Everyone knows that a bump to the skin can cause a bruise to form. More seriously, there are some medical conditions to consider if unusual or chronic bruising is experienced. For the most part, bruises are a condition treated by time – sooner or later they will disappear. Among the handful of topical bruise treatments thought to help the discoloration of a bruise clear up faster are products containing arnica montana.

Arnica is also believed to help lessen expected bruising from surgery or invasive cosmetic procedures if it is applied a few days before and after. BruiseCare X8 Treatment Balm, which contains arnica in a potent 8% concentration, has been clinically proven to improve the appearance of bruises faster than in untreated skin.

Check out this segment from the Dr. Oz Show about bruising – why bruises form and the most common causes and treatments. One of his recommendations is to use arnica, and he explains how arnica helps the body heal the bruise faster. Click the image below to view the video.

According to a study published in the weekly issue of Deutsches Ärzteblatt International (the German Medical Association’s official international bilingual science journal) researchers found that most of the geriatric patients in a German rehabilitation hospital suffered vitamin D deficiency. The study measured ‘25-OH vitamin D’ in 1,578 patients after admission to the rehab hospital.¹

Of the residents, 89% were found to have insufficient high concentrations of vitamin D and 67% had severe vitamin D deficiency. According to Deutsches Ärzteblatt International, insufficient vitamin D can negatively affect muscles and increase risk for falls and fractures in elderly people.¹

The most effective way to obtain this vital nutrient is to get your vitamin D from the sun directly.  However, the elderly produce less vitamin D in their skin than younger people and they spend less time in the sun. ¹

The current RDA for vitamin D–by the National Institutes of Health–is 800 IU’s for individuals 70 years and older.³ Many experts contend that this is not an adequate amount for overall health.

Although vitamin D is conventionally known to be important for bone health, vitamin D deficiency has been associated with serious health conditions including heart disease, diabetes, and depression and many as seventeen types of cancers, including breast cancer.²

1) aerzteblatt.de
2) Vitamin D Council
3) Office of Dietary Supplements

Modern celebrations of Valentine’s Day are gushing with sweetness. Did you know, though, that mid-February was first associated with romance in a pagan celebration of fertility complete with animal sacrifice? It’s believed that the festival was Christianized by Pope Gelacius and declared as St. Valentine’s Day around 496.¹ There were several St. Valentines and there is some historic uncertainty as to which one the Pope intended to honor.

Many scholars believe a very romantic version in which a priest named Valentine falls from favor with Roman emperor Claudius II. The emperor believed married men made poor soldiers, so he forbade young men to marry. Father Valentine defiantly performed secret weddings and was ultimately jailed by Claudius. While in jail Valentine fell in love with his jailer’s daughter. Before he was executed he sent her a letter signed “from your Valentine.”²

Regardless of the history, the fact is that these days a lot of people look forward to this holiday all year. With billions of dollars spent, the retail bonanza runs the gamut – from children in grade school exchanging little cut out cards and not so yummy Sweethearts candies, to grown-ups spending way too much on jewelry and romantic weekends.

On the downside, Valentine’s celebratory chocolates and fatty dinners may be responsible for post holiday acne breakouts. While diet’s effect on acne is still in debate, it does seem to aggravate the condition in some people. Still, there is no denying that the holiday can be an excuse to indulge. Fortunately, it’s only one day and shouldn’t be a big set-back if you are struggling to get rid of acne and keep your complexion clear. A spot treatment of a breakout is likely all that most people will need to get back on track.

So go ahead and enjoy the day! It’s as good a reason as any to treat the ones you love.

1) history.com
2) infoplease.com

Groundhog Day is a whimsical holiday celebrated on February 2 in the United States and Canada.

The celebration began in the 18th century as a Pennsylvania German custom in southeastern and central Pennsylvania.

According to folklore, if it is cloudy when a groundhog emerges from its burrow on this day, it will leave the burrow, signifying that winter-like weather will soon end. If it is sunny, the groundhog will supposedly see its shadow and retreat back into its burrow, and the winter weather will continue for six more weeks.

The largest Groundhog Day celebration is held in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania where resident groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, is the star of the show.

Phil will let us know today if spring is on the way!

We all know that topically applied products can help provide moisture and restore elasticity to aging skin. But how about what we eat? It makes sense that diet plays a role in how well (or how poorly) our skin responds to factors associated with aging, such as sun damage and the general loss of collagen over time.

According to the American Academy of Dermatologists, the skin is made up of 80% collagen. It is naturally produced in the body and decreases over time. The diet greatly affects how much collagen is produced.

There are some adjustments you can make to your diet that not only provide overall health benefits, but specifically work at stimulating collagen. Below are some food groups you should include in your diet every day for more youthful looking skin.¹

Dark, leafy greens, which contain lutein, an antioxidant, provide positive effects on the skin including increased hydration, elasticity, lipid content and photo protective activity.

Berries, kiwi, guava, oranges, and grapefruit contain significant amounts of vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant that prevents free radical damage to skin and helps the skin form collagen.

Soy, found in soy beans, milk, tofu, cheese, and yogurt, contains isoflavones, a class of organic compounds, which like vitamin C can also be helpful in preventing cell damage caused by free radicals.

Pinto, kidney and navy beans contain hyaluronic acid, an anti-aging substance that prevents skin sagging and improves elasticity. This substance is naturally present in the skin, but decreases with age.

Omega three fatty acids contained in cold water fish, walnuts, flaxseed, and some vegetables offer a long list of health benefits, which include improving dry skin.²

A diet rich in the good foods listed above, and complemented by topical skincare products rich in emollients, can greatly improve the skin’s ability to withstand aging and other external assaults on collagen.

