present in the blood that stops the bleeding and enables most minor cuts to heal quickly.

There are three different forms of vitamin K. The first variant of vitamin K is vitamin K1, also known as phylloquinone. This is the form of vitamin K that is found in types of plant foods.

Vitamin K found in plant foods. The second form of vitamin K is vitamin K2, or menaquinone. This type of vitamin K is formed by friendly bacteria in the intestines.

Thirdly, there is vitamin K3 which is also known as menadione and is actually an artificial form of vitamin K. All three of these types of vitamin K end up in the liver where it is used to create the blood clotting substances.

The best natural sources of vitamin K are green leafy vegetables, such as spinach. However, because the friendly bacteria in the intestine makes one of the forms of vitamin K it is extremely rare for a person to have a deficiency of vitamin K and so vitamin K supplements are not needed by the majority of people.

Apart from the main function of helping blood to clot, vitamin K, specifically vitamin K1, has an important part to play in the bone building process. This vitamin K is required to retain the calcium in the bones and redistribute it to where it is needed.

Although a vitamin K deficiency is relatively rare there are certain groups of people who may suffer from it. Newborn babies may not have enough of vitamin K as they have insufficient bacteria in their intestines to produce it. The majority of newborn babies in developed countries are therefore given a vitamin K injection to tide them over until the natural process takes over.

That is the only time that a vitamin K supplement will be taken by most people throughout their lives. However, an extended course of antibiotics may lead to a vitamin K deficiency due to the fact that the antibiotics kill the intestinal bacteria as well as the ones that they are being taken to cure.

Again, a vitamin K supplement may be given if the course of antibiotics has to continue for a long period of time.

Charles

Herbal Skin Care

Skin care is not a topic of recent times; it has been in practice since ancient times, when herbal skin care was probably the only way to take care of skin. However, skin care has transformed in a big way. Herbal skin care routines have been replaced by synthetic/chemical-based skin care routines.

The herbal skin care recipes which once used to be common place are not so popular today (and even unknown to a large population). This transformation from herbal skin care to synthetic, can probably be attributed to two things – our laziness (or just the fast pace of lives) and the commercialisation of skin care.

Even herbal skin care products have been commercialised. These commercial herbal skin care products have to be mixed with preservatives in order to increase their shelf-life, hence making them less effective than the fresh ones made at home.

However, it seems that things are changing fast and more people are now opting for natural and herbal skin care routines. But still, none want to make them at home and hence the commercial market of herbal skin care products is on the rise.

So what are these herbs or herbal skin care mechanisms?

Aloe vera, which is an extract from Aloe plant, is one of the best examples of herbal skin care product. Freshly extracted aloe vera is a natural hydrant that helps in soothing skin. It also helps in healing cuts and treating sun burns.

A number of herbs are known to possess cleansing properties. Dandelion, chamomile, lime flowers and rosemary herbs, are a few examples of such cleansers. Their herbal skin care properties get invoked when they are combined with other herbs like tea.

Antiseptics are another important part of Herbal skin care. Lavender, marigold, thyme and fennel are good examples of herbs that are known to possess antiseptic properties. Lavender water and rose water also form good toners.

Tea plays an important part in herbal skin care. Tea extracts are used for treatment of skin that has been damaged by UV radiation.

Oils prepared from herbal extracts present another means of herbal skin care. Tea tree oil, Lavender oil, borage oil and primrose oil are some popular oils used in herbal skin care. Some fruit oils (e.g. extracts from fruits like banana, apple and melon) find use in shower gels (as a hydrating mix)

Homeopathic treatments and aromatherapies also come under the umbrella of herbal skin care remedies. Herbal skin care is good not only for the routine nourishing of skin but also for treatment of skin disorders like eczema and psorasis.

Most herbal skin care products don’t have any side effects (the most important reason for preferring them over synthetic products) Moreover, herbal skin care products can be easily made at home, hence making them even more attractive.

So, herbal skin care is the way to go. However, this does not mean that you totally discard the synthetic products. Some people go to the extent of debating with their dermatologist, if he/she suggests a synthetic product. You should accept the fact that some skin orders might need usage of clinically proven non-herbal skin care products.

Charles