To manage rosacea
Cool off flare-ups When the redness of rosacea appears, combine several drops of soothing herbal oils such as rose, lavender and chamomile in a basin of cool water. Soak a washcloth in the liquid and lay it over your face for 10 minutes. Repeat as necessary. These herbs are often used to reduce skin irritation.
Breathe deeply Stress is a common trigger for rosacea, so practising stress-reducing deep breathing can help to avoid flare-ups. Learn to breathe from your stomach, so that each in-breath is deep enough to expand your abdomen, while each out-breath lowers it. When you start to feel the blood rising in your face, continue with this form of breathing for 3 minutes, ideally with your eyes closed.
Swallow some fish oil Fish-oil supplements are rich in anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids. Since rosacea is related to inflammation, these inflammation-dampers can help to reduce flare-ups. Take 1,500mg or less twice a day. You can also try 500mg of evening primrose oil three times a day.
Use green-tinted make-up The green helps to cover the red. This won't get rid of your rosacea, but it will stop people from asking if you've had too much sun lately.
Skip the alcohol Take this test: after a glass of wine or a gin and tonic, look at your face in the mirror. Is it as pink a a glass of rose? Alcohol dilates the blood vessels, and since facial blood vessels are so close to the skin, you get the telltale flush of rosacea.
Watch your diet Spicy foods, hot liquids and even mature cheeses can trigger a flare-up.
When it comes to skin, don't confuse beauty with health. Focus on caring for your skin from both the inside and outside
Try hypnosis Several studies reported in medical journals found that hypnosis can help patients to control the flushing of rosacea.
Ask your GP to test you for Helicobacter pylori This bacterium is the primary cause of stomach ulcers. However, a growing body of evidence suggests it may also linked to rosacea. In one study, in Madrid, of 44 patients with rosacea and H. pylori infection, completely eradicating the bacteria in 29 volunteers led to a complete or significant improvement in rosacea in 19 patients - or 65 percent.
Talk to your doctor about intense pulse light (IPL) Just two or three sessions of this therapy could make a huge difference to your rosacea. It's not generally available on the NHS, though it is offered by many private clinics.
To manage shingles
Start an antiviral At the first sign of shingles, get a prescription for an antiviral medication such as acyclovir (Zovirax), which was approved for the treatment of herpes viral infections almost two decades ago. Studies find that taking this or other anitviral medicines early can prevent the lingering pain that often occurs after a shingles outbreak.
Ice yourself down When the pain is bad, apply an ice pack wrapped in a small towel to the affected area for 10 minutes, take it off for 10 minutes, then reapply for another 10.
Take an antihistamine Some people get terrible itching with shingles. If you have itching, try an over-the-counter antihistamine such as chlorphenamine. Take it at bed time as it will help you to sleep - but watch out for sedating effects the next day. Cool baths can also help.
Wrap yourself in plastic Putting on clothes over the blisters of shingles can be incredibly painful. Try covering the area with cling film so your clothes slide over the affected skin.
Yes, there are diseases of the skin.
Yes, they can be managed. No, they need not affect your life or appearance.
Sleep problems
Insomnia - annoying, exhausting and mysterious - sadly becomes a common experience as we age. Sleep patterns change radically after the age of 55, when your body clock resets itself and levels of important sleep hormones drop. Diseases, medication, everyday habits and even your evening bedtime routine play important roles as well.
The good news: although you can't reverse natural and inevitable sleep changes, you don't have to settle for wide-awake nights or dog-tired days.
As people get older, these changes mean that it's more difficult to stay asleep - many people may be wide awake by the early hours of the morning, and get less sleep than their previous eight hours or so. Not surprisingly, it can then be difficult to keep going all day, so older people tend to get tired more easily in the afternoon and early evening. If you're affected, your body clock is basically running a head of itself, with a time period of less than the normal 24 hour day.
The secret to overcoming - or sidestepping - the extra insomnia risks that come with the passing years? Everything from exercising in sunlight and saying no to an after-dinner cocktail to working with your GP to minimise the effects of health issues and medication on your sleep schedules. And the time to talk to your GP? When you're regularly feeling tired during the day and can't do the things you'd like to do or need to do. Then it's time to do something about your sleep. Getting older doesn't have to mean living with insomnia and exhaustion. There's plenty you can do about it.
Your first step? Understanding and accomodating the way your body and mind sleep now. Sleep changes don't happen suddenly. They start gradually in your 30s, but you may not notice them unitl you're older or retired or until other factors get in the way.
To adjust to sleep-pattern changes
Accept them It's crucial to understand that the timing and quality of your sleep does change over time. Just as you will never have the body shape and weight of 30 years earlier, you will not have the sleep patterns you once had. Be sensitive to the changes. Do you get tired earlier or are you more sensitive to morning light? Monitoring changes and adjusting to them is half the battle.
Get active during the day You'll sleep better at night if you haven't been sitting around quietly all day. In fact, although you may think that disturbed sleep is making you feel lethargic during the day, it's just as likely to be the other way round. According to a study at Loughborough University that followed a sample of elderly people at intervals for eight years, a lower level of physical activity was a significant risk factor for all types of insomnia - whereas increasing age per se generally was not. So take some exercise in the fresh air every day if you can, and generally boost physical activity levels - take the stairs rather than the lift, take up an active hobby rather than reading or watching television and if you do watch TV in the early evening, get up during the ads and do a bit of housework. You may also find that a period of bright light - preferably from sunlight or a light box - at your sleep midafternoon period helps you to stay alert for longer.