1) LiveStrong.com

2) NaturalSkinHealth.com

We have said in this blog before that diet has little effect on acne. In fact, this has been widely believed for years.

Several studies, though, implicate a high carb/high glycemic diet in many of the problems acne sufferers have to deal with.

One in particular – a two year study from Australia’s RMIT University – focused on metabolic changes in glucose and insulin levels in the body due to diet.

The results of the study led researchers to believe that spikes in insulin and glucose caused by eating a diet heavy in foods of high glycemic index could be responsible for outbreaks of acne. The test subjects who ate a diet consisting of low glycemic index carbs and protein saw improvement in their acne.

While there is still no absolute answer on what role diet plays in acne treatment, this type of diet can be beneficial not just for acne, but for overall health.

Combined with topical treatment like SkinHealth Technology’s AcneCare ClearTech Treatment, it may bring relief to people suffering with acne.

Plaque psoriasis is a skin disease that has been long known in humans. It is categorized as an autoimmune disease, but according to Dr. Michael F. Holick, a leading authority on vitamin D and author of The Vitamin D Solution, this may not be completely accurate. His research has led him to believe that the disease begins with a defect in the skin cells that causes them to reproduce out of control, thus calling on the immune system to respond, making the problem worse.

Treating psoriasis with drugs that suppress the immune system doesn’t address the defective skin cells where the problem begins and these drugs are well known to have serious side effects.

In treating psoriasis, patients and doctors alike have long known that moderate sun exposure was useful in improving the condition, even before it was determined that vitamin D therapy would help. It is now understood that the sun exposure activates vitamin D in the skin which helps regulate the over-proliferation of skin cells.

Even though vitamin D from the sun can be a good thing, too much sun can be bad for psoriasis. If you are using sun exposure in your treatment regimen, you must be careful to gauge exposure in order to receive the optimum dose before becoming pink. SkinHealth Technology’s Natural Vitamin D UV Activation Sensors are a good way to ensure this.

Holick, Michael F. The Vitamin D Solution. New York, NY: Hudson Street Press, 2010. 109-112. Print.

Summer weather, with its sunburn, bug bites, scrapes and scratches is hazardous to the skin. But for people with sensitive skin or conditions such as eczema and psoriasis, winter can be much worse. The drying effect of the harsh cold combined with an overly warm and arid indoor atmosphere can remove needed moisture from the skin. These skin conditions are more prone to flare, generalized flaking and cracking are common and dark skin is more likely to become ashy.

Below are some tips to help relieve dry winter skin:

1. If the indoor air is extremely dry, use a humidifier to add moisture to the atmosphere.
2. Use balm type moisturizers for extra dry, cracking, flaking, or ashy skin.
3. Hydrate your body by drinking plenty of water.
4. Exfoliate the skin if it is flaky. Be sure to moisturize right after exfoliation.
5. As tempting as it is, don’t take long, hot showers or baths. This dries the skin more.
6. Layer your clothing so that softer items are closer to the skin and scratchy sweaters, etc. are on the outside.

SkinHealth Technology’s line of conditioning skin and sun care products are the perfect addition to your winter routine.

Click here for more detailed advice on keeping your skin comfortable and conditioned during the winter months.

According to Mercola.com:

Theories linking vitamin D deficiency to cancer have been tested and confirmed in more than 200 epidemiological studies, and understanding of its physiological basis stems from more than 2,500 laboratory studies.

Optimizing your vitamin D levels could help you to prevent at least 16 different types of cancer including pancreatic, lung, ovarian, prostate, and skin cancers. Overall, optimal vitamin D levels can cut cancer risk by as much as 60 percent, according to one large-scale, randomized, placebo-controlled study.

The most important factor is your vitamin D serum level. In order to help prevent a wide variety of diseases and health ailments, your vitamin D level needs to be between 50 and 70 ng/ml year-round.

The ideal way to optimize your vitamin D level is through sun exposure. As a very general guide, you need to expose a substantial amount of your entire body, when the sun is at its zenith.

According to recent findings from the D* Action study, adults need about 8,000 IU’s of oral vitamin D3 per day in order to get serum levels above 40 ng/ml.

Natural sunlight is the best source of vitamin D! UV sunlight is the fuel that enables the body to make vitamin D, but how long should you stay in the sun to optimize your Vitamin D without sun protection?

Skincare experts at SkinHealth Technology, LLC have developed a patented, new concept that enables you to attain vitamin D development 100% naturally–without damage to the skin. To accurately gauge the necessary length of time in the sun, simply apply one of their Natural Vitamin D UV Activation Sensors to skin or clothing. When the sensor turns red and the sun symbol disappears —it’s time to apply sunscreen or get out of the sun.

“New Year’s Day… now is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual.”
~Mark Twain

Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known by his pen name, Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist – and cynic based on the quote above. New Year’s Resolutions don’t have to be impossible to keep, though. Once you have made the resolution, keeping it is easier if you have a plan that fits into your daily life.

With the New Year here, there is one resolution that is on almost everybody’s list – to get healthy. Help keep this resolution with an easy to follow plan that comes with a long list of benefits. This year resolve to increase your vitamin D intake from the sun.

Using Natural Vitamin D UV Activation Sensors by SkinHealth Technology is a great way to gauge the optimum time in the sun needed to develop vitamin D without going so far as to damage your skin. Vitamin D is well documented as being one of the most essential to human health and deficiency is epidemic.

In northern climates, you may have to wait until early spring to produce vitamin D from the sun. In that case, the sensors will remind you that a little sun is a good thing and you are sticking to that get healthy resolution. It doesn’t take long. Short periods of sun exposure two to three times a week will fortify your body with this critical nutrient. The sensor will tell you when you have had enough. Vitamin D developed this way lasts longer and contributes to overall wellness – so you can focus on the other items on your list!