Wednesday, July 18, 2012

B12 Shots and Your Skin

Vitamins and our nutrition is one of the most important components of glowing and healthy skin. Your skin treatments will always be more effective if you have proper diet. Generally speaking: if you are healthy and eat a varied and balanced diet you will have the nutrients you need. But over time, and with dietary issues, imbalances may occur and you may nee testing to see where your deficiencies really are. At Women's Health Practice many vitamin levels can be tested, but testing for B vitamin deficiencies can be helpful in planning diet changes and the need for supplements. Even those who aren't deficient may benefit from a boost of certain  trace minerals and B vitamins and B12 has been used for a variety of treatments including for fatigue. B12 only comes from animal products: meat and dairy. Vegans are most susceptible to B12 deficiencies and need supplements to avoid the special types of anemia that is due to B12 deficiency. Classically it is thought that most of the deficiency symptoms from B12 are neurological, but there are cases of people going prematurely grey from deficiency as well. A new article from the Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Gastroenterology Unit, University of Naples "Federico II" in Italy, and colleagues report their findings in a study published online on July 17 in Gut, has discovered that actually treating with B12 helps viral treatments against Hepatitis C. Others are trying these shots to help those suffering from an acute case of herpes, thinking that the same viral boosting fighting power may work for this too. So it's something that could be tried for cold sores and post laser treatment for those who always break out in a herpes infection after those treatments.

Friday, July 13, 2012

Your Thyroid And Your Skin

Sometimes it isn't the products you have been using, or the slight sun blush of summer, or the fact that you had a bit too many late nights this month that is getting your skin out of control, there are other causes.One cause you may not have associated with skin problems could be thyroid disease.Low or under active thyroid can cause dry skin, but most often it is described as "coarse." Those with over active thyroid can have changes of the skin as well, and even more symptoms due to thyroid problems can be seen. Some times the excess thyroid hormone can produce sweating and a redness to the skin, similar to blushing from the heat. This can actually happen to those who have an under active thyroid, but are given too high a thyroid dose of medicine. In overactive thyroid patients they may describe their skin as too oddly smooth, this is because the layer of keratin on top of the skin is abnormally thin. This lack of keratin can produce skin that too easily burns as well. Over active thyroid also can cause an odd skin condition called myxedma. It is a puffiness of the skin in the areas that it occurs. The puffiness is actually due to odd extra layers of collagen or even the entrapment of natural hyaluronic acid in skin layers where it is not supposed to occur. Graves disease, a condition of overactive thyroid that also has high abnormal antibodies circulating in the skin can produce a special red bumpy skin condition, that is usually only on the shins. Some patients with these thyroid abnormalities can report itching, or the odd appearance of hives which were not detected before. The thyroid conditions, particularly overactive, can cause abnormally metabolizing other hormones, so that imbalances occur in other systems, like your cortisol. Not so much a result of the thyroid itself, but the cortisol metabolism can be off causing changes in skin pigmentation, and even the new odd appearance of stretch marks. For those who have had a gradual decline in thyroid function, this may not be obvious, but you might want to consider testing if your treatments for your skin conditions are not working. Particularly if your hair or nails are showing changes as well, then get tested!. Blood testing  for most thyroid conditions is straight forward and thus correction is possible and your skin can be back to looking well...as long as you continue your good skin care!