Cool off flare-ups When the redness of rosacea appears, combine several drops of soothing herbal oils such as rose, lavender and chamomile in a basin of cool water. Soak a washcloth in the liquid and lay it over your face for 10 minutes. Repeat as necessary. These herbs are often used to reduce skin irritation.
Breathe deeply Stress is a common trigger for rosacea, so practising stress-reducing deep breathing can help to avoid flare-ups. Learn to breathe from your stomach, so that each in-breath is deep enough to expand your abdomen, while each out-breath lowers it. When you start to feel the blood rising in your face, continue with this form of breathing for 3 minutes, ideally with your eyes closed.
Swallow some fish oil Fish-oil supplements are rich in anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids. Since rosacea is related to inflammation, these inflammation-dampers can help to reduce flare-ups. Take 1,500mg or less twice a day. You can also try 500mg of evening primrose oil three times a day.
Use green-tinted make-up The green helps to cover the red. This won't get rid of your rosacea, but it will stop people from asking if you've had too much sun lately.
Skip the alcohol Take this test: after a glass of wine or a gin and tonic, look at your face in the mirror. Is it as pink a a glass of rose? Alcohol dilates the blood vessels, and since facial blood vessels are so close to the skin, you get the telltale flush of rosacea.
Watch your diet Spicy foods, hot liquids and even mature cheeses can trigger a flare-up.
When it comes to skin, don't confuse beauty with health. Focus on caring for your skin from both the inside and outside
Try hypnosis Several studies reported in medical journals found that hypnosis can help patients to control the flushing of rosacea.
Ask your GP to test you for Helicobacter pylori This bacterium is the primary cause of stomach ulcers. However, a growing body of evidence suggests it may also linked to rosacea. In one study, in Madrid, of 44 patients with rosacea and H. pylori infection, completely eradicating the bacteria in 29 volunteers led to a complete or significant improvement in rosacea in 19 patients - or 65 percent.
Talk to your doctor about intense pulse light (IPL) Just two or three sessions of this therapy could make a huge difference to your rosacea. It's not generally available on the NHS, though it is offered by many private clinics.
To manage shingles
Start an antiviral At the first sign of shingles, get a prescription for an antiviral medication such as acyclovir (Zovirax), which was approved for the treatment of herpes viral infections almost two decades ago. Studies find that taking this or other anitviral medicines early can prevent the lingering pain that often occurs after a shingles outbreak.
Ice yourself down When the pain is bad, apply an ice pack wrapped in a small towel to the affected area for 10 minutes, take it off for 10 minutes, then reapply for another 10.
Take an antihistamine Some people get terrible itching with shingles. If you have itching, try an over-the-counter antihistamine such as chlorphenamine. Take it at bed time as it will help you to sleep - but watch out for sedating effects the next day. Cool baths can also help.
Wrap yourself in plastic Putting on clothes over the blisters of shingles can be incredibly painful. Try covering the area with cling film so your clothes slide over the affected skin.
Yes, there are diseases of the skin.
Yes, they can be managed. No, they need not affect your life or appearance.
Sleep problems
Insomnia - annoying, exhausting and mysterious - sadly becomes a common experience as we age. Sleep patterns change radically after the age of 55, when your body clock resets itself and levels of important sleep hormones drop. Diseases, medication, everyday habits and even your evening bedtime routine play important roles as well.
The good news: although you can't reverse natural and inevitable sleep changes, you don't have to settle for wide-awake nights or dog-tired days.
As people get older, these changes mean that it's more difficult to stay asleep - many people may be wide awake by the early hours of the morning, and get less sleep than their previous eight hours or so. Not surprisingly, it can then be difficult to keep going all day, so older people tend to get tired more easily in the afternoon and early evening. If you're affected, your body clock is basically running a head of itself, with a time period of less than the normal 24 hour day.
The secret to overcoming - or sidestepping - the extra insomnia risks that come with the passing years? Everything from exercising in sunlight and saying no to an after-dinner cocktail to working with your GP to minimise the effects of health issues and medication on your sleep schedules. And the time to talk to your GP? When you're regularly feeling tired during the day and can't do the things you'd like to do or need to do. Then it's time to do something about your sleep. Getting older doesn't have to mean living with insomnia and exhaustion. There's plenty you can do about it.
Your first step? Understanding and accomodating the way your body and mind sleep now. Sleep changes don't happen suddenly. They start gradually in your 30s, but you may not notice them unitl you're older or retired or until other factors get in the way.
To adjust to sleep-pattern changes
Accept them It's crucial to understand that the timing and quality of your sleep does change over time. Just as you will never have the body shape and weight of 30 years earlier, you will not have the sleep patterns you once had. Be sensitive to the changes. Do you get tired earlier or are you more sensitive to morning light? Monitoring changes and adjusting to them is half the battle.
Get active during the day You'll sleep better at night if you haven't been sitting around quietly all day. In fact, although you may think that disturbed sleep is making you feel lethargic during the day, it's just as likely to be the other way round. According to a study at Loughborough University that followed a sample of elderly people at intervals for eight years, a lower level of physical activity was a significant risk factor for all types of insomnia - whereas increasing age per se generally was not. So take some exercise in the fresh air every day if you can, and generally boost physical activity levels - take the stairs rather than the lift, take up an active hobby rather than reading or watching television and if you do watch TV in the early evening, get up during the ads and do a bit of housework. You may also find that a period of bright light - preferably from sunlight or a light box - at your sleep midafternoon period helps you to stay alert for longer.
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